From Futurism to Presence
A Personal Journey to Human Innovation
For most of my life, I worked at the crossroads of innovation and futurism — helping companies, leaders, and visionaries see around the corner into what’s next. I lived and breathed the frontiers of change: technology, societal shifts, cultural evolution. It was exhilarating work.
And yet, over time, something inside me began to ache.
The deeper I traveled into the future, the more I realised I was losing my connection to the present. I was racing toward progress, but drifting further from myself, from my body, my soul, my relationships, and from what felt most true.
The brilliant leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs I worked with often mirrored the same pattern: visionary, successful - yet isolated, often exhausted, and quietly questioning the meaning behind it all.
And if I was honest, I was too.
Eventually, a deeper truth broke through: No amount of innovation could substitute for the human need for real connection, for truth, for presence. All my knowledge about the future couldn't replace the work I needed to do within myself, the human innovation that begins with coming home to who we are.
The future, I realised, doesn’t just need smarter technologies or new strategies.
It needs new kinds of leaders, willing to stand in presence rather than hide behind performance.
This awakening called me inward first - to peel away the layers of doing and achieving and reconnect with the essence of who I truly am. And it called me outward - to work with groups, to create spaces where men, women, and fluid genders can reconnect to their own truth, to each other, and to a new way of leading rooted in authenticity, courage, and the heart.
When we lead from this place, we don’t just perform better; we create spaces of (re)generation and trust around us. We build teams, families, and communities that thrive on openness and shared humanity.
We don’t race blindly towards the future any longer, we create it from the quality of our presence, right now.
Presence is the quality of being fully engaged and attentive in the here and now — with yourself, with others, and with the environment around you.
It means showing up with your whole being - body, mind, heart, and spirit - undistracted by the past or the future, undivided by internal noise or external expectations.
When you are present, you are not trying to perform, control, or escape.
You are simply being, awake to what is real in this moment.Presence is felt - it creates a field of authenticity, trust, and connection. It’s the invisible strength behind true leadership, deep relationships, and meaningful change.
A New Masculine Archetype Is Emerging
Today, through Unconditional Men, I’m no longer trying to predict the future. I’m preparing us to create it - by being fully here, fully human, fully alive.
This shift taught me something I couldn't see before:
The future isn’t something we rush toward.
It’s something we shape through the quality of our presence, moment by moment.
Leadership isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about standing in truth, with open hands and an open heart, and inviting others to do the same.
That’s why we’re launching the Cathartic Leadership Program - a 10-week transformational journey for men who feel called to lead differently. For those ready to break through outdated models, and lead from a place of deep presence and authentic power.
We begin Monday - and there’s still time to join us.
If you feel the pull to lead from your essence rather than simply your performance, I would be honoured to walk this path with you.
👉 Book a call to reserve your spot.
The future belongs to those willing to be fully present.
⭕️ Socratic Dialogue on Masculinity and Leadership ⭕️
Since my first learnings as a facilitator, some 10 years ago, Socratic Dialogue is still one of my favourite methods to connect people from their mind (knowledge) into their body (experiences) and create real collective intelligence in groups and communities.
This Monday, I invite you for a Socratic Dialogue on Masculinity and Leadership - an invitation to slow down, to listen deeply, and to explore together some of the fundamental questions about masculinity, leadership, presence, and the kind of future we want to create. This space is open to all genders.
This is an open introduction session for the Cathartic Leadership online program, a 10-week transformational journey designed for men to break through limitations, awaken their full leadership potential, and cultivate the courage, clarity, and presence needed for the future of leadership.
We believe that true leadership emerges when we bring our full humanity into the conversation; when we move beyond fixed roles and listen to the deeper wisdom that lives within each of us.
Are you ready to lead from your essence and shape the future?
🗓 Monday, April 28 🕒 7:30pm CET / 6:30pm UK / 1:30pm EST
🌱 Survey on Masculinity & Leadership 🌱
This survey is a space to reflect, share, and shape the future of our community programs and experiences. Whether you identify as a man, woman, or non-binary, your voice and perspective matter deeply to us.
Why your voice matters:
We’re redesigning our offerings to better support emotional healing, dialogue, and transformative leadership — and your input helps us create what’s truly needed in this moment of change.
💬 The survey takes 5-10 minutes.
Your answers are confidential, and we’ll share the insights in one of our next newsletter editions.
🎁 Bonus: You’ll be entered to win a free ticket to our 10-week CATHARTIC Leadership online program, starting April 28 — a powerful journey into emotional alchemy, personal transformation, and (re)generative leadership (value: €1,000–€2,500).
