The John Poelstra Show

This short riff considers what it might look like to live a life of “no excuses.” This idea was inspired by a story about Navy SEAL training combined with thoughts I had while writing out a list of things I believe involving ownership.   Links My manifesto How to not make excuses and take extreme ownership with Kylon and Teliah Gienger on the Successful Dropout Podcast Credits Hal...

At Bigger Game Live I sat down for a conversation with Nancy Jamieson. We explore her interest in podcasting by sitting down to do just that.  Over the course of our conversation we cover a variety of topics about her experiences and what she believes about how life works.   Highlights Approaching people from a heartfelt space Bigger Game Live put on by Rick Tamlyn and his team Envisioning yo...

Tina Robinson is back to delve into the often murky topic of figuring out what we want. Together we share some ways to get clearer.   Discussion Notes Money is often an immediate answer and yet it doesn’t truly describe what we want Ask yourself what you believe money will give you as a way to push things deeper What does money represent to you? Freedom Security Safety The ability to pl...

Over the past couple of months I’ve been learning by doing, living more from my heart than my head, and learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Next month I’m teaching an in-person class on how to create a podcast in Portland, Oregon, and I hope you’ll join me.   Highlights and Resources Mentioned Kyle Cease —  Free 2 hour movie I Hope I Screw This Up by K...

Long time Red Hat colleague Greg DeKoenigsberg and I talk about managing our time–how we get off track and how we fight against letting it happen.   Red Hat and Open Source Software In today’s world of “work” where we sit in a chair and look at a screen, it’s really easy to waste time Being on the lookout for those “tells” that give you an early-warni...

In this episode I share the experience of following an inkling I had and the ways I was rewarded. I also share a simple process for capturing your beliefs.   Highlights One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization by Dee Hock Dee Hock’s Twitter feed is full of wisdom My version of “drunk dialing” Self-management and living in the moment applies to good coaching...

Ryan McRae helps adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) live more effectively. Ryan explains how ADHD affects his life, how he deals with it, and the benefits he’s found from having it. He also explains how he helps people live above it. Conversation Notes ADHD comes in three flavors 1) Inattentive 2) Hyperactive 3) Inattentive & Hyperactive (known as “combined...

Join me in this riff about email handling and getting your important work into the world.   Episode Takeaways Stop the flood of email and regain your sanity by putting your email client in “offline mode” Deal with what you have Turn it back on when you’re ready The world will not stop spinning or come to an end if you don’t check your email for an hour or two Disable a...

In this episode I read a letter I wrote to myself encouraging me to keep showing up while calling out the things I to need stop doing. I encourage you to write your own Dear John letter and break up with the unhelpful parts of your brain and share it with me. It’s more powerful than it sounds.   Notes Listen to the episode to hear what I wrote Wikipedia’s explanation of a Dear Joh...

John and Tina Robinson, CEO of WorkJoy, LLC, explore the notion of “coping” and nuances of what it means as it relates to handling situations or problems in our lives. Tina is saving the world by transforming how we think and feel about “work.” Sign-up to join John at a virtual live event to discuss this topic more and be coached around something you’re coping with. Coaching is a...

Enjoy this conversation with Josh Bressers, product security at Elastic and former colleague at Red Hat. Josh answers my questions about password management, general computer security and what matters (or doesn’t) in today’s predominantly online world.   Discussion Highlights How John and Josh met at Red Hat Reliving the old days of testing and releasing security updates Consideri...

Here’s a riff on what I’ve been learning since the last update and my challenge to consider different perspectives around the notion of time.   Highlights Learning can come from anything, including things that don’t happen Bouncing between lots of different tasks and projects is tiring and unsatisfying Decluttering pro-tip: take everything out of a particular close and only...

Mike Vardy from The Productivityist shares practical details about his approach to planning and managing the things he wants to accomplish through the use of themes, modes and energy levels.   Discussion Highlights John’s dislike for overly complex plans and the wasted time it takes to manage them Planning has value, to a point “In preparing for battle I’ve also found that p...

Getting off track happens in just about every area of life. It’s inevitable that things are going to get off track and not go as planned. The key to overall success is how you get going again when you have a setback. Here are some ideas to get you restarted.   This quote from Michael Hyatt’s podcast episode “ How to Develop More Discipline ” has always stuck with me. Nothing...

This conversation with Ron Renaud (coach, author, podcaster, and trainer) explores the topics of truth, freedom, personal growth, taking responsibility and more. Topics Discussed Tough love for the purpose of growth Being faithful to the role you are in Clarity and truth as guideposts to helping people grow Speaking the hard truth and being willing to accept it The law of compensation Are you crea...

In February I learned to embrace the emotional roller coaster of building your own business. I was surprised how quickly a “low” could turn into a “high” and then back into a “low.” Highlights I am dropping the “experiment” label from what I’m up to–I’m all in on this business building thing Loving the ability to focus 100% on personal developm...

How do you move forward when you aren’t sure what to do next? How do you escape the trap of continuing to need more information before you make your next move? You move.   Highlights It’s tempting to want 100% clarity before taking action and yet that clarity often only comes by taking action The benefits of perspective from other people Coach Mentor Someone that’s not you D...

Here’s what I learned, experienced and accomplished in month #1 of “ The Experiment .” Accomplishments, Experiences & Learning A lot of this getting started / setup stuff takes a lot longer than you think Meeting lots of people virtually and in person takes lots of time Use Trello as a CRM to keep track of the people I talk to, topics, next date to contact, etc. Getting lots of foundational th...

This episode explores the balance between honoring people and expanding professional opportunities in the context of networking. It was sparked by Laura Dreyer’s comment on a previous blog post about valuing people for who they are and not what they do. I also share my best advice for approaching networking events if you dread or dislike them.   Ideas Take a “both and” persp...

Learn how saving more money isn’t always the answer and what’s possible when you look at something as an  experiment.  Stephen Warley also explains his belief that the nature of work is changing.   Stephen Warley runs a community and weekly podcast called Life Skills That Matter .  He believes work as we know it is changing. Stephen is on a mission to spread that message and help...

  Today John and Alene Gabriel  talk about how she quit her corporate job to go out on her own as a coach and how John is pursuing a similar, but different path.   Credits Hallon  by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk  by Kevin MacLeod Original photo source Music licensed under  Creative Commons The post 38: Taking a Break & Experimenting with Self-Employment appeared first on John Poel...

This episodes looks at how I use Trello to manage my tasks and todos. Resources Mentioned Using images to restore or recenter you Sustaining Your Peak and Avoiding Burnouts with Brad Stulberg podcast interview with Pete Mockaitis Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success  (affiliate) by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness Reflections on the Book Pea...

If you want to have the best coaching session possible, prepare an agenda in advance.  Not sure what to put on your agenda?  Here are some ideas.   Prompts to help clarify your coaching agenda What are you tolerating in your life? What are you avoiding? What’s not getting done? Is there a commitment you are not meeting? Where would you like to have more impact? Is there a relationship y...

You’re thinking about holding and facilitating a meeting.  Here are some questions to determine if it is a good idea and how to plan for success.   Credits Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk by Kevin MacLeod Original photo source All songs licensed under Creative Commons The post 35: Questions to Ask About Meetings You Want to Hold appeared first on John Poelstra .

Asking one question is more powerful than asking three.  Creating a new blog post is often better than polishing an old one. This episode is a good example.  I’m not convinced I presented the material as well as I could have.  I could continue to edit or re-record, but I’m erring on the side of “shipping.”  Let me know if that was a good idea. Resources Mentioned Feedly RSS...