It Must Be Nice

“For all the times when I was down, well now I’m on my way. For everybody that was doubting, well not I’m on my way. For the ones who ain’t believing, well now I’m on my way. For the ones who question everything, well now I’m on my way.” -@rowlan

It must be nice was a common phrase I used and that I hear all the time. I said this until I stopped making excuses for the lack within my life, took my life into my control, and held myself accountable for the reality in which I lived in on a daily basis.

People don’t just have things pop into their reality out of thin air. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. I’ve seen success manifest in my BMX career when I put in the work that followed a belief that it was possible. I’ve learned many things from BMX and one was that anything you set your mind to, believe wholeheartedly in, and take action towards without giving up is possible.

It’s only a dream until it happens to you.The difference between those who make dreams their reality and those who say “it must be nice” is taking action, an underlying belief it’s possible, and pushing through when times get tough.

I’ve been there when times were tough many times over my lifetime. Sometimes I gave up and other times I pushed through. Either way, it’s all just a learning opportunity. I call it collecting data.

Shit happens and you can either fall victim to the times you fell or you can be a survivor and push through with the new information at hand.

I choose to push through, no matter how terrible a time may be, and find a way to make my dreams a reality-because, why not?

I know I’ll be better for it coming out and that greatness is on the other side of any hardship in life.

Are you a victim or a survivor?

-Josh P.

Guild Mortgage Leadership Summit

What an honor to coach the EVP of the county’s top private mortgage company, Guild Mortgage, and his fellow staff and family leading to their annual leadership summit in San Diego, CA. The successes and experiences they have shared with me from us working together is priceless. It’s what I am most passionate about in life and being able to combine my childhood dream of being a pro bmx athlete is even better.

This was one special event for me to be able to perform in front of my family along with the top 700+ earners within Guild Mortgage, especially after coaching Barry (EVP, on the left in this photo) and the others leading up to the event. Greg Woodruff (pictured on the right) was an amazing production manager with Gary Musick Productions and put on an event that topped what I had imagined. Oh, and Greg is enrolled in my Be The Change YOU Want To See health coaching program now too as well as a good friend and collaborative partner of mine.

Barry, Greg, and the whole attendance have such amazing personalities and welcomed Jackie and myself with loving open arms full of support for what we believe in and how to help us all succeed in health and happiness. I am grateful for moments like these and for Jill Transki of All Wheel Sports to have me apart of the performance, which led to an amazing opportunity to share my passion for brian health and optimization. 🙌🏼💚❤️💯

📸 @jciake

-JoshP.

Brainy BMX – Providing Support & Inspiration

I believe in providing everyone with support in times of need. Even the strongest walks of life can’t do everything on their own.

From brain tumor patients to brain injury and disorder patients, I am raising funds for direct patient funding/care. Not research or awareness, although I believe those have their place. But funding for the people that need the help now and can’t wait for a scientific intervention and are already plenty aware of what’s going on. They need help with home expenses, treatment options and funding, healthy food, lifestyle choices that they can implement, and just someone to resonate with and not feel alone.

Being in the shoes of brain tumor and brian injury patients, I know this all too well. I’m grateful to be alive and thriving even with 4 brain tumors. I’ve combined my passion for bmx, nutrition, fitness, mindset practices, and supporting those to live as healthy and happy as possible into a touring live event around the world with the mission to inspire change and raise support for those in their biggest time of need.

Click this Link to learn more and see how you can help my mission along with The Athlete Recovery Fund. 💚✌️

-Josh P.

Stay Hydrated

I used to drink copious amounts of soda when I was a teenager-early twenties because it was cheap and I was addicted to sugar.

Nowadays, I value my brain and performance on and off the bike so much more that I prioritize my health by staying hydrated.

Did you know quality salt helps you stay hydrated? Not the white table salt that’s heated, treated with chemicals, and stripped of all important minerals that contribute to hydration. I use Redman’s Real Salt

I add a pinch or two to my water during riding/training and in my protein shakes afterwards. I also add some throughout the day on all my food. Tastes better and helps the body in so many ways beyond simple hydration. 💚✌️

-Josh P.

Depression or Deep Rest?

