Building Harmony: Leaving The Matrix For The Pura Vida with Matt Blesso

And our outer purpose are accomplishments and titles and money and status and all the things that we're told. When we have it, we'll be happy and life will be great.

I really actually can't do business here anymore because I've changed, and the environment just isn't working for me anymore.

You kind of got to a point where it's like, okay, what next? You could keep doing what you're doing and doing bigger, better, but it wasn't necessarily going to have you feeling any more fulfilled. Welcome to the Path to Purpose podcast, where I share incredible conversations with amazing humans who went through a pivotal shift in their lives that have put them on their path of purpose, profit, and impact. My name is Zaraq Fatah. I'm a serial entrepreneur and life coach. I went through my own transformational journey where I'm now committed to living a life of inspiration, education, and empowerment. My intention is to share these conversations so they inspire you to also walk your path to purpose. All right, today I'm sitting down talking to my new friend, Matt Blesso. We've known each other for, I guess, just a little bit over a year, but it's only been in the last few months that we really got to hang out and kick it down at Envision.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was great.

Yeah, that was a good time. Definitely a way to do it again next year. Yeah, yeah. How long you been here in Osana now?

Coming up on five years.

Okay.

Although still some time back in New York, but kind of. Yeah.

So we kind of move here in around the same time. In November 2018, when I got down. Yeah. And I remember when I got down here, obviously part of my intention was wanting to find a home, wanting to be a part of a community. And it probably wasn't until a year or two after I got here that I heard about the shift community and I heard your name around because we have mutual friends and bumped into each other a couple of times. But, yeah, it's really been last year that we've kind of gotten to know each other more. So. And, you know, I super curious to learn about your background coming from New York, moving here to Costa Rica to Nosara. Concept, creation, development of the shift community. You know, conscious communities are something that are becoming more, I'd say, popular or more desirable. People are wanting to leave North America or wherever they are and, you know, come live in this utopian paradise that we're fortunate enough to call home. And people are craving community. So I would love for you to share a little bit about Your journey of how, first off, what was life like for you in New York? What were you doing there? What brought you here to Costa Rica? And you know, I want to learn all about shift. I know a little bit about it, but I'm really happy we're sitting down to have this conversation because I want to learn all about shift, the principles of shift community and. Yeah, just where you came up with the idea to create this beautiful concept.

Sure. Well, that's a lot.

Yeah. So we'll start with Matt six, seven years ago in New York City.

Okay. Well, I'll start with. So I'm a career real estate developer and entrepreneur. I, I got, I was fortunate enough to get my start in New York early and you know, it was just really motivated, really hungry. I, you know, I grew up with a lot of insecurity and that's an amazing motivator for sure. And so that really did drive me to want to succeed and make something of myself, both, I would say, improving myself and financially as well. I spent a lot of my life suffering from scarcity thinking and, and you know, and that's a, that can serve as a motivator as well. Not, not a healthy one, but you know, it's a motivator that in many cases I think drives people to get on the treadmill of finance and of, of, you know, trying to bring in, you know, more and more money. And so that's the path that I started off on. And, and I was very fortunate in that I was able to find some early success and I, you know, started with, with nothing and didn't have any connections or really help. My parents were actually really helpful and my dad, you know, served as, as an early mentor for me and helped me with some of my very early real estate investment that I made right out of college and I bought an apartment and that's kind of how it all started. And my timing was fortunate and real estate was not in favor at that time. And I bought things at very good prices and fixed them up and really just willed my projects to succeed through, you know, hard work. And I was working a full time job in the banking world at that time, but that was also really to make money. I never viewed myself as a career banker. I always felt a little different than my colleagues in finance. And I found some early success and I really kind of rode this wave of doing these high design boutique residential condominium projects in Manhattan. That, that, that went very well. And, and you know, the projects that got published and, and broke records for the pricing that they sold for and. And I slowly built my own firm that way and started as one person and grew a small organization that was based in Manhattan. And the fortunate thing, I think was not so much the success, like the financial success, but the fact that I found it at an earlier enough age where I was able to tell that more of that was not going to make me happier. And I think for me that was, you know, I had a few different turning points of, you know, what brought me here and what. But that was one of them of just knowing that I needed to do things different. And as I could see forward on the path that I was laying out, something just didn't feel right about it.

