Joe is a father, adventurer, speaker, consultant, successful entrepreneur and business owner, scuba diver, underwater photographer/videographer, storyteller, pilot, and world traveler.
Learning to fly at 15 years old, Joe spent much of his life in the aviation business, working his way up, doing everything from pumping fuel, to managing airplane dealerships, to selling and building international service programs all over the world. He left the aviation world, worn down from 15 years of being a road warrior, disillusioned with the corporate world and wanting to spend time raising his sons.
Along with his two best friends, Joe envisioned and built a business from the ground up into a multimillion-dollar success. The business was called Suture Express and was born out of the determination that there were problems in the distribution chain of medical sutures to hospitals. Joe and his partners envisioned a unique, untried delivery system that changed the medical supply business. Industry veterans said it would never work. Competitors didn’t take the company seriously and the first two years were difficult as are many start-up businesses. But once Joe and his partners proved their vision, it took less than 5 years before the small company outgrew its warehouse twice and was delivering millions of dollars of suture and more importantly, helping hospitals have the products they needed on a timely basis.
The true success came about, the partners would say, because it was a business “of heart”, devised with a moral compass and dedication to a deep connection with others, both employees and customers, and doing “what was right”.
“That was the true reason for its success”, Joe says.
As the business grew and developed, life went on and Joe navigated many trials and tribulations, (as we all do). What became crystal clear during this time was a deep desire and commitment to living life more fully, with love, purpose and meaning.
With the sale of the company, Joe now travels the world documenting both the beauty and tragedy occurring under the water, as well as insights of personal consciousness, sharing these with others in films and speaking presentations. He works with the University of Hawaii and established scholarships to assist in funding ocean research and stewardship.
- His writing and film work inspires and invites us to join him in changing how we interact with each other, the oceans and the planet. Subscribe to his blog and newsletter here.
- Joe is available to speak at organizations and events of all sizes, from keynoting private meetings and intimate gatherings to taking the stage at larger venues. Connect here to schedule a phone consultation to discuss your speaker needs.
- He works with business owners and entrepreneurs to determine what is at their heart, aligning their values with their business plans to not only be successful but more importantly, happy and fulfilled while in sync with their essence. Send Joe an email to schedule a free conversation.
My Story
I wondered what to write about myself for this website…
I knew my most important contribution in life is my continuing commitment to live a loving, joyful, creative life, expanding in consciousness with my sons, granddaughters, friends – old and new – and mother earth.
So, I decided to tell a story that happened not that long ago that touches on this.
I was doing a workshop on conscious living and had a revelation about the trauma I had as a young boy and how it continued to play out in my life and affect my intimate relationships. Also, how living an old stereotype of what it is to be a man had held me in chains into my forties and beyond.
An Intimate Email to My Sons
I wrote a long email to my grown sons, detailing the abuse in my childhood and how I continued to re-traumatize myself and in doing so, repeatedly disconnected from people. I shared with them the new practices I had learned, to move from fear into flow, reclaiming connection with others in the moment.
I also talked about the outdated stereotype that has at its core the need to compete, not feel, keep important things to one’s self, be strong and win at all costs. I told them that following this path did not lead me to happiness and success as advertised, but instead led to isolation, disconnection and disillusionment. This path was empty and in my opinion the true path to happiness is found through intimacy, vulnerability and being true to one’s inner self. Traits not taught to me, or many men.
The email led to one-on-one conversations with each of my three sons, opening us up to deeper connection with each other, spurring expansive revelations and conversations of meaning. At that moment, I knew I wanted more of this in my life.
One Son’s Authentic Response to Me
One of my sons asked for a couple of weeks to ponder my email. When we finally spoke, he said that even though he had read the email, he wanted me to tell him out loud about the events. After I retold the story, he paused.
He then said the following to me.
“I am so happy for you, that you have found new tools to recognize and move beyond fear and trauma in the moment. This seems to be a great healing for you.”
“As far as your discussions on seeing a NEW path of authenticity and connection though, I have a completely different take on this than you do.”
I felt apprehensive and couldn’t imagine what he would say next.
He continued.
“While to you this is a watershed event, to me this is simply another moment in a broad spectrum of you speaking honestly with me, as you have done all of my life. You may not have thought of it as authenticity or intimacy but you have been telling me this same message and living it in front of me for the past 38 years. You have always preached for me to be myself, to be true to myself no matter what and to find a passion and follow it. You have spoken and exhibited what it is to be kind to others, to error on the side of love and to honor and care for the earth.”
Tears welled up and ran down my cheeks.
I felt humbled and grateful for his words. I choked up in trying to respond. I rode the wave of my emotions and eventually was able to thank him and share a wonderful conversation with him.
Appreciation and Gratitude
I am so appreciative to have built a solid relationship with my son, that he could share this with me. I didn’t have this relationship with my father and I am sure many men don’t either. I appreciate that throughout his life, I somehow voiced and exhibited these virtues to him often enough for him to hear and remember, even when I wasn’t always aware I was doing it.
I am an extremely blessed man, with an adventurous life, full of deep connection with others, dedicated to joy and happiness, authenticity and intimacy. Daily, I explore a new and changed consciousness of what it means to be a man in the 21st century, shattering old beliefs with new actions of heart. I commit myself, to presence and conscious connection with others, our oceans and the planet. And my payback is a life filled with more love, connection and joy than I ever thought possible, with gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to be of service to others and mother earth.
This shift and the incredible changes in my life inspired me to share my journey with you.
An Opportunity For You to Connect
So, If you feel disconnected from yourself, your personal relationships, your career, or your kinship with nature and the earth, I invite you to join me and commit to savoring a life of joy, happiness, love, ease and flow, overcoming limiting beliefs, trauma and fear.
If my words resonate, please subscribe to my blog and newsletter and stay in touch with my films and written words of inspiration and exploration.
If you are in need of a speaker to interact and inspire you and your audiences, Connect here to schedule a free phone consult with me.
Or if you are looking to begin a business or are stuck and need some help figuring out how to build or expand with meaning and a conscious heart, I’d love to help. Reach out here to schedule a free phone conversation of how I might be of assistance.