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140: The Importance of Mentorship and Elders in Guiding Rites of Passage with Tim Corcoran
Episode 140 • 13th November 2025 • The King Within: Modern Masculinity and the Sovereign Man • Mike Salemi
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“If you don't own your life, if you don't create it, if you're not the one that says yes and no, if you're not the one that is willing to take risk, push the edges, make mistakes, take your wins and celebrate, then who's going to do it? Nobody is. And you're going to end up one day waking up and going, what happened to my life?” says Tim Corcoran, founder of Headwaters Outdoor School and author of The Earth Caretaker Way, on this episode of The King Within.

From surviving a bull elephant’s test to training the Star Wars bantha, Tim Corcoran has woven his life around the wild, and spent the past three decades guiding men and youth through wilderness rites of passage. On The King Within, he shares the wisdom drawn from sweat lodges with Flathead elders, and explains why nature must remain our greatest teacher. Tim Corcoran unpacks the importance of community, mentorship, and living by a personal code of honor—even as modern society loses touch with these core values.

With stories that span from animal bonds to heroic personal risks, Tim Corcoran reveals the defining moments that challenged him to commit, persist, and create a life well-lived in service to others and the Earth. He offers actionable insights for men seeking purpose, connection, and the courage to reclaim their role as earth caretakers.

Tune in to The King Within for an inspiring discussion about the hero’s journey, wilderness as initiation, and how we must risk comfort to truly live—and to wake up with no regrets.

5 Key Takeaways

  1. Build a code of honor—define the values you want to live by and revisit them daily. Make integrity, kindness, and commitment your non-negotiables.
  2. Spend deep time in nature—create a sit spot, commit to regular walks, and let the Earth be your teacher. Turn off devices, slow down, and receive.
  3. Seek out elders and mentors—learn from those who listen deeply and live authentically. Share your struggles, ask for guidance, and prioritize real connection.
  4. Step into risk—stop shrinking back from your edge. Whether in relationships or adventure, go all in, make mistakes, and celebrate your courage.
  5. Lead with service—every day, ask how you can help someone or something beyond yourself. A life well-lived is measured by the difference you make for others and for the Earth.

Memorable Quotes

"If you don't own your life, if you don't create it, if you're not the one that says yes and no, if you're not the one willing to take risks, push the edges, make mistakes, take your wins and celebrate, then who's going to do it? Nobody is. And you're going to end up one day waking up and going, what happened to my life?"
"Nature teaches through experience. It's not at all even close to being all intellectual. So you've got to just be there. And if you go out in the woods in nature or your yard or wherever nature is, open yourself up to being as present as possible, letting it in. That's what you have to do."
"The Earth caretaker way is about developing that deep, deep relationship with the earth and then putting it into action, being involved with the Earth, doing good for the Earth. And hence that comes back to doing good for ourselves and we all win."

Connect with Tim

Tim Corcoran Photography - https://www.facebook.com/p/Tim-Corcoran-Photography-100063064219334/

The Earth Caretaker Way - https://www.earthcaretakerway.org/

The Earth Caretaker Way by Tim Corcoran, Julie Boettler - https://amzn.to/3LD1y3q

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/earthcaretakerway/

Resources Mentioned

Headwaters Outdoor School - https://www.hwos.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeadwatersOutdoorSchool

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfFq-ZLKFaagIAzK1i89MUQ/featured

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/headwatersoutdoor/

Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/1NxWI4W28tvnk2Op32r54i

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Transcripts

Tim Corcoran:

If you don't own your life, if you don't create it, if you're not the

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one that says yes and no, if you're not

the one that is willing to take risk, push

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the edges, make mistakes, take your wins,

and celebrate, then who's gonna do it?

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Nobody is.

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And you're gonna end up one day waking

up and going, what happened to my life?

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Mike Salemi: So going back to

one thing that you just said, so

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you were in the first Star Wars?

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Tim Corcoran: Yeah.

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My, my, the kids who come to the

school love it, believe it or not.

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They still watch that movie all the time.

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The very first one, episode four.

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Mike Salemi: How did you get into it?

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Tim Corcoran: Um, I trained, uh,

elephants at Marine World Africa, USA

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in Redwood City back then, and that's

a whole nother story, but I had like 10

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elephants and one of 'em was named Margie.

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And we got this call from the Hollywood

Boys and they said that they're making

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a movie called Star Wars, and they

wanted to, they asked if we could,

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they could build a, uh, costume around

her and make her into what's called

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a banta, which was in the movie.

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And Banta were written by these guys

called Sandman or Tuscan Raiders,

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which were the bad guys, right?

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So it took two months to

build the costume around her.

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Literally covered her entire body.

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I mean, she was an amazing being Margie.

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Mm.

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And, and we fed her a, a case

of, uh, uh, French bread every

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day and a case of apples.

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And she would let us do it, you

know, and just give her lots of love.

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And then we got the call to

go to Death Valley and I load

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her into a big semi-truck.

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I ride in the back of the semi

with the elephant the whole way.

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The driver was an incredible guy.

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We drove all the way to Death Valley.

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It was, you know, a full day's

drive in the back with her.

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And we get out and we have a 15 second

scene where in the movie where I jump

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off a cliff onto the back of a Banta.

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And that Banta is her

and I'm a Tuscan Raider.

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And little did we know at the time that it

was gonna be the most famous movie ever.

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And you know what's really

interesting is too, is that movie

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was really about the hero's journey.

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Mm-hmm.

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And that's what my life's

been about in teaching.

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Right.

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Little did I know then.

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Finding yourself, creating your

life and doing something meaningful.

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Mm-hmm.

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That's the hero's journey.

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Right.

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And that's what that

whole movie was about.

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Mike Salemi: Yeah.

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Tim Corcoran: So, so funny how

everything connects that way.

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Um, and then, oh, here's

the greatest part too.

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After we were done with the movie,

uh, filming our scene, we're driving

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back and we stop in the Mojave Desert.

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I asked the driver to stop.

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He was a great guy.

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His name was red.

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He was an old cowboy.

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He used to a side note.

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He used to take a bull whip and he'd

knock things like, I didn't smoke,

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but I'd put a cigarette in my mouth

and he'd knock it out, whip it out.

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And I'm like, they're talking about trust.

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Oh man, his name was red.

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And I said, let me, let me

go into the Mojave Desert

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for a couple of days camping.

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I get on the back of the elephant, I

go into the wilderness, it's, yeah.

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And uh, I pass backpackers on the

trail and not even say something.

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And they'd see me with an elephant.

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I'd ride in.

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We camped for a few days in

there, and then I came out.

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Mike Salemi: What was it like having a

relationship with an animal like that?

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Elephants

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Tim Corcoran: are one of

the most, I I was lucky.

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I, I got to train elephants and chimps,

chimpanzees and, you know, a lot of animal

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rights people over the years have tried,

have stopped those kind of things like

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circuses and shows, and I understand that

'cause a lot of animals are treated pretty

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poorly in those kinds of situations.

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Mm.

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But there, at Marine World, the animals

had love beyond love and it was, it was

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like a beyond a life's honor to be let

into their world and work with them.

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I get teary thinking about it.

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I miss it.

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I remember the first time I was,

um, told by the trainer who left and

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that's where I took over outta nowhere.

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Right.

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It, it, my, you know, I just, 20,

20-year-old, you know, I look at these

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20 year olds today and I, I sometimes

can't imagine they could do that.

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He said, going back to the trainer says,

you gotta go into the elephant barn.

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You, one of the main things

you do is clean their poop up.

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They poop 22 times a day.

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Mike Salemi: Oh man.

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Tim Corcoran: And there's this big

bull African elephant, which no

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one had ever trained before, named

S Samson, 14 feet tall at the show

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at my, and he said, you gotta go

buy 'em and he's gotta accept you.

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And he took, he took me and threw

me against the wall with his tusk.

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And I thought I was gonna die.

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And I got up and he said,

you gotta fight him.

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And I, so I went, and you gotta fight him.

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You gotta fight him, but you

gotta make him respect you.

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Remember, I'm 20 years old, I didn't know

any of this and I was good with animals my

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whole life, you know, but that, you know,

farm animals and dogs and wild animals.

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But, so I, I run up to him after

I'd been knocked against the wall

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with, I had a rake for cleaning and I

attacked him with the rake and a joke.

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This is a 14 foot, you know,

8,000 pound elephant, right.

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I accidentally don't get mad at me.

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The rake hit him in the eye

and he roared up like a roar.

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And there were six other elephants

in the barn with me, and he came

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down, his eye was fine, and we were

like blood brothers from that day.

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Whoa.

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I would literally go in the barn

and sleep with him all night long.

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It was like, I can't even begin to tell

you how lucky I was and loved them to.

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Totally.

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And he ended up getting moved to

a, a zoo in LA with a huge amount

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of space, and like six females

and lived happily ever after Sam.

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You know, that's just

one story of thousands.

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You know, I, I still sometimes can't

even believe, am I telling the truth?

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Did I really do that?

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And I did.

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Mike Salemi: You know.

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Well, I know like as I was reading

your book, the Earth Caretaker

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Way, like one of the things is you

dedicated the book to the earth.

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And from everything that I know about

you, 'cause now we've spent a bit of time

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together, you know, this is, I think my

fourth, third, or fourth time up here.

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Nature's been one of your biggest

teachers, if not your greatest teacher.

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Can you walk me through how or when

did First Nature become your teacher?

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When did you have that awareness

and what was that journey like?

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In the early days,

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Tim Corcoran: I, I, I guess

one way I could start is, is my

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parents, we grew up in Sunnyvale,

which is now the Silicon Valley.

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It's not too far from me.

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Yeah, yeah.

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And but then it was not

then it was Orchards, woods,

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creeks, great place to grow up.

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Wonderful.

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And unlike a lot of kids today,

our parents would just let us

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out the door in the morning.

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And we'd see 'em at night.

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Mm-hmm.

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And there no, there's no

cell phones checking on you.

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And the community kinda looked after you.

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So it was, there was nature everywhere.

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And so I was, I was always out in the

woods somewhere and in our own backyard

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we had like a quarter of an acre and

we had, part of it was an orchard.

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And I remember my, my job for

the family was to grow a garden.

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So I became a gardener at a young age.

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So I learned to talk to

plants, grow 'em, nurture 'em.

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I had fruit trees that I had a

treehouse in, in the backyard.

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I, so there was that part.

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Then I think the biggest part is,

and this is something I see lost

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today a lot too, is I had elders and

mentors in my life that took me on

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seriously to teach me about nature.

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And one of the biggest ones was my

grandfather who lived in Ronan, Montana,

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which is right next to kind of surrounded

by the Flathead Indian reservation.

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And the flathead people, they were

called the flatheads 'cause they

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would shave their hair flat on top.

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Mm.

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And the town was in the

reservation kind of.

