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In this episode I speak with Dr Rajesh Kumar — an expert in International Business Strategy and Cross-Cultural Management — on the importance of cultural competence in shaping global business success.

Originally from India, Dr Kumar has lived and worked in the United States, U.K., Denmark, France, Finland, Netherlands, and New Zealand. He has developed a deep appreciation and awareness of the importance of the cross-cultural dimension and how it impacts strategy formulation and implementation. He has a Ph.D. degree in International Business from New York University, an MBA from Rutgers University, and a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Delhi. He has published numerous research papers in academic journals and is the coauthor of a book on Doing Business in India which was published by Macmillan in 2005 and International Negotiations in China and India published by Macmillan in 2011. Dr Kumar is also a certified Global Dexterity Trainer and is currently appearing on Leadership Podcasts as a guest where he highlights the importance of managing the cultural dimension for global companies. He also leads training programs for companies engaged in global business.

Rajesh gives some examples of cross cultural mistakes that can be made in business, what we can do about it (hint: it includes building psychological safety), and what it means to be culturally competent. We also discuss curiosity, assumptions and the issue of slowing down, and how all three are linked to cultural openness.

Key highlights:

• When there is an element of exceptionalism, it impacts the ability to learn from others.
• If you're doing business globally, you have to be prepared. Preparation is the key to success.
• A big part of cultural competence is the ability to decode what is going on as opposed to what appears to be going on. What you might see overtly, may not be what's happening internally. There's often a difference.
• People are moving apart with globalisation, rather than coming together. A curious focus on culture helps improve this.
• In international business, you have to look at three important things; culture, history and politics, and the context of the situation.

To connect with Rajesh further head over to LinkedIn, and check out the work he does over on his website.

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In this episode I speak with Rupal Patel, an ex-CIA agent turned business owner who helps her audiences leverage the CIA mindset to remake the rules of success.

Called a ‘Power Woman’ by Harper's Bazaar Magazine, Rupal Patel is a sought-after international speaker and business consultant who has spoken in front of thousands. As a sitting CEO, author of From CIA to CEO (Bonnier Books, May 2022), executive advisor, coach and mentor, Rupal helps founders, leaders, and next generation change-makers reset their mindset and make the impossible possible. She brings tools and tips from the top-secret world of the CIA into everyday living and leading.

After a thrilling career at the CIA, she earned her MBA from London Business School and started her first award-winning business 10 years ago. With motivating stories and truly unique exercises, Rupal helps her audiences leverage the CIA mindset to remake the rules of success and become unstoppable in all aspects of life.

We speak about Rupal's incredible time as an agent in the CIA, our identities as leaders and the societal conditioning around that, and how to separate noise from the signal (your task/mission/goal).

Key episode highlights include:

• Start making small and incremental tweaks so that you can live more authentically, more powerfully and with less friction in your life in every way possible.
• No matter how smart we are, how capable, how well trained, there's always a part of the picture that we just don't have.
• It takes a lot of work to separate your sense of self from what you do.
• It's really important to start developing that skill of knowing what is noise and knowing what is the signal, and then choosing to ignore all of the noise so you can focus on the signal.

The best place to find out more about Rupal is over on her website, where you can also find links to her book From CIA to CEO.

leadership #selfleadership #coaching #coach #executivecoach #business

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In this episode I speak with Chloe Oestreich, who coaches leaders from Fortune 500 companies on how to communicate effectively, be heard and lead with impact.

As a consultant, Chloe equips leaders with the tools and techniques they need to thrive, adapt, present and communicate with impact.

An ICF accredited coach, she specialises in executive developmental coaching, which explores the inner game of the leader. Through coaching, Chloe empowers and stretches curious individuals to step into self-organisation and self-management of their own developmental growth. It is this sense of ownership that helps her clients step into their potential and purpose.

We speak about the four types of listening, why those in leadership positions really need to be adept in self leadership, the components of executive presence and we also explore tweaks to how you show up that can make a big difference in how your message lands with people.

Key episode highlights include...

• How deliberate and connected are you towards your underlying intention? What do you want people to really walk out with?
• Listening is one of the most undervalued skills. It is the most extraordinary gift you can actually offer up to another person.
• Make it easy for people to contribute.
• When we offer up sacred listening, there is no judgement, there is no chatter, there is no evaluation, there is no second guessing there is just pure 'being'.
• Leadership starts with self leadership

As mentioned in the episode, Chloe has generously created a free video training for our listeners which you can find here. But you can also find out more about Chloe and what she does over on her website and connect on LinkedIn.

podcast #leadership #executive #coach #coaching #leadership #leaders #developmentalcoaching #entrepreneur

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In this episode I speak with Shirley Dalton, an author and business mentor who is on a mission to help businesses regain control through the power of their people and their systems.

Shirley Dalton is the creator of the Blueprint For Business Freedom and author of The Loyal Lieutenant: How The Second-In-Command Brings The CEO’s Vision To Life.

Her teachings demonstrate how blending people, processes and possibilities can help business owners create their ideal business lifestyle to avoid burnout and their personal and business lives working against them.

Over 30 years, she has helped thousands of business owners and employees around the world:

• release lifelong limiting beliefs,

• put in place solid systems and procedures, and

• develop and improve their leadership skills.

With a unique set of skills including teaching and psychology degrees, she is on a mission to help even more business owners, leaders and managers to get their businesses under control by growing themselves and their teams to create more money, more time and less stress.

We speak about Shirley's three year travel in a motor home across Australia and navigating relationships in very small spaces, how leaders are able to create psychological safety for their teams, plus the blueprint for business freedom (including Shirley's 3 P's - People, Process and Possibility).

Key episode highlights include:

• Not speaking up is actually the kiss of death for the team.

• It's important to have squabbles within a team, as long as the communication with each person is strong and healthy.

• Have conversations about how you have conversations.

• Assertiveness is getting your needs met but not at another's expense.

• When you're stressed, your limiting beliefs can become magnified.

To find out more about Shirley, head on over to her website which is chock full of information, and also connect with her further on Facebook and Instagram.

Resources spoken about in this episode:

Shirley's book: The Loyal Lieutenant: How The Second-In-Command Brings The CEO’s Vision To Life

Fearless Leadership

The E-Myth

Go for No

leadership #business #podcast #entrepreneur #mindset #attitude #freedom #coaching #coach

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In this episode I speak with Liz Dingle, an executive mindset coach whose goal it is to help people lead with love rather than lead with fear.

After 20 years of working in senior corporate marketing, Liz decided to follow her heart rather than her head. She realised that limiting beliefs kept her exactly where she was and unknowingly stopped her from doing what she wanted to do in her career. So, with a great marketing career behind her, she put a line in the sand and decided to walk away from it all to start a new career and her own business that would suit who she was and the life she wanted for herself and her two boys.

Liz is a sole parent with two boys aged 10 and 12 and really wanted to be present during their schooling years. She found that her corporate career kept her from doing this and decided to make a big change. But still wanted to be extremely successful and prove to her boys that anything was possible.

This realisation led her to become an executive mindset coach, as it was meaningful and gave her the flexibility she desired.

After 2 and a half years of running her own business, Liz has coached over 60 senior executives and created an incredible network that has inspired others to truly, be their best. She is very proud of what she has achieved, especially as a single mum, through the pandemic and having started with nothing. Liz has also helped people improve themselves and reach their potential.

We speak about setting yourself up for success and how it often comes when your back is up against a wall, how working on just one part of you has a huge flow on effect to all other parts, and Liz offers a great perspective on negativity and how that can bounce back to you in other areas of your life.

Key episode highlights include:What you want is right there in front of you, but you're the one blocking it

• In order to make something different, you have to do something really different.

• Things happen when you draw that line in the sand.

• Own ALL of your stuff when it comes to both positive and negative interactions with people.

• You can't have professional growth without personal development.

You can find out more about Liz and the work she does over on her website, or connect with her on LinkedIn.

coach #coaching #business #entrepreneur #mindset #goals #coaching

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In this episode I speak with Kent Weed, a powerhouse producer and director who is also extremely passionate about meditation and the full spectrum of health and wellbeing.

Kent Weed is a multiple Emmy nominated Producer and DGA nominated Director and Co-founder of A.Smith & Co Productions. He has over 25 years of experience in Television in multiple genres, Music, Talk, Game, and Reality including creating formats such as “American Ninja Warrior”, “I Survived a Japanese Game Show. “ and “Hell’s Kitchen”. He has a unique skill of taking niche ideas and creating formats that appeal to broad audiences.

He founded reality television powerhouse A. Smith & Co. Productions with Arthur Smith in 2000 and His career spans 3 decades and He has produced over 150 shows for 45 different networks.

He was an executive producer on all of the company’s projects, including the Emmy and People’s Choice Award-nominated hit shows Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, American Ninja Warrior, I Survived a Japanese Game Show, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, Full Throttle Saloon, The World According to Paris, Unsung, American Gangster, Pros Vs. Joes, UFC Countdown, The Swan, and Trading Spaces.

In addition to his duties as President and Executive producer, Weed also Directed many of the company’s projects, receiving two Directors Guild of America nominations for Spartan – Ultimate Team Challenge in 2017 and I Survived a Japanese Game Show in 2009, in addition to winning the international Rose d’Or award for Best Reality show in 2009.

We speak about Kent's 20 year partnership in business and how he's been able to maintain that, how he started on the path into wellness and the huge changes he noticed when he started meditating, ultimately leading him to help others in this area by creating the program, Taming Your Monkey Mind.

Key episode highlights include:

• The key to long-standing relationships in business is respect.
• Health and longevity is ultimately a combination of mind, body and soul.
• There's many opportunities for things to go wrong. And if you look at it with a different perspective, you're much more able to deal with those challenges and come up with resolutions.
• You can reprogram your brain, you can reprogram your thoughts through constant repetition and consistency.
• The world is chaos and the universe is chaos, and when you just accept things and surrender to them and deal with them in the moment, rather than try to fight and push back, it's much easier to deal with.
• Have the conversations before you need to have them.

You can check out the wellness work Kent does by visiting Live Ur Purpose, and definitely look into Taming Your Monkey Mind - something we all should be doing!

Other resources mentioned in this episode were the Waterkeeper Alliance and the book, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker.

coach #business #media #entrepreneur #leadership #health #mindset #wellbeing #entertainment #meditation

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In this episode I speak with Jeff Spahn, a pioneer in leadership forging a new, evolved theory and practice of leading that meets today’s challenges and opportunities.

With more than 20 years at the helm of Leading Leaders Inc., Jeff has drawn on his hands-on research and business leadership expertise to develop a proven process that transforms complexity into innovation and optimal business outcomes. He inspires leaders to move beyond the industrial-age concept of collaboration (aka co-labor), reimagine traditional leadership hierarchies, and embrace an innovative process for leading and following at the same time, in the same action—a seismic shift designed for the unique demands of the digital age.

We explore Jeff's passion for improvisational jazz and the links with leadership. Which includes collaboration, creativity, the balance of structure/flexibility, energy and fun!

We speak about hierarchy in teams and how we can use both hierarchy and equality to our advantage, as well as practical tasks you can do to better know (and lead) yourself, observing your behaviours and showing up better in both business and life.

Key highlights include:

• You still need the hierarchy. But the hierarchy isn't the control. It's there to free the collective flow, the improvisation of the group.
• Brainstorming is like gathering the pieces and then improv is a way of starting to connect them and see what's appearing that we haven't seen before.
• What pieces of this puzzle that we are facing are you holding back right now?
• If everyone brings what they currently think and feel, there's going to be some tension. But if we hold space for that, and allow for the connections, we start to see what this puzzle actually is. And that's the foundation of contemporary innovation.
• Reimagine hierarchy as facilitating collective flow.

Make sure to dive into Jeff's book We the Leader: Build a Team of Equals Who All Lead and Follow to Drive Creativity and Innovation and check out his work in the world at Leading Leaders.

leadership #business #culture #teamwork #change #selfleadership #trust

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In this episode I chat with Dave Robinson, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and author of The Substance of Leadership: A Practical Framework for Effectively Leading a High-Performing Team (Per Capita Publishing, Sept. 2021).

Drawing on Dave’s decades of experience in the military, we cover effective leadership strategies, how to influence the culture, getting people on board, and leading in high-pressure situations.

Robinson is also a senior advisor to Fortune 1000 companies in mission-critical industries such as biotechnology, healthcare, transportation and logistics, energy and more. A former fighter pilot and TOPGUN instructor, David is an expert and international speaker on the subjects of organisational leadership and performance improvement.

In his final assignment in the US military, he was the commanding officer (CEO) of a $12B aviation enterprise where he managed a fleet of 250 jet aircraft and led over 2,500 personnel supporting global operations.

Robinson is the founder and CEO of Vertical Performance Enterprises, which helps executives develop high-performing organisations through effective leadership. The company empowers teams to gain a competitive advantage through proven performance improvement fundamentals. Robinson has guided teams to consistently produce winning results in some of the most complex, uncertain environments in the world.

Prior to founding Vertical Performance Enterprises in 2011, David served in several executive leadership positions in the military in the areas of strategy, operations, logistics, safety, human resources, training and more. While serving as the Director of Air Operations in Iraq, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for overseeing more than 20,000 combat missions and over 2,000 medical evacuations. As a strategy director for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, David facilitated numerous studies used to develop the Pentagon’s ten-year vision and budget for the Department of Defence.

We discuss what it means to develop a high performing culture within a team or organisation, why strong leadership is vital to organisational success, and we hear about Dave's incredibly inspiring (and hair raising) lessons from the battlefield.

Key episode highlights include...

• Leadership is people centric and management is process centric.
• Trust is the centre of gravity of a high performing culture.
• Being a leader of a high performing team requires the three C's - Character (intention), Competence (action) and Composure (emotion).
• If we are under pressure we may sense the urge to panic, but the key is to maintain that composure because it really sets the tone for how our team responds.
• Tell them what needs to happen but don't micromanage the how.
• 'Do this because I told you so' doesn't work anymore. If you can get people to understand the importance and the why behind what you're asking them to do, that's what gets them on board with the mission.
• First, get them to understand the why, the mission. Then, show them how they can be a direct contributor to that.

Check out Dave's work in the world over at Vertical Performance Enterprises, connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter, and make sure to pick up a copy of his incredible book, The Substance of Leadership.

leadership #business #culture #teamwork #military #navy #unitedstates #change #selfleadership #trust

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In this episode I speak with Ryan Houston, who turned a successful rugby league career into a successful one in real estate. We speak about how to look at your career as a sport, why you need to maintain all three pillars of health and the massive changes happening in the local real estate market.

Ryan is a partner at PRD Newcastle Lake Macquarie, lover of all sports, health and wellbeing conscious and now he's navigating the new world of parenting.

We speak about Ryan's transition from rugby to working with kids in American summer camps, to his journey in real estate and we get a feel for just how passionate he is about Newcastle and all the changes happening here. A must listen-to if you are interested in this stunning place!

Key episode highlights include:

• In real estate you are constantly wrestling every day. And you need to be fit in all three aspects (physically, mentally, emotionally) to ensure that you're going to be the best every single day.
• There's no wealth without health.
• Everything that I learned from the sporting scene has been translated to the real estate or business scene, and I feel like that's why every day I can wake up with great energy, and I can be more proactive than reactive.
• You never know if you don't ask, you never know if you don't do.

If you want to connect further with Ryan, the best place to find him is on Instagram @ryanhoustonprd.

leadership #selfleadership #health #wellbeing #business #entrepreneur #sport #coach #growth

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In this episode I speak with Mykel Dixon, a speaker, facilitator, author and musician, who brings a unique perspective to how we view leadership and the relationship to our work.

Named Australia’s Breakthrough Speaker of the Year 2018*, Mykel Dixon leads a new wave of entrepreneurial savants showing fortune 500 and ASX 200 listed companies how to stay relevant in a 21st-Century Renaissance.

A jazz musician by trade, gypsy by nature, fierce non-conformist & prolific anti-perfectionist, his live-learning experiences unite teams, ignite creativity and infuse participants with the skills they need to solve complex 21st-century business challenges.

Blending his unique life & business experience, a bias for action and a magnetic stage presence, Mykel’s highly interactive keynotes and conference and event offerings are powerful, poetic and full of possibility. His use of live music, spoken word poetry, visual storytelling and audience participation gives him an unmistakable edge.

In this discussion, Mykel's perspective on music and the arts is interwoven with that of leadership, teams and how we view our work from a technical, relational and also collective standpoint. We speak about self expression, committing to a 50 day project, the importance of context in an experience, and how we can derive inspiration from jazz culture and inject it into the way we do business.

Key episode highlights include:

· There is so much we can take away from the way that musicians improvise and come together, and repurpose that into the world of work and business.

· We need to go beyond the shallow surface, the immediate, this is what it looks like, this is what worked last time. And go deeper.

· If you can bring that active listening and be present to what's emerging in front of you, you'll notice things that otherwise you might have missed.

· It's really important not just to be present, but in that presence to connect with something meaningful.

· The busyness of what people think they have on their plate is actually taking them away from the essence of what the role of a leader is all about. Leadership is about the people. It's being present. It's listening. It's showing up.

· The work itself doesn't matter, it's who we are as we're doing it.

Head on over to Mykel's website to check out the incredible work he does, check out his book EVERYDAY CREATIVE - A DANGEROUS GUIDE FOR MAKING MAGIC AT WORK or connect further with him on LinkedIn and Instagram.

podcast #leadership #business #entrepreneur #speaker #creativity # innovation #author #health #mindset

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In this episode I speak with Sam Cawthorn, an incredible story-shower and renowned professional speaker whose mission it is to teach people how to master communication for influence.

Sam Cawthorn is the Founder of Speakers Institute Group of Companies and Speakers Tribe and author of 11 books including 4 International Best Sellers. He is both the former Young Australian of the Year and the Edupreneur of the Year.

In 2006 Sam’s life changed forever when he was involved in a major car accident which left him with an amputated right arm and a permanent disability in his right leg. Sam went on to become one of the world’s most in demand global professional speakers. His award winning group of training companies runs events globally, teaching people how to master communication for influence.

We speak about the impact that the last 24 months have had on professional speakers and live events, why we should adopt a bounce forward mindset, what the hero's journey is and how it's structured for maximum impact, and why exactly 'story-showing' trumps storytelling every time. This episode is jam-packed with tips and techniques on how to communicate for positive influence and is a must-listen to.

Key episode highlights include:

• Yes we have these tough times, these crises, these problems, but it's not about going back to where we've been, it's about bouncing forward into what we can become.
• We win people's attention as leaders by giving value. But value is not value unless it addresses the pain point or problem of your target listener.
• In all reality, they don't care about your ideas, they don't care about your message, all they care about is their own pain point and problem. So if you address their pain point and problem, they will gift you their attention. And that's ultimately how we influence other people.
• If I say to you, let me tell you something you versus me saying let me show you something, it lands totally different to the listener.
• The longer you pause, the more intelligent you come across.
• If you want to be a better leader, learn how to emotionally connect. How do you emotionally connect? Be a better story shower.

Make sure you check out Sam's website and the Speaker's Institute, and connect with him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

podcast #leadership #self-leadership #communication #storyshower #storytelling #health #mentalhealth #wellbeing #business #presenter #facilitator #trainer #speaker #entrepreneur

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In this episode I speak with Oscar Trimboli, who is on a quest to create 100 million Deep Listeners in the world. He is an author, host of the Apple Award-winning podcast—Deep Listening and a sought-after keynote speaker. Oscar is passionate about using the gift of listening to bring positive change in workplaces.

