FROM "THE BRIDGE." Grit vs. Grace: How the Red Sea Taught Me to Build My Own Foundation


Chapter 3: The Call of the Water - One Way Or Bust

Most people wouldn’t pack a bag, board a plane with no job, and decide to commit to a year in Egypt at a dive center on a remote stretch of coastline. But most people haven't spent their lives navigating "the edge." When you don't quit, when you know it's hard to fit oneself in to 'society' you keep finding yourself back outside it, but once you stand on the precipice the world takes on a different shape. And when you realize you are out there on the edge, and you live it and know it and thrive in it, you don't know why more people aren't out there with you.


Before I ever wrote a blueprint for adventure parenting, I was living a life that defied conventional logic. My path to becoming a PADI instructor wasn’t paved with career counseling; it was forged in the salt-crusted reality of the Red Sea.


This week, I’m sharing an excerpt from my upcoming book, THE BRIDGE, where I reflect on a time when I had to learn how to be my own architect of safety and success.


The Gamble in Egypt

Egypt was a massive gamble. I arrived with no job, so I created one. Using my technical brain, logic, and science combined with graphic design skills, I began creating precise, hand-drawn (underwater) reef maps for the dive masters and their divers on my trips. They were topographical, geographical—and artistic.


These weren’t  just sketches; they were navigational tools that helped groups explore the Daedalus Reef and the Zabargad Lighthouse as well as Big and Little Giftun, also known as the Brothers. We did so many reefs and wrecks that the collection of sketches became used widely along the coast from Hurghada down to Marsa Allam.


That was where I learned my first lesson in independence: If the structure you need doesn’t exist, build it yourself. I literally and figuratively forced my way into the life on Hurghada’s coast and Red Sea Scuba School’s, Emperor Divers.


Years later, when fat-headed veteran journalists attempted to block me from interviewing NASA and CSA astronauts training on the undersea research lab (Conch Reef's UNCW Aquarius Lab, now called Medina), I defied them. I embraced the challenge, diving on the site to shoot the photos and write the story myself. My courage to capture that experience firsthand didn't just get my story published; it caught the eye of WPBT Channel 2, who recruited me to help produce documentaries.


So in Egypt, the pattern of defiant fearlessness got honed to a sharp, pointy spear. Out on the 'frontier,' whether we were meeting military gunboats from Sudan or navigating deep dives surrounded by Black Tip Reef Sharks, I wasn't just working—I was learning that the 'unknown' is simply a territory to be claimed.


LIFE IN KORFAKHAN: A MASTERCLASS IN GRIT

By 1994, I was running a PADI scuba center on a remote beach in Korfakhan, UAE. I managed everything—from the compressors and shop logistics to the boat operations and teaching facility. I lived a dual existence: a masterclass in "grit vs. grace."


Every two weeks, I would peel myself away from the raw, salt-crusted grit of the beach and make the high-pressure drive to Dubai for team meetings. In that world, I wasn't just managing staff; I was architecting a self-reliant engine that couldn't be dismantled.


Standing Your Ground When It Matters

Testing my boundaries became my daily routine. I navigated a strange social landscape, often projecting a kind of toughness that made the world keep its distance. I learned quickly that integrity is rarely popular.


Whether I was turning away a student who lacked the competence to dive safely or facing down the suspicion of local business owners, I learned that standing your ground is a muscle. You have to exercise it, day after day, until it becomes second nature.


I learned that we don't always need someone else to protect us. Often, our own steady, unyielding presence is the most effective security we have.


The Adventure Continues

This story is a small piece of the journey I’ve captured in my new book, THE BRIDGE. It explores the moments in life—the risky, the messy, and the triumphant—that force us to redefine who we are and what we are capable of.


[Link: Sign up here to get free access to the mini-book manuscript and join our community of brave, globally minded parents.]


Have you ever had to build your own "foundation" when the world didn't offer one? Let me know in the comments—I’m collecting stories of bravery for future chapters.Strategy for this post:

  • The "Hook": It starts with the "gamble," which frames you as a courageous actor rather than a passive observer.
  • The "Bridge": It connects the specific experience (Egypt/UAE) to the broader philosophy of the book (building your own structure).
  • The CTA: It’s low pressure ("Sign up to get the manuscript") rather than a hard sales pitch.

How does this feel? If you are happy with this, we can move on to drafting the next "chapter-to-blog" post, or I can help you refine the "landing page" copy where people go once they click that link.