{"id":24882,"date":"2025-02-25T17:02:33","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T17:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lewishowes.com\/?page_id=24882"},"modified":"2025-04-21T13:39:33","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T20:39:33","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lewishowes.com\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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My Story<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How an awkward boy from Ohio became a New York Times<\/em> best-selling author\u2026<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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It\u2019s Oct 11, 2001. I\u2019m a senior in college and an All-American athlete. It\u2019s the night before a football game. My Dad\u2019s my biggest fan, my greatest ally and together we\u2019re dreaming of me playing pro football. Life feels great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, I get an unexpected call from my sister:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cLewis, an SUV went over Dad\u2019s car.\u2028The bumper smashed through the window\u2028and split his head open. He\u2019s in a coma.\u2028He might not make it through the night.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in the small town of Delaware, Ohio, I overcame feeling dumb, feeling lonely, and being bullied for being in special needs classes by dedicating myself to becoming the best athlete I could be.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By my side the whole way was my dad supporting me, coaching me, and cheering me on\u2026 he was my best friend and my greatest coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three months after the accident, we get the news that Dad has finally woken up from his coma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My deep relief is quickly replaced by a heart-wrenching realization that everything\u2019s different. He doesn\u2019t care about my football anymore and he barely cares about me. The car accident all but killed my dad and left a shell of a man that just wants to watch TV. No matter how hard we try, there is no bringing back my Dad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI had nowhere to go but my sister\u2019s couch. I was broken, broke, and deeply depressed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I went on to play Arena Football for one season, but a career ending injury shattered my identity.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I had nowhere to go but my sister\u2019s couch. I was broken, broke, and deeply depressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t know who I was without sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would anyone still like me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How would I make money?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will I do for the rest of my life???<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why was I even born?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d never been so lost and afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I remained sleeping on my sister\u2019s couch for a year and half, and then she needed me to contribute some rent..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had no idea what value, if any, I had to offer the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

And then finally I thought of something I could do\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Dad could no longer help me,\u2028I start seeking new mentors;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I begin reaching out to highly accomplished people via LinkedIn, and asking them to tell me the story of their success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These \u201cinterviews\u201d give me new direction, new inspiration and new hope. And they make me realize I\u2019m afraid of so many things. So the first thing I do is make a list of everything I\u2019m afraid of and commit myself to overcoming my fears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it scared me, I go all in on it: Salsa dancing, public speaking, writing a book, Olympic handball and even launching my own business. Not only do\u2028I overcome my fears and get back in the game of life, but I find my passion again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThese ‘interviews' give me new direction, new inspiration and new hope.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cNot only do I overcome my fears and get back in the game of life, but I find my passion again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

At 29, I launched my show,\u2028The School of Greatness, because of two realizations.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, doing those interviews that got me off my sister\u2019s couch made me feel as energized as sports used to. Second, I wanted to share the inspiration they gave me with others. Going all in on a podcast was a risk, but what started as one interview recorded on my iPhone and one listener, is now close to 1,000 episodes and over 100 million downloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doing the podcast is how I discovered what I was born for; when something I do helps someone else overcome their challenges and find their greatness, that\u2019s my new touchdown! That\u2019s what drives me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My dad did that for me. Now I\u2019m using my life to do that for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lewis Howes Bio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

LEWIS HOWES is a New York Times<\/em> Bestselling author of the hit book, The School of Greatness.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

He is a lifestyle entrepreneur, high performance business coach and keynote speaker. A former professional football player and two-sport All-American, he is a current USA Men\u2019s National Handball Team athlete. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He hosts a top 100 iTunes ranked podcast, The School of Greatness, which has over 100 million downloads and 1000 episodes since it launched in 2013. Lewis was recognized by The White House and President Obama as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the country under 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Details Magazine called him one of \u201c5 Internet Guru\u2019s that can Make You Rich.\u201d Lewis is a contributing writer for Entrepreneur and has been featured on Ellen, The Today Show, The New York Times, People, Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Men\u2019s Health, and other major media outlets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Follow Lewis Howes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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