I grew up in a very small town of about 500 people in New Albin, Iowa. Growing up there wasn’t much to do except for sports, work, and outdoorsy activities (hunting/fishing) as the closest large town was about a 45-minute drive away. Because of this I devoted most of my time to athletics. I played football, baseball, basketball, and ran track in high school. I would describe my hometown as very blue collar. Almost everyone growing up was very hardworking and honest, working mostly in construction and the farming industry. My childhood taught me the importance of hard work and community, as it was such a tight-knit group of people who fight hard for each other and the success of the community.
I attended Winona State University in Minnesota where I studied Exercise Science. While at WSU I was introduced to the world of strength and conditioning. After graduating, I worked as a Strength Coach at multiple Division I universities across the country and spent some time working as a contracted strength and conditioning coach with the 82nd Airborne Division in the US Army.