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Justin Brown was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at 12, and for years he found ways to keep going anyway — ski life in Utah, cooking professionally, staying physically active. Then around 2005 his body stopped cooperating in ways that couldn't be pushed through. A bowel resection changed the baseline. Some of what he'd assumed about himself didn't come back.
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In this conversation, Justin talks about the slow process of understanding what his body could and couldn't do — not as a limitation on who he was, but as information he had to work with. He's the founder and CEO of Rhino Skin Solutions, a company built around durability and staying in the game longer. It's hard not to notice how directly that philosophy tracks back to his own story. Want to check out the promo pack for Rhino Skin? Justin shared this great offer for our audience! https://rhinoskinsolutions.com/products/podcast-starter-pack
The conversation covers: the year things broke down before surgery; what "identity" actually means when it's not tethered to a condition or a sport; the craftsman approach to illness, work, and incremental improvement; how Jiu Jitsu gave him a kind of community that cooking never quite did; and what he says when someone asks if it's going to get better. Join the Things Go Sideways Substack!
HIGHLIGHTS
00:04 — KiKi sets the episode premise and introduces Justin
01:15 — Justin describes the body breaking down: two good hours a day
03:58 — Self-discovery before surgery; the physical paths that closed off
06:17 — Being diagnosed at 12 and what it did to his sense of self
08:32 — Justin explains what Crohn's disease is and how it works
10:24 — The cultural story about strength, and when it stopped fitting
11:04 — The craftsman philosophy: illness, cooking, Rhino, all one approach
13:25 — Why identity shouldn't be tethered to a condition or an object
15:37 — Wondering if disability was the path; what pointed him toward Rhino
22:09 — Two pieces of family wisdom he still carries
24:07 — His annual resolution: no complaining without a solution
25:30 — Jiu Jitsu and the kind of community that earns your trust
29:53 — The honest answer: it's not going to get better for everybody
31:26 — What passion looks like today: family, Rhino, incremental improvement
Resources
Rhino Skin Solutions: https://rhinoskinsolutions.com/
Podcast Starter Pack — Rhino Skin Solutions: https://rhinoskinsolutions.com/products/podcast-starter-pack
Justin Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-brown-772717105/
Things Go Sideways Podcast
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About the Things Go Sideways Podcast
When life or leadership goes sideways, the story's just getting interesting.
Things Go Sideways with KiKi L'Italien features honest conversations with leaders, creators, and changemakers navigating disruption, uncertainty, and identity shifts. Each episode explores trust, resilience, and what it means to stay human when certainty breaks down.
New episodes share real stories about rebuilding agency and meaning without rushing to quick-fixes, spiritual bypassing, or pretending clarity comes easy.
