Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like? Did you have any particular experiences/stories that shaped your adult life?

Born in Pasadena California, lived in Honolulu Hawaii until the age of 7, then Washington DC/Bethesda MD through highschool. Moving around so much I had a hard time finding my groove and was made fun of by the other kids. It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I would serendipitously discover a book that showed me there was another way to live life besides being a victim.  

What is something you wish you would’ve realized earlier in your life?

That our brains aren’t “fixed.” That we are all born with both strengths and weaknesses, but only what I call the “growth-owners“ are able to focus on and continue to build on their strengths while finding workarounds for and outsourcing their weaknesses.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?

I hate it when self-proclaimed experts put out inspirational phrases without actually giving people a system to incorporate them into their lives. To actually make a difference vs letting that thought pass in the wind.

Tell me about one of the darker periods you’ve experienced in life. How you came out of it and what you learned from it?

As mentioned above, was suicidal in college when I discovered Dale Carnegie’s book that opened my eyes to another way to see the world. It was the spark I needed to shift my mindset into what it’s evolved into today, and I never looked back.

What is one thing that you do that you feel has been the biggest contributor to your success so far?

Using myself as my own human science experiment. Learning, testing on myself what I thought worked, recording the result, then pivoting and starting all over.

What is your morning routine?

My Million Dollar Morning Routine. 

What habit or behavior that you have pursued for a few years has most improved your life?

Stopping the fixed-victim thoughts as they enter my head and replacing them with growth-owner ones that give fear the finger and know that obstacles are temporary roadblocks on my way to becoming an unstoppable force.

What are your strategies for being productive and using your time most efficiently?

I have a system I created that stemmed from Ben Franklin’s “13 Virtues” chart and has evolved into the app that I’ll be releasing in June that gamifies the process of leveling up.

What book(s) have influenced your life the most? Why?

How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Was the first self-help book I ever read and is responsible for what I’ve come to call my “Rock-Bottom-Bounce” where I realized it was either suicide or reinvention.

Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill changed my view on money and success to get it working for instead of against me.

Atomic Habits by James Clear helped solidify the role habits play in our lives, and became a central part of my system.

Do you have any quotes you live by or think of often?

“Do or do not, there is no try.” – Yoda. 

It’s all about taking action, learning, pivoting, then repeating.