The Irreplaceable Man Podcast

Are you feeling ‘numb and dumb’? Indoctrinated by a society that teaches men NOT to feel? To disconnect from qualities like warmth and receptivity? If you’re ready to break apart the armor and live a more fulfilling life, it’s time to let go of the things that no longer serve you and leverage a framework for change.

Personal development expert Rob Kandell is a speaker and podcaster on a mission to help people up-level their communication skills and live more balanced, energized and purposeful lives. He left the corporate world in 2002 to become an entrepreneur, founding the global 8-figure business OneTaste. Today, Rob is the Principal of Kandell Consulting and host of the Tuff Love podcast on relationships, intimacy and gender dynamics. He is also the author of the new book unHIDDEN: A Book for Men and Those Confused by Them.

Today, Rob joins Emerald to discuss how our patriarchal society trains men not to feel and share the embarrassing moment that inspired his decision to evolve. He describes OneTaste’s focus on pleasure, explaining the connection between good sex and liking yourself. Rob also explores the value in training your brain to see success and the challenge in making change without the help of a support team. Listen in for Rob’s framework for transformation and learn how he is inspired by a belief that men can live full, empowered, healthy lives!

The moment Rob realized the depth of his ignorance

How our patriarchal society trains men not to feel

How the pain of staying the same inspired Rob to change

The principles behind Rob’s former business, OneTaste

The connection between good sex and liking yourself

Rob’s general framework of change

1. Confront
2. Investigate
3. Commit
4. Create practice
5. Celebrate + debrief

Why it’s much more difficult to change without a team

Rob’s skill in coaching clients on psychology + leverage

How Rob is inspired by men’s potential to live full lives

Rob’s insight around training your brain to see success

Rob’s Website

Rob on Instagram

Rob on LinkedIn

Tuff Love Podcast

Kandell Consulting on Facebook

Creative Age Consulting Group

Emerald’s Website

Emerald on LinkedIn

Emerald on Twitter

Emerald on Instagram

Email: [email protected]

Do you believe that your workplace is a meritocracy? That men and women have the same opportunity for advancement? That gender bias doesn’t impact decision-making? Are you sure? How many women serve in positions of senior leadership?

Al Harris is an author, speaker, workshop facilitator and mentor on a mission to eliminate gender bias. As founding partner of the Chicago law firm Ungaretti & Harris, Al had extensive experience watching and evaluating women as the moved up the career ladder—and became increasingly concerned about the barriers they face in traditionally male career environments. This concern led to his current calling around promoting gender diversity, and today, he works with his wife Andie Kramer to write and present on the topic of gender equality.

Today, Al joins Emerald to share the AHA moment when he realized that his law firm was no better than his competitors in creating an unbiased, gender-neutral environment. He offers an overview of the stereotypes that permeate our society, our workplaces and our personal relationships, explaining what men can do to hold themselves accountable for gender bias. Al also makes the distinction between thinking fast and slow and addresses the value in making career-affecting decisions slowly—and in collaboration with others. Listen in to understand why men and women need to work together to eliminate bias and learn how YOU can be part of the win-win that is a gender inclusive society!

What You Will Learn

Al’s realization that his law firm had very few female leaders

Al’s research-oriented approach to creative problem-solving

The gender stereotypes and biases that permeate our society

The distinction between leadership and coaching

How men can hold themselves accountable for gender bias

• Recognize that meritocracy = misconception
• Collaborate on career-affecting decisions

Why thinking fast results in subjective + biased decisions

Al’s challenge getting men involved in gender inclusiveness

Why men + women need to work together to eliminate bias

Andie & Al

Andie & Al on Facebook

Andie & Al on Twitter

Creative Age Consulting Group

Emerald’s Website

Emerald on LinkedIn

Emerald on Twitter

Emerald on Instagram

Email: [email protected]

Breaking Through Bias: Communication Techniques for Women to Succeed at Work by Andrea S. Kramer and Alton B. Harris

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Gender Bias Assessment

This episode is sponsored by the Creative Age Consulting Group. Men - Is it time NOW for you to make your mark? Visit

We could all use a little more healing and human connection in our lives, and art provides one way to restore ourselves and our relationships with others—especially when that art strips away the boundaries between the creator, the observer and the art itself. In fact, Joshua Carroll contends that the best art invites the audience to come in and be a part of the experience.

