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Connect with Brian
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianbachand/

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https://russjohns.com/
https://thepiratesyndicate.com/
https://nextstepnext.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nextstepnext/

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Introduction: [00:00:00] Welcome to the #PirateBroadcast™, where we interview #interestingpeople doing #interestingthings. Where you can expand your connections, your community, #kindnessiscool and #smilesarefree. Let’s get this party started.

Russ Johns: [00:00:10] Oh, I love the #PirateBroadcast. Thank you so much for being here. If you're live, comment, share, let us know what you're doing, where you are and ask any questions you'd like to ask. And if you're watching this in the future, please like and subscribe and all the social media activities that we can come up with to help share this inspirational message. Motivation. And today we want to talk about your mission, some of the ideas that you're planning in your future. And we're going to be talking to Brian here and getting some enlightenment and encouragement. So Brian welcome. How are you?

Brian Bachand: [00:00:48] Thank you. It's great to be here and for everyone who's watching.

Russ Johns: [00:00:51] We were talking before the show and you're currently in Toronto, I'm in Arizona. And it's always amazing to me that even though the last 18 months or so has been globally impacting the fact that we can connect here and have a conversation and talk about some of the things in life and in some of the things we're pursuing in life. It's so amazing to me. And I just want to encourage other people to think about how you're making those connections, how you're reaching out to friends. And it's so important that we make those connections and start those conversations. Cause we all need something in life that we can look forward to and encourage others to do a little bit more. It looks like we lost Brian. And hey, I'm just hanging out here on the #PirateBroadcast™ and we'll be doing a few moments until Brian's comes back, but I want to thank everybody for the fact that we had... my sister was in the hospital and I posted on LinkedIn and thank you everyone for your comments and your concern and everything that goes along with it. Brian welcome back.

Brian Bachand: [00:02:01] Hello. I have no clue what happened there. I've never had an issue and then all of a sudden, it just went out. I had no clue what happened.

Russ Johns: [00:02:08] It doesn't matter. We're here now. And I want to talk about some of the things that you enjoy speaking on and how you came about this idea and concept about having a mission. And so for those that may not know you you, you started out years ago, all of a sudden you woke up one day and you decided to be a priest. And so it's like, how does that happen?

Brian Bachand: [00:02:32] Yeah I wish it was that simple. I didn't just wake up. Maybe what I'll do is I'll just give the quick nutshell version. For everyone who's listening, I was born and raised in Boston. I live in Toronto, but I'm American. After university, I decided to go to the seminary. I went to a Catholic university. I was involved with kind of the Catholic chaplaincy office. There was always a sense of service, that I felt within me, even growing up and that sense of connection on a spiritual side, but also connecting and serving humanity. And, the religion I was raised in was Catholic. And so at that time, it just made sense. That's how I felt I needed to live that out. So I went to the seminary super positive experience. And then I was ordained and I served four years in a parish and then four years as the kind of private secretary, which would mean like chief of staff to the Cardinal from the Vatican. So yeah, it was an amazing experience. And I think that formation really helped me have a foundation of that it's not just work that you do, but it's a mission. And when I freely resigned to live my life in a new way and became an executive in New York City, I still saw what I was doing as a mission, not just work, not just I was executive director. I ended it NYU medical, raising millions, but it was a mission of impacting others. So I think that's where the foundation comes from. And to this day now I help my clients and those I work with to move from a mindset of this is my work. No, this is your mission because when you have that mindset, it's about impact. It's about #inspiration and it's about literally changing and evolving the world for what it is.

Russ Johns: [00:04:25] And our experience creates the fabric of our life, we can't separate our good experience, bad experience, just overall life experience from who we are and who we become. And I think mission is such an impact in such a powerful way of thinking about life. And I was reading something on you the other day, and I just thought to myself, I really that idea of mission. And that's what the #PirateBroadcast is, highlighting people like yourself that are doing incredible things, large and small, everybody's important. Everybody has a gift. Everybody has a message and we have to celebrate everything that we're able to do in any number of ways. And so I know that a mindset is a big part of that. And sometimes we limit ourselves and we don't believe in who we are and so how do we go on a mission to unpack that and maybe expand our belief in our ability to see our own value? What's some of the things that you've thought about, or you worked with other clients?

