My Enlightened-ish Promise
Notes on thought leadership and writing from humility and service
This is Enlightened-ish with Brad Wetzler, my dispatch about how we can brave the wilderness of these tough, post-modern, hyper-capitalist times…together. It’s about storytelling, healing, adventure, the human heart, and the pursuit of the sacred and the holy, too.
Who am I? I’m the author of the new memoir, Into the Soul of the World: My Journey to Healing, and a longtime journalist with bylines in the New York Times, Newsweek, Wired, GQ, National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, and Outside where I was a senior editor and a longtime contributing editor. I spent fifteen years working as an adventure writer, journalist, and magazine columnist. After a long period of depression and overmedication with prescription drugs, I launched a round-the-world quest to heal body, mind, and spirit—to recover my very soul. You can read all about this journey in Into the Soul of the World. I live in Boulder, Colorado, where I write books and articles, edit books, coach aspiring memoirists, and teach yoga and meditation.
Hi everyone,
I don't know about you, but my email inbox and YouTube feed are overflowing with self-proclaimed experts and "thought leaders." While I appreciate learning from those who have genuinely toiled in their field for years, I struggle with people pushing the boundaries of their expertise to position themselves as broader authorities. The term "thought leader" itself feels off-putting to me.
Recently, I've encountered:
- A dietician claiming a particular Chinese herb will radically change my life.
- A former addict and yoga teacher promoting a breathing practice that will supposedly raise my vibration and heal my relationships.
- A famous psychologist from Canada who now comments on global politics and gluten.
- A former mountain climber who now positions himself as an expert on religion and narcissism.
Why am I mentioning this?
Because I want my newsletter to serve you and my readers genuinely, I've been exploring what that means and how to do it well. I don't believe these 'thought leaders' who overstep their bounds are truly serving you. Their content often
seems more about self-promotion and selling products than providing real value. My approach is different. I aim to provide you with honest, insightful, and thought-provoking content that is based on my personal experiences, extensive research, and the wisdom of the spiritual traditions I've studied as a layperson. I want to engage in meaningful conversations with you, where we can learn from each other and grow together.
My goal is to serve you with humility and vulnerability. Yes, I know a few things about spiritual matters and healing. I've been on a very long journey of seeking and healing. I've spent years exploring both Eastern and Western wisdom paths. I've read hundreds of books on Buddhism, yoga, Christian mysticism, Gnosticism, psychology, and meditation. I've traveled the world seeking spiritual understanding, walked in Jesus' footsteps across Israel and Palestine, studied Bhakti yoga in India, meditated extensively, and earned certifications to teach yoga and meditation. Yet, I am far from considering myself a spiritual expert or teacher. Instead, I am an educated but flawed bumbler who tries to learn from (and write about) my successes and many mistakes. I write about the peak experiences and the blind alleys I've taken. I've also had personal experiences that have shaped my understanding of these topics, such as overcoming addiction and finding a little more peace through meditation.
It's important to me to write with a voice that reflects my knowledge and experience without overstepping. I aim to share my journey and struggles to understand central spiritual topics such as God, gurus, teachers, compassion and grace, mindfulness, mysticism, sacred texts and scriptures, spiritual practices and rituals, healing and wellness, personal transformation, and more. But I promise never to be preachy. And if I am, then please notify me in the comments section.
My commitment is to serve you and publish more often.
Till next time,
Brad
If you haven’t bought my memoir, Into the Soul of the World: My Journey to Healing, yet, I hope you will.
Here’s what author Hampton Sides wrote about it:
“Brad Wetzler has led the very definition of an adventurous life, but in Into the Soul of the World, he gives an unflinching account of his interior adventures. Wetzler’s soulful quest, by turns anguished and transcendent, will resonate with readers around the world who struggle to find purpose and a sense of the holy in the ambient jitter of the digital age.