What the Heck Does Emotional Connection Even Mean?
Language is powerful, it is important to get it right. I spend much time discussing the importance of Emotional Connection, particularly for men, and its impact on leadership, peak performance, and mental health. I share practices that I have found helpful in my journey, but I have not spent much time discussing what Emotional Connection […]
Shifting Views: The Unseen Power of Perspective
Have you ever considered how a single moment can alter your perception of the world? Last week I was speaking at a conference. During one of the breaks, I spoke with one of the other speakers. We chatted about the message I had delivered that morning on the importance of Emotional Connection, particularly for men. […]
The Importance of Emotional Granularity for Men
As men, we have had emotions conditioned out of us for most of our lives. The constant refrain from other men to “Suck it up” and “Be tough. Be Strong.” Any show of emotion other than anger is considered a weakness. Many men adhere to this paradigm with the refrain that they don’t want to […]
Breaking Free from Negative Self-Talk: A Guide for Men
In a society where the stereotypical portrayal of masculinity encompasses stoicism and presenting an undaunted façade, addressing the issue of negative self-talk among men is rarely discussed. The truth is that in our quest to “Measure up” to real or perceived expectations ensnares many men in a spiral of negative inner dialogue. Tackling this issue […]
How you do anything is how you do everything
“How you do anything is how you do everything.” This mantra has become front and center in my world of late. It is a reminder for me that there is no cheating the process. There is no way around “doing the work.” This is most tangible for me in my physical fitness though it is […]
What is your influence?
On September 1, 2022, my 21-year-old son left to go to University 5000km from home. As a father, I am incredibly proud to see him spread his wings and blaze his own trail. It is also a little sad and a lot scary for me as well. When he left, I wanted to give him […]
Are You Having a Midlife Crisis?
Is it really a midlife crisis? Many men spend most of their lives trying to live the life they believe they are supposed to live. They are supposed to be the provider, the protector, the ‘man’. Most do this at a great cost to self. They suppress their own needs, wants and desires in order […]
Men’s Mental Health: Be Somebody’s Larry
When it comes to men’s mental health we all need somewhere to unpack what is going on in our lives. The challenge often can be that finding those spaces to do that is difficult. As men, we tend to like to “fix” things. This often kills the space required for exploration of feelings and patterns […]
Learning to Embrace the Suck
The difference between a good race and a bad race is all about how you manage the (inevitable) pain. Chris McCormack I first came across the term “Embrace the Suck” in the context of Ironman Triathlon. My daughter gave me a henna tattoo that made that proclamation across my forearm when I competed in my […]
Wakefield Brewster: Da Lyrical Pitbull
Since January 1999, Wakefield Brewster has been known as one of Canada’s most popular and prolific Performance Poets. He is a BlackMan born and raised in Toronto, by parents hailing from the island of Beautiful Barbados, and he has resided in Calgary since 2006. Wakefield Brewster has spoken across Canada, several States, and makes countless […]
Men and Grief
Grief is often something we don’t associate with Masculinity and when we do, there seems to be an expectation of stoicism, strength and frankly – fixing it, not suffering with it. Together we are going to discuss how that shows up in our lives and in the lives of those who support men who are grieving.
Four Ways To Get Unstuck: Avoiding the How-to Trap
Yesterday I was speaking to someone who is a top performer in her industry. I mean not just “successful” but the top 1% of the industry. It has been very gratifying to watch her success over the years. You see she actually started her career with me some 15 years ago. I have been incredibly […]
Is Time Confetti Ruining Your Life?
Focus seems to be an incredibly rare commodity these days. It is something I have struggled with most of my life. Do you remember the scene in the movie Up! In the scene, Dug the Dog introduces himself to the main characters and halfway through he stops, mid sentence, looks sharply to his left and […]
How to Set Boundaries
In my work I talk a lot about leading with empathy and compassion. I talk about the value of kindness, acceptance and love in leadership. These words can be mistaken for “soft” or “weak” and therefore some are hesitant to employ those qualities in a leadership role. This is only the case if we do not […]
Real Talk International Men’s Day
On International Men’s Day I had the privilege of sitting down with three other men to discuss the importance of Men’s mental health and some of the challenges that we face as men. Even in our patriarchal society it is important to look at the price of the patriarchy on men as well as on […]
Is Accountability the Secret Sauce to Productivity?
Productivity hacks, hustle culture and busy, busy, busy seem to be the prescription of the day. If you’ve followed me for any length of time you know I am not a fan of “busy”. As an executive coach who takes a very holistic view of those I work with, I am always looking to see […]
What Does “Stuck” Look Like (and how to get unstuck in life)
How to get unstuck in life As I sit here at my computer, with my Pomodoro Technique timer quietly counting down I sit staring at a blank computer screen. A list of a million different “things I could be doing” starts to form in my head. The procrastination monster is strong in this one my […]
The Scars That Shape Us
October 2, 2021. It’s now been six years since I heard those three little words that would change my life. The three words that would shape my future and become a large part of my legacy. “Karissa is dead.” That’s it. That was all he said and my world was forever changed. A wound so […]
Redefining Leadership for Men
I was shocked when I felt a sharp smack upside the head and a gruff voice yelling “What the fuck are you doing? Give me that phone!”
