Episode #15 - Coaching with Grace: Geoff Carlston
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Join us on the 15th episode of Successfully Depressed as Kerry engages in a captivating conversation with Geoff Carlston—a remarkable individual who embodies the roles of a father, husband, explorer, and dreamer. Geoff's extraordinary life experiences range from being a collegiate coach to a Peace Corps Volunteer, an educator, and a mediator.
Throughout his journey, Geoff has had the privilege of working closely with diverse groups of people, including gangs, professional athletes, CEO's, Buddhist monks, and individuals grappling with depression. His unwavering purpose on this Earth is to guide others towards profound experiences of love, compassion, and unwavering optimism.
In this thought-provoking episode, we delve into topics such as coaching with grace, surmounting life's obstacles, understanding internal and external identities, and embracing a life driven by curiosity, compassion, and kindness. Tune in to gain valuable insights and be inspired by Geoff's profound wisdom and transformative perspectives.
Geoff Carlston
I am originally from Minnesota and now live in the mountains with my wife Sara and three crazy boys, Teddy, Charlie and Crosby. As is often the case in life, my path to get here was far from planned and paved with amazing highs and soul searching challenges. The death of a parent, the loss of a vocation, the reshuffling of dreams, goals and identity. The uncertainty that comes from reinventing yourself and the crossroads of whether to play it safe or jump off the rocky ledge into a terrifying AND exhilarating future. All of it is my story. Raw and authentically me.
I have travelled to 45 countries, rode my motorcycle 12,000 miles around the nation’s Blue Highways, and fell in love with the mountains as a ski bum in steamboat springs many years ago. I have backpacked Europe, hiked the Great Wall of China, swam with seals in the Galapagos Islands and spent some time at the base camp of Mount Everest.
At the beginning of my professional life, I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Central America where I worked with gangs, taught in the School for the Deaf and developed youth retreats in the rainforest. More importantly, I learned to listen to people tell their stories, witnessed the injustices that pervade so many impoverished communities and felt the incredible human spirit that bridged it all.
I also have over 20 years of collegiate coaching experience where I was fortunate enough to have led three different universities to national rankings. I have been blessed to be a part of my player’s weddings, watched them grow into amazing mothers and stood alongside them during life’s darkest moments. As a Big Ten head coach, I was arguably at the highest echelon of my profession, both competitively and financially. I had “made it”. Yet something was missing. I felt it in my core. This became my Hero’s Journey, the script that I now use to craft new chapters in my own story as well as in those I passionately coach.
I am still learning every day. If you want a perfect coach, I am not your guy. But if you want to search the uncharted edges of your path together, long to transform from a fear to love mindset or feel drawn to that voice of adventure inside you, let’s connect and see where this crazy journey can take us.
