The Smoke Trail

Luke Wallin

The Garden, the Practice, and the Merge

Episode Metadata

Slug: GUEST-WALLIN-LUKE

Season: 2

Episode: 43 (Season 2, Guest Episode 2)

Arc: Consciousness Frameworks & Healing Science (primary); Spiritual Discernment & Navigation (secondary)

Guest: Luke Wallin (returning — Season 1 Episode 7)

Relationship: Smoke's father

Recorded: April 29, 2026, in person, Sedona, Arizona

Status: Filmed — ready for post-production

Guest book: The Night We Call the Owls (Ember Press, 2023)

Guest Bio

Luke Wallin is a writer, philosopher, and seeker with forty-six years of teaching across philosophy, fiction writing, American studies, and English. He holds an MFA in Fiction Writing from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, an MA in Philosophy from the University of Alabama, and a Master of Regional Planning from UMass Amherst. He has taught philosophy at the School of Visual Arts, American studies as a Fulbright Fellow at University College Dublin, English at UMass Dartmouth, and writing in the Spalding University MFA program.

His novels have been selected as best books by the American Library Association and the New York Public Library, translated into Danish, and recorded for the blind by the Library of Congress. He is co-author with his daughter Eva Sage Gordon Raleigh of The Everything Guide to Writing Children's Books. His most recent book is The Night We Call the Owls, a collection of poems and stories from Ember Press, 2023.

Luke first appeared on The Smoke Trail in Season 1 Episode 7, where he and Smoke went deep into philosophy, nature, and creativity as survival tools for the soul. This second conversation is different. After a lifetime in scientific materialism and analytic philosophy, something shifted three years ago when Smoke visited him. He returns now as a man who has lived through what he had always told his students: that reality is going to turn out to be much stranger than anyone thinks.

Episode Hook

Three years ago I went to visit my father, Luke, and something shifted. He had spent a lifetime in philosophy, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, decades of teaching, the whole architecture of Western analytic thought, and he had always told his students one thing: reality is going to turn out to be much stranger than you think. What he didn't expect was to live long enough to find out he was right. This is the second conversation. The first was deep in the woods. This one is where the woods led.

Show Notes

•  The boy in the garden at 7: oak bark pressed to the eyeball trying to find what made one tree different from its identical neighbor, Ginger the Cocker Spaniel as constant companion, the early intuition that the universe is contained in every speck — and the lifetime of philosophy spent traveling back to what that boy already knew

•  Boredom as a gift: the lost developmental capacity to sit with nothing, develop the will, and discover that the 80,000 to 90,000 thoughts streaming through the mind each day are not the same thing as the self

•  The Idaho fire lookout tower at 19: a whole summer alone on a mountaintop watching shadows, eagles, grouse, and bears — sometimes lonely, never bored, the early evidence that presence is its own form of company

•  The shift three years ago: scientific materialism, the residual skepticism, and the moment a son's lived experience cleared what a thousand books couldn't — including Luke's resistance to David Hawkins, and the eventual full immersion (audiobooks while mowing the grass)

•  Why academia — the institution structurally designed for open inquiry — has become one of the hardest places to honestly explore consciousness: tenure, peer review, and the social cost of taking telepathy or reincarnation seriously even when the evidence is good (Jeffrey Kripal, Dean Radin, The Telepathy Tapes)

•  Suspending disbelief as a practice: not the leap of faith, but the willingness to hold a question open long enough to test it directly

•  Rebecca Johnson and Presence Practice: the small Sunday night Zoom meditation group, why "transformational listening" is structurally different from interior meditation, and what changes after a year of being quietly present with strangers

•  The bodies of light: what happened the first night Luke closed Zoom and asked if the group could still be there — fifteen luminous presences appearing in his loft, then twenty-four a week later, still accessible whenever he turns toward them

•  The laser surgery merge: the Jeff Mara podcast interview with the Irish doctor's near-death experience as the conceptual primer, and the unmistakable felt experience three weeks later of Luke's etheric body and the surgeon's etheric body rising, meeting, and merging during a thirty-hole laser procedure

•  A new theory of intimacy: why sex is a bigger deal than the standard explanations account for, why crowded subways feel intolerable, and why some merges are sacred and others violating

•  The eye that self-healed: the macular hole diagnosed in June, Smoke's remote work with energy balancing by numbers and the quantum block, the September appointment where the surgeon said only one to two percent of people have this close on its own

•  The Seth material channeled by Jane Roberts, Dean Radin's Real Magic, and Tom Campbell's My Big TOE: imagination as a portal, the field of love as the operating substrate, and why setting intention into the field works while gripping the outcome with the conscious mind does not

•  Attention and intention as the highest sovereign powers a human being has — and the daily cost of letting the ego mind run them by default

•  The Gift of a Practice: ask to meet your guardian angel — a specific, simple, unguarded practice anyone can begin this week without a teacher, a group, or a tradition

•  A closing challenge to the determinist: choose what you give your attention to, set an intention, and watch. If outcome is determined, lucky you. If not, you helped. Either way, the practice is participation.

Key Moments From the Conversation

The Boy in the Garden

Luke describes a childhood lived on a hilltop with woods behind the house, hours alone, and the early intuition that nothing anyone said about nature was adequate to what nature actually was. Two red oak trees in the yard, identical in size and appearance, became his first philosophical problem — the ancient question of universals and particulars discovered in a 7-year-old's hands. He pressed his eyeball to the bark trying to find the unique signature of one tree against the other. Smoke names it: a child's intuition that the whole universe is contained in every speck.

"I had always told my students: reality is going to turn out to be much stranger than you think. And you should always keep that in mind. It just deepens the wonder."

— Luke Wallin

Boredom as a Gift

Luke had hours...

S 2 E 4 2   •   T H E   S M O K E   T R A I L

Pain Into Purpose

A Conversation with Travis Suit

On a daughter’s diagnosis that became a fifteen-year awakening - and what a broken heart builds when you let it lead.

