Bio

I became involved in poker after randomly meeting Dusty “Leatherass” Schmidt on a golf trip with some mutual friends. A few months later during the worst downswing of his life (at the time) he hired me to see what I could do for him. After 5 months of work, and 4 of the biggest winning months of his career, I was asked to become a Stoxpoker coach and before even knowing what a poker forum was, I had one. Nearly 2 years later I’ve produced 18 in-depth videos that have helped thousands of members while Dusty has gone on to earn over $1 million a year for the last three years from poker.

My entry into the world of performance psychology came from my own shortcomings as an aspiring professional golfer. Despite earning All-American honors three times and winning 9 tournaments in college, my dreams were thwarted after choking in several elite national tournaments.

Combined with a growing interest in psychology, I figured that if I could find a solution for myself I’d also have something that others would want. I took a non-traditional route and went into counseling psychology rather than sport psychology. I earned a Master’s degree and subsequently spent 2 years working to become licensed as a mental health counselor. That education and experience has proven to be invaluable, especially when first launching a program specifically for golfers.

My golf practice flourished for a few years and my clients included an LPGA tour winner, PGA and Nationwide Tour players, top-ranked juniors and many satisfied amateurs. I appeared in Golf Magazine, and featured in numerous regional publications in Arizona and Connecticut. I started playing some professional golf, having cured myself of my choking issues, and ironically it was just as I was gearing up for my first full season that I was offered the Stoxpoker gig.

Sensing the huge opportunity in poker, I jumped on it.

Shortly after joining Stoxpoker, my client list rapidly grew and I’ve worked with over one hundred fifteen players hailing from 17 countries, playing anywhere from low stakes to nosebleeds.

I love what I do and work daily to refine my technique and increase my knowledge base. I could have never imagined how much I’d learn from working with poker players. Poker has taught me a lot, and I’m returning the favor.

I’m often asked if I play poker, and while I do, the only games I have an edge are home games with friends. I understand the game well enough to know how to apply my expertise to achieve significant improvement in my clients. While I’m not an expert player, I am an expert in understanding what poker players go through and how to effectively meet those challenges.

Currently I’m writing a book on poker psychology. A book that I hope will raise credibility for my innovative approach, and make strides towards my goal of being one of the elite professionals in performance psychology.