Whealthy Unlimited infuses philanthropy and fun into workouts and wellness
Flailing my arms about in front of the motion detection camera to slice the flying fruit salad onscreen, I felt that same gleeful bemusement my parents must have felt the first time they played "Wii Sports." As an employee blended a smoothie behind the juice bar, I was playing "Fruit Ninja" with the ingredients.
The business' name, Whealthy Unlimited, may have referred to the number of workout options. Stepper machines were lined up at the counter. Treadmills were set up at desks to make telecommuting feel a little more grounded. Machines allowed one to simulate skiing or snowboarding in the heart of Colorado Springs.
"I used to make my nieces and my daughters and my wife and my brother go to the gym with me," explained owner Juaquin Mobley. "They'd be like, 'Hey, man, I don't really like lifting all that weight.' So I was like, 'Well, you got to stay active, so let's figure out something fun for you to do.'"
That's not to say Whealthy Unlimited (121 E. Bijou St.) doesn't have more extreme options. In the back is a traditional GYM - an acronym for Grow Your Mind, Mobley explained. The gym serves as headquarters for Santiago's Boxing Club. Whealthy also offers rapid-fire, full-body workouts in just 24 minutes. And in addition to the hula hoops and jump ropes, there are weights for days.
As for Mobley, his stress relievers of choice are throwing around heavy weight and aiming for 100 reps of various exercises. But that might be a little intense for some.
"Fitness isn't monolithic and linear. It doesn't have to be what I do," he said. "It's all about having healthy movement and staying active."
Whealthy originated as an extension of Mobley's nonprofit organization Community Works (now Community Anchor Academy), which specializes in workforce development for the unemployed. Whealthy would allow the organization to become financially self-sustaining while expanding their range of support.
"We were missing out [on] the health and wellness piece of it," Mobley explained. "So, we were sending people off to jobs, getting them jobs, but they weren't keeping those jobs because mentally, they were going through other stuff that we didn't get to address."
Before Whealthy opened in 2023, Mobley's wellness services manifested as a barber shop providing mental health resources.
"I'm a first-generation American on my father's side," said Mobley. "My father's from the Dominican Republic. When they came to America, they landed in New York City - Harlem, to be exact. The first place he went to find resources for his family was a Dominican-owned barber shop. That's where they got their initial guidance."
Each of the barbers is trained in behavioral health assistance and peer recovery, allowing them to facilitate real conversations in a healthy way.
Mobley's lifelong interest in philanthropy was "hammered into [his] DNA" by his mother, who has run her nonprofit, Millennium All Stars, for over two decades.
"If you're doing better than others, whatever that looks like, you have to share. She ingrained that in us," Mobley explained. "I just replicated it."
That spirit continues at Whealthy. People with criminal backgrounds are intentionally hired so they can build transferable skills like customer service, nutrition, merchandising and retail math. With those skills, employees can use Whealthy as a launchpad into a new career or entrepreneurship.
Mobley ensures that his business shows its gratitude. Staff members match dollars spent by customers with reps: pull-ups, push-ups, dips and squats.
A gym membership starts at $35 a month, but Whealthy also offers a sliding scale to those who need it most. And each store purchase is a ticket to two hours of free workout time.
"I want people to know that although we're Black-owned, that doesn't mean Black-only," Mobley said. "A lot of people who are not African Americans or Latinos say, 'Well, how do we support?' And I'm like, it's right in front of you. You go buy a juice. You get a smoothie. You get some merchandise … I think that's the biggest way to support. We believe you make an investment into your health that deposits into our community."
