Hell Yeah You Will

About Hell Yeah You Will

A podcast about perseverance — in a world on fire. Giants in their fields share what kept them going when everyone else bailed. With Kristoffer Carter. kristoffercarter.substack.com (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Kristoffer 'KC' Carter

Category

education · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Jan 2026

Latest episode

5 May 2026

Latest episodes

11 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   5 May 2026

   Grief and Hope: Walking One Another Home

   Pema Chödrön wrote a book in 1996 called When Things Fall Apart. It hit me hard twice. First, in early ‘24. My marriage was ending, and I surrendered into recovery. It stopped me in my tracks again recently. I was recording this week’s interview (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/podcast) with my dear friend and book publisher Trena White. She read the passage that held her up while her world was breaking open.On the podcast, we call this the pilot light: What kept you glowing through the darkest tests in your life? Trena read the words: “Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic. This is the spiritual path.” Pema Chödrön Unimaginable Surrender Trena had these words pinned to her bulletin board, alongside what she calls her “Frankenstein Venn diagram” of communities: people who raised neurodivergent kids, people who understood young onset dementia, people who had walked through medically assisted death. She mapped the entire mess of her life and started reaching out, hoping someone could guide her through it. Eventually she realized no one could fully guide her. It was up to her. She had to go inward in a way she had never accessed before. Meanwhile, she kept building her award-winning publishing business, Page Two. She kept showing up for her co-founder Jesse, for her authors, for a leadership team in rapid-growth. She kept showing up for two boys who needed her to be the strongest version of herself she had ever been. Her husband Andre made a sacred decision. If the diagnosis was dementia, he would choose MAID, Canada’s medical assistance in dying program. He was a social worker. He had seen what end-stage dementia does to a person and a family. He wanted to transition on his own terms, while he was still recognizably himself. What followed is one of the most luminous chapters I have ever heard a human being describe. Trena and Andre forgave each other. They prepared together. They surrendered together. They walked each other home. This is the most human polarity we have explored on Hell Yeah You Will. Grief and Hope live as companions, sharing the same body, the same breath, the same chapter. Trena’s pilot light is here to help yours stay lit. If you are standing at the foot of the mountain of grief right now, this episode is for you. If someone you love is standing there, send it their way. We close today with my song Move Through Me, dedicated this week to Ginger and her beloved mother, who we lost recently. About today’s Guest Trena White is co-founder and co-CEO of Page Two, one of the most innovative independent publishing firms in the world. Their list includes the million-copy bestseller The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay-Stanier, Exactly What to Say by Phil M. Jones, and a little book you may have heard of called Permission to Glow, A Spiritual Guide to Epic Leadership by yours truly. Trena was previously the publisher of Douglas & McIntyre and Greystone Books, and an editor at McClelland & Stewart. She is a finalist for the RBC Women of Influence Trailblazer Award, mother to two boys, and a woman who has walked through the kind of loss most of us cannot quite picture. What does your pilot light need from you today? Listen, Share, and Leave a Review * Listen to the episode above, or wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161)🎧 (3:09) * The 1-min show trailer is here (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/p/hell-yeah-you-will-podcast-trailer) 🎧 * Subscribe and Leave us a Review:Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever you listen (https://pod.link/1870548161) * Share it with someone who could use reminders to keep going. Show Notes: * Page Two Books (https://pagetwo.com/about-us/) * Connect with Trena White on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/trenawhite/) * Lyric video for my song, Move Through Me (I am the Sky). Coaching Accelerates Your Big Next At Epic Leadership, we work with founders, high-potential executives, and Chief People Officers who are navigating rapid-change and want to lead from a place of power— not panic. Our approach is backed by data, grounded in real practice, and honestly, a helluva lot more fun than your last leadership training. Two things get me fired-up as a coach right now.1. Your X-factors as a human being matter more than ever.Your clarity. Your presence. Your ability to lead people through chaos without losing yourself. No AI can replicate that. Not yet, not ever. But only if you REMEMBER it. Only if you believe it down to your core. 2. Which is what makes me nervous. In 15+ years of coaching Fortune 500 leaders, I have watched brilliant people forget their worth. Our lives and careers are cycles of forgetting, then remembering. The dip, then the hockey stick. Our work together? In this time of chaos, change and disruption, we must shorten that dip. Grab 30 minutes with me (https://thisepiclife.as.me/kc-30) to chat 1:1 coaching, or training for your team. Here is my ask. We are expanding our 1:1 Coaching and Leadership Development programs right now. If this is landing, I would love 30 minutes to discuss your goals. Get full access to Hell Yeah You Will with Kristoffer Carter at kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   28 Apr 2026

   Cheryl Rice: Two Words Change Everything

   U2 dropped their second surprise EP in six weeks, on Good Friday. Dark, confusing times make great art. I won’t go nuts on just how personal, profound and gorgeous the Easter Lily EP is. However, the opening track has The Edge singing lead vocals. I played Song for Hal for my daughter Frankie last night. We were both a little gobsmacked. The line that really gets me? “Did you know he is close to God, who makes his old friends laugh?” We can chase our Divinity through India, or in endless hours of meditation. If we’re lucky to be Irish, maybe we can meet our old friends at the pub. A surprise benefit of recording new podcast episodes has been catching up with old friends. We’re mostly sober podcasters who show up wearing headphones, in really clean audio. And oh, how we love to laugh. 😆 Today, we go deep into why it’s so important to create things. My good (young) friend, Jonathan Fields reminds us why rolling up our sleeves and getting dirty— making, creating, cooking, and building— is more important than ever in the age of AI. And I have to say, the last minute of our interview made me LMFAO. So I had to edit Jonathan’s advice “Just be a freak” down to a 1-minute Commencement Speech. This is the advice we all should have been given on our last day of school. Hell Yeah You Will is excited to share this 32-min deep-dive with Good Life Project™ Founder and podcast host (100 mm + downloads), award-winning author and creator of the SparkType™ assessment, and all-around Mensch: Jonathan Fields. Do we create for impact, or for the love of creating? About Jonathan Fields Jonathan Fields is a dad, husband, award-winning author of six books, co-executive producer and host of the Good Life Project® podcast (100M+ listens), and founder and CEO of Spark Endeavors, where he developed the Sparketype® Assessment — used by over one million people to reconnect with purpose, possibility, and joy. He writes the Awake at the Wheel newsletter on Substack and is a lifelong maker of everything from businesses and books to acoustic guitars, paintings, metalwork, and tables. His recent TEDx talk, “Why Craft Matters Now More Than Ever,” reframes the stakes of what he’s always been doing. He put it this way: “I’m a father, a husband, a maker and a man who cares deeply about, loves and admires those closest to him and is humbled and grateful for the opportunity to create, to connect and to serve.” That sentence is the key to this conversation. It’s not about entrepreneurship. It’s about what making things does to a person — and what it gives back to the people they love. Listen now on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161) Listen, Share, and Leave a Review * Listen to the episode above, or wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161)🎧 (32:06) * The 1-min show trailer is here (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/p/hell-yeah-you-will-podcast-trailer) 🎧 * Subscribe and Leave us a Review:Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever you listen (https://pod.link/1870548161) * Share it with someone who could use reminders to keep going. Connect with Jonathan and his work: * Here on Substack: Awake at the Wheel, (https://jonathanfields.substack.com/) with Jonathan Fields * His latest book SPARKED (https://sparketype.com/book/) and the free 10-min SparkType™ assessment * Watch the TED Talk: Why Craft Matters Now, More than Ever (https://youtu.be/2zUAM-euiVI?si=LZCRAyD9wxoKNbzm) (11:20) * Main speaking site, etc: jonathanfields.com (https://www.jonathanfields.com/) * Award-Winning Good Life Project™ Podcast (https://www.goodlifeproject.com/podcast/) We love your feedback. What was your favorite part? Are you, or someone you know in need of a coach? At Epic Leadership, we work with founders, high-potential executives, founders, and Chief People Officers who are navigating rapid-change and want to lead from a place of power— not panic. Our approach is backed by data, grounded in real practice, and honestly, a lot more fun than your last leadership training. Two things get me fired-up as a coach right now.1. Your X-factors as a human being matter more than ever.Your clarity. Your presence. Your ability to lead people through chaos without losing yourself. No AI can replicate that. Not yet, not ever. But only if you REMEMBER it. Only if you believe it down to your core. 2. Which is what makes me nervous. In 15+ years of coaching Fortune 500 leaders, I have watched brilliant people forget their worth. Our lives and careers are cycles of forgetting, then remembering. The dip, then the hockey stick. Our work together? In this time of chaos, change and disruption, we must shorten that dip. Grab 30 minutes with me (https://thisepiclife.as.me/kc-30) to chat 1:1 coaching, or training for your team. Here is my ask. We are expanding our 1:1 Coaching and Leadership Development programs right now. If this is landing, I would love 30 minutes to discuss your goals. Get full access to Hell Yeah You Will with Kristoffer Carter at kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   16 Apr 2026

   NFL Center to Massive Real Estate Deals

   Imagine your wildest childhood dream coming true. Something so huge you were never sure it’s even possible. Then every Monday showing up, unsure if you’ll be cut. That was Dave Pearson’s early twenties in the NFL. The only thing he could control was how hard he worked. When his pro football career ended, Dave had to shop for suits. With a 20-inch neck. 🤯 His corporate chapter must’ve worked out, because he’s helping lead the company that that took a chance on him. He’s passionate about redeveloping communities and creating affordable housing. His office sits atop of New York City’s stunning Hudson Yards. He’s led that team to becoming one of the largest, and most successful in the world in terms of deal volume. When we met in person, my first question was “who’s one of your favorite coaches?” He immediately mentioned Alex Gibbs (https://www.si.com/nfl/falcons/onsi/news/former-atlanta-falcons-line-coach-alex-gibbs-80-obit-dies-nfl), legendary offensive line coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Coach Gibbs slapped players with a “sensitivity fine.” Whenever you pout or push back on getting coached hard. Two hundred bucks. Posted on the board for the whole room to see. From the highest performing rockstar players, to the youngest guys hoping to make the team. This lesson really stuck. We talked about the moments when a deal feels impossible. When chaos ensues, or people want to bail. That’s Dave’s favorite part: seeing the win despite everything falling apart. Dave Pearson is the Executive Vice President of Related Affordable, probably the largest affordable housing development firm in the United States. We trace his wild arc from Michigan Wolverine to Detroit Lion to Atlanta Falcon to NFL Europe, and the blown knee started his leadership journey. Eighteen years later, to quote another favorite coach, Dave’s still there: “showing up like the weather.” 1-Min on winning, despite the odds In coaching, I use a 1980s arcade analogy called Player One. Player One takes full responsibility for their performance and results. If Mario wants to progress through the levels, he can’t blame Donkey Kong or Bowser. He must learn to adapt and perform. To go the distance as a leader, it takes resilience and a dance between extreme self-reliance and playing on a high-performing team. Whether that’s a band like U2 or this season’s Seattle Seahawks, a high-functioning team will take us further than we ever could have gone alone. There’s an old African proverb: if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. This is the polarity of Team and Player One. Dave Pearson is the Executive Vice President of Related Affordable, a division of Related Companies, one of the largest privately owned real estate firms in the United States with over $70 billion in assets owned or under development. Over the past 18 years, Dave has helped build and grow the firm’s affordable multifamily acquisitions and development team nationwide, leading preservation-focused investments at scale. Prior to his career in real estate, Dave was an NFL offensive lineman for the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons. He serves on the boards of the Related Affordable Foundation, Randall’s Island Park Alliance, and the University of Missouri Athletic Academic Career Center. He lives in New York City with his wife Caitlin and their three daughters. Please welcome to Hell Yeah You Will— David Pearson. Listen, Share, and Leave a Review * Listen to the episode above, or wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161)🎧 (32:06) * The 1-min show trailer is here (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/p/hell-yeah-you-will-podcast-trailer) 🎧 * Subscribe and Leave us a Review:Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever you listen (https://pod.link/1870548161) * Share it with someone who could use reminders to keep going. Would love to hear what you think? What inspired you? Get full access to Hell Yeah You Will with Kristoffer Carter at kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

4. 

