Podcasts about gallup certified strengths coach

Beloved Hoffman teacher and coach, Corey Campbell, had no thought of becoming a Hoffman teacher when he arrived for his week at the Process. Rather, he came because he was exhausted and didn't know why. He hoped to find something that would help him change his approach to life. Often, people believe that if they have good parents and/or a happy childhood, there is nothing to be gained from looking at their parents' or caregivers' behaviors. But Corey's story is a beautiful example of that not being true. When he came, Corey was sure most of the patterns he needed to release didn't come from his mother. It turns out that the exhaustion he was experiencing from serving others could be directly traced to his mother's patterns. Often, even 'good' behavior is driven by unconscious needs not being met. What matters is what's driving the behavior. When driven by patterns, we will attempt to meet that need in a way that doesn't work. At the Process, Corey saw through the patterns and opened to deep Presence. Lying in the cold creek water, staring up at the sunlight through the trees, he had a moment of realization. Corey realized that he is enough just as he is. This pure clarity has changed his approach to life. He now understands that loving and caring for his wife and son, Cayden, is enough. If he does other things in his life, great. But he no longer lets his patterns convince him he needs to be more because he is enough. (Listen in to hear why Corey was lying in the cold water!) We hope you enjoy this insightful and loving conversation with Corey and Sadie. Content warning: This conversation references grief and loss. More about Corey Campbell: Corey Campbell is a Hoffman Process Teacher & Coach. He is also the CEO and Founder of Akamai Training & Consulting, where he serves as a nationally recognized executive coach and leadership consultant. Through Akamai, Corey builds high-performance cultures rooted in mindset, emotional intelligence, and authentic leadership. His coaching and training programs challenge people to be open, real, and courageous. They learn to embrace the tough conversations that foster genuine trust, alignment, and unity.   Corey brings a personalized, insight-driven approach to every engagement. He is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and a certified practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®), the iEQ9 Integrative Enneagram, and Tracom's Social Styles & Versatility.  He has over 20 years of experience transforming people and teams across hospitality, healthcare, finance, and government. Corey resides in Honolulu with his wife, Cherise, their son Cayden, and their dog, Scooby. He enjoys being outdoors, hiking, traveling, and reading. Corey has a special affinity for Japanese culture after spending three years teaching English there after college. He wakes up every day fueled by his purpose: to help others live a more energized, engaged, and inspired life. “I came to Hoffman totally burnt out on life – exhausted from trying to make everyone else around me happy while feeling empty inside and trying to mask it. During my Process, I realized how deeply set and unconscious my childhood patterns were around playing the role of helper and, ultimately, people pleaser. The Process allowed me to get in touch with my authentic self, for perhaps the first time ever, and to start to love myself simply for who I am, not for what I do. It's a gift that keeps on giving. Teaching Hoffman now is an honor to walk alongside others as they discover or reconnect to their own light and sense of self-love.” Social Media: Follow Corey on Instagram and LinkedIn. As mentioned in this episode: Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Jon Kabat-Zinn - Wherever You Go, There You Are White Sulphur Springs in St. Helena, CA •   The Hoffman Process was held at Whilte Sulphur Springs for two decades. In September 2020, the retreat site burned in the Glass Fire. Hoffman Process Terminology

In this episode of Strengths Applied, we welcome fellow Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and Leadership Scholar, Dr. Susan Madsen, to discuss the topic of Equity. We begin with unpacking the difference between equity and equality at work—and why that difference really matters. We share powerful stories and insights about the barriers to equity in the workplace. The conversation touches on everything from our personal experiences, the roles our talents play, privilege, male allyship, to your role as a leader. Whether you're a new leader struggling with creating equity or just curious about designing more inclusive spaces, this episode offers practical ideas and thoughtful takeaways to help you lead with equity in mind.KEY MOMENTS00:00 Introduction to Equity01:10 Welcome Our Guest Coach02:26 Defining Equity and Equality04:38 The Importance of Workplace Equity10:11 Personal Experiences with Equity19:38 Challenges in Male-Dominated Fields23:14 Inclusion and Belonging26:16 Broader Equity Issues32:45 Applying Strengths to Promote Equity45:47 Advocating for Equity in Leadership RESOURCES: If you are interested in the knowing more about A Bolder Way Forward for UtahOUR GUEST:Dr. Susan R. Madsen @ Utah State UniversityKaren Haight Huntsman Endowed Professor of LeadershipandDirector of Utah Women & Leadership ProjectWebsite | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | InstagramDr. Madsen's Top 5 CliftonStrengths: Achiever | Strategic | Activator | Learner | Responsibility.YOUR HOSTS: Jen Werner @ Jen Werner Coaching Facebook | LinkedIn | WebsiteJen's Top 5 CliftonStrengths: Responsibility | Achiever | Belief | Deliberative | Activator Chad Ahern @ Talent and Teams Consulting LinkedIn | WebsiteChad's Top 5 CliftonStrengths: Learner | Deliberative | Responsibility | Harmony | Analytical To learn more about CliftonStrengths talent themes.The opinions and insights we share on each CliftonStrengths theme are our own and are based on our understanding of Gallup's Strengths-based development research. They are also informed by our unique work with our clients. Even though we are both Gallup Certified Strengths Coaches, the insights we share here are not formally vetted, approved, or endorsed by Gallup, Inc. Gallup®, CliftonStrengths®, and the 34 theme names of CliftonStrengths® are trademarks of Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if coaching wasn't about having to ask the perfect question, but about trusting the space between the words? What if silence, curiosity, and presence were the most powerful tools in your coaching toolkit? In this episode, you'll listen in on a masterfully conducted coaching session with Master Certified Coach Jaime Slingerland, joined by commentary from Master Certified Coach Cindy Schmelzenbach. You will enjoy this rare open window into a deeply moving conversation—one that shows how transformation can quietly unfold when a coach partners with the whole person, not just their goal. Listen in to discover: How a coach's spacious presence can create room for unexpected breakthroughs When to gently invite new awareness without interrupting the flow The power of noticing what really matters to your client—and staying with it Why asking less can sometimes reveal more You'll walk away inspired, encouraged, and reminded that powerful coaching isn't about performance—it's about partnership. ICF MCC Minimum Skills Requirement: https://coachingfederation.org/credentialing/performance-evaluations/criteria-for-assessing-mcc/  About Jamie Slingerland, MCC Jamie B. Slingerland, MCC & Ruthie P. Slingerland, PCC co-founded Freedom Life Journey, LLC  to help leaders, business owners & entrepreneurs successfully invest in themselves so they could grow their businesses & “retire early” allowing them to do meaningful work for as long as they choose. In the last 12 years, they have logged over 8500+ hours of coaching and served more than 800 business leaders and executives. Over a decade ago, Jamie & Ruthie were able to pay off almost $90K in debt. After their businesses took off, they were able to step away from the classroom. Now, they are passionate about helping others like them unlock true freedom in work and life through coaching. Buffalo & Puerto Rico natives, they now live in Franklin, TN with their four children & two Toy Goldendoodles where they all work, learn, and play together. Learn more at: https://freedomlifejourney.com About Cindy Schmelzenbach, MCC Cindy has a passion for supporting coaches in their personal and professional development and journey. Having lived and served internationally in leadership roles for 27 years with her husband, she is energized by the variety of cultures and human experiences that benefit from coaching interactions.  Cindy holds her ICF MCC credential; she is a certified Mentor Coach and Coach Supervisor; she is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and has an MA in Counseling. She is the Director of Education and serves on faculty at Professional Christian Coaching Institute, an ICF-accredited level 1 and 2 coach education provider.  In her private practice, she offers life coaching, CliftonStrengths coaching, ICF mentor coaching, and coach supervision. Learn more at: coachingwithcindy.com

Shane Hatton is a leadership and culture expert, author, and speaker. With a background in business and psychology, he helps leaders build high-performing teams through better communication and connection. He's the author of Lead The Room and Let's Talk Culture, and hosts the podcast Phone Calls With Clever People. Shane has worked with top organisations like Microsoft and the Victorian Government, and his insights have been featured in Forbes and Harvard Business Review. As a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and Forbes Coaches Council member, Shane equips leaders to shape culture and lead with impact.

Today we have a virtual episode coming to you via Zoom.This guest and I had the opportunity to meet back in June of last year at The Thing in Nashville. We shared the stage speaking at that event, and then also The Thing in Orlando back in November. She is someone that always lights up the room and leaves the stage impacting the audience by providing education and strategies to help you win at life and business.My guest today is Diana Alt. She is a No BS Career Coach for Leaders in Tech.Diana's Bio:Diana Alt is a No BS executive coach and career growth strategist who helps people take charge of aligning life and livelihood. Diana uses her 20+ years of experience in corporate product development roles to help people get out of their own way by building confidence, setting boundaries, and casting a vision for an awesome career and life. She believes work should feel good, not like a long slow march towards oblivion.Diana helps individuals and organizations to make work awesome through her coaching, consulting, and training services. She helps people identify ideal work for them and execute and effective job search strategy. She also helps people identify ways to update the way they work in their current jobs and businesses to align with the life they want.Diana is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and Certified Career Coach from the Career Coach Institute.Her top strengths are Input, Learner, Intellection, Maximizer, and Connectedness. Her top weaknesses are tacos and Diet Coke.Connect with Diana:Website: https://www.dianaalt.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianakalt/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dianakalt Builders of Authority:FREE Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/7685392924809322 BOA Mastermind: https://buildauthority.co/order-form-mastermind GoHighLevel Extended 30-day Free Trial w/TONS of Personal Branding Bonuses: http://gohighlevel.com/adammcchesney

Becca Syme (MATL) is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has individually coached more than 5000 authors at all levels. She is the author of the Quitbooks for Writers series and the popular Write Better-Faster course, and the host of the Quitcast for Writers podcast and YouTube channel. She also writes mystery novels and lives on one of the thousand lakes in Minnesota. Becca Syme, founder of The Better-Faster Academy joins us to help you get past whatever's keeping you from writing better faster stories.//Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career//  Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We'll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way—and we won't charge you a dime.  We take a small percentage of the royalties for each sale you make through us, so we only make money when you make money. That's the best kind of business plan.  • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/• Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog  • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com  Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.

What makes a team thrive? If you've ever been part of a dysfunctional team, you know how frustrating it can be—miscommunication, lack of trust, and an endless cycle of unmet expectations. But what if there was a way to turn that dysfunction into deep connection and shared success? In this episode, we explore the power of team coaching, how it differs from individual and group coaching, and why it's essential for creating cohesive, high-performing teams. Drawing from the principles taught in Coaching for Work Teams, we'll dive into practical strategies for building trust, fostering productive conflict, and aligning around a shared mission. Whether you're a coach looking to expand your skills or a leader wanting to strengthen your team, you'll walk away with actionable insights you can apply immediately. About Sandra Black Sandra Black, PCC is an ICF certified coach with dual certification as a Professional Leadership and Life Coach and a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. She is passionate about developing leaders and teams to unleash their gifts and talents for their passion and purpose while crushing their limiting beliefs and mindsets. She partners with executives, next-generation leaders, and teams to further their development of strengths, structures, and systems to support their growth and vision through a Christian lens. Her coaching and consulting practice focuses on equipping leaders to lead boldly and courageously through increased self-awareness. Sandra has over 25 years of leadership experience in various business sectors, client and program management, project management, ministry, teaching, coaching, and consulting. She has served in various leadership roles, partnering with leaders and teams to move from chaos to purpose. She is a change agent and catalyst for thriving leaders and teams, community development, catechetical programs, and team engagement. Sandra's diverse educational background ranges from Industrial Engineering – Human Factors and Management focus to an Executive Program in Strategy, Management, and Leadership with supplementals in Program and Project Management, and group and team coaching. She loves to cook and create, influence as a CGS Catechist, accompany youth and adults, focus on the family and marriage through her ministries, and teach Human Formation. Sandra has been married to her husband John for over 27 years, and has two boys. You can learn more about Sandra at: www.SandraBlackCoaching.com

As more teens prepare to go to college this summer, the importance of what qualities students should develop in high school so that they can thrive in college is ever important. Join Mark and Anna as they speak with Carol Ben-Davies from College Bound Determination as she shares her decades of experience working with students at top universities on the recommendations she has to help students thrive. From self-advocacy to resilience, Carol shares the most important qualities a student can develop when preparing for college and resources that students should take advantage of. Carol is the founder of College Bound Determination, where she helps parents prepare their kids not just for college admissions, but for real college success—academically, socially, emotionally and personally. With over 20 years of experience at top universities, Carol has worn many hats—from admissions to student leadership and advocacy—guiding countless students and parents through the highs and lows of college life while working to empower students of all backgrounds with the resources and support they need to thrive.  She's a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. Oh, and she literally wrote the book on paying for college—she's the co-author of You Can Go to College for Free! Carol holds degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill and Loyola University Chicago, and she's here today to share her insights on setting students up for success in college and beyond. Learn more about Carol at https://carolbendavies.com/ 

Uncertainty has become the new normal, and as a leader, it can feel like the ground beneath you is constantly shifting. How do you inspire confidence when you're struggling to find it yourself? Without a strong foundation in your leadership, it can be difficult to respond to challenges and your team could feel it too. In this episode of the Happiness Squad Podcast, Ashish Kothari and Jason Hanson show you how to change the game with grounded leadership and lead with strength, clarity, and conviction—no matter what comes your way. Jason Hanson is the Director of the President's Leadership Class at the University of Colorado Boulder, specializing in mentoring future leaders. A former Senior Manager of Enterprise Learning at Charles Schwab, he is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach with expertise in leadership development and talent strategy. Jason holds a Master's in Higher Education Administration from Northwestern University and a Bachelor's in Psychology from the University of Illinois Chicago.Things you will learn in this episode:• Understanding the importance of grounded leadership in times of change• How to build grounded leadership by leveraging your values and strengths• The role of strengths-based development in unlocking individual and team potential• Practical leadership tools for building high-performing teams• Why meaningful relationships are critical for leadership success• Navigating career transitions with self-awareness and intentionalityTune in now to learn how to lead with clarity and resilience in the most volatile of times.Resources:✅• Gallup StrengthsFinder: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/254033/strengthsfinder.aspx • VIA Character Strengths: https://www.viacharacter.org/ • Harvard Business School Net Promoter Score Case Study: https://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/product/8573BC-PDF-ENG • The ADKAR Model: https://www.prosci.com/methodology/adkar • Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html • Job Crafting by Jane Dutton: https://positivepsychology.com/job-crafting/ • https://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/Glance-Leading-Positively.pdf Books:✅• A Model for Change in Business, Government, and Our Community: https://a.co/d/9kSsCqw • Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari: https://a.co/d/iXGAjje

Check out MadeYou: https://madeyou.co.uk/ Episode Guest Meet Luke Todd, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MadeYou Ltd. Luke Todd, Founder and CEO of MadeYou, established the company in 2014 and has since led its growth and expansion into leadership training, executive coaching, employer branding, and 360-degree feedback, serving clients across Europe and internationally. As a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach with over 25 years of experience, Luke brings a wealth of expertise in customer experience, as well as operational management across national and international SMEs. He has successfully founded and managed service, sales, technical support, RFP, design, and marketing teams. To maintain the focus and energy of learners, Luke is dedicated to building strong rapport, consistently applying real-world knowledge and experience to any topic or challenge. His extensive business background allows him to bring relatability and practicality to every learning environment. Episode Timestamps 00:00 Defining Hard Work 10:56 The Chaos of Entrepreneurship 20:18 Education System Challenges 23:08 Empowering Young Minds Through Leadership 29:13 The Birth and Evolution of MadeU 38:10 The Importance of Continuous Learning 43:04 The Drive Behind Entrepreneurship Episode Partner Founded in 2014, MadeYou has become a trusted name in leadership development and business coaching, particularly within the iGaming industry. Known for its hands-on, practical approach, MadeYou ensures that its insights and strategies are rooted in real-world business experience. Rather than delivering abstract theories, the close-knit team, including four client-facing coaches and trainers, helps clients not just learn but implement strategies that drive measurable business success. As the world transitioned online during the pandemic, MadeYou expanded its reach globally, serving clients across Europe, the UK, the Philippines, America, and Japan. The company offers a wide array of services, including leadership training, executive coaching, employer branding, and 360-degree feedback. Whether it's strengthening leadership at the executive level or supporting individual career progression, MadeYou is committed to driving business success by focusing on people development. The content provided on My Duvet Flip is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. The views expressed by hosts, guests, brands or contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the show's producers, sponsors, or affiliates. The information shared is not a substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to career counseling, financial guidance, legal consultation, or mental health support. Listeners and viewers are responsible for their own decisions and actions based on the content provided, and My Duvet Flip assumes no liability for any outcomes resulting from reliance on the information shared. By engaging with the show, you acknowledge and agree to this disclaimer.

JW is often referred to as authentic, growth-oriented, and values-based. He is also a business owner, Financial Advisor, Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, and board leader. In these roles JW has had the opportunity to effectively coach clients by helping them discover, acknowledge, and embrace their deepest drivers of success; in other words, their strengths. JW is the founder and president of Rayhons Financial. It has been his life's work to help others both embrace their current place in time and to proactively plan for their future happiness. Experience has confirmed that JW's coaching and career expertise lends itself well to business owners, executives, professionals, community leaders, and other individuals looking for guidance and training in their pursuit of a values and strengths-based approach to their well-being. Rayhons Financial is consistently ranked in the top 7% of investment firms within Cetera Financial, one of the largest investment advisor networks in the U.S. Gilbert, Arizona, is a community with over 260,000 residents. He has served as Chairman of the Board for three organizations and has enjoyed coaching basketball for over 450 young athletes. JW's ‘Gallup Top 5 Strengths' are Achiever, Developer, Positivity, Responsibility, and Empathy. “When you look for the good in someone; you'll find it.” ---------- Guiding Growth: Conversations with Community Leaders Join our hosts, Sarah Watts and Ben Kalkman, as we explore the human journey of leaders - their stories of humility, triumph, roadblocks, and lessons learned - as they reflect on how they became who they are today and share stories of inspiration and hope with listeners. We'll take away the title, just for a moment, and enjoy a connection with the soul. Be sure to subscribe to our show for more interviews with community leaders. This podcast is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and Modern Moments. Learn more about our show at https://guidinggrowth.co. View our Privacy Policy at https://modernmoments.com/privacy

On this episode, Brent O'Bannon (the first Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach in the world) teaches how to do business with your God-given strengths and performs a live strengths-based coaching session with Darren.

Welcome back to Alchemy for Authors! In this week's episode, I chat with best-selling author and Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Becca Syme. We discuss some of the common causes of overwhelm and burnout for authors and what we can do to minimise their impact and set ourselves up for success. Some of the other topics we discuss include: ·       The role of “expectation” in causing burnout. ·       Why lack of sales doesn't mean you're failing as an author. ·       How to know when you're out of the Research & Development Phase of your author career. ·       The role of Energy Pennies in creating a sustainable author career. ·       What are Author Success Archetypes and how they can be identified and harnessed for success. ·       Why it's important to remember that anything can change for the better! If you're in need of a pep talk – whether in your author career or life in general – this is the episode for you! Visit Becca's website here: https://betterfasteracademy.com/ Join the Author Business Phases Summit here.  Follow Becca on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/betterfasteracademy/ If you enjoyed this episode please subscribe, rate and review. You can also support the show by buying me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jobuer. Your support helps me keep this podcast going and is greatly appreciated. If you have a question you would like answered on the show, or a topic suggestion for a future episode, leave a voice message here: https://www.speakpipe.com/AlchemyForAuthors Follow me on Instagram: @alchemyforauthors and @jobuerauthor. Follow me on Facebook: @alchemyforauthors and @jobuerauthor. Join the Alchemy for Authors Facebook Group here.  Join my Alchemy for Authors newsletter and download your FREE copy of Manifestation for Authors here.  If you enjoy Gothic Suspense, you can join my reader's newsletter and download a FREE copy of my short story collection, Between the Shadows, here. You can find all my books at https://jobuer.com or visit https://Books2Read.com/JoBuer for links to your favourite store. Visit my website for the full transcript of this episode: https://jobuer.com/alchemy-for-authors/

Send us a textDo you want to be more efficient when it comes to your writing? Wish there was a way to understand what type of writing process would work well for you instead of trying and failing at a method that works well for others? Guess what? There is. It still takes work but makes a massive difference in my writing life.In this episode, I'm joined by Becca Syme, creator of the  Better-Faster Academy and Strengths for Writes classes and host of the Quit Cast For Writers. Becca and I discuss using the CliftonStrengths assessment tool to understand your unique writing talents and personality and how that will help you improve your writing process, avoid burnout, and focus on what you naturally excel at. Tune in to learn how embracing your strengths can enhance creativity and productivity and sustain your passion for writing despite setbacks! 01:18 Introduction to Special Guest: Becca Syme03:33 Becca Syme's Journey to Writing and Coaching07:15 Understanding CliftonStrengths for Writers15:21 Better Faster Academy: Enhancing Your Strengths21:07 Write Better Faster: The Path to Alignment25:01 The Importance of Individual Coaching25:31 Strengths for Writers vs. Write Better Faster26:25 Personal Experiences with Strengths for Writers27:43 Nonfiction Books for Writers30:24 Critical Reviews and Reader Reactions31:43 The Complexity of Writing Advice38:06 Understanding Your Strengths: Basements and Balconies43:41 Final Thoughts and Advice for Writers47:16 Where to Find More ResourcesGuest Bio and Links: Becca Syme (MATL) is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has been coaching success alignment for more than a decade. She is the author of the Quitbooks for Writers series and the popular Write Better-Faster course. She also writes mystery novels in her spare time and lives on one of the thousand lakes in Minnesota.You can connect with Becca through her website or follow her on InstagramSupport the show To become a supporter of the show, click here!To get in touch with Stacy: Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co https://www.writeitscared.co/ https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/ Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared: Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

In this episode of Inspired Nonprofit Leadership, host Sarah Olivieri welcomes guest Kishshana Palmer, an experienced speaker, trainer, and coach in nonprofit leadership. They discuss strategies for building high-performing teams, the importance of aligning team skills with organizational needs and addressing common challenges like burnout and understaffing. Kishshana shares her journey from investment banking to nonprofit work, emphasizing the need for healthy leadership practices and work-life integration. The episode offers practical tips for nonprofit leaders to improve team dynamics and foster an environment of support and growth. Episode Highlights Strategies for creating high-performing nonprofit teams The challenges of aligning personal and organizational goals Tips for preventing burnout How to assess team needs The role of open communication in staff development The impact of appropriate compensation on job satisfaction, and the application of creative solutions to overcome resource limitations within nonprofits. Meet the Guest Kishshana Palmer is an international speaker, trainer, and coach with a 20+ year background in fundraising, marketing, and talent management who helps leaders create high-performing teams. Kishshana is CEO of ManageMint, Inc., an organizational development firm focused on helping everyday leaders live well and lead well. Her firm's work centers on equity and social justice and practical solutions for today's organizations. She is the founder of The Rooted Collaborative -- a global community focused on the growth and development of women leaders of color in the social sector. She's the host of the podcast ManageMint Made Easy, formerly "Let's Take This Offline", an adjunct professor at Baruch College, a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), a BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer (CGT), A Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, a Q3LC Certified Coach, and an AFP Master Trainer. When an organization wants to grow, find and retain people on their team, raise money, and more she is the fairy godmother they have on speed dial. Her work isn't limited to organizations, she also coaches high-performing leaders. Kishshana is a NYC girl now living in Atlanta and the mother of one wonderful teenage daughter. Kishshana is the epitome of your classic 90's Queen's homegirl and quintessential corner office executive. She is your daily dose of Claire Huxtable with a side of Blanche Devereaux. Connect with Kishshana: https://kishshanapalmer.com - This is her personal brand for speaking/hosting and coaching LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kishshanapalmer/ IG: @KishshanaPalmer FB: @iamkishshanapalmer https://managemint.co - Kishshana is the CEO of ManageMint, Inc. Sticky Teams free on-demand training here: https://www.managemint.co/freeresources Sponsored Resource Join the Inspired Nonprofit Leadership Newsletter for weekly tips and inspiration for leading your nonprofit! Access it here >> Be sure to subscribe to Inspired Nonprofit Leadership so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated! Let us know the topics or questions you would like to hear about in a future episode. You can do that and follow us on LinkedIn. Connect with Sarah: On LinkedIn>> On Facebook>> Subscribe on YouTube>>

This week Brandon delves into the fascinating world of the Strategic Thinking domain with guest Ken Barr Jr., Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. Whether you geek out over data, thrive on visionary ideas, or just want to know how to get the most out of the deep thinkers in your life (or on your team), this episode is for you. Get an understanding of all eight Strategic Thinking strengths and uncover how they drive better decision-making, stronger teams, and, to be honest, a little frustration. Ken's been in the coaching game for nearly two decades, and he's sharing his best insights on how to unlock the superpowers of these thinkers. Additional Resources:  Connect with Brandon on LinkedIn How to Be a Good Teammate to me: Brandon@34strong.com Learn more about 34 Strong Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network  Key Takeaways:  Strengths in this domain—such as Input, Strategic, and Learner—focus on gathering and organizing information to identify long-term solutions. Thinkers in this domain thrive when they are given the freedom to explore information before making decisions. Friction can arise between thinkers and execution-oriented colleagues, emphasizing the need for a balance of perspectives. 

