Why the World Needs Enlightened, Inspired Badasses Right Now
I’m sure I looked “normal” on the outside. I put a ton of effort into fitting in. I avoided standing out, for years.
I learned to put my head down and walk the line set into stone by my elders.
On the outside, I was ticking the right boxes.
On the inside I was starving. I wanted to grow my character and authenticity. And to do so in a self-directed manner. My inner hunger for personal freedom was screaming in silence.
And in that silence, I was searching and seeking. I wanted to push aside the large spoonful’s of “here’s the truth” being served up to me. I wanted to find my truth and live that. I wanted to excavate the identity inside me and define myself instead of leaving that up to a church, a community or social norms. I was tired and finished with other people telling me who I was, why I was here, and what my path must be.
So, in the closet and behind closed doors I searched. I was a seeker striving for personal freedom and a self-authored path. I wanted to feed my soul the sort of nourishment that it needed to thrive. The kind of nutrients that could give me a vibrant life. One matched with the actual inspired, skin-bone-spirit felt vibration one can feel deep on a cellular level.
The process that I call my “seeking” was directed by a strong intuitive connection to something that would often speak to me directly as a voice, often as visions, and frequently as knowing without knowing how I knew what I knew. Many of you know what I’m talking about because you feel intimations of the heart, instincts in your gut, tingles on your skin, insights zapping into your thoughts and you too know these messages didn’t originate with you.
One epic day I realized that I needed to share what I knew about accessing this source of powerful guidance. I wanted to curate it as a set of practices of inspiration and accessing personal truth. I wanted to utilize it over and over and share with anyone who might find it useful.
Oh and that epic day? It was the day inner guidance supported me to step out and be fully transparent about being queer.
It wasn’t an easy step. My children, my greatest set of connections, might abandon me, reject me. That would be devastating. Everything I had gained in terms of respect and status in my family and within my community could vanish. My ability to find authentic and lasting love with a woman was untested and unsure. The unknowns were large, ominous question marks. I didn’t know how work and life would be different in far too many areas to list.
And here’s the thing. When I called on my source to assist me to know if it was a correct and true north directive to come out, my crown chakra lit up. It was as if someone had laid a perfect crown made up of glowing, white pearls upon my head. These pearls seemed made of light and illuminated to the point of warming a perfect circle of comfort on the exact crown of my head. I closed my eyes and heard a voice whisper; this is your sign. We are with you. This is your truth. You can feel it. Follow it.
And so, I did. My life was altered forever. At first came the hard part of rejection and abandonment. It was a short and painful season of ridicule and being ostracized. Under the pain was a larger, more empowered sense of freedom, honor, and integrity. And my courage was rewarded. The courage to seek my truth and follow it brought me the great gift of seeing my children’s true character because they never abandoned me.
New friends and connections were created and bound by respect and honest compassion. My health and financial abundance grew. And my ability to have rewarding romantic connections flourished. Everything, yes, everything got better when I stepped more fully into my truth, when I allowed what inspired me about myself and life to lead the way.
As I reflect on my path to this day, I see it earmarked with so many moments of guidance that came to me from what I believe to be a higher power. I don’t call this power by any particular name. Sometimes I call it “Spirit” and other day’s I call it the Universe. I’m no longer a religious individual. I’m spiritually based in all I do.
My goal back then and now is similar. I want to be inspired. I want to commune with a wisdom that defies description. I want to live as enlightened of a life as I can. And for those of you who this resonates with, I want that for you too.
My process isn’t one that has to be emulated or duplicated. It belongs to me, and likewise, I believe your process, if you too seek to become your most enlightened self, is unique and individualized to you.
So why do I bring this topic of enlightenment up today? Well, let’s be honest.
We’re not living in a time where light is leading the way. Even the air we breathe feels heavier and filled with more toxins than it did a decade ago.
Much of our news and the trends have a darkness to them.
Our systems are shaking.
The inner dialogues about how unsafe our world seems today are loud.
And many of us may look like we’re holding it all together.
But inside?
There’s exhaustion.
There’s disorientation.
There’s fear and discomfort.
There’s deep concern for where we are as a human race.
And yet, underneath all this I hear something soft, and steady beating on.
There’s a quiet call to wake up. Wake up strategically, critically, and most importantly spiritually.
I believe: This is the moment to become an Enlightened, Inspired Badass.
I’m not talking about a fake-it-til-you-make-it leader.
