Find Your “Wanderful” Life by Dancing with the Wisdom of the Street

0:00 The topics and opinions express in the following show are solely those of the hosts and their guests and not those of W FOURCY Radio. It's employees are affiliates. We make no recommendations or endorsements radio show, programs, services, or products mentioned on air or on our web. No liability, explicit or implied shall be extended to W FOURCY Radio or its employees are affiliates. Any questions or comments should be directed to those show hosts. Thank you for choosing W FOURCY Radio. What's working on Purpose? Anyway? Each week we ponder the answer to this question. People ache for meaning and purpose at work, to contribute their talents passionately and know their lives really matter. They crave being part of an organization that inspires them and helps them grow into realizing their highest potential.

0:45 Business can be such a force for good in the world, elevating humanity. In our program, we provide guidance and inspiration to help usher in this world we all want working on Purpose. Now, here's your host, doctor Elise Cortes. Welcome back to the Working and Purpose Program, which has been brought to you with passion and pride since February of twenty fifteen. Thanks to be tuning in in this week. I'm your host, doctor e Release Cortes. If we've not met before, you don't know me. I'm an organizational psychologist and local therapist, speaker and author. My team and I at Gusto now help companies to enliven in, fortify their operations, and increase profitability by articulating their purpose and building inspirational leaders and cultures activated by meaning and purpose.

1:29 Our missions to help the companies we serve created a destination workplace where people flocked to join, are intrinsically motivated to perform at their best, can grow under their floor potential, and are committed to stay and identically deliver in the company's mission. You learn more about us and how we can work together at gustodashnow dot com or my personal site at least Coortes dot com. Now getting in today's program, we have some very someone, very fun and special to bring you this week, drawing on a lifetime experience an opera, theater and film David Peerl has pioneered the use of the arts and business the creative confidante to high profile CEOs and their teams across the Globe. He's an ex BBC broadcaster and today is responsible for designing, orchestrating and animating on and off high stakes meetings the world over. He's the founder of the nonprofit social venture Street Wisdom, and keeps his creative insights sharp with his improvising ensemble improp para I think it's called. He describes the common threat between all his work as finding the inspiration in the every day, every day. He's the author of a few books, the latest called Wonderful Find Wonder in the every day every Day.

2:34 We'll be talking about this book and his creation Street Wisdom on today's program. He chorches a day from London Day, but a very hearty welcome too, working on purpose, I'm very happy to be here. How lovely is this? Right? Oh, it's more fun than it's supposed to be, So don't tell anyone it's a secret. Well, first, let's thank Monica Parker, because that's how I found you when I read her book on wonder and you were future it in there. And of course the first thing I did was I went to my friend LinkedIn to see if I could find you. And you are good enough to accept my invitation to join my network. And then I said you must come on my podcast as well and talk about your work and your life, and you said, yes, Well, it's interesting.

3:17 I think we're both fans of intention. I mean, given what I know of your work and how important purpose is and how it kind of I find that on the internet you get a sense of that before people have even spoken. Everyone's we're all hustling around on the internet. But there was something about your the way you asked the question, just a sense I thought, you know what, Yeah, that's a yes. So here we are. Oh, I love it. Well for our viewers who are watching here, here's the book Wan der Full. It's so delightful, and we're going to talk about that today. But first, I mean, David Peerl, you are an incredible specimen. I love that we call you an experience engineer.

3:57 But we have to hear a little bit about how this person is human that brought us street wisdom and other things we're going to talk about came to be. And can you start with the story of hearing Placido Domingo sing opera and how it was, how that experience was for you, what it did to you. Yeah, absolutely, I mean I do feel that I've wandered my way to hear It's been splendidly unexpected, but one of the defining moments of my young life. I was eight years old, I think, and a teacher at my school had noticed that I had a kind of voice organized for me to have an audition at the Royal Opera House, which is here in London, and they gave me a job, which I thought was going to happen for the rest of my life. You know, when you're eighte you think, oh, well, that's what happens to you. You're sing and they give you a job. Noways been that simple, But any rate, the first opera singer I heard close up, and I mean like four feet away from me was a young Placido Domingo who was about to do his Covent Garden debut, as was I in an Operaal Tosca, and I remember, I shall never forget it changed me forever. I was arrived for a rehearsal one morning. I mean, have you ever been on a huge international theater stage during rehearsal times? But it's just like in the movies. There are scene shifters moving in this dust and ropes and and you know, you look up and it seems to go to heaven. It just disappears into the darkness.

