About the Foundation
A Coach for Every Boy. A Gym for Every Man in Recovery.
Built Different is a Seattle nonprofit rebuilding the lives of at-risk boys and men through fitness, mentorship, and community, meeting them where they are and walking with them from there.
Why Fitness
Fitness is not the reward for getting your mind right. Fitness is how you get your mind right.
Men in addiction are rarely reached by traditional therapy. Stigma, cost, and cultural resistance keep them away. So we go to where men already are: the gym, the field, the tournament, the trail.
Exercise produces the same neurochemicals that substances artificially trigger. It's a legal, repeatable way to feel good that doesn't require a pill or a bottle. But the training is only the doorway. What changes a life is the mentor, the team, and the sense of belonging waiting on the other side.
We reach boys before problems take root, and men after they already have.
Fitness is the way in for every program, backed by real human support.
We reach boys before problems take root and men in recovery, on their terms.
Mentorship and community, not just a workout, carry the change.
Real estate profits fund programs and reduce reliance on donations.
Stronger boys build stronger families and communities.
Who's Behind It
Founders.
A nonprofit organization incorporated in 2026 under Washington state law · Based in Seattle, Washington.
Jan Konrad
Founder & Executive Director
James Nam
Co-Founder & Strategic Partner
Erik Nielsen
Co-Founder
The Vision
Replace the Isolation With a Team.
A world where the weight room, the field, and the trail replace the isolation that has swallowed a generation of men who never got the support they needed.
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