I’m a non-believer at heart. For the longest time, I didn’t believe that there was anyone out there, no divine intervention — nothing beyond what we can see and experience firsthand. I thought that the only person you could ever really rely on was yourself.
My way of thinking made me withdraw from others. It left me isolated. I wanted to be completely independent — but this perspective only ended up hurting me.
I was so close to living a life behind bars. There are so many “what ifs” that could have made my life turn out differently.
If the sentencing had gone differently, if the judge hadn’t thought 16 was too young for a life spent in prison, if the universe didn’t have other plans for me — I would be writing a completely different story from the confines of my cell.
In a different world, I could have been sharing my passion for tattooing with other inmates for a handful of commissary items — hardly the legacy that Skin Design Tattoos stands as now.
But I grew up challenging. Challenging religion, challenging authority, challenging the status quo, challenging myself. Without a sense of direction, I would instinctively push back against anything and everything in my life.
But over time, my ability to keep pushing back on what’s in front of me has been stifled. You can brush off 2-3 instances, you can label them as coincidences. But when it’s time after time — literally hundreds of signs— you can’t keep explaining them away.
I’ve had to come to accept that I’m here for a purpose greater than myself. I’ve been saved too many times.
Lessons Learned From Loss and Survival
From the very start of my life, I’ve had a habit of escaping death.
My family fled Cambodia when I was still a baby. Our country experienced so much devastation, so much ruin, and had we even stayed another week, we would be gone, too.
All of my father’s relatives, nine siblings, parents, cousins, friends — gone. So much history, so much culture, so many stories erased.
When we arrived in France, I was so young – and so sick. My parents thought I’d caught malaria. It’s like I was fighting back against not just the illness, but this sudden upheaval in my life.
At just two years old, my parents were convinced they were going to lose me, too. The doctors didn’t have any answers. None of the medicines worked.
Somehow, they heard about a local holy site, one where the Virgin Mary was rumored to have been seen, where the waters would heal the sick. They carried me up the mountains of Lourdes, France, knelt with me, and had me drink from the springs.
To their disbelief, the holy water cured me almost instantly.
My parents never let go of the faith they gained from that miracle. Lourdes became a testament to them of the power of hope, trusting the unknown, and of guardian angels looking out for our family. It showed them that, even after the war had taken so much from us, we could heal. We could start over.
Stories like this have been a theme throughout my life.
Even now, I don’t consider myself a super religious person, but I do consider myself highly spiritual. I can’t look at all of these events and say they mean nothing — not when they keep proving otherwise. At 53, I’m not too proud to admit when I’m wrong.
And I’m so thankful that I’ve been wrong about that. I’m so blessed that my journey has been full of redemption — that God has saved me from the man I used to be.
Every Detour Had a Reason: Finding Meaning Through Family and Art
My insistence on challenging everything, on fighting against the signs the universe put in front of me, have caused a lot of strain throughout my life. I could have saved myself a lot of pain if I would have just let go of all the skepticism and resistance.
But God has given me so many chances, so many opportunities to be the man, the artist, the leader, and the father I was born to become.
My Daughters, My Redemption
When my wife and I were trying for our first, we thought that it might never happen for us. I was filled with doubt and self-blame, convinced that my past prevented us from moving forward.
How could I be deserving of a family after the sins of my past? I didn’t feel worthy of being a husband, let alone a father.
After seven painful years, we were blessed with our little Reena. I didn’t know it at the time, but the number seven was going to be a constant reminder throughout our lives.
Both my wife, Teena, and Reena share an angel #777 — meaning they are destined to walk a path filled with growth, self-discovery, and a commitment to uplift others around them.
It was easier for me to believe all the signs around me when it came to my daughter, rather than just reflecting on myself. When I held her, it was like everything made sense for the first time — like I could finally think, see, and feel clearly.
It was like a light illuminated the path forward, when before, all I’d known was darkness. She saved me.
Reena was what I had been waiting for my whole life, the reason behind every detour, every wrong turn I’d ever made — the reason God kept me alive when I fought so hard against the life I was born to lead.
And when we were blessed with our second daughter, Reesa — born the day after Teena’s birthday, August 8th — it couldn’t be any more obvious to me. Her angel number, 888, signifies prosperity and success — all things I’ve seen in my daughter from the moment she could wrap her tiny fingers around a paintbrush.
Almost before she could speak, she could create art. It’s in her blood, it’s a part of her soul.
Our family lost a lot of history to the war. We were forced to leave our loved ones and so much of our heritage behind. But I’m seeing it live on through my daughters, seeing the way they embrace their culture through the art of tattooing, how their ancestors live through them every time they hold a tattoo machine.
