Michael Ventura – författare

The #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Soul''s Code engages in a wide-ranging dialogue that "bursts with vigorous ideas, tangents, and humor" (Library Journal).This furious, trenchant, and audacious series of interrelated dialogues and letters takes a searing look at not only the legacy of psychotherapy, but also practically every aspect of contemporary living—from sexuality to politics, media, the environment, and life in the city. James Hillman—controversial renegade Jungian psychologist and the man Robert Bly called "the most lively and original psychologist we''ve had in America since William James"—joins with Michael Ventura, cutting-edge columnist for the L.A. Weekly, to shatter many of our current beliefs about our lives, the psyche, and society. Unrestrained, freewheeling, and brilliant, these two intellectual wild men take chances, break rules, and run red lights to strike at the very core of our shibboleths and perceptions."All sorts of fresh ideas." —Los Angeles Times"Thought-provoking, fun, and not quite like anything else." —Library Journal"Range[s] energetically over such subjects as psychotherapy, politics and aesthetics, method acting and postwar ideas of the self, child abuse and inner child theory, romantic love, and America''s tradition of anti-intellectualism . . . Seductive precisely because if offers two live voices actively engaged." —The Washington Post

Michael Ventura, entrepreneur and CEO of award-winning strategy and design firm Sub Rosa, shares “how to unlock our ability to design solutions, spark innovation, and solve tough challenges with empathy at the center” (Arianna Huffington). Having built his career working with iconic brands and institutions such as General Electric, Google, Nike, Warby Parker, and also The United Nations and the Obama Administration, Michael Ventura offers entrepreneurs and executives a radical new business book and way forward. Empathy is not about being nice. It’s not about pity or sympathy either. It’s about understanding—your consumers, your colleagues, and yourself—and it’s a direct path to powerful leadership. As such, Applied Empathy presents real strategies, based on Sub Rosa’s design work and the popular class Ventura and his team have taught at Princeton University, on how to make lasting connections and evolve your business internally (your employees, culture, and product/services) as well as externally (your brand, consumers, and value). “The most neglected fact in business is we’re all human. Michael Ventura makes a powerful argument that empathy is the secret sauce of 21st century business. The more digital we get, the more empathy we need” (Chip Conley, New York Times bestselling author of Emotional Equation). For leaders of all levels, this groundbreaking guide lays the foundation to establish a diverse, inventive, and driven team that can meet the challenges of today’s ever-evolving marketplace. If you want to connect to the people you work with, you have to understand them first.

I believe that empathy has been the most underrated characteristic of the biggest winners in society. Everybody should read this book. -- Gary Vaynerchuk__________Michael Ventura, entrepreneur and CEO of award-winning strategy and design practice Sub Rosa, shares how empathy - the ability to see the world through someone else's eyes - could be what your business needs to innovate, connect, and grow.Having built his career working with iconic brands and institutions such as Google and Nike, and also The United Nations and the Obama Administration, Michael Ventura offers entrepreneurs and executives a radical new business book and way forward.Empathy is not about being nice. It's not about pity or sympathy either. It's about understanding - your consumers, your colleagues, and yourself - and it's a direct path to powerful leadership. As such, Applied Empathy presents real strategies on how to make lasting connections and evolve your business internally as well as externally.This ground-breaking guide lays the foundation to establish a diverse, inventive, and driven team that can meet the challenges of today's ever-evolving marketplace. If you want to connect to the people you work with and for, you first have to understand them.

Michael Ventura's owned only one car his entire life: a green '69 Chevy Malibu. Its wheels have crisscrossed the American landscape over more miles than a round trip to the moon. From Times Square to Terlingua, from Maine to Los Angeles, from Austin to Deadwood, Ventura has chronicled the continent in "a kind of switchback journey in image and thought." His essays convey a tactile and intimate relationship with land and people—and of course the car. Ventura's distinctive voice and vision are familiar to readers of the Austin Chronicle (where many of these pieces first appeared), as well the Austin Sun, Psychotherapy Networker, and LA Weekly. In this collection, its title borrowed from a Butch Hancock song, the essays switch lanes with Hancock's evocative black-and-white photographs. Slowing down to take notice of a makeshift shrine in the Texas Panhandle or zipping along the New York Thruway before dawn, Ventura captures the details that make us think profoundly about work, music, poverty, beauty, our home on the planet and in the universe. About volcanoes and the Very Large Array. About friends and companions. About gods and goddesses and God. With Lubbock, Texas, and the Southwest as the book's home base, If I Was a Highway roams widely and freely as Ventura takes readers on an unforgettable journey not only into the country but into the soul.

In 1983 visionary director John Cassavetes asked journalist Michael Ventura to write a unique film study - an on-set diary of the making of his film Love Streams. Cassavetes laid out his expectations. He wanted 'a daring book, a tough book'. In Ventura's words, 'All I had to do for 'daring' and 'tough' was transcribe this man's audacity day by day.'Cassavetes Directs describes the creation of Love Streams shot by shot, crisis by crisis. During production, the director learned that he was seriously ill, that this film might, as it tragically turned out, be his last. Starring alongside actress and wife Gena Rowlands, Cassavetes shot in sequence, reconceiving and revising his film almost nightly, in order that Love Streams could stand as his final statement.Both an intimate portrait of the man and an insight into his unique filmmaking philosophy, Cassavetes Directs documents a heroic moment in the life of a great artist.

What if the key to living a meaningful life isn’t about finding one true calling, but instead about connecting the unique constellation of experiences, relationships, and beliefs that make you who you are?Many of us struggle with immense pressure to define ourselves through a single purpose or passion. We pursue this elusive calling, believing that once found, everything else will fall into place. But you don’t need a North Star. True fulfillment rarely comes from doubling down on just one area of life. Instead, meaning emerges from the beautiful overlap of our relationships, work, creative pursuits, and personal growth. It's not about finding the one thing that lights you up—it's about weaving together all the things that matter to create a life that feels whole. For years, Michael Ventura dedicated himself to building a company, wrapping his identity around a single mission. Then, after 17 years, it all changed. Three words flooded his mind: Who am I? This moment of crisis became the catalyst for developing a revolutionary approach to meaning—one that maps your unique constellation of values, experiences, and connections. Constellation Thinking gives you practical tools to identify and connect the diverse elements that make you who you are. Through a blend of ancient wisdom, modern psychology, and targeted exercises, you'll map your own personal constellation—gaining profound clarity about what truly matters to you and how these elements work together. By the end of this journey, you'll have a visual map of your unique sources of meaning and purpose that you can actually use to navigate life's biggest decisions. In Constellation Thinking, you’ll discover: How your past experiences, inherited values, and formative influences shape your pursuits Who you are at your core, using a blend of ancient wisdom like Sun, Moon, and Rising signs, and modern tools like Myers-Briggs and Enneagram Which pursuits energize you versus those that leave you feeling depleted How your surroundings and relationships influence your sense of purpose How to reconnect with spontaneity and inner child energy Constellation Thinking will reshape the way you think about purpose, giving you the tools and insights you need to create a rich, meaningful life.