GAVIN MCCAY Photo: Suzi Nash

Gavin McCay, owner of Fusion: Heart, Muscle, Mind, says that motivation is the biggest barrier in getting into shape and becoming healthy. So, the facilities at Fusion, the trainers, the programs, everything, are designed to help motivate you and get you into the gym.

Born in Doylestown, the 29-year-old business owner got his motivation from his entrepreneurial parents. His family owned a landscaping business and his father also did real-estate development.

“I got the courage and gumption to be self employed from them,” McCay said.

From the beginning, McCay excelled at sports. In high school, he played football, tennis and track. He then majored in engineering at Cornell University and played rugby. During that time he began to incorporate yoga and meditation into his training regimen. An avid traveler, he took some time off after graduation and explored the world. Visits to the Andes in South America, New Zealand, Australia, India, Southeast Asia and Europe had a profound impact on him. It was during that period he decided his mission in life was to help people get healthy and happy, and he began to think of business models to help reach these goals. He wanted something small and intimate but with the ability to expand.

Thus Fusion was born. The Fusion studio takes a holistic approach to health and incorporates a multi-faceted training program.

PGN: What’s special about Fusion?
GM: We take an individual approach. No warehouse classes. We want to get intimate with you. Whenever you work out here, it’s always with a trainer. Either one-on-one or in a small group so that you can get the best workout possible for you. The most important part is the mind-body part. I want you to get to a place where you are healthy and happy. Everything we do is geared toward that mission. Our heart, muscle, mind cross-training is our main program. It combines a cardio segment, such as treadmill, with weight-lifting and strength-training followed by yoga.

PGN: What were some of the challenges getting the business started?
GM: Oh, good Lord, everything! Getting the business loan. Trying to get a loan without any collateral or business history was a feat.

PGN: Who designed the gym?
GM: I worked with an architect, but the materials, design, colors were all me. I wanted a warm, inviting, yet inspiring space. My rules right off the bat were, no white, no black, no gray and no stark colors. I wanted the spaces to have an earthy, warm, living-room feeling but still feel clean and solid.

PGN: Did you get to employ any of your engineering skills?
GM: Not at all! There’s not a lot of room for creativity in engineering. If I could go back, I think I would have done things differently. Maybe majored in liberal arts.

PGN: Did the coming-out process help you understand people’s struggles with transformation?
GM: Yes; in my case, I think it made me more sensitive to people. Having to learn to be vulnerable, to say you’re gay and open yourself up helps transform you into a better person, which in turn helps people open up to me. I learned to listen better and not to be judgmental. It helped me get closer to clients by developing a trust and immediate friendships.

PGN: Speaking of friendships, you were a jock in school — the handsome quarterback. As a gay young man, was it difficult in the locker rooms?
GM: I didn’t consider myself gay then so it wasn’t an issue. I had a girlfriend. I’m sure it was there underneath, but it wasn’t something that I consciously thought about.

PGN: So when did you come out?
GM: It was after college. In school, I still never gave it much thought, but I started having less and less interest in girlfriends. I finally started thinking about the other alternative. Living in New York [City] probably helped me explore that a little and I finally took the dive. Looking back, there were dreams and things that I had but nothing overtly obvious that I was gay. Although now that I think about it, watching porn, I was never interested in the lesbian scenes! I really fought being gay; it was really hard for me to relate and feel comfortable with the side of the gay world that was more in touch with its femininity. It was a matter of getting comfortable with myself. I finally got over it and became a part of the community and learned to appreciate people for themselves. The last barrier was the word “gay.” I never wanted to use that word or see a rainbow. I still don’t like rainbows, but it’s more of an aesthetic thing!

PGN: Are you out to your clients?
GM: Oh yeah, there’s no realm in my life where I’m not out. I was featured on the cover of HX, so I think pretty much everybody knows where I stand. One of the benefits of being an entrepreneur is that you don’t have to worry about being fired. In fact, in this business, being gay is a plus. It’s another network to bond with people.

PGN: How about your old sports buddies?
GM: Nothing’s changed with my family and friends. If anything, we’ve gotten closer. I was so guarded during the time I was dealing with myself that by the time I came out, they were excited that I shared something so important with them. It was a really good experience for me. I had really quality people around me.

PGN: Do you work with any charities?
GM: Personally, I contribute to the Human Rights Campaign, trying to support legal issues. As a business, we are part of the new Independent Business Alliance, which is kind of a gay chamber of commerce. We also are working on a project to help kids create a healthier lifestyle and have adopted a school that we work with. Our trainers work with them and we are going to have a big fundraiser to help them create a fitness room and develop a better health curriculum at the school. It’s an all-girls’ school, the Young Women’s Leadership School at Rhodes in North Philadelphia. We’ve done seminars, workouts and assessments with the girls. It’s a cool project; some of our clients have offered to come help paint and build the fitness center. Once we develop the guidelines, we hope to get other gyms to adopt other schools.

PGN: Best success story at Fusion?
GM: Well, they’re all unfolding about now. One woman came in after a recent breakup. She was really broken down and had lost a lot of confidence. Once she started to work out and lose weight, she really began to feel better about herself. She was in the vicious cycle of eating because she felt bad and then feeling worse because she would gain weight. We helped break that cycle and now she’s moved on from her ex and has been hitting the town with renewed confidence.

PGN: Are most of your clients straight or gay?
GM: I think it’s about 50/50, but I’m finding people that I didn’t know about all the time, so who knows? I think the same thing goes for the staff ratio.

PGN: So what’s your favorite thing to do outside of the gym?
GM: I love to dance, although I guess that’s still athletic in a way. Traveling is my favorite thing to do. I like to try new things. I ate kangaroo in Australia. It was really good, like an incredibly lean steak. Insects were a big delicacy in Southeast Asia, but I wasn’t going for it.

PGN: Best advice from Mom?
GM: Everything in moderation. But for me, I added the twist, everything in moderation, even moderation. Sometimes you have to break out a little.

PGN: Most unusual possessions?
GM: I’m a real minimalist, so I don’t really have many. Selling all your stuff and traveling around the world will do that for you. It’s very freeing.

PGN: If you could go back to any era, which would you choose?
GM: I’d love to go back to the age of the explorers. It would be amazing to be one of the first to discover and explore the Americas. It’s part of my entrepreneurial spirit.

PGN: Do you find that men are developing the same body image problems that women have had in the past?
GM: Gay men have always been more conscious of their looks, but I haven’t found any real problems. They have concerns about their body, but this is a place to ask for help and we try to address all issues. I think part of the problem is that men, straight or gay, hold people to unreasonable standards: Whether it’s a Barbie-doll physique or the perfectly chiseled male, it’s hard for everyone to live up to. I think men need to start lightening up or straight women need to start telling men they need to step up to the plate themselves.

PGN: Where do you see the business heading?
GM: Oh, so many places. I’d really like to see the business franchise into other cities. I’m also really excited about our adopt-a-school program. I’d like to see that being offered by gyms and [have] other places involved so we can make a difference and begin to turn the culture of teenage obesity around.

PGN: OK, Mr. Fitness, what is your favorite treat?
GM: That’s easy — ice cream. Oreo-flavored.

“Professional Portraits” runs every other week. To suggest a community business owner for “Professional Portraits,” write to: Professional Portraits, 505 S. Fourth St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 or portraits05@aol.com.