Brian Bachand: [00:05:40] Yeah, absolutely. First of all, that's a great question. And, actually right before joining your broadcast, I was with a client, actually, they were in Singapore, And, it was an early stage conversation and I was sharing, I said, they're at a crossroads, you know where they are. They've had a very successful career, but they desire something different. They're not sure where do we go? How do I make the impact? And I said, it all comes down to one simple question. You have to ask yourself, what do I desire? Because when you really ask yourself what you desire. That's where the truth is and the truth will never lie. The truth is always in your heart. It doesn't mean you will always have the answers. It doesn't mean you'll always know exactly what's next to do, but if you really spend time and honesty ask what do I desire that will help move you towards what is that mission? What is it that I need to do? Desire is usually always related to joy. And I think we can't forget that, that, desires about following joy and where you want that to be and using your gifts. And so that question is what helped move me from being a priest to making that courageous decision to leave and moving onward, because I knew for myself it was a sense, wow, I'm very happy what I do. I know I'm very successful. I know I make impact. But I desire more. I desire to be able to be free to love another person. I desire to bring my gifts in a different way and that brought joy. And so I think that's an important step that a lot of people overlook. They want the results right away. They want to know the plan. They want the action. They want a new move forward, but unless you spend time looking at an asking and being open and just listening to that important question, that's where you're going to have the clarity on what some of those creative inspired steps are next.

Russ Johns: [00:07:47] Absolutely. The idea and the concept of what do I desire is somewhat, what I have mentioned in the past is how do you want to feel about what you're doing right now? What's the feeling you have and joy is something, #gratitude, I wake up every morning with #gratitude. I'm not normally a morning person. And doing this show in the morning is purposeful. It's to be able to make sure that I have a little bit of #gratitude, understanding of what's going on in the world around me and how we can actually help each other. See what we can do to improve the world around us and living in the moment is also key. And knowing that you're doing something that's going to benefit somebody else create something and inspire someone, make sure that that people are loved and cared for around you. And that's what the pirate community is.

Brian Bachand: [00:08:48] Yeah, that's wonderful. And it's, you're living a beautiful mission, and inspiring and I never thought of pirates being inspirational. I think you're the leader of the pack of changing that, but I think that really is key. And I love what you had to say about #gratitude in the morning. I know we joined millions of ABOs around our beautiful planet that also do that and an end the day with that, but #gratitude really does shift things. I know the days where I don't begin with that, they always start off a little clunky or maybe not going the right direction. I really try for so many people, our phones are next to our bed and I find if I scroll, I'm pretty disciplined not to, but if I scroll onto something or look at something right away, it gets everything going. But to have something that... there's an app I have that I click on, it has a new inspirational quote every morning, just to get going and get you in that mindset. It really does change the energy of the day and helps us ease into the mission of the day.

Russ Johns: [00:09:51] It's really a powerful tool to reset because regardless of what's going on around you and with technology and all the noise, find a moment of calm among the noise. And just think about all the things that you can be grateful for and appreciate where you are, because there are people out there doing incredible things with much less than what you have and that's on every level. And I think that's important. And when you're teaching and you're coaching and you're talking to your clients, Brian is there a sense that it's fairly universal? We all have real our challenges and what I've discovered in having hundreds of conversations like this is a lot of them are two things take place. You feel like you're the only one and you're alone in a crowd of people that are all feeling the same way.

Brian Bachand: [00:10:54] Absolutely.

Russ Johns: [00:10:55] So maybe you could expand on that.