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And, um, my grandfather had a homestead,

so I, I stayed with him in the summers

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and learned to take care of the cows and

the sheep and the goats and grow plants.

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But again, we had complete freedom.

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I'd go out and fish all day in the river.

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Um, and the Native American people,

the Indian people there, the Flatheads

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knew me and everybody knew everybody.

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So one day I'm out.

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So I felt very safe, you know,

just to wander and be in the woods.

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And that's so much about, if

I, if I really think about it,

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what's the most important part to

remember that nature is the teacher.

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Mm.

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And so, my time being in nature,

being, I was being taught if I'm

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open to receiving the teachings in

nature, you know, different than you

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and I talking, it's more energetic.

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But, so the connection is

always there, even for adults.

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You have to be out in it, you

know, and be open to being taught.

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And I was.

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And so one day I'm walking along, I

just fished all morning and that was a

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great teacher learning to fish creeks.

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And I hear a sound and I'm looking through

these bushes and I see these three Native

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American elders, uh, tending a fire.

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And they look at me and I think, and I'm

in trouble for, you know, spying on 'em.

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Right?

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And they know, they give me this

wonderful look, warmth look.

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And I, they call me in and I come

to the fire and they're doing

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this thing called a sweat lodge.

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And I didn't know that then, you

know, I was 10, 10 years old.

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Yeah.

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And so they invite me in I call

it the earth caretaker way.

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Um, they also used the

term similar to that.

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For a life way of living your life.

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And it started clearly in my brain

then in that sweat lodge, and I knew

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that my path was gonna be caretaking

the earth and developing a deep

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relationship with the earth it was

gonna take over my entire life.

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And I knew it then in that sweat.

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And I went back subsequent summers

and through about till about 13

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and did more sweats with them.

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I fell in love with the sweat lodge,

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Mike Salemi: even at 10 years old.

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When do you recall back to

that first sweat, like were

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you anxious, afraid, what?

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You know, for those that aren't familiar

with what a sweat is, maybe you can

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just briefly or in depth go into that.

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Sure.

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Yeah.

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Tim Corcoran: Well, a sweat

lodge is a sacred ceremony.

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Um, it's like a, it's, it's a dome

shape, uh, covered with, uh, a dome

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shaped outta sticks covered with cloth.

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In the old days, the Native Americans

would've used animal hide, and it's

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where you heat up rocks in front

of the sweat, in a hot, in a fire.

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And then you bring the rocks into the

sweat and then you sit in there, close

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the door, it's pitch black, um, and you

sing songs and pray, um, with the earth.

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Um, that's simplifying.

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It's an amazing ceremony.

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Mm-hmm.

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And most Native American tribes

did some type of a sweat.

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The sweat lodge was done

by some of my ancestors.

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The Irish did sweats, the

Russian people did sweats.

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Most of the northern climates had

some kind of a sacred ceremony where

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you go in to and have a sweat lodge,

you know, like a sauna, but very

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sacred and extreme heat really hot,

makes you stay right in the moment.

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Mike Salemi: The sweat lodge

specifically, like one of the things,

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like now we've run a full retreat here

for guys, we're about to come back

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in two days to bring and got 16 guys,

uh, coming in two days for a sweat.

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So the sweat lodge is really how I

first heard about you or found you.

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And it is really different than a sauna.

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Like yes, it's heat, but I think that's

an important distinction to make.

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And so it's also really interesting

that all of these different cultures

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that you're saying around the

world had their version of it.

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And I think one of the key ingredients

is that sacredness is that ceremony.

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But going back to when you were 10

years old, what can you share about

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what that was like at that age?

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'cause I mean, most 40 year

olds, 50 year olds are gonna be

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faced with their edge in a sweat.

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So I'm just imagining like, what

was it like at a as 10 years old?

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Tim Corcoran: Well, I'm sure the,

the three elders that took me in

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that first sweat, you know, they

were gentle on me, but it still

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seemed terrifying in some ways.

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Yeah.

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But they were so welcoming and, and you,

I was trained and learned to grow it up

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to trust elders and so I trusted them.

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So it took away a lot of the anxiety.

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Um, and yes, I got hot, I got

scared, but I went through it

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and it was purely magical for me.

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And a sweat lodge is like nature, being

the teacher, loving nature is one thing.

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And the sweat lodge, it's like

you get it extra, extra, extra.

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Right.

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You're infused with nature

with, with a respect for it.

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With a love for it.

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It's almost like you're injected

with nature, you know, and then you

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come out and you're just in awe.

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The world looks new and fresh and,

and to do that at that age, and

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they called, I was trying to think

of it and I've forgotten, but they

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called the the sweat lodge way.

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They said Live the sweat lodge way.

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Mm.

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And to me that was the earth caretaker

way, which I wrote that the book, the

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Earth caretaker Way, it all could track it

right back to them saying, live the sweat

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lodge way, which is the way of the Earth.

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It's loving the earth, caring

for the Earth, but not just

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that it's working for the Earth.

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Mike Salemi: Mm.

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And that's what you've dedicated your

whole life to since 10 years old.

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Yeah.

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One thing that I'm curious about, 'cause

you've talked about elders and I really,

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I mean, one, I love the sweats that

you do, the land that you're on here.

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All of my retreats for the last

five, six years have been in Mount

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Shasta because every single time

that I'm on this area of land, I feel

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like something switches inside me.

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And I know that many of the

guys have said the same thing.

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Like, there is a, like this area, this

land holds this, I mean, holds everybody.

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It holds this type of work but

in addition to that, like I

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really consider you a wise elder.

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Like I know when we were

here last time, like, I mean.

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There's not a tremendous amount of, what

I would say are elders with a capital E.

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And so when you were saying at

a young age, you learn or were

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taught to trust your elders, what

if someone's looking for an elder?

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Like how do they know?

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Like what, what makes an elder to

you, especially for someone today

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in the monomer, is looking for

some of these wisdom teachings.

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How do you find an elder?

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How do you know?

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What would, what would constitute that?

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Tim Corcoran: That's incredibly good.

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Great question.

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I, I actually think I

just turned 70 this year.

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Mm-hmm.

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So I think I'm learning

to be an elder myself.

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I don't, I wouldn't

even say I'm there yet.

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I'm kind of moving from a

serious mentor to being an elder.

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And so I'm just, I'm in

the discovery process.

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but I, I think it's, it's someone

who's willing to be an incredible

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listener, uh, live by example, inspire

people to, to be their better selves.

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To have an energy you put

out that you're available.

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And a lot of it, like if people

come, young people come and talk

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and want to get ideas from an elder,

you have to really be nonjudgmental.

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Um, that opens the door for people

to really share and learn, and that's

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a, that's a life journey for me.

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The importance of being

non-judgmental is one of the

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greatest teachings I've ever learned.

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And also the hardest.

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I often make a joke and say, if you've

been able to do it 10% in your entire

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life, you've done well because we humans

love to be judgmental, but it keeps,

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when we're judgmental, that stops growth

right there when the judgment comes in.

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And then you miss so much.

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So if you can just not be judgmental

and be open and that puts an

304

:

energy out so that people will

be, feel safe to talk and share.

305

:

Um.

306

:

And so there's that being willing and

have the energy there to be available

307

:

without being judgmental is so, so

important where people will come.

308

:

Um, we're in a time now where, just

in my lifetime, we've seen the idea of

309

:

mentors and elders almost become kind

of a sideline where if you go back

310

:

to Native American days and before

elders were the glue that held it all

311

:

together for a community, and mentoring

was considered vitally important.

312

:

And no matter what age you

are, you could be a mentor for

313

:

anybody younger than you, right?

314

:

And it, the greatest teachings

come from your actions.

315

:

Your words can be great and powerful,

but if you, if your words aren't backed

316

:

up by your actions, they're nothing.

317

:

And I've learned that all people do

this, but young people particularly

318

:

watch a person's actions and

they learn a lot from observing.

319

:

So I think that's really,

really an important one.

320

:

And then the other thing

is being really truthful.

321

:

Not just if an elder, you know, you

don't just wanna sound good all the time.

322

:

Like everything's tell your story,

tell, tell the hardships you've had

323

:

the difficulties and how be willing to

share those, that part of your life.

324

:

It's not all about looking

good, you know, it's about being

325

:

real, if that makes any sense.

326

:

Mike Salemi: Yeah.

327

:

It's not about having it all

together, it's about Yeah.

328

:

Being real with your journey.

329

:

And that's something that, I mean, my

son as, you know, Luca's, two and a

330

:

half years old and I can't wait for

him to, well, he'll, he might stop

331

:

by in the next few days, but I can't

wait for him to participate in some

332

:

of what you got going here for kids.

333

:

Um, that's one of the things

I'm honestly most interested in.

334

:

'cause you do, I mean, you do vision

quests, nature based rites of passage.

335

:

You've got the scout camp, uh,

survival skills, wilderness

336

:

skills, that's something, um.

337

:

Taking young people and even adults,

but taking young people through their

338

:

own hero's journey, through their

own adversary, adversary moments.

339

:

I want to hear, I'd love to hear about

how do you, like what goes through your

340

:

head when you're taking a young boy,

especially through a rite of passage,

341

:

and how do you know if it's safe or

right for that individual at that time?

342

:

Can you walk me through what

you guys do here to help prepare

343

:

young boys and carry them into

the next stage of their evolution?

344

:

Tim Corcoran: I always, I always

remember that nature's the teacher,

345

:

so I'm always aware of that.

346

:

And no matter what I say or what I do, I

allow time for them to learn from nature.

347

:

So I plant a lot of seeds so that

they get a deeper connection, but

348

:

I let them have their experience.

349

:

Mm.

350

:

I don't over control it.

351

:

It's not about me.

352

:

Right.

353

:

And they need to dig into that

deep connection to nature in order.

354

:

Complete a rite of passage in a deep way.

355

:

One of the challenges they have in

a rite of passage is they go out and

356

:

sit for 24 hours alone in the woods

in a shelter that they built Hmm.

357

:

It's just them.

358

:

And I, one of the things I teach 'em

is to talk with each plant and animal

359

:

that visits them or is in their space.

360

:

Get to know each being individual.

361

:

'cause each one of those beings

is an individual living being

362

:

on this planet just like us.

363

:

And we forget that every single living

being on the planet's, just trying to do

364

:

what we're trying to do, live their life.

365

:

And when you get that and you

realize we're all connected that

366

:

way, we don't have to be the same.

367

:

Not everybody has to be human.

368

:

So that alone opens their, opens

them up deeply and it helps them

369

:

to, to get through that sit.

370

:

They make a commitment.

371

:

The other thing they, they do, and we

build them up to this, the sits in, in

372

:

the later part of the time they're here.

373

:

They create a code of honor

to live their life by.

374

:

And, and that might sound really

simple, but one of the things

375

:

kids see today is how little honor

there is anymore with adults.

