Podcast appearances and mentions of nita baum

Today I'm talking with Nita Baum, leadership coach, teacher, and founder of b-free, a collective of freelancers and consultants that work together to re-envision and re-create the Workplace as HealingSpace,  where freedom, sustainability, and wellbeing happen for ALL people at and through work, not in spite of it.  Nita has spent the past 20+ years stewarding complex organizations and teams through change and growth. Her first business was a strategy and organizational change consultancy to C-level executive leaders in K-16 education across the US and globe.  What I find fascinating and compelling about what she does now, is that she takes the ideas of organizational design, team building, and culture change - all of the things that make up the interstitial tissue of a well-functioning organization - to the next level. She is a practitioner of holistic health coaching, yoga as psychosomatic therapy, conflict resolution and mediation, restorative justice facilitation, and psycho-somatic healing + embodied facilitation.   In our conversation, she talks about how she draws on these skills and practices to help organizations and teams deepen their ability to work together and to find joy in their work. We talk about what she sees as the deep relationship between well-being and human potential, the strategies she draws on to help people and teams navigate conflict, and how organizations can bake healing leadership into the fabric of their work internally and in the world. Nita is a exciting thinker and creator, and a beautiful person to talk to. 

004 Nita Baum joins us in the Swamp to share two leadership journeys she is navigating. The first journey is as Founder of B*Free, a consultancy that partners with organizations to transform Workplaces to HealingSpaces for greater equity, humanity and sustainable wellbeing. This is big work and Nita talks about why it matters and what she has learned about helping organizations transform.Nita's is also on a simultaneous journey as Board President of Solar Responders, whose mission is to equip first responder stations with renewable backup energy systems so no lives are lost because first responders lack electricity in Puerto Rico, an island plagued by earthquakes, storms, and a fragile energy grid.  More big work.Either of these roles is a full time gig and yet Nita is leading both with grace and commitment. Learn how she manages these projects and models what she advocates.I want to thank my great team that helps me sound better than I am. Jacki Hydock for her lending her wonderful voice to our introduction and outro Great music by Jazz Night Awesome episode production by the great team of We Edit Podcasts all the way up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Check them out at www.weeditpodcasts.com Thanks For Listening and Jumping into the Swamp

