I’m the founder and principal of Fortis Invictus, LLC—a Christian-based, mission-driven company created to help caregivers find the strength, clarity, and support they need to survive—and thrive—through one of life’s hardest journeys.
I was born on Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, but my parents moved to Dallas shortly thereafter. I was raised in a blue-collar, middle-class home. My mother was Cherokee from Muskogee, Oklahoma. My father was a cotton farmer’s son who left school in the 8th grade. The man who shaped me most, though, was my grandfather—a Cherokee Shaman and medicine man. I spent countless days by his side, fishing and listening as he passed down the history, values, and spiritual wisdom of our people.
Faith showed up early in my life when my parents converted to a well-meaning but rigid faith—where questioning wasn’t encouraged, and grace sometimes got lost in the rules. I was baptized at age 11—not because I fully understood it, but because I wanted to do the right thing and make my parents proud. I spent my teen years preaching, teaching, and joining several Vacation Bible School mission campaigns across the country. One of my greatest joys was leading the puppet ministry for our church and traveling to train other church youth groups across the country in the art of puppetry.
That’s also when I discovered my gift—the ability to teach and simplify complex ideas. It became a blessing to others and a necessity for me. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I was already trying to compensate for what I would learn years later was ADHD..
That drive to make sense of the world—for myself and others—shaped the path I chose. I’ve always been fascinated by people: what drives them, how they think, and why they do what they do. That curiosity led me to earn a B.S. in Human Behavior and Psychology—plus Marketing, just to keep my bases covered—from the University of Texas (the first in my family to earn a college degree), and later, an M.B.A. in Consumer Behavior from SMU.
I was climbing the ladder at Pepsi-Cola, doing everything “right”—when I came home at 28 to find my wife and young son gone and the house empty—without any prior warning or signal. I was blindsided and broken.
She had emptied our bank account and moved in with someone else. I was shocked, gut-punched, confused—and suddenly drowning in financial ruin. It was through the agony and heartbreak that my resilience was truly born—when I learned to get back up after being knocked flat.
Even worse than the betrayal was the abandonment by the church that had raised me—from the second grade on. Because I was now divorced, with an imaginary capital “D” branded on my forehead, I found myself an outcast to the very “family” I needed most—for a second time. At the moment I needed love and support, I was judged and discarded.
But I fought back—with grit, with grace, and with the support of my parents. I eventually became one of the first fathers in Texas to be awarded joint custody—a victory I’m still proud of. Not because it was easy, but because it proved what love and relentless commitment can accomplish. Three years later, my son chose to live with me—and we remain close to this day.
From that turning point, my career took off. For over 30 years, I’ve studied and practiced human behavior, leadership, coaching, and faith. I’ve led and trained at the highest levels, serving in executive roles with Pepsi, Halliburton, Harley-Davidson, Mercedes-Benz, and Johnson Controls. I’ve delivered keynote speeches to audiences ranging from 15 to over 5,000 across the U.S. and U.K., and was once named “Best Trainer in Company History” by the CEO of PepsiCo.
After a lifetime of searching, I met the love of my life—Vera—in 2011. From our very first date, we both knew we were meant to be together. But because of the heartbreak we each carried from previous marriages, we waited until 2017 to officially become husband and wife.
Two years into our marriage, Vera was diagnosed with breast cancer. Together, we faced it head-on. She fought with everything she had—and I stood by her side every step of the way. And she beat it.
But just two years later, we faced another devastating diagnosis: Alzheimer’s.
So I did what I knew I had to do: I walked away from Corporate America, launched my own coaching business, and gave everything to caring for her full-time.
Two years ago, I hit a wall. The exhaustion, isolation, and hopelessness became too much. When suicidal thoughts started whispering, I dropped to my knees and begged God for strength. That was the day I began my return to faith—and three months later, I was baptized again.
Fortis Invictus wasn’t born from ambition. It was born from fire. From faith. From the kind of pain only caregivers understand.
