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Do you know in your bones that our political-economy is broken and beyond repair?
Do you know in your bones that our nation's problems are primarily moral, cultural, psychological, and spiritual? If so, consider Bison Medicine as a path through. Bison Medicine explores three key ideas: The first is that we have a beautiful national purpose that can be realized if we understand what it means and what science tells us about how to fulfill it. The second idea is that we have a majestic National Mammal, the bison, whose behavior is a better match for our nation’s purpose than the bald eagle. It provides us with ethical guidance to fulfill our nation’s purpose. The final point of the book is that each person can live their best life and fulfill our shared purpose, by activating their unique purpose in true community. The net proceeds of the book benefit American Prairie, an organization that works with First Nations to acquire land and protect the natural habitat of the bison, so they may once again be free and flourish. 
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SUMMARY
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Bison Medicine invites you to connect with our nation’s family history (Part 1) and acknowledge the way our institutions limit freedom and equality (Parts 2 & 3).
In Part 4, you will meet the medicine of the bison - the teachings of courage, care, inclusion, independence, play, generativity, protection and redemption. In Parts 5-8, you’ll discover the deeper meaning of, and the latest research and best practices to fulfill, our nation’s purpose: “All... are Created Equal”, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, and “E Pluribus Unum”. In Part 9, you’ll be invited to fulfill your own purpose and follow the bison’s guidance to fulfill the purpose of our nation through your leadership. You'll finish the book with a clear understanding of our history, purpose, our path forward, and your role in leading it. 2-pager for studentsA summary for grade school and high school students.
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free pdf of the bookIf you're an educator, or want to explore the sources, or would like to bypass Amazon, you can download the book as a PDF. If you do this please consider making a donation to American Prairie.
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praise
"Calling on powerful soul medicine and his own wide and deep life-lived experiences, Brandon carves a path forward for U.S.ALL. With equal doses of hard truths and uplifting ideas, this passionate purposeful guide coaxes us onward and inward to places we just must go if we are to survive times like these. I am ALL IN."
- Susan Lucci, JD, Co-founder, Global Purpose Leaders
“...a powerful and well-researched illumination of the origin story and highest purpose of the United States, along with proposing a practical path forward from today's chaos toward finally actualizing our national purpose.”
- David Gruder, PhD, Center for Enlightened Self Sovereignty
“Brandon is a brilliant searcher and thought leader. Here you'll find his deep thoughts and perspectives about the transition we are all undergoing as a nation here in the U.S. and globally. There is hope! I have a feeling my fellow Naval Academy and Marine Corps brothers and sisters will particularly enjoy this book.”
- Gabrielle Blocher, CEO, Sunflower Fuels
“The book isn't about the left or the right. It's the bridge between, and the road forward. It's what we need more than ever.”
- Ezra Bookman, Founder, Ritualist
"Powerful, nourishing - a map for regenerating the very purpose of our nation, and the wisdom of our Founding Fathers - adding whole new layers of wisdom. Who do we truly want to be - and stand for? What truly gives us energy, as a people?"
- Robin Athey, PhD, Oxford Leadership
"... a critical call to action for our nation. Bison Medicine is a key to our healing. Thank you Brandon for providing us a roadmap to do our individual and collective part to co-create the world we seek - with liberty and justice for all."
- Bobby Bakshi, Co-leader, The ManKind Project
"...a wise approach to weaving both the triumphs and the dark history of our country and inviting us to reimagine what our future could look like... It's widened my imagination and approach to being an American citizen."
- Rachel Zargo, Creative Director, Late Love
"Brandon Peele presents an inspiring and insightful vision into the spirit and motivating energy of this country. By offering a unique and stirring perspective, he invites us to clarify our intentions, to hone our skills, and to connect as community to to raise ourselves up into the full potential of this grand Amercian experiment."
