EP 27: The Heartwork Men's Immersion | Becoming The Heartist Of Your Own Life Through Brotherhood

The time is now to lean into love and become the heartists of our own lives! To lead and love from the heart frequency is to step into and embody our most empowered, integral, present, authentic and creatively potentiated self. Through the magical synergy of deep brotherhood, ancient techniques/practices, unbound play, immersive self exploration, and connecting to nature we get to step into our power and liberate ourselves to new degrees, create more space and level up in all dimensions of who we are ~ for ourselves, the people we love, and the world!

In this episode I got to sit down with my dear brothers Rob Heilgendorf and Ryan Witherspoon. We discuss how men's work has impacted us as individuals, why we believe its important and why we are bringing men together for The Heartwork Men's Immersion.

You life is your HEARTWORK and we are here to support you in becoming the heartist of your dreams. Will you answer the call!?  shoot us an email at slingshotwellness@gmail.com to schedule a call. Thanks!

More information on the event:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoaRlqjuPnv/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Plugs:
Slingshot
https://www.instagram.com/slingshot_wellness/

Wild Bill
https://www.instagram.com/itswilliamarthur/

Robster Lobster
https://www.instagram.com/heilgyheilg/

Ryan Witherspoon
https://www.instagram.com/ryan.witherspoon12/

Transcript

0:00

Greetings, everyone. We're here together again. Uh, three brothers, three brothers that came together through an interest and passion of, of connection, health, wellness, um, helping others, helping themselves, and creating more love in their lives. And I'm just, I'm incredibly grateful to, to be here with two powerful dudes who I respect and, and admire and, and ever unfolding growing, uh, brotherhoods, which is like, what a wild journey to be on for real. Um, So welcome everyone to this three-Way podcast that my brother, Mr. Rhine Witherspoon, my brother Mr. Rob Hildorf, a k a Robster Lobster, and myself, wild Bill, bill Robertson, or some of you know me as Bill the kid, William Arthur, bill the Kid. You know, there's, I have a lot of different nicknames. Uh, we're here today to discuss a collaboration, which we are all working on together. We're taking a massive leap of, we're just, we're taking massive, bold action. We're taking a big leap for ourselves into what it is we feel called to sharing creatively, which is, you know, directly from the heart, directly from things we truly love. And, and we came together, uh, via. The exact same thing that we are creating, uh, through the whole health community with Rob Carney. So, uh, we could just kick it off by, first and foremost, let's just have the boys say what's up. So Ryan would love for you to chime in and then we can toss it off to Rob. What's up y'all? Um, yeah. Stoked to be here and connect with you and have this conversation and, uh, bring about what we're creating and share and express, um, this, uh, beautiful project that we're collaborating on. And, uh, yeah, this men's immersion and to be here with two beautiful humans and to grow with you mm-hmm. and, uh, yeah, it's super cool to, like you said, you know, coming together through men's work and through a men's retreat and through a whole health community and, um, and now like. Coming together and creating our own and wanting to share our own wisdom and the stuff that we've learned, and, uh, bringing it together to, to plant more seeds is, is like super exciting. And, uh, yeah, I'm honored to, to be here with you guys. A hope, a hope brother Yeah. I, I couldn't imagine a better trio of dudes to be doing this, doing this with, you know, it's, it reflected on first time we, you know, physically hung out, went snowboarding, and then at the retreat, how we met up in Boston right away, right at the airport. And it's just like, there's just, there was a connection. I could feel it right away. And you could just see great things straight up, like go up from the beginning. It's like, all right, we got this. Like, there's something, some magic's happening here and you know, through all, you know, the hardships and the great growth that. I've witnessed Bill side by side, go through, and Ryan, everything I've gotten to witnessed you go through and grow into. And just the last, uh, what, like year and a half, two years at this point have been amazing and, you know, to, to hear you speak your truth. You know, I, I don't, I don't see any other two that I would wanna jump into this new realm of, uh, facilitating with. So I'm excited for what we're, what we're bringing forward to the table for all the people that we're calling in. For all the people that are ready to yes, indeed jumpstart their life, this is gonna be the spot. Yep. Yep. So with that being said, to clarify what the fuck we're talking about we are talking about a men's immersion or a men's retreat, which we decided to call it a men's immersion cuz we feel that word is much more accurate in reference to what it is we are creating together. And, and what it is we are bringing people together for it to submerge themselves, uh, within their selves and within community and within brotherhood. Um, you know, exploring all sorts of different ancient techniques, breath work, different forms of movement, cold exposure, um, really deep bonding, like establishing really deep social ties and, and through all of this, stoking the interconnection, stoking the inner fire and, and connecting with the heart. And that's part of the reason we're calling. The Heart Work Men's Immersion, which we came up on Friday. So essentially, um, um, heart work, that's what we're coming together to do, to, to work on connecting and operating from the heart frequency, which to me is essentially. Uh, just your higher self. You're, you're the highest version of yourself you could possibly imagine. Um, the highest level of love and compassion and expression and connection and creativity and, and openness. And, and that's exactly why we are, uh, coming together to create this because we've been deeply impacted by how this work can affect one's life and, and one's life trajectory and, and the level of fun and exploration and adventure in one's life. So I feel from here it would be, uh, great to explore. How it is that men's work has impacted us and our experiences with that. And, and what's that? What that's done for us? What did life look like before? Intentional personal development. Personal exploration. What does it look like now? You know, there's, there's a fuck ton there. Yeah, we've, we've, we've changed, we've changed my friends. We have, we have changed a lot. And I, myself, I've been on two, uh, different men's retreats. One with Mr. Ryan Sprague, the BU always retreat in 2021. And then we had the Aha men's retreat last year, July in Vermont. And yeah, we fucking sent it boys. It was, it was a fantastic time. And, um, and, and all the other, you know, programs and containers, aside from the men's retreats. Um, so yeah, I feel it would be really great for us to start things off by GE painting a little picture for everyone, painting a little picture of what this work is all about and really what it has allowed us to expand into and, and what it has, uh, what it is that it's allowed us to really, uh, basically bring into our lives. So I'm gonna kick it off to my boy Ryan to, to take that wherever he wants to. Right on. Yeah. Great, great job. Uh, explaining the heart work and, you know, where we're, where we're coming at with that and, uh mm-hmm. and really like what, what men's work is to me. And what this men's immersion is to me is, um, is a brotherhood and, um, a tribe and humans that can come together and. Support each other in their growth and in their dreams, and in their struggles, and in their vulnerabilities. And, um, and, and learning that, showing up in those ways is, is the full spectrum of being a man and being a human. And, um, for me, you know, growing up it was always, um, I always had a seeking of, of connection for, you know, for brotherhood and for the men's group, and being with the guys as, as all of us men do. Um, and, uh, as I got older and kind of got out of high school, Those connections that were s more present in my daily life because of the environment that I was in, started to dissipate and, um, get further and further away. So, seeking brotherhood through these men's immersions and through this, this work that we're doing and, and through my yoga practice and, uh, is, has been a real healing journey for myself and to, um, make connections with, with other people who are going through the same thing. And, uh, and whether it's a challenge with, you know, health and wellness or mental challenges, um, going through relationship breakups or struggles in that matter. Um, all these, like, all these challenges can be related to and sharing it with, with other men and other brothers is, uh, It's just a powerful container to, to be a part of. Yeah. I feel like there's a huge sense of, um, comfort that comes with being able to relate over the human experience, especially with another man, us being in, you know, a similar energetic space and, um, having similar genetics and, and really traversing this experience as a male human being and all the ups and downs, trials and tribulations that, that comes with being a man. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So, yeah. I feel you there. Yeah. It's just, um, being able to, to show. Unconditionally in, uh, in a, in another group of men where, you know, like we were talking about yesterday, um, like this is what we came here to do. And knowing that there's gonna be resistance and knowing that that's expected is, uh, is something that I think all men find, um, like importance with, is like when there's resistance there, that's something innate in us that we know there's an opportunity. Um, you know, and, uh, yeah. Yeah. Fuck complete there. Hell yeah, brother. Righteous. Aho to that. Uh, our boy Rob, your lobster Can, can take off with it from there. All right. who was Rob before men's work and who is he now? And, and what, what is, what is some of the, some of the key pivot points in that process and the main realizations, and do we wanna talk about that? All right. Well, well, you know, just give a little brief synopsis because I feel you've, like, in the past couple years, like looking like me being your best friend and, being able to see the scope of your whole journey and how you've evolved emotionally and how much of a cycle breaker you are. my man's is a fucking cycle breaker. He's really out here doing the work, it's beautiful, man. So I'll just leave it at that. I hear you, brother. I appreciate it. Yeah. I will reflect on kind words. Um, this is men's work. That, this is men's work right there. That's men's work. I can call your boys up. You show'em love and recognize'em. All right. take their little journey here. Yep. All right. Coming up to a door, loud music on the other side of it. Feeling good. Flying high. Kicking doors, open foot coming through life of the party, you know, ordering drinks. Your boys are all there having fun. Um, next thing you know, you're in the bathroom with a couple other boys breaking down some bags, that you do not wanna break down. Um, you know, you're having a good time and it's fun and screaming loud and getting wild. Next thing you know, it's six o'clock in the morning, you're laying in bed, can't sleep, staring at a wall, contemplating all the decisions you made all night long, all the conversations you had, all the conversations you missed, and all the true connection that you missed. And then it's two hours later, it's eight o'clock in the morning and now you are not sleeping for the rest of the day cuz your whole circadian rhythm is screwed. And now you just go to the fridge and you do it all over again. Care of a drink, keep drinking, um, go to the next bar when it opens party. That was pretty much the cycle I was running through, uh, for a couple of years on Fridays and Fridays through Saturdays and the Sundays, uh, not feeling optimal for the week ahead to be in work. And, um, yeah, one day just, um, it clicked and started realizing what it felt like to walk through a different door. And that door is walking into the full potential of who I am, what I have to offer, and feeling a hundred percent in my own skin, not masking the emotional trauma that I have built around myself through substances. And actually, Going headstrong to them and having a brother like Bill by my side to allow me to do this and know that I'm being free and being heard and being seen was tremendous help through that. And then, like he said, getting connected with Ryan Sprague and then Rob Carney through the Whole Health Connections. And then last July with the Men's Retreat, just an upward trajectory into stepping into my full self and being who I really am and being able to talk with people with confidence and not trying to hide and trying to put on the mask of who I think I am. But now I actually truly am that person. And having you know the brothers next to you, watching you do this, uplifting you while you do this is just an extra layer on the cake to. Push you forward and make you climb this mountain faster, harder, and see your own full potential. And that's what, that's what I want the people to come to this to see, to know, and to feel the full effect of having that support from a man that's, you know, not your blood relative, not your father. Um, you can, you can open up with people in your life that aren't blood related and they can become more bonded with you through these hardships. So that's a little bit of my backstory, where I'm at, how I got to where I am. Um, could iron and out a little bit more, but for the sake of the podcast, that was a solid, solid depiction, Rob. And, and what I see of this journey is that you were someone who was unconsciously. Running from your potential and, and you were in a cycle in which was self-destructive, in which you were self-sabotaging and you were around other people that were also doing that. And I was one of them. um, I was also fucking getting after a party and super hard and, and living decently unhealthy. I definitely had an interest in fitness and, and the CS were planted early on via Joe Rogan and dudes like this. And, and, and there was like inklings of these openings leading me in the right direction yet, um, you know, As, as we hear through everyone, and, and as most people know, we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. So that's why these experiences, the experience that we're creating, the hard work men's immersion in, uh, lake Superior, and we'll get to the details at the end of where it's at and, and what time. That's why these experiences are incredibly important cuz you can see what community and what other men that truly fucking care about you and that truly have your best interests in heart. Uh, how they operate and how they're going to interact with you versus someone that's gonna enable you in your own bullshit and, and let you destroy yourself and let you keep fucking, you know, and there's nothing like, okay, if you're going through a partying phase, whatever, like, and, and you can of course enjoy alcohol in a conscious way. Um, but in the end, Is that the, that's, that's behavior that leads you further away from yourself and, and your connection with yourself. And obviously there's, uh, there's a sort of numbing cycle going on there. And numbing doesn't, it's not gonna lead you to a place of having a meaningful life and a meaningful connection with yourself in a meaningful connection with other people. So, one of the most valuable things I experience putting myself in these communities is the contrast of, what it is, the people around me that I was currently spending time with at home versus like, what it can be and recognizing that my soul truly wants this one thing. I just didn't recognize it cause I didn't have a taste of it. And yeah, this is, This is why these sorts of containers are, are so powerful is that you really get to see like what level of connection and, and what true support really feels like. And um, with that being said, yeah, any thoughts on that? Ryan? Anything come to mind for you there? Um, I'd just kind of like to reflect on, like, hearing from, from both of you and from me as like these problems that we're having are, you know, similar in the ways that they're, you know, just a lack of connection to ourself, a lack of connection, um, like intimately with the people that we're surrounded with and like on like a level of, like you were saying, like potential pathway and not running from it. Not tra like having a trajectory of taking ourselves down and, uh, and yeah, just like seeing how the, the path of. Having other men show up and call us out in the way of calling us up and in rather than calling us out, is like, that's, it's just endless in the, the possibility of, of where you can go. Because no matter what you bring to the table there, it's, it's gonna be supported and it's gonna be encouraged, you know, rather than having Yeah. Uh, you know, somebody else's fear projected on you, you know, telling, you know, giving doubt because they're afraid that they're not gonna reach their potential. So they are subconsciously projecting that onto, onto you and, uh, yeah. Yeah, there's like a huge element of just getting totally fucking real with yourself and, and, and recognizing that you can do that in these containers because they're safe, because we recognize, oh shit, like none of us have it all figured out. And, and we're coming together to bring the pieces of the puzzle together in a more concrete way. And to see each other in the places where we feel insecure and, and we all face insecurity. And, and that's something like, I bump up against all the fucking time. And that's something that's hard to talk about. And when you can connect with another man, uh, especially in these containers that maybe you perceive this person to be like a lot more successful than you, or a lot more intelligent or whatever it may be, and they open it up, they're like, yeah. Um, you know, I, I bump up against self-judgment and, Not feeling like I'm, whatever it may be, whatever the story it is that's, that's coming forth with the person being able to relate over that and connect over that and then, and then bond over that. And when you get to experience people that will fully allow you to be yourself and, and fully accept you for where you're at and be like, Hey man, like we're fucking, we're doing this together and, and will love you through the whole experience. How, how impactful that is for like, clearing up all the insecurity and allowing you just a really solid foundation to carve a path moving forward and, and recognizing what, truly, symbiotic relationships look like. And that, that's what I've been recognizing with the men's work I've done and, and the containers I've been in with the, with the men's retreats and the one, the first one I was at with Ryan Sprague, uh, the one that Ryan Sprague hosted and Alex Morningstar and, you know, Dave Robinson was there, and Eddie Madden and, uh, Rob Carney, uh, who, who we all met through. I was just like, Totally out of my element and I just felt like garbage. I w and I, and I didn't want to open up, but when I did find the strength to open up, I was fully fucking seen and supported because I was putting all these people up on a pedestal like, oh, there's so much better than me. Like, why am I even here? And, and recognizing that the only thing that was in my own way was me. And that container allowed me to like kind of push through that and, and find myself and really like step up for myself and it being that pure unconditional love energy where it's like, bro, we don't give a fuck where you're at. We just want you to be, you just like ex express what's on your mind and on your heart. And, and that's just a constant project for me. Like care. This, this quote came up in a podcast I was listening to care about the project of being and. Yeah. Being your fucking self, you know? And, I just feel incredibly grateful to have had these experiences and to have stumbled into them and to have said yes to them. And that's, you know, that's, that's all you really have to do, is you just have to say, yes, show up and do your best at practicing being you and showing up as you, you can share us your deepest darkest secrets, and we're gonna love you and support you for that. We're not gonna push you away like someone else might. That's the whole point of coming together as brothers, like this, is to like really get into the darkness and the suck and, and, and share those fears that you may have and that are on your chest and that have been weighing on you. And remove that armor around your heart and just, just be yourself, man. That's, that's what I keep coming back to, is practicing being me. That's, the fucking main project of my life and, and being you is connecting to your heart and your highest self. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And your life is the art project. Yep. Yep. The, your life and, and you being you is the main project of your life. And you being you is connecting to your heart and heart. And that's, that's why we call it the heart work men's immersion. And to break down the words even more, he, the first two letters of the word artwork, your life, he, the man working on the most important thing that you could possibly be focusing on your life and, and living your life is being you and sharing your unique magic with the world, with all the fucking weirdness and all the darkness and, and all the quirks and, and whatever it is you're holding back because you feel that it's, it's not lovable. And, and that's a massive component to this work right here. Yeah. Your magnum opus as you, you know, what is a magnum opus? It's your project, your, what you just described, your, your masterpiece, the thing that you are, you know Yeah. Working on sculpting, the thing that you're putting all your effort into. Um, yes. Yeah. And, and like, I just want, like you said, with all the, you know, being yourself and being into this, in this container, like that's the biggest message is that you're allowed to be yourself and show up as yourself and be accepted. And then with everybody else doing the same and you're seeing when you share yourself is like everyone else is like, like like I am that too. Everyone is like You see that you're also those people through their vulnerabilities because at some level you can connect because they're being vulnerable and they're just sharing on that level. And that's, that may be the only connection that you're having. You might not be able to relate to them from their specific. You know, experience, but you can relate that they're scared to tell another man what they're about to tell you. And it's like, okay, I can see that. You know, and I relate to that. And I love you for that, you know, for showing up. Exactly, man. I mean, just to go back to our boy, Mike, showing up on the first night, just pulling out the big guns, like dude really exposing himself, like sharing some super vulnerable shit. I was like, that's how it's done. That man had never, I mean, he'd been to ice and iron, uh, workshops and stuff like that, but like, I'm only assuming here, but I don't, I don't think he had ever been in a container to where we were like sharing. I'm sure he's shared with his boys and stuff, but when, like just upon first impression, it was like, um, I don't know. I could tell that he was new to the work and, and that's fucking good. And. Really stepped up. He really stepped up. And that was so powerful for me to see like a real live breathing example in the moment of what it means to do that and, and to, to fully expose yourself like that. And, it keeps bringing me back to how powerful that really is. Cuz once you expose that and you're around people that will love you for it, you love yourself for it, and you can, you can let go of that judgment you have towards yourself for it too, which is, I've experienced that so time and time again, uh, with stuff like this and, and in my relationship with my lady too. Um, so that's, and yeah, just huge, powerful aspect of what this is all about. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I mean, and you're talking about how, how it could be hard to express yourself in front of people and to, um, be seen in that type of container and to feel comfortable with doing that, when honestly, the hardest part for me, that whole retreat was the day we had to leave because I did not wanna leave. I wanted to keep sharing, I wanted to keep going with everybody. Um, you know, the tears, tears definitely rolling out the eyes. Cause like, you don't wanna leave. You create such a bond with these, these humans. You think that, you would think that getting into the nitty gritty of things, of sharing where you started to where you are, like what limiting beliefs that you do have, you think that would be hard? Like, that feels hard at the moment. But after spending four plus days in a container of where you are being fully seen, fully expressed, you can scoop everything out, put it right on the table, and everyone look at it and be like, oh. It's a nice pile of shit you got there, you gonna polish it into a diamond, or you gonna or you're just gonna let it stay like that you know, that's like, that's, that's what this is gonna happen for you. This is what I saw happen. And I think it's more than just coming together and spending five days with you is creating a family. It's creating a forever bond with all of these men that you are with. And you will forever have these brothers. You might not speak to them for a long time, but you know, deep down in your heart and in their heart, they have a brother for life that they can reach out to no matter what happens, no matter where they're at. And get, you know, some advice, some time to reconnect. And just for con, just for contacts right here, it's like, I live in northern Michigan and these motherfuckers live all the way across Lake Michigan, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dude, I'm waving at you right now. I'm facing east. We're waving at each other, you know, and it's like, That's, that's it. You know, it, it was, dude, that was, I agree. Like one of the hardest part was like leaving, saying goodbye to everybody and realizing it was like, damn, this fucking sucks. You know, not knowing when we were gonna see each other next or anything, or if we were, if we were gonna continue to talk, but like, you know, you were going, you know, like, you know, those connections were gonna, we're gonna last at, at some capacity, you know, and, and like, you can't, having those, those shared experiences and then moving forward is, you're only gonna cross paths again. It's inevitable. Yeah. And more intent, more, more powerful. You know, like every time it's like, oh, I look forward to like, when the next time I'm, you know, I know that when we're going up to our snowboarding trip in a couple weeks, I know it's gonna be a gangster ass snowboard trip, but it's gonna be more than a snowboard trip. Like, it's gonna be like, I don't know, we're just gonna, it's gonna, the work that we're gonna do is con continue through our fun of, you know, well then it's bonding. We're building a connection even deeper than it already is. Like, you know, the more we're hanging out, the more we get to see each other in our element and having fun together. You know, it's like we're still gonna do work. Like, we're always doing work. We're always doing the work. You're doing the work forever. But it's putting that love into that work and that time of that work that makes it not work. And it's fun and you get to, you know, you know, going through hardship with people creates the ties a lot deeper. And yeah, that's, yeah. That, that, that's what it does. That's all I have to say. Mic drop. Yeah. Mic drop. Baby. Yeah, man. Um. So, yeah, I feel like we painted a pretty good picture of what this work mm-hmm. has done for us and what it, what it continues to do for us. We, we don't claim to have arrived anywhere. We, we are just people who care deeply about ourselves and our lives and, and other individuals and, and having fun in the process of doing so. So, Yeah, I feel like it could be good to, you know, dive into a little bit more of the details of what's unfolding over the course of the five days of the men's immersion that we're hosting. Um, now that we've covered why this is something that we find important and something we care about and something that we, uh, just love exploring. a big component of this is going to. Story work and clearing out the bullshit, clearing out the illusion, the limiting beliefs, getting clear on the words and, how the words shape the core beliefs and the identity structure and what that can do for an individual. So with that being said, we got our man, Ryan Witherspoon right here, who's a certified level one and lifted coach. Rob and I are on our way to doing so. We haven't started yet, sir, but we're about to next month, sir. So I'm gonna kick it off to him to give a little rundown on, you know, how has story work impacted you and how is it that this work specifically within the men's work, serves individuals? What can it do for people, um, you know, from, from the basic enlisted light stuff to the core language upgrade to the enlisted method, the four step process? Mm-hmm. Yeah. Story work is the bomb. And, uh, especially with. Like this, this setting of a, of a men's immersion in men's work. Um, and that's really the cool thing about story work is that it's so versatile for every person in every setting, in every, you know, because it's all, it's all personal stuff. And like, what is story work? Story work is essentially recognizing the, the thoughts and the dialogue in our minds from the past experiences we've had and the future, um, projections that we see for ourselves. And, uh, and seeing how they're super up close in our face and just blinding us with, um, with what we think they are. And this the story that we repetitively tell ourselves and taking our story and zooming out, taking a moment to add our breath into it and be an observer of what we're telling ourselves. Recognizing if the story. Is accurate and true to what really happened, or if it's something that has been a belief that we've come across through some other experience. And, uh, and then crafting it to, to rework it and rewrite the story to be in our healing favor. And especially with men's work rerouting this around, um, relationship with your father, relationship with past family members, um, and taking these stories and, uh, breaking'em down and, and releasing the victim mentality, which the victim mentality is. And acquired personality trait where a person tends to regard him or herself, as the victim of the negative actions of others, even in the absence of clear evidence and the victim mentality depends on a habitual thought process and attribution. So meaning that these stories that we tell ourselves in our head, even though all of the evidence on all of the, the true scenarios point in a different direction, what we believe we tell ourselves is what we're going to experience. So taking these stories and. Recognizing the words and the language that we use in these stories particularly, and how those, those words and phrases are holding us back and, and keeping us stagnant in, in our growth and limiting us to these beliefs. Um, and, and reframing them, tossing out specific words that are, um, destructive to us and replacing them with words that are inspiring and, uh, and motivating. Yeah. And how would this help an individual that hasn't been introduced to this work in your eyes? Mm-hmm. Um, for number, number one, it's, it's a reframe of, of how you interact with yourself internally. And, um, once you dive into and underst. How the stories that you're telling yourself influence your daily activity and your daily life and your daily interactions and relationships. It becomes a lot more clear on how you can maneuver and transition your language and your story to, to move forward and, and break free from those thought patterns. And, um, and especially particular to men's work. Um, fear, you know, around failure, fear around being good enough, fear around finding the right partner in a relationship, fear in success or money, you know, all these limiting beliefs that are holding you back. And, and from a very small level, like just, you know, not feeling like you're doing a specific workout, right, because you're just new to the gym. And that's holding you back from even trying to do it in the first place. You know? And reframing these stories so that you can have the confidence and know that you're just a student and a student needs to learn, you know, rather than being a professional, right? When you start something and, uh, you know, or on a deeper level, you know, relationship status, you know, what is, what is your relationship with your father? How has these stories that you're telling yourself, you know, around your relationship, how are they true? How are they cited only to your point of view and, and what have you been holding back? And, and, um, and how can you, how can you rewrite it? Because your, your story is, is a never ending story, you know, and can always be revised, you know, and edited and, uh, yeah, we're the fucking artist, right? We write the story here and, and. It can be. Otherwise, you can also make the choice to take agency over your own life and fully participate, fully engage. And the story work is a beautiful method to allow you to step into that role more, to be the captain of your own life, the, the ship that is your life, and to direct it where you want to go. So yeah, if you feel that you are uncertain of what about what it is you're doing and, and feeling unfulfilled, this is a great, you know, uh, basically a great invitation to. Get into what it is that your beliefs are around your life and, and, and see where it is you're getting in your own way. Like I was talking about before, the only thing in your own way is yourself, and that's being the architect of your life, being the artist, creating the life you want, learning how to connect with your heart and, and paint this beautiful picture that your life can be, it can be fucking epic. And it's really all about just, um, assuming the role of, I was trying to find another fun word for a captain or architect or, or artist. But yeah, that's essentially what I'm getting at is, you know, this is that it's an opportunity to, to step further into that role. And the story work is a great way to do so. And working with the words period. Because, because the words. Essentially construct our reality, because that's how we understand reality. This is a pen, I'm holding a pen, I'm looking at a computer. This is how we make meaning of the physical world. This is how we interface with the world. So yeah, it's like basic constituents, like, create the life you want to create 1 0 1. You know, getting to the foundational elements of what that is. And that's, that's working with the words and working with the stories and, and how that impacts your identity. And then pairing this with the community, with the connection, with the, with, you know, getting vulnerable and exposing yourself and you're gonna be held accountable. That up you're, you are held accountable. With the community right behind you. Yeah. Cause these men, they're not gonna let you bullshit your way through it like all the other ones have. Yeah. And, and yeah, then and, and with that being said, nothing wrong with people that are, uh, enabling you cuz they're, they're, they're the ones stuck in their stories too. They're the ones stuck in, in the unconscious living and being a bystander and, and claiming the man is the reason they're in the position they're in. Of course, we're all dealt a different hands. Some people get fucked. I'm coming from a place of privilege here. With that being said, we all have the opportunity and invitation and power to claim the responsibility over our own lives. These, these principles, applying them to your life is, is super powerful. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And, and creating clarity and space, like you said. And, and, There may be people looking at this with no idea what we're talking about and no idea what they'll get from this and what kind of value will really come from this. Um, and then there's other people that have, do dove into men's work and know what kind of value is this. And there's, that's the, like I was saying, the best thing about story work is this has, you know, an open capacity for, for anybody and creating clarity in space, whether it's fine tuning like the, the limiting beliefs around what your dreams are or, you know, moving further and using the, the four step story work process to amplify and accelerate your, your, you know, dreams and, and really, you know, exactly. Supercharge them. I think the, one of the best ways to. To really learn about story work is to kind of move forward with a, with a, a deeper call with one of us. You know, really like working, figuring out, you know, start, start with the story, work now, you know, and dive into a, a deeper actual session of story work and, and learn how impactful it is to, you know, to do, to work with it. All right, y'all, so I'm gonna ask the question because I know everybody who's listening to this podcast is dying to know where is heart work men's immersion at and, and what are the dates for this, for this journey? All right, so May 31st to June 5th. It's in Lake Linden, Michigan, the upper peninsula of Michigan. So it's landlocked with Wisconsin and it's right. Lake Superior, the uh, venue is right on Lake Superior. You have access to this beautiful, incredible, gigantic colossal, um, Glacier carved. Yeah. Beautiful. Serene Lake. Yeah. You have access to Lakes, pier, Rob Smore. Just share a little bit about superior floors. Uh, lake Shappi is considered one of the largest freshwater lakes in the in the world. Ums one in Africa. That beats it by a little bit, but we're not gonna go into those details cause this one's pretty cool. Um, the, um, the largest recorded wave ever to be on Lake Superior. I was in the middle of winter, I believe, and I got up to over. 43 feet. So, um, yeah, it's pretty big. It's a pretty big lake. Um, it doesn't really get over 70 degrees, so while we're out there, we will be getting in that water and coal bunch, testing our limits with that. Yep. Um, it's really beautiful. Um, a lot of, uh, the native, um, people that live in that area will refer to it as, um, an inland sea because of the way it works and the way it acts. Um, the moon doesn't na, naturally mess with the water like a seawood, but um, it has a phenomenon that's called SK as well. So that means on one end of the lake it'll, um, get farther up the shoreline and then it'll come and rise on the other side as well. Hmm. Um, it's super interesting. There's a lot of stuff to go on out there. I lived up on Lake Superior for three months and there's never a dull moment with it. And, uh, The lake access we have is private, so we can walk right up to it, right into it. Um, our own beach. Yeah, our very own beach. Uh, there'll be some paddle boards there, some kayaks as well. Um, sunrises would totally be down to do a guided, um, like kayak trip or teach people how to, um, survive out on the lake Yeah, it's always a lot of fun. Uh, we also have a sauna. Like there with us, like it is built in there. So, um, dry sauna, dry sauna sessions with cold plunge. We're gonna do some contrast therapy. That's another thing we wanted to mention. And we're gonna be having fires, we're gonna be connecting around the campfire. We'll be absolutely steeped in nature. So if you're feeling a calling to yeah, we'll definitely be putting our bare feet on the earth and, and getting some, getting the sun on our skin, in our eyes on a daily basis, connecting with this incredibly nurturing body of water, lake Superior connecting with each other while we're doing these things. And essentially, uh, it's a secluded cabin, so we're surrounded by woods and we can be as loud and as fucking weird as we want to be and really express ourselves and we'll definitely be getting into some primal expression, not to give away all the tricks up our sleeve. Um, and yeah, we have adventures plant. There's plenty of incredible nature excursions that one could explore. In the upper peninsula. And that's something we're really looking forward to, bringing the guys together for and, and, and getting out there and exploring some new terrain and getting some trail hikes in and, and really just connecting, reconnecting with nature. Many of us live in cities and we're gonna be coming off of cold weather, uh, going into spring there. And yeah, it's gonna be really fucking special. I mean, I'm sure the stars are super potent up there and, and we have the potential of even catching, uh, Northern lights, which I don't know too much about, but I know Ryan mentioned something about that. Yeah, that's when God's kissed the earth. Right. And yeah, the, the cabin is absolutely beautiful. It's, it's, I don't know when it was built in the past couple years. Everything is brand new. Uh, there's plenty of space for everyone. We're actually not even gonna be staying in the fucking house. We might stay in the house, but we may like us, the coaches, the facilitators, we may camp in the yard or stay in the sunroom or, or sleep on the couches in the communal living space because we want everybody to have their private space and, and, and facilitate the best possible experience for the participants. And yeah, we just want you to feel, you know, as best as you possibly can while we all, um, go through this together. And outside of that, is there any more details y'all feel, uh, called to sharing about the, the cabin or the location or, Anything along those lines. I mean, we, we've shared some special experiences mm-hmm. in the up and it's, it's a hidden gem. It's not really like a place people talk about or really like, know about. I mean, I'm sure people are aware of it, but you know, how many people do, you know, they actually go up there to check it out and, and, um, really see what it's about. Yeah. I'd just like to add that, you know, this, this immersion like includes, includes it all. Like you, you don't gotta worry about anything. Come here, enjoy the journey. Put in your, your effort. Show up in, in the ways you do, and just enjoy the ride. Have fun. Um, all the meals, like we were saying, as is gonna be made. And your stay is, is about you being comfortable in the space that you're in and, uh mm-hmm. Yeah. The, the bonfires are gonna be epic underneath the, the northern Stars and, um, I have good faith that we will see some northern lights. Um, I have faith too. Call it in. Calling it in, call in it in or calling it in. Um, great wildlife up there. Potential to, you know, see some really cool animals. Um, harvest your own dinner. I'm kidding, kidding. Go foraging. Find some mushrooms in the, in the early spring. Yeah. Um, yeah, just, uh, it's gonna be a, a deep dive into nature as well, being there on, on Lake Superior, and I'm fucking excited, man. I'm so excited to, to be in this space with, you know, you guys and the men that show up and same brother gonna be, it's gonna be absolutely perfect. And the North Woods have always been a part of my life as a kid growing up, as Bill knows. Going up to the family's cabin and camping with the family. Not all the way up in the up, but Northern Wisconsin. Uh, it's beautiful, especially during this time. And, you know, we're gonna be coming out of the cold transitioning into the spring. It's close to coming into the summer, so it's gonna be just a rite of passage all through all of like the nature turning seasons. You know, we're turning seasons with it in our own bodies and leveling up with the earth. So come on out. Um, if you need to contact any of us, which hope you do, you're more than welcome to hit me up at Hilly Hill on Instagram. It's h e i l g y h e i l g. Um, bill can plug his stuff and we'll let Ryan plug his Yes, sir. Wild Bill here. But my Instagram tag is, it's William Arthur. It's William, Martha. I was gonna spell it out, but we're gonna, we're gonna link these things in the show notes so you can, uh, holler at us there and yeah, if you, if you are curious to hear more and to have a conversation about, um, making this investment and partaking on this fucking epic adventure and journey with us and co-creating a super magical experience where we have the most fun possible and. And leave feeling transformed in a very positive way. Then yeah, we, we'd love to further discuss how we can make that happen and, and discuss logistics and, and answer really any curiosities or, or, you know, dive into any resistance you may have or, or just whatever it may be. Just have a conversation and we just love connecting. So like, if you vibe with the podcast and you're not necessarily into, uh, making the men's immersion happen or it's not really in the cards for you, we would just love to, you know, connect with you. Uh, outside of that, I mean, we're just all about community and sharing our love and, and growing the love and, uh, expanding the sense of connection and yeah, leave. And with that being said, um, I feel confident to be able to say that, you know, if you guys are curious about the immersion and you're in the Milwaukee area, definitely go check out a slingshot, you know, gathering and figure out, you know, what, what it's all about. And some of the, you know, some of the tools and tricks that, that these fucking epic men offer, you know, get a taste of it. Yeah. Yep. Um, you can chat with me at Brian dot Witherspoon 12 on Instagram. Um, or you can s sign up for a a 15 minute soul call on my website summit to soul mountain.com. Um, yeah. Um, hell yeah, let's talk about it and fucking get to work. The, you know, the more, the quicker you, you commit and sign up and listen to your intuition, the more powerful it's gonna be and, uh, the more momentum that's gonna come from it. You know, when you say yes to things, um, It just, you know, the, the, the flow keeps rolling. And, uh, that's the one thing I've learned. The moment you say yes to something is, is when the magic happens. So the universe rewards courage, and this is something I've been reflecting on, taking bold action and how that completely changes the trajectory of my life. And something I was reflecting on with my coach, Nate Baumgartner and another participant who's in the container with us, um, collapsing timelines. This could be an opportunity for you to collapse a timeline and, and, and, and totally change the direction in which your life can unfold. And, and yeah, you really never know what's gonna happen when you do say yes and, and you show up in the right places. And, and, and you really open your heart to the possibilities and the, the possibilities are fucking endless. And, and we're here to support you in your greatest and grandest destiny and your biggest dreams. And, and to, you know, Let you know that truly anything is possible when you put your mind to it and you connect with the right individuals and, and you do the work. So yeah, fucking love you all if you're listening and we got any last words, my dudes? Oh wait, one more thing. Uh, slingshot. We didn't really talk about that. We don't need to go deep into it, but, uh, sling Slingshot Wellness is a brand and a culture and a community. We started out here in Milwaukee, and this is kind of how this all unfolded, you know, on top of the men's work. We did a workshop today, so I'm feeling a bit fucking fried here, And, you know, it's been a day of, uh, putting myself out there and, and really engaging fully mentally and kind of white knuckling. Um, but it's, this has felt really good. And, and if you're in Milwaukee, like Ryan said, reach out to us. We'd love to connect and have you at a Slingshot workshop. And we do all sorts of, um, unconventional. Out of the box, ways of engaging with health and connecting with each other and expressing ourselves. So, um, yeah, I'm super grateful for you guys. Thank you so much for doing this with me. And, and if you're listening, uh, yeah, we, we've said it more than enough times. We'd love to talk to you and connect and, and it's all love, baby. It's all love, it's all healing. As her boy, Frankie always would say, it's a brand new life. It's a brand new life. Yeah. Slingshot Underscore wellness. Instagram linking the show notes. Come check it out. Come be a part of something greater than yourself.