NEVER TOO LATE

“Life is a series of experiments.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

I loved being a teacher, a coach, and an athletic director. When I first became an educator, I could have never imagined the number of wonderful, thoughtful, and yes—sometimes challenging—people I would get to work with over 32 years in public education.

And yet, as much as I loved that chapter, I’m even more energized by what I get to do now.

Today, I work as a consultant with coaches, athletic administrators, and student-athletes, focusing on leadership and character development. At its core, it’s about building bonds that go far beyond sports. Because at the end of the day, it’s not the scoreboard that matters—it’s the people.

Now, I could have played it safe. I could have stayed in my role as an athletic director a few more years, continued earning a steady income, and lived what many would call a pretty good life. And it is a good life—education provides stability, summers off, holidays, and the chance to work with great people.

I would have enjoyed those years.

But with the support of my better half—and I mean a lot of support—I decided to take a different path.

I left that world to start something new, a business.  Now, just to be clear… I knew next to nothing about starting a business. My wife would confirm that immediately—and probably enthusiastically.  But here’s the thing: taking a leap feels a lot less terrifying when you have someone beside you who believes in you.

Because if I’m being honest, I am not a natural risk-taker. In fact, “safe” could have easily been my middle name.

And yet… we took the step.

And I’ll tell you this—I’m guessing there aren’t a lot of 57-year-olds who walk away from stability and good income in exchange for something less certain and, quite frankly, less profitable.

But I did.

And these past four years? They’ve been incredibly fulfilling.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with high school coaches across the country, and I truly believe our Beyond the Scoreboard program has been a shot in the arm—both personally and professionally. It helps reconnect coaches to the real purpose of what they do: building meaningful relationships with their athletes.

Because while wins create memories, it’s the team dinners, the bus rides, and the shared service projects that shape lives.  That’s what lasts.  And whether a coach is just starting out or nearing the end of their career, they are making a difference far beyond the game. 

Here’s what I’ve learned along the way:

It wasn’t too late for me to start a business.
It wasn’t too late for me to become a reader—something I really embraced about ten years ago.
It wasn’t too late for me to begin journaling and capturing my thoughts.

And I need to thank an old high school friend, Lynette, who encouraged me four years ago to start writing about this new journey. That simple push made a difference.  I have 336 journal entries in those four years.  The ability to reflect periodically has been a learning experience and just plain fun.

And here’s the message I want to leave you with:

It’s not too late for you either.

To try something new.
To take a chance.
To stretch yourself.

Now, let’s be honest—taking risks doesn’t always work out. Sometimes you fail.  But that “failure”? It teaches you. It stretches you. It prepares you for something greater down the road.  In fact, most successful people will tell you—they learned far more from their failures than their successes.  When we take chances, we grow. We evolve. We become a better version of ourselves.

I don’t know if I’m a better person than I was four years ago…

…but I do know I’m a different one.

I’m more relaxed. More fulfilled. I have a broader, more nuanced perspective on life.

But here’s the best part:

In many ways, I feel richer now than I ever have before.

Not financially—but in what truly matters.

Because it is never too late to take the path less traveled.