Pep Talks

Thrive exactly as you are.

You can create a life true to yourself. Rich with deep, meaningful relationships.

The keys? Authenticity, connection and seeing reality as it is.

Ready to embrace who you are and be love(d)?

Connect With Yourself

Your relationship with yourself is the foundation for everything in life.

Without a strong self-connection, we may end up having in a “successful” life that feels miserable to us.

We can enter into relationships that seem great but aren’t a match for us.

Or spend our days chasing self-improvement rather than figuring out who our “self” is and why we want to improve it in the first place.

Connect With Others

What if social skills didn’t have to be about saying all the “right” things?

What if it would be possible to be your real self be loved for it?

To becoming the kind of person people naturally find it easy to relax and be more of themselves around?

What if connection wasn’t something to be “achieved” but something already there between you other people, waiting to be discovered?

Connect With Reality

If you want to go anywhere, you must start where you are.

One of the reasons this can often feel challenging, is that us humans don’t spend a lot of time in the reality of where we are.

And spend most of it in stories about that reality.

What would happen if you dropped your stories (negative and positive) and tuned into the reality of what’s here now instead?

Hi, I'm Pep.

I quit high school as a teenager to self-educate through full-time “explorimentation”:

Questioning common knowledge and learning through a process of poking life in weird places, then seeing how it responds.

In 2015, I started writing “Pep Talks” on this website, sharing some of my experiences.

These eventually gathered tips and thank-you notes of up to $1000 from readers whose lives were impacted.

With time, I realized the essence of my work has always been about connection, authenticity, wholeness and alignment.

This led me to immerse myself in the mentorships of others who serve those same principles.

Acquiring tools like Authentic Relating, Bioenergetics and more. Which I now play with, combine and build upon as a guide, mentor and facilitator.

How We Can Work Together

Group Facilitation

You are planning a…

  • Retreat
  • Coliving
  • Workshop
  • Conference
  • Online event
  • Team building

…and want your participants to…

  • Bond more deeply
  • Turn conflict into connection
  • Have facilitated integration time

Personal Guidance

You value…

  • Clarity
  • Authenticity
  • Self-connection
  • Deep personal growth

…and you want to…

  • Forge your own path
  • Deepen your relationships
  • Develop your self-leadership

…without just being told by a coach that you should do things their way.

 

Workshops

You seek….

  • Experiential learning
  • Genuine human connection
  • More fulfilling relationships
  • New ways to relate to emotions

I create spaces where you can…

  • Be welcomed as you are
  • Develop emotional intelligence
  • Learn conscious communication

…and have a lot of fun in the process.

"Effortless: Transcending the Illusions of Self-Development"

One of this world’s many ironies is that most self-development books take you away from yourself.

And while we’re applying their advice to our lives, we’re not always aware of this.

But the underlying message is:

“You must work hard so you can be better. And then you will finally thrive.”

What if the opposite was true?

What if it’s exactly all the effort you put into this pursuit that stops you from being where you long to be?

And what if the many ways you “sabotage” yourself (resistance, emotions, excuses…) are actually forms of wisdom we don’t fully understand yet?

This book is a Pep Talk on that paradox.

A collection of conversations to devour nose-to-tail, snack on daily, or digest as slowly as you desire.

There are no rules for life, how-to’s or habits in here.

But you can find everything you’re looking for, if you’re willing to see.

"Effortless: Transcending the Illusions of Self-Development"

One of this world’s many ironies is that most self-development books take you away from yourself.

And while we’re applying their advice to our lives, we’re not always aware of this.

But the underlying message is:

“You must work hard so you can be better. And then you will finally thrive.”

What if the opposite was true?

What if it’s exactly all the effort you put into this pursuit that stops you from being where you long to be?

And what if the many ways you “sabotage” yourself (resistance, emotions, excuses…) are actually forms of wisdom we don’t fully understand yet?

This book is a Pep Talk on that paradox.

A collection of conversations to devour nose-to-tail, snack on daily, or digest as slowly as you desire.

There are no rules for life, how-to’s or habits in here.

But you can find everything you’re looking for, if you’re willing to see.

Featured Pep Talks

 This website was born in 2015 as a place to share insights, stories & lessons gathered from my exploriments.