There are so many individuals who are bright and funny and can relate to people, but they find themselves stuck in a job that is not leading them to success. It could be because the job does not play to their strengths. Someone who knows that very well is Lisha Ruda, a Gallup-Certified strength coach.

Today, I chat with romance author Roni Loren, a two-time Rita Award winner and Gallup® Certified Strengths Coach with the Better Faster Academy.The discussion dives into the controversial advice about editing as you go and how each writer's process is unique. Roni shares her journey, her struggles with self-doubt, and how she overcame burnout. With a focus on character-driven writing and leveraging personal strengths, Ronnie offers valuable insights for her fellow writers.00:00 Introduction: Challenging Writing Norms01:30 Meet Romance Author Roni Lauren02:05 Roni's Writing Journey04:36 Discussing 'The Ones Who Got Away' Series and writing Rom Drama06:30 Exploring Romance and Character Development16:29 The Challenges of Writing and Burnout20:55 Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome28:08 Current Projects and Final ThoughtsGuest Bio & LinksRoni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven't improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. She holds a master's degree in social work and spent years as a mental health counselor, but now she writes full-time from her cozy office in North Texas where she puts her characters on the therapy couch instead. She is a two-time RITA Award winner, a HOLT Medallion winner, and a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She is also a Gallup® Certified Strengths Coach with the Better Faster Academy.Links:Website: http://www.roniloren.comNewsletter/Substack for readers: https://roniloren.substack.com/The Nourished Writer (a newsletter/Substack for writers) https://thenourishedwriter.substack.com/Instagram: @ronilorenSupport the show To become a supporter of the show, click here!To get in touch with Stacy: Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co https://www.writeitscared.co/ https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/ Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared: Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Karen is a registered nurse, a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, and an ICF-ACC credentialed coach. One of her greatest frustrations is that women of color, especially Asian women and 1st generation immigrants, are still underrepresented in leadership roles in most organizations.She is on a mission to coach women of color in health care who wants to create more success, leadership, impact, passion, and purpose in their professional and personal lives.She named her business Heart-Centered Holistic Coaching because of the realization that the mind, body, and spirit cannot be separated when dealing with issues of well-being, development, and potential. She believes that we are spiritual beings having a human experience.Karen also works as an In-patient Utilization Management RN at Providence Medical Foundation in Anaheim, CA. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Nursing from Saint Louis University in Baguio City and a master's degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica.When not working as RN or as a coach, Karen can be found bribing her spoiled fur baby Rocky with treats in exchange for cuddles.-- Please contact heremail: hello@karenretardo.comIG: heartcenteredholisticcoachLI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-retardo/

Jaclynn, (Jackie), Robinson has her roots in Oklahoma, but also has studied here in California and has her doctorate from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Although he has worked at a few jobs over her life she discovered that her real passion resides in coaching. Today she coaches organizational teams as well as individuals. She has clients throughout the world. During our conversation she offers some great life lessons and thoughts we all can use. Like many with whom I have talked on the Unstoppable Mindset Jackie encourages people to take time to let their mind slow down to better put our daily lives into perspective. She practices this while walking, but she also suggests other methods we can use to connect with ourselves. Speaking of connecting, Jaclynn is a strong believer in the fact that creating a circle of friends, or forming a team, is immensely important to our well-being. About the Guest: Jaclynn Robinson is a Southern California and Nevada based criminologist and international psychologist, specializing in organizations and systems. In the corporate sector her areas of expertise are in operational efficiency and cultural intelligence. Organizations operating domestically or in the global market gain critical insight into factors that affect their success, such as sociological conditions, corporate culture, regional influences, and the impact of global phenomena on individuals and groups. In addition to her work with organizations, Jaclynn's passion for business and psychology is present in her work as a performance coach for individuals, business builders, and leaders. As a coach, she serves as a thought partner and guide to help individuals overcome challenges, achieve goals, and think through the unknowns. In a pre-pandemic world, Jaclynn devoted her time behind the prison walls, coaching the incarcerated, better known as “entrepreneurs-in-training,” to help them think through unique and feasible business ideas that could be realized upon reentry. Her interest in raising awareness and bettering the lives of vulnerable communities also led to Jaclynn's research work on the lived experiences of Syrian refugees during her doctoral studies. Her research work has been presented at the London School of Economics “Middle East Centre” and the International Political Science Association's World Congress on “Borders and Margins.” Jaclynn earned a bachelors degree in criminology from the University of Oklahoma, a masters degree in psychology from Pepperdine University, a master of advanced studies degree in criminology, law and society from the University of California-Irvine, and a doctoral degree in international psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Jaclynn is an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation and a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. Ways to connect with Jaclynn: Website: www.jaclynnrobinson.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaclynnrobinson/ Instagram Handle: drjaclynnrobinson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjaclynnrobinson/ X: @NineMusesProd About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi, Lee there once again, welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. Glad you're with us. Today, I have the honor and pleasure of speaking to Jaclynn or sometimes we even call her Jackie. And Jackie is really kind of a cool person for a lot of reasons. Because Jackie Robinson is among other things, a graduate of UC Irvine where I graduated, and I ended up getting my master's degree in physics without blowing up the University. She came along a lot later than I did. Yeah. And she studied law and criminology and other things. So I you know, my thing statute of limitations is gone. So I'm saying I was worried there for a second. Laughter Yeah, we won't, not too much anyway. But she has a fascinating story. She is an executive coach, among other things, she has helped a lot of organizations and people with a variety of issues in terms of moving forward. And she'll tell us about that. Before the pandemic she also worked with incarcerated people. And I love what you describe them as, as what was it pre or early entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs and train entrepreneur entrepreneurs and training? Yes, there you go. Yes. So Jackie, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here.   Jackie Robinson ** 02:50 Thank you. Thank you.   02:52 Well,   Jackie Robinson ** 02:53 good to be here.   Michael Hingson ** 02:54 Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Well, tell me a little bit about you sort of maybe the early Jackie growing up and all that sort of stuff where and all the good stuff to lay the foundation for whatever comes later.   Jackie Robinson ** 03:06 Yeah, all the goodies. Well, I was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I am a sooner so apologies to any Cowboys fans. We have a big rivalry in Oklahoma between Oklahoma State and Oklahoma University. And I think from you know, quite an early age, I knew I was going to be involved with people, places and animals. I loved culture growing up I was all about saving the dolphins Saving the Rainforest you know sign up to all of those magazines as an eight year old had them all on my wall wanted to adopt every child overseas and wanted to explore every country overseas. So flash forward to now and it was no surprise that international psychology criminology and sociology became my you know, kind of my my anchors in life for how I support people and travel the world and all of that good stuff.   Michael Hingson ** 04:08 So you went and you got your undergraduate studies where University   Jackie Robinson ** 04:12 of Oklahoma University of Oklahoma ology so   Michael Hingson ** 04:15 that was that's, that's fair criminology why criminology?   Jackie Robinson ** 04:21 I am so fascinated by the criminal mind. And just how repeat you ever want   Michael Hingson ** 04:28 to be one just to see how it worked or No, no, go.   Jackie Robinson ** 04:32 I'm so boring. I'm so boring. There's not speeding tickets. There's not much to find. I'm just the boring person. But I've always been so fascinated by those that have just turned to crime, whether it's nature versus nurture. And so I really was interested in actually Homeland Security or the CIA and becoming a spy or a forensic crime scene. An investigator, so that was kind of the path I thought I was gonna take. And psychology was where I started shifting into that master's initially so that I could, you know, shape up for that. And then I decided, you know, I don't think this world is for me towards performance coaching.   Michael Hingson ** 05:20 So what kind of work did you do after college?   Jackie Robinson ** 05:23 I was a behavioral therapist or qualified mental health counselor, or professionals what they would call them for juvenile delinquents. Dad, I worked for a city attorney's office as well. So the juvenile population was where I spent my early years of time. And then was in a PhD program for forensic psychology, loved everything about the materials and the course and you know, the courses. But it was, you know, it's so serious, and you spend the entirety of your days behind the prison system. And, you know, being on site here, and there is one thing, but going there pretty regularly to run forensic psychology assessments was something different. So that's when I started to kind of switch gears to say, What else might there be for me to, to get involved in?   Michael Hingson ** 06:19 And so how did that lead to what you do today?   Jackie Robinson ** 06:23 Yeah, I found an international psychology PhD program, and all the lights and bells and whistles went off, and it was just kind of like a low this is, this is your sign of what you should do, what you should be involved in. It was everything I got to study, you know, cultures across the world, I love traveling. It's it's thinking about the individual, it's thinking about us, as we relate to the environment around us from that collective side. And from there, I just hit the ground running. So it's, it's much more positive psychology focused and cultural psychology focused.   Michael Hingson ** 07:05 So kind of what does that mean? Exactly? Yeah.   Jackie Robinson ** 07:08 It means the way that I've described that, especially with the pandemic, international psychology comes in and studies individual and collective essentially studies global phenomena to say, how does this impact us from an individual level and then a collectivist or societal level? And then how do we make sense of it and support people through it, whether it's an actual culture, it could be a war torn population, it could be a global pandemic, it could be a pandemic, that only one country might be, you know, observing at that point in time, but it could also be within the organization organizations are kind of a person and itself, if we look at it as a living, breathing, being, with the people that are incited and engagement and their performance and their well being. And so it's just really allowed me to kind of take off to say, Okay, how do I want to support cultures overall. And so I worked with the refugee population as part of my doctoral work, and then also just within organizations. So that's what kind of got me into management, consulting and working with a global management firm and supporting organizations that want to see their their people thrive, versus survive.   Michael Hingson ** 08:31 Yeah, which is an interesting distinction, and important ones is, we all we all talk about surviving, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we're thriving very well, does it?   Jackie Robinson ** 08:42 No. And so many people are hurting, especially after the pandemic. So it's, that's there's a lot of fulfillment and seeing people really identify with their purposes, or find a new purpose, and then just you see them open up in blossom.   Michael Hingson ** 09:00 Well, you You did mention that you've worked with the refugee population. I think I read that you worked with Syrian refugees during your, your PhD studies. Tell me more about that, if you would, that sounds like it would be very fascinating in a lot of ways.   Jackie Robinson ** 09:15 It was extremely fascinating. I worked with them. Well, when I was doing my dissertation, the Syrian Civil War was still pretty early on. And so I received a lot of nose for my dissertation board at that time of how it was going to access the culture. Because it was pretty difficult, there was not really going to be an opportunity to go into Syria, that it was Where are a lot of Syrian refugees. And then what might be an organization that I can partner with to help me find them identify those refugee centers and hold interviews. So initially, I was looking at Switzerland but I was able to find some really great support with Syrian refugee center and nonprofit in Berlin, Germany. So I did my research in Berlin. And I want to say it was 2014. When I had started conducting my research, it was 2012. So it was really early about a year or so into the Syrian civil war, but absolutely fascinating. And I, I've loved every minute of connecting with them and working with them.   Michael Hingson ** 10:26 Now, why Syria and Syrian refugee specifically. So   Jackie Robinson ** 10:30 this is where you'll see the criminology tie in, because initially, my refugee work was. So at UC Irvine, I, in my criminology law in society thesis, I was focusing on the learned behaviors of terrorism. So flash forward to my PhD program, I wanted to focus on interviewing more of the types of criminals involved, I wanted to have more of my studies based on terrorism, and the Syrian civil war. And I had someone, one of my professors say, I don't know how you're going to get access to Guantanamo, or any of these facilities where you might, you know, be able to interview them. But I had been reading books at the time, and it had been done. So you know, unstoppable mindset, I'm like, Hey, we've got this, there's there's always a way in. But he said, Why don't you switch gears and start to think about those that are impacted by terrorism. Instead, the populations impacted. And that's when the Syrian refugee population was, you know, really big. And we were seeing it in the news all the time. And so I started to switch gears into that. So   Michael Hingson ** 11:45 did you ever get a chance to actually interview criminals? Or people who were on that side of terrorism? Or did you mainly just deal then with the other side?   Jackie Robinson ** 11:54 Yep, I just dealt with the other side, refugees. And I was already at UC Irvine, they had a really wonderful program where you could work with refugees that had that were living within the Southern California area. So working with kids on art therapy, supporting families with mentorship, helping them learn English, helping them with just their day to day, I was already involved with Syrians through a UCI program. And so it just made a lot of sense with everything that was also happening in the war, to use that as a population, because I really just started to feel a connection to that to that group.   Michael Hingson ** 12:35 So what kinds of things did you learn from interviewing them and talking with them? Because you're looking at you, certainly, you're looking at terrorism from from one side of it, and I appreciate that, but what did you learn? Or what kind of conclusions did you draw?   Jackie Robinson ** 12:49 From the refugee side, I mean, really, speaking of unstoppable mindset, what tended to support their resilience was family connection, family is so strong, and so having cell phones, which many of them were able to have in Berlin, to be able to connect with their families back in Syria, was a way to manage anxiety, or manage depression or feeling disconnected. In the, in the refugee centers where they would stay, you'd have a range of different refugees, it might not just be all Syrians, you might have Palestinians, you might have other folks in there as well. And so they would start to create their own, you know, specific communities within a refugee facilities so that they could feel more connected with one another. They could lend support, they could share bicycles. And so that was really big was seeing how much the family connection means. There's also just a lot of resiliency and gratitude that they had four countries that would take them in. So they one thing that came up very strong was this idea of wanting to give back to the community that welcomed them in the wanting to try to learn German in this case as fast as they could, so that they could acquire a job, once they, you know, were allowed, so that they could give back, those that were already in college would have a difficult time because they were, you know, studying Arabic, they were fluent in Arabic, but now you're going to a German university, and you've got to be at the collegiate level of knowing the German language. So if they were studying to be a vet, or a physician, or, you know, a psychologist, they would be backtracked quite a bit, but there was still that level of gratitude and hunger to want to learn the language and give back as soon as they could. So it was really heartfelt, it was very heartwarming, actually, to see the level of resilience that they had.   Michael Hingson ** 14:53 And I'm sure you found people who were all over the spectrum or in different parts of the spectrum from you very tenacious, unable to move forward to some who maybe weren't quite so successful at it.   Jackie Robinson ** 15:06 And most of that was just based on the admin process of the paperwork and the filing that has to take place all the checks and balances once you become a refugee within Germany. But you know, what, what status you're in, if you're asylum, if you were able to be, you know, kind of fully enveloped into the community where now you could hold a job and so many felt like they were in that sense of purgatory. You're kind of half in half out because you're safe. But you're, you're not allowed yet to get that, that job. So they might be trying to pick up language skills or something along the way, but, you know, they're just waiting on that letter to say, Okay, you're approved. You've got full status here.   Michael Hingson ** 15:49 Yeah, it's always tough to be in limbo, not know what's going on. Well, so you did that. You got your PhD in you said, I think 2014 2017 2017 Okay. So it was another three years after? Yeah. Okay.   Jackie Robinson ** 16:05 That's about four years, three, three and a half years. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 16:08 Now, it's seven years later. So what did you do after you got your PhD?   Jackie Robinson ** 16:15 I joined a well, a brown that same time I was, I was double degree. So I received my, my degree from UC Irvine at that time, my, my master's degree before that I had gotten a Master's at Pepperdine in psychology. And so once I was done with UC Irvine, and I was just starting to wrap up the Ph. D. program, I joined a global management firm that has this high focus on positive psychology. So I work with Gallup. And I love that I just embrace this idea that we're a part of a community. And that they they focus so much on positive psychology now taking a strengths based approach, focusing on engagement, focusing on the well being of others. And so I just joined, I would say, my, I think it was my third year, my second or third year in my PhD program, and I've been here since   Michael Hingson ** 17:17 well, yeah, I would say I kid of   Jackie Robinson ** 17:21 coaching, facilitating, working with a range of different industries. Yeah, so that's, that's where I'm at. I feel like I always have my hands on something right. Now, whenever I can do some virtual webinars and do some performance coaching with those, now those that are released from the prison system, and are in those post incarceration, mentor programs, that's a lot of where I spend my time now. When I was still living in California, I would also go to the prison systems there. Unfortunately, they're not in the Nevada area yet. So I do I do that work virtual. So that's one of the things that occupy my time.   Michael Hingson ** 18:02 So what did you do? In the in the prison system? You obviously worked there and felt it was worthwhile? What did you do there? Yeah,   Jackie Robinson ** 18:11 well, it was more volunteer, but we'll go in for about 12 hours. Maybe it's nine. It's kind of that it's like an eight to 8am to 6pm type of day, somewhere around there. And, you know, we we go in, we drop off our cell phones, we leave everything and we spend the day working with the incarcerated or going through an entrepreneurship program through to five Ventures is the the program that I'm a part of. And they've partnered with Baylor University. So Baylor provides entrepreneur certificates. It's an application process. So the incarcerated, but we call entrepreneurs and training, apply to be a part of the program. So these are folks that are really wanting to change their life around and get that that mentorship. For some, this is the first, you know, certificate they've ever received. So they're graduating. Once they get out of the program, they truly get the cap and gown, and we're all there to celebrate with pizza and brownies, and their family comes and it's a big deal. But it's the way I describe it is it's the shark tank for prisons. So this program is one where they go through business courses. And within that duration, they're also starting to curate a business idea that they could do can't be a storefront since that would require too much capital. So it's just thinking of a business idea that they could run on their own with minimal funding that they feel experienced in and then they have, you know, business leaders, business coaches, others that are you know, just across industry, we volunteer and go in and help them tweak those ideas and help them think through those ideas and Then there's a vote at the end. And there's monetary rewards for first, second and third place winners. So their business?   Michael Hingson ** 20:13 Did you ever follow up or follow through with any of them when they came out of the prison system that ended up starting a business and were successful? Or do you know?   Jackie Robinson ** 20:24 Yes, yes, they have cohorts that go through. And so I was with one, one cohort for quite a bit pre pre pandemic, I would visit them in there a couple of times, and then I was there for their graduation. And they're always like, Oh, you came back, thank you. And then after they can go into that post monitor, mentorship program, so they've got their idea, once they are released from the prison system, that's when they can really implement that idea. And they've got us on the back end as well to support with that mentorship. And they're able to do PowerPoint presentations, virtually, to share out what their business is to share links to their website to their product, and then we can support them. And either say, hey, we want to bring you one, we'd love to have you in partnership for, you know, X company, or if we know they would be great for company, we can bring them on and suggest them, we can buy their products. And so we really are there to support and the recidivism rates, in terms of just their return back to prism is incredibly low. I want to say it was that 94 95% With this program, the state the state out, yeah, that stay out. They've got the skills, they just were always, you know, maybe they weren't given the rights. You know, the, they have the skills, but what's a great way of putting it, they didn't have the right role models. Yeah, is the word I was looking for, to help them curate and cultivate those skills in a way that could be meaningful and legal. They just, you know, had to scrap by oftentimes based on their backgrounds. Yeah. So yeah, now they've got the positive mentorship to say, hey, let's take that and use your marketing use your your, you know, ways with money in a way that's very legal and strategic,   Michael Hingson ** 22:19 and self confidence. Yes. Yeah. Because   Jackie Robinson ** 22:23 some of them, you know, have have weren't praised. They don't know what they're great at. They weren't told they were great, based on how they were raised. And so having people that come in and support them and have confidence in them is huge. And for those that are there for life, it just, it warms my heart, because those that might have received life in prison, they'll go through the course, but they're there, you know, forever through all of these cohorts as the lifelong, you know, Yoda Yeah, they still they found purpose within the prison, which I love   Michael Hingson ** 22:58 to help teach and reinforce. Absolutely. So you did that. And now do you work for a company now? Or are you running running your own business   Jackie Robinson ** 23:09 i still volunteer with defy so I just do it more virtual now that I'm based in Vegas and don't have the the easier access to drive to the prisons. They'll do the in prison programs. And then they have the post release programs. So used to be a part of both now I do more post release work with Gallup. And then I'm on an advisory board, where I support minority Collegiate Scholars as we think about a talent pipeline and how we continue to funnel them through. So yeah, I would say there's a lot of just different things that if   Michael Hingson ** 23:50 you're running your own business in   Jackie Robinson ** 23:51 business, yep. And that's part of the advisory that I do with the with that talent pipeline. That's, yeah, it's fun. I, I, before Gallup, and before my PhD program, I started my company, because I was doing a lot of on air consulting, in the field of criminology and psychology, back when chi for and in spite TV weren't network and they were looking for someone that was that was, you know, not a Dr. Phil. Someone that was of the millennial generation growing up, but had the wherewithal to just explain some of the stories that they would air on TV. So I worked a lot with story producers, whenever they were doing a crime story or something related to mental health, and I'd bring in that science piece. So that's where I said, you know, I think there's something more here and that's where my company derived from was being able to speak on criminology and psychology within the entertainment industry.   Michael Hingson ** 25:00 There's a fair amount of that that goes on to. There's a lot. Yeah.   Jackie Robinson ** 25:05 And it was a perfect marriage because there was always a very dramatic kid. I liked putting on plays there. You didn't? Yeah, I thought acting is it for me, but I love entertainment. I love how you can tell stories and see a script come to life. I worked in international film sales and production for quite a bit crime thrillers, Psych, Psych thrillers. And so, you know, having that opportunity to work with story producers and be an honor expert was just kind of a great marriage of the social sciences and media. What's   Michael Hingson ** 25:38 the most rewarding factor? Would you say of your work in terms of with engaging with your audience and so on?   Jackie Robinson ** 25:47 Hmm, seeing seeing their potential, just flourish. I love when people either come to me, whether it's an organization or an individual, and they're saying, you know, this is, this is the problem we see, this is where you might need some support. And you see them go from maybe struggling or just surviving, as I had mentioned earlier, to thriving, because you help them start to break down. What is it that gives you purpose? You know, how do we make that a priority? How do we eliminate or delegate, or even automate those things that are more draining to you, or feel like drudgery you start to see their anxiety or their depression start to decrease when they they start to just ground themselves and who they are and their value system and things that give them a lot of joy and energy. And then when that's happening at the organizational level, it's just larger, you know, it's that larger impact that you see across the board. So I think that's what thrills me because it's, it's the outcome that individuals or an organization gets out of doing the work, which is feeling like they can thrive. And I'm such a champion for wellbeing, I think it's so important that people focus on, you know, what it is that gives them energy, and we know how closely that ties to your mental health, your spiritual health, to your physical health, to everything.   Michael Hingson ** 27:22 How did you come to really be so interested in well being and kind of formulate the position, you just stated with that?   Jackie Robinson ** 27:33 I think I almost came across that by accident, because I was so interested in the criminal mind, I was so interested in just psychology, at Pepperdine. My, my master's is in really that general clinical psychology. So it's been my foundation. But in performance coaching, once I got into management consulting, I started to see something different in the way that you could, you know, connect with individuals and see that spark in them come back to life, or taking something they're already great at, and then just, you know, driving them more towards excellence, and seeing the, the excitement and energy or, you know, happiness in their voice was, was a pleasure. So I think I stumbled on it by accident, because I never saw myself becoming a coach, and executive coach or performance coach. But it's, it's very fun.   Michael Hingson ** 28:32 Well, there you go. And you seem like you're, you're well put together, you're well grounded in all of it. But you must have had some, I would assume challenging experiences in your life. And what what kind of experiences have you had and what did you perhaps learn from them? Like, what kind of valuable life lessons have you learned from your own challenges? Yeah,   Jackie Robinson ** 28:54 I probably started to reflect a lot more in psychology, because you have to go to counseling when you're in a psychology program. Just as every coach needs a coach, every counselor psychologist needs a counselor psychologists, you start to do a lot of unpacking men. Um, and I suffered from panic disorder starting in high school where I would just have panic attacks, and they would come out of nowhere and you catastrophize and think, you know, the sky is falling. So I've always had anxiety and been more of an anxious person, and medication wasn't the way to go to be on daily medication. I'm, you know, I'm a fan of it, when it needs to be daily for people but for panic disorders, that just wasn't the case. It was more overmedicating for me. So it was looking for other avenues. You know, what can I do to you know, start to decrease anxiety and increase well being? Working out was a way to do that connecting with nature and just going on hikes or walking my dog in the park, allow me to do that. I'm sitting down, when you have panic attacks, whenever you sit and you feel the ground, you ground yourself because it takes your brain away from catastrophizing and you start to focus on Oh, the ground is cold, or the ground is a rug. So you focus a lot on touch, or, you know, worry stones that people might might carry around. So there was a lot of different ways to support well being. So I started thinking about it, that didn't have to do with medication, in my case, and so that was always a big challenge that, you know, I had from high school all the way up through, I mean, even now, but I rarely have panic attacks. At this point, I can count, count them on one hand, how many I have a year because of the other systems that I put in place. I think what triggered it from the workplace standpoint where I focus so much on well being to support challenging situations, was with the pandemic, because that everything but the kitchen sink was thrown at us from 2019 to 2022, I think. And you could just tell the entire world was hurting. And to be able to reach people individually through coaching was just wonderful. And then I had my own personal experience that I'd had to reflect on of how I've come through challenging times. And how well, a focus on well being helped me through it, and specifically, you know, the multitude of ways that you can support well being. That was what really, I think helped me go, oh, there's, this is where I want to spend a lot of my time in the workplace is focused on, you know, a strengths based approach to supporting people and well being.   Michael Hingson ** 31:53 So what kind of tricks? What kind of life lesson did you learn from having the panic attacks? And just dealing with all that? You came out of it? What did you gain from it? Yeah.   Jackie Robinson ** 32:06 More confidence and being able to manage through it, you know, to be able to take the take, take the reins, so to speak, because when you're feeling anxiety, you don't feel like anything is going to work out. But for me, knowing that I could have some automatic systems in place. If I have a panic attack, it's really easy to say, when did I last workout? have I eaten regularly throughout the day? Or have I, you know, basically starved? Do I have more on my plate than necessary? Are the things on my plate, something that would allow me to thrive? Or are these things that drain me of my energy? Have I gotten think time because I'm someone that likes to just disconnect? And so there's kind of that list I can run through as a checks and balances to say yes, yes, no, no up, here's where the problem is. So I learned how to better manage it, which gave me more obviously, self awareness, but even self confidence tackle challenges as they come along.   Michael Hingson ** 33:07 You can always get a puppy dog to help you   Jackie Robinson ** 33:09 and a dog and I have a dog who was registered as an emotional support animal. I'm really bummed that airplanes stopped supporting that because people were bringing birds and pigs and pigeons and whatever else. But um, yeah, he's a great help pets are so wonderful. What is he? He is a chihuahua terrier mix? Ah, yeah. He's well   Michael Hingson ** 33:35 beyond the problem with the whole airplane thing is, of course that, you know, with Americans with Disabilities Act, the rule is that the the animal has to be trained, and technically emotional support. animals aren't trained. But But the issue is really what you just said, which is, people would just bring anything on. And so many people would bring their dogs on, on airplanes and say, their emotional support for me. Yes. And, and they just misbehaved and just did all sorts of things, and nobody would deal with it.   Jackie Robinson ** 34:06 Yes, yes. It's, it goes back to the, you know, the, the old saying, right, where it just takes one person Yeah, to take advantage of the system, and then nobody gets it anymore. And you go, Ah, so Well,   Michael Hingson ** 34:20 it really made it really, it also made it tougher for us with train service animals. Because she Yeah, now the airlines make us jump through all sorts of hoops just to take our dogs on on airplanes. And I think it's something that the airlines promoted a lot. But rather than recognizing there are a whole lot better ways to deal with it. They've made it very convoluted and complex. You know, and from my perspective, it doesn't matter whether it's a service animal or an emotional support animal, if it's well behaved, who's going to notice the problem is so Then he went on who worked there were not. And even I have seen, although not on an airplane, but I've seen legitimately trained service animals that have misbehaved. And the bottom line is that you can't just take your guide dog in somewhere if your guide dog misbehaves. So you noticed the same sort of thing, but it is it is tougher and so many people now go off and they buy these bests and so on online and Oh, my dogs and emotional support animal. Yeah, well, that doesn't mean anything anymore. And you brought it on yourself. Yes.   Jackie Robinson ** 35:32 And so pay your $150 each way to take   Michael Hingson ** 35:38 it as a pet and yeah,   35:40 I Yeah. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 35:43 I have. I've had a couple of I've had a couple of my guide dogs growled at by other dogs on airplanes. And fortunately, my dogs just kind of go give me a break and lay down and put their head down. But still, it's there. And it happens, which is unfortunate.   Jackie Robinson ** 36:00 It is. I love dogs,   Michael Hingson ** 36:03 but we haven't had we haven't had to deal with a peacock on an aeroplane yet.   Jackie Robinson ** 36:09 No, although I'm not seeing the German shepherds that just have their own seat. I just seen a dog head. It's the most. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 36:17 Yeah. Give me a break. No, I met. I met a person once who was very proud of the fact that they got certified in Colorado, the first ready, therapy rat. I'm sitting. Oh, how does that work?   Jackie Robinson ** 36:35 Yeah, yes. Yeah. And then you had those people actually speaking of planes that would bring their hamsters and then you can't have a flush them down the toilet? Yeah. Yeah. Oh, my gosh, people, people   Michael Hingson ** 36:52 want to see that, that means you're always going to have a job. And so you finally discovered, though, that the sky wasn't really falling? Or maybe it was, but you could cope with it? Hmm. I could   Jackie Robinson ** 37:04 cope, you know, let the sky Gosh, a most recent example. So you can't make this up. And this is I have such a positive mindset typically. And so that that's what else helped with I think, thinking of grounding techniques to support well being to reduce panic attacks, was it really allowed my just innate way of wanting to think positive come through, doesn't mean that I don't focus on problems, because I know sometimes that can be the barrier label of those that are just more positive minded. That toxic positivity, we've heard that term a lot, right, where, you know, you don't allow people their lived experience, but I'm very big on allow people to have their lived experience giving their time for emotions. But I love positive thinking, because it allows us to come up with solutions or to get through tough times. So the most recent challenge I experienced was, the day after Christmas, I ended up having a ruptured cyst, and bled out internal bleeding. If anyone's ever experienced it, you know how terribly painful it is, it's, I hope I don't ever experienced that again. And it was a full moon this December 26. So I was at the ER on a full moon, the day after Christmas, when everybody's there because nobody went, I don't think um, Christmas. And so first Urgent Care was on their waiting list for five hours in pain the whole time. But thankfully, you can put yourself on a list and then you go to the clinic, they said, we can't, we can't take you we're gonna fast track you to er, because this might be a kidney stone or an appendicitis thing. Okay, I'm in ER for a while. So fast forward 13 hours later, I get morphine. And it took two hours for it to kick in, because my pain at that point was just they had tried other medications props to the to the hospital, but you know, nothing, nothing was working at that point. So I came out of it. And I just thought, Well, I'm so glad that I get to at least not have surgery because I wasn't bleeding enough for surgery. And then I was thankful that 15 hours later the pain had finally stopped and I could go home and you know, sleep sitting up. And that's that positive piece. The positive thinking of how do we take a challenge when you know that you've had anxiety and you can go into panic attacks and manage it in a way that is effective. So I was in dire pain for a long time but at the end of the day I can kind of you know joke about it now.   Michael Hingson ** 39:54 So does it kind of just heal on itself.   Jackie Robinson ** 39:56 It will heal on its own. Yeah. So now it's just You know, asking those questions, what is my body need? Yeah, um, so if I need rest or a nap and I'll take it, I do walks on the treadmill, it might be 1.7 miles per hour, you know, not still more miles per hour, but it's walking. It's day by day progress. And so I think it's that anytime we have a challenge, how do we break it down and see the positive in it, so that we can get through it. But then, just, you know, when you break it down, step by step, it's much easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel.   Michael Hingson ** 40:31 I've always been a very large water drinker, but nevertheless, I feel your pain in a sense, because I did have a kidney stone once. And it is no fun is   Jackie Robinson ** 40:42 your heart. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 40:45 it is no fun. And it took several hours for it to pass in the hospital. But it did. It did. And it's just kind of one of those things that occurs.   Jackie Robinson ** 40:57 Yeah. Oh, yeah, I do not. I do not envy those with appendicitis or kidney stones after feeling that pain. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Haven't   Michael Hingson ** 41:10 had to worry about appendicitis, but did have a kidney stone and, and then they said, You need to drink more water. And I said, Look, I'm drinking like 80 ounces a day. But I upped it, but I upped it to 100. That's okay. No, not a problem. But you know, it's just one of those things. And it goes on. Well, so free. So for you. You, you are evolving like all of us. Share if you would maybe kind of a personal challenge or goal that you're working on now in the world. Yeah. Well, it must have one up.   Jackie Robinson ** 41:47 Yeah, it's one in the same. I think now it really is a challenge because I wasn't expecting to get a ruptured cyst. Well, yeah, holidays. But um, I want to I want to run my 10th official half marathon into February. In Vegas. I did their marathon a while back. And yeah, I've just I thought, you know, nine, half marathons. Officially, I'll use the air quotes, quote, unquote, is good, but 10 is just now that feels more like I don't remember. Yeah, yes. So that is end of February. Right now I'm still walking because I can't do much more. I'm just kind of going with where my my body wants to go. But that is actually a fun goal and challenge. It's going to be even more of a fun goal and challenge now because it's, you know, time that the clock is ticking.   Michael Hingson ** 42:44 The cyst heal in time, do you think? I   Jackie Robinson ** 42:46 hope so they said, it takes a few weeks for it to break down and kind of your, your blood to reabsorb in your body. But it's all just kind of based on the individual to in terms of how soon you can get back to exercise and your day to day. So it starts with a walk. But that's my next challenge. Take on SO. Water, I'll be there.   Michael Hingson ** 43:10 Well, if it isn't in February, when's the next one after February?   Jackie Robinson ** 43:13 It'd be next year. Another I just sign up for another race. Right? I just find one. Yeah, this would be a fun one. Yeah. Well, there you go. It's a good end goal to have in mind for health and recovery. And   Michael Hingson ** 43:27 you'll be able to do it. And then if it isn't in February, it'll come soon enough.   Jackie Robinson ** 43:31 With both of our positive mindsets. I think we're putting the energy and this energy out there. Yeah, this is gonna happen. But listen   Michael Hingson ** 43:38 to your body. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.   Jackie Robinson ** 43:41 Well, I could always walk. Right? The Walk jog. Yeah. Yeah. But though that's next for me. Well, there you go. physical wellbeing challenge slash goal is is the immediate next thing around the corner for me.   Michael Hingson ** 43:59 So what do you do in general? I think you've talked about this some but if you want to go into more detail about a deal, what do you do? Or how do you handle stress and adversity,   Jackie Robinson ** 44:08 positive thinking and well being tips and tricks, so it's, and I know it might be harder for some to think more positive by nature, some of us might be more problems focused, and that's okay. And some might be more solutions.   Michael Hingson ** 44:25 So criminal tendency again, yeah.   Jackie Robinson ** 44:28 Either one is okay, pick. The coming up with that positive lens on life is just easy for me. But for those that even think from a problems perspective, it can be helpful just to say, well, what's the worst that can happen and how to handle it? And then, so that helps me get through challenges and adversity is just glass half full, because I can come up with solutions so much quicker. And I love having a plan A, a plan B and A Plan C. So it makes me feel like no matter what's thrown my way. I'm gonna have a way to over Come in. But sometimes we're just, you know, punched in the face lots of times by life. The one thing that is a constant is the change life throws at us. So if there is just a lot of just challenges that are just coming, you know, left and right, I really, really do focus on grounding, techniques to support well being. So we ensure even more so that I'm getting exercise or that I get to talk to friends or family or I'm reading a book or I'm starting to limit my calendar as much as I can. Do   Michael Hingson ** 45:34 you spend time daily are often just reflecting like how things are going and why things went the way they did not viewing it as a failure, but rather as a learning experience to making it better. Down the line,   Jackie Robinson ** 45:50 I do my sink time for that is, typically when I'm outside, if I'm walking my dog, or I'm hiking, that's when I love just being able to think through, and it's not daily, that it gets to happen. But if I can get out a couple of times a week just to be outside on a walk, then that's what I'm doing on my treadmill, that's what I'll do. So I am a big champion of walking, or running or being outside and I share with people you know, there's a lot of science behind it. But we can come up with ideas and solutions and think through in our own processes and systems when we're we're walking well.   Michael Hingson ** 46:34 And no matter what anyone does or says to you, you're still your own best teacher, and you have to process it, and synthesize it and make it work for yourself.   Jackie Robinson ** 46:45 Exactly. Yeah, some and so one of the questions that I'll ask too, and you bring up that point is, what has whenever it comes. Whenever you think about what's supported you in the past when you've overcome adversity, what helps you get through that? Is it journaling? Is it bike riding? What does that look like for you because everyone's going to have their own mechanism. We forget what that can be sometimes when we're stuck in the weeds. So it's nice to have a mirror so to speak, and someone that can help you reflect on that.   Michael Hingson ** 47:19 Yeah, and it's, I don't know, for me a matter of the glasses half full, but it's also when something is going on and you don't know, necessarily directly what to do. I think listening to our hearts does tend to help us but also developing a circle of people you can go to to seek advice and not being afraid to do it. Too many people live I couldn't do that i i can't solve it myself. It's a sign of weakness if I let somebody else help, and that's not true.   Jackie Robinson ** 47:59 It's yeah, spot on. We thriving communities. The South African concept of Ubuntu, you know, I am because we are, the more we can kind of support on each other have at least one support system in your life. It can be so beneficial. Yeah. We don't need to tackle it alone.   Michael Hingson ** 48:18 And shouldn't Yeah, yeah, there's there's always value in a team. That's right.   Jackie Robinson ** 48:25 Hey, we used to hunt and kill that way, right? When we were hunters and gatherers. We had a tribe. We like to think it's changed, but we still need that community.   Michael Hingson ** 48:38 Well, we do and it's part of our nature or ought to be and too many people think that they don't need to and they just think that they're being more macho and all that. And the reality is it doesn't work that way.   Jackie Robinson ** 48:52 Absolutely. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 48:53 so tell me more about your coaching business. Do you coach people all over the country, the world virtually? Or what do you do?   Jackie Robinson ** 49:01 I do I coach virtually I coach on site, but more or less, it's virtually across the globe, just depending on the time zone. Typically managers, leaders and executives, but I also work with individuals love coaching students. There's something about students because they're, you know, they're just coming out in the world. They're super excited about it. They're just fresh face. They've got so many dreams and ideas and so anytime I'm working with higher education, it's a pleasure. Because we've got all these we've got a new generation that's gonna go out there and shoot great things. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 49:45 And they should be encouraged to it's it's so frustrating. I see so many times, like children being discouraged from being curious. They're being discouraged from dreaming and and Moving forward with all that there's nothing wrong with dreaming. There's nothing wrong with having hopes and learning, and maybe something won't work. And maybe adults recognize that. But it isn't the lesson, it's the discovery that really makes a difference, it seems to me,   Jackie Robinson ** 50:18 Oh, that's such a great way of putting it. Yeah, having them lead with curiosity. Well, into that point, we're seeing that the Gen Z generation is the most entrepreneurial, they've kind of seen where the millennials have gone with education. Some of them are still getting their education, some would rather, you know, work full time, and then be part time in school where their education is least partially covered by corporations. And then some are saying, Hey, I just want to be a solopreneur. So I think we're all seeing that with social media and the way that they've become influencers are the way that they've just built companies, and they're making so much money so quick. I love seeing them. It's that curious spirit, they just haven't let go of and, you know, they're, they're gonna do what they want. They're kind of like the rebels or the Renegades of all the generations. And it's fun to see.   Michael Hingson ** 51:18 I think that what we will we will see, though, is that you mentioned social media. The problem is that I'm not sure that we always make the best connections on social media, because it is still somewhat separate. And I think that the people who really succeed are the ones who really discovered the value of connection lism. Yes,   Jackie Robinson ** 51:38 which goes to all the research that's starting to come out on how loneliness has spiked among individuals, and I think specifically, the 18 to 35 year old generation, really sad. I feel really bad for those that were in college during the pandemic, and they had their first, you know, New Year Experience online, they didn't get to have those connections that so many of us had with people and professors, and now they've got it, but I think they're still trying to acclimate   Michael Hingson ** 52:13 Well, or they didn't take full exam, they didn't take full advantage of what they could do online. So rather than making connections through zoom, and actually having face to face contact, and discussions, it was all done through social media, sending messages and so on. And that's just not the same. No,   Jackie Robinson ** 52:34 even now, if you put them all in a room, oftentimes, they'll be on their phone. Yeah, not looking at it.   Michael Hingson ** 52:42 I've always found that fun. I hear. I hear jokes about kids doing that in the back seats of their cars, when they're riding around with their parents. And I actually asked somebody one day, why do you text to the person next to you in the car? Of course, the response was, Well, we don't want our parents to know what we're talking about. That's a problem, too. Yeah. Anyway,   Jackie Robinson ** 53:02 yeah. See, I suppose for some of those that aren't solopreneurs that are actually growing companies, because they grew up at this time where loneliness, and social isolation is significant. And now that's a point of research for a lot of the site, you know, in the psychology world and sociology world. What are organizations going to look like 20 years from now, or 10 years from now, if they're the leaders of these companies, and they're not used to emotional intelligence and connection, it'll   Michael Hingson ** 53:33 be interesting to see what they learned today, I   Jackie Robinson ** 53:35 guess, that I just brought high. So even those of us with a positive mindset can go but wait, this is going to be it'll be interesting to see.   Michael Hingson ** 53:42 Or they're going to or they're going to learn? Yeah, I think there's a lot to be said, for momentum. And the reality is that there are a lot of things that do work. And people who don't succeed are going to hopefully come to the realization well, maybe we need to change some of what we do. And there is value to what used to be that we should be taking advantage of.   Jackie Robinson ** 54:07 Like AI, a lot of AI programs out there now teaching emotional intelligence. And   Michael Hingson ** 54:13 there's a lot that AI can do. And you people keep talking about all the things that are bad about it, and so on. Yeah, but look at all the good things that come out of it. I mean, for that matter. It was artificial intelligence that did a lot of the initial work very quickly on developing the mRNA vaccines that we use for COVID. Wow. Yeah. They and I saw I heard in one report that using some sort of AI process they did in three days, that would have taken months or years for people to do without it. And that's the value of the tool.   Jackie Robinson ** 54:56 Yes, there how many pros and I know there's A lot of cons that that people see. But of course, that's with any situation or sure, you know outcome. Of course,   Michael Hingson ** 55:08 we have no problem using the internet today, even though there is still such a thing as the dark web.   Jackie Robinson ** 55:16 Yeah, I don't think any of us want to go back to those heavy encyclopedia books that well, there is that to your library. Yeah, we lose the internet.   Michael Hingson ** 55:26 I have a I just, I've never visited the dark web don't know how to do it. And it's probably inaccessible. Anyway. So yeah. So I will worry about it. How can people apply the things that we've been talking about today? What would you do to encourage people? And what are some of the first steps they should take?   Jackie Robinson ** 55:44 Um, I'd have them think, you know, on a scale of one to five, I love scales, five being, I feel like I'm thriving in life, where do you feel you're sitting? If it's a three or a four, then you might, you know, and hopefully, it's not a one or two, but it very well could be a one or two. But once you identify that state of well, being where you're at right now, you could just curate a list, and really start to keep track of what you're doing day to day. And you could just make a side note next to each of those, you know, daily activities, personal and professional. Do you love it? Do you like it? Do you hate it, and then over really a month, span of time, you'll very quickly be able to see where your time and energy is, or you appreciate it and where it's draining you. And then that's going to start to give you those building blocks to say, Okay, now how do I rearrange my day where I'm doing more of what I love, and less of what I don't love. For some, it really is a mental shift. And people have had aha moments to go, I don't like what I'm doing anymore. Like professionally, I need to switch roles, you might be within the same organization. But maybe this now gives you the the feedback and insights to say this is what I'd like to do more of instead. This is where I'd like to delegate, or maybe kind of disengage if if possible, maybe you are looking for something entirely different because it's no longer, you know, going against your your moral grant or your values. And that can be very, very helpful. It's just an initial starting point. And it's the new year. So it might be a good time to. And   Michael Hingson ** 57:30 the other thing you might discover, is really what you're doing you really liked doing and you just don't think you do until you think about it. And it's all about taking that time. Whichever way you go. It's all about taking that time to think about it and reflect. Yes,   Jackie Robinson ** 57:45 yes. And what's the percentage of time you want to spend every day on that thing that you love? You might be doing it daily? Maybe it's 10%? How do you increase it to 25%? If that? That would be your sweet spot? Yeah. So yeah, then it allows you to really break it down and get more tactical about what is the the average amount of time I want to spend here?   Michael Hingson ** 58:06 And what is it? What is it I don't love? And why is it I don't love it? And maybe maybe it isn't really as bad as you think it is. It's all about taking the time to put things in perspective.   Jackie Robinson ** 58:20 Yep. And as you mentioned earlier, everyone's gonna have their own time and space for that. I know, parents, they can get really busy. I've seen parents that get up at four or five in the morning. And they'll get in their workout or their think time, because that allows them to reflect or they get up at the same time because four or five is not their jam wouldn't be mine. But they'll go on a walk at maybe 6am with the kid, if it's a baby, you know, so the baby's in the stroller, and they're walking outside, and we're able to kind of sort through their thoughts before they check their work emails. So it's really just thinking, what is what's going to be best for me when when might be an opportune time. And I do some 15 minutes.   Michael Hingson ** 59:03 Yeah, it isn't something that has to take a long, long time. But but you have to take the time to do it. I tend to do it a lot when I'm going to bed. And I actually fall asleep sometimes thinking about it. But it doesn't mean you have to spend hours at it. But but it is important to let your your mind slow down and help your mind slow down because that's going to make you a stronger and a more vibrant individual.   Jackie Robinson ** 59:29 Yes, you reminded me of the gratitude journals, where you're just writing three things that you loved for the day or three challenges you experienced and how you're going to overcome it next and that can take five minutes. Yep, the end of the day. It   Michael Hingson ** 59:46 doesn't need to take a long time. No, no, but it can be very valuable. Or go pet a dog or a cat. Yes. I have one of each. And the cat demands a lot of petting but it's so hey she's acuity. Well, if her name is stitch, we rescued her, Oh, we were actually going to just take her and find her home because the people who owned her the wife had died and the husband was going into an assisted living facility and decided that he didn't want to take the cat and he just told his caregiver take the cat to the pound. And we learned about it. And my wife said, Absolutely not. But then I, I made the mistake of asking what the cat's name was. And they said the cast name was stitch now what you need to know about my wife. When she was alive, she passed away November of 2022. But she was a professional quilter from 1994 on do you think a quilter is going to let go of a cat named stitch?   Jackie Robinson ** 1:00:53 Yeah, ain't   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:54 happening. Oh, my   Jackie Robinson ** 1:00:55 God. It's a sign that with the sign was oh, it was a silent smile from heaven.   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:02 In stitchy, is still here and, and loves to get petted while she eats and loves to interact. So it's great.   Jackie Robinson ** 1:01:09 I love that. I love that for you. This year,   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:12 it'll be nine years since in genuinely change later in January. It'll be nine years since we got her so she's a great cat. Wow,   Jackie Robinson ** 1:01:22 it was meant to be.   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:23 Oh, yeah. Well clearly meant to be with a name like stitch. Absolutely. No question about definitely. If people want to reach out that people want to reach out to you. How do they do that?   Jackie Robinson ** 1:01:36 Yes, you can find me on the gram on Instagram. I'm at Dr. Jaclynn Robinson. Thank you, J A C L, Y N N. Almost like Jaclynn Smith that Charlie's Angel, except with two ends. Yes, Dr. Jaclynn Robinson. I'm also on I've got a website. So you can also find me at Jaclynn robinson.com which made it very easy.   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:09 There you go.   Jackie Robinson ** 1:02:10 Why not? Why not just you can hunt me down. And then I'm also on LinkedIn. I'm also I have to check. My LinkedIn is Jaclynn Robinson. It said Jaclynn Robinson. Yeah. So you'd be able to find me there. And then I'm also on AIX, which I'm still you know, I'm surprised I didn't say Twitter. I think I've been acclimated to it now being called the EC. But under that when I am at nine muses, like the nine shoot that's ology p r o d, short for nine Muses productions. So find uses P   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:49 im uses productions?   Jackie Robinson ** 1:02:51 Well, Greg did not take credit for that. But my, my brother came up with my company name, whenever I had started doing work in entertainment, because it's, you know, the muses are such a blend of science, and art and poetry and all of that. So we thought, That's a good name for your social sciences and entertainment background.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:13 That's a great, very clever name. I'm   Jackie Robinson ** 1:03:15 not better. I cannot take the credit for that one. But I will never let it go like I'm   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:20 fine. Good for you. Well, I want to thank you for being with us. This has been a lot of fun. And I really want to thank you all for listening to us. And hopefully, you found some great insights with everything that Jacqueline had to say and that you will reach out to her. Let her coach you or at least it'd be great to interact and another person to talk with. We'd love it if you would give us a five star review wherever you're listening to unstoppable mindset. So wherever that is, please give us a five star review and a rating. appreciate it greatly love to hear your comments and thoughts. You're welcome to email me my email address is Michael m i c h a e l h i at accessibe A C C S S I B E.com. Or you can go to our podcast page, which is www dot Michael hingson.com/podcast. So that's www.michelhingson.com/podcast. But love those ratings and reviews and Jackie, both for you and for all of you listening out there. If you know of anyone else who you think we ought to have on unstoppable mindset, love to hear from you. Really I would appreciate any introductions and thoughts that you have because we're always looking for guests who want to come on and talk and tell their stories and all of that. So I would really appreciate it if you'd suggest guests. We are always grateful for doing that. So the only thing I can say once more Jackie is thank you very much. It's been great that you're here. Really appreciate your time and just thank you for for being with us today.   Jackie Robinson ** 1:05:00 Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.   Michael Hingson ** 1:05:06 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you'

ABOUT OUR GUEST:  Tiffany Waddell Tate (she/her) helps individuals and companies reimagine the future of work through coaching, digital education, and training & development for organizations and teams. As an in-demand coach, consultant, speaker and thought leader, she has been featured on Well + Good, The Everymom, The Muse,  and a variety of podcasts. She is a master in coaching professionals to learn, lead, and grow at work while being true to their authentic selves and building their personal brand. Tate earned her BA and MA from Wake Forest University, and is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, Diversity Educator, and MBTI Certified. Tiffany is also the founder of Career Maven Consulting.  This team is on a mission to help people become the CEO of their professional lives, and organizations retain great people through career advancement support & leadership development rooted in clarity, confidence, and agency for all. CONNECT WITH TIFFANY  LinkedIn  Instagram CONNECT WITH CAREER MAVEN CONSULTING LinkedIn  Instagram  Website EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKSCareer Maven AcademyHow to Ally for #BlackWomenatWorkEverymom Article:  How to Support Black Women at WorkEmpowering Women in Industry ConferenceEmpowering Women in Industry MembershipEmpowering Women in Industry MagazineEmpowering Women in Industry WebsiteEmpowering Women in Industry Virtual Events QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS“Do good work on purpose.”“Part of my coaching practice is helping people to not just react to things that are happening to them but be really thoughtful about what their non-negotiables are, what they want to learn, and what they want to earn.  Get comfortable naming those things, talking about them, and making decisions based on those things rather than just responding to situations that they find themselves in.”“People should get really clear on what matters to them as humans who are working so they have thoughtful intention in both spheres.”“I think people often under sell and they under pitch because they think they have to do more to prove themselves.”Career Coaching Framework:  Clarity, Confidence, and AgencyCareer branding documents should be STICKY: Skill-based, Tailored, Intentionality, Confidence,  Keep it real, You“Skills language is the value add.  This is what you do and how does what you do add value to the organization.” “Having a career strategy can mean having a really clear list of the things you want to learn/do or the problems you want to solve. Or it could be an clear awareness of your known boundaries or personal catalysts.”“Right now is what we have. Be really thoughtful about right now as you are planning for the future.”

