Our Founding Story

My parents divorced when I was very young, and I ended up living with my Mom. During those tumultuous first years, I moved between a few different homes and saw things no child should see.  

Yet, it wasn’t all bad. I learned how to ride my bike with no training wheels before I turned three. I was a fearless little kid who wore cutoff jean shorts and cowboy boots biking down steep hills. My two older sisters and I had a childhood filled with freedom to roam, play, and explore. No helmets, no supervision, no fear.

When I was eight, I moved in with my dad, a hardworking, blue collar guy whose motto was: work hard, be kind, and serve others. He and my stepmom provided me with stability and structure. Around this time, I got my first job as a paperboy. I was motivated to earn money to buy cool clothes, but I also discovered I had an entrepreneurial side. Life during those years was healthy and predictable.

But I missed my mom and sisters. I thought I could handle being in an environment with loose boundaries, constant change, and overt substance abuse. I hadn’t yet developed a language for what I was witnessing, and the allure of reckless freedom drew me back. It was awful on my father and step-mom. They knew I was going to slide down a bad path they couldn’t save me from.

They were absolutely correct.

The fearless little blonde kid was now a teenager filled with anger and animosity. Smoking weed made me feel good because it numbed me out. At the time, I  didn’t know how to navigate my dark feelings, so I escaped them. Soon I was trying cocaine, meth, LSD, mushrooms, and anything else I could get my hands on. The young entrepreneur in me realized I could make money selling drugs, so I did. This started my descent into a wormhole of chaos and crime. 

Ironically, selling drugs to people made me feel important—I felt needed by the people I supplied. I never thought about long-term consequences because I had a false sense of control, power, and influence. My relationships with my family, especially my dad, corroded. Fist fights, violence and rage ruled my life. I lived in motels, was involved in violent drug deals, got kicked off the golf team, sent to an alternative school, and one of my closest friends murdered someone. 

Then I got my first DUI at 16. 

There was no escape from the consequences looming over me, and I was forced to stop and reflect on the trajectory of my life. I knew if I didn’t build the courage to change things,  it would lead to more violence, hurt, and ultimately, my own death.

I saw into my future, and it was bleak. 

One of the hardest feelings to confront was the way I had treated people who genuinely cared about me. I knew it was time. 

I stopped dealing. I started to imagine something different for myself. I began engaging with peers that were pursuing fun and friendship without breaking the law or seeking their next high through drugs and alcohol. I shared what I had been through, and they accepted me. It felt like I was welcomed into a new family of people, and suddenly the chaos became calm. I begrudgingly went to therapy, but those sessions allowed me to  develop inner awareness around the experiences that had shaped me. I took responsibility for my actions and started to think of people as either warnings or examples. 

I wanted to be around examples: people who were making good decisions. People who were role models for others, that inspired them to become better. People that emanated trust and love.

This all led to a series of jobs where I got to execute on the personality traits that I was actually proud of: my fearlessness, grit, and friendliness. I had a boss named Carl I worked with at Sears that truly believed in me. Between my dad and early mentors like Carl, I was able to forgive myself and start again. I took the potential they saw and actualized it. 

I learned I was good at sales, so I moved to Arizona and started making  large commissions. I finally understood that my ability to be at home with people in a short period of time was my greatest gift. I could use it for good, for building wealth, and for making lasting relationships. 

After 4 years, I came home and started working at RC Willey and was lucky to be mentored by the founder, Bill Child. I helped train the sales teams, and started working towards earning my bachelor’s degree. At 25, a light went off in me that caused me to start asking larger questions about what I was capable of. I dug in and immersed myself in building upon my education to earn a graduate degree. I also studied professional development, listened to hundreds of people smarter than me, set huge goals, made dream boards,  and became curious about what my body was capable of. During this time, I ran my first 5k, then half marathon, then full marathon. 

Shortly after this phase of building a career and toolset for success, I hit another life changing rock bottom when I went through a divorce. Chaos returned with a fury. Living in my dad’s basement, going through a tumultuous chapter where I wasn’t able to see my two boys, and crying myself to sleep at night was soul-crushing. 

I also desperately wanted to go to Harvard for executive education, but I was rejected. Twice. It stung. Yet I remember thinking, the obstacle is the path. Fighters get up and try over and over again. Finally, after 3 attempts, I was accepted. 

I learned real leaders demonstrate both vulnerability AND persistence. 

I thought about what it means to raise the bar for myself and committed to never stop learning. I stacked tools in my toolbelt over and over again. And because of that, my biggest dreams have come true. I’m married to an extraordinary woman and my boys are becoming incredible young men. And recently, we welcomed our new baby girl to the family—Grace. A name that encapsulates the way it feels to forgive myself and to be forgiven. What a gift.

My past taught me how bad life can be. How many freedoms I can lose. How few more breaths I could have. I gained a perspective that will never leave me. 

We all have chapters we’d prefer not to read out loud. But life teaches us we can do hard things once we make friends with our fears. 

These days, I feel like I can fly. I feel invincible. I never thought it was possible to be so wrapped in love.  And because I have an abundance of it, I’ve been able to create a business that is both generous and transformative. It’s my highest honor to infuse these lessons into the lives of young people who perhaps, like me,  were on a troubled path. 

Here’s what you should know about my next business venture, Hero Home: we will change your life. We will put you on a path to realizing your fullest potential. You will rise from whatever circumstances you’ve come from. And on the other side, you’ll be prepared to raise your own bar surrounded by a dedicated tribe of peers and leaders that support you every step of the way. 

You will become your own hero.