
Success built through self-abandonment is too expensive, no matter how impressive it looks.
You can be successful by every measure and still feel disconnected from the life you built.
Not burned out. Not lost. Just quietly off.
You did what you were supposed to do; you checked the boxes, you built the life you believed you should.
And yet something feels missing.
What’s missing isn’t more success.
It’s you.
Somewhere along the way, you learned to trade alignment for achievement, and belonging for performance.
You didn’t fail. You adapted.
But when success is built from the outside in, it eventually costs you on the inside.
Reinvention isn’t about starting over or becoming someone new.
It’s about reclaiming and restoring who you were before fear, scarcity, proving, and expectation took over your decision-making.
The problem isn’t success. The problem is how that success was achieved.
You followed a blueprint that wasn’t yours.
It was a hand-me-down of shoulds, opinions, and supposed-tos from family, friends, and society.
When you stop chasing and start creating, you seize authorship of your life and design a blueprint that aligns with who you are.
Not who you believe you’re supposed to be.
The life you’ve built doesn’t have to change; the fuel you use has to change.
When you stop self-abandoning, you don’t become less driven.
Quite the opposite.
You tap into previously untapped potential and become clearer, steadier, and more decisive.
Energy spent performing, proving, and protecting an identity is redirected into creativity, focus, judgment, and follow-through.
Life feels cleaner and quieter, less proving, less pressure, more clarity about what’s worth your time and what isn’t.
The result is not just a better personal life.
It’s better leadership, better decisions, and organizations built on self-trust rather than fear.
When people reclaim authorship of who they are, performance doesn’t disappear.
It’s transformed and expanded.
This is the work behind my keynotes and writing.
If this resonates, you’re in the right place.
Speaking Engagements
With a deeply personal story of overcoming federal prison and hitting rock bottom, Craig delivers powerful keynotes that resonate with anyone seeking to unleash their potential, discover purpose, and live authentically.
Midlife Reinvention Newsletter
Are you professionally & financially successful yet woefully unfulfilled? Are you ready to craft your authentic and extraordinary second half? Join the “Midlife Reinvention” newsletter for weekly tips, insights, and inspiration.
Blank Canvas Book
This book isn’t just a memoir; it’s a roadmap for anyone who has ever felt lost inside their own life, a guide back to authenticity, and a call to action to reinvent. Hear more about Craig’s memoir and purchase Blank Canvas.
Hear from Craig
Craig is a regular contributor to numerous blogs and publications and has been a guest on many different podcasts. To read and hear the latest from Craig, see the latest blog posts and our in the media section.
The Latest from Craig
-
How I Make Better Decisions

It was around October 2012 when I made the choice that would shatter my life. I was a successful Senior Enterprise Account manager for a large tech firm, working with some of the world’s most prominent banks and hedge funds. The products I was selling were becoming commoditized, profit margins on…
-
How to Overcome Your Brain’s Fear Tactics

You’ve got big dreams and goals completely outside your career. They’re the dreams and goals that light you up inside and terrify you simultaneously. You’re finally going to write your novel, become an artist, or maybe master the craft of Japanese woodworking. All of which are firmly on the other side of…
-
Unboxing My Life Story After Federal Prison

We like to put things, especially people, in boxes. We like to slap a label on that box and “know” what that person is. Notice I said what, not who. “What” is easy. “Who” involves a deeper level of understanding most people aren’t willing to explore. They’re either afraid to confront…
-
Your Potential Unleashed: The Path to an Authentic Life

Years ago, I wrote a sentence that has remerged and ignited something in me. All thanks to a stranger on the internet highlighting the line on my Medium post. I have a deeper understanding of the line, and honestly, its undiscovered layers scare and frustrate me. I’m living in this bizarre…
-
Break Free with Self-Forgiveness: A New Beginning

I beat myself up for the choices that landed me in prison. I verbally thrashed myself with the cruel viciousness that only comes when you know your target so well. I knew the mental buttons to push and what would inflict the most pain. I even punched myself and whipped myself…
-
A Valuable Life Lesson Learned in a Lyric

“This thorn in my side This thorn in my side is from the tree This thorn in my side is from the tree I’ve planted” “Bleeding Me,” Metallica (inspired by Lord Byron) Here are 2 things about this song lyric: 1. This is one of the most underrated Metallica songs ever. …













