Podcast appearances and mentions of Susan Scott

Is there a science-based app that can address stress in real-time and improve communication in the workplace? Tune in for an inspiring discussion with Edward Beltran on the hot APP Pulse by Fierce and his new book Fierce Resilience: Combatting Workplace Stress One Conversation at a Time.Moments with Marianne airs in the Southern California area on KMET1490AM & 98.1 FM, an ABC Talk News Radio affiliate! Edward Beltran is the CEO of Fierce Inc., a pioneering company in communication and leadership training, and a contributor to Forbes and Fast Company. Known for his innovative approach to employee well-being, Beltran is the architect behind Pulse by Fierce, a groundbreaking app that leverages biometric data to help employees and leaders identify and address workplace stress. This tool, often described as the “Fitbit of Business Performance,” is designed to combat the $300 billion lost annually due to stress-related issues. Under Beltran's leadership, Fierce Inc. has embraced dynamic and modern training methods, including 3D training and Metaverse initiatives, while building on the 20-year foundation established by Susan Scott's iconic book Fierce Conversations. Beltran's forward-thinking vision reflects his belief that leadership training must evolve beyond traditional in-person methods to offer diverse, adaptable solutions for today's challenges.  https://fierceinc.comFor more show information visit: www.MariannePestana.com

Every Tuesday, we grab a past question from the Facebook group, then Meredith and Scott answer it and read some of the answers given by other listeners. The question for this episode: What's the most difficult thing you've ever had to tell someone? Links for this episode:   Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Conversations-Achieving-Success-Conversation/dp/0425193373 Meredith's podcast is Meredith For Real – the Curious Introvert: https://MeredithForReal.com To check out the new Tuesday Question and get in the discussion, join us at WhatWasThatLike.com/facebook. Sponsor deals: Head to http://Lumen.me/WWTL for 20% off your purchase. Go to bluenile.com to shop Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999! Follow “MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories” on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/WHATWAS and get on your way to being your best self. To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/WHATWAS Sign up today at https://www.butcherbox.com/whatwas and use code whatwas to get chicken breast, salmon or ground beef FREE in every order for a year, plus $20 off your first order. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/WHAT Go to Quince.com/whatwas for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Go to cookunity.com/What or enter code What before checkout for 50% off your first week. Go to Seed.com/what and use code 25WHAT to get 25% off your first month. Go to storyworth.com/what to save $10 on your first purchase! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code [WHATWAS] at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/whatwas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could AI hiring create more barriers for people with disabilities instead of levelling the playing field? In this episode, Susan Scott-Parker, founder of business disability international, says standardised and inflexible AI hiring systems risk shutting many people with disabilities out of the workforce. She makes the case for more inclusive HR technologies that are designed for the full range of human experience. Tune in to learn more about: The unsettling truth about how AI hiring tools are screening out candidates with disabilities - and how to make them fairerHow HR leaders can challenge biases in AI hiring tools and demand more from the technology they invest inWhy Susan coined the term “disability confidence” and why it's not just about “being nice” to disabled peopleMissed last week's episode? REPLAY: Cliff Weitzman on building the 'voice of the internet'---About Susan Scott-Parker Susan Scott-Parker OBE is a creative thought leader internationally recognised for her work on how to mobilise business leadership behind disability equality. She founded the world's first business disability network, now the Business Disability Forum (UK). In 2016, she established business disability international and advises a growing global community on how to work productively with businesses as valued allies.Follow Susan Scott-Parker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanscottparker1/Learn more about business disability international: https://www.businessdisabilityinternational.org/Learn more about Project Nemo: https://projectnemo.co.uk/Follow Amit Ghose: https://www.tiktok.com/@amitghosenf1---Connect with Made for UsShow notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/ Newsletter: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/madeforuspodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeforuspodcast/

Dr. T and Truth Fairy welcome guest Gil Bar-Sela to the podcast to talk about his work as a psychedelic guide, facilitator, and trainer working with individuals, couples, and groups. Gil weaves modalities like generative somatics, compassionate listening, and archetypal work into the more ancient medicine ceremonies. Gil shares his personal journey with Dr. T and Truth Fairy and engages in thoughtful discussions about psychedelics and healing. Gil shares that when he moved to the United States after being raised in Tel Aviv, Israel, he had his first opportunity to deal with the trauma lodged in his body. That led him to ask questions about conflict, the root causes of conflict, trauma, and intergenerational trauma which put him on track to explore all those issues. He also began his own personal healing process around his queer identity. This experience and questioning led him to the studies and practices he engages in today.  Truth Fairy, Gil, and Dr. T talk about how self-awareness is what first leads to healing work. Having a sense of what we need can lead us to the right kind of work to be doing. Gil talks about the building blocks necessary to become a good guide which include ethics, pharmacology, and onboarding clients in a responsible way. The conversation highlights Gil's own strong sense of guidance and understanding of the different types of medicine available for healing individuals which also includes psychedelics.“You have the psychiatrist, you have the psychotherapist moving into the space that are very rooted in the Western psyche, but are also lacking usually in terms of connection to spirit, to more expansive practices, to ancient wisdom. And so I think, in particular, the role of the underground guide can be to merge the two worlds. Because we're not here and we're not there. We can be bridge builders. The training that I lead is very much focused on that.” - Gil Bar-Sela__About Gil Bar-Sela:Gil has trained teams and businesses to invoke a thriving work culture. He has inspired audiences of thousands by speaking at colleges across the country on topics such as the power of listening and gender equality. He has collaborated with the leadership team of Seattle's Restorative Justice Initiative, creating community-based, non-punitive solutions to conflict. He co-leads annual delegations to Palestine and Israel with The Compassionate Listening Project, an organization dedicated to empowering individuals and communities to transform conflict and strengthen cultures of peace. He also coaches privately, and leads workshops and retreats globally.Gil is a Certified Trainer with the Heart Math Institute and a Certified Facilitator with The Compassionate Listening Project. He has also trained at Susan Scott's Fierce Conversations, Dominic Barter's Restorative Circles, Core Energetics, META (Mindful Experiential Therapy Approaches), Cortiva's 1,000-hour massage therapy program, and shamanism.Website: GilBarSela.com__Contact Punk Therapy:Patreon: Patreon.com/PunkTherapyWebsite: PunkTherapy.comEmail: info@punktherapy.com

An end-of-year panel joins host Dawn Hemingway reflecting on the challenges and successes experienced by older adults in 2024 along with hopes/plans for 2025. Panelists include: Malhar Kendurkar, Executive Director of the Prince George Council of Seniors (PGCOS) – contact: 250-564-5888 or info@pgcos.ca;  Janet Marren, President, Board of Directors, PGCOS – contact: jcmarren@telus.net; and Susan Scott, City Councillor and Secretary of the PGCOS Community Advisory Committee – contact: Susan.Scott@princegeorge.ca. .

Chapter 1:Summary of Fierce Conversations"Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time" by Susan Scott is a guide that emphasizes the importance of meaningful and honest communication in both personal and professional contexts. The book outlines a framework for having "fierce" conversations, which are characterized by transparency, directness, and authenticity.Key points from the book include:1. The Importance of Conversations: Scott argues that conversations are the fundamental building blocks of relationships and that effective communication can lead to deeper understanding, stronger connections, and better decision-making.2. Facing Issues Head-On: The book encourages readers to tackle difficult subjects directly rather than avoiding them. Scott believes that avoiding tough conversations leads to misunderstandings and unresolved issues.3. Seven Principles: Scott introduces seven essential principles to guide fierce conversations:- Master the Courage to Lead: Lead by example and be courageous enough to address uncomfortable topics.- Clarify What's Important: Identify the core issue and clarify what truly matters in the conversation.- Be Honest: Honesty fosters trust and respect in dialogue.- Stay Engaged: Focus on staying present during the conversation, actively listening, and engaging with the other person's perspective.- Assume Positive Intent: Approach conversations with the belief that the other party has good intentions.- Speak Your Truth: Share your perspective authentically while respecting the other person's views.- Be Prepared for Resolutions: Enter conversations with a mindset open to problem-solving and finding mutual solutions.4. Framework for Conversations: The book provides a structured approach to conducting fierce conversations, including preparation, execution, and follow-up. Scott emphasizes the importance of listening as much as speaking and being open to feedback.5. Real-Life Applications: Through various examples and case studies, Scott illustrates how fierce conversations can lead to improved relationships and better outcomes in both personal and professional settings.Overall, "Fierce Conversations" serves as a valuable resource for anyone looking to enhance their communication skills, build stronger relationships, and create a more open and effective dialogue in their lives.Chapter 2:The Theme of Fierce Conversations"Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time" by Susan Scott is a compelling exploration of how meaningful dialogue can lead to deeper relationships and greater success in both personal and professional arenas. Here are some key plot points, character development nuances, and thematic ideas from the book: Key Plot Points1. The Concept of Fierce Conversations: The book defines what a "fierce conversation" is—essentially, a conversation where participants are fully present and engaged, addressing important issues directly and candidly.2. The Importance of Authenticity: Scott emphasizes the need for authenticity in conversations, urging readers to speak their truth and encourage others to do the same. This authenticity fosters trust and understanding.3. The 7 Principles of Fierce Conversations: Scott outlines specific principles that guide fierce conversations, such as:- Mastering the courage to interrogate reality- Feeling the feelings, but not letting the feelings control the conversation- Clarifying what is important, and focusing on the issue at hand4. Overcoming Conversation Barriers: The author discusses common barriers to effective communication, including fear, avoidance, and assumptions. She provides strategies for overcoming these barriers.5. Real-World Applications: The...

