The Front Yard Tree

The inspiration for The Front Yard Tree is rich and layered, but at its heart, it is a devotion to the human longing to grow — to reach toward a future still beyond our imagining, individually and collectively.

On my own path, I was deeply influenced in my youth by the spirit of the human potential movement — its recognition that we are designed to evolve through stages, each step expanding our capacity to bless the world and create beyond personal gain or loss.

One of the clearest lessons I’ve come away with is that, especially for young adults, there is a great need for quests — journeys sparked by a mixture of selfish and noble impulses. Older, mythic cultures understood that no one could be inspired to do “the hard thing” solely for noble reasons. Instead, what moves us is whatever we hold in our hearts with devotion — even if it is incomplete or misunderstood at first (and it inevitably is).

Today, we are in need of deep, transformative journeys — processes that guide us from a place of not-yet-knowing, through risk and vulnerability, toward wiser, more empowered versions of ourselves and the world. These journeys invite us to embrace our humanness, acknowledging the imperfect nature of our motivations. They challenge us to dare, to risk failure, and to be shaped by the many wisdoms life offers.

Over time, through my own struggles, I came to see that the true spirit of the quest lives primarily in the imagination and the heart. While it was important for me to “go out into the world” and try things, I slowly realized that these outward efforts were only part of the journey. The deeper quest — the real work of growth — takes place within.

I discovered, over time, that I could engage proactively in these inner quests by drawing on the many developmental practices being explored, revived, and reimagined across different fields — psychological, mythological, somatic, energetic, imaginative, etc — but always with an inner sense of the epic as my guide.

It has been an insistence on our own hidden nobility, a trust in the vastness of our imaginations, and a refusal to settle for smaller stories than the ones our souls are longing to live.

Without this essential ingredient — the Soul’s demand for its own magnificence — our journeys often become repetitive, as if we’re walking in circles. Reintroducing it into the process transforms not only what we learn but also the way we learn it, and can propel us toward a deeper, more expansive understanding of ourselves.

The vision for The Front Yard Tree is to normalize and honor the deep human need for quests — and to offer skillful, soulful support for those who embark on them. And then see what can happen!