Connect Change & Challenge

Have you ever taken a self-assessment and tried to trick the system? Rather than trying to be something you are not, today, we talk about embracing your true colors and empowering your team by inviting them to do the same. I'm joined by Darci Pesek, an Extension Educator and Real Colors facilitator in southeast Nebraska. Darci works with groups from high school age volunteers to hospital organizations to understand their natural colors and naturally approach situations. The Real Colors assessment is readily available, and I've taken it many times over the years. I saw that my top did a flip from blue where I naturally focused on emotions, how others feel and avoided conflict today, drawing in the gold and need for organization, planning, and order. Furthermore, I still have orange in green in me; I just don't pull on them first. Darci explains how you can embrace your lower colors in certain situations. We also dive into the need to have teammates that dominantly express each of the four colors. If you've found yourself in a situation where everyone is so focused on the list and what comes next that you could be missing time for relief and fun, burnout could be looming on the horizon. I challenge you to listen to our quick conversation and see if you feel that you have evolved to where you are with your current role. Secondly, analyze your team, or have a Real Colors facilitator help look and see your team's colors and how you can embrace those colors in times of action, feedback, and celebration. If you want to find more episodes or my free download to get you started on your brand journey with a business position evaluation, visit https://connectchangechallenge.com/evaluation. Also, inspired by the movie Trolls, "So don't be afraid to let them show. Your true colors. True colors are beautiful."

Why do we feel like we have to go on our journey alone when we could have the power of a community behind us? This week, I'm joined by Kiah Twisselman Burchett, a life coach and an empowerer of others.  What do being a life coach and working for the Kentucky Beef Council have in common? For Kiah, she learned from each role what she could take away to grow as an individual. From her time at the beef council, she gained the confidence to get on a national TV show to talk about her personal story because she spent time on live tv cooking beef in her former role.  We also talk about how your community can evolve, just as we do. Sometimes we see an opportunity right before us, but we are worried about making the pivot because it's not the life plan we had in mind. Kiah encourages us to get unique experiences and skills; it's about how we apply that to the next season. Our community can help us as we move forward. Kiah shares that we are scared to voice the dreams we have on your heart at times because we are overcome with imposter syndrome when you say it out loud. But, if we are open and honest with our people, the authenticity will lend your community to support you and connect you further with their resources.  I could've talked to Kiah for hours as she's inspiring, encouraging and real. Join us on June 10 at 1:30 Pacific/3:30 Central on Clubhouse for a live chat on building your community. We want to get your questions and learn from your experiences. https://www.clubhouse.com/join/being-your-best-self/BJ8uya46/xovRkXNy Don't forget to check out my free download to get you started on your brand journey with a business position evaluation. Find it here: https://connectchangechallenge.com/evaluation.

If you want a smooth-running business or organization, it's pivotal your managers are empowered to do their jobs, including empowering their teams. Employees who are empowered do their jobs, feel like they are part of the team and helping move your business forward. The opposite can be said for those who don't feel heard or appreciated. My guest, Cary Kish, is a coach and serial entrepreneur based outside of Calgary, Canada. He shares his insights from building and growing his businesses and coaching others in their business journeys. In this episode, Cary shares why he will always encourage leaders to invest in their teams. If you train up your team to grow in their careers and even leave your organizations, they will be more apt to talk highly to their friends or connections who could be future employees. We both discuss from our experience the necessity as a manager to create an environment that provides opportunities for team members to bring up ideas to their managers. In a virtual work environment, it's vital to set aside that time to help ensure open communication lines. Join Cary and me on Clubhouse to keep the conversation going on Thursday, May 20 at 10 a.m. CDT! You can find me at @StacyMayoez and share your experiences or throw out your questions. You can find out more about Cary and his coaching approach at http://carykish.com. Don't forget you can find my free Brand Position Evaluation 3-Step Guide at https://connectchangechallenge.com/evaluation

Often we look to our elected officials as being indebted to those that they represent. After all, if it weren't for the votes, they wouldn't be in the position. While that is true, it is hard to get someone you are yelling at and demanding work from to be interested in providing you service. If you take a step back and find a way to add value to the person you want to work with, you will be someone who wants to find common ground. You want to work with the elected official or their team, not demand they work for you. My guest this week, Luke Crumley, explains that if you do this before you start with an ask, you'll see more success. As a military veteran, then field director for a congressman and now as a lobbyist, Luke's experience has allowed him to see firsthand different approaches you can take to solve the problem. Outside of his day job, he's dedicated to empowering advocacy organizations to focus on relationships, find common ground and tell their story to get them across the finish line when working with elected officials. Without sharing how the change or idea you are lobbying for will affect you as an individual or those in the elected officials' district, the ask seems much steeper. While we focus on advocacy with Luke's experience, the same approach fits in sales. How do you be the person that someone does want to help based on how you make them feel? Find more information from Luke at https://partofthepossible.com/ and on social media. He will also be joining me in the future on Clubhouse to talk about finding common ground and how it benefits both parties. To join the conversation on Clubhouse, follow me at @StacyMayonez. If your company or organization is poised for growth but unsure where to start, check out my free brand position evaluation to see where you are today before you launch into planning for the future. Find it at https://connectchangechallenge.com/evaluation.

There is strength in understanding how others naturally approach problems, opportunities and day-to-day work. My guest Erich Kurschat joins me to talk about the power of being self-aware and vulnerable in the workplace and how we can use the DiSC assessment to engage better and empower our teams. Erich talks about his journey with DiSC and the key ah-has he sees with his clients. He says a key to maximizing your assessment is to be intentional with how you focus on understanding yourself and the natural tendencies of others. We have our natural preferences and communication styles, and therefore we assume others align with us, and many times that is not the case. Erich describes how come into those interactions with an open mind allows you to be more effective. The DiSC is one of the assessments I continue to come back to when I work with a new client or teammate to find common ground on approaching tactics, planning and overall communication. If you want to find out more about DiSC assessments, other HR insights or connect with an insight introvert, you can find Erich on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/erichkurschat/, or through his company, Harmony Insights https://harmonyinsights.com/. You can also learn more through his weekly series DiSCourse on his website. Great way to intentionally learn more. Don't forget to connect with me on Clubhouse to join in the follow-up discussion with my guests and other experts on the topics highlighted each week. You'll find me at @StacyMayonez. Exciting new offerings are coming down the pike, including a FREE Brand Positioning Evaluation; you can find it online at https://connectchangechallenge.com/evaluation. To stay up-to-date on all things, signup for my new newsletter to stay in the know at https://connectchangechallenge.com/newsletter.

What happens if we focus on our strengths and the things we are good at instead of honing in on where we struggle? Don Clifton asked this question and developed what is now CliftonStrengths. My guest Whitney Kinne, Strengths and Career Coach, dives into how our strengths can be our superpower in our professional and personal lives. Whitney describes that strengths help start to define what those themes mean to us as individuals. Working with a coach can help go through this process in a workshop can be helpful to gain more understanding of your strengths and what role they play. She starts with brainstorming examples of when you have seen their signature themes show up in their lives. Many of Whitney's clients have also seen the value in strengths play a role in career changes. They determine they need to redefine and find their purpose and work toward understanding their strengths as a launching point. So, whether your strength is WOO (winning others over), authenticity or harmony, you can embrace your superpower, intentionally put it to use and grow as your best self. To connect with Whitney, you can find her on LinkedIn or check out her website at https://www.whitneykinne.com/. She will help you lean into your strengths. Don't forget to connect with me on Clubhouse to join in the follow-up discussion with my guests and other experts on the topics highlighted each week. You'll find me at @StacyMayonez. Exciting new offerings are coming down the pike; signup for my new newsletter to stay in the know at https://connectchangechallenge.com/newsletter.