Brian Bachand: [00:10:56] Yeah,  definitely. So I think one of the things that I do with the clients I work with, I love, I really have such a joy of working one-on-one with the clients I engage with. Some of them, one of the specialties are kind of like new CEO's. I also work with professional leaders who are maybe just in a moment they want to go deeper and leading their teams. Or there are individuals that are looking to make a transition. Regardless, I begin every single step with my clients with a breathing grounding technique. \And I'll be honest with you. I was so nervous the first time to do that. Because it's something that's important to me, cause it creates space every day. Breath is something that's just, we know from a scientific standpoint that it really can lower our anxiety, helps relax us, puts us in the moment. And I was just inspired one day. I said all these individuals I'm working with mostly via zoom are coming from one zoom to the next, or from a team meeting to this. And how can you jump from leading a strategy meeting to now they want to talk about some of their kind of personal desires and also their professional goals and desires. That's hard to transition. By doing a breathing exercise and every session begins with that, it automatically changes the energy and the transformation and the conversation goes in a very different direction. They're more relaxed, they're more open to listening. I find the way they speak. And I find if we're able to do that every day, it really helps. And we can do it in such simple ways. You can be in the grocery store, maybe coming from a meeting and you could be pushing your car, just breathing in, breathing out. No one knows, and you can start to feel that. And I find one of the gifts of the pandemic has been people have been wanting to be more connected with themselves. That there's a movement there and being mindful throughout the day really changes the tone and changes how you interact with them.

Russ Johns: [00:13:12] I think a lot of people have also stepped back and reflecting on what's really important in life. As we were talking before, I'm a caregiver and that is not always an easy, it's not always easy as a task. However, it's very fulfilling as a mission. To make sure that people are okay and they get to where they need to be and get the help they need. And coaching is much the same way, consulting with executives around the world. Cause there's lots of pressure. A lot of them are driven by the next quarter, earnings, people, different strategies, long-term things. So we're always unpacking all these emotional attachments we have to things. And I think in the last 18 months there's been a lot of detachment. I guess I don't really need to live with that. And so what's your sense of the overall communication you're having and what impact do you think it's going to have in the next 24, 36 months?

Brian Bachand: [00:14:19] I think one of the biggest areas that you just alluded to as well, I'm working with my clients and also just my own network as well. Something that's happened through the pandemic is a shift of also realizing who are the people in our lives that we want to have them. And who are the people that maybe we need to let go of? Because I think  before the pandemic, for so many of us, we had our social life was very active, we were going out a lot. There was a lot going on, it was very easy  to just book evenings and for a drink or for a dinner or coffee or golf, whatever it might be. And then we were separated and I think that also gives space to realize, wow, like I don't hear from that person anymore. Or I was always the one that had to initiate the interaction and I don't miss them. And maybe those relationships have served in a sense of #gratitude, what they needed to, but it's also a sense of, I find people want to be aligned with people that are really bringing that joy that are aligning with where they want to be. And I spoke with someone just yesterday and they said, wow, my social life is starting to pick up a little bit and I'm enjoying it. But at the same time, I'm not feeling the same, I feel I'm in a different place and how I want it to be. So I think that's something that's gonna continue. And especially as some people get back to the office and back to work, or, is that continues to happen for so many around the globe. That's also going to impact how people want to live their social life and with who they want to have around them. And that's okay. Part of having a mission is also knowing who is going to support you in that and what you need. And there are some individuals where their personal professional that may have served their time because, and you have to release that, so new people are able to come in and really support. And I know from myself through the pandemic, one of the most amazing, surprising gifts was LinkedIn and the internet and the just thousands of people that are connected and built of similar mindset. It's been pretty amazing and I know others feel the same, but I think that's an important concept for us as we move towards and develop mission.

Russ Johns: [00:16:44] It is a huge concept , and I think I was just talking to actually Howard Kaufman. We were at an event, a founders Guild event here in Arizona and I mentioned, your best friends are the ones that will bail you out of your jail. And your very best friends are the ones that will be there with you.

Brian Bachand: [00:17:02] Yeah. Very true. Very true.

Russ Johns: [00:17:04] You have to make sure that you understand who your friends are and who you can actually rely on and depend on. And so Angie is an amazing friend. She's always been a supporter of the #PirateBroadcast and I love that she's here and hopping in today. And I just really appreciate the people in my community. Like you said, LinkedIn has been a huge, a huge fulfilling community for me personally. And I know it's been so many others as well. Elize is here. She's good morning, all. She's from South Africa. So she's, it's international. And the fact that we can do this Brian and have conversations across and around the world. It's amazing to me. And I just continue to think that it can build bridges that we have never seen in the past.

