The Art of Holding Fire

Storytelling, Strategy, and Coaching for Adventurous, Curious Souls Learning to Hold Fire in a Chaotic World

The world is burning sometimes literally and if feels like more and more often, figuratively. The news is a constant dumpster fire, our inboxes are full of urgent-but-meaningless demands, and the existential dread of modern life sits somewhere between a slow smolder and a full-blown inferno. So what do we do?

That is the reason for The Art of Holding Fire.

Fire is everything. It’s survival, destruction, renewal. It’s what separates us from the animals and burns us when we get too close. It’s Prometheus stealing from the gods because he looked at a shivering, suffering humanity and decided, screw this, I’m doing something about it. And sure, the guy ended up chained to a rock with an eagle gnawing at his liver—but in the grand scheme of things? Worth it. Because fire became the foundation of civilization. It forged steel, fueled revolutions, and lit the way forward.

But here’s the thing: Fire is fickle.

Too much of it, and you’re left with scorched earth (been there). Too little, and you’re stuck in the cold. The trick—the art—is knowing when to react, when to adapt, and when to take it down a notch. This site is about that balance. About learning to hold fire with care. About recognizing when to harness it and when to let it burn out. And, sometimes, it’s just about befriending our inner little dumpster fire.

For me, fire encapsulates navigating complexity, survival, missteps, and the ridiculous but beautiful endeavor of trying to be human. Sometimes we feel like Prometheus, the rebel hero for the world, and sometimes we feel like Prometheus on the wall, every day thinking, new liver, same eagles. The world throws a lot at us—chaos, grief, the occasional ego-check from an uncaring universe. But somewhere in the mess, we figure it out. We learn when to ignite, when to smolder, and when to let the flames die down. This Substack is an honest exploration through what is going on in the world (My Threat Matrix is Full), how we get ourselves unstuck (Rebel in Retreat), and stories to help us stay curious (So This One Time…).

So welcome to The Art of Holding Fire. May you wield it well.