About

Fitness For Hope is intended to inspire hope and support those who are struggling, while remembering and honoring those we have lost to suicide.

Fitness For Hope came to be in August 2023.

I lost my big brother, Justin Wall, to suicide on August 28, 2012.

In the years that followed, fitness became so much more than a workout for me. It became part of my healing. It gave me a place to process whatever emotions I was feeling, find strength on the days I needed it most, and experience firsthand the incredible impact movement can have on our mental and emotional well-being, not just our physical health.

That’s what makes the fitness community so special to me, and why it felt like the perfect place to bring people together in Justin’s memory.

In the years that followed, I hosted donation-based spin classes at Define Oakley to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). As I started planning another class for September 2023, I had a simple thought:

I wonder if other fitness studios and gyms would be willing to host donation-based classes too?

I honestly had no idea if anyone would say yes.

Thanks to the incredible support of studios and gyms around Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Dayton, that little idea quickly became something much bigger than I ever imagined. In just a few weeks, 32 studios came together, more than 500 participants showed up, and together we raised over $11,000 for AFSP.

In 2024, Fitness For Hope expanded into seven regions across Ohio and Kentucky.

Then, in 2025, something truly incredible happened. More than 250 studios and gyms across the United States and Canada hosted over 400 donation-based classes, bringing together thousands of participants to honor loved ones, inspire hope, and raise money for suicide prevention and mental health organizations.

What means the most to me isn’t just how much Fitness For Hope has grown, it’s the people behind it. Every studio that says yes, every instructor who donates their time, every participant who walks through the door, and every person who shares why this cause matters to them has helped turn one idea into a community.

As Fitness For Hope continues to grow, my hope remains the same as it was from the very beginning: that those we’ve lost to suicide are never forgotten, and that anyone who is struggling finds hope, inspiration, community, and a reminder that they matter.

Thank you for believing in this mission and helping it grow far beyond anything I ever imagined. I truly can’t wait to see where we go together next.

Forever in my heart, Justin. My big brother, my guardian angel, my free bird. 💙