Working Gratitude - Real people. Real gratitude at work.

"Start with gratitude." And, "Infuse with gratitude to defuse." In this third episode of season 3 of Working Gratitude, we speak with Kerry Wekelo, COO, Actualize Consulting. Recorded in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, we address gratitude during crisis and conflict. We discuss starting difficult conversations with gratitude and appreciation. Kerry is also the author of "Culture Infusion: 9 Principles to Create and Maintain a Thriving Organizational Culture" and soon to be released "Gratitude Infusion." We discuss using gratitude to "infuse and defuse." Her book and program resulted in Actualize Consulting being named a Top Company Culture by Entrepreneur Magazine, Top Work Place by The Washington Post, and a Great Place to Work. Her educational background includes a double major in Finance/Marketing and an MBA in Information Technology. Kerry has been featured on ABC, NBC, NPR, The New York Times, Thrive Global, SHRM, Inc., and National Mortgage Magazine. More about Kerry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerryelam/ Culture Infusion: http://bit.ly/cultureinfusion Actualize Consulting: http://www.actualizeconsulting.com/ Working Gratitude: http://workinggratitude.com Working Gratitude on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-gratitude/ Darin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rdarinhollingsworth/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkinGratitude/

Author/speaker Mike Robbins has a new book coming out later in April 2020. Who could have known when he completed the book in August 2019 with a publishing date of late Spring 2020 that we would be saying and be hyper aware of the idea that "We Are All In This Together". Mike is a fellow podcaster too with "We Are All In This Together" and among is previous four books, two of my favorites are "Bring Your Whole Self to Work" and "Focus on the Good Stuff." In this episode, recorded on March 30, early in the COVID-19 pandemic we discuss the threads of continuity that run through all of Mike's writing, speaking, coaching and podcasts. Mike is a sincere and authentic human who brings every intention and possibility for authenticity, vulnerability, kindness and compassion. More about Mike's new book "We're All in This Together": https://mike-robbins.com/together/ His podcast: https://mike-robbins.com/podcasts/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrobbins/ More about about Darin and previous Working Gratitude podcasts: https://odonatacoaching.com/working-gratitude LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-gratitude/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OdonataCoaching/

Lauren "LOLO" Pritchard weaves gratitude throughout our conversation as she has her life and career. Currently living in her hometown of Jackson, TN, LOLO has been performing on stage in theatre and as a singer/songwriter since she was very young. From her first publishing deal in 2008 through her 2017 Grammy nomination for collaboration with Panic! At the Disco she is a chart topper. The global hit “High Hopes” achieved #1 on all radio platforms and was the longest running song on Billboard's Rock Chart. She originated the role of Ilse in the 8- time Tony Award winning Broadway musical Spring Awakening, and is the composer and lyricist of the country/folk musical Songbird (book by Michael Kimmel, dir. Gaye Taylor Upchurch.) New music coming to your ears Friday, March 27th!! “I Want It All” will be available on all internet & streaming platforms. Congratulations to Lauren on her marriage to Colton Cobb, Saturday, March 21, 2020 – creatively celebrated with appropriate social distancing and streamed for friends and family online. http://lolomusic.com LOLO – YouTube – “Shine” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9FcMIYatmI LOLO on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weaponforsaturday/ Panic! At The Disco – YouTube - “High Hopes” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPXIgEAGe4U A creative and grateful way to do a wedding amidst social distancing - https://people.com/human-interest/broadway-star-lolo-weekend-wedding-live-streaming-coronavirus-exclusive/

Welcome back to Working Gratitude. This episode is a preview of what we will be sharing with you in Season 3. After nearly 70 episodes of the podcast over the past 2 season, Darin is excited to share more guests who are intentional about bringing gratitude to work every day. Darin also previews some writing that he will be sharing in the coming months as well as a quick overview of one the latest books he has listened to. For more information: info@workinggratitude.com OdonataCoaching.com LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/3a6R70F The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education: http://ccare.stanford.edu/

