Host: Carrie Tuttle

Guest: Mike Cameron

Most leaders learn to manage tasks long before they learn to manage emotions, and some never really learn. Mike Cameron believes the gap is costing companies more than anyone realizes.

Mike is a three-time TEDx speaker, Canadian author, ultramarathoner, and a leader with more than 30 years of experience, including 16 years as a CEO. After the murder of his girlfriend in 2015, Mike walked away from the company he built to focus on what he now considers the most underestimated threat to organizational performance: the emotional disconnection of men in leadership.

Mike joins Carrie to talk about the difference between emotional intelligence and emotional competence, and why theory means little without practice. They dig into practical experiments any leader can try, like the two-word check-in, the SOAR framework, and asking people whether they want strategy or empathy.

As the founder of Connect'd Men, a community built around emotional connection and men's well-being, Mike has his own experience with burnout and what it really means to move from success to significance.

Whether you lead a team, a family, or just yourself, this conversation offers grounded frameworks, honest stories, and a reminder that connection starts with how you show up for yourself first.

QUOTE-WORTHY MOMENTS

• “If you want to support a dude who’s struggling, set him up to support somebody else.”
• "We’ve got artificial intelligence. We don’t need more intelligence. What we need is more competence."
• "The most powerful gift I can give to any audience is for them to look at me and say, he’s just like me."

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Emotional intelligence is theory; emotional competence is the practice that changes how leaders actually show up.
• The two-word check-ins give teams a release valve and give leaders a quick read on the room.
• SOAR — slow down, observe, accept, reconnect — is a simple way to ground a meeting before the work begins.
• Asking “do you want strategy or empathy?” stops leaders from fixing what people only want heard.
• Supporting your people rarely means fixing their problems; often it just means holding space.
• Men are not born emotionally disconnected; they are conditioned into it, and reconnection starts with self.
• Toughness worn as a badge is often fear in disguise, not courage.
• Admitting you don’t have all the answers is one of the biggest gifts a leader can give a team.
• AI should serve connection, not replace it, freeing people to spend more time with customers and each other.
• The shift from success to significance starts with asking why the work matters.

LINKS FROM EPISODE

Mike Cameron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecameron-ca/

Connect'd Men: https://connectdmen.com

Email Mike: mike@mikecameron.ca

Mike Cameron's website: https://mikecameron.ca/

Mentioned in episode:

Don't Change Much podcast: https://menshealthfoundation.ca/dont-change-much-podcast/Canadian Men's Health Foundation (Mike is co-host) June is Men's Health Month

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