Episode Intro (Recorded Voiceover)

Episode 42 I’m super excited about. My guest is my good friend, Travis Suit. Travis’s daughter Piper was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in 2011. He was already building businesses, chasing his dream, and everything he’d built became kinda meaningless overnight. Most people would call what happened next a crisis. Travis calls it an initiation. This is the story of what a broken heart builds when you let it lead.

About Travis Suit

Travis Suit is a social impact entrepreneur, conscious leadership coach, and visionary founder of Piper’s Angels Foundation and The Crossing For Cystic Fibrosis. He is currently President of the Board of Piper’s Angels Foundation, a holistic coach, certified qigong teacher, Kriya Yoga teacher, Reiki practitioner, and psychedelic-assisted therapy guide. He co-hosts The Wisdom Matrix podcast, which launches the same day this episode airs.

Episode Summary

Smoke opens Season 2 with a homecoming. Travis Suit and Smoke met three years ago in a ceremony in North Carolina, where Travis held Smoke through one of the most intense clearings of his life - the night that became the turning point in Smoke’s decision to stop drinking after forty years. They haven’t sat down to talk about it until now.

Piper was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age 4 in 2011, one year after Travis’s sister LeeAnn received her own delayed diagnosis at 40. Travis names the years that followed in his own words: the dark night of the soul. Burnout, breakdown, then a copy of Buddha Walks Into a Bar at a bookstore - three days of 45-minute sits and what Travis believes was his first Samadhi. His first Ayahuasca journey came in 2015. A decade of plant medicine and purification followed, alongside qigong, Kriya Yoga, and Reiki.

From that ground, the episode delivers some of the most transferable teaching in the Smoke Trail catalog. Forrest Knutson’s bridge between Kriya Yoga and neurology. The Hakala technique from the Kahunas of Hawaii - peripheral vision as a neurological driver into what Travis calls the place “where we Google God.” And a live, on-air qigong practice - Monkey Washes the Fruit - that listeners can do alongside in sixty seconds. Piper is now thriving.

Show Notes

• 2011 - Piper diagnosed at age 4, one year after Travis’s sister LeeAnn was diagnosed at 40. Travis and sister Nikki later diagnosed with a rare mild form.

• The bookstore Samadhi - Buddha Walks Into a Bar, three days of 45-minute sits, and the second meditation that became Travis’s first Samadhi.

• First Ayahuasca, 2015 - and the decade of plant medicine that followed (Ayahuasca, Wachuma, MDMA, psilocybin, Bufo, Kambo) alongside the systematic dropping of alcohol, weed, and caffeine.

• The North Carolina ceremony - where Travis and Smoke met, told live for the first time.

• Forrest Knutson and the right hippocampus - where Kriya Yoga meets contemporary neurology, and what NYC taxi drivers can teach you about expanded consciousness.

• The Hakala technique from the Kahunas of Hawaii - peripheral vision as the neurological driver Travis calls “where we Google God.”

• Monkey Washes the Fruit - a live, on-air qigong practice listeners can do in 60 seconds.

• Hawkins and entrainment - why both Travis and Smoke calibrate against the Map of Consciousness, and why Travis named his son Hawkins.

• Ceremonial Reiki - Travis’s service work in plant medicine ceremonies, having guided dozens into their first non-dual experience.

• Piper’s story now - a life-changing drug at 12, one hospitalization in six years since, lung function regained, a normal high school life.

Take-Home Lessons

1. Pain is not the obstacle to a meaningful life. It is, frequently, the precondition for one. The breakdown is often the doorway onto the trail.

2. Travis didn’t wait to be healed before he started serving. He was “rebuilding my dreams with a broken heart” while building the foundation. Service and healing happened in parallel - and likely because they happened in parallel.

3. Crisis precedes transformation. Barbara Marx Hubbard’s line - and the structural pattern of Travis’s life. Each crisis a doorway.

4. The peripheral vision technique is real, neurologically grounded, and free. Try it the next time you walk into a difficult room. This is not a metaphor - it is a hardware feature of how the brain accesses receptive states.

5. Higher coherence energies always entrain the lower. You do not have to fix a turbulent room. Sitting in deep stillness and peace is itself enough to transmute the denser energies in a space.

Pull Quotes - From the Conversation

“We very rarely slow down and just look into each other’s eyes and appreciate what’s looking through.”  - Travis

“The deep right brain will hold presence. The deep right brain is where we Google God.”  - Travis

“It’s just energy. Just let it process.”  - Travis (in the NC ceremony, recalled by Smoke)

“My intention is always just to be a mirror of unconditional love.”  - Travis

“What I used to think was paranormal has now become my normal.”  - Travis

“The real qigong is the qigong we do all day long.”  - Travis

“What a broken heart builds when you let it lead.”  - Smoke (cold open)

Pull Quotes - Travis’s Favorite Teachers

From his official packet. Use for graphics paired with the episode.

“Crisis precedes transformation.”  - Barbara Marx Hubbard

“Remembering to remember is success.”  - Sri Nisargadatta

“It takes very special eyes to see God in everything.”  - Neem Karoli Baba

“I of my own self can do nothing, it is the Father within that doeth the works.”  - Christ Jesus

“The energy system is wearing the body.”  - Lee Holden

Connect With Travis

• Piper’s Angels Foundation: pipersangels.org
• The Crossing For Cystic Fibrosis: crossingforcysticfibrosis.com
• The Wisdom Matrix Podcast: wherever you get podcasts
• Instagram: @travis_suit
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/travis-suit-049aaa55
• Facebook: facebook.com/travis.suit

Connect With Smoke & The Smoke Trail

• Substack: smokewallin.substack.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@SmokeWallinOfficial
• All platforms: thesmoketrail.transistor.fm
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/smokewallin
• Instagram: @smoketrailpodcast | @smokewallin
• X: @TheSmokeTrail1 | @SmokeWallin
• TikTok: @smokewallin
• Website: smokewallin.com/the-smoke-trail-podcast

Hashtags

#TheSmokeTrail  #ConsciousLeadership  #SpiritualAwakening  #PainIntoPurpose  #PipersAngels  #CysticFibrosis  #PlantMedicine&...

