About

I was on my “dream” path: traveling the globe as a management consultant, making great money, and living the American Dream (house, wife, 3 kids).

I didn’t know it, but I was trapped in the Corporate Cage (a mental state). Work dominated my life.

Eventually, I lost everything: my marriage, access to my kids, and my health.

I spent the next 5 years rebuilding my life.

I needed to control corporate life, so I ran experiments to reclaim time and energy, and redirect those gains toward what mattered most. Life improved by 100X!

I call this living “Uncaged.”

Today, I’m a full-time coach, creator, and freedom fighter — on a mission to help my past self.

Is that you?

1984-2006

Formative years

1984-2006

Formative years

I grew up in a religious and conservative home.

Rule-following and picking the “safe path” were core ideas. 

I remember clear moments of lack and scarcity (e.g., my Dad got laid off, “rainy day” jar in the kitchen). 

College taught me that getting a good job was the top-level goal in life. So I worked my butt off to (barely) get into the management consulting field upon graduation.

Looking back, I see Millennials as the last generation of the Industrial Era. We were handed a script of what the good life was, and so we ran with it.

2006-2015

Caged

2006-2015

Caged

Launching into the workforce was a scary but electrifying experience.

Suits, business travel, company-sponsored happy hours….amazing!

I also got married in my mid-20s. Three lovely children soon followed.

Applying my childhood lessons, I worked myself to the bone. My job title was my identity.

What I missed were all the mounting costs. I soon experienced them, losing: my marriage, access to my kids, and my health.

I ran into a wall at 100 MPH.

Only then did I start to awaken to my previous decade: I was trapped in the Corporate Cage.

2015-2021

Uncaged

2015-2021

Uncaged

I needed to rebuild my life — for my own sake and my kids.

Therapy, coaching, and self-development work fueled my rebirth.

I discovered my love of an obscure ancient philosophy (Stoicism), which I deem central to my growth.

Looking back, I realized I was caged, and the 9-5 environment (more like 8-8) was a central culprit.

I decided I couldn’t just leave the lucrative consulting world, as I had extensive financial responsibilities.

So I decided to stay…on my terms.

I ran “survival” experiments for several years — to decrease the negative impacts of work while increasing my lifestyle. One example: I eventually reduced my average workweek hours by 50%, and got promoted. 

I was becoming a self-directed person and a better father.

And I even attracted my soulmate! I met Cecilia and we got married in 2017.

As I became intentional with the life I wanted to live, I started to sense what was possible.

I became (healthily) obsessed with reading and spending time around entrepreneurs.

They were building businesses and lives that were dripping in freedom: time, financial, purpose, relationships, health.

The default path no longer suited me. The keys to the cage were in my pocket all along.

Free of make-believe pressures, I was alive and living Uncaged.

2021-Present

Mission-focused

2021-Present

Mission-focused

As I ran “Uncaged” experiments, I taught my mentees and direct reports to do the same.

I couldn’t bare watching them fall into a similar trap.

My coaching skills grew stronger.

Then, when COVID struck, a lightbulb went off.

An entrepreneurial lightbulb switched on and I felt compelled to help others more formally.

I launched my first side hustle: a coaching business

After several iterations, I realized what felt best was merely helping my past self: someone who’s stuck in corporate hell and wants a better life.

I got into the content creation game on social media, and paired that with podcasting and a newsletter.

Things were gaining steam, and I knew the clock was ticking down on how much more I could stay in my 9-5.

So, after carefully working with my own coach, we set my corporate exit date: March 11, 2022.

That day went exactly according to plan. I said goodbye and now I’m living an entirely different life.

A life of real purpose: being present with my family, helping others at scale, and maximizing my time on this planet.

I’m literally obsessed with helping my past self: taking people from Caged to Uncaged. If that’s you, I’d love to connect.

Eric

“I love the process of envisioning your badass life. When you delete today’s constraints and fixate on a 10X better career and life, your entire worldview changes.”

Kason Morris

“Matt brings the heat with his work, and life wisdom provides a healthy punch to the gut within all the bland career development ‘noise.’ He helps you design a fulfilling and “uncaged” life!"

Anna

“My favorite thing about working with Matt is that he's always positive, and he is not afraid of challenging my thoughts and pushing me outside my comfort zone.”

5 Shifts High-Achievers Use to Escape the Corporate Hustle, Reclaim 30-50% of Their Time, & Do Work They Love