In this episode of Queerly Beloved, I’m joined by the multi-faceted Shelby Clark, a visionary entrepreneur, investor, embodiment facilitator, and founder of The Jungle Gayborhood, an LGBTQ+ focused retreat located center in the beautiful jungles of Costa Rica. You may remember me talking about the Gayborhood in my episode Healing the Father wound where I share about my magical time there attending a conscious kink retreat. Now you get to hear about it from the founder and director himself.
In this interview we get to hear the story of how Shelby went from being a tech entrepreneur and founder of the groundbreaking billion-dollar car-sharing company Turo, to founding a queer retreat center in the jungle. And all the twists and turns on the way.
Shelby vulnerably shares how, as a queer kid, he struggled to fully accept himself and found refuge in overachievement. Together, we unpack this familiar queer narrative of overcompensating to mask internalized shame, and explore how so many queer people, link their identity to achievement and people-pleasing, often at the cost of their own authentic selves.
We then learn about all the influences for the Gayborhood including Esalen, Burning Man and radical fairy sanctuaries and then We explore why dedicated queer spaces like The Jungle Gayborhood offer uniquely medicine and create environments where radical authenticity can flourish free from societal expectations or limitations.
Together, we unpack the transformative potential of psychedelics for queer healing, and I share some personal stories about my journey with that then Shelby shares insights from groundbreaking research recently facilitated at the Gayborhood. Enjoy this convo covering hese topics and many more!
Check out the Jungle Gayborhood here-
Use code: 'awakenedhearts100' for listeners $100 off any retreat. 😘
Check out my upcoming retreat in Joshua Tree-
https://www.wil-fullyliving.com/events
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