Turning your Liabilities into your best Assets
https://soundcloud.com/radreads/unmistakable-ceo-srini-rao-relationships-new-media
Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Subscribe
And by liabilities, I mean “Angelina Jolie lips.” I’m not kidding, I never thought I’d open a podcast by asking another guy about his lips. And that’s only one of many similarities I share with this week’s guest, Srini Rao, the CEO of Unmistakable Media. Srini and I also had “non-existent” dating lives which led to a deep-rooted fear of never falling in love and spending life alone. Today, at 39 — a self-proclaimed “late bloomer” Srini is still searching for that special person with whom he can grow a family of mini-surfers — but also knows that being alone is infinitely better than being with the wrong person.
Srini’s had a remarkable professional journey, he’s the failed byproduct of the “traditional model of education and work” and graduated into two recessions, the dot-com bust (undergrad) and the global financial crisis (MBA). Now, as the founder and CEO of Unmistakable Media, he’s conducted over 700 podcast interviews, organized massive events, and is a published author of Unmistakable: Why Only Is Better Than Best. This is a wide-ranging conversation covering why men struggle to be vulnerable, if “follow your passion” is good advice, how to quiet the comparing mind, and the ingredients to finding flow at work: autonomy, purpose, and mastery.
More about Srini
- Unmistakable Creative Podcast
- Finish What you Start Course
- Unmistakable: Why Only is better than Best (Amazon)
- Srini Rao on Medium, Twitter, Instagram
And don’t miss our previous episode with Anastasia Alt: The Business School of the World
Show Highlights
The Fear of Being Alone
The fear of being alone transformed more into a fear of being with someone I don’t want to be with. Because I think that it’s worse than being alone.
On being “Fixated” with Dating Outcomes
I realized that at a certain point, every interaction I had with somebody is no longer about the interaction, but instead trying to get some sort of outcome. As a result, you’re no longer engaged or present, which is really strange because those are the very things that make you attractive.
On MBAs and Creative Roles
“I realized nobody hires MBAs to do creative things and I was better off working in the mail room of William Morris”
This appears to be a reference to David Geffen.
On Male Vulnerability and Mental Health Stigmas
I think therapy and mental health are stigmatized in our culture. I think particularly for men it is much harder to go to that place, no matter how much Brene Brown talks about the power of vulnerability. Men don’t want to be seen as weak. I had my own moment when I cried in front of a girl and 3 days later she breaks up with me. At that moment I vowed to never shed a tear in front of a girl again.
Srini goes on to mention Jerry Colonna and Reboot doing great work:
https://radreads.co/the-only-three-podcasts-i-listen-to-on-a-recurring-basis-59ae6f9e8d07
https://radreads.co/the-only-three-podcasts-i-listen-to-on-a-recurring-basis-59ae6f9e8d07
On Board Sports
“Parents — if you have a kid who likes to skateboard, please let them skateboard. Board sports give you so many life lessons, the most important — learning to get back up when you fall.”
https://radreads.co/the-only-three-podcasts-i-listen-to-on-a-recurring-basis-59ae6f9e8d07
Finding flow states at a big, bureaucratic job
“Daniel Pink describes the components as: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose (…) The overall set up of work places is not conducive to deep work, flow, mastery or purpose — it’s missing these things.”
https://radreads.co/the-only-three-podcasts-i-listen-to-on-a-recurring-basis-59ae6f9e8d07
https://upscri.be/277e81/