Life is based on cycles, seasons, and rhythms. I think one of the biggest mistakes I’ve personally made and I see frequently in many of the people I work with is attempting to ignore this and just keep everything the same all the time.

It just doesn’t work like that.

Life is going to cycle. The way I see it you’ve got three options:

You can stay the same. That’s living life like a dot. That seems pretty lame.

You can just keep repeating the same cycle over and over. That’s living a circle. The constant retreading of ground must feel frustrating.

Or, you can continue to grow with each cycle. That’s living a SPIRAL.

When I was young, I was a quiet, shy bookworm of a kid. Growing up on a farm with busy parents, I spent a lot of time by myself. Books were my best friends.

I loved sports, but was a pretty mediocre athlete. I could never find my confidence to compete at a high level with the other kids.

Needless to say, I wasn’t the most popular in school. Add in a little roughing up from a stepfather in my teen years and you had a recipe for a shy, withdrawn kid.

In college I discovered bodybuilding and then powerlifting. I discovered that I was good at it and became hooked. It also made me the athlete I’d always wanted to be when it came to martial arts and football.

As I got deeper into the iron game, I discovered that I had control over my body and I could build muscles like a suit of armor. My fascination with the human body (and confidence) grew.

I fell so much in love with this transformation that, after graduating with a degree in Finance, opted to pursue a Master’s in Exercise Physiology and decided to make training my career.

After graduation I set off to take on the world. An ex and I moved to a different state, barely knowing anyone, and started working in gyms.

I had already been personal training a bit while in school and I thought that it would be as simple as just showing up and being good…

I was wrong.

I struggled to adapt to the new, fast-paced and competitive environment. As the days and weeks went by, I failed more and more and my confidence fell and fell.

I just couldn’t overcome my natural shyness and “get out there and SELL”, as my Fitness Director harped on me about.

I struggled. To the point of cashing $100 paychecks for about six months, having a bank account constantly in the red, and having to face the shame of my ex paying all the bills.

As a man I felt like a failure. Needless to say, that was a serious stress on the relationship, which turned toxic and pushed me further into a very, very dark place.

Eventually, I hit a breaking point.

I had to either just end it (there was some other stuff going on and it had reached that point) or I needed to grow.

I chose to grow and sought out my Regional Director (we’d had some bonding over old-time strongman stuff) to ask for help.

He took me under the wing and taught me sales, marketing, and how to succeed in the business environment. I needed to go back to school… This time the Real World School!

Eventually, I took that knowledge and help and turned my training program around. Over time I went out on my own and built a successful training business, working with athletes and adults from ages 7 to 99, youth to professional/Olympic Trial-level to specialty athletes like stroke rehabilitation, Autism, and Cerebral Palsy.

This pass around the spiral had brought me knowledge of business and also taught me to seek out coaching and mentors, which I continue to this day.

So, I had learned the skill of my craft – helping people change their bodies through exercise and nutrition.

I had learned how to seek out mentors and how to build a business.

I was doing a lot better. From the outside looking in, it looked like I had really got things licked. When I layed down at night, though, it didn’t feel that way.

Over time, I started to have problems. Injuries started to creep up. I needed some surgeries and lived in pain. My “suit of armor” was taken away from me and I didn’t know how to live an identity that wasn’t a “big, strong athlete”.

The business stresses started to really hit me, too. I just kept pushing and grinding for more, sacrificing my health and relationships.

I started dealing with the mounting stress in some of the less-healthy ways.

As I descended deeper into burn-out, I was getting worse and my clients, while generally doing well, weren’t making the progress that I knew they could make.

How could this be? I’d learned so much. Hell, I spent a large part of my time and business teaching other trainers!

I knew that I needed to go to the well again. This time I needed to work on me, from a personal, emotional, and spiritual side.

I dove in and immersed myself in Personal Development. I went on a journey of sorts to examine and find out more about myself. I tried all kinds of “hippy crap” that I would have derided just a few months before.

I started to dig into psychology, the mind, meditation, counseling, habit change, metaphysics, and all kinds of the “soft sciences” to figure out how I ticked and to help myself keep ticking better.

With each step I improved. I was able to find joy in movement, not just “training”. I learned how to balance a real life with my business. I learned how to let go of things I’d held in anger, identifying as “the Angry Guy” for years and decades.

Not only did I find myself improving, but my clients’ results, over and over again… became way beyond the physical. I saw people accomplish dreams that they never thought were possible.

Along the way I realized that this journey of life keeps circling around and that provides us with an opportunity to smooth down the rough spots with each pass.

That’s brought me to this place. I took this pic on one of my outdoor rucks because I thought it was a great life metaphor.

I help people find their straight line towards their goals and navigate the slick spots and potholes. I’m not one to blow smoke and say that the road is perfect, smooth, or easy. If you want someone to tell you that, go somewhere else.

If you’re looking for a coach who’s been through it, found a path to the other side, and can help you do the same, then you’re welcome here.