My past causes me to subjectively associate people who possess a magnitude of tattoos with those who have served in the military.
Sometimes that is the case, but—due to my current geographical location—it often isn’t. We do not have a military installation or large military presence near us; consequently, we don’t encounter GIs very often. We had been in the gym together for months, and he had a ton of tattoos which intrigued me. But, I didn’t introduce myself to people at that point in my life because I wasn’t compelled to achieve a deeper connection like I am now.
Time passed and the opportunity for introductions had escaped. Joe had been dating, Brittany, for a while, and she had been instructing at Next Level Extreme Fitness in Cedar Falls. They had announced their marriage and moved to Jesup, Iowa, to continue their life together. It seemed as though the friendship between, Joe Wilson, and myself had peaked at Facebook acquaintances.
I was in a period of rediscovery when I read Joe’s post.
He had been speaking about his addiction to methamphetamine and maintaining his sobriety. At the time, I didn’t know a thing about his life story. But, his willingness to share some of his struggles, and the vulnerability, really struck me as honorable. So when I started the podcast, I reached out to him to assess his interest in guesting on an episode.
We had dinner together at Urban Pie in downtown Cedar Falls near his office at Vine Valley.
On our “first date” I was so nervous I didn’t eat a thing. I was anxious because I didn’t have a previous relationship with Joe. I don’t want to hurt or disrespect anyone based on my ignorance of their story or circumstances. I just didn’t know much about what he had gone through. Thankfully, the first thing Joe said was, he was “nervous as hell and almost canceled”. We could relate, and relate we did.
I knew the quality of Joe’s character on that very first “date”. We had chatted and he asked me about my dreams for the podcast. I told him I wanted to be the next, Joe Rogan, and we chuckled. Then, I got serious because with Joe listening intently I was really encouraged to speak. I explained the hardships of funding and growing a podcast with a tiny budget….before I could explain about the show gaining sponsorships, Joe whipped out his wallet and offered to help me with my dream. I told him I just needed his help with his story and the rest is history! Whether it’s a gym session or time in the sauna, we now spend time together almost weekly.
Thank you, Joe, for your strength in sharing some of your stories, and I’m grateful to have your friendship. Hopefully, you can take this story and find a new friendship somewhere in your life.
After our interview, I gave Joe a handful of stickers.
He is doing exactly what I needed him to do, spreading the word while enjoying the ride! Joe recently visited Puerto Rico with his wife and has been sharing the podcast on vacation.
