Joel Younkins shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Joel, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
That has to be watching my kids grow up and watching them do things that they enjoy. When they’re happy and their hearts are full, my heart feels full. I have three kids, a son Levi who is 7 and two daughters, Lia who is 5 and Launa who is 4. They really enjoy riding dirt bikes, playing soccer at their local recreational league, and watching them play together outside has brought a lot of to my life.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a High Performance Coach, I own and coach at my own private facility and coaching business called Joel Younkins Training LLC. I say this as humbly as possible but I’m in the business of changing lives. People don’t come to me looking to “get fit” they come to me to change the game for themselves. I’m most well known for working with Motocross racers on all levels. I also work with general public in which I call them my Lifestyle Clients. I have a competitive Powerlifting Team. And I work with Team Sport athletes as well.
What’s interesting is that on my come up, my philosophy in how I learned to train people was all about sport performance. The principles and methods I learned in that area, I realize are the same things that help motocross racers and everyday life people feel and move better.
Right now I’m building out my Younkins Moto Performance System. It’s really about taking all of the details and concepts that I’ve used and learned over the last 15 plus years of coaching and crafting it into a real system that can hopefully outlive myself.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
I would have to say my mom and dad. Both of my parents were successful business owners, and I looked up to both of them and I did work for a good number of years for my dads fireplace business.
My dad is now retired and enjoying his hobbies, but when he showed up to work, everyday was a 100% no matter what was going on in the world. There’s only one way to do the job, and that was the right way. You don’t cut corners and you do everything as professionally as possible, he was meticulous on how he worked.
My mom, who is also recently retired herself, I looked up to her a lot because as a hair dresser you work long hours on your feet, but she also still managed to take care of the home too. She could switch from business owner, to hair dresser, and then to mom seamlessly as it appeared growing up. Now looking back, she wore many hats but wore them all very well.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I think no matter what is going on, there’s really not too much we’re in control of. We can control our own actions, and when something out of our circumstance negatively impacts us, it’s really about how we respond to those situations. So by responding in a positive way when things don’t go so well, it builds that muscle up in your head that gives you resilience and “toughness” that so many people are after.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Your reputation. It’s not that I’m worried about what people think about me, but I want my reputation to hold true and that part is on me. I think your name means something, it’s a big reason why I named my business after my own name. That way I couldn’t ever feel like I could hide behind a name. When you put your name on something, it should mean something to you because that’s how the world is going to judge it by.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
Just that I was a world class individual with everything that I cared about. My marriage, my kids, my family, my work. I just want to reach my full potential in the those areas, and I know you never truly arrive so I have just dedicated my own life to continuously improving in doing those things better. So I hope that I can do that well enough that my story reflects that of myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jytraining.com
- Instagram: @joel_younkins_training
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelyounkins/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoelYounkinsTraining
Image Credits
Zachary C. Bako
