This week on Burning the Ships, I sit down with Dan Peterson, a licensed clinical professional counselor, parent coach, and founder of Compass 4 Life—a coaching program built around helping parents better connect with and guide their children, especially those who are wired a little differently.

Dan spent decades in the mental health space before realizing that most traditional models were unintentionally reinforcing negative behavior. So, he burned the ships, he left the system behind and started building something new. In this episode, we dive into how he helps parents stop managing behavior and start building connection, why discipline without trust doesn’t work, and how we can reframe “strong-willed” as a superpower rather than a flaw.

If you’re a parent or even just a leader of people, this episode will challenge the way you appr ...