THE SMOKE TRAIL

Season 2, Episode 41

Welcome to Season Two: From Discovery to the Map

Episode Summary

After three months off to finish the manuscript of A Smoke Trail to the Fire Within, Smoke returns with the season two opener. This episode is the threshold. Season one was discovery. Season two is the map.

Smoke opens with a morning prayer he carries from a coach in one of his groups, then reads a passage from Sri Aurobindo's The Life Divine, Volume Two. The frame is set. We are spiritual beings with amnesia. The work is to remember, and then to bring the divine into the body, the day, the deal, the room. Not the cave. The world.

THE MORNING PRAYER

Let me awaken every morning and be thankful for what God has brought me.

Let me awaken every morning knowing things are as they are meant to be.

Let me awaken every morning knowing life is a journey and I am just a part.

Let me awaken every morning knowing the day will bring challenges, opportunities, and learning experiences.

Let me awaken every morning with self-love and self-acceptance, so I may be more tolerant of myself and others.

Let me awaken every morning with an open heart, so love may rush in and out like the tide of the mighty ocean.

~

From there he lays out the architecture of the season. He recaps the forty episodes of season one across five buckets, names the three listeners this season is built for, and walks through the Johari Window as the working lens for everything that follows. He closes with the arc that mirrors the manuscript: awakening, wisdom, the work, and living awake.

If you arrived in season one, this is your re-entry. If this is your first episode, this is the doorway.

In This Episode

•      The morning prayer Smoke uses to set trajectory before the day touches him.

•      Sri Aurobindo on the divine life and why awakening is not retreat but embodiment.

•      Spiritual beings with amnesia. Why the human task is remembering, and why remembering must come back into form.

•      The Johari Window as a consciousness lens. Open, hidden, blind, and unknown unknown. The fourth quadrant is where shadow work lives.

•      Season one in five buckets. Consciousness frameworks, awakening stories, purpose and second mountain, spiritual discernment, and practical tools.

•      The three listeners season two is built for. The analytical skeptic. The experienced seeker who bypassed the shadow. The leader ready to live.

•      Emotional energy hairballs. Why unresolved trauma blocks higher states, and why clearing them returns your power.

•      Pinocchio as parable. The plant medicine vision that reframed a children's story as a teaching on becoming real.

•      The season two arc mirrors the book. Awakening, wisdom east and west, the work, and living awake.

The Lens: Johari Window

Smoke uses the Johari Window throughout the manuscript and will use it across the season. Four quadrants:

•      Open. Known to self, known to others.

•      Hidden. Known to self, hidden from others. Sharing here builds bonding and trust.

•      Blind. Hidden from self, seen by others. Surfaces through reflection, feedback, safe containers.

•      Unknown unknown. Hidden from self, hidden from others. Where deep shadow lives. Early trauma, the things we fear most to look at, and the very things that hold the most power once seen.

Every episode this season moves something from blind or unknown into open. That is the practice.

Season One Recap: Forty Episodes, Five Buckets

Consciousness Frameworks and Healing Science

Solo episodes plus conversations with Dr. Michael Brabant, Dani Brooks, Ivan Rados, Susan Hassen (Quantum Sphere Healing), Dr. Jere, and Liv Fisch.

Awakening Stories with Business Leaders

Sarah Fruehling, Jack Maxwell, Justin Breen, Zineb El Ouazzani, Rob Follows, Rob Hersov, Andrew Lobo, Seth Streeter, Jeremiah Boucher, and Jeff Brothers.

Purpose, Service, and the Second Mountain

Shireen Hafeez, Elizabeth Funk (DignityMoves), Robert Vera, John D'Attoma (SACRID), and Kamal Ravikant.

Spiritual Discernment and Navigation

Luke Wallin, Steve Hershberger, Chris Clements, Mark Walker, Sarah Elkhaldy, plus Smoke's solo episodes on the denial of evil and the false light, and a conversation with Jonette Crowley on the eagle and the condor.

Practical Tools and Solo Teaching

Audience Q and A sessions, a conversation with Dave Garrison, and solo episodes on trajectory, empathy versus compassion, and health.

Who Season Two Is For

The Analytical Skeptic

Mechanism first. Predictive processing, Hawkins, three thousand years of wisdom tradition. The science comes first because the mind needs permission to relax before it can let the body know what the body already knows.

The Experienced Seeker

You have done the reading. You have the framework. You still feel stuck. The likely cause is bypassing. The likely fix is shadow work. Season two names the gap and shows the way through.

The Leader Ready to Live

Done performing. Ready for real. The fan in the back of the head. The anxiety that will not name itself. Season two is the map for the leader who has the success and now wants the substance.

The Season Two Arc

The arc mirrors the manuscript. Roughly twenty-two solo episodes carry the structure. A similar number of guest conversations bring the lived terrain.

Awakening

What is it. The scientific lens. Psychology and quantum physics as bridges, not endpoints.

Wisdom, East and West

Christian mystics: Meister Eckhart, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, The Cloud of Unknowing. The Buddha. The Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. The New Thought movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. What they all said in common, beneath the language and the centuries.

The Work

Shadow work. Clearing the subconscious. Alchemizing what trauma left stuck. The emotional energy hairballs that block higher states until they are met, named, and transformed.

Living Awake

Purpose. Discernment. Sacred geometry. The fire within that is revealed once the purification is done.

Quotable Moments

"We are all spiritual beings with amnesia. The process of spiritual awakening is remembering."

"Season one ...

Episode 40: Epic Journey - Activating Abundance with Justin Breen

Guest Bio

Justin Breen is a visionary entrepreneur, bestselling author, and founder of BrEpic Communications, a PR firm connecting global leaders. His books include Epic Business and Epic Journey, the latter a tribute to warrior spirits like his WWII hero dad, exploring higher consciousness, deconstruction, and no-excuses purpose. A former journalist, Justin activates abundance through mindset shifts, serving humanity while prioritizing loved ones. He mentors visionaries, emphasizing Gene Keys and pattern recognition for personal evolution.

