14: Coach Rick Schwartz - Oola Accelerator Passion

Rick Schwartz

Public Speaker

Certified Oola Life Coach

Podcast Host of “We All Have Something”

Rick Schwartz is a certified life coach, podcast host and public speaker, with a deep fascination of human and animal behavior.  Rick's formal education in Animal Science and Animal Behavior set the foundation for him working closely with people and animals for the last three decades. This has given him the opportunity to meet and work with people in many capacities, all over the world. 

It wasn't until overworking himself day in and day out that Rick realized he needed to reevaluate his own habits and behavior patterns. Rick spent over six months working on himself in a way he jokingly calls, "self-coaching." Leaning into his knowledge of human and animal behavior, he did a deep dive into truly understanding how he got to where he was and how to get back to where he wanted to be.  In the end, he not only found himself back in balance, he also found a strong desire to help others.

Following his instincts, Rick became certified as a Life Coach through the Oola program in November of 2020. Using the Oola Life Coaching principles, his background in behavior sciences and his intuition while working with clients, Rick has witnessed and experienced many life changing moments – in himself and those he serves.

Website: https://www.coachrickschwartz.com

Podcast: https://weallhavesomething.buzzsprout.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach_rick_schwartz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachRickSchwartz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/rickschwartz

 https://lifecoachesincahoots.buzzsprout.com/share

Transcript

Melinda 1:09

Hello. Hello, this is Coach Melinda and we are here today with Coach Stephanie, my cohost, and a coach full of passion. Coach Rick Schwartz. Rick is a certified life coach, podcast host and public speaker with a deep fascination of human and animal behavior. Rick's formal education in animal science and animal behavior set the foundation for his work with people and animals. Over the last three decades, this has given him the opportunity to meet and work with people in many capacities all over the world. Following his instincts, Rick became certified as a life coach through the Oola program in November of 2020, using the Oola life coaching principles, his background in behavior science and his intuition. While working with clients, Rick has witnessed and experienced many life-changing moments in himself and those he serves. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. Rick is definitely an Oola leader, certified Oola life Coaches are incredibly valuable members of the Oola community, and Rick is right there at the top leading the way as one of the Oola mentor coaches. We are thrilled to have Rick with us to share about himself and the Oola Accelerator passion.

Stephanie 2:30

Hi, I'm Coach Stephanie and Melinda and I are on a mission to showcase some of our fabulous Oola life coaches and share their stories. We are very excited to introduce Rick Schwartz to our listeners today. Welcome Rick, and thanks for joining us.

Rick 2:44

Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.

Melinda 2:47

Let's get started. Would you like to tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to find your balance the Oola way?

Rick 2:55

Well, uh, I think you, in the intro there, you, you tipped off, uh, working with animals and so my whole career and experience has been working with animals. Uh, I, people always ask me, when did you, when did you know you wanted to do that for a career? And I always kind of re reply back, how did you know you wanted to start to breathe? And it, it's not meant to be a smart Alec response. It's meant to really kind of, Drive home. I, I, there was no time I knew I wanted to work with animals. I just always wanted to be around them and always was fascinated with them. And I have dyslexia and some apraxia, which is another type of a, a learning challenge. And so school was very hard for me. And feeling connected to my peers sometimes was very hard for me. But animals always were that connection. Animals were always an opportunity to feel safe and to feel connected. And with that, I also found then when people were curious about animals, I could talk about them and share, and I felt a connection with people then through my attachment and knowledge of animals and, and. Throughout my life, that's kind of always been the case. And so with, as far as my stepping into Oola then and stepping into coaching, I found over the years people would start to come to me for advice and unsolicited and they would show up or call and, and ask for advice on certain things on life or, you know, taking retirement or whatever. And as we were in the middle of the pandemic, a lot of things came to a head at that time and I realized that it, it resonated deeply with me to connect with people on that level. I went through my own trials and tribulations, and we'll get into that a little later, but I found Oola through my challenges and realized that that was sort of the. I don't wanna say answer to everything, but it was all the pieces that I had been studying and looking at for human behavior and for understanding ourselves and understanding how to write our ship when it's been tipped heavily. Uh, it was all there in that one book, uh, finding balance and unbalanced world, and that's what started me on my Oola path and made me realize that this is valuable information that people need to know about.

