Changing the World Starts with You

I found myself on a beautiful beach near Ixtapa, Mexico. After a week-long vision setting trip with my entrepreneur group, it was the perfect day. I had just finished surfing and ordered shrimp tacos when I ran into a few group members who were departing for a special Toltec sweat lodge ceremony.

Although this type of activity would normally be right up my alley, I’d been anxious about it all week and opted not to participate. As they began to leave, I had a sudden change of heart and ran to catch up. Winding up a steep hill to the top of a mountainous jungle overlooking the blue ocean, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.

The word temazcal comes from the Nahuatl word temāzcalli [temaːsˈkalːi] (“house of heat”). A pre-Hispanic wellness ritual popular with Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica for thousands of years, the ceremony incorporates chanting, music and dance. The process is said to rebalance the mind and body.

Huddled with ten people in a small dome-shaped structure, water was poured over volcanic stones and they sizzled loudly over a wood fire. The temperature began to rise. The air was heavy with sage, sweetgrass and copal, which were thrown into the fire.

Sitting in complete darkness, I felt afraid. I took a deep breath and listened to the steady beat of the drums. Then, I picked up a maraca and let go of all expectations. During the ceremony, we were encouraged to set a personal intention and release what no longer serves us. The knot in my gut disappeared and and a sense of energy kept me feeling peaceful and grounded.

What does it take to change the world? Focusing your thoughts, energy and actions on what you want to achieve. Opening your mind and heart to new possibilities, facing your deepest fears and creating your own reality.

That day, I took a leap of faith and trusted my intuition, saying yes to something that forever expanded my view of the world.

The message I took away from the temazcal was clear: your intention creates your reality. And changing the world starts with a single person: you.

Are you ready to step out of safety and forward into growth?

I’ll be drawing on this ancient wisdom in 2025 to bring my vision to life.