The ThriveWell Journey | Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Life After Disruption

What did this conversation open up for you? Leave a 1-minute voicemail: https://rss.com/podcasts/thethrivewelljourney/voicemail/Chris Natzke spent years building a successful career, a martial arts business, and a championship legacy. But leaving Procter & Gamble brought fear so intense he ended up in the emergency room.Later, the end of his 26-year marriage made him ask a very different question: Who am I now? Chris and L. Michael Burt talk about courage, perfectionism, forgiveness, and learning to move forward when life no longer looks the way you planned. Chris also shares practical ways to take the next step without needing to figure out the whole future first. A human conversation about purpose after disruption and finding room to become more than your achievements.Together, Chris and Michael explore what happens when achievement is no longer enough to tell you who you are, and why choosing a different direction does not erase the value of everything you've already done.WHAT YOU'LL HEAR• The moment Chris knew his corporate career was no longer where he wanted to be• The fear behind that decision and the first steps he took as a business owner• His championship story and the difference between reacting and responding• Why he began choosing excellence over perfection• The role of self-forgiveness, empathy, and spiritual psychology in what he teaches nowCHAPTERS00:00 Welcome to The ThriveWell Journey01:10 Growing up without confidence and discovering martial arts05:22 From a lifelong dream to a corporate career08:03 The moment Chris knew it was time to leave his job12:25 When following your dream brings fear and panic attacks18:12 The decision that changed how Chris showed up21:05 Conscious persistence and taking the next step24:13 Facing fear instead of fighting it25:40 Morning routines and creating your day27:33 Building new habits through small commitments32:27 Losing a championship before finally winning38:16 What winning taught Chris about identity42:38 Who are you beyond your accomplishments?47:48 Divorce, perfectionism, and questioning who you are50:28 Finding a new direction through spiritual psychology53:20 Self-forgiveness, judgment, and learning empathy56:39 What Chris is still discovering about himself58:52 Connect with Chris and explore his resources1:00:42 Chris's final message: Don't wait to live your purposeCONNECT w/ CHRIS: Chris Natzke | https://www.chrisnatzke.com/YOU DID NOT LOSE YOUR WAY https://alignment.lmichaelburt.com/START BUILDING WITH BLUEHOST https://bluehost.sjv.io/xJXnLyAffiliate disclosure: The ThriveWell Journey may earn a commission if you purchase through this link, at no additional cost to you. Your support helps us continue creating conversations and resources around purpose, transformation, and life after disruption.

What did this conversation open up for you? Leave a 1-minute voicemail: https://rss.com/podcasts/thethrivewelljourney/voicemail/You spend years chasing a goal. You work, sacrifice, collect the credentials, and expect everything to make sense when you finally arrive. Then you get there. The excitement fades, and you're still searching.Dr. Jen Guyton lived that. As a child, she dreamed of photographing for National Geographic. She became a scientist and conservation photographer, working around the world. In 2024, her spotted-hyena photography appeared in a National Geographic cover story. The congratulations felt wonderful. A few weeks later, the feeling was gone.With L. Michael Burt on The ThriveWell Journey, Jen examines what she expected success to give her: worth, belonging, and peace. She describes stepping away from photography for a time, leaving a relationship, and moving to Charleston. She didn't abandon ambition. She began questioning what was driving it.KEY TOPICS• Her childhood National Geographic dream came true, but the recognition didn't bring lasting fulfillment. • “Rain-fed” ambition depends on outside approval. “Spring-fed” ambition comes from curiosity, purpose, and within.• Self-abandonment can look like saying yes when you mean no or staying in work that looks good to everyone else. • After a difficult period, Jen left a relationship and the freelance hustle, taking a wetland conservation job in Charleston. • The “achievement trap” keeps moving the goalposts and postponing joy.• Her daily 10–20 minutes outdoors without distractions helps her check in with herself. She suggests starting with two minutes of silence.• Being present isn't another self-improvement assignment. It's making space to hear and accept what's already there. • She remains an ambitious photographer and coach, but no longer makes every outcome a verdict on her worth. • Jen shares her “Why Am I Successful But Not Happy?” quiz and an upcoming workbook on self-trust.CHAPTERS00:00 From Berkeley and Princeton to a childhood photography dream 07:41 The National Geographic cover did not bring lasting fulfillment 12:36 How achievement became a way to abandon herself 15:34 Listening to the body and building a grounding practice 18:25 Leaving the dark place by changing her circumstances 28:35 The achievement trap and the moving goalpost 35:15 Why slowing down starts with intentional time alone 40:13 Start with two minutes of silence and accept what comes 46:29 Wanting change, facing difficult feelings, and getting support 53:02 Staying ambitious without tying identity to the outcome 58:18 Making peace with old patterns while building a coaching business 01:01:04 Jen’s self-trust quiz, workbook, and closing adviceCONNECT WITH DR. JEN Wild Beyond Coaching: https://www.wildbeyondcoaching.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenguyton/YOU DID NOT LOSE YOUR WAY https://alignment.lmichaelburt.com/START BUILDING WITH BLUEHOST https://bluehost.sjv.io/xJXnLyAffiliate disclosure: The ThriveWell Journey may earn a commission if you purchase through this link, at no additional cost to you. Your support helps us continue creating conversations and resources around purpose, transformation, and life after disruption.

