At 23, I chose to leave my family, my roots, and move to Orange County, California from Pennsylvania as I had begun to realize an immense stagnation forming. I didn’t fully understand it then, but I knew I needed a change of scenery before standing still became my life.​ While trauma and abuse didn't plague my childhood, it was losing someone extremely dear to me, having an an alcoholic mother, and the subtle lack of direct and positive influence on who I was becoming and where I was going. I spent several years in community college trying to find something that fit, changing majors from nursing to technology then business and even imagined opening a club with a motorcycle shop and tattoo parlor attached. Absurd I know. Looking back, I can see that it wasn’t so much a career that I was searching for, it was myself. I was lost and directionless and all I knew was that I wanted something different, something more. 

 

That desire for more became a defining thread in my life...direction, meaning, and depth. Years later, marriage, losing my father, and becoming a father myself changed everything. It forced me to confront time, responsibility, and what it truly means to live deliberately rather than by default.

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Thrive or Die was born from this understanding. A commitment to responsibility, truth, and growth. It’s about building a life you can stand behind, not just one you get through.

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​I hold a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology and am currently completing my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD). I work at a residential treatment center supporting adolescents and young adults navigating mental health and substance use challenges.

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