Devin M. Davis, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and Business and Financial Coach, is the first to say that a person’s past does not define your future. Today, he has a huge online presence with thousands of followers on Facebook and Instagram, where he posts actionable, inspirational suggestions for how he wants everyone to win in life, and his life is one of success and service to others. “However, it seems like only yesterday that I was struggling with PTSD and with finding my purpose after leaving the Marine Corps after twenty years,” he recalls. “Sometimes, though, the worst moments of your life can actually lead you to rise up, become a better version of yourself, and give a hand to those around you.”

As Devin coaches people of all economic backgrounds and life stages to understand where they are and to take steps to go where they want to be, he frequently draws upon his life story to empathize with his clients.

“I was a huge dreamer as a teen,” Devin remembers. “I was living in a small town and could see that the world was a huge place full of adventure and possibilities. I wanted to explore it and be part of something much bigger than myself. I found it in the Marine Corps. For the next twenty years, I did many deployments, lived in many different countries, and always trained to be the best Marine Infantryman leader I could possibly be.”

He believes that in many ways he was fortunate because he had a passion and was able to follow it. At that time, being a Marine was the only thing he wanted to do. Many people that he coaches sense that they have a bigger purpose but are unable to pinpoint what it is or pursue it without Devin’s help. 

“That’s one of the most rewarding things I do: guide individuals to understand their big ‘why,’” says Devin. “I love to see that light turn on in their hearts and minds.”

Sometimes the problem is that his clients have devoted themselves to their passions for so many years that when they stop, for whatever reason, they feel lost and unsure of what to do next.

“I can completely relate to that,” Devin states. “That’s exactly what happened when I left the Marines. Becoming a civilian after so many years of being in the Marine infantry was hard for me to do, so I understand my clients who have had hardship and adversity in some way.”

Once he became a civilian, Devin’s life suddenly went from 100mph to a complete standstill, compounding the PTSD, depression, and anxiety he had developed over the years in the military.

“There were times I didn’t want to leave the house, work out at the gym, or see anyone,” he says. “Depression is a real thing – it’s a deep feeling that is just incredibly hard to deal with. As bad as it was, though, I knew other Marines were hurting more. I felt I had a duty to help them, so I began reaching out to them.”

The wonderful thing was that the more he helped others, the less he thought about his own mental health issues. Knowing how difficult it could be to talk about problems, Devin came alongside other Marines and began helping them indirectly. It started with asking some if they needed help scheduling an medical appointment for mental help issues and just a ride to a medical appointment. Other times, he asked if they wanted to go to the gym or go on a run or if they needed help filling out paperwork for benefits. 

“They opened up to me, and we had conversations that led to me helping them on a deeper level, including with their relationships and financial issues,” he says. “My own struggles began to lighten because I felt I had a real purpose again: to help anyone and everyone to rebuild their lives.”

One of the biggest reasons Devin has amassed such a large following on Instagram is that he isn’t shy about revealing his own financial problems. “At one point, I was in huge debt with bills and loans and lived in a very rundown, tiny apartment. Worry and fear followed me everywhere I went,” he remembers. “I remember saying, ‘Something is wrong! Where have my dreams gone?’ What had happened to that young, excited 17-year-old who was ready to experience life? I wanted to win and fight to be who I really was meant to be. I heard somewhere that the definition of Hell is the last day you have on earth and the person you became will meet the person you could have become. I want to meet the person I was intended to be. That was very powerful and stuck with me for years.”

Clarity and obsession, Devin thinks, are the two keys to winning. He decided that he would help veterans and other people by building a career in coaching. Obsessed about paying off his debt and being financially independent, he read every book on negotiation, sales, money, human nature, and personal development that he could. For over two years, he was obsessed with improving himself. 

“‘You need to get clear!’ is what I tell my clients – in order to do something big, you have to fill your mind with new ideas,” he says. “I educated myself on how to become financially secure while still helping people at the same time. Everything I learned, I passed on to my clients, including the wisdom I gained from a mentor who helped me during the 2008 recession.”

All the information in the world, however, will be useless if you don’t have a sense of urgency. “What really changed things for me was the sense that I was running out of time,” Devin states. “I really began fighting for my dream, and within six months, after more failures than you might believe, I started to make small wins that turned into big wins. In June 2020, I had zero debt and had the downpayment on my first home.”

Drawing upon those experiences, Devin often mentions on Instagram and to his clients about the need to hustle and to play offense so they can progress to where they want to be in life.

“You must fight for yourself, for your family, and for your dreams,” he advises. “You must always be striving to be the best next version of yourself. It is not impossible to go from struggling to winning – and with clarity and obsession, your hopes and dreams can come true but only if you’re willing to fight.”

Devin M. Davis is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and self-made entrepreneur who has built several successful businesses, including a business coaching company and a financial services business. As the author of Business Credit Secrets and the builder of Boost Score Now, he has taught and studied finance, credit, business, money, motivation and leadership for many years. Devin is using what he knows about attaining success to help more people understand that there really are no elevators to success – only the stairs that they choose to walk up, one step at a time.