When the Gym Isn't Enough

9/15/25 – From the kitchen table in Mentor, OH

I’m writing this from my parents’ kitchen table. Kallie and I are back home in Ohio, fresh off our baby shower this past Saturday.

It’s hard to put into words what it meant.

The love in that room—some of it loud, most of it quiet—was overwhelming. From the hugs, the prayers, the hand-written notes. From those who showed up and those who couldn’t. I’ve said it before: this kid is never going to be hurting for love.

The weather has matched the moment. Sunny and warm by day. Crisp in the mornings. It’s been hard to think about leaving but maybe I’ll save that story for another time.

Today, I want to tell you about Forged Fitness.

Let’s start here

No—I’m not stepping away from Land Stream Capital or the ambassador role with GoBundance Emerge. Both are growing. Both matter to me.

But I’ve been intentional in making sure neither consumes me. That space has given me room to breathe—and to build something I’ve needed for a long time.

Returning to what called me

Over the last few years, I’ve made more pivots than I can count. Trying things. Leaving things. Learning through all of it.

And strangely enough, all those pivots brought me back to where I started: personal development and fitness.

My first business—IDEAL Coaching—was all about leadership and self-growth. My second—For Your Future Fitness—was online training. At the time, I didn’t think either was right for me. 

Now I see them differently.

It wasn’t that they weren’t right. I just wasn’t ready and because of that, I didn’t take the right approach.

Forged is where it all comes together.

What Forged is

Fitness.
Connection.
Community.
Personal development.

That’s the foundation. Because in my hardest seasons—when I felt hollow, numb, completely untethered—the gym was the one place I could count on.

Not because it healed me. But because it gave me a break from the pain.

Let’s be real for a second

When you’re fighting a silent battle—depression, anxiety, aimlessness—there are moments where you don’t want to talk to anyone, but you also can’t sit still.

For me, the gym became my escape. Not in a bad way. But let’s be honest: it’s a distraction. A good one, but still a distraction.

In there, it’s just the barbell. The reps. The fight. No time to feel broken.

But when I walked out, the ache came back.

And I knew—if I wanted to become the man I was meant to be, it couldn’t just be sets and reps.

So I started reading. Listening. Learning.
Books by Jocko Willink.
Podcasts by Ed Mylett.
Videos from Ryan Holiday.

I began to take ownership of my pain. I stopped blaming. I stopped pretending.

But doing that work in a vacuum? It was brutal.

Discipline cracks when you’re alone

For a while, I powered through with discipline alone. But I don’t care how tough you are, unless you’re David Goggins—eventually, you get tired.

And when discipline is all you have? It cracks.

I kept hearing about values. Vision. Purpose. Everyone made it sound simple.

But finding those things? For me, it felt like trying to grab fog.

I kept reading, listening, watching, consuming. Hours and hours invested. But I still couldn’t see clearly. I had no one to process with. No one to walk with me.

And that’s when everything changed.

The conversation that cut through

It was early 2022. I was lost.
Not just stuck—lost.

I’d started real estate investing and got connected with Jamie Gruber (huge shoutout to Mike for tagging him on my post). I thought we were going to talk about deals.

But Jamie heard something in my voice.

He said, “I can teach you real estate—but what I think you need is a community.”

He told me about GoBundance. Honestly? I thought it was a scam. But I was desperate enough to look.

What I found wasn’t perfect. But it was real.

Men who knew who they were. Who talked about values and actually lived them. Who were chasing purpose—but weren’t afraid to admit they hadn’t found it yet.

It was the mirror I needed.
The permission I needed.
The brotherhood I didn’t know I was missing.

Why I’m building Forged

That’s what Forged Fitness is.

It’s everything that helped me survive—and start to thrive—pulled together in one place.

For men who are tired of walking alone.

For men who don’t need another app, another dopamine hit, another motivational quote—but need a space to be real, get strong, and grow with others.

It starts virtually:

• Three intentional workouts a week
  

• Clear intent-setting before each workout
  

• Warm-up, quick & effective workout, cool-down with reflection and stillness
  

• Quarterly themes + weekly journaling prompts
  

• Accountability partners
  

• Bi-weekly group calls to go deep
  

Eventually, it will be a physical space. A gym, yes—but more than that.

A place for men to become the kind of men their families need.

The kind of men they were built to be.

This is the thing I needed. Still need.
That’s why I’m building it.
And I believe it’s going to matter.

Because it’s not about me, it’s for me. 

Oh—and those lessons I learned from the early business attempts? I’ll break those down next week.

Hold me to it.

As always, thanks for reading,
Kyle

Song of the Week

“Rescue Me” – OneRepublic

This one hit different this week. The chorus has that ache in it—the kind you feel when you’ve been strong for too long. When you’ve carried the weight quietly and finally wonder… is anyone coming for me?

I’ve been there. Still visit sometimes.

Forged isn’t about pretending we don’t need rescue. It’s about building the strength—and the brotherhood—to stop waiting and start reaching.