After saying yes to so many new experiences, I found myself being drawn to the unfamiliar, to challenge, to growth. A conversation with a friend led me to the idea of going to Thailand to try Muay Thai kickboxing. That planted a seed. One day, I was lying on the couch, hungover, watching a Bruce Lee documentary, and a wild thought dropped in—what if there was a real Kung Fu school in China I could train at? I jumped on Google, searched, found one, emailed them, and within days I was booked in.

I didn’t end up going to Florida for the speaking event I originally planned. That fell through. But instead of seeing it as failure, I saw it as redirection. I booked the flight to China.

I lived and trained there from November 2019 to February 2020—and that experience changed me at the deepest level. I slept on a wooden bed, woke up at 6am to freezing cold mornings, trained seven hours a day, five days a week, and lived with the discipline and intention of a Shaolin warrior. I cleaned temples, stretched daily, practiced meditation, and connected with energy in ways I never imagined. My body became stronger, more adaptable, more alive. My mind became sharper. And my spirit woke up.

That time taught me the value of simplicity, the truth that we are our own healers, and the importance of living in harmony with nature, energy, and your environment. It reminded me that we are far more powerful and capable than we’ve been led to believe. That real transformation doesn’t happen in comfort—it happens in devotion.