We recently had the chance to connect with Adam Torkildson and have shared our conversation below.
Adam, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Always up by 4am and straight to the loo. Then drink 32 oz of water to wake up fully and hydrate. Drink several different peptides, electrolytes, proteins, caffeines and swallow down some pills. Spend 20 minutes studying the words of the modern prophets and apostles as well as the Book of Mormon, then head to the gym for an hour. Take my dog for a walk, then jump in my infrared sauna and get out just in time for everyone else to wake up.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi there, I’m Adam Torkildson (Tork to friends). I wear a few hats: entrepreneur, consultant, investor, content-creator, and founder of Tork Media.
At Tork Media, we run a network of online publications and media assets that produce content-at-scale for a wide variety of niches and audiences. Over time, the platform has grown to include over 200 active websites and social channels, generating significant traffic and impressions, and serving as a flexible base for different ventures and experiments.
Alongside media, I also work hands-on as a consultant and operator: helping small and medium businesses optimize operations, reduce costs, increase revenue, and free up leadership to focus on what matters. I’ve consulted with clients across industries to pinpoint inefficiencies, streamline processes, and actually deliver measurable results. If a company needs more clients, sales, traffic, or overall growth I’m comfortable telling them “Call me. I’ll take it from here.”
What makes my story a little different is that I don’t just build one thing — I build ecosystems. Between investing in startups, growing digital media, and operating businesses directly — I get to play in many spaces. That variety keeps me resilient, curious, and always learning.
Outside of business I’m also committed to community and mentorship. As someone rooted in American Fork, Utah, I’ve tried to give back locally; serving in local organizations, advising early-stage founders, and helping others navigate growth and complexity.
Right now I’m focused on scaling what works: doubling down on media and operations that deliver real impact, while exploring new investment and growth opportunities.
If I had to sum it up: I build practical, real-world solutions whether content platforms, business services, or startup investments with an emphasis on execution, flexibility, and long-term value.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
When I was a kid, I honestly thought there were two types of people in the world. There were the natural superheroes who were born knowing how to succeed, and then there were people like me who were just hoping to make it through a spelling test without sweating through their shirt.
I truly believed success was something gifted to a lucky few at birth. I figured I would always be somewhere in the background, helping the real geniuses shine while I quietly tried not to break anything important.
Life eventually corrected me. After enough experiences in business, investing, consulting, and even personal recovery, I realized that nobody wakes up with a cape on. Most of the so called superheroes are just regular people who kept trying slightly longer than everyone else. Some of them even sweat through spelling tests.
Today I no longer believe success is predetermined. It is more like a long experiment that rewards consistency, curiosity, and the occasional faceplant followed by getting back up with at least a semi positive attitude.
If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be simple. You are not stuck in the background. You just need time to warm up.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The biggest wound of my life was my addiction. It shaped me more than anything else, and for a long time it owned parts of my life that I thought were untouchable. It was not a quick fall either. It was a slow slide that started with stress and pressure, followed by bad coping habits, followed by the belief that I could handle everything on my own. By the time I realized how deep I was in, the addiction had already become the filter through which I processed almost everything.
It took a toll on my confidence, my relationships, my finances, my focus, and my sense of who I was. The real wound was not only the addiction itself. It was the shame and isolation that came with it. I spent years pretending everything was fine while knowing deep down that I was losing ground. That double life was exhausting, and it pushed me into some of the lowest moments I have ever experienced.
The healing started when I stopped pretending. Recovery forced me to strip away the version of myself that looked successful on the surface and rebuild something stronger underneath. I had to face the patterns that kept me stuck, accept help from people who had walked the same road, and stay humble enough to keep learning. It was not a dramatic overnight turnaround. It was a daily choice to get honest, stay accountable, and do the work even when the work felt brutal.
Therapy helped. Community helped. Faith helped. Structure helped. The podcast conversations I have had with other entrepreneurs also helped, because nothing cuts through shame faster than hearing someone else tell the truth about their own hard seasons.
Addiction left a scar, but it also gave me a new foundation. It taught me resilience, compassion, discipline, and the power of second chances. It made me a better father, a better partner, and a better leader. It also allowed me to help others who are still in the thick of it, which is something I value more than any business win.
If I had to summarize the lesson, it is this. Your biggest wound can become your greatest strength, but only after you get honest enough to stop hiding from it and strong enough to walk the long road back.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would probably say that what matters most to me is progress, connection, and purpose. Not the flashy kind of progress. The steady, everyday kind where you try to become a little better than yesterday. They know I care a lot about growth, both in business and in my personal life, because I have lived through what happens when you stop growing.
They would also say that relationships matter to me more than anything else. I value the people who have walked with me through the good seasons and the hard ones. My friends know I show up when it counts, and they know I try to be someone who listens, supports, and encourages. Those connections mean a lot to me.
They would add that my recovery matters deeply. It is the foundation that keeps everything else healthy. I take it seriously because it rebuilt my life, and my friends see that in how I live and how I treat others.
Finally, they would probably say that I care about creating things that help people. Whether it is consulting, investing, my podcast, or the systems I build inside my businesses, I get energy from putting something useful into the world.
In short, they know I care about becoming a good man, being there for the people I love, staying grounded in recovery, and spending my time on work that actually creates value for others.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired tomorrow, my customers would probably miss the fact that I simplify the complicated. Most of the people I work with are overloaded, juggling fires, or buried under problems that feel bigger than they really are. I have a way of walking in, cutting through the noise, and showing them three clear steps that actually move the needle. That clarity is something they rely on.
They would also miss the speed. I do not sit on ideas. I execute fast, and I help my clients move fast too. When someone works with me, they get momentum, not a stack of notes that never becomes action.
Another thing they would miss is my ability to connect the right people. Because I work across consulting, investing, healthcare, media, and operations, I see opportunities my clients cannot always see. I know who to call, who to introduce, and which partnerships actually produce results. Clients lean on that network more than they realize.
They would also miss the honesty. I am not afraid to tell a business owner the truth, even if it stings a little. People appreciate that because it helps them make real improvements instead of chasing vanity solutions.
And finally, I think they would miss the calm confidence I bring. Many of my clients come to me during stressful moments. I help them feel like the situation is manageable, the plan is clear, and progress is achievable.
In short, they would miss the combination of clarity, speed, connection, honesty, and steady leadership that they have come to count on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://torkmedia.com
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/torkildson
Image Credits
Credit: Adam Torkildson
