About

I grew up in a religious and conservative home.

Rule-following and picking the “safe path” were core ideas. 

I remember clear moments of lack and scarcity (e.g., my Dad got laid off, “rainy day” jar in the kitchen). 

College taught me that getting a good job was the top-level goal in life. So I worked my butt off to (barely) get into the management consulting field upon graduation.

Looking back, I see Millennials as the last generation of the Industrial Era. We were handed a script of what the good life was, and so we ran with it.

Launching into the workforce was a scary but electrifying experience.

Suits, business travel, company-sponsored happy hours….amazing!

I also got married in my mid-20s. Three lovely children soon followed.

Applying my childhood lessons, I worked myself to the bone. My job title was my identity.

What I missed were all the mounting costs. I soon experienced them, losing: my marriage, access to my kids, and my health.

I ran into a wall at 100 MPH.

Only then did I start to awaken to my previous decade: I was trapped in the Corporate Cage.

I needed to rebuild my life — for my own sake and my kids.

Therapy, coaching, and self-development work fueled my rebirth.

I discovered my love of an obscure ancient philosophy (Stoicism), which I deem central to my growth.

Looking back, I realized I was caged, and the 9-5 environment (more like 8-8) was a central culprit.

I decided I couldn’t just leave the lucrative consulting world, as I had extensive financial responsibilities.

So I decided to stay…on my terms.

I ran “survival” experiments for several years — to decrease the negative impacts of work while increasing my lifestyle. One example: I eventually reduced my average workweek hours by 50%, and got promoted. 

I was becoming a self-directed person and a better father.

And I even attracted my soulmate! I met Cecilia and we got married in 2017.

As I became intentional with the life I wanted to live, I started to sense what was possible.

I became (healthily) obsessed with reading and spending time around entrepreneurs.

They were building businesses and lives that were dripping in freedom: time, financial, purpose, relationships, health.

The default path no longer suited me. The keys to the cage were in my pocket all along.

Free of make-believe pressures, I was alive and living Uncaged.

As I ran “Uncaged” experiments, I taught my mentees and direct reports to do the same.

I couldn’t bare watching them fall into a similar trap.

My coaching skills grew stronger.

Then, when COVID struck, a lightbulb went off.

An entrepreneurial lightbulb switched on and I felt compelled to help others more formally.

I launched my first side hustle: a coaching business

After several iterations, I realized what felt best was merely helping my past self: someone who’s stuck in corporate hell and wants a better life.

I got into the content creation game on social media, and paired that with podcasting and a newsletter.

Things were gaining steam, and I knew the clock was ticking down on how much more I could stay in my 9-5.

So, after carefully working with my own coach, we set my corporate exit date: March 11, 2022.

That day went exactly according to plan. I said goodbye and now I’m living an entirely different life.

A life of real purpose: being present with my family, helping others at scale, and maximizing my time on this planet.

I’m literally obsessed with helping my past self: taking people from Caged to Uncaged. If that’s you, I’d love to connect.