Today we’d like to introduce you to DON KiNG.
Hi DON, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have a lot of people ask me, “Coach King, how do you do all of this?” My answer is simple: I make time to do it all. So, please allow me to introduce myself, It’s certainly a pleasure to meet you all.
My name is DON KING. In the music world, I’m known as MegaTron_Don—a real Rapper & Singer, Dancer, Piano Player, Recording Artist, Sketch Artist, Videographer, Athletics & Robotics Coach, and Professional XC Runner, straight out of Dallas, Texas. I’ve never believed in limiting myself to one talent, one lane, or one definition. I believe in learning, creating, competing, teaching, experimenting, and constantly challenging myself to become better. I’m the prime definition of “a jack of all trades.” Different talents, different passions, different mediums—one person.
But honestly, I didn’t just wake up like this. I come from a very musical, creative, and hardworking family. My mom was a piano player and a Flight Attendant. My dad played electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and bass. He was also, in every sense of the phrase, a jack of all trades. He was a football coach and basketball coach at Skyline High School in Dallas, Texas. Fun fact: my dad actually coached Larry Johnson—yes, that Larry Johnson. For the kids, that’s the Purple Monstar from Space Jam. For the adults… Grandma. My dad had the opportunity to coach a future Charlotte Hornets legend. Both of my parents were workaholics, so naturally, I followed suit, just in a much more creative way.
My mom was extremely hands-on with my creativity and constantly supported me throughout my childhood. My first love was actually drawing. I still remember the first picture I ever really considered “mine.” It was a frog, and that picture is still hanging on my mom’s refrigerator. I might have been in kindergarten when a lot of that creative energy started showing up. My mom always had sketch pads on deck, along with Lego sets to challenge my mind, puzzle games, crossword puzzles, gaming magazines, manga—you name it. Somewhere in the background, she would have Sade or some type of jazz playing. My mom was a true viber. She understood creativity before I even knew what creativity really was, and she came from a very, very, very unique family.
Outside of my mother and father, my grandparents were some of the biggest influences in my life. They were country folk and lived on a 48-acre property in the foothills of Rolla, Missouri. So I guess you could say I’m half City Boy and half Country Boy. During the school year, I was in the city with my family, but during the summers, I would spend two and a half to three months out there. Most of the time, my parent would drop me off at the airport and I traveled there by myself on an airplane for 3hr + Flight, and this was before cell phones were even a thing. My parents gave me good directions, though—thank God! From there, I got to experience things that most kids simply never get the opportunity to experience. I remember seeing them looking for me at baggage claim and before 911, meeting me outside of the Flight Gate. My Grandmother rocking some home made clothes and my Grandfather with a big ‘ol cowboy hat on with the matching boots to spare.
My grandfather was a local celebrity at the time. Well into his 70s, he was basically David Goggins before David Goggins. I had never seen an older person that active. He was a retired mapmaker, but in his spare time, he was a legitimate farmer. I helped him grow produce and helped him sell it at the market. He was also a touring musician. He performed historical country ballads highlighting the contributions of real Black cowboys and cowgirls throughout American history. He would travel to historical museums all across the country, perform his music, and sell books and CDs at his shows.
Because of him, I got to experience some incredible places and things, including the Grand Canyon, underground crystal caves, rodeos, small towns, historical museums, and countless other adventures. The wildest part was that my grandfather seemed to know everybody. Everybody in that town, everybody in the surrounding areas. I met people in the mountains, real-life Amish friends of the family, architects, engineers, farmers, business owners, musicians—you name it. My grandmother basically kept my grandfather out of trouble lol, which was a hilarious and fascinating dynamic to watch firsthand. She was also very much like my mother. She kept sketch pads around, Lego sets, puzzle games, crossword puzzles, and anything else that kept your mind moving.
