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 to move before standing still became my life.​ It wasn't that my childhood was plagued by trauma or abuse, it was the subtle lack of direct and positive influence on who I was becoming and where I was going. 

 

I lost someone extremely dear to me, was challenged by an alcoholic mother, and spent several years in community college trying to find something that fit. I would change my major 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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