MFP Education Center

A Path to the True Me

Before I go into the details of this new persona of mine, I find it important to provide deep and meaningful context to this evolution into the most authentic version of myself, the True Me, The REAL ME.

A path to finding your truest self is a spiritual path that we are all called, and designed to do in this lifetime. With that said, this path has to be opened. It is no ordinary sidewalk to have unlimited access to. It is a metaphysical bridge that is revealed once you submit to the toll of truth.

Gaining access is quite simple. You have to learn how to LET GO. Now it is a simple concept, but it is no easy path by any means. This is because we are designed by our materialistic world on how to be, feel, act, connect, speak, see, and think. In many cases due to materialism, we may even be blocked from accessing this path even if we want to try to reveal it. The physical body and energetic body are constantly receiving stimuli the second we are conceived. The energies created from the outside world become embodied within us, or stuck, sometimes for better or worse. The spiritual body, aka our truth, our genius, our highest selves, is always trying to find an opportunity to send you cheat codes for you to take notice of this path for it to fully reveal itself. Your soul is always working to manifest itself into our thoughts to move forward with ways for us to embody what it wants, which is to serve the greater good of others and the life force that connects us all. 

Many times even if you are not looking to reveal this path, the universe may still send you a sign if it senses that your intentions are pure. Sometimes you may be listening and not be truly mindful of it. You might choose a career and path that you just know you are meant to do. As all of this may resonate with you, I can guarantee that you have blockages that are in the way of manifesting your truth to its fullest potential. Most of you may not think you need to seek, but that is far from the truth. This is because we are designed to transform and become.

These blockages are broken pieces that you have developed throughout your lifetime. This is not your fault, not to dwell upon because this is a beautiful concept. You can learn how to become a master weaver of putting together pieces of being broken to find your infinite truth….

• You can learn how to enhance your physical potential. Connect with nature and the earth to its fullest. Learn to not have any fear and become completely able to stand your ground.
• You can balance all aspects of your being, your divine masculine and your divine feminine. Understand and navigate your emotions, to truly feel. Enhance your creativity and desire to liberate yourself.
• You can love yourself like never before. Finally, take back your true willpower. No more shame, no more guilt, all fire and fuel to kick ass and move upward.
• You can open your heart to feel the flow of freedom. Generate endless gratitude for all that surrounds you. You can forgive, you can release, you can finally receive.
• You can learn to project yourself into the universe. The universe decides it wants to serve you more than ever before. Use your voice, express, project, and don’t hold back. Send your vibrations far and wide, and prepare for an infinite ride.
• You can finally see without trying to look. What you need is staring right at you. Answers are just there, revealing themselves to you one message at a time. Become enlightened to the light that is within all. No more insecurities and anxieties about materialism that surround you. 
• You gain unlimited access to your genius, AKA your BADASS version of you. At last, think clearly, and manifest all of the right things for all of the right reasons. No need to ask “Who am I” because you finally realize that YOU ARE!

Now that I have you ready to run through a spiritual brick wall after that hype speech, let’s embrace our divine feminine and slow down. Most of us have still yet to learn how to let go and have this path completely revealed to its infinite potential. As I am still in my infancy on this path, I can only help you desire it because the answers are actually within you, literally! The answers to your path are deep within your consciousness. They exist within a different plane of existence of yourself but within your same universe. You have to sometimes go deep within yourself, and your psyche. Many times it takes a team and tools to help you listen to the universe and search your soul. When the time is right, you might experience an awakening!

I am extremely grateful to have experienced a few spiritual awakenings in this lifetime. The first being when I was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2010. I thought I already knew my path, but I was FAR from it. I wasn’t listening to the universe, and why should I? I cared about Football, Friends, Food, and Fun, and nothing else. For me, this first awakening was a universal act, and I somehow knew deep inside that everything was happening for a reason.

Cancer was the first step to connecting what my soul truly desired in life (refer back to the spirituality article). I continued to listen to the universal opportunities. I committed to a life of learning about Yoga and Mindfulness. Then I followed a path of healing others in the physical realm. I became a wounded healer, the first sign of a calling to Shamanism that I was not aware of yet. Teaching fitness to help others came naturally to me. I just KNEW how to coach, and why I needed and wanted to. My CrossFit journey was/is meant to be, but it is only a gateway to finding the true self. It was a lifeline to the true answers I needed to seek.