In this episode of the Just Schools Podcast, Jon Eckert interviews Rachel Johnson, the CEO of PiXL in the UK. They discuss PiXL's mission to improve student outcomes by supporting leaders in schools and highlight key challenges faced by school leaders today. Johnson shares insights into overcoming people-pleasing tendencies, setting boundaries, and creating ownership. The conversation covers practical tools for healthy communication and empowering leaders to think deeply and make transformative changes in their schools. The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Each week, we'll talk to catalytic educators who are doing amazing work. Be encouraged. Join us for Just Leadership on February 3rd at Baylor University, a one-day professional learning event for school administrators – from instructional coaches to superintendents – that focuses on catalyzing change as a leadership team. Register Now! Connect with us: Baylor MA in School Leadership EdD in K-12 Educational Leadership Jon Eckert LinkedIn Twitter: @eckertjon Center for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcsl   Jon Eckert: Today we are here with Rachel Johnson, a friend that we've made through mutual friends in the UK who's doing amazing work. And I just want to jump right in to what you're learning and then we'll back into more of what you do. So what are you learning through PiXL? So you can give us a quick introduction to what PiXL is and then what you're learning from the leaders that you're supporting. Rachel Johnson: Yeah. So PiXL stands for Partners in Excellence. We work with two and a half thousand schools across the UK. And what we're learning is how important leadership is in the conversation in school improvement. So we believe in improving life chances and outcomes for every young person irrespective of background or status or finance. But behind all of that is the ability for brilliant people in schools to lead well. And that's the conversation people want to have now more and more than perhaps they ever have because people are fascinated with how they can be better, how they can thrive, what's stopping them thrive. And that is the attention that I've been giving a lot of my work recently around that issue. Jon Eckert: So love that mission. We always push at the center for moving from some students to all students and now to each student, what does it mean to do that for each student so that thriving for each student is powerful. In order to have those thriving students, you have to have thriving leaders. So what are some of the things, I think you mentioned you have 3,200 people in leadership courses, what are some of those takeaways that are keeping people from thriving that you're finding? Rachel Johnson: Yeah, we're finding a lot of very common things. And actually it doesn't matter what level they are in school leadership, it's the same issues. So things like people pleasing, which is getting in the way of leadership and decision-making, not being able to hold a boundary, sometimes not having a boundary. So there is no difference between work and life. There is no stopping. We just carry on going. I think that's a real issue. We're finding people not really knowing are structured to have difficult conversations or as I like to call them, crucial conversations. They shouldn't be difficult, but the lack of confidence in having those conversations. And then I think other things like how to create buy-in, how to get momentum, how to have that very delicate balance as Jim Collins calls it, between the brutal facts and the unwavering hope. So what does that actually look like on the ground? How can I do both at the same time without going for hopium where you're drugging people on things that can't actually happen or being so honest and brutal that nobody wants to follow you because it sounds so depressing? So what does the reality of that look like in school leadership? And what we are finding is across nearly three and a half thousand people on our leadership courses, they're all struggling with those kind of issues. Jon Eckert: No, that's powerful. I think one of the questions that I'm always asking leaders because it's a hard one is, and I think it comes from Patrick Lencioni, but I'm not sure. It could be from another theorist, they all start to run together a bit. I don't think it's John Maxwell, I don't think it's Jim Collins, but is for who are you willing to make enemies? What ideas are you willing to make enemies over? So what are those things that like, "Hey, this is a non-negotiable for me." And I think a lot of educators don't think about that because we have a people pleasing sense of what we want to do. And so that's a really hard conversation to have because I agree, we tend to lean toward hopium. I think that's a great term for what we do. And so how do you get people into those crucial conversations? I like that reframe as well. But how do you get them into that when you know that there's kind of a natural resistance among a lot of educators to those kinds of conversations? Rachel Johnson: It is really difficult, but not having the conversation doesn't make the issue go away. And I think as soon as people realize, "It's actually making me miserable. My department is underperforming, therefore young people are underperforming all because I'm not courageous enough to have the conversation." And what we find using Susan Scott's model of fierce conversations is when you give them that seven-part model of how to have the conversation in one minute where you say your peace but you stay in adult, as Transactional Analysis would call it. So you're not giving it a kind of sly interpretation. You're not giving a mean tone to your voice. You're being absolutely clear and absolutely kind, but absolutely straight, then people respond usually really well. But I think one of the things that is most disconcerting for leaders and educators is you have to listen to what the other person says. It isn't just about us delivering our truth and how we perceive things. It's about being quiet long enough to hear what they're saying and maybe more importantly what they're not saying. And so it's fascinating to me that what is stopping us sometimes is the courage. But this is really affecting our schools. And certainly in the UK, in a recent survey that one of our big agencies did called Teacher Tapp, 64% of teachers said they had worked or did work in a toxic environment in school. That's a lot of people calling their environment where we should be seeing young people thrive, and our leaders and our teachers are saying it's toxic. So something's going wrong somewhere. And what stops us dealing with this I think is the lack of courage and the lack of tools to be able to know how to approach it, which is why that's where we put our weight in the practical tools that can help people unlock this. And people say things like, "We feel liberated, transformed. It's like a weight off and we feel like we can do it." And that is the kind of feedback we get regularly. And I think that is really very, very important that people are helped to do these difficult things. Jon Eckert: Really, really good stuff there. It reminded me of two things in what you said because you've shared a lot. And I love how much we've into right here off the bat. The book High Conflict by Amanda Ripley. I don't know if you've seen that book. It came out in 2021, so it's been out for a while. She introduces this concept, which I think is what you're getting at in that one minute conversation a little bit in the way we listen. So it's not her idea again, but this is where I came to the idea. It's the idea of looping, that when you're in conflict with someone, the key is when you're receiving the feedback from the person where they're telling you how they feel, where they're upset, where they're disagreeing with you, you have to listen, then you have to distill what's being said. Then you have to check for understanding and then question, "Did I get it right?" So that you're repeating back. Because I think sometimes, at least in the United States, some of the conflict is due to poor communication, and that looping provides an opportunity to correct that communication error and it's a form of empathy because it's taking on that perspective, did I hear you right? Now, just active listening, you can really alienate people with active listening skills without being genuinely curious. So that's one of the things when you're doing that, you can't do it in a formulaic way that feels like you're just jumping through hoops because that's really alienating to the person doing it. Does that square with what you found or am I thinking about something differently than you are? Rachel Johnson: I think what's fascinating is that, and this is what I do really for my job now, is I take lots of different things like that from High Conflict from Chris Voss and his hostage negotiation techniques, crisis communication that we have over here with a fierce conversation and I kind of mush it all together in one model. And so what all of these people are saying, including Nancy Kline who's written brilliant work on listening and thinking is we mustn't overdo it when we talk to people. We mustn't kind of interpret what they're saying and then tell them what they're thinking. We have to ask great questions. We have to be comfortable with silence and let the silence do the heavy lifting. Most of us are not comfortable with that. We have to summarize like you've said and say at the end, "Is that right?" And if the person says, "No, that's not right," that's the opening of the conversation, not the end of it. That's when we say, "Okay, great. What did I not summarize well? What have I not understood? Tell me?" We've got to be more curious and less judgmental. But because I think educators are so used to making judgments, because that's literally our job a lot of the time is making judgments on grades, on behavior, on progress, to not make judgments on fellow adults, it's sometimes really hard. Jon Eckert: I always say educators are way more gracious with students than they are with each other. And- Rachel Johnson: Or themselves. Jon Eckert: Yeah. Oh. And typically that lack of graciousness to others is because of the lack of graciousness to self. I think one of the key points you said, and you mentioned earlier in tone when you asked that question, "What did I not get right?" You can say, "What did I not get right?" In a very curious way. Or, "What did I not get right?" With the eye roll. And then you've either closed off the conversation or you've opened it. And I think the tone and the facial expression goes a long way to that, which is why I think we have to have this interpersonal connection. If you're doing this over text or you're doing it over email, it's pretty doomed to fail. I don't know. Would you agree with that, that this has to be kind of face-to-face as much as possible? Rachel Johnson: Yeah. I think a lot happens on Zoom these days or on Teams, which is difficult. And I think that is manageable if you get your tone right, if you get your eye contact right. I think one of the most damaging things in communication with anybody is the not listening, as you've mentioned, and the tone. So making it sound like a judgment. But the other thing I think is really difficult is when we speak in ulterior transactions. So the conversation we're having is not the conversation we're thinking. And people can smell it a mile off, can't they? I think of all kinds of situations at home where I say to my children like, "Oh, did you not have time to tidy your bedroom?" And what I'm actually saying is, "You're absolute slobs. You round here making a mess of my house." And they can hear the criticism and then they say, "Are you having a go at me mum?" And then I go, "No, I don't know what you're talking about." And that's dishonest. And I think we fall into that a few times when we are not courageous enough to have the real conversation. So I think that's another trap we can fall into. Jon Eckert: Right. I think I had a couple of those conversations with a daughter and a wife this weekend potentially, so that I need to go back and do some correcting. So thank you for that. One other thing you mentioned earlier was, and I think it's a chapter in, I think it's in your first book, about getting buy-in. One of the things that I've been pushing on here, and I'm curious to hear if there's a cultural difference here potentially. I found Gen Zs and millennials in the US, they do not want to buy-in to things because it sounds like an idea is being sold that they're just supposed to get on board with. And they don't do that. And I almost say that to their credit because they want to co-own what they're doing. And so buy-in is not something that they're interested in. They want to own it with you sometimes in ways that make it way better if we do that. Do you find that in the UK that there's less interest in buying in and more of an interest in kind of co-owning the work? Or is that still something that works relatively well in the UK, trying to get buy-in? Rachel Johnson: I think you're absolutely right, and I think this new generation are very different and I think they don't want to do it the way we did it. We wore tiredness and exhaustion like a trophy, like a medal. "Look how knackered I am, look how late I was up doing all my work." They look at that and go, "I don't want that. I want to have a sabbatical. I want to have a life. I want to go to the gym. I want to do what I want to do." So I think the way we are talking about buy-in needs to change. But I also think the way we get buy-in needs to change. We, I think have thought buy-in means, "Here's my idea, here's what we are doing, join me in what I'm doing." And that isn't really genuine buy-in. Buy-in is saying, "What is the problem we're trying to solve? Let's get people around the table, listen to really healthy conflict within a boundary where we feel safe to be able to disagree." All that psychological safety stuff by Amy Edmondson, it's crucial. It's not easy, but it's crucial. And then I think people do buy-in when they're heard. I think all these things we're talking about are linked. If I'm ignored, I'm not going to buy-in whether it's a great idea or not, because you're not hearing me. So I think we have to create more time to be heard and to hear. But I think one of the issues we have in leadership, particularly in education is we're always in such a rush. That hurry-up driver like, "Let's get everything done yesterday driver," can stop us really engaging and listening. And so where we can go fast, we sometimes do, and I think we lose a lot in that, especially this new generation who want to be heard, want to think things through, want to be well-researched. Great, that can really benefit us, but we have to give it time. Jon Eckert: Well, and again, leadership's always going to be messy and it can either be messy on the front end where you all own, where you're going together or it's going to be messy on the back end. So I'd much rather have it be messy on the front end. That just takes some patience and some ability to avoid falling victim to the tyranny of the urgent where we constantly throw one change after another at people in a way that doesn't actually produce what we want because we're too impatient to see it happen. So I'm curious how you got to this work. So this amazing work that you're doing through PiXL, which we can get more into PiXL in a little bit, but you personally, how did you end up writing these books, doing the podcasts, building out being a catalyst at PiXL to do this kind of work with leaders, but where did that come from? Rachel Johnson: So I think it started fairly young really when I was, my dad led a church and he was a leader in schools and so was my mom. So I watched all of that all of my life. But I was kind of old before my age really, and I always wanted to lead something. So I did Sunday school when I was 10, teaching three-year olds. I always took on more responsibility. And so what I wanted when I was 13 and 14 was to work out what does leadership look like? How can I be a better version of me? How can I make change happen? And apart from reading people that you've mentioned, like John Maxwell, there wasn't an awful lot for people my age. And so I never had anything age appropriate. So I read all the adult stuff. And I was looking back at my old journals actually yesterday. I was clearing out the loft and I look in my journals at me at 13 and go, "There she is, there's the person I am now. There, I can see her so clearly when I look." But it wasn't usual back then. And so I was a bit different and did different things, but I was absolutely committed to leadership. And so from that point on really, wherever I was I wanted to lead. And it wasn't that I was bothered about promotion or position or title or money. I'm not bothered about any of those things. I want to go where I can be to make the biggest difference. And so for me, leadership is where you make the biggest difference, where you could have the agency to make the difference. And for me, that has become the driving force really to try and do good in the world, to try and help people create their own change. So yes, that's where it started, very young. Jon Eckert: Love that. And so now at PiXL, what do you try to do organizationally? You gave us a little bit of what PiXL stands for, but how are you doing that and what different avenues in different countries? I know you have a number of ways you're trying to serve leaders who want to become the kind of leaders you wanted to become as a young person. Rachel Johnson: Yeah. So we do conferences, we did big conferences in the UK and those are hugely attended. We work with different types of leaders. We have two podcasts, PiXL Pearls, which are just 10 minutes leadership reflection. So not heavy, but just a moment of reflection to think about our own leadership. And then we have the PiXL leadership book club where we take non-educational school books because that's another really important thing of mine, to look outside of education, not always within. And so I interviewed two school leaders about a non-educational leadership book and how they've applied those messages into their context. And that's the kind of thing I'm interested in. I'm interested in looking at what other people in the world are doing and how we can take that from marketing or that from branding or that from hostage negotiation and how we can turn our schools around based on the lessons that've been learned elsewhere. So that's become a really big thing. Now I write all kinds of things on that. The books which I wrote that two have come out already, the chapters in those are all of the things that I asked our leaders, "What do you struggle with?" And that's what they said. And so I wrote the chapters for them really to try and help us all get a little bit more unstuck. Because we all get stuck and sometimes it's too difficult to find a great big book and read all the way through it when you haven't got time. So it's really short, bite-sized chunks to help get us unstuck. And so with that and working and with how we have resources and strategies, a whole range of things to help school leaders get the support they need. But I think one of the most important things we've just started doing is named after the book, we have something called Time to Think where leaders are able to book time with my team to just think a few ideas. We're not going to talk, they're going to book 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes. And that time is for them to talk through their ideas, for us to ask questions to help them get clarity, but for them to leave more empowered than they came in. And what school leaders are telling us is they don't have enough time to think. It happens on holidays, in the mornings, in the middle of the night. And it shouldn't happen then, it should happen in working hours too. But sometimes people need a bit of a helping hand to get there. So that's one of the most exciting things we're doing at the minute, creating that time to think and walking with people as they do that. Jon Eckert: I love that. I tell people when they start masters or doctoral programs at Baylor that the biggest gift we're giving you is time to think through what you're doing with the kinds of books that you're talking about. I totally agree, we need to look at education, but we need to look beyond education. So I love that conversation you're having with school leaders about books. Everything you described from the PiXL Pearls to everything else is trying to give people this catalyzing force to spend more time thinking and just carving out that space is a huge gift. So I think you mentioned that you primarily work in the UK, but that you have some connection into 46 different countries. Are there things you're seeing that feel like they work cross-culturally, like, "Hey, everyone is dealing with this." Because I know most of our listeners are in the United States and we can spend way too much time navel-gazing at our challenges and opportunities here. I'm wondering those conversations that you've had where they identify challenges that leaders have, are there any things there that you're like, "Hey, this feels like a common challenge. It does not matter where it is. This is..." Maybe it's the Time to Think, but if it's something other than that as well. What are some of those challenges you're seeing that cut across contexts? Rachel Johnson: Well, how I would kind of evidence that really is it's the podcasts that have gone all over the world in different countries. And we haven't really pushed those out. We've had them in the UK and they've gone everywhere through Apple or Spotify. But the ones that are most listened to, that's what's really fascinating. The biggest episodes are Dare to Lead with Brené Brown. So clearly if that's our leading episode, it's because people don't have courage like we've touched upon. The other one that is massive is the People Pleasing one, which is based on a book by Emma Reid Terrell called Please Yourself and is around the real problems of people pleasing. That's been another massive hitter. And then the third one, which has been a really big hitter, is based on Cal Newport's work on Deep Work and Time To Think. So if that's the three places where people are going across all of the people who listen to our podcasts. And I think in total there's about 195,000 downloads now maybe. I think that says something about where people's attention is, that's what they're craving. And I think we should listen to that because I think these things are quite deep-rooted and I think people don't find solutions to how to handle those three things either. Jon Eckert: Well, I love Brené Brown, I love Cal Newport. I need to read the people pleasing book, so. Rachel Johnson: Wonderful. Jon Eckert: I'm getting good recommendations. Yeah. The Slow Productivity by Cal Newport that just came out is kind of the latest manifestation. I still think Deep Work is his best book, but Slow Productivity I've worked into some of my classes because I do think this idea and his premise there is that we do less things, work at a natural pace and obsess over quality. That's how we provide the human value that is going to become increasingly value as AI and other things automate other pieces. It's what are we uniquely suited to build and do? And that's really to me, the extension of deep work. That's the critical component. And you have to have time to think because- Rachel Johnson: Yeah, you have to have time to think. And then you kind of think, why are we not doing deep work? Why are we overstretched? And I think it comes down to what I would call now toxic productivity. I think when you have a profession full of people who love to be efficient and love to-do lists and tick things off and feel great about themselves, the danger is we become addicted to productivity. We can't rest, we can't stop, we can't switch off. We have to be doing something productive. We even monetize our hobbies for goodness's sake because we can't do them for free, because that's a waste of time. It is quite astonishing. And we are obsessed with adding things, not taking things away. So I don't speak to many leaders who say, "We're reducing our efforts by half because we don't think it's working. So these five things are going and these five things will replace them." They should add more things. No wonder we're all frazzled, so. Jon Eckert: Well, and social media has turned us into the product. So our attention is what is demanded and that is what is being sold. And that's new and I think devastating for especially adolescents who are coming into leadership, those 13-year-olds that dreamed about leading the way you do. "Oh, I can do that through my followership on this as I sell products for someone else." And so you become a conduit for other corporations to grab other people through you. It's not real leadership. And so I worry about, I do not want this to happen, but my email box, I worry that I will be getting AI-generated emails into the box. I will then have AI-generating responses, and I'll just be a spectator watching AI talk to AI which by definition, Darren Speaksma says this all the time. AI is consensus because all it is scraping from large language models. It is not wisdom. To get wisdom, you need the human. And that's the point of deep work. How do we pursue joy through truth and love? How do we do this and this? And AI just, that's not what AI is designed to do. It can summarize, it can collect, it can scrape. But that's the part that I'm like, "Oh." And that's the life-giving work. And so Greg McCown, UK guy, Essentialism, that was the book. And then it became how do I? I've reduced all the small rocks out of the jar and I've just got big rocks and now the rocks are too much. And I feel like that's where we're at. So I love his work as well. So based on all that, those common challenges that we see, where do you see hope? Where are you most hopeful? Rachel Johnson: I'm hopeful that people want the conversation. I'm hopeful that in a room of thousands of leaders, I can say, "Put your hand up if you're a people pleaser." I've been a recovering people pleaser since 2020. I often say to people, I went into recovery in March 2020 when I read that book, Please Yourself by Emma Reid Terrell. And thought, "Oh my goodness, I don't want to be that." She says, you can either be an authentic person or a people pleaser. You cannot be both. And I was really convicted by it because I thought, I want to be the best kind of leader, but if I'm people pleasing, I can't be. This has got to change. And I am with roomfuls of people now virtually and in person who are embracing this, who say, "I want to go in recovery too. Enough. I realize it's holding me back." And wherever there are people who are willing to change and are up for the work and up for the debate about it all, I think there's always hope. And when we face our own brutal facts and we believe we can change, then I think there's always hope. And that is the kind of message we want to talk about in education in the UK and further afield, that we are not stuck. We don't have to be stuck. Human connection, human understanding, human wisdom, as you mentioned, these things that we can learn to be better and overcome our stuckness can change our lives first and foremost before we change anybody else's, but then help other people to change. And I think there is a great deal of hope. I think sometimes we have to look hard for it because social media and the news don't talk hope, they talk despair. And so we have to be very open and vocal about the hope. But that's one of the things that I hope to always be, the voice of hope. Not ignoring the brutal facts. We mustn't do that, but always saying, "We'll find a way if we think about this. If we invest, we will find a way." Because I believe we will. Jon Eckert: Love that. The next book I'm working on right now is "Gritty Optimism: Catalyzing Joy in Just Schools." How do we build on what we know can change in schools and what they can be? Because there's so many great stories out there and there's so many ways to do it. So this conversation has been super encouraging that way. So I'm just going to end us with a quick lightning round here. You've already given me at least one book recommendation I need to read. I'm just curious, in the last year, what's a book that you've read from any field? It doesn't have to be from education, that you would recommend to me and to us? Rachel Johnson: I'll give you two, Ruthlessly Caring by Amy Walters Cohen about the paradoxes in leadership and the Friction Project by Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao. Jon Eckert: Yes. So I have been reading pieces of the Friction Project, remarkable. Have not read Ruthlessly Caring, so I've got to get on that. Thank you. All right. What is the worst advice you've received or given as a leader? And then follow that up with the best advice you've either given or received. Rachel Johnson: The worst advice I've ever been given is that humility is putting yourself last. Because it's not true. Jon Eckert: That's good. Rachel Johnson: That's a very blunt and terrible definition. The worst advice that I've probably given would be in my early years of leadership when I was first new and basically said to people, "Maybe don't cause a fuss about that." Because I was a people pleaser, I didn't want to make a fuss. And so sometimes I told other people not to make a fuss and that was a mistake. Jon Eckert: That's good. So if you were, oh, so I had a quick break on the connection. So our connection broke there a minute. So don't make a fuss, that's also bad advice. Correct? Yeah. Rachel Johnson: Yeah. Jon Eckert: So what's the good advice that you've received or given, what's the best advice you've either given or received? Rachel Johnson: The best advice I think I would give is make sure when you have any interaction that you are okay and you're seeing the other person as okay. And what I mean by that is that we're not coming with an attitude of judgment or superiority or anything that someone can sniff, which is going to put their back against the wall immediately. So be an adult, be in control of yourself. And if you're not in control of yourself, be vulnerable, but don't do it and create a mess in front of somebody else when it's going to damage them. I think that is unfair. Jon Eckert: That's great advice. Love that. What is one word, if you had to describe the schools you work with right now, what would be one word you'd use to describe the schools or the leaders of the schools that you serve? Rachel Johnson: Resilient. Jon Eckert: Love that. Love that. No, that's right. If we're still in education right now, we're resilient people, so good word. And then what would be one word you would hope would describe the next year in the schools that you serve? Rachel Johnson: I'd hope, it's a dramatic word, but I'd say transformational. Because I think if people can grasp this stuff, if they can make the time to think, if they can put themselves on their thinking tank first, I honestly believe we'll overcome challenges that we didn't think were possible. And I hope that in turn doesn't transform PiXL. It's not about that. It's about transforming them first and then transforming the way that they lead because that, I believe, unlocks everything else. Jon Eckert: That's a great word to end on. Well, Rachel, this conversation has been great for me. Huge encouragement. Thank you for the work you're doing and thanks for spending the time with us. Rachel Johnson: Thank you so much. I have loved speaking to you.  