- Dave Klaus, JD, Zen Priest
"I found Bison Medicine mind expanding. If you care about the U.S., do yourself (and your country) the favor of reading it. The fresh perspectives, rooted in our collective historical vision, contained in this book are exceptional. You don’t have to agree with everything in it to be served by it. Some of my favorite parts are those that differed from my views."
- Bea Boccalandro, President, Veraworks
“On January 27, 1838, in Springfield, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln addressed the importance of upholding the nation's institutions and laws to preserve the Republic. In what is known as the 1838 Lyceum Address, Lincoln admonished, ‘If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.’ As in 1838, Bison Medicine is a prophetic call for us to ponder and reconsider our path as a Nation. We either commit to the path of our common humanity — or division and strife. If we follow our better angels, we can follow the bison's individual and collective power. Thank you, Brandon, for reminding us to choose wisely.”
- Luis Marrero, PhD, CEO, Boston Institute for Meaningful Purpose
"Bison Medicine is an important book... a foundation to understand what is needed to heal our nation. I highly recommend this book, especially for our youth."
- Michele Lyons, Spanish Teacher
"My sincere hope is that more and more people consider the power and healing that can come to America by embracing Bison Medicine."
- Eric Zimmerman, Chief Innovation Officer, Kumanu
"The spark, the fire for this book and movement was divinely entrusted to Brandon. And, the process to nurture and develop it was the most collaborative process, inviting feedback, pushback, tending, and consideration from start to finish through multiple perspectives. Truly remarkable and soul-nourishing as I look back on it. Who knew we would benefit from medicine about collective purpose at this time?"
- Dena Wiggins, Senior Facilitator, Translator
“The gift of Bison Medicine can be summed up in one word—restorative... Brandon didn't just sit in a room like some mad scientist creating a solitary vision of what he thought this country should look like. He included other people who are here on this land mass trying to make it a home. This book is very literally an inclusive community in book form. The book was born of a process of studying, learning, doing inner work, reflecting, having conversations, and being in wonder--everything that you would want in a founding document... a treatise on considering what this place could be if we learned from our mistakes... a vision that any American can locate themselves in... The American idea that Brandon is inviting us to consider has the superordinate quality born of the awareness that if an American People will ever exist, it will have to be a 'People of Peoples' (My words, not his.) But, you can tell that Brandon is aware of this, because he acknowledges the myths, symbols, and identity forming narratives that have prevented us from getting there. And he is doing so from the social position where--in theory at least--he would have to give something up. No one does this unless, they have come in contact with something greater.”
- Pedro Silva, Director of Engagement, YOUnify
"Groundbreaking. What I loved most was the way this book provided a shift in how we can think about leveraging change and creating a fair society. I am used to thinking about political and grassroots activism, the nonprofit sector, and religious institutions as arenas for influencing society, but the corporate world hasn't been a possible party to those efforts, at least in my imagination. To me this book is groundbreaking and brilliant."
- Atieno Bird, Principal, Two Bird, LLC
"There is so much potential in this country, and if we can look forward, keep our minds open and bring everyone along for the ride, anything is possible. You will see specific policy prescriptions,... big thinking that is going to be necessary to enable us to reach our potential and be worthy of our purpose. Let's all challenge the status quo thoughtfully and constructively. It's a powerful read..."
- Alan Iny, Partner, Boston Consulting Group
“In a crowded field that often leaves you wanting real solutions to healing the social and political fault lines in society, Peele offers a fresh and practical approach to the conversation. Drawing upon the symbol of the American bison, he provides a compelling new narrative that challenges our current values and ethics, and in doing so, masterfully calls us to something greater than what we could ask or imagine as a country. I came away from reading this book both encouraged and excited for a renewed sense of civic purpose.”
- Joel Domingo, EdD, Research Director, City University of Seattle
"... a fascinating examination of how we got here, replete with stories and concepts from America’s early history that have been largely forgotten, but that are the seeds of what we have become... Then, it offers a path forward to a brighter future, filled with love and community, where all can thrive and be inspired. This is a book we all need to read."