Chris Murchison is a passionate advocate for positive workplace culture. In his broad career spanning the higher education, for-profit, not-for-profit, and foundation sectors he has focused his energy on developing creative means to build community at work and practices that support an employee experience of deep respect, connection, joy, and generative learning. Video link: Greater Good - Gratitude at Work - Chris Murchison Chris is an independent organizational culture consultant, coach, and advisor—shares how gratitude can be incorporated into different aspects of work life. http://bit.ly/2Ub2FbI Please subscribe to Working Gratitude. Give us your feedback with ratings and reviews and e-mail to info@workinggratitude.com For additional information please visit: https://odonatacoaching.com/

Dr. Tim Seelig, San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, Director & Conductor, is my guest this week. "He is a conductor, singer, teacher and motivational speaker...he continues a busy guest-conducting schedule throughout the U.S. and across the globe...holds four degrees, including the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas and the Diploma from the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria...authored seven books and DVDs...in addition to conducting and writing, he has commissioned choral works for a variety of amazing organizations... amfAR The Foundation for AIDS Research Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation featuring Dr. Maya Angelou and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital featuring Marlo Thomas..." http://www.timseelig.com/ And he is grateful! Please leave us your feedback, ratings and reviews. Visit our website http://www.workinggratitude.com or https://odonatacoaching.com/

Kyle is the Founder, CEO of Be Courageous, the global growth platform helping leaders and organizations create their future today through courageous breakthroughs in culture, strategy and Innovation. He has collectively advised, facilitated, trained and keynoted over 2500+ sessions to more than 500+ brands in over 20+ countries across a broad range of industries and cultures. Apart from helping the growth and transformation in others; Kyle is a performing and recording musician and competes in ironman triathlons. Kyle's band, El Cajon: https://www.elcajonmusic.com/ Be Courageous: https://www.becourageousinnovation.com/ Listen to the end of this week’s episode and post show info for a special offer. For more information or to contact Darin Hollingsworth, please visit: http://www.workinggratitude.com/

Najma Khorrami is the Founder of Gratitude Circle, a new social media empowerment app/platform and tech startup. As a writer, she has contributed to The Huffington Post, Success Magazine, Thrive Global, Sivana East and Layali Webzine. She holds a Master of Public Health in Health Policy from The George Washington University and a Global Health Certificate from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She aims to contribute to self-empowerment for audiences of all ages using the Gratitude Circle app and platform. Najma is also an NASM Certified Personal Trainer helping clients of various ages and backgrounds with their fitness. Visit her website at: www.gratcircle.com & join the Gratitude Circle app today!! Greater Good Magazine article: How Cultural Differences Shape Your Gratitude http://bit.ly/2GQpkVy

Byron Earnheart is the Programming Director for the Barret School of Banking in Memphis, TN and the host of the “Main Street Banking” podcast…the only podcast solely devoted to community banks. He has over 15 years experience in the financial services industry; 11 of which have been in banking in various roles from teller work to branch management. He spends his time playing guitar and singing in Delta Heart (the “house band of the Mississippi Delta”), writing music, cooking, reading, and enduring the University of Tennessee Volunteers athletic seasons. He is married to his wife Kelly of 10 years and has two children, John Aubrey (9) and Mary Laura (5).

In part 2 of our conversation Dr. Paul White we look more closely at his newest book, The Vibrant Workplace: Overcoming the Obstacles to Building a Culture of Appreciation. https://www.appreciationatwork.com/the-vibrant-workplace/ For the past 20 years, Dr. White has improved numerous businesses, non-profit organizations, schools and medical facilities by helping them: * Decrease cynicism and negative communication among employees * Create positive workplace relationships and environments * Reduce the frustration level of managers and supervisors * Raise the level of job satisfaction for both employees and volunteers. * Increase employee engagement, attendance, and productivity. Clients include Microsoft, NASA, L'Oreal, MGM Resorts, The Salvation Army, numerous hospitals, schools, government agencies, and over 700 colleges and universities. Find Part 1 of our conversation with Dr. White at our website: http://workinggratitude.com/ or wherever you listen. We will be taking a week off. Look for our next episode on July 31! Thank you for listening. Please subscribe and give us feedback with your ratings and reviews and share Working Gratitude with friends and colleagues on social media.

