Rethinking Happiness – Peter Teuscher on Depression, Meditation, and Leading with Purpose

Brad Minus: Welcome back to another episode of Life Changing Challengers. Hey everybody. We are super lucky to have Peter Teuscher with us today. He is a systemic coach and leadership trainer, and he has just come out with a new book called Rethinking Happiness and the Beliefs That Guide You, which we'll get to in a little while, hey, Peter.

How you doing today?

Peter Teuscher: I'm doing great, Brad. Thanks for having me on. 

Brad Minus: The pleasure is all mine. Just let me tell you that we were very excited to have you on. Can you tell us a little bit about your childhood? You know, maybe where you grew up and the compliment of your family and what was it like to be Peter as a kid?

Peter Teuscher: Sure. I had a pretty interesting childhood. You might say. I, was born into a family where my dad was in the Canadian military, stationed in Germany, and so I was born in Germany. Moved to Canada, when I was four, and then grew up in Canada. And I've actually, you know, since my mid thirties, I moved back to Germany and kind of rediscovered my roots over here.

But growing up in Canada was great. I mean, for a lot of different reasons. I think, I grew up, just in the suburbs of Vancouver and, beautiful place to live. Really great community. Lots of opportunities. So I guess I had a pretty normal upbringing.

You know, my dad was a fireman, so, you know, typical kind of middle class family. I guess my struggle was from an early age, i, I developed depression and that was not something that I knew as a kid or as a teenager. It wasn't until I sort of entered therapy in my early thirties that we kind of defined that, you know, that was my experience.

I, we basically looked back to my first experience as I remember in grade two, when I was, seven, you know, my first kind of describing the situation to my therapist at the time, she said, well, that's definitely a depressive episode. So I dealt with a lot of that, not knowing what it was. And I guess a lot of it was, I thought it was just this chronic laziness.

'cause as a, as a kid, you know, when you have your ups and downs, mood swings, lack of motivation, you know, your parents get frustrated and call you lazy. And so. I thought it was chronic laziness, but, even into my adult years, until I got some help and realized, you know, it was not normal kind of malaise or sadness.

It was something deeper. So yeah, as a kid, I, had, highs and lows, but definitely a lot of ups and downs. And when I look back on my teenage years, I don't want to go back there again. But a lot of it was self-inflicted. I just didn't make the most of that time when everybody else is going, oh, that was the best time of my life, so yeah, lots of opportunities, lots of missed opportunities for me, in that early part of my life. But, I definitely turned it around to the point where when I started, really, taking care of my mental health, I wanted to pass that on. And that's when I got into coaching basketball.

My childhood was kind of that. 

Brad Minus: So it is interesting because you talk about coaching basketball. So did you play basketball? 

Peter Teuscher: Yeah, I played basketball in high school, and it was the kind of thing where, in practice, I did great.

As soon as we got into game situations, I, my inner critic, I just really, fell apart. I didn't have a lot of mental resilience and so as a result I didn't get, a ton of playing time. But I developed a real love for the game. I really enjoyed playing. I guess, you know, I was always one of the tallest kids, in our class.

I, my size kind of got me out of the team, but, and, in practice as well, it was just, you know, I didn't have the mental resilience to get out there and compete. And I eventually got over that, but that was, that really got in the way. So I guess when I got, when I wanted to.

After I kind of, you know, built up my confidence and made these changes, I wanted to, give back to kids. So I started coaching, in neighborhoods that were, troubled, troubled kids and stuff like that. And so it was a combination. It was kind of reaching kids.

Through the sports because, you know, some of those kids only came to school 'cause they wanted to play basketball, you know, so, it was a great way to kinda reach, some of those kids. And I, not only do I think that I probably had some kind of an impact on them, but it was really rewarding.

Like they definitely had an impact on me, and helped my personal development further as well. 

Oh, no, I get that. I coach kids now. And yeah, I've learned a lot and I totally get that. I have two kind of just little trivial questions. One is, brothers, sisters? 

I have a brother. 

Brad Minus: Yeah, he's close. 

Peter Teuscher: Canada. Yeah. Well we actually started a business together, in our twenties. Nice. Craft brewery. And, we built that up. And, ended up selling it, when I moved over to Europe. So yeah, we're very close and even despite the distance, we still have a great relationship.

Brad Minus: Oh, that's awesome. Wow. A craft brewery in Canada. 

Peter Teuscher: Well we were one of the pioneers. This was back in 95, so. Oh, okay. This was before, things really, exploded on the scene and, and so, you know, we did great. I still struggle and I think. It was partially, you know, a recommendation of my therapist, but also for me, I just really felt like I needed a life change.

