My Story

I’m John — born on the Connecticut–New York border, now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

That in-between space has always been my story.

I grew up in Connecticut but worked in Manhattan. I’m technically in sales, but my passion is training and development. I was raised Episcopal (“Catholic Lite,” as I like to joke), but my spirituality reaches far beyond one tradition. And while I’m very much a man, I’ve spent most of my life not feeling like one.

For years, I felt like a boy who never quite crossed the threshold into manhood — stuck in a kind of Peter Pan syndrome, searching for something I couldn’t name.

I’ve been married to my incredible wife for over twenty years, and together we’re raising a 14-year-old son. My mission as a father is simple but sacred: to help him build a healthy sense of identity — something my own father couldn’t model or give to me.

I’ve come to believe this deeply:

It’s a father’s responsibility to install identity in his son.

When that doesn’t happen, the boy grows into a man who’s constantly chasing external validation — approval from others, achievements, titles, status — anything to feel enough.

But that validation can only come from within.

For most of my life, I wrestled with that word — enough.

Not tall enough. Strong enough. Smart enough. Successful enough.

And certainly never “man enough.”

As Justin Baldoni said: “Enough! I’m tired of not being enough.”

That line hit me like a mirror.

A few years ago, after a painful fallout with a group of friends, I found myself stripped of roles and identities. It forced me to ask: Who am I, really?

That question became my invitation to heal.

I went back to therapy. I read the books. I listened to the podcasts. I joined men’s groups. I attended retreats. And to my surprise, I met countless men who felt just like me — good men, capable men, lost men. Men who were also trying to remember who they really are.

Through that journey, I’ve healed, grown, and reclaimed pieces of myself I didn’t know I’d lost. Now, I’m paying it forward — coaching men, leading retreats, and holding space for those ready to do the same work.

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong, or like you don’t know who you are when you’re not being who everyone else needs you to be — you’re not alone.

Come take this journey with me.