Part machine, but all heart, Ngo Okafor is the owner/founder of Iconoclast Fitness Studio, the WeWork space for independent personal trainers. Ngo is also a fitness expert, a father and philanthropist. After a childhood spent bedridden in Nigeria, he moved to the United States to study computer science at the University of Connecticut. Never one to shy away from hard work (he had his mother photocopy class notes when he was confined to the hospital, so he could keep up with his schoolwork), he took up boxing at the relatively advanced age of 31 — and proceeded to win the Golden Gloves Championship two years in a row.

Using the same laser-like focus, Ngo built his personal training business into a model that others would envy, picking up accolades such as being named one of New York’s “hottest trainers whipping beautiful people into shape” by the New York Post. Nike has also taken notice, signing Ngo as a chapter leader for its NIKE+NYC Training Program. Ngo has worked with bold-facers such as Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez, Chanel Iman, and fashion designer Marissa Webb.