Starting off his coaching career at the ripe age of 17, helping his fellow SJU classmates in Jamaica, André Zemnovitsch would barter with his friends: he’d help them get to higher levels of athleticism, and they’d help him ace his finals; quid pro quo, bro! André has now worked in the fitness industry for over two decades and is the founder of High-Chi Fitness: where the best of the East meets the best of the West. Studying under a myriad of the top health, fitness and wellness experts on the planet, as well as being a Certified Master Trainer, André’s Modus Operandi to fitness is that of the best-of-all-worlds approach to never plateauing with one’s potential. André is a published journalist, breathwork and meditation instructor, and perpetual student of Eastern medicine. From studying the benefits of adaptogens, terpenes, SMR/fascia-release techniques, lowering stress hormones/balancing one’s endocrine system, and learning how to utilize one’s ever-blooming neuroplasticity, André’s main intention in life is to help everyone live longer, better, smoother, stronger, and happier in every way—via utilizing ancient traditional methods alongside the most contemporary advancements in science, fitness, and medicine. “Everyone of us has the fabled Philosopher’s Stone within, it’s in our minds, glands and cells; with the proper thoughts, patterns and disciplines—we are as good as gold! My friends, please always remember…Never Stop Evolving!” –AZ

NB: Other than the amazing diversity, what do you love most about Queens?

AZ: The food! The Vibe! The peeps! Queens flows in such an organically delightful way; well, maybe except for the Van Wyck, but not everyone’s perfect! I heard a comedian say once, “we should all strive to be like the Van Wyck Expressway and never stop working on ourselves!”

When I was a student at SJU, I would love to take culinary side-quests around Queens. Going to grab hot pot in Flushing or roti in Little Guyana are definitely some of my core memories. You want pierogies? Go to Middle Village! You want to see a great show and paint the town red? Go to Maspeth! Queens is an endless treasure trove of whimsy and delight.

NB: What are some of your favorite places to be inspired in Queens?

AZ: My beloved late Grandmother, along with numerous other relatives, are resting eternally in Mount Hebron Cemetery. Growing up as a first-generation American, a son of Ukrainian immigrants: honor and reverence to family was a cornerstone pillar of my upbringing. I go visit my family at Mount Hebron at least six or seven times a year, I try to go as much as possible but life is oftentimes cumbersome, as y’all know. As someone who practices and instructs Breathwork and Meditation, I pride myself on being centered and in-tune with energy (which is what everything literally is in and of this Universe); when I go to that cemetery, it’s as if I’ve crossed through a veil–things get lighter. The warm memories and feelings of love are such powerful tools. I am in a state of lucid peace when I visit my loved ones who have passed, and that “peace” allows me to channel my perpetual inner muse and be inspired more. The days and weeks after I visit the cemetery are full of wonderful insight and inspiration and balance; this is particularly important for me as I am neurodivergent. My ADHD and C-PTSD bring me messy days; that was one of the main reasons I began studying the Eastern arts–to bring peace to my internal dissonance. This goes to show you that every good-hearted act is rewarded!

NB: What advice do you have for readers who are hoping to develop their fitness and wellness practice? How important is daily or regular movement? Do you have advice for readers about how to best work with a coach and identify goals?

AZ: These are great questions!

One of the first things which I work on with my fitness clients is getting them to switch the “I HAVE to” mentality into the evolved “I GET to” mentality. Once you begin to have fun in the gym and with your fitness journey, the results will fall into place like a well-timed row of dominoes. That aforementioned shift in perception does more to one’s discipline and drive than simply forcing oneself to get into a healthy routine. It is of utmost importance to practice a healthy routine as much as possible. We all have days where it feels like a 1,000 pound boulder is crushing us; even if a substantial amount of physical movement isn’t possible, practicing breathwork and meditation will keep the positive momentum going! I highly recommend to delve deep into what your truest goals are; be as detailed as possible, FEEL what it will be like once your goals have materialized. There are a plethora of specific certifications that we coaches hold: from kettlebell to corrective exercise to strength and conditioning to pre/post-natal–be as specific as possible with your goals and do your best to pick the perfect coach to assist you in manifesting it into fruition.

NB: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? What is something you wish you knew a decade or two or three ago?

AZ: I’m blessed to be the child of two wise souls; since I could talk, my parents would bathe me with continuous sagely proverbs, anecdotes, metaphors and philosophies from around the globe. One of my personal neurodivergent bugaboos is obsessing over the smallest errors that I make in a day. I used to be up all hours of the night reliving the smallest and seemingly most insignificant nuances of my life. One day, my mother, seeing that I was having a hard time with this, told me a great saying that originated around Italy. “Never heat up cold coffee!” It’s quite similar to the Americanized “don’t cry over spilled milk,” which I’ve heard thousands of times in my life; but, the way that Italian phrase flowed resonated much more deeply within me. Every time that I feel some old cerebral hindrances coming, I softly say to myself, “never heat-up cold coffee!” And, my train of thought is instantly shifted into a more agreeable dimension. Anything can be your mantra as long as it brings you positivity.

