guyslikeus

Paul Fattinger & Marc Winter
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Society & Culture

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. 2d ago

    2026 Is Unfinished Business | Ep 59

    We love to tell ourselves this year will be different — and then it's October, and we're scrambling to finish what we promised ourselves in January. This week, we sit down to audit our New Year's resolutions from nine months ago. Marc gives himself a generous seven out of ten (of course), while Paul admits he hasn't stretched once and lost two entire months to summer. We cover the real mechanics of why time flies when you're in execution mode, the guilt that comes with unfinished business, and whether resolutions are even worth setting in the first place. But we also land on something useful: twice-yearly check-ins instead of one annual panic attack, and the realization that gratitude for what you've already done matters as much as beating yourself up for what you didn't. Plus, Marc's post-Oktoberfest rallying cry: you have less time, not more — so if you're going to close the year strong, execute now. Chapters:00:00 Introduction00:47 Terminator and Idiotic Thing of the Week03:58 Revisiting New Year's Resolutions10:12 Paul's Midyear Scorecard14:28 Time, Momentum & FOMO18:48 Gratitude and Unfinished Business20:22 A Better Way to Review Your Year | Ep 59

  2. Sep 22

    No Pain, No Picasso | Ep 58

    Everyone keeps saying imagination is what'll save us from AI, but we're not so sure anymore. This week, we sit down to test whether creativity is truly human — or just advanced pattern-matching that machines will crack in three years. We start with Picasso, shipping containers, and SoulCycle, trying to define what imagination even means. Then Paul drops the dark truth: if creativity is just connecting dots, and AI reads all our thoughts on social media, what's left? We live-test AI's ability to visualize existential pain (spoiler: it's hilariously terrible), and land somewhere more hopeful than we expected — that the 90% of our brain we don't use might be the real frontier, not the 10% we're frantically defending. Plus: Paul's idiotic decision to co-parent a dog, Marc's 52-year-old Muay Thai coach who refuses to age, and why retreats in Ibiza might be the answer to unlocking what machines can't touch. 0:00 Introduction0:05 Welcome to Guys Like Us0:29 Idiot & Terminator of the Week5:50 Can Imagination Survive AI?10:27 Creativity as Connecting the Dots15:10 Pain, Art & Machine Consciousness22:23 Training Ourselves to Think Differently28:09 Testing AI's Imagination | Ep 58

  3. Sep 15

    Our Kids vs Elon's 10-Year AI Forecast | Ep 57

    It's easy to tell yourself your kids will figure it out—but what if the world they're walking into looks nothing like the one we grew up in? We sit down to unpack Elon Musk's 10-year AI forecast and what it actually means for how we're raising our children. If combined artificial intelligence surpasses all human intelligence within five years, what are we even teaching them? Marc breaks down his "unautomatable" framework—the human skills that matter when everything else can be done by machines. Paul asks the question that keeps him up at night: if work becomes optional, how do we teach our kids the value of effort? We cover everything from why universities have no plan for AI, to whether we should pull college funds and invest in AI stocks instead, to the uncomfortable reality that billionaires are already building bunkers. Plus: what the children of the ultra-wealthy actually do with their time, why Paul's considering a backup farm in the Austrian mountains, and the real skills our kids need to learn before it's too late. Chapters:0:00 Introduction and Humor0:17 Elon Musk's 10-Year Forecast and Parenting Implications1:08 Idiotic Thing and Idiot of the Week1:08 Personal Updates and Upcoming Events6:54 Transitioning to AI and Its Impact on Future Generations16:47 The Impact of AI on Education17:11 Homeschooling vs Traditional Schooling18:33 The Future of Work and Purpose22:05 Teaching Personal Purpose in the AI Era24:32 The Role of Education in a Changing World26:19 Critical Subjects for Future Generations29:04 Investing in the Future: Education vs AI Stocks32:13 The Wealth Gap and Future Revolutions35:13 The Future of Global Power Dynamics | Ep 57

  4. Sep 8

    Do You Have a Woman Friend? | Ep 56

    We love to believe we're open-minded, evolved guys — but when Paul's hairdresser asked mid-cut, "Can men and women really be friends?", his gut answer was no. Marc's was yes. So we sat down to figure out why. We dig into the real barriers: the jealous partner problem, the social weirdness of going to dinner alone with a female friend, and the Tinder mindset that trains you to see every interaction as either a romantic match or irrelevant. Marc makes the case that the world would be better if we all had more cross-gender friendships. Paul admits his only female friends are basically sisters — women he's known for decades — and wonders if he's been avoiding new ones just because he's afraid of mixed signals. We cover why it's easier when you're married (built-in guardrails), why it's harder when you're single (everything feels loaded), and the cocky move of actively "friend zoning" someone. Plus: why online dating deleted the friendship category entirely, and Paul's realization that maybe he should stop letting social norms dictate who he grabs dinner with. 0:00 Introduction01:40 Summer Reflections and Personal Updates01:48 Wine Adventures and Idiots of the Week04:25 The Rise of Robotics and AI06:31 Can Men and Women Be Friends?09:22 Attraction and Friendship Dynamics12:17 The Value of Female Friendships15:29 Navigating Friendships and Romantic Interests18:26 Navigating Friend Zones and Relationships19:53 The Value of Diverse Friendships20:26 Barriers to Cross-Gender Friendships21:13 The Impact of Online Dating on Friendships23:21 Social Norms and Their Influence25:30 The Importance of Intentional Friendships27:10 Friendship Dynamics in Different Life Stages30:24 Setting Expectations in Friendships32:05 The Call for More Cross-Gender Friendships34:07 Challenging Social Norms for Better Relationships | Ep 56

  5. Sep 1

    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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

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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
    60
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Paul Fattinger & Marc Winter
  • Show Website
    guyslikeus

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