From My Heart To Yours

Jason Lebowitz, Founder of XXO Connect believes that we are missing out on having a relationship with ourselves. He calls it a distraction when we keep seeking relationships. Jason started a matchmaking service, pulling people offline and meeting them face to face. He told his clients not to hold back so he could make an accurate match. A month later COVID hit and disrupted what Jason was attempting to disrupt. Jason went on and disrupted the disruption. He created a platform that is stripped down to pure human connection with interactive classes. The community gets to see one another, talk to the instructor (daily masterminds that are also recorded) and open up as they do their own inner work. There is also an app for XXO Connect members, via video chat, without having to share any personal information. These are people who want to be surrounded by like minded people. I know you’ll enjoy this thought provoking episode.

Jason Lebowitz is fascinated with connection and believes it is ‘the root of it all’. This fascination is what has pulled him to where he is today. Jason has a deep understanding of the importance of establishing a true relationship with oneself. He also believes that the search for perfection is the search for protection. After surviving a pattern of toxic relationships, Jason discovered that people using dating apps weren’t really wanting to connect because they weren’t connected to themselves. People keep searching to be accepted. That doesn’t work if you haven’t accepted yourself. You also won’t have healthy boundaries. If you’ve accepted yourself, then not being accepted does not matter. Join us, you won’t want to miss this episode.

Lisa Gable: “Managing relationships is twofold. One of the first things is ‘do what's right for you’. Determine how you want to interact with the world. Make sure you are willing to interact from a positive point of engagement, take the time to understand someone, and let them understand you. At the same time you are learning how to set boundaries, especially at the beginning of your career, and of course throughout your entire life.  When it comes to mentorship, I see the mentee and mentor as a process where they are investing in each other's success. This includes friendships, special relationships with relatives, and in the business world as well. It's important to take time to invest in our relationships. There's a benefit to the giver and the receiver of anything. In our professional careers, we can't just focus on climbing the ladder. It's important to make sure others are climbing with us. By doing so we become so much stronger.  I’ve always wanted to be Jimmy Stewart in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”. That’s what I aspire to! Hearing people talking about what you did for them and how it built an opportunity that they might not have had, feels really good.  There’s great satisfaction in helping other people and not just focusing on yourself.” Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Former US Ambassador, Lisa Gable.

Lisa Gable: “We see people on their good days and we see them on their bad days. We make assumptions about who they are as a result of how they exhibit their personality at a moment in time. The reality is–we don't know what's going on in that person's life, we really don't.  So if you start with the assumption that the person with whom you are dealing is a good person and perhaps the way in which they are reacting to a situation isn't what you would want, there is hope that you could come to know them better.  This gives us the opportunity to appreciate who they truly are as a whole person.  We have a tendency to be very judgmental, especially today in social media and politics when we’ve only seen a tiny aspect of someone's life. In managing people for over forty years, I am always stunned at how someone would immediately assume their colleague was out to get them. It's been even more noticeable in the last five years. My father was so amazing at finding something uniquely special about everyone he met. Even if they were the most annoying person on the face of the earth, he could find a specialness in them. So look for that unique special kernel of an individual and help bring it out of them, so together you can explore it.” Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Former US Ambassador, Lisa Gable.

Lisa Gable: “Sometimes we doubt ourselves and sometimes we doubt our ability to analyze what's going on around us. It may be how we are working with another individual or it might be how we're perceiving shifts that are going on in our communities.  The reality is we actually know the answers to our questions, we can trust our instincts, and our decisions.  I use decision trees. There is a starting point and a path to follow. As long as you have a clear vision, then you will have clarity in making decisions. Each decision leads to another question. If the answer is ‘Yes’ then you follow that path. If the answer is ‘No’, then that leads to another set of questions. Your gut will tell you the right direction to go. Type A people have a plan for their lives. That doesn’t mean we have to follow someone else's plan for how they see us fitting into their lives. The world is changing so rapidly today. It helps to have a vision as to what you want your life to be, the impact that you want to have, and where you see your greatest opportunity. At the same time you get to zig and zag, which means to pivot. We saw that over and over again through COVID. As leaders, we would make decisions and yet something would happen within the supply chain or employees would get sick or money would be short. We were constantly having to pivot, while keeping our eye on what we ultimately wanted to achieve. I believe that applies to life as well.” Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Former US Ambassador, Lisa Gable.