Ever found yourself in a place where your head keeps spinning on the same question (or set of questions)? But no matter how much energy you expend thinking about it, you just can’t seem to come to a confident conclusion? You are not alone. We often get stuck on “unanswerable questions” because they are rooted in a way of seeing the problem that is limiting our ability to move forward. In today’s episode, Sharon shares a simple process for moving from question to action. Learn what it means to “l...
Nov 14, 2016•29 min
With less than 3 weeks until Thanksgiving, the joyful and jam-packed end of year season is upon us. Offices are budgeting and planning for next year while simultaneously focused on ending this calendar year with a bang. In our personal lives, invitations to holiday open houses begin to hit our mailboxes (or more likely, inboxes) while we also plan out how we’d like to celebrate the holiday season with our loved ones. All this makes for a fast-paced season. Beautiful chaos, as I like to embrace i...
Nov 07, 2016•34 min
Life is too short not to spend your time doing what you really feel called to do. In today’s episode Sharon offers up tips and resources for just letting go of the excuses and going for it - whatever it might be for you. Learn 5 simple steps to move from where you are today to where you want to be. Ideas Shared: This week I had fun playing with Adam Kurtz’s new book Pick Me Up: A Pep Talk for Now & Later . It is a fun book-journal-workbook-guide thing with pages of prompts for you to fill ou...
Oct 31, 2016•33 min
Sharon comes to you today from the peaceful setting of the Hudson Valley to share some reflections and resources related to rest and stillness. Learn what’s different about intentionally choosing to hold something (and not act) versus feeling stuck. Hear how we all need to take rest after we birth something new into the world - be it a new little baby or a brand new business. And get Point Road’s take on the steps you can take to realize your current habits around rest to making changes. May thi...
Oct 24, 2016•33 min
I know, I know: Death, Grief and Chickens isn’t, well, sexy. But this week Design Yourself foregoes sexy for a whole lot of getting real. With light hearted humor (hello, chickens!) and a deep well of grace, Sharon opens up about her own observations on the topics of death and grief. This is not a show designed to give you the answers on what’s right or wrong when it comes to these gritty topics. Instead it’s one person’s reflections and observations as she comes to appreciate not just what’s po...
Oct 17, 2016•39 min
Think about it. When was the last time someone asked you how you were doing or how things were going at work and you leaned on this go to answer: Busy! In this episode Sharon shares what happens when we open ourselves up to the possibility of the spontaneous (for her it was a magical trip through Slovakia to discover the hometowns of her Great Grandparents!) as well as strategies for how to shift out of the default habit of “busy.” May you be surprised by what opens up to you in the process. Che...
Oct 10, 2016•38 min
When we think of play, what usually emerges are signs of childhood: playgrounds, kids running around, perhaps a cape, lego or magic wand thrown in for good measure. But here’s the thing, adults can - and need! - play, too. In this episode Sharon explores some of the research behind why play is important, leveraging the lessons of the great scientist and play advocate Stuart Brown. You will learn three simple insights that will challenge you and spur you on to play. Sharon also shares a few quest...
Oct 04, 2016•23 min
Some events seem to call more naturally for a celebration - birthdays, graduations, major events in our lives. But there is a huge opportunity to bring the celebratory spirit to those things in our life that no one is measuring or observing. Today’s episode looks at 4 simple tips for how to bring the spirit of celebration into the things you are working for in your life that might be unseen or unnoticed by the casual observer. Why bother doing this? Work is great for getting to goals AND celebra...
Sep 26, 2016•30 min
“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” So says Epictetus. In this episode Sharon discusses money, money, money. Learn about the difference between operating from a sufficiency ("there is enough”) vs. a scarcity (“there isn’t enough”) mindset and explore the 5 guiding steps to ensure that money isn’t what holds you back from going after what you really want. Money ultimately only has the value that we give it; learn how to make sure that your values and your s...
Sep 19, 2016•35 min
What’s possible? What’s next? We close out our 4-part miniseries on Storytelling by looking to the space of the future. Being able to set a future direction gives a sense of purpose in your here and now and draws you forward with intention. But this doesn’t mean it comes naturally. In fact, even though research indicates that simply focusing on the future causes us to be perceived as “leaders,” most of us aren’t in the practice of doing this. Sharon shares her 5 tips for stepping into a future-o...
Sep 12, 2016•36 min
Carpe diem, baby. In part 3 of our 4-part miniseries on Storytelling, we go deep on the role the present in shaping our stories. We explore the power of being able to bring new awareness to what you see right now using the wise words of the late writer David Foster Wallace (this is water!). We also learn about how being really clear about what’s real in your present is key not just to telling the Story of You but to feeling sane in the process. Sharon also dishes on some of her favorite shopping...
