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Leading social scientists tell us that growing up we are a product of our environment. How we were treated and spoke to by our parents, siblings, teachers, classmates, etc. formed our personality and often our sense of self-value or lack of self-value. Laura Staley has faced those struggles for many years before discovering she could take control and live life on her terms. Listen to this intriguing story.

Ilene combines more than 50 years in nursing and 25 years in vibration healing to create a holistic approach to clearing energy blocks and promoting healing. She helps an international clientele of heart-centered individuals and entrepreneurs who struggle with fear,self-sabotaging negative thoughts or behaviors, and self-worth issues to experience inner peace self-confidence, empowerment, and clarity about their soul's purpose. Key Points: All of us have challenges, and how we perceive them and choose to heal them determines our path on this amazing, human journey called life. Ilene Gottlieb identifies herself as the Heart Healer, and as such, she seeks to remind us to BE a loving presence in our relationship with ourselves first, for who we are BEing in this relationship IS the key that unlocks everything that we perceive as limiting us. In this interview, Ilene shares how consciously connecting to our hearts, from the holistic perspective, is an amazing tool for creating balance on all levels and for relieving stress and its effects on the body, regardless of the cause.

The Dan Smolen Podcast is the best at covering the future of work and meaningful work topics and trends. On the podcast, Dan Smolen provides interesting guests and actionable career insight to help you “real-time reimagine” a future of work doing meaningful work. As organizations reintroduce their people to the workplace, they must also reckon with social responsibility. It is one thing for management to express a desire for positive social change. It is quite another to “walk the talk” to create a civil work environment. Sejal Thakkar understands the sting of incivility like few others. During her teenage years in the Chicago suburbs, she suffered from near-daily racial prejudice and bullying. Now, as a self-described Chief Civility Officer; Sejal uses her personal experience to provide effective workplace training that fosters civility. In this episode, Sejal: Describes her role as Chief Civility Officer for TrainXtra. Starts at 2:57 Relives growing up as a bullied “other” in the Chicago suburbs. Starts at 4:26 Relates the experience of representing clients accused of workplace incivility, bias, and discrimination. Starts at 7:52 Defines the term microagression. Starts at 21:58 Pairs the civility narrative with the return to the workplace. Starts at 29:39 Explains how fostering a civil workplace provides positive ROI benefits. Starts at 32:12 In the wake of Covid, remote work, and civil unrest, Sejal believes that we have hit an inflection point for fostering a civil workplace: [There have been] so many things happening in such a short period of time that people are not putting up with B.S. at work, anymore.

Step out of your comfort zone and embrace your magical personal growth journey. Today’s returning award-winning international bestselling author is mom & fiction ghostwriter, Kathrin Hutson. Kathrin and I have another fun on a bun conversation about her personal growth journey as a writer, what authors should invest in as they publish their work, and more!!! Key Thing’s You’ll Learn: The 2 skills that Kat has been learning during the pandemic. Why she decided to try her hand at an urban fantasy book under her name. What Kat would do differently if she started her publishing journey all over again. What authors should invest in when it comes to publishing their books.

Award-winning writer, filmmaker, travel guide, and storyteller Phil Cousineau talks about the joys and challenges of homecoming — the oldest tale in the world, repeated from The Odyssey to The Wizard of Oz. Phil’s fascination with other cultures has taken him from Michigan to Marrakesh, from Iceland to the Amazon.  He’s written more than 35 books, including The Hero’s Journey, Stoking the Creative Fires, The Art of Pilgrimage, and The Book of Roads.  He’s also the host of Global Spirit, the first “internal travel series” on PBS. In this podcast, Phil explains why it’s so hard for the hero — or the heroine — to get back home again; why Americans feel so rootless; how rituals help us celebrate our travels, and why we need to share our stories and reconnect with loved ones around the hearth. Here are some excerpts with the audio and full transcript below. On Homecoming and Detroit I just came back from the city where I grew up, and there are so many people walking around with sweatshirts for the Detroit Tigers, but also shirts that say DIA for the Detroit Institute of Arts. The people in Detroit who are essentially rebuilding the city are identifying not just with sports, but with culture. Detroit has had the most precipitous decline in population in urban history. And so this is a huge moment. A rebirth, a renaissance. It’s very hard to begin to rebuild without this sense of pride. It’s an axiom now that if people don’t love, not just like or identify with, if they don’t love where they live, they will burn the place down. Reading The Odyssey Today This story is about the awakening of a man who has not quite appreciated his wife, Penelope, and who has upset the gods who are wreaking havoc on his effort to get home again.  After his time with Circe, Odysseus goes down into the underworld to find Tiresias, the sage, who tells him: You can get home again but you will have to suffer.  The gods will make it difficult for you to do this. You will have to curb your desires and the desires of the men in your crew. This is the psychological insight:  It’s your desires that have kept you from getting home again.  What does that mean for us today? The Wizard of Oz In the last scene the Good Witch turns to Dorothy and says, “If you just wake up, you will see that you have always been at home.”  The Buddha said this, too, along with other great spiritual teachers.  Wake up!  In some way,  we all go to sleep. And then philosophy, religion, travel, art,  wake us up again. When all five senses are alive, you can be home anywhere.

Sara Finkelstein is a Registered Social Security Analyst and in this Wiser Women in the Spotlight Interview Series, Sarah answers two very important questions. Questions that people are often confused about, hence make decisions that may not serve them well - When is the best time to collect your Social Security? Where will your income come from in retirement?

At the heart of civility is respect. Respect and dignity are essential for psychological safety, especially when others have diverse experiences and viewpoints. Civility is not about complacency or placating. It’s not about denying or pushing away strong feelings that can emerge when conflict emerges. It’s about temporarily suspending our alarm bells for a period of time so we can do the hard work of “climbing the empathy wall” to better understand the deep stories behind those we see as “the other.” Thank you Sally Spencer-Thomas for the opportunity to share my story and insights with you and your listeners on the Hope Illuminated Podcast. Listen here ⤵︎

When you turn your face to the past, you same turning your back to the future. When you are too much into the future, always unsatisfied, you are losing what you have. You have a lot, acknowledge that.

Podcast Host Emily Melious believes that every child is perfectly capable, but sadly, the world doesn’t always see it that way. As an Accredited Youth Specialist, Emily works with families to discover and harness their kids’ superpowers. Join her as she leads weekly conversations about how to advocate for your child in a one-size-fits-all world. Learn more about Mothers of Misfits and visit Emily's Website. I was honored to be her guest recently, as we discussed a number of important topics. Summary: Sejal Thakkar dubs herself “Chief Civility Officer” and “Legal Training Ninja.” In her 17 years as an employment law attorney, Sejal encountered plenty of incivility in the workplace. She shares simple, approachable strategies to foster civility in our kids and set them up for success in life. Quotes: “The reason why I go about the civility angle is because that’s something that’s a common language that we all speak and that we all want.” – Sejal Thakkar “When I say diversity, it’s basically differences. Not any specific kinds of differences, but we all have a different way of looking at the world.” – Sejal Thakkar “To achieve civility, we all need to make sure that we make that time to get to know each other.” – Sejal Thakkar “Bias, the way I define it is just, it’s another word for preference.” – Sejal Thakkar “I honestly will tell you this last year of being at home and homeschooling my son has been the best year of my life. I wish I could homeschool him for the rest of my life, because of the opportunity that we have as parents to be able to instill this wonderful information, to help prepare them for their futures, we can easily do that if we just give them our time and attention.” – Sejal Thakkar “We have to make time to do this work with our kids so they can be set up for their future.” – Sejal Thakkar

After striving for all of the outside, material successes that parents, education, and society signpost in the West such as a big house, money, powerful job role, holidays, etc and only at the age of 39 did I achieve all of that and sit in my apartment feeling hollow empty. At that point I got curious and I have spent the past 5 years learning how to model being free to be which has included acknowledging my adolescent bullying aged 12/13, self-harming, failed first marriage, burning myself out aged 40, and more. Listen for Garry Turner's view on masculinity and vulnerability How stillness has awakened him even more We also touch on white shame/ privilege, freedom, free to be, and how he is choosing to change.

