About Me: Dan Schmoll
My Life - The Beginning
I’ve lived an authentic and interesting life up to this point, filled with a poetic balance of blessings and suffering. I have a beautiful wife and two amazing daughters, one with special needs (Down syndrome)… they mean the world to me.
I was born and raised in the midwest, in a traditional family. I grew up without religion, and always had a deep desire to understand life’s great mysteries. I wanted to know the answers to profound questions like “Who am I?” and “What is the purpose of life?”.
I was a shy kid and I dealt with social anxiety for most of my life. I joined the U.S. Navy after graduating high school, which is where my journey began to accelerate. I received an honorable discharge after 4 years of service, 3½ of which were spent on the aircraft carrier USS Constellation. As one of the last non-integrated (all male) ships, it was old school and widely known for its inhospitable culture. This period of time was filled with new experiences, and a great deal of stress and emotional strife.
As unprepared as I was for the lonely, hostile environment on the ship, I was even less prepared to return to civilian life. I relied heavily on alcohol to subdue my emotions while in the Navy, and that trend continued after I got out. This led to years of depression and a complete lack of purpose. I went from job to job, never caring about any of them… until I began my long and rewarding career with the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs. I found a passion for serving Veterans, which restored purpose to my life. However, a lifetime of buried emotions and the many years using alcohol to avoid dealing with my pain, led me to realize that I was at the end of a road. For the first time in my life, I could no longer see a path forward.
Fortunately, I had my family and my purpose, which kept me tethered to this life… but everything else had to go. I willingly walked away from everything I thought I knew about myself and this world. I was ready to forge a new path into the unknown.
This is where my journey out of the darkness and into the light begins.
My Journey - The Present
By my early 40s, I was already dealing with a number of serious health conditions. I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib), which Doctors said was caused by alcohol. I couldn’t imagine not being there for my kids, so I stopped drinking immediately and never looked back. I had A-Fib episodes after quitting, which made me realize there was more to the story. I was also diagnosed with high blood pressure, gout, degenerative disc disease in my lower back, migraines, anxiety, knee pain, hypertension, stress, and my heart was pumping out blood at a dangerously low percentage. These issues left me weak and in unavoidable pain - mostly bedridden for weeks at a time, up to 25% of the year. I was taking several prescription meds that I was told I’d be on forever, and felt trapped into following doctors’ orders. None of it seemed to help, as everything kept getting worse. I didn’t understand what was going on, all I knew is that it was unsustainable.
Fast-forward five years: I’ve now healed myself of all of these ailments (except for my lower back issues, which is steadily improving). I’m not on any medications, I no longer suffer from pain, stress or anxiety, I have tons of energy, I look and feel younger than I did ten years ago, and I’m happier and healthier than ever… all while excelling in my career serving Veterans, and being a great husband and father.
At one of my lowest points, shortly after quitting alcohol, I had an unexplainable spiritual experience that opened my eyes and my heart to how vast and deep this reality truly is. As a result, I looked inside for answers and discovered that most of my issues were symptoms stemming from a deeper, non-physical issue. At this point I pretty much went in the opposite direction of what was recommended by my doctors and specialists and stopped seeing them.
Synchronicities led me to the “Expanding on Consciousness” podcast, hosted by Mark Certo, and it spoke directly to my soul. I was drawn in and inspired by Mark’s mind-blowing conversations with amazing people, his humble attitude, and his insistence on telling listeners to not believe what he’s saying, but rather to find out for themselves. I did just that. I enrolled and dove deep into the Cornerstone program, and I discovered so much more than I ever imagined possible. After a few years, it had such a positive and transformative impact on my life that I decided to apply and become a Cornerstone facilitator, knowing that I could help others along this journey of healing and self-realization.
I see tremendous value in this program, to the point where I truly believe it could be life-changing in profoundly positive ways to just about anyone who chooses to walk this path, and take it seriously.
My Intentions
My intentions are simple and straightforward. I want to help people become free from suffering, discover the magic within, dissolve their fears, find themselves, and live with purpose. That sounds like a lot, but I know first hand that it IS possible. I also know what it’s like to be at the end of your rope with the world closing in, while feeling alone, misunderstood and having nowhere to turn.
I haven’t reached the end my journey, I might not even be close… in fact, I’m not even sure there is an end. I do know that I’ve walked this path long enough to clearly see that it’s heading in the right direction. I’m at the point where I’m ready to help people navigate their own journey, as it’s better to walk with others, than to walk alone.
To be clear, nobody can walk this path for you. This journey is yours, but it’s much better with friends. Looking back, I can clearly see how much easier my experience would’ve been if I had found this program and support earlier on. While it doesn’t take a great deal of actual work or physical effort, it does require time, awareness and truth. It requires you to be honest with yourself, with a sense of curiosity and a desire to live a better life.
This path is mysterious, but also fairly well-trodden and established… there are many others who came before us, and many more that will follow.
Join me in what I believe is the greatest adventure of all. This is what they call “the great work”. We will be joined by others and travel into the great unknown, together. Great mysteries and incredible experiences await, but you and you alone must take the first step.