In this episode of the Just Schools Podcast, Jon Eckert interviews Abby Andrietsch, CEO of St. Augustine Preparatory Academy, in Milwaukee. They discuss the school's rapid growth since its founding in 2017 and its mission to serve a diverse student body with excellence. Andrietsch shares insights into how Aug Prep has become one of the top-rated schools in the state and the transformative impact it has had on the surrounding community, including a 43% reduction in crime. The Just Schools Podcast is brought to you by the Baylor Center for School Leadership. Each week, we'll talk to catalytic educators who are doing amazing work. Be encouraged. Join us on October 15th at the Hurd Welcome Center for an in-person information session to hear more about the MA in School Leadership and the EdD in K-12 Educational Leadership. This is a free event but we need you to register here: https://app.e2ma.net/app2/audience/signup/2003682/1973032/ Connect with us: Baylor MA in School Leadership EdD in K-12 Educational Leadership Jon Eckert LinkedIn Twitter: @eckertjon Center for School Leadership at Baylor University: @baylorcsl   Transcript: Jon: So today we have Abby with us. She is one of my favorite school leaders from one of my favorite schools in the country, St. Augustine Prep in Milwaukee. And so I want to start, before we jump into how you came to this, just tell the audience about Aug Prep, how it started and where it's at right now. Abby: Awesome. Thanks, Jon. So Aug Prep is not necessarily the typical story. We actually just started, we launched in 2017. So in a lot of ways we are a baby as an organization, but we have grown a lot since we launched. We serve today 2200 students on Milwaukee's South Side. We have the privilege of serving about 86% of our students would be considered low income, more than 95% students of color. And they just have all the potential in the world, same potential as my own kids who are actually also students here. But we started in 2017 with a vision of being part of bigger, something bigger in Milwaukee to serve students with excellence. Milwaukee does have a voucher program, which created a lot of opportunity for us and we chose, our founders chose as we launched to start as a Christian school very intentionally knowing we'd get about a thousand dollars less per people. But that Jesus being at the core of everything we do was really essential. And we started with four pillars, faith, family, excellence in academics, and athletics and arts. And I think a lot of schools do one or two of those really well, some even three. But it's rare that you see the four pieces coming together with excellence. And for us, I would say that's really the critical part of the fabric of who we are is serving our students with excellence, but serving the whole child with excellence. Jon: No, and I get to visit there and Erik Ellefsen, our Director of Networks and Improvement Communities has been talking about Aug Prep for years. I finally got to visit this past summer and it is a truly remarkable place. If I remember correctly, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, when your school started in the neighborhood that you were in, there was a dramatic reduction in crime in the neighborhood, literally transformed the neighborhood. In my mind it's like 42%. What's the actual number? Do you remember the actual number Abby? Abby: I do. It's 43, so you're really close We opened our doors, crime in our neighborhoods gone down by about 43%. Jon: Yeah, that's amazing. And that's what we want. We don't want just schools that are isolated things. We want schools that really serve their communities well and the communities that serve the school well. And so love that statistical evidence that this really has made a difference. Now you just purchased a college campus on the North Side of Milwaukee. So talk about that and where you're headed because again, that's a big play to make right now, especially with some of the buildings that I know may not even be usable. I don't even know all the details, but where are you at in that process, Abby? Abby: So I have a business background, we'll get to that later, but we weren't planning this. The candor is it was an opportunity that God created that we kind of jumped in fully for. On the North Side of Milwaukee, there is a college, it was Cardinal Stritch that closed about three months before our founders were there for an event. It was the first time they had been there and they walked around thinking this place was meant to be a school. And really long story short, the school was purchased. We are launching a second campus on Milwaukee's North Side. What I'm most excited about is actually the school is located in a place that bridges a lot of communities in Milwaukee from more affluent, whiter suburbs to some of the toughest zip codes in Milwaukee. And it's a really unique location. And actually the college that was there before, their history includes a deep history of faith and a deep history of diversity. And our vision for this campus is to create a campus that reflects the world we live in, where our kids are part of our diverse socioeconomic, cultural, racial student body, all grounded and unified and being in Christ, but seeing and valuing the differences in each other and learning and growing with each other through that. Jon: Love that vision, love the opportunity that wasn't even being sought out. I mean, it's so much of what Aug Prep's story is that you've just had your work multiplied in so many ways, which has been really meaningful. And now just another thing that stuck in my head. You're one of the, if not the top-rated school in Milwaukee. In what measure? How is that determined, Abby? Abby: So I mentioned earlier we're part of a voucher system in the state as such, and I'm a big believer in parent choice. And as we get public funds, being accountable to serving kids well. So I lead with the and academic excellence and serving the whole child Jesus, intertwined and grounding every piece of that. We are per the state's report card in the top 2% of growth of any schools in the state. We are the number one K to 12 school in Milwaukee, the number two in the state. We've gone back and forth between one and two. And that for me is a number. But numbers matter. I look at those numbers as necessary but not sufficient measures of, "Are we serving our students and our families well?" Jon: Love that example of excellence. And anytime you can measure growth and not just status proficiency, which can be based on the demographics of your school or the location and the educational attainment of parents, you actually are saying, "Here's where they come in and here's where they grow." And I love the point that it's necessary but not sufficient. And so in this conversation about choice and what that looks like, certainly in Texas, that's a really polarizing conversation right now. At the center, we want to serve leaders who are doing great work to serve each kid wherever they're called to serve. And so that's how we came across you. So tell us how you got into this role of CEO of this startup school that now was purchased a college campus. How do you get into that? You have a fairly non-traditional journey. So would you mind sharing that? Abby: I do have a non-traditional journey. My training and education is a lot more on the business side. It was actually when I was in graduate school that I stepped from a room full of business leaders talking about what I thought I wanted to go into totally disheartened because I realized it wasn't what I wanted to do and I stepped into a room with people with business backgrounds working in education, and it was a light moment for me, a light bulb moment. That in and of itself led me down working with some different national foundations. Gone back and forth in the corporate world a little bit, but I had the chance in Milwaukee almost 15 years ago to co-found an organization that worked with leaders from our local public schools, charter schools, and also private schools. And Aug Prep didn't exist at that point in time. And it was a group of leaders that came together around kids and quality and not politics of the adults really in the city. And I spent about eight years getting to work with that organization, helping great schools grow, schools that wanted to get better, get better. We had a whole team of coaches that walked and worked with school leaders. I actually personally stepped away from that after eight years, wanting a little bit more time with my kids and to be the mom that I wanted to be. I just realized that the balance, it was a stage in life where I needed to step back. And about a year later I found myself in the interim role at Aug Prep, vehemently planning to be interim. And five and a half years later, I couldn't be happier to be here. Both of my kids are here. That was actually part of the decision to go from interim to full-time was my family made a decision to move closer to the school and to have our kids here. And it has just been God's, I think, biggest blessing for us in the last five and a half years through it all. Jon: Well, great example of the fact that I don't really think work-life balance exists. I think it's something that we always strive to attain. I've yet to meet anyone who's achieved it. And so I think there's work-life rhythm. So knowing when your family needs more of you. And then if you can get healthy work-life integration, which I think is what you've done, that's a win. That's a win. Abby: I think of it as harmony. So I like your rhythm, but I don't believe in work-life balance. But I do think there's a harmony that comes together and it looks different at different times. Jon: Well, and to be clear, so I give attribution, I think it's Adam Grant's work-life rhythm he talks about. I really like that. I think that's useful. So when you think about the challenges ahead for Aug Prep specifically, you're in a particular context. I mean Milwaukee is a gigantic voucher experiment that's been going on for decades. So it's in a different kind of context than a lot of people. But what do you see as the biggest challenges to really being what you aspire to be at Aug Prep? That's one of the things I was impressed by this summer, you might be the number one or number two school in the state of Wisconsin for growth, but there definitely wasn't a sense that you had it all figured out. It felt like you all knew that there's places where you could get better and we're striving to do that. And that was what our work was together and how we do that joyfully. But in that joy there are challenges. And that joy doesn't mean it's the freedom from struggle. Joy is actually the fuel to struggle well, so when we lay these challenges out, that's not to depress the audience, but it's to be honest about, "Here are the challenges you see." So if you were to identify one, two, or three challenges ahead for Aug Prep, especially as you expand, what would you identify? Abby: Yeah. Well we've been a mixed expansion really since we started. In some ways we've added the equivalent of an additional school almost every year since we've opened. If I go big picture, I think the biggest challenge that we have as a community, but I would say this as a country as well, I just see it much more intensely as a community would be a lack of belief and a lack of hope. So for our kids, especially in certain parts of Milwaukee, we have far too many kids that are 12, 13, 14 years old that are being told that they're never going to live to be 18, 19, 20. So just do what you want. Our kids need to be believed in and they need a sense of hope. And what I love about what I get to do is that hope gets to be Jesus grounded every day. In my last role, I didn't get to. Who I was as a leader, was deeply grounded in faith, but it wasn't an overt part of my job. But as we think about the work we do that hope is eternal and earthly, but I think we have generations that have been failed, especially in our cities by our education system. And so how do we create a sense of hope where they don't see it from their past? And that's a big part. But along with that is a sense of belief in what's possible. And I would argue that any of the kids that walk through our doors here at Aug Prep are just as capable as my own kids. They're just as capable as kids from our suburbs. And there are far too many adults that see the challenges, which are real, that they step in and through our doors with and don't believe that they can succeed at high levels. And I think the difference in what we do here is we do believe in what's possible. We set the bar high for them, equip them with tools to fly. But that lack of hope is I think one of our biggest challenges because it's mindset change, not just for our kids but for our community. If I get tactical, we've been growing a lot and so we've always got to think about how do we hire great people? We're very intentional. We have a super rigorous process that people don't love going through, but when they're on the team, they love what it creates. Thinking about the growth that we've had in the last two years, we've hired more than 75 new staff each of the last two years. We've had more than 600 new students each of the last two years. That's a big deal. Both hiring enough great people, I would argue even more important is creating, keeping, and protecting the culture that we've worked so hard to build. And so being really intentional about finding, developing, onboarding really great team members and even more, how do we be really intentional as new kids, as new staff come onboard? Having that culture that isn't created by lack of intention, but instead is there from the get-go. And actually it's gotten stronger each of the last couple of years as a result. Jon: Well, two things on that. You certainly will be a case study in the next book that I'm working on, which is Gritty Optimism: Catalyzing Joy in Just Schools. Because I think you're doing this in this powerful way where that optimism you have is grounded in the experience of what you've seen since 2017. You've seen kids become more of who they're created to be, and that becomes this virtuous cycle of improvement where you're not basing it on naive optimism where it's like, "I hope they'll be better or I think they could be better." You know they can be more of who they're created to be because you've seen it over and over again and then that becomes part of the culture. The second part of that I wanted to ask is could you just briefly run through what your interview process is because that scale of hiring is remarkable in schools and trying to maintain culture and even improve culture doing that, that's a tremendous feat. So can you just describe what your interview process is? Abby: Yeah, that could be its own podcast. Jon: I'm sure. Yeah. Abby: And you can ask more. A couple of key pieces are part of it. A few years ago as a senior team, we took time to step back and say, "What are the most important characteristics of any team member at Aug Prep?" Could be a teacher, it could be administrator, could be one of our facilities, team members, security guard. And we identified three key pieces. And for us, the first and foremost is an active and living faith walk with Jesus. The second is growth mindset and coachability. If you're an educator that's been in the work for 30 years, you don't think you have anything to grow and you want to coast, we're not the place to come. There are great places for educators that are there to go, but it's just not the right culture for us. And the third is actually belief and belief in our kids and our community and what's possible. Those three things are built into every step of the process. From phone interview to essays, we ask people to write as part of the process to in-person. In addition to the core capabilities of any role, it's how are we really intentional? And we have a really diverse staff. I mean just even racially and ethnically, about 45% of our staff is diverse and we're working to make sure that that's throughout our organization and everybody is unified in certain places, Jesus being first and foremost and a desire to grow and learn. And so that in and of itself creates a place that staff members want to be and stay. So our goal is every year to have at least 90% of our staff stay. We've been between 85 and 90% for the last several years, 85 and 95% for the last several years. Our best source of new staff is our current team. And so when people want to tell, we just had a team member whose sister and brother-in-law moved across the country from California. They were looking at Ohio and at Aug Prep. And when you have team members that love what they do and where they work every day, it's the best way for us to recruit new staff. And it's been a really big part of how we do what we do. At the end of the day, we try to make sure every decision we make is around kids first. We are not a place that makes adult first decisions, and we recognize that in order to best serve our kids, we have to have a strong and healthy team. So there's a tension and balance that goes there, but I also think it means that we recruit team members with a really high bar for themselves with belief for kids, and that want to be in a place that strives to serve kids well. And that in and of itself creates that culture I talked about. Jon: I've been able to see that. Again, I need to be at Aug Prep when there are kids there because that's when it's fun. Abby: Yeah, you do. Jon: But in the team that you have, we have four of them that are in our master's program at Baylor. So Aug Prep has becomes some kind of a strange pipeline for Milwaukee to Waco Texas. But I see that in your team, they are building other leaders all the time. We always say leaders are always building leaders. And so they're encouraging the next group of people from Aug Prep. And I hope that we always have a nice conduit work. With your growth, you're going to need to continue growing leadership hopefully indefinitely, and you need partners to do that. We want to be that kind of catalytic partner for you where we can connect Aug Prep leaders with other schools because so many times, especially in the Christian school world, there's a lot of navel-gazing about, "These are our problems and nobody else's and nobody understands our context and nobody understands these challenges." And what I've loved about the leaders that you've sent to us at Baylor is they're always looking to get more information and understand other contexts and figure out what they can take back to Aug Prep and then share out what is and isn't working at Aug Prep. And so that is a way to not only build culture, but actually accelerate that culture development. So really encouraged there. So we talked about the challenges, but you already kind of jumped into the opportunities you see, but what would be the thing you're most excited about for the year ahead for Aug Prep? And then we'll jump into a lightning round, but what are you most excited about for the year ahead and the opportunities you see? Abby: I'm most excited about, so this year ahead, we graduate our first group of college graduates. So I'm starting to see, I'll have finished my sixth year at the end of this school year. I'm just getting to see the ripple effects and I already see them. One of our graduates from just this last year is at Marquette. He's going on a service trip over Christmas this fall. He's talking about coming back and talking to our young men and women in chapel. And so just seeing the ripple effect of the leadership that's leaving. And he's actually a young man that would self-identify as lucky he didn't get kicked out in middle school, got in a lot of trouble. We do a lot around restorative practices. I know one of our fellows is doing a lot within the Baylor program around that. And it's so cool to watch our kids go from really struggling with themselves as much as it is with others and often with faith underneath to really flourishing and shining as young adults. And I can't wait to see what happens in the community. So big picture, I'm probably most excited about watching some of our first class of graduates stepping into that next step of the journey. I think sometimes, and Jon, we've got four fellows at Baylor. You didn't ask me to do this, but we're a learning organization. There's a lot of things we're doing well. There's a lot of things we're still learning how to do. We want to share what we're doing, but how do we learn from others? And our fellows are down at Baylor because they're in a place that seeks to do that too. I've watched you and I've watched the Baylor school leadership, the Center for School leadership. It's not about faith or academic excellence, faith or serving the whole child. You all lead with that and that I talked about being really important and you create space for our leaders to learn. And I think I often run into folks that say, "Well, you all are different. We can't do what Aug Prep is doing." I don't actually think we've done anything that's remarkably special or different. What we've done is pulled best practices from a lot of places and continued every year to think about how we get better, who do we need to learn from or what do we need to do differently? And we've been able to get bigger and better at the same time. We haven't arrived. I hope we never do because I think part of the culture of who we are is actually that constant mindset of what do we need to keep doing better to serve our kids and community? Jon: Love that attitude. Thank you. Thank you for that encouragement. And we just want to find more partners like you because they're out there. How do we connect other Aug Preps to this Aug Prep? People with a similar kind of mission and view and where can we learn together? And that's, I think as a Christian R1 University, that's our call is to help connect those pieces. So I'm grateful for the hard work you do or the work that the Lord does through you in the community because that's the evidence that it actually matters. Because we can talk about these things in platitudes all the time and sit down here at a university and say, "Hey, here's what we think people should do." What we need to see is what people are doing and where that's making a difference for kids. So let's jump to the lightning round. So I know you have pulled from a lot of great ideas, so I'm curious if in the last year there's a really good book you might recommend to me and to us that you're like, "This was a super helpful book", whether it's in education or not, just a good book that you've read the last year. Or listened to. It's fine. Audible counts too. Abby: I do listen to a lot of books. I love to read, but I often find myself falling asleep when I sit down or lie down to read a little bit. You know what? I am a big believer in reading a lot of different things and pulling the pieces that apply most to your circumstances. So you talked about Adam Grant. I love reading his books. Anything Patrick Lencioni, I've read multiple times. We've pulled pieces from Jim Collins, Good to Great and Built to Last. And so I would say any of those pieces. We read as a leadership group last year, Fierce Conversations, there's several takes of that, Radical Candor being one of them. But my probably biggest encouragement is be a reader. And for me it's been, those are all more leadership organizational books. When I'm really wrestling with a topic, I try to read the full spectrum of perspectives on it to then figure out where I'm at and finding those books. Just Teaching is one that I did just pick up in the last year, so I hadn't had a chance to see it before then, but it was one that I picked up and I'm not a teacher and so that's not my skill set, but there are pieces to learn and to then share with other people. Jon: Yeah, I love that. And it's really common, Abby, I hope you know that I am typically mentioned Lencioni, Adam Grant, Jim Collins, Jon Eckert. That's kind of the normal group that I'm mentioned. So that's comforting to know that. Abby: You know what actually what ties all of those people together, Jon, is you don't just think in theory. So when you write, you're not just thinking in theory. And I will own that that can be my struggle with higher ed is sometimes just being caught up in the theory. It's all of those leaders who are also authors think about how you take the theory and apply it in practice and how do you break it down in a way that is easy to digest. And so Lencioni writes in fables, Adam Grant tells his stuff in a lot of stories as well. And so that's, at least for me, usually I capture lessons learned by seeing things either I'm struggling with or trying to figure out how to put words into in stories that other people are talking about. Jon: Yeah. Well, and I love all those same authors for the same reason. And then is this Fierce Conversation because this the one by Susan Scott, is that who you? Abby: Yeah. Jon: So I have not read that one. It looks like another one I should read. So thank you for that. So let's start with this. Worst piece of advice you've ever given or received? Abby: Worst piece of advice? Jon: It could be a leadership piece. Abby: I had somebody tell me that I was taking somebody else's spot in business school because I wasn't sure if at some point I'd want some time to stop and be a mom. And so that was probably the worst piece of advice and my encouragement for anyone listening is that I think there's different phases of life. I also think that any education we get can be applied to lots of aspects of what we do. Jon: Yeah, no, that's good. I'm assuming that was because that was your degree at Stanford when you were getting question on that, right? I can't imagine. Abby: Right. And that was an awesome degree, but I actually had a whole conversation. It was someone in a generation that fought so that people like I can make the decisions that are best for me. But I think they fought for the choice, not for the decision themselves. And I appreciate being able to make it myself. Jon: That's well said. That's another podcast that we could do on how those choices get made. And so really grateful for that background you have because I think your curiosity and your ability to synthesize theory and apply it, I mean that comes great degree programs will do that. And obviously Stanford knows something about educating people, so that's good. Then best piece of advice you've ever given or received? Abby: Not to seek perfection, but always to strive to keep getting better. I think we get caught up in trying to be perfect and miss the opportunity to keep getting better. Jon: That's our favorite quote we use with our improvement communities. That your plan is possibly wrong and is definitely incomplete. So that should be empowering. There's places to grow. Then if you could in a word or a phrase, describe what Aug Prep will be in the next year, what would it be? So word or phrase for Aug Prep that would describe it in the next year? Abby: My hope is that it is a light on the hill. How do we be a light for the community, not just the kids in our building, but the whole community outside our building as well? Jon: Love that, beautiful sentiment. Well, Abby, thank you for being with us. Thanks for the work you do at Aug Prep. It's great to have partners like you because you make us all better. Abby: Thanks, Jon. Appreciate it.  

