Episode 104: Becoming Your True Self and Living a Genuine Life – With Scott Shute

In this episode, Pamela is accompanied by Scott Shute. Scott is a true inspiration as somebody that has found the route to living authentically amongst the hustle and bustle of silicon valley. As the former head of mindfulness and compassion at LinkedIn, Scott has said that he’s at the intersection of the workplace and ancient wisdom traditions. He uses that to blend his experience as a silicon valley executive with his lifelong practice and passion as a wisdom seeker and teacher. Scott’s response to Pamela’s question about how he lives authentically every day shows his wide variety of life experiences. They talk about his lifelong journey that has transformed and begun to blossom in the last few years. He describes his life as always having a deep love of the divine and being a seeker since college. Pamela and Scott go through a change in his life when he stopped covering up or separating the spiritual side of his life. As he says, there was a point where he began leading a meditation practice at work. That simple, everyday action snowballed into the merging of Scott’s spiritual and work self. Through that one event, he found his way of living authentically. They move along with the question that a lot of people have. Why should I open up?That brings us into a deep conversation about why it’s worth it and essential to open up in the workplace. Scott builds his case with the Japanese concept of Ikigai, a practice that is meant to give you that “reason for being.” He describes the four circles that your life is built on. Those are what I’m good at, what I love to do, what I can make money at, and finally, what the world needs.Throughout your life, you gradually move away from at least one of these, but you can move towards feeling more fulfillment through balance. Pamela and Scott wrap up this insightful discussion with a talk about humanity in the workplace and how to find a balance there. Hear the rest of the stories Scott and Pamela bring to the table by listening to the rest of the podcast!