Soul School: 90 days to Gifts, Visions, Creations and Communities.

Grow your life fulfillment and authentic relationships in 90 days. Guaranteed.

Soul School is three, 13-week cycles that follow the seasons designed to help you:

• Identify and embody your unique and treasured gifts

• Clarify and connect deeply to your mission, vision and purpose for your life

• Partner with the patterns of creation to bring your vision for the future into fruition

At Soul School, we do all this with 30 brave and beautiful souls risking their significance and not letting the cultural artisan in them die so as to bring about, as Charles Eisenstein puts it, “the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.”

Soul School: 90 days to Gifts, Visions, Creations and Communities.

Are you ready to deepen into the life you are here to live, grow your relationships with loving people, and be a force for love and beauty on this earth? Watch the video to learn more about Soul School.

“Now, is not the time for timidity. Now, is the time to be GIANTS!”

Malidome Somé

Each cycle has a focus in keeping with the season of the year.

Fall Cycle — Gifts, Griefs, Gratitude — The Autumn is the time of letting go, of transformation, of giving our gifts, of celebrating the harvest.

Winter Cycle — Mission, Vision, Purpose — The Winter is the time of stillness, of leadership, this is the time of the Elder. These energies are called on during these 13 weeks to help you articulate, embody and feel into your unique vision, purpose and mission for this time of your life.

Spring Cycle — Partnering with the Patterns of Creation — The Spring is the time to burst forth, overcome the fears of frosts, and launch out into the sun and rain and chilly nights and glory of growing and transforming.

Summer Cycle — Soul School takes a break. The summer is not the time for plans and goals and discipline. The summer is for abandon. For letting go and getting drunk on the sun and letting the mammal of your body move how it wants to, swim where it wants to, and dance whenever it wants to. We take a break from school in the summer.

Pete is a vibrant teacher of the heart.  His light shines with beauty, fierce vulnerability, laughter and truth. His is a deep connection to and honoring of the earth. Pete has the astonishing gift of reflecting one's own light back so you can see it, and then shine it. In my time with Pete in the woods, I have remembered I am meant to sing and not hold back—there is not a bird in the trees that is holding back their song.

Rachel Kennedy
Tree of Life Forest School

Knowing Pete as a mentor and friend is a gift that has changed my life, truly. I take my inner-Pete with me everywhere. He is one of my soul’s teachers—a fierce and tender warrior, a poet and a guide into the wild. He dares me, graciously, to embrace and love all the parts of myself, and to show up in the world with authenticity and courage.

Josh Gershon
Writer, Educator, Youth Mentor

It is easy to rattle qualities off about Pete—he’s charismatic without being showy, he's knowledgeable and ever-learning, he's curious and appreciative, he's honest and compassionate, he's a leader by being a teammate, and he's buoyant yet grounded. He's exceptional, to say the least. But there is an aspect of Pete that is harder to articulate that has to do with being around Pete. Being around Pete is an Invitation, and one to wholeheartedly say Yes to.

M.B.

Peter McLean grew up during the time of a great and powerful spell. The spell had him believing he was separate from nature, that he was sinful at birth, and that the path towards happiness and wholeness required a lot of accumulating, purchasing and consuming.

Of Earth and Soul is his war cry, his grief song, his moon-aimed howl, his belly busting laugh, his game of tag with the divine, his quiet sip of the sunrise.

Of Earth and Soul is his antidote, his charm of spell reversal. To come back under the enchantment of the earth, her power, wisdom, intelligence and all the beauty waiting to be brought forth in feeling the truth of a deep belonging in, and among, all that is wild and free.

Pete comes to this work wholeheartedly, honestly, and circuitously.

For many years, a farmer, a facilitator, a coach, a part-time carpenter, a full-time community member, a man, a being questing after his soul.

And that soul, that insistent, persistent, resistant, wild-wailing-infant of a soul, has brought him into the forest. Into the marsh. Into the river. Into the cave. Into the sunrise and set. The new and full moons. Into circle. Calling in circles. Calling in gatherings. Calling in collective focus and intention. Calling in others who also hear the song of their soul and are risking listening. For what the soul asks, or demands, or commands of them.

Just like the monarch is made of the milkweed. Pete is made of all he has consumed. And if you know him, you know he feasts on relationships.

