Today’s episode is adapted from a workshop I teach within organizations for managers, mentors, and coaches on how to apply the four-stage Pivot Method framework as a 1:1 coaching framework. I’m sharing seven of my go-to coaching questions and practical tips to make rapid progress and generate memorable aha moments in any career coaching conversation. What’s your favorite strategy for accelerating aha moments? Share with me for a future follow-up podcast episode at http://pivotmethod.com/ask. If ...
May 01, 2022•26 min•Ep. 279
From cupcake tweetups to avoiding compare-and-despair traps, Jamie Varon is a long-time friend—the first person I met from Twitter back in 2008—who I always appreciate catching up with. Today we’re talking about her debut book, Radically Content: Being Satisfied in an Endlessly Dissatisfied World. More about Jamie: Jamie Varon is a writer, designer, course creator, and creative consultant. Her writing has been featured across the internet for over a decade, from Complex to the Huffington Post, T...
Apr 17, 2022•58 min•Ep. 278
Does your calendar reflect your values and priorities? Do you pause before responding to requests, or are you saying yes to things out of fear, pressure, or obligation? I’m delighted to be in conversation with my dear friend Sarah Young this week on creating clear containers, clean vs. dirty energy, navigating “spiritual tornados of leadership,” handling inevitable criticism, and moving past people-pleasing toward acting in the path of highest integrity. Be sure to check out Sarah’s brand new be...
Apr 03, 2022•51 min•Ep. 277
While the Pivot ecosystem and this podcast aren’t going anywhere, when my speaking gigs stopped during the pandemic I gave myself permission to also branch out and start talking about something new. Specifically, doubling down on and digging into my passion for businesses powered by Delightfully Tiny Teams — and helping other heart-based entrepreneurs do the same. This week I am taking you behind-the-scenes of launching the Free Time book and podcast. Reminder: through end of March If you order ...
Mar 20, 2022•29 min•Ep. 276
Did you know that we can predict a leader’s charisma based solely on five seconds of exposure? That nonverbal signals account for 65 to 90 percent of our total communication? Today we’re talking about cues, specifically the formula for charisma (hint: a combination of cues that project warmth and competence). As a self-described “recovering awkward person,” Vanessa’s secret sauce is combining the latest research, real-life case studies of success, and fascinating examples of notable figures (lik...
Mar 06, 2022•35 min•Ep. 275
For a big decision you’re facing: What if you could suspend judgment or disapproval from others? What if you didn’t have to make anyone else happy? Would that make it easier to follow your heart? It might - and you can! Using the steps in the Pivot Process: Plant, Scan, Pilot, and Launch, you can separate the decision you need to make from the fact that you need to communicate it to others. This gives you the space to be clear and honest with yourself about what you really want to do. In this ep...
Feb 20, 2022•18 min•Ep. 274
What happens when you ask someone a question they’ve never heard before? Today I’m answering a question from a listener about what questions do to our brains and exploring the magic of neuroplasticity: the property of our brains that allow them to physically change to encourage creative thinking and new knowledge. Books Mentioned: Quiet Leadership: Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work The Coaching Habit Resources Mentioned: Pivot Coaching (Use code PODCAST) Neural Pathways - Wikipedia W...
Feb 06, 2022•20 min•Ep. 273
Is it time to break up with your work? Samantha Clarke is a happiness consultant, TEDx & Keynote Speaker & author of Love It or Leave It: How To Be Happy at Work. She is on a mission to help individuals decide whether to LOVE IT or LEAVE IT and get to the crux of what it means to work and live with real meaning, purpose and intention. Books Mentioned: Pivot, Love It or Leave It: How To Be Happy at Work Resources Mentioned: Samantha on the web, Instagram: @Samanthaand_, Love It or Leave I...
Jan 23, 2022•39 min•Ep. 272
Is anyone else exasperated by too much time working from home? If so, you are not alone! Whether it's the level of distractions or monotony, many of us are ready for a break—even if we still aren't interesting in returning to an office full time. In this episode I'm answering a listener question from Omar who says, "It's getting to the point where I just extremely dislike it." Resources Mentioned: Books: Free Time, Pivot Pivot Podcast: 🦠163: 25 Favorite Tips for WFH (Working From Home), 246: Wh...
Jan 09, 2022•22 min•Ep. 271
🎉 Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business launches on 3/22/22! In this episode I'm walking you through the Free Time Framework—Align, Design, Assign—so you have a technique to move from friction to flow in any project or area of your life and work in 2022. Resources Mentioned: Books: Free Time, Pivot, Who Not How Podcasts: Free Time #052: Perceived Capacity vs. Actual Capacity, Centered in the City with Wade Brill Websites: Agile Manifesto for Software Development 🎁 Give the gift of f...
