Sometimes the biggest changes in life start with the smallest steps. For me, it started with a walk—and that walk set me off on an 8-month adventure that would transform everything.
It was 2020. The world was shutting down. Everyone was hunkering in place, paralyzed by uncertainty. And there I was, holding a copy of Russell Brunson's "DotCom Secrets," feeling something stir inside me that I hadn't felt in years.
Hope.
The Audacious Idea
My wife Olivia and I had just made the terrifying decision to go full-time on our business. No safety net. No corporate salary to fall back on. Just a vision and a willingness to bet on ourselves.
Most people would have played it safe. Stayed home. Waited for things to "get back to normal." But something in me knew that waiting was the riskiest move of all.
So we did something that seemed crazy to everyone around us: In the middle of a global pandemic, when everyone was staying home, we decided to get on the road and bring hope to the world.
32 States in One Year
What started as a simple idea became an epic journey. Over the course of 2020, Olivia and I traveled to 32 different states. Nashville. Wyoming. Washington. Minnesota. Colorado. California. Nevada. The list goes on.
We started with family and friends who were willing to open their homes to us during the pandemic. We went to them first, shared what we were building, and tried to bring them hope and gratitude in every interaction.
But it wasn't just the people we knew. It was everyone we encountered—Uber drivers, Starbucks baristas, strangers at gas stations. Every interaction became an opportunity to spread positivity and hope.
The Sacred Hope Board
We traveled with something we called the "Sacred Hope Board." It was essentially a whiteboard about the size of a piece of paper, but it was also a lockbox where we could keep little trinkets, papers, and memories from our journey.
On that board, in big block letters, we wrote: I AM HOPE.
The rest was white space—space that would be filled with the names of people who brought us hope during our travels.
Our first signature came from an Uber driver. We had a great conversation, told him about our mission, and he was so positive and encouraging that we asked him to sign the board. That simple act became a ritual.
Over the course of our journey, hundreds of people signed the Hope Board. Sometimes it was family members we'd see multiple times. Sometimes it was strangers we'd never see again. But each signature represented a moment of connection, a spark of hope, a reminder that even in the darkest times, there is light.
What We Learned on the Road
Traveling during a pandemic taught us things we never could have learned staying home:
1. Comfort zones are prisons disguised as safety. Every time we stepped into a new city, met new people, or faced an unexpected challenge, we grew. The discomfort wasn't the enemy—it was the teacher.
2. Hope is contagious. When you show up with genuine positivity and a desire to connect, people respond. Not everyone, but enough. The world is hungry for hope, and when you offer it authentically, doors open.
3. Documentation is everything. We took pictures and videos constantly. We documented every signature on the Hope Board, every meaningful conversation, every breakthrough moment. This wasn't vanity—it was building a legacy. Creating proof that change is possible.
4. The journey IS the destination. We didn't have everything figured out when we started. We didn't have a perfect business plan or a guaranteed outcome. But we had movement, and movement creates momentum.
The 100-Day Live Challenge
During this time, Olivia took on a challenge that terrified her: going live on social media for 100 days straight.
I'll be honest—some of those days, she was probably crying 30 seconds before hitting the "Go Live" button. The fear was real. The self-doubt was loud. But she did it anyway.
And something magical happened. With each live session, her confidence grew. Her voice became clearer. Her message became sharper. She wasn't just building an audience—she was building herself.
That's the thing about stepping out of your comfort zone: you don't just change your circumstances, you change who you are.
The Systems We Built
Those 8 months on the road weren't just about adventure—they were about building the foundation for everything that would come next.
We developed content systems that would allow us to create consistently without burning out. We built relationships that would become the backbone of our summit business. We refined our message until it resonated with the people we were meant to serve.
By the time we "came home," we weren't the same people who had left. We had been transformed by the journey, shaped by the challenges, and clarified by the countless conversations with people from all walks of life.
The Invitation
I share this story not to brag about our travels, but to invite you into a different way of thinking.
What if the thing you're afraid to do is exactly the thing you need to do?
What if the "crazy" idea you've been dismissing is actually your calling?
What if the discomfort you're avoiding is the doorway to your transformation?
You don't have to travel to 32 states. You don't have to quit your job tomorrow. But you do have to take a step. One step. Today.
Because that's how every great journey begins—not with a grand plan, but with a single, courageous step forward.
The walk that changed everything for me started with putting one foot in front of the other. Where will your walk take you?
This is Part 3 of my origin story. The journey continues with how we built Synergy Collab and launched our first summits.
