Part 6
Unconditional Excellence
Football Alum Lovell 'Breaks Through'
Chris Blumenstetter 12/26/2016

If you were on the Stony Brook campus between the years of 2005-2009, like most other people, you took notice of Lawrence Lovell.  The 6'4" 300 pound offensive tackle is quite hard to miss.  It was not his large frame that made him popular, however, but the multiple activities Lovell would take part in on a daily basis.  
 
Student Athletes knew him as a jovial and polite anchor on the football team.  Campus residents knew him as a supportive and helpful resident advisor.  Classmates and professors knew him as a diligent, well spoken student who was a positive contributor to any class he was involved in.  Being part of a multitude of distinctly different environments required a plethora of demeanors and emotions on a daily basis for Lawrence Lovell during his time at Stony Brook.
 
For anyone else, that would be nearly impossible.  For Lovell, it was just his daily process.
 
It could lead a lesser man to wander like a vagabond without a home.  He could have been too hard and rough to be an resident advisor based on what he needed to show in football.  He could have been too cautions on the football field because of what he needed to be as a resident advisor.  He even could have been too tired or busy to go to class.  Instead, he excelled in each facet of every endeavor undertaken.  It wasn't always easy.
 
"I remember one day quickly showering after practice and rushing out of the locker room to get to an RA meeting. I realized halfway back to the dorms that I forgot my keys.  I ran back to my locker in a rush and was given some unforgettable advice by a teammate," Lovell recalls.
 
"Andrew Saraga (2008) stopped me as I was storming out of the locker room and said 'Lawrence; when you are studying, be studying.  When you are a football player, be a football player.  When you have to be an RA, be an RA. Don't mix those worlds together.  Think about one world at a time.'"
 
"It was so simple, but really stuck with me and helped me cope with the many hats I wore daily," says Lovell.

The premise that a student-athlete in their late teens could function effectively in so many different environments and excel in the classroom as a double major in Business Management and Economics is almost unfathomable.  It seems like the premise of a reality show where misbehaving college students would be approached by an RA in full football equipment weiding a textbook...but again, this was just life as usual for Lawrence Lovell.  Unbeknownst to him at the time, this would all serve him in the future.  
 
"Stony Brook was a tremendously impactful experience for me.  I developed and honed my own coping methods as well as tapping into potential in areas I did not know I was capable of.  The discipline required of me and the accountability to my teammates were responsibilities I did not take lightly."
 
Of course, it would have been easy for Lovell to walk away because it was all too much.  But he didn't.  He joined the football team officially in the fall of his sophomore year.  The delay was only due to compliance issues brought on by his early graduation from high school.  He was so intelligent and diligent, he finished his required high school coursework in only three years' time.  What is most impressive about that feat, is that he would enter college football with just two years of organized football experience on his resume'.  He took up the sport as a sophomore playing both that and his junior year on the varsity team at Brooklyn's James Madison High School.
 
Lovell entered the Stony Brook football program as a sophomore walk-on player.  He would leave four years later as a full scholarship team captain.  This miraculously rapid ascension is a feat almost unheard of in Division I athletics. For Lovell, it was just college.  He credits a change in his mentality after his first year as an athlete.
 
"I was a conditional player.  My performance wavered based on many different factors such as sleep, classes, weather, or my mood," Lovell remembers.  He realized that though the conditions may change for him on a daily basis, the expectations of him by others would not.  "I had a job to do.  Regardless of what else was happening, none of that mattered on the football field.  I was finally able to give 100% of my thoughts and efforts to the task at hand."  That was great news for Lovell, as it led to a him becoming a force on the field, but very bad news for anyone who had to line up against him.  
 
He was so proficient as a player that he was invited to two NFL minicamps after graduation for the Packers and Giants, respectively.  Lawrence looks fondly and appreciatively on the experience of being able to train among some of the best players in the country and interact professionally with two fantastic organizations.  
 
Lawrence would later receive his Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling at Touro College while helping his mother grow her own business, Garden of Knowledge Day Care & Learning Center, and mentor young students through various organizations and after school programs.  "I became a licensed mental health counselor and really found it rewarding.  Helping and supporting people, especially young children who may not have developed certain coping skills on their own, was extremely gratifying." The feedback he received was so positive that he began hosting workshops for community members to attend on various topics such as anger management and effective communication.  


Slowly but surely Lawrence Lovell was realizing that his calling, passion, and the things that he did best were all aligning.  His training in business and economics would provide the necessary knowledge to become an entrepreneur.  The end result was the birth of his own company; Breakthrough Solutions.

Lawrence Lovell is the founder of Breakthrough Solutions.  At his company, he shares his mental discipline and time management skills to help his clients in a multitude of different ways.  In his own words, he provides practical ways to identify and confront life's issues by developing coping skills, problem solving, and character building techniques to foster a positive mindset, strong willpower, and emotional stability to achieve positive mental health. Year round development is provided to his clients through counseling, workshops, and seminars tailored to prepare individuals to aim high despite adversity, by offering empowering tools to bridge the gap between sound intentions and appropriate actions.
 
In other words, he teaches others to do just what he did as a student-athlete at Stony Brook: be a success regardless of the task.  Other people rely on him and he has to be able to perform, regardless of any ancillary conditions that may hinder his ability to do so.  He happily recognizes the correlation between his past and present and pays homage to his experience as a Seawolf.  
"My clients rely on me to perform, just like my teammates did.  If I let down or took a play off in college, someone could get hurt and our team would suffer.  Today, I approach each session or seminar the same way.  If I don't give my best to help someone stay composed and emotionally together, they could fall apart."  
 
Lawrence Lovell proved himself worthy enough for Stony Brook University to invest in him protecting some of their most valued athletes during his time as a Seawolf.  Today, others are doing just the same; trusting in him to be excellent regardless of the conditions and contribute to their own health and wellness.  
 
As his company continues to grow, more people around the nation are seeing, just as Stony Brook did, Lawrence Lovell is someone that you can count on.  
 
TOGETHER WE TRANSFORM!
 
You can reach Lawrence at Lawrence@BreakthroughSolutions.com or 646-475-2776
 
 Photo Credits to  Dheydra Lovell