Setting

Recorded in the majestic red rock vistas of Sedona, Arizona, symbolizing profound paths and awakening. The serene environment enhances the dialogue on visionary journeys and global consciousness, fostering an epic, introspective conversation.

Summary

In this return episode, Smoke welcomes back Justin Breen to discuss his new book Epic Journey, blending WWII heroism, deconstruction, and activating abundance. They explore Gene Keys assessments revealing Justin and Smoke as visionary aliens on unique paths, overcoming setbacks to change global consciousness. Justin shares shifting from epic anxiety to abundance, prioritizing family, and connecting high-level leaders through pattern recognition apps like The Pattern. The conversation emphasizes no-excuses purpose, deconstruction for growth, and serving humanity while putting loved ones first in chaotic times.

Learnings

• Gene Keys Insights: Assessments reveal unique paths—visionaries face setbacks but lead global shifts; use for self-understanding and relationships.
• Deconstruction to Abundance: Break down old patterns to rebuild—shift from anxiety to purpose through mindset and action.
• Pattern Recognition Tools: Apps like The Pattern match energies for partnerships; blend AI with intuition for compatible connections.
• No-Excuses Purpose: Live with warrior spirit—serve humanity but family first; abundance flows from aligned actions.
• Mentorship Evolution: Guidance from mentors like Smoke accelerates growth; pay it forward by connecting visionaries.

Universal Truths

• Visionaries forge alone: Unique paths involve setbacks but elevate consciousness—embrace as destiny.
• Deconstruction rebuilds: Anxiety transforms to abundance through breaking down and purposeful reconstruction.
• Patterns guide connections: Energy matches (e.g., via apps) foster strong relationships and collaborations.
• Family anchors purpose: Serve the world but prioritize loved ones—no-excuses living creates true fulfillment.
• Abundance is activation: Mindset shifts and actions unlock prosperity—serve humanity from a place of love.

Examples

• Gene Keys Revelation: Justin's assessment: no one to follow, visionary alien changing consciousness; Smoke's AI synthesis confirmed similar path.
• Epic Journey Book: Tribute to dad's WWII heroism; explores deconstruction, abundance, and serving while family-first.
• The Pattern App: Justin's dating match via energy patterns; blends assessments for friendships or romance.
• Anxiety to Abundance: Justin overcame epic anxiety post-journalism; now activates purpose through PR and mentoring.
• Family Priority: Justin's wife and kids as core; balances global impact with home life in chaotic world.

Smoke Trail Threads

• Builds on Episode 6 (Justin's first) by updating his journey to Epic Journey and abundance activation.
• Echoes Episode 29 on health/consciousness, linking deconstruction to mindset shifts for wholeness.
• Connects to Episode 30 (Seth Streeter) on purpose, emphasizing no-excuses living beyond metrics.
• Ties to The Smoke Trail’s Guide to Raising Consciousness for Leaders sections on mindset and resilience, offering Gene Keys as tools.

 • • References solo questions from Episodes 1-15 on purpose and forgiveness, as pathways to visionary paths.

Episode 39: Loving Yourself Changes Everything with Tech VC and Entrepreneur Kamal Ravikant

Guest Bio

Kamal Ravikant is a tech entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and bestselling author of Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It. He has meditated with Tibetan monks in the Dalai Lama's monastery, served in the US Army infantry, walked 550 miles across Spain on the Camino de Santiago, and invested in/mentored influential Silicon Valley startups. His book shares a radical self-growth practice born from personal rock bottom, offering a dynamic, vulnerable guide to overcoming sadness and embracing self-love as a life-changing force.

Setting

Recorded in the breathtaking red rock landscape of Sedona, Arizona, with views symbolizing inner transformation and renewal. The serene backdrop enhances the discussion on self-love and awakening, fostering a reflective, heart-centered dialogue.

Summary

In this inspiring episode, Smoke interviews Kamal Ravikant, met at Genius Network, about his bestselling book Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It and its profound message. Kamal shares his rock bottom after a startup failure—depression, isolation, and a turning point vow to love himself. They explore the simple practice (mantra, mirror work, meditation), its roots in his diverse experiences (army, Camino, monks), and how self-love transformed his life, relationships, and success. The conversation emphasizes consistency, integration into daily routines, and self-love as the foundation for everything—elevating consciousness, leadership, and joy amid challenges.

Learnings

• Self-Love Vow: Commit to "I love myself" as a daily mantra—repeat it mentally to rewire the brain, turning it from words to embodied truth.
• Mirror Practice: Look in the mirror, say "I love myself," and hold eye contact—builds self-acceptance, especially during low moments.
• Meditation Integration: Use the mantra in meditation or with music (e.g., 7-minute loops) to deepen internal shifts, making self-love a habit.
• Consistency Over Perfection: Practice daily, even briefly—cumulative effort leads to profound changes, like improved decisions and relationships.
• Apply to Leadership: Self-love enhances empathy and resilience in business—frees leaders from ego, enabling better support for teams and ventures.

Universal Truths

• Self-love changes everything: It's the foundation for health, success, and relationships—without it, external achievements feel empty.
• Simple practices yield profound results: A mantra or vow, done consistently, rewires the mind and attracts aligned opportunities.
• Rock bottoms are catalysts: Failure and despair prompt vows that transform life—embrace them as paths to awakening.
• Love is an inside job: True fulfillment comes from self-acceptance, not external validation—integrates all experiences into growth.
• Embodiment over intellect: Feel self-love in the body through repetition—unlocks joy, presence, and magnetic living.

Examples

• Startup Rock Bottom: After a failed venture with investor losses, Kamal hit depression—his "I love myself" vow sparked recovery and the book.
• Mantra Loop Creation: Kamal made a 7-minute audio repeating "I love myself" with music—listened constantly to internalize the message.
• Camino Walk Insight: Walking 550 miles across Spain reinforced self-love—solitude and blisters taught presence and self-compassion.
• Mirror Work Evolution: Starting awkwardly, Kamal built to loving his reflection—now a daily practice for grounding and decisions.
• Book Impact: Written vulnerably during turnaround, it became a bestseller—readers report life changes, echoing Kamal's transformation.

