How Childhood Trauma Secretly Fuels Your Success… and How to Turn It Into Real Power (with Michael Shaw)

Most high-achieving leaders are running on hidden trauma. It drives them to win — but it also burns them out, leaves them empty, and creates a "hero complex" that keeps them addicted to saving everyone.

In this raw episode, Michael Shaw (founder of Mastery Mindset Library) reveals how he survived a violent childhood and his father's suicide, then spent 30 years turning that pain into a repeatable system that top entrepreneurs and executives now use to build unbreakable emotional fitness.

You'll discover:
- Why "invincible leader" is the fastest path to burnout
- The 4-Pillar Framework: Awareness → Rewiring → Alignment → Activation
- How to know if your success is fear-based (most leaders have no idea)
- The "What story am I telling myself?" technique to reframe any crisis in seconds
- How to create "I Am Declarations" that permanently shift your leadership identity
- Why emotional fitness > revenue when it comes to sustainable success

If you've ever felt "successful on paper but broken inside," this conversation will change everything.

🎁 Michael's Free Gifts for Listeners:
→ Fear to Freedom Formula
→ 60-Minute Leadership Alignment Session (not a sales call)

Get them instantly: DM "FREEDOM" to @michaelshaw.mindset on Instagram
or go here → https://michaelshawmindset.com/mindset-master-coaching-challenge

Connect with Michael:
Instagram: @michaelshaw.mindset
Website: michaelshawmindset.com

The Self-Aware Leader Podcast – Turning your deepest wounds into your greatest leadership strength.

#Leadership #TraumaHealing #EmotionalFitness #ConsciousLeadership #HeroComplex #Mindset #Entrepreneurship #PersonalDevelopment

Most leaders think they're building wealth. Bay Street veteran Paul Musson says the system is quietly stealing it from them—and from future generations.

After managing over $15 billion for one of Canada's largest investment firms, Paul pulls back the curtain on how central banks, housing policy, and inflation create fake prosperity, immoral wealth transfers, and a rigged game for emerging leaders.

In this episode, we unpack the core ideas from his book "Capital Offence: Why Some Benefit at Your Expense" and translate them into practical leadership and investment wisdom you can use right now.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• How to spot the difference between real capital creation and fake wealth effects

• Why central bank policies quietly transfer wealth from the young to the old

• The crucial distinction between money vs. capital every leader must grasp

• How housing bubbles destroy opportunity for emerging leaders and entrepreneurs

• Why inflation acts as a hidden tax on savers, builders, and business owners

• How "something for nothing" economic myths trap even well-intentioned policymakers

• Why today's monetary system fuels division, resentment, and social breakdown

• How to build antifragile leadership and business strategies in manipulated markets

About Paul Musson
Paul Musson spent three decades on Bay Street, managing more than $15B as head of the Ivy investment team and a former McKinsey Investments executive. His work focuses on exposing how modern economic policy creates artificial wealth, hidden transfers, and generational injustice.
👉 Book: Capital Offence: Why Some Benefit at Your Expense
👉 Website: paddingtoncapitalmgmt.com
👉 Weekly blog: "Paul Political Economy"

What if everything you've been told about sales and leadership is backwards?

In this conversation, Jason sits down with Luis Baez – a quiet Puerto Rican introvert from the Bronx who generated over $600 million in sales at Google, LinkedIn, Uber, and Tesla… not by being the loudest person in the room, but by doing the opposite of what most sales gurus teach.

Luis shares how he turned his "otherness" into a competitive advantage, built deep trust with clients by asking one simple question – "How badly does that hurt?" – and eventually designed a business that earns 7-figures while he works just four days a week.

You'll learn:

• Why introverts can outperform traditional "high-energy" sales styles

• The "whispering strategy" Luis uses to close complex deals

• How to turn discrimination and doubt into fuel for resilience

• The real mindset shift from employee to entrepreneur

• What "CEO Energy" looks like in your calendar, habits, and pricing

Whether you're an entrepreneur, a leader in a fast-paced company, or an introvert who secretly wonders if you're "not cut out" for sales, this episode will challenge how you think about influence, revenue, and leadership.

