Home: Hyde Park, UT. Profession: Wealth and estate manager. Organization: Wealth Advocates. Title: Owner/Partner. Significant other: Jarie Mickelson. Alma mater: Brigham Young University (B.S.); The American College (MSFS). Languages spoken: English and Spanish.
Recent professional development: Nine-time top advisor at Gateway Financial Advisors. What’s been your big (or biggest leap)? Getting married after being divorced. The belief that I could trust. Hobbies: Tennis, skiing, travel, music, mountain biking, Jeeping. Recent travel or adventure: The Lake District in northwest England. Also, Clyde Lake in the Uinta Mountains. Last book read: The Power of Fun, by Cathrine Price. Recently viewed and recommended: Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a great movie. Recent unique acquisition: A Bronco Raptor. I need to go really test its capabilities.
How do you define a perfect friendship? Knows when to be fun and funny, understands when painful times come. What is your greatest joy? My wife, Jarie, and my kids. What is your greatest fear? Maybe disappointing the people I love, my team and my clients. What occupation, other than your own, do you most admire? Engineers, who can solve just about any problem. Artists, too. What is your favorite place (or way) to spend money? Travelling. What is at the top of your bucket list? Heliskiing with my daughter Grace. How do you relieve stress? Movies, sports, spending time with my friends and family. What is your go-to workout? Hitting tennis balls on my ball machine while listening to music.
What was your favorite college course? Humanities. What book have you repeatedly read? The Book of Mormon, by Joseph Smith. Besides your parents, who has had the greatest influence on your life? Joyce Weston, who was like my other mom. What’s the best advice you received growing up? “I believe in people, not programs,” (my dad). What’s the best advice you received in your career? Always protect your confidence (Dan Sullivan). What company or organization do you most admire? The English Language Center of Cache Valley. What personal circumstance has had the greatest influence on your life? Dealing with the attack upon one of my children, learning how to control negative emotions.
What is your big idea?
Individuals are so hard on themselves (especially teenagers).
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field? Financial illiteracy. What change would you like to see in the world? Listen to the other side of what they believe and try to understand why people think differently. What message do you want to send out into the world? It is better to be kind than it is to be right. What widely held belief do you reject? Self-promotion.
Who would you like to spend an evening with, in heaven? Jesus Christ or my mom and dad. As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A pilot or a pro football player. After your loved ones, what object would you first save from your burning home? My family photos and journals. How would you choose to spend tomorrow, if you knew it was your last day on earth? With my wife and kids in the mountains. What advice would you give your younger self? Be confident but not cocky. No one is better or worse than you are. What period in your life would you do differently, if you could? My freshman year of high school.
Personal mission: Showing the mercy and kindness that I would want for myself, especially when it is not deserved or earned. Personal motto: It is better to be kind than to be right. Favorite quote: “And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others” (Marianne Williamson).