Oscar has experienced firsthand the transformational impact leaders and organisations can have when they listen beyond words. He consults to organisations including American Express, AstraZeneca, Cisco, Google, HSBC, Loreal, PwC and Stryker helping chairs, boards, executives and their teams listen to what’s unsaid by the customers and employees.

Oscar lives in Sydney with his wife Jennie, where he helps first-time runners and ocean swimmers conquer their fears and contributes to the cure for cancer as part of Can Too, a cancer research charity.

We speak about some incredible and hard-hitting facts that will make you want to adjust how you show up when other people are speaking, the differences between being a good listener and a deep listener (hint: it's more about what people aren't saying), and where we can and cannot multi-task and why this is the case.

This episode is jam-packed full of tips, but some key highlights include:

• The number one thing to improve listening is to switch off all electronic notifications.
• Technology's amazing, but if you become a slave to it you have no processing capability whatsoever. If you have a device near you, and it's turned on, you have the cognitive processing capacity of an eight year old.
• The shorter your questions, the more effective they are. They're more neutral. And they invite a wider perspective of answer.
• In some cultures, silence is just a sign of wisdom, respect and authority. It's something that's embraced, not pushed away.
• It's not your job to make sense of what they say it's your job to help them make sense of what they're thinking

Oscar also leaves us with 3 tips to listen to what is unsaid:

1. Ask the question, "Tell me more?"

2. Ask the question, "And, what else?"

3. Simply allow silence.

You can connect with Oscar and the incredible work he does by heading to The Listening Quiz, and make sure to check out his podcast Deep Listening.

podcast #leadership #communication #listening #business #selfleadership #team #teamdevelopment

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Episode 101 is a reflection of the past hundred episodes of the Inspired Energy podcast, and this time it is Murray on the receiving end! Matt Cowdroy, who was our guest for Episode 6 back in 2018, has jumped back on to now chat with Murray about his key insights, lightbulb moments and favourite conversations that have graced this podcast over the last three years.

We delve into the overarching themes that have presented themselves across the episodes, like self leadership, the desire to serve others and the yearning to continually learn and develop. Murray shares his aha moments that have happened during specific episodes, how his conversation and listening techniques have developed over time, and also opens up about his dream podcast guests in three very different industries.

Some key highlights of this episode include:

• When going into a planned conversation with someone, you definitely need a level of preparation but be mindful of not over-preparing to a point of losing the curiosity.
• Create the space for the conversation so that you're not rushing through it, that way you give it the opportunity to develop into something or go in a direction that you may not have anticipated.
• Look at your field or industry, and see how you can be unique in that.
• It's super important for everyone to find the time and space to connect with their pack as we move forward.

What a way to end 2021 with wrapping up 101 episodes and really reflecting on what has been, before moving into the fresh new year.

Again we want to thank Matt for jumping on and facilitating this conversation - you can find out about the awesome work he does over at Think Productive and make sure to listen to his insightful episode back when the podcast began.

podcast #inspired #inspiredenergy #coach #coaching #productivity #leadership #selfleadership #health #mentalhealth

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In this episode I speak with breathwork experts Shane and Angie Saunders of Breathe Me. It is jam-packed full of insight and practical tips to help leaders and their teams become more energised.

Shane and Angie are award winning authors, professional coaches, professional speakers, and hosts of The Breathing Edge Podcast. Their common interest in the art (practice) and science (research) of mind-body psychology and the development of optimal self-regulation during performance under pressure led them to weave together an integrated collection of high-performance learning techniques for reducing stress, working in demanding environments. improving sleep, and stabilizing personal energy.

These techniques include the union of ancient wisdom of the breath with breathing science to lower reactivity, improve focus, and bring the mind and body into balance.

Shane served for 13 years in the Australian Defense Force where he trained military divers, tactical assault experts, and top military performers in mind-body self-regulation science while also assisting them to successfully complete the SAS selection course, which he also completed himself.

Angie is from a high-powered background in the entertainment industry in Hollywood where she worked both in front of the camera (singing, dancing, acting and stunts) and behind the scenes in production, coordinating films where personal high performance was central to her profession.

Shane and Angie joined forces in Australia, not only in marriage but in their professional work where together they built a business, Breathe Me, that helps people experience and implement multi-disciplinary techniques for improving health and performance.

We speak about the physiological effects that breathwork has on the body and mind, some practical techniques that you can implement right now that will help shift your internal state, as well as how something as simple as your breath can affect the energy you bring to meetings and conversations with people. Recently Angie and Shane have been working with the Graduate School of Breathing and Behavioural Science and we talk about this fascinating work too!

Key episode highlights include:

• If your breathing is fragmented and out of rhythm, so will you be in your life.
• It's not just about having a breathwork practice, it's also learning how to have your nervous system regulate itself in the face of changing environments.
• Yes you require oxygen. The other part of the equation is that you also require co2 in order for that oxygen to be transported around the body. And if we have those gases out of balance, that affects the blood pH, which affects neurotransmitters that affects hormone release it affects micro tension in the body.
• The way you breathe will entrain the way other people breathe, and will affect how they're feeling around you.

You can find out about Shane and Angie's work and The Energised Leader program over at Breathe Me, or connect with Shane and Angie on LinkedIn.

Also check out our previous chat on episode 13 of the Inspired Energy Podcast.

health #wellbeing #mindset #leadership #teamwork #coaching #business #breathwork #breatheme #breathe #gratitude #pause #resilience

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In this episode I chat with the effervescent Kelley Wacher, whose mission it is to show people a pathway to self awareness, strengths and leadership excellence through behavioural coaching.

Kelley's contribution is to have others find their purpose through managing expectations and limiting beliefs, understanding behaviour and interpersonal communication whilst focusing on strengths building not weakness fixing. This will define a future path and build new cultures, for individuals, teams and leaders.

We discuss engagement tips and how to utilise effective spaces for online meetings, how we can find common threads (and lessons) between parenting and organisational leadership, what empowerment really is, and how to make decisions for the majority of people within your business whilst cultivating compassion for the outliers.

Key episode highlights include:

• You bring value by saving someone time, effort and emotion.
• With trust comes empowerment and with empowerment comes accountability.
• Empowerment is not about a leader giving someone power. It is about allowing them to let their own power out.
• There is so much magic in the combination of strengths and talents and how they work together, not just what they mean standalone. Dive into how they interact together, which is actually what makes you unique.

You can connect further with Kelley on LinkedIn, her website Corporate Magic, or even be old fashioned and pick up the phone for a chat +61 405 523 507.

strengths #cliftonstrengths #business #leadership #culture #coaching #coach #entrepreneur

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In this episode I speak with Tim Montague, an absolute powerhouse when it comes to the global transition to clean energy. His passion leans into both the sustainability and economical aspects of clean energy and this episode is a must-listen for anyone who cares for our future.

Tim Montague, M.S., is a solar PV expert, NABCEP PV Technical Sales certified solar professional and host of two podcasts: the Solar Podcast and the Clean Power Hour with co-host John Weaver. Tim is a business development executive for Continental Energy Solutions in Chicago, IL and has been involved with over 40 megawatts of solar projects in the Midwest including portfolios of community solar (3 MW DC), and many commercial, industrial, government, nonprofit and campus clients.

Continental has built the two largest rooftop solar projects in the Midwest (Magid Glove and IKEA Joliet) and portfolios of Target and Walmart stores. Tim is passionate for the energy transition and spreading the news and best practices, technology and thought leadership via his two podcasts which you can see at www.CESnrg.com/podcast where he covers topics like pollinator friendly solar, agrivoltaics, low-carbon solar panel manufacturing and much more.

We speak about the past and present barriers to implementing solar technology, the future of micro grids for both the highly developed and less developed worlds, the transition to electric vehicles and how the human race needs to really start thinking long term.

Key episode highlights include:

• We need to decarbonize the economy globally. It is a net benefit to society.
• Solar PV is the number one source of new power globally and it has become cost effective and competitive with all other technologies.
• An all electric vehicle future it's going to happen whether we like it or not.
• When it comes to the future of energy and sustainability, we are swimming in good knowledge and information.
• The question we need to ask ourselves is do we choose to live a good life for the next 5000 or 10,000 years? Or do we choose to really face very challenging times?

We'll leave you with Tim's wonderful definition of Inspired Energy, which is energy that is good for people, profit and planet.

To connect further with Tim you can find him on LinkedIn and Twitter, and make sure to tune in to his podcast, Clean Power Hour.

Other resources/recommendations mentioned in this episode:

Clean Disruption of Energy and Transportation (must-read book)

Redwood Materials (battery recycling)

Tesla (electric vehicles)

podcast #solar #climate #energy #cleanenergy #photovoltaic #sunpower #gosolar #solarpower #solarenergy #solarpanels #climatechange #future #power

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*warning - this podcast contains discussion on teen suicide*

In this episode I chat with Dan Hardie, an experienced teen counsellor and the founder of MyStrengths Australia. He has worked with young people for his entire career and together with the MyStrengths team, have seen over 30,000 teens discover their Strengths and grow to love their own uniqueness.

Dan observed that so many teens know their weaknesses, but how many know their strengths? They would come to Dan with all kinds of negative labels that were damaging their self-esteem and confidence. But he wondered, "What if instead of diagnosing what is wrong, we could diagnose what is right? What if I could shift the self-perception from deficits and weakness to strengths, beauty and uniqueness?" It has had such a dramatic effect on adolescent mental health, self-esteem and identity that this has become Dan's life passion - and it's changing the school landscape for thousands.

We discuss how Dan shifted from diagnosing people's deficits to focusing on positive psychology and strengths. He believes that the next generation of young people are beautiful, talented, self-aware and passionate - and we're here to cheer them, advocate for them, and celebrate each and every one of them. His hope for the future is that every person could say, I like who I am, I've got what it takes and the future is mine to imagine.

Key episode highlights include:

• How can we diagnose what's right with someone?
• There's so much gold in young people.
• Using Strengths, we can find the labels and ideas around a teen's personality that we can celebrate.
• A teen's self perception and their identity is around the labels that we give them and around the insight into 'who am I?' So how can we choose more positive labels?
• Liking themselves is such a critical part of teen formation. And so it's our job to help them discover and like who they are.

You can connect further with Dan and the great work he does on Instagram. And make sure you check out the MyStrengths Assessment for teens and the Raising Resilience course for parents.

Mental Health Support in Australia

Lifeline www.lifeline.org.au 13 11 14

Beyond Blue www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 224 636

teens #strengths #health #wellbeing #mentalhealth #mindset #growth #leadership #personaldevelopment #selfcare #habits #counselling

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In this episode I chat with Mya Joseph, a Spiritual Guide, Shamanic Practitioner and Creator in service of others on their soul journey of uncovering their true nature, and guiding them to create and live a life aligned to their souls purpose.

Mya is also a podcaster and writer dedicated to sharing wisdom teachings and stories from her own soul journey to guide, inspire and encourage others to connect with their own inner wisdom.

This is the episode to listen to when we are just feeling despondent, frustrated or stressed about what's happening right now. We chat about how we are able to come together more effectively as local communities, finding purpose in what we do every day, and go through some practical techniques to help move any heaviness or emotions through and out of the body.

Key episode highlights include:

• This reset is helping people to understand what is important.
• Have a good look at what you really want, and if it is still true for you.
• The narrative is shifting from long term future planning, to how can we get the most out of right now.
• Shift the word 'surrender' to 'allow'. You are allowing the ebbs and flows of this journey to happen.
• From the wise words of Mya's shaman teacher, "nothing is yours, but everything is for you".
• Just doing life, doing exactly what you're doing right now, is your purpose. Find the purpose in what you do every day.
• Inspired energy is bringing our whole selves into an experience.

To further connect with Mya you can find her on Instagram, and also check out her podcast - A Groovy Enlightened Life and her website.

You can listen to Murray & Mya's previous chat on the A Groovy Enlightened Life podcast and don't forget to check out the Wilcannia gift box initiative to support this regional NSW town.

covid #health #wellbeing #inspiration #gratitude #personaldevelopment #purpose #selfleadership #entrepreneur

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In this episode I speak with Richard Sterry, a major contributor to the Strengths coaching community with a mission to empower others to make a lasting difference. We discuss how to use your Strengths to shape and run your business, his incredible Cascade tool and the benefits of finding your Strengths twin!

Richard Sterry is a trustworthy contributor to the global strengths movement by equipping coaches with practical resources to make a lasting difference in people's lives. He is the founder of Releasing Strengths which is a Gallup Licensed Partner where he is the person behind the popular Cascade strengths reports and the Strengths Twins initiative. Thousands of coaches in over 60 countries benefit from his tools and resources.

Richard lives in the UK and spent most of his early career in IT management. Focusing more on the people, he became a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach in 2015. He is now a major contributor to the Strengths Coaching Community.

His top 5 themes are Individualization, Learner, Relator, Maximizer and Harmony.

This episode is also a must-listen for those with Harmony in their top Strengths - Richard riffs on his definition of Harmony and how to really utilise this Strength to its full advantage.

Key episode highlights include:

• When business is quiet, don't discount the value of building relationships.
• Feed your strengths so that they energise you and fill up your cup - especially when going through a big change in your life.
• If you're working solely in your own business, there's no way you can do everything. Work out what you're good at and what you want to do, and let somebody else do the rest.
• When someone is deflated and burnt out, there's no point going in on an emotional high and expecting people to be with you. It's about sharing their pain, sharing the feelings of how tough it really is. And just help them little step by little step of finding ways forward.
• How can you get those moments for deep thinking? How can you build that into your day or your week?
• Inspired energy is about being true to yourself and fueling that fire within, so then you can make a positive and practical difference to other people.

To connect further with Richard and the awesome tools and resources he provides, you can find him at Releasing Strengths (where you can find all about Cascade) and Strengths Twins, and connect with him further over on LinkedIn and Facebook.

strengths #cliftonstrengths #business #leadership #culture #coaching #coach #entrepreneur

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In this episode, I speak with Mads Friis, a personal growth and high performance mentor. We discuss habits for top performance, Nordic Biohacking and creating a life that you love from the ground up.

From playing different sports at a high level to discovering books by the Dalai Lama and Anthony Robbins, Mads has always been interested in personal growth and high performance. On this journey, he completed different studies and degrees in Psychology at Copenhagen Business School and Harvard University. In his research, Mads found that many of the resources focus 80% on the problems we are facing and only 20% on the solutions. He is on the mission to flip this statistic around to help more people.

One of Mads’ biggest passions is building health, performance, and wellbeing-related ventures and projects. Also, exploring what helps individuals feel extraordinary - perform better, live a more meaningful life, and be happy. Mads has co-built 3 successful, impact-driven ventures with KRING. A few years ago he started Growth Island, a podcast on health, performance, business and life's bigger mysteries. health and human wellbeing, where he interviewed nearly 100 world’s experts - doctors, scientists, psychologists, and entrepreneurs.

With his management consulting experience from Deloitte, Mads started actively training and consulting startups globally - he worked with +150 startups from all the continents, guiding them through the business model validation and preparation for scale.

We go deep into the psychology behind habits, why they matter, how we can build new ones and remove negative ones, as well as how to bring dopamine into any habit to make it more rewarding. We then dive into Nordic Biohacking and how we can use it to mitigate the unnatural world we currently live in. This is a key episode to listen to if you want to increase your performance, full of practical and easily implementable tips!

Episode highlights include: - When we continuously do, it's who we become - A habit reward system can be as simple as high-fiving yourself or a pat on the back - Remain focused on what you can do something about, and don't worry about what you can't - Not all biohacks are necessary - choose what feels right for you - Do not discount ancestral wisdom (like meditation, grounding, cold water therapy) when it comes to creating your life.

To connect further with Mads, check out his website Growth Island, and find him on Instagram and LinkedIn.

P.S. The two Growth Island podcast episodes mentioned in this interview were #76 with Milla Titova and #24 with Dr Scott Sherr.

mindset #growth #leadership #personaldevelopment #biohacking #selfcare #health #wellbeing #habits #highperformance

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In this episode I chat with Mark Kentwell, an award-winning founder, thought leader, advisor and entrepreneur specialising in real estate, property development, business systems and property technology sectors. We explore leadership, business, entrepreneurship, mindset, personal growth and a whole lot more!

Mark has started or helped build more than 20 Australian companies and trusts with the majority reaching sector leading positions and growth figures of several times industry benchmarks. He is co-founder of PRD Newcastle, Lake Macquarie & Central Coast Group, which he built from start-up into a very successful 8 figure business.

In 2020 Mark was named Australian Principal of the Year for the third time in the Real Estate Business (REB) Awards, as well as a finalist as Industry Thought Leader of the Year three times. In the same year, Mark was ranked the top real estate agent in the Hunter Region and number 26th in the country out of 40,000 agents (across all brands) in the REB annual Top 100 agents list.

Mark has his own particular leadership style that helps gear a business and its organisation structure around having each individual perform at their highest and best use, meaning spending the majority of their time doing things that they are good at, things that they like and that make their heart sing.

We speak about energy and the dance between input and output, the importance of rituals at the beginning and end of your day, and unpack the Be Do Have model which Mark lives by. Our modernised version of work life balance is discussed as well as systems and procedures, and where to automate or humanise these processes.

Key episode highlights include...

• Your purpose may have an ROI on itself, but if you look at the secondary and tertiary and other ongoing benefits from it, you can have multiplication in almost everything that you do.
• As a leader you always need to remember, what is the best use of my time right now?
• There were processes being done by humans that didn't need to be done by humans. And there were things that weren't being done because the humans didn't have time to do them in a human way. Take the time to review and re-engineer your processes and procedures.
• Legacy is all about living your flow state as you go, in a way that contributes to people beyond your imagination.

To connect further with Mark you can find him on Instagram and LinkedIn, or check out his work in the world over at PRD Newcastle.

Resources/recommendations mentioned in this episode:

Rawlyn Jones - Raw Success Academy

Atomic Habits by James Clear

The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday

TKO Procedures

Dr Fred Grosse

Chris Voss - negotiation coach

leadership #business #coach #coaching #entrepreneur #mindset #habits #realestate #newcastle #team #teamwork

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In this episode I speak with Dave McKeown, the CEO of Outfield Leadership and author of The Self-Evolved Leader - Elevate Your Focus and Develop Your People in a World That Refuses to Slow Down. Dave helps individuals, teams, and organizations achieve excellence by doing the ordinary things extraordinarily well.

We discuss some super practical tips on how to actually run a meeting through a facilitator's lens, why right now it's important to still be flexing our long term strategic planning muscles, how over-communicating with clarity is essential in times of crisis, and why we need to take stock of the lessons from the last 12 months and make them transferable to other situations.

Key episode highlights include:

• Craft the intention for your meetings. Share the intent behind why you are speaking about something or why it is up for discussion.
• Keep the horizon of focus the same throughout the meeting. It's very hard for folks to switch context.
• Re-engage each other around the core guiding principles of the organization - who are we, who do we serve and why, why would people want to work for us, what sort of an impact do we want to have. This is what can give you some motivation and momentum right now.
• View your meetings as an experience that people are going to go through. See your role as one of designing an experience that gets to the outcome that you need to and in a way that makes people feel good about it.

You can check out Dave's work over at Outfield Leadership, buy his book at The Self Evolved Leader, or connect with him on LinkedIn and Instagram.

leadership #culture #teamwork #engagement #coach #coaching #highperformance #covid #selfevolved #strategy #meetings #entrepreneur

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In this episode I speak with Corinne Noyes, the owner and founder of popular Australian tea brand, Madame Flavour. Corinne speaks regularly at women’s business and industry events, is featured in articles on all things tea, slowing down, meditation, work-life balance; and was selected Telstra Businesswoman of the Year finalist. The success of her business has been in its personal approach, authenticity, and stand for the right to a beautiful experience.

In this episode we unpack how Madame Flavour came to fruition, from Corinne's 20 year career marketing for multinationals to creating tea blends from the spare room of her home, and how her skills were so transferable from one career path to another. Madame Flavour is now a household brand with over 200 million tea pyramids sold through major supermarkets, top hotels and airlines.

We discuss creating mindfulness in your day (and how tea can do that!), the challenges of running a business with an international supply chain during Covid, and also Corinne's passion for Australian native foods after discovering Australian Mountain Pepper growing wild on her South Gippsland property.

Key episode highlights include:

• You need to discover the parts of your business (or job/role) that makes you feel good about what you do in life - and focus on that

• It is easy to forget the ripple effect of what we do. Take the time to acknowledge and appreciate that impact that your products make, or your services in the world, as small as they may be.

• Giving yourself time out in a different environment allows you perspective and reflection - don't discount these as part of your business strategy. You need that quiet, thinking time.

• Action tip: at the beginning of your next meeting, have everyone bring a hot beverage and take a moment to take a breath, centre themselves and clear their mind.

If you want to stay connected to Madame Flavour and the exquisite work Corinne does, check out her website and follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #business #coach #culture #tea #mindfulness #meditation # learning #development #mindset #life

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Dana’s expertise ranges from Strategic Marketing Advisor, CliftonStrengths Certified Coach, leadership development, living with purpose, and travel. Dana’s industry experience comes from her 25 years at Southwest Airlines in leadership in areas of operations and brand marketing.

Dana has a passion for guiding people to impact the world by focusing on their unique talents which led her to create Dana Williams Co., a consulting company that exists to build tools and experiences helping leaders live in their purpose.

Dana also is the creator of The Strengths Journal™, a daily planning journal to help leaders live in their strengths and dominate their day. In this episode we delve into why Dana created The Strength's Journal, the process behind it, plus we gain some great insight into how to best use it.

Key episode highlights include:

• Focus on the people who are excited about what you're doing. Put your energy there.
• How can you layer Strengths through any project?
• Be open not just about what you know, but also about what you don't know yet. Being upfront can prevent others from making up their own narratives to the story.
• Find your framework. And rinse and repeat.

To connect further with Dana, check out her website, find her on LinkedIn, and on Instagram @danawilliams and @thestrengthsjournal, or contact her directly via email.

cliftonstrengths #strengths #leadership #culture #habits #mindset

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Renee Giarrusso is a communication, leadership and mindset expert. She is a speaker, author, facilitator, educator and coach who works with leaders, teams and organisations to energise mindset and accelerate communication, collaboration and leadership to lift performance and culture.

Her first book Limitless Leadership in 2016 was soon followed by the Leaders of Influence anthology. This episode with Renee is jam-packed with practical tips as we unpack her new book, The Gift Mindset - Unwrap the 12 gifts to lead and live a life of purpose, connection and contribution.

We explore how to apply the Gift Mindset to both challenging and positive circumstances. Also some of the barriers to living a gift mindset.

Renee's stories throughout this episode are really peppered with some immediately implementable actions so make sure to have a paper and pen handy!

Key episode highlights include:

• What bookend habits can you develop? What is something that you can do that anchor the beginning and end of your working day?
• Don't just confine yourself to one workspace. Change it up according to your mood and tasks being completed.
• Ask yourself, what habits are working for me and which ones do I need to rewrite?
• Don't use success as a secret weapon, share it with others to elevate the whole organisation.
• Try this: when you need a breather from work, open every window in your house, and then shut them again. Not only will it increase oxygen by 200% but it's a great brain break and gets your body moving!

To connect further with Renee, head to her website or find her on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And of course, check out The Gift Mindset here.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #business #coach #culture #giftmindset #book #booklaunch # learning #development #mindset #life

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Across this 5-part podcast series, I chat with co-facilitator of Leaders Who Give A Damn, Becky Hammond from Isogo Strong on how to create your success map to learn from 2020 and set your sights for success in 2021. We cover topics such as growth mindset, reflection, goal setting, actions, accountability & partnerships, and word for the year.

In this final episode of the series, we dive into your word of the year - again using the supportive Success Map 2021 resource as we go.

The 'word of the year' concept has been around for a really long time (even as far back as the 1940s) and for good reason! It is an intentional theme, an anchor word, to take you through the year and keep coming back to. But if it hasn't dropped in yet, don't despair! Think of the process of figuring out your word as an invitation, not a pressure.

We end on inviting you to bring your word into each day by asking a reflection question: How am I being insert word today?

Key points:

• Let your word of the year just drop in - don't force it
• Your word of the year doesn't necessarily need to be an action-based one - it could convey that you need more space
• Allow your word of the year to inspire you and shift your energy
• Bring your word into daily action via the process of reflection.

To create your own 2021 Success Map, head over to the Leaders Who Give a Damn website for the free resource which contains the workbook for this podcast episode.

podcast #personaldevelopment #professionaldevelopment #leadership #culture #business #coaching #coach #successmap #lwgad #leaderswhogiveadamn #2021 #covid #goals #actions #mindset #wordfortheyear

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Across this 5-part podcast series, I chat with co-facilitator of Leaders Who Give A Damn, Becky Hammond from Isogo Strong on how to create your success map to learn from 2020 and set your sights for success in 2021. We cover topics such as growth mindset, reflection, goal setting, actions, accountability & partnerships, and word for the year.

In this episode, we delve into actions, accountability and partnerships. Like the last few episodes, we will walk you through this one using the Success Map 2021 workbook.

We speak about how to chunk down goals with tangible steps, the differences between accountability and support, plus how we need to use discernment when choosing the things we want to action.

Key points:

• Big goals need to be chunked down to actionable baby steps
• Goals don't just get met by being out there
• Doing ALL of the things just makes every day overwhelming
• You need to enjoy the process of achieving your goals

To create your own 2021 Success Map, head over to the Leaders Who Give a Damn website for the free resource which contains the workbook for this podcast episode.

podcast #personaldevelopment #professionaldevelopment #leadership #culture #business #coaching #coach #successmap #lwgad #leaderswhogiveadamn #2021 #covid #goals #actions

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Across this 5-part podcast series, I chat with co-facilitator of Leaders Who Give A Damn, Becky Hammond from Isogo Strong on how to create your success map to learn from 2020 and set your sights for success in 2021. We cover topics such as growth mindset, reflection, goal setting, actions, accountability & partnerships, and word for the year.

In this episode, we dive deep into goal setting and walk you through the Success Map 2021 workbook on this.

It's proven that people who set goals are happier, healthier, feel a higher sense of achievement and gain more momentum, self-assurance, and self-esteem. We look at what areas you should consider having goals in, the beauty in being really specific and clear in what you want, and why self-care needs to be in there too.

Key points:

• Have a mixture of smaller goals and stretch goals
• Visualise to enhance your goal clarity
• Being the best version of you should always be on your goal list
• Bring other people on board to help you achieve your goals

To create your own 2021 Success Map, head over to the Leaders Who Give a Damn website for the free resource which contains the workbook for this podcast episode.

podcast #personaldevelopment #professionaldevelopment #leadership #culture #business #coaching #coach #successmap #lwgad #leaderswhogiveadamn #2021 #covid #goals

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This is part 2 of this 5-part podcast series, where I chat with co-facilitator of Leaders Who Give A Damn, Becky Hammond from Isogo Strong on how to create your success map to learn from 2020 and set your sights for success in 2021. We cover topics such as growth mindset, reflection, goal setting, actions, accountability & partnerships, and word for the year.

In this episode, we reflect on 2020, and walk you through the Success Map 2021 workbook on reflection.

Reflecting on 2020, Becky and I open up about the year we both had and what themes came through (they may not be what you expect!) and how our core Strengths themes shine through during the reflection process. We also discuss mental health, how there's no switch to make 2021 great, and focusing on how to move past our individual stressors no matter the year or global circumstance.

Key points:

• Allow 2020 to bring you wisdom rather than darkness.
• Reflect, review, then apply.
• Did you pause long enough to celebrate the good things?
• When reviewing, ask yourself how could this be better or more efficient?

To create your own 2021 Success Map, head over to the Leaders Who Give a Damn website for the free resource which contains the workbook for this podcast episode.

podcast #personaldevelopment #professionaldevelopment #leadership #culture #business #coaching #coach #successmap #lwgad #leaderswhogiveadamn #2021 #covid

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Across this 5-part podcast series, I chat with Becky Hammond from Isogo Strong on how to create your success map to learn from 2020 and set your sights for success in 2021. We cover topics such as growth mindset, reflection, goal setting, actions, accountability & partnerships, and word for the year.

In this episode, we dive into the growth mindset.

No matter what business you're in, something has changed as a result of 2020. So what learnings are you taking from the last 12 months to allow you to transition into this new year?

To allow this growth to take place, we conclude that the most important action you can take is to schedule time for reflection. We also speak about Carol Dweck's thoughts on a fixed v growth mindset and how to value the process not just the outcome, plus touch on The Stockdale Paradox and why confronting our reality is vital to success.

Key growth mindset points:

• Know how you best reflect - is it through talking it out with others? Is it journaling? Or perhaps having some time alone to process it through your mind?

• Review your schedule and discover where you may be filling up your reflection time with other activities.

• In your weekly review cycle, identify your points of Stop/Start/Continue: what do I need to stop doing? What can I start doing? What do I need to continue doing to help me be effective?

To create your own 2021 Success Map, head over to the Leaders Who Give a Damn website for the free resource.

podcast #personaldevelopment #professionaldevelopment #leadership #culture #business #coaching #coach #successmap #2021 #covid

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In this episode I chat with Peter Karounos, a consultant, strategist, motivator, leader and entrepreneur. Peter helps people, teams and organisations in business to start, grow, improve, perform and change in areas such as culture, leadership and general business.

This discussion is focused around personal development and the skills needed to effectively be able to work on yourself, how we can become trapped into doing personal development for the sake of it, and how the best way to integrate and activate your insights and learnings is to talk about them with others.

Key episode highlights include:

• Trust equals consistent, positive behaviour over time.
• There needs to come a time where you start to activate the work you've done on yourself, and not just continually be in a state of seeking.
• Look at values as emotional states. Then ask, what emotional states drive what you do, and what draws you to (or away from) something.
• What's the resistance that is stopping you from going deeper?
• Reflection is key: take time out either weekly or monthly to review where you've been and where you're headed.

If you'd like to find out more about Peter and the work he does with teams and individuals, head on over to peterkarounos.com.

podcast #personaldevelopment #professionaldevelopment #leadership #culture #business #coaching #coach #change

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In this episode I speak with Minter Dial, a fellow podcaster and author who’s passionate about bringing about change through business and leadership. Minter boosts a 16 year career as a top exec at L’Oreal, involvement in 3 startups, award-winning producer and author of three published books.

Minter and I look at how being yourself makes you a better leader, and this discussion is filled with personal anecdotes as we break it down to pro-personal-private when it comes to the fine balance of being personal in a professional space. We also look at ways for leaders to be more human while delivering results (cue the 7 second hug theory!) and story swapping on how open perspectives, communication and empathic actions can benefit the workplace culture.

Key episode highlights:

• Where can we have more grace and kindness for each other.

• If you're doing things that are bringing back energy to you, then you're tapping into something bigger.

• By being vulnerable and showing emotion, you give others permission to do so as well.

• Be the person that makes others feel like they're the most important person in the world, in that moment.

• The importance of experiment to experience - do it, go where you're uncomfortable but forge forward anyway.

• As much as you want to be you, you still need to recognise the feelings that you can have, understand how you are operating and the room you have to move in.

If you want to connect with Minter, you can find him on LinkedIn or via his website where you can also purchase his books.

leadership #business #culture #entrepreneur #coaching #coach #speaker #podcast #inspiredenergy #change #inspiration #inspired

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In this episode, I chat with Bek Smith, founder of Smith and Wellness, speaker and subject matter expert in health and wellbeing. Bek has a background in psychology, spent ten years working as a physiotherapist, is a group fitness instructor of 17 years and was sponsored by Reebok for 5 years in her role as a dance program presenter. She was also the inaugural Lead Trainer for the Wellbeing and Resilience Centre at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, and in 2019 did a TEDx talk on the importance of mental fitness.

This insightful and joyful discussion is full of practical strategies and focuses on the concepts of mental health and mental fitness, and its alignment with general health and fitness concepts that are better understood. We also delve into how it is useful to balance our mental strength, flexibility and endurance, as focusing too much on any one of these leads to dysfunction.

Key episode highlights include:

• The permission you need to stop and relax, comes from you
• Sometimes the most valuable use of your time is to unplug, but sometimes it’s to actually plugin and get things done, because it will give you a sense of fulfilment and release the emotional baggage
• Allow for there to be space and silence in emotionally heavy conversations
• Don't try to 'fix' someone, instead partner with them to solve a problem
• Start to cultivate a growth mindset around mental fitness
• When you follow what brings you joy, not only does it make you happier but it makes you more productive.

Bek was also kind enough to pass along these mental fitness tips:

Mental Fitness Tip 1 - focusing on our strengths of character helps us overcome our internal negative bias

Mental Fitness Tip 2 - compassion starts with self-compassion, and the three steps to cultivating that are mindfulness, self-kindness and remembering our common humanity

Mental Fitness Tip 3 - emotional mastery is about recognising the utility of our negative emotions as well as cultivating positive emotions

The best place to connect with Bek is via LinkedIn, the Smith and Wellness website and Facebook Page.

podcast #health #mentalhealth #mindset #mentalfitness #wellbeing #business #leadership #culture #gratitude #entrepreneur

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In this episode I chat with Ben Bateman, head of people and culture for Little Miracles Childcare, father, husband and self proclaimed adrenalin chaser. Ben’s professional life has always centred around people development but has spanned many roles, including 8 years as a chaplain at a state high school, 6 years as a youth pastor in Australia and the USA and 10 years of professional development and management in his family run business across 10 locations.

This conversation really focuses on the significant impact that Strengths has had on the Little Miracles business through discovery, awareness and development of staff talents, both personally and professionally. We also delve into Ben’s experience with using the professional development course Transformational Leadership, along with creating his own personal development course Wholehearted, based on work by Brene Brown, Russell Brand, Richard Rohr and others.

Key episode highlights include:

• The overextension of our Strengths can often be our weakness
• Build trust through open communication, kindness, self compassion and empowering others
• Use dialling up and dialling down of Strengths as safe dialogue and a performance tool
• Broken people break people, whole people help bring healing to others
• Linking Strengths, professional development and coaching helps to determine expectation and drive clarity.

If you wish to learn more about Ben and Little Miracles, you can view the website here, listen to his podcast or checkout the YouTube channel.

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #parenting #childcare #education #culture #leadership #training #business #2020 #covid #community

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In this episode, I welcome back LEGO® Serious Play® expert Michael Fearne, to discuss his new book, The LSP Menthod. Michael is the founder of Pivotal Play, a facilitation consultancy in Melbourne, Australia, where he specialises in the LEGO® Serious Play® method. He works with companies big and small to tackle business problems and make change happen using a playful approach.

LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) is the highlight of this conversation, and we unpack what this incredible tool is and what it can do for individuals, teams & organisations. We also delve into the process of book writing, and Michael's experience of birthing, his awesome new book, The LSP Method out into the world using Scribe Media.

Key episode highlights include:

• How LEGO Serious Play (LSP) brings out a deeper level of truth and vulnerability.

• How LSP helps unlock answers to questions through play and storytelling, helping people to think and communicate differently.

• Writing a book isn't about the money, it's about the legacy.

You can discover and buy Michael's new book, The LSP Method here. Check out Michael's courses on his website, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

facilitator #LEGO #legoseriousplay #LSP #coach #consultant #business #leadership #fun #play #podcast #culture

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In this episode, I chat with Alessandra Edwards. Alessandra is a high performance and wellbeing expert, coach and trainer. Alessandra is passionate about helping leaders understand their own genetic limits so they can achieve their maximum potential and reach exceptional levels of physical and mental performance.

This enlightening chat is packed with deep knowledge on the importance of understanding yourself deeply from a genetic, biochemical and emotional perspective. Our deep dive into genomic wellness goes into how that enables you to be the leader of you and how combining with intrinsic motivation can lead to boundless, self-renewing energy, clarity and the ability to ‘stretch’ time. We explore how Alessandra's work helps not only A-type achievers (with high dopamine) but all leaders. You will learn how to take advantage of your inner workings and so much more.

Key episode highlights include:

• Identify and create clarity about what you actually want, from more physical energy, more stamina or mental staying power, strength and cognitive ability.
• If we don’t focus on patching up our leaks - energy leaks, resiliency leaks, motivational leaks, compassion leaks - then what are we left with?
• When you’re in a state of complete self-serving, self-love, self-acceptance and self-mastery, you become completely magnetic and access the highest level of personal power.

If you loved our discussion on the role that our DNA plays in terms of us achieving our potential, maintaining optimal mental health and having great levels of energy, then you can find out more by connecting with Alessandra on her website and on LinkedIn.

podcast #leadership #health #wellbeing #resilience #science #dna #business #highperformance

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In this episode I chat with Kristen Ulmer, who is a thought leader on fear and anxiety. Kristen draws from her tenure as the most ‘fearless’ female extreme skier in the world, from intently studying Zen for 16 years and also from facilitating thousands of clients on flow and peak performance.

This chat was a deep dive into the philosophy of fear, how and where it shows it up and how you can respond to it with insightful anecdotes from Kristen's extreme previous life and more recent interpersonal experiences with people whom you would consider ‘fearless’. We also cover exactly why some people struggle with anxiety and others don’t, fear and your flow state, and why calling people fearless sets our society up to live under an impossible ideal.

You will definitely want to take notes on this one! Especially around Kristen’s top three tips to start embracing your fear.

Key episode highlights include:

• If you embrace fear, it just feels like excitement and presence.
• We can’t see what’s really going on in our undercurrent until we raise our antenna (our awareness).
• You cannot have less fear by controlling it. The ONLY way you can have less fear is by taking risks and expanding your comfort zone.
• Your unwillingness to feel fear is actually what’s holding you back - not fear itself.

If you are yearning for more then you can grab a copy of Kristen's book here.

And the best place to connect with Kristen is via her website (don't forget to take her quiz), Facebook or take up the opportunity to meet her in person at her ski camp in Alta, Utah.

podcast #leadership #business #mindset #fear #athelete #extremesport #ski #skiing #sport #entrepreneur

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In this episode, I chat with Elena Pastore, an aspiring strengths coach who has a passion for people development. Her current roles in marketing and business help people understand their areas of strength and inhabit a growth mindset.

We discuss Elena’s multiple roles in the workplace, her passion for changing the antiquated education system, social media and re-confirmation of belief, and how to embrace a growth mindset (especially during 2020!). We also touch on how Elena leads with the Strengths WOO and Includer, and how that has helped shape her connection and relatability with others.

Key episode highlights include:

The most successful people are the ones who are emotionally intelligent The best way to cultivate a growth mindset is to create self-awareness - look internally and get vulnerable with yourself You cannot force someone to have a growth mindset Let’s not wait for a crisis to start looking after ourselves

To connect further with Elena, you can find her on LinkedIn or over at her website.

strengths #cliftonstrengths #coach #coaching #business #consultant

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In this episode I chat with Tyann Osborn, a Gallup-certified Strengths coach and trainer, whose passion is creating positive cultures and making the complex, simple. Using Strengths-based training, she transforms workspaces and teams to be more productive, authentic and stronger relationship builders.

TyAnn inspired me to have her on the podcast again (she was on episode 24, which you can find here) after publishing an article on LinkedIn on micro-agressions. In the article, Ty vulnerably shares her experiences over the years with micro-messages and micro-agressions. The article has received plenty of positive feedback (which it should), as it has inspired others to talk about their experiences and help people understand the impact of these behaviours.

