guyslikeus

Paul Fattinger & Marc Winter

Two guys old enough to know better—but curious enough to keep asking. A former CEO and an undercover poet—from Vienna and New York, two longtime friends share (lightly) decanted reflections on life, work, and everything in between. Guys Like Us — home of champagne problems and existential questions. IG: https://www.instagram.com/guyslikeus.official/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulfattinger/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-winter-6138679/

  1. 3d ago

    Let Go of Your Dreams | Ep 55

    It's easy to tell yourself you'll take a break when the timing is perfect, or that you'll finally pursue that screenplay when things settle down. But what if the dreams you're still clinging to are actually holding you back? We sit down to unpack the surprisingly messy art of letting go — not just past grudges, but the future you always thought you'd have. Paul confesses he'll never run another company as CEO (unless it genuinely serves him), and Marc shares what it felt like to hand off a passion project he couldn't execute alone. We cover the real mechanics of midlife recalibration: forgiving yourself for mistakes that still sting, the joy of abandoning b******t goals like Ferraris and marathons, and why it's harder to let go of things you did than things done to you. Plus: Paul's smoking relapse update (he's quit again, we're counting days), Marc's rear-end collision story with two sleeping kids in the back, and the uncomfortable question underneath it all — when does letting go become giving up? The answer: it's about trust. Trust that you'll be okay without the next thing lined up. Trust that redefining winning on your own terms isn't losing. Trust that some dreams are worth releasing so better ones can arrive. 0:00 Introduction to the Art of Letting Go2:59 Terminator and Idiotic Thing of the Summer4:13 The Meaning of Letting Go and Emotional Burdens8:11 Letting Go of Control and the Journey of Unburdening11:50 The Difference Between Giving Up and Surrendering15:57 Letting Go of Past Hurts and Future Dreams19:46 The Joy and Liberation in Letting Go23:01 Societal Expectations and Defining Your Own Success26:10 Trust, Control, and the Continuous Practice of Letting Go28:32 Revisiting Old Dreams and Embracing New Paths32:00 The Inner Work of Forgiveness and Self-Compassion35:33 The Balance Between Control and Surrender38:56 Final Reflections and Practical Takeaways for Letting Go | Ep 55

  2. Aug 4

    How to Stop Rehearsing Conversations in Your Head | Ep 54

    We love to tell ourselves that once we make a plan, the anxiety will stop. But Paul had a plan for a difficult conversation on Monday — and it still hijacked his entire weekend at the lake with his kids. That gap between "I know what I need to do" and "I can't stop thinking about it" is where rumination lives, and it's exhausting. This week, we dig into why our brains won't shut up, even when we've done everything right. Paul traces his rumination back to a need to perform, Marc's is rooted in living up to potential — both exhausting in different ways. We cover the Buddhist parable that explains monkey mind, why trying NOT to think about something makes it worse, and Marc's confession about falling asleep to Byzantine Empire podcasts at 3 a.m. The takeaway: there's no quick fix, but understanding the source code of your rumination — the childhood wiring, the fear underneath it — starts to take its power back. Also, meditation isn't an alibi hack. It's the practice of learning to sit by the fire while the storm rages outside. 0:00 Introduction0:45 The Lake That Couldn't Compete with Monday4:20 Tuna Season and Terminator Stories8:10 When Making a Plan Doesn't Stop the Loop13:24 The Zeigarnik Effect: Your Brain Wants a "When"17:13 Fear of Not Being Good Enough21:03 Performance vs. Potential: Two Types of Rumination25:04 Running Away or Running Towards?27:54 Toxic vs. Non-Toxic Rumination29:23 The Monkey Mind Story32:54 Deep Meditation and Breaking the Source Code35:01 Living Next to the Noise | Ep 54