   7 Apr 2026

   Jonathan Fields: Creating for Impact, or Love?

   U2 dropped their second surprise EP in six weeks, on Good Friday. Dark, confusing times make great art. I won’t go nuts on just how personal, profound and gorgeous the Easter Lily EP is. However, the opening track has The Edge singing lead vocals. I played Song for Hal for my daughter Frankie last night. We were both a little gobsmacked. The line that really gets me? “Did you know he is close to God, who makes his old friends laugh?” We can chase our Divinity through India, or in endless hours of meditation. If we’re lucky to be Irish, maybe we can meet our old friends at the pub. A surprise benefit of recording new podcast episodes has been catching up with old friends. We’re mostly sober podcasters who show up wearing headphones, in really clean audio. And oh, how we love to laugh. 😆 Today, we go deep into why it’s so important to create things. My good (young) friend, Jonathan Fields reminds us why rolling up our sleeves and getting dirty— making, creating, cooking, and building— is more important than ever in the age of AI. And I have to say, the last minute of our interview made me LMFAO. So I had to edit Jonathan’s advice “Just be a freak” down to a 1-minute Commencement Speech. This is the advice we all should have been given on our last day of school. Hell Yeah You Will is excited to share this 32-min deep-dive with Good Life Project™ Founder and podcast host (100 mm + downloads), award-winning author and creator of the SparkType™ assessment, and all-around Mensch: Jonathan Fields. Do we create for impact, or for the love of creating? About Jonathan Fields Jonathan Fields is a dad, husband, award-winning author of six books, co-executive producer and host of the Good Life Project® podcast (100M+ listens), and founder and CEO of Spark Endeavors, where he developed the Sparketype® Assessment — used by over one million people to reconnect with purpose, possibility, and joy. He writes the Awake at the Wheel newsletter on Substack and is a lifelong maker of everything from businesses and books to acoustic guitars, paintings, metalwork, and tables. His recent TEDx talk, “Why Craft Matters Now More Than Ever,” reframes the stakes of what he’s always been doing. He put it this way: “I’m a father, a husband, a maker and a man who cares deeply about, loves and admires those closest to him and is humbled and grateful for the opportunity to create, to connect and to serve.” That sentence is the key to this conversation. It’s not about entrepreneurship. It’s about what making things does to a person — and what it gives back to the people they love. Listen now on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161) Listen, Share, and Leave a Review * Listen to the episode above, or wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161)🎧 (32:06) * The 1-min show trailer is here (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/p/hell-yeah-you-will-podcast-trailer) 🎧 * Subscribe and Leave us a Review:Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever you listen (https://pod.link/1870548161) * Share it with someone who could use reminders to keep going. Connect with Jonathan and his work: * Here on Substack: Awake at the Wheel, (https://jonathanfields.substack.com/) with Jonathan Fields * His latest book SPARKED (https://sparketype.com/book/) and the free 10-min SparkType™ assessment * Watch the TED Talk: Why Craft Matters Now, More than Ever (https://youtu.be/2zUAM-euiVI?si=LZCRAyD9wxoKNbzm) (11:20) * Main speaking site, etc: jonathanfields.com (https://www.jonathanfields.com/) * Award-Winning Good Life Project™ Podcast (https://www.goodlifeproject.com/podcast/) We love your feedback. What was your favorite part? Are you, or someone you know in need of a coach? At Epic Leadership, we work with founders, high-potential executives, founders, and Chief People Officers who are navigating rapid-change and want to lead from a place of power— not panic. Our approach is backed by data, grounded in real practice, and honestly, a lot more fun than your last leadership training. Two things get me fired-up as a coach right now.1. Your X-factors as a human being matter more than ever.Your clarity. Your presence. Your ability to lead people through chaos without losing yourself. No AI can replicate that. Not yet, not ever. But only if you REMEMBER it. Only if you believe it down to your core. 2. Which is what makes me nervous. In 15+ years of coaching Fortune 500 leaders, I have watched brilliant people forget their worth. Our lives and careers are cycles of forgetting, then remembering. The dip, then the hockey stick. Our work together? In this time of chaos, change and disruption, we must shorten that dip. Grab 30 minutes with me (https://thisepiclife.as.me/kc-30) to chat 1:1 coaching, or training for your team. Here is my ask. We are expanding our 1:1 Coaching and Leadership Development programs right now. If this is landing, I would love 30 minutes to discuss your goals. Get full access to Hell Yeah You Will with Kristoffer Carter at kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

5. 

