On the 11th episode of PNW Mike Check, Mike Connolly sits down with former NFL player and current Windermere Kirkland broker, John Fiala.

One of our favorite aspects of our podcast is learning how our guests came into their current career. In John’s case, he had a one-of-a-kind experience before he joined our team. He attended the University of Washington where he played football with the Huskies (Go Huskies!!) and became a senior captain and starter. His hard work led him to get drafted by the Miami Dolphins, and eventually he ended up playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Football took John all over the country and the world, where he learned a lot of great life lessons, discipline, and met incredible people along the way. However, after six years John did a 180 on his life and became a stay-at-home-dad. This time he had with his children and family is something John looks back fondly on. 

If anyone has met John they know he is disciplined in all he does, so we wanted to find out how he developed such good habits. Growing up with a family orchard and ranch gave John the stepping stones to learn the value of hard work from a young age. He then carried this mentality over through college, where he actually turned down a scholarship to USC to walk on to the football team at The University of Washington. John knew he wanted to stay in the PNW and knew this is where he was meant to be, and his conviction and discipline helped catapult him to the next level. John has managed to maintain these qualities throughout his life, now as a high school football coach and as a real estate agent. 

When John joined Windermere Kirkland, the market was at a polar opposite of what it is today. When asked what is the same, he said “Client care. You have to make sure you are always taking care of your clients. It’s going to be a little different in different situations compared to 10 years ago compared to now. But at the end of the day if you are taking the best care of them and looking out for their best interest that’s going to carry over to any market.”

Among John’s many accomplishments, he is also dedicated to helping others. Back in 2004, his five friends from college decided to get together to raise money for the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, a cause that was important to them. This was the start of the Madhouse Project, which ran for 10 years and raised about 1.2 million dollars for cancer research. 

To learn more about John’s story and hear his advice watch our podcast below or listen on Apple , Spotify or Amazon!