About me

My long fascination with meditation and obscure therapeutic processes, culminated in personal healing that stopped a cycle of incessant suffering and has allowed me to thrive beyond my wildest dreams. Alongside my wife Alia, I'm on a mission to guide others down the road of genuine, lasting recovery.

My roots are in Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb, but my path took an interesting twist when my dad felt a calling to the ministry. We moved to Crown Point, Indiana, and eventually to Greenwood, south of Indianapolis, where he planted a church. When my family later relocated to Franklin, Ohio, I stayed behind in Indy, already laying down my own path.

For better or worse, I've always been an explorer. At 19, I lived in an ashram in the mountains of West Virginia, an experience that instilled in me a love for yoga and meditation that's lasted a lifetime. After receiving my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, I moved to San Diego to tackle law school. What followed was an intense, 8-year stint in the legal field, with a focus on estate and tax planning.

Despite outward success, the toll on my mental health was crushing. Depression, anxiety, and a struggle with alcohol weighed heavily on me, to the point where it was a matter of life and death. Something had to change. I closed down my practice, a difficult but life-saving decision. 

In retrospect, leaving the practice of law was the right decision, but closing my practice wasn’t easy and didn’t immediately improve my mental health. In fact, I sunk into a deeper depression with daily panic attacks. Despite my consistent optimistic attitude, I was starting to believe that I was destined to die broken and sad.

I had spent 6 figures on my law school education, and now I had nothing to show for it. Worse, I had abandoned my clients, who I sincerely and deeply cared about. But It was clear that continuing to practice would spread my problems further and further afield, to more and more clients, and it was necessary to stop the process immediately rather than multiply everyone else’s problems for my own financial gain.

Despite my belief that my road had essentially dead-ended, I somehow retained my explorative nature, even if I didn’t maintain my positive attitude. I tried everything I could find to get a little relief: self-help books, neural linguistic programming, therapy, spirituality, and even religion. Although some of the things I tried would make me feel better temporarily, I started to see that the roller coaster of temporary relief followed by crushing depression and anxiety was almost worse than constant pain. It felt better to stay in bed with the shades drawn. 

It was during this vulnerable time that I stumbled upon a transformative technique that brought me clarity and lightness. And that was just the beginning. By the end of my journey with Retrocession, my anxiety and depression were gone, as in totally gone. In place of constant mental pain and a downward spiral from hell, I had space to breathe, space to grow, space to develop the life I’d always dreamed possible prior to my downfall. 

I was skeptical at first, cautiously waiting for the depression and anxiety to reappear, but they haven’t reared their nasty heads. With overflowing joy, I can now count years between this present moment and my abject suffering.

After some time had passed, and it became clear that I’d made a clean break from my anxiety and depression, I realized that I had to take Retrocession to the world. I started by working with close friends with strong meditation and self-care routines, and Retrocession Worked!

After a time helping friends and relatives, I slowly started working with referrals from those people, and when it was clear that Retrocession Works 100% of the time, I made the decision to quit my job and focus on helping others full-time.

Although I can say with confidence that Retrocession Works every time I’ve employed it with myself and others, I do need to give a caveat. Retrocession Works to the extent that the client is willing and able to do one thing:

Retrocession works best to the extent that the clients trusts themselves.

Ironically, clients don’t need to trust me or even the Retrocession process. They only need to trust themselves. Sure, I can help facilitate relief for someone who is resistant, but it certainly isn’t going to be total, permanent relief. They will get a benefit, and they will take steps closer to healing, but there will be limits. That’s why I have a policy of screening clients carefully.

If Retrocession isn’t going to offer dramatic personal change, if miracles aren’t, in my opinion, a possible result of the therapy, I will recommend that a potential client seek assistance from someone using a modality that’s a better fit for them. Sometimes some work with someone else will be necessary to move someone into a position that will make Retrocession Work for them. Sometimes Retrocession will never be a fit, and that’s okay.

Today, I have the privilege of sharing a beautiful life with Alia, my wife, and my daughter Vix in Dayton, Ohio. Alia and I are yoga teachers, although I teach only enough to keep my skills sharp. Vix is a talented singer, dancer, and student and frankly, she’s the easiest teenager I could imagine parenting. It’s incredible to be close to our extended families. Although Dayton wasn’t my first choice, especially after living in sunny San Diego, it has become the first place in my adult years that I can comfortably call home. 

We recently opened our office in Kettering, Retrocession Works, where I conduct individual Retrocession and host a variety of workshops and day retreats. Many of our offerings are not Retrocession focused, but most that I lead bring Retrocession in as a tool for breaking through blockages and stuck spots. We recently hosted a Getting Unstuck day retreat, and I’m looking forward to offering workshops on organization, shifting out of a dissatisfying career, and being a better parent, many of which will harness the skills of other professionals with expertise in the areas we’re studying.

I wouldn’t change a thing, and that includes my strong penchant for exploration. Right now, I’m expanding the reach of Retrocession into “mindset coaching.” Rather than simply teach clients habits and mental tricks that force peak performance, I’m helping them erase the deep roots of their insecurity, fear, and inadequacy so they can emerge more themselves: More capable, but less stressed and more satisfied with the challenge tasks they choose to engage with.

So here we are. Retrocession isn't just a method; it's my life's work. I don't claim to have all the answers, but I've walked the hard miles to get to a place of inner stability and clarity. If you can avoid my monumental mistakes, stalls, and backsteps, I’m deeply happy for you! I’ve learned by doing. Wiser people learn by seeing others make mistakes. And the wisest among us learn by hearing about the possibility of mistakes. Still, I’m grateful for this approach because, without making the mistakes, I wouldn’t be very well equipped to help others avoid them.

If you’re interested in Retrocession or anything else I’ve discussed on this site, please feel free to set up a 15 minute call with me. Whether we work together or not, I’d love to meet you and hear your story!