In this powerful conversation with fighter pilot and attention coach Wes Woodhouse, we explore the growing 'attention gap' affecting our spiritual lives and practical strategies to overcome it. Discover how the disciplined focus techniques used in the cockpit can transform your relationship with God, your family, and your ministry. Learn why our fragmented attention is costing us more than we realize and how simple changes can restore depth to your spiritual life.
Resources from this episode:
Wes Woodhouse & Vector Atlas
Full Focus Planner
Part Two of Focus Like a Fighter Pilot
Interview Transcript:
Introduction [00:00:00]
Joy Hunt: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Pastors & Money Podcast. I'm Joy Suzanne Hunt, pastor and financial coach, bringing you conversations about personal finance, church finance, and how we disciple our churches in the areas of finance and stewardship. You can find the episode show notes and more at pastorsandmoney.com. And here's the show.
Joy Hunt: Wes Woodhouse is a husband, father, marathon runner, and fighter pilot. His mission is to build up the next generation of leaders armed to take on the dynamic challenges of the attention age. In 2020, he founded Vector Atlas, a leadership development and attention cultivation agency where he leads a mastermind of committed men, grounded in wise counsel and accountability, striving to [00:01:00] live a life of purpose.
As an attention performance coach, he helps leaders maximize their potential by focusing on what is most important. We welcome to the podcast.
Wes Woodhouse: Thanks for having me.
From Fighter Pilot to Attention Coach: Wes's Journey [00:01:19]
Joy Hunt: So to start, you have a pretty neat background as a fighter pilot. Can you share how you got started there and what led you to become passionate about the topic of attention?
Wes Woodhouse: Yeah, they are a little bit intertwined. I'd wanted to be a pilot ever since I was very young, before eighth grade. So I figured out what I needed to do to get there. I worked hard, studied hard in high school, and studied hard in college. I got selected. Got my Air Force commission and was selected for pilot training. Studied hard in pilot training. Then I got to fly. I was selected to fly fighters, which is pretty neat.
The F-15 is a fantastic jet and can do a lot of awesome things. So it has been a lot of fun. Kind of what spawned out of that experience, and out of the experience of reaching my [00:02:00] goal of becoming a fighter pilot, and then realizing. Wow. I lost my way a little bit. That was the end-all, be-all to become a pilot. And when I did that, that goal was complete. I realized there was no further goal. So I had a period of trying to figure out where my life was going and what I needed to do. I love flying and everything, and that led me down the path of listening to podcasts and reading lots of books.
And, combining that with some of the skills that it takes to be a pilot, specifically a fighter pilot, realized that it is very important. I think it is not given the credit that it is due. As far as you know, we all know. Spend your time wisely because you can't bring back any of the past minutes, hours, days, or years of your life. Attention is in many ways the current. The actions that are going on inside those minutes that you are using that you'll never get back. [00:03:00] So, I've kind of been a student of my attention, as well as the collective attention of society. And it's been a very interesting journey.
Understanding the Attention Gap in Today's World [00:03:13]
Joy Hunt: So you have talked a little bit about the growing attention gap in America, in the world, and some of the things that you've shared and you've written. So could you explain what you mean by that concept and why it matters? For our listeners in this particular podcast are pastors and church leaders, mostly.
Wes Woodhouse: Yes, the attention gap.