You don’t need to be fixed. You need permission to become.

Eight honest places to begin. No formula. No five-step fix. Just one small step you can take, right where you are.

Isn’t it tiring? That voice that whispers "Am I enough?" again and again in spite of everything you’ve already achieved. 

You're exhausted from performing, from pretending you “have it all figured out”, from questioning your worth day in and day out… This book is for you.

What’s Inside

Eight places to begin.

You don’t have to read them in order. You don’t have to take them all at once. You don’t have to become someone different by Tuesday. Look at the list, notice which one speaks to you today, and start there.

STEP 01

Meet Your Inner Three-Year-Old

Meet the younger you with kindness instead of control.

STEP 02

The Power of Inner Forgiveness

Make peace with the person you've been.

STEP 03

Breathe. It's Okay.

Surrender isn't giving up. It's opening your hands.

STEP 04

Dance Like You Mean It

Joy isn't a reward. It's a rhythm.

STEP 05

Growing Up Is Not for You

Your healing was never meant to stay yours.

STEP 06

Maybe You Were Never Broken

Separate the wound from the story you built around it.

STEP 07

Survival Identities

Who you became to stay safe isn't who you were created to be.

STEP 08

The Boldness You Don't Manufacture

Courage was never in your credentials.

AT THE END OF EVERY CHAPTER

One Step.

It's not homework. It's one small, honest movement you can make in real life, this week. Because insight alone doesn't change your life. The step you take after it does.

FROM STEP FOUR

Have a five-minute dance party. Pick a song that makes you feel alive, set a timer, and press play. No choreography, no mirror, no judgment.

That's the step.

Free assessment, about 3 minutes

Not sure where to begin?

Eleven honest questions. Choose an answer to begin, and find the step that meets you where you are, plus a few things you can do today.

This assessment is a starting place, not a diagnosis. If you're in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (in the US) to reach someone right now.

Look inside

Read a page or two.

Not a long, heavy book. A conversation with a friend who’s been there, with a few pages you’ll want to sit with.

Get the book, $15
Book page: Our minds can't create new patterns when we're busy beating ourselves up
From the Preface
Book page from the Preface about brokenness and beginning where we are
On brokenness, from the Preface
Book page with reflection questions about your inner three-year-old
From Step One, Meet Your Inner Three-Year-Old

Readers

People who are beginning where they are.

Every name here is someone making something. Click through and meet them.

“An awesome book. Deeply personal and vulnerable, while surprisingly embracing of what other people might be experiencing. This is going to bless so many people.”
Brandon WilsonBrandon Wilson
“You’ve succeeded at stacking some really profound spiritual wisdom into this book in a way that is so accessible. It’s hard to think someone could get through this and not feel the grace it’s inviting them to embrace.”
MylanMylan
“A book written from transparency, inviting you to co-create a journey toward growth and healing. This book challenges you to pause, look inward, and take accountability for the painful experiences you’ve left untouched, those that still require your attention. Grateful for the way the author guided me through this journey with grace and gentleness, but also with a challenging conviction.”
Natalia Guzman

From Joel’s Heart: An Excerpt from the Closing Word

You didn’t read a formula, because I don’t have one. What you have now is simpler and sturdier than a formula: you know where you are, and you know Who is with you.

Don’t wait for clarity. Clarity doesn’t come before action, it comes after. Don’t wait until you feel ready, because ready is a story we tell ourselves about a day that never arrives. You don’t need the whole staircase. You only need the next step.

Put your hand over your heart one more time: I am here. I am becoming.

And then, step forward.

Joel

Your next step

Start with the book, or bring your assessment result to a conversation with Joel.

The book

Begin Where You Are

$15

Eight steps, each one ending with a single One Step you can take today. Read it in order, or start with the step your assessment pointed to.

Buy the book
Want someone to walk with you?

Clarity call

$50

30 minutes with Joel. Bring your assessment result, and we'll name the one step that makes sense for your life right now.

Book a clarity call

BOOK TWO IS ON ITS WAY

I’ll meet you in the fog.

The next book is about the messy, holy middle between starting and becoming. Get One Step, my short weekly note, and you’ll be the first to walk into it with me.