Introduction: Who I Am and Why I'm Here

I didn’t grow up thinking I’d ever write anything like this.

If you would’ve told me years ago that I’d be putting my story out for people to read, I probably would’ve laughed it off… or avoided it completely.

I grew up in Youngstown. Life wasn’t easy, but at the time, I didn’t really think about it that way. It was just normal. Fighting, getting into trouble, trying to figure things out without really knowing how.

I’ve seen what anger can do. I’ve seen what addiction can do. I’ve seen what it looks like when people are hurting and don’t know how to deal with it.

And if I’m being honest, I’ve been that person too.

There were times in my life where I felt stuck. Like no matter what I did, I couldn’t get out of my own way. Times where I didn’t feel good enough, didn’t feel like I had direction, and didn’t really understand why.

But somewhere along the way, something started to shift.

Not all at once. Not perfectly. Just slowly.

I started realizing that most people aren’t bad people—they’re just dealing with things they don’t understand. And that changed how I looked at everything.

That’s where this comes from.

This isn’t a place where I pretend to have all the answers.
This isn’t coaching.
This isn’t some perfect version of life.

This is just real.

Real experiences.
Real mistakes.
Real thoughts on trying to become better without pretending you’ve got it all figured out.

If something I write connects with you, that’s all I’m really hoping for.

Welcome to Evolved From Empathy—I’m glad you’re here.

 

If you want to follow along or read Chapter One of my book, you can join the email list below.