How many of us have taken a personality, behavior or workstyle assessment and crossed our fingers it would finally tell us something different than all the other tests? Well, my hand is up, and I share that in common with this week's guest Dr. Sasha Shillcut. Sasha is the Vice Chair of Strategy and Innovation, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center; Founder, Brave Enough, a community to empower women. Sasha is a trained Enneagram facilitator and uses it to help empower the women she coaches to know themselves better and empower them to find what motivates others they interact with personally and professionally. We discuss the lightbulb moment Sasha had with Enneagram about embracing her core motivation to control their own life. But, it can be confused with others thinking it means she wants to control everything. Funny enough, Sasha and I are both Enneagram 8s and share this motivation. She discusses how difficult it is as a woman to embrace having a strong personality paired with a passion for challenging the status quo. Listen in as we dive into what you can take away from knowing your Enneagram. If you want to connect with Sasha and her amazing Be Brave Enough community, you can find her newsletter, upcoming course and lots of great insights at https://www.becomebraveenough.com/. I'm starting to host regular rooms on Clubhouse and would love for you to join me and share your insights on topics we highlight on the podcast. Follow me to get notifications when we schedule our next room. https://www.joinclubhouse.com/@stacymayonez You can also sign up for my newsletter that will launch in May. It will include short motivations, insights from upcoming and previous guests, and your opportunity to give input on future episodes! Sign up here: http://connectchangechallenge.com/newsletter

As a small business owner, you need to be hungry and creative when you get thrown wrenches. The Redhead Creamery's owners, Alise & Lucas Sjostrom, were faced with the need to move cheese when restaurants and markets shut down with the 2020 pandemic. After some quick, creative thinking, they decided they could deliver cheese to their customers vs. expecting them to come to them. Bringing back the idea of the milkman, but instead with cheese. There is no downside to artisanal cheese delivered to your door! Many of us never honestly know what we want to be when we grow up. The exact opposite is true for Alise. She knew she wanted to be part of her family's dairy, but not by milking cows with her parents. At the age of 16, she came home from a youth dairy event and shared with her parents she wanted to start a farmstead creamery. That announcement put the wheels into motion to form the Redhead Creamery. It's a unique creamery as they pump the milk directly from the dairy to create the cheese on-site. In regular times, it offers customers the opportunity to eat cheese, enjoy the beautiful countryside, and tour the dairy. We dive into Alise's passion for lifelong learning by specializing in her education, connecting with fellow creameries, and building a network of other small food and beverage businesses in the area. When they bring customers to the dairy, they want them to have a list of places and companies to visit in the area. While Alise and Lucas lead the creamery and drive the cheese van, their team is essential for their ability to harness the hunger needed to move their business forward! You need your people to be agile and adaptable. We dive into the need for these attributes at the creamery and in any team. I can't wait for you to hear all Alise and Lucas have to share. You can find out more about them and order their delicious cheese from https://www.redheadcreamery.com/. You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram @redheadcreamery.

When a farmer walks into a bar... Sounds like the start of a corny joke, but what if that farmer owns a distillery and the bar is his tasting room? We head to the historic Boot Hill in Dodge City, Kansas to talk to the owner Hayes Kelman. While starting and owning a soil to sip distillery is a lot of work, it's not all Hayes does. He also farms with his family corn, wheat, sorghum and soybeans. Tune into this episode to hear how Hayes has diversified his grain markets with the distillery. Additionally, we dive into key lessons learned on navigating changing times, markets and the incredible importance of having a team that is adaptable along for the ride. When the business leader isn't the only one working to innovate, big things can happen. You can find the delicious spirits and readymade cocktails from Boot Hill Distillery at http://boothilldistillery.com/ and Facebook & Instagram just search for Boot Hill Distillery.

We head south to Mississippi to visit with John Mark Looney, a farmer, and Crop to Pop popcorn owner. John Mark and I have known each other for more than a decade, and it was great to catch up with him on key lessons he's learned as he created value to the crops he grows and shifted from selling a commodity to a packaged good. He discusses what it takes to make a value-added product and lessons I believe are helpful to any business owner. John Mark discusses the value of putting your product on the market and gaining honest feedback from those consumers outside of our immediate circle. I mean, our mom has to like it! He also learned that while he didn't set out to be the face of his business, customers want to know the story behind the product. So here he is, the farmer face of Crop to Pop. You can find his awesome popcorn at many retail stores across the region and options for anyone to buy John Mark's popcorn and have it shipped to your house via online retailers. Check out his website at https://www.sixmilefarmsllc.com. You can also find John Mark on Facebook and Instagram at @SixMileFarmsLLC.

Join us for part 2 of the focus on connecting with your customers. This is a continuation of Episode 22. The conversation continues with Rick McNary, creator of Shop Kansas Farms, and Jacquelyne Leffler, a beef producer with Leffler Prime Performance.  We talk about the benefits of going the extra mile and sending merry mail. Hear what the response was for Jacquelyne as she dropped off Christmas cards at her local post office.  Rick also reminds us that in this case, "farmers and ranchers aren't selling a quarter of beef or a lamb. You're selling an experience. You're selling four generations, five generations of life on the farm. And to me, that's one of the most powerful selling components that farmers and ranchers have is who they are." Find the first half of the conversation in Episode 22! For more episodes and discussion, visit: https://connectchangechallenge.com/

No matter what business you are in, you aren't in business if you don't have customers. In this episode, we look at the food and farming industry as our base for discussing the importance of customer service and explaining your product using your customer's words and phrasing to make the connection. The messages ring true across any industry. My two guests, Rick McNary from Shop Kansas Farms and Jacquelyne Leffler from Leffler Prime Performance, talk about their unique experiences in the agriculture and food industry in 2020. Rick started the Shop Kansas Food Facebook group and a website at ShopKansasFarms.com to connect those who wanted to buy food with those that had food to sell. Rick created a local food movement that now has more than 146,000 people involved. Jacquelyne was one of those ranchers who had beef to sell. She built her business by focusing on customer service, listening to what questions the customers had, adapting her message delivery to incorporate their terminology, and has already seen tremendous business growth. She doesn't want to "out throw her coverage," but she's not done evolving her business. Rick witnessed that while the ag industry has long wanted to educate the customer on where their food came from, the change was made when an economic driver had customers first buying their the food directly from farmers and ranchers, and then customers wanted to learn as part of their purchase. We couldn't cut off this conversation with the great insights from Rick & Jacquelyne, so there is more coming on a bonus episode! Subscribe today to make sure you don't miss it.   

If you have feelings of losing security, inadequacy and overall anxiety, they can hold you back and keep you in a setting where you are living to work. My guest for episode 21, Steph Coombes, takes us through tips for transitioning into a life where we can work to live. Steph is a creative entrepreneur and agriculture advocate. Steph joined me from Australia, where we swapped stories of being millennials in today's western society. She shares how her nana and great grandmother's experiences afforded her parents and now her the opportunity to find her passion in life. She is fortunate not to have survival as her primary focus in life. She talks about being an introvert and how early in life, her fear of being noticed hurt her success. In her college years, she had the lightbulb moment where she realized her professors, or lecturers in Australia, are simply people who put their pants on one leg at a time and drink coffee just like the rest of us. Turning her fear into an opportunity to learn from experts has given her the ability to make connections and build her gypsy career. In 2020, Steph made the difficult decision to leave a toxic work environment that provided her more money, more perks and a great living wage for a year of finding her passion and living a healthier life mentally and physically. She leaped. Steph and I had such a great conversation that I couldn't fit it all into one episode, so subscribe to find out more about Steph and her adventures. You can follow her podcast, Central Stations- Stories from the Outback, https://www.centralstation.net.au, or her photography at https://stephaniecoombes.com/.

