Notable Achievements & Experiences:
General:
Became a Certified Wilderness First Responder
Graduated College (Graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and a Minor in Communication Studies)
Benched 225, Squatted 315, Deadlifted 405
Ran a 5k in Less than 25 Minutes
Ran a 10k (Crescent City Classic in New Orleans)
Business:
Built a Self-Sustaining Business
Opened a Martial Arts Gym (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu & MMA)
Hired a Subcontractor
Became CFO to an Over 1 Million Dollar a Year Business
Reached the Point of YouTube Channel Monetization (current 250,000 total views)
Started a Remote, Location-Independent Business
Joined Local Chamber of Commerce and BNI Organization, Presented Speeches in Both. (Lunch n Learn Host for Chamber of Commerce and Provided 15 minute Presentation During BNI Meeting
Created an Online Course
Became My Own Boss
Adventure/Traveling:
States Travelled To: (49/50)
Continents (4/7)
Drove The Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina
Drove The “Going-to-the-Sun Road”
Drove The Trailridge Road in RMNP, Colorado
Drove The Kancamagus Scenic Byway in New Hampshire
Drove The North Shore Drive in Minnesota
Rode The West Highland Line in Scotland
Lived in Another Country For at Least a Month (Lived in Brazil for 6 Weeks)
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:
Earned a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt
Trained Jiu Jitsu in 21 Different States
Trained Jiu Jitsu in 10 Different Countries
Trained Jiu Jitsu in Brazil (Completed During 6-week Trip in Florianopolis 2020, Trained at Gracie Barra Headquarters and Rolled with Carlos Gracie Jr.)
Attended a BJJ Globetrotters Camp
Competed in two Jiu Jitsu Competitions (2022 in Maryland & 2023 in Denver)
Mountaineering:
Summit 8 Colorado 14ers (Peaks over 14,000’ in elevation)
Summited Mt Fuji in Japan in 1 Day Solo & Unguided
Summited Mount Cayambe (19,000’), Ecuador
Summited the World’s Highest Mountain: Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador (21,500 feet)
Climbed a Colorado 14er in the Middle of Winter
Climbed Mt Whitney (14,500’), California (Crampon Sumitted via Winter Route)
Climbed the Highest Point in Arizona, 12,633’ Humphreys Peak
Used Crampons to Summit a Volcano in Oregon or Washington (Crampon Summited Volcanoes: Mt Bachelor, South Sister & Mount Adams in Oregon & Washington)
Backpacking/Trekking:
Went on a Solo, Off-Trail Multi-Day Backpacking Trip in the Wilderness
Traveled by Foot Across an Entire Country (Walked through the country of Liechtenstein in 3 Days via The Liechtenstein Trail)
Completed a Thru-Hike of the 30-mile Art Loeb Trail in Asheville, NC in 3 Days
Backpacked The Pemigewasset Loop, New Hampshire
Completed The Lost Creek Wilderness Loop in Colorado in 3 Days
Walked the 96-Mile West Highland Way in Scotland Solo & Unassisted in 5 Days
Walked The Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim (& Back)
To Experience / Explore:
Sauna & Ice Bath in Iceland
Trained Jiu Jitsu in the largest MMA gym in the world (Mjölnir MMA in Reykjavik, Iceland)
Attended a UFC PPV Event
Drank a Beer in a Scotland Pub
Had a Street Taco in Mexico (Completed in Mexico City, 2023)
Tried New England Clam Chowder
Had BBQ in St Louis
Boiled a Lobster in Maine
Tried Deep-Dish Pizza in Chicago
Caught, Filletted, Cooked & Ate a Trout in Colorado
Attended a Crawfish Boil in Louisianna
Searched for & Bought Ingredients in Pike Place Market in Seattle to Cook Lunch & Dinner
Saw Metallica Live (Pittsburgh 2022)
Watched a Live Show at a Blues Bar in Mississippi (Blue Front Cafe, Bentonia, MS, 2022)
Saw a Las Vegas Show (Blue Man Group, 2021)
Went Scuba Diving (Completed in Puerto Rico 2023)
Walked on Broadway in Nashville
Rode on a local “Chicken Bus” in Central America
Listened to Jazz in French Quarter, Louisiana (also ran in Crescent City Classic 10k event)
Slept in a Co-Ed Hostel Dorm
Witnessed a No-Light Pollution Night Sky (Many Times, Notable Nights are Backpacking in New Hampshire, Colorado, Arizona & Hawaii)
Explored The Colorado River
Explored The Mississippi River
Explored The Rhine River
Went on a “Bikepacking” Trip (San Juan Island, Washington)
