Crooked Butterfly Podcast Podcast

Crooked Butterfly Podcast

Brian Chontosh
This is me, sharing where I'm arriving in thoughts, perspectives, and ideas after a dynamic 21 years serving in the Marine Corps and wrestling with "Who Am I"; authentically, and Who Do I Want To Be" now that the military construct is not forcibly shadowing my life. I've found that Nature and tackling the physical & emotional challenges of ultra endurance adventuring provide more insight and clarity on the why's of my experiences and the where's that I can seek for continued personal growth.
Persistence & the Wolf Spider
Some story telling and reflections that a Wolf Spider gave me regarding Resilience and Persistence. How we've let learned behaviors get transferred into areas of our lives where they don't belong...
Oct 1, 2024
22 min
Thoughts from 1 Year of Sobriety
Wrapping up a year of sobriety and processing the take-aways that I couldn't have scripted going into the journey.
Jul 13, 2024
24 min
Opinion, Advice, & Counsel
I'm at no shortage of receiving conversations about what I could, should, or need to being doing; personally & professionally. Most of the time I'm required to wonder if I'm getting opinion, advice, or counsel. What I'm finding as a common theme is that the more someone offers answers vs questions, the quality ( for my best interest ) of what they are delivering goes lower and lower.
Jun 1, 2024
25 min
Increased Capacity Doesn't Mean Increase Load Required
Coming out of the trough (again) after a few really hard weeks of trying to simply hold on. As I get better and better at managing/ navigating these times I somehow still keep finding myself back in them. After a recent procedure in Annapolis, I'm finding myself happier & more productive than I've been in the past few years. I'm also in a place recognizing what needs to happen to break the cycle of going back there instead of just adding more load to this new increased capacity I have.
Feb 26, 2024
48 min
Some Thoughts & Growth from the TN Mile
Coming back from running a 40h marathon in TN and sharing some thoughts, observations, and where I'm focusing on personal growth.
Dec 15, 2023
42 min
Self Care & Boundaries
Talking about the importance of Self Care not only for a leader but also as an example for their people. it's about creating an appropriate balance to keep operating levels for individuals at a high. We also introduce setting good boundaries for leaders and their relationships. Healthy boundaries that support growth, expectations, & professional relationships through consistency.
Nov 30, 2023
1 hr 4 min
Expertry and Mastery
Connor and I exploring out loud trying to tease the subtleties & nuances that differentiate experts and masters. Not the sheer skill aspect, more of the 'soft' skills/ traits as it helps us inform our discussion on Leadership.
Nov 21, 2023
33 min
Performance, Effort, Meritocracy & Mediocrity
We what happens when we reward; whether it's through praise, recognition, opportunity, award, etc. always results and absent effort? Same thing holds true in reverse. What are the unintended consequences on our audience that is excluded in the reward. It's not as simple as acknowledging everyone for their unique contributions. And, everyone is wired to respond differently to different types of rewards. When you really start to think about the ins and outs with all the different ...
Nov 2, 2023
32 min
Book Writing #4
Talking about how to listen. Truly listen with the intent to engage and understand vs respond. It's a fundamental step to earning trust & respect. "Seek first to understand and not respond." ~Stephen Covey
Oct 20, 2023
1 hr 29 min
Book Writing #3
Spending 90 min grinding aways at some more basics: Don't Lie, Cheat, or Steal; it's all Stealing, Grey Areas, Who am I circles, and a few more things and tying them into Being a Good Human Being as a core competency to Leadership.
Sep 28, 2023
1 hr 34 min
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