Brian Whetten is a leadership coach, author of Yes, Yes, Hell No! and the founder of Core Coaching. He's spent the last 25 years reverse-engineering how some of the most successful entrepreneurs combine high consciousness with high agency. Along the way he's discovered what separates people who just talk about consciousness from those who actually overcome "the wall" to unite power, consciousness, and integrity to create lasting value.

Much of our conversation centered around the image below that sparked our relationship and the inspiration for the episode title. Most people get stuck choosing between spiritual bypass and achievement addiction, never figuring out how to integrate both dimensions successfully to embody the illusive "agentic sage" territory. Brian does an incredible job sharing how you can move to the top right and expand your leadership to integrate the best of both worlds.

For full show notes: https://podcast.scottbritton.me/p/how-to-become-an-agentic-sage-brian-whetten

🌀This podcast is sponsored by Conscious Talent - where business leaders and companies who value both inner work and professional excellence connect. Learn more and join the Conscious Talent network here: https://www.conscioustalent.com/

(00:00) The Journey to High Agency and Consciousness (02:46) Navigating the Wall: Challenges in Growth (05:52) Understanding the Dimensions of Life (08:42) The Role of Consciousness in Business (11:54) The Frustration of Spiritual Awakening (14:45) The Struggle of Conscious Entrepreneurs (17:44) The Dilemma of Spiritual Coaches (20:52) Wealth and Its Impact on Meaning (23:51) Problems of Excess vs. Problems of Lack (26:44) The Nature of Power and Leadership (29:31) The Relationship Between Power and Value (37:06) Power and Leadership: The Balancing Act (40:24) Creating Value: The Purpose of Power (44:22) Pride and Power: The Dangers of Excess (48:01) Healing the Inner Wall: The Journey to Freedom (54:09) Proving Worth vs. Providing Value: The Conscious Business Trap (01:04:42) Navigating the Poor but Pure Phenomenon (01:11:56) The Meaning of Life and Abundance (01:12:25) Solving Problems: The Key to Growth (01:15:04) The Cycle of Giving and Receiving (01:16:49) The Value of Revelation and Growth (01:17:47) Pushing Against the Wall vs. Being Pulled Through (01:19:58) The Importance of Community and Containers (01:24:38) The Three Keys to Spiritual Growth (01:36:05) Creating Mature Faith Without Suffering (01:40:16) Building Scalable Containers for Growth