Why I Built FORGED (And Who It’s Really For)

There’s a version of this story where I talk about the market opportunity, the whitespace in the industry, the business case.

That’s not this story.

This is about a lack of opportunity I couldn’t stop seeing.

I’ve spent years in the world of athlete and coach development, living and working as both. And in that time, one thing kept showing up — over and over, across sports, across levels:

The cost of being a serious athlete is staggering — and most people don’t talk about it.

Club fees. Travel. Tournament entry. A strength coach. A private coach. Camps where the right eyes might actually see you. It stacks up fast. And when you add it all together, the basic needs of athlete development are out of reach for a lot of families — not because they don’t care, but because the system was never built with them in mind.

But here’s what I want to be clear about: this isn’t just a money problem.

It’s also a knowledge problem.

There are athletes out there who are working as hard as they can — and genuinely don’t know what they don’t know. They don’t know which systems exist that could accelerate their development. They don’t know which experts could change the way they train, think, compete, and recover. They don’t know the room they could be in — because no one has ever told them the room exists.

So they grind. And they plateau. And they assume the ceiling they’ve hit is their ceiling.

It isn’t. But they need two things to break through: the knowledge that more is available, and the access to actually get there.

FORGED is built to close both gaps — the knowledge one and the financial one. To put athletes and coaches in a room with the experts, the systems, and the standard they didn’t know they could reach. And to make sure finances don’t determine who gets to be in that room.

I watched coaches deal with the same thing. Coaches who give everything to their athletes, who deserve development in return, who are trying to get better at their craft — but whose professional growth gets deprioritized because there’s no infrastructure for it.

That’s the gap. And that’s why I built FORGED.

What FORGED Is

FORGED is an elite athlete and coach development summit. Not a camp. Not a clinic. I hate that i even have to say it is not a camp, you’ll understand one day.

Four days. Expert sessions. A room where the standard is elite — and everyone in it has earned their spot.

The first event is in Phoenix, AZ — November 26–29, 2026, starting with indoor volleyball. But FORGED is built to expand across all sports. This is the beginning.

Here’s what makes it different:

Performance. Sport-specific training led by coaches who operate at the highest levels. Every rep intentional. Every session built toward your ceiling — not some average of the group.

Mental performance. Sports psychology, pressure training, and mindset work — woven into the fabric of every day. Not a one-hour add-on. Not a keynote. A discipline.

Wellness. Body image. Athlete identity. Nutrition that actually makes sense. The whole person. Because you can’t develop the athlete without developing the human.

Mentorship. Athletes and coaches developing side by side. Iron sharpens iron. And the relationships built over four days don’t end when the event does.

Access. Excellence determines who gets a spot — not finances. A scholarship program is available. Any sport. Any background.

Who This Newsletter Is For

Every week, I’ll be writing here, as best as possible — for coaches, athletes, parents, and anyone who believes in what real development looks like.

I’ll write about what I’ve seen work (and what I’ve seen fail). About the mental side of sport that is just starting to get enough attention. About wellness, recruiting, and the conversations that happen behind closed doors in elite programs.

If you’re an athlete who has outgrown what’s available to you — this is for you.

If you’re a coach who gives everything and deserves more in return — this is for you.

If you believe access to development shouldn’t depend on who your parents are — this is absolutely for you.

One Thing to Ask You

If you know someone who needs to be in a room like this — forward this. That’s how FORGED grows. That’s how we find the athletes and coaches who belong here.

And if you haven’t already — get on the list at beforged.co. Registration opens soon. The inaugural class will be small. And the athletes who show up are going to be exactly who you’d want in your corner.

Greatness isn’t born.

🔱 It’s FORGED.