Melinda 4:59

So what was your first introduction to Oola?

Rick 5:03

Well, my first introduction to Oola, uh, I was running myself ragged, uh, between work and life and everything else. I was very outta balance to put it in an Oola way, and I was just accepting the, every time someone would ask something of me, I would say yes and. And that was a way to just accept, okay, you, you've passed it, the torch to me. I can, I can hold that and, and what else do you got? And then someone else would ask, instead of saying, no, my plates are full right now, or My, I'm, I don't have time right now. Instead of putting up some boundaries, I just kept showing up for other people and not showing up for myself. And got to a point where I started losing weight even though I was eating plenty a lot. And I started getting this really big, uh, mass in my throat and I was. Getting sick and I don't know, I didn't know why doctors couldn't figure out why. I had tests done all sorts of blood tests, scans on my throat, ultrasounds on my throat. Nobody could figure it out. Everything checked normal. Finally, one doctor, uh, said, Hey, how's your stress level? And I'm like, oh, it's probably through the roof, honestly. And everything I, my body was showing, he recognized as a side effect of stress. So I had blown out my adrenal glands. Basically, they were just the, the valve was tapped wide open because I was consciously, I was, I was mentally, Putting myself in fight or flight so I could make it through. Each day I was up till 11, 12 o'clock at night. I get up at five and just hit the ground running and nonstop coffee was my, my big friend, of course. But even when I was feeling down without caffeine, I could mentally push myself through and, and force, force that adrenal reaction. And my body's like, you can't keep doing this. And so, uh, when that happened, I started a process of sitting myself down and really trying to understand and self-coach myself. How did I get here? What was it that I did? What were my habits and behaviors that that have resulted in this being my life now and what, what steps do I need to take to change? And so I started consuming everybody's content that you can think of that's out there. You know, Mel Robbins, uh, Jay Shetty, all the big names. I was just going through all their books and reading everything, and watching all the videos. And I came across Dave and Troy's book then as part of that journey. And when I got to through their book, I was like, well, this is kind of all the sweet spots. Of everyone else's content brought together under one umbrella. And not to say that they were cherry picking from everybody else so much as it really was a clear and simple, uh, I don't wanna even say simple. A clear and I guess simple. Yeah. A clear and simple path to. What one can do to start to realign themselves with their truths and the result of that being, of course, a healthier mental, emotional, and physical body as well.

Melinda 7:46

So did you actually already know that you wanted to do coaching before Oola coaching was a thing?

Rick 7:53

I did not really have that directly on my radar. So part of my career path, uh, I went back to the college I had graduated from and was lucky enough to, uh, be a part-time faculty member. So I was teaching a lecture and lab to students that were on the cusp of graduating. So a lot of them would also come back to me since I had graduated into the field they were going into and they were asking for advice. And so I ended up mentoring quite a few of them over the years as they transitioned from being a college student to career. Now I was fortunate. I have an older brother, a supporting family. I understood that transition. I had it modeled for me, but there are so many students that either they're the first one in their family to, make this leap, to even go to college, to others that have no family support at all. I found myself in a position of being a mentor for some of these students and I really enjoyed that. It was really fulfilling to. Be able to show them they had a lot of the answers within, and that fear shouldn't stop you. And, you know, to lean into those things that, that feel right and where your passion leads, you go explore that. And so that's, a very fulfilling part of my career. But I hadn't really made the leap quite into thinking, well, I, I'm gonna start life coaching as well. So it wasn't until the process of. Uh, mentoring or coaching myself that I was like, you know, maybe this is the thing, maybe this, I, I think I wanna share this with other people and do this. So,

Stephanie 9:12

as an Oola life coach, we provide a consistent commitment to nurture, support, and guide our Oola lifestyle framework subscribers through their journey to a life of balance, growth, and purpose. Could you share more about your coaching? Like your niche with the listeners and explain to us what you're most passionate about when it comes to coaching Oola.

