My Origins
From Triumph to Trauma: The Journey to Self
From age 12, my martial arts journey began, practicing various disciplines intensively throughout high school 2-4 hours per day, 4-5 days per week. I trained in TDK, BJJ, boxing, Muay Thai, JKD, Kali, CSW, Eskrima and more. My tactical firearms training started at 13 with a close mentor who trained law enforcement and military. Early on, I envisioned a lifelong path as a martial artist, military service, or police, followed by a career in MMA and eventually opening gyms.
At 18, I joined the United States Marine Corps, deploying five times within a six year period. Despite a successful MMA career (9-2 record), a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in 2008 altered my plans. Unable to handle my service tempo and deployment stress post-TBI, I left the Marines in 2012, realizing a regular job was no longer feasible. The only path forward, whether in business or another, promised its own challenges.
Beginning from the End
From Trauma to Triumph: The Uphill Journey
During a 2008 deployment in Sangin, Afghanistan, a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) altered my life. Battling frustration, anger, suicidal thoughts, and deep depression for over 13 years, I refused to let these circumstances define me. In 2011, a year before leaving the Marine Corps, I started a business despite my uncertainties. Suffering from a range of symptoms and especially severe fatigue due to the brain injury, I realized a traditional job would strain my mental health. I struggled for many years not understanding how to overcome my circumstances.
After the 2020 lockdown, I returned full throttle. I said to myself, "it's now or never." In 2021, I grew a marketing firm that generated over $5.5 million in sales in less than 12 months. Despite my initial burdens, I turned them into gifts, learning to achieve more in less time. The brain injury revealed the truth about leverage in business. After those big achievements I realized it was never about the money, I now knew what it felt like to have more money than I know how to spend, I had a deeper realization that there is more to this place than I had originally been conscious of.
The Journey Ahead
Starting Over... Again
At the beginning of 2023 I halted operations with my marketing firm to spend focused time on figuring out what I am actually here to do. My heart wasn't in my previous business anymore, it became all about the money and that wasn't something I desired to become. So, I spent all of 2023 sitting in silence, in contemplation, of what I am supposed to be doing. I kid you not, I mediated more in 2023 than I had ever, in any form, in my entire life.
Money is great and all, but I was seeking a deeper purpose, something that is of me and only me. I realized that if I could create something I could do for free and for the rest of my life, that would be what I would do. Over the course of about 9 months, and truly the culmination of my life, I developed what I believe is my current life's purpose. And, you are here witnessing it as you read this now.
Acceptance