Mark interviews Becca Syme, an author and a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach who has been helping writers with coaching success alignment for more than a decade. Prior to the interview, Mark thanks Patrons and Buy Me A Coffee buddies, shares comments from recent episode, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor. Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise. In the interview Mark and Becca talk about: How Becca deals with unexpected situations such as someone being late for a virtual meeting (Mark was 20 minutes late getting to this interview) and how this aligns with her strength of "Arranger" The Clifton Strengths personality metric and how Becca uses it to help writers Mark's top 5 strengths and Becca's top 5 strengths The pros and cons that come with a strength such as Empathy How emotions can have residue - that emotions are not false just because they're fictional Becca first taking the Clifton Strengths in 2005 and then immediately wanting to become certified and to figure this out; which is when her coaching began The "Dear Writer"/"Question The Premise" books that Becca has written to help writers How Becca's first book "Dear Writer You Need to Quit" has become a running joke, especially from people who have never read the book and have only heard the title The challenge related to the new place Becca lives and trying to get audiobooks recorded People who are pressure-prompted and the leveraging external motivation VS internal motivation A look at home office versus having an office space separate from the home and how that can work better for some people How our visions of ourselves are not correct because so much of it is based on impressions we were fed before we were able to effectively grasp a more pure vision of ourselves Being able to look at what's often seen as a weakness as a strength How even the more benign moments and experiences in childhood can have a dramatic life-long impact upon us The way that Becca questions almost everything, including the thoughts and feelings that she has Being an intuitive writer verses writing a book to outline How 100% of the things that "everyone says" are for everyone, are definitely NOT for everyone That most people are not lying to you, but they are lying to themselves, often because they just don't understand How a person who NEVER questions themself is a major red flag The "reach for my phone" game that Becca plays when she's traveling or out in public The 12-Hour Walk Becca dating someone who was comfortably disconnected from their phone, rarely ever reaching for it, but just being in the moment The problem with interrupting the thought cycle and being able to get all the way to the bottom of the cognitive process And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on a handful of things that came up in their conversation, which he felt was a lot of good therapy for him.   Links of Interest: Becca Syme's Better Faster Academy Links The QuitCast Blog QuitCast Podcast for Writers Becca Syme YouTube EP 359 - The DIY Writer with Kaye Lynn Booth DropCap Marketplace  Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising Writers Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   Becca Syme (MATL) is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has been coaching success alignment for more than a decade. She is the author of the Quitbooks for Writers series and the popular Write Better-Faster course. She also writes mystery novels in her spare time and lives on one of the thousand lakes in Minnesota.   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

What makes a nonprofit successful? A lot of things. An engaged donor base, for example. Enthusiastic Board members. A compelling case for support. Those are all necessary to grow your organization and sustain your mission. But a critically important and often overlooked element is the employee. Nonprofits suffer higher turnover than any other sector. The nonprofit turnover rate clocks in at just over 21% and the overwhelming majority of that is voluntary. Surveys show that nearly half of nonprofit employees will seek other jobs by 2025. So what can be done? This is where a successful employee retention strategy comes in. My guest is the one-and-only Kishshana Palmer, Kishshana is CEO of ManageMint Inc. , an organizational development firm focused on helping everyday leaders live well and lead well. In this episode, Kishshana will unravel the secrets behind creating sticky teams and boosting employee retention. Listeners, if you found today's discussion insightful and want to learn more about creating sticky teams and boosting employee retention, don't forget to check out the on-demand training at www.managemint.co/freeresources. Success is within reach, and it starts with investing in your team's growth and well-being. Thank you for tuning in, and until next time, keep leading with purpose and compassion.About Kishshana PalmerKishshana Palmer is an international speaker, trainer, and coach with a 20+ year background in fundraising, marketing, and talent management who helps leaders create high performing teams. Kishshana is CEO of ManageMint, Inc., an organizational development firm focused on helping everyday leaders live well and lead well. Her firm's work centers on equity and social justice and practical solutions for today's organizations. She is the founder of The Rooted Collaborative -- a global community focused on the growth and development of women leaders of color in the social sector. She's the host of the podcast "ManageMint Made Easy" formerly "Let's Take This Offline", an adjunct professor at Baruch College, a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), a BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer (CGT), A Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, a Q3LC Certified Coach and an AFP Master Trainer.  When an organization wants to grow, find and retain people on their team, raise money, and more she is the fairy godmother they have on speed dial. Her work isn't limited to organizations, she also coaches high performing leaders.Kishshana is a NYC girl now living in Atlanta and a mother of one wonderful teenage daughter. Kishshana is the epitome of your classic 90's Queens homegirl and quintessential corner office executive. She is your daily dose of Claire Huxtable with a side of Blanche Devereaux.Connect with Kishshana on LinkedInkishshanapalmer.commanagemint.coOther resource mentioned: https://www.managemint.co/freeresourcesTake my free masterclass: 3 Must-Have Elements of Social Media Content that Converts

Welcome to the Financial Freedom and Wealth Trailblazers Podcast! In this episode, we'll explore the strategies, insights, and inspiration you need to turn your passion into a rewarding profession and live a life you truly love. Elena Pastore's goal as a professional is to influence the world by delivering high-class services to support people's professional growth and development. She is disrupting the traditional approach to career advancement by incorporating psychology and neuroscience techniques to take a holistic approach with clients. Elena is passionate about helping others develop their soft skills and interpersonal capabilities for an enhanced and optimized workplace environment. This is realized in her work as a leadership and career coach enabling clients to lean into more fulfilling and happier lives. Elena is a double gator with a Master's degree in International Business and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida. She also holds certifications as an ICF Associate Certified Coach, Gallup Certified Strengths Coach®  and in NLP, Hypnotherapy, and Mental and Emotional Release®. Connect with Elena here: https://www.instagram.com/allenatorecoaching/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenapastore/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/allenatore-coaching https://www.tiktok.com/@elena_pastore https://www.instagram.com/mindsetmedicinepodcast/   Grab the freebie here: Mini Masterclass on Creating Your Reality https://allenatore.ck.page/6dc968c0e8 =================================== If you enjoyed this episode, remember to hit the like button and subscribe. Then share this episode with your friends. Thanks for watching the Financial Freedom and Wealth Trailblazers Podcast. This podcast is part of the Digital Trailblazer family of podcasts. To learn more about Digital Trailblazer and what we do to help entrepreneurs, go to DigitalTrailblazer.com. Are you a coach, consultant, expert, or online course creator? Then we'd love to invite you to our FREE Facebook Group where you can learn the best strategies to land more high-ticket clients and customers.  Request to join here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitablecoursecreators QUICK LINKS:  APPLY TO BE FEATURED: https://app.digitaltrailblazer.com/podcast-guest-application GET MORE CLIENTS: https://app.digitaltrailblazer.com/client-acquisition-accelerator-pdf DIGITAL TRAILBLAZER: https://digitaltrailblazer.com/ JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/profitablecoursecreators

