I grew up broke in America. Shy. Overweight (129kg). Working jobs I hated.
Until I decided to do something about it. I lost 100 lbs. Built an online business. Made money for myself and millions for clients selling my knowledge on the internet. Traveled to 27 countries looking for…something.
Then I landed in Tbilisi.
Something was different here.
In most places I'd been, people wanted something from me. A connection. A favor. A transaction.
In Georgia, people wanted to know me. Not what I did. Who I was.
The culture is built on trust, family, and words spoken over wine at a table that never empties.
My first supra changed everything.
I watched the Tamada lead toasts that made grown men cry and laugh in the same breath. I saw strangers become brothers over a single night.
I thought: this is what connection actually looks like.
Not networking events where everyone's scanning the room for someone more important. Not conferences where you fake energy and collect business cards you'll never use.
Real connection. The kind where you remember someone's name 5 years later because they said something that hit you in the chest.
So I studied it.
I learned the toasts. I learned the rhythm. I learned that being a Tamada isn't about being loud or charismatic. It's about holding space for people to be real.
I learned that you don't need to be an extrovert to lead a room. You need to speak from somewhere true.
Now I host my own supras.
I help expats and entrepreneurs experience the Georgia that Georgians know -not the tourist version with wine tours and photos at churches.
I teach introverts that they don't need to fake it. They just need to show up and speak from the heart.
I'm not Georgian by birth. I'll never claim to be. It's in my spirit. I'm proud to be an American who lives in Georgia.
And now I hold the door open for others who want something deeper than surface level non-sense. To people who are interested in building a life, not just being a tourist for their whole life.
