The Leadership Vision Podcast

When Transformation Comes Home: How Leaders Integrate Growth After Change

• Nathan Freeburg, Linda Schubring, Brian Schubring • Season 8 • Episode 38

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What happens when you’ve been changed by a powerful experience—growth, success, or transformation—and then return to the same environment that hasn’t changed with you? In this episode of The Leadership Vision Podcast, Nathan Freeburg talks with Dr. Linda and Brian Schubring to unpack Chapter 5 of Unfolded: Lessons in Transformation from an Origami Crane. Together, they explore what it means for leaders to come “home” after transformation—to re-enter familiar places with new eyes, integrate learning without losing authenticity, and respond to misunderstanding or resistance with grounded self-acceptance.

You’ll discover how to navigate post-growth tension, recognize the “maps” that guide your next chapter, and turn personal insight into collective growth. For leaders who want to grow without leaving others behind, this episode reframes home as the true beginning of impact.

Episode Overview

This conversation invites leaders to think of home as a metaphor for integration—the moment when transformation becomes an integral part of daily life. Nathan, Linda, and Brian reflect on how growth changes our inner landscape and why it can feel disorienting to return to familiar roles or teams afterward. Using the story of OC, the origami crane, they explore how to balance confidence with humility, courage with rest, and individuality with community.

Key Takeaways

  • Growth requires reintegration. Real transformation isn’t complete until you’ve learned how to bring it home.
  • Self-acceptance sustains flight. You don’t need to prove your growth—own it, rest in it, and live from it.
  • Criticism often follows courage. Expect pushback after change; learn to listen without losing your center.
  • “Home” restores and relaunches. Renewal, reflection, and rest give leaders the capacity to serve again.
  • Your “map” was always within. The wisdom, strengths, and potential you need have been part of you all along.

Things to Think About While Listening

  • When have you returned to a familiar place or team after a period of personal or professional growth?
  • How did others respond—and how did you respond to their reactions?
  • What practices help you effectively reintegrate new learning without minimizing its impact?
  • Where are the “maps” in your own leadership story that guide your next chapter?
  • How can you create space for others who are returning home changed?

Notable Quotes

🎉 Unfolded is a National Bestseller!
#1 in Business & #5 Overall on USA Today
#17 on Publisher’s Weekly Nonfiction
📘 Grab your copy + get the FREE Reflection Guide!

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SPEAKER_00:

And part of returning to home is to be in a place where we can rest and be restored so that we have the fitness or the ability or the wellness to then continue to give more, to serve more, and to fly again.

SPEAKER_03:

And flyers need people at home. And the characters that helped OC with flight, they wanted to reap the benefits as well. Even the harsh voices. And so if you think of home, think of the places where you feel most at peace, where you feel like yourself, and the places where you have grown, where you need to reintroduce yourself to another.

SPEAKER_02:

You are listening to the Leadership Vision Podcast, our show helping you build positive team culture. Our consulting firm has spent the past 25 years doing this work so that leaders are mentally engaged and emotionally healthy. To learn more about us, you can click the link in the show notes or visit us on the web at Leadership Vision Consulting.com. Hello, everyone. My name is Nathan Freeberg, and today on the podcast, we are continuing on our conversation with Dr. Linda and Brian Schuberg as we unfold the next chapter of their book, Unfolded Lessons and Transformation from an Origami Crane. This is the fifth chapter titled Home, where O.C. the origami crane returns from her adventure of flight, changed, exhilarated, and unsure of how her transformation will be received. Now, some of her friends they celebrate her courage, but others question her choices, and still others, well, they feel a little bit left behind. Now, this chapter invites us to reflect on what happens when we come home differently, when we've grown, when we've stretched and taken flight. But the world around us maybe hasn't changed as we have. It's about learning to love ourselves through all the voices, internal and external, that question who or what we've become. Now, at its heart, home reminds us that the journey of transformation doesn't end when we land. In many ways, that's when the real work of integration begins. This is the Leadership Vision Podcast. Enjoy. Brian and Linda, first I just want to say welcome home to you as you have come home to Minneapolis from uh your work with clients abroad.