5:25 And I sang my little song at the beginning of the third act of Tosca, and then this guy, like a big guy in a T shirt, stripy T shirt, put his big fat hand on my shoulder and went, Brah, brav. And I thought, wow, that's very nice. Who are you? And he turned like a few steps and began to sing, and it was Domingo. And you know how music is, it's not rational, it's emotional. And I from that second when I heard him sing, I went, that's real. I was eight years old, and I'd always had this long I had this sense that the adults were lying to me. They were sort of I'm sure lots of kids are like that. And I remember at the time thinking, that's what real. Everything else in school and now that's not real. This is what's real. Obviously connected with something.

6:19 Yeah, the opera was very powerful, but itso something seemed to me irreducibly true about the sound that was coming in and that's never really left me. It's amazing that happened to you at age eight. You know, it's amazing, right, And you've gone on and done all these amazing things and don't think for a second like I've talked about, and you have to sing a little something. But you went on and you you have been singing opera. You still do today, and you do improv on the streets and for opera. And you've done all these things, and so you know your your road to becoming who you are and how you've I would say collected experiences to fold into your person has been extraordinary. David, Yeah, it is.

7:03 It's it puzzles me. I feeling immensely fortunate, partly because for earlier in my life I felt like things were very scattered and I wasn't sure. I couldn't feel the thread that joined them. I seemed to be doing different things. I'd been grown up in a family where my father was a was a role model in the sense that he did many things. He was a he was a he was a dentist, he was he was a lawyer, he was ended as a judge, he was an artist. He did he did, he did many things. So I guess I thought, you're supposed to do different things at the same time. But I'll be honest, I it hasn't been an ordinary path because when I was younger, I assumed I would be some sort of full time performer. I go straight into the arts, and I have always been in the arts. But this business is falling into business, which happened in my sort of late twins, was unexpected and for many people quite puzzling. I'd been I'd had a show on the BBC.

8:07 She's probably in my thirties now, I think about it. And a company who I'm sure they won't mind me mentioned it called McKinsey, which is a big management In fact, they might mention in which case at some point during this podcast at dart like go in my neck and you might have to. Don't worry, I'll say you David, don't worry you Sti'll take the dart. I think my friends at the McKinsey, I've worked there for many many with them on and off for many many years. I think they'd appreciate that. They were thinking at the time about was there a link between art and business? What could business people learn from the arts and vice versa? And I fell in. I fell into doing that and found it really satisfying.

8:54 There's something very gratifying and interesting about taking the skills you have in who are into an area where they're not where they're not common. I'm sure you feel this in the work that you do and where there is actually a big appetite. Sometimes working in the arts, I'll be honest, can be dull and it can be full of people who are sort of Yeah, the performances are stimulating, but the hours of practice and the long days of waiting around and not much fun. So I've actually been super fortunate in that I've part of my life is performing pure performing music and song, and yes I will sing to you at some point. Part of it is what I call experience engineering, which in your kind of production you mentioned, which is really bringing some of the techniques I suppose of theater into the every day and making meetings and conferences unusually impactful. And part of it is a nonprofit area called street Wisdom, which again is the red thread here is I think creativity, And for me, street Wisdom is a creative practice that you can do in the streets where and whenever you are. And we will get to that, But for listeners and viewers who haven't read the book yet, I just want to also situate just a little bit more of David's background. So he says he's played double bass and orchestra, studied English, not music. He says in university wrote in film and advertising, set up an in opera, Come circus company.

10:22 I'm not sure what that means. Studied improvisation, which I do too, by the way, amazing presented music shows on the BBC, and through all that fell into working with businesses, helping organizations and those that lead them to be more inspired and inspiring, which of course I completely relate to. But that is quite an interesting, like I say, collection of experiences that you folded into your person. Yeah, I'm honest. If I'm honest, Sometimes I flick back through photos on my Mac and just going back a few years. I love variety, so I look back and go, wow, you're lucky boy. I'm in and out of the most bizarre places, zelig. I'm in palaces and governments, and sometimes like what is he doing there?

