While we may be smack dab in the middle of the busiest time of year, this episode is all about slowing down and savoring. What are we savoring? The magnificent words of Tina Chang. Tina is Poet Laureate of Brooklyn—the first woman EVER to be given that title—and is the author of a new collection of poems called Hybrida. NPR calls it "one of the most important books of poetry to come along in years." Tina teaches poetry at Sarah Lawrence College, and she’s all ours for the next half hour or so. S...
Dec 16, 2019•42 min•Season 2Ep. 42
For some of us, the holidays entail drama of the logistical sort—missed flight connections, suitcases that are just over the weight limit, gifts to be purchased and passed around. But for a lot of us, the holiday drama is entirely relational, playing out in conversations and in unspoken energy transmitted from one human heart to another. For some of us, the Holidays mean someone’s gonna end up in tears or gonna storm off early, or both. All before dessert. But what if this time it’s different? W...
Dec 02, 2019•23 min•Season 2Ep. 41
If you were in any way surprised by Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 or if you feel even slightly freaked out by the current state of affairs as we live through this next election cycle, you will love meeting my guest Joel Stein. Joel Stein has written one of the funniest books I’ve ever read— In Defense of Elitism: Why I’m Better Than You and You Are Better Than Someone Who Didn’t Buy This Book. I was beyond grateful that in between interviews with Vanity Fair, NPR, and Goop, Joel Skyped in to ta...
Nov 18, 2019•31 min•Season 2Ep. 39
I’ve been an active Facebook user for a very long time.I have loved it for the most part. I’ve been lifted up and supported by my Facebook family. They’ve supported me in my grief, in my success, in my curiosity and pursuit of all kinds of different questions—big and small. But it’s time. It’s time to consciously uncouple, as Gwyneth Paltrow once so famously said. This episode is a kind of reckoning. I'm not storming off of Facebook. I'm taking control of my media and information consumption. If...
Nov 04, 2019•18 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Have you ever felt the panic and shame of total overwhelm? I have. But guess what else I have? Support from one of the great coaches of our time, Ben Kiker. I recorded this for you so that you would have access to him too in your moments of overwhelm. In this conversation, we talk about how I got over the proverbial wall, got out of my own way, and back onto a path of growth and expansion.
Oct 21, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 37
I interact with teenagers and young people on a fairly regular basis, and I’ve observed that some of the old-fashioned arts of basic communication are fading, and it makes me sad, but it also makes me worried. Are we raising a generation of kids that don’t know the power of eye contact? Who are unskilled at talking to adult strangers? Who struggle with handshakes? In our pursuit of material excellence, are we forgetting the value of understanding and developing skills around human connection and...
Oct 07, 2019•49 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Extreme sports and elite athletes have always fascinated me. How do they do what they do? How do they talk themselves into finishing a 50 mile race? How do you help coach a climber through a moment of terror on the side of a mountain? How important is meditation? And is that the same thing as mindset? Dr. Chris Heilman is a coach who joins us to answer these questions. Dr. Chris has a PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology and a double board-certification as an Athletic Trainer (ATC) and a Strengt...
Sep 23, 2019•57 min•Season 2Ep. 35
According to a report last year from eMarketer, US adults spent an average of 3 hours, 35 minutes per day on mobile devices in 2018. That's over 25 hours a week! It's like each of us having a second (or third) UNPAID job. For 30 days, I decided to investigate what I might be missing during those 25 hours using Cal Newport's plan based on his new book Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. What I learned surprised me, and could inspire you to make your own journey into the ...
Sep 09, 2019•29 min•Season 2Ep. 33
To me, the most terrifying, death-defying act I can possibly imagine isn’t bungie jumping or free solo climbing. It’s stand up comedy. It’s improv. Today, my guest is someone who teaches stand up comedy and improv. Corey Rosen has hosted 105 live events for The Moth, including The Moth StorySlams and GrandSlams, since winning the first ever Bay Area Moth StorySlam in 2014. He is an award winning writer, actor, and storytelling teacher. Corey has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour, Backfence PD...
Jul 22, 2019•54 min•Season 2Ep. 34
“If you want to connect with the people you work with and for, you first have to understand them. In order to do that effectively, you must understand yourself.” My guest this week is Michael Ventura, CEO and founder of Sub Rosa, a strategy and design firm that has worked with names like Johnson & Johnson, Pantone, and Adobe to the TED Conference, Delta Airlines and The Daily Show. Michael has served as a board member and adviser to a variety of organizations, including Behance, the Burning ...
Jul 08, 2019•28 min•Season 2Ep. 33
It is well documented that loneliness is more damaging to our longevity than obesity and even cigarette smoking. So why are so many of us lonely, even INSIDE of our friendships? Our marriages? Why are adult friendships so hard to cultivate and develop? How can we more actively create loving, constructive connections, without seeming like weirdo stalkers? All of this and more in today's episode with the amazing Dr. Adam Dorsay.
