Oct. 22, 2024

Happiness on Your Own Terms Insights from Peter Teuscher

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Join us in this inspiring episode of Living the Dream with Curveball as we explore the profound journey of achieving happiness on your own terms with business life coach and author, Peter Teuscher. Discover how Peter overcame depression, transformed his life, and now helps others find their path to happiness. From his diverse career experiences to his impactful coaching approach, Peter shares valuable insights on mental well-being, personal growth, and leadership. Tune in to learn how to create a life aligned with your true values and aspirations!
Want to be a guest on Living the Dream with Curveball? Send Curtis Jackson a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1628631536976x919760049303001600

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00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:39.636
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Welcome, um, to the Living the Dream podcast with curveball. If you believe you can achieve Chee Chee, welcome to the Living a Dream with Curveball podcast, a show where I and a few guests that teach, motivate, and inspire. Uh, today we're going to be talking about happiness on your own terms, as I am joined by seasoned business life coach and author, Peter Torcher.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Peter says you can achieve happiness on your own terms, and his goals aligned, uh, with checklists that go beyond the superficial to where you can achieve deeper and more well meaning mental health and well being. So we're going to be talking to him about everything that he's up to in his story and his book. So, Peter, thank you so much for joining me today.

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> Peter Torcher>It's a pleasure to be with you. Thanks for having me.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Why don't you start off by telling everybody a little bit about yourself?

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> Peter Torcher>Sure. Um, well, I'm originally from Canada, but I'm living in Europe now, and I've had quite a quite. I have quite a diverse background. Was an entrepreneur in Canada.

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> Peter Torcher>Uh, my brother and I opened a business, sold it. Uh, I traveled the world, backpack for a while, ended up in Europe. I've worked in the corporate world, um, uh, managing teams, uh, and then eventually really, uh, developed my desire for coaching and helping other people, and, um, got certified as a coach.

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> Peter Torcher>And so now I work with people in all walks of life as a coach, uh, and I do leadership training for organizations to help help people become better leaders, uh, and really nurturing, uh, the talent in their organizations.

00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:13.800
> Peter Torcher>And I've written a book, uh, about happiness because it's, um, something that's, uh, accompanied me, um, for quite some time before leaving Canada. I really struggled, uh, with depression.

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> Peter Torcher>And I found the biggest change that I was able to make was by changing my beliefs and my habitual ways of thinking. And so I look at it as if I can find happiness after the challenges I've been through. I think anybody can.

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> Peter Torcher>And I'd like to, uh, support that.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, tell the listeners how, ah, you develop your desire for, uh, coaching and helping people.

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> Peter Torcher>Yeah, I think the coaching comes from as far back as when I, um, was a volunteer basketball coach in Canada, high school basketball. And, um, I had this experience with some of the students on the team who, uh, you develop a closer relationship with, and you have deeper conversations. And I found just being a mentor to them really, uh, helped them develop, and you saw these great changes, and I thought, wow, wouldn't it be great to be able to do something like this, uh, for a living, I didn't really know what, I didn't really have a sense of what coaching was other than teaching people a sport or that sort of thing. But then, uh, when I left Canada, moved to Europe, uh, I started doing some sales coaching and I got some coaching myself. Uh, and I started to really get a sense that this was something for me. So I took a few courses here and there and until finally I committed to getting certified.

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> Peter Torcher>And then, uh, that whole process, uh, and realizing that the experience that I've um, put together, uh, as well as the sort of knowledge and the personal growth, uh, um, knowledge that I've acquired was really able to help other people. And so now I'm focused on that and um, I find it super rewarding.

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> Peter Torcher>Trey.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, I know in your bio you talk about how your journey really kicked off when you face serious mental health issues and youre early thirties. So talk about that as much as you can and walk the listeners through that.

00:04:13.409 --> 00:04:56.836
> Peter Torcher>Sure. Yeah. I'm happy to share because I think, um, I'm hoping that anyone else in a similar position, um, can reach out for help because, uh, I didn't even know what depression was until I heard a public service announcement on the radio that kind of described a lot of the stuff I was going through. And it was one of these messages that was, well, if you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms, you know, seek out a mental health practitioner. And so, uh, that's what I did. I actually went, uh, to get some therapy. Initially I thought there was something broken in my head and I went to some, um, hypnotherapy to uh, I thought that could fix, uh, what was wrong in my head.