In this fast-paced world, managing our emotions and understanding those of others is more crucial than ever. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is about recognizing and managing your emotions effectively to reduce stress, communicate, empathize, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict. With high EQ, you can improve relationships, excel at work, and achieve your career and personal goals. Today, Jonathan Youssef is joined by Clay Kirkland, a returning guest with over two decades of coaching experience and a rich background in staff development at the University of Georgia Wesley Foundation. Clay is certified in emotional intelligence and includes EQ as a vital coaching component. Clay breaks down the concept of EQ into four crucial quadrants: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. This episode isn't just theoretical; it is filled with practical advice, from managing personal emotions to enhancing interpersonal relations in various spheres of life, such as parenting, the workplace, and within the church community.Listeners will gain insights into how emotional intelligence intersects with spiritual maturity, the practical applications of EQ in everyday scenarios, and strategies for developing emotional resilience. Clay's explanations bridge scientific understanding with theological perspectives, making this a must-listen for anyone seeking to enhance their emotional skills and lead a more fulfilling, empathetic life. Join us as we explore how mastering emotional intelligence can lead to profound personal growth and significantly better interactions in all areas of life. This episode is for you, whether you're a leader, a parent, or simply someone looking to understand the emotional dynamics of the human mind.To ask Jonathan a question or connect with the Candid community, visit https://LTW.org/CandidFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/candidpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/candidpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/thecandidpodTRANSCRIPT:This transcript recounts Candid Conversations with Jonathan Youssef Episode 254:  What is Emotional Intelligence and Why Does it Matter?: Clay Kirkland [00:01] JONATHAN: Well, today we have a repeat guest. We like having repeat guests. We like to build up some relational collateral with our audience and so we've brought back Clay Kirkland. Clay has spoken on a number of topics, including calling, with us on Candid Conversations, and today we are talking about emotional intelligence. Clay is a life coach with twenty-plus years of experience. He served for eighteen years as the director of staff development at the Wesley Foundation at the University of Georgia in Athens. He has a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary and he is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. And so I will say, “Welcome back, Clay.”[00:51] CLAY: Thank you. I appreciate it. Glad to be here. [00:55] JONATHAN: Well, this is a topic that has always been of great interest to me, and obviously to my team as we were having this conversation and your name came up pretty much immediately, and it's this issue of emotional intelligence, EQ, right? That's our abbreviation. So this is not IQ, a measure of general intelligence. This is EQ, emotional intelligence, and so maybe help us define emotional intelligence. Why is it important? What is it? Kind of step us through a little bit of that process.[01:37] CLAY: Sure. Yeah. So it's a great topic. I'm very excited to be here to talk about it. And it's gone through a lot of iterations in terms of its understanding. Probably in the last forty years, really, it's been around and I'd say probably the last fifteen or twenty it's become a major player in conversations both in the business sector and also just in general. If we wanted to really boil it down to probably its simplest form, you would want to think about emotional intelligence in four different parts. Do you know yourself? Can you manage or read yourself? Do you know others? Can you manage and influence others? And that's about as easy as we can get it. We're leaving some things out, but across the bow, that's what we're looking for those four quadrants. There's a self-understanding, there's a social understanding, then there's a self-leadership or management, and there's a social leadership management and understanding.[02:55] JONATHAN: Even in just giving the categories I feel like I'm picking up on the necessity of being able to understand yourself and know yourself, being able to manage yourself, right, self-control—it's a fruit of the Spirit. And then on the relational spectrum, being able to relate to others, are … How do you lead? How do you interpret people's body language and cues and things that are being given off? So let's talk about the importance of just those four categories that you've given us.[03:45] CLAY: Sure. Well, you can, if we start with knowing yourself, right, and then think about that, as it relates to knowing others, we say things in life to our family or things are said about us that lead us back to what we're really talking about when it comes to emotions. So you'll hear people say things like, “He doesn't have a clue what's going on.” Or “Do you realize how angry you sounded when you said that?” And that immediate defensive posture. So in interpersonal relationships, it's pretty much there on a consistent basis, that idea of do you know what's on the other side of you? And that's the self-awareness, right? And then do you know what's happening with the people that are around you? So that's the first part, right; it's just this knowledge. And the great thing—I didn't mention this earlier, but the great thing of this kind of understanding emotional intelligence that plays into a lot of the definitions that people are putting out these days are that these are a set of skills that can be learned. This is not a—[05:09] JONATHAN: You're not born with it.[05:10] CLAY: —personality trait that, you've gotten and you're just stuck there. This is dynamic in a good way, but also in a sobering way in the sense that you can be really good at these and then stop being good at these, or you can be not good at these and then [05:31] CLAY: —they slide. But then outside of that awareness and knowledge, it's what do you do with it? Do you know how to manage yourself? And again, it's an interplay. It's always going to blend with the knowledge. Do you know what's appropriate for the moment either for yourself, coming out of you, with others, and then, can you apply this? So when we think about the brain, we're thinking about this process of your limbic system where the seat of your emotions are, and your prefrontal cortex, where you're making your rational decisions. So do you have understanding of both of those? Do you have control over both of those? And can you manage that—when you're alone—or can you do that also when you're with other people?[06:34] JONATHAN: This is very scientific but also very practical. Let's bring in the world of theology. How do you differentiate between spiritual maturity—or do you differentiate between spiritual maturity and emotional intelligence? Are they one in the same?[06:56] CLAY: I think you have to differentiate between the two, simply because someone who has no spiritual/religious anything—[07:09] JONATHAN: They're capable of growing.[07:13] CLAY: And being very emotionally intelligent. So you're not automatically emotionally intelligent because you have some type of spiritual maturity in the sense of you have a relationship with God or you do certain religious disciplines that make you, in the eyes of other people, highly religious or devout.There has to be a difference there. But when we look at the practical applications of emotional intelligence and you look at them and the practical applications of spiritual maturity—so probably the easiest one to go to is in the New Testament, to look at the fruits of the Spirit. You start talking about love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness. You get all the way down to self-control. And then you pull those back into the outcomes that emotional intelligence is supposed to create, there's a lot of similarities, right? Obviously, self-control is one. Optimism is a massive one, which we can really link to joy and hope. The kindness piece would clearly cover those kind of interpersonal relationships. So it's not a perfect overlay, but that's where you see it.[08:32] JONATHAN: Yeah, lots of connectivity there for sure.[08:34] CLAY: Yes, a lot. [08:38] JONATHAN:You mentioned the limbic system, the prefrontal cortex. Talk me through a little bit of that to give some clarity here.[08:52] CLAY: Sure. And again, let's make it real simple.[08:56] JONATHAN: Thanks.[08:58] CLAY: Yeah, for all of us. You're going to have your reptilian part of your brain. That's your fight, your flight when you're in danger. That's just kind of that aspect. If we get past that, we're typically going to put our neural functions into two other categories. That's going to be your limbic system, and that's the “I feel” place. And then your neocortex, that prefrontal cortex, where you're going to think rationally and you're going to make decisions, you're going to process them.So what we're trying to say is, because you get this a lot when I go around and talk to people about emotional intelligence, you'll typically hear someone or a group of people identify and say, “I don't have a lot of feelings. I'm not very emotional, so I don't know if this is going to help.”[09:59] JONATHAN: “I'm a thinker, not a feeler,” right?[10:01] CLAY: That's correct, which just means that they're leaning much more heavily into one area of their brain than the others. That doesn't mean that they don't feel. It doesn't mean that that limbic system is depressed or deformed or anything else; it just means that they are not as aware that that part of their brain is functioning and can function for them in positive, neutral or negative ways.Again, if you were to describe me and say, “Hey Clay, on a scale of 1 to 10, how emotional are you,” most people then link that to when's the last time you cried? Do you get chill bumps when you watch a video, or a commercial at Christmas, or whatever? And I would say, no, that's not the type of person I am. But that still doesn't mean that that limbic system within my brain isn't an active part of the brain. Because it is. For all of us it is, we're just not leaning into it.[11:14] JONATHAN: So is there a way—I'm sure we're all thinking of a person that perhaps is not leaning into their limbic system, and we're thinking, How do you exercise that? And I'm assuming that your goal with clients and that sort of things is to try and help find balance. I assume you want a balance between being in touch with emotions, right, because emotions can be good indicators. They can also mislead, but they can be good indicators. And then you need a rational side to help navigate that. So how do you sort of exercise—and we can do both sides of that—how do you, for those who are very much a feelings-generated person, how do they exercise their thinking and vice-versa?[12:10] CLAY: All right. So let's start with the person who typically is not necessarily a feeling-type person. I'll give you an example. I had a client several years ago, and he was a CEO of a company and I got brought in to work with him. We were meeting in the lobby of the hotel, like in the restaurant, and I asked him, I said, “Tell me a recent story about something that went wrong at work.”So he tells me the story. And after he finishes, I said, “How do you feel about that?” And he said, “Bad.” I said, “Try something a little bit more deep, descriptive.” And he just stared at me and said, “I don't know, it just made me feel bad.” So I said, “Have you ever heard of the ‘emotions wheel'? It's a very common graphic, you can google it.”So he pulled out his phone and said, “Siri, Google,” and here comes the emotions wheel. It pops up on it and he stares at it. He stares at it for probably seven minutes. I was like, “Wow, I don't know if he's going to be able to do it.”And he finally said, “Angry.”And I said, “All right! Great! This is good. This is good.” So we spent several months with that wheel, using exercises that would help him start to recognize that he has feelings that are coursing in and out of his brain that he just wasn't giving airtime to. So again, people who aren't touchy-feely or aren't kind of the emotional types, they typically won't feel anger. They're aware of that frustration, but what they typically do, they're guarding themselves. And this is where we're going to get off on a rabbit trail, so I'm going to pause myself, but they are typically guarding themselves from certain emotions they don't like or they don't believe are good or not the type of person they would be. Or pain, or whatever, again, can't go there. But that's typically what you see. So we just started to do exercises that caused him to become very aware of the emotions that were coursing through his brain and body and it became helpful. Again, it's not necessarily the end product, but we just needed to at least give some recognition.On the flip side, someone who's highly emotional, again, the way they would describe themselves, and they would say, “Well, I don't really think that much,” they do think a lot; they are just thinking primarily through their emotions. And you said it earlier: they can be great indicators, but they can also be misleading. So that's where we kind of do some exercises for people in that kind of space to really pause and start to learn where they're making their decisions from. Why are you doing this? “Because I feel like it.” What do you feel? “Well, I feel …” and they can just tell you.And so that's when you have to do some exercises where you pause and put them in situations where you say something like, “If your friend was about to do this, how would you tell him or her what to do? What kind of advice would you give them?” That gives them a pause to consider. Or it's a common kind of way that we would do it, but we would debate our emotions. So your classic, classic example for this is—and this just happened recently, so this is a true story, here in this office—I got here early because the fire company told me they needed to come and do a test on the fire system. So 6:30 in the morning I walk through here, only saw one other person in the office and said, “Hey, there's a fire alarm test.” He said, “Okay, great.”So what I didn't notice was that someone was parking and then they were coming into the front doors about ninety seconds after I warned the one person that the fire alarm would go off. And this woman came running down the hallway in panic and scared, because she and I both heard the same fire alarm, but because I had certain knowledge, I had zero panic and fear, and had no emotion towards the fire alarm whatsoever. And she had incredible emotions towards it, and therefore, she was running, she was trying to save people. She was looking for people to save because she thought that we were going up in flames, and she just couldn't believe it.So the point of that is to say when you have something that triggers emotion, you can debate it. If you know that you need to learn something about your emotions, you can debate it, again, to say, “Is there a reason for me to feel any other way? Is there a trigger or consequence that I'm concerned about? Is there any context that I could give myself that could perhaps change the way that I feel currently?”And again, they are all methods. Those are all different ways—and we can get into those exercises if you want to—but the point of those exercises is to pause yourself before you push whenever that limbic system is pushing into your vision, near the forefront of your mind, to make that the only way that you can make a decision. We're just trying to pause you enough to give you an option to have your other parts of your brain work.[18:31] JONATHAN: This sort of happened recently—I should be careful; I should use third-party examples. But my wife and I were at the beach, and our son was playing near and we were talking with friends. And we were keeping an eye on him, and then all of a sudden he was gone. And so we went into full panic mode. And we're looking in the water and it's just like it was emotion-driven. There's very little rational thought process and the panic mode strikes. He's not where he was; something terrible must have happened.And I remember after panicking for a while I finally just stopped. I did the pause, kind of what you're talking about, and I thought, “Okay, we've been here before. He knows this place.” So I told my wife, I said, “Go back up to where we're staying and check for him there.” And then I thought, “There's a little statue that I know he likes. Let me go see maybe if he's gone over there.” Because we hadn't thought, “Well, he ran past us,” because we would have seen him. But I thought, “Well, we might have been engaged in conversation and missed him.”And sure enough, as I'm running to the statue, there he is, playing in the sand. And he had run past us, chasing a seagull or something. And it was like, okay, if I just took a minute to think, all right, what are the logical things that could have happened here? But at the same time, God has given us those panic senses to where if something terrible had happened, your body is in that sort of fight, hopefully not flight, but fight mode of I need to do … I need to, as the example of the lady in the office, she's trying to save people. That's a good thing if the fire alarm is going off. But I see what you're saying in terms of just taking a minute to think, “What information do I have? What am I …?” Because I think your mind probably shuts down, you get into tunnel vision and that sort of thing.Let's talk a little bit about IQ versus EQ. And in terms of the way that we look at people, the way we consider talent, children, workplace environment, hiring, all that sort of thing. How do you see the consequences of prioritizing one over the other kind of play out? [21:04] CLAY: I'd say in the last twenty years or so there's been a push to raise the importance of EQ. Not to diminish IQ, because it's important to learn, become smart, develop that part of your brain. But this isn't a choose one over the other. Now, right, is to say we probably missed it when we were only pushing get smarter, get this score on a test, get this acceptance, then you'll be successful. Harvard Business Review came out and said that there is … the differences between good leaders and great leaders, that gap. If you were to look in that gap and see what's in there, they would say 80 percent of the contents in that gap are in the emotional intelligence sector. So that's what they would say. Daniel Goleman, who's one of the most popular voices on emotional intelligence, wrote Primal Leadership and several other books about it over the course of the past thirty years, he would say that if you're looking to define success and what's going to make you successful in this day and age, he would say 80 percent of the contents of that recipe would also be in emotional intelligence.And I think what they're saying—this is me trying to interpret a little bit—again, it's not to say, “Well, that means only 20 percent is IQ.” That's not what it's saying. It's saying we pushed, “Be smart, be smart, be smart, be smart” so hard, that's almost like a get it. Like when you look at people who work hard in high school, go to college, get really good grades, get a competitive job, I'll bring Google up in a second, but that's that pattern. We said, “IQ, IQ, IQ, IQ.” And here's how you're going to be measured on that, you're going to get rewarded. You're going to get awards, you're going to get plaques, you're going to get acceptance letters, you're going to get scholarships, and you're going to get a job.” That's the way we measure IQ. We pushed that so much, it's almost like you have to do this. But if you also add extra, what is that extra? Well, 80 percent of that extra, I would say, would be emotional intelligence. So that's where I think that those figures are coming from. You can google these things if you want to, but they did two what they would call projects where they studied their employees, one almost around 2000, and then twelve to thirteen years later. And they were very surprised, as was everyone else, because they had kind of the best of the best, the brightest people, the Ivy League schools and so on and so forth. And they were trying to differentiate why some teams were doing better than others and why some individuals were doing better than others. And that's when they started to find out that their term was “soft skills” were trumping hard skills. And they were trumping them in the sense that everyone came almost with the same hard skills—the STEM degrees that they all came with—but then why were some doing really well and why were some not? And that's when they started to see qualities like coachability, curiosity, emotional intelligence, empathy, listening. Those things were what they saw in both individuals and teams to see where people really are being successful.So as a parent and vocationally and all those kind of things, it's not that we should depress one in order to elevate the other as much as you're both working on our ability to become smarter but also your ability to be more emotional.[25:18] JONATHAN: We see this in Scripture, apart from just fruit of the spirit. What are some of the areas? Certainly there's a high level of EQ that we would see, for instance, in the Psalms, which maybe explains why David was a good king and others probably were maybe lacking in those areas. I'm trying to think it as it relates to us in the Christian life specifically and it's interesting that you bring up Google. I would think coding or something in the technology field, I wouldn't think there's as much relationality in business versus like sales or pastoral ministry or something where you really need those muscles exercised. But at the same time, it's interesting that what they're finding is that even in the technology field, your success has a balanced element to those who have the soft skills, who have elements of emotional intelligence and empathy and all those sorts of things are actually helping in that plus area, as you described it. Help us detangle some of that and just thinking like from a scriptural perspective. How does something like emotional intelligence equip you for being better in all those different areas?[27:21] CLAY: Sure. Let me stab that one real quick and then come back to some of those biblical things. You know it's interesting. If you look at statistics back when Millennials were in the limelight, I'd say about ten years ago, they would say at that point that 80 percent of them wanted to work in a place of collaboration; that is what they were desiring in a workplace. Those statistics have only gotten higher as Gen Z's are infiltrating now the workplace.So you see that push for now over half of the workforce, so regardless of what industry you're going to find, you're seeing that desire for camaraderie, teamwork, connections. So even post-COVID where a lot of things have gone hybrid, work models, it's still you're on a Teams meeting, you're on a Zoom meeting, you're still interacting. And so I have several clients, current and former, in that tech space, really smart people, and they do have to code a lot by themselves, but it's when they have to talk to the customer, when they have to talk to the teammate, when they have to interact with the boss that that's where the skills either put them into a place of advantage or [unintelligible]. So it's going to be very difficult for almost any job to be a job where you're not going to need some type of emotional intelligence skills in order to make yourself successful. Can you find it out there? Sure, there's just not that many. So most of us are going to find ourselves in positions where if we have emotional intelligence, we will succeed, stand out, excel.[29:18] JONATHAN: And we're relational beings. I mean, even by our very creation.[29:23] CLAY: Yes, absolutely. So that's that little vignette there. So I would say—you mentioned the Psalms. I mean, the Psalms are great. I love the rhythm of Psalms. I had to take a class in the Psalms when I was in seminary, I chose to, and it was fantastic. But there's almost like this general rhythm of David in the Psalms because most of them from what we understand, or at least at the onset, privately written. And obviously, some of them were more for the tribe, the songs, but typically they were private.So there's this process of raw, honest emotion about the good, the bad, and the ugly of life (I mean, not all of them are sad) and then some possible outcomes that either were happening or could happen. And then there's typically, almost in every psalm, this point to which David or the other psalmists get to where they then recognize who they are and who God is, what God might do compared to what they might do, and then there's a surrender of those things that they've felt and seen and wanted and they let go. And so that in and of itself, you could study that for a long time.Psalm 139, right, it's almost like a classic for emotional intelligence, especially the end, “Search me and know me,” right? So there's self-awareness, I want to be known. “See if there is any hurtful way in me.” That's I want to get better. But this is my favorite part is that at the very end he says, “And then lead me in the way everlasting.” The reason that's my favorite part is because of how it's saying the self-help movement gets it wrong when it puts navel-gazing and self-awareness as the end. Just become aware and the longer you can stay aware and the more that you can stay aware, you're good. It doesn't mean you're good.[31:47] JONATHAN: There's no way forward.[31:50] CLAY: That's correct. Right. So David there it's like, “Hey, I want to be aware of myself. I need to be aware of myself.” The whole psalm is basically saying, “You're absolutely aware of me. I'm pretty much under the spotlight.” I want that awareness and I want you to continue to have that awareness, not so that I can be aware; so that I can then go the ways you want me to go.When I was at Wesley, we had this phrase we would do first-year time, second-year time, third-year time [unintelligible] our second-year term. And this was the phrase that I took there. It said, “We're going to focus on you so that then we can get you out of the way.” So we wanted to have some quote/unquote navel-gazing time. We did strengths finder for them, we had emotional intelligence for them. Again, where there's a lot of awareness. But it's not just so that they can know themselves; it's so that they can know where they need help, where they need to get better, where they are doing well so that we can get all that out of the way so that we don't have to be in the limelight. We can actually then serve others [overlapping voices] and give ourselves over to the things that God wants us to do.And that's why I [unintelligible] [33:21] JONATHAN: That's right. No, you're right on, and that's a helpful sort of thought process through that. I mean, even through that lens of emotional intelligence. We live in a day and age where everything is volatile, people are triggered by anything and everything. And then you add in a layer of social media or anonymity through the computer, which sort of exacerbates our problem. How do we develop greater emotional resilience and self-control? How do we as believers navigate that terrain.[34:11] CLAY: Huge thought there for sure. I'll just take one swing at it, because that's—[34:20] JONATHAN: We'll do a five-part episode.[34:23] CLAY: Yeah, that's a big one. I'll go real technical in terms of emotional intelligence [unintelligible]. In the assessment that I'm trained in and I like to administer to people, it's got subsets. So it's got fifteen of them. Two of them, I think, speak to some of this. One of them is flexibility. And flexibility and that subset is when things change, like you've decided something is going one way but now something out of your control has changed it, how do you respond?On the other side of that coin, the next thing we administer is stress tolerance. Stress tolerance is you want things to change desperately and they're not. They're stuck. [unintelligible] And so in those two, when I look at volatility of our current culture and social media, it's you see a plan so easily in those two regards. Someone has an opinion, someone has the other one, you can't change their opinion, so what are you going to do about it? Nowadays, we just trash the other person.[35:52] JONATHAN: Ad hominem, yeah. [35:54] CLAY: That's our response. On the other side, when we had a plan and now everything has changed and we didn't get to choose that, how do we respond? We blame everybody. We have to find someone to blame because we think that that's going to make it better. Right now we look for someone to blame instead of moving into that place of resilience and grit and realizing that not everything is going to go our way. So part of that emotional intelligence, when you look at how you become flexible, become better at stress tolerance.A huge part of it is just accepting the fact that things are not always going to be good; things are not always going to go your way; and that is everybody's life. You want to take it to a biblical place, then you go back to the words of Jesus where He said, “In this world you'll have trouble.” He's already told you. And everybody's response to it. He gives you the clue, if you're doing it from a Christian perspective, He says, “But I have overcome the world,” meaning that your perspective is going to change how you respond to those situations. If the weight of the world is on that moment, you know, it'll crush you. But if you realize that that's not the weight of the world, regardless of the situation, even if it's going to hurt, those kind of things are going to take a bite out of you, it gives you the ability to realize that you can recover, you can make it through it.And that's a key part, I think, in all of that. I'll give you an example, a real practical example. I use this with my kids, but I also use this with adults for sure. I use it with myself. Ask myself this all the time. I can't remember where I came up with this, but so this is the question when you're faced with a situation that's hard, heavy, frustrating, whatever it is, and you have the option of choosing an emotional, unintelligent response, is this. This is the question I ask. Is this going to be in your book?I can say that to my kids, and they know exactly what I'm talking about. If they don't know what I'm talking about, then I give them this context. At the end of your life, you get two hundred pages to write your autobiography. This situation right now, is this a chapter? Is this a page? Is this a paragraph? Is this a sentence? Or is it on the editing floor? And almost always this will be on the editing floor. And so if it's on the editing floor, then why are we treating it like it's a chapter? And that's the context. So that's the question I ask myself, and I give it to my kids as well and that's what I tell my people at my office. Again, it gives you pause. That's the whole point of this is to pause. But the whole idea of emotional intelligence is this, and how they came up with this, I don't know. People smarter than me. I would say this: that you have six seconds to choose your emotional intelligence response, meaning that your brain likes to default to habits, and so you'll habitually just respond. You think about traffic. Any time I see traffic, I get angry, so shoulders go up, eyebrows go down, my tone changes, whatever, it's just your habit. You're choosing it, you just didn't realize that your brain is in default into the choice. You're really not giving yourself that option.But the six seconds comes into play in the sense of you can actually choose to go a different path. We're talking about neural paths. You can choose a different neural pathway. Your brain would prefer to go the habitual route because then it doesn't have to work that hard. So in all of these things, what we're trying to do is to give ourselves pause enough to alert ourselves that we're probably about to choose a default that is not the best choice, and can we train ourselves to a point where we say, ah, not to do this, probably should do this. It's the train tracks, shifting from one track to another. That's really what we're trying to do in any exercise that we do in emotional intelligence is to pause and then give that new skill an opportunity to get some [unintelligible] and get some legs [unintelligible] [41:18] JONATHAN: And it's funny, because in order to get to that position, you have to have self-awareness. You have to be aware that what's going on is—and I'm just even putting myself in situations where I'm like, oh, that is absolutely my mental state goes to a default position. Oh, this happened and I know that this is my reaction. And you're right; sometimes it's like I don't even think about it. It's just this is just what I do.It makes me think of sort of the enneagram thing, well, that's just who I am. I'm a fill-in-the-number, but there's no, okay, so is that your paradigm? Is that who you are and that defines you? Or are you at a position to where you can challenge yourself, and to your point, take a pause and consider, okay, do I have other options here? I absolutely do. Which is really, if you think about it from a gospel perspective, it's like do I have to keep choosing law over injustice for people over whatever situation? Or at what point do I choose to show grace and mercy, which by definition are undeserved for those people? And that's really where the gospel message comes in, because if God operated under our own default paradigm, if He was created in our image, then it would be law-justice, law-justice all day every day. But grace and mercy are so alien to us, and that's the beauty of Christ's work and what He has done.You've shared a lot of really great and helpful stories, but could you give us some examples of applied EQ principles in—and I'm going to give you three different things, and then I'll remind you of them if you can't remember. So one for parenting, two, the workplace, and three, the church. So we'll start with parenting. [43:32] CLAY: I'll be as practical and as vulnerable as I can. What we're trying to teach—we've got six kids, a major focus for us right now is just empathy, how to put yourself in someone else's shoes. A funny but revealing story is several years ago my wife was crying about a certain matter. One of my sons—[44:02] JONATHAN: Name redacted.[44:05] CLAY: We'll keep it redacted. One of my sons came in and saw her and immediately started crying. And then another one of my sons came in and looked at his brother and said, “Why are you crying?” And he said, “I'm crying because she's crying.” And then that brother who was not crying was like, “That's the weirdest thing I've ever seen.”[44:28] JONATHAN: That doesn't make sense to me. Yeah, yeah, yeah.CLAY: In general, we all have starting points, and those starting points have been formed and fashioned by our personality, our family systems, I mean all of these things. So that's why I love taking these type of assessments, because they show you where you're starting from. Then you get to know where you need to go. So again, take Son A in that story. Empathy is already off the charts. I mean, just his starting point is he's probably at an A-. There's one little uptick and he's perfect.The other son probably at a D or F in that area. He really needs to work on it. And that was me when I took my first assessment of emotional intelligence ten years ago, very low empathy. I've spent several months, almost half a year, keeping an empathy log so I can start to train my brain to think about someone else's emotions. And it got much better, but it's something I really had to learn. In parenting, we're saying regardless of your starting point, this is something that matters. It matters biblical standpoint, it's truly what Jesus did and still does. It, from an interpersonal standpoint, if you can't put yourself in someone else's shoes, that's going to be very difficult for you to have compassion on someone and serve someone to even care when they're not in alignment of what you want.So we have just said this matters. So we are consistently asking our kids when they say something about one of their siblings, “How do you think so-and-so feels about this? Where are they in this story?” So that's our skill right now, so it's above any other skills that we're trying to get. One, as a family of eight, we're hoping to do that well. If we can, have empathy, so we're working on that. When I think about our kids being released into the wild, and if they carry that skill with them, it will carry them a long way, regardless of what they do. And I don't need them to get recognized for it in the long way in the sense that they will do well if they do right by people.[47:29] JONATHAN: They'll be a good friend.[47:31] CLAY: Absolutely. So huge piece in that one, and that's what we've worked with there. In terms of business, I would say the really big piece of business is if you can listen, understand, and then reinterpret what you've heard to other people, you can't help but be successful, because people will flock to you because of your ability to do that. I call it the meeting after the meeting in business. And that's someone, we have a meeting and then something is lost in translation and something's then misinterpreted and then that person is, “That's not what is said. That's not what I meant at all.” And then now they have to go have a meeting about that meeting.[48:29] JONATHAN: I've been in those.[48:30] CLAY: You've been in those. We've all been in those. So now you're having a meeting about a meeting and then you're going to have to leave that meeting and have another meeting in order to let everybody else know what happened in that meeting after the meeting that should have happened in the meeting. And so that differentiator of active listening, being able to communicate empathetically, being able to communicate clearly. You know in emotional intelligence we would talk about emotional self-expression, to be able to clearly say what you're feeling, right? You can see that every day almost in practical experiences in yourself where you've got your typical passive-aggressive, bless you heart type who's lying through their teeth. They don't have any blessings for you, but that's what they say. So that type of differentiator in the business sector is massive, it's just huge, huge.Tell me the third category.[49:40] JONATHAN: The church.[49:42] CLAY: The church, yes. The church, the church, the church. Oh man, this one and a lot of different other places for this one. I'll pick one, and maybe it's probably not the most popular one, I was in ministry for, well, ran it for eighteen years and was in almost twenty years, for nineteen years. Had a lot of friends in ministry. And to see where they are now, I would say that ability to handle emotions, not just their own but other people's, burden-bearing perhaps the more specific term, and then to be able to handle the stress of that, to have mechanisms to keep that at bay. The primary term you're hearing these days is burnout. Burnout to me is when someone and they have had a moral failure, they've stolen money from the church, they've ripped their kids' lives apart, that's not good. But typically what you see before burnout—when we say burnout, like “Hey, I just can't do this anymore,” now they're completely unhealthy and that's going into sexual improprieties, that's going into financial improprieties, that's going into the idea of power and where you're getting your validity and things from. So that's what you typically see before the engine hits failure and we get to see it.And so from that emotional intelligence standpoint, you're thinking about really self-control. In emotional intelligence it's called “impulse control.” Can you have a desire, and understand it, and then make the right decision? That's one of the fifteen subsets that we look at. And if you look at people in ministry, it's so easy to get away with so many things for too long of a time, and it really comes back to [unintelligible] Scripture because [unintelligible] until it's too late. So I think impulse control is real big, again in EQ, for the church to say, “Hey, you can spend time alone with this person, you could charge this to the credit card, you could do a lot of things [unintelligible] and they're going to believe what you say.” [Overlapping voices][52:43] JONATHAN: So even in thinking about each of those ones you've just given us for children (or parenting, rather), workplace, church, it's interesting because all of those, I'm just thinking on the side of this in terms of protecting yourself—not protecting yourself in terms of I want to get away with this, but I want to prevent not having empathy. I want to be able to listen to someone and interpret and relay it back correctly to them. I want to be able to have impulse control. Those all involve, I mean, they are skills of the individual, but at the same time, it requires the assistance of others, I think. It's a very communal—which, of course, emotional intelligence is about relating with others and self. And so it's interesting in thinking about the way you've described or given those examples how much, if you're setting up safeguards or even beyond safeguards you're actually wanting to grow and develop in those skills, it requires community, it requires other around you who are committed to the same goals, so to speak. So in your work, do you—sorry, this is like bucketing rain our here. A hurricane is coming to Athens. Are you—do you encourage people to work these things out, to develop these skills, within a communal setting, accountability levels? And my power's just gone off. We're still connected, so we'll just keep going.[54:42] CLAY: Absolutely. I think the—I would encourage every person to have a communal component to every phase of emotional intelligence [unintelligible]. The assessment piece, you can take one by yourself on your computer and get a score and never share it with anyone what you scored and it would never be as effective as if you shared it.[55:05] JONATHAN: It's the navel-gazing example you gave earlier, self-help.[55:09] CLAY: We're trying to gauge our self-awareness and we're our only judges, and what have we done? So that's why when I do these assessments, my favorite one to do is the 360, because then you've got different people from all different parts of your life that are assessing you. So the assessment piece has to be in community, right? The understanding the good and the bad has to be verified in community.One of the things that we do when I take people through this coaching, especially when they come in for the 360, is to look at what we call the gap analysis. And the cool thing about the gap analysis is you'll see it on both sides of the coin. So when people say they have blind spots, what they typically means is let's say I'm a person with a blind spot. I almost always say that person thinks that they're here and they're actually here. They think they're better—which could be a blind spot. On the slip side, a blind spot is that this person thinks that he or she is here and actually they're much higher, they're here. So they have a lower self-awareness or self-image of themselves in this area than actually what's coming out of them. So you get to see both sides of the gaps. Where are you doing better than you're actually aware of and where you actually do worse? So that has to be in community.And then as you work them out and work on the skills, you're going to have to have people to work them out with and then people to let you know how you're doing. Every phase has to be in community.[56:56] JONATHAN: I'm sure people are listening to this and thinking, “I know someone who needs help with this.” Is it a subject where it's like, “Hey, I sent you a little questionnaire you can fill out to see all your blind spots”? How do you broach the subject with—is it like, “Hey, I'm working on some self-improvement stuff. Would you want to do this with me?” How do you find that others engage their colleagues, friends, family members, whatever, to see this, to have some self-awareness and bring it to the forefront without crushing them or coming across judgmental, etc.?[57:42] CLAY: Yeah, it's if you're trying to inspire—I'll use that term—someone else to do it, yeah, that's … There's not just one way, because you can have a relationship where you can say—[57:56] JONATHAN: And it depends on the person.[57:58] CLAY: Depends on the person. I will get called in to work with people who their bosses are saying, “You have to do this.” They have no choice. And then there's other people who would say, “Hey, I want to bring this up to my husband. How should I do that?” And they have to do it in a much more nuanced way. So I would definitely encourage people to get to that point where they can be honest. If you can be honest with that person, and this isn't to say, You're wrong, you're broken, you're damaged,” as much as to say, “These are skills that both of us or all of us should learn, can we do this together?” Because it's not, again, I'm certified in emotional intelligence and I teach it and coach it, but I still have to live it or I won't be emotionally intelligent. So no one arrives. You learn it, but you still have to do it. So everyone can join in. And that's what I would say the best approach to other people is to say, “Hey, let's do this together.” Because no one can say, “Hey, I hope you get to this point.”[59:13] JONATHAN: When you're like me, then you've arrived. Well, Clay, this has been such a big help for me just even in understanding the neurological things, the neurological pathways and thinking about my own mental habits that have come in play, thinking about self-awareness, other awareness. I think these are just such important factors. We see them through Scripture. We know the heart of God. We see the sovereignty of God over all things. We can have hope in Him. And just having an awareness of this, I think, helps us to serve the body, to serve the lost in such helpful ways. And so I'm grateful for your training and your expertise in this area, and I'm just grateful that you were able to take the time to join us on Candid Conversations.[01:00:13] CLAY: Glad to have done it. Thank you so much for the opportunity.[01:00:15] JONATHAN: Of course. God bless. 

In this episode of the Impostor Syndrome Files, we talk about intentional leadership. Intentional leadership looks different to different people. To my guest this week, Juan Alvarado, a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, U.S. Army veteran and leadership expert, intentional leadership is not about us as leaders. It's about consistently asking ourselves, “Who does this person need me to be right now?” Whether that person is your employee, your spouse or your child, it's about showing up in the way they need you to show up. Here Juan offers a model for how to be a more intentional leader at work, at home and beyond.About My GuestJuan is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and a revered leadership expert, drawing from his extensive experience as a U.S. Army war veteran who trained thousands of soldiers in high-pressure scenarios. Beyond his military service, Juan travels and speaks to leadership teams and their staff to enhance team leadership and their staff engagement, yielding a heightened staff understanding of their value and the importance of their intentional engagement with each other. Juan uses his trials fighting through PTSD and shares how he has mended and strengthened his marriage, his relationship with his boys, and how he now teaches intentional leadership to people across the world. His impactful work has earned him recognition on FOX, NBC, and CBS for cultivating strength-based leaders and fostering a positive workplace culture. See why people say Juan is the most relatable and motivational person they have heard speak.~Connect with Juan:Website: www.weraizethebar.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rtb-juan/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raizethebarceo/~Connect with Kim and The Impostor Syndrome Files:Join the free Impostor Syndrome Challenge:https://www.kimmeninger.com/challengeLearn more about the Leading Humans discussion group:https://www.kimmeninger.com/coachingJoin the Slack channel to learn from, connect with and support other professionals: https://forms.gle/Ts4Vg4Nx4HDnTVUC6Join the Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadinghumansSchedule time to speak with Kim Meninger directly about your questions/challenges: https://bookme.name/ExecCareer/strategy-sessionConnect on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmeninger/Website:https://kimmeninger.com

In this impactful episode of The Big Ticket Life, host Jeff Giagnocavo engages in a profound conversation with Juan Alvarado, CEO of Raize The Bar and a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. Juan shares his inspiring journey from the battlefield to the boardroom, offering deep insights into leadership, resilience, and intentional living. Drawing from his extensive military experience where he trained thousands of soldiers in high-pressure scenarios, Juan reveals how these lessons translate into effective corporate leadership.Juan opens up about his personal struggles with PTSD and how he has navigated and overcome these challenges to strengthen his relationships with his family and improve his leadership skills. He emphasizes the importance of understanding and aligning with one's strengths, both personally and professionally. Through his work with leadership teams, Juan illustrates the significance of enhancing team engagement and recognizing each member's value to foster a positive and productive workplace culture.

Better. Stronger. Faster. It's what many of us strive for in our author careers. But how do we move the needle forward when life has other plans? Enter Becca Syme. Becca is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has been coaching success alignment for more than a decade. Join us as we analyze a Strengths test in real time and discuss how success alignment can help us reach the top 1% of our capacity. //Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career//  Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We'll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way—and we won't charge you a dime.  We take a small percentage of the royalties for each sale you make through us, so we only make money when you make money. That's the best kind of business plan.  • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/• Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog  • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com  Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.

