The Difficulty: Creativity, Meaning & the Hard Work of a Life

Brian Bogert is a passionate performance coach, motivational speaker, business strategist, top sales professional and philanthropic leader who believes in helping growth-minded individuals achieve the best version of themselves: their most authentic selves.

Brian teaches how to leverage radical authenticity and awareness to create the intentional life you’ve been dreaming of, but have struggled to create on your own. His revolutionary strategy—embrace pain to avoid suffering—has helped individuals, groups and entire companies break beyond their normal to achieve the success in life and business that they’ve always wanted. 

Time Stamps:

What does being in your big self mean to you? 2:08

The power of a singular choice and the ripple effect. 5:40

This is a new time and we are living in different times. 11:16

How I became aware of how disconnected I was. 15:24

Realizing how disconnected he was at 20.

Human connection without emotion is not human connection.

Suffering is a will and a skill. 20:12

Self-awareness is a will and a skill.

Viktor frankl and the unique opportunity.

Why vulnerability and authenticity are so important in healing? 23:13

The importance of vulnerability and authenticity.

Intellectual vs. emotional connection. 26:21

There are 40,000 brain-like cells in the heart.

Integrating the body and emotions with thoughts.

The two ways to become the protector and connector.

The soft front and strong spine.

The importance of starting with yourself. 32:38

Starting with yourself, regardless of the dynamics.

Podcast Flipping the Lid

Find out more about Big Self School

We still offer our flagship burnout coaching package. We also offer packages for those seeking clarity and reconnecting to their life purpose–and we do this work with individuals and couples. Reach out to us if you’d like to book a discovery call and learn more about our coaching packages.

Want to learn more about the role stress plays in your life, and discover your blueprint for how to handle it based on your Enneagram type and subtype? 

Book a discovery call here

Join us at the Burnout to Big Self Facebook Group

Order a copy of Chad’s

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chadprevost.substack.com

Joe Sanok is a productivity researcher, business consultant, and creator of the popular The Practice of the Practice podcast. Let’s just say Joe gets a lot done, but he does manage to do this with his ideas of hard and soft boundaries and clearly delineating the lines between what is work and what is play. There is a lot to learn from Joe, his approach, and the initiatives he’s started through his book and from his programs.

Joe shares with us that if we say we want to figure out how to focus more on what’s important when it’s time to focus, we need to prioritize when we’re working and when we’re going to boundary time for play. We learn how to apply these principles to customize them for your own situation to be more productive at work while enjoying more leisure time.

Time Stamps:

The story of the tortoise and the hare. 6:25

Tortoise and hare story.

Hare did it right, but they didn't have the right tools.

Adopt a learner’s mindset. 9:47

Experimentations on the book.

How to avoid burnout by going rock climbing. 15:23

Why is it important to take action? 18:02

The three p’s of podcast launch. 22:24

The full humanity of our life experience. 31:00

Joe’s curiosity test. 38:32

Show Notes:

http://joesanok.com/manifesto

https://joesanok.com/experiments/

https://joesanok.com/test

And use the code TITNY for a free test

Check out his book: Thursday is the New Friday

Find out more about Big Self School

We still offer our flagship burnout coaching package. We also offer packages for those seeking clarity and reconnecting to their life purpose–and we do this work with individuals and couples. Reach out to us if you’d like to book a discovery call and learn more about our coaching packages.

Want to learn more about the role stress plays in your life, and discover your blueprint for how to handle it based on your Enneagram type and subtype? 

Book a discovery call here

Join us at the Burnout to Big Self Facebook Group

Order a copy of Chad’s

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chadprevost.substack.com

Chad and Shelley explore the reasons behind why we overwork. They examine the beliefs behind overworking, and consider how and when we can begin to dismantle those beliefs and pursue second mountain work.

Time Stamps:

Why do I overwork? 0:02

We all have a big self and pursuing it is fully, but most of us let fear persuade us not to pay attention to the episodes.

We live in a meritocracy and competition. 2:00

Workaholism overwork is a term that was coined in 1971 by a psychologist.

Being led by our egos. 3:47

A lot of us get to a point where we have been led by our egos, which is a necessary part of self-development.

A client recently asked why she was a workaholic.

Why we are workaholics. 5:02

The ego believes that the ego needs to be workaholics in order to survive, and that overworking is 100% all the time.

James hollis, accumulation and attachment are unconscious.

The ego and the conflation of identity. 7:18

The stakes were really high. 9:10

The first mountain experience.

Why do I want to keep doing this? 10:55

If there is no friction or no breaking down, why would you want to keep doing this?

