Where Are All the Grownup?
Hey friends,
Last night, I had what some call a dark night of the soul—a confrontation with collective shadow. I woke at 3am, in anguish about the state of the world—our degrading systems, corrupt leadership, spiraling debt, and AI racing ahead of our ethics. Then I got mad!
Where are All the F’ing Grown-ups?!!!
Where are the wise, calm, grounded people who have the moral courage to tell the truth and do hard things? Where are those able to feel the tension of the time but remain resolute and act with clarity? Where are the leaders who self-reflect and choose collective interest over self-interest?
Children in Charge
It feels like adolescents are running the show—impulsive, powerful, but woefully underdeveloped. Then I thought, maybe this human-made crisis is less about politics or technology and more about development? We’ve grown materially and technologically, but not emotionally, morally, or spiritually.
We're Not Bad, We're Behind
There’s nothing wrong with my fifteen-year-old daughter. I have faith in her intrinsic goodness. But is she consistently making good decisions? No, she is not. It’s the same with us collectively, we’re not bad, but we are behind. Awareness is a form of adulthood, which is why shadow work is more important than ever. It's not self-help. It's not indulgent. It's necessary and our times demand it.
Now is Our Time to Act
Shadow work helps us face what we’ve been avoiding—our pain, our patterns, our unacknowledged fears. It’s how we grow up. It’s how we become the adults the world so desperately needs.
If you’re feeling this too—this anguish and heaviness, this call—you’re not alone. The collective shadow is arising in you, too.
I want to invite you to do the work with me.
Come on retreat.
Book a coaching session.
Or simply reach out and talk.
The world doesn’t need more adolescent indulgence and chaos. It needs more grounded presence. And that begins with people like you and me—turning inward, waking up, and stepping forward with wisdom, compassion, and grit.
Let’s grow up together.
With strength, humility, and hope,
Mark
Answer the Call
The world doesn’t need more outrage, self-indulgence, or chaos—it needs more maturity. More grounded, present, reflective people who lead from the inside out. If you feel the call to grow up in the deepest sense, to stop avoiding what’s hard and start stepping into who you’re meant to be, this is your invitation. Join me. On retreat. In coaching. Or simply in conversation. Let’s do this work—together. Click here and let's be the adults in the room.
Questions for Reflection
What part of you still resists growing up?
Is it the part that clings to comfort or avoids conflict? The part that wants someone else to fix things? Identifying this can be the first step toward maturity.
How might shadow work help you lead—at home, in work, or in the world?
Shadow work reveals the patterns that hold you back. It brings unconscious motives into the light so you can act with clarity, not reactivity.
When you look around at the world, what qualities do you long to see more of?
Whatever those are—wisdom, calm, courage—they may be the very qualities you're being called to embody.
