Sell From Love

I've got an announcement. My third book is in the works, and I've got a solid draft that I can now work with.  To get to the next stage of my writing process, I need to start from the beginning to write my second draft. My goal is to share a readable draft with a few select readers by the end of the summer.  I need to put all my creative energy into this next draft and as a result I will be pressing pause on my podcast for the summer.  I'll be back in the Fall to give you an update on the book and what is coming up next. Thank you for tuning in and being here week after week. Have a joyous summer and I can't wait to come back and tell you all about the book and where things are heading. Finka

Struggling to tap into your team's full potential? You know your employees are talented, yet you can't seem to bring the most out of them. Chances are it's because you're not coaching to their Brilliant Differences.   A Brilliant Difference is composed of people's God-given gifts, their talents and strengths, and how they uniquely actualize them to transform the lives of others. It just so happens that the workplace and people's careers are the perfect arenas to live it out.  I think of Brilliant Differences as diamonds; they need pressure and cuts to be realized and utilized with the most value.  That's like your team. They're diamonds. They're valuable. They just aren't fully aware of it yet.  That's where you come in, leader, asking them specific questions to hone and coax their Brilliant Differences, so they can make a meaningful impact, leading your organization to excellence.   From understanding the progression of zones of brilliances, to mitigating the mediocrity trap, to the right series of questions to ask, you'll know exactly how to bring the most out of your people after listening to this episode.  Don't Miss Out! Grab Your Brilliant Difference Coaching Questions  Download Here  Leadership Development Audit  Apply Now  Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Related Episodes  Workplace Coaching vs. Edge Mover's Coaching and Why You Need the Latter     How to Create a Successful Coaching Session: 5 Things You Need to Do     3 Coaching Skills Every Leader Needs—Let's Do LAPs!  Connect Beyond the Podcast for Daily Career Support  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call   

There are three coaching skills you cannot forgo in your leadership and career, and they are LAP:  Listen.  Ask questions.  Pause.  Seems simple enough, right?   Wrong.  Trust me when I say there is an art to executing each of these skills. When done wrong, it can be dismal and tiring. But when done right, it not only fuels your career and leadership, but those of the people in your company!  I'll teach you how to do it the right way. By the end of this Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode, you'll learn:  Lessons from workplace coaching experiences (from myself and clients).  Why coaching is crucial for workplace success now more than ever.  The difference between the three tiers of listening and how to tap into all.  How to form your coaching questions to be open-ended, strategic-thinking starters.  The power of pausing and when to use it.  You're only one listen away from growing your coaching skills, bringing the most out of yourself and people.  Leadership Development Audit  Apply Now  Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Related Episodes  Workplace Coaching vs. Edge Mover's Coaching and Why You Need the Latter     How to Create a Successful Coaching Session: 5 Things You Need to Do     Connect Beyond the Podcast for Daily Career Support  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call 

What are the elements of a successful workplace coaching session? What makes an employee eager to grow and change vs. stuck in their ways?  I'll answer both questions. Even better? I'll teach you exactly how to facilitate a coaching conversation at work that actually uncovers potential and gets results from your people.   You might think you're already coaching, supporting and mentoring your people through weekly huddles and individual touchpoints, but the truth is, if you aren't doing these five things, you're not actually coaching:  Making space for intentional, strategic thinking Analyzing comfort zones Facilitating the three types of change Developing self-awareness in talent and purpose Designing Edge Moves From knowing the four types of questions to ignite powerful thinking and “aha” moments, to understanding the psychology behind change resistance, you'll have everything you need to start coaching your team successfully.   Share Your Experience!  After listening to this episode, take two minutes and share your own coaching or listening experiences on LinkedIn using the hashtag: #EdgeMoversCoach. Share your biggest episode takeaways and insights and what you'll be bringing back with you to your career.   Mentioned Books  The War of Art by Steven Pressfield  Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn  Breakthrough Coaching by Marcia Reynolds  Leadership Development Audit  Apply Now  Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Related Episodes  Workplace Coaching vs. Edge Mover's Coaching and Why You Need the Latter     Connect Beyond the Podcast for Daily Career Support  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call 

Workplace coaching has been used for years to garner performance and results from employees...but it only goes so far. Traditional workplace coaching is limiting, and if you really want to see long-term, sustainable growth and development from your team and business, you need to be an Edge Mover's coach.   Where does traditional workplace coaching fall short and what is Edge Mover's coaching? I answer these questions in episode 202, the catalyst of a new podcast series: Edge Mover's Coach.  Coaching is one of the most vital skills needed in the workplace, but it's often done wrong. I know this because I've experienced it first-hand and had to make my own coaching pivots in my career.  But I'll let you in on everything—my coaching success stories, my coaching fails, and why I now practice Edge Mover's coaching—so you can bring the most out of you and your team.  Share Your Experience!  After listening to this episode, take two minutes and share your own coaching experiences on LinkedIn using the hashtag: #EdgeMoversCoach. Share your biggest episode takeaways and insights and what you'll be bringing back with you to your career.   Leadership Development Audit  Apply Now  Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Related Episodes  Stop Talking, Start Coaching  How to Be a Brilliant Coach  Connect Beyond the Podcast for Daily Career Support  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call 

People with executive presence often have charisma, or executive charisma. What is it and how can you establish yours? First off, charisma is your ability to compel people with your charm, inspiring them to understand your message or take action. Sounds pretty close to executive presence, right? But how you actualize and elevate your charisma to fuel your executive presence differs.  You do so by following my simple eight-step CHARISMA framework:  Courage Humility Authenticity Responsiveness Intention Storytelling Mindfulness Articulation Paired with resources below, learn everything you need to know about effectively establishing your executive charisma to elevate your leadership and career.   Executive Charisma Package: CHARISMA Framework + Charisma Self-Assessment Scale  Download Now  Workplace Communication Quiz  Start Now and Find Your Communication Style  Mentioned Research and Books   The Dynamics of Warmth and Competence Judgments, and Their Outcomes in Organizations — Harvard Business School  Presence by Amy Cuddy  Leadership Development Audit  Apply Now  Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Related Episodes  What It Means to Have Executive Presence (+ an Exercise to See Where You're At)  How to “Own a Room”: 3 Executive Presence Primers  Storytelling: Your Executive Presence Secret Weapon  Need More Career Direction and Clarity?  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call 

If you've ever wondered, “How can I have more executive presence?” this episode is for you. Stories have been shared for millennia and are 22x more memorable than facts, yet corporate professionals and employees give it a middle-of-the-pack priority, even though it's a critical key to boosting their executive presence and leadership at work. The priority revelation is based on data from my Career Advancement Forecast (give it a read if you haven't yet).   So, I'm taking storytelling—what's seen as an underrated, nice-to-have skill—from the middle and spotlighting it at the top because you cannot have executive presence and grow in your career and leadership if you don't tell stories.   They connect. They engage. They influence. They persuade.   Today, you'll learn how to become a master storyteller by:  Understanding why storytelling makes all the difference in your career and impact.   Leveraging 4 types of stories you need to have in your executive presence, workplace arsenal.   Knowing what makes a captivating story.   Listening to how one of my clients told a story in a presentation and received critical career feedback of: “must be promoted.”  This is just the beginning of your executive presence, storytelling journey. Uncover your story today and start connecting and influencing important stakeholders and situations.  Leadership Development Audit  Apply Now  Executive Presence Self-Assessment  Download Now  Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Related Episodes  What It Means to Have Executive Presence (+ an Exercise to See Where You're At)  How to “Own a Room”: 3 Executive Presence Primers  Need More Career Direction and Clarity?  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call 

People with executive presence are often told they know how to “own a room,” igniting engagement and attention without saying a word. But what does this look like and how can you do it too?  Using these three executive presence primers:  Be intentional Define the stakes Bring your Brilliant Difference Owning a room isn't about owning it, but making space for others, which is where intention, stakes, and your Brilliant Difference come into play.  Tune into this new Executive Presence 101 episode and elevate your EP at work.  Leadership Development Audit Apply Now Executive Presence Self-Assessment  Download Now  Discover Your Brilliant Difference   Download Your Brilliant Difference Brainstorm  Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Related Episodes  What It Means to Have Executive Presence (+ an Exercise to See Where You're At)  Need More Career Direction and Clarity?  Download the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call 

It's elusive. People often don't know exactly what it is or looks like. Let's change that. Discover exactly what it means to have executive presence, as well as where yours is right now. This is the start of a new, four-part series: Executive Presence 101.   Executive presence is something you either have or don't. It's an invisible ingredient that enables you to capture attention in a room without uttering a single word but makes people lean in when you do speak, remembering how you made them feel hours afterward.   So it's no surprise that it's often called the “X factor” of leadership, and I'm going to teach you how to harness it. Not only will you understand the three pillars of executive presence, but how to assess where your current levels are at in your career.  Do You Have Executive Presence? Find Out With the Executive Presence Assessment  Download Now  Discover Your Brilliant Difference   Download Your Brilliant Difference Brainstorm  Mentioned Research  Executive presence: what it is and why it's important  The New Rules of Executive Presence  Equipment to Help You Elevate Your Online Executive Presence  Logitech for Creators Blue Yeti USB Microphone   IXTECH Boom Arm - Adjustable 360° Rotatable Microphone Arm  Shure MV7X Microphone   Rode PodMic Cardioid Dynamic Broadcast Microphone   Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Related Episodes  Why is Influence Important in Leadership? Learn From My Doozies   3 No-Nonsense Rules for Influencing Executives and Senior Leaders  5 Communication Styles in the Workplace — Which Do You Speak?  Value-First Centre of Influence Framework: Proven Method to Build Career-Elevating Relationships  Need More Career Direction and Clarity?  Download the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call   

