20 Minutes with Bronwyn

While we may be smack dab in the middle of the busiest time of year, this episode is all about slowing down and savoring. What are we savoring? The magnificent words of Tina Chang. Tina is Poet Laureate of Brooklyn—the first woman EVER to be given that title—and is the author of a new collection of poems called Hybrida. NPR calls it "one of the most important books of poetry to come along in years...

For some of us, the holidays entail drama of the logistical sort—missed flight connections, suitcases that are just over the weight limit, gifts to be purchased and passed around. But for a lot of us, the holiday drama is entirely relational, playing out in conversations and in unspoken energy transmitted from one human heart to another. For some of us, the Holidays mean someone’s gonna end up in...

If you were in any way surprised by Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 or if you feel even slightly freaked out by the current state of affairs as we live through this next election cycle, you will love meeting my guest Joel Stein.   Joel Stein has written one of the funniest books I’ve ever read— In Defense of Elitism: Why I’m Better Than You and You Are Better Than Someone Who Didn’t Buy This Book....

I’ve been an active Facebook user for a very long time. I have loved it for the most part. I’ve been lifted up and supported by my Facebook family. They’ve supported me in my grief, in my success, in my curiosity and pursuit of all kinds of different questions—big and small. But it’s time. It’s time to consciously uncouple, as Gwyneth Paltrow once so famously said. This episode is a kind of reckon...

Have you ever felt the panic and shame of total overwhelm? I have. But guess what else I have? Support from one of the great coaches of our time, Ben Kiker. I recorded this for you so that you would have access to him too in your moments of overwhelm. In this conversation, we talk about how I got over the proverbial wall, got out of my own way, and back onto a path of growth and expansion.

I interact with teenagers and young people on a fairly regular basis, and I’ve observed that some of the old-fashioned arts of basic communication are fading, and it makes me sad, but it also makes me worried. Are we raising a generation of kids that don’t know the power of eye contact? Who are unskilled at talking to adult strangers? Who struggle with handshakes? In our pursuit of material excell...

Extreme sports and elite athletes have always fascinated me. How do they do what they do? How do they talk themselves into finishing a 50 mile race? How do you help coach a climber through a moment of terror on the side of a mountain? How important is meditation? And is that the same thing as mindset? Dr. Chris Heilman is a coach who joins us to answer these questions. Dr. Chris has a PhD in Sport...

According to a report last year from eMarketer, US adults spent an average of 3 hours, 35 minutes per day on mobile devices in 2018. That's over 25 hours a week! It's like each of us having a second (or third) UNPAID job. For 30 days, I decided to investigate what I might be missing during those 25 hours using Cal Newport's plan based on his new book Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in...

To me, the most terrifying, death-defying act I can possibly imagine isn’t bungie jumping or free solo climbing. It’s stand up comedy. It’s improv. Today, my guest is someone who teaches stand up comedy and improv. Corey Rosen has hosted 105 live events for The Moth, including The Moth StorySlams and GrandSlams, since winning the first ever Bay Area Moth StorySlam in 2014. He is an award winning w...

“If you want to connect with the people you work with and for, you first have to understand them. In order to do that effectively, you must understand yourself.”  My guest this week is Michael Ventura, CEO and founder of Sub Rosa, a strategy and design firm that has worked with names like Johnson & Johnson, Pantone, and Adobe to the TED Conference, Delta Airlines and The Daily Show. Michael has se...

It is well documented that loneliness is more damaging to our longevity than obesity and even cigarette smoking. So why are so many of us lonely, even INSIDE of our friendships? Our marriages? Why are adult friendships so hard to cultivate and develop? How can we more actively create loving, constructive connections, without seeming like weirdo stalkers? All of this and more in today's episode wit...

If you'd met Stephanie Spence 15 years ago, the word "powerhouse" would have come to mind. She was the CEO of Spence Communications, where she published numerous magazines, and as a journalist, she interviewed big names like Oprah Winfrey and the Dalai Lama. But the truth was that "power" was the very thing she lacked. In her new book, Yoga Wisdom, Stephanie tells of her unbelievable journey out o...

Larry Kamer is a crisis management expert, which means he’s the guy people call when the shit hits the fan. His list of clients is extensive, but just to name a few: Harvard, Stanford, American Medical Association, Kaiser Permanente, and the Catholic Church. Larry is also an adjunct professor in the Professional Communication Program at the University of San Francisco, the Chief Information Securi...

How do you become less afraid of conflict? How might you defend an idea without getting defensive? How do you empower people without giving them so much freedom they get into trouble? How do you stay real and authentic as a leader when the chips are down? What is power? Is it control or is it trust? These are big questions that my guest Joel Peterson will answer in today’s episode. Joel is the Cha...

In this episode, I'll offer my candid advice on dealing with big emotions at work.

“Sandwich Generation” is a term that refers to people in their 30s or 40s who find themselves caring not only for their young children, but also their aging parents.  I fell into the sandwich by default—I am the only child of divorced parents, and was the only family member within 2600 miles of my father when his life fell apart. But the moment he moved in with us—into my home office—I learned qui...

Have you ever been on the receiving end of feedback that you are “too much?” What does that mean, anyway? Too what? Too authentic? Too passionate? Too energetic? And what on earth are you supposed to do with that information? Behave with less authenticity? Passion? Energy? But this feedback can be golden if you can identify the reasoning behind it.

Does your voice need to be found? Is that even a thing?? In this episode I give you my candid take on this phrase, and how to make the most of the voice you have.

Is your competitiveness the secret to your success or the reason for your self doubt? In this episode I help you work with the energy of competition, so that you are the boss of it, and not the other way around.

It's the most noise-filled time of the year, y'all. Today I offer you a simple practice for listening to the quiet beauty of your life.

Coaches need coaching, people. In this episode I talk to one of my all time favorite humans—Ben Kiker—is a business coach, an executive coach, and ... wait for it ... a recovery coach. One of my favorite conversations yet.

Season 1 finale, my fine friends. What's your message? What's your bottle?

Negotiation. Just the word causes a lot of us to tense up and gird our loins for battle. That reaction, it turns out, is at the heart of some of the greatest misconceptions about negotiating. In this week's episode, I talk with the woman who literally wrote the book on negotiating, one of the most popular professors at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

It's all an energy game, y'all. Audiences can feel your vibes the minute you walk on stage, or enter the room. In today's episode, I'll share my favorite pre-game rituals for making sure vibes are high.

Ok, so you're talk is ready. Are you? In this week's episode, I'll give you my favorite tips and techniques for shining on stage ... it's such a big conversation, I had to break it up into two episodes!