The ThriveWell Journey | Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Life After Disruption

L. Michael Burt | ThriveWell Journey - Entrepreneurial Leadership & Life After Disruption
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The ThriveWell Journey: Let’s Make Thriving Our New Normal Purpose After Disruption. The ThriveWell Journey is for entrepreneurs, leaders, and creators navigating the space between who they were and who they are becoming. Sometimes life changes the plan. A business fails. A career shifts. Your health changes. Success stops feeling like success. A relationship ends. Something you spent years building no longer fits. Or you simply realize the version of you that got you here cannot take you where you want to go next. That is where this show begins. Hosted by L. Michael Burt, The ThriveWell Journey explores identity, purpose, entrepreneurship, and leadership through one central question: Who are you becoming now, and what will you build from that place? Through conversations with founders, creators, leaders, and change-makers, along with Friday Night Live sessions focused on identity, alignment, and real-time recalibration, we examine what happens after disruption changes the way you see yourself, your work, and your future. This is not about getting back to the person you used to be. It is about understanding what transformed, questioning what no longer fits, and creating what comes next with intention. Because sometimes the disruption is not the end of your path. It is the moment you begin seeing your path differently. If you are rebuilding, reinventing, or questioning what comes next, start with You Did Not Lose Your Way, our free guide for navigating the space between who you were and who you are becoming. Grab it here: https://alignment.lmichaelburt.com/ Website: https://www.thethrivewelljourney.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thethrivewelljourney/ The ThriveWell Journey. Purpose After Disruption. Let’s make thriving our new normal.

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  1. 4d ago

    Successful but Not Happy? | Jen Guyton

    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. CHAPTERS 00:00 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 advice CONNECT 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/xJXnLy 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.

    Successful but Not Happy? | Jen Guyton

  2. Oct 12

    Train Your Mind After Life Tests You | Jeff Jones

    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-trust Key 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 time Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Jeff Jones 04:13 From athletic performance to whole-person coaching 06:26 Why mental toughness has to be trained 07:47 The mindset behind reaching your potential 09:49 How the mind affects physical performance 11:12 Becoming a game-changing coach 12:09 Coaching the scheme, the mind, and the heart 13:50 Why the mind needs reps, not reminders 15:01 Building resilience through identity and values 18:19 Finding who you are beyond external validation 19:58 Mental drills for focus and toughness 21:21 Control the controllables 24:04 What changes when you focus on what you can control 27:22 Human nature, habits, and performance 30:59 Why knowing better does not always change behavior 34:30 Responding to adversity without losing yourself 37:07 Daily focus and small wins 40:31 Internal focus versus external validation 44:18 Identity beyond your profession or title 47:22 Creating your own success scorecard 50:18 Intentional effort and the habits that shape you 52:08 How phone addiction affects focus and performance 54:42 Setting better boundaries with technology 58:50 Patience, repetition, and consistent effort 01:05:29 Do the work and keep showing up Connect w/ Jeff Jones Instagram: @coachjeffjones Book: THE INTENTIONAL EDGE You Did Not Lose Your Way: https://alignment.lmichaelburt.com/ Start building with Bluehost: https://bluehost.sjv.io/xJXnLy 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.

    Train Your Mind After Life Tests You | Jeff Jones

  3. Oct 5

    Career Transition: Finding Your Next Move Without a Clear Plan | Carlee Wolfe

    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 encouragement Connect with Carlee Wolfe: https://carleewolfe.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/carleeawolfe If 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/xJXnLy Your 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

    Career Transition: Finding Your Next Move Without a Clear Plan | Carlee Wolfe

  4. Sep 28

    Why Good Employees Leave: Leadership Mistakes Business Owners Make | Atiba de Souza

    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. TAKEAWAYS Leadership 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. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Atiba de Souza's Leadership Journey 00:28 Introduction to leadership and questioning 01:55 Leadership as a Skill, Not a Title 02:51 The power of asking questions to empower others 04:01 The Role of Destruction in Creation 07:02 Personal Story of Resilience and Transformation 07:05 Developing independent thinking through probing questions 12:00 Life's Challenges as Opportunities for Growth 12:01 Using first principles to solve problems 17:01 Creating a culture of curiosity and learning 18:04 The Power of Emotional Openness in Leadership 21:59 The role of values in leadership and culture 24:00 Developing Leaders Through Questions and Vision 27:03 Strategies for effective delegation and leadership growth 30:02 The Importance of Trust and Authenticity 31:57 Understanding human nature and communication 36:10 Handling Difficult Situations with Clarity and Calm 37:00 The importance of self-awareness and continuous improvement 41:56 Real-world examples of leadership in action 43:59 The Future of Leadership and Small Business Impact 47:05 The impact of leadership on organizational success 52:00 Final thoughts on leadership and living by first principles CONNECT 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/atibadesouza BUILDING SOMETHING OF YOUR OWN? Get your website online with Bluehost: https://bluehost.sjv.io/xJXnLy Affiliate disclosure: This is an affiliate link. If you purchase through it, The ThriveWell Journey may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

