What does it mean to be a man connected to the heart?
What is the gift of feeling emotions, anyway?
What can you do to be more connected to the heart?
In this episode, my guest is Bruce Cryer, he’s a man of many gifts, talents and experiences, but perhaps most notably, he’s a co-founder and former CEO of the renowned HeartMath Institute and Bruce and I mine these questions and more for useful insights to make a meaningful difference in your life.
His resume doesn’t stop at HeartMath, but only begins, Bruce has also been a staple in the NY arts scene, singing in the choir for Duke Ellington at 15, and by 19 he played “The Boy” in the world’s longest running musical, The Fantasticks, in a run lasting more than 800 performances. He trained at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, performed in Shakespeare in the Park, done television commercials and films, ran a small art business in New York City, and the principles he developed in conjunction with his work at HeartMath, principles around coherence, health, performance and leadership have been taught to global executives at the business schools of Stanford, Columbia, University of California Berkeley, and more. He overcame a life-threatening illness before releasing a new album of songs in 2017, entitled Renaissance Human which you can find on Spotify, and he is now 13 years cancer-free, and almost 12 years living happily with titanium hips. He’s lived a rich life, and gained immense wisdom in the living of it.
And today, we talk about what it means to be a man connected to the heart? We talk about the delusions of what we THINK that means and what it ACTUALLY means. We talk about more than just the poetry of it, but what it looks like in the actual body, based on Bruce’s time with HeartMath Institute. We talk about men coming back to creativity after years of shutting it down. We talk about the gift of feeling, everything, and what we miss out when we resist feeling. We talk about all that and more, and Bruce also shares simple practices that can help men (and women) tangibly connect to their hearts in any moment.
It’s a rich conversation, and I think you’ll enjoy it and be served well by it.
TIMESTAMPS
(07:39) – Bruce shares how it feels to return to his artistic and creative roots after a successful career in business
(12:07) – Bruce describes his program, Graceful Passages, and how it helps people deal with end-of-life transitions
(21:13) – Bruce talks about significant events in his life, including his battle with cancer and the principles he developed with HeartMath Institute
(29:05) – How did bruce find his higher purpose and his thoughts on what he knew 30 years ago
(40:20) – Bruce and I discuss what men are missing out on when they resist feeling negative emotions and being connected to heart
(44:59) – Bruce shares his experiences with HeartMath Institute and how his life has improved by having an understanding of emotions
(52:36) – Bruce provides simple practices for men (and women) to connect with their hearts in any moment
(01:01:15) – Bruce shares a key insight for listeners to take away from the conversation
(01:04:52) – Bruce’s five core emotional triggers
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/men-this-way/id1447821679