Got it. And you were in New York, you're doing your developments, you're experiencing great success and you had this feeling that this wasn't it for you, that there was something else that you were destined to do, let's say. And so with the timeline of you having success building your projects in New York, was there any key moment or anything that happened that just had you realize like, okay, I don't want to be doing this anymore or for much longer, and started to feel the draw to leave New York, like for you, what was it that had you decide to leave? You didn't have to leave? I mean, it sounds like you had a pretty good gig going there in New York. What was it that inspired you to want to make the change?

It was a couple of things. The first was I always wanted to be a different type of developer right from the beginning. So that meant for me building sustainably, that was sort of a focus of, of our early projects. But as I sort of like progressed in my career, money became less important and doing things that were more impactful became more important. And I also discovered the value of community. So I invested in a one of the early co working and maker spaces in, in Brooklyn. It was called Third Ward and it was a community for creative professionals. And I started that. My involvement in it started in 2010 and I was able to see the power of community in a business setting. And we were doing it for commercial space, but right away it was like one day I just had a light bulb go on and said, okay, this is what I want to do for residential real estate. So that was the first step. I also had community come into my lives in a lot of other ways. So I'm a member, my wife and I are members of something called the Pink Community, which is kind of international, but kind of founded more in New York. And it's been really impactful in our lives and the lives of many of our friends, of just being a part of something where people are supporting one another and then going to Burning man and seeing the sense of community that goes there. And there are a couple of other community elements that I could just, you know, it became my calling of, okay, how do we build real estate that improves people's lives through the power of community? The other thing that happened was I started a, you know, a spiritual journey or started down a spiritual path where I kind of knew that I wanted to discover some things about myself. And, you know, that's a lifelong process, obviously. But along the way, one of the things that I learned was that I needed more nature in my life and that just running and running and running and the excitement of New York was actually missing something. So as a younger, single guy and, you know, my life really revolved around working hard and playing hard, and that was great. And I was thriving and it was exciting and fun. But eventually, you know, I started to realize that something was missing. And I think a real turning point was I moved into what was the third home that I had really kind of created for myself. It was in Manhattan, in Noho. It was a penthouse. I did a lot of design work myself and put in a great deal of energy and love into it. And it got published all around the world and won lots of design awards, and it was sort of the ultimate bachelor pad. So it was really fun in a way. But it was. As soon as I moved in there, there was this very strange sense of, okay, I have everything that I've always wanted. Now what am I gonna shoot for?

Yeah.

And I had this sort of initial perverted thought of, like, oh, my next place is gonna be even better. And I realized just like, how. How messed up that was. And. And I actually, I felt really sad about it. I felt sad about not having this other thing to drive me anymore. The thing that drived me, I realize, was driving me in the wrong direction. And so, you know, that's kind of. That's the fortunate element that it happened at a young enough age and that it was sort of a signal to, like, okay, you got to get off the treadmill and, and do things differently. And. And meanwhile, I'm craving nature more. And I actually came down to Nosara in 2013. I did a week long retreat at Blue Spirit, which was really, really worthwhile for me at that time. And I became friendly with its owner, Stefan Rexchafin, who I stayed in touch with. And so that was A kind of connection to Nosara. And then I came back, I did another retreat there in 2017, and I think that was the moment where I realized, okay, our son was finishing elementary school. We didn't like the middle school options, so we didn't know what to do with him in that regard. And so my wife and I decided, or maybe I should say, I convinced her to take a shot of coming down here and working down here and opening an office. And then the final thing was also I was trying to do community projects in New York and pitching various conscious concepts to different investors and lenders and partners. And I was hitting my head against the wall. And New York City real estate development is not my experience anyway. It's not a conscious place. And so I'm trying to pitch these conscious ideas and opportunities to an unconscious business environment and nobody's biting. And so. And I was also doing, you know, my first kind of big league project there. It was a $230 million project, a 27 story building that was a community focused project. And I had trouble raising the capital for it. And I just really needed one sort of mission driven institutional investor. And I said, there's one out there for me, you know, I just need one. I know most aren't, but I couldn't find it. And so that was sort of a lesson for me. And this was the dream that I always had as a developer in New York, to break into the, you know, the big leagues. And, and I got a taste of it and I actually, I didn't care for it. And so that was kind of the final straw for me of saying, you know what, I really actually can't do business here anymore because I've changed and the environment just isn't. Isn't working for me anymore.