11:05 So I find it is it is an interesting grab bag of different skills. I would say, I would say, what is it? I was thinking about this recently and I was kind I was talking to you about it. But creativity is a little bit like the way I think of it is like it's inside you and it's like a puppy dog. And what your your job with creativity is to throw a stick and then your creativity goes and gets the stick and brings about. It's almost putting your creativity to work. And if you're going to do it, throw a big stick and throw it a long way. And so I think what I often do for myself is and I'm listening, I'm as I'm as distracted and as idle as the next person. But there's something, there's something that amuses me about throwing the stick for my creativity to bring back. And I guess that's why I've done a variety of different things and grown in confidence. I mean, you know, you after a while of people not kicking you out of offices and you know, central banks and whatever or wherever it is, or indeed on the street, you know you've done improv. There's nothing more direct than having to sing to an audience on the street. I think your confidence grows. My confidence has grown, and I've began to feel more relaxed and more. That doesn't really matter what the context is, show up, put your attention on the other person, be full of love and go with what comes up is really what my that's my m O. I think. Oh, I totally align with

12:39 that. So let's do this next, David. Let's throw the stick and I would love to hear just whatever you might want to sing for us today. Oh you want me to sing something for you? Yeah, a little bit. Please let me sing you just a very So. I've just come back from Florence, where my wife and I celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary years ago. I stood under someone sent me to sing under her window. Actually was thirty two years ago, and I was sure she won't mind if I sing you the beginning of the song I sang to her under the window. Okay, it's called Mattinata, and it goes away. I don't know what whether the mic will like this, so I'll sit back a little bit from it and I'll see what happens. Loady Beyond Corvees Fea Jollu, Shorty Skew, the Algorm Soul, the Jo Corosi, Sweaty Tar, Cardy Furdy lost All Come Mosa frame Torcano into an oil, kra jopdsdy a Invoy stalk or lane, Oh, come and so on? Well, no, wonder she married you, my friend? Goodness gracious, No, I know a little

14:11 time, but I didn't follow that. What was the gist of it? Oh, Like most Italian opera sing is he is complaining, he's waiting outside the house of his loved one. It says, look, Dawn has put on her clothes and she's come out to play, and she's turning the world right. Come and put Why are you waiting? I'm waiting to sing to you, and you won't open your windows? Come down and play? Is basically what you say. Oh delightful, Oh my goodness. I would totally marry someone that did that for me, so goodness gracious. Okay, Well, now let's talk about sweet wisdom. This is really where and I'm on the subscription list, by the way, so I'm getting these memos and I understand there's something happening in Austin, Texas, which is just a couple hours south of me here in a couple of weeks. So give it to us.

15:00 But how did this which tweet wisdom start? I know how it did, But the rest of people haven't read your book, don't. Okay, Well, I mean it. When I tried to trace it back in the book, it went back and back and back. It actually included that moment with Domingo, which was a sort of moment of puncturing through the every day to find the kind of miraculous. I think that's what's in a lot of modern myths. It's a lot of a lot of movies like that. I think the entire Harry Potter franchise is based on this idea that and indeed all the Superpower films based on this idea. For me, anyway of beyond our you know, our daily normality, miracles and wonder a wait, if you just could find your way through. And I had done lots of self development work and spiritual work and various things, and it included doing exercises on myself and one of them was had been given to me by some very wise people, which was then actual wording was walking circles in public places? Yes, what is that? And so I didn't do it, you know, I thought, well, it's some poetic thing. But years later I thought, why don't I try Why don't try that? And it was revelatory because walking in I went down to Leicester Square, which some of your listeners may know, which is in a large, busy square in London. And I started walking in a really big circle, which I knew was cheating, because what

16:30 is because no one could see the circle? Right, I was just a guy, So I thought, okay, And as I tightened the circle, and as I walked in more obviously a circle, I became less and less comfortable because I felt I was being watched by people that must think he's insane, because walking in circles is, after all, a definition or one of the kind of standard, whereas you described, going around in circles is a kind of inane and slight the insane activity. But what was it? As I stuck to it, I also had another revelation, which was that no one seemed to be looking at me what they were. In fact, no one was really looking at anything. They were thinking. People walking down the streets with their eyes turned inwards. In the opera world, we call it snake eyes, where you just kind of get this glaze look, and people were thinking they weren't really looking, they weren't seeing. So I thought, that's interesting. And the second thing I thought was, I actually don't know what they're even if they were looking at me. I wouldn't know unless I asked them, because my fear that they think I look ond is mine.