   31 Mar 2026

   How a Little Becomes a Lot

   Our new yard began as a farm in 1868. Lately I’ve been going deep on gardening. I used to complain and rush, or make my yard work anyone else’s problem. Our old farmhouse is different, or maybe our new season of life is more about simplicity, beauty, and slowing down.I look forward to cutting the grass, which will balance our compost, and fuel many waves of vegetables and flowers. There’s a deeper gratitude I’ve felt these last three months, since a drunk driver nearly ended my life. More than that rascal, there’s a new vision of self-sufficiency and sustainability that has me inspired. What if our soil has everything we need, and it’s been waiting to be unlocked? Nurturing hundreds of seedlings also has me redesigning our coaching business. We’re expanding our client base, and I could use your help. More on that below. First up, a conversation about perseverance that kicked my ass into gear. This week on Hell Yeah You Will, I catch up with a fellow traveler on the recovery road, and author of a great new book that drops today, March 31st. Emotions are important. They guide us. And, if you’ve got an emotional system like mine, you don’t want them running the show. Eric Zimmer At 24, my guest today was homeless, addicted to heroin, and facing serious prison time. Eric Zimmer’s journey from those depths sparked his lifelong inquiry into human transformation and resilience. Twelve years and 800 episodes ago, Eric launched the One You Feed podcast with his best friend Chris. Having exceeded 50 million downloads, their success with One You Feed led to Eric’s major publishing deal with Harper Collins. I’m proud to say I’ve been a guest on that excellent podcast a couple times over the years. We dig into Eric’s book that launches today: How a Little Becomes a Lot— The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life. We also talk about the polarity/tension at the core of Eric’s journey: between radical transformation and incremental change. Eric’s story reminds me what’s possible when we surrender at a few levels: into healing, into asking better questions from a place of curiosity, and into the longer, more patient path to self-compassion. 1-min Clip: Action + Right Thinking Today’s Guest Eric Zimmer is an author, teacher, speaker, and the creator of The One You Feed podcast—an award-winning show with over 50 million downloads across 800+ conversations exploring meaningful living. His new book is How a Little Becomes a Lot— The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/how-a-little-becomes-a-lot-eric-zimmer?variant=43996638838818) (Harper Collins, pub date: March 31st 2026) Through his behavior coaching, workshops, and mentorship, he has guided thousands worldwide in creating sustainable habits that last—not through willpower or epiphany, but through steady change. Eric's approach combines cutting-edge science with timeless wisdom, providing practical pathways to greater integrity and deeper meaning. Listen now on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161) Listen, Share, and Leave a Review * Listen to the episode above, or wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161)🎧 (34:26) * The 1-min show trailer is here (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/p/hell-yeah-you-will-podcast-trailer) 🎧 * Subscribe and Leave us a Review:Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever you listen (https://pod.link/1870548161) * Share it with someone who could use reminders to keep going. Connect with Eric Zimmer and his work: * Instagram: The One You Feed (https://www.instagram.com/one_you_feed/) * How a Little Becomes a Lot— The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/how-a-little-becomes-a-lot-eric-zimmer?variant=43996638838818) - New Book on Harper Collins * Order the brand new book: Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0063420805/?bestFormat=true&k=how%20a%20little%20becomes%20a%20lot%20eric%20zimmer) * Listen to Eric’s Award-Winning podcast, The One You Feed (https://www.oneyoufeed.net/) We love your feedback! What stuck out for you? Are you, or someone you know in need of a coach? At Epic Leadership, we work with founders, high-potential executives, founders, and Chief People Officers who are navigating rapid-change and want to lead from a place of power— not panic. Our approach is backed by data, grounded in real practice, and honestly, a lot more fun than your last leadership training. Two things get me fired-up as a coach right now.1. Your X-factors as a human being matter more than ever.Your clarity. Your presence. Your ability to lead people through chaos without losing yourself. No AI can replicate that. Not yet, not ever. But only if you REMEMBER it. Only if you believe it down to your core. 2. Which is what makes me nervous. In 15+ years of coaching Fortune 500 leaders, I have watched brilliant people forget their worth. Our lives and careers are cycles of forgetting, then remembering. The dip, then the hockey stick. Our work together? In this time of chaos, change and disruption, we must shorten that dip. Grab 30 minutes with me (https://thisepiclife.as.me/kc-30) to chat 1:1 coaching, or training for your team. Here is my ask. We are expanding our 1:1 Coaching and Leadership Development programs right now. If this is landing, I would love 30 minutes to discuss your goals. Get full access to Hell Yeah You Will with Kristoffer Carter at kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

6. 

   24 Mar 2026

   Lodro Rinzler: You've Always Been Enough

   Do you remember the TV ads for Reverend Robert Schuller? “Don’t just sit there! Do Something!” TV evangelists estranged me from organized religion, but I thank them for guiding me to my spiritual path.Who knew you could shame a child away, while creating a lifelong quest to find God through meditation? In today’s interview, renowned Buddhist meditation teacher and author Lodro Rinzler turns Schuller’s quote on its head: ”In Buddhist circles, the saying goes: Don’t just do something. Sit there." - Lodro Rinzler In yoga we call this Right Action— taking whatever contemplative time necessary to focus our action, with efficient, surgical precision. Sitting there (in meditation) helps quiet the mind from the persistent voice of doubt. I spoke to a former coaching client and author for a major publisher. She’s in the long middle of writing her third book. Meanwhile, I’d kill to be back in the saddle writing my second. Lodro, meanwhile, has published eight books over the last 14 years. Whatever you may be called to create, it helps to look at your motivation. We’ve all fallen into traps of striving and proving. When we quiet our minds, we can shift back into creativity and service. Lodro’s conversation took me back to our first interview in 2018. I’ve become an author since then, and my entire life looks different. I asked him to share a “pilot light” story from his new book. It’s an ancient Buddhist parable: A forest catches fire. A parrot could fly away to safety, but she hears the cries of fellow creatures. She dips her feathers in a river and flies back, shaking droplets over the flames. Back and forth, getting burned herself. The gods laugh at her futility. Indra, king of the gods, flies down as an eagle and tells her to give up. The parrot replies: “You’re a much bigger bird than I am. I don’t need your advice. I need your help.” Indra weeps—his divine tears extinguish the fire and heal the parrot’s feathers into brilliant colors. The parrot is said to be a past life of the Buddha. Lodro Rinzler is, by every external measure, a teacher. And yet his Buddhist tradition says the path is about becoming a perpetual beginner. The moment you think you’ve arrived is the moment you’ve lost the thread. Today’s polarity is the balance of being a Teacher and Student. It’s about the confidence to guide others, and the willingness to be cracked open by a two-year-old, a mistake, or a moment of doubt. 1-min Clip: The Lesson from The Parable About Today’s Guest Lodro Rinzler has been teaching Buddhism for 25 years, meditating for 30 plus years. He’s written eight books, has been featured in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America, named one of 50 innovators shaping the future of wellness. The man is by any measure a teacher. And then his daughter Ruby showed up and doesn’t care at all about her dad’s credentials. She just wanted him to be present. Today we’re exploring the polarity of teacher and student and Lodro’s excellent new book, which drops today on March 24th, You Are Good, You Are Enough (https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Good-Enough-Yourself/dp/164547416X), which argues that underneath all our doubt and striving, we were gold the whole time. Listen now on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161) Listen, Share, and Leave a Review * Listen to the episode above, or wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161)🎧 (32:06) * The 1-min show trailer is here (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/p/hell-yeah-you-will-podcast-trailer) 🎧 * Subscribe and Leave us a Review:Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever you listen (https://pod.link/1870548161) * Share it with someone who could use reminders to keep going. Connect with Lodro and his work: * Here on Substack: The Laundry, (https://thelaundry.substack.com/) with Lodro and his wife Adreanna * You Are Good You Are Enough on Shamabala Publications (https://www.shambhala.com/you-are-good-you-are-enough.html) * Order the brand new book: You Are Good, You Are Enough: Free Yourself from the Trap of Doubt and Return to Basic Goodness (https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Good-Enough-Yourself/dp/164547416X) * Here on Substack: The Laundry, (https://thelaundry.substack.com/) with Lodro and his wife Adreanna We love your feedback! What stuck out for you? Get full access to Hell Yeah You Will with Kristoffer Carter at kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