Pete is his mother and his father. Both of his sisters. The Maumee River. The Yellow Breeches. Pete is Eric Lind and Richard Anderson from Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary. Is Dan Kaplan and Karen Romanowski of Brookfield Farm. Is Darryl Slim. Is Therese Jornlin. Is Judy Hall. Is Neill Bovaird. Is Malidoma Some. Is Martin Shaw. Is Martin Prechtel. Is Robin Wall Kimmerer. Is Mary Oliver. Is Etheridge Knight. Pablo Neruda. Rainer Maria Rilke. Lawrence Quigly. Al Miller. And Pete is Kelly Kietzman, her songs, her love, her spirit, her fire, and their love that they share like a sunrise. Pete is the Sawmill River. The nighthawks flying over Lake Pleasant. Is the tupelo burl. The Alabama morning his Pa Pa called those turkeys in. The sun coyote. The basswood blossoms. The dogbane cordage. The northern watersnakes slithering up the falls. Is Altair. Alberio. Aquilla. Arcturus. Deneb. Vega. Rigel and Betelgeuse. Pete is all the episodes of The Simpsons. Is a head buried in an iPhone. Is the era of school and mass shootings. The time of selfie deaths. Is the poverty of a lost culture. Pete is made up of it all. All of it. And still more. And you, now, are made up of just a little bit of him, and all, of the all, of the all, of all of that.

Pete McLean’s formal training has followed three main paths: indigeneity, soul work, and shadow work.

His indigenous training has been through Therese Jornlin, Neill Bovaird, Darryl Slim, and Malidoma Somé and have taught him that nature is our first teacher, first mother, first place to go and is longing for our return.

His soul work training has come through Judy Hall and has taught him that our souls are powerful and our relationship to them can be cultivated through dreams, nature, and the liminal.

His shadow work training has come through his 15 years in participation and leadership within Men’s Work organizations like Mankind Project, Jericho Circle, and Young Men Awake.

Live into the life you know you are here to live. And let the beauty pour forth. Fulfillment. Connection. Intimacy. Purpose. Aliveness. Freedom. Exhilaration.

The life you are aching for is ALSO aching for you. You and your life are seeking each other. The odds are STACKED in your favor. The more you passionately call in the life you are here to live, the more eager that life is to find you. You are closer than you might think.

Pete McLean is a pleasure to guide with. He is a tracker of Soul. He listens deeply to all the voices of himself who are speaking and invites others to do the same. Pete creates a supportive container, whether you are in Circle with him, ceremony, or taking a walk in the forest near his home. I have witnessed Pete stepping further and further into his full humanity, his True Adult, his place in the world, and his deep inner wisdom. As he travels that terrain of deep nature-soul connection, he teaches. Drawing from the well of his own lived experience and feelings, he can be trusted to bring others into theirs. I highly recommend this man's work. He is a joyful being, and his pleasure in being alive is infectious. I am grateful for our work together on behalf of our culture and planet. 

Judy Hall

I sometimes get scared of being who I am. And a question Pete has consistently asked is, "How big can I be?" I hear it as "To what extent can I authentically be who I am?" I attempt to live by that question in times of fear. Thank you Pete for your work.

Justin

Pete has been a true guide and friend on the path to self-discovery and homecoming. His unique style of wildness, humor, tenderness, ferocity, and humility continue to operate as inspiration and medicine in my life. Receiving guidance from Pete feels like true love, in the sense that he offer both support and challenge in a way that truly honors the task at hand. Pete is a trustworthy guide.

James Frank
Somatic Coach, Mindfulness Educator, Men’s Work Facilitator

For years, Pete's facilitation has supported me in trusting the wild, often mystifying, and sometimes terrifying path of my authentic life. His presence is a deep well of trustworthy and generous attention in my world and in this community of humans who are on the journey of remembering our true nature as belonging to each other and to our Earth. With humor and wisdom, and a wide embrace, he helps guide us to the heart of that remembering.

Andrew

I wish everyone could experience what it’s like to be seen and heard by Pete McLean. When Pete beholds you, in all your confusion, complexity and weirdness, it is transformative. He takes you in—with his huge heart, big curiosity and tender attention—and your truer, deeper self shows up.

Kate

Pete calls us again and again to the wild places we’ve forgotten. He calls us from the edge of the forest to come home to ourselves, to come home to the earth, and when we finally do he’s ready—with a fire and a poem and a smile that floods the night. With flowers, with birdsongs, with scrambled eggs. With a handwritten letter from everyone who’s ever loved us.