To have influence, you need to tap into the influence of others. You need a centre of influence (COI). Influence is built and nurtured; it's not something you're automatically granted. And the process starts with building your influence network, or what I like to call, your centre of influence.   To grow in your career and leadership, it's essential to surround yourself with the right people. Knowing and working with the right people can bolster your chances of being hired into a new role, getting promoted, getting invited to important conversations, and expanding your network and reach in your industry.   But it starts with giving value.  Concluding the Influence Without Authority series, in this episode I dive into:  What a circle of influence is.  How to identify COIs in your company.  How COIs can help you break through the corporate noise.  3 steps to mapping your COIs.   The 3 types of influencers that will make up your COI.  Methods to add value to your influencers.   By the time you're done listening, you'll know exactly who to turn to and build relationships with, and how to shine in your Brilliant Difference, giving value to those who matter most.    Take the Communication Quiz  Discover Your Workplace Communication Style  Influence Amplifier Blueprint: Apply Essential Influence Rules in Real-Time  Grab Your Blueprint   Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Related Episodes  Why is Influence Important in Leadership? Learn From My Doozies   3 No-Nonsense Rules for Influencing Executives and Senior Leaders  5 Communication Styles in the Workplace — Which Do You Speak?  Need More Career Direction and Clarity?  Download the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call 

Do you know how you think, speak, and make decisions? What about for those you work with? If not, it's no wonder why your brilliant ideas aren't landing with executives and rallying teams together. That's why I'm sharing with you five communication styles in the workplace, so you can:  Communicate more effectively.  Adapt and tailor your message to others' communication preferences.   Elevate your impact and influence.   Using my career experience, I've created five workplace communication styles that are inspired by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, meaning they're ordered in what people often require the most.   The five communication styles in the workplace include:  Certainty Connection Consequence Confidence Change What do each look like at work and which type is yours? Find out by tuning into this episode and taking my Communication Quiz!  Take the Communication Quiz  Discover Your Workplace Communication Style  Influence Amplifier Blueprint: Apply Essential Influence Rules in Real-Time  Grab Your Blueprint    Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Related Episodes  Why is Influence Important in Leadership? Learn From My Doozies   3 No-Nonsense Rules for Influencing Executives and Senior Leaders  Need More Career Direction and Clarity?  Download the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call     

If your message isn't sticking, it's because you're not doing these three things. I'll teach you exactly what these rules for influencing executives and senior leaders are, so people can buy into your ideas. Every. Time.   Rule 1: Know your audience.  Rule 2: Identify motivators.  Rule 3: Plot the transformation journey.  I've designed this episode as an immersive learning experience so you can see what these rules look like in action right away. Grab your copy of the Influence Amplifier Blueprint, fill it out, and translate the rules into your influence impact at work as I guide you along:   The most powerful yet overlooked aspect of influence.  The three most common influence mistakes and how to mitigate them.  Why you need to know your audience (you cannot skip this step).  The differences between your primary, secondary, and tertiary audience.   How to understand what motivates your audience's decision-making process.   How to plot your audience's transformation journey.  Influence Amplifier Blueprint: Apply the Influence Rules in Real-Time  Grab Your Blueprint Here   Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Related Episodes  Why is Influence Important in Leadership? Learn From My Doozies   Need More Career Direction and Clarity?  Download the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call   

You hear it all the time: you need to have influence at work. But why is influence important in leadership and what does it look like done right and wrong? You get to learn all of that from me. This episode sets the tone for a new series: Influence Without Authority.   No matter your position—manager, executive, president—your title can change but what no one can take away from you is your ability to inspire. Want to persuade senior leaders to agree to an initiative? You need influence. Trying to gain buy-in for a new process? You need influence. Collaborating with team members on cross-functional projects? You need influence.   You get the picture.   If you nodded along to any of these scenarios, you're in the right place. In this episode I'll help you learn:  What influence is and isn't.  Where you may be going wrong with your influence and why your message isn't sticking with your team and leaders.  How having strong influence can amplify your leadership and career.  How not having influence can drain and stall your career.  Why influence matters.  The best-case and worst-case of my own influence scenarios, so you can know what hinders and helps you to effectively influence.   What are you waiting for? Press play and get to the answer of why influence is important in leadership.   Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Related Episodes  Influence Stack Part 1  Influence Stack Part 2  Need More Career Direction and Clarity?  Download the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call 

Approaching change and trying something new can be downright scary. But what if it didn't have to be? It seems society has conditioned people to make change in one full swoop, immediately, seeking instant gratification, and it's setting up people to fail. Making a big change or trying something new is like going into a polar plunge head-first versus tiptoeing in and getting your body adjusted—it shocks your system.  What I'm saying is, your success of managing change and trying something new all comes down to how you approach change. With the right strategies and the best practices for using Edge Moves (incremental actions that bridge your comfort zone to courage zone), you can handle change with ease, elegance, and even excitement.   I teach you how in this Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode.   Learn about these 10 strategies to approach change:  The 80/20 rule   Openness to become someone new Repetition Manage your FUDGE energy Anchor in the familiar Focus on skill development Sell the outline Build external support Have a Brilliant Difference project Bring an Edge Move mindset to everything you do  Like What You Listen To?  Share the episode and show with a fellow colleague and podcast listener!  Leave a rating and review. Your feedback is valuable.   Need More Career Direction and Clarity?  Download the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast  Connect with Finka on LinkedIn  Interested in Working with Finka on Your Company's Leadership Skill Development?  Book a Call 

It's time to continue your Edge Moves Evolution journey. Get right to the good stuff at 2:26! Thank you for joining Finka for another week and committing to being a transformational leader by actualizing your Brilliant Difference through Edge Moves.   In episode 190, she covered what Edge Moves are and how our brains react to threats, newness, and change.   Then, in episode 191, she got deeper into Edge Moves by giving you types to think about applying in your role and work.   And now, she's peeling back the layers even more to help you identify what Edge Moves you can make that are specific to your role and industry in six simple steps:  Identify your problem or goal. Identify your actions that are producing your current results. Visualize where you want to go; define your destination. Determine a person, place, or scenario to apply your Edge Moves. Brainstorm a list of Edge Moves. Choose and act on your first Edge Move.  But don't do it alone. Finka guides you in the episode!  What You'll Learn:  How Edge Moves fuel personal and professional growth.  How to identify a problem or goal within your workplace.  Ideas to practice Edge Moves in real situations.   How practicing Edge Moves leads to thought leadership and visibility in your organization.  The importance of support systems when trying something new.   How to strategically ties success metrics to Edge Moves.   Why continuous learning and adapting are crucial for being a successful Edge Mover and leader in your company.   Get Career Clarity and Direction for 2025: Download the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast  Surveying over 100+ corporate leaders and professionals, Finka Inc. has the pulse on what's top of mind for people at work in 2025. What should be your priorities? What is the workplace landscape going to look like? What are career advancement critical skills you need to help you soar? Find out by clicking the button below to download your copy.   [Grab Your Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast] 

We're back to guide you on your Edge Moves Evolution journey. In episode 190, Finka covered what Edge Moves are, what motivates you to change, what your threat responses are to change, and how you can detect those patterns within yourself. This is a powerful episode to tune into if you want to figure out what keeps you in your comfort zone.  But in this episode, Finka shares her own Edge Moves story so you can see what Edge Moves look like at work, as well as the six types of Edge Moves you can make and glean inspiration from:  Mindset Visibility Relationship Leadership Communication Innovation  Find out what each Edge Move means, and which aligns with your Brilliant Difference by listening to episode 191 now!  What You'll Learn:  What FUDGE is and how it impacts your leadership and career.  Finka's personal Edge Moves story and key lessons learned.   The importance of incremental, sustainable change.  The six types of Edge Moves, and which is best for you.  The caveat to making successful Edge Moves.   Transform Your People in 2025: Register for The Future of Leadership Forum  Attend a jam-packed, 1-hour community event with fellow HR and L&D Leaders and People Managers to discuss future leadership trends, skills, and strategies.   [Register Now] 

We talk a lot about Brilliant Differences on the Your Brilliant Difference Podcast. After all, it's in the name. The power of identifying your two words that inform how you think, act, and feel in the workplace is immeasurable. Meaning, once you identify them, you're unstoppable. Remember, your Brilliant Difference contains your unique talents and how you're programmed to deliver them in a way no one else does. However, knowing your Brilliant Difference is one thing, putting it into action at work is another. So, how do you apply your Brilliant Difference? Through Edge Moves.  Episode 190 leads the way for a new series called Edge Moves Evolution. In this podcast series you'll:  Understand what Edge Moves are.  Identify real workplace scenarios where you can make Edge Moves.  Leave with a list of strategic Edge Moves you can make in your company.   Know how to use Edge Moves as a change management tool and technique to adapt and rise no matter the challenges you experience.  In episode 190 specifically, you'll learn what Edge Moves are, what drives fear and keeps us in our comfort zones, as well as the benefits of expanding beyond your comfort zone.  Tune in now to go beyond at work.  What You'll Learn:  4 ways humans respond to threats and fear.  3 ways we experience change.  What Edge Moves are.  Why 2x is better than 10x.   How to strategically apply your Brilliant Difference at work.   Transform Your People in 2025: Register for The Future of Leadership Forum  Attend a jam-packed, 1-hour community event with fellow HR and L&D Leaders and People Managers to discuss future leadership trends, skills, and strategies.   [Register Now]   

