Podcasts about productive flourishing

Have you ever felt stuck pursuing a path that didn't truly resonate with you? A career, creative endeavor or major life change that you committed to fully, told the world it's what you were doing, and who you were now…only to realize it wasn't what you really wanted?  Today, we're going to explore a more forgiving approach - one that allows you to experiment and gather critical data before going all-in. Imagine if you could "date" a potential pursuit, getting to know it intimately, before deciding whether to take that next step. What if the weight of having to definitively choose was lifted, allowing a sense of playfulness and curiosity to guide your exploration? My partner in conversation today is Charlie Gilkey, a strategic advisor, executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing and Team Habits. Charlie brings a wealth of wisdom for trying on new identities through low-risk projects and experiments. Find Charlie Gilkey | Website Host: Jonathan Fields, creator of Good Life Project podcast and the Sparketype® Assessment, More on Sparketypes:  Discover Your Sparketype | The Book | The Website Find a Certified Sparketype Advisor: CSA Directory Presented by LinkedIn.

Over the years, I've had plenty of insightful conversations on this podcast, and one that still stands out is my discussion with Charlie Gilkey about his book Start Finishing. This Flashback Friday episode brings that conversation back, but with a twist—we start with an update from Charlie on what he's been up to since then.Charlie is someone who has spent years helping people make meaningful progress, and since our last chat, he's been busy launching Momentum, an app designed to reduce productivity friction, and shifting his Productive Flourishing platform over to Substack. In this episode, we pick up where we left off, exploring what's changed in the way he approaches work, productivity, and team habits.Key Discussion Points What's new with Charlie since Start Finishing—from launching an app to shifting his content to Substack. How Momentum helps people with chunking and sequencing work without unnecessary friction. Why project management in teams requires a different approach than solo work. The evolution from Start Finishing to Team Habits—and why team productivity is a whole new challenge. The struggle of balancing efficiency with real productivity, especially in hybrid work environments. Why mastery comes from finishing projects, not just starting them. How leaders need to redefine productivity outputs before demanding return-to-office mandates. Charlie and I have been in this space for a long time, and it's always refreshing to catch up and exchange ideas. Whether you're new to his work or have followed Productive Flourishing for years, this episode has plenty of takeaways on making progress that actually matters. (Originally released September 2019)Links Worth Exploring Connect With Charlie/Productive Flourishing: Website | YouTube  | LinkedIn The Book We Discussed This Time: Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results The Book We Discussed Last Time: Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done Another Productive Conversation With Charlie: Watch On My YouTube Channel Related Conversation: Episode 127: A Focus on Flourishing with Charlie Gilkey Related Blog Post: How To Find Your Way Forward (And Finish) Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page.Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, you can subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. You can subscribe on Spotify and also on Apple Podcasts. Not using either of those to get your podcasts? Just click on this link and then paste the podcast feed into your podcast app of choice.Thanks again for listening to A Productive Conversation. See you later.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the years, I've had plenty of insightful conversations on this podcast, and one that still stands out is my discussion with Charlie Gilkey about his book Start Finishing. This Flashback Friday episode brings that conversation back, but with a twist—we start with an update from Charlie on what he's been up to since then. Charlie is someone who has spent years helping people make meaningful progress, and since our last chat, he's been busy launching Momentum, an app designed to reduce productivity friction, and shifting his Productive Flourishing platform over to Substack. In this episode, we pick up where we left off, exploring what's changed in the way he approaches work, productivity, and team habits. Key Discussion Points What's new with Charlie since Start Finishing—from launching an app to shifting his content to Substack. How Momentum helps people with chunking and sequencing work without unnecessary friction. Why project management in teams requires a different approach than solo work. The evolution from Start Finishing to Team Habits—and why team productivity is a whole new challenge. The struggle of balancing efficiency with real productivity, especially in hybrid work environments. Why mastery comes from finishing projects, not just starting them. How leaders need to redefine productivity outputs before demanding return-to-office mandates. Charlie and I have been in this space for a long time, and it's always refreshing to catch up and exchange ideas. Whether you're new to his work or have followed Productive Flourishing for years, this episode has plenty of takeaways on making progress that actually matters. (Originally released September 2019) Links Worth Exploring Connect With Charlie/Productive Flourishing: Website | YouTube  | LinkedIn The Book We Discussed This Time: Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results The Book We Discussed Last Time: Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done Another Productive Conversation With Charlie: Watch On My YouTube Channel Related Conversation: Episode 127: A Focus on Flourishing with Charlie Gilkey Related Blog Post: How To Find Your Way Forward (And Finish) Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page. Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, you can subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. You can subscribe on Spotify and also on Apple Podcasts. Not using either of those to get your podcasts? Just click on this link and then paste the podcast feed into your podcast app of choice. Thanks again for listening to A Productive Conversation. See you later. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It's The Dark Matter Of Business” Join me and my guest Charlie Gilkey (charliegilkey.com), CEO of Productive Flourishing (productiveflourishing.com). Charlie has advised hundreds of teams, from Fortune 100 companies to tiny nonprofits and is the author of the critically acclaimed Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done and his current book, Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results. We explore the concept of Compassionate Capitalism and its implications for team dynamics and performance – especially the role of team habits in achieving extraordinary results. Summary In this conversation, Blaine Bartlett and Charlie Gilkey explore the concept of compassionate capitalism and its implications for team dynamics and performance. They discuss the importance of understanding the "soul of business" as a living organism, the role of team habits in achieving extraordinary results, and the significance of belonging and communication within teams. The dialogue emphasizes the need for explicit communication of goals and conditions of satisfaction, as well as the challenges of maintaining excellence in a comfortable environment. Ultimately, they highlight the distinction between groups and teams, advocating for a culture of interdependence and shared commitment to improvement. Takeaways Compassionate Capitalism emphasizes the interconnectedness of all business actions. Teams are a collection of relationships that require conscious effort to maintain. Team habits can either reinforce bad practices or promote positive change. Belonging within a team enhances performance and problem-solving capabilities. Conditions of satisfaction must be articulated to ensure team alignment. Making the obvious explicit helps avoid misunderstandings and misalignments. Cordial hypocrisy can hinder performance; teams must prioritize excellence over comfort. High-performing teams distinguish themselves through shared commitment and accountability. Interdependence is crucial for effective teamwork and achieving goals. Leadership should focus on the "why" rather than the "how" to empower teams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 22 of season 2, we sit down with Charlie Gilkey, founder of Productive Flourishing, a professional training and coaching company/community dedicated to helping individuals and teams achieve their best work. Charlie is an author, executive coach, and workplace consultant known for his expertise in organizational development, change management, and leadership strategies. In this episode, Charlie unpacks essential team habits that can transform how teams operate, from addressing common workplace challenges, like the "broken printer problem," to fostering better communication and alignment. He introduces powerful concepts such as the "air sandwich" and explains how to identify and overcome cultural debt that holds teams back from success. Charlie also shares insights from his books Start Finishing and Team Habits, detailing how to build strong, cohesive teams that thrive on purpose and productivity. With practical examples and actionable advice, Charlie emphasizes the importance of retrospectives, proactive problem-solving, and creating a culture where every team member contributes to continuous improvement. He challenges the notion that only managers can instigate change and highlights the potential of non-managers to drive team success. Tune in to discover Charlie's frameworks for improving team habits, developing sustainable work practices, and creating an environment where teams can excel. This episode is a must-listen for leaders and team members looking to foster a culture of growth, innovation, and resilience! . . . Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the podcast with your colleagues. . . . TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [03:11] Military to executive coach [07:12] Have ever heard of an “air sandwich”? [11:56] The “broken printer problem”  [17:42] Prioritizing “Quadrant 2 time” for teams [23:33] Importance of regular retrospectives  [29:24] How to identify meeting inefficiencies [34:41] Team habits that empower every member [38:25] Your team is stronger than you give them credit for

"How do you finish more of the projects that you start or do you need to complete everything?" This week on the SPARKED podcast, we invited a listener to share what's going on in their work & life, then pose a specific question to Jonathan Fields and a rotating lineup of wise and kind mentors - the SPARKED Braintrust.  In today's episode we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing. LISTENER:  Jade - Sparketype: Maker/Maven QUESTION: Listener Jade poses a question that I'm sure a lot of our Makers and creators have also wondered, what can you do to see more ideas through to completion. Jade shares her experience of feeling tied down in the ‘busy-work' of her daily job while being called to diversify her income and embrace a ‘side hustle'. So the essence of the question is how do you make the most of the small amount of time you have in the ‘in-between' moments and how do you follow through more often to generate the outcomes and feelings that you really want to have. And underneath that is the question, do we need to in the first place do any of this or is there magic in the mess of the maker and not centering some of these impulses as the fundamental way we earn our living. YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 950,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you're kind of fumbling in the dark.  How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Workshop | The Website Presented by LinkedIn. Please note this episode originally aired in 2022 which accounts for some of the timeline references.