And how old were you around that time?

I was 43.

Got it. Yeah. So it sounds like you kind of got to a point where it's like, okay, what next? You could keep doing what you're doing and doing bigger, better, but it wasn't necessarily going to have you feeling any more fulfilled.

Yeah, I don't even know if I could have kept doing it because that motivation that I had that led me to succeed when I was younger, it didn't exist anymore. Yeah, I wasn't motivated just to make money. I was motivated to do something else. And that's something else. If it's not there, the motivation isn't there.

Yeah.

And I was starting to see that I wasn't succeeding in the same way anymore because I was doing the wrong thing.

Yeah. And sounds like you kind of checked all the boxes of what you initially set out to do. And then it was like, okay, now what? And then I could relate in many ways because when I moved back from Miami, I had this vision and of this massive club I was going to open one day. And you know, having created many projects before that, when I finally opened that club, it was like, okay, now what? You know, am I going to open another big club? And because then you go through all the trials and tribulations of getting to that end goal, and when you get to that end goal, you almost, for me at least, I had lost the love for the business after that because I knew, like, okay, there's something out there greater for me to do. And Eckhart Tolle speaks about this in the New Earth. He talks about fulfilling your outer purpose and then fulfilling your inner purpose. And our outer purpose are accomplishments and titles and money and status and all the things that we're told, when we have it, we'll be happy and life will be great. So, you know, we bust our ass, we work hard, and if we're lucky or smart enough, you know, we, we achieve those goals that are rooted in our outer purpose. And then we're like, okay, now what? And that's when we begin to shift to that place of inner purpose and realizing like, okay, all that's nice, but it's actually not what really lights me up. And you know, to your point about community and being on the spiritual path and looking for like, mind people, as we start to shift and we start to discover ourselves more and we start to dive deeper into who we are, we don't align, we don't resonate with our friends or, or co workers, people who aren't of that same frequency. And then we start to feel the dissonance and we start to feel, I know I at times felt quite alone, like, wow, I'm not thinking and doing the same things as my friends anymore. And some of these friends I've known for 20 or 30 years, and I started wanting different things for my life. And when we choose to start honoring what our soul wants and what really makes us feel most fulfilled, it can be a lonely road sometimes. And that's why when we find community and when we find like minded people who are also on the same path of wanting to be the best version of themselves and wanting to dive deeper and really understand who they are at the true soul level, those people, right away it's like, oh, okay, we get each other, we understand One another. And that's why moving to Nosado was so helpful for me, because even though I only knew a handful of people down here, these were people who were also on the same journey. They were also walking away from their old life so they could really discover who they are and create their new life. And sounds like we were living parallel lives at the same time as well. Because in 2017, 18, I was really like, I couldn't go to work anymore. Like, I'd go to the clubs or the restaurant and I would just feel like, oh, I got to get out of here. You know, Like, I just, I didn't have the motivation. Like, you no longer had the inspiration to do more deals, build more buildings. For me, I was like, I don't want to open another club or restaurant, even though I've done that for 25 years. No, I'm done. Yeah. So sounds like we're going through the same things at the same time. Yeah. So you end up convincing Ginger to come down here, setting up an office, and started to get a feel for the market and what was happening. So at what point in time did the idea or concept for shift come.

Along before moving here? Yeah, yeah. This was. It was always the plan that this was the work that I wanted to do was a question of where. And I knew New York wasn't the easiest or best place to do it, but it was where I was already set up.

Yeah.

And then when I was hitting the wall and, you know, the idea of moving to a place like Nosara, you know, happened, started maybe 10 years earlier. So it was always the plan to do a community focused project here even before we arrived.