- Chris Pollak, Founder, Wayside Ventures
"... an unflinching and honest look at the problems and promise of our country. Nothing is swept under the rug. But at the same time there is hope and resilience... Highly recommended!
- Tim Ash, Author, Primal Brain
“Bison Medicine is a monumental work of art, a spiritual poetic journey of history and possibility. It is at the same time a tribute to an enlightened experiment, an indictment of a quest gone terribly wrong, and a detailed blueprint of how to reclaim what has been lost. The framers of our Constitution (the great American experiment) imperfect as they were, set a purpose for our nation based on the moral and spiritual wisdom traditions of the ages. They created a unique, inspired manifesto firmly anchored to ALL CREATED EQUAL, universal access to LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS and E PLURIBUS UNUM, each person loving the other as much as himself. Bison Medicine will clarify your understanding of the origins and purpose of our grand experiment. And if you permit, it will provide The Cure for a Troubled Nation as it expertly escorts us to regain control of our dangerously drifting country and steer it back onto the enlightened path envisioned by The Founding Fathers.”
- Jon Robison, PhD, Author, The Spirit and Science of Holistic Health
"Important, integral, and inspiring! As a therapist, one of the universals I see with clients is that healing cannot happen without honesty... an integral, fundamental part of the healing. To heal and to grow is to look honestly at our past, atone for our transgressions so that change can then occur and to do so without demonizing ourselves. To tell the truth. We are fundamentally good people who have erred. What is true of individuals is true of communities, nation-states, and global civilizations. And what Peele has done here is to invite us, as individuals of a nation-state born of both divinely-inspired ideals and horrendous actions, to tell ourselves the Truth of ourselves so that we may become the people our ideals envision and has provided a path forward for doing so with the Bison. The Bison here is more than metaphor; it and the medicine is embodies give us tangible, actionable ways, rooted in fundamental values, to achieve these goals. Just as the Bison help to create the unimaginably large swaths of open prairie by the virtue of it's hooves, so top does it offer to help us create an open, fertile future for our nation, and by extension, the world. Thank you Brandon, keep up the important work."
- Cameron Meyer, Mental Health Clinician, Hidalgo Medical
- Susan Lucci, JD, Co-founder, Global Purpose Leaders
“...a powerful and well-researched illumination of the origin story and highest purpose of the United States, along with proposing a practical path forward from today's chaos toward finally actualizing our national purpose.”
- David Gruder, PhD, Center for Enlightened Self Sovereignty
“Brandon is a brilliant searcher and thought leader. Here you'll find his deep thoughts and perspectives about the transition we are all undergoing as a nation here in the U.S. and globally. There is hope! I have a feeling my fellow Naval Academy and Marine Corps brothers and sisters will particularly enjoy this book.”
- Gabrielle Blocher, CEO, Sunflower Fuels
“The book isn't about the left or the right. It's the bridge between, and the road forward. It's what we need more than ever.”
- Ezra Bookman, Founder, Ritualist
"Powerful, nourishing - a map for regenerating the very purpose of our nation, and the wisdom of our Founding Fathers - adding whole new layers of wisdom. Who do we truly want to be - and stand for? What truly gives us energy, as a people?"
- Robin Athey, PhD, Oxford Leadership
"... a critical call to action for our nation. Bison Medicine is a key to our healing. Thank you Brandon for providing us a roadmap to do our individual and collective part to co-create the world we seek - with liberty and justice for all."
- Bobby Bakshi, Co-leader, The ManKind Project
"...a wise approach to weaving both the triumphs and the dark history of our country and inviting us to reimagine what our future could look like... It's widened my imagination and approach to being an American citizen."
- Rachel Zargo, Creative Director, Late Love
"Brandon Peele presents an inspiring and insightful vision into the spirit and motivating energy of this country. By offering a unique and stirring perspective, he invites us to clarify our intentions, to hone our skills, and to connect as community to to raise ourselves up into the full potential of this grand Amercian experiment."
