My Story

Breathing is fundamental to the human experience. It's one of the first things we do when we come into the world and one of the last things we do as we leave. It's also a powerful catalyst for transformation and growth.

I know what its like to take my last breath. In 2007, I had a near-death experience from a gun shot wound that severed my femoral artery. I died for fifteen minutes before being revived by an expert medical team - no breathing, no pulse!  Learning how to breathe taught me how to take my "first breath" once again.

I grew up in a small town in Northeastern Pennsylvania where I developed the passion and mindset for serving others. I graduated from West Point in 2005, a class famously known as the "Class of 9/11." West Point both developed me as a person and prepared me as a leader. I was commissioned as an Infantry officer and departed for combat shortly after.

I served in Baghdad as a combat leader during a time known as "the surge." It was one of the most violent areas of Baghdad during one of the most violent periods of the Global War on Terrorism. Despite this, I found that building trusted relationships with others, especially our Iraqi counterparts and local citizens, was the key to stability and success - a principle that carries over into all of my work in leadership today.

After I was shot in Baghdad, I recovered at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and redeployed about 4 months later to finish the tour with my team. After returning from this deployment, I served as an Aide-de-Camp to the Deputy Commanding General of Fort Riley and later as a Company Commander. After 10 years of active duty service, I departed the military as a Major.

After the military, I took my skills to the private sector and joined Tesla as an HR Business Partner. Here, I built out their leadership development program in the US and Europe, training all manufacturing and engineering leaders.

My speaking career began about one month after I was shot with a Memorial Day talk in 2007. At the time, I was still on crutches! This would evolve into a much larger speaking circuit that consisted of hundreds of talks and interviews related to adversity and leadership. 

When I started speaking, the topic of trauma wasn't popular like it is today. It was highly stigmatized. The initial wave of talks was intended to eliminate this stigma. Fortunately, we're in a much better place today.

I delivered a TEDx talk in 2015 and published my first book in 2018, The Beauty of a Darker Soul: Overcoming Trauma Through the Power of Human Connection, which became a best-seller. 

More recently, I contributed to a scholarly anthology on moral trauma titled Moral Injury and the Humanities: Interdisciplinary Perspectives  (Cohen & McClymond, 2023). The chapter I wrote for this book focuses on meaning-making through adversity, which is one of the elements of spiritual intelligence (SI).  Watch this keynote on Adversity, Trauma, and Human Connection.

I have a master's degree in Philosophy, Consciousness, and Cosmology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. I'm currently completing a Ph.D. in the same. My dissertation is focusing on how peak states of consciousness (namely from breathwork and near-death experiences) can contribute to spiritual consciousness, spiritual intelligence (SI), and personal growth. This research has direct relevance to my work in speaking, leadership, and breathwork.

Today, my talks have evolved into something even more. I want to deliver experiences to audiences that go beyond speaking - something experiential that they can take with them. After discovering and practicing breathwork, I trained on conscious-connected breathing, rebirthing, and the techniques of pranayama yoga. Live breathing sessions are now integrated into my talks! 

The experiences that I offer today are not only designed to leave you with inspiration but with life-long skills that you can take with you.      

I'm based in Las Vegas where I offer inspirational speaking events, breathing workshops, and personal breathwork training both in-person and online.

Contact me today to book your event - and remember to breathe!