The Overstory Within

Reclaiming our humanity, one untold story at a time.

Much of our lives are outside our control, and paradoxically, understanding those parts gives us more agency. With agency comes choice. And with choice, we learn what we can control— allowing the rest to simply be. That my friends, brings peace.

"The Overstory" is a term that refers to the upper layer of foliage in a forest. The size, density, and height of the Overstory affect the behavior and development of every species on the forest floor. I first encountered this concept in my ecology studies, and Malcolm Gladwell recently reintroduced it to me in a new way. In his book The Revenge of The Tipping Point, he uses the Overstory as a metaphor for the overarching systems we live in: regional, national, city, religious, educational, and community structures.

Gladwell explores how these invisible systems shape our thoughts, actions, and lives. He skillfully draws on research and narrative to show how people often don't even know why they do what they do. It's not about indoctrination or direct instruction. It's about how simply living in a particular place or engaging in a certain institution begins to shape behavior. The unconscious narratives within our systems influence everything from criminal activity and suicide rates to vaccination uptake and surgical preferences. And it goes deeper still—right down into our families and how they unconsciously shape us.

This aligns deeply with what I see in healing work. Unconscious narratives hold incredible power over us. As children, we don’t get to choose our region, city, church, community, or family. Yet all of these systems shape our beliefs, which lead to our behaviors. They influence our trauma, our pain, and even the coping mechanisms or addictions we adopt.

One phenomenon I’ve struggled to articulate is how systems determine the severity of an action. I once believed I was a terrible person—a rebel and a troublemaker—because I sneaked off to share a quarter of a cigarette with three friends. Later, when I attended public school for the first time, I realized that in that system, my “rebellion” barely registered.

What fascinates me most isn’t just the Overstory itself—it’s how understanding it becomes the doorway to healing. If I don’t see the Overstory, I’m swept along by it, unconscious and unfree. But when I name it, when I understand it, I gain agency. With agency comes choice. And in that choice, I find freedom.

This is why “story work” has become so foundational in healing. We are creatures of story. Stories at their polarities can either trap us or liberate us.

For me, alongside story has been a reckoning with what it means to be human—and how often I was pushed away from my humanity, either by misunderstanding or intention.

When I begin to see the truth, I can re-embrace my humanity in all its depth.

The peace, clarity, and freedom from understanding and embracing my humanity is really really big (yeah I know bad English).

Suffice it to say, there is far less I need to do. I no longer have to chase solutions. I can simply be. I don’t need five steps, ten rules, or a hundred-day challenge. I’m not looking for life hacks to fix my pain. I’m learning to live. To feel all that it is to be human—without the added suffering of believing it’s bad to be angry, shameful to cry, or wrong to have certain thoughts.

I get to be whole, aligned, safe within myself. A beacon of hope and desire, rooted in worthiness as a birthright. Gifted with imperfection. Finally able to receive love, recreate love, and pass it on from a place of fullness, not deficit.

I’m responsible for me. I can invite others into that space, and they remain responsible for themselves. That’s where interdependence lives—each of us operating in our gifts. That doesn’t mean life becomes easy. It means life becomes real. And in that reality, we get what matters most: the experience of love. A life imbued with beauty, wholeness, and connection.

I want that. I imagine you might, too.

Musa the Wild,

PS. If you're feeling the quiet ache for wholeness—to stop performing and start being —let's walk this path together. DM me "Overstory", and I'll reach out to you. No hacks. Just healing.