Builder. Storyteller. Entrepreneur
Meet Kurtis Mercer
I've always been fascinated by people.
Long before Autopilot to Alive existed, I was the person who would end up having the deep conversations.
Growing up in a small town, I had friends from every crowd you could imagine. The athletes. The artists. The gamers. The people who partied every weekend. The quiet kids. The people who seemed like they had everything together, and the people who clearly didn't.
For some reason, people always felt comfortable opening up to me.
Sometimes they were lifelong friends.
Sometimes they were complete strangers.
Somehow, the conversation would almost always move beyond small talk and into something real.
Looking back, I think it's because I was always willing to be honest about my own struggles first.
Learning Through People
Throughout my life, I've lived in many different worlds.
I've worked factory jobs.
Camp jobs.
Retail.
The meat department.
I've gone to college.
I've lived in residence.
I've experienced addiction.
I've been divorced.
I've had seasons of financial stability and seasons where I wondered how I'd pay the bills.
I've met people in rehab.
Students overwhelmed by exams.
Parents trying to hold families together.
Entrepreneurs chasing impossible dreams.
People rebuilding after losing everything.
People who looked successful on the outside but were quietly falling apart on the inside.
Every season introduced me to people I never would have met otherwise.
And every conversation taught me something about what it means to be human.
Curiosity Became a Way of Life
Outside of my own experiences, I've always been drawn to understanding how people think.
I've spent countless hours learning about different cultures, countries, belief systems, and ways of life.
I've watched testimonies of people overcoming addiction.
Stories of people rebuilding after homelessness.
Interviews with entrepreneurs who built something from nothing.
Ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
I've become fascinated by one simple question:
Why do people become who they become?
What shapes us?
What wounds us?
What gives us hope?
Why do two people experience similar circumstances but walk away with completely different lives?
Those questions have stayed with me for years.
A Shift in Focus
For a long time, my attention was turned inward.
I was trying to figure myself out.
Who am I?
Why am I here?
What's my purpose?
What needs to change?
That season was necessary.
But today, my focus has shifted.
As my relationship with God has grown, I've found myself thinking less about building my identity...
...and more about understanding the people around me.
Because every person carries wisdom.
Every person has blind spots.
Every person has experienced suffering.
Every person has experienced moments of beauty.
The more I understand others...
...the more I understand myself.
Why Autopilot to Alive Exists
Autopilot to Alive isn't about interviewing experts.
It isn't about finding people who have life completely figured out.
It's about sitting down with ordinary people and giving them the space to tell their story honestly.
The victories.
The failures.
The regrets.
The lessons.
The relationships.
The dreams.
The questions they're still trying to answer.
Because underneath our different backgrounds, careers, beliefs, cultures, and experiences...
we're all navigating the same human condition.
We're all trying to love and be loved.
We're all trying to overcome something.
We're all carrying fears.
We're all searching for meaning.
We're all hoping tomorrow can be better than today.
And when we hear someone else's story, something remarkable happens.
We realize we're not alone.
Sometimes we gain a new perspective.
Sometimes we find hope.
Sometimes we discover that the person we thought we had nothing in common with is actually carrying many of the same questions we are.
A Shift in Focus
The Vision
I want Autopilot to Alive to become a living collection of human stories.
Not to tell people what to think...
...but to help them understand one another.
Because I believe understanding creates compassion.
Compassion creates connection.
And connection reminds us that every life has value.
Different people.
Different stories.
One human condition.