177. The Alignment Blueprint: Values, Fatherhood, and Finding Your Zone Of Excellence (With Caleb Nelson)
177. The Alignment Blueprint: Values, Fatherhood, and Finding Your Zone Of Excellence (With Caleb Nelson)
In this heart-expanding conversation, Caleb Nelson returns to the podcast - this time under its new Embodied Writing Warrior identity.
Since his last visit, life has brought him into a brand new role: fatherhood. And he shows up for it with rawness, depth, and grounded love. From midnight cries as mirrors for our shadows to a dinner table moment that revealed generations of pain in real time, this episode is a rich tapestry of healing, growth, and redefinition.
Caleb shares his signature “Alignment Blueprint,” reflects on being a stay-at-home dad, and speaks to what it really means to embody the sacred masculine. This one’s for the cycle breakers, the dads doing the inner work, and anyone healing their relationship with masculinity - inside or out.
🔥 In This Episode We Cover:
How fatherhood became the ultimate mirror for personal evolution
Caleb’s “Alignment Blueprint”: 6 tools for living from embodied values
The generational healing moment that changed everything—at a dinner table in France
Masculine/feminine energy, integration, and redefining accountability
Why Millennials are the transitional generation (and what that means for healing the collective)
The sacred dance between self-acceptance and self-accountability
Zone of Genius vs. Zone of Excellence—and how to stop self-sabotaging your magic
Building a legacy on love instead of hustle
Listen To The Naked Sunday Podcast
Connect With Caleb On Instagram
Transcript
Kayla:
Hey, Caleb Nelson, welcome back to the Embodied Writing Warrior podcast! You're sort of on here for the third time, but the last two times it was still Slay and Thrive. So it's a new iteration—and you’ve had a lot of changes that I’m excited to talk with you about.
Caleb:
Thank you for having me back. I realized the other day there was a clip or an announcement post about my second appearance, and I was like, “Oh yeah, I have been on her podcast a few times!” So this is cool. Let’s go.
Also—if anybody's watching the video version, you’ll see my daughter Remy Lou sitting on my lap. By the time this airs, she’ll be roughly one year old.
Kayla:
When is her birthday again?
Caleb:
August 8. Lionsgate baby. 888, the way it goes in 2024. I like to believe she’s a gift on so many levels—aside from just being this precious little bundle that my wife and I created. There are all these spiritual elements tied in too.
On Fatherhood as a Mirror
Kayla:
Your new role as a dad was one of the reasons I wanted to bring you back on. I want to talk about breaking generational curses, of course. But I also want to talk about the healthy masculine and what it means to be a present father. Let’s start there?
Caleb:
Let’s go. I love it.
So, back when I started this whole Naked Sunday journey, I came across a Hermetic principle:
“As above, so below. As within, so without.”
It hit me that the external is just a mirror of the internal. That idea became a core truth for me, especially this past year with Remy.
Rather than seeing moments of frustration as the enemy, I began asking:
What part of me is being reflected here?
If my daughter’s screaming, what part of me is screaming inside? What’s misaligned or unresolved?
I’m not perfect. I’ve definitely yelled or reacted in ways I wasn’t proud of. But she’s helped me realize—she’s not the problem. The discomfort is just a mirror. She has one tool to communicate—crying. And I’m the adult.
So instead of resisting the moment, I started asking: How do I love myself through this?
The Internal Work Before Parenthood
Kayla:
You mentioned doing a lot of inner work before Remy was born. What helped you prepare?
Caleb:
I call it my Alignment Blueprint. It’s the foundation I come back to again and again. Here are the six elements:
Core Values – If you don’t know your values, you can’t lead yourself, let alone a family.
Time Mastery – Aligning how I spend my energy with what I value most.
Self-Care – Reframing fitness and nourishment as acts of love, not punishment.
Healing the Past – I went on a literal reconciliation tour post-pandemic. Family, business partners, all of it.
Circle of Trust – Tightening my circle to those in alignment and being intentional about those relationships.
Purpose Project – Investing energy into the work that lights up my soul. That “Zone of Genius” stuff, not just what I’m good at.
I revisit these every quarter and ask:
Which one’s the low-hanging fruit? Which area, if I raise it, lifts everything else?
Generational Healing at the Dinner Table
Kayla:
You shared something on your podcast about witnessing generational trauma unfold in real-time. Can you tell that story?