376

:

They, they see in the world.

377

:

I mean, it's just, it's almost

like laughed at now to be,

378

:

to be an honorable person.

379

:

So they create these codes of

honor, which I know is a lifetime

380

:

for them to learn to live it.

381

:

But they take that out and they

really make it a part of themselves.

382

:

They, they study it,

they spend time with it.

383

:

And it's kinda like our Native American

ancestors said it, it becomes your

384

:

medicine if you work hard enough at like

practicing kindness or being of service.

385

:

These are things on the code of

honor, um, having deep integrity or

386

:

coming from love, things like that

eventually, if, if you practice them.

387

:

And nature can often be the greatest

teacher at some point in your life if

388

:

you're committed, fully committed to it.

389

:

That's another thing on a

code of honor is commitment.

390

:

Uh, they become you.

391

:

You don't have to read it anymore.

392

:

You are those things.

393

:

That's your medicine.

394

:

Whatever ancestors call or we,

we might call our personality,

395

:

but, and it's a lifetime of work.

396

:

But there are these aha moments in life.

397

:

I call 'em defining moments

when you realize something big.

398

:

And often it can be that

you are just a kind person.

399

:

You are just a person of service help

when help is needed, things like that.

400

:

Hmm.

401

:

So that the, that becomes like the

foundation of the rite of passage,

402

:

that code of honor, the 24 hour

sit building, a deep relationship

403

:

with nature, those kinds of things.

404

:

So, and then there's a sweat

lodge, which the sweat lodge

405

:

really pushes 'em in a lot of ways.

406

:

One of them is they're, there's so,

so many young people today are so

407

:

willing to quit or give up right

when they're at that moment where

408

:

if they just go a little further.

409

:

Greatness happens.

410

:

And sweat lodge often teaches you that

is stay with it, trust and stay with it.

411

:

Mm.

412

:

So there's that.

413

:

Um, then there's a big celebration

at the end, you know, ceremony.

414

:

So they see the sacredness of ceremony

and when humans are at their best,

415

:

helping each other be better through

ceremony and through interaction.

416

:

Um, our d we have six dogs.

417

:

They're a huge part of our school.

418

:

They open the hearts of

the kids when they're here.

419

:

And then I can come in

and work some of my magic.

420

:

You know, they really do.

421

:

I mean, I, I mean that, I don't

just say that 'cause it sounds good.

422

:

Dogs are a part of the school.

423

:

I mean, I plan that.

424

:

Um, that's just a quick talk about it.

425

:

There's a big celebration at the end.

426

:

And then they got the hardest

thing in the world to do, right?

427

:

They gotta go live as men of honor, young

men growing into adult men in a world.

428

:

And I say this sadly, that

doesn't particularly always.

429

:

Respect that.

430

:

Mm-hmm.

431

:

You know, so they could be the last

man standing and they've gotta stay

432

:

with that code of honor and live it.

433

:

Mike Salemi: Is there a student,

'cause I'm imagining like most of

434

:

the kids of today, 'cause we're

talking about an age, what, around

435

:

like 11 to 13 somewheres in there?

436

:

Uh,

437

:

Tim Corcoran: 13, 14 and up.

438

:

Mike Salemi: 13, 14.

439

:

Yeah.

440

:

Okay.

441

:

Tim Corcoran: 12 is a little bit

young, you know, and, and when a,

442

:

a rite of passage happens, it's not

like they're losing their childhood.

443

:

They're growing into adulthood.

444

:

So there's a period, you know, you

still get to be both the child.

445

:

And now here's another thing though.

446

:

And modern parents struggle

with letting their kids grow up.

447

:

Just a huge over control thing going on,

particularly in the modern world with

448

:

cell phones constantly checking on them.

449

:

We never had that.

450

:

See, I'm so thankful for that.

451

:

What it would be like today if

I had like a cell phone, I was

452

:

being tracked by my parents.

453

:

Mike Salemi: You still have a flip phone?

454

:

Tim Corcoran: Yeah.

455

:

Parents actually track their kids.

456

:

Mike Salemi: Yeah,

457

:

Tim Corcoran: right.

458

:

We do that with one of our dogs.

459

:

We have a bad a dog who wanders

and Julie put a tracker on him

460

:

and he, I can't believe where

that dog goes that we didn't know.

461

:

Now Mitch, people must be going,

oh, my kid's going over there.

462

:

He is going over.

463

:

But they don't.

464

:

And is it scary to have a kid

and think, oh yeah, something

465

:

bad could happen to him?

466

:

It's terrifying.

467

:

Mike Salemi: Yeah.

468

:

Tim Corcoran: And yes, something

could happen, but life is a risk.

469

:

There's no guarantees.

470

:

Right.

471

:

Mike Salemi: Well, I think one of the

challenging things is most kids are

472

:

just so poorly trained and don't like,

and that's, that's another thing I'm

473

:

really curious about because you got

all these young kids coming to you,

474

:

which is just a phenomenal experience.

475

:

However, what they're coming

from by and large is endless

476

:

hours in front of the computer.

477

:

Gaming crap, food, artificial

lights all the time.

478

:

Probably little to no.

479

:

Like they pulled PE out

of a lot of the schools.

480

:

Like when I was still a kid,

like we were riding bikes.

481

:

We were going to the pulled PE out.

482

:

Now they're bringing it back in for sure.

483

:

'cause they're, but there's

some schools for sure.

484

:

Yeah.

485

:

At least in California.

486

:

Um, but when I was a kid, like we were

just, my mom was like, go, go, go.

487

:

So my brother and I were super active.

488

:

So I'm curious if you have either a story

of a kid or, I would imagine, correct me

489

:

if I'm wrong, but a kid coming from that

environment to what you provide here.

490

:

It's a shock.

491

:

It's a shock to the system.

492

:

So do you meet a lot of kids with

resistance to it or kind of not

493

:

being present with the experience

and how do you navigate that?

494

:

'cause that's also really valuable

for parents who maybe are listening

495

:

to this podcast or fathers and want,

like me, like I wanna bring my kid up

496

:

Luca, like with, to remember that he is

nature and all the things that you're

497

:

talking about and how do we, yeah.

498

:

If there's resistance there, how do you

meet that and what advice could you give

499

:

a father, for example, to help them?

500

:

Um, with that?

501

:

Tim Corcoran: The, one of the things

that kids don't always learn as much as

502

:

they get, as they come into their teen

years from their parents, the parents

503

:

become almost obstacles for them.

504

:

And that's kind of normal.

505

:

That's not like a bad thing.

506

:

They need a community.

507

:

They need teachers, they need

mentors, they need elders, right?

508

:

And that's one thing we discussed earlier

is becoming missing in our society.

509

:

So while it might offend a father,

he might be trying to teach his kids

510

:

something, and then the kid comes here

and goes back and says, oh, Tim taught

511

:

me this, you know, and I look great.

512

:

Right?

513

:

It's because of I'm not his father.

514

:

They're more willing to listen and learn.

515

:

So there's that, that dance that goes on.

516

:

You know, like we, we send the

kids home with a code of honor.

517

:

I ask the parents, hold them to it, right?

518

:

Hold them to it.

519

:

That's tough to do.

520

:

So there's, there's that part.

521

:

And then the other part in, I

don't, I'm not bragging here, but

522

:

I don't know how else to say it.

523

:

I have a special skill where I

can work with adults and kids both

524

:

and do, and do well, and have, and

it's because I'm a good listener.

525

:

I really, truly practice.

526

:

Non judge being non-judgmental.

527

:

Um, and deep, deep listening.

528

:

And then I offer advice.

529

:

Like example, years ago, people used

to start coming to me when I started

530

:

this school and wanting help, you

know, and I, I, I'm a self reflector,

531

:

so I was looking, I, I felt good.

532

:

It was working, it was helping people.

533

:

But I was like asking

myself, I'm not a therapist.

534

:

Is this okay?

535

:

What I'm doing?

536

:

And I realized it was, and what I

learned, what I was doing was what

537

:

I think a lot of people don't get.

538

:

And I learned this from nature

to be a, I was a good listener.

539

:

I, and, and you know, when someone's

listening or when they're faking it

540

:

and kids feel it, adults feel it.

541

:

When I'm truly listening

without judgment, I care.

542

:

My heart's open.

543

:

That's when people open up.

544

:

And it was in the listening,

which was good for adults and

545

:

kids, that magic would happen.

546

:

A lot of whatever we were talking

about would just come clear naturally.

547

:

You didn't even have to give

any advice or thoughts about it.

548

:

And sometimes if I would give advice,

I would do that with, this is another

549

:

important one, like non-judgment is being

non-attached, not being attached to,

550

:

if I give you advice, it's your life.

551

:

You get to take it or not.

552

:

It's not a reflection of me.

553

:

And when you're not attached,

people take it more.

554

:

They take it in more.

555

:

And so that, that's a huge one.

556

:

And the other one with kids,

especially with, I found this

557

:

with boys, girls too, but boys

particularly is working with them.

558

:

If I work with 'em, do the dishes

with 'em, go out and haul firewood

559

:

with 'em, that's when a lot of

the greatest connection happens in

560

:

conversations, working together,

creating an art piece in nature together.

561

:

Climbing a tree together.

562

:

You know, I do really

believe in alone time too.

563

:

That's another story, but.

564

:

That it's, and a lot of adults

today, I notice they don't understand

565

:

that, you know how to just really

be, if I think back to my coaches

566

:

when there was PE in schools Yeah.

567

:

They were like, they became like

my friends as well as my teacher.

568

:

And I respected both.

569

:

I mean, I have to, some of the

greatest teachers in my life I

570

:

can remember back were coaches.

571

:

Mike Salemi: Yeah.

572

:

'cause they were also in it with you.

573

:

Yeah.

574

:

Yeah.

575

:

There's something I remember in

the last retreat when we ran here.

576

:

Yeah.

577

:

You were doing dishes with us.

578

:

Um, yeah, you were a part of it.

579

:

You were part of the cooking, you were

part of, and one thing that really

580

:

stood out to me is there were I think

a few occasions where you pulled me

581

:

aside and I remember I was like, holy

shit, you pulled me aside and you

582

:

said something to the effect of, um,

583

:

like, tell me what you need from me.

584

:

Do you need me to be more active?

585

:

Would you like me to be more contributing?

586

:

Or would you like, this is your show,

would you like me to back off a bit?

587

:

And that was so for me, powerful

at the level of humbleness and

588

:

the level of service that you show

up in all of your relationships.

589

:

'cause I would've been like, take it

to him like, and no, you wanted to

590

:

really collaborate and hear what I had

to say and hear the vision that I had.

591

:

And how could you.

592

:

You know, enhance that.

593

:

And that again, just meant so much to

me, coming from someone like you who I

594

:

would say, whether you're an elder to be

or an elder, um, who's built this whole

595

:

life of experience and who I've got a lot

to learn from, who wants to collaborate

596

:

with me and listen to what I have to say.

