What started out as a supportive trait to help a young boy cope with his high emotional sensitivity and strong empathy, my ability to pretend to be whoever I thought was called for in any given situation became a favorite crutch that I leaned on as I grew into adulthood without ever learning to be truly vulnerable. In order to keep myself safe from even being tempted to practice vulnerability, I developed a belief that I was incapable of any creative or artistic expression. Far from keeping me safe, with this inauthenticity I had built the walls of my own prison cell and by denying my creativity I had placed a harsh jailer to keep watch. Brene Brown says that creativity denied is not benign but can be absolutely toxic to the soul (my paraphrase), and after a cyclone of pain wreaked a path of destroyed relationships through my life I understand what that toxicity can do. At 35, I found myself standing in the wreckage of my life determined to live authentically, without a clue as to what that looked like. I had no idea who to turn to or what to trust, so I decided to allow my heart to be my guide. As I learned to feel my feelings and experience my experiences, I could only express myself in raw authenticity. I developed practices to release my inner shame and I learned to act courageously and have compassion for myself and others. Along the way, I began to share my story with others and in so doing I discovered that each of us has a unique predicament and each of work best with our own practice in order to create our freedom. I also saw that there is a set of principles and methods which enable us to discover and create the practice which will free us from our own suffering.