In this conversation, we certainly cover some ground, including some of TyAnn’s personal experiences and in the workplace, and how that contributes to your sense of belonging and identity. We also delve into the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S., the realisation of privilege and what that means, along with how you can be a more impactful ally.

Key episode highlights include:

• Have you asked someone how do you feel lately? Allow individuals to tell you what they need from you.
• Your words matter, every conversation is an opportunity to influence the culture. So what words are you using?
• Reframe your language from what you HAVE to do, to what do you GET to do.
• Always be mindful of what conscious actions you can take when showing up.
• Take the time to reach out to the leaders that have inspired and supported you.

The best place to connect with TyAnn is via LinkedIn or her website. Read TyAnn's article on Micro-Aggression here.

leadership #culture #hr #business #teams #communication #2020 #covid19 #microagressions #micromessages #blm #blacklivesmatter

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In this episode, I chat with Jim Collison, a powerhouse Talent Acquisition and CliftonStrengths Community Manager at Gallup.

Jim brings his incredible knowledge of people, podcasting, and purpose to this discussion. He has facilitated and been featured on over 1000 podcasts and generously shares his top tips on the podcast process - including how to make other experts look even better and the keys to being a pro-interviewer.

We also discuss his journey of Strengths discovery, the impact it's had on his relationships, the positives from the pandemic, and how to start being a better leader by shining the light on others.

Key episode highlights include:

• It’s all about the person you’re interviewing, it’s not about you. Make other people the big deal.
• The less the agenda is about you and the more the agenda is about your kids/spouse/team members/employees, the more effective it is.
• When you find the thing that inspires you, boundaries don’t matter. What matters is the flow.
• Strengthening partnerships starts with one simple question: What can I do for you today?

You can discover the work Jim does at Gallup by heading to Gallup - Coaching, tuning into The Average Guy Network, and Ask the Podcast Coach.

podcast #leadership #cliftonstrengths #strengths #covid19 #leadership #culture #employeeengagement #technology #gallup

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In this episode I chat with Paul Dunlop, who works with organizations to implement change and improvement through lean thinking and methodologies.

Paul brings with him over 20 years of management and manufacturing experience in a broad range of industries, and provides a holistic approach with the pillars of People, Process, Play and Profit. He’s passionate about the importance of engaging people at the frontlines of organizations and developing servant leaders to facilitate cultures of learning and improvement (i.e. nice places to come to work!).

We discuss the three L’s - Lean, Leadership and LEGO! Paul talks us through why he’s the 'chaos to calm’ guy in the eyes of his clients, how implementing change is always incremental, and why decluttering your business allows you to see where improvements need to be made.

Key highlights include:

• Where can you tighten up your processes so you have time and space to think above the day-to-day processes.
• Lean is a way of thinking. It’s about ownership and empowerment.
• Culture and performance is always a reflection of leadership.
• Implementing change (that sticks!) in organisations is a lot like losing weight. You need to build the structure, the habits and the daily routines, to see the long term changes.

To connect further with Paul, you can find him on LinkedIn.

lean #leadership #culture #lego #legoseriousplay #lsp #business

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In this episode I chat with Chris Miller, an experienced business, executive and personal coach, based in Wellington NZ, who consistently inspires exceptional results.

Chris’ services include business and personal coaching for small business leaders and high performing individuals seeking success, happiness and fulfilment in their business and their lives. We discuss Strengths and how he has turned the Name It Claim It Aim It model on its head, plus how Strengths play out differently if you’re an employee versus business owner.

Chris has also developed the Love Most Matrix and the Greatest Imaginable Challenge, plus many other original resources that he uses with clients - you can view them here.

Key highlights include:

• How does our strengths profile allow us to express our values and our purpose
• How do we make organisational purpose YOUR reason for being here
• When learning about strengths, find what challenges or situations you’d like to apply them to before figuring out how they can help you
• You already know what your purpose or legacy is, but you may not have asked yourself the explorative questions in a way that resonates with you or picked the right moment or mindset to ask yourself in.

To connect further with Chris and his work, hop on over to his website.

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In this episode I chat with Brigette Landy, a passionate recruiter who loves helping businesses solve their people needs.

Celebrating 16 years with Forsythes Recruitment & HR this month, she is passionate about all things recruitment, people, leadership, CX and 90's grunge music. Born and bred in Newcastle, Brig leads a team of niche consultants across the Hunter and Central Coast, specialising in the recruitment of CX, Marketing and Sales professionals. When she's not recruiting, you can usually find Brig hanging out in her backyard with her partner Zac and fur child Evie, listening to music or playing guitar.

We delve into the recruitment world and how that has been affected over the last 6 months, why video is playing a vital role in the recruitment process right now, and how she has developed ways to ‘evidence’ the gut feelings that she gets about placing people into positions.

We also discuss Strengths and why she happily describes herself as an adaptable, positive achiever (can you guess what some of her Top 5 are?!). Knowing her Strengths has enabled Brig to know herself and her team better, and we touch on how they also flow across into dealing with clients and placing candidates in roles.

Key highlights on this episode include:

• Whilst it’s a priority for me, it may not be someone else’s priority
• Expect people to display their emotions (especially in these times) and accept the person where they’re at
• Recruiting in the CX space is not about technical skillset, it’s about behaviour, personality and culture fit.

If you want to connect further with Brigette, you can find her on LinkedIn. And if you’re interested in attending the online CX networking session you can find the details below.

Forsythes CX Network event - 10am Friday 4 September 2020 via Zoom. You’ll have the opportunity to hear from the awesome Luke Jamieson – CX and EX Thought Leader – ask questions, and share your own ideas and challenges in this new world of employee engagement we’re living in. To register email Brig @ blandy@forsythesrecruitment.com.au

leadership #culture #strengths #cliftonstrengths #hr #recruitment #covid19 #cx #customerservice #callcentre #newcastle

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In this episode I chat with Kirsty McCulloch all about sleep, fatigue and human factors. She literally wakes companies up, and helps employees get enough sleep and arrive at work full of energy to start the day.

Kirsty is a world expert in fatigue risk management. She has worked as an academic, written regulation in several industries, danced through industrial work hour negotiations. She has history with all modes of transportation, oil and gas, mining, military, energy, construction, IT and public service sectors. Kirsty excels at applying scientific methods to develop practical solutions to improve safety, productivity & overall employee wellness.

We discuss sleep and the impact of not getting enough of it - both personally and from a company standpoint.

Sleep has a huge impact on company revenue, safety, and on overall health.

Human factors is another area we delve into - understanding that we all make mistakes and we’re all programmed to be lazy, to conserve energy and do things in the easiest way possible.

Key highlights from this episode include:

• Managing fatigue is about engaging your workforce about what it means to be 'fit for work'
• It’s not just about telling people to sleep, it’s about relearning how to sleep
• How do we create a system that makes it easy to succeed?
• When you’ve been awake for 18 hours, your performance is comparable to having a BAC of 0.05, whereas being awake for 24 hours is comparable to a 0.1 BAC.
• We aren’t taught about the importance of sleep in our overall health picture - we learn about movement and food pyramids but miss that key piece of our wellbeing

And we’ll finish up by including some top sleep tips:

• Sleep in a dark, quiet room
• Remove all technology - turn off your phone at least half an hour before going to bed, don’t fall asleep in front of the tv
• Avoid caffeine within 4 hours of bed
• Avoid alcohol and sleeping tablets
• Train your brain to fall asleep by using ambient music.

If you’d like to connect further with Kirsty you can find her on LinkedIn, and also make sure to check out her app, Awaken Fatigue.

leadership #fatigue #humanfactors #safety #culture #health #resilience #wellbeing #covid19 #sleep

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Across this 5-part podcast series, I chat with Becky Hammond from Isogo Strong and unpack some common leadership themes that we have seen stand out during this crisis. As we've coached and worked with leaders over the past several months, themes have emerged where the best leaders are thriving and implementing changes to successfully take their team and organisation forward. These themes include Grace & Kindness, Communication, Individualization, Clarity, and Self-care.

In this episode, we focus on SELF-CARE. The need for prioritization of self to show up better for others and yourself, and how it is often the first thing to go when things get busy.

We also discuss how self-care is beyond just the physical and how it includes mental, emotional and the spiritual. Importantly it's also about self-reflection, and giving yourself that time to unplug and process - or your health can suffer later.

Key highlights include:

• Self-care doesn’t change the busyness, but it changes your perspective and outlook so you can show up better for yourself and your team.
• Self-care isn’t selfish. It gives you time to process, self-reflect and regenerate.
• No-one wants the burnt-out version of you.

Actionable steps to take from this episode:

• Where is your third space? Take the time to reinvest in this.
• Make your self-care time non-negotiable - schedule it in, create boundaries and show up for yourself.
• Give yourself a mental break - you can only control what you can control.
• Ask your team, how are they investing in their own self-care this week?

These conversations with Becky are always valuable, she brings a wealth of knowledge and inspiration from the other side of the world. I hope you follow along with this series here on the podcast as we get into 4 more themes that have shined through the best leaders in this time of lockdown.

If you gained inspiration from this episode and the rest of this special podcast series then you will love our program, Leaders Who Give a Damn, where we take these concepts even further.

leadership #leaderswhogiveadamn #coaching #culture #health #resilience #thirdspace #wellbeing #covid19

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Across this 5-part podcast series, I chat with Becky Hammond from Isogo Strong and unpack some common leadership themes that we have seen stand out during this crisis. As we've coached and worked with leaders over the past several months, themes have emerged where the best leaders are thriving and implementing changes to successfully take their team and organisation forward. These themes include Grace & Kindness, Communication, Individualization, Clarity, and Selfcare.

In this episode, we focus on CLARITY. The need for clear conversations to reduce anxiety, stress and clear those murky waters that can often come in times of unpredictability.

Prioritising clarity brings calmness, expectations, more security and safety about what’s ahead. It allows the opportunity for honesty from both a leadership and a team perspective and reduces the element of surprise.

Key highlights include:

• By communicating clearly and with clarity when it’s business-as-usual, it enhances the team’s communication, productivity and responsiveness when things get murky
• Sometimes clarity needs to come from the bottom up, not just the top down.
• Teams who focus on clarity are often happier and more engaged
• Even if you have no answers to a certain event/situation/project, be open about that. Otherwise people start to create assumptions and stories as to what might happen.

Actionable steps to take from this episode:

• Where can you provide more clarity in ONE space?
• Challenge: at your next team meeting, ask everyone where they need more clarity right now.
• Review: Are the cycle of your meetings matching the rhythms of your work?
• Use a traffic light system for flagging what tasks need more clarity - green is good to go, amber/yellow needs more clarity, and red is something that won’t progress without further conversation.

These conversations with Becky are always valuable, she brings a wealth of knowledge and inspiration from the other side of the world. I hope you follow along with this series here on the podcast as we get into 4 more themes that have shined through the best leaders in this time of lockdown.

If you gained inspiration from this episode then you will love our program, Leaders Who Give a Damn, where we take these concepts even further.

In the next conversation of this series, we will be delving into Self Care and how it is vital for you and your team.

Also don't forget to checkout www.leaderswhogiveadamn.com for more ways to truly show you give a damn about your people.

podcast #leadership #leaderswhogiveadamn #covid19 #business #professionaldevelopment #strengths #health #wellbeing #communication #culture #clarity #teamdevelopment #entrepreneur

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Across this 5-part podcast series, I chat with Becky Hammond from Isogo Strong and unpack some common leadership themes that we have seen stand out during this crisis. As we've coached and worked with leaders over the past several months, themes have emerged where the best leaders are thriving and implementing changes to successfully take their team and organisation forward. These themes include Grace & Kindness, Communication, Individualization, Clarity, and Selfcare.

In this episode, we focus on INDIVIDUALIZATION. The need for tailoring the way we show up for different people, how we communicate with them, and how we can adjust their working life during these times.

Gallup states that the best managers are those who individualize, and during this conversation, Becky and I unpack just how to do that effectively.

Key highlights include:

• People aren’t assets, they’re humans.
• Know your people, but have boundaries - leaders aren’t counselors.
• Be prepared to adjust your direction once you know where people are at.
• If we consider that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, consider that the way your team is currently working - their new habits - have been in place for over 90 days.

Actionable steps to take from this episode:

• Ask yourself, are you managing people to a job description?
• When deciding which of your workforce works from home and which come to the facility, switch your thinking from ‘who do we need at work’ to ‘who needs to be at home right now’.
• If short on time, can you do one-word check ins at the beginning of a meeting? This will give insight into the team member’s headspace, but without them having to go into detail.
• Ask your team members, what parts of this new way of working do they want to continue in the future?

These conversations with Becky are always valuable, she brings a wealth of knowledge and inspiration from the other side of the world. I hope you follow along with this series here on the podcast as we get into the themes that have shined through the best leaders in this time of lockdown.

If you gained inspiration from this episode then you will love our program, Leaders Who Give a Damn, where we take these concepts even further.

In the next conversation of this series, we will be delving into Clarity and how it positively impacts Leadership.

podcast #leadership #leaderswhogiveadamn #covid19 #business #professionaldevelopment #strengths #health #wellbeing #communication #culture #teamdevelopment #entrepreneur

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Lockdown Leadership | Communication

Across this 5-part podcast series, I chat with Becky Hammond from Isogo Strong and unpack some common leadership themes that we have seen stand out during this crisis. As we've coached and worked with leaders over the past several months, themes have emerged where the best leaders are thriving and implementing changes to successfully take their team and organisation forward. These themes include Grace & Kindness, Communication, Individualization, Clarity, and Selfcare.

In this episode, we focus on COMMUNICATION. The need for effective, timely and succinct communication has been highlighted through this crisis. The words we use, what we say and how we say it, how we listen, our energy, body language, gestures, all contribute to the messages we provide people.

We delve into individualization of communication and discuss examples of what some of the best leaders are doing. We share actionable steps that leaders can take to use communication to influence the culture and impact their team positively, especially in a crisis.

Key highlights include:

· When we talk more frequently, for a shorter period of time, it builds alignment, understanding and speed of decision making. Do less, more frequently.

· If you own your own stuff, it opens up the space for others to own theirs.

· Great managers have the conversation sooner.

· Focus on the facts – “In crisis management, be quick with the facts and slow with the blame” – Leonard Saffir

Actionable steps to take from this episode:

· Individualize your communication with your team. How do they like being communicated with? Do they like recognition and praise? Start each conversation with genuine recognition for how they show up. If they need time to think about things, then give them a heads up about what the future meeting will be about. If they’re detail-oriented and need context, give them the background info the need on the topic.

· Don’t rush - allow yourself the time to have the conversation.

· Implement 'team meetings' at home with your family, especially if you are solely working from home.

· Don’t schedule your meeting for 30 or 60 minutes; try 20 minutes, or 50. Give yourself time and allow some mental space between back-to-back meetings.

· What is the best platform for the conversation you need to have? Email, phone, Zoom, text, something else?

These conversations with Becky are always valuable, she brings a wealth of knowledge and inspiration from the other side of the world. I hope you follow along with this series here on the podcast as we get into 4 more themes that have shined through the best leaders in this time of lockdown.

If you gained inspiration from this episode then you will love our program, Leaders Who Give a Damn, where we take these concepts even further.

In the next conversation of this series, we will be delving into the Individualization of Leadership.

podcast #leadership #leaderswhogiveadamn #covid19 #business #professionaldevelopment #strengths #health #wellbeing #communication #culture #teamdevelopment #entrepreneur

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Lockdown Leadership | Grace & Kindness

Across this 5-part podcast series, I chat with Becky Hammond from Isogo Strong and unpack some common leadership themes that we have seen stand out during this crisis. As we've coached and worked with leaders over the past several months, themes have emerged that are making the best thrive, and even make changes that they are keeping into the future. These themes include Grace & Kindness, Communication, Individualisation & Flexibility, Clarity, and Taking Care of Self.

In this episode, we zone in on GRACE & KINDNESS, and provide some examples and actionable steps that leaders can take to really ramp this up. We speak about assumptions and how to modify these, kindness towards self first, and how creating flexibility encourages grace and kindness.

Key highlights include:

• How one leader pivoted his business during COVID-19 which was driven by the need to keep his employees engaged and at work, rather than to just keep the business afloat.

• No leader should be assuming that their team members can deliver on the exact same work that they were doing before working from home.

• How little acts of kindness is grace in action, surprise and delight.

• How we get there matters - focus on the way we work and interact.

Actionable steps to take from this episode:

• Rather than asking for a task to be done by close of business, change it to being due at the start of the next day.

• Pause at the beginning of a meeting and check-in with the team’s energy. The team’s wellbeing comes before projects and deadlines, and in turn it boosts productivity

• Breathe. Inhaling is the act of receiving grace, and then exhaling - letting it out to others.

These conversations with Becky are always valuable, she brings a wealth of knowledge and inspiration from the other side of the world. I hope you follow along with this series here on the podcast as we get into 4 more themes that have shined through the best leaders in this time of lockdown.

If you gained inspiration from this episode then you will love our program, Leaders Who Give a Damn, where we take these concepts even further.

In the next conversation of this series, we will be delving into communication.

podcast #leadership #leaderswhogiveadamn #covid19 #business #professionaldevelopment #strengths #health #wellbeing #grace #kindness #entrepreneur

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In this episode I chat with Michael Fearne, who is the founder of Pivotal Play, a facilitation consultancy in Melbourne, Australia.

Michael specialises in the LEGO® Serious Play® method. He’s worked with companies big and small to tackle business problems and make change happen using a playful approach. He is also a big believer in empowering others and so trains people to run their own playful workshops using the LEGO® Serious Play® Method. When he’s not making people play with LEGO, he enjoys time at home in Australia with his wife Lily and daughter Maya.

During our conversation we unpack what LEGO® Serious Play® actually is and how it helps organisations and its people to open up. We touch on vulnerability, on judgement, and on how to bring the essence of playfulness to everyday tasks through using it as a lens to work through.

Key episode highlights include:

• Playfulness in an organisation opens up whole new ways of thinking.
• When you play, business ego moves to the side and you show up as who you really are.
• Right now we need to build something new, not rebuild what we had.

You can connect further with Michael and his playfulness over at his website, Pivotal Play, and on LinkedIn.

facilitator #LEGO #legoseriousplay #LSP #coach #consultant #business #leadership #fun #play #podcast #culture

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In this episode I chat with Sharon Hespe, a naturopath who is also known as The Good Gut Girl and who wholeheartedly believes that it is possible to change your life through good gut health.

Sharon is passionate about getting to the cause of her patient's gut problems to ensure that they can be addressed correctly, through testing, diet change, and bespoke herbal medicines and supplements. She knows that gut health plays a major role in how you feel mentally and physically.

During the episode we unpack the differences between food allergies and intolerances, why we are seeing a lot more food intolerances in recent times, common symptoms, and why the best thing you can do for your gut is to find out exactly what’s going on for you - don’t guess, get a test.

We also discuss Strengths (Sharon’s top 5 are Empathy, Deliberative, Responsibility, Consistency, Activator) and her awareness of how her Strengths show up within her particular niche.

Key episode highlights include:

• It becomes easier to listen to the body when it’s not constantly dealing with intolerances.
• The best thing you can do for your body and its immune system during these times, is focus on your gut health.
• Stress is one of the biggest contributing and aggravating factors when it comes to food intolerances.
• With what’s happening in the world we need to adapt not react. We need to build resilience within the body.

You can connect with Sharon and the work she does over on Facebook, Instagram and her website.

podcast #immune #immunesystem #gut #leadership #selfleadership #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #health #naturopath #covid19

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In this episode I chat with Chris Dhu about all things risk, response, learning agility and leadership.