597

:

And so I think in part one of the

things that I've seen and felt from

598

:

you is the willingness to step up

and show and do what's needed to

599

:

be done, even if it's washing the

dishes or making fire or whatever.

600

:

But then also seeing how you could

be of service in any capacity.

601

:

And I remember in one of the talks you

gave to the guys that, that over those

602

:

few days you said men are at their

best when they're being of service.

603

:

And that really stuck with me.

604

:

'cause even when you and I were on

the phone the other day, you had said

605

:

a life well lived, a life well lived.

606

:

And I think that's being of

service, a life well lived.

607

:

You know, I talk to guys

all the time who feel lost.

608

:

I don't know what to do with my life.

609

:

I don't, I feel lost.

610

:

I don't have purpose.

611

:

And so can you share like,

what is a life well lived?

612

:

If a man is wondering

like, what am I here to do?

613

:

I feel lost.

614

:

I feel aimless, I feel disconnected,

but I don't know what to do about

615

:

it or how to get to on the other

side, what's a life well lived to

616

:

you and how can you, you know, share

to help a guy going through that

617

:

Tim Corcoran: Wonderful question.

618

:

You gotta have to stop me.

619

:

I, I talked for five hours.

620

:

No, no, you go, go, go, go.

621

:

This is the Tim, she, let's go.

622

:

No, but I'll plant some seeds.

623

:

Um, I, I, I thought about I'm gonna,

I want to start, if I write another

624

:

book my life or, um, I wanted to do it

about this subject of life well lived.

625

:

That came to me because as I've been

working with people for 50 years

626

:

like this, um, I realize one of the

biggest things that torture people.

627

:

Is, why am I here on this earth?

628

:

What am I supposed to do?

629

:

How's my life gonna matter?

630

:

And in fact, I see that almost

lost now a lot in our culture.

631

:

Like, and people aren't

even thinking that much.

632

:

It's like they don't even know

what they're gonna do the next day.

633

:

Hmm.

634

:

You know, or, or they fall into something

like work or something and they do it for

635

:

countless years and don't even know why.

636

:

Right.

637

:

One day they wake up, you hear

about men having midlife, crisises.

638

:

Sure.

639

:

That kind of thing, right?

640

:

So it's not supported by mentors and

elders at a young age to look at your

641

:

life, as I like to often say, think of

your life as a masterpiece painting.

642

:

You are the painter.

643

:

Do you want to give that paint away

to just anybody in those brushes?

644

:

You know, you'd be really judicious

about, about it and, and think

645

:

of your life as something that

you create, like a painting.

646

:

You create it and it's a work in progress.

647

:

Again, it's really important to practice

being non-judgmental and non-attached.

648

:

'cause shit happens right on the journey.

649

:

And the complication for modern

people, which I don't think our

650

:

ancestors had, they had other

complications, is we live in a world

651

:

where it's all about money and cap.

652

:

You know, capitalism.

653

:

I'm not saying that's bad.

654

:

I'm not sure I, any world belief

is, works perfectly right?

655

:

But we grow up thinking we have what

we do to make money is who we are,

656

:

what we, that's all we're about.

657

:

Mike Salemi: That's our identity.

658

:

And

659

:

Tim Corcoran: then we, and we also,

we see these filthy rich people and

660

:

we want, we all want to be rich.

661

:

Like that equals happiness.

662

:

I've met countless billionaires there.

663

:

It does not eco.

664

:

Having tons of money

doesn't mean happiness.

665

:

Happiness is something that comes from in.

666

:

It's the connection to nature.

667

:

It's having love in your life, purpose

in your life, making a difference.

668

:

That's where happiness bonds, right.

669

:

So, yes.

670

:

But, but the complication is we

do have to make money to live.

671

:

Right?

672

:

We gotta have a place to live.

673

:

We gotta eat food.

674

:

So it is a real complication.

675

:

So, and how to, how to create

something in your life that you can

676

:

make money and also live in a good way

and make a difference in the world.

677

:

That's the, that's the top

if you can get there, right?

678

:

Mm-hmm.

679

:

And being a teacher is one of

those things, but, and generally

680

:

in the world we live in, teachers

don't get paid very well.

681

:

Right.

682

:

I'm, I'm a private school, I can do

a little better, but your average

683

:

teacher in the school system,

it's, they don't even have a living

684

:

wage and yet they're affecting

our children, the most of anybody.

685

:

Right.

686

:

It's so, it's, it's our whole

societal way of living right

687

:

now, it's kind of confusing.

688

:

Mm-hmm.

689

:

But back to creating a life means

being willing to try new things.

690

:

Experiment, explore, uh,

something on that code of honor.

691

:

I was talking about take risks,

being willing to take risks.

692

:

Courage, another thing

that's on that code of honor.

693

:

Having the courage to try things and

knowing that it might not work, but

694

:

taking your life seriously and creating

it is almost a thought that doesn't

695

:

even come into someone's head anymore.

696

:

Um, and it, I created my life and I

can look back at all these different

697

:

moments, um, where I did good and I

didn't do good, or it was something in

698

:

the middle or, and, but I, I literally

created and I always made sure, and

699

:

I'm not sure how or where I got this,

uh, that I was coming from integrity

700

:

and that nature was a foundational

part and I was doing something good,

701

:

something better for the world.

702

:

That's a big part is our

lives are bigger than just us.

703

:

And when we're open to affecting

the world, you know, around us

704

:

and the world itself, uh, in a

wonderful way, it all comes back to

705

:

the individual has a better life.

706

:

Otherwise, it's just,

your life is meaningless.

707

:

Right?

708

:

Mm.

709

:

And I think we're with our

big brains and the way we, we

710

:

are human beings that operate.

711

:

We need to be a part of

something bigger than ourselves.

712

:

That's why community is important.

713

:

If it's meaningful, um, I even,

you know, I, I even talk to young

714

:

people about something I see lost a

lot today is a lot of young people

715

:

don't get involved in their country.

716

:

Or that I, I think about, I've been

troubled lately with what's happening

717

:

with our country and the world, and I, I

think about a country like a democracy.

718

:

Sure, it's gonna have its imperfections

like anybody's life, but it doesn't work.

719

:

Unless you are involved

in it and create it.

720

:

And that's the same with your

own, your own life, right?

721

:

And if you don't stay involved,

then it starts to fall apart.

722

:

I think that's one of the things

we're seeing today on a big level.

723

:

But you bring it right

down to the individual.

724

:

If you don't own your life, if you don't

create it, if you're not the one that

725

:

says yes and no, if you're not the one

that is willing to take risk, push the

726

:

edges, make mistakes, take your wins,

and celebrate, then who's gonna do it?

727

:

Nobody is.

728

:

And you're gonna end up one day waking

up and going, what happened to my life?

729

:

And, and then the other part of

it is, is thinking of your body is

730

:

a sacred thing and it needs care.

731

:

So eating well, exercising, treating

your body sacred, filling your

732

:

heart and your soul with ideas,

dreams, hopes, um, spirituality,

733

:

whatever that is for the individual.

734

:

Nature is one of the

great teachers of that.

735

:

'cause there's no dogma.

736

:

You can be spiritual.

737

:

You can believe in something

bigger than yourself.

738

:

You could be connected to something

bigger, but there's no dogma.

739

:

It's the earth, it's nature.

740

:

And that's a great way to start

with, with that part of your life.

741

:

So another part of it is having

a spiritual side of your life.

742

:

Having a functional body that can

go do things and create things.

743

:

Having a, you have to feed your brain.

744

:

You have to, and that's harder

than ever in this modern world.

745

:

It's simpler.

746

:

When I was a kid now with the internet

and all the crap people get fed, it's

747

:

harder to find what is the truth.

748

:

Mike Salemi: Right?

749

:

Tim Corcoran: When I was

a kid, it was easier.

750

:

I, my heart goes out to

young people today, you know,

751

:

they don't even know that.

752

:

Right.

753

:

But, so it's all those aspects

of your body that you have to

754

:

consider, need, need, care,

need tending, need care taking.

755

:

Mm-hmm.

756

:

And you gotta take it serious.

757

:

And I don't.

758

:

A lot of people aren't doing that today.

759

:

Uh, but they're not, it's

not that they're bad.

760

:

We have a culture and we

don't, that doesn't support it.

761

:

And we have, we don't have mentors

and elders to help support it.

762

:

So what are kids supposed to do, right?

763

:

So taking your body, your life,

your brain, all of it, seriously,

764

:

and creating it, um, and going

through all the ups and downs.

765

:

And when you get your ass kicked, learn

to lick your wounds, learn your lessons,

766

:

and get back up and go at it again.

767

:

Mike Salemi: Right?

768

:

You know, you just hit on something.

769

:

And also early that I would

love for you to elaborate on.

770

:

And, you know, so many guys

that I talked to are so afraid.

771

:

We all have fears, right?

772

:

I've got fears.

773

:

I work through 'em, they come up.

774

:

But in terms of taking risk, living at

your edge, finding your edge, testing

775

:

your edge, and in that place, what I'm

hearing from you is, and I believe this,

776

:

you'll get to know more of yourself.

777

:

Is there an example you can give from

your life of a risk that you took?

778

:

And what did you have to do

to meet that risk or to have

779

:

the courage to go through it?

780

:

Because so many guys, like

I hear more often than not.

781

:

Yeah, there's definitely guys that are

lost out there, don't know what they're

782

:

here to do, but there's also a ton

of guys that do know what they want.

783

:

They do want a loving relationship

with their, with their spouse.

784

:

They do wanna show up as

a more present father.

785

:

They do wanna live a purposeful life.

786

:

They're just not sure how.

787

:

And I think what you're saying

about taking risks is a huge part

788

:

where a man can develop confidence.

789

:

So what was, I mean, I know you've

probably taken a ton of risks, but what's

790

:

one that sticks out to you that you can

share, and what insight can you provide

791

:

of what you had to do or say to yourself

or experience to move through that?

792

:

Tim Corcoran: Hey, you

asked me that question.

793

:

It's funny, there probably has been

a zillion, and I'm trying to come up

794

:

with, you know, it's like a, I, it's

the thing that keeps popping into my

795

:

brain is it's not the things like,

oh, jumping off a cliff into a lake,

796

:

or something like in nature, right?

797

:

That those are risks.

798

:

Not a big, those are risks, but it's

more, it's more like, I think the

799

:

biggest risk, the hardest thing for

me in my life has been, uh, deep

800

:

relationships, particularly marriage.

801

:

Mm.

802

:

Uh, it's the most wonderful, credible

thing when it's good in your life.

803

:

Um, and when it goes bad, it's the

worst, most horrible thing, right?

804

:

Mm-hmm.

805

:

It's where we put

everything into it, right?