Smoke Trail Threads

• Echoes Episode 29 on health as consciousness, linking self-love to inner healing and embodiment for wholeness.
• Builds on Episode 30 (Seth Streeter) by shifting from external success to heart-centered purpose through simple practices.
• Connects to Episode 32 (Alissa Allen) on unitive intelligence, emphasizing self-love as a bridge for mind-body-spirit integration.
• Ties to The Smoke Trail’s Guide to Raising Consciousness for Leaders sections on mindset shifts and emotional processing, offering mantra as a tool.
• References solo questions from Episodes 1-15 on forgiveness and resilience, as pathways to self-love and transformation.

Episode 38: Going Deep - Consciousness, Presence, and San Pedro with Jeff Brothers

Guest Bio

Jeff Brothers has spent his life at the intersection of ecology, leadership, and spiritual awakening. After building one of California’s largest cut-flower enterprises and later developing utility-scale solar projects across the West, Jeff realized that true regeneration begins not on the land, but in the heart.

A deeply transformative encounter with San Pedro cactus shifted his life’s trajectory, calling him toward service, ceremony, and conscious leadership. Today he is the founder of Shine Ministries and steward of Circles of San Pedro, two intertwined efforts dedicated to reconnecting humanity with nature through sacred practice, community gardens, and regenerative agriculture.

Jeff oversees the planting of hundreds of thousands of San Pedro cacti across California, Baja, and the Southwest, while training leaders, facilitators, and land stewards in heart-centered living. His work honors spiritual integrity, ecological balance, and the sacred lineage of this master plant teacher.

Jeff is a longtime YPO member and speaks globally about awakening, leadership, and integrating higher purpose into one’s life and work.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Conscious leadership
• Psychedelic & spiritual awakening
• Regenerative agriculture & land stewardship
• Building purpose-driven organizations
• San Pedro lineage, ceremony, and integration
• Trauma healing & heart-centered masculinity
• Scaling impact in spiritual communities
• Navigating dharma, identity shifts, and reinvention

SIGNATURE TOPICS FOR THIS PODCAST

1. Awakening From Achievement: Why traditional success stops working
2. The San Pedro Path: A plant teacher that opens the heart and reconnects us to nature
3. Regenerative Leadership: Bringing sacred values into business, family, and community
4. Building Shine Ministries: A new model for spiritual service and ecological impact
5. Ceremony in Modern Life: How to integrate awakening without blowing up your life
6. The Future of Community Gardens & Sacred Agriculture
7. How CEOs Transform: A roadmap for leaders ready to live with purpose

WHY JEFF IS RELEVANT NOW

• The world is in a crisis of meaning
• Leaders are burning out
• Psychedelic awakening is outpacing integration
• Regenerative agriculture is emerging as a global necessity
• People are hungry for grounded, heart-centered guidance rooted in lived experience

Jeff speaks directly to these awakenings with depth, humility, humor, and lived wisdom.

Setting

Recorded in the majestic red rock vistas of Sedona, Arizona, after an intimate ridge hike that bonded host and guest with nature. The serene, magical environment—frequented by Jeff's parents for 25 years—mirrors the episode's themes of reconnection, awakening, and heart-centered presence.

Summary

In this profound episode, Smoke interviews longtime YPO friend Jeff Brothers on his journey from achievement-driven business to heart-centered spiritual service. Jeff shares starting meditation at 14 amid family alcoholism and divorce, building a cut-flower empire and solar projects, and a transformative San Pedro cactus encounter that shifted him toward regeneration. They explore conscious leadership, integrating awakening without disruption, San Pedro's sacred lineage as a heart-opening teacher, and building Shine Ministries/Circles of San Pedro for cacti planting, ceremonies, and community gardens. The conversation emphasizes dharma, trauma healing, masculine presence, and navigating midlife identity shifts for purpose-driven living in chaotic times.

Learnings

• Heart-Centered Regeneration: True ecological and personal healing starts internally—shift from land-focused work to awakening the heart for lasting impact.
• San Pedro as Teacher: This plant medicine opens the heart, reconnects with nature, and integrates awakening gently, honoring lineages through ethical stewardship.
• Conscious Leadership Integration: Blend spirituality with business/family; navigate dharma shifts without "blowing up" life, using presence for balanced decisions.
• Trauma to Purpose: Turn family challenges (e.g., alcoholism) into service—early meditation builds resilience, leading to mentoring and community building.
• Scale Sacred Impact: Plant sacred cacti ethically, train facilitators, and create gardens to foster spiritual integrity, ecological balance, and collective awakening.

Universal Truths

• Regeneration begins within: External success (business/land) fades without heart awakening—true change honors inner ecology for outer harmony.
• Plant medicines guide gently: San Pedro teaches presence and reconnection, opening hearts without extremes, when approached with integrity.
• Dharma evolves midlife: Traditional achievement stops working—embrace identity shifts through ceremony and service for purposeful reinvention.
• Masculinity heals through presence: Heart-centered men integrate trauma, leading with empathy to foster safe, regenerative communities.
• Nature reconnects humanity: Sacred practices and gardens restore balance—honor lineages to scale spiritual awakening ethically in crisis times.

Examples

• Early Meditation Start: At 14, amid mom's alcoholism and parents' divorce, Jeff began meditating—rejecting cannabis for inner clarity, building lifelong resilience.
• San Pedro Awakening: A profound encounter shifted Jeff from solar projects to planting 100,000+ cacti, founding Shine Ministries for ceremonies and stewardship.
• YPO Global Summit Bond: Smoke and Jeff connected at an intimate event, leading to this Sedona recording after a bonding hike.
• Business to Service Transition: From California's largest cut-flower enterprise to regenerative agriculture, Jeff integrates sacred values into leadership and community gardens.
• Dharma Navigation: Jeff mentors CEOs on awakening without disruption, using San Pedro's gentle heart-opening for balanced, purpose-driven lives.

