Beyond the Crucible

The Power of Humbler Leadership: Josh WymoreJosh Wymore, our guest this week, was striking out as a leader as an assistant coach of a women's softball team — until a more seasoned coach gave him counsel that changed the trajectory of not just his leadership, but his life. Wymore was trying to lead the ladies thinking he had to have, and provide, all the answers.What the more experienced coach taught him set him on the path of embracing, researching and writing about HUMBLER LEADERSHIP, the title of his book we talk about this week.The lessons he lays out can not only unlock humility in your leadership, it can help you avoid and overcome crucibles, too.To learn more about John Wymore, visit joshwymore.comTo explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel. And be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Want Contentment? Here's How to Find ItDiscontentment. It's a crucible all its own when you're not living a life aligned with your skills and values. But what if you are pursuing a life that is fully aligned with your skills and values? Discontentment can be a world-rattler when is pops up under those circumstances.Warwick tackles this subject in his most recent blog, and in our discussion this week we help you overcome those difficult feelings with such tips as understanding that contentment is not found solely in what you do and asking yourself if your identity is wrapped up in the cause you are devoting your life to.If it is — another tip — decouple who you are from what you do.To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel. And be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.comEnjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

How Tragedy Awakened Her Extraordinary Purpose to Help Others: Carey ConleyCarey Conley lost husband Ross to suicide in 2014 and her son Cole to the same manner of death just three years later.After these devastating losses, she tells us this week, she was faced with a choice: To find purpose through despair, or to throw in the towel.She chose purpose. She found it in helping those who feel lost in day-to-day life craft vision plans to find their footing. She helps people create crystal clear written visions for every area of their life, so they take action every day toward living out their purpose. And purpose, she says, is what gives people hope.To learn more about Carey Conley, visit www.careyconley.comTo explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel. And be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.comEnjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Applying the Actionable Truths 5: CharacterWe take a look this week at the fifth actionable truth our research has shown us helps you move from trial to triumph: character.It's one thing to have beliefs and values, it's another thing to live them out. So we have to make a choice. Are our beliefs and values going to be a bumper sticker or something hanging on a corporate wall … or are they going to be real? That's the sum and substance of this week's conversation.To come back from our crucible, we really need to live what we believe. That is a critical step on the journey to getting beyond our crucible and leading a life of significance.To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel. And be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.comEnjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

His Greatest Adrenaline Rush? Serving Others: John Graham John Graham shipped out on a freighter to Asia when he was 16, hitchhiked through the Algerian Revolution at 19 and was on the team that made the first ascent of Mt. McKinley's North Wall at 20, a climb so dangerous it's never been repeated. He hitchhiked around the world at 22, working as a correspondent for the Boston Globe in every war he came across.A U.S. Foreign Service Officer for fifteen years, he served in Libya during the 1969 revolution and in one of the most difficult and dangerous areas in Vietnam during the war there.. For three years in the mid-seventies, he was a member of NATO's top-secret Nuclear Planning Group, then served as a foreign policy advisor for Sen. John Glenn. During a posting at the United Nations, however, his life began to turn. He became deeply involved in U.S. human rights initiatives, including the fight against apartheid in South Africa.Still, something was missing. In 1980, a close brush with death aboard a burning cruise ship in a typhoon in the North Pacific forced him to accept a deeper meaning for his life. He found it in 1983, when he became and still works as a leader of the Giraffe Heroes Project, a global nonprofit moving people to stick their necks out for the common good—and giving them the tools to succeedTo learn more about John Graham, visit www.johngraham.orgTo explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

The Valuable Lessons in Others' Mistakes How can other people's mistakes or misfortunes, whether they were their fault or not, benefit you? We may agree we can learn from our own mistakes and misfortunes, but we can also learn from the mistakes other people made and the misfortunes other people have faced. This week, we discuss Warwick's latest blog at BeyondTheCrucible.com to discover what we can learn from what others have gone through. Action steps like hit the reset button, understand the why and decide to live differently can help us avoid facing the same situations; and even if we end up facing them, it might give us more insight into how to handle those situations and bounce back faster.To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel. And be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.comEnjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