Welcome to the concluding episode of the Leadership Mastery for Managers series on the Your Brilliant Difference Podcast. While it's not detrimental to listen to the first three episodes before this one, we highly recommend you check them out after so you can connect and apply all your learnings at work.   Episode 186: 5 Strategies to Design Your Leadership Growth Pathway  Episode 187: Manager vs. Leader: These 7 Skills Will Set You Apart  Episode 188: Meaningful Management: How to Lead and Work with Purpose  Now, in episode 189, Finka Jerkovic double-clicks on another key finding from the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast: 66% of respondents want a promotion or to move into new role in the next 12-18 months.  If you're in the same boat and want to move into a more senior level this year, then this episode is for you. Finka highlights a checklist of seven habits you can start right now to prime yourself for this opportunity:  Get clear on and own your Brilliant Difference.   Come clean about your weaknesses. Make your managers, senior leaders, and colleagues the heroes. Pitch, pitch, pitch. Master the art of being a storyteller speaker. Always have a project on the side of your desk. Become a centre of influence.   What does each habit look like at work and how can you start putting them into action? Tune in to find out!   What You'll Learn:  The mindset you need to acquire for senior leadership.  How being aware of your weaknesses brightens your Brilliant Difference.  How to flip from “what's in it for me” to “what's in it for them.”  The importance of pitching initiatives within your company.   How to pitch ideas.  What a side project is and how it can 10x your impact.  What being a centre of influence means.  Resources: Speak to Lead mini e-book Transform Your People in 2025: Register for The Future of Leadership Forum  Attend a jam-packed, 1-hour community event with fellow HR and L&D Leaders and People Managers to discuss future leadership trends, skills, and strategies.   [Register Now]  

Welcome to another episode of the Your Brilliant Difference Podcast and part 3 of the Leadership Mastery for Managers series. If you haven't already, check out episode 186 to design your leadership growth pathway and episode 187 to learn about the skills to prioritize to get to your next leadership and career level.   In episode 188, I outline how to inject meaning and purpose into your work so you can show up as a transformational leader, not just a transactional manager. This theme also stems from a key Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast finding: corporate professionals are burnt out, but they still want to make a meaningful difference:   “This will sound cheesy, but my big aspiration is legacy, knowing that I had an impact on peers, colleagues, and especially clients.”  “I want to help others have more ease in their life and develop confidence to go after the life they really want.”  “I want to make an impact on the employees and company overall for the better and implement lasting changes to lead the company into the future.”  Now, purposeful work and finding your mission may feel like a marketing ploy, but when done right, it can fuel your personal and leadership success, as well as the success of your organization.   I'll show you how to do it the right way by uncovering the 5 benefits of injecting purpose into your work, as well as 5 tangible tactics to help you discover and apply your purpose at work.  Let's get started!  What You'll Learn:  How purposeful work leads to fulfillment.  Why purpose at work is critical for today's workforce.  The difference between passion and purpose.   How purpose fuels resilience.   5 tactics to help you find your purpose and live it out at work.  Get Career Clarity and Direction for 2025: Download the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast  Surveying over 100+ corporate leaders and professionals, Finka Inc. has the pulse on what's top of mind for people at work in 2025. What should be your priorities? What is the workplace landscape going to look like? What are career advancement critical skills you need to help you soar? Find out by clicking the button below to download your copy.   [Grab Your Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast] 

Welcome to another episode of the Your Brilliant Difference Podcast and part 2 of the Leadership Mastery for Managers series. If you haven't yet already, check out episode 186 to design your career growth pathway.   In episode 187, I'll be focusing on the seven skills you need in 2025 to help you get to the next level in your career. There's no doubt about it—a title doesn't make someone a leader. This is often why, in the workplace, people can pick apart leaders from managers. They carry a certain presence and particular skills that makes them shine from the crowd.   Now, what skills are those? According to my Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast, the seven must-have skills to take your career to the next level, to take your management from transactional to transformational leadership are:  Executive presence Influence Relationship building/networking Transformational leadership  Personal branding Pitching and selling ideas Presenting Why are these skills so important, how will they impact your work, and what other themes should you consider when playing the workplace game? Tune in to find out.   What You'll Learn:  The skills you need for future work and leadership demands.   The importance of focusing on interpersonal and communication skills.  The top skills corporate professionals and leaders are proficient in today.  The top skills corporate professionals and leaders are deficient in today.   How executive presence, personal branding, and managing difficult conversations impact your career advancement.   Get Career Clarity and Direction for 2025: Download the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast  Surveying over 100+ corporate leaders and professionals, Finka Inc. has the pulse on what's top of mind for people at work in 2025. What should be your priorities? What is the workplace landscape going to look like? What are career advancement critical skills you need to help you soar? Find out by clicking the button below to download your copy.   [Grab Your Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast]   

Welcome back to the Your Brilliant Difference Podcast! While the show paused over the holidays, Finka Jerkovic is back in action with an exciting new series that will help you pave a successful, meaningful pathway for your leadership and career in 2025: Leadership Mastery for Leaders.  In this four-part series, she gives you high-level, tangible insights from her recent workplace report, Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast: Skills and Strategies to Rise at Work in 2025. In episode 186, she double-clicks on how to design your leadership growth pathway to achieve your workplace/career goals.  According to the Finka Inc. report, one of the biggest aspirations people have is to grow, move up, and get promoted, yet the biggest challenge for people is knowing where to go and how to do it. They know they want to grow in a new direction, but they don't exactly know what's next or what that direction should be. Are you in the same boat?   Finka gets it. She's been at this crossroads herself before in her corporate career, which is why she's helping you get clear on your where and how through her own stories and five strategies:   Be intentional. Go deep or go wide. Have an excellence mindset. Use your Brilliant Difference as an act of service.  Futureproof your leadership with skills.  What exactly do these strategies mean and how can you implement them? Tune in and find out!  What You'll Learn:  Why 2025 is a pivotal year for your leadership and impact.  The importance of being intentional with your career and leadership moves.  Going deep vs. going wide in your career.  The difference between an excellence mindset vs. accomplishment mindset.  How to lean on your Brilliant Difference and skills development to add value despite a shifting technological landscape.   Get Career Clarity and Direction for 2025: Download the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast  Surveying over 100+ corporate leaders and professionals, Finka Inc. has the pulse on what's top of mind for people at work in 2025. What should be your priorities? What is the workplace landscape going to look like? What are career advancement critical skills you need to help you soar? Find out by clicking the button below to download your copy.   [Grab Your Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast] 

A whole calendar year is 365 days, about 52 weeks, and 12 months. From a high level, it looks like a whole lot of time, yet at the end of every year I find myself saying, “Where did the time go?” It's already the end of 2024.   Year ends can impact everyone differently. While some feel the pressures of things they didn't get to throughout the year, some celebrate reaching milestones. No matter if you're anxious, excited, celebratory, or self-blaming, in this Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode, I guide you through how to reflect on your 2024 year and set manageable, tangible goals for 2025.   I share some of my own key takeaways, personal and business-related, and as I share my discoveries, I coach you through sets of questions to help you uncover your own.  My biggest takeaway this year was realizing that there's no space for transactional workshops because that's not what my clients truly need. It's easy to look at others and see what they're doing, straying from your own style and integrity, and sometimes I've felt myself wandering too. Especially with corporate leadership development training, you can fall into the pattern of copy and paste. But my intention for this year is to stay true to my customized, personalized leadership development program model that's backed by data. I want to continue delivering white-glove service that's intimate and makes each leader feel like the content is being delivered right to them, even in a group setting. This approach is only being re-emphasized, and I am looking forward to delivering for my clients in the coming new year.         Now, it's time for you to discover your biggest takeaway!  The Agenda for Today's Episode:  How to reflect on your 2024.   Finka's biggest priorities: family, relationships, and faith.  A focus on transformative workshop experiences.  How to set intentions for 2025 with manageable, tangible Edge Moves.  Get Career Clarity and Direction for 2025: Download the Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast  Surveying over 100+ corporate leaders and professionals, Finka Inc. has the pulse on what's top of mind for people at work in 2025. What should your priorities be? What is the workplace landscape going to look like? What are career advancement critical skills you need to help you soar? Find out by clicking the button below to download your copy.   [Grab Your Finka Inc. Career Advancement Forecast] 

Public relations can be a powerful tool to help you elevate your brand, thought leadership, and credibility. In fact, it has a key similarity to personal branding. They both involve engaging and tailoring your message so that it best resonates with the audience/public. With personal branding, this is often done through avenues of conferences and social media posts, while PR includes press releases and articles. PR can be a guiding lens to look through for developing your personal brand, helping you know exactly what to say and what not to say.  Who better to light the way than PR veteran and CEO of Greenrose Communications, Abbie Sheridan. She lives to connect people. Pairing her passion for connections with her love of storytelling, Abbie has been working in public relations for nearly 15 years. She initially found and pursued her dream job through a college internship where she pitched tech gadgets and colored toilet paper at New York Fashion Week (which was as fun as it sounds). But she knew she wanted to do something more impactful. When she found financial services, she realized it was where she was meant to be. For close to a decade, Abbie has worked with RIAs, asset managers, custodians, and fintech companies in the wealth management industry. Today, she and her team represent more than a dozen industry leading firms, with a specialization in ESG, SRI, and green investing.     How lucky are we that Abbie is now sharing her insight and experience on the Your Brilliant Difference Podcast, helping you tailor and build your brand with a PR twist.   In Episode 184 You Will Learn:  Exactly what PR is and isn't.   How to leverage PR to boost your brand credibility.   How to achieve PR with a limited budget.   The power of engaging with media for personal branding.   How the media landscape is evolving and the implications of AI.  How to start approaching the possibilities of PR to enhance your personal brand.    Connect with Abbie Sheridan  Abbie Sheridan on LinkedIn  Greenrose Communications  Career Advancement Report Coming December 13th! For the first time ever, Finka Jerkovic is publishing her first Finka Inc. Career Advancement Report, informing you about what to focus on in 2025 to rise and shine at work. Join her Find Your Brilliance community newsletter and get a copy delivered right to your inbox as soon as it's released. [Sign Up for Release Day Delivery]

