SWIPE ➡️➡️➡️➡️
On May 12, 2025, Emily posted some pictures from a wedding we attended. In the past, I would have never let her post those - it was disgusting and shameful! I now know it was subconsciously intentional (is that a thing?!) on my part because I needed to be held accountable, even if it was “forced”. Those pictures were the moment I hit a version of rock bottom that a lot of people probably never saw on the outside - I’ve always been good at masking it - but I felt it every single day.
I was over 280 pounds, carrying over 30% body fat, exhausted mentally and physically, and honestly just not living anywhere close to the standard I knew I was capable of. The hardest part wasn’t the weight itself - it was knowing I was settling. Settling for average habits, average discipline, average effort - things I vehemently preached against to teams I had been tasked with leading - and becoming somebody I didn’t fully recognize anymore.
Then on May 26th, I made a decision.
Not to tweak a few things.
Not to “try harder.” Not to wait until Monday.
I decided to change EVERYTHING - all at once.
Sugar? Gone. Starbucks runs? Gone. Fast food for breakfast? Gone. Breads, pastas, junk food? Gone.
No gradual transition. No cheat-weekend mindset. I was done negotiating with myself.
And the results came fast.
The weight started falling off over the course of just a couple months, but more importantly, I started regaining something I hadn’t felt in a long time:
Control.
Clarity.
Momentum.
Then in July of 2025, things shifted into another gear entirely.
That’s when the gym stopped being “something I was doing” and became part of who I am. Over the last ten months, I may have missed 7-8 total days in the gym.
That’s it.
The callouses on my hands tell the story. The physical transformation tells the story. But honestly, the mental transformation has been even bigger.
This journey became about a lot more than me.
I have two girls watching me every day: Avery and Mila.
Avery has been my best buddy through thick and thin for the last seven years. She’s seen the highs, the lows, the stress, the rebuilding, and now she’s seeing what consistency and discipline look like in real time (she actually made this kick ass video!).
That means something to me!
And Mila… well, Mila is almost four years old, which means life is basically a combination of laughter, chaos, exhaustion, negotiations with a tiny terrorist, and somehow finding crayons in places crayons should never exist. Let me tell ya, having a toddler at this stage of life hits differently! You realize your energy matters. Your patience matters. Your health matters. I want to be fully present for every phase of their lives - not watching from the sidelines tired, unhealthy, and mentally drained.
I wanted to set a standard for them.
Not perfection. Not vanity.
A standard.
A standard that says when life gets hard, we don’t fold. We adapt. We fight. We grow.
And the crazy part is… this entire transformation happened during one of the most uncertain periods of my life.
I unexpectedly found myself out of work. Ultimately, I made one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made: moving across the country, temporarily away from my family until they join me, for what has literally turned out to be the opportunity of a lifetime.
The old version of me would have absolutely used that as an excuse.
Stress? Excuse. Unemployment? Excuse. Travel? Excuse. Being away from family? Excuse.
But this time was different.
I never got derailed once.
Not once.
And I know people have seen me go through health kicks before. I get that. But life is different this time because for the first time ever, I truly have everything dialed in:
Proper nutrition. Proper supplementation. Proper sleep. A disciplined fitness schedule. Consistency. Routine. Focus.
No more guessing.
No more extremes.
No more starting and stopping.
(Continued below)
First time during all of this chaos in college football that a feeling of “hopelessness” has ever raced through my mind. I am beyond baffled how anybody could justify allowing him to play. The NCAA should immediately suspend him indefinitely, and appeal at the highest court.
@notgaetti What horrifies me is the belief people should succumb to your beliefs or risk being ostracized, cancelled or ridiculed.
This is a non-partisan take.