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The James Altucher Show

Unimaginable Loss, Unexpected Lessons | Nick Shaw

The James Altucher Show

James Altucher

Education, Business

4.62.7K Ratings

🗓️ 7 November 2023

⏱️ 50 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Nick Shaw, an executive coach who has faced the unimaginable sorrow of losing a child, joins James to discuss his profound journey and the insights he shares in his book My Teacher, My Son: Lessons on Life, Loss, and Love. This conversation is not just about coping with grief but about the transformative lessons that can emerge from it. Shaw's reflections offer a poignant look at how personal loss can inform and deepen one's approach to life and work.Shaw's narrative begins with a day that turned from idyllic to tragic, resulting in the loss of his nine-year-old son, William. In the throes of mourning, Shaw experienced a moment of revelation: his son had been his teacher all along, imparting wisdom that would carry him forward. "My Teacher, My Son" is more than Shaw's memoir-it's a guidebook for anyone grappling with the complexities of being present, letting go, and seeking connection in the wake of loss.Throughout the episode, we explore the themes of resilience, the search for meaning, and the ways in which tragedy can illuminate our most significant life lessons.Shaw's experiences as a father and coach converge, providing unique insights into embracing life's unpredictability with grace and fortitude. His story, though rooted in personal pain, stands as a testament to the strength found in vulnerability and the potential for growth in the face of life's greatest challenges.Amazon: My Teacher, My Son: Lessons on Life, Loss, and LoveNick's company: Mirrorbox Leadership Lab -----------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast.------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe  to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsStitcheriHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on Social Media:YouTubeTwitterFacebook ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0

I think out of 1500 podcasts I can't remember another podcast where I cried in the middle of the

0:18.0

podcast and I have on Nick Shaw. He wrote a book about an intense experience he had and his life.

0:28.0

After that the book's called My Teacher, My Son, Lessons on Life, Loss, and Love.

0:32.4

Again, it's called My Teacher, My Son, Lessons on Life, Loss, and Love.

0:32.6

Again, it's called My Teacher, My Son,

0:34.8

Lessons on Life, Loss, and Love,

0:36.8

beautiful book, but let's let him tell the story.

0:41.0

Here he is. This isn't your average business podcast and he's not your average host.

0:50.0

This is the James Altager show. Nick, I was very, I mean, I did not expect this, but honestly I was crying while I read your book and it was very moving and I'm really sorry for what happened to you and I'm really glad you wrote this book and kind of got your lessons down.

1:19.0

Well, thank you. I appreciate that. That was, my hope is that the book would have impact that's kind of why I wrote it.

1:24.9

Yeah and I'll do an introduction with the title and and all that well actually this is sort of the

1:30.0

introduction so it's called my teacher my son lessons on life loss and

1:34.8

love and Nick it's your kind of journey of the loss four and a half years ago of your nine year old son in February of 2019 and

1:46.7

what's happened to you since then and again it was I'll let you tell the story, but it was, I was really moved by it.

1:55.4

But I don't know where, I mean, I don't know where you want to start, like, do you want to start with the day that obviously the day your son died was the day that

2:07.1

started all of this and again it's it's horrible I was I couldn't help but think of my own children and and how I would react and you really

2:17.4

You know how to have a brave example here in the in this book? Yeah, no, I mean yeah, I'm happy to kind of start at that day because that is really where all this journey began.

2:29.8

So on a ski vacation in Montana big fat Montana I grew up skiing my whole life it's actually

2:37.5

skiing was a big passion of mine and you know a day that started like any other day, we're all excited to get out there on the mountain and beautiful day, beautiful conditions.

2:50.0

You know, I took away into the top of the mountain.

2:53.7

He'd been looking forward to getting up there for a year because we went the year before, but

2:57.2

didn't make it up there.

...

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