  3. Jul 28

    The 95% of Leadership No One Talks About | Ep 53

    We love to think leadership is about vision, big speeches, and moments of inspiration. But the hard truth? That's only 5% of it. The rest is repetition, people decisions, and the discipline to keep hammering the same message until everyone actually believes it. This week, we're talking about what actually makes a great leader — not the TED Talk version, but the messy, unglamorous reality. We dig into Paul's biggest fail (coming in like a steamroller and losing half the room), Marc's post-COVID move that saved morale, and why the CMO who abandoned the C-suite floor to sit with her team understood something most executives miss. We also wrestle with the wartime versus peacetime CEO debate, why transparency beats hierarchy every time, and how a senior partner with 50,000 unread emails taught Paul what empowerment actually looks like. If you've ever struggled to get your team aligned, wondered why people aren't following through, or felt stuck between pushing hard and losing people — this one's for you. Chapters:```0:00 Introduction01:43 Terminator and Idiotic Thing of the Week04:47 Leadership Lessons from a Turnaround CEO06:41 The Dynamics of Wartime vs. Peacetime Leadership13:24 The Magic of Growth and Leadership14:11 Moments of Leadership: Personal Experiences15:56 Empowerment and Culture Building18:57 The Importance of Transparency in Leadership20:57 Navigating Challenges and Building Trust22:05 Reading the Room: Emotional Intelligence in Leadership24:46 The Art of Repetition in Leadership28:36 Key Building Blocks of Effective Leadership``` | Ep 53

  4. Jul 21

    The Museum vs. The Forest | Ep 52

    We always assume the answer to burnout is getting out of the city and into nature. Paul does too — barefoot grass, forest trails, the ocean. But this week, sitting in Marc's wine cellar in New York, we realized we could not be more different about what actually recharges us. Marc's ritual when he needs inspiration? The Picasso Museum in Paris, noise-canceling headphones, contemplating a young boy with old man eyes. Paul's? Forgetting his keys three times in one day, buying cigarettes he doesn't want to smoke, and knowing it's time to book a flight to the sea. We dig into the biological tells that signal you're running on empty, why forests ground you differently than oceans spark vision, and whether routine beats intuition when it comes to hitting pause. The takeaway: not everyone needs to escape to the woods. Your pause button might be a museum, a cenote in the Mexican jungle, or Central Park at dawn. The question is whether you're listening to the signal at all. Chapters:0:07 Introduction1:38 Catching Up2:17 Workation Reflections2:38 Terminators & Idiots of the Week2:59 World Cup Terminator: Germany Game6:21 Nature vs. Urban: Finding Balance6:35 Recharging in the City vs. Nature7:36 Signals to Step Away11:21 Marc's Museum Ritual17:08 Forest, Jungle & Sea Energies20:52 Why We're So Different23:44 Takeaways & Summary | Ep 52

  5. Jul 14

    Don't Do It for the Money | Ep 51

    We love to tell ourselves that the next move will be the one — better title, better pay, closer to where we actually want to be. But how many times can you take a "stepping stone" job before you realize the stone never gets closer? This week we unpack the real mechanics of career changes: when to stay put (even when it feels boring), when to take less money for the right bet, and why the average American switches jobs every 3.7 years while Marc stayed at one firm for twelve. Paul shares the story of almost doubling his salary three months into his first job (and why his dad talked him out of it), and we both admit to the ego bruise of stepping back before you can step forward. We also get into the AI-era tension: companies don't want executives who manage people anymore — they want individual contributors who can master technology and bring human wisdom. Your dream job might not be a job at all. It might be a state. Chapters:0:00 Introduction3:07 Terminator and Idiot of the Week6:12 Career Changes: Reflections and Insights16:35 Navigating Career Growth and Patience18:41 Redefining Career Choices and Financial Trade-offs21:55 The Importance of Stepping Back to Move Forward24:51 Adapting Career Strategies in the Age of AI25:07 The Luxury of Dream Jobs and Personal Freedom | Ep 51