Dec 26, 2021•26 min•Ep. 270
🎉 Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business launches on 3/22/22! Give the gift of free time to yourself and others in the new year by participating in our Buy One, Get One, Give One bonus. Here's how it works: Buy One: Preorder the hardcover edition and submit proof of purchase at http://itsfreetime.com/bogogo Get One: Within one business day, you'll get early access to the audiobook and brand new Free Time Toolkit with over 15 new templates to free your mind, time, and team! Give One: Y...
Dec 14, 2021•1 min
How do you "stand out when "everyone is peddling the same sh*t"? That's what Terri Trespicio and I are talking about today—a deep dive into how her early experiences with poetry writing, jewelry sales, magazine editing, and stand-up comedy gave her lifelong career skills and taught her what it really takes to stand out. More About Terri: Terri Trespicio is an award-winning writer, speaker, brand advisor, and author of Unfollow Your Passion: How to Create a Life That Matters to You (Atria / Simon...
Dec 12, 2021•40 min•Ep. 269
"For generations, we’ve been taught there are two ways to succeed—either from talent or practice." My guest today, Ron Friedman, shares a powerful third path: reverse engineering. In this conversation you will learn how to unpack others' success to spark breakthrough ideas of your own, with an original twist. More About Ron: Ron Friedman is an award-winning social psychologist who specializes in human motivation. His first book, The Best Place to Work, was named an Inc. Magazine Best Business Bo...
Nov 28, 2021•31 min•Ep. 268
Are you tuned into radio station WRRY, playing your "downer mind's" favorite hits? If so, Jeffrey Davis is here to help you shift from worry into wonder. Today we're talking about his new book, Tracking Wonder: Reclaiming a Life of Meaning and Possibility in a World Obsessed with Productivity (Sounds True, November 2021). Ask yourself instead each morning: What am I devoted to? What am I curious about today? More about Jeffrey: Jeffrey Davis is an author, team culture consultant, educator, and C...
Nov 14, 2021•44 min•Ep. 264
This is a special preview from my forthcoming book: Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business (launches March 22, 2022). I talk in Pivot about pivoters being high net growth; Free Timers optimize for another central value: high net freedom, If you want to join the book launch team to get insider access and community leading up to the launch, sign-up at itsfreetime.com/join and you’ll be the first to know when that kicks off! 📘 Books Mentioned: Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Busi...
Oct 31, 2021•15 min•Ep. 264
Thank you for your patience as I've been in deep work hibernation mode behind the scenes! I launched my new podcast Free Time in March of this year, and I'm really excited to bring you a crossover episode, one of the early listener favorites with Cal Newport on his latest book, A World Without Email. I also *just* sent my next book to the printer, which I was honored to have Cal provide a cover blurb for! Free Time: Lose the Busy Work, Love Your Business launches in March of 2022. Cal is not pul...
Oct 17, 2021•56 min•Ep. 265
What is the difference between uniqueness and Onlyness? Nilofer Merchant is here to help us figure out how the room changes when we walk in, how to turn feeling othered or overworked into opportunities to help ourselves and everyone around us shine. More About Nilofer: Nilofer Merchant is ranked by Thinkers50 as one of the world's leading business thinkers, and has personally launched more than 100 products netting $18 billion in sales. In 2013 she gave a top-ranking TED talk, "Sitting is the Sm...
Jun 06, 2021•47 min•Ep. 264
With exhaustion and empathy fatigue encroaching upon so many of us, perhaps it's time to take a relationship audit: who are the takers in your life and work, and who are the energizers? Equally important, how are you showing up for others? In her new book, Listen Like You Mean it: Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection, and in this conversation, Ximena Vengoechea is helping us elevate our listening lenses so we can be more present with others, while still managing our own energy reserves. Xi...
May 23, 2021•48 min•Ep. 263
What’s your sun, moon, and rising? That’s the shorthand for our inner blueprint, created the moment each of us took our first breath, based on where the planets were in the sky. In this conversation, we’re talking about her brand new book Cosmic Health: Unlock Your Healing Magic with Astrology, Positive Psychology, and Integrative Wellness. Jennifer Racioppi is a certified Duke Integrative Medicine Health Coach, a holistic health counselor, a Positive Psychology coach, and an astrologer. In fact...
Apr 18, 2021•42 min•Ep. 261
Casper ter Kuile is helping to build a world of joyful belonging. He is the author of The Power of Ritual and the co-host of the award-winning podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. Casper is a Ministry Innovation Fellow at Harvard Divinity School and the co-founder of startup Sacred Design Lab - a research and design consultancy working to create a culture of belonging and becoming. He also co-authored “How We Gather” and collaborated with Holstee on his new Ritual Life Planner. ❤️ Enjoying ...