From a Life Sentence to a Life Restored: Judy HendersonTo explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.comAt age 18. Judy Henderson married the man who would become the father of her two children. What began with hopes of family and stability turned into 12 years of domestic abuse, a period she later recognized as foundational to her vulnerability in subsequent relationships.In 1982, she was wrongly convicted of capital murder in a case tied to her then-boyfriend's criminal activities. He was acquitted at trial; she was sentenced to life in prison without parole. At 32,Henderson entered the Missouri prison system with no history of criminal behavior and little understanding of the legal process that had condemned her.What followed was not just the passage of time, but a metamorphosis. Angry and disoriented at first, Henderson turned inward to confront her past and embrace her faith. Therapy sessions and support groups — particularly those for survivors of domestic abuse — helped her understand the patterns of trauma that had shaped her decisions. She came to recognize herself as a battered woman, a term she had not known before incarceration. Her eventual release came in 2017 through the clemency of then-Governor Eric Greitens, who made history as the first Missouri governor to personally visit a prison to deliver news of a commutation. Now in her seventies and living near her family in Missouri, Henderson works for Catholic Charities and remains an active advocate for criminal justice reform.She recounts it all in her new memoir, When the Light Finds Us: From a Life Sentence to a Life Transformed.To learn more about Judy Henderson, including how to buy her memoir, visit www.judyannhenderson.comTo explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Applying the Actionable Truths 4: FaithWe take a look this week at the fourth actionable truth our research has shown us helps you move from trial to triumph: faith.To effectively move beyond a crucible, we need to have an anchor for our soul, a guiding light for our journey. Something that will keep us on track and in touch with who we really are. That is what we call faith at Beyond the Crucible.It may include different belief systems, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism. It could be different philosophical or spiritual ways of thinking. But to withstand the storms of life and the crucibles we may encounter, we have to have an immovable north star that guides us to our life of significance — especially through the challenges we encounter along the way."The point," Warwick says, "is that we need to get in touch with what we believe at our very core."To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Lauren Burns was 7 years old when her father, a Jordanian national divorced from her mother when she was just a few weeks old, kidnapped her and took her to his homeland. His plan was to raise her there.But Lauren's Mom fought tirelessly and valiantly to bring her back home to America. The details of how she succeeded in being reunited with her daughter, told here in edge-of-your-seat detail, feature a clandestine rescue operation led by former U.S. military operatives and what Lauren describes as miracles that not only got her home but also fueled her Chistian faith.To learn more about Lauren Burns, visit www.laurenburns.netTo explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Building a Life You Don't Want to Escape FromWe 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? to How do you see this adding up to a life of significance?"It is our life, and we get to choose our own adventure," Warwick says. "We can design a life we want to live."To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Tackling M.S. with Mindfulness: Scott EblinScott 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—awareness and intention. The first helps with understanding what's going on both around you and inside of you at any given moment. The second enables you to act in the moment to create a particular outcome or result.His emphasis, he tells Warwick, is on small steps that, when taken consistently over time, lead to big results.To learn more about Scott Eblin, visit www.eblingroup.com/To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Applying the Actionable Truths 3: AuthenticityWe 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 — two things we can only do by leaning into who we really are, not who we want others to think we are."We cannot move forward," Warwick explains, "without being our true authentic selves and pursuing our unique authentic calling."To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 respect he worked so hard to get.But Borelli's story did a sharp 180-degree turn to redemption when a question from his young daughter while he was in prison led to his getting clean from drugs and getting a fresh start through what he calls a miracle of God.Today, he talks to at-risk youth about avoiding his early path and embracing his life-saving one.To learn more about Robert Borelli, visit www.www.robertborelli.comTo explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.comEnjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.

