Hey there, I’m Brian. I’ve been a fanatic about personal development, organizational change, training, and productivity improvement work since 2006.
The About page is pretty brief, so I want to share a little more of the story of who I am, and how Productivity Gladiator came to be.
My background as a Public Speaker and Instructor
I discovered I loved teaching others and seeing their growth during my time as a Salsa Dance Instructor as a member of the Corazon Dancers dance company at Florida State University in 2004. I performed at events all over Florida and taught beginner and intermediate Salsa, Merengue and Bachata lessons. I LOVED it. It was so much fun to see the light “go on” in people’s eyes as they started to understand how the moves came together. I loved seeing my students when they were out dancing, hearing their positive feedback, and seeing how far they had come. It was immensely fulfilling, and from that point on I knew that being an instructor was something I was going to continue!
In 2005, I started in sales and retail management with Ashley Furniture Homestores in South Florida. While working as a General Manager for several of their stores, I helped implement LEAN principles in the stores, which was my first introduction to LEAN Six Sigma in the workplace. I took on additional roles as both a Computer Instructor and Sales Trainer with their new hire orientation and training program. I made some significant improvements to the way I delivered the computer training curriculum and got great feedback from my classes. Also, I saw how sharing that knowledge and instruction with my staff and team members could increase sales, meaning they made more money. Now, being an instructor wasn’t just fun, it meant I was also increasing the bottom line for both employees and the business, and that was powerful!
Fast forward to 2010. I moved to Washington DC and became a Contracting Officer in the federal government. At my agency I joined several Toastmasters clubs to sharpen my skills as a public speaker, and entered their International Speech Contest. This took my public speaking to another level, and I was truly honored to win my Club, Area, and Division contests! I went on to compete in the three-state regional championship over DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Around that same time in 2012, I began my journey as a certified Cycle (indoor cycling) and Bodypump (weight training chreographed to music) Group Fitness Instructor.
I got to see the direct impact of my instruction on the quality of people’s lives, their health and wellness!
I am certified in both Personal Training and Group Exercise Instruction and teach multiple classes per week. I LOVE the impact it’s had on my fitness, my energy level, and even better, the well-being of those in my classes! You have to keep your body and health performing if you want the rest of your life to perform.
From 2014-2015, I was an instructor at my agency for the productivity training course, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Then a year later, in order to continue progressing, I went back to the classroom for more education on my craft and earned an Advanced Facilitation Skills Certificate.
(Note: I love 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I believe it is one of the best books and training courses that explains the concepts and theories behind being more effective, both at work and at home. If you’re interested in a Covey course, I would be happy to connect you with them!)
In 2016 I was also certified at the green and yellow belt levels as a facilitator for LEAN Six Sigma. I’ve thrived eliminating waste and improving processes across the agency, leading efforts of different magnitudes, the biggest of which impacted every employee and contractor (almost 20,000) of the agency.
It’s Not Just About the professional though…
During this time, I was also living my best life and loving it. I was maintaining the highest levels of performance in a very successful career in the federal government, teaching group fitness classes, performing as a drummer with the rockband Fellowcraft, hosting a syndicated weekly FM radio show and podcast I created called DC Music Rocks that had more than 10,000 followers, boating with friends on the weekends, and creating what is now the Wammie music awards for the DC area.
The single most common question I heard from people who know me was, “How do you have time to do all that?!”
My response was always, “You just need to control the way you spend your time. Here, I can show you how.”
My friends and coworkers expressed keen interest in which tools and apps I was using. When I shared the tools, steps to follow, the best settings to change, recommendations on the best apps and third-party services, it had a big and immediate impact upon their productivity. I liked that! I found I loved to dive into the specifics and the practices of what to do right now, going beyond just the concepts and theories.
Based on these conversations, I created several workshops that became the foundation for Productivity Gladiator. These workshops were hands-on and very direct: “Do this…” and “Try this…” I centered my advice on real, meaningful, and immediate actions, instead of theoretical discussion about the problem in general. The workshops led to fascinating revelations from some of the best and brightest people about the value of their time, how best to use it, and what’s really important.
PRODUCTIVITY GLADIATOR WAS BORN.
There’s another reason I’m passionate about this. I am a Type I diabetic, and when I was diagnosed at age 4, I was told that with the complications of diabetes, that life would be harder for me, and I would likely die much sooner than the normal person. 10-20 years sooner.
I do a great job managing my diabetes. It has never stopped me from doing anything I wanted to do in life from scuba diving to skydiving. As I’ve moved through adulthood, my focus has become more about the now. I want to have those amazing life moments and live my best life now, not wait until later, not wait until retirement. Work life balance is a priority for me, and I’ve figured out great ways to maintain and prioritize that balance.
What if you “only had a few good years left?". What would you be doing different? I live my life with that mentality, and absolutely love the life that I live. Creating more time to do the things you enjoy in your life, that’s what I want for you.
Productivity Gladiator is about being more productive, in order to free up your personal time, so you can go out and make more of those amazing memories you’ll remember forever. I want that for you, for me, for everyone. Let’s get started!