At some point, we all sense it—a life just beyond the one we’re living.

In a therapy session awhile back, my therapist held up two pads of sticky notes. One green, one purple. The green pad represented the life I was living at the time—familiar, structured, emotionally safe but ultimately unfulfilling. Then he held up the purple pad: “This,” he said, “is the life you long for.”

Between those two islands was water—unknown, uncomfortable, and necessary.
The work was to swim.
Not perfectly. Not quickly. Just... swim. And keep swimming.

That image stayed with me. It still guides me.

Purple Island is about that journey—the space between where you’ve been and who you’re becoming.

My own path has crossed psychology, creative writing, and over a decade of martial arts training. I’ve studied how people lose direction and how they begin to find it again. I’ve helped others reclaim their strength and voice—not through self-help clichés, but through discipline, reflection, and honest presence.

This space isn’t about fixing you.
It’s not about becoming someone else.
It’s about leaving the island that no longer serves you and beginning the work—inner and outer—of moving toward what does.

If you’re standing on your own “green island,” and you can see a version of your life that feels more honest, more alive, more yours…
Then maybe you’re ready to swim.

Welcome to Purple Island. I’m glad you’re here.

— Jeff