Fragile Power Quotes

“She glanced over to him to acknowledge that he spoke but immediately reassumed her relational leadership.”
― Paul L. Hokemeyer, Fragile Power: Why Having Everything Is Never Enough; Lessons from Treating the Wealthy and Famous

“attempted to slow him down and get some collateral information. “Who’s your banker?” Ryan mentioned a name I’d never heard, but he attached it to a firm with which I had some connections. The firm only works with families that have an investable net worth of over $50 million and has a genuine interest in helping them navigate the destruction to family wealth and well-being caused by addictions and other mental health issues. I”
― Paul L. Hokemeyer, Fragile Power: Why Having Everything Is Never Enough; Lessons from Treating the Wealthy and Famous

“Yes, I had to work for everything. One time, when I was fifteen and had my period, he wouldn’t let me buy sanitary napkins. As a punishment for even asking, he made me iron all of the shirts in his closet—and there were, like, hundreds. I was outraged. I spit on the white ones and peed on the colored ones.” “Seems like you still are.” “Still are what?” I wanted to say “pissing,” but didn’t. “Angry,” I hastily added. She thought for a moment. “Yes, I guess I am.”
― Paul L. Hokemeyer, Fragile Power: Why Having Everything Is Never Enough; Lessons from Treating the Wealthy and Famous

“Brenda looked me up and down with a combination of contempt and curiosity. I could see she was too tired to fight much. “I certainly don’t need a doctor. This is insulting.” A desk clerk who was handsome enough to be an actor or model emerged from behind the mahogany reception to offer assistance. Brenda waved him off.”
― Paul L. Hokemeyer, Fragile Power: Why Having Everything Is Never Enough; Lessons from Treating the Wealthy and Famous

“Fair enough. But just so you know, I’ve heard a lot, and there’s not much that shocks me.” “Good, because this one’s a doozy.” He hesitated. “There’s really no elegant way to say this. So I’ll just spit it out.” He paused for what seemed like a minute. “Apparently my client has a thing for peeing on men.” Another pause. “She hires them from some sort of ‘service’ in Manhattan.” “Ah, water sports,” I replied, proud of my knowledge in these matters. “Excuse me?” “Urinating on another person for pleasure is known as water sports. The formal name is urolagnia. It’s not as uncommon as you’d think.” “Well, it’s pretty uncommon in my world,” he said.”
― Paul L. Hokemeyer, Fragile Power: Why Having Everything Is Never Enough; Lessons from Treating the Wealthy and Famous

“I’m afraid the whole matter is a bit embarrassing,” Richard said. “For you or the client?” I asked, trying to inject some humor into what was obviously an uncomfortable state of affairs. He responded with a chuckle, “Well, for us both, it seems.” I was relieved he had a sense of humor. A bit of levity goes far in dealing with the intensity of the work.”
― Paul L. Hokemeyer, Fragile Power: Why Having Everything Is Never Enough; Lessons from Treating the Wealthy and Famous

“For a little over two years, we negotiated and created. At the end of our engagement, was Mark a warm and fuzzy teddy bear who wore his heart on his sleeve? No. He was still guarded, quick to run back into the castle, and at times arrogant and defensive—only less so. It wasn’t Mark perfected, but for the health and well-being of Mark, Susan, and their relationship, it was a significant improvement.”
― Paul L. Hokemeyer, Fragile Power: Why Having Everything Is Never Enough; Lessons from Treating the Wealthy and Famous

“What did surprise me, though, was how—in spite of his outward bravado—Mark was incredibly insecure and dependent on Susan’s approval. Even though Mark had a tendency to speak with great swagger and forced gravitas, he would constantly look over to Susan to gauge her reaction to what he’d just said.”
― Paul L. Hokemeyer, Fragile Power: Why Having Everything Is Never Enough; Lessons from Treating the Wealthy and Famous

“Working at this elevated level of professional engagement entails managing lofty expectations and hypercritical judgments. The power dynamics involved with elite clientele are intense and draining, and the risk of being rejected by this group as an outsider, not worthy of entry into the inner sanctity of their power, is great. In spite of these challenges and potential obstacles, I’m drawn to the challenge of working with any population that is underserved and in desperate need of culturally competent and excellent clinical care. Doing so with success, however, demands I center myself in an artful calibration of confidence and humility.”
― Paul L. Hokemeyer, Fragile Power: Why Having Everything Is Never Enough; Lessons from Treating the Wealthy and Famous