“Founded by Theo Gleghorn, a strategist dedicated to unlocking your highest potential.”

 “Invictus: The Man Who Refused to Break”

(By Theo G.)

They say the storm shows you who you are.
I say it shows you what you’re made of.

In 2020, when the world was locking down, I was building up. While most people were fighting to stay afloat, I launched Invictus Management LLC — and it caught fire. Within two years, I had grown it into a six-figure consulting firm with clients like Verizon, Comcast, the Department of Health, the Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, and Studio W in California. I even worked on the campaign of a state representative and partnered with the Urban League of East St. Louis.

I was the strategist behind the curtain — the guy people called when the impossible had to be done by Tuesday. I built brands from scratch, designed systems, grew audiences, and turned chaos into profit. Digital marketing, operations, problem-solving — you name it, I made it work. During a pandemic, I cleared over $100,000, proving that even in global collapse, strategy and consistency never go out of style.

I thought I had won.
But destiny had other plans.

The Fall

Over the course of seven days, everything I’d built — everything I’d loved — disappeared.

My wife at the time had convinced me to buy a house through the company she worked for. Sounded like a dream: stability, family, ownership. What I didn’t know was that she and her boss had orchestrated a betrayal that would rip my world apart. The house wasn’t theirs to sell. The paperwork was a lie.

They took $80,000 — my savings, my business accounts, everything. When I confronted the truth, I didn’t just lose money. I lost my home, my marriage, and my sense of safety all at once.

I went from a thriving entrepreneur to a man living out of his car in less than two weeks. And when the car broke down, I slept under bridges, in abandoned houses, anywhere the cold couldn’t reach my bones.

I had no ID, no bank account, no clients left, and no will to keep fighting. Depression hit hard — the kind that doesn’t cry, just stares.

Still, even at rock bottom, something inside me refused to die.

The Woman, the Flood, and the Table

Then I met her.
Her story’s hers to tell, but she became my mirror — my reminder that there was still something worth fighting for.

We built a tent together, in a ditch of all places. You’d laugh if you saw it — we had a couch, a table, even a little radio. One night, it rained so gently we didn’t even notice. She woke me up saying, “I’m wet.”

I said, “Did you pee on yourself?”
We both laughed — until I turned on the light.

Everything was floating.
We were flooded.

All our clothes, our food, our little world — soaked and ruined. That night, we climbed onto the only dry thing left: that small wooden table. We held each other through the night, shivering and praying the water wouldn’t rise again.

By morning, I was naked in a waterlogged tent — shoes gone, pride gone. She grabbed a piece of cardboard, made a sign, and stood by the highway until she made enough to buy us clothes and shoes.

That’s when I realized — this woman was a warrior.
And if she could fight, then so could I.

The Climb Back

We spent months surviving off grit and miracles. We saw men die, were shot at, had tents slashed and burned. But through it all, we held on.

Then one day in late 2022, we said, enough.

We used what little money we had to get IDs, birth certificates, and Social Security cards. The first big purchase after that wasn’t food — it was a phone. Because a strategist knows that communication is life.

I got a job through PeopleReady, then landed a cooking job at the Foundry. She still held a sign when she had to, and together we paid for a hotel — one night at a time.

Weeks later, that first paycheck hit.
And we never looked back.

That was the rebirth of Theo G.

The Rebuild

In early 2024, I got a temp job at The Dome at America’s Center in downtown St. Louis. I was cleaning over 2 million square feet of property for $15 an hour — and I treated that floor like it was the floor of my own kingdom.

I didn’t complain. I created systems.
I restructured routes, implemented new cleaning standards, and saved the building money by initiating a recycling program for scrap metal and copper.

The Dome’s management noticed. They wrote to my employer, Clean Tech, asking them to keep me during layoffs. Then they gave me a raise — from $15 to $18 an hour — and officially made me a Union Utilities Worker.

By December, I was Supervisor.
One man, 2 million square feet, 40 workers under my leadership, and a reputation that spread across the entire facility. I worked weekends, holidays, and after concerts. I’d shovel snow at dawn and lead cleanup operations at midnight.

Within 14 months, I went from homeless to Supervisor of Grounds keeping & Dome Operations. My pay doubled, my reputation tripled, and my purpose became unshakable.

The Return of Invictus

But I didn’t stop there. I was still building in silence.

While working my way up at The Dome, I quietly revived my company.
I created SAFE Tips — Strategic Advice for Excellence, a brand built to teach mindset, leadership, business, and life mastery.

Because I knew something the world forgets:
When you’ve been through hell and come back swinging, you don’t just have experience — you have authority.

SAFE Tips became my platform to share that authority. To teach others how to shift their mindset, rebuild from nothing, and create a life that commands respect — no matter where they start.

The Legacy in Motion

Today, I’m living proof that rock bottom isn’t the end. It’s the foundation.

From consulting for corporations to sleeping in flooded tents, from holding a sign by the highway to managing operations for one of the largest venues in St. Louis — I’ve seen both sides of life.

And I can tell you this:
The only difference between losing it all and getting it all back… is discipline, strategy, and belief.

My journey is not a story of survival.
It’s a blueprint for rebirth.
And I’m just getting started.

If you ever doubt your power, remember my name — Theo G.
Because Invictus means “unconquered.”
And that’s exactly what I am.

Join the SAFE Tips Community

You have the vision. You have the drive. Now you have the strategy.
At SAFE Tips, you will find blogs, videos, tools, and transformational programs designed to help you excel in every area of life. Whether you are looking to build a thriving business, strengthen your relationships, or master your mindset, SAFE Tips provides the strategic advice you need to create lasting success.

This is more than just advice. This is a blueprint for a higher level of living.

Join us today and start building the life, the business, and the future you deserve.