Guest OverviewNita Baum is an entrepreneur, co-creator, facilitator, mentor-coach, and community-builder. She is also board lead for Solar responders - the NGO from previous guest Hunter Johansson - so thanks to Hunter for making this happen.Born in New York to an inspiring cancer scientist mother and a philosophical pharmacist father, her parents' influenced her curiosity, appreciation for creation, and her right brain - left brain development.In Part One of this two-parter we cover Nita's early story.In Part Two we discuss her perspectives on the broader impact of Covid19cover what led Nita to form her business Bfree to partners with organizations to help them to activate individual, team, and organizational potential. Nita questions purpose role of work in light of the crisis and our growing realization of what can be achieved so easily and quicklyWe discuss the transformative moment of now and how people are reacting and the opportunity for consciousness-raising, the reorientation of human capital and the transformative capacity in all of us.I hope you are inspired by the vision, values and life philosophy of Nita BaumWhat we discuss:Nita's mother's wonder and awe and love of scienceHer father's broad expansive thinking and his concern for what it means to be human and our collective interdependence.How Nita grew up to understand about food as a healing agentHer Mother's respect for scienceA growing appreciation for art and science, and the process of creationNita's memories of her conversations with her father about MLK and JFK and her rebellious sideShe discusses her sister's influence and their relationshipPlaying games of the imaginationThe love of school and the challenges she facedHer love of reading and art and literatureNita's growing social and political consciousness of local and global eventsBeing drawn to EducationStudying art history and east Asian studiesTraveling to China, Japan and Korea and becoming interested in the philosophy and spiritualityStudying in Japan after college.The combination of abundance and scarcity and how her parents taught them about value and gratitude.Witnessing the social inequity in educationThe exposure to black culture by being invited to a gifted child's education programHer emotional maturityThe realization that power of systems and her misalignmentIn Part two The impact of Covid19Humanities interdependency and being wired for survivalWhat might emerge from Covid19What is the purpose of workOur realization of what can be achieved so easily and quicklyThe transformative moment of nowHow people are reacting and the opportunity for consciousness-raisingWe discuss Bfree and its visionThe transformative power of leaving the workforceThe philosophy of BfreeThe reorientation of Human CapitalThe transformative capacity in all of usThe potential of self, teams, and our larger human collectiveProcessing our grief through institutionalized fear vs building from lovePrinciples - Presume we all come free. Gifted, equal in power and grounded.Nita's impossible adviceLinks to SocialWebsiteLinkedInTwitter Solar... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guest OverviewNita Baum is an entrepreneur, co-creator, facilitator, mentor-coach, and community-builder. She is also board lead for Solar responders - the NGO from previous Guest Hunter Johansson - so thanks to Hunter for making this happen. Born in New York to an inspiring cancer scientist mother and a philosophical pharmacist father, her parents' influenced her curiosity, appreciation for creation and her right brain - left brain development. In part one of this two parter we cover Nita's early influences, her love of school and education, sisters' influence, playing games of the imagination and growing up in an environment of scarcity and abundance. Nita discusses experiencing the social inequity in education, developing a social and political consciousness of local and global events, traveling to China, Japan and Korea and becoming interested in the philosophy and spirituality. In Part Two we discuss her perspectives on the broader impact of Covid19 and cover what led Nita to form her business Bfree to partners with organizations to help them to activate individual, team and organizational potential. Nita questions purpose role of work in light of the crisis and our growing realization of what can be achieved so easily and quicklyWe discuss the transformative moment of now and how people are reacting and the opportunity for consciousness raising, the reorientation of human capital and the transformative capacity in all of us. I hope you are inspired by the vision, values and life philosophy of Nita Baum What we discuss:Nita's mother's wonder and awe and love of science Her father's broad expansive thinking and his concern for what it means to be human and our collective interdependence. How Nita grew up to understand about food as a healing agent Her Mother's respect for science A growing appreciation for art and science, and the process of creationNita's memories of her conversations with her father about MLK and JFK and her rebellious side She discusses her sisters influence and their relationshipPlaying games of the imagination The love of school and the challenges she faced Her love of reading and art and literature Nita's growing social and political consciousness of local and global eventsBeing drawn to Education Studying art history and east asian studies Traveling to China, Japan and Korea and becoming interested in the philosophy and spiritualityStudying in Japan after college.The combination of abundance and scarcity and how her parents taught them about value and gratitude.Witnessing the social inequity in educationThe exposure to black culture by being invited to a gifted child's education programHer emotional maturityRealization that power of systems and her misalignment In Part two The impact of Covid19 Humanities interdependency and being wired for survivalWhat might emerge from Covid19What is the purpose of workOur realization of what can be achieved so easily and quicklyThe transformative moment of nowHow people are reacting and the opportunity for consciousness raisingWe discuss Bfree and its visionThe transformative power of leaving the workforceThe philosophy of BFreeThe reorientation of Human Capital The transformative capacity in all of us The potential of self, teams, and our larger human collectiveProcessing our grief through institutionalized fear vs building from love Principles - Presume we all come free. Gifted, equal in power and grounded. Nita's impossible... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nita Baum is a rock star self-employed freelancer. She has been working on her own for over a decade and now splits her time across many domains, describing herself as an "entrepreneur, co-creator, facilitator, mentor-coach, and community-builder." A lot of her current work focuses on supporting and working with people who are carving their own paths as freelancers, which evolved from her helping hundreds of people informally over the year. In 2013, she turned this into a business, launching b*free in 2013 as a platform "by freelancers for freelancers" to help people with the transition to self-employment as the future of work evolves.One of her core beliefs is that you can "design the contribution you want to give from the inside out." We discuss this and more including her perspective coaching freelancers, working as an independent consultant, some of the blocks people face when taking a leap and much more about the evolving future of work.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Podcast Information: #BoundlessPodPatreon: Support PaulShow Notes: Nita BaumJoin the conversation: #boundless VIP facebook group

For the first time ever on the Bright Spots podcast, I welcome multiple guests. Nita Baum of b*free and David Osborne and Michael Weyandt of Team Theory join me in this episode. We are all passionate about how to continue evolving the ways we work. That was front and center in this episode, while the conversation drew in many references beyond that. This was a fascinating 4-way conversation in which we didn't shy away from some of the uncomfortable shadows that have shaped where we are today. And we also didn't shy away from positive visions that attract our imaginations towards what might be possible. We tried through the diversity and unity of our perspectives to grasp the reality driving the way we currently do things in organizations, which includes considerations of individuals and society. And throughout the conversation, we consider and highlight new pathways. I apologize that the sound quality could have been better, though it is more than passable. I did my best in the edits. Themes are wide-spanning and include: Co-Creation and the power of dialog especially when trying to charter into unknown territory Relevance of Diversity Organizations as a great lever for change, as a meeting point between individuals and the collective How do we accept all of us in all of our humanity in work? How might holistic approaches which consider the human spirit create better realities? A Human Symphony and the human body as metaphors for a New Economy The collective grief which still exists and shaped many choices we made coming out of two world wars Common flaws in ways of thinking about hiring Growth and deficit-based mindsets and outcomes when applied to specific situations How both job-seekers and companies sometimes set a very low bar for what they want Understanding situational context and drawing on a wide repertoire of responses in approaching challenges Fear The magic of connection And of course much more. I hope it's as much a pleasure to listen to as it was for us to experience. All the best.