Welcome to the Season 7 opener of "Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads" with your hosts, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles! We're kicking off this season with an inspiring episode featuring the incredible Regent Cornell, CEO & Owner of Cornell Consulting. Regent brings 33 years of talent development, leadership, and organizational growth expertise. Known for empowering leaders, teams, and individuals through strategic conversations, Regent is a force in professional coaching and facilitation. In this episode, we explore the transformative power of fierce conversations. Regent shares his journey and the impact meaningful, authentic dialogues have on our personal and professional lives. Drawing insights from Susan Scott's "Fierce Conversations," Regent emphasizes the importance of diving deep, being vulnerable, and the profound change that can come from having the conversations we often avoid. Regent Cornell's Credentials: HBDI Level III Master Facilitator (Herrmann International) Professional Coaching Certification (ICF-PCC) from the University of Miami Certifications in Fierce Conversations, Myers-Briggs, DiSC, Prosci Change Management, and Advanced Consulting Contact Info: LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/regent-cornell-496b475?trk=contact-info Book Recommendation:  Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work & in Life, One Conversation at a Time By Susan Scott Regent's wisdom shines throughout this engaging episode as he discusses how strategic conversations can redefine relationships and organizational culture. From personal anecdotes to professional advice, Regent's stories and insights will inspire you to tackle those tough conversations in your life. Call to Action: If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, don't hesitate to reach out to the 988 crisis hotline. You can call, text, or chat with a counselor ready to listen and help. Your mental health matters and there are resources available to support you. Let's continue to break the stigma and normalize seeking help. Remember, it's OK not to be OK—make sure you're talking to someone. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/ Find A Helpline: https://findahelpline.com/ Connect with G-Rex and Dirty Skittles: Official Website: Learn more at Goes On In Our Heads:  https://www.goesoninourheads.net Facebook: Stay updated and engage with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shltthatgoesoninourheads Instagram: Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grex_and_dirtyskittles/ Participate & Support: Newsletter: Join us for exciting content, exclusive giveaways, and regular updates here: https://sh-t-that-goes-on-in-our-heads.ck.page/profile Merchandise: Support us and flaunt our unique merchandise from Customized Girl: https://www.customizedgirl.com/s/Sh1tthatgoesoninourheads Donate: If you love our content, consider supporting us here: https://donate.stripe.com/8wM4hy4js24y9b26oo Engagement & Advertising Opportunities: Advertise: Reach our engaged community by promoting your products here:  https://www.passionfroot.me/goesoninourheads Acknowledgments: Audio Editing: By NJz Audio for top-notch sound quality. Subscribe, Rate, and Review! Remember to subscribe to our podcast for more inspiring stories and valuable insights. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback helps us bring you more relevant content. If you're listening elsewhere besides Apple Podcasts and want to leave a review, please visit our website:  https://goesoninourheads.net/add-your-podcast-reviews. Your feedback is important to us. Join us as we dive into the art of fierce conversations and discover the healing power of words with Regent Cornell. Let's make this season opener unforgettable! #FierceConversations #MentalHealth #Leadership #Podcast #Season7Opener #Empowerment #HealingThroughWords #StrategicConversations #TalentDevelopment #PersonalGrowth #OrganizationalGrowth #GoesOnInOurHeads #MentalHealthPodcast #STGOIOH #Grex #DirtySkittles #GrexandDirtySkittles

