Activating Hope

Learn how to transition from effort-driven to capacity-based leadership. Discover key insights for enhancing self-awareness and fostering team productivity. In today’s fast-paced world, many leaders find themselves overwhelmed, constantly battling fire after fire. This post explores the critical shift from effort-driven leadership to capacity-based leadership. By understanding these concepts and i...

In this engaging conversation, Hope Zoeller and Debra Clary explore the transformative power of curiosity in leadership and organizational culture. They discuss how curiosity can serve as a competitive advantage, drive performance, and enhance employee engagement. Debra shares her journey of research and personal experiences that led her to understand the importance of curiosity in the workplace....

In this episode of Activating Hope, we explore the intersection of artistry and leadership with Amelia Acosta-Powell and Emily Tarquin, co-leaders of Actors Theatre of Louisville. They discuss the challenges of leading a legacy arts institution in a post-COVID world, emphasizing the importance of vision, collaboration, and resilience. The conversation also delves into the need for boundaries in th...

During this episode of Activating HOPE with Dr. Luis Velasquez, we’ll dive into the true meaning of resilience—why it's not just about enduring challenges but growing through them. We'll explore the powerful connection between hope and optimism and how they work together to empower leaders in times of uncertainty. Tune in for practical tools and mindset shifts that will help you cultivate resilien...

In today’s fast-paced work environment, leaders often wear too many hats—resulting in burnout, decision fatigue, and disconnection from strategic priorities. In this episode of Activating HOPE, we’ll explore how successful leaders shift from being doers to enablers, reclaiming their time and empowering their teams in the process. Our guest, Holly Golebiowski, brings firsthand experience and action...

One of the key responsibilities of leadership is finding and growing talented people to enable team and organizational success. And while we hear a lot about talent shortages these days, innovative organizations and leaders see themselves as Talent Scouts of overlooked talent. They have a mindset and superpower that helps them reduce the talent shortage by seeing the gifts of people who are alread...

Most people think you need a team, office, and round-the-clock hustle to run a successful marketing team. Todd Krise is here to challenge that. In this episode of Activating HOPE, he shares how he left traditional agency life to build a solo business powered by AI and designed for freedom. You’ll hear how to launch your own setup—tools, processes, and mindset included. But this episode isn’t just...

Leading in moments of crisis requires the higher-thinking part of your brain, your frontal cortex, to orchestrate all of your other brain components to find those stroke-of-genius thoughts that allow things to move forward instead of spiraling into an outright catastrophe. Yet this level of adversity shifts your thinking to the more primitive, survival, component of your brain, your amygdala. At y...

In this episode of Activating HOPE , we take an honest and hopeful look at what it truly means to lead a nonprofit in today’s complex world. This conversation explores the passion that fuels nonprofit leaders—and the pressures that come with the job. Our guest, DeVon Holt, brings a wealth of experience and insight to the table as we unpack both the inspiring opportunities and tough challenges of m...

Clarity can mean different things to different people. For some, it arrives in the form of an answer or a direction. For others, it’s understanding the context of a complex situation. For most, however, clarity evokes a calm and focused state of mind with lower stress and diminished anxiety over what to do next. As satisfying as it is to help people find clarity with their business problems, it’s...

There’s a reason the movie Horrible Bosses was such a hit. When it comes to working for bad bosses, most of us have “been there and done that.” If you work long enough, you’re bound to end up working for a real tyrant — an emotionally abusive leader with a penchant for pettiness, a deficit of humanity, and a mountain of insurmountable, unrealistic expectations. Most of us —when we fall victim to “...

A strong professional brand differentiates you in a competitive job market, builds credibility and trust, positioning yourself as a thought leader and a go-to expert in your field. Utilizing tools like LinkedIn can help boost your visibility and facilitate networking. By developing a strong LinkedIn profile and presence you can open doors to new opportunities, promotions, and career growth. During...

In this episode, we explore the essential skills and strategies leaders need to guide their teams through change, especially in today’s world where change fatigue is becoming increasingly common. Rebecca will share real-life examples from her experience in leadership development and offer practical lessons to help navigate change fatigue. Leaders will be provided with a roadmap for not only managi...

Facing unprecedented levels of disruption, anxiety, and ambiguity, leaders in your organization need more support and direction now than ever before. Coaching is critical. But “coaching” means different things to different people and can vary greatly in its effectiveness depending on the methods and strategies used. How can you be intentional in creating a coaching culture? How can you incorporate...

Emotional intelligence (EI) or emotional quotient (EQ) has become increasingly important in the age of AI. It is vital in fostering empathy, ethical decision-making, and collaboration. While AI is excellent at tasks that involve logical reasoning and data analysis, it lacks the ability to understand and respond to human emotions. EI bridges this gap by enabling individuals to recognize, understand...

With the ease of digital communication at anyone’s fingertips and many professionals transitioning to work-from-home, the way an individual communicates online is more important than ever before. In this episode of Activating HOPE, we’ll chat with keynote speaker and communication coach, Dr. Ali Atkison, about her latest guide for personal success, How’s Your Computer-side Manner? The 9 Digital Co...

Disrespect is everywhere. It is often represented as powerful, liberating, and even fun. It has become the drug of choice for large parts of our culture, and it is amplified on digital social platforms. It is leaking into the technologically connected, geographically dispersed workforce of the 21st century. Leaders must learn how to lead with respect to capture the best value of teamwork. Takeaway...

Leaders and employees dread performance reviews and ways to check on progress to goals. What’s wrong with performance management? It’s not you – or the system. It’s how leaders and employees gather information, data, real-work examples, and then create meaningful conversations that actually improve performance. During this episode of Activating HOPE with Jeff Nally, we’ll discuss what makes perfor...

Summary In this conversation, Dr. Brad Shuck discusses the evolving landscape of employee engagement, particularly in the wake of COVID-19. He highlights how the integration of personal and professional lives has shifted the value proposition of work, leading to a more transactional nature of employment. The discussion also delves into the importance of intentionality in remote work, the connectio...

:60 second overview of the Activating Hope podcast!