Why we built this shelter — and the ideas that inspired it.
About twenty years ago, I discovered Byron Katie through Robert Middleton, who was coaching business owners in the art of honest marketing. Katie's four questions — Is it true? Can you absolutely know that it's true? — changed the way I related to my own mind. Not gradually. Immediately.
Shortly after that, I encountered Tom Asacker, who was asking a different question with the same urgency: why do we cling to beliefs that cause us suffering? His work explained something Katie's method revealed in practice — that information alone doesn't change us. Something deeper has to shift.
I spent years living inside these ideas. Not studying them from a distance — testing them in my own life, in my own storms. And I kept coming back to the same question: what would it look like to offer this to someone who's hurting? Not as a lecture. Not as a product. As shelter.
That's what Humbrella is. A place where proven tools for self-inquiry meet a private community of people who understand — because they've been in the storm too.
Humbrella's tools and courses are grounded in the work of three remarkable thinkers.
These authors have not endorsed Humbrella. We honor their work by building on it with care.
Katie teaches that suffering doesn't come from what happens to us — it comes from the thoughts we believe about what happens. Four simple questions can dissolve a lifetime of pain. Not by changing reality, but by meeting it honestly.
The Work is the engine of everything at Humbrella. Katie's four questions and turnarounds form the inquiry process behind the Freedom Becomes You course, the Emotional Weather tools, and Shelter Cards. When you do self-inquiry at Humbrella, you're walking the path Katie mapped.
Asacker reveals that information doesn't change behavior — desire does. We don't act on what we know; we act on what we want. Understanding this is the key to understanding why personal transformation requires more than a book or a lecture.
Tom answers the question Katie's Work raises: why do we cling to beliefs that cause suffering? His research into desire, identity, and behavior change explains why Humbrella's experiential approach works where information alone fails.
After 39 years helping people find their authentic voice, Robert discovered something bigger: everyone is an Ordinary Visionary. His current work celebrates people who generate creative ideas and put them into action to make a difference — no fame required.
Robert taught us that real connection comes from sharing genuine value — not clever tactics. His philosophy is the DNA of how Humbrella communicates. When we say "Shelter from the Storm," that's Robert's principle in four words: lead with care, not with a sales pitch.
Humbrella isn't a self-help app, a therapy replacement, or a meditation tool.
The inquiry process works because of the method, not because of who delivers it. Humbrella is built around tools you use yourself — the Emotional Weather system, Shelter Cards, the Judge-Your-Neighbor Worksheet — not around any single guide.
Personal growth requires honesty. Honesty requires safety. Humbrella is a subscriber-only space — no public profiles, no social feeds. Your inquiry journal, your emotional weather, your breakthroughs are yours alone.
We use weather metaphors because emotions pass like storms — they are not who you are. The Emotional Weather system helps you observe what you're feeling without becoming it. You are the one watching the storm, not the storm itself.
Gary brings decades of experience in technology, media production, and digital innovation to Humbrella. As the architect behind the platform, he is passionate about creating technology that serves people — where ease-of-use and protecting privacy are at the core of every design decision.
His discovery of Byron Katie's Work twenty years ago, through his connection with Robert Middleton, planted a seed that would eventually become Humbrella. Tom Asacker's writing provided the philosophical bridge — explaining why the shift Katie's inquiry creates actually sticks. These three thinkers, along with many others, shaped the conviction that these ideas deserved a dedicated digital home.
With Humbrella, Gary sees an opportunity to create something different: a space where technology enables genuine human connection and personal growth, not a space where technology replaces it.
Humbrella is a product of Invirtua Inc., a Nevada corporation dedicated to creating meaningful digital experiences. We believe technology should serve humanity's highest potential — connecting people, fostering growth, and protecting what matters most.
We built Humbrella because we believe everyone deserves a safe place to question the thoughts that keep them stuck — and a community that understands.
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