Part 1 of 2 - Conversation with Dr. Paul White, author of Rising Above a Toxic Workplace; The Vibrant Workplace; and co-author of The 5 Languages of Appreciation at Work with Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The 5 Love Languages. For the past 20 years, Dr. White has improved numerous businesses, non-profit organizations, schools and medical facilities by helping them: * Decrease cynicism and negative communication among employees * Create positive workplace relationships and environments * Reduce the frustration level of managers and supervisors * Raise the level of job satisfaction for both employees and volunteers. * Increase employee engagement, attendance, and productivity. Clients include Microsoft, NASA, L'Oreal, MGM Resorts, The Salvation Army, numerous hospitals, schools, government agencies, and over 700 colleges and universities. In part 2 of this conversation we will look more closely at Dr. White's newest book, The Vibrant Workplace: Overcoming the Obstacles to Building a Culture of Appreciation. https://www.appreciationatwork.com/the-vibrant-workplace/

As a documentary filmmaker, Joy Ambassador, and speaker, Yasmin Nguyen, travels around the world to discover, share, and inspire joy. During this time of negativity, stress, and suffering in our world, he packed up his car to drive across America and Canada for an 18-month journey to discover, document, and share stories of real people, beautiful places and heart-opening experiences that bring us joy. Yasmin created the Joyful Living Project as a way to reconnect people, ignite positive change, and remind us of all the beauty and good around us. More at https://joyfullivingproject.com/ On Instagram: @JoyfulLivingProject and @joe.joyful Odonata Coaching & Consulting: https://odonatacoaching.com/ Working Gratitude Podcast: http://workinggratitude.com and info@workinggratitude.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OdonataCoaching/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/working-gratitude/

Eric Severson is a 25-year tenured human resources veteran and since 2017 has served as chief people officer for DaVita, a leading provider of kidney care in the U.S., delivering dialysis services across 2,500 facilities with 57,000 teammates. Prior to DaVita, Eric served as the Co-CHRO of Gap Inc. The talent innovations Eric led over 15 years at Gap Inc. include: the largest implementation of the Results Only Work Environment in the world; the first publication of gender pay statistics by a Fortune 500 corporation; and the first performance management system based on mindset psychology and neuroplasticity. In 2014, Eric was appointed to a two-year term on the National Advisory Council on Innovation & Entrepreneurship (NACIE).Eric is a director on the Board of Human Resources People & Strategy (HRPS), the executive arm of the Society of Human Resources Management. Eric is a member of the board of advisors for the University of Colorado (CU Denver) Business School. Eric, holds a BA in English from Penn State and an MA in English from Arizona State. Odonata Coaching & Consulting: https://odonatacoaching.com Working Gratitude Podcast: https://workinggratitude.com and info@workinggratitude.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/OdonataCoaching/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/working-gratitude/

A native of Union City, TN, Kristin Fox-Trautman is the co-founder/owner of Inspire Community Café in Memphis, TN. She created this business with a mission: to provide meaningful living wage jobs, healthy and delicious food, and a gathering place for local change makers to connect and collaborate for a more just and compassionate community. She is an experienced non-profit administrator and fundraiser with a BA from Rhodes College and a MA from University of Memphis.

Ron grew up an “Army Brat” and traveled all around the world, accustomed to moving every 2 years. He joined the Army, served in Korea and was called back to active duty for Operation Desert Storm. After graduating from the University of Louisville, Ron worked for many different stretch film manufacturers. He was trained by the best of the best and had many great mentors in his life. Ron’s most rewarding professional moment was starting Alliance Plastics with his Father who instilled in him the notion of duty, honor and integrity. His dad served 4 tours in Vietnam and 30 years in the Army and his mother survived war torn Korea nearly starving to death. Ron is truly grateful for the values that they gave him.

