GuyGab: Better Emotional Management, Better Men

A lot has changed since the last GuyGab episode. We’re all now focused on how to get through the coronavirus pandemic. GuyGab will change with the times.

For season two of GuyGab, I will focus entirely on supporting your mental well-being through this crisis.

For the first episode in this new GuyGab season, I’m opening up that I’ve been infected with COVID-19. Listen to learn:

- The question that helped reduce my feeling of fear after I realized I was sick

- The difference between being persistent and S&S (stubborn and stupid).

While I am not a therapist or medical professional, I hope my personal stories will act as a speed bump between any negative thoughts you have and potential overreactions.

If you'd like me to address any specific topics related to mental well-being and the coronavirus, feel free to suggest them at https://www.guygab.com/contact.

As we gear up for Valentine's Day, it's time to explore how masculinity impacts how men approach dating and relationships. When I came to New York from college, I had no confidence when it came to dating women. So I panicked and made a bad choice.

I admit my mistake and talk with Anahita Moghaddam, a student of the Eastern Contemplative traditions for over a decade, to help you understand how to date with clear intentions and deep appreciation for all those involved - including yourself.

Specifically, we explore:

- What questions to ask yourself before you date

- How to communicate respectfully and clearly

- Why dating apps should be deleted

When men feel a negative emotion, they often react immediately with anger. In this episode of GuyGab, I open up about the anger I observed as a child and how it impacted me. I believe we can make better choices to deal with negative emotions than getting angry.

I turned to Jaclyn Siegel, PhD candidate in social psychology at the University of Ontario, to help you learn lessons from my story and specifically gain insights in how to:

Explore your emotions that are being masked by anger

Create space between a triggering event and the instinct to immediately react in anger

Deal with anger that you feel towards yourself

This will not be the last GuyGab episode on why or how men get angry quickly. Together, we can learn to make better choices in heated times.

Our resumes and LinkedIn profiles often portray are careers as perfect track records of success. However, we all face the dreaded "f" word - failure - at some point in our careers. In this episode of GuyGab, I bring on an executive who recruited me to a firm years ago to discuss a situation where I feel I fell short.

Michael Brenner is the CEO of the Marketing Insider Group and the author of the book Mean People Suck. Through his comments on my "f" story, I hope you'll learn how to:

Use T.O.E. when you "stub your toe" in your career - Michael wakes up every morning to the acronym T.O.E. Listen to hear what it stands for. It helps him, and now me, keep moving forward with chins held high even during the tough times at work.

Become a "champion leader" - Great leaders do more than direct others. Michael highlights how to champion others.

Consistently apply the power of empathy at work - Michael gives great examples of the lens he applies to conversations with bosses, colleagues, and even those who inform us that flights are delayed as we head to important work events.

If you want to learn more about the power of empathy, read Michael Brenner's book Mean People Suck: https://amzn.to/2ud4En7

Happy New Year GuyGabbers. I sat down with Rick Little, a Vedic meditation teacher at the Spring Meditation center, to understand why our egos push us often to attach to things and people instead of spiritual journeys.

I tell a story about my best friend moving to a different city (sad) and how I flailed to find someone or something else to connect with.

Rick responds with summaries of:

- The practice of Vedic meditation

- Why we are drawn to health and wellness, as opposed to spirituality

- The concept of the ego

For more information on Vedic meditation, check out https://www.thespringmeditation.com/

For this episode of GuyGab, I traveled to Washington D.C. to gab with an expert on business crisis communications. Dan Webber is the General Manager of the corporate and advisory services team at the communications firm Edelman. We gab about how traits, such as gender, influence how we respond to crises at work. In addition, we debate what is the best Disney film of all time.

The Benefits of Re-Thinking Masculinity at Work

Dan outlines three benefits we can bring to our teams at work if we cultivate an effective culture at work:

- Growth

- Opportunities

- Joy

The Stages of Grief for Crisis Communications at Work

We also walk through the stages of grief that a leader needs to go through to successfully handle a crisis situation at work.

"The goal is to get to acceptance faster," says Dan.

The Imperative for a "Psychologically Safe" Work Culture

Finally, we lay out the case for cultivating a "psychologically safe" work culture and outline the elements of this type of work culture.

Gab With Jonathan and Dan

Jonathan Blank on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonathanblank

Dan Webber on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielewebber/

In the debut episode of GuyGab, host Jonathan Blank and Physique 57 senior instructor Chad Levy gab about how to pick and reflect on male role models. Chad has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from North Carolina School of the Arts, is raising three kids including a young boy, and performed in the movie Dirty Dancing.

Re-Thinking Masculinity

In this episode, we question the following aspects of traditional masculinity:

Do men need to appease friends, family, and peers?

Are we allowed to question the behavior or our male role models?

Should men focus on being a financial provider to their families?

Gab with Jonathan and Chad

Jonathan Blank on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonathanblank

Jonathan Blank on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanblank/

Chad Levy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chadlevy

Meet Jonathan Blank, host of GuyGab, the podcast for those who believe men can be better. Every other week Jonathan will share personal stories, some funny and some series, and have guests mine those stories for lessons to help you and your loved ones become better men. Let's stomp out #MeToo and create a healthy environment for men 2.0.