17:42 And it was that moment that I think the Buddhists sometimes talk about, which is they say nothing's coming from the other side. It was a moment of realizing that a lot of the time we're not in the world. We're in our thoughts about the world and our opinions and judgments and so on. I thought, Wow, this is interesting, and so I realized that it's almost like I had an invisibility cloak, and I felt like this could be a very interesting place to work with people you know, like you I suspect. I've worked a lot in offices and boardrooms and so on, and and I studied taking people out of out of those familiar environments into the street where also, of course they didn't really have an identity. You know, in a business or in a home or in a in a kind of social context, you walk in and you have an identity. But the street, the public realm, you're in a way freer to be anonymous. And that also for the sorts of senior people I work with, is a real release. They can kind of they can disappear and that's simultaneously be very present. So if that makes if that makes sense, and that was that was the seed of street Wisdom, and it's gone on from It's in ninety four countries around the world. It's it's and it's been a really it's a beautiful thing because it's both a gift in that I wanted to make it free and also a an experience of what a passion project can be like when you when you put strong

19:17 attention into it, lots of love, it can also really flourish. So it's been a very interesting double less than that, mm hmm. And we're going to talk more about just what's involved with it. But let's grab our first break here. I'm your host, Doctor release Cortez. We've going near. David Pearl is a world renowned experience engineer and the founder of street Wiszard, which we've been talking about more about after the break. Doctor Elise Cortez is a management consultant specializing in meaning and purpose and inspiration, speaker and author.

20:00 She helps companies visioneer for greater purpose among stakeholders and develop purpose inspired leadership and meaning infused cultures that elevate fulfillment, performance and commitment within the workforce. To learn more or to invite Alease to speak to your organization, please visit her at Elisecortes dot com. Let's talk about how to get your employees working on purpose. This is working on Purpose with doctor Elise Cortes. To reach our program today or to open a conversation with Elise, send an email to Alise A Lisee at Eliscortes dot com. Now back to working on purpose.

20:47 Thanks for stating with us, and welcome back to working on Purpose. I'm your host, doctor Elise Cortes, as I also am dedicated to help them create a world where people realize potential at work, are led by inspirational leaders that help them find and contribute their greatness, and we do business a better the world. I keep researching and writing my own books. So my last one came out in March of twenty twenty three. It's called a Great Revitalization How activating meaning and purpose can radically in life in your business. So check it out. It's on Amazon and my web my website at least for test dot com, as well as Gustodeshne dot com. If you are just joining us, My guest is David Pearl. He's the author of Wonderful Find wonder in the every Day, every Day. So I love the premise of street Wisdom. David. It's just it just delights me. And you say in your book that you know this idea, that there is inexhaustible supply of ideas around us all the time, if we just simply know how to look.

21:41 I think that's right. I mean, I think we have. You know, literature and the printing press have been great for humanity in many ways, but also they've aggressively, I think, may encourage us to ignore other forms of learning, other forms of intelligence, and so to stop asking questions in different ways. It's sort of like, came from a pretty literary background. My father would send me to the dictionary and Encyclopedia wouldn't send me to the forest or to ask the swallows and whatever. And it might sound a bit cookie, but for many, many eons, human beings read the world symbolically, so the direction of the wind or the movement of the swallows, whatever.

22:29 We've read the landscape, both the actual and the imagined dream landscape, and our unconscious mind, as I understand it, speaks fluent symbol. It doesn't necessarily speak Google language. And so whilst the Internet is pretty good, you know, the search engine is pretty good for the gray matter here. The heart and the viscera and most of our body are embodied. Intelligence is also very attuned if we let it be to non rational inputs. And what I found we found over time is that if you wonder, if you ask a question and go for a wonder, you will encounter answers. We can talk more about it. You will encounter you will the environment will feel like it's interacting with you. The environment isn't just something that you need to screen out and get through in order to get to the next task. And it's been a revelation to me. I must say mm hmm. But I love how you go on to say, this is just so delightful. You go on to say, the answers are everywhere if we reach out and ask.

23:40 The world is our creative playmate, if we're willing to play. Street wisdom uses the street and the urban landscape, says the stimuli and mirror for our thinking. It awakens our sensibilities and fires up our innate intelligences. And then you go on to really talk about how important the movement is that you know, you mentioned embodied intelligence, but there's something about movement that's important to this. Yeah, I would say so. I mean, I think we notice it in ourselves. You've got a problem in your mind, You get up, you walk that, you pace back and forth. If you if you go to Hollywood, you'll see writers very often walk and talk and so on and so forth. I think the idea that the best way to think is to immobilize your body and sit in front of a screen is a very limited and very modern idea. How many times do you have the Eureka movement when you're actually in motion? You know, actually archimedes eureka moment literally happened when he got in the bath. Remember, and we've all had that feeling.