Has anyone ever described you, or someone you manage, as too ________ fill in the blank? Well, I have heard: I'm too loud, too much and I think too big. So has my guest, Jenn Villalobos. In episode 20 of Connect Change & Challenge, Jenn dives into the power as a mentor of taking those who are too much/loud/aggressive, work with them individually to help them bloom and find those diamonds in the rough. Jenn has always had a passion for solving problems and technology. Because of her interests and her drive, she's worked in roles focused on the digital and tech space with some very impressive companies, including Google in Singapore, then creating opportunities for digital startups also in Singapore. She then moved to Thailand, where she is currently working with Prudential Life Assurance Public Company as she is evolving their digital transformation. Jenn is also an angel investor, mentor and advisor working with startups. We jump into the difference between coaching and managing. Many managers don't get formal training on how to be in a management role, and they treat the position as an HR duty vs. an opportunity to coach their team and see others grow. Jenn says, "Coaching and managing are very different things. Coaching requires a lot of self-awareness and a very clear understanding of what value you will bring. Because you may not be able to have all the answers that they are asking for, but you need to be willing to be true to yourself and be open and transparent. This approach helps the person you are coaching also feel they have an opportunity to grow." Jenn talks about the hard decisions you have to make as a manager and important aspects of how you communicate with your team during transition times. As someone who still works on sometimes being too excited, I hope you can uncover ways to mentor others who have the potential. They need a slightly different coaching experience. Because moving someone in the management team's eyes from too excited to excited and productive is an essential step for many in their career.

Cara Harbstreet, Street Smart Nutrition, joins me for episode 19 of Connect Change & Challenge. We dive into the uncomfortable zone and talk about how important it is to take a step back and evaluate how we approach situations and hurdles. This approach is essential for us to consider in our personal and professional lives. Cara is a registered dietitian who focuses on intuitive eating and helping her clients have health at every size. She discusses her path to realizing that her personal biases and privileges afforded her different experiences than some of her clients. We also dive into how this realization also played into Cara's focus of race and how she could improve her understanding to serve her professional purpose. When it comes time to take on challenges we discuss the importance of accountability partners and keeping your values at the forefront of your personal and professional growth. Listen to the full episode to gain insights from Cara's experience, and remember to give yourself the grace to grow and evolve.

We live in a world that often focuses on where you are today and the next step in your career. Our lives have become so focused on our jobs that it's many times how we start the conversation in social settings, "so what do you do?" Why is our answer to this question our career or our job title? Can we instead ask, "How do you spend your days?" My guest for episode 18 and I dive into this and so much more. Dr. Nancy Yen Shipley is a podcast host, speaker, motivator, advocate for women and a board-certified orthopedic surgeon based in Portland, Oregon. Highlights of this episode include Nancy found herself in the 6% of orthopedic surgeons who are women and working to empower other women in male-dominated industries. Additionally, we discuss the need for "he for she allies". Men who support the need to have more women in the room. We transition into a discussion on how we balance being feminine and confident. For more podcasts and insight articles, check out https://connectchangechallenge.com/. To find Nancy's podcast exploring women's outlook in a male-dominated industry, The 6% with Nancy MD, visit https://www.nancymd.com/podcast/.

Goals, we've all set them, and we've all broken them. But if we don't have goals, it's hard to have a defined endpoint. If we face a boulder, we set a goal and plan how to conquer it. We dive into this and more with today's guest, Rhianna Campbell. After selling a multimillion-dollar real estate business she built herself, Rhianna is now a real estate coach. She has big, hairy audacious goals for herself and her career. Rhianna has found herself many times, clearing the next hurdle and continuing to strive to see her success. To find out more about Rhianna, visit https://properplanning.realestate/. Find out more helpful insights into personal-professional development at https://connectchangechallenge.com/

When we think about prosperous individuals, we may use these words to describe them: strong-willed, problem solver and determined. But my guest for this episode, Naomi Blohm, helps us uncover three new phrases we should consider as guiding principles: trust, authenticity and vulnerability.  Here are questions that came up in the discussion and I believe professionals should consider: Are you truly listening to your customer's needs? Or are you assuming what your customers need before they ask? How are you enabling them to make a more informed decision? Are we looking to educate individuals or engage them? One is a more effective long-term approach to learning. Do you show others you know everything but forget to show them you are willing to learn? Are you vulnerable to others? If not your customers, to your inner circle? If not, are they the right people you should be surrounding yourself with in your personal and professional life? Naomi Blohm, from Total Farm Marketing, is my guest for this episode and is someone who is continually pushing me out of my comfort zone and has built her career on living her truth and building trust.  For more discussion and to hear more episodes, visit http://www.connectchangechallenge.com/ Also, don't forget to leave me a review and a rating if you liked today's episode. 

There are days where we can't wait for the day to end and others that you need that extra 25th hour to get everything done on your list. Many of us have struggled with managing personal and professional commitments. How do you fit it all in, and what is driving what times up your time? We dive into these questions and more in Episode 15, where my guest Anna Dearmon Kornick shares her personal experience and tips she uses working with her clients.  If you want to hear more from Anna, you can listen to her podcast; It's About Time: https://annadkornick.com/blog/51. If you have ideas for future topics you'd like to tackle, please email me at info@connectchangechallenge.com you can also find more podcasts and discussion topics at connectchangechallenge.com.  

I'm joined for episode 14 by Danny Ghitis, a life coach how focuses on helping others with burnout. Danny knows firsthand what it's like to experience burnout, but he also has seen the power of recognizing the issue and now helps others through their burnout trials. We discuss that naturally, we are social creatures, and the changes in 2020 have given us all a shift in our personal and professional interactions. We have shifted to a stationary workday in front of the computer with little in-person communication with others. If you have children schooling from home, you interact with your coworkers while also balancing your kids' interactions with online school. Many changes in how we socialize and interact can all lead to a tunnel headed to burnout. Find out how the Tazmanian Devil from the beloved Looney Tunes has to do with our natural inclination to strive for control. Danny recommends that when we are trying the hardest to grasp for control, we may need to let go of control and seek outside help. Don't worry; this episode will not leave you feeling overwhelmed and burned out. Instead, you'll leave with challenges to take on burnout and find ways to find your new normal amongst all the changes of 2020. Find more from Danny at https://www.fullframecoaching.com/ Find more articles and podcasts from Stacy at: http://www.connectchangechallenge.com/

Earlier this spring, we saw a resurgence of supporting small and local businesses as our communities suffered from the impact of COVID-19. There are many ways you can help those in your community that support your sports teams, your fundraisers for a family suffering and your local festivals. Let's not let this movement die. I challenge you to take on these five steps and see how you can support those that support you. Also, just because a small business is not in your community, that doesn't mean you can't support them. They are supporting their local community and still need your love! 1. Like their social media channels 2. Post a review 3. Share them with your friends 4. Word of mouth 5. Shop, download, listen and do business with them. Find the full notes and more insights at http://connectchangechallenge.com/insights/shopsmall

It's only fitting that for my podcast episode on lifelong learning I'm joined by my first manager, who instilled in me the importance of growing, evolving and absorbing new information. Rhonda Brooks is a true student of life, and I appreciate that some of that wore off on me. In this episode, we discuss the importance of building safety nets for those we manage so they can learn in an environment that fosters growth. If you are pushing your boundaries and trying new things, the last thing you want to face is believing that if you mess up, or don't get it right the first time, you have people to answer to. 1:02 From safety nets, we evolved into discussing mentorship. If you want to be a mentor to help enable others to learn and grow, how do you get started? Rhonda stressed the importance of being self-aware and knowing what you are good at. Mentor others in those areas that are your strengths. We also discuss the importance of understanding when you may get asked to mentor someone in something that is not your strength. An example could be someone in your network who needs help starting a new business. If you've never started a business, you could let them know that you can help them refine their mission statement and values, but your personal experience isn't going to fill the whole gap. That being said, you don't want to leave them hanging, so if it's someone you trust, bring them into your network and connect them with someone who has built a business and would be willing to help. Know the boundaries of what you are good at and do the best work there until you stretch yourself over time. 15:03 Through Rhonda's tenure, she stressed she has had lots of different types of bosses, but she was fortunate to know they all had her best interest at heart. She felt she had always been in an environment where she could stretch her wings and her skills, but knows she had the safety net to learn in a controlled environment. She also recognizes how unique that is, and if you don't feel that you are set up for success, then it might be time to pull out your resume and find a new opportunity. Life is too short to be stuck long term in a position that does not allow you to achieve your purpose and help the organization while doing it. 21:05 Our challenge for listeners ties into being thankful in November. Listen in to see what we suggest is the first step to continuing your learning journey. 25:40 For more information on the great work Rhonda and her team does, you can check out agweb.com. Want to find out more or check out Stacy's free Personal Brand Evaluation? Visit http://connectchangechallenge.com/brand