In this special anniversary episode, Charlie Gilkey and Maghan Haggerty reflect on the five-year milestone of Start Finishing, diving deep into its impact on their lives, the lives of their community, and Productive Flourishing's evolution over the past 17 years. They explore how doing your best work transforms you as an individual and creates ripple effects for leaders and their entire teams.Topics We Explored:* The deeper paradox of productivity: Why do we often end up putting off the things we really want to do in life to some later date? (When that means we may not ever start, let alone finish, those projects.) * The origins of Start Finishing as a book, and the driving force behind it, namely to argue for doing the work that matters and treating one's "best work" as priority — and what that changes in how we approach meaningful projects.* All the ways in which personal and team success are interconnected, and how Charlie's third book Team Habits built on the foundations of Start Finishing.* The multitude of “best work” stories we've heard from people around the world who, as a result of finding Start Finishing, have finished the projects that matter.* Embracing life and work simultaneously by living and working with purpose, and finding joy in the process. * Charlie's vision for the future of "Productive Flourishing", inviting people to embrace the "get to" mindset (“getting to” do the work we've dreamed of doing.) Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:CHARLIE'S BOOKS* Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done * The Start Finishing Field Guide* Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results * The Small Business Life Cycle BLOG POSTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE* Yet Another Blog on Time Management?!* Stand Tall, Creative Giants* The Air Sandwich: Why Your Big Picture and Day-to-Day Reality Don't Link Up* A Frog a Day Keeps Your Anchors Aweigh* Success Often Comes When You're Not Searching for ItOTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE* Finite and Infinite Games by James P Carse * Give to Grow by Mo Bunnell (Episode 254)* Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert* PF Productivity CoachingIf this podcast episode — and PF in your inbox in general — benefit you, consider how much you might flourish with access to the full archive of writing, monthly coaching calls & e-courses with a paid subscription.Thanks for Listening!We'd love to hear your stories of what you've started and finished thanks to Start Finishing. Share your best work moments with us!Subscribe to the Productive Flourishing Podcast on Apple Podcasts or your favorite platform so you never miss an episode. Plus, if this episode resonated with you, leave a review to help others find the show.Episode Timestamps[0:00] Re-introduction to the podcast and the 5-year anniversary of Start Finishing.[2:15] Maghan discusses her personal journey with "Productive Flourishing" and the impact of Start Finishing on her life, work, and career. [7:48] Charlie shares the origins of Start Finishing and how it connects to Productive Flourishing's broader mission.[15:30] The importance of “best work” and why focusing on it and keeping it a priority leads to our thriving. [20:58] The transition from Start Finishing to Team Habits and how personal and team success intertwine.[32:46] Further reflection on how Productive Flourishing has evolved over 17 years and what's next.[40:30] Maghan shares some Start Finishing reader stories about the power of finishing our most meaningful projects.[47:20] Charlie and Maghan dive into ideas about thriving in both work and life, by following a sense of purpose in both. Coming Soon: Limited, Signed Start FinishingTo celebrate the 5th anniversary, Charlie's gone into the vault and found a small number of first edition hardcovers of Start Finishing he'll sign (and personalize, with whatever message you'd like) and make available for sale.If you're interested in getting your own hands on this piece of PF history, or giving a one-of-a-kind gift to that person you know could benefit from Start Finishing, hit the button to sign up, and you'll be the first to know when we have these available for sale. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Topics We Explored:* Mo Bunnell's new book Give to Grow and why it makes sense to focus on relationships and a giving mindset as the foundation for long-term business success.* How to define business development and distinguish it from pure sales, as well as the importance of strategic helpfulness in developing a business or career. * The logic behind providing value upfront through small projects or advice to build trust and increase the likelihood of future business and engagement.* Strategies for making effective recommendations and managing client expectations, including the use of social proof and escalating commitments.Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:* Mo Bunnell: Website | Podcast* Give to Grow Supplemental Materials: Downloadable resources, including the Give to Grow Team Launch Guide, top lead generation methods worksheet, meeting prep questions, research citations, and an exclusive secret chapter.* Find Your Business Flow: PF's new cohort program to help entrepreneurs focus on (among other things) growth — building relationships, scaling your business, and winning the work that matters.Perspectives like those in this episode can help you grow your business. By upgrading to a paid subscription, you gain access to exclusive content, monthly coaching calls & e-courses.About Mo Bunnell:Mo Bunnell helps complex organizations grow by scaling business development skills and creating a growth-oriented culture. He's the founder of Bunnell Idea Group (BIG) and the author of The Snowball System. BIG has trained tens of thousands of professionals at hundreds of organizations. Mo lives in Atlanta, Georgia.Thanks for Listening!Subscribe to Productive Flourishing on Apple Podcasts to get all the latest episodes delivered straight to your preferred mobile device. This is the perfect option for listening to the show in the car, on the subway, or while you're working out. Plus, you won't have to fuss with figuring out how you're going to listen.Episode Timestamps[0:01:46] Charlie Gilkey introduces Mo Bunnell and discusses why he's excited about the Give to Grow book.[0:05:02] Discussion of the broader definition of business development and how it differs from sales.[0:07:34] Mo Bunnell explains the importance of balancing altruistic and economic success in business.[0:11:41] Importance of selling the problem and the solution, not just the expertise.[0:13:26] Discussion of the differences between the skills needed for "doing the work" versus "winning the work".[0:18:30] Explanation of the concept of "certainty" versus "possibility" in business development.[0:22:05] Explanation of the "give to grow" strategy and providing value upfront to build trust.[0:26:52] Discussion of how to make effective recommendations and manage client expectations.[0:31:14] Advice on naming programs and offerings to focus on outcomes, not just processes.[0:35:47] Importance of providing options and allowing clients to choose.[0:41:44] Addressing the challenge of transitioning from free to paid content. [0:47:59] Practical tips for committing to and testing new business development strategies.[0:52:54] Discussion of the importance of casting possibility and helping clients see their best version.[1:06:51] Final thoughts on the emotion and inspiration of winning the work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Note to the reader: Team Habits, my most recent book, was released one year ago this week. You might also be aware of Productive Flourishing's sister publication, Better Team Habits, a spin-off of the book. We've had incredible moments over on BTH in the past year. For those not subscribed to both publications I'd like to celebrate the book's anniversary by sharing with you a singular podcast episode I sat down to do with my friend Kate Tyson on “fixing the plane while we fly it.” I think it will prove fruitful for PF readers too — for your current or future teams. — Charlie Many of us would likely agree on the fact that the dominant, central power structures that make up our system need some reform. That goes for institutions large and small, whether we're talking about a particular startup company or the global economy.But what is change supposed to look like, and how does it come about?If I could offer one of the basic tenets from Team Habits, it's that we start the change process by first shifting the way we relate to each other — in our teams and at work. This episode originally aired on Kate Tyson's podcast Boss Talks: Whiskey Fridays, in which she and I dive into how cultural change is a long-term play, and why better team habits are a critical component of the process.Topics We Explored* The challenges of leading and effecting change in businesses, particularly in the context of social and economic change, and the importance of engaging with the 'messy middle'.* Looking for 'subversive simplicity' in our lives, business, and management decisions — which often challenges conventional wisdom on growth and productivity.* The disconnect between workplace culture and the caretaking reality at home of many team members.* How to address these and other issues of power and balance in the workplace we'll need as a whole a more collaborative approach to decision-making and team bonding* Leading and forming teams is never easy.* Why by acknowledging issues and addressing power dynamics head-on, we have a chance to avoid conflicts or deal with them effectively.* How prioritizing relationship-building with our teammates ultimately creates change and trustThis episode touches on many topics I explore at length in my book, Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results.If Productive Flourishing adds value to your inbox, consider a paid or pro subscription for access to the full archive, monthly community coaching calls, and more. About Kate TysonKate Tyson is a multi-disciplinary business owner and rebellious spirit, and the owner and director of Wanderwell, a consulting and bookkeeping practice that grows thriving small businesses, while investigating new models for being in business. Wanderwell integrates financial expertise with an empathic, vision-forward approach, and leads with the belief that businesses can help create a more just world that centers people, community, and the environment.Episode Timestamps[0:00] Leadership, power sharing, and social change. What does it take to shift from a single-leader model to a democratic leadership approach? Many companies and leaders struggle with the challenge of moving towards shared leadership without losing direction. Businesses can be platforms for social and economic change, and as a result, grapple with the complexities of dismantling oppressive structures within capitalist frameworks. How do we foster collaboration and ensure respect within the workplace while striving for excellence?[5:28] Cultural norms in the workplace. The workplace can be a site of systems change and social justice, given the growth of decentralized micro-capitalist businesses in the 2000s. Leaders need to prioritize team well-being to avoid perpetuating negative aspects of the dominant culture. Charlie shares how to recognize and dismantle harmful cultural norms — and how leaders can become aware of and shift away from perpetuating negative cultural patterns through reflection and awareness.[11:58] Burnout & Team Dynamics. Charlie explains how burnout and revolving doors (of employees) can be symptoms of how white supremacy and toxic hierarchy affect businesses and our experience in the workplace. Common assumptions about productivity in the workplace are often deeply flawed. Cranking tasks out faster is only one dimension of productivity. Being a leader or owner may mean challenging norms about pressure and invisible expectations (especially for emotional and social labor). We want team members to take more ownership and yet we need to share the burden — with self-care and compassion. That means looking at system issues, rather than finding individual blame.[20:53] Decision-making and mutual care. If we want to care for the humans in our businesses we need to think about things like language. But it can't be words alone. We might want to look at team habits about how we approach one another — do we approach situations with empathy and avoid making assumptions? If there's a wider collective issue on the team, those are things that training and clear communication can go far in addressing, especially when creating a new team. A central idea in Team Habits is about levels of decision-making for team members, and the importance of communication and context. [30:34] Democratizing leadership and employee ownership. Kate shares personal experience with Quaker organizations, highlighting consensus-driven decision-making and anti-authoritarianism. The discussion turns to deeper work of helping people decolonize themselves, including employee equity and ownership pathways. Open book management (OBM) is one approach to doing that. [36:11] Power dynamics in the workplace. Salaries are one challenge that come up in disrupting traditional power dynamics (and is a topic addressed by OBM.) Transparency is one approach to disrupting the secrecy and taboo around salaries — while it's fair to acknowledge that power dynamics in organizations are complex, involving individual and institutional power.[39:45] Interpersonal vs. Institutional Power. Interpersonal power is a hugely important topic for teams. Charlie emphasizes the need to put more care back into work relationships between teammates to build trust and support. If one person steps on another's toe, it can lead to mistrust and friction, but also one individual might choose institutional power as a means to solve the problem, reinforcing the paradigm and creating a triangle of intervention.[45:08] Care vs. institutional power, and difficult conversations. Teams at some point are forced to choose between institutional power or actual care. Team members must be willing to have difficult conversations. Inconsistent communication and delegation practices bring about tension. [51:22] Breeding respect and autonomy. Respect is crucial, for everyone on the team, but also those in leadership positions, even in anti-hierarchical organizations. Leaders need unscheduled time to think and make decisions, respecting their unique function and autonomy. Kate discusses the importance of intentionally designed structures in anarchist movements, citing the Goldilocks problem.[58:06] Team habits, meeting and collaboration. Changing one type of team habit has ripple effects on others, like eliminating bad meetings. Relational work is not separate from business work, since often it's our relationships that are most important to us as humans. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Many of us would likely agree on the fact that the dominant, central power structures that make up our system need some reform. That goes for institutions large and small, whether we're talking about a particular startup company or the global economy.But what is change supposed to look like, and how does it come about?If I could offer one of the basic tenets from Team Habits, it's that we start the change process by first shifting the way we relate to each other — in our teams and at work. This episode originally aired on Kate Tyson's podcast Boss Talks: Whiskey Fridays, in which she and I dive into how cultural change is a long-term play, and why better team habits are a critical component of the process.Productive Flourishing is a reader-supported publication. For exclusive insights, access to the archive, and group coaching calls for leaders and managers upgrade to a paid subscription. Topics We Explored* The challenges of leading and effecting change in businesses, particularly in the context of social and economic change, and the importance of engaging with the 'messy middle'.* Looking for 'subversive simplicity' in our lives, business, and management decisions — which often challenges conventional wisdom on growth and productivity.* The disconnect between workplace culture and the caretaking reality at home of many team members.* How to address these and other issues of power and balance in the workplace we'll need as a whole a more collaborative approach to decision-making and team bonding* Leading and forming teams is never easy.* Why by acknowledging issues and addressing power dynamics head-on, we have a chance to avoid conflicts or deal with them effectively.* How prioritizing relationship-building with our teammates ultimately creates change and trustThis episode touches on many topics I explore at length in my book, Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results.About Kate TysonKate Tyson is a multi-disciplinary business owner and rebellious spirit, and the owner and director of Wanderwell, a consulting and bookkeeping practice that grows thriving small businesses, while investigating new models for being in business. Wanderwell integrates financial expertise with an empathic, vision-forward approach, and leads with the belief that businesses can help create a more just world that centers people, community, and the environment.Episode Timestamps[0:00] Leadership, power sharing, and social change. What does it take to shift from a single-leader model to a democratic leadership approach? Many companies and leaders struggle with the challenge of moving towards shared leadership without losing direction. Businesses can be platforms for social and economic change, and as a result, grapple with the complexities of dismantling oppressive structures within capitalist frameworks. How do we foster collaboration and ensure respect within the workplace while striving for excellence?[5:28] Cultural norms in the workplace. The workplace can be a site of systems change and social justice, given the growth of decentralized micro-capitalist businesses in the 2000s. Leaders need to prioritize team well-being to avoid perpetuating negative aspects of the dominant culture. Charlie shares how to recognize and dismantle harmful cultural norms — and how leaders can become aware of and shift away from perpetuating negative cultural patterns through reflection and awareness.[11:58] Burnout & Team Dynamics. Charlie explains how burnout and revolving doors (of employees) can be symptoms of how white supremacy and toxic hierarchy affect businesses and our experience in the workplace. Common assumptions about productivity in the workplace are often deeply flawed. Cranking tasks out faster is only one dimension of productivity. Being a leader or owner may mean challenging norms about pressure and invisible expectations (especially for emotional and social labor). We want team members to take more ownership and yet we need to share the burden — with self-care and compassion. That means looking at system issues, rather than finding individual blame.[20:53] Decision-making and mutual care. If we want to care for the humans in our businesses we need to think about things like language. But it can't be words alone. We might want to look at team habits about how we approach one another — do we approach situations with empathy and avoid making assumptions? If there's a wider collective issue on the team, those are things that training and clear communication can go far in addressing, especially when creating a new team. A central idea in Team Habits is about levels of decision-making for team members, and the importance of communication and context. [30:34] Democratizing leadership and employee ownership. Kate shares personal experience with Quaker organizations, highlighting consensus-driven decision-making and anti-authoritarianism. The discussion turns to deeper work of helping people decolonize themselves, including employee equity and ownership pathways. Open book management (OBM) is one approach to doing that. [36:11] Power dynamics in the workplace. Salaries are one challenge that come up in disrupting traditional power dynamics (and is a topic addressed by OBM.) Transparency is one approach to disrupting the secrecy and taboo around salaries — while it's fair to acknowledge that power dynamics in organizations are complex, involving individual and institutional power.[39:45] Interpersonal vs. Institutional Power. Interpersonal power is a hugely important topic for teams. Charlie emphasizes the need to put more care back into work relationships between teammates to build trust and support. If one person steps on another's toe, it can lead to mistrust and friction, but also one individual might choose institutional power as a means to solve the problem, reinforcing the paradigm and creating a triangle of intervention.[45:08] Care vs. institutional power, and difficult conversations. Teams at some point are forced to choose between institutional power or actual care. Team members must be willing to have difficult conversations. Inconsistent communication and delegation practices bring about tension. [51:22] Breeding respect and autonomy. Respect is crucial, for everyone on the team, but also those in leadership positions, even in anti-hierarchical organizations. Leaders need unscheduled time to think and make decisions, respecting their unique function and autonomy. Kate discusses the importance of intentionally designed structures in anarchist movements, citing the Goldilocks problem.[58:06] Team habits, meeting and collaboration. Changing one type of team habit has ripple effects on others, like eliminating bad meetings. Relational work is not separate from business work, since often it's our relationships that are most important to us as humans. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