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> Peter Torcher>And anyway, I got to understand what it was and uh, sort of some of the history behind it.

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> Peter Torcher>And it turns out I was experiencing depression from childhood.

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> Peter Torcher>My first experiences, uh, from memory were when I was seven, um, in second grade.

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> Peter Torcher>And so, uh, thinking I was flawed and then going to therapy and recognizing actually I could change the way I felt, uh, and I could do, um, so by seeing the world differently, by changing some of the beliefs that were leading me to these outcomes, that only made me feel worse about myself.

00:05:34.050 --> 00:05:47.519
> Peter Torcher>Um. Uh, and so that was, it didn't happen overnight. And it certainly wasn't this growth curve upwards. It was a bit of a rollercoaster. I was up and then down, up, but it was always two, uh, steps forward, one step back.

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> Peter Torcher>But um, you put in the time and the commitment and you start to believe in yourself and you can make, uh, unbelievable changes in your life, and that's what I hope to share with other people.

00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:09.290
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, you're also a basketball coach, so tell us about that. Tell us, you know, how long you've been coaching.

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> Peter Torcher>Um, well, I coached when I was in Canada. Um, I tried to do it a bit while I was over here, but it's a time commit, I think.

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> Peter Torcher>If you can't commit to being there regularly for the people, um, that need you, uh, in that capacity, uh, I think you need to, um, I don't think you can do it halfway there. So, uh, yeah, when I was in Canada, um, I coached high school basketball for a number of years and I got certified as a basketball coach and went through that whole program, which, doing the theory part of coaching, uh, helped me, uh, give me sort of the first glimpses into how mindset can impact, uh, your performance as a player. Um, but not only that, it can impact the way you live your life and how successful you are. Um, so, yeah, I really enjoyed that. Um, and there was a couple of students, you know, you're not going to reach all of them, but those two or three students over the years that I coached that really, um, changed their life around. I think that really, uh, stuck with me. And I'm m really grateful I've had that experience to this day.

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> Peter Torcher>Um, I coached in not a really great part of Vancouver. And so you had some, you had students that came from rough backgrounds. I had one player who, who started the season late because his hand was recovering from a knife fight. And, uh, you know, and he ended up being such a, you know, he really turned around, uh, a lot of things about his life, uh, living in a foster home and so on. And I think as much as I love the game of basketball, because I played myself, uh, just, um, using basketball as this vehicle to help influence in a positive way these young men, as they were developing, was, uh, just such a rewarding experience.

00:08:06.430 --> 00:08:14.853
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, you worked as an executive in the corporate world, so now tell us, you know, kind of what you did in the corporate world before your coaching.

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> Peter Torcher>Sure, absolutely. So, uh, when I, uh, you know, as I said, I built a business in Canada. So, uh, it was very entrepreneurial.

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> Peter Torcher>And, uh, so when I came to Europe, I wasn't really quite sure what I was going to do. Um, but, uh, I ended up, um, getting hired by an international company that was, uh, just building their team in Germany at the time. And so I was able to, uh, be one of the first managers, uh, in the team. The managing director I reported to was basically, uh, someone who trusted me to um, make that contribution to the business, including sort of being part of assessment centers and developing these people and hiring the initial team. And so that was sort of the first step. And um, ended up getting recruited for other companies and so on. So that I ended up working at a level where I reported directly into at board level for uh, uh, a mid sized, uh, corporation. Um, and so it really helped me see both, uh, what it's like to be sort of a mid level manager all the way up to the way the decisions and the thinking happens at board level. So I reported to the coo of the company, uh, and it gave me some real insights for the top level of the business all the way down, and how it affects the people and how to develop a uh, positive culture, um, how to really, uh, um, hire the right people and make uh, sure they're kind of buying into a vision. All of those things were super helpful. And I took that experience and I try and pass that out package together with sort of the coaching knowledge and the understanding of how to manage, um, change in organizations and also help individuals through a change process.

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> Peter Torcher>And all of that corporate experience really helped me there.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, tell the listeners about your book, tell us where we can get it and tell us what we can expect when we read it and why you decide to write it.