Hello friends! In this episode, we are opening to you three elements you need to implement and maintain this week to make you most effective and productive. Thus, this Friday you will be like 'Wow, I didn't know I could do that much'

Ilene combines more than 50 years in nursing and 25 years in vibration healing to create a holistic approach to clearing energy blocks and promoting healing. She helps an international clientele of heart-centered individuals and entrepreneurs who struggle with fear,self-sabotaging negative thoughts or behaviors, and self-worth issues to experience inner peace self-confidence, empowerment, and clarity about their soul's purpose. Key Points: All of us have challenges, and how we perceive them and choose to heal them determines our path on this amazing, human journey called life. Ilene Gottlieb identifies herself as the Heart Healer, and as such, she seeks to remind us to BE a loving presence in our relationship with ourselves first, for who we are BEing in this relationship IS the key that unlocks everything that we perceive as limiting us. In this interview, Ilene shares how consciously connecting to our hearts, from the holistic perspective, is an amazing tool for creating balance on all levels and for relieving stress and its effects on the body, regardless of the cause.

In This Episode, Darlene discusses the beauty and history of dance and how it impacts us. The wish to move can alter our mood within a few moments. Key Takeaways: Dance has been around for thousands of years. There are many kinds of dances. You dance free form or formally. The popularity of dance shows is an example of people’s interest in dance. Dancing not only can change your mood, but it can help you connect to others as well as deep within you. Dancing can tap into the very essence of our sensual selves. ~Darlene Corbett DON’T MISS IT – ENJOY PART 2 HERE ↓ https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/the-sound-of-music-part-2/

Great business leaders require a certain set of character traits to unleash the potential of the enterprises they lead. In this series of seven posts, I articulate my view of the seven character traits essential for great business leaders.  In this post, I describe the trait that energizes and ignites all the others – courage.

In this episode, Heather speaks with Mario Harding, Associate Chief Operating Officer at Denver Health, about the origins of his leadership style, leading him to success as a humble leader. Mario relays a story when he was not present for his team during a time when they needed him. He sheds light on important qualities of a leader: vulnerability, being present, taking care of yourself first, balance, putting yourself out there for your team, giving yourself grace, and a strong support network. Heather and Mario also discuss how to reconcile personal drive with true care, as well as the sacrifices necessary in leadership— not only to care for others but to care for yourself better as a leader. Delegation can be key to improving yourself, by allowing you to be more present and providing others with opportunities to grow. Key Takeaways: Don’t let your circumstances define what you can do. Take care of yourself and balance priority projects. As a leader, always be present especially during tough times. Be a vulnerable leader and put yourself out there. Being a leader means giving yourself grace. Ask yourself as a leader, “What can I let go of?” Delegation can be seen as giving a gift to someone else. Hear from other leaders; let their stories lift you out of self-doubt. What an insightful episode! Hope you don’t miss this! Seeing Both Sides My leadership journey continues to evolve and grow. I’ve been in the healthcare industry for over 20 plus years now. I have worked at various organizations and hospitals that have way more money. Then there are places like Denver Health, whose mission is to serve the underserved, the uninsured, and the very vulnerable patient population. So along with that comes this humility that I’ve been able to see both sides. As a leader, I continue to learn and to educate myself from others. Building Support Systems I’ve had times where I’ve made mistakes or failures, but I don’t let that override what I’ve accomplished. I try to find some balance in making sure of the things that I do and how I contribute to the organization. It’s also critical to be authentic and at the same time making sure that the things that you’re doing are really valuable to your time as well. If you are striving for perfection, if that’s what you choose to do, just know that you may not get there. But why put that on yourself? I think it’s extremely and absolutely critically important as a leader that when you find yourself in a place where you make a mistake, learn from it, move on and forgive yourself. But like I said, learning point. I think the other thing that comes to mind really is also about surrounding yourself with people who support you. Whether it’s professionally or personally, you’re going to need folks to maybe vent, have honest conversations, or have something that’s creating a challenge for you. It’s absolutely important to help people more to build you up and not tear you down when you need it the most. Again, Support. Surround yourself while there’s enough negativity out. With the pandemic right now, there just is. Personal and Professional I don’t know it all as a leader. You have to be in a position to make sure that you rely on those around you who may have greater experience or knowledge in the subject to help you get to where you need to be. That has helped me in the years as a healthcare lever. I look for opportunities to find leaders who need to be elevated and taken out of their comfort zone a bit. As I work with my direct reports, I really encourage them to do the same—find someone who has a voice but may need to be given the opportunity to use that voice more so than they have in the past. I am very much about supporting my team, lifting them up, and being transparent I want to do more. I want to do better. I’m blessed because having people around me to help support my career certainly has put me in a place that has impacted my leadership role.

Taina Jara is Life Transition Coach and her life’s mission is to expand the human consciousness on the planet and help people around the world discover and express their life’s purpose so that they can make the impact they desire and create the life they love. Her guiding values are truthfulness, faith, and courage. Taina works with visionaries, influencers, and leaders in business, social, spiritual, and artistic areas to help them transition to the next inspiring vision in their life or career. Taina experienced many major life and career transitions herself and used the power of her mind and spirit in these processes. Quotes ‘Find a safe place.’ ‘Your journey is the thing.’ ‘Step up and the help will come.’ ‘Keep the promises you make to yourself.’ ‘Dreams can be profound.’

Have you ever made a choice that wasn’t good for you? Laura shares a brief honest story of a not good choice she made and ideas to pattern interrupt the part of you that tends to override your body cues that say, “Flag on the Play!” Listen in as you can create an intersection of trusting yourself and using discernment to free yourself of future regrettable decisions and Laura shares how. Laura Staley shares key themes from the book Live Inspired available from online retailers worldwide.

In this sixth of a series on the character traits of great business leaders, I identify one that might be surprising, yet is incredibly powerful – humility. Humility is often misunderstood.  In this podcast, I describe it and show how it is a powerful leadership trait.

In This Episode, Darlene discusses: How music taps into the power of you. How music is essential and offers a variety from which we can select.  She talks about Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and other musicians who changed the culture. Key Takeaways: No matter their flaws, iconic figures leave their mark. Music continues to offer something for everyone. People leave this earth, but their gifts remain eternally. They have left us with these gifts, which will last us through eternity. DON'T MISS IT – ENJOY PART 1 HERE ↓ https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/the-sound-of-music-part-1/ ↓ LISTEN TO PART 2 HERE ↓

When I take my daily walk, I tend to either walk in silence or listen to a podcast. I find that by doing either, I can briefly put aside those things on which I might otherwise be ruminating – or I can gain insight into them. On this particular day, I was listening to Greg McKeown's exceptional "Essentialism" podcast, and his guest literally said something that made me stop and hit the 15-second reverse button. Twice. His guest, Ben Bergeron, trains high-octane athletes for the high-octane sport of "Cross Fit." These are some of the most highly conditioned athletes in the world, but they're also human: they worry. Sometimes a lot. Worrying detracts from good performance, so Bergeron takes the athletes through an extensive mental exercise where they identify all of the things that might take up some mindspace; things that might worry them; things that are an issue that we should be thinking about or anything that could go wrong in training or in competition. They then categorize those thoughts as either in their power to change or influence or outside their power to control. Bergeron then added: 80% of things you’re worrying about are ultimately outside your control. And that's where I stopped and hit the reverse button. Twice. [AN ASIDE: "You mean that some 80% of all that crap that wakes me up at three in the morning and has me tossing and turning is potentially outside of my control?" I asked a squirrel perched upside down on the trunk of a nearby tree. I think it nodded in reply.] Bergeron then goes on to explain that if you're complaining, whining, or making excuses about something, that something is usually outside of your control. So, he advises his clients to focus on what they can control, and in the athlete's world, that's nutrition, conditioning, sleep, recovery, and mindset. The other things? Let them go. The idea of focusing on what you can control leads us to this week's podcast guest, elementary school principal JoAnne Duncan. Let's look at her potential worry situation. COVID-19 just may be a principal's worst nightmare, but as JoAnne reasons, the disease itself is outside her control; what's in her control is how she helps her faculty, kids, and community adjust to it. Reinforcing Bergeron's advice, Ben and Roz Zander, authors of The Art of Possibility, explain the skill JoAnne so aptly demonstrates as "being present with the way things are without resistance." “Without resistance” doesn't mean being resigned to the way things are. Rather it means not dwelling on the negative feelings associated with a given situation. "Letting go of resistance" allows you to turn to the more productive question "What do we want to do from here?" And as you listen to this episode, you'll hear that JoAnne excels at answering that question. If you made it this far, thank you! And if you're intrigued enough to listen to the podcast episode, thank you again! No? Hey, don't worry about it.