Here’s what nobody tells you about running a total of 15 plus miles in 90-degree Texas heat: your body starts lying to you around mile three.
Your legs scream that they’re done. Your lungs convince you this is the dumbest idea you’ve ever had. Your brain starts negotiating, “Just walk the rest. Nobody will care.”
But here’s the thing I learned carrying a litter with my team at 2 AM to finish our last runner across that Ragnar Trail Run finish line: the pain you push through today is the down payment on the freedom you want tomorrow.
And right now, a lot of you are stuck at mile three of your career. Your life. Your business. And you’re listening to the wrong voice.
The Run You Didn’t Sign Up For
Let me paint you the picture. October 11, 2024. I show up to Ragnar Relay Race after spending the morning at a Military Career Fair watching our military students shine. The team’s already running. It’s peak Texas sun. The kind of heat that makes you question every life decision that led you to this moment.
7.5 miles. Then a 5-mile run at midnight (that turned into 5.3 because perception gets messed up in the dark). Then a final 3.2 miler at dawn.
Fifteen plus miles total each member. Our team finished 2nd out of 9 in the Military/First Responder category, 54th overall out of 156 teams.
But the stats don’t tell you about the in-between. The burger at midnight between runs. The stories shared while your muscles are screaming. The moment you realize: you get through the pain, and you get to see the reward later on.
That’s not just a running lesson. That’s a life lesson.
The Last Time on the Podium
Same week, I’m wrapping up my last class at Medical Education and Training Campus (METC). Shipboard Pest Management. My final time instructing before I transition out of the Navy.
Twenty one plus years of service. Countless students. Knowledge transferred. Lives impacted.
And I’m choosing to walk away from the guaranteed paycheck, the structure, the safety net.
Why?
Because I refuse to sacrifice my time in a career I’m not happy with anymore. I’ve found my purpose, and the rest will follow.
I chose Sales Platoon for my Skillbridge program. Not some internship where I work for free hoping they’ll hire me. Not some corporate gig where I trade one uniform for another and still answer to “the man.”
Sales. A skill I can use anywhere. On my own terms. My own schedule. My own boss.
Some people thought I was crazy. “You’re so close to retirement, why rock the boat?”
Because the boat isn’t taking me where I need to go anymore.
The Deal That Almost Wasn’t
Mid-week, I’m sitting in a living room looking at a potential RAL (Residential Assisted Living) conversion property. Five bed, three bath. The seller’s a woman who’s been burned by every real estate “investor” who’s walked through her door.
She called them snakes. And honestly? She wasn’t wrong.
She’s sitting across from my investor partner and I, arms crossed, waiting for the pitch. The manipulation. The pressure tactics.
Instead, I just asked her what she needed. What would actually help her situation. No games. No clever scripts.
You know what happened?
Her whole demeanor changed. “It’s nice to talk to some honest men for once.”
We might not get that deal. But I’ll sleep at night knowing I operated with integrity. Always be honest in your dealings, even if you don’t get the deal.
The Patience I’m Still Learning
Sunday morning. Church with my two daughters. Ella wants to lay on the floor again. (Mental note: vacuum that floor.)
My patience gets tested more at church than it ever did running 15 miles in the heat.
The girls are teaching me something I thought I already knew as a Chief: slow and steady consistency wins the race.
You can’t force a toddler to behave. You can’t shortcut the process. You show up. You stay patient. You course correct. You love them through it.
Sound familiar? It should. Because that’s exactly how you build a business. Transition a career. Develop as a leader.
No shortcuts. Just consistency.
Everything Is Figureoutable
Here’s the framework that got me through this week, and honestly, through every major transition in my life:
Make a decision. Course correct as needed later.
You’re paralyzed right now because you’re trying to have all the answers before you take the first step. You want the guaranteed outcome. The risk-free path. The perfect plan.
That doesn’t exist.
I didn’t know if I could finish 15 miles in that heat. I just started running.
I didn’t know if Sales Platoon was the “right” choice. I just knew working for someone else wasn’t aligned with where I’m headed.
I didn’t know if that RAL deal would close. I just showed up honestly and let the chips fall.
Everything is figureoutable. But only if you’re willing to figure it out in motion, not from the couch.
The Translation (This Is Where It Gets Real)
Let me connect the dots for you:
You’re in a career that’s slowly suffocating you. You know you need to make a move, but you’re paralyzed by the “what ifs.”
→ Pick a direction. Start moving. Course correct as you go.
You’re building a business, but you’re tempted to cut corners, play games, manipulate people into saying yes.
→ Be honest. Even if you lose the deal. Your integrity is your long-term competitive advantage.
You’re leading a team, raising kids, managing people, and you’re frustrated they’re not moving fast enough.
→ Slow and steady. Patience isn’t passive. It’s strategic consistency over time.
You’re stuck because you think you need permission. The perfect plan. One more certification.
→ You don’t. Everything is figureoutable. Make the decision. Move.
The Questions You Need to Answer
Here’s what I need you to sit with this week:
What pain are you avoiding right now that’s keeping you from the freedom you actually want?
Be specific. Not “I’m stuck.” Where exactly are you stuck? What decision are you refusing to make?
What would change if you operated with complete honesty, with yourself, your team, your family, your clients?
How many games are you playing that you don’t even realize anymore?
What would you do differently if you truly believed everything is figureoutable?
Would you still be sitting in that job? That relationship? That comfortable but suffocating situation?
Your Next Move
Listen, I get it. You’re reading this thinking, “Easy for you to say, Reden. You’ve got discipline. Structure. I’m not wired like that.”
Wrong.
I’m wired exactly like you. I doubt myself. I get scared. I question if I’m making the right call. The midnight run? My perception was completely messed up. I had to push through my own mental BS just like you do.
The difference isn’t talent. It’s decision-making. It’s showing up even when it’s hard. It’s being honest even when it costs you. It’s patience when you want to force results.
If you’re serious about building the independence you keep talking about: in your career, your business, your life: then you need to stop drifting and start deciding.
Book a Genuine Conversation with me. Not because I have all the answers. But because I’ve run the 15 miles in the heat. I’ve made the scary transition. I’ve chosen honesty over manipulation. And I can help you figure out your next move.
No pitch. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about where you’re stuck and what it actually takes to move forward.
Because the pain you’re avoiding today? It’s not going away. It’s compounding.
And the freedom you want tomorrow? It starts with the decision you make right now.
Everything is figureoutable.
But only if you start figuring.
Reden Dionisio is The Intentionality Coach: a retired Navy Chief, father of two autistic daughters, and founder of Genuines Coaching & Consulting LLC. He helps high-performing leaders escape drift and build intentional legacy through honest conversations and proven frameworks.
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