I met Dr. Mike Barnes in 2018, when I served as executive coach for the leadership at the Foundry, the addiction treatment center here in Steamboat Springs, CO, where he served as Clinical Director. My respect and appreciation for Mike grew quickly in the course of that partnership, built especially upon Mike’s willingness to learn from anything and anyone–despite the long alphabet salad of credentials behind his name and his position of esteem in the addiction treatment, trauma, and family therapy community. Since then, our paths have continued to cross, and I’ve continued to benefit greatly from his friendship and mentorship. 

This year, he published his first book, When the Solution Becomes the Problem: Helping Families Struggling with Addiction and Trauma. Unlike most books on families and addiction that give prescriptive advice, this book partners with families to help them understand why implementing expert recommendations can be so challenging. By delving into the “why,” families gain insights into their current crisis and the factors contributing to it. Ultimately, the book aims to guide families away from the perspective of “we are a family with a loved one who struggles with addiction” towards embracing the identity of “we are a family in recovery from addiction and trauma.” By fostering understanding, empathy, and actionable guidance, it empowers families to break free from the cycle of addiction and trauma, promoting healing and a renewed sense of togetherness.

It’s a pleasure to introduce you to Mike and provide a glimpse into an innovative and compassionate approach to helping families struggling with addiction and trauma. 

Let’s Connect

If this episode helped you, I'd love to know. Find me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, visit my website, or email me.

Connect with Mike

Email | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Website 

Get Mike’s Book

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At the beginning of 2024, Chris Ray embarked on a new Adventure. We captured Chris' thoughts and expectations at the beginning of the Adventure in Ep. 096. This is the promised "after" episode, in which Chris and I explore how the Adventure impacted him. 

Chris' story showcases the power of the Big 6 to create big results in our lives. The Big 6 are essential ingredients in the recipe for a life we're outrageously proud of: Courage, Humility, Truth-telling, Self-permission, Self-responsibility, and Self-knowledge. Tune in to Ep. 095, How to Become Someone You Feel Genuinely Good About, for a deep dive into the Big 6.  

I hope this episode is useful to you! As always, thank you for your time, trust, and attention.  

Remember, you ARE going to die. But you’re not dead yet. So get after it!

How Did This Episode Land for You?

I'd love to know. Find me on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, visit my website, or email me. 

Connect with Chris

Email | Instagram | Facebook (public) | Facebook (private) | Website 

Follow Andrew Petty is Dying & Leave a Review

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If You Liked This Episode, I Think You’ll Like These, Too

• Ep. 086 | The Best is Yet to Come: Rediscovering an Ancient Compass for a Life of Purpose and Adventure Today
• Ep. 090 | A Tale of Two Mountaineers: How Comfort Sabotages Our Contentment, and What To Do About It
• Ep. 092 | Crack the Contentment Code: Find the Path to Contentment
• Ep. 094 | Beyond Resolutions: A Heroic Path to Your Best Year Yet

New Here?

If you're new to this show, welcome! I invite you to browse the archive of past interviews with fascinating people and short, topical solo episodes--all designed to equip you with the mindset and the means to become the person you were made to be and live the life you were made to live with guts, gusto, and abandon. We flip the script by inviting our ancient foe, Death, to become an unlikely ally in our heroic journey to leave it all out on the field of life. Mortality might just be the best motivator available--blasting us out of our ambivalence and complacency and toward the fullness of our potential. I’m so glad you tuned in today. Thank you for your time, trust, and attention. Don’t forget to follow this show, and I’ll see you next time on Andrew Petty is Dying.

In this episode, I sit down with my pastor and friend, Chris Marsh, to dig into how a very recent and very close encounter with Mortality has impacted him and his family. Along the way, we explore:

• how to find solid ground in the face of crippling fear
• the necessity of appealing to the transcendent
• the gift of suffering

As always, thank you for your time, trust, and attention. 

Remember, you ARE going to die. But you’re not dead yet. So get after it!

