Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Riley.
Hi Tim, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I never had a stable environment growing up. My parents divorced around the age of five as a result of my father’s drug use. My dad never got sober and my mom moved us many times to escape bad/abusive relationships or financial problems (she had to file bankruptcy when I was 12). My brother and I endured mental, physical, and sexual abuse for many years…I started getting arrested around 13 and was in and out of juvenile detention and drug/alcohol rehab throughout my all of my teenage years. This may not come as a surprise but I ended up dropping out of high school. For the next seven years, my life consisted of one bad decision to another. I was a full-blown alcoholic. I was working, ironically, as a counselor for troubled youth when I finally hit bottom. I knew everything in my life had to change or nothing would. I reached out for help and went to my first rehab under my own admission. That was six years ago. My life today looks nothing like the life I had growing up. Which, most importantly, means that it looks nothing like that for my daughter as well-she’s a very happy healthy little girl! That hasn’t come easily. There’s been a lot of hard work and sacrifice in order to heal and grow from what I’ve been through. I play active role in my daughter’s life (I split time with her mother and take her to ALL her jiu-jitsu/gymnastics/basketball games of which I’m a proud coach 🙌), I have 3 1/2 years sober, and I’m currently working at my dream job coaching some of the best athletes on the planet (NFL/MLB athletes) at the Kollective in Austin, Texas. All by the grace of God 🙏
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No. Haha. To summarize, my largest hurdles have been: overcoming drug/alcohol addiction, childhood trauma, and being a single father.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m the lead strength and conditioning coach at the Kollective in Austin, Tx. I specialize in working with professional athletes- mostly NFL/MLB pros. I’m most proud that I’ve been able to accomplish my dream of working at the highest level possible. The things that set me apart from others is my life experience and my very untraditional route to where I’m at professionally.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Absolutely. Getting sober was a risk-I didn’t know how to live life any other way. It meant completely abandoning the only life I had ever known and having faith it could/would get better. Also, making the move to Austin was a total leap of faith. I had a thriving personal training business in Houston. Adaline’s mom, Lily, wanted to move to Austin to pursue her dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon. She and I made the co-parenting decision (we weren’t together-and remain separated) That if she was excepted into the neuroscience program at UT, we would collectively make the move here to Austin. Once she got in, I left my business in Houston. The rest is history… I’m living out my dream job!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @timrileytraining