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 forward is to press into what your crucible teaches you about yourself, the growth it's granted you in your wisdom and resilience, and be ever-ready to dial them up as needed.To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 limit the ways we approach the thorniest issues before us. The key, he explains, is flexing tactics but not values and principles."The intentional, wise choices that this framework helps you think through, should help you move through a crucible faster and more efficiently," he explains. "Not because it becomes easy, but because it becomes more manageable and navigable."To learn more about Kevin Eikenberry and get a free gift based on his book, visit www.kevineikenberry.comTo explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure to subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 too easy to start acting and moving without reflecting," Warwick says. "We always say at Beyond the Crucible that the inner work precedes the outer work."To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 how to read music.To learn more about Jon-Michael Ogletree, visit https://www.jmopiano.com/To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 determining when to say "yes" and when to say "no" we discuss are anchoring all decisions in your beliefs and values, making sure you've you're passionate about the opportunity and making certain you're being realistic."To have a great impact and make a difference, do less," Warwick says. "You will end up having a greater impact and making a greater difference than you think."To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Closing the Courage Gap: Dr. Margie WarrellDr. 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 of focusing on what you want, not on what you fear; rescripting what's kept you scared or too safe; and stepping into discomfort, because it's where the rubber meets the road."Growth and comfort," she says here, "can't ride the same horse."To learn more about Dr. Margie Marrell and The Courage Gap, visit www.margiewarrell.comTo explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Applying the Actionable Truths 1: CruciblesOur 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 resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Helping Heroes Heal from Moral Injury: Judy Issacson EliasJudy 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 father arranged for her led her to reconnect with her Jewish faith, and the healing she felt in doing so would decades later give her an idea to help other veterans like her father who suffered from what has come to be known as moral injury.She founded the Heroes to Heroes, a program that equips struggling veterans with a life plan that incorporates all aspects of well-being, with spirituality as a cornerstone for ongoing support and belonging within their communities."The miracles that I've seen here are just phenomenal,” Elias says. “The reconnection to faith is just the most beautiful thing to watch. My belief is once you heal from within, all the other healing is easy.”To learn more about Heroes to Heroes, visit www.heroestoheroes.orgTo explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

These 'Actionable Truths' Will Guide You From Trial to TriumphOur 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 the show, we'll discuss the insights our newly crafted Beyond the Crucible Roadmap offers and identify each of the actionable truths.Then, each month throughout this year, we'll spend an entire episode unpacking the importance of each of the truths, along with tips on how you can activate them.To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 series CLASSIC FILMS, CLASSIC CRUCIBLE LESSONS. We discuss the dangers of comparing our life of significance to someone else's … and unpack why great fellow travelers don't have to necessarily be those with whom we have a lot in common. In the end, we discover, building each other and ourselves up rather than tearing each other and ourselves down is what allows us to say, to quote TOY STORY'S title song, "You've Got a Friend in Me." To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to subscribe tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 part of what we've dubbed our series within the show – Stories from the Book Crucible Leadership – we revisit our deep-dive conversation about what a great role model of perseverance Churchill is for all of us hoping to turn our trials into triumphs. Though he faced personal and professional crucibles all his life, Churchill rose above and moved through them by doing some critical things right: leaning into pursuits like writing and painting to calm his soul; a happy marriage he worked hard at protecting; and -- maybe most importantly – adopting a magnanimous and forgiving nature when family, friends and political opponents disrespected or outright attacked him. “Success,” he once said (and then modeled throughout his life), “is to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 came crashing down when he didn't qualify to study medicine. So instead, he pursued physiotherapy, first as a backup plan, but then with a passion for not only restoring health, but for reimagining the field. He became founder and CEO of Australia's largest physiotherapy network, the Back in Motion Health Group. He never wanted a business, he says, yet ended up as a franchisor, with more than 140 of them supported by a team of more than 700 employees. But that isn't the final chapter of his life of significance. He sold the businesses for $100 million to focus full time on pursuits like his Iceberg Leadership Institute, where he's mentored more than 1,000 others just like him. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 last episode of the year in our series within the show, STORIES FROM THE BOOK CRUCIBLE LEADERSHIP, we discuss the many ways in which Warwick's father did the right thing no matter how hard doing the right thing was, setting an example for his boy that lives on today in the work of Beyond the Crucible. You'll want to listen especially closely for the surprising moment Warwick and I realize a poem his father wrote in a book he was working on before he died in 1987 planted the seeds for Warwick's life of significance as founder of Beyond the Crucible. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 Serve Your Purpose. We explore seven key truths to help you stay out of the danger zone of your passion becoming so white-hot that it hurts you and your team. Among the insights we discuss to help you avoid creating more crucibles are being vulnerable, asking for help and being sure to channel your passion appropriately. In short, Warwick says, "Your passion needs to serve your purpose. If it doesn't, you need to get your passion under control until it does." To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 setback and failure is not a trait we manifest innately, but a skill we must build. How do we do it? As you'll discover in her conversation with Warwick, Dr. Pelletier says the change professionals and leaders need to make is to approach their resilience the same way they approach a successful business using a strategic plan. That's what creates helpful, sustainable, and reliable long-term resilience. The key components to that plan, she says, include relationships, knowing what energizes you and what drains you, and leaning into your values as you consider your next action step on your journey back from trials and challenges. To learn more about Dr. Pelletier, visit www.drmarie-helene.com To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com

