Goldin Martinez’s Mission: Empowering Youth through Fitness, Literacy & Social Innovation
In the world of social entrepreneurship, few figures shine as brightly as Goldin Martinez. From humble beginnings in New York City’s Washington Heights, Martinez has transformed his personal journey into a movement that spans cities, spirit, and generations. Known for his hopeful mantra, “We ❤️ because he first ❤️ us,” Martinez is more than a venture capitalist or entrepreneur—he’s a catalyst for meaningful transformation.
His signature initiative, Get Focused, launched in 2010 when Martinez was just 21 years old, started with a simple yet powerful idea: combine literacy and fitness to inspire underprivileged youth. The early roots of this vision echo in his own life. As a foster child raised in a cycle of instability, he often found solace and escape in books. A gifted copy of Tuesdays with Morrie and a caring teacher made all the difference—leading Martinez to realize the magic of reading, the potential of mentorship, and the power of empathy.
Get Focused is now a national phenomenon. Its programs have activated over 480,000 young minds, cultivating confidence not through lectures, but through movement, books, and communal values. By creating events where children earn books through physical activity—five pushups, five jumping jacks, and a sit-up grants access to literature—Martinez turns access into agency. In New York, New Jersey, Boston, and beyond, libraries, schools, community centers, and even sports teams have partnered with Get Focused to disrupt the typical funding model for youth literacy and fitness.
Recognition followed. In 2011, Get Focused was named one of the “Best Upcoming Youth Organizations” by Good Morning America, and helped the Police Athletic League of New York City secure a $1.2 million federal grant from Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move Initiative.” The initiative itself transforms neighborhoods—not through top-down policy, but through hundreds of personal gains: a young person choosing curiosity over conflict, pages over passivity.
To say the accolades are numerous would be an understatement. Martinez earned the Ford Millennial Award three years in a row (2013–2015), became NY1 New Yorker of the Week twice, and in 2012, served as a fitness consultant for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. He remains deeply tied to the community he serves, volunteering alongside kids and leading movement-centered workshops—often delivering the message he embodies: “Participate, don’t delegate.”
Beyond books and workouts, Martinez’s perspective carries uncanny clarity. He understands that true empowerment isn’t giving someone a book.
It’s giving someone reason to read it. It’s offering movement, access, mentorship, and through that, possibility.
In an age where entrepreneurship often treads the path of trendy apps or hollow hustle, Goldin Martinez is a living example of business as empathy. He shows us that true transformation isn’t in capital returns—it’s in lives rediscovered, stories read, hearts opened, and futures rekindled.
