Conquer Executive Loneliness; Nick Jonsson

Apr 11, 2022

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Nick Jonsson is passionate about helping executives deal with a problem that is often hidden away: loneliness and isolation. This goal led Nick to become co-founder and Managing Director of one of Asia’s premier networking organizations, Executives’ Global Network (EGN) Singapore — a confidential peer group network providing more than 600 senior executives and business owners a safe haven to share their challenges, receive support, and learn from each other. Nick is also the author of the new book, Executive Loneliness: The 5 Pathways to Overcoming Isolation, Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in the Modern Business World. Nick has worked across Asia, Australia, and Europe representing major international firms, and is active in charitable and fundraising organizations to give back and support his local community, along with volunteering and fundraising for the Samaritans (SOS) – a suicide prevention hotline in Singapore. He is here today to share how to conquer executive loneliness.

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Most Influential Person

Just as we came out of the hard lockdown here in Singapore, I was looking at meditation and I signed up for a local Buddhist temple here. They had a meditation class in the evenings.
I knew about mindfulness and meditation, in the sense that I had an app, I tried some things, but I never really mastered it. So I saw this as a chance to master it. So while I don't know the name of this Buddhist monk, I have to say he had a huge impact on my life, because I started to really appreciate meditation.
That made me connect better with a power greater than myself, connect with myself and really get a break and post my life and discover how to conquer executive loneliness.

Effect on Emotions

Mindfulness has made me much more aware. By being able to meditate and also to do prayer, I now try to pray in the morning and in the evening, just to hand things over which are challenging. It has really helped me to do that.
And I will say it helped me to put my ego in shape and that sense that you know, I'm not the one running the show. It has made me grounded and helped me to manage to conquer executive loneliness.

Thoughts on Breathing

Breathing is super important. And one of my friends who I cycle with tomorrow when we go down, it's a long Ale, airline straight, basically 20 minutes place where we can cycle straight. He even managed to count his breathing the whole time. So he's so mindful of the breathing that he knows after the breath 266 times, for example. I cannot keep going that long. But it makes it more I'm getting at Bruce it makes a huge impact and he's a fantastic athlete.
My coach is eight times the top 10 Corner finisher in Hawaii. He says that breathing makes the biggest impact on him in the sport as well. And he reminded me that when I wait for the bus or wait at the airport, that I should do some breathing exercises.

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Bullying Story

As a child, I experiences both I was part of the kids who are bullying Iverson, I have bullied myself, it was very common back in Sweden when I grew up, born in 1975.
So we're talking in the 80s here, and there was no way of dealing with it or working with it. At that time, there was not much awareness about it. I understand that these days, things have improved, luckily.
I changed schools quite a lot and moved from one village to a bigger city, so you would normally team up with the kids who, perhaps were into sports, and others who were into studying and you would find your own little crowd.
I was one of the good students in one school, but when I moved to another school, I suddenly found myself in the group of the kids with the lowest grades. Then you automatically were frozen out from the smarter kids.
I remember that was a very, very challenging period for me. And it led to me not wanting to be in school.
For the first time in my life, I think I was about 13 or 14 years of age when I didn't want to go to school, and I was trying to hide. That was not a good place to be in.

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