Seventeen Minutes Without a Pulse Didn’t End Me — It Forged Me.
From the edge of death, Phoenix of Mana was born.
TIMELINE OF TRANSFORMATION
ERA 0 – ROOTS OF LEADERSHIP AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (AGE 12–17)
The Unseen Beginnings of a Lifelong Calling
My journey as a coach and leader didn’t start with a brand, a title, or even a plan. It began in my own home at just twelve years old, guiding my mother and two younger brothers through life’s challenges.
At the same time, I was already an entrepreneur, running a paper route and a small mail-order greeting card business. These early ventures weren’t just about making money — they were about creating opportunities, solving problems, and building confidence in myself and others.
This was the foundation of everything that would come later:
Leadership forged through family.
Grit developed through early business ventures.
A drive to help people rise, even before I knew that was my calling.
“I didn’t wait to be given a chance — I created one.”
The 5% Chance That Changed Everything
ERA 1 – THE CANCER YEARS (AGE 17)
At seventeen, I faced a diagnosis that nearly ended
my life: Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Doctors gave me just a five percent chance to live.
This battle wasn’t just physical — it was spiritual.
It taught me the fragility of life, the power of mindset, and the importance of purpose.
Beating cancer ignited a fire within me.
It gave me a second chance — a responsibility to use my life for something greater.
“Pain became my teacher. Survival became my proof.”
ERA 2 – KIRBY PEAK (1994–2005)
From Sales to Soul Work
In 1994, I launched my Kirby business, not realizing it would become a crucible for both business mastery and personal transformation.
At first glance, it was about sales.
But in reality, I was coaching people long before I ever called it that — guiding team members through fear, doubt, and self-sabotage to unlock their potential.
Over the next decade, I built high-performing teams, broke global sales records, and taught hundreds of people how to lead themselves and others.
These years proved that transformation isn’t theoretical — it happens in the trenches, day after day, decision after decision.
“In 1994, I wasn’t just running a sales business. I was shaping lives, coaching people to believe in themselves and achieve what they never thought possible..”
ERA 3 – THE DESCENT (2005–2015)
When the Fire Turns Inward
On December 23, 2005, I resigned from Kirby.
I thought I was stepping into freedom, but instead, it marked the beginning of the most painful and bewildering decade of my life.
Everything that could fall apart, did:
Financial devastation.
Physical health crises.
Spiritual and emotional collapse.
Despite my own storms, I continued to guide others through theirs.
Even in my ashes, I couldn’t stop doing the work I was born to do.
Patrick Smith’s Transformation (2008):
During this period, I helped Patrick Smith make radical life decisions that changed his trajectory forever. His own words, taken directly from two emails sent in 2008, capture this transformation in real-time.
Patrick, Oct. 30, 2008:
“What an amazing day of decision and momentum. I cannot thank you enough for what you helped me with today, and even more so for what you’ve put on the line to help me.
The power and clarity that comes from momentum and making decisions is amazing — a weight-lifting feeling.
I know that you do not work with just anyone, so I am honored to have you as my leader.”
Patrick, Nov. 25, 2008:
“All I had to do was decide that it was completely over and to move on, never looking back and never putting energy into it again.
Since making that decision, I’ve been able to move on. Thank you again for giving me direction and examples of what you would do.”
Patrick’s story is just one example of the countless lives touched during a time when I was fighting my own battles.
Quotes From My Email to My Brother Troy (Sept. 9, 2007):
These words, written to my brother Troy, reflect my inner world during this era of chaos and surrender.
“I felt like I was drowning, in spite of the fact that I had trained to be a very strong swimmer.”
“Problems came one after the other, non-stop, like never-ending sets in an ocean. And no matter how much I tried to stop it — nothing seemed to work.”
“Sometimes it’s best to just give in and relax, while trusting that everything will be okay — knowing that the time to act again will come.”
“The storm is important and necessary to get me on-course toward the destination of my dreams.”
“No matter how bad things may look at times, they are always perfect when viewed from a higher and grander perspective.”
ERA 4 – SEVENTEEN MINUTES DEAD (2015)
Seventeen Minutes Without a Pulse
My heart stopped.
For seventeen minutes, there was no pulse.
Doctors called it impossible.
I call it proof.
This was my crucible — where the Phoenix within me was fully born.
Everything I had endured — cancer, business highs and lows, personal storms — converged into one truth:
I was still here for a reason.
Margaret’s Note:
During the procedure to reset my heart, Margaret was forced to watch from a distance. Even the nurses were gripping her hands in fear as the room held its breath, unsure if I would return.
I did — and that moment changed everything.
ERA 5 – THE PHOENIX ERA (2025 AND BEYOND)
Alive. Rebuilt. Unstoppable.
Phoenix of Mana rose from the ashes of my life’s fires.
Today, I don’t just teach transformation — I embody it.
My mission is clear: to guide leaders, visionaries, and changemakers through transformations so profound, they rise from their own fire — unstoppable, unshakable, unbreakable.
This isn’t theory.
It’s a process refined over three decades of lived experience, rooted in trials, victories, and timeless truth.
Your Turn to Rise
Transformation doesn’t come to the half-hearted.
It comes to those willing to step into the fire.
If you are ready to rise, your moment is now.