My next awakening was during the 2022 Costa Rica breathwork retreat. I began to learn how to become more open, how to release blockages and have a glimpse at who I truly am. I was beginning to understand the tools I needed to complete my toolbox. As 2023 held many universal opportunities ahead of me, I became immersed in learning about all aspects of spirituality.  This is my first step to understanding the path to Shamanism.

I was beginning to understand I had many past lives in this work. After a few more awakenings due to my connection to plant medicine (one being my Jamaica journey), I became closer to understanding parts of who I truly am. It was becoming a beautiful harmony of the universe and my soul. After only a very short year, I have maximized my messages to the fullest, and am ready to take the next step. It is time to embrace, and love, who I am meant to be in this lifetime.

Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself, The Fittest Shaman

The Fittest Shaman is a persona that comes to balance as a leader, teacher, and healer. It is a mantra –  To Serve My True Self, so I can fully serve others, and the universe the way I am meant to.  Although “The Fittest Shaman” may sound like an egotistical title, it is far from it. I have to release and let go of parts of my ego to create this evolution. I have to commit to doing deep inner work, continue to let go and become a master weaver of my brokenness. 

To evolve into this new persona, I needed to listen to the universe and let go of materialistic concepts of who Marco thought he was. I need to finally open myself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I needed to stop thinking about what I thought people wanted me to be or thought of me. In reality, it is about BEing my true authentic self and allowing the right people to resonate with this energy. This truth IS the path I needed to find, to make more meaningful change for more people. Now this doesn’t mean that I have completely  “changed” during this evolution, there are still many parts and personas of me that I continue to keep. Meaning I am still a goofy, fitness-loving, cat dad. 

Shamanism is a typical term referred to within the spiritual and plant medicine communities. Shamans are individuals who are healers who serve others. In Indigenous cultures, to become a Shaman there are typically rites of passage. Within the Shamanic path, these individuals develop tools, techniques, and wisdom to share with others to help them heal and become their best and higher selves. In traditional Shamanism, these healers learn how to navigate different planes of reality, known as worlds, to communicate with all life forces (spirits). 

*Note: This is a Cliff Notes version of an ancient and sacred practice that originated 40 thousand years ago!

Although traditional Shamanism can be quite complex via extraordinary practices, my belief is that this practice is much more comprehensible and accessible. The true purpose of a Shaman is to teach and project, they SHOW people how to access the forms of their higher selves. Being a Shaman may seem like an active doer and an electric masculine role. Yes, the path does require action-taking and possibly doing spiritual circus tricks to retrieve souls and talk to spirits, but it is a much more passive, magnetic feminine energy role. True Shamanism is about simply BEing. You have to walk the walk, to heal and help. Shamans need to do deep inner work and lead by example. They have to enhance the physical body, control the energetic body, and explore the spiritual body. This creates a vibration and resonance that attracts those who need to to explore their inner worlds to become their highest selves. By doing your inner work as a Shaman, all you have to do is pass on the inner wisdom to those who are attracted to your vibration, so that they can find the Inner Shaman within themselves! My modern viewpoint on Shamanism still holds sacred value, yet has the potential to empower others from a different perspective. The Fittest Shaman creates a chain reaction of improving self, helping others, and connecting to all life forces.

What Makes a Shaman the Fittest?

Coining the term “fittest” may come off the wrong way, however, it is a way to define the core values of my philosophies to improve our whole being, and plan to use the Wholistic way to teach others how to do their inner work. Being FIT is about the concept of having a balanced approach. 

An easy way for me to explain the concept of being fit or practicing fitness is through my teachings within the Crossfit methodology (See Functional Fitness article). The variety within our toolbox for our healthspan and lifespan within the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual planes of existence can only enhance the infinite possibilities for progress. My belief is to embody this concept within the way I lead by example as the Fittest Shaman.

The Mission of The Fittest Shaman: The Four Domains 

JustShowUp: The first domain of my version of Shamanism is to lead by example. I will never fully be able to reach my full potential if I do not do the work myself. I need to #JustShowUp in all aspects of my life. I will lead by first listening to what, who, where, and why, via the universal life force that surrounds us. Then I can relay that message to others so that they can learn to accept and surrender as their paths are revealed.