In a strange way, I grew up around two different families with very similar belief systems: be productive, stay curious, learn something, build something, create something, and keep your mind active. The transition between city life and country life wasn’t difficult for me because I was surrounded by productive people everywhere I went. My aunts and uncles had careers as traveling nurses, lawyers, pilots, educators, trainers, meteorologists, entrepreneurs, and more. I grew up watching people do things.
Then there was my dad. My dad was the talented workhorse. He was a Vietnam War veteran and an active Freemason, which is a story within itself. Being the son of someone involved in a secret society was pretty wild. There are some stories I can tell and some stories I absolutely cannot. He was a musician’s musician. He played in a Blues band and played Blues all the time. He was a full-time high school coach, a licensed barber, and somehow still found time to work in a barbershop for years.
More importantly, my dad was a survivor. He came from a family of nine and grew up in one of the poorest parts of Waco, Texas. He told me stories about not having enough money for underwear or socks, not having consistent meals, and growing up without a father or consistent father figure. He told me the inside of his childhood home had dirt floors and no air conditioning. Yet somehow, he persevered. He literally changed the trajectory of his own life through a laser-focused mindset and an almost unbelievable ability to handle pressure. That was my father. Pressure didn’t break him; it built him.
All of those influences helped cultivate an environment where growth could happen. Whatever your talent was, there was room to explore it. For me, art was my life. As a kid, I probably spent 90 to 95 percent of my free time creating something. I still played video games and did normal kid stuff, but I was heavily drawn to the arts. I discovered the power of creativity through different mediums, and eventually I started seeing how all of those mediums could connect.
Ironically, my dad and grandfather were ahead of their time. They were basically bloggers before blogging was even a thing. At every family reunion, one of them had a camera in their hand, documenting everything that was happening. I had zero interest in being behind the camera growing up. I would hold it if they needed me to get a shot, but that was about it. Funny how life works. Years later, I ended up taking pieces of both of their formulas and unintentionally creating my own version of them.
My family introduced me to all kinds of music, but I discovered my love for music—mainly Rap—through a high school hip-hop group in Dallas, Texas. I honestly forgot the name of the group, but I remember one of the lead rappers, JC, because he used to make these hilarious punchline-heavy raps that I still love to this day. That was my first real introduction to Hip-Hop. It was basically a homemade product from a group of seniors who got together, found beats from famous Hip-Hop classics, and started rapping over them. I thought it was amazing. I didn’t care if it was popular. I didn’t care if anybody else knew about it. I learned something very early: when the music is good, it will eventually find the right set of ears.
From there, I started discovering more of the Dallas Rap scene, including DSR, and eventually got deeper into the melodic Houston sound. Chopped and Screwed was fresh, original, and regional, and Texas had an incredible musical identity. Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, UGK, Z-Ro, Devin the Dude, Lil Keke, Screwed Up Click, Michael “5000” Watts and the Swishahouse movement, Mike Jones, Magnificent, Big Moe, Big Pokey, Slim Thug—it was a magical time for Texas music. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, I started writing. Secretly. I would write raps in my spare time, never planning on showing them to anybody. It was my secret hobby, and I did it every day throughout high school and throughout my childhood. Eventually, it became part of who I was.
At the same time, I was also fascinated by electronic music. My dad had all the Roger & Zapp albums. I loved hearing Roger Troutman do his thing. I would literally sing into fans trying to recreate that vocal effect. Then came Cartoon Network’s Toonami, and Toonami opened another door: Daft Punk, Capsule, Perfume, J-Pop, electronic sounds, anime, different cultures, and different production styles. Eventually, I found my favorite artist of all time: T-Pain.
T-Pain changed everything for me. I had never really been heavily into R&B before him, but T-Pain was different. He wasn’t the stereotypical image of what an R&B star was supposed to look like. He was rough around the edges, dreadheaded, funny, creative, and capable of making street anthems and hilarious parody records. He could sing, rap, dance, play piano, DJ, and direct. He did everything. For someone like me, I finally saw somebody mainstream who made me think, “That’s somebody I could actually see myself being.”
