Bethel Fall-2017-Magazine

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Fall 2017
The idea behind the business came
when Galvan worked for Major
League Soccer as an international
recruiter for players from Central
America, South America and Europe.
He noticed a variance in their
performance, despite being in top
physical condition.
“That’s how I started developing Six
Pack Mental in 2011. I developed
a training program … I realized
that if I really wanted to make a
difference, I had to read and study,
so I started devouring books on high
performance, psychology, nutrition …
I was constantly learning and trying
new things. I developed the system,
started applying the concepts.”
Since then, he has worked with and
advised internationally renowned
teams like the Mexican National
Team, Real Madrid University, Major
League Soccer and U.S. Soccer. He’s
also worked with players and coaches
who have participated in a FIFA
World Cup, Champions League, La
Liga, LigaMX, MLS, NASL and college
and youth academies.
BEHIND THE
BUSINESS
“At Bethel I was very quiet and shy. I was
afraid to speak to people,” says Galvan, originally
from Mexico. He would have never guessed his
career would lead him to public speaking.
He studied information technology (IT) at
Bethel, but his passion was for soccer. Galvan
played with current Head Coach Thiago Pinto
’05, ’07, and was greatly influenced by then
coach Pablo Rodriguez ’99, ’02, who helped
develop him as a soccer player.
After graduation, he played semi-professional
soccer in England, with hopes of becoming a
professional player, but eventually landed a job
in IT.
“To be honest, I wasn’t in love with that,” he
says. “I decided to do what I love and am good
at – I wanted to serve.”
So, at the age of 25, he went to Spain to
pursue the MBA sports program at Real Madrid
University. Through a trip to New York with the
university, to see how professional teams in the
United States are run, Galvan was introduced to
Major League Soccer.
He made the bold move
to ask for an interview and
landed an internship in New
York City, earning just $500
a month.
“I rented a bed for [about]
$300 a month and used the
rest of the money to buy
food – I didn’t even have
enough money to buy [Major League Soccer]
shirts,” he says.
Though it was a tough time financially, it paid
off when the league offered him a full-time job
that launched his career. With Major League
Soccer, Galvan traveled internationally and
planned large-scale events. He even helped
organize the first Pan-Pacific Championship
in Hawaii, which included a special event for
soccer celebrity David Beckham. And it was
his idea to recruit international players for the
league that led to his training business.
“I noticed their performance was going up
and down. I noticed that though they were
doing well physically, they were still struggling,”
Galvan says. “So, I tried training them mentally,”
he says.
His first client was a player from Serbia (Veljko
Paunovic), who is now the coach of the Chicago
Fire. Since then, he’s worked with clients ranging
from professional soccer players and coaches to
college, high school and club teams.
One concept Galvan uses in training is to
grow one percent better each day. “One percent
is the difference between winning and losing.
One percent is the difference that only one
percent are willing to do!” he says.
In the future, Galvan hopes to use his
knowledge gained from working with the
world of soccer and apply it to the business
world, offering mental performance training to
entrepreneurs and businesses.
“The most rewarding thing is that most
people tell me it’s impossible … there are all of
these obstacles … when people say they can’t do
it, I say, people told me the same thing, but I did
it. If I can do it, you can do it.”
“One percent is the difference
betweenwinning and losing. One
percent is the difference that only
one percent arewilling to do!”
BOTTOM LEFT: GALVAN, WHO TRAINED BETHEL COACH THIAGO PINTO IN MENTAL PERFORMANCE, RETURNED TO CAMPUS
AUG. 14 TO KICK OFF A ONE-MONTH, ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAM WITH THE MEN’S SOCCER TEAM. BOTTOM RIGHT :
GALVAN RECENTLY GAVE A TEDX TALK IN PUEBLA, MEXICO, ABOUT GIVING HIS DREAMS A SECOND CHANCE.
ABOVE: GALVAN IS PICTURED AT RED BULL
ARENA WITH COACH RAFA PUENTE, MANAGER OF
LOBOS BUAP, A 1ST DIVISION MEXICAN SOCCER
CLUB LOCATED IN PUEBLA, MEXICO.