From Drug Kingpin to 8 Figure Entrepreneur: The Coss Marte Story - Interview by Matt Kohn & Different Hunger

Watch or read the video transcript here.

The Coss Marte Story

What if the worst thing you’ve ever done… was the only thing people remembered you for?

And what if you could flip that story — and use it to build a movement that saves lives?

That’s exactly what Coss Marte did.

Before he was the founder of ConBody — the prison-style fitness brand disrupting both the fitness industry and the prison system — Coss was making millions as a drug kingpin in NYC.

And before that? He was just an 11-year-old kid trying to help his mom put food on the table.

🚫 From Hustle to Handcuffs

By 13, he had inherited a corner. By 19, he was running a 20-person drug operation that moved more volume than some small startups today.

But here’s the thing…

Coss wasn’t just hustling drugs — he was running logistics, marketing, distribution, operations. The dude had systems.
He even had business cards — placed inside happy-ending massage parlors to drive traffic. (Yes, really.)

Until one day, it all collapsed.

He was arrested. Charged as a kingpin. Facing 15 to life.

💀 The Wake-Up Call

Sitting in Rikers Island, Coss got a diagnosis from a prison doctor:

That hit harder than any sentence.

So he started doing prison-style workouts in his 9x6 cell. No equipment. Just bodyweight.

One push-up at a time, he transformed his body — and his identity.

🔥 From Prison Bars to Brand Empire

While still behind bars, Coss had a vision:

That’s when ConBody was born.

The concept?
Prison-style fitness taught by formerly incarcerated individuals.
No BS. No machines. Just raw grit, sweat, and second chances.

💪 The New Hustle: Impact

After getting out, he hit the ground running.

Started bootcamps in the park. Hustled to get press. Built a legit studio in NYC.

More than just a workout — ConBody became a mission:

• To reduce recidivism.

• To challenge stereotypes.

• To give people a fighting chance — physically, financially, and emotionally.

Today, ConBody has served thousands of clients and employs dozens of formerly incarcerated individuals. Coss has spoken on TEDx stages, partnered with Rikers Island to run reform programs, and been featured on CNN, NBC, and more.

🧠 From Criminal to Creator

When I first interviewed Coss on Different Hunger TV, I was floored.

He didn’t dodge his past.
He owned it — and then rebuilt himself from it.

And in doing so, he gave thousands of others permission to do the same.

🧭 Reality Engineering in Action

Coss is a walking, talking embodiment of the Rebel’s Reality Engineering Formula:

Identity × Systems × Execution.

He rewired his identity.
He recreated habits and systems.
And executed relentlessly.

Not despite his past — but because of it.

✊ Your Move, Rebel.

If you're still clinging to excuses — read this again.
If you're waiting for the perfect time — let this story shake you awake.

You don’t need permission.
You don’t need a perfect background.
You just need a plan, some grit… and the willingness to start.

Because no matter where you’re starting from — you can re-engineer your reality.

Just like Coss.

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Video Transcript

Intro

Matt:
What's going on? My name is Matt Kohn and you’re watching Different Hunger TV. I'll be sharing interviews and wisdom that take you behind the scenes into the lives and journeys of the world's most inspiring individuals.

Through sharing these stories, my goal is to help ambitious 20-somethings like yourself find and do work that you love. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes, and if you ever have any questions just leave a comment — I reply to every single one. Thanks, and I'll see you inside.

So, I was introduced to Coss Marte through a friend. At the time, I was doing these interviews, and he reached out and said, “Look man, you need to reach out to Coss. This guy's story is crazy.” I did some research on him and at that time he had been featured by major press publications like ESPN, CNN, Men's Fitness — and frankly, I didn't think he was going to be too accessible.

However, I was wrong. He turned out to be super accessible, very friendly. We became friends, and he agreed to an interview.

I'm super excited to share this interview with you because it really shows that no matter the circumstance, you can reinvent yourself. Coss Marte was someone who got involved with drugs at a very young age. He got very deep into the world of drugs, which landed him in prison — but as you'll learn, he was able to reinvent himself and use the skills that he learned on the streets for good.