I, after going through all my history as a kid, you know, it was time for a major change. So people were shocked when I walked away from, from the outside, it seemed like, wow, you guys have this great life. Two guys in their twenties have their own brewery that's successful and, you know, lots of friends, you know, we, got invited to all the best events and stuff like that.

So from the outside it looked great, but internally, I get home alone to my apartment and I'd feel miserable to the point where. I really felt like I was letting my brother down because I had days where I just didn't feel like I could get outta bed. And at that time I thought, there's something really wrong with me.

Until I heard a public service announcement on an American radio station that we got in Vancouver that said, you know, if you're experiencing, and they said a whole list of symptoms. Then you may be suffering from depression. And I thought, wow, there's a name for how I feel.

And, that was one of the prompts to kind of get me to go get some help. At first I went for hypnotherapy. I thought, well, there's something wrong in my brain, so I'm gonna get hypnotized to fix myself. You know, it just shows how little I understood about the whole situation. But from my hypnotherapist, he helped me get a meditation teacher, but then I went on to, therapy and different types of therapy and, it really helped, it really changed my life. Along the way, I also started reading tons of books on personal development and really started this whole journey of self-awareness and taking control of my own.

Mental health, my state and, my own personal development. And, you know, it changed my life and that's what I wanted to start passing on to others. 

Brad Minus: That is, that's why we do what we do. Right? Yeah. I mean, we, you were a coach for basketball for a certain reason. And you went after it and now you're coaching people with to help out with their happiness and their, their personal development and you're doing that too.

So, you know, kudos for that. I wanna step back now that you know what, you know, can you think of a time in your childhood when you did feel better only to find out later on, you know, later, like you said, when you went back to your apartment, all of a sudden became miserable.

Was there a time in your childhood and then later on maybe when you started your business that you did feel like I went 

Peter Teuscher: yeah. It was, never this constant state of, highs or lows. Except for me it was a little bit more extreme.

I definitely had periods where, I felt as good as I felt in a long time. And just when you thought, life's great, it only took one thing to trigger then another kind of stepping off into this dark sadness. And the thing is, it didn't really have any control over it.

And, you know, there might've been something that I attributed to it as triggering the situation, but sometimes I would just wake up feeling that way. And that was the real confusing part. And that was the thing, especially as I got into, as an adult and, you know, I started having some success and, things started improving for me.

That I felt really guilty because I thought, I have no reason at all to be unhappy, and yet why do I feel this way? And so that guilt and shame, you know, not recognizing that a lot of it was just my beliefs and the continued negative thinking and this narrator that just kept putting me down and, all this negative self-talk I wasn't.

Self-aware enough to recognize, to separate myself from this negative voice in my head. And I think that level of awareness didn't come until I started practicing meditation and also doing some of the talk therapy that I did. 

Brad Minus: I always found, there was certain activities, 

I don't think that I suffer from depression. But there definitely was low times in, in my life and I kept thinking and I would go back into it. And, actually I was diagnosed, with GAD, right after nine 11, but of course it was me and hundreds of thousands of other people. Yeah. And I actually lived in DC at nine 11 and was, was in the military and assigned to the Pentagon, they said, oh, well that's just par for the course. But even when I was going through that, there were certain things that I did that, at least temporarily would make me forget. And I kind of, like I said, felt normal. And it wasn't the same thing every time, but most of the time I found that activity like.

Playing basketball. So I guess that's the question for me is, was there a time, like maybe when you were playing, when you were at practice, you said that competing was a whole different story, right? But maybe during practice, did you find that, during practice I actually felt pretty damn good.

But the minute practice was over. 

Peter Teuscher: Yeah, I mean, it's the things that I now realize, things like, exercise, getting out into nature, those kind of things. Those definitely made me feel good, you know, if we'd go camping, or if I'd, get some exercise, playing basketball, getting fit, it definitely built my confidence, up to a certain degree.

I was also really creative, right? And so. I would kind of hide in my room a lot, as a teenager, but I really loved music and I am getting into a band and I'd write all the lyrics for, our songs and so I found that that was very cathartic, that writing was a really good outlet for all of my.

For a lot of the kind of emotions I was feeling, it was a good outlet for me. And, I think those were good things. Also, half of my family's German and so, I had a really good relationship with my grandparents on that side. So when my grandma would visit or if we.

Took a visit over there that she was such a positive influence in my life. So having that contact, really helped lift me up. But it just wasn't sustainable, right? That was the problem. I realized I always needed some kind of, outside influence to make me feel better.

