I first met Dave about 15 years ago on a retreat, and over time our relationship grew into a long-standing friendship. Our families crossed paths, life unfolded, and we stayed connected on and off through the years. It was during a simple Sunday afternoon braai, at a moment when I was navigating a deeply challenging and stuck period in my life, that Dave invited me into his work and into the medicine journeys he offers. The timing was impeccable, and what followed has had a profoundly meaningful impact on my life. Over the past two years, I have sat with Dave in one-on-one journeys, as well as in shared journeys as a couple. Dave offers private medicine journeys for individuals, couples, and small groups, and in my experience, one-on-one work (for both men and women) and couples work are true specialities of his. What stands out above all else is the way Dave holds space. Dave has never told me what to do. He has never pushed an outcome, offered advice, or suggested a particular path. Instead, he has sat with me — often for many hours into the night — in his extraordinary space, Surrender, a room that invites honesty, stillness, and deep soul-searching. Dave understands, at a cellular level, that real answers are only found within. His gift lies in asking the right questions at the right time and trusting the process enough to allow truth to emerge organically. A significant part of this work has been coming home to myself — uncovering, layer by layer, what it is that I authentically want. Dave has supported me in reconnecting with my own inner authority, helping me hear my truth more clearly without shaping it or influencing it. That has been profoundly empowering. What I deeply respect is Dave’s ability to remain completely neutral. He has held space not only for me, but also for my partner and our four children, with equal steadiness and care. He has the rare capacity to be “Switzerland” — grounded, present, and unwavering — while honouring each individual and the collective without collapsing into sides or stories. Dave’s artistry is woven into everything he offers. The evolving art within Surrender feels alive and reflective, adding a subtle yet powerful layer to the healing, growth, and homecoming that takes place there. His musical selections are extraordinary — intuitively chosen, emotionally precise, and deeply moving — playing a vital role in both the journey itself and the integration that follows. Beyond all of this, Dave is a true friend and brother. He brings a vast range of life experience, humility, and integrity into the space he holds. I have immense respect and gratitude for the man he is and for the depth, safety, and honesty he offers to those who sit with him.

A circle is more than a shape. It is creation a living field where existence blossoms. It’s a ritual space, a doorway opened by one person willing to hold the centre so others can gather and breathe more freely. It takes a strong and quietly magical human to create, maintain, and protect a space like that. Someone who can hold hearts without tightening their grip. Dave is one of those magical beings. Before your circle, I walked my path alone. I thought solitude was strength. But being welcomed into the circle you created showed me a different kind of power, the power of belonging. With your guidance, and with the Entheogens that helped me soften and feel, I allowed my emotions to flow rather than dam them up. I felt safe to let the water move through me. And now not afraid to watch the water flow over the dam wall. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel alone. Thank you for being a magical being, and for opening a space where men can reconnect to themselves, to others, and to the deeper truths we often forget.

We didn’t get advice. We weren’t told what to do. We were held steady while we faced what we had been avoiding. It was one of the most profound healing experiences of my life.

There was no guru energy, no ego. Just grounded guidance and accountability.

It wasn’t about becoming someone new. It was about removing what wasn’t true anymore.

I stopped outsourcing my strength. I remembered that I already had it.

The biggest shift wasn’t what I saw, it was what I understood about myself afterwards. Integration changed everything.

I carried grief for years that I never fully processed. In that space, I finally allowed it to move. It wasn’t dramatic. It was quiet. But something softened in me that had been tight for decades.

I thought I needed saving. What I actually needed was to face myself. I walked away clear, sober, and committed to doing the real work.

I had buried years of coping behind work, substances, and distraction. The work forced me to sit with myself without escape. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. That experience changed the direction of my life.

I arrived thinking my marriage was beyond saving. What happened wasn’t magic, it was uncomfortable honesty. I had to look at myself properly for the first time. That weekend shifted something fundamental in how I take responsibility in my relationship.