Smoke Trail Threads

• Echoes Episode 34 (Jonette Crowley) on mystical journeys, linking San Pedro's plant medicine to higher dimensions and soul embodiment.
• Builds on Episode 30 (Seth Streeter) by exploring midlife purpose shifts, integrating heart-centered leadership beyond metrics.
• Connects to Episode 32 (Alissa Allen) on science-spirit unity, emphasizing San Pedro's ecological/spiritual balance for unitive intelligence.
• References solo questions from Episodes 1-15 on presence and dharma, as pathways to regenerative living.

The Smoke Trail S1 Episode 37: John D'Attoma Helping Kids and Family Victims of Child Sexual Abuse

https://kidsaresacred.org/donate/ 

Guest Bio

John D’Attoma is a nonprofit founder and executive leader with decades of experience in entrepreneurship, executive management, and business development. Throughout his career, he has built and led organizations with an emphasis on strategic growth, operational efficiency, and strong leadership—experience he now brings directly into his nonprofit work. He is the co- founder of Sexually Abused Children’s Relief Endeavor (SACRED), the only nonprofit in the country providing immediate financial assistance to families after a child discloses sexual abuse. SACRED was born from personal experience, after John’s granddaughters were sexually abused by their father and his family faced an unexpected financial crisis. Working exclusively with accredited Child Advocacy Centers, SACRED provides 30 days of essential living expenses, with approvals made within hours and funds distributed within 24 hours. Since its founding, SACRED has helped more than 1600 children and 589 families, ensuring families can focus on healing without the added burden of financial instability.

Setting

Recorded in the transformative red rock landscape of Sedona, Arizona, evoking renewal and strength amid heavy topics. The serene environment contrasts with the episode's focus on trauma and healing, creating a supportive space for open dialogue on child advocacy.

Summary

In this heartfelt episode, Smoke interviews friend and SACRED co-founder John D’Attoma about the nonprofit's mission to provide immediate financial relief to families after child sexual abuse disclosure. John shares the origin story—sparked by his granddaughters' abuse by their father, leading to family crisis—and how SACRED fills a critical gap by covering 30 days of essentials within 24 hours via Child Advocacy Centers. They discuss the devastating impacts of abuse, the need for quick support, SACRED's growth (helping 1600+ children), and future expansion. Smoke reflects on his involvement, emphasizing empathy, awareness, and collective action to protect children and aid healing in turbulent times.

Learnings Healing After Abuse - John D’Attoma on SACRED's Mission

• Immediate Relief Model: Provide fast financial aid (within 24 hours) for essentials like rent and food, allowing families to prioritize healing over survival during crisis.
• Partner with Experts: Work exclusively with accredited Child Advocacy Centers for verification and distribution, ensuring aid reaches verified victims efficiently.
• Focus on Family Stability: Cover 30 days of living expenses to prevent added trauma from financial ruin, enabling focus on therapy and recovery.
• Raise Awareness Proactively: Educate communities on child abuse signs and resources; early intervention can prevent cycles of harm.
• Scale Through Empathy: Build nonprofits from personal experience—turn pain into purpose by mentoring and expanding to serve more families nationwide.

Universal Truths

• Trauma demands swift support: Immediate aid transforms crisis into healing, preventing financial burdens from compounding emotional pain.
• Empathy drives change: Personal experiences fuel impactful action; turning suffering into service creates lasting good for others.
• Children need protection: Abuse thrives in silence—awareness and resources break cycles, fostering safer communities.
• Healing is holistic: Address financial, emotional, and legal needs together; stability enables true recovery and resilience.
• Collective responsibility elevates: Society's role in child welfare is sacred—empathy and action from all create a world where victims thrive.

Examples

• Granddaughters' Disclosure: John's older granddaughter revealed abuse in a cab, leading to family crisis and SACRED's founding after financial hardships.
• Rapid Aid Process: SACRED approves funds in hours via CACs, distributing within 24 hours—e.g., covering rent to prevent eviction during investigations.
• Impact Stats: Helped 589 families and 1600+ children, focusing on essentials to allow therapy without added stress.
• Personal Motivation: John's liquor industry background shifted to nonprofit work, inspired by his family's ordeal to prevent similar suffering.
• Expansion Vision: From one state to nationwide, partnering with CACs and donors to scale aid and awareness.

Smoke Trail Threads

• Echoes Episode 29 on health and consciousness, linking trauma healing to financial stability for wholeness.
• Builds on Episode 31 (Tony Denison) by addressing recovery from abuse, emphasizing empathy and action in healing journeys.
• Connects to Episode 30 (Seth Streeter) on purpose-driven lives, showing how personal pain fuels nonprofit leadership.
• Ties to The Smoke Trail’s Guide to Raising Consciousness for Leaders sections on resilience and emotional processing, offering SACRED as a model for service.
• References solo questions from Episodes 1-15 on forgiveness and purpose, as pathways to turning trauma into impact.

The Smoke Trail S1 Episode 36: Finding Your Edge the Right Way with Jeremiah Boucher

Guest Bio

Jeremiah Boucher is the Founder & CEO of Patriot Holdings, a real estate private equity firm specializing in cycle-resilient commercial real estate. He began his career by cold calling property owners and negotiating deals directly—an operator-first foundation that has scaled into a vertically integrated platform controlling acquisitions through dispositions in-house. Jeremiah personally sourced more than 100 mobile home park acquisitions between 2010–2018, earning recognition as one of the nation’s most active buyers. He also led the expansion of All Purpose Storage into a Top-40 national self-storage operator. His hallmark is off-market origination, acquiring assets at 10–50% below replacement cost, then driving value through operational excellence. He is the author of Finding Your Edge and a sought-after keynote speaker. A two-time marathon finisher and lifelong martial artist, Jeremiah brings the same endurance, focus, and discipline to business as to his personal pursuits. His guiding philosophy: protect the downside, align deeply with investors, and deliver durable long-term returns. Play long-term games with long-term people, and do business with those people again and again.

Setting

Recorded in the inspiring red rock landscape of Sedona, Arizona, with majestic views symbolizing resilience and growth. The serene backdrop aligns with themes of internal journeys and overcoming challenges, fostering an authentic dialogue on entrepreneurship and purpose.

