Finding Direction in Discipline
In Thailand, where the pace of life can be both fast and reflective, Indo Thai News had the chance to connect with Nikon Gormley—someone who’s quietly transforming how people experience clarity, resilience, and personal growth. A coach, speaker, and Taekwondo Master, Nikon is the founder of Innerspark—a practice rooted in simplicity and built on the belief that peace of mind isn’t something to chase, but something we return to.
His journey didn’t begin in a conference room or startup incubator. It started when he was twelve, barefoot on the mats of a local Taekwondo gym in Pattaya. “That place changed my life,” he says. “It gave me direction, discipline, and a deep sense of community.”
Those early lessons in perseverance and presence became the foundation of everything that followed.
From Pattaya to Washington, D.C.
After finishing high school in Thailand, Nikon moved to the U.S. to study business at American University. He lived with his aunt, a retired Montessori teacher, who quietly modeled a different kind of strength. “She didn’t try to fix anyone—she simply listened,” he recalls. “And in that space, people naturally grew.”
This non-intrusive, grounded way of being had a lasting impact. It showed him that transformation doesn’t always come from doing more. Sometimes, it comes from being more present.
The Origins of Innerspark
As Nikon entered the professional world, he expected mentorship and guidance similar to what he experienced in his youth—but he was met with a different reality. “In some places, I even felt bullied or dismissed,” he says. The question began to form: why wasn’t this kind of support available outside the gym or classroom?
That question sparked a personal quest. Nikon immersed himself in personal development, psychology, and leadership. Gradually, he began sharing what he learned—informally at first, with friends and colleagues—and soon saw people begin to shift. They felt calmer, more capable, more themselves.
“That experience reminded me of what I had received as a young Taekwondo student,” he says. “It felt natural to give it back.”
From that place of alignment, Innerspark was born.
The Power of the Three Principles
At the core of Nikon’s work lies a simple yet powerful framework known as the Three Principles: Mind, Consciousness, and Thought. First articulated by Sydney Banks in the 1970s, these principles describe how human beings create their experience from the inside out.
“We’re not feeling our circumstances,” Nikon explains. “We’re feeling our thinking about those circumstances.”
This realization can be liberating. It means we don’t have to control every situation to find peace—we simply need to understand how our mind works.
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Mind is the intelligence behind life—a quiet force always working in the background.
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Consciousness is our awareness, the elevator of our mood and perspective.
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Thought is the creative power shaping our moment-to-moment reality.
“When people understand these principles, they stop trying to fix what was never broken,” he says. “They find clarity not by thinking harder, but by allowing their mind to settle.”
Thriving Abroad
Having coached leaders, creatives, and entrepreneurs—many of whom live and work abroad—Nikon has observed a shared trait among those who truly thrive: they don’t believe every thought they think.
“They’ve learned to recognize the temporary nature of thoughts,” he explains. “So when life gets hard, they don’t panic. They stay grounded.”
This groundedness allows them to navigate uncertainty with more calm, curiosity, and openness. “It’s not about avoiding challenges,” he adds. “It’s about discovering a steadiness that isn’t dependent on circumstances.”
Rethinking Burnout and the “Always-On” Culture
In today’s high-performance work environments—especially in expat circles—burnout is a familiar foe. But Nikon offers a refreshing perspective: burnout isn’t about doing too much. It’s about how we think about what we do.
“People don’t burn out from work itself,” he says. “They burn out from the pressure they place on themselves.”
He describes burnout as an impersonal message from the mind—a signal to slow down. “It’s like seeing a road sign that tells you to reduce your speed. You don’t take it personally. You adjust.”
When people begin to relate to their mind differently, the need to always be “on” starts to fade—and with it, the stress that comes from overthinking.
Rediscovering Direction in Uncertain Times
For those who feel lost—even if they appear successful on the outside—Nikon offers a gentle reminder: look inward. “You already have a compass,” he says. “It’s your inner wisdom, your quiet knowing. The more you listen to it, the clearer things become.”
He urges people not to fight through mental storms, but to pause and allow clarity to arise naturally. “The answers you seek might not come right away,” he says, “but they always come—at the right time, in the right place.”
Parenting with Presence
For families navigating cross-cultural life, the advice is simple yet profound: drop the pressure and return to presence.
“We overload ourselves with thinking—about who we should be, how our kids should act, what our lives should look like,” Nikon says. “But our minds are designed to thrive in the present moment.”
When parents let go of expectations and simply show up—tuned in and grounded—they create a safe space for emotional well-being to grow, both for themselves and their children.
A Gentle Reminder
If there’s one message Nikon hopes to leave readers with, it’s this:
“Be gentle with yourself. If there’s one thing that invites more happiness, success, and peace of mind—it’s being gentle with yourself. Because when you’re gentle with yourself, you move through life with more ease, grace, and patience. And from that space, everything else tends to follow.”
