With Purpose

It has been one full year of With Purpose, so what’s next? In this special anniversary episode, Ben reflects on the first 52 episodes and the lessons of treating the podcast, and life, as an experiment that can evolve. Ben also takes some time to discuss what’s on the horizon for With Purpose and some exciting changes. Don’t forget to subscribe to Ben’s new newsletter at benhutton.com. As always,...

You can feel the energy when your people and their work are aligned with a vision. In this episode, Ben concludes his series by exploring the idea of harmonics and the moments when people, teams, and organizations become so aligned that their efforts seem to resonate beyond the work itself. Those moments are evidence that the vision, repetition, and tension required to get in tune are paying off....

A leader’s job is to help get the right tune out of their organization. In this episode, Ben explores the lessons leaders can learn from piano tuning and why bringing people, processes, and priorities into alignment requires vision, repetition, and a trained ear. Just as a piano is tuned one note at a time, meaningful leadership often comes through the steady, consistent work of making small adjus...

The best leaders know that growth rarely happens without tension. In this episode, Ben reflects on a lesson inspired by the piano and the remarkable amount of tension required to create beautiful music. Just as each string must be carefully tuned, leaders are responsible for creating the right kind of tension that helps people, teams, and organizations perform at their best. What area of your orga...

What if you’re working on the wrong problem? In this episode, Ben reflects on a diagnosis that changed how he understood a lifelong struggle with asthma and the opportunities that opened once he took time to diagnose the real cause. Sometimes the most valuable investment we can make is taking the time to test our assumptions to learn what’s really happening beneath the surface. What problem in you...

Growth rarely happens without risk. In this episode, Ben reflects on insights from Arthur Brooks about satisfaction and meaning and explores the idea that without some measure of risk, our pursuits will become little more than hobbies. Whether in our work, relationships, or personal growth, fulfillment often lives just beyond the edge of comfort. Where are you playing it safe when you should be ta...

Everyone is always talking about finding a good work-life balance. But what if that’s the wrong goal? In this episode, Ben challenges the idea that balance is something we can achieve and introduces a different approach: conscious entanglement, the intentional blending of the parts of life that matter most.  Where could you be more intentional about bringing part of yourself from one area of life...

Knowing when to stay the course and when to move on is a key principle in both fishing and business. In this episode, Ben reflects on an Alaska fishing trip and the lesson that success often comes from keeping the right bait in the right place long enough for the conditions to align. Sometimes the difference between an experiment working or failing is how much time you spent, “on the bottom.” What...

Sometimes, things can begin to feel gloomy and cloudy. In this episode, Ben reflects on a simple truth he was reminded of from an airplane window: it's always sunny above the clouds. When life feels heavy or discouraging, we can change our vantage point by reconnecting with our purpose, leaning on wise people, or remembering what's still true. Where in your life have you been living below the clou...

Some crutches are worth keeping, but others deserve a closer look before they become dependencies. What are the invisible crutches in your life and are they making you stronger or weaker? In this episode, Ben explores the tools, habits, and conveniences we rely on every day, and how the things that help us can also quietly erode the abilities we were meant to develop. What’s one habit, tool, or sh...

What do we do when our effort at work feels wasted? In this episode, Ben explores how to process this feeling and challenges the idea that our best efforts need external validation to matter. The most meaningful work is often done not for applause, but because it reflects who we are and the kind of people we're becoming. What would change this week if you approached your work as an artist, finding...

Stepping out from the safety of the shade can be daunting, but what if there was something more waiting on the other side? In this episode, Ben closes out the Art of Leadership series by reflecting on Wichita’s Keeper of the Plains and a powerful quote from Amanda Gorman about stepping out of the shade and becoming the light. True leadership calls us to be brave enough to see the good, pursue it,...

Playing small might feel safe, but what if it was preventing the world from benefiting from the things only you have to offer? When we hide our gifts, ideas and unique perspective, everyone loses. In this episode, Ben reflects on a two-part mural inspired by a quote from Marianne Williamson and the idea that our greatest fear may not be inadequacy, but the courage required to fully step into who w...

