Robert “Rocky” Detwiler enjoyed a healthy portfolio, which afforded him luxury cars, RVs, motorcycles, snowmobiles, vacation homes and international travel. He cherished his loving wife and active spiritual community. Rocky was living the American Dream. Then, in one swift moment, everything vanished, brutally lost after unknowingly investing in a friend of 18 years’ multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme, one of the largest in Arizona history.
Piece by piece his life unraveled. He lost everything. His friends and family suffered also as they lost hundreds of thousands in the bogus investment. Next, his marriage crumbled under the tremendous financial and emotional burden. In the subsequent years, Rocky slipped into deep depression. He was consumed with hurt, an extreme sense of loss, loneliness, regret, betrayal, and there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel as every business venture he attempted failed. His dreams were crushed completely in a resounding blow as he hopelessly struggled to survive each day. Constant apathy brought about poor choices in nutrition and exercise. Broken, overweight and living alone on the edge of poverty, Rocky contemplated ending his life.
Rocky searched within himself and discovered a strong spiritual anchor that helped him choose to fight for life. With no place to live, Rocky took up residence in his brother’s tree house for a year. With no insulation and no indoor plumbing, the elevated house was unbearable during the bitter cold of winter.
Rocky is a fighter. He began his fight by picturing a life of abundance, defining his ideal life down to the smallest detail. He surrounded himself with images and power-word messages that brought inspiration. He used phrases and words like “Never Give Up”, “Just Believe”, “Strength to Overcome”, “Courage to Persevere”, and “Give It Everything.” With these affirmations fueling his motivation, he clawed his way upward and forward.
Over the course of the next two years, the abundant life he pictured in his mind blossomed into reality. First, he took back his health and fitness. Rocky enlisted the help of a trainer who developed a diet and training plan. Rocky followed this roadmap to sculpt his dream physique. Then, he transformed his depression into a life of gratitude; humility and a genuine interest in helping others find their own way forward. Finally, the woman he spoke, wrote, dreamed, prayed and believed he would spend the rest of his life with found her way to him. Rocky and Cheryl were married in September 2015.
In March 2011, Rocky’s transformation story was featured on Bodybuilding.com, becoming the most viewed story in its category and catapulting him to a viral success. Overnight, Rocky was flooded with emails from people who found hope and encouragement in his story and his innovative use of power phrases to energize his climb from tree house to triumph.
With this rush of requests for help, Rocky founded Samson LIFE and Samson Wear, inspirational companies that use the proven power of words to help catapult people to positive, life-long change. Samson Wear places motivating words and phrases on athletic apparel to boost attitude and achievement. Samson LIFE offers a transformational program, training, coaching/mentoring, and workshops. This life-transforming journey results from mind mastery, daily habits, a positive attitude and the stirring power of words.