Meet Joe Decker

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

Hi Joe , 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 found my purpose through blood, sweat, and rock bottom. Growing up with a strong farm work ethic taught me grit, and the military drilled in discipline, but even that was not enough to keep me from spiraling into drugs and alcohol. I hit my lowest point, lost and broken. Fitness pulled me out, gave me direction, and saved my life. Now it is not just my lifestyle, it is my mission to help others find their strength, rise from their struggles, and discover their true potential.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My wife and I own and operate Gut Check Fitness, an international outdoor fitness and event company. We host in-person classes, corporate team-building events, and military charity flag and trail runs across the nation. One of our most empowering challenges is the 36-hour Ultimate SUCK, held every Labor Day weekend on our family farm in rural Illinois. We also lead online Zoom workouts and provide one-on-one coaching through the TrueCoach platform. Our goal and passion is to inspire, motivate, and empower as many people as possible to push past their limits and discover what they’re truly capable of.

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?

Three qualities, of the top of my head, that I feel played an impactful part of my journey are a strong work ethic, discipline and accountability. I found that the best way to develop/improve on these was to continually practice them. Like many things in life, the more you work at it, generally the better you get.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

I was raised on a farm in central Illinois during the 1980s, my dad was a welder and mom, a janitor. We grew up without much excess but always had enough. Even though I might have been lacking in material things, my parents raised me with manners, with discipline, to work hard, to respect others and to never give up regardless of what life was to throw my way. I still live by their teachings today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gutcheckfitness.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gutcheckfitness/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GutCheckFitness