The Way of the W.A.R.R.I.O.R. | Power Acronym 247
What the W.A.R.R.I.O.R. framework reveals about success beyond work and money
Chelsey and I are committed to making 2026 one of the most impactful years of our lives so far.
That commitment is why we traveled to Scottsdale, Arizona last weekend. We spent an anniversary in Sedona several years ago, and Chelsey has wanted to return ever since, so this trip was as much a birthday celebration as it was a reset and realignment for what we want to build together.
The impact we’re aiming for in 2026 will rely heavily on our leadership and sales skills, so we also attended a Sales & Business Summit hosted by The Elliott Group.
Over the course of a few days, we saw incredible desert views, hiked mountains, reflected on 2025, made new connections, and learned a lot.
In Total Recreation, Andy Elliott shares the W.A.R.R.I.O.R. Framework — a powerful acronym for personal transformation.
I also had the chance to interview Elliott Group coach Luke Nelson to go deeper into the framework and how it’s implemented. You can listen to that conversation here or on Apple and Spotify.
And if you’re a reader, here are a few notes on each pillar — not as definitions, but as observations based on Chelsey and I’s experience inside The Lion’s Den.
W — Workout
We began the weekend with an easy hike at Pinnacle Peak the day before the event officially started. Day one ended with a sunset workout in The Elliott Group parking lot.
After a challenging uphill run and back, we were led through a fast-paced bodyweight workout designed to push everyone past their comfort zone.
The lesson wasn’t about fitness alone. It was a reminder that when you voluntarily put your body under stress, your mind follows. Training the body is often the fastest way to train discipline, resilience, and self-trust.
(For more on this idea, see Power Acronym 210: G.Y.M.)
A — Awareness
The first day of the event was led by Jacqueline Elliott, CEO of The Elliott Group.
Her session centered on stories and questions that exposed common leadership blind spots. Rather than offering easy answers, she assigned “homework” — questions we were meant to wrestle with after the day ended.
Chelsey and I took those questions back to our room and talked through them together. They sparked conversations we hadn’t had before, conversations that felt especially timely as we continue to grow in both our marriage and our work.
Awareness wasn’t treated as information. It was treated as responsibility.
R — Relationships
The value of being in the Lion’s Den in person can’t be overstated. Watching clips online doesn’t fully capture the energy, standards, and accountability the Elliott Group team embodies.
Being there puts you in proximity to people who take personal and professional development seriously — and who are actively working to live out those standards.
That environment naturally deepens existing relationships and accelerates new ones.
R — ReCreate
Before the event, I thought I understood what Andy meant by ReCreate. Being there expanded that definition.
What became clear is that the Elliott Group isn’t interested in transformation in just one area of life. Their coaching and support extend across sales and business, fitness, romantic relationships, and spiritual life.
The goal isn’t surface-level improvement — it’s whole-life transformation.
Seeing this reframed recreation for me. Not as escape or indulgence, but as the intentional rebuilding of a life that’s aligned, healthy, and sustainable.
It reinforced the idea that real success isn’t just material or professional. It’s integrated. It’s lived across every domain.
I — Integration
Over the last decade, I’ve attended many trainings, webinars, and conferences. This was the first one Chelsey and I attended together.
That mattered more than I expected.
Instead of trying to summarize insights days later, she was there — hearing the same messages, taking her own notes, and applying the ideas in real time alongside me.
Integration became personal. I realized how often I’ve made the mistake of compartmentalizing growth, assuming that what I was learning didn’t need to be shared.
Now I know better. Regardless of whether we work in the same business, integrating what I’m learning with her changes everything.
O — Ownership
The training materials created awareness, but ownership wasn’t assumed.
Ownership showed up in the repeated acknowledgment that growth is uncomfortable — that facing mistakes, uncertainty, and daily effort is hard.
Every speaker spoke openly about the cost. And every one of them emphasized that the cost is worth paying.
Ownership isn’t inspiration. It’s a decision made again and again.
R — Reach
While The Elliott Group is known for sales training, being there made it clear that their vision goes further than closing deals.
Reach showed up in how intentionally the team supported each attendee. The coach I worked with, Luke, stayed in regular communication before and during the event — making sure we had what we needed, welcoming us with a gift, offering restaurant recommendations, inviting us to private dinners, workouts, church, and community.
The message was consistent: meet people where they are, and help them grow where they’re ready.
Reach wasn’t about forcing change. It was about facilitating impact — whatever form that impact takes.
At the start of the event, The Elliotts said their intention was to shift each individual’s belief, perception, and identity.
W.A.R.R.I.O.R. doesn’t promise results on its own. Like any Power Acronym, its power only exists to the extent that you act on it.
What W.A.R.R.I.O.R. requires is commitment — to train when it’s inconvenient, to notice what’s uncomfortable, to invest in people, to rebuild areas of life that need attention, to integrate growth instead of isolating it, to take ownership without excuses, and to extend what you’re learning beyond yourself.
Frameworks don’t change lives.
People do — when they decide to live by them.