As a teenager, I had a real fear of insanity. I had this real fear that there's something I'm just on the verge of, losing my mind. Although I was surrounded by a lot of, drugs and alcohol, I did drink alcohol as a teenager, but I stayed.

I was really. Afraid of any kind of drugs. 'cause I had this, fear of losing my mind. And even, I remember this, this ad, on the TV talking, Tony Robbins was a big one that always came up. But there was one guru talking about empty your mind. And, you know, talking about meditation, I thought I. Empty my mind.

No, I need all the safety barriers. I'm not gonna, just let my mind wander. 'cause that's a dangerous place. I was very confused about, how the mind worked and so on. But, I had a lot of fear and a lot of, dislike for myself. And I think when I had, too much time to think, that's when the negative thoughts kind of spiraled and put me in a negative place.

Brad Minus: I get that. Yeah. You know, you could find those activities that temporarily halt the negative thoughts. 'cause you keep moving. Yeah. But you can't run forever.

You can't play basketball for the rest of your life. Continuously. And that's what I'm talking about. Like you can't sit there and go, I'm gonna dribble up and down the court for like 50 years at, in, in a crack. You know? And yeah. So yeah, so I I, I totally get that. You know, some people obviously, they, they get through it via drugs or alcohol.

And, I get what you said too, 'cause I'm kind of in the same mindset. Mindset is that I don't like to be outta control. 

Peter Teuscher: Yeah. 

Brad Minus: So too much alcohol and all of a sudden things start. It doesn't make as much sense. And all of a sudden I'm like, oh, and I'm outta control. And I've done, you know, I went to college, you know, I did my fair share of dirt and, yeah.

And was introduced to, you know, drugs and, and yeah, the minute that my thoughts weren't my own, and I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I can't do this. So I get that. That makes a lot of sense to me. But what was your first, turnaround? I mean, you mentioned that you found that, hey, there, this was the name for it.

Peter Teuscher: Yeah. 

Brad Minus: You got a name for it, but what was your first breakthrough as going that, Hey, maybe now I can either control it or I've got ways to like at least dampen the feeling so that I can be functional. 

Peter Teuscher: I think, those first experiences, you know, working with a therapist and, well, actually I think one of the things it was just increasing my level of self-awareness.

So I had, I was going through, chronic lower back pain. And I tried to fix it in all different ways, chiropractor, massage therapy, physiotherapy, and nothing was really working. And then I started going to yoga as a last resort. I thought I'll never do yoga. And then here I was, and at the end of every yoga session, we do like 15 minutes of meditation and it was like, wow, that what a.

How do I feel more like this? And that's, I told that to the hypnotherapist that I was talking to, and he said, yeah, you should, I have somebody who can teach you meditation. So I, went to see this Indian guru in Vancouver. Who then, over a three month period regularly taught me a form of meditation.

And then I started exploring different types. I got different teachers and having that level awareness that I could recognize there's, you know, I'm not my thoughts, and finding that separation. That was extremely liberating. And then. I think it was just all these different things that happened all at once.

It was the meditation, starting to read personal development books, having some of these conversations with someone so I could externalize some of all these thoughts that I was having with a neutral person who could help me reflect and recognize I. And ask the question, you know, is that true? How does that thought or belief help you?

How does that support you? And having those kind of, conversations was the first step. The thing is, it wasn't this steady progress. It was like a rollercoaster. I, I take two steps forward, one step back, and so. But the good thing is when I was feeling good, I'd get more help. I would make more progress.

When I'd have a setback, then I'd get discouraged. But, the hope was there. I think sort of those first realizations and that first step towards more self-awareness, that was what gave me the hope that I could change because. It was that first, confirmation that actually this is not a flaw inside of me.

It's not my brain chemistry that's messed up. It's actually the beliefs, that I've internalized and a lot of the thoughts that I think chronically and that. Just that simple recognition, which has now become really the, a big focus of the work that I do.

I think that gave me the hope and the drive to really continue working on myself. And, you know, now it's been like a 25 year journey. Right. 

Brad Minus: When was your, connection with that first meditation teacher? 

Peter Teuscher: I'd say it was my early thirties. I'm trying to think. It was, I was either, I think I was 31.

When I, when I, first started doing that 

Brad Minus: thousands. 

Peter Teuscher: Exactly. 

Brad Minus: Okay, great. That sets up the question. So here's the question. So you had one-on-one time with a meditation teacher, and it sounds like many meditation teachers, 'cause you went for different versions of different kinds.

Methodologies of meditation Exactly. With today and the explosion of technology, YouTube and all these meditation apps, do you believe that someone can learn just as much as you did using these methods? Then actually getting a meditation teacher? 

