First, I acknowledge you, the reader, who showed up and got to the end because it tells me a lot about who you are. I don’t take that lightly, and I’m always humbled.

No book or creative work is done alone, and although plenty of mornings started out at 3:30 a.m. in the darkness, it took a team. To my fiancée Taylor, thank you for being a support system during the tough stretches. I love you so much and there’s no way this exists without you.

This work started out as a feeling I couldn’t not express. Then, it took shape because of all the people I had conversations with or consulted directly with. This includes: Lisa Nichols, Lisa Terner, Kelly Exeter, Debbie Reber, Jeff Goins, Mike Zeller, Marion Roach, Jim Steg, Seth Mattison, Shannon Graham, Jay Nixon, Brandon Duncan, and several others.

Thank you to both Megan Nichols and John Hill for extensive early research. Thank you to all of my mentors, including Dr. John Demartini. A deep hearted thank you to all my incredible clients from the past, the present and the future; your trust in my work and ability to guide you means the world, and I’m honored to walk this path with you.

I want to thank the entire publishing team at Wiley who put up with my unabashed enthusiasm (sometimes, to my own detriment) and helped keep me sane. Thank you to Richard Narramore for taking a chance, and to Vicki Adang for helping me improve the messaging and delivery.

To all the podcast guests who have been part of the Resist Average Academy: your message is part of this, too. Your willingness to share your challenges and bold steps into the unknown made all the difference. You have all inspired me with your willingness and courage. Thank you for treating our conversations as authentically as you did.

Lastly, I’m often asked about who my mentors are. And while I can rattle off a list, they don’t hold a candle to my parents: thank you from the bottom of my heart. I quite often feel as if I won the parent lottery. None of this happens without you.