Steve's Story
The Beginning...
I began my path to mastery in my life back in 1990, which was the summer between 8th grade and freshman year of high school.
I had played football in junior high, and fell in love with the sport. I had a lot of childhood trauma as my parents divorced at age 10. My upbringing was very military-style, as my dad was in the US Army during Vietnam.
I got in a lot of trouble and fights as a kid, and football provided me a constructive outlet for the anger. I can really look back and say that I loved hitting people and taking the anger out on them on the field. So, football was a natural fit.
I'm so fortunate for that sport, as it literally saved me from a criminal life as well as taught me so many important lessons that have shaped my adulthood.
That summer was also when I first began weight training. Again, I excelled at it and loved it. I have been strength training since 1990, and it is one of my biggest passions in life to this day.
College Dropout Gone Fireman...
I never felt at home in school or in academics. I'm super intelligent, but I hated the confines and mediocrity of the public school system. I performed well with a 3.5 GPA, but with little guidance, I did not know what I wanted to do with my life after High School.
I excelled in science and math so my dad had me attend the local University of Arizona in Pre-Pharmacy. He said it was a "secure job with good pay and benefits"...
I liked the topics of study, but again, I had this gut feeling that this was not how I wanted to live my life.
One of my buddies had gotten on the fire department, and it sounded cool so I bailed on college and joined the department.
I ended up doing 23 years of service and promoted to Fire Captain, where I learned a ton about leadership and coaching others. I also became a Peer Fitness Trainer for the department and got my ACE CPT certification to train firefighters to perform better on the job.
My Life As An Entrepreneur
The Pit...
During high school, I worked at Burger King. I was a production leader, and they wanted to make me a manager. I declined.
After graduating, I immediately moved out of my dad's house, and rented an apartment. I also got a job as a dishwasher at the Red Robin restaurant in the Tucson Mall. I worked full time while paying rent and attending the U of A. This was a very low point in my life. I found myself totally alone, with no support from anyone. I got into hard drugs and lost over 50lbs - not the good way. I looked like a skeleton at age 19.
I realized that I needed to make a change.
So, I decided to quit my job, and get another one in a much better environment. My best friend's girlfriend had recently gotten hired at a 4-star hotel, and gave me a reference, so I got hired.
My dad did instill some good attributes to me growing up. One of which was a excellent work ethic.
This has allowed me to excel in any job or venture throughout my life. I just outworked much of the competition.
I had gotten connected with the path to becoming a firefighter and re-enrolled in college to get the classes required to test for a position at the department. Things were looking a bit better. At least now I had some sort of plan.
The Paradigm Shift That Changed It All...
I had been working the FD for a couple of years now, and I still worked part-time at La Paloma. I now was in charge of the entire restaurant at the pool bar and grill.
Up to this point in my life I had the belief that "rich people were assholes" or just bad people. This came from my very blue-collar upbringing and environments I'd experienced up to this point in my life.
Until, one day, there was a country club member at the bar who took an interest in me. Mr. Mendelson. He doesn't know it, but he changed the trajectory of my life forever.
It turned out that he was a self-made millionaire. Guess what his business was? He owned a catering business, and he started out just like me as a line cook.
He said something to me one day. It wasn't even that profound. He simply told me that if he could become a millionaire and create a successful business, then so could I.
For whatever reason, that statement hit me hard, right in the gut.
...and from that moment forward, my life as an entrepreneur began.
From that moment on I've allow the creativity buried deep inside me to blossom and develop into several business ventures.
As you may or may not know, there is no class or college course or degree or manual for starting and operating a business. And, we won't even talk about building it to a level where you can replace yourself and scale and even take it public. Not instruction book for that either.
Nevertheless, I love entrepreneurship and it is one of my greatest passions in my life to this day.
My Passions
Personal & Business Core Values
It has taken me investing well over $100k in personal development courses, books, seminars etc over the past decades to have enough self-awareness to really figure out what my core values are. These are principles that I stand behind and live by every day. You can agree or disagree with them.
...and that's ok.
Some people who read this may resonate with them and some may think I'm a whack job. The latter can fuck off.
But seriously, they're my values. You can have your own.
I put these here in public view, so that you can see what I give a shit about, and if you're deciding on working with me or investing in one of my courses, you can have this up front.
Core Values
1% Better Every Day
Never Give Up
Seek To Understand
Always Represent Excellence
Embrace & Enjoy The Process
My Family
Probably my biggest and most important passion in my life is my immediate family.
Everything I do in fitness, business, or otherwise, revolves around my wife Sharon, and my two kids, Kalyn & Caleb.
Our favorite thing to do together as a family is scuba diving!
#islandlife
Fitness
As I mentioned, I've been working out since 1990, and I still love lifting weights to this day!
Over the years, some of my fitness goals change, but the passion to become the best physical specimen I can be never does.
Falling in line with my core values, I will continue to strive to become the best I can be physically and mentally.
This applies to all areas of fitness, not just asthetics.
Entrepreneurship
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention my passion for entrepreneurship once more.
I love creating things (businesses) that can serve and add value to others while providing my family the lifestyle we truly deserve, not the one the government and society try to sell us.
It is truly a win/win.
The more people we serve, the more resources we receive and the more abundant lifestyle we get to live.
