Welcome to the Brilliance Brief. Every week, we break down leadership, mindset, and personal growth into something real and doable. Expect research-backed insights, a little storytelling, and practical ideas that actually fit into your life (even the messy parts).

Thirteen years ago, I stood in line at a neighborhood carnival with my son.

He was 8. We were waiting for the ferris wheel.

I weighed 320 pounds.

When we sat down, the attendant tried to latch the safety bar over me.

It wouldn’t fasten.

We got up and walked away. I was so embarrassed.

I don’t remember what I said to him as we drove home. But I’ll never forget the silence in the car.

Some people would carry a moment like that as a scar.

I carried it as a starting gun.

Within 12 months, I’d lost over 100 pounds. Started walking. Then running. Ran a 5K. Then a half marathon.

My son and I have done a lot of things together since then.

But people rarely talk about what comes next.

Last year, my youngest was born.

Nine months of broken sleep. A business I’m building from scratch. Trying to be present for my family and my clients while running on fumes.

I stopped being there for myself.

Some of the weight came back. Not all 100 lbs but enough to feel it in my energy, my focus, my patience.

And I recognized the signal. One I’d seen before.

So I started moving again, and eating more mindfully.

I’m sharing this because the story people want to hear is the clean one. Lost the weight. Changed my life. The end.

The real story is messier. It’s a cycle.

And the most important part of that cycle is the speed of the reset.

They reset fast.

They look at what happened clearly. Then they decide what to do about it.

They treat setbacks as weather, not climate.

The speed of the reset matters more than talent or discipline.

It’s how quickly they move from “this happened” to doing something about it.

1. Name it without becoming it.

“I’ve gained weight” is a fact. “I’m the kind of person who can’t keep it off” is a story.

The fact is temporary. The story becomes permanent when you start to believe it.

Separate what happened from who you are.

2. Move before you feel ready.

I didn’t wait until I had the perfect plan. I started walking again. Making different choices. That’s it.

You act your way into a new version of yourself. Planning feels productive, but it’s often just a dressed-up version of waiting.

3. Use your evidence.

Every past reset is proof you can do this again.

Think about a time you bounced back from something you thought would take you down. A job loss. A breakup. A health scare. A failure that felt final.

You’re still here. That’s your evidence.

Think about the area of your life where you’ve been stuck the longest.

Health. A relationship. Your career. A goal you keep pushing off.

Ask yourself: am I treating this as weather or climate?

If you’ve been carrying it like it’s permanent, challenge that today.

One small action this week. One step toward the reset.

You’ve done harder things. Your own track record proves it.

Talk soon,
Justin

P.S. Are you a sunrise or a sunset person?

Hit “reply,” I’m curious.

We get some of the best sunsets of the year here in Arizona right now. We can’t enjoy them outside because it’s so damn hot but they’re beautiful to look at from the air conditioned car or house.