Interview

Matt:
I'm here with my man Marte. He is an entrepreneur, tech speaker, and former convict — and his story is just incredible. I talked to a friend and I was like, “Damn, I want to speak with this guy all night.” Sit down. Thanks for being here.

Coss:
No doubt, man.

Matt:
So before you were running a bootcamp body transformation company, you were a drug dealer making millions in New York City. Why don't you tell us a little bit about that life and how you got into the hustle?

Coss:
That life was crazy. I got into hustling at a very early age. My boyfriend's cousin was very open about hustling. My family came from the Dominican Republic, didn’t have much money. My eyes opened to the business side of things. Then, we had struggles. With a BB gun, the streets were making money. People were acting on corners, selling drugs — heroin, hard white.

I saw people shooting up right in front of me, buying drugs from my own family. So, when I was growing up and someone asked, “What do you want to be?” — I said, “Rich.” That’s what I became. I started hustling and selling drugs at 11. By 15, I had my own automatic. From there, in ‘99, I inherited a corner from an older woman downtown.

Matt:
Wow. Inherited the corner — right at home. You had a service out of 20 words of praise?

Coss:
Yeah, I know what we did back then.

Matt:
How were you that young, making that kind of money?

Coss:
By the time I was 19, I was making up to $2 million. It was insane.

Matt:
What was that like? What did it feel like to be a drug dealer in New York City?

Coss:
At first, it was all hype, right? But after a while, it became a service and cashing place. I wasn’t on the corner anymore. I was running a whole operation.

Matt:
You were running a 24/7 operation?

Coss:
Yeah. The thing was, I took off. I would change things. I innovated. I created a brand — Happy Ending. We marketed ourselves to the neighborhood. People thought we were part of the community. The cards said “Happy Ending 24/7” with a phone number.

Matt:
You leveraged the foot traffic and the reputation of this bar to run your business?

Coss:
Exactly. When I tell people that, they’re like, “What?” We started off with a few routes and built it out.

Matt:
What kind of skills do you think you had that separated you from others? I mean, creating an innovative marketing strategy like that — what else helped you rise to the top?

Coss:
I had the attitude of taking over. I wasn’t afraid of doing things. I didn’t need to read instructions. I figured things out. I had wisdom from watching others.

Matt:
You got into drugs because you wanted to make money. You saw your family struggling and wanted to provide. That was your main drive?

Coss:
Yep.

Matt:
How long were you on the street before your arrest?

Coss:
I had been in and out of the system since I was a young kid.

Matt:
What happened when you got arrested?

Coss:
The charges were big. They had me down as a kingpin. Eventually, they dropped a lot, and I pled out to conspiracy. I ended up doing 7 years.

Matt:
When they had you as a kingpin — what were you facing?

Coss:
Twelve years minimum. Some of the charges could have meant life. It depended on whether they gave me the top charges. But I pled down.

Matt:
Once you got into prison, a doctor told you that you were severely overweight and going to die. Prior to that, were you aware of your health issues?

Coss:
When I went in, I had no clue. I was in Rikers. Officers are yelling. I'm seeing all these jail movies, and I'm just sitting there. You're not doing anything — you're just waiting for your charge or your sentence.

People were telling me to chill. But then they tested my blood and told me I was on the verge of dying of a heart attack within five years. That was a wake-up call. I started working out, trying to eat the best I could.

Matt:
And you accomplished a major transformation. You lost over 70 pounds?

Coss:
Yeah. I came down over 70 pounds. I got to a healthy state, granted all things considered. But it wasn’t easy.

Matt:
What did trying to eat healthy in prison actually look like?

Coss:
It was rough. I’d just throw out my fries, hot dogs — anything fried. I’d eat cards of tuna, meals stacked with peanut butter. I stopped drinking juice and increased my water.

Matt:
You were committed. What was the reason for that? Most people feel indifferent about going to prison. It becomes a revolving door.

Coss:
Not me. I didn’t want that life. Especially once I had a son. I didn’t want to keep going back. When I first went in, I knew nothing about prison. Nothing about the politics.

Matt:
Did anything happen in prison that made you reflect or shift?

