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filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
I have a distinct childhood memory of sitting around the dinner table with a friend’s family. The rituals surrounding who sat where, how the food was prepared and served, and the conversation between the parents and children differed from mine. It is my first memory of asking myself why people behave the way they do.
This is a question that has remained with me through the years. I ask it when I see a person doing something that seems out of the ordinary, when they engage in behaviors that don’t produce the result they are searching for, and when the relationship between those behaviors and results seem so manifestly obvious. Often, I began to realize, I needed to ask that question of myself. Why did I engage in behavior that was against my own interest? Why did I stop myself from taking action that would be an obvious benefit? Why were things that seemed logically attainable so far from my reach?
Those questions led me to the study of psychology, and then to a graduate degree focused on how social systems impact the way we think, feel, and behave as individuals in those systemic contexts. This is subject matter that has fascinated me as far back as that dinner at my friend’s house.
I hope that I can bring value to you as an individual, or to your organization by helping to explore and identify areas in which behavior, cognition, and affect can be optimized for the result that you’re looking to achieve.
Outside the office, I suffer from what my wife calls "Hobby ADD." If I'm not working with a client, there is a good chance you'd find me outside running around in the mountains. I was indoctrinated to love skiing as a child, and it still has a strong hold on my imagination. Whether it's a backcountry tour with friends searching for deep powder turns or skiing with my wife and children, the mountains are a second home.
When the snow melts, I'm usually preoccupied with bikes and running. I've completed a handful of ultra-marathon runs and enjoy ripping around the local mountain bike trails near my home.
Outside of athletics, I enjoy playing the piano, reading and writing, and being with my wife and six children.
I have found that these pursuits and many others have informed how I relate with clients, whether or not they have similar interests. The lessons learned in sports or the practice of a musical instrument often correlate with how we relate to our professional performance, athletic endeavors, and relationships.
Perhaps related to the question of why people behave the way that they do is the question of “how did you wind up doing what you do?”
In a previous life, I went to college, majored in Political Science, and then had the thought that the only things to do with a Poly Sci major were to go into academia, the government, or to go to law school. For better or worse, I chose the latter and spent the first ten years of my career in compliance roles. These positions were fine in many aspects but left me with low-level existential dread each time Sunday night rolled around. I wondered whether spending eight hours each day considering tax implications and tenant agreements was the thing for me.
And then, a series of unforeseen family events led me to a conversation with a grief therapist. During that conversation, the therapist moved the line of inquiry onto my general state of well-being, including my career. When I responded to a question in a nonplussed manner, the therapist suggested I take an assessment and see if it sparked anything. I took the assessment and found my strongest career match was “Clinical Psychologist,” something I had never considered. That result began the wheels turning. Now, several years removed from that conversation, I am engaged in work that is rewarding, helpful to others, and, almost daily, fun.
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