5/5/26

EP19: I Am Who I Am, Not What I Do: Dion Elliot Jensen on Identity, Ego, and Love-Based Leadership | Deep Work Out Loud

Host Julie Harris Oliver welcomes Dion Elliot Jensen, author of "Conscious Footsteps," who describes becoming an “accidental author” by using writing and long walks to process intense life changes and consolidate his journals into a book structured as standalone “walks.” They focus on Dion’s central theme, “I am who I am, not what I do,” shaped by being abruptly fired from a CEO role and realizing he had outsourced his worth to his job. Dion explores how “what do you do?” creates instant masks, bias, and power dynamics that block real human connection, and suggests asking disarming, deeper questions about who someone is. Asked to describe himself without his work, Dion says he is “a work in progress” and “a lover,” defining purpose as moving through the world with love-based energy. He reflects on hardship-driven ego death, and how he now leads with less outcome attachment, wider “guardrails,” and greater softness, trust, and authenticity.

00:00 Welcome to Deep Work

00:39 Meet Dion Jensen

01:37 Why He Wrote

03:41 Core Theme Identity

06:05 Masks and Job Titles

12:28 Better Questions to Ask

15:46 Tell Me About You

18:50 From Ego to Love

20:55 I Am Poem Exercise

23:56 Leadership After Shift

26:05 Parting Advice and Links

27:13 Closing Invitation