(Please note this is the 2nd in a 3 part series. I highly recommend starting with episode 12.) David Osborne and Michael Weyandt of Team Theory bring clear, cohesive, constructive insight to how we can evolve and revolutionize hiring. Their numbers speak for themselves. High quality fit of candidates with teams leaps from 20 to 80% where they get involved. When you listen to them, you'll see why they realize such impressive results. Their approach is both systematic and artful. Their clients have said things like, "You guys were able to bring this objective process to the entire equation. At the end of the day we felt so good. We’ve never felt so good about a decision." The stakes are high. Effectiveness at hiring considerably contributes to our effectiveness as teams. And our fulfillment has a ton to do with who we surround ourselves with. As Michael says, it's ultimately about forging unforgettable relationships. What a beautiful, high aspiration to attribute to hiring. As they remind us, what they do is not rocket science. But this belies how much expertise and insight they have developed. When you talk with them, you see they understand with refined nuance the essence of what hiring simply IS and can be. It starts with a clear grasp for the fundamentals which are more overlooked than you might think. It deepens from there. Too many teams and orgs rely on the status quo of hiring. They don't have references for how they could be transforming their teams. I spoke to Michael and David of Team Theory independently for two different episodes of the Bright Spots podcast, episode 12 and episode 13. My feeling after re-listening to both conversations is that they are peanut butter and jelly conversations. The individual conversations complement each other. I recommend starting with episode, #12, with Michael Weyandt. I reference elements from the conversation with David occasionally (which happened first chronologically), but it doesn't present an obstacle. Michael helps us get a clear understanding with concrete examples the types of changes they recommend and why. It becomes startlingly clear. We start with elements of his own journey. Getting a feel for his relevant references helps us as we go into hiring from there, about 10 minutes in. After we gain this clarity with Michael, David helps us understand how they conceptualize: (1) the challenges teams are facing, (2) the common fallacies in the hiring process; and (3) 360 fit in their Beyond Recruiting methodology. If hiring is relevant to your professional life, start with the 50 minute conversation with Michael and continue with the conversation with David. I promise it will open a pathway to revolutionizing your hiring process. I don't say that lightly. I believe in their work. Michael and David will be back with Nita Baum of b*free for a 4 way conversation in early January.

David Osborne and Michael Weyandt of Team Theory bring clear, cohesive, constructive insight to how we can evolve and revolutionize hiring. Their numbers speak for themselves. High quality fit of candidates with teams leaps from 20 to 80% where they get involved. When you listen to them, you'll see why they realize such impressive results. Their approach is both systematic and artful. Their clients have said things like, "You guys were able to bring this objective process to the entire equation. At the end of the day we felt so good. We’ve never felt so good about a decision." The stakes are high. Effectiveness at hiring considerably contributes to our effectiveness as teams. And our fulfillment has a ton to do with who we surround ourselves with. As Michael says, it's ultimately about forging unforgettable relationships. What a beautiful, high aspiration to attribute to hiring. As they remind us, what they do is not rocket science. But this belies how much expertise and insight they have developed. When you talk with them, you see they understand with refined nuance the essence of what hiring simply IS and can be. It starts with a clear grasp for the fundamentals which are more overlooked than you might think. It deepens from there. Too many teams and orgs rely on the status quo of hiring. They don't have references for how they could be transforming their teams. I spoke to Michael and David of Team Theory independently for two different episodes of the Bright Spots podcast, episode 12 and episode 13. My feeling after re-listening to both conversations is that they are peanut butter and jelly conversations. The individual conversations complement each other. I recommend starting with episode, #12, with Michael Weyandt. I reference elements from the conversation with David occasionally (which happened first chronologically), but it doesn't present an obstacle. Michael helps us get a clear understanding with concrete examples the types of changes they recommend and why. It becomes startlingly clear. We start with elements of his own journey. Getting a feel for his relevant references helps us as we go into hiring from there, about 10 minutes in. After we gain this clarity with Michael, David helps us understand how they conceptualize: (1) the challenges teams are facing, (2) the common fallacies in the hiring process; and (3) 360 fit in their Beyond Recruiting methodology. If hiring is relevant to your professional life, start with the 50 minute conversation with Michael and continue with the conversation with David. I promise it will open a pathway to revolutionizing your hiring process. I don't say that lightly. I believe in their work. Michael and David will be back with Nita Baum of b*free for a 4 way conversation in early January.

