Igniting Potential with Constantin Morun

Erica

Hello. I want to welcome Constantin Morun. He is a holistic life empowerment mentor. I'll let him describe what that means. What I can tell you is that he's a self-development enthusiast. This enthusiasm seems to be ingrained in his DNA and shines through on any stage he's on - be it on his podcast, at work, or just in everyday life.

Constantin, you have a knack for inspiring and empowering people on their self-discovery journey. This is definitely one of your superpowers. You do it so gracefully and humbly by sharing your own experiences - whether through your love of technology, spirituality, or just simply mentoring because it's in your nature. Your influence is seen in so many ways, and I'm so excited to have you here.

Thanks for being here.

Constantin 

Thank you so much, Erica. Wow, that was an awesome introduction. It’s the best one I've had yet, so thank you so much for that. I appreciate your kind words, and I am thrilled to be here.

Erica

Oh, good. I know this will be an uplifting and empowering conversation because you have a way of sharing your wisdom and insights with humility and sincerity.

While we could probably discuss a variety of topics quite in-depth, we're going to focus this conversation on relatable and actionable ways that people can unlock their potential and find more meaning and fulfillment in life. I know that's one of your many passions and missions. Does that sound good to you?

Constantin

Absolutely. A hundred percent, Erica.

Erica 

Awesome. Because time can fly, I'm going to narrow the conversation a bit further. Let’s start with this intersection of being plugged into corporate America with your tech job and your deep desire or calling to serve others by mentoring, guiding, and empowering them. How did you unlock your own potential at this intersection?

Constantin

That's such a great question, Erica. To be honest, the journey started a long time ago, but I wasn't aware of it until maybe a few years back. I grew up in Eastern Europe in a family of engineers. Schooling, learning, and being the best you can be was prioritized.

So when I moved to Canada at 17, I followed in my parents' footsteps and focused on my studies, doing what they thought was best for us as kids. We didn't know any better. But I always felt something was missing because everything I've done in life came from the point of wanting to learn, improve, and then share that knowledge with those around me, whether it was soccer, computer games, or even professional poker. There was a point when I played professional poker and then coached many people. 

In the professional world, one thing led to another, and I always found myself mentoring and coaching people during my career. This included both established professionals and newcomers to the companies I was part of. I realized over the years that what brings me the most joy is actually working with people, challenging their thought processes, and challenging some of their beliefs, not because I'm judgmental but because I would like them to have different perspectives. I know that when someone challenges me and shows me different ways, I can grow significantly because, suddenly, my eyes are opened, I don't have my blinders on, and I can see more opportunities and options. This allows me to go down different paths, learn and grow.

Erica 

I love that. Your energy alone makes it so inviting for people. And I know from our past conversations that your authenticity comes through naturally. I can see how people would be drawn to you. You have such a fascinating background, whether it's poker strategies, soccer tactics, or even updates about the latest soccer league. It's amazing that you realized your innate desire to share your knowledge and found a way to provide that service to others. I truly honor that.

Constantin

Thank you. I'd like to add that many people struggle with finding purpose in their life and aligning that with their careers. There's a lot of talk online about quitting everything and following your heart and your path without looking back. While that may work for some, I've realized that in my life, if you were to drop everything and switch completely to what your heart desires, you may succeed, but there's a lot of hardship along the way. There are other ways to find meaning and purpose. For example, as I embarked on this journey of self-discovery through spirituality and personal development, I improved as a person. I made my world better, which meant that everyone around me was impacted, including at my corporate job.

I became a better coworker, a better person to work with. I'm more empathetic, more compassionate. I see things differently now. It's not just about the customer interaction anymore. You're a human being first. You have your issues, and so do I. Let's be compassionate and work together. So now, I find more meaning because my meaning for my work and life isn't only about Microsoft's mission of empowering every person and organization in the world to achieve more but also about my personal mission. I look for ways the two can combine to bring out the best in us in the corporate world or in any job you may have.

An example I always like to give is, imagine you're working as a barista at Starbucks. You have the power to make someone's day by smiling, asking them how they are, or by offering a compliment on their attire or even the way they walk. You can always find meaning and purpose in whatever job you're currently doing.

Erica 

That is so true. What I see, when I reflect on what you just said, is that when you can break free of the cyclic, robotic way of living, whether that's in your career, in your job, or even running errands like going to the grocery store, and you can start to see people beyond the transactional exchange, it makes a huge difference. You start to notice all the human elements of a person apart from the transaction. And I love that you're showing how to incorporate that into our interactions.

