Episode 126: Road Trip with the Rabbi

Stories of Life's Strange and Wonderful Transitions

He was in his early 20s when he decided to hitchhike across the US, just to explore and meet people. It was being on the road in those conditions that made Yonason Goldson an exceptional listener and discerner of each person's truth.

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We met via LinkedIn, and I was eager to have a chat with the Rabbi to hear more of his stories, especially after reading his article about the time a young Jewish student asked about the obvious scar on the back of his ear from when he had it pierced years before studying to become a Rabbi.

His TEDx is all about why labels create painful distortions in our relationships, and why we have to be so careful about applying those generalizations to individuals.

Connect with him on LinkedIn, and visit Rabbi Yonason Goldson's website to learn more about his work as a keynote speaker, writer, and teacher. And here's a hint: He makes a great speaker for any audience, he just happens to be a Rabbi and uses his experiences to bring his outstanding stories and lessons to life.

Our Culture, and How It Colors Our Communication

Using Stories to Uncover Our Deeper Connections

We know innately that when we find things in common with each other, we forge deeper connections, but how do we do that with intention and true curiosity? And how do we make this the first part of communication, the priority, so our discussions don’t immediately devolve into defensiveness and hostility?

Zach and I believe that if we understand our own perspectives, where they come from, what we’re reading to bring us to certain conclusions, and why we trust the resources we trust, we could make a start toward better understanding and appreciation for others’ perspectives.

One key to starting those conversations is simply finding common ground, and that can be found in culture. During our conversation in this podcast, we discuss a less traditional definition of culture; lifestyle culture. Are you a dog person? A cat person? Are you part of the mountain biking culture? Each of us can live in many different lifestyle cultures, which makes it much easier to find common ground.

Zach Messler knows a lot about communication strategy, and he uses own cultural commonalities to strengthen his work.

Connect with Zach on LinkedIn, and be sure to check out his website to learn more about how he can help you develop your messages, your content, to be clear and compelling!

From Zach’s website:

I help entrepreneurs know what to say and how to say it so they make a bigger impact on the world…and their wallets.

So, yeah. I’m on a mission to help entrepreneurs find relevance…and revenue.