Jorge Cruise:
13X New York Times best-selling wellness author

It’s a sunny morning in mid-2006, and Jorge Cruise finds himself sharing a TV stage with an unlikely partner: rapper 50 Cent. The fitness guru and the hip-hop mogul exchange laughs and high-fives in front of a cheering studio audience. It’s a surreal snapshot of Cruise’s life at the time – one of many – and it didn’t happen by accident. Jorge Cruise’s rise from an unknown San Diego trainer to a wellness figure rubbing shoulders with Oprah, presidents, and rap royalty reads like a Hollywood script. Each chapter of his career is marked by a chance encounter with a larger-than-life figure who left an indelible mark on his path. What follows is the story of how those encounters – from Tony Robbins to Steve Harvey – transformed a “fat kid” from Cali into a 13-time bestselling author and now a man on a faith-fueled mission to extend your lifespan by decades.

Early Sparks: Tony Robbins and Oprah Winfrey

In 1992, Cruise was a college senior when fate introduced him to Tony Robbins. Robbins’ towering presence and message of personal power stopped the 21-year-old in his tracks. The encounter was electrifying; Robbins preached that “your past does not equal your future,” a mantra that lit a fire in Cruise . Ditching plans for law school, Cruise dove headlong into fitness. He earned credentials in exercise science and even landed a gig at Robbins’ life-coaching empire, training Tony’s own family. The self-professed “fat Colombian kid” had found his calling.

A few years later, another icon entered the picture. Cruise’s mother, in her final days, implored him to share his message with Oprah Winfrey. Profoundly moved, Cruise managed to get Oprah’s attention – and Oprah, ever the kingmaker, gave him his big break. She not only welcomed the fresh-faced trainer onto The Oprah Winfrey Show, she splashed his advice across O Magazine and later in her O’s Guide to Life book. By 2001, with Oprah’s wind at his back, Cruise published 8 Minutes in the Morning, complete with an introduction by Robbins himself. It became an instant bestseller, validating what Oprah saw in him. In the span of just a few years, Cruise went from training clients at a San Diego gym to becoming, as People would later dub him, a worldwide weight-loss authority. Tony taught him the power of transformation; Oprah gave him the platform to use it.

Lessons in Resilience: Martha Stewart

By the mid-2000s, Jorge Cruise was a regular face on morning TV, doling out diet tips to millions. It was on one of those early-day shows – the Today show, fittingly – that he crossed paths with Martha Stewart. Stewart was in the midst of a comeback tour like no other. Just months after a very public fall from grace (a prison term for a stock trade scandal), the domestic diva bounced back in 2005 with not one but two new TV shows . When Cruise met her, Stewart was poised, warm, and utterly unfazed by the tabloid frenzy surrounding her recent past. Her conviction in her brand never wavered. “There’s no reason to retire,” she quipped to reporters years later – and she meant it.

For Cruise, watching Martha Stewart rebuild her empire from ashes was a masterclass in resilience. Here was a woman who took a federal conviction on the chin and spun it into daytime Emmy gold within the same year. The two chatted off-camera about sticking to one’s vision. Cruise soaked up Stewart’s hard-won wisdom: success isn’t a straight line, and a public setback doesn’t have to define you. Stewart’s unflappable comeback spirit infused Cruise with a new appreciation for reinvention. If Martha could reinvent herself after 2005, he thought, there’s no limit to what’s possible after a stumble. It was a lesson that would stay with him when facing his own personal trials down the road.

Unlikely Pairing on The View: 50 Cent

Nothing, however, could top the strangeness and serendipity of Cruise’s meeting with 50 Cent. In April 2006, The View staged a segment on an unexpected topic: kids’ nutrition. To everyone’s surprise, the guest expert alongside Cruise wasn’t a doctor or dietician – it was rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, then riding high off multi-platinum albums. The two came together on live TV to talk about healthy habits for children. As Cruise demonstrated simple exercises and portion-control tips from his book The 3-Hour Diet, 50 Cent chimed in about swapping soda for water, even plugging his favorite VitaminWater flavors to the amusement of the studio crowd. The sight of this muscular hip-hop star earnestly discussing vitamins with a fitness coach was daytime-TV gold.

Backstage, Cruise learned that 50 Cent’s interest wasn’t a gimmick – the rapper had a genuine passion for promoting healthier drink choices (not to mention a savvy business stake in VitaminWater). During a commercial break, 50 flashed that grin and offered everyone in the audience a bottle of Formula 50 VitaminWater and Smartwater, turning the talk show appearance into a surprise hydration party. The audience went wild. For Cruise, the episode was a revelation in showmanship and branding. 50 Cent showed him how cool healthy could be – that you could hustle hard in business while staying true to a cause. That day, Cruise didn’t just gain a memorable TV moment; he gained insight into marrying wellness with pop-culture swagger. After all, if a kid from Queens could parlay sugar-free water into a fortune and use it to get kids to drink healthier, why couldn’t a kid from San Diego make healthy living mainstream? The improbable alliance affirmed Cruise’s belief that wellness could cross any cultural barrier with the right messenger.

A Presidential Nudge: Bill Clinton

By 2007, Cruise’s circle of influence extended from Hollywood soundstages to the corridors of power. That year, he was invited to a high-profile fundraiser in New York’s Financial District. The event was spearheaded by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and celebrity chef Rachael Ray, aimed at fighting childhood obesity – a cause close to Cruise’s heart. Wandering past the suited donors, Cruise suddenly found himself face-to-face with President Bill Clinton. The former president was there to launch a partnership between Ray’s new Yum-o! charity and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, uniting families in the push for healthier eating . Clinton, ever the charismatic statesman, shook Cruise’s hand and spoke with the Southern warmth he’s famous for. He praised Cruise’s mission to make fitness accessible and shared his own post-White House crusade: tackling the twin epidemics of hunger and childhood obesity .