People are scared to talk about depression for fear of being judged. As someone who has gone through it and gained a new perspective on what depression is compared to sadness, I found that most confuse the two.
 The difference between sadness and depression is…sadness is from “happens stance,” as in whatever happened or didn’t happen to you. This could be loss, circumstance, grief, or whatever it is. Depression is your body saying “fuck you, I don’t want to be this character anymore. I don’t want to hold up this avatar you’ve created in the world.”
Depression is your body and mind going into deep rest. Your body feels it needs to be depressed. It needs deep rest from the character you’ve been trying to play. Depression comes about when there is an imbalance and/or resistance with your inner true self and the version of you you’re trying to hold up to societal standards and what you think “they” want you to do, say, or become.
As you know, I am a huge advocate for nutrition and exercise. It is not only for physical well being, but also your mental health. When we make positive choices within the three pinnacles of health (nutrition, exercise & mindset) they play a fundamental role in the health of our mitochondria. The mitochondria are the “powerhouses” of our cells that create the energy our body, and most importantly our brain, uses to function called ATP. When the three pinnacles are weakened or out of balance, they compromise the strength of our mitochondria resulting in less energy production which creates anxiety, depression, fatigue and overall dis-ease. 
Once I began taking my fitness and nutrition seriously and I let go of what I thought “they” wanted me to do, say, and/or become, and just did what I felt deep down inside to be true to my loving inner voice, the depression, anxiety, fear, and worry all stripped away little by little the more I stayed true to myself and followed my gut and my heart.
I’ll say this again and again, do what you love and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Take care of your body. You know best and so does your gut. 💚✌️

-Josh P.

Fear or Love? 

 “You will only ever have two choices: love or fear. Choose love and don’t ever let fear turn you against your playful heart” – Jim Carrey
Far too often do I hear people give me all kinds of excuses as to why they are unhappy, suffering, and/or didn’t/don’t follow their dreams or passions in life. Bottom line, it’s because of fear. Fear of failure or failure again, fear of the unknown, fear of what others may say or think, fear of even succeeding and what that’ll do to their life, and so on. I’ve been there, many times. 
Any successful person has. The difference? Gratitude, love, and a choice to not let fear dictate your life. I encourage you all to figure out what it is you love to do most, WHY that is so, and how to make that a regular habit in your life while ditching the excuses. Life’s way more pleasant that way. 💚✌️
This Video trailer is from the original vlog I made at the beginning of this year “JP Weeklies”. Here is the link to the full episode 

-Josh P 

Pain Pills Almost Killed Me

I’m alive because of my BMX bike. The pain pills doctors kept feeding me almost killed me. A crash, leading to an MRI, saved my life and revealed a brain tumor taking up almost half my brain. I was then rushed to Duke for surgery to remove the meningioma brain tumor. My neurosurgeon said I had kept taking, or avoiding pain pills because they make me sick, rather than treating the underlying cause (brain tumor), I would not have woken up one day.

It’s crazy how it literally took a crash for them to scan my brain and see I wasn’t making shit up. They kept saying “no, you don’t need a scan. Headaches are just something people live with and it’s very common.I am going to prescribe you pain pills.” Then society acts like there is this huge opioid epidemic. True, but it’s created from doctors hiding behind their ego rather than helping patients. Goes without saying but not all doctors. Voicing this concern has led me to doctors that believe what I believe and truly care to take the extra step to help their patients.

Pain pills are never the cure. 💚✌️

 

-Josh P.

Brainy BMX Stunt Shows

 

To donate, click here! 

All donations are tax deductible through the Athlete Recovery Fund’s 501©3 non-profit organization.

For more information, click here!

For those of you who have no idea who I am, I am a Pro BMX athlete who moved away from home on Cape Cod, MA at 17 years old to train with pro’s like Dave Mirra in Greenville, NC. About two years later I rode X-Games for the first time after winning my first pro contest.

Less than a year later I fell and hit my head, and an MRI revealed a large brain tumor that was taking up a major portion of my brain. I didn’t know where to turn, but Athlete Recovery Fund stepped up to the plate and provided the financial assistance and direction that ultimately saved my life! Despite all odds, I recovered to become 10th overall in the 2016 UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup standings, not even a year out of ACL reconstructive surgery.

It is estimated that about 700,000 people are currently living with a primary brain or central nervous system tumor diagnosis in the US alone. Nearly 79,000 new cases of primary brain tumors are expected to be diagnosed this year, almost 5,000 being adolescents (0-19) years old and 17,000 people will lose their battle with a primary malignant and central nervous system brain tumor. An estimated 1.7 million people sustain a TBI annually, 52,000 die, 275,000 are hospitalized, and 1.365 million, nearly 80%, are treated and released from an emergency department.

