After finishing KOKORO in 2021, I felt invincible. Those that secured the crucible and I kept chasing that edge with “Weekly Challenges,” punishing workouts designed to break us. By the tenth week, the task was brutal: throw an 80-pound sandbag for two miles with push-ups every 20 throws.

Halfway in, my left side went numb. It felt like a stroke, pins, needles, dead weight, but I refused to quit. I finished, then paid the price. For weeks I could not sleep, walk, or laugh without pain. Doctors said surgery was my only option. I chose otherwise, physical therapy, acupuncture, breath work. Slowly, my strength returned, even as my arm withered. By late 2022, I was whole again, reminded that resilience is not finishing strong. It is rebuilding stronger.