    Why Good Employees Leave: Leadership Mistakes Business Owners Make | Atiba de Souza

  5. Sep 26 ·  Bonus

    How You Become Who You Are: The Psychology of Self-Concept | L. Michael Burt

    What did this conversation open up for you? Leave a 1-minute voicemail: https://rss.com/podcasts/thethrivewelljourney/voicemail/ How do you become who you are? Long before you had the ability to question what you believed about yourself, you were absorbing ideas about who you were, what was possible, what was safe, what you deserved, and how you were supposed to move through the world. Your environment shaped you. Your experiences shaped you. The people around you reflected things back to you. Beliefs were repeated. Patterns were reinforced. And over time, a concept of yourself began to feel like simply who you are. But what if the self you know is not fixed? What if much of what you call “me” is a construct you learned, adopted, and reinforced? In this Friday Night Live, L. Michael Burt explores how you become who you are through the lenses of ontology, neuroscience, and spirituality. Drawing from The Spirits' Book by Allan Kardec and The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav, Michael examines the relationship between the personality shaped through human experience and the deeper being underneath it. He also explores how the brain reinforces repeated thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors through neural pathways and Hebb's Law. This isn't about becoming somebody else. It is about seeing more clearly how your sense of self was formed, what you may have adopted without consciously choosing it, and recognizing that you still have agency in who you choose to be. Because once you can see the construct, you don't have to confuse the construct with the entirety of who you are. You create your you. If something in this conversation brings something to the surface, You Did Not Lose Your Way is a guided experience and mirror exercise designed to help you separate what actually happened from the meaning you built around it. Visit alignment.lmichaelburt.com. Join L. Michael Burt for Friday Night Live, Fridays at 7 PM Eastern, and follow The ThriveWell Journey for conversations about identity, transformation, becoming, and purpose after disruption. The ThriveWell Journey: Purpose After Disruption. Let's Make Thriving Our New Normal. Build What’s Next with Bluehost If you’re building a business, brand, or idea online, Bluehost can help you get your website up and running with hosting and tools to build your online presence. Get started with Bluehost: https://bluehost.sjv.io/xJXnLy Affiliate disclosure: This is an affiliate link. If you purchase it, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

    How You Become Who You Are: The Psychology of Self-Concept | L. Michael Burt

  6. Sep 21

    How to Build Self-Confidence: From Being Dismissed to Teaching Millionaires | George Tinsley Sr.

    What did this conversation open up for you? Leave a 1-minute voicemail: https://rss.com/podcasts/thethrivewelljourney/voicemail/ A sixth-grade teacher told George Tinsley Sr. to quit school. Years later, he was teaching wealthy KFC franchisees how to run their businesses. What changed between those two moments? George joins L. Michael Burt to discuss building self-confidence through responsibility, basketball, and the experiences he carried into unfamiliar roles. He remembers the woman who raised him, the teacher who trusted him with the school projector, and the opportunities that opened after his playing career. The conversation also explores rebuilding a restaurant after a fire and giving employees a first chance. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to George Tinsley's Journey 02:01 Reflections on Identity and Self-Perception 04:35 From Pennebaker to Tinsley: A Life Transformed 07:46 Overcoming Childhood Challenges and Building Self-Esteem 12:24 The Role of Faith and Community Support 18:37 Athletic Achievements and College Success 22:29 Transition to Professional Basketball and Entrepreneurship 30:27 Starting in Franchising and Overcoming Financial Barriers 37:36 Resilience in Business: Rebuilding After Setbacks 45:10 Maintaining Positivity and Overcoming Adversity 54:23 Legacy, Impact, and Giving Back 01:02:33 Living with Purpose and Continuing the Journey His book, Catch as Catch Can, brings those life lessons together. Explore George’s books and speaking: Tinsley Speaks Follow The ThriveWell Journey Building a website for your business or next chapter? Explore Bluehost. Affiliate disclosure: We earn a commission if you purchase through our Bluehost link, at no additional cost to you.

    How to Build Self-Confidence: From Being Dismissed to Teaching Millionaires | George Tinsley Sr.