Along the way, I’ve become very passionate about holistic health and nutrition and enrolled myself in a nutrition program to earn a certification as a Holistic Health coach on a path to better my health, life, and others in the world. I want to combine all of my passions into one live BMX event that will directly and financially help brain tumor and brain injury patients around the world. Being a brain tumor and brain injury patient myself, I know the mental, physical and financial toll it takes on you. I want to use my experiences and abilities to lessen that for others as much as I can.

I come from a family with no money, and I have been supporting myself since I was 17 by living my dream from riding my bike. I do whatever I can to give back now, and these global events will allow me to give back even more and on a much greater scale than what I can currently do on my own.
I want to create a global touring BMX event that will positively impact the lives of people around the world. To do this, I need funding. The problem is, I don’t have that kind of funding. So, how can I make this happen? Then I thought, wait a minute. “Josh, you’re a man of the people. Let’s start a fundraising campaign!”

The goal of this fundraising campaign is to raise funds to start and operate for a whole year so that way all the events we book, the merchandise we sell, and donations we acquire hereafter will be used to donate percentages of the proceeds to direct financial patient care. We are more than a BMX stunt show, we are a BMX stunt show offering free clinics for people to try BMX out after the show, live music performances, professional athletic trainers on site to provide demonstration therapies and techniques, and are backed by some of the biggest health facility, organizations, and corporations in the world.

I truthfully think the only thing standing in the way of me getting from point A to point B, is proper funding. Point B being inspiring, educating, entertaining, and supporting people around the world. I want to create and cultivate something large enough so that I no longer need financial support to operate events, and the organization is overbooked and giving 100’s of thousands of dollars away each year to directly support patients and get them the care they need.
This project is so important and means the world to me. If you guys help us out, I know I can inspire hope to those in need and completely change the lives of many around the world.
I can do this, but I can’t do it without you. Together, we can have an amazing time and leave a positive impact on our world.

Thank you for your time. I appreciate each and every one of you. See you soon!  -Josh Perry
You can help Josh achieve his dream of giving back and support his cause to bring awareness and assistance to those who suffer from tumors, cancers, and injuries of the brain by donating today!

To donate, visit:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=UpU_fiVAde7IUHgcUSIE_sgNvG9NHzeCUd_0iFzwGuwLQGC2qHMNdJdkX46q4kOT5SlKMW&country.x=US&locale.x=US

All donations are tax deductible through the Athlete Recovery Fund’s 501©3 non-profit organization.

For more information, visit:
https://www.athleterecoveryfund.org/josh-perry

For inquiries about large ($1,000 or more) sponsorship opportunities, contact: Josh@joshperryBMX.com

Music:
“Born Hustler” by Rowlan.
“Mental Illness” By Iguana Drama

 

Start Up & Operating Costs for Year 1

  • Truck + wrap: $60,000
  • Ramps: $25,000
  • Trailer + Wrap: $7,500
  • PA System: $2,500
  • Merchandise (T’s, Posters, Stickers, Educational Zine, Bracelet’s): $5,000
  • Team/Brand Manager (Josh Perry): $50,000
    • PR, Social Media, Event Planning, Ramp Design, Scheduling, Sponsor Consulting, Branding, Team Managing, Rider (of course) & Speaker, etc.
  • Riders (3, excluding Josh P.) – $36,000
  • MC (1) – $6,000
  • Athletic Trainer (1) – $9,000
  • Music Artist – $6,000
  • Athletic Training Supplies: Donated by hospitals or $2,000 for year 1
  • 6 Bikes for clinics
  • 3 Small/Medium helmets & 3 Large/XL Helmets for clinics

-Josh P.

My Life Almost Ended 7 Years ago

Hello, everyone! My name is Josh Perry and I’m a professional BMX athlete, a multiple brain tumor survivor who lives with 4 brain tumors, and a Certified Holistic Health Coach. I love what I do. I love to learn about food and its role in our health and quality of life. I also love helping to inspire others to take control of their diet and lifestyle choices to lead a healthy and happy life.

I originally wrote a version of this while on a C-130 in Iraq in March of 2011. I envisioned this being an article for Ride BMX magazine but it never made it that way. While flying with a crew of riders and skaters to Baghdad, for our next performance for the troops, reality kicked in and I was inspired to at least write what came to mind and how I felt. I have severely altered this post over the last few years but it still holds truth to the initial spark of inspiration.

So, here it goes….

Ever since I first saw x games on television, all I wanted to do was ride BMX bikes. All throughout childhood I was always asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. My answer was always a professional BMX bike rider. I had been on a bike ever since I can remember. My mom says I was about 3 or 4. She tells stories of me coming down the driveway hill on a plastic tricycle and jumping off last minute into the grass yelling, “BAIL!!!”.

