What if fear isn’t an obstacle—but a signal?

What if doubt isn’t a flaw—but part of the design?

In this episode of Escape Velocity, Tracey Halvorsen sits down with entrepreneur, technologist, and author Kris Land, whose book The Infinity Within explores a radical idea: that human life is less a problem to solve and more a game to consciously play.

Drawing from near-death experiences, early childhood awakenings, decades of building and exiting companies, and a deep curiosity about consciousness, Kris offers a reframing of fear, doubt, success, and creativity. He argues that fear and doubt are not enemies—they’re mechanisms that keep us engaged in the “game of Earth,” and invitations to remember who we really are beneath the noise.

Together, Tracey and Kris explore:

• Why success doesn’t eliminate fear—and why that matters

• How curiosity and creativity get trained out of us (and how to reclaim them)

• The difference between survival fear and illusion-based fear

• Why silence, presence, and attention are becoming revolutionary acts

• How technology, AI, and the coming “singularity” intersect with spirituality and meaning

• What it means to live as if the answers aren’t out there—but already within

This is not a conversation about doctrine or dogma. It’s an invitation to question assumptions, loosen certainty, and approach life with more play, awareness, and courage. If you’ve ever felt there must be more beneath the surface of achievement, productivity, or distraction—this episode is for you.

About the host

Tracey Halvorsen is the CEO of adeo, a brand, digital, and communications agency. She is the host of Escape Velocity, a podcast exploring leadership, creativity, technology, and change through deeply human conversations with founders, creatives, and change-makers.

When leadership coach Jen Dary discovered she had a massive brain tumor in 2016, she was an eight-month-old baby's mom, running her coaching business Plucky, and just trying to survive the chaos of early motherhood. What she didn't expect was that surviving brain surgery would crack open an entirely different kind of survival guide—one that involved conversations with "the bigness," mystical experiences, and a nine-year journey to write a book that refused to be anything but honest.In this conversation, Jen and I dive deep into: * The terrifying moment of diagnosis and what happens when you're forced to receive help instead of give it * How writing letters to her children "just in case" became an act of love and release * Why the publishing industry's gatekeeping almost kept this book from existing * The uncomfortable truth about being "naked" when your memoir goes public * What 92-year-old women buying fabric can teach us about the divine * Why she believes in everything now—from science to spirits to serendipityJen's new memoir "I Believe in Everything: A Memoir of Illness, Motherhood, and Magic" releases January 13, 2025 (her birthday).This isn't a "warrior" story or a tale of crushing it through adversity. It's an honest, funny, heartbreaking exploration of what happens when life forces you to slow down enough to notice what else is there.About Jen Dary:Jen is a leadership coach, founder of Plucky, and teacher of the "So Now You're a Manager" training. She works with stressed-out leaders who need someone who understands both business jargon and the messy human parts of work. She lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband, two sons, and a side-eyeing dog.Get the book: beplucky.com/shopConnect with Jen: * Plucky: beplucky.com * Book info: [add link]Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction 02:25 - The diagnosis that changed everything 08:00 - From helper to patient: identity crisis 17:30 - Writing goodbye letters to her children 25:15 - "The bigness" and spiritual awakening 40:15 - The nine-year journey to finish the book 52:00 - Why self-publishing was the only way 1:04:00 - What makes writing "great" 1:12:00 - Finding God in a 92-year-old's fabric shopping trip 1:30:00 - Creative process: caves, burning art, and airplane ideas 1:43:00 - "Go have a good life" - the tattoo storyABOUT ESCAPE VELOCITY PODCASTEscape Velocity explores creativity, leadership, entrepreneurship, and building meaningful lives. Hosted by Tracey Halvorsen—CEO, painter, agency founder and creative strategist—this podcast dives into real conversations with founders, artists, and leaders who aren't afraid to talk about the messy, magical parts of the journey.

Tracey is joined by Second Harvest’s Richard Banfield and Devon Warwick-McDonald for a candid conversation about what happens when the map of your life dissolves beneath your feet. From personal loss to career upheaval to the quiet ache of disconnection so many feel today, the trio travels through the terrain that leads people to seek change, and why traditional self-help rarely offers real transformation. 

Richard and Devon share how their retreats intentionally remove certainty, routine, and the old scripts of success to make room for vulnerability, creativity, and genuine human alliance. What emerges is surprising: strangers forming lifelong bonds, new identities taking shape, experiments replacing grand plans, and a renewed sense of possibility. This episode is a reminder that transformation isn’t a program... it’s something ignited in the space between people brave enough to show up as themselves.

Tracey sits down with her 11-year-old son Fin for a wildly entertaining ride through the Gen Alpha brain. From the iPhone 17 to Apple Watches, YouTube, day trading, and the mysterious power of MrBeast, Fin breaks down modern life with the confidence of a tiny philosopher–economist. This episode mixes tech, culture, parenting, and branding in a way only a parent–kid conversation can. It’s funny, honest, and surprisingly insightful.

How do you make creativity a strategic tool—not a luxury—when resources are limited and expectations are high? In this conversation, Skidmore College’s VP for Communications and Marketing, Elizabeth Stauderman, joins to unpack how she brought the school’s motto, Creative Thought Matters, to life through a full web and brand transformation. We explore why mission must drive strategy, how beauty can ease change, and why liberal-arts thinkers are built for the AI era. Insightful, pragmatic, and deeply relevant for anyone leading creative or communications work in higher education.

In this episode of Escape Velocity, I talk with Sarah Patterson, a Fractional CFO who somehow makes the numbers feel human. Sarah works with creative agencies and consulting firms to bring clarity, confidence, and calm to the financial side of things—the part most of us would rather avoid.

We get into what really happens when you stop treating your financials like a necessary evil and start seeing them as a creative tool. We talk about trust, mindset, and how money mirrors the stories we tell ourselves as founders.

And then there’s tango. Sarah’s also a Buenos Aires–trained dancer, and she shares how that experience completely reshaped how she thinks about leadership, connection, and flow. Because at the end of the day, financial clarity isn’t just about spreadsheets—it’s about rhythm, trust, and learning to move in sync with change.

What does it take to break free from the gravitational pull of “business as usual” in higher ed marketing? In this episode of Escape Velocity, Tracey Halvorsen sits down with Mallory Willsea—B2B media consultant, AI strategist, and award-winning host of Higher Ed Pulse.

Mallory shares how she built and scaled media brands like Higher Ed Live and Enrollify, why she believes leaders should stop waiting for permission and start building their own stage, and what it really takes to adopt AI without falling for hype. Along the way, she and Tracey delve into the realities of trust versus likability in leadership, why time is the biggest barrier to AI adoption, and how small risks can accumulate into big wins—even in tradition-bound institutions.

Whether you’re navigating higher ed, rethinking your career, or simply looking for inspiration to take the leap, this conversation will leave you with frameworks, metaphors, and courage to try the things that scare you most.

What does it really mean to lead creative work in a world being reshaped by AI, complexity, and constant change?

In this episode, Tracey Halvorsen sits down with Christina Melito, Creative Director at Fifteen4, for an honest, funny, and deeply insightful conversation about what creative leadership actually requires today — from managing stakeholders in regulated industries to operationalizing AI tools without losing your soul.

They explore how tension can be a design tool, why client work is often a form of behavioral psychology, and how real change comes not from polishing pixels — but from shifting minds.

Plus:

– Why AI might be the most liberating thing to happen to creative teams in 20 years

– How to make clients feel heard without losing sight of what really matters

– What nobody tells you about visual design (spoiler: zooming in 10,000%)

– And yes, the return of the lawnmower, microwave baloney, and meat roll-ups

This isn’t just about websites — it’s about transformation.

And how brave, curious creatives help make it happen.

What does it really mean to lead creative work in a world being reshaped by AI, complexity, and constant change?

In this episode, Tracey Halvorsen sits down with Christina Melito, Creative Director at Fifteen4, for an honest, funny, and deeply insightful conversation about what creative leadership actually requires today — from managing stakeholders in regulated industries to operationalizing AI tools without losing your soul.

They explore how tension can be a design tool, why client work is often a form of behavioral psychology, and how real change comes not from polishing pixels — but from shifting minds.

Plus:

– Why AI might be the most liberating thing to happen to creative teams in 20 years

– How to make clients feel heard without losing sight of what really matters

– What nobody tells you about visual design (spoiler: zooming in 10,000%)

– And yes, the return of the lawnmower, microwave baloney, and meat roll-ups

This isn’t just about websites — it’s about transformation.

And how brave, curious creatives help make it happen.

What does it really mean to lead creative work in a world being reshaped by AI, complexity, and constant change?

In this episode, Tracey Halvorsen sits down with Christina Melito, Creative Director at Fifteen4, for an honest, funny, and deeply insightful conversation about what creative leadership actually requires today — from managing stakeholders in regulated industries to operationalizing AI tools without losing your soul.

They explore how tension can be a design tool, why client work is often a form of behavioral psychology, and how real change comes not from polishing pixels — but from shifting minds.

Plus:

– Why AI might be the most liberating thing to happen to creative teams in 20 years

– How to make clients feel heard without losing sight of what really matters

– What nobody tells you about visual design (spoiler: zooming in 10,000%)

– And yes, the return of the lawnmower, microwave baloney, and meat roll-ups

This isn’t just about websites — it’s about transformation.

And how brave, curious creatives help make it happen.