The Power of "Y" Podcast with Yvette Simpson

As we approach the new year, we explore ways to make sure we are planning and prioritizing what we want for next year and the years ahead, and take the real steps to make that happen. We delve into what it means to “Plan your work…Work your plan.” Question Why Why is it so tough to plan ahead? Even more, how do we do the real work of sticking to the plans we make? Three Points on Why This Matters...

This episode is for anyone who wants to find a way to give a different gift this holiday season. To focus on time and experiences over gifts, and to learn how to get back to the true reason for the season — hope, joy, peace, and love. We delve into why it may be more significant to give your presence than a present.  Question Why : Why do we focus so much on giving presents and not our presence? W...

This episode discusses the importance of taking time, slowing down, and reflecting on this year. Reflecting can be tough because it requires that we see ourselves truthfully, which is tempting to avoid, particularly those parts that aren’t so positive or perfect. Together, we learn how to begin the ritual of reflection so that we can make the coming year even better by improving on our wins and gr...

This episode is all about being grateful for what you have. As we approach the time and season that is often more about buying things, let’s focus on the importance of gratitude, and appreciating what we have already. This is the time to take a moment to be grateful for the people and things you have in your life; the experiences you get to have, and the life you get to live.  Question Why: Why is...

In this episode, we explore the power of choice on the eve of Election Day in the United States.  Learn how to make decisions, even when it’s tough, and that not making a decision is a decision, which has consequences that may be far worse than making a choice, even if it isn’t perfect or ideal.  Question Why: Why don’t we own our power to choose what we do with our lives? How might your life be d...

This episode delves into the ways that fear keeps us from doing the things we are meant to do for ourselves and the world. Learn about when fear is useful and when it is destructive and how to change your relationship to fear so that you can do and accomplish all the things you desire and share your gifts with the world. Question Why: Why is it so difficult to overcome our fears? How can we change...

 In this episode, we explore the idea of change as a natural and evolutionary part of life, like the seasons and time change naturally. We discuss how to embrace change, make change our friend and not an enemy, and how the world can benefit from that.  I love the fall in the Midwest because of the visible changing of seasons and how that relates to how we, as people change. What I gained by releas...

In this episode, we are joined by ACLU New Jersey President Amol Sinha to talk about the important work he is doing, using the law, advocacy, and organizing to secure freedom for all. Amol shares his childhood sense of the injustice he witnessed in his hometown in New Jersey, specifically the inequity he observed living between two communities separated by race and class and what they taught him a...

In this episode, I am joined by my friend and amazing faith and community leader, Michael-Ray Mathews, who is a spiritual and social justice consultant who works at the intersection of faith and organizing. Michael-Ray and I discuss his key insights on the Power of Faith in changing our world for the better, particularly to the benefit of the unheard and marginalized in our country.  Learn more ab...

As we commemorate Women’s Equality Day, this episode delves into what happens when we persist and decide that we will not quit, no matter how tough it gets. How the character Dory from “Finding Nemo” inspires me to “just keep swimming” when I want to give up. What the leaders of the women’s suffrage movement and women who have fought for equality throughout history have demonstrated about why pers...

This episode delves into what happens when we see ourselves for who we are, not for who we do. Reinvention is about dreaming beyond your current position, company, and title. Reinvention requires that you see yourself more broadly, embrace change, and believe that who you are— your gifts, passions, and talents are what the world needs. If you are someone who is feeling like it is time for more, ti...

In this episode, we explore what happens when we break through old patterns and learn how to identify them and go the other way so that we can move forward. We are in a time when the world really needs us, and we can't move forward if we are walking in a circle. What the Myth of Sisyphus and walking in circles through a forest can teach us about forming and breaking old patterns in our lives....

In this episode, we discuss one of the more significant barriers to purpose and reinvention, breakthrough. In the first of this two-part series, we explore breaking through old beliefs, those false negative messages we believe about ourselves.  What Van Van and other positive young social influencers are teaching us about self-love and fostering positive self-beliefs.  How we begin to combat impos...

