Rising through the Ashes

More Than a Leadership Journey

I want to offer more than just a leadership journey I want to share a moment of personal truth. Because my True North wasn't shaped in moments of success or titles. It was forged in pain, in silence, and ultimately in rebirth.

I didn’t grow up with a crowd of friends. In fact, I spent much of my early years feeling different, teased about my appearance, constantly searching for where I belonged. That ache for connection would become a theme in my life. It taught me to observe, to listen, and to develop an inner strength that I didn't yet know would become my greatest leadership asset.

I’ve worn many hats in my life station hand, plumber, professional athlete, police officer, public speaker. But my defining transformation the phoenix rising moment came not from the titles I held, but from when I lost everything that once defined me.

Entering the Police Force With Purpose

Joining a police force like many, I entered the job with a strong sense of purpose wanting to protect, to serve, to be someone others could rely on. But the things I witnessed the trauma, the loss, the weight of holding space for others accumulated like invisible bricks strapped to my back. And over time, the burden became unbearable.

In 2014, after years of pushing through the pain, I fell apart. I was diagnosed with PTSD, major depression, and anxiety. The man who once walked into rooms with confidence could no longer leave the house. I lost my career, my identity, my sense of worth. And yet, that breakdown became my breakthrough.

That moment, when I thought I had nothing left, was when I discovered what really matters. Connection. Compassion. Courage.

Rebuilding Piece by Piece

I had to rebuild myself piece by piece through therapy, medication, long nights of self-doubt, and the slow, painful process of relearning how to feel. It wasn’t one treatment or one person that saved me. It was the courage to stay, to ask for help, and eventually, to believe that I could turn my pain into purpose.

I stand here not because I’ve conquered mental illness, but because I walk with it every day. And in doing so, I’ve found my True North. But beyond all those titles, I am someone who chooses to rise again and again.

The Values That Guide Me

My values are simple but unshakable:

  • Integrity—showing up as I am, not who people expect me to be.
  • Courage—speaking when it’s uncomfortable, especially for those without a voice.
  • Connection—because we’re not meant to heal alone.

Leadership to me is not about climbing ladders. It’s about lowering them for others.

I’ve turned my experience into advocacy because I want a world where no first responder feels as alone as I did. Where mental health support is embedded in policy, culture, and community. Where people see lived experience not as something to be hidden, but as a badge of wisdom.

Living With Purpose

We talk about purpose. Mine is clear: to be a voice for those still in the dark, to champion systems-level change, and to help others find strength in their story.

We also talk about support teams. Mine includes my family who walked beside me when I had nothing to give. It includes the practitioners who never gave up. And it includes people like you leaders willing to hold space for stories that don't always end neatly but still hold immense value.

As I close, I want to say this: We all have a Phoenix moment inside us. That point where life asks us, "What now?" For me, the answer wasn’t found in what I lost, but in what I chose to become.

I am not broken. I am rebuilt. And I carry my scars as proof that resilience isn’t just surviving the fire. It’s choosing to rise from the ashes with purpose.

That’s my True North.

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