Productive Flourishing Podcast Kristoffer Carter: Creating Conscious Life and Leadership (Episode 234)
KC Carter, meditation teacher, executive coach, and author, joins Charlie on the show to discuss the four permissions that will help us live a fuller life and be great leaders. They touch on how some of these permissions are sneakily radical, and KC’s process of setting aside the time to make his new book Permission to Glow a reality.
Key Takeaways:
[3:07] - In his work, KC shows up in many different communities throughout the world. Those with a brand around nonfiction are often under pressure to show up one way all the time, but we are human beings that contain multitudes.
[7:23] - The law of accumulation says that we are more than all that we’ve ever lived, and we’re lucky if we can integrate some of that into our work. There can be a perpetual discomfort knowing which part to display in a given setting to get people to believe what you have to share.
[10:15] - KC shares his process in overcoming the enormity of his book project to stay focused and on task, as well as to carve out the time to make it happen. He was able to draw on his experience putting a song together and recognizing the joy that comes at the end of a project.
[16:20] - Glow vs shine: the reason glow resonated more than shine is because of the longevity of its potential, and it allows a wider spectrum of what it means to glow. Glow comes from within rather than reflecting light when we shine.
[20:00] - KC talks through the four permissions: 1. Permission to chill 2. Permission to feel all the feels 3. Permission to glow in the dark 4. Permission to transcend competition for collaboration and uplift our human family
[25:40] - The radicalness of the four permissions comes from looking at them in reverse order. Permissions 3 and 4 focus more on what we can do together, but Permissions 1 and 2 are radical in their own right because as a society, we don’t often prioritize these things.
[32:20] - KC talks about his struggle with the second of the previous permissions. Because his intelligence centers around his mind (rather than the heart), it can be difficult to let people into his process of struggle and victory.
[36:25] - KC also included a 5th permission, 5. Permission to suck. This allows people to keep compassion as they create change in their lives.
[42:30] - The permissions are like a vine that continues to propagate throughout your life, and they change you as they change on external and internal levels.
[45:40] - If you want to get started on these concepts, the default place to get started would be to create a daily meditation habit. That’s the foundation of conscious leadership.
[52:03] - KC’s challenge to listeners is based on Permission 3 - look around at the fear in today’s world, and ask yourself “What would it take for me to defiantly glow in this darkness, no matter what?”
Mentioned in This Episode:
Start Finishing, by Charlie Gilkey
Permission to Glow, Kristoffer (KC) Carter
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