Coss:
Yeah. I remember one time this older dude smacked me. I turned around, about to react. But in that moment, I had a flash of my son, my family. I had a choice.

That day, I sat down in my bunk and made a decision — I was going to be better. I didn’t want to be that guy anymore. I started reading. I started learning.

Matt:
So reading became the start of your change?

Coss:
Yeah. I started every morning at 5 a.m. reading. It shifted my perspective. It wasn't just about me anymore. I had to show up for my son, for others. That’s when I started thinking about Combody.

Matt:
So you came up with the idea for Combody while you were still inside?

Coss:
Yes. I started the concept while still in prison. When I got out, I filed for an LLC and began building. It started with just me, training people in the park — bootcamp style.

Matt:
What was it like being a startup founder after coming out of prison?

Coss:
It was hard. I came out with nothing. I lived in a motel for a few weeks. I worked odd jobs — handing out flyers. Then I started running the bootcamps full time.

Matt:
Sounds like you mapped the street hustle into a legal hustle. Did the skills transfer?

Coss:
Definitely. The number one thing I took was the discipline. Showing up every day. Creating a delivery system. Knowing my product. Marketing myself. Hustling legally.

Matt:
Did it ever cross your mind to go back to the street life?

Coss:
No. My son kept me grounded. I couldn’t do that to him. I needed to be the change. I had to give him a different life.

Matt:
You cleaned up your act, invested in yourself, and now you’re investing in others and making a difference — which is amazing. Did the prison system prepare you at all for re-entry?

Coss:
Honestly, no. I took some college courses and learned a few things, but there was no real preparation. The system didn’t offer real programs. Nothing that set me up for jobs or the real world.

Matt:
So nothing helped you transition?

Coss:
Nope. Technology had changed so much. I came out and didn’t even know how to send an email. I didn’t know about Facebook or Instagram. I didn’t know how to apply for a job online. It was like I entered a different world.

Matt:
That’s wild. So many people go back because they can’t adapt. What do you think needs to change?

Coss:
There needs to be real programs for re-entry. Not just talk. People need training, real education, real support. Nobody should come out and be immediately labeled a criminal again. Everyone deserves a second chance.

Matt:
There’s still so much stigma, right?

Coss:
Yeah. Everyone assumes you’re the same person you were when you went in. They don’t believe in change. They look at you and think “criminal,” not entrepreneur, not father, not human.

Matt:
And now you’re not only helping people get fit, but also trying to change that narrative.

Coss:
Exactly. Fitness is the entry point. But what we’re really doing is breaking down barriers. We’re showing people what’s possible. We’re helping people find purpose and confidence again.

Matt:
That’s beautiful. You’ve created a whole new model.

Coss:
Yeah, and we’ve got a team. The people who come to our classes see that — we’re instructors, yes, but we’re also real people. We’re mentors. We’re fathers. We’re part of this community now.

Matt:
I love that. You’ve created a cool, fun, and powerful environment.

Coss:
That’s the goal. We want people to come in, work out, have a laugh, and walk out stronger — physically and mentally.

Matt:
I wish you nothing but the best. Your story is powerful and inspiring. Anyone listening who’s ever made a mistake — they need to hear this.

Matt:
Thank you. If someone’s in New York, where can they check you out?

Coss:
We’re launching a new platform October 3rd. You can go to our website and do virtual workouts. You can do the Body Swap, or even workouts based on the prison-style routines we did inside.

Matt:
You heard it. The story behind what you’re doing with ConBody is incredible. You turned it all around. You challenged the system — and now you’re helping fix it.

Coss:
Yeah. And I want to challenge everyone listening.

What if you were known for the worst thing you’ve ever done?

Now, what if instead, you helped us change the system? What if you stopped judging and started helping?

We’re building something here — not just a business, a movement. Today’s inmate could be your neighbor tomorrow. Wouldn’t you want that person to be rehabilitated, to be a good neighbor?

Matt:
Wow. Well said.

Coss:
At ConBody, we’re making moves. We’re changing lives. Come check us out — conbody.com. Support us. Spread the word.

Matt:
Thank you, man. Seriously. Appreciate you and what you're doing.