Written by Andres Schavelman Looking for captain
Ten years ago, my life was a portrait of extreme corporate triumph. As one of Airbnb’s first 30 employees, I witnessed the company’s transformation from a humble startup to a global phenomenon. Later, as Fiverr’s Vice President of International Expansion, I was on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as the company went public. But amidst the praise and confetti, quiet questions began to surface. What remains after the applause fades?
For years, I’ve been chasing milestones that society (and my family) deem important. However, beneath the titles and roles, I felt like the deeper parts of me were largely invisible to myself. Beyond the standards of success, who was I? This question became my compass. It became my compass, partly because of my own sense of emptiness, but also because the universe often reminded me very harshly that I needed another way forward. It’s also because you let me know. When I chose to follow that path, I realized that it would lead me into the unknown, into Spirit, and into the heart of what it means to truly live with all that I have.
As the son of Argentinian-Jewish parents and raised in New Orleans in a predominantly Colombian Catholic community, I learned early on how to juggle multiple identities. This fluidity has helped my career, but it has also taught me how easy it is to lose yourself in the mask you put on for someone else. Rediscovering my core required stepping into the unknown and embracing moments of deep connection and disconnection. That moment further expanded my understanding of what it means to be human.
Having traveled and explored over 90 countries, the world has shown me unparalleled beauty and sometimes its brutality. I was captured by guerrillas in a foreign land, drugged, and robbed. But I have also attended rituals where the boundaries between self and spirit dissolve, paving the way for transformation. These experiences have taught me to trust the unexplainable, surrender to the mysteries of life, and embrace the stillness, presence, and wisdom found in what flows creatively from within. He gave it to me.
This exploration of self-sovereignty, the art of aligning with your heart and spirit rather than seeking control or external approval, was also central to my debut work. Looking for captain. Written in the second person, the book places the reader directly in the protagonist’s shoes, blending surreal storytelling and personal anecdotes to create an experience that is as introspective as it is a narrative. This book is not a purely literary exercise, but an experiential blueprint designed to prompt readers to introspect and navigate uncharted waters with their own unique insights. The protagonist’s journey mirrors my own, inviting readers to explore the roles they have assumed, question internalized expectations, and reclaim authorship of their own lives.
I learned that self-sovereignty means listening to the quiet truth that emerges when you filter out the noise. It’s rarely a comfortable journey, but it involves a true connection to myself, others, and the mysteries of the world around me.
Currently, I tend to value presence over productivity and connection over output. When I follow these truths, I am at my best a creative instrument of Spirit, something that cannot be explained. The lessons I gleaned reshaped my understanding of success. It’s not the destination that matters, but the direction, the courage to chart a course into the unknown, and the willingness to change yourself through the journey.
So, if that resonates, ask yourself the question I asked myself: Who am I under the mask? And if I were to step into my heart and into the unknown and become the captain of my own ship, where would I end up?
Source: Spiritual Media Blog – www.spiritualmediablog.com