• The Fittest Shaman’s Wisdom: Find the Courage to Be, Live Curiously to See, Stay Connected to Feel, Have Commitment to Heal.

Your Body is a Temple: I am fortunate to have already had a lifetime of experience within the second domain of the fittest Shaman, which is developing the physical body. As traditional Shamans do sacred healing without much physical practice, they.may not even do 1% of the types of ways I decide to express my physical capabilities. One thing I can guarantee (or at least theorize) is that you can only enhance your abilities by learning to thrive within your physical body. As thriving may be relative, honoring your physical body is universal. It is DESIGNED to express in a variety of ways. I also realized that I have a gift through my physical abilities. My body is an enhanced portal for manifesting large amounts of spiritual energy because of its durability and resilience. However, my spiritual meter can only be as charged as I make it available via the first domain! As I guide those through a vast range of physical embodiment practices, here are my go-to’s:

-CrossFit or any variation of “Functional Movement”

-Exploring the Fascial system via primal movement

-Movement Variability (being open to all physical movement patterns)

-Yoga (Ashtanga is my favorite)

-Intuitive Movement and Dancing

-Long-Distance, steady-state running (a new favorite)

-Anything that is not in the water

• The Fittest Shaman Wisdom:  You must be willing to lift the dead before you begin retrieving souls. You must BE the upside down before you SEE the upside down

The Tree of Life: The most magnificent system within our physical bodies is our Nervous System. I refer to the CNS as the third domain of the Fittest Shaman because I consider it a completely separate being from our physical body. The brain, spinal cord, and all of the branches that flow from it can allow us to access portals of infinite energy within and around us. This energy requires no food or water! Although the nervous system is “automatic,” we can develop tools to control it much more than most could imagine. The most reassuring part of this domain is that our most valuable tools are accessible at all times.

-Connecting to breathwork in as many ways as possible (see Breathwork article)

-Raising Vibration and creating resonance by exploring and embodying the Chakra system. Here are my go-to activities that correlate to each Chakra:

• Be in Nature (Nature Walks in barefoot shoes)
• Creative Expressions (Writing/Journaling)
• Build Confidence (take chances)
• Being more Emotionally Open (hugging, showing gratitude, connecting with people)
• Understand Sound (chanting)
• Know your Light (see the potential in others)
• Manifest (mantras)

-Adaptation to stimuli that trigger a fight or flight response (AKA doing uncomfortable things) i.e.:  As we are within the “Ice Age,” cold exposure can have wonderful benefits for your nervous system. Check out my beginner’s tips via my social media channels.

• The Fittest Shaman Wisdom: Your breath NOSE best, align through the spine, and challenge creates change.

Enlightened Consciousness: The fourth domain is about learning how to explore your inner world and spiritual realm. First, this creates a much more efficient pathway to accessing our truth. This domain is about having tools within your toolbox because accessing these deep inner layers is no easy feat. It takes consistency, and more importantly, a willingness to receive the message of truth. What tools do you have to do inner work within your psyche? Here are a handful of my Fittest Shaman tools:

• Using Mindfulness practices, being aware WITHOUT judgment 
• Detach from materialistic concepts that do not truly serve you
• Daily Meditation/Rituals
• Journaling and Inner Reflection
• Connecting to Music
• Inner Journeys (Breathwork, Psychedelics)

Infinity, A Collision of the Four Domains: I felt called to develop a class that allowed me to express the messages I was receiving to evolve my newest intuitions. Infinity is a class that embodies all of the first four domains of The Fittest Shaman. Infinity is also a stepping stone to a manifestation of The Infinite Center, my next upcoming creation.

–Learn about Infinity here.

The Final Three Domains: As I traditional Shamanism, which I will refer to as “Advanced Shamanism”, the individual has the capacity to enter altered states of consciousness at will. When exploring the psyche, Shamans enter other realms to communicate with entities/spirits to receive wisdom and gifts of healing. These realms, or domains, are referred to as the lower world, middle world, and upper world. Each world has unique qualities within our spiritual plane of existence, however for the purposes of this article I will continue to focus on the Beginner and Intermediate levels of Shamanism via the first four domains.

