Back Azimuth: When Turning Around Is the Smartest Move You Can MakeBack Azimuth: When Turning Around Is the Smartest Move You Can Make
The Resilience Factor with Rod Price
Rod Price and Kerry McCarter talk about the “back azimuth” concept, using mountaineering, business and personal stories to show why turning around can be a wise move. They emphasise self-compassion, clear values and a solid why as guides for deciding whether to push on or change course.
1:33:31•20 Sept 2026
Back Azimuth: Why Turning Around Can Be the Bravest Choice
Episode Overview
- Stopping or turning back doesn’t always equal failure; it can be a deliberate, smart change of direction when goals or conditions shift.
- False summits and turn-around times in mountaineering mirror life: you can halt a push yet return later stronger, wiser and better prepared.
- Separating identity from performance helps reduce fear of failure and makes it easier to take calculated risks and adjust goals.
- Self-compassion, rather than harsh self-criticism, supports better long-term performance and resilience during setbacks.
- Clarifying values, strengths and your deeper why gives you anchors for big decisions, whether in careers, relationships or teams.
“That's quitting, but it's not, you know, it's not, it's really just changing direction.”
Gain insights from experts and survivors on how changing course can actually be a mark of strength, not failure. This conversation between Rod Price and Kerry McCarter circles around the idea of a “back azimuth” – an orienteering term for turning 180 degrees – and applies it to careers, goals, and everyday life.
You’ll hear mountaineering tales of brutal turn-around points, like Kerry stopping just 1,000 feet from the summit of Glacier Peak, and Rod’s false summit slog on Mount Adams. These stories aren’t about giving up; they’re about knowing when pressing on becomes unsafe, unwise, or just plain misaligned with your values.
Rod and Kerry bring in real-life examples: Sara Blakely’s “I’m in the wrong movie” moment selling fax machines, Vera Wang’s shift from Olympic skating dreams to bridal design, and a friend who turned frustration with bad cupcakes into a thriving bakery. Each story shows how strengths can be reused in new directions rather than thrown away. The pair also unpack how self-worth can get tangled up with performance.
Kerry shares the idea of self-compassion, explaining that being kind to yourself doesn’t mean lowering standards; it means dropping the internal bully so you’re actually able to try, fail, and try again. Rod ties this to work and teams, stressing the importance of knowing your own values, your team’s values, and your deeper “why”.
From the OODA loop (observe, orient, decide, act) to the reminder that “the summit is optional, getting home isn’t”, this episode offers practical language and mental models for anyone who feels off-course and wonders whether it’s time to push on or turn back. If you’ve ever felt stuck on the wrong trail in life, what “back azimuth” might you need to take to find your bearings again?
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