Mojo for the Modern Man

Plunging into the deep end, executive coach and men’s work leader Jake Fishbein opens Act 2 rising powerfully to a question about vulnerability and  realness.We touch on romantic and platonic love, and stepping out of our comfort zones to enjoy richer, deeper, more real conversations.Willing to have your heart broken?Jake’s response is, of course, an enthusiastic “yes.”  And he shares the importance of that answer in a moving moment of recalling his grandmother and her passing, and how heartbreak is, at times, an expression of joy. Jake wraps his wisdom around the connective power of emotions, and we dig into the ways in which denying emotions diminishes our humanity, leading to separation from both self and other. After a rich riff on acceptance, emotional flexibility, and complexity, we wrap with Jake’s powerful recommendations for men starting their own journeys of self-discovery.Jake Fishbein is an executive and personal coach who helps people and organizations make and navigate their most important decisions. He works with small business owners, mid-level executives, and runs men's groups. He's been helping men trust themselves, live authentically and vulnerably, and step into the arena in their personal and professional lives for over half a decade. Jake grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and has somehow survived nine years in New York City as a die-hard Red Sox fan. Learn more about Jake:www.jakefishbein.comwww.thearenaseries.comwww.linkedin.com/in/jakefishbeinInstagram: @thecoachjake

A New Yorker hailing (originally) from Santa Fe, New Mexico, executive coach and men’s group leader Jake Fishbein shares his younger days as a Montessori student and explorer of the land.  He talks about his early connection to that land, and how New York is… different.And walking on the concrete of the city rather than in connection with the Earth is where different begins. Jake unpacks some long-time influences, including a couple of translations of the Odyssey and the lessons they hold, then points his narrative lens at his experiences of leading Saturday services for nine months whilst preparing for his Bar Mitzvah. On a recent visit home, Jake found his D’var Torah – the talk centered on the Torah portion he read at his Bar Mitzvah – discovering that the topics he covered are still of interest, noting that he could have written a very similar piece today!We dip into Jake’s work history, highlighting the growth he experienced as he did a reset after the challenges of his first post-university job.At the tender age of 24, Jake joined a men’s group “strictly for research purposes.” (There’s more to that story!)  We look at worst fears, featuring a cameo of Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction”, before closing Act 1 with an instructive nod to vulnerability, truth, and authenticity. Jake’s wisdom and warm is palpable throughout, and we leave well-primed for Act 2! Jake Fishbein is an executive and personal coach who helps people and organizations make and navigate their most important decisions. He works with small business owners, mid-level executives, and runs men's groups. He's been helping men trust themselves, live authentically and vulnerably, and step into the arena in their personal and professional lives for over half a decade. Jake grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and has somehow survived nine years in New York City as a die-hard Red Sox fan. Learn more about Jake:www.jakefishbein.comwww.thearenaseries.comwww.linkedin.com/in/jakefishbeinInstagram: @thecoachjake

Jim Young returns to the mic to share the goods on his new book, Expansive Intimacy: How “Tough Guys” Defeat Burn Out My first question: “What led to this book being?”Jim’s response: “The simple answer is seven years.”Jim shares how his drive to achieve and deliver for others led to him hitting the wall (hard) and breaking down. We plunge into the important, challenging work that vulnerability can be, taking a few minutes to put comparison under the microscope. Jim unwraps the qualities of expansive intimacy and offers additional rich context for the title and many of the lessons in his book.  We spotlight shame and the separation it causes and reinforces, and Jim recounts some of his own stories of connections built when shame was shared in psychologically safe places. After a brief touch on the unsustainable nature of fear as a motivator, we wrap with Jim sharing a few subtle secrets from his improv experience sure to help listeners begin to move toward their own practices of expansive intimacy. Jim Young is an executive coach, facilitator, author, and speaker who leverages his experiences from the corporate C-Suite to cure burnout for leaders and organizations. His book,  Expansive Intimacy: How “Tough Guys” Defeat Burn Out, helps men create a roadmap that leads them on through a common modern malaise and into the best parts of life they've ever seen. Website: www.thecenteredcoach.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/thecenteredcoachNewsletter: expansiveintimacy.substack.com