Joshua is a core organizer and board member of Catharsis on the Mall, a 48-hour vigil featuring lectures, discussions, workshops, community art, and music to facilitate healing in ourselves, each other and our society. Held on the National Mall in Washington DC, the event seeks to affect our government’s culture to one of compassion and collaboration by demonstrating a different way to relate to each other.

Today, Joshua joins Emerald to share the idea of catharsis as a direct experience that leads to healing or release. He shares his creative values, discussing the power of experiential art to spark human connection. Joshua describes the value of making space for yourself to let go of urgency and connect to Source. He also speaks to the connection between celebration and appreciation, sharing the challenge he faces in pausing to receive when others offer affirmation. Listen in for Joshua’s insight around giving others the autonomy to make decisions and learn how to turn up the volume on your intuitive voice!

How Joshua’s calling came when his old story of success was falling apart

How catharsis provides a direct experience that leads to healing or release

How Catharsis on the Mall creates a sense of connection + community

Joshua’s insight on art that provides an experience of full embodiment

How Joshua connects to Source by creating space for himself

Joshua’s approach to empowering others to make decisions

Joshua’s practice of turning up the volume on his intuitive voice

The connection between celebration and appreciation of each other

The value in pausing to receive when others offer affirmation

Catharsis on the Mall

Catharsis on Facebook

Catharsis on Twitter

Joshua on Twitter

The Space Between Stories

Burning Man

Creative Age Consulting Group

Emerald’s Website

Emerald on LinkedIn

Emerald on Twitter

Emerald on Instagram

Email: [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by the Creative Age Consulting Group. Men - Is it time NOW for you to make your mark? Visit timetomakeyourmark.com to apply for an invitation-only consultation.

If you’re a creative person, you’ve likely had the experience of being wide awake at 2am, your mind flooded with ideas. It’s an exhilarating feeling—and a maddening one. The creative process is anything but linear, and it can be difficult to know what to do with all those thoughts, especially when you aren’t sure how they fit into your current work. So, how do you learn to embrace the chaos? Is there a good way to organize your thoughts? And how do you make decisions around which ideas to pursue?

Michael Roach is the Founder of Michael Roach Creative, a firm that offers creative marketing solutions to help entrepreneurs and businesses be more visible and heard. A Professional Certified Marketer, Michael leverages creative thinking and storytelling to design customized marketing strategies that help companies grow. He also serves as President of the New York Capital Region Chapter of the American Marketing Association, facilitating networking opportunities and supporting members in advancing their professional status.

Today, Michael joins Emerald to discuss the creative process, sharing his approach to recording ideas and developing criteria around which ones to pursue. He describes his experience turning a perceived failure into something positive and offers insight on evolving WITH your plan as new opportunities arise. Listen in for Michael’s advice around marketing to your ideal customer, breaking down complex ideas visually, and making a commitment to keep learning—especially when it doesn’t come easy!

Michael’s early interest in entrepreneurship and marketing

The value of turning failure into something positive

Michael’s insight on how to evolve with your plan

How to identify and market to your ideal customer

Michael’s visual approach to breaking down a complex idea

Michael’s method of recording his creative ideas

How to leverage creativity on digital platforms

Michael’s commitment to learning and sharing new skills

How to develop criteria to decide which ideas to pursue

Michael Roach Creative

Michael on LinkedIn

Michael on Facebook

Michael on Twitter

Creative Age Consulting Group

Emerald’s Website

Emerald on LinkedIn

Emerald on Twitter

Emerald on Instagram

Email: [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by the Creative Age Consulting Group. Men - Is it time NOW for you to make your mark? Visit timetomakeyourmark.com to apply for an invitation-only consultation.

Do you talk yourself out of trying new things because they’re not practical? Do you say NO to experiences because they might be too difficult or too expensive? Are you putting life on hold because it’s easier to play it safe? If so, it’s time to shift your mindset and build the courage to say YES.

Certified Speaking Professional Thom Singer has ten years of experience as a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies. An advocate for creating strong experiences for conference attendees, Thom is committed to helping people build meaningful business relationships that lead to better opportunities and more sales. He has written 12 books on sales, networking, and entrepreneurship, and Thom is regularly called on to speak to corporate and convention audiences. He is also the host of the popular Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do podcast.

Today, Thom joins Emerald to discuss his transition from ‘chicken shit’ to saying YES. He explains how he builds his courage by consistently trying new things and describes how turning 50 and losing his dad motivated Thom to start putting himself out there. Listen in for Thom’s insight around leveraging a collaborative mastermind to hold yourself accountable and learn how to stop talking yourself out of things and make the conscious effort to LIVE!

Thom’s ‘tickets not trinkets’ approach to celebrating milestones

How speaking fulfills the part of Thom that dreamed of acting

How Thom builds his courage by consistently trying new things

What inspired Thom to create Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do

How Thom’s podcast became his #1 networking tool

How turning 50 and losing his dad motivated Thom to say YES

The collaborative mastermind that holds Thom accountable

How being comfortable in your own skin facilitates clarity of purpose

Book Thom to speak through his website at https://thomsinger.com/.

In addition, we wanted you to know that Thom has a wedding to pay for this year, and in order to do so he’s started a NEW THING: He’s got a SHOP set up to sell T-shirts at https://cool-things-entrepreneurs-do.myshopify.com/. Check it out and support him in getting his darling daughter down the aisle with ease, won’t you please?

Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do Podcast

Books by Thom Singer

New Media Summit

Creative Age Consulting Group

Emerald’s Website

Emerald on LinkedIn

Emerald on Twitter

Email: [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by the Creative Age Consulting Group. Men - Is it time NOW for you to make your mark? Visit timetomak

Are you giving so much of yourself that it drains you? What if, rather than coming out of you, energy was channeled through you? What if you could seek refreshment from Source, utilizing all the resources available instead of trying to do it all on your own?

Daniel Gomez is the founder of Daniel Gomez Inspires, an organization dedicated to developing and strengthening businesses and individuals. A dynamic motivational speaker with 14 years of experience, Daniel is an expert in the realm of leadership development, team building, sales mastery and confidence coaching. He is also the author of the international bestseller You Were Born to Fly: Be Original, Be the Best YOU.

Today, Daniel joins Emerald to explain how God serves as his source of courage and describe how frustration and anger remind him to reconnect with Source. He speaks to the idea of the storm before the rainbow, explaining how fulfilling your purpose requires getting back up—over and over again. Daniel also discusses how being teachable has contributed to his success and why confidence is crucial to both sales and leadership. Listen in to understand Daniel’s creative process involving time alone in prayer—and learn how developing a connection with Source can provide all the ideas you need!

Daniel’s insight around the storm before the rainbow

Why you keep getting up to fulfill your true purpose

How God serves as Daniel’s source of courage

How frustration alerts Daniel when he’s off course

How ego and pride get in the way of asking for help

Why we attract more negativity when we force or push

Why Daniel attributes his success to being teachable

The role confidence plays in leadership and sales

Daniel’s creative process of prayer + writing things down

The discipline it took for Daniel to write his book

How Daniel celebrates success by acknowledging Source

Daniel Gomez Inspires

New Media Summit

You Were Born to Fly: Be Original, Be the Best YOU by Daniel Gomez

Daniel’s 12 Weeks to Fly Personal Growth Program

Creative Age Consulting Group

Emerald’s Website

Emerald on LinkedIn

Emerald on Twitter

Email: [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by the Creative Age Consulting Group. Men - Is it time NOW for you to make your mark? Visit timetomakeyourmark.com to apply for an invitation-only consultation.

