#77 - Sovereign Self 101: Building Inner Agency in a Noisy World with John Honeycutt

Ryan sits down with mentor, writer, and transformational-coach John Honeycutt to untangle why so many high-achievers “do everything right” yet still feel stuck. They examine the difference between personal development (outer life upgrades) and self-development (inner stage growth), how true power emerges from softening instead of bracing, and why mastery actually begins when we’re willing to become beginners again.

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📚 Resources & Links

• John’s Substack – The Sovereign Self
  https://johnmhoneycutt1.substack.com

• John’s Coaching Site (archived)
  https://highestlifedesign.com

• Books mentioned

  • The Courage to Be – Paul Tillich

  • The Tao Te Ching (Stephen Mitchell translation)

  • Bhagavad Gita

  • Tesseract metaphor (Gestalt & integral models)

00:00 – 00:45 Ryan frames the episode & introduces today’s mentor-guest
00:45 – 02:25 Who is John Honeycutt? 30-year tech career → transformational coach & writer
02:25 – 06:00 Journey map: evangelical roots → psychedelics → large-group trainings → coaching
06:00 – 09:30 State change vs Stage growth — why weekend “highs” don’t last
09:30 – 14:00 The Tesseract Model: Life-axis (outer upgrades) vs Self-axis (inner upgrades)
14:00 – 18:30 Courage • Mastery • Surrender — John pauses a thriving practice to write *The Sovereign Self*
18:30 – 23:00 Productivity myth-bust — Ryan’s first coaching call that flipped his goals
23:00 – 29:00 Hard power vs Soft power — forcing goals vs adaptable strength
29:00 – 34:00 Redefining success: alignment & impact over vanity metrics
34:00 – 40:30 Writing as spiritual practice — finding a vulnerable yet precise voice
40:30 – 47:00 Empathy drought — how othering mirrors self-alienation
47:00 – 57:00 Practical takeaways: needs, values, “begin-again” mastery, authenticity drills
57:00 – End Where to find John online, Ryan’s reflection questions, closing CTA