Welcome to Survive to Legacy. Perry wants people to know this is not about him, it is about being of service to people. On a Sunday afternoon in Hudson, WI, in May of 2021, he was listening to a guy playing a piano and an idea ignited. It was about hearing the stories of people who have survived a significant life event, regardless of the type, that they should have never survived.
He thought about how much he could learn from others about their ways of living after having an experience like that. He believes it would be fascinating to facilitate telling their stories as an educational and inspirational gift others.
His life then went back into the normal routine and the idea faded. However, in July of 2022, the idea burst back to life, and he was living it. He said he been “to the top of the mountain” in every aspect in life personally, professionally, emotionally and in education. He felt there was no way to recover from the devastation he was experiencing. He then had an experience.
He explained dying is a very simple thing, and he knew his had arrived. He says if he had died, it would have been the easiest thing he had ever done. He was rising above, looking down at myself in peace.
He encountered a realm beyond everyday existence, unconstrained by the usual boundaries of space and time. Seeing lifetime memories, both good and bad that were extremely lucid and intense.
He said at no time during the experience did he ever have a thought of religion or fear of dying. He described it as a moment of reckoning, a bargaining with god that clearly showed him his legacy. Then all at once he was thrust back into his body with unstoppable force. He explained it as painful, just because he would no longer feel the peace he was feeling. He would have to live normal adversities in life again.
From that experience he has developed his own clean life philosophy, and hopes everyone will have that moment of clarity in their lives. That all of our meaningless external obligations, or the meaningless perceptions that others may have of you that you think matter, they just don’t.
He says, if any of you believe the façade of Instagram or Facebook or any other platform where people engineer how perfect they want their life to look to others actually exists, it doesn’t, it is not real. Everyone faces adversity.
He believes the challenge is, when you find clarity in your life and know what your legacy is, and the adversity goes away, do not fall back into the same old patterns of life. If you live by your legacy life becomes easy, you only have one job. When your inevitable last day comes you can face the end with confidence and without fear.
He gives people who have experienced these moments a platform to let their history speak. He brings you a deep and relevant look at a diverse group of guests who have their own life experiences and universal truths to explore this phenomenon. Everyone has something of value to teach others. It’s about everyday people, living everyday lives. Write it in stone and live it every day. Survive to Legacy.
–Kennedy Raap-McDowell