All my life I was an athlete. I played basketball. It was what I knew; it was how I identified myself. After high school I went on to play college ball at Manchester University. During my time as a college athlete, it was very rocky. I was more-so caught up in the partying and the girls and the social aspect of college and being an athlete, which led to me getting kicked off the team my sophomore year.
After getting kicked off, I moved back to Cincinnati during the middle of the school year and my life changed. I was so lost and confused on what to do next. I went from a collegiate athlete to not being enrolled in school and back at my parents house in a snap of a finger. This lead to me being depressed and struggle with anxiety, I felt lost and lacked purpose I struggled to figure out who I was without basketball.
I enrolled in Cincinnati State just to please my parents, and everyone around me, who was telling me I needed to go back to school. Everyday, I’d be in class I would sit and ask myself “What am I doing here? This isn’t for me.” So I was back to square one depressed and searching for purpose which I coped with by partying. It wasn’t until a dear friend of mine had his own struggle and attempted to take his own life that I realized everyone is dealing with something. Everyone is battling demons of their own that you would never know. The phrase “you don’t know my story” came in my head because everyone has a story and the power of one’s story can be used to save lives and help others.
I created “Kyle Speaks” as a way to motivate and inspire others through my voice and encourage others to share their story. Kyle Speaks gave me a platform and I used that in a positive way to get into business and am the COO of Under Pressure LLC where we do media work and have apparel for sale in The Cure Cincinnati. I have also been blessed to be able to stay around sports as I am now the Managing Director for J.C. Baker Management where I work first hand with professional athletes.