Community Highlights: Meet Aaron Slusher of Achieve Peak Performance

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Slusher. 

Hi Aaron, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
As a former high school athlete, fitness and nutrition was always a priority to me. Once in the Navy, I was tasked with helping my fellow service members achieve their fitness goals. This experience was the first glimpse into my future of coaching and helping people. 

After leaving the Navy, I went on to get my Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in IT. Little did I know, my life would take a dramatic turn and I would never use my IT degree. 

In 2006, I decided to get my Master’s in IT. Later that year, I was struck by two cars and thrown into a guardrail on the side of the road while I was trying to help a disabled car. I had various injuries to overcome and during rehabilitation, I was amazed with the human body and its ability to repair and overcome limitations. This was the defining moment when I realized IT was not my future. 

With my rekindled passion for fitness and nutrition, Achieve Peak Performance was born. As a single father, I knew I was taking a risk financially however, I knew it was a risk worth taking. 

I continued to heal my body from the accident while continuing to educated myself on the human body and its mechanics. I realized the importance of a holistic approach such as breathing, nutrition, sleep, and mobility for the body to reach its peak performance. As my son got older, he became very involved in sports. I then additionally started to focus on sports performance to help my son reach his highest potential. 

A few years later I was presenting at a seminar where I met Renee Loftspring. Renee is on the board of directors for the Cincinnati Ice Breakers sled hockey team and is a founder of The Bridge. She knew I was a Performance Coach and asked if I had ever thought of working with disabled athletes. I told her I was willing to take on a new challenge and was excited to help these athletes. Little did I know, this decision became a pivotal moment in my future. 

While working with adaptive athletes, I became inspired, and I realized there was more I could offer beside performance coaching. I started a non-profit called Achieve Performance Institute focusing on the creation of educational resources for parents, coaches, and schools of adaptive athletes. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I realized my first roadblock as I was driving home from the seminar, “how on earth am I going to do this? I don’t know the first thing about adaptive athletes and their limitations.” I understood the needs of combat and field athletes, but adaptive athletes were new to me. However, I refused to be overwhelmed. I started going through all the information I had gathered over the years and as well as reaching out to fellow coaches for help. That was when I came upon an organization called Adaptive Training Academy (ATA). Their Adaptive and Inclusive Trainer (AIT) certification course was amazing. It helped to bridge the gaps in knowledge and allow me to understand how I could help each client based on their unique limitations. Although I had the education, I was still nervous and worried about causing injury to athletes. 

The second obstacle was when I decided to create my nonprofit. I jumped straight in and thought, “It can’t be that hard. I have started several businesses in the past.” I saw a need to collaborate with other subject matter experts so we could learn from each other. This would allow us to provide better resources for the adaptive athlete community. I came home and told my wife I was going to start a nonprofit. She just grinned at me and said, “I believe in you. Go for it.” She purposely did not tell me how difficult my journey would be. She had experience as the VP on the board of directors for a nonprofit. 

With her blessing and my tenacity, I went to my office and started researching what I needed to do. There is a HUGE difference between a for-profit and a nonprofit. Luckily, I have had some amazing people (especially my wife) help me when I stumble. I have selected the board of directors, created the bylaws, and registered the business however, there is still an enormous number of tasks to accomplish. 

In case you haven’t noticed, I tend to jump first and ask questions later. Smooth sailing is not my MO. However, it’s even more satisfying when I achieve my goal. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Achieve Peak Performance. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The rise of adaptive athletics is changing how the fitness industry and sports communities everywhere operate. With more and more adaptive athletes competing in sports, coaches and fitness instructors are rethinking the way they train in order to create an environment that works for everyone. 

The adaptive program is for individuals with permanent impairments (or severe temporary injuries) that have created limitations that affect the athlete’s work capacity. We empower athletes by adapting able-bodied movements so that the athlete(s) can train within their fitness envelope. This is done by developing a program to improve each individual athlete’s strength, mobility, and conditioning to further develop their sports performance. 

The goal is to not only make them a better athlete but also provide support to help them improve in their everyday activities by improving balance, decreasing fatigue, and pain reduction. 

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Regarding future opportunities: 

Educating families that their children or loved ones do not have to be in therapy for years. Rather there’s community opportunities to improve their functional skills including adapted sports and recreation and adapted strength and conditioning – this cross-training concept is a healthy option. 

Education families that adaptive strength & conditioning is appropriate to begin on conjunction with outpatient PT/OT. 

Educational/training collaborative with high school coaches where adaptive sports are or will be starting. 

Training sessions with high school adaptive athletes through programs setup in collaboration with their local school system (High, junior and middle). 

Strengthening our partnership with local nonprofits such as The Bridge Adaptive Sports & Recreation, Iron Core & The Cincinnati Icebreakers. 

Contact Info:

• Email: aaron@achievepeakperformance.net
• Website: Achieve Peak Performance: https://www.achievepeakperformance.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/achieve_peakperformance/?hl=en
• SoundCloud: The Bridge Adaptive Sports & Recreation: https://www.thebridgeadaptive.org/
• Other: The Cincinnati Icebreakers: http://cincinnatisledhockey.org/