Work Life Play with Aaron McHugh

Check Engine Lights and Life Dashboards #131

My check engine light is on in my 2004 Honda Pilot. I’ve had it checked, but they said it was okay but for how long? How long can I drive with red lights flashing warning signs? A couple of years ago, my life’s dashboard was flashing red also. I kept pushing hard and ignored the symptoms assuming they too were “fine.” Dashboard lights help inform us of hazards, problems, early indications of pending issues. For most of us, we assume something must be wrong with the indicator light. In real...

We've Forgotten How to Play #130

You used to know how to play, but people like us can get pretty serious about life and forget how to really play. Remember when you'd jump on your pogo stick in the driveway until your dad came home from work? Back when I was jumping mud puddles on my garage sale BMX bike, I wasn't worried about my retirement account performance. There was a glistening in my eyes and radiance to my soul that responsibility and duty hadn't yet impacted. It was true for you too. Remember when you used to pla...

Finding Your Sweet Spot #129

Finding your sweet spot in Work Life Play isn't simple. Each of us has our own set of values, priorities, circumstances, and objectives. Our sweet spot, the narrow window or range where goodness, sustainability, and reward all converge. Finding your sweet spot will require you to make calculated trade-offs and curated choices. Reboot Your Life experiential workshop October 13-15 has four spots left. For signup details. 

Finding Your Sweet Spot #129

Finding your sweet spot in Work Life Play isn't simple. Each of us has our own set of values, priorities, circumstances, and objectives. Our sweet spot, the narrow window or range where goodness, sustainability, and reward all converge. Finding your sweet spot will require you to make calculated trade-offs and curated choices. Reboot Your Life experiential workshop October 13-15 has four spots left. For signup details. 

Do Less Better #128

Sir Edmond Hillary claimed he climbed Mt. Everest, "Because it's there." Reframed, I think he meant "Because I can." Not everyone possesses the athleticism and grit to achieve the summit of Mt. Everest. We conceded the fact that we are not trained Himalayan mountain climber, therefore, lacking the necessary capability and capacity. The problem is most of life doesn't present itself in a simple -easy yes or no format. Instead, we face viable offers, requests, and demands that fall within our ...

From Busy to Burn Out with Bryan Buckley #127

Today my guest is Bryan Buckley host of The Energy Edge Podcast. We met last year as part of an entrepreneur conference he hosted and subsequently Bryan had me as a guest on his podcast. Listen to the episode here. If you resonate with our conversation about busy to burn out and the exhaustion cycle, you might enjoy my free 7 Practical Steps to Restoring Balance. Get access here. Here is Bryan’s story from his website. WHEN YOU LIVE FAST, YOU CRASH HARD. In 2011, my body started kicking back...

Why I Took A Break From Podcasting #126

I told a friend how I unplugged from producing my podcast earlier this summer. He’s in the publishing world, and he understands how difficult it is to build an audience and keep people’s attention. The advertised best practice is to continue doing what is working. I’ve spent the last six years turning out new podcast episodes every month, and I’d grown it to 8,000–10,000+ downloads per month. He used a term that summarizes why I needed a break from podcasting, “Fallow ground” “…some farmers ...

Obsessed to Push with Tommy Caldwell #125

From reluctant public figure starting as a teenager, Tommy Caldwell is driven...no really driven to push beyond...far beyond where all other's would have quit. "If you get a chance to explore what nobody has....you have to do that" From Tommy's website... The Push: A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits. A dramatic, inspiring memoir by legendary rock climber Tommy Caldwell This engrossing memoir chronicles the journey of a boy with a fanatical mountain-guide father...

Be the Hero of Your Life #124

I love GoPro’s tag line, Be a Hero. Be the Hero of the life we already have. Being the hero in my life isn’t about fame, fortune, spotlights and ego. I think it’s deeper than that. I think being the hero of our lives requires us to show up and own the golden moments, our glory, our mojo, our love, our sharp whit, our manna “Yeah, can you believe I did that? Killer!” The stuff of our life that would be perfect for GoPro’s photo of the day highlight real. And…every true hero is flawed. Being a...

Protect the Asset #123

I am listening to Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown on repeat. I keep revisiting a phrase he uses, Protect the Asset. His idea is that you and I are the asset of every story, every beginning, every good endeavor that we imagine and therefore we need to protect us. Protect the asset.

