Integrity compounds. Dishonesty eventually zeros out.
Earlier this year a story was surfaced by the NYT. The story is unacceptable and deeply hurtful to myself and those around me. I was a young, stupid and careless 24 year old alcoholic/addict who felt like they didn’t belong. I was not in a good headspace to make long term decisions. This does not discount my actions, but hopefully sheds light on who I was at the time and that what was reported began over 7 years ago.
To provide context, after 3 years I stopped attending the University of South Carolina to pursue a career within the military in order to pay for my undergrad and masters degrees. That career ended quickly as during medical processing I was found to have an eye disease. I was behind my peers and at an inflection point trying to figure out what was next in my life. Like most lies the story started slow. My career began to take off and aspects of the story became more believable. As I transitioned full time into a leadership position in crypto I started getting requests for podcasts and interviews in which having already told this story offline I felt trapped. I felt I had to continue the story online or else it would unravel. As the media appearances grew, I was in contact with Forbes to do a feature profile and once that went public there was no turning back.
It’s one of the worst decisions I have ever made and one that will live with me, but one that will not define who I am or what I stand for. I had multiple opportunities to change the narrative and correct the story and I did not. I have deeply apologized and made amends with those I’ve hurt, disappointed and to those who supported me and the companies I’ve built throughout the years. I wanted to address this at the beginning as I am not a victim here. I made terrible decisions although, unfortunately, there were many aspects reported in the article that were not entirely correct as I was unable to sit down with the reporter to answer his questions or set the record straight before it went to print. Instead of focusing on these aspects here, I wanted to ensure I took responsibility for my own actions and involvement.
I’ve had the privilege to be viewed as a leader in crypto and with that comes a responsibility, of which I am deeply embarrassed and ashamed to have not met by addressing my past behavior sooner.
I hope we can recognize that people can change and learn from their mistakes. It’s authenticity repeated over and over again that creates trust. All I can do is be honest and transparent with myself and those around me. I am not perfect. I could have done better. I can always do better. I have made mistakes. At heart, I am a good person who has learned from his mistakes, believes in second chances and is looking for an opportunity. I’ve spent the last 6 1/2 years sober and over the last 7 months started going back to AA, therapy and counseling. I will continue to prove my intention to be honest and transparent in all my affairs not just in words, but with actions. Avoiding hard things isn’t better. It’s just easier. I have learned the longer you wait the higher the cost.
I’ve realized I can’t keep replaying what occurred and hoping for a different outcome. Nothing I do now can change my past, but I know that everything I do now will determine my future and maybe that’s the lesson in life: dealing with what happens — positive, negative- knowing I can surely learn from it and allow the experience to make me a better person and to deal with life in a positive way, and when things don’t go my way, appreciate when it does for other people. I have a lot to accomplish and intend to go back to school to finish my undergrad and masters and find an opportunity to showcase all the experience and expertise I have learned from being the COO of a venture backed company in crypto over the last 3+ years.
Integrity is one of the most valuable and overlooked currencies. I intend to seek it, be it, and honor it. I am focusing on taking responsibility, living with remorse, seeking restoration and hopeful for a chance at renewal.