SPEAKER_04:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Um there's a link in the show notes to we did a podcast summarizing that. Are you integrated at home? Do you feel like the jet lag has worn off? Are you home and happy?

SPEAKER_00:

We're home. Yesterday was our fourth day in the States, and yesterday was my declared no-nap day. Ah, how'd that go? It went great. Okay. I made it all the way through. I had one moment. Yep, until the Vikings game started and I fell asleep. Anyway, okay. So I made it to 7 15.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, good job. Congratulations. Linda. Yes. Linda sounds like you have a little bit of a European cold, I'm brought up. A little bit of a European cold.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, the souvenir that no one wants.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. So, Brian, Linda, before we jump into this, I just want you to set up this chapter, maybe put a little frame. It's the fifth chapter. It's kind of the end of the allegory. How does this sort of fall in with the rest of the story? Maybe just briefly summarize and tell us about it, and then we're gonna dive into something I have highlighted here on page 62.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, for me, home is perhaps the most meaningful of the chapters. Um, even though I have a favorite chapter, it's not home, but this is the most meaningful chapter of the book. Home for me is so symbolic of many, many things for me as a person and as a professional. And there are many layers that are embedded in just this one chapter about the importance of home. I feel that people are always looking for the feelings that are attached to home. Uh, people want to feel safe and secure somewhere, and sometimes we know where that is when we think of a physical place, but for me, home is symbolic of a true returning to our authentic self.

SPEAKER_03:

And in the context of the book, you know, the first chapter being dream, second chapter being play, third chapter try, fourth chapter, fly, fifth chapter home. And it is a coming home, it is defining and describing home in new ways, and it's when O.C. has her soft landing back in the playground.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's another thing I will maybe get there.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh the first line. OC returned to the park in a soft landing between the branches of the cottonwood trees. I don't know that home is always a soft landing, is it? Like, what's the significance of that? It it feels like it's a soft landing, but then it quickly gets pretty rough for her.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes. Yes. And I think that's why we said that at first. Once again, every word was chosen in particular for for this allegory. And and we just wanted to say that with all the the bumps and bruises that she has had in her attempt to fly when she came back home, that it was a that it was a soft landing. And it just warms you up a little bit to what's gonna actually happen.

SPEAKER_00:

And I want to make sure that that first line of this chapter set the tone and set the mood for the theme of the chapter. And that soft landing is in my mind the welcome that happens when we do return home. Sure.

SPEAKER_03:

I will get to what definition of home is, but we'll be able to do that. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02:

That's that's we're gonna get there. The uh side note, the most Linda sentence in this whole book, I think, comes from this chapter. Which one is that? Do you know what I'm gonna say? No. Stop whispering, jokers. Fucking that is Linda.

SPEAKER_00:

I remember Nathan when Linda wrote that line, because we were in Puerto Vallarta, and she came um to the pool where I was waiting for some of the edits that that she was making, and she came back with that edit, and she did not tell me it was coming. And so I'm so once you read it, I just burst out laughing, like, yes, absolutely yes.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, and uh in truth, truth be told, it is an Easter egg for my friend Kevin, um who I went to grad school with at Ball State University, and he would call people crazy jokers. And it was just something that I have taken with me over almost 30 years.