  6. Jul 7

    Don't Outsource Your Baggage | Ep 50

    We hit 50 episodes, so naturally we're going down the third rail: relationships. Paul's divorced, Marc's been married 15 years — so we thought, why not talk about what actually works and what destroys it? We dig into the stuff most people don't say out loud. Marc shares the three things keeping his marriage strong (spoiler: chemistry matters more than anyone admits). Paul lays out the ways he's seen relationships fall apart — including staying silent about what you actually need and making huge decisions when you're spiraling. We also talk about why kids aren't a "common project," the moment Marc almost tanked his marriage by booking a trip to Istanbul without asking, and Esther Perel's take on why modern relationships expect too much from one person. This one's honest, specific, and maybe the most vulnerable conversation we've had. If you've ever wondered what separates the couples who make it from the ones who don't, this is it. 0:00 Intro / 50th episode celebration2:25 News & banter5:09 Relationship success topic setup9:14 Marc's 1: Chemistry & attraction10:32 Paul's 1: Don't outsource your problems12:26 Marc's 2: Parenting alignment14:48 Paul's 2: Speak your truth16:44 Marc's 3: Play to your strengths18:59 Paul's 3: Zoom out before big decisions22:01 Esther Perel & final round26:23 Wrap-up & takeaways | Ep 50

  7. Jun 30

    The 5 Leadership Qualities Needed Right Now | Ep 49

    We're all handing our knowledge to the machines—our processes, our expertise, our hard-won wisdom. And we're never getting it back. That realization, courtesy of a leader at Google, completely shifted how Marc thinks about this moment. This week, we break down the five leadership capabilities that matter now: imagination, collective judgment, accountability, conviction, and soul. These aren't abstract concepts—they're the concrete skills that will determine whether you thrive or get automated out.  Paul shares his slightly unhinged addiction to building AI agents (he's blown through $40+ in Claude tokens this month alone), and we wrestle with the hardest question: if you rebuilt your company from scratch today, what would you actually need humans for? We also cover the FOBO epidemic (fear of being obsolete), why hitting "continue" all day is a trap, and why Marc thinks companies will soon need a Chief Meaning Officer. This one's a blueprint—and a bit of a wake-up call. 0:00 Intro & Welcome1:49 Terminator & Idiot of the Week8:11 Is AI Really Different This Time?13:35 How Companies Should Apply AI Today15:57 The 5 Human Leadership Capabilities17:06 1 Imagination20:57 2 Collective Judgment24:03 3 Accountability25:26 4 Conviction28:40 5 Soul33:16 Takeaways & Wrap-Up | Ep 49

  8. Jun 23

    The Failures We Refuse to Own | Ep 48

    We love the idea that failure teaches us more than success. But here's the uncomfortable truth: we hate looking at our failures so much that we usually just defend them instead of learning from them. This week, we dig into why admitting you got it wrong in your 40s feels like admitting you're out of time to fix it. We cover the brutal first step — just saying "I f****d up" without the excuses — and why the three catastrophic life buckets (career, relationships, kids) make failure feel impossible to recover from. Marc confesses to refusing accountability after a role change that didn't work out. Paul admits he's still defending decisions he knows were mistakes. And we wrestle with the question: do we actually learn from failure, or do we just get better at reframing it as a win? Along the way: the mindset trap that leads smart people to make terrible decisions, why Paul's suitcase now smells like Riesling, and the one famous quote that still holds up. Chapters:0:00 Introduction0:05 Navigating the Challenges of Travel and Fatigue0:05 Introduction to the Podcast and the Theme of Failure1:50 Personal Experiences with Failure and Learning4:45 The Dichotomy of Learning from Wins vs. Failures7:49 Accountability and Ownership in the Face of Failure12:30 Embracing Responsibility for Mistakes15:01 Learning from Others' Failures17:40 Mindset and Context in Failure22:57 The Weight of Life's Failures24:43 Terminator and Idiotic Thing of the Week26:00 Accountability and Leadership in Failure27:50 Expectations and the Pain of Failure | Ep 48

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About

Two guys old enough to know better—but curious enough to keep asking. A former CEO and an undercover poet—from Vienna and New York, two longtime friends share (lightly) decanted reflections on life, work, and everything in between. Guys Like Us — home of champagne problems and existential questions. IG: https://www.instagram.com/guyslikeus.official/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulfattinger/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-winter-6138679/

Information

  • Creator
    Paul Fattinger & Marc Winter
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    56
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Paul Fattinger & Marc Winter
  • Show Website
    guyslikeus

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