Episode 82
82. Step 6: The Integration - Turning Insight Into Identity (6 of 6 in the Cool Change Method™ Series)
In this final episode of the Cool Change Method™ series, Chuck Allen dives deep into Step 6: The Integration. This isn't about completion—it's about living fully into the transformations you've made and continually evolving your identity in everyday life.
Chuck shares a powerful story about his encounter with Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot, and reflects on the power of continually leaning forward, staying curious, and keeping your dreams bigger than your memories.
Key Takeaways:
- Integration means continually evolving—embracing the journey, not just the destination.
- Practical ways to notice and honor your personal growth.
- Techniques to consciously apply your insights and new identity in daily scenarios.
- How integration can be joyful, playful, and deeply satisfying.
- The role of community in supporting your integration journey.
Action Step: Take a moment this week to consciously visualize and rehearse showing up as your new self in a specific scenario. Notice and celebrate your growth.
Quote to Remember:
“When your memories outweigh your dreams, the end is near.” (source: Andy Stanley)
Resources:
- Website: coolchangelifedesign.com
- Follow on Instagram @chuckallen
- and TikTok: @coolchangechuck
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who's navigating their own transition. Together, we grow better.
Keep practicing. Keep becoming. Keep living intentionally.
Transcript
Hey, friends.
Speaker A:Welcome to Cool Change.
Speaker A:This is the podcast for people who are ready to live with more clarity, more creativity and intention.
Speaker A:I'm Chuck Allen and I created this show for folks who feel the stirrings of change, not just on the surface, but deep down.
Speaker A:Whether you're navigating a career shift, a relationship transition, a reinvention of self, or just a quiet sense that something needs to shift, you're in the right place.
Speaker A:Each episode I share reflections, real life stories, and practical tools to help you move forward.
Speaker A:Not in a performative hustle, harder kind of way.
Speaker A:God, no.
Speaker A:But in a way that actually feels true.
Speaker A:I've spent decades coaching high functioning humans through major life transitions.
Speaker A:And I believe that the richest transformations happen when we stop performing and we start aligning.
Speaker A:So if you're asking deeper questions, if you want your outer life to match your inner truth, and if you're curious about what's possible when you live on purpose, then this space is for you.
Speaker A:Let's get into it.
Speaker A:If you're just joining us, you're landing at the end of a journey.
Speaker A:But not to worry, you can go back and catch the whole arc anytime.
Speaker A:The Cool Change method is something I've developed over years of helping people navigate identity level transitions.
Speaker A:Whether you're shifting careers, relationships, roles, or even how you see yourself, this framework is designed to help you make that shift with clarity, courage, and creativity.
Speaker A:It unfolds in six steps.
Speaker A:There's the stirring, the mirror, the disruption, the design, the practice, and the integration.
Speaker A:And today, we're talking about what it means to live into the change that you've created.
Speaker A:Not just to decide, not just to practice, but to become.
Speaker A:So let's take a moment and revisit where we've been.
Speaker A:And if you're just joining us on this episode for the first time, I would suggest you pause, stop, and go Back to episode 77.
Speaker A:That's the first in the series.
Speaker A:And that's step one, the stirring.
Speaker A:And this was the beginning.
Speaker A:The whisper, the ache, that quiet sense that something needed to change.
Speaker A:Not because everything was falling apart, but because something inside you knew it wasn't right anymore.
Speaker A:You couldn't unknow it.
Speaker A:The stirring is less about clarity and more about discomfort.
Speaker A:This is what wakes you up.
Speaker A:And then step two, episode 78, the Mirror.
Speaker A:This is where you made the decision to stop coasting, to stop pretending that you were fine.
Speaker A:You started telling the truth, at least to yourself.
Speaker A:You looked inward, not outward.
Speaker A:You stopped blaming other people or your circumstances.
Speaker A:And in doing so, you took back your Power.
Speaker A:The mirror is not about breaking everything.
Speaker A:It's about seeing clearly the pattern that kept you stuck.
Speaker A:And then step three, the disruption.
Speaker A:Here you got curious, not just about what you wanted to fix, but what you actually wanted.
Speaker A:What would it look like to disrupt your default patterns and assumptions?
Speaker A:You started asking better questions.
Speaker A:You created new definitions of success.
Speaker A:You named your values.
Speaker A:And you began to imagine a life where what matters most isn't pushed to the edges.
Speaker A:And then step four, the design.
Speaker A:And this was your turning point.
Speaker A:The threshold.
Speaker A:You drew a line in the sand and said, no.
Speaker A:More of that and more of this.
Speaker A:You gave yourself permission.
Speaker A:Maybe it was a bold move.
Speaker A:Maybe it was a quiet commitment.
Speaker A:Either way, you stopped dabbling.
