The frustrating either/or mindset around careers limits our potential and restricts young people from finding their unique paths. Drawing from my journey through over twenty different jobs—from Subway sandwich artist to military infantryman to college professor—I explore why we must stop forcing career choices into narrow "blue-collar or white-collar" boxes.

My transformation from convicted felon to university faculty member wasn't planned or linear. After years in loss prevention and substance abuse counseling, an unexpected teaching opportunity revealed my true calling in my 40s. That first moment standing before a classroom changed everything, proving how unpredictable career journeys can be.

This episode challenges conventional wisdom about success requiring specific credentials or following predetermined paths. While education opened doors in my life, many successful people build wealth and fulfillment through entrepreneurship, trades, or climbing corporate ladders without degrees. The key isn't which path you choose but finding what works specifically for YOU.

I share insights from both sides of the educational experience—teaching online versus in-person, the similarities between university structure and military hierarchy, and how both students and employers benefit from programs blending technical and soft skills. Most importantly, I explore how creating opportunities for "luck" ultimately shapes our professional trajectories.

Whether you're starting your career journey, considering a change, or guiding someone through their options, this episode offers permission to break free from limiting career binaries and embrace the messy, wonderful process of finding meaningful work. Remember: you're capable of more than you realize.

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There are multiple paths to get to, and, live a life in recovery.

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From 2019 to today. 

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The mid 2010's are good to me 

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Transitions in life keep happening

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In this episode, I share a chapter from my journey when life humbled me and forced me to take a deeper look at who I was becoming.

Recovery is rarely a perfect path. It’s a process of learning, rebuilding, and continuing to move forward even when things don’t go the way we hoped.

This conversation is about reflection, accountability, and the power of starting again.

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In this episode, David shares one of the most difficult chapters of his life: returning to substance use in 2006 after more than 10½ years in recovery. 

The relapse didn’t happen suddenly. It built slowly through overwhelming pressure—financial stress from owning the Hungry Hippo Sub Shop, the collapse of his marriage, worsening anxiety and depression, and the devastating news that his beloved dog Cody had cancer. 

David reads journal entries from that period, revealing a man who was trying to hold everything together but was emotionally exhausted and losing hope.

Eventually, during a motorcycle outing in the hills outside Ellensburg, he made the decision to drink again.

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We move to the country and I leave Fred Meyer

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Life keeps improving

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There is in fact light at the end of the tunnel!

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