I studied his music. I learned how he structured melodies. I listened to how he used harmonies and paid attention to his vocal choices. Eventually, I started developing my own sound and style. T-Pain, Z-Ro, Chamillionaire, Chalie Boy, Pimp C, Devin the Dude, Akon, Chris Brown, Sade, Drake, and many other unconventional singers, rappers, and musicians opened the floodgates for me. They showed me just how many harmonic and melodic possibilities existed.
My creative journey is basically a collection of different moments, people, sounds, places, and experiences that eventually merged together. I took pieces of everything and eventually created something that sounded and looked like me. Then I fell in love with the process, so I kept doing it—every day. To this day, I still do something involving music every single day.
In college, I really started finding my creative footing. After a breakup with my girlfriend at the time, I remember buying two things: my first skateboard and my first video camera. The camera cost $25. For the next four years, I became the unofficial campus videographer and captured basically everything happening on campus. That’s a whole other story by itself.
My first music videos were actually experiments. I was trying out new effects that I could eventually use for clients, but then something unexpected happened: I started enjoying making the videos for myself. So I started sharing them. Years later, I created my Instagram. Originally, it was supposed to be for Photoshop and Premiere Pro tutorials, but, as you can probably tell by now, it became something completely different.
Eventually, I made a decision: I’m going to keep creating. I’m going to keep learning. I’m going to keep experimenting. I’m going to keep making time. Because creativity isn’t something I turn on when I have free time. Creativity is how I use my time.
Everything I’ve experienced has contributed something. My mother taught me creativity. My father taught me perseverance. My grandparents taught me curiosity, independence, culture, history, and the importance of staying active. Music taught me expression. Art taught me patience. Sports taught me discipline. Coaching taught me leadership. Videography taught me storytelling. And life taught me how to put it all together.
So when somebody asks me, “Coach King, how do you do all of this?” I don’t have some secret formula. I just make time for it. Because I’ve been doing this my whole life.
Different talents. Different passions. Different disciplines. One creative mind.
This is DON KING.
I’am MegaTron_Don. 👑⚡
And I’m still creating.
Every. Single. Day.
— MegaTron_Don_Music [IG] 🛸✨🪐
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
If I had to describe my journey in two words, I would say it has been both smooth and difficult, depending on which part of my life I’m talking about. Creatively, I’ve been very very fortunate. I’ve rarely experienced writer’s block, and I’ve always been able to write, freestyle, experiment with different recording styles, and find creative ideas when I need them. In that sense, my creative journey has felt very very natural. Personally, however, the journey has included its share of struggle, isolation, and painful experiences that I had to overcome.
One of the biggest challenges was growing up without having many people around me who could relate to my passion for the arts. I never had much trouble making friends as a child, but maintaining those friendships was more difficult. I wanted to explore a wide range of interests, while many of my peers were primarily interested in doing the same few things. Because I was constantly moving between different creative and intellectual interests, I often found myself feeling disconnected from the groups around me. I wasn’t necessarily excluded because I couldn’t make friends; I was often isolated because I was interested in so many different things.
Another significant challenge was that I used to stutter—severely. When I think about that now, it’s almost surreal considering how quickly and precisely I can rap on a record today. The contrast between those two versions of myself is something I don’t take for granted. Through hard work and taking several speech classes in college, I gradually became more comfortable with my voice. More importantly, I discovered that I actually loved being on stage. Performing in front of people became something I genuinely enjoyed, and the very thing that once made communication difficult eventually became one of my greatest forms of expression.
My middle school years were particularly difficult. I wouldn’t necessarily describe what I experienced as traditional bullying, but I was teased and belittled severely throughout that period. At the time, the resources and support systems that students have access to today were not nearly as developed. There weren’t many places to turn, so I would go to school every day and endure eight or more hours of constant teasing and ridicule. I spent a great deal of that time defending myself and getting into fights, and those experiences exposed me to a side of people that I had never encountered before.
