Meet Andre Anthony – Wellness Instructor

By Christine Hall

Andre Anthony was born on a military base while his father was deployed. Growing up, he lived in Japan, Korea, and Germany before settling in Tacoma when his father was stationed at Fort Lewis.

Andre considered enlisting in the military but pursued football instead, playing in high school, college, and eventually for a professional team. After his football career, Andre worked as a business consultant while coaching football and basketball in Lakewood for ten years. Dedicated to helping youth, he never cut a child from his program for lack of skill.

One memorable moment changed his life: while watching a college football game, he saw a former student score a touchdown for the Washington Huskies. That player later joined the Seattle Seahawks. Inspired, Andre realized his impact and became a personal trainer.

Starting as a janitor at LA Fitness, Andre quickly advanced when asked to fill in as a trainer. He thrived in that role for nine years before moving to MetroParks Tacoma, where he taught various fitness classes and founded the popular Ninja Camp. This weeklong martial arts and life skills program sold out annually and concluded with a demonstration by participants. Andre’s martial arts system combines techniques passed down from Bruce Lee’s lineage with his own philosophy.

Now at Franke Tobey Jones (FTJ), Andre finds fulfillment working with residents. Since joining FTJ over a year ago, he’s gained confidence in his programming and received an Employee Scholarship to pursue re-certification as a personal trainer.

In his free time, Andre is a professional dart player, with competition wins in Hawaii and Las Vegas. He also enjoys fishing and crabbing. His disciplined lifestyle includes early morning gym sessions, which set a positive tone for his day.

When asked what he loves most about FTJ, Andre said, “the residents,” praising their inspiring stories and supportive nature. For Andre, each day he spends working at FTJ feels like a win.