The Purpose Chasers

Mark Crandall

The Purpose Chasers Podcast is where adversity fuels ambition and setbacks become setups for something greater. Hosted by ex-therapist turned marketing & branding expert Mark Crandall, each episode features raw stories from creators, entrepreneurs, and artists who refused to quit, alongside real talk on business growth, marketing, artist management, and chasing your calling. If you’ve ever been knocked down, counted out, or told “no,” this is your space to rise, rebuild, and live on purpose.

  1. Jun 2

    Ep. 104: Abracadabra, I Create as I Speak, with Thuan

    He Got Sick the Day He Stayed. He Started Healing the Day He Quit. Thuan did not leave his job. His body made the decision for him. Three months on medical leave. A doctor who refused to clear him to return. A resignation email he sat with for a long time before he finally hit send. The same day he sent it, he started feeling better. That is the kind of story that sounds like luck until you hear the whole thing. Because Thuan had been planting seeds for years. Recovery. Yoga. Qigong. Sound baths. A decade of healing himself and then helping others heal inside the walls of addiction treatment centers. He knew what the work was. He just had not yet had the courage to take it into the world. The universe took care of that part. In this episode, Thuan shares how his path through Alcoholics Anonymous and Refuge Recovery led him to holistic healing, how a wellness director job he was not supposed to have changed his life, and how he and his business partner Britt built the Zen Den, a wellness studio in Connecticut designed for the one person everyone forgets about: the busy human who needs peace but has to be at work by nine. He also breaks down what the word abracadabra actually means. And once you hear it, you will never say it the same way again. In this episode: Why Thuan says he genuinely enjoys powerlessness, and what that taught him about trustThe resignation email that triggered his healingHow saying "2026 is going to be big for me" with zero plan behind it turned out to be exactly rightThe Zen Den model: mindfulness built around the real obstacle, which is timeThe one phrase that stops fear in its tracks: "My faith is stronger than my fear"If you are sitting with a nudge you keep ignoring, this episode is for you. Subscribe to Purpose Chasers so you never miss a conversation like this one. New episodes drop weekly and every single one is built around one idea: the person you are becoming is worth chasing. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. And if this episode moved you, leave a review. It takes two minutes and it helps more people find the show. ThePurposeChasers.com

    18 min
  2. May 19

    Ep. 103: What a 100-Year-Old Insurance Company Can Teach You About Chasing Purpose with Bryan Falchuk

    What does a 100 year old, state run, fully unionized insurance company have to teach you about growth? More than you'd think. Mark sits down with Bryan Falchuk, President and CEO of PLRB, best selling author of The Future of Insurance series, and 26 year veteran of an industry most people love to hate. Bryan breaks down why the constraints holding back massive institutions are the exact same constraints holding back individual human beings, and how one reframe changes everything. The shift from "I can't because" to "How might we?" isn't a business strategy. It's a life strategy. Bryan has spent over two decades proving it works at every scale, from personal development to hundred year old companies doing something radically new.If you've ever felt boxed in by what you can't control, this conversation is going to move you. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro: The Massive Opportunities in Stagnant Industries 01:10 - The Insurance Trap: Why Everyone Enters by Accident 02:25 - Why Niche Expertise Beat General Hustle Everyday 04:15 - Overcoming Real vs. Self-Imposed System Constraints 05:40 - The Design Thinking Framework: Moving Beyond "We Can't Because" 07:30 - Shifting Corporate Culture from Fixed to Growth Mindset09:15 - Case Study: How a 100-Year-Old Govt Insurer Kept Moving During Crisis 11:05 - Finding Creative Loops to Bypass Massive Risk Aversion 12:50 - The Hidden Power of a Freedom of Thought Thought-Exercise 14:35 - Outro: Chasing Purpose and Loving What You Do Subscribe to The Purpose Chasers

    21 min
  3. Apr 30

    Ep. 102: From Nurse to Mandala Healer: How Amy Found Her Purpose Through Art, Mindfulness, and Letting Go

    A 32-year nurse walked away from a system that was breaking her, and walked into something that heals everyone it touches. In this episode of The Purpose Chasers, host Mark Crandall sits down with Amy, founder of Mandala Minds and Wellness, to explore the call she ignored for 10 years, the bad outcome at work that finally cracked everything open, and how dot painting became a doorway to the nervous system healing her patients and communities desperately needed. What You Will Learn: Introduction: Mark and Amy's Story and the Workshop That Started It All What Is a Mandala: The Universal Shape Wired Into Human Consciousness The Dot Painting Modality: How Amy Teaches and Why It Works Perfectionism, Self-Love, and the Choices That Build a Life 32 Years in Nursing and Why the System Stopped Fitting The Bad Outcome That Changed Everything Spirituality Born From Witnessing Birth and Death at the Bedside The Waiting Place: Sitting With the Nudge for a Decade Before Jumping What It Feels Like on the Other Side of Fear The Internal Benefits of Facilitating: Why Amy Paints Over 400 Mandalas Herself Key Concepts From This Episode: The Waiting Place: What it costs to hear the call and not answer it. The Mind Body Spirit Connection Through Creative Practice. The Flow State: How mandalas quiet the overthinking brain and unlock presence. Perfectionism as a Pattern: Why the most powerful thing Amy teaches is letting go. Honoring Yourself: How quitting the "hamster wheel" of expectations lifts depression. https://thepurposechasers.com

