Meet Austin.

Austin is a really great guy. He is a wonderful father and husband, an amazing friend and I’m sure an amazing brother/son. He’s just golden, all around. He is active and healthy. He cares deeply about the people in his life.  Take just a minute to get to know him here. You’ll be happy you did.

What is something you hope to instill in your boys as they grow up?
Everyone deserves to be respected. This hope actually comes from one of my biggest fears as a parent, that my kids will be jerks to other people. Some of my biggest regrets in life are from when I was disrespectful to someone else. I’m not sure exactly how to do it, but my future grading of my own parenting will probably be heavily weighted by this.

What is a life lesson you remember learning as a child?
Sometimes learning from other peoples mistakes is much more effective than messing up yourself. I remember one day one of my older brothers came home with his ears pierced. I got to sit by and listened as my parents gave him the ultimatum of keeping the earrings or not. To me, after hearing the consequences that would come from either choice, the decision to ditch the earrings seemed pretty simple. I never had to get earrings to know what would happen if I did, and utilizing that knowledge I very effectively avoided an awkward situation. I still make plenty of mistakes of my own, but if I’m lucky enough to know how something played out for someone else I try to keep it in mind. 前车之鉴.

What are your favorite things?
In no particular order: My wife and boys. Brothers nights. Chantel’s quinoa burgers. The Temple. Deep conversations with friends. Smoothies. Horsin’ around. Mountains. Chinese people. Relaxing. Ute Football.

You’re an active guy, physically fit, in shape, marathoner, what routines would you suggest to someone who came seeking your help?
Any routine that gets you moving. I’m really no expert, and how in shape I am fluctuates year round so don’t consider myself a great example either. That said, the biggest thing that keeps me active is having something to prep for. For me that’s usually been signing up for different races like 5Ks, the St. George Marathon, The Dirty Dash, Tough Mudder, Ragnar. I’ve always done these with family or friends which in itself adds a level of motivation and fun. Unfortunately, I usually start slacking when I don’t have anything coming up so I still have plenty of room for improvement. If someone really wants me to help, though, ask away. We’ll figure something out.

Are you happy and satisfied with where your life is today?
Absolutely. I’m pretty confident there are some amazing things to come though.