Connect with Luis Baez
Website: BookedBusyPaid.com

About Self Aware Leader
Self Aware Leader helps entrepreneurs and leaders master self-awareness using ancient wisdom for modern challenges. Follow the show for weekly conversations that help you lead with clarity, courage, and authentic confidence.

Former top creative executive Rafael McMaster had everything the corporate world promised: A-list celebrity clients, global brand campaigns, and the pinnacle of success. Yet, he describes feeling "emotionally bankrupt." His journey from climbing the wrong ladder to building a mission to empower 1 million conscious youth is the ultimate lesson in turning pain into profound, purpose-driven leadership.

In this deep conversation, we explore the inner alchemy required to bridge the gap between external achievement and internal fulfillment, offering a roadmap for any leader, entrepreneur, or trader who has felt disconnected from their deeper purpose.

In this episode, you will learn the secrets of Conscious Leadership Transformation:

• The Defining Moment: How Rafael recognized he had achieved everything but felt absolutely nothing.

• Art as Alchemy: Why "art is the language of the soul" and how to reconnect with your creative essence to find flow and presence in high-stakes activities (like trading).

• The Inner Practice: The ancient wisdom tool of "Mind Watching" that acts as a practical, modern replacement for traditional meditation, giving leaders instant clarity and emotional regulation.

• The Wrong Ladder: How corporate creativity sacrifices soul for social psychology, and the process of transforming that professional wound into your greatest gift.

• Exponential Impact: The groundbreaking model Rafael built with Indivisible Arts to teach consciousness tools to teenagers, and his audacious goal of empowering a million conscious young people.

This is a masterclass in leading from the soul, not just the spreadsheet.

Resources & Connect:

• Guest Rafael McMaster's Website: https://www.rafaelmcmaster.com/

• Rafael's Book,

  Fundamental Life Tools: Self-Empowering Toolkit for Being

  https://a.co/d/6oQnDgQ

• Rafael's Nonprofit, Indivisible Arts: https://www.indivisiblearts.org/

Most leaders think they're self-aware—but 87% are missing the critical skill that separates good leaders from exceptional ones. Dr. Joel Pérez, leadership development expert and author of "Dear White Leader," reveals how cultural humility and true self-awareness transform your leadership effectiveness.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

- The listening test that immediately improves team dynamics and communication (11:00)
- How to recognize unconscious biases without guilt or defensiveness (15:30)
- Earned vs. unearned privilege: why every leader needs to understand this (32:00)
- The authenticity balance: leading with your values while building inclusive teams (36:00)
- Psychological safety secrets most leaders completely miss (42:50)
- Why emotional intelligence matters more than technical skills in modern leadership

This episode delivers practical leadership development tools for mid-to-senior level managers, executives, entrepreneurs, and team leaders who want to build high-performing, resilient teams through genuine human connection.

✨ LEADERSHIP SKILLS COVERED:
Self-awareness training | Cultural humility practices | Emotional intelligence development | Unconscious bias recognition | Team management strategies | Psychological safety frameworks | Inclusive leadership techniques | Executive coaching insights | Workplace culture transformation | Empathetic leadership skills

📚 ABOUT DR. JOEL Pérez:
With 30+ years studying leadership effectiveness, Dr. Joel Pérez helps executives and managers develop cultural humility through practical, evidence-based frameworks. His work focuses on what actually works—building resilient, high-performing teams through authentic connection and self-aware leadership.

🔗 RESOURCES:
📖 Book: https://dearwhiteleader.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelperezphd/
🎯 Leadership Coaching: https://apoyocoaching.com/
📧 Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/87447c061e61/mailing-list
📥 Free Chapter + Cultural Humility Assessment: https://dearwhiteleader.com

⏱️ EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction: The Secret to Exceptional Leadership
02:00 Self-Awareness: What Leaders Get Wrong
07:25 The Power of Vulnerability in Leadership
11:00 The Listening Test That Changes Everything
15:30 Understanding Your Biases Without Guilt
22:00 Asian Driver Bias & Unconscious Patterns
27:00 The Catherine Story: Introvert vs Extrovert Bias
32:00 Earned vs Unearned Privilege Explained
36:00 Authenticity & Inclusion: Can They Coexist?
42:50 Psychological Safety: The 4 Critical Components
46:00 AI Can't Replace This: The Future of Leadership

🎙️ SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE:
Weekly conversations on leadership development, emotional intelligence, team building, and creating human-centric organizations that thrive in today's complex workplace.

