Episode #38 feat. Brad Pickel

What happens when a highly successful, workaholic D.C. lobbyist realizes his career can no longer be his entire spiritual journey?

In this thirty-eighth episode of Follow Me to the M-R-O-P!, host Brian Mueller sits down with Brad Pickel, an Enneagram 3, coastal scientist, and the former administrator for Illuman from 2014 to 2021. Brad shares his journey to the "Rainy MROP" of 2011 in Rolling Ridge, West Virginia—the very last rites of passage led by Richard Rohr. He discusses sweeping out stinkbugs from his uninsulated cabin, the fear of losing his marriage if the rites changed him too much, and his wife Leslie's beautiful, loving response to his anxiety.

Episode Highlights

• The Rainy MROP: Brad recalls the muddy, stinkbug-filled, 100-man initiation in West Virginia, and how the challenging weather mirrored his internal path of descent.
• Healing the Father Wound: Brad discusses letting go of his attachments and finding the grace to see his estranged, dying father simply as a broken man.
• The Yellow Eyes in the Woods: A powerful story from his nature solo, and how Brad's relationship with the "wild" shifted from a feeling of strict discipline to an invitation to wander freely.
• A Call to Service: What it was like to serve as Illuman's first administrator, fielding desperate emails from hungry men and honoring the profound vulnerability of the brotherhood.

Links & Resources

• Brad Pickel (Guest)
• Brian Mueller (Host)
• BriansPoems.com
• Illuman MROP
• Choosing Presence (Sponsor)
• Practicing Presence App
• The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr
• Adam's Return by Richard Rohr
• Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr
• Trust Stillness by Brian Mueller

Credits

• First and foremost, thank you to Brad Pickel 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.

Music Credits:

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