Those years fundamentally changed me. In many ways, the identity I had before that period was shattered. For a long time, I operated primarily from a place of anger, pain, and sadness. I can honestly say that there were periods when it was difficult to find a picture of me smiling. I was carrying a lot internally, and I didn’t always know how to process it.
However, something unexpected came out of that experience: my work ethic intensified.
I began realizing that I had to take responsibility for building a better future for myself. I developed what I now recognize as a “nobody is coming to save me” mentality. It wasn’t about believing that I didn’t need anyone; it was about understanding that I ultimately had to take ownership of my own life. That realization forced me to become more disciplined, more focused, and more determined.
My father also played a major role in developing that mindset. He raised me with an almost military level of discipline and accountability. He taught me to work through discomfort, remain focused under pressure, and believe that I could accomplish something even when circumstances suggested otherwise. Those lessons became especially important as I approached the end of high school.
By the time I graduated, I had developed a completely different mentality. The difficult experiences of my childhood had changed me, but they had also given me an incredible amount of determination. I had learned how to take pain and turn it into motivation, how to take isolation and turn it into creativity, and how to take uncertainty and turn it into discipline.
Looking back, I realize that some of the experiences I once considered purely negative ultimately contributed to the person I became. They taught me resilience before I had a word for it. They taught me to become comfortable standing apart from the crowd. Most importantly, they taught me that I could create something meaningful out of circumstances that I didn’t necessarily choose.
That mentality continues to influence me today. Whether I’m making music, creating art, coaching, competing, or learning something completely new, I approach it with the same principle: keep working, keep learning, and keep moving forward.
The creativity may have come naturally, but the discipline behind it was earned.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Professionally, I’ve spent the past 11 years working as a teacher and coach, primarily in Technology Education. Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to teach a remarkably diverse range of subjects, including Manufacturing, Architecture and Construction, Video Game Design, Audio, Video, Sound and Communications, and other areas of technology and design. I’ve always approached education from a multidisciplinary perspective because I believe students learn best when they are given opportunities to connect different areas of knowledge and see how those disciplines work together in the real world.
Robotics has also been a major part of my career. I’ve coached FIRST LEGO League (FLL) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics teams for approximately nine years, and I’ve led a Coding Club on my campus for roughly seven years. In addition to technology and robotics, I’ve coached football, basketball, cross country, and track and field throughout my teaching career. Having experience in both the classroom and athletic environments has allowed me to understand students from multiple perspectives. I’m not only interested in helping them perform academically; I want to help them discover what they are capable of becoming.
One of the things that makes my teaching style unique is the way I incorporate creativity and the arts into my lessons. Because I have experience as a musician, visual artist, videographer, athlete, and performer, I’m able to approach education from a perspective that goes beyond traditional instruction. I try to create experiences that students will remember long after they leave my classroom. My goal is to give my students opportunities to build, design, perform, compete, collaborate, and create while understanding that those skills can translate into almost any career or area of life.
I believe what makes my professional journey particularly unique is the intersection between the athletic world and the creative world. Those two areas might appear completely unrelated, but they have a tremendous amount in common. Both require discipline, consistency, mental toughness, preparation, and a willingness to continue improving when nobody is watching.
Outside of education, I’m also a professional marathon runner. I’ve consistently placed within the top 10 of my age group, and I’ve ranked as high as 21st overall in a field of approximately 1,800 participants. Running has given me another perspective on discipline and endurance. There is a certain mindset required to train for and complete long-distance races, and I bring that same mindset into my creative work, my coaching, and my professional life.
At the same time, I’ve continued developing my career as a musician and creative artist. I’m able to speak about my musical and creative endeavors at a professional level, and my social media platforms have grown into global outlets where thousands of people have viewed my work and participated in the creative movement I’m building. My content has allowed me to connect with people from different parts of the world while giving me a platform to showcase the many sides of what I do.
