“Prison To Prosperity”, Lynch Hunt went from serving 10 years in Prison to one of the most successful men ever to grace the pages of Swagger. Here is his story about turning prison rags into riches.
Lynch Hunt was born in Riverhead, NY on November 23rd, 1975. He is most notably known as an Author of over 17 books, Elite level Motivational speaker and Health mastermind.
Going into this, there were so many things I had heard about the famous Lynch Hunt. His books can be bought on Amazon, his gyms are quickly spreading throughout the country and his fitness program is catching on like wildfire. If those achievements weren’t enough, this is all after serving 10 years in prison, after being convicted for being the leader of one of the largest drug rings ever in Burlington County New Jersey . I had to know more and to hear his story. This is by far one of the most exciting, inspiring and heartwarming pieces I have ever written. But I am getting ahead of myself…
It all started when I was online looking for a fitness routine to help me lose weight for 2022. I had a fellow journalist who I worked with, who had lost 40 pounds. I asked him how he did it and he told me “You have to try Coach Lynch”. I was immediately skeptical, everything I had done up to this point resulted in failure. But that’s where this journey began. I had tried many diets and wanted to find something that was not only inspiring but also something that would change my mental fitness as well. That’s when I came across Lynch Hunt’s “AWOL 30 day Transformation Challenge”. AWOL stands for A Way Of Life.
Then, I began the program and became fascinated with Lynch Hunt’s story. How could a person completely turn their life around, mentally, physically (did I mention he lost 70 pounds in 6 months)…and he did all of this after serving 10 years in prison. I knew I had to meet this guy, I knew this was the story that people would find fascinating, it had to be written. My boss took the bait and gave me one day to fly to North Carolina and spend the day with Lynch Hunt.
I flew from Los Angeles on a red eye and arrived very early in the morning. Lynch knew I was coming and said that he had something special planned for me. Oh no I thought, I hope he is not going to try and work me out until I throw up. But I was also excited to meet this man of many talents.
Lynch Hunt has authored 17 wildly successful books. His gym AWOL fitness is expanding like crazy across the nation. His speaker booking schedule is jammed packed with speaking engagements, from fortune 500 companies, to collegiate athletic programs. He has a morning news segment and on and on. This man lives the life that he preaches.
When I arrived at Lynch’s Gym AWOL fitness bright and early, I noticed a camera crew and a news van that had been parked outside. It was still dark, and quiet…until I heard “Let’s Go!”This gentleman was already going at it. Before I could even enter the gym, his energy was seeping through the cinder block walls.
I entered the gym to find Lynch doing one of the things he does best… Motivating. He was doing jumping jacks with the biggest smile on his face I had ever seen and counting down. “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1”. Then without missing a beat he started doing burpees. His energy was electric and somewhat contagious. I immediately felt alive, even after I had just barely slept on the red eye and was ready to fall deep asleep 10 minutes earlier.
Lynch has been the host for a T.V. News segment called Motivation Mondays. It has been so successful that it has helped push the T.V. station, it shows on, to number one in the market. Lynch is actually in talks with multiple platforms, to take his segment nationwide in the coming months. The concept of the show is people write in with questions about health, wellness, and/or motivation. Then Lynch gives a quick step by step comprehensive answer that allows you to implement a new strategy or tactic to see change immediately. All of this in a minute or less. The concept has been very very successful, due to the fact that it ends the news show leaving the viewers with something positive. Most stations end with a positive segment, but they have found this far more preferred by it’s viewers.
When Lynch wrapped out the segment I went over to greet him and he was charged . The guy has an energy about him that is hard to describe. But I can say this, I didn’t feel tired anymore and was immediately ready to storm the beaches. He had a firm handshake and asked how the flight was, I said good and he said “Come over here for a second.” Oh no I thought…Is this the part where he is going to throw me on a treadmill for an hour?
He handed me a bag and said the bathroom is over there. To my shock it was a bag full of Lululemon gear. I asked him what it was. He told me “He is a brand ambassador and that gear was on the house. Look Great…Feel Great!” Is there anything this guy doesn’t do?
I came out of the bathroom decked out in my Lululemon swag. And I must tell you…I did look and feel great. I walked over to Lynch and he said “Let’s go” then shooke my shoulder and started running. There was no, here’s what we are going to do, no hesitation, we just went right into it. And it felt great.
We ran over to a green astro turf area where we began the transformation process, which consisted of me doing all kinds of training. We literally were throwing weights around, running, jumping and surprisingly…laughing and having fun. Lynch’s motivational style is so enthusiastic that I actually was not thinking about the pain, I was actually enjoying it. This went on for about a half hour until it was time to move again.
