 Then |
 Now |
 Somewhere in between at the NYC Marathon |
ABOUT JOEY
In reality, you could say I’ve had two lives.
The first was until the age of thirty – highlighted by the birth of my brother, and meeting the love of my life on the last day of college (which is another story).
My second life began as I approached my thirty-first birthday. It was the year I almost died.
It all started on July 4th, 1998, when I noticed a “twinge” in my stomach. At the time I thought nothing of it. But this little twinge was the beginning of a long and winding road that would lead me to become a speaker – not to mention a better man.
In the days that followed, I suffered from a mysterious illness that went misdiagnosed for over six months – destroying my health and literally leaving me skin and bones. I was afraid I was going to die. The cliff-notes version is that I had something called Crohn’s Disease, a gastrointestinal condition.
Remarkably, it turned out to be one of the greatest gifts of my life. I can say with certainty that I would not be who I am or where I am today without the experience – which means I would not be a speaker or a blogger, and my lovely wife would have to be even more of a saint than she already is in order to put up with me.
These days I’m feeling much better, WITHOUT the medications I was told I’d be on for the rest of my life. After learning that the side effects of the medicine were identical to the symptoms of Crohn’s disease, I decided that I would be free of all medication ASAP. That was in 2002. (Please note: I am not suggesting that people on medication should stop taking it – whether it’s a serious, or not so serious illness or condition.)
Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t just stop taking medication, and everything was OK. As I weaned off (with the help of my doctor), I literally changed everything about my life. I quit my job, started going to acupuncture, meditated daily and began working on me – spiritually, cognitively and emotionally.
I started looking more closely at my future – deciding who I wanted to be and what I wanted to be doing. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was actually learning how to define and set big life goals.
The reason I share this story is not because I want to brag. Far from it. I want you to know that a regular guy like me overcame a life-threatening obstacle. And in the process I learned a great lesson: anything is possible.
I have many more stories to tell (I’ll save those for my speaking engagements), but I would like to share some of my professional accomplishments …
THE FACTS PLAIN AND SIMPLE
In 2007, I created a blog called Daddy Brain, which has literally changed my life. The blog started as a place to connect with other dads — to talk about what was on our minds, in our hearts and what we struggled with as parents and men.
As I found my voice, I began gravitating toward topics that were relevant to all people, not just parents. They include goals, inspiration, motivation, emotions, integrity, manifesting reality and discipline.
The blog quickly took on a life of its own, leading to many opportunities including speaking at conferences, becoming a recurring guest on At Issue with Ben Merens (Wisconsin Public Radio), hosting my own radio show on WORT, and appearing on the ABC news affiliate in Madison, WI. My articles have been published in print (Your Family Magazine), online (The Capitol Times) and in e-mail newsletters (Children’s Service Society of Wisconsin).
Thanks for visiting!
