MEET the Founders

The Toledo Twins are a force to be reckoned with. Tomboys since their first birthday, they never quite fit in with the other girls—but they didn’t care. While they may have sported ballet stockings and twirled across the dance floor in their Mom’s studio, they secretly wanted to trade in pointe shoes for a karate belt. On any given day, you could find them tossing a football around with Dad in the backyard, wrestling, skateboarding, or watching boxing matches on TV. Unapologetically girls who grew into formidable women, they never questioned their femininity—even when it might have been seemingly hidden behind a short haircut or underneath layers of sweat and dirt post-soccer game. Barbies and makeup didn’t interest them—they never wanted to stop moving, and they haven’t—for 27 years. At first glance, one might be intimidated by the strength with which Bianca and Gaby carry themselves. But the second they crack a joke or a smile, you see immediately who they truly are: twins who embrace their individuality and are empowered to exert their purpose, being, and energy as unapologetically themselves. Their through line is simple: be kind, be you, and lift each other up. Never stop pursuing your purpose. 

Graduates of Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, Gaby and Bianca commuted into Manhattan from New Jersey while living in their family home throughout college. One thing the Toledo’s don’t play around about is family. Any spare time they have that’s not spent with significant others, friends, or at the gym, they spend at home. One bedroom in their parent’s house is fondly referred to as “The Pain Cave” and includes a treadmill, rower, weights, and a skier. To this day, the two work out in The Pain Cave whenever possible—chatting about their lives in between sets before retiring to the kitchen to have a cup of café con leche with their parents and older sister. First-generation Americans, the twins’ parents immigrated to the States from Cuba in 1966. Who’s to say whether perseverance and grit are heritable traits, but if they are, the twins definitely get their zest for life from their parents—bilingual badasses powered by caffeine and protein powder. 

When asked what their favorite thing about each other is, their answers flowed easily. Bianca loves how hard Gaby loves the people she cares about. Gab loves that Bianca consistently does hard things—like running the Olympic trials for the marathon in 2020. The two complement each other perfectly, making them ideal business partners. One thinks with her head a bit more, the other with her heart. Every aspect of their lives is a team effort. They lean on each other when times get tough, helping to carry the weight of doing life and business together whenever they need support. 

Gaby focuses more on functional fitness and CrossFit; Bianca is an avidly competitive long-distance runner. They recently ran a marathon together, marking Gaby’s first and Bianca’s fifth. Gaby says movement keeps her sane: 

“Movement for me is meditation and where I find the answers to all my problems. I can ignore everything when I’m moving, but I can also see everything clearly when I’m moving, too.” 

Mental and physical health go hand-in-hand for Bianca as well: 

“Physical and mental health bleed into one another and go hand-in-hand. If I need to work on my mental, sometimes doing the physical will help. If I need to work on my physical, it almost always helps my mental. It’s a dynamic relationship. Sometimes I feel great physically and not so great mentally and vice-versa, and it’s okay if they don’t always line up.” 

Aside from fitness and family, the two are talented musicians. Bianca plays drums, bass, and piano, while Gaby is a beast on the guitar. One might begin to find it slightly annoying how endless their talent is if they weren’t so humble. They’re their own worst critics, who struggle to accept compliments and consistently push themselves to be better than they were yesterday. There’s a unique child-like innocence that both of them have managed to hold onto while the rest of the world insists on being cynical. They aren’t swept up in cultural or political nonsense as many people their age might be. They seem to have a firm grasp of what really matters. It’s refreshing, to say the least. They are always eager to listen and learn, only offering their opinion when they have something worth saying. 

One thing is certain: being around these two inspires others to get up, move, and be their best selves. When either of them falls short of a goal or makes a mistake, they give each other grace, modeling how we should all treat each other and ourselves. Their laughter is contagious, as is their kindness. They approach business as they do life—the values come first, and the rest will follow. If it doesn’t happen how you thought it would, that’s how it should be, as long as you’ve remained true to yourself in the process. 

They live their lives like they wear their socks: inside out. Authentically is the only way to exist. Heart on their sleeves, ready to help anyone who asks, no-holds-barred honesty is their brand. For the twins, it’s all about tackling the journey together rather than the destination. Their message is simple: Move like you. The rest will work itself out.