Went Climbing Multi-Day in Nevada and then went and Stayed in a Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip
Went Snowshoeing
Visited All Five Great Lakes
Visited Glacier National Park
Hiked in The Grand Tetons (Backpacked Two Nights)
Visited The Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah (Camped a few nights)
Visited Niagra Falls
Participated in a Mosh Pit
Attended a Music Festival
Explored some Pablo Escobar Spots in Medellin, Colombia
Visited The Grand Canyon
Visited Mount Rushmore
Saw Old Faithful Erupt in Yellowstone
Saw an Active Volcano Eruption at Night (Kilauea Volcano on Big Island, Hawaii at 4AM, 2023)
Went Deep Sea Fishing (Massachusetts)
Caught a Fish through Ice on Top of a Frozen Lake (Dowdy Lake, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, 2019)
Built a CamperVan and Moved into it (Lived in Van and Traveled Full-Time around United States for Two Years, 2021 & 2022)
Animals Seen in the Wild:
Heard a Howler Monkey
Crocodile
Sea Turtle
Bison
Bald Eagle
Red Deer Stag Buck
Alligator
Monkey
Shark (saw a Hammerhead)
Wolf
Dolphins
Big Horn Sheep
Mountain Goat
Moose (way too close many times while hiking including a Bull Moose during rut)
Iguana
Tucan
Black Bear (Seen a few times up close while hiking)
Bull Elk during rut
Skills:
Coffee: At-home Coffee Bean Grinding and Pour-Over Technique. Also Learn about the Basics of how it is Harvested, Roasted, and Traded around the World as well as it’s Origins in the World’s Different Regions
Writing
Business Strategy
Accounting
Entrepreneurship
Jiu Jitsu
Personal Finance
Philosophy / Psychology
Health & Fitness
Goal Setting, Planning, & Strategizing
Hiking, Backpacking, & Mountaineering
Traveling
Video Production & Editing
Video Gaming
WWII History
Guitar
Wilderness Medicine
Landscape Photography
Fishing
Learn the Basics of Indoor Climbing
Read Philosophy Books:
Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
Effective Egoism
Philosophy: Who Needs It by Ayn Rand
The Virtue of Selfishness
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
The Stranger
The Essential Enneagram
The Alchemist
Meditations
Walden
The Old Man and the Sea
Epicurus and the Pleasant Life
The Happiness Hypothesis
Essentialism
The Art of War
The Book of Five Rings
A New Stoicism
The Ethics of Ambiguity
The Existentialist’s Survival Guide
Secrets of Simplicity
Liberty Defined
Stillness is the Key
Man’s Search for Meaning
The Power of Meaning
The Four Agreements
The Stoic Challenge
The Happiness of Pursuit
The Art of Non-Conformity
The Power of Now
How to Change the Way You Think
Nature
The Vagabond’s Way
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life
Courage is Calling
Discipline is Destiny
Lives of the Stoics
Living for Pleasure: an Epicurean Guide to Life
The Principle Doctrines of Epicurus
On the Nature of Things
Scarcity Brain
The Comfort Crisis
Dopamine Nation
Self-Reliance
How to Be an Existentialist
Read Business Books
$100M Leads
The 1-Page Marketing Plan
Why Businessmen Need Philosophy
Elon Musk
The Intelligent Investor
Deep Work
Slow Productivity
Digital Minimalism
The War of Art
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Think and Grow Rich
Can’t Hurt Me
Never Finished
The Bitcoin Standard
The Basics of Bitcoin and Blockchains
Blockchain Revolution
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Principles
The Freelancer’s Bible
Profit First
E-Myth
Tribe of Mentors
The $100 Startup
How To Be a Capitalist Without Any Capital
Traction
Company of One
Essentialism
This is Marketing
The Dip
When to Quit and When to Stick
The 4 Hour Workweek
How to Win Friends & Influence People
Extreme Ownership
Discipline = Freedom
Atomic Habits
History:
Read all 13 Books in Bernard Cornwell’s “Saxon Series” (13/13)
Visited The Louvre in Paris
Read “Gates of Fire”
Read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich”
Read “Sapiens, A Brief History of Humankind”
Read “Empire of a Summer Moon”
Read “The Splendid and the Vile”
Read “Ghengis Khan, The Making of the Modern World”
Read “Hero of the Empire”
Read “The Ghost Ships of Archangel”
Read “The Devil in the White City”
Read “A Brief History of Earth”
Family:
Went on a Trip with my Mom
Went on a Trip with my Sister
Went on a Trip with my Dad
Took my Nephew(s) Camping
