Everyone Is My Teacher

Upbuilding The Self

In this very personal episode, Hari interviews Michael about a piece he wrote, From "It Happened TO Me to "It Happened FOR Me”, in which he discusses a challenging experience where he was cut off from someone he cares about. They discuss navigating the impulse to blame others, the value of being aware of the stories that we tell ourselves about ourselves, the link between gratitude and empathy, and most importantly, how to turn difficult experiences into lessons that can put us on the path toward being our best selves. They also share some laughs as Michael talks about his staunch opposition to his siblings buying of ice cream when they were kids, and Hari shares about an ex-girlfriend who taught him crucial things he couldn’t see about himself.

Links:
Upbuild Coaching Training (six-month program, starts October 19th)
Enneagram Workshop (October 4-5, 2025)
Upbuild Website

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LinkedIn: Upbuild

Kapitler

1. Everyone Is My Teacher (00:00:00)

2. From “It Happened TO Me” to “It Happened FOR Me” (00:01:40)

3. Michael’s inspiration for writing the piece (00:02:30)

4. Necessity is the mother of reflection (00:06:00)

5. The importance of being in control (00:11:30)

6. How Michael translated his experience into a learned lesson (00:14:00)

7. Finding excitement in an uncomfortable situation (00:17:00)

8. What should we do with the stories of the mind? (00:19:00)

9. Making the mind our friend (The Bhagavad-Gita) (00:22:00)

10. How do we know what the reality is? (00:25:10)

11. Seeing someone who causes us pain as our teacher (00:29:00)

12. The beginning of a beautiful cycle (00:32:30)

13. A life where everything happens for me (00:38:00)

14. Vipin’s Everything happens for a reason (00:39:00)

15. Michael’s closing takeaway (00:42:00)