THE FOUNDER
I was the kid who got held back.
Two grades, actually — from Grade 8 back to Grade 6. This is the long version of why the academy exists.
THE LONG VERSION
The story
The school decided I wasn't keeping up. My grades were poor, I wasn't doing well in sports, and the answer was to move me back two grades. It shattered my confidence. For a long time I didn't feel like I was enough.
What changed things wasn't a program. In Grade 10 I found a tutor — one person who covered every subject, showed up every week, and treated me like I was worth the effort. My grades came up. My confidence came back, on the court too. He was half tutor, half mentor — honestly, my best friend at the time.
That's the reason this academy exists. I teach the way I needed to be taught: the first thing I build with a student is trust. I ask about their week, their interests, what's actually going on — because a student who trusts you asks questions, and a student who asks questions improves.
One student came to me with marks in the 50s in math and confidence to match. Her marks went to 80 — but the number is the small part. She solved problems on her own, and she asked questions without apologizing for them. That's the outcome I'm after, every student, every time.
WHAT SCHOOL DOESN'T COVER
Beyond the curriculum
I don't teach only what's in the curriculum. I sit down with CEOs, founders, directors, and coaches and ask them one question: what do you actually look for in people? Then I teach that. My students work through real case studies — investing, personal finance, AI, project management, entrepreneurship, how to carry yourself in a room. The things school doesn't cover, taught by the people who use them.
WHERE I DRAW THE LINE
How I run the academy
I won't bury your child in homework. Every kid has limits. I know which students want more and which ones will drown in it, and I refuse to overwhelm anyone.
And I won't keep a client who's disrespectful, or a student who isn't willing to learn. If someone isn't open to changing their situation, tutoring won't fix that — and I'll say so early, honestly, for free.
THE RECORD
On paper
Bachelor of Commerce (Honours), Business Technology Management co-op
Dean's List, all four years
HarvardX certificate — Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles
Author of two books on money for students → Resources
100+ students over five years; families who've stayed three years and counting
On graduation day, at 21, I crossed the stage with $70,000 of debt paid off and $100,000 invested. The habits in my books are the ones I used.
OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY
Off the clock
A few things that keep showing up outside the classroom: