TMB70 - Leslie Hocker - Navigating Minefields & Mindsets: The Business of Becoming

www.LeslieHocker.com
This episode felt like a long conversation with an old friend—one who just happens to be a petroleum executive turned Pilates pioneer, NLP trainer, and deeply grounded coach.
Leslie Hocker joined me to explore the life behind the resume: what we carry, what we shed, and how we learn to walk through life’s minefields—sometimes by following, sometimes by leading. We talked about the invisible shifts that guide reinvention, the mental strength of elite athletes, and the quiet power of letting go. Leslie shared stories of launching a Pilates studio in the 1980s (decades before it was trendy), what it means to be a “recovering perfectionist,” and why declarations are more than affirmations—they’re conversations with the self.
She also offered practical insights from her years of mentoring others in business: how to coach someone who doesn’t yet feel safe dreaming, why timing is everything, and how to build a life you don’t need a vacation from.
This one is full of heart, hard-won wisdom, and deeply useful perspective for anyone in a season of growth or change. We even touched on death—not as an end, but as a compass for living fully.