Thad Peck Motivational

Thad Peck Motivational Personal Trainer and Wellness Coach. Breathwork and Sound Healing Facilitator. Mindset Coach and Motivational Speaker. Basketball Skills Trainer.

GOOD EVENING FROM TPM!It was September, 1990.A life-changing event happened to my older brother Ty.It was a Friday night...
05/12/2026

GOOD EVENING FROM TPM!

It was September, 1990.

A life-changing event happened to my older brother Ty.

It was a Friday night football game in the UNI Dome against West Des Moines Valley.

The Tigers had scored a touchdown, but unfortunately on the same play, my brother’s knee was caved in.

He had to have total reconstructive knee surgery to repair his ACL. 

In 1990, this was a lengthy recovery, as the technology wasn’t like what it is today.

Much like me, Ty had all of his eggs in one basket with a strong identity attached to his persona as a football player.

This was taken away from him in the second game of his senior year.

Just a handful of minutes earlier, he had taken a 60 yard hand off to the house for six.

Only a week earlier, he was dragging defenders on the grid iron like a bull in a China shop at West Des Moines Dowling.

He had been receiving letters and interest from some colleges and had great promise to play college football.

I knew it was tough on him.

When you’re that young, not a lot of talk is going on about how you truly feel about it.

The whole family was bummed for him.

A couple years later, he landed at NIACC, a JUCO in Mason City, Iowa.

He played one year there.

He was still a beast, but the road back from his injury was challenging.

Life for Ty went on in a roller coaster way.

As early as 21 years old, Ty started to develop arthritis in his knee.

I recall him many times saying that his knee bothered him.

He had to wear his knee brace to do even low impact activities.

That senior year injury followed him his whole life.

I think not only physically, but mentally.

Only Ty could speak on that, but I know it haunted him for many years.

Lots of things went on in life.

Eventually, Ty reached out to a counselor and began to piece things together for himself.

This was essential for his growth going forward.

I knew it was a lifelong scar of his and I empathized with its impact on his life.

I whined about playing division three hoops, but he never really got a chance to play in a healthy body after that tragic Friday night.

Ty is about as strong a guy as I’ve ever known mentally, but all of us can help with the assistance of another.

Ty has a tattoo sleeve on his arm that reads…

“Some Pain Is Forever.”

What’s in us, is always in us…

BUT

How we deal with it determines how far we can go, or how far we can fall.

I’m glad Ty is a warrior and was able to fight through to where he is today!

Ty is a great brother who I’d do anything for!

Love ya brother!

GO WIN!!!

05/12/2026

TPM-ISM
Just because the sun isn’t shining doesn’t mean you can’t.

GOOD MORNING FROM TPM!In this picture, I was acting like somebody I wasn’t.A rock ‘n’ roll star and legendary bass play...
05/12/2026

GOOD MORNING FROM TPM!

In this picture, I was acting like somebody I wasn’t.

A rock ‘n’ roll star and legendary bass player pretending to be on the Grammy’s red carpet.

It’s wild to think about how many people walk the face of this earth acting like somebody else.

These façades can destroy a person.

These façades can inhibit growth.

My facades are down, and it’s the best feeling in the world!

My past alcoholism somehow allowed me to function in stealth fashion by pulling the wool over the eyes of others.

It seemed like a steamroller mowing me down, or a freight train flattening me like a pancake.

This feeling told me to abandon the program, leave the burning bridges behind, and embark on a new reality.

A new reality needed a new action.

My life was too important.

I wanted to see who I could become without alcohol.

My family‘s lives were too important.

I knew they wanted to see who I could become without alcohol.

Suffering comes when you can no longer escape with a sip, but you’re already suffering in the suds aftermath.

The great inevitable befalls you when sitting in silence becomes your only option.

Oh s**t, you say, “what have I become?”

Every time I sit in darkness, I illuminate light.

I’m comfortable in my own skin because I’ve cleared the skeleton’s closet against the advice of others to keep ‘everything private.’

“No one needs to know your business,” I’ve heard ‘others’ say.

Well…

I’m a brave motherfu*^ #!…

So i’m not listening to ‘others.’

If I’m not REAL, how can I help anyone?

If I’m not AUTHENTIC, how can I resonate with anyone?

When I was in my darkest hours I used to ask myself this question…

“CAN I CONQUER MYSELF?”

“NO” was usually the answer.

When my back was against the wall and I had no more time left in the hourglass, I felt my answer shifting.

By the grace of God, and the desire to be a better man, I found the strength in me to finally answer…

“YES!”

IF I CAN CONQUER MYSELF…

I KNOW YOU CAN TOO!

GO WIN!!!



