A VISION THAT GREW.
Adam William Boettger
Founder of Sacred Sojourn
Artist l Author l Entrepreneur l Facilitator l Visionary
I strive to show up differently as a leader in today’s world.
My mission is to create sacred spaces that help others feel safe to shine and prosper. As we learn to practice self-love and acceptance, we transform our lives and ourselves at a deeper, cellular level. I have endured so much throughout my life, yet I have been able to discover the wisdom within these wounds. My direct experience has only guided me toward a path of passion and purpose, which has ultimately led me here, allowing me to continually touch the lives of so many today.
It is an honor to be in this beautiful space with you and for that, I am eternally grateful. To proceed forward, we must first go back.
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I was born with a moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears, but was not diagnosed until I was two. Sometimes, I imagine how confusing and painful this period was for me and my parents. Overnight, their lives changed; meanwhile, it felt like I was waiting for mine to start. While these lived experiences of disconnection didn’t exist in my mind as I was far too young to understand, they formed a significant memories in my body.
We initially persevered as a family when I received hearing aids and all began improving. However, this would only be for a brief time, before all would come crashing down again. For reasons unknown to my parents, doctors and specialists — at the age of five, I lost all remaining hearing in both of my ears. My parents had yet another life-changing decision to make, forcing us each to say goodbye to the world we once knew.
While my dad formed the early stages of his business, I attended sign language school, and my mother devoted her heart and soul to research. She soon discovered the cochlear implant and in 1998, I was entered into the University of Michigan’s clinical trial where I eventually became recognized as one of their top-performing cochlear implant users.
In present day, cochlear implant surgeries are shorter and more common, but my operation took several hours. It was also followed by an overnight stay in the hospital where I woke up screaming and in total shock. To make matters more complicated, the anesthesia caused me to be violently sick and I suffered a post-operation complication involving facial twitching, which was later resolved. These were some of the hardest, most challenging days of my life.
The story of losing my initial hearing is mostly colored by my parents' narrative, which consists of their actions, choices and struggles. Unfortunately, I was a child having an individual experience that no one else could explain to me and that was no one's fault. I was too young to remember most of these years, to make a choice or have a voice. I began experiencing feelings far beyond my control and having episodes of rage, as I could not properly express my thoughts and/or emotions.
Shortly after the surgery, my grandmother died and my parents made the painful decision to separate. Being an only child of divorce was very hard as I had no one to talk about it with. Suddenly, my reality was even more fragmented and my family felt broken. Nothing can prepare a person, especially a child, for this kind of loss.
Between the complicated relationships with my parents, the bullying at school, the medications I was placed on for hyperactivity, compounded with countless hours of speech therapy after school — my dreams of a “normal” childhood felt impossible and unreachable at every turn. By the age of seven, it became clear I was inhabiting a life full of trauma.
There were of course moments of love and magic that surrounded me. In many ways, I was quite fortunate and lucky too. I grew up in a nice neighborhood that allowed me to safely run around and explore. There were many late nights dancing and singing in front of our television. We had a beautiful backyard where I could joyously express my freedom and play. My father was always dedicated to providing shelter and food for all of us, while my mother fiercely devoted herself to my wellness journey and creating a life full of opportunities for me.
When my parents divorced, my dad purchased a small cabin on a lake, which became an instrumental part of my adolescence. No matter where I was, I would often seek refuge in nature whenever possible. It was there you could find me riding my bike to play in creeks, catch frogs, run through forests, or climb trees. Exploring the great outdoors as a child is where I felt most alive yet peaceful, which is something I am grateful I have carried with me into adulthood.
When I began noticing my attraction toward the same sex at a young age, I immediately suppressed it. Growing up in a heteronormative world that rejects this way of being - all while navigating the divorce, puberty, my sexuality, hearing loss and the public school system, was too much for me to bear. For a long time, I struggled to accept myself and fought it with every fiber of my being. Thankfully, my queerness later helped me discover a deeper comfort within myself, one I may have never found as a heterosexual person.
When I was sixteen years old, I experienced a sexual trauma which would shape the next decade of my life and led to erectile dysfunction, body dysmorphia, depression and anxiety. I remember this chapter of my life mostly as a dark cloud where I began to completely fall apart. While I wasn’t giving a convincing portrayal of someone who was happy, I refused to let others know just how much I was slipping through the cracks.
I forced myself to overcome, but was motivated by the wrong reasons. Yearning to fit in, aching to be someone else and mostly wanting to forget — I was determined to become who I thought I was always meant to be, no matter the costs. Without consciously knowing it, being deaf gave me masterful observational skills; I learned how to become a better performer. Little did I know, denying my pain would only bring more. The mask I worked so hard for all to see, would ultimately lead to my inevitable path of isolation and self-destruction.
The interesting thing is my plan initially worked and unfortunately, I became the perfect chameleon. After years of speech therapy, I developed a clear and excellent speaking voice. No one knew I was deaf unless I told them, exactly how I wanted it to be. When in high school, I began experimenting with women, hoping I would feel something different.
