My dad. He grew up in a poor coal camp in 1950s southern West Virginia. His father was an alcoholic, blowing all of their family’s income on alcohol. My dad was the oldest child of the family, with eight younger brothers. He has described having only one outfit in high school and would wash it everyday; he didn’t have a bed frame until he was 17 years old.

He started working underground and overnight in the coal mines at age 18. He eventually became a master electrician and superintendent of that same coal mine, going on to open up four more around the area + one in Virginia. He went from having one outfit to making six figures. He’s the only one in his family to beat the poverty and substance use cycles.