Summary

In this motivating episode, Smoke interviews Jeremiah Boucher, met at Genius Network, about his passionate "why" talk and journey from Vegas origins to real estate success. Jeremiah shares his "quarters" life analogy—dividing experiences into segments like early struggles, building wealth, awakening, and giving back—emphasizing internal growth over external metrics. They discuss mindset shifts, spirituality in business, pain as privilege, leading teams with empathy, and mentoring others. Jeremiah recounts deals, failures, and how consciousness elevates leadership, urging listeners to find their "edge" through purpose and service in chaotic times.

Learnings

• Quarters Analogy for Life: Divide your journey into phases (e.g., survival, success, awakening, legacy)—reflect on each to gain wisdom and guide future actions.
• Internal Over External: Entrepreneurship's true gift is who you become; prioritize mindset, spirituality, and relationships over deals for sustainable fulfillment.
• Pain as Privilege: Embrace hardships as growth opportunities; use them to build resilience and empathy, turning personal struggles into leadership strengths.
• Lead with Empathy: In business, treat teams like family—provide support, share purpose, and give back to foster loyalty and collective success.
• Mentor and Give Back: After achieving wealth, focus on legacy through teaching; share stories and tools to help others avoid pitfalls and find their edge.

Universal Truths

• Who we become matters most: External success fades; internal evolution through mindset and purpose creates lasting impact and joy.
• Pain fuels growth: Challenges are privileges that build character—embrace them to transcend limitations and lead authentically.
• Business is spiritual: Integrate consciousness with commerce; empathy and purpose elevate teams, deals, and personal fulfillment.
• Legacy through service: True wealth is giving back—mentor others to multiply impact, turning individual journeys into collective elevation.
• Edge from alignment: Find your "why" to navigate chaos; purpose-driven actions create magnetic success beyond grinding.

Examples

• Genius Network Talk: Jeremiah's vulnerable "Pain is a Privilege" speech resonated deeply, highlighting internal journeys amid speakers like Dr. Phil.
• Quarters Journey: From survival (Vegas struggles) to success ($350M portfolio), awakening (mindset shifts), and legacy (book/mentoring).
• Real Estate Deal Insight: Early self-storage investments taught scaling; mindset focus turned failures into multimillion-dollar wins.
• Team Leadership Shift: Treating employees like family—offering support during hardships—built loyalty and high-performing teams.
• Book Creation: Finding Your Edge evolved from personal reflections to a guide, helping readers segment life and prioritize internal growth.

Smoke Trail Threads

• Echoes Episode 30 (Seth Streeter) on purpose beyond metrics, showing how internal journeys redefine success in business.
• Builds on Episode 25 (Andrew Lobo) by questioning orthodoxy, emphasizing empathy and spirituality in real estate leadership.
• Connects to Episode 29 on health/consciousness, linking mindset shifts to overcoming pain for holistic growth.
• Ties to The Smoke Trail’s Guide to Raising Consciousness for Leaders sections on mindset shifts and resilience, offering quarters analogy as a tool.

 • • References solo questions from Episodes 1-15 on purpose and forgiveness, as pathways to finding one's edge.

Episode 35: False Light - Truth vs. Falsehood: Discernment on the Spiritual Path

Guest Bio

This is a solo episode hosted by Smoke Wallin, the creator of The Smoke Trail. As a former CEO and entrepreneur turned spiritual guide, Smoke draws from his personal awakening journey, blending leadership insights with consciousness practices to help others navigate transformation. Inspired by Sedona's energy and real-life challenges, he shares raw, practical wisdom on integrating mind, body, and spirit for holistic well-being, often referencing tools like David Hawkins' Map of Consciousness for calibration and discernment.

Setting

Filmed in a serene Sedona setting with red rock views evoking clarity and introspection. The peaceful backdrop aligns with the episode's focus on sorting spiritual truth from noise, providing a grounded space for reflective Q&A on discernment amid information overload.

Summary

In this solo Q&A episode, Smoke addresses navigating the spiritual landscape in an era of unlimited information, where truth mixes with noise, marketing, and "false light." He emphasizes using David Hawkins' calibration scale (above 200 for integrity) via muscle testing or pendulums to discern teachings and teachers. Smoke warns of false paths—teachings blending partial truths with untruths or once-high-calibrating leaders who fall due to ego or external forces. He shares personal experiences, urges testing everything (e.g., books, gurus), and highlights how discernment saves time, avoids costly detours, and protects against energetic distortions. The episode stresses integrity, sovereignty, and proactive truth-seeking to elevate consciousness without deception.

Learnings

• Calibration for Discernment: Use Hawkins' scale (200+ = integrity) with muscle testing or pendulums to quickly evaluate teachings, teachers, or materials—avoid anything below 200 to prevent wasted time and harm.
• Test Everything: Always verify spiritual content for truthfulness; mix of truths with untruths (false light) is common—calibrate specific claims or overall integrity to stay on path.
• Recognize False Light: Partial truths packaged with sizzle or marketing can mislead; fallen teachers (once high-calibrating) often succumb to ego or forces, leading followers astray—recalibrate periodically.
• Sovereignty in Seeking: Rely on personal tools for discernment rather than blind faith; information overload demands proactive testing to filter noise and align with true awakening.
• Protect Against Forces: As consciousness rises, energetic distortions test seekers—discernment preserves sovereignty, preventing absorption of low-integrity energies that cause problems.

Universal Truths

• Truth calibrates high: Integrity (200+) aligns with power; low calibrations indicate force or deception—test to ensure teachings elevate rather than distort.
• False light deceives subtly: Mixes of truth and untruth lure seekers; discernment reveals hidden agendas, protecting the path from costly detours.
• Sovereignty is key: Personal calibration tools empower independence; blind following risks sovereignty—question everything to maintain authentic growth.
• Forces oppose awakening: Rising consciousness attracts tests from distortions; integrity shields against them, turning challenges into elevation opportunities.
• Time is precious: Wasted on false paths hinders lifetimes; proactive discernment accelerates true awakening, fostering joy and alignment.

