A Funny Thing Happened…

I have always found it interesting how my life has led me to this current stage of life.  I grew up in a small town in Iowa that was settled on the Mississippi River.  Life in Iowa was consistently non-eventful; the people were hard-working, kind and not demonstrative in the least.  From a very young age I felt a burning desire to become a stand-up comedy.  Almost everyone told me that my dream wasn’t possible.  Although I never took anyone’s doubt seriously, I always considered it strange that people didn’t think it was possible for me, or anyone for that matter, to achieve a dream.  I set out to prove to myself that I could make it in the world of comedy.

I began doing stand-up comedy at the age of 19.  I worked small comedy clubs in the back of pizza shops, bowling alleys, restaurants or anywhere that allowed newcomers to get up on stage to try their wares.  I worked for free performing for two years before I ever made one dime doing comedy.  Those two years were some of the most memorable and formative years of my life.  I learned that any dream can be achieved if we work hard, remain dedicated and put in the time to master a craft.  Eventually, I began making a very modest living as a stand-up comedian and spent time in Los Angeles pursuing my dreams of making it big in television.  After a short while, I came to reevaluate this decision after understanding that goal wasn’t a fit in my life and I moved back to Texas where I had been living for many years.

At age 27, I joined together with some of my closest friends in the world and co-created an improvisation comedy show called Four Day Weekend.  What started as a limited six-week run soon turned into a full-fledged 24-year experience that changed my life in ways I can hardly describe.  We created two live theaters, traveled the world performing, including shows with two U.S. Presidents in attendance, did a USO Tour for the troops overseas, wrote a best-selling book, was named Best Small Business of the Year and won a lifetime achievement award for entrepreneurship.  By all accounts, I had achieved my dreams and silenced those that had doubts.

But then a funny thing happened on the way to success.  A global pandemic hit and changed everything.  Our theaters were shuttered, travel and performance ceased, and I was left without an occupation.  To some this might seem tragic—for me this was Divine Intervention.  The Source stripped away everything from me in order for me to look deeply within my heart to discover my true self.  I had been practicing yoga and meditation for more than three years at this point and had even penned a book about the practice of White Tantric Yoga.

With everything in the world shut down, I decided to double down on my spiritual practice and share more openly my experiencing with the Divine.  Was it scary?  Of course.  I had hidden behind a mask for years and to open up this part of my life brought feelings of vulnerability.  Many might ask why I felt compelled to do this. Simple:  I began watching many people around me struggle as they were making their way through the world.  Depression become more common, substance abuse became prevalent, health issues plagued people and a general feeling of lack of hope became apparent as I witnessed many of those around me.

I felt called in an entirely different way than in the past.  Formally, I used my skills as a comedian to bring people joy.  Now, I recognize that more is needed.  I came to understand that people needed mindfulness skills and tools to help them cope in this ever-changing world.  Along with my beloved, Adi Bachan Kaur, we decided to team up together to begin offering what we have learned in the field of yoga, meditation, and nutrition to help assist people on their journey.

Have we learned it all?  Not even close, but we learn more every day and we share what we have learned along the way.  This is how I feel I can help the world moving forward.  I would love for you to join Adi and me on this journey.  And as always, I want people to understand that when they are most down and in the grips of darkness there is an eternal light waiting on the other side of the foggy tunnel.  We just have to keep moving forward together towards the light.

I would love to hear from you from your corner of the world!

Sat Nam!

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