When things get extra busy and I start to feel the overwhelm kick in, I thrash around, lose the thread, and then…I always turn to my momentum planner and Charlie Gilkey.  A friend, productivity expert, former military strategist and compassionate mentor to the disorganized who crave feeling productive and want to get stuff done but in a way that feels sane and realistic. He's my go to when I need to re-center the externals in my life. I have really been feeling caught in the swirl lately.  So many things and plans changed after meeting the Grandmother's that I got a bit lost in it all. It was time to sort myself out and create a schedule for the next 90 days. Stress less and enjoy more. Since I was listening to this episode from my 2021 Inspired to Life Summit with Charlie today anyway to help myself, I figured I'd offer it up here again to you, as a rerun, in case you also could use a little reorienting of your life. Enjoy this insightful and practical conversation about how to manage the challenges of today's productivity, navigate all the personal growth options, and reclaim your personal power to feel sane, sovereign and productive.  You'll discover: 1. It's okay to prioritize your well-being. Learn the importance of setting boundaries, identifying your needs, and managing your time effectively to prioritize your personal well-being and fulfillment. 2. It's all about creating a successful support network. Understand the roles of mavens, connectors, and salespeople, and learn how to ask for and receive help without feeling indebted. 3. Let's redefine what productivity and success mean to us. Challenge the traditional notions of productivity, embrace the art of letting go, and find meaningful choices that align with your personal aspirations and values. Thank you so much for tuning in. Be sure to join me next time for more inspiring conversations and valuable insights on The Robyn Ivy Podcast! Connect with Charlie Gilkey: Website:: https://www.productiveflourishing.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, you will also like: Episode #96: Grandmother Flordemayo:Ancient Wisdom for Modern Living Episode #55: Jerry Colonna: Leading with Kindness Episode #79: Susannah Conway: Creating Joy MORE ABOUT CHARLIE GILKEY Charlie Gilkey has advised hundreds of teams, from Fortune 100 companies to tiny nonprofits, through Productive Flourishing, the coaching and training company he founded. Charlie is the author of the critically acclaimed Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done and his current book, Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results. He is also a former Army logistics officer and a near-PhD in Philosophy. Charlie lives in Portland, OR.

