Even the little struggles
teach us
Big lessons
From farmer to producer to business owner to father, perhaps the only aspects that tie my many lives together are my personal values and that I can’t, and don’t want to, do any of this life alone.
The people that I love (and who love me in return) kindle my many endeavors, and those same people also drive my values. In this way, life is never boring and I have high expectations to be a person of great value. To be of service to others and help them live their best lives: that’s the takeaway.
To truly harness your principles and then share them will end in balance: quality work, quality health, and quality relationships. These are the bricks that build my companies. You can’t do business unless you are clear about what you stand for, where you’re going, and who you’re doing it with.
My lifeline
1966
We begin as the sum of those that gave us life. My dad, born on the religious commune where I would be born, married my mother. Their love and hope is where I started.
1977
I was born on a religious commune in rural Canada. We raised geese and farmed the land. There’s a lot more story to this, as you can imagine. This is me as a baby being held by one of my brothers.
1982
On the commune there was no television, a radio that my mother secretly listened to, most books were banned, and I only had a few photos. But I had a rich childhood.
2001
At 24 years old, with an 8th grade education and a few dollars in my pocket, I set foot outside the commune and hit the road as a truck driver for Snoop Dogg. Talk about culture shock!
2004
I worked at a Midas tire shop in Kansas, where the owner told me I could run my own shop one day. I agreed that I could, but knew that I didn’t want to.
2005
My son, a stubborn and brilliant boy from day one, was born.
2007
I became a self-made millionaire. Sure, I was proud, but unfulfilled. How could I be of service to others? I had a few ideas... Moved to NYC and found myself on the red carpet as a film producer: bright lights, big city. But I had other interests to pursue.
2009
My daughter Miki was born, a peacekeeper if there ever was one. (Seen here with her grandfather Kubassek, otherwise known as my dad.)
2010
Thousands of people in hundreds of countries were working with me to find independence in their work lives. When my mother passed, I wanted to do even more.
2011
Because I struggled with depression and anxiety, and often felt alone, I started WAKEUP to bring more people together. Also, I got my dog, Vic, who slobbers and loves in equal measure.
2016
At one of my own conferences in New York, I met my partner Steph and somehow convinced her to move across an ocean to hang out with me every day.
2017
We got Lilo, another four-legged beast, to join our family.
2018
We moved to Canada, the land of my roots. But instead of living on a religious farm commune, we have a rowhouse in Toronto.
2020
With the help of so many people, in order to help even more people, mentors.com launched.
