We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adrian Cavada II a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Adrian thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.
When I first began my career journey, I was lost. I did the typical story of graduating from high school and pursuing a college degree immediately after. I had my intention of becoming an engineer. I left my hometown and studied out of state in a whole new environment that I never been exposed to. I studied heavily in the area of physics so I can understand how our actual world operates but, I felt this sense of misalignment. I thought it was because the cirriculum was challenging and I was simply going through the motions of facing adversity. Eventually, I got into engineering specific courses and learned the fundamental principles of engineering and the design process. And again, I still felt this sense of misalignment. I did not feel like myself. I barely even knew myself at that time. Then one day, as a college student working 6 jobs to pay my tuition and my miscellaneous bills, I was teetering towards a dark path. I was abusing substances, purposely putting myself in life or death situations, and simply did not care about the direction of my life. Despite pursuing a college degree and having all the boxes checked for that typical happy life, I was enduring a living hell underneath that mask I presented to the world. I felt lost, felt worthless, felt like no one loved me. I came across the crossroad that changed my life. I had a choice. Do I pursue a career of engineering with a promising financial future or do I realize a hidden passion of health and social work that had been right in front of me my entire life? I chose passion over money. So, I decided to switch my entire career trajectory that I had since I was 7 years old and discontinued my engineering program my third year of college. I chose to pursue a brand new field of health and wellness and the rest is history.
After choosing passion over money, I was in a bit of a pickle. I literally spent a decade with this idea of becoming an engineer and almost completing the program just to start a whole new 4 year cirriculum. Not sure what got into me, but I was able to complete it by my 4th year of college without adding any additional years to my 4 year collegiate journey. More doors began to open for me. I became one of the youngest certified CrossFit coaches in the world at the age of 19. By 20, I was cleaning the floors of a growing CrossFit gym and my passion shined even before I became a coach. Which led to me being hired on to the coaching staff and began my initial steps of living out my passion of helping people with their health. I worked my way up to the top as I became the right hand man to the owner of the CrossFit gym I was at. I was bringing at least 30% more revenue for the business on a monthly basis. And more and more opportunities began opening for me. I began working as a social worker for at risk youth. I facilitated group sessions for kids, worked one on one in the homes of distressed families as a Behavioral Health Technician, managed a full caseload of families in need of help and acted as a beacon of hope for those who struggled with seeing passed their own darkness. And one day, I had this vision of myself creating something that the world was in desperate need of; connection. I was seeing more and more of what the world truly was and how people were unintentionally staying stuck in survival mode. I saw the behavioral patterns, societal patterns, all of it. So, I started my own wellness company called Kokoro Health Coaching Systems and my true life purpose was born.
Fast forward 4 years later, I learned how to connect the dots in my mind and applied the various skills I had developed ever since I was a kid, to be of service to humanity. I learned to be of service to myself so I can be truly present and provide the best of service I possibly can to my clients. I learned to practice what I preach. I learned that people are just like me. They followed a predetermined path which they thought would be the answer to their happiness but, was only limited to wearing the mask of happiness to the world. I delve into my passion fully and went full time in my company. And as I continue to live out my passion, the doors of opportunity continue to be presented to me. I’ve been able to assist in building the foundational health of military personnel, social workers experiencing vicarious trauma, burnt out parents doing their best to be there for their children, other ambitious entrepreneurs seeking harmony in their day to day lives, other men wanting to be the best version of themselves, and probably more to come as I continue on my path. I cannot say life is perfect but I know sure my life is filled with passion and purpose and that’s what gets me out of bed every morning.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Adrian Cavada II and I am passionate about health and wellness. I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. I am an exercise scientist with a specialty in fitness and wellness. I am a certified behavioral health technician as well as personal trainer. I have multiple creative outlets such as poetry, making music, producing podcast episodes, and movement practices. I got into my industry by simply living and leading through passion. I have a deep belief that passion is the key to happiness and I do my best to live it daily. I believe in the power of self-evolution and I share it with the world the best way I can by being me.
I provide multiple types of services with the intention being to meet the client where they are at in their health journey. I host weekly men’s groups, mind & body fitness classes, community hiking events, manage a self-help podcast, wellness uplifting sessions that I call “U-sessions” for short, and a full holistic transformative experience with the intention to help clients go from a self-limiting to a self-empowering lifestyle.
I specifically help clients who see themselves as leaders whether be in their own respective industry, leaders of a house hold, leaders of a team, or leaders for themselves. I assist in creating a harmonic balance in respects to the mind, body, and spirit through an individualized holistic experience. My main goal for all my clients is to give them the experience that they both want and need for their health journey.
I am most proud of the range of skills/experiences I have to offer. I intentionally tap into all components of health as well as atypical methods to create desired results with my clients. I use a collaborative approach to do this as I ensure the voices of my clients are heard throughout the entire experience so they can take more control of how they are living their lives and how they want to live their life intentionally. People who work with me learn real life skills that they can apply in their daily lives. My services are not limited to the confines of a brick and mortar gym, nor a 3 month online transformation program because the work done with me is aimed towards creating ideal health for the individual oppose to giving everyone a cookie cutter way of doing things.
I am here to serve fully from my heart.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
In a heartbeat, I would choose the same exact path. I know from my personal experience that the path I chose truly brought change not only into my life but my loved ones. I believe that I was placed on this earth for a reason and that reason is to make connections to help humanity live a healthier life.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
I think that self-care is the most helpful tool that anyone should utilize whether they are in my field or any other one. I believe that the more we focus and take care of ourselves the more efficient and effective we are in helping others do the same as well as being able to receive more. A solid self-care routine helps me stay in alignment with my life vision, passion, and purpose so when things get bumpy, I can remain grounded and continue living out my legacy. And the more I am in alignment, the more likely I see positive growth within my company and industry.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Acavada947
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/2yqqAYJYD0UEhmF0wnDmzj?si=WTM1YIByRAKPSHvDBdBz9g
Image Credits
Artdesigndrive Mandeebeth Collective Co.