Tell me about it.

So yeah, I was a pretty unhappy kid growing up.

I would be afraid of going to school because I would get bullied pretty often, physically and verbally.

They would call me like a loser, you know...stupid, skinny, small, retarded.

So this was about when I was five years old, right here.

I had just moved to a new school, and I had a hard time assimilating and fitting in.

Why were kids bullying you?

Because I was typically one of the smallest kids and the skinniest kid, the youngest as well.

My legs were so skinny that I had to wear braces on them because my quads were so weak.

I was really insecure.

I just was a really shy kid. I've...

I was not confident in myself.

How often would you get bullied?

Almost on a daily occurrence.

And there were a couple really vivid incidents that still are in my mind.

And once I was pulled back and choked by a bully and strangled and slammed to the ground.

And no one really helped me.

People actually....around me were actually laughing and ridiculed me.

How did that make you feel?

When you are bullied, and you're put down, you really feel helpless.

I decided to just isolate myself.

I would lie in bed at night, and I would think about the knife set downstairs in my kitchen.

And I would think ok, if I just took these knives and I, you know, cut myself, I bet no one would care.

I didn't know how to control my anger.

I didn't have an outlet at all. I mean...

One time I punched a wall, broke my hand, and that kind of was an epiphany for me after that. You know...

I have to start finding a different kind of outlet or else I'm going to end up hurting myself.

So what did you do?

So instead of punching things, I started working out in my room.

I felt invigorated.

I felt really happy and focused.

I felt really just alive.

And how has this ritual fitness changed your life?

So it started with, you know, that, working out in my bedroom, but it was really training in the gym that I fell in love with it.

And I was actually around other people, so it wasn't like me isolating myself.

When I go to the gym, I always take at least 15 minutes to just put in my headphones and visualize what I'm going to do that day.

If you're not focused, you're just going through the motion, and that's not gonna give you the best results.

When you look in the mirror now, who is the person that you see?

I see a lot more confident person. I see someone who's made a lot of progress, and most of all I see someone who is on a journey.

The gym is symbolic in my life.

It's just a haven for me.

It's given me my closest friendships.

I could even say it's kind of like a sanctuary for me, because it's really therapeutic for me to be there.

And I decided to become a trainer and inspire and motivate other people, and I just fell in love with that as well.

What would you say to that young person who 's being bullied and beaten up?

I think life takes you on a course that sometimes you just don't know what's gonna happen.

And I personally never would have thought I would be at USC, having a passion for fitness like I do right now.

It will make you stronger, and that's what I would say to my 12-year-old self to just stay strong and push through it.

You will be OK.

Bullying is something that sadly too many people face in life, but I hope you were inspired by David's story of strength and determination.

To see more episodes of rituals, please subscribe.

And you can watch another story about a young dancer whose discipline and passion have allowed her to live out her dream.

RIO ANDERSON: As a student, each performance matters so much, because you just don't have as many.

And...and in the competitions, you only have one chance on stage.

It's a lot of pressure.