After all, I had finally mustered up the courage to make that phone call! I was very proud of myself for doing so.
A Powerful Leadership Lesson From an 8th Grade Drunk
Who would’ve known that showing up drunk for my eighth grade science class would teach me a leadership lesson I would hang on to for 40 years.
How to be a better father after divorce
In a split second a combination of many variants of relief and terror washed over me. Holy shit, after 15 years this was actually happening.
When we go through a separation or divorce, whether by choice or by circumstance, it can be incredibly devastating. For me coming to terms with the fact that my marriage was not going to work was one of the most difficult things I had to do.
How to Navigate Life’s Transitions
“The only constant in life is change”-Heraclitus This statement has never been more applicable than it has in the last 18 months. Every single one of us has gone through massive, unforeseeable, and unavoidable change. The real key is how we adapt to that change and how we navigate the transitions from the old way […]
Let’s Play a Game: Reason or Excuse
It’s almost impossible to run 100 miles while puking and shitting your pants every 20 yards. What the hell does that have to do with procrastination you ask? Today I am going to share with you a game that I like to play. A tool that I use to help prevent my proclivity to procrastination. […]
How to support a partner who is struggling?
Yesterday after a keynote I delivered on Men, Mental Health and Imposter syndrome I was asked by a few people how to support a partner who is struggling with their mental health. My buddy Al Kehler and his wife Tanya do an amazing job of sharing their experience walking the road with Al’s mental health […]
Reach Back, Pull Forward, Leave None!
Join me and Coach Larry for a conversation on men and shame, how to lead and how to build a team
Short: Why Men Have A Responsibility In The Prevention Of Violence Against Women
Guys, I need to have a frank convo with you. When it comes to violence against women #notallmen is NOT OK. Until we can say “NO MEN”, we all have some work to do. In October of 2015 my girlfriend was murdered by an ex boyfriend and I have been working hard to move the […]
The Leadership Question That Could Change Everything!
As leaders we often feel like we need to have all the answers. The reality is that we hire good people for a reason. Sometimes they don’t need solutions, they simply need understanding.
Becoming A Better Man Audio Book
In 2019 I published my first book. I released the audio version of it in full on Audible in 2021. Here is a preview of the book the full version is available for purchase on Audible. If you need any help with your audio production, Kimagination can help you out. They have been fantastic in […]
Men and International Women’s Day
Today is International Women’s Day. For me part of Becoming a Better Man is about learning to be a better ally for gender equity. It means learning to forget what I think I know and ask questions to really dive in and learn more. It means replacing judgement with curiosity and getting intentional with how I show up in the world.
Real Talk With Ryan Jespersen
“Emotionally connected men don’t kill people, they don’t kill themselves, they make better partners, fathers, leaders, and human beings. It’s critical we have this conversation.”
Personal Development Scavenger Hunt
Who says personal development can’t be fun?! This activity is one of the many practices I use with our Lifestyle By Design group. It is an excellent way to propel your growth and gain some insights into who you really are.
What Does It Feel Like To Run 100 Miles?
From the mouths of babes
I had a really interesting conversation with my 11 year old daughter and thought it worthy of a share. It was Monday evening and we were on our way to basketball. M asked if she could pick a song from my iPhone. I said sure and handed it over. She chose Nickelback’s Burn it to […]
Words to Live By: “Responsive”
Quite some time ago I wrote an article entitled “Words to Live By” where I talked about looking at the words with which you think people use to describe you and contrasting them with the words you would like them to use to describe you. I still use this as a barometer to try and […]
Happy New Day!!
It is New Years day and as I sit back and reflect on the past year and watch others do the same, I can’t help but think that there has got to be a better way to do the whole “Out with the old, in with the new” thing. Striving to make big changes, new […]
Brain Food: What do you eat?
2013 was a year in which I really focused on my physical fitness and it certainly paid dividends. I am in better physical shape then I have ever been in my life. As I sit and reflect and look forward to my 2014 goals I feel compelled to put the emphasis on intellectual development. We […]
Goal Setting to Goal Achieving: The ‘not so secret’ ingredients
Inevitably, this time of year, we start reflecting on what we accomplished last year and look forward to what we might like to accomplish in the next. This post may be nothing more than stating the obvious but I thought it is a concept that might sometimes go overlooked. I was on the treadmill the […]
All I want for Christmas…
Well, it’s that time of year again. The requests from the family to get your Christmas lists in has begun. This year all I want for Christmas is: A goat 2 Chickens A sheep a donkey and Fresh Water For many of us the real joy at Christmas time is in the giving not the […]
Thirteen years ago
Thirteen years ago today my life changed forever. While you often hear that having kids will change your life, I am not sure you ever really understand the full impact of that statement. Christopher you have made an enormous impact on my life and likely more than you will understand until you too have a […]
Don’t treat your mortgage like rent!
For many first-time buyers it is easy to get into a new home and a mortgage and continue to treat it the same way you did when you were renting. You can make a significant impact on how quickly you payoff your mortgage by just paying a little attention to it. While renting you get […]