SPEAKER_02:

When we took that group of students to Montana in like 2008 or whatever, I remember you said that a lot. And so this is uh this is my third time through. I think I must have missed it the first two times because I like like you, Brian, I was like, ha, like visibly outlined. I want to um go back to page 62 here. Okay. Okay, because I uh, you know, in some ways, when you read a book, you're like, I I really want to ask the authors about this. There's there's a lot to unpack, and maybe this is not as significant as I feel like it is, but let's let's see what happens. Okay, so put top of page 62. Owl uh listened. So OC is kind of talking, how'd it go? What happened? Da-da-da. And so Owl offers this. Remember to learn to fly is to learn to love, to love and accept yourself for who you are, to love in the shadows beneath the trees, to love yourself in the light of the clear blue skies, to love yourself with those who doubt and criticize you, and to love yourself among those who love you most. Keep flying and don't forget to land and love. Each one of those sentences it feels like could be a separate book. Ta just talk to me about this. I I have so many questions, but I I want to just sort of like just talk to me about this chapter because or this this paragraph in this chapter because it it seems like it's the whole point that learning to fly, so basically the whole first five chapters to get to that point is learning to love. And so loving all these different things. So unpack that. Help help me under help us, the listeners, understand this paragraph and if it's as significant as I feel like it is. It is. For those of you not watching, Brian is kind of crying.

SPEAKER_03:

He's a bit for Clemson.

SPEAKER_00:

Um I was writing this chapter, there was a moment where I started writing a meditation, and the meditation was reflective of my own journey and my own journey home. And I chose to not write this as a meditation. I chose to put the meditation in the voice of Owl. Because that first line, remember to learn to fly is to learn to love, to love and accept yourself for who you are. Those two sentences encapsulate the last three years of my journey of self-compassion and being guided by a coach helping me to understand who I am. To know Brian is to know someone who dreams, to know Brian is to know someone who does whatever I can to be the best I can at flight. And so, like, how do I take a dream and make it a reality? And I've done that for decades, trying to build or grow or do or achieve something, which in my mind is flight, without a true sense of self-acceptance and self-love. And one of the first things that my self-compassion and mindfulness coach uh started to teach me was to love who I am. And what I've learned is that true flight begins with loving yourself because love sets things free. And when we love ourselves, we love our identity just as I am, as I am, right here, right now, that expression of self-love that is the true beginning of flight. And so this paragraph is in essence layers of my self-compassion, mindfulness, and self-acceptance journey of the last three years as told through the voice of Owl. Who is Owl then?

SPEAKER_02:

Is that your coach? Is that No, it's Owl. I know, but I I'm uh like Owl is telling this to OC, right? You learn to tell yourself these things through this coach and through other people helping you. So is there a not that there's a one-to-one correlation between all the characters and people in your life, but who what would be, I guess, maybe the message to readers and listeners of you know, remember to learn to fly is to learn to love, to love yourself. Like who can the all be in our own lives? Is that ourselves? Like what like you know, do you know see I'm asking here?

SPEAKER_03:

Kind of welcome to the allegory.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I know. That's why I say allegory, yeah. Um at least it's not in a cave.

SPEAKER_00:

That'd be really it can this voice can come from a person, people, places, experiences. I wouldn't want to try to limit it to just one thing. Yeah, however, the reminder for me is in that last sentence, and that that last sentence, and this is truly what I've learned through Amy, and that is oh oh, by the way, Brian, keep flying. Yeah, like she's not saying that there is any judgment in in the desire to do or to accomplish or or to achieve, but remember that there's always a place to land and to love, and and and that is to remember that there is a grounding and an anchoring and a centering for you where you can remind yourself of the love you have for yourself, and most importantly, or one of the important parts of this book and for this chapter is then how to give that away. Like, how is it that you can create places and spaces for others to not feel shame or criticism for dreaming or flying? And to then reflect on that self-love and what that truly means, and how we can teach and give that away to other people.

SPEAKER_03:

Nathan, I appreciate that you've called out this paragraph, and Brian, it's good to hear the origins once again. I think this paragraph is a reminder to the reader, maybe not little kids, but uh maybe an ol older, more mature uh reader that this book is actually a love story. And it's a love story inviting people to love themselves. And the way that we approach it isn't starting with like, well, I'm good enough and I'm smart enough. Instead, I I have dreams, even though they may look different. I I have this opportunity to play and tinker. I've I've tried many things, I've even taken flight, and at the end, can you embrace the love not for the world or for the place, um, but actually for the person, and that is you. And can you accept the invitation to love yourself?

