ABOUT
Business & Financial Growth Specialist
America Economic Pragmatist | Author Keynote Speaker | News Contributor
I was raised on the south side of Chicago. My father was a Greek immigrant who preferred making money through “shady activity” rather than being a husband and a father. During his frequent long-term absences, I found myself trying to manage my own survival against my bi-polar mother and emotionally and mentally unstable younger brother.
To escape my home life, I signed up for every extracurricular activity I could find... sports, theater, music… anything. I also loved to study, and disappeared by sticking my nose in the books. The ability to memorize just about anything while figuring things out quickly helped me maneuver through just about any situation.
All these activities helped shape so much of the man I am today. It allowed me to hone in on my talents, develop skills, and brought my leadership and communication abilities to the forefront. Most importantly, it started me on a journey to truly care for people.
Although I was a part of many tribes, I never felt accepted, but I had to become a survivor.
I was young and had become smart, tough, and skilled with a heart to fix the world. Unfortunately, my inflated ego and exaggerated self-confidence made me very full of myself.
At 20 years old, I had a spiritual awakening that changed the trajectory of my life. I saw myself much differently than the façade I had created. In terror, it became plain how internally corrupt I was. I wanted to die.
Thankfully, the awakening also made it clear how my abilities and life experiences could help others overcome the difficult and real challenges in their lives. I realized that most people struggle with their purpose, their abilities, and at the core, their survival in the world. From this, their challenges in work, in business, and how to make enough money for a decent life became my singular focus.
My childhood struggles (along with my lack of really belonging) helped me to create a "people first" approach. I have dedicated the past 40 years to perfecting the strategy of coaching people to understand themselves, understand others, and understand their businesses. The journey has taken me from working with Fortune 100 multinational corporations down to startups, penning three books, contributing to news and economics, and speaking worldwide.
Through all of this, I graduated from the University of Denver and married my college sweetheart. We have 3 beautiful children and 6 amazing grandkids.
PETER VESSENES