 GOOD EVENING FROM TPM!This week’s ’PROFILE OF AN ELEVATED ERNIE’ goes to a guy who has been scanning my beets, ginger...
05/11/2026

 GOOD EVENING FROM TPM!

This week’s ’PROFILE OF AN ELEVATED ERNIE’ goes to a guy who has been scanning my beets, ginger, and turmeric for over a year now, Shawn.

Shawn works at Natural Grocers.

Shawn has always been such a terrific ray of sunshine every time I see him.

Whether it’s cloudy, snowing, freezing, rainy, or hailing outside, Shawn always has a smile on his face and greets me with a very friendly, “hello.”

We’ve enjoyed long conversations with each other when there’s no one behind me in line.

We shake hands or fist bump when we see one another.

Shawn has a laid back demeanor that makes him easy to approach.

I’ve seen him go above and beyond for customers many times.

I’ve never seen him act like a grouch to a customer.

He always shows his customers the courtesy of listening, and he engages in conversations with them in a friendly manner.

He makes eye contact with all of his customers.

He’s genuinely a good dude!

We need more people like Shawn in the world!

Shawn is a reminder for all people to be present in a conversation, no matter how small or insignificant you perceive it as.

That small act of kindness and connection could be all that anyone has on that day.

Shawn, thank you so much for being an ‘ELEVATED ERNIE!’

The lives of anyone fortunate enough come to Register 1 at Natural Grocers are truly blessed by your presence!

Light attracts Light, so keep on shining bright my friend!

GO WIN!!!

05/11/2026

TPM-ISM
Beware the belief that stops you from touching new bark.

GOOD MORNING FROM TPM!The guy to the right of me in this picture got a scholarship and played division one basketball at...
05/11/2026

GOOD MORNING FROM TPM!

The guy to the right of me in this picture got a scholarship and played division one basketball at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The guy to the left of me in this picture got a scholarship and played division one basketball at Loyola university, in Chicago.

I played division three at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.

I am grateful for this, however, it was a wound to me.

It’s not a ‘woe is me’ situation, it’s just the truth.

It took me 25 years to heal from the pain of not realizing my dream.

I lost a lot of weight as a freshman when I played
basketball at Iowa Lakes.

I became depressed during my freshman year at Iowa Lakes.

Most people never knew this.

I was so consumed with my insecurities.

I developed an inferiority complex due to my perception that I should’ve done better and landed somewhere else.

However, I am grateful for my experience at Iowa Lakes.

I was a failure in my eyes because I didn’t do the things I thought I was capable of in high school.

I didn’t have the right attitude.

I didn’t put the work in the classroom.

I didn’t think my coach helped me much.

I had some messed up perception that my girlfriend would’ve loved me more had I been a division one player.

I was a dysfunctional mess.

I was jealous.

I projected my insecurities onto my girlfriend.

I would have loved to kick my own ass back then.

I kicked my own ass in subtle ways.

When my relationship was over, I couldn’t believe how far I had fallen.

What a fool I had become.

I felt like the Webster’s dictionary definition of self-sabotage.

The days, months, and years ahead would be mixed with addiction, elevations, downtrodden engagements, and several years of regrets of who I thought ‘I should have been.’

I used to have repetitive dreams of playing basketball in high school and at universities I never played for.

This is a really ballsy share on my part…

For almost 25 years, every time I sat on the toilet to number two I would imagine myself playing at a high-level collegiately, or professionally.

I probably would’ve been a good case study for a sports psychologist.

One day, the basketball wound just went away.

My s**ts became normal.

I think it was all of the work with the Cedar Falls boys basketball team that helped me heal and gave me a new perspective.

It was an acceptance I believe that only happened because I moved back to Iowa.

That’s the conclusion I came to, but who the hell knows why or when realizations are realized by us.

Who knows the timelines for when and why our past burdens become glorious tools for personal elevation.

Basketball is just a game…

Sometimes Life can seem like a game…

One of them is more serious than the other.

Sort this out for yourself.

If you need help…

You know what to do…

REACH OUT…

SPEAK OUT…

BREAK OUT…

GO WIN!!!



GOOD EVENING FROM TPM!In the summer before the start of my third grade year, my great grandpa Elmer came to live with us...
05/10/2026

GOOD EVENING FROM TPM!

In the summer before the start of my third grade year, my great grandpa Elmer came to live with us.

My great grandma had recently passed away and my mom and dad wanted him to come live with us.

Man, that was such a blessing to us!

Elmer was in very good shape and extremely active for being 88 years old at the time when he moved in with us.

He would play ball with us.

He would let Dee and I harass him in a nice way.

