This is Part 1 of my two-part book series — the journey that laid the groundwork for everything I do, and everything I am, today.

It starts when I was 21: A depressed boy who knew almost nothing about the world, hitchhiking around Australia with no real plan. What began as an escape became something else entirely. I intentionally gave up every comfort society had to offer — money, a tent, a roof — and chose to live homeless, finding myself connecting deeper and deeper with nature with every step.

That path eventually led me somewhere I never could have imagined: initiated into the honour of becoming a sacred fire keeper by the Indigenous — and carrying those ashes barefoot, around the entire coastline of Australia.

This is where it all began.

(Check out the "Book gallery" tab in the menu bar to follow along the story)