It’s so fulfilling. My life as an artist and an entrepreneur has not been easy — there have been so many times where I thought I couldn’t go on — but my family has given me strength.
On the Brink, But Not Broken
Back before Skin Design was a nine-studio empire, we were an 800-square foot Las Vegas studio, packed practically elbow-to-elbow with 4-5 resident artists and employees.
We’d started to make a name for ourselves — but that success meant we’d outgrown our current space.
Teena and I had big plans for our future, for the SDT brand.
I was young, naive, and excited for the future. All I wanted to do was be a provider for my girls, an example of what hard work could accomplish.
But when my request for a loan was denied, the weight of the situation stunted our dream. I had to re-establish my credit and settle my back-taxes before the bank would consider me for a loan.
A manager at the bank told me there was an easier way to get the process started. He connected me with clients of his who told me they would help me get the funds I needed to expand.
What I thought was going to be a stepping stone for my career ended up nearly destroying me. His clients ended up taking out almost $250,000 in my name — leaving me with nothing.
When I went to the bank to report him, he’d already left. No one wanted to do anything to help me. Even attorneys refused to take on my case.
All the hopes Teena and I had for expanding the studio, opening new shops, growing the SDT name — paralyzed. I’d spent so long building towards this loan, and for what? I had nothing to show for it. I could feel my spirit shattered.
That’s when I got a call from a friend from highschool, someone I’d known in what felt like another life. He knew the Robert Pho I was before I’d found my wife, created a family, found meaning through art and community.
He saw me featured in a tattoo magazine, and something inside him told him to reach out to me.
After catching up, I let him know what was happening with the fraud, how I didn’t know if Skin Design would ever recover.
I was shocked when he told me he was an accountant and offered to take a look at all the paperwork himself, see what he could do.
It was hard for me to trust someone new after what it had cost me the last time. But, what choice did I have? I had nothing to lose.
Taking that chance was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Weeks later, I got a letter from the attorney general. The fraud had been cleared. I was free.
Reconnecting with him ended up being a miracle — once again, it saved my life.
It’s in those moments that I realize that there are no coincidences. God puts people in each other’s lives when they need it — it’s all about timing (and it’s a lot easier when you have faith).
It’s all connected, every twist and turn of our lives, leading us to where we’re meant to be. That’s just the universe doing its thing.
I’ve learned that, even when I don’t feel like I deserve it, that there are guardian angels looking out for me and my family. I didn’t get to where I am now by myself; I couldn’t have done it alone.
There have been so many low points in my life where I’m about to give up, give in to the mentality that it’s all pointless, and something like this happens. It’s all a part of something bigger.
Creating a Path for Future Generations of Tattoo Artists
When I look at the family I’ve created for myself here in the States, it all makes a lot more sense to me.
I can finally understand the reason behind my salvation, behind every life-or-death situation that I’ve overcome. Now that I understand that my story, the Skin Design empire, is all part of a greater picture, it’s easier for me to accept situations as they come.
A friend of mine who’s a healer helped me find a lot of clarity in my spirituality. He showed me that I’m a Master #33 — someone with the potential to be a powerful teacher, healer, or guide, possessing an intense connection to the spiritual and a deep well of compassion to uplift others.
He helped me understand my purpose. I’m here to be a leader, to use my gifts and the knowledge I’ve gained throughout all of life’s obstacles to influence others for the better. It means I have to let go, trust myself and the messages I find along the way, and lift up others around me.
In the past, when I closed myself off to the signs and didn’t believe what was always right in front of me, I was only closing myself off to opportunities, postponing what I’m inevitably meant to do.
I think about my daughters, who were born to uphold the SDT legacy — it’s my responsibility to create a path for them, to set up a future for them to succeed in.
To do that, I have to help create an industry that’s sustainable long after I’m gone.
Instead of fighting all the signs around me that show me my duty as an industry leader, I have to fight for our community. I have to be a part of the change this industry needs.
I’ve been so blessed throughout my life. I’m not going to sit here and keep all these blessings for myself.
I’m here to empower artists in the tattoo community through mentorship and the upcoming Skin Design academy, give them the tools and knowledge needed to take back our artform, to keep it alive, and make sure it stays that way for generations to come.
I’ve been tested enough in my life to finally understand my calling. I’m still learning — I have so much left to learn — I’m still growing, but my eyes are open along the way.
I hope that I can use my experiences to teach others that they don’t have to take the same road I did.
When we set out to elevate others in our community — we don’t have to isolate ourselves from others. We can rely on each other’s strengths.
And we’ll be so much stronger for it.
