There was a point during my paramedic years when I weighed more than 240 pounds. And I remember looking in the mirror and barely recognizing the guy looking back at me. Now, I didn’t get there because I woke up one morning and decided to destroy my health. I was working ridiculous hours. A scheduled 12-hour shift could turn into 16, 18, sometimes close to 20 hours away from home. I had more than an hour of driving on each side of it. I’d stop at White Castle or Burger King because it was...
16 days ago • 4 min read
In high school, I had a 3.9 GPA. I had friends. I was involved in band. From the outside, my life looked like it was headed somewhere good. I was also deeply depressed and thinking about whether anybody would even notice if I were gone. Those two things existed at the same time. I was performing well while I was emotionally dying. Eventually, Christ rescued me. I surrendered my life to Jesus, the depression lifted, and the suicidal pull broke. I’m not going to water that story down. Jesus...
22 days ago • 3 min read
Hello Reader, There were nights during my paramedic years when I’d get home around 4:00 in the morning. I was technically working 12-hour shifts. But between late calls, paperwork, and driving more than an hour each way, those 12-hour shifts had a funny way of becoming 18- or 20-hour days. Sometimes I’d stop at White Castle or Burger King on the way home. Then I’d get home and eat the food my wife had left for me in the refrigerator. So was I hungry? Probably. But was hunger the whole...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hello Reader, You notice a symptom. You Google it. You feel better for a few minutes. Then the thought comes: “But what if they missed something?” So you search again. I’ve spent most of my adult life around sickness— first as a paramedic, then as a Physician Assistant in pain management, primary care, and now neurosurgery. And medicine has taught me something uncomfortable: If you go looking for the worst possible explanation for a symptom, you can almost always find one. A headache could...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, Dream Root Wellness failed before it became what it was supposed to be. And I don’t mean one campaign flopped. I built courses. Created coaching programs. Spent thousands of dollars advertising an online wellness community. Almost nobody joined. And the people who did barely participated. So I did what I tend to do when something isn’t working: I tinkered. Changed the structure. Reorganized the courses. Rewrote things. Moved pieces around. Surely the problem was the offer. Or...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hello Reader, Most plans don’t fall apart when everything is going well. They fall apart when something changes. You work late. You get home hungry and realize dinner isn’t ready. You’re tired, irritated, and standing in the kitchen thinking about how much easier it would be to grab fast food and start again tomorrow. Suddenly, the commitment you made yesterday feels negotiable. The worst time to decide what matters is when pressure is already deciding for you. That’s why one of the most...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, You can have a clear goal, a good plan, and every intention of following through. Then one bad day starts changing the way you talk to yourself. You get tired. You make a mistake. The plan takes longer than expected. And almost immediately, a thought starts interpreting what happened: “I can’t do this.” “I always fail.” “This isn’t worth it.” “I’m too exhausted.” The problem isn’t that every negative thought is completely false. You may actually be exhausted. You may have...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, What if something that sounds a little “New Age” actually points to a much more grounded biblical principle? I’m talking about visualization. There’s a well-known basketball study often attributed to Dr. Blasiotto at the University of Chicago. One group physically practiced free throws every day. Another group didn’t practice at all—but spent time visualizing themselves successfully shooting free throws. A third group did neither. The results? The physical-practice group...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, You can go to church every Sunday. Sing the songs. Listen to the sermon. Shake a few hands. Tell everyone you’re doing great. And still be carrying stress, exhaustion, unhealthy habits, and private struggles completely on your own. Because being around people isn’t the same as being supported by them. And when it comes to your health—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—that matters more than most of us realize. I learned this lesson early in my Christian walk. At my first...
2 months ago • 3 min read