Rick 9:34

Well, there's, there's two parts to this. Um, it's kind of funny there, it took me a while to figure out exactly my niche, cuz like, well, everybody needs Oola, you know, so it's like, it just, anybody, everybody come here. I gotta tell you this stuff, you know. But I found that I understood those who dove so deeply into their passion. That perhaps they became so laser focused that they forgot about the other parts of their life. And that's, that's a big part of what I had done and my career has always been a big passion of mine. I grew up, uh, knowing that I wanted no matter what, to enjoy my day at work. if I could pay my bills, then I'm good. I didn't need fancy cars or a big house or to travel a lot. Just if I could pay my bills and be happy at the end of each day, then I am. I'm golden. And so it became a passion of mine to really understand where can I get that? How can I do that? And that passion then kept me just like, oh. And like I said, yes, and yes and yes. And then I kept pouring myself into it. But I also lost sight of so many of the other key areas of our life, you know? And, and so with that, I now coach people who have basically gone through that same path, and that is interestingly enough, people who are at the executive level. I coach directors, I coach C-Suite people, as we call them. You know, in the cfo, C O, all the CE somethings or COOs or all of that. Because a lot of times people at that level have been so career-oriented. I. That, and they have to work every single day, sometimes seven days a week and, and not a traditional eight hour day to have that kind of success. And also they look around and yeah, I've got kids and I've got a family, but they don't know me. I don't know them, and everyone's unhappy and what did I do? Or their health is, you know, the doctor's like, look, you gotta change something or you're, you're not gonna make it to next week. All of that. And so that's, that's the niche I coach, but also it's not just people that are at that level. So we, I have also found nurses, animal care staff, the those who care for senior citizens, people who are passionate about supporting others in that way, in that care capacity. Have also reached that point of needing Oola in their life. And so I have quite a few clients that are also in that position as well, where they've reached burnout or compassion fatigue because they have poured into their passion so much that they have lost sight of the fact that there are other parts of your life that are important too, to help keep you in balance so you can enjoy your passion that much more.

Stephanie 12:11

Speaking of Oola and finding that balance, what are some of your work and life goals for 2023?

Rick 12:19

Oh, my work and life goals are pretty simple. Again, I, I've, I, you know, I go back to what I, first decided on as a, young middle of teenage years, was to just make sure I feel happy that I'm, I'm centered with what I'm doing and when I'm coaching a client. There's a certain, and it might sound a little woowoo the way I put this, but it's true a bit of vibration that I feel within my body where sometimes you get those goosebumps cuz you know you've made that connection with them and what you have shown them, you. And again, it's not you. I'm not teaching them. I'm just simply shining a light on something they already know or they express you in that dark corner over there, or help them reassess their perspective. And when that happens, I just feel so aligned with my truth. And so my goals for this year are to continue showing up for people in that space, showing up for people in that capacity and holding that space for them, because like Dave and Troy say, it's that, it's that one person at a time, a, a large part of my career has been about. Changing the world. So with my animal care and my animal science and my education that I do, it's about conservation. It's about how can we be, be good stewards of our environment that we share with these animals. And I start, started to see over the years too, that it's not just about making sure we're taking care of the environment and the ecosystems and understanding how our footprint creates a print, good or bad, you know, in the world, but then also going, well wait a minute. Sometimes people can't even show up in the capacity of being able to think about their environment or their ecosystem footprint because they are so out of balance. They need to get into balance first so they, before they can look outside and show up for the rest of the world. So for me, it's that ripple effect as well. If I can make sure I am impacting one person, I know I'm impacting others because we are basically changing their lives for the better so they can show up and, and that's where you really see the difference happen.