806

:

Relationships and marriage.

807

:

And I don't, and I don't mean this in any

negative way, um, but I remember when,

808

:

uh, uh, I have a wonderful marriage.

809

:

Now.

810

:

I've been married for 27 years.

811

:

My first marriage, I got

married when I was, uh.

812

:

Being really honest here.

813

:

You know, when I was in that marine world,

Africa, USA and working with the s and the

814

:

chimps and she was a veterinary technician

and we worked together and we almost lost

815

:

our lives every day and saved each other.

816

:

You know, it was deep for six years

and then I remember I thought it was

817

:

gonna be for the rest of my life.

818

:

'cause I'm an all in person.

819

:

That's something, another thing I just,

it just popped in my brain is whatever

820

:

you do, if it's meaningful, you gotta be

all in a hundred percent in committed it.

821

:

It is like commitment's.

822

:

The huge word that, that goes

on the code too, of honor.

823

:

It's like when you're fully committed,

and I mean fully committed, the,

824

:

it's almost like spirit or whatever

word you want to give, it helps you.

825

:

You're, you're not alone, but

until you're fully committed,

826

:

it doesn't happen very well.

827

:

If that makes any sense.

828

:

Yeah.

829

:

And it's like climbing the mountain,

not Shasta, that last thousand feet.

830

:

It's, it's the worst thousand

feet you'll ever climb.

831

:

It's called Ery Hill.

832

:

And you, you don't even know

how your legs can move and you

833

:

can't breathe at 14,000 feet.

834

:

But the commitment, you feel like a

spirit or something pushing you to

835

:

the top and you get there, you know?

836

:

So I am, you have to be all

in with whatever you're doing.

837

:

And with marriage, that's one of

the places I learned that I would

838

:

jump all in and it was my life.

839

:

Right?

840

:

And then, so one day, my first wife,

uh, I found out she was having,

841

:

uh, an affair with a veterinarian.

842

:

She was working for who?

843

:

And I knew them both.

844

:

And I bring this up to be, 'cause I know

a lot of guys have gone through this.

845

:

Mike Salemi: Yeah.

846

:

Tim Corcoran: Is I, I found

out, I saw, I found a bunch of

847

:

letters he'd written to her.

848

:

So I sat there for weeks holding

onto this, torturing myself.

849

:

And I thought about.

850

:

I, I was all in.

851

:

I thought we were gonna be together

till I was dead, you know, 80,

852

:

90, a hundred years old, and all

of a sudden my life was over.

853

:

I felt like it was over.

854

:

And I went into a depression, and

I'm not a person who gets depressed.

855

:

And I went into a six month

depression where I didn't know

856

:

how I was gonna get out of it.

857

:

And I remember I went and confronted him

and I was, I was even gonna kill him.

858

:

I thought about it, I actually

planned it out, didn't do it.

859

:

He's alive.

860

:

And, but I, I was serious.

861

:

I was, went through all these emotions

and, um, they, they've been married now.

862

:

He, she married him and they've had kids.

863

:

They were meant to be together.

864

:

Now I, after six months,

I went through it.

865

:

Um, I woke up one day and I was okay.

866

:

And I remember something that really

helped me through that too, is I,

867

:

there was a couple of people who, and I

realized I, my sister passed away too.

868

:

One at 42 in my arm, she died.

869

:

And when you have these big wounds.

870

:

Like the loss of a marriage or the loss

of someone you love, like my sister.

871

:

You the person, the individual

needs, you need to talk about

872

:

it and there's no fixing it.

873

:

You and what, again, I go back to what

we were talking about earlier, listening.

874

:

There's a couple of people in

my life in both those times that

875

:

just sat there and let me talk.

876

:

And literally I would tell the same

story over probably a hundred times.

877

:

They must have been in their back

of their head going, just shut up.

878

:

But no, they were present for me

and that gave me the healing I need.

879

:

And in both times, one day

I woke up and I was okay.

880

:

I was just okay.

881

:

Like I ran it through my system and moved

on in my life, but I never quit on myself.

882

:

I think a lot of people, when they go

through difficult times or challenges,

883

:

at some point they give up on

themselves and I always believed in

884

:

that masterpiece, creating my life.

885

:

And I believed in myself and not from

an ego out of control point of view.

886

:

Just I, you have to love

yourself to go through life.

887

:

And I do like myself.

888

:

I always did.

889

:

And so I made sure when I got

out of it, I got back on you.

890

:

They say, you get bucked off a horse,

the only way you're ever gonna ride

891

:

it again, you gotta get back on on it.

892

:

Or the horse is never gonna let you on.

893

:

And I did.

894

:

I got back on the horse

and kept creating life.

895

:

And through that difficulty,

I'll wrap up with this part.

896

:

No, no.

897

:

That difficulty is, uh, I

never stopped functioning.

898

:

I kept working, I kept

stayed engaged in life.

899

:

That was a real key too, I think.

900

:

Mike Salemi: I think you just nailed it.

901

:

Yeah.

902

:

Yeah.

903

:

I trusted in

904

:

Tim Corcoran: something bigger.

905

:

Mike Salemi: That's, and you've shared,

shared something like that a few times

906

:

in the podcast and I think that's what.

907

:

You know what, another thing that sticks

out, I'd imagine this is connecting.

908

:

I'd love to hear more about it, but

when you said earlier, like in part

909

:

it's about like nature is about

receiving to receive, to be open,

910

:

to receive, to be open to trusting.

911

:

You and I were talking about

this before the podcast, like,

912

:

everything's gonna be okay.

913

:

Um, is there any insight you can

provide, uh, around how does one

914

:

practice receiving in nature?

915

:

Like what, what are some, you know,

think about like the modern guy again

916

:

working, let's just say a nine to five

or, you know, living in a city, et cetera.

917

:

How does one go out and practice

being open and receiving?

918

:

Is there one, two, or three steps

or actions that you can share for

919

:

someone to step into more of that?

920

:

Tim Corcoran: I think one of the most

important things is it has to be personal.

921

:

And so I would say one thing is

for any guys that are listening

922

:

or anybody who's listening.

923

:

Um, one of the things I write

about in that book I wrote, the

924

:

earth caretaker way is create a

front and backyard nature habitat.

925

:

Mm-hmm.

926

:

You want it to be personal.

927

:

Look.

928

:

So if, if you plant trees, if you plant

flowers, if you create a butterfly

929

:

garden, if you feed birds and you

watch them and you spend time with

930

:

'em and enjoy that, they're enjoying.

931

:

If you put out a bird bath and

enjoy that, they're enjoying it.

932

:

That becomes personal and

that's where that deep listening

933

:

and connection comes from.

934

:

And it's personal.

935

:

The other way is if you, if you're lucky

enough to live somewhere where you can go

936

:

out in the woods, find trees, trees are

the, one of the great, uh, beings that

937

:

kind of bridge the two worlds together,

the human world and the nature world.

938

:

Trees are those one of those

extraordinary beings that can do that.

939

:

Again, I get teared up thinking about

it 'cause trees, I've had so many

940

:

trees in my life, they're as important

to me as anything else, including

941

:

people I've been in in my life.

942

:

So find trees that speak to you

and sit with them and be with them.

943

:

And it's, it's classic meditation skills.

944

:

Learn, learn to clear your mind as

much as you can from all the gibberish

945

:

and be as present as you can with a

tree or with any natural environment.

946

:

Water, mountains, anything is

fine, but trees are so personal.

947

:

Clear your mind.

948

:

Be as present as possible.

949

:

And then another step to take it

even further is we call this rocking.

950

:

I think this word came from a famous book,

um, which I can't remember the name now.

951

:

Um, but rocking is when you

literally become another being

952

:

and see and experience the world

from that being's point of view.

953

:

So it's the willingness to be the tree.

954

:

Like a shifting of sort.

955

:

Yeah.

956

:

Kind of.

957

:

It could be that it's a willingness

to be the tree and see the world

958

:

from that point of view that opens

the heart and connects whether, how

959

:

successful you are or not with it.

960

:

But it's, it's a matic skill.

961

:

Yeah.

962

:

That it's for anyone.

963

:

For everyone.

964

:

And you can, you can

even do it with people.

965

:

I mean, empathy is one of the great

gifts human beings have the ability

966

:

to feel what another being feels,

walk in another being's shoes.

967

:

Right.

968

:

The famous statement.

969

:

And so that's a huge one.

970

:

And then this is the part, this is

back to your question, connecting with

971

:

Nature Deeply is we're in a world where

everything's so boom, boom, boom, quick.

972

:

It doesn't work that way with nature.

973

:

You've gotta be willing to go for a walk

and just, you don't have to constantly be

974

:

on your phone, put the damn thing away.

975

:

You gotta be willing to go out

and sit for two or three or four

976

:

hours and just be without doing.

977

:

It's a famous statement, would

you rather be a human being

978

:

being or a human being doing?

979

:

I'd rather be a human being, being so,

and this again, it's hard in this modern

980

:

culture 'cause we're not used to that.

981

:

If you've been raised with meditation

in your life, the idea of it that helps.

982

:

Yeah.

983

:

But again, which

984

:

Mike Salemi: nearly nobody

has in the, we, like very few,

985

:

Tim Corcoran: very few westerners

even know what meditation is.

986

:

Mike Salemi: Sure.

987

:

Tim Corcoran: Yeah.

988

:

And I don't mean that as a put down.

989

:

Sure.

990

:

It's um, so you have, in other

words, and you have to just

991

:

put your time into nature.

992

:

Last thing I can think of is

nature teaches through experience.

993

:

Um, it's not at all even close

to being all intellectual.

994

:

Hmm.

995

:

So you've gotta just be there.

996

:

And if you go out in the woods in,

or nature of your yard or wherever

997

:

nature is, um, open yourself up to

being as present as possible, letting

998

:

it in that that's what you have to do.

999

:

And.

:

00:51:47,326 --> 00:51:52,486

It's putting the time in over and over

and over, repeating it and trusting.

:

00:51:52,846 --> 00:51:57,736

And I guess what I was gonna say is be

a student, be, you know, like when, if

:

00:51:57,736 --> 00:52:01,906

you go into, if you go to school and

a teacher's there, you're a student.

:

00:52:02,596 --> 00:52:04,936

When you go out in nature, be

a student, be willing, in other

:

00:52:04,936 --> 00:52:06,946

words, be willing to be taught.

:

00:52:07,606 --> 00:52:10,336

You know, so much of that teaching

is not like you and me talking,

:

00:52:10,816 --> 00:52:15,466

it's subliminal from experience and

then it just shows up in your life.

:

00:52:15,676 --> 00:52:18,166

Like our Native American ancestors

called it as your medicine.

:

00:52:18,496 --> 00:52:18,766

Hmm.

:

00:52:19,006 --> 00:52:22,276

One example I can give you

is I'm a nature photographer.

