I've never met Matt, personally, but he has helped change my life.

I don't often tell this whole story but, if it helps encourage Matt a little, I'll be willing to be a little vulnerable.

I was a pastor for about 10 years. What most people don't realize is how stressful of an occupation this is. Lawyers feel the weight of their clients lives on their shoulders. Doctors are trying to prevent someone from dying. Pastors can't help but worry about eternity. Stresses like this affect families. My marriage was a shambles. I had to take action. I decided I needed to quit my job as a pastor and find a "real" job. My hope: maybe my marriage would have a chance to survive, if I could remove it from the stress of the ministry.

Around the same time my life and marriage was falling apart, a small marketing agency ran into Matt at SMX. They asked him, "what should we look for when trying to hire someone to do SEO for us?" His answer: someone who knows a little marketing and a little development.

Eventually I applied to that marketing company. They found that I did know a little about marketing and development. It was a perfect match. This was my first job in SEO.

While this didn't end up saving my marriage, it did start me on a career I really enjoy. I've grown, over the last few years, to eventually lead my own team of marketing-developers. Eventually I even went-out on my own and started my own little consultancy. I love what I do. I love helping others- without the weight of eternity haunting me.

I'm happy now, thanks to Matt's kind suggestion to a couple strangers at a party.

Thank you, Matt.