We recently connected with Barton Quigley and have shared our conversation below.
Barton, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I found my purpose while doing some serious inner work around the age of 44: to heal a decade of anxiety and panic attacks and to figure out my career path.
I began to share my journey publicly, along with the helpful tools and resources I discovered and applied in my life. The Universe kept knocking through frequent comments like, “I love your posts. You should do something with these.” But I had total imposter syndrome, thinking, “Who am I to help anyone else? I’m just trying to stop feeling so crazy.”
Besides, I have a passion for visual storytelling – photography, video, painting – and would have told you that this is where I need to focus more time and attention. I’d spent most of my adult life struggling to carve space for these pursuits because making enough money to live in an expensive city kept getting in the way. I was panicked and felt like time was running out to find a career that would fill my soul.
Then, one week I was doing a meditation pack from Headspace. It was a sports-themed series aimed at identifying my ultimate goal. Every day, the meditator told me to ask a question and purposely not try to answer it. “What is my ultimate goal?”
After several days of this practice, it suddenly came to me. I saw lush greenery, like plants and trees, and I could smell rich soil. Then the word “enrichment” popped into my head, and I knew exactly what it meant. “I want to live a life of enrichment for myself, my wife, and all of those around me and to share all that I have.”
My intuition was on fire, but I had no clue what this meant in a practical sense.
So, I did a stream-of-consciousness journaling exercise. I wrote the question, “What would I do for the rest of my life if time, money, and resources were infinitely abundant?” I set a timer for 10 minutes and started writing, with the rule that I could not stop until the timer went off. After some guesses, I was out of ideas, but I had to keep writing, which meant a string of “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.”
That’s when my deeper consciousness started chiming in, and the words just spilled out. When I was done, I stared at my writing in disbelief. It had all the elements of coaching, and I knew in my soul that this was my path. I second-guessed myself for another week, just for good measure, but I kept having the same gut feeling. “All right, Universe. Heard. Let’s do this.”
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I have a huge heart for people and a unique ability to connect with folks from all walks of life. I want to see each of you be your best, live in a way that lights up your soul, and make a massive contribution to others.
I believe that the secret sauce for joy and success comes from (1) being our true, authentic selves, (2) following our deepest passions, and (3) harnessing our unique, innate talents in a way that benefits a greater purpose.
As an empowerment coach, my goal is to help people live ecstatically and confidently from the inside out.
We are all born with the tools and resources we need for a fulfilled, meaningful life, but most of us focus outwardly on finding a sense of our identity and our path. We tend to think someone else has our answers when what we seek lies within.
I love working with dreamers and seekers who want so much more out of life than what society has sold them. I help them purge their limiting beliefs and self-doubt so they can let their inner fire burn bright and stand tall in their beautiful power. I get so much out of this work because by sharing what I’ve learned and seeing how someone else processes it and puts their own spin on it, I see these tools and mindsets in a whole new light.
As the host of the Small Town Secret Sauce podcast, my mission is to elevate the stories of small-town entrepreneurs and community leaders. I want to showcase a diverse array of examples for creating your vision of a passionate, meaningful life that enriches you and your community. And by seeing someone else do it, we are giving ourselves permission to do the same.
The podcast is ad-free by design. I want to keep my focus on the content and stories. I’ve chosen Patreon instead because a platform supported by the community creates a sense of shared ownership, and that is when human beings can make a massive impact in the world.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The number one skill that I’ve learned and that I teach my clients is self-love. This means caring for yourself like you would a best friend: how you speak to yourself, think of yourself, and prioritize your own needs.
The number two skill is to identify and be your true, authentic self. I am talking about your inner child, your soul, that version of you who can dance like no one else is watching.
The number three skill is to follow your gut – your intuition. We all have an inner compass uniquely suited for our path in life, but we let ourselves get carried away with fear and worry. We second guess our intuition. But the more we follow our heart and soul, despite what the monkey brain says, the more we are living in alignment.
The most essential piece of advice I can offer for someone just getting started on their journey is quite simply awareness. Become a private investigator of yourself, especially through writing in a paper journal. There is a magic that happens when you put your thoughts and beliefs into physical form that allows you to stop identifying with what’s in your head.
A great way to start is by writing down who you think you are and your beliefs about life. Then, go through each detail and ask, “Is this true?” Or, “Is this still true?” You’ll be surprised at certain beliefs that you actually don’t believe at all.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
I can’t name just one; I have three: Art of Possibility, Awareness, and Essentialism.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bartonquigley.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bartonquigley/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barton-quigley-64806143/
- Other: Small Town Secret Sauce Podcast (Available on Apple and Spotify)
Image Credits
The photo of me is by Mark Rogers.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
