about
as a young child, my parents always supported my many curiosities in life. they bought me the book “How Things Work.” I feasted on its many pages that deconstructed everything from how toilets functioned to atomic reactors.
I would grow with this natural curiosity in me and always questioned why? Why were things in life the way they were, and how could I change or improve upon their design and function?
I ultimately would grow up to become an Art Director and Props person in television. This incredible fast-paced playground offered me the most rapid-fire problem-solving available on the planet.
weekly I had to figure out how to build everything from pneumatic confetti shooting voting booths to exploding cell phones and a pedal-driven dystopian electric chair to name a few. My builds and creations were always rooted in the understanding of physics and science.
problem
solving in
television
then
things
got dark
However, my most significant life challenge was beginning to unfold in my thirties. After my side hustle (entertainment software startup) failed, a new problem presented itself… depression.
My mental health quickly declined with 500k in debt owed to angry investors, friends, and family. hopelessness consumed my everyday thoughts, and I turned to alcohol to escape my failure as a human.
I quickly spiraled out of control and on August 30th, 2016, in a depressive, alcohol-filled low, I came inches away from jumping from the Sony Pictures Studio parking garage before work.
But this near end would actually become my new beginning…
after my near suicide I got curious again. What had broken in me, why was I so depressed and what control did I maybe possess to change this? Turning to science like I do, I studied neuroscience and neuroplasticity. Breaking down the human experience piece by piece through my deep need to understand how the brain actually worked.
I ultimately discovered through experiments on myself that my daily thoughts were at the core of my breakdown. I could actually choose new thoughts (called “reframing”), that would alter my emotions and ultimately how I felt. it worked and I got better fast!
wait…
it’s our own
Thoughts!?
I got it
to work
again & again
This discovery powerfully changed my path and my relationship with myself and others. Depression exited my life, and positive mental health became something I understood, could replicate, and even design.
My true life mission now became crystal clear. I was not a tv designer, I was never a startup founder either, I’m a life experience designer. My canvas was the human mind, my paint was our daily thoughts, and my brush was this tool called “reframing.”
Today, I use my entertainment background and ability to break down complex systems into understandable parts, to trach others. presenting tools to reframe their own lives. creating joy, connection, deep self-acceptance, and self-love. Radically altering other peoples lives.
So who am I, I’m simply human. Not with broken parts after all, allowing myself to feel and have bad days, live with bipolar and even go to rehab multiple times. These are all experiences I’ve lived; however, they don’t define me, far from it.
the truth is, No one taught us how to live inside our own brains. Ironically it’s the most important relationship we live with every day. by living my life vulnerably, as open and honestly as I can, I hope these tools find you. allowing you to design your very own, new experience in this life as well. leading to greater peace and joy inside your mind and in every area of your life too.
we’re all
simply
human