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From Gridiron to Greatness: Speedy Sheppard Empowers Communities with The Speedy Tribe

From Gridiron to Greatness: Speedy Sheppard Empowers Communities with The Speedy Tribe

Globe and Mail21-05-2025

Passaic, NJ - Bryan C. Sheppard Jr., better known as Speedy Sheppard, is a motivational speaker, life coach, and community leader whose story of resilience, heartbreak, and personal transformation has inspired thousands. As founder of The Speedy Tribe, Sheppard is committed to helping individuals overcome adversity and live purpose-driven lives.
Who Is Speedy Sheppard?
Born and raised in the Aspen Place Projects of Passaic, NJ, Sheppard faced tremendous early-life challenges, including homelessness and the loss of two siblings. Football became his outlet, and by age 7, he was deeply in love with the game. From 2009 to 2012, he played for Passaic High School, where he captained both the football and track teams.
His leadership earned him the school's first-ever 'Coaches Award,' a pivotal moment that propelled him to play sprint football and track at Post University (2013–2016). He graduated in 2017 with a B.S. in Sport Management, achieving Dean's List honors. In 2019, he played semi-pro for the New York Bears, which led to an international opportunity in Iceland before retiring in 2020 after 16 years in the sport.
The Birth of a Brand
Tragedy struck again during college, with the loss of his brother in 2014 and sister in 2017. These events led to deep reflection and sparked a realization—his life's purpose extended beyond football. In 2017, he recorded his first motivational YouTube video using an iPhone 6s, marking the birth of The Speedy Tribe.
His authentic voice quickly gained traction. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his TikTok video 'Everybody Wanna Party But Nobody Wanna Clean Up' went viral, amassing over 1 million views and 90,000+ new followers.
What Is The Speedy Tribe?
The Speedy Tribe is a motivational platform and community offering:
Inspirational Content: Daily videos across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok (5M+ views).
Podcast: Honest conversations about self-growth and mental health.
Coaching & Mentorship: Sessions to help people break cycles and find purpose.
Community Engagement: A supportive network for healing and accountability.
Giving Back
Sheppard coaches football and track at Passaic High School and serves as the school's Restorative Justice Coach, leading peace circles and wellness checks.
Speaking Engagements
Sheppard has partnered with organizations like FoundCare Inc., Passaic NAACP, Oswego State University, and Benjamin Franklin Middle School.
Connect with Speedy Sheppard
Instagram: @thespeedytribe
LinkedIn: Speedy Sheppard
YouTube/SoundCloud: The Speedy Tribe
Podcast: The Brutal Truth About Why You Struggle to Change Your Circumstances
About The Speedy Tribe
Founded in 2017, The Speedy Tribe inspires personal growth and community healing through content, coaching, and public speaking.

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Did 'bean mouth' really kill Pixar's Elio at the box office?
Did 'bean mouth' really kill Pixar's Elio at the box office?

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Did 'bean mouth' really kill Pixar's Elio at the box office?

Social Sharing Why did Pixar's Elio put up the worst numbers in the studio's history in its opening weekend? The reasons professionals give for the sci-fi family movie's paltry $35 million US global box-office earning vary. But if you ask the internet, there's a far simpler issue at play. "Nobody wants the bean mouth style of character design," wrote one reader when commenting on a post-mortem of Elio 's bombing by the website Cartoon Brew. "It feels lazy, overused, and unoriginal." "The 3D CalArts 'bean mouth' style also just put a lot of people off," read a post on a Reddit thread about Elio 's failure. "Doesn't matter how good the story is, many people hate that animation style." The bean-mouth criticism is an opinion about Elio that's echoed across virtually every platform that allows comments: a one-to-one connection between character design and the audience's decision to stay home. 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