Love, Leadership and Men: Emotional Courage and Authenticity

272: Love, Leadership and Men: Emotional Courage and Authenticity with Craig White

In this Episode

What if the real turning point for male leaders isn’t more strategy—but more love, presence, and emotional courage? Leadership coach and host Helena Clayton talks with high-performance coach and men’s mentor Craig White, whose work guides successful men —especially those in their 40s and 50s—towards deeper emotional connection, self-acceptance, and authentic leadership. Craig explores why many men feel disconnected from themselves, and their emotional lives and relationships, and how balancing masculine and feminine energies can dramatically expand a man’s capacity to lead, relate, and thrive. Craig opens up about his own transformative journey and shares the somatic, holistic practices at the core of his coaching, helping men shift from “head to heart” and reclaim relational presence.

 

The conversation dives into the role of love in men’s development, reframing love not as softness, but as a powerful polarity—presence, connection, trust, playfulness, celebration, and accountability and firmness. Helena and Craig explore the value of men-only spaces, the necessity of vulnerability in leadership, and the profound impact of embodied practice on emotional expression.

 

This episode is an invitation for male leaders—and those who coach or support them—to consider how love, in its grounded and courageous form, can fuel personal transformation and more human, impactful leadership in organisations.

You Will Learn

• Why male leaders are discovering that success isn’t enough
• The importance of somatic coaching practices in helping men shift from head to heart.
• How holistic inner work, balancing masculine and feminine energies, creates better leaders and healthy masculinity

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Guest Bio

Craig White is a high-performance coach and men's mentor with 30+ years' experience in elite sport. Now founder of Craig White Mentoring, he helps men lead with more presence, emotional intelligence, and honesty. His coaching and Dare To Be Different podcast push past surface-level performance and into the real human work behind growth, leadership, and meaningful change.

Connect with Craig