MY VALUES
MY STORY.
EDUCATION
For my parents, education has always been a big deal. As I grew older, I realized how much I could learn on my own, guided by the principles and curiosity that was fostered in high school and in university. I find now that practical application of skills I've learned outside school are instrumental in my success in life. I am very appreciative of the education my parents supported me with, and I wouldn't change any of that for the world! Now that I have a formal education, I've noticed and practiced continuing education, building skills and knowledge that help me edit videos, get better at marketing myself online and as a player, building a personal brand, etc. If you want to level up in life, you have to be a life-long learner!
HOBBIES
Outside of my busy schedule with football and my social platforms, I enjoy most things to do with music, theater, and psychology! Outside of the occasional movie, most of the media I consume is music or podcasts. Recently, I've been listening to a lot of content produced by Alex Hormozi. My music playlists (public on Spotify) include but are not limited to genres like: rap, metal, classical, afro, latin, jazz, and R&B. My parents instilled a love of theater at a very young age, and while I've never performed in a production, it is my favorite live medium to consume the arts! A few of my favorites are: Rent, The Lion King, Wicked, and Hamilton! I studied psychology in school, and I love learning about leadership, sports, positive, and behavioral psychology!
GIVING BACK
From a young age, my parents taught my siblings and I the concept of giving back. When we were old enough for a small allowance every week, we always had to put some in the "give" pile to save and use for something philanthropic that was important to us. As we got older, we were exposed to a lot of the work that an extended family foundation was doing in the Northwest, serving a variety of communities by focusing on sustainable change through community leadership.
Today, I sit on a small committee responsible for bridging the gap between generations of our family to help the up and coming generation start to hold more responsibility with the wisdom and guidance of the older generation. This way, we can have the smoothest transition possible and continue the depth and sustainability of our giving. Personally, my time is my most precious asset, and I often use my time outside work to give back to young soccer players through mentorship, 1 on 1 training, or career guidance. I feel an immense amount of gratitude for these moments because I am able to use the 18+ years experience in soccer to positively impact young people who are in positions I used to be in.
It is the greatest feeling in the world when a mentee/player (now best friend) of mine calls to say they got a scholarship to play at a high level in the American college soccer system.
To me, this is the greatest gift I can give someone.
I started my Youtube channel in the beginning of February 2020 as a way to document my journey as a pro footballer living abroad. The original intent was to give my family and close friends back home insights into what I was doing in Perth. I realized pretty quickly how much I enjoyed the process of filming, editing, and engaging with people who I could provide value to through these videos!
I also found that the harder I worked on video ideas, my editing/filming skills, and optimizing my content to match what the viewers wanted to see, the faster I saw growth and realized what a powerful platform it could be. I would recommend starting a channel to anyone who has something to say in their niche. It's such an effective way of sharing valuable information with people who otherwise wouldn't have access to that! In 2021, I hope to continue building the channel's size through authentic, value-driven, and engaging content!