Yeah. And it seems like a lot of people gravitate to this little town because they're done with the bright lights of the big city, whether it be Toronto or New York, and they're wanting a more simple, more natural kind of back to basics life. And it seems that especially, you know, with the pandemic and all the restrictions going on around the world, that Nosara and Costa Rica really became like a place where people wanted to move to, to be in communities. So it seems like your idea and concept is perfectly aligned with what has really transpired here. Now a lot of people, you know, the term conscious community is really gaining momentum because as people become more conscious, they want to be in community. So can you share a bit about how would you define a conscious community and what are the unique elements about the shift community, as you said, like the six principles of shift that really would differentiate it from Somebody just buying a house in a regular gated community with shared amenities.

Sure. Well, defining consciousness, it's not a. It's no easy task, but I'll. I'll oversimplify it. I guess, at least for shift, we. We look to attract community members that are interested in things outside themselves. So that's, you know, helping others, helping the environment, helping the surrounding community and that derive gratification by being a force for good in some way rather than, you know, just trying to think individualistically. I would say that's, you know, that's my. That's my simplest, you know, description of it. So at shift, we have six principles, and they are environmental stewardship, self inquiry, generosity, accountability, and play.

Love it.

And so we are looking for people that those things are important for them. And the thesis is that when, you know. So the word community is thrown around a lot. So, you know, when in New York City there are new developments that are promoting community and they have all of these shared amenities for the residents, and most of them get no use. And the reason for that is there's not a strong commonality for the people that live in that particular building. So I lived in a building in Manhattan, and nobody said hi to anybody. The hallway and the elevator, it was just sort of like, you know, look at your phone, look away. So, you know, and everybody just retreats to their own world. So, and it's in part because that's the sort of unwritten rule of what you're supposed to do for a lot of people, and in part because that's just what people want. People are just obsessed with their own world, and that's what they're focused on. So, you know, when you put a group of people like that in, you know, something you're calling a community, not a lot is going to happen. But when you put together a group of people that actually want to support one another, want to have supportive relationships in their lives, want to know their neighbors on a deep level and be friends with them and have their kids play together and share resources and share responsibilities and share knowledge and gifts, that's when beautiful things happened. And so when you put particularly a diverse group of people together but have a shared value system, you know, there's this incredible synergistic benefit that happens. And so that's one of our focuses is. Is that we. We aim to be highly inclusive. So we look to attract people from all different, you know, cultures, economics, ages, sexual orientation, you name it. But we are looking for people who share values and who, you know, Those six principles are important to them. And you know, and it's a fine line, but we look to be, you know, selective around values, but highly inclusive and every other element. And, and that's what we believe makes for a really successful community where people really do support one another.

Yeah, it's beautiful. And, and there are already a few conscious community concepts here in Costa Rica. Like Alegria is being built right now, but there's Ecovillas. I know there's one closer to San Jose and many being built right now because people are realizing that it's, it's within community that you really get to thrive and support one another and the children. You know, like they say it takes a village to raise a child. Right. You know, you, you have the support of the community and your neighbors. And that's one thing I noticed moving here is like, I actually know my neighbors. Like everybody here says hi to one another. You know, I know that if my dog goes missing, I can call one of my neighbors. Chances are they know where she is or can find her. And it's the first time in my life I have ever experienced being in community. And, and it's so refreshing to just know that you have the support of the people who you live next to because, yeah, living in condos in Toronto for all those years, like never spoke to my neighbors. You get in the elevator, everybody looks down at the floor. And I think just society, we inherently want to feel connected, we want to feel supported. But I feel like we have almost lost touch with that because we feel like it's not going to be welcomed. Like it's not, it's not something we do. People are just kind of conditioned to avoid eye contact and don't say hi to strangers and all that. But it's obvious, like that is what people want. People want human connection and people want to know that they feel safe and supported by those around them. So I'm curious to know, like, how are you drawing in these like minded people who are wanting to be a part of this community that had these shared values like where, where are they coming from?

Yeah. So far it's been pretty, pretty much word of mouth. Yeah. And this started as my wife Ginger and my closest friends there was, I think anybody who's a part of a community, at some point a conversation comes up was, wouldn't it be great if we could all live together?

Yeah.

And so, you know, that was always my dream of sort of making that happen on a very selfish level for our friends because this is the way that we want to live and who we want to live with. So that was sort of an initial nucleus that started and then it's kind of grown outwards from there. But it's really been all word of mouth. We just put up a website just a few months ago and so now we're for the first time starting to, you know, reach out to the rest of the world and you know, say who we are and what we're doing. But we really wanted to start it with a very strong, you know, core nucleus of people to sort of set this tone of, you know, this is what we're doing here. And it's I believe it's an extraordinary group of people. It's really a very kind and generous and self aware, eclectic group of people that, that will then attract others that, that have similar, similar mindset.

