My Story
Looking back, there's always been a thread: making the invisible visible. Understanding complex systems. Creating clarity where there was confusion.
It started with security research at Kansas State, where I built tools to map vulnerabilities across enterprise networks - turning invisible attack paths into something teams could actually see and fix. That work became a published paper on security assessment architecture.
Then I joined Architexa, an MIT spin-off building code visualization tools. We helped developers understand massive codebases through diagrams - sequence flows, class relationships, the hidden structure in thousands of lines of code. Same idea: take something complex and make it comprehensible.
Entrepreneurial Phase
In 2014, I co-founded Emvento, a digital agency where I've led teams building everything from payment systems handling millions in transactions to virtual exhibition platforms. I got my MIT Design Thinking certification that year.
But the most interesting challenges weren't technical. They were human. Why do smart people stay stuck? Why do we know what to do but not do it?
That question led me to start researching behavior change. In 2021, I began building Vacchan - a psychology-based app exploring how visualization tools and accountability partners help people modify their behavior. The research showed something powerful: change doesn't happen in isolation. We need mirrors. We need witnesses.
It also led me back to school - not for another CS degree, but to study human cognition and digital culture at UBCO. I researched how AI might develop self-awareness. But the more interesting question became: how do we develop self-awareness?
I started coaching on the side. Then it stopped being "on the side." Working one-on-one with tech workers and creatives, I found the same pattern: people don't need more advice. They need space to hear themselves think.
The Synthesis: ConnecZen
Now I'm building ConnecZen - and it feels like everything converging. The visualization research. The accountability work. The coaching. It's an AI companion for daily reflection - not a productivity tool, but a quiet presence that helps you think out loud and see your own patterns over time.
I'm working toward a future where thoughtful AI is accessible to everyone - genuine tools for self-understanding, not just chatbots. I'm pursuing my NBHWC certification to deepen my coaching practice. And I'm still obsessed with the same question I started with: how do we make the invisible visible?
If you're curious about any of this - building, coaching, or just thinking out loud - I'd love to hear from you.