Peter Teuscher: I guess it depends on how deep you want to go. I find it really helpful to have a teacher.

Mm-hmm. It's difficult, you know, you can't just step out of your own mind. So it helps when someone, can kind of guide you through the steps and support you through that. A lot of people will go. To these meditation apps that are like a guided meditation. And that's almost more like a form of, self-hypnosis than it is proper meditation.

'cause the thing is, at least from what I've learned, it's not about getting your brain to visualize something or imagine something. 'cause that keeps the brain active. The thing is to quiet the mind down and then become the observer of your thoughts. And only then can you start to discern and recognize, oh, actually, you know.

That, that's kind of an unsupportive thought. I don't need that. And recognizing that, okay, the thoughts will come and go. I can't stop that, but I can control where I give my attention to. And so those are things that I learned from a teacher, not from apps. 

Sort of the things, the sensations to be looking for, recognizing for okay, when, how, how you feel when you come out of a meditation and you get frustrated because I, I was so distracted, my thoughts took me away. That's when someone who can either teach you or coach you through the process is really helpful.

'cause it can be really. It can be discouraging in the beginning. Right. And so, so yeah, I, I think having someone to encourage you, whether it's, a coach there, there are plenty of coaches that are experienced at meditation or having a real focused meditation teacher I think is, is really helpful.

You know, there's lots of people who are good at being at teaching themselves things, but it's, it's not the easiest way to go about it. 

Brad Minus: I agree. Which is why we exist, you and me. So, you know, that's part of it. So tell me about, what was the first type of meditation 

that you were introduced to. 

Peter Teuscher: So, I can't say I know the name of it anymore, but it was, I had to make some commitments. And this is not for everybody, right? So I had to commit to not eating meat and not drinking alcohol, which being the owner of a craft brewery at the time was difficult.

That's tough. So that's why, I lasted for three months, but I had already kind of, cut. I was going through this phase where I wanted to improve my health through diet and you know, when you're, out eating burgers all the time, it doesn't make you feel healthy.

So I thought getting re meat out of my, diet would, would force me to eat healthier. It was supposed to be a, a six month thing, and I actually haven't looked back since, but, so the vegetarian piece was not hard for me, but the non-alcohol thing was difficult. So I did it for those three months and then I said, okay, I've learned what I.

What, and, and so it was a process of, of actual, you know, he gave me these things to that it was kind of chanting. There were affirmations to say. I guess, a lot of that comes from, there's different types of meditation that will give you, some kind of a mantra to say.

And it was kind of like that direction. But I had to keep the words. I didn't even know what they meant 'cause they were Indian. But he said, you know, you can't teach this to anyone or tell anyone what these phrases are. You have to keep it for yourself. And so it was an interesting experience. I liked the way it made me feel.

But in the end, it, felt like there was too much of, Eastern religion involved in it, and I decided to explore other things, and find something a little bit more contemporary. But it was a fantastic start for me because, he really helped talk me through the struggles of getting into the state where you could really, be the observer of your own thoughts and feelings.

Brad Minus: So it sounds like. There are numerous methodologies for meditation and it's not a one size fits all. 

Peter Teuscher: No, no, there are just, there's so many things and just whether it's a therapist or an accountant or a meditation teacher, you know, you find somebody that fits your personality and what you wanna get out of it.

At the end of the day, I don't think it's, for most people something that's really dogmatic, it's not gonna be helpful. Just somebody who can give you the basics so that you can get started and then. You know, something like just meditating 15 minutes a day can be like, super helpful.

It's the frequency, not, not on the weekends. I'll meditate for two hours. That, that's not gonna be helpful in the same way that just going to the gym for two hours on the weekend isn't gonna do the trick for you. So, if you can find someone that you really connect with, that helps you. Navigate your own path through your mental situation, through meditation.

That's great. And then the rest you can do with yourself. I use an app, I use a timer because your thoughts especially 'cause I meditate every morning and then I don't have to start thinking about, oh, am I running late? Because I can. I've meditated for an hour or longer before, and, when you've got appointments, you just don't want to lose track.

Right, right. So I have an app, it's called Insight Timer, but there's plenty of great ones. And you can just set the time for yourself and not worry about it until you hear the chime or whatever. And then, you know, okay, I've put in my time today. And it's about consistency.

But having a timer gives you one less thing to think about while you're trying not to think. 

Brad Minus: So, what is the methodology of meditation that works for you now? Is there a name for it? 

Peter Teuscher: Well, it's, you know, most people call it a mindfulness practice, right?

