A VISION THAT GREW.
Adam William Boettger
Founder of Sacred Sojourn
Artist l Author l Entrepreneur l Facilitator l Visionary
I strive to show up differently as a leader in today’s world. My mission is to create spaces that help others feel safe to shine. When we practice self-love and acceptance, we transform ourselves at a cellular level. I have endured so much throughout my life, yet I have been able to discover wisdom within these wounds. My lived experience has guided me toward a path of passion and purpose, which has ultimately led me here.
It is an honor to be in this beautiful space with you and for that, I am eternally grateful.
To proceed forward, we must first go back.
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I was born with a moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears, but was not diagnosed until I was two. I was too young to understand, but sometimes I imagine how confusing this period was for me and my parents. Overnight, their lives changed; meanwhile, I was waiting for mine to begin.
When I initially received hearing aids, all started to improve. However, this would only be for a brief time, before my world would come crashing down again. For reasons unknown to my parents, doctors and specialists — at the age of five, I lost all remaining hearing in both of my ears.
While I attended sign language school, my dad formed his business and my mother poured her heart into the research. She then discovered the cochlear implant. In 1998, I was entered into a clinical trial and the University of Michigan, where I later became recognized as one of their top-performing cochlear implant patients.
My surgery took many hours and required an overnight hospital stay, where I woke up in total shock and was horribly ill from the anesthesia. I also suffered a rare post-operation complication that involves occasional facial twitching, something I've dealt with into adulthood.
Shortly after, my grandmother died and my parents made a painful decision to divorce. Being an only child during this time was incredibly hard. Suddenly, my family felt shattered and my reality became even more fragmented.
Between bullying at school, medications I was placed on, complicated relationships with both of my parents, and countless hours of speech therapy — my dreams of a “normal” childhood felt impossible and unreachable at every turn. At a very young age, it became clear I was inhabiting a life full of trauma.
There were of course moments of love that surrounded me and in many ways, I was quite fortunate. I had a big, beautiful backyard where I could express freedom and curiosity. My father was dedicated to providing for all of us, while my mother devoted herself to my hearing journey and creating a life of opportunities for me.
My dad moved nearby to a lakeside cabin, which became an instrumental part of my adolescence. It was there you could find me swimming, riding my bike, and climbing trees. Exploring the great outdoors is when I felt most alive yet peaceful, which is something I am grateful I carried with me into adulthood.
I began noticing my attraction toward the same sex at a young age, I immediately suppressed it. Growing up in a world that often rejects this way of being — all while navigating the immense challenges I was already facing — became too much to bear. For a long time, I struggled to accept this part of myself and fought it with every fiber of my being.
When I was sixteen years old, I experienced a sexual trauma which would disastrously shape the next decade of my life. I remember this chapter as a very dark cloud. However, I refused to let others know just how much I was slipping through the cracks. Desperate to forget, fit in and to be someone else — I was determined to become who I thought I was meant to be, no matter the costs.
The interesting thing is my plan initially worked and unfortunately, I became the perfect chameleon. After years of speech therapy, I developed a clear and excellent speaking voice. No one knew I was deaf unless I told them, which was exactly what I wanted. While in high school, I began experimenting with women, hoping I would feel something different.
In college, I pursued my degree, worked two jobs, had a large group of friends and masqueraded as a straight man. All seemed to be going according to plan, but in reality, I was completely falling apart and not facing the shadows of my past or present. Little did I know, denying the pain would only bring more. It would be three more years until I hit my breaking point.
June 28, 2014.
On this powerful night, I walked through a dark forest and discovered how unsafe I felt within my own mind. I became convinced that no one would miss me if I was gone, because no one (myself included) knew who I authentically was. A lifetime of hiding and trauma finally caught up with me. As the evening continued, I was ready to take my own life.
I was only twenty-one years old.
Tears poured down my face, as I brought my hands to my heart and begged for a glimmer of hope. Suddenly, seconds became minutes and minutes became hours. When I opened my eyes again, it was the next morning and I miraculously made it through the night. This would mean moving forward, but how? The only solution could be building a life that was worth living and I was absolutely desperate to save myself.
The very next day, I made the brave decision to drop out of college. I said goodbye to my housemates, my friends, my career — the entire world I worked so hard to construct. My initial awakening was a divine and mysterious intervention, but the process after wasn't so easy or light-hearted. It mostly felt abrupt, devastating and unfair.
I eventually grew to see that night as a great blessing, an event that changed the course of my life forever. From that moment onward, my journey became a beautiful dedication to everything I never got to do or allowed myself to do.
In 2015, I wrote the auto-biographical story, I Love: A Story of Consciousness. Facing tremendous odds, I successfully sold over 100 copies, a triumph for only 10% of self-publishers. I had my public speaking debut when I hosted my first event with TED Talk Presenter & Visionary Violinist, Dixon’s Violin.
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In 2016, I formed my first business, a videography company named Anahata Productions.
I began filming local weddings and projects that focused on spirituality and wellness.
It was my initial love of film that would eventually lead me to my great love of retreats.
Later that year, I received a spiritual call to travel alone to the Amazon jungle. It was there I studied with indigenous Shipibo shamans and sat in several plant medicine ceremonies.
In 2017, I began practicing yoga at Good Karma Yoga Studio in Hartland, Michigan. After receiving my 200-hour certification, I was immediately invited to present and teach at multiple events and studios. The very next year, I completed a 20-hour Yin Yoga training with Bethany Perry and was also hired to live in Guatemala and Peru at multiple retreat centers as a film recruit. This unique time is where I truly began to witness the profound art of retreat.
In 2019, I made the bold choice to hang up my camera and close my videography business. I was a man on a mission in pursuit of a new purpose. I put my education, skills, talents, and wits to the test when I facilitated my first retreat in Hawai’i. Nine people attended and shared a beautiful journey. I began planning more events and formed my official second company, Sacred Sojourn.
As the result of a global pandemic, Sacred Sojourn was forced into near-bankruptcy and temporarily closed its doors, but worked hard to ultimately stay alive and on the map.
Fast forward.
Now, I exist as an empowered voice and live as a proud gay man, continuously tapping into my infinite potential. I operate Sacred Sojourn full-time, where I host transformational retreats worldwide and coach aspiring leaders. It didn’t happen overnight, but Sacred Sojourn has blossomed into a beautiful five-star, international events company, with more attendees and events every year. I am honored to say my work has rippled across the lives of hundreds — if not thousands — of people across the world.
My current goal is to acquire land and build a state-of-the-art retreat center and community. This is intended to be a safe space where I can host events year-round and invite other facilitators to share their gifts as well.
If I somehow convinced you I found all the answers, that I'm completely whole and healed, or my life is absolute perfection... this was never my intention and please do not let me fool you.
There are still many days when I feel overwhelmed by life and its obstacles. Navigating this world, especially as a deaf and queer person, requires consistent adaptability and awareness. This is not a tale with a perfect ending, but a story about an imperfect human on the path of becoming. I’ve crawled, walked, cried, screamed, fought, danced and celebrated to who I am today — someone I continue to learn to embrace and love. This is why I can confidently guide others today. If my story can do one thing… let it inspire. When we believe in the power of possibility, we can overcome incredible odds and experience endless miracles.
All we can do is just keep swimming.
Many Blessings.
