Meet Sean Flikke

We were lucky to catch up with Sean Flikke recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sean, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

My purpose found me over and over again, in spite of my efforts to run, shun and/or out-flank it. I had been fostered as a toddler, then adopted by a family with two disabled parents who struggled to care for me. My father was a disabled Vietnam war veteran, and my mother was an artist who struggled with schizo-affective disorder – bi-polar type and was hospitalized in a state psychiatric hospital for many years. While I was loved, I had a lot of tough days and nights a young person, bouncing from home to home. I had to be both internally tough enough to move through a lot of uncertainty while learning empathy for self and others in the midst of so much struggling. These gifts shone through whenever I was around kids, first as an older sibling, then as a babysitter (financing my passions for sports and music) and later as a camp counselor, coach and mentor.
After graduating from Stanford University, where I made the baseball team as walk-on and played for four years, I struggled to find my place in the world. I tried many jobs/roles/titles, often chasing what I thought I was ‘supposed to do,’ but there was a restlessness, a misalignment.
Finally, at 32 years old, I woke up from a dream with a sense of dread that I was not doing what I was put on Earth to do. So, I sat up and said out loud, “Okay, I’m ready. Please tell me what I’m here for, but make it obvious so I don’t mess it up!” Three hours later, I received a phone call from one of my college teammates and best friends, who felt inspired to tell me about a non-profit he was involved with that teaches social emotional learning (SEL) to young people and adults in high schools, middle schools. rehab facilities and community centers. Like a lightning bolt – it finally made sense. My purpose is to transform the experiences of my youth into wellness for young people and communities.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am currently in somewhat of a rebuild both personally and professionally. Having worked in education for 15 years, I am transitioning toward a counseling career and am nearing completion of a Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation and Licensed Mental Health Counseling. I am utilizing my learning about mental wellness in two primary ways in my life right now.

The first way is in a youth sports context, where I am honored to serve as a member of Coach Ballgame’s (www.coachballgame.com) team with a vision of making youth sports a healthier and more joyful experience, which I do as a baseball coach, camp director, podcaster and mentor for coaches. I am working on a curriculum for a spotlight course at Ballgame University involving working with challenging personalities and another on the mental wellness-character development-peak performance triangle. In addition, I am working on developing a Summer baseball camp with the West Seattle Little League based on the pillars of Joy and Character Development. I have also begun seeing clients one-on-one as a mentor for coaches or parents.

Personally, I am a creative person with a passion for performing both stand up and improv comedy, which I have done in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia since 2016. I am currently in residency at the Everett Improv in Everett, WA and working on translating material to the digital realm in innovative ways. Laughter is fantastic medicine and I look forward to aligning purpose and passion going forward.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Quality: Curiosity – engaging the ‘beginner’s mind’ and exploring the world, even the familiar, with fresh eyes and a sense of wonder is fundamental to happiness, creativity and growth. There are many ways to learn/practice/engage this mind state, from movement practices to spontaneity classes to creative endeavors to engaging with the natural world to STEAM activities…pursue the methods that work for you.

2. Skill(s)- Take a beginning level improv class. It is an invaluable experience that develops confidence, spontaneity and communication skills. Since I took my first one in 2016, it has helped every single area of my life, personally and professionally. It does not require being on stage or performing of any kind; only showing up.

3. Area of knowledge: “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is wisdom.” – Lao Tzu Cultivate an understanding of yourself, including: your values/beliefs and their origins, your emotions, your motivations/desires, your biases, your internal voices/critics/mantras. This can be done in a variety of ways, from therapeutic practices to art, from deep conversations to journaling, from movement through nature to spending time in contemplation/silence.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” – Yogi Berra

Presenting this question as a choice makes it seem as though this is an ‘either/or’ fork in the road. NO! It is a ‘both/and’ situation….Take it!

When considering how you make money, I would say focus on strengths. This is essentially the ‘Good-to-Great’ principle, focus on what you do well and make it great. When considering personal wellness, happiness and fulfillment, I would say invest in efforts to improve areas of weakness or challenge. Facing our flaws, we learn humility, develop courage and enhance relationships – the greatest gifts in life. Inevitably, this process will enhance our professional lives, as well.

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