The first part of the journey was all about intellectual study. I knew to accomplish my lofty goals, I first needed to learn and understand more about life’s principles. I started reading any psychology/self-help book I could get my hands on, watching endless Ted Talks and motivational videos, browsing countless articles/studies, and even added a degree in neuroscience. I advanced my study by journaling about these concepts filling countless journals with my notes and even started a blog. During these three years (2015-2018) my intellectual study about life transformed into my deepest passion: understanding the essense of what creates a great life. My three goals also evolved into passions of healing, growth and happiness. 

The next part of my journey began when my passion for happines led me to read, “If You’re So Smart Why Aren’t You Happy,” by Dr Raj Raghunathan (aka Dr. Happy Smarts). I was intrigued by how Dr. Raghunathan approached happiness from a more intellectual perspective sharing how happiness helps us live better lifes and makes us much better people. I was so intrigued that I barged into his office to discuss his book. Raj and I eventually became friends and even better he asked me to help him with his Happiness at Work Course (HEROIC). I took the opportunity to share with others how to practice happiness principles in their daily life. I spent 80-100 hours a week teaching myself how to code and building out the website. The part of the journey spent on creating the website is still the most fond part of my journey. 

The travel part of my journey started when I hit my breaking point on a Friday night thinking, “I do not enjoy any of this, what has my life come to.” My disdain led me to booking a spontaneous trip to Yosemite National Park. My first stop at Yosemite was Glacier Point, where I went to stand on Overhanging Rock. Being on such a dangerous ledge gave me a huge adrenaline rush waking up new life inside of me. As I gazed over the immense beauty of the valley, I felt this would be my life for a while. That feeing turned into three and a half years of traveling all around the world, solely in nature. During my travels I hiked thousands of miles, observed immense beauty, learnd different perspectives and best of all experienced all of the concepts of happiness, growth, and life I am so passionate about. These years of being a nomad was the most transformational period of my life. 

My favorite part of the journey has been diving deep into the world of plant medicine. During my phase of feeling disconnected, I decided to attend a spiritual healing retreat in Mexico in June 2021, which is one of the best decisions of my life. At the retreat, I received Bufo Alvarus which lifted this intense weight I had been carrying since my depression. Little did I know that this experience would be the start of my deep dive into the plant medicine world. These plants helped me heal while also teaching me how to love myself, how to be my authentic self and most importantly how to live. I believe these plants work by healing us but also by reconnecting us with the essence of pure life: happiness, love and growth.

My motto for the medicine world is “Come for the healing, stay for the lessons about life.”