I had always found ways to jump things with my old bike that was not intended for tricks. A sheet of plywood on a cinder block, some dirt on a log I managed to dig up, or other obstacles I could find around the neighborhood. I slowly ventured to the skateparks with my bike and discovered reliable obstacles (ramps) to ride on. This was a game changer.

For Christmas one year, my dad bought me my first BMX bike. It was a Haro “Backtrail” which was a Ryan Nyquist (the rider I saw on TV that inspired me to ride) pro model bike. From then on I was hooked.

Once I got into high school I stopped playing school sports and pursued BMX to the fullest. I was always missing school for contests in other states or on road trips with my older friends. I even worked out a deal with my gym teacher, which happened to be my last class of the day, to skip his class to leave school early and go ride. He gave me an A as long as I provided him with a riding video to show I was really being active and following my dream.

Growing up in middle school and high school I did pretty well with my grades. But, teachers put me down for my immense interest in BMX.  I was always told, “you’re never going to succeed at bike riding and need to study and get a real job”. In retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have had my book lined with BMX magazines or, had been drawing ramp set-ups in my notebooks instead of taking notes. Funny thing is, I did succeed and I have seen more of the world than most of them can say they have. I don’t mean this to sound cocky or disrespectful but if it weren’t for that bike of mine, I wouldn’t have been to countries like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India, Spain, France, etc. I not only got to walk on the land of countries we learned about in school, I got paid to ride my bike in those countries and had experiences that can’t be taught.

I got to see the places we all learn about in school and actually got to touch the ground of those places. I got to experience the culture and learn way more than being in a classroom looking at it in a book or, listening to a teacher describe a place they may or may not have been to. I have seriously had my view on life, and what we take for granted on a daily basis (like clean running water), turned around 180 degrees. Being able to spend time in these other countries, and observe how they eat and live, is truly amazing.

Today marks 5 years that I had to have my skull cut open to remove a benign, meningioma brain tumor that took up the left side of my brain. It was growing into my brain from a layer of my skull called the meninges and it was pushing down on my optic nerve. This was giving me the craziest headaches and making me go blind. I remember the headaches being so bad and feeling so nauseous from the pain, that I had to have my friend Johnny Deadwyler drive me to the Urgent Care because I couldn’t drive.

It wasn’t until I hit my head while riding one day,

and had to get an MRI, that I would learn I had a tumor growing in my skull. I remember that feeling of being told, “there is something in your brain that doesn’t belong there. It’s a brain tumor. We don’t know if it’s cancerous or benign, but we do know your life depends on its removal.” I don’t know if anyone can relate to being told something as catastrophic as this and the feeling that comes along with it, but it is something I don’t wish on anyone. I instantly felt my world turn upside down. I couldn’t speak and the more the Urgent Care doctor spoke, the more everything went silent and tunnel vision set in. I couldn’t sit there and had to move. I got up and just walked out. I think I remember people yelling my name to stop but I didn’t care. At that moment in time, I believed my life was over and I had to get out of that room.

I went into my truck and just sat there in shock. Reality finally set in and tears just rolled down my face. I was just sitting there, alone, thinking this is it and I am about to die. I finally reached my goal as a professional BMX athlete. I won my first pro contest (and best trick to win a Harley) a year prior, rode in X-games for the first time, was approaching my 3rd or 4th year on the Dew Tour, and I felt I was on top of the world. I remember thinking, “Well, shit. Who do I tell? Do I tell anyone? What do I do with my things and money? Do any of these things even matter? Am I going to be alive long enough to do anything else? Will I ever get to ride my bike again?”

The first thing that came to mind was that I had to call and tell my mom. I called and she answered but I just sat there. I opened my mouth and tried to speak but nothing came out. I tried a few times and still nothing. She said my name and kept saying, “what’s wrong, Josh.” It’s a mother’s internal instinct to know something is wrong without words being spoken. She knew something was wrong. I then just started to ball my eyes out and finally said, “Mom, I just had an MRI and I have a brain tumor. I don’t know what to do.” Silence followed this statement as we both had no clue of what to say. I followed our phone call up with a text to my girlfriend at the time, Charlotte Boxley, and best friend, Brandon Christie. Brandon was right around the corner. He came and drove around with me to keep me company. We basically just drove around listening to music, both balling our eyes out and expressing how much we meant to one another.

