Markell Smith knows what it means to start from scratch. Beginning his career as a semi-professional footballer aged 17, Smith was surrounded by teammates who were noticeably older and stronger than him – and feeling insecure about his physique caused life to take an unexpected turn.

“I got bullied on the field. I was very slim, I didn’t have much muscle mass and I didn’t have much strength. My manager pulled me aside and, in a nice way, [said], ‘You need to go to the gym,’” says Smith, founder of ML.Fitness, a workout app aimed primarily at women.

“I’ll never forget the first time I went to the gym. My main thing was to find the biggest person and just imitate what they were doing. I was very nervous, because I was thinking people were looking at me while I was doing my workouts. But, by the end of it, it did build my confidence and here I am now.”

And here he is indeed. Smith, better known as Mr London, has become a YouTube fitness phenomenon with more than 1.9 million subscribers and over 270K followers on Instagram. Now he has brought all his health and fitness expertise to ML.Fitness.

ML.Fitness is a one-stop shop for wellbeing, covering three core elements: workouts, nutrition and motivation.

The workouts cater to all ages, fitness levels and body shapes, and range from gentle pilates to intense HIIT. Each one lasts between 12 and 30 minutes. The meal planner takes the stress out of deciding what to eat, and the motivational content will keep you focused and zen all day.

“One of the most important things is that when you go into [the app], you have everything you need,” says Smith. “You know what workouts to do, what to eat, and the Motivation section is everything to me.”

Smith is determined that his name should be recognised on the merit of his content, and not through partnerships with well-known brands.

“I want to build my own brand and I’m trying to push that mindset to the Black community: that you can create your own brand as a young Black creator,” says Smith.

He admits that this is not easy. “It’s difficult for a lot of young Black content creators in this moment,” explains Smith. “You are seeing a lot of them get deals [with fitness brands], and that’s amazing. But let’s be real: a lot of those who are getting these deals are getting underpaid compared to white creators out there.”

ML.Fitness has already built a dedicated following, who come to the app as much for the fitness content as they do for Smith himself and his motivational messaging.

The fact that his content resonates among the Black community, Smith attributes in part to the relationship he has with his four sisters, which has allowed him to understand and appreciate the struggle that many Black women in the UK have with body image and traditionally white beauty standards.

“Growing up, I was in a house with all women. I’ve got four older sisters and I’m the youngest of six… so [there are] little things that I’ve picked up from a young age to now,” he explains. “It’s a lot harder on women when it comes to what you look like… I understand, to the best of my ability, their struggle as women and as Black women living in the UK.”

Smith has taken inspiration from this to create body-positive and encouraging content for women. “It’s transitioned into what I do on social media – which is uplifting women, by giving them that extra motivation, accountability and support,” says Smith.

This message shines through in the app’s Talks, where Smith provides affirmations, and its Walks, where Smith lends his own voice-over to meditative soundscapes.

“Yes, it’s about the physical side of things and looking good and feeling good, but one of the most important things is also mindset,” he says. “I really try to focus on the mindset before we get into the physical, because, long term, if your mindset isn’t right, your physical will not be right at all,” he says.

Representation of women in the app is also key. Smith is the primary instructor, alongside trainer Essi Parsons and Pilates teacher Boo Kartawick.

And, importantly, he wants women to feel good about the natural body shape they have and to focus more on health.

“Everything [right now] is about needing to have an hourglass figure, but you may not genetically have it. A lot of women feel pressure nowadays to look a certain way and I don’t think that's cool,” says Smith.

“I really try to push out to my audience that, yes, you can have the hourglass figure but you need to think long term: general health, living longer for your family – and all that good stuff.”