At 6 years old, I decided I would become a professional basketball player. At 21, it happened. I achieved my childhood dream, signed a six-figure, five-year contract with KK Cedevita Olimpija, one of Europe's top clubs.

I was on top of the world. But soon, everything shifted.

After 15 years of pushing past every limit, my body broke down. I couldn't play anymore. In the next 6 months, I had two knee surgeries. Constant pain. Even after the surgeries, I tried to practice, come back to the courts, but I couldn't. My whole body was in pain. No diagnosis. Nobody could explain what was happening. The career ended before it truly started.

Three of Slovenia's best doctors came together, trying to help me, gathering their opinions before they gave up on me. They had no answers. As I was on my way home, one of them mentioned he knew someone working with alternative medicine.

I was desperate for answers, so I said yes. I would have said yes to anything at that point.

After months of digging through different people, I came across shamans, healers, and eventually psychedelics. What I found through months of exploration didn't fix my body. It shattered how I saw myself and rebuilt me from the ground up. Straight up saved my life.

Some call it awakening. For me, it was a two-year process of accepting the new self that emerged through an intense ayahuasca ceremony. Intense therapy, integration, deep self-exploration. This was not sexy and it was by far the hardest part of my journey. If you're on my website, I trust you're smart enough that I don't need disclaimers.

Meanwhile, a friend randomly introduced me to financial markets. I channeled what remained into it. I was desperate for some sort of direction. The discipline, the drive, the hunger to build something from nothing. After 2.5 years, I launched Trading Stoic, an educational platform that grew to 160,000+ followers and 500+ paying members.

On paper, it worked. Underneath, the same pattern repeated.

Success, then burnout. Achievement, then emptiness. Again.

I was lost, so I spent two years traveling and working around the world. I was everywhere. Searching for why the cycle kept repeating. The answer wasn't in working harder. It was in asking better questions. Being brutally honest with myself. Shedding layers. Looking deeper within. Dropping the ambitions and illusions I mistook for purpose.

That shift changed how I build.

In January 2025, I started Website Gorillas with a spreadsheet and a phone. No portfolio. No agency. No connections. Five cold calls. Three said yes. Ninety days later: €10,000+ in monthly recurring revenue.

Today, Website Gorillas helps founders and B2B companies build websites aligned with their vision and ready to scale.

I also consult with high-level founders and achievers on building from alignment and integrity. Not force.

Along the way, I came across ancient teachings, esoteric principles, and timeless dynamics. I now use these in metaphysical consulting — helping founders unlock the hidden blocks behind their fulfillment and scaling potential.

To apply for 1:1 consulting: janbarbaric@hotmail.com