Susan Scott brought the message this morning from the book of Job. The story of Job is a literary construct. It's about faithfulness in adversity and raises a lot of questions, with no easy answers. Suffering often prompts a crisis of faith. It's okay to be angry at God; God can take it. Ultimately, God's love is bigger than our questions.

Psychological safety is a term we often hear about in the workplace: it's about a safe place for ideas, creativity, and how mistakes are handled. Today, Rick and Lauren discuss how these same ideas can apply to our relationships, and our walk with God. Rick references an article by Amy Gallo. Rick references the book Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott.Email Rick at rickdunn61@gmail.com or find him on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Email Lauren at laurengmorgan@gmail.com or find her on Instagram.

It's a new year! Rick and Lauren today discuss how a fresh start might just be an invitation to become more of who we were meant to be. Rick references Susan Scott's book Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in LIfe One Conversation at a Time. Email Rick at rickdunn61@gmail.com or find him on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Email Lauren at laurengmorgan@gmail.com or find her on Instagram.

A really chilling old Ghost story taken from the Folklore of Wales - Ghosts by Delyth Badder and Mark Norman. This epic winter tale is not for the faint hearted . Please do not listen whilst driving or operating machinery. Have a great Christmas all Folklore of Wales Ghosts avaiable here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Folklore-Wales-Ghosts-Delyth-Badder/dp/191527950X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HUKM10I63T90&keywords=the+folklore+of+wales+ghosts&qid=1703247094&sprefix=folklore+of+wales-%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-1 Email owenstaton@aol.com www.ko-fi.com/owenstaton www.patreon.com/owenstaton7 Love to All Owen

Sales is fundamentally an extended conversation with prospects, suppliers, providers, clients, customers, and colleagues. What gets talked about, how it gets talked about, and who is invited to the conversation will determine what will happen or won't. If you want to have better conversation with yourself and others, stay tuned as Bill, and I welcome our guest Susan Scott author of Fierce Conversations & Fierce Leadership to episode 594 of the Winning at Selling Podcast.

This month's interview includes three women forward leaders who are implementing ideas, strategies, and opportunities within the industry. In this episode, host Teresa Palacios Smith speaks with three lovely forward-thinking leaders: Caroline Isern, Natalia Karayaneva, and Christy Casey. They share their knowledge and beliefs on embracing AI technology and their journeys. Meet the Leaders Caroline Isern - Senior Vice President, Multi-Cultural Lending, New American Funding (NAF) Natalia Karayaneva - Founder & CEO, Propy Christy Casey - President Region 7, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTOR®/Trident Group The Leaders' Journeys Christy started working with real estate agent Eunice Nelson after moving to a remote part of Arizona. She later realized her passion for the industry through her mom's background in real estate. Caroline came into real estate through a unique path, inspired by her parents and the passion of the leaders she's connected with, and is now proud to be a part of the Home Services of America family. Natalia started their real estate journey in Bulgaria, acquiring land and selling properties to foreign investors. Fostering Creativity in the Real Estate Industry Natalia emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and growth throughout one's career. She also discusses the importance of having great mentors and a supportive team to pursue leadership opportunities. Christy emphasizes the importance of being intentional and innovative in the industry, citing examples of successful strategies and leaders. Caroline encourages teams to operate intentionally, foster diverse perspectives, and recognize and reward innovation. Innovation, Leadership, and Disruptions in the Tech Industry Natalia believes surrounding oneself with smart, diverse, and disciplined people is key to bolstering innovation and critical thinking in a startup. Her company prioritizes open communication, trust, and mutual respect among team members to foster a collaborative and supportive work environment. Christy emphasizes the importance of collaboration and open-mindedness in staying ahead of disruption, citing the value of a "mastermind" approach. Caroline highlights the need for continuous learning and embracing technology to serve communities better and stay ahead of the curve. Leaders' Favorite Books Natalia: “No Rules Rules” by Reed Hasting, “Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight, and “The Sovereign Individual” by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg Caroline: “Lend In” by Sheryl Sandberg  Christy: “Fierce Conversations” by Susan Scott and “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara Leaders' Favorite Quotes Caroline: “Instead of letting your hardships and failures discourage or exhaust you, let them inspire you.” Christy: “Focus on what you want, not what you fear.” Natalia: “ I'm grateful for everything I have in my life, and anything is possible. I'm driven by my future and can live in this moment.” When you help another woman rise, we all shine. And that's how we make an impact. So, let's build each other up and shine brighter than the sun. For more great content from Teresa, connect with her on LinkedIn, join her Women Who Lead Series on Facebook, and subscribe to her YouTube channel. You can find more episodes of Women Who Lead on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else podcasts can be found. This episode is brought to you in part by Venus et Fleur. Are you looking for a great way to show appreciation to family, friends, or even customers? Give them a floral arrangement they won't forget anytime soon. These beautiful arrangements make the perfect closing gift for any realtor to stay top of mind. Visit venusetfleur.com and use code “hsoa20” when ordering for 20% off.  

Susan Scott preached during Christ the King Sunday, and yet the lectionary scripture for this sermon is Luke 23: 33-43, telling of the crucifixion of Jesus where he is mocked by the guards and one of the condemned for proclaiming his lordship. Susan invited us to see the kingship of Christ not as a ruler who bends people to his (or our) will, but rather as a "hidden" king who has labored hard to identify with and inhabit our suffering in the most intimate and vulnerable fashion. The manifestation of his rule and reign, unlike our traditional concepts of physical kingdoms, continues on in his followers through the commandment of love. Although we sometimes fall short of our goals to create a more just and loving world and feel discouraged or burned out, remember that Christ is the "hidden" King and he is the source of our hope.

“‘The conversation is the relationship.' Is a quote I come back to often from the book Fierce Conversations from Susan Scott. What this means to me… is that the quality of our relationships depend on the quality of our conversations, which of course then directly impacts the quality of our work together as a team.” - Winnie da SilvaIn this episode, Winnie and Peter explore the concept of high-quality conversations and their importance within teams. They discuss the significant impact of conversation quality on relationships and team effectiveness, emphasizing that it is critical to all other building blocks in Peter's methodology.Episode Highlights:"The Conversation is the Relationship"Winnie shares this quote from the book "Fierce Conversations" that underscores the idea that the quality of relationships depends on the quality of conversations. This, in turn, directly affects the quality of teamwork.Survey on Conversation DynamicsUnequal participation, lack of candor, and poor understanding of others' reasoning are common dynamics in meetings and discussions, and they stress that these are problematic.Business Case for High-Quality ConversationsPeter encourages the audience to consider the costs associated with low-quality conversations.Winnie and Peter assert that it's not enough to bring people together for work; it's essential to ensure the conversations are of high quality, with broad participation, candor, and the sharing of views and reasoning.How to Work with Teams on High-Quality Conversations Winnie explains that working on high-quality conversations is a relatively straightforward process.They emphasize creating a climate for conversations where people feel psychologically safe to speak up and engage with others in open discussions.The aspiration is to achieve broad participation, candor, and mutual understanding within team conversations.Three Steps to Implement High-Quality ConversationsDescribe the attributes of high-quality conversations, why they matter, and how they look.Identify barriers to these attributes, which can reveal hidden team dynamics.Encourage practice and the use of language and behavioral best practices to increase conversation quality.Best Practices for High-Quality ConversationsWinnie introduces six best practices that fall under three primary topics: Participation, Candor, and Understanding of Reasoning. For each practice, there are both "self" and "other" components to encourage improvement in conversations.ParticipationThe objective is NOT that everyone speaks for the same duration.The objective is to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to speak, and on important topics and decisions, everyone has been heard. CandorWinnie and Peter discuss the importance of managing self by speaking candidly and pushing one's comfort zone on this.They explain that, when interacting with others, one can inquire about what others are thinking to encourage candid dialogue.Understanding of ReasoningPeter stresses the importance of sharing reasoning when stating opinions.In interactions with others, he encourages asking questions about the reasoning behind others' opinions.Understanding of ReasoningPeter stresses the importance of sharing reasoning when stating opinions.In interactions with others, he encourages asking questions about the reasoning behind others' opinions.Implementing Best PracticesWinnie advises keeping these six best practices visible during meetings and on team agendas.The practices can serve as reminders for the team to work on their conversation quality.Challenges in Implementing High-Quality ConversationPeter discusses the relative ease or difficulty of implementing changes in participation, candor, and understanding of reasoning within a team.He emphasizes that increasing candor is the most challenging, as it often requires a shift from historical norms of not expressing true thoughts.Benefits of High-Quality ConversationsWinnie and Peter emphasize the significance of high-quality conversations in team effectiveness and describe the growing confidence and sense of accomplishment that teams experience when improving their conversations.ResourcesWinnie da Silva on LinkedIn Get the whole season and the companion guide at Winniedasilva.comFierce Conversations by Susan Scott

Join us on today's episode of Mama Says Namaste as I, Ashley, dive deep into the powerful concept of fierce conversations. Inspired by Susan Scott's thought-provoking book, Fierce Conversations, Nathan and I discuss how these principles can revolutionize our relationships at home. We break down the importance of honest and clear communication, both in the workplace and with our loved ones. We explore why the "compliment sandwich" approach may not be as effective as we think and how addressing concerns head-on can lead to growth and understanding. We take it a step further and apply these principles within our own homes. Nathan and I share personal stories of navigating tough conversations with our children and each other. We discuss the compromises necessary to cultivate a peaceful and supportive environment for everyone involved. Through Susan Scott's "Mineral Rights" approach, we learn the four essential steps in having a fierce conversation. We delve into the power of feeling heard and the importance of creating understanding and harmony in our relationships every day. We don't shy away from the tough topics - we address the emotional burden children can carry in a tense household and the impact it has on their well-being. We challenge the notion of staying in an unhappy relationship for the sake of the kids, emphasizing the significance of commitment and showing up authentically every day. So, grab your earbuds, lean in, and prepare to ignite change in your relationships. Join us on Mama Says Namaste as we explore the transformative nature of fierce conversations and how they can guide us toward intention, growth, and connection in our homes and beyond.

If we can't or won't engage conflict, we can't lead effectively. It's as simple as that. Fortunately, managing ourselves in conflict can be learned, unlearned and re-learned as we use conflict as a powerful opportunity for growth and change. We wrapped up part 1 with a question from Trisha, how do we manage ourselves and stay open hearted even when the other person isn't? That's where we'll pick up in this episode. And we'll also explore the fascinating world of internal family systems and helping the organizations that we're leading develop more capacity for managing conflict. About Our Guests: Heidi De Jonge lives in Ontario, Canada and has been an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church for 17 years–serving as pastor for congregations, a seminary, a university and health care. She also works in the area of conflict transformation as a restorative practitioner with FaithCARE and a trainer with The Colossian Forum. Heidi received her doctorate in ministry from Western Theological Seminary in 2018, studying and writing about conflict as an opportunity for discipleship and transformation. She and her husband, Tim, have three daughters (Naomi, Samara and Zoe, 12 to 16) and a beloved husky-lab named Nevada. Brian Keepers has been an ordained pastor in the Reformed Church in America for 22 years. He has served three different congregations in the midwest, and he is currently serving as the lead pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City, IA. He is married to Tammy (24 years this August) and they have two daughters–Emma who is 20 and Abby who is 15 years old. They also have a granddaughter named Luna who is 2 1/2 years old. Brian loves art, reading, being outdoors, spending time with people, and getting to be “Poppy” to his granddaughter. He also loves to learn, especially at the intersection of theology, psychology and leadership. Resources & Links: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni Christ the Center by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, et al. Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time by Susan Scott. Leading Through Conflict: How Successful Leaders Transform Differences into Opportunities by Mark Gerzon.