C

Soul School is for you, if you:

• Know there is more to you, more to this life, more to your relationships, more to your contribution in this life than what you’re currently experiencing

• Are tired/frustrated/lonely/despairing/exhausted/grieving the feeling of not really having found your people, people who can see you, celebrate you, cherish you for the beauty you are, you have, and are here to bring out more fully into the world

• Are not completely sure what your mission or purpose is, how to discover it, or even think it might be too late in life to try

• Look to nature as teacher, as guide, as friend, as God, as a source of universal love, beauty, and belonging

• Can feel the firehose of modern culture trying to douse and drench and extinguish the fire you have inside your chest, your body, your spirit, your soul and you are unwilling to let the fire die without a fight

• Are awakening to the reality that each of us has something remarkable to offer this world and it is essential that we do so

Live boldly and abundantly rooted and grounded in your gifts, your vision, and the confidence of an inspired plan to bring forth your dreams. And don’t do it alone. Do it in a cohort of other people risking their significance for something beautiful and inspiring that will serve the earth, communities, and generations to come.

Soul School offers three 13-week cycles for 30 participants.

• Fall Cycle — September 23rd to December 21st — $1300 is being offered at 77% off — $300.

• Winter Cycle — January 6th to March 22nd — $1300 is being offered at 66% off — $442.

• Spring Cycle — March 24th to June 20th — $1300 is being offered at 55% off — $585.

A note on pricing. Whatever level of discount that you enter the program at, you have the option of staying at should you sign up for the next cycle. OR. You can gift your discounted price to a friend who you’d like to join.

Example 1: I join the Winter Cycle at 66% off. I sign up for the Spring Cycle which is available at 55% off but since I signed up for the Winter and am continuing on, I can pay for the Spring Cycle at the 66% off rate. And same for the Fall if you keep signing up. That’s the possibility for $3000 of savings.

Example 2: I join the Winter Cycle at 66% off. I’m inviting someone to join the Spring Cycle. I am going to gift that person my 66% discount for their Spring Cycle and I will pay for the Spring Cycle at the advertised 55% off rate.

Soul School Money-Back Guarantee:

If you sign up for the cycle, attend one call a week, complete all the portals, engage in the 1:1’s, and follow the flow of the course and are not satisfied with the value you received, we will happily refund your money in full within 10 days of the completion of the cycle.

Dear Soul School Student,

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” — Anais Nin

You are a bold and brilliant flower. Your bud might not be able to handle much more waiting. There is a beautiful garden waiting for you to blossom in with many other buds pregnant with beauty and aliveness.

Now is the time. We were born into wild times and we have a bold and beautiful contribution to make. It is our gift to do so. It is our responsibility to do so. And we don’t have to do it alone. Or make it up. Or invent it. There are inspired resources and vibrant communities available to us.

Soul School provides the container, resources, community, encouragement, accountability, and individual focus to help coax your bud into gorgeous break.

Whether you sign up for Soul School or not, may the time you spend lingering in contemplation bring you evermore deeper into your own resolve, commitment, dedication to courting your true essence so you can make that one more available to all the world. For you have something that the world is aching for. That no one, not ever again, will be able to contribute. You are unique, essential, vibrantly alive, and belong deeply and magically in the family of all things.

There is a place here for you. You have been invited.

With love and anticipation,
Peter McLean

Knowing Peter has been a remarkable gift in my life. As if by osmosis, I leave interactions with him feeling more grateful, more curious, more alive. In an ocean of so-called transformative coaches and the like, Pete’s presence and authenticity are a breath of fresh air.

Davis Cowles
Life Coach, Adventure Guide, Educator

Pete’s the guy you wanted to roadtrip with in college. He’s the dreamer, the poet, the fiery one unafraid to weep. His song is part howl, part stadium anthem, part ancient lullaby. He’ll copilot the dark and help you welcome the dawn, probably naked, and so alive even your elbow and middle toe cartwheel. He’s wonderlit and weathered. He wayfinds with starlight and single malt scotch. He is one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever known and he’s a real life bandit of bliss and the blues. I’d go anywhere with him.

A

Here are some resources to check out to feel a little more into Soul School.

Each cycle has a focus in keeping with the season of the year.

Fall Cycle — Gifts, Griefs, Gratitude — The Autumn is the time of letting go, of transformation, of giving our gifts, of celebrating the harvest.

Winter Cycle — Mission, Vision, Purpose — The Winter is the time of stillness, of leadership, this is the time of the Elder. These energies are called on during these 13 weeks to help you articulate, embody and feel into your unique vision, purpose and mission for this time of your life.