7. 

   17 Mar 2026

   Emiliya Zhivotovskaya: The Rigor of Thriving

   Who are your first calls when everything falls apart? They might determine if anything comes back together. Mine were my sister Kelly, and my friend Emiliya. Today, I’m excited to share a conversation with a longtime friend, teacher, and someone who saved my life. As the CEO and Founder of The Flourishing Center, Emiliya is deep well in the science of human thriving. She is also a first-generation immigrant from Ukraine, one of the most resilient people I’ve ever met, and pretty damn funny. To return the favor for officiating her wedding and performing a 3-minute rock opera (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/p/the-power-of-love) I wrote for her and her beloved Shimon, Emiliya recently emceed my epic 50th. I love all our conversations, but our latest deep-dive (through the lenses of perseverance, and purpose) is truly something special. I hope you enjoy it! Listener Feedback The best creative work starts before the money does. Early in a new project, whether it’s a business, an album, or a podcast, the process itself is the gift. The goal is to make something cool, and if it moves us, maybe it will move others.That’s why, at this stage the feedback from this community— your feedback, is everything. This note found me on a roadtrip from Austin. Liz Kessler (https://lizkessler.substack.com/) is an amazing intimacy coach, mom, and human being:“Kristoffer, this podcast episode stopped me in my tracks in the best possible way. In just ten minutes, you wove together Susanna Hoffs, India, the Maha Kumbh Mela, motorcycle accidents, and Paramahansa Yogananda into something that felt like a sacred container, not a podcast intro. The way you connected “hazy shade of winter” to this exact cultural moment we’re all living through gave me chills, because you named what so many of us are feeling without turning it into doom, and that is a rare and powerful gift. As someone who found her own love of music later in life, I am in awe of your musicianship and the way that relentless backbeat pulses through everything you create, your stories, your coaching, and now this podcast. Your vulnerability about the divorce, the addiction, the crashes, both literal and figurative, landed not as oversharing but as proof of concept: this is a man who has earned the right to talk about perseverance. This podcast is already exactly what the world needs right now, and I cannot wait for what’s coming. Hell Yeah You Will, my friend and CAPP 116 family (shout out to Emiliya Zhivotovskaya and The Flourishing Center), this podcast is already exactly what the world needs right now, and I cannot wait for what’s coming.”⚡️ Listen now on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161) Thanks for listening to Hell Yeah You Will— Perseverance, in a World on Fire. This post is public so feel free to share it. 1-min Video Clip We All Live in Polarities There are recurring tensions that show up in our lives and our work. They aren’t problems to solve—these are opposing polarities to navigate. This comes from Barry Johnson’s Polarity Management research. Big polarities in my life show up as: humanity and spirituality, creative input versus output, art versus business. We get stuck in binary thinking. When we practice dancing with both, we keep moving. Today’s polarity may be one of the most easily identifiable for me personally, and something I’ve also struggled struggled with. Rigor and play. Can evidence-based work be joyful? Can academic rigor still feel like magic? Most of us were trained to believe that if it’s fun, it must not be rigorous. Or if it’s rigorous, it better not be fun. We all know people who stack credentials and degrees until the joy is gone. It can be just as easy to hide behind the walls of academia as it is to hide in the back of a yoga class. But once you get that calling to start teaching, it’s time to step out front. My guest today has been practicing, living, and teaching at the intersection of rigor and play for over two decades. About Today’s Guest Emiliya Zhivotovskaya has certified nearly 2,000 coaches, consultants, and positive change agents in over 55 countries. She is the CEO and founder of The Flourishing Center (https://theflourishingcenter.com/capp/), one of the first 75 people in the world to earn a master’s in applied positive psychology from UPenn, a master certified coach with the International Coaching Federation, and the creator of the CAP program, a 10-month certification in applied positive psychology. I’m proud to say I’m wrapping up this week in cohort number 116. Our final project actually inspired this podcast. Emiliya holds over a dozen certifications spanning coaching, yoga, Reiki, biofeedback, and more. But before any of that, she spent a decade as a party entertainer. She weaves science with magic, education with joy, and rigor with play. And through all of it, training thousands of practitioners around the world, she keeps returning to this question: Can the work of human flourishing actually feel like flourishing? Listen now on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161) Listen, Share, and Leave a Review * Listen to the episode above, or wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161)🎧 (34:52) * The 1-min show trailer is here (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/p/hell-yeah-you-will-podcast-trailer) 🎧 * Subscribe and Leave us a Review:Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever you listen (https://pod.link/1870548161) * Share it with someone who could use reminders to keep going.*Enter to win a free book in the mail with a personal note Connect with Emiliya and her Work * Founder, CEO of The Fourishing Center (https://theflourishingcenter.com/), NYC * Order the brand new book: How We Flourish: Science-Backed Practices at the Core of Well-Being (Volume One) (https://www.amazon.com/How-Flourish-Science-Backed-Practices-Well-Being/dp/1998724433) * The Certificate of Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) programs are now enrolling their Spring cohorts! Jump in now, or book a call to explore. (https://theflourishingcenter.com/capp/#register) We love your feedback! What stuck out for you? Get full access to Hell Yeah You Will with Kristoffer Carter at kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

8. 

