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From Basketball Dreams to Reinvention: My Journey Through Life, Work, and Travel

Early Roots and a Mother’s Strength

“I still remember my mom working multiple jobs, carrying the weight of the world so I could dream bigger.”

Life reinvention after 60 isn’t just possible—it’s been the defining chapter of my journey. But before the travels, careers, and challenges, it all started with my mother.

I was the third child of a single mother who moved to Los Angeles from Arkansas in 1960. She was enterprising, independent, and fiercely committed to her family. After divorcing shortly after my birth, she worked multiple jobs, changed careers as needed, and moved us across Los Angeles to create opportunities.

Her resilience became the foundation of my life. Everything I’ve done—from delivering pizza as a teenager to corporate sales, entrepreneurship, yoga, limo driving, and world travel—stems from her lessons: persistence, adaptability, and hard work.

The Basketball Dream

Growing up meant attending four elementary schools, three junior highs, and one high school in Santa Monica, California.

While in high school, I delivered pizza for The Egg Planter restaurant, often balancing late-night shifts with homework and basketball practice. Those early jobs taught me time management, responsibility, and perseverance — the building blocks of my future career.

Basketball became my passion and dream. I imagined the NBA despite the odds. I was a late bloomer: cut my first year, made the team the second, but injuries limited my playing time. Senior year, I started a few games and played critical backup minutes. Every dribble, shot, and defensive play reinforced discipline, resilience, and patience.

After high school basketball, I participated in track as a long jumper, wanting to improve my athleticism, and suffered a hip or back injury that hindered me for a couple of years. After joining the Air Force, I tried out and made the March AFB base team (1981) where I eventually suffered my first knee injury. After 3 years playing city league ball, I tried out for Santa Monica College basketball (1984) but didn’t make the team (although I made it through the first round of cuts).

I persisted and walked on at West Los Angeles College in 1985, playing until injuries from my Air Force knee surgery prevented me from continuing. Basketball taught me teamwork, strategy, and the value of hard work — lessons that would carry through every career and life challenge.

The Hustle Years: Jobs, Moves, and Lessons

After high school, I explored a variety of jobs to support myself:

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium – working concerts, antique shows, and meeting celebrities
Quatron – cleaning computers, summer 1979–1980
Taco Bell – balancing work with Santa Monica College studies
Builders Emporium and Thrifty Drug – short-term employment
Webb Silberg – marketing company; delivery driver, maintained customer charts for Neutrogena, and delivered important documents to courts and offices

I joined the Air Force, initially with the intention of pursuing a career in physical therapy and instead was assigned to supply/warehouse work. Despite my lack of initial intention to pursue athletics, I walked on to the base basketball team. They were a pretty established team. I came out of nowhere to make it. Unfortunately, injuries eventually slowed me, but the experience reinforced resilience — the idea that success often requires multiple attempts and enduring setbacks.

My career shifted a bit within Supply, working in Pickup and Delivery on base. Like a UPS driver but with a security clearance. This is where I acquired skills handling multiple types of vehicles and responsibly handling priority properties and issues.

Post Air Force: School, work, marriage, Arizona, Avnet, EBM and in between

After leaving the Air Force, I returned to school, basketball and part-time work eventually earning an associate’s degree in business marketing from West Los Angeles junior college in 1987.

Santa Monica College – part-time employment – admissions clerk
Los Angeles Times – subscription collector, driving across diverse neighborhoods and gaining intimate knowledge of LA
Evening Outlook – customer service resolving newspaper subscription delivery complaints
Telecredit – customer service authorizing credit card transactions. (Yes, that’s how it was done while in the stores. The merchant would call for approval. Imagine standing at the counter and being refused.)
State Farm – mail/file clerk and relief reception. Great company and opportunity. Studied to be an estimator but I eventually gave the job for regretful reasons.

Vacation Marketing Group – marketing distribution and contests, building independence and organizational skills. Driving and route work.
Best Service Company – court runner → collections agent; nicknamed “Steamer”. I actually had to collect on a few famous people. Experience with investigations, legal filings, court documents and agreements.

