My name is Nathan Van Auken, but most people in my GOC family know me as RIP. I live in Mooresville with my wife, Kristen, and our daughter, Kaelyn, who proudly carries the road name Ninja. They are my everything. They are my world, and becoming a father is without a doubt the accomplishment I am most proud of in my life.

 

Outside of GOC, I work as a Security Specialist for Lowe’s Corporate. Before that, I spent years as a chef, and cooking is still something I absolutely love. There is something about cooking for the people you care about and seeing them enjoy something you created that has always meant a lot to me.

 

My life has been a journey. At one point, I weighed 415 pounds. Through a lot of hard work, determination, and refusing to give up on myself, I made it down to 212 pounds. That experience taught me that change doesn’t happen overnight and that some of the hardest battles we fight are the ones nobody else can see.

 

For me, riding my motorcycle is therapy. When I get on that bike and hit the road, I can clear my head, breathe, and deal with whatever is going on inside of me. The road gives me a place to find peace and battle my demons.

 

I’ve always been someone people can talk to. I listen. I don’t judge. Sometimes people don’t need somebody to have all the answers. Sometimes they just need somebody who is willing to sit down, listen, and let them know they aren’t alone.

 

My road name is RIP. I know it can sound dark or even depressing when you first hear it, but to me, it means something completely different. There are children who have been left in the dark through no fault of their own. Children who have been hurt, abused, neglected, or forgotten. They are looking for someone strong enough to stand beside them and protect them. Someone willing to walk into that darkness with them and help them find the light again.

 

That’s the kind of man I want to be.

 

At the end of the day, I’m just a husband, a dad, a biker, a former chef, a guy who listens, and honestly, one big teddy bear.

 

And if you ask me who RIP really is, I’ll probably just smile and say:

 

“That’s a guy I really want to hang out with.”