In this episode of Against the Norm, Norman Calvo sits down with fellow Princeton grad Andrew “Andy” Oser—a man who’s lived an unmistakably “against the norm” life.

After founding a nonprofit that served over 50,000 inner-city youth in Washington, D.C. through tennis and wellness programs, Andy has spent the last two decades guiding spiritual retreats at sacred sites on Mount Shasta.

This conversation is for anyone—especially men in their 60s and 70s—who has spent a lifetime playing the “outer game” and is now asking: What’s next?

We talk about:

• Outside-in vs. inside-out living
• Why striving can become a trap (even when you “win”)
• How tennis taught Andy a radically different way to live (The Inner Game of Tennis)
• Using breaks (like in tennis) to reset your nervous system during the day
• Why nature helps us access the “real self” more quickly
• Authenticity, purpose, and the surprising power of gratitude

Links & resources:

Resources mentioned

• The Inner Game of Tennis — Timothy Gallwey
• The Inner Game of Work — Timothy Gallwey
• Thich Nhat Hanh (using your phone as a “mindfulness bell”)
• Meister Eckhart (attributed): “Gratitude is the only prayer you need.”

Links:

https://mountshastaretreat.net/about/

https://www.facebook.com/andrew.oser1

Contact us: againstthenorm.net