Beyond the Success Script with Seth Streeter

What if success isn't about pushing harder but allowing yourself to be pulled toward your purpose?

In this episode, Seth Streeter shares how he helps people navigate major life transitions and discover their inspired life purpose as co-founder of Mission Wealth, a wealth management firm he started 25 years ago that now manages $14 billion in assets for 4,600 families across 34 US locations. Seth has been a financial advisor for 34 years, specializing in guiding clients through major life events while helping them live more fulfilling lives through assessments across 12 dimensions of wealth. After going through divorce and the financial crisis, Seth realized he was achieving traditional success but wasn't fulfilled, leading him to spend an introspective year attending retreats, meditating, and traveling to India. In the last eight years, Seth has led purpose-driven retreats for over 2,000 people, including nine-day retreats in Bhutan where leaders trek in the Himalayas and stay with monks. Seth spoke at Davos with Deepak Chopra on conscious leadership and leads the purpose community for YPO.

Seth reveals the relationship that transformed his life: Joe Bosco, owner of an Italian restaurant in Fort Collins, Colorado where Seth worked as a dishwasher through high school. When Seth was looking at colleges and his parents wanted him to attend Colorado State, Joe Bosco said "you should check out Santa Barbara, California" because he went there for horse shows. Seth had never heard of Santa Barbara but applied to UCSB because of Joe Bosco and spent 27 years there, founding Mission Wealth, having his children, serving on 10 nonprofit boards, starting sustainable future.org, and doing a TED Talk, all because Joe Bosco suggested he check out UC Santa Barbara. Seth also credits Chip Conley, founder of MEA, as a mentor who showed him how to move from his head to his heart.

 

[00:03:40] Led Two Nine-Day Purpose Retreats in Bhutan

• In Asia for most of the trip

• Had 25 leaders in each group trekking in Himalayas

• Stayed overnight at monasteries, lived with monks

• Contemplated purpose individually, within companies, within world at large

[00:04:40] Mission Wealth: 25 Years and $14 Billion

• Co-founded Mission Wealth 25 years ago

• Independent registered investment advisory firm

• 34 locations across US, manages just under $14 billion in assets

• About 4,600 families, team of 200 advisors and professionals

[00:05:20] Started Leading Retreats Eight Years Ago

• In last eight years started leading retreats and coaching

• For different companies, leaders, different groups of people

• Takes paid time off to do it, spends vacations leading retreats

• About 2,000 people have gone through in-person programs

[00:06:00] The 13 Inches From Head to Heart

• Great quote: "furthest distance many travel in lifetime are 13 inches from head to heart"

• As financial guy, had heart in what he did, loved helping people solve problems

• This work feels more intimate, more meaningful

• Really helping people give themselves permission to be best version of who they want to be

[00:08:00] Started in Financial Services Right Out of College

• Right out of college, needed a job

• Was in student government at UC Santa Barbara, thought he'd be entrepreneur

• Dad was in government, mom was teacher, brother was police officer

• Family said "you need a job with benefits, security, and paycheck"

[00:09:00] Went Through His Own Tough Journey

• Went through divorce, financial crisis, bumps in life

• Realized success script needed to be rewritten

• Was working hard but wasn't fulfilled, wasn't content

• Achieving success in traditional way materially but didn't feel fulfilled

[00:09:20] The Introspective Year That Changed Everything

• Decided to do whole introspective year

• Went to retreats, read self-help books, listened to podcasts

• Got into meditation, went to India, did all these "woo" things

• That year opened up whole new framework for living

[00:10:20] Push Energy vs Pull Energy

• As entrepreneur, had lot of push energy: building vision, growing team, charging hill

• Used that in Ironman, marathons, running nonprofits

• After personal reflection, started to adopt pull energy approach

• More of allowance, trusting doors close and open for reason

[00:11:20] Speaking at Davos With Deepak Chopra

• Was asked to speak at panel in Malibu with five people

• Woman from Finland asked if he'd been to Davos, offered to get him in

• Three months before event, confirmed: Thursday with Deepak Chopra on Conscious Leadership in Era of AI

• Couldn't have pushed way into that opportunity, was being open and available

[00:14:40] 12 Dimensions of Wealth

• Talk about wealth not just in financial sense but across 12 dimensions

• Impact families are having, quality of relationships, physical health, intellectual growth

• Seeing families grow true wealth feels very rewarding

• Lead purpose community for all of YPO

[00:15:00] The Success Script and Grind Mentality

• Lot of people followed success script, did what they were taught

• Worked hard in school, career, moved through ranks or started company

• Rinsed and repeated grind mentality to get ahead

• Now 40, 50, or 60 saying "is this all there is?"

