Do you find that the work you do gives you a sense of purpose or that your contributions as an employee are important to a cause bigger than yourself? This week’s guest, Moe Carrick, author, podcast host, and CEO of the workplace culture consultancy, Momentum, Inc. views work as a human need. Moe brings her wealth of knowledge, and decades of experience in the study of workplace culture to our spirited discussion on the topic of Why Work Matters. Guest’s Website: J Moementum, Inc. | Making organ...
Oct 23, 2024•47 min•Ep. 163
In this episode of The Opposite of Small Talk, Danielle introduces Coaches Corner's, a new monthly segment, which explores topics through a coaches lense. The inaugural guest is Julie Hess, author, executive coach, coaching supervisor and educator. Work with Danielle : If you are ready to start working with a life coach or just want to learn more about the impact that coaching can have in your life, visit Danielle's website at www.daniellemccombs.com and schedule a complimentary exploratory sess...
Oct 16, 2024•22 min•Ep. 162
The Opposite of Small Talk Live (October 19th!): Live Podcast Event — The Opposite of Small Talk Podcast We have reached peak election season in the United States and many of us are feeling the burnout from political discussions (arguments) and want to be able to genuinely connect with people, even those we disagree with. If you are feeling the election fatigue and struggling with what feels like a very divided world, this episode is for you. Today’s guest, Justin Jones-Fosu, author, highly soug...
Oct 09, 2024•42 min•Ep. 161
LIVE EVENT Oct 19th in BOSTON - LEARN MORE AND REGISTER According to Bill Gates, "We all need people who will give us feedback. That's how we improve." But what do you wo when you ask for critical feedback and only ever receive praise? In this episode, Kristy shares 3 tips for how to get better feedback. Follow us on Instagram @theoppositeofsmalltalk...
Oct 03, 2024•8 min•Ep. 160
LIVE EVENT IN BOSTON - OCT 19th - LEARN MORE AND REGISTER As we enter the season of fall, it seems appropriate for us to discuss ghosts, but not the type of “ghosts” most people would think of at Halloween, today’s guest helps other authors write their stories as a ghostwriter. Kate Manley, author, coach, ghostwriter, and podcast host, joins us for a discussion on the topic, Writing Your Way Through Life. Kate encourages us to consider all forms of writing as a powerful way of expressing our tho...
Sep 25, 2024•50 min•Ep. 159
LIVE EVENT IN BOSTON - OCT 19th - LEARN MORE AND REGISTER Most of us have experienced a significant amount of high stakes and low stakes negotiation in our personal lives, even when we don’t realize it. Whether it is negotiating the terms of a contract with a client, negotiating bedtime with a child, or negotiating a better deal at the car dealership it can feel daunting. Today’s guest, Fotini Iconomopoulos, best selling author of, “Say Less, Get More: Unconventional Negotiation Techniques to Ge...
Sep 11, 2024•54 min•Ep. 158
Ask yourself these questions: First, what's something in your life, right now, that you've been avoiding or delaying due to fear? Second question, If you knew you couldn't fail, what would you do? Today’s guest, Collin Henderson, author, Fortune 500 speaker, and highly respected coach, asks his own clients these questions regularly. He joins us on our latest episode, to discuss the topic of Nurturing a Growth Mindset. During our conversation, Collin offers some advice and tools he’s learned thro...
Aug 28, 2024•48 min•Ep. 157
How many Mondays have you lived, how many Mondays do you have left? It may be a provocative or even unsettling question for some, but today’s guest looks at it more as motivation over morbidity. We speak to Jodi Wellman, author of the book, “You Only Die Once, How to Make it to the End with No Regrets,” on the topic of Making Friends with the Grim Reaper. She discusses how taking inventory of her mother’s personal items, following her death, was a catalyst for writing her book as well as for her...
Aug 14, 2024•41 min•Ep. 156
Most people are familiar with the saying, “actions speak louder than words.” This week’s guest explains how your actions, facial expressions, and even the tone of your voice can communicate a lot about you to your colleagues, clients, friends, and acquaintances. Blake Eastman speaks to us on the topic of Nonverbal Communication and its important role in both professional and personal life. He emphasizes the importance of context in this essential form of communication; clears up some misconcepti...
