Matthew Brian Robertson once lived the life people assume comes with easy money: cash in his pocket, drugs close by, and long stretches of boredom he tried to fill the wrong way.
But he does not try to hide this ugly part of his story. Instead, he brings it right to the front.
“I used to think a good time involved drugs and bar hopping,” Robertson says. “But now a movie, or walking or hiking, traveling and seeing new places… that’s fun to me”
At 34, Matthew Brian Robertson’s life looks very different from the one he lived in his teens. Now, this New York native lives across New York, New Jersey, Vermont, and Rhode Island, works for the luxury travel brand Tumi, and is trying to build a public identity around positivity, health, travel, and a more grounded understanding of luxury.
However, the version of Matthew Brian Robertson people see now grew out of a difficult stretch that began early.
He grew up in a household that, from the outside, looked comfortable and well-resourced. There were nannies when he was young, and much of his time was spent with his grandmother while his mother worked long hours as a family nurse practitioner. His father worked as well, before developing dementia during Robertson’s preteen years.
Travel was a regular part of childhood. Beaches and islands were normal family destinations. At the time, Robertson says he did not fully understand the scale of the lifestyle around him.
What he did understand was access.
“I was given money just to get out of the house,” he says. “A hundred bucks here, and that would be spent on a gram of cocaine.”
Growing up in a small town left him with time and few outlets. What started as casual drug use quickly expanded. Robertson says boredom, easy cash, and the social environment around him pushed things further than he ever expected.
“It started with weed because there wasn’t much to do,” he says. “Then I was being offered other things because people knew I had money to spend”
Eventually, the habit became part of how he kept friends around.
“I would have to buy the drugs around my friends because it was the only way I could entertain them,” he says.
The situation reached a breaking point when Robertson realized how much damage he was causing at home. He says he was spending nearly $1,000 a week on cocaine, money that ultimately came from his mother while she was working long overnight shifts.
“I was putting her into debt and making her cry,” he says
He also became aware of how people saw him.
“Everyone saw me as the drug addict, poor little rich boy,” Robertson says. “I’m now 34. I don’t wear that image anymore.”
Repairing his life did not happen overnight, but the changes that followed were practical. He began focusing on routine, health, and movement, small daily habits that slowly replaced the chaos of earlier years.
Matthew Brian Robertson describes himself today as a morning person. His day starts quietly with coffee, morning television, and answering messages or emails. Walking has become one of the anchors of his routine.
“With walking, I feel like it’s just you in the world,” he says. “You may walk the same steps every day, but you always see something new. It clears your mind of stress”
Travel plays a similar role in his life. Robertson moves regularly between several states, each place serving a different purpose.
He describes himself as “through and through a New York and New Jersey guy,” drawn to the fast pace and energy of the region. Vermont offers the opposite: quiet, nature, and space to think. Rhode Island holds particular emotional weight for him because it is where he says he found a sense of healing, especially during summers spent in Newport.
Beyond the United States, he points to San Juan, Puerto Rico, as one of the places where he feels most at peace.
Travel is also part of his professional world. As mentioned earlier, Matthew Brian Robertson works for Tumi, the luxury luggage brand known for its travel bags and backpacks.
“Tumi is a luxury travel brand that features luggage of all variants and backpacks,” he says. “I love helping people with their fashion needs and their travel needs.”
Robertson describes himself as someone who enjoys helping customers find something practical that will follow them through trips, work, and daily life.
“I’m a backpack guy,” he says. “I love helping someone find a good backpack for whatever they need”
His relationship with luxury has also evolved.
“It’s a luxury to own a luxury piece,” Robertson says. “It’s not your personality. It’s not for flash.”
Today, his style leans minimal, mostly black clothing, sleek silhouettes, and very few visible logos. On casual days, he often wears band merchandise or T-shirts from places he has traveled or restaurants he has visited.
Among the brands he speaks about most often are Theory, Cartier, Saint Laurent, and Rhode, all companies he says he genuinely enjoys wearing or using.
Matthew Brian Robertson says his broader goal is to build a public identity around positivity and growth rather than the mistakes of his past.
“I love to bring positivity around when there’s not much of it left in this world,” he says
He also hopes younger people, particularly those growing up with wealth or privilege, understand that comfort does not eliminate loneliness or boredom.
“I’ve gone through it like what you’re going through,” he says. “The loneliness and boredom of having everything handed to you and still wanting more. It gets better in the end.”
One of the strongest relationships in his life today is the one with his mother. The distance that existed during his teenage years has been replaced by closeness.
“We’re closer than ever,” Robertson says. “I consider her my best friend”
Looking forward, he imagines a life that keeps many of the elements he values now: a place in the city, summers in Newport, continued travel, and work that allows him to help people with fashion, travel, or simply encouragement.
Matthew Brian Robertson is active online as well, recently joining X under the handle @mattrob925, where he spends time tweeting, replying, and interacting with people who come across his story.
When asked what he hopes readers take away from hearing about his life, Matthew Brian Robertson answers without hesitation.
“I want people to realize the grass isn’t always greener on the other side,” he says. “We’re all human and go through the same things”
His past may include years he wishes he could reclaim. But the life he is building now, quieter, healthier, and more intentional, suggests that those years did not write the final chapter.