The year 2020 has shown me lots of things about myself, my habits, my needs. One aspect of understanding both my habits and needs is also taking a look at my inner circle that I go to for advice. Those people that I go to when I'm working through professional changes and hurdles. If you look at your circle, or some call the group their tribe, did those mentors and guides get into that place of importance recently or decades ago? Do they know they are one of your go-to people? I launched a new series with Connect Change & Challenge podcast called Quick Chats, where we dive into topics brought up in previous guest episodes or just hot issues. The first topic is one I hold close to my vest, talking about your inner circle. So, are you intentionally choosing your inner circle? When you look at the people that are around you, are those people helping you? Are they pushing you? Are they building a safety net for you? What purpose do they have in your life? And this stems from a conversation about intentionality that we talked about in Episode 7, with Dena Bunnel. Dena is now just getting settled in and in Nigeria, in her role with Nuru International. Dena is a great example of how you can build a career, networks, connections. She focuses on growing herself, pushing herself out of her comfort zone while helping others achieve a life of self-sufficiency. She has done this very intentionally and we dive into this discussion in that episode. Here is the link to that bigger discussion on intentionality. https://stacymayomartinez.com/episodes/beintentional For the Quick Chat, I talk specifically about being intentional with your inner circle or go-to peeps. Here are the highlights for questions to consider: Do those in your inner circle know they are part of this group for you? Who are the people in your circle? Are their experiences different from you? Do they ask you hard questions or just agree with you and your concerns? When you go to your guides, do they know what you need from them? An ear, advice? Do you define your expectations for your conversation? If you see an experience is missing from your circle, how do you look to grow? Where do you go find new connections, how do you make that bridge to listen first before you connect to new people? When you ask a connection to help connect with you to another professional, what are the rules of making new connections to care for it appropriately? These exercises are something I have found helpful as I grow and evolve once again in my career. I hope you can find them useful in your personal-professional growth. Please share your feedback on how you grow your circle intentionally; I'd love to learn from your experiences! Also, if you have thoughts on the quick chats, please share. They are only worth it if they are helpful to others! Looking for a way to learn more about yourself? Check out my FREE Personal Brand Evaluation course: https://stacymayomartinez.com/brand

Our culture focuses on the hustle. Do more, work harder, grow your business or career. When you are an achiever or have a goal-driven personality, it's essential to make sure you are not pushing too hard to grow that you are no longer true to yourself. We finish season 1 by looping back to the importance of your personal brand but focusing on being true to yourself in our hustle culture. I'm joined in episode 12 by Chelsea Northrup. Chelsea and her husband are publishers, photographers and YouTubers. My husband Ray and I have followed their channel, Tony & Chelsea Northrup, and their journey for seven years, and I am excited to have her join me for the show. CONNECT When you are entering an industry — or maybe you've been in the industry for years — and you are the only one that looks like you, it can be intimidating. Chelsea and I both discuss having careers in male-dominated fields, and how intimidating it can be to pull up a seat at the table and show that you are worthy of the invite to the discussion.  It can feel like a lot of pressure when you are invited and are the only woman, person of color, or maybe someone with a unique background, education, sexual orientation or gender preference. But just remember, you got the same invite others did, so be confident in your involvement. It's also important to remember when you are the only one representing a group of people that your being there will help those in the room and the event/meeting host to recognize the value you brought. Maybe they will be more open to inviting more people like you to the next discussion. All that being said, be confident in your skills and blaze trails for others. Chelsea shares, “I had to learn how to respect my own skill set and my value in my space. It's still challenging to hold your space in a place where you don't always feel welcome and reassure yourself. I belong here. I have value here, and I need to be myself here. This is something that I work on all the time.” CHANGE While Chelsea and her husband Tony work together and are both photographers and publishers, they both approach the business with their own individual skillsets. This is key to remembering that you may see others in your line of work doing X to approach a problem, but that doesn't mean that you have to go that route. “I think that it's really about respecting balance. I named our series Art & Science of Photography, and that is us. I'm the art and he's the science, and we need those two things to work,” Chelsea shares. Because no two people — whether they are photographers, podcasters, marketers or salespeople — go about the same process with the same approach and intention, it's critical for us to remember it takes all types. There is no one right way. As we change and become honest with ourselves and our processes, we are more self-assured in what we feel is the right way to get the job done. But that's not the only way. That's why we sometimes have to check ourselves to see if we are pushing our bias, our confidence, on others as the right way, and proclaiming theirs to be the wrong way.  “I think that seeing the value of other people is a skill. I see it all the time in the photography world where people value the skill that they have. If they are a very technical photographer, they think that is the only part of photography that matters. If you're a very artistic photographer, that's the only thing that matters, the art. The same thing happens on any team in business.” As you grow, change and evolve, that means your personal brand and your approach to work and business will also transform. This is when it's important to do a gut check and see that you are still staying true to yourself. It could be that your current role has evolved and you no longer enjoy the work you are doing or the responsibilities you've taken on. Maybe it's the opposite and you are realizing that you could do your job in your sleep, but it's not challenging you the way you need to be pushed. Check out my personal brand evaluation guide. You can download it for free to see if you are still the person you think you are, or determine if maybe it's time to be true to yourself and move into the next phase. CHALLENGE Like many of the other episodes in season 1, the week's challenges are focused on personal evaluation in the near term of two weeks to 30 days. Identify two hurdles you have encountered that you feel held you back from putting yourself out there. Write them down. Now, if those hurdles come up again, how do you get past them? Think ahead for a plan and approach to not let them slow you down the next time they arise. Find two opportunities for your business to work with customers or collaborators that will enhance your brand, but still stay true. Write down those audiences that still fit within your business strategy and look for ways outside of your current approach to reach new customers. If you found this discussion and topic helpful, check out my free personal brand evaluation guide to help you form, establish or rehab your personal brand to help and not hinder your professional development. Visit connectchangechallenge.com/brand.

For episode 11 I'm joined by Elizabeth Burns-Thompson who does more than talks the talk about getting engaged, she gets her name on the ballot. Tune in to find out how we can all take small steps to be engaged. Find more synopsis, key time codes and the transcript at https://linktr.ee/Connectchangechallenge

