I used to say I was just an average kid from the northwest side of Chicago who somehow went on to live an extraordinary life.

But the truth is—I wasn’t average at all.
I was well below average.

I struggled in school from the very beginning. I struggled with literacy so badly that I didn’t read my first book until I was 23 years old. I graduated high school with a third-grade reading level.

My dad started calling me “Skid”—short for Skid Row—because he was convinced that’s where I’d end up one day.

I was introduced to drugs and alcohol at 11 years old.
After high school, I found myself working in a towel factory, taping boxes for $3.25 an hour.

And on the inside, I carried something even heavier.

I believed I wasn’t good enough.
Not worthy.
Second class.

I struggled deeply with self-esteem, fear, and anxiety. And the worst part? I never let it show. I got really good at hiding it. At faking it. At pretending I was okay while quietly believing I was destined for less.

But even then—buried under doubt, fear, and failure—there was a small voice inside me that refused to go quiet. A feeling that there had to be more. That life couldn’t possibly be this small. That maybe—just maybe—the story I’d been told about myself was wrong.

That belief didn’t show up fully formed.
It started as a whisper.
And over time, it became a decision.

A decision to stop accepting the life I was handed and start designing the life I wanted.

And that decision changed everything.

None of this happened overnight.

This wasn’t some quick transformation or overnight success story. It was a long, messy journey—one filled with doubt, setbacks, and more moments of feeling like a failure than I can count.

I failed often. And I failed hard.
But every failure taught me something. And no matter how many times I got knocked down, I made one decision that changed everything:

I refused to quit.

Looking back now, I also realize something else—I didn’t do it alone. At the time, I didn’t even recognize it, but mentors began showing up in my life. People who challenged me, guided me, and helped me see what I couldn’t yet see in myself.

There’s an old saying: when the student is ready, the teacher appears.
I didn’t understand it then. I do now.

Today, I get to be that guide for others.

I get to help people transform their lives, overcome their struggles, break through fear and self-doubt, and start living their best life—not someday, but now.

Everything I teach comes directly from my own journey. Not theory. Not hype. Real lessons earned through failure, persistence, and success. The wins and the losses. The setbacks and the breakthroughs.

If you’re here, it’s probably because you feel that same pull I once did—the sense that there’s more for you than the life you’re currently living.

And I want you to know this:

If I could rise from where I started… so can you.

If any part of my story resonates with you, it’s probably because you feel it too—that quiet knowing that there’s more for you than the life you’re currently living.

You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You don’t need to be fearless.

You just need to be willing.

Willing to believe that change is possible.
Willing to stop living by default and start living by design.
Willing to take the next step, even if you can’t see the whole path yet.

I’m not here to sell you a fantasy or tell you it’s easy. I’m here to tell you it’s worth it. And that you’re capable of far more than you’ve been led to believe.

I believe in you—sometimes before you believe in yourself.
And if you’re ready, I’d be honored to walk this journey with you.

Your life isn’t over.
Your story isn’t finished.
And your best days are still ahead.