Built In Motion
Failure is not an option. It is erased before it can even take shape.
From a working-class neighborhood in Connecticut, Castor Cooper grows up inside pressure that never lets up. Divorce, chaos, conflict, and survival become background noise. In that environment, family is not just structure. It is armor.
That armor is tested early.
He enters the family business young, working under his father in the automotive world. Fired. Rehired. Fired again. Every exit becomes another return to the same battlefield, where the roles of father, boss, and mentor collide with no separation between them.
Then everything breaks at once.
March 2020 does not just change the world. It takes his boss, his mentor, and his father in a single collapse. At 21, he is forced to step into a multi-million dollar operation with no roadmap and no safety net. Grief becomes responsibility. Responsibility becomes leadership.
The weight does not stop there.
Thirteen locations. Hundreds of moving parts. A business that only survives if accountability holds at every level. He builds systems where customer experience is not a department, but the entire culture. A handshake, a phone call, a smile becomes the real metric of success.
Every expansion carries the same principle. Grow. Adapt. Take care of people.
What begins as a family shop becomes a multi-location automotive group built on discipline, presence, and obsession with service. Behind it all is one belief that never changes. If the people around you are thriving, you are winning.
Castor Cooper is a Legacy Maker because he turned loss into leadership and pressure into a system that scales care across an entire industry.

On today's episode of "Under The Hood With Castor", we're joined by someone who believes that building strong communities starts by building strong young people. Ryan "Coach" Skellie is a high school fitness coach currently based in Denver, where he's dedicated his career to helping students develop not just stronger bodies, but stronger minds, stronger character, and stronger discipline.

For Coach Skellie, the weight room has never been just about lifting weights, it's about preparing the leaders of tomorrow. Every workout is an opportunity to teach resilience, accountability, confidence, and the habits that shape responsible adults long after graduation.

Although he's made Denver home, Charlotte will always hold a special place in his heart. He still returns to reconnect with old friends, revisit the athletes he once coached, and reflect on the experiences that helped shape his philosophy on leadership and mentorship.

Today, we'll dive into why physical fitness is only one piece of the equation, how today's youth can overcome the distractions of the modern world, and what it truly takes to prepare the next generation for life beyond the classroom. If you've ever wondered how coaching can change the trajectory of a young person's life, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

🎙️ Under The Hood with Castor - Ep. 5
In this powerful episode, Castor sits down with Ty Valkanas, a veteran, entrepreneur, and father, for a raw conversation about transition, resilience, and rebuilding life with purpose. Together, they unpack the realities of leaving military service and stepping into the civilian world, where structure disappears and identity has to be rebuilt from the ground up.
They dive into:
Ty’s hard reset from military life to civilian life, and the mental, emotional, and practical challenges that come with redefining who you are outside the uniform
What it really takes to build businesses from scratch, discipline, failure, grit, and learning to lead without a rank on your chest
How military lessons translate (and sometimes don’t) in entrepreneurship, leadership, and everyday life
The profound impact of fatherhood, and why becoming a dad teaches lessons no battlefield or boardroom ever could
Balancing ambition, responsibility, and presence, and showing up fully for both your family and your work
Ty’s story is honest, unfiltered, and deeply human. It highlights the importance of adaptability, accountability, and doing the inner work required to lead at home, in business, and in life.
This is real talk. Real lessons. No fluff. Just lived experience, hard-earned wisdom, and a conversation that goes far beyond the surface, straight under the hood.
🎧 Tune in for a candid, grounded, and inspiring discussion on transition, purpose, leadership, and becoming the man your family and your future needs.