Charlie Gilkey is the CEO of Productive Flourishing, a bestselling author, advisor, podcaster, and speaker. His latest book is Team Habits. Learn more at betterteamhabits.com. Top 3 Value Bombs 1. Becoming successful is not rocket science; it is not complicated. It requires consistency, hard work, and showing up regularly. 2. Improving team dynamics can lead to a significant overall performance boost compared to expecting someone to work significantly harder or more intelligent. 3. Enhancing teamwork within this small group can improve 80% of your work. While you may not solve every issue, making things better collectively is a valuable achievement. Visit and learn more about how to Create better team habits and the habits that create a better team - Better Team Habits Sponsors HubSpot With the HubSpot for Startups program, you can save 30-90 percent on a platform that scales right along with you! To see if you're eligible to join the HubSpot for Startups program and take your growth to the next level, visit HubSpot.com/startups Field of Greens Just one scoop a day and you'll be getting in loads of fruits, veggies, herbs and spices all at once. Visit FieldOfGreens.com and use promo code FIRE for 15 percent off your first order AND free rush shipping

Charlie Gilkey is the CEO of Productive Flourishing, a bestselling author, advisor, podcaster, and speaker. His latest book is Team Habits. Learn more at betterteamhabits.com. Top 3 Value Bombs 1. Becoming successful is not rocket science; it is not complicated. It requires consistency, hard work, and showing up regularly. 2. Improving team dynamics can lead to a significant overall performance boost compared to expecting someone to work significantly harder or more intelligent. 3. Enhancing teamwork within this small group can improve 80% of your work. While you may not solve every issue, making things better collectively is a valuable achievement. Visit and learn more about how to Create better team habits and the habits that create a better team - Better Team Habits Sponsors HubSpot With the HubSpot for Startups program, you can save 30-90 percent on a platform that scales right along with you! To see if you're eligible to join the HubSpot for Startups program and take your growth to the next level, visit HubSpot.com/startups Field of Greens Just one scoop a day and you'll be getting in loads of fruits, veggies, herbs and spices all at once. Visit FieldOfGreens.com and use promo code FIRE for 15 percent off your first order AND free rush shipping

Have you ever started the new year feeling unstoppable, only to hit February and realize your plans need a major refresh? I've been there too. The ambitious goals we set in January can seem so achievable in the moment. But life has a way of asserting itself. Unexpected challenges arise. Priorities shift. New opportunities emerge. The question is: what do you do when you find yourself at this crossroads? Do you rigidly cling to outdated plans and force failure? Or do you have the courage to tear up the blueprint and start again aligned with your new reality? My guest today, Charlie Gilkey, is intimately familiar with this entrepreneurial rite of passage. In our conversation, Charlie shares his wisdom on what to do when you realize it's time to reconsider your goals. With insight gained from years of experience, he reveals how to take stock of where you actually are right now, not where you hoped to be, and create an updated plan aligned with that reality. With Charlie's guidance, you'll learn how to rework your plans while honoring the past and creating space for the emergence of new possibilities. SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie Gilkey has advised hundreds of teams, from Fortune 100 companies to tiny nonprofits, through Productive Flourishing, the coaching and training company he founded. Charlie is the author of the critically acclaimed Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done. His latest book is Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results. YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. More on Sparketypes at: Discover Your Sparketype | The Book | The Website Find a Certified Sparketype Advisor: CSA Directory Coaches & Leaders: Tap a Game-Changing Credential - The Certified Sparketype® Advisor Training. This powerful training and certification is designed to help you:⁣ Deliver more outstanding service while helping your clients and/or team members live a more-fulfilling life, and craft a more purpose-led, meaningful, and alive career path. ⁣ Better understand how to powerfully motivate and inspire employees or teams to perform at the highest levels, so that they generate exceptional results and do more of what makes them come alive.⁣ AND… get there much faster with next-gen tools that do what no others can⁣.  Learn more HERE. Next Training starts March 2024 Presented by LinkedIn.

This week I was excited to welcome Charlie Gilkey back to the show to talk about his latest book, Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results. Charlie has been on the show before to discuss his previous book Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done. He is the founder of Productive Flourishing, a company that helps professional creatives, leaders, and changemakers take meaningful action on work that matters. He is internationally known as a thought leader on productivity, planning, strategy, and leadership for creative people. Charlie is also the author of The Small Business Life Cycle, and is widely cited in outlets such as Inc., Time, Forbes, the Guardian, Lifehacker, and more. He's also an Army veteran and near-PhD in philosophy. In this conversation, Charlie shares his insights on the power of teamwork and discusses his new book, presenting a fresh perspective on improving team productivity. We discuss the importance of team dynamics to overcome challenges and mistakes addressing the significance of individual and team communication habits in enhancing productivity and performance. We also discuss the impact that small issues can have within a team, highlighting the downstream effects of broken systems on morale and camaraderie. Charlie points out the impact of adding new team members and the need to focus on improving team habits rather than changing individual team members. This is a great talk for anyone who may be struggling to find practical strategies for creating a better working environment. We discuss finding ways to improve team meetings and addressing small problems that lead to inefficiencies while also focusing on how we can be more humane and understanding with our co-workers while continuing to maintain high standards. As we head into the New Year this chat and of course Charlie's book are great guides to get teams thinking about better communication, improved habits, and most importantly more enjoyable and productive work days in 2024.  Connect with Charlie: Better Team Habits Productive Flourishing Charlie's Previous Episode Book LinkedIn Twitter Connect with Erik: Sign Up For Our Newsletter Submit a Question For Our Mailbag Episode LinkedIn  Twitter  Facebook  Instagram  ________________________________________ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the military, it was all about the details for today's guest, Charlie Gilkey. And when it comes to teams in a business, the same is true. Charlie's military background sets him up very well to talk about team habits and what habits benefit teams in any environment.  What are the habits that impact the quality of work? In today's episode, Charlie shares the 8 categories of team habits and how finding the one that is broken, could solve a world of problems.  It's time to start talking about the things that are broken instead of accepting that they'll stay that way. You don't have to wait and it doesn't matter the size of the team. As the author of a process book called Team Habits, Charlie helps readers grab onto these ideas to make sure that their team's habits serve them well. What We Talked About in This Episode: Charlie's background in the military The best of the individual, the best of the team, and how to lead “The broken printer” Teammates are not victims, but active participants The collective habits that we can change Different types of power Don't wait till the whole organization is ready to change It's all about the details High-belonging and high-performing teams set goals together No agenda? No meeting. Never let a crisis go to waste New generation entering the workforce Find the “broken printer” and fix it The 8 categories of team habits Charlie's book recommendations and daily rituals About Our Guest: Charlie Gilkey is the founder of Productive Flourishing, a website that helps changemakers (creatives, leaders, and entrepreneurs) start finishing the stuff that matters. Productive Flourishing is routinely placed in the Top 50 websites for planning, productivity, creativity, and team development for creative folks. Charlie's work is widely cited across media outlets and is routinely featured, showcased, or highlighted in places like Inc., BNET, Time, Forbes, the Guardian, Lifehacker, and more. Charlie is the author of several books including Team Habits and Start Finishing. Connect with Charlie Gilkey:  Productive Flourishing Connect with John Murphy: LinkedIn Twitter YouTube Facebook If you liked this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, tune in, and share this podcast. Thanks for tuning in!

What if just 15 minutes could make or break your day?  We all have habits and routines that seem to last only minutes, yet end up influencing how our entire day unfolds. Those small, seemingly innocuous things we do that unwittingly either prime us for productivity, happiness, and success - or leave us uncentered, unproductive, and adrift. Things like mindless scrolling or other unfulfilling habits first thing in the morning. What if deleting those 15 minutes of distraction allowed you to show up more present and positive for the rest of the day? On the flipside, what if intentionally choosing how you spend your 15-minutes gave you the mental Reset you needed to tackle work at your best for hours after?  In today's episode we're digging into: What are the small daily habits or practices that have an outsized impact on our productivity and wellbeing? How can we identify the 15-20 minutes each day that make or break how we feel and function? Should we focus on adding positive habits and routines or eliminating negative ones that sabotage us? How do our daily habits prime us emotionally and psychologically for the rest of the day? With remote work, what have we lost from the transition away from commuting time and how can we substitute new rituals? And we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing and his fantastic new book Team Habits, which is available now. YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website Find a Certified Sparketype Advisor: CSA Directory Presented by LinkedIn.

You can calm chaos at work, but it starts with a reality check from Charlie Gilkey, delivered with his signature wit and generosity: You might not have a team problem, you have a you problem. It's time to stop catering to air sandwiches, Crisco watermelons, broken printers, ghost plans, and other corrosive practices, and start implementing Charlie's finely-tuned, road-tested systems instead. Today we're talking about his new book Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results. We also talk about scaling from maker to manager (and sometimes back again), accounting for those who don't want the added social overhead of that (often due to some combination of hoarding control, people-pleasing, introversion, and empathy). More About Charlie: Charlie Gilkey has advised hundreds of teams, from Fortune 100 companies to tiny nonprofits, through Productive Flourishing, the coaching and training company he founded. Charlie is a former Army logistics officer and near-PhD in philosophy living in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done, and today we're talking about his new book, Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results.

