Why I Coach

After I was shot in the head (full details are in my memoir) I fell into a coma. While unconscious, I dreamed I was in a swimming race. The winner would get to wake up and return to their life. I raced over and over — and failed every time. Eventually, I gave up. It just felt impossible.

Then, a man appeared in my dream.
He said, “If you promise not to give up, I’ll coach you.”

He trained me, pushed me, and believed in me. Race by race, I grew stronger, until one day, I touched the wall at the other end of the pool — and woke up.

I didn’t know it then, but that moment planted a seed: one day, I wanted to help others the way that the coach in my dream helped me. That seed would eventually grow into my gym, Titanium. But first there was a long, dark road ahead of me. Getting shot in the head would turn out to be the easy part.

I was newly paralyzed. Aquatherapy helped me regain enough strength to use a wheelchair, but after being discharged from the hospital, I felt lost, and fell into a deep depression. I turned to alcohol, food, and eventually drugs to numb the pain — my weight climbed to 300+ pounds. After a series of events (more details in my memoir) my decade of addiction ended in me getting arrested for dealing drugs. 

My first night in prison, I was terrified. I couldn’t walk or talk well, let alone defend myself. Three men came into my cell — I thought it was the end. But they weren’t there to hurt me. They were friends of my father, who had once been a mob boss, and they were there to protect me. “We’re gonna get you out of that wheelchair,” they said.

They took me to the prison gym and started training me. Their intensity was unreal. Day by day, I got stronger. Because of those guys who trained me, when I walked out of prison, I did it on my own two feet. After being released, I never used a wheelchair again. Beyond physical independence, the gym gave me a sense of purpose and progression. 

After I got out of prison, I knew personal training was my calling. The gym — and the coaches who believed in me — saved my life. Having just ONE person believe in you can make a world of difference!!

I opened Titanium Health and Fitness to try pay my blessings forward and make that difference in the lives of others. I believe that ANYONE can get stronger if they’re just willing to put in the work — no matter who they are or where they are starting from!