24:41 You've had a long day, working really hard, and then your loved one says, you know what, chill out, have a drink, you can't have a bath. Get in the bath, and as you relax, as your body changes, it's energetically the idea pops up. And I think that's part of that. That's really part of what why people take the street wisdom as a compliment to their normal thinking. It's not designed to you know, to to to replace rational thought. But many, many people, I think they do it anyway. A lot of business people will find themselves if they give themselves permission, they'll go out, they'll leave the building in order to think things through different ways. Mm hmmm. And I love that you talk about this and I align with this. You say, wonder is a decision, and I love that it's a choice. It's you know, it's there for us, and I love that that's just that opens so much. Yeah, I mean, I think that's I like that you like that because I think that again, we've we've limited ourselves, our expectations to the fact that you know, experienced wonder. We need to go to the we were dawn breaking over the Rockies, no doubt those of us that have been lucky enough

26:11 to see that their higher incidence of wonder. Or we talk to somebody who is a farmer on the Rockies and ask if they feel wonder when the sun comes up, and they'll probably say, no, I'm looking at my seed drills, right, So it's just decision. And I think what's important is to remember that I think wonders available all the time every week, and if I think if we can begin to accept that as a possibility, even in tricky places, wonder the ability of kind of like, wow, we are alive, this is happening right now. The curiosity that comes with that, the sense of inspiration, is actually I think available, provided you say it's possible. I am in a complete alignment as well, and I teach some of that same of which brings me to where I want to go next.

27:02 Because you are an experience engineer, you have designed these what you call walk shops, which I love, that play on workshops walkshops, and there are three hour experiences and they are each each phase. There are three phases. I learned about in your book that they're very intentional how you set people up. So will you share with us the design of these workshops? Of course, of course I will, And I will say that since I've wrote the book and we had to thing called the pandemic, I don't know if you had something like that in America, there was a small, small flu bug went around and in that during COVID, we found that actually people we could do great workshops in an hour. So very often they've now punched down in length, or they can be long, but the three phases are pretty much the same the whole time. So the first phase is called the tune up, and during that we encourage people to go one very short little wonders and keeping an instruction in mind. And the first and truction, for example, is be drawn to what attracts you and notice what doesn't. And if you can't be you may know if you're not watching this, this, this podcast, this show, you won't have seen that. Actually there's a movement that goes with it, because I trained a diagnosis as well, and it's important that we get people getting the full value of that wander. So for that wander, for example, people start being drawn to what attracts them. Both it's a way of waking up their senses and also of activating the body to go towards what it's curious about, which we were trained out of most of

28:36 us at school. It would be very weird world if every time we saw something or someone that attracted us we walk towards it like a toddler. That would be very odd. But these tune ups basically awaken people's senses and they get them to log into what we call the internet the universe. So you logged in during the tune up phase. The second phase is called the quest, where you take that connectedness, go for a wonder, asking the question that I mentioned before, And what happens there is when you ask a question, it makes your walk intentional. And what that does, it seems, is that the street, imagine the street is a play friend. They like to have something to work on with you if you're just blissed out walking through the streets, and that's also okay. But I've found that the conversation with your environment really only kicks in when you go when you have a question you want answered. And then the third phase is called the sharing self self evidently, it's where you meet up with other people if you're doing a live one or online and share what happened. And it's important we've learned over the years to keep it very very simple, to lower expectations. And so there will be people who come on the walk shops and they're determined this is going to be a massive breakthrough through them and you can see them working really hard at it. So what we say to them is relaxed. In the sharing, we ask what popped out at you, what you know, what's struck you

30:07 just one thing and how might it be? An answer to your question, rather than making it an answer to your question, how might it be? And that seems to unlock the most fruitful conversations. So the tune up the quest and the sharing. And by keeping it this simple and requiring no sort of professional training to do it, you can do it for yourself or people volunteers do them all over the world. We give them additional support, but it's very simple, you know, for consciously we made it very simple. It seems to work really powerfully well. But then you also helped me introduced this one little element of disorientation and meaning that you intentionally don't tell the people upfront where you're going to be meeting for the sharing spot. Usually you say you do it into a you go into a cafe or something like that, but you don't tell them and toward toward until toward the very end, just where they're going to meet. And I think that is fascinating and delightful.

31:04 And I can see what people are like, well, what do you mean you know we're going to be meeting. Yeah, I'm glad you liked that as well. I mean, I the reason for that is that adults those of us who find ourselves thinking onselves adults, you know, constantly on a schedule, and we're you're constantly trying to So what I wanted to do on street Wisdom was let people drop the responsibility for time and place, and the facilitators, who ever facilitating it, you know, will stand still and not move, so that where you can always find your way back. And at the end, we'll let people rather them have to think how am I going to navigate from certain you know, certain place and and be grown up and efficient about it. We want them, you know, to get lost and find treasure. So we will handle the end and let the end be a surprise. It is a delightful surprise. I mean that in itself. How often do you allow yourself time to have delightful surprises in a normal working day?

