My latest book, Private Equity Deals: Lessons in investing, dealmaking, and operations from private equity professionals, arrives next week. This post shares how this book came to be, a glimpse at what’s inside, and a rebuttal of common criticisms of private equity. Read Ted’s blog here.

Today’s show is quite different from our typical show. It’s an edited replay of a conversation from six years ago with Michael Mervosh, the Executive Director of the Hero’s Journey Foundation. Michael created HJF to provide experiential opportunities for human development and transformation based on Joseph Campbell’s mythic hero’s journey. A few weeks ago, I received a FaceTime call from Michael at the tail end of the annual HJF Men’s Journey in the mountains of West Virginia. He called alongside someone I didn’t know, who had listened to the podcast years ago and planted a seed that led to his participation this year. He recently retired after two decades as a partner at a very well-regarded, multi-billion-dollar equity manager. Seeing his ear-to-ear grin and expression of thanks from leading him on the journey had me wanting to share this again, in case you also find the call to the mountain at a future moment in your life. My conversation with Michael took place in the mountains of West Virginia towards the end of a hero’s journey six years ago and discusses the program, how Michael came to creating it, and life lessons across perfectionism, uncertainty, and fear. You can learn more by visiting herosjourneyfoundation.org. Learn More Follow Ted on Twitter at @tseides or LinkedIn Subscribe to the mailing list Access Transcript with Premium Membership