About Trace

From Rock Bottom to Radical Responsibility

In 2008, during the housing market collapse, I watched my family lose our home and everything we worked for. I was just a teenager in South Florida, but the trauma of watching neighbors foreclosed on and dreams disintegrate pushed me into the streets. By thirteen, I was selling weed, stealing phones, and doing whatever I could to escape the pain of being broke.

By my late teens, I was living a destructive lifestyle—violent, addicted, strung out on everything from cocaine to molly to LSD. My ribs were showing. My face was marked with holes. I was paranoid, broke, and caught in a web of bad decisions, bad environments, and people who didn’t care if I lived or died. When the police surrounded my house one day and I flushed the drugs down the toilet, I hit my limit. Something had to change.

The Escape Plan

I set a date: August 5th, 2015. I packed my life into a Toyota Camry and drove nonstop to Colorado. I found a place to live on Craigslist with a man named Woody, who turned out to be a cop—and that twist saved me. Instead of sending weed back to Florida like I planned, I started reading and listening to audiobooks. The first? Mastery by Robert Greene. Then The Richest Man in Babylon.

Woody gave me a break on rent. I hit the pavement, handed out resumes, and hustled my way into a job at a bar within five days. I worked 16-hour days, running food and barbacking, stacking cash. I started listening to politics, questioning everything, and most of all—believing I was meant for something more.

Becoming a Man Worth Following

A year later, I met Sonja. Our early relationship was tested by tragedy when her husband passed away unexpectedly before their divorce was finalized. I chose to stand by her. That moment redefined manhood for me—not as 50/50, but as full accountability and unwavering support.

We moved in together, and I continued to experiment with finding purpose—working in dispensaries, earning my real estate license, and becoming an electrician. Each job taught me something, but none felt like the thing. I eventually launched a pressure washing business that gained early traction—but collapsed during the slow season.

The Ayahuasca Awakening

It was around then that Sonja and I flew to Peru for an ayahuasca retreat. I didn’t know what I was getting into—I just didn’t want her to go alone. But in those ceremonies, I learned to trust again. I learned how to love her. And I realized I couldn’t go back to who I was. That vision of returning to my job didn’t exist.

That insight pushed me to launch my pressure washing business. When that failed, I looked for a new opportunity—and landed a $19/hour job at a small startup.

Building a Business from the Inside

When I joined the startup, I made it clear—I wanted to grow something big. I documented everything, trained others, built teams, and scaled fulfillment from the ground up. Within two and a half years, I climbed from an entry-level role to VP of Sales and Marketing, increasing my income more than sevenfold while taking on key leadership roles.

During a critical moment in my life—while planning for IVF with Sonja and navigating family challenges—I went through another season of growth. I returned to the jungle, this time in Mexico.

The Second Transformation

In my second round of ayahuasca, sapo, and mushroom ceremonies, I was humbled. I learned that to be the leader I wanted to be, I needed to let go of blame. I had to embody grace. I had to become the support system I wished I had.

That journey reshaped how I showed up in business and in life. I stopped chasing power and began learning how to carry it.

Why I Built This Site

Because I know what it feels like to be broke, lost, bitter, and self-destructive. I know what it’s like to feel like it’s too late—or that you’ve burned too many bridges.

But I also know what happens when you decide to take radical responsibility for your life.

This site isn’t about motivation. It’s about transformation.

If you’ve ever felt like you were made for more—but didn’t know where to start—this is your reset point.

Download the guide. Read the story. Build the habits. Make the shift.

Let’s walk this path together.