There is a time, in all of our lives, when we are on a team that just gels. It could be your senior football team, college marketing competition team or maybe your first job out of school. When you look back at the time you were on that team, and you think about why you were able to accomplish big things there are a few common denominators across successful teams. If you break it down, more times than not, it is because you had clear leadership; everyone knew the goal and there were clear expectations for each member of the team. Now, think about a team you are currently on. The team could be a volunteer board or your daily work team. Are you working at your full capacity? I don't mean stretching yourself so thin that you get sick. But is the team, as a whole and each individual, performing to the best of their ability to ensure the team succeeds? Unfortunately, it seems more times than not, one of the elements of the group is broken, something's missing. Don't get me wrong, you may be working with high-achieving Enneagram 3s who are meeting or exceeding goals, but there is room for improvement. And working towards those improvements can mean less stress and a happier workplace for everyone. My guest for episode 10 is a leader that helps guide his team to that productive place — I know because I was on one of his teams. Tim Lindstedt has experienced a variety of environments working across the marketing agency spectrum, and he's always been passionate about helping others succeed and achieving goals. CONNECT This episode evolved from a chat Tim and I had this past February at an industry conference. We were fortunate to be part of a high-functioning team that created top-notch work and exceeded client expectations. After that discussion, it got us both thinking about our experiences, and how the expectations of team members and leadership create a cohesive, high-output work environment. 4:30 An essential aspect of bringing your team together is celebrating yourselves as individuals and maintaining a life outside of work too. Tim shared, “What made our team so strong is that all of us were undeniably human as a team. We celebrated and recognized those human moments. We worked together.” This was key to our team's success, and we celebrated everything from weddings to baby showers. We competed in the Halloween costume competition many times dressed in a team theme, one time even during a client meeting. I have photos to prove the fun. 5:28 Tune in to understand what Tim means when he says, “I truly believe one of our great leaders and mentors when they said, ‘Do something that you have never done. Do something that makes you uncomfortable'.” 11:40 CHANGE Leave it to Tim to bring a quote from the Marvel character Spider Man into a conversation about teamwork. “With great power comes great responsibility.” –Spider Man 17:11 For this team Tim and I describe, I was what I'd say a junior/mid-level member. But I was one of the original members, so I was there from inception. The team we built together worked because every time someone was hired, we didn't search for someone who was the mirror image of our leaders. We evaluated what skill set and personality was missing on the team and hired to fill the void. Many times, as leaders, we find someone who is like us ten years ago and think that's a perfect idea. But do you need two of you? No. You need someone who will push you, think differently and bring new ideas to the team? 19:41 During times of change and uncertainty, like many of us are experiencing right now, there must be open communication between leadership and the entire team. Unknowns and lack of communication get filled with each person's ideas and, many times, doubts. It's ok if leadership does not have all the answers, but it's not ok if there is no communication. That communication can be as simple as, “We don't know exactly what the future looks like, but we want you to be part of it.” Ask your team, how they feel about what's going on, and what questions and concerns they have. 21:29 CHALLENGE The show closes out with two challenges for listeners to consider. Evaluate your team. Do you have clear goals and expectations laid out? Does everyone on the team understand the overall plan and where they fit? If you are not the leader, do you have this for yourself on your team? If not, can you ask your leadership to lay this out for you and others, to ensure you are meeting expectations? Are you creating opportunities for your team to be in sync? Do you know each other outside of work? How can you build a sense of community? Is your team's work environment and day structured to help build community?   This episode is another jam-packed 40 minutes of discovery. If you are currently a part of a team — any team, and/or serve in a leadership role, I hope you'll listen or watch this episode. Take it all in, there's insight for every team to take away. Visit http://connectchangechallenge.com/ for more episodes and discussion. Full transcripts also available.

We've learned so many lessons from 2020: the importance of your health, the joy of being able to hug your family and loved ones and how to login to zoom. But we are not the only ones going through changes in 2020—this pandemic has shown the value of organizations and leadership agile enough to pivot. Our current situation has helped us to realize that there is no time to work without direction and a clear goal, which allow you to take a step back and make the quick, sound decisions needed to pivot. My guest for episode 9 of Connect Change & Challenge emulates these traits. Walter Kinzie is the CEO of Encore Live, based in Fort Worth, Texas. Walter's company had previously focused solely on in-person events from headlining tours for the country's top acts to inaugural balls and concerts at South by Southwest. Unfortunately, Walter's business model didn't leave room for a global pandemic that continues to threaten in-person opportunity and disposable income.   To understand who Walter is today, we have to look back to his beginnings. Walter grew up in a small town in southeast Kansas, and had a rough hand dealt to him that landed him in the hospital most of his only college year. After an auto kidney transplant, he decided to humble himself to starting at the bottom and working to earn his stripes vs. staying in college and needing to declare bankruptcy to move forward. In our conversation, Walter humbly shares what it means to enjoy years of mustard sandwiches and drive a vehicle that needs to be parked blocks away from a meeting to not distract from the professional networking. After paying off his debt, he started a fantastic company with the $500 he had left. 13:41 CONNECT While Walter worked his full-time job, he dedicated his two weeks' vacation to making connections and building his part-time work. That meant putting himself in the right place at the right times. He knew he wanted to work in the entertainment industry, so he spent his time where artists and managers were. He made connections and built trust which led to more opportunity. In time, Walter found himself the go-to person for hosting $25 million birthday parties, and he became a party planner for billionaires around the country. 9:07 “When you look at all the connections, you can make when you are trying to tackle an industry as daunting as the entertainment industry,” Walter shares, reflecting on advice he heard in a commencement speech. “You are going to eat three meals a day, so you might as well save room for dessert,” an advisement he confesses to taking very seriously these days, “and secondly, surround yourself with the five people you most want to be like.” 13:41 Walter says that this is different than your tribe of everyday supporters and encouragers, and goes on to explain that your five people should be those who are on the path you aspire to be—those who are already accomplishing what you want to accomplish. Your tribe will keep you grounded, and your “five” will keep you motivated and inspired. And both groups will change as you grow personally and professionally. 21:09 CHANGE Walter's company, Encore Live, will be celebrating 10 years in the business had planned to celebrate $40 million in place—their best year to date. That all changed on March 7, 2020. Walter said the realization first hit him on a jet bridge headed to the Daytona Speedway for events they were managing. The four days following wiped out their whole business. “We can lick our chops or we can lick our wounds,” Walter shared with his team.  23:34 A team he developed based on advice he took from the campaign of former President G.W. Bush. Not one to focus on the negative, Walter focused on the importance of having a team of smart, innovative, hard-working leaders who could organization to work through the hurdles, and shared how he refocused to pivot for success. There's no room for egos on his team. 26:49 Walter and his team got busy assessing the company's business portfolio and chose to “lick their chops” at the opportunities. 27:43 The pivot allowed Encore Live and Walter's team to step back and realign with the programs that were most successful while cutting the roster of “because we've always done it” programming from their line-up. In my opinion, this is something that every individual and leadership team needs to do in 2020. There is no room for flub that takes your team's time and brainpower…if you remove those hurdles, think about the opportunities that will show themselves! Encore Nights became the central opportunity Walter and his team needed. The team created a first-of-its-kind series of drive-in concerts that, to-date- has graced more than 360 drive-in theatres across the U.S. The entertainment line-up boasted some of the biggest names in the music industry, and the drive-in venue has created a COVID-19-safe environment. And talk about opportunity, the series has also blown attendance records out of the water, hosting more than 10X the 120,000 person capacity of the largest stadium venue in the world. 30:18 A genuine leader, Walter is the first to admit that his success has a lot to do with the people he surrounds himself with, and understands the value “big thinkers'” guidance can offer both personally and professionally. He shares his views on big egos, collaborative thinking and executing major ideas. 34:07 CHALLENGE After my conversation with Walter, I can tell you my energy level was through the roof, and I was ready to conquer mountains. We did come up with two challenges from this episode, as I try and do each week. 37:31 Without looking back, what can you, as an individual or an organization, do that will drive success? Ask yourself or your team to think about what things look like moving forward. The world will likely never see the “normal” of February 2020 again. So capitalize on it. Don't think about what you HAVE been doing. Think about what you COULD be doing.   Are you carrying around dead-weight because of things you've “always done”? 2. Identify two things you have learned about yourself since March 2020, and (if you work on a team) two things you have learned about your organization and team. These are personal and professional challenges. The more the merrier—and more collaborative and forward-thinking your team can become. …some may say that “unprecedented” is the word of 2020—make yours “pivot”! This episode was a jam-packed 45 minutes of reflection, growth and innovation. Believe me, you'll want to listen and pass along the wisdom of the insights Walter provides! I'm all about big-picture thinking, and want to build a community that shares the aspiration to Connect. Change. Challenge.