32:08 Answer? Not very often, So that's what it's about. Or even to be lost. I love the story you talked about being lost, and I can relate to that too. And so the element of being heightened in your awareness and your senses turned on to get yourself unlost very very very fascinating and just interesting stuff. So we'll talk more about that. Let's grab our last break. I'm your host, Doctor at Last Cortez. We've been on the air with David Pearl. He's a world renowned experience engineer and the founder of Street Wisdom, which we've been talking about. After the break, we're going to hear a couple of stories about how it's actually worked with people around the world who've been participants. Stay with right back. Doctor Elise Cortes is a management consultant specializing in meaning and purpose. An inspirational speaker and author, she helps companies visioneer for greater purpose among stakeholders and develop purpose inspired leadership and meaning infused cultures that elevate fulfillment, performance, and commitment within the workforce.

33:17 To learn more or to invite Elise to speak to your organization, please visit her at elisecortes dot com. Let's talk about how to get your employees working on purpose. This is working on Purpose with doctor Elise Cortes. To reach our program today or to open a conversation with Elise, send an email to Elise alisee at elisecortes dot com. Now back to working on Purpose. Interesting with us and welcome back to Working on Purpose. I'm your host, Doctor Elise Cortes. I mentioned in the last break about my latest book coming out, The Great Revitalization. What I did for you is I created a three page assessment for you to be able to download from my website to be able to help you understand the extent to which your organization is designed for the needs and desires of today's workforce. You can find it at gustodashnow dot com if you are just now joining us. My guest is David Pearl. He's the author of Wonderful Find wonder in the every Day, every Day. So, as you mentioned earlier, one of the things I was amazed at, David, is that this stuff is free. So you mentioned in your book that you decided to give this away and that you were inspired by the open source and shareware movement, and so you have made your instructions to be able to the public for free. That is amazing. What's behind that, of course, that's a good question. I My first thing that comes to mind is

34:54 the wisdom that's out there is free. It's being offered by the street for so how can I charge for it? That doesn't seem that doesn't seem polite When we do charge, and increasingly there's a sort of commercial side to street wisdom because businesses have come and said, we really want to do this, will you come and create the spoke programs, which which we do do, but on the on, the on the on the making it freeness. I've sort of since then learned probably why I did that, and it relates to system change. And you'll know about this because you work in, you know, in all sorts of elaborate systems, and I I was talking about system changed recently. I thought retrospectively, this is probably why I did what I did, which is I was saying, you know, if if you want to change the system, three things are important. One is that the system doesn't notice. The second is that it doesn't cost anything, and the third is it's really good fun because you're going to need lots of energy to do it. And I think, in a funny way, in a small way, with the walkshops, the street ways, there is a system change.

36:04 It's trying to it's trying to inject into a system which is all about routine and work, lifefulness, inspiration, freedom, mental freedom and emotional freedom, and song, getting cities to talk to each other, becoming more lovable places and livable places, and I think that lowering the barrier of entry by not having a a fee is important. I will say it's been tempting over the years to put one in, not for financial reasons, but just because people tend to have a tendency to turn up to something that they have paid for. And what we find is there is almost invariable fifty percent drop off rate people. You know, a hundred people will so they turn up, fifty one people will show up, which I have no issue with because you know the people will show up when it's time and there's there's no issue. But sometimes we thought, you know what, and maybe if they if we change them five dollars, then they'd be more likely to turn up. But it is what it is, and I'm glad we've done what we've done. Well.

37:05 Then, how is it so you have some kind of a program or you're teaching people who to become facilitators so they can actually conduct street wisdom tours if you will, or experiences work I should say, walk shops in their own cities. What's that program like? That's an informal thing. We used to call it the Street Wizards School, but it's an informal thing. Again back to our very first comment, which is that you can sense intention on the internet. There are a lot of people of drive bys, and that's great, that's great, they pick it up, they put it down. But there are some people that pick up street wisdom for whatever reason, it speaks to them, it links to the work that they do. Otherwise, many are coaches, but not all by any means. And those people if they get curious. I'm a sucker for people who are curious to know more, and we'll organize online online sessions or help them prep for the sessions that they do. Doing it is the best way of learning about it. And often coaches actually come to us and want to use it with their businesses, in which case, especially if they're being paid for it, we organize.