Spring Cycle — Partnering with the Patterns of Creation — The Spring is the time to burst forth, overcome the fears of frosts, and launch out into the sun and rain and chilly nights and glory of growing and transforming.

Summer Cycle — Soul School takes a break. The summer is not the time for plans and goals and discipline. The summer is for abandon. For letting go and getting drunk on the sun and letting the mammal of your body move how it wants to, swim where it wants to, and dance whenever it wants to. We take a break from school in the summer.

Fall Cycle Curriculum - Gifts, Griefs and Gratitude

Week 1 — Welcome, introductions, group agreements, expectation setting, sharing shadow, sharing gold, hopes and dreams.

Week 2 — The Wheel of the Year: Autumn and The Meadow, the Stem, the Flower, the Hawk — a teaching and a story

Week 3 — Stalking Our Gold — learn how to identify your gifts, from the present, the past, and the imagined future

Week 4 — What our People See in Us — leaning on the village to round out the image we hold of ourselves

Week 5 — Plumbing the depths of our grief and terror — learning how to access our grief to find the gold within

Week 6 — Approaching the Ancestors — you are not alone and you are not to do this life alone

Week 7 — Ritual/Ceremony/Festival — Samhain — a week in ritual and ceremony and festival

Week 8 — Telling the tales — after any great hunt, great festival, great ceremony the stories must be told

Week 9 — Open House — who in our lives is ripe for the blossoming? Who is ready to pop with gift and beauty?

Week 10 — Refining Our Gold — distilling our 3 most Treasured Gifts

Week 11 — Safeguarding Our Gold — What saps us, drains us? Activities, relationships, environments. And how to keep our gold safe.

Week 12 — Blessings — receiving the recognition of our peers and teachers

Week 13 — The Journey to Come — tools, resources, rememberings for the journey ahead

Winter Cycle Curriculum — Mission, Vision and Purpose

Week 1 — Welcome, introductions, group agreements, expectation setting, sharing shadow, sharing gold, hopes and dreams.

Week 2 — The Wheel of the Year — Winter: the time of the Elder, of Vision, of Purpose, of Direction

Week 3 — Grief as Guide, Delight as Direction — how our deepest pains and pleasures show us our path

Week 4 — Let the Little One Lead — allowing our wise innocence to point the way

Week 5 — What We Were not Fed, We Must Learn To Be That Bread — a guide to changing ancestral patterns

Week 6 — Approaching the Womb — how to guide our paths towards the earth for guidance

Week 7 — Ritual/Ceremony/Festival — Imbolc — inviting the earth to dream through us

Week 8 — Telling the Tales — after any great hunt, great festival, great ceremony the stories must be told

Week 9 — Open House — who in our lives is eager for direction, for purpose, for vision? Invite them and let them experience their own wisdom, clarity and deep knowing.

Week 10 — Clarifying the Vision — distilling the mission and purpose into its essence

Week 11 — Protecting the Fire — a week of identifying through intellect and intuition how to best support your vision and its clarity

Week 12 — Blessings — receiving the recognition of our peers and teachers

Week 13 — The Journey to Come — tools, resources, rememberings for the journey ahead

Spring Cycle Curriculum — Partnering with the Patterns of Creation

Week 1 — Welcome, introductions, group agreements, expectation setting, sharing shadow, sharing gold, hopes and dreams.

Week 2 — The Wheel of the Year — Spring — aligning with the patterns of creation

Week 3 — Plants, Animals, Landscapes as Guides — journey into the soul of the earth and where it meets with the soul of your offering

Week 4 — The Pattern as its revealed — identifying and claiming the pattern you see emerging

Week 5 — Synchronicities as signposts — finding the conspiring signs confirming your path

Week 6 — Approaching Belenus — gods, goddesses, allies, ancestors all. Invite them into your fruition

Week 7 — Ritual/Ceremony/Festival — Beltane — eros, passion and finding balance through masculinity, femineity

Week 8 — Telling the Tales — after any great hunt, great festival, great ceremony the stories must be told

Week 9 — Open House — who in our lives is eager to grow and expand into their fullness?

Week 10 — The Pattern in its Elegance — Sharing your pattern in its simplest form

Week 11 — Protecting the Pattern — identifying the supports required to ensure delightful growth

Week 12 — Blessings — receiving the recognition of our peers and teachers

Week 13 — The Journey to Come — tools, resources, rememberings for the journey ahead