Life doesn’t always go according to plan.

Sometimes the battle isn’t just in the mind—it’s in the moment. The curveball you didn’t see coming. The setback you didn’t ask for. The mountain you didn’t sign up to climb. Sometimes, it’s even a new opportunity that scares you.

I know what that feels like.

There have been seasons where I found myself at the base of a mountain I didn’t choose. A personal storm. A scary opportunity. A team struggle. Moments that tested more than my thinking—they tested my heart, my grit, and my faith.

Those seasons rewired how I see adversity, purpose, and what it means to lead when life goes sideways.

That’s why I wrote Face the Mountain—to capture the full face of resilience, and how we’re built to endure.

This book isn’t theory. It’s not fluff. It’s real stories, real struggles, and a real framework for walking through hard things with resilience and hope.

It’s for anyone who’s ever asked:

• Why this?

• Why now?

• How do I move forward when ...

 Today, my heart grieves for Texas.

As of July 6, 2025, at least 67 people are still missing—including 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp, and others like campers and visitors unaccounted for in the holiday chaos—after a devastating July 4 rainstorm turned the Guadalupe River into a raging wall of water. Fifty-one lives have been lost. Homes vanished. Families shattered. A community overwhelmed by sorrow.

When I was a kid in Rio de Janeiro, I saw what a flood can do. One afternoon, rain hit hard, and water came rushing down the hillsides, turning streets into rivers. My family got trapped in a tunnel as a mudslide came down. I remember the darkness. The fear. The silence that followed. We made it out. That moment never left me.

So when I read about Texas, it’s not just a news story. It hits a nerve. I know what it feels like when nature turns fierce, fast, and unforgiving.

Now, sitting in Fredericksburg, Virginia, I picture the Rappahannock River rising 26 feet in 4...

It’s here. Face the Mountain is now available.

This book has been years in the making—built on lessons of grit, faith, and the power of resilience. It’s not just a story; it’s a call to rise. Whether you’re climbing the mountain of self-doubt, hardship, or uncertainty, this book will remind you: the climb is worth it.

I wrote this for leaders, for believers, for those stuck in the valley. You’ll find stories, insights, and a framework rooted in the Three C’s of Resilience: Competence, Courage, and Compassion. You’ll meet people who faced storms and still stood tall. And you’ll get practical tools for your own journey.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Nelson Mandela: "It always seems impossible until it’s done." That captures the spirit of this book. Mountains aren’t meant to intimidate—they’re meant to shape us.

Call to Action:

Pick up your copy of Face the Mountain. Start your climb. And if it speaks to you, pass it on to someone else facing a mountain of their own.

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go”
— T. S. Eliot

We just launched  a new three part series on Resilience on the Breaking Average Podcast.  Have you seen it? The first episode aired recently centers on the concept of Acknowledging the Threats.  The next episodes take it even further.  This is such a powerful principle.  Resilience is a secret untapped strength each of us have, we often just don't know it.

There's an old line from the legendary Japanese Military Strategist that sets the table.

Know thyself, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.

What he's saying is spot on.  You can't be yourself and face your challenges until you know yourself.  That's where it starts.  But that's not enough.  He's also saying you can't face the enemy and defeat the enemy without knowing the enemy.  Both are vital.

There are some battles ahead.  Many of them.  But there are some major victories in store.  If you want to experience vi...