Sage of the Mountains follows a broken blacksmith who journeys into the mountains in search of a sage, hoping to get a fresh start, and discovers that the path to healing requires confronting the self he’s been trying to escape. Why did you choose to tell this story as a fable rather than a traditional self-help book?

I chose to tell this story as a fable because real change doesn’t come from information alone. It comes from lived experiences. The journey Folly takes through the mountains is a mirror of our own inner journey that we all face when we’re trying to let go of the past and find peace.

I’ve always been drawn to self-help, but I’ve noticed something: even when the advice is excellent, it often doesn’t stick. It stays in the mind, but it doesn’t change me. A story, on the other hand, goes deeper. It allows us to feel the struggle, the resistance, and the transformation.

It’s like sitting in a classroom. After a few months, most of us won’t remember the bullet points the teacher says will be on the test. But we will remember an interesting story from the teacher about the topic. That’s what I wanted to create here. Instead of telling readers what to do, I wanted them to walk the path with Folly, experience it for themselves, and hopefully carry those lessons into their own lives.

What does the mountain represent to you beyond the obvious symbolism, and do you believe everyone has a “mountain,” and if so, how do we recognize it?

The mountain isn’t just the thing we are trying to avoid. It represents who we are capable of becoming.

Everyone has a mountain to conquer, but each person’s will be different. Some are about loss, failure, or even a realization that something isn’t working anymore, while for others, it can represent striving to be the best version of themselves.

We recognize it by what we resist the most. It’s the thing we keep avoiding but know we need to face. That tension, that pull and resistance that we feel, that’s the mountain we must face.

What is the most misunderstood idea about healing that you wanted to address?

To me, it’s that we believe too much in the Hollywood ending, that one cathartic moment brings a person back to reality. It doesn’t. Healing is gradual, and relapses are ever-present.

What do you hope someone in a difficult season takes away from Folly’s story?

That what they’re going through may have some purpose, even if they can’t see it yet. Sometimes it’s just realizing how much other people truly show up when everything has fallen apart.

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