Vagabonding and the Art of Living Curiously with Rolf Potts #122

Rolf Potts is a travel writer, essayist, adventurer and teacher. I discovered Rolf Potts from listening to Tim Ferris. Rolf's book, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to The Art of Long-Term World Travel is attributed by Ferris as the basis for his stick-it-to-the man 4-Hour Workweek. I sat down with Rolf Potts over Skype from our Joy Bus to learn from him about learning to live curiously. Potts calls rural Salina, KS home after having his pick of equitably frugal options abroad. His Mid-Wes...

Living on Purpose: Creating a Life List #121

The importance of creating a life list and define what you're aiming at. In this episode, I share my list with you as examples of the kinds of stuff you might want to consider yourself. I updated my Life List in 2016. It sits above my desk on my wall, notated with progress, adjustments and new additions. The point is to make it apart of your everyday life. It provides me a filter for my decisions and priority setting.  This Life List is a reflection of the Work Life Play that is importan...

Fire Your Boss with USA Cycling #120

Last fall, I gave a keynote address at USA Cycling's annual coach's summit event on the topic of my book, Fire Your Boss. Accomplishing Big Things: Acting Like a Pro 8 Minutes At a Time Big goals are sexy. We love the idea of tackling big life-changing achievements. A funny thing though, not everyone makes it to the finish line. But what happens when we start breaking down those big goals and finding a space for them in the small margins? In this keynote, I’ll teach your team how Acting...

Pause: Harnessing the Life-Changing Power of Giving Yourself A Break with Rachael O'Meara #119

I met Rachael O'Meara on a boat ride on the Columbia River in Portland, OR. We were both attending Chris Guillebeau's WDS event. We share a similar story of pushing the pause button on our lives to find a new and improved path. You're going to love her story. Rachael O’Meara was a customer support manager at Google when she realized she was burned out and needed to reassess her path. The best way to do this was to take a “pause”—a time-out to create space for her inner voice to be heard an...

The Practice of Being Brave with David Wilcox #118

David Wilcox is an American folk musician and award-winning guitarist. He picked up a guitar after hearing a fellow college student playing her guitar in the stairwell. He quickly discovered the power and authority that music held in telling stories of the heart.  I've listened to David's music since the early 1990's starting with his album How Did You Find Me Here. In this intimate interview, David plays his guitar, riffs on an idea that we talk about-The Illusion of Ease and offers some ...

The Periodic Table & The Raw Materials of Your Life #117

I have this theory that all of our experiences, our misfortunes, our victories, our relationships, our shortcomings, our unexplained mysteries of our life are useful raw materials. It reminds me of the periodic table of elements that represent the building blocks of all life. When combining multiple elements, they take on new properties and create new matter. I think our life is like this. We never fully understand which experiences and which occurrences of our life will eventually be dr...

Rebooting Your Life with Leith McHugh #116

write yourself a better story If you could reimagine your life again...what story would your write? Maybe you feel stuck in a life rut or simply feel you aren't living the life you were made for. It's easy to find yourself down a path you didn't want or you're eager to do something new. People like us want to live a meaningful life full of intimacy, connection, joy, creativity, beauty and adventure. We rebooted our life, sold everything and started our life (and marriage) again. We will help...

Here's to the Mess We Make #115

This episode is from 11,000 feet on New York Mountain outside of Eagle Colorado in a backcountry Yurt during a recent ski hut trip I went on with 7 guys. I recorded a few of our conversations that ended up being about a couple of movies like La La Land, Simon Birch and the Secret Life of Walter Mitty. We talked about the lessons those movies have taught us about our own life.

Purposely Merging Work, Life and Play Together with Allan Branch #114

Here's the download on Allan Branch. He's a serial entrepreneur, rebuilding a 30' sailboat, homeschooling his kids, growing and selling a SaaS company, traveling with his kids for 12 weeks a year paid for by the business but still feeling like a crappy Dad most of the time. Check out our live event on May 5th & 6th Rebooting Your Life. You deserve a fresh start. www.aaronmchugh.com/reboot  

Adventure Log from Sea Kayaking the Sea of Cortez #113

This Adventure log is from a recent trip I took with my brother to the Baja California in Mexico. I've dreamed about sea kayaking this area for over a decade. I fired up my microphone throughout the trip while adventure was actually happening. Some of the audio quality is great as I forgot my windscreen for my microphone. I hope you can listen past the blowing wind or mic bumps. Consider it a real-life rough cut authentically inviting you into the adventure with us. Here is the Sea Kayakin...

