By Riley H,
Name: Riley Holland
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Location: Portland, OR
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Marital Status: Single
Kids: No
Hobbies: Literature, meditation, playing guitar, playing bass in my band, boxing, writing, marketing I originally got into personal development to deal with the massive anxiety and depression I struggled with as a young man, but also out of a natural fascination with the mind and pushing its limits that I had since I was a kid, too. That search became the focus of my life for a long time, and I ended up having plenty of challenges, but also successes. With all that, I feel like I’ve reached a bit of a plateau in the last couple years. I completed what felt like my major stuff that was plaguing me, and the themes that defined the first half of my life feel more or less “wrapped up.” I’ve been happy to be able to use that experience positively to help others, but I’ve been mostly in teacher mode the last couple years, focusing on helping other people, and neglecting my own further development a bit. Lately, I’ve been feeling the irresistible itch to go further with my own inner work, to see it fresh again, and expand into my “frontier” goals. What I’ve overcome: Overcame severe stage fright and fear of public speaking. Gradually broke through teaching college classes in my early twenties as part of a grad assistant program. That one almost derailed me. Got past intense social anxiety, which was a big problem for a long time. Became secure and eliminating anxiety around feeling physical vulnerability by exploring and getting basic competency in martial arts Found the ideal diet for me, and sticking with it, and staying fit Successfully navigated (i.e., survived) two prolonged “dark night of the soul” eras of my life Healed much of my family relationships and many of my patterns with romantic relationship Satisfied my hunger for high-intensity psychedelic experiences, including in ritual contexts (Daime, NAC), and experimented with many forms of energetic/mind-body healing, finding what worked best for me Trained, learned, and taught a deep form of bioenergetic bodywork that put me in touch with the deeper “kundalini” energies in my body, and gradually but ultimately resolved my anxiety, depression and deep chronic tensions Created and am running my own business based on teaching my own presentation of all I learned throughout my process of personal development, which certainly feels like my life’s purpose What I’m working on now: Non-duality Insight meditation Exploring concentration practices more deeply Expanding and growing my business Overall, setting the tone for what other personal development themes will color the second half of my life Not dropping the ball on the basic, fundamental competencies of being a human I’m looking forward to immersing myself in this forum with a “beginner’s mind,” and interacting with what looks like a great community.
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Location: Portland, OR
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Marital Status: Single
Kids: No
Hobbies: Literature, meditation, playing guitar, playing bass in my band, boxing, writing, marketing I originally got into personal development to deal with the massive anxiety and depression I struggled with as a young man, but also out of a natural fascination with the mind and pushing its limits that I had since I was a kid, too. That search became the focus of my life for a long time, and I ended up having plenty of challenges, but also successes. With all that, I feel like I’ve reached a bit of a plateau in the last couple years. I completed what felt like my major stuff that was plaguing me, and the themes that defined the first half of my life feel more or less “wrapped up.” I’ve been happy to be able to use that experience positively to help others, but I’ve been mostly in teacher mode the last couple years, focusing on helping other people, and neglecting my own further development a bit. Lately, I’ve been feeling the irresistible itch to go further with my own inner work, to see it fresh again, and expand into my “frontier” goals. What I’ve overcome: Overcame severe stage fright and fear of public speaking. Gradually broke through teaching college classes in my early twenties as part of a grad assistant program. That one almost derailed me. Got past intense social anxiety, which was a big problem for a long time. Became secure and eliminating anxiety around feeling physical vulnerability by exploring and getting basic competency in martial arts Found the ideal diet for me, and sticking with it, and staying fit Successfully navigated (i.e., survived) two prolonged “dark night of the soul” eras of my life Healed much of my family relationships and many of my patterns with romantic relationship Satisfied my hunger for high-intensity psychedelic experiences, including in ritual contexts (Daime, NAC), and experimented with many forms of energetic/mind-body healing, finding what worked best for me Trained, learned, and taught a deep form of bioenergetic bodywork that put me in touch with the deeper “kundalini” energies in my body, and gradually but ultimately resolved my anxiety, depression and deep chronic tensions Created and am running my own business based on teaching my own presentation of all I learned throughout my process of personal development, which certainly feels like my life’s purpose What I’m working on now: Non-duality Insight meditation Exploring concentration practices more deeply Expanding and growing my business Overall, setting the tone for what other personal development themes will color the second half of my life Not dropping the ball on the basic, fundamental competencies of being a human I’m looking forward to immersing myself in this forum with a “beginner’s mind,” and interacting with what looks like a great community.