Whether you're pitching an idea to leadership, leading a meeting, or delivering a keynote at a conference, they're all forms of presenting. Within each method, you're presenting your ideas, guiding other's ideas, and aiming to inspire action within people. All of it can be stressful. Whether you speak to 5 people,15, 50, or 500, your palms may clam up and suddenly you've lost your train of thought, derailing from your perfectly crafted script. But here's the thing — you don't need a script to efficiently communicate. What you do need is your authentic, confident voice, which Julie Johnson will teach you to hone in this week's Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode.   Julie Johnson is the CEO of XY Communication and a leading authority on intergenerational and gender communication. As a current member of the esteemed Forbes Coaches Council and a former Barron's winning SVP with UBS (CFP & CIMA), she has devoted her career to helping professionals and teams build trust, engagement, and loyalty. Specializing in psychological safety and conflict navigation, she is a Certified Behavioral Finance Trainer, a Certified Facilitator in Adam Grant & Ray Dalio's PrinciplesYou program, a Certified Brene Brown Daring Way Facilitator, a Globally licensed member of the International Coaching Federation, and a Certified Global Speaker through The National Speaker Association.  Listen to this episode and learn from Julie as she teaches you how to tailor your communication to meet people where they are. You'll also learn how to apply techniques to help you refine your big idea and voice it with confidence, authenticity, and influence.   The Agenda for Today's Episode:  What exactly is an authentic, confident voice?   PrinciplesYou Assessment overview and how it informs workplace communication.  How to overcome presentation anxiety.  Presentation tips and best practices.  How Julie's public speaking and presenting experience has impacted her career.  How to leverage LinkedIn to amplify your authentic, confident voice and build a brand that drives your career.   Connect with Julie Johnson  Julie Johnson on LinkedIn  Career Advancement Report Coming December 13th!  For the first time ever, Finka Jerkovic is publishing her first Finka Inc. Career Advancement Report, informing you about what to focus on in 2025 to rise and shine at work. Join her Find Your Brilliance community newsletter and get a copy delivered right to your inbox as soon as it's released.  [Sign Up for Release Day Delivery] 

Many people face the challenge of a job transition, whether it be from a reorganization or their own choice. When it comes your time to move into a new industry, role, or company, how can you ensure you approach the process the right way and acquire a job that's aligned with your Brilliant Difference?  Jeff Brown has the answers. Jeff has been through several job transitions and Edge Moves in his career. Born and raised in Toronto, his love for the city drives his work. His experience in human resources and operations was honed on Bay Street, leading transformational real estate projects in banking. This then led him to join The Heaps Estrin Team Real Estate Team, Royal LePage's #1 Residential Brokerage in Canada for the past five years.  Jeff's focus on developing and growing teams is a hallmark of his leadership.  From entering banking during a financial crisis in 2009 to working in travel and hospitality when COVID-19 hit, Jeff shares his stories about not only how he successfully transitioned jobs, but the resilience he developed during times of adversity. He expands on honing his Brilliant Difference and transferrable skills and offers three strategies you can apply when thinking about making a job change.   The Agenda for Today's Episode:  02:25 — Career Transition 1: From Banking to Hospitality  12:18 — Cultural Shifts in New Work Environments  18:37 — Crisis Management During the Pandemic  23:23 — Career Transition 2: Embracing New Opportunities in Real Estate  25:12 — Navigating Job Descriptions and Interviews: 3 Strategies  31:48 — Embracing Change and Risk in Career Moves  36:47 — Reaching Out and Building Connections  39:57 — Jeff's Current Endeavors and Future Plans  Connect With Jeff Brown  Jeff Brown on LinkedIn  Share Your Voice, Forge a Brilliant Workplace  I'm on a mission to build a brilliant workplace where everyone thrives and career dreams turn into reality, but I need your help! Fill out a quick anonymous, 7-minute survey to contribute to my first-ever Career Advancement Report (coming end of year). Share what's top of mind for you at work and inform a resource that will help you rise and shine at work in 2025.  [Access Your Survey] 

‘Tis the season for performance reviews. I can picture it from my corporate days, gathering questions and scheduling meetings to have performance discussions with my employees. But with that comes nerves, excitement, worry, doubt. So how can managers prime the environment to ensure a safe and productive conversation happens for both parties?  Psychotherapist of 40 years and author, Steven Kessler, will teach you how by applying the five personality patterns. Kessler is the author of two books: The 5 Personality Patterns and How to Have Better Relationships. In his first novel, Kessler explains the five personality patterns: Leaving, Merging, Enduring, Aggressive, and Rigid. They don't depict who you are, but rather what you do. They're safety strategies we lean on. In his second novel, he explains how these safety strategies and patterns can impact relationships.   Specifically, in this Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode, we'll be diving into how these patterns can impact a manager's performance review conversation with an employee. We walk you through a workplace scenario and give managers tips on how to detect their employees' personality patterns, as well as how to handle them.   The Agenda for Today's Episode:  00:00 — An Introduction to the 5 Personality Patterns  03:03 — Understanding Safety Strategies and Personality Development  05:58 — Exploring the Leaving Pattern  09:04 — The Merging Pattern Explained  11:51 — The Enduring Pattern and Its Implications  14:51 — The Aggressive Pattern and Its Dynamics  17:56 — The Rigid Pattern and Its Characteristics  21:06 — Self-Awareness and Patterns in Relationships  24:03 — Utilizing Patterns as Gifts in Professional Settings  26:51 — Navigating Difficult Conversations in the Workplace  32:41 — The Power of Connection and Feedback  39:03 — Understanding Different Patterns in Communication  46:45 — Managing Energy in Interactions  55:11 — Grounding Techniques for Different Patterns  01:03:02 — The Importance of Presence in Life  Previous Episode with Steven Kessler  Episode 136: Exploring the 5 Personality Patterns with Steven Kessler  Connect With Steven Kessler  https://the5personalitypatterns.com/   Share Your Voice, Forge a Brilliant Workplace  I'm on a mission to build a brilliant workplace where everyone thrives and career dreams turn into reality, but I need your help! Fill out a quick anonymous, 7-minute survey to contribute to my first-ever Career Advancement Report (coming end of year). Share what's top of mind for you at work and inform a resource that will help you rise and shine at work in 2025.  [Access Your Survey] 

Regardless of gender, everyone brings a mixture of feminine or masculine energy. Some people lean on one more than the other. Masculine energy is described as “doing” and acting based on logic, knowledge, results, and reason. On the flip side, feminine energy is defined as “being,” acting based on intuition and emotions. Words that often describe masculine energy include confrontation, aggression, and control, whereas words related to feminine energy include oversensitive and co-dependant. So, you can see how these energies aren't actually tied to a gender—a woman can be aggressive and a man can sensitive. Neither of these energies are wrong. In fact, there are several benefits to both. But it's about finding a balance at work.  In episode 180 of the Your Brilliant Difference Podcast, Finka shares a personal workplace story where, during a particular situation, there was a dominance in masculine energy and how leaning on her feminine energy as a Brilliant Difference created a meaningful change her workplace needed. Suddenly, people were more comfortable, had open communication, and shared their vulnerabilities, building trust and strong relationships.  Remember, both energies are good, but consider: which should you bring at work? Apply this to situations as you experience them.   Share Your Voice, Forge a Brilliant Workplace  I'm on a mission to build a brilliant workplace where everyone thrives and career dreams turn into reality, but I need your help! Fill out a quick anonymous, 7-minute survey to contribute to my first-ever Career Advancement Report (coming end of year). Share what's top of mind for you at work and inform a resource that will help you rise and shine at work in 2025.  [Access Your Survey] 

With different personalities, professional and personal backgrounds, and communication preferences, you're bound to experience conflicting conversations at work.  So, how can you handle situations where you don't see eye-to-eye with someone, in a way that supports your career growth and relationship progression? Through the Simpatico Communication Method.  Who better to talk about the Simpatico Communication Method than Arnie Buss, its co-founder. Arnie is also a Research Associate Professor, a relationship coach, and the co-author of Hear Here: Engaging With Our Aware, Loving Heart. He is passionate about communication and how it impacts workplace relationships.   In this Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode, you'll learn about what the Simpatico Communication Method is, how to apply it, and how to become a stronger communicator to rise in your career, even when you don't necessarily agree with people.   The Agenda for Today's Episode:  02:38 — Arnie's Journey in Academia and Military Education  06:22 — The Concept of Vocation in Career Choices  09:09 — Finding Purpose in Corporate Work  11:22 — Communication Dynamics in Military Leadership  20:27 — How Hear Here Came to Be  26:44 — The Power of Empathetic Communication  27:34 — Simple vs. Ease in Communication  29:02 — The Role of the Sender and Receiver  30:32 — Requesting Change: Language to Use  35:25 — Energy Matching in Communication  44:12 — Transforming Conflict into Connection  Connect With Arnie Buss  Arnie Buss on LinkedIn  No More Arguments Report  Share Your Voice, Forge a Brilliant Workplace  I'm on a mission to build a brilliant workplace where everyone thrives and career dreams turn into reality, but I need your help! Fill out a quick anonymous, 7-minute survey to contribute to my first-ever Career Advancement Report (coming end of year). Share what's top of mind for you at work and inform a resource that will help you rise and shine at work in 2025.  [Access Your Survey] 

