CrossFit Spongers

Bullying, Confidence, and Resilience

Helping this generation thrive in a sea of chaos.

As the summer is winding down and we get closer to the start of a new school year, parents are orienting their mindset on getting back into a new groove: schedules, sports, activities, clubs, etc. The list goes on and on.

But many kids and teens (and some adults) have something else in the back of their mind: fear. Fear can be from external stressors like bullying coming from others, or internal stressors, like negative self-talk (surprisingly enough, we can even bully ourselves). Learning how to overcome these fears is what I’m going to show you. So keep reading, or send this to someone you love.

Don’t be selfish, help as many people as you can.

Maybe it’s the fear of a new school year, fear of a new crowd, fear of being talked about, fear of being seen and judged. This is all in their mindset, and the trick is learning how to orient self-talk, confidence, and resilience to withstand the internal dialog.

Maybe it’s the fear of their own body image, fear of being overweight, fear of being weak, scrawny, skinny and not being strong enough, or fear of not being tough enough. This is all within the sphere of their personal physical control. There are tangible actions they can take, but most kids, and even adults, don’t know how or where to start to fix the problem.

If it is in fact bullying to the level of physical harm that is never, in any circumstance ok, and should be immediately reported to a higher authority to cease immediately. But, what happens if you’re trapped and caught by surprise, and can’t in fact run away? That is exactly when and why you need to learn Self-Defense to neutralize the threat and walk away. Martial Arts is a sensitive topic to debate among gurus, but the goal is to stay alive, as unharmed as possible and get out that situation. This is where Self Defense and MMA become very effective, and a few of our instructors specialize in this area.

Maybe they’re a top-tier performer, but it’s the fear of not being skilled enough in their sport, in their academics, or anything they aspire to accomplish, but can’t quite optimize it or achieve it to the level they desire. They know they have the physical and intellectual tools and abilities to succeed, but they just don’t know how to tap into it. This is the challenge of character development: how to be disciplined enough to optimize that 1% on their path to greatness.

And everyone is on their own unique path.

That’s why you need a leader, a coach, and a mentor. And someone who has the experience and tools to guide you and teach you along your path.

As a 20-year veteran and retired Marine Corps Officer, a former elementary school P.E. teacher, as well as an athlete, a sport medicine trainer, and a fitness coach, I have seen and worked with thousands of young men and women, from kindergartners to octogenarians (old is relative, and feeling old is a mindset). I have succeeded in some of the toughest environments the world and people could throw at me, some of the hardest schools and programs I could sign up for, and achieved some of the most challenging credentials that exist.

But it didn’t start out that way. Growing up, I wasn’t the best, the brightest, the fastest, the strongest, or the smartest. I had to work for it, despite all odds, with only the tools available to me, leveraging the few mentors that believed in me, and quieting the noise of those who didn’t. Ultimately, learning how to keep moving, keep trying, and keep moving forward, toward my goals.

That is a skill in and of itself, and I’m here to help you do that.

I spent 20 years serving my country, and now I want nothing more than to come home and serve my community. I want to help those who need help, guidance, and mentorship to learn how to get up, start moving, keep moving, and how to get back up when they fall down along the way, and keep going until they win.

Now, let’s be honest, as you read this, please keep in mind that I may not be the best fit for you, and that’s okay. But, if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a Marine Officer, it’s that if I can’t personally help solve your problem, I promise that I can learn enough about your situation to find out who can, and guide you to that next level of growth. What I just said may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how insecurity and ego will prevent a coach or mentor from allowing someone to move on by hindering their growth. Mainly because they’re intimidated by the idea that seeing someone grow outside of their sphere of expertise intimidates them.

I want nothing more than to see you grow, and there is no better endeavor in life than for one human being to help another human being be better. I can only help those who want to help themselves. I’d like to think that I could help everyone, but time and reality have shown me otherwise. That’s why I bring to the table three skills to help you as a leader, as a coach, and as a mentor:
That is to be humble, caring, and tenacious in helping you or someone you love in achieving their goals.

Humble, because I know the difference between being confident in my abilities vs being cocky. In the Marines we teach you to constantly “know yourself and seek self improvement.” This gives you confidence in your abilities and the humbleness to know to seek assistance in your less than ideal abilities. Also, don’t confuse someone who holds you accountable and staying firm on their position as being a unhumble a**hole, because they’re telling you something you don’t want to hear, but you know deep down you need to hear it. That directly ties into being caring.
Caring, because I want nothing more than to see you succeed, and be safe and well along the way. Caring for my Marines, accomplishing the mission and bringing them all home were my top priorities. I carry that same feeling of ownership and caring to lead my athletes. If you need something I am here to help you. If you don’t ask for help, I will never know you need it.
Tenacious, because anything you set your sights on, you should go after it 100% with the utmost drive and tenacity for success. Train hard, recover hard, and study hard. Go after your goals like there is no other way. “Burn the ships, there is no turning back, only going forward until you win.” Tenacity is a mindset, it must be built from the ground up. “It’s not the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog that matters most.” Why do you think Marines are so successful? We learn there is no quit, there is no surrender, and we will do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission. If you want to succeed you have to learn how to adopt this mindset.

I can help you with your mindset and fitness goals, your nutrition, your skills work and establishing a sustainable long-term healthy lifestyle for you and those you love. If you’re interested in losing weight, getting stronger, becoming more confident and resilient, learning new skills, or going on new adventures, I can help you. If you dream it, you can do it.

If you’d like to know more about how I can help you and what skills I bring to the table, reach out and schedule a 60-min one-on-one with me. No charge, it’s free, just an opportunity to talk, figure out what it is you need, and how I can best help you. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Call me, and if I don’t pick up, leave a message and I’ll call you back ASAP.
(727) 604-6809

“KEEP MOVING!”

Coach John, Maj/USMC (Ret.)
B.S. Exercise Science from the University of Florida
Certified CrossFit Level 3 Trainer
Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC Ret.)
Infantry and Force Reconnaissance Officer
Military Freefall and Combat Diver Qualified
Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor Qualified
Summer Mountain Leader Qualified
OIF/OEF Combat Veteran

Change your environment, move your body, and change your mood. CrossFit works and we have the results and members to prove it! Come join our community of people oriented toward living healthy, being fit and being better everyday, there is no other community than a CrossFit Community of Coaches and fellow athletes to help you on your journey!

We may not be the best at taking pictures, but at least we all got a great workout in today! 😂

Happy 250th Independence Day America!!! Enjoy your time with friends, family and other fellow Freedom Loving Americans! Take some time today to read the Declaration of Independence! Reflect on what we have, where we came from as an imperfect humanity through the ages, and the sacrifices made to achieve it! First and foremost love your country, be grateful for your country, because there are none like it. Fitness is Freedom. Fitness will give you Life. Fitness will give you Liberty and the independence to live your life freely, and unencumbered. Fitness will give you to the physical and psychological ability to pursue Happiness! Be Unapologetically Patriotic! We have much to be Grateful for! And like our bodies, we are not perfect. There is always more work to be done. But we strive for excellence, sometimes we stumble along the way, but always working towards that City on the Hill!

Schedule Update!
Functional Bodybuilding Class has now been added to Friday 12PM
Great way to slow things down, but still work on your favorite CrossFit movements, build more muscle, fix imbalances and keep getting stronger!

More options. More results. Better you.
Thank you for being a part of the CrossFit Spongers team!
Let’s keep getting stronger together!

To all the Dad’s out there staying strong and setting the example!