I have a unique story.

My life has always been about reinvention.

I am an award-winning writer and TV producer who has racked up tens of millions of dollars in greenlights and renewals with hit unscripted series that have aired worldwide, but when people hear about my upbringing, their jaws drop, and they can't quite believe that I survived.

When I say I was raised on the wrong side of the tracks...it's an understatement.  I changed schools 30+ times between the ages of 5 - 11 because my Mom and her boyfriend thought they were on the run from the police; but they were actually just living a mental health nightmare.  We would crawl out of roach-infested apartments in the middle of the night because they thought the police were hot on their tails.  In reality?  He was just a petty thief and a drunk, and she was living a life of abuse that had her sticking close to the only man she thought she could get.  Nobody was after them, but they had built up this story in their minds, and I was along for the ride.  

Between the midnight sprints to evade the police (that were never actually coming after us), I would slalom my way through empty beer bottles scattered across the floor of our apartments, or tiptoe around the hypodermic needles the boyfriend and his jail buddies would use nightly.  When I wasn't trying to avoid the fossils of their alcoholic and drug-fueled lives, I was dodging punches that were meant for my Mom.  After nearly a decade of this, they finally broke up and I thought I was free...but one monster was just replaced by another.  The next boyfriend was even worse, and tried to kill us both several times, before my Mom finally stabbed him in an act of self-defence.  I was the only witness - but all I saw was the aftermath.  When asked to testify against her, I refused, but I left and began making my way out of the dismal way of life I had grown accustomed to.

I started volunteering at a television station while I was still in high school, with dreams of clawing my way out of poverty.  I applied to broadcasting school, but didn't get in.  Too young.  Not enough experience.  

I guess, just not the right kind of experience. If only they knew!

I kept moving along, working at whatever station would hire me, doing just about anything I could to learn my craft, while going to school part-time to earn my college degree.  TV at that time was no picnic, and every mistake was met with venom.  But I continued to push on.

I became a news reporter, an editor, a camera person, a video game reviewer for MTV, a producer, a writer, a comedian.

After 20 years in the business with no formal training, I finally got my big break as a Showrunner...and three weeks later had a major stroke and had to learn how to talk again.

I persevered. I kept pushing and learning.  I ran more shows, then I started selling shows. Eventually, I finished my degree at Arizona State University. 

Now, I’m trying to share my story - little snippets of life and memories - to show that reinvention is possible, no matter who we are, what our circumstances are, or where things are at in our lives. I’m not necessarily trying to inspire, but I am trying to let people know that anything is possible.