Morning routines. There is just soooo much mythology around them. Some of it's true and valuable. But a whole lot of it is also just plain wrong. And, it can lead us to think we have to adopt a certain approach to starting our days that is universally helpful for every person. Life just doesn't work that way. So, today we're taking on the topic of morning routines, and there are going to be some big surprises, provocative ideas, and a healthy dose of mythbusting. And, then, we'll be sharing a more well-rounded, inviting “anyone can do this” approach. And, it even starts with a challenge - how about we stop calling these morning routines? Why? Well, we dive into that and so many other valuable and actionable tips about how best to start your day in today's SPARKED Hot Take episode.  In today's episode we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing and his fantastic new book Team Habits, which is available now. YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website Find an Certified Sparketype Advisor: CSA Directory Presented by LinkedIn.

Have you ever felt like your team could do so much more if you just worked better together? We've all been there – stuck in dysfunctional team dynamics, unproductive meetings, and confusion around decision-making. The doubts start to creep in: “Are we even capable of working smoothly together?” “Why does collaboration feel so hard?” When was the last time you joined a new team only to encounter friction, lack of alignment, and difficulties coordinating? Did you start to wonder if you were meant to work together?  That's where we're heading in today's HOT TAKE episode of the Sparked Podcast, unpacking the common pitfalls teams face and how to transform habits to excel together. If you want to become a better leader, manager, or team member, this episode is essential listening. Join Charlie and I for an inspiring dose of teamwork wisdom. In today's episode we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing and his fantastic new book Team Habits, which is available now. YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website Find an Certified Sparketype Advisor: CSA Directory Presented by LinkedIn.

Are your team habits good or bad? Often times, we haven't asked ourselves this question, but habits exist within teams whether or not we are aware of them. Small bad habits can ruin morale and lead to people leaving. Luckily, Charlie Gilkey joins us on the podcast to discuss lessons from his new book, Team Habits. We cover why team habits matter, how to create a feeling of belonging within your team, tactics for decision making and why you should never take on more than five projects at a time.  Whether your team has good habits or bad habits, this conversation will provide context for different ways to build great team habits and as a result, happier teams. Charlie Gilkey has advised hundreds of teams, from Fortune 100 companies to tiny nonprofits, through Productive Flourishing, the coaching and training company he founded.His current book, Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results, shows how changing your team habits is the most effective, enduring way to improve team performance and belonging. His previous book, Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done, is a Publishers Weekly Fall 2019 Top 10 Business and Economics Book, a Kirkus Reviews Top Indie Book, and the winner of the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize in 2020. He's also a former Army logistics officer and near-PhD in philosophy. If you enjoyed this conversation, we only scratched the surface! Click here if you are interested in grabbing a copy of Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results by Charlie GilkeyFind our full show notes and let us know what you think about this episode at buildawealthyspirit.com Find more show notes and interact with the Build A Wealthy Spirit community at buildawealthyspirit.com!

Groups are a microcosm of life and the greater systems in which we live and work.  We learn so much about ourselves and others in groups. They refine our leadership and communication skills. They highlight our growth edges and our capacity for conflict. And they can bring out the best - and the worst - in us, sometimes at lightning speed. So many of us can recall frustrating and, too often, harmful experiences working in teams. Whether it's a team member that drags everyone down without support or burdened systems, rules, and bureaucracies that stifle creativity and energy, the words “group project” bring up a lot of feelings.What comes up when you think about your group or team experiences? And when preparing to join or lead a group or a team, what fears or concerns go through your mind?Today, I'm excited to welcome back Charlie Gilkey to discuss his new book, Team Habits. He addresses many of the pain points and fears many of us hold when it comes to working in teams with actionable ways to make meaningful change in our team habits.Charlie Gilkey helps people start finishing the stuff that matters. He's the founder of Productive Flourishing, author of the book Start Finishing and The Small Business Lifecycle, and host of the Productive Flourishing podcast. Before starting Productive Flourishing, Charlie worked as a Joint Force Military Logistics Coordinator while simultaneously pursuing a PhD in Philosophy. He lives with his wife, Angela, in Portland, Oregon.Listen to the full episode to hear:How attachment to titles and structures makes us feel like we don't have agency in our teams at workHow work is inherently relational and why it matters how we show up for each otherWhy efforts to democratize corporate structures have to consider the emotional and social components of decision-makingHow solid team habits protect against one person dragging down the groupThe difference between the values on the floor and the values on the wall, and why we need to bring them togetherHow small, mundane changes make significant impact to your team culture over timeWhy we need to be able to show up as our full selves in our teamsLearn more about Charlie Gilkey:Better Team HabitsProductive FlourishingTwitter: @CharlieGilkeyInstagram: @productiveflourishingFacebook: @ProductiveFlourishingConnect with Charlie on LinkedInLearn more about Rebecca:rebeccaching.comWork With RebeccaSign up for the weekly Unburdened Leader EmailResources:Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less, Leidy KlotzManagement by objectives

Is it only me, or do you feel like your work and life are pretty strongly affected by seasonal changes? Sometimes in a good way that lets you go deep and get focused, creative and productive. But, sometimes, it's the exact opposite. Everything slows down and feels like a heavier lift. Well, what if, instead of fighting these natural and biological rhythms, we learned to roll with, and maybe even harness them instead? Have you ever wondered why periods of reduced productivity feel so frustrating? You know in your gut that ebbs and flows are normal, yet you still feel you should be doing better.    In this episode, Charlie joins me to discuss how embracing seasons of less can uncover unexpected openings. When motivation wanes and energy flags, fighting it tends to backfire, as you well know Charlie. Instead, we discuss yielding to our inner rhythms, reassessing priorities and pacing ourselves with grace.    In today's episode we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing. His forthcoming book, Team Habits, is set to be published in August 2023. YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you're kind of fumbling in the dark.  How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn. Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn. Presented by LinkedIn.

Have you ever struggled with a problem or decision where the solution seemed impossible to see, yet obvious once someone pointed it out? You start kicking yourself for not seeing something that now appears so simple and clear. You're not alone. Nearly everyone has moments where we get stuck, limit our solutions and can't "read the label from inside the jar." How do we gain clarity on our own situations and start making better decisions? In today's episode, Charlie and I discuss the unconscious patterns, assumptions and emotions that keep us from seeing our own situations clearly. We explore simple but powerful techniques for questioning our default perspectives, inverting problems to gain fresh insights and seeking input from others who can serve as mirrors to reflect our blind spots back to us. You'll walk away with practical tips and prompts you can use immediately to "get unstuck" and spot options you've been missing right under their noses. Charlie explains how questioning old paradigms, reevaluating stakes and shifting mindsets can reveal potential opportunities we have been oblivious to due to being "stuck inside the jar."  In today's episode we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing. YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you're kind of fumbling in the dark.  How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn. Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn. Presented by LinkedIn.

There's this myth in the world of business that, if you're tough enough, practiced enough, and motivated enough, you can push hard, 24-7, for months, quarters, years even and endure all manner of obstacles, stressors, adversity, circumstances and cycles without the need to ease off, step back, recover and refuel along the way. That capacity, we're told, is somewhere between the expectation and the aspiration. It's where the magic happens, the big triumphs, the legendary careers. Except, it's not. It's a total fantasy. We, as humans, don't work like that. There is literally no domain in work and life that requires high-level performance that works like that either. And, when we hold ourselves to the impossible standard of constant, elite-level performance, especially on the back of 3 years of brutalizing upheaval, isolation, overwork, overwhelm, and burnout, it's a recipe for personal and professional disaster. And, as leaders, it's also a recipe for wildly-dysfunctional workplace culture, unrealistic expectations, exploitation and disintegration. So as we emerge from 3 years of turmoil and seemingly head straight into yet another season of uncertainty, how do we acknowledge the human experience in the middle of it? How we lead during these times will be mission critical in not just meeting our goals, but also preserving our humanity.  That's where we're heading in today's Sparked Hot Take with Brainstrust member, strategic advisor, executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing, Charlie Gilkey.  Charlie and I examine the reality that we're now in, where we're being tasked to show up, often in extreme circumstances with great limitation of resources, and perform as if everything is fabulous, we're all well-rested, chilled-out, mentally and physically on-point and ready to roll persistently at the highest levels.  Charlie draws some powerful parallels between his experience as a leader in the military, building his own organization, coaching senior leaders in companies of all sizes, and other domains where elite, high-stakes performance is demanded in environments defined by high-stress and endless uncertainty. And we explore a set of powerful insights and reframes to help leaders and team members not just survive this moment, but thrive in it. So, if you're ready to learn how to manage stress, lead with compassion, and boost innovation, join us for this insightful episode. And remember, it's time to prioritize recovery time for both individual well-being and overall societal health. In today's episode we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing. YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you're kind of fumbling in the dark.  How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn. Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn. Presented by LinkedIn.

