Living with Confidence | Jonathan Rudner | Ep 4
The show starts off with Jonathan challenging the bro's on what sort of influence they have on each other. It's... a work in progress.
Jonathan then shares his journey and how he learned from life and bad relationships. He talks about Tulane University & the University of Memphis Law School and the effect Hurricane Katrina had on him. He shares some bizarre & hilarious stories from law school, talks about the pain of failing the Bar exam, how he clerked with some crooks, and how he sort of stumbled into family law.
His first career sounds like a painful experience, but his father saved him by bringing him into the family business. He talks about learning through a job in sales and how nepotism landed him the CEO job after his father retired.
He talks about what a CEO even does, dealing with the pressure of responsibility and nebulous goals and results. He goes into a bit of detail about developing products. The guy really knows hair care products. He also refuses to make the Bro's a ball-sack scented hair tonic.
Jonathan talks about how being a leader means to never stop learning and how you often have to let go and trust others to do their jobs. He also talks about how firing is hard.
Jonathan keeps sane by managing expectations and setting little rewards for himself throughout the day. And he talks about the importance of self-forgiveness and remembering to focus on the things that are most important to him.
The Bro's are a bit amazed at Jonathan's self esteem and confidence. He talks about that and about wearing your own badges of achievement as examples to yourself of success. He also talks about how his father gave him a strong example of a man who is confident and comfortable in his own skin.
He tells the Bro's how he trains his mind to focus on one thing at a time. He tries to be confident when he's right but okay with moving on when he is wrong. He just puts himself into whatever he's doing at the moment and keeps giving himself those small rewards.
Jonathan flips the mic on the Bro's and questions Enoch about his own journey. He tells him that he's too hard on himself and calls him out on his dissatisfaction and lack of self-grace. Enoch talks about his own journey and how he's not good at self forgiveness, but that he's working on building space and grace within his own head.
Jonathan talks about his own experience with meditation. The Bro's are clearly doing it wrong!
He talks about keeping things in perspective in the present while being kind to his future self. He is comfortable not feeling like a "grownup." He explains that being a man is being responsible and not being an asshole.
Jonathan is uncomfortable with the idea of vulnerability, yet seems to sit easily in a space the Bro's would call vulnerable. An extrovert at heart, he gets energy from interactions with others. He also says that bravery is just putting one foot in front of the other, because you have to.
The conversation closes with an interruption from his lovely wife, Alex, who threatens to go full Lorena Bobbitt on him if he wants a third kid! Also their baby son was able to squeeze out a poop. Huzzah!
Jonathan's Book Recommendations:
- Siddartha by Herman Hesse, because sometimes all you need is a river and some peace of mind.
- Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card, because it taught him how to think like an AI!
Other People, Places, and Things Mentioned:
- Memphis, TN
- New Orleans, LA
- Tulane University
- University of Memphis Law School
- Hurricane Katrina
- Better Call Saul
- Broken Glass by Enoch Daniel -- My short story published in Teleport Magazine!
- Gwyneth Paltrow's Vagina Candle
- The Quaker School for Disturbed Youth
- Khang Ree's Martial Arts Academy where Elvis Presley trained!
- Transcendental Meditation
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
- Dax Shepard
- Germantown Community Center and their infamous high dive.
Credits:
- Writers: Enoch Daniel & Sosh Woodbine
- Producer: Enoch Daniel
- Theme Music:"The Future is Ours" by Scott Holmes Music is licensed by CC BY-NC 4.0.
- Sound Effects: “Meditation” by eliasyian & “record scratch” by luffy both licensed by CC BY 3.0.
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