About

Hello, my name is Austen and I am the founder of SLD Conversations, pronounced Solid Conversations. This journey was started in 2025 out of a desire to help men achieve emotional strength by building their emotional intelligence and emotional integrity. Emotional intelligence, within the framework of everything that SLD Conversations does, is knowing what you are feeling, while you are feeling it, and understanding why you are feeling it in the moment or retrospectively; emotional maturity is using that knowledge and applying it in a healthy manner throughout the course of daily human interactions. Like many of you, I was not taught how to properly identify and manage my emotions as a young man. I had to learn through years of failure, darkness, and pain. It wasn't until my early 30's that I started to put the pieces together thanks to the help of my now ex-wife who helped pull me from my darkest days. I do not have a degree in psychology, counseling, or religion. Everything you encounter on this site and our social media accounts is the result of trial and error through life and hours spent researching different topics to bring light to this journey for others. My lack of emotional strength killed my marriage. If I can help even one man see the light and build safety and strength in his marriage, then every minute spent will have been worth it. Are you ready to take this journey with us?