When I enrolled into college, I was masquerading as a straight man, pursuing a degree in a promising field, with two jobs and a large group of friends. All was going according to plan and for the first time, I believed this was genuine belonging. Tragically, the person underneath, the one who seemingly had it all, was crumbling bit by bit. I was in denial, not facing the shadows of my past or present, but it would be three more years until I hit my breaking point.
June 28, 2014.
On this powerful night, I experienced a spiritual awakening that would act as a complete catalyst. I wandered through a dark forest in the late hours of the night, where I discovered how unsafe I felt within my own mind and body. I convinced myself no one would miss me if I was gone, because no one - myself included - knew who I authentically was. My lifetime of trauma finally caught up with me and as the evening continued, I was ready to take my own life.
I was only twenty-one years old.
Tears poured down my face, as I brought my hands to my heart and begged for a glimmer of hope. I closed my eyes and genuinely began to pray, for the first time ever. Suddenly, seconds became minutes and minutes became hours. When I opened my eyes again, it was the next morning and to my surprise, I miraculously prayed all through the night. This would now mean moving forward, but how? The only solution could mean building a life that I knew was worth living and and I was absolutely desperate to save myself.
The very next day, I made the brave decision to drop out of college. I said goodbye to my housemates, my friends, my career - the entire reality that I worked so hard to construct. While my initial awakening was a divine and mysterious intervention, I wish I could say the process after was easy or light-hearted. It mostly felt abrupt, devastating and unfair.
I grew to see that night as a great spiritual blessing, an event that changed the course of my life forever. From that moment onward, my journey became a beautiful dedication to everything I never got to do or allowed myself to do.
In 2015, I wrote the auto-biographical story, I Love: A Story of Consciousness. Facing tremendous odds as a self-publisher, I successfully sold over 100 copies, which is a triumph for only 10% of self-publishers. I had my public speaking debut when I hosted my first event with TED Talk Presenter & Visionary Violinist, Dixon’s Violin.
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In 2016, I formed my first business, a videography company named Anahata Productions. I began filming local weddings and projects that focused on spirituality and wellness. It was my initial love of film that would eventually lead me to my great love of retreats. Later that year, I received a spiritual call to travel alone to the Amazon jungle. It was there I studied with indigenous Shipibo shamans and sat in several plant medicine ceremonies.
In 2017, I began studying yoga with Donna and Brad Heiple at Good Karma Yoga Studio located in Hartland, Michigan. This was a powerful experience that quickly expanded my knowledge in spirituality and wellness. After receiving my 200-hour certification, I was immediately invited to present and teach at multiple events and studios. The very next year, I completed a 20-hour Yin Yoga training with Bethany Perry and was hired to live in Guatemala and Peru at multiple retreat centers as a film recruit. This unique time is where I truly began to witness the profound art of retreat.
In 2019, I made the bold choice to hang up my camera and close my videography business. I was a man on a mission — in pursuit of a new purpose. I put my education, skills, talents, wisdom and wits to the test when I facilitated my first retreat in Hawai’i. Nine people attended and shared a beautiful journey. I began planning more events and formed my official second company, which would later be known as Sacred Sojourn. In 2020, I began a six-month coaching course and certification with Whole Life Healing, which I was unable to finish due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the result of a global pandemic, Sacred Sojourn was forced into near-bankruptcy and temporarily closed its doors, but worked hard to ultimately stay alive and on the map.
Fast forward.
Today, I exist as a voice of empowerment and live happily as a proud gay man, continuously tapping into my limitless potential. I operate Sacred Sojourn full-time, where I teach workshops, host transformational retreats worldwide, and coach retreat leaders. I primarily create events that focus on mindfulness, as well as the art and soul of sacred living. Sacred Sojourn is a five-star, blossoming international events company on the rise — with more attendees and events every year. I am honored to say my work has rippled across the lives of hundreds of people across the world.
My primary goal is to acquire land and build a state-of-the-art retreat center and community. This is intended to be a safe space where I can host events year-round and invite other educators, facilitators, and practitioners from all backgrounds to share their gifts as well.
If I somehow convinced you I found all the answers, that I'm completely whole and healed, or my life is absolute perfection... this was never my intention and please do not let me fool you.
There are many days when I still feel confused and overwhelmed by life's obstacles. Navigating this modern world, especially as a deaf and queer person, is a journey that requires consistent adaptability and awareness. This is not a tale with a perfect ending, but a story about an imperfect human on the path of becoming. I’ve crawled, walked, cried, screamed, fought, danced and celebrated my way to who I am today — a person I've grown to embrace and love. That is why I confidently know I can guide others today. If my journey can do one thing… let it inspire. I have dedicated my life to all who dare to dream. When we trust and believe in the power of possibility, we can overcome incredible odds and experience endless miracles.
All we can do is just keep swimming.
Many Blessings.
