Marie is recording this one from a pink house in Sequim on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with ocean out every window and a ten-year-old Jack Sparrow jumping off rocks on their own private beach. She's in full August mode — off, on the road, and completely in it with her kids.

But she's got a story from the road that's too good not to share. Because what started as a 10-hour drive that turned into a 16-hour day — with four hours of dead-stopped traffic, an electric car and two kids in the backseat — which turned into the best day of the whole trip. And the reason why is exactly what she teaches inside the Moxie.

Problems aren't a sign that something's gone wrong. They're the whole point.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why the sweet spot of growth — in business, in health, in relationships, in any idea you're making real — lives inside the problems, not around them
• How design thinking's iterative cycle maps perfectly onto real life: test, see what breaks, redesign, try again — and why that's exactly what you want
• The story of the Hell's Kitchen cast party, four hours of dead-stopped traffic, a mountain pass through golden oak-covered hills, and why Marie's kids called it the best day of the whole trip
• How you talk to yourself about a problem the moment it hits — and why that internal conversation determines everything about the experience you're about to have
• Why pushing into the yellow zone of slight discomfort over and over is what grows your capacity — and why staying in the green zone of comfort actually shrinks it
• Why every obstacle is just a strategy waiting to happen — and how collaborative problem solving creates bonding, adventure, and insights you never would have found without the problem
• What it means to say yes to wild, ridiculous ideas on purpose — so that you get to have beautiful, creative problems arise that your brain gets to solve
• The reflection question for this week: when you hear the word "problem," do you think this is bad — or do you think this is exactly what I want?

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
• Hell's Kitchen — the Alicia Keys musical (go see it!)
• The Moxie Mastermind — where iteration, problem solving, and making ideas real is the whole game
• The Misogi goal — your six-month goal for adventure and personal aliveness alongside your contribution goal

A couple of spots still open in the September Moxie Mastermind cohort. Apply at dothebloom.com/moxie-mastermind-form

How to connect with Marie:

• On the Web | The Local Bloom
• Instagram: @the.bloom.coach
• All Things Marie on LinkTree

JOIN THE BLOOM ROOM!
We'll take all these ideas and apply them to our lives. Follow me on Instagram at @the.bloom.coach to learn more and snag a spot in my group coaching program!