Kevin Saum: Redefining Toughness

How do you define toughness? What characters, images, and stories come to mind when you think of displays of toughness? 

As athletes, we grow up thinking toughness is never letting anything get in our way of winning. It is playing injured. It is showing up early, outworking everyone, and leaving last. It is doing anything and everything necessary to be as  best prepared come game day...and then some. 

The toughest are feared by their opponents, respected by their teammates, legends to their coaches, and adored by the fans.

At 17, Kevin Saum was the epitome of tough. Groomed and influenced by the external validation and outcome oriented ideal of what toughness is to an athlete, he would give everything to earn this label.

He did just that. And it almost killed him.

After suffering a traumatic brain injury that nearly cost him his life, Kevin found himself in an entirely new fight: Who am I if I am not Kevin the toughest football player around?

Kevin is one of the lucky few who survived second-impact syndrome, but his identity as a hard-nose, tough player died the night he was airlifted off the field to fight for survival.

What transpired next in Kevin's life is a story of rediscovery through struggle,  how he learned to redefine what toughness truly is, and how he serves others to inspire courageous action that could very well save aspiring athlete's lives. 

Kevin is a true inspiration, a beautiful human, and one damn tough dude.

You can listen to his podcast Heads N Tales on all podcast platforms, find him on LinkedIn, and visit his website http://www.headsntales.org/.