Meet Pierre Batraville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pierre Batraville.

Hi Pierre, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am currently part-owner and the trainer of Athleteist: a small private strength training studio and apparel shop in North Scottsdale. I was born to Haitian Immigrants and grew up on Marine Corps bases from North Carolina to Japan. My wife, Sara Racey-Batraville, is the other half or Athleteist. She started the brand years before we met in 2014. It was originally just T-shirts and one commercial. We met on the street in NYC. Kind of like a movie. She had once been a reality star on America’s Next Top Model. I didn’t know that when we met, but my sister was super excited and seemed to know more about my new love interest than I did. I was a product of the New York hustle. I was bartending, serving tables, training friends or just rattling off about everything fitness when I could. I was producing music with a legit intent to be the next Kanye. Dj’ing. Also, photography. Sara and I started doing quite of bit of that as well as we hung out more and more. You have to have that hustle mentality in the city or you will not survive. The funny thing is all those hustles brought me into a circle of friends that would ultimately lead me into probably the most ideal situation for a personal trainer with aspirations. It’s just the way life is sometimes. I was working at Acme, a real hot spot where foodie bistro meets celebrity nightlife. I met one of the coolest guys I know. Madison Stewart (Madison LST). He was a Bar-back but eventually ended up getting fired. That was actually what set him off to DJ and become good and eventually DJ the biggest venues in New York. Madison and I made music together. We hit it off creatively and merged forces and we set up a sick studio down in the Lower East Side. We were not killing it financially, but we were making first class hits! Well anyway, Madison became close to Brendan Fallis another DJ, “music industry insider” who I met a few times working at Acme.

We produced a couple of tracks with him as well, but I wasn’t exactly tight with him. Finally, I knew it was time for a change and I quit Acme because it was a new year and that’s what you do. I had always been obsessed with fitness and I wanted to take it to the next level so after getting certified and doing some leg work, I was now unemployed and Sara and I kind of had a baby on the way. I had been working on getting some clientele and visiting a couple of gyms. No progress thus far. I had mentioned Madison my mission and less than a day later he tells me Brendan has someone for me to meet. It’s Stephen Cheuk. The most chill guy you could meet. He owns S10 Training in Tribeca. I didn’t know what this place was about or had ever heard of it, but it was small. Rugged but sleek. A boutique studio and it felt 100% right. It was by far the best experience I could have asked for. He saw my potential and trusted me to train some of the most high-profile clients he had. And he had many. Joe Jonas, Diplo, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Mathew Broderick, and others. I had spent some years there and loved it, but I wasn’t loving NYC anymore. I had a son and a wife now and the city lost its luster. I was stressed for some reason and anxious. Sara and I knew our days were numbered, and we formulated a plan to start new beginnings and take a leap of faith. To keep it brief, we found ourselves in Scottsdale, AZ. I opened our first gym. COVID-19 lockdown #1. Reopened. COVID-19 lockdown #2. Reopened again, and we are writing the rest of our story as we speak.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It had been a rough 2020. We opened on October 9, 2019 and then COVID-19 changed everything. Like most businesses, we had to pivot and still are. We moved here with little to no support network, and it was rocky before the lockdowns. The challenges are real but it has unlocked even more fire in me than I thought I had.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Fit Pro. I love fitness. I love how it positively affects myself and my clients. I specialize in body composition transformation, conditioning, weight and body weight functional training, and we are known for pushing people to their greatest efforts. It’s not for nothing that we push people so hard, but if you can take yourself to that uncomfortable place and intensify your workouts, the gains come quickly and you feel like you accomplished something. I am proud that we are still in the fight as a business. Mostly grateful. But really proud we wake up and keep going despite the odds. I honestly feel our vibe is truly unique. We bring a little NYC attitude, but it’s very family vibes when you come here. My four year old is running around the gym doing box jumps. Sara is chatting with clients. I may be speaking about life with a client after class. It has to be good energy at all times. However, if you come here to work hard, you came to the right place.

What makes you happy?
My clients are telling me what gains they feel they are getting. Not just the aesthetic ones, but those real moments when a client tells you how much it means to them. It gives me a boost and means probably more than most of them realize.

Pricing:

• Class drop in $30
• Base price: 1 on 1 $85
• 10 pack 1 on 1: 750
• 20 pack 1 on 1: $1400

Contact Info:

• Email: train@athleteist.com
• Website: www.athleteist.training
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/train_athleteist
• Other: https://rumble.com/user/humblycockytv

Image Credits
Shot by Athleteist