Making the Workplace Human with Danny Goldberg

Judd Shaw: [00:00:00] Welcome to Behind the Armor, where we deep dive into the heart of what matters. I’m your host, Judd Shaw, adventurer, storyteller, agent of change, and speaker on authenticity and human connection. Join me as we explore the complexities of human connection, featuring theorists, scientists, and speakers. Our mission is simple, to inspire you to reclaim your true self and create genuine connections with others.

Judd Shaw: Join me as we lay down our armor and live authentically. Hello, you beautiful people. And thanks for tuning in. Today we’re speaking with Danny Goldberg. Danny is a serial entrepreneur turned keynote speaker. After building an eight figure business and losing both parents by age 25. Danny became motivated by the desire for more meaning, purpose, and happiness in the workplace.

Judd Shaw: Danny left his business behind to pursue a more impactful mission to make the workplace Today, Danny works [00:01:00] closely with leadership teams to build a culture of care and effectively lead in a multi generational workforce. Let’s see what’s behind the armor with Danny. From eight figure businesses that you grew before most graduated college to helping organizations and companies build amazing teams.

Judd Shaw: Danny Goldberg. Welcome to the show. Thanks for having me

Danny Goldberg: on.

Judd Shaw: It’s a pleasure to be here. I’m so happy you’re here. You know, what I wanted to get to is your story during the time before you became a speaker, before you were starting to talk about human connection, that Danny 1. 0. And I understand that your mother and your father, you lost both.

Judd Shaw: At a young age to cancer, and I’m sorry for your loss.

Danny Goldberg: Thank you. [00:02:00]

Judd Shaw: And during that time, you were in a business. And that business didn’t support you in the way you needed to be supported, which was really just connection and understanding, right? Yeah. And you found that you were not supported as a human during that time.

Judd Shaw: What was that looking like?

Danny Goldberg: Yeah, so I think, It was very hard in the moment to really understand for myself what I was going through, um, and to express it verbally. My mom died when I was 25 years old and my life came to a screeching halt. Everything that was important to me before she died and everything that became important to me after she died were two different Dannys.

Danny Goldberg: Mmm. [00:03:00] And In the moment, I didn’t know necessarily how to express what I needed, but it was only as I started to work through that after she died, um, that I started to, I changed, like life changed, and I changed as a result, and as I started to navigate that, it became really difficult to go back to my old life, and Yeah, after she died, like, how, how could my life ever be the same?

Danny Goldberg: And it was also, um, and you know, I’m sure we’ll get into it a little bit, but it was, uh, the manner and, and how she died. My mom checked in the hospital, um, two days after telling me she, she had cancer and she never checked out. She was in there for two months and, um, she went through three major, uh, major surgeries where every time they said, We don’t know if you’re going to come out alive.

Danny Goldberg: And those two months when she was in the hospital, it was, it was, it was hell. It was the, the most brutal two months of my life. [00:04:00] Um, and there was, there was a, there was, uh, some gifts that came, came out at, at, at the end of it. But in, in the heat of it, uh, life changed so fast. And so viciously, and after she died, life would never be the same.

Judd Shaw: Yeah, I’m sorry, Danny, I could still feel the emotion of that, you know, years later. That, that feeling when that floor just gets pulled from underneath you, and all of those values get questioned, right? So, let’s get behind the armor for a moment.

Danny Goldberg: Yeah.

Judd Shaw: What, what were those values in Danny 1. 0 that ultimately changed?

Judd Shaw: You

Danny Goldberg: Yeah, maybe it makes sense to actually go back to even like Danny Zero before, um, because, because there was a shift that happened after my dad died that also laid the foundation for um, let’s, let’s call it Danny 1. 0 and then Danny 2. 0 after my mom died, if that’s [00:05:00] okay with you.

Judd Shaw: Absolutely. And you know, to the point of that, it’s important for the listener to know that we can have multiple dark nights in each of those dark nights.

Judd Shaw: create a certain transformation. And I love that. So what, what was the, what was the OG Danny?

Danny Goldberg: So growing up, I had a, uh, I had a very, I grew up really fortunately in the sense that I did not know how difficult life could be. I grew up, like, just as a smiling, happy kid. Life was good. And I’ve, and I, and I count my blessings.

Danny Goldberg: Like, I know, like, I was very fortunate to, to, to, to be dealt those cards. My parents were extremely loving, supportive. And when I was 14 years old, I I fell in love with boxing when I was 11 years old, and when I was 14, um, my dad and I would always have these conversations about life, and partly because of my [00:06:00] dad’s own professional journey, um, my dad was an industrial designer, he loved to design things, and I, I admired him, he would be able to take a, a napkin, the back of a napkin and sketch out and, you know, intricate product in 30 seconds.