Perfect for: Executive coaches, HR professionals, startup founders, corporate leaders, team managers, leadership

Leadership isn't about being right—it's about being real. Angie Lyon, Chief Soul Officer at Black River Performance Management and host of the Leader U Podcast, went from high-stakes operating rooms to transforming leadership teams. In this raw conversation, she reveals why 87% of leaders struggle with imposter syndrome and what to do about it.

What You'll Learn:

• Transitional Intelligence (TQ) - The critical skill that helps leaders navigate change with intention instead of chaos, and why it's different from emotional intelligence
• The root cause of leadership struggles - Why most challenges trace back to feeling "not enough" or "not safe," and how to break free from these limiting beliefs
• Creating micro-cultures of excellence - How one self-aware leader can build a thriving team even inside toxic organizations
• AI-proof leadership skills - The human capabilities (empathy, communication, self-awareness) that will make you irreplaceable in an AI-driven world
• The unlearning paradox - Why authentic leadership requires shedding the habits that got you here
• From proving to improving - How to shift from external validation to internal growth and confidence

Key Insights:

Angie shares her journey from surgical technologist to leadership expert, revealing what she learned watching leaders in life-or-death situations. "One good leader can create a culture where people thrive," she explains. "But leaders stuck in fear mode create environments where people make more mistakes."

She introduces the concept of Transitional Intelligence—your ability to move through change without losing yourself. While Emotional Intelligence helps you feel your way through moments, Transitional Intelligence helps you move through them, especially in the messy middle of transition.

The conversation gets real about vulnerability, ego, and the courage to ask: "Do I want to be right, or do I want this relationship?"

Perfect for: Mid-to-senior level managers, entrepreneurs, executives, team leads, HR professionals, and anyone committed to becoming a more self-aware, resilient, and human-centric leader.

About Angie Lyon: Angie is a certified surgical technologist turned leadership development expert, recognized as Woman of Influence in Entrepreneurship (2021). Her upcoming book "Emerge: Charting Waters to Discover Your Best Self" releases September 2025.

Connect: BlackRiverPM.com | https://blackriverpm.com/leadership/angie-lion/

About The Self Aware Leader: Jason Rigby guides entrepreneurs and leaders to master self-awareness by integrating ancient wisdom with modern leadership strategies. Subscribe for weekly conversations on resilient, empathetic, and conscious leadership.

What if everything you've been taught about self-discipline is backwards? In this transformative episode, we sit down with Jay Heinrichs, New York Times bestselling author of "Thank You for Arguing" and "Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion," to uncover the ancient art that makes willpower obsolete.

Jay shares his remarkable journey from debilitating hip pain and depression to running his age up a 2,800-foot mountain in under 58 minutes—not through brute force, but through Aristotle's revolutionary technique of self-persuasion.

Discover how to treat your soul as an internal audience you need to convince, not overpower. We explore the psychology behind cognitive dissonance, the power of "kairos" moments when chaos becomes opportunity, and why ancient Greek warrior chants can rewire your brain for success.

Key Topics:

• The "Soul vs Daily Self" concept that changes everything
• Why cognitive dissonance is your secret weapon for growth
• The Three C's framework: Caring, Craft, and Cause
• How to set "impossible" goals that transform your identity
• Ancient rhythmic techniques that bypass mental resistance
• The "vacation test" for discovering your authentic purpose

This isn't another productivity hack—it's practical philosophy backed by 2,500 years of human wisdom and modern neuroscience. Perfect for leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone tired of fighting themselves instead of working with themselves.

Jay Heinrichs has worked with clients from NASA to Southwest Airlines and is a master of classical rhetoric. His latest book, "Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion," reveals how ancient wisdom can solve modern problems.

Resources mentioned: "Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion" by Jay Heinrichs, available wherever books are sold. Find Jay's newsletter "Aristotle's Guide to Soul Bending" on Substack.

This episode is part of The Self Aware Leadership Podcast, where we explore the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern leadership challenges.