Chief Psycho

According to The Daily Whimsy:

✔ Main character energy
✔ Certified good vibes
✔ Local legend status

For once, I have no notes. 😜

One of the more interesting cultural shifts happening right now is the way millennials are rethinking achievement.

Many of us were raised on some version of the same message:
• Work hard
• Stay available
• Keep achieving
• Success will follow

And for a lot of people, it did.

The problem is that achievement doesn’t automatically create fulfillment.

Research on contingent self-worth, burnout, and self-determination suggests that people need more than performance to thrive. They also need autonomy, connection, meaning, and a sense of agency over their lives.

What I’m noticing isn’t a generation becoming less ambitious.

It’s a generation becoming more intentional.

Still driven. Still capable.

Just increasingly unwilling to sacrifice their health, relationships, identity, and well-being in pursuit of goals that no longer feel aligned.

That’s a very different conversation than laziness and probably a healthier one.

Throwback Thursday before I head back to Arizona next week to celebrate my bestie’s birthday and continue my work as everyone’s favorite guncle 🌵

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I get asked about the name “Chief Psycho” pretty often, so here’s the actual story behind it.

The “Chief” side of the brand came from my earlier career background working across healthcare, pharmaceuticals, operations, implementation management, business process analysis, and organizational systems before eventually transitioning deeper into dentistry and organizational development work.

The “Psycho” side emerged later as I moved further into psychology, psychometrics, psychoanalytic thinking, psychodynamic psychotherapy, leadership systems, and organizational behavior.

At some point, those two worlds naturally merged together.

What originally started as an experimental podcast and unconventional brand name slowly evolved into a larger identity and community centered around psychology, leadership, systems thinking, organizational development, creativity, and human behavior.

I also fully understand that the name “Chief Psycho” probably sounds concerning without context.

Which is fair.

I promise the “psycho” part came from psychology and psychoanalytic theory… not an active psychological break.

Ironically, what started as a risky branding experiment became the thing that distinguished me most.

Especially in rooms full of traditional consultants, executives, healthcare leaders, and coaches where I somehow became known as: “the tatted gay millennial” bringing light to outdated leadership systems, organizational containment, and psychological safety.

Honestly… accidental branding at its finest. 🤗

My therapist: “and what brings you peace lately?”

Me: …

POV: You joined a run club for “cardio” and accidentally developed emotional stability, community, and a main character complex.

Swipe for OG photo taken at 📸

P.s. is running a 40% off summer kick off sale - site wide!

The older I get, the more I understand this quote differently.

At first, struggle feels like interruption.

Something to get through.
Something to escape.
Something that makes you question yourself while you’re in it.

But with enough time and distance, you start realizing how much those periods shaped you.

Not just in resilience, but in clarity, perspective, relationships, identity, and the way you move through the world afterward.