Danny Goldberg: I admired what he did. He got to travel overseas to go visit factories. He worked for a big, big public company and he traveled overseas. Um, he’d be away for like four months out of the year, but not consecutively. He’d go for two weeks at a time to all these factories in China. And, um, I, I just admired his, his life even as a kid.

Danny Goldberg: And we’d always talk about life and career. And when I was 14, I was sitting in the backyard with him and I turned to him and I said, Hey dad, how do I build something great in life? And my dad thought for a minute, and he said, find what you love and you’ll build something amazing. And at that time, I, I loved boxing.

Danny Goldberg: My first, the first day I stepped in a boxing gym, I was 11 years old, and it was, it consumed me. It was my life. Um, and every day I’d find my, like, I worked at the gym. Uh, cleaning mirrors, nothing too sexy or exciting, [00:07:00] and, um, helping, helping the gym transition between classes, and then, um, I had the aspiration to go and, uh, compete.

Danny Goldberg: So, when I was 14, I’m sitting in the yard with him, and I said, let’s, I love boxing, let’s sell boxing gloves. And my dad started digging in further. And two weeks later, I had a company name, a logo, and I pulled together my money from that. I saved up working at the gym. My dad gave me some money and, uh, I ordered a couple of boxes of boxing equipment from a factory in Thailand.

Danny Goldberg: And like a month later, it showed up at my house. I’ll never forget a van pulled up with a couple of boxes. Uh, put it in my garage and then that weekend I told my parents, okay, time to go and sell the gloves. So we filled the duffel bag, um, and I didn’t have a permit yet. I couldn’t drive and my parents would drive me all over Long Island and I had started selling the boxing gloves and I tell them, I’ll call you when the bag’s empty.

Danny Goldberg: That’s when, that’s when you should come get me. And that business, like it took, it took off. And I always say, like, when I look back, my dad gave me. The greatest gift because he, he [00:08:00] believed in me and he made me feel like I could really pursue my dream and even like I, I competed a little bit in boxing and like he really believed in me and that as well, but I knew like deep down, I was never going to become a professional boxer.

Danny Goldberg: So I was like, I better stick to the business thing and, uh, the business grew little by little and all of a sudden, like when I was in, when I was in college, I had a very legitimate business. I was providing boxing equipment all over the world. the country to gyms, to stores. There weren’t that many combat sports stores, but there were a few.

Danny Goldberg: And I was, I was making gloves for world champion boxers and like living, living my wildest dreams. And when, when I was a junior in college, my dad, uh, was diagnosed with cancer. And seven, seven months later he passed away, and when he died, um, it was the, I really, it was the first shift in me. Where I shifted from, like, building this thing that I was so deeply passionate about, to really becoming hyper obsessed with cancer.

Danny Goldberg: How do I make the [00:09:00] most money possible? And I didn’t really think about money much when I was in college, and when I was building my business. It was just like, I loved what I did. I loved going to hang out with these fighters, making the gloves for them. And My focus really became I wanted to make money to take care of my mom to try to fill that void and I became pretty obsessed with, uh, thinking more and more about how do I make the most money to help my mom.

Judd Shaw: You know, it’s amazing boxing can create polar opposites and the experience of it, it gave you your start. It gave you passion, it gave you a connection to your father. My father is a Hall of Fame promoter, promoting the highest grossing boxers of all time. Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Shane Mosley, and on and on.

Judd Shaw: And for me, boxing drove this connection with my father. ’cause he traveled all over the world. It was the most important thing to his life, and it [00:10:00] robbed me of both a relationship and the feeling that I had to be this, you know? And that really led to a lot of challenges growing up. And so I just find it so interesting, right, that the same thing could have a different.

Judd Shaw: perspective for each of us. Thanks for reminding me of that.

Danny Goldberg: Yeah, that’s wild. You know, my, my dad, like, he, he became, because I felt so in love with the sport, he became so entrenched in it equally. And it was an equal bond over, like, part the sport, we’d stay up late watching the pay per views, but part the sport.

Danny Goldberg: Part of the excitement of building the business and, um, he was a designer, so he’d help sketch out glove ideas and how to improve the design and he knew how to figure out the importing and getting the gloves here and things like that. So there was an, uh, an equal combination of both like the, the sport itself and then the business.

Danny Goldberg: But my [00:11:00] dad was a obese guy. He was fat, uh, He was not in shape by any means, but he’s like, I, I’m going to do this boxing thing with you. So I don’t know, in his, in his late fifties, he’s gloved up and he’d come to the gym with me and we’d spar each other. And then it would like continue. When we’d go home, we’d continue bare knuckles sparring, like in the kitchen.

Danny Goldberg: And my mom would be like, you guys got to get out of here. Like you got, you are, you are just such a disturbance in this household enough with the boxing. But, um, it was something that like we, We, we really bonded over, um, in every facet.

Judd Shaw: Yeah, you know, even when you’re describing those moments, right, with your dad, you can reflect on them with such positive energy that I can feel it.

Judd Shaw: And yet, at the same time, that subject, my body, He’s getting warm, like I’m sensing in my body because I have those opposite feelings. It generates those feelings of reminding of how disconnected and lonely I was because of the same sport. Interesting. Yeah, crazy. So you’re, you’re, you’re [00:12:00] that zero that, that Danny OG develops into this, you know, beautiful child, loving family, great connection with parents, loses your father.

Judd Shaw: And then now at that comes from, okay, now from passion and connection goes power or money. I need more money. And at 1. 0, is this driven on needing more?

Danny Goldberg: It’s driven on taking care of my mom. Like, I think the big shift that happened for me is I didn’t care what I needed. I cared about what my mom needed and, uh, just like I, I knew deep within myself, no matter how much money I’d make, I would never be able to fill the void of my dad. It’s like even a silly thought now, but really in the moment, it was like, if I could, if I could just give her a little bit of money and ease her financial worries and ease her stress, it would be a win.

Danny Goldberg: And that’s what [00:13:00] led me to, I, I, there’s, yeah. There’s a few things that happened in between, but that’s what led me to starting a manufacturing agency because I had all these connections and the know how as it relates to supply chain from running my business. I was involved in another business that was in combat sports, um, where I was always running like the operations of finding the product, the manufacturer.

Danny Goldberg: And I said, maybe I could find someone to, to, that needs help with supply chain. And I found one customer, I found another customer and all of a sudden, Within two years, I had built a seven figure business on the supply chain side of things. And all I wanted to do at that point was make more, make more money to help take care of my mom.

Danny Goldberg: And that’s, that was really where my, my focus was. Where

Judd Shaw: was your connection with yourself? What were you doing, Danny? for yourself between dad and mom’s

Danny Goldberg: loss. At that point, like almost, I mean, my life was my business. I viewed like the great wins was closing the deal, [00:14:00] was getting another client, was making more money than I could have dreamed at, at 23, 24 years old.

Danny Goldberg: Um, there was something that was like surreal about it because in the moment, I think, wow, like my dad would be so proud. But it’s crazy because when I think back, like, now with the life I’m living now, my dad would actually be proud. Um, and it’s, it’s funny to see that shift now, but couldn’t recognize it in the moment.

Danny Goldberg: And, When my mom died, the, the, the thing that shifted was it was the first time in five years. My dad died when I was 20, so it was the first time in five years where I actually sat down and asked myself, What does Danny want? What’s important to Danny? And the, the, the biggest thing that I came to realize only after my mom died was, holy shit, life is so fragile.

Danny Goldberg: Each day is a gift and not a guarantee and, and like really understanding that how and where do I want to spend my [00:15:00] time because there’s no guarantee I’ll have tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or next year, or five years, and that’s when everything in my life changed.

Judd Shaw: The stoic principle of momento mori.

Judd Shaw: Yeah. You know, I wanted to catch and bring out something that you said about your dad. I thought he would have been proud of my 1. 0. Yeah. But now I learned that he would be more proud of 2. 0. What about that?

Danny Goldberg: Today, I’m so intentional about how and where I spend my time, and the life that I’m pursuing, the life that I’m living.

Danny Goldberg: We’re at 24, 23, 24, even 25 before my mom died. My life was about Building a successful business, and I thought like, that’s what, that’s what life’s about. And now it’s like, I could do away with all that. There’s so many, there’s so much more to life than just a career, than just a business. And, I think that was, [00:16:00] I, I did a lot of internal work, um, after my mom died.

Danny Goldberg: Just around understanding, like, holy, wow, there’s so much more to life than just our career. And I think, especially, like, I, I’ve lived in New York now, I grew up here, but I, uh, living in Manhattan for almost a decade, and I think it’s so easy to get lost in a big city where it’s just career, career, career, next job, next promotion, more money, and, you know, I think a lot of people forget that, like, there’s so much beyond just our career, and when we can pursue those things, we can actually live a more fulfilling, happier, and successful life.

Judd Shaw: Mmm. Um, when you lost your mother, you’re in the job place, and I understand that you just did not have any support, right? It was about the work, it was about the job, and you’re like, hello, where’s the [00:17:00] humanity? Where’s the support? Where’s the, the giving back to me to help know that there’s a sense of belonging, that people understand what I’m going through.

Judd Shaw: And when that’s absent, it’s a dark and lonely place. Is that how you felt?

Danny Goldberg: Yeah. And so I was in my own business and I had a business partner and we were building the business for nearly, um, at that time, nearly six years. And

Danny Goldberg: what I felt lacked was that I felt like. All that mattered from his perspective was that I showed up, that I closed deals, and that I grew the business. And I had this epiphany, like, I want to do more than just my business. And, um, to his credit perhaps, maybe, you know, when someone is so focused and [00:18:00] so driven in their career, someone else can maybe see that.

Danny Goldberg: and harness them and say like, I’m going to make this person a quote unquote weapon. Like when you come to work, you’re going to just work and grind. And, um, you can, you can, you can help kind of focus them to make them, uh, this like sales machine, go get business, go kill, go get, go get that deal. And when there’s that shift and that’s, that’s what happened for me.

Danny Goldberg: That’s what wasn’t recognized. It was. You’ve changed and I don’t like it as opposed to you’ve changed and I need to support this change. And I think that That’s something that so many people miss because we all go through these seasons. I say it all the time like 20 24 year old Danny was a completely different Danny than 30 year old Danny and I know 40 year old Danny will be different than 30 year old Danny.

Danny Goldberg: So, you know as we think about the workplace leaders Need to understand the changing of seasons in our, in their people so they can best support them. [00:19:00] Otherwise, um, you might be able to like really harness and, and focus on supporting 21 year old Danny when he’s fresh out of college and is like, let’s go build a business.

Danny Goldberg: But at 35, maybe I have a wife and kids and my, my desires have changed. As a leader, you need to recognize that to harness their new desires and, uh, the things that they want to pursue. Otherwise, they’re probably going to be like, I don’t feel seen. I don’t feel supported. And that’s what happened for me.

Judd Shaw: It sounds like honoring the authentic version and how that grows and develops. So, your values changed. Your belief system changed following your mom. Yeah. And the company didn’t exist. accept that new change that felt more authentic than it did before your mother passed.

Danny Goldberg: Yeah.

Judd Shaw: And without that support, it drives disconnection.

Judd Shaw: And quite frankly, I now understand that my business, if my value [00:20:00] system is different than that of my team, there’s a disconnection and my team Will not show up authentically correct and in this time you then came up with this framework this Concept of let’s make our workplace more of a human place Yeah What does that look like

Danny Goldberg: when I say make your workplace a human place what I mean by that is Trying to bring care into all we do and understanding who your people are not viewing them as a resource But rather as a person with hopes dreams Ambitions desires and perhaps some of them align with the job and the role and the task they’re hired to do But perhaps they have desires that are completely different Than than that of just like the task and as a leader It’s your job to understand what is important to your people and when you do that You can then honor and personalize how you lead to, to give them what they need at that point in their life.

Danny Goldberg: So, [00:21:00] um, you know, I mentioned like 21 year old Danny, but if we just take, uh, an example of a person who’s 21, a person who’s 35, and a person who’s 50, that person has all different needs. Like the The 21 year old might be, I want to build this business. I want to be the next CEO. And then at 35, they might say, I have a wife and kids.

Danny Goldberg: I don’t want to be the CEO. I just want to come in and do my job. And I want time for a time, time for my family. And then at 55, they might be more like closer to retirement and their needs might be more around. Uh, I want to come in, do my job, and then I want to go volunteer. So as a leader, if you can understand what’s actually important to your people.

Danny Goldberg: You’re able to best serve them. And that’s what I mean by make the workplace human. Bring, bring care and connection and depth and understanding what’s, what’s most important to your people so you can best serve them.

Judd Shaw: You know, you remind me of a team member that I had in for a few years, I was trying to offer this person more money [00:22:00] because the, team member was a valuable member, but it wasn’t seeming to drive the impact that I wanted until I had this realization that this guy is not driven by money.

Danny Goldberg: Yeah.

Judd Shaw: He wanted to, you know, go bike on, you know, a beach at four o’clock and, you know, he wanted flexible scheduling. He wanted more time when he then had his own child.

Danny Goldberg: Yeah.

Judd Shaw: And, you know, uh, An ability to work from home on a certain day where his wife may be working and he can stay home with his son And so when I realized that There are different motivators to what you’re talking about, you really can dial in the harness and harness the energy of your team because now you’re not seeing them as like one complete thing, they’re all different parts of that and, and, and, and showing up authentically.

Judd Shaw: For me, [00:23:00] gives my team permission to do the same, and when they do, it means I respect you for these needs, these needs, and these needs. Exactly. You know what’s crazy?

Danny Goldberg: So many people who work, like I think everyone works in a team in some capacity. Yeah. And so many people never spend the time to ask their team, What’s important to you?

Danny Goldberg: Why are you here? Like, forget, forget, I understand you applied for this job. Um, you’re gonna do this task and this is the money that you’re gonna be paid. Like, those are all, um, you know, those are all things that are understood when you apply for a job. But, so many people never take a moment to ask, What, what’s really important to you?

Danny Goldberg: What are your aspirations in five years? Like, to really go deep and build a depth to understand who they are, people don’t do that. I, I had a friend recently, Who was, who was telling me, Oh, I can’t get my, uh, the front desk at my company. They, they just don’t seem to be motivated to the job. [00:24:00] And all they’re motivated by is money.

Danny Goldberg: She made an assumption that like, they’re just motivated by money. And I asked her, well, did you ask them? What are they motivated by and she said no, so she made an assumption and you know I just tried to make her aware that Making assumptions as a leader is one of one of the most dangerous things to do and one of the easiest things you could do Is just go out go for a coffee and sit down and share some of the things that are important to you beyond Work and open up and see if see if you can get them to open up about what’s important to them And then when you understand that You can actually serve them.

Danny Goldberg: So that’s, that’s what the work I do is all about. And I mean, there’s so many stories about people who didn’t make the assumption about their people and the, the impact that they were able to go and have. I don’t know. Are you familiar with the Aaron Grewell story from Freedom Riders? No. So, Erin Grewell, uh, was a teacher in Long Beach, California, and she, she became a teacher in like a [00:25:00] very underserved, uh, community, extreme poverty, where the kids hated going to school, many of them weren’t able to read by the time they’re in high school, they were told they’d be six feet under or behind bars by the time they’re sixteen.

Danny Goldberg: And all the teachers in the past gave up on, on the students. So you look at this teacher and you say she has every right to make an assumption that why would she be any different? But instead she went in and she realized they all had stories and um, she gave them these, these journals and she asked them to write their own story.

Danny Goldberg: What brought them to, to uh, you know, their, their own story and what, what life has been like for them. And they all started to open up in these journals. And then she, she saw that they started to read. They started to write and for the first time now they’re, they started to actually learn and she started to bring in all these people who are holocaust survivors to come and share their stories and they, they inspired these students and, uh, long story short, these students that [00:26:00] she, she compiled the compiled the journals and turn it into a book and submitted it to all the book publishers and everyone rejected them except one and the book ended up becoming a new york times bestseller and the students ended up going on to live the book.

Danny Goldberg: Like be high functioning members of society all because she didn’t make an assumption and she she really understood how to serve them So that’s that’s that’s what gets me going. That’s what excites me Um because I feel like that was that was the disconnect. I think I think back to it all the time If after my mom died I changed and if my business partner at the time saw that and recognized that and perhaps was able to honor that Maybe I wouldn’t maybe I wouldn’t be here with you right now but but it didn’t happen and I know there are so many people that don’t understand that and don’t understand the power of bringing back that human side to the workplace and what it can do for the for the workplace and um beyond beyond like the work in the roi, [00:27:00] I don’t want anyone to experience like the that the The hell that I experienced when I was sitting there You After spending eight years of my life building a business that, that truly, I, I enjoyed the business, but I didn’t enjoy the situation I was in, and I was willing to walk away from something that was so good, so sweet, that, that made a lot of money because I wanted to go and Do these other things that were so important to me.

Danny Goldberg: So, um, you know, that’s, that’s what excites me about the, the work I’m doing now.

Judd Shaw: Because you wanted to be seen and heard and felt valued for, you know, this change that you were going through.

Danny Goldberg: Yeah.

Judd Shaw: And it’s amazing that how many of us lose great talent. Because we’re not doing the kind of things that you’re talking about.

Judd Shaw: And, you know, what resonated with me is that we all have a story. You know, what’s your story? And when we own our story, [00:28:00] and we can fall forward with it, you know, we can really move mountains. What is the modern, what is the leadership modern framework?

Danny Goldberg: Yeah, so, um, the framework that I developed is all about Building depth with your people, so trying to understand what’s actually important to them.

Danny Goldberg: Personalizing, so personalizing how you lead. So once you understand what’s important to your, to your people, trying to actually personalize how you show up for them and make them feel seen for those things that are important. And then really empowering them, believing in them, helping them go on to, to, to to build the life that they want to live.

Judd Shaw: It’s, it’s You know, it certainly sounds like that can help track and retain top talent, but as companies grow, as my law firm grew and, um, and I should say, you know, that, you know, there’s, there’s my [00:29:00] law firm and there’s also the judge Shaw brand. And when my team meets in the morning on the brand team, we do a connection card every day.

Judd Shaw: We pull a random card and it’ll say something like, what’s holding you back? Okay. Um, what are your goals and dreams? How do you show up authentically? What’s your, where are you finding passion today? Boy, when you just ask a simple question like that, you learn so much more about your team. But that brand team is smaller than a lot of companies.

Judd Shaw: In fact, it is. And so how do companies who are growing have the ability to cater to sort of in the way we are connecting to each frontline employee?

Danny Goldberg: Yeah, I think it has to be at the manager level like the manager needs to take the lead And an interest in their people to develop them, to support them, [00:30:00] to really be there for them.

Danny Goldberg: And it needs to happen at a managerial level, um, and a, and a team level. And I think otherwise, like, if, if you are able to, to harness, to really understand what’s important to your people, um, I think you’re able to create a connection that can be so powerful, so deep that it is hard to leave that even for more money.

Judd Shaw: Yeah.

Danny Goldberg: If you’re a manager who just shows up and you’re say, you have these tasks this week, you have these objectives, these are your goals for the quarter, you’ve given the person that you manage a job. And they will likely jump for more money, more support, more opportunity pretty quickly because they just, they’re trading a job for a job where this person’s trading connection, being seen, being valued, um, and that’s hard to leave.

Judd Shaw: Yeah, right. It’s, it’s, you’re actually. offered X of thousands, whatever the salary is. And we’re going to put, you know, 10 more thousand on it and try to get you. But it’s like, yeah, but how are you going to still see me and hear me and make me feel as valued as I am at this company [00:31:00] that ain’t worth 10, 000.

Judd Shaw: Yeah. Right.

Danny Goldberg: Maybe even 50. Right. Oh yeah. I

Judd Shaw: mean, sometimes endless. I wouldn’t leave. a company that I really feel purpose, passion, a sense of mutual respect, a sense of understanding. Do you know what a coxswain is? So, uh, a coxswain is in, um, they’re in the Navy SEALs. Uh, they’re also in rowing teams and the coxswain is the person who helps navigate, uh, on the, on the rowing team or boating team.

Judd Shaw: I’m facing you. You’re all the row, you’re the rowers, but I’m seeing the direction. And so I’m like, row, row, and watching the competition, right? And so they help navigate, they help set the pace, the tone. Um, they help connect with their team in a way that, uh, their team knows that when that cockswing pushes them, they need to go.

Judd Shaw: But they also know how to, you know, reserve their energy. And in the military, the same way the coxswain is the head [00:32:00] on that boat, that raft of that team for the core man, who’s helping navigate the direction. And I think of a coxswain as that manager that in top down leadership that you’re talking about, giving the permission to the coxswains, the managers and the supervisors who have that team to deeply connect with their people.

Danny Goldberg: Mm.

Judd Shaw: Right? And then now what you’re doing is the, the, the, the CEO, the founder, the partner, the leader, director, whatever you call that title, can fly at 35, 000 feet because down on that tarmac is that cockswain with the team. Yeah. And as long as you teach your cockswain how to connect authentically in the way you’re talking about, it sounds like you can have some really highly performing teams.

Judd Shaw: Yeah.

Danny Goldberg: Yeah. And I like how you use the. That they give permission because it is the reason why the permission [00:33:00] piece is huge is because You like the manager needs to create the environment within the team that it’s okay to talk about things outside of work Actually in my old business when I started my podcast and that was the big friction point that was that that was the The thing that led me to ultimately leaving the business because my partner at the time said, you know, you could do your podcast I want you to leave the business or you could do the business, um, or you could do the business, but, um, no, no podcast.

Danny Goldberg: That was essentially what it came down to. And I felt like I had a tiptoe around as I, as I continued to do the podcast. And every time I would do it, every time I’d record an episode and spend the time and the hours, I started to feel this weight of guiltiness building up. And that weight became, It became suffocating, it became, I’m doing something wrong, uh oh, he’s, he’s calling me, am I, am I, did I do something I wasn’t supposed to do because I’m spending this [00:34:00] time, um, even if it’s after work hours, so, you really need to give permission.

Danny Goldberg: And it’s not, you know, a lot of these things, the reason why it’s human is because it’s not, you can’t tell someone I want to know, um, I want to, you have permission to talk about your dreams with me. Come on, tell me. It needs to come from such a genuine place of care of I actually care about you and I want to know what’s important to you.

Danny Goldberg: And. If you don’t do that, no, no one who has a job is going to open up and say, yeah, like I, I really love, um, I love this hobby of mine or, oh, when I love Saturdays and Sundays are the best days of the week when I’m just with my family, it needs to be like, It needs to be organic and that there’s, you have permission to talk about those things and I support you regardless if it’s in line with me or not.

Judd Shaw: Right. You know, uh, uh, Buzz, who’s a close guy on my team always reminds me that a buy in is that there’s [00:35:00] authenticity, genuineness, trust that you have my back. And therefore I have yours. I’m investing in this company because this company is investing in me.

Danny Goldberg: Yeah.

Judd Shaw: I, you know, sometimes I’ll walk by and it’s funny if I’m at like, you know, the law office and suddenly there could be chatter between two people and it stops.

Judd Shaw: Right. And you talking about? And I wanted to make sure that it was not work related because if they said it was all their talk, I’m like, then why’d you stop talking? You know what I mean? Like that’s the humanness of it. Yeah. Then I’m giving you permission to recognize that in a day of eight hours, five minutes of catching up and talking about isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Judd Shaw: In fact, it’s a good one. Yeah. I love the idea of making the workplace a human place and defining what human is. This is in, you know, to me, at least what I’m [00:36:00] hearing, Danny, the root of that is that you, as the company or organization are allowing people to show up as their true self, tap into that. Purpose and, and passion that they’re showing up at that job with in honoring their authentic self.

Judd Shaw: And boy, that can create some, some real momentum.

Danny Goldberg: Yeah. And loyalty. Like, I think if you do that and you nail it, no one’s leaving for 10, 000 more. Like you won’t, you won’t leave that because that’s rare to find in today’s day and age.

Judd Shaw: So true. Yeah. So true. So, um, I developed. My framework was the connection cure the idea behind cure, standing for conscious awareness, then understand, then renew and expand.

Judd Shaw: And it’s, you know, it’s like almost [00:37:00] boy, if we combined our frameworks right? Because yours is the top down. It starts with the leadership giving permission to the coxswain to authentically connect with that team. And mine is what happens where the team don’t know what that bring your true self to work is.

Judd Shaw: Hmm. They don’t know what that looks like. Some of us have been wearing a mask for so long, we forget who we are behind it. And so the first question is, conscious awareness, how are you showing up? Where are you showing up in the world that’s feeding that disconnection? Understanding what is the root of that?

Judd Shaw: Where is that coming from that we wear masks, even with sometimes those we’re really close with? And then renewing our connections with ourselves And then with others, and then finally expanding those connections because when we expand the connections around [00:38:00] us, we strengthen our ability to thrive in the world that we live, love, work and play.

Judd Shaw: And that part of the framework that I tap into with what we’re talking about is that expanding because when you can go to work. And that leadership is allowing you to do that. They’re expanding your ability to connect not only authentically with the company, but with those around them that they work with.

Judd Shaw: And I think that bring your true self to work. is an important factor of first, if you’re going to be allowed the permission to do that, make sure that you’re, you’re honoring yourself, make sure that you’re taking advantage of that opportunity, that company, that organization, like fire deep into the fact that what they’re saying is Bring your real and raw you.

Danny Goldberg: Yeah, a hundred percent. Do you think, you know, it’s, it’s, I’m thinking about, uh, lawyers in general. I don’t know why, [00:39:00] probably just because of your, your, your, your job. But, uh, your business. But, I think about some careers where, Uh, it’s known like the industry is known that this is a place where you’re going to grind like I think about law firms Where you’re going to work, you know crazy hours um, how how do you think in those types of industries where That’s kind of the culture Do you think that there’s, there is a shift or there can be a shift in those cultures where leaders can start to say like, Hey, take, take a break.

Danny Goldberg: Go, go spend the day with, with, with your family. Go spend that Thursday night, like check out. It’s okay. You know, I understand you have deadlines, obligations, but you know, I see some people who are in, who are, who are lawyers who are grinding, grinding, grinding. And I always think when, um, When will, when will the person that’s the person that works at the firm, that’s not a partner, when will it, when will it [00:40:00] pop?