SPEAKER_00:

I remember a conversation that Linda and I had early, early, early. I mean, even before manuscript one, and I was talking to Linda about the things that this book is going to be, and love story was the first one. This is gonna be a love story, and at that point, it was me. I'm trying to set this up as. And when Linda and I started working together, we knew that Unfolded is a love story being told through an allegory taking place in a playground involving several characters. It is a love story. Um, it is a love story about O.C. loving herself. It is a story about Owl demonstrating love. It's a story about YC's love for like sibling with sibling, and it's a story about how Turtle demonstrates love. It's a demonstration of love throughout the entire story. Strickly love and the questionable love from and how edges in relationships help us love those that may seem unlovable.

SPEAKER_02:

So if I want to pick it up there, if we if we could take out the rest of page 62, 63, most of 64, and the top part of 65. I don't know I don't know if you're able to see this, but I kind of marked Did you cut out? I I marked well, I marked with uh your yellow highlighter D's that were like doubts, and I marked with C's um confirmations. I forget my name thing criticism. No, there it was positive. Basically, I marked negative things and positive things. So we have this beautiful thing about loving and and flying and don't forget to land in love, and YC after that, YC's like, yeah, I knew you could do it. And then we got Fox and Rabbit, who are basically like I'm gonna each time they one, you suck, two, you sucks, three, you suck, four, you suck, five, now you're ruined, six, don't ever do that again. Uh seven, looks like you're stuck like that. Eight, just accept who you are, stop doing it. Then YC's like, I don't know. And then nine is the stop whispering, well, stop whispering jokers, uh you suck. So you metaphorically and literally come crashing down to reality of like, love yourself. You're awesome, you did this thing, and then nine negative comments telling you you suck, you shouldn't do that. How do we as humans balance? Uh in the introduction, I said something about like uh learning to love yourself through all of those internal and external voices. How do we not let those external you suck voices just penetrate and be like, yeah, yeah, I shouldn't have done that? Look at all these people that are supposedly my friends. So talk me through that a little bit because a bit of a bummer, guys, before we go back up into go.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. Well, the f so it goes back to soft landing. So we started with the soft landing, and then you're pointing out all these tough things once again. And I think in the moments of like I'm gonna land and everything's gonna be different, and I can't wait to share my story, and I'm just so in love, and then like no, you're not, no, you know, and all the all the negative, all the negative messages, and I think it almost points to I don't know if we did this on purpose, but it points to like it's worth it. Like it's um that the that the challenge is worth it. If it was just easy to love, um the whole world would get along. And when I think about some of the polarities and the extremes that we are invited to live in right now, it's the ones that like I'm willing, I'm willing to fight for this, or I'm willing to uh this is meaningful. And sometimes those harsh voices kind of help you think about what you actually care about and what you're willing to give your life to, and it informs you who you are and who you're not.

SPEAKER_00:

And we really wanted to capture what actually happens after people take risk and have a quote unquote successful risk.

SPEAKER_02:

Totally.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, oftentimes when that happens, we create that standout moment when we're in flow, when things are going right. We feel great. And that's oftentimes the place and time when people become really critical because of maybe they feel like they're missing out or they didn't take the risk with you, or they're trying to remind you of who you quote really are. And that that real life experience, I think many people feel that there's like once people return from their flight, they feel this metaphoric collision of emotions that happen when they land. And one of the things that comes to my mind when I read that section is you know, of the nine or or or ten negative statements that you named, Nathan, they're there in repetition because I believe that whenever the external voices are being heard by us after our flight, we have two or three rebound negative voices within our own mind. And the overwhelming nature of that negative narrative, that's real. There's a friend of mine on my on my my swim team when I asked her what she felt about the the book. She talked about this section, and what she said to me, Nathan, was by that point in the book, I was just so tired of Fox. Like I just I just wanted him to just go away. And then she said this, but that's kind of how my dialogue goes too. Uh-huh. And so this connection to we learn to live with our emotions, whether our emotions are you know experienced as positive or negative. What we wanted to be able to convey was in the midst of flight and joy and happiness, we still had to learn, or the invitation is still to learn to live with our emotions and the emotions we're receiving from others.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Well, and it's interesting. I was just scanning this again and and remembering there was of those nine or ten things, there was one internal doubt from OC. And then YC, if you remember, is like this is kind of the positive thing amongst all of that. Um sometimes your dreams affect your friends, and lice and YC is like, yeah, like me. And then Rabbit is like, no, don't pay attention to OC. They're ruining your like the pumping your head full of all of this gibberish. And you know, sometimes it can be so hard to well, and maybe the goal isn't to block it out, but it's to correct. I mean, you hear about athletes all the time who use that as fuel to do great things.

