Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Pioske.
Hi Travis, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Like a lot of people, I came from a broken family—but mine was on another level. I was raised in an environment filled with lies and manipulation, and by the time I was 12, I started to distance myself from it all. That decision led to years of instability—couch surfing, living in the streets, and being surrounded by gangs, drugs, and violence. It felt like the only place where I was accepted, even if that acceptance was toxic.
Deep down, I always knew I was meant for more. I just didn’t know how to get there.
I found that working in restaurants came naturally to me. Coming from chaos, the controlled chaos of hospitality felt familiar. I spent most of my early adult life in that world—partly because of my criminal record, which limited other job options, and partly because it became what I knew. There are years of my life that are a blur—marked by drug use, poor choices, jail, and even a close call with prison. But I also had periods of progress. I left the bar scene for a while to work at a semiconductor company. I climbed the corporate ladder, had kids, and for a moment, I thought I found stability.
But I was still living in two worlds—trying to be a father and a professional while still holding onto a street mentality. That changed when my health started to catch up with me. I reunited with an old flame (now my wife), who was into health and fitness, and I started looking in the mirror and not liking what I saw. I was skinny-fat, exhausted, and lost.
I made small changes: no more soda or fried food, and I started doing P90X and Insanity workouts at home. People around me started noticing. Then came the gym. And that became my new addiction. I found a new outlet, something healthy, something worth sharing. I got certified and started training others—mostly people in hospitality who were stuck in the same unhealthy patterns I had been.
That’s when I met Branden and Rich Johnson. Branden was a pioneer in cryotherapy in the Midwest. Rich thought connecting us might be a good move. At first, I laughed it off—”Hell no, I hate the cold!”—but the seed was planted.
At the time, I was running restaurants and doing consulting work. I didn’t have time for much else. Then COVID hit. The restaurant industry changed drastically. Politics and corporate nonsense made it hard to stay, and I was let go after four years of dedication. That was tough—but honestly, it was the push I needed.
During that time, I started volunteering and working part-time at a proactive health center. It didn’t pay much, and I had to supplement my income with DoorDash and a COVID testing job just to make ends meet. But I felt purpose. I used the cryotherapy, red light therapy, Normatec compression, and cryo facials regularly. And for the first time in years, I felt incredible.
I thought, “This is it—this is what people need.” But as I quickly learned, selling health isn’t as easy as selling booze or burgers. The center was failing financially. Payroll dried up. Equipment was being packed away. I was getting ready to go back to restaurants just to survive.
Then something crazy happened.
Two clients reached out and offered financial help if I took over. At the same time, the owner contacted me and said clients were asking for me—said he thought if anyone could make this work, it was me.
I asked how much. He gave me the number. I told him, “Give me 48 hours.”
Within that time, I got the blessing from my wife, pulled equity from our home, and went all in. We rebranded the center into something I felt, I knew had long-term potential. I studied the psychology of branding, color theory, the whole nine. I wanted something powerful and professional that could scale.
It all came together in a weird, beautiful way. I followed my gut, and I haven’t looked back.
It hasn’t been easy—entrepreneurship never is. But in just three years, our growth has been incredible. I owe that to our amazing team, the clients who believed in me, and of course, my family, who sacrificed time with me so I could build something meaningful.
We’re not just offering treatments—we’re creating a place where people can take control of their health, their healing, and their future.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not. Health is a tough sell—especially in a world where quick fixes and convenience usually win. But I knew that if I stayed consistent, educated, and truly led by example, people would start to trust me. And they did.
There were plenty of moments filled with doubt, especially early on when I was bringing in a fraction of what I used to make. I had to work multiple jobs just to support my family while trying to build something bigger than myself. Even now, this industry can be unpredictable—wellness isn’t easy to forecast, and trends shift fast.
But despite all that, the growth has been real. It’s been substantial. So much so that I’ve seen others try to mimic what we’re doing. But at the end of the day, they can copy the services… they just can’t copy me. And that’s the difference.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Body Techs Rx Wellness + Rehab?
At Body Techs Wellness + Rehab, we specialize in proactive health and recovery—offering everything from cryotherapy and red light therapy to body sculpting, microneedling, muscle recovery, and personalized wellness protocols. We recently expanded with our Sculpt & Esthetics division, and we launched Minnesota’s first mobile cryo wellness trailer, allowing us to bring high-end recovery and health services directly to athletes, companies, and communities.
But at the heart of what we do—it’s about changing lives.
We’ve helped clients lose weight, reverse chronic pain, get off medications, regain energy, and show up better for their families. We’ve seen people walk in feeling defeated and walk out feeling alive again. And that’s what I’m most proud of.
Sure, we’ve been voted Minnesota’s Best in multiple categories, and that recognition is appreciated—but it’s the handwritten thank-you notes, the emotional before-and-after stories, and the trust our clients place in us that truly matter.
What sets us apart? We’re not here to sell quick fixes. We’re here for the long run. We combine top-quality luxury services with affordable, real-world access, and we lead with authenticity, empathy, and results.
You can mimic our services—but you can’t replicate our heart.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
That’s such a layered question…
As a kid, I think deep down I was someone who wanted to spread love and bring joy to people around me. But the environment I grew up in forced me to bottle that up as a form of protection. I had to develop a hard shell just to survive. So on the outside, I probably looked jaded—maybe even angry—but inside, I was just a kid who was hurting and trying to find some peace.
I had a lot of interests—sports, computers, anything hands-on. And let’s be honest, if you asked people back then, many would say I had a strong interest in girls too. Once I started breaking out of that emotional armor, they seemed to show up naturally, haha.
But my teenage years were anything but normal. I went through things most people only ever see in movies. Gangs, violence, street life—it was all very real. But I watched. I learned. I absorbed everything—both the light and the dark. And all of that helped shape the man I became. Not defined by the pain, but driven by it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bodytechsrx.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodytechsrx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BodyTechsRx
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-pioske/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BodyTechsrx
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/body-techs-rx-wellness-rehab-richfield-2
