Time & Energy: Why?

I have a genuine fascination with people and the various reasons behind their behaviors. Unlike animals, humans possess a unique ability to manage the gap between a stimulus and a response. How we respond to the personal and professional stimuli we encounter each day shapes our defining moments—and possibly our overall legacy.

Time & Energy is my effort to learn, digest, process, and share the impactful lessons I’ve gained up to this point, while also bringing you along for the rest of the journey. The goal is personal and professional growth. I don’t have all the answers, but I aim to find as many as possible. Through this endeavor, we can all improve for ourselves, for each other, and for those who matter most to us.

Time & Energy: Who?

Welcome! I'm grateful that you've taken the time to visit Time & Energy.

Pictured here at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, IA, with my wife, Alyssa.

FM Redhawks with the West Region in 2019

I grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, as the youngest of three children. I participated in various sports during my childhood but settled on tennis as my primary sport at the age of 15. Now, I prioritize golf as much as I can. You'll find pictures on the site of some fantastic golf courses I've been fortunate enough to play and the amazing people I've met along the way.

I am filled with gratitude for my life experiences, especially for the deep and meaningful relationships I've built over the years. I firmly believe that, although it can be challenging, investing time in nurturing relationships will ultimately be rewarding. I have made plenty of mistakes in friendships, and I know I will make more, but I am committed to improving every day.

My college journey began at the University of Iowa in 1998. Since then, I have returned almost every fall for a Hawkeye football game and to visit my longtime friends. Alyssa has become a Hawkeye fan by association, and we have had a great time, especially watching Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Women's Basketball team make back-to-back trips to the National Title Game and her record-setting rookie season with the Indiana Fever.

My professional career began in 2005 with UCB Pharma, where I sold medications related to allergies, asthma, and ADHD across North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. In 2008, I was presented with a life-changing opportunity to move to Atlanta, GA, to become the National Sales Trainer at UCB. This role introduced me to impactful concepts such as Emotional Intelligence, Time Management, Situational Leadership, and DiSC, among others.

During this time, I came to realize two important things:

1. Personal and professional development is the type of work I want to pursue for the rest of my life. Some may refer to it as a "calling," but for me, it felt like an unstoppable "freight train."

2. Top performers are fundamentally different. Although I didn't fully understand it at the time, this realization sparked my fascination with people, behaviors, and the development of others, a passion that continues to grow stronger.

In 2013, my friend and colleague Mike approached me about the opportunity to join the sales team at Discovery Benefits. I had become disenchanted with my career in the pharmaceutical industry, and Mike had just begun his journey at DBI in the fall of 2012. When I asked him what he was selling, he replied, "I'm not 100% sure yet, but the company is fantastic, and the people are great!"

The rest is history. I started at Discovery Benefits in February 2013, focusing on selling our pre-tax and COBRA solutions to Employee Benefits brokers in Southern California, Denver, and Phoenix. In 2017, I transitioned to the role of Regional Vice President for the West Region, and most recently, I became the National Vice President of Sales in 2022.

This is my perspective on the intersection of time and energy. Prioritizing time and being intentionally mindful of our emotional energy allows us to honor those around us. As a result, managing time and energy becomes not only an internal journey but also an external one. Welcome!

The Philosophy

Time & Energy - Philosophy

Traditional leadership philosophies attract traditional people. The professional world as we know it today is anything but traditional. In just a few clicks, we have the ability to find a more attractive job, a bigger house, a newer car, and even window shop for a new partner. The amount of information we have at our fingertips requires us to prioritize our Time and Energy with an unshakeable intentionality if we want to perform at the level required of top performers. Appropriate overlap of our personal lives and our professional lives is not just a goal of a top performer, it's a prerequisite. The Time & Energy Philosophy© develops individuals, coaches, leaders and teams into self-aware, healthy communicating top performers.