Chris currently is Head of Fleet at Essential Energy, and has led the Fleet Asset Management Transformation Program at Essential Energy, improving the balance of performance, risk and cost across the function and improving the value delivered to customers in the course.

Chris’s top 5 Strengths are Self Assurance, Futuristic, Belief, Achiever and Responsibility which we can see shine through on this podcast episode.

We discuss work/life balance and why that concept needs to change, the response efforts with the late 2019 bushfires and then heading into COVID-19, and how to better manage attention especially when working virtually. We also explore the concept of risk leadership and how the businesses that manage risks day in day out have generally had better response management to COVID-19.

Key episode highlights include:

• Ego can be destructive when it’s not consistent with purpose
• The reflect learn and grow cycle is what builds response agility
• We can’t ‘act’ our way into an attitude
• Review your organisation’s vision, objective and purpose - how do those words resonate with you and are they consistent with your values? If they are, leadership is more authentic.

We finish off the episode with Chris’s response to our essential Inspired Energy definition: Energy that is unlocked through alignment and commitment to a purpose, powered by vision and consistent with one's values.

To connect further with Chris, you can find him on LinkedIn.

leadership #risk #culture #teamwork #change #transformation #covid19 #coaching #coach #business

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In this episode, I chat with Aaron Kearney, a multi-award-winning broadcaster, photo-journalist, and sports commentator. The Director of AKS Media International, Aaron is in demand across the globe for his experience in broadcasting, commentary, storytelling and innovation.

We cover a range of topics during this episode, including sports and the similarities between the game of sport and the game of life, being a student of humanity, the importance of critical thinking, and unpacking the use of media and the effects it has on human beings.

Key episode highlights include:

• You’ve heard ‘you are what you eat’ - well you also are what you consume in the media. Put some fibre in your intellectual diet.
• Two of the most critical resources that any individual can have is to understand and execute critical thinking, and to have high levels of media literacy.
• Journalism is about being infinitely interested in everything - like a Labrador puppy!

We’ll leave you with Aaron’s poetic description of Inspired Energy - "It is the offspring produced when dreams and determination have a passionate affair."

To connect further with Aaron and his incredible work, find him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

coronavirus #covid19 #journalism #sport #sportsdevelopment #leadership #travel #australia #newcastle #inspiredenergy #business #podcast

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In this episode, I chat with Daniel Turner, a self-taught videographer, drone operator, motion graphic animator, and photographer based on the Gold Coast. I've got to know Daniel through his amazing work on Tammy's programs and the NatEx conference. Check out the highlights here - NatEx 2020. Daniel brings his passion and professionalism to everything he does, working with both small and large businesses.

We chat about how COVID-19 has affected his business, especially as most of his work is event-based and requires travel. We also cover the positive use of drones, commitment to your goals despite lockdown, and how he has changed his focus from work hard, play harder to stay positive and pivot.

Daniel generously shares his top tips when it comes to using video in a professional space:

• Even though video is visual media, 50% of it is audio. Don’t forget to spend just as much time and effort on that too. If you don’t have a high quality mic, small rooms that are carpeted are best (like your wardrobe) so audio doesn’t bounce around.
• Take a seemingly flat image and make it alive by using a few pops of light.
• Don’t shoot where your window is in the background - have the light always in front of you.
• Look at the camera, and if you’re taking part in an online/video meeting - look at the person on the other side just as you would in-person.

To connect further with Daniel, you can find him on Facebook and Instagram, plus make sure to check out his business Head North Films.

coronavirus #covid19 #video #videoorgrapher #entrepreneur #online #conference #australia #business #podcast

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In this episode, I chat with Greg Gates, Managing Director of Sirron Holdings Group. We explore pivoting your business when faced with hardship.

Sirron Holdings Group is based in Caves Beach, just south of Newcastle in NSW. At their heart, they are a manufacturer of quality commercial dishwashing machines. Through their hospitality companies (Norris Industries, Zexa Chemical Solutions, Butler Equipment and Mahatmacane Finance), they have expanded services to support the additional kitchen needs of their customers. A core principle of Sirron Holdings is the balance between ethical, environmental and economic outcomes.

With Covid-19, Greg pivoted from manufacturing dishwashing machines to manufacturing hand sanitiser, and says it came down to thinking quick and utilising his contacts to pivot the business within days.

We speak about company culture and hiring the right people with the right attitudes which particularly comes in handy in times of hardship, and also how this crisis could mean a resurgence for the demand of Australian manufacturing.

Key episode highlights include:

• In the workplace, surround yourself with people who are better than you. Then get out of their way so they can do what they’re paid to do.
• Our whole focus used to be on efficiency but now the focus is resilience.
• If you’re thinking of pivoting, move quick, follow your instinct and get your staff on board through frequent communication.

Connect further with Greg (and purchase some more hand sanitiser!) by heading to Zexa and Sirron Holdings.

coronavirus #covid19 #productivity #leadership #entrepreneur #teamwork #manufacturing #australia #handsanitiser #handsanitizer #innovation #culture #business #podcast

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In this episode, I chat with Kerry Dover, fellow Strengths coach and founder of Momentum Architects.

Right now business as we know it is not the same, and in this episode, we discuss how to stay motivated and keep momentum going. Some key ways are - build a great routine, work on your mindset, be kind to yourself, and experiment with your own time v energy management.

We also discuss Kerry’s Strengths (her Top 5 are Strategic, Achiever, Includer, Activator, Focus), complementary Strengths within relationships, and why two people with the same dominant strengths may not necessarily see eye-to-eye.

Key episode highlights include:

• To build a great business you need strategy AND strengths.
• Routine, habits and accountability are keys to keep momentum right now.
• Skills such as self management and regulation of your energy and time will have more weighting now than what they’ve previously been given.

To connect further with Kerry, jump on over to Momentum Architects, listen to her podcast or follow on Instagram.

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #momentum #covid19 #wfh

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In this episode, I chat with Antonia Milkop, a fellow Strengths coach, based in New Zealand.

We discuss the three mindsets that she is seeing during the COVID-19 health crisis - the rabbits in the headlights, the hyper-focused/productive workers, and the ones thinking ahead to the future and how to pivot and grow in a 2.0 economy.

We also chat about how the current climate is bringing out both the light and dark side of people’s Strengths, and the ways to work around that.

Key episode highlights include:

• During this time of social/physical distancing, we miss out on being able to read body language in conversations and the energy in the room. We now need to slow down and ask more open questions to fill these gaps.
• For those who are not having their Strengths ‘fed’ right now, pick a Strength's theme for the day to lean on and allow it to serve you.
• Use this time to really get to know your colleagues and team members - we are suddenly able to view each other more authentically in our own environments - kids and all!

To connect further with Antonia, visit her website or connect on LinkedIn.

The online strengths collaborative spreadsheet that Antonia mentioned can be found here - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zxNcSgAWAd_bpQZo5Zuw8N4pWAQev1Ni/view?usp=sharing

leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #nz #covid19 #clifotnstrengths #strengths #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #health #podcast #socialdistancing #physicaldistancing

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In this episode, I chat with Luke Jamieson, founder and CEO of PLAYFULLi.

Luke is an expert in gamifying employee experiences to support diversity and foster positive cultures that drive sustainable success. His approaches have attracted many coveted awards and has helped shape some of Australia’s largest organisations customer and employee experience programs.

We discuss how gamification can be a game-changer for your business, especially when it comes to KPIs and repeatable behaviours. Luke is an advocate of making it competitive but not with unhealthy competition. Traditional KPIs focus on who will be 'the best', which only benefits the short term.

We should be focusing on community, building a network, socialising, enhancing product knowledge and/or being a subject matter expert. We need to recognise and reward that aspect too.

Key episode highlights include:

• We are currently in a global ‘work from home’ experiment, and it’s time to find out ways to help people master their roles and find purpose.
• The five love languages do translate into the work environment and in the way we like to receive recognition. You need to identify what people are motivated by.
• Create an environment where someone is competing against themselves, not others.
• Our systems are only as good as our attitudes.

You can connect with Luke on Twitter or LinkedIn, check out his website over at PLAYFULLi and review his latest blog post.

As a special offer to listeners of this podcast, playfulli are offering in an exclusive opportunity to experience 3 months usage of enerjoy an AI-based gamification platform for free. To take advantage of this offer, simply email your details to hello@playfulli.com with the subject inspire.

coronavirus #covid19 #gamification #play #fun #cx #contactcenter #leadership #entrepreneur #teamwork #goals #business #podcast

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In this episode, I catch up with my wife Tammy to discuss tips for working from home. We have been running our businesses from home for a number of years (me 8 years, Tammy 5 years) and we have learned some things that work and don't. With the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, right now so many people are suddenly needing to work from home and our hope is these 10 tips make things easier for you!

TIPS FOR WORKING FROM HOME

1. Discuss the arrangements with family or your flatmates
2. Create a routine
3. Work with the energy and environment of different rooms (e.g. home office, lounge room, outside areas)
4. Move and stretch
5. Setup your work area ergonomically
6. Set up wifi rules
7. Be realistic on your goals
8. Be kind to yourself & others
9. Communicate needs and timetable
10. Have alone time, connection time

Bonus tip - Reach out to your work colleagues and team-mates!

You can find out more about what Tammy does at www.tammyguest.com too!

coronavirus #covid19 #productivity #leadership #entrepreneur #teamwork #goals #business #entrepreneur #workingfromhome #family #podcast

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We are currently in the throes of COVID-19 - Coronavirus - and in this episode my discussion with Julie Jones is centred around how this virus could help us all innovate, create better work environments, and utilise productivity in a much better way.

Julie spent 30 years in senior marketing and strategy roles across a range of industries, before burning out, battling cancer - twice - and then switching the way in which she worked to that of a Productivity Ninja. She now helps others in converting dreams into action. We also chat about her love for scuba diving and how she has been able to view the recent bushfire effects on our underwater ecosystem - all our planetary ecosystems are interrelated.

Key highlights on this episode include:

• When it comes to the potential lockdowns and changing the way we work in the face of this virus, we really need to trust our people
• Create a home work space that gives you a boost of energy, but that also honours your boundaries
• Shift the thinking of ‘you are productive if you’re sitting at your desk 9-5’ to a more results-based culture. The most productive companies have moved to this model of working.

Plus, Julie’s top tips for productivity include:

• Utilise the pomodoro technique - focused 25min sprint ON, 5min off.
• Know what time of the day you’re the most productive and take advantage of that
• Set yourself small rewards - get x done, then you can have y.
• Focus on attention management rather than time management
• Set SMARTIE goals - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely, Inspiring, Exciting.

You can connect further with Julie at Think Productive, on LinkedIn, or on Facebook. Julie is also available to chat on 0434 115 755 or via email.

coronavirus #covid19 #productivity #leadership #entrepreneur #teamwork #scuba #scubadiving #diving #climate #productivityninja #goals #business #podcast

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Stef is a company director, geologist and former mining executive. Stef’s career has seen her work in seven countries, but now calls Orange, NSW home. In this episode Stef and I chat about a range of different topics including the effects of the drought in central west NSW, how geology contains storytelling and engagement, and why we need human-centred design when it comes to technology.

Leadership also comes into play in this episode, as Stef showcases how her Positivity® strength is at the core of her leadership role. Your skills, abilities and capabilities as a leader don’t just develop when you’re leading people but they develop throughout your whole journey - including how they interplay with who you are as a human.

Key episode highlights include:

• Why we need to listen to those intuitive gut feelings especially when it comes to our roles at work - where are you glossing over things? Be confident to question things.
• You don’t have to be liked by everyone. Ask yourself, would you rather be liked or respected?
• It's not about the years of experience, it’s about the complexity of experience.

You can connect further with Stef on LinkedIn. And as the drought's effect on both Central West NSW residents and tourism continues to create tough times, you can check out ways to help below:

Buy From the Bush

Buy a Bale

Rural Aid

Aussie Helpers

leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #nsw #ruralnsw #farming #tourism #drought #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #health

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In this episode, I chat with Dave McKeown - the founder of Outfield Leadership plus author, speaker, leadership trainer and business advisor.

We discuss his new book - The Self Evolved Leader - and how it was designed to be applicable to anyone, with practical strategies to implement immediately. Dave guides us through his process of writing the book in a very short amount of time, plus some of his key leadership learnings, including the cycle of mediocrity, collectively shared goals, and how to implement a change in perception.

Key episode highlights include:

• It’s not necessarily those leaders who are functionally good at their jobs that have the greatest impact
• You’re the only one who is responsible for your own growth and development
• Leaders can often have an addiction to ‘saving the day’ - the heroism - that not only steals their time but ultimately prevents others from learning as well
• Every interaction is a possibility to be a more effective leader.

Connect further with Dave over on his website, or order his book here.

leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #leaderswhogiveadamn #lwgad #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #health #author #booklaunch #selfevolvedleader

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In this episode I chat with Charlotte Jameson, where she shares insights from the last decade and predictions for the next.

Charlotte is a wellbeing practitioner who’s committed to taking scientific information and sharing it with people to give them the means to stay mentally healthy. We discuss the shifts from mental health as a stigma to mental health as a critical piece to our wellbeing picture, how we can be a better person as a result of going to work, and what safety really means in the workplace.

Key episode highlights include:

Unawareness can lead to lack of priority for the things in life that will actually help you thrive We need to stop compartmentalising who we are at work, to who we are at home Doing one thing at a time makes us more effective.

Key acknowledgments from the last decade: The increased use of technology and smartphones and the busy over-committed lifestyle and the effects these have on sleep, the brain and relationships.

Key lessons from the past decade: How sleep debt (two small kids) can rock your world. When I’m true to myself, that’s when things work.

What Charlotte predicts the next decade will hold: There will be two kinds of people. Those who have been educated and make positive proactive choices, and those that for whatever reason aren’t aware of different choices they could make or are aware but are unable to follow through.

Personal goals for the next decade: As Charlotte enters the school system with her daughter, to be mindful of her daughter’s outside commitments and be a positive role model for environmental sustainability, relationships, meditation and plant based food choices.

Charlotte’s final message: Use meditation in YOUR own way.

To connect further with Charlotte, check her out on Instagram or via her website.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #wellbeing #digital #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals

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In this episode I chat with Steph Clarke, where she shares insights from the last decade and predictions for the next.

Steph is a facilitator, cat lady book worm, and we delve deep into book recommendations, hard hitting facilitation and career pivots.

Key episode highlights include:

When facilitating, it’s not about an agenda, it’s about reading the energy in the room.

Regret the things you do, not the things you don’t.

Key achievements from the last decade:

The pivot - changing careers in 2009 from accountant to L&D professional and spending the last decade filling up her toolkit of experiences, horror stories and lessons.

The move - moving from the UK to Australia in 2014.

Key lessons from the past decade:

Be prepared - most of the worst facilitation experiences have been due to not doing enough prep

Be open - you never know what experiences are out there

Be intentional - have a direction and keep moving towards it, but don't worry about planning every step.

What Steph predicts the next decade will hold:

A more human humanity - we're at the edge of a change in what work looks like and making it all more human.

Personal goals for the next decade:

Redefine what ‘good' looks like for work.

Build professional profile.

Travel more, have more experiences, try new things, finally see Radiohead live, keep moving in the right direction

Steph’s final message:

Do you.

To find out more about Steph, find her on LinkedIn, or listen to Steph’s podcast here.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals #reading #books

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In this episode, I chat with Mel Kettle, where she shares insights from the last decade and predictions for the next.

Mel is a strategic communications expert, working with leaders to communicate more effectively. We chat about why we shouldn’t keep our personal and business ’selves’ separate, communication preferences, and the importance of kindness.

Key episode highlights include: Effective communication needs to have clarity, compassion and conviction. People do business with people they know, love and trust. It’s so easy these days to look at a screen, that we often forget the art of opening our mouths and having conversations.

Key lessons/achievements from the last decade: Kindness of people really help you get through tough times Wrote a book Ten more years in business Everyone is dealing with stuff - often you have no idea of what's happening "behind the scenes".

What Mel predicts the next decade will hold: She hopes people realise that real relationships and connection takes time and energy and can't all be created only online.  Excited about future technological advances that provide more opportunity to communicate and connect more widely.

Personal goals for the next decade: More books, more travel, stay happy, live life, make a difference.

Mel’s final message: Be kind.

To connect further with Mel, head on over to her site.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #cliftonstrengths #strengths #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals #l&d #hr #traveller #communication

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In this episode, I chat with Brandon Miller, where he shares insights from the last decade and predictions for the next.

We speak about people leadership versus process/project leadership and why it is so important to learn our strengths in parenting and how to work that in with who our kids are.

Key episode highlights include:

I’m NOT in business for the business to own me. People work for people, they don’t work for organisations. True workplace satisfaction happens when work has become fun and the people have become family. Part of an organisation's competitive plan needs to include their developmental philosophy, their management training and practices, and becoming a “best of.” company.

Key lessons/achievements from the last decade: Gallup certification, launched 34Strong, became a nationally recognised speaker and published a book. 3 children successfully launched, married, and starting their families. 25+ years of marriage, and renewed and reinvigorated his faith. Learned how to apply what he does professionally, to his home environment.

Next decade predictions:

The movement of Artificial Intelligence may diminish the human spirit. The disparity between the best workplaces and those who are willing to or wanting to understand the emphasis of being a great place to work. Migration toward and advancement of workplaces that challenge people to grow. Call for people to be and work in their highest level of genius.

Humanity: A growing discontent with political processes and power mongers. Reaffirmation of core family emphasis, and interest and involvement of parents in the lives of their children. A realization for people to engage their faith in a higher power.

Personal goals for the next decade:

To publish 5 books, two of these planned for 2020 - Incredible Parent and Incredible Kids.

Train 100,000 managers to be the best boss someone has ever had, certify 10,000 coaches to change the world one family at a time, successfully launch 4 kids, celebrate 35+ years of marriage, speak to 1 million people to play to their strengths, believe in the faith, build the best workplace, be the best boss.

Brandon’s final messages: Believe you can, and failure is not final!

To connect further with Brandon, check out 34 Strong (business focus), Incredible Kids Movement (children focus) and Analyn & Brandon (parenting).

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #cliftonstrengths #strengths #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals #futurist #34strong

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In this episode, I chat with Zach Lohrisch, where he shares insights from the last decade and predictions for the next.

Zach is a human-driven by the pursuit of learning and energetically collecting experiences - a theme that transcends every day.

Across this episode, we dive deep into the rise of the social enterprise - organisations that have a higher purpose versus those who don’t, and the shift that will happen when both consumers and employees will follow those organisations that they align with.

Key episode highlights include:

• Token initiatives like table tennis in the lunchroom or casual Fridays mean nothing if organisations don’t make it about the people, and allow them to bring all their strengths to their role
• As an employee, you also have the power to choose where you invest your talent
• The idea of command and control management doesn’t work. The people’s expectations have changed for what they need from management in an organisation
• Take the work seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously.

Key lessons/achievements from the last decade:

• Very steep learning curve - many mistakes!
• Completed first triathlon
• Seven different roles and different organisations
• Meeting and marrying his wife
• How walking 2000yr old ruins in Sri Lanka kickstarted his journey from being unfit to discovering CrossFit.

Next decade predictions:

The growing trend of consumers becoming more intelligent about where they put their resources. This not only includes where they spend their money, where they invest their time, where they invest their advocacy and to what extent they will be engaged in all of the above. Those who learn the lesson about providing experience vs a transaction will thrive in our future, while traditional business models will continue to be disrupted. People will gravitate to those who help articulate them articulate their own sense of purpose and meaning.