I’m not referring to a hyper productive person who buzzes away without thinking about what we’re doing.
Today, I see that our opportunity is to become someone who is deeply attuned, internally congruent, and soul-led
Why Now?
Because the old performance model isn’t sustainable. Because we’re all growing tired of bullshit. Because the most attractive thing about you is your authentic, inner self.
And then there’s this: research tells us that 9 out of 10 of our conversations with other humans miss the mark. ¹ We’re missing each other often because we’re not clear internally on what we think, feel and want. When we do get clear, we’re not sure how to convey that to another human so we can “understand” one another.
We’re becoming disconnected from one another and from ourselves.
We’re burned out in many cases. In many ways we’re distracted. For a few of us, we’re just simply lost.
Add to that the pressure to perform, produce, and posture is growing thin. It is no wonder even high achievers are quietly imploding.
What’s needed now isn’t a lesson on how to gain more resilience so we can endure.
What is needed now is inner enlightenment. The kind that grounds you, guides you, and clears the fog when the path forward isn’t obvious.
What Happens When You’re Spiritually Attuned?
Neuroscience, psychology, and contemplative traditions converge on this truth:
When we practice mindfulness and meditation, we activate the prefrontal cortex. This is your executive brain, your most highly evolved brain. It is the center of decision-making, empathy, and long-term vision. ² Mindfulness and meditation are practices you can start, broaden or continue to deepen in order to be more spiritually attuned.
When we connect with our inner self through journaling, breathwork, reflection, or a variety of ways we reduce emotional reactivity and boost clarity.³
When we honor soul whispers over surface noise, our decisions carry more integrity, and our leadership becomes magnetic, not manufactured.
This isn’t spiritual fluff. It’s strategic self-alignment. It’s a true path forward through this, a collective dark night of the soul.
How Do You Become That Kind of Leader?
Let me share just a few ideas on how to become the most enlightened version of yourself. These are just a few, so if you have something that is working for you and you want to share, talk about it on IG or FB and tag me. I want to hear about it.
Top of mind for me are these ideas:
We need to stop outsourcing our wisdom. Instead, we need to turn inward, build self-trust, and align actions with our best self.
Another idea is to abandon who the world expects us to be. Instead, we do a deep excavation of our own SoulSalt and we live aligned with that. You can grab a copy of my book if this idea appeals to you. Between its covers you’ll find 8 critical coaching sessions that deliver a vision of your biggest, boldest, badass self.
And now I’m proud to suggest one more thing you can do to become enlightened as your own version of an Inspired Badass. I’ve culminated my work over the past 36 years and created a brand-new, by invitation or referral only coaching track. We call it Soul Authority™ Coaching. Think of it as a Navy Seal-like bootcamp but for your soul.
In this program we excavate the truth of your being.
We cultivate daily practices that feed your vision, confidence, and clarity.
We learn to communicate with precision, presence, and power.
We create a SoulSalt Map™ that becomes your compass in times of uncertainty.
We look at your daily habits and work to craft them into supportive constructs in your life.
We create your own AI driven SoulSalt guide and when we’re finished, we support you to pay it forward by learning how to grow another individual.
What I’m offering is more than a coaching experience. It is a full-bodied reclamation of who you are meant to be.
Final Thought
The world doesn’t need more polished professionals who look slick and successful.
It needs more soul-fed leaders. It needs regular, authentic people who are congruent, courageous, and deeply clear on what matters to them, and their lives reflect that. Their actions benefit others and include everyone at the table where the good stuff is.
There’s nothing slick about these people, but damn, authenticity is attractive. It’s the new sexy. And…
We need this sort of quiet competence and confidence leading the way. Don’t you agree?
If you’re ready to lead like that, you might be ready for Soul Authority™ coaching.
It’s by application only. It is not for everyone.
Every time I get off the stage from speaking, there are people waiting to get my book and have me sign it. Then there are the people who hang back after, and they want to talk. They want to share what they felt about the spirit stirring within me and within them when we interacted during the presentation. They speak of something sparking in their soul.
I’m looking for the ones who are tapped into the enlightened, inspired parts of being human. The ones who want to earn a living, live fully, and create a life that lights them up
If that fits, apply to work with us here.
References:
- Grenny, J. et al. (2017). Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. McGraw-Hill.
- Tang, Y.Y., Hölzel, B.K., & Posner, M.I. (2015). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(4), 213-225.
- Goleman, D. (2013). Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence. Harper.
2nd edition
