What if Shrek Was Right? Discovering Our Inner Layers

Time to Unlayer? A Shrek-Inspired Look Within

Perhaps I had my Jerry Maguire moment: a hypothetical two slices of pizza, a night's sleep, and suddenly—a conscience. Or now, in retrospect, it's more like "SHOW ME THE MONEY"—you know the rest. I watched a rerun of the first Shrek back in 2011, and it sparked a curiosity within me. To refresh your memory, you can click here to watch the clip. The green ogre explaining his onion layers resonated with me, and I doodled a concept on a Post-it note: an onion relaxing with its legs up. That little drawing became the seed, the initial spark of this whole layers and rebellion idea. Subconsciously, I think I knew then that it would all work out—just kidding, I knew nothing; it took way longer.

Now, it's 2025, and I dusted off that old post-it note and fed it to the trusty ChatGPT and other AI tools. They did a pretty good job of bringing this rebel to life. Of course, as a designer, I could have done this myself, but knowing my perfectionist pace on personal projects, I likely would have abandoned it long ago.

So, who is this guy who, inspired by a cartoon onion I doodled, started thinking about digging into his own layers, in the hopes that you'll find a connection too?

I'm Martin Casado, 47 years old—latino American man, wait, don't go. I'm very American, born and raised in Miami, in the 305. On this journey to reconnect with my core (that's the plan, anyway), which has been covered by so many layers that, in retrospect, aren't necessarily to peel but to embrace, as these layers make up the whole of who I am.

A husband, father to a son, graphic designer, marketer, singer-songwriter, and even a book author (I still can't believe I did those last two, but two albums and two books happened!). Who am I (in my best Zoolander voice)? I can delve into more detail about those aspects as I dissect each layer, returning to my soul's contracts. I run a design company called Nitram Design, and I am also the CDO (even I had to look it up: Chief Design Officer) at a Web3 tech company. But let's carry on.

Like many on a similar path, I've read a lot, done the podcasts, the audiobooks, the morning routines, the carnivore diet, spiritual journeys, ayahuasca (back in 2012—that was wild!), spiritual retreats, therapy, NET (more on that another time), and all the other distractions filled with delays and the imposter syndrome I often navigate, along with self-doubt and, if I'm really honest, some depression I hide well. Whatever, what am I doing... just gotta start.

I want to talk about what I know and connect with people who can relate, who are on a similar path, or who are just curious to see the Rebel Onion designs I create weekly or bi-weekly. I'm still figuring out the frequency as I go. Expect little snippets of unpeeling, shared self-discovery (relatable, is the goal), what has worked, what's crap, and who knows, maybe this will evolve into a tech focus, or maybe I'll just admit I crawled into a fetal position and couldn't do this anymore—but I won't, because I can't stop now and have to give it my all.

"Persistence is self-discipline in action." 

Being Coached Layers: Unpeeling the Layers.

In this newsletter, author Martin Casado shares insights gained through coaching with Dr. Goodman, with whom he also collaborates on marketing and more. Dr. Goodman views life as a series of layers, much like the rings of a tree, internally, where growth and learning happen with each one. Getting stuck on a layer means there's a lesson you haven't learned or significance you've overemphasized. To move forward, you must grasp that lesson. Otherwise, you remain stagnant. It's a simple choice: learn and advance, or stay stuck and metaphorically "die" on that layer. The key is to identify where you're stuck and learn what that layer is meant to teach you so you can keep peeling back the layers of your life.

Bookshelf Peeled - Discovering Our Inner Layers

Welcome to the first edition of Bookshelf Peeled, where we'll explore insightful reads that resonate with our journey of unlayering. Having delved into a wide range of books, from non-fiction to the spiritual and esoteric, I'll be sharing key takeaways that connect with our core theme.

This time, we're peeling back the wisdom from Dr. Joe Dispenza's "Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself."

Core Insight: Unwiring the Old to Rewire the New

I'm reflecting on Dr. Joe Dispenza's "Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself," a book I've read. The bottom line? To change, you've got to unlearn the old crap – like peeling off a useless layer. Get good at watching your own weird thoughts and triggers. That's how you rewire your brain and ditch the old version you used to work from. Think of it as shedding skin, or, you know, onion layers. But in this case, we don't shed it; we recognize it, see it from our older and hopefully wiser perspective, and as Joe says, "A memory without the emotional charge is called wisdom." Get observant, get free.

Design Rebel: Your Weekly Dose of Visual Unlayering

Hey Rebel Peelers! As a graphic designer by trade, I'm dedicating a corner of our unlayering journey to visual detours. Think of "Design Rebel" as your weekly peek into the creative interpretation of what's being written, where we'll explore the themes at hand through a wild mix of mediums: sometimes my own hand-drawn scribbles, other times the fascinating (and occasionally bizarre) results of my AI experiments, and who knows what other visual crazy thoughts might pop up – expect memes, GIFs, maybe even a short video or two crafted by me. I'll always let you in on the tools I'm playing with and the inspiration behind the visual trip.

This Week's Visual Rebellion:
Shrek's Snack - The Onion's Tale (Onion's point of view)

For our inaugural "Design Rebel" adventure, I couldn't shake the thought: What happened to the actual onion Shrek munched on? Inspired by that pivotal cinematic moment, I present a short video created with Leonardo.ai for the realistic visuals of our green, slightly downtrodden onion protagonist on the streets. I brought his post-movie blues to life with some editing magic in Wondershare Filmora and gave him a voice using the wizardry of elevenlabs.io. Get ready for a dark-humor peeling of the process from a whole new, slightly bitter perspective. Enjoy!

Weekly Inspired Insights I liked this week:

This week's insight comes from a new YouTube channel I'm really enjoying: Solace Fox. I find his voice and message truly insightful, and I appreciate that his videos usually average under 20 minutes. I particularly liked his video titled 'When You Finally Let GO, Everything Falls Into Place' [Link Here].

Your Weekly Unlayering Roadmap: What to Expect Ahead

Thanks for reading this far in my very first peel of The Rebel Onion! Each week, I will embark on a journey of self-discovery, humorously dissecting the layers that make us who we are. Here’s a quick guide to what you’ll find in every issue and how to navigate our what's coming ahead:

• The Rebel Onion: This is my deep dive into the heart of our weekly theme, metaphorically unpeeling an aspect of life's onion. I'll share personal insights and relate them to my own journey, always steering towards our mission: understanding that all the sums of our parts truly make the whole, guiding us back to our authentic core.
• Being Coached Layers: Gain invaluable wisdom directly from my coach, Dr. Goodman, a highly experienced professional who is also a trained therapist, chiropractor, and NET certified practitioner. This section will also occasionally feature insights from other guest experts (that's the plan).
• Bookshelf Peeled: Every issue, I'll share a concise blurb from a book – either one I'm currently reading or a past favorite – that has offered profound insight directly relevant to the main "Rebel Onion" topic of the week.
• Design Rebel: Your Weekly Dose of Visual Unlayering: As a graphic designer, I'll bring the week's theme to life visually! This section will feature a custom art piece – it could be a graphic, meme, short video, or GIF – designed by me to inspire and provoke thought based on the main topic.
• Favorite Insights: This is my curated collection of inspiring external knowledge. I'll share YouTube videos, articles, websites, and other resources that have genuinely resonated with me throughout the week, offering extra avenues for your exploration.

This roadmap will help you navigate each issue of The Rebel Onion, ensuring you get the most out of our shared journey. Enjoy the peel!

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