Soul Wiggling: Part 2

Life-changing moments can happen anywhere, anytime. We can design our lives with the sharpest pencils in the world, but ultimately, it’s the crayon-colored streak of discovery and joy truly setting the course for a career and life of fulfillment and impact. 

Thirteen months ago, I shared my story about “soul wiggling” with one of my companions at Surf Ranch, a guy named Grant Korgan who I described as “the first adaptive athlete to reach the South Pole (and one of the most incredible souls in the world).” Little did know how our soul wiggling would wriggle me right out of a job and into a pursuit of my passion. And having just returned from a second trip to Surf Ranch this past June, I’ve been reflecting on what it means to fully embrace a life-changing moment. 

A year ago, I got back from Surf Ranch. I turned to my wife, Julie, with tears rolling down my face, and told her I was going to quit my job. I’d had what was one of the deepest, best connections and one of those life-changing moments at Surf Ranch. What I’ve realized since then is that it wasn’t necessarily Surf Ranch that changed me—it was Grant. 

I’m now on the Board of The Moment Foundation as “Momentum Lead” (read more about The Moment Foundation and Grant Korgan’s vision here), and have deepened my connection with Grant and his wife, Shawna, who were organizing a fund-raising trip to Surf Ranch for June 2023. They turned to me and said: “Chris, we’ve got 7 spots to fill. How do we find enough amazing humans who know they have it inside themselves to soul wiggle—people with the right energy who will also support our nonprofit?” 

I said, “Give me 12 hours.” And within 12 hours I had 7 people, most of whom I’d already talked to about Surf Ranch; they knew my story. They knew the impact of what this trip had on me last year. How I positioned it to them was: “You’re gonna soul wiggle with us. I can’t promise anything, but I know it’s going to be epic.” 

What happened was exactly what I’d hoped for and more. My energy was focused at one of the most impressionable, amazing times of their lives. And these are people who do amazing things a lot. At the end of the trip, when we were all in the room together, everyone had had some of the most amazing surfing sessions of their lives, a lot of them being the first ones. They were leaving with the experience, but also with this connection with one another and everyone else who was with us, and they got to see and hear from Grant. Each of us have a bond that we brought back to Atlanta with us- so thanks to you each who made this truly special: Mike Domenicone, Raul Tavares, Johnny Ezzell, Patrick Lewis, Ryan Skutvik, Taylor Barnes and McClure King.

Grant asked me to say a few words. 

I cried in front of everyone as I shared my story and said how I hoped they could take Grant’s energy and positivity and amazing outlook. Grant calls it experiential positivity, and it’s the backbone of what The Moment Foundation. 

I've also made new friendships, Like John Baum; he goes by the call name of “Slick.” He was a Thunderbird pilot and then one of the top gun instructors, and he’s now in charge of the Polaris program teaching Elon Musk's SpaceX explorers how to be astronauts (no big deal). Julie and I just visited him on a drive back to Atlanta from Rhode Island. It was such a great confirmation to this hypothesis that when things are bad, to remember there are amazing people out there. It's just about taking more time to get to know them and do totally epic things.

It’s about the life-changing moments, the moments of experiential positivity, and also the moments in between, in between the waves, when you connect with people you never would have before… you just need to connect a little a deeper.