So, but I did a lot of work with visualization. I think that once, what I recommend, because I was for a while meeting with a group in, Hamburg, where I live here, they do heartfulness meditation. And what it is is just while you breathe and while you, get into that meditative state, you focus all of your energy on your heart center.

And, I recommend everybody try meditating in a group. The energy in the room really, I find it's great. It gives you a great experience, obviously that's hard to do consistently on a daily basis. So don't just do that. But, but yeah, I do a form of mindfulness meditation that's just simply about, getting myself into that calm state, opening in my mind.

If there is something that, I want to kind of work on some visualization. I do that aside from this meditation that I do in the mornings. So it's just a mindfulness meditation. It's just, focused on breathing. When thoughts come, you know, the process of letting them go. And that's all it is for 20 to 25 minutes every morning.

Brad Minus: I went through some a me a Zen Buddhism phase. And counting the breaths was the only one. I'm totally type A. Like, it just keeps going. It doesn't stop. Matter of fact, I got to the point where I know as I get older. You tend to have to wake up in the middle of the night to, empty out your bladder.

But I'd go and I'd empty out my bladder by the time and when I, I laid my, my head down, my brain was on now. And I can't get back to sleep. So I had to learn to do something about that. And what I did for me, it was counting my breasts and I was like, you just focus everything on how many breasts you're taking and you just keep talking and just keep counting and counting.

And someone was like counting sheep, but you're counting the actual breasts that you take. That helped, you know, for me, 

Peter Teuscher: oh, really? Well, look, when talking about counting your breaths, that's one of the first kind of meditations I recommend. Either, trying to count from 10 down to zero.

And then every time a thought distracts, you restarting at 10, right? And so that's a really good way. But for some people, closing their eyes actually makes their mind wander more so. For some people, like, a great evening meditation is to light a candle and just, you know, fire can be fairly hypnotic and so you kind of staring at the candle flame and so you still, it's always about the breath no matter what kind of meditation you do.

So you always start with these three breaths in through the nose, out through the mouth. So that gets your body into a calm state. And then from there I just focus on the candle flame. And then when you find yourself getting distracted, you just. Concentrate even more on the candle flame, right?

It's kind of intensifying your gaze. And so that can be a way to not activate your brain through counting or through visualizing, but just, seeing how that keeps you in the moment. So the counting and the candle meditation I think are really good starters for people to use.

And then from there, once you know the techniques and once you can put yourself into that state, if you wanna then use that as a springboard to. Visualize, find your sort of mental sanctuary where you go to, like, those are all great exercises you can do as well. But as long as you get down the sort of foundational, process of meditation, I think that's an important thing not to, jump over.

Brad Minus: Awesome. So when you left Canada, let's go back into the story. Yeah. Now for the rest of the story so. The, you got, so you got to Germany and you sold the brewery. What did you up doing? 

Peter Teuscher: Well, first I decided to take a break. I went backpacking through Asia, which changed my life.

I started in Hong Kong, went through China, into Tibet, into Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia. And it was such an amazing experience because I met great people and you realize they are super happy with so much less than people I know, you know, back home who have everything are way less happy than these people who are just living day to day.

And I, so that was a great experience. Came to Germany and decided, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. So I was just kind of hanging out for a bit and I wanted to avoid getting back into the drinks business, but I ended up doing that, and I ended up being really successful, working my way up in the corporate world, worked for some really big companies, and, and then started to, you know, kept my personal development journey going.

I would do workshops and stuff like that. And I started to. Well, I found out about this coaching work, right? You know, because when I was coaching high school basketball, I thought, ah, I wonder if I could go back to school and be a counselor or something like that. And then, you know, moved to Europe and, and, wasn't quite sure what I was gonna do.

Then, you know, I got a sales background, so I started doing sales coaching, I started doing training, and I really enjoyed that. And I started managing a team. It was almost like. Coaching a team, and leading a team through, those coaching principles was great.

And then, that kind of one thing led to another and to become a better leader, I decided to take this, coaching certification, and really loved it. The process helped me work through a lot of things that were still hanging on, sort of issues that I had internally.

You come to these modules that you're doing and you bring practical, things that you wanna work on. You do that with other coaches who are learning. By the time I got certified and finished, one of the trainers said to me, with your corporate background and now your coaching, you know, you, you would be great as a executive coach and, and a leadership training.

And so he brought me into his business. And I started, doing workshops on leadership, and I started coaching and, ended up getting some great, even like CEOs that I started to coach. So I started to realize that even people at the top of business have their insecurities, have their, you know, they're not flawless either.