 Raj Sisodia opens Act 2 reflecting on Mother Energy.  From there, we riff on the foundations of Shakti Leadership, move on to one of the “great callings of our time,” cite cultural shifts at Microsoft under the leadership of Satya Nadella, and pay a short visit to Everybody Matters and CEO Bob Chapman’s life- and leadership- changing epiphanies.Raj takes us to South America to set the scene for one of his own transformative experiences that led to a broad, important, multi-generational, extended family healing ritual back in India.Throughout our rich conversation, Raj invites us to look at ourselves, our families, our organizations and, by extension, our world, our place in it, and the opportunity we have to take responsibility for all of it… And ironically, the sense of peace and wholeness available when we accept his healing invitation.After a journey that takes us across cultures, organizations, internal journeys, healing from trauma, energetic realms, and plant medicine, we draw this extraordinary episode to a close with a powerful acronym: LIST.Raj Sisodia is Distinguished University Professor of Conscious Enterprise and Chairman of the Conscious Enterprise Center at Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico. He is also Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Conscious Capitalism Inc. Raj has a Ph. D. in Business from Columbia University. He has published fifteen books, including the New York Times bestseller Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business (2013), the Wall Street Journal bestseller Everybody Matters (2015), and Firms of Endearment: How World Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose (named a top business book of 2007 by Amazon.com) and The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World. Raj has consulted with and taught at numerous companies, including AT&T, Verizon, LG, BorgWarner, DPDHL, POSCO, Kraft Foods, Whole Foods Market, Tata, Tesoro, Siemens, Sprint, Volvo, IBM, Walmart, McDonalds and Southern California Edison. Raj received an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University in 2016 and the Business Luminary Award from Halcyon in 2021. He has served on the boards of Mastek and The Container Store.Links: RajSisodia.comCheck out all of Raj's books here: http://rajsisodia.com/books.htmlOverview of Conscious CapitalismTEDx talk on Reimagining CapitalismTEDx talk on The Healing OrganizationSpeaker Reel

Raj Sisodia is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, award-winning professor and thought leader, and a man on a heart-fueled mission of organizational healing and responsibility.To say Raj’s life experience is far ranging is somewhat like saying outer space is “big.”Born in India into the Rajput subset of the Warrior caste in a system he describes as feudal, Raj moved to several locations – from Barbados to California to Canada - over a short span of his early years. He tells the story of how a group of his friends showing up one morning on their way to an academic event altered his life’s path…Throughout this first half of our conversation, Raj shares the rich, somewhat circuitous journey to finding his way home to his calling – the healing, life-affirming work he does in the world of Conscious Capitalism and organizational leadership.Raj Sisodia is Distinguished University Professor of Conscious Enterprise and Chairman of the Conscious Enterprise Center at Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico. He is also Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Conscious Capitalism Inc. Raj has a Ph. D. in Business from Columbia University. He has published fifteen books, including the New York Times bestseller Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business (2013), the Wall Street Journal bestseller Everybody Matters (2015), and Firms of Endearment: How World Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose (named a top business book of 2007 by Amazon.com) and The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World. Raj has consulted with and taught at numerous companies, including AT&T, Verizon, LG, BorgWarner, DPDHL, POSCO, Kraft Foods, Whole Foods Market, Tata, Tesoro, Siemens, Sprint, Volvo, IBM, Walmart, McDonalds and Southern California Edison. Raj received an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University in 2016 and the Business Luminary Award from Halcyon in 2021. He has served on the boards of Mastek and The Container Store.Links: The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World The Global Rule of Three: Competing with Conscious Strategy Conscious Capitalism Field Guide: Tools for Transforming Your OrganizationEverybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business Firms of Endearment: How World Class Companies Profit From Passion and Purpose, Second Edition Shakti Leadership: Embracing Feminine and Masculine Power in Business Overview of Conscious CapitalismTEDx talk on Reimagining CapitalismTEDx talk on The Healing Organization

Megan Jo Wilson is a force of nature by just about any measure.  She’s not only a brilliant singer and coach – she also applies her formidable heart and creativity to helping entrepreneurs get their helping work out into the world. After running several iterations of "Rockstar Camp for Women," Megan Jo broke the mold in 2019, bringing a group of men through her “yes, you will sing on stage with a live band in front of a live audience” program.And the rest really IS Rock & Roll!Not to give away too many spoilers, but expect to be delighted.Megan Jo Wilson has been coaching humans since 2004, after sobbing through her first training and declaring, “This is very important work.” Since then, she has brought coaching and coach training into hospitals, hair salons, prisons, and board rooms, and has a passion for amplifying marginalized voices.She is the founder and Head Ringleader of “Rockstar Camp for Women” – an experiential leadership program that empowers women to sing on stage with a live band and audience.  Her business program, “No More Playing Small” for Women Coaches is based on her belief that confidence can be learned, and marketing can actually be fun.   She is author of the best-selling business books, “Who the F*ck Am I To Be A Coach” and “No More Playing Small” and she is very delighted to appearing on Mojo for the Modern Man…www.meganjowilson.comDownload her book: Who The F*ck Am I To Be A Coach?!Download her other book: Who The F*ck Am I To Be A Rockstar?! Follow Megan Jo on Facebook & Instagram

