S5e6: Mike Robbins – Preparing for The Game of Life

Mike Robbins was twenty-five years old when he was injured playing in the Minor Leagues, an injury that ended his dream of making it to the Majors. He’d been playing since he was eight years old, eventually playing at Stanford University. The loss of Mike’s dream was devastating, but, step by step, he found his way to the work he does now as a speaker, consultant, coach, and author. He learned early how to prepare for the game of life. Listen in as Mike shares his hard-earned life wisdom with humility, vulnerability, and candidness.

Mike heard about the Process many years ago, but it wasn’t until he experienced a great amount of loss and pain in a compressed period of time that he came to the Process in 2016. He lost both his mother and sister to cancer and realized that the Process was exactly what he needed to address his grief and the family of origin healing he was looking for.

Through beautiful, generous storytelling, Mike shares stories of great loss while speaking to the power of many aspects of the Process. He talks about the importance of having places of safety to do this kind of healing work to feel safe telling the truth about ourselves and our lives. He considers how to care for all aspects of his Quadrinity and speaks to the nature of growth and being human.

Mike hasn’t pitched in a game for twenty-five years, but he still, to this day, considers himself an athlete. Through this lens, he considers what he needs to do to prepare to be in this game of life.

More about Mike Robbins:

Mike Robbins is the author of five books, including Nothing Changes Until You Do, and his latest, We’re All in This Together.  He’s a sought-after speaker who delivers keynotes and seminars all over the world.  Some of his clients include Google, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, Gap, Schwab, eBay, the NBA, the Oakland A’s, and many others.  Mike and his work have been featured in the New York Times and Harvard Business Review, as well as on NPR and ABC News.  He’s a regular contributor to Forbes. Mike hosts a weekly podcast and has given three TED talks. His books have been translated into 15 different languages.

Mike did the Hoffman Process in December of 2016. He has been a personal and spiritual growth student his entire adult life.  Mike, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Samantha and Rosie, live in Novato, CA.

As mentioned in this episode:

Baseball: Major League and Minor League

Stanford University

The Enneagram: Type 3

Rich and Yvonne St. John-Dutra
“Founded in 1987 by Rich and Yvonne St. John-Dutra, Challenge Day started as a Bay Area organization. Now Challenge Day serves over 49 U.S. states, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands, Challenge Day is on a mission to create a world where every person in our communities feels safe, loved, and celebrated.” Read more…

Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Gilbert:
Mike shares Elizabeth’s quote: “You have to take care of your animal.” Read Elizabeth Gilbert’s article here…

Psychological Safety
“Psychological safety is the ability to show and employ oneself without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status, or career. It can be defined as a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. In psychologically safe teams, team members feel accepted and respected.” Wikipedia

Brene Brown‘s new book,  Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience