From Cell Blocks to Mental Clarity, And a Life Built on Discipline, Not Chaos
I didn't grow up visualizing dream boards. I grew up chasing highs, running from myself, and eventually landing behind bars.
That could've been the end of the story, but it wasn't.
In that silence, I found Stoicism. In the mess, I found discipline. Not overnight, not perfectly but consistently enough to build something real.
Now, I live with purpose, structure, and peace I never thought was possible. And if you're reading this, you're probably chasing something similar.
This Isn't a Comeback Story. It's a Manual for People Who Want One.
For17 years, I was married to the woman I thought I'd grow old with. We raised three incredible kids. Built a life. Built a future. And like most people, I believed it would lastforever.
Then COVID hit. And so did thedivorce.
One conversation, and everythingcollapsed. The family. The routine. The version of me I thought was unshakable.
I spiraled hard. Idrank. I used. Eventually, I sold.
The pain turned into chaos. The chaos turned into consequences. And the next thing I knew, I wasn't just losing my mind, I was losing my freedom.
I landed in prison.
No noise. No distractions. Just four walls and every version of myself I was trying to outrun. I didn't recognize the man in the mirror. And I saw it in my kids' eyes too. The father they needed?Gone. The man I wanted to be? Buried under the wreckage.
But even in that lowest place, something inside me wouldn't shut up. It whispered: "This can't be it."
So I searched. Not for inspiration, for survival. I went down the rabbit hole on YouTube, desperate for anything that made the noise stop. Mindset videos. Recovery stories. Mental strength.
And then I found Marcus Aurelius. I found Stoicism.
I found something that didn't just inspire me, it anchored me. I started reading Meditations. Writing quotes on scraps of paper. I trained. I journaled. I sat in silence. No gym. No coach. Just gravity, time, and pain.
And slowly, I rebuilt. Not the old me.A better one. A man who could show up, for himself, and for his kids.
Stoicism didn't hand me a comeback, it handed me a manual.
One built on clarity. Control. Action. Peace.
Now, I live by it. Now, I coach through it. And now, I give the same tools to people who are stuck, so they don't have to stay stuck.