Personal goals for the next decade:

I love my work and will continue to invest in creating a better life for the people who choose to spend their time in the company I spend my time in - hopefully, broaden my influence to increase benefit in a large organisation. I am passionate about the intersection. My wife and I are working on a project around people's health. Based on personal experience, a tonne of research and observations in practical application of theory, we believe that good habits around personal health and wellbeing are built from not only knowing facts about nutrition, sleep and exercise but having a specific mindset. We want to share these lessons with the world to help people expedite their journey to the life they love. Kristy's deep passion and study into nutrition and my 10 years of leadership development experience combine to create a super practical and unique perspective on how to create good health and live a great life.

Zach’s final messages:

Find the right balance in your life.

We have many controllable factors in our lives and by investing deep into them, we can create amazing things in our lives.

To connect further with Zach find him on LinkedIn, and stay updated with his new project on Instagram.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #cliftonstrengths #strengths #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals #l&d #hr #traveller

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In this episode I chat with Angelina and Shane Saunders, where they share insights from the last decade and predictions for the next.

Shane and Angelina are the founders behind Breathe Me, where they help others to harness the power of the breath for peak performance. Today we chat about personal development revelations over the last ten years and how utilising the breath to its full capacity can allow you to move forward with ease into the next decade.

Key episode highlights include:

• Who do we need to become to get us to the goals we want to achieve
• Self care is also about clearing the energy of stress in the body, by using the breath
• Personal development intersects at the quality of your thoughts, looking after your body, understanding sexual energy and life force.
• Don’t forget to breathe on the downhills too.

Key lessons/achievements from the last decade:

• The personal shift from showing up as someone in your 20s, to someone in your 30s
• Raising their children
• The consistent personal development theme of connecting with self
• A big lesson - what got us here is not going to get us there.

What Shane and Angelina predict the next decade will hold:

Based on patterns and stats in history, we are moving into a prosperous decade initially but there may be some big downs towards the end. The key to navigate the turbulence and then thrive, is having your skills down pat and life organised - your breath, estate management, energy, everything.

Personal goals for the next decade:

• Heading to the US and taking the business to a million dollar business
• Creating a difference for individuals en masse
• Free up time to be with family and create a life and business worth breathing for.

Their final message:

Take the time to stop and recuperate and rejuvenate - the breath is the fastest and easiest way to get there.

The quality of your thoughts dictate your happiness.

You can find out more about Shane and Angie Saunders, head over to Breathe Me.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #cliftonstrengths #strengths #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals #futurist #breathe #breatheme #meditation

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In this episode I chat with Ken Barr Jnr, where he shares insights from the last decade and predictions for the next.

Ken leads with his Strengths front and centre - Input, Maximizer, Arranger, Woo, Learner - and today we discuss how those have not only weaved through his last decade, but how they may apply to the next decade, especially in the context of learning.

Key episode highlights include:

• The discovery about what makes a student tick, makes teaching a whole lot more easier
• Technology has created more opportunities for people to be connected.

Key lessons/achievements from the last decade:

• Helping more than 18,000 people discover their Strengths
• Maintaining relationships that have been so vital to what beings Ken joy
• Being open to new opportunities
• The power of mindset and perspective
• Emotional regulation.

What Ken predicts the next decade will hold:

Technology and connections will increase the opportunities for people to help each other (in coaching, consulting, and beyond).

Personal goals for the next decade:

Teaching the next generation of facilitators, coaches and speakers, techniques which have been effective, of value to clients, energising and gaining great outcomes.

It is about scaling what Ken has done, but on a bigger scale.

Ken’s final message:

Better is better - always ask yourself, can I do it better? Is there a part of this that can be better? You need to WANT continuous growth and development.

To connect with Ken further, find him on LinkedIn.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #cliftonstrengths #strengths #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals #futurist #digital

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In this episode I chat with Becky Hammond, where she shares insights from the last decade and predictions for the next.

Becky Hammond is an over-achieving Mompreneur, who is dedicated to making relationships easier. We speak about the importance of community, of how to integrate the low times into our story, and savouring what you have right now.

Key episode highlights include:

• We need to embrace all elements - the ups and the downs - to create our full story
• Intent counts for more than technique
• When starting a new business, just set sail of your ship and adjust as you go. It doesn’t have to be epic from the start.

Key lessons/achievements from the last decade:

• Started Isogo Strong in 2013 and learned how to get vulnerable in front of the camera
• Grew family from 2 to 7
• Imposter syndrome can be healthy, keeps your ego in check
• There is meaning and purpose in every life event - when it goes as planned and when it does not
• Always celebrate what you currently have
• If you don’t acknowledge the darker moments, your story is incomplete.

What Becky predicts the next decade will hold:

As people become less and less connected, we need to create a movement to be together, so there will be a strong focus on having and building community, wherever you are.

Personal goals for the next decade:

Becky wants to create meaningful communities within the family unit, fostering strengths-focused families that thrive.

Helping leaders grow, through virtual and live events.

In her personal family life, it’s about fostering the community at home as they move around the world together, looking for each others strengths and brilliance.

Staying focused on savouring the moments - through the next decade two of Becky's five children will be entering adulthood.

Becky’s final message:

All is grace - live your own story.

The peaks and the valleys are all part of our story and they help us to grow if we allow them to.

To find out more about Becky, head to Isogo Strong or connect with her on Instagram.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #cliftonstrengths #strengths #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals #futurist #digital #parenting

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In this episode, I chat with Dr. Kristy Goodwin, where she shares insights from the last decade and predictions for the next.

Dr. Kristy Goodwin is a digital wellbeing and performance speaker who has dedicated her time to review the impact that technology has on our psychological wellbeing, on our physical wellbeing (eyesight, hearing, musculoskeletal health) right through to how it's impacting our performance and productivity. She acts as a conduit between research and science, and making it practical and relevant so people can apply it to their lives.

Key episode highlights include:

• Just having a device present in the room - without even touching it - drops your cognitive ability by 15%.
• Technology should be a great servant, never your master.
• Technology now robs us of moments of white space.
• Key message to parents - you’ve got to be the pilot not the passenger of the digital plane.

Key lessons/achievements from the last decade:

Celebrate: The profound impact that technology has had on our lives, how it is shaping our mental wellbeing, physical health and productivity.

Lesson: We are now living in a world permeated by technology. Children are learning to tap, swipe and pinch before they've learned to ride a bike, grip a pencil or tie their shoelaces. Teens who are sometimes spending more time with pixels than with people. And adults who are tethered to their technologies 24/7. Technology has been intentionally designed to prey on our psychological vulnerabilities, so none of us (kids, teens and adults) are immune to the 'digital pull'.

What Dr. Kristy predicts the next decade will hold:

Adopting healthy & sustainable digital behaviours, where we're NOT a slave to the screen, but have instead learned to tame our tech habits and leverage the benefits technology offers us, without the adverse consequences.

Personal goals for the next decade:

Raising awareness amongst parents, educators and employees about how we can all use technology in healthy and helpful ways and how to mitigate the potential pitfalls it poses, without proposing 'digital amputation'.

Dr. Kristy’s final messages:

Tame technology so you’re not a slave to a screen!

Kristy’s three B’s for helping your kids (and YOU!) thrive in this digital world:

• Boundaries - have boundaries around screen time
• Basic needs - make sure basic needs aren’t being compromised (sleeping, diet, human connection, play)
• Boredom - allow kids (and yourself) to be bored.

To find out more about Dr Kristy Goodwin, head on over to her website.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #cliftonstrengths #strengths #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals #futurist #digital #parenting

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In this episode, I chat with Melanie Midegs, where she shares insights from the last decade and her predictions for the next.

Melanie is a futurist, teacher of Chakra Philosophy for Business and founder of Seed to Soul. We explore psychosomatic therapy - the study of the body-mind connection - and how this changed her world, why technology will shift us to unplug, and her core message of humanity and sustainability before economics.

Key episode highlights include:

• A company can’t become truly sustainable unless its people are conscious - that’s the piece that’s still missing
• Shifting focus from profit to planet
• It’s hard to care about a bigger issue in the world, when our personal life isn’t feeling safe.

Key lessons/achievements from the last decade:

• Trusting the process
• Failures just point you in a new direction and a ’no’ just means you need to find another way
• Sorting her own life out so she can now focus on making a bigger impact
• The world is waking up and becoming more accepting of new ideas and ways of being, especially through information being greatly accessible via technology - 6 years ago people used to give Melanie the strangest looks when she started to talk about Chakra Philosophy and Face Reading... since then she's been invited to companies such as Lululemon and Singapore's Chambers of Commerce & Industry to present this work.

What Melanie predicts the next decade will hold:

• The beauty of technology and artificial intelligence is the fact that it’ll push us to the point where we need to unplug
• Our current climate crisis amongst a range of other issues will get worse before it gets better, unfortunately... but two things will happen under pressure. New leaders will be born, and those who refuse to start doing things differently will struggle
• Those who choose to stay ignorant to not only what's important in this world, but ignorant to their own emotional intelligence will truly struggle when their comfortable structures start crashing down around them.
• There’s a new way to come back into business and still be successful, but do it from the heart.

Melanie’s personal goals for the next decade:

To change the lives of 1,000,000 people. Melanie is beginning to lead a movement that busts the notion that spirituality and emotional intelligence are 'soft skills' in business... yes we need strategy, but for the world to change and become a happier place, everyone needs to change their perspective of themselves from the inside out... from CEO's, Entrepreneurs, Employees and World Leaders... no one is exempt from this and the ripple effect, without a doubt, will be life-changing for all of us.

Melanie’s final messages:

Humanity and sustainability must come before economics. The world is in this chaotic turmoil because economics comes before anything else

There is no separation between you and your business. Your world is a direct reflection of what's happening internally for you. Ignore your body, ignore your emotions ~ instead purely using your mind, and you will create a dead-end road for yourself.

To find out more about Melanie, head over to Seed to Soul.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #chakra #businesschakra #bali #passion #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals

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In this episode, I chat with Ian Donaldson, where he shares insights from the last decade and predictions for the next.

Ian is the founder of Rounded Consulting, and this conversation is very much about how well-rounded organisations need to become in the next decade. We also chat about the shifts into a customer experience focus, why nesting is a crucial part of life and how the typical organisation won’t exist at the end of the next decade.

Key episode highlights include:

• By doing work on my own arrangement, I can be more of myself - which overflows into other areas of life
• Once you relax around the timing of your goals, they start to come to you
• We need to make workplaces better for people - with flexible working arrangements and the way teams interact with each other.

Key lessons/achievements from the last decade:

• Learning the ability to reflect on achievements
• Growth and clarity in purpose
• Slow and steady wins the race
• Established and grown a consulting agency
• Moving back to Australia 3 years ago
• The focus on nesting - setting himself up, renovations on the house and the business.

What Ian predicts the next decade will hold:

• We have seen a shift from Business Process re-engineering, to transformation, to digital transformation and now to customer experience - we will see the further evolution of these concepts to an even more human-focused working environment. We have broken the back of the technology puzzle, the human extension of that puzzle is next on the menu
• The typical organisation shouldn’t exist by the end of 2029
• Flexible working won’t be just an option - it’ll be across the board
• The need for services will be rapidly rethought. Clinical, educational, government systems are a work in progress and need to be revolutionised.

Ian’s personal next-decade goals:

• Finish renovating and settle into his home, focusing on a sense of calmness and growing together with his relationship
• Working with people that he just connects with
• Building his personal and professional nest and reputation.

Ian’s final message:

It’s going to be ok - there is so much tension at the moment (professionally and personally), that is often created by the world we live in.

To connect and find out more about Ian, head over to his website.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #cliftonstrengths #strengths #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals #futurist

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In this episode, I chat with Leanne Hughes, where she shares her insights from the last decade and predictions for the next.

Leanne is a facilitator, runner and lifelong learner who values self-development and reflection. We explore the notion of purpose and the lifelong search for it, the unexpected positive career move that came from relocating to a regional area, plus we unpack insights Leanne has developed through hosting 100 podcast episodes and the conversations that have flowed there.

Key episode highlights include:

• Work harder on yourself than you do on your job (thanks Jim Rohn!)
• Everything that we do in life serves a purpose but we just don’t know it until it happens
• Reflect on your individual behaviour when it comes to issues like climate change - it doesn’t start with the government, it starts with us.

Key lessons from the last decade:

• Continually search for your purpose but be aware of the commonalities that link together
• The longest period you can plan for is only about a year ahead
• Energy > Time
• Embrace the uncertainty
• Pickup on signals from your body when things don't feel right and ask yourself questions to reflect on what may be going on for you.

What Leanne predicts the next decade will hold:

The irony that - as technology improves, face to face connections are needed more than ever.

Leanne’s personal next-decade goals:

• Diversifying what she does and honing in on zone of genius
• Channel her passion to stamp out the ‘presenteeism' culture in organisations - we can deliver outside of our cubicle
• Speaking in Bulgaria, and hanging out with Simon Sinek afterwards!

Leanne’s final message:

Be kind to yourself, find your own lane and stick to it.

Reflect and re-listen to this episode, and answer Murray’s questions yourself - what comes up?

You can find out more about Leanne on her website, or explore the insightful conversations on her podcast - First Time Facilitator.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #cliftonstrengths #strengths #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals #facilitator

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In this episode I chat with Andrew Sloan, who helps people upgrade for a faster future - so who better to chat with for this Heading into the Roaring 20s podcast series!

Andrew reviews the last 15 years in technology advances, and how he is concluding the next decade will play out. Biotechnology, the internet of things and artificial intelligence are all on his radar as major advances over the next 10 years.

He also explores the concept of 'slow down to fast up’. We can sign up to the quickness and the pace around us and move closer towards activity and potentially not taking ownership, but the message here is that you are in control, you are an autonomous agent. Most of us are in a space of being able to choose and take personal responsibility and accountability for our lives.

Key episode highlights include:

• The key theme of how to be relevant to an uncertain and very complex future is to have a strong relationship with yourself. In a digital life, how can we become more human?
• Sitting within us is ancient architecture on how to feel grounded and safe, with ourselves and each other. A key thing that people should explore is the connection between their head, their heart and their gut, as the core rhythm of that ancient architecture.
• No matter how quick and fast-paced and how much noise is around us, we can choose to be present, we can choose to slow down, and maybe that will help us move quicker and faster towards where we wish to head.

What Andrew predicts the next decade will hold:

Complexity and Uncertainty as two forces on our human experience from Day One but have ramped. We need to be experts on our own uniqueness and open up in collaboration with others uniqueness. More humanness as we approach our digital future.

To find out more about Andrew head to his website, or connect on LinkedIn.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #cliftonstrengths #strengths #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals #futurist

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In this episode, Luke Bayly walks us through some highlights of his last decade, including how he jumped from teaching to carpentry to now being a Strengths coach, where he facilitates others through the process that changed how he saw himself and connected with the world.

Luke generously takes us through his journey of learning to value people more, and how he opened up his home to another three children that weren’t his own - equalling 7 children in total - and how his time as a carpenter added more ease in this transition.

Key episode highlights include:

• A key to creating more understanding with others and yourself is to introduce your themes before they introduce you, so we can view each other with more respect, appreciation and gratitude.
• Go out and try things - have loads of new experiences to find out what works for you. Elimination of misaligned experiences is the key to figure out what your purpose is.
• You want to make the best of your work, the most of your work (Marcus Buckingham).

Key lessons from the last decade:

• We would not be who we are without each of our experiences. But we're more a product of our choices and commitments than our environment.
• You are your character, not your thoughts and emotions.
• Create the future - don't wait for it.
• Quit early, learn fast, don't take it personally.
• Learn from success! Not just failure. (When we succeed, we often switch off or get lazy).
• Engage, deep and real.
• Take responsibility for your own actions, motivation, character and future, but don't expect others to.

What Luke predicts the next decade will hold:

• Human development leading to a major shift in careers and work culture. The ones who step outside of society's expectations and norms and embrace their unique talents and calling will thrive, establish their contribution - then reinvest their extra energy and resources in the community. Bigger picture.

Luke’s personal goals for the next decade:

• To start writing books, speaking and working internationally. Travel with family.
• More running and bike riding, probably take on an Ironman triathlon.
• No more renovating!

Luke's final message:

Be you, multiplied. Not what someone else projects or expects of you. When we contribute from our passion and live in our Strengths, we empower each other to do the same; and we multiply each others' energy, power, effectiveness.

You can find out more about Luke over on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #cliftonstrengths #strengths #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals

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Welcome to this new Inspired Energy podcast series - Heading into the Roaring 20s - where we showcase15 conversations with coaches, leaders and consultants, who reflect on the last decade and anticipate what predictions may be happening in 2020.

In this first installment, Murray looks back on his last decade covering work, business, relationships, family and wellness, and discusses his intentions in those areas for the coming decade.

Standout lessons:

1. We need to listen to our body - it provides signals all the time, tune in and listen.
2. Focus on your strengths - whether personal or professional, the impact with their application brings confidence.
3. Consistency - whatever it is, show up consistently.
4. Money mindset - being aware how it shows up both for yourself and others.
5. Be present to connect - as humans we have an inherent need to connect, and with current technology, it is getting harder to stay present. Hone and practice this skill.
6. Abundance - the abundance mentality is so important, especially in business.
7. The power of conversation - to influence the culture, the way in which you and others show up, whether in business or in life. Have the conversation BEFORE you need to have it.
8. Sleep - getting enough of good quality sleep.
9. Build your pack - are the people you associate with helping or hindering your success?
10. Find joy - vital for our overall wellbeing.

What are your top ten lessons learned in the last decade?

Key links in this episode:

Gallup Strengths https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/home.aspx

Denise Duffield Thomas https://www.denisedt.com/

David Conley podcast episode https://inspiremybusiness.com.au/episode-16-david-conley/ plus his sleep tips https://limitl.es/sleep/

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #health #ruok #mindset #roaring20s #planning #goals

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In this episode I chat with Kate Smyth, an Olympian and naturopath who is supporting athletes by providing a holistic service tailored to their unique requirements, focused around balance, performance and longevity.

If you’re not a sporty person, please don’t discount this episode! There were so many parallels between life as an athlete, and the challenges we face in business and everyday life. Kate provided some amazing insights and practical examples of how she dealt with challenges in her running career and has then applied them to other aspects of her life, especially requiring performance.

We chat about Kate’s incredible journey from gaining 20kg on a European holiday to running 30km stints in six months, how Japanese runner Naoko Takahashi changed the course of Kate’s sporting career, and how to manage identity attachment when it comes to anything in life.

Key highlights on this episode include:

• Take objective reviews of your performance and note down 3 things you did well and 3 things you could improve. This helps to keep momentum in moving forward.
• Before any performance-driven task, utilise a ‘what if’ list - note down the possible negative scenarios and then the best case solutions.
• If you’re operating at 100% all the time, you’re not giving yourself space for rest, recovery and adaptation.

To find out more about Kate, head on over to Athlete Sanctuary, or connect with her further on Facebook and Instagram.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #health #ruok #mindset #athelete #runner #marathonrunner #olympian #highperformance #naturopath

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In this episode, I chat with Eddie Enever, a naturopath, meditation teacher and cancer survivor who is out there to spread a very important message surrounding stress, health and lifestyle.

Eddie shares with us his incredible cancer journey and how the key to getting well was all about changing how he was showing up in life and business - and he drops some truth bombs along the way.

We chat about the difference between acute stress and chronic persistent stress, the role of emotional coaching throughout a person’s cancer journey, plus hypothermic and hyperthermic treatments in the body and how they apply to different health situations.

Key highlights on this episode include:

• As humans, we tend to jump into action when we can see and/or measure something, but when you can’t we can become complacent
• When two humans become vulnerable within a conversation, that’s when big shifts happen
• Breathwork needs to be your anchor whether it’s a physical, mental or emotional challenge.