What did this conversation open up for you? Leave a 1-minute voicemail: https://rss.com/podcasts/thethrivewelljourney/voicemail/Most people do not need another reminder that discipline matters. They need a way to return to themselves when life, noise, pressure, and old patterns start running the show.Jeff Jones, Head Football Athletic Performance Coach at the University of Northern Iowa and author of The Intentional Edge: 10 Reps to Mental Toughness, joins L. Michael Burt on The ThriveWell Journey for a conversation about training the mind before pressure arrives.Jeff does not treat mental toughness like a speech. He treats it like reps: write it down, train the focus, create your own scorecard, and keep doing the drill. Michael and Jeff talk about why people can know better and still not move differently, how phones steal focus, why identity cannot live on a scoreboard, and what happens when public success hides private exhaustion.Key ideas include mental toughness training, self-talk as a drill, focus in the phone era, identity beyond titlesand outcomes, ownership without shame, and the slow invisible work of rebuilding self-trustKey ideas:• Mental toughness is trained through daily reps• Focus has to be protected before the phone owns it• Identity needs to be bigger than a role, title, result, or scoreboard• Self-talk is not just motivation; it is a drill• Small consistent reps create invisible impact over timeChapters:00:00 Introduction to Jeff Jones04:13 From athletic performance to whole-person coaching06:26 Why mental toughness has to be trained07:47 The mindset behind reaching your potential09:49 How the mind affects physical performance11:12 Becoming a game-changing coach12:09 Coaching the scheme, the mind, and the heart13:50 Why the mind needs reps, not reminders15:01 Building resilience through identity and values18:19 Finding who you are beyond external validation19:58 Mental drills for focus and toughness21:21 Control the controllables24:04 What changes when you focus on what you can control27:22 Human nature, habits, and performance30:59 Why knowing better does not always change behavior34:30 Responding to adversity without losing yourself37:07 Daily focus and small wins40:31 Internal focus versus external validation44:18 Identity beyond your profession or title47:22 Creating your own success scorecard50:18 Intentional effort and the habits that shape you52:08 How phone addiction affects focus and performance54:42 Setting better boundaries with technology58:50 Patience, repetition, and consistent effort01:05:29 Do the work and keep showing upConnect w/ Jeff JonesInstagram: @coachjeffjonesBook: THE INTENTIONAL EDGEYou Did Not Lose Your Way: https://alignment.lmichaelburt.com/Start building with Bluehost:https://bluehost.sjv.io/xJXnLyAffiliate disclosure: The ThriveWell Journey may earn a commission if you purchase through this link, at no additional cost to you. Your support helps us continue creating conversations and resources around purpose, transformation, and life after disruption.