Everyday Acts of Courage with Andy Molinsky #112

Andy Molinsky, PH.D is an expert on behavior in the business world. I interviewed him about his new book, REACH: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge, and Build Confidence. Andy Molinsky is a Professor at Brandeis University’s International Business School. Andy helps people develop the insights and courage necessary to act outside their personal and cultural comfort zones when doing important, but challenging, tasks in work and life. Rebooting Y...

I Might Die! I Might Live #111

In the intro of this episode, I play a Haka I recorded last summer at my nephew's World Series Baseball game. The young men who put on this Haka chant was from the New Zealand baseball team. If you're familiar with Rugby then you've likely heard this before. The All Blacks Rugby team puts on a great show of this warrior dance at the beginning of every match. The translation of the Haka is "I might die! I might die! I might live! I might live!" I fired up my microphone at 9,000 feet after a...

All You Need to Fix Your Life: Make 2 Degree Adjustments #110

Big changes in life are often times made by subtle shifts in our approach. I learned this lesson on making a 2 degree shift from Onsite Workshops. I think it's a lot like using a compass and adjusting your compass to point to True North, instead of Magnetic North (declination). I used to believe that I had to make huge changes to my Work, Life, Relationships and Play. Instead, I discovered that small subtle 2 degree shifts everyday, in every decision, in every conversation help me plot a n...

Living Like a Tourist in Your Own Town #109

Alastair Humphreys in his book MicroAdventures: Local Discoveries For Great Escapes says, "Adventure is a state of mind, a spirit of trying something new and leaving your comfort zone. It's about enthusiasm, ambition, open-mindedness and curiosity". I think that invitation is a perfect frame for this idea. Wherever you live, mystery, possibility and adventure await you...if you choose to go looking for it. My wife and I first tried on this idea of living like tourists in our town by taking...

Learning to Budget Your Emotional Energy Investments & Expenditures #108

In this episode I outline the lessons I've learned in budgeting my emotional energy investments and expenditures. You can read the full post on the topic here. I experienced a burn out in 2015. I was emotionally and physically depleted. In my struggle to articulate what I was experiencing and how I got there, I began imagining my emotional energy using this idea of emotional calories. I started connecting my emotional energy with my physical energy, food nutrient intake, caloric requireme...

Why We’re Restoring the Joy Bus and Chasing Dreams Together #107

We did the deal in a McDonald’s parking lot half a mile from the Portland airport after a 20-minute test drive and a rusty glove inspection. It took $6,700, four plane tickets and six months of looking for her. The Joy Bus was ours. The story began when my daughter Averi blurted out this dreamy statement, “When I graduate from high school, Maya and I are going to buy a VW Bus, road-trip to California and surf for the summer.” After more banter about this idea, we began to think, Why not? ...

Who Would You Rob a Bank With #106

I'm learning that there are very few people on the planet that I'd rely upon, trust, believe in, implicitly know I'm safe with and covered by to rob a bank with. But there are a few. In business and in life, I find it's super helpful to identify who you'd rob a bank with. Meaning, who would you bet on to come through no matter what happened.

Finding What You're Searching For #105

I recorded this episode while on an adventure run in LA. I was exploring and found a really cool trail that winded to the top of a city park with this perfect pond and view of the city. Running helps me maintain my curiosity and the spirit of adventure. Every time I travel, I bring my running shoes along. I have this belief that there will be something cool wherever I go. And low and behold, I find some amazing trails, runs, byways, parks, rivers, streams, and epic scenery.  I offer you th...

Fulfillment Doesn't Come From Victory with Chris Lieto #104

Chris Lieto is a top ranked World Class Triathlete, 3 time Ironman Champion, Husband, Father @BasePerformance and doing @MoreThanSport. Big Island of Hawaii

In Memories We Were Rich #103

The Story of Shackleton Sir Ernest Shackleton is a legend as an Antarctic Explorer. However his fame did not come from accomplishing his goal of reaching the south pole. Instead on his third trip to the Antarctic, his ship The Endurance became frozen in the pack ice, 100 miles from land. He and his 27 men proceeded to spend nearly two years in a desperate plight for survival. Shackleton was credited with being the bold leader that made the hope of survival and rescue possible. In the end ...

