Meet Aaron Lohman

We were lucky to catch up with Aaron Lohman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaron, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I thought I found my purpose several times throughout my life. I went to college for film which I thought was my purpose, it wasn’t and it caused me to bounce around to several colleges trying different things but eventually landing me back home, unmotivated, uninspired with a low paying manual labor job and no degree.
Then I became a police officer which I thought was my purpose. I was a successful police officer who worked in active units in the NYPD like anti crime and the gang division. Then in 2014 I became miserable, burned out, and depressed. I gained weight and weighed over 425 pounds. After an incident happened at work that had me questioning my purpose and identity I became suicidal. That’s when I decided that I didn’t want to die, I just wanted to get better.
I slowly started working on my mental and physical health. I lost over 170 pounds and found my true purpose. Helping others work on their mental and physical health to become the best versions of themselves. That is what I have been doing ever since. I developed programs, wrote books, finished college and now have a full time role as the resilience and fitness coordinator for the NYPD. My purpose is helping everyone, not only cops, find their true purpose and get healthy inside and out.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am currently the NYPD’s resilience and physical health coordinator for the Health and Wellness Section where I help police officers and civilian members of the department get better inside and out. I am the NYPD’s resilience instructor where I teach tactics on how to improve your life in a stressful environment.
In addition I am also a public speaker where I travel to departments to teach other members these tactics as well. I am also an author who has written a book entitled “Starting Over” which is a guide on how to fix your mental and physical health. The book is also a healthy cook book which is available on Amazon.
In addition to that book I also have developed several journals for both adults and children. These journals help people practice gratitude and resilience to enhance their lives. The children’s journal is called “My Happy Place” which focuses on gratitude and drawing. The journals for adults are entitled “Grateful AF” and “The Journal for People that Hate Journaling.
I also own two companies. The first is called Comfort Kills which is an apparel company dedicated to motivational and inspirational clothing. It also highlights my published works, public speaking, coaching and other products people can use to help themselves get better.
My second company is called Diesel’s Kitchen. It is a company that creates useful products for people trying to get healthy. It also highlights local food and small businesses on the same mission.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three qualities and skills that were impactful were:
1 – Resilience, and this is why I am so passionate about this topic and teach it. Learning to control what you can and not give up has been my major driving factor.
2- Allowing Discomfort. This is why my company is named Comfort Kills. None of what I do now was comfortable. Each step of my forward progress scared me, made me want to give up, and want to run away. Being able to remind myself that seeking discomfort is the only way you grow is what has kept me going.
3- Relatability. Too many people that get involved in the self help or fitness space forget that the people they are trying to help, aren’t them. You have to meet people where they are with compassion and walk the journey together.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

I chose this one, not because of a positive reason. The question was about impact. My father and mother got divorced when I was 7 and never really took responsibility for my brother and I. He eventually didn’t see us for years. My mother married a man who abused us. Now, while this sounds terrible and at the time I wished for an easy life, it also caused me to develop the skills that I talked about previously. I had to learn to be an adult very early. I needed to learn how to protect myself, care for myself and develop skills to help me survive emotionally. It also impacted me in a way to where I saw how I would never be as a parent and strive to be the best father I can be every day of my life. My kids are my world.

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