:

00:52:22,666 --> 00:52:24,346

I've been doing that

since I was phenomenal

:

00:52:24,346 --> 00:52:25,336

Mike Salemi: nature photographer.

:

00:52:25,366 --> 00:52:28,186

Like we can, I dunno if we can put

some pictures of some of your stuff.

:

00:52:28,216 --> 00:52:29,571

It's like, that's the big one.

:

00:52:29,801 --> 00:52:32,686

It's absolutely gorgeous.

:

00:52:32,896 --> 00:52:35,686

Tim Corcoran: But all of those

pictures that I've taken are,

:

00:52:36,316 --> 00:52:38,176

to me, sacred moments in nature.

:

00:52:38,776 --> 00:52:40,216

So when I go.

:

00:52:40,816 --> 00:52:44,596

I'm spending time with the

experience like a sunset for example.

:

00:52:44,926 --> 00:52:48,316

I'll go before and watch the

light change and notice all the

:

00:52:48,316 --> 00:52:52,636

colors, the shapes, and, and then

I'll notice the actual sunset.

:

00:52:53,206 --> 00:52:56,536

And then often, like if I'm watching

a sunset, if there's people there,

:

00:52:56,536 --> 00:53:00,346

like maybe on the coast, if all leave

when the sunsets the best is the

:

00:53:00,346 --> 00:53:05,236

hour after, that's when the light

changes to dark and it's so beautiful.

:

00:53:05,686 --> 00:53:08,566

So all of that time I'm soaking that up.

:

00:53:09,286 --> 00:53:13,336

And so when you get me like here

or the students get me when they

:

00:53:13,336 --> 00:53:16,906

come to the school, uh, the book,

you know I wrote the book, right?

:

00:53:16,966 --> 00:53:17,476

Blah blah.

:

00:53:18,136 --> 00:53:23,716

So that's all of those sunsets, all of

those photographs, everything I took.

:

00:53:23,716 --> 00:53:24,946

And that's just photographs.

:

00:53:25,666 --> 00:53:26,986

They're getting all those too.

:

00:53:27,316 --> 00:53:28,186

They are me.

:

00:53:28,936 --> 00:53:32,536

So that's show, right,

you and me right here.

:

00:53:32,536 --> 00:53:35,776

You're getting every photograph

I ever took, if that makes sense.

:

00:53:36,226 --> 00:53:38,296

'cause it lives in me

and that's my medicine.

:

00:53:38,296 --> 00:53:38,536

Right.

:

00:53:39,301 --> 00:53:43,441

So what people have to understand,

if you live a, a life of hatred,

:

00:53:43,441 --> 00:53:48,421

negativity, anger, and those are

all real feelings that we all have.

:

00:53:48,691 --> 00:53:53,161

But if they're, if they're your

main line of living, then that's

:

00:53:53,161 --> 00:53:54,211

how you show up in the world.

:

00:53:54,601 --> 00:53:55,381

That's your medicine.

:

00:53:56,761 --> 00:54:03,391

And you can counter it by letting nature

be a healer by just being what it is.

:

00:54:05,581 --> 00:54:05,941

Mike Salemi: Yeah.

:

00:54:05,941 --> 00:54:09,631

There's a, there's a specific

practice that you mentioned in the

:

00:54:09,631 --> 00:54:13,141

earth caretaker way, and part of what

I'm hearing is time under tension.

:

00:54:13,141 --> 00:54:19,501

Like enough time, like not rushing and

being out there enough to especially

:

00:54:19,501 --> 00:54:22,441

just let some of, like, it takes time.

:

00:54:22,441 --> 00:54:25,711

Like even coming up here,

I got a busy work week.

:

00:54:25,711 --> 00:54:30,001

My wife and I were traveling on work and

so it's taken me, I've only been here

:

00:54:30,001 --> 00:54:34,621

for less than 24 hours in Shasta, but

it's taking my, my body and everything

:

00:54:34,621 --> 00:54:38,011

time to just shed some of the world.

:

00:54:38,566 --> 00:54:43,576

That I'm coming from and, and really

ground down at a deeper level.

:

00:54:43,576 --> 00:54:46,666

But that time under tension, that

time is a big thing that comes up.

:

00:54:46,966 --> 00:54:52,006

And in the book you talk about a sit

spot and as a tool or a practice.

:

00:54:52,006 --> 00:54:55,036

And one of the last retreats when

we were here, we did, I think it was

:

00:54:55,036 --> 00:54:59,986

like a five or a six hour sit, you

know, until midnight or what, uh,

:

00:54:59,986 --> 00:55:01,816

as like a mini, mini vision quest.

:

00:55:01,816 --> 00:55:03,706

And it was, for me, it was super powerful.

:

00:55:03,706 --> 00:55:06,196

It was actually, some of the guys said

it was one of the most challenging

:

00:55:06,196 --> 00:55:10,636

things that they did on the whole

retreat, but you talked about a sit spot.

:

00:55:10,636 --> 00:55:15,556

So can you explain how that fits in

and if someone wanted to create that,

:

00:55:15,616 --> 00:55:17,266

uh, what could that look like for them?

:

00:55:18,076 --> 00:55:18,526

Tim Corcoran: Sure.

:

00:55:18,526 --> 00:55:23,026

I, it's a hugely important thing, and it

could be a lot of different ways to do it.

:

00:55:23,026 --> 00:55:23,566

Mm-hmm.

:

00:55:23,731 --> 00:55:30,286

Um, one way is I often teach in the school

is if you, wherever you live, either,

:

00:55:30,286 --> 00:55:34,096

either if you can have a woods that

are safe, that nobody's gonna mess with

:

00:55:34,096 --> 00:55:36,416

it, or in a yard, especially if you're.

:

00:55:36,976 --> 00:55:41,956

Creating an earth caretaker garden in

a yard, create a spot that maybe has

:

00:55:41,956 --> 00:55:46,756

some water there, maybe has, where

birds can come in a tree that you really

:

00:55:46,756 --> 00:55:50,866

love near that it's a beautiful, a

place that calls to you that when you

:

00:55:50,866 --> 00:55:52,516

look at it, you just know it's home.

:

00:55:52,516 --> 00:55:53,806

You know, you gotta be there.

:

00:55:53,836 --> 00:55:54,106

Mm.

:

00:55:54,376 --> 00:55:57,946

And that's, again, it could be

intellectual, but it's more of a feeling

:

00:55:57,946 --> 00:56:00,046

like you, you feel it, you just know.

:

00:56:00,646 --> 00:56:05,626

And then you create the spot, maybe put

a chair there, or you sit on a stump or

:

00:56:05,626 --> 00:56:13,216

a rock, and then maybe you build a uh,

um, altar, maybe like a nature art piece

:

00:56:13,606 --> 00:56:16,186

that is an example of your love of nature.

:

00:56:16,456 --> 00:56:18,106

It's a reflection of your love of nature.

:

00:56:18,406 --> 00:56:21,766

So you make it beautiful outta the

rocks you find there, and the leaves

:

00:56:21,766 --> 00:56:26,296

and the flowers, and it's a place you

go to over and over and each time.

:

00:56:26,791 --> 00:56:28,021

You say hi to the plants.

:

00:56:28,021 --> 00:56:30,541

You say hi to the tree, watch the spiders.

:

00:56:30,541 --> 00:56:31,771

You know, watch the ants.

:

00:56:31,831 --> 00:56:33,031

Make it a sacred place.

:

00:56:33,031 --> 00:56:35,011

You don't kill anything, even a mosquito.

:

00:56:35,221 --> 00:56:36,931

If they fly in, that's sacred.

:

00:56:37,111 --> 00:56:37,801

Get to know 'em.

:

00:56:37,801 --> 00:56:39,181

Spend time with them.

:

00:56:39,691 --> 00:56:43,411

Often the greatest teachers, which

we ignore so much, are the insects.

:

00:56:43,861 --> 00:56:46,591

They come into our space,

share the world with us.

:

00:56:46,771 --> 00:56:48,271

We either want to kill

'em or get rid of 'em.

:

00:56:48,781 --> 00:56:50,971

They're, they're often

the most amazing beings.

:

00:56:51,001 --> 00:56:52,321

We just completely ignore 'em.

:

00:56:52,681 --> 00:56:56,101

You know, we all want the dolphins and the

bears and the whales to come and join us.

:

00:56:56,821 --> 00:56:58,231

Insects are saying, here I am.

:

00:56:58,771 --> 00:57:02,581

So, and it's going back over and over.

:

00:57:02,641 --> 00:57:08,011

Each time you go deeper into that spot

that they, it becomes sacred space.

:

00:57:08,371 --> 00:57:12,661

And literally, uh, sometimes we, we

used to, we used to do this, um, we'd

:

00:57:12,661 --> 00:57:16,831

have people in our nature awareness

class do a sit spot, and they'd do

:

00:57:16,831 --> 00:57:18,991

it two days in a row for half a day.

:

00:57:19,531 --> 00:57:21,661

And then we would come, we

would come, we come to their

:

00:57:21,661 --> 00:57:23,941

spot, me and another teacher.

:

00:57:24,826 --> 00:57:28,516

We ask them to tell us the

story of the spot and you can't

:

00:57:28,516 --> 00:57:29,596

believe some of the stories.

:

00:57:29,656 --> 00:57:30,046

Wow.

:

00:57:30,256 --> 00:57:33,736

They've witnessed, you know, like

with the insects and things like that,

:

00:57:34,066 --> 00:57:36,166

or make belief stuff magical things.

:

00:57:36,886 --> 00:57:41,656

And then, and we're learning as they're

telling us like how well they observed it.

:

00:57:42,016 --> 00:57:47,536

And then I give them an assignment to

go off and we add tracks to their site.

:

00:57:48,136 --> 00:57:53,926

We make changes, we add things to

it, and then we have them go back.

:

00:57:53,926 --> 00:57:57,796

We get, we, if we took rocks and things,

we put 'em in a bag, give it to 'em,

:

00:57:57,796 --> 00:58:01,366

and later in the afternoon they go

back to try to see all the changes.

:

00:58:01,846 --> 00:58:04,426

And then we go back and

see what they discovered.

:

00:58:05,116 --> 00:58:08,956

And one of the things I, I discovered

through that is if we mess with

:

00:58:08,956 --> 00:58:10,726

it too much, people get angry.

:

00:58:10,996 --> 00:58:14,776

They wanna protect their spot

and become sacred to them.

:

00:58:15,916 --> 00:58:16,936

Earth sacred.

:

00:58:17,626 --> 00:58:22,966

The human race needs so badly to do

that now for our, our planet, right?

:

00:58:23,116 --> 00:58:25,876

But that's the planet

right there, your sit spot.

:

00:58:26,326 --> 00:58:30,196

So that's an, that was an

incredible teaching, uh, for me.