Jul 31, 2024•58 min•Ep. 155
As human beings we have many unique ways of communicating with one another including sharing some of our most personal thoughts, which when verbalized or written down can give others a deeper insight into who we are inside. This week’s guest has learned, first-hand, and now teaches others that storytelling can be a powerful tool that each of us possesses, whether we know it yet or not. Katherine Kennedy, a teacher, storytelling coach and author of the book, Speaking to What Matters: My story of ...
Jul 17, 2024•32 min•Ep. 154
It could be argued that at no other time in history has there been more external distractions in the average person’s daily life than there are today. This week’s guest Nir Eyal, bestselling author, teacher, consultant, and lecturer, discusses his book, “ Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life ” as well as the topic of Traction vs. Distraction. During our discussion Nir stresses the importance of the four strategies or principles that can help us break away from distr...
Jul 03, 2024•56 min•Ep. 153
To commemorate Juneteenth, we are rebroadcasting an episode that originally aired in December of 2021. In this episode Danielle and Kristy talk with Janese Murray, a thought leader in the field of diversity and inclusion, about race in the United States. We touch on critical race theory; what it is, what it isn’t, and what you can do about it. We talk about why laws are important but not enough, and how personal stories can make big impacts in the hearts and minds of individuals. The outlook is ...
Jun 19, 2024•38 min•Ep. 153
The month of June is upon us and with it brings many rites of passage including graduation season. This episode is especially timely for new grads; anyone who may be looking to make a change in their career path; or even for someone who loves their current job and isn’t ashamed to admit it. This week’s guest, Erika Ayers Badan, the first CEO of Barstool Sports and current CEO of Food52 , as well as author of the new book, “Nobody Cares About Your Career,” available on June 11th, speaks to us on ...
Jun 05, 2024•38 min•Ep. 152
There are multiple good reasons to be funny at work; it’s proven to release stress, it inspires and motivates teams (according to research), and it’s well… fun. Listen to this episode to learn about different kinds of humor to start using at work and what to avoid. WORK JOURNAL : Build a reflection habit that turns every interaction into an opportunity for growth. Find it <> Do you have a workplace communication question? Send Kristy a DM on Instagram @KO.Communication...
May 29, 2024•7 min•Ep. 151
Have you ever heard the saying, be your own biggest fan? That type of self confidence and assurance can be attainable according to our latest guest. In this episode, we discuss the topic of Gravitas: Living a Life of Self Assurance with entrepreneur and author, Lisa Sun. Lisa shared how we can learn a lot from the self-confidence displayed by 5 year olds; we discuss the eight types of confidence “superpowers” and Danielle and Kristy’s results from the superpower quiz; and examples of ways in whi...
May 22, 2024•48 min•Ep. 150
In this episode of The Opposite of Small Talk, Danielle shares her experience of attending an Improv class. She provides ways that improv skills are put to use in real life.
May 15, 2024•5 min•Ep. 149
Domestic and interpersonal violence do not discriminate and can happen to people from all walks of life. In this episode, we have a Discussion on Domestic and Interpersonal Violence with our guest, Jennifer Peterkin. Jennifer helps us to understand the difficulties of recognizing and exiting a violent relationship as well as some of the harmful stereotypes and expectations society has pushed in regards to domestic and interpersonal violence. We also discuss ways you can support a loved one or fr...
May 08, 2024•53 min•Ep. 148
What do you do with those few minutes after you've joined a meeting when some people have arrived, but not everyone is there yet so the meeting can't get started? Do you turn to your email inbox? Do you sit in awkward silence? Or do you initiate conversation with the group? In this episode Kristy shares the secret that will make it easier to connect with your colleagues and build rapport quickly during that weird pre-meeting phase. Visit: kristyolinger.com to learn how Kristy can help you and yo...
May 01, 2024•7 min•Ep. 147
Have you ever felt like you are your own “worst enemy” or that you just can’t seem to get out of your own way personally or professionally? This may be what this week’s guest would refer to as an “upper limit” problem. In this episode, we speak to Gay Hendricks on the topic of Overcoming Upper Limits and Self-Sabotage. Gay shares his own personal struggles, how he came to recognize patterns of self-sabotage, and some of the techniques he uses to help others break through sabotaging behaviors to ...
