#234 Forgiveness is Self-Care and Choosing to Respond, Not React with Damian Cole

[TRIGGER WARNING]: This episode includes discussion of a traumatic car crash and associated trauma (TBI). Listener discretion is advised, especially for those with past experiences related to car crashes. Alright everybody, that was a ripping chat with Damian Cole, who is an absolute legend and hammering towards his destiny. The core thread we pulled on was the difference between external labels—like his name, Damian or Damo—and what's actually going on inside, which led us into this heavy territory about whether love or blood ties should carry more gravitas when talking about family roles. The dude got real about escaping the Society Lie and the ideologies that trap you, pointing out that our society is just one option out of infinite possibilities. Damian's main approach to life, rooted in a Walt Whitman quote, is: Be curious, not judgmental. He was living this fear-based life for his entire 20s, working in the offshore mining industry and making "ridiculous money," which he called Escaping Blood Money. He finally bailed at 28 to jokingly/sincerely "save the world". We talked about his environmental Hippie Roots—his dad Maurice Cole co-founded Surfrider Foundation Europe in 1991, and Damian's first protest was at age 8 against French nuclear bombing. This led to a key takeaway on how to deal with