All my life, I’ve loved the idea of liberation and looking deeply into the question:

What does it really mean to be free?

Let me be clear: I’m not a life coach. I’m not a therapist. And if you could see my desk, with piles of book and papers cascading everywhere, you’d know I’m not very organized.

Isn’t that refreshing?

What I am is a good friend – in fact, my dharma name (a name given to people who receive Buddhist vows) is Zenyu, which means “good friend.” I love to write and I love to support people in their own journeys toward liberation—that’s the genesis of this website. I’m in this project with you, and consider myself a work-in-progress, always aspiring toward freedom.

(By the way, even though Buddhism is a path that I’m dedicated to and you’ll find a Buddhist perspective seeping through some of my writing, the Liberated Life Project heartily reaches out in many directions. No matter who you are or what your spiritual orientation, I hope you’ll feel at home here.)

A few years ago, my life looked quite different.

In an organizational down-sizing, I was laid off from my job. Around the same time, I went through a very difficult end to a relationship. And I was struggling to get out from under more than $32,000 of credit card debt.

While my whole life has been an inquiry into liberation, these past few years have really intensified that process.

I’ve learned a lot, and that’s what inspired me to start this blog and explore this question together with you: what does it mean to live a liberated life? And how do we support each other to do that?

If you want to come along for the ride, please sign up here to receive LLP posts and other news in your email box (it’s all free and it’s all good!):

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A few other things you might enjoy knowing about me:

• I’ve been practicing Buddhism since 1993 and am an ordained Buddhist chaplain.

• I have finally paid off the last of that $32,000 of credit card debt—something I worked on for eight years. I called this my “debt liberation quest” and consider it one of my first successful liberation projects.

• After losing my job in 2008, I’ve created a business that’s given me more freedom and has paid the bills (Five Directions Coaching and Consulting)

• I live in a magical casita in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with my partner, Gina, and our wonder dog, Lucy.

• I’ve never been afraid to change careers. (Well, to be honest, I have been afraid but I’ve moved through that fear and done it anyway.) Among the many things I’ve done for work: music therapist, mental health counselor, administrative assistant, bookseller, writer, editor, anthropologist, nonprofit executive director, business owner.

• I love to travel—I’ve circumambulated Mt. Kailash, a sacred mountain in Tibet, traveled to India and Thailand, and spent five weeks in Bali (way way before Eat, Pray, Love). And that’s just a little bit of my travel resume. I am a big believer in the transformative power of travel.

• And finally, I am deeply spiritual and eminently pragmatic. The Liberated Life Project reflects both those qualities.

I look forward to getting to know you better as we travel down this road together. If you’re stopping by here for the first time, feel free to leave a comment below!