A lot of them have imposter syndrome, you know, and stuff like that. And so that really put a lot of things in perspective. And I made, it made me realize that, no matter how far I get in life, I'm still questioning myself. And I realize everybody does the same thing. Everybody has their doubts, their worries, their concerns.

And, that was just. For me, such a great, piece of my learning journey that I'm super grateful for. And so, and then, you know, I just ended up building up my coaching business from there. The corporate stuff is what pays the bills.

But I also have a private practice where I coach people, privately. So, I like to combine the two. And I've done some volunteer coaching. I've coached, high school students as well, troubled teens and stuff. So I like to, use my experience and what I've learned and pass it on to people at different 

you know, different levels. And, you know, on the business level, I love that positive kind of influence you can have on an organization to help them, grow and become, just having leaders be good at leading and not just being managers, right? And when they treat their people well, that gets passed on.

And I've just seen so much positive change from that. So, super rewarding. 

Brad Minus: I have to totally admit, I've been with just a couple of organizations that actually are big on employee centric mm-hmm. Management where, you know, a lot of your corporations out there right now are money, money, money. And then it's like, all right, well my clients give me my money, therefore the client should be first.

It's interesting that I've been with two organizations and I actually had subscribed to that. These two that I've worked with, are very employee centric and their employees are the happiest people in the world. You know, they feel like they're so privileged, for lack of a better term.

They know that they bring something to the table, and I find that most of them, they're holistic about. When an opportunity comes along a project or something that's, part of their work, they really look at, okay, I'm gonna do this thing, this project, this task.

And the first thing in their conscious subconscious is, what does this do for the company on a whole, whether it be monetarily or non a monetary, they're like, okay, well this is the best thing. But then when something comes along and they're like, wait a second, I don't. Know if this brings any value to the company whatsoever, it might even bring it down.

Then that's when they question stuff. Yeah. But they question it out of love for the company and for what they, you know, what they feel like they're respected to do. Those companies still have issues with politics and everything else? Of course, of course. Right. They still have those issues, but if the.

Employees find that they're willing to deal with that stuff and make it better rather than just quit because they don't wanna deal with it. I definitely commend you on, if that's something that you're coaching right now, kill it. Go kill it. Yeah. I'm with a company right now and they're employee centric and they've got literally, we went to a retirement for a guy who was there for 40 years.

Peter Teuscher: That's amazing. And, but that whole thing of understanding how you add value, you know, people think to have a sense of purpose, which is one of the three pillars of motivation. You know, you're probably familiar with Dan Pink's work. But, the thing is, purpose is not just, working for some organization that's saving lives or that's, you know, fixing the environment.

A sense of purpose can come from understanding what you do to contribute to the overall success of your organization. And so that, it can be little things that contribute to, big outcomes. 

Brad Minus: Yes. 

Peter Teuscher: And I think when people recognize and make that connection and understand how they add value, it's such a huge motivator for them and just, there's just not enough companies that recognize that.

But, you know, doing this kind of work that you and I do. Helps create this positive culture. And culture is the thing, you know, whether it's in sports or whether it's organizations culture. You know, you hear about this in professional sports all the time. I'm a big basketball fan, and so you hear about having a winning culture, right?

Making sure that people have that mindset and that understanding what, you know, what, how, define a team, right? It's, it's, it's a group of people that have a common goal and need each other, to achieve that goal. And so when you can. Help people understand that no matter what they're trying to achieve, that's gonna help people be motivated, be productive, and really, a big part of what I try and do as a coach is help people find their own highest potential.

And I think when you show them that, that just, opens the door. 

Brad Minus: Exactly. So, a lot of good stuff. Lemme put you on the spot here for a minute. Can you give me the top three issues that, you're helping your leaders with right now?

What are like the top three popular ones? You mentioned one, which is imposter syndrome. That's a big one. What other two? 

Peter Teuscher: So, culture in a team or in an organization, how do I affect culture is a big question. And then, people usually call me when they're looking to make change.

So how do I create change in my organization? And along with that, keep people motivated and productive because with change it's always about, it activates people's fears, uncertainty. Ambiguity, those are conditions that people find really difficult to work through.

And so when I work with leaders, those are the kind of things, if they're looking at themselves, you know, how do they, optimize. The people who go to high performance coaches are often already high performers, right? Yeah. So for them it may be more about finding more balance.

So the things that people come to me for aren't always the things that they need. So it's a self-discovery, kind of thing. That's why I don't like using a particular template. I don't have one thing that's gonna apply to all people. The imposter syndrome is a big one for high performance, for people who are successful in life, 

doubting themselves. 'cause they have the same negative thoughts as we all do. The self-criticism and so on. They see their own mistakes, but not others. And so they think, you know, if all people only knew all the mistakes I make or all the stuff, I don't really know what I'm doing.

