The Purpose Promise Podcast

The right job is the foundation of a fulfilling life. At the Purpose Promise, we are the sworn enemy of the rat race, which has caused epic levels of disengagement in the United States and around the world. The Purpose Promise Podcast will lead you to a deeper understanding of how to find meaningful work. In each episode, career expert and author John McCarthy explores common success myths and practical ways that you can uniquely define what purpose means to you! For more information, visit www.purposepromise.org

Myth Busters: Success is the Pursuit of Wealth 08/22/2022

Myth Busters: Success is the Pursuit of Wealth What is wealth and how does the obtaining of it guide your career path? In this episode, The Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy interviews Pastor Isaiah McKinney. Coming from different cultural backgrounds, John and Isaiah explore the four components of wealth: material wealth, relational wealth, motivational wealth, and spiritual wealth. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/24129633

Myth Busters: Success is Stability 07/14/2022

Myth Busters: Success is Stability Is your definition of success rooted in the world’s complexities or your own unique complexity? This episode features a conversation with Purpose Promise Founder John McCarthy and CTO at the tech firm POMIET and author of . This wide-ranging conversation explores the myth of career stability and how embracing the complexity in our leadership and our relationships leads to a deeper sense of career satisfaction. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/23725112

Myth Busters: Success is a Prescribed Path 06/09/2022

Myth Busters: Success is a Prescribed Path Is your view of success prescribed or uniquely described? This episode features a conversation with The Purpose Promise Founder John McCarthy and , Executive Coach and Founder of the . Kendra discovered that her career valleys, the times she veered off the prescribed path, actually led to the mountaintops of her most important seasons of growth. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/23380097

Myth Busters: Success is Greener Grass 05/12/2022

Myth Busters: Success is Greener Grass Is your approach to dreaming about the future wise? In this episode, career expert and The Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy outlines the common traps of “comparisonitis” and “FOMO” that can cause career-seekers to go off track. He’s then joined by who faced a career crossroads and discovered, by going through The Purpose Promise process, a new approach to move into his future with purpose. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/23093297

Myth Busters: Success is The Road to Retirement 04/14/2022

Myth Busters: Success is The Road to Retirement What type of assets are you concerned about accumulating for your ideal future? In this episode, career expert and The Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy describes a more comprehensive way to view the assets you acquire throughout your career. He’s joined by , who after a long career, chose not to retire, but instead to “re-fire” to pursue fulfillment in the fourth phase of his career journey. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/22794890

Myth Busters: Success is Comfort 03/10/2022

Myth Busters: Success is Comfort Is the desire to be in your comfort zone negating your impact? In this episode, we unpack winding journey from Hurricane Katrina, to missions in Africa, to motherhood, to photography. Trishia describes how those stirrings – some voluntary and some involuntary – took her out of her comfort zone and allowed her to understand that our sense of purpose changes in different life seasons. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/22395554

Myth Busters: Success is Hitting Your Numbers 02/10/2022

Myth Busters: Success is Hitting Your Numbers What motivates you in this season of your career? In Season 2 of this Podcast, career expert and The Purpose Promise founder, John McCarthy digs deeper into the success myths through in-depth conversations with people in The Purpose Promise movement. In this episode, certified Purpose Guide joins John to discuss the importance of identifying whether you are being intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/22085732

Myth Busters: Success Is A Solo Journey 01/13/2022

Myth Busters: Success Is A Solo Journey Are you living for today or tomorrow’s legacy? /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/21756854

Myth Busters: Success is Fulfilling Expectations 12/09/2021

Myth Busters: Success is Fulfilling Expectations Are you confined by declared or undeclared expectations? In Season 2 of this Podcast, career expert and Purpose Promise founder, John McCarthy digs deeper into the success myths through in-depth conversations with people in the Purpose Promise movement. In this episode, he is joined by of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Nate has a powerful story of wrestling with the declared career expectations he felt from his father and the undeclared career expectations he felt from society – and how an expected medical diagnosis forged a new path to his purposeful career. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/21422663

Myth Busters: Success is Performance 11/11/2021

Myth Busters: Success is Performance Do you have what it takes to be you? In Season 2 of this Podcast, career expert and The Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy digs deeper into the success myths through in-depth conversations with people in the Purpose movement. In this episode, he is joined by , the founder of and a Purpose Promise Guide. Tom is a deep thinker whose transition from business owner to business coach required brave introspection and new habits. John had a front row seat to this transformation and shares his insights into how Tom’s journey illustrates the habits you need to cultivate to forge a career truly aligned with your purpose. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/21121319