“Sow a thought, and you reap an action. Sow an act, and you reap

a habit.

Sow a habit, and you reap a character. Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.” 

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Growing into the best version of yourself begins with a vision. From there, you program your thoughts around that vision of who you want to become in each facet of your life—as an individual, a spouse, a professional and a member of the community. Thoughts lead to actions, pulling you forward into the future you are creating.

Steve Shallenberger is the Founder and Chairman of Becoming Your Best Global Leadership, a management consulting firm dedicated to developing high-performing employees and teams. Steve built the company around his bestselling book, Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders, leveraging his four decades of research around the things high achievers do to accomplish extraordinary results. An innovator in the corporate training and leadership space, Steve has worked with hundreds of companies and tens of thousands of leaders in more than 25 countries around the world.

Today, Steve joins Emerald to share his practice of visioning key roles to achieve clarity and using present tense language to program thoughts. He speaks to the capacity of strong leadership to change the world for good and the way a clear vision and inspiring goals amplify our courage. Steve also describes the relationship between the feeling of people-first and positive results, explaining why high-performing leaders build high-trust cultures in their organizations. Listen in for Steve’s insight on leveraging pre-week planning to prioritize your time and determine what matters most!

How an early mentor inspired Steve to be a business leader

Steve’s extensive research around prominent leaders

What sets high-performing individuals apart from everyone else

How strong leadership has the capacity to change the world

How a clear vision and inspiring goals amplify our courage

Why high-performing leaders build high-trust cultures

The relationship between the feeling of people-first and results

The difference between personal and organizational vision

Steve’s practice of visioning his key roles to achieve clarity

The value of using present tense language to program thoughts

How Steve leverages pre-week planning to prioritize his time

Why Steve share his goals with others and reports back

Becoming Your Best Global Leadership

Steve on LinkedIn

Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders by Steve Shallenberger

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

Formula for Fortune by Ann Uhry Abrams

Hari Mari Flip Flops

Creative Age

Are you ready to face your dragons? To let go of the bullshit that’s holding you back? To take the leap and break free?

Brad Axelrad is the founder of Face Your Dragon, a platform that supports coaches, consultants and entrepreneurs in confronting their dragons and crafting a message that magnetizes clients, increasing revenue and impact. Brad has 10-plus years of experience as an event producer and strategist, coordinating more than 150 live events with influential business leaders and bestselling authors. He has been featured on NBC Nightly News, PBS, and CBC Radio, among many other media outlets. Brad is also a founding member of the Association of Transformational Leaders and the host of the Face Your Dragons Podcast.

Today, Brad joins Emerald to explain how his father’s death inspired him to share his voice and leave a legacy. He offers insight around the five dragons most of us face, describing how he coaches people to address those fears and take the leap. Brad also shares the life experiences that have afforded him focus and clarity, discussing his two years of sober-celibacy in Colorado as well as his recent sojourn to Costa Rica. Listen in to understand why it’s crucial to have coaches who can help you see your shadows and learn how to ‘face your shit and just leap!’

How Brad’s father’s death inspired him to share his voice

Brad’s insight on the challenge of knowing when to pivot

The 5 dragons most people face

1. Imposter
2. Scarcity
3. Value
4. Unheard
5. Critics

The focus Brad gained during two years of sober-celibacy

How plant medicine helped Brad learn about himself

The clarity Brain gained living off-the-grid in Costa Rica

Brad’s choice to pursue the freedom of an online business

Why it’s crucial to have coaches who see your shadows

Brad’s current struggle with unraveling his codependency

Face Your Dragon

Face Your Dragon Podcast

Association of Transformational Leaders SoCal

ATL Costa Rica

Brad’s Courage Quiz

Don Miguel Ruiz on Face Your Dragon EP001

Katrina Starzhynskaya

Creative Age Consulting Group

Emerald’s Website

Emerald on LinkedIn

Emerald on Twitter

Email: [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by the Creative Age Consulting Group. Men - Is it time NOW for you to make your mark? Visit timetomakeyourmark.com to apply for an invitation-only consultation.

