BTB170: Patrick Taylor on Lost on Purpose, Reinvention, and Solo Winter Trekking the Lewis and Clark Trail

Our guest for today is Patrick Taylor, known to many readers as the Texas Yeti. A former technology executive who built and sold a successful hardware company and later served as president of Intel’s board of advisors, Patrick reinvented himself in his late fifties as an adventurer and author. His memoir Lost on Purpose, part of the Real Life Adventures of the Texas Yeti series, draws from his personal journals and chronicles his solo winter trek retracing the Lewis and Clark trail.

In this episode, we unpack how Patrick transitioned from corporate leadership to spending nearly two months alone in the wilderness. He shares why he chose to sell almost everything before leaving, what it meant to fully close a chapter of his life, and how solitude in extreme conditions helped him rebuild confidence after divorce and professional setbacks. We discuss how the book began as a journal meant for his children, how early criticism improved his writing, and how steady Amazon sales gradually turned into a growing catalog. Patrick also explains his philosophy of treating life as a series of experiments rather than labeling experiences as success or failure, and why stacking small adventures can reshape how you experience everyday life.

Tune in for a grounded conversation about reinvention, solitude, risk, and what it really looks like to experiment with your life after success, loss, and uncertainty.

Check out Lost on Purpose here: https://a.co/d/02qRffUu

Discover more on Patrick’s website at texasyetibooks.com

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