James Schultz

Christmas Night, 1999

The next twelve hours would completely alter the trajectory of my entire life.

~

Growing up, I was very blessed to live in a household with two parents that showered me and my three sisters with an abundance of love, care, security and safety. Unfortunately, those same parents gave all four of us a genetic code that L.O.V.E.S to store fat, and that same home was also always fully stocked with enough sugary sweets to cater an impromptu three-year old's birthday party at a moment's notice. As a result, I spent most of my youth and young adulthood bouncing between pretty chubby and borderline obese.

Then, right before my freshman year of college, I had what could only be described as a divine appointment, where I discovered competitive, natural bodybuilding, competed in my first show, and completely changed my physique. That was in 2001. I've since stepped on stage over a dozen times now, and I'm currently in hot pursuit of my pro card in some of the most prestigious, natural bodybuilding organizations. My approach to physical fitness, health, and wellness will never be the same, and I've become very well versed in the areas of maximizing training performance and optimizing nutritional strategy.

~

The instant I burst through the doors onto Central Michigan University's campus, I knew I wanted to study finance. Being a numbers guy at heart, I was always drawn to quantitative analysis. But, I didn't want to study pure math (who does that anyway?) So, I needed something numerical in nature that would challenge me and quench my intellectual thirst.

From the moment I saw my first symbol flash across a ticker, I was completely mesmerized by the stock market and all of its inner workings. The excitement that came from watching the valuations of these companies change by millions from one day to the next, or one hour to the next, made my choosing finance a natural fit. Once I made that selection, I never wavered: undergraduate, MBA, and PhD, all in finance. After graduation, I went into academia, where I published my research in market microstructure and institutional trading in peer-reviewed, scholarly journals and taught both undergraduate and graduate classes. I've since gone into industry working as a derivatives trader, show host, and content producer. Along the way, I've sharpened my skills in two specific areas within the vast, limitless space that is finance: active trading and investment analysis.

~

So, what happened on Christmas Night, nearly twenty years ago?

My two best friends and I drove two hours each way in a snowstorm, so that we could gamble all night at a casino where the legal age was only 18. On our way home, my friend fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a tree. I was knocked unconscious, broke my right femur bone, lost the hearing in my ear, and limped away with tinnitus. To this day, I have a titanium rod running through my thigh, my hearing in that ear is gone, and my head still rings.

But, that period of time in my life, teetering on the brink of despair as I had to endure the darkest days I've ever lived, still reigns supreme as the single greatest source of inspiration that this world has given me.

In fact, you know what? Forget fitness or finance.

Do your people need some motivation for their work?

Do they need some inspiration for their lives?

Maybe they just need a good old-fashioned kick in the rear.

Bring me in to tell that story. This incredible experience of overcoming adversity and pulling remarkable triumph out of extraordinary failure will leave the audience with an experience they will not soon forget.