Based on the Dan Weddle top selling: Earned Wisdom

Losing a child is a parent’s absolute worst nightmare. But for ProTech CEO Dan Weddle, the tragic death of his 21-year-old son, Peyton, in a sudden car accident was compounded by an unimaginable betrayal.

In his powerful new book, Earned Wisdom, Weddle opens up about the dark days following his son's passing, a shocking financial crime that exploited his family's grief, and how he chose to build a legacy of love in Memphis anyway.

The Heart of Peyton

To understand the betrayal, you have to understand the heart of Peyton Weddle. He was an "old soul" who loved golf, the Memphis Grizzlies, and giving back to his community. He regularly volunteered at Streets Ministries to help local youth.

Weddle recalls a night when Peyton was leaving a Grizzlies game and saw a homeless man who needed a coat. Peyton drove an hour round-trip to his house in Cordova just to bring his own heavy winter coat back downtown to give to the man.

An Unimaginable Betrayal

After Peyton’s tragic accident in 2016, a group of his friends suggested starting a foundation in his honor. Weddle and his wife, Mikki, agreed, setting up the PMW Foundation to help families dealing with sudden loss. One of Peyton’s friends—referred to in the book as "Benjamin"—stepped up to help take the lead.

Then, on Mikki’s birthday, Weddle received a shocking phone call from a commercial real estate broker in Seattle.

"This guy, Benjamin, is trying to rent a 12,000-square-foot penthouse in the foundation's name," the broker told him.

The Weddles soon discovered that the young man they trusted had exploited their grief to commit massive fraud. Benjamin used Photoshop to doctor the foundation's bank statements, making it look like they had $450,000. He even bought a $155,000 Mercedes with personalized foundation plates. Ultimately, the Seattle Police Department uncovered around $650,000 worth of fraud.

Choosing Resilience

Benjamin was sentenced to nearly six years in a Washington penitentiary. While justice was served, the emotional toll was devastating. Weddle and his wife let the foundation rest for a season so they could regroup and heal.

"You can't control it," Weddle writes regarding the betrayal. "All you have the power to control is what you do in response... Will you let it derail your life entirely? Or will you, in time, hike up your bootstraps and keep going"?

The PEYitforward Movement

In 2023, the Weddles relaunched the charity the right way, rebranding it as the PEYitforward Foundation.

They shifted their mission to perfectly reflect the way Peyton lived his life: "dedicate itself to spreading love to all, giving back to local communities, and encouraging others to choose kindness over hate every single day".

Today, the foundation hosts the annual PMW Classic golf tournament at the Memphis National Golf Club. The funds raised have established a fully endowed scholarship at the University of Memphis Fogelman College of Business and Economics. As long as the university stands, there will be a scholarship in Peyton's name awarded to a student who exhibits his incredible community spirit.

"We've done our best to make lemonade out of lemons," Weddle shares.

Through PEYitforward, the Weddle family has ensured that Peyton's legacy isn't defined by tragedy or betrayal, but by an unstoppable wave of Memphis generosity.

Read the full, incredible story in Dan Weddle’s Earned Wisdom.
Available now on Amazon.