Hi EA community,

I'd like to formally introduce myself to this forum, where I've been lurking for a while but have been too timid to post until now, thanks to the encouragement of some.

I first heard about EA through the Tim Ferriss Podcast in 2016. I still remember standing on the ferryboat crossing the Bosphorous while listening to Will MacAskill say things that were incredibly obvious, at least after they were heard.

In the couple years that followed, I organized a local EA workshop, attended EAGx Berlin, and flew to San Francisco to attend EAG. I got involved with Students for High-Impact Charity, helping out on the periphery. I enjoyed lively conversation with EA Vancouver. And increased the usage of the phrase 'expected value' in daily conversation. That's about it.

That was my EA Life Phase I. 

Half a decade later, I sat down with my wife and child during a Pentathlon in which every day you ask yourself the question: "What is the Most Important Work I can do today?" All of a sudden, it all came back to me. The most important things I can possibly do have quite clearly been described in EA. So I resolved in early 2022 to buckle up and take EA seriously. 

I honestly wasn't sure what my best option was, so I went with the most inspiring recent topic on the 80k podcast: Andrew Yang's Forward Party. I basically reached out and got named State Lead.I feel my experience with Forward may be a whole 'nuther post so I'll leave it at that.

I also engaged in a lot of other ways, in large part thanks to EA Virtual Programs, which I really appreciate. But there's one person who had a huge role in my transition from an EA sleeper cell to a stupidly engaged one. That's Dr. Ben Smith.

I swallowed my Ninja Lurker EA Forum personality (Never posts, always votes strongly) in order to write this post, for a specific reason, which I'll share now. Last fall, I launched a coaching practice with the intention of supporting the EA community. I asked some friends and acquaintances to take a chance and try my coaching out, and thank them very much. I now know my coaching helps people. So If I help EAs, I'm helping better, in theory, right? I want to test this theory! I'm going to EAG next month and even have a special cohort designed for attendees.  If you're going to EAG, do consider applying, we'd love to have you. So that's my shameless plug.

For any of  you still reading, I'd like to say thanky (I'm from Texas, that's kind of how my dad used to say 'thank you'). I hope to write here more and learn in this incredible community.

Elliot