I’m Eric Slivoskey
Hello and welcome to the website.
I so often hear the phrase that “it’s not about me”, and I completely agree with that statement. I also realize that some of you may want to know more about me, so hold on tight. Here it goes!!
My name is Eric Slivoskey and I currently live in a “little house on the prairie” in Ellendale, North Dakota, a small town of 1,852 located on the vast, windswept plains of the Peace Garden state. I’m surrounded by three crop fields as well as a cemetery to the east. I think of it as a sublime setting where I can sometimes hear myself think. There are no traffic lights here, and the closest evidence of civilization… (a Wal-Mart and McDonalds by American standards) are located 40 miles to the south in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
People here are hardworking, innovative, kind, and honest as the day is long. It takes a resilient mindset to survive Dakota winters, and we have endured 9 of them! I say we, because I don’t live alone. My posse includes my British wife Estalita, oldest daughter Kamryn (age 20), son Kodie (age 18), and my youngest daughter Kaylin (age 13). Just thought I’d point out now that I didn’t include my wife’s age. I’m sure she will appreciate that. To be clear, she is older than me…even if only by 4 months! To round out the posse, I mustn’t forget Zeus, (our 150 pound St. Bernard), Kona (our 110 pound Newfoundland), Pumpkin (our 16 year old cat/dog), Callie (our skittish 8 year old Calico cat), and Blayze, our 2 year old Lionhead rabbit.
Words that I would use to describe myself would be unconventional, inspirational, compassionate, kind, adventurous, hard-working, curious, and loyal. Wait, I’m not done. After all, this section is About Me! I’m also sometimes sarcastic, witty, resilient, athletic, open minded, and working intently each day to becoming a great listener.
I was born and raised in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, a town set in the Laurel Highlands of the Keystone state about an hour from Pittsburgh. Growing up in the midst of steel mills, coal mines, and lots of hard-working people helped shape who I’ve become today. Latrobe is small but mighty. It is known as the birthplace of Pro football, the banana split, and Rolling Rock beer. One fun fact is that both Mister Rogers and Arnold Palmer grew up there and attended my high school.
More facts about me include the fact that I love sports, and I’ve spent a considerable time both playing and coaching sports throughout my lifetime. I played college football on scholarship in Missouri and later coached college baseball, both high school and college football, and even coached professional football overseas in both Europe and Asia. In 2007, I was named the Upper Midwest Athletic College Coach of the Year for small college football. That award surprised me, since the team I coached that year actually had a losing record!!
I come from a broken home and faced a lot of challenges as a kid including the death of my father at the hands of a drunk driver, rampant drug use in the family, abuse, divorce, a devastating house fire, and bouts of chronic anxiety. We moved around quite a bit, so it was challenging to attend seven different schools. Oh yeah, I nearly died from a blood disorder when I was seven years old, so that was pretty tough too.
I’ve always valued education, and I earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Frostburg State University, a master’s degree in Physical Education from Ball State University, and a Personal Training Endorsement from San Diego State University. I joined the military in 1990 and I’m proud to call myself a veteran of the United States Army. The military taught me so much about sacrifice and self-discipline. In my 20’s I worked in mental health as a case manager and counselor. In addition, I probably worked more dirty jobs than Mike Rowe over that ten-year period!! When I wasn’t working, I was traveling. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to visit all 50 states, and 51 countries. This includes somewhere between 20-25 cross country trips, and even time spent working and living overseas in Finland and India. I’ve slept on park benches, beaches, hillsides, cars, campers, youth hostels, churches, the couches of friends and family, and lots of other places I can’t even remember. One time I decided to go all Forrest Gump like, and I walked across part of France and most of Spain in 27 days. I think I still feel every one of those 800 kilometers and 1.23 million steps!!
Adulthood has been an adventure, but not always kind. Like others, I’ve experienced some tough disappointments and lost some loved ones along the way. Personally, I survived the fire and blood disorder as a child, but as a 30 something adult, I endured a painful and debilitating virus that mimicked cancer like symptoms. It knocked me down for a year and nearly claimed my life. I also survived a terrible automobile accident with a semi-truck, and came through a malaria like virus while working and coaching in India. A series of life threatening blood clots that I developed from an achilles tendon sports injury in 2008 led to a year on blood thinners, three surgeries to insert clot filters in my inferior vena cava near my heart, and a life time of chronic leg pain from destroying the valves within the vascular network of my legs. There were lots of close calls while traveling around the world, but I will save those for another time.
On the bright side, I’ve remained happily married, stayed busy raising three amazing and healthy kids, and owned/operated businesses that have afforded me 6 figure incomes and lots of personal freedom. One of the best times of my life was in my late 20’s when I worked nights as a Lodge manager in Utah, while staying home during the day to care for my oldest daughter Kamryn. Being a Mr. Mom was really challenging, but pretty cool too!!
For as long as I can recall, I’ve been incredibly curious about human potential and personal growth. I’ve always wanted to know more about people’s stories and what motivates them, what do they engage with creatively, what gives them fulfillment and purpose. I’ve always been curios too as to why some people become over-achievers, while others cling to victimhood. I’ve also always been extremely passionate about lots of things that are seemingly unrelated: history, philosophy, food, travel, spirituality, business, sports, stand-up comedy, writing, dogs, creativity, entrepreneurship, teaching, sports coaching, museums, singing, just to name a few.
I promise I’m about ready to wrap this up. It’s getting to be enough about me, and I’m very excited to get to know more about you. So let’s get to the WOW factors!!
In the past 18-24 months, I have taken my passions, experiences, education, knowledge, skills, and abilities… and decided to blend them together to create a POWERFUL, PURPOSEFUL, and MEANINGFUL life. I’m committed to being a thought leader. I know full well that my assets are NOT my possessions. My assets are the people that I can help and serve and the energy, possibilities, and legacy that will spring from those endeavors.
So what ACTIONS did I take to get rolling in this direction??? I resigned my college professor job at the end of 2019, and I set my sights on finishing my first book, podcasting, blogging, speaking, training, coaching, and developing webinars/online courses… all aimed at inspiring, educating, empowering, and helping others to build and create the lives you were born to live. I’ve gained a certification in holistic coaching and I’m currently finishing up my two years of study for my diploma in Personal Performance Coaching with the Coaching Academy in London, England. The Coaching Academy is the world’s largest coaching skills training provider. I’ve been trained, evaluated, and critiqued by many of the most sought-after coaches and instructors in the world, so I’m extremely excited to serve and share all that I’ve learned.
Check out my “2019 was Stellar” to learn more about some of the things that coaching helped empower me to both change and achieve last year. I will be serving and helping clients in various areas of life including relationships, health/wellness, work/life balance, career transitions, etc… I do intend to highlight Clarity and Resilience Coaching as two of the cornerstones or niches of my practice. These are challenging times, and there are more challenging times ahead. As a sports coach for some 30 years, I learned that having a strong defense and a potent offense can help set you up for a lot of wins. It is the same way in life. Your defense (Resilience) and your offense (Clarity about your what, why/purpose) will help you weather life’s storms, unlock your potential, and help move you forward in a profound way.
QUIZ
how much do you remember about me?
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