What does 'The Wonder Years' mean?
Let’s be honest.
Building a business is hard.
But doing it while raising kids you adore and don’t want to lose touch with?
That’s next level.
Most people will tell you it’s about balance.
But anyone who's built something real knows: balance is a myth.
What we need is better:
✅ Clarity on what matters
✅ Systems that protect what’s sacred
✅ A community that doesn’t treat family as a footnote to ambition
This newsletter exists because I’m in the middle of it, too.
I’ve built companies. I run a VC fund.
But the most important thing I’ve ever built?
The relationship I have with my wife and kids—and the one I’m still building every day.
I’m not here to preach. I’m here to practice.
To reflect. To grow.
To share what’s working (and what’s not).
Each week in The Wonder Years, you’ll get:
Real stories from the frontlines of family + entrepreneurship
Tactical ways to stay connected as a parent
Tools, mindsets, and moments that help you do both well, without burning out or zoning out
Because we’re not just building companies.
We’re raising humans.
And I don’t want to wake up one day with a successful exit and a quiet house…
wondering where it all went.
Worshipping financial freedom
Some of the smartest, most driven people I know obsess over financial freedom.
“I just want the freedom to do what I want, when I want.”
Sounds noble, right?
But it also sounds like something whispered in the Garden of Eden.
You probably know a few wealthy people who aren’t happy.
I know more than a few.
Why?
Most of the time, the person you have to become to make money is:
high-anxiety
high-stress
hyper-competitive
When you have done that for decades, you can’t turn it off, even after you’ve "made it."
You’ve conditioned yourself into tension.
Like Pavlov’s dog, but instead of drooling at a bell, you panic at rest.
So no—money isn’t the root of all evil.
But it does come at a cost.
Too often, it turns us into spiritual, relational Frankensteins.
Freedom as a family value
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for building wealth.
Let’s get you rich. Let’s buy back your time. Let’s achieve financial freedom.
BUT let’s NOT lose our families along the way.
Building a business while raising children? That’s the final boss. It’s hard. It’s humbling. You’re constantly context-switching between Zoom calls and school drop-offs, investor updates and bedtime stories. Some days it feels like you’re failing at both. And that’s normal.
Many parents choose to pause one to focus on the other. It’s a valid choice. But I’ve seen too many who never find their way back. They scale their companies, but lose the thread of connection at home.
They win in the market, but grow distant from the people who matter most.
Meanwhile, raising emotionally healthy, wise, and flourishing children is its own lifelong pursuit. It’s slow. It’s unseen. And it never ends with a clear finish line or applause. But it is worth everything.
The invitation isn’t to juggle perfectly—it’s to be intentional. To resist the lie that you have to choose one or the other. To build something powerful in the world without quitting your family in the process—emotionally, relationally, or spiritually.
Freedom is a family value. Not because we want to escape our responsibilities, but because we want to show up for them. Fully.
Financial freedom, then, isn’t the goal. It’s the tool. Just like integrity, loyalty, or resilience—it’s a value we steward so we can protect what matters most.
When freedom becomes part of your family’s operating system, everything shifts.
You start designing your week around shared dinners, not just KPIs. You say no to the first-class upgrade so you can say yes to spring break. You model how to work with purpose, not pressure. And most importantly, you show your kids what it means to live a life that’s full, not full of achievement.
We’re not here to teach our kids hustle. We’re here to show them what peace, presence, and being fully alive looks like.
Freedom isn’t selfish when it’s shared.
It’s how we protect what matters most.
And what matters most is our family, especially our kids.
Messy, magical moments
Let’s not trade what matters most for what matters next.
These chaotic, love-soaked, beautifully ordinary days?
They are The Wonder Years.
Years filled with sticky hands and half-finished sentences,
late-night emails and early-morning snuggles,
board meetings and board books.
It’s not always clean. Or quiet. Or balanced.
But it is sacred.
Let’s not miss the magic hiding in the mess.
Let’s not outsource the moments we’ll one day ache to get back.
Because one day, they’ll grow up.
And so will we.
Here’s to building something great.
At home and at work.
Not perfectly, but with presence.
With grace.
With eyes wide open.
Welcome to The Wonder Years.
Let’s not miss these messy, magical moments.
Let’s make them count.