At 17 years old, I played a mere 8 games as the backup goalie on my high school hockey team. Today, I’m living out dreams that I didn't know were possible. 

Yet, my greatest success isn’t an achievement or an award. It’s the personal growth I’ve experienced along the way. It’s who I’ve had to become to be capable of what I have accomplished.

Like most players, my journey began as a hockey obsessed kid. A kid with a Henrik Lundqvist fathead above his bed, a love for lacing up the skates before school, and an unmatched pride for being a part of the exclusive group who earned the right to wear the bright red Greenwich Skating Club jackets. This hockey obsessed kid was like many others, just an enthusiastic young player with untapped potential–a fire in need of a spark. Fortunately, at the age of 13, I got that spark upon being introduced to a recently retired NHL goalie named Steve Valiquette. 

Through working with Steve, I learned what commitment to the process means. He encouraged me to pour my energy into the game I love without any expectations other than to improve each day. At first it was intimidating to commit to the unknown and possibly risk failure. But having a mentor in my life increased my self-belief, demonstrating that with hard work and discipline all of my goals were within reach. Steve taught me to flip the switch from simply going through the motions to approaching my process ‘all in.’

My ‘all in’ approach not only jump started my career but also sparked an overall sense of personal curiosity which still allows me to progress each year. My desire to grow continuously motivates me to ask the necessary questions to gain key knowledge. This combination of knowledge and curiosity serves as a feedback loop which continues to offer new resources that yield competitive advantages. For example, early in my career as I began looking for ways to get in better shape, I was referred to a world-class gym called Prentiss. Their passion towards peak performance rubbed off on me and I became hooked on nutrition and wellness. This newfound interest has since guided me to countless books, courses, and other professionals who have helped me increase my understanding and strive towards the best version of myself.

There are countless people who have played a major role in my career, and it is important to note that each connection has made a powerful impression on me as a whole. Meeting people who share a similar passion for growth provides me with a community and support system that I can lean on and learn from. It began with one coach and since has extended to countless coaches, teammates, and mentors whom I have been fortunate to cross paths with. Each of these individuals has contributed wisdom and guidance on my journey towards self-actualization.

My experience playing alongside HAUS co-founder Michael Kapla in the 2021-2022 season epitomized the importance of surrounding oneself with like-minded individuals who support you. Having a teammate that I could be vulnerable with and learn from made my days at the rink more enjoyable and offered me a sense of perspective during both triumph and adversity. In this sense, connections with people who mirror your commitment and foster your curiosity exemplifies exactly what HAUS represents.

I was playing in the NHL, and thus thought I had reached the pinnacle of my sport. And just when I was feeling great about myself and excited with the direction my career was going, life presented me with some adverse situations which I wasn’t properly prepared to deal with. Until this point, I had built my confidence on my previous successes, rather than from within. So when I started to struggle in hockey, relationships, and other areas of my life I did not know where to turn. I thought that I was working hard, eating right, and doing everything I had been told to do, yet this was not offering me the level of success that I strived for. 

After a strong season of hockey, I was not getting the offers I desired. I took a look in the mirror to decide what I wanted from this game. Was it going to be something I enjoyed more casually, being happy to make money playing a game or was I going to go all in? That day I made an honest commitment to pursue my hockey career to the best of my ability.

Feeling excited and rejuvenated with my fresh mindset, I began to approach my craft from a new place of curiosity. I set a course to explore any edge which could help me grow as a player, but just as importantly as a person. This led me to dive deep into areas like nutrition, movement, breathwork, recovery–absolutely anything that I felt could help me. I evaluated myself honestly and decided what I needed to do to improve.  

While becoming more in control of my game and my life, at the same time my new approach made me feel like an outsider. I simply lacked a group of people who shared similar interests. Then I met a coach, turned mentor, turned friend. Besides helping me grow physically and mentally, he introduced me to his network of friends and I soon had a tribe. More and more people started to show up in my life as I lived in an authentic way true to who I am. Through hockey I met Strauss and we had an instant connection because of our mutual interests. That is when the idea for this program was developed. I continue to find the connection I am seeking and am grateful to keep building new relationships to this day. I’m excited to see where this journey takes me as I continue to pursue my goals and help teach others what I’ve learned along the way. 

As an undersized player, I always felt like I had more to prove. Whether it was scouts, coaches, teammates, peers, fans even!…for most of my career I placed my sense of self-worth in how I believed I was perceived by those around me (especially the people I either feared or respected). This trap is one that I still fall into to this day…but through a journey of self-discovery and awakening, I have become AWARE of this trap.

At 11 years old, my parents shipped me off to live and play hockey in Sweden and it changed my life forever. Before arriving, I was a decent player for my birth-year, but far from the “best” (I also couldn’t do a sleepover down the street without calling my parents crying at 2am to come pick me up). But when I returned to the states, I suddenly made a jump towards the top of my age group on the ice and had gained a sense of self-trust that can only come from living on your own in foreign country at the age of 11. During my time overseas, among the many lessons that I learned, I learned what it meant to be committed to the craft of hockey and have carried that with me for the rest of my life.

After my year in Sweden, hockey got increasingly serious and so did my dedication towards the goals I began to set for myself. I gave it everything. But the satisfaction & happiness that came with the “commitments” & accolades was never as sustainable as I imagined it would be. There was always another level to reach, more to prove, and more self-doubt that seemed to come with each step of the process. It felt like an uphill battle that would never end…

But that’s only half of the story. The resilience that my hockey career forged in me is something nobody can ever take away from me. Being a “hockey player” served me and continues to served me in so many powerful ways. The lessons, the growth, the relationships, the self-confidence…I would not be who I am or where I am in life if it weren’t for hockey…and for that I am eternally grateful to the game…

And building HAUS serves as an opportunity for me to give back to the game by cultivating & supporting the next generation of conscious athletes.

…With all that being said, I couldn’t help but feel that there was something deeper that my soul was asking me to explore while I was playing (especially towards the end of my career). It was my emerging curiosity around who I was beyond my identity as an athlete that led me into the chapter of life that I find myself in today.

It’s now my passion to explore how the path of an elite athlete (or any “path” for that matter) can be used for deepening into connection with the mind, body, spirit, and the world that exists around us. The path of the athlete is one of the warrior⎯a path that I am both familiar with and deeply admire & respect.

My goal is to help athletes and men sharpen their sword. Become emotionally attuned to themself and their environment. Become resilient and confident under pressure. To know who they are at their core so they can trust themself more than anyone else. To come into alignment & integrity with their commitments, curiosities, and connections in their life.

I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I do know what it feels like to trust my intuition and I want to help others to be able to do the same. I also have come to understand the power of awareness.

Awareness has become my flashlight in the dark—a superpower that has helped me begin to dissolve, heal, & rewire the patterns of my past that were making me feel small & afraid. It has given me the ability to reflect on and improve my relationships. It’s allowed me to activate my unique gifts in service of a higher purpose. And it’s given me faith in what this all is for.

I believe the gift of awareness exists in all of us and is the first and most important step on the path to true personal development & evolution. This transformational “AHA moment” is something I hope to catalyze in as many others (especially athletes and men) in this lifetime as possible.