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> Peter Torcher>Um, yeah, well, writing the book was, I really felt I had um, a lot to give, especially considering I didn't talk about my experience with depression for a long time. It's stigmatized. And it's only sort of recently since bringing out the book that I've talked more openly about it because I think it can value, other, uh, people can get value from it. But for me, um, I hear a lot of people that come to me for coaching, uh, some people will come to me and say, look, I went to university, I've got the partner, I've got the career, maybe they even have a family. And they say, but I'm still not happy. So they've checked all these boxes that society tells you is going to make you happy and still you feel like there's something missing because you've kind of done it on other people's terms or you've followed this prescription of what other people think, uh, should make you happy.

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> Peter Torcher>And I think happiness is a very individual thing, but it's also not this goal that you reach. It's something you can experience in every moment of the day. Uh, and that's something when you've been in a dark place from your mental state, uh, I think when you contrast that to being happy, uh, and joyful on a regular basis, I'm not happy 100% of the time. I have my ups and downs, but I think that's what makes me appreciate it even more. I encourage people to see happiness as this feedback that life gives you. So, based on the choices you're making and the actions you're taking or the way you're seeing the world. So if you're feeling happy, it's like this inner guidance system that's telling you, okay, either the way I'm seeing the world is off kilter, or the choices, uh, and actions I'm taking are leading me away from the happiness I want, or it's distracting me from what I really want. And when that's all based on your core values, uh, and principles and inner needs, then the feedback of happiness will be there far more in your life.

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> Peter Torcher>And that's my philosophy, that's my approach. Uh, and for people who are looking to executives who are super successful, uh, but aren't happy because they're just under tons of pressure and they're going from one milestone in one achievement to the next, I love working with those people, too, because I help bring more balance into their life. That's what the book will do. And it's set up as a coaching book because at the end of, uh, all but one chapter, there's a list of questions so that people can. Because coaching is all about asking the right questions so you can. It's sort of meant to help coach yourself through a lot of these things and to create a set of beliefs that support your success and happiness, rather than standing in the way.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Well, tell us about any kind of upcoming projects that you're working on that listeners need to be aware of.

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> Peter Torcher>Um, well, I have the ongoing. I've been doing a lot of these podcasts, which is great, but I'm working on getting the book out there. But other than that, it's my day to day, uh, working with people to help them find the best version, uh, of themselves, helping them find their own potential.

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> Peter Torcher>What I have recently started doing since, uh, last year is getting back to working with young people. So I've been.

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> Peter Torcher>I've been actually coaching 16 to 20 year olds, uh, who are open for coaching to help them find their potential at a young age. But, um, I write a blog every week. If people are interested in this kind of information, you can check, uh, out my blog. It's on my website, peterteutscher.com. and the last name is spelled t.

00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:16.750
> Peter Torcher>E u s c h e r. Um, so, yeah, people can read my blog. I'm passionate about writing. Um, and, uh, yeah, once the book has kind of run its course, I've got another one in the pipeline that I want to write next year.

00:14:18.490 --> 00:14:24.498
> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>Okay, well, you answered my question about throwing out your contact information, petertosher.com.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>so close us out with some final thoughts. Maybe if that was something I forgot to talk about that you would like to touch on, or any final thoughts you have for the listeners.

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> Peter Torcher>Yeah, I think the message I often like to leave people with is, um, um, remember not to believe everything you think. We think thousands and thousands of thoughts every day, and sometimes we. We take them as gospel, as the truth, and, uh, uh, and they. They can be very negative and get us down. And I think when you, um, um, look at the thoughts you have and ask, you know, is this useful for me? Is this true? Um, um, and, and you ask those kind of questions, you can discern between, you know, the helpful thoughts that you have on a daily basis, uh, and the ones that are really holding you back. So don't believe everything you think.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>All right, ladies and gentlemen, Peter torscher.com. please be sure to check him out. Follow, uh, rate review share this episode to as many people as possible. Check out his book jump on your favorite podcast app. Give us a follow a review share the show if you have any guests or suggestion topics, Curtis Jackson, 1978 is the best place to send them. Thank you for listening and supporting the show. And Peter, thank you for joining me, and thank you for all that you do.

00:15:40.990 --> 00:15:43.129
> Peter Torcher>Thanks for having me, Curtis. It's been a pleasure.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>For more information on the living the Dream podcast, visit www.djcurvefall.com.

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> Curtis Jackson (also known as DJ Curveball)>until next time, stay focused on living the dream. Dream.