Just a Guy From Youngstown Trying to Become Better Than He Used to Be

About Justin Burgy

I didn’t grow up thinking I’d someday write a novel, start a website, or share my thoughts with strangers on the internet.

For most of my life, I was just trying to get through life like everyone else.

I’m a husband, a father, a brother, and a son. Those roles have shaped me far more than any job title ever could. I happen to make a living as a delivery driver in Youngstown, Ohio, but the things that matter most to me happen long after I punch out from work.

Like most people, I’ve made plenty of mistakes throughout my life. Some small. Some bigger than I’d like to admit. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that growth isn’t about pretending those mistakes never happened. It’s about learning from them, taking responsibility for them, and trying to become a better person because of them.

My kids are a big part of why I’m here.

The older I get, the more I think about the example I’m setting for them. I think about the values I want to pass down, the lessons I hope they learn, and the kind of world they’ll inherit long after I’m gone. More than anything, I want them to know that it’s never too late to change, grow, and become a better version of yourself.

I’ve always had a soft spot for people.

I don’t know if that’s something I learned or something I was born with, but I’ve never been comfortable judging people the way the world often does. When I see someone struggling, I rarely assume they’re lazy or simply not trying hard enough. I find myself wondering what they’re carrying that nobody else can see.

Maybe that’s because I grew up watching people struggle. Maybe it’s because I’ve struggled myself. Or maybe it’s because I’ve lived long enough to realize that most people are fighting battles we know nothing about.

I’ve never liked hearing successful people put others down for not being where they are. Life isn’t a level playing field. Some people are carrying burdens that would break others. Some are fighting battles before they even get out of bed in the morning. Understanding that doesn’t excuse every bad decision, but it does make it easier to approach people with compassion instead of judgment.

That way of looking at people eventually became the foundation for everything I write.

For years, I wanted to help people, but I never really knew how.

When I started writing my novel, Not My Brother’s Keeper, something unexpected happened. I fell in love with writing. Not because I thought I had all the answers, but because writing helped me make sense of things I’d been carrying around for years.

As I looked for ways to share those thoughts, I kept running into the same advice: become a life coach.

The more I thought about it, the less it felt right.

I’ve made too many mistakes of my own to pretend I’ve got life figured out. It felt hypocritical to stand in front of other people and tell them how to live when I’m still learning myself.

So instead, I decided to write honestly about what I’ve experienced, what I’ve observed, and what I’ve learned along the way.

That’s how Evolved From Empathy was born.

This website is where I explore the things that matter most to me: family, addiction, grief, vulnerability, forgiveness, resilience, personal growth, and the complicated reality of being human. It’s not about having the answers. It’s about having honest conversations.

Losing my mom reinforced something I’d been feeling for a long time. Life is shorter than I used to think. It reminded me that the things we’re afraid to say, create, or attempt don’t become easier by waiting. At some point, you either take the chance or you spend the rest of your life wondering what might have happened if you had.

For a long time, I kept many of these thoughts to myself.

Eventually, I decided to stop worrying so much about what other people might think and simply try.

Try writing the book. Try starting the website. Try sharing my thoughts and creating something meaningful.

Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn’t.

But I’d rather try and fail than spend the rest of my life wondering what might have happened if I never tried at all.

Ten years from now, I don’t care whether this website is huge or whether thousands of people know my name. What I hope is that it helps bring a few people together. We live in a world that feels increasingly divided, where everyone seems encouraged to judge, argue, and separate themselves from one another. I believe we have far more in common than we often realize.

At the end of the day, I’m just a guy from Youngstown with a good memory who likes to write about his experiences and hopefully help a few people along the way.

If Evolved From Empathy helps someone feel less alone, understand another person a little better, or bridge a gap that once seemed impossible to cross, then every hour spent writing will have been worth it.

Welcome to Evolved From Empathy. I’m glad you’re here.

If you’d like to follow along, receive future articles, or read Chapter One of Not My Brother’s Keeper, you can join the email list below.

— Justin