Neil was born in Wailuku, Hawaii, but has lived in CO for the other 94% of his life. He grew up in the suburbs of Aurora with an older brother (who is a person with autism), a younger sister whom he teased mercilessly (she turned out great), a couple of dogs, a cat, and two loving parents who worked extremely hard to make sure their children were always fed and taken care of. He lives in Lakewood now with a wonderful wife who likes to feed a stray cat aptly named ‘feral cat’.
Physical activity came naturally to him but school and academia was a struggle. Delayed abilities in speech, as well as reading and writing early on in childhood, made school an uphill battle that seemed unconquerable. Luckily, with the help of great teachers he managed to become a model student in middle/high school. After high school, he did what was expected of him and went to Colorado State University in Fort Collins and began a 10+ year on-and-off dance with University Education. He took courses and later dropped out with different avenues of degrees not quite fitting the bill for what he wanted to do with his life. He turned to working multiple jobs over those years (sometimes more than one at a time). These jobs included sales rep at a supplement store, personal trainer, amateur carpenter & handyman, home painter, doorman/bouncer for a bar, bar manager, restaurant manager, car salesman, and finally car-sales manager. All of these jobs had a profound impact on shaping his character and led him to the realization that teaching, guiding, mentoring, and helping others along their way is the fulfillment that he was seeking in his life. This sparked a final crusade for him to pursue a degree in English with the intent of becoming a high school English teacher to help those that may have been like him to find their own purpose(s) in life. He has made it his life’s mission to help anyone improve their critical, analytical, reading, and writing skills regardless of what ability they have.