Arete Coach Podcast: The Obstacle Is The Path

Tony started his journey to the executive coaching industry through his career as a financial strategist working with several large companies including Procter & Gamble, Genzyme, and Vertex. Tony also has experience running his own businesses such as LifeSci Consulting. In 2018, Tony started Inspired Purpose Coaching to help business leaders unlock their true potential. Tony has a passion for helping people find clarity in their goals and increase their organizational impact.

To further inspire others, he started the Virtual Campfire Podcast where he shares powerful lessons learned from other business leaders and their journeys. He also published his book “Climbing the Right Mountain” and serves as the lead Psychological Safety Consultant and Master Trainer for the Fearless organization.

Tony has a passion for helping others find fulfillment in their careers and encourages others to be led by their inspirations. This passion has pushed him to great success in his coaching and contributed to the great impact he has had on the lives of those around him

Key highlights

From financial advisor to inspiration inspirer

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Tony started his career in the financial advisory and consulting industry. After much success, he started experiencing what he describes as “burnout.” It was at the time of experiencing fatigue that he began the transition to becoming the founder of Inspired Coaching. He wanted to help others beat this feeling of burnout and “show up as leaders.”

In his journey to the executive coaching industry, Tony completed several training courses and became a certified PCC coach through the International Coaching Federation. Tony likes to joke that he has “gotten more certifications than any person should.” However, he believes that the confidence in his coaching practice has come from “getting out there and seeing how people are impacted by you and your presence.”

Today he coaches with a balance of both coaching fundamentals and compassion; using not only his training, but also his intuition, insight, and confidence to help his clients get the exact coaching that they need. Severin states that the fundamentals of coaching are like the drills performed in sports. They are essential but they are also meant to be built upon. Tony believes in this statement and applies it to his coaching today as he seeks to inspire others and help them achieve their best.

Sacred geometry and lightbulb moments

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Severin asks Tony about the logo of his coaching company “Inspired Purpose Coaching.” There are two parts to Tony’s logo. The first is the sacred geometry logo in the background. Tony explains that this shape or pattern can be found in “all of nature” even in places, plants, and artwork. The pattern is “something that you may not see… on the surface, but if you train your eye to look for it, you’ll see it everywhere.” Tony uses this concept in his coaching, teaching people to “reframe their thinking” and have lightbulb moments of seeing work in a different light. He helps his clients “light up” and reexamine their outlook.

“The obstacle is the way”

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When asked about what Tony wishes he learned earlier on, Tony shares that “the obstacle is the way.” Instead of fighting challenges and not taking a rest to ponder and reenergize, Tony has learned to embrace challenges and work through them.

The story of Inspired Purpose Coaching

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Tony got the name for his company, “Inspired Purpose Coaching,” because he was “inspired by finding [his] own purpose.” Tony shares that “inspiration is communication with your soul’s purpose.” He wants to help others find their inspirations and work for something bigger—for a purpose. These revelations are where the name Inspired Purpose Coaching originates from.

“Expand your vision, narrow your focus”

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When asked about his perspective on curiosity, Tony explains that he has always had a variety of interests in different disciplines. He uses the quote “expand your vision, narrow your focus” to encourage clients to “think bigger” and make connections that go “beyond” what they are currently seeing. He does this by first identifying their needs and what needs to be focused on. Then he encourages them to “expand” beyond the challenge and think about other outcomes. During this process, he allows silence to encourage pondering and thought.

Tony’s favorite question

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Tony finds that asking his clients, “what do you fight for?” can be a great source of inspiration for his clients. It helps his clients look towards the future and identify their big-picture goals. Doing this also allows him to ask his clients what they are doing now to contribute to that cause or bigger purpose. This helps him and his clients identify genuine goals and create tangible action plans.

The Virtual Campfire Podcast

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Tony hosts his own podcast called the Virtual Campfire. On it, he hosts conversations with business leaders from a variety of sectors. He discusses topics that are inspiring and can help encourage others to find what inspires them and live of life of fulfillment. In a recent episode with Scott Miller, Tony discussed the importance of using former mistakes and failures as “teaching vehicles.” Tony has a variety of guests on his podcast ranging from experts with household names, to those without a considerably large following. Tony shares that in all of his conversations with guests, he has been able to gain great insight and inspiration.

Tony’s book “Climbing the Right Mountain”

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Tony wrote “Climbing the Right Mountain” after his realization that many successful business leaders reach their goals and still feel unfulfilled. He mentions that “oftentimes we look to the outside world… and we defined the climb based on what everyone else thinks it should be…We have to rethink our path based on what we want.” His book talks about helping leaders show up “from a place of fulfillment” without “seeking fulfillment at the end” of their careers.

Tony’s passion for inspiration and fulfillment

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Tony has a passion for helping others overcome burnout and fulfill their highest potential. He wants everyone to be able to give everything they have and do everything they want to do. His best days ever as a coach are those days where he helps impact people in big ways; helping them see the big differences and opportunities that are possible for themselves. This desire to help others fulfill their ultimate potential is also how Tony will “measure” his life. He states that how he makes an “impact on the people around [him]” is how he measures his life.

The counterintuitive truth

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Tony shares that “most people think… you can’t live a life of fulfillment” while also living a “life of bliss.” However, Tony doesn’t agree with this statement. He believes that “if you can find the connection with the things that you have and find some way of being satisfied with who you are and come from a place of fulfillment… then you’ll find that your mood changes and your place of gratitude really changes.”

Click here to listen to the podcast.