SPEAKER_03:

Um you don't have to seek out you don't have to seek out negativity. You don't have to seek out the way. No, no, no. It'll always be around. It'll come. And people have more freedom right now to just say what they're feeling and maybe hide behind some comment that they that they make online. And and sometimes you have to to train yourself and actually practice shutting off those voices.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

I think if we made the story too much of a Hollywood ending, it would be like, yeah, that's not really transformation.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

Transformation costs you something, and at the same time, it's worth it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

And at the same time, it it just gives more energy, I think, to the love story portion of this book. And that it's not a romantic love story, right, but a a story of maybe true love, a self-love story. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And that point in in the chapter, Nathan, is important because for me, home is about the opportunity to express our gratitude and thankfulness for what happened and the invitation for generosity to give it away. Because what I love is that we see the resilience of OC in the midst of a negative narrative to be able to hear someone, YC, asking for help and for her to real and for OC to realize I have something to teach. I have something that I can give away. This is this experience isn't for me to hold. This is an experience for me to release and to help somebody else out. And that's really where this turn in the chapter happens. And I just love that reminder to us.

SPEAKER_03:

And I I want to bring our attention to YC, young crane. Right. Optimistic golden. Yes, optimistic little brother, uh, the sibling that is with you, the friend that is inspired by you. What I want to draw our attention to is YC is even when he wasn't playing because he was too little right away, he was playing, and then throughout this whole last chapter, he's not hidden away. He is observing everything that is happening. He hears all the criticism, and there's something compelling enough about OC's dream that he's like, I want that too. Yeah. Do you think I can do that too? And it's that kind of either hopefulness or optimism that that OC's like, well, you know, it's not everything is cracked up to be, is really hard, and you know, you you actually you probably don't want to do this. Right. And instead of saying to, you know, to fly is what we're created to do. And um, how do you encourage those dreams and encourage people to figure out who they are and embrace that? I wanna eat with us for it.

SPEAKER_02:

Talk about I'm trying, I'm trying. I want to talk about maps because that's kind of how this ends. And turtles crying. I'm scanning it quick. I can't I can't remember exactly why turtles crying or who points out the maps, maybe it's YC.

SPEAKER_03:

He's so proud.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, if I'm a map, I want to fly like OC, help me figure it out. Talk about maps again, because that's still probably the part of this metaphor that I every time we record this, I still wrestle with. Yeah, you're telling me I'm a map, I've got everything inside of me that I need, yet there's more, I think, to get there. So talk about how this idea of map quote un you know, comes home, so to speak, in this last chapter of home and how that should maybe inform us or inspire us or or whatever.