(I still continue to share these with email subscribers.)

Here’s a selection of posts that were particularly impactful for people:

Moving from Drama to Mutual Empowerment

"Victim mentality" is a common buzzword in personal development....but did you know it’s just one piece of a larger, often dysfunctional dynamic? And that it rarely exists in isolation? That's right ladies and gents: You better ask your bestie to hold on to your...

The Nuance on Vulnerability

Vulnerability is commonly praised as "the key to connection". Yet, after hosting and participating in 100s of events with the purpose of deeper connection and kindling friendships, my conclusion is it's way more nuanced than that. Yes, this part is true: When people...

What If You Were God’s Therapist?

Ever had the sense that life is trying to show you something and there’s no avoiding it? This seems to be a recurring thing for me: That there’s a certain experience I’m apparently “supposed “to have. That it doesn’t matter where I go or what I do, I’ll have that...

The Subtle Art of Giving a Conscious Fuck

The idea of “not giving a fuck” is often presented in pop culture as a kind of ultimate freedom—feeling unbothered by criticism, expectations, or failures. But in reality, like so many ideas we humans love to entertain, it’s mostly an illusion—and, in my humble...

What’s Inside the Fullness of Your Anger?

If you were to feel the full amount of anger you’ve avoided feeling in your life, what do you think would happen?How do you think it would feel? What might it inspire you to do?A few years ago, I got the chance to find out.And what ended up...

How to Make Decisions You Don’t Regret (Your Core Value System)

How would it feel to know that every choice you make is true to yourself? A life lived with integrity, a life with no regret. The first step towards that, is knowing what your core values are. These are the hidden principles that matter most to you in life. And if you...

How to Stop Being a Pushover Without Being an Asshole (and Vice Versa)

Do you sometimes feel like people take advantage of your generosity? Or that it would be hard to assert your boundaries without disrespecting others? While growing up, many of us develop certain “personality traits” to get our needs met. Since this usually happens at...

The Explorimenter’s Manifesto

Becoming an explorimenter is one of the most powerful things you can do for your personal growth. While I’ve never written about it (or seen anyone else do so), it has been a foundational element of my life philosophy for as long as I can remember. Perhaps even the...

How I Healed from Chronic Anxiety in 6 Months (+ My Top 10 Tips)

In 2015 I got diagnosed with a chronic panic disorder, which I apparently had suffered from for 20 years. 6 months later, I was completely healed, without ever taking medication. 8 years later, one of the things I receive the most praise for is my ability to remain...

What If All Emotions Were Just Flavors of Love?

Ever wondered what most determines the quality of your life? It's your emotions. Sure, they may not be the only factor shaping your reality, but consider this: Imagine a life where every day is filled with everything you love—your favorite activities, people, food,...

The Dynamics of Time, Energy and Money

What do you want to experience, do or create right now? Whatever it is, you will need to invest one or more of the following: Money Time Energy These are the 3 main personal resources exchanged in the modern world. (Some people might argue this list is incomplete. And...

Beyond Black and White: The Spectrum of Life’s Distinctions

You can look at the world from many different levels of distinction. And at every level, the world looks different. You can look at your arm and say “Oh, that’s my arm.” Or you can look a bit closer.  And notice your arm is made up of skin, hairs, pores, ... You...

How to Turn Conflict Into Connection: Navigating Tension in Social Circles

Do you have someone in your life whom you regularly spend time with...but there’s always a sense of tension or negativity between you? Maybe this person is a co-worker.  Maybe they’re a part of your extended friend group.  Or even an imaginary friend you don’t get...

How to Have Deeper Conversations: Mastering the 6 Levels of Conversational Depth

Do you ever find yourself secretly getting bored in the middle of a conversation? How about moments when you like someone and you want to connect more deeply with them…but it just doesn’t happen? What if there was a way to create deeper, more connective conversations...

Are Your Idols Leading You Astray? The Danger of Following the Wrong Influencers

In a world filled with voices clamoring for our attention on social media, it's easy to get swept away by the charisma of people we’ve never met, yet somehow feel like we know them better than some of our friends. Our idols, mentors and favorite influencers talk to us...