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Turning Stress Into Growth with Phil Powis and Carolina Wilke of Sacred Business Stories

Conversation with Phil Powis and Carolina Wilke on the necessity of stress for all forms of productive change.

In this illuminating conversation, Kyle Shepard shares his journey as a military audiologist who has transformed personal challenges into a pathway of service through stress management and resilience training. With remarkable candor, Kyle reveals how a painful pregnancy loss nearly ended his marriage but ultimately strengthened it, teaching him powerful lessons about intentional communication and emotional regulation that now form the foundation of his work with others.

Through practical wisdom, Kyle explains how understanding our stress responses can transform how we show up in business and life. His approach to "intentional stress"—deliberately exposing ourselves to manageable challenges to build resilience—offers a refreshing framework for personal growth. Kyle's insights on transitioning from emotional to rational states and finding alignment between our values and actions provide valuable tools for entrepreneurs seeking to navigate uncertainty while staying connected to their deeper purpose.

Show Notes:

[00:00] - Kyle's Professional Journey

  • Background as a military audiologist

  • Evolution into resilience training and stress management

  • Current research role focused on human performance

[00:15] - Personal Transformation

  • Experience of pregnancy loss in Guam

  • Near-separation from his wife and rebuilding their relationship

  • How becoming a father changed his approach to life

[00:30] - The Convergence of Passions

  • Brazilian jiu-jitsu and fitness coaching

  • Military resilience instruction

  • Writing on Substack about stress management

[00:42] - Sacred Business Philosophy

  • Finding convergence between different life domains

  • The difference between job, profession, and calling

  • Bringing intention to any role regardless of title

[00:55] - Understanding Stress Response

  • The 90-second physiological stress response

  • Differentiating between emotions and rational thought

  • Practical tools for managing stress in the moment

[01:05] - Intentional Stress Training

  • Progressive overload concept applied to personal growth

  • Specific adaptations to imposed demands (SAID principle)

  • Building resilience through manageable challenges

[01:15] - Breathing Techniques

  • Focus on exhale for calming the nervous system

  • Using breath as an anchor during stressful situations

  • Creating space between stimulus and response

[01:25] - Balancing Action and Non-Action

  • When to act versus when to accept

  • Making rational rather than emotional decisions

  • Finding harmony between different approaches

Key Quotes:

"Courage is not the absence of fear. It's the understanding of the fear response and acting anyway, because you know it's important, aligns with whatever it is that you're trying to accomplish." - Kyle Shepard

"There's no physiologic difference between anxiety and excitement. It's just how do we label it. So distress and eustress. Same exact physiology. It's just a different perspective, a different mindset." - Kyle Shepard

"We have two controllables: the interpretation of our thoughts... and the subsequent action, whether that's internal intention or of course my words, my behaviors, my actions." - Kyle Shepard

"The days feel like years and the years fly by." - Kyle Shepard (on parenthood)

Resources Mentioned:

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