That's Passion

@pick.lenik

www.instagram.com/pick.lenik/

The scene:

We are in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, harvesting arugula seeds, in Nikoll’s gorgeous oasis garden. It is toasty and humid and breezy. We are brandishing garden shears, cutting the seed stalks to dry in a hand-built dryer with screen trays. Nikoll takes care of the garden and property in exchange for her very cute home, where she also makes a variety of fermented products with vegetables grown in her garden. I’m obsessed with her Kimchi, pesto, fermented fruit kefirs, and baba ghanoush - you can buy these and her veggies and herbs at the weekly local farmer’s market from her business Pickle Nik. Join us in the garden as we wind our way through the rows of Nikoll’s life passion.

Highlights:

• Nikoll is originally from Guadalajara. She has lived in Todos Santos, BCS for 7 years
• She came to Todos Santos to do her agriculture internship in biodiverse organic farming
• The Mexican government school teaching Agricologia (organic farming) as a career is called Sagarpa, in Texcoco outside Mexico City
• Todos Santos is an oasis in the desert of Baja, where a lot of water runs down from the mountains
• The soil here is very rich due to the minerals brought in by the arroyo (river)
• The biodiversity in her garden includes insects, frogs, and land crabs
• The climate here changes quickly - from hot to cold to warm to cold
• Most passionate about: nature…just being in nature in any way, nurturing ecosystems, protecting environments
• This land was transformed from a sugar cane crop, then wasn’t used (rested, which is good for soil to replenish with nutrients), then got taken over by an invasive grass that dries and becomes a fire hazard
• Having a garden creates biodiversity by attracting pollinators and other animals
• The length of time it takes to enrich soil depends on weather, temperature, water, compost, animal presence, past chemical usage, etc…
• Everything grown in the garden goes to use - if the veggies don’t sell, they are fermented or made into sauces, etc.
• You don’t have to have your own land to be a farmer - you can work someone else’s land
• Helpful traits: stubbornness, energy, excitement. Unhelpful traits: stubbornness (hah!), impatience
• Nikoll is able to live rent-free and have free veggies in exchange for running the garden
• If everyone grows different things, everyone benefits from many farmers
• Nikoll volunteered at a co-op farm on Vancouver Island in Canada called Amara, run by all women, who split the work at the farm and farmer’s market
• Nikoll trades for some of her life expenses (physical therapy, swim lessons) with her farm-grown/made goods
• Advice to her younger self: start sooner (aka go for it!)
• We talk about how our judgments of others are actually a symptom of a problem we are creating within ourselves
• Nikoll asks me what advice I would give to others from my viewpoint now in my life journey

A taste:

“Always try to get everything as local as you can. That is the healthiest thing you can do for your body, for your community, for the planet. It has less carbon footprint. Even though sometimes it’s not the most organic thing…as local as you can get is always going to be better than having something shipped…from Europe, that’s in a plastic container… Sometimes you don’t even know how it’s actually grown… Or where does it come from, or how do they treat their workers? When you’re supporting local, you’re getting to know your community…you’re supporting the people you live with.”

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@_bouclecuivre_

@lateliersowilo

The scene:

We are walking and watching big, wild waves being surfed at Playa El Pedrito in Pescadero, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Elodie is camped with me in the van for the second night. The previous night, we did a Temezcal (sweat lodge) together in Todos Santos and camped in a cactus forest. The wild wondrous adventure I’m explaining seems to be just life with Elodie, in my experience. She is a light-ball of energetic joy and spreads that everywhere her wings flutter. Join us at the beach to hear about her life, thoughts, and vision.

Highlights:

• Elodie is from France
• Chance meeting through hitch-hiking
• Painting a mural in bikinis on the beach
• She’s most passionate about finding herself
• Finding yourself though others
• Painting is an energy
• Manifesting with your heart
• Hitch-hiking around the world giving tattoos
• We love you Adriana! @tierrasantabcs 
• #cacao (everything)
• Elodie’s tattoo creation process (is an awesome whole-day experience)
• Being tattooed in my van, in an oasis, near the ocean, with horses
• Ayahuasca opened her mind to knowing what her passion purpose is
• Being “too happy” and being authentic are her strengths
• Fear, talking too much, and making quick judgements are challenges for her
• Staying happy = staying centered
• When you feel an obligation to your own truth, nothing can hold you back
• You can say YES, and you can say NO
• Using your intuition and trusting the universe to avoid dangers
• Changing disempowering situations into powerful ones
• Humanizing others out of predatory patterns
• Shining a light through others’ darkness to help them see their own humanity
• A scary story about hitchhiking with men (when weed and cops save the day)
• Knowing who your soul family is (and trusting their feedback)
• Sharing the experience of self-discovery through instagram videos
• Wanting to inspire others
• Learning to not paint everything (and making time for experiences)
• Creating your future though drawing and painting
• Trust in your creativity - it is your power
• Remember to dance, stay curious, and play in your imagination
• Being a conduit and interpreter for others’
• Teaching a French person to speak English with an American accent
• Sometimes stereotypes are true 
• Creating your own alphabet (downloaded cosmically from the ancient underwater city of Atlantis)
• Trusting your body to draw your chosen family to you
• The Universe is like a big internet
• Advice: elevate your frequency, and wait… (fear takes your power)

A taste:

“I’m not just a woman in the car with a man. And the man is not [simply] a predator. He is a man with a soul. He likes singing, he likes everything, he has a family. So, all the time I ask, “Do you have children? Where does your family live?” Because he’s a human. And if you change the situation like that, the man that was like, “I want ‘something’ with this woman” is now like, “Oh, she is interested in me, she wants to hear my story.”

Favorite Quotes:

“Sorry. Excuse me. Thank you. I love you.” - Ho'oponopono Mantra (for transmutation of energies)

“I am…”

“I can wait. I can think. I can fast.”

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@adri_jalifehttps://www.instagram.com/adri_jalife/

@tierrasantabcs

The scene:

We are in Todos Santos, B.C.S. (Baja California Sur), at Adriana’s house sitting on her covered outdoor living area with hot tea watching the sun set into the pacific ocean. Yeah WTF is right. Adriana graciously invited me to her currently-being-built-home, which is a bold move considering we just met. Within minutes of meeting, I asked if I could live in her shop (because I love it so much) and she said yes I could put my bed near the altar, and well, the rest is history. Adriana is one of the most chill, kind, easeful, and heart-honest humans I have ever met. Join us on the deck as our interview takes us into the dark (and back into the light).

Highlights:

• Hearing ourselves speak the words we want creates the manifestation
• Todos Santos is the beginning of the earth
• Passing the Baja test
• Numerology
• Spirituality being the thing you’re most passionate about in life
• America as in all the Americas
• Mishika traditions (Aztec)
• Mayan cosmology
• Native American practices in South Dakota
• Mishika had a very advanced culture and they mixed all the cultures they encountered
• The Mayan calendar Nawales are for self-knowledge and service to others 
• Archeology 
• Mythology and archetypes
• Moondance: 4 night ceremony of fasting, dancing, and temezcal (sweat lodge)
• Adriana’s Mayan animal medicine is Jaguar, who shines light into the darkness
• Life brought Adriana to cacao medicine so she could help others understand their own gifts
• Born in Durango, Mexico - one of the biggest and most unpopulated areas, where the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains and desert meet (there is snow in Mexico!)
• Feeling different and like you don’t belong
• At age 17, lived in Brussels, Belgium for two years (and speaks French beautifully)
• Studied “Mother Languages” for teaching and translation
• Went to a Montessori elementary school and used it as inspiration to teach language
• Grew up fast caring for her younger brother
• Learning to trust your own judgment
• Not working for anyone else
• There’s nothing more rewarding than doing what you believe in
• Community support has been essential to continuing her work
• Giving back to the community
• Staying open to how big your dreams can become
• Geographic places that feel like home
• The giving and receiving law of life
• Learning to relax into life, living in a place of collective conscious relaxation
• Making free time, changing family programming
• Being passionate about what you do makes it not feel like work
• Changing the pace of life by following the seasons
• We all do what we can with what we have 

A taste:

“Cacao is a beautiful medicine that is in the service of helping people reconnect with the real - with nature, and with earth - and with their gifts, and to break up the illusion of fear, and of being in this capitalistic system that isolates us and makes us believe we need to do things that are not aligned with our spirits.”

