Take Off Your Shoes

“Most hard-charging senior executives have thought of leaving their stressful jobs and bugging out to Bali. Ben Feder had the guts to do it. Even if we can’t follow in his footsteps, we all can benefit from his experience through the compelling story he tells in Take Off Your Shoes.” — Tom Glocer, Former CEO of Thomson Reuters and Founder of Angelic Partners

“Fiercely honest, Ben Feder takes off more than his shoes. He takes the bands off his plastic, expansive brain and lets us in on an intimate journey. At the end I felt a crazy thing: this is an exciting time to be a man. Could this book be more timely? I read it cover to cover on my iPhone!” — Geraldine Laybourne, Co-founder of Katapult; Founder, Oxygen Media; first President, Nickelodeon

“The magic of Ben Feder’s narrative is that we see our own lives unfold as we travel alongside him on his journey. His poignant inner monologue touches us and emboldens us to make braver choices. We are left richer for the voyage.”  —Eric Langshur, author of the New York Times bestseller Start Here

Top tech exec Ben Feder was hugely successful as CEO of Take Two Interactive, publisher of the monster-hit video games Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto. But his hard charging, high-performance business life was seriously impacting his personal and family health. That’s when he made the bold and potentially career-ending decision to take an eight-month family sabbatical in Bali.

Now, in TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES: From the Boardroom to Bali and Back (Radius Book Group; April 2018) Ben Feder asks and answers the question: Could he—could anyone—find a way to live a harmonious and balanced life and simultaneously achieve substantial success?

Illuminating and inspiring, TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES is Feder’s brutally honest and revealing journey of self-rediscovery, his heartfelt attempt to find personal fulfillment and rebuild family relationships before he loses them forever. Exploring brain plasticity and our ability to change our lives by changing our minds, Feder deepened his connections to his wife and children, lost 20 pounds, and moved his health stats from the red zone to normal levels. Now, could he return to New York City and live with greater compassion and gratitude, engaging in a richer life fiercely and wholeheartedly?

The family’s encounters transformed them, and his children became more mature, compassionate, and able to lead more fulfilling lives—even at their young ages. Sharing his experiences on changing a life of doing to one of being and meaning, Feder narrates how he:

• Interrupted the relentless recipe for suffering: striving leading to more striving;
• Moved his mindset from corporate takeover to spiritual makeover;
• Challenged preconceptions through Inquiry Practice (thoughts are not facts);
• Tackled life’s challenges in new ways that maintained relationships and opened new doors by learning to “see” differently through the practice of art and yoga;
• Became a better father, offering his children a broader worldview and freeing them from unnecessary stressors, so they could engage, play, and create;
• Gained a fresh perspective on corporate life that he applies daily;
• Leads now with intention, how it impacts conversations, alters a point of view, and more.

Ben Feder is President of International Partnerships for the U.S. at Tencent, the Chinese internet titan, and formerly was CEO of Take Two interactive, the publisher of the smash video game hits Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto, and NBA 2K. He serves on the boards of directors of public and private companies in the media and entertainment industries and is a director of Save a Child’s Heart, a nonprofit that works globally to rescue children with congenital heart defects. A Harvard Business School graduate, Feder lives in New York City with his wife, Victoria, and their four children.

Witty and wise, TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES provides insightful guidance for anyone facing change, seeking career-life balance, or weighing a next step in life.