“What would you do if it were your last year alive?” That is the question my guest on this episode of the Whole Life Podcast set out to answer as his year-long project for 2016.
For much of 2015, Traver Boehm faced a universe that was seemingly conspiring against him — losing his wife, business partner, home, and all his sources of love and stability. He was at the end of his rope and contemplating taking his own life, when he miraculously rediscovered his desire to live. After losing everything, but deciding to persevere, he was left with that question: “What would you do if it were your last year alive?”
With nothing left to lose and nothing more than a blank calendar, a pen, and the Internet, Traver sat down and started writing a list of the things he would like to experience if his life were to end in one year. From there, he began filling in dates on the calendar — and making those events happen.
Currently, he’s halfway through the year and living out of his truck. So far, he’s volunteered for several months at a hospice facility in New Mexico and just finished 28 straight days in complete darkness and solitude (something called a “dark retreat”). He’s made it his mission to share the positive life lessons he’s learned from pain through his blog and through public speaking. On a rare pause for a breather in Los Angeles, he stopped by my house for a conversation.
Take a seat, put on some headphones, and stop whatever you’re doing. You’re going to want to give this one your full attention. Enjoy!
Links Mentioned
Instagram and Facebook — Follow Traver for day-to-day thoughts and inspiration.
The Year to Live Project — Where you’ll find Traver’s writing on his adventures.
How to Make Pain Your Guru — Traver’s TEDxSantaBarbara talk.
Dark Retreat — Darkness and solitude retreat in Guatemala.
Insight Timer — Meditation timer app.
Mahadevi Ashram — Yoga retreat in Guatemala.
A Year to Live: How to Live This Year as If It Were Your Last — by Stephen Levine
Carolyn Myss — Five-time New York Times bestselling author and world-renowned speaker.
Against The Stream — Meditation center critical to Traver’s journey.
Dharma Punx — By Noah Levine
Andy is a certified CHEK Practitioner and holistic lifestyle coach. He holds a spectrum of certifications from CrossFit and is also a Vivobarefoot certified running coach. He has trained as a Zen buddhist and graduated with a Master’s degree in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica.
Andy founded CrossFit LA one of the first and most successful CrossFit training centers in the world and the first to be featured in national media. He is the co-founder of the Whole Life Challenge, Inc, currently its president, and is also a consultant and life/business coach. Andy lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Julia, and son, Dashel.
