Attaboy x Brian

Last month Brian collaborated with Attaboy to show a little about his daily life. Here is the write up and some photos from that day. 

First and foremost, I’m a father. Raising two boys isn’t easy, especially when they’re maniacs. They probably get that from their mother. Family is everything to me. It’s the center of my life and a big part of what drives me everyday. Secondly I’m a business owner. We started Violent Gentlemen in 2011 as a small hockey lifestyle brand, and over time it has grown into something much bigger than we ever imagined. Along the way, I’ve learned a lot of hard lessons. But that’s also where growth comes from. It comes from being uncomfortable. And that can suck in the moment, but on the other side of that discomfort is learning, perspective, and maybe even a little wisdom. We’ve also had some amazing wins and i've also convinced my wife that going to Ducks games is a work event I must attend.

Another huge part of my life is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I’ve trained longer than I haven’t. I am a black belt and I feel like it’s one of my biggest accomplishments. I don't believe I would be where I am today worth out. For me, BJJ became a way to keep pushing myself, it has taught me who I am and allowed me to travel the world with training with world champions. As I got older, I felt the need to give back and started to teach. With that, I like when different parts of my life connect. Maybe that comes from some need for efficiency, but when we had the opportunity to build our own training facility here at Violent Gentlemen, we went for it. It started small, just training with a few friends. Over time, it became something real. A real movement. A real community. A place where people can come train, build friendships, challenge themselves, and help each other grow. As I continue to challenge myself in different areas of life, I’ve also realized how important it is to take better care of my mind and body. Maybe that’s some of the wisdom I mentioned earlier, but I’ve become more interested in optimizing myself so I can keep doing what I do for a long time.

I want to be there for my boys. I want to be there for my wife, my friends, and the people around me. I want to keep pushing them, and I want to keep pushing myself to be the best version of me daily. But I also know I can’t keep relying on caffeine and whatever food happens to be available like I did when I was younger. I need to be smarter. More intentional, even more refined in my approach. I’m Brian Talbert, co-founder of Violent Gentlemen, father, husband, martial artist, and a humble servant of the mats.