My Message

A Branson, MO graduate, USMC combat veteran, lifetime adventurer, and published author, I speak about the beauty and transformative power of taking on something new, especially outdoor adventures.  At the peak of a 10-year career in Information Technology, I suddenly found myself part of layoffs at Kohl's Department Stores. Rather than jump into another corporate job, I sold my home and went on the road seeking adventure. My travels around our beautiful country culminated in my most epic adventure to date. With my rescue pup, Hank, I spent six months living and camping on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers as I solo paddled more than 3,300 miles from Three Forks, Montana to the Gulf of Mexico. 

I founded True Path Adventures as part of a longtime dream to provide kids a safe outdoor space to develop and enhance critical-thinking, leadership, and communication skills. Young people are especially vulnerable to our age of data, technology and devices which all have benefits, but the side effects are increasing isolation, hampering creativity, and limiting the ability to communicate and think critically. Outdoor adventures have the power to teach us these skills and so much more: risk mitigation, situational awareness, flexibility, adaptability, resourcefulness, patience, perseverance. Skills that serve us for the rest of our lives. 

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I quickly learned that my message isn't specific to youth. By weaving in adventure stories from my own life, I draw powerful parallels between outdoor adventures and the value they offer in our everyday lives. I share my enthusiasm for the learning and joy found in outdoor adventures, encouraging kids and adults alike to push their limits, expand their perspective, and believe in the possibilities for their own lives.