If we can't or won't engage conflict, we can't lead effectively. It's as simple as that. Fortunately, managing ourselves in conflict can be learned, unlearned and re-learned as we use conflict as a powerful opportunity for growth and change. Conversation Overview: What is the goal of conflict? Mental models of conflict Formative experiences with conflict “Truth is not something in itself which rests for itself, but something that happens between two. Truth happens only in community.” Crucial conversations Growing our capacity to manage conflict Container conversations About Our Guests: Heidi De Jonge lives in Ontario, Canada and has been an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church for 17 years–serving as pastor for congregations, a seminary, a university and health care. She also works in the area of conflict transformation as a restorative practitioner with FaithCARE and a trainer with The Colossian Forum. Heidi received her doctorate in ministry from Western Theological Seminary in 2018, studying and writing about conflict as an opportunity for discipleship and transformation. She and her husband, Tim, have three daughters (Naomi, Samara and Zoe, 12 to 16) and a beloved husky-lab named Nevada. Brian Keepers has been an ordained pastor in the Reformed Church in America for 22 years. He has served three different congregations in the midwest, and he is currently serving as the lead pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City, IA. He is married to Tammy (24 years this August) and they have two daughters–Emma who is 20 and Abby who is 15 years old. They also have a granddaughter named Luna who is 2 1/2 years old. Brian loves art, reading, being outdoors, spending time with people, and getting to be “Poppy” to his granddaughter. He also loves to learn, especially at the intersection of theology, psychology and leadership. Resources & Links: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni Christ the Center by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, et al. Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time by Susan Scott. Leading Through Conflict: How Successful Leaders Transform Differences into Opportunities by Mark Gerzon.

What if one conversation could change the course of your career, relationship, or even life? Join us on the People Gardener podcast where we dive into the transformative power of fierce conversations. Our host, Rhonda Delaney, brings the groundbreaking book 'Fierce Conversations' by Susan Scott to life, providing insights and actionable steps to enhance your leadership skills. This episode is a treasure trove of wisdom on building teams that feel seen, heard, and valued.We go beyond mere theories, exploring how to tackle difficult conversations and challenges head-on. Rhonda shares Susan's material and guides us through 'interrogating reality', where we question our beliefs and intentions. The significance of open-ended questions and the emotional wake our words leave behind are also discussed. Tune in as we explore the art of silence, acknowledging the 'elephant in the room', and creating a positive impact through your words. Whether you're a small business owner, a new or frustrated business owner, or an aspiring leader, this episode offers valuable lessons for anyone seeking to nurture relationships and enhance communication skills.

Do you feel like you WANT it but you aren't working for it? Do you wonder how it's possible to want something as badly as you do, but still make so many damn excuses? PLEASE don't skip this episode!  Mentioned In Today's Episode:  The Consistency Course  Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott

As you journey from a small and mighty team to a larger organization, it becomes essential to reflect on your rules of communication. You need to understand how these rules allow you to win or lose with your team members. One book that has profoundly influenced our perspective on this topic is 'Fierce Conversations' by Susan Scott. Susan's insightful quote, "Relationships grow or die slowly and then suddenly one conversation at a time," resonates deeply with us. Reflecting on the relationships in life, both the ones that have flourished and the ones that haven't, it's clear how crucial each conversation has been to their trajectory.Today, we're delving deep into the world of effective communication, discussing the rules and tactics that we can adopt in the workplace to make our interactions more impactful. This episode is a must-listen regardless of where you find yourself on the corporate ladder. Whether you're a leader, a newbie, a part-time employee, or a member of the management team, the rules we're about to discuss apply to everyone.So let's learn together, grow together, and enhance our communication one conversation at a time. These insights could be instrumental in shaping your professional relationships and fostering a thriving, collaborative workplace environment. Stay tuned for an episode that's sure to change the way you perceive and approach communication.Resources:Read: Fierce Conversations by Susan ScottConnect on Instagram:Seychelle Van Poole: @seychellevpSarah Reynolds: @sarahreynoldsojiWendy Papasan: @wendypapasanKymber Lovett-Menkiti: @kymbermenkitiTiffany Fykes: @tiffanyfykes

Lucy Worsley takes a fresh look at an infamous shooting that took place at London's Savoy Hotel, amid all the wealth and glamour of the Roaring ‘20s. On 10th July 1923, at the height of a violent thunderstorm, Marguerite Fahmy shoots her new husband at close range with a pistol – in the corridor, outside their opulent suite. It's clear she's killed him, but why? Lucy is joined by Nneka Akudolu KC, a barrister with 20 years' experience of exactly this kind of complex case, and Lady Killers' in-house historian Professor Rosalind Crone from the Open University, to get to the bottom of this 100 year old mystery. Together, they untangle the complexities of Marguerite's relationship with Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey, a super-rich Egyptian ‘playboy prince'. Ros goes to the scene of the crime to meet Savoy archivist Susan Scott and find out more about this notorious incident in the hotel's history. The team discover that, while the coroner's court returns a straightforward verdict of ‘wilful murder', when Marguerite's case comes to trial at the Old Bailey, the story gets a whole lot murkier. She is defended by legal legend Sir Edward Marshall Hall KC and cuts a tragic figure in the dock, glamorous and apparently bereft. She alleges that Ali was violently abusive and there is huge public sympathy for her plight, with her husband cast as a 'bestial' monster. Lucy, Nneka and Ros examine these claims and counterclaims to unpick the prejudice at work in the courtroom and ask if justice was served in this case. Would Marguerite's story play out any differently today? Producer: Sarah Goodman Readers: Meena Rayann and Jonathan Keeble Sound Design: Chris Maclean Series Producer: Julia Hayball A StoryHunter production for BBC Radio 4

Hello friends! This week David Holcomb and Andrew Wild sit with special guest Susan Scott as we continue our study in Luke chapter 21, the 'widow's offering'. Here we learn the value of giving from the heart. This week's Essential Moment is on the meaning of "Redeemed".

 DownloadWelcome to Episode 310 which is our Double Double episode 5. This week the show starts off with GregaMortis and Ian Irza on Black Glove Mysteries. Greg and Ian are finishing up their two part episode focusing on Luciano Ercoli's, Death Walks On Hight Heels and Death Walks At Midnight. These films starred Susan Scott and Simon Andreu. You will not want to miss hearing Greg and Ian break these two films down. Next GregaMortis brings a mini review of 2023 release Children Of The Corn from RLJE Films. Children Of the Corn will hit Theaters March 3 and then Shudder March 21. Is it worth checking out in the theatre? Listen to Greg break it down.Lastly, GregaMortis and the Twisted Temptress brings Mortis Vision and this week it is Kolchak The Night Stalker series. Greg and Pearl review a total of four episodes. There are spoilers as always in this segment so be sure to check out the episodes first then you can listen to Greg and Pearl discuss these episodes. We want to hear from each of you, are you digging the double double episodes? Let us here your feedback. So sit back , turn up the volume and take a journey with us through Land Of The Creeps.HELP KEEP HORROR ALIVE!BLACK GLOVE MYSTERY1971 DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELSIAN : 8GREG : 8.5AMAZON BLU-RAY1972 DEATH WALK AT MIDNIGHTIAN : 9.5GREG : 9AMAZON BLU-RAYMINI REVIEW:2023 CHILDREN OF THE CORNGERG : 5.5KOLCHAK SERIESGREG: EPISODE 6 FIREFALLEPISODE 15 CHOPPERPEARL:EPISODE 8 BAD MEDICINEEPISODE 16 DEMON IN LACEAMAZON DVDLINKS FOR DOUBLE DOUBLEGregaMortisFacebookTwitterLand Of The Creeps Group PageLand Of The Creeps Fan PageJay Of  The Dead's New Horror Movie PodcastYoutubeInstagramEmailLetterboxdTwisted Temptress LinkLetterboxdIAN IRZA LINKSBLOG SITEFACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAMLOTC Hotline Number1-804-569-56821-804-569-LOTCLOTC Intro is provided by Andy Ussery, Below are links to his social mediaEmail:FacebookTwitterOutro music provided by Greg Whitaker Below is Greg's Twitter accountTwitterFacebookLespecial FacebookLespecial Website

Susan Scott spoke from Matthew 17:1-9, which shares the experience of Jesus and three of his disciples going up into a mountain where they meet Moses and Elijah. In that interchange Jesus's divine nature is revealed, with God appearing in a cloud, claiming Jesus as God's beloved Son, telling the disciples to listen to him. It's known as the transfiguration of Jesus. The text calls all of us as disciples to shut up and listen to Jesus, to embrace the counter-cultural other- focused life.

 DownloadWelcome to LOTC Double Double Episode 4. This week GregaMortis and Ian Irza starts a 2 pt series with Luciano Ercoli's The Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion. Not only is this segment going to be about Luciano but also Susan Scott and Simon Andreu. Lots of interesting discussion about this film that we hope You will dig. Also during this episode GregaMortis and The Twisted Temptress are joined by Karen Wagner and Brian Scott to break down every episode of Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet Of Curiosities available on Netflix. Brian and Karen did such an amazing job on this segment and we are confident You will be having lots of laughter as well as learning some interesting things about the episodes. As if this was not enough, GregaMortis and the Twisted Temptress reviews a 2023 Thriller called Disquiet. Here what they think about the movie. Thank You so much for tuning into this episode and for tuning in to every episode. If you are new to the show we would love if you would subscribe to the podcast via whatever platform you listen and also, it would be amazing if you would leave us a rating on your platform if they allow it. This really helps the show gain popularity. So sit back and turn up the volume and take a journey with us through the Land Of The Creeps.HELP KEEP HORROR ALIVE!MOVIE REVIEW : 1970 FORBIDDEN PHOTOS OF A LADY ABOVE SUSPICIONIAN : 9GREGAMORTIS : 9BLU-RAY PURCHASE2023 DISQUIET GREGAMORTIS : 7.5TWISTED TEMPTRESS : 8KAREN WAGNER LINKS:FACEBOOKTWITTERBRIAN SCOTT LINKS :FACEBOOKTWITTERLINKS FOR DOUBLE DOUBLEGregaMortisFacebookTwitterLand Of The Creeps Group PageLand Of The Creeps Fan PageJay Of  The Dead's New Horror Movie PodcastYoutubeInstagramEmailLetterboxdTwisted Temptress LinkLetterboxdIAN IRZA LINKSBLOG SITEFACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAMLOTC Hotline Number1-804-569-56821-804-569-LOTCLOTC Intro is provided by Andy Ussery, Below are links to his social mediaEmail:FacebookTwitterOutro music provided by Greg Whitaker Below is Greg's Twitter accountTwitterFacebookLespecial FacebookLespecial Website

Hey everyone, welcome back to our channel "Booklicious Podcast"! Today, we're going to review the book "Fierce Love: Creating a Love That Lasts" by New York Times bestselling author Susan Scott. This book is a guide for couples who are looking to build vital relationship skills and deepen their connection with each other. In this book, Scott helps us understand that the conversation is the relationship and offers eight critical conversations that are necessary to enrich our relationships. This Show is powered by - Gobookmart.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/booklicious/message

The conversation IS the relationship. In this episode, Michelle and Chase share takeaways from a resource provided by Fierce, leaning on many principles from the book, Fierce Conversations, by Susan Scott. Regardless of your role, experience level, or Career Dreams, implementing these strategies will strengthen your connections with others and add depth and authenticity to your relationships. Resources: eBook: 10 Steps to be Fierce at Work and at Home (Fierce) Grab a copy of Fierce Conversations here!   Like it? Share it! If you're finding value in exploring your Career Dreams through this podcast, please share it with your friends, followers and colleagues! Also, your ratings and reviews help others find the show...so please, let us know what you think! You can share your Career Dreams with us anytime via email: careerdreams@forumcu.com. To learn more about making your Career Dreams come true at FORUM Credit Union, visit our website:  https://www.forumcu.com/careers Dream on!

Two women left their jobs, sold their homes, moved in with their parents and worked for four years to make a film about Rhino Poaching… and the documentary keeps winning incredible international accolades! Bonné de Bod and director Susan Scott risked their lives, placing themselves in incredible danger to document the war on rhino poaching. They planned to tell a story so brutal and heartbreaking, all to spread one message… that rhino poaching must stop. Their documentary film called “STROOP” has been shown on screens across the globe and became big South African news after winning incredible international awards. Bonné's joined the Good Things Guy in the studio to chat about it. STROOP – Journey Into The Rhino Horn War!

On this second Sunday of Advent, the anticipation of Christ's arrival, Susan Scott provided the message based on Isaiah 11:1-10. Most of us have plenty of light, hope and joy in our lives, but certainly it can be a struggle at times. Where in your life do you need to hold on to hope?

Susan brought the message from Luke 16:19-31, telling the story of the rich man and Lazarus. How often are we so caught up in our own world that we miss those at the margins? And it's not just about being blind to those at the margins but about being so sure you know what God is doing that you're blind to what God is doing in front of you.