And, obviously that's what leads to all of that. But yeah, so sorry, long-winded kind of way of answering your question, but, not at all. I'd say. Those are three big ones. Yeah. 

Brad Minus: I get it. The Apostle Syndrome is really something to get passed. I was speaking at podcast conventions for, what, four years before I started this podcast.

And it was because of him, you know, and I wouldn't start the podcast because I had imposter syndrome, but yet I would go up and speak about stuff and then I had imposter syndrome because I didn't have a podcast. So it was like, here I am teaching things to people and yet I'm not doing it. 

And once I started the podcast, once I jumped in with two feet and just said, no, listen, you know what you're doing. You speak about it. Go do it. And that's, you know, I did, and we're just about to hit a hundred episodes. So That's amazing. That's, yeah. And that's the whole thing. And I think that part of the apostle syndrome is not looking back, but looking forward.

In endurance sports, there's a big saying. It's like, you're only as good as your last race, you're given Absolutely. And I tell my people too, and I'm guilty of it. I sit there and I say, okay, listen. When you're done with your race, whether you had a good race or your bad race, you take 20 minutes and you either like, pat yourself on the back, get really happy, jump for joy, and just go crazy.

Or if you had a bad race, you get 20 seconds to berate yourself, figure out what you did wrong. You know, cry, whine, do all that stuff. Get mad. But then after 20 minutes, you're done. On to the next race. That's it. You don't get to look back. But then when I get people that say, well, I shouldn't really go in a race 'cause I have imposter syndrome, I'm like, but wait, look what you've done.

But coach, you always said that you're only as good as get, you get what I mean. If you go back and you look at what you've done, that's what you cure. The PO imposter syndrome. You know what I mean? You know, you have the knowledge, you've got the base, you've got the endurance. Just go do it. 

Peter Teuscher: Yeah. People so often forget that, you know, they'll come up against a problem or, or a challenge, and they'll forget all the ways that they overcome challenges in the past.

Right? And, you know, a lot of times you've already figured it out before and you just don't, you're just not making the connection. You can apply those same principles, you know? So I, I think that's a challenge and I actually do. When people who worry, they get, competition is something that, that undermines people a lot.

And so I just remind them, you know, I myself don't look at, myself in competition with others. I'm in competition with who I was yesterday, right? Mm-hmm. So every day it's just growing. And so for people who. Maybe have had a bad race or had a bad experience, had a bad business meeting, you know, it's like, well, there's two things you can look at.

Is there anything that you did well that you can celebrate? Right? Celebrate the small wins. And then the other piece is, okay, what are you unhappy with and how are you gonna do it different next time? Because it's all about what you're in control of, right? So, the things that you can control, are you gonna do them differently next time?

Because. Look, you can celebrate that. You're aware of your mistakes. A lot of people, the reason they continue to fail is they don't realize the mistakes they keep making. Right? So having that level of awareness and not trying to change everything all at once and going, okay, I'm gonna pick this one thing and next time I'm gonna do this.

One thing better, differently, or, you know, I'm, I'm going to, get some advice from a mentor or whatever. Right? So, just knowing that awareness is one of my coaching mottoes is awareness allows change, right? So, you know, these things, we got so much below the surface of our awareness. When something pops up and you see it, okay, grab onto that and figure out how you want to change it.

I think that's something that people. Should take advantage of, a lot of times things will pop up, and they'll discount them this is why meditation is such a helpful thing, because it helps you actually be aware of these thoughts and look at them objectively and be discerning and so on.

Because it's so easy when you feel like you haven't done well. A lot of times you probably did better than you thought you did most people, usually have a negative bias toward themselves. But then if you can have the ability to reflect objectively, you can kind of discern and pick out the things, that went well and the things that, you'd like to change and really make an action plan from there. And that's just so much more helpful than sitting there ruminating for an hour. 

Brad Minus: Yeah, I absolutely, a hundred percent. You know, and it's so funny because I'll get ready for a race.

And it's so funny 'cause a lot of endurance athletes, they'll take their medals and they'll just throw 'em in a box and put 'em in the closet. And I have a room in my house my gym, which nobody goes into except for me. And my stuff's on the wall.

And I just noticed that, you know, whenever I'm getting ready for race and I'm like, all of a sudden I'm getting the jitters and I'm like, what if I don't think I trained enough? And those, those, those thoughts go into my head, the negative ones.