Then out of the blue I married and moved to Phoenix, Arizona or actually Tempe. I moved there with a promised job opportunity that fell through upon arrival. Though way to start out a marriage. I was also enrolled in classes at Arizona State University in pursuit of a bachelor. While looking for work, my wife came home from church and said someone from the church was in the roofing business and was looking for help. Great! Be there at 4 am. Why so early? Well, I found out later that day about 7 am and 100 degrees.

Roofing – one summer day, a literal trial by fire
Telemarketing – calling small business marketing health insurance. appointment setting. Leads
Sportstar – health and fitness vitamins – vitamin sales. I had a passion for taking vitamins.
Rent-A-Center – manager trainee – Another job with a heat story. Working in the record temperature day of 122 degrees wearing a tie delivering furniture and appliances.
Fishing trip – life-changing; reminded me of priorities and balance. Because I wasn’t allowed to use a vacation day from the aforementioned Rent-A-Center, I called in and formally gave my resignation and went fishing. Fortunately, I was able to guarantee myself a job, back with telemarketing, and made the best decision of my life.
Airborne Express/DHL – delivery driver. Somewhat what I did in my Air Force career
Arizona Exterminating – licensed pest control sales rep. Earning another designation and multiple salesmen of the month honors

In October 1992, I joined Avnet Electronics as a telesales representative. Over eight years, I progressed to product manager, managing multiple product lines with responsibilities spanning Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. This period refined my strategic thinking, leadership, and regional account management skills while giving me opportunities to travel domestically to Orlando, Baltimore, Dallas, and San Diego. During those early years, I also took on part-time work, at nights, performing turn down service (housekeeping) for the esteemed Phoenician Hotel.

In October 2000, I moved to EBM Industries, a fan and blower manufacturer, serving as a West Coast distributor sales representative, covering California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona. Frequent travel strengthened client relationships and gave me invaluable experience in regional sales management and marketing execution.

In April 2002, I was unexpectedly laid off, marking a turning point that led me to launch Five-Star Fitness, Health, and Wellness, and begin a decade of reinvention and exploration.

During these years, I also repaired my Air Force knee through ligament surgery, enabling me to continue playing basketball in city leagues, eventually winning back-to-back championships. I later turned myself into golfer, finding the repetitive practice similar to basketball, and eventually became a legitimate 12-handicap golfer.

Five-Star Fitness: A Leap into Health & Wellness

After my layoff, I launched Five-Star Fitness, Health, and Wellness, a personal training and wellness business. Drawing on decades of athletic experience, basketball discipline, and staying physically active, I developed personalized programs combining strength, cardio, flexibility, and yoga. I managed marketing, branding, client scheduling, and service delivery — learning business management from the ground up.

Building a client base proved challenging. To sustain myself, I took on multiple part-time jobs:

Sandwich delivery
Phoenix Country Club – golf attendant and a step back in time. Kind of like working on a plantation. My enthusiasm for golf lead me to this opportunity. It was kind of an eye-opening experience of what goes on inside of these country clubs.
Pogo Distribution – Magazine distribution for multiple publications – marketing and placement and lots of driving. Phoenix and surrounding areas
Paper recycling ($600/month) resulting from cleanup of previous weeks deliveries. Self-created hustle.
Circle K – merchandising 5 individual stores for 12–13-hour 3 days a week
Vending machine servicing – The name of the company skips me, but it was route work servicing and refilling vending machines. Candy and sodas.
Newspaper delivery – 4 am early morning route delivery
Though the name skips me again here, my last job in Arizona before moving to Hawaii, was merchandising magazines at Sky Harbor Airport in Tempe/Phoenix

Though the fitness trainer venture didn’t last forever, it taught me about entrepreneurship, the power of confidence, and the challenges of running a business from the ground up. I also completed my business/marketing degree in 2002 — a milestone I was proud of.

Real Estate Milestone

In 2005, while working other jobs, I earned my Arizona real estate license, hanging it with Century 21 and Coldwell Banker. By 2006, I had achieved $1 million in sales.

It was proof that persistence and relationship-building pay off.

Yoga & Self-Discovery

In 2010, I earned my yoga teacher certification. For me, yoga wasn’t just exercise—it was healing from decades of injuries and reconnecting with my inner self.

By 2010, I pursued another passion: earning my yoga teacher certification. It became more than just stretching or poses—it was about healing my body after years of injuries and reconnecting with my spirit.