Susan Scott is a best-selling author, a popular and sought-after Fortune 100 public speaker, and a renowned leadership development architect. Susan founded Fierce in 2001 after 13 years leading CEO think tanks, more than 10,000 hours of conversations with senior executives, and one epiphany: While no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, a business, or a life—any conversation can. Designing and delivering training for peers working with CEOs in 18 countries, Susan developed a sharp eye for what works and what doesn't work in building profitable organizations. In 2002, after many requests, Susan decided to share her insights in a book. The result was the award-winning Fierce Conversations—Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time. Published in four countries, it was recognized on The Wall Street Journal and United Press International bestseller lists and named one of USA TODAY'S top 40 business books of 2002. Now, hear her take on the Essential 11 questions. More places you can find Susan: Website - https://fierceinc.com Linkedin - Susan Scott Book - Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time

Keeping your emotions at bay to maintain the harmony in your relationship may seem like a better option than engaging in a conversation that might result in an argument. On the other hand, suppressing your feelings can eventually do serious damage to your relationship. When you spend a lot of time with someone, you may begin to believe that you know everything about them. Starting a conversation may feel terrifying because you anticipate your partner's response and how the conversation will go, but you may or may not be right. In this episode, Susan Scott discusses the causes of relationship plateaus, common misconceptions about love, the effects of poor communication or lack thereof, and the characteristics of a fierce conversation. You'd be surprised at how refreshing that would be if you knew how to approach these conversations in a courageous, loving, and skillful way.  Susan Scott is a bestselling author and leadership development architect who has enabled top executives worldwide to engage in vibrant dialogue with one another, with their employees, and with their customers for two decades. In her latest book, “Fierce Love – Creating a Love that Lasts, One Conversation at a Time,” Susan Scott guides couples through eight must-have conversations to create a fierce love that stands the test of time and grows stronger over the years. Check out the transcript of this episode on Dr. Jessica Higgin's website. In this episode 6:19 Gradually and then suddenly: Understanding how lack of communication can ruin a  relationship. 16:53 Post-romance stage: Recognizing the causes of a relationship plateau. 23:07 What a fierce conversation looks like. 33:21 Susan's own description of what she considers to be a safe place for meaningful conversations. 40:00 Myths about love that can destroy you and your relationship. Mentioned Fierce Love: Creating a Love that Lasts---One Conversation at a Time (*Amazon Affiliate link) (book) Shifting Criticism For Connected Communication Connect with Susan Scott Website: susanscott.io | fierceinc.com/fierce-conversations Facebook: facebook.com/SusanScottFierce | linkedin.com/company/fierce-inc- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/susan-scott-1b63388 | linkedin.com/company/fierce-inc- Twitter: twitter.com/fierce_inc YouTube: youtube.com/user/fierceinc Instagram: instagram.com/fierceconversations_ Connect with Dr. Jessica Higgins Facebook: facebook.com/EmpoweredRelationship  Instagram: instagram.com/drjessicahiggins  Podcast: drjessicahiggins.com/podcasts/ Pinterest: pinterest.com/EmpowerRelation  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drjessicahiggins  Twitter: @DrJessHiggins  Website: drjessicahiggins.com   Email: jessica@drjessicahiggins.com If you have a topic you would like me to discuss, please contact me by clicking on the “Ask Dr. Jessica Higgins” button here.  Thank you so much for your interest in improving your relationship.  Also, I would so appreciate your honest rating and review. Please leave a review by clicking here.  Thank you!   *With Amazon Affiliate Links, I may earn a few cents from Amazon, if you purchase the book from this link.

In this episode, Jeannette talks to Richard Stone who has spent 30+ years working in construction and development. He is also a TEDx speaker and mentor. Richard is passionate about mental health issues and providing support to others who need help with this. Richard talks about his early life and his business journey and what he has learned along the way. He also speaks extensively about taking care of your mental health, overcoming trauma, grief, and other life challenges, while at the same time providing the right sort of support to help others to do the same. KEY TAKEAWAYS Never leave things unsaid and always, always check in with people and make sure they are OK. The first step to effectively monitoring your mental health is regularly checking in with yourself and asking what am I feeling. How am I acting? Human beings are hardwired for connection. Even councillors have a supervisor to check in and make sure they are doing OK mentally. Everyone needs support with their mental health at some stage. There is a world of difference between mental illness and mental health issues. Being true to your values and genuine is the only way to be an effective leader. Treat your workers with respect. The people at the bottom of the pyramid are essential. Without them you are nothing. You won't get innovation unless people feel that it is safe to share. Look at your team dynamics. Understanding how everyone fits together enables you to support your team and pick the right people for the tasks that need to be completed. Business owners need to learn to share the details of their failures as well as their successes. We can learn so much from each other. Running a small business is probably the loneliness place to be. There is no board of peers to support you and it is tough to secure finance. Connect with others for support. Don´t sweat the small stuff. How to stop doing that is explained in the podcast.   BEST MOMENTS ‘I am a firm believer in our being where we are meant to be. ´ ‘Look at team dynamics and dynamics in meetings and dynamics when you are pitching all sorts of stuff.' ‘For me, it is all about serving. It can be a lonely world out there, but it doesn´t need to be.' ‘I don´t think we are really ever finished. We can always learn.'    This is the perfect time to get focused on what YOU want to really achieve in your business, career, and life. It's never too late to be BRAVE and BOLD and unlock your inner BRILLIANCE. If you'd like to jump on a free mentoring session just DM Jeannette at info@jeannettelinfootassociates.com or sign up via Jeannette's linktree https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot   VALUABLE RESOURCES Brave, Bold, Brilliant podcast series - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brave-bold-brilliant-podcast/id1524278970   EPISODE RESOURCES https://linktr.ee/richardstone Books by Matthew Syed - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matthew-Collection-Thinking-Bounce-Practice/dp/9123979887/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1E3VDFEAN4AZ&keywords=matthew+syed+books&qid=1663846582&sprefix=matthew+s%2Caps%2C91&sr=8-4 Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fierce-Conversations-Achieving-success-conversation/dp/0349417369/   ABOUT THE GUEST Richard Stone is a Builder/Developer and Chartered Construction Manager as well as a Non-Exec, Trustee, TEDx Speaker, and Public Speaker, with a quick wit and a profound sense of humour along with a real handle of what it takes to deliver results in Construction, Property, and business as well as a passion to support the learning of others. He has 30+ years of experience in business, construction, and high-level executive leadership and management. As well as successfully mentoring employees, Richard also works with other business owners to help them maximise their profits and regain time and has become known for his ability to dispense valuable no nonsense insightful advice. Respected for his extensive expertise and his unrivalled commitment to his own and others' personal development as well as his work ethic. Richard is also a highly regarded coach, mentor, and sought-after public speaker. ABOUT THE HOST Jeannette Linfoot is a highly regarded senior executive, property investor, board advisor, and business mentor with over 25 years of global professional business experience across the travel, leisure, hospitality, and property sectors. Having bought, ran, and sold businesses all over the world, Jeannette now has a portfolio of her own businesses and also advises and mentors other business leaders to drive forward their strategies as well as their own personal development. Jeannette is a down-to-earth leader, a passionate champion for diversity & inclusion, and a huge advocate of nurturing talent so every person can unleash their full potential and live their dreams.    CONTACT THE HOST Jeannette's linktree - https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot https://www.jeannettelinfootassociates.com/ YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtsU57ZGoPhm55_X0qF16_Q LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeannettelinfoot Facebook - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeannettelinfoot Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jeannette.linfoot/ Email - info@jeannettelinfootassociates.com   Podcast Description Jeannette Linfoot talks to incredible people about their experiences of being Brave, Bold & Brilliant, which have allowed them to unleash their full potential in business, their careers, and life in general. From the boardroom tables of ‘big' international businesses to the dining room tables of entrepreneurial start-ups, how to overcome challenges, embrace opportunities anbusiness, growth, scale, marketing, investment, investing, entrepreneurship, coach, consultant, mindset, six figures, seven figures, travel, industry, ROI, B2B, inspirational: https://linktr.ee/JLinfootSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether you're leading a team of employees, freelancers, or even working with vendor partners understanding how the brain reacts to change will help you communicate better with everyone you interact with. This week's episode 71 of Female Founders Breaking Boundaries is about what your employee needs and can't tell you!Have you ever felt like you were WAY too busy, stressed out, burnt out, and overwhelmed, so you were advised to delegate some tasks to take things off your plate and free up some time? Except, maybe it didn't work. If getting out of the day-to-day in your business was as simple as hiring more people, then why are you still feeling overwhelmed and burned out? You are not alone! Sometimes, simply delegating tasks doesn't work and instead shifts your workload from “doing” to “managing.”I invite you to use the exercise that our own C-Suite clients use to take the first step in turning your team into a well-oiled, self-managed machine- and get you out of the delegation catch-22. Download the exercise here to get started!In this episode of Female Founders Breaking Boundaries, my guest Melina Palmer shares how every interaction we have falls in a line of change and actionable steps you can take right now to change the way you approach and react to change in order to better communicate with your team. Some of the things Melina and I cover in this episode are:Help people to be more passionate about the work they are doingQuickly highlighting her first book: What Your Customer Wants and Can't Tell YouBreaking down the “it's not about the cookie framework” as it applies to pricing and change management. What is quiet quitting and how you can look at your team culture and retain employees. How to approach tough conversations with your employees. When tackling these conversations always remember that change is all about you but it has nothing to do with you. If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to share and tag me!  And don't forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!Learn more about Female Founders Breaking Boundaries and Casey at https://she-suiteboutique.com/podcast/ CONNECT WITH MELINA PALMER:WebsiteThe Brainy Business PodcastBooksGet Your Free Chapters HereInstagramLinkedInCONNECT WITH CASEY GROMER:LinkedInCompany PersonaWork with Casey Gromer! Book an Advisory Call LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Negotiate Anything PodcastHow to Have Difficult Conversations About Race by Kwame Christian Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott

Susan Scott brought this Sunday's message based on Luke 13:10-17, the story of Jesus healing the crippled woman at the synagogue on the Sabbath. Susan asked us to contemplate, "How does God feel about you at this moment?" Jesus was chastised for breaking strict Sabbath rules by the leader of the synagogue. This leader was trying to follow the rules as he understood them. His actions were born out of his head knowledge, not out of knowing in his heart the love that God had for him. Does our answer to the question of how God feels about us at this moment line up with our theology that God loves us? The extent to which we have actually internalized God's love for us colors everything else that we do.

Andy's guest this week on The Talent Development Hot Seat is Jerry Dugan, Director of Organizational Effectiveness for a healthcare system in Dallas. Jerry has almost two decades of experience in the learning and development space and leads a small team that's responsible for new hire orientation, leadership development, team building, and other instructional design duties. Jerry Dugan holds a Master of Science in Educational Technology from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and is a U.S. Army combat veteran. He lives in Dallas with his wife Olivia. They have two adult children, three cats, and a dog named Oreo. In this bonus episode, you'll hear: 6. Jerry Dugan's proudest career accomplishment and what stands out about it. 7. His biggest career mistake and what he learned from that failure. 8. What he sees as the biggest challenge in talent development today. 9. The trend he's paying attention to and why it's exciting. 10. Why he recommends the book Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott and what you can learn from it. 11. Jerry's advice for accelerating your career. Connect with Andy Storch here: https://andystorch.com/ (Website) https://www.linkedin.com/in/andystorch/ (LinkedIn) https://tdtt.us/ (Join us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community)! Connect with Jerry Dugan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrydugan/ (LinkedIn) Email https://beyondtherut.com/ (Beyond the Rut podcast) https://www.amazon.com/Analyzing-Performance-Problems-Really-Wanna-How/dp/1879618176 (Analyzing Performance Problems book) https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Conversations-Achieving-Success-Conversation/dp/0425193373 (Fierce Conversations book) https://www.td.org/atd-blog/the-what-why-and-how-of-needs-assessments (ATD: How to Conduct a Needs Assessment) https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/how-to-guides/pages/conduct-training-needs-assessment.aspx (SHRM: How To Conduct a Needs Assessment)

Welcome back as we continue our conversation around Healthy Romantic Relationships, I am thrilled to be speaking with Susan Scott author of “Fierce Love”, about the essential role of conversations. I was first exposed to Susan's work about a decade ago, when beginning my divorce coaching career and came upon her book Fierce Conversations which over the years has helped me help my clients communicate more effectively.      In Fierce Love, Susan asserts that “the conversation IS the relationship!”  What we talk about and how we talk about it determine whether our relationships will thrive, flatline, or fail.    Susan is the best selling author of Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life /  One Conversation at a Time / Fierce Leadership: An Alternative to the Worst “Best” Practices of Business Today / and Fierce Love, Creating a Love That Lasts - One Conversation at a Time..   Susan is a popular and sought-after Fortune 100 speaker who has been challenging people to say the things that are hard to say for over two decades.   susanscott.io     Request a Free Jump Start Call at https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/jumpstart   For more information on Journey Beyond Divorce visit:  www.jbddivorcesupport.com

Susan Scott is a New York Times bestselling author and leadership development architect. For the past two decades, she has enabled top executives worldwide to engage in vibrant dialogue with each other, with their employees, and with their customers. In Fierce Love: Creating a Love That Lasts, One Conversation at a Time, and Fierce Love: A Journal for Couples, Susan Scott guides couples through eight must-have conversations that lead to deep connection and lasting commitment. In this episode of Last First Date Radio: Why it's so hard for most couples to talk honestly to each other Some of the 8 conversations every couple must have Why unconditional love is so problematic in relationships Connect with Susan Scott https://susanscott.io ►Please subscribe/rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts http://bit.ly/lastfirstdateradio ►If you're feeling stuck in dating and relationships and would like to find your last first date, sign up for a complimentary 1/2 hour breakthrough session with Sandy https://lastfirstdate.com/application ►Join Your Last First Date on Facebook https://facebook.com/groups/yourlastfirstdate ►Get a copy of Sandy's book, Becoming a Woman of Value; How to Thrive in Life and Love https://bit.ly/womanofvaluebook ►This episode is brought to you by Amazon Music Unlimited. For a limited time, get it for FREE for 30 days. Go to getamazonmusic.com/lastfirstdate to learn more and claim this offer. ►Want to be coached on the show? Fill out an application here: https://bit.ly/LFDradiocoaching ► FREE download: “Top 10 Reasons Why Men Suddenly Pull Away” → http://bit.ly/whymendisappear ►Join the Woman of Value Club https://lastfirstdate.com/the-woman-of-value-club/ ►Website → https://lastfirstdate.com/ ►Twitter → https://twitter.com/lastfirstdate1 ► Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/lastfirstdate1/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sandy-weiner9/message