For four years, you work through four levels of high school. With each new grade, you get more specific about who you are and what you want to do with the rest of your life. You graduate and choose a profession, dedicating another 2-4+ years to learning and growing. Then you graduate again, but this time into the workforce, without a roadmap to help you know how to make it all work and traverse to the destinations you desire.  They don't teach you how to advance in your career in school but feeling inspired after coming back from a client event, I'm sharing with you four strategies that will make your journey clearer and more successful.  They key is using your Brilliant Difference brand, a personal branding method that flips the script from “me” to “we” so you can focus on how you make a difference, a meaningful impact, in the world.   In episode 178 of the Your Brilliant Difference Podcast, here are the four strategies I discuss:   1. Give yourself permission to shine.  2. Invite others to shine with you.  3. Bring your whole self.  4. Make it personal.  What do these mean and how can you apply these career advancement strategies to get noticed and rise along the corporate ladder? Tune in! I even share real-time workplace stories embodying each strategy in action.     The Agenda for Today:  01:30 — Leadership Development Program: The Inspiration Behind the Episode  08:33 — What is Your Brilliant Difference?  08:49 — Strategy 1: Give Yourself Permission to Shine  12:27: — Strategy 2: Invite Others to Shine With You  16:33 — Strategy 3: Bring Your Whole Self  21:15 — Strategy 4: Make It Personal    Want More Support in Elevating Your Personal Brand to Achieve Your Desired Career Results? Join the Your Brilliant Difference Bootcamp Waitlist!  Your Brilliant Difference Bootcamp is a cutting-edge program for corporate professionals, like yourself. Within this program, you'll discover how to excel in your career and leadership by learning and applying a personal branding method that actually works: Your Brilliant Difference.     Through course materials, coaching, and community, you'll uncover exactly what your Brilliant Difference is and how to leverage your personal brand at work to get promoted and noticed.     [Join the Waitlist]     

The workplace is constantly evolving. In 2020, remote work was the norm. Shortly after, hybrid settings took over, and now full-time in-office may be the status quo once more. Artificial intelligence is starting to take over certain jobs in specific industries. People are no longer just tired—they're burnt out. These are just some of the challenges standing in your way of advancing in your career.   But don't worry. In this Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode, you'll learn exactly what the top 5 current career barriers are and how to overcome them to reach success. When you're done listening, you'll know exactly what you need to do to harness your personal brand (Brilliant Difference) to get noticed and promoted and shine in your work.  The Agenda for Today's Episode:  00:00 — Embracing Your Brilliant Difference  03:10 — Identifying Career Barriers  05:53 — The Impact of Burnout and Disengagement  09:04 — Navigating Remote and Hybrid Workplaces  11:56 — The Importance of Digital Presence  14:45 — Understanding the Role of AI  18:13 — The Need for Continuous Skill Upgrades  28:41 — Essential Skills for Career Advancement  31:27 — The Importance of Personal Branding  36:47 — Building Your Brilliant Difference Brand  46:39 — Transformative Personal Branding Success Stories  51:12 — The Path to Career Growth and Leadership  Want More Support in Elevating Your Personal Brand to Achieve Your Desired Career Results? Join the Your Brilliant Difference Bootcamp Waitlist!  Your Brilliant Difference Bootcamp is a cutting-edge program for corporate professionals, like yourself. Within this program, you'll discover how to excel in your career and leadership by learning and applying a personal branding method that actually works: Your Brilliant Difference. Through course materials, coaching, and community, you'll uncover exactly what your Brilliant Difference is and how to leverage your personal brand at work to get promoted and noticed.     [Join the Waitlist] 

You have ambitious career goals, and you deserve to achieve them. But let's face it. Getting there and making them happen is easier said than done. Thanks imposter syndrome and self-doubt, to name a few.   But in this Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode, Kisha Wynter, Founder of Wynter Rich Enterprises and Author of debut novel, Your Power Unleashed: How Savvy Women Use Courage to Get Promoted, Get Paid, and Find Fulfillment, teaches you her famous DIVA method and how it can help you get promoted and noticed at work, despite doubt and uncertainty.   Wynter Rich Enterprises is a boutique leadership consulting firm where Kisha helps mission-driven companies create healthy coaching cultures where all talent thrives regardless of background. A leadership consultant, executive coach, author, and speaker, she's a trailblazer in women's leadership strategy. She has over two decades of corporate experience with a track record of developing and training leaders in over 50 countries.   How lucky are you to be exposed to 2 decades of leadership consulting and executive coaching expertise? Kisha talks about the mindset blocks she's experienced in her own career, and how her method and coaching can help you break through those blocks too, to finally own your power and make your career dreams a reality.  Here's What We'll Be Talking About Today:  00:00 — Unlocking Your Power and Potential  02:32 — The Journey to Authorship  06:47 — Overcoming Doubts and Embracing the Writer Within  12:59 — The Writing Process: From Inspiration to Publication  18:20 — Navigating Feedback and Building Resilience  25:46 — Core Themes of the Novel, Your Power Unleashed  30:36 — The DIVA Method Overview  39:33 — Investing in Yourself: The Key to Growth  41:55 — Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers  Connect With Kisha Wynter  Kisha Wynter on LinkedIn  Your Power Unleashed Website  Find Your Brilliance Beyond the Podcast  Diving into and honing your Brilliant Difference (personal brand) is a constant work in progress. While this episode is a great start, there's more content to help support you on your career journey: Finka Jerkovic's Find Your Brilliance Newsletter.  Once per week, get a fresh content round up delivered right to your inbox with insight, stories, and collaborative expertise to help you rise and shine in your career.  [Subscribe to Rise and Shine in Your Career]  

There are two important concepts that make the workplace sphere go round: emotional intelligence (EQ) and giving back to the upcoming generations to ensure their success in our footsteps. But how can you lead those younger than you and embed emotional intelligence to create a safe, thriving environment?  Khristian Jones will teach you how. As the Co-Founder of the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship and an Interiors Engineer at United Airlines, she's passionate about diversifying the aerospace industry and opening space for all people. Through the fellowship, she leads and guides students in the aerospace field to ensure they have the most stress-free, successful career pathways from entering post-secondary, to graduating, to entering the field.   While Khristian's perspective brings a unique STEM twist to the Your Brilliant Difference Podcast, the concepts and tips can be applied throughout many industries. Tune in to see how you can level up your leadership through EQ and mentoring younger generations.  Here's What We'll Be Talking About Today:  01:23 — Khristian's Career Journey in STEM  06:32 — The Patty Grace Smith Fellowship: Empowering People in Aerospace  12:20 — Outcomes of the Fellowship and Giving Back to Youth  17:22 — The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Aerospace  21:40 — Challenges in the Aerospace Industry  26:14 — The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership  31:43 — Tips for Increasing Proficiency in Emotional Intelligence  Connect With Khristian Jones  Khristian Jones on LinkedIn  Register for Personal Branding Keynote  In this Keynote presentation, Finka Jerkovic will teach you exactly how to use the Your Brilliant Difference Method to uncover your personal brand, so you can understand how you're uniquely wired to add value to the workplace, helping you stand out and get noticed.  REGISTER HERE.   

We live in a world where we're constantly off to the races. Off to the next project. Off to the next meeting. Off to the next social media post. Off to the next promotion. But when was the last time you slowed down and took a beat? You probably can't recall, right? You're not alone, but continuing this way can make it harder to overcome workplace and personal stress, preventing you from excelling in your career.  In this week's Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode, you'll learn the tools to turn things around from stressful to blissful from the Founder of Zen Rabbit, Lori Saitz.   As the founder of the Zen Leadership Program for results-focused professionals, she is a leading authority on improving productivity and engagement through workplace well-being. With a comprehensive background in wellness and communication strategies, Lori helps executives create focused, resilient, and collaborative teams that can move projects forward with less stress and drama. You can listen to Lori on her own podcast too, Fine is a 4-Letter Word, where she engages guests in conversations about how they've grown from a time in their lives when things were decidedly NOT fine.  We're constantly a work in progress (our career journeys and personal brands), which means we need to navigate through all the situations, good or bad. Tune into this podcast episode to help you swap workplace stress for wellness, so you can rise in your career.     Here's What We'll Be Talking About Today:  00:00 — An Introduction to Workplace Well-being  02:59 — The Power of Authentic Communication  09:09 — The Evolution of Zen Rabbit  15:05 — The Interplay of Well-being and Communication  17:57 — Our Individual Responsibility in Well-being  20:53 — Meditation: A Tool for Focus and Clarity  27:01 — The Importance of Taking Breaks  29:52 — How to Live a Sabbatical Life and Find Balance    Mentioned Resources:  Staying Calm in Chaos (digital audio program)    Connect With Lori Saitz  Lori Saitz on LinkedIn    Register for Personal Branding Keynote  In this Keynote presentation, Finka Jerkovic will teach you exactly how to use the Your Brilliant Difference Method to uncover your personal brand, so you can understand how you're uniquely wired to add value to the workplace, helping you stand out and get noticed.  REGISTER HERE.    Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest  Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch! 

