UnLeadership

5What is the Archetype of a Leader?

Jonathan Fields, the Good Life Guy, makes things that move people, delivering insights that spark purpose, possibility, and potential. On a decades-long quest to discover what makes people come fully alive, Jonathan is an award-winning author, Webby-nominated producer, business innovator, and host of one of the world’s top podcasts, Good Life Project. His newest company, Spark Endeavors, is built around intellectual property that helps people explore the intersection between meaning and work.

(Highlights from our interview, recorded May 31, 2023.)

IN MY EARLY YEARS I built anything and everything, from bicycles to houses. In high school and college, I started building businesses, and from there, it's been a series of companies, books, brands, experiences—anything where I can step into a creative process, preferably a co-creative process. It's more fun when we can build with other people, make things that go out into the world, make a difference, and make a ripple in the fabric of the human condition. I work with my wife, Stephanie. We run both companies together. She's an amazing human being and an incredible partner in life and in business. We're very complementary in what we do. I focus more on the big vision, the impact and narrative, and product development. She's an astonishingly gifted experience designer who loves to craft magical moments and interactions that let people feel safe, seen, and celebrated. And, Stephanie is the empathetic ...