Ali Carson is an executive coach and talent development consultant.  In this episode, Ali talks about the early influences of contribution, balancing your systems vs. your intuition, cultivating curiosity, reconciling with imposter syndrome, she shares a beautiful story of seeing values realized, having intentional impact, and always finding a way to add value.Ali Carson is an experienced coach and dynamic facilitator with two decades experience working in all aspects of human resources, learning, and development. She is passionate about creating workplaces where everyone can thrive.Ali holds several professional certifications, showcasing her dedication to excellence. As a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, she specializes in helping clients discover and maximize their strengths. Ali is also a Results-Certified Brain-Based Coach, bringing tools founded in neuroscience to her strengths-based approach to create impactful coaching and learning experiences for her clients.As the founder of Movere Coaching, Ali focuses on Executive Coaching, Team Effectiveness, Speaking/Workshops/Training, and Talent Development Consulting.To learn more about Ali Carson, visit:Website: www.moverecoaching.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-carson/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moverecoachingLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/movere-coaching-llcTo learn more, visit:linkedin.com/in/jason-Shupp-18b4619bListen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/Jason-Shupp/

In this episode, host Brandon Miller and Scott Mackes dive deep into the world of self-assurance—a rare gem strength that ignites entrepreneurial fire. As a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and an entrepreneurial force behind initiatives like StrengthsMugs, The Academy Fund, and 10X Vets, Scott unpacks his journey from military service to thriving business leadership, illustrating a path paved with resilience and entrepreneurial spirit. He and Brandon explore the nuances of self-assurance, dissecting both the peak performance and potential pitfalls of this strength while emphasizing the theme's natural fit for startup environments where uncertainty reigns.   Additional Resources: Connect with Brandon on LinkedIn How to be a Good Teammate to Me: Brandon@34strong.com Learn more about 34 Strong Connect with Scott on LinkedIn Check out StengthsMugs.com Check out 10xVets.com  Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn  

Jennifer McNelly, CAE, CEO of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) joins us for this episode of the Illusion of Safety podcast. Jennifer is a CEO with a bias toward action. She is also a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. Jennifer explains Clifton StrengthsFinder and highlights the power of building strengths in partnership/community. Gallup CliftonStrengths American Society of Safety Professionals

Becca Syme on leaving home and never going back, on what it's like to be stuck, and how to get yourself out (even if you love-trick yourself to do it). Rachael's Kickstarter, Unstuck: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rachaelherron/unstuck-an-audacious-hunt-for-home-and-happinessBecca Syme is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach with a Master's Degree in Transformational Leadership and seventeen years of experience in success coaching with writers, organizations and individuals in communications, strategy, systems, and self-leadership. She teaches the popular Write Better-Faster course and does Strengths for Writers coaching. Under RL Syme, she's also a USA Today bestselling author of the Vangie Vale cozy mystery series. Find her here: https://betterfasteracademy.com/ Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.✏️ Can I email you some writing help? http://rachaelherron.com/write

Empowering Students for Career Success: Villanova's Innovative Approach In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton talks with Kevin Grubb, Associate Vice Provost for Career and Professional Development at Villanova University, about the innovative ways Villanova is preparing students for a successful start to their careers and setting them up to beat the odds of 43% under employment for many college graduates. Learn how Villanova embeds career readiness skills into the curriculum and prioritizes student well-being throughout the process.   Key Discussion Points Preparing Students for Career Success from Orientation Onward: Using the Clifton Strengths Assessment to help students develop a strengths-based mindset. Research demonstrating the positive impact of strengths-based programming on student outcomes.   High-Tech, High-Touch Approach: Villanova's balanced approach to career education, combining technology and personal interaction to enhance student career preparedness. The responsible, effective, and ethical use of generative AI in crafting resumes and cover letters, and decoding job descriptions. Embedding Career Readiness Skills into the Curriculum: Providing career assessments and resources throughout the student journey. Offering for-credit courses on job search skills, networking, and professional development. Involving faculty in teaching career readiness competencies and integrating them into coursework.   Addressing Student Well-Being through Career Readiness: Recognizing career readiness as a significant source of stress and concern for students. Proactively supporting students throughout their journey to alleviate stress and promote well-being.   Three Key Takeaways for Higher Education Presidents and Boards Embed career development into the student experience, making it a core component rather than an optional activity. Prioritize student well-being by acknowledging the stress associated with career readiness and providing proactive support. Embrace generative AI to benefit students and better prepare them for the future, while addressing its use thoughtfully.   Final Thoughts  The episode highlights Villanova's innovative approach to preparing students for career success. By embedding career readiness into the curriculum, using strengths-based learning and career focus, leveraging tools like AI, and prioritizing student well-being, Villanova is setting an example for other institutions looking to empower their students for the future. The insights shared offer valuable guidance for higher education leaders seeking to enhance their career readiness initiatives.   Read the transcript on our website: https://changinghighered.com/beyond-career-and-job-ready-graduates-beating-underemployment-odds/   About Our Guest Kevin Grubb serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Professional Development and Chief Career Officer at Villanova University. He spearheads the strategic vision for career and professional development, aiming for top-notch career outcomes for students and alumni. His role includes integrating support across various university sectors, contributing to Villanova's national acclaim in career services and professional development. His leadership has earned recognition from prestigious organizations, including the National Association of Colleges & Employers and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Grubb, a respected figure in the field, has received accolades for his contributions to career services and college recruiting from several bodies, including LinkedIn and Strada Education Network. He holds a BS in Psychology, an MA in Higher Education Administration, and a certificate in Leadership in Performance Coaching. Grubb is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, demonstrating his commitment to professional excellence and leadership. Kevin Grubb on LinkedIn →   About the Host Dr. Drumm McNaughton is a consultant to higher education institutions in governance, accreditation, strategy and change, and mergers. To learn more about his services and other thought leadership pieces, visit his firm's website: https://changinghighered.com/. The Change Leader's Social Media Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/ Twitter: @thechangeldr Email: podcast@changinghighered.com #VillanovaUniversity #HigherEducation #CareerReady    

Bestseller Maryann Falletta and her siblings were raised Catholic solely by their RN mother. Throughout her life, Maryann experienced many traumas, from her bigamist father to her physically, mentally, and verbally abusive ex. Maryann overcame these traumas with love, hope, a strong support system, and most importantly, God. Sharing her stories is soul-searching and healing for her. Mary Ann's goal is to help others heal through her stories. MaLinda Jo Perry is a bestseller, Leadership Consultant, Executive Director, and Founder of Happy Girls Don't Do That. With 25+ years of expertise in business, non-profit, education, and leadership, her transformative approach, rooted in strengths-based coaching, has earned her recognition as a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and an Incredible Family Master Coach. With her expertise, dedication to holistic development, and organizational growth, she guides others toward being their best selves. Dr. Hope Blecher is an experienced educator and community project designer. She engages curiosity with creativity, art, and conversations when crafting and implementing professional learning experiences and community projects. She founded Hope4Education.com and HopesCompass.org. Hope leads a grassroots project, Voices of Survivors: Inspiring Hope, Sanctuary, Compassion, and Community - including poetry, prose, photography, painting, and presenters, supported by local community organizations.  Deborah A. Griffiths is always trying to broaden her horizons and wrote her first bestselling novel, a fictionalized tale revolving around the trauma inflicted by gaslighting. Her next bestselling book is designed as a guide to recognize red flags and provide steps for rebuilding your life. With a profound belief in the transformative power of faith, Deborah collaborated in the successful Mission Hope Volume 2. She also collaborated on a faith-based devotional, called Joy 365.  

In this episode we talk to VEST Members about how they've managed to navigate career transitions and setbacks, while rediscovering themselves and building meaningful connections. We discuss the importance of asking for help, leveraging peer networks, advocating for ourselves and other women unapologetically. Join us as we dive into double standards women face at work like self-promotion, work-life balance, and ageism. Guest Speakers:Judy Reyes-Henderson COO at Freedom City OKC and owner of Focal Point Consulting & Interim Staffing (FCIS). Judy founded FCIS after having served as the Executive Director for Development at Ronald McDonald House Charities. Prior she served as the Asst. VP for development at Oklahoma City University, the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Langston University, the Development M anager for University of Central Oklahoma and the Division Director for the March of Dimes.   Kendra Loper Fundraising Coach with the Veritus Group. Kendra's professional experience includes serving as the Chief External Relations Officer at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, the Development Director for the Make A Wish Foundation and the Executive Director of Alumni Relations at Southern Nazarene University. Kendra is also a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, using the CliftonStrengths assessment to help organizations build stronger team dynamics, better conversations and increased collaboration. Monica Ybarra Weedn Attorney at Rosell & Love PLLC. Prior she was the Director of Legal Affairs at TBS, and an Attorney at Phillips Murrah. From bartending to corporate counsel, Monica's ability to extract positive lessons and relationships from each career opportunity provides a strong foundation from which she now draws on to serve her clients in private practice. Monica is on the board of Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners, OKC Latino Young Professionals and StitchCrew. Yvita Crider owner of Fox Crider Consulting Group, where she spearheads the Oklahoma Square One Project, a statewide criminal justice initiative. She is also the artist and owner behind Yvita Handcrafted Jewelry. Prior, she was Director of Statewide Engagement for Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, the Director of Leadership Development for Teach For America, and served in the United Nations and other INGOs.If you enjoyed the episode share it with a friend and don't forget to leave us a review. If you are ready to take your career to the next level, apply to join our community of professional women, all eager to help you get there and stay there. Check out our VEST Membership and apply today! www.VESTHer.co

In this episode of the Impostor Syndrome Files, we talk about how to stop settling for mediocrity in our careers. If you're tolerating work that's “just okay,” you've internalized a belief that work is supposed to suck, or you're making things harder than they need to be, you're not alone. This week, I talk with Elena Pastore, a leadership and career coach, about how to think differently about how we manage our careers. We explore actionable steps you can take to feel more empowered and less attached to situations that aren't working for you so that you can be wildly in love with your life.About My GuestElena is a Leadership & Career coach who utilizes a unique blend of expertise surrounding psychology, strengths, and professional growth tactics. She challenges clients individually and organization-wide to redefine the status quo and lean into curiosities about exploiting their own talents to add value groups they serve.She works with clients on anything from mindset, to positive psychology and language, to boundary setting, to understanding your unique value, and developing strategies to call it into reality.Elena is a double gator with a Master's degree in International Business and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida. She is also an ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach.~Connect with Elena:Website: https://allenatorecoaching.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenapastore/ TikTok: @elena_pastore Instagram: @allenatorecoaching~Connect with Kim and The Impostor Syndrome Files:Join the free Impostor Syndrome Challenge:https://www.kimmeninger.com/Learn more about the Leading Humans discussion group:https://www.kimmeninger.com/coachingJoin the Slack channel to learn from, connect with and support other professionals: https://forms.gle/Ts4Vg4Nx4HDnTVUC6Join the Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadinghumansSchedule time to speak with Kim Meninger directly about your questions/challenges: https://bookme.name/ExecCareer/strategy-sessionConnect on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmeninger/Website:https://kimmeninger.com

Professional coaching is experiencing remarkable growth and evolving in its global significance. In this episode, we'll dive into insights gathered from the latest ICF Research Global Coaching Study, shedding light on the journey of coaching thus far and the promising horizons that await.   Join us to uncover valuable information, including: Global benchmarks for coaches' yearly earnings Insights into the typical client load An exploration of coaching sponsorship The significance of professional credentials An array of additional services coaches provide Prevalent coaching niches Other intriguing findings  About Cindy Schmelzenbach, PCC  Cindy is an ICF Professional Certified Coach, a Gallup-Certified Strengths® Coach, and a Conversational Intelligence® Practitioner.  She also has a Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling and serves on faculty and as Director of Education at PCCI. As an ICF mentor coach and Certified Coach Supervisor, she has a passion for supporting coaches in their personal and professional development and journey.  Having lived and served internationally in leadership roles for 27 years with her husband, she partners with teams and clients to build bridges in inter-cultural and inter-generational environments through her group coaching journey, Different Like Me: https://coachingwithcindy.com/different-like-me/ Website: https://coachingwithcindy.com/

Join host Shae Bynes and Brent O'Bannon (the world's 1st Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and CEO of Strengths Champion Solutions) for an enlightening conversation about applying a Kingdom lens to personal assessment tools, specifically the Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment. Together they discuss common misconceptions believers have about personality tests and offer perspectives on how to use CliftonStrengths® for professional and spiritual growth with the illuminating guidance of the Holy Spirit. You'll hear about Shae and Brent's top Strengths and Shae's “aha moments” from taking the assessment. Brent's decades-long commitment to helping leaders flourish is inspiring and if you desire to increase your Kingdom leadership capacity, you'll find great value in the insights he shares.Shae and Brent also announce their upcoming workshop for Kingdom CEOs on March 21 called “Your Kingdom CEO Leadership Advantage.” Get details and register at https://shaebynes.com/workshop.Connect with Brent at https://brentobannon.com/About Your Host:Affectionately known as ‘Chief Fire Igniter,' Shae Bynes inspires and equips leaders to be catalysts for transformation in the marketplace. Shae is a pioneer in the Kingdom entrepreneurship movement who has touched the hearts and minds of over one million people through her writing, teaching, speaking, and mentoring since 2012. As an advisor and strategist, she has served start-up entrepreneurs and established CEOs across various industries. Whether speaking with audiences publicly or consulting clients privately, you can expect Shae to deliver an abundance of truth with love, grace, and contagious joy. Connect with Shae at https://shaebynes.com

Unleashing Resilience: The Awesome Journey of Nick Destefano, Husband, Dad, and Resilient Leader! Nick Destefano (or "Awesome Nick D", as most call him) is a husband, dad, brother, professional leadership speaker, and the founder of the Chasing the Awesome Life Initiative: a program that teaches individuals how to embrace pain and fears so they can live life as resilient, confident, and awesome leaders. He serves as the Service Excellence Process Manager for McLeod Health. He has over 12 years of experience in providing service excellence and leadership training to thousands of individuals across the nation. Improving the human experience for all is his true passion. Nick knows that you have the ability to positively impact the world if you start with self-awareness and confidence. For this reason, he became a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, and coaches students and professionals on their unique talents and ways to maximize their potential. Nick also has the pleasure of serving as a national autism awareness trainer for Champion Autism Network (CAN). This is a passion project and volunteer endeavor that means the world to him, as his oldest son, Calvin, was diagnosed with Autism at the age of two and a half. Calvin has completely changed Nick's idea of resilience and leadership for the better! In his free time, you can find Nick drinking ALL the coffee, carrying a ruck, sandbag, or log on the beach, training for a marathon, or just loving life with his college sweetheart Megan, and two young sons, Cal and Coop!

⚠️ Dear Listeners, I encountered challenges with my video conferencing app, leading to frequent crashes during recording. If you noticed any delays in my responses, it was a result of these technical issues.Tune in now to hear Juan's inspiring journey in this episode. As a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and esteemed leadership expert, Juan draws on his extensive experience as a U.S. Army war veteran, having trained thousands of soldiers in high-pressure scenarios. Beyond his military service, Juan passionately travels and engages with leadership teams, imparting valuable insights to enhance team leadership and staff engagement. Through his guidance, staff gain a heightened understanding of their value and the importance of intentional engagement with each other.Juan candidly shares his trials in overcoming PTSD and sheds light on how he mended and strengthened his marriage and relationships with his boys. Now, he extends his expertise globally, teaching intentional leadership to individuals around the world.Explore more about Juan's impactful work on his website: [Juan's Website](https://weraizethebar.kartra.com/calendar/bn2lIyzjBxdT)And to our amazing listeners, I, Elisha, look forward to maintaining our connection. Join my WhatsApp channel [here](https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEwVd27oQhWqdp9XP0y) for ongoing discussions and shared insights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Culture Crush Business podcast, Kindra Maples, the host, and guests Stephen Smith and Jay Rayhons explore the multifaceted concept of culture. Defining culture as the shared rhythm and essence when people come together, they draw parallels between sports, business, and the dynamic nature of jazz music.  The conversation delves into Jay Rayhons' approach to financial work, emphasizing the importance of understanding clients' values, and Stephen Smith provides insights on maintaining strong team connections in remote settings, highlighting consistency in leadership and the significance of trust within organizations. Joshua Development is a strengths-based coaching & consulting firm. We believe that leadership is best defined as crafting the environment in which excellence happens. JW is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and a LifeScript Learning Certified Facilitator. He is commonly described as authentic, growth-oriented, and values-based. Follow Joshua Development on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. Reworc is a platform that helps you see and plan for the future of work, today. Reworc's organizational MRI helps provide leaders and employees with the information they need to make work work. Stephen Smith is the VP of people analytics and insights at Reworc where he leads the research, strategy, and product development functions. Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn. Thank you for our Sponsor! This episode is sponsored by Gateway Bank, a community bank in Arizona that specializes in serving small businesses across the Valley and the country. When you work with Gateway, you don't have to call an 800 number for support, or submit your loan application and wait weeks or months for an answer. You get fast, personal service from a team who knows you and cares about you. When Gateway was founded in 2007, the team had a vision of building a hometown bank that prioritizes people over profits. Over 15 years later, they're proud to still be one of the highest-performing AND highest-rated community banks around. Whether you need a loan or banking services for your business, Gateway is here to help. Visit gcbaz.com/culturecrush for details and a free consultation with bank President James Christensen. All loans subject to approval. Member FDIC.  