    24 min
  4. Apr 7

    Ep. 101: Going Blind as a Principal Led to Becoming an Intuitive Healer | The Power of Conscious Surrender with Kris Keidel

    What happens when the life you meticulously built suddenly vanishes because you are going blind? In this powerful episode, we sit down with Kris Keidel, a former school principal turned Reiki healer and intuitive guide. Kris shares the harrowing yet transformative journey of losing her vision to macular degeneration while navigating the high stress world of educational leadership. She opens up about the moment she was declared legally blind and the worst case scenario that ultimately became her greatest gift: the shift from sight to insight. In this episode, we discuss: The Breaking Point: The physical toll of staying in an unaligned career, including the stress that accelerated her vision loss. The Choice to Surrender: Transitioning from a structured, black and white professional life to the world of energy healing. Consciously Positive: How Kris built her brand and the Calm Reset Method to help others navigate anxiety and level up through their own dark nights of the soul. Living Without Limits: How Kris navigates the world today with humor, grace, and a refusal to be defined by her visual impairment. The Purpose Chasers | Align. Scale. Thrive. Don’t just listen, take action. Subscribe to the Purpose Chasers Podcast on your favorite platform to ensure you never miss an episode designed to help you break free from mediocrity and live extraordinarily. 📈 GROW YOUR BRAND The Happy Check | Organic Marketing & Strategic Growth Building a purpose-driven life requires a business that scales without you. If you’re tired of the "ad-spend" rat race and want to build a brand rooted in trust, referrals, and organic growth, it’s time for a Happy Check. Visit ⁠TheHappyCheck.com⁠ to discover the organic marketing strategies and business systems Mark Crandall uses to turn customer experiences into high-growth assets. Want daily organic marketing tips? Follow the movement: 🌐 Web: ⁠TheHappyCheck.com⁠ Stop trading time for hustle. Start winning customers through trust.

    29 min
  5. 12/30/2025

    Ep. 100: Anthony Trucks on Dark Work, Identity Shifts, and Becoming Who Your Calling Requires

    What if the reason you feel stuck is not a lack of effort, but an identity that cannot sustain the life you want? In this episode of the Purpose Chasers Podcast, Mark Crandall sits down with longtime friend and mentor Anthony Trucks to unpack the concept of dark work. This is the unseen and uncomfortable work required to fundamentally shift who you are at your core. Anthony shares why mindset alone is not enough, how identity dictates execution, and why most people burn out chasing outcomes instead of becoming the person capable of holding them. This conversation explores why identity, not motivation, drives lasting change. It examines why most people quit when things get hard. It breaks down how dark work rewires discipline, confidence, and execution. It also explains why doing the work in silence prepares you to win in the light. If you are in a season of rebuilding, redefining, or reclaiming your purpose, this episode will meet you there. The Purpose Chasers | Align. Scale. Thrive. Don’t just listen, take action. Subscribe to the Purpose Chasers Podcast on your favorite platform to ensure you never miss an episode designed to help you break free from mediocrity and live extraordinarily. 📈 GROW YOUR BRAND The Happy Check | Organic Marketing & Strategic Growth Building a purpose-driven life requires a business that scales without you. If you’re tired of the "ad-spend" rat race and want to build a brand rooted in trust, referrals, and organic growth, it’s time for a Happy Check. Visit ⁠TheHappyCheck.com⁠ to discover the organic marketing strategies and business systems Mark Crandall uses to turn customer experiences into high-growth assets. Want daily organic marketing tips? Follow the movement: 🌐 Web: ⁠TheHappyCheck.com⁠ Stop trading time for hustle. Start winning customers through trust.