Standing out and embracing your differences isn't easy, but it's one of the most beneficial and fulfilling things that can help you grow personally and professionally within your career.   Facing her fair share of obstacles and triumphs, Louise Taylor, Founder of FireflyEffect and the Collaborative Author of All Out Impact, explains how she's persevered to live out her authentic impact despite career adversity.   Louise is a passionate, discerning expert with over 20 years of experience as a corporate brand and marketing executive, leader, and entrepreneur. With a keen eye for what makes each business truly special, Louise delves deep into the hearts of brands and goals of businesses, illuminating new insights, developing sound strategies, and empowering eager teams. As a Fascinate Certified Advisor, she's honed her skills to not only identify but also amplify the inherent brilliance of individual businesses, ensuring it resonates with and captivates their desired audience.  In this Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode, Louise explains how being let go from her corporate role was her golden ticket to embracing her most authentic self and designing a career that aligns with her identity.   Tune in to learn how you can bring your most authentic self to work too!  Here's What We'll Be Talking About Today:  00:00 — A Journey of Self-Discovery  12:29 — Navigating Career Transitions: Finding Support and Clarity  17:18 — The Power of Authenticity: Embracing Vulnerability  28:45 — Collaborative Impact: The All Out Impact Experience  38:17 — Creating a Legacy: The Importance of Authentic Impact  Mentioned Resources:  All Out Impact: The Actionable Advice of 23 Entrepreneurs on a Mission to Empower Others to Live All-Out, Impactful Lives  “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” — Dr. Suess  Connect With Louise Taylor  Louise Taylor on LinkedIn  Register for Personal Branding Keynote  In this Keynote presentation, Finka Jerkovic will teach you exactly how to use the Your Brilliant Difference Method to uncover your personal brand, so you can understand how you're uniquely wired to add value to the workplace, helping you stand out and get noticed.  REGISTER HERE.  Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest  Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch! 

Unicorn isn't just a mythical creature; it's an acronym for the elements of powerful leadership. Picture yourself in a career where you're scared to try new things, but you do them anyway. Imagine having the confidence to bet on yourself to take you to new milestones and meaningful impacts. Envision purposeful work where you get to practice empathy and show up as your authentic self. You can do all of this and more with UNICORN leadership.   Meet the creator of this term, Founder of Lighthouse Leadership Consultants, and author of UNICORN Leader, Kristi Straw. She's a strategist by mind, a rebel by heart, and a UNICORN by spirit. Known for blending compassion with audacity, Kristi doesn't just walk the talk; she dances it, leading change with a flair that's as bold and brazen as her leadership style. Hold onto your seats, because with Kristi at the helm, you're in for a whirlwind journey of transformation, disruption, and outright leadership revolution!  Yes, being a unicorn is about standing out, but in Kristi's vision, it's an acronym for 6 elements of leadership that can help you show up more boldly in your career. Find out what they are and how you can use them by tuning into this Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode.  Here's What We'll Be Talking About Today:  03:59 — The Essence of a Unicorn Leader  08:57 — Elements of Unicorn Leadership  14:12 — Navigating Career Transitions  19:00 — The Impact Legacy Lab  23:01 — UNICORN Leader Book Recommendation   26:59 — The Power of Personal Branding  Mentioned Resources:  UNICORN Leader: Driving Innovation and Influence in the Modern Workplace by Kristi Straw  Unicorn Leader Impact Assessment  Untamed by Glennon Doyle  Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD  Connect With Kristi Straw  Kristi Straw on LinkedIn  Register for Personal Branding Keynote  In this Keynote presentation, Finka Jerkovic will teach you exactly how to use the Your Brilliant Difference Method to uncover your personal brand, so you can understand how you're uniquely wired to add value to the workplace, helping you stand out and get noticed.  REGISTER HERE.   Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest  Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch!   

Teamwork makes the dream work. I know it's an overused saying, but I love it because it's so true. When we open our horizons, especially in our careers, and collaborate with people of different ages, backgrounds, and experiences, that's when we make the dream work. That's when we reach new milestones and hit new goals. Collaborating with others pushes us and tests us, so that we can develop and grow in ways we never thought possible.   One of the best ways to collaborate and make your dream work in your career is through mentor/mentee relationships, which Kellan Brown, Executive Director of the FinServ Foundation and Founder of her own consulting firm, highlights in today's Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode.   Mentorship and mentee relationships have played a starring role in Kellan's successful career journey to date. She has worked in various leadership roles including being a Chief Growth Officer at Income Lab, the Senior Vice President at Finance of America Reverse, and the Vice President/Chief Growth Officer at PrimeCo. She is considered a subject matter expert for implementing mentorship programs in firms and non-profits, and currently is the Executive Director of Mentorship for the FinServ Foundation where their mission is to empower the next generation of financial professionals through coaching, mentorship, and community.  An ambassador for mentorship, Kellan tells you all about how mentorship can impact and enhance your career, and how you can go about approaching these types of relationships.   Here's What We'll Be Talking About Today:  00:00 — Kellan Brown Introduction  04:04 — A Day in the Life as the Executive Director at FinServe Foundation  06:16 — The Journey to Mentorship and the Importance of Giving Back  15:13 — Defining Mentorship and Different Mentor Styles  17:28 — Finding and Choosing a Mentor  19:03 — Implementing Mentorship Programs  21:45 — The Impact of Mentorship on Career Growth  23:04 — Creating a Culture of Promotion and Talent Succession  25:30 — The Fulfillment of Mentoring  28:27 — The Importance of Diversity in Mentorship Programs  29:58  — The Power of Informal Mentorship Relationships  Mentioned Resources:  Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy by Mo Gawdat  The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma  Connect With Kellan Brown  Kellan Brown on LinkedIn  Register for Personal Branding Keynote In this Keynote presentation, Finka Jerkovic will teach you exactly how to use the Your Brilliant Difference Method to uncover your personal brand, so you can understand how you're uniquely wired to add value to the workplace, helping you stand out and get noticed. REGISTER HERE. Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest  Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch!   

Have you heard the saying, there are two things you can never escape from in life: death and taxes? Well, there's also something that's inescapable in your career, whether you work in corporate or are an entrepreneur: setbacks. Obstacles. Challenges. Scenarios that will bring you down and try to keep you there. But you can't because you have a Brilliant Difference to share, a team to support, and clients to work with!  With some setbacks being more difficult than others, it can feel next to impossible to pull yourself out of the trenches, but in this week's Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode, Kerry-Ann Powell teaches you how.   Kerry-Ann is a globally recognized business strategist, speaker, and champion of small- and medium-sized businesses. Her varied experience of over 20 years as a Washington, DC attorney, lobbyist, and fundraiser positions her as an authority of what it takes to strategically succeed while confronting difficult obstacles. After raising $120 million to build the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, she launched her business strategy consulting firm, Trafalgar Strategies. She and her team advise business owners from various industries and countries on creating the strategies, systems, and mindsets to thrive in business and in life.   Get comfy in your office or favourite spot in your house, replenish your drink, and listen as Kerry-Ann shares her own business setback story and the exercises and tactics she applied to continue moving forward to success.   Here's What We'll Be Talking About Today:  00:00 — Introduction and Background of Kerry-Ann Powell  04:23 — Personal Setbacks and Overcoming Toxic Shame  11:17 — The Importance of Identifying Root Causes and Processing  19:05 — Somatic Practices for Regulating the Nervous System  26:43 — The Importance of Regulating Emotions to Make Better Decisions  30:13 — Transparent Communication: Kerry-Ann's Brilliant Difference  39:29 — Faith as a Guide for Honest and Aligned Leadership  44:28 — Reflecting on Your Brilliance to Navigate Challenges  Mentioned Resources:  Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving  The 8 True Culprits That are Causing Chaos in Your Business  Connect With Kerry-Ann Powell  Kerry-Ann Powell on LinkedIn   Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest  Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch! 

As a corporate professional, no matter the industry, it can be easy to fall into default mode: doing things because they were asked of you or taking new opportunities and promotions because it's what you're supposed to do next, it's the next rung on your career ladder. But have you stopped to think about what actually matters to you, what your expertise is, and how you want to apply that in your career?  In episode 169 of the Your Brilliant Difference Podcast, Founder of Jessica Lackey Consulting, Jessica Lackey, offers guidance to help you answer this question and design a career where you're owning and flourishing in your expertise.   Once working in corporate and now transitioned to entrepreneurship, Jessica knows a thing or two about owning her expertise, as well as helping others do the same. She is a strategy and operations advisor who blends business strategy, practical application, and a human-centric approach to create sustainable businesses. With a background in corporate leadership, McKinsey & Company consulting, and a Harvard Business degree, Jessica knows a thing or two about hustle culture and what it feels like to judge success by the bottom line… at all costs. Now, she combines her deep experience in consulting, Fortune 500 operations leadership, and coaching to help businesses grow without sacrificing the well-being of their clients, team, and community.  Here's What We'll Be Talking About Today:  00:00 — A Background on Jessica Lackey  07:25 — Recognizing the Need for Change in Corporate Environments  13:10 — Transitioning to a New Job and Discovering Your Brilliant Difference™  19:17 — Importance of Owning Your Expertise  30:28 — Advice for Navigating Career Ups and Downs  39:35 — Connect with Jessica Lackey  Connect with Jessica Lackey  Jessica Lackey on LinkedIn  Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest  Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch! 