SPEAKER_03:

Let me ask let me answer, we'll get to maps, but let me answer the question about turtle, because I think it's significant now, in particular in this love story and the chapter on home. Turtles quiet. Turtle, we know most turtles are slow, unless it's a snapping turtle swimming through the head. Sure. Turtles are slow. And to know turtle in this story, our turtle is the one with the plan. Our turtle is the one that is observing and paying attention to everything and bringing it forward and being that loyal friend to OC. Almost the partner that that enables the dream to happen. Uh, it's almost like Turtle has this front row seat to OC's dream, and now he's seeing the whole story unfold as she's come back from her flight. Because the whole, you know, the whole playground saw OC up in the air. Now now she now she's back with them. And he's so quiet, I think, because and and I wrote it this way because there was so much emotion that sometimes surfaces that we don't have language for. And so sometimes people just have to blurt out things and they're saying a lot of things. And and Turtle being planful, I think, was just waiting and and not for dramatic pause, but to to really um find the right words and wait for the right moment. Now, when people are quiet, and this is the trouble sometimes with understanding and how how to lead introverts, is that introverts give us less details, they give us less data points to work with. An extrovert will just say a lot of things and then you know exactly how they're feeling. So sometimes extroverts uh um interpret silence as kind of going along with somebody. So I can't remember if it was rabbit or fox, or like, oh yeah, turtle agrees with me because he's being quiet. And instead, then you start to realize, oh, there's there's something there. And I I have often I learned this from my mother. I I learned that tears are sometimes an emotional release. And there are some people that have been given the gift of tears and this opportunity just to let go some of the emotions. And so, as these emotions are coming, all of a sudden Turtle gives language to O.C. and encourages her uh with a question of what was what was it like?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. The tears with Turtle for me, it reminds me of that moment of those proud tears you have as a parent.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00:

When you're watching your child do something for the first time or succeed. I remember one of the first times that Camila dove to the bottom of the pool to retrieve something from the deep end of the pool. I had I had tears in my eyes in my goggles as I was watching her. But that's kind of what I'm how I in interpret this moment. Because when Linda wrote that, to me, there was this immediate, like it's that sense of pride because there's a bunch of pressure and timing that goes into the unfolding and the execution of the plan that that Turtle had. And I know that there are people in our lives who watch from the sidelines, they know that they played an integral part in our our our epic flights of life, and there's just that that sense of pride. And I think that the crescendo of that emotion happens when the conversation is around YC and OC, realizing that there's this map that that's in both of them, and Turtle cries again. And I think that there's this sense of, and that's the whole point type of tears. Yeah, like and I'm I'm I'm glad that everyone saw that because Turtle was a critical part in the unfolding and the first moment in the book where we see the map in full.

SPEAKER_03:

Which gets to the to your other question, Nathan, about the map. Like what then why are the maps so significant? Why are they so important? And Turtle, the other animals had learned that they were also made of maps. And so that's still kind of a question mark that that we can trace through through the entire story. The the question that Turtle asked when when Turtle wanted to know, like, well, what did you see up there? What happens is OC starts talking about what she saw from over ahead, and it's the connection back to like, yes, oh, you saw your map.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And that's why I think um it was so important to bring map back into the center stage, if you will, in this last chapter, because in the process of the playing and the the trying and the flying, we're learning more about the composition of who we are, our talent and our potential. And that is the discovery of new things on our map. I also know when we watch people who are going through that process, we're also asking ourselves, do I have that in me? Like, do I have that kind of talent and potential? And we kind of like do this reflection ourselves. So when we have this parallel experience of why see coming back in a new shape, there are new parts for map that are seen. And why see recognizing this new shape and wondering to himself, is that part of me too? That's part of what happens when we fly and when we return home. Is that the return home? Is a demonstration that it's okay to try out new examples of how our talent and our potential can show up because that will inspire other people to do some of that same reflection and imagination of what they could potentially do, which is essentially a discovery of the own tapestry texturization of their own map.

SPEAKER_03:

Obviously, map is a metaphor. Right. Yes, map is a representation and a resource. It is also a metaphor. And sometimes questions about our own lived experience allow us to understand even what we're looking for at our map. Sometimes our maps feel so crumpled and creased that you can't even remember what's there. The words feel smudged out. You can't you can't understand. And sometimes the recounting of our own stories give ourselves encouragement of, yep, that was a part of me. Yep, I haven't lost that. Yep, it's tucked away right now, but maybe it's going to be on display. I've learned some things that maybe don't have a direct correlation to how I could uh to my expertise or what what I need to do right now. But they are I can you know configure something in order to get a little bit further.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, I I interviewed Deb, Deb Dixon, our Jedi master on our team. Um you guys know, I'm sure you knew this. Uh her degree is in a like she was a home ec teacher.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes.