Apr 24, 2024•52 min•Ep. 146
In this special TOOST episode we had the opportunity to sit down for a conversation with Dr. Yanique Redwood, author, speaker, and facilitator, and Kate Schatz, now a three-time TOOST podcast guest, following an experimental event they held in Fall 2023 in Oakland, CA, with the goal of centering black female voices and experiences as well as a book talk on Dr. Redwood’s book, White Women Cry and Call Me Angry , moderated by Kate. We delve deeper into that experience, what takeaways came out of t...
Apr 10, 2024•55 min
In this episode Kristy is interviewed with Lisa Gillette of Big Sky Coaching on her podcast Grace, Grit, and Getting it Done! Kristy shares her experience of struggling with workplace communication as a mid-career professional how she learned to be more prepared to speak up at work. https://gracegritgettingitdone.com/
Apr 05, 2024•39 min•Ep. 144
For most of us, at some point in our lives, we will come to a crossroads with a job or career, be it from burnout, finding it no longer brings us joy, or it doesn’t align with our values or goals. If or when we reach that crossroads, it may mean quitting or leaving that job or career behind. In this episode, we discuss with Amani Zaveri the topic of The Art of Quitting. Amani shares with us some of the benefits of quitting, reasons or circumstances that may hold us back, and finally, she offers ...
Mar 27, 2024•39 min•Ep. 143
In this episode Danielle explores the real meaning of listening, the three types of listening and how to practice to be a better listener.
Mar 20, 2024•6 min
It’s true, we’re not a one size fits all society, but individuals deemed as overweight, obese, or fat can face a rush to judgment and unfair treatment based solely on their larger body size. Today’s guest Kate Manne discusses with us the topic of How to Face Fatphobia. Kate shares with us some fascinating historical origins of the Body Mass Index (BMI); ways fat phobia shows up in areas of society including in medical treatment; and other relevant topics tackled in her book, released in January ...
Mar 13, 2024•48 min•Ep. 141
This episode is for you if you’re overwhelmed with meetings and spending nights and weekends catching up on work that you couldn’t get to during the day. Learn practical steps to take today to get your work hours under control. Work with Kristy: Learn more about workplace communication workshops and contsulting at www.kristyolinger.com
Mar 06, 2024•7 min•Ep. 140
Many of us associate the season of winter with hibernation and the need for extra rest. Just as some animals and plants hibernate during winter – we too, as humans, need a dedicated period of time to rest and recharge. So, what do you do when sleep doesn’t come as easily as it should? This week we speak to Monica Le Baron on the topic of Sleep Simplified. Monica shares how several experiences including a relocation impacted the quality of her own sleep, some easy beginners steps she recommends i...
Feb 28, 2024•36 min•Ep. 139
Just in time for “Galentine’s Day,” this special episode features author Rhaina Cohen on the topic of, The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center. Her book, by the same name, was released today. We discuss excerpts from the book, the unique friendship stories she’s found through her research; and how her own close friendship was the catalyst to her interest in this topic. Work with Danielle : If you are ready to start working with a life coach or just want to le...
Feb 13, 2024•31 min•Ep. 138
" The biggest problem in communication is the illusaion that it has taken place " according to George Bernard Shaw. In this episode, Kristy covers the communication cycle and the different blockers that can prevent your message from getting through to your intended recipient. If your team is ready to upskill workplace communication to make work easier, learn more about workshops and team training programs at kristyolinger.com For more workplace communication tips, follow Kristy on Instagram at @...
Feb 07, 2024•7 min•Ep. 137
Many people tend to believe that professional success is measured by the amount of money in their bank account and that the harder they work the more successful they’ll become, but what happens when that type of “hustle harder” mentality leaves you burned out and disenchanted? This week’s guest suggests there is an alternative that offers a balance between hard work and success. Today we speak to Matt LeBris on the topic of “Mindful Hustling.” Matt suggests, through his own experiences, that he’...
Jan 31, 2024•41 min•Ep. 136
In this episode Danielle shares tips and ideas on how to stay authentic and true to yourself through all different stages of your career. By idenifying and reevealuating your core values, strengths and super powers throughout your life you can honor yourself at all stages of your career.
Jan 31, 2024•8 min•Ep. 135
