“Life is a process of ailing and transformation.” —Mike Foster According to best-selling author, speaker and entrepreneur Mike Foster, he’s in the emotional fitness business. Although he has a positive disposition, he has experienced pain, shame and guilt in his past. By working through his pain, he discovered a deeper level of understanding and compassion for others, which helped him help other leaders. In this Takeover Tuesday episode, Mike Foster shares his story, including the experiences that changed his life. He shares how to use negative experiences to heal, why it’s vital to integrate the positive and the negative into our lives in order to achieve transparency, the importance of self-care and why it’s vital to accept our emotions. He also offers his tips to help you start the day with a positive perspective and outlines strategies to help others work through their challenges.   Inspirational quotes from today’s interview: “I get to lean in with people and help them with their not-so-perfect stories.” — Mike Foster “We learn how life works and how to respond to life when we’re young.” — Mike Foster “Many parts of our stories land like a big thud; what do you do with that?” — Mike Foster “Life is a process of ailing and transformation.” — Mike Foster “I don’t believe in closure. I believe in openings. These are openings to new levels of understanding, compassion and empathy and we’re constantly doing the work within us.” — Mike Foster “When I can integrate the light and the dark in my life, I live a life of integrity.” — Mike Foster “Pain and our past create a fog and mystery and it’s hard for us to deal with deeper things because they’re scrambled. When you write things down, your clarity increases.” — Mike Foster “In leadership, we’re the ones processing and helping others work through their problems. We’re not in a position where we can talk to people about our stuff.” — Mike Foster “Self-care is not selfish, self-care is strategic.” — Mike Foster “Be who you are; how you were created and designed to be.” — Mike Foster “One of the worst things to die with is unused possibility and potential.” — Mike Foster   Mentioned in the episode: People of the Second Chance by Mike Foster Fun Therapy — Mike Foster’s podcast Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self by Richard Rohr Ragamuffin Gospel by Brannan Manning   Connect with Brian Buffini http://www.brianbuffini.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brianbuffini Twitter: https://twitter.com/brianbuffini Buffini Show Insiders: http://www.thebrianbuffinishow.com/insiders Love what you heard? Share it with your friends! http://bit.ly/BrianBuffiniShow Click here to buy our Podcast theme music, “The Cliffs of Moher” by Brogue Wave. http://www.broguewave.com http://www.facebook.com/broguewave