Melinda 14:21

That's great. I think that, uh, you just described what makes you a great leader. Great leaders come from success and from serving, and you definitely are out there serving for us, so we wanna thank you for that. Oh, my pleasure. What is your greatest passion in life?

Rick 14:39

Ooh, that's a, I think honestly my greatest passion in life right now is life as, as vague as that might sound. You know what I, what I learned early on in my career, so when going into college, my passion. I really wanted to work in the movie television industry, training animals. I had read a story about a gentleman named Herbert Wells or Hubert Wells. Hubert Wells, and he had made a career because he had a train dog and showing up in the studios and they needed to train dog. And all of a sudden he started training animals for a living, for movie intelligence. It was like this niche area of working with animals. And so what I saw, okay, that's, you know, I grew up in a small town of Washington state. We didn't have a zoo. I didn't know much about working with animals as a, as a career. So when I read his story, I was like, boom, that's it. He's working with animals. He loves his animals and he gets to make money doing it. And so awesome. I'm in. So that was my whole focus going into college. And my first job out of college was at a, at a, a company that trained animals for movie and television work. So I was like, I'm in, I, I did it and I was, that was my passion the whole time, and I found myself very unhappy when I was there. And I couldn't figure out why. It was great company, great people. They took great care of the animals, very respected across both the animal care industry and also the movie television industry. And I just wasn't happy. And then I finally figured out that while I was in college, it was the connection of educating people, sharing my passion of wildlife with other people, and getting them excited about animals. That really resonated with me and really gave me that high vibration feeling. And so I, I shifted everything and, and realized at that time that your passion, As you're exposed to other things and learn, new things can shift, and a lot of people sometimes can't let go of their original passion. This was my dream. This is what I've always wanted to do, and they can't let go of that because. There's a new passion that has kicked in for them, and I have learned that along my life. And so as I move forward in life, as I reach every year, it seems there's a, a new shift or change for what I'm passionate about. To a certain degree, it, it evolves with me as I exist in time and space. And so for me, my passion right now is to really embrace life and. All that it has to offer the challenges, which we all tried to seem to avoid. Uh, I, I face them head on more now. I welcomed them. Uh, my passion for loving my family and experiencing everything the human experience has, that's really where my passion is. You know, going back to the original answer, it's my passion is for life and everything that encompasses because I think there's just so much we. Sometimes overlook because we have expectations of what we should be passionate about. So I, I've opened the door wide open these last couple years and it's been amazing.

Stephanie 17:31

How does someone recognize their passion and put it to good use to get closer to the life they visualize and we call it our Lula life.

Rick 17:41

Yeah, I've had that question quite a bit, uh, especially across my career because I've, I've been such a passion chaser and always wanting to be happy with my day, and I, go back to sometimes the most basic things. Sometimes it's, sometimes some people have buried it deep. They were told at an early age that you can't do that for a living, or that's silly. Get realistic. You know, you've gotta be a lawyer or a doctor or a businessman. You can't do that for a living. And so early on in life, they buried their passion. And so now as an adult, they're like, I, wanna know what my passion is, but I can't find it. And so sometimes it requires walking them through that process. It, can be as simple as going, Hey, so what do you do on the weekends that, uh, while you're doing it? It felt like five minutes, but it was five hours. Or sometimes it's as hard as having to really walk them through, Hey, do you remember when you were a teenager? What was it when no one was telling you what to do you enjoyed doing? Maybe when you're in elementary school, sometimes you gotta even go further back, but it's a matter of helping them walk back. I'm a big proponent. I mean, it's even in my, my byline of my coaching, uh, profile, I help people find the answers within, people know, But sometimes they have buried it. So far they have forgotten it, but it's a matter of having those conversations. And sometimes I've had some clients where I. You ask those questions and they just keep hitting wall after wall because, I don't know. I don't know. I can't think of it. But then the next session, a week later or two weeks later, like, Hey, I thought of it. I remembered my, my uncle said this, and I forgot about that. But now I remember, and whatever it may be, but it's really a matter of, I think it at its foundation. What is it that you lose time when you do it? Like I said, you know, it felt like five or 10 minutes, but it was actually four or five hours. Or what is it that when you do have a few extra minutes, that's what you want to go do. That's what you think about. That's where your mind and your heart sit. And and it got, you gotta go beyond scrolling on the phone. Cuz now our culture now, it's like you got a few extra minutes. You just pick up your phone and start scrolling. Pretend, the phone doesn't exist. What would you be doing? And, then you can also ask the question too, if money wasn't an issue, you didn't have to work, you didn't have to go to that job. You're not fond of. And there was no like, oh, if I can't make a living doing this, I, I can't do it. What if that wasn't a thing? What would you do? What would you do that would resonate with you, that would give you that sense of fulfillment, that you could lose your day in it, et cetera? And for some people, they already have a hobby that is their passion. And so we can start looking at how can we maybe make that into a, a side hustle that might grow into something more, and, and you just start working through those steps that way of really understanding, or I should say, helping the client understand themselves and what's in their heart.

Melinda 20:25

we are asking all the coaches on our show some questions similar to the purist questionnaire. And the question number one is, please tell us something in your life that has grown out of a personal disaster or

Rick 20:39

challenge. Yeah, I, I think I'd go back to what I'd mentioned about how I came across Oola. For me, my coaching and the last three years, my life crumbled and my physical body crumbled right before the pandemic. It was literally weeks before everything shut down. I started just going, this is not good. I'm gonna have to take medical leave. I don't know what's going on. And the pandemic as bad as it was on so many fronts. The timing in my life. And I just, I, I don't want to come across selfish in saying this, but I feel like it was divine. It was like a, it was like I had someone tell me this, and I love it. I love this quote. God put me in time out. You know, it was like, you, you sit down at home right now and you think about what you did, and you can't go to work and you can't go outside and you can't do anything until you figure this out. And that's really what it felt like. That, that my physical body crumbling because my, my mental state was able to push it past its limits because of my, my behavior and poor choices and habits. That was a disaster for me. I, I, it, it was really an just such an amazing low point on so many levels. You know, personal relationships suffered everything. It's through all of that. Now I find myself in a position where I'm running a coaching business. I still have my day job, but with boundaries and I'm, I am, I feel that where I am right now is all because of what I had to go through and what I can offer now as a coach for others too. And so, yeah, that, that would definitely be the, the how my life is grown out of a personal disaster.

Melinda 22:19

When and where were you the happiest you've ever been?

Rick 22:24

Oh, this is a good one and it's a good one because happiness is such a fleeting moment for us. As humans, we're so hardwired to focus on the negatives and the challenges because it, it's a survival instinct. It's, it's part of our, our construct to survive. How, you know, you're being chased by a sa saber tooth cat, or these, these berries are poisonous. You have to think about the things that could possibly kill you. So now in our modern world, sometimes happiness is so fleeting it seems because we're so focused on something that's challenging or negative. But for me, I think when I really get in touch with happiness and joy, for me personally, and there's a lot, I mean, I'm, I'm a parent. Uh, I'm married, I've got a wonderful family. There's a lot of happiness at that level. But when you talk about being the happiest you've ever been through the work I've done to myself, there's a period of time in my childhood probably I. Oh, kindergarten, first grade, and, and that time before, so that, that youthful period. I remember so much joy about being alive and so much just, and, and a lot of it I'm sure has to do with that innocence of youth and the, and there's just not knowing of some of the challenges out there. But I, I can reflect back, like sometimes when I'm having a rough day, I just reflect back into my youth and like, man, I'm getting in touch with that kid's vibes right now and that joy and that was, that's I think I can easily say that is my happy place is getting in touch with that little kid, me and wanting to bring some of that playful energy into my adult life now.

