Some people find their purpose. Others have it forged through fire, loss, and the kind of pain that never shows up on a medical chart. I'm the second kind.
Everything I've built, from writing books and speaking across the country to advocating for veterans, helping families buy and sell homes, teaching real estate professionals, and advising businesses, traces back to one decision I made on a December morning in 2015. I chose to stay, and ever since then I've tried to spend my life helping other people move forward too.
Before any of that, I served as an Airborne Sergeant in a U.S. Army Scout/Sniper Platoon during a 14-month deployment to Iraq. I survived two IED attacks, an EFP blast, and multiple Katyusha rocket attacks. I came home with a Purple Heart, a traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and moral injury. The injuries everyone could see weren't the ones that nearly took my life. The ones no one could see almost did.
For years I tried to outrun everything I brought home from war until I ran out of road. On that December morning in 2015, I reached the point where I believed everyone would be better off without me. Faith gave me a reason to stay. Purpose gave me a reason to rebuild. The people who refused to give up on me reminded me that my story wasn't over. That day changed the direction of my life, and it became the foundation for everything I've done since.
As an IAVA Leadership Fellow and Wounded Warrior Project Warrior Advocate Leader, I worked alongside veterans, lawmakers, and national organizations to help advance legislation that improved the lives of veterans and their families. That work included advocacy surrounding the PACT Act, where I was honored to be present when it was signed into law, support for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and other efforts focused on ensuring America keeps its promises to those who served. It also led to opportunities to appear on national media, including NBC Nightly News, CNN, the TODAY Show, and the 700 Club, and to speak at places like the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Today, I continue that same mission in different ways. I'm the author of Canyon of Hope: From Darkness to Dawn, an Indiana real estate broker, a licensed continuing education instructor, a speaker, and I work with a select number of entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and small businesses to help them strengthen their brand, clarify their message, and build organizations that create lasting impact. At first glance those things may seem unrelated, but to me they're all rooted in the same belief: people deserve someone who will tell them the truth, invest in their success, and leave them better than they found them.
Whether someone comes to me looking for hope, guidance, a trusted real estate professional, a speaker, or help growing their organization, my goal is always the same. I want to use what I've learned through service, adversity, and experience to help others move forward with confidence, purpose, and hope.
If you've found your way here, welcome. I don't believe it's by accident, and I hope you'll take a look around. Whether it's through a book, a conversation, a class, or working together, I'd be honored to be a small part of your story.
