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Transcript

Finding Your Way Through Uncertainty with Wonder: A Conversation with Jeffrey Davis

Sacred Business Stories Episode 19. July 30th, 2025

After 25 years of teaching leaders how to harness wonder and curiosity for breakthrough ideas,

has discovered something worth sharing: the people who flourish amid complexity aren't the ones with all the answers - they're the ones who've learned to dance with not knowing.

In this week's Sacred Business Stories, we explored how wonder becomes a "quiet disruptor of our biases" and why your greatest business breakthroughs often come from embracing uncertainty rather than fighting it.

Show Notes

[00:00] Wonder as a Business Strategy

  • Wonder isn't a luxury—it's a birthright we're born with

  • Defined as "an astonishment of the soul" that helps us see what's real and true

  • When people actively track wonder, it changes how they work and lead

  • The difference between falling in love with an idea vs. standing in love with it

[00:08] The Pivotal Crisis That Changed Everything

  • Jeffrey contracted Lyme disease 4 times

  • A devastating house fire destroyed 20 years of work and 300 books

  • This led to the defining question: Why do some people flourish amid crisis while others flounder?

  • Discovery that wonder is at the heart of navigating complexity

[00:15] Moving from "How" to "Why" Questions

  • "How" questions can be paralyzing in early stages of business development

  • Start with "Why couldn't...?" or "What if...?" questions instead

  • Jeffrey's driving question: "Why couldn't people experience more wonder in the boardroom, bedroom, and schools?"

  • The importance of scaling big dreams into feasible starting points

[00:25] The Accomplished Professional Syndrome

  • When experts pivot to new fields, they face profound vulnerability

  • The challenge of going from knowing everything to being a beginner again

  • Using curiosity to navigate the transition: "What skills are you excited to learn?"

  • Fertilizing confusion through "bewilderment" rather than pathologizing uncertainty

[00:35] Discovering Your Young Genius

  • Your genius is unique character energy you were born with but forgot

  • Exercise: Recall when you felt most alive and free as a child

  • Carolina's example: Playing with dolls, singing in English without knowing the language

  • Three qualities to activate daily: curiosity, joy, and fun

[00:45] Business as Personal Evolution

  • "Who am I going to become by virtue of paying steady attention to these particular endeavors?"

  • Your business challenges are invitations to evolve

  • Sometimes you don't need to change your business—just your relationship with it

  • The importance of not going it alone and finding allies on the journey

Key Quotes

"We are born in wonder, which means we're also born in not knowing."

"It's one thing to fall in love with an idea. It's another thing to stand in love with an idea you're devoted to."

"Why do some people flourish amidst complexity and challenge and change, and some of them flounder?"

"Your business is evolving or you've outgrown your business model... You've outgrown this business psychologically, emotionally, spiritually."

"Not right now doesn't mean not ever."

Resources Mentioned

Where to Find Jeffrey

Thank You

Deep gratitude to Jeffrey for sharing his wisdom about navigating complexity through wonder. His reminder that uncertainty is "par for the course when you're living life and doing work at a sacred level" offers permission for all of us building businesses aligned with our deepest truth.

P.S.

Try Jeffrey's Young Genius exercise: Tomorrow morning, take 5 minutes to remember yourself at your most alive and free as a child. Write down three qualities you notice. Then ask: How can I bring 20% more of these qualities into my work today?

What's Next

Our Sacred Business Stories archive contains dozens more conversations with entrepreneurs who've transformed their relationship with uncertainty into fuel for growth. Each story offers unique insights for your own journey of building business as a sacred act.

Thank you

, , and many others for tuning into into this episode of Sacred Business Stories with and your hosts, Phil Powis ❤️⚡️ and Carolina Wilke!


P.S. You can read all previous editions of the newsletter here, and you can upgrade your subscription here.


Go Deeper

Carolina and I are ready to support you in creating a business that aligns with your heart's calling. Here's how we can help:

  1. Discover Your Sacred Business Alignment (Free): Take the Harmony Map Assessment and read our Sacred Business Manifesto to understand where you are on your path and how to move forward with clarity and confidence. Perfect for entrepreneurs wanting to understand how everything in their business connects.

  2. Read the Sacred Business Manifesto (Free): Learn the core principles of building a Sacred Business through our founding story and framework. See how we transformed our approach to business by understanding that everything is connected.



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