What Do the CEO of YouTube and Jesus Have In Common?

If Jesus had a YouTube channel would he care about the algorithm?

Have you ever wondered what ancient wisdom and modern tech leadership could possibly have in common? Join me Linton Bergsen on this episode of the Self Realized, Shatter Your Limits podcast. The answer might surprise you. When I decided to explore the unexpected connection between YouTube CEO Neal Mohan and Jesus Christ, I discovered a profound truth that transcends both time and technology. Both figures represent something far deeper than their respective platforms – they embody the transformative power of authentic leadership and vision. Neal Mohan, steering one of the world's most influential digital platforms, emphasizes that success on YouTube isn't about mastering the algorithm but about authentic communication that resonates at the soul level. 

Similarly, Jesus spoke his truth regardless of reception or popularity, creating ripples that continue thousands of years later. Both demonstrate that real influence comes not from manipulation but from speaking with conviction and purpose. The bridge between these seemingly different leaders reveals three shared principles: they elevate rather than simply build, they invite participation rather than dictate, and they serve rather than merely direct. 

This servant leadership approach – creating safe spaces for expression, welcoming feedback (even painful criticism), and admitting human limitations – stands in stark contrast to ego-driven models of leadership that prioritize control. What struck me most while developing this episode was the realization that these principles apply to each of us, regardless of title or platform. 

Your story matters. Your voice has power. Whether your stage is a boardroom, dinner table, or social media account, you possess the same ability to serve authentically, connect meaningfully, and lead with what I call "radical courage" – the willingness to be vulnerable, admit mistakes, and stay true to your vision even when faced with opposition. Ready to discover how these timeless principles can transform your approach to leadership and life? 

Listen now and then share how you're applying authentic leadership in your own circles. Being self-realized continues with embracing your unique voice and vision. 

Please leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or the preferred platform you receive your podcasts on to help others find this life-changing mindset message and become part of the self-realized personal development podcast community worldwide.

Let me know your thoughts on this episode. Text me your feedback! 🙂

https://www.selfrealized.com

Episode Transcript

Linton Bergsen (00:01):
Welcome to the Self-Realized Podcast with
Linton Bergsen, where you willshatter your limits.
I am not much into theself-help industry as much as
I'm into the self-realizedindividual, which is you, what
matters most to you, how you getthere and the obstacles that
may be in your way.
If you would like to be part ofthis podcast and part of that

(00:22):
discussion, I welcome you herewith an open heart, open mind
and open arms.
So, without further ado, let'sget on with the podcast.
Welcome to episode number 107of the Self-Realized Shatter

(00:47):
your Limits podcast.
Thank you once again forjoining me.
I am Linton Bergsen.
Whether you're listening to meon Apple or Spotify, or from the
far corners of the earth whichthis podcast now reaches, know
that this space has been madefor you, your growth, your truth
and your boundless potential.

(01:09):
Let me start today's episodewith a question that you might
want to contemplate for a moment, and it might be one that may
surprise you.
It is the title of today'sepisode, which is What Do the
CEO of YouTube and Jesus Have InCommon?
Yes, you did hear me right.
Stay with me on this one.

(01:30):
Today we're cracking open twoworlds that you never thought
would overlap, but by the end ofthis episode.
I promise you you'll seeyourself in a different way than
you have ever seen yourselfbefore.
Let's talk about the power ofvision.
For those of you who arefamiliar with my work, you'll be

(01:54):
aware that I'm very big onvision.
I have a five-star reviewedbook available on Amazon, the
title of which is PurposefulVision.
See your vision, Know yourpurpose.
Let's talk a little bit aboutthe power of vision.
Let's start with the CEO ofYouTube.

(02:16):
As of this recording, that'sNeal Mohan, a man at the helm of
one of the world's mostinfluential platforms, shaping
culture, sparking movements andgiving everyday people the power
to broadcast their voice acrossthe globe.

(02:37):
It is a very powerful platform,but what's truly at the core of
that role?
It is this vision.
Every day, a leader like Mohanwakes up and carries a vision,
not just for a company, but fora community, a tapestry of

(02:57):
billions of lives, each with astory waiting to be shared.
You can do some research onNeal Mohan and you'll find out
that he's not about thealgorithm of YouTube.
That's not what he issuggesting gets the story out
there to billions of lives.
What he suggests is this it isthe authentic communicator, the

(03:23):
person who is authentic, whocommunicates from their heart
and their soul.
That is successful on YouTubebecause, as he mentions, people
know when you're being authenticand that has nothing to do with
an algorithm and it isultimately the source of great

(03:52):
success on a platform likeYouTube.
Authenticity, speaking fromyour heart and your soul, and
not from the place of how tomanipulate an algorithm or what
people would like.

(04:12):
I'm going to ask you now totravel with me back 2,000 years
ago.
A man walks across the desertand mountaintops, gathering
crowds not for fame but forpurpose.
Jesus, teacher, rebel,visionary.

(04:33):
He spoke in parables.
He shared stories, not throughscreens and videos, but from
hilltops and marketplacesmarketplaces.
His vision wasn't prescribed bymetrics or markets, but by
meaning, by connection, by love.
Contemplate on that for amoment.

(04:55):
If Jesus had a social mediaplatform and he had a YouTube
channel, do you think he wouldrelease videos and social media
based upon what people liked, orwould he be his authentic self?
Even in today's world, with allthe technology that we have

(05:17):
available, I would stronglysuggest to you that if Jesus was
on social media, his messagewould be exactly the same as it
was 2,000 years ago and he wouldprobably receive the pushback,
likes and dislikes, haters andacceptance, exactly as he did

(05:39):
then.
He would now.
There would always be thenaysayers.
If he released a video of himmaking a blind man see and the
resurrection of Lazarus.
Now what would happen is peoplewould say that was AI.
It's not real.
So, no matter what year you'rein 2,000 years ago or whether

(05:59):
you're present, it doesn't makeany difference.
The point of the matter is wouldJesus be authentic and continue
what he's doing anyway?
Yes, he would.
And Neal Mohan is saying thatyou need to be authentic and
continue doing what you're doing.
That's what Jesus, part of, andNeal Mohan have in common the

(06:23):
very strong suggestion yoursuccess in life is based upon
your authenticity, communicatingfrom that place, from strength
and vision, always from who youare and what you're about.
It is your divine birthright.
It is what you came here to do,as Jesus did.

(06:46):
Express yourself authenticallywith vision, clarity and purpose
.
Can you see the connectingbridge yet between what do the
CEO of YouTube and Jesus have incommon?

(07:12):
Both are driven by the power ofa greater vision to do three
things.
Number one not just to build,but to elevate.
Number two not just to tell butto invite.
And number three, not just tolead but to serve.
And when I suggest not just tolead but to serve, let's you and

(07:38):
I peel back the curtain on whattrue leadership looks like.
It isn't about control and itcertainly isn't about ego.
It's not the my way or thehighway mindset.
Real leadership is about trueservice.
It has been called, and I'msure you may have heard the term

(07:59):
servant leadership.
Jesus modeled this.
He washed the feet of his ownfollowers.
He listened before he spoke,which I talk about more in the
previous episode, number 106,Why Silence Is Your Secret

(08:25):
Weapon for Success.
Jesus lifted others up, even ashe carried the weight of
something that was obviously farbigger than himself.
Jump back into today and you'llsee that the very best CEOs, the
ones who truly shatter limits,and certainly the very best ones

(08:47):
that I have worked with in allmy years of organizational
development, share that samespirit.
They create safe places forpeople to express themselves and
work productively.
They listen to feedback.
It's not always easy, becauseit can be very painful sometimes

(09:07):
and sometimes very humbling.
They stand up for their teams,they can celebrate individual
achievements and they're neverafraid to say I don't know
everything, but I'm here tolearn, to empower and to serve.

(09:32):
Ask yourself this question.
Can you say that and mean itwith authenticity, from your
very core, in life and inbusiness, in your own personal
leadership and professional andindividual world?
So here's the million-dollarquestion for you today where are
you being called to serve today?
Whose life might you touch witha kind word, a gesture or an

(09:55):
idea?
What is the vision you cancarry, not just for yourself,
but for the entire world thatyou surround yourself with?
In order to be authentic, inorder for you to move forward,
in order for you to be effective, you need to have what I call
radical courage and makeauthentic connections.

