About Us
My name is Desmond H.
• 9+ Years of Bodyweight Training Experience
• NASM-CPT Certified Personal Trainer
• Bachelor of Health Science Education (Honours)
• Social Worker
(1) I'm Des
Nothing But Passion.
I’m Des. I grew up in Hong Kong, and my family has roots in Malaysia, giving me a mix of Malay, Hmong, and Chinese heritage. This diverse background influences my perspective and brand's vision of cultural integration.
I'm approaching my ninth year in Calisthenics now. Throughout this time, it truly feels like a never-ending yet rewarding process.
I love Calisthenics because it transformed my entire perspective on life, teaching me that strength knows no learning boundaries.
The deeper I went, the more I saw it as an art form—a Beautiful Dance between the mind and body. It requires both physical power and profound mental discipline.
(2) Before DAILYCALI: My First Encounter with Calisthenics
My nine-year journey isn't just about unlocking movements; it's about being someone who emphasizes personal growth. Thanks to my social worker background, I understand how to create an environment where everyone feels safe to share and grow.
I started this sport in 2017, introduced by a friend. At that time, I was very skinny, only 46kg. The story of this beginning was simply because I wanted to become attractive through Calisthenics and take a snapshot of a Human Flag!
To be honest, back then I hadn't built such a great passion, and I was still distracted by other things. The most direct reason was that I thought I had no talent for this sport; at that time, I was unwilling to experience failure or soreness. I didn't believe in it.
The turning point was in 2020, when I sprained my shoulder during training, resulting in a serious injury. I couldn't lift my right arm for two whole weeks—it was that kind of feeling where I had completely lost the awareness of lifting my arm. But this time I didn't choose to give up; instead, it triggered my thirst for knowledge about sports science.
In fact, at that time, it's rare to see someone incorporated sports science into Calisthenics training. So I wanted to become a promoter of this aspect, trying to integrate the two together, at least to avoid getting injured again. From then on, I found my love for sports education and also found the reason to pursue.
(3) The First Few Moments of DAILYCALI
Effort can be seen. Just do it.
I spent six months starting from zero to complete a sports science coaching course, and two years on a Bachelor's degree in Health Education. Later, on March 28, 2021, I established the beginning of all this—the "Daily Calisthenics" page, implying that people should make Calisthenics a daily routine.
My first post actually didn't have much to do with sports science; it was more about the history of Calisthenics and some tips that everyone could apply to their own training. I am very grateful that when the first post was published, we already received attention. (I need to especially thank the Calisthenics community in Taiwan here; their early support was like a shot in the arm for more attempts in the future, and it even established a foundation for sports philosophy. Shout out to Taiwan.)
During the content creation period, I realized that besides making posts, I also wanted to practice my theories and embrace more human-to-human connections. Therefore, six months later, I started coaching services in outdoor parks. Thankfully, Calisthenics started to become widely known at that time. There were gym people looking for alternatives, people who started exercising during the pandemic, and Hong Kong where became more health-conscious.
I am very grateful that I started outdoors; all the rainy days and sunny days were a kind of romance.
Outdoor days made the early members seem even more remarkable. I occasionally doubt at this: what exactly convinced everyone to follow me to train Calisthenics outdoors? I was a nobody.
The best answer is to repay everyone with hard work. For this reason, we officially rented our first studio in September 2022. It was a very mini place (less than 300 sq. ft.) in the corner of an industrial building in the Kwun Tong district. This wasn't what I considered the right taste for DAILYCALI, but for a start, it was the beginning of a dream.
I still remember after getting the keys to the studio, I lay in the middle of the room, a tough guy unable to control his tears. In this still empty space, I saw hope and saw step-by-step progress. And I knew that we could be in a better place, and we could repay everyone with even greater effort. Just do it.
Two years later, we moved into Sheung Wan.
This is one of the decisions I don't regret and that I completely got right. We finally actualised the concept of integrating community and life, and we could have more spacious room to finish our Brand Visualise.
Every time I hear everyone say they really like the warm environment, the scent, and the atmosphere of the music playlist we have built, I am sincerely grateful from the bottom of my heart to the earliest supporters; you made this moment possible for the new members of the future.
(4) DAILYCALI as a Team
Over the past five years at DAILYCALI—from writing blog articles to leading courses to the teamwork we do today—it has been one kind person after another who has taken up the torch.
Deeply inspired by the book “Zero to One by Peter Thiel” —This book taught me that true innovation isn't about copying what already exists; it is about doing something no one else has done. This includes the salary structure and the necessity of avoiding competition. This later shaped why I am determined to offer something different.