Clinton’s words that night resonated. He pointed out that hunger and obesity often go hand-in-hand in America’s poorer communities – a bitter irony that had informed his foundation’s work . Cruise listened intently as Clinton urged everyone in the room to think big about solutions. This wasn’t just a quick grip-and-grin photo op; it felt like a baton pass. Clinton’s involvement lent political gravitas to the fight against obesity, and it inspired Cruise to view his own work through a wider lens. Meeting President Clinton was a reminder that wellness isn’t just about individual waistlines, but about society and legacy. The very next week, Cruise redoubled his efforts with youth fitness programs, teaming up with Rachael Ray to contribute healthy recipes for her Yum-o! initiative . The trainer who once focused on trimming inches now talked about “ending childhood obesity” in interviews. The politician in Clinton had lit the activist in Cruise.

Advice from a Mogul: Donald Trump

Before that year was out, Cruise’s whirlwind of encounters brought him to one more unlikely stage: the glitzy Quill Awards – a star-studded literary ceremony in New York. It was 2006 and Cruise’s The 3-Hour Diet was up for an award. Backstage, amid a who’s who of authors and presenters, Cruise struck up a conversation with real estate tycoon Donald Trump. Trump was there to present the trophy for Best Business Book, while Cruise was tapped to present Best Fitness Book. At the afterparty, under the chandeliers of the Waldorf, Trump cornered the young author with a direct question: “So how do you scale this thing of yours?” Cruise was taken aback – here was The Donald, mid-Apprentice fame, probing his brain. Trump offered a blunt piece of advice: think bigger. He encouraged Cruise to expand his brand beyond one-off diet books, to envision an empire of products and media – the way Trump had done with real estate and television.

Impressed by Trump’s candor and business acumen, Cruise took the words to heart . He later recalled how Trump’s strategic mindset, combined with Tony Robbins’ earlier teachings, created a spark. Robbins had taught him to overcome his past; Trump was teaching him to own his future. On the flight back to California, Cruise sketched out a plan to radically increase his output. Books, podcasts, supplements – nothing was off the table. “Why be an author when you can be an industry?” Trump had challenged him. By the next year, Cruise was writing at a manic pace. He’d go on to publish dozens of books (39 and counting) in the years that followed . The meeting with Donald Trump was brief, but it supercharged Cruise’s ambitions. It wasn’t about imitating Trump’s brash style – it was about adopting his limitless approach to business and media. If a chance meeting with a mogul could help turn a trainer into a wellness tycoon, Cruise was determined to make it happen.

Full Circle: Steve Harvey and a Leap of Faith

Fast-forward to the 2010s and beyond: Jorge Cruise had achieved the kind of success he once only dreamed of. Multiple #1 bestsellers, a roster of celebrity clients, and regular appearances on shows from Good Morning America to Rachael Ray. Yet, as he quietly approached 50, life tested him in new ways. Two marriages came and went, and the motivator who helped millions was suddenly the one in need of motivation. Enter Steve Harvey. The comedian-turned-TV host wasn’t just a client eager to shed a few pounds – he became one of Cruise’s closest confidants. During early-morning training sessions in Harvey’s Los Angeles mansion, Cruise found himself on the receiving end of as much wisdom as he dished out. Harvey, a man of deep faith, sensed his trainer’s inner turmoil. He urged Cruise to get out of his own way. The true source of his struggles, Harvey preached, wasn’t diet or business – it was ego . In Steve’s trademark blunt style, he told Jorge that he was trying too hard to control everything, and in doing so, controlling nothing. “Let go and let God,” Harvey would repeat, sweating through another set of crunches.

In 2021, at age 50, Cruise had an epiphany. With Steve Harvey’s guidance, he reconnected with the spirituality he had long set aside. He came to realize that his lifelong battle with emotional eating was really a battle with fear and emptiness . The antidote wasn’t in any book or diet – it was faith. “Let your faith be greater than your fear,” became Cruise’s new mantra . That shift in mindset reignited his passion with a new purpose. He decided that the next chapter of his career would marry his wellness know-how with this rediscovered faith. And so, more than two decades after he first met Tony Robbins, Jorge Cruise is reinventing himself yet again. His latest venture, born from equal parts nutritional science and spiritual conviction, is Zero Hunger Water – a consumer product aimed at taming appetite and nourishing the soul. The concept is novel: mineral-infused water designed to “erase hunger,” an idea he developed after learning that certain minerals can literally shut off cravings . Cruise sees it as the culmination of everything his mentors taught him: Robbins’ transformative techniques, 50 Cent’s flair for marketing, Clinton’s public-minded mission, Trump’s go-big-or-go-home mentality, and Harvey’s faith-driven philosophy. Zero Hunger Water is slated to launch in 2025 as the first step in what Cruise envisions as a faith-fueled wellness empire .

On a recent episode of The Steve Harvey Morning Show, Harvey himself gave Cruise a shout-out, proud of the path his protégé is taking. The kid who once needed Oprah to believe in him now believes fiercely in himself – and in a higher plan. Jorge Cruise’s journey has been anything but ordinary. It’s a tapestry woven with wisdom from a half-dozen modern icons, each encounter nudging him closer to his true purpose. And as he stands on the brink of yet another reinvention – water bottle in hand, faith in heart – one gets the sense that this story, like Jorge Cruise himself, is just getting started.