Coach John Winlock Jr. of West Toledo on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Coach John Winlock Jr. and have shared our conversation below.

John, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
Myself. I turned myself around greatly and I am truly proud of myself. I was traveling the wrong direction heavily. I knew I wanted more but my mindset had me going all the wrong ways about it. I had to change everything. When I say everything I mean the way I think, how I seen the world, my values, my beliefs. I had to truly get myself into an alignment with myself in order to start moving in a more rewarding direction for my life.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is John Winlock Jr.. I’m the owner of StayBNU Wellness Coaching, and I’ve been investing in my practice for 8 years at the time of this interview. My brand is about helping people tap into their ability to excel when it comes to their Wellness Goals.

I’ve watched many people lose their self-identity when attempting to figure out how to live a healthier life. My goal has always been to help people find a way to live healthier without giving up the things in life they enjoy.

StayBNU Wellness Coaching provides our clients with a few options to help, like Nutrition Coaching, Stress Management, and Physical Fitness Coaching.

We are currently working to offer these services online so that we can help people as far as we can reach.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I don’t think I’m done serving my purpose. My entire life, I’ve always been interested in taking things apart and building them back up, or fixing broken things in hopes of restoring them to their original state, if not better.

This is me, a builder. It has required every part of me and continues to require every part of my being for me to step out into the world and continue building up people daily.

I think this will be a part of me until I leave Earth.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Perserverance. Suffering taught me grace, mercy, compassion, how to be humble, and appreciative. Suffering taught me not to take life for granted.

I spent time in prison once in my life. My past transgressions in life stuck a label on me, and that label taught me how the world can view a person.

All of the changes and growth I experienced meant nothing. The only thing people and places cared about was that label.

Not being able to find a job and feed my family hits harder than people really think, especially when someone is really trying to make a difference.

So suffering has been a friend and a guide that will always remind me of what life was like during those times. Suffering will always be a road map to how I got to where I am now. I regret a lot, but I’m happy that I had to survive my past in order to be where I am. People appreciate authentic people.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes. I do not walk around putting my personal life on display for the world to taint, but I do not pretend to be someone or something I am not.

I am human. I make mistakes; however, I accept that fact and take accountability for my actions and shortcomings. I don’t blame other people for the bad things that happen in my life, and I always celebrate the success of everyone, even if I disagree with that person’s views and values.

There’s no hater in me. It’s all love, and I try to spread that throughout every environment I step into. My brand name is StayBNU (Stay Being You). The brand was born because I was one of those people who lost my self-identity attempting to fit into places and spaces that I didn’t even belong in.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
That’s how I lost my identity. Seeking praise from irrelevant people. Once I broke free from that mindset and started building myself up, I gave myself pats on the back, high fives, and shouts.

A lot of my best comes from the work I do in the dark. People can’t praise what they can’t see, and by the time I bring the work to the light, I’ve already given myself some love for.

We do not need the approval of other people to be successful. At the end of the night, when I lay down in my bed, those people aren’t thinking about me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/winning_bnme
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/winning_bnme
• Twitter: https://x.com/winning_bnme
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/winningbnme

Image Credits
Kandidly Krystle LLC