“Why did you move 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?”

How I found my purpose in St. Louis

That’s what the woman at the DMV asked me when I went to get my Missouri driver’s license after moving from Texas to St. Louis in August

It caught me off guard.

Sure, I moved to St. Louis for family. For Lindsey Koller Fabry‘s career (slash work for the best boss in the world in Al Koller).

But I also moved because I believe in this place. I saw opportunity. I saw potential. I just didn’t expect to be questioned about it at the DMV.

So I asked her why she asked.

She talked about crime. Poverty. Inequality. Weather. How “nothing’s happening” in St. Louis.

While some of those things existed, it wasn’t the whole story and didn’t match what I was seeing—or hoping to build. Because from where I sit, a lot is happening. And a lot more can happen.

Yes, St. Louis isn’t what it was in 1904. We will never 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘭𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 ever again. We probably won’t be a top 4 most populous city in the US ever again. But I also don’t want to live in NYC, LA, Chicago, or DFW anymore either.

I’m ok not clearing that bar, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 – seems like an unreasonably high one to begin with. Nothing wrong with peaking early though.

St. Louis is a world-class city. Major industries. Strong infrastructure. A real economy. And most of all—people with heart.

But like every other major metro in the US, we have some issues, especially on the north and east sides. These problems aren’t unique to this city. And they’re not unsolvable. They just need people, capital, and long-term commitment.

That’s why last October, when I started planning to teach a Business & Finance class in St. Louis, I didn’t go to Washington University in St. Louis or to a business incubator in the Central West End.

I went north. To the THE YOUTH AND FAMILY CENTER on Cass Ave. To high school students who needed hope. I wanted to be in a place where the next hand up could matter most.

I’ve been incredibly lucky in life. Mentors. Teachers. Encouragement. Belief. None of it came from nowhere. And now I get to pass that belief forward.

The truth is—I’m an analyzer. I can overthink anything. But even after all the analyzing, I still believe this: St. Louis is underrated. It’s underdog territory. It’s overlooked.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗜’𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁.

It just takes a little vision, action to back it up—and a lot of belief.

(P.S. I went to the cardinals game last night, and caught the first foul ball of my life (from Masyon Winn!) – felt like a sign I’m onto something here)