Eugene Morales is back for Part 2, and this conversation takes us even deeper into the stories that shaped who he became.
We start by going back to the old Gold’s Gym days, when Eugene, Zach and the rest of the crew were young salesmen trying just about anything to generate leads.
Before social media marketing was what it is today, they were doing what Gold’s called “guerrilla marketing” — walking into local businesses, setting up trade-outs, giving away gym memberships and finding creative ways to get people through the doors.
And sometimes they got a little too creative.
Eugene tells the story of doing trade-outs with bars, restaurants and even a strip club before remembering one particular promotion inside a nightclub that went completely sideways. Eugene walked away from the Gold’s Gym table for only a few minutes to grab some beers, came back — and the entire setup had been destroyed during a fight. 😂
From there, we go back to Eugene’s childhood growing up on the West Side of San Antonio.
Eugene explains that he wasn’t necessarily the kid looking for trouble — but when you grow up in certain neighborhoods, you don’t choose the street you live on, the people around you or the environment you’re exposed to.
He talks about neighborhood loyalty, coming of age during the height of ’90s gang culture and the huge influence his older sister had on his childhood.
Eugene remembers his sister as the one who was truly about that lifestyle when they were younger. Her nickname was “The Hammer,” her boyfriend was heavily involved in the neighborhood, and Eugene recalls situations becoming serious enough that their family home was shot at and they slept on the floor for safety.
Today, his sister is a completely different person — but those experiences are still part of Eugene’s story and the environment that helped shape him.
We also take a trip straight back into the ’90s — Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, The Box, LA Gear, British Knights, Solo Serve, Wieners and the music, clothes and culture that defined growing up during that era.
🎙️ In this episode:
- The old Gold’s Gym trade-out system
- Guerrilla marketing before social media
- Trading gym memberships with local businesses
- Gold’s Gym employees becoming “local celebrities”
- The time they tried doing a trade-out with a strip club
- How Gold’s Gym generated leads
- The infamous lead boxes
- Getting sent out to find local businesses
- The customer who flipped the sales pitch around
- Trading a gym membership with a nightclub
- Setting up a Gold’s Gym promotion inside the club
- Eugene leaving Zach alone for three minutes
- Coming back to find the entire table destroyed 😂
- Growing up on San Antonio’s West Side
- What kind of kid Eugene was
- Neighborhood loyalty growing up
- Being influenced by the people and streets around you
- Eugene’s older sister and her reputation
- Why her nickname was “The Hammer”
- Growing up around gang culture in the ’90s
- Eugene remembering their family home being shot at
- How Eugene’s sister eventually changed her life
- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and ’90s hip-hop
- Watching music videos on The Box
- Growing up with older siblings
- Solo Serve and Wieners
- LA Gear and British Knights
- Nike Cortez and ’90s street fashion
- How Eugene’s childhood environment shaped him
🧠 Big takeaways:
- You don't get to choose the neighborhood or circumstances you're born into.
- The people around you can have a massive influence on your childhood.
- Neighborhood loyalty meant something very different growing up in certain parts of San Antonio during that era.
- Being exposed to a lifestyle doesn't mean you have to remain part of it.
- People can completely transform while still acknowledging their past.
- Older siblings can shape everything from the music you listen to and clothes you wear to how you understand the world.
- Some experiences seem normal as a kid because you don't have anything else to compare them to.
- Looking back at where you came from can give you a completely different appreciation for where you are today.
⏱️ CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Gold’s Gym Trade-Out Stories
00:44 Taking Guerrilla Marketing Outside the Gym
01:14 Trading Gym Memberships at a Strip Club 😂
03:05 Getting Sent Out to Find Trade-Outs
03:56 The Gold’s Gym Lead Boxes
04:45 When the Customer Became the Salesman
05:17 Trading a Membership With a Nightclub
06:27 Doing a Gold’s Gym Promotion at Night
07:05 Young & Wild at Gold’s Gym
07:59 “We’re Here to Work” 😂
08:44 Eugene Leaves for Three Minutes
09:00 The Entire Table Gets Destroyed
09:53 Going Back to Eugene’s Childhood
10:07 Growing Up on San Antonio’s West Side
10:48 Neighborhood Loyalty
11:42 Eugene’s Sister Was the Wild One
13:05 Not Glorifying the Past
13:09 Growing Up Around Gang Culture
13:42 Their Family Home Gets Shot At
14:22 Growing Up on ’90s Hip-Hop
14:38 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony & The Box
15:13 How Eugene’s Sister Influenced Him
15:47 Remember Solo Serve & Wieners?
15:58 LA Gear & British Knights
16:38 Growing Up With West Side Culture
17:16 How Eugene’s Sister Changed
18:21 Growing Up With Tough Siblings
📢 About the Podcast
Anything & Everything with Matt Reyna is about exactly that — anything and everything. Real conversations about life, business, relationships, culture, sports, current events and the experiences that shape who we become.
📌 Connect With Matt Reyna
Instagram: @mattreyna2023
Facebook: Matt Reyna
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