Performance Breakthrough with Cathy Salit #102

Salit’s core idea is that all humans have an innate ability to perform, pretend, and improvise. It’s what helps us develop as children and continue developing as adults. You may not have been on a stage since you played a tree in third grade, but the reality is that you’re performing all the time. Performance Breakthrough shows how you can use ideas and techniques from theater and improvisation, along with the new science of performative psychology, to enhance your performance at work and “b...

Be the Hero of Your Life #101

Be the hero. Own it all. All the ingredients are raw materials that are useful in our stories. All of it. Be gracious and kind to yourself. Love the people you are with. Be curious. Go searching for life. Keep going, Aaron

Keep Going #100

Thank you friends for being on this adventure with me of 100 episodes of Work Life Play. At the end of this episode, I have a special closing from my friend Jack O'Neill from Jackopierce. My wife and I spent the weekend with them in NYC as part of attending a Seth Godin conference. Our new friends Ryan and Heidi Miller joined us to make six. Check out their work: Ryan's work 08Left Custom art for Travelers and Lovers of Aviation.  Heidi's custom card company Mango Ink Jack's music wi...

Teaching Men to Be Emotionally Honest with Andrew Reiner #99

Andrew Reiner is a writer and educator in Baltimore, MD. He is working on a book about masculinity and, right now, a chapter on boys/men and crying. He read a blog by my friend Sam Jolman, How to Cry Like a Man, while researching this topic and he read a comment I made on how I did not cry between the ages of 12-21.  This episode is about becoming wholehearted and emotionally fit as men. "Embracing the full spectrum of our life".   

Rescuing Daughters & Sons From Modern Slavery with Exodus Road #98

Retracing the Legendary Road to Sparta with Dean Karnazes #97

Dean Karnazes exudes life...to the fullest. At age 30, Dean discovered his feet were meant for running unimaginable distances instead of his former wing tipped polished leather shoes of Corporate America. Dean won't taunt you with his stories of his expanding the boundaries of human potential. Instead, Constantine Dean Karnazes (Dean's actual real name) will ask you this trite question in a piercing new way, "Are you happy?" 

The Lesson of ISOLATION with Filmmakers David Guersan and Matthieu Bernat #96

I S O L A T I O N is a short film directed by David Guersan and Mathieu Bernat about a stranger leaving his modern lifestyle for a spiritual journey through incredible Scottish landscapes. Throughout the film, the stranger works to uncover the meaning of solitude and isolation. The piece was shot while traveling for two weeks in a leaky van through remote parts of Scotland. Thanks to my friend Britt Jones for the recommendation on watching this short film.

The Raging Sloth Living with Real Limitations Eric Eaton #95

Author, speaker, and leader Eric Eaton shows readers a pathway to bust their limitation, define success for themselves, and live an abundant life. Eric distilled decades of personal and professional lessons into a proven plan to alleviate guilt and frustration in achieving their goals.

Restoring Balance Part 5 Geography Isn't the Problem #94

It's easy to believe that if we lived somewhere else, worked somewhere else, were with someone else....we could experience the life we desire. Most of the time...that turns out to be entirely wrong.  Change -lasting change, starts from within us. We see with our eyes what we believe we will see from our wholehearted life. Maybe...the life we want starts in the geography we are right now?

Beyond Everest: Leaving Behind More Than Boot Tracks Jake Norton #93

Jake Norton is a world-renowned climber, photographer, filmmaker, philanthropist, and inspirational speaker. Based in Evergreen, Colorado, Jake’s worldwide adventures have taken him to the summit of Mount Everest (three times) and on expeditions on all seven continents.

Restoring Balance Part 4 Accepting Your Limitations #92

Discovering, restoring and recovering balance requires being honest about and accepting your limitations. I did not want to believe that I had physical, emotional and relational limitations. Unfortunately, despite my disbelief, my thresholds of energy stopped me in my tracks. I had ignored my stamina limitations for so many years until I found myself depleted and on the sidelines of life. In this podcast, I offer my personal experiences of accepting my thresholds and limitations. I always ...

