Hi, I’m Joel. My story began in 1991 in Miami, FL, specifically in Little Havana. My parents, being new to the United States, tried to make the best of our situation. However, opportunities often felt out of reach, and it seemed like the odds were stacked against me. I struggled with being overweight and faced a learning disability. I was told that I wouldn’t make it to college, and for a long time, I believed that limiting narrative. Throughout my journey, I nurtured resilience within myself. I embraced discipline, curiosity, and the conviction that I could rewrite my own path, no matter how challenging it appeared. This is how I am rebuilding myself while building my dreams.
One thing I was taught is to take ownership of your work. If you were going to do something, give it your best; if not, don’t do it at all. I attempted to elevate myself from special education, only to affirm the reverberation echoes of lies of inadequacy. If it were not for moving and graduating from high school in Tennessee, enrolling in post-secondary education would have been difficult.
After solving my class ranking by using basic arithmetic, I felt blindsided by what I learned from my findings.
((472-437)/472)*100 = 7.4%I ranked in the bottom 7.4th percentile in my 2009 graduating class.
After failing remedial math and English at Nashville Community College, the messages from my youth felt amplified. Through my 20s, resilience stopped being something I admired in others and became the thing I built in myself. I learned to lean into discipline, curiosity, and the belief that I could rewrite my own path, no matter how difficult it looked. The paradigm shift that led me to where I am, and going, was when I questioned…
“God gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
I began to introspect on how I thought, the effect of unconsciousness on habits, understanding in structured and organized patterns, the processes of knowledge, and the prescriptive action of wisdom. In 2020, I enrolled at Tallahassee Community College and graduated with an Entrepreneurial certificate and an associate degree with honors.
Change starts with a single belief in an idea that grows into new thoughts, fuels feelings, builds a plan, and becomes a daily habit. With discipline, those habits reshape your life…until real, lasting change becomes who you are.
– Joel Dotel
During this time, I transformed my body from 246 lbs to 159 lbs and completely changed how I approached life. That journey taught me that belief and discipline can rewrite life stories. Now, I’m a student at Florida State University majoring in management information systems and the founder of UPPED Biovance Labs LLC, where I’m building a company focused on personalized, science-backed supplements to help people rewrite their own stories, just as I did with my own.
My goal isn’t just to share my journey, but to teach the fitness and health principles that helped me transform so you can use them to reach your own goals too. I’ll be breaking down what I learn along the way, from workout routines and nutrition habits to mindset and recovery. This isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being real. If my story can help even one person take back control of their health and future, then every word will be worth it.
