The Word That Changes Everything

A man told me he feels completely alive teaching martial arts two nights a week.

This same man told me that when at work, he goes offline the moment he sits down at his desk. He loses flow.

We spent time in a coaching session exploring his flow patterns — what turns it on, what shuts it off.

Then I asked him about a season earlier in his career. Years as a programmer, long focused blocks, deep in problems. Not the same energy, he said. But there was indeed a kind of flow.

Then I asked what he's currently building for his martial arts students.

He said: "I'm programming a new exercise protocol."

He stopped. I watched him hear himself.

Programming. The code. The curriculum. The choreography.

He realized that he could bring that back to his present work.

Three completely different chapters of his life — same word. Same underlying pattern: build a structure that's alive, personal, and designed for someone else's growth.

Flow isn't random. It has a signature.

What's the word that runs through yours?

— Michele Jennae, Genius Hunter

This has been Episode 4 of Flash of Genius: Ideas on Fire.

Find all episodes on Spotify. Click the link below to go directly to the show's feed or Click the + to Save on Spotify! 😉