Jimmy “Coach Boh” Turpin has been coaching and mentoring youth, young adults, and professionals for over 15 years. During his life, Coach Boh has inspired and guided many lives of young people as well as adults to reach their full potential. His “no more excuses” approach to achieving goals and excelling in life is the driving force behind his ability to have such an incredibly positive impact on his personal, professional life as well as in his community.  Coach Boh’s passion is fueled by witnessing people overcoming their fears and rewriting the script of their life to become the future leaders they were destined to become.

Humble Beginnings Shaping the Man You See Today…

Born and raised in Harlem, New York until the age of 16, Coach Boh was raised by his single mom determined to provide the best life for him and his sister.   His mom worked two jobs and her time away from home working two jobs as well as running an Avon business left Coach Boh with a lot of time on his hands.  He spent most of his time playing basketball, running the streets with his “crew” and skirting with enough trouble to alert his mom to make a hard decision to relocate Coach Boh to Richmond, Virginia to avoid an all too familiar path down the dark roads of the streets.  

Coach Boh started his new life in Richmond with his grandmother and father hoping to leave the temptations of New York’s street for a better more focused life.  However, he soon learned that Richmond offered the same trouble, just in a different location.   Coach Boh’s father’s love for the “street life” soon rubbed off on a young teen struggling to become the man his mom hoped he would become.  Although Coach Boh had several run-ins with the law, he managed to become one of the few teens to escape the judicial system and avoid becoming a system statistic.
 

A strong desire and commitment to finishing school and playing college basketball are what saved Coach Boh from heading down a spiraling path.  Coach Boh also had another new reason to choose a different life, which was becoming a teenage father.  He could no longer afford to make risky decisions because he had the responsibility of taking care of another human being, who depended on him.  This new role as a father forced Coach Boh to grow up fast and make better choices.  His acceptance to Virginia State University provided the fresh start he needed to create a new path with new goals and new opportunities for him and his family.   Adapting to the academic demands of college was a struggle, but Coach Boh was determined to finish what he started and quickly learned the importance of setting priorities and staying focused on his school work.  His hard work earned him three student athletic awards, and Coach Boh’s ability to combine his street smarts with his academic knowledge earned him the nickname, "The Intelligent Hoodlum."

After graduating from Virginia State University, Coach Boh moved back to New York City, and he embarked on a new path of self-discovery.  He felt a strong desire to read as many books as he could read to help him become clear about his purpose.  He read "Message to the Blackman in America" by Elijah Muhammad, "Malcolm X" and books written by  Les Brown, Earl Nightingale, as well as Jim Rohn.  Although these amazing authors were a major influence in Coach Boh’s life, his greatest influence came from his parents.  Coach Boh states, "My mom taught me what to do, and my dad taught me what not to do, there are learning opportunities from both sides of the track."

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