Navigating the Thin Boundary Between Worlds

Have you ever stood in an empty hallway after everyone’s gone home and felt that eerie mix of calm and discomfort? That strange, almost magnetic pull of emptiness has a name—the liminal space—and it mirrors something we all experience within ourselves.

In a recent episode of The Journey of an Awakening Spirit, I sat down with Matthew Strunk, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Illumishift, to explore what happens in those invisible spaces—between who we are and who we’re becoming. What began as a conversation about architecture and the “uncanny valley” of AI-generated rooms soon evolved into something much deeper: a dialogue about the unsettling, beautiful process of awakening through the emptiness.

The Illusion of Success

Matt’s story is one many high achievers will recognize. He spent years building successful businesses, scaling fast, and achieving the kind of status he once believed would fill the void left from a difficult childhood. But when the money came and the external success arrived, the inner emptiness remained.

“I thought success would solve the feeling I had inside,” he said. “But it didn’t. Every time I reached one goal, I just kicked it down the field again.”

This realization—that no amount of external achievement can fill an internal void—is often the moment where true awakening begins. For Matt, it came after a deep session of compassion toward his father, a man who struggled with mental illness. That compassion cracked open something within him and revealed what so many of us eventually discover: everything we’ve been searching for has been inside us all along.

The Mask We Wear

We both shared the experience of wearing a mask—outwardly composed, inwardly unraveling. It’s a phenomenon I often call suffering in silence. We appear strong, competent, successful… but inside, there’s an ache we can’t name.

It doesn’t matter how enlightened or evolved we are. Every soul encounters those in-between spaces—where the old version of us is fading, and the new hasn’t yet taken shape. These are sacred thresholds of transformation. They can feel unbearable, but they are also where our deepest evolution begins.

As I shared with Matt, “It sucks to be us some days. But that’s the work—sitting in the discomfort, being with what is, and allowing the light to find us again.”

Meeting the Darkness with Compassion

Both of us agreed that real growth begins when we stop running from our pain. The ego will resist, whispering that you’re nothing without your old identity, but that voice isn’t truth—it’s fear.

When we sit still long enough, the noise fades. We begin to hear the guidance of Spirit, subtle but steady, reminding us that darkness isn’t evil; it’s simply the absence of light. The more we face our shadows with compassion, the more light we invite in.

Matt shared a beautiful tool he uses with clients called the “Fear Ledger.” Like a financial ledger, it lists out every fear we hold inside. When written down, those fears lose their power. Seeing them on paper transforms abstract anxiety into something we can understand, heal, and release.

Creating Space for Transformation

When I asked Matt how he helps others move through this process, his approach was simple yet profound: meet people where they are.
He begins with the outer world—helping clients clear the noise in their lives through small, intentional changes in sleep, diet, or habits—and only then moves inward. Once the noise quiets, they can finally hear the deeper truth: what they truly want, and what’s been holding them back from living it.

One of his most powerful questions is, “Do you actually want this?” It’s amazing how often the honest answer is “no.”

Because sometimes the stuckness isn’t failure—it’s resistance to a path that’s no longer meant for you.

The Bridge Between Worlds

Our conversation reminded me that awakening isn’t linear. It’s cyclical, ever-evolving, and profoundly human. We may find clarity one day and feel lost the next, but every moment in between carries purpose.

When we allow ourselves to sit in the space between what was and what’s becoming, we find the courage to let go, to trust, and to evolve. The in-between is not a void—it’s the birthplace of transformation.

So the next time life feels uncertain, remember this:
You’re not lost. You’re in transition.
And in that sacred space between worlds, your soul is quietly expanding toward the light.