434: We're Back...The Forest Beyond the Gates

🎙️ The gates closed. The forest remained. After nearly nine months away from the microphone, we're finally back.

And in many ways, this episode is about exactly where I've been.

There's a parable that has always stuck with me The Foreman and the Forest. Various versions exist with different titles, roles, etc. but it's the story of a foreman who spent years helping build a great lumberyard, only to find himself standing outside the gates one day. For a while, all he could see was what he had lost. Then he realized something important:

The lumberyard was never the source. The forest was.

Over the last nine months, that lesson became very real for me.

This wasn't a planned sabbatical. It wasn't part of some grand strategy. Life got busy, priorities shifted, and for the first time in years, I found myself stepping away from the microphone and nearly everything that used to require a lot of my attention and spent more time traveling, being present with family, enjoying hobbies, focusing on my health, and reflecting on what truly matters.

Sometimes we become so focused on the thing we're building that we forget the skills, relationships, experiences, and opportunities that exist beyond it.

In this episode, I share:

🌲 Why I stopped recording new episodes

🌲 What changed over the last nine months

🌲 Lessons learned from taking an extended break

🌲 Reflections on business, family, health, and personal growth