Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Medina.
Hi Kevin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Well let’s start right at the beginning. In the summer of 2012 I was running a lot and going to Chemotherapy with my mom in the late morning and afternoon. I was 15 at the time and never once did I imagine that my mom would lose her fight with cancer. I honestly didn’t think too much of it, I just felt this was a hard moment but something we would overcome.
In early August days before my birthday I would visit my mom in the hospital who was now bed ridden and had recently gone through a surgery to remove tumors that had spread to her brain. I had put together a birthday list for my 16th birthday, which I was really excited for. Even through the pain my mom had wished to make my birthday special and asked me what I would like, but realizing the situation I couldn’t hand over the list. In that moment I realized that every material thing I wanted was not important if she was not there to share the experience with me. My eyes filled with tears and I never once gave her my list.
Weeks later she finally returned home and I was over joyed. I had assumed the worst was behind us and now we were on the road to recovery. We had just seen a nurse that went over wig options and everyone seemed very optimistic. It wasn’t until a large family gathering where I learned what the term hospice meant and learned that my mom had at best 2 weeks left to live. I never faltered if anything I quickly came to terms with what was going on, I now realized that the around the clock care was to keep her comfortable not to help her recover.
In a weeks time I prepared my final words, my final hug, my final kiss, and our final snuggle, after all I was the youngest of 3 and the one who accompanied her on all her errands. Tears again filled my eyes as delivered all of this, by this point she was non verbal but I could hear her mouth struggling to find words. The words never came but the effort was there. I never felt a huge amount of sadness, if anything I felt a huge sense of gratitude. I felt grateful that I had the opportunity to say goodbye and that I knew what was coming, not everyone has that opportunity.
Her loss brought on many challenges, I lost my spark for running and to avoid emotions I put up many walls. From the outside I appeared normal and would continue going to school without any problems but on the inside I was a bit lost, my future felt so uncertain.
Before the start of the next summer I had found my next passion and that became bikes. While my peers and friends around me where earning their first cars and learning to drive, I was learning a new type of freedom. The freedom of the bicycle. I had sold everything I owned to purchase my first bicycle, there was no TV at home to enjoy because I had gotten rid of it. All I could do was ride and ride I would. My first summer without my mom I spent every hour of the day I could on the bike. My legs would be sore to no end and I would still find the drive to get on the bicycle again.
I realized I had found my future and it was cycling. What I would do and how I would make it a career wasn’t apparent but i would figure it out. In 2014 I got my first job as a delivery boy for Jimmy Johns where I could ride my bike and be out doors. Unlike those around me, I didn’t have a safety net to fall back on, I took the opportunity and made the most out of it. I built a strong foundation with my boss at the time and strived to make him proud of me.
By the time the following summer had rolled around, I still enjoyed what I was doing but I wanted more. I slowly started waking up earlier and earlier to ride my bike before work. I would wake at 4:30 and be on the road at 5:30, riding anywhere from 40-50miles before work. I would routinely work doubles at Jimmy Johns and burn more calories than I could assume. I was addicted to the progress I was making and was making huge strides on the bike. I truly felt like I was happy, but in truth was far from happy. I had started a cycle of goals and pretend happiness. Often telling my self “I’ll be happy when” and I wouldn’t realize that for years to come.
By the following summer, my love of all things Jimmy Johns was starting to wane and I wanted to find something where the work was more involved with cycling. I was given the opportunity to work at a local bike shop and took the opportunity with open arms. I relished in proving that I was good enough to be a bike mechanic and learning the tricks of the trade. My love and passion for cycling was only ever growing and it wouldn’t stop.
By the summer of 2018 I was training on my bike every morning and going to work at my local bike shop, but my hunger and want for something more was slowly growing. An opportunity that would soon shape my life and career. I applied for a role for Rapha and it was the right one. I soon traded in early morning bike rides for product quality videos, product reviews, and all things Rapha. I was hooked and again I put in the time and effort to gain approval of my peers. By the spring of 2019 I had swapped out my previous role at my local bike shop for another bigger bike shop and was now working 7 days a week. It was a dream come through and something I was beyond grateful for.