Nita Baum shares how to liberate yourself from work you no longer love by learning how to listen to yourself first. The post Listen To Yourself To Liberate Yourself With Nita Baum (149) appeared first on Life Skills That Matter.

And so, the special 5 part series with the ever-talented, insightful, and generous Nita Baum concludes here. We go out on a high note, while feeling very grounded in the earth. This conversation in my humble opinion carries groundedness within its essence. Nita and I found such a nice flow in our conversations and used our own shared community/friendship as the basis for this 5 part series. In this conversation, I express the value I hold for her friendship and how much it has meant to me. We go deep into the interconnectictivity between healthy practices, fear, self-acceptance, community, and vulnerability. We touch on the following topics: Nita gets us started with a lovely experiential grounding practice Why might everybody be meditating in a century and what does that have to do with dentists? The right and importance of each person discovering and integrating healthy practices for themselves How the healthcare system in the US has its strengths but is also largely reactive How we learn how to systematically dismantle and gain power over fear Accessibility and simplicity of practices which support our well-being and growth Connection of groundedness to community, home, family, connection, relationship The challenge and universality of feeling separated, isolated, different than, otherness How community opens our eyes to the richness of our shared experience and humanness Personal story about how the community I share with Nita as a friend helped me to overcome the feeling of cognitive dissonance and challenge for stepping out onto a road less traveled Roots of other are in our fear, uncertainty, vulnerability, highlights the power of turning towards that fear—our kinship in realizing shared experience of fear What do you turn to when you feel afraid? What grounds you? Reference to M Scott Peck’s 4 stage sequence for community building Intimate relation with being truthful, protecting against the feeling of being not good enough and pretending we’re not dealing with that on some level Practice, fear, self-acceptance, community, vulnerability and all comes together in groundedness As always, thanks for listening and all the best.

"To be powerful is a possibility to create because nothing can be created without power. It is only when power becomes a means to dominate that power becomes ugly. Unfortunately, as most human beings have not found any sense of deep fulfillment within themselves, they are constantly hankering for dominance. We need to understand that power is not just political or economic power – there are various ways to be powerful. There is the power of love, the power of compassion, the power of meditation, the power of self-absorption, the power of surrender, the power of selflessness, and above all, the power of being human. " ~ Sadhguru The 4th part in the special 5 part series with Nita Baum on the 5 values of b*free continues. This time we speak about being in power. We both have enjoyed this series immensely. The conversation touches on the following themes: How power begins with self-responsibility and the vast difference between responsiveness and reactivity The theme of practice and flexing the muscle of self-responsibility Power vs Force and the support we receive, and the flow we experience, when we align and harmonize our work with the best in ourselves and in service of the common good A couple of worthwhile mindset experiments to conduct in social or networking situations Cycle of giving and receiving and how the consciousness of having something to give, even the generosity of fully listening can be supportive How self-trust connects you to the power within you and around you How our fears related to money keep us from our power and what is true in our hearts How status and ego may reflect power but have little to do with that motivation Transition from old paradigm to new paradigm Radical experiment of considering the positive possibilities of what would happen if our financial systems collapsed? How we use crisis to find our power and turn towards each other—discover our own power anew, see the lens of possibility What is the role of humility in being powerful and is it about owning or denying our strengths? How money itself is not the villain but our mindsets connected to money create problems "At what point does the shift from survival to thriving happen and how much is money related to that?" Nita’s encapsulation in the last 5 minutes really stands out.