38:14 I mean, it's a voluntary basis, but some form of exchange of either energy or money often changes hands. But I didn't want it to turn into a you know, a financial policing thing. That's not in the spirit of street wisdom. It's all about sort of, it's all about generosity, and it's been a continuing lesson in trusting the emergent. If I can put it that way, and of course business tests that in you you feel off and not know if you do, but sometimes you feel stressed and there seems to be pressure, and sometimes one can feel a little bit competitive, and so on and so forth. But the more I colleges run the business. So the only thing I haven't that I can think of approximately anything to what you're talking about. However, the one little thing that maybe fits in this camp is a few years ago my daughter, who's now twenty one years old, came up with this idea that for Christmas, what she wanted to do was she wanted us to make our sugar cookies with the icing on top of the really good yummy ones, make some sandwiches and then we would go out into the street and disperse them. So I said, let's add water, let's a little bit of cash as well. But what's been a fascinating about it, David, is we go and she with her friend us in the backseat dispersing. I'm driving. I always want to ask what has you on the streets, and so hearing the stories of what people share of what has them on the streets as we give them this with made two cookies and a sandwich

39:47 has been phenomenal education in a way for me to understand things about life in the world that I just wouldn't otherwise normally access. It's the closest thing so far to what I think I've experienced that might fit in this street within camp. Yeah, I mean, I think it's there's a lot in that, in that story, and it's great, it's great you do that. I think that a strangers are teachers. You know that famous phrase. You know, an enemy is just a stranger whose story you haven't heard yet. I think because we don't really connect, we judge really from a distance, and there are good reasons perhaps for being judgmental. It's a safety apart from anything in cities. But when you have the courage to be able to, you know, perhaps sink beneath those barriers and be just and and engage in common humanity, it's quite miraculous. It's quite amazing the common cause you find.

40:44 And it's that's the sort of the knitting together of society that I think I'm interested in, and doing that in a in a light touch way. There as a lot of loneliness out there, and a lot of people find themselves on the streets. I myself had appeared when I was younger and I was experiencing depression. I mentioned that I was able to keep all the different parts of my life together. It felt very dramatic, and I found some short amount of time I was wandering about and not in a very enjoyable way, and the kindnesses that I experienced there really stayed with me, and I think I've probably woven them into this idea of Street Wisdom. So beautiful, David.

41:29 And you know, when I was crafting, as you know my processes, I read the book cover to cover. I take notes that become part of my research process, and they go into my speeches and my books, etc. And I use this part here that I want to read next from your book is the basis of what I created for the description of this particular episode. But you say, when we talk about the allure and the promise of Street Wisdom's workshops, I love that you talk about this. You say, today participants are finding street Wisdom a powerful way to activate their awareness and log into the database of flattened wisdom that surrounds us at a time when we're increasingly lost in our heads, disoriented by fake news, closed loop networks, and biased reinforcing Echo Chambers. Street wisdom helps us to turn our attention outwards again, to escape the mental musings and daydreams and enjoy a present, tense, right here, right now, full century life experience of being human.

42:23 Did I write that? Did? Indeed? My friend, it's so stunningly beautiful. I know if you ever get this feeling. But I think this is this links to my experiences as a both an improviser and as a student of street wisdom, which is that when you're sort of in flow, you don't necessarily remember what happened, particularly or it seems like it's happening to somebody else. And I certainly when I'm when I'm writing, it flows out of me. And of course I've edited it and so on and so forth. But I really I'm really listening to you say that and thinking, wow, yeah, what that guy seems to have an interesting thing to say, but I don't recognize it as mine. So thank you. It's very touching.

43:05 Oh it's wonderful. I love you know, reading bits and such that really really speak to me. So we can't leave without sharing a story or two about a couple of people that maybe have experienced your workshops. And what did that do for them? What did they discover? Oh my goodness. Well, one of the reasons I wrote that wonderful was an excuse to kind of go around and and and harvest stories. And there are there are so many. And I will say to the people listening and watching that there is a bell curve. Obviously there are people for whom I don't know anybody who said it didn't work at all, because because at the very least it's it's great to give us a permission to have a bit of a wander. And there are those who have had life changing experiences. And then in the middle what very often it's it's more like it's more like having counsel, a sort of whispered counsel on you've got to you know, you very off and it's about where what's my next step at work and life in diet or food or whatever.