When we don't like something or something isn't serving us, what do we usually do? Get rid of it! But what if that “something” is your job. Should you get rid of it and find something else? While every situation is different and there's a time and a place for exiting your current position, I want you to consider these three things before job hopping:  Have you thought about where you want to go?  Have you upskilled and grown to your full capacity in your current role?  Have you attempted to solve issues that could move your business and career forward?  So, at times when you bask in the unhappiness that can come with your job and you ask yourself, “Should I job hop?”, I want you to first follow the three strategies I outline in this episode.   What to Expect  00:00 — Feeling Stuck in a Job You Don't Love  07:32 — The Pitfalls of Job Hopping  08:21 — Strategy 1: Don't Run, Be Present  09:56 — Strategy 2: Upskill  11:45 — Strategy 3: Become a Problem-Solver    Get a New Episode Delivered Right to Your Inbox Every Thursday  I've made staying in the loop of content that will help you accelerate in your career easy. Every Thursday, I send my Find Your Brilliant Newsletter to courageous leaders and go-getters, where they can listen to new podcast episodes and read new blogs that help them navigate the next level of their careers. All content is created and collaborated by yours truly. Subscribe HERE. 

You did it. You're committing to making a leap from your comfort zone. You're making an Edge Move! Maybe you're proposing a new project at work or applying for a new position within your company. Maybe you're taking the lead on a campaign or managing a client meeting. But as you execute your Edge Move, implementing new action by new action to get there, the voice of doubt, fear, and uncertainty consume you. “I can't do this.” “I've never done this before.” “I can't fail.” Dialogue along these lines are self-limiting beliefs: assumptions we have about ourselves and our work. And if you listen to them, they can hold you back in your comfort zone, stopping you from accomplishing your goals.  I'm going through this right now. From July and now into August, I've been preparing and creating a client presentation that's has undoubtedly left my knickers in a knot. I was excited when signing the contract, and now I'm full of second guesses and worry. After using three tactics that I'm going to share with you today, I was able to uncover and face my self-limiting beliefs, not letting them get in the way of me rocking this keynote presentation.   The three tactics include:  Feeling the squirm.   Reflecting on your emotions and finding the source.  Considering the passengers in your vehicle.  What do these tactics mean and how can you apply them? Tune in to the newest Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode to find out.   What to Expect   00:00 — Introduction: Self-Sabotage and Stepping Outside of Your Comfort Zone  02:41 — Feeling and Navigating Internal Struggles  09:01 — The Power of Reflection and Contemplation  17:26 — Uncovering Different Versions of Self  33:49 — Taking Control of the Wheel: Trusting Yourself for Desired Outcomes  Get a New Episode Delivered Right to Your Inbox Every Thursday  I've made staying in the loop of content that will help you accelerate in your career easy. Every Thursday, I send my Find Your Brilliant Newsletter to courageous leaders and go-getters, where they can listen to new podcast episodes and read new blogs that help them navigate the next level of their careers. All content is created and collaborated by yours truly. Subscribe HERE.   

You can gather a lot of inspiration in the world from TV, social media, websites, and articles. The list goes on and on. But recently the Paris 2024 Olympics caught my eye, or rather a particular athlete who I believe embodies Your Brilliant Difference to a T.  You might have heard her name and know her as a prominent and talented gymnast on team USA: Simone Biles.   Consuming media coverage from this year's Olympics and sifting through stories about her past performance experiences, I've gathered three lessons from her brand and impact that will help you live out your Brilliant Difference and live your life, both professionally and personally, to the fullest.   What to Expect   00:00 — Inspiration From Simone Biles  03:23 — Lesson 1: Own Your Unique Brilliance  07:10 — Lesson 2: Take Care of Your Brilliant Difference  14:17 — Lesson 3: Celebrate Your Wins  17:01 — Career Growth Invitation  Get a New Episode Delivered Right to Your Inbox Every Thursday  I've made staying in the loop of content that will help you accelerate in your career easy. Every Thursday, I send my Find Your Brilliance Newsletter to courageous leaders and go-getters, where they can listen to new podcast episodes and read new blogs that help them navigate the next level of their careers. All content is created and collaborated by yours truly. Subscribe HERE.  

Leadership is built on conversations. To move the needle, your voice needs to be heard, as do the voices of your team. But let's face the elephant in the room: not all conversations will be easy. Some will be difficult. Some will be polarizing. Some will consist of conflicting ideas and opinions. So how do you make a positive impact despite (and being inclusive of) diverse views?  Who better to answer this question than Karen Jones, Founder and President of Sacred Leadership Solutions. She's also the Vice President of Learning and Partner Solutions at NextUp. To say that she's done profound work is an understatement. With 15+ years of experience in leadership development, talent management, and process improvement, Karen is seasoned in handling polarizing environments and helping leaders navigate difficult conversations. Working with Fortune 500 companies like American Express and Ulta Beauty, she implements human capital strategies that produce desired and sustained outcomes. She specializes in designing emotionally safe discussion environments and has extensive experience in delivering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) strategies.   In her Your Brilliant Difference Podcast interview, Karen discloses the main cause for people avoiding difficult conversations at work—relationship erosion.  But Karen pulls back the curtain and shares how approaching polarizing conversations with “Speaking From Centre” can be beneficial and productive for organizations.   Tune in to learn how to have difficult conversations at work that produce productive, meaningful outcomes.   Here's What We'll Be Talking About Today:  00:00 — An Introduction to Karen Jones  03:00 — The Importance of Navigating Difficult Conversations in a Polarizing World  10:18 — Practical Tools for Productive Conversations  20:49 — The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Conversations  30:33 — Leadership Words of Wisdom: How to Be Distinctive   37:59 — Karen Jones' Brilliant Difference  Connect with Karen Jones  Karen Jones on LinkedIn  Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest  Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch! 

While prepping for an upcoming keynote presentation and reading the book, From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks, it felt like the perfect time to open the can of worms that can help you make the most out of your work:  How to turn your career into a calling.   There are two stages in your career: the first half and the second half. Or what I like to name as career and calling.   The first half consists of your career. In the book, Brooks explains that this is when you use your fluid intelligence, your knowledge and hard work to innovate and solve problems. The second half, if the transition is made right, consists of your calling. In this half, Brooks says we shift into crystalized intelligence, meaning we pull from our wisdom library not to answer “what?” but rather “why?” In this half, we search for more purpose and fulfillment.  But how can you tell which stage you're in, and how can you successfully transition so that you can leave your career with success and meaning?   You can find the answers in this Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode!   What to Expect  00:00 — Feeling Stuck in Your Career  02:46 — Navigating the Two Stages of Your Career  11:24 — The Role of Fluid Intelligence and Crystallized Intelligence  13:05 — Transforming Your Work into a Calling  14:28 — Examples of Career to Calling Transitions  23:22 — Finding Meaning and Fulfillment in Your Work  Get a New Episode Delivered Right to Your Inbox Every Thursday  I've made staying in the loop of content that will help you accelerate in your career easy. Every Thursday, I send my Find Your Brilliant Newsletter to courageous leaders and go-getters, where they can listen to new podcast episodes and read new blogs that help them navigate the next level of their careers. All content is created and collaborated by yours truly. Subscribe HERE and excel in your career.  

It's not news that the workplace is constantly changing: COVID-19 speared hybrid and remote work setups, AI is shifting skillsets and priorities. It's not news that leaders and managers need to keep a pulse on these changes to best support their people and company. But something that is new that may be missed among other shifts is the fact that four generations now make up the workforce: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Z, and Millennials.   Who better to tell us why it's important to invest in generational talent and leadership now, than Kate Healy, the CEO and Founder, AdvoKate IQ, LLC. Through her consultancy firm, Kate works with companies to create wealth management growth strategies, so they can take advantage of demographic changes affecting workforce and client acquisition. With over three decades of guiding financial services leaders, she's become widely recognized for her expertise in marketing, leadership, and talent development. In 2018, Wealthmanagement.com named her on the “Ten to Watch” list, and in 2016, Investment Advisor magazine named her as one of the industry's 25 most influential people.  Here's What We'll Be Talking About Today:  05:26 — How to Decide to Make the Leap  08:05 — The Importance of Leadership and Career Ownership  13:24 — Navigating Generational Differences in Financial Planning  19:22 — Next-Gen Talent: Attracting, Developing, and Retaining  23:14 — Continuous Learning and Development in Your Career  27:17 — Understanding Generational Differences  29:12 — Saying Yes to New Opportunities  32:00 — Navigating a Non-Linear Career Path  33:26 — Taking Responsibility for Your Career  36:23 — The Power of Curiosity and Connections  41:44 — Reflecting and Making Intentional Choices  45:49 — Investing in Continuous Development  47:18 — Building Relationships and Being a Connector  Connect With Kate Healy  Kate Healy on LinkedIn  Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest  Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch!     

From imposter syndrome, to comfort zones, to defining your authentic voice and getting people to hear and recognize it, winning at work can be challenging. But if you're eager to advance your talent, try new things, and are ready to make the next move in, then you'll want to tune in to this Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast episode featuring Kisha Wynter.   In episode 162, based on her own experiences, background, findings, and revelations that have helped her excel in her own career, Kisha teaches you exactly what it takes to win in your work. The founder of Wynter Rich Enterprises, a boutique Leadership Consulting Firm, Kisha helps mission-driven companies create healthy coaching cultures where all talent thrives regardless of background. She is also the author of the upcoming book Your Power Unleashed: How Savvy Women Use Courage to Get Promoted, Get Paid and Find Fulfillment. Tune in now to uncover the elements that can help you win at work and grow in your leadership.   What to Expect  ● How to know when you should make the leap.   ● 2 prominent challenges people face in the workplace: imposter syndrome and the confidence gap. ● How to overcome imposter syndrome and develop strategies to boost confidence.   ● The importance of owning your authentic leadership style. ● The power of resilience and support systems when growing in your career.   Chapters 00:00 — Introduction and Overview 03:47 — Kisha's Journey from Corporate to Entrepreneurship 09:38 —  Knowing When to Make the Leap 24:36 — The Importance of Coaching and Mentorship 26:13 — Creating a Culture of Inclusion in Organizations 26:37 — Embracing Authentic Leadership 29:17 — Overcoming Challenges and Growth 37:03 — The Power of Curiosity and Creating a Safe Space 41:01 — Building a Support System and Community Connect With Kisha Wynter  ● Kisha Wynter on LinkedIn ● Your Power Unleashed Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch!  