Speaker A:You decided intentionally what your new path would be.
Speaker A:And then step five, the practice.
Speaker A:And this is where it gets real.
Speaker A:Where intention meets repetition.
Speaker A:It's brushing your teeth with the opposite hand.
Speaker A:It's saying no when you're used to saying yes.
Speaker A:It's the awkward beginning of a better habit.
Speaker A:You practiced showing up as the new version of yourself, even when no one noticed.
Speaker A:Especially when no one noticed.
Speaker A:And now we're here.
Speaker A:Step six, the integration.
Speaker A:Integration isn't about completion.
Speaker A:It's not a diploma or a check mark or a victory lap.
Speaker A:It's not the end of the journey.
Speaker A:Ironically, it's the beginning of living it.
Speaker A:You've changed, but the world around you hasn't.
Speaker A:You're re entering familiar environments with unfamiliar eyes.
Speaker A:And that makes everything feel different.
Speaker A:So let's get into that.
Speaker A:Let me share a quick story.
Speaker A:A while back, I had the opportunity to sit next to Bernie Marcus, the co founder of the Home Depot, at dinner.
Speaker A:Now, years earlier, when I was young and just starting out as a management training specialist, Bernie had visited one of my classes, and I'd kept a photo from that day.
Speaker A:And when we got to meet again decades later, I showed him this picture at dinner.
Speaker A:Bernie smiles, genuinely proud, not just of our shared past, but of all that his company had made possible.
Speaker A:But here's what struck me the most.
Speaker A:That brief look back lasted maybe five minutes.
Speaker A:And then the rest of our conversation was all about what had come next.
Speaker A:Here he was at over 80 years old, billionaire many times over.
Speaker A:He spent the whole evening passionately sharing his work with autism advocacy with veterans recovering from PTSD and spinal injuries.
Speaker A:This guy had achieved incredible success, and yet his eyes were still fixed firmly ahead, always learning, always curious, always integrating new knowledge and purpose into his daily life.
Speaker A:And, you know, eventually it hit me that integration isn't about arrival.
Speaker A:It's about continually leaning forward.
Speaker A:It's less rear view mirror, way more windshield, less memory, more dream.
Speaker A:It reminds me of a powerful saying that I come back to over and over again.
Speaker A:And it goes like this.
Speaker A:When your memories outweigh your dreams, the end is near.
Speaker A:When your memories outweigh your dreams, the end is near.
Speaker A:I keep coming back to that because it's a good reminder.
Speaker A:Integration is about keeping our dreams heavier than our memories and our curiosity more compelling than our comfort.
Speaker A:Here's something practical that you can do right now.
Speaker A:Just take a moment to write down three ways that you've noticed yourself showing up differently recently.
Speaker A:Maybe you're more patient with your partner, more curious in your conversations, or simply maybe more energized about your day.
Speaker A:Acknowledge these shifts.
Speaker A:Celebrate them.
Speaker A:Because integration thrives when we notice and we honor our growth.
Speaker A:So let's take it a step further.
Speaker A:Imagine a scenario in the next week where you can consciously apply your new identity or a new insight.
Speaker A:Visualize exactly how you'll show up differently.
Speaker A:Feel the excitement, anticipation and even the joy of that moment ahead of time.
Speaker A:Because by rehearsing it mentally, you're priming yourself for successful integration in real time.
Speaker A:Integration can, and I think probably should be pleasurable.
Speaker A:Seeing ourselves showing up differently can be genuinely exciting.
Speaker A:Feeling that we've grown and experiencing that viscerally can be exhilarating.
Speaker A:I mean, yeah, this is work, but in a greater sense it's play.
Speaker A:It's an invitation to not take ourselves too seriously.
Speaker A:To experiment, to enjoy this amazing one shot opportunity that we call life.
Speaker A:Life isn't just meant to be managed, it's meant to be savored.
Speaker A:So as we close this series, let's not think of it as an ending.
Speaker A:Instead, see it as a stepping into a way of living intentionally and fully, with our eyes open, always looking ahead.
Speaker A:Because in the end, the most rewarding changes aren't those we just talk about.
Speaker A:They're the ones that we actually live.
Speaker A:Thanks for being here.
Speaker A:Thank you for listening.
Speaker A:Not just with your ears, but with your heart.
Speaker A:Until next time, keep practicing.
Speaker A:Keep becoming eyes forward through the windshield.
Speaker A:Let's keep going.
Speaker A:Hey, if this episode resonated with you or helped clarify something that you've been feeling, consider sharing it with someone else who's navigating their own cool change.
Speaker A:This journey isn't meant to be traveled alone.
Speaker A:We grow better together.
Speaker A:For more resources, insights and support, visit coolchangelifedesign.com or connect with me on the socials.
Speaker A:I'll see you on the path.