When you meet my guest for episode 8, he immediately draws you to him. He has spent the majority of his career as a college professor, but he taught so much more than what was on his students' syllabus. Actually, he didn't just teach, he created environments and opportunities that helped everyone become a student that wanted to learn. We all had those teachers that taught you, made you memorize the financial formulas or repeat back the parts of the body, but you were lucky if you got a teacher that enabled you to dig deeper and ask questions. They push you to immerse yourself in learning. If you experience this, you walk away being confident in your understanding and possibly mastery of the topic or task, but even more, you learn “soft skills” and life skills along the way. Dr. Fadi Aramouni is the epitome of an enabling teacher. You can talk to any of his students over his 30+ years as a college professor and they will agree. But furthermore, he also had the opportunity to work with small and large businesses across the industry to also help them to immerse themselves and grow as problem-solving innovators. With a focus in food science Dr. Fadi knows the importance of providing an environment to learn, without providing all the answers. In this episode, we dive into how to foster others' ability to learn and so much more. Dr. Fadi had spent the majority of his career at Kansas State University in the Food Science Department and has recently taken a new position to tackle more challenges. CONNECT I remember being about six years into my career and thinking I'd like to train to become a manager. I find that it's rare for medium to small businesses, and sometimes even large businesses, to train their employees to move into management positions. Instead, it seems you change jobs and start managing to get promoted. If you are in a similar position, maybe now is a good time to help create an environment for interns or maybe students still in school. How can you help them learn and make connections, but build a safety net so it's not so intimidating? 7:08 Dr. Fadi shared specific advice from his experience on how to build a culture of learning and growing for others. He mentioned that he worked with many female students that were some of his top students, but they weren't comfortable enough in their knowledge. So he helped. He reminded them that nobody was born knowing everything. Second, he created that safety net. If they failed, together they would look for the reason why they failed and he would be the fall guy, so there was less risk. 8:14 CHANGE When you are a driven individual who wants to grow, that means change is inevitable. If your goal is to get a promotion with your current company or get hired for a role with a new company, that means change. What are you doing today to prepare yourself for that change? Are you surrounding yourself with individuals who will help you grow, but also that you can help in return? If you are looking for a position in management, but have yet to manage employees, look for opportunities to lead the team on a project. Take this chance to look at what you like about managing, what you are good at and where you can improve. Create opportunities for yourself to grow. 12:29 A great mantra that Dr. Fadi shared is perfect for a time when you are changing and evolving. A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. If you are built for bigger things than where you are today, take the leap. Or maybe it's not you that is ready for bigger things. Do you have a teammate that reports to you and is on the fringe of the next step in their journey? If so, how can you create the opportunity for them to leave the port? Make it so they can fail, but not be scared to learn from their mistakes and come out the other side. 13:38 Another important idea that Dr. Fadi shared from his experience was the need for cross training. He started his career at a poultry processing facility and he managed 13 individuals. At the beginning of his time in the role, if any one employee was sick, there was no one to fill in for them during their shift. This was not productive. So, Dr. Fadi saw an opportunity for cross training. Each of the 13 employees were trained in each position. That way if someone was out, they could fill in the missing position and production could continue. If you, or someone on your team is out for the day or an extended period, could someone fill in? We can't be intimidated to have someone else know how to do our job. If they can keep the balls in the air while you are out, productivity continues and you can shift back once you are back for your position. Cross training also allows managers to identify opportunities for their teammates to find skills or responsibilities that they would like to learn more about and grow into in the future. 14:43 Once you've identified those areas for your teammates to learn, it may mean you stepping aside and letting them step up. In my last position I had a few aspects of my job that I held on to, even as our team grew. Why? Not because I was the only one that could do them, but because I liked them. If you are wanting to grow, that means you must let go of some of those fun aspects of your job, and let your reports and teammates have a chance to learn that element of the job and have their opportunity to challenge themself. 19:09 Even though 2020 has put a damper on some of our adventures, traveling to other countries or even eating at multicultural restaurants are great ways to stretch ourselves. If you have the opportunity to travel to another country, take it. Dr. Fadi provided that opportunity for many students and it helped them to grow in their cultural awareness and understanding. 21:04 CHALLENGE Before you focus on building others, you have an opportunity to look back at those that have helped build you and your career. The first challenge is to consider two of these individuals. What did they do to help you grow? How can you take what they taught you and help others? What tactics did they use? Now, go and say thank you. Everyone could use a pick me up of merry mail. Send a thank you to at least two of these supporters. It will go a long way for your relationships. 24:01 The second challenge is to think about one person that does not work with you currently that you could help grow. Maybe it's a student, a young professional, relative or someone you are connected to socially. Meet with them and see where they want to grow in 5 to 10 years and see how you can help. Is it an experience you have been through, that you can share about, or maybe a connection you have who is in the position they would  like to grow into? Find a way you can help build others, and you will find yourself growing. 24:49 Also, if you are in a time of transition, don't be afraid to reach out to those that have helped you, or those that you have helped. Connect with them on LinkedIn or ask for reviews and feedback. Maybe you need a reference - just ask! 30:01 I hope you gained some insights from my friend, the insightful, fun and caring Dr. Fadi Aramouni. Just remember, if you help others, you are learning and growing at the same time.

Our guest for episode 7 is Dena Bunnel. Dena and I met 15+ years ago, and I have enjoyed watching her grow and create change throughout her career. She has recently taken a role with Nuru International where she will step out of her traditional international development government roles and into a non-profit leadership role in west Africa. Nigeria to be exact. Dena has intentionally dedicated her career to helping bring individuals and communities out of poverty by creating opportunities for growth that is right for them. She sounds pretty amazing, doesn't she? Well, that's because she is. Dena and I chat about the opportunities to take intentional steps in your career, no matter what phase you are in, to discover your true passion, and find a way to create or modify your career to focus on that passion.   CONNECT Dena and I chat about the importance of making connections when you are both in the discovery phase and the building phase of your intentional career building.    If you are a student, take classes that will help you learn the skills that you need to succeed in the career, not just the major that sounds like the best fit. If you want to work internationally, consider taking a foreign language, but maybe also look into organizations that work with international students to learn about different cultures and make global connections. Or, you can take it head-on like Dena. She realized that to help individuals make real, long-term change she needed a stronger economics background, and she decided to go back for a masters in economics to gain the tools she needed to intentionally position herself for success.   Maybe you are currently out of work, or looking for your next move. Ask yourself some hard, but important questions: 1. What do you like to do for work? 2. But why do you like that work? 3. Why is that work fulfilling? 4. Do you have the skillset to continue to grow in that type of work? 5. If not, what skills do you need to refine? 6. Look back at your current or your last job.What happened in that role, that you could've done better? Not what could others have changed, but truly, what could you have done better? The answer may be nothing, but if you dig deeper, I bet there is something you can take away from that experience that you could have changed. Now, set up a plan to intentionally capitalize on what you do great--grow a business or organization by doing the great stuff even better, but most importantly, write down 3 ways you can grow in the area that you could improve. Make your weaknesses stronger and stretch yourself.   CHANGE Dena and I have both worked with farmers in various roles. Farmers are very similar whether they are in southeast Kansas where Dena grew up, or in Bangladesh or Nigeria. You give them the challenge of growing a crop and they will conquer it. They will care for the seed, grow the crop and harvest the fruit. However, there are many different ways to approach the process and inputs that can change the outcome. Through Dena's work, she has seen firsthand that many times we will go into a first world country, see what their problems are with growing crops, and make the recommendation for change in practice. What we don't do is take time to understand the local approach to why each step has been chosen to grow the crop. As highly-productive farmers, we see a need for more fertilizer, but what we don't always consider is if that farmer is producing on low margins and delayed payments, then he might not have the cash flow to purchase that fertilizer. If he does, he has to give up something else. The expense that he sacrifices could cover the cost of sending his daughter to school.    These are choices that luckily for many Americans, we don't have to make. Dena's intentional suggested approach is not only to help them produce a high-quality crop, but also to find ways to build more processing facilities in country to add value to the local economy, consider transportation of the crop, seasonality of the harvest, financial support for costs associated with growing a crop and growing a business. The holistic approach takes an intentional look at the issues and a solution that will be helpful in the long run versus a band-aid approach of just adding fertilizer to grow a better crop.   So, how can you change your approach? How can you change your approach to not just solve the short term issue, i.e. not having in-person events in 2020 and look at the long-term opportunities? Think about being intentional with your budget, your team's time and your customer or audience's time. I'm a hard-core extrovert and love to be around people and gain my energy from others; however 2020 has made me take a step back and evaluate work travel and time away from my family. So, as an audience member, I want to host and attend in-person events when it's safe to do so, but I will be very choosy as to who gets my time moving forward.

