Acknowledgements

I owe so much to my family. To my mom and dad, my brother, my sister, my brother-in-law, sister-in- law, nephews, and nieces—you’ve all been a steady, faithful presence, and I am deeply lucky to have you in my life. My extended family has given me more than I could ever repay.

To my friends, old and new: I used to lament the comings and goings of friendships, but I see now that our journeys each have their own paths. Sometimes they separate, sometimes they circle back in unexpected ways, but the time we’ve shared has changed me. Thank you for leaning into me while I leaned into you.

To my children, Miles, Willow, and Ren: there are no words to capture how I feel about each of you. You are your parents’ greatest gift and we wake up each day as though it was Christmas morning having you in our lives. You are each special and different, and I love all three of you with all my heart.

To my oldest adult friend and former wife, Paige: I am grateful to know you and for our years together.

I also want to acknowledge my teachers, colleagues, and students—every one of you has left an imprint. Jim Henderson, you’ve been a model of steadiness, maturity, and kindness. Van Pham, you too have been a source of wisdom and friendship. To Christopher Cornwell, you have been a patient mentor, teacher, coauthor and friend and I am grateful for all of it and you. The list is too long to name everyone, but I want to give special thanks to you both. To Alvin Roth, I have enjoyed paying you back by paying it forward.

Thank you to Kyle Butts whose assistance and support for several years has been immeasurably valuable. Thank you Pedro Sant’Anna, Andrew Goodman-Bacon and Andrew Baker for the friendship. I learned a lot from knowing and talking with you these last several years.

To my employer, Baylor University: thank you for the space and support to grow and become more fully myself. I thought I knew who I was, but you and your people helped me discover even more. I am grateful to work at a place that values curiosity and growth.

And to Texas, my home, especially Waco. I love this state and hope that one day my ashes will be scattered on the Medina River. There’s beauty everywhere, and I am deeply appreciative of it all.

Thank you to everyone who has attended my workshops, subscribed to substack, written me and encouraged me. I appreciate it more than I can say.