On the Phoenix cop who woke from a coma swinging, and the courage it took to face what was hiding under the anger. Years ago, working for our county hospital, I spent real time at the Arizona Burn Center. That is where I met Jason Schechterle, one of the bravest men I have ever known. […]
The Four P’s On perfectionism, paralysis, and the six months it took me not to make one phone call. Have you ever found yourself stuck? I know I have. For instance, I have not called my kids’ godparents in months. Not because I do not love them. Because I could not make the call perfect […]
Standing On Her Shoulders Larry Fitzgerald goes into the Hall of Fame this weekend. The best of him was never the catches. It was a promise to his mom. For seventeen years, when number 11 went up to get the ball in the desert, an entire stadium roared the same name. Laaaarry. This weekend, Larry […]
The Kid From Safford, AZ On getting dropped, getting up, and why the toughest man in the building thanks his corner first. A few weeks ago, a kid from Safford, Arizona won a world title. Not really a kid, a grown man who has been fighting his whole life. Justin Gaethje. He grew up in […]
The Humble Warrior On ego, a list I never should have made, and the flaming sword that cuts away what needs it most. “It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am.” Muhammad Ali said that with a grin. Kid Rock put it in work boots: “It ain’t talkin’ sh*t if you […]
The *sshole at my Table You can’t pick who sits at your table. You CAN pick what you focus on. On Epictetus, faith over fear, and how a bad table becomes your best client. Twenty-something and broke, I was waiting tables in Old Town Scottsdale, epic margaritas, a wait station the size of a phone […]
GROWTH VS. FIXED Phase 1 was waking up. Now we go in, deeper. Welcome to Phase 2. Why one person stays stuck behind “I can’t,” and another breaks out. It comes down to two words. When I was five, my biological mom left and I went to live with my dad. I showed up at […]
The Mirror Thirty years ago, when I started mountain bike racing, I hired a coach who was a world champion. After the VO2 tests, I asked him one question: aside from the training, is there anything that could help me get ahead? I was confused when he handed me Mind Gym. Thirty years and probably […]
Death and Life The Language You Use. It’s not just your words. It’s the energy you bring. Positive or negative. Up or down. Years ago, working for the hospital, we had a board member, a tough-as-nails, wise woman from a Midwest ranching family. She listened to me for a while. Then she said, “Nate, you’re […]
Man’s Search for Meaning Viktor Frankl survived Auschwitz. What he found there is the clearest reason I know for why some people rise and some don’t. A few years ago I stood on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with a group of 8 burn survivors. Two of them, Isla and Isabella, 11 and 12 years […]