When you are going to make changes in your life or your job, you are most likely uneasy. This can sometimes overwhelm the good that can come from the change, and instead, leave you stuck. So, who of us has ever laid out the plan, put it on paper, had it vetted by other experts, and still can't take the first step? Well, my guest for episode 6 joined me to talk about the theme: Go for it. Tianyi Joe Zhu is an entrepreneur and managing partner at Playground Capital. While Joe is still young in his career, he has not let fear hold him back and has accomplished great things including working with partners in Asia to build his current venture. He's also a millennial that doesn't let the critics get him down. He has built relationships through two administrations in Washington, D.C., and recently testified as part of the Millennial Debt Coalition to discuss how today's decisions will affect the younger generations of our society. He also was named AABDC 50 Outstanding Asian Americans in Business. 1:07 When you are early in your career, I'd say at least for the first 15-20 years, it's critical that you make connections. This is definitely important if you want to strike out on your own. It's important to remember if you build your connections, you don't have to know everything, you just have to know someone who does. Joe discussed the importance of building relationships domestically and abroad and the key points of finding common ground to build on. 4:06 COVID-19 created change for all of us. In our home lives and work lives. When Joe began working with a global team, part in the United States and part in China, he had to adapt new ways to do business. Enter tools like Zoom, that we all have become accustomed to. In our house, we even celebrated birthdays with people from three countries through Zoom. There is still a need to nurture your network and create new relationships, it's just currently through the screen instead of with a handshake. So, we have new tools, and it has helped us hobble along through this time of decreased travel. But, for those of us that are used to spending so much of our time on the road, it has also let us take a step back and analyze the need for work travel. When is it necessary to get on a plane and go, or when can we jump on a video call and accomplish what we need to? I am a big fan of face-to-face conversations when you are building relationships, but efficiency is attractive and will now be part of our considerations moving forward. We also talk about the environment in which so many decisions are being made right now that affect us all in Washington, D.C. Joe and I both have had the opportunity to work across departments and legislative bodies in our nation's capital. The need to build relationships and connections in Washington is real, almost tangible. It should not be a city that intimidates us, but instead, a city that we can visit, connect, and make our voices heard. 6:25 We discuss two challenges. First, find one example where you may be suffering from analysis paralysis and see what you need to get past to go. Do you truly have all the information you need? If so, it is time to go, and know that until you dive in, you won't know everything you are going to face? You have to be ready to evolve and make changes once you have started. The second challenge is to think about one to two ways you can build relationships during this time. Maybe it means sending a note in the mail or reaching out to someone who has been on your leads list, but you haven't talked to because you are normally on the road traveling. Identify those people and make it happen. 20:54 Thank you again for tuning in. Please leave reviews and comment if you have personal examples for either of these challenges or people that you have reached out to with success since you have more desktop time. If you liked this episode, please give us a rating or review. Your greatest gift of support is to share the podcast with your friends and network. If you take a screenshot and share it, be sure to tag me on Instagram at @Connect_Change_Challenge. Thank you all for following along and joining me on this journey as I take this leap and go for it!

Many times as professionals we charge on constantly and don't give ourselves time to physically and mentally catch up. This episode we talk about the importance of taking a minute to just breathe and self care. In this episode as our host, I, Stacy Mayo-Martinez am joined by guest Addie Yoder. Addie hosts her own podcast called Grace & Growth with Addie. Addie calls Missouri home and is a book lover, mother, wife, life coach, farmer and all around awesome person to have on your team. Together Addie and I discuss the opportunities to take a step back and just breathe. As professionals if we only put our head down and constantly work without taking a breath, we will wear ourselves out. At some point, you are not valuable to your team, your family, your friends and most importantly, yourself. It's important to take care of yourself first, so then you can take care of your priorities at work and at home. For more episodes and the full transcript, visit http://connectchangechallenge.com/

Part of growing is getting out of your comfort zone. Why leave the comfort of familiarity? How do we feel productivity when we are in a state of being uncomfortable? I was joined for episode 4 of the Connect, Change & Challenge podcast by Cara Harbstreet of Street Smart Nutrition.   I met Cara virtually a couple years ago and in person within in the past 12 months. It always makes me happy when someone I follow online exceeds my expectations once we meet in person. Cara is a dietitian by trade, and a student of life. She has a great approach to learning, always providing thoughts and ideas to her audience to bring us all along, so she was a great fit for this conversation. She also throws in some snark and sass so with that we can relate.1:06  CONNECT Cara reviews her professional hurdles and identified opportunities to go out on her own and create Street Smart Nutrition. She learned about the opportunities to challenge herself and her clients with bigger thinking. Cara talks about peoples' connection to food and their diet. I don't know about you, but I struggle with food decisions. I'm fortunate to be relatively health, but, of course, could do better. I love to cook, and I'm all in on full fat butter and cream. My theory of natural fats might be a little off on the nutrition spectrum. Also, if you tell me I can't have carbs, bread and pasta will takeover my thoughts and my productivity will decrease as I'm focused on pizza and sandwiches, not strategy. So, diets aren't my thing. This is another thing that attracted me to Cara's food philosophies focused on intuitive eating and health at every size. The combination of taking book smart ideas, with street smart real-life situations. 2:02  Cara's professional brand helps emulate her thinking on continuous learning and how things evolve. It's hard to be uncomfortable or to realize that the way you've been living or something that you've thought for a time may be wrong. None of us likes to admit that we might be wrong about something, or that we have treated someone poorly, even if not intentional. Cara discussed the importance of learning how to live in that uncomfortable state, and how to take something good from process. 8:38  Another topic that can make many of us uncomfortable is racism and diversity. This is an area where I personally want to grow. How can I do better? How can I be more inclusive? How can I design programs and initiatives in the workplace that show the brand or organization is open to people who look different, think different or even just approach problems in different ways? These are questions I'm asking myself right now. Cara talks about her personal journey around race as she identifies as bi-racial, so her experience is different from others, both people of color and Caucasians. She discusses her personal journey of exploring working with an anti-racism educator while having accountability and consistency. 11:13  CHANGE  I feel like being uncomfortable is often the first step to work toward change. Most everyone can say they have experienced stress in 2020. Whether personal, professional or most likely, both. That may mean balancing watching kids and helping with virtual learning while joining your third zoom call for the day. Or maybe hosting a virtual seminar and having your screen adapter come loose and the presenters get a white screen during the live event. I don't have kids so you can guess which one of those is from personal experience. All that being said, that's not the type of stress I am talking about. I'm talking about topics or issues that make you uncomfortable and maybe even add stress that you don't realize is there. Lately, there have been issues that have popped up where I've had to say I don't understand how or why that person feels the way they do. I need to take a step back and see if I can better understand to develop or check my own opinions on that issue. 14:08  That all being said, between the stress and the self questioning, these don't mean that asking yourself these questions equates to you being wrong with your feelings. It's just keeping yourself in check. I've also found that many times it actually strengthens my position on topics, but I now know why I feel that way, and also understand how someone else may feel differently. We can disagree and still respect each other. 15:52  Cara emphasizes the importance of working past the stress. The educator she has worked with is Monique Melton. One light bulb statement Cara learned from Monique was that you can't let anxiety be your barrier to continuing to work. This is something I found very impactful and a mantra that helps you live in the state of uncomfortable, and get to the point of change. 17:11  CHALLENGE  We always end every episode with the challenge, and Cara left us with two great thoughts. We talked about the need for accountability, but building your right accountability team--hose that will be supportive, but still help you push yourself forward. 20:17  Cara leaves us with advice from her professional experience. It's a loose thought exercise where you focus on trying to find out if your actions and behaviors are aligned with your values. Ask yourself, “what are your values?” Then, evaluate your actions and see if what you are doing is aligning with the values you have identified. The question is, “Are your values being reflected in your personal actions and your professional actions?” 22:39  The second is to take a step back and ask yourself what you want to learn. What are you really aspiring to do or learn? This is a great way to evaluate how you move forward and to keep yourself from being distracted. 24:58  I hope you tune in to listen to the full episode.  There were so many great thoughts in this episode it was hard to capture them all. Comment below if you have thoughts on any of the information shared, or the challenges we put forward.  If you want to follow Cara professionally, you can check her out online at streetsmartnutrition.com or on Instagram at streetsmart.rd. She posts great recipes, which not only taste good, but look good, funny memes and thought-provoking articles. All great things to have in our newsfeed.   For more discussion and other insights, visit connectchangechallenge.com.