Let’s be honest and get back to earth: DAILYCALI is not a massive commercial chain. Our resources are not infinite, and we can’t offer corporate safety nets. Instead of just opening another "gym” or overemphasizing what has worked in the past, we started small, focused on creating a "Community & Belonging" niche space that didn't exist in the local market. What we lack in size, we make up for in soul.
There is a question that always made me question myself:
DAILYCALI started out as just me. If one person can make it work, why do we need a team?
I came up with two answers: The sense of fulfillment from succeeding alone is very tiny. Second, I reflect my views on the world and responsibilities as a human. What matters to me now is—before I leave, how much "Social Impact" I can deliver.
In the 2026 version of DAILYCALI, we already have a clear division of labor: we have an Art Team, Graphic Designer, Videographer & Photographer responsible for branding, merchants and content creation; we have such great supporters that we no longer need to worry about whether anyone will show up tomorrow; we have coaches who cater to different target audiences and have different styles; and we have B2B, NGO, and school collaboration opportunities.
I am currently trying to foster a culture of instructor development. By providing Content Allowance and Education Sponsorship for each instructor, we focus entirely on building our instructor’s Personal IP. We Pay them To Build their Own Brand. Shortly, we aren't afraid of anyone becoming "too big" or eventually leaving. In fact, we want our instructor to find their unique style. We pay because we believe they are worth the investment.
In reality, kindness may not always work, but it can never fail; the ideal outcome is a win-win situation. However, the worst possible outcome of mutual calculation is a lose-lose. That's why even if we end up no longer working together, that’s just the way things are. We can part ways gracefully, and I’m sure you’ll be proud to tell everyone that you’re from DAILYCALI or you love DAILYCALI.
My list of people I need to show gratitude to:
I am very grateful for everyone's selfless contributions and proud of us. Without the team, we could not have grown so fast. Thank you, Jose, Benjamin, Joanne, Alina, Carlo, Brandon, Chris, and some good homies I met early on—Theo, Alison, Ka Wing. Most importantly, the friend who introduced me to Calisthenics, Edmond—he is the true godfather / Day 1 of DAILYCALI. An additional note: Thank you to my girlfriend Crystal, who from the very beginning right through to the end believed I could do it, even when I was questioning myself.
(5) Summary: some thoughts
After years, all the decisions become steady. We move forward without regret, finally finding the true pleasure and fun in the journey of life.
Part 1. Looking back
I'm a ordinary person, I’ve been where you are. I know the struggle of building everything from scratch—the exhaustion of trial and error, the burnout of wearing too many hats, and the lonely grind of finding your corner.
Experience must be earned, but it should be earned in the right way. I believe these unnecessary hardships can be avoided with the right support. Therefore, I have some thoughts to share, hoping that you, in front of the computer right now, will feel that someone understands your feelings after reading:
(1) Never Stop Learning.
Learning gave me confidence from small beginnings, from sport science, social work, business to marketing, branding, and communication. Ultimately, these lessons converge into one truth: Leadership is about the Accumulation of Vision. This used to be a problem that troubled me, because I always worried that I was not a born leader, but it turns out that leaders are never born.
(2) Running your own brand isn’t what makes you cool.
What’s truly cool is that you spend your time, before and after falling asleep, thinking about the problems you need to solve tomorrow and be woken up by those problems and spend the entire day fixing them.
If problems are inevitable, then try to embrace them. What a soulful thing that is. With that kind of soul, even every step you take feels more grounded.
Learn to love what you’re doing, love the views by the roadside, love where you come from, love your culture, and learn to appreciate yourself.
(3) There's no such thing as failure—only success or lessons learned.
In the end, life requires struggle. Being troubled by struggle is a form of happiness.
Years from now, you will surely be proud of yourself. You must believe in yourself.
Part 2. Looking forward
Aside from all those Conversions, Active Members, and Business Models, to be honest, I'm really not that nervous about them. I’m only & truly grateful for the joy and stories every member (We named DAILYCALIs) shared with us. You make us proud of what we have built together. It is everyone who made us who we are.
In our Mission & Vision, this is a Long Game. DAILYCALI was built on years of steady accumulation, coming from small beginnings. While the mission is daily execution, and Vision—we staying focused on 5-year and 10-year targets.
We can still do better in terms of building Community and inclusion, in the design of the session, and in the booking experience before class.
I will return to update this again in 2028. Thank you for reading this far. I’d love to hear your story too.