Caleb:
Yeah. My wife and I were in France on our honeymoon. My grandparents live there. That trip turned into a sort of family reunion because my sister got married while we were there—and I officiated.
One night, we were all having dinner at this long table. And I watched something wild unfold:
My grandfather and grandmother got in a fight.
Then my grandmother turned on my mom.
My mom turned to food.
Then my mom turned on my sister.
Then my sister got in a fight with her husband.
And I just sat there and watched it move like a wave down the line—like some twisted reenactment of The Last Supper.
That was the moment I said:
This ends with me.
Two weeks later, Naked Sunday was born. I had 40 pounds to lose, a broken relationship with myself, and a choice: keep repeating the patterns or do the damn work.
On Masculine & Feminine Balance
Kayla:
Let’s shift into one of my favorite topics—masculine and feminine integration. You’ve done so much healing here. What has that looked like?
Caleb:
Whew. Okay.
I used to think masculine energy was about control and order. But that was just fear in disguise. Real masculinity, to me, is:
Acceptance (feminine)
Accountability (masculine)
You need both. You need love and you need truth.
That’s what I’ve tried to embody, especially in coaching women. Many of them didn’t have healthy masculine examples in their lives. And in a strange twist, I often look like the men who hurt them—but I show up differently. I hold safe, grounded space. And that creates healing.
But it only works because I cultivated my own feminine energy first. Without that self-love and internal harmony, there’s no embodiment.
Wrapping It Up
Kayla:
That’s such a beautiful point—and you model it so well. It’s been amazing having you on again.
Caleb:
Thank you. I’ve loved this conversation.
Kayla:
Where can people find you if they want more of your magic?
Caleb:
Instagram is best: @iamcalebnelson
And check out my podcast Naked Sunday—Spotify, Apple, YouTube. Look for the neon pink and blue.
Kayla:
Perfect. I’ll link it all in the show notes.
And with that...
Caleb:
Until next time—love every body.
The Alignment Blueprint Activation
Inspired by Caleb Nelson
(As featured on The Embodied Writing Warrior Podcast)
This isn’t just a reflection—it’s a realignment.
This is your invitation to pause, breathe, and ask:
Am I living in harmony with what matters most?
Caleb Nelson’s Alignment Blueprint is a 6-part tool for living a values-based life that prioritizes love, purpose, and integrity—from the inside out. Use this practice quarterly, monthly, or whenever you feel out of sync.
🧭 Step 1: The Blueprint Check-In
Take a moment with each of the six pillars.
Read. Reflect. Rate. (1 = totally disconnected, 10 = deeply aligned)
1️⃣ Core Values
Do you know what you stand for—and are you living it?
☐ Rate (1–10): ___
✍️ Where are you acting out of alignment with your core values? Where are you rock solid?
2️⃣ Time Mastery
Is your energy going toward what matters most?
☐ Rate (1–10): ___
✍️ Are your calendar and commitments matching your true priorities? What’s stealing your time?
3️⃣ Self-Care
Are you caring for your body out of love—not obligation or shame?
☐ Rate (1–10): ___
✍️ What’s one small act of self-respect you could commit to today?
4️⃣ Healing the Past
Are there wounds or relationships you’re still carrying?
☐ Rate (1–10): ___
✍️ Who (or what) is still living rent-free in your heart? Is it time to begin a reconciliation tour of your own?
5️⃣ Circle of Trust
Are your people reflecting your values—and calling you forward?
☐ Rate (1–10): ___
✍️ Who are your anchors? Who drains you? What boundaries or reconnections are needed right now?
6️⃣ Purpose Project
Are you pouring into the thing your soul longs to create?
☐ Rate (1–10): ___
✍️ What lights you up—and how much of it is in your life right now? What’s one brave move toward your zone of genius?
🌊 Step 2: The Activation
“Which one’s the low-hanging fruit?”
“Which area, if I raise it, lifts everything else?”
🔎 Look at your ratings.
🔮 Circle the one that feels most available to shift.
💥 That’s your portal.
🔁 Step 3: Revisit + Recommit
This blueprint isn’t a one-time worksheet.
It’s a life practice.
Book 20 minutes next quarter.
Return. Rerate. Realign.
Because alignment is not a destination.
It’s a devotion.
