At Home With Kio Briggs
On self inquiry, ambition and writing Meditations on Freedom
At Home With Kio Briggs. All Image Credit: Charlie Chichester (2017)
In 2016, following a year of deep self-exploration and personal inquiry, Kio returned to the UK—where he had recently completed his Master’s education—and began a journey he would come to define as “Living Free”; a concept that would later shape his first book of the same name.
A year later, in 2017, he began work on a new body of writing that would eventually become Meditations on Freedom. What started as a personal practice—journaling his experiences and sharing reflections through weekly blog posts—gradually evolved into something more expansive. By 2020, these writings had evolved and were revisited and released as an eBook—an offering intended to support others during the isolation and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, re-edited and reintroduced in paperback and audiobook formats, Meditations on Freedom marks both a continuation and a return.
We caught up with Kio to reflect on the journey—then and now.
TGJ: Let’s begin at home. When you think about those earlier years—being in your space, reading, writing, searching—what stands out to you now?
KB: What stands out to me first is the texture of that time. There was a quiet intensity because I was searching deeply for understanding.
I had just returned from Los Angeles and made a decision that felt absolute: I wouldn’t do anything that didn’t sit right with my soul and I would observe how my life played out. Use myself as my own philosophical test subject. At the time, I described it simply as not doing anything that wouldn’t make me happy.
I began working as a marketing freelancer, which aligned with my education, and initially that gave me a sense of freedom. But over time, even that began to feel limited. Because although I was “free” in one sense, I wasn’t always working on things I felt truly connected to. That tension is what led me to begin writing what would become Meditations on Freedom.
It started as a blog—a space to document the internal experience of working, striving and trying to understand what it really meant to live free. I was moving towards something, but I was also observing that journey in real time. Looking back, what stands out most is the level of belief I had. A deep ambition—not just to do something I was passionate about, but to create something that could resonate beyond me. I’ve always felt strongly about that. Even if it reaches just one person, the idea that someone else might experience a sense of clarity or freedom through what I’ve lived and written—that’s always meant something to me.
TGJ:There’s something very reflective about those images—almost like you were documenting a becoming. Did it feel that way at the time?
KB: Not consciously. At the time, it simply felt like a way to capture the texture of that period. But there was also a quiet sense—a faith—that something meaningful was unfolding.
I think when we’re in that space—questioning, observing, seeking understanding—we don’t always recognize that we’re in the midst of evolving. We just know we can’t go back to who we were before.
These images capture a version of me in the middle of that process: unfinished, uncertain, but committed… and, admittedly, heavily caffeinated.
TGJ:What were you searching for then?
KB: I truly believed that there’s no reason not to be honest with ourselves—about who we are, about what we love—and to choose to be happy by being ourselves without ever sacrificing it for anything else.
I carried a quiet hope of discovering a lasting sense of peace and fulfilment.
TGJ: How did that period evolve into Meditations on Freedom?
KB: During that period, I was journaling my experiences through a personal blog I ran at the time. One of the things I loved most was that people were actually reading it and engaging in conversations about these ideas. For many, the notion of sacrificing everything up until that point, to reflect and choose to do what truly makes us happy—with both ambition and discipline—felt radical. Most of the engagement wasn’t about joining me in the practice per se, but questioning the thought and the process itself.
Those early years were about collecting those questions—from others and from myself—observing my experiences, and piecing together fragments of understanding. Over time, those fragments began to form something more cohesive, and Meditations on Freedom was born from that process.
It isn’t a book of conclusions; it’s a book of observations. It reflects what I’ve experienced, both within myself and in the world around me. In many ways, the book is an invitation—not to agree, but to observe for yourself.
TGJ: The title itself—Meditations on Freedom—feels expansive. What does freedom mean to you now?
KB: Freedom, to me, right now, is trust—faith.
If we can live our lives trusting that we are where we are meant to be, moving toward where we want to go, and letting go of the need to control every step—while still moving with discipline—then we are truly free to be free.
TGJ: There’s a vulnerability in sharing work like this—especially when it comes from such a personal place. How do you navigate that?
KB: Absolutely. I remind myself that I’m a vessel—none of my works are about me. I see them as a way to communicate a truth, and if it ever stops feeling true, I stop doing it.
The same thought that drove me to start that blog nearly ten years ago—“What if one person reads this and it helps them live free?”—continues to guide me. No matter how vulnerable it feels, if something is meant to be shared, I’ll share it. I believe that if we can change even one life, we’ve contributed to changing the world.
TGJ: What do you hope people feel when they read the book?
KB: I hope people take a moment to reflect on their lives and choose to focus their energy on being truly happy. It feels like we live in a time where happiness is treated as a scarce commodity—as if we don’t fully believe it’s possible to experience joy every day, no matter the circumstances.
I hope readers feel inspired to take leaps of faith toward the life they dream of, and to give themselves the grace to figure it out along the way.
TGJ: Finally, bringing it back to “home”—what does that word mean to you today?
KB: Well, first and foremost, I love being home. I’ve really come to accept and embrace that about myself, and I spend most of my time there.
For me, home is a space of grounding—a place for reflection and ambition. I embrace home fully by giving thanks for the blessing of being alive in this time and space I call home.
Rooted in a long-standing journey of philosophical inquiry and creative expression, Kio’s Meditations on Freedom emerges from years of lived exploration and early personal reflections.
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