On that episode, Brian gave a great explanation of why he started his companies: 99.99999999% of all my failures were due to self-sabotage of one form or another, and this training teaches us how to get out of our own way to accomplish our values-aligned goals. In many ways, Unleashed at Grit360 are my attempts at solving the same problem.

6:09 – Brian explains where the idea for Unleashed at Stadium Bowl came from and how the proceeds from the race are to support their animal rescue, Kindred Souls Foundation. He talks about how they were always looking for fundraising ideas outside the traditional fundraising model. In 2007 a friend suggested he run the stairs at the stadium. In 2011, one day after running the stairs, he remembers looking out at the sound where the idea come to him to race the stairs to help raise funds for their foundation.

10:28 – Brian talks about the length of the race, ¾ of a mile, 814 stairs up, and 814 stairs down. He explains that at the beginning, they line everyone up at the uprights away from the water, leaving in 5 – 10 second intervals, with groups of five at a time. He then talks about the iconic scene at Stadium High School, what drives people to participate, and the inspirational support the participants have for each other.

20:16 – Brian dives into the growing number of participants, starting at 120 members in the first race, they have grown to 471 participants and he expresses his want to hit 500. He also explains their community partnership where businesses that get 10 people to sign up for the race, are then treated like a sponsor, a benefit that helps get all of the public involved. He also expresses the overall objective of Kindred Souls foundation, which is to raise enough funds to expand to a no kill sanctuary.

30:14 – Brian discusses his career in the army until 97 and while enlisted, he did his undergrad and grad study. He left the army 97 but stayed in the guard part time. In 2002 he moved to an active duty position in the guard and served from 2002 – 2015. He then dives into his current position working for a tech company that does foreign language training and explains the new business him and his friend just started, Grit360 where they train mental skills and resilience to help learn who they are and perform at their best.

Thank you to Brian for joining the guys and giving them an insight on Unleashed at Stadium!

Special Guest: Brian Nelson.

Sponsored By:

• The Union Club: The Union Club is a coworking space contributing to Tacoma's growing artistic and entrepreneurial communities. It combines a maker studio, event hall, and office coworking space, in a 15,000 square foot historic building in downtown Tacoma, Washington.

Support The Grit City Podcast

Links:

• Kindred Souls Foundation
• Unleashed | Race the Stairs