Michael Kurland, Founder and CEO, Branded Group As an award-winning CEO, Michael is committed to leading with purpose, giving back to his community, and living a healthy lifestyle. He launched Branded Group in 2014 and has led its year-over-year exponential growth and cultural transformation. His clear vision to #BeBetter has resulted in deep and long-lasting client and partner relationships, innovative facility maintenance programs that drive client satisfaction, and a respected position in the industry. He is a well-established author of several thought leadership articles in online publications such as Forbes, Inc., and Thrive Global. Branded Group has a culture of gratitude and appreciation and giving back to the community. They live this in their involvement with Second Harvest Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity. Send us your feedback at info@workinggratitude.com

In this episode, Working Gratitude creator and host, Darin Hollingsworth shares his gratitude for his work as an executive coach, collaborator and consultant for nonprofit executives and their boards of directors. He also shares his journey with mental health and how he has found gratitude to be a key shifter after a significant mental illness crisis that disabled him for almost 6 months starting in May of 2018. Darin is determined to break the stigma of mental illness, promote positive mental health, and share tools and practices that have helped him. He volunteers his services with a number of local, regional and national nonprofits. He is also an advocate, donor and walker for American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and their Out of the Darkness Overnight and Community Walks.

Jamie Meyer, the Swedish Fish in a sea of cowboys, originally from Sweden, has been living in Nashville, TN for 5 years and making headway as a singer-song-writer via his work ethic, passion for music and meeting new people. He signed his first publishing deal 2018 and is performing all around the Nashville area. He still travels back and forth from Sweden to remind him of his humble concrete suburban roots Hising Island, Gothenburg, Sweden. On social media JamieMeyerMusic "Holy Ground to Me" on YouTube: https://youtu.be/T6ETwHqFAy0 www.facebook.com/jamiemeyermusic/ https://www.instagram.com/jamiemeyermusic/ http://jamiemeyer.net

Joan Keddell is grateful for a 40 year career in travel and for the opportunity to empower and develop new travel leaders. ITMI - International Tour Management Institute, was the first travel and tourism school to include education about human trafficking awareness in its curriculum, partners with ECPAT International and is a signatory of thecode.org.

Steve Foran and Darin are on a parallel journey to explore research and increase the conversation about gratitude at work and help people move from surviving to thriving. Steve has written the book about it! “Surviving to Thriving: The 10 Laws of Grateful Leadership.” Steve has a big dream! Make 1 billion people happier! He began exploring the relationship between gratitude and philanthropic giving while completing his Masters at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since then, he’s been writing, conducting gratitude research, and teaching the habits of gratefulness for close to fifteen years now. In 2017, he was awarded Canada’s highest earned designation in professional speaking. He recently created STATUSGRO to give everyone easy on-line access to the secrets of gratitude and thriving leadership. He is a lifelong resident of Halifax, Nova Scotia, our first Canadian guest. More about Steve on his website GratitudeAtWork.ca.

Bestselling authors Ed & Deb Shapiro are authors of 20 books on mindfulness, meditation, & the body-mind relationship, including The Art of Mindful Relaxation, Your Body Speaks Your Mind, and their latest, The Unexpected Power of Mindfulness & Meditation. They have also been featured bloggers for HuffPost.com & Oprah.com. More at www.edanddebshapiro.com

A president’s club successful Realtor, David Oliphant loves change. A life objective has been to say yes more than no. When new opportunities come up, he looks at each one with thanks. He has hosted a TV show, been a cruise director, a flight attendant, restaurant owner & now Realtor…plus he teaches yoga 3 times a week. David lives a blended life.