Brian Bachand: [00:17:50] Absolutely. And I think that's the exciting part of, the mission is that it's global. Like whatever our mission is, wherever we are and whatever part of the world, whether we're in South Africa today, or the states or Canada, you're at wherever. We all have a special mission in that moment, wherever we are. And we often think, oh, it has to be in such a global way or whatever, but no, wherever we are is where we're supposed to be. And there are people there, there are individuals that need that light, that need our presence, that need to have the reality right there.  But I think the support of people around the globe to help us live that mission wherever we are, that's pretty powerful. And that's the gift of technology right now, which is, I think forever changed how we do things.

Russ Johns: [00:18:44] I have, like you mentioned, LinkedIn has been a gift in a lot of respects during this last 18 months. Yeah. I've been on LinkedIn since I think 2005. And I've made friends all over the world as a result of having these kinds of conversations. And I think it's important for us to understand we're not alone. Some of our thoughts are being broadcast at other places and other conversations are taking place. I think it's important for us to, even though we're struggling with something in our day-to-day activities or life in general, there's other people that are equally thinking about it or doing or have done it, so there's either someone in front of us or behind us, we're all in a progression here. So I want to talk to you a little bit about going back to mindset and some of the things that you may want to  plant as a seed with people when they're thinking about coulda, shoulda, woulda, or their future trip on something. Oh, is this gonna happen? Because I think it's so important for us to stay in the moment and a lot of us have a hard time doing that. So what are some tools we can use or some thoughts that we can plant today with the pirates to get them on  an idea path that we can actually maybe change some things in their lives?

Brian Bachand: [00:20:07] Yeah, absolutely. I think, a very practical one, I actually call it don't go Netflix and what I use it on  clients and I use it with myself too, and it really just happened. On Netflix, when you go on that or any streaming service, that we have availability and that's global. Sometimes there are certain shows, you can watch season one, season two, season three, and you can go back and you can watch it again. And you start...  you create the story as it's happening or what's going to happen. We often do that in our own life too. We create our own Netflix series and our mind. That, especially when we're trapped in a moment of fear or what do I do next? Oh, what are they going to think? How is this going to be received? How do I do this? So we start having conversations in our mind. And we start creating it and we create a new scene. Next thing you know, we're on season five in our own mind of what's happening. And it's very important that if the Netflix series that we're creating in our mind with our own conversations is bringing us down, making us feel isolated. That's a sign that we need to stop and we need to recast. We need to end the series and start a new series and really begin in a new way. Negative talk, negative fixation on the doubts, the fears only hold us back. So one of the most important things to do is to pay attention to what are you saying to yourself? What are you being fixated on? And if you're finding that it's becoming too much, that's a sign usually of when you need to speak with someone, whether it's someone like myself, whether it's a therapist, whether it's a trusted friend, whoever it may be, that you can talk some of those things out because when you do that, it ears it. And that's an important mindset. And it's very important to make sure you pay attention to what's going on. What's the series, what's the series you're creating in your mind. The second aspect too, is I think it's really important to what are you allowing yourself to read and see every day that mindsets of making sure that you create that boundary is very important. If you spend two three hours on Instagram, and then you're going through LinkedIn, you start doing that. If you're in a moment of transition, you often can start to compare yourself. You start to, oh, there's so much better. I can't do this. And you have to step that back. That is an important mindset of saying, wow, if you see someone who's successful wow, their success is showing me, I'm going to get success. And changing that, but that's an important mindset. We spend a lot of time in the comparison and the ego loves that. The ego feasts on that. So we have to make sure that's managed in a very mindful way.

