The events from earlier this week compelled me to put down my thoughts surrounding the idea and presentation of masculinity and how it relates to Smart Funny Tortured. It begins with a simple observation: what we often see modeled as “strength” from positions of power isn’t strength at all—it’s aggression, bullying, and insecurity. That’s counterfeit masculinity. And counterfeit masculinity breeds shame. But here’s where this connects to our Smart Funny Tortured framework: - Smart → Real strength begins with clarity of mind. Not just intellect, but discernment. Knowing the difference between counterfeit power and true sovereignty. - Funny → The noble masculine carries lightness, joy, and flow. He doesn’t need to crush others to prove his worth—he can laugh, connect, and play without fear. - Tortured → Many of us grew up under bullies or systems that mocked sensitivity. Our pain here is real. But it can be reclaimed as fuel—for empathy, for courage, for protection. This is reclamation in action: taking back the essence of what it means to be strong, and refusing to let shame or bluster define us. 💬 Community Prompt I’d love to hear from you: - What moments in your life have shown you the difference between counterfeit strength and sovereign strength? - How does this idea of the noble masculine show up in your own Smart, Funny, or Tortured story? 👉 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9ts0oTK0UCI?si=J3OptG1j4S23hyli And then share your reflections below. Let’s model what sovereignty looks like—together.

There are two kinds of people in the world: Healers and Fixers. Healers are the ones we fall into—They notice what we’re holding.They ask if we’re okay.They meet us where we are. Fixers are the ones who get us home.They see what needs doing and just do it.They act. They solve. They carry the bag at 2AM. But the people who change our lives—and the ones we can choose to become—are both. They’re the ones who know when to hold and when to help.The ones who meet you in the wreckage and help you climb out. Today’s Smart + Funny Fusion Workshop is a live experiment in becoming that kind of human. Smart = your brilliance, strategy, perspective. Funny = your joy, your flow, your ability to hold.Together? They begin to unlock your range. 🌀 And yes—beneath it all is Tortured. The part that knows. The part that made you pay attention. We’ll go there soon. 💬 Reflection Prompt ( Drop in below ⬇️ ) Which one do you naturally lead with—Healer or Fixer? And where might you grow by integrating the other?

If you’ve ever been called “all over the place,” “multipassionate,” or the dreaded “jack-of-all-trades,” here’s your reframe: you’re a ConSynth—a conceptual synthesist. You fuse lenses from different worlds into something new and useful. That’s not scattered; that’s sovereign. What’s a ConSynth? A builder who spots patterns, stitches a model, and ships it so others can use it. It’s how Smart • Funny • Tortured actually moves: - SMART (skills + acumen + experience) → inputs & pattern recognition - FUNNY (joy + flow + pleasure) → translation layer that makes ideas sticky - TORTURED (shame + trauma + desire) → fuel and constraint that force clarity→ ESSENCE (sovereign output) you can teach, sell, or live by Quick examples of ConSynth in the wild🥇 - Lin-Manuel Miranda: hip-hop × U.S. history × Broadway → Hamilton. - Hedy Lamarr: film × radio engineering → frequency-hopping (Wi-Fi ancestor). - Steve Jobs: calligraphy × computing × industrial design → the Mac UI aesthetic. - Temple Grandin: animal behavior × systems design → humane livestock systems. - Rick Rubin: cross-genre listening × minimalism × artist psychology → career-reviving albums. Old labels → SFT truth ✨ - “Jack of all trades” → Cross-domain integrator - “ADHD scatterbrain” → High-bandwidth pattern detector - “Can’t pick a lane” → Builds lanes, names them, invites others to drive The job: turn your mixed bag (lived experience + study + scars + humor) into frameworks, tools, and stories that help people move. 🧠 A Question to Claim Your ConSynth Identity Answer in the comments. Keep it raw, specific, and real. ❓Which pain or constraint has secretly been your best teacher? Describe the rule or model it forced you to invent. (If you were training someone you love, how would you teach them that rule in one page?) ✨ Bottom line: If you live SFT, you’re already doing conceptual synthesis. The name ConSynth just strips the shame and hands you the keys. Let’s see your first map.

This isn’t a solo journey, even though it might feel like one at times. There’s a private community here. And I need you to be part of it. The people here? They’re not tourists. They’re high-performing, big-feeling, sharp-witted, deeply introspective souls—just like you. You’ll get more from this process if you share. Ask questions. Reflect back what hit. We are made more real in the presence of others. And I will be in there with you. Answering and posing questions. Listening and trying to hold up a lantern so we can all make it out.

People often ask me where Smart Funny Tortured came from. The truth is—it started five years ago when I was at my lowest, clawing my way back to sobriety, shame, and self. A coach in Santa Cruz asked me one simple but terrifying exercise: call the people closest to me and ask them, “How do you see me?” That cracked me open. It showed me the power of reflection, the necessity of honest feedback, and the truth that who we are isn’t just what we project—it’s what others mirror back. In that same retreat, almost out of nowhere, I heard myself say the words Smart, Funny, Tortured. I wasn’t workshopping a brand. I was naming my people. I knew them because I was them. What began as three words has become the lens through which I understand identity, creativity, and balance. Smart is our lived acumen. Funny is our joy and flow. Tortured is the shame, trauma, and desire we’ve carried too long. When these three are inflamed or out of balance, we suffer. When they’re brought into harmony, we find our essence. That’s why I’m here now, dedicating myself to this framework and this family. To help each of you uncover where you are Smart, Funny, and Tortured—and to bring them into balance so you can live with more honesty, strength, and sovereignty. Here’s the story of where it all began.