In this episode of Cracking the Success Vault, Sean Penhale sits down with Gideon Hesman, firefighter, athlete, and founder of Hesman Athletics, to talk about resilience, setbacks, and turning passion into purpose.

From earning a football scholarship and dreaming of the pros to suffering career-ending injuries, Gideon’s journey is about reinvention. He took the discipline of competitive sports and rebuilt himself through CrossFit — eventually opening his own gym to help others reach their full potential.

🔑 In this episode
• Growing up in LaSalle in a big, faith-driven, sporty family with immigrant values of hard work
• Football dreams and how injuries (hip & shattered wrist) changed everything
• How volunteering 200 hours at a CrossFit gym built his foundation in fitness
• Breaking into firefighting while gaining exposure to small business operations
• Why he walked away from comfort to create something of his own
• Building Hesman Athletics from the ground up — literally insulating and constructing the facility by hand
• The struggles of starting a gym: cash flow, exposure, and carving out a niche
• What makes Hesman Athletics different: small, personalized classes and a true community feel

⏱️ Timestamps
00:01 – Growing up in LaSalle & family background
01:32 – Football scholarship & career-ending hip injury
04:23 – Wrist injury setback & missed opportunities
09:20 – Redirecting into CrossFit & early volunteering
13:36 – Firefighting career & business exposure
23:56 – Motivation for entrepreneurship & gym ownership
27:30 – Building out Hesman Athletics from scratch
44:11 – Gym ethos & invitation to join

👉 Learn more:
https://spectrefinancial.ca

https://spectregroup.ca