Episode Overview

Podcast: Becoming UnDone
Host: Dr. Toby Brooks
Episode: 139 – Finding Purpose and Truthfulness Amid Life's Unexpected Turns
Date: October 26, 2025

In this candid, personal episode, Dr. Toby Brooks explores the profound challenges of unfulfilled goals, life transitions, and the pursuit of purpose. Sharing his own journey through disappointment and eventual growth, he uncovers the theme of embracing setbacks as setups for something greater. The episode transitions to an in-depth discussion—via the “Professor’s Playbook” segment—on the virtue of truthfulness, particularly in healthcare and leadership, and its crucial place in aligning intentions with actions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Facing Unexpected Detours in Pursuit of Purpose

• Personal Story of Disappointment (00:10–06:34):

  • Dr. Brooks recounts being overlooked for his "dream" promotion at Texas Tech, causing feelings of shock and bitterness.
  • Despite his optimism, he wasn’t even granted an interview for the position he thought was created for him.
  • When denied support for an institutional teaching/learning center proposal, he left devastated, frustrated with what felt like divine inaction.
  • Ultimately, after many attempts to find new roles and considerable soul-searching by a favorite lakeside spot, he recognized he was “being prepared, not punished.”

  “Imagine my surprise and my shock when I had applied… I was essentially counting the days down until I would get a promotion. Didn’t hear anything. So I logged into the HR application portal and there I saw it in all caps, bright red letters, bold, Company not interested in.”
  —Toby Brooks, 02:53

  • Eventually, a timely opportunity arose at Baylor—a “dream job" that matched both his calling and life circumstances, though the move was bittersweet.

2. The Gift Found in the Waiting (06:55–07:49):

• Dr. Brooks credits patience with allowing special family moments—his son's high school successes and time with his daughter—that he would have otherwise missed.
• He reflects on the power of perspective in adversity: initial embitterment giving way to deep gratitude.

“If I’d had my way, I would have rushed to any of a hundred jobs just to make my ego feel better. To run somewhere that wanted me… But it just wasn’t time… But God said, just wait. Shut up and wait.”
—Toby Brooks, 07:52

• In a moment of worship, lyrics from the song “Fallow Ground” deeply resonate, reinforcing his newfound peace with life’s timing and direction:

“Something more is coming. Something more is coming.”
—Praise Band lyric, quoted by Brooks, 07:41

3. Welcoming a New Chapter at Baylor

• Dr. Brooks celebrates not only personal alignment with his professional mission at Baylor, but a shift to a more holistic, values-driven mode of teaching, especially within his 16-student class:

> “I get to go all in teaching and talking and discussing not just the what of athletic training, but the how—the virtues that inform the people they are becoming.”  

> *—Toby Brooks, 09:06*

4. The Professor’s Playbook: Virtue of Truthfulness (09:23–18:01)

• Introduction to Truthfulness:
  Dr. Shelby Brooks shifts the focus to unpacking the virtue of “truthfulness”—distinct from mere honesty, it’s about living openly and aligning words, actions, and intentions with reality.
• Greek “Aletheia”:
  Truthfulness means “unconcealed”; living genuinely rather than simply avoiding lies.
• Balance of Virtues:
  • Deficiency: Dishonesty, misleading others, or “faking documentation.”
  • Excess: Brutal candor—using truth as a weapon without empathy.
  • Golden Mean: Speaking truth with humility, courage, and compassion.

“Truthfulness isn't about what we say. It's about who we are. Are our actions aligned with our values? Do our decisions reflect our intentions?”
—Dr. Shelby Brooks, 10:43

• Truthfulness in Healthcare Practice:

  • Accurate Documentation: “If we didn’t write it down, it didn’t happen.” (12:03)
  • Transparent Communication: Patients deserve candor delivered kindly.
  • Integrity Under Pressure: Admit and correct mistakes; trust grows when honesty trumps perfection.

• Truthfulness in Leadership and Teams:

  • Authenticity: Consistency in character, both public and private.
  • Compassionate Feedback: “Correction sandwich”— offering honest critiques cushioned by encouragement.
  • Courage and Advocacy: Sometimes, being truthful entails taking risks to stand up for what's right.

• Data Integrity:

  • Accurate metrics and records are essential—“Data is only as good as the integrity of the person collecting it.”
  • Dishonest data undermines clinical credibility and leadership trust.

“Truthfulness in our systems equals trustworthiness in our leadership.”
—Dr. Shelby Brooks, 16:05

5. Practical Challenge & Recap (18:01–20:28)

• Dr. Shelby Brooks issues a challenge: audit one area of your life for truthfulness—be it documentation, tough conversations, or self-reflection.
• Final encouragement: Align life with truth, strive for purpose, and learn relentlessly.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Career Setback & Growth (02:53):

  “Company not interested.”
  —Toby Brooks, describing HR portal rejection

• On Patience and Divine Timing (07:52):

  “Just wait. Shut up and wait. The hardened ground of my heart needed to heal. Something more was coming.”
  —Toby Brooks

• Defining Truthfulness (10:43):

  “Truthfulness isn't about what we say. It's about who we are. Are our actions aligned with our values?”
  —Dr. Shelby Brooks

• On Integrity under Pressure (13:20):

  “We earn more trust by being honest than by pretending to be perfect.”
  —Dr. Shelby Brooks

• Data and Trust (16:05):

  “Truthfulness in our systems equals trustworthiness in our leadership.”
  —Dr. Shelby Brooks

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:10 — Personal story of missed opportunities, disappointment, and questioning purpose
• 02:53 — “Company not interested” moment and emotional fallout
• 06:34–07:49 — Power of music and realization: “Something more is coming”
• 09:06 — New purpose at Baylor; importance of wholehearted teaching
• 09:23 — Transition to Professor’s Playbook: Exploring Truthfulness
• 10:43 — Defining truthfulness and its implications
• 12:03 — Applying truthfulness in healthcare practices
• 13:20 — Leadership and truthfulness; integrity under pressure
• 16:05 — Data integrity as a function of truthfulness
• 18:01 — Practical challenge: audit your truthfulness

Episode Takeaways

• Setbacks can be formative: Dr. Brooks' painful professional rejections ultimately opened the path for personal growth and new opportunities.
• Embrace the waiting: Sometimes, patience reveals blessings—special family moments, clarity of purpose—that hasty decisions could forfeit.
• Truthfulness is holistic: It’s more than not lying; it’s living authentically and congruently, especially under pressure—as a professional, leader, and human being.
• Practical reflection: Listeners are encouraged to examine one area of their life and realign it with truth.

“Be purposeful, be relentless. Never stop learning. And this week especially, align your life with truth.”
—Dr. Toby Brooks, 20:22