We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful James Ruffner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with James below.

James, appreciate you joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I worked in the field of education for over 6 years. I started out teaching students with autism while I was still in college. Working with those students required a great deal of patience. The patience came from having to attend to different behaviors such as hitting, kicking, biting, spitting, and even running away! Also, it would take weeks, and sometimes months for a student to understand a concept from a lesson. However, it was always so heartwarming and satisfying the day when the student would answer the question correctly and finally understand the lesson. After a couple of years in the field of Special Education, I moved on to General Education where I was a substitute, and then eventually be a 6th-grade teacher. My first year as a 6th grade teacher was the first year students returned to the school for in-person education after the COVID-19 shutdown. The students were heavily affected by the shutdown mentally. Most of them had not interacted with another one of their peers in 2 years! They had very odd behaviors, such as pulling out a Nintendo Switch and playing it in the middle of a lesson. I had to be very patient with them, I knew they did not know any better because that is was they did at home during virtual learning. It was instances like that where I had to remind them how to integrate back into society. There were some days, I did not even follow the curriculum, and I would just talk to them, and go over social/life skills with them. At the end of the year, a lot of them told me that they learned much more in these “off-the-cuff” lessons than in the actual curriculum. Having the chance to teach those students was probably one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me.
The most important lesson that I learned was patience. I utilize this trait when I am training a client and teaching Tae Kwon Do. Everyone learns at their own pace. Patience will give you the biggest prize you want, which is seeing your clients/students succeed.

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

The quote “Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow” is the mantra that best describes my life. I apply this quote whenever I am training someone in the gym, at Tae Kwon Do, or teaching at the elementary school. I want people to become the greatest version of themselves because that is what I strive for myself. Growing up, I always dreamed of having significant goals and achieving them. I knew it would be difficult considering I had many mental and physical obstacles to overcome. As a child, I was diagnosed with a severe learning disability and was told that I probably would not graduate high school. I knew this mental obstacle would be extremely challenging, but if I worked hard and made slow progress, I would eventually overcome it. My physical obstacle was that I was morbidly obese for most of my life, weighing my heaviest at 410 lbs. I did not let that stop me from pursuing physical activity. I still participated in sports such as football in high school and still tried to enjoy the most physically intensive games and activities. People would often harass and make fun of me about my weight continuously, but I tried not to let that stop me from trying to enjoy life.
Eventually, I knew that being that heavy was not acceptable. Not only did I know that I could look better, but I also knew that my health was essential and by living that lifestyle, I could generate many illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease that could lead to an early grave. This was an obstacle that I had to tackle head-on to save my life. After beginning to take Tae Kwon Do classes (which many people thought I would quit because I was “too fat” for it) it was a difficult undertaking, but eventually, I overcame my mental and physical obstacles. Not only did I graduate high school, but I went on to graduate college at Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. I then lost over 210 lbs and achieved peak physical condition. Also, I am a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and won Grand Champion at the Tae Kwon Do Tournament. I wanted to show people that achieving your goals is not impossible, it just takes time and slow progress. I want other people to break their chains of obesity and poor body image as well. I am now a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). I have started my own Personal Training business called “RuffPack Fitness”.
RuffPack Fitness is designed for people from all walks of life who need assistance with their health and wellness. Whether it be seasoned athletes, newcomers to the gym, senior citizens, and people with autism, RuffPack Fitness is here to serve you. The company offers self-defense classes, personal training, group fitness, nutrition guidance, and even life coaching. I designed the company to be unintimidating so that anyone feels comfortable inquiring about services. All I want is to see people enjoy the newfound freedom that I experience every day now that I am unshackled by the chains of obesity.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn that I am not dumb, stupid, or incompetent. Growing up, I was called “lazy” by my teachers because I did not do well in school. The teachers would hear the other student call me dumb when I didn’t understand the material and they wouldn’t do anything about it. It was as if they agreed to what they were vocalizing. It was ingrained in my brain for years that I just thought I was dumb and would not amount to much. It was not until after 8th Grade that I was tested and found out that I had a severe learning disability. Even after knowing this, the damage was already done. Even as an adult when wanted to start RuffPack Fitness, my first instinct was “James, you’re too stupid to own your own business”. I had that in my mind for 2 years, until I looked back at my life and saw how far I had come. I knew an actual dumb persona could not have achieved all the accomplishments I had achieved. I am grateful for going through that experience because it taught me a new lesson, which is to treat people with compassion. With RuffPack Fitness, my goal is to make sure everyone is comfortable and feels respected so that no one ever has to feel what I had to go through.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Once I had lost the weight, I still hated the fact that I had the access skin hanging off of my body. It was extremely noticeable, and I had to still wear layers of clothes so people wouldn’t see. I decided that I was going to get the surgeries required to fix this ailment. During this time, I was still doing Tae Kwon Do. At this time, I was mid-way through my Black Belt and approaching the 2nd Degree Black Belt. The skin removal process was dreadful, they are the worst surgeries I have ever had. Even my family never saw something as dramatic as that process. I still wanted to work to achieve not just my 2nd Degree Black Belt, but to become Grand Champion at the next tournament. Grand Champion is a feat I have always coveted since I started Tae Kwon Do. I had to have 5 skin removal operations, one more drastic than the next. After each operation, one has to have drains attached to them so that the access blood and fluid pump out of the body. I would train at home, with these drains still attached. The minute I had the drains removed, I would go right back to the Dojang to take classes again. I kept this going for so long, fighting the pain as much as I could. Eventually, I would receive my 2nd Degree Black Belt, but there were still more surgeries and the tournament to look forward to. Closer to the tournament, broke 3 bones in my toes while training. I pushed through all of these ailments and as a result, I won 2nd place in board breaking and Grand Champion in sparring.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ruffpackfitness.com
• Instagram: @ruffpackfit

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