Life Guide
In many ways, the journey of life is not so different from a long canoe trip. Without guidance, it’s easy to lose your way ~ to feel adrift, or stuck on a rocky shore. Many find themselves mired in the same place for years: in a job that drains them, in relationships that weigh heavy, in struggles with their physical, mental, or emotional well-being, in unfulfilled artistic dreams, or even simply feeling trapped in the wrong place to call home.
Like a canoe trip, life is far smoother ~ and far richer ~ when we have good guides to help us navigate.
Together, we’ll explore various aspects of your life, including:
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Where you are right now — physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, occupationally, and financially.
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Your most important relationships.
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Where you’d like to be in the future.
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Any addictions or patterns that feel hard to break.
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How you currently spend your time.
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Your experience with being alone — whether it feels nourishing, difficult, or both.
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Your current living environment and how it affects you.
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Healing experiences you’ve had and those you might need.
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Past traumas that still ripple into the present.
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The next steps you can take to move forward.
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Your passions and dreams.
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What you loved as a child — the things that once lit you up.
One of the key ideas we’ll explore is the Japanese concept of Ikigai.
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Ikigai means “your reason for being.” In Japanese, iki translates to “life,” and gai refers to “value” or “worth.” Your ikigai is the sweet spot where what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what sustains you all overlap — your purpose, your calling, your unique bliss.
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Together, we’ll gently uncover your ikigai — and the life that’s been waiting for you.
For ten years, I worked as a wilderness canoe guide, leading people of all ages on 10 to 20 day journeys through some of the most breathtaking canoeing destinations in the world ~ Algonquin Provincial Park, Killarney, and Temagami in Ontario, Canada. There was always a shared understanding: those who were inexperienced in wilderness travel needed a guide to ensure the journey was not only safe, but meaningful.
I came to realize that many need a guide in the journey of life which is much more complex than the simplicity and beauty of a canoe trip when you have experienced guides.
Ideally ones parents are amazing 'guides'. Many only have one parent. Some lost both. Imagine being out in the wilderness all alone ~ you'd know how lost you are and you'd look for a guide immediately. In the journey of life, most don't seem to realize how lost they are and how much they need a guide.
And so, I applied my skills and training from being a wilderness guide and applied them to the journey of life ~ A Life Guide; helping people navigate the often tangled and uncertain waters of the “wilderness of life.”
Our journey begins at a fireside chat where we get to know each other, where we start putting together a new map of how you'd like to see your life unfold for this next leg of the journey.
One of the first pieces of guidance I give people is to point out if they appear to be headed for the falls (a crisis) or if they have already gone over them. And from there, we set out on our journey.
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Throughout my journeys, I met countless people and discovered something simple yet profound: by truly listening and asking a few thoughtful questions, I could often sense where someone was feeling stuck or facing challenges in their life.
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I began to notice that there are a few key areas of life that, when gently explored and tended to, can open the way for someone to rediscover the life they’ve been dreaming of. For many, those dreams have been quietly set aside, buried beneath the weight of day-to-day survival, left simmering on the back burner of whatever reality they’ve found themselves living in.
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Over time, I realized I could draw on my years as a wilderness canoe guide ~ and on my own life experiences ~ to become something more: a life guide, helping others navigate the often tangled and uncertain waters of the “wilderness of life.”
Life Guide
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Ideally, you set off on a canoe trip
with two competent guides ~
steady hands on the map,
calm voices on the rapids,
people who can show you
how to have a safe, fun,
educational, inspiring journey
through the wild.
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That’s the role of one’s parents.
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The Blessed have two amazing guides,
working together,
teaching them how to steer,
how to portage without breaking,
how to read the sky
for storms before they come.
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Tragically, many grow up
with only one strong guide ~
a single parent doing their best
while the co-guide is
“not all there,”
lost in their own fog.
The trip is harder,
heavier,
but still there is someone paddling with you
with all they’ve got.
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And then there are the truly heartbreaking stories ~
the ones who lost
one or both guides early on.
They push off into the river of life
with no one in the stern,
no map,
no voice calling, “Stay left!
There’s a waterfall ahead!”
It’s no wonder
they often feel like they’re
one wrong paddle stroke
from going over the edge.
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Out there in the wilderness of life,
there are so many stuck
at bad campsites ~
cold, hungry, alone,
unsure how to get back on the water.
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We don’t need more people paddling past
with a wave
and a “good luck.”
We need more people
willing to pull up to shore,
step out,
and say:
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“I’ll help you find your bearings.
I’ll paddle alongside you for a while.
I’ll be your guide
until you can read the map yourself.”​
No one should have to
navigate the rapids of life alone.