I always wanted freedom in my life, but for a long time I didn’t know what this meant. Like many others, my first attempts to find it involved ruthlessly chasing surface desires; gambling, alcohol, weed, you name it. But after years of chasing, I was left feeling completely burnt out and empty. 

Luckily for me, I had the ability to hit the pause button. On a whim, after a difficult breakup, I quit my job, and went on an epic solo journey to California to discover what my soul needed most. 

When I arrived in LA I was feeling desperately alone and it was Dance Alive, a dynamic movement community that allowed me to go inside and release years of stored pain. Dance Alive taught me that when you live from your essence, and embrace discomfort, you will be a magnet for what is most aligned with your life direction. Which, for me, was music, dance, community and flow—the Grateful Dead.

On the road, I stumbled upon the Dead on Sirius XM and it became the only thing I could listen to. The Dead ignited my soul, and gave me a soundtrack for the pain I’d been experiencing, and a map toward what was possible.

What do Dance Alive and the Dead have in common? They are both heart based communities that are rooted in joy, love and improvisation. Mariane, the master leader of Dance Alive, and Jerry, the lead guitarist of the Dead, both have a unique ability to respond to life circumstances while staying fully connected to their unique essence. They don’t have an agenda; or get swayed by external pressure. They have a direction—or better yet, an approach—and they flow gracefully with whatever their environment presents them with. 

When you’re open, living in your truth and willing to move, the universe will reward you in mysterious ways.

It’s in this spirit that I’m building the Grateful Den. To live in integrity with my truth, keep moving and share my passions with my community.

There are about 15 Grateful Dead quotes I could hit you with right now, but I’ll leave you with this….

“Once in a while you’ll get shown the light. In the strangest of places if you look at it right”