Episode Details

A single phrase from a previous episode sent Eric into an existential tailspin, and reshaped how he thinks about organizational identity. In this episode, Eric and Jonathan unpack why "Who are we becoming?" hits harder than any strategic planning question, how it works as a daily filter for every decision you make, and why the social impact sector needs to be asking it right now.

Episode Highlights:

[00:01:30] The phrase that triggered an existential crisis 
[00:02:00] Why "becoming" reframes identity, not just strategy 
[00:05:00] Who is Cosmic becoming? 
[00:05:30] The follow-up: "What would I do differently if I were already that?" 
[00:07:00] Every decision is a vote for who you're becoming 
[00:09:00] What happens when you don't choose who you're becoming

Notable Quotes: 

[00:05:30]: "The next question that I ask myself is, 'Well, what would I do differently if I were already that?' And that's where I think it becomes extremely powerful." Eric Ressler

[00:06:55]: "Every action I take, every decision I make as an individual is sort of a vote for who I'm becoming." Jonathan Hicken

[00:09:30]: "If you don't have a clear sense of who you want to become, you are inevitably going to become someone else's version of you." Eric Ressler

Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. New episodes every Tuesday.

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