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 possible if Roosevelt didn't have two critical things necessary to move beyond a crucible: a mindset shift that he wouldn't let his polio prevent him from living an active life; and fellow travelers who helped him keep going so that he could indeed, move from private trial to public triumph. “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor,” Roosevelt once said --- and his life is a ringing testament to that truth we'd all be wise to remember. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 war of words. Among the insights he offers: don't judge the motives of people we disagree with, respect those who differ from your perspective, share the backstory behind your worldview and seek to find common ground.  “Having positive engagement with those we disagree with is possible,” Warwick says. `“Isn't this more of what the world needs? To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 worst day is your worst day, your crucible can be a gift, you can't get beyond your crucible without forgiveness, it's never too late to pursue a fresh life of significance, and knowledge is power – have become critical parts of our knowledge base for helping you move from trials to triumphs. And you'll also want to pay special attention at the end, when Warwick and Gary pick one episode each from among the 234 that have come before this one that we believe captures the essence of what Beyond the Crucible is all about. To watch the Heather Kampf episode discussed in the show, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgbGo6Z1Xms&list=PLLohc3aLoBACZkgOBuRE1LtBBMSqc0OOO To listen, click here: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/harnessing-resilience-iii-heather-kampf-82/id1484108280?i=1000534538329 To watch the two Lisa Blair episodes discussed in the show, click on these two links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=413wO70tLuk&list=PLLohc3aLoBACZkgOBuRE1LtBBMSqc0OOO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC25FPb4lSA&list=PLLohc3aLoBACZkgOBuRE1LtBBMSqc0OOO To listen, click here: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/lisa-blair-part-1-reframing-failure-47/id1484108280?i=1000501701291 https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/lisa-blair-part-2-how-do-i-survive-tonight-48/id1484108280?i=1000502437093 To explore other Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app or You Tube and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 Santillie emerged from her self-imposed shackles to help others emerge from theirs. As a certified Fearless Living coach, she now specializes in guiding successful entrepreneurial men to become the Chief Emotional Officers™ of their lives as they face personal and professional transitions. The insights she offers her clients, she says, have helped her continue her own healing journey. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 week, in the eighth installment of our series within the show -- STORIES FROM THE BOOK CRUCIBLE LEADERSHIP -- we discuss what made Nelson a brilliant and beloved leader and the lessons we all can learn from him about motivating and mobilizing teams to achieve a critical goal. We also unpack the details of the two defining battles in Nelson's naval career: The Battle of the Nile and the Battle of Trafalgar. The first one made Nelson a national hero. The second made him an icon for the ages. “Living your values, living your beliefs, is absolutely key to living a life of significance,” Warwick says. "And that's what Nelson did.” To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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 some serious self-examination and self-reflection; asking others for help if you feel like your identity is wrapped up in what you do, and making sure you're tackling the soul work that will help you keep your identity in an emotionally healthy balance. Along the way, we also discuss the inspiration for the blog, which came from two recent podcast guests … and Warwick's own struggles with his professional identity and how he's moved beyond them. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Leaning Into Her Own Homelessness to Help Other Women Escape Theirs: Leanna Fairfax Leanna Fairfax, a distant relative of Warwick's, talks about her rough early years – homeless at 15 and off-and-off again through the years after that, in an abusive relationship, plagued by the gnawing feeling that she would always live her life on the margins. But that's just the start of Leanna Fairfax's journey. Leanna traced her ancestry to John Fairfax, Warwick's great-great grandfather, the founder of the family media empire Warwick lost in a failed takeover bid that led to his life's greatest crucible. She tracked Warwick down on LinkedIn – discovering that the details of his crucible and John Fairfax's life of perseverance helped her make sense of how she was able to persevere through her setbacks and trials. What has her perseverance looked like? Going to college after dropping out of high school, earning top marks while getting her bachelor's and master's degrees, and now pursuing her PhD studying women going through the same crucibles she did. Her focus is on researching homeless women living in temporary accommodations, which will not only help improve their lives but has also helped her learn things she didn't know or feel when she herself was homeless. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

