How did I get here and what the heck is The Fly Rhino? That’s a darn good question and quite frankly I don’t know if we have enough time for the entire story. Better yet I don’t think I can keep your attention for that long. So the long and short of it goes a little something like this…

I spent most of my career chasing the money. I graduated college and landed the gig with the attractive base salary, which was super exciting especially during a weak economic time. For the next ten years, I continued to climb the corporate ladder and chase the lucrative earning potential. I enjoyed my job don’t get me wrong, but my heart was never in it. I would spend my hours on the road day dreaming of the possibilities. I recall numerous conversations with friends discussing the next chapter. There was a lot of talk but never any action to follow and that was frustrating. I knew I was put on this earth to do something big, but didn’t realize it would take a near death experience to figure out it all out.

Fast forward to the the summer of 2013. I was just getting into mountain biking and Xterra triathlons. I felt awesome and was likely in the best shape of my life. I was invincible. I placed second in my first ever Xterra race albeit in the citizen category but was still pretty stoked. At the end of the race, I had a cramp in my calf. I ignored it and figured it was the result of a pretty grueling episode I just put my body through. Well, turns out I was wrong. And for the next three months I was basically digging my own grave. Let’s just say I’m thankful for bossy friends as I finally caved and went to the doctor.

The first doctor misdiagnosed me and dug my grave a little deeper. Three weeks later, I went to see a specialist and they too didn’t know exactly what was going on. After some chin-scratching (and blood work), I was told to go to the ER immediately. After a massage and a call to my best friend, I packed my bag and heading to the hospital. Well, turns out it wasn’t just a calf cramp. I had dozens of sizable blood clots in my lungs that were forming in my pulmonary artery. As the doctor put it, I was a ticking time bomb.

Good news, I made it! I’m alive. But when you have a doctor sit across from you and tell you that you’re lucky to be alive, those words will never leave you. They echo in my head each day. And that brings us to today. Phew, that was a lot. Thanks for sticking with me.

So here is what I took away from that experience. Well, there is a lot but I’ll stick to the big picture. Life is so precious and can change in an instant. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Lucky to be alive and have another shot at this amazing life. Aside from being able to fill my lungs with air and plant my feet on the ground each day, this experience brought me to where I’m at today. It brought me to The Fly Rhino. 

I started The Fly Rhino to inspire those around me to live a more courageous and bold life. To encourage others to step outside what is comfortable and take risks. To dream big. To try something for the first time. I want nothing more than for others to live a wildly passionate life. To stop going through the motions and start living a life that they have always imagined. After all this life is not a dress rehearsal.

We each have a unique and incredible gift to give to this world. A gift that will make this World brighter and more beautiful. I want to see others become the best version of themselves. It’s when we feel most true to ourselves that we can really shine.