Yeah. And ultimately how many homes, how many residents, how what's that going to look like five years from now once everything's built in up and running.

So we're not sure is that is the, is the short answer because we are planning the project in phases. So we are, we are going to be selling lots of and homes in the first phase, you know, very soon and that we've planned as having about 35 to 40 residences. And that's the biggest part of the project. We have a lot more land and we will build more homes. But we are committed to having a minimum of 70% of the land set aside for preservation. Means it won't be built on at all.

Yeah.

So yeah, the homes people generally live in little mini neighborhoods and have shared amenities for all the people in that neighborhood. And then we've also planned separate some shared amenities for all the neighborhoods that are for the entire community.

And what kind of amenities will you have there? I assume like a gym, probably like a main dining hall or something. Co working space.

Yeah. So each neighborhood will have a swimming pool or pools and sort of a multi functional space for shared cooking and dining and living and kids play area. That'll be the sort of, we'll have, you know, a bunch of those in each neighborhood and then separately we have, you know, three different kind of community wide amenities areas. One has a big clubhouse so that's a place where the entire community could eat together. And we're planning on having some co working space there, meeting rooms, kids play area, indoor and outdoor different, you know, movement exercise options, a media room, a shared library, hopefully a music studio and.

Then we have another content film studio in there too.

We can, you can do your podcast.

Yes, we do the podcast there, for sure.

The other area we're calling El Sanctuario and that we were going to have, it's actually at the highest point in our. In our property where we have beautiful ocean view. And I think in most real estate development projects here, that's the piece of land that would be sold off to the highest bidder and the wealthiest among the community members. And instead we view it as. It's the best spot. It should be shared by everybody.

Beautiful.

So we're doing a community amenities on the top of it, and that would be a spa and hammam and sort of a lounge and. And small event space for someone wants to throw a party. And. And then the third area is. Is a. You know, it's actually kind of deep in the woods at one of the other highest places in the land. And that's just a contemplative or meditation space that is only reached by walking there. And it's. It's far enough away that, you know, when you go there, you probably won't see other people. And we just thought that would be a nice thing to have as well.

Sounds like quite the beautiful little oasis you're creating now. Although you were a developer before in New York, you know, with the successful track record coming to Costa Rica and really building a new concept, which you've never built before, like, you've had the vision, but this is your first time building a community of this type of what were some. What have been some of the challenges or some of the maybe your own limiting beliefs that kind of maybe caused you to question whether or not this is really what you should be doing or not. Because, you know, there's a lot of people who would love to change their career, would love to pivot in what they're doing and shift to doing something new. But there's that, you know, that comfort, that security in knowing that, doing what you already know how to do. And there's little risk between behind that because, I mean, for what you, you know, chose to do, leave New York, leave a successful career, come here to create this vision, I mean, that takes balls and there's. There's risk behind that. So, like, how have you been able to overcome any, you know, of your own limiting beliefs and just have the mindset to go ahead with something that you really believe in?

Boy, that's a tough one. I feel like. Well, thank you for saying that. I never. I've never felt like it took balls. I kind of felt like I had no other choice. Yeah, you know, Like, I almost feel like it chose me rather than I. I chose it. Yeah, it was just. I guess it just felt like my mission felt like this is what I'm supposed to do. Like, I'm. I knew I wanted to do purposeful work, and my background is in real estate, so. And entrepreneurship. So it was, you know, shift is really a. A study of, okay, we all have to live somewhere, and, and, you know, how do we use real estate as a means of. Of improving the lives of people that live in it, in the lives of the surrounding community and the environment at large. And so the goal was to create a model for that. In terms of the challenges, where do I start? You know, I mean, it's been really tough. It really has been tough. I've made a lot of mistakes along the way. And, you know, it's the process of coming into a new country where. Where I haven't worked before and bringing it with it. All the things I've learned of how to be a developer in New York.

Yeah.

And in many cases, they don't serve me well either.