Constantin 

I love the example you gave, and there are many things you can notice. One thing that impacted me greatly in my life, and became an aha moment later on, is this idea that when you do something nice for others, whether it's a gesture, buying someone a coffee, or giving some money to a homeless person, it doesn't matter how grand the gesture is, it makes you feel better. And, of course, it likely makes the person receiving it feel something positive as well. When I realized that I derive as much, if not more, satisfaction from giving, my world changed, whether it's mentorship, donations, or just being nice to someone, saying hello, or putting a smile on my face when I walk down the street. These acts have such a high return on investment that we often don't realize.

Erica

I completely agree. Something I'm passionate about is bringing back a human, supportive, and nurturing aspect into the business setting. Though initially designed with good intentions, the structure, processes, and systems in corporate America have somewhat veered off course and, at times, can be toxic. We need to reintroduce both the masculine and feminine aspects into the business setting. And so I love how you mentioned that instead of talking to a client, we should realize we're talking to a human. It can really be that simple. It doesn't mean that we have to start with meditation before a meeting, although that could be an option too.

Constantin

Absolutely, it could be. And it's transformational. As you progress with this approach and try it out, say for seven days, do a couple of things each day that you normally wouldn't do. Maybe act from a place of love rather than fear and see what difference it makes in your life. Don't worry too much about other people because you can't control how they feel or react. You can definitely self-monitor and be honest with yourself. If this approach makes you feel better and brings more joy and happiness into your life, why wouldn't you adopt it more often?

Erica

Yes, absolutely. I'm curious if you could provide some examples from your own experience or those you've offered to others. When you see someone stuck in the daily grind of their job, what are some actions or words you could use to help lift them out of that rut?

Constantin

That's a great question. What I've noticed in my professional and personal life is that when I try to be someone I'm not, it's challenging to uplift people from that place and even connect with them. In my professional life, I kept a lot of my personality aside because I wanted to maintain a professional image. But when I realized that I could be myself and still be professional and even a top performer, everything changed. Now, I'm joyful, joke around, and show vulnerability. By being vulnerable, it's almost like you're inviting others to think, "If Constantin can do it, or if Erica can do it, then I can do it too."

In many interactions, I find that I don't even have to say anything. It comes up naturally. But if that doesn't happen, what can you do? Offering to listen is a great start. When I say "listen," I mean genuinely listening to understand, not just to respond and provide some space so they can share whatever is on their mind. Sometimes, there are things that they're not comfortable sharing, and that's fine. But just offering that space can make people think, "It looks like they're genuine. I'm going to open up." From there, you can take it further. Listen without offering any advice. Just be compassionate and empathetic about the situation. If you have something to add, then do so, but always consider the other person. In the past, I would always listen and think they wanted a solution. I felt I had to fix things for them, whether it was my partner or someone in the business world. The reality is most people don't want the solution because, deep down, they know the solution. They just want someone to truly listen and understand their pain.

Erica

I love that. You've done a fantastic job explaining what genuine listening can feel or look like. In my experience, sometimes the action you're taking is simply doing nothing and just being present and receptive so that they can feel seen and heard. You don't even have to do or say anything. Your presence can be very uplifting, and I believe that energy radiates from you.

Constantin

You're absolutely right. It's funny how some things seem easy on the surface but are so hard to implement because it's not how we're raised or what we learn in school or life. As a society and as individuals, we need to overcome these hurdles to help others and ourselves. If I'm not helping myself, it's very hard to help others. If I'm not on a journey myself, always learning and improving, how can I expect to help anyone else? It's tough.

Erica

Yes, absolutely. I believe there's a difference between uplifting someone and empowering someone. Unless you disagree, what suggestions could you offer for empowering someone who's feeling a bit numb or lost in life? How could we help them reconnect with themselves and regain their power.

Constantin

That's an excellent question. Firstly, I agree with you on the difference between uplifting and empowering. Uplifting gives you that zest, that feeling of "Yes, I can achieve something." But empowering goes beyond that. It gives you the feeling that, "Okay, I know I can do it, but how do I get there? Do I have support? Are there people in my corner?"

To empower someone, we start with providing space, lending a listening ear, and perhaps going a step further. We look at how we can help them find their purpose or overcome their challenges. By being vulnerable, we give them permission to become vulnerable as well.

Again, most people, and I believe this includes everyone, have the answer inside, but it requires some digging to find it because there are various lenses or layers that you need to go through before you can find that answer. So empowering, in this case, means helping you see those lenses or layers and realize that you have the answer inside.

For instance, let's say you and I are chatting, and you tell me, "Oh, this always happens to me. I'm late to work every day or five minutes late because of this person or this event." In that case, rather than being judgmental, we could consider a different perspective. If you were to look back at your schedule and left five minutes earlier, it wouldn't matter if someone cuts you off in traffic or your coffee is late, you'd still be on time.