SPEAKER_02:

Before she went on to be the CISO and CIO for all these giant companies.

SPEAKER_04:

That's right.

SPEAKER_02:

And that I wish I would have connected this when I interviewed her, but the just that idea of like you're not limited just because you you think that your map may tell you you can only go one direction. And you know, I I recently read uh the Fred Rogers, Mr. Rogers biography, and I didn't realize this, but there's a lot of criticism about him, and he's too soft and whatever. But his whole message was essentially I like you for you, and I hope you like you for who you are too, which is essentially comes down to like this map. This is who you are. Embrace it, don't let it limit you, don't let it say, oh well, whatever. And so I I I think that man, to to our earlier point about there's gonna be so much so many people in the world and so much uh opportunity to get to get just beat down. Let's understand that, but also say, you know, this is who we are, don't let it limit us, and kind of seek out those more positive voices that are, you know, hopefully coming from within, but also externally just saying, like, fly, sore, whatever.

SPEAKER_00:

So there's something I want to say, which I think is gonna fit in here somewhere, Nathan. I don't know where it is. Um, and it's this um it's this idea that just bec that when OC experienced flight, she didn't fly away, she flew back home. Oh and so this is why this chapter is so important to me too, because I've met so many people in my career who once they experience flight, they believe that they're supposed to land somewhere else to continue that. Yeah. You two know me. Like I I I have a uh you know a cr a case of wanderlust. Like I was think that there's something and somewhere. And what's in I didn't know what the word was. Whatever an addiction to a yeah, well, there's something stop, stop, stop. You're all you're all breaking up my gits in my ears. Because I'm thinking of a you know, there's a there are a couple wouldn't be true. There are several instances, and this is gonna be a a bit of self-reflection. There have been so many instances throughout my career when I experienced flight, and almost immediately after I felt like I had to leave where I was and to go pursue this somewhere else. And if I would have done that, I would have lost so many relationships and so many lessons to learn from being home again. And I just think that there's something about the euphoria that comes when we experience something like flight that we think we can't go back to where we came from because we might lose the ability to fly again. And I think it's the returning home that gives us the chance to really fly again, not only to give it away to somebody else, and this isn't in the book, but it's also a place where we have an opportunity for rest, restoration, and rejuvenation. And that's also so important, I think, in our life's journey is that when we think of flight and we think of airplanes, airplanes aren't meant to be in the sky all the time. And going from airport hub to airport hub, hangers are made for a reason. And part of returning to home is to be in a place where we can rest and be restored so that we have the fitness or the ability or the wellness to then continue to give more, to serve more, and to fly again.

SPEAKER_03:

And flyers need people at home. And the characters that helped OC the characters that helped OC with flight, they wanted to reap the benefits as well, even the harsh voices. And so if you think of home, think of the places where you feel most at peace, where you feel like yourself, and the places where you have grown, where you need to reintroduce yourself to another, where you know, kids that college kids that go off to college, they come home from university, and the parents are like, I do not know who this person is that has come back into my home, and there's a reintroduction, and it's this opportunity. Well, tell me tell me about your friends, tell me who you've met. And interesting. Yeah, so we get we can take this in many different areas. Maybe maybe we should do another one on this.

