Fitness instructor Kamal-Craig Golaube on booty-shaking music, ‘Drag Race’, and his worst Grindr story
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kamal-Craig Golaube (@mr.spengasunshine) They call him “Mr. Sunshine.” Kamal-Craig Golaube was a track star in college, and now as a post-grad, he’s a superstar in the spin studio. “I’m out, […]
They call him “Mr. Sunshine.” Kamal-Craig Golaube was a track star in college, and now as a post-grad, he’s a superstar in the spin studio.
“I’m out, gay, and proud,” he tells Queerty. “I’m not afraid anymore to say what my sexual orientation is. It’s [created] so much confidence, and allowed me to think outside of the box, and be more in tune with my feelings and emotions.”
Though Golaube is only 24 years old, his story illustrates the power of self-discovery. As a sophomore at Portland State University, he was depressed and adrift, and his performance was suffering in the classroom and on the track.
It was around this time when he wrote down “sexuality” on a piece of paper, and stared at the word for hours. Complete mental clarity didn’t come immediately. It was a long process. But when it arrived, Golaube transformed.
He transferred to Colorado State University and helped the Rams win three Mountain West Championships–placing himself in the school record books along the way. Thriving as an athlete, Golaube found the strength in sharing his story. He founded the school’s LGBTQ Athlete Ally program.
“I wanted to create that space, because I knew it was going to help the newer generation speak up for themselves, and also to see that it is OK to be who you are all the time,” he says.
Within time, Golaube realized his joy for inspiring others. That’s the main reason he loves his job at SPENGA, a national fitness brand that specializes in full-body workouts. We caught up with him for our Time Out interview series, and talked about his passion for fitness, his side modeling career, and his worst Grindr story.
Here’s what he had to say…
QUEERTY: What is your favorite thing about being a fitness instructor?
KAMAL-CRAIG GOLAUBE: I show up as my authentic self all the time. I was doing SPENGA when I was an athlete, and I used it as cross-training to prepare myself to go to the Olympics, and when I was injured that was the only thing I could do, because it wasn’t too much pressure on my hip. I love it so much, because I get to meet so many different people. I get to be part of their fitness journey and change their lives. I love being a motivator. I love being inspirational. I love just breaking down people’s walls and have them realize they are something bigger, and they are able to do hard things.
How do you motivate yourself to get to the studio every morning at, like, 5 AM?
It’s rough! I may or may not snooze my alarm two or three times. But I show up for my members. If they’re showing up, I have to show up for them. I can walk in being all tired, but as soon as I walk through those doors and get into the studio, it’s like I’m a different person. It doesn’t feel like work for me. It’s my passion. That’s one thing I took from my last year as a student-athlete: have the passion. When you don’t have the passion for something, you’re not going to enjoy what you’re doing.
What’s on your workout playlist?
I love me some Megan Thee Stallion: booty-shaking music! I listen to booty-shaking music. I love booty-shaking, all the time. He thicc in the back, thank you track and field! But I listen to almost everything. I incorporate a lot of club music vibes, but also different remixes from top hit songs. I have a lot of variety, and I never get bored with it.
Dating apps: yay or nay?
It’s a ‘yay’ and a ‘nay’. For certain aspects, I think dating apps are great. But some dating apps are not… for dating. I do have Grindr, Tinder, and Hinge. Hinge, for me, is more for dating app. You connect with someone, you have a good conversation with them, and then you plan wherever you want to go. Tinder is the in-between. For me, Tinder is like “Who’s in the area?” because you’re going to see them out on the weekend, anyway. Then Grindr is more for a hookup. It’s the ‘wyd?’ kind of thing.
What’s your worst Grindr story?
I met this person on Grindr. We started talking, and we lived about three miles from each other. They would never send me pictures of themselves. They would send me body pictures. I didn’t meet with them, but it was super weird. His room was dark and had red lights. It felt demonic, like there was some kind of ritual going on.
The next day, one of my best friends messaged me, and they were like, “I’m talking to this guy,” and it was the same pictures! I was like, “OK, what?!” I know that picture looked similar. I was like, “Can’t do it! Can’t do it! Block! Please and thank you.”
What do you like about modeling?
I’ve always wanted to be a model. My mom was a model. My sister did pageants. It runs in the family. But what I love about it is, it humbles me a lot. When people think about modeling, they’re like, “Oh my gosh, you’re pretty, you’re handsome, you have this beautiful body.” That’s not the case in modeling. A lot of companies and agencies have a specific type of look they’re looking for. If you don’t match that criteria, you’re not getting a booking. That’s humbled me.
Who’s going to win Drag Race this season?
Oh my gosh! OK, Drag Race has been knocking for me! I think either Mistress or Sasha Colby are going to win this season. I’ll give you my top four: Mistress, Sasha, Anetra and Loosey LaDuca.
Scroll down for pics from Golaube’s Instagram pages…
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