Growth doesn’t follow straight lines. It rarely feels clean or comfortable. Most of the time, it feels like stretching out of a life you’ve already outgrown — even when part of you wishes you could stay where things felt familiar.
That’s the part we don’t talk about enough.
To grow, you often have to let go of old patterns, old routines, and sometimes old connections. You have to face the truth that you only get so much energy each day — and where you invest it determines what will grow and what won’t.
When your energy goes into the wrong places, the right places stay small.
When your energy aligns with who you’re becoming, everything starts to shift.
Growth is personal, but the process is universal:
you cannot become your future self while clinging to a past version of your life.
There’s a grieving process in that.
And it’s normal.
The Communities You Choose Shape the Life You Build
As life changes, your energy naturally begins to move in new directions. I saw this clearly during a season when much of my energy went into the Latin dance community. It gave me connection, routine, and excitement — but it also drew energy away from areas that needed to grow.
That’s how life works.
What you feed grows. What you neglect stalls.
And as you evolve, your environment often shifts with you:
Your interests change.
Your priorities shift.
Your future expands.
Not everyone expands with you.
Some friendships fade.
Some circles no longer fit.
Some environments stop matching the direction you’re moving in.
That isn’t failure — it’s evolution.
You become the average of the people you spend time with. And if your environment doesn’t match the person you’re becoming, it will eventually limit the person you’re trying to become.
Early Lessons From the Military: Purpose Isn’t Convenient for Everyone
This lesson didn’t start with Elevatus.
I learned it long before I was a founder.
Through my military career, I had romantic partners who argued with my aspirations, questioned my purpose, or pushed back on the responsibilities I carried. The late nights, the physical fitness regiment, the leadership demands — none of it was convenient for certain individuals who were once part of my story.
But eventually, something clicked:
A life built on purpose will always be inconvenient to people who prefer you small.
It wasn’t my career that was the problem.
It was the gap between who I was becoming and who they wanted me to stay.
And the lesson woven inside that season was simple and honest:
A purposeful life won’t fit inside relationships that aren’t built for growth.
When someone pushes against your ambition, it’s not a sign to shrink —
it’s a sign they’re not meant to grow with you.
Not everyone has the capacity, discipline, or vision to walk into your next chapter.
And that’s not failure — it’s the truth of growth.
Becoming a Founder Requires Shedding Old Versions of Yourself
You can’t build something meaningful while clinging to comfort.
You can’t relevate while anchored to people who resist your evolution.
And you can’t expect your future to unfold while pouring energy into environments designed for your past.
To grow into a founder, I had to:
- release circles that no longer aligned;
- let go of old energy drains;
- choose relationships that supported growth;
- allow myself to grieve the old life; and
- accept that every new chapter costs something.
This is where transformational resilience becomes more than a framework — it becomes a way of living.
You don’t bounce back.
You bounce forward.
You rise into a version of yourself that wouldn’t exist without the friction, the lessons, or the courage to let certain chapters close.
The Power of the Right People
Even in the hardest seasons, I had people who poured encouragement into me. People who believed in my potential, believed in the mission, and believed in Elevatus long before it grew into what it is now.
Those voices mattered.
They added fuel.
They kept me focused.
And they taught me something I will never forget:
You grow fastest when you choose relationships that grow with you, not against you.
Some people drain your ambition.
Some fear your evolution.
Some shrink your vision without ever saying a word.
But the right people —
the ones who lift you, challenge you, and truly want to see you rise —
they change everything.
They make you clearer.
Stronger.
More aligned.
More resilient.
That’s the foundation Elevatus was built on.
Transformational Resilience: The Engine Behind My Journey
C2R2E — Collapse → Confront → Realign → Reclaim → Elevate — was born from lived experience, not theory.
It holds the truth that:
some chapters collapse;
some realities must be confronted;
some parts of life must be realigned;
some identity must be reclaimed;
and then, finally, you rise.
Elevation isn’t just about lifting yourself.
It’s about lifting the people around you.
And Elevatus is proof of that.
It’s a mission born from everything I learned on the way up — from the military, from personal transitions, from relationship lessons, from building in silence, and from refusing to shrink for anyone.
Your Turn
If you’re in a season of growth, ask yourself:
Does my current environment match the person I’m becoming —
or the person I used to be?
Look at where your energy goes.
Look at who supports your evolution.
Look at who argues with your ambition.
Look at who gets smaller when you get bigger.
Then ask one more question:
What part of my old life must I release so my new life can grow?
Your next chapter is waiting.
It won’t require permission —
but it will require alignment.
Choose the people who grow you.
Release the ones who don’t.
And keep moving toward the version of yourself you were always meant to become.
