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Best intentions don't protect you from blind spots — and Juan Cortés has the mansplaining story to prove it. Juan has spent his career helping organizations build cultures rooted in emotional intelligence, and the most powerful thing he brings to that work is a willingness to turn the lens on himself first. 

Juan Cortés, co-founder of Matter of Culture, has led L&D, OD, and DEI inside organizations across advertising, hospitality, biotech, and fintech (to name a few)— and going external gave him something he couldn't get from the inside: clarity. In this conversation, Juan and Jen dig into what it actually means to confuse proximity for influence, why EQ keeps getting dismissed as a soft skill, and what it costs leaders when it does. Juan shares his three R's framework — reflect, repair, recalibrate — and breaks down the four components of emotional intelligence in a way that makes them immediately actionable. This is the episode for anyone who knows they want to show up better but hasn't found the model that makes it click.

In this episode, we explore:

• Inside vs. outside perspective: How going external helped Juan see the gap between what organizations say they want to be and how their people actually feel — and why that gap is almost always a surprise.
• The three R's: Juan's personal framework for turning self-awareness into action — reflect on what happened, repair by owning it, and recalibrate for what comes next.
• EQ as the linchpin: Why emotional intelligence isn't a soft skill add-on but the foundation that makes every other leadership skill work — and what gets lost when organizations treat it as optional.
• Catching yourself in the moment: The story of Juan realizing mid-sentence that he was mansplaining — and why naming it out loud in the room was the whole point.

The Work of You via Juan Cortés

1. Self Awareness: What are the things that move me and motivate me? How am I coming across to others? 
2. Self Management: How do I prevent myself from reacting and focus more on responding?
3. Social Awareness: What does this person/group/team need from me?
4. Relationship Management: How do I put all of this to play? How might I be coming across to others and what am I doing about it?

About the Guest: 

Juan Cortés has spent his career helping organizations across the globe build cultures that promote employee development and engagement. With EQ as the linchpin of all development efforts, Juan delivers inclusive learning experiences designed to grow the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to succeed as a distributed workforce. Prior to co-founding Matter of Culture, Juan led L&D, OD and DEI efforts for many organizations in industries including advertising, digital marketing, hospitality, biotech, fintech, media, entertainment, retail and publishing. Juan holds professional certifications in training, facilitation and executive coaching. He is also a qualified coach on Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Juan co-chairs the DEIB committee for Hamlin Robinson School in Seattle, Washington. 

Resources | Links:

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Juan Cortés | Linkedin

Matter of Culture

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Bradberry & Greaves 

The Work of You on Substack

Instagram | The Work of You

Website | The Work of You

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Website | Grow Collective

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