We come over with this North American mentality and our expectations of how things operate in New York and Toronto, and we're quickly disappointed with the reality of how things here actually flow or don't.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's, It's. It's, you know, some. Some. Some great lessons for me and, and great teachers. And I think a lot of times, you know, foreigners who come here, they fail to realize just how much they can learn from Costa Ricans. And I think I did initially as well. And I'm still, you know, I'm still always reminding myself that, of, you know, like, why are we here? You know, why did, why did we come to this wonderful country? And for me, part of it is because, you know, the people are so amazing here. And, yeah, things do sometimes move a little slower. And that's good. You know, that's good for all of us in a way. And it's, you know, I just really enjoy working with people here. You know, it's such a kind, friendly, enjoyable culture of people to work with relative to what I was used to. And, boy, there's a lot of really great lessons there that you can, you know, you can pick up from, you know, someone that's, you know, you know, working as a gardener or doing construction or. And just, you know, the interactions that you might have with that individual, you know, provides a lot of lessons for us, us North Americans that are always trying to get something done and, and get Somewhere.

Yeah, we definitely learned the lesson of surrender. Yeah. And. And just trusting the flow.

Yeah.

You know, because the jungle itself is so unpredictable from power outages and trees falling down, taking out the WI fi for two days, to people just not showing up to work because the surf was good, you know, like, you just got to kind of like surrender. Okay, we're not in Manhattan, we're not in Toronto. That's just how things here flow.

And.

I know you're an A type driven entrepreneur like myself, and we like to control, we like to organize, and yeah, that shit will mess you up for sure. But there's a lot of beautiful lessons in that as well. Just being able to like, surrender, trust the flow and just like breathe and just relax. Yeah. And I love what you said about it being. It chose you and you had no choice, you know, because you're blessed and fortunate to have found your purpose. Like there was something within you that you just always knew. Like, you love bringing people together, you're good at it, you feel most alive when you do it, and it was a calling for you. And similar with myself being a community builder also and liking, like, enjoy bringing people together to just enjoy life. That's what gave me the courage to walk away from a 25 year career in entertainment nightlife. I just got the taste from my first retreat of like, oh, this feels good. I like this. I want to do more of this. And for me, I couldn't have gone back to my old career after having experienced that fulfillment from the retreat. And you know, for those people watching or listening, many people are looking for their purpose or they're wondering, what am I here for? And I always suggest, like, even if you have a hobby, even if there's some passion, some curiosity, something that you're interested in learning more about, just try it. Just volunteer. Find somebody who's doing what you're curious about and just go and work next to them, even if it's for free, just to at least get the taste, to get a sense of what that could be like. Because when you find your purpose, you tap into that higher calling. Life totally changes. It's like you then know, like, okay, this is why I get up every day. And you throw yourself into it wholeheartedly because it fills you up, you know, and then you go to bed at the end of the day, tired, but still so energized because you know, like, hey, I'm doing what I'm meant to be, what I'm here for. And, and that's, that's where True art, that's where masterpieces are created, is when you're operating from that place on a soul level, you know, And I think that's what many people are missing out on in life. You know, they are fulfilling the model of go to school, get good grades, get a well paying job, you know, get married, have kids, house, cottage, whatever. But that's like, are you actually doing what lights you up? Are you really living a life that makes you feel alive? Or are you just doing what you think you're supposed to? And that's why I love sharing these stories because, you know, each one of the entrepreneurs I interview, you know, they've reached that point in their life, are like, no, I'm, I'm, I'm here to do more and I'm ready to make that change. And thankfully in your case, it wasn't some catastrophic disruptive event that you got hit with. It was more so like you, you had this knowing, this calling and it's because you reached the pinnacle of your success that, or you know, having checked off all the boxes like, okay, now what? So, so the Shift community is now at stage where you have the land, you're putting in infrastructure. No homes have been built yet. But I'm curious to know what, what the timeline looks like and what it's kind of like the future vision for Shift. Like where, where do you see this going like 20, 30 years from now, you know, when you're reflecting back on this legacy called Shift that you've created? What does that look like?

