About - Becoming Unobstructed

Stories for creating a mentally wealthy life.

Essays, reflections, and podcast episodes from the journey.

Hey, I’m Derek MacDonald. After a snowboard accident and traumatic brain injury upended the dream life I’d built in the mountains, I thought I had to abandon all creativity to focus on regaining stability. But my background in outdoor education, marketing, and software systems helped me find a path where both could exist. So now I’m sharing what I’ve learned with others through The MAP Year Project.

Turns out, launching software products and leading someone up a mountain aren’t that different. Both get easier when you stop trying to act like you know everything and start listening instead.

That’s what I write about: how to spot problems. And how to untangle them while you keep things moving. There’s nothing better than the “ah-ha” moment when someone realizes they can do something. Excitement like that can be life changing. So I’m not big on stepping in and doing things for them. But I do care a lot about helping people succeed. And I’ll always offer a hand while they figure it out.

If stories on removing digital, mental, and emotional clutter are your thing, Becoming Unobstructed is worth your time. If you’re ready for your own “ah-hah” moment about making more space for creating, consider subscribing.

What is Becoming Unobstructed about?

→ Personal Growth

→ Mental Wealth

→ Leadership

Why Unobstructed?

I didn’t understand what people meant by, “if you don’t schedule a break, your body will do it for you.” And then I crashed. Hard. So I admitted defeat and tried following the "less is more philosophy." Because doing less is actually the answer. It creates the space for:

Days that don’t involve red-lining your nervous system.
Sleeping at normal hours, for appropriate lengths of time.
Life outside of work to enjoy with friends & family.

I first learned about the power of "less is more" as a wilderness guide. And then re-learned it in the 9-5 world climbing corporate instead of mountains (lol).

That’s what Becoming Unobstructed is about.