“My name is Ben, and I wanted to share a little bit about my experience with Julie and the circle of courage. I guess the shortest way of saying it is that Julie came back into my life in a moment where I was navigating a really tough transition and sort of pivoting into midlife and what is the next version of my career and me look like. And the thing that it allowed me to discover is making peace with the idea that I am a deeply flawed person who means well and has a lot to give. But perfectionism, especially perfectionism that I developed as a response to how I grew up. This thing that I was using to protect myself was also keeping me from living the life that I wanted is the long and the short of it, because I was kicking my own ass constantly. And I was also. Those unrealistic expectations were bleeding over into other relationships at work, at home. And so once I really allowed myself to be me and do it with courage, that, you know, I am a person worth living the life that I want. And I am a person whose boundaries matter and, you know, what I want matters, as long as I can speak those things with clarity and kindness. I suddenly found there was a lot more room in my life for the version of me that I always wanted to be, but kept putting off because I was too busy or too stressed out or too. There just wasn't room. And that room was because of all this stuff I was holding inside. So I've been really grateful to go through this process at this point in my life. And it is interesting to arrive at the end of it not necessarily as, like, you know, I feel like a lot of programs like this, like, we're gonna level up. I didn't level up, but I did become more of myself. And that then allows me to be more present and help other people to be themselves in the work that I want to do. That's valuable to me. So the last thing I'll say is I don't think that my experience is unique. I think that Julie has a way of sitting with you and hearing you and hearing the things that you say that you maybe don't acknowledge for yourself. And just turning you to the mirror, right, and saying, well, here's what I see in you. I wonder why you don't see that in yourself. And that kind of work takes a lot of emotional depth and an ability to sit with some complicated stuff. And she's just the best at it. So if you're on the fence, I want to encourage.”