Weathering The Storm: How to Stay Afloat when Life Won’t Let Up

37 snips

Jan 12, 2026

Jay Papasan, a New York Times bestselling author and leadership expert, shares his insights on facing life's toughest challenges with Tiffany Fykes and Sarah Reynolds. He reflects on his personal storms, emphasizing that adversity can empower us if we reframe our approach. Discover the concept of 'lighthouses' as frameworks for navigating future difficulties, the importance of recalibrating expectations, and building a supportive community. Jay encourages turning challenges into solutions, ensuring you're prepared for whatever life throws your way.

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ANECDOTE

Season Of Hard

Jay Papasan describes six brutal years of surgeries, multiple deaths, leadership churn, and emotional collapse.
He explains how every support system and recovery mechanism he relied on broke during that period.

INSIGHT

Redeem Hard Times Into Lighthouses

Turn your hardest seasons into lighthouses by excavating lessons to guide others.
Ask: what story will you tell about this season to help someone else in the future?

ADVICE

Reframe Self-Talk In Tough Seasons

Reframe your inner narrative: you're not a bad leader, you're a good leader in a tough season.
Give yourself small doses of grace so you can keep leading while under strain.

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How do you stay afloat when everything is falling apart? Life can - and will - hit you hard. And how can you lead others when you feel like you can’t lead yourself?

This week, Jay sits down for an interview with Tiffany Fykes and Sarah Reynolds from Empire Building, to share some of the deeply personal hardships he has navigated in the past several years, and opens up about what it really looks like to lead when your systems, confidence, and energy are all under strain.

Rather than pretending strength means pushing through alone, Jay shares how adversity can become an ally if you’re willing to learn from it. He introduces the idea of building “lighthouses”: simple frameworks, reframes, and support systems that help you navigate future storms with more clarity and less damage.

You’ll hear why reframing self-talk matters most when standards feel impossible, how recalibrating expectations can keep you moving forward, and why re-engineering your village is essential for sustainable leadership. This conversation is an honest reminder that extraordinary results don’t come from avoiding storms, but from learning how to lead through them with grace, transparency, and purpose.

Challenge of the Week:

Take one challenge you’re facing right now and turn it into a solution. Then ask: can this solution become a simple framework, checklist, or ritual for my future self?

We talk about:

[00:00] Introduction to Empire Building and Jay Papasan[03:38] Jay's Personal Storm[10:00] Building Lighthouses and Helping Others[15:50] Reframing Standards and Recalibrating Priorities [20:42] What Does “Doing Your Best” Actually Mean Right Now[24:17] How Do You Re-Engineer Your Support System[34:00] What Changes When You Build Rituals of Connection[37:46] Why Coaching is so Important

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To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.

We talk about:

How to reframe adversity without lowering your standards
Why done is good and good is great in hard seasons
The power of intentionally rebuilding your support system

Links & Tools from This Episode:

The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
Empire Building podcast
Free Resources
Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email podcast@the1thing.com or send us an audio note at Speakpipe.com/the1thing.

Produced by NOVA