Beyond the Crucible

Building a Life You Don't Want to Escape From We discuss Warwick’s latest blog at beyondthecrucible.com , with thoughts on how we can shift from a life of quiet desperation to a life of joy, fulfillment and purpose. We've got all the questions you need to ask yourself here, from What is your true calling?  to What are your beliefs and values?, from How do you want the rhythms of your life to look?...

Tackling M.S. with Mindfulness: Scott Eblin Scott Eblin describes himself as feeling "bulletproof" after working more than two decades as a executive leader and a leadership coach. Then he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The illness set him on a journey to develop mindfulness practices in his work and life that have made both better. He says mindfulness is the intersection of two qualities—...

Applying the Actionable Truths 3: Authenticity We take a look this week at the third actionable truth our research has shown us helps you move from trial to triumph: authenticity. This truth is the first in the processing phase of our Beyond the Crucible Roadmap for moving past our worst day toward new opportunity. This phase, we discuss, is marked by the need to overcome fear and commit to change...

His childhood was something out of a mafia movie — boy attracted to what he saw as the glamour of the flashy toughs in his working-class New York City neighborhood. And Robert Borelli's story was not headed for a happy ending. What began as running errands for the mobsters he idolized turned into committing crimes that escalated in their violence and an addiction to drugs that robbed him of the re...

A comment from a recent guest on the show about the tension between growth and comfort as we aim to move beyond our crucibles prompted a blog on the subject that fuels this week's discussion. Warwick and Gary examine three truths about why prioritizing comfort rather than growth when setback and failure strike will not lead you to the joy and fulfillment of a life of significance.  The only way fo...

Flexible Leadership, the title of business consultant Kevin Eikenberry's latest book, offers a new way to think about leading, helping managers break out of leadership styles that may no longer be useful to navigate the challenges they face.  In our interview with Eikenberry this week, we discuss his new framework for leadership, built on flexors that allow us to break out of the rigid boxes that...

We take a deep-dive look at the second actionable truth that helps you move from trial to triumph: self-reflection.  Our discussion centers on the ways in which reflecting on your crucible can reveal important insights about yourself — your strengths, weaknesses, even vulnerabilities — that you can use to forgive yourself, forgive others and bounce forward to a life of significance.  "It is all to...

Jon-Michael Ogletree started playing the piano as a toddler — his rare form of dwarfism no roadblock to his curiosity that through the decades would become his virtuosity. In this discussion with Warwick he describes the "miracle" surgery that saved his life and the musical gift that has allowed him to reach hundreds of thousands through his YouTube video — all the while never learning h...

Saying "no" to opportunities to assist causes and people we care about is hard, but essential if we want to have the energy and focus to say "yes" to things that allow us to live our most joyful life of significance. In this episode based on Warwick's latest blog, we cover seven things we can do to ensure we’re focused on what really matters to us. Among the best practices...

Closing the Courage Gap: Dr. Margie Warrell Dr. Margie Warrell is a global thought leader on courage — the ways having it improves your life, how to get it back if you're lost it and how to overcome fear to tap into it. That's the subject of her latest book,  The Courage Gap: 5 Steps to Braver Action,  which she discusses with us this week. Among the insights she offers are the importance...

Applying the Actionable Truths 1: Crucibles Our yearlong examination of the actionable truths that will guide you along the Beyond the Crucible Roadmap begins with a discussion of where your journey from setback to significance begins: your crucible. We look at what you need to do to reach the point where you understand it didn't happen to you but happed for you. To explore Beyond the Crucible...

Helping Heroes Heal from Moral Injury: Judy Issacson Elias Judy Issacson Elias' traumatic childhood was caused, she says, by the traumas her father brought home with him from his service in World War II. Her dad was withdrawn, struggled with job stability and connecting with his family. The dysfunction in her home led her to run away and turn to alcohol and drugs. But a trip to Israel her fath...

These 'Actionable Truths' Will Guide You From Trial to Triumph Our research into how people experience crucibles and chart a path beyond them has led us to identify a core set of "actionable truths" — 10 in all — that will help you overcome the obstacles you face as you navigate your unique journey from trials to triumph. This week, in our overview episode of what we're calling the series within t...