I can also document the evolution of my creative work because I’ve been creating video content since my college years. I have an extensive body of work that spans from my early college productions to present-day projects. That includes educational content, music videos for myself and other artists, club performances and appearances, stage productions, and a variety of other visual projects. Being able to look back at that progression is meaningful because it shows that creativity is not something I picked up recently. It has been a continuous part of my development for years.
Ultimately, I want my students and the people who follow my work to understand that we live in a time when we have more creative freedom and technological access than ever before. In 2026, you have the ability to create your own form of reality. You can build a brand, develop a skill, tell your story, create your own content, learn technology, compete athletically, make music, produce films, start a business, or pursue multiple paths simultaneously. You don’t necessarily have to wait for someone else to give you permission to become the person you envision.
That philosophy is at the heart of everything I do. I’m more than just a coach. I’m an educator, artist, athlete, musician, creator, and mentor. I want my students to see the possibilities that exist when you refuse to put yourself in a box.
I don’t just want to tell people that they can do more.
I want to be the proof.
Be inspired. I’m here to educate, motivate, and show people what’s possible when you make the time to create the life you want.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Career-wise, what matters most to me is modeling what I believe is a healthy and productive approach to life within the middle school environment. Of course, I want to positively impact as many people as possible, but throughout my career I’ve noticed that middle school students are often overlooked when compared with other grade levels. In many ways, middle school can be one of the most challenging stages of a young person’s development. Students are transitioning from childhood into adolescence, beginning to discover who they are, questioning things they once accepted without thought, and experiencing emotions and perspectives they may have never encountered before. It is a period of tremendous personal growth, but it can also be confusing and difficult to navigate.
I remember experiencing that transition myself, and I recognize now that certain aspects of my middle school experience continued to influence my personality well into adulthood. Because of that, I have a genuine understanding of how important those years can be. Students are not simply going through a phase; they are beginning to form the identities, habits, interests, and beliefs that can follow them for the rest of their lives.
That is why my personal “why” as an educator is centered around being a creative resource for my students. I want my classroom to be a place where they can explore ideas, experiment with different interests, develop skills, and discover possibilities they may not have considered before. I want to expose them to experiences that encourage them to think beyond the traditional boundaries they may have been conditioned to accept.
More than anything, I want my students to understand that they are not required to fit into a uniform definition of success. There is value in being different, curious, creative, and willing to explore multiple paths. My role is not simply to teach them a subject; it is to help them recognize their potential and give them the tools, experiences, and encouragement to pursue it.
If I can inspire a student to try something they never thought they could do, discover a talent they didn’t know they had, or simply look at the world from a different perspective, then I believe I’ve accomplished something meaningful. Ultimately, I want to model the very philosophy that has guided my own life: learn continuously, create fearlessly, explore broadly, and never allow yourself to be defined by the limitations of someone else’s expectations.
Pricing:
- Live Shows/Motivational Speaking/Musical Performances: “Email pricing inquiry” @ (DigitalDietsOnline.gmail.com)
- Speaking Engagements/Computer Workshops: Useful Apps, Adobe, Sketch-Up Classes “Email pricing inquiry” @ (DigitalDietsOnline.gmail.com)
- Offseason Workout/Calisthenic led classes “For All Ages”: “Email pricing inquiry” @ (DigitalDietsOnline.gmail.com)
- Personal/Distance Running Training “For All Ages”: “Email pricing inquiry” @ (DigitalDietsOnline.gmail.com)
- Personalized “Digital Diets Plan” – Middle/High School Age Ranges Only” Apps to Learn, Hrs Spend on devices, After School Mini Workout plans etc. “Email pricing inquiry” @ (DigitalDietsOnline.gmail.com)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.BookCoachKing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megatron_don_music/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DONKiNGDiGiTALDiETS
- Other: https://linktr.ee/donking.digitaldiets
