In the ’90s, I was working counter sales during the day, taking college classes at night, and cleaning restaurant carpets on a graveyard shift just to make ends meet.
Over the next several years, I completed a two-year refrigeration course and a four-year HVAC apprenticeship while working full-time as a mechanical trades technician. I specialized in systems with complex sequences of operation and became a Certificate Member of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society.
By the time I was 22, I was a tech, teaching part-time at a local college, serving as Education Director for the Service Engineers Chapter, and leading in-house training for my company. I loved learning, teaching, and helping other people grow.
“He has the ability to gather information, make sense of it then couple it with visuals to make a story.”
- Eric Young | Professor
Just before turning 30, a motorcycle accident left me with fractures throughout my skull and upper body, a punctured lung, and a severe, open traumatic brain injury that put me in a coma. When I regained consciousness, I had the cognitive ability of a child and no memory of my life. I was discharged into care more than 300 miles from my home. I’d lost everything: not only my mind, but my independence, my home, and my career.
Nothing made sense to me, and I certainly didn’t understand the magnitude of the situation. I’d been diagnosed with cognitive brain damage, and my medical providers were working to put me on permanent federal disability, but I refused. I wasn’t going to let this beat me.
I dove headfirst into learning everything I could about what it meant to have a cognitive disability so I could rebuild my mind. What started out of spite turned into a passion for understanding neuroscience, brain plasticity, and human potential.
“He helps people think beyond the basics and expand their own purpose in achieving their goals.”
- Eric Andrus | Owner | HVAC Equipment Sales
Six years into recovery, I completed a bachelor’s degree in communication and returned to work as a technical trainer. From there, I joined an independent manufacturers’ representative agency and eventually became a co-owner, and over fifteen years I led a high-performing territory and earned recognition from several industry organizations.
My understanding of success has changed along the way. The titles, awards, and business results have been rewarding, but they’re not the only things that matter to me. I want to keep learning, take on new challenges, contribute to other people’s growth, and enjoy the life I’ve worked so hard to rebuild.