The five regrets of the dying. 12:49

The tipping point is wanting it, because if you don't, it's all moot.

Work from the soul is more fulfilling than work from ego. 14:38

Surrendering work from the soul is hard work, but it is more fulfilling than work that comes from the ego.

Show Notes:

Find out more about Big Self School

We still offer our flagship burnout coaching package. We also offer packages for those seeking clarity and reconnecting to their life purpose. Reach out to us if you’d like to book a discovery call and learn more about our coaching packages.

Want to learn more about the role stress plays in your life, and discover your blueprint for how to handle it based on your Enneagram type and subtype? 

Book a discovery call here

Join us at the Burnout to Big Self Facebook Group

Order a copy of Chad’s

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chadprevost.substack.com

You may be familiar with him from his Super Soul Sunday radio series and his popular interview with Oprah from over ten years ago. Whether or not you've heard him--or of him--Reverend Ed Bacon has a second mountain message we could all use in our lives.

The Reverend was ordained an Episcopal priest after serving as Mercer University’s Minister to Students and Dean of Students as a Southern Baptist minister. He was dean of the cathedral in Jackson, Ms. and rector of churches in Dalton, Georgia and Pasadena, California from which he “retired” in 2016.

He says he flunked retirement in 2018 when he became interim rector at St. Luke’s, Atlanta where he had been ordained in 1983. He and his wife, Hope, moved to Hoover, Alabama in 2016 to be near their grandchildren.

Now he travels, teaching how our Oneness in Love overcomes our fear-based separateness. He expresses this spiritual way of life in his book, 8 Habits of Love. His missions also include creation care including helping to save the Pando forest in southern Utah, interspirituality, healing grief and trauma, and dismantling systems of all forms of bigotry and oppression.

Today, he shares with us is the inspiring and challenging depths we can get to on a regular basis if we’re able to get still with ourselves. The wisdom, the ability to let go of our egoic fears, and hold on to the things that we say we value, are all a part of the message and ideas he shares with us today.

Time Stamps:

What does living in your big self mean to you? 3:28

The ego and its purpose.

Making decisions based on ego strength. 9:09

Stillness is a superpower. 14:52

The ocean metaphor.

Advice for the average person who hears this message. 19:50

How to become more aware of distractions.

How to make yourself still and quiet.

How stillness opens up the learner's mindset. 22:50

The difference between fear and love.

The difference between the learner’s mind and the learners mind. 28:18

Community and practicing the habit of community.

Thomas Merton and community. 33:11

One of history's greatest spiritual revelations, the "Louisville Epiphany."

Community is the root of unity.

The sweetness of the second mountain. 38:20

Habits of love are interconnected.

The sweetness of the second mountain.

Stillness and the gift of stillness. 44:35

Show Notes:

His 2012 interview with Oprah

Twitter: @RevEdBacon

Facebook:...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chadprevost.substack.com

“Toxic” cultures aren’t all the same. They’re caused by different poinsons. So start there. Bad boss? Unrealistic expectations? Systemic overload?

How you answer this will determine how you respond. 

How do we define “toxic”? An environment that’s incompatible with YOUR wellbeing. 

Wellbeing consists of physical, emotional, intellectual, relational and spiritual wellbeing. 

But if you aren’t at an institution with well-documented and widespread dysfunction, if you are at a relatively normal place with its typical interpersonal human drama, then ask the questions we offer up in this episode.

Time Stamps:

The definition of toxic culture. 1:19

Shifting your beliefs and expectations. 4:29

Awareness that a job is not what is good for you is an indication of movement in your life.

A startup environment and leadership roles. 9:41

What conversation am I avoiding that will go well? 10:52

What is a projection? 12:03

Start with yourself. 15:28

The one takeaway is to start with yourself when it comes to dealing with your

Show Notes:

Find out more about Big Self School

We still offer our flagship burnout coaching package. We also offer packages for those seeking clarity and reconnecting to their life purpose–and we do this work with individuals and couples. Reach out to us if you’d like to book a discovery call and learn more about our coaching packages.

Want to learn more about the role stress plays in your life, and discover your blueprint for how to handle it based on your Enneagram type and subtype? 

Book a discovery call here

Join us at the Burnout to Big Self Facebook Group

Order a copy of Chad’s book Shock Point or order an ebook here.

Leave us a review and

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chadprevost.substack.com

Judy K. Herman inspires executive women to unlock the power of their authentic selves in order to live peaceful, purposeful, and positive lives without regret. She provides keynotes, seminars, and workshops for companies who support women in leadership while honoring authentic work relationships and cultures. Her clinical and personal experiences enhance her work as an executive coach providing skills and resources that change organizations and family trees.

