I want to reiterate the fact that we as people never know what someone else is going through! Always be kind and encourage people to go after their dreams. Individually, we have so much power of influence and we can use it to make the world a better place. So grateful to know each of you. To be building a community of people trying to become better is a lifelong dream of mine and I am stoked to have you all along on the journey with me! Share some love today! ❤️

Shoot me a DM and I’ll tell you why I’m choosing this bench press variation on my journey of achieving a 405 lb bench press at under 200 lbs bodyweight 💪🏼✅

Over 30 years in business, I've picked up a lot of "principles" that sounded good in theory and fell apart in practice. This isn't one of them. It's held up in every role, every team, and every hard conversation I can remember. I wish someone had handed it to me on day one. Presume best intent. A colleague ghosts your email for three days. A teammate cuts you off mid-sentence. Your manager forwards your idea without crediting you. You have a choice: assume the worst, or assume the best. That choice, made dozens of times a week, shapes how well you work with people — and how well they work with you. Why we don't do this naturally Under pressure, we reach for the laziest explanation: they don't respect my time. They think I'm unimportant. They're that kind of person. It feels true because it's simple. But it's rarely the full picture. More often, they're buried in a deadline, didn't realize you weren't finished, or just forgot — not malicious, just human. Why it's the better bet - Most friction comes from pressure, not malice. Overload looks a lot like rudeness from the outside. - Assuming the worst has a cost even when you're right. Guarded, defensive communication damages relationships faster than the rare vindicated suspicion is worth. - It keeps you curious instead of defensive — "Hey, was there a reason you didn't loop me in?" is easy to ask when you're not already at war. - It's reputational capital. People remember who stayed level-headed when things went sideways. What it's not Not a blank check. Repeated behavior is data, not an isolated incident. Give the benefit of the doubt once or twice — then let the pattern speak. Not silence, either. You can believe someone didn't mean the harm *and* still tell them the impact. That conversation goes better when you're not walking in angry. How to practice it 1. Pause before reacting. 2. Name one charitable explanation before you settle on the uncharitable one. 3. Ask before you assume. 4. Notice when your own language turns to motive ("they clearly don't care") — that's the tell you've skipped to judgment.

Today was my 5th time getting to the climbing gym in the last 4 weeks and I can finally feel the progress! Today I crushed a V4 and was able to finish the night off with a greasy 10.d for the first time! A small takeaway from today is not just trying something new or uncomfortably, but being able to do it with people who want you to be better! My buddies that got me into this are very tough on me and it has helped me advance much faster than I would have on my own. As soon as I don’t think I have a good route or my arms are cramping or anything goes crazy, I know I have guys below me that won’t let me fall and won’t let me down until I reach the top! 😂 I’m finding so much joy in being uncomfortable and it is going to be apart of my everyday life for as long as I can!

Today, I want to introduce you to the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report. Every five years, a committee made up of experts in nutrition, public health, and related fields reviews the latest scientific evidence and makes recommendations that help inform the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines help shape nutrition recommendations and many federal nutrition programs across the country. One recommendation from this year's report really caught my attention: beans, peas, and lentils were the only vegetable subgroup for which the Committee pursued an explicit increase in the recommended amount. Think black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, and split peas. The Committee also recommended placing these foods first within the Protein Foods group to put greater emphasis on plant-based sources of protein. Why should we be eating more of them? Beans, peas, and lentils are packed with plant-based protein and important nutrients such as folate, potassium, magnesium, and choline. They are also inexpensive, versatile, and easy to add to foods you may already eat. A few simple ways to add more include: - Tossing chickpeas or black beans into a salad. - Adding beans or lentils to soups, chili, tacos, or grain bowls. - Using hummus as a snack or sandwich spread. - Mixing lentils or beans into ground-meat dishes to stretch the meal while adding more nutrients. - But there is another big reason legumes deserve some attention: fiber. The Committee identified dietary fiber as a nutrient of public health concern because Americans consistently do not consume enough. In fact, only about 6% of Americans ages 1 and older have fiber intakes above the recommended Adequate Intake. So, adding beans, peas, and lentils to your diet is one simple way to help close that fiber gap. Next week, we'll dive into what fiber actually does and why getting enough of it is so important for our health.