What motivates and sustains a practice that evolves personal fulfillment and builds community?

Dylan Johanson is the owner and founder of Innate Movement Parkour in Kingston, New York. A practitioner for many years, Dylan talks about his origin story and the challenges surrounding building and then re-building his gym. Then he shares some thoughts on what advice he would give his younger self.

“Sometimes, I still need to remind myself to not accidentally slip onto the treadmill of traditional success.” ~ Dylan Johanson (18:00)

The conversation explores Dylan Johansson’s journey into parkour, from discovering the practice to founding Innate Movement in Kingston, New York. Early topics include Dylan’s initial experiences with parkour, how it resonated with his love for movement, and his shift from solitary training to engaging with a larger community. He describes the transformative effect parkour had on his health, outlook, and life choices, emphasizing the physical and mental benefits it provided.

Later discussions focus on the process of building a parkour community, including the challenges of starting and sustaining a gym. Dylan recounts how he transitioned from hobbyist to professional coach, discussing incremental growth strategies, the importance of partnerships, and lessons learned from different gym setups. The conversation also reflects on broader themes, such as defining success on one’s terms and embracing the evolving nature of personal practice.

Takeaways

Parkour as a transformative discipline — A personal journey from unhealthy habits to a more fulfilled and balanced life.

Starting small and evolving gradually — The value of incremental steps in building a community and opening a gym.

Challenges of traditional success — Balancing personal joy and professional growth while resisting societal pressures.

The importance of a supportive network — How a partner and community can provide stability during transitions.

Parkour as a philosophy — Viewing parkour as a lens to guide life decisions and promote self-improvement.

Lessons from failure — How personal struggles and setbacks can serve as stepping stones for growth and learning.

Joy in movement — Emphasizing the playful and creative aspects of training for sustained passion and engagement.

Organizing principles for life — Using parkour to create a framework for healthier, more intentional choices.

Resources

Innate Movement — The parkour organization founded by Dylan Johansson.

PK Gen — A global organization promoting parkour education and certifications.

ADAPT Certification — A leading qualification program for parkour coaches.

Rich Roll Podcast — A podcast featuring topics on health, fitness, and personal transformation, mentioned as an inspiration in the discussion.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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— Hello👋 I’m Craig Constantine.

In the Movers Mindset podcast, I talk with movement enthusiasts to learn who they are, what they do, and why they do it. I’m interested in the nature and philosophy of movement and in exploring themes like independence, self-direction, and human excellence. My interests color each conversation and provide some structure to Movers Mindset. But since I like to take the scenic route, every conversation ends up going somewhere unique.

The purpose of Movers Mindset is to create and share great conversations with movement enthusiasts. Each conversation feeds my insatiable curiosity, but I share them to turn on a light for someone else, to inspire them, or to give them their next question.

I appreciate your time and attention, and I don’t take it for granted.

— Thank you!

My personal mission is creating better conversations to spread understanding and compassion. And Movers Mindset is one of the things I do in service of my mission. Drop by https://craigconstantine.com/ for my weekly email, my other podcasts, writing and more.

The Movers Mindset project grew from conversations I started having as part of my personal journey rediscovering movement. The project started late in 2015, and it was initially simply a web site that shared others’ writing. The project grew, and in 2017 I started the podcast. I’ve worked extremely hard, but none of this would have been possible without so much help from so many people.

Thanks for listening!

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