Let me start off by saying that I am not the type of person who enjoys being in the SPOTLIGHT. I'm sure that a lot of you know me from some of the obstacle course racing videos that I create for my OCRTUBE media project, and you will see that most of my videos are FOCUSED on other people, and not myself =).
It brings me joy to be able to document the journey, struggles, and triumphs of the people around me, and that's one of the reasons why I am very passionate about what I do as a Beachbody Coach, I just love helping people, and making it about them.
So WHY a Q&A about me?
I've turned down a few interviews only because again, I just do not feel comfortable being in the spotlight, I actually run from it, not because I'm afraid, but mostly because I take my life and my family VERY seriously, I enjoy my private life, as I'm sure that most of you do as well.
My #FitFam =)
I've learned a lot as a Beachbody Coach, in terms of leading my team and challengers to success, and it's been a rollercoaster, but these are the things that have made me SPARTAN strong. I stay out of the limelight so that I can focus on the people who matter most to me, like my family and my coach team. These people have dedicated A LOT of their blood, sweat, and tears with me, and they truly deserve my full attention, so I reserve that EXCLUSIVELY for them. =)
I've created a few social media channels for other people to learn more about me, and what I do because I know the importance of building relationships. If I'm not relatable, then why would people want me to coach them right?
A lot of people ask me what I do for a living, and they are always shocked to find out that I am a full-time Beachbody Coach! I mean, I literally run an internet fitness company from my smartphone and/or my macbook, and that's how I am able to travel and film a lot of the obstacle races that you see on my YOUTUBE channel. Again, I don't say this to brag because it was pretty damn TOUGH to get where I am, and I am just now scratching the surface and getting started. People think SUCCESS just comes easy sometimes especially if they're only looking from the outside in, BUT I struggled a lot for years! I've hit rock bottom, slept in my car for months on end, and used to live off of RAMEN NOODLES (that's a good week), so I know about struggle. I know what HARD is. It's not fun, and all I knew was that I didn't want to live that crappy life anymore, so I quit making excuses. I focused on being an honorable father to my daughter, and everything started coming into place.
My daughter and I
My social media channels are focused on sharing my journey with people (good and bad) and to hopefully make an impact around the world. It's NOT to show off, or make anyone think that I am better than they are (because I'm not), I definitely have a lot of weaknesses, and I am by no means PERFECT, no way!
I am just like most of you who just wants to be happy, provide for my family, travel around the world, and leave a legacy.
So back to the Q&A, I've had a number of questions lately about what I do, and who I am, so instead of spending all day messaging and sharing on my social networks, I felt that it would make sense to post a blog on some of the common questions that I've been receiving, so here goes! =) I'm just going to cover a few questions now, and will post another blog later.
ARE YOU SINGLE?
Yes, I am single. It's not that I don't believe in marriage or relationships, it's because it's not a priority for me. I've met a ton of people who are unhappy, and they always say this, "If I could just find someone to be with me, then I would be happy". That BS!! Make yourself happy, and the person you meet someday will just enhance your life. I don't ever go out looking for relationships, it's not natural. Things will happen when it's meant to happen, so my piece of advice is to relax and enjoy your life! Learn to be happy with who you are first, and you'll be surprised how amazing your life will be.
HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO TRAVEL ALL THE TIME?
Well, I don't really travel all the time, but I have a online business that allows me to be location-independent. As long as I have internet, I can work from anywhere around the world. And FYI, this didn't happen overnight (so don't think for a minute that this opportunity just fell into my lap), I went through many failed businesses since 2002, and finally found something that gave me the opportunity to become digitally nomadic. Not everyone can travel like I do or would like to travel like I do, but I'm not like everyone, and you shouldn't be either.
Bagan, Myanmar
WHAT WORKOUTS DO YOU DO AND RECOMMEND?
I've been doing Beachbody Specific Workouts since 2010. My first program that I completed was P90X which helped me hit some PR's (1:36 half marathon, 19:30 5K) and I even hit some podium wins in OCR being in the top 10% precent. I think that I've completed most of the advanced Beachbody programs (primarily the ones that are strength and athletic-based specific), and I continue to do the workouts, mostly creating hybrid programs to help me stay in peak physical condition for adventure traveling and filming races in some of the most toughest terrains around the world. They've worked for me all these years, and the company Beachbody continues to be innovative with the latest movements in exercise science. I recommend that people do whatever they feel is good for them. It's not about what I do, it's about what your goals are. If you ask me to help you, I can only give you advice based on what I've learned with my experiences with my workouts, as well as learning from some of the best OCR and endurance athletes in the world.
WHY DON'T YOU RACE COMPETITIVELY ANYMORE?
Almost 3 years ago I endured my first injury while obstacle racing. I popped my knee out going down a mountain in Killington, VT. Since then, my knee has never been the same. I also unfortunately inherited the infamous Gout from my family line, which has gotten a lot worse with age, especially with some of my more extreme workouts, including long distance running. I was feeling sorry for myself for the longest time because of the athletic goals that I set for myself, the ones that I could not achieve because of my condition. But I have come to a realization that I cannot control everything, so it's best to make due with what I have, and make the best of my life and appreciate the fact that I am alive and healthy.
I still workout, I still run, I still live an active lifestyle, and instead of training for a race, I am simply training just to be active and happy. These days I am more focused on my nutrition, coaching people, and growing my cause-related media project.
Filming the Nuclear Race UK - 2016
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So to wrap things up, I'd like to say that I've had a wonderful 45 years of learning the in's and out's of life, and I look forward to continuing my journey because the day that I stop learning is the day I stop living, and I'm definitely not done yet!