Myth Busters: Success is Credentials 10/14/2021

Myth Busters: Success is Credentials Will you conform to the world’s path of career success? In Season 2 of this Podcast, career expert and The Purpose Promise founder, John McCarthy digs deeper into the success myths through in-depth conversations with people in The Purpose Promise movement. In this episode, he is joined by Spencer Hogan, a Purpose Promise guide who specializes in helping young professionals find purposeful employment. Their conversation explores the concept of owning vs. renting your career aspirations, the common challenges young people face as they navigate college, and the importance of knowing yourself—even at a young age. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/20802578

Myth Busted: Success is a Destination 09/17/2021

Myth Busted: Success is a Destination Is your future focus robbing you of life-changing moments? You might believe the myth that . In Season 2 of this Podcast, career expert and Purpose Promise founder, , digs deeper into the success myths through in-depth conversations with people in the . In this episode, he is joined by The Purpose Promise’s own . Together, they explain how you can learn to recognize life’s big and small Kairos moments which will lead you to an integrated life and purposeful employment. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/20498273

Season 1 Capstone 08/16/2021

Season 1 Capstone Season 1 of The Purpose Promise Podcast explored the top twelve myths people believe about success. The degree to which you believe one or more of these myths will keep you from living an integrated and purposeful life, trapped in the rat race. In this capstone episode, career expert and Purpose Promise founder, John McCarthy sits down with our podcast producer, Liz Driscoll, to discuss favorite moments and memories from Season 1. Clips from this episode include cameos from James Lenhoff, D. Michelle Thompson, Tom Thatcher and Susan Carson. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/20157443

Success Myth: Solo Journey 07/26/2021

Success Myth: Solo Journey Most job seekers believe they need to navigate their career journey on their own. The individualistic ideal is sewn into the fabric of American culture. And there are barriers to finding trustworthy mentors or sponsors to guide you. But the notion that your career is a solo journey is a myth. To build a career of purpose, you need other people to speak into your life and to help you make key decisions. In this episode, career expert and Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy discusses why “it takes a village” to build a purposeful career. Then, he is joined by Liz Driscoll, a business owner and producer of the Purpose Promise Podcast, to describe how the solo journey myth impacted her life journey. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/19934069

Success Myth: Greener Grass 06/09/2021

Success Myth: Greener Grass You may be seeking a new job, hoping a new situation will make you happier and more fulfilled. Most people think the grass will greener with another employer. But greener grass is a myth. Without self-awareness, job seekers move from job to job only to find themselves trapped in the rat race, unfulfilled again and again. In this episode, career expert and Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy explores the root causes of this myth and describes how the greener grass myth was instrumental to the founding of the The Purpose Promise. Then, leadership development professional Dan Link describes how the myth of greener grass affected his career journey. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/19408991

Success Myth: The Road to Retirement 04/12/2021

Success Myth: The Road to Retirement An idealistic vision of a relaxing and stress-free retirement can be the powerful motivator that keeps you stuck in an unfulfilling job. However, there is growing evidence to suggest this view of retirement is actually a myth. Even worse, by chasing after this myth, you can make unhealthy sacrifices during your second phase of life – the work and family years. In this episode, career expert and Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy suggests a holistic reframing for the concept of retirement. Then, Jason Goodall, financial planner, and comedian joins him to describe how he combats this myth with his clients. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/18696887

Success Myth: A Prescribed Path 03/08/2021

Success Myth: A Prescribed Path Your beliefs – and the stories you tell yourself about them - have a powerful effect on your actions. Your beliefs and narratives about success may be anchored in your earliest memories of how you saw success in the adults around you. In this episode, career expert and Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy explores the impact of that memory, belief and narrative plays on your path to purpose. He is then joined by Laura Jackson, a Training Director, Coach and Purpose Guide, who shares how she overcame her limiting beliefs and narratives in order to live more fully in her purpose. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/18240761

Success Myth: Comfort 01/26/2021

Success Myth: Comfort You like being comfortable. Who doesn’t? The success myth we are tackling today is that success means increasing levels of comfort. In this episode, career expert and Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy explores three common ways people seek comfort and describes how the pursuit of comfort might derail your life purpose. He is then joined by Ron Touby, a Director at Cru City, who shares how his career was impacted by choosing purpose over comfort. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/17702669

