1841 – Power of Ancient Wisdom in Modern Business with Craig Cooke

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2:28Ancient Truth. Craig, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you, Josh. It's a pleasure to be here today. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. I also want to congratulate you for a recent exit of your company, a company that you're the co-founder of and CEO that 26 years of your life. And again, I had a great exit a few years ago. So congrats on that. Thank you so much. Yeah, 26 years. It was a great run. And I like to say I equate each year to a mile. So I ran a marathon and it was great. Yeah. And you feel every year and you feel every mile. Oh yeah, that's for sure. I definitely need to decompress after that.

3:09And it's all good. And now I'm on to a new chapter in life. It's great. Yeah. Yeah. Well, share just a bit about the work you do today. And then what, you know, definitely we'll talk about the book and I'd love to hear a little bit more about your background, but yeah, let's start with kind of like who you consult with today? Okay, great. Yeah. So today I'm consulting in three primary areas, and that's based on my experience of running a company for 26 years. It is a digital marketing agency, so I have a very strong marketing background. So two of the three pillars are related to that. So marketing communications with an emphasis on digital experiences, brand development is the second pillar, and then leadership development is the third pillar.

3:50And working with business owners, executives of companies, and any of those three areas. Also, I have a passion for what's called Chinese medical qigong. And I'm actually been studying that for the past nine years. And I'm enrolled in a doctorate program for Chinese energy medicine right now. And that was a game changer for me in running my company in 2014 when I came across it. And so what I'm wanting to do now is incorporate that into my consulting work. And I'm defining that, but I've been doing that, doing some workshops and actually at a mastermind group I was just at a couple of weeks ago, led all the participants through some Qigong routines, and it really helps balance and center yourself.

4:34So I'm creating something new with these couple of passions that just have a unique angle perspective on things. Since you've been talking about this, what are maybe, I don't know if you were to give like a, you know, kind of like a super, super mini TED talk on the value of some of those practices or philosophy. What are maybe one or two kind of key principles that, you know, anyone could adapt and start, you know, working into their daily practice that that would have some tangible benefits? okay well one of the biggest benefits and for me why i considered it a game changer is my state of mind at the time going back to 2014 running a company on the inc 5000 list i think it was like probably the fourth year in a row we were on it and i just found myself being um really off-centered and out of balance with myself mentally emotionally you know when you're managing employees uh meeting client demands yeah working with vendors juggling family life you know it's a lot of stress and pressure those responsibilities and obligations that are on your shoulders and uh when i came across qigong after about six months i started feeling much more centered and balanced and at that time the person that i had met who was i was working with said would you like to learn this and he took me on as his first student because i said yes absolutely without hesitation.

6:01And it's really, you know, the benefit, you know, that quick little story there, the benefit was that I got much more centered and balanced. And it really helps you to maintain that balance. Balance is huge. Being mentally, emotionally centered and balance enables you to think clearly, have clarity. And when you're making big decisions, also when you're interacting with different people, whether it's employees or clients, you know, everything starts with yourself and being right with yourself. And when you're right with yourself, you can have positive interactions with others. So it really helps on a multitude of levels, but mainly balance.

6:38And we all need that balance because life is always throwing punches at us. It doesn't stop, right? But you're better equipped to manage through that. All right, well, give us some tools because I want that. Okay, well, there's all kinds of different things out there, right? And this is something that worked for me. Other people, maybe they like to run or maybe it's yoga or something like that. But with Qigong, it's the integration of mind, body and breath. So there are static meditations that people can use. And, you know, I'm not going to do that right here. But there are some simple exercises that people can do on a daily basis, whether it's even just five minutes a day, 10, 15 minutes a day, 20 minutes a day.

7:20So one in particular is called pulling down the heavens. usually i don't like to really show stuff online because i have to kind of like watch people and see if they're doing the yeah but this this one's very simple i mean it's super super simple and all it entails breathing some sound and visualization and what that does it purges tonifies and regulates meaning that it purges that we have an energetic anatomy just like we have a physical anatomy and our energetic anatomy gets stagnation and blockages of chi of energy as we go through our day and have these negative interactions with people places things situations right so the the sound purges it breaks apart those energetic clusters that cause stagnation and then the visualization of light helps tonify helps fill that empty space that's been created and then the combination of the two and along with the motion and the breath helps to regulate which means balance keep things in balance so real quick demonstration not most of the time you do this standing up with knees slightly bent like you're about to sit in a chair but you can also do it sitting as well and the motion is just bringing up your arms come in here and then coming down and it's an inhale on the way up and then it's an exhale here and on the inhale you're visualizing golden what is called golden earth chi coming up into your palms the center of your palms and then as you turn your palms over you're envisioning heavenly white chi coming down and then filling your body and rushing through your body all the way from the top of your head down to the bottom of your feet into the earth and then there's a sound so as you inhale up here and you come down then there's a sound uh it's a descending ha sound it's so it would look and sound like this

9:19and when that ha sound does it targets the heart center it vibrates that energetic cool and that's what helps break away those clusters and that descending sound just kind of helps bring everything from the top all the way down and that's a very simple exercise that one could do that for five minutes 10 minutes 15 minutes just doing that straight and afterwards you just feel refreshed and ready to go and you can do that in the morning you can do in the evening you can do it after you've just encountered some negative situation you know and you want to make yourself don't feel better. It's just a really great, simple, simple tool.

9:57And there's all kinds of them. But you know, just for you asked, so I said, well, that's a simple one. Well, you know, and I'm thinking probably other people like me, I understand that there's value to meditation, for example, but boy, I don't enjoy it. Like, I shouldn't say I guess I enjoy the benefit afterwards. But during it, you know, I have a pretty active brain and my active monkey brain, just like it's, that is the longest five minutes of my life if I try to meditate for five minutes. But, you know, if I'm maybe doing something a little bit more active, then, you know, it's, you know, and then certainly, I think it doesn't, well, let me ask you this question.

10:39You know, I am kind of rationalizing this and kind of thinking about this myself. I suspect that, you know, if you're working with someone, or maybe especially if you're in a group environment, you probably I have those one or two people that are kind of maybe not rolling their eyes, but you could tell they're skeptical or, you know, getting their analytical brain is like, I don't want to do this, this is silly or whatever, right? Yeah. And obviously you seem like, you know, come from the business world. Like how does one kind of, you know, I guess start to accept the value that could be had from a practice in Qigong or anything that's a little bit more Eastern nature that we as Westerners just don't have as much experience with.

11:23Right, right. So you bring up a few really good points here. One, that's why I'm very passionate about sharing this because it was a big game changer for me as a business professional, as an entrepreneur. And I want to share that. And the great thing is that people can relate to me. You know, people like us can relate to me. I'm not someone that's like, hey, I'm wearing all these white robes and beads. I meditate in a cave and the world is wonderful. Can't you just jump on board? Like, no, no, no. I'm grounded in reality. I live in the world and I have all the challenges that others do. And I've experienced this and I'm just sharing one thing that definitely worked for me.

12:03So if people can tend to have much more of an open mind because they can relate to me, I can relate to them. So that's one is being open and that relatability helps, right? Right. Two, with the meditation that you mentioned, it is challenging for people with the monkey mind, and we all have it. And meditation is awesome. It's great. However, what I like about Qigong is it has static meditations in it, and all kinds of different ones for different purposes. And that's fantastic. But with the movements and different exercises with the sound and visualization, it incorporates the entire body or entire being.

12:40and when you do that it has this exponential effect on uh on how it affects your energetic anatomy and actually affects your physical body your energy body and your spirit body that's how the chinese culture has grouped it into like these threes things and threes a lot and it's different than just meditation where again meditation is great and that's a part of qigong but that's uh really emptying the mind being still doing the purpose great but when you're really engaging the body through emotion there's just a whole host of different benefits and for someone to really get the value out of it like what you're asking for they really have to experience it they have to go through it and experience it it's one thing to hear someone like me talk about it or read a book but that's just knowledge in the mind once you experience it and then you can embody it, then that's when the true benefits start to hit.

13:40Yeah, yeah. Maybe a little bit like you said, you've done some distance running. Oh, I'm not a good runner. Yeah. Well, I mean, just casually, right? Because it's that same thing. It's like, why would you run a marathon? Like I just, you know, it's like, yeah, yeah, it's not the only marathon I ran was my business marathon. Okay, okay. I was gonna say, you know, kind of or climbing a mountain or something like that, which, you know, I did a 14 or Pikes Peak last year. And it's like, you know, why would you put yourself through that? It's like, because when you get to the end of it, it's an experience that you just can't have any other way.