'I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.' ~Albert Einstein "Equality is not in regarding different things similarly, equality is in regarding different things differently." ~Tom Robbins As Nita and I continue this special series, we continue to explore topics almost every thoughtful human being has reflected on. We share our understandings and ideas about how we see equality and how essential it is to good living, good professionalism, and a healthy society. The ultimate message of equality is that our differences are many, but more superficial, while our similarities are infinite and exist at the very essence of being human. This conversation touches on the following themes and ideas: The need for evolving the way we relate What value and pitfalls does the hierarchical model have? How can you be equal to a CEO of a big corporation? What are the touchpoints between equality and leadership How hardship, grief, and struggle are connective and level the playing field How in observing our own narratives, mindsets, and attitudes we see our self-responsibility in creating inequality How the practice of values support us in our daily lives The drawbacks of an outcome orientation and much more As always, thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy it. Know thyself. Do your thing. Namaste.

"Your contribution is necessary. You are free to define what that contribution is in a way that is an actual reflection of you in a more fully self-expressed way." ~Nita Baum We arrive in this world with birthright gifts—then we spend the first half of our lives abandoning them or letting others disabuse us of them. As young people, we are surrounded by expectations that may have little to do with who we really are, expectations held by people who are not trying to discern our selfhood but to fit us into slots. In families, schools, workplaces, and religious communities, we are trained away from true self toward images of acceptability; under social pressures like racism and sexism our original shape is deformed beyond recognition; and we ourselves, driven by fear, too often betray true self to gain the approval of others. We are disabused of original giftedness in the first half of our lives. Then—if we are awake, aware, and able to admit our loss—we spend the second half trying to recover and reclaim the gift we once possessed. Sometimes you don’t know how great life truly can be until you are there. ~Parker Palmer This conversation on Giftedness with Nita Baum is one of the best podcast conversations I have had yet. We touch on the following themes: How your unique contribution is essential for you and for the rest of us How it may take time to figure it out The education system's impact on our giftedness A surprising landmark study on creative genius conducted by Beth Jarman and George Land using a test created by NASA Systemic issues—diversity/tolerance begins with our own self-acceptance—even our own weirdness and idiosyncrasies The role of elders Not holding fast to what you know because it’s going to change Your lens is valuable and each of us has the right to our own lens—we can all do that at the same time. A nod to artists and those who are marginalized including incarcerated--the need to find common ground And much more The series will continue for 3 more weeks! Look out for Special Episode 3 next week.

What then is freedom? The power to live as one wishes. ~Marcus Cicero The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage. ~Thucydides For my regular listeners, you may remember that Nita and I spoke in Episode 5 about the possibility of exploring a special series based on the 5 values of her work in the world, B*Free. This includes being Free, Gifted, In Power, Equal, and Grounded. This is the first of that series. Nita and I took an idea, a word, a concept...that hints at an experience, a universal human ideal, and a universal longing -- and played with it. We had a free-flowing conversation, riffing off each other. We played off each other in the moment, and we both enjoyed it immensely. I found myself more passionate and animate and playful at times, and enjoyed being with my dear friend to explore something so meaningful to all of us. We speak about how freedom is intimately connected to: being present an inner state rather than dependent on circumstances a matter of practice about moving from judgment to discovery a paradox of experiencing it now as well as building towards ever more expansive states creation and growth through creative expression our relationship to pain and what we typically consider negative or difficult vulnerability, honesty, transparency, authenticity--being able to see our experience is valid as long as we are able to own it, but otherwise contributes to the feeling of not being good enough and much more. We often assume we're free. But how free do we really feel in our everyday lives to be what we want, say what we want, do what want? Can we be ourselves? What gets in the way? As always, I hope you enjoy it. As always, thanks for listening.

This conversation with Nita Baum was an exciting chance to dig deep into powerful social trends that are shaping the modern world of work. With the awareness that 50% of the US workforce will be freelance/entrepreneur by 2020, we have yet another confirmation that we live in an era of great change. It was a little bit longer conversation than I have had with my guests until now, but worth every uplifting minute of it. Like every conversation which has come before on the TC Podcast, it was a wide-ranging one. We go deep into the interdependence between individual and collective change, as well as B*Free's 5 values, and Nita's experience with the recent death of both parents and how their legacies live on through her. It ends as a wish and a prayer for humanity and even a vision for perhaps how utopia can be realized. Regardless of how proximate or possible utopia may actually be, it's hard to deny that it's worth working in that direction. And similarly any vision of realizing our collective potential must consider the participation and inclusion of each one of us. When you have been through what Nita's been through in the last few years, and had your heart break open, there is a thoughtfulness, clarity, and tenderness which grants a beautiful sense of perspective. When that outlook is backed up by action in the world in service of others, wonderful things can happen. I look forward to witnessing and participating in the evolution of B*Free.