Growing Through Discomfort with Urs Koenig

Take Your Shoes Off First w/ Julia Freeland

When you do a podcast with someone you used to date, I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that the conversation centered around navigating difficult relationships and growing through discomfort!

We met through Bumble, dated for a while, and stayed in touch over a shared passion for developing humans. In this session we get into the details of what it means to embrace discomfort and the growth opportunities it presents.

Urs Koenig, Ph.D. is a keynote speaker, champion ultra-endurance athlete, U.N. Peacekeeper, and long-time executive leadership coach. Today, he speaks on leading with humility and the 5 Shifts of Then to Now Leadership, which will be the focus of his upcoming book.

In this episode, Urs expands the perspective of this podcast by bringing his global leadership and education experiences to light. Born in Switzerland, Urs spent his young adulthood in Australia, had his children in the U.S. and travels the world for his work as an international speaker and U.N. Peacekeeper in the Middle East.

As we wind our way through talking about the mind-body connection, how our bodies can do far more than we believe they can, the natural cycles of discomfort, and how to navigate tough relationships, including divorce and Middle East diplomatic meetings, you will notice a theme, Urs is a master at throwing himself into new situations and growing through discomfort.

In this episode, we discuss the how the origins of Take Your Shoes Off First are found in my own experiences of healing deep conflict. Even as Urs challenges me, I explain how a shift in my perspective always preceded a breakthrough in understanding in which I could suddenly see what I could not before, enabling me to find neutral ground and bridges of understanding.

We discuss the importance of having solid boundaries but making sure they aren’t so impenetrable that you can’t see beyond them, and the power of realizing you can only change you.

Tune in to learn why Urs is passionate about leading with humility and embracing discomfort as he talks about his experiences:

- Becoming a semi-truck truck driver

- Going on two Peace Keeping missions

- Leaving his kids for a year to pursue a life calling

- Living and working in Egypt, navigating daily the influence of radical Islam

- Navigating conversations between ambassadors from countries who believed in genocide.

Urs shares that we have an inversion of expertise these days where all around you know more than you could possibly know, so it’s important as a leader to let go of the idea that you know it all. He notes that the leader doesn’t have to have all the answers, but he should be focused on cultivating deep relationships with his people.

“A strong focus on the relational piece between co-workers is where leaders need to be.”

For more information on Urs, visit:

Urskoenig.com