Connect Who or what is your inspiration in business?

My inspiration isn't a person or a single thing. It's the people who get up every day and do what needs to be done. The ones who don't quit because they know others are counting on them. I've been that person. I've also been the one someone else refused to quit for. That's the standard I build to.

How do you stay motivated?

My mentor told me 20 years ago: we keep what we have by giving it away. When cancer came for me, that truth kept coming back. Matthew 6:19, don't store up treasures on earth. I realized my mission wasn't finished. God didn't bring me through that to be comfortable. He brought me through it to build.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Advance the mission. "AI doesn't eat people" isn't a catchphrase, it's a call to action. We're building the AI Safety Standard to ensure responsible deployment for humanity. The $25K accelerates that work: the guardrails, the certifications, the infrastructure that protects people from malicious and rogue AI before it's too late.