How many times have you lamented the seemingly-endless meetings – that probably could have been an email? We get it. But the reality, says Charlie Gilkey, author, and founder of Productive Flourishing, is that meetings get a bad rap. Because, done right, they can be powerful. Transformative, even.  In this episode of Hardly Working, Gilkey shares simple, actionable strategies for taking meetings from “Why do I need to be here?” to dynamic conversations that promote performance, belonging, and retention. AKA all the things you need to succeed in the modern workplace. 

In this episode of the Transition, I'm joined by Army Veteran and Executive Coach Charlie Gilkey, Founder of Productive Flourishing, which helps creators, business owners, and leaders thrive, through award-winning tools and services. Additionally, Charlies is also the author of “The Small Business Lifecycle: A Guide for Taking the Right Steps at the Right Time” and “Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done.” On the show, Charlie opens up about the reality of building a sustainable business for the long haul, including navigating the ebbs and flows, avoiding shiny object syndrome, and making sure you take care of yourself along the way. This is a powerful conversation to remind you what lies ahead, especially for those of you early in your journey.Be sure to subscribe to the Transition Newsletter on Substack here: https://bit.ly/37Bb8NeOrder my book, “Black Veteran Entrepreneur” here: https://amzn.to/3gme7kgApply for The Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship Workshop Series here: https://bunkerlabs.org/breaking-barriers/

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here. You've spent years becoming really good at what you do. Expert level. And, you've reached the end of your ability to serve clients on an individual basis. It's time to scale. But, how do you scale a business and find ways to duplicate yourself when offering highly-skilled, one to one services? Especially, without degrading the quality of the service you envision? Is that even possible? If so, what would it take? And, how do Sparketypes play into these questions? In today's episode we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing. LISTENER:  Ryan - Sparketype: (Primary) Maker, (Secondary) Scientist, (Anti) Essentialist QUESTION: Today's listener Ryan, spent 15 years as a CEO of three companies, one of which he scaled into a market leader with 11-million users across 45 states. He has raised funding, built huge teams and acquired nearly a dozen companies across this time. He has taken this knowledge and founded a company providing executive coaching for entrepreneurs and is consistently booked out with happy clients. Now, he wants to scale, but is conscious of his one on one capacity and is now asking, how can you ensure that you can successfully scale without losing the special sauce that currently helps his clients? YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you're kind of fumbling in the dark.  How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn. Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn. Presented by LinkedIn.

This episode was originally recorded for the Productive Flourishing Podcast, and features a conversation between Jennifer and  Productive Flourishing host Charlie Gilkey.  Jennifer shares her thoughts about the journey of inclusive leadership, including the need for insiders to push other insiders to lead differently. Discover why leaders need to be patient, humble and tranparent about their experiences.

A cross between an entrepreneur, Army officer, and philosopher, today's guest Charlie Gilkey is the founder of Productive Flourishing, a website that helps changemakers (creatives, leaders, and entrepreneurs) start finishing the stuff that matters.   In this episode, Charlie openly shares some hard truths and what you need to do to play in the rigged system, how to take control, and live your life on your terms.

Author, podcaster and entrepreneur, Charlie Gilkey, joins the podcast to shed light on what it really means to make the most out of your time and hone in on what you should focus your attention on. Charlie is founder of Productive Flourishing, a website that helps creatives, leaders, and entrepreneurs start finishing the stuff that matters. He's written several books, including an award-winning book, “Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done,” and has been featured in Time, the Washington Post, the New York Times and more. We talk about the four different blocks of time, the reality and advantages of not doing “it all,” how to manage time as a neurodivergent identifying person, getting back control over our priorities and rebelling against rigid schedules.  In this episode, we discuss: Why attention is actually more valuable than time The difference between freedom from and freedom to How to implement the rule “No more than five active projects per time perspective.” Acceptable loss, honoring your priorities, headtrash + centering yourself  Avoiding the slippery slope of putting too much time, energy and attention on the economic and career projects in our lives + more Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode: Check out my new personal website here. Join The Weekly Newsletter List Leave me a voicemail– Leave me a question on the Journey To Launch voicemail and have it answered on the podcast! Watch me on News12  Watch my latest segments on News12 YNAB –  Start managing your money and budgeting so that you can reach your financial dreams. Sign up for a free 34 days trial of YNAB, my go-to budgeting app by using my referral link. What stage of the financial journey are you on? Are you working on financial stability or work flexibility? Find out with this free assessment and get a curated list of the 10 next best episodes for you to listen to depending on your stage. Check it out here! Connect with Charlie: Website Twitter:@CharlieGilkey  Connect with me: Instagram: @Journeytolaunch Twitter: @JourneyToLaunch Facebook: @Journey To Launch Join the Private Facebook Group Join the Waitlist for My FI Course Get The Free Jumpstart Guide

I'm really excited today. I'm here with my friend, Charlie Gilkey. He is really in the top 10 of my favorite people in the world. He is the owner of Productive Flourishing and he is an author. He's got books called The Small Business Lifecycle and Start Finishing. Charlie and I have decided he is gracing me with his presence very generously to bring you some bold truths that I think are very much needed. Together we're talking about… How high performance and high achievement are different (and why it matters for business owners) Taking responsibility only for what you're responsible for Interruptions vs distractions, and why experts need to stop participating in the stories that do not serve their goals Get your Revenue Goal Calculator - https://theboldleadershiprevolution.com/revenue-goal-calculator Join the waitlist for The Bold Profit Academy - https://theboldleadershiprevolution.com/the-bold-profit-academy

What is a goal really? What purpose does a goal really serve? And is that purpose truly benefiting us, the goal-setters?These are big, messy questions. But they are far from abstract. Our answers to these questions—whether we know it or not—shape the way we work and live on a daily basis. This intermediary space—the space between philosophical questions and practical implications—is a place I happily hang out in all day long. Luckily, I know someone who likes hanging out in that place as much as I do!His name is Charlie Gilkey. He's a friend of the pod—as well as the co-founder of Productive Flourishing and author of Start Finishing. He's also the host of the Productive Flourishing podcast.Today's episode is a rebroadcast from the Productive Flourishing feed. Charlie and I talk about why in the world I wrote a productivity book, how the cultural code we operate in impacts the way we plan and set goals, how that code disproportionately harms some more than others, and much, much more.Footnotes: What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal-Setting by Tara McMullin More about Charlie Gilkey Start Finishing by Charlie Gilkey Listen to Productive Flourishing Broken (in the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny by Kate Manne Written versions of each episode drop on Thursdays at explorewhatworks.com. Get them deliverable to your inbox by subscribing at explorewhatworks.com/weekly.Introducing Recovering Overachiever ClubRecovering Overachiever Club is a 3-week deep dive into why we strive and what we can do differently in the new year. Join us November 29-December 20 for exclusive essays, podcast episodes, and conversation—oh, and earn a few merit badges, too. Learn more! ★ Support this podcast ★

Jonathan & Charlie discuss: Work ways vs team habits How the pandemic, #MeToo and Black Lives Matter came together to show us that the social order is not working - the system is broken, so what are we going to do about it? The difference between understanding something in theory vs in practice How do you express the language of belonging and inclusion in remote teams vs co-located teams And a powerful question to ask to build belonging in your teams This week we're bringing you another SPARKED Hot Takes segment, where we tackle hot topics in conversation with expert guides from the SPARKED Braintrust. And, today, we're hearing from Charlie Gilkey. Charlie is a strategic advisor, executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing and the creator of the Momentum app. Today we take a deep dive into team habits and look at how the past few years of global disruption and rapid change have forced us to re-examine what it means to belong and feel supported in our workplaces and what habits and rituals might support this. Charlie gives us some interesting insight on how we took for granted the social fabric that just existed in workplaces before we went remote and we ask how do you express the language of belonging and inclusion in remote teams vs co-located teams? And, he offers a powerful question to ask your employees & colleagues to build belonging in your teams. Enjoy this Sparked Hot Take on work ways, team habits and the importance of cultivating belonging and inclusion in all work spaces. Learn more about Charlie Gilkey: Website More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website Presented by LinkedIn.

Do we really all have the same 24 hours as Beyoncé? That's our tongue-in-cheek title, pulled from Tara McMullin's new book, What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal Setting, for a recent Spotify Live conversation. In this replay, Charlie Gilkey, Tara McMullin, and I explore the nuances of calculating time, money, and energy capacity so that we don't tip into boredom or burnout. We share strategies for saying no, and discuss the costs of saying yes when we shouldn't. One caveat: pardon our less-than-perfect audio quality! Because we're calling in via mobile, this one is a little rougher around the edges than typical episodes. If you haven't already, be sure to check out my previous conversations with Tara and Charlie in episodes 091: Quarterly Planning and 141: Process, Permission Slips, and Business Pivots. Your Cohosts: Tara McMullin, host of the What Works podcast and author of What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal Setting Charlie Gilkey, host of the Productive Flourishing podcast and author of Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done Jenny Blake, host of the Free Time podcast and author of Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business and **Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One.

