From Dr*gs & Prison To Self Actualizing Entrepreneur: My Story

About this video

Martell returns to Portage, the therapeutic community near Sussex, New Brunswick, which he says saved his life at 17 and where he spent 11 months after six months in jail. He recounts being diagnosed with ADHD at nine, foster care and a group home, introduction to drugs, jail at 15, and a high-speed chase in Sussex in a stolen car while high and drunk, during which a handgun in his backpack got stuck as police grabbed him. At Portage residents ran the programme with a chief system; he met staff member Luke there. Near the end he found a 1990s 486 computer and a Java programming book, got it to say ‘hello world’, and began believing computers could be his path. He says he later built and sold companies and became a multimillionaire at 27, claims he has read over a thousand books and reads 10 pages daily, cites ‘Love is a Killer App’ by Tim Sanders and ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill, and tells residents that if they finish, stay sober for one year, and reach out, he will help them pursue any dream with all his resources.

Key takeaways

• Martell credits 11 months at Portage after jail at 17 with saving his life
• A found Java book and a ‘hello world’ result sparked his belief in computers
• He says his father funded books if he finished each one, fuelling years of reading
• His message: success leaves clues, learnable by reading others’ books
• He offers residents help after one year sober if they reach out to him

Episode details: published January 17, 2022 · 33:48 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dan Martell’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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