Episode #12 feat. John Groleau

What happens when a man realizes he’s been bumping through life like a blind cave fish, only to find that the "inner peace" he’s been praying for requires him to sit perfectly still in a 6x6 square of desert solitude?

In this twelfth episode of Follow Me to the M-R-O-P!, host Brian Mueller sits down with John Groleau for a candid conversation about his 2012 initiation in the Texas wilderness. John, a retired business owner and grandfather, shares how the stress of a 70-hour work week led him to seek a spiritual reset for the "God-hole" in his soul. He reflects on the "mind-expanding" experience of solitude and a life-altering encounter that led to a decade-long commitment to Centering Prayer.

John speaks with raw vulnerability about "coming clean" to his wife and children after realizing that his habit of treating others like "idiots" was actually a reflection of how he viewed himself. From moving beyond political "us versus them" labels to learning that it’s okay for a man to "leak from the eyes," John’s story is a grounding invitation for any man who wants to stop bumping along and start growing.

Episode Highlights

• The God-Hole: Why professional success couldn't fill the deep restlessness John felt in midlife.
• The 70% Stress Reset: How a commitment to twice-daily meditation helped John find the inner peace he had prayed for.
• Breaking the "Idiot" Cycle: Coming clean to his wife and kids about how he viewed and treated them.
• The Both/And Way: Trading judgments for empathy and "accepting others where they are in life".
• Growing or Dying: Why initiation is the necessary vision-building process for a man's "next years".

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 John Groleau 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