"You're not crazy."
Our conversation with James Hollis...
It’s not an overreach to say that watching this could save your life…
It’s true: you don’t ask you don’t get.
So, I asked Dr. James Hollis, via email, if he would be a guest on The Man in the Middle Show with myself and Joe.
To my shock and delight, he agreed. Sort of…
“I am absolutely jammed for the next two months. Perhaps we could reconnect during the summer” was his polite response.
Needless to say, I marked my calendar to follow-up in early June.
If you needed any proof that Jim Hollis believes in his work, consider that he is 85-years-old and “absolutely jammed” with writing (more books), teaching (in live workshops), and, of course, his bustling therapy practice in Washington D.C.
Yet, he still agreed to carve out an hour and take a chance that two knuckleheads with microphones from Florida wouldn’t waste his time or diminish his work.
As Joe mentioned in the interview, Hollis doesn’t write books to sell books, he writes them to help the people who need their wisdom. He referred to his almost twenty published books as “mobile classrooms.”
After re-listening this morning, I can say with confidence that the conversation went as well as we hoped it could. Which means Joe and I talked as little as possible, but revealed enough about ourselves—and current experiences—to lend context and credence to our questions.
To have him answer us directly, with the same depth of urgent wisdom he brings to his work, was almost surreal. And, at the same time, incredibly comfortable.
A thought I often have about Hollis, when I immerse in his work (and certainly after spending this time with him), is that if he were to live forever, his teaching would only become more effective. More relevant. More regarded.
So rather than attempt any street level view of what you’ll discover about yourself by watching or listening to this discussion, I’ll simply implore you to find a quiet, uninterrupted moment, as soon as possible, to sit with it.
If this is your first taste of Hollis, then Joe and I are proud and honored to turn you on to him. It certainly won’t be your last.
Dude kinda saved my life.
Your moment may not be as dire, but, man, knowing his work will confirm, in times when it feels like it, that you are not crazy.
For many men, that simple relief is step one to all the growth that follows.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Kevin