Do we really all have the same 24 hours as Beyoncé? Join us for a Spotify Live conversation on Thursday, October 20 at 1pm ET as we explore time, money, and energy capacity. Register here to join us » Your hosts: Tara McMullin, host of the What Works podcast and author of What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal Setting Charlie Gilkey, host of the Productive Flourishing podcast and author of Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done, and Jenny Blake, host of the Free Time podcast and author of Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business. Download the Spotify Live app at spotify.com/live for iOS or Android — and sign up for notifications on our profiles to be reminded to join when it's time. We look forward to seeing you there! — ❤️ Tara, Charlie, and Jenny Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan & Charlie discuss: 1. Stop conflating stability and freedom 2. How career gaps can be perceived 3. How to find freedom when some industries are slow moving 4. How many times can you start over? In today's episode we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing. LISTENER:  Alyse - Sparketype: (Primary) Scientist, (Secondary) Sage, (Anti) Maker QUESTION: Today's listener Alyse shares a story and question that will resonate with so many. Returning to corporate work after maternity leave, she no longer feels energized by her previous role. And, by the way, this experience is so universal for so many who are finding themselves returning to work in different ways, after being changed by these last few years. Having discovered her Scientist Sparketype, she now understands her yearning to push into the next unknown, explore new burning questions and solve different problems. And she's starting to realize why she dreads feeling bored at work and is, in her words, perpetually impatient for what might come next.  Alyse wants to move on from repetitive work and find something more self-directed and mission oriented, like criminal justice reform. But is worried about her resume, which is becoming a list of short stints at very different places. She's feeling the “should” of settling down for several years and building tenure in a secure and well paid job, while also feeling that if you're going to spend days away from your young family, ideally you'd want to spend that time doing something valuable and interesting.  Which sets up the query, how do you balance your need for novelty and full-expression with a value around security? And how many times can you start over, or is that just the nature of modern careers these days. YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you're kind of fumbling in the dark.  How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Workshop | The Website Presented by LinkedIn.

Kristina Brummer and Heather Johnston are back with the second episode in the Grow Your Heart Centered Business Series. This episode Heather introduces the Five Projects Rule, a concept discussed by Charlie Gilkey, the founder of Productive Flourishing, in his book Start Finishing. This concept or rule was discovered on Jenny Blake's podcast Free Time.This episode came on the heels of our first episode. We started talking about time management and taking on too many projects.  We hit record once we realized that it was a perfect conversation for all of the heart-centered leaders and entrepreneurs. The Five Projects Rule is a great framework for better management of our project and helps to create an understanding of what we need to own versus what we can pass on to team members, or with home projects, our partners and family members..Bios:Heather JohnstonIn the summer of 2019, Heather took a leap, without a safety net. She was burnt out and left her job of over a decade to take a chance on herself. It was scary, and at 45 she had spent the last decade building her career in technology support and project management. But she was called to create her own coaching business, The Creative Pivot, and has been on a mission to help midlife women see the possibility of what they could build in their own lives and businesses by choosing to take a chance on themselves. Treating your life as a work of art just waiting for your creative mind to bring it to life.Kristina BrummerKristina is a heart-centered entrepreneur building a small business, she is the Founder & CEO of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs. Kristina started her agency after a successful corporate career. In the creative pivot fashion, she changed the trajectory of her life. Founder of The Spectacular Middle, a full-service virtual support agency for entrepreneurs.All the links:More information on coaching with Heather at thecreativepivot.comMore information on virtual support services with Kristina at thespectacularmiddle.comJoin our mailing list to receive information on new podcast episodes as well as learn more about our business strategy sessions to grow your business. ------------------------------------------------------Interested in learning more about creating a new career or business at this stage in your life? visit TheCreativePivot.com and schedule a free appointment to learn more about how you can learn to get out of your own way and make big, positive, changes in your life.  

From the archive: This episode was originally recorded and published in 2019. Our interviews on Entrepreneurs On Fire are meant to be evergreen, and we do our best to confirm that all offers and URL's in these archive episodes are still relevant. Charlie Gilkey helps people start finishing what matters most. He's the founder of Productive Flourishing and the author of two books, the latest being Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done. Top 3 Value Bombs: 1. Remember that failure is not a character trait. Own your success more than you own your failure. 2. There are things that you don't like to do. Don't create too much of a story around it; just get it done. 3. The more people start finishing the stuff that matters, the more they find their success. But more importantly than that, the more they find their happiness and they set themselves up to thrive. Reserve a copy of Charlie's book, Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done! - Start Finishing Sponsors: HubSpot: A platform that's easy for your entire team to use! Learn how HubSpot can make it easier for your business to grow better at Hubspot.com! ProsperSpark: Anything and everything you can imagine in Excel, ProsperSpark can create and deliver it for you! Book a free project call today at ProsperSpark.com/fire! Mention Entrepreneurs On Fire to receive a 10% discount up to $1,000 on your project or service agreement!

From the archive: This episode was originally recorded and published in 2019. Our interviews on Entrepreneurs On Fire are meant to be evergreen, and we do our best to confirm that all offers and URL's in these archive episodes are still relevant. Charlie Gilkey helps people start finishing what matters most. He's the founder of Productive Flourishing and the author of two books, the latest being Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done. Top 3 Value Bombs: 1. Remember that failure is not a character trait. Own your success more than you own your failure. 2. There are things that you don't like to do. Don't create too much of a story around it; just get it done. 3. The more people start finishing the stuff that matters, the more they find their success. But more importantly than that, the more they find their happiness and they set themselves up to thrive. Reserve a copy of Charlie's book, Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done! - Start Finishing Sponsors: HubSpot: A platform that's easy for your entire team to use! Learn how HubSpot can make it easier for your business to grow better at Hubspot.com! ProsperSpark: Anything and everything you can imagine in Excel, ProsperSpark can create and deliver it for you! Book a free project call today at ProsperSpark.com/fire! Mention Entrepreneurs On Fire to receive a 10% discount up to $1,000 on your project or service agreement!

We're super-excited to be introducing some fresh new formats to the mix here on the SPARKED podcast. Our new Hot Takes segments, which we just launched last week, tackle hot topics in conversation with expert guides from the SPARKED Braintrust. And, today, we're sharing a fun new episode format we're calling SPARKED Stories, where we spotlight the experience of one person and explore how they've built a living and life that honors, celebrates, and centers the parts of themselves that truly make them and their work come alive. That sparks what they do, and who they are. And today, we're going to start with a spotlight on the story of someone our listeners have come to know and appreciate, but you likely didn't know about the stories and experiences that got him where he is. I'm talking about SPARKED Braintrust member, Charlie Gilkey. Now you may know Charlie's work. He runs a company called Productive Flourishing, which is all about helping people get things out of their head and figuring out how to actually take the actions to produce the things that they so deeply want to make real in the world as a maker myself. His work has resonated so profoundly with me, which is why he's a part of the SPARKED Braintrust. But, Charlie also has a really powerful background. He came out of the military where the decisions that he was making, the systems and processes that he was building, the advising and mentoring and coaching, and leading that he was doing very often had extraordinary stakes. Life and death stakes. If he chose wrong, lives were at risk in a part of the world that was very far from where he grew up. He's since written a fantastic book called Start Finishing, which is all about his methodology.  As we sat down to dive into Charlie's Sparked Story, I wanted to understand what were his deep impulses for the things that he's done and what have been the through lines. And, of course, along the way, he shares his Sparketype profile and we dive into how that has informed the different types of work he's said yes and no to, the way that he has stepped in to them, and what he's learned along the way about how he makes decisions that better aligned with that.     SPARKED STORY GUEST: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing. YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you're kind of fumbling in the dark.  How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Workshop | The Website Presented by LinkedIn.

Every week on the SPARKED podcast, we invite a listener to share what's going on in their work & life, then pose a specific question to Jonathan Fields and a rotating lineup of wise and kind mentors - the SPARKED Braintrust.  In today's episode we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing. LISTENER:  Hilde - Sparketype: Advisor/Sage, Anti: Maker & Essentialist QUESTION: Listener, Hilde, asks an interesting question that we know a lot of multi-passionate folks ask themselves, do you have to choose one area to focus on or specialize in? Hilde shares her experience of taking the leap into coaching and entrepreneurship and it not going as smoothly as she'd hoped. Now back in the corporate space and bolstered by the leadership feedback loop, she's plotting her next move. Hilde poses the query, if you're marketing yourself as a coach or mentor, do you need to have a niche or a special area of interest? Or can you embrace the multi-passionate approach. YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you're kind of fumbling in the dark.  How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Workshop | The Website Presented by LinkedIn.

Every week on the SPARKED podcast, we invite a listener to share what's going on in their work & life, then pose a specific question to Jonathan Fields and a rotating lineup of wise and kind mentors - the SPARKED Braintrust.  In today's episode we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing. LISTENER:  Jade - Sparketype: Warrior/Essentialist, Anti: Scientist QUESTION: Listener Kerry, shares her experience that many folks find themselves in, when their lifelong career no longer serves their life circumstance, in this case, raising a young family. Kerry shares her passion for writing, leading and problem solving and asks, how do you repurpose your skills when your availability for work changes? And how do you prioritize your own goals whilst juggling the demands of parenting, homeschooling and supporting your partner's business? YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you're kind of fumbling in the dark.  How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Workshop | The Website Presented by LinkedIn.

