Wild Territory Was Home All Along (PART ONE)
By Trista Galvin
This piece is from the beginning of my book-in-progress, Wild Territory. I share it here as a compass point for anyone feeling the quiet pull back to themselves. This is for the ones who sense there’s more and are brave enough to find out.
The Story
For a long time, I saw my Wild Territory as something to be tamed.
I stuck to my checkbox life because I thought that was the only way to stay safe.
I feared what I might find if I strayed from the path I was supposed to follow.
After all, the brain is wired to seek the known;
to mistake the predictable for the safe.
But the Wild Territory was never the enemy.
Ignoring it was.
No matter how much I tried to suppress it,
it remained.
Waiting.
Calling me back.
And when I finally listened, I discovered something I never expected;
my voice had been there all along.
The Black-and-White Life
Maybe you’ve been following all the rules, checking all the boxes, hoping that will keep you safe.
Maybe you thought muted, gray living was just how life felt.
But somewhere deep down, you knew something was off.
You searched. Bought the couch. Took the vacation. Drank the wine.
Still—nothing clicked. Nothing cracked you open.
That was me too.
And then I remembered The Wizard of Oz,
that iconic moment when Dorothy opens the door, and the world bursts into technicolor.
Her dress is blue?
I realized: I’ve been living in Kansas all this time.
Insurance (Or: The Plot Twist)
When you’re trying to build a safe life, you look for insurance.
I had a stable career in the insurance industry. Safe. Dependable. Predictable.
I always got the interview. I was the safe candidate.
And then, during one interview for what seemed like the perfect job, I was asked what my dream job was.
Without hesitation, I blurted out:
“To be a therapist.”
My jaw dropped right along with the interviewer’s.
My chest flushed red. My heart pounded.
Wild Territory had entered the chat.
Mothering, Safety, and Soul Truth
I told myself I was doing this for my daughter; being safe meant being a good mom, right?
But then I had to ask myself:
Was I teaching her how to be safe… or how to disappear?
Was I showing her that being a mother meant grinding through a soul-crushing job?
Or was I ready to show her what it looked like to fly?
My Dorothy Moment
That job didn’t work out.
But maybe it wasn’t supposed to.
Maybe that moment, the honest answer I didn’t plan to say, was the house landing in Oz.
Maybe Wild Territory had been home all along.
SGW Reflection Frame
The Growth Point
This wasn’t about a career change. It was about permission.
The unfiltered truth slipped out before I could hide it and it showed me what was already alive in me.
Wild Territory isn’t a place you discover; it’s a truth you stop denying.
Why This Matters in SGW Terms
In Second Generation Work, we understand:
Safety without aliveness isn’t safety—it’s stagnation.
Moments of truth often arrive unplanned.
Leadership starts with the willingness to surprise yourself with what you really want.
The Takeaway for Your Leadership & Life
Ask yourself: Where have you been living in “black-and-white” without realizing it?
Notice when your real desires slip out—what are they pointing to?
Remember: Wild Territory is never out there waiting for you to find it. It’s here, waiting for you to claim it.