- Dave Klaus, JD, Zen Priest
"I found Bison Medicine mind expanding. If you care about the U.S., do yourself (and your country) the favor of reading it. The fresh perspectives, rooted in our collective historical vision, contained in this book are exceptional. You don’t have to agree with everything in it to be served by it. Some of my favorite parts are those that differed from my views."
- Bea Boccalandro, President, Veraworks
“On January 27, 1838, in Springfield, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln addressed the importance of upholding the nation's institutions and laws to preserve the Republic. In what is known as the 1838 Lyceum Address, Lincoln admonished, ‘If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.’ As in 1838, Bison Medicine is a prophetic call for us to ponder and reconsider our path as a Nation. We either commit to the path of our common humanity — or division and strife. If we follow our better angels, we can follow the bison's individual and collective power. Thank you, Brandon, for reminding us to choose wisely.”
- Luis Marrero, PhD, CEO, Boston Institute for Meaningful Purpose
"Bison Medicine is an important book... a foundation to understand what is needed to heal our nation. I highly recommend this book, especially for our youth."
- Michele Lyons, Spanish Teacher
"My sincere hope is that more and more people consider the power and healing that can come to America by embracing Bison Medicine."
- Eric Zimmerman, Chief Innovation Officer, Kumanu
"The spark, the fire for this book and movement was divinely entrusted to Brandon. And, the process to nurture and develop it was the most collaborative process, inviting feedback, pushback, tending, and consideration from start to finish through multiple perspectives. Truly remarkable and soul-nourishing as I look back on it. Who knew we would benefit from medicine about collective purpose at this time?"
- Dena Wiggins, Senior Facilitator, Translator
“The gift of Bison Medicine can be summed up in one word—restorative... Brandon didn't just sit in a room like some mad scientist creating a solitary vision of what he thought this country should look like. He included other people who are here on this land mass trying to make it a home. This book is very literally an inclusive community in book form. The book was born of a process of studying, learning, doing inner work, reflecting, having conversations, and being in wonder--everything that you would want in a founding document... a treatise on considering what this place could be if we learned from our mistakes... a vision that any American can locate themselves in... The American idea that Brandon is inviting us to consider has the superordinate quality born of the awareness that if an American People will ever exist, it will have to be a 'People of Peoples' (My words, not his.) But, you can tell that Brandon is aware of this, because he acknowledges the myths, symbols, and identity forming narratives that have prevented us from getting there. And he is doing so from the social position where--in theory at least--he would have to give something up. No one does this unless, they have come in contact with something greater.”
- Pedro Silva, Director of Engagement, YOUnify
"Groundbreaking. What I loved most was the way this book provided a shift in how we can think about leveraging change and creating a fair society. I am used to thinking about political and grassroots activism, the nonprofit sector, and religious institutions as arenas for influencing society, but the corporate world hasn't been a possible party to those efforts, at least in my imagination. To me this book is groundbreaking and brilliant."
- Atieno Bird, Principal, Two Bird, LLC
"There is so much potential in this country, and if we can look forward, keep our minds open and bring everyone along for the ride, anything is possible. You will see specific policy prescriptions,... big thinking that is going to be necessary to enable us to reach our potential and be worthy of our purpose. Let's all challenge the status quo thoughtfully and constructively. It's a powerful read..."
- Alan Iny, Partner, Boston Consulting Group
“In a crowded field that often leaves you wanting real solutions to healing the social and political fault lines in society, Peele offers a fresh and practical approach to the conversation. Drawing upon the symbol of the American bison, he provides a compelling new narrative that challenges our current values and ethics, and in doing so, masterfully calls us to something greater than what we could ask or imagine as a country. I came away from reading this book both encouraged and excited for a renewed sense of civic purpose.”
- Joel Domingo, EdD, Research Director, City University of Seattle
"... a fascinating examination of how we got here, replete with stories and concepts from America’s early history that have been largely forgotten, but that are the seeds of what we have become... Then, it offers a path forward to a brighter future, filled with love and community, where all can thrive and be inspired. This is a book we all need to read."
