I share the 9/11 story of myself and my childhood best friend, Mike, every year. It’s an amazing story of baseball, beer and friendship. In 2016 our story went viral by being told by Mike Rowe on his “The Way I Heard It” podcast. The episode was called “You Don’t Know Mike”.  Back in 2001 I worked in ..read more

I’ve paused, laid low, and really absorbed life lately. The peace that I have been feeling as I continue to march through adversity has felt remarkable. I recently had a chest CT scan. It shows significant scarring in both lungs as result of my battle with covid. Interstitial lung disease is the diagnosis. The lung scarring is most likely progressive, which is terminal. But who knows what that really means… At this point I have many more questions than answers. I am in the process of making an appointment at the Norton Thoracic Institute at St Joseph’s Hospital for a second opinion. I will fi ..read more

I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with Mike Briggs on his Fresno, CA based talk show, Briggs on Books. Watch here… Interview 05/01/2024“Shake Yourself Free“ bannerMeeting new people Shake Yourself Free merchandising Shelly & I ..read more

A year ago this week, my book, Shake Yourself Free, was published by Sastrugi Press.  I spent five years painstakingly working on this book (entirely prior to 9:00 AM each day). I put my complete heart and soul into it. To have it published and shared with the world is without a doubt one of my proudest moments, both personally and professionally. I’ve been through much devastating adversity in my life. To see my pain take on such a purpose, by helping so many people—wow, what a feeling. Shake Yourself Free has 55 five-star reviews on Amazon. The lessons ..read more

Just over 2 years ago, I nearly died. Some of you may remember my all-out, crazed assault against the COVID-19 pneumonia that left me hospitalized for 53 days. Things were dire, the medical records are quoted as saying, “high probability of expiration overnight”. I’d already been through so much in my life. At 23 I lost my fiancé in a car accident. From that day forward—both my personal and professional life have been an absolute roller coaster. Somehow, my incredible wife Shelly, stayed by my side with our 2 sons, Dylan and Taylor. But I was full of anger and rage, so my big grocery career im ..read more

I am fortunate to be alive. It’s been two years now, since Thanksgiving 2021, when I caught the COVID-19 virus and beginning on December 3, 2021, I was hospitalized for 53 days. It came extremely close to killing me. Since, I’ve become even more aware of living life to its fullest and capitalizing on its special moments—which has brought an added layer to my gratitude in this season of giving thanks. To quote my book, Shake Yourself Free, “When gratitude becomes the center point of your life, everything else begins to more easily fall into place.” This was written prior to getting sick, as I h ..read more

Every year I share the 9/11 story of myself and my childhood best friend, Mike. It’s an amazing story of baseball, beer and friendship. In 2016 our story went viral by being told by Mike Rowe on his “The Way I Heard It” podcast. The episode was called “You Don’t Know Mike”.  Here is our story. Back in 2001 I worked in the grocery business for Wild Oats Markets, overseeing stores throughout the country. In early September of that year, I was sent to the east coast. Starting in Florida for two days, I then flew to Boston for a day before driving to visit a couple of stor ..read more

Long-covid is a grind. Since my 53-day hospital stay, I can realistically say that in many ways, I am a shell of my former self. The fatigue is like nothing I ever imagined prior to getting sick. All my energy is gone by early afternoon. I need a nap every day. My brain doesn’t work like it did. I can’t seem to learn new information. I have always been an overachiever, now I struggle to get the simplest of tasks done. I have nerve issues in my hands, feet and eyes. My lungs are still a mess. I have severe lung scarring and it seems like my breathing has worsened in the summer, with Arizona tem ..read more

Much of my identity and purpose throughout my adult years has come from my career. In recent years, I have learned to be more in sync with the larger purpose of life, but that didn’t impact my career drive, it just provided for a healthier balance. I got sick during the busiest stretch of my mortgage career. I tried with all my might to keep the business going in the weeks after being released from the hospital, but it became obvious to me and my doctor that I was too sick for that. Thus, I went on medical leave and was able to begin to put all my attention toward healing. Once the three mon ..read more

It such a surreal feeling to be able to say that my book has been released. I spent the past 5 years letting loose the many trials, missteps, and lessons learned as I’ve pushed through my journey. My hope is that it can help many navigate through their own journey. It’s available in both paperback and ebook on Amazon and Barnes and Noble’s site, as well as being accessible through many local and independent bookstores. The journey continues…. https://www.sastrugipress.com/books/shake-yourself-free/https://www.sastrugipress.com/books/shake-yourself-free ..read more