Success Myth: Credentials 12/30/2020

Success Myth: Credentials If you are a parent with a kid heading off to college, or if you are a student considering college, this is a must-listen episode for you! One of the most challenging decisions you will face in life is the pursuit of an education after high school. Most young people head off to college without an intentional consideration about whether the credential they are pursuing aligns with their life purpose. In this episode, career expert and Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy explores the difference between renting and owning your sense of purpose. He is then joined by Dr. Tom Thatcher, an educator, and college provost, who shares his insights into the educational system and how to navigate it to gain the right credential for your life purpose. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/17373218

Success Myth: Fulfilling Expectations 11/28/2020

Success Myth: Fulfilling Expectations Your view of success is shaped by multiple forces and you may not even be aware of them. Some expectations are placed upon you, consciously or unconsciously, by your family of origin. Other expectations come from society. In this episode, career expert and Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy examines why the myth of fulfilling expectations might be keeping you from living your true purpose. He is then joined by Tom Busch, a certified Purpose Guide and life coach, who describes how he wrestled with expectations on his journey to purpose. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/16981832

Is Purpose a Privileged Conversation? 10/23/2020

Is Purpose a Privileged Conversation? George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer has raised the national consciousness on race and privilege in America. And it caused us at the Purpose Promise to do some soul-searching of our own. We are asking the question, “Is Purpose a Privileged Conversation?” In this episode, Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy is joined by D. Michelle Thompson, host of the You Belong podcast and workplace leadership consultant. D. Michelle shares her experience as an African American woman in corporate America and her conviction that purposeful employment and privilege are connected – but maybe not in the ways you might think. To learn more about the great work that D. Michelle Thompson is doing visit or her awesome podcast /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/16520612

Success Myth: Performance 09/15/2020

Success Myth: Performance Do you believe your success is based on performance? Maybe you are working hard, trapped in the rat race, pushing and chasing after elusive career goals that don't bring true fulfillment. In this episode, career expert and Purpose Promise founder John McCarthy explores the surprising source of the performance myth and how you can break free from the drive to perform. He is then joined by Susan Carson, author of Rooted(IN): Thriving in Connection with God, Yourself, and Others. Susan shares how she overcame her addiction to performance to build a truly successful life based on purpose. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/16018796

Success Myth: Destination 08/15/2020

Success Myth: Destination Many people think success is a destination. This belief has trapped many people in the rat race. Success changes throughout our lives and we must be aware of how it does or it can make us SICK. In this episode, career expert John McCarthy shares a fresh look at how he has fallen prey to this success myth and how it impacted his understanding of purpose. He is then joined by Dr. Gary Huber, who has also learned that success is not a destination. The vulnerability shared around this myth is sure to have you thinking about your purpose. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/15620174

Success Myth: Hitting your numbers 06/26/2020

Success Myth: Hitting your numbers Many people measure success by hitting their numbers. This belief has trapped many people in the rat race. Performance metrics are a good thing, but when they become the definition of our success, we often become off purpose. In this episode, career expert John McCarthy shares a fresh look at how he has fallen prey to this success myth and how it impacted his understanding of purpose. He is then joined by Danise DiStasi, who has also learned from her battle with this success myth. The vulnerability shared around this myth is sure to have you thinking about your purpose. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/14978936

Success Myth: Stability 04/20/2020

Success Myth: Stability Many people measure success by how stable they feel. This belief has trapped many people in the rat race because stability has changed over the years. In this episode, career expert John McCarthy shares a fresh look at three different views of stability prevalent in the last 45 years. He is then joined by Sara Menendez, who is working in the gig economy. We will learn about the new views of stability based on her journey with this success myth. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/14072876

Success Myth: Wealth 03/13/2020

Success Myth: Wealth Many people measure success by how much money they make. This belief has trapped many people in the rat race, burdened by their work. In this episode, career expert John McCarthy shares a different perspective on the correlation between money, wealth and the true meaning of success. He is then joined by James Lenhoff, a financial advisor and author The Rich Life, to discuss how James tackled this success myth in his own life. /episode/index/show/thepurposepromise/id/13542932

The Purpose Promise Podcast

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