👉🏼 The survey closes on Monday, April 28 at 12pm CET.
☯️ AI Integration Circle ☯️
A New Collective Exploration for Men
Unconditional Men invites Genesis for an online circle, to explore the intersection of human consciousness and artificial intelligence, Wednesday, May 14 at 19:30 CET.
We would like to test a model.
As AI becomes a regular part of our lives, it offers more than just practical benefits, it can also serve as a tool for personal growth, self-awareness and deeper self-understanding.
This AI Integration Circle is designed for men who actively use AI for self-reflection, journaling, shadow work or personal development and might be the first one of a longer series.
Together, we’ll examine our weekly insights, challenges, and opportunities that emerge when AI serves as a lens for understanding our thoughts, behaviours, and potential.
In these circles, we’ll explore the insights, blind spots and breakthroughs that arise when AI becomes a mirror for the unconscious, illuminating our patterns, projections, and potential.
This is a space to:
Share our AI insights, experiences and learn from others
Explore how AI can help us deepen self-awareness and emotional intelligence
Support one another in integrating these insights into daily life
Build a supportive group of like-minded men
Our goal is to create a focused, respectful environment for meaningful dialogue. In the future, we plan to expand the format to include diverse perspectives, such as feminine voices, and explore new ways of engaging with this emerging field.
This project is about using AI thoughtfully to better understand ourselves, confront our shadows and grow as individuals and as a collective. Integrating the wisdom of AI and shadow work into the fabric of who we are becoming.
🔥 Join Catharthic Leadership 🔥
Join leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers from four continents in our next Cathartic Leadership journey—a 10-week online experience to break through conditioning, come back to your truth, and lead from your essence.
Cathartic Leadership is an invitation for men who are ready to break through outdated conditioning, access their deeper truth, and lead with authenticity, clarity, and presence. To become a leader the world needs now.
This is not just another leadership program. It is an initiation into a new paradigm of (re)generative, emotionally intelligent, and embodied leadership. A 10-week deep dive that blends inner transformation with outer impact.
Step into your next chapter as a leader, a father, a man - fully aligned with your inner truth.
Some testimonials from our last A New Kind of Leadership program:
🗓 Mondays, April 28 – June 30
🕢 7:30 – 9PM CET
🌐 unconditionalmen.com
This program emerges from my own path of inner transformation and decades of experience at the intersection of innovation, technology, regeneration, and human development. It’s a heartfelt offering — rooted in lived experience and shared with a clear intention to support your growth and leadership journey.
Why Unconditional Men? ✨
1. At the intersection of inner work and systemic change
Unlike traditional men’s leadership programs focusing primarily on performance, career, or external leadership skills, Unconditional Men starts from the inside. It invites men (and those who lead with a balanced masculine and feminine energy) to explore the inner terrain of emotions, belief systems, and identity as a pathway to lead with integrity and regenerative impact.
2. A conscious evolution of masculinity
Rather than "fixing men" or reinforcing outdated roles, Unconditional Men fosters an integrated and embodied masculinity, rooted in wholeness, not dominance; in curiosity, not control. It's about reclaiming the power of presence, vulnerability, and courage to create more inclusive and balanced systems.
3. Inclusive and future-facing
Unconditional Men is open to all genders, not just as allies but as co-creators in reshaping how we relate to masculinity and leadership. This mixed-circle approach is rare and powerful in the men’s work space, making it uniquely relevant in today's interconnected and evolving world.
4. Regenerative, not just transformational
Inspired by regeneration and systems thinking, the work goes beyond personal healing to activate leaders who can restore, co-create, and steward a more life-affirming culture - in business, community, and beyond.
5. Soulful, somatic, and strategic
Through retreats, courses like Cathartic Leadership, circles and community dialogues, Unconditional Men weaves together deep emotional work, body-based practices, and visionary thinking - integrating heart, body, and mind into a new kind of leadership education.
That’s it for this week. Stay true to yourself and take good care of your loved ones.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Rudy
Founder, Unconditional Men
Follow my social media activities on Linktree.
Additional Unconditional Men reading:
A New Leadership Paradigm Begins Within
The first books I read about Men’s Work, over a decade ago, No More Mr. Nice Guy and The Way of the Superior Man, were powerful wake-up calls. They helped me see the unconscious patterns shaping my relationships, especially with women and those closest to me. More importantly, they introduced me to a deeper truth: masculine and feminine energies are not…
Who Are the Role Models Guiding Your Life—and Who Are You Becoming?
The Masculinity Reckoning—Redefining Strength, Connection, and Leadership
Or check the Unconditional Men newsletter archive.