Frequently Asked Questions

Can you share more about the unique partnership between a New York businessman and a professional Mentor and how your differing perspectives on the term ``vision quest`` led to your collaboration?

A New York businessman is intense and focused on money. That is what drives him. A professional is a mentor or a life coach that uses nature to help people connect with nature. Rich’s vision quest was based on fortune 500 consultant and non-profit consultant. Randy’s vision quest was based on the Soul’s journey

What inspired the metaphor of recognizing defining moments, and how do these moments play a role in an individual's journey to discover their authentic self and purpose?

Well first of all it is not a metaphor. Recognizing when something happens to you that is out of the norm provides valuable information that you need to move forward and grow.

How did the sketch Randy draw of Rich twelve years before they met become a defining moment in their collaboration, and what impact did it have on Rich's perspective on his life's journey?

It defined a supernatural moment for me since it was not a normal occurrence. I posted it on a wall so I could see it daily. It reminded me that the Creator was trying to get me to work with Randy. I normally would not have worked with him since I would have thought he was a tree hugging granola bar.

In the context of Life Lesson 1, ``Recognize Defining Moments,`` can you elaborate on the significance of mentors and crossroads in transforming an individual's journey?

Someone who is a mentor has already done the journey into empowered adulthood, they know who they are and why they are here. The problem is that in our culture no one hardly knows about what it actually means to be an adult. Therefore, they can’t really help someone go there because they’re not even there yet themselves.

What motivated you to combine your expertise in ``Getting Paid to Be You,`` and how does the trilogy aim to help others discover their own soul identities and live their purpose to its fullness?

I wanted to help people struggling in life since I used to do a lot of non-profit work to help people. I felt this information needed to get out into the world so people could learn and grow into their best self. Also, the next generation has lost their identities and there is so much anxiety and depression I wanted to help them as much as I could.

How do the exercises provided in the book contribute to an individual's self-discovery and the alignment of their authentic self with career goals?

If your life is still dominated by negative self-talk and you don’t know how to hear that still small voice then you’re really not going to be able to move forward. You can get sidetracked by beating yourself up by beating someone else up because you don’t want to beat yourself up so you shift that to somebody else

What realizations and life lessons can readers expect to gain from the journey to ``Getting Paid to Be You,`` and how do these lessons apply to both personal and professional levels?

The first realization is that you do have a needed unique identity. Second, you were born with assets needed to help this earth-system run smoothly. Third, the transition into empowered adulthood means letting go of who you thought you were, an identity you created when you were young to stay safe in an a sometimes-unsupportive world. Fourth, having the wisdom and courage to be YOU opens you up to an inspiring, creative, fulfilling, and productive life – you get to follow your bliss and all of us benefit. Most importantly, you are guided by an unseen force greater than yourself whose intention is loving you into your fullness.

Can you elaborate on the concept of the quarterlife and midlife crises, and why they are crucial points in an individual's life for embarking on the Soul's Journey?

Midlife crisis and quarter life crisis both have to with figuring out who you are really. Your anxiety is there because your life currently is not working for you. You don’t know how to live yet. You don’t know it’s an identity crisis and it comes in midlife because you avoided it in quarter life but that quarter life is actually realizing that there’s something missing. It is wonderful that they are getting the soul’s call, except there’s no mentor to actually help them go on the journey that moves them into an empowered adulthood that matches their souls identity.

What challenges did you face individually on your own soul's journey, and how did those experiences shape your understanding of the importance of embracing one's true identity

Lots of times there’s something that happens such as a loss of job, or some other trauma. My journey started with a divorce that actually opened the door up for me to look at some things that I would not have looked at if I hadn’t had that experience.

Life Lesson 1 emphasizes recognizing mentors. Can you elaborate on the role of mentors in your own journeys and how they have contributed to your growth?

I had mentors and elders. These are people who see you for who you are instead of telling you who you are. They put you through exercises and experiences where you discover yourself in a way that you start to recognize your gifts. They contribute to your growth because they open the door for things about yourself that you didn’t know. You may not recognize that mentor for 10 to 12 years in the future

What advice would you give to readers who may be hesitant or afraid to embark on their own soul's journey of self-discovery?

If you want to feel the fullness of who you are, then the soul’s journey is absolutely necessary. When you’re ready to go on this journey you’ll know it. And you’ll be willing to do it and it’s usually because you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired and you finally reach the end of your ego self.