Favorite Song Line:

“Todos caminamos bajo la misma luna.” (“We all walk under the same moon.”) by Calle 13

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@allison_greer06

The scene:

We are sitting in “the cockpit” of my van, chairs rotated in for living room mode ;), in Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico at “the end of the world.” We camped on a pier near the lighthouse and awoke to all the fisherpersons taking their boats out onto the bay. Allison and I are caravanning together. We met about a month ago in Quartzsite, AZ. It’s her first time out of the US and my first time driving into MX. Join us in the van for a delightful conversation with my “adopted daughter” ;)

Highlights:

• Allison’s smile is THEE best - it’s a smeyes - her whole face wraps you in a warm hug
• #Vanlife
• Meeting at the RTR (Rubber Tramp Rendezvous)
• Being passionate about a lot of things (at 18 years old)
• Passions: Travel, Seeing new things, People
• LOVES kids - “they‘re so honest, real, and genuine”
• Open-eyed curiosity - at all ages
• “Every experience is a once in a lifetime experience”
• Homeschooling exposed her to so many ages
• Hearing others’ stories
• The excitement of youth, the excitement of wisdom
• International kindness
• Not being attached to material things
• “At the end of the day, people are the only thing that matters”
• Our world is so disconnected right now - self-love is the answer
• Strong-willed strengths
• Being scared…and doing it anyway
• Dying doing what you love (is the best way to live, and die)
• Having worldly common sense
• Growing up on a ranch teaches you about life (and death)
• Learning how to rely on yourself…and others
• What to do if you get a flat tire in a dualie
• “God’s plan is bigger than our plan”
• Preparing to be unprepared
• Learning to be content in every “good” and “bad” situation
• Feeling loving support from thousands of miles away
• Our community is larger than we realize
• Politics getting you into trouble sometimes
• Using your life for good
• In every moment, you can CHOOSE to be that “nice” person, or that “mean” person
• Leading with your heart, and not taking others’ stuff personally
• Unconditionally loving others starts with unconditionally loving ourselves
• Loving yourself while also making improvements
• Seeing other people joyful makes us joyful <3
• Meeting versions of yourself in your dreams
• “Little me was so happy and wide-eyed […] and sassy”
• Stay young of mind and heart for as long as possible
• #YOLO - so live it well!!
• P.S. Allison is an AMAZING budding photographer (ok “proud mom” moment over ;P

A taste:

“Every experience is a once in a lifetime experience.”

Favorite Quote:

“Shoot for the moon! Even if you miss, you’ll land in the stars.”

Favorite Bible verse:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” - Romans 15:13

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The Scene:

We are in Powell River, BC, Canada in Asia’s home, somewhere between the sewing machine in the living room and the Instapot in the kitchen. This interview required three different recordings to be spliced together, and another bajillion (technical math term) edits for its’ equation to sum up to its’ solution. (I probably misused those terms and it’s making Asia cringe :). She was born in a trailer in my driveway and became a female PhD Mathematician (pretty good odds). Join us for the way conversations go when you’re a family of four...plus one cousin.

Highlights:

• Quilting to teach students about math patterns
• Questioning everything - “to be a mathematician is to be skeptical”
• Scientific theories are falsifiable, mathematics is verifiable - “Truthiness”
• “Bajillion” is a technical term
• Equations are very little of theoretical math
• Equals is a very powerful operation
• Formulas are a description of a pattern
• Math is abstract, imaginary, creative and explores boundaries
• Being a Mathematician makes you a good communicator - you must convince others that what you say is true
• Mathematician in residence at an all-girls school in Victoria
• Mathematics Association of America Grant
• Crocheting hyperbolic surfaces
• Using your hands to understand what is happening
• Paper chains to understand Mobius strips
• The war between precision and wabi-sabi
• Consciously creating less structure
• The problem with North American Puritanical roots
• Seeking patterns and order as a child, loving algorithms
• Seeing that math needed to be taught differently
• When you’re afraid of being wrong, you can’t learn
• Teaching at a liberal arts college in Squamish - classes of no more than 20
• Being passionate about how math is communicated between people
• Exciting the non math-oriented
• Wanting to teach teachers in order to make the biggest difference
• Using the word “exponential” incorrectly
• Please don’t say “square the circle”
• Mathematics is “the best” science
• There is a strong connection between mind and heart
• The same trait helping professionally and harming personally
• Fast brains, spitballing through conversation
• We take on what we’re already good at (and forget to develop the rest)
• Putting yourself in unfamiliar situations to observe the reaction
• Adaptability and resilience
• Being curious and able to find joy in whatever you’re doing
• Mathematicians can get by with not great memory
• Forgetting how to be independent when you partner up
• Do you have to be any different than you are right now in order to be completely lovable?
• Do not say “1000 %” around mathematicians
• Square dancing with “the olds” (the perfect mathematical sport)
• Universal educational design
• Casually running a witch’s coven
• It is impossible to put yourself in someone else’s shoes
• We interact with the world based on the values we were taught
• Optimism in inclusively teaching different kinds of minds
• Cohabitation of ideas
• If time was linear…
• “Ah, interesting…”
• Anarchist math
• “Also: relax.”