The thing that I wished I knew earlier in life…

Your body is a temple! Everything, from each thought, feeling, calorie, sugar, drug, alcohol, sexual encounter, you name it, adds up and releases at some point of your life. It is absolutely necessary to be mindful of everything that you do, say, and partake in. Karma is multi-layered; do good, eat well, think positive, and act out of Honor and Integrity, and you’ll truly begin to reap the abundance that your heart desires.

NB: Who are some of your favorite athletes, trainers, healers, meditators, instructors, and other creatives with a Queens connection?

AZ: I got to give shout-outs to Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, and Jack Kerouac! “The Boxer” and “On the Road” have helped me through some stormy days. Definitely some of my most influential people! “In the clearing stands a boxer and a fighter by his trade, and he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down…”

NB: What do you wish more people knew about working in the fitness industry?

AZ: A great trainer is more than just some drill sergeant yelling at you to do push-ups and squats. A great trainer invokes the best qualities and skills of not just a coach but, that of a psychiatrist, doctor, cheerleader, confidante, and spiritual guide. Anyone can watch YouTube videos on how to exercise; it takes a Master Coach to be able to assist their client into learning how to love themselves, into not quitting with their fitness journeys (and life), and into seeing the limitless beauty that is inside and outside of all of us.

NB: Do you have any events or projects coming up that you’d like to promote?

AZ: We do! We are working to team up with a myriad of local communities in NYC to do monthly park fitness events. The events are donation-based with 100% of profits going to reputable local charities. We had three such events in the Summer of 2025 and donated to two amazing charities: Badass Animal Rescue and Strays of Brooklyn. We are looking to raise a lot more this summer; we will begin the events at the end of July.

NB: What is a typical day like for you?

AZ: First thing that I do every single morning before I get out of bed is: I close my eyes, take a few box breaths to lower my stress hormones, which naturally ups my serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine; I then think of at least five things that I’m grateful for. Gratitude is one of our strongest and most reliable allies. This allows me to get off on the right foot; it is so important to make sure that your first moves every day are the right ones, otherwise a negative chain reaction is inevitable. I then make myself some Ceremonial Matcha; Matcha is full of L-theanine, a wonderful amino acid with tons of great benefits for one’s neurotransmitters, heart, focus and stress levels. My next step of the day is to do around 20-30 minutes of Qigong and/or TaiChi; I’m blessed to live close to Rockaway Beach and I usually get out to the Ocean and practice the martial disciplines in nature. My day then is usually packed with fitness clients. On days that I do not train clients, I love to cook, write, dance, and travel our beautiful planet as much as possible.

NB: Can you tell us more about how your life has changed since the last time we interviewed you in February 2021?

AZ: So much has changed! One of the best surprises was that I have been blessed to team up with amazing people to be co-host of the I Choose Health podcast. The podcast features tips/advice from a wide array of prominent masters of their crafts, offering experts’ guidance into how to live longer and better, straight from the source! We’ve been blessed to have NYT best sellers on, such as Robert Cheeke (author of “The Plant Based Athlete”) and esteemed sportswriter Jeff Pearlman (who has written 10 best sellers), and famous comedians and actors such as David Cross. We had Chris Casamassa on who is the original Scorpion from the Mortal Kombat film franchise, as well as the stuntman for George Clooney in Batman & Robin. We had important activists on from Climate Defiance, as well as some of the most inspirational people out there.

NB: Can you tell us more about some of the ways readers can best “live longer, better, smoother, stronger and happier in every way”?

AZ: We are blessed to live on a timeline where we have so many tools at our fingertips to live longer, better, smoother, stronger and happier in every way. We can go online and order herbs and adaptogens and natural wonders which until a few years ago were only available to a small few. We have unlimited libraries of knowledge at our disposal with a simple click of a button. The secret to utilizing it all is patience, drive and consistency.

My newest endeavor, Ẓ̌ƐƝ Ř$ŘV$, will be a juice company where we expertly alchemize to amalgamate many of the most nutritious, beneficial and stimulating ingredients that Mother Earth blesses us with–to scientifically do just that–live longer, better, smoother, stronger and happier in every way!

—Nicollette Barsamian

The Local-Express interview series was originated on July 3, 2013 by Nicollette Barsamian.