In this episode, I’m speaking to people who are waiting for the perfect time to move or do something. There is no perfect time to move. The time is right now. Why “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” and “Waiting on the World to Change” might not be the best strategy for those who are too patient, or have trouble getting started.  Question Why: Why is it so difficult to know when it’s time to jump in?...

For all of my impatient listeners, learn why your impatience is a good thing, and when it is important to lean into patience. What I learned about impatience on my ride to the studio to tape the podcast, and why I can’t get past the first line of the serenity prayer. Question Why: Why is patience considered a good thing? Are there times when patience isn’t virtuous? How I am slowly transitioning f...

If you are a FOMO person, we have a few tips for how you say “No” strategically to avoid misalignment and burnout.  What we might learn from New Zealand PM Jacinda ??? and Forrest Gump about stopping when you are done. Question Why: Why is it so hard to say “NO” even when you’re tired and stretched thin? What my first encounter with ABC taught me about the importance of saying “No” or “Not now” es...

In this episode, we explore the importance of saying “YES,” especially if you are a JOMO (“Joy of Missing Out”) person who says NO most of the time.  What “Mikey” from the Life Cereal commercials can teach us about the Power of YES. Question Why: Why don’t we start with YES? Why isn’t it our default position? There is power in saying "YES" in our personal relationships, professional ende...

This episode delves into the very real challenge of moving forward after a loss, and why it’s important and essential to beginning the next, best chapter of your life. Question “Why” for this episode: Why is it so challenging to turn around, look ahead, and move forward after a loss? What Jennifer Hudson’s elimination from American Idol teaches us about closed doors and open windows. How I turned...

It is so tempting to either think about the past, good or bad or dream about the future. In reality, we can only live in the now. There is so much power in the present. In this week’s episode, join us as we explore the power of now.  What I learned about the Power of Now from the shows “Firefly Lane” and “This is Us.” Question Why: Why is it so difficult to live in the now? What do we gain by rema...

Why Question: Why don’t we ask more questions? Does what we know, or what we think we know, hurt us? Are you a member of People Pleasers Anonymous? What we can learn from kids and their curiosity. What happens when our desire to be right is often stronger than our right to be informed? The world is not black or white. The good stuff is in the gray.  1. Get to the root of the truth Check your sourc...

What you will learn in this episode of the Power of "Y" Podcast Why the power of the collective is the one that can topple the others.  Power, when used by us to change the world, is actually a good thing.  We are more powerful together and can go farther together. The race of change and progress is like a relay race. Movements have been known to create momentum and change since the begi...

Question Why: Why do we defer to traditional power?   What “Beware the Ides of March” means and what it teaches us about power and the curse of corruption. What is traditional power (the six pillars of power) and why does it exist? Understanding that power is not always a bad thing and how it can be used for good.  How individuals and the collective can both support and challenge traditional power...

In this episode: Yvette introduces the three-part series on power, focusing on individual, institutional, and collective power. Question Why: Why don’t we realize our power? Why don’t we use the power we have? Three takeaways: 1. We each have the power to change the world. 2. What happens when we willingly obstruct our view of the world? 3. Why this is a “go moment” —- a time when we need everyone...

Join Yvette as she shares the importance of pursuing your purpose, both for you and the world. Episode Highlights: Why is it easier to do the thing we think we are supposed to do instead of the thing we are called to do? What I learned from a conversation with a friend who is looking to leave her job and start a business. Why determining how to pursue your purpose is sometimes tougher than actuall...

What’s love got to do with it? Everything!  In this episode, Yvette explores the topic of love. Why self-love is universal love. The foundation of external love and the first step of the purpose journey. Episode Highlights: Why is it so hard to love ourselves? Why does it matter? What the show “Survival of the Thickest” reminded me about the power of loving myself, as myself. Why loving yourself i...