Today I’m sharing some thoughts I’ve been sitting with as I look at what’s happening in the world, and in everyday life. I keep coming back to the same idea: we’re missing clear pathways into adulthood. This episode is about what initiation is, what changes when young people are actually guided through it, and why rites of passage is at the heart of what we do at Guided Passages.

Key takeaways:

• New freedoms come with new responsibilities: adulthood isn’t a free-for-all—it’s a role with impact, power, and accountability
• Initiated vs. uninitiated adulthood: what maturity looks like in real life (regulation, repair, boundaries, integrity, contribution)
• Why rites of passage matter: without healthy thresholds, people often create their own—sometimes in risky or destructive ways
• A simple framework: severance → threshold → incorporation (and why being witnessed matters)
• Why nature + mentorship are essential teachers: the land as mirror, truth-teller, and reconnecting force—and mentors who “light the path”

Guided Passages Summer 2026 Rites of Passage Trips

Middle School Trip (incoming 7th–incoming 9th): 5-day Marble Mountain Wilderness backpacking trek + 6-hour solo
High School Girls (ages 15–18): 7-day trek + 24-hour solo

Learn More: Wilderness Trips - Guided Passages

Free Workshop: The Teen Confidence Breakthrough

Thursday, January 22 at 10:00am Pacific
How to help your teen or young adult move from anxiety and avoidance to confidence and action.

RSVP Here: https://youth.guided-passages.com/teen-confidence-breakthrough-live-workshop-january