Let’s Connect

If this episode helped you, I'd love to know. Find me on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, visit my website, or email me. 

Connect with Chris: Email 

Follow Andrew Petty is Dying & Leave a Review

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If You Liked This Episode, I Think You’ll Like These, Too

• Ep. 011 | Embracing Mystery, When to Call It a Day, and What Matters Most: Lessons from an Astonishing Life-After-Death Story
• Ep. 018 | Life's 3 Big Questions: A Conversation with the Coroner

In a hurry? Like me, you might do well to tap into some wisdom from the farm. 

On this episode, I offer a confession en route to extracting some wisdom from the farm that applies to all of us if we’re willing to hear it. 

I also offer what I suspect is a much-needed clarification of what I mean by “get after it”--the phrase with which I close my standard episode sign-off. If you’re often in a hurry and “get after it” only makes it worse, be sure to stay tuned in to the end of this episode. 

Remember: You ARE going to die. But you’re not dead yet. So get after it!

Let’s Connect

Find me on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, visit my website, or email me. 

Follow Andrew Petty is Dying & Leave a Review

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

If You Liked This Episode, I Think You’ll Like These, Too

• EP 095 | How to Become Someone You Feel Genuinely Good About
• EP 075 | Keep Going: The Underrated Secret to a Wonderful Life

How can we stay positive and free from fear when the news is overwhelmingly bad and fear-based?

I got this topic idea in the form of a question from a good friend and a former guest on this show, Frederic Tate. You can find him on Ep. 056 Ignore at Your Own Risk: How Your Relationship with Death Affects Your Quality of Life, with Dr. Frederic Tate. Frederic’s a fascinating guy with a fascinating story. I thoroughly enjoyed that interview, and I wholeheartedly recommend that episode. 

Frederic's experience is that it is difficult to stay positive and free from fear when he perceives the news to be overwhelmingly bad and fear-based. Many of you can relate. It is a wild time to be alive on planet earth. 

In this episode, I offer 5 specific ways to stay positive and free from fear when the news is overwhelmingly bad and fear-based:

1. Practice solitude.
2. Consume the news in small doses and pick your sources thoughtfully.
3. Invest much more of your time, energy, and attention in things that are within your realm of influence than in things that aren’t. 
4. Nurture meaningful relationships and cultivate more as needed. 
5. Cultivate a relationship with the Transcendent. 

I elaborate quite a bit on each of those five points, and point three has several supporting subpoints, so tune into the full episode for the full benefit–including a discussion of some of the particular perils and pitfalls to avoid that are uniquely associated with the globalized age we live in.  

Remember: You ARE going to die. But you're not dead yet. So get after it!

Let’s Connect

Find me on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, visit my website, or email me. 

Follow Andrew Petty is Dying & Leave a Review

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

If You Liked This Episode, I Think You’ll Like These, Too

• Ep. 022 | Tune Out to Tune In: Hearing & Heeding Your Inner Voice in a World Full of Noise
• Ep. 081 | How to Change the World: An Antidote to Apathy and Despair in an Age of Doom and Gloom

What is bravery, and why is it so important? What are some of the common counterfeits of bravery? How can we detect and eliminate them from our own lives? How can we get braver? 

As an “arms dealer for the creative revolution," Todd Henry is the author of seven books and a veteran podcaster of 19 years who speaks internationally on creativity, productivity, and passion for work, and helps people and teams generate brilliant ideas. 

Todd's new book, The Brave Habit, is a concise, persuasive, and timely treatise on bravery. In today's conversation, we explore bravery through the lens of The Brave Habit in pursuit of actionable insights for all of us. Todd also shares how an encounter with Mortality when he was 15 radically altered his perception of risk and what's most important.  

I first invited Todd to be on the show in early 2020. The timing wasn't right for a variety of reasons, though, and then COVID hit and all bets were off for a while. I'm grateful four years later to be able to bring you Todd's wisdom and insights today. 