   10 Mar 2026

   Elena Brower: Care Deeply and Hold Nothing

   About a decade ago, I was speaking at a Wisdom 2.0 event in New York City. My topic was yoga’s profound influence on Steve Jobs, founder of Apple. I was nervous backstage, so I struck up a conversation with a woman who was leading yoga during the breaks. She had a very deep, grounding presence. Elena also had a striking resemblance to Trinity from the Matrix, actress Carrie-Anne Moss. When I pointed this out, she said, “We get that a lot. Carrie-Anne is one of my closest friends!” Wait, what? For more than 10 years, so many of the roads I travel in the yoga world lead back to Elena Brower (https://elenabrower.substack.com/). She has built one the largest online platforms, teaching from her home in New Mexico through Glo. You immediately sense Elena is much more interested than the inner journey, rather than outer accomplishments. Our podcast conversation today is about so much more than 27 years of building a body of work and global brand as a yoga and meditation teacher. It’s about the practice of caring deeply at every level, while also letting go of attachment. If you’ve ever meditated for even a minute: you know this isn’t easy. Elena has recently released one of the best books I’ve ever read on conscious living. Hold Nothing is a meditation on every aspect of life, through the lens of letting go. How much easier, more fulfilling, and beautiful could life be if we just let it happen as our true, authentic selves? Listen now on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161) We All Live in Polarities There are recurring tensions that show up in our lives and our work. They aren’t problems to solve—these are opposing polarities to navigate. This comes from Barry Johnson’s Polarity Management research. Big polarities in my life show up as: humanity and spirituality, creative input versus output, art versus business. We get stuck in binary thinking. When we practice dancing with both, we keep moving. Today’s themes may be the hardest to hold in our current world: to Care Deeply, AND Hold Nothing. How do you pour everything into your work, your family, your business, your art—and simultaneously release your grip on outcomes? How do you love fiercely without clinging? We all know people who burn out because they can’t stop caring. I’ve coached plenty of leaders who protect themselves by caring less. Neither works. The mastery is in the both/and. My guest has been learning and teaching this polarity for over 25 years. Elena Brower (https://substack.com/@elenabrower) is a mother, mentor, poet, artist, and one of the most celebrated yoga and meditation teachers in the world—guiding transformative practices since 1999. Her debut book Art of Attention has been translated into seven languages. Her bestselling journals Practice You and Being You have become companions for thousands. Her brand new book, Hold Nothing, came out last fall—and it currently goes with me everywhere. Not hyperbole: this book is a complete vibe. Profound wisdom, artistic beauty. Elena hosts the podcast Practice You. She received lay Buddhist vows from Roshi Joan Halifax in 2023. She’s completing chaplaincy training at Upaya Zen Center. She volunteers in hospice and in prisons. And through all of it—the books, the teaching, the service—she’s someone who lives in the delicate balance of caring deeply, while holding nothing. How do we care with everything we have, and hold nothing? Listen now on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161) Listen, Share, and Leave a Review * Listen to the episode above, or wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161)🎧 (27:42) * The 1-min show trailer is here (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/p/hell-yeah-you-will-podcast-trailer) 🎧 * Subscribe and Leave us a Review:Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever you listen (https://pod.link/1870548161) * Share it with someone who could use reminders to keep going.*Enter to win a free book in the mail with a personal note Connect with Elena Brower: * Here on Substack (https://elenabrower.substack.com/) * Official book site: Hold Nothing (https://elenabrower.com/holdnothing). Upcoming retreats, programs, etc * Order her latest book, Hold Nothing— An Incitation to Let Go and COme Home to Yourself (https://www.amazon.com/Hold-Nothing-Invitation-Come-Yourself/dp/1645473023) We’d love your feedback? Anything stick out for you? Get full access to Hell Yeah You Will with Kristoffer Carter at kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

9. 

