Episode 105: Massimo Backus & His Book, Human First, Leader Second: How Self-Compassion Outperforms Self-Criticism

ABOUT MASSIMO

Massimo has dedicated his career to empowering leaders with a powerful reminder: You are enough. His journey began amidst personal battles with perfectionism and a harsh inner critic fueled by the challenges of dyslexia. These struggles ultimately guided him towards finding and teaching self-compassion. As an executive coach, speaker, and facilitator, Massimo has revolutionized the leadership styles of thousands across prestigious companies like Amazon, Nintendo, Fox Entertainment, and Sony. His Coaching approach is straightforward and impactful, tailored for open-minded and committed senior leaders who are serious about change.

CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS

• Massimo can’t help people if he’s not committed to being his best self ever day
• Emotions and what they are and aren’t.
• “It felt like a healthy drug for me…it lit me up inside for the first time, to see the impact of something I can do to benefit other people and make their experience better.”
• What’s on the other side of change?
• The power of Trauma in shaping people’s later lives and careers.
• “Self-love is a leadership epiphany.”
• The biggest misconception about leadership today.
• Massimo’s admitted past hypocrisy.
• Who are you without defensiveness and fighting the good fight to prove you’re the smartest person in the room?
• What a W.I.M.P is.
• Massimo’s WARD Model
• What being internally resourced means.

The MAIN QUESTION underlying my conversation with Massimo is, In the face of your past adversities, and even traumas, how are you utilizing self-compassion and self-love to move forward?

FIND MASSIMO

• LinkedIn:
  https://www.linkedin.com/in/massimo-backus/
• Website: MassimoBackus.com
• Massimo’s Book: https://massimobackus.com/book

LinkedIn – Full Podcast Article:

CHAPTERS

00:00 – The Book Leads Podcast – Massimo Backus

00:51 – Introduction & Bio

02:04 – Who are you today? Can you provide more information about your work?

04:55 – How the human aspect of Massimo’s work evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic.

21:31 – How did your path into your career look like, and what did it look like up until now?

32:16 – How does the work you’re doing today reconcile to who you were as a child?

36:21 – What does leadership mean to you?

39:08 – What Self-Compassion means in Massimo’s work.

47:36 – Can you introduce us to the book we’re discussing?

52:56 – Can you provide a general overview of the book?

57:01 – A breakdown of the chapters in the book.

01:06:33 – What lessons have you taken away from the book?

01:09:32 – What book has inspired you?

01:12:14 – What are you up to these days? (A way for guests to share and market their projects and work.)

This series has become my Masterclass In Humanity. I’d love for you to join me and see what you take away from these conversations.

Learn more about The Book Leads and listen to past episodes:

• Watch on YouTube
• Listen on Spotify
• Listen on Google Podcasts
• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Read About The Book Leads – Blog Post

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John M. Jaramillo Leadership Performance Coach

John M. Jaramillo is founder and leadership performance coach and consultant at Coach It Out, LLC.

In that capacity he helps clients throughout the organizational hierarchy break through to their next level of leadership performance and effectiveness. Clients realize just how much more of their abilities, experiences, and goals they can bring to the table. His professional experience in the public and private, profit and non-profit sectors allows him to transfer lessons across business industries, organizational structures, and leadership needs.

In addition to coaching, he enjoys writing, presenting and speaking on leadership branding and design as well as hosting two podcasts -- The Book Leads: Impactful Books For Life & Leadership and Mindset Talks: Life Beyond The Checkboxes.