An Introduction to High Performance

Performance Alchemy is a brand, and Inner Work is a unique method I use to support high performing professionals to reach unimagined heights in their lives. When coaching, speaking, or consulting, I help those who search for excellence take their mental game to the next level through Inner Work.

My audience consists of those I call “High Performers”, or simply HPs. High Performers come in all types, shapes, and sizes and are found across all career paths. The differentiating factor for someone to qualify as an HP is their constant search for excellence and personal development. This search for excellence (mastery) is the trait that drives them to adopt something as hard but rewarding, such as an Inner Work regimen that works for them.  

Put concisely, the Inner Work process takes High Performers from good to great - in their work, in their homes, and in their personal lives. Ultimately, this leads to a fulfilling life many can only imagine.

This blog series covers the many concepts and mixtures of Inner Work, how it is meaningfully changing people’s lives, and best practices to bring it into your own life. However, the concepts and blends included are only some ways to do this work. It would be impossible to cover them all. 

What is Inner Work?

There are many ways to interpret the term Inner Work, so part of this series is explaining the combinations and contributing concepts that make up my blend. At its core, Inner Work is that work we use to balance the spirit. Some call it spiritual practice. The way I define spirit is “the programming that runs the human experience.” It includes, but is not limited to, the intellect, natural responses to stress, psychology, religious beliefs,education and more.  

The easiest way for me to convey it is this: if you remove the spirit from the body, it collapses into a pile of skin and bones. When we balance the various parts of the spirit, we operate much closer to our true, authentic selves. And in today’s world, the journey to find authenticity is tremendous and highly sought after. My research shows that one of the most searched phrases of 2023 was how to be more authentic (and similar versions). This is the reason for my work and for bringing this blog series to life and into your digital lives.

The Connection Between Inner Work and High Performance

Going beyond a High Performer, is a higher performer - a person who operates as their true, authentic self at work, at home, and in their personal lives, while living life in accordance with their true purpose or calling. So who are these higher performers? And what drives them?

The question above lays out the high points of the connection of Inner Work and performance. Many professionals suffer from being “stuck” in some part of their lives. This “stuckness” is a result of the competing pull of their various obligations, their work-life balance, and their dreams - along with their true purpose. They pull in opposite directions, too, leaving the person stuck, not being able to see either one clearly enough through their fears and complexes to act. Inner Work is the process of going in and finding the metaphorical “pack” we carry around, the one holding the “rocks” that weigh us down. And the weight of this pack is often so heavy that most of us are fighting to stay above water, much less thriving in high performance jobs while balancing our loved ones and other personal relationships.  

Inner Work uses a host of interlocking concepts proven to identify the rocks in the pack, which are the blocks to our performance. We can’t drop the rocks until we know that they are there. We need to know what they are, how big they are, and assurance that we will be okay if we gather the bravery to put the rocks down.  

Once we identify the rocks, how they are affecting us, and what life could look like when we drop the rocks, the Inner Work coaching process moves us to action. It’s important to note that there is a large difference between this process and traditional therapy or life coaching. Inner Work is a process of openness, accountability and action. It is the action that sets Inner Workers apart in their results.

Practical Framework

This blog will be set up as a series of a series. So don’t be overwhelmed just yet. As mentioned above, there are many concepts that can be used for the purpose of Inner Work. These concepts interlock for the benefit of the Inner Worker, as they go through different stages of the journey in different orders. The series will highlight the overall process of Inner Work and the most popular combinations used, but it will also break those processes down to focus on the important points within each process.  

Here is an example: the first stage of the process is usually the excavation phase. This is where we use a few different tools, such as online assessments, particular coaching styles, meditation “homework” between sessions, and outside reading and learning, to name a few. This phase is where the person finds out what the rocks in the pack are, what they are made of, and where in the past they were created, ultimately leading to how they are affecting the performance of the person. 

To best cover the excavation phase to the highest degree possible, a few pieces may focus on the component parts of each phase, the usual experience of the person in each phase, and some best practices to navigate in each phase. 

Upcoming Features

Since this is an introduction, it will help to know what comes next in this series. The next blog will highlight the most common phases High Performers encounter in an Inner Work Journey. I will break them out and provide a high level overview of each phase. In the weeks that follow, each phase will be broken down into more detail using narrative and other methods designed to be remembered and implemented immediately, if the reader is ready to take action.  

The value of this series is to allow the reader to become familiar with the Inner Work process on their own timeline, with no pressure. Many of the High Performers considering the monumental task of going on an Inner Work journey want to know, generally, how these things go. The social proof involved in knowing that there are other HPs out there doing this work and getting life changing results is very helpful, too.

Final Thoughts

I encourage you all to consider just how different your life could be if you were consistently operating as your true authentic self.  Many High Performers are no longer operating as their true selves for a number of reasons.  The symptoms in their lives are chronic stress, fatigue, bad sleep, overdependence on caffeine, extra body fat, overwhelm, feelings of being lost, and even suicidal thoughts.  

If you’re looking to make meaningful, lasting change in your life, I invite you to view my LinkedIn or Instagram content and to reach out to me for any help you may want along the way. 

I am here to help you! 

Interacting With Me

I will talk to anyone (usually through a direct message on Instagram or LinkedIn) who wants to ask questions and to make a meaningful change in their life. I don’t assume everyone wants to be a client of mine. I only take clients who are ready to have a partner in their journey to challenge them and encourage them. Otherwise, I am here to talk to strangers and known contacts alike.

How did I find myself at this point in my life? I recently shared my story and personal journey with Inner Work on Can You Survive This Podcast. Follow this link to give it a listen. 

Nate Reeve is a former Special Warfare Boat Operator in the Navy who served for 16 years and is now an ICF certified performance and transformational coach. In this episode, we talk about his time in the military, getting shot, his transition back to civilian life, working with psychedelics for healing, and becoming a transformational coach.