E50: Purpose, principle, and performance with former Special Ops turned Leadership Coach Phil Kornachuk

The milestone 50th of We are Open Circle’s Beyond Listening Podcast saw Adam and Brandon join in conversation with kindred spirit Phil Kornachuk, uncovering his purpose and values-based approach for developing individuals, teams and inspiring great leaders.

For the full podcast, check out the episode here.

In this episode, we cover...

Experiences of moral authority, and the lifelong mission of cultivating this vital quality.
Motivations, methods and mantras: unpacking Phil’s “why”, in his current stage of life.
Moments of personal and communal growth whilst leading expeditions in the wild.

Phil Kornachuk is the Founder of StoneWater Training, a leadership development company that helps individuals and teams achieve exceptional performance by fusing purpose, principles and practice into a powerful driving force. A passionate educator and mentor, Phil draws from over two decades of experience serving in the military to offer development training to sports teams, elite military units, non-profit leaders and more.

Check out Phil’s courses on MTNTOUGH or join Phil live with Open Circle on our 2024 flagship program Strength to Serve

Here are some of the key insights from the conversation...

Are you making your biggest impact in life?

” The only failure is the failure to try... you get one shot at this life as far as we can tell, at least in this physical form. Don't be the 80 year old saying, ‘Should've, would've, could've...’ What is my best and how do I get there? I don't mean that in a selfish, transactional, monetary way... I want to know what's your biggest impact, your biggest life? My wife's 44, she's a third-year med school student now with eight kids, and part of that was a conversation of: don't leave anything on the table.”

You always have a venue for your purpose.

” That's my purpose. Three pillars: connect and inspire, do good, push my limits. I can do that in any environment, any day. I could have had the worst day ever yesterday, but today I can wake up, I can reset... be like, how do I live this? I don't need my health. I don't need money. You always have a venue for your purpose. And I mean, I'm sure you guys have read Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, that's kind of the kernel and the inspiration for this thought of: if everything is stripped from me, what's left? What's my story?”

Seasonal change is a constant when leading a business. Trust the process!

”I think what keeps me going is the emails, the calls, the texts from people I've worked with who are sharing their wins. I've got one guy I've been coaching and it was a rollercoaster ride... and he came so close to walking away from it all. And I was like, ‘Just trust the process. Do the work. No one said it's going to be easy. It's simple, but it's not easy.’ Watching him now, six months later, he's the exact opposite picture: more business than he knows what to do with, and doing great work. It's a good feeling.”

The best place to find Phil is here.

See you next week!