Meet Domenick Risola

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Domenick Risola a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Domenick, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.

I have always had the personality of a natural risk-taker, and as a kid and young adult I didn’t understand it; I just went with it. As an adult, however, I have chosen to use it as a tool both personally and in my professional coaching business. I have had to work incredibly hard to control the risk-taker inside me and to refine it to be more calculated and less accidental.

Long story for another day, but as a kid I did not believe I would reach the age of 30. So as you can imagine, my give-a-damn meter was virtually nonexistent, and the fact shown through in many of my thrill-seeking actions. From tree-top bottle rocket wars to car surfing, wasp hunting to snake hunting (with the sole purpose being to get stung/bit), I was always up for a stupid challenge.

Funny thing is, I was and still am fearful of lots of the things that I do. A perfect example is my exceedingly ridiculous fear of heights, but yet I have jumped out of an airplane to skydive. Whenever I get the chance I climb the highest structure around, dangle off an edge or purposely put myself in scary situations so that I must get through it, and every time I am on a mountain or a canyon’s edge, I go as close to the edge as I physically am able (caution signs be damned). From an early age, I decided to not let my fears define me and, well, I suppose I have accomplished that and more…after all, the only way to overcome a fear is by confronting it and doing the thing that scares you the most.

It’s interesting, and yes this question is making me think about the whole picture, that my fears are what made me take risks to begin with. I would paint myself as an adrenaline junkie and certainly do like to go fast and “feel alive.” I have had many close calls and brushes with death and way too many ohhhhh nellie moments! However, I do not do dumb, idiotic things just for the sake of risk…anymore.

Now, my risk-taking is part of my business. Starting my coaching business was a risk in and of itself, but it didn’t stop there. In order to survive as a small business, taking risks has to be second nature. But it has to be CONTROLLED risk-taking. My business has taught me to take calculated risks when it’s time, and to be conservative when it’s time. Of course, sometimes I still get the two confused, just ask my partner, haha!

Two quotes that inspired me from a young age were:
“Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.”- Mark Twain
and
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” -Theodore Roosevelt

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a former middle and high school science teacher with a Masters degree in Education, but going even further back, I started out as a wildlife biologist working for the US Forest Service and the Arizona Game and Fish. At one time I was a wildland firefighter with ambition to be a smokejumper, but the wife put the kibosh on that one. Admittedly, none of these careers, as noble as they may or may not be, were financially sound for a growing family. So my wife became the primary earner in the family, and I became a stay at home dad (S.A.D.) and raised my kids.

I’ve always been a big guy; my nickname in high school was Meatball, both for being Italian and also being “husky”. As a young adult I was named Captain Morgan for my love of rum and the rotundness of my body. I played semi-pro football in my youth, until I blew out my shoulder and had to have surgery. I gained a lot of weight while in recovery and not playing, but continuing to eat and drink as though I was playing.

My tipping point was 285lbs thanks to the rum, beer, and armchair quarterback; I was way too comfortable in my lazyboy recliner, so a Marine buddy of mine challenged me to get off my fat a** and do a triathlon. I decided what the hell, how hard could it be…a couple months later, I raced and ended up winning my division (Clydesdale – for the guys above 220lbs) I got hooked, and started training. I fell in love with the training and ended up losing over a 100lbs. I became quite fit and started winning my age group, masters and some local overall races. I even qualified for and ran Boston Marathon which was quite something considering a few years prior I couldn’t run a mile without stopping and gasping desperately for air.

In 2015, I decided to become an endurance coach and co-founded TriPossibilities Coaching (where ANYthing is possible) with my coaching partner Helen. I am now a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach, IRONMAN Certified Coach, Slowtwitch F.I.ST. Bike Fit Certified, Training Peaks Certified, and a USA Cycling Level III Certified Coach.

I have raced so many epic races in so many varied disciplines and the same for coaching my athletes to epic races, but none of these accomplishments make me prouder than my journey with Joey. Joey is 100% blind, and he is a marathoner and triathlete. I met him in 2019, when he decided that running was fun, but what he really wanted to do next was give triathlon a shot. The day I met Joey, he and I jumped into the gulf, attached at the hip by a 31cm elastic cord, affectionately referred to as “the leash” (there’s a funny story behind the name!). We never looked back.

