My life didn’t follow the normal trajectory of an MBA student. I was an aspiring musician, playing bass guitar in a punk rock band called “Finway Fish Camp,” and racing off-road motorcycles. Barely graduating high school, the idea of attending a university like Duke felt as distant as Mars.

If you stay open to it and keep pushing forward, life has a way of throwing unexpected twists and turns your way. It’s like driving down a dark, winding road — only your headlights illuminate a little of the path ahead. All you can do is trust the process, taking each step forward as the headlights reveal a little more with every move.

Joining the Military

After the band broke up and an injury sidelined my racing career (That’s a story for another time!), I felt a nudge for change. College seemed like the next obvious move, but working as a mechanic and simultaneously attending school didn’t seem feasible. I decided to join the Army, serve a few years, and use the G.I. Bill, a program helping veterans and their families pay for school or job training, to fund my education.

What I thought would be a brief detour turned into a 23-year career in the military with time in the Rangers and Special Forces and 16 combat deployments. Along the way, I learned about resilience, leadership, and adaptability. These experiences shaped me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. When I retired, a college degree felt like unfinished business.

Seeking My MBA Fit

18 months after starting, I finished my undergraduate degree and found myself eyeing the next milestone, an MBA. I embraced the task of taking the GMAT. Then, I began the application process and applied to every top 10 business school… except Duke. When acceptance letters began arriving, I attended orientations at those schools but found myself feeling out of place and uncomfortable at each of them.

My father’s offhanded comment about our family’s connection to the Duke family sparked my curiosity. He mentioned my great-grandfather had received an inheritance from the J.B. Duke estate. It felt like a nudge from God. I decided to apply to the Global Executive MBA program and attend Duke’s Blue Devil Celebration, an event for admitted students to get a glimpse of life at Fuqua.

The moment I stepped on campus, I felt a sense of belonging. The collaborative culture, the instant connection with fellow candidates, and the global focus of the program resonated with me. I vibed and this felt like my tribe.

Finding My Fire at Fuqua

The first day of school was a mix of exhilaration and fear. As classes began, the fire within me — one that had grown cold — began to reignite. The Global Executive MBA program’s structure, with its global residencies, became my catalyst for personal transformation. Each term, I arrived early, turning what started as vacations into pilgrimages.

In Thailand, I stayed with locals, explored monasteries, and immersed myself in meditation. In Chile, I trekked Patagonia solo for four days before meeting two classmates on the final two days, totaling 60 miles. I was sustained entirely by my homemade pemmican made from freshly harvested elk. It was during this trek that the seeds for my next venture, Wild Horizon, were planted.

Before the India residency, I left my job and felt a need to re-center and ground myself. Arriving in Delhi without a plan, I struck up a conversation with a doorman who suggested I visit his hometown Bodh Gaya, the site of Buddha’s enlightenment. From meditating under the Bodhi tree to retracing Buddha’s journey from the mountain cave to the Bodhi tree to visiting Sarnath, Varanasi, and finally retracing my father’s pilgrimage he made 50 years previously to Rishikesh and Haridwar, India offered illumination in purpose and self-discovery.

By the time I returned to class, and with the nudge from two separate fortune readings that suggested I was not located where my purpose lay, I knew my next step. Within days of returning home, my dog Kai and I moved to Austin, Texas. Austin became the incubator for Wild Horizon, my vision for a meat-based protein bar startup.

My time at Fuqua was as academically challenging as it was transformative. During the Prague residency, I shared 100 prototype meat-based protein bars with my cohort, using their feedback to refine the product. The support and encouragement of Team Fuqua gave me the confidence to move from concept to production in just 6 months. Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship provided the framework that turned an idea into a tangible product, setting the stage, framework, and strategy for our startup’s launch.

Discovering a Future I Couldn’t Have Planned

From the start to finish of my MBA, I quit my job, relocated, started a company, and even wrote my memoir. The Duke experience wasn’t just about academics; it was the second and third-order effects that arose from being in the program with the world-class instruction while surrounded by my impressive classmates. It was about rediscovering who I am and what I’m capable of. The spark I felt on that first day has grown into a blazing fire, fueled by the camaraderie of my classmates and the opportunities Duke has afforded me.

Looking back at my 18-year-old self, aimless and unsure, or even the 45-year-old who began this program, I couldn’t have envisioned the life I’m living now. I’m reminded; one’s journey is never a straight path. It’s filled with setbacks, leaps of faith, and moments of clarity.

The most important lesson I’ve learned is to embrace authenticity. Shed the masks we wear to fit in. Be weird. Take the leap. Fall, rise, and repeat. Most importantly, have fun! At Duke, I’ve found a community that celebrates these values. Team Fuqua isn’t just a slogan; it’s the reality.