What is your favorite Quote?
“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime”
What is the most exciting thing you’ve ever done?
I had the opportunity to participate in the live version of “Fear Factor” at Universal Studios at Hollywood during the time period when the show was still being filmed. They had a live version as well at the park which was in front of about 3000 people each show to help market the show. They had the same types of stunts/eating crazy food as the TV show. I auditioned and was eventually chosen to compete where I ended up winning the whole thing! The food challenge was the craziest were I had to eat a blended-up concoction of sheep eyes, fish parts, cow tongue, meal worms, and year-old milk. Needless to say it was nasty.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment was the birth of my daughter Isabella Mae. My wife and I had trouble having kids and Isabella was a miracle for us 😊
Why did you decide to get into your profession (Case Management/RN/Service Provider)?
Long story! But I will shorten it up for you. In college I changed my major 4x and ended up having Recreational Therapy suggested to me from my mom who was looking online for professions that “sounded like me” (AKA being active and helping people). I also suffered a back injury while playing indoor soccer and had to have surgery so this sounded like an amazing idea to use my testimony. I ended up taking some classes in the major and fell in love with it! Once I graduated, I worked in a variety of RT settings including physical rehab, community rec, long term care, and behavioral health. I eventually started SMART CEUs Hub while working fulltime as a therapist and then it became my full-time gig in 2018!
What is your favorite part of working in the Rehabilitation Profession?
I love being able to be creative and use my problem-solving abilities to restore, remediate, and rehabilitate clients.
What is your favorite recreational activity?
My favorite sports are soccer and basketball, but my guilty pleasure is playing games at the arcade 😛
What one thing is on your life’s “bucket list”?
Hmmm… I have so many! One big thing I would love to do is to see the place I was born in Augsburg, Germany (Dad was in the army and was stationed there). I was 2 when I came to the USA so I don’t remember anything, so I would love to go back to actually form some memories there!
How did you get connected with Strive Recreational Therapy and Stella Husch?
Awhile back Stella and I connected when she co-authored a book with me! Now I use her as a reference for other RT business owners who want to start private practices like she did.
Owner of:
SMART CEUs Hub- The largest online NCTRC pre-approved continuing education resource for the field of Recreational Therapy- https://www.smartceushub.com
CEU Cloud- A mobile phone application for managing your CE transcripts. Available on both the Android and Iphone’s app stores.
2 Non-RT businesses
Manager of:
The TR Entrepreneur Connection Facebook Group- https://www.facebook.com/groups/TREntrepreneurConnection
The Rec Therapy Directory- www.rectherapydirectory.com
The SMART Scholar Scholarship at Indiana State University
Author of:
The Entrepreneur Rec Therapist: The Business Education You Missed In School- https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneur-Rec-Therapist-Business-Education/dp/1718096100
Book Description: “This book was created to help Recreational Therapists learn how to start their very own Recreational Therapy (AKA RT) businesses and learn the essential business skills that will help increase awareness of the profession and create more Recreational Therapy job opportunities throughout the United States. If you are just starting out or if you are looking for ways to grow your existing RT business, this book is for you. Almost a dozen Recreational Therapy business owners have contributed to putting this book together and share their insight gained through paving this path. It is my hope that you enjoy reading it and you are able to utilize these tips to meet your business goals. -Nathan Lamaster, CTRS Founder of SMART CEUs Hub, CEU Cloud, and the TR Entrepreneur Connection Facebook Group”