Director of University events for DePaul University, Jen Kramer is an award-winning creative event director. In our Working Gratitude we discuss a personal project she undertook in 2018. Year Of Love Project: 365 Days of Love Letters. https://www.facebook.com/groups/theyearofloveproject/

Sylvette Sawyers is a leader in the talent space with a focus on global talent acquisition. Recruiting is her art and passion. Sylvette wants to elevate the contribution of the function and recruiters...beyond the expected! She has lived this passion with great organizations like Microsoft, Gap Inc., as a consultant and now Opendoor, a real estate tech company.

Chief Operating Officer with F&H Solutions Group, Brad Federman is an author, a speaker and a consultant with more than 25 years of experience in human resources, performance management, employee engagement, compensation, recruiting, change management and instructional design. His background also includes sales, marketing, product development and operations. With a B.A. in communications from University of Maryland and M.Ed. in human resource development from Vanderbilt University, he is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, a frequently requested featured speaker, an author of three books and has been interviewed for numerous national publications. (https://www.fhsolutionsgroup.com/)

American soprano, Melody Moore, has performed in roles with opera companies from San Francisco, New York City, Atlanta, England, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. Soon with Houston Grand Opera and Minnesota Opera. A graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, a former Adler Fellow of San Francisco Opera and a participant of the Merola program of San Francisco. A new mommy to a 2 year old puppy, and Melody and her wife live in the San Fernando Valley.

As co-founder and CEO of Thnks, Brendan is responsible for all day-to-day operations of the platform and is the guardian of Thnks’ strategic vision. Brendan is on a mission to improve the way gratitude is expressed within the workplace and between sales teams and their clients.

With a background in accounting Michelle James is co-founder & volunteer executive director of The Downtown Dogs Group. Founded in 2009, Downtown Dogs is dedicated to this premise. All neglected & abused dogs & cats, regardless of age, breed, health or temperament issues, deserve a loving family.

Scott Fountain is Senior VP & Chief Development Officer at Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation in Memphis, TN. Baptist is one of the largest faith-based, non-profit hospital systems in the nation with 21 hospitals & 18,500 employees in TN, MS & AR. He oversees the $500 million BMHC Foundation, & is responsible for Corp. Communications for Baptist.

April Kelly was at PayPal before it was PayPal, went on to what was then a start-up, LinkedIn. Her work in those roles gave her great insights about leadership and gratitude that she shares in her book “Gratitude at Work.” She is grateful for technology that connects people and ideas.

Ed and Deb Shapiro, award-winning authors of sixteen books on meditation and personal development, are featured bloggers for HuffingtonPost.com and Oprah.com. They have taught meditation and personal development for over twenty-five years. Ed and Deb share how gratitude is a consistent mindset and part of their work.

Melody Moore is an American Soprano performing internationally. She is very grateful to have a voice beyond singing but also to have found her voice to speak her truth. Having faced significant stage fright over the course of her career, she has found gratitude in moving beyond this and other unrealistic fears. Her gratitude, generosity and kindness overflows into her professional community by mentoring young students with master classes and other outreach. She affirms students in finding their voice and standing in their opinion.

Chip Conley is an author, speaker and founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality. He speaks around the world on how to find meaning at the intersection of business and psychology. His latest adventure is as a festival seeker and he is grateful to travel and write about that. He can even find gratitude in the two economic downturns for very strategic reasons and because of what he learned during these times. "The number one fastest way on any continent in the world is to practice gratitude." He expresses gratitude and works to make a difference financially and with time and energy dedicated toward localized transformational organizations.

The Honorable John Kralik, Superior Court Judge in Los Angeles, is the author of the New York Times bestseller "A Simple Act of Gratitude - How Learing to Say Thank You Changed My Life." He is grateful for people who help him in his work every day and he is still in the habit of writing thank you notes to those people. "When you send out your appreciation to others, it is like a wave in a lake. It just ripples and ripples and ultimately comes back to you."