Learn What Works for You: Interview with Moawia Eldeeb, Co-Founder and CEO of Tempo

I recently went one-on-one with Moawia Eldeeb, co-founder and CEO of Tempo.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Moawia: I was born in a small farming village in Egypt, by the Nile. My family has been there for seven generations – that village was all we had ever known. When my brother was born, we discovered he had a rare genetic disease and we decided to move to the US for his health. Our family of six lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Queens, where I worked 12-hour shifts in a pizza shop with my father to help pay the rent. I was only 12 years old. With no education and no English, I figured I was going to work in a restaurant forever. 

When I was 14, everything changed. Our apartment building burnt down and we lost everything we worked for. After the fire, we moved to a shelter. This turned out to be the best thing to happen to us since moving to the US. For the first time, we didn’t have to worry about rent or food, and I didn’t have to work anymore. 

At 14 years old, I was reading at a first-grade level. I was afraid to go back to school, so I spent a year studying online every day at the public library to catch up. I was able to graduate high school in three years, and went to Queen’s College where I got my bachelors in applied math in two and a half years. I was 20, with a degree and the motivation to keep going after what I wanted. 

That’s what got me to where I am today. If it wasn’t for the struggles that me and my family went through, I wouldn’t have been able to make our American dream a reality. 

Adam: How did you come up with your business idea and know it was worth pursuing? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with and test business ideas?

Moawia: During the time that my family was living in a Red Cross shelter, I started going to the YMCA, and the trainers agreed to train me if I focused on school. With their encouragement, I was able to finish high school and college early and went on to study Computer Science at Columbia. It was there where I met my co-founder, Josh Augustin, and after graduating, the two of us created Tempo with the mission of making personal training and fitness more accessible. In 2015, Josh and I were accepted into Y-Combinator, which helped turn our idea into a reality. 

The advice I have for coming up with and testing business ideas is to solve the hardest problems first. It's enticing to take the easier route, but the most important things are not always the easiest. The business ideas that are worth working towards and are the most fulfilling long-term will be the ones that align with the values you live by.

Adam: What are the key steps you have taken to grow your business? What advice do you have for others on how to take their businesses to the next level?

Moawia: The key to growing Tempo has been continuous evolution while staying true to the vision of creating the world’s best training experience. 

We were fortunate to launch at a time when consumers were hungry for home fitness products at the height of the pandemic. Now, the demand has shifted to more hybrid and flexible solutions. Growing Tempo has meant adapting to that lifestyle shift, so we are continuing to refine the Tempo training experience to offer more flexibility and ease.

Another key factor is frugality. Working in hardware requires balancing technology, supply chain and logistics constraints with efficiency and output. Being frugal has not only been an integral part of growing Tempo, but also creating a high-quality solution that's affordable for consumers.

My advice for other leaders is to follow that blueprint. Regardless of the industry or product, a consistent focus on innovation, without losing sight of the core vision, will set you on a successful path.

Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips? 

Moawia: Understand your core audience, be indispensable to them, and keep adding value again and again.

For example, I’m very interested in hearing personal stories from our members about the impact fitness and Tempo has had on their lives. By staying close to our member community, we’re able to better understand what’s working well and the areas where we can help them get closer to their goals.

Adam: What are the most important trends in technology that leaders should be aware of and understand? What should they understand about them?

Moawia: The number one trend is AI and generative AI. We're at a really exciting time when AI is set to transform every aspect of our lives. 

In the fitness industry specifically, AI can do a lot more than give automated workout recommendations or generic AI-generated training plans. With smart implementation, using real user data combined with fitness science, we're seeing AI make training more personalized and more efficient. 

To be clear, I don’t see AI replacing human trainers or the physical effort that an individual puts into their workout. Where AI shines is in taking on huge amounts of data and giving you the benefit, but it’s the human trainers that provide the motivation, accountability, and coaching that people need. So it’s by bringing AI and human connection together that will help people achieve the consistency and results they're looking for. 

AI holds a tremendous amount of positive potential in just about every industry, but leaders should be wary of getting caught up in the hype. Don't pursue AI simply for AI's sake. Before jumping into AI, make sure you have a strategy that makes sense for your business and its mission.  

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Moawia: One quality I mentioned earlier is frugality. Being frugal and intentional with your time and resources as a leader is instrumental to the success of not only your company but creating a product or service that is impactful for everyone involved.

Another is tenacity. I was first inspired by the tenacity of my family, especially my father, who worked hard to bring his family from Egypt to the US for a better future. This has stayed with me through my youth, the founding of Tempo, and scaling it to where it is today. 

Finally, never forget why you set out to create the company. As an entrepreneur, there will be some incredibly hard road bumps along the way. Being a leader means you’re at the forefront, and being the first at something is hard. But at the same time, the people leading have the opportunity to pave the way for others to succeed, as well. Keeping that in mind can help you push through the challenges.

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams?

Moawia: Find people who share your vision, but possess diverse skill sets to get your business there. 

For example, the Tempo team consists of people who all believe in making training more accessible and more effective, but their expertise varies significantly. This allows us to create a well-rounded team of passionate professionals who can view all elements of our business - from engineering to marketing to fitness coaching - in a fresh way, allowing us to problem-solve and innovate together to continue improving. 

My other piece of advice is to allow your team ample room for creativity and problem-solving while offering support and guidance when it’s needed. At Tempo, this helps us remain nimble and thoughtful in our approach to creating a world where everyone can access personalized, effective fitness.

Adam: What are your best tips for fitness, nutrition, and wellness?

Moawia: Learn what works for you. This not only means what your body needs to train effectively but also what works for your mind, namely what brings you joy. The former ensures you’re actually seeing progress, while the latter ensures consistency. For example, at Tempo we use AI to understand what drives progress based on personal health data and also offer a wide range of classes so our members can find what they enjoy - all of which helps reinforce consistency. 

Nutrition is even more important than physical training and is a key component in seeing results, supporting a healthy lifestyle, and maintaining a steady routine. Like with training, find what foods feel good for you and nourish your body. For example, reduce inflammatory foods or those you’re intolerant to. Learn if you need more protein or veggies, fiber, or carbohydrates in your diet. Everyone’s biology is different. In addition, identify nutritious meals that bring you joy. This builds anticipation around healthier options and reduces your desire to gravitate toward frequent cheat meals, thus ensuring sustainability from a nutrition standpoint.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Moawia: It’s not advice I received directly, but a quote that resonates with me is from Thomas Sterner: “Progress is a natural result of staying focused on the process of doing anything.”

This is relevant to how my life changed when I joined the YMCA and my passion for training others developed. Seeing progress as a direct result of motivation from my trainers, and their encouragement to keep going toward my goals was inspiring and has stayed with me through growing Tempo. 

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Moawia: When I was a teenager, I never expected how much of an impact fitness would have on my life and inspire me on this journey with Tempo. 

Looking ahead, I have to say I’m excited for what’s in store for the fitness industry thanks to advancements in technology and AI. How we measure health has come a long way from step counters to heart rate monitors, sleep tracking, and continuous glucose monitoring. We’re seeing devices like watches and rings add new ways for consumers to track their own health data in real-time. Pairing this type of personal health data with fitness performance data will be a massive level-up for people’s overall personal health and fitness goals. 

I expect this space will continue to evolve and mature. One day, we’ll all have a digital holistic health and fitness advisor with us at all times. I’m eager for people to have more of this information at their fingertips, so fitness can transform their lives like it did for me. 


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one-on-one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

Follow Adam on Instagram and Twitter at @adammendler and on LinkedIn and listen and subscribe to Thirty Minute Mentors on your favorite podcasting app.