The idea is to provide different perspectives, not from a place of judgment but from a place of love. I found that asking, "Can you think of examples in your life where the opposite was true?" helps because we have many cognitive biases. If we reinforce them, like constantly saying, "I'm always late," or "I'm always getting the short end of the stick," your brain will always look for examples to confirm this bias. So the idea is to find the opposite. Can you find instances where the opposite was also true, like times when you're kind to yourself and others or times when you weren't always late? This approach begins to question your thought process significantly.

Erica

Yes, there are two things you mentioned that I want to emphasize with an exclamation mark. The first is noticing those 'always' patterns that are typically tied to limiting beliefs. Asking the opposite or exploring how it might look different can help someone shift out of that and possibly create a new pattern. That's a powerful way of asking in a different way and helping them break that cycle of thinking.

The second is vulnerability. When you ask questions from a place of authenticity, it can be truly empowering. Offering a suggestion might be disempowering for someone because they might already know the answer. So, asking questions from an authentic and vulnerable place invites the other person to also access their compassionate, vulnerable place and find their answers. This exercise itself is empowering.

Put differently, trying to fix or solve something can be disempowering, but when you ask a question with authenticity and compassion, you're inviting them to find the answer within.

Constantin

It's funny, you summarized it really well. In one of my roles for many years, senior leaders said, "If you want them to accept your idea and do something about it, make them believe it's their idea." If you extrapolate from there, it's about helping them find their own answers. Regardless of where the thought originated, if it works for them, it's a win. Again, it's about us becoming aware of alternatives. In my opinion, awareness is half the battle. If I'm not aware of the patterns I'm following, the actions I'm taking or not taking, or the opportunities available to me, how can I be expected to make changes?

Erica

For sure. When asking those questions or trying to support someone through their journey, even if you have an intention, not being attached to the outcome of that intention is important. You might find that by asking questions, what that person arrives at might look very different from your initial intention. But it could be much more empowering for them, and even more so for you. It's a beautiful exchange of energy and information when we meet each other with deep curiosity and compassion.

Constantin

I love that you touched on that. I strongly believe that you don't want people to implement your ideas into their lives. You don't want people to follow you blindly. Your ideas aren't necessarily bad, but what works for you won't necessarily work for everyone else. But if you help them find their own answers, it leads to amazing outcomes for everyone. That's what differentiates a mentor from a coach. A mentor leads from a place of experience. They're not there to teach a curriculum or impose a five-step plan. They're there to empower, inspire, and guide others to find their own answers. Whereas a coach, particularly in the online world, often applies theory and promises specific outcomes. Often, this approach can be disempowering. Because when people reach a certain outcome, they may realize it's not what they wanted or doesn't align with who they are.

Erica

Right, and to bring it back to mentorship, I'm pulling out something you said that's vibrating with me. When you share your experiences, you become a mentor. If you're telling someone, "This is what you should do," it carries a different energy. By sharing your experiences in a relatable way, you can truly inspire others.

Constantin

It's funny, you captured that perfectly. If you say, "Oh, that happened to me too," but then stop and let them continue speaking, you're forming a connection without hijacking the conversation. It's important to avoid turning the conversation into a one-upmanship contest. Instead, it should be about listening first, then sharing, "When I went through that experience, this is what worked or didn't work for me."

Erica

Yes, absolutely. It can be slippery, but I feel that when we connect as humans and relate to each other's experiences, it can create a more stable conversation.

Constantin

Yes, exactly.

Erica

I know there will be people listening who want to hear more from you and can do so on your podcast, Unleash Thyself. Can you tell me a bit about that? How did it come about, and how can people find you?

Constantin

Yes, thank you, Erica. The podcast idea came to me about a year ago. It was a discussion about alternative holistic healers who've made a significant impact in their circles but could potentially impact hundreds of thousands, even millions of people. That's where the idea came from. I wanted to understand my purpose in life and how to align that with the podcast. For me, it's all about being in service to myself and those around me. It's about inspiring and empowering people on this beautiful journey we call life. The podcast is about having conversations with amazing people who have achieved beautiful things in life and sharing those stories with no expectation or agenda. You can find it on unleash.com, all major podcasting platforms, as well as YouTube at Unleash Thyself. If you want to chat with me personally, connect with me on LinkedIn under Constantin Morun. I'll happily chat with anyone who reaches out.

Erica

Awesome. I'll include all that in the show notes.

Constantin, thank you so much for coming on and having this conversation with me. You're the first gentleman I've had on this podcast. It's been a pleasure and an honor to have you here. Thank you.

Constantin

It's been a pleasure, Erica. Thank you for giving me the chance to be on the show, and it's been amazing to have a conversation with you. Thank you.