:

00:58:30,736 --> 00:58:34,156

And the other thing is you

can have temporary sit spots.

:

00:58:34,516 --> 00:58:40,006

It's important, it's great to hike and

explore, but it's wonderful to sit and as

:

00:58:40,006 --> 00:58:46,396

you sit in the woods somewhere in nature,

calm your being down little meditation so

:

00:58:46,396 --> 00:58:50,566

you're not putting out this intense energy

like, you know, and all of a sudden you

:

00:58:50,566 --> 00:58:53,716

notice that the na earth comes to you.

:

00:58:54,406 --> 00:58:57,016

The butterflies show up, the

birds come to check you out.

:

00:58:57,466 --> 00:58:58,906

The raccoon comes and looks.

:

00:58:59,626 --> 00:59:02,146

The world comes to you.

:

00:59:02,746 --> 00:59:08,266

Human beings, we tend to be very

loud, uh, busy, even with our

:

00:59:08,266 --> 00:59:09,316

bodies and we're not talking.

:

00:59:09,346 --> 00:59:14,236

We're make a lot of noise when

we eliminate that and we stop.

:

00:59:15,136 --> 00:59:19,996

Then nature comes back and it becomes,

moments happen where you truly

:

00:59:19,996 --> 00:59:21,646

feel this is your ultimate dream.

:

00:59:22,336 --> 00:59:25,006

That you are one with

the earth, not separate.

:

00:59:26,356 --> 00:59:29,836

And so many of human beings today,

whether we admit it or not, we

:

00:59:29,836 --> 00:59:31,036

don't even know it intellectually.

:

00:59:31,036 --> 00:59:32,416

We don't feel connected to the earth.

:

00:59:32,446 --> 00:59:33,256

We feel separate.

:

00:59:33,466 --> 00:59:33,886

Mm.

:

00:59:34,006 --> 00:59:38,176

And when you finally reclaim what I

call your birthright to be a child of

:

00:59:38,176 --> 00:59:44,836

the earth and you feel that deep heart,

heart is huge connection, that is one of

:

00:59:44,836 --> 00:59:47,596

those life changing, defining moments.

:

00:59:48,376 --> 00:59:50,296

But then you have to keep doing it right?

:

00:59:50,686 --> 00:59:53,206

You gotta keep going to

nature, keep going to nature.

:

00:59:53,806 --> 00:59:56,806

And that's why I say as much

as you can also create earth

:

00:59:56,806 --> 01:00:00,406

caretaker gardens, it helps for

people in suburbia and cities and.

:

01:00:02,716 --> 01:00:04,276

Mike Salemi: Is that right there?

:

01:00:04,276 --> 01:00:06,976

Reminding people that they're

not separate from nature.

:

01:00:06,976 --> 01:00:07,786

They are nature.

:

01:00:07,786 --> 01:00:12,736

Is that the core or a core message in

the book, or like, what would you say,

:

01:00:12,766 --> 01:00:16,276

whether it's the book or your life, as

we, you know, bring today's show to a

:

01:00:16,276 --> 01:00:23,116

close, what would you say is the core

message that you are living now and moving

:

01:00:23,116 --> 01:00:26,626

forward and have lived to get out there?

:

01:00:29,671 --> 01:00:31,456

Tim Corcoran: The, the

earth caretaker way?

:

01:00:32,026 --> 01:00:36,646

The book, it's, it's

about just what I said.

:

01:00:36,646 --> 01:00:40,546

It's about having understanding.

:

01:00:40,546 --> 01:00:45,766

I, I, I just take it really

back to, I think it was in:

:

01:00:46,306 --> 01:00:47,866

I think I write about it

in the book somewhere.

:

01:00:48,406 --> 01:00:50,746

Um, it was such a project to write a book.

:

01:00:50,836 --> 01:00:52,276

I can't even remember after what I wrote.

:

01:00:52,846 --> 01:00:57,526

Um, three men, probably 20 years old.

:

01:00:57,676 --> 01:01:01,066

Think about 20 year

olds today in a capsule.

:

01:01:01,621 --> 01:01:06,661

Take off from Cape Canaveral and

fly to the far side of the moon.

:

01:01:07,411 --> 01:01:07,981

That alone.

:

01:01:07,981 --> 01:01:09,151

Talk about taking risks.

:

01:01:09,271 --> 01:01:09,541

Mike Salemi: Mm.

:

01:01:10,561 --> 01:01:14,731

Tim Corcoran: I mean, I could rock

those three guys and what amazing

:

01:01:14,731 --> 01:01:20,821

three men they were, and they get to

the far side of the moon and the moon

:

01:01:20,821 --> 01:01:23,251

lights up from the sun and it's dead.

:

01:01:23,311 --> 01:01:24,781

It's beautiful, but it's dead.

:

01:01:25,921 --> 01:01:28,051

And often the distance,

they see the earth rise up.

:

01:01:29,611 --> 01:01:35,311

It's the first time human beings really

ever saw that from the outside our earth.

:

01:01:35,761 --> 01:01:40,831

And what they knew immediately, and

these were scientists, these guys,

:

01:01:40,831 --> 01:01:42,541

they weren't necessarily nature freaks.

:

01:01:43,171 --> 01:01:44,491

They knew it was a living being.

:

01:01:45,271 --> 01:01:48,451

It was blue, it was white,

it was full of life.

:

01:01:48,781 --> 01:01:50,161

They knew it in their hearts.

:

01:01:50,221 --> 01:01:52,741

You can do readings from

what they've talked about.

:

01:01:52,981 --> 01:01:57,601

I, I think they were all like 93,

2 or three years ago, they were

:

01:01:57,601 --> 01:01:59,041

on the cover of Time Magazine.

:

01:01:59,656 --> 01:02:02,926

And I thought about it 'cause their

picture was there and they were holding

:

01:02:02,926 --> 01:02:07,336

up a picture of the capsule and, and

when they came back, that was they,

:

01:02:07,906 --> 01:02:10,396

when they came back, everything changed.

:

01:02:10,396 --> 01:02:13,816

We start, earth Day started, the

world started to celebrate the earth.

:

01:02:13,816 --> 01:02:17,176

More environmental groups came about more.

:

01:02:17,506 --> 01:02:18,466

They did more work.

:

01:02:18,826 --> 01:02:20,206

It was his chain reaction.

:

01:02:21,196 --> 01:02:28,306

And it was, it's a huge, huge

part of what I think that book is

:

01:02:28,306 --> 01:02:32,866

about is understanding on every

level that the earth is a living.

:

01:02:32,866 --> 01:02:40,006

Being that we are living beings on

it, that we belong is a huge one.

:

01:02:40,246 --> 01:02:45,706

We all often too, in this modern world,

as we look at the destruction the human

:

01:02:45,706 --> 01:02:53,206

race has done to the earth and it's,

it's been serious and continuing, we

:

01:02:53,206 --> 01:02:55,426

often beat ourselves up in some way.

:

01:02:55,606 --> 01:02:57,766

We don't think we're part of

it, we're separate from it.

:

01:02:58,411 --> 01:02:59,491

We are a part of it.

:

01:03:00,331 --> 01:03:01,291

We are a part of it.

:

01:03:01,711 --> 01:03:05,641

And as we own and claim that

we will treat it better.

:

01:03:06,511 --> 01:03:09,271

I mean, you can look at individuals

that hurt their own bodies, right?

:

01:03:09,271 --> 01:03:12,391

Eventually with alcohol or

something like that, or drugs.

:

01:03:12,661 --> 01:03:15,931

And eventually you learn

that your body's sacred.

:

01:03:16,621 --> 01:03:18,301

You clean that up and you take care of it.

:

01:03:19,471 --> 01:03:21,271

That's what we're, we're in that process.

:

01:03:21,271 --> 01:03:27,361

Now, human beings, and I, I, I remember

as a kid, I'd have a bunch of friends

:

01:03:27,361 --> 01:03:30,781

in, I had really dear friends in

high school and we loved the earth.

:

01:03:30,781 --> 01:03:35,731

We grew up in the, in that the 6

68 to 72 was our high school years.

:

01:03:36,541 --> 01:03:39,571

It was the height of that

time of celebrating the earth.

:

01:03:40,261 --> 01:03:41,431

We were all nature freaks.

:

01:03:42,331 --> 01:03:45,691

And, and I remember we used to have

this weird game we'd play where

:

01:03:45,691 --> 01:03:50,041

we'd imagine if we had a button,

uh, if we could push it to get rid

:

01:03:50,041 --> 01:03:52,801

of all humanity, would we do it?

:

01:03:54,541 --> 01:03:57,541

Think about that kids and.

:

01:03:57,991 --> 01:03:59,431

I wanted to push that button.

:

01:04:00,091 --> 01:04:02,191

Some of my buddies would do it quickly.

:

01:04:03,751 --> 01:04:04,801

I could never do it.

:

01:04:05,281 --> 01:04:09,271

And I didn't know why, because

humans were destroying what we loved.

:

01:04:10,651 --> 01:04:12,541

And of course we were humans too.

:

01:04:12,541 --> 01:04:14,791

We were doing, we were driving

cars and everything too.

:

01:04:14,791 --> 01:04:15,136

Right, right.

:

01:04:15,691 --> 01:04:18,691

But, so I couldn't push that button.

:

01:04:18,691 --> 01:04:23,161

And now I know why, because we are, I, I

truly believe we're supposed to be here.

:

01:04:23,911 --> 01:04:27,601

We are gifts to this planet and

we're like 10-year-old kids let

:

01:04:27,601 --> 01:04:28,831

loose in a candy store, right.

:

01:04:28,831 --> 01:04:30,781

With Noah, we're learning.

:

01:04:30,781 --> 01:04:31,921

We're in that growth.

:

01:04:32,671 --> 01:04:35,881

And, and as dark and difficult

as things are right now, I

:

01:04:35,881 --> 01:04:37,321

wanna say this to the listeners.

:

01:04:37,921 --> 01:04:40,501

Um, I have hope, I'm a person of hope.

:

01:04:41,581 --> 01:04:43,831

One of my heroes just died three days ago.

:

01:04:44,431 --> 01:04:47,311

Jane Goodall, I dunno if

you've even heard of her.

:

01:04:47,371 --> 01:04:47,641

Mm-hmm.

:

01:04:47,701 --> 01:04:49,846

Jane Goodall, uh, when I was.

:

01:04:50,956 --> 01:04:54,736

Going back to my beginnings in the

early seventies, working at Marine World

:

01:04:54,736 --> 01:04:56,926

Africa, USA with elephants and chimps.

:

01:04:56,956 --> 01:05:01,546

She started, uh, she left England and went

to Africa, worked for a guy named leaky,

:

01:05:01,876 --> 01:05:03,976

a scientist, and studied chimpanzees.

:

01:05:04,726 --> 01:05:05,716

And she lived with him.

