And there is grief inherent in that.

The ever-changing nature of life. Nothing lasts forever. It’s all changing and passing, always. And at times, that can leave us feeling bereft, helpless, powerless, in the face of the mighty winds of change that continue to blow and sweep across the plains of everything we hold dear.

The end of summer is a particularly stark one. The warmth, the golden sunny days, the height of the year as far as adventures, social activity and things happening, all coming to an abrupt end.

I, for one, feel as though it’s much too soon. I’m not ready to trade in bare feet, shorts and T-shirts and everything that I love about summer for boots, gloves and scarves, having to layer up just to venture out for a walk.

Can’t it just stay like this forever?

That’s the fantasy. Endless summer. A life free of change, challenge, loss. A life eternal. An experience free of the contrast and all the pain that comes with it. But that is not what this human experience is. It’s all of it. And the change is an essential part of the program. Summer and winter. Life and death. Joy and sadness. Togetherness and aloneness.

The task then is to breathe into that more deeply. To accept the nature of this existence, to see if I can be more a part of it, one with nature and its movement, embracing the ever-changing quality of this human experience, without grasping, clinging, holding on too tightly to any one moment or state of things.

It seems impossible at times, and a little more accessible at others. Today I am resisting and practicing loosening my grip.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

In this latest episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down in person with the incredibly inspiring Charlie Rocket.

Charlie is a speaker, author and thought leader with a truly remarkable story of overcoming hardships, reversing a brain tumour and rising from rock bottom to make some of his biggest dreams come true, including becoming a Nike athlete, winning an Emmy, and so much more.

Charlie has reached millions with his “Winning Streak” approach and is widely known for his infectious brand of what he calls “delusional optimism”.

We started our conversation with a clear intention to deliver on a promise that anyone who tuned in would receive tangible, actionable life hacks, practical tools and recipes for their own dream journey.

We went deep and Charlie shared a lot from his own personal journey that he doesn’t normally speak about, pulling back the curtain on his own rock bottom moment and the inception of the “Winning Streak” philosophy, while revealing his deeper process for navigating big life challenges.

The conversation is full of magical moments, golden nuggets from Charlie’s lived wisdom and practical tips for building momentum, and a whole lot of inspiration for the path to realizing a big dream or vision.

On a personal note, it’s worth mentioning that the stars truly aligned to bring this conversation to life. Some of you may recall reading about Charlie in a previous post of mine where I shared a poem inspired by his work, shortly after I discovered “Winning Streak”.

I had begun applying it in my own life and through a series of synchronicities, he came across my post and we connected. When I asked Charlie if he’d like to be a guest on the podcast, he said, “I’d love to. Can we do it in person? On a bench in Malibu?”

I instantly said “Yes!” and less than 24 hours later, I got confirmation of another dream come true collaboration with one of my favourite artists who is based in Los Angeles. While we were chatting on the phone to confirm details, Charlie ended up calling me on the other line!

I told him, “Charlie, I’m on a winning streak!”

And the rest is history, my friends. Our conversation took place two months later in Malibu, California at Charmlee Park on Charlie’s favourite bench.

Enjoy diving in with us. I truly believe there is life-changing goodness in this episode.

Much love,
Chris

Key Themes We Explored:

• Dreams, The Hero’s Journey & Charlie’s “Recipes” for Success

• The Winning Streak: Momentum, Receipts & Registering the Small Wins

• The First 20 Minutes: Gamifying Gratitude

• Finding the Good When Hard Shit Happens

• Charlie’s Process for Fear, Anger & Getting Back in the Driver’s Seat

• Grief, Loss & Fully Meeting the Lead Before You Turn It Into Gold

• Thoughts as Investments & Prophesizing a Positive Future

• Why Our Dreams Matter

• Rock Bottom, Reinvention & Becoming Charlie Rocket

• Is There Ever a Point Where You Have Enough?

• Ego, Wanting & The Sport of Chasing Dreams

• “It’s Going to Be Easy”: Getting Out of Your Head and Into Action

I pray that I may make the most
Of this gift of time
Take this light and let it grow
Let it shine

Let it shine
Let it shine

Even on the darkest days
When the sky is gray
I do my best to remember that
Hope is still alive

Just because I cannot see it
Doesn’t mean the light
Has left me now and gone for good
Let me down

Let me down
Let me down

Every night before I lay my head to rest
I thank the day for it all gave me at every step
I thank the Lord for all the Grace in every breath
Cause I know tomorrow is never promised
Still I hope that I get one more chance
Let me rise, rise again

Let me rise, rise again.
Let me rise, rise again
Let me rise, rise again.

FREE YOUR VOICE - New Course!

I’m delighted to share that I recently launched Free Your Voice, a new course on Insight Timer.

In this 5-day course, we will go on a journey to free the voice and discover its powerful medicine. Through a series of simple teachings and guided practices, you will have the opportunity to connect with your voice in a new way. Together, we will explore how to use the voice as a healing instrument, as a tool for releasing stuck energy and clearing blocks, and as a source of vibrational medicine. At the conclusion of the journey, you will have developed a newfound relationship of love and trust with one of your most powerful gifts and open the way for your voice and your creativity to flow more freely. You will be able to use your voice for your own health and well-being in a miraculous way; you will be able to communicate and speak your truth with more ease, clarity, and confidence; and you will have a foundation for more authentic, embodied expression and a more liberated sharing of your unique gifts and magic.

Free Your Voice

Thank you for being here.
Share The Alchemist’s Way with your peeps and spread the love!

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I’ve always loved the idea of capturing the golden thread that weaves through my personal writing and infusing it into the stuff I publish.

Reflections. Straight from my journal into your inbox.

The gold from my personal handwritten reflections, harvested and typed out, raw and unfiltered, so that I can share them with you here. This feels intimate, vulnerable, less calculated and more alive.

Here we are, just as we are.

Welcome to my inner sanctum. Please take off your shoes, come in for a cup of tea, a contemplation, a shared moment of truth.

It’s Monday afternoon. I’m enjoying some solo time with Reggie in the heavenly backyard at the home where I grew up.

I had a big ah-ha moment on the drive here.

It was more of a feeling, actually.

Weightlessness.

The freedom of complete surrender and allowing myself to be lived by Life, by God. The relief of not being solely responsible or having to worry about how it’s all gonna go. Resting in the knowing that God’s got us.

It was fleeting, but I clocked it, and now I can’t forget. And I keep coming back to it every time I catch myself clenching, grasping, holding on a little too tight.

Let go. Let God. All is well. It’s all passing. And the most important thing I can do is appreciate the present moment, inhabit it fully and give it my all as though it’s the only one that matters, because that’s the highest truth and the highest form of reverence for Life.

There may not be tomorrow or later. And there’s something heartbreakingly beautiful about that when I let it all the way in. It’s an instant shot of grief mixed with nostalgia, mixed with “let’s live to the fullest and dream big because who knows how long we’ve got”. It’s a shot of life and it takes my breath away all in one gasp of air.

This is the medicine of the moment.

I’m delighted to share that I recently launched Free Your Voice, a new course on Insight Timer.

In this 5-day course, I take you on a journey to free the voice and discover its powerful medicine. Through a series of simple teachings and guided practices, you will have the opportunity to connect with your voice in a new way.

Together, we will explore how to use the voice as a healing instrument, as a tool for releasing stuck energy and clearing blocks, and as a source of vibrational medicine.

At the conclusion of the journey, you will have developed a newfound relationship of love and trust with one of your most powerful gifts and open the way for your voice and your creativity to flow more freely.

You will be able to use your voice for your own health and well-being in a miraculous way; you will be able to communicate and speak your truth with more ease, clarity, and confidence; and you will have a foundation for more authentic, embodied expression and a more liberated sharing of your unique gifts and magic.

I poured a whole lot of love into it and the course is filled with many of the best nuggets I’ve discovered and my personal stories from 20+ years being on a journey with my own voice.

I’ve received some wonderful feedback from those who have taken the course so far and the doors are now open for you to join us. You can check it out and learn more at the link below.

Much love,
Chris

Free Your Voice

Thank you for being here.

Share The Alchemist’s Way with your peeps and spread the love!

Share The Alchemist's Way

Over the next few days, I will be working on a new song and collaborating on a podcast conversation with not one, but two artists who have been on my wish list of people I’d love to work with.

How did this come to pass, you ask?

The answer is simple…

PLAY.

That’s right. I played my way into these dream opportunities. I followed my JOY and committed to doing so consistently and creating with that intention. Even when it didn’t make sense, even when the immediate results were not apparent, even when I was feeling so much resistance and my inner critic was very loud.

I stayed in the space of curiosity, experimentation, exploring new territory and trying new things. I stayed tuned in to my own joy in the process, in creating for the love of it and the immediate reward, rather than for some future outcome.

And guess what?

Outcomes that were even more magical and amazing than I could have imagined found me. They were magnetically drawn to the vibe and state I was in. I let go of control enough to make myself available for what God had in store for me and it manifested without any forcing or chasing on my part.

Believe me, I’ve done plenty of that and I know firsthand what it feels like. I also know that it almost never really leads to anything truly fulfilling. Even when I’ve made things happen from that place, and I’ve gotten the thing I thought I wanted, there was always the eventual realization that it wasn’t really it.

This feels markedly different. There’s a lightness around it all and the way I’m holding it. There’s a quality of peace in my being that comes from knowing that these unfoldings were Divinely orchestrated rather than being the product of my own doing.

Of course, I did my part. I followed the bread crumbs. I took action. I showed up. I kept going and stayed the course.

But I also let go of the outcome. I made space for magic. And I stayed focused on the current step I was taking UNTIL the opportunities landed in an unmistakable way.

Would you believe me if I told you that both of these completely independent, completely unexpected, dream come true collaborations in Los Angeles, were confirmed within the same hour?

And what’s even more noteworthy is that all of that happened right at the outset of another creative adventure, when I was about to go take a big creative risk and bring to life a musical idea I’d been sitting on for years.

I shared about that experience extensively in Faith > Doubt, a recent episode of The Alchemist’s Way podcast.

Back to this now moment, and the story that’s currently being written.

Seven months ago, at the start of 2026, I made a decision to hit the RESET button. The way I was doing things wasn’t working and I was feeling depleted, low on inspiration and motivation to continue on my artist path.

I knew I had to make some big changes. I knew I needed to get back to a real connection to why I do what I do, and to what makes it meaningful and fulfilling in and of itself. I sought support and did some deep soul searching to get to the heart of what I needed to fuel this next phase of my mission and my journey.

The answer was clear and unequivocal.

Prioritize PLAY and JOY. Let present moment fulfillment guide the way and have FAITH that the path will reveal itself, and TRUST that the bigger vision will be supported.

There have been so many moments where I doubted and questioned that M.O. There have been countless instances of me falling back into old habits and patterns, and reverting to how I used to operate.

But like any new muscle that needs strengthening and consistent practice, I have been putting in my reps and establishing this new skill. And slowly but surely, I am learning to trust more and more that this is the way forward, and the most certain path to bringing my dreams to life.

And so, dear, artist, I ask you…

Are you playing and having fun? Is there joy in what you are currently creating and working on? Are you trusting and having faith that what’s meant for you will find you? Is it possible for you to loosen your grip on outcomes and make space for magic beyond what you can imagine?

If you feel inspired to share, I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you for being here and on the journey with me.

Much love,
Chris

FREE YOUR VOICE - New Course!

I’m delighted to share that I recently launched Free Your Voice, a new course on Insight Timer.

In this 5-day course, we will go on a journey to free the voice and discover its powerful medicine. Through a series of simple teachings and guided practices, you will have the opportunity to connect with your voice in a new way. Together, we will explore how to use the voice as a healing instrument, as a tool for releasing stuck energy and clearing blocks, and as a source of vibrational medicine. At the conclusion of the journey, you will have developed a newfound relationship of love and trust with one of your most powerful gifts and open the way for your voice and your creativity to flow more freely. You will be able to use your voice for your own health and well-being in a miraculous way; you will be able to communicate and speak your truth with more ease, clarity, and confidence; and you will have a foundation for more authentic, embodied expression and a more liberated sharing of your unique gifts and magic.

Free Your Voice

Thank you for being here.
Share The Alchemist’s Way with your peeps and spread the love!

Share The Alchemist's Way

In this latest edition, I had the pleasure of dropping in with my brother and fellow creative soul adventurer, .

James is an author, poet and teacher best known for his Words Are Vibrations body of work on Instagram, where he innovatively uses memes to share powerful, bite-sized nuggets of truth and wisdom that have resonated with millions of people worldwide. James’ viral poem “Instructions Before Visiting Earth” has also been translated into many languages, turned into a song and most recently inspired a couture fashion collection that was featured in Vogue.

At the heart of his genius, James is an artist of ideas with a gift for capturing the profound and expressing it in simple, relatable and beautiful ways. He is a deep thinker, an explorer of consciousness and the human experience, a true lover of art and culture, and a creative seeker dedicated to the mastery of his crafts.

In our heart-to-heart, artist-to-artist conversation, James set the tone by sharing openly about the current season of uncertainty and transition he’s navigating.

We touched on the importance of the spiritual and creative practice of letting go, shedding old skin and releasing attachment in order to make space for the new.

We dove deep into the art of approaching the blank page with what James describes as a “layered intention”. James also challenged the widely accepted wisdom of Rick Rubin as we explored the balance between the alchemy of creative expression for oneself versus creating with our audience in mind.

James also shared passionately about some of the fascinating ancient art forms that are currently inspiring his efficient, minimalist approach to writing; his love of the culture and the craft, and his intuitive sense of the future of the artist in this age of AI and massive collective change.

Grab a cuppa your favourite tea and a chocolate chip cookie, get cozy and join us for this inspiring and insightful deep dive.

Much love,
Chris

Key Themes We Explored:

• Letting go, shedding identity, and making space for the new

• Moving towards “being nobody” and becoming more oneself

• Evolving as an artist instead of clinging to past formulas or versions of self

• Teaching from personal process rather than pretending to have the answers

• Developing taste through deep study, lineage, and consuming great art

• Simplicity, brevity, and timelessness in craft

• Craftsmanship as devotion, discipline, and daily ritual

• Layers of intention when approaching the blank page

• Intuition, embodiment, and listening beneath the mind

• Craftsmanship, devotion, and daily ritual

• Creating for oneself versus creating for the audience

• Adaptation, experimentation, and the artist’s role in a new renaissance
  
  

We had met a few days earlier at a concert I was playing in Toronto, that she happened to be attending because a friend of hers wanted to see Trevor Hall, who I was opening for.

I had been living in LA for a couple of years and without knowing quite why, I felt a strong pull to make my way back to Toronto for the summer.

She had just moved to the city from a small town.

When I knew I was going to be in Toronto and saw the concert listing, I thought I’d like to go check it out and had intended to buy tickets. Not long after that, I received an email from my manager passing along an invitation from the local promoter, asking if I’d like to open the show.

That night, just moments before we met, I was chatting with an old friend who was asking about my love life and I said to him, “I feel like I’m going to meet my person any minute now… like she’s right around the corner.”

Shortly after, a group of friendly people came to say hello and share some kind words about my set. I’ll never forget what Em said to me in that first exchange. She shared that listening to my songs gave her the feeling of enjoying a warm cup of hot chocolate.

I’d never heard anything like that before, and it got me blushing. The rest of our exchange was innocent and a little awkward, and neither of us thought much of it at the time.

Neither of us quite thought of our first time getting together as a date going into it. We had connected a bit on Facebook after the show and Em being new in town and me just being back from LA, we decided to meet up to continue the conversation in person.

That day, when we met up, she arrived with a box of my favourite chocolate chip cookies saying she’d just seen them on her way to meet me and thought I might like them. There was also a cookie already missing from the box.

A woman after my heart! And the rest, as they say, is history…

This was our very first photo together, taken at the end of our first date. We ended up spending the entire afternoon together, deep in conversation and adventuring around Toronto into the evening. Little did we know, we were about to embark on the alchemical journey of a lifetime…

The Alchemy Of Our Togetherness

Reflecting on our journey together, I can say without a doubt that we have been truly blessed with the deepest, most potent love.

The kind that shines a light on anything that is not love. The kind that demands and deserves the highest level of purification, alignment and devotion.

Our closest friends, soul fam and family know that our journey together has been one of deep initiation and hasn’t always been easy.

In our eleven years together, we have walked through fire together and have truly been each other’s greatest mirror and teacher.

We have had to meet ourselves fully and take full ownership of our shadows, our wounds and our defenses.

There have been moments where we thought we might not be able to continue on because our togetherness has been such a potent alchemical force, leaving no aspect of our being unexamined. And no stone on the path of our highest becoming unturned.

And yet somehow, through it all, our blessed, sacred love has always carried us through.

Our eternal soul connection has held us and kept us close even when our human selves wanted to give up, retreat and run away.

We have died our share of ego deaths together and shed many old skins. We have had to let go, time and time again, of outdated and expired versions of ourselves and unsustainable expressions of our relationship.

And each time, our love renewed, our hearts expanded and our bond deepened, we have found our way forward together, closer, ever more committed and in true love than before.

I am thankful beyond words to get to live such a love like this, to walk side by side with my one and only, and to receive the immeasurable gifts our Union has continued to bestow on us.

I am thankful that we have fought for our Love and never given up, and that we get to enjoy the fruits of that perseverance together in this season of our lives.

Happy First Date Anniversary, my Love. 🌹

The video of our First Dance was from our wedding weekend in October, 2022 after an intimate forest ceremony with our closest friends. The ceremony included a traditional handfasting ritual in honour of Em’s Scottish roots. We were officially married in the small chapel of SMSV Coptic Orthodox Church in Toronto two days later, in the presence of our immediate families.

In the last few days, I’ve found my prayers flowing with a different kind of earnestness and intimacy. It may sound obvious and perhaps even a little cliché, but I’ve been talking to God as I would a dear friend. That has felt like a revelation in comparison with some of the more formal approaches to prayer that I’m accustomed to.

As this conversation has been deepening and the channel of my communication to God has been opening up in this new way, I’ve become more curious about how I can really hear God’s voice and response to my prayers.

How do we actually receive God’s answers?

In this episode, I share my personal experience of conversing with God and explore some of the many ways we can receive Divine guidance, clarity, insight, and inspiration, and get better at hearing and recognizing God’s answers to our prayers.

Much love,
Chris

Key Themes In This Episode

• Talking to God as we would a friend

• Learning to receive the answers to our prayers

• Creating enough space and stillness to truly hear God’s guidance

• Tuning in to intuition, feeling, and inner knowing

• Recognizing the many ways God communicates with us in everyday life

• Paying attention to what we see, hear and what we seek.

• Scripture, devotional reading, and sacred wisdom as living guidance

• Music and creativity as channels for Divine guidance

• Writing as a practice for receiving insight

• Nature as a sanctuary for prayer and listening

• Walking by faith through seasons of uncertainty

• Opening ourselves to receive greater clarity, insight, and inspiration

Without too much thought, I felt called to revisit this one. The sunflower remains a potent symbol for me, and I’ve always loved the joyful essence this creation carries. What I did not anticipate was the relevance and resonance I would find in the accompanying written reflection from the original blog post and the raw interview footage at the end of the clip.

Have you ever come across something you wrote or said in the past and felt as though you were receiving a message in a time capsule sent to your present self from your past self? This was one of those moments, and after receiving the full transmission, it makes perfect sense why this needed to be included in The Alchemist’s Way collection on Substack.

What struck me most is that I was crystal clear on my “Why” all those years ago. The essence of why I do what I do, and my north star as an artist and creator, has remained steadfast over the span of the last decade. A powerful and affirming reminder as I continue to walk my path in this new era.

Tune in to the video along with the message below and you’ll see what I mean. You’ll also get to meet younger me, circa 2017.

Enjoy!

Chris - June 17, 2026

I still remember the moment when this song and these lyrics poured out of me. I had just watched the Marley documentary, which offered an in-depth look at the inspiration and intention behind what would become a timeless collection of songs, the birth of a new genre of music and a true rEVOLution.

Looking back on it now, I can see how truly divinely orchestrated it was that the Legend album of some of Bob’s most classic songs just happened to be one of the first cassette tapes in my brother’s collection that found its way into my hands as a young teenager. It was as if the creative muses were planting seeds in my consciousness long before my own musical journey would begin.

Looking back on it now, it’s also not surprising that when I did start innocently and somewhat clumsily learning chords on guitar and singing, that some of those anthems were among the first songs I would try my hand at. And looking back on it now, it makes perfect sense that my first band and attempts at songwriting, as well as some of my other earliest musical influences, were all following in Bob’s footsteps in some way, and making music in the same spirit.

That’s what I really came to understand as I watched that in-depth look at his artistry, music and message. It was never meant to be about gaining popularity for the sake of fame or acquiring riches out of greed.

The music was pure, inspirational and devotional. It was created to uplift people in a challenging time, to unite and activate them, and at its roots, it was music made with the intention of giving thanks and praise to God.

When that realization truly dawned upon me, the WHY behind my own artistry and music-making crystallized within me, and this song was born of that spark. Whenever my mind and ambitions pull me astray or lure me into the false promise of fame or fortune, that WHY is the true north star that lights my way back to the true calling in me that drives what I do.

At its purest essence, that calling is to be an instrument for ALCHEMY, to liberate our hearts and to reduce the amount of pain on the planet. By aspiring to live and create with the intention of helping others to FEEL, HEAL and CREATE in that same spirit, we can cause a ripple so powerful that the world transforms into its fullest potential.

We are living in a time when the world needs our unique gifts to be shared in the name of LOVE, for our collective upliftment, healing and unification. In my heart of hearts, I firmly believe that each of us has a unique piece of the puzzle to offer in creating a world that is built on a foundation of peace, love, compassion, understanding and oneness.

It is with that spirit that this song was written and this video was created… to play my part and to help encourage you and others to play yours.

Together, we can bring to life a new earth and the time is now.

Much love,
Chris - June 9, 2017

This video was shot and directed by Pavel Safonov in Venice Beach over two days of venturing around spreading love to strangers by giving them a little piece of JOY in the form of my fave kind of flower🌻. All of the interactions captured were spontaneous and unscripted, except of course, the surprise twist at the end which required me to dust off my acting skills and give my best performance 😉

LET ME PICK YOU UP

I don’t want to be famous
I don’t need to be rich
But if I had
Just one wish

I would ask for enough to love
To give and open up
So many hearts that we could take
All the pain we create
And turn it into gold
Before we lose another soul

If you’ve got no faith left
And you’re running low on luck
Let me pick you up

If you’re broken down
And you’re hurtin now, you’re stuck
Let me pick you up
Oh won’t you
Let me pick you up

I’m not tryin to be the best
And I don’t need a prize
But if I could be
Just one thing in your eyes

I would ask God to show me
How to be brave like only
God could Take away our fears
And wipe away our tears
Til nothing could keep us
From reaching Paradise

If you’ve got no faith left
And you’re running low on luck
Let me pick you up

If you’re broken down
And you’re hurtin now, you’re stuck
Let me pick you up
Oh won’t you
Let me pick you up

Oh another rainy day
The sky is gray
More of the same

Let it fall
And wash the tears away
And if it still hurts
Would it help to hear me say…

If you’ve got no faith left
And you’re running low on luck
Let me pick you up

If you’re broken down
And you’re hurtin now, you’re stuck
Let me pick you up
Just let me pick you up

I wanna pick you up
Cause I’ve got so much love
I wanna pick you up
Oh cause I’ve got so much love

So let me pick you up
Let me pick you up
Let me pick you up
Won’t you let me pick you up

You can stream and download “Let Me Pick You Up” here and it’s also available on all platforms.

I would wake up the day of a performance with a knot in my stomach and a lump in my throat. I often had a hard time eating throughout the day and I was typically a nervous wreck in the lead up to showtime.

I remember one especially challenging time when I was on tour in Australia and I found out an artist I looked up to was going to be in the audience at one of my shows. I got so nervous and anxious that I was a mess right up until the moment I walked on stage.

During my set, I was so tight and tense, so in my head and out of my body, that I ended up fumbling my way through the entire performance and making a lot of mistakes that I normally wouldn’t make.

After that experience, I remember saying to a close friend, “I don’t think I can keep doing this.”

The stage fright had become so intense and uncomfortable that it was totally overshadowing the joy I had from playing that got me into it in the first place.

Thankfully, I ended up discovering a solution that absolutely changed the game for me.

I was living in LA at the time and I attended a workshop by an actor named Josh Pais, who taught us a technique to completely flip the script and transform that anxious energy into rocket fuel for our performance.

In this video, I share the simple and powerful reframe and practice that you can use to overcome your own stage fright and performance anxiety. Using this approach, you can learn to harness the nervous energy you might feel whenever you step onto a stage, into a public-facing situation, or even a hard conversation, and use it as rocket fuel to do the thing that’s out of your comfort zone.

This was the key that helped me all those years ago, and which has been an essential tool during my career offering concerts, talks, workshops, and livestreams.

Now, anytime I have a performance or an opportunity to share my gifts, the more energy I feel beforehand, the more I know it’s going to be a powerful transmission.

That’s rocket fuel, baby!!! ❤️‍🔥🚀

Much love,
Chris

A soulful conversation with my dear friend and spirit sister, Renée Mifsud, founder of Ritual Of Heart.

I came across Renée’s work a couple of years ago and felt an immediate resonance with her wise and deeply intuitive messages, her dynamic artistic expression woven throughout her shares, and her laid-back, good vibes.

Since then, I’ve had countless moments of landing on her page and receiving the perfect timely message of truth, inspiration, and encouragement for exactly what I was navigating at the time.

Renée is a multi-passionate artist, alchemist, and wellness visionary. A true renaissance woman with a gift for sensing the subtle energetic currents of life and helping others navigate their path and live a grounded, heart-led life through the art of ritual.

This conversation was a while in the making and it was well worth the wait.

We dropped into a rich exploration of Renée’s personal journey, from the birthing of her thriving Ritual Of Heart Instagram channel, to her less conventional upbringing in the Midwest that encouraged individuality and non-conformity, to her current path of fusing her passion for spirituality and restorative justice.

The episode is filled with highly relatable and easily applicable nuggets of embodied wisdom for the creative path, building community, and courageously embracing more of who we truly are, all through Renée’s unique lens of renewal.

We also both shared about the creative edges we are personally meeting and what next frontier is calling to us beyond our current comfort zone. And last but not least, we shared in a special chocolate chip cookie ritual with some added elements to take it to the next level!

Grab a cuppa your favourite tea and a chocolate chip cookie, get cozy and join us for this inspiring and insightful deep dive into rituals of heart, and the medicine of rebirth and renewal.

Much love,
Chris

Key Themes We Explored:

• Rebirth and renewal

• Listening to the heart as the compass

• Limiting input and keeping the energetic field clear

• Not overbooking ourselves and allowing enough spaciousness

• Spontaneous creation and following through on inspiration when the magic strikes

• Embracing our intensity and uniqueness instead of suppressing our life force

• Expressing from the heart and trusting the voice in real time

• The bridge between spirituality and restorative justice

• Fusing multiple passions into one dynamic flow of expression

Renée’s Prayer For Aligned, Heart-Connected Expression:

“Let the wisdom come through, from the golden light, through my heart, and out my mouth.”

There’s been an undertone of anxiousness, a familiar voice that asks, “What if it doesn’t work out the way that I’d hoped? What if things don’t go my way?” You might say I’ve come down with a mild case of spiritual amnesia and have forgotten just how blessed I am, and how much of my life has been working out in my favour, especially of late.

In fact, exactly two weeks ago I had one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. I literally had two dream come true conversations and opportunities land within an hour of each other. And to top it off, all of this occurred right as I was about to embark on a week-long immersion in studio, recording new music and doing one of my absolute favourite things to do on earth.

That experience ended up being one of the most effortless and enjoyable I’ve had to date. I was relaxed, at ease and in full trust. I was confident and at the top of my game in a way that felt new, and things flowed seamlessly. And best of all, we managed to bring to life something that’s been on my heart and whispering in my creative consciousness for a very long time.

I was high on life, in the pocket, and the momentum was building.

And then, just like that, without any obvious cause or warning, my bliss bubble burst and I found myself slowly but surely descending from my elevated state of grace.

So what happened?

Well, nothing really happened… on the surface. And yet, something significant definitely happened internally that is worth exploring and unpacking.

In essence, I hit an upper limit.

I experienced an expansion of what I thought was possible. I tasted the fruits of my labour. I got a big breath of fresh air at a new altitude, and I eventually self-sabotaged and got disconnected from the pulse of all that was going right and happening for me.

Sound familiar?

I met the edge of what I could hold in terms of how good it can get and what’s possible and eventually, all of the usual suspects showed up to rain on the parade.

Resistance. Scarcity. Unworthiness. Guilt. Control. Mistrust. Doubt.

As I wrestled with these different and seemingly unwelcome energies, I found myself grasping to hold on to what I had touched into. The more I resisted the backslide, the more it intensified. The tighter my grip became, the faster things seemed to be slipping through my fingers.

Despite being in it, I was aware of what was happening and so, I did what I know to do. I doubled down on my practices, I prayed for clarity and guidance, I journaled and meditated on it, I leaned into my support system and I did my best to zoom out and gain some perspective.

And then, lo and behold, before long, the clouds parted and I could see it all so clearly.

I saw the exact moment where the switch flipped and all my old, familiar thought patterns and narratives started to sneakily creep in. I saw the absurdity of it all in high definition.

It all made perfect sense. Logically. Rationally.

The natural ebb and flow of things. The contraction following the expansion. The importance of not getting too attached to outcomes. The magnetism of the state I was in when things were rolling as opposed to the vibe of grasping, trying to control and ensure things would go my way. The difference between living in trust and faith versus letting doubt, worry and mistrust colour my perceptions.

I know all of this conceptually and have even logged some solid miles practicing and embodying this wisdom.

And yet, I still ended up losing my footing as the reality of the experience unfolded. I stumbled and was humbled.

Here’s the thing that I certainly didn’t want to hear at first but that’s an essential lesson from this experience:

This wasn’t a mistake. I didn’t do anything wrong. Nothing “bad” happened.

I was actually gifted the perfect opportunity to see where I still have room to grow in embodying the wisdom and understanding I described. Life delivered on its promise to help me do just that and God orchestrated the exact unfolding I needed in order to meet myself where I was at. To meet my edges experientially and to feel my way through them into an expanded, more integrated version of me that can actually hold this next level of opportunity and reality without collapsing.

Seen through this lens, my sense and perception of the whole experience changes. I am able to better receive and harvest the lesson. Gratitude returns and I can appreciate the unfolding in all its magnificence - the rise, the peak, the fall, the low, and all the ins and outs in between.

It was all necessary. Unavoidable even. And as I emerge from this tunnel and my connection to the pulse of my creative hero’s journey returns, I can honestly say I’m better for it.

I’ve been viscerally reminded to loosen my grip, to let go of control and let God lead the way. I’m in direct contact with the places and parts in me that needed to strengthen in faith and trust. And most of all, I’m once again being invited into the knowing that all is well, even amidst the challenges. That it’s all path, all fuel for creation, all part of the ongoing expansion and becoming that will continue as long as I’m alive.

And with that awareness at the forefront, I can breathe a little easier. I can feel myself blessing and releasing all the things I’ve been tightly holding onto out of fear. I can rest more in the knowing that God is working for me, with me, through me and in me. I can open more to the current of Life that is happening for me, even when it seems that things aren’t going the way I thought they should. And I can return to cultivating the thing that matters most, my inner experience of Peace beyond understanding and Joy that nothing can take away.

Much love,
Chris

This Week’s Music Medicine:
If you’d like to go a little deeper on these themes, here’s some music medicine to go along with this message and support your inner alchemy. I recommend setting the mood with a candle and some of your favourite incense, listening with headphones and keeping a journal nearby so you can write any insights, reflections and inspiration that come up for you.

Both of these songs were born of initiations such as the one I wrote about here, during big expansions. They are woven with a common thread of strengthening our ability to trust, letting go of control and letting the Divine plan unfold, using our imagination to focus on what’s possible instead of what we fear, and ultimately, remembering that we are always being guided and provided for.

Photo by Elie Landesberg

Julia has been one of my greatest creative guides, mentors, and inspirations through her rich catalogue of soulful books that offer a special brand of warmth, support and companionship to artists of all different types on their walk with their gifts and what it means to be an artist.

I still remember the revelation of The Artist’s Way, a gift given to me by my first truly encouraging voice coach, Terri Oliver, at a pivotal time on my artist journey. The ideas expressed in that book were life-affirming and it was as though so much of what I had been experiencing but could not yet articulate was being so clearly and matter of factly laid out. I felt seen and understood.

Since then, I’ve always found my way into another book from Julia’s treasure chest at just the right moments, and they always seem to synchronistically align with where I’m at.

Seriously, it’s a thing.

I remember discovering one of her hidden gems, The Right To Write, at a bookstore in Studio City when I was living in LA over a decade ago. I didn’t even know the book existed and it found me at just the right moment amidst a very fruitful season of publishing one blog a week for two years straight, writing for inspirational platforms like The Daily Love and Positively Positive.

This latest book was no different. It found me in the heart of a season of deeply exploring faith in all its expressions. This includes what it truly means to believe in something, strengthening my ability to overcome any doubts that arise along the way to realizing a vision, as well as my own personal faith and relationship with God, and how it wants to be woven more intricately into my work.

One thing I loved about this most recent book on prayer is that it included accounts of Julia’s conversations with a diverse range of artists, each with an equally diverse a range of belief systems.

And yet, they all had one thing in common: they believed in the power of prayer.

Though the practice looked different for each person, the bottom line is that they all had a practice of praying.

Prayers of gratitude and appreciation; prayers for guidance, support, inspiration, blessings and well-being on the creative journey; prayers for success in the pursuit of artistic endeavours and in the little happenings of day-to-day life; prayers for loved ones, past and present.

My own prayer practice has evolved over the years from one that began as something more formal, drawing upon what I learned growing up, to prayers that have become more conversational, and that feel more like talking heart to heart with a friend.

One thing the book has inspired me to practice and explore more intentionally is to pray for help as I navigate the ins and outs of my artist path. It has also served as encouragement to pray out loud more often, to share moments of prayers with friends and loved ones, and to request their support in the form of prayers when I could use a little extra boost.

This small but significant shift has led to some truly beautiful, powerful and special moments. And I also feel much less alone in facing the difficulties that life inevitably throws our way.

In that spirit, I’m sharing a few of the prayers I’ve been coming back to that have become like beacons and guiding lights on my creative faith walk. Anchors to help keep me connected to the sense that there is a higher plan for my gifts, my work and my life, and also to bring me back to belief and faith when doubt rears its head.

If you’re reading this and you feel open to sharing, I’d love to hear some of your favourite go-to prayers. I imagine us creating a beautiful thread of prayers here that we can come back to whenever we’re in need of some extra support.

Much love,
Chris

Dear God,

Please guide and lead me to the open doors, the green lights, and the “Yes” so that I may share my gifts with the world and serve in a joyful, fulfilling and regenerative way. Thank you.

Dear God,

Use me as a Holy Instrument, a Divine Messenger, a Clear Channel, a Voice of Peace, Love, Inspiration, Truth & Power.

Show me where you would have me go, what you would have me do and with whom.

Put me where I can be of greatest service and contribution for the highest good of the Whole.

I’m yours.

Dear God,

I believe that with You, nothing is impossible.

I believe that you are working for me, with me, through me and in me.

I know you have plans to prosper me. To give me life and give it abundantly. To give me a future and a hope.

I believe. Help my unbelief.

Photo by Philippine Ruzette

Right on time, as I’m about to step into a big creative leap of faith.

In two days, I will get on a plane and fly across the country to Victoria, BC to spend five days immersed in the studio recording new music with my longtime collaborator, dear brother and producer Joby Baker.

Being well versed in these self-sabotaging thought streams, I turned to my morning practices to find my way back to a state of love and trust; to faith and belief in my path, my gifts, and my vision; and to a restored connection to the possibility of magic unfolding on the journey ahead.

This conversation and transmission is what ensued. I recorded it in my PJs, fresh out of meditation and prayer. In it, I spoke about the ongoing initiations on the creative path that ask us to overcome doubt and strengthen faith each time we step forth into new territory, into something that will expand us, and each time we meet an opportunity to become a bigger, bolder version of ourselves.

I addressed the reality of having to find a way to keep going, to persevere and hold fast to our dreams and heart’s desires, especially in those moments when we feel like giving up and throwing in the towel, when we can’t yet see the tangible evidence of what we are moving towards and our prayers have not yet been answered.

I also shared openly about my own process leading up to these BC recording sessions, the inner nudges that have been getting louder and calling me forth into a sound and direction that I’ve not explored before, and my approach of setting an intention before embarking on a new project.

I concluded by passing the microphone to you and asking some juicy questions to spark your own inquiry into what’s calling you forward, where you might be holding back, who you have to become, and what you might have to let go of to step into this next version of you and your expression.

Grab a cuppa your favourite beverage, a chocolate chip cookie (IYKYK) and join me for this heart-to-heart that will give you a boost of faith to keep going and the courage to take your next leap.

Much love,
Chris

Key Themes In This Episode

• Faith and belief in our vision, our dreams, and our gifts

• Overcoming the voices of doubt

• Holding the vision and staying the course

• Leaning into the unknown and making space for magic, miracles, and grace

• Play, joy, and letting go of attachment to outcomesThe blank canvas analogy and creating from intention

• The inner nudges getting louder

• The tension between what feels safer and more predictable and where we’ve never gone before

• Bringing the invisible into visible, tangible form

• Trusting that the source that put the desire in our hearts will support us in bringing it to life

A friend of mine recently introduced me to Charlie Rocket’s #WinningStreak idea and ever since, it has been rooting deeper into my consciousness and growing like a seed whose time has come.

The essence of the concept is to look for the wins in life, big or small, to search for the wins in a day from the outset, and to stack them up until you are in the energy and experience of being on a winning streak.

This initially may sound like trite wisdom, but when I heard it in the context of Charlie’s inspiring story of transformation, going from having a brain tumour to being a Nike athlete, from being fired as the cameraman of a hip hop artist he was working with to creating one of the most successful brands in the industry, it hit me differently.

What I loved most about his lens on life is the idea that there is a gift contained within our biggest challenges, and that every perceived “bad” thing that may happen can be made good by our choice to search for the lesson or growth in it.

That is at the heart of what The Alchemist’s Way means to me, and how I have learned to navigate and transmute the very real difficulties that we all inevitably face in our human experience into greater strength, resilience, courage and purpose.

The phrase “Winning Streak” is catchy and simple, but there was nothing easy or basic about it. This was harvested wisdom from true, lived experience, and though it resembles much of what I already know and already practice, sometimes when we hear the right message, at the right time, in a voice that speaks to us in just the right way, it lands deeper.

That’s how I experienced it and every morning since, I wake up and my first thought is: “I get to live one more day. That’s a win.”

As I go through my morning rituals, I am learning to celebrate and acknowledge each little blessing, stacking up the wins, one by one, so that by the time the day gets rolling I’m already on a winning streak.

Amplifying the good in our lives, fully receiving the gifts we often take for granted and really appreciating the simple pleasures is also a big part of the magic of this approach.

I wrote this piece in the first few days after Charlie’s message really landed for me, inspired by a video I came across shortly after my soul brotha introduced me to his work.

May it spark the same remembering in you and serve as a reminder to focus on the wins in life, and to look for the gift, especially in those moments when it appears something adverse is happening.

Thank you, Charlie, for the inspiration and powerful message.

Much love,
Chris

Ps. Thank you, Charlie, for the inspiration and powerful message. Here’s a little clip from a talk of his where he shares about the origins of #WinningStreak.

Winning Streak 

It’s easy to see how hard it could be
To imagine all the ways it’s not gonna go
The way I’d hoped and dreamed

It’s easy to doubt and question
Remain a skeptic who doesn’t believe 
In my own destiny
Choosing instead to settle for less 
And just accept whatever comes 
And call it reality

It takes courage to trust and have faith
To stand on hope and live towards a big vision
That at times asks you to patiently wait
In a space of uncertainty, 
Not knowing just what will be 
Or how the path will unfold

Remember all those times we were told to lead with our minds?
To use our heads instead of our hearts, 
Even though it keeps us blind to what’s meant to be ours

So I’m taking a leap and risking it all
Staying open to receiving and willing to fall
Because otherwise, I’m guaranteed to stay stuck, play small
All in the spirit of avoiding the pain of losing the game
Not realizing that the biggest L of all is not even playing

And that each day I get to live is already a win
Each breath, each shot I take, each chance to create
A win and if I look with new eyes, I might just realize
That I’ve had a few in a row and the momentum is growing

And before I know it
I’m living a life I love
That was once just an idea
By stacking up Ws, one by one,
Until little by little,
I’m on a winning streak 
And the dreams become real.

Poem by Chris Assaad
Music “Lights Are On” (Instrumental) by Edith Whiskers
Photo by Darius Bashar

A heart-to-heart, artist to artist conversation with my dear friend, Avery Florence.

Avery is a wonderfully gifted singer-songwriter and soft-soul artist with an equally angelic and gritty, soothing and soulful voice that I instantly fell in love with the first time I heard her sing.

She is also a passionate activist and gifted creative arts therapist. She shares her magic across a range of spaces, from concerts to workshops, from festival stages to more intimate studio settings.

Above all, she is a truly inspiring and soulful human. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know her and collaborate with her over the last year and I’m always left with an appreciation for her open curiosity and humble approach to art and life, to the big questions as much as the minute details that go into making something special.

In this raw, honest and playful conversation, we explore one of the central challenges faced by all artists and creatives, especially in this digital age.

How do we remove any and all self-interference to allow our expression to move freely?

How do we show up in the different spaces where we share our heart and our art as authentically as possible? How do we hold on to our Joy and continue to create a sense of freedom and permission for ourselves to share more of who we really are?

We also shared in the beautiful ritual of enjoying a chocolate chip cookie, before Avery treated us to a sneak listen of her newly written, absolutely stunning song that opens with the line “I’ve been terrified to begin…”.

I invite you to get cozy, grab a cuppa your favourite beverage and a chocolate chip cookie if you’re into that sort of thing, and join us for this deep dive conversation into the artist’s quest for freedom.

Much love,
Chris

Key Themes We Touched On:

• The “Hitting Record” effect.

• Staying natural vs performance (esp. on social media)

• Tension in sharing different versions of ourselves (silly vs serious; raw vs polished)

• Freedom as one of the ultimate intentions in our creative expression

• Reframing fear and nervous energy as fuel

• Taking creative risks without overwhelming the system

• Owning our unique niche & integrating multiple identities (artist, healer, facilitator)

• The importance of finishing and releasing work

• Choosing joy and play as a creative compass

• Raw vs. polished expression in art

• Trust, vulnerability, and the courage to begin

  ---

  BONUS: Here’s a little clip of me & Avery singing together captured at our first ever jam and collab session. This is still one of my fave musical moments we’ve shared and I feel it truly encompasses so much of that joy, permission and freedom we spoke of.

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I had a dream last night where I got to meet one of my musical heroes, Gord Downie, for the first time ever.

In the dream, I told him he was the reason I started playing guitar and singing. I shared that from the very first time I heard “Wheat Kings” in concert, in an arena full of people swaying side to side and holding up their lighters, I felt this undeniable pull to learn how to play the song so I could share it with friends around a campfire.

I told him how in university, one of my best friends and I would attend Tragically Hip concerts religiously, driving to anywhere and everywhere within reach to see our favourite band. I recalled how we would obsess over bootleg live recordings of the band where Gord’s unpredictable, poetic and often seemingly nonsensical banter could be discovered.

The late, great Gord Downie, lead singer of The Tragically Hip, was a force of nature and without a doubt, a one-of-a-kind artist creating in his own zone of genius.

He was the kind of artist who had found his own voice and owned it in such a way that you would recognize it instantly on a record. Whether he was speaking or singing a lyric, there was something distinctly his about the expression that could never be replicated.

Something about that struck a deep resonance with me, and has stayed with me to this day. To embody that kind of originality and bring forth one’s unique, irreplicable genius and soul expression remains a north star for me on my creative hero’s journey.

Innovation & Originality As A North Star

As I continue to walk my own artist path and explore what feels like exciting, new sonic, lyrical and textural territory, I am beginning to recognize something in my approach that has been one of my greatest assets and at times, a great stumbling block.

In life and in creativity, I have always been oriented towards growth, towards leaning into my edges, towards staying curious and open enough to discover what’s fresh, alive and new.

In essence, I’ve always been drawn towards the innovation side of creation.

At the same time, there’s no doubt that in order to equip myself with the necessary skills in any form of expression I’ve wanted to develop, from singing to songwriting to storytelling, I had to begin by way of imitation.

Especially when one’s taste and appetite exceeds one’s ability at something, learning by attempting to replicate what another has skillfully done is an excellent way to develop one’s crafts.

All those years ago, that’s how my musical exploration began when I followed that spark of inspiration from Gord and picked up the guitar to learn that song that I would end up jamming around the campfire with friends countless times. After that, I would go on to find many other artists who inspired me to learn their music that would influence me in my own music-making in the years that followed.

But there eventually came a time when to be able to do what they could do, even if it was note for note and pitch perfect, was no longer the goal. I eventually needed to go beyond my influences and inspirations, and begin to discover my own, true voice and expression.

To harvest something that was shaped by my lineage of heroes, teachers, mentors and influences, yes. But that also took what I learned, built on it and developed it in a way that I was adding my own soul essence into it to bring forth something unprecedented.

The wild truth is that this season of my artistry only really began a few years ago, nearly two decades into my journey as a music maker! And it is definitely ongoing. In fact, I can honestly say that it’s just now beginning to get really juicy and interesting to me and starting to feel as though I am tapping in to something that sounds and feels like nothing else I’ve heard before.

The funny thing is that most of the work I’ve done to make space for that kind of free, raw and real expression to move through me has been about getting out of the way more than it has about learning how to do this or that.

It’s been about emptying out and clearing the channel for what lives deep in my being to come through unimpeded. A lot of that has been about finding places where old wounds, ego, fear and lack have distracted from my own flow and caused me to stumble, and pulling out those weeds from my inner garden.

Unhealthy Competition, Comparison & Fear Of Extinction

In my heart of hearts, I truly believe that there is a one-of-a-kind, never before and never again, unique essence that exists in all of us.

Each of us is a snowflake, a diamond, a one of one.

And yet, if I’m honest, in my quest to bring that essence out into the world in my own special way, I have at times, become so concerned with setting myself apart from others that it has caused me to lose touch with that inner knowing and assurance. And as a result, to overcompensate by placing my attention on things that I actually can’t control and that it doesn’t serve me to concern myself with.

This shadow side of valuing and prizing novelty and originality has showed up in many forms. It has included quitting on things I was initially genuinely inspired to create and bring to life once I discovered others were doing something similar in an attempt to avoid competition and comparison. Even things I discovered through true innovation and that I was genuinely good at.

Another way this has shown up was in my initial fear of A.I. Given the ease of creation it makes possible, especially in music, I found myself buying into the fear that this new wave of A.I.-made music would crowd out true, human artistry and further saturate an already cluttered space.

There have also been times where I’ve discovered my own influence on other artists and creators in my circle and felt possessive of my ideas, my teachings, and even my wording.

Of course, there may be some validity to some of these inquiries, and there is a healthy expression of being aware of the marketplace and the world in which our creations live and move.

But for me, the simple fact is that the moment my intention to create with as much purity, authenticity and originality as possible had me focusing on what others were or weren’t doing, I’d clearly lost the plot.

In my staunch approach, I found myself at times losing touch with that inner sacred source that, in truth, is untouchable, and undeniable. That essence that cannot be copied, replicated, replaced or reproduced. That specialness that is innate and that need not be forced, fought for, or defended.

That magic that we all have, that is infinite and immutable.

That light I saw in Gord all those years ago and that still lives on through his creations and all those they touched, even though he is no longer with us.

And so the cycle of creation goes. We are all a part of it. We are all special, unique and original. The essence we carry is eternal and inextinguishable.

Thank you, Gord for the visit and reminder.

Much love,
Chris

In the spirit of honouring my musical heroes, early influences, and first inspirations, I’ve created a playlist of some of the very first songs that stirred something in me. Many of these were some of the first songs I learned to play and sing when I started out on the path of being a singer-songwriter and remain some of my all-time faves. There is a beautiful nostalgia that comes in revisiting that precious time on my creative path and reflecting on how these threads have woven themselves into who I am as an artist and songwriter. Take a listen and take a walk with me to where it all began.

Chris Assaad photo by Darius Bashar

Gord Downie photo by Ryan Merkley. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

In this transmission, I intentionally leaned into slowing down to create a greater sense of permission and safety for myself to go deeper and see what would come through in the absence of a false sense of urgency or performance.

In that spaciousness, something truly magical and powerful happened.

I followed the thread of what was most alive in me, moment to moment, and dots connected in a way I couldn’t have predicted or scripted. A clear theme and arc of transformation emerged and revealed itself in real time.

What began as a reflection on how Justin Bieber’s Grammy and Coachella appearances stirred something in me, opened up into a deeper exploration of authenticity, faith, connecting to our younger parts, and what it means to feel safe enough to tell the truth.

The conversation touches on slowness, inner child healing, creative safety, and a more personal share about my own relationship with God and Jesus, which I have not always felt comfortable or ready to speak about publicly.

At the heart of the exploration is a simple question: what becomes possible when we create enough safety for the most innocent parts of ourselves to be seen, heard, and expressed?

I would love to hear what this stirs in you and whether you have been navigating any of these themes on your own journey.

Thank you for being here. I’m grateful to be walking the path together.

Much love,
Chris

Ps. Here’s the J.B. Grammy performance I referenced.

Photo by Mulugeta wolde on Unsplash

RISING SUN

You rise, I rise
Together, we are here to shine
A light in the darkness
A sign of the heart, yes

You, an eternal Source
Of comfort and warmth
A constant companion in the sky
Smiling down from on High

You are the Life that grows
Seeds into trees, the scent of a rose
The One the morning birds love
To greet with their song

As the moments on our path unfold
You’re always there letting us know
East from west, which way we’re headed
Guiding our way Home

As you paint the horizon
At each day’s goodbye
When it’s time for rest, you remind us
With incandescent blends of red, orange, violet
To let go of what’s behind us

To let go of what’s behind us
Until once again
You rise, we rise
And another cycle begins

“Rising Sun” ~ Words and Music by Chris Assaad

All sounds on this recording were created using my voice.