This was also a crazy time for Charlotte and I because we were not officially “together” yet. We had been hanging out and doing our thing for about 3 months at this point. Charlotte is an amazing human being and was there for me every step of the way. From that day on, she never left my side and I am so thankful for her and me to have had our lives come together.

I remember being prescribed pain meds after one appointment. I don’t do well with those at all but I was in so much pain that I took them on our drive home. I think it was about 15 seconds until I felt a nauseous feeling approaching and asked Charlotte to pull over. As she pulled over I projectile vomited all on the floor mat and basically fell out in my efforts to keep it out of the truck. I was vomiting so much, and harshly, that blood started to show. This scared the shit out of me. Turned out it was just a burst blood vessel and very common. I remember feeling so bad and saying, “I am so sorry, I promise I will clean it up.” I was full of so many emotions and not sure why embarrassment was one of them. Charlotte was of course so chill about it, that really helped me in this time. I felt so vulnerable and weak but she always made me feel better.

The first doctor told me I wouldn’t be able to ride ever again. He followed that up with explaining that I  wouldn’t have long to live if it wasn’t immediately removed. Later on, after seeing Doctor Allan H.Friedman of Duke University, the best neurosurgeon in the world, he was confident in that he could remove the tumor. He had my surgery date scheduled immediately and the hospital actually had to reschedule other patients with not as severe tumors as mine to get me in ASAP. Dr. Friedman informed me of the risks of such a surgery and they were no joke. He said I could not wake up, may have to have shunts put in, or I could wake up paralyzed, blind, deaf, and or have a stroke.

On April 16th of 2010, after a 6-hour surgery, Dr. Friedman successfully removed the tumor and it was said to be a benign (non-cancerous) tumor. This was great news and thankfully I woke up pain-free with a smile on my face. Not because of all the intense drugs I was hooked up to but because I was able to see, hear, smell, talk, and move. I saw my parents first, followed by Charlotte and my brother Danny.

I was amazed to have no pain, be alive and able to hear, see, and move my body. I recovered extremely well and was let go 2 days after surgery. They said this was very uncommon and I owe every bit of my strength to BMX, Charlotte, my parents, the rest of my family, friends, the BMX community, and all the great people out there that expressed their love and support to me whether or not they knew me.

5 weeks later I was back on my bike. It started off slowly and frustration began to kick in. Not only because how “off” I was feeling, with coordination and balance, but because my friend and physical trainer Trish Bare Grounds was not allowing me to get too ahead of myself.  At this point, it was still very fresh and I was ordered to not let my tires leave the ground. That changed after some arguing that I was fine and convincing to allow me to do a barspin onto the deck of the ramp followed by a tailwhip. This went on for a few hours and I finally settled for what I already had done.

I think it was about 10 weeks later I was back on a plane to Europe to compete in a contest that I had qualified for the finals. Sine then, I have continued to film videos, ride contests, perform for BMX demos and shows, and have found a new passion for nutrition and holistic healthcare. I love sharing my story with others in hopes of inspiring them to live life to the fullest.

Point to my story is I that I had a dream that consumed my life. Even though I was always told by others that I wouldn’t succeed, and I was faced with life or death obstacles, my friends and family stuck by me and I made my dream come true! When the day comes that I can’t ride as much anymore, and decide to move onto something else, I won’t be bummed because of all that I have done and experienced in my lifetime. I’ve accomplished my one and only goal as a child of becoming a pro BMX athlete and in doing so; I have gained other passions and goals to work towards achieving.

So I want anyone reading this to never doubt yourself. Take any opportunities that arise and stick to what you want in life, no matter who tells you that you can’t do it! It’s a miracle we are living human beings and so many people take that for granted. They end up limiting themselves to what others think they should do, rather than pursue what makes them happy and fuels their soul. You never know who or what may come into your life for following your heart. It’s inevitable that you’re going to make mistakes along the way. You and others may get hurt, but what’s important is that you learn from these mistakes and continue to grow into the person you want to be.

I’m grateful to be here today, still riding my bike and sharing my passion for BMX and nutrition with others. I can’t thank all of you enough for the get well wishes, support, and love over the last few years! Don’t let any challenges in life bring you down or stop you from pursuing your dreams. Don’t give up and don’t be scared. Live your life!

So now go ride your bike, or do whatever it is that makes you happy, and just enjoy life without fear! Take care and don’t stop dreaming!

-Josh P.

(Written: April 16th, 2015)

(Updated: June 7th, 2017)