On Friday, September 5th… 75 Hard began.

Working out. Dieting. Reading. No alcohol. A gallon of water. Taking a picture.
Every day. For 75 days straight.

I did my absolute best not to complain—even though, inside my head, I was definitely bitching and moaning about all of it.

It’s not called 75 Easy or 75 Medium. It’s 75 Hard. And damnit, it lives up to the name.

The first lesson I learned… I Can Do Hard Things.

Yes, I know it sounds like the title of a children’s book. In fact, I’m about 95% certain my oldest does have a book on his shelf with that title.

But it’s true. I learned that I can, in fact, do hard things.

And what I realized along the way is that “hard things” come in different forms:

• Physical
• Relationships
• Family
• Work
• Hard conversations
• Mental struggles

One of the books I read during 75 Hard was Never Finished by David Goggins.

Let me tell you—if you look up the word badass in the dictionary, his face is right beside it.

I won’t spoil the book, but his story will have you ready to run through a brick wall. In a podcast, he said he wrote the book to show people how he overcame hardships so they’d feel less alone—and so they’d learn to own their story.

So… here’s mine.

Before starting 75 Hard, I was heading down a path that was not set up for success. Over the past couple of years, I’ve doubted myself as a husband, father, and friend. I looked at the person in the mirror and barely recognized him—not just physically, but the look in his eyes.

After a hard—but necessary—conversation with Leanna, I realized something had to change.

So before the workouts, before the diet, before the program even began… the first Hard Thing I did was admit I needed help.

I started going to therapy.

Every other week, I sit down and spill my guts to my therapist. Only a handful of people knew that—until now. Honestly, typing that sentence was hard. The stereotype around therapy still lingers, even though it shouldn’t.

But this is my story.

After a month or two, my headspace started to clear. But I still didn’t like the person I saw in the mirror. People—probably smarter than me—say you should love yourself no matter what you look like.

Well… I didn’t.

At the end of high school and into my first year of college, I was 150 pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal. Fast-forward to 2022: I was 230 pounds with a body built like a bean bag chair.

By early 2025, I was at 215. I set a New Year’s resolution to lose 20 pounds and hit 185 by the time 75 Hard kicked off. But I knew I had more in the tank. I just had to do the Hard Things to get there.

So I emptied the tank.

But along the way, I got selfish. I put myself and the program ahead of everything and everyone. My mentality was all me, me, me. It wasn’t a good place to be.

I was isolating the people I loved in the name of “self-improvement.” I didn’t feel supported—not because I wasn’t, but because I was too wrapped up in myself to see the support that was right in front of me.

I am incredibly lucky to have an amazing, beautiful, badass wife like Leanna. We had a couple of hard conversations that opened my eyes. I had support. I just needed to prioritize my wants and needs after those of my family.

The finish line was in sight. The countdown had begun. And on Tuesday, November 18th, I completed 75 Hard.

I crossed that line knowing—truly knowing—that I can do Hard Things.

All I have to do is Embrace the Suck…