Warren Hooley - A Concise Life Story

12 years ago, I couldn’t name a single body sensation, hadn’t cried in over 10 years and had built up a collection of limiting beliefs about myself and the world around me. I climbed the highschool social ladder, but at the cost of losing who I really was. Disconnected from my body and emotions and full of blind spots and twisted beliefs, I ran from the world. I became a hermit living on my ‘indigenous reserve’ in Penticton, B.C trapped in a cycle of addiction and escape.

After years of attempting to break free from my internal prison, I stumbled upon a personal development series called “beyond positive thinking”. This initiated my journey into the world of myself and sparked my deepest desire…to grow. After this initiation came a series of learning chapters in my life, each one uncovering who I really was and the life I wanted to build.

The first chapter was connecting to my Okanagan ‘Syilx’ roots. A journey I am still on and want to continue. This exploration helped me lift the shame and uncertainty of who I was and where I come from. I realized the beauty and brilliance of my Okanagan ancestry and I started to feel proud to be a half indigenous man. This also illuminated my ability to walk in both indigenous and western worlds and develop a high tolerance to hear very different opinions and remain calm. I can see myself in both sides and help bridge the gap of differences to more understanding and connection.

Next was my introduction to ‘Creative Facilitation’. A world where unlocking your creative confidence and facilitating magic was the name of the game. It was here I reclaimed my inner child and ability to express myself more authentically. I also got to witness the power of community by participating in and eventually leading summer youth camps and adult facilitation workshops. I faced a lot of my ‘blind spots’ being the position of a lead facilitator and got to learn from some truly incredible mentors from the ‘PYE Global’ and ‘IndigenEYEZ’ communities.

Then came the world of ‘Compassionate Communication’. It’s here I learned how to listen to my emotions and connect to what’s most important to me. I spent years learning how to hold safe and warm space for others and more importantly…myself. Working with Sarah Peyton, a relational neuroscience and trauma healing expert, I embarked on the journey of healing my childhood wounds and build an emotional support network. A journey I’m learning to embrace and continue to deepen for the rest of my life.

My latest main chapter was a dive into the idea of ‘decolonization’. I began looking at how the ‘consciousness of colonization’ or in the other words, the beliefs and values of the western world has and continues to deeply affect every single person on the planet. From a lens of ‘intersectionality’ I’ve come to realize that we must band together and face the problems that we’ve inherited from colonization as a united front. To move away from increased polarity, into deeper connection and understanding. I believe this might be the greatest test humanity will ever face. To overcome judgement of self and other is a mountainous task. Yet I believe it’s paramount that we learn to both take full responsibility for our own healing and also contribute to changing systems for others to access healing as well.

Now after a decade of rigorous personal growth, leading over 1500 workshops and being mentored from masters of their own bodies of work, I feel ready to give back. A life goal of mine is to become a truly holistic man balanced in my spiritual, emotional, mental and physical health. I want to offer my cultivated skills as a professional ice breaker, emotional connection expert and communication skill builder. I believe these skills are crucial to the health of any community. I have chosen to walk the path of a facilitator, mentor and life-long student. To give myself to this work and offer my gifts to the world with respect, humility and love.

To be continued…