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As an outdoorsy, adventurous professional man, you’ve worked hard to build a successful career. But despite your achievements, you feel trapped on a corporate hamster wheel – chronically stressed, unfulfilled and burning out. You worry you’re missing out on the life you really want.
Deep down, you know there has to be a better way. A way to excel in your career while also feeling energized, inspired and lit up by your work. A way to integrate your adventurous spirit into a professional life that feels true to you.
These are the exact outcomes this neuroscience and research-based system achieves like clockwork.
You know how to feel alive and free in the mountains, now let’s bring that side of you into the rest of life.
Chris Strouthopoulos is an Ivy League educated Professor, Himalayan mountain guide, and TEDx speaker passionate about helping men overcome inner barriers to create professional and personal breakthroughs.
Chris’ coaching skills have been recognized by Forbes, which selected him as a member of the elite Forbes Coaches Council. Through his coaching company Ascent Empowerment, Chris enables outdoorsy men to harness the passion, purpose and clarity they feel in nature and integrate it into their careers and relationships.
Chris draws from over 25 years of experience leading transformative personal growth programs. Whether it’s a CEO scaling their company, a student preparing for final exams, or a climber tackling a Himalayan peak, he’s noticed the same limits holding people back: self-doubt, fear of failure, and fear of judgment.
Highlights of Chris’ diverse background include pioneering first ski descents in Alaska, climbing Yosemite’s El Capitan, and organizing solar service projects for Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. He’s taught mountaineering and leadership courses for Outward Bound and San Juan College, where he co-created a student success program that raised the average GPA across the entire campus by over half a letter grade.
Chris believes the most rewarding work is contribution. He aspires to help others recognize and harness their own potential, so they can thrive professionally while living with passion and purpose. He balances his professional and outdoor accomplishments with honoring his most important roles- husband and father.
“Even though I knew I was blessed with a great job I still didn’t feel successful. For whatever reason I was telling myself I wasn’t good enough. I was carrying a whole lot of weight. Negative thoughts and self-talk. Allowing myself to get caught up in other people’s opinions of me. Now, using the Empowered Identity Method, my kids, my marriage, my job, even what I do in my free time- everything has improved.”
“I’m celebrating a bunch of wins. I started biking to work a few weeks ago. It had been a few years since I had a regular biking routine, and I was always making excuses. One of the main challenges I shared with Chris was being totally burnt out after work and so tired I would just go to sleep. Now I’ve got energy to do things at home I enjoy (or also chores and yard work). I also went on three dates, which were great (first time I have been on a date in years). I felt relaxed and myself. In the past, I feel like I would date or meet people to just validate my ego. But this time I was authentic and felt a spark.”
Use my experiential system that’s grounded in neuroscience, cutting edge psychology, and years of helping men transcend fears in the mountains.
Band-aids be damned! Take a look under the hood, go deep, and create transformation that lasts.
Rebalance, take control, rediscover confidence, and finally find serenity in a fast-paced world.
“I was in a place where I was really beginning to doubt myself and my abilities. I went from thinking I was on my way out at work to having a big annual review and my boss telling me how much he values me. Recruiters are calling me with really interesting and exciting opportunities. Opportunities that I might not have had the confidence to go after a year ago and now I’m going after them. I’m realizing all the dreams I thought were unattainable.”
“I’ve broken free of my desk. Let me be clear, I’ve worked remotely for 15 years. But I had this mentality that I had to sit at my desk for 6-8 hours a day and if I left whether to run and errand or pick up my kids from school, I had this feeling of guilt. It was like I was abandoning my post and would get caught skipping school. Not anymore. Today I rode my mountain bike right in the middle of the day and worked from the trailhead. I didn’t miss a beat at work. When the guilty feeling popped up, I used BGCA and it went away because I was able to ground, embrace my emotions, and get back to riding. I conquered a technical trail I’ve been trying for a year! I came back to work, knocked a meeting out of the park, contributed, and was in flow. I didn’t feel like a lazy, out-of-shape, middle aged dude stuck at his desk. I felt awesome and ready + willing to do more work. This is “Unleashed Phil!” Friday I’m working remotely from my camper up at the lake and going to get a paddle in. The world is my oyster and I’m taking off the chains, the leashes, and living in a way I want that’s inspiring to my kids. No more waiting for the weekend to do anything!”
You can trust us!
We can help you reach multiple summits in your personal and professional life. How high do you want to climb?
You’ll understand what triggers your disempowered thoughts, emotions, and actions. You’ll become less reactive to life’s triggers, more self-aware of what’s happening, and have the toolbox to quickly turn things around.
Let me be 100% clear though. There are no rainbows and unicorns.
You will have bad days and tough times. Anyone who promises or suggests otherwise is lying to you. As long as you’re breathing life will present challenges. We can’t make them go away. What we can do, however, is teach you how to flip the ratio of good and bad days so feeling good is increasingly your default mode. Guys report that, using this toolbox, life’s dips are radically shorter, shallower, and less frequent.
As a member of the Ascent Community, you will be invited to Spring and Fall retreats, which are a great way to stay plugged in.
For those who aspire for even more from their personal and professional lives, we offer the continuation program called Living an Empowered Life. For more information watch the video in the section above called “Your Ascent Journey: Climbing to 14k and Beyond.”
After completing Creating an Empowered Life, for those who aspire for more from their professional and personal lives, we offer advanced continuation programs called Living an Empowered Life.
We answer the question, “A year from now, when you stay on this upward trajectory, who could you become and what would that person’s life look and feel like?”
For more information watch the video in the section above called “Your Ascent Journey: Climbing to 14k and Beyond.”
Stop the ruminating thoughts and worries swirling around your head without having to drive to a trailhead
Break free from the daily grind and reignite your professional passion
Free yourself of the dread, stress, and overwhelm draining your energy
Align your work with your values, strengths and lifestyle priorities
Become the engaged, inspiring leader your team needs
Create an energizing career path and life that light you up