There are some episodes of this podcast where I feel like I come into the conversation with at least some basic knowledge of the subject or, or the journey we’re about to embark on. And then there are others where it’s probably equally as new territory for me as it might be for you. And in my experience, those ones, the ones where I have the least experience usually make the best conversations. And they also usually lead to places and nuggets of gold that would be hard for me to reach otherwise. Mainly because I don’t come at the conversation with my biases or with my own knowledge or own experiences. I am simply able to sit completely in a beginner’s mind. And today is one of those episodes. For a long time, I’ve had a long running fascination into the mysterious world of archetypes. Now archetypes is not a topic that’s discussed often or even a word that’s probably often used. But use of archetypes typically has and continues to form the foundation of pretty much every brand identity, advert film storyline, reality TV show or a marketing campaign that you have encountered. Now most of the people who work in those worlds can and do talk about this particular subject at length, but outside those walls, you barely ever hear it mentioned. In fact if you’ve ever taken any kind of a form of personality test, which as we know form the basis of billions of dollars worth of recruitment and training decisions, you’ll basically have been given a giant list of what your archetype is usually in the context of work, and how to make that archetype work for you. 

Now, the simplest way to think about archetypes or how I have come to think about archetypes is they just describe a pattern of behavior that is either permanent ie- I am a Heidi for anyone familiar with the Myers Briggs model of personality testing, or they form a part of a very specific phase of a journey, such as the phase of the journey called the call to adventure in Joseph Campbell’s classics hero’s journey, which if you haven’t heard has been used to design the storylines of pretty much every blockbuster movie of our time. Just think Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.

So there has to be a key in here, right? Understanding the world of archetypes would seem to give us some kind of unique vantage point on what makes a story, a human, a political party, movie or leadership team so compelling. Basically why some are successful and why others fail. 

And that, my friends, is a very long rationale as to why I sought out my next guest Pip McKay. 

Pip is a world leading coach, mentor and author on the subject of NLP and breakthrough performance, author of two best selling books ‘The eight principles of achievement, love and happiness’ and ‘Four tribes on Earth’, both of which reached Amazon Number one in the US, Australia, UK, Canada – the list goes on. She is also an expert on archetype or coaching, which is predominantly what we dive into as part of our conversation today. 

In this conversation we cover:-

• What exactly an archetype is and how we can use that understanding to build greater insights into where the leaps in our performance might lay. 
• How to get ourselves unstuck – The four phases of growth, How we move between them, where we often find ourselves, what feels like right back at the beginning, aka Thank you 2020.
• The price of feedback and why powerful vulnerability does not mean standing in front of the firing line alone. 
• The concept of thresholds and click through points, usually describing those moments that feel like freefall, but are in fact, usually an invitation to something else. 
• Why at various times, we all need to learn how to stop blaming and pay the price.

I’ve thought a lot about this conversation since it was recorded. Strangely enough more than

most and probably my biggest takeaway and something I’d really love you to listen out for. While you’re soaking all of this up today is this simple reframe. The next time you’re stuck there are usually only ever two ways out of it. The first is to stop beating your head against that brick wall – you know the one and get some support. Now that might be a partner, a coach, a friend or a mentor. Essentially, whatever place it is they won’t judge how you got yourself there in the first place. And then the second is to consciously surround yourself with a genuine diversity of perspectives on the where to from here.

As that age old Einstein quote goes “We can’t solve our problems with the same thinking that we used to create them.” Now both of these strategies sound really simple, but in my own reflections, and as someone who’s been stuck more than my fair share of times it’s rare that we do either. On that note sit back, sip on your latte, stride out and enjoy the fascinating mind of one of the true sages in this space, the amazing Pip McKay.