Comparing Frameworks for Self-Development: A Conversation with Joe Hudson

If you’ve been around here for awhile, you know I’m a big fan of what I call “personal growth” (also known as self-development or personal development).

I’ve written a number of articles about personal experiences I’ve had and impactful books I’ve read on the subject. And personal growth was the overarching theme of the last book I published, The Heart is the Bottleneck.

But what the heck IS personal growth?

It’s not religion, though it often has a spiritual flavor. It’s not philosophy, although it can easily get metaphysical. It’s not merely professional development, though there is a lot of overlap with performance at work. And it’s not just a different word for “learning,” though of course it involves a lot of learning.

Besides the confusion over terminology, self-development can be a daunting minefield for anyone that ventures into it looking for answers. It’s filled with shady marketers, get-rick-quick schemes, overpromising headlines, cultish leaders, and pyramid schemes. We’ve all heard stories of horrible experiences and abusive leaders, all the more concerning in an environment where vulnerable people are looking for help.

Despite all these pitfalls, at the heart of self-development lies a powerful opportunity: to grow beyond your self and your fears. To expand beyond the limits of your ego and free yourself from the stories of your past. To discover who you are and your purpose in this life. And there’s many practical benefits as well such as better communication, resilience, and of course, productivity.

Next Thursday, Feb. 27, from 9-10:30am PT, I’ll introduce you to someone who can provide guidance on how to realize that potential without succumbing to those pitfalls. His name is Joe Hudson.

Joe has one foot firmly planted in the practical world of business – he is the founder and managing director of One Earth Capital, a boutique venture capital firm that invests in executive coaching, sustainable agriculture, and financial services. But his other foot is firmly planted in the world of self-development. Joe has spent more than 20 years studying and practicing dozens of spiritual traditions and psychological frameworks, and incorporating them into his own coaching and teaching.

For an introduction to the depth and power of Joe’s work, read about my experiences at his Tide Turners and Groundbreakers workshops.

I’ve never met anyone who has such broad AND deep knowledge of self-development. Who understands it as a practical field one can study and make progress in. Of all the programs and teachers I’ve had experience with, his work is some of the most modern, science-informed, and transparent I’ve ever encountered. It is a rare example of inner work that is also aimed at having a positive external impact on the world.

So many people who have a positive experience with one approach to self-development become fanatical in their devotion to it. They go all-in, believing it to be the One True Path to the exclusion of all others. They turn it into an unquestioning faith, instead of just another tool designed to address a specific kind of problem.

In this conversation with Joe I hope to balance out that tendency: to evaluate various frameworks for self-development objectively, comparing their strengths and weaknesses based on what you specifically are trying to achieve.

We will touch on ancient spiritual traditions and the latest neuroscience, compare approaches from the East and the West, and contrast self-development work that occurs at physiological, emotional, and psychological levels. I’ll ask Joe to give us frameworks for evaluating frameworks, so that each of us can find the best investment for our time, effort, and money.

Register for our 90-minute Zoom call on Thursday, Feb. 27, from 9-10:30am PT if you’d like to attend live and get your questions answered. I’ll upload the recording here shortly afterward for anyone who can’t attend live.

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