As the sun was rising in North Carolina, I noticed I was starving. Lynch took me to a locally owned Jake’s Diner. We were greeted like family by the owner by Natalie Johnson. This woman had a kindness that could melt the butter off a stack of pancakes. All joking aside I was coming from the city, and this small town family diner was a breath of fresh air.
While we were eating I asked Lynch about his history and how he fell into the wrong crowd. The man admitted that he had made mistakes and also paid for them. I asked him about how he was able to turn it around. I couldn’t even go on a diet myself, this man served 10 years and lost 70 pounds in 6 months. What was I doing wrong?
He said “Turning your life around and changing can be easy if you change your attitude. Having the right mindset and attitude can literally change your life. Listen, your plans, your strategies, your dreams, can go wrong and get canceled. Everybody gets rejected. But your mindset is what allows you to keep going. It gives you the ability to start over again, to look for answers, and opportunities. The right mindset allows you to be honest. Whatever it is is going on and that’s going to give you the power over your circumstances. Instead of your circumstances having the power over you. That’s enough for now. We have to go…”
We left and drove about 20 minutes and finally arrived at a college campus. Lynch had informed me that he is hired as a professional motivational speaker for the Basketball team. When you are a university that has millions of dollars and your school pride is on the line, you want the best. Mentality is usually the difference between winning and losing.
We watched the practice and Lynch started to finish his speech from earlier. He explained…“What if you could stay in your place of infinite power?” I had no idea what he was talking about. He continued “You had it earlier when we were working out. You weren’t in a state of fear or thinking about what was coming next. You were just in the moment handling your business. There are times when you feel great. You felt great then. You want to create that feeling all the time. That’s your place of infinite power. The problem is we often dwell in areas of lack, in areas of scarcity. You hear me?” I nodded my head. He was just getting warmed up. We are always thinking of our limitations, our fears, doubts, and worries. If we can take away the limitations and the fear of living in scarcity, we can intrench ourselves in new patterns and new thoughts. We can upgrade our brain, create a new brain. If you believe you can do anything, you are free. If you knew your diet was going to work, you would feel empowered, you would feel confident. Well you can do that. You can work out. So why not feel that way now. Empower your mind”
The basketball team wrapped out and it was time for Lynch to spread his magic on the team. They were tired, worn out and ready to go home. They saw Lynch walking over and they perked up, they new what was coming. Some of them started laughing and clapping their hands.
He went right into it. “What do successful people and unsuccessful people have in common?” It was crickets. “They both don’t want to do the work. They both have 24 hours in a day. Successful people get it done. The difference is that successful people are hungry and get it done no matter what. Whether they are tired, sick, injured. All these things happen to everyone. Everyone gets sick, everyone gets tired, everyone gets hurt sometimes. The difference is the choices you make and whether you stick with those choices no matter what. The difference is not the easy choices, it’s the hard choices that make the difference. Winners make the right choices in tough situations. They practice when they are tired, they show up when they are sick and they play to win.”
Lynch went on to inspire the team, but I will leave it right there. What he said had stuck with me. Was I making the right choices? Even more importantly, was I making the right choices when they were tough to make.
We left the practice and Lynch drove in the car. I had to know what made him so motivated, how could this man be so passionate about this 24/7. He said “What do you cherish?” I had no idea how to respond to that question. I honestly did not know how to answer it. It was kind of personal, but I also honestly didn’t know the answer. He understood.
His car pulled into a humble driveway and we got out of the car. I asked him where we were. He said “I am going to show you what I cherish”. He opened the door to the home and a woman came to the door. She had a huge smile and gave Lynch a big hug and kiss. I soon realized that this woman was his wife and this was HIS home. She greeted me with that same heartfelt kindness I had been welcomed with since arriving in town.
We sat down at the Hunt family dinner table were Lynch Hunt led us in prayer. We ate a wonderful homecooked dinner and I got to meet Lynch’s whole family. I learned that Lynch’s wife Wendy had actually been a police officer. His oldest daughter Khadeejah had graduated from North Carolina Central University and his daughter Trinity is a Freshman at Spelman in Atlanta. Watching the whole family interact with the baby Legacy showed me that this family was truly happy. If you weren’t sure he had fully turned his life around, this should put a button on it.
At the end of dinner, Lynch stood with me outside while I waited for my Uber. It was an amazing day and I feel like I truly learned a lot from this experience and this person. I asked him about motivation and he told me “Figure out your why. That’s my why in there, they give me all the motivation I can ever need”. I left it on that note.
Since meeting Lynch and using his program, I have lost 15 pounds and have figured out my why. It’s stories like this. Writing and sharing people’s journeys. His story about turning his life around shows anyone that anything is possible. That’s my why.
