SYNERGY - Juneteenth 2022

Dr. Florzelle Fields

Story By: Lanre-Peter Elufisan

When you meet Dr. Florzelle Fields, the founder and chief consultant of Zion & Company, you may not be able to tell that he was a wrestling champion, except you guess from his sturdy physique. While in high school, Florzelle was dedicated to wrestling and weightlifting.

Born and raised by his single mom in the south, Florzelle is the eldest son and second born of four. He lost his father when he was about a year old, so all he wanted was to become successful, no matter what, and make his mama proud. That was his inspiration to be a dedicated scholar and athlete.

Dr. Fields talked about how his high school history teacher and wrestling coach, Bruce Peck, became like a father and mentor to him throughout his school days. He recounted how Coach Peck took an interest in him when he was about 12 years old, how they connected and became his star player and godson. In Florzelle’s words, “though he had two kids, he took me as his child and taught me a lot about all the moral things in life, and as I grew, he continued to mentor me and become the father figure in my life. He taught me about integrity and hard work in a way no other person would have done. Though I had my issues, he showed me love, empathy, and the connectivity that allowed me to grow as a young man.”

Dr. Fields believes dedication and strong willpower can help anyone become successful in life. He admits to making a few mistakes yet asserts that mistakes are part of life and can be a tool for success if we learn from them. I asked about one of his biggest mistakes and the lesson he took from it, he said, “I was hanging around with the wrong crowd, and if it weren’t for God and his favor, I’d probably be in a different place.” The experience led him to move out of Tallahassee. “It was a learning experience because I left everything behind, learned to love myself, loved my height (I’m 4’11), understood my self-worth, and built all over from nothing. It helped redirect my life in hindsight, I thank God for the redirection.”

When I asked what he would love people to know and understand from his experience as a listener, communicator, and peacemaker, he said “People first need to understand themselves. It starts with self. We need to understand the conflict we are having with ourselves - this could be stress, financial strain, addiction, or family issues - and then learn how to balance our adversity, conflict, and peace. Also, I learned that you do not have to say something all the time. Some people want to be vocal, and that’s not bad, but you can learn to know when to be quiet because sometimes it’s better not to say anything.”

“My high school coach and adopted father poured so much into me, and I want to pass it on and do more for people and the community. That and the passion for my work keeps me going.” I asked what makes a champion, and the champ said “Hard work, tenacity, and courage. From 12 to 22, I learned that losing is part of life, so I used every loss to sharpen the next game when I lost a match, though I didn’t lose many. As Bruce used to tell me, ‘you can’t be a champion without dedication.’ And I still believe that till today.”