Samad Hinton Founder of BLK Beetles

Welcome to Mid Strike. As we move deeper into this publication we’re continuing to see the beauty and togetherness of this run community. The diverse run culture is one that shows unity and proper representation. Your journey through fitness is a story that we will get to. But in the meantime, let's get to know the man behind BLK Beetles, the man before BLK Beetles, and what was life like for you from a fitness perspective.

Samad: First, thank you and the rest of the Mid Strike family for creating a community and space to share my story! Like many, I’ve experienced the “ups and downs” of trying to live a thoughtful and sustainable wellness lifestyle over the years. However, the turning point for me was when I experienced an anxiety attack as a result of work stressors and grief. After I was able to return to a calmer state, my wife asked me when I was going to start prioritizing my health and care for myself. Anytime a loved one says your full name followed by a direct question, you know true change and self-accountability are required. In retrospect, the question was not just about me in the present moment, but it was more about how I envision myself in the future: Am I doing everything from a wellness perspective to see my wife and I celebrate many more years of marriage? Am I doing everything to grow old with friends and family? Am I doing everything to simply live out my purpose? Once I saw wellness from this perspective, I was 100% locked into making the necessary lifestyle changes to go from a survival mode to focusing on “being well.”

MSM: Gang Starr fan I see, I LOVE IT “Nobody's invincible, no plan is foolproof...We all must meet our moment of truth”. That's one of my favorite albums, Royalty always on repeat. You mentioned something that stood out to me especially from the perspective of a person that's the provider. We tend to always put work first because to provide is to make sure everyone and everything else is good. Having that work first mentality tends to do the opposite to us. For yourself how did you change that lifestyle to find balance?