Sep 05, 2016•37 min
Welcome to Part 2 of our 4 part miniseries on Storytelling. Today’s episode looks at the Past and the influence our telling of it can have on our present and even our future. Draw awareness to the importance of your story “up until now” and learn tips on how to revise and adapt your personal history over time. We all have the power to change and revisiting the past can be a powerful catalyst on this path. As we head towards Labor Day, Sharon also briefly looks at some of her own past experiences...
Aug 29, 2016•32 min
Today we kick off our 4-part miniseries on storytelling. In our Kick Off Episode, you will learn about the power of owning your role as life author and learn about how different leanings in time affect the way we interpret and react to events around us. Sharon provides a quick snapshot of what each Time Stance (Past, Present, and Future) looks like in practice and the importance of being able to move from one stance to another. She also geeks out a bit on the the genre of autobiographies (hello,...
Aug 22, 2016•36 min
Today Sharon explores the topic of asking for help. You will learn about why flexing this skill is a critical component of successful leadership and sane living, what holds us back from asking for help, and why we've got to push forth and ask anyway. Finally Sharon offers 5 Rules of the Road for how to get past your own discomfort or habit of not asking for help and move into the practice of doing it anyway. Learn more about the Camino de Santiago – a pilgrimage walk through Spain that profoundl...
Aug 15, 2016•34 min
This week Sharon discusses the importance of embracing failure. (Fail forward!) Gain distinctions about how to own your own story, what it means to be (and be a part of) a deliberately developmental organization, and our default reactions to failure. Sharon shares tips for how to get comfortable stepping into the Fail Forward! mindset and offers questions to prompt your own reflection on this topic. Plus she brings in perspectives from both the "Harvard Business Review" and the "Gilmore Girls." ...
Aug 08, 2016•38 min
Sharon reflects this week on work life balance - or really imbalance. She shares the marriage advice that has stuck with her as she nears her 9-year wedding anniversary: "Marriage takes 100% effort to be successful, but rarely is it split 50-50. Sometimes it's 60-40. Sometimes it's 90-10. But it always takes 100% effort to work." After a near-decade she sees how this framework applies not just to our relationship with a spouse but to anytime we work with others. The most inspirational advice I g...
Aug 01, 2016•41 min
Naming what you want is an incredible first step to any kind of change. In today's podcast, Sharon shares the first step in her Go Beyond Vision Cycle process: Getting clear on what it is that you want. To help listener's see for themselves what it is that their hearts desire, she spends most of the podcast offering a vision meditation (questions, prompts, exercises) to help you focus in on all that is possible. Wishing you fun and a few surprises as you play and explore here! Bravely and boldly...
Jul 25, 2016•29 min
In Episode 4 of Design Yourself, Sharon talks about why stepping away from your computer and taking a break is one of the best things we can do for ourselves - and our work too. Bonus: You can hear the birds chirping in the background of this episode recorded on Lake Champlain (NY) at sunrise. Enjoy! This picture pretty much sums up my trip to the Adirondacks this summer. Open, expansive, peaceful. IDEAS SHARED Where do you get your best ideas? The shower? Running? I bet you won’t say: Sitting a...
Jul 18, 2016•36 min
In Episode 3, Sharon explores one of the fiercest barriers to going after what we really want: Fear. Ideas Shared: Here are the two types of Good Scary that I most commonly see happening to us: Scary New – How can I possibly? I never have before! Scary Change – What? Me? Do something different? Never! Scary Good Challenge: When it comes to leading a life that makes you wildly happy/fulfilled/delighted – what are you afraid of? Another way to think of this is: What is holding you back from going ...
Jul 11, 2016•28 min
In Episode 2 of Design Yourself, Sharon discusses the importance of getting started. Career moves, life adventures, and creative projects can only begin from one place - the one you are in. The theme for today is: Stop waiting + start doing. Listen to hear some of Sharon's favorite tips for how to get over the delay game and start getting the job done. IDEAS SHARED Eric Smucker of Smucker Farms is the visionary urban farmer and CSA pioneer who said yes to my podcast interview back in 2013. Finge...
Jul 11, 2016•29 min
Welcome to the inaugural episode of Design Yourself - a podcast to help you figure out what it is that you want and then make it happen. In this episode, Sharon shares her inspiration for launching the show, what you can expect from Design Yourself moving forward, and how this podcast fits into her own professional journey as a creative, coach, and entrepreneur. As I kicked off the podcast I shared both the story of how Design Yourself came to be and some of the headlines of my own professional ...
Jul 11, 2016•32 min