Melinda 23:59

I can only hope every little kid had some of that in them that they got to experience.

Rick 24:03

Oh, I know for a fact that I was a very fortunate young boy. Uh, you know, I don't take anything for granted that I had in my youth. Uh, it was a simple life, but it was a loving life and I had no worries of that age. So, There

Melinda 24:16

was a summer when I was like five or six, and we lived in a house that had an outside back porch, and my mom used to let me take my naps there while everybody else was at school. And that sense of peace sometimes comes back to me when I'm outside.

Rick 24:29

Right. That sense of peace and love and security, it's, that's the best.

Stephanie 24:33

Yeah. I agree. Um, the next question, what relationship defines love for you? And this can be real or

Rick 24:41

fictional. Ooh, uh, love right up there with happiness. You know. Um, I would say, I think the go-to obvious ones for me right off the cuff, I would say being a parent, um, getting to know your soulmate. But I also recognize as a coach, a lot of people don't, have not had that, a lot of people have not had that opportunity of being a parent or, or feeling they have connected with a soulmate and so on that level, the next step for me, actually I should say, taking it deeper than those two, which, and not to downplay those two at all, but one thing I had to explore coming through 2020 and then and stepping into coaching and stepping into my true self. So, Was asking myself the hard question, can I honestly say to that guy in the mirror, I love you, and it took me time and it it, it was not easy to get to that state where I could genuinely now at a glance walking by the mirror and feel a sense of love. And a lot of that connection comes from spirituality, but also comes with being honest with who I am and, and letting go of a lot of stuff. That level of self-love I think is so important. And it's not a selfish love. It's not this I admire myself, my physical physique. It's that, that what's behind the eyes. Are you in love with that? And being able to reach that point in my life where I truly do love the guy looking back at me has allowed me to love deeper everywhere else. And with everyone else. And so I, I think that for me is probably the relationship. The relationship with me, uh, defines the truest love because it then branches out deeper everywhere else from there. Wow.

Stephanie 26:29

that is a great answer. you're the first person to answer it like that. And I, I admire that one. Um, what person, place, or experience has shaped you the most?

Rick 26:39

Ooh, see, that's a tough one. I. Ah, person, place, or experience that's shaped me the most. I have had so many amazing experiences that have shifted my life into a new direction, but to give one the label of the most I'm gonna go with, I'm gonna go with persons if I may make it plural. And I would say my parents and my grandparents, my parents instilled in me at an early age. Uh, they supported me. Wanting to do something that no one else in our community had ever done before we, and that is, again, pursuing a, a career working with animals and following my passion. School counselors would say, they would call them up and tell them, Hey, you've gotta convince'em to get a real job, to go for a real crib. Working with animals is not a real thing. You can't, you can't make a living of that. You know? And when you have school counselors, people are not kind of positioned telling your parents and you know, they're telling other people and telling you. What you're passionate about, what you really wanna do with your life isn't a real thing. And then to have your parents step up and go, Hey, you do, you, you know, just keep going. And every time I'd say, this is my dream and this is what I wanna do, they'd be like, okay, we, we know you can do it. Uh, so I would say my parents on that level. And then my grandparents, especially my grandfather on my mom's side, he had this attitude about people that I, to this day, I wish more people could embrace this. He, if he did not agree with someone's lifestyle or what they were doing or how they live, he would simply nod and say, well, that's not for me, but it seems to be good for them. And his genuine acceptance of the diversity and differences of people in this world has always been a beacon for me to remind myself. That, you know what? Just because someone's different or doing something differently doesn't mean it's wrong. It's just not for me. And I, that sort of, uh, gentle humbleness, uh, was very impactful.

Melinda 28:39

Okay. So I'm, I'm just about to ask you, what advice would you give your younger self?

