I didn’t learn this in a classroom. I learned it in the trenches. For years, I lived numb — surviving, not living. A goldfish in a bowl. A man in Plato’s cave, mistaking shadows for reality. The mask looked strong: the hustle, the toughness, the “I’m fine.” Inside, I was collapsing. I worked jobs that drained me — weeks away welding, coming home fried and empty. I’ve walked through near-divorce. Addiction. Shame. Childhood wounds I didn’t have words for. I’ve burned bridges, hit rock bottom, and thought life was over. No one knew — because the mask was convincing. Then God stepped in — with storms, not softness. The storm didn’t destroy me. It exposed me. It revealed the false self — the performer, the avoider, the guy who used anger for power and numbness for safety. For the first time, I saw the bowl. I saw the cave. I realized there was more. That’s when everything changed. I learned to regulate my nervous system, face my shame, and rebuild my identity in Christ — not in trauma or performance. Now I help men do the same. Not as a guru. Not as a polished teacher. As a man who has lived the fire, survived the storm, and walked through hell with God until the mask finally cracked. If you’re here, it’s because something in you knows there’s more. Good. That’s where the work begins. Welcome to the Forge. Let’s unmask the false self — together.