His Dreams of Being a Doctor Dashed,  He Found a New Calling Running a Physiotherapy Business: Jason T. Smith Jason T Smith 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 came crashing down when he didn't qualify to study medicine. So instead, he pursued physiotherapy, first as a backup plan, but then with a passion for not only restoring health, but for reimagining the field. He became founder and CEO of Australia's largest physiotherapy network, the Back in Motion Health Group. He never wanted a business, he says, yet ended up as a franchisor, with more than 140 of them supported by a team of more than 700 employees. But that isn't the final chapter of his life of significance. He sold the businesses for $100 million to focus full time on pursuits like his Iceberg Leadership Institute, where he's mentored more than 1000, others just like him. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

From a Tin Shed to the United Nations: Stephanie Woollard Not a handout but a hand up. That's what our guest this week, Stephanie Woollard, just described about how she responded when did when, during a visit to Nepal, she encountered seven women living in a tiny tin shed. They were suffering from physical handicaps and from being marginalized by their society because of those challenges. And her efforts empowered them to change their own lives and to help others do the same. Through the charity she founded, which she named 7 Women, Woollard has bettered the lives of thousands of women in Nepal.  While equipping them with the power overcome their crucibles, she leaned into her strength and discovered the faith to help her overcome her own setbacks and challenges along the way – which included debilitating burnout. “I've always had the desire to make a difference,” she tells Warwick. And she's done that – as the title of her book says – from a tin shed to the United Nations. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Stories from the Book Crucible Leadership: Abraham Lincoln on the Character to Build a Team of Rivals The best people possible. That's who Abraham Lincoln drafted for his Cabinet during the most precipitous time in U.S. history. And most of them weren't the biggest fans of the country's 16th president. This week, in the latest episode of our series within the show, STORIES FROM THE BOOK CRUCIBLE LEADERSHIP, we examine how Lincoln managed to achieve such momentous results by assembling a team of rivals. Key to his success, Warwick explains, was Lincoln's character and the humility that flowed from it, allowing him to surround himself with men who had what it took to help him win the civil war and end slavery … even if they didn't much care for their boss when they started working for him. In the end though, because of his lack of ego and his ability to forgive slights both big and small, Lincoln's team came to view him, as one of them said, “as the best and wisest man he had ever known.” To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

