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 planted seeds—coaches, uncles, teachers—you’re just now realizing helped you bloom?
Because no matter your age, it’s never too late to reconnect with the threads that shaped you.
For me, those threads started with strength, service, and purpose.
I’m still pulling on them today.
Keep pushin’!
Brian
