Lead With Purpose, Create With Intention, and Inspire Change | Seth Godin

We all have many great conversations in life – conversations where we learn, explore, express, question – but there are some conversations that stand out among the rest. Conversations so rich with insights and revelation, that they fundamentally change you. They inspire you to be better.

My conversation with Seth Godin was just that.

In this episode, we're diving deep with Seth, the mind behind 21 best-selling books including The Dip, This Is Marketing, and Purple Cow. His latest, The Song of Significance, has sparked creative revolutions, making him a dual inductee into both the Direct Marketing and Marketing Halls of Fame.

More than his titles, Seth is a master teacher who reshapes how we think about leadership and the art of making an impact. He describes his purpose as “turning the lights on for others” so they can create change.

This conversation is a dynamic exchange on leadership, meaningful work, and the power of meta-awareness. Seth brings his A-game, challenging us to elevate our understanding of connection, creativity, and courage in leadership.
In doing so, he brings out the best version of me so we can disagree, play, learn, and expand together.
He offers us a playbook for anyone eager to make a dent in the universe, and a call-to-action: to lead with purpose, create with intention, and inspire change that echoes.

Ready to be part of the change? Then tune in for a conversation that might just redefine your approach to work - and life.

Chapters

00:00 Intro
00:28 State of the Union of Leadership
03:47 Traits of a Great Leader
04:17 Enrollment
06:36 Authenticity vs. Consistency
08:00 Personal Philosophy and Trap Doors
10:25 Living with Style
11:53 Understanding Your Philosophy
20:07 'The Dip' and Quitting
28:36 Finding Meaning in Work
39:13 Fear of People's Opinions (FOPO)
41:08 Focusing on the Right Audience
42:05 Dealing with Judgment and Criticism
43:03 Finding and Building a Network
49:21 Public Speaking
51:18 Understanding the Meta of Interactions
52:12 The Importance of Disagreement and Insight
54:09 Non-Attachment to Outcomes
57:30 Enhancing Meta Awareness
58:56 The Gift of Generosity
01:08:48 The Influence of Parents
01:14:59 Working with Emotions

[FindingMastery]

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[DanielPeterson]

Seth Godin all day… doesn’t matter who is interviewing him.

[iamkevinkouassi]

Man! The difference when the interviewer is phenomenal is staggering. This conversation was by a mile, to me, much more valuable than any other Seth’s interviews! Thanks Dr. Gervais.

[leimaniax]

Let Seth finish speaking. Please.
Thank you for sharing this great interview.

[AnthonyLucido-rpkk]

One of the better interviews I have heard with Seth. Dr. Michael Gervais does a great job actively listening and really digging into Seths mind--great job!

[zebdigital]

Wow 2 most highly emotionally and socially intelligent people in one frame. last part was very emotional, seth is a gem, I have never seen seth is in tears watched hours of conversation of him, How deep you took this conversation men, seth is a private person, and we get so much learn from a bit of his personal life too, you are genius communicator, thank you so much michael for including those parts in your interview, this makes us proud seth more and satisfaction that we are following a leader and a teacher of this modern era for a long long time. I came for seth and this podcast makes me a fan of you, subscribed for more learning and development nuggets.

[renatejacobsohn]

Thank you for a very special emotional talk to see. Please give me your yellow glasses, I need to see the world with them. 🙂

[beingqiananicole]

I love this interview! Seth has a personal connection or disappointment to how he is defining authenticity. There is a TRUTH about the definition of AUTHENTICITY. the interviewing is speaking about. I agree with the trith of Authenticity. Seth is speaking about the way those he has seen use what authenticity IS NOT as an excuse for unprofessional/ poor behavior.

[terrypeters]

So timely and revealing. Seth has the ability to remain current yet timeless. I do wish to have a coffee with him one day so that I can possibly give him my understanding of his work.

[TheMIdwestrida]

What a great conversation and I loved the authenticity discussion. It stopped me in my tracks. I was just rescued from a place that I didn't know needed rescuing. Thank you.

[lapalma]

Great interview! Came for Seth, but I look forward to other interviews on this channel.

[eloyzalukhu]

Thank you. I admire both of you. I quoted both you in the book I wrote. Thank you for this conversation. Warm regards from Jakarta, Indonesia.

[aliciacoleman]

I was very touched by the mutual respect, admiration, and vulnerability on display in this interview ❤

[lucasselbach]

what was that?!?
Just loved everything, absolutely marvelous by its simplicity, assertiveness and kindnes. Excellent, thanks

[annevanduren]

Hi Michael Gervais,
(Personal observation, opinion) Yes, Seth Godin demonstrates copious amounts of what you describe as "meta awareness". It could be otherwise interpreted as a spiritual connectivity with faith-based entities. For someone who has a gift of believing in the living God, this sensitivity and perception can positively affect how a person views their environment and how they fit within it. This "meta awareness" can ironically help a person find "centredness" and their "base foundation" for life establishment. It is very important for achieving a sense of purpose and acquiring emotional security.

[LisaDTinsley]

"What is the change you seek to make?" - Seth Godin

Be consistently authentic because this is the best way to make the change we seek to make.

[melissamonroebooks]

So many brilliant and helpful points. Thank you! Loved the 3 things most important to Seth (and applying this to my life); emotions have been around longer than words; and consistency and values driven as a professional.❤

[BoothMax-sz]

Thanks for sharing! Just a quick off-topic question: I have TRC20 USDT in my OKX wallet and I have the recovery phrase: (pride pole obtain together second when future mask review nature potato bulb). What is the best way to transfer them to Binance?

[wallstreetjones]

22:38 Infinite game vs Finite games where the former promotes growth.

[JayJay-qlgf]

I don’t know what’s my philosophy is but I know there is a flavor of it …