272: Love, Leadership and Men: Emotional Courage and Authenticity with Craig White

Dec 8, 2025

Craig White, a men's leadership and high-performance coach, discusses the vital role of love in developing emotional courage and authentic leadership among men. He shares his transformative journey and the holistic practices that help reconnect men with their emotional lives. The conversation highlights the importance of balancing masculine and feminine energies, the benefits of men-only spaces for growth, and the power of vulnerability in leadership. Craig redefines love as presence and accountability, emphasizing its necessity in fostering impactful leadership.

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ANECDOTE

Turning Point On A Thai Yoga Retreat

Craig describes a life-changing month on a long yoga retreat that launched his intense journey of self-discovery.
He lists practices he tried, from tantra to therapy, which shaped his ability to hold deep work with men.

INSIGHT

Head-to-Heart Shift Is Essential

Craig says men stuck in logic and control miss feeling and never let love move through them.
He argues the shift from head to heart is essential for true aliveness beyond achievement.

ADVICE

Start With Men-Only, Then Integrate

Use men-only spaces early in the journey to provide safety, blessing, and nervous-system regulation.
Then integrate mixed spaces to grow edges and reclaim balance between masculine and feminine.

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What if the real turning point for male leaders isn't more strategy—but more love, presence, and emotional courage? In this powerful episode, leadership coach and host Helena Clayton talks with high-performance coach and men's mentor Craig White, whose work guides successful men —especially those in their 40s and 50s—towards deeper emotional connection, self-acceptance, and authentic leadership. Craig explores why many men feel disconnected from themselves, and their emotional lives and relationships, and how balancing masculine and feminine energies can dramatically expand a man's capacity to lead, relate, and thrive. Craig opens up about his own transformative journey and shares the somatic, holistic practices at the core of his coaching, helping men shift from "head to heart" and reclaim relational presence.

The conversation dives into the role of love in men's development, reframing love not as softness, but as a powerful polarity—presence, connection, trust, playfulness, celebration, and accountability and firmness. Helena and Craig explore the value of men-only spaces, the necessity of vulnerability in leadership, and the profound impact of embodied practice on emotional expression.

This episode is an invitation for male leaders—and those who coach or support them—to consider how love, in its grounded and courageous form, can fuel personal transformation and more human, impactful leadership in organisations.

You will learn:

· Why male leaders are discovering that success isn't enough

· The importance of somatic coaching practices in helping men shift from head to heart.

· How holistic inner work, balancing masculine and feminine energies, creates better leaders and healthy masculinity

"If a man loves who he is, if he is kind to himself, if he accepts himself, then he will be like that in relationship to others."

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For the episode resources and guest bio, please visit:

https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/dl-hub_podcast-channel-love-in-coaching-male-leaders-emotional-presence