Examples

• Hawkins' Scale Application: Smoke uses pendulums or muscle testing to calibrate teachings above 200 for integrity—e.g., testing a book or guru to avoid low-calibrating noise.
• False Light Teachers: People follow once-high leaders who fall (e.g., due to ego), absorbing distorted energies—recalibrating reveals the shift, preventing harm.
• Information Overload Test: With AI like Grok, access ancient wisdom easily, but test for truth—e.g., a packaged teaching mixing truths with marketing calibrates low.
• Personal Detour Avoidance: Smoke shares avoiding wrong paths by testing; costly false journeys waste time, but discernment saves effort and aligns with sovereignty.
• Energetic Forces Warning: As seekers rise, sophisticated distortions test them—calibrating protects, ensuring growth without deception from "false light."

Smoke Trail Threads

• Builds on Episode 29 (Health & Consciousness) by applying calibration to spiritual health, linking discernment to clearing distortions for wholeness.
• Echoes Episode 33 (Liv Fisch) on principles for success, emphasizing testing for integrity to align with true "human medicine" and avoid false paths.
• Connects to Episode 34 (Jonette Crowley) on mystical journeys, using calibration to discern genuine channels/guides from deceptive energies.
• Ties to Episode 32 (Alissa Allen) on unitive intelligence, expanding discernment tools to unite science-spirit without false light interference.

Episode 34: The Eagle and the Condor - Jonette Crowley's Mystical Journeys

Guest Bio

Jonette Crowley is a globally known channel, mystic, teacher, and bestselling author, acknowledged as a world elder and known as "Grandmother." She founded the Center for Creative Consciousness in the early 1990s to support humanity's spiritual awakening. As a shaman in the ancient lineage of the Sun and a modern-day mystic, she explores inner planes and maps higher dimensions of consciousness. Her books, The Eagle and the Condor: A True Story of an Unexpected Mystical Journey and Soul Body Fusion: The Missing Piece for Healing and Beyond, are published in 12 languages. Jonette leads retreats and spiritual adventure tours around the world, having visited over 75 countries.

Setting

Recorded in a spectacular Sedona studio overlooking red rock vistas, symbolizing the grounded yet expansive nature of mystical exploration. The breathtaking environment mirrors the episode's themes of path-making and higher consciousness, creating a serene space for profound dialogue.

Summary

In this captivating episode, Smoke interviews Jonette Crowley about her transformation from a leadership consultant to a renowned mystic and channel. Jonette shares her first mystical encounter while backpacking in Australia, where her higher self urged her to "leave your pack here" and "make your path by walking," sparking her psychic abilities. She discusses channeling White Eagle (an American Indian guide) and Mark (a non-human entity), integrating spirituality into corporate work, and leading global retreats to activate ancient sites. They explore rising global consciousness, shifting timelines beyond karma, embodiment through Soul Body Fusion, and the power of thoughts in leadership. The conversation includes a live Soul Body Fusion meditation, emphasizing "being" over "doing" for true manifestation and joy in turbulent times.

Learnings

• Path-Making Principle: There is no predefined path ahead—create yours by walking, trusting the journey over rigid plans for personal and leadership growth.
• Integrate Spirit in Work: Blend spirituality with professional life; thoughts influence outcomes, as demonstrated by muscle testing to reveal subconscious truths and foster positive team dynamics.
• Channeling as Guidance: Spirit guides like White Eagle and Mark provide non-religious access to higher dimensions, accelerating awakening without requiring belief systems.
• Soul Body Fusion Practice: Embody your higher self through intention and meditation to align frequencies, enabling manifestation, healing, and freedom from old patterns.
• Group Consciousness Shift: As humanity's field rises, individual karma lessens—focus on collective elevation through presence, quieting the mind, and supportive environments.

Universal Truths

• Thoughts shape reality: Positive intentions uplift others energetically, while negativity weakens—leaders must embody authenticity to inspire trust and results.
• Consciousness is evolving: Global awakening accelerates as timelines split, moving beyond karma toward oneness that includes diversity, speeding collective healing.
• Embodiment over attainment: True spirituality is realization through presence, not striving—drop false attachments to reveal innate joy and "superpowers" like intuition.
• Fields influence individuals: Surround yourself with high-vibrating groups to raise your energy; guardian angels and guides support without constant communication.
• Being precedes doing: Manifestation flows from embodied spirit—quiet the mind, align heart and higher self, and actions become effortless and magnetic.

Examples

• Australia Vision Shift: While backpacking, Jonette's reality split to reveal a silver-haired woman (White Buffalo Calf Woman aspect), advising her to drop her pack and forge her path, awakening her psychic gifts.
• Corporate Muscle Testing: In trainings for companies like Dell and oil firms in Indonesia, Jonette used kinesiology to uncover subconscious truths, saving millions by shifting focus from problems to what's working.
• Channeling Evolution: Starting with White Eagle for grounding, Jonette later partnered with Mark to map higher dimensions, leading non-religious retreats that activate sites like the Himalayas for global awakening.
• Soul Body Fusion Impact: During a session with an Iraq veteran implanted in MK-Ultra programs, the practice disempowered his conditioning, drawing government surveillance but freeing him instantly.
• Prophecy Fulfillment: Jonette's 1987 channeled prophecy of Eagle (North) and Condor (South) uniting came true through her Peru journeys, symbolizing global integration beyond old cycles.

Smoke Trail Threads

• Echoes Episode 29 on health as consciousness, expanding how embodiment clears blockages and raises personal frequency through practices like Soul Body Fusion.
• Builds on Episode 30 (Seth Streeter) by integrating spirit into leadership, showing how "being" over "doing" fosters purpose and magnetic success.
• Connects to Episode 28 (Dr. Jere Rivera-Dugenio) on energy fields and NDEs, aligning Jonette's channeling with mapping higher dimensions for collective healing.
• Ties to Episode 32 (Alissa Allen) on science-spirit unity, emphasizing non-religious access to higher realms and embodiment as unitive intelligence.
• References The Smoke Trail’s Guide to Raising Consciousness for Leaders sections on mindset shifts and emotional processing, offering Soul Body Fusion as a tool for alignment and joy.