Apr 04, 2021•48 min•Ep. 260
Hi Friends! As I mentioned in the last solo episode, my team and I have been hard at work creating a brand new podcast that will run in parallel to Pivot! I'm thrilled to welcome you to Free Time — your home for Heart-Based Business. I'm sharing the inaugural episode here with you on Pivot, but be sure you go subscribe to that one too, if the subject matter interests you! Search for "Free Time with Jenny Blake" or click here to subscribe in your favorite podcasts app. In this preview episode, I ...
Mar 21, 2021•26 min•Ep. 259
Hi Friends! I’m back with another “staycation” solo episode on what I’ve been up to. It’s a quick take on systems to support seasons of retreat for creativity and rest, my favorite books of the year so far, and a peek into my forthcoming projects. Key questions: What are you ready to let go of? How can you say no to “good” to say yes to what’s next? For your new projects, ask: Who Not How? (Strategic Coach, Impact Filter PDF) How can you design systems to support cyclical work? (Check out Stefan...
Feb 28, 2021•21 min•Ep. 258
I’m thrilled to be back from holiday hiatus (and a deep work creation cave on my new book and podcast - more on that soon!) with an episode from someone who inspires me greatly in heart-based business: Sarah Santacroce. Sarah’s new book is called The Gentle Marketing Revolution: A Radical Business Approach to Get New Clients with Integrity and Kindness. I was honored to co-write the foreword with Penney Pierce in a fun, delightful, in the moment, flowing way. You'll hear more about that and how ...
Feb 21, 2021•39 min•Ep. 257
When discussing fraught, divisive, or high-stakes issues it's so easy to get defensive, triggered, and hurt—sometimes even doing irreparable damage to relationships we hold dear. Communications pro Bob Gower returns to Pivot to help us understand something crucial before we engage in our next argument: is this discourse or a debate? He outlines the difference between the two in his fantastic piece, Rules of Engagement: 5 Steps to Better Arguments: "In discourse, the goal is to eventually align. ...
Nov 19, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 256
Pandemic-response expert Dr. MJC is back for our Sweet 16th (!) installment in the Pivoting Around a Pandemic series. We discuss updates on the Pfizer vaccine trial he’s participating in, fantasies about “when there’s a vaccine,” challenges to global rollout, our reaction to the election results, and the need for deep rest after all that we’ve collectively been through this year, and particularly this season. 💌 Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter at http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist ...
Nov 12, 2020•46 min•Ep. 255
"The marketing-industrial complex has been on a tear for a hundred years to make almost everyone feel inadequate, because it's the single best way to sell you something. If that game isn't giving you joy, don't play that game.” My next guest needs no introduction — though he deserves one nonetheless! Seth Godin is an inventor, thought-leader, contrarian, mentor, mensch, and an ongoing inspiration to so many of us. He is the author of 19 bestselling books, and this week we are celebrating his lat...
Nov 03, 2020•48 min•Ep. 254
This is a quick reflection episode, recorded on-the-go on my iPhone while throwing the frisbee for Ryder in the park. Although it’s a bit noiser than usual, I hope you enjoy the New York City soundscape. So many of us were feeling incredibly hopeful and optimistic heading in to this new decade. In keeping with the theme of radical reimagining, my hope is that this episode helps you reflect not just on the theme you set at the start of this year, but what theme has chosen and shaped you. Key ques...
Oct 29, 2020•15 min•Ep. 253
This episode kicks off with a listener “note of encouragement” from Andrei in LA on the spiritual awakening under way, and the off-and-on dopamine cycle we’re experiencing as we continue practicing trust, faith, and surrender. I read passages from one of my favorite authors, Tosha Silver (if you haven’t already read them, get your hands on Outrageous Openness, Change Me Prayers, and It’s Not Your Money ASAP!). I talk about protecting our energy with a whole-body yes, and a clear no—and how this ...
Oct 22, 2020•20 min•Ep. 252
When was the last time you felt like an imposter in your career? Last year? Yesterday? This morning? It’s so normal (and way more common than you’d realize!) that we cycle through Imposter Syndrome, especially when considering our next moves. Today I’m riffing on why I think we should ditch the word “syndrome” all together when it comes to this phenomenon, and how to give yourself permission to start taking steps in a new direction (instead of waiting on external approval or credentials). I’ll s...
Oct 15, 2020•24 min•Ep. 251
Solo episode on a sanity-saving strategy for #2020 on the perks (and quirks!) of staycationing in the city you live in . . . especially when hotel rates are at record lows :) Pardon the mic noises — it’s a travel mic and therefore part of my #PerfectlyImperfect audio that gets the episode out at all. Key questions: What makes your soul sing? What is most important to your spirit? Remember, Radical Reimagining means everything is up for grabs. HotelTonight: Use my code JBLAKE9 to get up to $50 ba...
Oct 08, 2020•22 min•Ep. 250