To find out more about Eddie head to his website, or connect with him further on Facebook and Instagram.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #health #ruok #mindset #cancer #cancerjourney #naturopath #menshealth

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In this episode I chat with Wendy De Rosa, Intuitive Healer & Founder of the School of Intuitive Studies. We discuss what intuition actually is and how it happens, the difference between empathy and empathic intuition, and how social media has impacted on how people are awakening and seeking teachers in this area. We also explore the validation of intuition especially in the Western world driven by science, reason and intellect.

We touch on staying grounded and resilient with the frantic pace of life, and how by leaning into the front part of our body - trying to problem-solve life - we can get depleted. But if we learn to lean back into meditation and contemplation and filling up from source, that can give us the life-force energy for resiliency.

Key highlights on this episode include:

• Consciousness is rising - more people are waking up to their abilities and gifts.
• How cultivating a practice of grounding yourself is a way to tap into your intuition
• So much self-care is needed to manage the intensity of what happens in business, so pausing becomes crucial to stay connected to yourself.

To learn more about Wendy and her courses head on over to the School of Intuitive Studies, or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

podcast #inspiredenergy #intuition #intuitivehealer #energy #energyhealer #mentalhealth #health #entrepreneur #business #personaldevelopment #gratitude #school #leadership

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Leah Keogh is a Strengths-based coach based out of Seattle, Washington state. She works with teams and large groups on assessing and bringing out strengths to achieve peak performance in both individuals and organizations.

In this episode, we chat about Strengths-based emotional development in teams, how Leah uses her strengths as a tool to intuitively figure out what teams and individuals need, and why using pre-work to answer questions before a team-based strengths exercise has been a game-changer for both facilitators, leaders and teams.

Leah’s top ten strengths are:

Connectedness, Positivity, Ideation, Input, Empathy, Futuristic, Belief, Individualisation, Developer, and Command.

Even though Positivity was the most surprising strength for Leah, it was Connectedness that had such a large emotional component to it. She sees the big picture, the dynamics, what’s emotionally happening for people - and she fits those puzzle pieces together.

Key highlights on this episode include:

• As a leader or manager, you need to ask yourself - how do you feel you’re showing up? Where are you successful? What areas could be running smoother?
• When it comes to blindspots with your strengths, you need to look at who you need on your team to help you excel. How do we collaborate more for greater success?
• Leadership strength is in knowing your team - your people - and many corporations are missing that people aspect. It’s not just about the numbers.

You can find out more about what Leah does over on her website LK Strengths, or connect with her further on LinkedIn.

podcast #leadership #culture #teamwork #facilitator #strengths #cliftonstrengths #growth

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In this episode I chat with Pete Holliday - a self confessed futurist - about why it’s important to consider the impact of future trends on organisations and leadership.

Pete is an Organisational Futurist and Business Agility expert who helps to solve long-standing organisational challenges, empowering staff and developing progressive and agile mindsets.

So what does it mean to be a future-focused organisation? Essentially, it comes down to being proactive rather than reactive when it comes to navigating disruption. We chat about future trends, how to build leaders who are fit for the future, upgrading organisational systems and the fine balance between the organisation’s values and what the market actually cares about.

We also touch on the six traits of progressive organisations and getting back to the human element in the work environment.

Key highlights on this episode include: - We need to blend values set by leaders at the top level AND the lower levels of an organisation. - When dealing with rapid change or disruption in an industry, businesses must review what they do, then recombine or re-organise it in a different way to create more value for the market. - Why coherence, cohesion and coordination are key aspects of future fit teams.

You can find out more about Pete and what he does over on his website https://peteholliday.com/ or on LinkedIn.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #futurist #futureofwork #vuca #lean #digital #agile #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment

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In this episode, I chat to Jason Vidovich about human nature, vulnerability in leadership and the trends happening with our health in the quest for efficiency.

Jason is an Organisational Development (OD) consultant with over 15 years experience working within the disciplines of OD, Human Resources and Learning and Development. He has consulted in this discipline, working and living throughout Australia and across the world.

Throughout his travels, he has had some key awakenings about humans and their nature, both in work and play. At the core of it, people are people - no matter where you are in the world.

We discuss leadership and vulnerability, how to bring that out in others, and how the recipient of training and coaching needs to be ready and willing to learn. There’s been many cases when an organisation hires a coach for their employees, and some take that as ‘there’s something wrong with me’ - the notion of feedback needs to flip from negative to positive. And finally, we chat about the power of active listening and the magic of words.

Key highlights include:

• Take action on the weak signals, rather than waiting for situations to get worse
• We need to move past coaching as being seen as being implemented when you’re doing something wrong, and flip it to coaching being about helping you achieve your potential and unlock your performance
• Start to draw inspiration from your own life, what you already know and who you already look up to. Use this to shape your leadership role and style.

You can find out more about Jason and his work over on his website - jvtc.

podcast #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #health #ruok

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In the final part of the Leaders Who Give a Damn podcast series, we delve into the role of leaders creating a culture where people feel safe.

Over this series, I partnered with Becky from Isogo Strong and if you know her at all, you know that she is a maven in the Strengths world. Becky partners with organisations across the USA to build cultures where people are more engaged and thrive. Becky also inspires couples and mums to look at life differently through a lens of strengths, focussing on what’s right and getting more flow back into their lives.

Together, we get to chat about some aspects of leadership that are perhaps LEAST talked about yet have the opportunity to be MOST impactful in your role as leader. Whether you are in that role as a leader now or it is in your future, this series is for you.

In this episode we discuss how creating safe spaces is all about trust – and freedom.

The freedom to fail, to make mistakes, to have tough conversations and resolve conflict, and the freedom to talk about how you feel and not be judged by your leader or your peers. The greatest success with implementing this is everyone knowing the difference between freedom and expectation.

We also discuss examples of spaces that are not safe and the further impact this had on the team and even the customers – it’s a long game that has far reaching effect.

Other key takeaways from this episode include:

• The steps leaders need to take to start creating safe spaces – hint, it starts with how you show up!
• How we build a culture of trust and meeting the four needs of our followers.
• How to create an environment where there’s a collaborative and ongoing conversation.

So, catch this conversation about Leaders Who Give a Damn on your favourite podcast app.

Don't forget to also check out the other leadership conversations in this four-part series.

Check out www.leaderswhogiveadamn.com to download your free infographic of 90 tips to be a Leader Who Gives A Damn. Also check out the quiz to find out if you're a leader who gives a damn!

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #leaderswhogiveadamn #lwgad #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #health #ruok

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Ciera Tyler is a podcaster and public speaker, with a commitment to living a purpose-driven life after growing up in a strengths-based family.

In this episode of the Inspired Energy podcast we discuss her unique strengths story, as Ciera actually discovered her Gallup strengths at the ripe old age of 12, through the encouragement of her father - Strengths coach, Brandon Miller CEO of 34 Strong). Wise beyond her years, Ciera was able to hone her strengths before reaching adulthood and thus able to apply them with purpose from a very early age.

That’s not to say it was all easy! Throughout the podcast we discuss the challenges in knowing your strengths so young and how that shapes how you show up to your peers, as well as how you show up to classic school activities and events.

Ciera’s top 5 strengths are Competition, Activator, Communication, Strategic and Achiever.

Even though Ciera’s favourite strength is Communication as it’s given her purpose, she had to be coached through other Influencer strengths - especially Command - to be able to apply herself positively in leadership roles both in school and in her current role.

Other key highlights on this episode include...

• Everyone needs to be approached differently, based on their individual strengths and lens that they see things through.
• Navigating deep relationships with others when the majority of your top strengths lie in the Influencer domain.
• Just because you know your strengths doesn’t mean you don’t take responsibility for how you show up. It means you have an extra responsibility to know how you may be perceived.

Connect further with Ciera over on her website or say hi on Instagram.

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment #mentalhealth #health #school #family #love #gratitude

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In the third part of this special Leaders Who Give A Damn podcast series, we unpack the notion of doing less in the realm of leadership.

Over this series, I partnered with Becky from Isogo Strong and if you know her at all, you know that she is a maven in the Strengths world. Becky partners with organisations across the USA to build cultures where people are more engaged and thrive. Becky also inspires couples and mums to look at life differently through a lens of strengths, focussing on what’s right and getting more flow back into their lives.

Together, we get to chat about some aspects of leadership that are perhaps LEAST talked about yet have the opportunity to be MOST impactful in your role as leader. Whether you are in that role as a leader now or it is in your future, this series is for you.

When you think about the role of leaders, there are a broad range of responsibilities, tasks and activities that leaders need to do. Often leaders can feel overwhelmed with all the stuff they need to do and how this gets in the way of the role of being a leader for the people that need their leadership every day.

There is a different way and in this conversation, Becky and I explore achieving a bigger, more effective impact in your leadership through doing less.

We explore why it is so easy to stay in the notion of ‘busy’ especially where you are using the momentum of the busyness to keep all the plates spinning. But is it about doing and rushing and being busy…or should it be about enjoying the journey and being connected with people, too?

With busyness we can often get caught up in excess things filling our day. We need to start by asking, is this element that is filling my day really needed? We can also explore Professor Sidney Dekker’s concept of asking yourself (or your team!), “What’s the stupidest thing I have to do?” to open up the conversation around what is not effective in a role or task, and perhaps do something about it. Providing opportunities where your team feels like they can be more effective by doing less is also an important part of leadership.

It was such a great conversation, with real takeaways that you can apply right away,, some of the key highlights on this episode include…

· How can we implement the Lean strategy within leadership - achieving more with less and removing waste.

· Strategies to analyse your daily tasks and achieve more through less.

· The leadership mindset to embrace to be an effective leader, here’s hint, it’s not always about doing more! ;-)

So, catch this conversation about Leaders Who Give a Damn on your favourite podcast app.

Check out www.leaderswhogiveadamn.com to download your free infographic of 90 tips to be a Leader Who Gives A Damn. Also check out the quiz to find out if you're a leader who gives a damn!

Next up is the final conversation in this four-part series, where we explore the importance in leadership in creating safe spaces.

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #leaderswhogiveadamn #lwgad #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment

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In Part 2 of the Leaders Who Give a Damn podcast series, we delve into the importance in how you show up, how relationships are so interconnected and affect each other. We discuss just how much your personal relationships impact the relationships you have at work, and why we also mustn't forget our relationship with ourselves AND our own health as well.

Are you picking up and taking action on early health signs, just as you would take action on metrics not being delivered on at work?

We also jump into planning and preparation, including how your physical environment looks (inbox, desk space, etc), so you can continue to show up and give your best to your team, your family and your self, and why there is an important emphasis on a solid and inspiring morning routine to get your mind into work mode - including being purposeful about your journey to work and how you spend it.

Key highlights include:

• Whether you like it or not, as a leader, you’re on show. You influence others whether you like it or not. It becomes a ’trickle-down’ culture.
• Why it’s super important to prepare and plan for the next day or next week, reflecting on what has gone well and what the new focus is.
• As a leader, showing up for your team is directly affected by your relationships outside of the work environment, how you treat your health, the status of your environment and how you show up for meetings.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of this 4 part series, where we focus on being a better leader through doing less.

Check out www.leaderswhogiveadamn.com to download your free infographic of 90 tips to be a Leader Who Gives A Damn. Also check out the quiz to find out if you're a leader who gives a damn!

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #leaderswhogiveadamn #lwgad #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment

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Leaders Who Give A Damn - a special podcast series

When Becky Hammond and I get together it’s like a powerhouse conversation, and this special Leaders Who Give A Damn (LWGAD) episode is no different. We discuss what are the little things that superstar leaders do on a daily basis (and your mindset around it), how to lead when your Strengths don’t lie within the relationship building category, and how breath work can enhance leadership skills.

We also delve into the awareness that leaders have around where they’re investing their time, and how much time they’re investing into the technical aspects of their role versus the leadership elements of the role. And why every time you have a chance to interact with someone in a small way, starts to create a culture - whether you are present to it or not.

Key highlights include:

• Why you need to have a workplace morning routine too - it sets the tone for the culture of the day
• Leadership is not just a role, it’s not an aspect that you 'tick the box’ on a daily/weekly/monthly basis - it’s a way to show up
• Why the old style working relationship between managers and people isn’t working - the practice of command and control is just not inspiring.

This is part one of our four part series on Leaders Who Give A Damn. Stay tuned for more episodes in this series where we discuss more topics of leadership and making a difference.

Check out www.leaderswhogiveadamn.com to download your free infographic of 90 tips to be a Leader Who Gives A Damn. Also check out the quiz to find out if you're a leader who gives a damn!

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #leaderswhogiveadamn #lwgad #professionaldevelopment #personaldevelopment

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In this episode I catch up with another awesome Strengths coach - Heidi Convery! Heidi is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and founder of Flourish LLC, a strengths-based coaching business focused on putting purpose back in the workplace. I loved getting insights from Heidi about the Texas culture and how that influences corporate culture. We chat about why Heidi went into business for herself, her struggles with profitability and pricing your skills when YOU are the capital. We also discuss how Heidi leads with Includer (her other top 5 include Activator, Learner, Input and Belief), and why she strongly feels that everyone needs to know how much they matter. It is with this that Heidi prefers to work with smaller organisations so that she can get to know and impact each and every person - it suffices to say she is creating a huge ripple effect with her work! Key highlights on this episode include:

• The purpose of a coach is not to be there forever, it is to teach you how to do it for yourself so that you can take charge of your development.
• There is a need to get excited about WHO you are. It is not just who we are as an adult, but who we have always been our whole life.
• Inspired energy is that fizzy feeling inside of us that bubbles up - like a carbonated drink. You need to tap into that.

To connect further with Heidi, visit her website or say hi on Instagram.

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #gallup #leadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #leadership

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TyAnn is a success guide and strengths guru, whose transformational strengths-based coaching and training empowers employees to discover the value of their unique abilities so they can become more engaged, build stronger relationships, and authentically show up in their daily lives.

We cover a lot of topics in this episode, with so many gems thrown in!Including why TyAnn's time at Dell was more valuable than her MBA, how getting out of your environment and existing in a different part of the world opens your mind to other ways of being and thinking, and we dive deep into energy vampires (and energy-sucking tasks) and what you can do to mitigate this.

Key highlights on this episode include:

• Companies need to ask - what does good look like? What does great look like? How can we measure success in this? What would it look like a year from now if we haven’t addressed this issue?
• Why the futuristic strength allows those gifted with it to see the future in a very tangible state, showing others how they can see the future beyond an initial hurdle.
• Energy is like a bank account, it’s not infinite and it gets depleted. If you spend your energy in a negative ROI way, you’re not going to have energy for the awesome things in your life.

TyAnn’s top Strengths include Maximizer, Significance, Learner, Communication and Futuristic. And we’ll leave you with TyAnn’s definition of strengths based leadership (as it’s epic!): How do I go from knowing my superpowers into how do I understand the superpowers of my team and harness those for the best possible result together. How do I step up my leadership so that it becomes servant leadership to them - I have no success without their success.

You can connect with TyAnn over on her website, on Twitter and LinkedIn.

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #gallup #leadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #leadership

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Becky Hammond is the founder of Isogo Strong and lives and breathes her company’s mission of “fueling life-changing stories through the power of YOUR unique and brilliant Strengths” - not just in the workplace but with parenting too.

We talk collaboration, especially in the context of trust and fairness, and dive deep into utilising the Strengths perspective when it comes to more productive parenting. The concept of generating emotional templates is also discussed - where a person develops an emotional reference to what happens in a situation, and applies that to future events - and how we can fascinate positive emotional templates.

Becky’s top 5 Strengths are Achiever, Arranger, Learner, Belief and Connectedness.

Key highlights include:

• Why 1:1 time is so important, not just with our children but also with members of the tribe we lead in the workplace. It becomes a safe place for conversations to happen - including the hard ones
• The importance of creating a culture where it’s safe for someone to put their hand up and say 'I made a mistake’
• Becky’s best advice for new leaders: know yourself, have good self-awareness, get a coach (or someone to keep you accountable) and be vulnerable.

You can connect with Becky on Instagram @isogostrong, on her Isogo TV channel, and over on her website.

Plus: curious to know about your own strengths? Take the Gallup CliftonStrengths assessment here.

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #gallup #leadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business #leadership #parenting

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In this episode Leanne brings a contagious energy which you can see shines through in the facilitation work she does - she helps inspire other presenters to create engaging and impactful workshops and presentations and drive influential contagious experiences in our work world.

We talk tips and tricks for facilitating successful workshops, including how to make the most out of conferences as both speaker AND attendee, plus her journey from corporate to solopreneurship and why you need to integrate your ‘work’ hours in with the flow of your life.

A Harry Potter theme starts to emerge and we discuss how she turns muggles (people not yet exposed to her work) into wizards with all the tools needed to navigate and implement learnings back in the workplace.

We also open up the discussion on the similarities and differences between particular strengths being more prominent in certain countries - you can find out more here.

Leanne’s top 5 strengths are: Ideation, Maximizer, Futuristic, Activator and Positivity.

Key highlights on this episode include...

• Why knowing your strengths can be super helpful in job interviews
• If you want to make an impact, start by impacting the people that are directly reporting to you, start conversations and be a good human - the engagement and culture takes care of itself.
• Why the key role of the facilitator is to create a space where everyone can get as much out of a workshop as possible
• And why ‘inspired energy’ can be best described as the opposite of a Harry Potter dementor!

You can connect with Leanne further at leannehughes.com, on LinkedIn, Instagram or via email - leanne@leannehughes.com.

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #gallup #leadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach

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On this solo episode, Murray is inspired by magnetic fields and how these can mimic the environment of the application of our training and development.

Magnets: have you ever thought about that magnetic field of energy? What about the parallels between magnetic energy and the energy around applying and cementing new ways of being?

When we scatter iron filings/ferromagnetic material, then magnetic waves either attracts or repels those ferromagnetic materials.

We are like iron filings in a magnetic field. These magnetic fields could be your work environment, home environment, friends circle, etc.

You then go away and learn additional insights, and your world is shaken up. You may have new language, new framework, a new way of seeing the people around you. But then integrating back into your daily life - your daily environment - is where the challenge of change lies. 

Murray discusses the challenges of trying to integrate your new way of being into the previous culture, the previous systems, the old ways of doing things. And follows it up by discussing "locking in" those new learnings and creating an environment that facilitates them. 

entrepreneur #business #change #mindset #attitude #learning #growth #leadership #selfleadership #culture #teamwork #training #development

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Alexandria Joy (AJ) is the powerhouse founder of UQ Power, a collective of Company Culture Architects supporting CEO's, HR and Marketing Directors to design and build strong company cultures that build their brand and market share through sustainable relationships.

AJ's top 5 strengths are learner, connectedness, strategic, futuristic, and input - and you can see these shine through in this episode! We discussed why, as leaders, a lot of people go for mastery first. They take on external stimulus - do courses, read books, listen to podcasts - all to master becoming a good leader. It needs to be an inside/out game rather than an outside/in one.

How? Through...

• mindset (going within to clear the slate and set up for success, know yourself)
• minimalism (strip away what doesn’t work for you - reduce the noise, the friction, reduce the need to do things just to please others), and
• mastery (then polish the stone, add the skills).

Other key highlights on this episode include...

• When working with people or facilitating workshops, set your intention of allowing whatever needs to come through to be there - have the curriculum, but also meet people where they’re at.
• As leaders you can’t take the world or your team further than you’ve gone inside.
• The human mind can’t be creative and logical at once. So when everything is full - your space, your calendar, your mind - you can’t get into that creative space.

You can find out more about AJ in the following spaces: Leading Ladies International, on LinkedIn, over at UQ Power and the The Joy Box.

culture #business #leadership #minimalism #selfleadership #personaldevelopment #business #entrepreneur #mastery #mindset #attitude #strengths #cliftonstrengths #gallup #inspired #inspiring #inspiredenergy #podcast #anchor

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Episode 19 - Tammy Guest (Natupreneur Business Mentor)

In this episode I catch up with the awesome and inspiring (yes I'm biased, but she really is) Tammy Guest. We talk about Tammy's passion to help 7,000 health practitioners, help 7,000 clients improve their health and well-being.

We reflect on our recent Bali immersion with participants in the NatClub and the multiple transformations we were inspired to be a part of. Tammy also discusses opportunities and challenges in the industry and how important mindset is to be successful. 

All of the Natupreneur members complete their CliftonStrengths and we explore how the Top 5 Strengths of health practitioners show up in their business and needs for learning.

You can find out more about Tammy's Natuprenur Journey Program and Assessment for health praccies (naturopaths, nutritions, herbalists and massage therapists) at www.tammyguest.com and check out Natupreneur Hub on facebook!

podcast #business #mentor #natupreneurclub #naturopath #herbalist #nutritionist #massage #health #practitioner #wellbeing #mindset #coach #leadership #cliftonstrengths #strengths #gallup #entrepreneur

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Graeme Cowan helps leaders and their tribes to create an environment, culture and have conversations that change people’s lives. His purpose is to help teams become more caring, resilient and growth oriented.

Graeme helped Gavin Larkin and a small team launch the R U OK? movement in 2000 - the powerful question that has given permission for open conversation with mental illness and general life struggles. He is a regular media commenter, speaker and author of three books. Motivated due to his own mental breakdown in 2000, he has discovered simple rituals that can increase wellbeing and effectiveness and has created a career around sharing these with others.

In this episode we discuss how to support a colleague in distress, the foundational things to do to encourage an R U OK culture in the workplace, why having good relationships with others is one of the key aspects to happiness and how improving your sleep is one of the fastest ways to improve your life. We also discuss my own recovery from my accident and how the emotional recovery has been the biggest challenge. Key highlights include...

Most people are happy to ask R U OK? but are not sure what to do if they say no. So to support a colleague in distress, utilise ICARE - Identify, Compassion, Access experts, Revitalise and Exercise. If leaders practice their own self-care and sustainability, it flows on to what others do around them. If you’re not in good shape yourself, how can you support your team? The three cups of self care that we need to fill are Vitality (physical energy, exercise, sleep, nutrition), Intimacy (having positive and fulfilling relationships with others) and Prosperity (our contribution - whether it’s work, community focused, legacy, etc).

Check out the I CARE framework for supporting a colleague in distress here - http://graemecowan.com.au/care-support-colleague-distress/ You can find out more about Graeme and his work here or connect with him on LinkedIn. 

podcast #inspiredenergy #inspired #inspiration #resilience #mentalhealth #health #leadership #culture #teamwork #teams #stressless #business #ruok

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In this episode Jenni and I discuss the bigger picture in business, why systems and structures are so important for growth, and the importance of never losing sight of your values and your why.

Jenni has a passion for developing helping people maximise their potential. With expertise in leadership development, team building, capability development, business strategy and facilitation, Jenni helps individuals and teams to understand their purpose, define their vision and to develop processes that will enable them to work to their potential, and beyond.

She works with leadership teams to understand how they work and develop strategies to solve complex problems through new and innovative solutions. Jenni launched Elephant in the Room Consulting, a boutique consulting house specialising in the realignment of organisational culture and process.

In this episode we discuss the bigger picture in business, why systems and structures are so important for growth, why Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz is a fantastic role model for leadership (and how Toto represents the value system), and we also talk about when something happens to shake up your life, give yourself the respect and time to process it internally. Key highlights on this episode include:

• Business owners not only have to look at the details but also the bigger picture too - we have a responsibility and a commitment towards that.
• We often hire for skill and experience rather than connection and fit, and long term success in the business comes from shared values. So before hiring, we need to get clear on what our personal and business values are.
• When we think about scaling a business, we often think technology, but what we also need to look at is how can you do you job consistently over time so that your business grows and that it still stays aligned with your mission and purpose.

Find out more about Jenni over at Elephant in the Room, and connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.

podcast #strengths #leadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #dorothy #wizardofoz

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In Episode 16, Health and Wellbeing Coach, Dave Conley and I discuss unconscious habits and the very small steps we can take to change these, how to adopt radical self-care as the foundation for lifelong happiness plus the steps he took in rebooting his life after tragedy.

Dave was put on this earth for some huge work - to upgrade the human experience and bring joy through transformation. Dave's life has included getting 32 million people on the internet for the first time, rebooting his life after tragedy, and now flipping the self-help business model by inspiring others to adopt radical-self care as the foundation for lifelong happiness. Dave’s top 5 strengths include Ideation, Strategic, Woo, Futuristic & Activator.

In this episode we discuss unconscious habits and the very small steps we can take to change these, why the worst thing that happened to Dave turned out to be the best thing that could’ve happened, and why 4 small things (mindfulness, exercise, diet and sleep) that you’re doing right now, with the smallest shifts, can turn them into self care superpowers.

He shares his journey of how losing his wife actually put him on a different path which transformed his life - losing 150 pounds, quitting cigarettes and his job, and launching his own business. Dave wholeheartedly believes that self-care can springboard your life into one that is limitless, and shares key highlights such as:

• Why 99% of what we do day in and day out is based upon our unconscious habits and how we feel about them. Those two things go together and basically drive us on automatic everywhere we go and with everything we do.
• You can change your habits in small ways, but if you can also change how you feel, and then establish new habits around that - then that’s where the magic happens.
• People feel guilty about spending time in their jobs and not with their family, so they’ll give up sleep, eating right and exercise, in favour of either spending time with family or being at their jobs. But the more time you spend on yourself means you can bring so much more to your loved ones, your vocation, your community and ultimately, your legacy.

Checkout Dave's complimentary sleep tips at https://limitl.es/inspired/

Find out more about Dave at limitl.es, and connect with him over on Facebook and Instagram.

podcast #health #wellbeing #mindset #leadership #selfleadership #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach #business

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In this episode Lisa and I discuss busyness in business, how she can successfully work virtually whilst still honouring her clients' strengths, and how to inspire energy and team culture with a remote workforce.

Lisa has delivered events to over 11,500 participants in 14 countries. You can see her featured in places like Harvard Business Publishing, Training Magazine, and Forbes.

She’s the CEO of a company called Lead Through Strengths. When she’s not out spotting strengths in people, you find her playing drums, rescuing dogs, or making artsy things with a welder!

Lisa's top 5 strengths are Strategic, Maximizer, Positivity, Individualization & Woo.

Key highlights on this episode include:

· When you get busy, it’s easy for “busy” to be the master. It’s initially the badge of honour. But you need to think: what life am I trying to build and am I serving that life or am I just continuing to serve the busy.

· You need to stay clear and focused on what you want to achieve. What work do you love to do and what types of people do you love to do that work with.

· The business journey from hustle and grind mindset to one of grace and ease.

· When it comes to time on tasks - it’s not just about the time it takes to do that task. It’s the pre and post work too. How much do tasks and projects really cost for you? And are they aligned with your long term vision?

Find out more about Lisa at Lead Through Strengths and listen to her podcast here.

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #gallup #leadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach

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In this episode, Doug and I discuss how to tap into your mid-lower strengths, the scalability of your business when it solely depends on your time, leveraging your strengths with the strengths of your colleagues plus hiring people with complementary strengths and talents.

Doug Bacon is a leader committed to sustainable business growth, and has spent over 20 years helping teams and organisations reach their potential by transforming their company culture and taking ownership of the process.

Doug’s top 5 strengths are Harmony, Arranger, Positivity, Empathy & Developer.

Key highlights on this episode include...

· In order to tap into those mid-lower talents, Doug developed a system that firstly satisfied his top talents so he could create some space for the lower talents to come forward.

· How Doug figured out a way to scale his business so that it didn’t max out at him.

· Why it’s not so much about hiring someone to help you do the work you love, but hiring someone who takes away the work you don’t want to spend time doing.

· How to hire from a different perspective – look at what traits are needed for that role, and then collect data on candidates as to how aligned they are to these traits needed. Two major traits groups include how we are wired for achievement and how we are wired for relationships.

Find out more about Doug over at Throwing Words and connect further on LinkedIn.

podcast #strengths #cliftonstrengths #gallup #leadership #culture #teamwork #entrepreneur #inspiration #inspiredenergy #coaching #coach

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Life is better when you breathe! Few people understand what it means to truly breathe. In this episode we explore insights and practical tips from Breathing Experts, Shane and Angie Saunders from BreatheMe.

We explore...

How to breathe energy not just air, how to develop your own CTRL ALT DELETE and clear your cache, tips to upgrade your processes, raise your standards, and increase your value.

Shane and Angie bring a history of experience, for Shane, 13 years in the Australian Defence Force, military training at the highest level, SAS, tactical assault and special forces, military duty in the Middle East; and for Angelina (Angie) it's been navigating intense real life experiences; grief of lost loved ones, parental disputes, anxiety inside the entertainment industry, child birth (twice), postnatal depression and starting from scratch building a new life, a new family, and a new business in a foreign country.

They credit daily breathing techniques for helping them build up a successful health and wellness business, residential real estate investing, commercial real estate projects, business investments, mindset consulting, and authoring their award winning book, "Three Lessons on How to Lower Stress Naturally."

Find out more at www.breatheme.com.

mindset #entrepreneur #business #growth #personaldevelopment #success #focus #breathing #relaxation #inspiration #inspiredenergy #stressmanagement

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Rhonda Boyle is a transformational leader teaching strengths-based processes through workshops, corporate education and group coaching. She’s the author several books, most recently the International Best Seller, "Turning Talents into Strengths: Stories of Coaching Transformation" (which I'm a co-author of!). Rhonda has been part of the strengths movement since 2008 and is also a Certified Law of Attraction facilitator with a special emphasis on Neuroscience principles.   

Rhonda's Top 5 Strengths are Ideation, Woo, Maximizer, Communication, Activator!

We also discuss the importance of Money Mindset for your business and personal success. 

From Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Rhonda has been married to Chris for 27 years and they have two adult daughters and two grand boys!

Connect with Rhonda at www.Soar.RhondaBoyle.com. 

cliftonstrengths #strengths #coach #leadership #teamwork #entrepreneur #author #moneymindset #money #business #personalgrowth

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In this episode I catch up with Charlotte Blair. An awesome strengths coach who is passionate about strengths and the application of strengths for change management and creating a safe space for people to speak up.

Charlotte's favourite saying in life is “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have always imagined” and she tries to live by this every day and believe it has helped her throughout her life and career in both Sales and Learning and Development. Charlotte has a huge passion for Strengths based development, focusing on what’s right with people instead of looking at weakness. She see's her purpose to help others enjoy life and their career and look for ways every day to be the best they can possibly be. A highly experienced Gallup certified strengths coach, consultant and facilitator with over 20 years proven success managing relationships and developing business in highly complex sales environments.

Charlotte's Top 5 Strengths are Activator, WOO, Command, Arranger and Positivity. We had such an inspiring chat about how Charlotte applies her strengths in all areas of life from her career, her business partnership, marriage and parenting. Charlotte gives plenty of examples and insights into how she lives her strengths and how they have helped her success and be more of her. We also discuss different mediums for effective coaching (the pros and cons of face to face vs online) and horse riding too!

Find out more about Charlotte Blair @ www.linkedin.com/in/charlotteblair and www.thestrengthspartners.com/

cliftonstrengths #strengths #teamwork #culture #leadership #changemanagement #postivepsychology #inspiredenergy #coach #coaching

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Ken Barr Jnr is a Licensed Professional counselor, career coach, organizational consultant and all around great guy! I've got to know Ken through attending the Clifton Strengths Summits in Omaha and I loved catching up with Ken to discuss his journey to becoming a strengths coach and the impact strengths has made in his life. We also discuss Marvel and Spider Man (a common interest).

Ken's Top 5 Strengths are Input, Maximizer, Arranger, Woo and Learner. We explore how Ken has embraced his strengths, how they have shown up in his life and how he applies them for his success.

We also discuss Ken's love of the Michigan Wolverine's and how they are the winningest NCAA team. 

Ken is dedicated to helping individuals and teams discover, develop, and apply their strengths. He works frequently in the education, non-profit, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and customer service fields providing solutions that include program startup, team development, best practices, recognition, and talent insights. You can find out more about Ken at www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/coach/en-us/profile/20305

Connect with Ken @ www.facebook.com/kenbarrjr  www.linkedin.com/in/ken-barr-jr/   www.twitter.com/KenBarrJr

cliftonstrengths #strengths #coach #leadership #culture #teamwork #teambuilding #podcast #inspiredenergy #wolverines

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Blending HR + Marketing Jason Knight is the founder and creative brains of Moved by Design, a design consultancy, specialising in UX and EX. He has spent over 15 years creatively blending strategy and brand identity into powerful communications, for growing brands and engaging employees.

Moved By Design transforms boring L&D into a people-first culture where strategic, customised corporate learning and coaching builds talent, brains and businesses.

We discuss how Jason has embraced his strengths and he also shares these key tips to help you transform your corporate learning culture...

1. Make it short: The attention span of the average adult is now just 8 seconds. Nearly 2/3 of people prefer their videos under 60 seconds.

2. Make it visual: The human brain can process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.

3. Make it entertaining across multiple channels: Video watching accounts for 74% of all online traffic. Infographics are liked and shared on social media 3 times more often than any other kind of content. And over HALF of all web pages are served to mobile devices.

4. Make it interactive, using new technologies: Up to 70% of passively consumed training content is forgotten within 24 hours. But, adaptive learning systems, like virtual reality, can improve retention and cut training time by up to 50%.

5. Make your team members into thought leaders via social media: 65% of customers will trust the personal recommendations of another human being more than a branded message. Yet 60% of Fortune CEOs don’t even have a social media presence.

Jason's Top 5 Strengths are Woo, Ideation, Communication, Positivity and Strategic!

Find out more about the amazing work of Moved By Design and Jason's creativity for your organisation and corporate learning - www.movedbydesign.com.au

cliftonstrengths #strengthsfinder #strengths #marketing #design #learning #culture #development #l&d #socialmedia

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Brandon Miller is CEO of 34 Strong, Founded along with Darren Virassammy, as one of the very first Employee Engagement and Strengths-Based Development Consultancies in the World. His Top Five CliftonStrengths are: Maximizer - Achiever - Activator - Strategic - Arranger.

Brandon is one of the first Gallup-Certified Strength Coaches in the world. He is a professional speaker communicating with CEOs on leading with strengths. Brandon believes that developing strengths takes three main ingredients: self-awareness, personal commitment to excellence and strong community partners. He coaches people to let go of their personal judgment of self, to reflect on moments of genius sprinkled throughout their life and to invest time in the areas that make them feel the strongest. Brandon believes it is his calling to help organizations sustain a strengths-based culture.

Brandon and his wife Analyn are co-authors of the book, Play to Their Strengths; A New Approach to Parenting Your Kids as God Made Them. (available now on pre-order at Amazon). They are passionate about seeing families engage a strengths-based parenting approach that unearths the uniqueness in every child and empowers positive parent child relationships through every stage of life. Analyn and Brandon live in Elk Grove, CA and have served the local church in children, youth, and young adult ministries.

In this episode we discuss the impact of the work of 34 Strong in building strengths-based cultures and engagement, Brandon & Analyn's book on astrengths-based parenting - Play to their Strengths and how Brandon has embraced his Top 5 Strengths!

Brandon's Top 5 Strengths are Maximizer, Achiever, Activator, Strategic, Arranger!

Connect with Brandon and the work of 34 Strong at www.34strong.com. Visit www.analynbrandon.com for more information on the new strengths-based parenting book!

cliftonstrengths #strengthsfinder #strengths #leadership #coaching #business #culture #engagement #parenting

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Jeffrey Allen is a popular Mindvalley author and speaker, a powerful energy healer, and a pioneer in online energy training.  Jeffrey has taught thousands of people how to harness the power of their own energy & awareness – to improve their relationships, deepen their spiritual connection, and increase their personal presence, happiness, and impact in the world.  Jeffrey's mission is to make energy work & higher awareness available to everyone – so we can each unburden ourselves from needless conflict & pain, and embrace happy, fulfilled lives of true passion, purpose & meaning.

In this episode we explore Jeffrey's top 5 strengths and his work as an energy healer and he shares practical tips to help you tap more consciously into your energy and the impact that can have in your life and your relationships.

Jeffrey's Top 5 Strengths are Strategic, Futuristic, Connectedness, Relator, Communication!

Find out more about Jeffery's work at www.iamjeffreyallen.com and www.facebook.com/jeffreyallen.training/

inspiredenergy #energy #mindset #consciousness #healing #podcast #cliftonstrengths #strengthsfinder #strengths #coaching

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Owner of Think Productive Australia and long time friend, Mat Cowdroy & I chat about starting his business and his passion for people enjoying their work & with less stress. He shares lots of tips and insights to set your self for success every day, through daily habits and some of the key characteristics of being a Productivity Ninja! 

Matt's Top 5 Strengths are Relator, Futuristic, Activator, Achiever, Adaptability!

Find out more about Productive Ninja @ www.thinkproductive.com.au

business #habits #mindset #productivity #podcast #inspired #inspiredenergy

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An inspiring chat with Amy Mingin, naturopath, mum of two and creator of Naturopathic Yoga. Loved discussing Amy's journey to becoming a naturopath & the development of her signature programs. I love how Amy has embraced her strengths to be her best self or really connect with her clients. This is a great discussion for people wanting to understand the impact a strengths-based focus can really make in their business. 

Amy's Top 5 Strengths are Relator, Activator, Futuristic, Individualization, Significance!

Visit Amy at www.womenshealthonline.com.au

cliftonstrengths #strengths #naturopath #yoga #business #mindset #naturopathicyoga

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In this episode, I have the privilege to chat with Rob Ffield. Rob is an ex-Top Gun instructor and Blue Angels Commanding Officer. His Navy career is also notable for his rapid rise through the ranks and his innovative spirit. We explore many insights from his military career and as the President & CEO of the Catshot Group, where he partners with organisations, helping them build high-performance cultures. During our chat we discuss building high-performance teams, infectious enthusiasm, how culture comes first and then everything else, the power of a no rank debrief, the performance triad and why a noble calling is the highest form of passion. Visit www.catshotgroup.com to connect with Rob.

leadership #culture #teamwork #teambuilding #topgun #blueangels #aviation #safety #performance #highperformance

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In this episode, I chat with my 9 year old son, Elliot. He's a such a creative boy and I loved capturing this chat with him! We discuss his natural talents & how he gets to use them. We also explore screen time, what it's like being colour blind and being a strengths-based parent.

parenting #cliftonstrengths #strengths #kids #children

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Andrew is a Human Futurist: Therapist, Strengths Coach and Technologist. He supports individuals and teams to upgrade themselves to thrive in our faster future. In this episode, we reflect on the 2018 CliftonStrengths Summit, explore break-throughs, blind spots of our dominant talents, why we need to slow down for the faster future and discuss how Andrew integrates strengths into his unique work. Such a fun & inspiring chat! Find out more about Andrew at www.andrewsloan.com.au #cliftonstrengths #business #businessgrowth #businessmindset #leadership #coach #facilitator #selfleadership #selfawareness #growth #energy #mindfulness #futurist #gallup

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Chatting with my awesome wife and business partner Tammy Guest. I can think of no one better for this first podcast. We chat about business, strengths-based parenting, life and more.