My 21 Day Journey

Sixteen years ago, I was in a really bad place.

Between a divorce and the global financial crisis, I lost everything. I was starting from scratch; with a pre-funded startup and a little girl I was raising on my own.

I put every minute into being a dad and working on my company. My life got very small.

I started having anxiety attacks and experiencing depression. My health deteriorated. I got addicted to sleeping pills, and I was self-medicating with alcohol.

I was desperately searching for a way to get unstuck.

I heard about a 21 Day gratitude challenge and decided to go all-in. For the next three weeks, I made mental notes of each moment I was grateful for, then wrote them down at the end of the day. After just one week, it became easier to recognize these moments.

By the end of 21 days, I had become more optimistic, energized, and happier.

That inspired me to try another 21 Day challenge. I liked the idea of going deep on something outside of my normal day-to-day but in the safe container of a three-week experiment.

Each time, I refined my process until I had dozens of spreadsheets with data on these new habits, systems, and experiences.

I got really good at setting up a framework to have a singular, near-obsessive focus that wasn’t only about learning or theory but also a deep experiential component.

I did this for productivity, mental health, fitness, business, relationships, parenting, and personal growth in the coming years.

And it completely changed my life.

21 Days of no drinking → a decade of sobriety

21 Days of reading to my kids → deepened relationships

21 Days of new morning routines → reshaped my entire day


21 Days of work experiments → seven figure businesses

21 Days of (many) dating experiments → happily married + kiddos



I continue these experiments to this day.

My Background

I was born in San Francisco to hippy artist parents. Combined with growing up in Silicon Valley’s inflection point, it makes sense that I ended up doing so much work at the intersection of art and technology. But that’s not where I started.

My first job was in a Bay Area health food store. As an underweight, bullied kid, I became obsessed with the shop’s fitness magazines and the promise of superhuman strength from all the supplements.

I started weight training and eating obsessively. I gained 50 lbs of muscle in my first year. I was hooked. My next few jobs revolved around being a meathead and progressed from there into an odd journey:

  • Tons of jobs I hated in varying degrees
    ↳ Including but not limited to construction, a moving company, working security, and unloading UPS trucks

  • Male dance troupe (yup, a stripper like Magic Mike)
    ↳ Seemed like a reasonable way to finance the bodybuilding and get over being shy and introverted.

  • Certified personal trainer
    ↳ I did this for five years until I became injured, which made me rethink how to make money.

  • Investment bank
    ↳ I did this for less than a year. It made unloading boxes feel like a joy. Not for me.

  • Robotics
    ↳ This started my 25 relationship with technology. I worked in factory automation with clients like Boeing, IBM, Tesla, Kimberly Clark, and Intel.

  • Full-time dad
    ↳ I took time from work to care for my toddler daughter. It was one of the best years of my life.

  • Harcos Labs - energy drink & snack company (exit)
    ↳ Thus began my entrepreneurial journey with one of my best friends (and co-founder of Masterclass).

  • ShowOff - Television betting platform (exit)
    ↳ We started with wondering how the series Breaking Bad would end and wrote 75 possible outcomes for the final season.

  • Vouch - Social recommendation mobile app
    ↳ We wanted a way to share and save recommendations for media, food, products, and services.

  • SPARK6 Agency
    ↳ Designs and develops websites, mobile apps, and custom software

Today

After living in Santa Monica, CA for eighteen years, I am now in Salt Lake City, Utah. I continue to run SPARK6 agency, consult for product and innovation, and create content.

I’m a 3x father, and it’s how I like to spend most of my free time. I either weight train, cycle (road, gravel, and mountain), or practice yoga 6-7x a week. I continue to do 21 day experiments - and I never plan on stopping.