Throughout my life, my mom has been the person that I've always looked up to.

The person who has inspired me my whole life is my Mom, because she taught me commitment. She sacrificed.

In high school, in sport, I had a coach who told me I was much better than I thought I was, and would make me do more in a positive sense. He was the first person who taught me not to be afraid of failure.

I had a really bad temper, when I was growing up. Sport helped me channel that temper into more positive acts.

I have a rule on my team: when we talk to one another, we look each other right in the eye, because I think it's tough to lie to somebody. You give respect to somebody.

I've been so fortunate in my life that my family has never been jealous of my success. They have shown true love and commitment to me by being supportive. They shared in it.

The thing I loved the most - and still love the most about teaching - is that you can connect with an individual or a group, and see that individual or group exceed their limits.

I think some parents now look at a youngster failing as the final thing. It's a process, and failure is part of the process. I would like it if the teacher and the parents would connect more. I think that used to be, but we're losing a little bit of that right now.

My ambition in high school was to be a high school coach and teacher, and that's still what I do: teach.

The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.