Rick 28:44

Ooh, I think I just did a podcast episode on this for my podcast. Oh, uh, probably four or five episodes back, and it was just kind of a coincidence. I would sit my younger self down, specifically in middle school and high school, and have a nice long discussion about forgiving others and forgiving yourself. Uh, I was, uh, bullied and I was also a bully because I was bullied. I picked on other people too, and I'm not proud of that, but I talk about that as much as I can because a lot of what happens when people are bullies, It's because of insecurities and the people who picked on me and hurt me. I carried that with me for a long time, and it came out in being a negative way to other people as well, and even into college. I remember just holding so much anger to the people who bullied me. And I've gotten to a point in my life now where I understand the game of forgiveness. And I call it a game, not because it's, it's like you play this game, but it's, it should be approached in almost a playful way, uh, in the sense that understanding that when you get to a point of truly being able to forgive others, y you are doing yourself. The gift you win. It's, it's, it's, you get to win the game when you do that, and it's hard to get there. It's not an easy thing. For so long, I heard people saying, oh, you know, just forgive him and, and move on. And it was a sense of. Excusing someone's behavior. And until I realize that no, it's not excusing their behavior, it's acknowledging that they've got stuff going on as well that I'll never understand. And I need to let that go and forgive them so I can move forward and grow in my life. And if I could sit myself down in junior high and, and, and, uh, or middle school and, and high school and have that conversation, that's the advice I would love to give myself. Forgive others. Forgive yourself. That's a great

Melinda 30:37

message for everyone. Yeah. Do you have a quote or a motto that you value and you wanna

Rick 30:43

share with us? Absolutely this one. I'm a big fan of Ted Lasso. Um, I don't, I'm, I don't know anybody who's not honestly, except for some trolls on the internet, but, uh, I, I love me some Ted Lasso. And this quote was made famous by, by Ted Lasso at a wonderful dart scene where he set up everything. I mean, what a well-written show. I could go on and on about that. We get a whole nother episode about my love for Ted Lasso, but it's the quote. Be curious, not judgmental. And it's, although he attributed it to Walt Whitman, uh, if you do a dive into the internet, no one can confirm that it was a Walt Whitman saying it wasn't written by him. No one knows why they cited Walt Whitman, but a lot of people do. But the, the statement, be curious, not judgmental is so universal. So much so that I say it out loud now, someone cuts me off in traffic instead of going, oh, you know, and cussing'em out like you tend to do. I'm like, well be curious about this. Are they late? Are they not feeling good? Do they gotta go to the bathroom? You know? I mean, you've been there yourself, buddy. So be be curious about it. Don't judge them. It works for almost every situation when someone. It feels like someone's crossed you or someone's different than you. Be curious, not judgmental. And I found through the process of practicing that when coming across others, it works for us too. On yourselves. I pass judgment on ourselves so much we can be so hard on ourselves with the words and inner dialogue we use on ourselves. So I've disrupted that in my own internal, you know, dialogue. I have, wait, wait, wait, wait. I'd be curious about why you're feeling this way. Don't judge yourself. Why did you do that? Why did that happen? You know, and it's a great little motto and I, I will use it for the rest of my life.

Stephanie 32:22

I like that. And I also would be on board with doing a whole episode about Ted Lasso. Let's do it. Okay. So we are also asking all the coaches on our show if they have taken an Enneagram test for anyone out there unfamiliar. The Enneagram is a system of personality typing that describes patterns in how people interpret the world and manage their emotions. So Rick, have you taken an Enneagram test? And if so, what is your number?

Rick 32:50

I have, uh, part of the process in 2020 going through, building myself back up and, and reevaluating myself. I took the Enneagram test, not a big surprise, it came back as a two, which is the helper, and I took it again about a month ago before doing this interview and came back as a helper again. But I must, I must say I'm a much healthier helper now.

Stephanie 33:11

Oh yes. The strengths of a two. There are some weaknesses.

Rick 33:15

No, I was deep in the weaknesses of the two earlier.

