I Was Born Into Pressure. I Chose Purpose.

I didn't have a perfect start.

Growing up in a single-parent home with three siblings, I was surrounded by the chaos of poverty, pain, and things I didn't ask for but couldn't avoid. Abuse. Crime. The kind of stress that aged me too fast.

But I made a decision early on: This wouldn't be my whole story.

Basketball gave me more than just a game. It gave me a family. A way out. A way up.

It taught me how to lead under pressure even when nobody had a clue what I was carrying off the court.

From Burned Out Coach to Boundaried Leader

The journey took me from collegiate athlete... to coach... to that overachiever who wore burnout like some badge of honor.

Then I crashed. Hard. Emotionally. Physically. Spiritually. I was so busy leading everyone else that I forgot about myself.

That crash became my turning point. I decided to build something bigger, something that would protect the next generation of leaders from the stuff that nearly broke me.

So I became a certified Mental Performance Coach. Got my Master's in Psychology. Built Youth Talk United to mentor young people who reminded me of myself. And I launched Coach Perry Speaks to teach what I wish someone had taught me: real emotional intelligence, real leadership, and real resilience without buying into that hustle culture lie.