What is Under the Crooked Tree?
This isn’t a brand. It’s not a personal growth platform. And it’s sure as hell not a hero’s journey.
Under the Crooked Tree is a place for those who’ve been to the edge, looked into the void, and came back asking better questions.
I spent 20 years in the Marine Corps, most of it in Special Operations and Human Intelligence. Traveled to over 20 countries. Walked out of places I shouldn’t have. Retired with more scars than answers.
On the day I left the military, I opened my first philosophy book. That was three years ago. Dozens of books later and plenty of hard earned clarity, I started writing to survive the silence. I kept writing because it helped me think.
Now I write for the same reason I trained for: to face what most avoid.
What You’ll Find Here
I write about:
Resilience, not as a mindset, but as the reason I’m still breathing.
Philosophy, stripped of its pedestal and dragged through the dirt.
Pain, the kind that doesn’t get talked about until it’s too late.
Memory, and the weight of carrying things no one sees.
Survival, without the uniform, without applause, without a script.
This isn’t therapy. It’s not a redemption arc.
It’s me putting the pieces down, one word at a time, in case it helps someone else stay standing.
There are no motivational speeches here. No “tools for success.” Just honest thought, forged in pressure, written plainly.
Why Subscribe
Most of the internet is noise. This isn’t.
You’ll find essays that question everything: meaning, memory, identity, resilience. Not to hand you the truth, but to help you see your own more clearly.
Free subscribers get regular essays.
Paid subscribers keep the fire burning.
If what I write has helped you face something real, consider upgrading. If not, keep reading. That’s support too.
No pressure. Just an open seat under the crooked tree.
