“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
– John Lennon/Allen Saunders
After almost thirty years in the corporate world, I felt a need for a major life change. Being a senior corporate executive wasn’t feeling right and living that life would not allow me to live the kind of fulfilling life I was looking for.
I had experienced the life-threatening illness my wife went through with breast cancer in 1997 and since then it was always on my mind. So, in 2002 I decided to live life now rather than plan for a life in the future.
When you are faced with the possibility of losing someone you love and shared life with for a very long time, some of us feel as though we were splashed in the face with a bucket of very cold water. After living in a sleep-deprived fog for so long, life all of a sudden took on a different meaning.
Without a clue of what I would do, I made arrangements to transition out of my job as the Chief Human Resource Officer of a multi-billion dollar corporation. I then set out on my Journey. The first step was a trip to Big Sur, by myself, to clear my head. The Journey had begun without any idea where it would lead.
Big Sur has always had a special meaning for me. The coastline is literally breathtaking and the huge Redwood Trees that are hundreds of years old give off a sense of wisdom and history that can be felt while in their presence. Big Sur always feels like a place where I can connect with another level of life energy. Since that time my wife and I go to Big Sur almost every year for my birthday.
After reading many books and developing a better sense of my priorities I was introduced to a small group of people starting a boutique consulting firm and found people who shared common values, both on a personal and professional level. Consulting became my life for the past fourteen years.
I continued to explore how I could make more significant contributions to improving the lives of others and society. While I do get to do that more now as a consultant than I did as a corporate executive, I still felt a gap and draw for something more.
In 2012 Mind2Stew was born, but sat idle for four years. In 2016 Mind2Stew was accidentally rediscovered (or maybe not accidentally) and it became clear that the time was right to go live and create this forum. While I see myself only as the catalyst, I am excited to share my many years of experiences and learnings to help guide this effort.