Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

How embracing emotions will accelerate your career | Joe Hudson (executive coach, Art of Accomplishment)

August 8, 2024

AI Summary

5 min read

Joe Hudson, an executive coach for tech leaders, discusses how a harsh inner critic and poor emotional relationships stall careers and satisfaction. He advocates experimental approaches over suppression, drawing from neuroscience, psychology, and personal practices to foster fluidity, enjoyment, and authentic evolution.

Relating to the Critical Inner Voice

The repetitive, critical voice in your head—saying things like "you should work out more" or "you'll fail"—is always wrong, even if it contains partial truth. Treating it like a boss or trying to silence it fails; instead, experiment daily with new responses, such as "Oh, I see you're scared; I'm right here with you" or dismissing it playfully. This treats the voice like a scared child, builds freedom, and avoids the brain's habenula, which discourages repetition after "failure." Full understanding through experiments makes it fade.

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What you'll learn

1 *(02:34) **Common roadblocks: critical voice and emotions**
2 *(07:04) **Relating to the critical voice experimentally**
3 *(13:18) **Embracing emotions for better decisions**
4 *(22:22) **Tactical: Emotional Inquiry practice**
5 *(30:25) **Avoided emotions recreate problems**
6 *(39:40) **Cultivate enjoyment for efficiency**
7 *(46:31) **Authenticity over self-improvement**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Joe Hudson is one of the most sought-after executive coaches in Silicon Valley. He is the founder of Art of Accomplishment, a transformational coaching program that has helped tens of thousands of people, including many tech executives and founders from companies like Apple, OpenAI, and Google. His unique method of transformation comes from over 25 years of exploring neurological, psychological, and spiritual traditions, tested against real-world challenges. In our conversation, Joe shares:

• Why the critical voice in your head is always wrong, and how to change your relationship with that voice

• Why authenticity trumps self-improvement

• The importance of embracing all of your emotions

• How to create more enjoyable and effective meetings

• The power of gratitude in transforming your life

• Practical experiments for personal growth

• Much more

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Apply for Joe’s Connection Course:

Thousands of students have taken Joe’s most popular experience, the Connection Course. Unlike most online courses, there is no reading, lectures, or written homework. It is a three-week experiential deep dive where you will apply your learnings to real-life problems—how to make your team more productive, communicate more effectively, and resolve conflicts with ease. Apply here and use the code LENNY for $300 off your enrollment: view.life/lenny.

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Find the transcript and references at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/embracing-your-emotions-joe-hudson

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Where to find Joe Hudson:

• X: https://x.com/FU_joehudson

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-hudson/

• Website: https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/