Well, I'll start with the, the end part first, which is what I personally envision. My role long term is, is, is really non existent if we're doing our job correctly. Our job is to set up this community using lots of, you know, years of research that we've been doing and various consultants and, and building an incredible team to set Shift up to succeed on its own. And after, you know, everybody moves in, me and Ginger will just be two community members and if we do our jobs right, that's what we should be. So we are not the sort of like leader model, you know, we're leading the development of it, but our job is to turn it over.

Yeah, you're not going to become like Osho with robes. 20 Rolls Royce, it said I have.

A separate alter ego that's patterned after him that I'll do as a comedy.

Routine actually, which shares as a great.

Reminder of all the things not to do for another time. But so no, that's not the plan. And then timing wise we are. I've told all of our community members that first and foremost we're focused on getting it right rather than getting it fast. That being said, we've made really good progress in terms of things like all of our permitting and our regulatory processes. I came down here, you know, with no experience doing development here, but with a lot of experience on how to build great teams. And so we've put together a really terrific team of people that have moved the project forward in a really fast way. I think what holds up things sometimes is our standard of excellence. And we've shared just as an example with our architecture team and our civil engineer that we want Shift to be a model for some of the most beautiful design and architecture, not just in Costa Rica, but in the world. We really want to be pushing the envelope on all elements of sustainability. So I'm always telling them, bring us more ideas, bring us more ideas. Until we figure out that we can't do something. For some reason we really want to be just pushing the envelope in terms of beauty, in terms of creativity and in terms of regeneration. And it's really fun and it's cool, but it also takes longer. And so we are in the process of designing our first homes right now and we're working with an amazing team called Void, that's based here in Costa Rica. And then we're supplementing them with a amazing, really global design firm called hwkn, who's out of New York, who I worked with for many years, as well as some other consultants. And really I'm a believer that you can't have enough smart people in the room and you know, and to build something that's really beautiful and special, it takes time and it takes the right people to work collaboratively of, of putting that all together. So we are aiming to start house construction in the beginning of 2024.

Amazing.

Come on. And then, and, and so we are building houses that we will sell, but we're also selling lots for people to build, design and build their own homes. And then we're also selling and building sort of townhome or apartment style homes for people that are more budget minded. And the lots, you know, we're, you know, probably going to be selling starting in around August.

Okay. So yeah, nice. Beautiful. So for anybody listening who may be interested in wanting to live in a Shift community, like what, what is, what is the lifestyle? What is experience? What, what could somebody expect to sort of enjoy, you know, being a part of a community like this?

Well, one of the things that we were very Intentional about, in terms of the physical design and master plan of the community as well as the operation of things like the amenity spaces, is that we want to honor both community and independence. I'm actually personally more of an introvert. I get my energy from being alone because I'm working all day and I actually need to be just by myself sometimes. And I think. And so I'm someone that doesn't want to be around people all the time, yet I really thrive in those times when I do. And so we really have designed it to make the community elements optional. And so all the homes have, you know, are standalone homes, but people, you know, they can cook in their own home and just do their own thing if they want or they can have a community meal that's cooked by others where they're sharing. And you know, we've developed our own proprietary app for people to communicate with each other. And so, you know, technology is really a double edged sword. It really has served as isolating people a lot. People don't go to their neighbor's house to buy, to borrow the proverbial cup of sugar anymore because you can just text somebody.

Yeah.

And so we have a lot less face to face contact than we used to have. That's a reality. But what we want to do is actually use technology to bring people together. So that could be for shared activities, that could be for shared parenting, responsibility for those with kids and just bringing people together or even functionality of like, okay, I wonder what's going on in the media room. Okay, somebody checked in and they're watching this series in the meeting room. I think I'll go join them and they can know that that's going on and go do something, you know, as a group. So, but it's really about, you know, if people who are really loners, this is not the right project for that. You know, this is about people who want to know their neighbors, who are social, who want to support people and be supported by others. And you know, throughout life's really, you know, deep and, and fun and challenging journeys. And so, you know, that's raising kids that's growing old, that's, you know, caring for people as they're dying.

Yeah.

And having people care for you as you're getting old and, and all the things that, that, you know, come with life. You know, we believe that it's. Life is much better, not alone for sure. And you know, you really, you really hit on it a few minutes ago when you were saying people all just, you know, do the same things. And, and, and, and I think a lot of it, it's not questioning why we're doing things. We're all following these examples of, you know, and there are different levels of individuality. So we're living these individual lives. Yet look at the stats. Depression is at an all time high. Drug addiction and drug overdose is at all time high. Suicide, Suicide. Obesity. Loneliness. Pandemic of loneliness.