- Chris Pollak, Founder, Wayside Ventures
"... an unflinching and honest look at the problems and promise of our country. Nothing is swept under the rug. But at the same time there is hope and resilience... Highly recommended!
- Tim Ash, Author, Primal Brain
“Bison Medicine is a monumental work of art, a spiritual poetic journey of history and possibility. It is at the same time a tribute to an enlightened experiment, an indictment of a quest gone terribly wrong, and a detailed blueprint of how to reclaim what has been lost. The framers of our Constitution (the great American experiment) imperfect as they were, set a purpose for our nation based on the moral and spiritual wisdom traditions of the ages. They created a unique, inspired manifesto firmly anchored to ALL CREATED EQUAL, universal access to LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS and E PLURIBUS UNUM, each person loving the other as much as himself. Bison Medicine will clarify your understanding of the origins and purpose of our grand experiment. And if you permit, it will provide The Cure for a Troubled Nation as it expertly escorts us to regain control of our dangerously drifting country and steer it back onto the enlightened path envisioned by The Founding Fathers.”
- Jon Robison, PhD, Author, The Spirit and Science of Holistic Health
"Important, integral, and inspiring! As a therapist, one of the universals I see with clients is that healing cannot happen without honesty... an integral, fundamental part of the healing. To heal and to grow is to look honestly at our past, atone for our transgressions so that change can then occur and to do so without demonizing ourselves. To tell the truth. We are fundamentally good people who have erred. What is true of individuals is true of communities, nation-states, and global civilizations. And what Peele has done here is to invite us, as individuals of a nation-state born of both divinely-inspired ideals and horrendous actions, to tell ourselves the Truth of ourselves so that we may become the people our ideals envision and has provided a path forward for doing so with the Bison. The Bison here is more than metaphor; it and the medicine is embodies give us tangible, actionable ways, rooted in fundamental values, to achieve these goals. Just as the Bison help to create the unimaginably large swaths of open prairie by the virtue of it's hooves, so top does it offer to help us create an open, fertile future for our nation, and by extension, the world. Thank you Brandon, keep up the important work."
- Cameron Meyer, Mental Health Clinician, Hidalgo Medical
author
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Brandon Peele (he/him/his) was born in Springfield, IL on Labor Day in 1976, to two loving parents, Nancy and Robert. He's connected to his Midwestern heritage, his family, his men's community - the ManKind Project, his community of practice - the Global Purpose Leaders, his fellow democracy geeks at Citizen University, and his faith community, the Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church.
He's a best-selling author, a keynote speaker, facilitator, and consultant. He's trusted by organizations such as Google, Harvard Business School, Johnson & Johnson, Stanford University, JDRF, Morgan Stanley, U.S. Marine Corps, YPO, University of California - Berkeley, Vistage, Forum for Workplace Inclusion, LinkedIn, the U.S. Navy, Slalom Consulting, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the University of Minnesota. In addition to Bison Medicine, he is the author of Purpose Work Nation (2022), The Purpose Field Guide (2019), and Planet on Purpose (2018), and co-author of Purpose Rising (2017) and The Purpose Blueprint (2015). His work has been featured by news organizations such as USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, the US Business Journal, and Forbes. Brandon holds an MBA in Leadership from Columbia Business School, a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is an Certified Purpose Leader (TM), a Certified Purpose Guide (TM), and a Certified Circles Facilitator (TM). |
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The Symbol
The Bison Medicine symbol contains three red stripes and three white stars that represent the three levels of a democracy (idea, political economy, and spiritual practice) that are required for democracy to be realized. Idea: Above all else, we believe and ensure that all are created equal. Political economy: We secure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all. Spiritual practice: We love each other as much as ourselves - E Pluribus Unum. The perimeter circle evokes the wholeness, flourishing, connection, and homecoming that we will all experience when we activate our purpose in true community and allow Bison Medicine to heal, guide, and enliven us. |
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