And I just, I can walk in the room and I can see. All the races. So I've done like 37 marathons. I've done, you know, five Ironmans and a ton of frigging 70 point threes, a bunch of these zone races. So when I get those feelings of like, oh, maybe I didn't train, and I just walk into the room and I go, look how many times you've already done this you've got this.

You've done it. Go and do it. So, you know, while I say, well, I get it, people, you know, they're like, oh wait, next race, just put this stuff into the box. Or their degrees or their certificates that they've gotten or their, the honors they've gotten from past corporations, that they've got, best team player, whatever with those accolades that they've gotten and they just put 'em away.

I say find a, if you're worried about vanity. Put 'em someplace where only you can see them. And then when you get those feelings again, you walk in, you look at it and go, look, you've done it before. It's gonna take a new skill, it's gonna take a new outlook and some practice, but you've done it.

Just this time, we're gonna do it better. 

Peter Teuscher: I think part of the problem is that, we go from one kind of milestone to the next, right? And we don't even take a moment to just be present there and go, wow, what an accomplishment. You know, how did I get here? And what are all the things that I did?

And really reflecting. Instead they're just, okay, what's my next goal? Right? What's my next, and I think if you can take the time, maybe you don't wanna celebrate everything, or maybe that's not your thing, but take some time to reflect on. All the things you overcame to get here, and that is going to be something you can build upon again and again, and just, you know, especially in sports, or even in business, you know, you've done all these things.

You've studied, you've done the work, you've built up your experience. And, I think that there's just so many. You know, you could relate sports and business in so many ways, but it's the mental game, the mental stuff is the thing that's going to cause you to succeed or fail.

Right. Based on, whatever measurement I used to say to, the kids that I coached. What was the difference between a Kobe or a Jordan. And the last guy on the bench. To get in the NBA, you have to be an incredible athlete. You have to have incredible skills.

So what's the difference between that guy who's the, you know, 12th or 14th guy on the bench, and Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant? Because they believed they could make every shot. When you can start to recognize that, you know, if you've put in the time and, done all the work, then the thing you've gotta do is convince yourself that you're ready for it.

And recognize those mental barriers and those hurdles that you put up for yourself. Most people's problems in life are self-made and a lot of them are up in their head, 

Brad Minus: I agree. And with that, what a fricking amazing message to end on. Yeah. So, yeah. Peter, thank you so much.

I have to let everybody know, listen, Peter's got a book out, rethinking Happiness and the Beliefs That Guide You. That's on Amazon. I'm gonna put a link to that in the show notes. Go to peter Teuscher.com. That's T-E-U-S-H-E-R, Peter Teuscher one word.com. And you can check out his coaching site. The book is there, you can get on his newsletter.

I love his, beginning message messaging is gain clarity, create change. Live authentically. So that's something that I think we all can use more of. So if you're interested, please go ahead and check out, his website. I see you, he's got a, YouTube channel, right? 

Peter Teuscher: Yep. 

Brad Minus: What's the handle there?

Peter Teuscher: It's just peter tarsha.com. So the same as my website. Your Guide to the Best You is, the name of the show. That was something I was, doing, there aren't any new episodes 'cause I was doing it with a coaching colleague of mine, but I also write a blog every week, on a wide variety of topics.

So yeah, I'd love to share my knowledge and it's all free, so, I appreciate anyone checking it out and sending me feedback, 

Brad Minus: great. Yep. And again, it's on peter Teuscher.com, or you can go to Peter peter do Teuscher.com/blog. Mm-hmm. And then you'll be able to go directly to that. If you wanna check out his blog that he does weekly, and, any socials.

Peter Teuscher: Yeah, I'm on X, I'm on Facebook, I'm on LinkedIn, and my PR people have me set up on Instagram now too. 

Brad Minus: Okay, well great. We'll make sure that we get those and, and we'll link those in the show notes as well. So there you'll have everything that you need to get in touch with Peter and to read some of his, 

wisdom, that he's bringing to you. If you happen to be watching this on YouTube, really appreciate it. Go ahead and hit that subscribe and that like button and then hit that notification bell so you always know when we drop another.

Episode next. If you're listening on Apple or if you're listening on Spotify, go ahead and, maybe you could drop a review or a comment. I guess Spotify has comments now. Tell us how you feel about it. And you know what, I don't even care if it's a bad review 'cause that's just feedback, basically, tell me how I can evolve the podcast even further.

So, I really appreciate everyone listening, watching, however you're getting about it, Peter. Thank you for joining us. We really appreciate all your wisdom and some of the great nuggets of info that you gave today. 

Peter Teuscher: Thanks so much for having me on, Brad. 

Brad Minus: It's been wonderful. So for Peter and myself, thank you for listening and we'll see you in the next one.