What did this conversation open up for you? Leave a 1-minute voicemail: https://rss.com/podcasts/thethrivewelljourney/voicemail/You can lose a job, change direction, or realize the work no longer fits without immediately knowing what the next chapter is supposed to look like. The hard part is that work can become tangled up with identity. When the title changes, the question can become bigger than “What job do I get next?” It can become “Who am I now?”Carlee Wolfe joins L. Michael Burt for a conversation about what happens in that middle space. Carlee works across organizational change, talent, coaching, workforce development, and community work. She also knows career disruption personally. During the pandemic, she experienced job loss and the questions that can follow even when you understand that a larger change is happening.One of the most useful turns in the conversation begins with a familiar phrase: “trust the process.” Carlee admits the phrase can be both motivating and frustrating because trust is hard to touch when you are still inside the uncertainty. Together, Carlee andMichael develop another way to think about it: touch the process. What can you see, do, honor, or complete today that gives you something real to stand on?That can be as small as showing up for coffee when you said you would, putting the phone down and going to bed, or simply picking up the book you keep saying you are going to read. The point is not that tiny actions magically solve a career transition. The point is that commitments compound, and each one can become evidence of how you are choosing to show up.Key ideas from the conversation:• Why career change can shake identity even when the change makes sense• How to separate who you are from the title or organization attached to you• Why curiosity can come before clarity• How small commitments create something tangible inside an uncertain process• Carlee’s 3 Cs: curiosity, clarity, and confident action• The 3 Essentials: information, support, and encouragementConnect with Carlee Wolfe:https://carleewolfe.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/carleeawolfeIf this conversation gives you something useful, follow The ThriveWell Journey, rate the show on your podcast platform, and share the episode with someone navigating a transition. Those simple actions help more people find the work.You Did Not Lose Your Way: https://alignment.lmichaelburt.com/If you have been thinking about launching a website, building your brand, creating a home for your business, or finally putting your idea online, Bluehost gives you a simple place to start.You do not need everything figured out before you begin.You need a place to build.Whether you are creating a business website, personal brand, blog, portfolio, or new project, Bluehost gives you the tools to get online and start creating something real.Start building with Bluehost:https://bluehost.sjv.io/xJXnLyYour idea deserves more than another note sitting in your phone.Give it a home. Build what’s next.Affiliate disclosure: The ThriveWell Journey may earn a commission if you purchase through this link, at no additional cost to you. Your support helps us continue creating conversations and resources around purpose, transformation, and life after disruption.The ThriveWell Journey is hosted by L. Michael Burt and produced by FAYEWAY Media.Purpose After Disruption. Let’s Make Thriving Our New Normal

What did this conversation open up for you? Leave a 1-minute voicemail: https://rss.com/podcasts/thethrivewelljourney/voicemail/Atiba de Souza learned leadership through the consequences of getting it wrong.He describes a period when his reactions and leadership style burned people out and cost him employees. Eventually, the pattern demanded a harder question: what did he need to change?That opens a conversation with L. Michael Burt about leadership after disruption. Atiba shares becoming a single father after his wife left, what destruction can teach us about creation, and how examining himself changed the way he led.Atiba breaks leadership into three practices: set vision, be open, and ask great questions. The goal is to develop people who can think, exercise judgment, and make strong decisions without waiting for the leader's answer.TAKEAWAYSLeadership is a skill that is learned and practiced, not a title earned.Effective leaders focus on developing their people and asking great questions.Destruction is a necessary part of creation and growth.Being open and honest about your feelings fosters trust and better communication.Hard times are part of life, but they can be the foundation for future success.A leader's primary role is to help their team improve and succeed. Asking the right questions can unlock solutions and new perspectives.Leadership is about creating a culture where questions are encouraged. Chapters00:00 Introduction to Atiba de Souza's Leadership Journey00:28 Introduction to leadership and questioning01:55 Leadership as a Skill, Not a Title02:51 The power of asking questions to empower others04:01 The Role of Destruction in Creation07:02 Personal Story of Resilience and Transformation07:05 Developing independent thinking through probing questions12:00 Life's Challenges as Opportunities for Growth12:01 Using first principles to solve problems17:01 Creating a culture of curiosity and learning18:04 The Power of Emotional Openness in Leadership21:59 The role of values in leadership and culture24:00 Developing Leaders Through Questions and Vision27:03 Strategies for effective delegation and leadership growth30:02 The Importance of Trust and Authenticity31:57 Understanding human nature and communication36:10 Handling Difficult Situations with Clarity and Calm37:00 The importance of self-awareness and continuous improvement41:56 Real-world examples of leadership in action43:59 The Future of Leadership and Small Business Impact47:05 The impact of leadership on organizational success52:00 Final thoughts on leadership and living by first principlesCONNECT WITH ATIBA DE SOUZA The Delegation Trap: It’s Not Them, It’s You https://thedelegationtrap.com/https://www.atibadesouza.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/atibadesouza/ https://instagram.com/atibadesouzaBUILDING SOMETHING OF YOUR OWN? Get your website online with Bluehost: https://bluehost.sjv.io/xJXnLyAffiliate disclosure: This is an affiliate link. If you purchase through it, The ThriveWell Journey may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.