About

I am a husband of more than twenty years, father of six children (some of whom are now grown), a philosopher who publishes books and articles on the philosophy of mind, a martial artist (2019 IBJJF World No-Gi Champion, Master 4, Open Class, Blue Belt), award-winning teacher, life-long athlete, and fitness coach/author. I strive to live the ancient ideal of the scholar, athlete, martial artist, and community member that is the cornerstone of the classical Greek understanding of virtue.

After playing a variety of sports as a child, I was fortunate to be able to play football in college (starting three years as a left guard and being honored as the captain of the team my senior season). After graduating from Saint Norbert College in 1996, I began graduate studies in philosophy, completing a master’s in 1998 (Kent State University) and a Ph.D. in 2002 (Purdue University). 

I married my wife (who holds a Ph.D. in I/O Psychology and an MFT) in 2000, and I finished my Ph.D. at Purdue University in 2002. That was the year our first child was born. In 2003, I began teaching philosophy at Benedictine College, in Atchison, Kansas, where I have lived with my wife and children since. 

Athletics and fitness have been a seamless part of my life-story. I suffered some fairly serious injuries to my back playing football in college, which made me close to sedentary throughout graduate school. That, coupled with horrible dietary habits, left me extremely fat by my 30th birthday. At that point in my life, with my career and family up and running, I realized it was time to address not just my health, but my entire ethical bearing. I had allowed my life to fall into an undisciplined state. I was living at variance with the very philosophy that I was teaching, and that hypocrisy couldn’t continue any longer. As such, I took up the practice of fitness with the same scholarly conscientiousness I honed as an academic and the toughness I developed on the gridiron. As a result, I lost 100 pounds in a year. That was the very same year our twin second and third children were born. No excuses.

That was nearly two decades ago, and now as I approach my fiftieth year, I am in the best physical condition of my entire life as an athlete. Along the way, I have competed in powerlifting, Highland wrestling, triathlons, and now, my main focus, Brazilian jiu jitsu, while continuing to grow and pursue greater excellence as a husband, father, friend, teacher, and scholar.  

As you can see, this commitment to discipline is not only part of my life as an athlete and martial artist, but also my scholarship, marriage, and fatherhood. I strive to live an integrated life built on a set of abiding philosophical principles. For me, like my ancient mentors, philosophy is a way of life, with implications for all aspects of existence. The principles of consistency, moderation, discipline, honesty, and courage are not merely seminar room concepts, but the nitty-gritty engines of my daily life. These are the ideals I hope to live with my wife, children, friends, colleagues, and students.

I have no magic pill that will automatically impart virtue. That can only come with hard-forged habit. At the end of the day, discipline is something of a mystery. I do hope, however, that I can provide you with a real-life example of someone trying to live the good life in all its aspects (physical, intellectual, relational), along with some materials that might help you along your own path. Come what may, it all comes to not quitting when you are tempted to quit, and that is only your own doing. I can, however, offer myself as a fellow traveler on the way. I hope you find the resources on this site useful to this end.