There are gatherings that feel like meetings—and then there are gatherings that feel like coming home. The ICW Kamustahan in Santa Barbara last November 29, 2025 was unmistakably the latter. Only eight graduates were present, but the conversations were so rich, the insights so heartfelt, that it felt like the room was overflowing. In many ways, it proved the quote of the day: “A time for everything.” A time to reflect. A time to be vulnerable. A time to realize that inner conditioning is not a workshop—it’s a lifelong unfolding.

“Many are called, but few are chosen,” Mary Jean said with a soft laugh, though her eyes carried the weight of her journey. Before ICW in Bulacan, she was someone constantly tossed around by life’s demands. After ICW? She speaks of inner peace and joy like someone who finally found a room inside herself where she can breathe again. “Nag-shift guid ako,” she admitted. Not a dramatic reinvention—just a quiet, steady blooming. And maybe that is the most powerful kind of change.

Kagawad Cristy admitted she walked into ICW with hesitation tagging along like an uninvited plus-one. But afterward? “It was a good experience gid,” she said, smiling the smile of someone who surprised herself. She met new people, traveled to new places, and, perhaps more importantly, discovered new corners of her mind. “Productive ako, kag may naga come up sa akon nga ideas.” Sometimes all a person needs is a room where their voice matters—and Cristy found one.

For Jubet, her second ICW felt like a homecoming. She remembered Sir Nic telling her, “You set the fire in Santa Barbara.” As president of their mushroom organization, she faced leadership shake-ups and organizational growing pains. Yet, through ICW, she said, a path opened—one that now leads to strategic planning this December. “The fire is still burning,” she said, aligning her story with the day’s mantra: A time for everything. Even for mushrooms, apparently—because as she put it with a playful grin, “ICW gid ya ang nag-abri sang dalan.”

Devine brought three words to the table—Encouragement. Process. Forgiveness. She confessed she initially refused the invitation because her home life was heavy. But ICW gave her a mirror. “Makita ko akon kaugalingon… ang akon ginahambal kag ginahimo nga makahurt.” There, she finally reached her inner self. And in that inner place, she found the courage to let go. “Kung una sakit sa akon ang ginasiling sang iban, subong bay-i da ah.” That’s not just forgiveness—it’s freedom.

Then Batchoy stood and shared a Bible verse from John 3:1–2, grounding the circle in faith. His second time in ICW cracked open life issues he once kept sealed. His role in the mushroom organization, he said, felt “tailored to him”—a calling stitched into his path. Despite struggles, the group pushed forward, from fundraising to food festivals. His message was clear:

“Let’s grow as a group, not as individuals. Kapit sa bawas isa—bonded both in failure and in triumph.”

Jocelyn’s story brought a gentle reminder that sometimes, saying “yes” is already courage. She didn’t fully understand ICW, she had financial worries, and yet—she went. And providence met her there. “Wala na ko nag negative. Excited ko,” she chuckled. ICW helped her manage her problems, especially with her daughter. Where she once spiraled into fear when her daughter came home late, now she responds with a calmer, steadier mind. “Positive thinking bala,” she said. A small shift. A large relief.

Julroy, reflective as always, spoke about commitment.

“Madamo ang naga-attend pero indi tanan committed.” He remembered Sir Nic’s reminder:

“Either you make it, or you break it, or you get lost along the way.”

For him, consistency matters—heart breathing every morning, grounding himself, staying aligned with purpose even when others try to derail it. “We have frequencies,” he said, “that help us understand each other without speaking.” And perhaps the most striking line of the day:

“ICW unlocks our potential little by little. It takes time.”

And that—more than any workshop output or attendance sheet—is the soul of Inner Conditioning Work.

It takes time.
It takes honesty.
It takes people willing to show up for themselves—even when only eight of them gather in a room.

But in that room, fire was rekindled. Wounds were aired out. Perspectives softened. Purpose realigned. The stories were different, yet the theme was shared: ICW doesn’t change your life overnight. It teaches you to meet your life differently.

There is, indeed, a time for everything.

And on November 29, 2025, Santa Barbara found time—
for healing, for laughter, for tears, for purpose,
and for remembering that inner work is the quiet revolution that transforms communities.

Because when people heal on the inside, the outside doesn’t stand a chance.