Danny Goldberg: When will they say I’ve had enough or is there a world where like their leader would say, you know, take, take the Friday to go do that thing. That’s really important to you. Um, and will that make a, would that make a difference? Cause you know, I see sometimes people start to have the thought creeps in, maybe you’re pursuing this thing for 10 years and you’re like, I’ve been doing this for so long.

Danny Goldberg: Do I want to, do I want to make change? Do you think that there is in those, in those types of cultures where it’s so intense and that is the culture, do you think there’s a world where those teams can change? Those leaders can change, especially when that’s how it was for them growing up?

Judd Shaw: That’s a great question and I appreciate it.

Judd Shaw: I think that there will always exist those types of companies and organizations until those companies and organizations are losing so many. So much of their talent and they can’t retain and they can’t hire the best lawyers. Then they look and say, what are we doing wrong? [00:41:00] But as long as they can continue to find the people they can grind.

Danny Goldberg: Yeah.

Judd Shaw: In the lawyers willing to work for 35, 4, 000 hours a week. A year and bill that yeah, they won’t change but here’s what’s okay with that To me. I have met many lawyers who thrive on that who feel valued Who who who love that work? I didn’t Coming out of law school, I knew that I couldn’t work at those big law firms.

Judd Shaw: First of all, I didn’t graduate in the Ivy League and blah, blah, blah, things like that. So a lot of times I knew that they had a different type of resume, but I also didn’t want to work for them because I didn’t want to go into an elevator at my own company and not know half of the people in it on the way up.

Judd Shaw: You know, I really wanted more of an intimate setting. So I went for a smaller firm. [00:42:00] When there, I could probably be heard and seen and feel valued more. Then I knew that those other companies, organizations would do. And so for me, I think the answer is go where it feels good and authentic for you. It doesn’t necessarily mean that Johnson, Schwain, Lane, Lacker, Lacker, you know, the law firm of thousands of years, and you go there.

Judd Shaw: If that’s what you want, do you. Be you. And there may be time where that value changes and you’re going to have to leave because the company organization won’t leave. You won’t, won’t change. And if that company organization has lost you and they lose a number of people, maybe they will too. But if you don’t want to do that, if that’s not who you are, then going there to grind it out for money, For more power to go to the golf club and say I work for Shlain Lambert, right?

Judd Shaw: That’s the thing is like now you’re not authentic Now your dark night will [00:43:00] come because the cosmic bricks will slam down on you Because you’re not showing up as your real you Not only does that organization not encourage, or foster, or honor it, it doesn’t invite it. And so if you’re willing to do that, and it goes against your core values, it goes against that, those things that are important, and you’re not, that’s where the issue is.

Danny Goldberg: Yeah, I like that perspective.

Judd Shaw: Yeah. You know, Danny, uh, you do, um, so much, I mean, keynote speaking, great consulting, um, and, you know, You know, you didn’t have a lot of self care when you were younger, you had these transformations. So I ask, how today does Danny Goldberg most authentically connect with himself?

Danny Goldberg: I think the how is driven around my perspective with death. And [00:44:00] I feel like everything goes through a filter of this moment is fragile. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. And I need to prioritize the things that are most important to me today and not someday. And I feel like that filter It’s the thing that drives all the decisions that I make on a daily, regular basis, you know, to choose to spend the time with you today, to choose to go on that trip, to choose to pursue the work that’s most important to me,

Danny Goldberg: it’s all based around the fact that there’s no guarantee that I’ll be here in five years to do these things then, and I feel like that’s when I look back at it. Thank you. My grief journey and losing my parents, the gift in it, the thing that I am so grateful for [00:45:00] that I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for is the perspective I have around time.

Danny Goldberg: And, and I think, I think it’s, it’s really something like if we can, if everyone can connect a little bit with their own mortality and how, Just how fragile life is. It drives you to make decisions differently.

Judd Shaw: That’s great advice from Danny Goldberg, who I so appreciate, speaking of time, chooses to spend his time with me today.

Judd Shaw: I am honored and feel privileged, and you are my friend. And I wanted to ask you, would you mind if we can give a hug? I feel like I just want to hug you. Can I give you a hug? Of course. I need to end that way. I

Judd Shaw: want to extend my deepest gratitude to you. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please follow us on your favorite platform [00:46:00] or share this episode with a friend. You can also follow me on Instagram at Judge Shaw Official. A special thank you to personal injury law firm, Judge Shaw Injury Law, for their support.

Judd Shaw: Court in helping us bring this podcast to life. Remember, friends, authenticity isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being real. It’s about embracing our vulnerabilities, celebrating our strengths, and owning our stories. Until next time.