"What will they say?" This reflection comes from a sermon I heard at church this morning. "What will they say about you when you leave this earth?" I often think about this and how I approach the human experience, from both spectrums. I've hurt people on my journey and still think about the times I shoulda, coulda, woulda done better. What I think about most is how do I counteract some of my early mistakes with good? What would my wife, children, close associates say on the inevitable day when I am no longer there to defend my actions? In my wiser years this is my guiding compass. I can't change the past, but I can learn from it. Not only can I do better, I can coach those who I see are facing similar circumstances by offering them a choice. The choice to make the same mistakes or take the wisdom and do better than I did. This week, a teenage student athlete pulled me aside during class to share his struggles with following his own path versus doing what his father wants. In that moment, I got to offer him my perspective while respecting his father at the same time. It isn't just philosophical, it's practical. With each high five, each time I listen without distraction, each time I message someone close just to let them know I am thinking of them, builds what I hope fills churches one day. "Coach Vern, Vernon, My husband, My daddy, My mentor, My friend was patient, always striving to do better than yesterday. He was a man who wanted to heal hearts and grow minds. He was a man who was relentless in the pursuit of community. His convictions revolved around kindness through the help of others, sometimes to his own detriment. He is and always will be a light and an example of, no matter the circumstances you can become undeniable." Accomplished this week - STORM team met over the weekend - 10 members in our SKOOL Community! Thank You! - Published a LinkedIn article about how parental entitlement impacts our kids. Click here! - Reviewed 6 chapters of the Powerful Parenting Playbook - Trained over at Neutral Ground HQ with some awesome teammates - Represented Utopia Martial Arts at Grafton High School career day - gave teens permission to not have it figured out yet and honored their potential instead of lecturing about my path

"The Planning Paradox" Don't worry it's not Sunday! I'm breaking my own rule tonight. Writing Sunday's reflection on Friday because this weekend, my social media, personal brand work, and Utopia Ops gets the back seat and my family gets 100% of me. We will be busy creating memories, watching Eli's football game, and spending moments to cherish. This week reminded me something important: true planning isn't about rigid schedules. It's about creating enough structure to allow for complete flexibility when it matters most. I spent 30 minutes last Sunday mapping out this week, and most importantly, I planned for this moment - knowing I'd be fully present with my family while still honoring my commitment to you and myself by staying consistent despite circumstances. Case in point: I blocked 30 minutes Monday morning to set up our coaches for success with lesson plans. This planning freed me up to spend an unplanned hour helping a struggling parent work through a personal issue. The structure created space for what mattered most in that moment. Here's what I've discovered: the best plans make room for life to happen. When you take time to plan forward and reflect back, you stop living reactively and start living intentionally. But intention without flexibility is just another prison. Real freedom comes when your planning creates space for spontaneity, for presence, for the unexpected moments that become your most treasured memories. The reflection piece is equally crucial, but it doesn't always happen on schedule. Sometimes it happens watching your son make a tackle, or in a quiet moment with your spouse, or when your daughter asks a question that stops you in your tracks. Those small improvements and insights compound into something undeniable over time - but only if you're present enough to catch them. Accomplished this week: - Completed 90-day Coach V3 roadmap for Q4 2025 - Optimized LinkedIn profile for character development positioning - Finished filming session with Perry - Advanced NLP anchoring techniques study for classroom application - Maintained daily operations excellence at Utopia - Most importantly: Created space for family time without guilt or distraction -