Time Stamps:

How Judy became a psychotherapist. 6:08

Being a psychotherapist, raising four children and having five grandchildren.

Marrying a second time.

How to begin to work on yourself. 12:23

Relationships shift when one person grows.

Relationships are mirrors to us and our souls.

Growing in self-awareness and relationship awareness.

The dynamics of family relationships. 16:54

How to become more aware of your patterns? 21:40

Becoming more aware of family patterns.

The beginner's mind and the growth mindset.

How to make sense when conversations go sideways.

Self awareness takes the will and the skill. 26:48

The experience of building a business. 31:42

The enneagram and how it affects relationships. 36:08

Show Notes:

Author of Beyond Messy Relationships: Divine Invitations To Your Authentic Self

And Relationships with Purpose

Better Relationships, Better Life Podcast

Find out more about Big Self School

We still offer our flagship burnout coaching package. We also offer packages for those seeking clarity and reconnecting to their life purpose–and we do this work with individuals and couples. Reach out to us if you’d like to book a discovery call and learn more about our coaching packages.

Want to learn more about the role stress plays in your life, and discover your blueprint for how to handle it based on your Enneagram type and subtype? 

Book a discovery call here

Join us at the Burnout to Big Self Facebook Group

Order a copy of Chad’s

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chadprevost.substack.com

We hear a lot of language around using Enneagram arrows in this "growth" and "stress" language, and we'd like to be a part of putting that theory to rest. At least, we'd like to offer a better alternative to thinking of it in a simpler, and also slightly more accurate way. We want to "hit the bullseye" when it comes to our arrows.

You can go to your first arrow--what we call the "energizing" arrow--in both growth and stress. You can also go to your second arrow--what we call the "resolution" arrow--in growth and stress as well. Just as you can go to either of your wings in growth and stress, the same is true with arrow work. We discuss what going to your first arrow means, as well as your second. We clarify the terms so that it is clear that it doesn't have to do with stress whether we are going to the first or second. It happens in either. The bottom line is that in terms of growth work, we aim for the high sides of our arrows, which typically means we are going their consciously and intentionally until we have developed the memory muscle (so to speak) to inhabit the higher sides with less effort and greater efficacy.

This is all growth work. None of it is easy per se. But we'd like to improve upon how we use some of our terms to help make the work a little more clear and a little more accurate. In that way, we're offering up a simpler way to conduct the conscious development of our growth work.

Time Stamps:

What are wings? 1:24

Arrow theories and how they challenge conventional wisdom.

Wings are not subtypes.

The difference between style and type. 4:30

What does a really healthy one have to teach me? 7:46

Being aware of unconscious tendencies to withdraw. 9:03

Awareness of tendencies both in five and three.

Bigger jumps. 11:50

Direct vs. confrontational energy. 15:07

You can go to either one of the arrows. 18:13

The enneagram is not just another typology. 21:03

Find out more about Big Self School

We still offer our flagship burnout coaching package. We also offer packages for those seeking clarity and reconnecting to their life purpose–and we do this work with individuals and couples. Reach out to us if you’d like to book a discovery call and learn more about our coaching packages.

Want to learn more about the role stress plays in your life, and discover your blueprint for how to handle it based on your Enneagram type and subtype? 

Book a discovery call here

Join us at the

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chadprevost.substack.com

Dr. Heather Penny is a leadership coach and trusted advisor helping individuals and organizations achieve their goals guided by the 3C's: Clarity, Confidence, and Courage. 

With a Ph.D. in Human Services and an M.A. in Educational Leadership, Dr. Penny is uniquely positioned to help leaders and teams find their shared vision, develop confidence in their roles, and take action to achieve the success and the lives they were made for. 

She is fun and engaging and has a clear and authentic message for how to truly aspire to living a more intentional life: one where we intentionally choose what we want to invite in and what we choose to reject and keep out.

She is a sought-after speaker, host of The Life You're Made For podcast, and author of The Life You're Made For: Finding Clarity, Confidence, and Courage to be Fully Alive

Time Stamps:

What first comes to mind when you think of the big self? 2:27

How to cultivate clarity, confidence and courage. 5:43

The three c's of clarity, confidence and courage.

Taking practical action out of a vulnerability. 10:35

The importance of confidence and courage. 12:27

The value of transformation coaching as transactional. 17:20

Finding her tire swing.

The power of inviting in and rejecting. 22:22

How to live a life of intentionality.

How to make difficult choices.

