FROM SECRET Service agent to published author. David Shutler is a man of many talents.
The St. Clairsville native and St. John Central High product is a self-proclaimed "jack-of-all-trades." He has indeed scripted a resume that belies his tender age of 28.
Shutler left the Secret Service in 2009 after a four-year stint. Among his duties were guarding the residence of then Vice-President Dick Cheney.
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"Working for the Bush/Cheney administration while serving in the Secret Service was very interesting, yet it's not all glitz and glamour like the movies," Shutler said. "There was a lot of downtime and boredom. However, I would never criticize the job because it did give me some incredible training in weapons and tactics, as well as some pretty amazing trips to different countries that I will never forget."
Shutler's exodus from the Secret Service did nothing to reduce his ambitious lifestyle.
He is still employed by the federal government as an Intelligence analyst, while also running his own business, ShutlerfitnessLLC.
Shutler also works at a fitness studio as an independent contractor (a personal trainer & massage therapist.)
"After my other government job hours, I usually train about three or four people a night then workout myself after that, because I plan on turning professional in fitness modeling in my next show in November with the WBFF(world bodybuilding & fitness federation) organization."
Despite such a demanding and challenging workload, the Mercyhurst College grad recently put the wraps on a book. It is titled
"Transforming Your Mind and Body for Ultimate Results," and is a 70-page self-help motivation-related work.
"Everyone can get something out of it, as it helps people get themselves in the right frame of mind," Shutler offered. "I came out with this book because not only am I very passionate about health and fitness, but also because I believe it plays an imperative role in being happy and being able to live life to the fullest. I also firmly know and believe there is such a growing obesity problem in the country."
Shutler's motivation?
"My mom passed from breast cancer in 2006 one week before I left for my Secret Service training. She has always been a large part of my motivation" he noted. "That is why I place a lot of pressure on myself."
Shutler now resides Alexandria, Va., right outside DC. He is not married.
Finding time to pen his book was surprisingly not a difficult task.
"It was about a three-to-four month process. I sat down every night and wrote a half page," Shutler said. "I was able to connect with an online company which helped with the editing and proofreading."
His writing passion was sparked by a good friend.
"My buddy Nick White, owner of Off-Leash K9 Training in Woodbridge, VA. has been a help in pushing me to write a book," Shutler offered. "He always said if you are an expert in your subject matter then writing a book can't hurt and can only boost your credibility."
Shutler's "Transforming Your Mind and Body for Ultimate Results" is in widespread distribution.
"The company I went through is called createspace.com. It offers many different packages and options for how you want to go about distributing your book," Shutler said. "I didn't go through Barnes and Noble yet because I feel I've done enough with having it on Amazon and Kindle. I've also got the book on my website as well of course along with my other services(www.shutlerfitness.com)"
WHILE AT St. John's, Shutler was a standout in both football and baseball. He was a starter on the 1999 Fighting Irish football team of Coach Mike Rose which went 9-1 and qualified for the state playoffs, the lone SJC grid team to earn that distinction.
His father, Kevin, still resides in St. Clairsville and is a successful businessman. David's sister, Andrea Schafer, teaches at St. Clairsville Elementary School.
Kapral may be reached at bkapral@timesleaderonline.com