A Calling of the MisFits:

Part of my new path of the Fittest Shaman is to allow the universe to bring the right people into my life who seek true, deep, and meaningful healing. Typically, these individuals are what I call the MisFits. Misfits are those who have broken parts. These broken pieces are exposed through a lifetime of various stimuli and traumas. However, being broken allows for a beautiful path of transformation, discovery, and hope. The patches can be filled, and you can access your genius. Many times, Misfits feel called to be around me and do not even know that they NEED or WANT to heal. Again, it is a universal pull of energy that wants resonance with mine, because I am the Misfit of all misfits. I have always been the odd one, the lost one, the different one that stood out.

The Fittest Shamans #GiftsOfGrowth

-Releasing the Ego, What about MAD Fit and Perform #GetMadFit tips?: There are still many parts of my old self that will continue with me through this lifetime. MFP is simply a stepping stone toward the truth that I will continue to build. This has to be projected through a different lens in hopes that my community learns to become curious about connecting towards their best selves. Releasing parts of my old self is now allowing me to evolve into the Fittest Shaman and my next creation of the Infinite Center.

-Ask and Be Curious – Who AM I?: Our first step to evolving is to ask questions. Many individuals in this lifetime do not think they need to ask that. They have jobs, they make money, they have a family, and they integrate ways to improve lifespan and healthspan. One of my concepts in my coaching work is to have curiosity even when complacent. There is an infinite amount of potential that awaits us all if we simply ask to understand it. Ask yourself, Who am I? As I’ll give you a shamanic hint, the answer is…I AM! (I hope that makes you curious).

-Surrender and Receive – How to Let Go: To help you understand how to let go, you must first ask yourself a series of questions (I know, a common theme). Part of my role as your Shaman is to not answer for you. I can guide you through the steps to help you take a deeper, more meaningful look within yourself, your consciousness, and your soul.

• What are you attached to? Do these attachments serve you or are they holding you back? 
• Do you constantly think about what the outside world thinks of you? 
• Do you consistently compare yourself to the outside world?
• Do others’ ways create a negative response within you?
• What makes you feel fear? 
• When do you feel resistance in your life? 
• Where do you feel “blocked?” 
• Where do you sense brokenness?

-Being Broken and Beautiful – Find your Blockages: The concept of brokenness may seem like something to dwell on, however, it is quite the opposite.  It allows a concept of death and rebirth for you to find your pure genius, your pure truth. We are all fortunate to be put into life situations where we are faced with adversity, traumas, and experiences that are close to us. It is a beautiful process to discover openness and weave your unique path.

-Trust: When you commit to the universe, it will commit back to you. And guess what? The universe wants to commit to you more than anything else. It is urgent and it is eager. The spiritual life force that allows us to feel true happiness and contentment is all around us, at all times. It is trying to give you a big 20-second hug to fill you with an infinite energy source that requires no tangible intake such as water or food. Trust that it is there, trust that it will find you if you allow it.

-Seek Guidance to Find Your Inner Shaman: My best advice is to find resonance with someone who embraces the practice as you feel is right with yours. You may not know it yet, but you have a spiritual truth that can bring about a pearl of inner wisdom to best serve yourself, others, and the universe.

The Infinite Journey – What is Next for the Fittest Shaman?: I am sure I have more awakenings coming. I am excited to partake in new journeys in 2024, with the support of my wife, and the support of new and old communities, who are all taking this journey with me. I am excited for what is to come, but I need to continue to do much more inner work on myself, as this is an Infinite Journey in itself! I am also very excited for a weekend workshop for those called to Shamanism with Kerry Henwood, in March 2024. She is a well-known Shaman and I thoroughly enjoyed reading her book, “The Art of Shamanism.”

Below are some dates to keep your eye out for as the Fittest Shaman comes to life, and so does a new entity serving the greater good. If you are interested in learning all or any of the practices of physical fitness, mindfulness, true emotional deep connections, and spirituality, you can evolve the way your soul is meant to be then follow me if you want to become the best version of yourself. Send me a message. Let’s Connect!

Upcoming Dates for The Infinite Center: Learn who you really are and meant to be!