We’re looking forward to introducing you to Ryan Harrison. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Ryan, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Learning about other cultures, languages, and potential travel! My perspective on the world changed in high school during a summer international exchange to Tres Cantos, Spain. It was my first time out of the country & it was incredible to someone else’s culture, way of life & language. Since then, I did an internship in a basketball camp in Tres Cantos, studied abroad in Madrid, backpacked around Europe, & been to over 23 countries in-counting, many of which have provided me the opportunity to develop my Spanish, such as in Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, & others.
Alongside training, I started another company called Vivamore Travel (which was featured in this publication a few years back) that has allowed me to help others gain the perspective and experience the same opportunities that I have had around the world. Meeting people from all over has showed me that we are all connected as human beings & how important language, communication and understanding of other cultures & traditions are. It has also inspired me to continue traveling to Spanish-speaking countries (among other destinations on my list), start learning Italian on my own time, and dabble a bit in German, which I began learning while studying abroad.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! My name is Ryan Harrison, I am 29 years old, and I am the Owner & Head Strength and Performance Coach of True Potential Athletics (Columbia, MD).
I have been a Personal Trainer & Strength and Performance Coach for the past 9 years, primarily in central Maryland. After a short stint in Southern California in 2022/23 (Temecula/Murrieta), I returned to my hometown of Columbia, Maryland, in June 2023. Since then, I have developed the True Potential brand, where I have always envisioned a different type of style and approach to training my clients, students, and athletes – to help promote a strong work ethic, discipline, and positive attitude that helps my clients beyond the weight room, to show them the journey they embark on in the gym can trickle into their journey of life, and to make a positive impact on the development of each and everyone I have the opportunity to train.
In addition, it goes beyond the weights & reps for me and the athletes I am blessed to work with. We focus on all the areas that I believe truly get neglected or disregarded in many training areas, including injury prevention, stability/mobility/flexibility, body control & movement efficiency, and self-confidence/mental toughness. While several of these components are subjective, I believe they make a huge impact on the development of power, strength, muscle, & most importantly, what you see come game-time.
True Potential Athletics is about becoming the best version of yourself…to realize we all have the potential to achieve such amazing things in our lives – we just have to unlock it from within! See, we are not reaching our “full potential” because that has a limit. Instead, we are unlocking our “true potential”, one which has no ceiling.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
I learned most about work & way of life by watching both my father & my grandfather (mother’s side) growing up over the years.
They were always willing to put their family first & make the necessary sacrifices along the way so that we could live a prosperous life & be provided opportunities in this world that maybe they did not have a chance to receive when they were that age. And while you might not recognize all they did for you until later in life, they were always looking out for your best interests and always doing things behind the scenes so you had a roof over your head, food on the table, and a family to come to. They did what needed to be done in order to be successful, no matter how long it took or how enduring the work was. And I know by learning the example and standard they set over the years, I can attack my dreams and passions with the same mindset and work ethic that will hopefully allow me to be just as successful in my endeavors.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I was born with a physical condition called osteochondromatosis. It is where benign tumors grow on the bones in the form of extra cartilage near joint and articulation sites. The condition is hereditary. About 1 in 100,000 individuals are diagnosed with it. And since my birth, it has affected my overall development.
I have had 4 knee surgeries in the span of 12 years during my adolescence and into my high school & collegiate athletic career. Alongside the physical repercussions, rehabilitation & recovery, this condition affected me just as much, if not more, mentally. I was often bullied or called ‘gimpy’ or crippled because of my post-op complications or because I was constantly in and out of injuries and surgeries. It was a constant mind-battle for me, and I always wondered if I would ever be accepted & considered ‘physically normal’.
For the longest time, I hesitated to share something so personal and private with the outside world because of how much I was bullied and looked at differently growing up. And I was afraid I would be pitied, or people would feel bad for me, or judge me. But I know long-term, I was not going to let that stop me from being me.
While I eventually learned to embrace what made me unique, I did not share ‘My Story’ (the name of my video on Instagram explaining my condition) until about 3 years ago with the public eye. My osteochondromatosis has shown me to never take anything in life for granted, especially the simple things like walking, playing sports, and being able to function independently.
It has also inspired me to emphasize injury prevention modalities in my training style, to work with those who have injuries, tightness/pain, or physical shortcomings. I’ve used all of this as a blessing and approached it with gratitude & perspective, instead of using it as a crutch or an excuse as to why I could not, then or now, do something. It has allowed me to be more comfortable in my own skin, understanding that we will have imperfections or things we may want to physically change about our bodies. But instead, we should embrace those differences. And finally, it has shown me to choose kindness & to be accepting of others, because you have no idea what some people go through daily and what battles they face behind closed doors.
The way that I have attacked this condition allows me to know that I can attack anything in my life with the same mentality, pursuit, and determination. I have taken back that power that, at one point in my life, had control over me. And I am proud to still be standing here, sharing that story.
At the end of the day, the only disability in life is a bad attitude.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest misconceptions when training athletes (especially youth to adolescent) is that they need to be lifting more and more weight & that this is the only way to enhance their performance. I believe the strength & conditioning industry has developed rapidly in the past few decades (especially in the past 8-10 years, where some of the knowledge, resources, & research I have learned from & utilize for my athletes, were not a major focus when I was a high school & collegiate athlete). I think there are Old School ideologies that do complement New School technology/training styles, but there are also some outdated principles that may have worked years ago that may not be the most beneficial in this current day and time.
Anyways, I see it all the time where coaches only care about an athlete’s maximum bench press, or deadlift, or squat, or clean. Or they overload these kids with weight who end up performing these exercises with poor form or even worse, get hurt in the weight room. While strength & muscle development is important for an athlete, these are only two of several different parts of enhancing an athlete’s performance and overall physical development. Components such as executing proper form, improving balance and/or ankle stability, increasing plyometric ability, power or explosiveness, enhancing deceleration/landing mechanics or change-of-direction efficiency can all play just as much a factor on an individual’s athletic performance. By incorporating a combination of focuses in these workouts, I do my best to help develop a well-rounded athlete, who is injury/pain-free, moves well, and is also explosive and strong.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I want to make a positive impact and lasting impression on the athletes I get to work with. It is with hopes that they look back on their days as an athlete and our time together in the weight room, on the field, or on the court, and can say that they took those lessons, conversations and experiences into the real world with them. I would want to be remembered as someone who did everything they could to be there & show up for these young men and women as people first, athletes second. Someone who cared for them more than the accolades, credit, or recognition they would receive or provide me. Someone who was as much a mentor, teacher, role-model and friend, as their Strength & Performance Coach or sports coach. Someone that led by example, and that was willing to put in the work themselves, who was not afraid to go against the norm and do/be something different, & who attacked everything they did in life with passion, energy, and a positive attitude. I am just grateful to be a part of the process.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.truepotentialathletics.com/
- Instagram: mingling28
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.harrison.35175
- Other: Business Instagram: @truepotential.athletics
Image Credits
Pics.Bye.Soph
Varios Visuals
Aurora Bundy-Gracia
