About this conversation
At 30, Terry Tillman was running six companies and had all the trappings of success: the house, the airplane, the money. He also felt bankrupt inside. So he spent a day in a retirement home asking people what mattered, and every single one of them talked about regrets. He closed all six businesses, entered the world of personal growth, and spent the next 48 years leading his Inside Out Leadership seminars in 101 countries. Tony Robbins did his first firewalk in one of Terry's trainings.
In this episode, Terry, now 83, sits down with Cynthia and tells the stories behind that turn: touring as a folk singer with Jimmie Rodgers before finishing Stanford, running 30 miles along the Berlin Wall two years before it fell, flying to Berlin the day after it came down to create "The Writings on the Wall," the international bestseller that led to dinner with Gorbachev and seminars deep inside Soviet Russia. He shares the second-grade classmates, orphan twins, who taught him gratitude, the retirement home visit that changed his course, his upcoming book "The Call," and what he most wants his 10-year-old son to know.
On why he wrote "The Call: Who Are You and Why Are You Here?", Terry put it simply:
"Everybody's called. Just not everybody answers or is even aware they're called."
Remember: You are amazing. I am amazing. We are amazing!
In this conversation
- 00:00Introduction to Terry Tillman
- 02:14From Businessman to Humanitarian
- 04:50The Journey of Gratitude and Reflection
- 07:37Awakening from a Miserable Millionaire
- 10:25The Impact of Nature on Personal Growth
- 13:03The Berlin Wall and Its Significance
- 15:46Dinner with Gorbachev and Insights from Russia
- 18:36The Call: Discovering Purpose and Meaning
- 21:14The Future of Terry Tillman and His Projects
- 31:48Understanding Karma and Its Impact on Life
- 32:28The Importance of History and Learning from It
- 33:59Human Nature: Stupidity and the Need for Improvement
- 35:28Service and the Value of Giving
- 37:17Making a Difference: Personal Responsibility and Community Service
- 38:49Experiential Learning and the Heartfelt Foundation
- 40:38Lessons from Childhood: Gratitude and Resilience
- 46:17The Role of Elders in Guiding Young Leaders
- 48:52Finding Purpose and Authenticity in Life
- 52:33Nature as a Classroom and Personal Transformation
- 54:47Legacy and the Importance of Love in Parenting