14:16And it's, you know, it's just that, you know, in my case, you know, it's kind of that duality between, you know, mind, body and spirit. And, you know, to me, it's like one of the most powerful ways to kind of crack that egg open and really kind of synergize kind of those three elements, you know, in a way that I just can't explain unless you do it. Yeah. You know, when you're forced to continue, when the body's just not willing to get, you know, it's like your brain can't motivate your body, then you just have to tap into something deeper. And for me, you know, those kind of those endurance opportunities have been that way.

14:50Hey, Craig, before we talk about the book, I want to ask you about kind of your practice today. I mean, you had a successful exit. What's your game plan now? You don't have to work, but yet here you are. What's kind of your ideal work that you've created for yourself now? So as I was decompressing and taking time off in 2022, I started thinking about, well, what's the next chapter in my life? I'm still pretty young for the most part. I'm 53. And I thought, wow, it'd be really selfish of me just to sit around and do nothing and enjoy recreation and all that. How selfish is that when I have a lot to share?

15:29So I decided, you know, I really need to define my purpose. And my purpose really going forward is to create things that inspire and empower others to help them fulfill their divine potential. That's how I phrase it. And so the book is one of those components that serves that purpose. Doing the consulting work is a component that serves that purpose. The Qigong practice is a component that helps serve that purpose. I actually even practice the energy medicine aspect of that, where I have a lot of clients that come in and see me on an ongoing basis or randomly at times, which is that's a whole other topic.

16:03But that's a part of that purpose. And I think at some point, you know, perhaps I'll I used to speak at a variety of conferences and so forth. I like to get back into speaking. So that's another component. And eventually, perhaps even build a community of some sort. But, you know, one step at a time. Yeah, right, right. Right. Yeah. Okay. So Craig, business Kung Fu. And again, if someone goes to your website, which is csquaredpro.io, you'll see a link right up at the top that says books and Amazon bestseller. And at Amazon, you can get it both in hardcover, paperback or Kindle. So who should be reading the book and what is the outcome that you would expect?

16:46You've got, by the way, very good reviews ratings on Amazon. So congrats on that. Yeah. Thank you. So it's interesting. Some of those reviews had some comments that even expand outside the audience that I was intended. But what I really geared it for was for entrepreneurs. That's the context of the book. It's my entrepreneurial journey, both all these lessons and the concept business Kung Fu. Why is it even called that in the first place? I studied Chinese Kung Fu from the age 17 to 25, really intensely. And when I started my company at age 25, I took a lot of those principles and learnings from Chinese Kung Fu and applied it to my business, how I thought about my business, how I structured things, my approach, my discipline, perseverance, mindset, really helped tremendously in running my company.

17:35And the book talks about that. It has those lessons in there and it applies how I applied it. And there's all kinds of aspects to it. And it's really at the It's a mindset book geared towards entrepreneurs so they can be inspired and empowered to overcome challenges that they face on their journey. Yeah. And so, again, the book, you can search it up on Amazon. It's called Business Kung Fu. Or, again, you can go to csquaredpro.io. When somebody, Craig, goes to your website, what would you recommend they do? If they go to the book section, they can actually download the first chapter for free. Cool.

18:13And that first chapter is really cool that it has what's called the five elements of entrepreneurship. It's a model I created based on Chinese five element theory. And, you know, again, all about balance. And it's about developing and balancing, maintaining the balance of those five elements. Those five elements real quick are passion, which leads to discipline, which leads to expertise, which leads to confidence, which leads to faith. and it's that balance of those five elements is what really carries people towards success. So I highly recommend people go download that first chapter because that's in that first chapter and check it out.

18:49If they like it, then hey, go over to Amazon. And then there's a form you can contact me in case you're interested in working with me in various ways. So yeah. Excellent. Craig Cook, again, author, speaker, consultant, advisor, the principal consultant and founder of C Squared Professional Consulting. Your website is csquaredpro.io. And the book is Business Kung Fu, Modern Strategy, Ancient Truth. Craig, thank you so much for joining us. Oh, thank you so much, Josh. It was a lot of fun and really had a great time. Thank you.

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