What gives Steven Sashen the confidence to build a company in direct competition with multibillion-dollar running shoe brands? In his words, ‘We have the truth on our side. It’s pretty effortless when that’s the case.’

Steven is the cofounder and CEO of Xero Shoes, the performance recreation footwear brand designed around natural fit, natural function and natural feel. Xero ranked No. 818 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in 2018, boasting 3-year revenue growth of 617%. A serial entrepreneur who’s never had a ‘real job,’ Steven is a former standup comic and award-winning screenwriter as well as a competitive sprinter—currently among the fastest men over 55 in the US.

Today, Steven joins Emerald to explain how repeated injuries and an experiment with barefoot running inspired Xero Shoes. He walks us through the company’s evolution from DIY sandal kits to full active lifestyle brand, sharing his motivation to start a ‘movement movement’ and afford people pain-free lives. Steven also offers insight into his creative process, discussing how he gives himself over to the muse when inspiration strikes. Listen in to understand the research around the benefits of natural movement, the misinformation promoted by the running shoe industry, and Steven’s incentive to grow Xero Shoes!

How barefoot running inspired Steven to found Xero Shoes

Xero’s evolution from DIY sandal kit to active lifestyle brand

Steven’s motivation to provide people with pain-free lives

The research around the benefits of natural movement

The misinformation promoted by the running shoe industry

The surge that characterizes Steven’s iterative creative process

The value in developing the discipline to create each day

Steven’s incentive to hit important business milestones

Steven’s self-awareness of the anxiety of procrastination

How Steven savors accomplishments by sharing food

Xero Shoes

Xero on Twitter

Xero on Facebook

Xero on Instagram

New Media Summit

Frank Daniel

American Film Institute

Creative Age Consulting Group

Emerald’s Website

Emerald on LinkedIn

Emerald on Twitter

Email: [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by the Creative Age Consulting Group. Men - Is it time NOW for you to make your mark? Visit timetomakeyourmark.com to apply for an invitation-only consultation.

For Johnathan Grzybowski, inspiration comes from fulfilling a need. And this scientific approach to creativity is evident in how he launches a new initiative in his business—by asking customers what they want and testing each hypothesis prior to launch.

Johnathan is the cofounder of Penji, a software-as-a-service subscription platform that offers marketing teams access to unlimited graphic design support. Penji was born out of his calling to create job opportunities for entrepreneurs in underserved communities, and the business’ customer base includes national brands like Reebok, 902 Brewing Company and World Market, among many others. He also serves as the host of the #1 business podcast, The Blind Entrepreneur, a show designed to offer entrepreneurs insight around profitability, business development and growth hacking, so they can execute on their vision.

Today, Johnathan sits down with Emerald to share the inspiration for his podcast and explain how his business was built around fulfilling his own need. Johnathan discusses his strength in doing an internal reset when he hears the word ‘no,’ the way he leverages curiosity as a source of courage, and his system for prioritizing the things that matter. Listen in for Johnathan’s insight on implementing a management overview to stay committed and on course—and learn his scientific approach to testing a creative idea with prospective customers before you launch!

The inspiration for Johnathan’s Blind Entrepreneur podcast

How Johnathan built a business around filling his own need

How Johnathan does an internal reset after hearing ‘no’

How Johnathan’s curiosity serves as a source of courage

Johnathan’s system for prioritizing the things that matter

The value in testing your hypothesis before you launch

The management overview Johnathan uses to stay on course

Why celebrating wins is an area of opportunity for Johnathan

Penji

The Blind Entrepreneur

Headspace

Creative Age Consulting Group

Emerald’s Website

Emerald on LinkedIn

Emerald on Twitter

Email: [email protected]

This episode is sponsored by the Creative Age Consulting Group. Men - Is it time NOW for you to make your mark? Visit timetomakeyourmark.com to apply for an invitation-only consultation.