When traditional systems and ways of thinking just aren't working.
When traditional systems and ways of thinking just aren't working.
I grew up in inner-city Chicago, where the pressures of gang culture and gang life were ever-present.
After moving out of this precarious environment, I took up skating and found myself drawn to music. Shortly thereafter, I fell in with the local underground music scenes.
In my early teens, I discovered music was a way to manage what I found out later was Depression coupled with ADHD. Since, I have forged my own path in navigating my struggles in mental health.
In my late teens to early '20s, I found myself promoting bands/musicians, mostly within the local punk community, booking for bars, basements, and venues alike.
Tiring of a life that included substance abuse and feelings of stagnation, I rolled up and rode out.
Traveling this country via freight and motorbike, spending time in soup kitchens, drop-in centers, and transient camps while becoming a somewhat accomplished musician playing music in venues and street corners.
Through all these years of experiences that I call my “University”, I garnered a unique perspective, honed in on my mental health, and spent time with souls who needed an ear the most. Something I feel we all need is to be heard. I want others to feel heard in a society in which we are, most often, drowned out.
I have taken a different personal/professional avenue to achieve my goal of being the person for youth that I needed when I was but a misguided spring chicken.
My journey has involved a colored history which includes a Sunday School Teacher, building tiny homes for the Homeless, Farmhand, and Migrant worker. I have been a Care Taker to a child with a traumatic brain injury - I innovated creative ways in which he can develop sharper skills in collaboration with and included Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapist. I also am an abuse survivor and an accomplished Musician.
I have 17+ years of experience working with youth that I bring to the forefront. I continue to apply all that I have learned (and continue to learn) as a Life Skills Mentor and Coach for male teens struggling with much of the same chemical imbalances I struggle with.
