My journey

I was born in New York City, but much of my childhood was spent in New Jersey. Growing up in Mahwah, with the woods and mountain lakes to the west and New York City to the east, gave me both freedom to explore and curiosity to reach for more. School, friends, and adventures filled my early years, but an injury in high school shifted my path. I left football for wrestling, and physical training became a constant thread in my life — one that eventually led me to martial arts.

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After graduation, I joined the Navy and served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War. I also joined the Navy wrestling team, continuing a passion that had carried me through high school and would remain an anchor throughout my life. Later, I completed my enlistment at the Grand Prairie Naval Air Station in Texas and was discharged to Lakehurst, New Jersey, as a member of the Navy Reserves, where I received an Honorable Discharge. The discipline and perspective I gained from military service have stayed with me ever since.

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Life brought me to Dallas, where I began my college education, worked on a children’s psychiatric unit, and discovered my two lifelong callings — psychotherapy and martial arts. Within the same year, I earned both my bachelor’s degree and my black belt in Tae Kwon Do. I went on to complete my master’s degree in clinical social work at the University of Texas at Arlington, building a foundation for a career dedicated to healing and growth.

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When an opportunity came to direct one of Houston’s first children’s acute care psychiatric residential units, I moved south and built both a professional and personal life there. Houston became home. I trained in Kung Fu, eventually earning a 7th-degree black belt, and was humbled to be inducted into the World Peace Martial Arts Hall of Fame for creating the Martial Arts Therapeutic Training (MATT) Program, which uses Tai Chi as a healing practice for youth with ADHD and behavioral challenges.

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Through the years, my work expanded across clinical leadership, private practice, and teaching. Along the way, I also discovered A Course in Miracles (ACIM), a philosophy that profoundly shaped my perspective. Studying it with my late wife Nancy brought deep spiritual insight and strengthened our loving marriage until her passing after 18 years together. Her loss was devastating, but it also became part of the path that reconnected me more deeply with ACIM and its lessons of healing and forgiveness.

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My journey has not been without hardship — injuries, divorce, and loss have tested me again and again. Yet, each chapter has opened a door to deeper understanding, resilience, and compassion.

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Today, I am semi-retired and living the life I want to live. I teach Tai Chi at Unity of Houston, lead inspirational workshops, give talks, and continue to offer psychotherapy and Life Coaching. I also serve as Clinical Director at Fresh Start Therapeutic Services in Houston.

My story — the victories, the setbacks, and the lessons learned — is the foundation of my book, Escape from Insanity: Illusions and Lies, written to guide others through their own path of healing and discovery.

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👉 Learn more and order your copy here: Escape from Insanity: Illusions and Lies

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