Christian Modjaiso is Founder and CEO of OBSERVE. He is the Xtreme Stress Coach, helping extremely stressed people to deal with their stress by observing it for themselves.
Christian lives in Democratic Republic of the Congo. He speaks six languages, was on a university chess team before he went to high school and attended a top engineering school in the US. He has a bachelor’s degree in pure mathematics.
While this episode was fun—we had some good laughs—Christian & I had serious disagreements about important topics, including race, relationships and anxiety. But as students of human nature who love to learn, we enjoyed every minute of it.
Other topics we discuss:
- Dikembe Mutombo vs. Michael Jordan
- His expectations of America vs. his experience
- Understanding American jokes
- Getting spanked vs. caned
- Adapting to American’s perception of child abuse
- His favorite African-American comics
- My friend in Zambia, Bonie
Getting an American Education:
- Coming to America [from Africa] at age 19
- Being a minority for the first time
- “White people-smart” vs. “black people-smart”
- Racism in America
- Culture of dependence
- Victim mentality
- Incidents of racism he experienced in America
American Culture:
- Attending a top engineering school in the USA
- Getting a Math degree
- What Christian thinks of the term “African-American”
- “Black culture” in America
- Feelings of inadequacy
- “Looksism” vs. Racism
- The African-American comedians he admires
- Latino culture in America
Dealing with Stress & Anxiety:
- Ending human suffering
- Having a strong desire not to suffer
- Catalyst for starting his company
- Getting kicked out of school
- Understanding your suffering
- How he observes emotional states
- How he became better at handling his own mental stress
- The difference between stress and anxiety
- Capacity for emotional intelligence
- Separating thoughts from emotions
- Confidence stemming from preparation
- Coach Christian’s 3-step program
Fun questions:
- If someone dropped a million dollars in your lap, what would you do with it?
- What’s your favorite book for dealing with stress?
- What’s your favorite podcast?
- What are you most grateful for?
Listen here:
The solution to a stressful situation isn’t something you control. The effects [to causes] happen on their own . . . Focus on what you can do . . . Observe the facts . . . The solution will take care of itself. – Christian Modjaiso
- Connect with Christian
- Get free coaching
