Louder Now Episode #41: Special Guest: The Comeback Coach Richard Kaufman
Episode #41. New Episodes every Friday.
Today is a special show. A great interview with Richard Kaufman also known as the Comeback Coach. Richard's Bio:
Richard Kaufman originally hails from Belleville, NJ. He proudly served in the United States Army from 1986-1988. Richard had a temporary break in service, he continued to serve in the Army National Guard from 1991-2012 in the following states, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. One of the missions of his unit was to support Operation Enduring Freedom. Richard was medically retired after 23 years of service. During his career, Richard had three Military Occupational Specialties. He served as a 19K (M1 Armor Crewman), 19D (Calvary Scout), and an 11B (Infantryman). As a Mi Crewman, Rich worked as part of a team to operate armored equipment and fire weapons to destroy enemy positions. His role was to operate tanks and amphibious assault vehicles to engage and destroy the enemy. As a Calvary Scout, he would be the lead on platoon reconnaissance and security missions. As an Infantryman, Rich lead infantry teams in military operations, providing tactical and technical guidance to subordinates and professional support to both superiors and subordinates in the accomplishment of their duties. Richard left the military at the rank of Sergeant. In his civilian career, Richard work for 3 decades at GNC (General Nutrition Center). Like most veterans, Rich worked his way up at the company. He has always been passionate about helping people and fitness. He started as a salesperson, assisting customers in recommending products for a variety of health and fitness calls. Through hard work and perseverance, Rich was promoted as General Manager at GNC in Hackensack for several years. Rich was responsible for assisting customers in finding the right supplements for their needs and worked closely with new customers to help them understand the importance of supplements Like many other veterans, Rich is no stranger to some of the struggles that is experienced by veterans that have served. He has had his struggles with substance abuse addiction, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Recently, Rich celebrated 32 years of sobriety. Having come back from drug addiction, alcoholism, and homelessness, he now helps people struggling with depression or any other health fitness or addiction related issues. Recently, he suffered a minor setback with his sight and became partially blind. He did not let that situation slow him down one bit as he dedicated himself to other ventures. In the community, Rich is known as “The Comeback Coach”. Rich is also the author of the book, A Hero's Journey From Darkness to Light. He also is the host of the 8th most listened to veteran podcast online, Success Your Why, Powers Your How. There he interviews a myriad of guest ranging from business leaders, vetrepreneurs, and other prominent figures to talk about their unique journey and struggles. He is pushing the #todayldecide campaign, a campaign focused and assisting people with mental health struggles. Rich is married to his lovely wife, Michele and has 3 kids, Sean 18, Liam 16, and Linda Lee 8. He resides in North Arlington, NJ. Richard thank you for your service to our country and your continued service to others! Show Discussion points: - Early influence of dad leaving. - Mom is sober but struggled to stay sober when Richard was a kid - Got introduced to alcohol at age 12 - Moving on from the past. "Whatever happens to you is your fault." - Richard has read 6,000 books and mostly from his bath tub -Been sober since New Years Eve 1989 - Suffered a traumatic brain injury - At about 24 minutes we talk about Richard's suicidal moment. - Richard's motivation to live was being a new parent and the love he has for his family. - Richard said..Over 4,000 kids ages 8 to 18 suicide attempts a day. If you are a parent you need to listen to this. - Shame is the underlying issue when it comes to mental illness. - If you want to change your life in 30 days:- write down a list of people you have harmed- ask for forgiveness
- write a down of people that have harmed you- ask for forgiveness
- forgive yourself
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