[00:17:00] Woman Going Through Divorce

• Woman in mid-50s going through divorce

• Two daughters just graduated high school, going to East Coast for college

• Husband ended 30-year marriage right at same time

• From financial standpoint she was fine, but really struggling with identity

[00:18:00] Converting Husband's Office Into Studio

• She loved working with single women's nonprofits, domestic shelters

• Also loved skincare, always did facials for daughters

• Helped her convert former husband's office into studio

• Became licensed aesthetician, did facials for women in community including free ones for women through tough times

[00:19:20] The Inspired Life Purpose Exercise

• Had someone at retreat who was CEO, just exited food tech company in New York

• Did exercise called Your Inspired Life Purpose

• Four circles: innate gifts, skills, passion, what world needs most

• Look at how those four circles intersect

[00:20:00] Paul's Life Manifesto

• CEO named Paul came up with amazing idea during exercise

• Went to room that night, wrote his life manifesto

• Next morning: "I was up most of the night, I now have life manifesto"

• Wanted to change food systems of North America leveraging technology

[00:20:40] Started a Blog, Got Recruited by Patagonia

• Paul decided to start blog writing about his vision

• Just couple months later, recruiter read one of his blog posts

• Interviewed for new position

• Became head of Patagonia's Food Provision Company

[00:24:00] Invested Heavily in Relationships Since High School

• Always had lunch meetings 12 to 1, five days a week at same restaurant

• Would book with clients, teammates, or people in community

• City council members, students, nonprofit leaders, business leaders

• Every single day asking: who is this person, what makes them tick, how can I support them?

[00:25:00] Working at Italian Restaurant in Fort Collins

• Worked at Italian restaurant through high school to pay bills

• Was bus boy, dishwasher, had all the jobs

• Owner was Joe Bosco, owned restaurant in Fort Collins and one in Casper, Wyoming

• Was thinking about colleges, parents would pay for Colorado State

[00:25:40] "You Should Check Out Santa Barbara"

• Wanted to do something different, applied to UCLA and Berkeley

• Joe Bosco said "you should check out Santa Barbara, California, they have university there"

• Used to go there for horse shows

• Had never even heard of Santa Barbara at the time

[00:26:00] Chose UCSB Because of Joe Bosco

• Applied to UCSB, packet looked amazing, university on coast

• Ended up choosing UCSB as his university because of Joe Bosco

• Spent 27 years in Santa Barbara, half of his adult life

• Founded company there, had children there, on 10 nonprofit boards

[00:31:00] Meeting Ashley Brilliant

• Mom was sixth grade teacher, had cartoons called Pot Shots by Ashley Brilliant in classroom

• Going through tough time in Santa Barbara, Ashley's cartoons spoke to him three days in row

• Wrote thank you note to Mr. Brilliant

• He replied, met for lunch at Chinese restaurant

[00:32:00] The Fortune Cookie Message

• After meal, got fortune cookies

• Ashley's note said: "Finally, the answer you've been looking for is sitting across from you"

• Seth's said: "If at first it's a no, it may become a maybe"

• Decided to help Ashley start building business around his cartoons

[00:34:40] Service Trip to Honduras

• Took son on service trip to Honduras, worked at orphanage

• Security guard had wooden leg, very archaic piece of wood with hinge

• 34 years old, probably made $2 a day, couldn't get new leg

• Decided to get him a leg

[00:35:40] Getting Him a $10,000 Leg

• Took almost a year but got friend who was Paralympic athlete involved

• Got him fancy $10,000 leg that was molded and fit for him

• Had to get it down there strategically because shipping would mean it gets stolen

• He sent FaceTime video: first time he'd been able to slow dance with wife since car accident 10 years prior

 

KEY QUOTES

"A lot of people followed the success script, worked hard in school and career, rinsed and repeated this grind mentality. Now they're 40, 50, or 60 saying 'is this all there is? I now have success, but there's a creative in me that hasn't been out to play.'" - Seth Streeter

"The furthest distance many of us travel in our lifetimes are the 13 inches from our head to our heart. This work feels more intimate and meaningful because it's really helping people give themselves permission to be the best version of who they want to be." - Seth Streeter

"I had a lot of push energy as an entrepreneur. But I started to adopt a pull energy approach, more of an allowance, trusting that when a door closes it closes for a reason, when it opens for a reason. I was being pulled to where I was supposed to be." - Seth Streeter

CONNECT WITH SETH STREETER 

🌐 Personal Website: https://www.sethstreeter.com 

💼 Mission Wealth: https://www.missionwealth.com 

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethstreeter 

📱 Instagram: @sethstreeter3.0 

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seth.streeter.3

 

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