Nate Pontius

kind of became my focus.

I quit drinking, got my diet under control, and started using CrossFit as just my main focus in life.

I still, to this day, can't really explain why I wanted to compete professionally in it, but

I'm glad that I chose that because at least it gave me a target to start aiming at and getting my life moving in the right direction, quitting booze and eating right, training hard.

And all of those little things just kind of started to seep into every area of my life.

I was no longer this just aimlessly wandering drunk.

I was focused on anything that I wanted.

put my mind to and that carried over into you know having you know multiple side hustles at one time which was a great thing for living in the city you can really really hustle there's a lot of opportunity there why LA well that's well that's funny I mean we've established that where I came from in rural Illinois I had no interest in farming didn't want to go back there and be a farmer I had

I had fostered this appreciation for fitness in the Marine Corps.

I thought I wanted to do something with fitness.

But to be honest with you, I was pretty fresh off of deployment.

The Marine Corps, I don't know about the Army, but the Marine Corps really didn't, at the time, do a good job of transitioning guys out.

It's just kind of like, well, turn in your gear.

Here's your paperwork.

Congratulations, you're a civilian now.

I'm like...

okay, I guess I'm going to go to Los Angeles.

I'd seen Venice Beach and I was homeless for a while, but coming from the infantry, being homeless on Venice Beach is not that bad.

Really, the weather was fantastic.

There's free showers and you just got to find some food.