Christopher Veal, author, speaker, coach, and combat veteran (Marines), begins today’s discussion about his new book, The Whole Man: Evolving Masculinity, with a critical dissection of masculinity in our recent history.There are, as Christopher muses, two versions of masculinity in the 21st century - healthy and unhealthy - and he admits that his greatest call to exploring this topic was his own daughter, and his desire to be a good example of healthy masculinity in her life.Christopher touches on the importance of evolving masculinity, tipping our hats to Charles Darwin as we riff on keeping the best traits whilst striving for growth.His history included nine years in the Marine Corps, nearly seven years working construction… and even with all that arguably “manly” stuff on his CV, Christopher felt unable to show up on construction sites as his whole self.  He was criticized, after the birth of his daughter, for taking parental leave, lest he be caught doing “women’s work.”We dive into masculine and feminine energies, riffing on how both exist within each of us, and Christopher gives examples of each type of masculinity in action, touching on the patriarchal history of our society, and the messaging that continues to flood young people through popular media.After a brief nerd-out about comic books, we move onto a premise central to Christopher’s message - CAPES (Curiosity, Awareness, Presence, Emotional Health and Stay) - an acronym he plays with in his book as guideposts for evolving men. We visit the stigma surrounding men and mental health, and the impact that stigma has, not only on men, but on the fabric of the larger culture.Christopher wraps the episode with some great recommendations for our own evolution.You can check out the new book here: The Whole Man: Evolving Masculinity and, of course, visit Christopher on LinkedIn and have a look at his website, too!

Joseph Bernstein opens Act 2 expanding on healthy edginess and the vital nature of fierce love. We dive into a moment on the importance of truth and boundaries in relationships, sharing stories about the relationships around us that are built on foundations of complexity.Joseph takes a moment to riff on experience, emotional maturity, and emotional repair, noting that “Uncomfortable conversations only get easier over time.  With practice...” Joseph touches on his work and the importance of recognizing pivotal moments, then guides us through his own personal journey with his name: he spent his early years through high school as “Joey,” then lived most of his adult life-to-date as “Joe.”  After 22 years, with a deep shift in his image as a man, consciously becoming more sovereign, and stepping fully into his marriage and other grounded aspects of his current chapter, consciously claimed “Joseph.”We wrap with Joseph making some sound suggestions for men ready to begin their own paths of inner work and growth – and a couple of special invitations for people in the DC Metro area!Learn more about Joseph on his website!

Joseph Bernstein shares images of growing up in the “80’s and 90’s” suburbs of Washington DC, where he experienced a diverse population of folks from around the world but, as he says, without much diversity of thought and values.Life in his childhood home was, on one hand, supportive, comfortable, and he knew he was loved…On the other hand, the atmosphere was rife with “emotional violence” between his parents, and their dynamic led to a family culture of suppressed emotions, contributing to what Joseph now sees as having led to emotional eating, obesity, and a sense of separation. Joseph riffs on his relationship to his body and the cultural narrative that people living in larger bodies are somehow unworthy of love.He shares the beauty, darkness, and wake-up call that was his first marriage - and subsequent divorce - that put him on a path to “change the script.”Building from that wake-up call, Joseph draws clear contrasts between his early incompetence in relationship and his wildly outstanding competence and success in the world of work, where he made the “aha!” connection that sealed the deal of stepping onto his path of personal growth and responsibility.He found his way to men’s work through a suggestion dropped by a therapist, eventually making his way to the Mankind Project and digging in deep!We wrap Act 1 with Joseph sharing how his MKP experience revealed the range of healthy masculinity, from raw and edgy to tender, vulnerable, and deeply loving.Learn more about Joseph on his website!

Pellegrino Riccardi opens Act 2 discussing the therapeutic nature of writing - and giving a shout-out to the supportive editing and publishing team for their help with his recent book, Drowning Quietly - Memoir of a Man's Shortcomings.“It was cathartic, of course,” he says, citing the work of Brene Brown and adding, “secrecy… it’s the rocket fuel of shame!”  He touches on how healing grows when people connect through sharing stories, calling it a sort of deep “collective therapy.”  He mentions  people approaching him after talks, expressing their gratitude for feeling less alone.Pellegrino reflects on making the decision to love his father powerfully, regardless of his violent behavior, and how that love shocked (gently) that relationship over time.  He circles back to the idea of risk and taking the chance at being vulnerable in loving men, whilst not excusing their bad behaviors.One of the most powerful things Pellegrino surfaces is a distinction between loving and being in love, pointing out that being in love is a chemical process that will eventually wear out, whereas love takes work.“Love is about giving someone the power to destroy you and trusting they won’t use it,” muses Pellegrino. It is a labor of choice - choosing each day to be vulnerable with the ones we love, to risk losing it all for the chance of something rich and real.We close Act 2 with Pellegrino walking his talk, brilliantly and vulnerably.For over 30 years, Pellegrino Riccardi has excited and delighted audiences all over the world with a style of public speaking that brings together the ability to present complex ideas in a simple and accessible way, which is then wrapped up in a seamless fusion of masterful storytelling and observational humour.Pellegrino has a unique ability to quickly connect with a wide spectrum of audiences, from Baby-Boomers to Z Generation, from public sector employees to C-suite executives, from high-risk entrepreneurial enterprises to more “conservative” international organisations.You can find out more on his website, on LinkedIn, Facebook, or "the Insta."If you're a man or know any, Pellegrino's book, Drowning Quietly - Memoir of a Man's Shortcomings, is highly recommended reading!