Gregg Sheldon - From Burnouts to Breaking Through A Journey of Purpose 

As a young boy, the roar of his father's Corvette doing a burnout ignited a passion that would shape his entire life. That moment crystallized what would become a lifelong love affair with automobiles and speed - what he affectionately calls "wide-open throttle therapy." But the path to finding his true calling would take several unexpected turns.

While his childhood dreams oscillated between becoming a race car driver, police officer, and doctor, the common thread was always a desire to serve others. This fundamental drive to make a difference led him first through a career in social work, armed with a psychology degree and a commitment to helping others advance in life. The pivotal moment came during a school meeting while working as an intensive case worker.

There, he encountered an auto shop teacher and experienced what he describes as his "true aha moment." In that instant, everything clicked - his love for cars, his passion for teaching, and his desire to help others could all converge into one purpose. "I could think of nothing but how to attain that for myself," he recalls. Though it took a year to make the leap, this realization led him to quit his job and enroll in automotive tech school.

The journey wasn't straightforward - from dealerships to independent repair facilities, each experience shaped his understanding of both what to do and what not to do as an educator.

Today, as the founder of AutoShop Vocational, he's created something unique in the industry - a program that combines technical expertise with life coaching, drawing on his distinctive background in both social work and automotive technology. "I challenge anyone to find someone else who has worked in both fields," he says with pride, offering a hundred-dollar bill to anyone who can.