Brian

Some people remember 13 as the age when life got awkward. For me, it was the year everything began to make sense.   I didn’t realize it then, of course. At the time, I was just a Midwest farm kid with a decent appetite, a hand-me-down helmet, and a nervous energy about stepping onto a football field for the first time. But looking back now—from where I stand in my “third chapter” of life—it’s crystal clear: age 13 was my ignition point. Coach Jay, Weight Rooms, and the Foundation of Discipline   My coach that year, Jay, wasn’t just blowing a whistle. He also happened to be my health teacher, and like all great mentors, he taught more than just plays and drills.   After that first football season, coach Jay introduced me to weight training—not just for football performance, but as a cornerstone of lifelong health. He talked about strength as more than muscle. He taught us about durability, metabolism, confidence.   It wasn’t just about getting stronger. It was about taking control of your body, your habits, your mindset.   I didn’t know it yet, but those early lessons would become the core of how I live now: intentional, active, fueled by movement and strength—not just for aesthetics, but for longevity.   As I’d related, unfortunately Jay passed away June 5th, 2025. I lived his inspiration every single day as he instilled the importance of health and wellness in me all those years ago.   Thank you, Jay. I will remember you the rest of my days. Coach Strickland: Visualization & Inner Strength   Later in high school, I met John Strickland, my English teacher and strength coach. He looked like a powerlifter (and was), but he also played bass guitar and painted—living proof that masculine strength and creativity can coexist.   Coach Strickland introduced me to powerlifting, but more importantly, he introduced me to the mental game. He taught me to visualize: close your eyes, see the set completed, then go do it.   That single idea—rehearse success in your mind first—has shaped how I prepare for everything from workouts to work presentations.   Coach Strickland died in December, 2022. Thank you, coach, for all that you taught me. Uncle Mike and the Nutritional Side of Recovery   Around the same time, my Uncle Mike was working in pharmaceutical/nutraceutical sales. His company developed high-calorie, low-volume food solutions for cancer patients—products designed to nourish the body when everything else felt impossible. He focused all his efforts on developing high quality nutritional products to improve the health of cancer, renal, and dysphagia patients that needed nutritional supplements   That stuck with me. While my friends were focused on snacks and sports, I was watching my uncle help people fight for their lives with science-backed nutrition.   He was selling with a purpose—and it opened my eyes.   I saw that sales wasn’t just about products. It was about solving real problems, making life better for someone else. Between the football field and Uncle Mike’s world, something clicked. I knew I wanted to go into sales—not just to “close deals,” but to connect meaningfully through solutions that matter.   He eventually started his own company and found wild success, primarily because he served and helped others. His product development lab was his kitchen. He was a true example of the ‘American Dream’; not just to own a home but to have the freedom to pursue life, liberty and happiness. He embodied all of those.   My uncle died during the awful COVID years, when no one was allowed to visit loved ones as they left this earth. An atrocity that we will reflect on as a very dark period in history. From the Locker Room to the Lab   That clarity eventually led me to college, where I majored in marketing and zeroed in on sales as my vehicle of choice.   My first professional job brought me to Maryland—and shortly thereafter, I teamed up with a friend from church. What started as a mobile phlebotomy business quickly evolved. We began offering drug and alcohol screening for employers, and as time passed, we expanded into corporate and clinical wellness services.   We built it from the ground up. No backing. No shortcuts. Just hustle, grit and 80-hour weeks. We didn’t care; we were in our 20’s and full of energy and optimism! What we did worked.   Eventually, we faced a crossroads: most phlebotomy operations were being absorbed by national service providers who wanted to swallow up independents like us. So, what did we do?   I taught myself software development—custom-building our own system so we could stay independent, agile, and patient-focused. That tech-forward mindset helped us survive—and thrive—in an industry most people never think twice (or even know) about.   And the irony?   That company—which started with some basic medical supplies, a cooler, and a church friendship—became the foundation for a career that’s spanned decades, from wellness screening to lab testing, software integration to health advocacy. Full Circle: Still Living What I Learned   Today, I look back on age 13 with a different lens.   It was the year my interest in physical strength, resilience, and the human body met my curiosity about how to make a difference in people’s lives.   The combination of Coach Jay’s commitment to health, Coach Strickland’s lessons in the weight room  and Uncle Mike’s passion for purposeful selling created a path that’s still unfolding.   Now I write, consult, and share what I’ve learned on this blog—not because I’ve figured it all out, but because I believe our early storylines still have something to teach us, especially in this later chapter.   We don’t outgrow our calling—we grow into it. Your Takeaway? Revisit Your “13”   Ask yourself:   What were you drawn to at 13?   Or was there a particular year that stands out for you? What moments gave you a glimpse of who you could become? Who

I’m sitting here thinking about life’s phases—what I call the “3rd chapter.”   As I’m sharing my journey here, I started out pretty narrow-focused, growing up on an Indiana farm where my brother and I battled it out in the front yard over football and basketball.   Back then, it was all about me—my goals, my wins, my survival in the ‘sibling rivalry’ family dynamic. But as I’ve aged, I’ve realized that life’s richest moments come not from taking, but from giving.   That’s what the 3rd chapter should be about.   We all start as selfish beings—it’s natural. As kids, we’re wired to focus on our own needs, like I was when I chased football dreams after my first season of organized football at the age of 13. Even into my 20s and 30s, I was driven by personal achievements—building a career in sales, starting a business, pursuing passions like snow skiing and golf.   But science tells us our brains don’t fully mature until our mid-20s, so it’s no surprise that unselfishness takes time to grow. My own empathy developed slowly, shaped by experiences like watching my uncle Bill struggle after Vietnam and seeing my mother left with little after my parents’ divorce despite her contributions to our family.   The 3rd chapter—our later years—should be about acceptance that life isn’t forever. As with everyone, I’m growing older (but still alive!) and I’ve learned we gain more by giving our time, money, energy, and focus to others. Raising my kids, volunteering with 4-H, coaching football, even deciding to donate my brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation—it’s these acts that bring me deeper fulfillment than any material possession ever did.   Yet, it’s disheartening to see how, in the U.S. and globally, we’ve become less willing to help our fellow man. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I saw how isolation made us more self-focused, and that trend seems to have stuck. It’s a challenge we need to face head-on.   Embracing benevolence in this chapter aligns with my core values of acceptance and balance. It’s about living with purpose, as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi writes in Flow – finding joy in the moment, whether that’s mentoring someone, sharing a skill, or simply listening. I’ve found that giving doesn’t drain me; it energizes me.   It’s a mindset shift: instead of asking “what can I get,” we ask “what can I give?” That’s how we live our best life in the 3rd chapter.   I’d love to hear your thoughts—how are you giving back, or planning to, in your own 3rd chapter?   Share your ideas in the comments below. Let’s inspire each other to make this phase about unselfishness and connection, building a tribe that values lifting each other up.   Here’s to a chapter of giving! Brian