Fred Zirkle : Living a purposeful life

Today I'm excited to share a conversation with Fred Zirkle - a man whose life story reads like an adventure novel.

Fred has lived in 13 states and two countries, raised a family, and built successful businesses. But his journey to where he is today wasn't conventional. After playing college football at Duke and being drafted by the New York Jets as "Mr. Irrelevant" - the very last pick in the NFL draft - Fred chose a different path. Instead of pursuing professional football, he dove into the business world, helping grow Keytronics from six employees to 1,500, and later founding Industry Pros, where he's spent nearly 40 years helping companies navigate mergers and acquisitions.

But Fred's most transformative journey began at age 31 when he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What started as a simple call about food storage turned into a complete life change. Since then, he's served a mission with his late wife Sherry, worked in the temple, and found profound meaning in service - from giving priesthood blessings to teaching Pathway students in Uganda.

Today, at 90 years old with 19 grandchildren, Fred has written a book about living a purposeful life and continues to find joy in each new day. In our conversation, we explore his business success, his spiritual journey, and the wisdom he's gained from never wasting a trial.

So let's dive into my conversation with Fred Zirkle.