Jun 10, 2019•57 min•Season 2Ep. 32
If you'd met Stephanie Spence 15 years ago, the word "powerhouse" would have come to mind. She was the CEO of Spence Communications, where she published numerous magazines, and as a journalist, she interviewed big names like Oprah Winfrey and the Dalai Lama. But the truth was that "power" was the very thing she lacked. In her new book, Yoga Wisdom, Stephanie tells of her unbelievable journey out of trauma and abuse, and into freedom.
Jun 03, 2019•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Larry Kamer is a crisis management expert, which means he’s the guy people call when the shit hits the fan. His list of clients is extensive, but just to name a few: Harvard, Stanford, American Medical Association, Kaiser Permanente, and the Catholic Church. Larry is also an adjunct professor in the Professional Communication Program at the University of San Francisco, the Chief Information Security Officer at Carnegie Mellon University, and the Annenberg School of Communication at the USC. Whil...
Apr 22, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 30
How do you become less afraid of conflict? How might you defend an idea without getting defensive? How do you empower people without giving them so much freedom they get into trouble? How do you stay real and authentic as a leader when the chips are down? What is power? Is it control or is it trust? These are big questions that my guest Joel Peterson will answer in today’s episode. Joel is the Chairman of the Board of Overseers at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, as well as the Chairman of th...
Apr 02, 2019•40 min•Season 2Ep. 29
In this episode, I'll offer my candid advice on dealing with big emotions at work.
Feb 25, 2019•31 min•Season 2Ep. 28
“Sandwich Generation” is a term that refers to people in their 30s or 40s who find themselves caring not only for their young children, but also their aging parents. I fell into the sandwich by default—I am the only child of divorced parents, and was the only family member within 2600 miles of my father when his life fell apart. But the moment he moved in with us—into my home office—I learned quickly that the sandwich (and the struggle) was real. It’s not an exaggeration when I say that I wouldn...
Feb 11, 2019•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 27
Have you ever been on the receiving end of feedback that you are “too much?” What does that mean, anyway? Too what? Too authentic? Too passionate? Too energetic? And what on earth are you supposed to do with that information? Behave with less authenticity? Passion? Energy? But this feedback can be golden if you can identify the reasoning behind it.
Jan 14, 2019•20 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Does your voice need to be found? Is that even a thing?? In this episode I give you my candid take on this phrase, and how to make the most of the voice you have.
Dec 21, 2018•27 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Is your competitiveness the secret to your success or the reason for your self doubt? In this episode I help you work with the energy of competition, so that you are the boss of it, and not the other way around.
Dec 19, 2018•13 min•Season 2Ep. 24
It's the most noise-filled time of the year, y'all. Today I offer you a simple practice for listening to the quiet beauty of your life.
Dec 18, 2018•15 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Coaches need coaching, people. In this episode I talk to one of my all time favorite humans—Ben Kiker—is a business coach, an executive coach, and ... wait for it ... a recovery coach. One of my favorite conversations yet.
Dec 17, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Season 1 finale, my fine friends. What's your message? What's your bottle?
Nov 26, 2018•12 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Negotiation. Just the word causes a lot of us to tense up and gird our loins for battle. That reaction, it turns out, is at the heart of some of the greatest misconceptions about negotiating. In this week's episode, I talk with the woman who literally wrote the book on negotiating, one of the most popular professors at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.
Oct 29, 2018•32 min•Season 1Ep. 20
It's all an energy game, y'all. Audiences can feel your vibes the minute you walk on stage, or enter the room. In today's episode, I'll share my favorite pre-game rituals for making sure vibes are high.
Oct 22, 2018•25 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Ok, so you're talk is ready. Are you? In this week's episode, I'll give you my favorite tips and techniques for shining on stage ... it's such a big conversation, I had to break it up into two episodes!
Oct 15, 2018•23 min•Season 1Ep. 18
If the numbers are to be believed, one in four of us women has experienced sexual assault. This is my story.
Oct 08, 2018•13 min•Season 1Ep. 17
This, my friends, is the third of a four part series on how to give a kick ass talk. Perfectionism is the great enemy of creativity. In this episode, I show you the life changing power of working with a "Shitty First Draft" (props to Anne Lamott) rather than a serious draft as you put together a talk.
Sep 24, 2018•22 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Great communicators know how to take an audience on a journey. In this episode, I'll show you how to map out a narrative that not only entertains your audience, but ensures that they'll remember what you've told them long after they've left the room.
Sep 17, 2018•26 min•Season 1Ep. 15
We've talked a lot about authenticity, integrity and courage ... which are all vitally important for us as communicators. But all the authenticity, integrity and courage in the world won't help you with this one little problem: the Goldfish problem. In today's episode, you'll learn what the heck I'm talking about, and how to move past it.
Sep 10, 2018•21 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Ever feel like you're living in a washing machine? Like every day is another spin on the hamster wheel of never ending assignments? Enter The Life Brief. Developed by Bonnie Wan, the Life Brief is a "tool for creative living and a practice of aligning who you are and what you believe with what you do." Creative living and alignment ... sounds a helluva lot more appealing than the hamster wheel/washing machine. Bonnie gives us the scoop on where the idea came from, and how it can bring sanity and...
Sep 04, 2018•31 min•Season 1Ep. 13
