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It’s a difficult thing to stop working as a church minister.

Church work was s a place of spiritual meaning, community, status, and a steady paycheck—all in one. But one week I sat on my couch, out for the count with COVID, and I had time to think about my life. Was I really stretching most fully into my greatest contribution to the world?

The answer was no.

So I quit to embark on a three-fold pursuit:

  1. Become an at-home dad for my infant daughter
  2. Upskill in UX design research & digital marketing to launch an independent consultancy
  3. Navigate the murky, existential territory of life post-ministry and reevaluate almost everything

If that sets the stage just barely enough, I want to tell you what I discovered as I remain ruggedly committed to a hopeful future—even if my imaginings of that future has shifted.

First, family

I became a family man.

And I went extra all-in on it. I quit an uninspiring, yet comfortable ministry job because I knew I am my daughter’s example of how to work. I aim for her to grow up with a dad who’s fully alive & passionate in his work.

Along with this, my wife and I wanted to raise our own kid.

Plenty of people get nannies in SF, and that’s great for them. It didn’t square with our values to have one of us home with our baby in the earliest years of her life. Now 1.5 years in, it’s my delight that she reaches out for daddy (and not just mama) when she cries.

It’s a bond I expect will play out into the future of our relationship, and this psychological foundation matters.

Second, entrepreneurship

I flexed what I’ve always known about myself: I’m made to self-start.

I’m an entrepreneur and creative—from writing short stories and designing landing pages, to producing podcasts and designing curriculum. Nothing gets me in the flow like the opportunity to create something out of nothing. To design a solution for a human problem.