In this episode, you will learn how to:

• Cultivate authentic bravery in your daily life to unlock more of your potential in service to others. 
• Overcome fear by taking action and embrace the exhilarating freedom on the other side.
• Embrace the impact of mortality on life choices and discover the transformative power it holds.

Key moments in this episode include:

• 00:00:00 - The Deceptive Nature of Fear
• 00:00:54 - Importance of Bravery
• 00:02:04 - Cultivating the Brave Habit
• 00:04:43 - Todd Henry's Journey to Brave Habit
• 00:07:38 - The Definition of Bravery
• 00:13:40 - Starting Over with Daily Creative
• 00:14:44 - The Right Thing to Do
• 00:17:32 - Bravery as a Habit
• 00:18:53 - Close Encounter with Mortality
• 00:23:32 - Connecting with Todd Henry's Work 

Remember: You ARE going to die. But you’re not dead yet. So get after it!

Let’s Connect

Find me on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, visit my website, or email me. 

Connect with Todd

Email |  Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

Get your copy of The Brave Habit. 

Follow Andrew Petty is Dying & Leave a Review

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If You Liked This Episode, I Think You’ll Like These, Too

• Ep. 005 | How to Become the Boss of Your Fear: Bravery-building to Live With More Guts and Gusto
• Ep. 077 | The Big 6 (Part 1): Essential Ingredients in the Recipe for a Life You'll be Outrageously Proud of When You Die

This episode is different in a few notable ways. First, it’s extemporaneous. Second, I recorded it to video for release on my fledgling YouTube channel, where all of my past episodes currently reside. Finally, I share news about the future of the podcast–an ending to make way for a new beginning. 

Key moments in this episode include: 00:00:01 - Embracing Change and New Beginnings 00:03:24 - Pursuing a Unified Framework 00:08:07 - Making Bold Choices 00:11:10 - Moving Forward with Conviction 00:13:48 - Seeking Audience Input

Remember, you ARE going to die. But you’re not dead yet. So get after it!

Let’s Connect

Find me on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, visit my website, or email me.  

Follow Andrew Petty is Dying & Leave a Review

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher

If You Liked This Episode, I Think You’ll Like These, Too

• Ep. 022 | Tune Out to Tune In: Hearing & Heeding Your Inner Voice in a World Full of Noise
• Ep. 032 | Reimagining Productivity: A Path to Greater Freedom and Fulfillment

Do you ever feel powerless against your hurts, hang-ups, and habits? 

Chris Ray's hurts, hang-ups, and habits literally killed him. Remarkably, his encounter with Mortality wasn't permanent, and Chris returned transformed. Chris is no longer powerless against his hurts, hang-ups, and habits because he has learned to look up and let go. 

If we have ears to hear, we can learn the same lessons from Chris’ story without a harrowing ordeal of our own. If we have the courage to add Action to our Insights, we can experience transformation, too. 

I met Chris through a mutual friend here in Steamboat. His warmth, openness, and lack of pretense were simultaneously a bit disarming and a refreshing change. Chris exudes his unique brand of warmth, openness, and lack of pretense, but I realize that it's a combination of qualities that I often encounter in those in the Recovery community. It occurs to me, too, that I belong to that community now, due to the alcohol-free Adventure I've embarked on in 2024. I certainly don't claim to embody those qualities yet like Chris does, but I hope to someday, and Chris is a wonderful role model in that respect. 

Tune in to Ep. 094, Beyond Resolutions: A Heroic Path to Your Best Year Yet, to learn more about my recovery journey en route to considering how you can go beyond resolutions to your best year yet, too. 

I would be remiss if I didn't publicly thank Chris for his part in encouraging me to accept this new Call to Adventure. 

In this episode, discover how a brush with death led to an unexpected journey of adventure and self-discovery. Follow Chris' path from addiction to recovery and to a life-changing retreat in Costa Rica. Hear how looking up and letting go transformed his perspective on life, and find out why he decided to drop social media altogether. This is not just a travel story – it's a powerful lesson in embracing the unknown and finding peace through letting go. And the best part? Chris is not done yet. This is Part 1 of 2–before and after the Costa Rica Adventure. Tune in to find out what he's discovering about himself and how it could inspire your own journey. 

