Desert FI is a place for people navigating midlife questions—identity, purpose, money, work, and meaning. It’s about stripping away noise, finding clarity, and building a life that feels aligned and whole.

Anyone who feels the tension between who they’ve been and who they’re becoming. Many readers are in their 30s–60s, balancing work, family, faith, career, and the desire for a more intentional way of living.

The desert is where distractions fall away and identity becomes clear. FI stands for financial independence, but also for freedom, intention, and inner formation. It’s a metaphor for the quiet, honest work of becoming who you were meant to be.

FINE stands for Financial Independence, Next Endeavor. It's a way of thinking about financial freedom that focuses less on escaping work and more on moving toward meaningful work you actually enjoy. The short version: a small amount of purpose‑filled work can dramatically reduce the amount of money you need to reach freedom — and often leads to a more fulfilling life. I've written about FINE in depth in How FI Led Me to FINE and laid out the math in The Harder Trail.

Two chapters, roughly equal weight. Nearly ten years in nonprofit work first — coaching college students through the questions they were too afraid to ask out loud, leading international service teams, helping people navigate seasons of real change. Then a pivot through an MBA into senior leadership roles at Fortune 250 companies, the last fifteen years at the senior executive level. The work changed; the questions underneath it didn't. Both chapters shaped how I think about identity, purpose, money, and what a rich life actually requires.

I keep Desert FI anonymous because of my high-profile corporate role and the season of reflection I’m in. Anonymity creates space for honesty, clarity, and grounded writing without the noise of titles or public identity. It lets the ideas stand on their own—and gives readers room to focus on their own story, not mine.

Desert FI is for people who are exploring spirituality in their own way—whether they’re curious, active, or somewhere in between. I write about meaning, identity, and purpose in a way that’s accessible to anyone. Some reflections draw from my own faith experience, but the goal is to offer grounding and clarity—not pressure. My hope is that readers see their own story more clearly and have space to explore what matters most.

Identity, purpose, financial independence, midlife reinvention, spiritual grounding, emotional clarity, and the practical steps that help people build a life that feels aligned and whole.

I publish on a steady twice-weekly rhythm — a Tuesday post and a Sunday reflection.

Start with the origin story — The Moment I Realized the Life I Built Wasn't the Life I Wanted. Then Three Versions of Enough, which lays out the worldview underneath everything else here. If you want the framework, How FI Led Me to FINE introduces it and The Harder Trail shows the math. If you want to know what it feels like from inside, The Gilded Cage is the most honest piece I've written.

Not yet — but yes, eventually. The platform is being built now to support speaking, retreats, and other ways to walk the trail with people. For this season, the focus is on the writing.

Join the weekly newsletter using the form at the bottom of this page—it’s where I share new posts, reflections, and questions worth sitting with each week.

Many of the photographs are mine, but not all. I sometimes use images from friends or Southwest photographers (with permission), and occasionally a licensed image when it better reflects the story I’m telling. Every photo is chosen with intention — to support the tone, place, and meaning of each piece.