Today we’d like to introduce you to Ed Latimore.
Ed, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When people ask me what I do for a living, my somewhat joking answer is “I get to be myself.” I say this because I’ve managed to take the lessons from my life experiences and present them in such a way that people get tremendous value and learn from them.
The official motto of my website, www.edlatimore.com, is “I take what I’ve learned the way and I break it down so that you can learn it the easy way.” On my website, I write about the lessons I’ve learned from growing up in public housing projects, being a professional boxer (13-1-1), overcoming alcoholism (I’ve been sober since Dec. 23, 2013), graduating from college at age 33 (B.A. Physics), and ultimately going into business for myself, both in-person and online.
While I’ve always enjoyed writing and teaching, my 20’s were a mess. At age 25, I was more likely to end up in prison because of my relationship with alcohol and my behavior under its influence than be someone who’s written a book about getting sober that helps people quit drinking. But one morning, after I woke up at a friend’s house with no memory of how I got there, I decided that I had to get sober.
This improved every area of my life. Naturally, I had to write about it. I was performing better in school, in the boxing ring, making more money, and growing my blog and social media presence. I use my website and social media to connect with people around the world who want to learn how to change their lives and improve themselves, no matter where they are in life.
People are able to read my content and see that it’s almost never too late and you’re almost never too far gone. I’d like to think my life is a great example of what happens when you decide that enough is enough and you do the hard work of self-improvement.
It doesn’t matter where or when you start. All that matters is that when you do start, you don’t stop.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The idea that success is linear is an illusion. There are times where it’s you take three steps backward for every one step forward, you sit at a plateau for months, or you just outright fail. My challenges have been no different.
For starters, I almost never got started on the journey. I had a big problem with alcohol and I had to overcome that before I could do anything. I needed to be proud of myself and in control of my life if I wanted to be someone who people took seriously.
Once I sobered up and began the work of improving myself, I was making up for lost time. To do this, I did many things simultaneously that normally require a tremendously singular investment. There was a two year period where I was:
– Boxing professionally
– Serving in Pennsylvania National Guard
– Taking 17 credits of 300/400 level physics & math classes
– Doing an internship
– Writing and growing my blog
I managed to do all of that, but I can’t help but wonder how much further I could have gone in any one area if it was the only thing I did. However, I managed to stay sober and focused and put out great material to teach my audience that was eager to learn along with and from me.
When I lost my first fight on international television by devastating knockout, this was also a big challenge. Even on television, there’s not a lot of money in boxing, but it’s money that I survived on. I lost my contract so I lost that money and I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay the rent. That forced me into figuring out how to make money online and lead me to pour a lot of energy into creating more content.
Learning how to effectively build an audience on the internet and make money from it in an ethical way that aligns with my purpose was always a challenge. However, as long as I’m patient, things tend to go well and I make it through to the other side in better shape than when I left.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I have two business models: I teach skills and I help people improve their lives.
I’ve been able to build my website and presence on Twitter by understanding how to write well and capture attention. I teach those writing skills, along with personal branding and social media marketing through a variety of programs, classes, and group consultations.
I’ve also written a lot about dealing with sobriety, addiction, forgiveness, and general life improvement. If a person comes to me with any of those troubles, I’m more concerned with making a difference than making a dollar. I have a rate, but if you really need help and you’re willing to listen, I always work with anyone I can who needs help.
For the first business model, people pay big. They pay because I’m good at what I do and I really put the energy into helping someone grow in the areas where I have expertise. For the second model, money is not really the object. I can’t give my time away for free, but I’m generous.
The prices of my books on Amazon versus my courses, programs, and mentorship reflects this difference. I not only show people what’s possible by being a living example of what I write about, but I also teach them. I not only write about what dealing with alcoholism, poverty, and self-discipline is like. I teach people how to take back control over their lives, both mentally and emotionally.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career was completing and self-publishing my book “Sober Letters To My Drunken Self”. I feel like this project, more than any other I’ve done to this point, helps people feel confident in their decision to stop drinking and get more control over their lives.
Unfortunately, we live in a society where a person is not often greeted with support if they don’t want to drink alcohol. The old joke is that alcohol is the only drug where people think you have a problem if you don’t do it. I feel like my book helps people who navigate the social and emotional changes they may experience when they get sober.
I share every recommendation or review I get because I’m proud of that book and what it contributes to the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.edlatimore.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edlatimore/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdLatimoreBoxer/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/EdLatimore
- Other: https://soberletters.com/
Image Credit:
Shawn Eisler, Hongching Cheung
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