My time at Rapha has been nothing short of a cinderella story, I knew nothing of retail and customer service. As a natural introvert I struggled at first to break the ice with customers and it would take time for me to warm up to people but it was something I worked on. At Rapha we saw a major increase in sales and demand with the pandemic. We were firing on all cylinders and we had a team to take advantage of the situation. We were given opportunities to shine at various pop ups all across the US and showcasing our talents. By 2021 I had stepped into the role of an inventory master and had really honed my craft of connecting with people. I achieved everything I set out to do in 2021, both professionally and personally, but beneath it all. I wasn’t happy. I was struggling internally and was too afraid to speak up, I was acting how everyone expected me to act.
In early 2022 I was given the opportunity to be apart of a team that would be supporting the opening of a new Rapha store in Austin Texas. I was excited but was extremely burnt out and tired. I carried over my feelings to Austin and it showed. I struggled to be a leader as I was ill equipped and wasn’t living up to my potential. I also felt that I wasn’t truly happy and finally starting to realize it. My win at all cost attitude, the walls I had built, and my lack of compassion for others was truly showing. You might assume that because of my past and everything I have gone through that I might be empathic and sympathetic of others going through similar situations. I wasn’t, I didn’t wants others help so I assumed others didn’t need it either. We all just needed a healthy dose of tough love. I would avoid heart to heart conversations as much as possible and had a low tolerance for others problems, commonly thinking they just needed to get over it.
In the summer of 2022 I had ended a 2 year plus relationship and was trying to find happiness. I was struggling at work and personally. My love for cycling was at an all time low and it was the first time as an adult where I truly felt alone. I expressed this to my boss and I was met with nothing. I was met for nothing because I had never once showed up for him, so why would he show up for me. In that moment my view on relationships completely changed and I realized I needed to bring down my walls and express myself to others more. I needed to share my story with others and let them know that I wasn’t this perfect person and that I struggled with issues all the time. It was a defining moment for me as a person and a better version of the person I used to be. Something else would follow, I refound my love for running. On the 10 year anniversary of my moms passing I had traded out my cycling shoes for running sneakers.
A lot of time has passed between now and then but I have not stopped working on myself and my journey, I am certainly a much happier person today but I still my down times. I live every day to make my mom proud and live in her honor. I would regain my passion of cycling and contain my love of running. I have worked with a career coach to avoid burnout and helping set better goals to keep myself balanced.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth never that. I had a lot of bumps in the road, some larger than others. In 2019 I was homeless for roughly 15 days and that was incredibly hard. Back against the wall and I was struggling to make the move to get myself out of the hole I was in. I was still going to work day in and day out, sleeping on friends couches and living outside of a backpack.
The time after my mom passed, I was living with my oldest brother and that was extremely difficult. We had recently lost our mom and his attitude made it at the worst. I could never make him proud of me, on top of abuse that was normalized because I was simply a fuck up. His attitude and feelings towards me fueled me for years to come and it wasn’t until I was 25 when I realized that I was following in his footsteps and I needed to make a change.
The struggle to change and adapt how I treated people was hard as well. I was building new foundations for existing and new friendships which came with its own hurdles. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds and there were times where I wouldn’t show up for those around me and it would hurt.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I work in high end retail for a cycling apparel brand, the cream of the crop if I am honest. I lead our sales floor and really just work to make the job of my general manager as easy as possible. I help lead our operations behind the scenes and help lead the floor in the day to day interactions with customers. I honestly don’t quite know what I am known for, I let others develop those opinions and thoughts. I am just me, it really depends on the day you interact with me. Some might say I am serious or others might say I am as silly as possible.
The work I am the most proud of is the leadership that I have built and learned. I really do feel like I can leave lasting impressions on the people that I take under my wing. Seeing their growth is what truly makes me proud.
What sets me apart from others is how I show up. I am known for showing up day in and day out, working 7 days a week and seldomly complaining about being tired.
How do you think about happiness?
I think this is tough one to really answer. Happiness is a feeling that comes and goes like many other feelings, its hard to truly attain and take a grasp of.
Accomplishment makes me happy, nailing down a goal is always rewarding but I try not to fixate so much on having that be where my happiness comes from.
I truly think sometimes just living in the moment is where I am just the happiest. Taking a small step back and realizing I am doing something I enjoy everyday and that I still love what I do. The simple pleasure of just being able to enjoy the moment is probably what makes me the happiest.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realkevinmedina/
Image Credits
Matt Roy
