The Gyst Life

We live in a world obsessed with momentum. Output. Hustle. Proof. Its all good stuff, but so is stepping back and asking what all of this is actually for. In November I spent 2 months in Mexico.  It has always been a place of recalibration for me.  It creates distance from noise and proximity to truth.  While some people go there to do nothing, I go there to think. What surfaced this year had to d...

We’ve all been there—stuck in the tension between what we want to do and what we feel we should do. It’s the creative struggle. It’s the entrepreneur’s dilemma. It’s the weight of our own expectations. And at its worst, it keeps us trapped in what Alex Ford from The Measurable Genius call’s The Pit of Despair—that place where we start believing there’s no point and nothing will change. This episod...

In this episode David and Maya of Bear and Unicorn Creative unpack their creative partnership and how they're transitioning from supporting other's visions to creating their own. They explore the challenges of focusing on a single creative direction; the crux of every human who has embraced their creativity. They also reveal behind the curtains the lessons they're learning from a business developm...

We often feel pressure to specialize, to fit into neat boxes that others can easily understand. But some of us are wired differently. We move fluidly between disciplines, evolving and expanding our skills in ways that don’t replace what came before but augment it. This piece explores the unique strength of being multi-disciplinary, the challenge of communicating that value, and the importance of c...

How do we navigate the complexities of our lives with resilience and purpose in a world filled with uncertainty and constant change? --- Today I take a short journey (11 minutes) into the depths of personal responsibility, societal challenges and the delicate balance between self-care and helping others. --- Have you ever found yourself grappling with the ever-changing landscape of life, feeling o...

I've been running this podcast now since 2017. It's been a fundamental catalyst in my own journey of self-expression and clarity of purpose. I did not know it was going to happen, I just started because it felt right and because deep down I knew I needed to do something to get what was in my head out.  The original premise of the show was about uncovering what it takes to live your best life on yo...

The Journey of Men is a lonely one, even if we find ourselves surrounded by those we love. We are expected to carry the weight of life on our shoulders and be the rock everyone around us can lean on.  I embrace that role whole heartedly. I strive to be the best man I can be for my son, for my daughter and for my wife. But embracing that role comes with a dark side if we're not careful. I provide s...

You've invested 10,20,30 years into your profession and now you're standing there with an open calendar and a decision to make.  There is a feeling of anticipation. The excitement for what's possible. The weight of previous responsibilities have lifted from your shoulders and this new found space to move and roam leaves you with a new focus. The search for what's next.  In these early days of expl...

If you find yourself at a cross roads of your life, whether its exploring retirement or transitioning into a new career or life focus, this message is for you. I never thought this idea of planning for retirement was a thing I needed to think about with any measure of intensity. But as I reflect on the last 15 years of my life, I am present to just how quickly time goes and how quickly we can find...

Last week I came across a fantastically contagious individual I didn't know I needed to hear, until I did. Truth be told, that while I was hopeful that the masterclass would reveal some unknowns to me as it relates to the world of speaking on stage, I wasn't expecting much.  The inner critic was busy being critical. And thankfully the inner creative was also busy getting ready to be inspired. Whic...

Last year I had an interesting journey with my professional career and with my relationship to creativity. In some ways I really felt lost, a bit defeated and unsure of myself or my abilities to make decisions. It had me start to question why I even bother pursuing this idea of living a creative life. Wondering often, what that even means. I needed a win, a reminder, a recalibration. Which I got....

In this episode, I share my journey of navigating the delicate balance between creativity and practicality. Writing down my realizations and discoveries has been a game-changer, helping me connect the dots in unexpected ways. Today's conversation is all about harmonizing creativity with the need to follow through. It's a challenge many of us face, but I'll share insights on defining your ideal cli...

Welcome! I have a new curiosity I am exploring, for the next little while I will be speaking about the often misunderstood world of rituals. This came about when I sat down and had a conversation with Tanya from Body Art Motion and Jai from Zephrym about the upcoming art and performance showcase they're hosting called Ritual Arts. It's a little ironic that I will be using my own ritual of explorat...

What happens when good intentions lead us down unpredictable paths? In today’s episode, a loss of a beloved 🐾 feline friend and a surprise adoption 🐱❤️ highlights the powerful connection between logic and passion.

🎨 The Balancing Act: Control & Integrity 🌟 Humans seek freedom in their work, but often feel paralyzed. This stems from the interplay between control and integrity. 💡 Control: The Power to Influence Stability & Predictability Efficiency & Flexibility 🔍 Integrity: Honesty & Authenticity Authenticity & Connection Longevity & Meaning Finding balance can be challenging, as...

Picture this, you’re having a stroke The left side of your brain is turning off You’re leaving the linear external world Your identity is gone Your ability to communicate is gone All your past memories and your future aspirations, 3/4 of what defines you as a human being poof! And for 8 years you navigate pure bliss, free of morality, judgement and the need to adapt to our environment   Let’s expl...

Some say we're spending about 82hrs per week consuming and collecting information.  That's a staggering 69% of our waking hours. So many great ideas, yet so much missed meaning. So many really impactful moments I promised myself I would hold onto to be able to look back on, only to have it slip through my fingers. Not because it was no longer relevant but because I just can’t recall what it was or...

If the objective is to live your life by your design, then you should consider asking yourself this question: Who do you want to be known as, and who do you know yourself to be?

As an artist, I think the biggest opportunity for you and for me is to learn how to tell our story. To reveal who we really are The experiences we've gone through The struggles that have defined us and the awareness, or confusion that's brought. The seeds of doubt that have settled in The influences that directed our focus, the deeper restlessness that continues to go unresolved And the parallels...

You say you're open, but you're really not. You're excited to share, but won't dare get caught. You've made discoveries, but stick with the familiar. what's true for you is not always aligned with your actions. As creatives, the opportunity for you is to lean in and put yourselves, your thoughts and your work out there for more people to interact with. This is the second mapping the mindstream. To...

To live a finite life in an infinite world... Defining who we are, what we do and the contribution we seek to provide in a constantly shifting world is a hard question to get absolutely clarity on because we ourselves are constantly evolving and changing. New discoveries, new priorities and new curiosities leave yesterday’s clarifying moment a distant memory. That is the game of life. Just new lev...

To Matt Haloran, we are 99.99% alike, we are all more than friends and acquaintances, we are family.  Having come from humble beginnings, Matt has been everyone, from a therapist, to a life coach, to a successful entrepreneur yet, what makes him the most successful it is his ability to listen deeply and discover what is so unique about you; in order for you to rise above the noise. Join me in this...

How can the right leadership navigate the recent, and history repeated, events in order to continue moving forward? There really is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ leadership; just misled leaders. Leading and navigating with your team is a process that grows with the amount of obstacles you face and overcome. Trust in an organization and in the public, as we’ll hear in this episode, is an essential element...

The future.  We all have one. The big difference lives between those who spend the time to create one to work towards instead of being at the effect of other people's ideas of how the future should go. A vision gives us passion, drive and direction. Living in anticipation of a compelling future is a life worth living, as everything we do supports us in moving forward. They inform our priorities, t...

How can leaders make a bigger difference in their employees lives? Should leaders be quiet in the shadows and notice what is going on in order to empower whom they are leading? As Leaders, we need to lead by example. If your employees don’t see you living, breathing and acting on your vision; it is not effective, and it’s not empowering.  It all revolves around building trust, and trust lives in t...