44:05 And we humans like to have a little bit of encouragement or a little bit of insight the next step, because the future is scary for us. But I will what can I The one that comes to mind is there are many. The one that comes to mind is a friend of mine, Scott, who was on I think the very first street Wisdom he did in London. Know how he got there, but anyway, he at the time was doing a job where he was very successful but hated, not hated, but wanted to do something else. And so he asked the question. And by the way, his job was a very glamorous job. So and it was in the fashion business. And he asked the question something like when I'm going to jump, but when when should I? And he wandered, and he found himself walking down a street which is where he had his first job in London, in a fashion street. On that as he wandered down that street, he bumped into three people he knew, one of whom lived in Australia, had no reason to be there. All of them were from the fashion business, and they all asked him the same question, which is why haven't you set up that new business. Yet by the time he finished that walk, he decided that's it of setting up the business. It was like the world was nudging him in a way that he's I think we said it earlier on. Sometimes your on conscious mind knows the answer, and an experience like

45:36 street wisdom helps that answer become a present to your conscious mind. So Scott would be. He runs a very successful different company now called Boom, and that's something that happened to him on a street wisdom. I also a friend of mine she decided to get She didn't actually do the divorce, but her marriage hadn't been so hot and her then husband called on during the street wisdom and that was the point that she decided, you know what, enough enough. But that was the one off right, And that's not a common it's not a common response. But there are many, many, many, many many examples where people have had unusually clear directions, so sometimes people come back with a long face. There was a girl I remember who was in two minds about going to Canada to have a baby with her boyfriends? Was it?

46:35 And so she went out because she felt like, no, I'm going to do something, and she came back long face. I said, you know what happened with you? Should I did you get an answer? She said, oh, I got an answer. I said, do you know happy? But she said, well it's pretty un you know, I'm ambiguous. So apparently she she'd gone out and the first thing she saw was a Canadian Airlines advert on a bus and then she turned and she saw a huge billboard of a baby, and then as she was trying to escape, she ran to the Nike building, which said just do it. It's like, okay, But what is interesting. What I often say to people is at the end, remember that you are selecting the things that you're seeing. Someone else you might have gone down the road, asking a different question and being completely you wouldn't have selected those things. So in a way and a strong way, you're not walking through the street. You're walking through your own psyche.

47:36 Yes, everything you see is your choice, so it's your it's your thinking being reflected back to you. Often, Oh, David, this has just been such a fast It goes by so fast when it's just much fun. We've come to the end of the show. I think by now you know this program is listening by people around the world and they are tuning in because they want to improve their own experience at work, to make it a place where they can actually step into their shine. I want to become a better inspiration leader on how people usher themselves into a higher state of their own consciousness and contribution. What would you like to leave them with today, I would gratitude is really helpful wherever you are, whatever you're doing inside or outside, take the word gratitude in lovely bright colors and wallpaper it at the back of your mind as you look out at the present moment and recognize you couldn't be anywhere else, doing anything else, being anything else, and it's a miracle that you are there. That's a constant reboot for me, because so much of us is designed. How can I be this and how can I change that? There's something about very powerful about accepting and loving the moment, appreciating the moment. I know people say that a lot, but I think it is really really important. Yeah, fantastic way to finished, David, And let me certainly say I'm very grateful to a cross paths with you, to now have you in my life and you cannot get away from me.

49:09 I do tend to knock on people's doors when I come into their cities, so it'll be nice gentle knock, but you'll be invited to come out and dance. Listeners. In few words, you're going to want to learn more about this man and connect with him and his programs. You can learn more about David Pearl the programs he does for businesses as well as the street wisdom that he offers and the work. I appreciate it, especially the work that you're doing to elevate creativity and companies. But you can start by visiting streetwisdom dot org. That's one place, or his site davidpeerl dot net. Last week, you to miss the Life Show, you can almost catch it be a recorded podcast wherever you get your podcast. We were on air with doctor Raj Sosodia talking about his Ladiest book, which is number sixteen a weeken The Path to Purpose, Inner Peace and Healing. It was an incredible honor to have him back on the show talking about his life in such a deeply open, vulnerable way. He describes how he's come to be who he is.

50:01 If you don't know him, he is the co founder of the Global Conscious Capitalism movement. I dare say you will laugh, cry, and be inspired by the interview in the book. See you next week for another vitalizing and uplifting conversation that will help you more meaningfully connect with your work while providing insight on creating destination workplaces where people can do the best work of their lives while becoming the best versions of themselves. See you there, and let's keep looking for ways to work on purpose. We hope you've enjoyed this week's program. Be sure to tune into Working on Purpose featuring your host, doctor Elise Cortes, each week on W four C. Why Together, We'll create a world where business operates conscientiously. Leadership inspires and passion performance, and employees are fulfilled in work that provides the meaning and purpose they crave. See you there, Let's work on Purpose.