As a child, I was never great at coloring within the lines or completing tasks the "traditional" way. One instructor went as far as saying that I had a "peculiar... but beautiful mind". In other words, different. Twenty-five years later, my unusual intricacies have led me to skirt traditional career paths. In lieu of becoming a cog, I have embarked on the merciless journey of becoming a serial biotech entrepreneur - with the loving support of my wife of course.My journey has been anything but traditional. The past fifteen years has positioned me to excel in the unforgiving biotech startup ecosystem. While juggling being a two-sport athlete (Basketball and Track & Field) at Oberlin College, I struggled choosing between becoming a physician or following a yearning to create something larger than myself.I elected to ignore my intuition and enrolled in medical school; however, I was offered an internship the summer before M1 at Kadmon Pharmaceuticals during its IPO. By July, I knew I would never be content being a physician but a medical degree would position me well for the biotech industry.By Thanksgiving of M1, I was back in Elkhart, Indiana, fighting for my life against a seemingly invisible illness while trying to find my place as a biochemist in the RV capital of the world. Three years would pass by as my health continued to deteriorate with no clear answers. A cortisol test, not ordered by my doctor, would lead to the diagnosis of a life-threatening case of Cushing's Disease that had plagued me for eight years. Three weeks later, I was at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota having a pituitary tumor removed.Following a successful operation, I knew my path forward included earning a M.Sc. in biochemistry and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. I joined Dr. Brian Blagg's medicinal chemistry group for three years to sharpen my scientific technical skills and learn the intricacies of drug development. I then pivoted to the MBA program to transition into the biotech startup world.During my MBA, I worked with Notre Dame's TTO (IDEA Center) to de-risk and further validate a plethora of technologies including antibiotic adjuvants, nano-particle delivery systems, and many more. Additionally, I had the opportunity to work within several university lifescience startups, such as SpoRx Therapeutics and FortiScience, and experience what would be required of me following graduation.Today I find myself thankful to be alive, loved by my wife and pursuing my life's mandate which has been growing since my refusal to color within the lines as a child.