He had the best cheeks that me and Dee would pull on.

He’d just sit there and laugh.

We’d get on the floor and wrestle around with him.

We’d s***k him for some reason ha!

He was the centerpiece at our house, and we always looked forward to coming home and playing with him.

He was a clean cut guy who loved God.

He didn’t drink or participate in any shenanigans.

He was a World War One Veteran.

Oftentimes, I’d go to say good night to him and he would be at the edge of his bed praying.

I remember he loved his oatmeal as he ate it every morning.

In the late fall 1983, we were in northeast Iowa cutting wood with my Grandpa Peck.

A piece of wood had fallen into his leg, but nothing seemed alarming about it at the time.

Shortly after, he was admitted to the hospital right before Thanksgiving of 1983.

We just happened to be having Thanksgiving at our house that year.

As I was riding my bike home past Cedar Heights school it started to lightly snow.

I remember having an eerie feeling come over me about my great grandpa Elmer.

I didn’t want the fun of him living with us to ever end.

They were treating him for pneumonia.

He actually had a blood clot.

In retrospect, my family thought the doctors more than likely made a mistake in his treatment plan.

I think he could’ve been a centenarian.

The sad news came one evening shortly thereafter that Elmer had passed away at the age of 89.

Just steps from the room he used to occupy, we all had a family hug and cried it out.

Let every precious moment become a beautiful memory, for we all know…

Life is short and precious!

GO WIN!!!

05/10/2026

TPM-ISM
Mean the world to someone.

GOOD MORNING FROM TPM! Happy Mother’s Day to the ones who are with us and to the ones who aren’t! Mothers are specialThe...
05/10/2026

GOOD MORNING FROM TPM!

Happy Mother’s Day to the ones who are with us and to the ones who aren’t!

Mothers are special
They make every day shine
Mothers carry us inside of them
That seems like a lot of work
Mothers have the gentle touch that ropes us in
They know just what to do
Mothers do all the dirty work
Even if we think we do
Mothers clean up all the messes
Not just in the kitchen, but in the details
Mothers do their best
Even when they need their rest
Mother’s turn into grandmother’s
Mothers are mortal
But we wish they weren’t
If yours is still on the earth, you are lucky
Mothers make the world go around

Love you, Mom!

Love you, Alissa!

GO WIN!!!

GOOD EVENING FROM TPM!This is me and Jenny Crews(Gerken) at the ninth grade dance. She was the daughter of the mayor of ...
05/10/2026

GOOD EVENING FROM TPM!

This is me and Jenny Crews(Gerken) at the ninth grade dance.

She was the daughter of the mayor of Cedar Falls at the time.

We never dated or anything, but she was always really cool, and somehow we ended up going to the dance together.

I remember we went to the Brown Bottle and I got lasagna.

A couple of years later, I would end up washing dishes there.

Those lasagna bowls would p**s me off to no end.

I remember using my nail to scratch off the encrusted cheese those damn things collected.

Sorry Brad and Jim.

I also remember dancing like a fool to ‘Crazy Train’ by Ozzy that night at the dance.

35 years later, this is a picture of my son and his girlfriend.

They are eating at the Brown Bottle tonight as well.

From where he was just 630 days ago, I am so grateful for how far he has come.

I am very grateful he has a girlfriend who is sweet and kind to him.

I am beyond elated that she is compassionate and empathetic towards his past challenges.

I am very happy his girlfriend makes him laugh and smile.

It’s easy to feel a sense of calm and safety when you know your kids are in a good spot…

BUT

It’s a living nightmare when they’re struggling like hell to stay alive.

630 days ago, we had to buy two safes to store every possible sharp thing in our house out of his reach.

630 days ago, we had to store every cleaning product or medication in the safe.

630 days ago, we all slept with one eye open and often on the floor in view of my son.

630 days ago, I had to swallow my pride and answer to strangers for my bulls**t ways.

630 days ago, we found out secrets we didn’t know existed.

630 days ago, a gift from hell flew north to open my eyes forever.

630 days ago, I broke down.

630 days ago, I created a ‘SUFFERING LIST.’

Each time I check something off the ‘SUFFERING LIST,’ I put it on the ‘WINNING LIST.’

Since then, the SUFFERING LIST’ has dwindled, and the ‘WINNING LIST’ has grown.

630 days since my breakdown happened…

I have reorganized at a HIGHER LEVEL.

I’m not done yet…

He’s not done yet…

WE ALL HAVE CHALLENGES…

TPM is my healing…

My family is my motivation.

GO WIN!!!

05/09/2026

TPM-ISM
I hope I can win is not a strategy.

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Cedar Falls, IA
50613

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