A taste:

“I don’t quite believe that I’m worthy without having to prove it. I certainly can prove that I’m worthy, but I’m not sure I believe it without that proof."

Favorite line from a song:

“I was playing my guitar, lying underneath the stars, just thanking the lord for my fingers.” - Paul Simon

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@livvonoelreich

The scene:

We are in Ladera Heights, Los Angeles, CA on a warm day in Liv’s backyard sitting on lawn chairs drinking tea. This sounds like we live gentle lives; yesterday we fixed her garage door by lifting it together and also road motorcycles all over LA. This is our normal. Our friendship has weathered many journeys and many miles on motorcycles. Join us in the garden for curiosity, laughter, and pre-psychotherapy.

Highlights:

• A Swede from Alabama
• Difficulty making female friends
• Babes Ride Out
• Clicking together quickly and easefully
• Seeking adventures together
• Attacking the stressor immediately = non-procrastination
• Being in the world, being curious, being in action
• The importance of having purpose
• Currently in her Masters of Psych at Pepperdine 
• Massaging is a lot of alone time with your own thoughts
• The body communicating different messages than the mind
• Rocking the body to see where the tension is holding on
• Being present with others
• Why do they scrub you wearing black granny panties at Korean spas?
• Near-death experiences that are hilarious
• Helping others transform their lives
• Weaving in experiences of acting, psychology, and massage
• Creating your life around physical freedom
• Seeing a wide horizon in your life
• Choosing newness to avoid stagnation
• Minimizing “making wrong”, blame, being fearful of the future
• Avoiding rejection by not proceeding
• Being 100% committed, AND detached from the outcome
• The Race to Alaska documentary
• The Women Riders World Relay
• Filming 12 women on motorcycles riding through Pakistan
• Transitioning from doing everything yourself to leaning into others
• Viewing your life as many projects
• Appreciation of others and listening 
• “You lose intention when you lose punctuation.”

A taste:
“Through the physical comes the emotional.”

“Sometimes I don’t move forward with things because I like the idea of what is possible with the idea and if I move forward with it, perhaps it’s not going to work out the way I wanted it.”

Favorite sayings:

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” (The Serenity Prayer)

“The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired, so long as we can see far enough.” - Emerson

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@arisjanigian
arisjanigian.com  

The scene:
We are sitting in the sun on a chilly Spring day just outside Aris’ living space, which is attached to his private library of 1 billion books (actually 5,000 ish). Aris begins the interview a bit withdrawn, perhaps shy, perhaps melancholic - like any truly great writer is expected to be - but warms up throughout and by the end is truly lively. It has taken me a moment to return to editing and releasing interviews. I saw Aris in yoga the other day and we shared that we had such fond memories of what a great interview it was, it is. Join us as we explore the human condition and how it is captured with words.

Highlights:

• Bestselling author of “Waiting for Lipchitz at Chateau Marmont”
• Moved to Fresno from LA eight years ago
• Began writing in the 5th grade. First book: “The Adventures of Hallelujah Harry”
• What makes a “gifted” writer?
• Two novels by the age of 25
• Writing because you have to write...you have something to say
• Began writing regularly his junior year of college, as a medicine
• Using writing to harness a self-destructive energy
• Why publish? > ego, being noticed, being seen, vanity, loving people
• Wanting others to feel the richness of their internal life
• Helping others find themselves
• Connection is the root of many creative endeavors
• Suffering is a character trait that serves writers well
• Patience/a long view is important when writing one book over many years
• Maturing out of immediate gratification
• Tragic humor and satire
• Embracing one’s own madness, coupled with self-compassion
• “Essentially we’re scripting our own lives continuously”
• No one can define great art, it has a transcendent quality
• Relying on the judgement of others to measure you
• Trusting informed readers for feedback
• We would be nothing without the love of other people
• Community makes you feel at home in the world
• Observing others as they journey through the world
• Conflict > Friction > Fire > Life, warmth, light…
• Writing “aggressive”, “racist”, “sexist” books
• Uncomfortability creates an opportunity to elevate consciousness
• The world is not static, we must constantly revise our approach
• “One should be happy to be confronted with a genuinely authentic new perspective”
• Yearning to be confronted by someone with your own flaw or bias
• We identify too much with our own thoughts and opinions
• Trained as a scientist - PhD in Research Psychology, specifically Social Cognition
• Taught college psych for 23 years
• Research him on Google scholar for his papers on human studies
• Advice to younger self: “Get help sooner.” (meds, therapy, yoga/meditation)
• 19 year yogi
• Play more
• Grieving when you can’t write
• Longest writing “slump”: current, 1 1/2 years…
• Novel writing comes from a different place, it’s like a puzzle

