The Human Systems Engineer™

It was the Fall of 2016, I stood in the lobby of my apartment in Irvine, California. As my coffee was brewing, Kristin looked at me and my TBP outfit and guessed correctly. “I should probably hire a trainer.” She smirked, pocking her tummy. People say this a lot to me. Most times, they’re not serious, so I took a wif of my freshly brewed coffee and smiled. Kristen then casually mentioned that her house burned down in the recent round of fires. I was shocked, not by the fire, but by her...

Hey Reader, I made a really tough call this week. I decided not to compete in my upcoming triathlon on April 29th. For a guy who has spent 22 years as a personal trainer and finished the Boston Marathon, pulling out of a race stings. But I realized two things. One, I'm just not fast enough right now. If I can't race to win, I'm not going to force it. But more importantly... my training was starting to compete with my family time. I was putting on my cycling cleats getting set for a brutal...

Hey Reader, Last week, Courtney and I took Jagger to Disneyland for his second birthday. It was Spring Break, which meant it was incredibly hot and shoulder-to-shoulder crowded. We brought Mama Sofia with us, and it was her first time going in over 35 years! At one point, we were on the shaky ropes course in California Adventure. My mom was scared. And for the first time in my life, she grabbed my hand and held on tight. It was beautiful. I even bribed her to get on the Incredicoaster later....

Hey Reader, What if I told you that your racing thoughts aren't a symptom of your stress, but the actual cause of it? I know that sounds backward. But hear me out... For the past six years, since COVID rocked our world, I've gone deep into the science of stress. I leaned on my degrees in Engineering and Behavioral Economics, read over 50 books, and analyzed 22 years of my own case studies as a personal trainer. All roads led to one massive discovery. Your anxiety is a mechanical breakdown....

Today's Jagger's second birthday! So we sat on the floor together with a brand new set of Legos. The box said the toy was for ages three and up. I decided if I stayed present and watched him closely, he'd be safe. I ripped the plastic bag open and watched a hundred tiny parts spill onto the carpet. I could feel the scratchy rug digging into my bare knees and the sharp, rigid edges of the plastic blocks under my hands. Jagger quickly grabbed a few red pieces and built a strange little robot....

My client hit a system failure this morning... It wasn't the kids or the wife waking him up. It was a "Thought Train" moving so fast he couldn't jump off. He was lying perfectly still, but his heart was racing like he was in a sprint. He was sweating. He felt like a prisoner in his own bed. Paralyzed by a work problem he couldn't solve from under a heavy duvet. When your brain's red-lining like this, you've lost the controls. You're watching the plane dive, but you can't reach the stick. This...

I’ve finished seven Ironman triathlons and the Boston Marathon. I’m a data guy with degrees in Engineering and Economics, so I’m usually the one obsessed with the numbers. I thought my breathing was an A-plus at 12 breaths per minute. I was wrong.... It’s actually a C-grade. Rats. Most of us are walking around failing at the one thing we do 20,000 times a day without even realizing it. Last Friday, while I was riding my bike around Back Bay, I hit a pivotal moment. I shifted to the "optimal...

Hey Reader, Have you ever been in the middle of a "big moment" and suddenly felt like the walls were closing in? That was me during the swim at the OC Tri. I couldn't breathe. I felt like crying right there in my goggles. I realized right then that I wasn't going to "win" that day. It was an anxiety attack I didn't see coming. It’s that same suffocating feeling a lot of moms get when they realize April is here. Summer is coming, and you feel like you've spent the last three months just trying...

Last weekend in Oceanside, something life-changing happened that reminded me why I’ve spent 22 years in this field. My client Victor watched his son, Andy, and nephew, Dominic, crossed the 70.3 Ironman finish line. There were tears, there were huge family embraces, and there was a level of pride you just can’t buy. This moment didn't happen by accident. It started years ago when Victor decided to tackle his own fear of the open water. Andy watched from the sidelines, year after year, as his...