Symbolism and Story – with Benedict Corkery

DESCRIPTION This week's adventure is taken in the company of Benedict Corkery, a podcaster whose life and circumstances are so familiar to Taylor it’s like having a conversation with a younger version of himself. Along with his brother and a friend, he is the founder of the Protagonist Podcast which explores how to become the hero in your own story. Ben is passionate about alternative education and in this conversation he and Taylor talk about ‘life as metaphor’, ‘the root of symbolism’ and how our lives continue to unfold even with these conversations. He’s a founding member of The Society for a Wandering Mind noting the words of Tolkein, who said: “Not all those who wander are lost”. KEY TAKEAWAYS We’ve not totally lost symbolism in today’s stories, but I think it’s something that’s more easily identifiable in older stories. I think we need to look back sometimes as it can be helpful and meaningful for us.There was a point where I was pretty down and anxious in my early 20s and wasn’t getting a whole lot done, getting out much or even thinking clearly to make plans. But, deciding to go for a walk in the morning when you wake up is a very simple thing you can do and make happen and can ground you in a very small way.A lot of people don’t think of literature as a practical degree, but that’s the way I approached it. I wasn’t interested in writing techniques at the time, I was interested in myths and narratives and saw them as tools that I could apply to life.I realised that I wasn’t looking to land a secure job as a teacher, I wanted to focus on my side-interests. I wanted to teach kids to trust themselves and pursue their interests and to build their lives, but I felt like a fake because I wasn’t living that truth.As I’ve been working on stuff and trying to make sense of it myself, there’s a pattern of stages of what people go through, a healing, realising and confronting that we’re not on the path we want to be on, this leads into cultivation where we work out what our talents are, which then leads to a building stage where we use our creativity and final to sharing where we build a relationship or community which leads you back to the healing process again. BEST MOMENTS ‘Stories are a way of making sense of things and contextualising ourselves within our own story.’ ‘The answer is in the walking.’ ‘Narratives, metanarratives and archetypes are real and are powerful ways of conceptualising our world, our personal situation, where we’ve come from and where we’re headed.’ ‘Stories can also be scary and uncertain.’ ‘You almost don’t get a choice, you’re pulled to share your creative journey and your story with others. It becomes a duty.’ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Adventures Of Self Instagram Facebook ABOUT THE GUEST Ben Corkery is a writer, podcaster, and enjoys helping people get unstuck. He thinks we need more creativity in the world and believes lifestyle changes are the way to go. He used lifestyle changes to drastically improve hi mental health and started leaning more into his creativity. He is passionate about this process and it is his mission to share it with others. We all get stuck, we all end up in dead ends, but it’s what you do next that matters. Ben spent $20K to become a formal teacher only to discover how messed up conventional education is. He got really depressed only to find that his doctor couldn't help him. He didn't fit into a career so he started building his own. Ben loves talking about topics such as healing with food and lifestyle: specifically low carb, ketogenic, and carnivore diets, side hustles, alternative education, creativity, and self-improvement.​ ABOUT THE HOST Taylor Roark is the founder of Galliant Trainings, which guides and facilitates individuals and organisations in Creative Purpose. He has worked variously as a school bus driver, a blacksmith, a Wall Street lawyer and a developer of offshore wind farms. He has lived on 3 continents, travelled to more than 50 countries and currently resides in London, England. Taylor is a keen cyclist, an amateur photographer, an alchemical writer, a weekend DJ and a Taoist at heart. He chooses to live life as a mythical adventure. “The adventure you seek in life is yourself!” CONTACT METHOD Website LinkedIn InstagramInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.adventures.of.self/This show was brought to you by Progressive Media