Oliver scott-tomlin

I am a man who once wore the uniform of apartheid South Africa’s military, enforcing division with a rifle and the false armor of uninitiated masculinity. I know the cost of that path intimately—the rage, the numbness, the hunger to belong to something "noble" that only deepened the void. My military career taught me one brutal lesson: systems that demand conquest over connection will always leave men hollow.  

But The Alchemy of Brotherhood isn’t just for soldiers. We’re all in combat—for our souls, our purpose, our right to define masculinity as something more than a weapon. Modern manhood is under siege, twisted by forces that profit from our isolation, our shame, and the lie that strength means silence. The battlefield isn’t “out there.” It’s in the stories we inherit, the roles we perform, and the quiet wars we wage alone.  

Fatherhood cracked that armor. Sobriety forced me to stare at the reflection I’d avoided: a man on track to pass his pain to his son, just as generations before had done. This is why I founded The High Path, and why The Alchemy of Brotherhood exists. Here, we don’t glorify war or worship shadows—we meet them. Through initiation, shadow work, and raw circles of trust, we confront the stories that keep us small, violent, or numb.   

I don’t have all the answers. I’m still learning how to turn the discipline of a soldier into the devotion of a father, how to alchemize duty into discernment. But I know this: Brotherhood isn’t forged in battle; it’s built when men dare to lay down their weapons—literal and metaphorical—and say, “I don’t want to carry this alone.”  

Join me. Bring your anger, your grief, your hope. Together, we’ll write a new story. For our sons. For our daughters. For ourselves.  

“I have worked with the broadest possible range of individuals in the field of psychology, from those with the greatest potential to those most damaged by life. My work in the field of environmental sustainability and social justice has brought to the forefront of my attention the pressing need for change in the way we live as individuals and the way we live collectively. I strive to empower individuals to take responsibility for their thoughts, actions and creations in life, with particular reference to balanced practices that lead to health, happiness and creativity. The High Path is a culmination of all these elements. It is an integrated experience offering psychological, energetic and practical tools to move beyond the all too prevalent ‘victim complex’ and become empowered co-creators in life."

 Oliver is a Sundoor Certified Firewalk Instructor who has guided hundreds of people safely across the coals.

Lily Russo

Oliver’s wife Lily supports Oliver as an assistant and logistical coordinator for the The High Path. She is an Ayurvedic Practitioner, yoga teacher, retreat organizer, singer, and mother.

“I am passionate about contributing to the shift in consciousness that is bringing society to an awakened state to make the most honorable and healthy choices. As an Ayurvedic Practitioner, I teach people to learn and love their MindBody Type through self care, diet, herbs, and practices. My yoga and meditation classes are grounded in focused intention and fuse graceful, physical movement with deeply concentrated breathwork.