I know this
because I lived it.
At 17, my mother told me to become a plumber and move out. Shortly after, I tried to end my life.
A year later, with no guidance and no one in my corner, I applied to Penn State on my own. Accepted immediately. Homeless, so I moved to campus, went year round, and worked full time to pay for it.
That proved I could do anything. It did not protect me from what came next. A hate crime against my children. Addiction. Abuse. Every climb met with another knockdown. Two decades of proof that determination alone doesn't fix what gets locked in place when you're surviving.
The slow rise at 38 was sheer will and for my kids. At 48, I cleared all of the wreckage and the rest is history.
I closed $140M because I learned how to perform under pressure while my survival wiring screamed danger. I got clinically certified because I needed to understand why willpower wasn't enough. I wrote the book because people needed permission to stop pretending they were fine.
Now I walk with people through the wilderness. Not around it. Through it.