Adopted a Dog
Maintained Annual Tradition of Trout Camp Parties at Family Cabin in Pennsylvania
Recreation:
Coffee:
Purchased Single-Origin Coffee Beans from 20 Different Countries and Prepared at Home
Drank Coffee in a Reykjavik Coffee Shop (Americano)
Drank Coffee in a French Café (Espresso)
Drank Coffee in a Japanese Garden (Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden)
Visited a Coffee Farm (Visited Single-Family Coffee Farm in Guatemala)
Drank Coffee in Colombia
Drank coffee in Brazil
Drank coffee in Seattle (Original Starbucks)
Drank Kona Coffee in Hawaii
Read Adventure Books:
“Farther Than Any Man: The Rise and Fall of Captain James Cook”
“Into Africa”
“Into Thin Air”
“Endurance”
“Touching the Void”
“Alive”
“To Shake the Sleeping Self”
“Dead Mountain”
“Annapurna”
“The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Globetrotter”
“The River of Doubt”
“No Picnic on Mount Kenya”
“The Crystal Horizon”
“Mother of God”
“River of the Gods”
Read Literature:
The Count of Monte Cristo
Atlas Shrugged
The Fountainhead
Read “Musashi”
Read “The Odyssey” by Homer
Read “Beneath a Scarlett Sky”
The Monkey Wrench Gang
Recreation My Favorites Lists:
Movies:
Saving Private Ryan
Interstellar
Goodfellas
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Martian
A Place Beyond the Pines
There Will be Blood
Lawrence of Arabia
Gangs of New York
2001: A Space Odyssey
Braveheart
Whiplash
Fight Club
The Lord of the Rings Series
Star Wars
Schindler’s List
Mr. Jones
Hateful Eight
TV Series:
Breaking Bad
Narcos
Band of Brothers
The Sopranos
Better Call Saul
Game of Thrones
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Seinfeld
The Office
Ozark
Succession
Planet Earth
Roman Empire
Trailer Park Boys
South Park
The Simpsons
Video Games:
Fallout 4
The Witcher 3
Skyrim
Starfield
Red Dead Redemption 2
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
Pokemon Red & Yellow
Grand Theft Auto, San Andreas
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
Guitar Hero II & III
Star Wars Battlefront II
Elden Ring
Civilization 7
The Sims 2
Grand Theft Auto 5
Ratchet & Clank
Bully
Need for Speed Underground 2
Midnight Club 3
007 Everything or Nothing
Medal of Honor
The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers
NCAA Football 06
Books:
Beneath a Scarlett Sky
Endurance
The Fountainhead
Atlas Shrugged
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Musashi
The River of Doubt
Touching the Void
The 4-Hour Workweek
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The Saxon Series (13 Books)
Deep Work
The Splendid and the Vile
Man’s Search for Meaning
The Alchemist
The Hobbit
Philosophy: Who Needs It by Ayn Rand
No Picnic on Mount Kenya
The Old Man and the Sea
Songs:
Disposable Heroes – Metallica
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
Dazed and Confused – Led Zeppelin
Refuse/Resist – Sepultura
Holy Wars... The Punishment Due – Megadeth
Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Can’t You See – The Marshall Tucker Band
One – Metallica
Wherever I May Roam – Metallica
Little Wing – Stevie Ray Vaughan
Welcome Home (Sanitarium) – Metallica
Creeping Death – Metallica
Dream On – Aerosmith
Freight Train – Alan Jackson
House of the Rising Sun – The Animals
The Thrill Is Gone – B.B. King
Highway Song – Blackfoot
Turn the Page – Bob Seger
Zombie – The Cranberries
Travelin’ Band – Creedence Clearwater Revival
You Never Even Called Me by My Name – David Allan Coe
Sultans of Swing – Dire Straits
Epic – Faith No More
Pancho and Lefty – Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson
Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels) – Jim Croce
Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
Angel from Montgomery – John Prine
I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash
California Dreamin’ – The Mamas and the Papas
Old Man – Neil Young
Mr. Crowley – Ozzy Osbourne
Diary of a Madman – Ozzy Osbourne
Domination – Pantera
Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
Creep – Radiohead
Killing in the Name – Rage Against the Machine
Greatest UFC Fighters:
Georges St Pierre
Demetrious Johnson
Khabib Nurmagomedov
BJ Penn (in his prime)
Jon Jones (unfortunately)
Bonus, Most Underrated: Alexander Gustafson