Todd Durkin is a Motivational Speaker, Personal Trainer, Best Selling Author and Life Transformer. He has been a trainer to Drew Brees, Ladainian Tomlinson and many other top professional athletes. Todd is also known for being one of the television shows stars of NBC Strong. His goal is to IMPACT and inspire the WORLD to greatness!
In this episode you will get to know the real Todd Durkin. In this show you will hear things that Todd has never discussed. You will hear all that he has overcome to get to where he is today.
THE ILLUSTRATION
One of the first things that I did after starting Journey Fitness was get a mentor. I knew it was important to have someone in my life who was farther down the road than me. I figured this way I could get advice and ask questions.
I chose Todd Durkin to be this mentor and it was under Todd's guidance and encouragement that we grew multiple locations, became a franchise, authored multiple books and became presenters in the fitness industry.
For these reasons and more, it was such an honor to have Todd as a guest on The Overcomers podcast. Todd really opens up in this episode and shares the adversities that made him who he is today.
If you have ever struggled financially, then you will relate to Todd and more importantly you will realize some of the fruit that financial struggles can produce. In this episode, Todd shares what it was like growing up on lunch assistance.
While interviewing Todd we were able to get parenting lessons from his father's practices. His father had a heart attack while Todd was young and after that heart attack he really made the most of his opportunities as a father. It made me think about how I would act if I realized that my time was short. It's like the song by Tim McGraw "Live Like You Were Dying". Such a great challenge to us all.
One of my favorite parts of the interview happened when Todd shared it was an injury and an addiction that ultimately led him to California to meet his most influential mentor, Dub Lee, who gave him the tools he needed to start Fitness Quest 10 and become the massage therapist for the San Diego Chargers. It was a broken road that led Todd on his path to success. The lesson here is ya never know where the road is leading and if you are on a broken road there could still be some good to find.
You might wonder what you would have in common with a famous fitness professional like Todd Durkin and the answer is more than you think. If you have ever had to overcome loss, injury, financial struggles or struggled in business then I am sure there will be some gems in here for you.
I hope today’s show brings you hope, inspiration and wisdom. If you enjoyed it, please make sure you share it with your friends, co-workers, and family on your social media.
MORE ON THE EPISODE
8:43 - 11:43 - Todd shares about his dad having a heart attack when he was just 10 years old and how after the heart attack he "had more of a dad from age 10 to age 20 then most people have in a lifetime."
Such an awesome lesson for parents. What kind of a parent would you be if you truly realized that tomorrow is not promised?
12:15 - 13:53 - Here is a challenge for parents of college kids. Todd's dad wrote him a letter every day until his Junior year when his dad suffered a heart attack. Todd got the call at school and hurried home where he got to see his dad one last time before he died. Those letters became a legacy to Todd. Ya just never know what our children will have left of us to treasure but this much is true. The more we do, the more they will have to treasure. Make the most of the time we have.
14:14 - 16:30 - Have you ever lost someone and questioned your faith. Has your loss ever caused you to lose direction? When Todd lost his dad he struggled with all that and even questioned his return to college but when he reconciled his relationship with God there was a special gift waiting for him in the mailbox. You might call it a letter from heaven.
22:13 - 24:07 - Todd Durkin was an awesome quarterback. He earned himself a scholarship to play in college and he dreamed of playing in the NFL. After college Todd chose to play in the European professional football league still hoping to make it to the NFL. During this time he suffered a back injury that ended his dream to play football in the NFL.
The injury was so severe he could not travel home. He had to stay in France to do his Physical therapy and he became hooked on Vicodin. In this clip Todd talks about feeling alone, lost and depressed.
It was one of the darkest times in his life. His dream since 5 years old was over! It was a 5 year battle to get back on his feet and find direction and purpose again.
25:11 - 27:51 - There are times when adversity becomes your advantage. During the process of overcoming so much adversity to heal his injured back, his sister Patti asked him if he would be willing to help someone else heal their back. It's interesting how our struggles will be used to help others. The person Patti asked Todd to help was none other than Michael King of King Productions who was responsible for producing Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and Oprah Winfrey. It was becoming Michael King's trainer that gave Todd the opportunity to come to California.
28:32 - 31:00 - Cyndy asks Todd how he started his gym Fitness Quest 10. It was after moving to California with Michael King and deciding he was unfulfilled that he decided to go down to San Diego. After working his way through grad school as a trainer and massage therapist, Todd decided to open Fitness Quest 10. Wait til you hear the description of what Fitness Quest 10 looked like when he first started. Hard to believe that this was later considered the number 1 training gym in the country according to Men's Health.
34:25 - 36:26 - We don't always understand the Journey until we look back. It was being injured in France and then rehabbing his back injury that led Todd to Michael King and Michael King led Todd to California where he met his most influential mentor Dub Lee who taught Todd all that he needed to know to become the massage therapist for the San Diego Chargers which allowed Todd to work with elite athletes such as Drew Brees and Ladainian Tomlinson.
ARE YOU A TRAINER OR COACH SEEKING TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Before Travis Barnes became a best-selling author, international presenter, founder and franchisor of Journey Fitness 333 he spent a decade of his life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense. Upon returning home to his wife and daughter he worked hard to grow himself in the fitness industry so he could buy his family a home of their own. 2 months after buying their home Tropical Storm Lee caused it to be flooded to the second floor. Approximately 1 year after the flood while still rebuilding their home and during the Christmas holiday season Travis was let go from his employment as COO for a local fitness company. After he and his wife spent 6 months as traveling trainers and while still living on an unemployment check and in a FEMA trailer, they began what is now a fitness franchise . Most recently and with the rest of the industry Travis has overcome the obstacles of the pandemic by redesigning his business. Travis has used the pandemic as an opportunity to instead of returning to business as normal, he has returned to business as better than normal. Travis is an Overcomer.
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