A taste:

• “We view our selves as western expansion does, an American cultural egotism that creates dynamism.”
• “Most of our rhetoric, our language, is oriented towards youth.”
• “The novelist mind requires that you see everything when you write one sentence.”

Favorite saying:
(He can’t remember. Ask his friends for the notes they take of the funny things he says.)

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@john_lofgren
@johnlofgrenbootmaker
johnlofgren.com

The scene:
We are in the private library of John’s friend Aris, surrounded by at least 5,000 books, in the Tower District of Fresno, CA on a sunny-cold winter day, bathing in the sunlight beaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. John has intentionally not listened to my other interviews, both of us wanting for each question to feel fresh and unrehearsed. We discover similar pasts in and ethical beliefs about fashion. Perseverance is a big takeaway. Join us in the speakeasy library for a value-driven conversation about dad-fashion and more important things.

Highlights:
+ Running a company in Japan (from the US)
+ Traveling for work and it feels like a vacation
+ Lived in Japan for 17 years
+ First went to Japan as a vintage buyer for a clothing co.
+ Yoga changed his life
+ We met through Keryn Nicholson the Hatter (episode 28)
+ Established his boot brand in 2010
+ An American buying US vintage for the Japanese market
+ Wearing replica vintage used to be scandalous
+ “Outdoor style” - function became fashion
+ Did not go to school (for fashion or shoemaking)
+ Insisted on “ethically made” from the onset
+ Where does the string that closes the bag that carries the boot come from?
+ But…where do the buckles REALLY come from?
+ Studied Cultural Anthropology
+ Doing it right is VERY expensive
+ Who are we giving our money to?  Who are we supporting?
+ Greenwashing
+ B Corp and “ethical verifications”
+ Doing something because it’s right (not for the credit)
+ Holding others accountable
+ Social responsibility
+ How to plant the seed to educate others to choose ethically made
+ The money you buy something with supports the government of the country it was made in (READ THAT AGAIN)
+ Our biggest vote in the world is with our dollars (Are we supporting regimes?)
+ Making the very best thing that you possibly can
+ The satisfaction of wearing something ethically untainted
+ Being painfully honest is helpful (low self esteem is unhelpful)
+ Dad was a farmer and did construction
+ Whatever you talk about doing is doable, but 99% of people don’t
+ Going broke…more than once (and being in real deep debt)
+ Losing everything in the 2011 earthquake tsunami
+ Looking for a lifestyle that’s a little less technology, a little more analog
+ Dear younger self: please do better in high school
+ You might know the language but if you don’t get the culture, you won’t last
+ Radical openness and radical listening

A taste:
“Maybe they sleep on it and maybe it’s like how that seed was planted in me when I was in Egypt when I was 21 years old, maybe sometime a little ways down the line they’ll think, ‘Hey, I’d like to see what it’s like to wear something that’s ethically made too, something that’s not tarnished with slave labor or child labor.” Even if it’s just one part of it - see what it’s like to own one thing that’s completely ethically made.”

“You’ve got to have some sort of personality trait that’s a little abnormal to do what we do, or everybody would do it, wouldn’t they?”

Favorite saying:
“The strongest of the fittest.”

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@robesp90

The scene:
We are in Manchaca, Texas on a warm evening in May, sitting at a wooden picnic table under an umbrella strung with cafe lights.  We’re about to head to the Manchaca Springs Saloon to continue hanging with the Model Citizens classic car club who are coming off a weekend of cruising after the Lone Star Roundup classic car show. It’s been epic. Scraping down Congress St. in a classic car parade is a definite bucket list item. Join us for a chill chat about drifting, racing, scraping, and making OCD your friend.