The most prominent challenge teams and leaders face in today's workplace? Communication. (Listen to the episode to get all the juicy statistics.) Whether you want to bring out the best in your team, collaborate to achieve ambitious goals, or you want to elevate your current talent, it all comes down to communication and having a cohesive team chemistry.   While it can seem daunting to ensure you and your team work seamlessly, I promise you it's not rocket science.  In this new Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast episode, I unveil 3 elements to help you build high-performing team chemistry. I also provide you with a tool to help your team design a team alliance where everyone's differences are appreciated, and talents are used purposefully.   What to Expect  Top challenges teams face in the modern workplace.  What happens when there isn't cohesive communication and collaboration.   What team chemistry is and how business success relies on it.  The 3 elements that comprise high-performing team chemistry.   What a team alliance is and how it brings teams together.   Chapters  00:00 - Introduction: Team Chemistry and Its Importance  02:43 - Team Challenges of Communication  09:37 - The 3 Elements of Team Chemistry  14:22 - Authenticity: Creating a Safe Environment Where Everyone Can Be Themselves  15:47 – Empathy: Understanding Perspectives and Respecting Differences  21:02 - Purpose: Unifying the Team Towards a Common Goal  26:01- Designing Group Norms With a Team Alliance  Design Your Own Team Alliance  In the episode, you'll learn what a team alliance is and how it can help you and your team at work. But now it's time to design one! Use our free template to develop seamless communication so you and your team can deliver transformative business results. Grab your copy here: finkainc.com/team-alliance  

I won't sugar coat it: Trying new things can be scary. But as leaders and even employees who want to thrive in roles and present a meaningful impact, trying new things is necessary. It means breaking away from your comfort zone, tip-toeing the edge of your newfound potential, and then stretching beyond.   So, how do you do this? How do you use discomfort and challenges as catalysts for upleveling your leadership and career growth?  Through a concept I like to call, Edge Moves™.  What to Expect  Defining Edge Moves™.  Why making Edge Moves™ is so important for growing your leadership and career.  The 3 zones of comfort and how they show up at work.  How FUDGE restrains you in comfort.   4 key benefits of implementing Edge Moves™.  5 ways you can start making Edge Moves™ and soaring in your leadership and career today.   Chapters  00:00 — Introduction   02:20 — The Importance of Edge Moves™  06:45 — Being in FUDGE  11:30 — The Benefits of Making Edge Moves™  18:20 — 5 Ways to Start Making Edge Moves™  Edge Moves™ Playbook: Grab Your Copy!  Want a more in-depth guide to help you understand how you can better implement Edge Moves™ in your career and leadership to transform your impact and performance? Head to finkainc.com/edge-moves-playbook and download our brand-new resource that will help you do just that.  

The mid-year slump can be real. Leaders and employees within companies, you may be feeling exhausted from already conquering tons of meetings, completed tasks, executed projects, etc. You may be wondering, “How can I put extra fuel in my tank to continue my authentic, best performance?”  You can find the answers within this podcast episode. Back in April, I hosted a Workplace Engagement webinar that focused on helping leaders and employees re-engage in their roles, purpose, and mission.  I'm opening that door of insight to give you an inside look at 5 strategies that can help you and your team re-ignite enthusiasm and investment within your company.   What to Expect  Current employee expectations in the workforce.  Top leadership and workplace engagement trends.   What exactly employee engagement is.   What the future of work looks like and how leaders can adapt.   The most prominent workplace engagement challenges.   5 re-engagement strategies you won't find anywhere else.   Chapters  00:00 — Introduction   03:41 — The Power of Individualization and Future Orientation  08:22 — The Impact of Transactional vs. Transformational Management  11:56 — Challenges of Remote and Hybrid Working  14:49 — 5 Strategies to Boost Engagement  24:49 — Individualizing Talent: Leveraging Strengths and Skills  28:02 — Fostering a Strength-Based Bench  32:50 — Creating a Feedback-Rich Culture  39:22 — Connecting Employee and Business Purpose  Watch Other Finka Inc. Webinars  From developing sales skills, to growing thriving businesses, Finka Inc. stays on the pulse to help you show up as your best self at work. Explore our replays HERE and find a topic that fits your learning preferences. 

Talent development, attraction, and retention is more important for companies now than ever before. How can you pour into your people to ensure the next generations thrive and contribute to the business' mission?  Founder and CEO of Stella Secunda (Latin for Next Star), Carina Diamond, exposes all the details in this new Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast episode.    Carina Diamond is a financial services veteran with decades of experience founding, building, and selling businesses and is a champion of women and underserved individuals working in financial services. She's a mentor and role model to numerous college students through a founded a leadership program for graduate student women. She is currently consulting to the trade on fintech, succession, and growth strategies.  Offering her insight and expertise, learn from Carina and discover where leaders should be spending their time and effort in today's work environment.   What to Expect  How Carina helps clients through her business, Stella Secunda.   How Carina's Brilliant Difference™ has shaped and guided her business journey.   How to pull back the layers and find your true zone of brilliance.   The importance of generational talent.  Current generational talent trends.   How leaders can cultivate the best talent from their team, and how employees bring the best out of their own abilities.   Where leaders should be prioritizing their efforts today.   Chapters  00:00 — Introduction   01:33 — About Stella Secunda  02:52 — Carina's Business Journey  04:05 — The Power of Feedback and Finding Your Essence  14:03 — Seeing the World From Abundance  19:19 — The Presence of Leaders and Teams  20:50 — How Leaders and Employees Can Bring Their Best  26:49 — There Are No Small Things  32:40 — Words of Wisdom for Leaders  Connect With Carina Diamond  Carina Diamond on LinkedIn  Stella Secunda  Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest  Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch! 

For episode 157 of the Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast, I'm doing something I haven't done before. Last Tuesday, I had the honour of spotlighting three of my Sell From Love® Coaching clients in my first-ever Sell From Love® Fireside Chat. Each entrepreneur and business leader shared their business growth stories, giving insight into how they've persevered through obstacles using the Sell From Love® Method and their Brilliant Differences™.  If entrepreneurship has been a burning desire in your mind but you're not sure where to start or are worried about what your journey could look like, this episode is perfect for you. Find courage, community, and comfort from three successful business leaders who I'm so honoured to know and work with.   What to Expect  How each business leader carefully designed their business to help clients.  What inspired these business leaders to say “Yes” to entrepreneurship.  The highs and lows of their business journeys, and key lessons they've learned along the way.   How they've continued to evolve and adapt their offers to meet clients where they're at.   How the Sell From Love® Method continues to show up in their business, and how being a Sell From Love® Coaching Member has influenced their business journey to date.   Chapters  00:00 — Introduction   03:45 — The Nuts and Bolts of Business  14:30 — The Big Decision, Leap Moments  28:30 — The Transition to Entrepreneurship   41:51 — Offer Adaption and Evolution  57:49 — Sell From Love® in Action  1:08 — Words of Wisdom   1:16 — The Sell From Love® Coaching Program Details  Connect With Special Sell From Love® Guests and Business Leaders  Kate Bonnycastle (Copywriter and Writing Coach)  Stephanie Edward (Workplace Engagement Facilitator and Consultant)  Jennifer Walker-Gates (Attorney and Leadership Coach)  Learn More About the Sell From Love® Coaching Program  If you're interested in learning more about the structure and pricing of the Sell From Love® Coaching program to see if it's right for you, download your very own program outline.  

How are we already embarking on June? Somehow, two business quarters have flown by. If you feel the same way—like with every blink the end of the year looms closer at a faster pace—then you'll enjoy this episode.  In episode 156, I outline 5 key lessons that I learned in the first half of 2024 that will help make the rest of your year easier and more fulfilling.   Tune in to see what's going on behind the scenes of my business and uncover shortcuts and inspiration nuggets to keep you motivated and performing at your best.   What to Expect  Get an inside look at what's been going on behind the scenes at Finka Inc.  A high-level overview of my wins and low points so far this year.  The top 5 lessons I learned that you can apply to your business and role to help you be your best self at work and in life.  The importance of doing work you love.  How leaving open space in your calendar can help you shine more brilliantly.   Chapters  00:00 — Introduction   04:28 — High Point and Low Point Overview  17:41 — Lesson 1: It's Not Too Late to Start or Restart New Habits  22:24 — Lesson 2: See Your Projects to Fruition  27:02 — Lesson 3: Find Work You Love  31:37 — Lesson 4: Your Brilliant Difference™ Is a Constant Work in Progress  33:52 — Lesson 5: Make Time for Open Space  38:32 — Find Your Brilliance Newsletter  Weekly Content to Help You Be Your Best: Subscribe to the Find Your Brilliance Newsletter  Once per week, the Finka Inc. team carefully creates a newsletter volume comprised of fresh blogs, podcast episodes, and downloadable, fillable resources. Capture knowledge nuggets, find inspiration, and put the learnings into action. Subscribe HERE.   Watch Finka Inc. Webinars From developing sales skills, to growing thriving businesses, to leading engaged teams, Finka Inc. stays on the pulse to help you show up as your best self at work. Explore our replays HERE and find a topic that fits your learning preferences.