Together, Joey and I have completed 12 triathlons, 2 marathons, the Dopey Challenge at Disney, and numerous other races races, including the 2021 Ironman 70.3 Augusta, where Joey made the podium! Successfully completing a race together requires precise communication, unwavering alertness, and remarkable teamwork, since he depends on me to navigate him through the course safely. During the swim, we are attached by The Leash. Joey must rely on the tension of the cord to remain the correct distance from me. When we approach a swim buoy that must be navigated around, I tap Joey twice, realign our position, and tap Joey again when the direction has been corrected. During the bike, we ride a big pink tandem bike that brings a new level of fear when we’re descending a hill at 45+mph! During the run, we each hold on to a shorter hand-held version of The Leash and run side by side. As if running isn’t hard enough, I must verbally paint a picture of the road in front of Joey, describing every bump, dip, curb, hill, and debris along the way. We will be racing in the London Marathon this upcoming April, which will be his 4th of of the 6 major world marathons.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

These are such thought provoking questions and I love them. Being an entrepreneur and a small business owner has been quite the journey and boy oh boy have we made mistakes along the way! Neither of us are great business people but we are both fantastic coaches and deeply care for our athletes. I do wish one of us had taken some business or marketing classes before we had started this crazy journey. We’ve had to teach ourselves how to build and maintain a website, evolving with the ever changing social media landscape, design and order gear, build relationships with companies to negotiate discounts for our athletes and maintain our integrity whilst doing so. We’ve also had to navigate the politics in the local triathlon, running, cycling clubs and the other businesses in the area that caters to those athletes.

As far as 3 qualities that have helped me on my journey:
1) Being true to myself is one of the most important qualities I have tried to maintain. Standing up for what I believe in and holding on to my convictions (not tolerating cheating-drafting, taking performance enhancing drugs, cutting courses, etc.), even when it’s not the popular stance is valuable.
2) Being genuine with my athletes/sponsors/partners. People really don’t like a faker and fakers always expose themselves eventually. I don’t know everything and I don’t pretend to think I do. I rely on other experts in my coaching to help the athletes, so that as a team we can help them reach their max potential.
3) Loving what I do! I am energetic and positive about what myself and others are doing. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my athletes crush their goals – whether it’s finishing their first 5k or qualifying for World’s Championship Ironman. I love it!

If you are starting a journey that is taking you out of your comfort zone and into uncharted but exciting territory, my advice is to remember that every NO that you encounter is there to make you work harder for the YES. Keep plugging away at it and if you have passion for it, it will happen. My son calls me Sisyphus (in Greek mythology, he is the big strong guy pushing that gigantic rock up the mountain) and I can’t think of a better word to describe me.
Oh yeah and while you’re at it, maybe take a business or marketing class too 😉

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

TriPossibilities is all about discovering the potential inside of each of us. Just what is possible, when we truly dare to try (tri)? We have found that collaboration can only help to further one’s goals…we can learn SO much from each other! Every time I begin working with a new athlete, my coaching expertise is expanded and I grow as a person. I am interested in connecting with other coaches, athletes, health professionals, and just people in general who view personal growth as a daily requirement.

We are looking for like-minded people who would like to be a part of our community of positive thinkers. If you are an established coach looking to join a group, we would love to connect with you.
If you are an athlete who has considered becoming a coach but just haven’t taken that first step, we would love to talk to you and see if we can help you make that leap. Who knows, maybe you could even join our group as a way of coaching without the hassle of starting a business of your own.
If you are an athlete looking to expand your athletic future and in need of guidance in some way, we would love to talk to you.

In the last 9 years, my partner Dom and I have built a solid foundation through hard work, dedication, and passion for our sport. We are interested in expanding our reach and would love to find some folks to help us do that! Bring your ideas, bring your dreams, and bring your passion.

If you’d like to connect, please reach out on email (tripossibilities@gmail.com), or find us on Facebook and/or Instagram and send us a message.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tripossibilities.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tripossibilities
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TriPossibilities/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXcBntF9LQXxOPmjf9BaF3w

Image Credits

N/A – all personal photos