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Last week, I had the incredible honor of presenting at the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) Annual Conference in Nashville. Several days later, I’m still struggling to put the experience into words. It wasn’t simply another speaking engagement. It was one of those rare moments in life where you pause, look around, and realize just how far you’ve come.
Eighteen months ago, I was still trying to rebuild my life after gambling addiction nearly destroyed it. I was learning how to recover, how to be honest with myself, and how to find purpose in one of the most painful chapters of my life. If someone had told me back then that I would one day be standing on stage at the largest problem gambling conference of the year, presenting my own work to an audience of clinicians, researchers, treatment providers, and advocates from across the country, I never would have believed them.
And yet, there I was – standing before a room of more than 150 people, every seat filled, sharing my journey that ultimately led to the creation of Collectors MD.
I don’t mind admitting that I became emotional during my presentation. It wasn’t because I was nervous. It was because, for the first time, I fully appreciated what that moment represented. It wasn’t just a presentation – it was the culmination of eighteen months of recovery, late nights, setbacks, hard conversations, and an unwavering belief that this issue deserved a place within the broader behavioral health conversation.
I’m incredibly grateful to NCPG for embracing Collectors MD with open arms and giving this emerging topic a platform.
Despite a few travel delays and a flight cancellation, we finally made it to Nashville. I’ll admit I started to get frustrated for a bit, but it turned into a good reminder to practice a little radical acceptance. Sometimes the only productive thing you can do is let go of what you can’t control and focus on what comes next. From the moment we arrived, everyone we met was welcoming, encouraging, and genuinely curious. It was clear that people weren’t dismissing this conversation – they wanted to understand it.
I’m equally grateful to the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado (PGCC) for believing in this work from the very beginning. Together, we’ve built something far greater than a single presentation. Through our partnership, we’ve developed Unboxed: Powered by Collectors MD, created facilitator and participant curricula that are now available for anyone to review, and begun building a framework that will help organizations better support individuals navigating these behaviors for years to come.
One of the most humbling parts of the week was the response from those who attended our session. As I stood at the podium moments before we began and looked out at a completely full room, I had to take a moment to soak it all in.
Throughout the presentation, the audience remained incredibly engaged. People were taking notes, nodding along, and asking thoughtful questions that continued long after our session officially ended. The conversations afterward were unlike anything I could have imagined. Clinicians shared stories of clients they had struggled to understand. Researchers wanted to learn more. Treatment providers asked how they could incorporate this work into their own programs. Others simply thanked us for giving language to something they’d been observing but hadn’t yet been able to explain. That kind of reception is something I’ll carry with me for a very long time.
I also left Nashville incredibly grateful for the opportunity to finally meet so many people in person. Over the past year, countless partnerships have been built through emails, virtual meetings, and phone conversations. Being able to shake hands, share meals, and spend time with so many individuals I’ve admired from afar reminded me that this field is filled with people who genuinely care about helping others. I have no doubt that many of the relationships formed in Nashville will grow into future collaborations that continue expanding the reach of this work.
And, of course, none of it would have been the same without my wife, Monika. She wasn’t there because she had to be. She was there because she wanted to be. She sat in the audience, supported me every step of the way, celebrated every conversation afterward, and reminded me to enjoy the moment when everything started happening so quickly. Having my biggest supporter by my side made an already unforgettable experience even more meaningful.
One realization continued to surface throughout the conference. For decades, the problem gambling field has understandably focused on traditional gambling environments like casinos, sportsbooks, lotteries, and slot machines. But today’s world looks very different. Many of the same behavioral mechanics that have long existed in gambling – uncertainty, variable rewards, rapid purchasing, scarcity, live interaction, and constant accessibility – now appear across dozens of modern consumer environments, including certain parts of today’s collecting ecosystem. Our presentation wasn’t about labeling collecting as gambling. It was about helping clinicians recognize when these increasingly stimulating environments become difficult for vulnerable individuals to navigate and why curiosity, education, and collaboration matter.
Throughout the conference, I found myself thinking about one idea over and over again. There are so many people struggling right now who don’t even realize that help exists. For years, many collectors experiencing compulsive spending, loss of control, or gambling-like behaviors have lacked the language to explain what they’re going through. Likewise, many clinicians simply haven’t been exposed to the culture, terminology, or behavioral mechanics of today’s collecting environments. That gap leaves far too many people falling between two worlds.
Now, we’re beginning to bridge that gap. That may be what I’m most hopeful about. This conference wasn’t the finish line. It was the beginning of something much larger.
Looking back, Collectors MD has always been about turning lived experience into something meaningful. What started as one person’s recovery journey has grown into a movement built around education, peer support, advocacy, collaboration, and hope. It’s become proof that some of life’s greatest purpose can emerge from its greatest pain.
This truly feels like my calling. My pain has become my purpose. After this past week, I’m more convinced than ever that we’re only just getting started. Recovery gave me a second chance at life. If my story encourages someone else to take that first step toward getting the help they need, then this work is doing exactly what it was meant to do.
#CollectorsMD
NCPG wasn’t just another conference – it was a reminder that awareness begins with courageous conversations. By bringing lived experience, behavioral health, and the collecting community together, we’re helping ensure that the people who need support know they aren’t alone – and that help exists.
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