Great leaders don’t just accomplish important work, they create space for others to lead after them. In this episode, Ben reflects on a mural inspired by George Washington and one of the most remarkable leadership decisions in history: stepping aside when he could have seized more power. Washington’s legacy wasn’t built solely on what he achieved, but on the people he empowered and the example he...

Great ideas rarely begin with credentials, consensus, or approval - they begin with someone willing to take the first step. In this episode, Ben reflects on the story of the Wright brothers and the lesson behind the Wright Flyer mural on Hutton’s Wichita campus. The Wright brothers changed the world not because they had permission, but because they pursued an idea with persistence and conviction....

What kind of future are you building with the plans you have today? In this episode, we kick off a new five-week series on the Art of Leadership with a mural inspired by Daniel Burnham and his challenge to “make no little plans.” Big plans have a way of pulling us forward, inspiring others, and creating impact that outlives us. Thinking too small may be limiting what’s possible and some ideas are...

Bloat: the thing slowing your organization down due to the cumulative effect of too many helpful additions. Most bloat doesn’t appear all at once, it builds gradually until the system becomes heavier, slower, and more complicated than it needs to be. In this episode, we talk about how the extra meetings, approval layers, stakeholders, and processes slowly pile up – eventually creating friction eve...

What if work isn’t something to avoid but instead something woven into the fabric that gives life purpose? Somewhere along the way, we started treating work like a burden instead of recognizing the dignity and joy that can come from doing meaningful things well. In this episode, we close our series on work with a poem from Edgar Albert Guest and a challenge to rethink the way we talk about “hard w...

What if being constantly busy isn’t a sign of success but a distraction from it? In this episode, we talk about the danger of hustle culture and why celebrating the grind itself might be causing us to measure work the wrong way. The goal isn’t to glorify the work, it’s to pursue meaningful outcomes with purpose. What are you actually measuring: the impact of your work or just the amount of it? Ref...

Not all hard work is the same: some work gives us purpose, but some slowly drains it away. Hard work isn’t a problem, but it becomes toilsome when we can’t see why it matters anymore. In this episode, we explore the difference between hard work and toil and a few strategies to manage toil when we encounter it. What’s one thing in your life that keeps exhausting you because it feels like it has no...

What if the thing holding you back isn’t a lack of talent but a lack of willingness to keep flapping your wings? In this week’s episode, we kick off a four-week series on hard work by examining the work ethic of hummingbirds. These little birds teach us that sometimes success doesn’t come from natural gifting or perfect conditions, it comes from good old fashioned hard work. Where in your life is...

Are you making life harder by waiting when you don’t have to? In this episode, Ben examines a simple idea from a recent travel experience to rethink how we approach decisions, timing, and risk. Waiting might feel like it gives you more control, but often it creates more friction, fewer options, and bigger problems when things go wrong. Where in your life or work are you choosing the “late flight”...

When was the last time you gave yourself space to really think? We’re busy, and it’s crowding out the very clarity we’re looking for when we make decisions. In this episode, Ben discusses “thinking about your thinking” and why the best ideas often show up when we finally slow down. Stop leaving those moments to chance and start creating them on purpose. What might surface if you gave your mind the...

When you lead an organization, firing clients is an unfortunate inevitability. How do you know when it’s time to walk away from a client and how do you do it well? In this episode, Ben talks through ending client relationships in a way that reflects who you are as a leader and the integrity of the culture you are building. It’s never enjoyable, but with some thoughtful work there is a way for you...

The average adult in America makes roughly 35,000 decisions a day. Some decisions need time and weight, others you can simply test, adjust, and move forward. In this episode, Ben breaks down two simple tools for better decision making. Where might you be rushing your decisions or where are you overthinking? Take some time to reflect and plan your week using this week’s With Purpose planner – ⁠link...