It seems there are some different origin stories, but most people seem to have a history of tinkering and working on cars. I'll say that I fall into the category of necessity.
I moved to an amazing little outdoor paradise in Idaho, and upon selling my 2WD 4runner for a 98 4WD 4runner realized the previous owners did not take the same level of care with it as I did with my previous one. Because this outdoor paradise is 75 miles from a decent size city I found out there are absolutely zero mechanics that are worth a damn nearby. So out of my own need, I started really using this forum and your videos to start working on my own car. I went from being terrified about changing brake pads to feeling fully confident while replacing the entire front-end of my truck and tackling the timing belt, and tons of other upgrades and maintenance.

At the very least, I owe you two a huge "Thank you!" for the thousands I've saved doing all my own mechanical work and all the excellent knowledge about turning wrenches. I've learned that all the same principles can be translated to working on other cars, so I do all our car maintenance and work for the time being.