In Yellowstone, the return of a handful of wolves reshaped an entire ecosystem—even changing the rivers. Our inner lives work the same way: restore one key relationship, and everything reorganizes. In this post, Dr. Mark Pirtle explores how attunement acts as the “one right action” that brings balance, vitality, and creativity back online—and invites readers to join the Book Launch Team for his upcoming book, The Healing Mindset.

Sometimes the long way around is the way that gets you there. After a challenging detour with my original publisher, I found the right team at Manuscripts.com—and now The Healing Mindset is officially back on track for Summer 2026. Here’s what happened, why it matters, and how you can join the Book Launch Team helping bring this book into the world.

My book, The Healing Mindset, is officially back on track with a new publisher. In a world full of reactivity and anger, this book aims to offer a path toward attunement, healing, and positive change. Here’s why the timing matters — and how you can be part of launching it.

In this article, Mark reflects on the difference between momentary breakthroughs and lasting transformation. Drawing on personal experience and decades of clinical and contemplative work, he explains how fleeting states like calm or insight can become enduring traits through the right kinds of practice. His new book, The Healing Mindset, distills five key practices that help you rewire your brain, build emotional resilience, and grow into a more grounded, attuned version of yourself. It’s not about chasing peak experiences—it’s about becoming the kind of person who lives from that awareness every day.

In this personal and hopeful update, Dr. Mark Pirtle shares how becoming a full-time single dad has clarified his priorities—and sparked the creation of a powerful “Living Constitution” with his daughter. He also announces the upcoming release of his long-awaited book, The Healing Mindset, along with three workbooks and a fully rebuilt version of Project SkillfullyAware. Mark shares a glimpse into his next book, Unfinished Business, which introduces the SA360—a new diagnostic tool for deep inner work and leadership development. With 2026 on the horizon, he invites readers into the next chapter of sharing, connection, and growth.

In this candid story, Dr. Mark Pirtle shares how ignoring his own advice about tennis elbow led to a powerful moment of shadow work. When he noticed his double standard, it reminded him how often we know what to do—but fail to do it. That insight is the heart of shadow work: spotting blind spots, aligning behavior with values, and growing from the inside out. Mark introduces the SA360 Diagnostic, his new coaching tool designed to help clients identify power leaks and strengthen the core aptitudes needed to thrive. There’s still time to participate in the pilot!

After an overwhelming response to last week’s newsletter, Dr. Mark Pirtle dives deeper into a powerful question everyone seems to be asking: “How do I grow?” The SA360 Diagnostic, part of the SkillfullyAware system, offers clear insight by analyzing your responses to 19 reflective questions. Get your free personalized report and discover your growth stage, where you may be leaking power, and how to evolve with clarity and intention. It’s a practical and profound step toward self-understanding.

Dr. Mark Pirtle is inviting members of his community to help test a new self-assessment tool—the SA360. Unlike surface-level personality tests, this assessment maps the deeper layers of your development, from worldview and self-regulation to shadow patterns and power center imbalances. In return, participants receive a custom developmental report based on their responses, complete with tailored growth recommendations. Join the pilot and be part of something that could transform the way people grow.

Dr. Mark Pirtle is inviting members of his community to help test a new self-assessment tool—the SA360. Unlike surface-level personality tests, this assessment maps the deeper layers of your development, from worldview and self-regulation to shadow patterns and power center imbalances. In return, participants receive a custom developmental report based on their responses, complete with tailored growth recommendations. Join the pilot and be part of something that could transform the way people grow.

Last week, Dr. Mark Pirtle introduced a framework for identifying and sealing power leaks in our lives. This week, he reveals the deeper system behind that work—one rooted in neuroscience and vertical development theory. Using the SkillfullyAware method, Mark helps clients map where they are developmentally, where they’re stuck, and what’s needed to evolve. It’s not just mindset coaching—it’s a comprehensive, research-informed approach to whole-person growth and transformation.

We all have moments where we feel off-center, reactive, or drained—but these patterns often signal deeper issues beneath the surface. In this post, Dr. Mark Pirtle introduces the SkillfullyAware framework: seven Power Centers and six Core Aptitudes that help pinpoint where you’re leaking personal power. Learn how to spot these patterns, work with them skillfully, and lead from a place of greater presence, resilience, and alignment.

This post announces the soft launch of Dr. Mark Pirtle’s updated website and introduces the expanded offerings within the SkillfullyAware system. From new retreats and coaching frameworks to the upcoming release of his book and online course overhaul, Mark shares how his approach to helping people heal, grow, and align has matured—and what it means for clients and readers.

In this post, Mark reflects on the opportunities and challenges of AI in a content-driven world—and reaffirms that the core task of becoming a wiser, more skillful human being still rests with us. AI can assist, but it won’t raise your kids, regulate your emotions, or live your values. That’s our work. And it’s more relevant than ever.

Inspired by a quote from Seth Godin, Mark reflects on how major personal healing began with a few simple practices. Drawing from his story of recovery after the loss of his business, Mark introduces the systems-thinking approach that underpins his upcoming book and new website. The message is simple but powerful: small changes, done consistently, can solve big problems.

This week’s post tells the story of a woman who’s spent her life doing for others but never learned how to prioritize herself. Through coaching, she’s begun exploring her internalized guilt and rescuer identity. Shadow work is helping her uncover why saying no feels so difficult—and why creating space for herself is essential. This post invites anyone who gives too much and wonders when it’s finally okay to choose themselves.

In this short reflection, Mark shares the story of a long-time coaching client—a successful CEO in her sixties—who continues to struggle with prioritizing her inner life. The post raises thoughtful questions about time, value, and the need to honor our spiritual and emotional wellbeing before it's too late.

Many people associate shadow work with personal healing, but what happens when an entire culture or country refuses to face its past? In this post, Mark reflects on the 50th anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam as a powerful example of avoided reckoning. He explores how the absence of public reflection mirrors unprocessed shadow—leading to repetition, division, and silence. Mark invites readers to view shadow work as a communal and national responsibility, not just a personal one, and offers retreats as a space to begin this deep and necessary work.

Life-altering events can shake us to our core—but they can also shape us in powerful ways. In this post, I reflect on two major turning points in my life: the loss of my business and my divorce. Both left me disoriented and hurting. But through extended retreats—first at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and later through plant medicine—I found perspective, healing, and a path forward. If you’re navigating a personal upheaval, this post offers insight into the psychological toll of big change and the quiet power of stepping away to reconnect with what matters.

Talking to yourself in the third person (Illeism) may feel odd at first, but it creates instant distance from swirling emotions. In this post I share how “Name It to Tame It” carried me through a rough divorce, why it works neurologically, and how you can use it for quick, compassionate shadow work. I also invite readers to go deeper through one‑on‑one coaching or an upcoming plant‑medicine retreat at Tubac Ranch.

In this honest and uplifting reflection, Mark shares a personal story about a friend whose daily commitment to his artistic calling brought unexpected healing. He weaves in insights about depression, procrastination, and the voice that says “not today”—and how shadow work helps us meet it with curiosity. The post ends with a powerful call to reconnect with what matters, even if you’ve fallen off track. Because saying yes to the grind, over and over, is what unlocks the goodness.