Welcome to Developer Reborn

Developer Reborn is a podcast for experienced software developers who feel like being an employee is holding them back. This show is about becoming a premium consultant—not freelancing, not billing by the hour, and not doing whatever random work a company wants done. If you work in the software industry and feel like being an employee is holding you back, you're not alone. After working in this industry for 30 years I can tell you that being an employee isn't just frustrating. It's a broken system. 8 years ago, I was a highly paid consultant in Austin, Texas. But I got hit with chronic insomnia and was forced to resign. I was an addict and suffering from depression. I had tried everything to cope with the tech industry grind. I was headed towards losing my marriage and kids. I needed a different way to make money in tech. So I quit the corporate grind to go solo. Like many developers, I had already tried doing the SaaS thing over my career 3 times. Even though we had strong beta programs, my startups didn't work out. I knew how to build products. What I didn't know was how to build a business. That all changed once I began coaching developers online on their career. I shared some of the strategies I'd used as a consultant to cope with the grind. I stumbled my way through learning just enough marketing, sales, and product management to work for myself. I grew the YouTube channel Healthy Developer to over 180k subscribers, cut my work hours to 20 per week, and still made over $100k per year. Along the way, my faith in Jesus Christ began shaping how I think about work and responsibility. But in 2024 I started seeing a trend. Developers were getting hit with chronic job instability. AI began scaring people into fear-based career decisions instead of helping them create leverage. So I took everything I learned as an employee, consultant, and career coach and created a workshop to help developers go solo. And to do it safely, alongside their day job—and build respect, leverage, and freedom that employment can never deliver. That led to this show. On Developer Reborn, I'll help you become a technical guide with a signature offer. This isn't freelancing or billing by the hour for whatever random work a company wants done. You decide what to do, who to work with, and they sign your contract. You get paid by asking for a percentage of the business results, not hourly. If you're done jumping through interview hoops, hoping your employer rewards your sacrifices, and starting your reputation all over again every time you take a new job, this is the place for you. You can also watch these episodes on the accompanying YouTube channel with the same name if you prefer. Welcome to Developer Reborn.