  7. Sep 12 ·  Bonus

    When Your Old Identity No Longer Fits, You Don’t Have to Start Over | L. Michael Burt

    What did this conversation open up for you? Leave a 1-minute voicemail: https://rss.com/podcasts/thethrivewelljourney/voicemail/ What do you do when your life still works, but the version of you who built it no longer fits? You reach a goal you once wanted badly, but the accomplishment feels flat. You enter a room you once fought to access, but the room now feels too small. You continue routines that once felt like purpose, but now they feel like performance. That does not automatically mean you are burned out, ungrateful, or failing. It may mean the identity that carried you through an earlier season has finished its assignment. L. Michael Burt examines why familiar can feel safe even after it has become a cage. He breaks down why pushing harder inside an old identity and tearing your entire life apart are both reactions, not decisions. Through the Be. Do. Have. framework, he reveals how continuing to operate from an old identity keeps producing a life that matches who you used to be. Outgrowing a former version of yourself is not betrayal. You can honor the person who got you here without continuing to live inside that identity. The question is not whether you can become a better version of yourself. The question is whether you are willing to stop performing the version whose assignment is already complete. Ask yourself: Where am I still performing a version of myself that finished its assignment a long time ago? Download the free You Did Not Lose Your Way guided mirror exercise: https://bit.ly/YouDidNotLoseYourWay_Final The ThriveWell Journey explores purpose after disruption, identity shifts, alignment, reinvention, and what it takes to build from who you are becoming. Let’s make thriving our new normal. BUILD WHAT COMES NEXT If the next version of your vision needs a home online, explore Bluehost for website hosting and tools to build your digital platform: https://bluehost.sjv.io/xJXnLy Affiliate disclosure: This is an affiliate link. I may earn a commission if you purchase through this link, at no additional cost to you.

    When Your Old Identity No Longer Fits, You Don’t Have to Start Over | L. Michael Burt

  8. Sep 5 ·  Bonus

    Why You Keep Repeating the Same Patterns and How to Break the Cycle | L. Michael Burt

    What did this conversation open up for you? Leave a 1-minute voicemail: https://rss.com/podcasts/thethrivewelljourney/voicemail/ Why do you keep repeating the same patterns, even after you have done the inner work, spiritual work, and practical work? The money problem returns. Your vision feels like it is moving through sludge. You hire the coach and get pieces. You feel certain on Sunday, then lose that certainty by Wednesday. Eventually, the question turns inward: AM I THE PROBLEM? No. Your present circumstances may be an echo of old decisions, patterns, and stories still moving through your life. An echo is behind you. It does not get the final word. I am not speaking from the other side of a polished breakthrough. I am speaking from inside a week when something collapsed, depression returned, and inspiration was nowhere to be found. What moved me was getting still enough to hear myself and taking the next right step. This Friday Night Live is about how to interrupt a repeating cycle when life feels chaotic, the structures around you are not cooperating, and you are still building something real. You did not lose your way. You may be finding your way back to yourself one step at a time. DOWNLOAD THE FREE MIRROR EXERCISE You Did Not Lose Your Way: https://bit.ly/YouDidNotLoseYourWay_Final BOOK A FREE ALIGNMENT RESET DISCOVERY CALL https://calendly.com/lmichaelburt-thethrivewelljourney/empowerment-discovery-call JOIN THE THRIVEWELL JOURNEY COMMUNITY https://www.thethrivewelljourney.com/ BUILD SOMETHING REAL. GIVE IT A HOME YOU CONTROL. Social media is borrowed space. If your next right step is creating a home for your business, podcast, or coaching practice, Bluehost gives you the tools to secure a domain, build a professional WordPress website, and host it in one place. Give people a place where they can find you, trust you, and do business with you. Start building with Bluehost: https://bluehost.sjv.io/xJXnLy Affiliate disclosure: If you purchase through this link, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

    Why You Keep Repeating the Same Patterns and How to Break the Cycle | L. Michael Burt
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The ThriveWell Journey: Let’s Make Thriving Our New Normal Purpose After Disruption. The ThriveWell Journey is for entrepreneurs, leaders, and creators navigating the space between who they were and who they are becoming. Sometimes life changes the plan. A business fails. A career shifts. Your health changes. Success stops feeling like success. A relationship ends. Something you spent years building no longer fits. Or you simply realize the version of you that got you here cannot take you where you want to go next. That is where this show begins. Hosted by L. Michael Burt, The ThriveWell Journey explores identity, purpose, entrepreneurship, and leadership through one central question: Who are you becoming now, and what will you build from that place? Through conversations with founders, creators, leaders, and change-makers, along with Friday Night Live sessions focused on identity, alignment, and real-time recalibration, we examine what happens after disruption changes the way you see yourself, your work, and your future. This is not about getting back to the person you used to be. It is about understanding what transformed, questioning what no longer fits, and creating what comes next with intention. Because sometimes the disruption is not the end of your path. It is the moment you begin seeing your path differently. If you are rebuilding, reinventing, or questioning what comes next, start with You Did Not Lose Your Way, our free guide for navigating the space between who you were and who you are becoming. Grab it here: https://alignment.lmichaelburt.com/ Website: https://www.thethrivewelljourney.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thethrivewelljourney/ The ThriveWell Journey. Purpose After Disruption. Let’s make thriving our new normal.

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