Russ Johns: [00:23:12] You bring up an excellent point and going back to the idea of having a mission, one of the things that we live in this society of Instagram famous and being so attached to the outcome that you don't enjoy the process of getting there is really something that we need to think about because I was talking to somebody the other day and one of the challenges I've been reflecting on is different points in my life, I've achieved results. And then discovered that the results I had imagined on the start of the journey and the results at the end of the journey were not necessarily in alignment with what I actually wanted taking the journey. And so you have to, you'll separate yourself and say that was a journey and my future doesn't necessarily need to mirror my past. It doesn't necessarily need to be the same outcome. And I have to remind myself that because we can only what is it? Fear and faith require us to believe in something that doesn't exist or something we haven't seen yet. Moving forward into something that we don't understand requires us to imagine where we could be or what potentially could happen, like the Netflix episode. However, getting so attached to the outcome that we are disappointed and constantly upset by what happens is really something we need to think about. So how do you temper motivation versus the destination and being disappointed?

Brian Bachand: [00:24:53] So first of all, I'm all about being practical and being grounded. You hear so often many people like, oh, I want to make these changes and duh, that's great. But for anyone's listening right now and they're like, yeah, this all sounds really wonderful, but yeah. I'm so fearful about finances. Like, how do I move forward? If I, how can I make this? I desire to do something else, but I have three kids. I have a mortgage, I have all these things, but what are some of the things that's real that's reality. And so what I always do is let's bring it right down. It's about being grounded. Yeah, those are responsibilities. You have to look at that. But let's just be open to maybe one creative step maybe to take. And what I often will say is, what about just being inspired to start, have conversations with individuals that maybe you've always admired, someoneyou want to reach out to. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain with just taking one small step of just opening the door and being open, not trying to control the outcome. When we try and control the outcome, it's always because of fear, because we want to know where we're going to be and how it's going to be. We really want to trust the desire of your heart and grow in a mission. You have to release that and just say, I'm just being open. I'm not selling my house. I'm not resigning today. All those Netflix series that we start creating and we start seeing yourself going in and resigning and then, okay. That's not where we're supposed to be. It's about, okay, I've always wanted to speak to these three people I've always respected. I'm just going to have an open conversation, keep it practical, keep it on point and keep it joyful. And that helps release some of the outcome. By doing that, that's when more actual come in, because we're not blocking the results. So that's something that's really important. And that doesn't matter if you're already in a very successful role, you're looking to change something or you're in a personal relationship, small, practical, inspired steps. That's where you go.

Russ Johns: [00:27:07] I love that. I love that. Wendy says, good morning, #piratenation we're all here together right now where we're meant to be. Thank you, Russ Johns for bringing the pirate crew together. Welcome Brian.

Brian Bachand: [00:27:22] Thank you, Wendy.

Russ Johns: [00:27:23] And she says I'm just being open. Fantastic. He's always been a amazing supporter of the pirate crew. Brian, thank you so much for being here today. I know we could go on and talk about this subject for probably days, weeks, months, maybe. And it's so important. I think right now, more than any other time in history, we're expanding, technology allows more conversations to take place. There's a lot of people that are in transition. And I thank you so much for being here and sharing a few thoughts and ideas and how would you like people to reach out and connect with you?

Brian Bachand: [00:28:01] Thank you. First of all, again, I just want to say I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be here and the pirate crew, and for those who are listening. I welcome to hear from individuals on LinkedIn. Feel free to connect with me, send me a message. Say that you heard here and you will hear back from me. I promise you that. Also, you can go through my website, which is www.evolutionevolution.com which is all being updated. It's going through an evolution as I represent where new things are at.

Russ Johns: [00:28:31] We didn't even touch on that subject. So we'll have to have you back.

Brian Bachand: [00:28:35] Absolutely. But you can send a message there as well. So I welcome to hear from anyone and that's reallyone of my great joys and building my mission and helping others build their mission is to connect.

Russ Johns: [00:28:47] I love that. I love that. Thank you so much. And as always everyone, please like, subscribe, share this information. Cause that's how it works. The platforms, if people like this and you share it out, more people will find it. So thank you so much for being here. And I appreciate you, wishing you all the best in your adventures because #kindnessiscool and #smilesarefree, so you #enjoyyourday. Take care.

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