    37 min
  6. 12/24/2025

    Ep. 99: Sal Liberti on Mastery, Breathwork, and Returning Home to Peru

    Some callings do not push you forward. They pull you home. In this episode of the Purpose Chasers Podcast, Mark sits down with master breathwork facilitator Sal Liberti to explore the journey that led him back to Peru — not to escape, but to serve. Sal shares how years of global travel, personal development training, and hands-on facilitation shaped his expertise in breathwork and why true mastery is built through presence, repetition, and responsibility rather than digital scale or spiritual trends. This conversation goes deep into what separates real facilitation from surface-level wellness, the power of hyperlocal community work, and why breathwork became the bridge between personal growth and embodied healing. If you are a creator, healer, or leader who feels the tension between expansion and alignment, this episode will challenge how you define success — and invite you to listen more closely to where your work is truly needed. What part of this conversation resonated with you most?Was it the moment Sal chose alignment over scale, or the idea of being called back rather than forward? The Purpose Chasers | Align. Scale. Thrive. Don’t just listen, take action. Subscribe to the Purpose Chasers Podcast on your favorite platform to ensure you never miss an episode designed to help you break free from mediocrity and live extraordinarily. 📈 GROW YOUR BRAND The Happy Check | Organic Marketing & Strategic Growth Building a purpose-driven life requires a business that scales without you. If you’re tired of the "ad-spend" rat race and want to build a brand rooted in trust, referrals, and organic growth, it’s time for a Happy Check. Visit ⁠TheHappyCheck.com⁠ to discover the organic marketing strategies and business systems Mark Crandall uses to turn customer experiences into high-growth assets. Want daily organic marketing tips? Follow the movement: 🌐 Web: ⁠TheHappyCheck.com⁠ Stop trading time for hustle. Start winning customers through trust.

    44 min
  7. 12/16/2025

    Ep. 98: Why Great Coaches Struggle to Close Clients and How to Fix It Without Selling

    If you’re great at what you do but sales calls still feel awkward, draining, or inconsistent, this episode is for you. Not because you need better scripts.Not because you need a better funnel.And definitely not because you’re bad at sales. It’s because you were taught the wrong definition of selling. In this solo episode, Mark Crandall breaks down why most sales training fails heart-centered coaches, consultants, healers, and creators, and what actually causes people to commit without pressure, manipulation, or awkward closes. You’ll learn: • Why people don’t buy when they’re convinced • How internal conflict, not urgency, drives decisions • The difference between leading a conversation and pitching • How to close clients without “selling” anything If you want sales conversations that feel natural, grounded, and aligned with who you are, this episode will change how you think about closing forever. The Purpose Chasers | Align. Scale. Thrive. Don’t just listen, take action. Subscribe to the Purpose Chasers Podcast on your favorite platform to ensure you never miss an episode designed to help you break free from mediocrity and live extraordinarily. 📈 GROW YOUR BRAND The Happy Check | Organic Marketing & Strategic Growth Building a purpose-driven life requires a business that scales without you. If you’re tired of the "ad-spend" rat race and want to build a brand rooted in trust, referrals, and organic growth, it’s time for a Happy Check. Visit ⁠TheHappyCheck.com⁠ to discover the organic marketing strategies and business systems Mark Crandall uses to turn customer experiences into high-growth assets. Want daily organic marketing tips? Follow the movement: 🌐 Web: ⁠TheHappyCheck.com⁠ Stop trading time for hustle. Start winning customers through trust.

    11 min
  8. 12/16/2025

    Ep. 97: Music & Mental Health w/ Michael Lashomb of Annie in the Water

    What does it actually take to build a band that lasts—not just creatively, but sustainably? In this episode of The Purpose Chasers Podcast, Mark Crandall sits down with Michael Lashomb of Annie in the Water to talk about the realities of building a band, maintaining momentum, and turning music into a long-term creative asset instead of a burnout machine. This conversation goes beyond gigs and growth metrics. It explores: • The evolution of Annie in the Water • Treating music like a long-term asset, not a hustle • Balancing creativity, leadership, and sustainability • What artists need to understand about branding beyond the music Whether you’re a musician, creative entrepreneur, or artist trying to build something that actually lasts, this episode offers grounded insight from someone living it. The Purpose Chasers | Align. Scale. Thrive. Don’t just listen, take action. Subscribe to the Purpose Chasers Podcast on your favorite platform to ensure you never miss an episode designed to help you break free from mediocrity and live extraordinarily. 📈 GROW YOUR BRAND The Happy Check | Organic Marketing & Strategic Growth Building a purpose-driven life requires a business that scales without you. If you’re tired of the "ad-spend" rat race and want to build a brand rooted in trust, referrals, and organic growth, it’s time for a Happy Check. Visit ⁠TheHappyCheck.com⁠ to discover the organic marketing strategies and business systems Mark Crandall uses to turn customer experiences into high-growth assets. Want daily organic marketing tips? Follow the movement: 🌐 Web: ⁠TheHappyCheck.com⁠ Stop trading time for hustle. Start winning customers through trust.

    49 min

About

The Purpose Chasers Podcast is where adversity fuels ambition and setbacks become setups for something greater. Hosted by ex-therapist turned marketing & branding expert Mark Crandall, each episode features raw stories from creators, entrepreneurs, and artists who refused to quit, alongside real talk on business growth, marketing, artist management, and chasing your calling. If you’ve ever been knocked down, counted out, or told “no,” this is your space to rise, rebuild, and live on purpose.