Episode #7 feat. Bill Weber

What happens when a man reaches the "corporate mountaintop," only to realize the air is thin and he can’t quite catch his breath ?

In this seventh episode of Follow Me to the M-R-O-P!, host Brian Mueller sits down with Bill Weber for an insightful look at his 2011 initiation in the Catskills of New York. Bill, an Enneagram 3 who spent decades in a high-powered corporate career, shares how he spent five years trying to find five days to dedicate to his soul. He discusses the transition from "retiring" to "rewiring" and how the rites provided the spiritual reset he didn't even know he was desperate for.

Bill reflects on the shift from being purely cerebral and "left-brained" to embracing the "right-brained" wisdom of the heart and body. He speaks candidly about how the "equanimity" he gained helped him navigate life’s major "gut-kicks"—including a battle with cancer, an unwanted divorce, and a sudden job loss after 34 years. Bill’s story is a powerful reminder that the most important work happens when we stop performing and start being.

Episode Highlights

• The Thin Air of Success: Why reaching a VP role felt lonelier than expected and sparked a midlife search for meaning.
• Cerebral to Soulful: Moving from a "thinking-side" approach to wisdom to a "feeling-side" connection with the spirit.
• Ritual Made Corporal: How the MROP took Bill’s Catholic roots and made grace something he could actually feel.
• Rewiring for Life's "Gut-Kicks": Using the lessons of the rites to face cancer, divorce, and unemployment with resilience.
• The Father-Son Connection: The profound experience of attending an Illuman gathering with his 25-year-old son.

Links & Resources

• Choosing Presence (Sponsor): https://choosingpresence.org
• Practicing Presence App: https://choosingpresence.org/app
• Illuman MROP page: https://illuman.org/mrop
• Adam's Return by Richard Rohr: https://amzn.to/3PzVESH
• Falling Upward by Richard Rohr: https://amzn.to/4uUM64P
• Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr: https://amzn.to/47qLNVp
• Host: https://brianmueller.com

Credits

• First and foremost, thank you to Bill Weber for sharing his journey and his heart with us today.
• Thank you to Fr. Richard Rohr and the men of Illuman who have stewarded the Men’s Rites of Passage since 1996.
• Thank you to Jim Heaney and Jim Taylor for their dedication to Choosing Presence.

Music Credits:

• Slow Mo Dreams by Soundroll
• Becoming a Legend by Vens Adams