I love the opportunity to have had Dr. Christin Roberson as a guest on Unstoppable Mindset. Christin, like others who we all have met, was born into a military family and spent much of her youth traveling from one place to another. Christin loved the travels and the experiences. Her youth gave her a broad view of people which helped her later as she began a career in higher education. More important, as she will tell us, she learned over the past seven years, that she had strengths that not only served her well in her original career, but that also caused her to “pivot” into a coaching and entrepreneurial business. Today she uses her strengths to help others who are considering a career change. She also uses her skills and knowledge to help her clients learn about and better utilize their own strengths. Often, as she will describe, people may not even recognize their individual strengths and gifts, but once they do and embrace them these people really can move on and advance. Christin is just completing a course about strengths and how you can use your gifts. We have information about the course in the notes. I hope you find this episode timely and valuable. About the Guest: Dr. Christin L. Roberson, EdD, is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach who employs her top five strengths—Relator, Learner, Achiever, Developer, and Deliberative—by developing genuine relationships with others, learning about their talents, helping them reach new levels of productivity, and teaching others how to utilize their strengths to make sound decisions in their personal and professional pursuits. She recently pivoted from a 15+ years career in higher education into recruiting in the tech industry and now provides full-time career services. Her educational background includes a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Azusa Pacific University, a Master's in Education in Educational Organization and Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Alverno College.  Dr. Roberson has also been featured as a guest on Gallup's podcast, Called to Coach, presented at the 2017 CliftonStrengths Summit, and completed Strengths Certification Training in Higher Education at Azusa Pacific University. Ways to connect with Rob: The Career Doc Website,  Instagram,  LinkedIn,  Facebook About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes **Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.  **Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi, welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset where inclusion diversity in the unexpected meet. I love that unexpected part. It makes it so much fun. Then today, we get to chat with Christin Roberson. She is a certified Gallup strengths coach, we're going to learn about that. She's spent a lot of time in higher education. And now we'll she'll tell you what she does now as we get to it. And obviously is had what I would say is a fascinating life, and a life we're talking about, which is how we got her to come on unstoppable mindset. So, Kristen, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here. **Christin Roberson ** 01:58 Thank you for having me. I'm happy to be here. **Michael Hingson ** 02:01 Well, why don't we start? It's always fun to why don't you tell us a little about kind of the early Christin, you know, where, where you came from growing up, and any of those good kinds of things that you think would be relevant for us to know? **Christin Roberson ** 02:16 Well, I was born on November 8, no, I won't go that far. **Michael Hingson ** 02:20 And you had to walk 12 miles when you were 12 years old, just to return three cents to someone. Right? Yeah. Yeah, that was me. That was me. Yeah. It wasn't like and it was you? Yeah. **Christin Roberson ** 02:32 I think probably the best way to start is that I'm an Army brat. So life was very different. And of growing up. My dad was in the army for 2020 plus years or so. And so my whole life was basically moving every three years. And so change was constant. Change was constant, friends were always new. So I learned how to be pretty resilient and adjust fairly quickly. At an early age, it got harder as I got older, but early Christin moved a lot. And so I think it probably characterizes why I moved so much when I was younger, because I enjoyed it. I think a lot of my earlier experiences too, were around education, I always wanted to be in the field of education wanted to be a teacher initially. And then a counselor and I started working in higher education and got the bug and started working in housing and thought it would be a good idea to live and work with college students. Which is can be good and bad. But it was a wonderful experience that really taught me a lot about building community, you know, handling a lot of tough decisions and problem solving and really helping others grow because college students are, you know, very much in a developmental phase in their life, and to be kind of a part of them figuring themselves out through the good and the bad, was something that I feel like I really enjoyed. And I think kind of followed me on to my further career is to always be in some type of helping profession, where I'm helping other people kind of figure things out, and kind of shaped what they want their life to be. So I hope that answers your question. **Michael Hingson ** 04:13 My wife was a teacher for 10 years, she loved elementary school. And she said she really loved third grade, because the kids in third grade were still really developing attitudes and so on. And she said, by the time they got to even sixth and seventh grade, much less than high school, it was harder to teach them and to really have an influence on their lives. Yet at the same time, I hear a number of people say exactly what you said about college that and I think we all of us who've been to college would would mostly agree that even when you go to college, you're you're still really looking for yourself. So how does that correlate with like what my wife felt about third graders? **Christin Roberson ** 04:50 Yeah, well, there's from our own kind of study from higher ed like there's these different phases. And so I think there's different phases in life up to development. And you know, thinking about your wife, a lot of that development is not just kind of figuring out who you are figuring out how to walk, how to do very basic foundational things to learn as just being a person, but I think when you get to college, they formed a lot of that already. So it's kind of helping them figure out, or at least in my experience, a lot of what's right and what's wrong. And how to exist in a world where there are a lot of temptations and making the best decisions for yourself. So it's kind of some of those more moral, maybe foundational pieces that you kind of get to, you help them shape, maybe some other, you know, foundational things, too, if that's something that they didn't get growing up, which was the case with a lot of students, depending on how they grew up. But a lot of times, a lot of the morality issue will just like, Okay, why did why did you think it was a good idea to do that much drinking, and I found you on the grass outside of my building passed out? Let's talk about making good decisions. So it helped with a lot of a lot of that. Those are a lot of the conversation. **Michael Hingson ** 06:04 Did anybody ever say to you, though, well, you know, I feel sorry for people who don't drink because then they get up in the morning. That's as good as they're gonna feel for the rest of the day. I listen to too much Dean Martin, what can I tell? **Christin Roberson ** 06:18 Two great lines ever said that before I've gotten cussed out before by students who weren't drunk, but nobody ever said that before. **Michael Hingson ** 06:25 I was at the University of California, Irvine, and I think it was in my senior year I was living on campus apartment, because I kind of outgrew living in a dorm. by that. I mean, I had too many Braille books wouldn't all fit in a dorm room. So they let me live in a campus apartment. I had two roommates, who actually moved with me from my dorm. And one of them decided one night to drink. He hadn't done it before. We had those 12 or 16 ounce wienerschnitzel glasses, Coke glasses, and he started drinking screwdrivers. And the first one was maybe about a quarter to a third full of vodka and the rest was orange juice. Then the next one was half vodka. And the next was basically all vodka by five in the morning. He was ill horrible, convinced me never to want to get drunk and I never have I don't never had a desire to do that. So no, yeah, I I have had a couple of times that I did drink something that someone gave me and said it's very strong. Drink it slow. I did over about an hour and I still had a little bit of a lightheadedness and I said if that's the way drinkin starts, forget it. So I wasn't imperative to the point where I couldn't move around and walk and all that but I understand what what alcohol can do. And I saw it with with my roommate and what happened to him. He was bad for a while he was just not not doing well in the bathroom. It was one of those horrible things. **Christin Roberson ** 08:10 There was some caution tape over that door. **Michael Hingson ** 08:12 Well, it was all about. Yeah. And you could hear you know, and we were all helping him. We supported him. But he was just doing a lot of throwing up to get it all out of his system. But it's no fun. Not at all. Drink it up. 1216 ounce glass of pure vodka. Yeah. So that's bound to happen. Yeah, it's bound to happen. But I hear what you're saying. I think there's a there's a it's like anything College offers so many opportunities to learn, and as also a matter of being open enough to take advantage of them and really learn too, isn't it? **Christin Roberson ** 08:50 Absolutely. **Michael Hingson ** 08:52 So people just can grow. I really enjoyed college life. I enjoyed dorm life. And then when we moved to the apartment, which we as I say we had to do, because I needed the space for Braille books. Getting a master's in physics, Braille takes up a lot of space and physics. But nevertheless, it was it was fun and still participated in campus activity. So it was very enjoyable. So you what was your Bachelor's in **Christin Roberson ** 09:21 my bachelor's in psychology? The plan was to be a clinical psychologist, mainly working with with young people. And then that went away. When I started working in higher ed, I realized I enjoy working with college students and still got to use that psychology degree every single **Michael Hingson ** 09:39 day. So what were you doing? What was your job in higher ed when you started? How long ago was that, by the way? **Christin Roberson ** 09:45 Um, well, I probably have about 15 years of experience working in higher education. It started in housing. So in the dormitories most people will call it so it was basically running a bit building building manager of sorts. And so anything that was happening, you know, with the building of like, anywhere from two to 400 students packed in the building. I would oversee, you know, the resident, you know, the RAS and supervise them and plant programs and all that. And then most recently, it was working in what did I do? First year programs. So a lot of it was around programs and work that we were doing with incoming freshmen. So I oversaw a course the introductory course that every freshman basically had to take, and kind of the design of it hiring, you know, of staff and managing it. So yeah, it was a lot of work. But it was, it was very enjoyable to kind of see the results and the fruit of your labor to see students growing and kind of learning from it. **Michael Hingson ** 10:51 I started as a freshman at UC Irvine in the fall of 1968. I sure wonder, and I'm sure that there is a lot that's changed. But I just wonder how it's all changed and how the student programs go. I've had the pleasure of being invited to speak at various colleges, including it some freshman orientation programs over the past several years and see a lot of the difference. But it's, it certainly has to have changed a lot in well for me now. 55 years. **Christin Roberson ** 11:21 Oh, gosh, it's very different. It's so different. **Michael Hingson ** 11:27 But but it's important to keep up with that. **Christin Roberson ** 11:30 It is and but some of it is just scary, because there's so much to keep up with. But yeah, me and a friend of mine, we always kind of talk about, you know, some of those things where we're like, did we have to deal with this when we were younger, you know, with some of the online bullying and having to keep up with social social media so big and we're like, we didn't have that. I didn't have a cell phone in high school. I didn't get one till I was maybe like, I don't know, a sophomore in college. So Right. My life did not revolve around social media or technology. It was like, Okay, here's my phone book that has the numbers, and it's a call people. But it's so so different now. And everything is so out there and live, you know everything kind of instantly. And it's just like, that is a lot. **Michael Hingson ** 12:16 Yeah, I'm not totally sure. It's all a good thing to have such interesting gratification and have such ready communications, especially when a lot of times, factually changes by the time the real truth comes out. I mean, I've watched the news and I see a news headline about one thing or another. And within a day or two, it changes because it really wasn't quite the way it was originally reported. And nobody does anything to regulate that or, or at least do some fact checking before they put the news out. And I don't mean that in a negative political way. I just mean in a, in a factual way about everything that comes out. Oh, **Christin Roberson ** 12:52 my goodness, I completely agree. It's like, can we wait until we get all the information? Before we say that this is what happened? Or what they did? Yeah. You know, **Michael Hingson ** 13:02 you hear about a plane crash, and you hear some things and oh, well, it changes in a day or so well, updated information. Well, you didn't really have information before you had what, what were rumors or what one person said. And we're teaching ourselves that we got to have this information all the time, and that we don't really look at getting accurate information, necessarily. It's more important just to have something and that's crazy. **Christin Roberson ** 13:30 Yeah, it's the breaking news, like CNN effect was breaking news. Something happened, we're not sure what it is. But we're gonna keep saying that for the next hour, or **Michael Hingson ** 13:38 two or three. Right? And, and I remember, well, one example that comes to mind is I was here in July of 2019. And I was about to go to the convention of the National Federation of the Blind, I was gonna go over on a Friday. And the day before, on Thursday, we had an earthquake, and it was a pretty substantive earthquake, it was six point something which, and it was on a fault that really we hadn't had much stuff on before. The epicenter was about 100 miles north and east of us. But the media came on and started talking about it. And every five minutes, they say the same old thing over and over again, rather than you said it, don't keep focusing on this because you're not adding any value. Until you get more information. Of course, then they eventually did. Dr. Lucy Jones at Cal Tech came on and started discussing more about it and that's great, but for an hour or more, they just had all of the same old stuff time and time again, it's just crazy. No, **Christin Roberson ** 14:49 a lot of times like they're, you know, forecast and like I feel like because I lived in California for a time and so, you know, we get an earthquake and then that would be the discussion of the big one. That's kind of the norm Ridge, it's coming in, here's what it could look like. And it's like this doomsday prophecy. And it's just like, Okay, this happens all the time in California. We know something's coming. But do you have to talk about it now? And we're still trying to recover from one? Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 15:15 Yeah. And the big one. Yeah, that's, well, if it comes, it comes. But you know, so So just go ahead and continue to scare people. Right? Yeah. It makes for an interesting world. But for college students, that is the world that they live in now. And it I, I've got to believe, especially even more than college kids being a little kid, it's gotta be tough, because there's so much stuff that's being thrown at you all the time. And probably a lot of parents don't know how to really filter that or deal with it. Yeah, **Christin Roberson ** 15:50 I cannot imagine being a parent. You know, right. Now, I know, it wasn't easy, you know, necessarily for anybody's parents growing up, because things were changing and growing all the time. But things move at a super fast pace now of learning and having to figure things out. And just as a parent trying to be aware of like, okay, what are these words mean? Or if I see this, what does this mean? Oh, that's a code for this. Okay. That's the code for dress. Oh, oh, my gosh, it's so overwhelming. **Michael Hingson ** 16:22 Yeah. And, and it's just thrown at you all the time, because we have such instant communications or instant gratification about communications. And I don't mind instant communications. But again, gee, let's make sure we have it right a little bit part of the at least part of the time. **Christin Roberson ** 16:43 And I think a lot of young people like, you know, especially in college is kind of this invincibility, like they haven't yet grappled with the fact that you know, something can happen to you, you're not invincible, because you're young. And a lot of them make really poor decisions and kind of put it out there for everybody to see. And don't remember when you put it out there, it's there forever. So I ended up talking to those students from a career perspective to say you might want to do a little research on the internet of what pops up when you type in your name, because that party that you went to, and 97 is still out there, and an employer can see that. So those are always fun conversations. **Michael Hingson ** 17:22 Well, and we see it even with with politicians who get bombed by something that happened 20 and 25 years ago, and they're being held responsible, just like it happened yesterday. And it's that really relevant. We have interesting standards we live by, don't we? **Christin Roberson ** 17:40 Oh, my goodness, yeah, that happened 20 years ago, they were a completely different person. **Michael Hingson ** 17:45 Yeah. And it's crazy that, that you still have to, but you're right, it's there. And you have to deal with it at some point and, and address it, because everything goes out on the web today. And a lot of things are dredged up, just because there were somewhere and so somebody digitized it, and it's out there on the web again. **Christin Roberson ** 18:07 Just like, you know, entertainment, it can blow up into something else, I could have made a statement that, you know, I don't eat burgers anymore, I'm trying to look into my oh my gosh, she hates animals. She thinks like, she's this and this and that. And it's like, that's not what I said, I just said, I made the personal decision not to eat meat, you know, beef or something. And they can blow it up into something where it's like, that's, that's not at all what I was trying to communicate. When **Michael Hingson ** 18:31 I worked at Guide Dogs for the Blind. One day, I went in and delivered a speech. And I was describing what a guide dog does, as opposed to what a person does. And I've said that a guide dog doesn't guide doesn't lead the guide. Their job is to make sure that we walk safely. And my job is to give commands and say where we want to go. And I said another way you could look at it is that I'm the brains of the outfit, not the dog and someone called Guide Dogs for the Blind the next day. And they said they heard about this speech that Mike Hanson gave, and he said that dogs don't have brains. Oh, my goodness. Which is not what I said at all, **Christin Roberson ** 19:12 at all. But you know, they wanted to they **Michael Hingson ** 19:16 heard what they wanted to hear, which is unfortunate. How do students react when you have those conversations with them about Be careful about what you put out there and stuff? **Christin Roberson ** 19:26 You know, some of them will kind of just give the lip service, you know, yeah, kind of know what you mean. And then it's not until they they're in my office for like the second or third time which just happened. And we're like, okay, I remember when I told you you've done this a couple of times. how's this working out with you hanging out with this group of people because you're trying to be, you know, popular, but you are. You're pre med. How do you think that's really going to work out for you? When they you know, look at your record, your grades are poor because you've done these other you have to kind of give them like the big picture from the small steaming Really minut detail to them. The consequences of that can be far, you know, long lasting than you just being in my office and me giving you, you know, a task to do or whatever or you being on probation. So I think that there comes like, some surprised, but also, there's still a lot of times the invincibility piece like, Oh, it'll be fine. Nobody cares about that. So they don't really get it until it happens. It happens. Yeah, unfortunately. **Michael Hingson ** 20:29 Yeah. It's like, so many things, people fear, the whole concept of blindness, partly because we emphasize eyesight so much. But there's also that thing in the back of their mind, this could happen to me what a horrible thing that would be rather than recognizing is just another way of learning to use the gifts that you have eyesight is not the only game in town. But that's not what people want to hear and what they want to believe. So it also makes for a great challenge. **Christin Roberson ** 21:00 Whoo. Yeah, there's definitely a focus on a very specific kind of person or lifestyle. And anything outside of that. It's just like, oh, my gosh, life must be so hard for you. And I'm like, it's probably hard for you to. **Michael Hingson ** 21:15 Yeah, we all have. We all have things that we deal with. And people today say, well, you're differently abled. And I say how? Well you're blind. How does that make me differently abled, the ability is the same. It's the tools that I may use to get there. But you know, I feel sorry for you. Because you have to turn the lights on tonight, you're screwing up the whole carbon footprint by having to run all this electricity, I don't need to do that. **Christin Roberson ** 21:40 I never thought of it in that way. **Michael Hingson ** 21:43 Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb is a reasonable accommodation for light dependent people who can't function in the dark. Which is another way of saying you have a disability too. It's just that technology has mostly covered it up. But seriously, it doesn't change the fact that it's there. It's true. **Christin Roberson ** 22:00 I could not agree more. **Michael Hingson ** 22:02 So well. So you at some point decided to move away from doing higher education college stuff, and you had been doing it 15 years? What? What caused you to go off and go in a different direction? **Christin Roberson ** 22:15 Yeah, well, I think, one, I really had no desire to move up in the field, because I had seen what kind of the C suite looked like, at several different institutions. And a lot of times they have far less contact with students. And I really liked working one on one. But I always chose positions that were student facing where I was planning programs, or supervising them or doing something that was very much focused on the student experience. And I realized, like, okay, we can stay in this kind of, you know, assistant director or coordinator position, forever, or we can decide that maybe we want to try and do something else. I think, you know, higher ed is also very slow to change. And a lot of ways and I think that's why so many have closed and not even just because of COVID was because I think higher education thinks it's invincible to everybody's always going to go to college. And it's like, no, the price tag gets higher and higher every year, people are finding something different to do that is more economical, and advantageous to them than spending four years where you can learn that maybe in like 18 months and an online program and be out working. And so I think that's been a reckoning for higher ed. And so knowing that information, in addition to just a lot of the toxicity that I experienced, made it made it that I'm like, Okay, let's, let's look at something else. Let's look at our strengths. Let's look at what we actually enjoy about this work and how it applies to other industries. And so I took a look at it, and started just looking for jobs. And I'm like, what jobs are interesting to me, that aren't higher at focus. And that's where I kind of started seeing the pattern around things like, you know, human resources, or, you know, people management and things of that nature, which I had done before a long time ago. But I think it was really assessing the current situation, whether it aligned with my values and what I want it and I discovered that it wasn't and it was time to do something different. **Michael Hingson ** 24:24 So what did you end up pivoting to? As you would put it, and how long ago was that? Yeah, **Christin Roberson ** 24:32 so it actually wasn't long ago. And it felt like a very quick pivot. So I learned that sometimes you have to So I left my institution, I ended up taking a contract job, which was not the plan to not have health insurance immediately. But the pay was good enough that I could afford you know my own. So I ended up taking a position in the tech industry where Working in recruiting for a program that oversaw apprenticeships, for the organization, and then some kind of early career programming so long ago. Oh, gosh, that was maybe just like, a year or two ago. Oh, gosh. So **Michael Hingson ** 25:15 coming out of COVID. **Christin Roberson ** 25:17 Yeah, coming out of COVID. And so I worked remotely, you know, it was based in, you know, the Bay Area. And so every now and then I got to travel, you know, and the tech, the tech sector, which a lot of my friends also pivoted into, and they were kind of the inspiration before me, I saw them pivoting into that area, and they were, you know, making way more money than any of us could have ever dreamed and education. The place that I worked at had like, unlimited vacation, and it was just like, how does that work? Do you never have to work? Like, do you? I'm taking off six months, and I'll be back, you know, in the fall. But it became this really interesting concept that there was more out there. And so sadly, I was a contract for six months. And then they converted me to full time. And then I want to say the day after my birthday, I got laid off. It was a quick process. It was like makes a lot of sense. And so well. But I think again, like nobody saw what was coming, or was maybe not as prepared as they thought they were for, you know what happened economically. And even a company like mine that had never done layoffs, had to deal with kind of that harsh reality. And I knew it was coming, you know, I was one of the you know, let you know, a newer hire and sounds like I get it. I'm low on the totem pole. But the day after my birthday. **Michael Hingson ** 26:45 Yes, a little rude. Yeah, I **Christin Roberson ** 26:47 was on vacation at the time. It was, it was difficult. It was a rough vacation. **Michael Hingson ** 26:54 Yeah, I, I've been there and and had similar kinds of situations not right after my birthday. But I've been in situations where I was working for a company, actually in 2019. And I was going to go deliver a speech in Northern California, and then we were going to take a week off. But the morning that I was to travel, I was notified that well, we've spent too much money, we have to lay some people off, and you're one of them. Well, thanks, wow, which ended the vacation idea, but we still went up into the speech because I had made that commitment and it brought in some money. But still, it is it is never fun. So if your plans change, and sometimes you just don't have control over those changes happening. **Christin Roberson ** 27:48 It's unfortunate, like you have to have a plan B through Z is especially in this day and age where it's like really, and truly anything can happen. I've, I've worked with a couple clients now where they're on like their third layoff. And it's just like, wow, and you just kind of keep going out there. Because you don't, you don't know you have to work you have to provide for your family, you know, you have a specialization in that area. And you just have to kind of keep going out and trying. But I think that it's it's, it's heavy, it's heavy to kind of deal with that. And you start to, you know, maybe doubt your abilities and your strengths in that. And so a lot of my work with with folks has been kind of encouraging and affirming them in their abilities that you've been laid off has nothing to do with you as a person or your skill set. This is a business decision. **Michael Hingson ** 28:39 Which may or may not be right, but still it is true. **Christin Roberson ** 28:41 Right? But reframing it I think sometimes kind of helps and kind of helping them focus on okay, but you still have this set of skills. You know, Liam Neeson style have a specific set of skills to do a certain thing. And kind of helping them, you know, point that in the right direction. **Michael Hingson ** 29:01 So, it happened to you and then what did you do? **Christin Roberson ** 29:05 Yeah, so I had already had like, a lot of travel plans. So I ended up doing a lot of traveling probably because it was also basically December, so it was holidays, too. So I was traveling, so I decided I'm gonna keep my travel, I'm gonna still go ahead and have fun and enjoy it. And then we'll come back to the reality when the holidays are over. And so I started again, kind of looking at jobs and seeing like, what is interesting to me, do I want to go back into higher education because that is where, you know, my skill set is predominant, or do we want to give this a go and it's something else? Now while I was working the job in tech, I was getting a lot of people reaching out to me that worked in higher education. And they were like, Well, how did you do that? How did you pivot? And so I started having conversations with people people started asking for help with their resumes. And, you know, okay, how do you what's the interview process? Like? How do you negotiate? And so I started having these conversations, it started kind of a very beta test of a coaching of a coaching job. And so I didn't charge anything at the time, I just asked people to give me a LinkedIn recommendation, if they, you know, were happy with my work. And so after the layoff, I, you know, I had an interview somewhere, it didn't, you know, turn out the way that I hoped, and I decided, okay, all roads seem to point towards this career coaching, because that is what I'm getting the most attention for. And it's something that I actually really enjoyed. So I just started fine tuning what that looked like, and okay, I need a website, I need this and this and that. And started kind of formulating, what would be, you know, the career doc? **Michael Hingson ** 30:54 So you started your own business? **Christin Roberson ** 30:57 I did. I did. Great. Are you? **Michael Hingson ** 31:00 And are you having fun? Sunday's **Christin Roberson ** 31:06 you know, overwhelmingly, it's what's fun is I absolutely love the work of coach, I love coaching. What is not so fun is a lot of the logistics around it, it's very expensive. And a lot of the advice they say and you know, in the beginning is to spend as little amount, you know, money, but the more you do spend, the better. Things kind of get, and the more attractive people might be to your to your product. And there were just some things I couldn't handle. So I think that's the part that kind of gets this isn't fun to have to, you know, buy another thing or this rate is going up. But I'd love, love, love just the one on one nature of helping people kind of figuring out what to do next, or what to do different. **Michael Hingson ** 31:49 Do you get support? Do you get people to help you with some of the logistical things and things that you don't really like to do? So do you have any kind of staffer help to do any of that? **Christin Roberson ** 32:00 I do. Probably like in the last month or two? Yeah. Someone I actually knew from my higher ed days had a side business of basically doing administrative work. And so I reached out to her, and we kind of did a trial run of sorts. And so she handles all the admin stuff, kind of going through my overflowing inbox and making sure you know, people get rescheduled. And then I ended up hiring somebody to do marketing, because marketing is everything. And I just did not have time or capacity or really allowed the expertise to do the things that she can do. So, and then also, I'm going to be launching a course soon on Route Career Discovery. And I hired a course designer to help with that. And so because I realized, like, I can't do this on my own. Because one, it's overwhelming, but there's also people who have strengths in these areas that I don't have, and I think I need their help. **Michael Hingson ** 33:00 Well, as you go toward doing your course and so on, I, I would assume you've had enough time at doing this, that you realize that it's okay to charge not overly so but to charge and charge a decent fee for what you do because you're worth it. Yeah, it's, **Christin Roberson ** 33:19 it's difficult. But you do have to do it. A lot **Michael Hingson ** 33:24 of people will say, well, but how do I know people will pay $1,000 for a course or something like that, or for whatever it is that I'm doing. And the reality is we mostly underrate our gifts, our abilities, and our worth. And sometimes you've got to start by not charging or not charging much to get people to to come. But if they really want to continue with you, then you've got to make it really clear and get them to acknowledge you're worth it. Yeah, **Christin Roberson ** 33:58 I think the difficult thing about that is like a lot of my population are folks that have maybe worked in education. And as someone who's worked in education, I know how much we don't make. Right. Right. That becomes a struggle of like, I don't want to price out, you know, my prime audience. **Michael Hingson ** 34:16 But you know what to do in that situation, though? And yeah, that's the point. Yeah. **Christin Roberson ** 34:21 So you know, you work through some of that stuff. And then you have different price points for different things and kind of go forth. But I think I'm just now getting into that space of just like, Okay, we've been doing this for a while, you know, we we've made a profit, we've had to hire some people. It might be time to kind of raise our prices, like everybody says, to do that every kind of expert. Yeah, you're like, Oh, you're charging way lower. And I'm like, I don't want people to not be able to do this. But **Michael Hingson ** 34:50 the other side. The other side of that, though, is that if they really want to do this, and I know you don't want to price yourself out of the market, but if they really want Do it, they will find ways to come up with funds to to make it happen. And you may have to adjust exactly how you charge like, maybe you don't do it all at once you charged for payment schedule or something. I mean, who knows, but people can always find ways to do things, if they really value what it is that they want to do. **Christin Roberson ** 35:21 Yeah. And that, honestly, what you just said is exactly what I did. I started looking into kind of those, you know, you know, what is it pay per service, or, you know, PayPal has a program paying for, you know, installments, and so I started looking at installment payments. And that helped quite a bit where you don't have to pay it all at once. Like, I'll get it all at once. But then you're paying it slower. And that was something that helped. And that took research and just kind of is that something I could do? Yeah, I could do that. And it still allows me to charge you know, what I think is, you know, necessary and values need but also allows them to have a little bit more flexibility with how long it takes them to pay for something. **Michael Hingson ** 36:06 There's a course I needed to take a few years ago, and they wanted a bunch of money upfront. And I said, I really value the course I want to do it. I know what I'll get out of it. But I can't pay you all that money, can we work out a schedule, and God bless them they did. And what Normally people would pay in one lump sum of I don't even remember what the total was, but it was significant. They let me pay it over two years. Oh, wow. But we had a we had a schedule, we had it set up so that the money automatically came out. So they were confident in it, and it worked out. So there are a lot of ways to do it. If people want to make something happen, they can. And when you're willing to really help make it happen, then so much the better, because then you establish a more meaningful relationship. Yeah, **Christin Roberson ** 36:52 I think that's true. Because at the heart of the matter, I just, I really have a passion for kind of helping people, you know, especially in their career, because of what I, you know, experience through a lot of hard lessons to learn about, you know, not only just valuing myself, but also just kind of recognizing that there is more out there, you don't have to be, you know, chained to a desk and always working, you know, at night pass work on the weekends. That's not really live in life. And some people love that. But it wasn't for me, and it was something worse, like I can do something different. And I want to help other people do the same to work at home. **Michael Hingson ** 37:29 And I like my weekends. But also there are some things that I maybe didn't get done during the weekend, I'll do them on the weekends. But I can also spread things out and do them when I want. There's a lot of fun, I'm used to doing a lot of work at home, not necessarily going into an office, although I also value, the time when I can go into an office, but still working at home is a lot of fun. And you can schedule your times now, my life changed because my wife of 40 years passed away this last November. So now I can be up at 530 in the morning without worrying about waking her up. Which is a good thing. And as I tell people though, she's she's monitoring me if I misbehave, I'm going to hear about it. So but but she doesn't have to worry about waking up at 530 in the morning. She's going to monitor all the time anyway. So I can do that. But at the same time if I decide I want to go to bed at eight or 830 I can do that too. **Christin Roberson ** 38:25 Yeah, yeah, I definitely caught the stay at home. But during the pandemic, I was Yeah, working in education, and they sent us you know, home or whatever. And I was like, I think I actually thrive a little bit better being at home. I'm an introvert also. So I don't necessarily always need the the interaction and I could get it you know, if I wanted to, you know, through different chats or meet offline. But overwhelmingly I was like, I think I function better being at home. And just being able to do what I need to it was a part of what I needed to thrive. Some people Oh, you're so lazy. You don't want to go into the office? And I'm like, No, actually, it's just a preference. I didn't know it was the option we ever had. And now that we do, I don't want to let it go. **Michael Hingson ** 39:13 And the reality is the pandemic has taught us that there's a lot of value in people being able to work in a hybrid environment and spending some of that time working at home. Yeah, **Christin Roberson ** 39:23 and you get to use your own toilet. I'm just saying. It's just like you can make your own lunch, you can take a nap if you want to, like you can do things that actually make work not feel quite as daunting by kind of like, okay, I'm going to shape what my day looks like. Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 39:44 And, and it works. And I think a lot of companies are starting to recognize that which hopefully will lead to a little bit more common sense in terms of who work environment will tell me about this whole concept of being a Gallup certified string. Just coach, I've never heard of somebody who was certified by Gallup. Yeah. So **Christin Roberson ** 40:06 they probably found is that I was working in higher education, because that's where, you know, a lot of the Clifton Strengths Assessment is administered is in higher education with students. And I had taken, you know, the assessment, you know, maybe one or two times. And then in one particular job, I worked at an online university that was connected to a larger university that was strengths based. And I was like, what is that? What does that mean? And so I ended up taking the assessment again, and then I got coaching from someone who was certified. And I was like, Oh, wow, this, this makes quite a difference. And there's like 5 million different assessments, you know, what color is your balloon? Right foot left foot, you know, you know, that tells you about what you do best. But this one gave language to the things that I did well, and how I approached kind of situations and problems. And so it made more sense to me. So I started looking into, like, how can I get more training on this. And so they had, at the larger institution I was connected to, you know, they had a training that was more focused on higher education, students success, so I took that. But I really wanted to get a larger Foundation. And so I ended up going to the very first Clifton Strengths summit that they had, I couldn't even tell you what year maybe 2016 or so. And it was there that they started talking about the certification piece. And here's what you get out of it, this is what it is. And I decided, like, I think I want to do this, because this is something I feel like I would integrate into every job that I had. And I really believe in this. So I spent the money, I definitely use student loan money, because I was still in school at the time. And I went to Omaha, Nebraska for a week and did an intense start of our strengths kind of training process, because you take the classes, and then you have to get a number of people to I guess, recommend you or give you a rating on your coaching. And then you take an exam, and then that's when you kind of find out whether you're you're going to be certified or not. So it's a lengthy process, but it was well worth it. **Michael Hingson ** 42:23 And it's it's run by or ultimately Gallup is involved. **Christin Roberson ** 42:27 Yes, yeah. Yeah. So when you're certified, you're certified through Gallup. **Michael Hingson ** 42:33 So you can start going off and doing polls now. Well, so and you are certified as a strength coach, what does that mean? Yeah. **Christin Roberson ** 42:45 So what it means is that there's a level of expertise that I have, and being able to talk about strengths and help other people kind of develop, and train. So a lot of my early work was around, kind of working with teams, and helping teams to kind of work better together. And to kind of discuss, like, you know, you work better together as a team, because everybody has different strengths. And here's the best practices on how you can kind of work together better, because some folks are butting heads, or there's something called kind of the shadow side of strengths. It sounds very ominous. But essentially, it's kind of the the side of your strength where you're not maybe using it correctly, it's not matured, or it's causing problems for you. And so we talk about kind of the how you kind of manage that piece of it. So it's, it's honestly learning how to work better with people from a place of your strengths and using them in a way that benefits you and the other people that you work with. **Michael Hingson ** 43:48 So how did you determine what your strengths were? **Christin Roberson ** 43:52 Yeah, well, I took the assessment. Yeah, took the assessment. And, you know, gave me my top five, I've taken all 34, which is always interesting, because you look at the bottom of the list, naturally. But my top five ended up being a relator, learner, achiever, developer and deliberative. And so then became kind of what what does this all mean, and how does it impact my work? A lot of my work with clients now, especially in the business is around value alignment. That's the framework that I've kind of created. And I look at strengths as values. So for example relator is used is generally about kind of close relationships, folks that are relators generally haven't had people in their life that have been there forever. You've had the same friend since kindergarten. I don't because I moved around all the time. I knew who I am. But most of the people in my life had been there for a very long time. So I really value close relationships, community like that I can be connected to. So it taught me a lot about a lot about those things. And it helped me actually figure out even job wise, like, if I'm going to work somewhere, I want to work somewhere where I can actually build community, and be connected to other individuals who enjoy what they're doing. I don't want to work in like a singular space where it's me and only me. And I don't have a chance to interact with anybody, I actually want to build community. So yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 45:33 So how do you feel you use your five key strings to help support people in building their personal and professional worlds? **Christin Roberson ** 45:42 Yeah. So it also starts with that relator piece, the one on one, because that's most of the coaching that I do now is one on one versus group. And so it centers around kind of building the relationship and building that place of trust. Because a lot of times people will tell you, you know, some deeply personal things that relate to work or their personal life, because your personal life doesn't sit at the door, when you go to work, it comes with you and affects your work. And so, you know, we end up kind of talking about, you know, what is it that you, you know, why did you even want to come to coaching, why is this important to you? What do you want to get out of it? But a lot of the questions that I kind of end up asking are kind of from that learner perspective. So it's the building of the relationship through the learning about the other person. And really kind of getting to the heart of of who they are, and what they're really looking to do. Because some of them have maybe never asked been asked that question or haven't thought about it in a long time. Because, you know, I've done the same job forever, I never thought that there'd be other options. So those two work pretty pretty instinct. achiever is generally focused around productivity, that's more of a, I call it an internal strength, there's like, internal things that are more so for you versus external, that are for other people like responsibility that she was really focused on other people. So for me, it's the constant need to kind of stay busy. And to always be learning and doing new things. And feeling like I'm being productive in the help that I'm giving other people like I'm doing things that are going to help them be successful. developer is probably the biggest one because it's around potential. And so seeing the potential in people, places and things. And so that's a lot of the work, that's probably the most utilized strength, because people really don't always can always see some of the things that everybody else knows about them. And being a stranger than I generally am to a lot of people. And, you know, after a couple of conversations, you look at their resume, gather some information. And you just start saying some of these things. They're like, yeah, yeah, that is me. Yeah, I never, you know, I never thought about that. Yeah, so being able to just point out the potential that people have to do something different, or differently, I'll say, has been huge. Yeah. Well, so there's a fifth one. Oh. Last one is just deliberative. And that's generally circled around decision making. So it's a lot of pros and cons, which is a lot of what I do with clients, where the pros and cons, okay, if you stay at your job another year, if you do something as like a side role if you decide to leave, and just trying to help them make the best decision possible. **Michael Hingson ** 48:40 What are some of the common challenges and misconceptions that people have about their own strengths? **Christin Roberson ** 48:47 Yeah, one, they don't always feel like they have them. The things that they do so naturally, they never really thought of as strength. So I always use kind of the example around like math. And I'll do like our raise your hand if you really love math. And it came very easy to you, you know, in school, and you know, you know, there'll be a couple of people that I raised their hands. And then who else who struggled with math, and you never liked it, and that was me raising my hand as well. And, you know, when you talk to both groups, you kind of get a sense of, you know, oh, well, this particular I didn't think that was a strength. I just like numbers. And it's like, that's, that's a strength of yours. That's an ability to be probably analytical. One of the strengths and you maybe just never thought of it that way, but that's maybe how your brain functions. So if you are approaching, you know, a problem, you might do it from an analytical perspective versus something that's more around well, how are the people versus someone who's going to ask like, can I see, you know, the strategic plan for the company that would give me the insight that I kind of want a little bit more. And so I think a lot of People don't consider the things they do naturally strengths. I think that they, when they get their top five, they kind of feel like, Oh, well, I, I kind of stink. They're only in one leadership area. And so I had a friend and all hers were in, like the relationship development leadership domain. And she was like, well, this stinks. And I said, No, it doesn't. You, you are the heart of this team, you can always tell me what's going on with everybody. I don't always see it, because I'm rushing, and I'm doing supervisory things. And I might miss it. But she will be the one to be like, Kristin, you really need to check in with so and so because they're going through this. She was the heart and I really had to talk to her about seeing that, you know, as a strength. But also not feeling like just because you don't have one in every leadership domain doesn't mean like you're, you're not okay, or that you won't do well, it simply means that your strengths are very concentrated in one area. And it's something that you do well. So those are probably the two, I think biggest ones or challenges kind of help people see and kind of get through. Do **Michael Hingson ** 51:06 you encourage people to take time at the end of the day, or at some time during the day just stop and chill and maybe do a little bit of introspection, and so on and to think about what's going on in their lives? Because we're so much on the go all the time, as we've talked about so often already on this episode. **Christin Roberson ** 51:25 Yeah. And I think that's kind of what happens in a lot of my conversations with them is that kind of what we ended up doing, they started thinking about things that they had never really, you know, considered before, or, Oh, okay, that's, oh, it's a lot of the Oh, the AHA lightbulb moment of them figuring out that's why I do that particular thing, or that's maybe why I'm struggling with this job so much is because it's actually not aligned with my strengths and the things that I really value. And so there's a lot of those little lightbulb moments that happen, or we're just really able to make some connections between their strengths. And the areas where they are doing well in the areas where they are experiencing challenges. I generally tend to think the areas where we're experiencing challenges, it could be for a number of reasons. But a lot of times, I think it's around the fact that it may be out of sync with our strengths, which is one of the things that I did in my pivoting is I started, I looked at my strengths and kind of did a bit of an assessment. And I said, you know, how, how often do I actually get to use my strengths in my job. And it was very low. And there was maybe one that I use all the time, which was productivity, because it was about kind of getting work out very quickly. But I wasn't learning anything new. I wasn't building community, I wasn't really able to make decisions they were made for me. Yeah, and it was like, Okay, I think it's time to think about this in a different way, or to figure something else out. Because this is not in alignment with who I am or what I want. And we **Michael Hingson ** 53:01 get so much in the habit of just going one way and doing whatever it is we're doing that we don't tend to look at going about what's going on. And is this really what I want. And our brain is usually our heart is usually telling us, maybe there's an issue here. And it becomes a process of learning to listen to that. And then going back and stepping back to see what's really happening. **Christin Roberson ** 53:27 And oftentimes, as it was for me, and a lot of other people that I know, maybe didn't realize it, but it was showing up physically where I was, I had migraines way more often I was getting sick, you know a lot more often, like there were physical ailments that I was experiencing that were in response to the strength or the stress I was experiencing. And even, you know, depression, anxiety was happening. And I'm like, I don't know what's going on. And I had to take a look what's working in my life that I love. And where am I seeing like the most, you know, the more difficult difficulty in trying to manage it. And it always came back to my job. So it wasn't that I didn't like to work with the particular environment. And what I was tasked to do became more difficult by the day that it was showing up as a physical ailment. And this hadn't been the first time that I had experienced it. And I had heard it from many other people who had also left higher ed, who experienced the same thing. And they're like, I don't know if I'm going to make it another year and not have be found in my chair and had a heart attack or something, you know, because of the weight of the stress of what you're trying to do. And so I would rather people figure it out through coaching than being in the hospital. Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 54:42 What's up being a sales guy loving stories? Do you have a story of one particular time that maybe you really had a great success that helping people understand their strengths and how they were able to use that to improve and enhance **Christin Roberson ** 54:57 Yeah, When I first started the business, I wasn't charging anything, I was just asking for LinkedIn recommendations. And there was a group of about five individuals that I was working with at the time, they all worked in higher education, they had been doing it for a long time. Some of them had chord experiences and the way that they were being treated, and being able to kind of talk them through what they were experiencing was, first, it was phenomenal, because it was an opportunity for people to connect with someone who understood the field, what they were going through, you didn't have to explain you know, acronyms, or what this thing was, I already knew. And so I love that they enjoy connecting with someone who knew. And so with one particular individual, like, we would have extensive conversations about her experiences, but also at what she was good at. And we worked together for quite a few months, along with all the other individuals. But one of the things that I always deem is success is not just that they find a job, it's like they're thriving in that job. So the conversation and the coaching became something that was like, excellent, because I could see the results of it, I could see the result of it, and it's what they wanted. And now they were living a life where there you can see them going on vacation, you see them going to a conference, and they're happy. And I check in with them, I'm like, Oh, my gosh, you look like you're having a great time works going well. And they'll they'll let me know. And so I don't always get to see that. But a lot of times I do. And so for me, those moments are always key and seeing people happy, thriving and enjoying themselves. And knowing that there were other options, because many of them were like, I'm never going to get off this field, which is how I felt I don't have any options, especially having a terminal degree, like me and so many others had where it was not my intention to leave the field with a doctorate in higher education, that's an investment you make that you're going to stay in the industry. So talking to other individuals who felt the same way with their degrees, and giving them hope, was just paramount to what I always deemed as success was the hope that you felt them staying at the end of the call I oh my gosh, Chris, I feel so much better about this. Okay, I think about this differently now. So it's hard to pinpoint specific examples. But it's more so kind of the moments of aha of happiness and seeing the end result of the coaching and how they have progressed afterwards. **Michael Hingson ** 57:39 I had always planned on going into teaching when I got a bachelor's and a master's degree. But then things changed. And what I discovered, which I think is a pretty important thing is that, although I didn't go into formal teaching, in fact, mostly what I do is teach and in fact that the training I got in the the world of science, and attitudes and philosophies are tools that I can use wherever I go in whatever I do. So I I would not regret my time in physics at all. **Christin Roberson ** 58:17 I agree, it's taken me some time to kind of get over that mostly looking at my student loan balances. Sometimes they're like, my gosh, maybe we should go back and make it work. But when I remember what that life was like, and that yes, I have this degree, but ultimately, this degree led me to be know about strengths. And to be certified and to meet, you know, other people who are interested in it and folks that I've now known forever, then yeah, it was worth it. It's tough sometimes, because there's still some moments where I think about it, but it's never that I can't go back. I'll say that. And I always remind myself, I can always be an adjunct instructor or go and do something else. This may not be forever. But it definitely is what I want to do now and for as long as I possibly can. **Michael Hingson ** 59:00 So, you know, you pivoted, you went from one kind of career in a sense to another, although I'm not sure that totally they're different, the environments different, but what you're doing to a great degree is the same. What kind of advice would you give to other people who may be thinking about or who ought to think about looking at an alternative to what they're doing today? **Christin Roberson ** 59:22 Yeah. And I'm totally not sponsored by Simon Sinek. But start with why. I, that is one of the one of like five books I recommend that people who are thinking about it is to start with why that's probably the most important book to me outside of pivot by Jenny Blake. And it's basically starting with Why do you want to do this? Why do you feel like you need to do this? And there's not any right or wrong answers. A lot of mine were Yeah, I want to be happy. I want to be fulfilled. I'd also like to buy a house someday and I can't do that. On my salary, I can't pay off the debt, you know, from student loans on this salary can't necessarily live the way that I want to. And I, I had hoped, with the investment that I made in my, you know, particular education. And so a lot of that is just asking, why not just why you want to do coaching? Or why are you thinking about changing fields? I think beyond that, it's also just like, doing doing the research into the job. You know, the thing about strengths is, a lot of people may fit like they have a strength in a particular area. But it's maybe not. And we have people in our lives that are probably working in profession where you're like, that's probably not the best route for you. You're, you're, you have strengths in other areas that this, isn't it. And so being able to kind of do the work, or kind of, you know, what I call it as the skills gap, you know, what am I missing? So doing the research, discovering what actually are my skills, not just my top five strengths that are a great foundation, a great place to start, but like, what else am I like, really good at? How do I, you know, extend this, but starting with just the reason why unpacks a lot, because a lot of in the even in my unpacking was like, Oh, my gosh, I've been terribly unhappy for the past five years, working in the field, I really haven't been able to do the work that I want to, I'm always working, I've missed things, because I'm always working. So it wasn't just, you know, I'm not using my why was yes, you know, I'm not using my strengths. But also, there were basic foundational things

