“I can’t remember how I came across JCD’s webpage, but I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of him earlier. I downloaded his free manual, Look Great Naked, and was pleased with the clean and crisp information inside. It was reason enough for me to bookmark his website and do the usual social media stalking.

After a few months of reading his content, he became one of those people I referenced to others that spouted broscience. JCD puts out great information, there’s no denying it. But what captivated me most wasn’t anything that can be found on his website. It was him, as a person. Let me tell you how.

The internet is a funny place. It’s easy for people to push products and worry about the flow of dollar bills on their PayPal account. But JCD is the opposite. He’s one of those special guys that care about how many lives, not wallets, he touches.

You see, I run my own blog. I was contemplating a total website redesign, and it just so happened that JCD was tweeting about one of his newest design projects. I was hesitant to contact him, because I dealt with bigger companies before and I was dissatisfied with the process. But I went ahead and shot him a tweet.

JCD replied quickly. This alone is amazing considering most people rarely @ reply to ‘nobodies.’ Shortly after, we began a lengthy e-mail conversation. As I said, my previous dealing with bigger companies always left a sour taste in my mouth. It was too robotic. But with JCD, it was different. I can confirm this by telling you that not many companies will tolerate an e-mail exchange consisting of thirty-six replies before accepting any form of payment. He spent a lot of time just talking to me to see what I wanted, and I can’t thank him enough for it.

The process was concluding and we agreed on a payment amount. Things were looking good, and I was happy to be doing business with someone like JCD as opposed to a bigger company. We were down to the last details – one e-mail away from collaborating. But that week, I received a letter in the mail from my school notifying me that I had been furloughed. A few days later, I feared that I re-broke my foot during an Ultimate Frisbee game. I was hesitant to e-mail JCD because I had been so close to promising him my business. I was afraid to tell him that I no longer wanted to go through with the website redesign considering my upcoming financial situation and personal struggles.

He e-mailed me a few days later to check in since I hadn’t gotten back to him. I knew I had to face it eventually, so I wrote him an apology letter. I knew that backing down after being so close to a deal would be a killer, and that he would probably hate me. After all, I basically waved a paycheck in his face and retracted it right as he was going to take it from my hand.

I was sad when I sent the e-mail because I knew I had just befriended one of the most quality guys in the fitness industry. But I’ll never forget JCD’s reply. He wasn’t mad. He wasn’t disrespectful. He had no harsh words for me. Instead, he thanked me. If that wasn’t enough, he offered to help me get some free themes for my website. And he followed that by saying this: ‘…let me know if you need something (even someone to whine to).’

Here’s a guy that just got screwed out of a paycheck, willing to not only keep contact with me, but also talk with me if I was having trouble dealing with the current stressors in my life.

But after you read JCD’s Story, it makes sense. He knows what rough patches are like. Instead of treating me like a customer, he treated me like a person. No, I take that back.

He treated me like a friend.

JCD is one of the top providers of no bull shit fitness information. But after you go through something like this, you realize that sometimes it’s more than creating good blog posts. It’s about appreciating your following and treating them with the highest respect. That’s something that JCD surely does, and is reason enough for me to admire him.

What more could you want?”