I’ve never been a cheetah.
If anything, I’ve always been more of a grizzly bear, built for power, grit, and short bursts of intensity when it counts.
I was a soldier.
I lived and breathed sport.
Being active was just what I did. It was who I was.
I wasn’t chasing aesthetics. I was chasing strength. Purpose. Capability.
Then, at 47, I was told I needed a triple heart bypass.
I won’t sugarcoat it. It scared the absolute shit out of me.
I sat with it hard. I thought about the things that mattered most.
Would I get to see my son grow up?
Would I be there for the big moments, the small ones, and all the memories in between?
Would I play golf at St Andrews?
Would I grow old with my wife, still laughing at the same jokes?
Would I ever get to watch the Raiders win another premiership? G’mon Sticky sort it out!!!
All those thoughts hit at once.
And what became painfully clear was that none of my past strength mattered if I didn’t take control of what came next.
Your Past Doesn’t Own You
That diagnosis could have crushed me.
For a while, it did. But then I realised:
Just because something happened to me didn’t mean it got to define me.
I couldn’t undo the years that led up to it.
But I could own what I did with the time I still had.
And the truth is, we’ve all got something we’re carrying.
Maybe you’ve fallen off.
Maybe you feel like your best days are behind you.
Maybe you’re ashamed of the way things have gone.
But that’s not the end unless you stop moving.
You’re allowed to rebuild.
You’re allowed to be someone new.
You don’t owe your past anything.
What the Work Looks Like Now
The work is different now.
It’s not chasing max reps or trying to outlift anyone.
It’s about walking instead of sitting still.
Making better choices when they matter most.
Protecting my heart both literally and figuratively.
The work is slower, quieter, but it’s more meaningful than it’s ever been.
Because I’m doing it for the people I love.
For the future I still get to build. And for myself.
Final Thoughts
People will always have an opinion about who you used to be.
Let them, and to put it bluntly fuck them! The people that love you and you love back can have an opinion because it will always come from a position of wanting you to do better.
While they’re stuck back there, you’re building something stronger.
Something deeper. Something real.
Steel Heart isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about being forged in fire and still choosing to move forward.
So ask yourself, what’s next?
Still standing. Still fighting. Still building.
This is Steel Heart.
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