Ready to Rise

When we are in survival mode, we are just as vulnerable as the naked barefoot four year old children who worked in the coal mines of the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater - who were forced by poverty to drag coal out of the mine until they died.

Survival mode means that we are trapped - trapped by outrage, trapped by blaming, trapped by righteousness. Because we don’t feel like we exist unless we are fighting with something external to ourselves.

The thing that we are actually trapped by is a cage of our unconscious incompetence - in an internal darkness that we don’t even know we have inherited from our ancestors.

And that is what we have to fight to outwit.

We have to fight to outwit our unconscious incompetence that is forced by our addiction to drama that cripples our emotional intelligence.

The books written by JRR Tolkien have wonderful metaphors for the battle to outwit the generational trauma that we inherit from our families.

In The Hobbit, the battle of wits between Bilbo Baggins and Gollum, in the absolute darkness under the mountain, is the metaphor for our unconsciousness.

Gollum is the archetypal model of all the generational trauma of the Hobbits who just want a peaceful life in the country where they get to enjoy a second breakfast every day.

The Hobbit is a book that was written in the shadow of a world-war - when the traumatised few who had returned home from war wandered homeless and alone across the countryside and cities of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. They wandered lost for decades, locked into their trauma, relying on the kindness of strangers until they died. We called them tramps, and they were real-life Gollum's trapped in the darkness of trauma with no way out.

In The Hobbit, the prize that Bilbo won from outwitting Gollum was a ring of darkness. But Bilbo had no idea what the ring really was. He had no idea what it could do. But he did instinctively know it was insidiously trying to corrupt him. This story is a metaphor for the unconscious incompetence that we exist in when we’re trapped in the darkness in survival mode - scrolling through social-media looking for our next hit of outrage-fueled dopamine.

In my book “Making Darkness Visible”, I talk about how I and my clients walked the path away from being stuck in survival mode all the time.

My “Ready to Rise” 1:1 coaching program, complements my “Making Darkness Visible” book and takes you on the very same journey that I took to get out of survival mode, so I could surrender to my highest purpose.

Health is Wealth

In the next book by JRR Tolkien - The Lord of the Ring - the ring of darkness is inherited by Bilbo’s successor, Frodo.

Just like we inherit the addiction to drama from our parents, grandparents and previous generations.

The fellowship of the ring is formed to transport Frodo to Mount Doom to destroy the ring of darkness, and the journey is long and dangerous.

Frodo learns that the darkness corrupts from within, and his internal quest to discover the hidden talents within himself, is just as arduous as his external quest to destroy the ring of darkness.

Frodo had not just inherited the ring of darkness, he had also inherited strength, courage and power. His quest to destroy the ring matured these inherent talents, and created real gifts.

Frodo dedicated himself to service to himself, his family and his community - and that dedication to being of service, with his compassion for Gollum - who has been completely corrupted by the darkness - delivers him the necessary emotional intelligence to finish his quest to destroy the ring.

My “Health is Wealth” 1:1 coaching program directly complements my next book (to be released in 2026), and is an invitation for you to take up the fight to outwit your addiction to drama that you have inherited from your family.

To transform your unconscious incompetence into a powerful conscious competence of emotional intelligence.

To mature the talents you have also inherited, so you can catalyse your courage, strength and power into gifts.

Death and Rebirth

Destroying the ring of darkness strips back Frodo’s spiritual intelligence, and his identity is reborn as a conscious leader that is respected and admired by all who met and journeyed with him.

When Frodo returns home to the Shire after destroying the ring, he finds his people enslaved, and the countryside desecrated by the industry.

This is the metaphor for how we allow ourselves to be exploited by our inherited addiction to drama.

Frodo then draws his sword and together with his companions chases the evil men out of the Shire and restores peace and harmony.

The spiritual intelligence that Frodo has been reborn with after destroying the ring of darkness that used to dominate his thoughts, allows him to use his conscious leadership to manifest his spirit into matter.

Frodo does this by establishing a new community in The Shire that sets clear boundaries for acceptable behaviour, and provides equitable outcomes for all. And all guests from all races are made welcome. Once he has benevolently set the path for his community, he then retires - together with Bilbo - to the West.

And this is the final metaphor - that when we outwit our addiction to drama - we reclaim our power to say ‘no’ to being exploited by others because we are no longer being driven by outrage, blame and righteousness.

We get to truly feel peace within ourselves for fulfilling our highest purpose.

My retreat is where you learn how to bring your spirit into matter, so you can manifest your highest purpose. To be who you were always meant to be.

My level 3 program directly complements my book “Fight for your Freedom, or Die Trying” that illustrates what it is costing us to not surrender to our highest purpose, and to remain stuck in addiction to drama, waiting for salvation.