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As a little girl, I was an avid storyteller. I wrote stories and I told stories and I never worried about “audience” or “finding my voice” or “writers block”. I just wrote.

I was a girl, I was alive, I was a writer.

It was in my blood.

But as I grew up, I encountered critics. I had run-ins with bitter cynical people – people who had broken hearts and lost dreams – and they told me I couldn’t be a writer. They said it was too hard to make a living. They said I wasn’t good enough. They said I should just give it up.

And after so many repetitions, I started believing them.

I stopped writing.

In fact, I spent over a decade not writing.

I spent 13 years believing that I had nothing to share, no stories to tell, no voice.

Slowly, I became one of those broken-hearted cynical people with lost dreams.

But then, one day, a tiny voice deep down inside of me began to make itself heard. Like a Who down in Whoville, it piped up, making itself heard through my fears and insecurities. It wiggled through my heavily fortified inner walls and they began to crack.

I picked up a pen and a story rushed out.

“It’s not very good,”

my inner critic immediately said. Those cynical voices that had made themselves at home in my head began to pick my story apart.

But this time, I clutched my pen. I cradled my notebook against my heart. I said, “It’s my story. It needs to be told.” And I refused to let go. I refused to listen to the critics. I refused to stop writing.

Over the past several years, I have learned again and again how to deal with those harsh critic voices in my head. I’ve learned how to deal with those bitter broken hearts. I’ve climbed back out of the box and I am writing, against all odds.

In my own voice, I tell my stories.

And I connect. And I change the world.

And I want you to join me.

About Pace

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Hi! I’m Pace. I love to play Dance Dance Revolution, I love to eat Indian food, and I love to ontologize video games. I carry a spare spleen with me everywhere I go.

This is my story. Unlike most stories, it starts with “And she lived happily ever after.”

And she lived happily ever after…

I studied hard and got good grades in school, and then in college. I was a good kid, and hardly ever got in trouble. I landed my dream job doing artificial intelligence research. I worked hard at it for a decade, learning, becoming respected in my field, and earning butt-tons of money.

This is where I expected the “And she lived happily ever after…” to come.

I had done everything right. I had followed the script. I was successful, by anyone’s definition of success.

So why did I feel so empty?

Fast forward to today.

Today, I feel full. When I feel empty, I know how to fill myself up with Love.

Today, I will change the world for the better, even if all I do is take care of myself.

Today, I will help someone make a difference. I will help someone find their life’s purpose. I will help someone connect with themself, connect with others, and connect with Spirit. And through this, I will be changed.

Tonight, when I go to sleep, I’ll rest peacefully, because I’ll know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’m living my life’s purpose.

What changed?

I slowed down.

I sat for a moment in silence.

In the stillness, I heard a soft, quiet voice.

It was my soul.

She was lonely, and wanted to talk.

Finally, I started listening.

Finally, I found something worth believing in.

Am I crazy, or is the whole world crazy?

I talked about these feelings to my friends, and they looked at me like I had gone insane. I talked about my soul and they raised their eyebrows. I talked about my life’s purpose, and they nodded supportively but didn’t really get it.

I felt alone. I felt like I had gone crazy. Or maybe I had gone sane and the whole rest of the world had gone crazy?

Well, the world isn’t crazy. But the world is sick, and in need of healing.

I’m not crazy, either, and I was overjoyed to discover I’m not alone. I was just talking to the wrong people.

Let’s fix that, shall we?

Hi. Nice to meet you.

About Us

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Short Version

Pace and Kyeli Smith are the co-leaders of the Connection Revolution, where they help dreamers change the world. They write, blog, and teach workshops to foster understanding, tolerance, healing, authentic communication, and personal growth. Pace loves to play DDR and carries a spare spleen everywhere she goes. Kyeli sings, has lots of tattoos, and believes in faeries. They’re happily married (to each other) and live in Austin, Texas with their awesome teenage son.

Fun Version

One fateful day in 2007, we got up in front of a small group of people and shared what we’d learned about communication and relationships during our years of being married (to each other, yo). From that first step, we continued finding more and more ways we could help people. Writing. Business. Life. Changing the world. Once we started listening to our hearts, we couldn’t stop. (You’ll see, if you haven’t already.)

Kyeli loves to tell stories and Pace loves explaining things, so with our powers combined, we created Captain Planet! No, wait, wrong show. We created the Connection Revolution!

In the four years we’ve been in business, we’ve helped thousands of people change the world. We’ve learned from some of the best teachers/healers/world-changers around, like Mark Silver, Jen Louden, and Pam Slim. We’ve written a book, The Usual Error: Why We Don’t Understand Each Other and 34 Ways to Make It Better. We’ve taught dozens of courses about oodles of different ways to change the world.

But some of the deepest lessons we’ve learned have been from our own hearts, and from each other’s. It’s not easy being married to your business partner (or would that be “businessed to your marriage partner?”). It can be a struggle to hang on to the joy of your Great Work while you’re caught up in the details. But the awesome thing about learning these difficult lessons is that we get to turn around and teach them to you! We learn things the hard way so you don’t have to. (:

Of all the things we’ve learned, the most important one is this: The more love you find in your own heart, the more you have to share with the world. (This is true for silliness, too. And boy howdy, we’ve got a lot of silliness in our hearts.)

Connect with us! That’s what it’s all about, eh? And we’d love to hear from you.

About Ellie Di

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Hello, there dollfishes! I’m the Connection Revolution’s resident genius-wrangler-slash-assistant. I run around behind the scenes putting the finishing touches on all the awesomeness Pace and Kyeli create so they have more time to connect with you.

I like to describe myself as an attitude adjuster, compassionate critical thinker, spiritual nomad, and compulsive scribbler. I’m also a bit of a wanderer; I’ve moved 30 times since high school, including stints in Munich and the Ozarks. Other fun labels include INFJ, Aquarius, Rat, enneagram 9/4/5/6, and my personal favourite, headologist.

I’ve been stalking following Pace and Kyeli for a couple of years, and it’s no exaggeration to say that The Usual Error and the World-Changing Writing Workshop totally changed my life. Learning to get in touch with my heart when I’m so naturally head-oriented has rocked my freakin’ world! Becoming part of the Connection Revolution team makes me a little light-headed; I’m simply overjoyed to help spread this beautiful message in the world.