   3 Mar 2026

   Tom Bergeron on Comedy + Meditation

   Tom Bergeron hosted America’s Funniest Videos and Dancing With the Stars for 15 years a piece— and 10 years juggling both. 🤯 A couple years back, on a dare from my kids, I wrote a song about him. For research, I read Tom’s book “I’m Hosting as Fast as I Can”. Tom is so present while taping live TV, he seemed to me like a serious meditator.Wow, Welcome! To our first official episode of Hell Yeah, You Will — our brand new podcast about making cool stuff, what stops us from putting it out there, and most importantly— perseverance. Like so many of us, I look around the craziness of our world, and think— pushing through the Long Middle and delivering our medicine (whether that’s our next book, our new business, 10 minutes of stand-up, our solution to any of our pressing needs)… Perseverance is more important than ever before. Not merely surviving these times, but living some of our big, honkin’ dreams along the way. Is that so wrong? Today we kick off the first of many deep conversations with people who’ve built amazing things— despite so much of the fear and doubt we all learn to work with. Hell Yeah You Will with Kristoffer Carter is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I asked Tom what made it all possible— 50+ years in broadcasting, hosting multiple iconic TV shows including Hollywood Squares, and staying married to his wife Lois 44 years and counting. But he didn’t talk about agents or auditions. We talked about daily meditation. 🧘🏻♂️ Tom shares how meditation became the foundation for his career, and his life. In this conversation we explore the balance between earnestness— taking your job seriously, and comedy— taking your shenanigans seriously. Then it hit me, what me made me feel a connection with Tom Bergeron as a viewer at home. One of his early heroes taught him to broadcast directly to a single person on the other end of the signal. This was something I intuitively learned from him during the pandemic, as my kids and I binged on America’s Funniest Videos. When I released the song, I somehow knew we’d have this conversation. :90 Sec on Scabies, Anger, and Meditation Hosts with The Mosts Everyone has hosts who define eras of our lives. In my song I asked, “Well who do you love, and who do you tolerate?” I was a Bob Barker guy as a kid, then Bob Saget. By the time Tom showed up, he was somehow unique, and familiar. It reminds me of an excellent Indigo Girls song Emily Sailers wrote for Virginia Woolf. In all of the static, across rivers of time and space, broadcast signals are received, and they connect us. A two-way transmission. Falco’s 1986 banger Rock Me Amadeus, taught me more about composer Wolfgang Mozart than any book or film. Falco’s breakdown of Mozart’s biography inspired my song for Tom Bergeron.Be sure to listen for Tom correcting me on one important biographical point.Hell Yeah You Will welcomes Tom Bergeron.--- Listen, Share, and Leave a Review * Listen to the episode above, or wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161)🎧 (45:09) * The 1-min show trailer is here (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/p/hell-yeah-you-will-podcast-trailer) 🎧 * Subscribe and Leave us a Review:Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever you listen (https://pod.link/1870548161) * Share it with someone who could use reminders to keep going.*Enter to win a free book in the mail with a personal note--- Tom Bergeron on Cameo: (https://www.cameo.com/tberj) 100% of Cameo proceeds support MPTF, The Motion Picture & Television FundLast appearance as host of AFV (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KADvv7Jjvrs)— With original host Bob Saget.I’m (https://www.amazon.com/Im-Hosting-Fast-Can-Hollywood/dp/0061765872)Hosting as Fast as I Can (https://www.amazon.com/Im-Hosting-Fast-Can-Hollywood/dp/0061765872): Zen and the Art of Staying Sane in Hollywood (2009) by Tom Bergeron We’d love your feedback? Anything stick out for you? Get full access to Hell Yeah You Will with Kristoffer Carter at kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

10. 

    25 Feb 2026

    [Start Here] Why Perseverance, and Why Now?

