Blog
How I’ve Lived with Chronic Pain for 30 Years
Chronic pain has lived inside me every day and every year for the past 30 years. How it began and where it exists is less important than how I’ve lived with the affliction. Despite getting jumped by two different gangs, being born with a birth defect in one kidney,...
Evolving is one of the best things about being alive.
Nearly every day, I think about fantastic it is to be able to grow, learn, and change. I can't imagine having done one thing all my life, and I'm so thankful to have had different careers, lived in different countries and states, traveled, surfed, performed, produced,...
Trying to fit in is claustrophobic. To me, it’s the Outcasts and Underdogs that change the world.
In Junior High, I used to dress like this, and many kids and people in my hometown didn't understand my piano tie or many things about me. I didn't care if people made fun of me, shoved me against lockers, beat me up, shoved me over on my bike, chased me in their...
Success begins by envisioning the destination and setting your intention to get there.
When you visualize what you want, do you picture every aspect of it? Imagine what it feels like when you get there. The feel of the wind on the mountaintop. The sound of the audience applauding you on stage. The smell of your published book when you open the front...
“No” is one of our most powerful words. It makes “yes” have even more meaning.
"No" is one of the most powerfully positive words we can say. I believe that saying "no" more often makes saying "yes" have more strength and meaning. I say "no" far more often now than ever before in my life. I am conscious of my boundaries and demand to be valued,...
You can make the world better today by being better yourself.
The best way to take care of others is to take care of yourself first. Practice being kind to yourself, and it's easier to be kind to others. Today, do the work you need to be better yourself. Rehearse the music. Write the words. Get the work done. Make sure you are...
Acknowledge yourself. You’re doing great work.
You're doing amazing work. You've been going through a lot, and you're still doing an absolutely fantastic job. Give yourself credit. Step back from all the work you've been doing and all the craziness and say to yourself, "Good job, me." Seriously, there is so much...
We’re all Rock Stars.
You are. Never forget that. If you think you aren't, tell that to 16-year-old me in this photo. This punk rock me. Standing in front of a microphone with long flowing hair, flanked by Matt Luksetich and Ryan Flanagan, singing my head off Jim Morrison-style with my...
I was named after a hitchhiker. What’s your story?
Yes, that's true. His name was Kip Gentry and my parents, Bill and Nancy, picked him up in a blizzard before I was born somewhere between Nebraska and Wyoming in their Volkswagen van called Bilbo Baggins. Thankfully, I wasn't named Kip because 'kip' means chicken in...
In order to move the world, we must be able to stand still in it.
Our world can feel as though it's moving very fast. We can feel immense pain and suffering in the middle of it. Many of us try to run even faster to avoid that pain, but one of the ways to become familiar with pain and overcome suffering is to stand still in it. I've...