Kevin Rempel

Life was normal, until one day while deer hunting, Gerry fell from his tree stand when the branch gave way beneath him. The accident left him a complete paraplegic, and Kevin vividly recalls Gerry saying, “I’ve been climbing trees for nearly 40 years. I never thought it would happen to me.”

He was driven to prove himself, so he ignored his inner voice, knowing deep down he wasn’t ready to ride. As a result, on his very first jump, Kevin crashed and became an incomplete paraplegic. Pushing himself to perform cost Kevin everything.

While Gerry mentally struggled to accept his new reality, Kevin decided to take ownership of his decision and respond with a positive attitude. Unlike his father, Kevin hadn’t fully severed his spinal cord and had a chance to walk again, but walking or not, the real battle was internal.

A year later, Kevin found himself in that same darkness, battling suicidal thoughts and a Percocet addiction. With support and a decision to keep going, he spent months fighting his way out of depression.

After losing his father, facing paralysis, and climbing out of depression, the journey came full circle as he helped the team earn gold at the 2013 World Championships and bronze at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.

Post-Olympic depression set in, forcing him to confront himself all over again. A few years later, he met David Neagle, who introduced him to a deeper understanding of how the mind works and the role ego plays in our lives and decision-making. That encounter sparked what would become Kevin’s magnificent obsession: understanding the ego.

The quiet certainty before his dad’s fall. The pressure to prove himself on the bike. The drive to the Paralympic podium and the internal battles that followed. What once felt like separate moments now started to connect, and for the first time, Kevin could see how ego had been influencing him all along. After years of reflection and healing, Kevin began helping others recognize how these same patterns show up in their own lives.

Three questions to help people make better decisions in high-stakes moments: Check your Excuses, Gut, and Options. Kevin’s mission is simple: help people understand their ego so they can use it without being controlled by it. Because the same force that takes you to the top will just as quickly convince you to step right off the edge.