    It’s never been more important to share your work. Regardless of delays, injuries, and noise everywhere. In today’s 10-min solo episode, I go (deep) into what’s at stake, what life teaches us about perseverance— and the rewards, large and small. Sorry not sorry: We begin with the Bangles’ angelic singer Susanna Hoffs, then take an epic trip to India, where the origins of this podcast began. It’s our year to get big things done. Are you ready? Full transcript follows. If you’re inspired, I’m giving away our guest Elena Brower’s incredible new book— Hold Nothing. Simply comment and/or share. Details below👇🏻 Our season officially launches March 3rd with Tom Bergeron: Meditator, Comedian, Host of Dancing with the Stars and AFV. First Interview Drops Tuesday March 3rd Until then, here’s a 10.5 minute taste of what we’re cooking up. * Listen to the episode above, or wherever else (https://pod.link/1870548161)🎧 (10 min, 28 sec) * The 1-min trailer is here (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/p/hell-yeah-you-will-podcast-trailer) 🎧 * Subscribe: on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/7cYiuRKkYVXxZ7OCPOic1g?si=dd6625383271425b) | Apple Podcasts (https://www.notion.so/Hell-Yeah-You-Will-Launch-Checklist-edd41a4f47024274a267920133ea29b0?source=copy_link) | Or, wherever you listen (https://pod.link/1870548161) * Share it with someone who could use reminders to keep going.*Enter to win a free book in the mail with a personal note Hazy Shade of Winter? Like most young men, and many young women who grew up in the 1980s — I had a deep, abiding crush on Susanna Hoffs, singer for the Bangles. Their career launched in ‘86 with Manic Monday, which Prince originally wrote for his Purple Rain costar Apollonia. Later that year came their first #1, Walk Like An Egypshunnnnn. A generational crush on Susanna Hoffs started with her sideways glances in that video. Right, left, right. Be still our tiny, prepubescent hearts. Their next single was Hazy Shade of Winter, a cover of Simon and Garfunkel from 1966. Only 21 years earlier, the 60’s shelf-date made it feel like ancient history: my Mother Valerie’s music. The Bangles version was urgent, and cool. Produced by Rick Rubin, it had a pumped-up guitar riff and relentless snare-slapping back beat. All the Bangles played and sang their asses off. I was too young for the coke-fueled film it was the soundtrack for: Less Than Zero. But the lyrics stuck with me. Paul Simon would become a favorite lyricist later, but, in 1987, it was through the vessel of MTV’s dreamiest Earth angel— Saint Susanna Hoffs — where the medicine was administered: Look aroundLeaves are brownAnd the skyis a hazy shade of winterHang onto your hopes, my friendThat’s an easy thing to sayBut if your hopes should pass awaySimply pretendThat you can build them again I hadn’t lived long enough to have lasting hopes, let alone lose them. But 12-year-old me filed those lyrics away and held them tightly — maybe sensing they could come in handy during tougher times? We need to talk about Perseverance We’re watching the snow accumulate all over again in the late February winter. A few years back, Ohio’s winter got cold enough to kill most of the rose bushes. Winter’s the season of retreat, of going dormant until blooms explode in the Spring. Whatever your beliefs — from spiritual, to geo-political — can we agree it feels like humanity has entered some “hazy shade of winter”? We’re facing far-reaching, high-stakes threats to just about everything that once made us feel safe: our livelihoods, our food supply, our families, the earth we count on to provide for us. More chaos, disruption and division all around us. We stay glued to screens that amplify all of it. What does the onslaught and repetition of images, accusations, and evidence of who and who not to trust… What does so much repetition tell us? That you ab re powerless. Keep your head down, take fewer chances to do the work, or live the life you’ve dreamed of. Just stay distracted waiting for the next shoe to drop. Be grateful this time, it wasn’t your kid’s school, your church, or your job, or your community’s water supply— this time. I walked into last year staring down my 50th birthday. My 25-year marriage had just ended. I was living alone for the first time in my life. The divorce forced a reckoning with addiction I’d been outrunning for decades, and I surrendered into recovery. Then, on a warm morning that fall, I hit a deer on my motorcycle going 60 miles per hour. Two days before Christmas, a drunk driver turned in front of me while I was going 55. Each of us struggles. Life fires warning shots, and by Grace, when the big explosions eventually hit, we might get the chance to keep going. My career as an executive coach, author, and before that as a songwriter and touring performer — each chapter gave me tools to keep going. Or, not. One of the smartest things I did was book a 6-week pilgrimage tour to India. It was my reward for taking each of the brutal steps toward finalizing the divorce. India deepened my fascination with perseverance. We were traveling during a once-every-144-years event, the peak intensity being the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. Estimated crowds exceeded 1 million visitors per day, for the 34-day festival. It felt like most of India’s nearly 1.5 billion citizens were also moving by foot, rickshaw, rail, or bus. Being in crowds and traffic usually make me anxious, but this felt different. Throngs of people moved in massive swells with a consciousness that was nothing like the “me first” I was used to. It felt more like “As 1.” From blasting rickshaw horns, to the silent lines of thousands patiently waiting all day in the hot sun for a moment to kneel in a temple. Anywhere we look in the West, we may hear the empty cheer of “you got this!” or someone trying to convince themselves: “I got this!” Over and over, when we were able to surrender into those endless rivers of traffic, the message I felt was “We got this!” Like we are all fellow travelers along the Ganges River. We may not even get to the goal in this lifetime, but if we just keep going, we’ll find all the help we need. It becomes our duty and our joy to help fellow travelers. Recovery meetings prove to me weekly that some Higher Power gives us healing through our service to one another. No service, no recovery. Do I permanently live in a state of service when I’m in a TSA checkpoint during domestic travel? Hardly. But it does remind me to practice. As Ram Dass said: “We are all just walking each other home.” At my 50th birthday party I sang a song I wrote in India. The chorus wrote itself as I recorded it to my phone: “Love goes before us, holding the line / every one of us will persevere, in time.” Perseverance originates from the Latin verb perseverare, meaning “to continue steadfastly, persist,” which is formed by combining per- (”very,” “thoroughly”) and severus (”severe, serious, strict”). Walt Disney called it “stick-to-it-ivity.” But Disney’s bouncy, sing-song version doesn’t mean that sticking it out, pushing through, persevering— is a given, or that it’s simple, or even fun. It’s both a spiritual quest, and a test. The people who create the future aren’t the ones who never doubted. They’re the ones who kept going anyway. Hell Yeah You Will is a line from Neil Diamond’s late-career anthem “Hell Yeah” — also produced by Rick Rubin. “I hear you wondering out loud, are you ever gonna make it? / Will you ever work it out? Will you ever take a chance, and just believe you can? Hell Yeah You Will. You’re gonna be OK.” And that line is the name of this podcast. The Pilot Light is Purpose. We have a hypothesis on this show. It’s that each of us has a purpose. And that purpose glows, down deep inside each of us. Like a pilot light left burning since we were children. All the noise and chaos of our world? That is the fuel to focus, and burn down obstacles. Perseverance, then, is the spiritual practice of returning to purpose as many times as necessary, despite all tests and trials — to deliver our unique medicine to a world in need. Each episode, I’ll ask our guest for a passage or quote that kept them going when they almost quit. My 6 weeks in India were spent walking the footsteps of my lineage of teachers. That lineage ended with Paramahansa Yogananda, author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi. This quote was given to me printed on a posterboard by one of my earliest coaching clients, Laura Vela. I was freshly ejected from my corporate career and completing a new home renovation with no job to support it. I’ve kept it in view and made it a practice to read it daily — often before I got out of bed during the toughest trials. Its meaning shifted dramatically, in seasons of all-time career highs. My sponsor for my 12-step work is a year behind me on his divorce journey. I recently passed along my posterboard. It’s what he now reads each morning. Paramahansa Yogananda said: “When the winter of trials comes, some leaves of life fall away. This is normal. It doesn’t matter. Take it in your stride. Say — ‘Never mind, summer is coming, and I shall blossom forth again.’ God has given inner strength for the tree to survive the harshest winters. You are no less endowed. The wintertimes of life come not to destroy you, but to stimulate you to fresh enthusiasm and constructive effort, which will blossom forth in the spring of new opportunities that come to everyone. You must say to yourself, ‘This wintertime of my life shall not last, I will get out of the grip of these trials, and I shall throw out new leaves and blossoms of improvements. And once more the bird of paradise shall sit on the branches of my life.” Look aroundleaves are brown And the sky is a hazy shade of winter Hang onto your hopes, my friend I am guessing that like me, you have big things to create this year. Are you finding yourself stuck in the long middle? The desert between the big idea and big finish? I say good. Sure, that’s where most people quit. But it’s also where purpose comes into sharp focus. Whether it’s your next business, your new career, your screenplay, your happily ever after… This podcast exists because sooner or later, we all need the reminder: Hell Yeah You Will. Free Book Giveaway— Hold Nothing by Elena Brower I’ve been so excited to share my interview with global yoga and meditation teacher, and author Elena Brower (https://elenabrower.substack.com/). To celebrate our Hell Yeah You Will episode release, I’m giving away an extra copy of her brand new, excellent book Hold Nothing— An Invitation to Let Go and come Home to Yourself. Enter to win by commenting, and/or restacking this post. Winner will be announced Wednesday, March 4th. Will ship with a personal note from me. Get full access to Hell Yeah You Will with Kristoffer Carter at kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

11. 

    20 Jan 2026

    Hell Yeah, You Will (Podcast trailer)

    Hell Yeah You Will explores what it takes to create stuff that matters— especially during wild times, when the world can feel like it's on fire. Each week we'll interview titans in their fields, who share one story, and one key lesson that kept them going— when everyone else bailed. Trailer for new podcast series from Kristoffer Carter, author of Permission to Glow and founder of Epic Leadership. Season 1 drops March 3rd. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Substack. Get full access to Hell Yeah You Will with Kristoffer Carter at kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe (https://kristoffercarter.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

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Apple Podcasts (US)

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