The practice followed me into every new chapter, grounding me whether I was driving a limo, selling homes, or traveling abroad.

The Hawaii Chapter: A Stranger in Paradise

In mid-2012, I moved from Arizona to Kona, Hawaii. At first, it seemed like paradise—sunsets, beaches, and a slower life. But living there wasn’t what I expected.

As an outsider on the Big Island, I struggled to fit in and often felt like a stranger. Hawaii was beautiful, but it wasn’t home. Still, the experience added another layer of perspective about culture, belonging, and what really matters.

Limo Driving & Road Travels

In April 2013, I began limo driving in San Diego, initially commission-only. For nine months, I slept in my car (05 Kia Sorento) between 12-hour shifts (4 a.m.–4 p.m.), handling airport transfers, events, and concerts. Pay was inconsistent, but I developed resilience, logistical skills, and adaptability.

During this time, I earned my Class B driving certification in 2014, which allowed me to take on bus driving routes. This expanded work not only increased my income but also gave me the chance to travel extensively throughout the western United States. Some memorable destinations included:

Grand Canyon, Arizona – awe-inspiring natural wonder
Las Vegas, Nevada – bustling city events
Laughlin, Nevada – riverfront leisure
San Francisco, California – iconic bridges and cityscapes
Los Angeles, California – familiar urban routes
Yosemite National Park, California – majestic landscapes

Driving connected me to America’s landscapes in unforgettable ways.

I visited all this and beyond—all while behind the wheel. This period connected me with America’s landscapes in a way no job had before.

But behind the steering wheel, there was also struggle. I decided to leave the company I worked for and try driving Uber full-time. Being one of the first 100 Uber drivers when they started in San Diego in 2013, I thought I knew everything and would do a great job. It wasn’t happening.

Reinvention with Google

After 6 months and 30,000 miles of driving with Uber, in November 2016, I joined WeDriveU, contracted to transport Google employees in Mountain View, Ca. My responsibilities included:

Coordinating pickups and drop-offs across the San Francisco Bay and surrounding areas
Maintaining punctual schedules for thousands of employees
Providing high-level customer service
Managing logistics across multiple routes, requiring flexibility and careful planning

Even during this period, although making good money, I occasionally slept in my car during the work week, to save money and pay down debts. On weekends, I would stay in hotels exploring the different cities in the Bay Area and northern California (San Francisco, Oakland, Campbell, Los Gatos, Walnut Creek, Palo Alto, Murphys, Angels Camp and others) developing my nomadic tendencies with continued adaptability and commitment to work. Working a 55-hour week on a split shift, it made the most sense to me to live this way.

I continued doing good work with WeDriveU/Google until a knee injury and the stress of driving those freeways, forced me into retirement in December 2018, marking the end of my professional career but the beginning of a life of full-time travel and exploration.

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Health Challenges, Van Life, Travel, and Love

Despite left knee replacement (2010), hip replacement (2023), a bad right knee and spinal stenosis, I walk without a limp and strive to avoid back surgery.

For many, reinventing yourself later in life feels daunting, but I found that small steps helped me thrive after retirement.

Retirement brought van life. A few months before deciding to hang it up, I bought my Chevy RoadTrek class B RV with the intent to live in it while working. Instead I ended up exploring U.S. national parks, California’s coast, and international travel to Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Greece.

Through international dating, I met my wife in Colombia, and for the past two years, we’ve been building a life together, traveling, and embracing new experiences. I lost my mother in October 2020, during my first van trip to the Utah national parks, which was bittersweet but reinforced the value of living fully.

All these chapters—basketball, corporate, fitness, real estate, limo driving, Hawaii, Google—built toward something bigger: travel.

From road trips across the U.S. to international journeys in Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Greece, Amsterdam, England and beyond, travel became both my teacher and my reward.

Every place I’ve been reminded me that life is about exploration, adaptation, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Closing Reflection

“My story isn’t about perfection—it’s about reinvention. Falling, rising, and keeping the journey alive.”

Many believe life reinvention after 60 is impossible. I’m living proof it’s not.

From pizza delivery and basketball dreams to corporate offices, yoga mats, limo nights, van life, and world travel—every chapter prepared me for the next.

And now, I keep traveling, writing, and showing that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself.