"Congratulations, you got to the top of your game and are a burnout shell of your former self."

I'll never forget those words...

I was 29 years old, working at the best ad agency in town and I’d been hospitalised with double lung pneumonia and anaphylactic shock.

The doctor told me I’d been minutes away from a massive cardiac arrest.

And was lucky to be alive.

And he was right.

But all I cared about was getting back to work. 

Because work was my identity. 

Work was my sanctuary. 

And work gave me my sense of value, worth and a North Star. 

For years "the work the work the work" was the love of my life. 

The subject of my dreams. 

And my mental tattoo.

It calmed my anxiety, it settled my nerves, and I was really fucking good at it.

And therein lay the problem.

The better I got the deeper I sunk.

And the deeper I sunk the more I sacrificed. 

Heart, soul and sanity too.

I was skirting across the surface of life.

Burning alive in paradise.

And I didn't even know it.

Until the day I collapsed.

And damn near died.

*****

But that's what you do when you're in love with the work.

Right?

*****

The Great Awakening

A decade of mismanaged pressure, sadomasochistic rituals and no 'off switch' had taken its toll. And my creative brain – the thing that was once the brightest, sharpest most cherished tool in the box – was now battered, bruised and soaked in fear

The 3-pound lump of wetware that had given me the most joy, pleasure and satisfaction in life wasn’t working anymore. 

And the lifepath I’d chosen for myself had come to an end. 

I was having an early-onset existential crisis.

 And I realised I was spinning my wheels in a life I no longer loved.

As the person I no longer recognised. 

With no psychological defences whatsoever.

EVERYTHING I did was a monumental chore. 

EVERYTHING around me was an existential threat. 

And EVERYTHING within stressed me out. 

And the worst thing about it…

Was that I’d done this to myself.

It was ME who’d run my brain ragged. 

It was ME who’d ignored the flashing red signs. 

And it was ME who’d soldiered on regardless. 

Ignorant and insecure. 

Punchdrunk and overstretched. 

Skirting across the surface of my own life. 

Burning alive in Paradise. 

But was it REALLY my fault?

Was I REALLY that stupid?

Was I REALLY to blame?

Because I’ve been where you are and I know the way out.

You start out in this business because of love. The love of words. The love of images. The love of art, design or life-changing innovation.

You loved it so much you gave it your all. Head, heart and soul.

And for years that kinda worked.

Until the day it didn't.

Somewhere along the love got lost and the fear crept in.

The pressure to bring your A-Game to the game every single day of the week has taken it's toll.

And the truth became startlingly clear. 

The most valuable tool you posses isn't your iPhone, laptop or camera kit. It's the 3-pound lump of wetware sitting between your ears.

And if you blow that up, it's not just your career that goes up in smoke. Your sanity, soul and sense of perspective does, too. And when that shit goes south, it’s not long before your health, happiness and relationships follow suit.

Before you know it you’re a strung-out-shell of your former self.

Emotionally drained. 

Mentally exhausted. 

Physically fucked.

It’s enough to make you want to jack it all in and become a mushroom farmer.

Only don’t. Because I’ve been where you are and I'm gonna give you the way out.

Let's not beat around the bush. The most valuable tool you posses isn't your iPhone, laptop or camera kit. It's the 3-pound lump of wetware sitting between your ears.

Unfortunately it's also the most vulnerable you posses.

And if you blow that data farm up, it's not just your career that goes up in smoke. Your sanity, soul and sense of perspective does, too. And when that shit goes south, it’s not long before your health, happiness and relationships follow suit.

Before you know it you’re a strung-out-shell of your former self.

Emotionally drained. 

Mentally exhausted. 

Physically fucked.

It’s enough to make you want to jack it all in and become a mushroom farmer.

Only don’t. 

Because I’ve been where you are and I know the way out.

You start out in this business because of love. The love of words. The love of images. The love of art, design or life-changing innovation.

You loved it so much you gave it your all. Head, heart and soul.

And for years that kinda worked.

Until the day it didn't.

Somewhere along the love got lost and the fear crept in.

The pressure to bring your A-Game to the game every single day of the week has taken it's toll.

And the truth became startlingly clear. 

The most valuable tool you posses isn't your iPhone, laptop or camera kit. It's the 3-pound lump of wetware sitting between your ears.

And if you blow that up, it's not just your career that goes up in smoke. Your sanity, soul and sense of perspective does, too. And when that shit goes south, it’s not long before your health, happiness and relationships follow suit.

Before you know it you’re a strung-out-shell of your former self.

Emotionally drained. 

Mentally exhausted. 

Physically fucked.

It’s enough to make you want to jack it all in and become a mushroom farmer.

Only don’t. Because I’ve been where you are and I'm gonna give you the way out.

So if you're sick of mortgaging your life for a future you can't see, don't want or are terrified of losing... STOP IT. Because the Reignition Roadmap™ has got your back.