About Patrick

Growing up in a regimented home run by a police officer and a doctor, I gained an early appreciation for discipline, education, and hard work. Since both careers required them to be out of the house at all hours of the day, I also learned to be very independent at an early age as a type of latchkey kid. It wasn’t uncommon for my brother, sister, and me to prepare ourselves for school, ride our bikes to and from, and then amuse ourselves in the afternoon until adult supervision arrived. We made our own meals and had to be self- starters at school work. This was before the age of ten.

My life has been a succession of lessons from the Lord. He has raised me thus far in ways both tangible and intangible. From humble beginnings in Army Basic Training at Fr Knox, KY to flying high over the rampart range of the Colorado Rockies as a cadet at the US Air Force Academy, I learned the value of hard work in the process of my faith. If we seek, we will find Him… and we are to seek Him. We are called to work in the vineyards of the Lord… the Kingdom He has planted here in the world. The field is ours to cultivate. The harvest is His.

I am a cradle-Catholic. At one point I even considered the priesthood until it didn’t seem so much a calling as an option. I experienced a crisis of faith in my early 30’s that was overcome through studying the writings of the early Church fathers. I am on fire for my faith and seek out those whose faith is flagging. I understand it.

While still a cadet at the Academy, I was invited by my father’s boss to follow my Air Force service with a career in financial planning. What’s interesting is that our Lord gave me training for this field through my Air Force experience. As a financial planner, I sell something intangible—future financial well-being and caring for loved ones. In the Air Force, I served at one time as the Chief of Advertising and Promotions for the Southeast region in USAF recruiting. There, I helped to promote intangibles also—national security and personal education/training/experience. My other USAF job was as a mortuary officer… a very strong lead into helping people with life and death issues now.

I am an entrepreneur in both planning and speaking. I am blessed to have built these businesses with family and friends. Yanke Financial is the result of industry mergers… I’m no longer subject to corporate decisions. Yanke Academy is the realization of a dream allowing me to share the perspectives that have shaped my life.

have always been rules-oriented… I like to see things work the way they are intended. My professional life has spanned both public and private sectors; military and civilian cultures; spiritual and temporal matters. In all of them, one key focus is important: “remember who you serve.” I believe that most problems in this world would disappear if we would just keep our purpose foremost in our minds… our purpose is to serve. The challenge is to recognize who is served in every decision we make.

I have always been a natural speaker and teacher. These skills served me well through my USAF time to now. I seek to inspire action… and help people understand the motivations for their actions. Generally, we respond to our world primarily through love or fear. Love drives us forward while fear holds us back. When we act out of love, we are giving of ourselves to others. When we respond in fear, we are more concerned with ourselves and our rewards or punishment. Love is outward-focused. Fear is selfish. It’s a struggle between action and inaction. Love is an action word. Fear is passive. Love is our faith in action.

As a husband and father of four beautiful children, I appreciate the gift of each in understanding the perspective of God. As a husband, I try to model Christ’s devotion and sacrifice for His Bride, the Church. As a father, I see the perspective of our Heavenly Father who loves us despite our failures. He has given me children of my own in whom I can be pleased.

am active as a lecturer in the Knights of Columbus, member of the Kiwanis Club of Raleigh, the Triangle Business Golf Association, the Executives Club of Raleigh, and veterans organizations. I am a past state president of the Air Force Association, current president of the Air Force Academy Society of NC, and I sit on the Industry Advisory Panel for the American Public University System.

I am the author of “Defeating the Culture of Death: The Pro-Life Vote”, the award-winning “The Personal Rosary”, and a co-author on the international best-seller "Cracking the Rich Code, Vol 10."