Some Key Moments:

• 00:00:00 - Facing Mortality and Recovery Journey
• 00:03:20 - Transformative Recovery Journey
• 00:08:14 - Soboat's Growth and Impact
• 00:12:47 - Galvanizing Near-Death Experience
• 00:13:41 - Spiritual Awakening and Rebirth
• 00:14:14 - Surrendering to Something Greater
• 00:17:38 - Wrestling with Experience
• 00:19:31 - Appreciating Life After Encountering Death
• 00:23:02 - Dependence on a Higher Power
• 00:27:45 - Embracing Faith and Intuition
• 00:29:37 - The Search for Balance
• 00:32:28 - Redemptive Effects of Suffering
• 00:33:01 - The Call to Adventure
• 00:39:53 - Embracing the Present and Letting Go
• 00:42:25 - Gaining Perspective and Embracing Community
• 00:44:11 - Embracing Involuntary and Voluntary Adventures
• 00:45:32 - Post-Costa Rica Adventure
• 00:46:36 - Hero's Journey and Personal Growth
• 00:47:30 - Curiosity and Mundane Adventures
• 00:51:27 - Disconnecting and Embracing the Unknown

Do the Work, Just Don’t Try to Do It Alone Look up, let go, and live! Only you can do the work, but you can't do the work alone. None of us can. I always offer one free coaching session. Visit my website to schedule your free session. 

Thank you for your time, attention, and trust. Don't forget to follow this show and share it with your friends. I'll see you next time on Andrew Petty is Dying--Lord willin' and the creek don't rise! 

How Did This Episode Land for You?

I'd love to know. Find me on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, visit my website, or email me. 

Connect with Chris

Email | Instagram | Facebook (public) | Facebook (private) | Website 

Follow Andrew Petty is Dying & Leave a Review

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher

If You Liked This Episode, I Think You’ll Like These, Too

• Ep. 086 | The Best is Yet to Come: Rediscovering an Ancient Compass for a Life of Purpose and Adventure Today
• Ep. 090 | A Tale of Two Mountaineers: How Comfort Sabotages Our Contentment, and What To Do About It
• Ep. 092 | Crack the Contentment Code: Find the Path to Contentment
• Ep. 094 | Beyond Resolutions: A Heroic Path to Your Best Year Yet

New to Andrew Petty is Dying?

Welcome! I invite you to browse the archive of past interviews with fascinating people and short, topical solo episodes--all designed to equip you with the mindset and the means to become the person you were made to be and live the life you were made to live with guts, gusto, and abandon. We flip the script by inviting our ancient foe, Death, to become an unlikely ally in our heroic journey to leave it all out on the field of life. Turns out, Mortality might just be the best motivator available--blasting us out of our ambivalence and complacency and toward the fullness of our potential.

Who are you? 

A big question, for sure, and not a slow pitch over the plate for most of us. But it’s a pitch that is critical for us to get good at hitting. 

As of this recording, I’m just a couple days removed from the first Growth Camp of 2024, where we plumbed the time-proven depths of the Hero’s Journey framework to go beyond resolutions and discover a heroic path to our best year yet. Once again, the importance of who we are–that is, the quality of our character and our responses in life’s defining moments–rose to the surface and stayed there, demanding our attention, resisting our instinctive attempts to boil life down to a set of tips, tricks, hacks, and strategies; and calling us to become even better humans. 

I’ve tackled the question of who we are before. In fact, in one way or another, every episode of this podcast is about who we are. I tackled this topic directly, though, in episodes 77 and 78, a two-part series devoted to what I call The Big 6–essential ingredients in the recipe for a life you’ll be outrageously proud of when you die. 