Highlights:
+ Classic car builder since 2018
+ Currently owns: ’65 bagged C10 (Chevy square body truck), ’65 4-door Chevy Nova (V8 swapped, Ford rear-end), ’71 wagon
+ Used to own: ’91 240 SX, imported from Japan…
+ Drift raced for 10-15 years
+ Learned to work on cars by racing them
+ Hand sketches all his design ideas
+ Works through Gringo’s Auto and Custom - an auto shop that does custom work
+ Model Citizens’ annual ‘Git Down at Manchaca Springs Saloon
+ Getting recognition for your passion
+ Grew up riding BMX and teaching himself to build
+ Enjoys teaching others what he has taught himself
+ Grew up in Manchaca, his grandparents live here
+ OCD helps him produce beautiful cars and complete jobs
+ Downside of OCD: exhaustion, burnout, not feeling appreciated
+ Community support keeps him on track and reconfirms his direction
+ Seeing your hard work pan out makes it all worthwhile
+ Trial and error all the time
+ Excitement about working with customers
+ Innovating classic cars through customization
+ Air ride, bags, hydraulics, scraping
+ “Scraping’s just a way of life”
+ It’s gotta go lower or higher - some things do need to be lifted
+ Working on cars (7 days/week) is tough on relationships
+ Life balance, relaxing in-between
+ Working for yourself, investing in yourself
+ You can make 10k+ competing in fishing (WTF!)
+ Being gifted with a mechanical mind and capable hands
+ True “failure” is something you can’t repair, most “accidents” are repairable

A taste:
“It’s basically OCD and obsession on everything and anything. Super crazy about what I do and then OCD enough to where everything has to be done right and finished. I hate unfinished projects.”

Favorite saying:
“Fuck around and find out.” 
(Try things, don’t give up, learn what you don’t know).

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@manchaca_springs_saloon

The scene:
We are in Manchaca, Texas (South Austin) sitting at an old wooden table inside the saloon (where we have taken at least one shot of tequila once upon a time…).  This place is what I would consider the ideal bar: decorated all over with badass collected artifacts, huge outdoor space with a stage for live music, and food trucks. Basically, one could live here. And Josh almost does. Not only is he here daily, but he lives down the road.  Join us in the saloon for the story of where Josh came from and how he ended up sitting across from me.

Highlights:
+ The annual “Git Down” classic car show at the saloon
+ Likes entertaining
+ A BBQ joint became the saloon
+ Business name: Rodriguez Rod and Cycles
+ Started painting lowrider bicycles when he was 13
+ 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe is his daily beater (it’s gorgeous)
+ Built every bike he ever had from scratch
+ Had his own TV show on the Discovery Channel: Texas Car Wars
+ Now he’s ready to chill (and wouldn’t do TV life again)
+ His uncle gave him his first paint gun
+ First car at 15: ’77 Monte Carlo dropped to the ground, primer grey with a red velvet interior
+ Lots of drag races, way too fast on motorcycles
+ Has taught a few painters - those who showed genuine interest
+ Grew up in South Austin - was the cool spot back in the 80’s
+ Manchaca is the last part of South Austin that feels like it hasn’t changed
+ Manchaca is in Travis County, not part of Austin City (so, still the wild west)
+ The history of Manchaca and the springs/Onion Creek dates to the 1400’s
+ Has found over 1000 arrowheads in the area since he was a kid
+ Grew up across from the green belt (literally a paradise)
+ Growing up shooting bb guns
+ Lost an eye at 4 years old (not from a bb gun, it made his other eye stronger)
+ Making OCD work for you - developing an acute sense of detail
+ Being a big risk-taker
+ “Nobody ever wakes up in the morning and says, “Man, I’m glad I did that cocaine.”
+ Being a fighter, staying one step ahead, nobody else gets the last word
+ Doing a lot for your community, and your community helping you
+ Grew up in a house full of people, and then invited all the neighbors over :)
+ Growing up fast (too fast)
+ He’s an old soul, living young soul lessons (over and over)
+ Making mistakes, recognizing them, and choosing better

A taste:
“I grew up in South Austin…it was really the cool spot in Austin back in the ’80’s during my era of growing up. Everybody was wearing cut-off blue jeans and had their hair cut long and drank a lot of beer and sat underneath all the trees at every park you could find. And nobody got in trouble or got fucked with.”

Favorite Sayings:
“Higher than giraffe pussy.”
“You should only regret something once.”
"To thine own self be true."
"Always keep your mind open - there’s always two sides to the story."
"Keep your eyes open, and your ear to the ground."
"Be grateful for every new day."

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Love, Sagewolf xoxo