Everything is within you

Seek Wisdom. Wake Up. Live Fully | Welcome to WITHIN

Across time and place sages have issued a summons to anyone who longs to live in their full aliveness.

Go to the source of all wisdom. Find the location of peace. Seek the ground of being. Return to the home of the divine. Pursue the fountainhead of creativity.

It goes by different names—the kingdom of Heaven, the Tao, the Beautiful, Atma, the Infinite, the Boundless, the Dreamtime, and many more.

But the location—the place one must journey to in order to access this Reality—is always the same.

It is always WITHIN.

We humans scramble all over the place in search of fulfillment. We look outward toward achievement, productivity, external validation, sensory pleasure, wealth, and material things to soothe and satisfy ourselves, to find some sense of security and safety.

But the mystics have always declared that supreme contentment—who we really are—is found in the opposite direction.
It isn’t external. It is internal.
The way to aliveness is within.

“Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig.”

—Marcus Aurelius

This word has been quietly, but consistently calling for my attention over the past few years. I encountered it in ancient writings again and again. It’s been at the core of my lifelong inner journey, but I’ve experienced its power at deeper levels through my meditation practice. And I’ve found myself using it constantly in my writing, coaching, and meditation teaching, so much so that I named my prison meditation initiative the Within Project.

Within is a spacious word. It doesn’t belong to a single religion or culture or tradition. It doesn’t require a particular set of beliefs. What lies within us goes by many names.

Within is a generous word. Announcing a beautiful voice that’s always there, if we would just quiet down to hear the song. Declaring that a light is always shining, if we would just open the eyes of the heart to see it.

Within is a powerful word. It says that there is more to us than meets the eye. We are far greater than we realize. And it beckons us to realize who we really are by experiencing transformation from the inside out.

For all these reasons, this week, I’ve renamed this Substack newsletter. I still love the word STILL—we’ve had a good run—and I will continually invite you to this outcome of the inner journey. But in this next season, I want to accent how to get there:

The way to wake up, live fully, and carry out your calling in our hurting world is… WITHIN.

WITHIN is a space for wisdom seekers, restless wanders, and spiritual misfits.

For leaders who are ready to migrate from achievement to authenticity, productivity to presence and purpose, and self-improvement to self-love.

For those who are stuck, lost, or at a crossroads and wondering what’s next.

For anyone who feels the pull to go deeper, but doesn’t know where to start.

I invite you to join me as I explore the inner journey, consciousness, spirituality, creativity, and—full disclosure—whatever else I’m in the mood to get into! As I delve into the wisdom of myths, mystics, and midlife, my hope is that you feel supported to wake up, live fully, and carry out your calling in our hurting world.

“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.”

—Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings

About me… in case we haven’t met

Hi! I’ve been helping people experience deep transformation and access lives of greater joy, compassion, and purpose for the past twenty years. My work has always been at the intersection of inner life, belonging, and social healing, though it’s been expressed in many ways.

These days, I’m a coach, meditation teacher, and speaker. I’m the founder of the Within Prison Meditation Project, volunteer as a hospice companion, and serve as guest faculty at the Modern Elder Academy. I’m a certified advanced meditation teacher of the world-renowned 1 Giant Mind technique. My first book, The Way Home: Discovering the Hero’s Journey to Wholeness at Midlife (Macmillan), is a guidebook and memoir about the inner journey we all must embark on in order to live our fullest lives.

I hold a Master of Divinity degree and, previously I was an ordained minister for over a decade, worked at The On Being Project, and founded Aurora Commons in Seattle.

This all might sound like serious business… but don’t be fooled! I’m all about embracing levity amid the gravity of life. I’m into dad jokes, enjoy karaoke with friends and strangers, and have been co-writing a TV comedy pilot for two years—stay tuned!

I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my wife Cherie, our three teenagers, and a bunny.

Thanks for being here.

“I'm a big fan of Ben Katt's wise perspective on the human journey. He's a secular saint who can translate any mystical message into a practical action plan.”

—Chip Conley, NY Times bestselling author and founder of MEA

Why subscribe to WITHIN?

WITHIN is a space and a community to help you reclaim the ancient, innate art of going inward—whether you consider yourself spiritual or religious or not. And especially if you are a bit irreverent, somewhat leery about woo-woo things, and can appreciate the occasional pop culture callback.

Free subscribers receive:

• A wisdom-filled weekly Sunday morning post in your inbox. Usually brief. Always deep. This your weekly invitation to be will generally include:

Paying subscribers receive:

• The nourishing weekly posts mentioned above

• The satisfaction of knowing your support is helping make my writing available.

• The gift of supporting my prison meditation work through the Within Project.

• Other awesome things TBD, such as occasional longer posts or exclusive access to work-in-progress writing from what might be my next book!

Founders receive:

• All of the awesome aforementioned stuff above

• A HUGE thank you

• Something cool in the mail from me!

Where you can find me

• Check out my website. Beyond writing, I help leaders who feel stuck, lost, or at a crossroads to reconnect with their inner wisdom, navigate transitions, and step into wholeness through coaching, meditation, and speaking. To learn more and see if we’re a good fit, click here to schedule a free one-on-one call.

• Learn about my prison meditation work through the Within Project.

• Listen to podcasts I’ve been a guest on.

• Connect with me on Notes.

• Sometimes I hang out on Instagram, LinkedIn, and sometimes even on TikTok.