AUTO-BIO
nelson 'nphoenix' oliver was born in Atlanta, Georgia at Piedmont Hospital on 22 August 1984 at 0618 hours, a Solar Leo on the Virgo cusp. As the eldest son of a loving entrepreneurial family of six, whose father is a strategic creative and mother a loving nurturer and real estate professional, he is blessed with a sister and two younger brothers who have been challenging inspirations of Love.
nphoenix is a voracious learner, loving to read and talk from a tender age, and is especially drawn to the art of life, both creatively expressing and appreciating its finer beauty. He spent as a youth many late nights reading and sketching or coloring in the numerous paper pads his encouraging parents had provided.
As a budding artist nphoenix enjoyed perspective and color in his artwork, and he was fascinated by being outdoors, imagining, dreaming and knowledge, and all living things, especially dinosaurs, birds and snakes! From first reading about a Renaissance Man, nphoenix knew that is what he wanted to be. |
SAD, BUT FUNNY, AND TRUE:An entry in nphoenix’s fifth grade journal (1994) reads:
“My life would be a life of exercise & relaxation. I would be very active. I would run my company every day. I would be active with running, biking, etc.. I would love my life. Best of all..… NO SCHOOL!!!!” |
Although nphoenix despised attending school for the arbitrary tests, and feelings of self-consciousness and social unease from childish criticisms related to his "copper-top", his supportive family and love of learning was such to impel study and reading on all manner of fascinating subjects. As early as ten years old he was intrigued with economic philosophy, the theories behind money and defining value, and learned from his father as well as from teachers and extra-curricular clubs in middle- and high- school about the global monetary system and market valuation procedures.
While walking real estate properties and structures with his parents, who were involved in the renovation and restoration of residential property, he would be awestruck by their ability to see a completed vision of a beautiful space despite the horrid nature of its current state. He was curious as to how they always knew what to do or would figure out what it would take to restore a kitchen, a disintegrated brick wall or foundation, or a wrought iron claw tub bathroom to a splendid, inviting space to live, and what the materials and labor would cost! How did they know?!?
nphoenix was called to self-study on accounting and business topics, and was highly self-motivated to investigate all areas that seemed best suited to provide practical life knowledge, especially the business and finance world. His art and writing remained a surging passion and consistent outlet for creative expression, although took a relative back seat to learning the language of business finance and accounting.
While walking real estate properties and structures with his parents, who were involved in the renovation and restoration of residential property, he would be awestruck by their ability to see a completed vision of a beautiful space despite the horrid nature of its current state. He was curious as to how they always knew what to do or would figure out what it would take to restore a kitchen, a disintegrated brick wall or foundation, or a wrought iron claw tub bathroom to a splendid, inviting space to live, and what the materials and labor would cost! How did they know?!?
nphoenix was called to self-study on accounting and business topics, and was highly self-motivated to investigate all areas that seemed best suited to provide practical life knowledge, especially the business and finance world. His art and writing remained a surging passion and consistent outlet for creative expression, although took a relative back seat to learning the language of business finance and accounting.
In addition to art and reading, music and physical activity were supremely important to nphoenix’s physiological, psychological and spiritual development. He has had a deep love of action sports throughout his life, especially ones including boards, did gymnastics and aerobics and also swam competitively from 4 years old through university, was a high-school six times letter-man and record-holder, and played many other team and individual sports. Dancing was always encouraged within the family, and nphoenix and his brothers would bring martial arts home to the "playroom" from the dojo, and quickly get wrangled outside by the parents to play in the network of backyard fort and tree houses.
Skateboarding was a constant delight throughout his life despite the occasional, and sometimes serious, injury; no physical damage could negate the psychological benefits of getting up after a fall.
After an early introduction to real estate, involvement with property development continued throughout his life as the family purchased properties to renovate and resell or restore and rent. The work in construction built on a passion for creativity that nphoenix had felt called to express from a young age. During this time a deep love for architecture and engineering blossomed within him, and as a teenager in Richmond, Virginia, he became more involved with the construction and renovation company, in addition to extracurricular economic clubs and episcopal church youth group activities. As the scope of operations and number of projects of the housing company increased, he assisted with financial support and project management activities to increase his experience in small business management. |
At eighteen, in 2003, after his freshman year at the University of Georgia had provided initial exposure to business management and accounting more formally, he spent the summer keeping the company books and assisting with project and property management. After his sophomore year at university, he returned to again focus on the real estate business, although this time he stayed in Richmond through spring to grow the organization and investigate ownership opportunities, which resulted in the purchase of residential property in fall 2004, and another in early 2005.
In the spring of 2005, nphoenix traveled to study at Oxford University, and in the fall transferred to Virginia Tech to stay more in touch with family and the real estate projects they were cultivating. A property in Blacksburg, VA was acquired the summer of 2006 as nphoenix was getting more focused on an accounting and financial advisory educational program, which he completed with a bachelors and masters degree in accounting and information systems from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2007 and 2008, respectively. |
After graduation from university, nphoenix was employed as a enterprise risk services consultant for Deloitte & Touch in New York City, where he worked with diverse teams to serve multinational financial firms in strategic business and financial initiatives as well as regulatory matters, including audit, tax and compliance. During his time with Deloitte, nphoenix received a Certificate of Public Accountancy from the State of New York, despite the work and Spiritual vacuum threatening self-destruction. After resigning from a senior consultant position with Deloitte in September 2011, he has traveled around the United States, spending time in New York, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, California, and Oregon, among others, supporting individuals and developing businesses, artists, athletes & innovators, in financial and organizational engagements as an Originating Program Director and Trustee Resonator of FEPIC, a §501(c)(3) nonprofit educational public charity dedicated to supporting a f*cking epic existence for all beings.
A fully epic life for ourselves and our children! |
In the fall of 2013 nphoenix embarked on a cross-country fresh food tour to learn from experience about the burgeoning national movement of local farm-to-table food production and preparation from the communities leading the way themselves. Eating at locally-sourced, natural, fresh restaurants and visiting local farmers markets, co-ops, and grocery stores along the roughly 10,000-mile road trip, he traveled mid-September 2013 to early February 2014 and included stops in the fifteen states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, District of Columbia, California, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisana, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia and Virginia.
A Northeast tour coming soon...
A Northeast tour coming soon...
nphoenix is currently offering programs centered around the localities of Denver, Colorado, Blacksburg, Virginia and Athens, Georgia, where he has dedicated much time, especially in the last year, to developing local holistic community use artistic expression and educational space intended to provide the opportunity to connect and expand knowledge of Self and other-Self.
He is leading NPHOENIX in actively partnering with national sponsors as well as multiple regional individual, businesses, and nonprofit organizations learning to integrate wisdom from the science of yoga into financial and risk management business processes.
His days are spent in education, reading, meditation, action, advisory, and creation.
A skateboard is his primary mode of transportation.