Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Dimoh.
Patrick, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hi!
When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, I only knew possibilities to be what I saw and experienced within my neighborhood. Things like a lack of resources, a small, low-income apartment, and a harsh environment limited my understanding. Of the world. Of Life. Of the fact that many things could be achieved, although not guaranteed, if the mind was able to dream and the body chose to pursue.
I’ve always been interested in people: how they live their lives, navigate challenges, and what contributes to their success. This began with my parents (one an immigrant, and the other a law student who worked multiple jobs while raising twins) and my environment (the good, bad, and ugly), and expanded through my experiences in college (as a student and athlete), the military, the corporate world, in service to others in community programs, and through lessons and successes. I enjoyed seeing people live, and wanted to play a part in them doing so.
Originally, the foundation of Pursuits & Playlists was built around my love for fitness. There was a time when I was working out multiple times a day, and I thought to myself, “Why not help others with fitness?” My niche was helping people with fitness, but also working out with them and creating playlists. This was fun and eye-opening as I met several individuals who wanted someone to work out with, and we made strides towards their goals. However, I also noticed that we would meet for 2-3 hours a week and make progress, but then they would be subjected to more hours of negative things in their life that would make progress impossible. I realized that I needed more knowledge to be more effective in coaching, that I needed to find a way to make a bigger impact for my clients, and that I wanted to expand past helping clients with fitness. So, I dove into community work, went back to school to get my personal training and Life coaching certifications, and expanded my scope of how I would help others.
The name Pursuits & Playlists was a play on Kanye West’s (don’t kill me) album 808s & Heartbreaks, which he essentially created an album around the sad things in his life, over 808 beats. Similarly, I wanted a company name that would embody helping others. “Pursuits” represents a goal, dream, or passion a person has, while “Playlists” represents the resources, motivation, and support to help them along the way.
Today, Pursuits and Playlists exists as a coaching service that is focused on helping others with their goals (mainly in fitness and wellness) and providing coaching for habit development, self-improvement, and mindset change. There are different pathways for supporting clients, from the youth to the working professional or mom, or providing resources to motivate and inspire.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been a windy one, with routes that have led back to the beginning lol.
I think with a small business, there are going to be times of instability, shifts in focus areas, and roadblocks that will cause a business to alter its path.
Some of the struggles have included: 1. narrowing the scope and focus of what I actually do and the impact I want to truly make, 2. getting people to see the value in my service (especially in the social media era, where everyone claims to do similar services, and finding a balance in passion and life balance. The good idea fairy is always near, and so is the doubt monster.
Another major struggle has been knowledge and understanding of what I need to do from a business perspective. You don’t know what you don’t know, and time and repetition create opportunities to stumble and ultimately grow. As long as you keep going, knowing that the stumbles and challenges are part of the process.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Great question! I get asked this a lot, and it’s because people see me do a lot of things. I tell them it’s the New York in me, which I learned from my parents and growing up in Queens in Brooklyn.
I work full-time as a recruiter for an organization within the private sector. When I am not doing this, I am fulfilling my duties as an Army Reserve officer, coaching/mentoring with Pursuits and Playlists, or with a local non-profit organization. I am known as a hustler, haha. Always working on something or making moves!
I have a lot of things that I am proud of, but the two (I know you asked for one) I am most proud of were (1) becoming a Marine Officer and leading Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, and (2) being a mentor to disadvantaged youth within a local Utah organization/community. These two accomplishments will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Becoming a Marine Officer at the age of 24 and leading 65+ Marines is an opportunity not many achieve (0.006%), and being entrusted with their safety, in peace and in conflict, and upbringing was sacred. I wish I could put into words how much this positively affected me and my life’s trajectory, from professional success to personal growth.
Becoming a mentor to disadvantaged youth was special in that it allowed me to help a population that I came from and provide them with access to information and resources that I didn’t have. As mentioned earlier, this was a contributing reason to starting Pursuits and Playlists. Seeing them grow and succeed really solidified and confirmed the importance of the service I provide. And not just to this population, but also to those in need of support to pursue growth and progress in areas important to them.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Oh, this is a great question, and that is because I don’t think there is a “one size fits all” quality. It depends on the person, situation, and goal. However, if I had to choose one, it would have to boil down to either curiosity or vulnerability.
Curiosity in the sense of what is possible and what can be achieved. Not being willing to stay in the “box” of what others want them to do, what is currently their environment or situation, or limited to what can be achieved.
Vulnerable in the sense of being okay to fail and learn, be wrong and make changes, or not know everything, but willing to take advice, and to be scared but still try.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pursuitsandplaylists.com
- Instagram: @pursuitsandplaylists