Charlie Gilkey, author and owner of top productivity website Productive Flourishing, joins the podcast this week to share how to use philosophy to do our best work. We cover the importance of nuance, the power of choice, and even some on-air coaching from Charlie for my next big project. Listen in to learn more! Please go HERE for this episode's show notes. Tweet me your biggest takeaways from the episode at @KariGormley -- I'd love to hear from you! This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and solely as a self-help tool for your own use. I am not providing medical, psychological, or nutrition therapy advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your own medical practitioner. Always seek the advice of your own medical practitioner and/or mental health provider about your specific health situation. For my full Disclaimer, please go to www.karigormley.com/disclaimer.

Every week on the SPARKED podcast, we invite a listener to share what's going on in their work & life, then pose a specific question to Jonathan Fields and a rotating lineup of wise and kind mentors -  the SPARKED Braintrust.  In today's episode we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing. LISTENER:  Jade - Sparketype: Maker/Maven QUESTION: Listener Jade poses a question that I'm sure a lot of our Makers and creators have also wondered, what can you do to see more ideas through to completion. Jade shares her experience of feeling tied down in the ‘busy-work' of her daily job while being called to diversify her income and embrace a ‘side hustle'.  So the essence of the question is how do you make the most of the small amount of time you have in the ‘in-between' moments and how do you follow through more often to generate the outcomes and feelings that you really want to have. And underneath that is the question, do we need to in the first place do any of this or is there magic in the mess of the maker and not centering some of these impulses as the fundamental way we earn our living. YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you're kind of fumbling in the dark.  How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Workshop | The Website Presented by LinkedIn.

Are you a smiler? Smiling turns out to be really good for you in a lot of ways. This episode begins with an explanation of some of the surprising benefits of smiling more often. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2011/03/22/the-untapped-power-of-smiling/#23fc80fc7a67 Why do we pay attention to some people but not others? What makes those people seem more credible? According to researcher Stephen Martin there are 8 subtle characteristics that make some people more credible and believable than others. Interestingly it has nothing to do with the message they are delivering. Listen as Stephen and I discuss this. Stephen Martin is a visiting professor of behavioral science at Columbia University and author of the book Messengers: Who We Listen To. Who We Don't. And Why. (https://amzn.to/2MDAtej)  Are you clear on what your priorities are? Do you have things you say you want to do – or things you start doing but somehow those things never get finished? If you would like to get a clearer picture on what your priorities really are and how to actually get them done, listen to my guest Charlie Gilkey. He is the founder of Productive Flourishing, (https://www.productiveflourishing.com), a website that helps people tackle and finish the things that matter – and he is author of the book Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done (https://amzn.to/33t5dp6). Charlie has some proven ways to help you get to those projects – or let them go. Admit it, you've taken a drink straight from the milk carton - right? And when you get caught people probably told you that it was really gross. But how gross is it? Listen as I explore the science of drinking from the carton and what that does for the next person who drinks from that carton and also what it does to the milk. https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/we-debunked-the-5-second-rule-double-dipping-and-other-food-myths PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://Shopify.com/sysk for a FREE fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify's entire suite of features! Truebill is the smartest way to manage your finances. The average person saves $720 per year with Truebill. Get started today at https://Truebill.com/SYSK! If you drive a car or truck, you need GetUpside, https://app.getupside.com/for-people/gas the FREE gas app that pays you cash back for every gallon of gas you buy! If you're the type of person who's always thinking about new business ideas or wondering “What's the next side hustle I should spin up?” — check out the podcast My First Million! Today is made for Thrill! Style, Power, Discovery, Adventure, however you do thrill, Nissan has a vehicle to make it happen at https://nissanusa.com Listen to Curiosity Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Discover matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year! Learn more at https://discover.com/match Get all of the supplies & tools you need to get your job done! Visit https://ferguson.com With Avast One, https://avast.com you can confidently take control of your online world without worrying about viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, & other cybercrimes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“I'm always stumping quarterly planning for business owners. It's the Goldilocks horizon for strategy execution, project scoping, and team alignment.” Today I'm talking with Charlie Gilkey about why the quarter is an ideal time unit for strategic planning, how to apply his stepwise Momentum process to mapping projects and goals, and striking the balance between visioning and planning. Charlie also had an interesting response on why tracking metrics matters . . . and it's not what you might think. More About Charlie: Charlie Gilkey helps people start finishing the stuff that matters. He's the founder of Productive Flourishing, author of the book Start Finishing (2019) and The Small Business Lifecycle (2012), founder of the new Momentum app, and host of the Productive Flourishing podcast. Before starting Productive Flourishing, Charlie worked as a Joint Force Military Logistics Coordinator while simultaneously pursuing a Ph.D. in Philosophy. He lives with his wife, Angela, in Portland, Oregon.

Before we dive into today's episode, turns out the ebook version of my book SPARKED, which helps you discover what kind of work makes you come alive is on sale for only a $1.99, and only through this Thursday 5/13 at major booksellers everywhere. Amazon, Barnes and Noble apple books and beyond. So go grab your digital copy of spark for an 87% discount. Only a $1.99 at your favorite online bookseller now. Every week on the SPARKED podcast, we invite a listener to share what's going on in their work & life, then pose a specific question to Jonathan Fields and a rotating lineup of wise and kind mentors - the SPARKED Braintrust.  In today's episode we're in conversation with: SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | Website Charlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing. LISTENER:  Kayla - Sparketype: Maven/Advisor, Anti: Advocate QUESTION: Listener Kayla, shares an experience that is common across a lot of industries right now and wants to know, especially as a leader, how to combat the deep fatigue and burnout that so many are experiencing and reignite the passion for work and for team collaboration, when everyone is so exhausted?  YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED. So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you're kind of fumbling in the dark.  How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Workshop | The Website Presented by LinkedIn.

When you are not clear on what truly matters most to you, how you decide to use your precious time can leave you feeling overwhelmed and lost. And even your sense of time and what you can get done gets skewed by the tyranny of the urgent. Or comparison to how others are doing life and work. Striving and grinding is still the norm in so many spaces. The message is still suck it up, chin up, get it done. And falling or failing is on you and you alone.This mindset is deeply problematic as many are pushing back on these approaches to how we use our time and the expectations around how we do work recognizing how culture and many of the systems we work in contribute to burdening our sense of time. Boundaries around your time mean disappointing people. So if you are focused on over-delivering and making everyone happy, things can get messy, fast.  If what matters most means meeting metrics that are set by others, burnout and disillusionment are inevitable.These dangerous messages have us chasing something we think will give us relief when in fact, we only feel worse when we put this kind of pressure on ourselves My guest today has an approach and a philosophy to time and getting things done that has transformed my relationship with work, time, and my calendar.Charlie Gilkey helps people start finishing the stuff that matters. He's the founder of Productive Flourishing, author of the book Start Finishing (2019) and The Small Business Lifecycle (2012), and host of the Productive Flourishing podcast. Before starting Productive Flourishing, Charlie worked as a Joint Force Military Logistics Coordinator while simultaneously pursuing a PhD in Philosophy. He lives with his wife, Angela, in Portland, Oregon.Listen to the full episode to hear:Why our problems are with expectations, not time managementHow we need to shift our relationship to productivity to prioritize values, self-awareness, and compassionHow we end up with so much of what Charlie calls project debt, and how to dig ourselves out of itWhy we need to stop reinforcing the narrative of the busy partyWhy leaders need to stop playing the hero or the martyr to their teamsLearn more about Charlie Gilkey:Productive FlourishingTwitter: @CharlieGilkeyInstagram: @productiveflourishingFacebook: @ProductiveFlourishingConnect with Charlie on LinkedInStart Finishing: How to Go from Idea to DoneThe Small Business Life CycleLearn more about Rebecca:rebeccaching.comWork With RebeccaSign up for the weekly Unburdened Leader EmailResources:White Supremacy Culture, Tema OkunZone to Win: Organizing to Compete in an Age of Disruption, Geoffrey A. MooreThe Ten Equations That Rule the World: And How You Can Use Them Too, David SumpterNahko And Medicine For The People - “Skin In The Game”Star Trek: DiscoveryIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Every week on the SPARKED podcast, we invite a listener to share what's going on in their work & life, then pose a specific question to Jonathan Fields and a rotating lineup of wise and kind mentors - the SPARKED Braintrust. In today's episode we're in conversation with:SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Charlie Gilkey | WebsiteCharlie is a strategic advisor and executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing.LISTENER: Amy - Sparketype: Advisor/SageQUESTION: How can I focus to make choices in the space of paradox of choice? But, as we'll also learn, there's a whole lot more going on underneath that question, especially for Amy who is in the midst of a career reinvention, as are so many now.YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields. Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He's also the creator of an unusual tool that's helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships - begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you're kind of fumbling in the dark. How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissionsMore on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Workshop | The WebsitePresented by LinkedIn. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.