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, in the 9th and final episode of our summer series CLASSIC FILMS, CLASSIC CRUCIBLE LESSONS, we discuss the dangers of comparing our life of significance to someone else's … and unpack why great fellow travelers don't have to necessarily be those with whom we have a lot in common. In the end, we discover, building each other and ourselves up rather than tearing each other and ourselves down is what allows us to say, to quote TOY STORY'S title song, "You've Got a Friend in Me." To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Compassion and empathy. Two traits that help elevate Rocky Balboa out of his hardscrabble life as a small-time boxer who will need both his fists of stone and his heart of gold to escape the crucibles that have dogged him most of his life. This week, in the eighth episode of our summer series CLASSIC FILMS, CLASSIC CRUCIBLE LESSONS, we take a look at 1976's Oscar-winning ROCKY, both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone.  The movie is a simple yet monumental achievement that explores the power a mindset shift and the support of fellow travelers can have on turning a life of aimlessness into a life of significance. Rocky Balboa always dreamed but never really thought he'd get his shot to change the spiraling trajectory of his life … but then a chance to fight for boxing's grandest title, and his romance with his best friend's shy sister, gave him a vision he could believe in and the self-respect he'd never been able to muster. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Courage. It's indispensable to our pursuit of a life of significance in the wake, and especially in the midst, of a crucible. That's one of the key truths we unpack in our discussion of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, the latest movie from the American Film Institute's Top 100 we discuss in our summer series CLASSIC FILMS, CLASSIC CRUCUBLE LESSONS. The first movie in director Peter Jackson's trilogy of films based on JRR Tolkien's epic novel has at its center the most unlikely of heroes: Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit – a race of beings known for pursuing leisure more than adventure. But when dark forces threaten to overtake the fantasy world in which the movie is set, it's Frodo who is entrusted to carry the powerful ring of the title, not the heroic men, elves and dwarves who become his trusted fellow travelers – not to mention the wizard who becomes his mentor and guide. And although he didn't seek, doesn't want and is in fact often terrified by the calling he's inherited, Frodo finds the bravery and resolve to lead the charge to save civilization, discovering along the way that true heroes don't need to expertly wield swords, just humbly wield character. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Classic Films, Classic Crucible Lessons VI: To Kill a Mockingbird  One person doing the right thing. That sums up succinctly TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, the movie we discuss this week on the sixth episode of our summer series, CLASSIC FILMS, CLASSIC CRUCIBLE LESSONS. The person who keeps doing the right thing in this movie the American Film Institute ranked at number 25 on its Top 100 list is Atticus Finch. He's a kind, compassionate lawyer and honest, dedicated father who refuses to bend to the racial prejudices of his time and place – 1930s Alabama. In defending his client, a wrongly accused black man, he models for his children, Jem and Scout, what character that doesn't see color looks like. As one of his neighbors tells the children at the tragic conclusion of the trial, “Some men in this world are born to do our unpleasant jobs for us ... your father is one of them.” That would have been an agonizing crucible for many men of the era, but for Atticus Finch it was a role he fulfilled with honor and humility that can teach us a lot about weathering our own crucible experiences. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com 

Helping other people and having a higher purpose. That's a spot-on definition of what a life of significance is all about ... and also what IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE -- the movie we discuss on this week's episode of our summer series -- is all about. The movie's become an iconic Christmas tale because, as we discuss here, it shows that when we live our lives guided by our character and values, rather than simply by the things we want, or at least think we want, we find the kind of joy and purpose self-interest can never give us. That's the lesson of George Bailey's life … the kind of life that's within our grasp when we place the needs of others ahead the desires of ourselves.  To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

This week, we focus our summer-series discussion on the Oscar-winning SCHINDLER'S LIST, No. 8 on the American Film Institute's Top 100 Movies. Specifically, we focus on Oskar Schindler's journey from an amoral man focused on profiting from World War II and his fellow Nazis' barbaric treatment of Jews … to a savior of those victimized people. How does he end up there? His compassion and his character grow after witnessing atrocities that take his focus off making a fortune for himself to spending that fortune to buy the freedom – and the very lives – of endangered Jews. He expresses his hopes early in the film that he people would say of his business acumen after the war started “He did something extraordinary” by amassing “all the riches in the world.” That is indeed what is still said today about Oskar Schindler … but in a far different, far more significant way than he was capable of imagining when he said it. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is one of the most beloved movie musicals of all time, its title song a fabulous exhortation to face crucibles with a happy refrain and a smile on our face. This week, in part three of our summer series CLASSIC FILMS, CLASSIC CRUCIBLE LESSONS, we talk in entertaining depth about the lessons the movie – number 5 on the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 U.S. films – can teach us about the importance of living life with authenticity and navigating our journey from trials to triumphs with a team of fellow travelers who pick us up when we're down and help us define and embrace our unique life of significance. What the hero of the story, Don Lockwood, sings in the film in the midst of a downpour is a perspective we all would be wise to adopt when life's storms come: What a glorious feeling. I'm happy again. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

In this week's episode, the second in our summer series CLASSIC FILMS, CLASSIC CRUCIBLE LESSONS, we discuss THE GODFATHER, number 2 on the American Film Institute's Top 100 list. It's a cautionary tale that spotlights how critical it is we live a life guided by beliefs and values rooted in something nobler than our own self-Interests. We zero in on Michael Corleone, the youngest son of the mafia family depicted in the film. His father, Vito, the godfather of the title, had plans for him to live a life in the legitimate world as a senator or governor, but they were upended by the violent realities of the mob life and Michael's own ambivalence about the family's business. The tragedy of THE GODFATHER is that Michael had the temperament and skills to have led a great life of significance, but he never seizes the opportunity to live that life. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

