Hi, welcome to Chad’s World:)

Welcome to Breakthrough Dad, Chad Johnson’s personal brand site with all the projects I’m working on right now!

Here’s a little about me…hopefully my story can be inspirational and informative for you in your personal journey;)

“You have a tumor almost the size of your kidney ON your kidney…”

That was the surprise discovery early 2023 when I got rushed to the hospital for an unexplained fainting spell at 4 in the morning. The fainting was unexplained and likely unrelated, but turns out a serendipitous saving grace nonetheless.

One week later I had the kidney removed, and a little over one week after that we got the test results back on the tumor…it WAS cancerous. Stage 2, almost stage 3…

Luckily, to this point it looks like they caught it all before it spread anywhere else. So I’m seemingly cancer-free after that quick scare.

And thank God we have a second kidney that can still do pretty much the whole job on its own IF you stay well hydrated and take care of yourself…

Now you would never have known I would have such a problem by looking at me.

I’m lean and fit, and have been MOST of my life, except 2 stints: once in my first year of college when even I gained the “Freshman 15+” lol (more like “Freshman 20”), and then again a few years ago when I hit a rough patch financially after a bout of “entrepreneurial ADD” where I started too many (half-hearted) ventures simultaneously and got caught without a seat in the metaphorical musical chairs.

My wife was pregnant (for our 4th) at the time, and I relied on almost 6,000 rides driving Uber late at night (and all the junk eating, sedentary sitting that went with it), shooting up to the highest weight I’ve even been…about 25 pounds over my current weight.

When they discovered the tumor, I had already dropped all that excess weight, been consistently training and gotten stable financially after being offered to go back to my old martial arts school I’d started 13 years ago to help rebuild it, but immediately after I got out of the surgery I was asked to take over another school and help rebuild it as well.

So now I was in charge of two schools. And it was taking its toll on me physically, emotionally and existentially.

I knew I was doing something good…making a positive impact on kids and families through martial arts and the corresponding life skills that go hand in hand with the training.

But I also knew in my heart that I was meant for something different…something deeper and more authentically ME.

In the back of my mind I’d known for years that I was meant to be more of a Transformational Coach, a motivational leader with a special, unique message to share with the world that only I could personally share.

But I kept letting myself get distracted with other “business opportunities”, and I made too many compromises.

But even after that shock with cancer, it wasn’t until about six months later when I had a separate diagnosis of a triple disc herniation in my neck that I finally started to recognize that I needed to make a big change.

I had significant pain all down my right arm, and couldn’t feel anything in my first 3 fingers for several months. I literally lost HALF of my right pec muscle from this…it stopped innervating the muscle and significant atrophy kicked in without me really recognizing it till it was dramatically visible.

One of the discs had even “exploded” into my spinal column, and the spine specialist said if it was on both sides I could have been paralyzed! He suggested a double disc replacement surgery, and I scheduled it for right after Christmas.

As a last ditch effort, I met with a joint mobilization trained doctor of physical therapy that got recommended to me for just 3 sessions, and he not only helped me in that short time, but gave me the belief that I could rehabilitate the situation myself.

I decided NOT to go through with the surgery, and since that time I have not had any of the symptoms or pain associated with the condition, and I think I just might have worked past it;)

It was in the midst of all that, and a few other serendipitous circumstances that I finally admitted I needed to make a big change.

I realized I had to not only start paying special attention to my own health & wellness for the LONG term (differently at over age 40 than when I was in my 20s & 30s), but that I also needed to finally focus my career efforts on helping OTHERS to breakthrough mediocrity & their struggles with their own health & fitness.

I mean, I have after all been a certified personal trainer for almost 20 years…helping almost 1,000 people lose weight and get in better shape through my gyms & online programs, and then another 1,000+ through martial arts training specifically.

But I decided it was finally time to do this on a global scale, at a deeper level.

And I needed to start doing it in a way that felt AUTHENTIC to me.

So in May 2024 I finally took the plunge…saying goodbye to my martial arts schools and deciding to focus 100% on my transformational coaching, writing & speaking.

I chose to go all in on helping others become the best versions of themselves, taking better care of themselves AND ultimately be better for all those that care about and rely on them!

I’m talking about fitness & health, but also supporting them mentally, emotionally, professionally…as parents & spouses too.

So now, I’M ON A MISSION TO HELP 100,000+ PEOPLE RADICALLY IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH, TRANSFORM THEIR BODIES & BECOME THE BEST VERSION OF THEMSELVES THROUGH MY TRAINING & COACHING PROGRAMS, and I hope YOU are next and become a part of our special movement!

It doesn’t matter where you come from, what happened in your past, even the circumstances of your present…

You CAN make this happen, and we can do this TOGETHER!

There’s nothing like the accountability & support of a knowledgeable & experienced coach that understands what it takes and how to get you to all your goals;)

You DESERVE to be your best, have the best and live the best life possible, and I’m here to help you do exactly that!

Let’s do this!