Written by Tanur Badgley (PoP’s Creator & Host)
Today I know my purpose. I’ve planted my flag.
It’s time for the student to become the teacher, the follower to become the leader, the mentee to become the mentor, and the visitor to become the resident. It’s time for the boy to be the man.
In January of 2020, I spent a week on Koh Pha-ngan island in Thailand with my good friend, and podcasting, and real estate partner Phil Louden. Phil and I know each other through ultimate frisbee in Chiang Mai. We both have podcasts and are entrepreneurs in our own rights. We both love to connect with our highest versions of ourselves, bring people together for peak experiences in community, and align ourselves with our true purposes. We spent the week together on the island primarily to share in two nights of Ayahuasca ceremonies so we could dive deep into the journey of the self.
Through our relationship, Phil has taught me a lot about the power of “Tribe” - An inner circle of people who share in your beliefs and understandings of the world and make intentional choices to live by the same values you esteem. In a sense, our tribe is our spiritual family. Phil is one of my brothers in my tribe.
When Phil invited me to Koh Phangan, Thailand for an Ayahuasca ceremony I was thrilled.
I’ve had previous guests doing wonderful things with the medicine. Matt Simpson (Episode 48) and Jesse Gould (Episode 56) both are transforming veterans’ lives with this powerful plant medicine extracted from an ancient and sacred vine in the Amazon rainforest.
I was also aware of the power of ceremony that accompanies ayahuasca and the deep inner journey I knew it would take me on. I hadn’t understood how touching the world of musical performance and tribal sounds would be in accessing deeper parts of my inner world while simultaneously feeling incredibly connected with my tribe of seekers. In our two nights of an ayahuasca ceremony, we had people from all places around the world coming from all different walks of life, each coming with their own intention.
We roared and purged. Laughed and sang together. We shared our vulnerabilities and our wisdom. And expressed our heartbreaks and the things we hope to create.
We were there for one another as we held space and shared our experiences openly and honestly in the morning sharing circle.
There’s no doubt that going deep into this peak spiritual experience mentally, physically, and emotionally will have a lasting and profound impact on my life.
There are so many learnings to unpack from my journey with this vine of the divine. In this letter, I’ll share about one concept, in particular, I’ve come to understand much more deeply - learning to trust in the power of my voice.
When I interviewed my shaman Rich D’Amaru (Episode 63) for People of Purpose podcast just two days after the ceremony this concept of trusting self-expression was the last piece of advice he chose to leave the listener with. He said, “Last words...You have everything you need....Trust in the power of your voice...Invest in your heart’s voice and it
will create space to find your tribe and community.”
My interpretation was that people and opportunities that no longer serve my purpose, that no longer align with the yearning of my heart will fade away and this removal of the excess baggage will make space to find my spiritual family who will help me step into my influence within my tribe.
My takeaway: I need to own my voice.
👉🏽 Stay tuned to the second part of my Newsletter article as I share my feelings about heading back home to my roots in Kansas City after living in Thailand for almost 2 and a half years.