:

01:05:05,716 --> 01:05:08,866

She moved in and lived with him

and see, this is you, you don't

:

01:05:08,866 --> 01:05:12,346

know Jane Goodall this, no, this

is someone, everybody should know.

:

01:05:12,346 --> 01:05:13,366

It's their household name.

:

01:05:13,876 --> 01:05:17,236

It makes me sad and it's not a put

down, don't, don't get it wrong.

:

01:05:17,566 --> 01:05:19,726

But she spent, she died at 91.

:

01:05:20,146 --> 01:05:29,746

She was still doing 300 talks a year,

died in her sleep peacefully, and she

:

01:05:29,746 --> 01:05:31,576

fought for the earth her entire life.

:

01:05:31,846 --> 01:05:35,926

Started out, she moved in with wild

chimps and became friends with him.

:

01:05:36,466 --> 01:05:39,916

I remember I met her in my

early years at Marine World.

:

01:05:40,516 --> 01:05:44,146

She had a bunch of chimpanzees

at Stanford University and she

:

01:05:44,146 --> 01:05:45,676

wanted to meet trained chimps.

:

01:05:46,036 --> 01:05:48,826

So we met and visited and

spent a lot of time together.

:

01:05:49,276 --> 01:05:52,936

So when she died the other day, I

cried 'cause one of the true heroes

:

01:05:53,356 --> 01:05:56,896

of the world, one of the true

examples of an amazing human being.

:

01:05:57,316 --> 01:05:59,356

And she's being forgotten, right?

:

01:06:00,106 --> 01:06:02,056

And so I go back to,

:

01:06:04,186 --> 01:06:06,796

uh, our life, the earth caretaker way.

:

01:06:06,856 --> 01:06:12,856

It, it's about developing that deep,

deep relationship with the earth and then

:

01:06:12,856 --> 01:06:17,536

putting it into action, being involved

with the earth, doing good for the Earth.

:

01:06:18,286 --> 01:06:21,856

And hence that comes back to doing

good for ourselves and we all win.

:

01:06:22,336 --> 01:06:24,256

And to wrap up, is it doable?

:

01:06:24,316 --> 01:06:24,886

Yes.

:

01:06:25,456 --> 01:06:29,776

Uh, the, the problems our earth

faces going back to me having hope,

:

01:06:30,016 --> 01:06:34,396

I think actually as challenging

as technology can be, it's part

:

01:06:34,396 --> 01:06:35,746

of the solution for the future.

:

01:06:36,076 --> 01:06:40,156

I think it's technology is like

the human being or anything else.

:

01:06:40,246 --> 01:06:41,986

It can have a light or a dark side, right?

:

01:06:42,496 --> 01:06:47,176

Technology can be magnificent, but more

than anything, it's the masses of the

:

01:06:47,176 --> 01:06:49,486

human being coming together for the earth.

:

01:06:50,146 --> 01:06:53,716

I kind of look at like World War

ii, it was one of the darkest

:

01:06:53,716 --> 01:06:55,876

times in the semi modern world.

:

01:06:56,356 --> 01:07:01,396

Um, the world was take being taken

over by crazies, and the world came

:

01:07:01,396 --> 01:07:03,136

together and stopped it in five years.

:

01:07:03,436 --> 01:07:08,476

We need that kind of coming

together where all countries, all

:

01:07:08,476 --> 01:07:12,886

people come together in the earth

caretaker way for a higher purpose.

:

01:07:13,606 --> 01:07:15,526

And I think we're just

right on the edge of that.

:

01:07:16,336 --> 01:07:21,286

We're just in so much of our own crap

now, but that can go away quickly.

:

01:07:22,786 --> 01:07:28,966

So I, I have hope, and if I'm wrong

and we just keep screwing it all up,

:

01:07:29,446 --> 01:07:33,351

then the truth is, if I just come

from straight truth, the Earth's.

:

01:07:34,801 --> 01:07:37,201

Oust does, and she'll

do it all over again.

:

01:07:38,911 --> 01:07:41,791

I, that's just, it's just a reality.

:

01:07:41,881 --> 01:07:46,741

Uh, there's this incredible book written

called The, the Sixth Extinction, and

:

01:07:46,741 --> 01:07:52,141

I guess science has been able to prove

that five times in history of terrestrial

:

01:07:52,141 --> 01:07:58,831

life on earth before humans, the world

lost 80 to 90% of what was living here.

:

01:07:59,431 --> 01:08:04,561

The last one was the dinosaurs when

a, uh, asteroid hit in the Gulf of

:

01:08:04,561 --> 01:08:08,881

Mexico and dark in the skies for

two years and 80% of life ended.

:

01:08:09,451 --> 01:08:12,151

And look what the earth came back to this.

:

01:08:12,931 --> 01:08:18,361

So the woman who wrote the book, the Sixth

Extinction, says, the sixth extinction,

:

01:08:19,381 --> 01:08:22,020

this hit me, man, is the human race.

:

01:08:22,470 --> 01:08:22,890

Mm.

:

01:08:23,581 --> 01:08:26,310

We are the asteroid that

killed the dinosaurs.

:

01:08:27,121 --> 01:08:28,185

But the difference is, if.

:

01:08:29,581 --> 01:08:30,841

The asteroid couldn't stop.

:

01:08:31,321 --> 01:08:32,191

We can stop.

:

01:08:32,401 --> 01:08:33,151

We can change it.

:

01:08:33,301 --> 01:08:34,261

We have the ability.

:

01:08:35,161 --> 01:08:36,571

The question is what will do it?

:

01:08:38,371 --> 01:08:41,701

We don't know yet, but I'm hoping

that book starts a movement and helps.

:

01:08:42,151 --> 01:08:47,161

I'm hoping that book starts a

movement and helps and, and I'm one

:

01:08:47,161 --> 01:08:48,901

person, there's zillions of people.

:

01:08:49,111 --> 01:08:53,220

We also get lost in the news and

we don't realize there's Jane

:

01:08:53,220 --> 01:08:54,871

Goodall's out there everywhere today.

:

01:08:54,961 --> 01:08:55,171

Right?

:

01:08:55,231 --> 01:08:57,751

There are people everywhere doing good.

:

01:08:58,921 --> 01:09:02,011

They just, they're not, they don't

make the, they're not famous.

:

01:09:02,011 --> 01:09:03,691

They're not in the front

of us all the time.

:

01:09:03,691 --> 01:09:03,961

Right.

:

01:09:05,341 --> 01:09:09,060

Mike Salemi: Well, I mean, in today's

entire conversation, like, I feel

:

01:09:09,060 --> 01:09:16,171

you, like you're sitting right here,

but the conviction in your voice,

:

01:09:16,171 --> 01:09:20,671

the emotions that come up when these,

these matters that are really true to

:

01:09:20,671 --> 01:09:23,071

your heart, you let 'em flow like it.

:

01:09:23,640 --> 01:09:26,640

It's something that's getting

transmitted to me, and I think

:

01:09:26,640 --> 01:09:27,781

that's one of the things.

:

01:09:28,441 --> 01:09:31,231

That I really am taken away

from today's conversation.

:

01:09:31,231 --> 01:09:35,041

It's like, you know, commitment is

absolutely paramount and also how we

:

01:09:35,041 --> 01:09:39,720

live and we don't really realize, or

maybe I don't realize as much as I could,

:

01:09:42,151 --> 01:09:46,890

just living this philosophy to the

best of my ability out in my own

:

01:09:46,890 --> 01:09:50,310

way, gets transmitted to others.

:

01:09:51,270 --> 01:09:55,891

Like, just like you, just being

you is one of the major reasons

:

01:09:55,891 --> 01:09:57,571

why I keep coming back up here.

:

01:09:58,411 --> 01:10:00,361

It's who you are, it's who, how you live.

:

01:10:00,361 --> 01:10:03,271

It's the, again, the

conviction in your voice.

:

01:10:03,271 --> 01:10:09,061

The, the, the fierceness to protecting

the earth like that is something, you

:

01:10:09,061 --> 01:10:13,921

know, having grown up in suburban America,

like that's not something I grew up with.

:

01:10:13,921 --> 01:10:15,541

That's something I'm growing into.

:

01:10:16,081 --> 01:10:20,161

And so to be around you and to

bring the men here so that they

:

01:10:20,161 --> 01:10:26,101

can, even if you said nothing, like

there would be a ton of teaching.

:

01:10:27,046 --> 01:10:34,906

So like truly thank you for living this

way and in many regards, showing what's

:

01:10:34,906 --> 01:10:41,686

possible and also giving like the young

folks of today, like in a few years,

:

01:10:41,686 --> 01:10:44,626

my son, the ability to come into this.

:

01:10:44,626 --> 01:10:47,806

Like, there is no greater

gift than I could think.

:

01:10:48,106 --> 01:10:51,196

Like no greater gift that as a

father I wanna pass on to my son.

:

01:10:51,676 --> 01:10:52,726

I want him to be loved.

:

01:10:52,726 --> 01:10:58,156

I want him to have a, you know, to have a,

you know, a riskful, but also safe life.

:

01:10:58,276 --> 01:11:02,386

And I want him to experience life and

I want him to feel connected to nature.

:

01:11:02,386 --> 01:11:05,776

So, you know, thank you for being a

teacher to me and teacher to so many.

:

01:11:05,776 --> 01:11:07,456

I appreciate you very much.

:

01:11:07,906 --> 01:11:09,256

So thank you.

:

01:11:09,346 --> 01:11:10,126

Tim Corcoran: Thank you for that.

:

01:11:10,186 --> 01:11:10,366

Mike Salemi: Mm-hmm.

:

01:11:11,356 --> 01:11:11,626

Tim Corcoran: Yeah.

:

01:11:11,716 --> 01:11:12,586

I'm gonna keep going.

:

01:11:12,646 --> 01:11:13,876

Mike Salemi: Let's go, let's go.

:

01:11:13,906 --> 01:11:14,206

Tim Corcoran: Yeah.

:

01:11:14,446 --> 01:11:16,966

Part of this elder thing

is how long can I go?

:

01:11:16,966 --> 01:11:19,636

And Jane Goodall 91.

:

01:11:20,506 --> 01:11:21,436

She never stopped.

:

01:11:21,466 --> 01:11:22,156

I'm not stopped.

:

01:11:22,161 --> 01:11:22,641

Hell yeah.

:

01:11:23,001 --> 01:11:23,021

Hell yeah.

:

01:11:23,566 --> 01:11:24,826

Mike Salemi: Well, Tim, thank you again.

:

01:11:25,096 --> 01:11:25,936

Appreciate you.

:

01:11:25,936 --> 01:11:28,336

And then, uh, on behalf of the

listeners, we appreciate you.

:

01:11:28,996 --> 01:11:29,356

Thank you.

:

01:11:29,416 --> 01:11:30,346

Oh, I hope.

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