How can you write creative non-fiction? And what makes it stand out?I am fascinated by creative non-fiction. It is a type of writing where the writer or author injects something of themself from their personal life or a little bit of creativity into the work.In other words, it's not simply researching a topic and turning it into another dry business book.Writing creative non-fiction can be a challenge. In addition to selecting an intriguing idea, you need to find the best way to express that idea and tell compelling stories that will captivate the reader's attention.This week's guest is a specialist in writing creative non-fiction. Her name is Susan Scott.Susan has written three books over her career and is a New York Times best-selling author.In this episode, we discuss:Her 22 years plus writing journeyHow to approach creative non-fictionHow creative non-fiction and non-fiction differSusans' research and writing processAnd her influences and inspirationResources:Website: http://thefiercelovebook.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-scott-1b63388/Facebook: Susan ScottTwitter: fierce_incSupport the show

If we want to look at the quality of our relationships, we have to look no further than the quality of the conversations that we have.The everyday conversations with the people we care about are either strengthening our relationships or undermining them – and we're not always aware of which is taking place because we're failing so slowly we think we're succeeding. When it comes to marriages, it can be catastrophic. With children, it can lead to relationships full of regret. With business, it can lead to millions of dollars lost that could have been realized. So how do we fix it? How do we get clear on how we communicate with the people who matter most so that we build amazing relationships and build extraordinary lives? Susan Scott of "Fierce Conversations" has been on the show before, and she's going to help us answer those questions.If you want to learn more about The ONE Thing Couples Goal Setting Retreat, you can go to the1thing.com/setmygoals.To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.In this episode, you will learn…[02:02] How you arrived at the results in your life one conversation at a time[07:08] Having conversations with yourself[12:11] Turning feedback into a conversation instead of a preconception[21:56] Getting comfortable with discomfort[32:33] Having the courage to have difficult conversationsLinks & Tools from This Episodefierceinc.comthe1thing.com/setmygoalsRead: "Fierce Conversations"–Do you keep writing the same thing over and over in your emails?We're constantly sending the same email addresses, phone numbers, and replies to our coworkers and clients. Over time, the busywork really starts to add up. That's where TextExpander comes in. Whether you're writing on your computer, on your phone, in an email, or in an instant messaging app, TextExpander is always there to save you time.You can get 20% off your first year by visiting textexpander.com/podcast.–Perfect nutrition for peak performance or better health takes a lot of mental energy and time.Unless you let someone else do the hard part for you. Athletic Greens is an incredibly comprehensive and nutritional beverage. The all-in-one superfood is delicious and easily fits into your daily routine. A single scoop contains 75 essential vitamins, minerals, and whole-food sourced ingredients to support your immunity, gut health, aging, and energy in a way that's lifestyle friendly, so whether you're keto, Paleo, or gluten-free, Athletic Greens has got you covered. Go to athetlicgreens.com/one to claim a one year supply of vitamin D and five travel packs for free.

In the spiritual Revolution that is underway, fierce conversations are critical. In this episode, I explain that "fierce" doesn't mean angry. But, what does it mean? Why are fierce conversations so important? Are fierce conversations biblical? And, how can we be both gently curious (episode #66) and fierce? I'm drawing especially on Susan Scott's excellent book, Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time In this episode, I also reference a news article about Celebration Church, one of the biggest churches in Jacksonville, FL. It's an example of a church where I'm pretty sure fierce conversations were not part of the church culture.

When we don't really know what we want our future to look like, we often find ourselves just bouncing around from strategy to strategy, from relationship to relationship, experimenting, and not purposefully driving ourselves toward our ideal futures. Today on Relentless Growth, we rediscover a powerful exercise to help us break out of this counterproductive cycle in order to achieve true success. One of our most popular episodes introduced listeners to the Future Self Meditation or Exercise. Tuning in you'll discover what it means to get into a meditative state and visit with your future self, and how this exercise can provide you with a wealth of clarity on your future and how to get there.  If you want to gain real perspective about your motivations and priorities, find calmness about what's happening in your life, discover the direction you need to grow in next, and reach inside yourself to discover that your most important answers are probably already there waiting for you, get comfortable and listen in! Whether you have done this practice before, or this is your first time, tune in today. Your future self will thank you for it!Key Points From This Episode:What you can gain from participating in the upcoming Relentless Growth Mastermind.An introduction to today's episode: A repost of one of our most popular episodes.What it means to get into a meditative state and visit with your future self. Why you should treat this as if you're going into a new season.How this exercise can help you get clarity on your future. Why you should set an intention for what you want to get out of this exercise.The first reason why this exercise is so important: to gain real perspective about your motivations and priorities.Reason two: to calm yourself down about what's happening in your life.Reason three: to realize that your most important answers are usually found inside of you.Reason four: to realize what you really want and what's really important when times are tough.Reason five: to see in what direction you need to grow next.Reason six: the Susan Scott quote: “The conversation is the relationship” and how this relates to this exercise. The first step in the exercise: make sure your environment supports your goal.Step two: set your body and your breathing for meditation. Step three: take a posture of curiosity. Step four: follow along with Chris as you go through the visualization. How to identify the steps you need to take to become your future self as you come out of the exercise. Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:Fierce ConversationsFierce LeadershipChris GoodmanGoodman Coaching ApplicationGoodman Coaching Inc The Relentless Growth Mastermind

When is a decision yours to make as a leader and when do you entrust it to your team?  On today's episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talk about the fine line leaders walk when it comes to making decisions. If you think that being a leader, being in charge, automatically means you make all the decisions, you need to take a step back. Sometimes the biggest decision a leader can make is deciding to delegate that decision-making to someone else. As leaders, we also need to take a deep dive into why we make the decisions we make. Are we being ruled by fear, or do we have the best interests of our team in mind? As leaders, our job is to multiply effective leadership—to lead others well so they may lead others well. Listen in for some actionable tips and helpful frameworks for making, delegating, and analyzing decisions.  IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: Tips for creating decision-making opportunities for your team 3 big fears that lead to unhealthy decisions  2 frameworks that can help you make better decisions The one thing NOT to say when a poor decision is made on your team  LINKS AND RESOURCES: https://readytolead.com/podcast/a-simple-framework-to-eliminate-bottlenecks-and-help-your-organization-make-better-decisions/ (Ep. 35 : A Simple Decision Framework) https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Conversations-Achieving-Success-Conversation/dp/0425193373/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=fierce+conversations&qid=1645033379&s=books&sprefix=fierce%2Cstripbooks%2C86&sr=1-1 (Fierce Conversations) (book by Susan Scott)  https://www.amazon.com/Decisive-Make-Better-Choices-Life/dp/0307956393/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=decisive+by+chip+and+dan+heath&qid=1649079652&s=books&sprefix=Decisive%2Cstripbooks%2C93&sr=1-1 (Decisive) (book by Chip Heath and Dan Heath) feedback@readytolead.com (email your thoughts/questions to Richard and Jeff) OTHER SHOWS YOU MIGHT ENJOY: https://businesslunchpodcast.com/ (Business Lunch) with Roland Frasier and Ryan Deiss https://www.digitalmarketer.com/podcast/perpetual-traffic/ (Perpetual Traffic) with Ralph Burns and Kasim Aslam https://www.digitalmarketer.com/podcast/digitalmarketer/ (DigitalMarketer Podcast) with Mark de Grasse

Reminiscing with Susan Scott, one of Stuart Scott's three siblings, about how the ESPN legend turned a cancer diagnosis into a lesson in living that continues to help people today. 

If delegation is challenging for you right now as a leader, this simple, proven exercise will help.   Today's episode is a micro-session with host Jeff Mask, and it's for any leader who has big goals for the year but way too much on their plate to get it all done. It's okay to admit it: to accomplish what you need to accomplish going forward, you're going to need help. You're going to need to delegate.   Listen in as Jeff walks us through a simple delegation exercise that can make a huge difference for any leader.   The Decision Tree  Without meaning to, leaders tend to be bottlenecks. A lot of things have to run through you for approval. Or you have your team coming to you for questions that seem really elementary and self-explanatory. You know you don't actually need to be part of every decision or meeting, but no one is clear on who has ownership of what. People feel disempowered and disenfranchised, because they're constantly coming to you for permission.   Jeff came across a very helpful delegation framework while reading Susan Scott's book, Fierce Conversations. One of her employees shared it with her. It's called The Decision Tree. Think of your organization as a tree. Trees have trunks, branches, leaves, and roots.    Each decision fits into a category. It's either a leaf decision, a branch decision, a trunk decision, or a root decision. To visualize this framework, imagine 3 columns going left to right and 4 rows going top to bottom.   Column 1: Decision Type (leaf, branch, trunk, root) Column 2: Team Member's Role Column 3: Leader's Role   When you get clear on what type each decision is, and get clear on each person's role, then it's amazing how you can eliminate bottlenecks, confusion, and frustration.   Leaf, Branch, Trunk, or Root?  If you pluck a leaf off a tree, does it make much of an impact on the tree? No. A leaf decision is something that doesn't require your approval. Something like setting up a team meeting. You don't need to sign off on it.   A branch decision is something a little bigger, like handling a high profile client. The team member can decide it, do it, and just let you know.   A trunk decision is a little bigger. Maybe this is something like changing a strategy. The team member can decide what they think, connect with you, get approval from you, then go do it on their own.   A root decision is something major, something very impactful to the company. Maybe a core value needs to be changed. A team member can make a recommendation, but you make the ultimate decision as the leader.   Implementing this simple exercise is powerful, magical. There are no more bottlenecks. Everything works more quickly. People have autonomy. The leader is relieved. And it's onward and upward to those big goals.   Google “decision tree template” to find the one that works for you.   Richard and Jeff want to hear from YOU. Did something in today's episode resonate with you? What insights or actionable items are you going to run with today? They'd love to hear your feedback on this episode. Email them here with your thoughts/questions: feedback@readytolead.com    LINKS AND RESOURCES https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Conversations-Achieving-Success-Conversation/dp/0425193373/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=fierce+conversations&qid=1645033379&s=books&sprefix=fierce%2Cstripbooks%2C86&sr=1-1 (Fierce Conversations) (book by Susan Scott)   OTHER SHOWS YOU MIGHT ENJOY: https://businesslunchpodcast.com/ (Business Lunch) with Roland Frasier and Ryan Deiss https://www.digitalmarketer.com/podcast/perpetual-traffic/ (Perpetual Traffic) with Ralph Burns and Kasim Aslam https://www.digitalmarketer.com/podcast/digitalmarketer/ (DigitalMarketer Podcast) with Mark de Grasse and Mandy McEwen

Check out this EXCLUSIVE interview with bestselling author Susan Scott as she previews her new book: "Fierce Love"  |  Check out Susan's new website at SusanScott.io

Hello So Deep Peeps!  Welcome to That's So Deep.  This is the podcast where we try to root out loneliness one conversation at a time.  In this episode, we talk about CONFLICT.  There was a lot that we covered in this episode so the list is longer than usual.  Hope you come away with some take-aways!Some deep things we cover:Phyllis sees conflict as an opportunity for connection and understanding yourself.Julie is a lover not a biter: Julie talks about how she would respond when her younger sister would bite her.Responding vs. Reacting: What is the difference?Reconciliation: What does it mean to reconcile with a person?Four Types of Conflict: Aggressive, Passive, Passive Aggressive and Assertive.  Which type are you?  Which type should we aspire to?Timing is everything: Phyllis shares how her anxiety can hijack the timing of a conflict.Apologies are the key to reconnecting.Conflict is a skill: You can practice and get better at it.Unified Detachment: Shifting our perspective from oppositional to collaborative.Soft Feelings vs. Hard Feelings: Which ones do bring into a conflict?  Take-aways:Unified Detachment: Start with a shared goal.  When you are in a conflict, instead of seeing the conflict as something that is coming between you and your person, think about being on the same team and tackling it together.Listen to Understand: Instead of preparing your own remarks, soften your heart and set your thoughts aside momentarily.  Be present for your person.  Try to listen to understand what they are trying to convey to you.  Choose Words that are Worthy of the Light of Day: It's hard to filter when you are in the heat of the moment but take the time to find words that communicate your feelings but also honor the relationship.  It's hard to un-say words once they are said.  We want to have a conversation with you!The whole point of this podcast is to facilitate and encourage deeper conversations and we want to hear from you!  Please leave us messages, art, poetry, feedback, insights, vents, questions, possible topics...all of it! Here is how you can reach us:Voicemail: 805-288-0884Email: sodeeppeeps@gmail.comIf you liked this podcast, FOLLOW US, SUBSCRIBE or SHARE with a friend and if you don't want to miss an episode, click that BELL so you can be notified right away when the next episode releases.  We love you and can't wait for our next deep conversation!Yours in Becoming,Phyllis and JulieResources and articles we referenced in the episode:How to Stop Avoiding Conflict | Savvy PsychologistUnified Detachment: UNHEALTHY CONFLICT VS. HEALTHY CONFLICTReconciliation Definition & Meaning - Merriam-WebsterWe Can Do Hard Things Episode 07 - FIGHTING WELLArmored Versus Daring Leadership - Brené BrownFierce Conversations by Susan Scott