Dave - 36

What would you do if you’re whole life exploded? Everything you’ve been working towards for as long as you can remember ripped away from under your feet in the blink of an eye.

This is what I went through after breaking my neck in a mountain biking accident just before my 30th birthday. Up until that point, my entire life was built around skiing. I coached world championship level athletes, as well as filmed and competed myself.

Although it brought immense darkness, that event ended up being one of the best things that happened to me, as it introduced me to the world of spirituality, meditation, plant medicine and the power our minds have to impact both our health as well as our lives in general.

It took time to overcome the pain, depression, apathy, etc. that come on when you can’t do anything other than lie on your back and stare at the ceiling all day. After a couple weeks of that I did come out of it though. I was eventually able to shift my focus to what I could do, instead of what I couldn’t. I started learning more, listening to podcasts and audio books, and opening my mind to what’s possible through meditation and intention.

Thankfully, I was able to make a full recovery, but I knew that that chapter of my life of chasing the dream of a professional skier had come to a close.

Shortly after, I moved to Vancouver and started walking the path of entrepreneurship and coaching. I studied, learned, tried, and failed many times at different businesses before finally choosing to step into what I’d known for years was my true path of being a coach and supporting men in their journeys.

I had to overcome a lot to do this work. I had to dig in and do a lot of healing around feelings of not good enough, not worthy, not trusting men, fears of being abandoned, and more. Through doing men’s work, therapy, breath work, and more I’ve slowly peeled back more and more of the layers of protection I’d built up in my youth.

For a long time, I’d been allowing the stories embedded within me to run the show and cap my progression in life. I wanted more but could never seem to achieve what I’d wanted. Although I’d learned a lot about spirituality, meditation, goal setting, etc. I still hadn’t healed my past.

It wasn’t until joining a men's group that I started really digging in and healing my relationship with the masculine. I had to learn how to trust that part of myself, and trust other men. I had to learn to open up and connect with my repressed anger and sadness. I had to learn to move all of that energy that had been pent up inside for so long so I could have space to thrive and connect with other men and with myself.

I know I still have more work to do, and I also know that when choosing to walk the path of growth, there isn’t really an end to it, so I’m just working on staying connected to my heart and continuing to look inwards and take responsibility for myself as I keep walking the path.

I know that if I keep moving forward, showing up, and being of service, that’ll I’ll be able to make a real difference and help inspire more men to walk this path with me, do their own inner work, and together, make this world a better place for the generations to come.

Music - Dave’s music choices during our photo session included, Trevor Hall, Saint Mesa, and Delta Rae.