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Today on The Tragedy Academy, I welcome Ryan Cooper, entrepreneur and author of the book Fuck It: Why Not Me. In this episode, Ryan wears his heart on his sleeve, walks us through the inspiration behind writing his book, and shares his experience growing up with a bipolar mother and later diagnosed with the same mental illness. Ryan's story is one of adversity and anguish yet, through perseverance, he can come out the other side full of gratitude and triumph.
Key Points:
💡 Inspiration for Fuck It: Why Not Me
⚕️ Life as a person diagnosed with Bipolar
😩 Managing stress
🧘 Working towards essential things and being mindful
😬 Animosity in the home
Episode Highlights:
[01:03] Ryan was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended Arizona State with honors and a desire to pursue football but recognizing he did not fit the weight requirements, Ryan decided to follow the business side of things. He is now working towards getting his MBA in the sports business.
[02:37] After the passing of his father, Ryan vowed to leave a legacy honoring him. He wrote a book titled Fuck It: Why Not Me and released it on his father's death anniversary. The book is a novel that focuses on Life's hurdles and how he could push forward to become the entrepreneur he is today.
[04:14] Ryan shares the bipolar diagnosis of his mother and himself. He admits to gaining some perspective after being diagnosed, changing his whole outlook on it.
[07:00] Ryan dives deep into his diagnosis and confesses to the uncertainty of his future. Nonetheless, he is determined to be optimistic and recognizes that his diagnosis does not define him, nor will it hinder his Life.
[13:24] Ryan shares his ways of managing stress. He emphasizes the importance of therapy and includes additional activities like exercising and journaling.
[15:08] Ryan expounds on his love and passion for sports, especially now as a coach. He categorizes this as an essential aspect in his Life that provides moments of mindfulness. As a coach, he has the opportunity to help the younger generations get better at a skill while offering advice as both a coach and student.
[18:20] Ryan gives us a peek into his family life. He shares the moment of going from 100-0, having everything in one moment, then having everything taken away from you. While his father was sick, his mother had an accident that landed her in prison, so during this time, the family lost their house, but Ryan was still responsible for taking care of his father.
[27:33] Ryan admits to having no animosity towards his mom. Over the years, they have formed a stronger bond now that they understand their bipolar tendencies. Ryan confesses to resenting her in his late teenage years from fear of having to drop out of school and come back to Las Vegas to take care of her, but that has since dissipated, and now their relationship could not be stronger.
[31:47] Connect with Ryan
Connect with Ryan:
• Buy his book: Fuck It: Why Not Me
• Website
• Instagram | @therwcooper
• LinkedIn
