Gratitude
Nobody builds anything of value entirely alone. This page is dedicated to the family I chose, the partners I built with, the mentors who shaped me, and the educators who gave me the tools. Every name here has earned their place.
The ones who make everything else worth it
I am estranged from my blood family. That is a reality I have made peace with. The family I have built is the one I choose every single day - and I would not trade it for anything in the world.
Dana Cunningham
My Wife · My Rock · Nearly 20 Years
I do not have the right words for Dana. I have tried to write this more than once and I keep falling short. So I will just be honest.
She has been by my side for nearly 20 years. Through every hard thing, every uncertain moment, every version of me that was still figuring itself out. She was there when I was building, there when I was losing, and there every single day of an 18-month recovery that I was not sure I was going to get through. She held everything together with a quiet strength that I will never fully be able to put into words.
Dana is a forever artist. She sees the world differently than most people - she finds beauty and meaning in places that others walk right past. That way of looking at things has shaped me more than she probably knows. She has made me a better thinker, a better observer, and a better human being.
I am three years in remission. I am building harder than ever. She is a big part of why. I am grateful for her every single day.
My Son
The Reason I Document Everything
I moved to Ohio to be closer to him. We ride motorcycles together and build things together. That time is worth more to me than anything I have built professionally.
He is already off on his own journey - early in his career, figuring out how to build something in a world that looks nothing like the one I started in. I watch him navigate it and I feel two things at the same time: pride that he is out there doing it, and a deep drive to make sure he does not have to figure it all out alone.
Everything I have learned across 35 years of building businesses - the hard lessons, the mistakes I would not repeat, the frameworks that actually work - I am on a mission to backfill all of it for him. Not to shortcut his journey. He needs to earn his own calluses. But to give him a map that I never had.
And it is bigger than just him. I know there are young men in their late teens and early twenties who are feeling lost right now. Not because they lack drive or ability, but because the world has changed faster than the guidance around them. Nobody handed them a real playbook. That is something I want to fix. For my son, and for every young man who is out there trying to figure it out.
I am critical of myself as a parent. I always will be. But that criticism comes from love, and it pushes me to show up better. He is the clearest reminder I have of what actually matters.
Partners & Mentors
Paul Bucklin
Partner & Co-Owner, Logoclothz
Paul is my partner at Logoclothz, but his title does not capture what he actually does. I have mentored Paul into his role as a business owner, and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.
Today, Paul runs our day-to-day production and manages the frontlines. He is an incredibly talented digital design virtuoso with a deep background in the graphics and print production industry. But more than his technical skills, it is his dedication that stands out. He is amazing at what he does, and I cannot show enough gratitude to this man for his partnership and hard work.
Connect with Paul on LinkedIn →Marcela Shine
Co-Founder, Ready, Plan, Grow!
Marcela is my partner and co-founder in RPG. She is an amazing operator who understands that you build a foundational business on data, not guessing. She has a true gift for operations and marketing, and she knows exactly how to build the frameworks required to execute at a high level.
I am so grateful to learn alongside her in this journey. She has taught me many things that I have applied directly into my own businesses. So much gratitude to a fantastic, smart co-founder who keeps me sharp and accountable. With Marcela, the sky is the limit.
Connect with Marcela on LinkedIn →Jason Dowdell
Mentor & SEO Expert
Jason and I have known each other for over a decade. He has mentored me, and I owe many of my current skills and processes directly to him. Jason has a knowledge of SEO and Google that few in this industry can match.
Beyond his technical expertise, Jason has always been someone I have respected, followed, and listened to. When he gives advice, I apply it. He is a true, caring individual who has been a massive influence on my learning curve. I am incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful relationship with him.
Connect with Jason on LinkedIn →Rob Lennon
Prompt Engineering Educator, Lennon Labs
Rob was one of the first educators I found when I started taking prompting seriously. His training courses at Lennon Labs gave me a real foundation in prompt engineering at a time when most of the internet was still guessing. The way he broke down how to think about prompts, not just copy them, genuinely changed how I approach AI work.
A lot of what I do today traces back to those early lessons. Thank you, Rob.
Visit Lennon Labs →Julia McCoy
Founder, FirstMovers.AI
Julia, I want to be straight with you. I have since moved on from the FirstMovers.AI community only because I had to make hard choices about where my education budget goes. It is not a reflection of the value, it is just the reality of building multiple businesses at once. I wish I could still be a member. Genuinely.
The time I spent inside FirstMovers.AI was some of the most fun and most productive learning I have done in the AI space. You built something real there. The community, the courses, the energy, all of it. And your own story, fighting through health challenges while building something meaningful, has been an inspiration to me. We share that battle in different ways, and I respect you enormously for how you show up.
Thank you to Julia and to every single First Mover in that community. You are all doing the work. God bless you, Julia. Stay healthy. The world needs more people like you in it.
Certified First Mover
Courses completed at FirstMovers.AI
- AI-Powered Research Mastery
- VEO 3 Mastery: Crafting High-Quality Videos for Effective Ads
- The Power of Custom GPTs
- How to Create a Content Strategy that Builds Your Brand (with AI)
- How to Construct Viral YouTube Scripts & Headlines with Claude
- Clone to Scale: The Total Guide to AI Cloning Yourself