Stephanie 33:18

So, you know what's funny is that I'm a two and I did not know it was the first time I had taken the Enneagram back when it was all the hype. I just didn't do it. And um, I was surprised by my results. Oh, really? I was. And then, um, most of the coaches on our show, I think we've had like five sevens. Mm. So yeah, it's pretty interesting that you're the only other two besides me. Um, would you like to list some of the strengths? Do you have those handy or do you want me to

Rick 33:47

Oh, I'll let you dive into it. I don't have it handy on me. Okay.

Stephanie 33:51

So strengths of the helper. They are generous with their love, their time, and their resources. They have lots of empathy, especially for the lonely and marginalized. They are great at sensing what other people need and finding out how to fulfill those needs. They are attractive to almost anyone with their open and charming attitude, and they build warm and welcoming homes for themselves and others. That's what I have in this little blurb. Does that sound like you? I,

Rick 34:19

I, I should say it sounds legit. Yeah. But I, I'd also say when you dial some of those up too far, they become also the weakness, you know, because you're constantly showing up for other people, welcoming others into your life, and it's like all of a sudden there's no room for you. And that's where I was back in 2020. Yeah.

Stephanie 34:35

Yep. Same. The boundaries and the always saying yes to everything asked. Yes. Yep.

Rick 34:41

Yeah. Uh, healthy two has healthy boundaries. Exactly.

Melinda 34:44

Yep. We really wanna thank you for joining us. I have been noticing you as a coach and your passion for some time and it was great to have a chance to chat about it. Is there anything you wanna share with our listeners we haven't asked you or that you would like them to know?

Rick 35:01

Don't give up. I think it's probably the biggest thing. Uh, a lot of us, we hit challenge after challenge after challenge and sometimes like, you know what, it's just not supposed to be. And. Although, yes, there is a time sometimes where you're like, okay, I need to switch gears or directions. I would encourage though, whether you are a fellow coach listening to this, trying to grow your business, or whether you're not a coach and you're just living life, listening to these great podcast episodes that you recognize part of having a balance in life. We talk a lot about balance at Oola, and I think sometimes I. From the outside without really understanding what that means. You're like, oh, everything's gotta be perfectly aligned all the time. The reality is balancing life is being able to set up that path and that plan, that little path and little plan to be ready for the times the disruption happens. The things that challenge you to make you second guess yourself. Think maybe you should quit or stop doing something, or just fall in line with what you've been told to do and not really live your passion or your life. Dr. Troy talks about his plate spinning experience when he was a kid and there was the seven plates, and one starts to wobble a whole bunch. While they're focused on the other ones, they gotta come back and tap on that one to get it spinning so they, but then they gotta go back and hit the other ones. That analogy's perfect because the plates are going to wobble. But if you're only focused on one plate, or only focused on the plate that everyone else is telling you to focus on, the others will wobble and fall. It's not to say they aren't gonna wobble, it's not to say it's not gonna be work. It's just to say it's, it's an action you take every day, making sure you're keeping an eye on all of your seven plates, making sure they stay spinning, stay balanced, and so yeah, it goes back to just what I said first. Don't give up.

Melinda 36:52

I love that. Thanks for sharing that through a little recap about passion. Passion is an Oola accelerator. Passion is fuel. Seek Oola if you are unsure where your passion lies. Not only will you discover your true self. And your passions, but you will also uncover where you are, where you want to go, and most importantly, have the passion to help you get there. Before we part ways, we would like to let our listeners know that our next episode will showcase coach Curtis Hamman and the topic of the Oola Accelerator discipline. Be sure to like and subscribe to life coaches in cahoots. And I'd like to remind you we are all designed by God for greatness and with purpose. And we want to truly thank Coach Rick for taking his time to share with us about himself, coaching and ULAs Accelerator passion. It's been a real pleasure. Until next time, stress less, feel better, and enjoy life a little more. Bye now.