Hello. Welcome to my blog. I’m Eduardo C. Powell, but everyone calls me Eddie. I’ve learned so much from hearing other people’s stories from all walks of life through books, podcasts, videos, and peers, so I decided to pay it forward by sharing mine. If I can help even one person save valuable time, energy, or money from hearing my story, I’ll consider it a success.
I’m an eighties baby, born and raised in Houston, Texas. My mother is from El Salvador, my father is from the U.S, and I have one younger brother. I’ve always been a bit of a social introvert who enjoys reading, music, playing sports, and being active, and I started working when I was fifteen. No one forced me to work; I just wanted to have my own spending money, buy my clothes (I was a major sneaker head as a youngster), and have my car and whatnot; you know, reasonably usual kid stuff.
I graduated from Lawrence E. Elkins high school in 2000, The University of Houston in ’06, and The University of Texas Medical Branch in ’09 with a B.S. in exercise science, a minor in health, and a master’s degree in occupational therapy, respectively. I also pursued a post-professional clinical doctorate online from Creighton University but quit with about eight classes left; more later.
While attending UH, I held several jobs. I delivered newspapers for The Houston Chronicle, was a personal trainer, was an after-school extended day program coordinator for an elementary school, and was a tutor, mentor, and advising assistant at The Scholar’s Community program at the university. There were several odd jobs and side hustles here and there, but I won’t bore you with those.
I enjoyed working and kept myself out of trouble by working out, studying, attending live music events, and spending time with friends. Still, during college, I became very disciplined and committed to doing well academically because I wanted to attend graduate school. Initially, I thought I would become an athletic trainer, but after attending multiple open houses at various medical, PT, and OT schools, I decided that occupational therapy suited my personality the best; it was a gut decision. I made the correct choice.
I took longer to graduate from college because I retook classes in which I got B’s to increase my likelihood of getting accepted to UTMB. After applying, I was granted a phone interview and was accepted about a week later. I vividly remember sitting at the kitchen table late one evening, talking to my mother about my plans, when the phone rang, and I got the news; we were both happy to hear it.
I hoped to buy a house then so I didn’t have to pay rent. Once accepted to UTMB and knew that I’d have to live in Galveston, Texas, for at least three years to complete the program, I started my home search there and found a split-level condo near the Seawall to begin my adult life; I was so excited. I had visions of walking across the street to the beach every day but quickly realized that the academic demands on my time wouldn’t allow that to materialize; I rarely ever went.
During graduate school, I became interested in neuroscience related to rehabilitation. Everything about the brain is fascinating, primarily associated with regaining human movement and behaviors post-injury, and I naturally felt compelled to pursue this professionally. I read everything I could about the matter while in school. Eventually, I was fortunate enough to gain fieldwork experience at a renowned traumatic brain injury facility in Texas and work with stroke and spinal cord injury patients in various hospital settings.
A significant hurricane hit the Gulf coast during this time and affected the region. Still, I got the experience I needed to pursue my interests with adjustments, which I greatly appreciated.
Upon graduation, I took my board exams to get licensed, so I could start working and failed the first time. Naturally, I was upset about it. I was confident I’d pass, but I took too much time on each question and needed more time to complete it. I took it for a second time shortly after and passed and began working in the setting I wanted, plus an additional setting PRN on the weekends to earn extra money.
On paper, everything seemed to be working out as I’d hoped, but something felt off, really off. At first, I thought it was natural to start a new career and life chapter, but it lingered and affected me deeply. Eventually, I realized I didn’t enjoy working for others or being told what and how to do it. I wanted my work to have deep meaning, but it had more of a factory feel.
On top of that, I wanted to grow professionally and pay back my six-figure student loans quickly. I did the mental math based on my entry-level salary plus my PRN weekend pay, and I realized something had to change. I didn’t want to feel like an indentured servant and wanted higher compensation, more professional autonomy, and to express myself creatively, but I needed to figure out where to start.
I felt lost.
Something had to change.
Boy, did they change, alright?
Less than one year into becoming a board-certified therapist, I chose to delve into entrepreneurship without knowing what I was doing. The next decade-plus turned into the most challenging and rewarding time of my early life.
I humbly invite you to read next month’s blog to learn more about my initial failures, for which I am forever grateful, and I hope it helps you in some way.