My Journey
My Story
I was 20 years old, sitting on the couch while taking a break at work, feeling my consistent and excruciating back pain, and thinking to myself, “I’m 20 years old and I feel like a broken down 60 year old! This ain’t right. I need to fix this. Something needs to change.”
I had been training Jiu Jitsu for a couple years and thought, “I’ve seen martial artists meditating. What’s this meditation thing about?”
“Professional fighters have nutritionists… I don’t have the money, so I’d better become my own!”
This felt like a moment of waking up, and I made some drastic shifts from there on out.
From the ages of 13 to 20 I drank enough for a lifetime.
My teenage years were marked by:
🍔 Fast food daily
🥤 Soda and junk food
🎮 TV, video games
💊 Opiates & alcohol to numb the pain
I loved Percocet—it made me feel relaxed, blissful, pain-free. By high school, opiates had become popular, and I thought I’d found the perfect escape. On weekends, it was an 18-pack of beer and 4 Percocets. Wonderful to my young mind in the moment, but detrimental long-term.
Football, fighting, and proving myself were my main focus—yet they also fueled my pain. Six years of football, lifting weights incorrectly, street fights, and substance abuse beat my body down.
While my peers turned 21 and celebrated with bars and booze, I quit drinking.
My parents were always loving and supportive, but like many families, they had their own struggles. I also lied often—to keep my freedom, to maintain an image. I now understand the long-term consequences of habitual lying.
So here’s the context: 20 years old and feeling like a broken down 60 year old.
At its source: unresolved trauma, lack of guidance, self-destructive habits, and not knowing how to take care of myself.
Then I went hard in the other direction:
🚫 No alcohol🚫 No drugs🚫 No meat🚫 No sex🚫 No TV
I went monk mode—no dating from 21 to 24. Instead, I dedicated myself to:
🧘 Meditation🥗 Healthy eating📚 Spirituality & self-improvement🥋 Jiu Jitsu & boxing (training 6 days a week)
By my 20s, I knew my passion and purpose lay within the healing, spiritual, and coaching arts.
Then came plant medicine.
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Psychedelics and shared psilocybin/LSD experiences with close brothers.
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In 2010, I met my first healer and mentor Amadeo Guiao, who guided me for 3 years in healing, meditation, and sound practices.
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Soon after, I experienced Ayahuasca ceremonies in Central Oregon, which became a profound catalyst for my greatest healing.
EMBODY THE PRACTICE
ENHANCING PERFORMANCE |IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE
By 25, I was finally able to release alcohol and unhealthy substance dynamics completely. I realized: To free ourselves from substances, we must heal the core issues behind their use.
The name Embody The Practice came from this truth:
It was the practices that changed my life.
Years of Jiu Jitsu, Yoga, Qi Gong, Meditation, Sound Healing, Plant Medicine, and mentorship showed me:
The purpose of practice isn’t just to be good at it—it’s to bring its wisdom into daily life.
When we Embody The Practice, it becomes our Lifestyle.
And that’s what brings us to our essential embodiment—the direct, moment-by-moment truth of who we are and our genuine expression.
It was in 2016 that my wife Kelly was the catalyst for us to move to the Big Island of Hawai’i, and my life was forever changed in a new, challenging, and exciting way.
We were living deep in the jungle with good friends of ours, and it was a very focused time.
I was feeling a bit lost again, but also like I was on the precipice of some big next steps.
I was meditating every morning and in prayer for the clarity of who my next mentor would be, and what my next steps are.
It was soon after that I met Satyen Raja and the WarriorSage team.
I was deeply impacted by the all-encompassing philosophy and way of being of Satyen, WarriorSage, and the deeply effective methodology of Accelerated Evolution.
This body of work became the culmination of all my studies—a methodology that allows me to simply and effectively facilitate healing, transformation, and awakening for my clients in 1:1 sessions, group work, and retreats I’ve been facilitating since 2021.
After moving back to Portland from Hawai’i, I was teaching and training at American Top Team Portland, where I met my good brother Dr. Michael Quasney, who completely transformed my physical experience.
It was around 2018, and I was still dealing with a lot of physical issues in my back, knees, and shoulders. The incredible body of work he shared—encompassing chiropractic, physical therapy, strength training, and body work—provided me with exactly what I needed. It revitalized my passion for training, and honestly, for life.
While I had done so much inner work, my physical body still held weakness and tension. The work with him literally remedied all of it!
Today, it’s been about 20 years of training and teaching Jiu Jitsu, and I feel healthier and stronger than ever before.
It’s also been 8+ years in my coaching practice, and this work continues to amaze and inspire me. I get to work with incredible people, and it’s truly fulfilling.
I have a loving wife, an amazing son, a great family, and many dear friends.
I continue to feel healthy, happy, and whole.
I feel stronger every day, and God willing, I intend to keep this going for many years to come.
The theme I’ve witnessed is this:
If you never give up on a problem, and you are proactive in your approach, the right person and remedy will eventually show up.
When we bring the right practices, habits, mentors, and coaches into our lives, and we embody the right mindset, life gets better with each passing year.
It doesn’t mean it will always be smooth or perfect, and it’s not about creating an easy life.
As Bruce Lee said:
“Don’t pray for an easy life.
Pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
It’s about creating an inner and outer disposition of true strength—one that can hold the full spectrum of life.
💪 We train hard so the game is easy.
It’s in this spirit that we can live a good and fulfilling life.
👉 If any of this resonates with you, and you’re ready to experience healing, freedom, and fulfillment in your life, don’t hesitate to schedule a call by clicking the link below.
I look forward to connecting with you.