SPEAKER_00:

Anyway, I would I wouldn't really cover any of my notes. I know. I know, or mine. I mean, I'm just jumping around. Nathan, has this chapter hit you more than the others, or is it just where you're at today? Because you seem more like in it.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, it's uh let me read something. Okay, and then I think that may help answer. Uh I was working on kind of a summary. I won't read all of it. Uh to learn to fly is to learn to love, right? We established that in chapter on page 62. Uh that reminds us that real growth includes loving ourselves even when others don't understand us yet. Coming home means integrating who we've become with where we came from without shrinking back to fit old expectations. In the end, OC discovers she was made of a map. Everything she needed to soar was already inside her. So to for leaders for everybody, our direction, courage, and wisdom come from within. And like what hit me, or to answer your question more, is just this idea, um, especially just because some conversation I've been having with my kids lately, is this idea of like we're not these static set, you know, this this is who I am, this is who I'm always gonna be, I'm never gonna change. But when people have these expectations of us, uh I wonder sometimes if we prevent ourselves from changing, from flying, because we're like, well, I don't want to disappoint this person, or I don't, you know, have the flexibility or whatever. And so I guess that idea of courage, that idea of what you said is so interesting, Brian, about people feel like once they learn to fly, they can't come home. It's like, no, I can still fly and still land right back at my same address. And now it's just like, hey, I'm I'm different. I've got these skills, I've got whatever. And too often I think we have this this broken record in our head that just keeps going around and around and saying, Nope, this is who you are, nope, this is what you do, nope, this is how you react in these circumstances, in these situations, and and it's not that. And I think, you know, the metaphor, you know, was neatly wrapped up in 68 pages, I think. Um transformation may take a little bit longer than that. But also, I think, you know, this could be a series of a thousand books where there's this little transformation, then this little transformation, and then this little transformation. It's not just one big boom, bam, we're done. It's like one degree here and one degree there and one degree there. And you know, I'm 46, almost 47, and I was talking to my kids about something the other day, and like I still don't feel like a grown-up. I still don't feel like I still often look to like who is the grown-up in the room that knows what they're doing, and I don't think anybody does. Or we're all just at different places. So I don't know, that that's a little bit of a rambling, but it it that that thing on love was, I think I don't know, hit me more than I think other things in this book because it's like, so you've done the thing, you're coming back, but now shouldn't you have already overcome all of those criticisms and doubt and everything? But no, you can still do the thing and come back, and everyone's like, What? Come on, no way.

SPEAKER_03:

Then you go back to the dream and then you play some more, and then you can try some more. It's a constant you discover more about your map.

SPEAKER_00:

And you that's right. That's right. People who work with you push you to the higher platform.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, exactly. And then what's next? And what's now, and what's this, and what's that? And I mean, the constant is change, like nothing is permanent, everything goes in cycles and changes, and so how do you both remain true, your map, but also become this new, different quote unquote better, better version? So uh I have a reflection question that maybe we can just leave it and maybe I'll cue the music here and leave it, or if you have a reflection on the reflection. When you return to familiar places changed by growth, how can you stay grounded in self-love instead of self-doubt? I don't got an answer for that, but either of you have an answer? No. This would be the million-dollar takeaway. Because that is it.

SPEAKER_03:

And that answer could change every day. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Well, as I wrote that and was thinking about it, I think it's also coming back to chapter two, constantly, play. Like it's like, oh, I am doubting myself. Well, I'm just I'm still kind of playing. I'm still kind of trying. Like, yes, I flew, but now we want to fly a little bit further, and so let's play a little bit more. And like it's always I don't know. Life is a constant experimentation, maybe. Like it's a constant process of trying and failing and getting back up.

SPEAKER_03:

So and home becomes the next launch pad.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you for listening to the Leadership Vision Podcast, our show helping you build positive team culture and personal transformation. If you found value from this episode or any of our other episodes, we would appreciate it if you would follow us on the socials, subscribe to us on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast. Click the link in the show notes to order your copy of Unfolded Lessons in Transformation from an origami crane. You can click the link in the show notes to learn more about what leadership vision does and helping your team work through all of these very important and powerful topics. I'm fumbling over my words, but my name is Nathan Freeberg.

SPEAKER_03:

And my name is Linda Schubring.

SPEAKER_00:

And my name is and always will be Brian Schubring. And on behalf of our entire team, thanks for listening.

SPEAKER_02:

All right.