Howdy, I’m Dustin, a lead mentor and the Chief Heart Officer for Sonz Youth. I have a varied background, including 12 years as an actor/comedian and a decade of owning or managing businesses. I spent the majority of my life with many undiagnosed health issues and had developed a very unhealthy lifestyle.  That eventually added up to 340 lbs of unstable energy and me being completely disconnected from my body, mind, and soul. In 2016 a stranger walked into my bar and alerted me to a skin condition I had. I stopped consuming gluten and caffiene that week, dropped 60lbs in three months, quit my job, learned about shadow work and how impactful trauma is on your daily life, traveled in a van and a back pack, learned to “do the work”, sat intentionally with entheogenic plants, and eventually landed in the rocky mountains half the human (-170lbs) and twice the man. I’ve been healing myself for the last 7 years and in 2020 I started my practice to help others along their journey. 2024 is the launch of my new program, Masculine Magic: A Pathway of Self Cultivation.

I grew up in the Bible Belt in an era when the first Harry Potter book was being pulled from shelves and warnings were being given from the church pulpits and newspapers about its corruptive nature. I was always told magic was evil, a gateway to the devil, and something that should be avoided at all costs. I still found the magic though in stories of young boys who survived the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash (Hatchet) or who left their family to live on the slopes of a mountain on once forgotten ancestral land (My Side of the Mountain). How did they manage to survive? Intuition and connecting to nature…aka two parts of magic. This was enough for me, and the magic stayed, hidden within. When I first began to free myself of the oppressive influence of others limiting beliefs, the magic was there waiting for me, like an old friend that’s ready to play the game you left off in the middle of. 

I define magic as the ability to influence and be influenced by the subtle world around you. Did that bird make you think about a loved one and smile? Magic. Did your friend get you the gift you’ve been putting off getting but really want? Magic. Were all the lights green on the way to work? Did you sense something was going to happen and it did? Did your crush call you just as you were thinking about them? It’s all magic! Magic is important to me because it helps me understand and connect to the world, myself, and those around me in ways that I could never without. Plus, I think it’s more fun living a magical life, and I think all it takes is a little awareness and consistent intentional action and the magic flourishes! 

One reason I’m a mentor is, I grew up without my father. He died when I was 3 and in the years following I endured enough trauma to score a 7 out of 10 on the Ace Trauma score. This is high, but because I had a few wonderful mentors, a strong handful of supportive teachers, a loving mother, and many people who were invested in my well being, I also have a very high Resiliency Score. The reason I have had success, in spite of my traumas, is in large part due to those people. I’m so grateful for them and now do this work as a way of honoring their impact on my life. 

Since 2005, when I was cast in my first play as The Beast in a production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, I have had a passion for entertaining, events, working crowds, creative projects, and putting on a show. In addition to working in theatre/comedy, I have been working as a Creative Consultant since 2011. I’ve helped create everything from television commercials and Kick Starter campaigns to new restaurant menus and edgy B2B sales concepts. As an Improv Comedian, I was active for over 10 years in a high pressure field which continually honed my skills in Public Speaking, Idea Generation, and True Team Collaboration; this also helped me to think quick on my feet in a wide variety of settings.

An incomplete list of random things about me: I am a multipotentialite, enthusiastic amateur, and forever student. I performed up to 8 times a week for over a decade in front of audiences ranging 3-3000. I graduated from Improv Olympics Chicago, being honored with a spot on a Harold team. I attended Native Roots Herbalism School studying Ancestral Folk Healing and Herbal Medicine. I’m a Certified Dowser, a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader, and an Ordained Minister. I’ve been taught or self taught and work with over 150 modalities, and I incorporated them all into one system called Intentionalism. I once lost 170lbs. I spent 6 years living a nomadic lifestyle and now gratefully live in a beautiful home surrounded by gardens in Santa Fe, NM. I am currently studying at New Mexico State University Global, in a program perfect for my varied interests. 3/5 Manifesting Generator. Gemini Sun/Aries Moon/Scorpio Rising.

Thank you for taking the time to read a bit about me. It’s not by chance you made it this far.