PEEK IN MY WEEK #39 – Week 18 of 2026
“What we don’t change, we choose.” – Jim Kwik
What a week. Including an Eric Clapton concert. Barry Michels practicing his keynote with me. My first podcast going live. And the deck finally, finally going to print.
I keep thinking: how is this my life?
And then I remember: by doing it. By taking the next step. Even when that step wobbles.
5-4-3-2-1 → Let’s go. 🎬
5 – BARRY MICHELS AND THE QUESTION GOD ASKED
Dear diary moment. Barry Michels, one of my biggest heroes, wanted to rehearse his keynote for the Shadow Summit. With me. I got to give him feedback. Me. Barry. Feedback. Yes, I know this sounds like total fangirl territory. But that’s what it feels like.
He told the story of Adam and Eve. We all know it. But not the way Barry tells it.
Adam and Eve are naked. No shame. At one with everything. Then they eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And the first thing they do? Look at themselves. Judge themselves. Condemn themselves. Cover up. They hide the most vulnerable parts of who they are.
And then God asks his very first question to humankind.
Not: what have you done? Not: why did you eat from that tree?
But: Where are you?
Strange question for an all-knowing God. But that’s the point. By hiding their most vulnerable parts, they became impossible to find. Even for God.
What does this have to do with shadow work? You’ll hear that from Barry himself. On May 2nd.
What I can say: I had tears in my eyes. And I know this work. I’ve known it for years. But the way Barry delivers it, it lands all over again. Every time, a layer deeper.
Our conversation about the Upside-Down Triangle is now live on Substack. I’m getting lovely responses from other Tools® coaches. Check it out. 👉 LINK SUBSTACK
At the Shadow Summit, I’ll guide you through four ways to meet your Shadow. With illustrations, so you can see what you’d otherwise only feel. Step by step.
Barry Michels delivers the keynote. Ten speakers. Free. Online. Saturday May 2nd, 7 PM – 9:30 PM CET. Best way to spend your Saturday night, if you ask me.
👉 Sign up: LINK SHADOW SUMMIT
4 – MY FIRST PODCAST IS LIVE 🎙️
My first professionally produced podcast is out. Ontslaafd: de weg naar fixvrij (Unaddicted: the road to fix-free).
It’s about the addictions we don’t call addictions. Performing. Scrolling. Status. Approval. All the stuff that’s so “normal” nobody questions it.
Sander Veldman was my first guest and my producer. At some point I did a tool with him. He saw the chaotic part of himself sitting right across from him. The part that always needs to do more, be more, go harder.
I know that feeling.
And me? I was pretty harsh on myself after listening back. Classic Part X, my inner Saboteur: You said that wrong, that could’ve been better, it’s too long, blah blah blah. Luckily I have a (super simple) state shift for that: the middle finger to Part X. Don’t listen. I won’t win that fight anyway. And it’s already done, so what are you gonna do about it? Learn. That’s it. You win or you learn. And learning = winning. So there you go.
And then the responses come in. Good ones. So let go. Move on.
👉 Listen to Ontslaafd: LINK PODCAST on YouTube. Also on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4RphKdnxarib1FbPJHlDkQ
3 – ERIC CLAPTON, HARRISON FORD & NOT STOPPING
Speaking of dear diary moments and heroes: I saw Eric Clapton in concert last week. Big fat ✔️ on my bucket list. Wow.
The man is 81. Standing on his Persian rug, still singing and playing like that at 81. Night after night on stage. Because it’s what he does. Because stopping isn’t an option.
I’m grateful I was there. You never know if this is the last tour.
And then there’s Shrinking. Finished season 3. What. A. Show. Harrison Ford’s character is based on Phil Stutz. There are so many Tools® woven into that series that I sometimes laugh out loud in recognition (plus the show is just really funny).
But what also got to me last week was Ford’s Lifetime Achievement speech (which I only just saw). He receives an award for his entire career and says: it’s a little weird to receive a lifetime achievement award at the halfway point of my career. Love that.
Phil Stutz and Barry Michels. Both sick. Both still going. Eric Clapton, 81. Harrison Ford, 83. What do they have in common? They don’t stop. And neither was I planning to.
2 – THE TURD IN THE PEARL 💩
The deck is (freaking finally) going to the printer. I type that sentence and need a moment. Because this project has been two years in the making. Two years of doubt, resistance, procrastination, perfectionism. Two years of the Saboteur saying: it’s not good enough, you’re missing something, who do you think you are.
And now it’s actually happening. Classic me-style: at the last minute, because it could always be a tiny bit better, I kept finding mistakes. But it’s really happening now.
I’ve learned to be okay with the fact that despite all the hard work, it won’t be flawless. Because:
“Thos who don’t dare to make mistakes, make almost anything.”
I read that somewhere once. At some point it has to be done. Just like my books, which had mistakes in the early editions. In my second book, I even misspelled the name of my own town. 😅 Less to proofread, I suppose.
Phil Stutz has a beautiful concept for this: the String of Pearls. I’ve shared it before, but last week was a good reminder.
Every pearl is an action. Big or small, doesn’t matter. Brushing your teeth or sending your card deck to the printer. Every pearl has equal value.
But every single pearl has a turd in it.
Nothing is perfect. No action, no project, no person. And that’s exactly the point. The turd is your growth. If you wait for the turd to disappear, you’ll never string the next pearl. Are you ready to radically accept the turds in your pearls?
You can order the State Shift training with the physical card deck here. Still available at pre-sale price! 👉 [LINK STATE SHIFT METHOD]
1 – STATE SHIFT STEP: DO YOU LIKE YOURSELF?
Something different: Mark Manson asked a simple question in his newsletter this week. A client pointed me to it. I’m not necessarily a fan of his, but I thought this question was worth sharing.
Do you enjoy spending time with yourself?
Let that land for a moment.
You’re with yourself your entire life. Every morning you wake up with the same person. Every night you go to sleep with that same person. And every decision you make shapes the person you wake up with tomorrow.
So: do one thing today that tomorrow’s version of you would be proud of. Just one. It can be small.
Getting out of bed counts. Especially when it’s hard. Every pearl is a pearl. Keep stringing.
THREAD: KEEP GOING
Barry Michels is sick. And preparing his keynote. Eric Clapton is 81. And on stage multiple nights a week. Harrison Ford wins a lifetime achievement award. And says: I’m halfway. My deck is going to print. Turds and all. My podcast is live. Despite my inner critic.
Nobody is done. Nobody is perfect. Nobody has “arrived.” But you have to keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t land. Just: string the next pearl.
WHAT’S NEXT
🔮May 2: Shadow Summit. Free. Online. Keynote by Barry Michels. I’ll guide you through shadow work with illustrations. 👉 [LINK SHADOW SUMMIT]
🎉 May 8: Be The Change Day at Wonders of Work in Utrecht. Shadow work, the Tools in action, and connection. And I’ll present the State Shift Training with the card deck. If you buy it, you get to celebrate with me twice, because it’s also my birthday. Free. Max 14 participants. 👉 Sign up: [LINK BE THE CHANGE]
🃏 State Shift Deck: Available now. 52 cards, a booklet, a holder, and a complete training. 👉 [LINK STATE SHIFT METHOD]
Thanks for reading. 🙏 May the life force be with you.
💞 Syl
