How did you get started and choosing to go this route
and making this your career now?
Great question.
So before I was in the US Army, I grew up as a skinny kid.
People didn't know what I was, was bullied, insecure,
I had a really bad stuttering issue.
I was a complete opposite.
And I said, you know what?
I wanna teach people how to do what I did,
but in a professional way,
outside of just fitness and nutrition.
And I knew that I had to face my own fears first.
So I had a fear of heights, I had some other fears,
I faced all that in the army for a decade.
And once I overcame those things really quick,
I was like, wow, I feel like a new person.
I faced all these things, I'm still alive, awesome.
I can do anything now.
So from there, I also like to help people face their fears
with whatever it is.
It's usually public speaking.
It's usually asking for that raise,
going on that first date, first first date in five years
since their divorce.
It's usually those small subtle things.
It's not just, hey, I'm gonna tell her to go skydiving.
It doesn't have to be extreme.
It's usually the subtle things.
But what got me into it was honestly,
working with so many different people as an athlete
in the army, in college,
also as a child, I grew up in Germany.
So just living on military bases,
you're around a plethora of different ethnicities,
genders and all that.
And I just got really good at reading people's patterns.
Cause my lunch table in college and in school
was just like the most random people,
but we all connected.
Like I played sports, but I didn't hang out with the jocks.
I was an RTC,
but I didn't really hang out with the RTC kids.
It was just,
I just had, was around a plethora of different people.
And I just liked people that were passionate
about what they're doing.
So with my experience,
being around different people and their thought process
really helped me to find their patterns.
Cause it honestly all stemmed from that kid
who would drive his parents to all the parties
before he had a license.
And he would just people watch.
And he's like, this is like a reality show.
Cause I just learned so much about psychology
by just watching my own family
and realizing what the patterns were.
And then I took that into careers.
So having the gift of discernment,
cause I truly believe that everybody's trauma
gave them a gift.
And just being that quiet kid,
I could just read the room,
even though I didn't really didn't say much,
but I could just sense everything.
And the older I got, I was like, huh,
I always tend to be the dad of all my friend groups
or in the army or when we're out.
They're like, hey, is Derek here?
All right, we can have fun.
Cause he could read the room.
He's a little crazy, but he knows what's going on.
I'm like, hey, I got you.
Yeah.
So you were the one that corrected people.
Yeah, exactly.
Or like if we'd be out in public, I'd say, hey,
we need to leave.
Cause in 10 minutes that dude in the red shirt,
he's probably gonna do something.
They're like, what are you talking about?
10 minutes later, he starts fighting somebody
at this nice restaurant or at the bar.
And they're like, how'd you, don't ask,
let's just go somewhere else.
We're here to have fun and enjoy ourselves.
But it's interesting.
The people that are usually the father
or the mother of their friend groups or at work,
they usually work through a lot
and they have to grow up quick.
So it's always interesting of why he or she's good
at that thing once you learn their backstory.
Cause too many times people see the final product
or the final version, they're like, oh, it's easy for her.
It's easy for him.
He's an athlete or, oh yeah, you know, you know,
African-Americans, they don't have to train hard.
They're always athletic.
You're gifted and all that stuff.
And then they see a picture of you as a kid or like,
that's you, that was you back then.
You stuttered like crazy.
You had a bad posture.
I'm like, yeah, exactly.