Shawn J. Moore is a Mindfulness Educator and Coach, Stillness Architect, and Buddhist Dharma practitioner. Residing at the intersection of leadership and mindfulness, Shawn creates sacred spaces for stillness and self-inquiry to help change-makers align their strengths, intention, and impact. Through his integrative approach, he holds transformative containers for self-renewal, personal discovery, and capacity-building that ease clients on their journey towards peace, clarity, and freedom. The path to collective growth is rooted firmly in our personal growth. As we work towards collective freedom, Shawn asks: How can you begin to support yourself to be able to support others?Are you pouring into others from the excess of your full cup?Shawn has an intuitive way of weaving all that he has learned on his path to help those on the inner journey of discovery to reflect on those questions – including meditation, sound healing, yoga nidra, and coaching. Shawn has worked in higher education and student affairs for over 10 years, specializing in leadership development, training/program design, and workshop facilitation – with a particular focus on diverse populations. Reckoning with his own contemplation of burnout, purpose, and alignment, Shawn transitioned out of his role as Associate Dean of Student Life & Leadership at Morehouse College in the fall of 2021 to focus more on mindfulness and stillness-based training programs and workshops. While leadership resonates with him deeply, it is his personal and spiritual practices that allows him to continue to show up for himself and others. He is a yoga teacher (E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500, YACEP®), sound and reiki practitioner, meditation teacher, Yoga Nidra facilitator, and Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, all focused through a Buddhist lens and 17 years of personal practice. In addition to holding community space through classes, he provides training in leadership and strengths-based development, and workshops in mindfulness, meditation and sound healing. He has contributed workshops, practices, and educational opportunities for celebrities, like Questlove and Dyllón Burnside, as well as various yoga studios and colleges, Yoga International, Omstars, Melanin Moves Project, the Human Rights Campaign, Spotify and Lululemon.In this special episode, we discuss:Self-InquiryFrictionLiminal spaceSlowing downResistance to stillnessBreaking cyclesStillness as a path to transformational changeResourcing ourselvesCommunityCompassionGentleness with ourselvesConnect with Shawn on his website and on Instagram @shawnj_mooreYou can purchase Shawn's Sadhana Decks here.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Remember, you can watch the Superpowers for Good show on e360tv. To watch the episode, download the #e360tv channel app to your streaming device–Roku, AppleTV or AmazonFireTV–or your mobile device. You can even watch it on the web.We recorded this episode in anticipation of airing it on Giving Tuesday; we had to postpone it due to my injury.Devin: What do you see as your superpower?Kishshana: My superpower is the ability to see you. So, one of my strengths is individualization.Kishshana Palmer, founder and CEO of ManageMint, a consulting practice that supports social enterprises, nonprofits and governmental entities, especially schools, joined me to discuss her work.She shared insights across a range of topics, but I particularly valued her thoughts about a vexing problem I see occasionally in the impact sector. Changemakers–including me, if I'm being honest–sometimes excuse poor activities in one area as justified by the pursuit of the mission.For example, it isn't that uncommon for climate change-focused folks to get caught failing to adequately consider the impact of their work on disadvantaged communities. Solar panels are commonly sold to affluent folks who can afford it. It makes perfect sense on the one hand but excludes or ignores less wealthy folks' desire to go green, too.Kishshana says, “When you design for marginalized groups, you almost always design for everyone.” By working to help those who might have the most difficulty being a part of what you're doing, you ensure that everyone can. You expand your audience.She likes to apply the principle across the board, from volunteers, employees and board members to the folks you serve and others who may be impacted directly or indirectly by your work.Kishshana has built her success in part by leveraging her superpower–her ability to see individuals.AI Episode Summary* Kishshana Palmer is a leader in the world of nonprofit social enterprise and the CEO, founder, and leader of ManageMint.* ManageMint is a people-focused, equity-centered change management consulting firm that helps organizations run better, achieve their goals, and take care of their employees.* Kishshana emphasizes the importance of celebrating Giving Tuesday by supporting and investing in local nonprofit organizations.* She believes in the power of seeing and understanding individuals, which is her superpower.* Kishshana coaches organizations to cope with the inherent stress of working on big problems by helping them focus on their purpose and long-term plans.* She encourages organizations to include equity and inclusion in their mission and to design for marginalized groups, as this often benefits everyone.* Kishshana shares a specific example of using her superpower to turn around a challenging organization by getting to know the team and their needs, redesigning job descriptions, and promoting from within.* She advises people to focus on their own wellness and understanding their own strengths and weaknesses before trying to see and understand others.* To learn more about Kishshana's work, visit managemint.co or connect with her on social media at @KishshanaPalmer.* Kishshana's work makes a difference by helping nonprofits and social enterprises be more effective in their work, ultimately benefiting the people they serve.How to Develop Seeing Individuals As a SuperpowerKishshana shared the story of working with a troubled impact organization. Folks hadn't had raises in years, turnover was increasing, and disengagement was rising.She came into the organization with an eye toward getting to know each person and helping to find or define a role that would suit them, allowing them all to feel greater self-actualization in the work.That story illustrates the power of seeing individuals. The organization benefited from having everyone individually fill a role that matched their skills, passions and abilities.To learn to see others, Kishshana says a key is to see yourself more completely and objectively, recommending that you form a personal board of advisors. You need to learn to see how your own behavior contributes to challenges in team dynamics.As you begin to look at others, it is essential to look past the surface and focus on motivations, like dreams and passions, that underlie people's actions. Kishshana says that when you adapt your approach to individuals, you can be more effective.By following Kishshana's example and advice, you can see individuals more effectively. With time and practice, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you!Guest ProfileKishshana Palmer (she/her):Founder and CEO of ManageMint; CFRE, Board Advisor for Bloomerang, Bloomerang About Bloomerang: Indianapolis-based Bloomerang is the complete donor relationship management solution that helps thousands of small and medium-sized nonprofits deliver a better giving experience and create stable, thriving organizations. Combining robust, simple-to-use technology with people-powered support and training, Bloomerang empowers nonprofits to work efficiently, improve their donor relationships and grow their donor bases. With Bloomerang, nonprofit professionals love their work and have another teammate in the cause.Website: bloomerang.coTwitter Handle: @bloomerangTechCompany Facebook Page: facebook.com/bloomerangtechBiographical Information: Kishshana Palmer is an international speaker, trainer, and coach with a 20+ year background in fundraising, marketing, and talent management who helps leaders create high-performing teams.Kishshana is CEO of ManageMint (formerly known as Kishshana & Co.), a leadership consulting firm with a focus in strategy, management and growth. As Founder and CEO, Kishshana works with CEOs, senior leadership teams, organizations, companies and solo entrepreneurs who are looking for real-world solutions and an authentic high-impact experience. She advises social enterprise, non-profit and education management (government) organizational boards & senior leaders on organizational design and scale, strategic visioning, funding, talent management & leadership development in the sector. This includes interim leadership assignments and diversity, equity and inclusion training, as well as targeted coaching and professional development.As a sought-after strategist, speaker, trainer and coach, she combines “book smarts” with real-world expertise and pop-culture savvy to create the unforgettable cocktail that drives innovation and organizational success. This includes key lessons in planning big-picture organizational vision and targeted talent development using core management principles. She has served as a speaker, panelist and conference keynote, including engagements with: Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), OneCause, Bloomerang, US Olympic Committee, Boys and Girls Club of America, Meals on Wheels, AFP ICON, Comcast, Disney and IFC to name a few.She is the founder of The Rooted Collaborative — a global community focused on the growth and development of women leaders of color in the social sector. She's the host of the podcast “Let's Take This Offline,” an adjunct professor at Baruch College, a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), a BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer (CGT), A Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, a Q3LC Certified Coach and an AFP Master Trainer. When an organization wants to grow, find and retain people on their team, raise money, and more, she is the fairy godmother they have on speed dial. Kishshana also coaches high-performing leaders.Kishshana is an NYC girl and mother of one wonderful teenage daughter. Kishshana is the epitome of your classic 90's Queens homegirl and quintessential corner office executive. She is your daily dose of Claire Huxtable with a side of Blanche Devereaux.Twitter Handle: @kishshanapalmerPersonal Facebook Profile: facebook.com/iamkishshanapalmerLinkedin: linkedin.com/in/kishshanapalmer/Instagram Handle: @kishshanapalmerOther URL: kishshanapalmer.comSuperpowers for Good is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Superpowers for Good at www.superpowers4good.com/subscribe

Is it your first Sober Xmas?  Or would you like some tips and tools?  Join us for Bossing your Xmas Sober - Sunday 3 Dec 7.30 pm on zoom If you're not a Sober Club member you can make a donation Register here Family Constellations online is Fri 8 Dec at 7.30 pm uk time Its v powerful hope you can join us! Sign up here Janey's guest is one of the Sober coaches who trained this year, Sally Magee had 25 years in the engineering and construction industry and the past 12 years as a professional leadership coach and trainer, Sally brings a solutions-oriented mindset to sobriety coaching. As a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and accredited Sobriety Coach, Sally customizes the coaching experience to leverage the power of her clients' unique strengths to help them set achievable goals, build new habits to relieve stress, and reach new heights by removing alcohol from their life's equation. Fun Fact! An individual's talents are so unique that only 1 in 33 million people have the same Top 5 strengths! Do you know YOUR strengths?! To book onto Sally's workshop: www.mageecoaching.com Want to train to become a holistic Sober Coach?   Email janey  at janeyleegrace.com and we will arrange a chance to chat. Janeys new book Stress to Calm in 7 minutes for Lawyers is out now.  Buy it here Want support, connection, accountability, inspiration? Join us in The Sober Club Follow Janey on social media @janeyleegrace

Chris's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are: Belief, Maximizer, Responsibility, Empathy & Developer Chris Heinz wants to lead from generous grace, excellence, and joy. He and his family live in Charlottesville, VA, where he's the Director of People & Associate Experience for Carter Myers Automotive, a Fortune 500 dealership group with 23 locations and 1,200 employees. As a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Chris has worked with over 250 teams. He is also on the leadership team of the Trinity Fellows program and Proclaim HOPE. Chris' website is www.ChrisHeinz.com. Find out your strengths by taking the CliftonStrengths Top 5 Assessment   Workshops and Coaching with Barbara Culwell Subscribe & Leave a Review on Embrace Your Strengths  

What is the true meaning of ikigai and how can it enhance your life?In this episode, Jamie Hopkins, Managing Partner of Wealth Solutions, and Ana Trujillo Limón, Director, Coaching and Advisor Content, speak with Sam Ushio, Founder and Chief Ikigai Officer at Connect3x, about the Japanese concept of ikigai, or "reason for being", and its relevance to work and personal fulfillment. They discuss the common misconceptions about ikigai and how it can be applied in various contexts. Sam also covers the importance of personal growth alongside financial growth, the challenges faced by advisory firms, and the evolution of wellness benefits, before concluding with the challenges of training in a fast-growing company and the importance of open communication and trust.Sam discusses: What ikigai means and its relevance to work and personal fulfillmentMisconceptions surrounding ikigai and its true definitionBridging the gap between people's reason for being and their workThe importance of personal growth alongside financial growthThe shift to prioritizing personal growth over financial growthHow leaders and executive teams can build stronger organizational culturesThe evolution of wellness benefits and the recognition of mental health and overall well-beingHow he finds freedom through a mindset of intentionalityAnd moreResources:It's The Manager by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter, From GallupConnect with Jamie Hopkins and Ana Trujillo Limón: Carson Group LLCLinkedIn: Jamie HopkinsLinkedIn: Ana Trujillo LimónConnect with Sam Ushio:Connect3xIkigai LabLinkedIn: Sam UshioAbout our Guest: Sam Ushio is the Chief Ikigai Officer at Connect3x, a tech-enabled people platform that integrates total well-being with workplace performance to support a culture of engaged, thriving employees. Sam fuses a powerful blend of Ikigai philosophy, strengths-based psychology, and change management to lead Connect3x's mission to “capitalize the Human experience.” Previously, Sam was Director of Practice Management at Russell Investments, where he led a nationwide team that coached and consulted ~1,000 financial advisors annually. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily, and InvestmentNews. Sam earned an MBA from Foster School of Business at the University of Washington and holds a Bachelor of Science from University of Nebraska in Marketing and Finance with an emphasis in psychology. He is also a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. Sam is also the founder of Ikigai Lab, a Purpose Incubator that delivers insights, experiences and solutions rooted in the Japanese concept of Ikigai. On his quest to evolve the definition of “growth”, Sam blends the old school ancient wisdom tradition of ikigai with new school research in positive psychology. He is dedicated to purpose-driven solutions for stakeholder-focused organizations and visionary leaders, including total well-being, strengths-based culture, human-centered design, emotional intelligence, systems thinking, and life/career transitions.

What does it mean to truly have the character of a leader? Is culture really something we can influence in an organisation? Watch our conversation on YouTube!Shane Hatton is an author, trainer, coach, and speaker who is passionate about developing remarkable leaders and cultures. He works with organizations to close the leadership gap between mid and senior level leaders. Aside from being the author of the books “Let's Talk Culture – The Conversations You Need to Create the Team You Want” and “Lead The Room – Communicate a Message That Counts in Moments That Matter”, Shane is also a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, a member of the Forbes Global Coaches Council, and is the Founder of the People Leaders Network. I met Shane on the Clubhouse app, where we had various conversations around various topics, but it was when I attended his book launch earlier this year in Sydney that we finally got to meet in real life. In this conversation, you'll hear Shane discuss:His book, “Let's Talk Culture – The Conversations You Need to Create the Team You Want”The insights of culturePractical things leaders can do to build and reinforce their cultureHis personal insights on how he handles his energyHow he manages the contrast of being the person in front of the room and while also thriving behind the scenesRapid Round Connect with Shane Hatton here:Shane's websiteShane on InstagramShane on FacebookShane on TwitterShane on LinkedInShane on YouTubeRapid Round Recommendations:Book: The Moment of Lift by Melinda GatesTool/App: ClickUpSong: Bohemian Rhapsody by QueenQuote: “The moment we begin to think we have all the answers, we forget all the questions.” – Madeleine L'EngleQuote: “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.” – Naguib MahfouzConnect with Leanne Hughes on all the platforms:LinkedInInstagramTwitterFor suggestions, collaborations and queries, email me hello@leannehughes.com. Support this podcast by subscribing and leaving a review, it would mean a lot!Thanks for being here. See you next week.The 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint is now available to LISTEN to on Audible, Spotify, and wherever great audio books are sold.Support the show

In this episode I speak with coach Jill Griffin about the impact 9/11 has had on her life and her beloved NYC.  We also discuss the "random" way we connected on social media and how embodying what coaches teach is what led to us doing this amazing episode together.  We actually role model how you can get triggered by somebody else on social media  and step into our higher selves and respond in a way that  empowers everybody involved. I love this episode!Jill D Griffin is an experienced ICF Professional Certified Coach and a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. She works with organizations to create strengths-based cultures to increase performance, profitability, productivity, and retention.If you are interested in learning more about Jill or possibly working with her, check out the links below.https://www.jillgriffincoaching.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-career-refresh-with-jill-griffin/id1555531759