In this episode, I pull the Big 6 from the proverbial back burner to the front burner to reheat them for all of us. The path illuminated for us by The Big 6 isn’t sexy, it’s not easy, and it’s paved with discomfort. But this path corresponds with Reality and leads to meaning, purpose, true significance, and becoming someone we feel genuinely good about. Arduous as it may be, I find that path preferable to one divorced from Reality that ultimately leads to meaninglessness, purposelessness, insignificance, and becoming someone I genuinely despise. 

Tune in for the guts of the original two episodes on the Big 6 combined into one episode and reset in the context of key qualities that will lead us to feel genuinely good about who we are and lead a life of meaning, purpose, and significance.

Remember: You ARE going to die. But you’re not dead yet. So get after it!

I Have a Favor to Ask

I want this show to reach many more people. If it has been helpful to you, I invite you to share it with others for their benefit. It can be as simple as texting an episode that was meaningful to you to a friend. For extra credit, post an episode on social media. 

This is where the marketing folks would probably say I should incentivize you with a freebie of some sort. But I’m going to appeal to a different part of you instead–the higher and even better part of you that finds joy and fulfillment in simply improving other people’s lives and knowing that their improvement ripples outward to the rest of the world. 

Thank you!

I’m grateful for your trust, time, and attention. Don’t forget to follow this show, and I’ll see you next time on Andrew Petty is Dying.

How can I Help? Let’s Connect. 

I’d love to meet you and be of service. I offer one free coaching session. Schedule yours now.

Follow Andrew Petty is Dying & Leave a Review

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher

If You Liked This Episode, I Think You’ll Like These, Too

• Ep. 087 | The Question That Changes Everything (Reboot): The Go-to Tool for Living the Life You Were Made to Live
• Ep. 075 | Keep Going: The Underrated Secret to a Wonderful Life

Each new year presents the opportunity for a new adventure. Often we start out strong but fizzle in a month or two. Our fragile resolve sabotages even our most well-intended and heartfelt resolutions. 

We need something stronger than our own resolve and more reliable than our resolutions. 

As we kick off a new year, I invite you to go with me beyond resolutions to find a heroic path to your best year yet. 

In this episode, you will:

• Learn about the Hero’s Journey.
• Be equipped to embark on a transformative journey through the Hero's journey framework.
• Discover a path to profound inner transformation.
• Discover the power of going beyond resolutions.
• Explore the path to personal growth and adventure.

Key moments in this episode include:

00:00:00 - New Year, New Adventure 00:01:41 - The Hero's Journey Framework 00:06:51 - Alcohol-free: My New Adventure in 2024 00:09:51 - Call to Adventure 00:13:53 - Embracing the Call to Adventure 00:16:03 - The Nature of the Adventure 00:17:31 - Enlisting Companions and Allies 00:21:28 - Invitation to Growth Camp 2024 | Beyond Resolutions: A Heroic Path to Your Best Year Yet

Go Beyond Resolutions & Find Your Heroic Path to Your Best Year Yet

Join me Saturday, January 20, 9am - 5pm, at the first Growth Camp of 2024, called Beyond Resolutions: A Heroic Path to Your Best Year Yet. You will tap into the timeless wisdom of the Hero’s Journey to acquire a trustworthy compass and the right resources for your best year yet.

In-person and virtual options are available, so don’t let a little thing like geography get in your way. 

Go here for full details and registration. 

This year, go beyond resolutions and embark on a new adventure. Don't just dream of change; unleash the hero within and make your dreams a reality.

Secure your spot at Growth Camp, and kick off your New Year with unprecedented clarity, courage, and purpose.

Let’s Connect

Find me on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, visit my website, or email me. 

Follow Andrew Petty is Dying & Leave a Review

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher

If You Liked This Episode, I Think You’ll Like These, Too

• Ep. 086 | The Best is Yet to Come: Rediscovering an Ancient Compass for a Life of Purpose and Adventure Today
• Ep. 090 | A Tale of Two Mountaineers: How Comfort Sabotages Our Contentment, and What To Do About It
• Ep. 091 | My Hero's Journey: Lessons Learned on the Road to Growth Camp 2023