Dear friend,

Ever wondered whose life you’re leading?

Ever felt a bit lost or empty, like something was missing or not quite right, but you couldn’t work out exactly what it was?

Ever followed the pack, only to arrive disappointed?

I know I have.

You see, despite my considerable success—at school, on the basketball court, and in business—at age 43 I was diagnosed with severe depression.

Beyond unhappy, I was struggling to get out of bed; constantly besieged by fits of crying (continually scurrying for privacy like a junkie looking for a place to hide and shoot up); and desperately scrambling to put on a brave face so that nobody would notice just how bone achingly desolate and gutted I felt, every minute of every day.

And nothing would have changed if I hadn’t, in absolute desperation, finally asked myself: “How the hell did I end up here?”

That question led me to make what my doctor would call “a courageous choice”—to pursue a return to wellness without the help of anti-depressant medications.

You see, despite the mental fog that permeated my reality at the time, I knew at some intuitive, primal level that the answer to “How the hell did I end up here?” wasn’t a simple one, successfully addressed with the stroke of a doctor’s pen and adherence to a prescribed method of recovery. Somehow I knew that if I retraced my steps—if I figured out how a man who had everything could suddenly feel utterly empty inside—I would reconnect with the True Me, and find lasting joy and fulfilment beyond accolades and trophies.

How I knew this remains a mystery, but it’s what kept me alive through the depression, and propelled me back to wellness.

My personal journey has taken me across continents and into the darkest places of my soul. It has exposed me to the amazing talents and knowledge of a diverse range of teachers and healers, as well as to the hidden, daily struggles of people who, as Henry David Thoreau put it, ‘lead lives of quiet desperation.’ And it’s steadily forged in me a resolve to turn a curse—the black dog of depression—into a blessing.

My recovery from depression and the process of self-renewal that I call True 2 You has transformed my life, and it can transform yours, too. I am writing this book for you, as you seek answers to your own private questions, as you look for something beyond your current experience, and as you hunger for a deeper sense of connection, acceptance, and purpose.

This book will integrate everything I learned on my quest with key lessons from my earlier experiences in life, sport and business. I’ll provide you with high impact concepts and strategies, real life examples, practical how to tips, and comprehensive exercises that will enable you to:

  • Free yourself from five common impediments to growth and fulfilment—and feel the weight fall off your shoulders!
  • Discover and develop confidence in your own inner compass—it’s always True 2 You!
  • Connect with, nurture, revel in, and unconditionally love the True You!
  • Clarify and articulate who you aspire to become—and set your course to get there!
  • Build the skills and resilience required to stay on track and to exponentially increase the richness and fullness of your life—now and forever!

In short, I’ll guide you on a journey that will free you to live with greater purpose, passion, joy and fulfilment—to be at ease with who you are and how you are—without the need for pretences, apologies, or explanations. Creating a life that in every dimension is increasingly True 2 You.

I can’t wait to share all of this with you later this year, but for now, I’d better get back to writing!

So, stay well…and stay tuned,

Mark Signature