Brian Shuman has been a member of CBE since 2010 and has been an invaluable volunteer leader for our previous and upcoming CBE Fun(d) Run on May 19. Brian has a great passion for running, waking up every day at 4:30 AM to run before he starts the day. He has also been involved in volunteer projects at CBE such as the CBE Respite Bed Shelter.
Brian Shuman
CBE Member
Photographed and Interviewed by Nate Jaffe, Communications Associate
“I’m motivated by runners, and my family. I feel generally motivated toward certain things and I don’t feel the need to access some source or something about it. I just want to get up really early and run hard and get better at it.” – Brian
Nate: Where are you from? If not, NYC, how did you get here?
Brian: Greensboro, North Carolina. I moved to New York in 1996 to be a musician. But now I do IT work for a financial company.
Nate: Who inspires you? Someone you look up to?
Brian: LeBron James. I admire him because he’s been famous since he was about 14, and there’s a lot of pitfalls in that level of fame and he manages to dodge them all and get better and better at what he does. I think he’s amazing, and I love basketball. I love how good he is at it, how committed he is to getting better, and his work in the larger community. I think he’s heroic.
Nate: What in your life are you most proud of?
Brian: My kids.
Nate: Describe a past experience, from any point in your life, that defined or impacted who you are today.
Brian: Mostly mistakes and failures have been instructive to me, whether professionally, personally, artistically, romantically. There are always learning opportunities and chances to say “what can I do differently and what can I do better?” And now I have a job, a lovely wife, and I run faster every year than I did the last year.
Nate: If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive who would it be and why?
Brian: Otis Redding.
Nate: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Brian: When I was a teenager, my grandfather once said “don’t forget to learn how to learn.” That continues to resonate with me.
Nate: Where do you usually go when you have time off?
Brian: My piano. I get up at about 4:30 every day so I can get running in and still be available for my family before 7, and I tend to get tired before the end of the day, but I try to devote as much time as possible to playing the piano. I’ve been playing for 38 years. I took lessons as a kid, I wanted to quit and my parents wouldn’t let me and said “you’ll thank us later.” And they were right.
Nate: Where in the world have you never been to but have always wanted to visit?
Brian: Italy, Vietnam, and South Africa.
Nate: What motivates you?
Brian: Runners, my family. I feel generally motivated toward certain things and I don’t feel the need to kind of access some source or something about it. I just want to get up really early and run hard and get better at it.
Nate: What is your favorite quote or mantra?
Brian: The hardest part is the part that counts the most.
Support Brian in the upcoming CBE Fun(d) Run!
Join or donate to Brian’s team for the CBE Fun(d) Run on May 19!
Click here to donate.