i just did 17 hours of therapy in 5 days…

Christian Ray Flores here —

I write the XE (Xponential Edge) twice a week. Sunday is free, Wednesday is for paid subscribers. Choose the paid version and you’ll get deeper dives, private chats, VIP invites — and my gratitude for supporting the work.

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i just did 17 hours of therapy in 5 days

My wife and I just did 17 hours of therapy in 5 days.

We chose Quiet Waters retreat center in Parker, Colorado—true to its name, a place of peace and hospitality. The reason was simple: we’re entering a new season, and we wanted to step into it equipped, not stumbling.

Each morning began with breakfast together, then three hours with David, our therapist. I thought three hours might feel long, but almost every session spilled over. There was always more to uncover. In the afternoons, Deb and I walked for miles, letting silence and open skies help us absorb what we had unearthed about ourselves and each other.

If you want to fly higher and go further, you must first go deeper. Every person I know who truly thrives has invested serious time, talent, and treasure into their inner life. There is no shortcut.

Here’s what I know for certain: you carry a treasure. A unique story. An assignment no one else on earth can fulfill. Align with it, and you thrive beyond imagination. Resist it, and you feel the dissonance in your bones, in your soul, at the very center of your being.

The assignment often arrives as a quiet voice—whispering that life is meant for more than this. Whatever this may be. It’s almost always daunting, and our instinct is to turn away. Yet it evolves with each season, and missing its signal means missing an entire chapter of your story.

The paradox is this: the resources, people, and opportunities you need are always present. But much of the treasure is buried in pain. You cannot skip the excavation part.

That is the work I’ll be guiding people through in From Struggles to Strength—a small group, a deep dive workshop into the stories that shape us.

For my paid subscribers, I want to share the five most powerful takeaways from those 17 hours.