This week we kick off our special nine-week summer series, CLASSIC FILMS, CLASSIC CRUCIBLE LESSONS. We begin our examination of the lessons we can learn from movies on the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 U.S. films of all time by discussing CITZEN KANE – No. 1 on AFI's list. Unlike most of the conversations we have on the podcast (and unlike most we'll have on this series), our look at Charles Foster Kane, the title character of this classic, is not an examination of the trials he faced and how he triumphed over them – but how his inability and refusal to grow from the setbacks and failures of his life doomed him to allowing his worst days to define him. But that doesn't mean there isn't plenty we can learn from CITIZEN KANE. The movie is a masterclass in why character and serving others rather than selfishly thinking only of ourselves is the only way to lead a life of joy and fulfilment – what we call a life of significance. In exploring how Charles Foster Kane failed to leave behind a legacy to be proud of – we can discover how to do just that. To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com. Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us. Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

A life of significance is not a numbers game. That's just one of the kernels of wisdom and inspiration you'll hear in this week's episode, in which he unpacks his new blog at beyondthecrucible.com – titled Why Your Life of Significance matters. It offers you the hope and insight you need to turn your worst day into your greatest opportunity.   Warwick runs through some things you should think about when journeying from setback to significance, things like, Why do you want to help the people you want to help, what would happen to them if they aren't helped and whether you have the skills and passion to bring your vision for helping them to reality.   If you listen closely, you'll also hear Warwick say your vision doesn't have to be about saving the galaxy. What does he mean by that? Pay attention and you'll discover the answer – rooted in his inspiration for the blog, a beloved character from a classic movie who can inspire you to go … to infinity and beyond.   To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.   Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us.   Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Our guest this week, Kim Cantin, discusses a tragedy of the deepest sorrow: the 2018 flash floods in Montecito, California, that obliterated her home and took her husband and son from her. Yet the rain and the mud and the devastation could not take her hope.   Cantin was herself injured seriously and her daughter, Lauren, trapped for six hours under the debris. While the body of her husband, Dave, was found quickly in the mudslide's aftermath, the remains of her son, Jack, would not be discovered until three years later, after an exhaustive search.   In her conversation with Warwick, she explains how she had to muster the tenacity and perseverance to rediscover hope. She's also documented that journey in her book, WHERE THE YELLOW FLOWERS BLOOM. Its title refers to the yellow flowers that grew in a place that they shouldn't near her son's remains … and how their presence helped her see the beauty where there should be none.   Indeed, as she says here, love found a way.   To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.   Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us.   Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Winston Churchill was known for many things – always looking for ways to move onward after a trial or challenge chief among them. 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 part of what we've dubbed our series within the show – Stories from the Book Crucible Leadership – we have a deep-dive conversation about what a great role model of perseverance Churchill is for all of us hoping to turn our trials into triumphs.   Though he faced personal and professional crucibles all his life, Churchill rose above and moved through them by doing some critical things right: leaning into pursuits like writing to calm his soul; a happy marriage he worked hard at protecting; and  -- maybe most importantly – adopting a magnanimous and forgiving nature when family, friends and political opponents disrespected or outright attacked him.   “Success,” he once said (and then modeled throughout his life), “is to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”     To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.   Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us.   Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Bolstered and resilient. That's how we all want to feel after we've been through a crucible. And this week's guest, Vanessa Vershaw, is known as the CEO whisperer because she has an impressive track record of helping leaders arrive at that very destination.   In her conversation with Warwick, Vershaw speaks candidly about her own crucibles – some she's never spoken publicly about before – which include being bullied in school and as a leader in the workplace, often by other women.   She's emerged from those challenges to help organizations and those who run them reimagine their future, creating strategies and orchestrating experiences that ensure they thrive.   To do so, she explains, they have to commit to shifting mindsets from desperately holding onto past practices to being open to new approaches and possibilities. It's ground she covers in her latest book, Unreasonable Ambition: Renegade Thinking for Leaders to Create Impossible Change.   The principles she shares in the book, and in this episode, she says, help her clients believe in magic and miracles.   To learn more about Vanessa Vershaw, visit reinventionconsulting.com.au   To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.   Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and be sure to tell your friends and family about us.   Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com