Marc Kirshbaum: Being and Doing, Connected Leadership, and the 11 Primal Spaces

In this episode of the Coherent Business Podcast, host Aram DiGennaro sits down with Marc Kirshbaum, board member, leader, and author of the upcoming book 11 Primal Spaces. Drawing on two decades of writing and a deeply personal reckoning with what it means to be human, Marc explores the forces pulling us away from our own nature — and what it takes to stand upright again.Marc shares how the pandemic, the rise of AI, and a culture of polarization inspired him to crystallize his life's work into a single urgent question: are we devolving from what evolution made us capable of? This lived observation became the foundation of 11 Primal Spaces, where he weaves evolutionary biology, philosophy, and personal reflection into a framework for reconnecting with what makes us distinctly, irreducibly human.The conversation challenges the common assumption that "being" and "doing" are opposites, reframing them instead as two expressions of the same purposeful life. Marc and Aram explore the difference between a to-do list and a to-be list — and why the most effective leaders know as clearly what they'll say no to as what they'll say yes to. From wake-up mantras to life maps drawn in crayon, Marc offers quietly radical tools for leaders ready to rediscover who they are before deciding what to do next.From individual awareness practices to organizational identity, Marc offers practical anchors for leaders willing to slow down long enough to find their center — and to build everything else from there.Resources:Marc Kirshbaum's Website: https://primalspaces.com/ — 11 Primal Spaces — Available for pre-order now, publishing August 4th.Coherent Business Project Website: https://coherentbusinessproject.com/ — For leaders, thinkers, and builders who believe business can be more than just efficient — it can be whole, human, and meaningful.Marc's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marckirshbaum/Aram's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aram-digennaro/Key Topics: Human evolution and leadership, the 11 primal spaces, being vs. doing, to-be lists, pandemic and AI's effect on connection, polarization and listening, personal purpose, organizational identity, legacy, and the philosophy of standing upright.Key Takeaways:We Are Devolving From Our Own Humanity: Technology, polarization, and disconnection aren't just cultural trends — they're pulling us away from the evolutionary qualities that made us human in the first place.Being and Doing Are Not Opposites: Purposeful action flows from self-awareness. Who you want to be determines which things on your to-do list actually matter.The To-Be List Is as Essential as the To-Do List: At the end of each day, the question isn't only what did you accomplish — it's whether you were the person you intended to be.Quiet Is the Medium of Thinking: In an age of constant stimulation, even five seconds of stillness is a practice worth building. Start small; the muscle grows.Organizations Must Know Who They Are: Clarity of identity is what allows teams to make fast, accurate decisions — especially about what to say no to.Legacy Lives in Small Moments: The grandchild's article that credits one relationship, the crayon life map drawn 20 years ago — impact rarely announces itself. It accumulates quietly, in moments of genuine presence.