Before we begin to uncover together what broke me only to later fix me, it's important to understand who i was before all this. Im not entirely sure how far back i should take you.. but I won't go too far, since my objective is to talk about Anxiety & Depression... I promise to be brief so i can show you that i was not broken and neither are you.
I'm a father of 3 beautiful girls. i became a musician at the age of 10, and played at private parties, convention centers, live television events and sold out arenas at an early age. As i grew up and my kids got older, i had to give up the dream of becoming a rockstar and get serious about making money in order to provide shelter, food and security for my kids. So I got a job as a seasonal part time sales associate and worked for a top 500 fortune telecommunications company for almost 11 years. I took on roles that required you to think outside the box, and that allowed me to grow as a professional and obtain career progression promotions, even when all odds stacked against me. I never had anyone to really vouch for me or a family member to recommend me into a leadership position. All i had was my hard work, 1 mentor and a conviction of values and morals i was raised on which i used as an impeccable way of taking irate customers by empathetically connecting with them to problem solve & focus on what mattered the most to them, to in turn, drive revenue.
While i was working for this company, i developed skillsets around branding, product launches & customer experience which allowed me to create JPW Marketing where i helped mom & pop shops market their locations, create promo's that didn't take deep pockets and use the internet to drive sales. I was actually good at working with all types of small businesses. Quickly learned that I needed a bigger team, but since i was doing it alone.. i also had to shut that down and move on. Then i launched Plenty Decor which was a furniture reseller company. I found a vendor, purchased pallets of goods, and hoped to god they weren't damaged.. in order to resell below retail price to profit. I quickly realized shelf life was difficult to maintain and as seasons passed by.. furniture became out of style and i was losing money. I quickly realized that it wasn't for me and moved onto Lifestyle Apparel. This is where Young Villains Apparel came to life. I quickly grew the brand on social media and reached 11K + followers. I did all this while still maintaining and working at my 9-5. I had no days off, and this was all while attempting to lose over 100 pounds of fat and being father of the year.
Looking back at my professional achievements, from catapulting aspiring leaders into new endeavors, managing clients and leading people in the corporate world, it feels almost surreal to have impacted so many lives. I use the word surreal because whenever someone approached me with a problem, it was my responsibility to pause what i was doing and assist them in finding a solution. However when i found myself sinking into Anxiety & Depression, i began questioning myself "Who do i turn to when I'm feeling lost, knowing everyone looks to me for guidance?" That's when i realized i was on the fast track for burn out and needed to prioritize my own mental health.
Unfortunately, i never did, leading to a breakdown where i began to vividly relieve moments i tried to desperately forget. Despite telling myself it was okay, i continued fulfilling my role as a father of three, a respected leader and the trusted eldest sibling.
