Essays, stories, and photographs.
Reflective essays that challenge assumptions and make a case for living more deliberately, alongside short stories rooted in real memory and photos from the trail.
New essays on Substack: philosophy for people still figuring it out, on work, money, solitude, and choosing your own life. Delivered by email.
Latest PostsLonger, more personal pieces you won't find anywhere else: reflections on leaving, staying, and what money actually buys, plus a story about my dad.
Read the ExclusivesTrail photography from the Colorado high country: aspen groves, alpine lakes, and the views that make the climb worth it.
See PhotosInspired by The Alchemist and a month spent working remotely in Rome, a meditation on why we flee our lives, and what we find when we do.
Reflection
From McDonald's cashier to engineer to traveling volunteer: a reckoning with what money actually buys.
Short StoryA summer morning in Virginia Beach working with my father, and the lesson that outlasted us both.
I'm Austin, a writer who lives to enjoy the outdoors and experience all that life has to offer. I believe that honest self-examination and good storytelling are two sides of the same coin.
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