Loneliness is one of the leading causes of death now, especially after the pandemic.

So the way we're doing things is, and that's over across all socioeconomic classes. In fact, some of the people with, with the most money are the most lonely.

Absolutely.

They've actually made enough money to fully isolate.

And a lot of the men that I work with in my private coaching practice, very successful, totally abundant financially, and very alone because they're at the top. They don't feel like they can open up and speak to people, you know, and, and yeah, the, the higher up you go, the less people you have around you.

Exactly.

And you know, studies have shown that the level of joy you feel in life directly correlates to the depth and the quality of your relationships.

Absolutely.

And that's why living in community, having like minded people around who share the same values is so nourishing and so needed. Now you've had, I think you said, over 45 people, families, people investing into the project. So having met, you know, these 45 people, what is a common thread or is there a narrative or a shared desire that you're hearing people say? Because I know these are people who are kind of coming out from all over the world. So like, what is it that people are asking for that's really calling them to be a part of this conscious community concept?

Yeah, I think it's a mix. There's some people who have had, like me and my wife, who have had their lives meaningfully impacted by community and they just get it and they're like, okay, this is what I've. The wonderful things I've experienced. But on a deeper level, in a living environment, sign me up. And a lot of those people that, that joined SHIFT actually didn't even have plans on moving to Nosar or to Costa Rica. But it was the idea, the opportunity to live in community that drew them. And then you have others that sort of like, they've kind of like thought about it, familiar with the idea and if you really share it and they've never really lived in or been a part of a community, but when they hear it, they're able to get it and they'll be like, okay, they're interested. And I think there's others that I've shared the idea with, but I can just tell they don't get it. They've never experienced it. This is just a different way of living. And I think, you know, for some of them, it's just not the right fit, and that's fine.

And.

And I think for others, you know, they may come back in a few years after we have a lot of people living there and you got. People go to a friend's house and they. They see how wonderful of an existence it is and how people don't have to lock their doors and how their kids can just run out of the house without making a play date and things like that, and how people care for one another, one another, and then they'll get it, you know, but some people actually really need to see it in action if it's a foreign idea to them. So, you know, it's like any product, I guess, we have our early adopters and our late. Whatever it's called.

And I have no doubt that once SHIFT is alive and thriving and people are living there, others are going to be greatly inspired to see that, because once you experience the vibe and the energy of living in that way, you realize, like, wow, this is. This is how we're meant to be living. Like, this is how our grandparents and great grandparents and people lived in community, you know, for thousands and thousands of years. But now, you know, due to technology, like 40,000 relatives. Yeah, we've been, like, so fragmented. So it's. It's a beautiful vision, and it is something that I'm very excited to see and come to fruition. It definitely sounds like the type of place that I would want to live. So I'm excited to see how things evolve and come to fruition over the coming years. I will be leaving no Sarah for a little while, but no doubt when I'm back, you know, the. The SHIFT community will already start building. And, yeah, I just want to acknowledge you for having the. For respecting the calling or. Or honoring the. The desire within you to create something that is going to benefit so many because it's. It's. It's something that's really needed right now, you know, to bring amazing humans together to share life and share all the beautiful moments and to support each other. So it's. Yeah, it's really cool to get to know you on a deeper level and to understand the vision behind shift. And, yeah, I'm. I'm excited for you, man. I'm excited to see what this creates in your life and the magic that is going to come as a result of it.

Well, thanks. Yeah, it's nice that you get it and. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yes.

And thanks for the. Thanks for the kind word.

Yeah.

And. And I'm excited for you as well.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Time to venture out for a bit and then go find my ginger.

Yeah.

And come back to the jungle. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. Well, thank you for doing this. This is Matt's very first podcast. You did great. So thank you for sharing your journey and, yeah, man, it's inspiring. So thank you for doing what you do, and I look forward to having joining a big community dinner at SHIFT one day. Yeah, yeah, that'd be great. Awesome. All right, all right. All right, brother.

Thank you, sir.

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