Note: The time codes listed below connect to the video or audio recordings When you hear the word unexpected as the theme for the week, it could make you think that no planning was involved, and good things just happened. No strategy, no plan. That is actually the opposite of the approach we are discussing. My guest on episode, Amy Pettit, is the Executive Director at Alaska Farmland Trust and she has successfully shown the power of unexpected connections. As a non-profit with only one staff, there is no room to just let things happen, you have to be strategic and smart with your time. Amy is the person who works to engage farmers in the trust program, gains pledges from donors, builds strategic partnerships with the public and also the one who gets the mail, answers the phones and mails out their great merchandise. As a staff of one, there are opportunities to be nimble and make things happen quickly, but it takes set goals and a clear mission. That's how we get to unexpected. Amy took over as the executive director five years ago and at the time they were a traditional non-profit organization. Amy harnessed her creative spirit to help the organization define their priorities and goals, but then think about unexpected connections on how she would grow their fundraising and advocate base. 2:26 A unique hurdle for Alaska Farmland Trust is production agriculture as we know it today is a newer industry in Alaska than the lower 48 states. Most of the Alaska farms have been around for 50-75 years, so they are on their first or second generations. In comparison many farms where I am in Kansas could easily be fourth or fifth generation farmers running the farm. 3:42 CONNECT The personal connection I have when Amy started when we both worked for state departments of agriculture helping brand agriculture goods from jelly to wine, vegetables to hot sauce. In the discussion we focus on Amy's connections that helped her think outside the box. Amy has excellent marketing experience and the knowledge of Alaska production agriculture and she shares how those connections really helped her look broader. 8:06 When she looked broader on how to build up her advocates and funders for Alaska Farmland Trust it started with the idea of a happy hour to tell people about their cause at a local ale house. Have people enjoy Alaska made beer and learn about farmlands in state and why they are worth saving. The ale house owner pushed her to think bigger, what about a concert where they get the beer proceeds. Then enters Amy's creative mind and a catchy phrase was born: Drink Beer Save Farms. It's snappy, looks good on a t-shirt, gets people talking and raises funds. 11:04 The community that Amy and Alaska Farmland Trust has built with their Drink Beer Save Farms campaign may not all write $10,000 donations, but they have been drawn in as advocates, they asked the question, “What does drinking beer have to do with saving farms,” possibly bought t-shirts and walked away more knowledgeable. They then told people in their lives why it's important to support farms and save farmland. 17:54 I was fortunate enough to support the cause in a small way by purchasing a Drink Beer Save Farms t-shirt. I can tell you the first time I wore it I had three unexpected conversations with random people that day about my shirt. We talked about how awesome the phrase was and what it meant. A catchy phrase can go a long way, bring in unexpected advocates and create a network that is bigger than just your donor base. 19:28 CHANGE In a world where things are always changing, Amy shared the three areas of focus for the Alaska Farmland Trust. Saving farmland to keep it in agriculture production for perpetuity, promote the agriculture industry and educate consumers on where their food comes from. While things are changing it's important to stay true to your organization or business mission. 23:50 A fun fact, the number of Alaska farmers is actually growing. According to the last census they increased the number of farms by 30%. There are opportunities for those that want to farm and a pride in Alaska where they do put a major focus on buying local since their in-state food supply is so limited. 26:40 The one crop that Alaska does export is peony flowers. While the lower 48 enjoys these beautiful flowers in May and June, the climate in Alaska has put them a unique advantage of growing them during July and August. This aligns well with the peek wedding season and we discuss how Amy previously helped the peony farmers establish international export markets for their flowers to meet the global demands for the flowers during the later growing season. This connection unexpectedly happened when a group of researchers visited the botanical gardens at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 29:19 CHALLENGE With the challenges that 2020 has brought we have all learned the need to take a step back and rethink our events, fundraisers, membership drives or outreach efforts. The challenge for the week is to think about unexpected connections. Where can you connect with new customers you haven't approached before? How can you unexpectedly solve a problem that you haven't focused on previously? What is one way you can step out of your box and pivot or broaden your thinking but still ensure you are aligning with your company, organization or your personal values and mission? 35:21 If you want to connect with Amy and the Alaska Farmland Trust visit akfarmland.com. The awesome Save Farms Drink Beer merchandise is not available yet online, but as Amy pivots she's building up her online store and you too can start great conversations at the nail salon, grocery store or maybe even an airport in the future.

When we think of the word brand, usually we think of a brand we have an affinity for. Possibly a vehicle manufacturer, sports team, phone or soda. You know the things that you'll pay extra for because you know what you are getting. The consistent quality, experience, fan experience or product you invest in. In the marketing world we work with brands on the back side of that equation. We think about what impression we want customers to feel when they experience our brand, what we want to them remember about our brand, why we want them to buy into our brand. Have you ever though about your own brand? What emotions you put out into the world, how people feel after knowing or working with you. In the second episode of Connect, Change & Challenge podcast, my guest is Deron Johnson, FLM Harvest Executive Vice President, Chief Brand Officer. Deron is not only an expert marketer and brand builder, but I also had the privilege of him being my first boss out of college. Fun fact, Deron and I met at National AgriMarketing Association, NAMA. After I interviewed with Deron, I got up and competed with my team in the collegiate competition. No pressure, but good news our team won, and I got the gig! Find out about our personal connection at 1:08. Deron was the first person to challenge me at my initial annual review to think about my personal brand. I was a year into my career and still wasn't sure what I wanted to be when I grew up. Deron's challenge was to think about my personal brand, who I was and how I wanted to grow. In this episode we talk about this starting at 4:00. Things change. We then go on to talk about the bold line that formerly separated our personal and professional lives is thin if even evident these days. Think about how your personal brand is viewed in your personal life and your professional life. Are they consistent? Do you have work to do on one side of the equation? How has the era of social media changed the separation of personal and private? We discuss this at 16:10. Finally, we move into the final segment of the podcast discussion, the challenge. Each week on the segment I'll leave you with a challenge to consider for your personal and professional development growth. The challenge for the Personal Brand podcast is to conduct a review of your personal brand, find both personal and professional contacts you can trust to do an evaluation. Part two, after you identify an evaluation of your brand, identify if there are areas for improvement and then create regular check ins with an accountability team. This group can be the same individuals that gave you the feedback at the beginning of the process or others that can give you helpful feedback but do so in a productive way. We discuss this at 25:42 in more detail. For more episodes or discussion visit https://stacymayomartinez.com/insights/personalbrand

Welcome to Connect, Change and Challenge. A podcast designed for professionals across industries. Each episode I'll host a guest where we will focus on a topic of the week. From branding to un expected connections, learning to be uncomfortable and the power of pulling up your boot straps to get work done. Episodes will also leave listeners with a challenge to find small ways to grow and develop as professionals whether you are in college still finding your way or 40 years in. Follow along each week for new guests and new challenges.