2024 Rewind: TOY STORY'S Crucible Lessons Kind, compassionate words are life-giving to us when spoken by others after we’ve been through a crucible. And they’re also life-giving to us when we speak them to others .. a truth the main characters in the movie TOY STORY learn when their initial rivalry turns into an unlikely friendship. This week, we revisit the the 9th and final episode of our summer...

2024 Rewind: Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Perseverance Winston Churchill was known for many things – including always looking for ways to move onward after a trial or challenge. That’s the perspective we all should hope to have when life’s crucibles knock us for a loop. When setback and failure are all-too-common companions. When we’re wrestling with our own darkest hour. This week, as par...

2024 Rewind: Jason T. Smith's Surprising Life of Significance We're closing out the year with a look back on a few of our most powerful episodes of the last 12 months. This week, we revisit Jason T. Smith. who thought he'd missed out on his calling to be a medical missionary, until he realized he'd been gifted a new one. Smith's vision for being a doctor helping heal those in underserved nations c...

Sir Warwick Fairfax: A Man of Noble Character It’s certainly not uncommon to hear a son talk about his father with respect, admiration and love – the way Warwick talks about his father in this week's episode. But the noble character Sir Warwick Fairfax modeled to his son has had an impact that’s birthed the business that son founded, including this podcast you’re listening to right now. In this la...

Make Sure Your Passion Serves Your Purpose How do you handle your passion with care? How do you help ensure when you're off-the-charts passionate about your vision, that you don't go off the rails in pursuit of it? How do you keep that race car that is your passion on the track? In this week's episode, Warwick and I discuss his latest blog at beyondthecrucible.com titled Why Your Passion Must Serv...

Building a Resilience Strategy: Dr. Marie-Helene Pelletier Relationships, including with those we call fellow travelers, are critical, we learn in this week's episode, to crafting the resilience we need to move beyond our crucibles. Our guest this week, Dr. Marie-Helene Pelletier, is a pioneer in the field of strategic resilience. Her studies and experience have taught her that thriving through se...

FDR: He Didn't Let Polio Derail His Calling This week, in the latest episode of our series within the show Stories from the Book Crucible Leadership, we look at the courage, good humor and determination – both personal and political – that made Franklin Delano Roosevelt one of history’s most celebrated figures. None of what he accomplished in the White House, we discuss here, would have been possi...

Seek to Win A Friend, Not an Argument Do you find yourself, when engaging in discussions about hot-button subjects, spending more time trying to win an argument than trying to build or maintain a relationship? If so, then this episode is for you. This week, we discuss his latest blog at beyondthecrucible.com , in which he offers seven tips for not turning a discussion of issues into an us vs. them...

5 Years, 5 Big Learnings Inspiring, uplifting and so much fun. That Warwick’s summary of the milestone we celebrate on this week’s episode: the five-year anniversary – to the day, on the date this show drops – of the Beyond the Crucible podcast. Our look back focuses on five key learnings from these past five years that have come from interviews and discussions on the show. Those insights – your w...

Emotionally Paralyzed By Her Dad's Paralysis Charis Santillie was plagued by undealt-with emotions after her father was paralyzed in a hot-air balloon crash when she was just 19 years old. The accident’s aftermath left her a workaholic, allowing her to live the illusion of safety and control. It was only after meeting a coach who asked her why she was suffering from emotional paralysis that Santil...

Horatio Nelson: Naval Hero, Leadership Icon Confident. Calm. Decisive. A man of sound judgement. That’s Lord Horatio Nelson, one of the most celebrated military leaders in British history. He was a hero of Warwick’s growing up, who’s become an example of someone with the personal character and interpersonal skills that can benefit all of us as we navigate our journey to lives of significance. This...

How to Avoid a Professional Identity Crisis Remembering you’re more than your worst day and less than your best day is just one of the nuggets of wisdom we discuss this week in our examination of Warwick’s latest blog at  beyondthecrucible.com  about the truths that will help you avoid a professional identity crisis. Among the points from his blog Warwick and I discuss are the need to do...