The last few years have been…interesting.

Since 2009, I’ve shared quite a bit of my life on the internet.

Not just fitness content, but also my (mis)adventures, ups and downs, highs and lows, joys and frustrations, and so on.

I’ve always tried my best to share what’s going on in my life and how I’m navigating it, hoping it can help other people do the same, or at least not feel so alone.

So, let’s talk about it.

Steve’s Career Update

I started Nerd Fitness sixteen years ago as a side hobby because I liked writing and helping people.

Over time, it accidentally turned into a pretty big business with an amazing team that has helped millions of people over the years.

As the company grew larger and larger, I started to realize I wasn’t a very good boss or manager.

I was also pretty miserable.

After a year of floundering and lots of thinking, I re-discovered where I felt the most fulfilled and where I could make the biggest impact.

I wanted to write real stuff, from my real brain, for real humans (that’s you).

So, I changed careers.

Starting in 2022, I demoted myself…twice!

I put NF in the hands of more capable people and got back to my strengths: sharing my personal experiences and writing for humans.

I started work on a “super secret book-shaped-project” about how to make progress even when life doesn’t go according to plan.

And then things didn’t go according to plan. 

Thanks to seismic changes to how the internet operates – Google search updates, the invention of ChatGPT, etc. – we’ve lost a lot of our monthly search traffic (80%!) over the past few years.

Most of my blogger friends have experienced similar drops across all industries.

Despite this, Nerd Fitness is fortunately still doing pretty damn well.

We had to make tough changes and reinvent ourselves for the 8th time (and counting), but we’re still cooking.

I’m really happy with how we’ve helped people for 16+ years, and I’m excited to continue to do so for 16+ more.

We have a great team serving our wonderful Rebellion, there’s no debt, investors, or partners – and we’re set up to weather future storms too. 

Steve’s Life Update

While navigating the reinvention of Nerd Fitness and writing a book about “what to do when life doesn’t go according to plan,” I’ve pulled back deliberately on putting more “Steve!” out into the world.

There’s a personal reason for this:

I am no longer married. I know divorces are quite common, particularly when two people realize their shared life goals no longer align… that didn’t make it suck any less. Things ended amicably, but it was still heartbreaking.

2024 was the most challenging year in my life (so far) – it required me to step back, process, and heal.

I’ve spent 18 months leaning on friends and family, and embracing “curiousity, not judgment” to get to truly know myself.

The journey has been fascinating:

I’ve practiced acceptance and self-compassion, learned which emotions are helpful and unhelpful, and found the courage to run toward uncomfortable thoughts.

I’m excited to bring all this knowledge and experience with me into whatever my future holds.

Speaking of which…

Appreciation of the Unknown

15 years ago, I wrote a blog post on Nerd Fitness called “taking up the cause full time.” 

It was right after my 26th birthday and I had just quit my day job to try and make Nerd Fitness my full-time job. 

I hadn’t made any money yet. It was a scary, exciting time, but I had hope.

(And as we know, “Rebellions are built on hope.”)

16 years later, I feel pretty proud of what Nerd Fitness has become.

At the same time, I am personally at the start of a new journey whose conclusion is uncertain:

• I just crossed a MAJOR milestone on my secret project, and I can’t wait to tell you more about it in early 2026.
• I reacquired the publishing rights to my first book, Level Up Your Life, and will be putting out a 10-year anniversary edition next year too.
• I just turned 41 and I’m starting a new chapter of my life.

There are a lot of unknowns right now, and I’m not quite sure what my future will look like.

However, for the first time ever, thanks to the work I’ve done on acceptance, mindfulness, and compassion…

I’m okay NOT knowing.

That’s what makes life strange and meaningful and beautiful. 

I’ll be sharing “MORE Steve” in the coming months and years, on this site and on whatever social platform you happen to frequent.

If you had a crappy 2024, or if 2025 isn’t off to a great start, you’re not alone.

If you’ve navigated a career change or a big life change, I’m right here with you.

I remind myself, as Jean Craighead George writes in My Side of the Mountain:

“The sun has a wonderfully glorious habit of rising every morning.”

Whatever brought you here, I hope you stick around.

Let’s try and figure out life together.

-Steve