Capture More Attention with Dan Roam #91

Dan Roam is the author of the international bestseller The Back of the Napkin, the most popular visual-thinking business book of all time. Dan helps business people think and solve problems visually. His newest book, Draw to Win distills ten years of working with business professionals from Microsoft, IBM, The White House, Google, Lucas Films....and a bunch of others.

Restoring Balance Part 3-MicroRest #90

Build in MicroRest into your day. Begin choosing to pause, for a moment, a second or a few minutes. Stop, come to an idle and catch your breath.   Practical MicroRest habits Work: Schedule five to fifteen minute meeting blocks on your calendar. Title the meeting “Planning” or “Strategy”. Be proactive by building in moments in your work day that enable you to rest, pause and catch your breath. Power naps: Take ten to thirty minutes to rest. Turn off your cell phone. Turn on a timer. P...

Restoring Balance Part 2- Stop Multitasking #89

Stop Multitasking and starting doing one thing at a time. In this episode, I outline how multitasking deters us from experiencing balance. Instead, focusing our energy and attention on one task, conversation, meeting, email, or project at a time increases our productivity. Why Multitasking doesn't work Money Why you should start Singletasking. Multitasking makes us 40% less productive. Read More Fast Company Multitasking rewires our brain and stunts our emotional intelligence. Rea...

Restoring Balance Part 1-Changing the Atmosphere #88

In this podcast series on Restoring Balance, I deconstructs the art of making adjustments in your approach, your thinking, your beliefs and habits. I share practical easy-to-start tools to restoring balance to your Work, Life, Play, Health and Relationships. Part 1-Changing Your Atmosphere starts with changing how we approach our circumstances by changing our internals.  

Off the Map with Andrew Skurka #87

Andrew Skurka is an accomplished adventure athlete, speaker, guide, and writer. The 34-year-old is most well known for his solo long-distance backpacking trips, notably the 4,700-mile 6-month Alaska-Yukon Expedition, the 6,875-mile 7-month Great Western Loop, and the 7,775-mile 11-month Sea-to-Sea Route. Andrew spends most of his adventures off trail picking his way through the high mountains. I really enjoyed my time meeting Andrew. I found him to be very kind, humble, relatable and focus...

Milestone Marker of Five Years #86

Five years ago I started writing a couple articles on a wordpress site to profile my ideas as part of a career change. Accidentally….Now two-hundred and forty field reports (blog posts) and 86 podcast episodes later on Work Life Play….I can confidently say I’m onto something. This podcast is a milestone marker to this five year journey and the lesson's I've learned. Thanks for your friendship, your love, your encouragement, your comments, your shares and rooting me forward. Here’s my ...

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life #85

Create a life that matters to you. The narrative we tell ourselves frames our life. Work can’t be about survival. Rethink work. Live differently. Capitalize on the small margins of your life, they add up. Stay curious. Live adventurously. Learn to play. Love the people that you’re with. Five years later, I know I’m onto something. Quantifiable Proof Meet Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, co-authors of the Stanford course turned book providing a methodology to Designing Your Life: H...

Sharing Our Life Love and Food with Elayne Prechtel #84

Last week, I crashed a women only backyard dinner party. Thirty women were dressed and buttoned to celebrate their Season Finale of Super Soul Happy Hour/Share Classes. Party lights were strung between Ponderosa pines and simple picnic tables borrowed from the local high school. Each place setting held a Martha Stewart style full bouquet of food and wine. Elayne Prechtel envisioned this backyard soiree of Sharing our Life, Love & Food and created an enchanted Colorado summer evening for her ...

A Church, a Gym and a Bar: Surfing with Srinivas Rao #82

Srini called in for our interview from a SoCal seaside coffee shop between tides. He ejected on his busy life to detox for a few days by practicing what he preaches. During our interview you'll hear trains pass by, seagulls cawing and Srini get fired up about why becoming UNMISTAKABLE eliminates any notion of competitors. Over a quick beer in downtown Portland, I met Srini in 2013 at Chris Guillebeau's World Domination Summit. He just released his first book, UNMISTAKABLE: Why Only Is Bett...