Sunsetting Downshift

Saying goodbye to the Decelerator

Today, our team is announcing the difficult decision to sunset Downshift.

As Steve shared in his post today, he felt the call to step away, simplify, and bring more spaciousness into his life. And we decided as a team that moving forward with the project without its original source in Steve didn't feel aligned. So it's going on the shelf. At least for now.

I feel a swirl of emotions today.

Lots of sadness. Sad that this program, which I witnessed change lives, won't reach more people. Sad to not get to work closely with this team in this form, for now. Sad to not get to do this work that was deeply meaningful to me. I’m still grieving this ending.

Boatloads of gratitude. I'm so thankful to Steve for bringing me in on day one to such a special project. To Tracy, Andy, and Matt for being truly truly incredible teammates and friends.

I’m also grateful for all that I learned by working on this project. When I started working on Downshift, I was just getting started on my coaching path. Honestly, I couldn't pay money to get this kind of experience and training.

I also feel deeply grateful to the 30+ participants who took a risk in joining an intense new program, and showed up with open minds and hearts. Y'all brought it. And I'm so happy to have you all in my life.

Mountains of pride. Pride in what we built yes, but honestly? I think I'm even more proud of how we worked together and communicated as a team. We were honest. Really fucking honest. We challenged each other lovingly. We showed up for each other as colleagues and humans, when we were at our best and, more importantly, at our worst. And we had FUN. Not like bullshit corporate pretend fun. REAL FUN.

When I started working on Downshift, I had a lot of past trauma from working on teams, and held a lot of resistance and fear. The risk of abandonment felt too hard to bear. This team has totally rewired how I view working on a team. We did what I believed wasn't possible in a business setting. They made me a better coworker, leader, and person. They helped me find myself again. I pray we get to keep working together in some form.

I want to give a heartfelt thank you to each member of our team.

Steve showed me a form of empathetic and conscious leadership I didn’t know existed. He challenged me, and I challenged him. His vision and creativity shined through in everything we did. I got to learn, firsthand, from one of the truly great coaches of the day.

Tracy is my long-lost Jewish sister. Working together was SO MUCH FUCKING FUN. We also challenged each other but it always felt like love. It always felt like we were in flow together, whether we were designing curriculum or facilitating group work.

Andy was like our steady rock that was also sometimes an earthquake (in the best way possible). He makes me feel stronger. He makes me feel safe. And his ability to bring visions to reality is second-to-none.

Matt stepped bravely into this work at an early stage in his career and brought a steady, calm presence to every moment together. It was incredible to watch him grow as a coach and facilitator. I loved getting to partner with him and feel extremely confident that he’s going to continue to do such incredible work in this world

Alice, our breathwork facilitator, brought such warmth and wisdom to our container. I pray I’ll have more elders like her in my life and that we stay in partnership in some form.

I'm still a massive massive believer in what Downshift stood for: slowing down, being present, and living life in deeper alignment.

We believed that work doesn't have to be a constant source of stress. That pausing, breathing deeply, getting in touch with your body and nature, and listening to your deepest intuitions aren't just nice to haves, they're a critical part of humaning... yes, even if you're a big-time hustle CEO. ESPECIALLY if you're that.

When we become aware of the stories and scripts that were handed to us, we become empowered to rewrite our scripts.

We started this project because we had all been on our own journeys of burnout, misalignment, and finding our way through the abyss. We’re all on the path of coming back to alignment in who we are and the work we choose to do.

Making the choice to let Downshift rest is a big step for all of us in practicing what we’ve preached and staying in alignment.

Downshift changed my life.

Whether it comes back in some form or not, it will always live on inside me and in how I show up in the world.

What's next for me?

I'm taking this message from the universe to focus.

My energy to get out there and build my coaching business is filled to the brim. So that’s what I’m doing. My goal is to get my 1-1 practice up to speed by the end of this year.

What’s becoming clear for me is that the path calling me isn’t community work OR inner work, it’s the integration of the two. That’s who keeps coming to me. People who are working in the business of community AND who want support in navigating their inner stories, patterns, anxieties, balance, presence, and burnout.

I’m getting to bring the Downshift methodology to the people I know and understand best. Which is great because, frankly, community builders need this form of support and it just hadn’t been there.

My most recent community founder client just shared this testimonial with me yesterday:

“David's Coaching was nothing less than transformational for me. I was in a burned-out and overwhelmed state. Utilizing his approaches on mindfulness and self-awareness, I was able to take control of my life while running my business.”

That’s what’s giving me life. Helping leaders live more energetic, balanced, stress-free, financially abundant lives, while building businesses in service of others.

So if you’re a community builder, founder, or ambitious pro who wants a coach who can support you in both the inner AND outer game of building businesses and navigating transitions, please reach out!

Otherwise, I'm listening, trusting, and surrendering to whatever comes next.

Love to all of you. Thanks for following along.

Onward.