Andrew Petty is Dying

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 crede...

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...

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 g...

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 hurr...

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...

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 a...

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 - Pursui...

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 C...

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 ag...

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 y...

Are you tired of feeling stuck and overwhelmed in the face of life's challenges? Have you tried to push away pain and ignore its lessons, only to find yourself feeling even more lost and disconnected? It's time to break free from the ineffective pattern of avoiding pain and embrace it as a powerful teacher. By leaning into the discomfort and allowing ourselves to learn from our pain, we open the d...

If you're feeling trapped in a cycle of constant striving and never reaching true contentment, you're not alone. Maybe you've been chasing external achievements, thinking they will bring you lasting fulfillment, only to find that they leave you empty inside. Perhaps you've been seeking validation from others, hoping that their approval will bring you a sense of worth, only to discover that it's fl...

The road to Growth Camp 2023--an event built around the Hero's Journey--was a Hero's Journey of its own. In this episode, I invite you along on that Journey and share some of the key lessons I learned from it. I hope my story equips and encourages you to embark on your own Hero's Journey or persevere in the one you're already on.   In this episode: Discover the transformative power of the Hero's j...

Do you desire genuine fulfillment and contentment? Are you searching for a way to achieve true satisfaction and inner peace? In this episode, I'll reveal an antidote to discontentment. By embracing the hero's journey, you can unlock the path towards lasting contentment, breaking free from the sabotaging clutches of comfort and convenience. It's simple in principle, but far from easy in reality. Pe...

Have you been told that the key to building a fulfilling and meaningful life is to simply follow the conventional path and do what society expects of you? Here's the hard truth: By blindly following this path, you may be feeling stuck, unfulfilled, and lacking a sense of purpose. It's time to break free from these limiting beliefs and discover your true passions, unlocking the potential for person...

If you're experiencing overwhelming frustration and disappointment because despite your efforts to find fulfillment in your current career, you still feel empty and unfulfilled, then you are not alone! If you're constantly taking on new projects and responsibilities, hoping they will bring you joy and purpose, only to find yourself in the same state of dissatisfaction, then you are not alone! If y...

Today's episode is a reboot from the archive with a few upgrades. I decided to bring this one back after a recent experience as a vendor at the local Farmer's Market. I wasn't your typical vendor–a life coach amidst vegetable stands and woodworkers and handmade soap purveyors. And my offer wasn't typical either: Answer one question to be entered in a raffle for a hundred dollar gift card. The ques...

"Not only did this hero's journey resonate with a desire we all have, it felt like it told the story of the life I was actually living. And I think I realized that it wasn't a one-time adventure–that it had the potential to be a pattern or a framework that I could lean into and try to follow over and over again in order to find more meaning, more purpose, and more transformation in my life. In man...

It's great to be back with you after a six-week break from the show! What better way to kick things off than for my wise and wonderful wife, Charis, to join me again for this second installment in a 2-part series about how assessments can transform your life, work, and relationships.   In the previous episode, through the lens of our own stories, Charis and I explored the transformational potentia...

What's a recurring point of irritation in your most important relationship? Where do you consistently feel frustrated at work? What annoys you about your default way of operating in the world?  Without a doubt, your personality and the normal and natural differences between yours and other people's personalities are involved in those situations. This is good news, because you can do something abou...

We all have a lot of competing demands and priorities, obligations and opportunities--plenty of day-to-day things to tend to that have clear relevance. In the midst of all that, why would we set aside time specifically for cultivating deeper connections with fellow humans? What's the point of "connection" with others? On the one hand, a better question might be "why don't we set aside that time" b...

The previous episode laid out a simple way to change the world–one to which each of us can contribute. It's not easy, but thankfully it is simple.  This episode lays out a way to overcome one of the key obstacles we often encounter on the way to changing the world–namely, our own poorly-established and unstable identity. It's another timely reboot in an age that can sometimes feel incurably chaoti...

Today's episode is a timely reboot from the archives. It's a reminder we can all benefit from and something we tend to lose sight of all too easily. It's an antidote to apathy and despair in an age of doom and gloom.   Doom and Gloom Abounds If environmental armageddon doesn't get us first, then a hostile nation's plans for global domination will. Maybe the Republicans will sink the ship and all h...

What does our energy have to do with finding our unique Path in life? A lot, as it turns out. Stay tuned to learn how to put it to work for you.     Energy for the Win It was 2015, and I was a couple years into a major personal and professional evolution–much of which I share about in greater detail in the earliest episodes of this show. Part of that evolution had included a move to CO. Now, after...

What's on the other side of Death?  Danielle Slupesky came face-to-face with her own Mortality through a harrowing and prolonged medical crisis. She barely lived to tell the tale. In the midst of that crisis, she had a near-death experience that completely changed the trajectory of her life and her relationship with Death. Danielle is an End-of-Life Coach and a Death Doula based out of Albuquerque...