Sometimes what's needed is a leap... or a push.
It felt like a mix of both when I boarded a metrolink that would take me to the airport on my way to Australia on a chilly late November Thursday.
I remember reflecting after a long goodbye with a dear friend at the station how this decision had the weight of finality.
More than when I decided to shave my head, when I decided to leave a sales career that no longer felt alive and true, or stepped away from a relationship that had run its course, this choice felt like it would take me on a life direction that would change everything.
Earlier in the year, I was part of a group of 5 friends who had decided to move to the Bay Area of California to start fresh after a series of individual and interconnected changes.
I was fresh from a relationship transition and was excited to expand and explore a new scene and way of being. We had visions of finding a community house, running workshops, potlucks, movie nights, and all the good things that come from opening hearts and fresh beginnings.
Of course, Life took a turn, and my friend called me in mid-August, sharing he was following a teacher of his to Bali and had already convinced the others to go with him.
I felt the feels. A mix of frustration, angst, betrayal, and... while I didn't want to admit it to my friend, sparks of wonder and curiosity.
The crew found their way to the Island of The Gods in October, and while I didn't have plans to join them, I had other plans already in place.
At the end of the year, a holiday visit to my mom's side of the family in Sydney found me with just a backpack, most of my stuff either sold or in storage, and without a return ticket as I boarded the plane to down under.
This was nearly eight years ago, and the journey since has been a wild, wonderful ride.
One that I'm grateful still continues to this day...
There's lots more story of the paths walked and seasons passed to be shared, but I'll keep this intro short and sweet.
For now, I'll point to some themes and topics I'll be exploring here, along with my journey and experiences of expat life in Southeast Asia.
Men's development has been the foundation of my work and offerings for over a decade. In so much as questions of whether I'm man enough, what it means to be a modern man, and how to bring forth more mature masculinity into the world have been my greatest questions, they're also the most inescapable inquires and explorations personally and professionally.
Heart-led Leadership & Facilitation is something I see the world desperately needs more of. Having spent my twenties in boiler room sales floors run by narcissistic leaders who only cared about results and productivity, I feel the weight and need for new paradigms of how we inspire, motivate, and co-create within our careers, businesses, relationships. Today when I hold space for workshops, clients, or community building I strive to bring both results and presence into what's possible when humans align and resonate together.
New Relationship Paradigms and how we relate, communicate, and love each other are greatly needed in both our bedrooms and boardrooms. The best part of this is many of the tools and frameworks are already available, and new ones more appropriate to our modern time are constantly being created and evolved.
Nuanced Perspectives around current and cultural events is something I'm increasingly finding myself writing about. As someone who often stands out and looks different from others, I often see the world as having more gradients and nuanced context. There are no easy answers to the challenges we face as modern humans, and the only way forward is together.
Creative Recovery is a new theme that's come through over the past years. Having recently experienced a deep and wounding trauma, finding my way and wings out of the desert of despair and loss has been a hard, brutal journey. I believe our modern culture is still finding ways to wrestle with individual and collective grief. While it wasn't a great experience, I'm grateful to have a broader perspective on what it means to be human and how to work with our nervous systems and recovery.
These days I find myself often pulled between the fleeting warmth of Hope and the deep dark of despair, all the while doing my best to walk the line down the middle of Faith which requires both Action and Vision.
As Creatives, I believe part of our gift and burden is to speak and share what we see, how we see it, and to allow the emotional impact to come through our art, offerings, and expression.
In a world that seems to be falling apart at the seams, I believe heartful, genuine, and authentic expression is the glue that'll keep us all together.
I'm thrilled and grateful to be here sharing more sticky goodness with you.
Feel free to say hi here or check me out on instagram @soulfulintimacy.
(and do check out @artemislives whose warmth and heartful presence has led me here 🌿)