Taking responsibility for your mistakes. 25:11

Handling difficult conversations and spiraling up out of anxiety.

Step into the conversation and own it.

How to have difficult conversations in the workplace. 30:29

How to be transparent in a workplace.

The first question to ask in difficult conversations.

Leading with good intent.

Leading with confidence and courage. 34:34

The importance of leading from a position of care.

Show Notes:

The Life You're Made For: Finding Clarity, Confidence, and Courage to be Fully Alive

Find out more about Big Self School

We still offer our flagship burnout coaching package. We also offer packages for those...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chadprevost.substack.com

Tom Gautreaux is one of those what we call local legends that we organically find opportunity to speak with. These easygoing conversations focus around building an identity–a self–that finds success in the world, and how they have experienced building a life in ways that sometimes haven’t, but mostly have, flourished. 

Tom’s our next door neighbor. His father is the well-known novelist and short-story writer, Tim Gautreaux. Tom shows up in this episode with how he grew up and how that shaped him, and how a vocation found him that kept him sustained and excited for all these years. 

I find the conversation warmed up and we ended up landing on generational work style differences, social media, leadership, the art and challenge of giving effective feedback, and the issue of doing a hard thing every day.

Like all of our guests for Season Five, this is an organic and unscripted conversation.

Time Stamps:

Not all lawyers will be happy being lawyers. 0:00

Generational work style differences, social media leadership, art.

How did you get started in law? 3:13

The importance of being exposed to different management styles and personalities.

Burnout and proving value.

How did you become an addict to work hard? 7:43

The myth of being a rock in an island.

Mentor/coach/guiding light.

How do you view success? 11:40

Millennials burnout and digital natives. 17:15

Differences between the younger generation and our generation. 21:18

Employees view things differently than students.

Employees are more attune to work-life balance.

Finding what you love to do. 24:33

How to be effective at giving feedback. 29:06

The importance of being effective at giving feedback.

How to become a very effective leader.

Do one thing every day that scares you every day. 35:55

Find out more about Big Self School

We still offer our flagship burnout coaching package. We also offer packages for those seeking clarity and reconnecting to their life purpose–and we do this work with individuals and couples. Reach out to us if you’d like to book a discovery call and learn more about our coaching packages.

Book a discovery call here

Want to learn more about the role stress plays in your life, and discover your blueprint for how to handle it based on your Enneagram type and...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chadprevost.substack.com

We are living in a world that is sick. Both literally sick, with 60 percent of adults in the US living with a chronic illness and rising rates of autoimmune diseases in particular, including long COVID, and figuratively sick, facing ever increasing rates of burnout, anxiety, and disconnection.

As a writer, activist, and theology student, Lyndsey Medford was used to critiquing unsustainable medical, environmental, economic, and social systems from a theoretical perspective. But when her autoimmune disorder roared out of remission, she discovered that her own body's systems lived at the very real vortex of all those systems' dysfunction.

Learning to cooperate with her body would require her to change every aspect of her life--and in the process, to seek a radical reimagining of the world, from a place where sickness is an individual affliction to an interdependent ecosystem where sustainability is a community way of life. In this beautiful and inspiring book, Medford draws on her experiences with a rare autoimmune disease to illuminate the broader lessons we need to learn, in order to heal what ails us individually and communally. Whether our burnout stems from illness, systemic racism, poverty, or simply sin's separation, we're all in need of hope, and we are called to heal together.

My Body and Other Crumbling Empires points out the beauty and ubiquity of our limitations; the importance of accessibility, broadly construed; the interconnected nature of individual and public health; and the badly needed wisdom we have gained from living with our particular bodies.

Time Stamps:

How much is available to me to support my body? 0:00

Introduction to today’s show. 1:33

The big self vs the liberal self.

The meaning of the term big self.

Using your body as a launching point for spiritual connection. 5:05

The disconnection from her body for years.

How she learned to recognize her spiritual connection.

The importance of connecting to your body. 8:22

The third part of her journey.

Transactional vs transformational coaching.

Rediscovering yourself and how that is healing.

Understanding the complexity of the immune system. 12:55

Understanding the immune system and autoimmunity.

Getting back to back all the way to fixing.

How to deal with perfectionism. 16:37

Overworking perfectionism and the church culture.

Struggle with the auto-immune experience.

Connecting to the world. 20:33

Healing for a world that is sick.

Do one thing that scares you every day.

Relating across the differences of society right now.

How good it feels to be in community.

Why was that not a very nice side of the house? 26:34

The liberating simplicity of...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chadprevost.substack.com