(10:20):
Both the CEO of YouTube andJesus have stood, or still stand
, before unimaginable challenges.
Contemplate on this for amoment.
Think of the criticism, thepressure and the
misunderstandings one can facein the wild jungle of social

(10:42):
media.
All the hate comments, digitalstorms.
On the other, persecution,doubt and, ultimately, sacrifice
.
What do the CEO of YouTube andJesus have in common?
They both lean into somethingextraordinary, which requires

(11:07):
radical courage, and I'm notjust talking about the
chest-thumping superhero kind.
I'm talking about the courageto be truly vulnerable, to admit
mistakes, to say I am human too, to keep believing in the light

(11:29):
when all of the external noisesays no.
Ultimately, people followauthenticity.
We are all innately andintuitively wired for it, and I
talk about and use intuition asexamples for many things
throughout every episode,because we are spiritual beings

(11:52):
first and human beings second,and we understand when our inner
voice and our intuition aretalking to us and we recognize
authenticity at a deep, inner,intuitive level.
When you hear a leader or anysoul speak from their core, you

(12:14):
lean in, you remember what theysaid, you imagine what could be.
In today's episode, I reallywant to share something with you
and I want you to remember thisyour story is enough.
Your voice matters.

(12:34):
It's very important for you toleave your mark and make your
impact every day in what you say, how you act and who you are.
That is the purpose of theself-realized individual in
their everyday life.
So What Do the CEO of YouTubeand Jesus Have In Common?

(12:58):
They both started where you areright now, today, with
questions, with dreams, doubts,with a desire to connect and
make something more meaningfulin their life, a contribution,

(13:19):
something that's sustainable foryour own well-being and the
well-being of others in a verypositive way.
Every movement, every singlebreakthrough, every ripple in
the pond of history started witha single person saying I want

(13:39):
to make an impact.
That is you.
It doesn't matter if your stageis a boardroom, the dinner table
in the evening or a WhatsAppchat group.
You have this power every dayto encourage someone who is
doubting, who needs a helpinghand that you can extend

(14:04):
outwardly, for them to hold ontoand give them hope, to speak up
for what's right.
With compassion, you plant anidea that grows into something
bigger than you.
When Mohan helps the creatorfind their audience and when

(14:28):
Jesus lifted someone fromdespair to hope, the pattern was
the same Connection, service,courage and vision.
Let me give you a challenge, acall to action to stretch your
heart and your mind, and here itis this week.

(14:51):
Ask yourself this where can Iserve, connect and lead with
courage in my own circle?
Is it conversation that you'vebeen avoiding, an apology that
you may need to make?
Or maybe it's time to finallylaunch that passion project that

(15:12):
you've kept hidden, that younever started, that you never
felt you could do, but you can,because you do have the radical
courage to live your vision.
Write it down, speak it aloud,share it with someone you trust

(15:32):
and then take the first step.
Because when you choose toshatter your limits, it isn't
about waiting for a miracle or atitle, or waiting for
permission.
It's about realizing that yourlife, right now, right where you

(15:57):
are, is a story the world needsto hear.
You have a message because youare unique and you are authentic
, and your life is something youcan talk about from your
perspective and help others tounderstand what you've been

(16:17):
through.
That is a worldwide messagethat creates a connection
between us all, our individualstories about the struggles of
our life.
Whether you're searching foryour why at 3 am in the morning

(16:38):
I know I've woken up at 3 am inthe morning many times wondering
why this, why that or if you'rejust running a company,
changing diapers, just livingyour life on an everyday basis,
know that you too are avisionary.

(16:58):
You have a vision.
You have the seeds of greatnesswithin you.
All you have to do is to takethe first step to planting that
seed and watering it, and youwill be amazed at how that seed

(17:22):
can grow into something waybeyond your greatest imagination
.
If you nurture it, take care ofit and make sure that no one
gets to trample on it.
What do the CEO of YouTube andJesus have in common?

(17:42):
Well, Neal Mohan says the keyto success on his platform is
authenticity really wanting tohelp people and connecting at a
soul level sincerely with youraudience.

(18:02):
I think Jesus did that verysuccessfully.
Did he win everyone over?
No, he still hasn't, but Iwould suggest to you that he has
a lot more followers than mostpeople do 2,000 years later,
after he is no longer around.
Contemplate on that for amoment.

(18:25):
There must be something to thisword.
Authenticity.
Begin to live by it today andyou too will unlock its magic
and true meaning in your ownlife.
I sincerely appreciate youlistening to the podcast.

(18:57):
Please subscribe so you do notmiss any upcoming episodes.
What ever platform you are onplease leave a rating and review
I would greatly appreciate it.
Any additional information onme Linton Bergsen and my five
star reviewed book PurposefulVision is available at
selfrealized.
com, which is all one word.
You can also leave any commentsor suggestions on the website.
I look forward to connectingwith you very soon and take good
care of yourself.