Behind the Curtain with Lauren Shippy

THE TENSION IS THICK FROM THE PREVIOUS SEASON. 86% of Americans say that they feel exhausted by the division in America. TOXIC POLARIZATION https://www.listenfirstproject.org/toxic-polarization-data We’re living in a time where it’s particularly hard to see, know and hear each other. Why? We’ve stopped speaking to each other, other than surface level conversation. We’ve given up, so there’s a leve...

If you keep "hitting the wall" with yourself, or relationships - unsure of how to move forward when hard things come up - this episode is for you. Learn to process through emotions simply and get the change and freedom you need with yourself and others. With 25+ years of leadership and study in the field, Linda Tonnesen is one of my personal friends and I look up to her as a mentor. She's incredib...

I had always felt that there is a longing for “more” deep down, underneath all of us that we don’t even realize. Maybe we just don’t know about it. But it’s a longing to really be seen, known and heard. Some of us may deflect by not sharing, some of us may overcompensate by seeing others and serving them to the point of exhaustion, some of us may think that we have the connection in our lives with...

This episode is packed full of lightbulb moments - tune in as Graham Bodie from the Listen First Project shares with us on turning to wonder, the importance of nuance, and looking at why we believe a lot of what we believe. This conversation put to words so much of what was in my mind, but hadn't yet figured out how to say it, I'm so excited to share it with you.    For more on the Liste...

I want you to take a minute and think about the people around you in your life - your family, friends, acquaintances, mailman, barista, assistant, coworker, and anyone else that comes to mind. These people make up a part of your daily life experience. As you think about each one of them in slideshow mode in your mind, what expression is on their face? What phrases do you hear them saying? What is...

Did you know that empathy doesn't just mean conjuring up feelings to understand someone? That actually can discourage true empathy. Empathy is strategic and can be learned! This is one of the most impactful episodes we've recorded in the series - IDEOS founder Christy Vines joins us to talk about how they're leading a grassroots movement throughout the U.S, bringing people together that are differ...

I've been working on a project for a few years now....it came to me in a very distinct moment of clarity - what would it look like if we really could see, know and hear each other and how would it change the world? I'm excited to share with you that I've been writing a book all about what I'm learning, and I'm going to be highlighting that work here in this season of the podcast. I hope you'll lis...

Every year around this time many of us look backward and forward – review the past, examine our wins/losses, then focus on the future goals/strategy/plans. These are good things to do both personally and/or as a founder/solopreneur.  While it is important to think through these things, I’d like to suggest a better starting point—look inward at WHO you are and WHO your business is.   Aski...

Do any of these sound familiar?    You are doing everything you can just to get through the day.  You have focused all your energy on the next 24 hours. You are unable to even think about the next day, never mind next week. - You can only consider one task at a time. Everything is URGENT!  You feel utterly alone and helpless. You are the only one who can do the job right, and y...

Do you ever have seasons where you feel like you're so foggy you can't walk straight? Your head is swirling with thoughts, and you can't make sense of them? I do. There's a lot of "noise" on many levels that we have to contend with when it comes to our minds: our own emotional state, the state of our family or relationships, the state of our community, and the state of our world. Whether we acknow...

You know what's wild about the things that seem like "the end of the road?". I've come to realize, often times, they're just the beginning.    They're the beginning of a new path, a new way, a new mindset, a new road - if we're watching for it.  Be watchful - observe your surroundings right now. Look for certain signs, pay attention to things that seemingly "just happen".  &nbs...

The louder the world's noise gets, the more I want to seek out quiet, solitude, and rest. There are places and spaces we can continually create, regardless of the circumstance, and when we learn to walk in these regularly, I believe we can become great leaders - in our homes, workplaces, with friends, and with everyone around us.    Listen in as we share why it's important to rest, the d...

Recent studies have shown that taking the time for silence restores the nervous system, helps sustain energy, and conditions our minds to be more adaptive and responsive to the complex environments in which so many of us now live, work, and lead. Listen in as we unpack what it looks like to incorporate this superpower into your daily life, and how it's directly connected to new idea and strategy g...

Your team is a large part of your fuel, if they aren’t connected to you and the larger purpose, they lose momentum, just like you do.   And when they feel connected, they want to work harder for you because they see that you genuinely care about their progress.   In this episode of The Strategy Game Podcast, we're sharing 3 solid ways that you can get connected to your team tactically ri...

Making space to ask WHY leads to evaluation and realization. When we ask WHY on the things that we’re taking for granted, we open up space to consider new ways.  New and different ways from the industry “standard”, and this makes space for Blue Ocean Strategy….the opportunity to create a business model that is unique, nothing like the competitors in the market. So make space to ask why today…...

No one (that we know of) is translating identity into strategy, and there's such a need for it. When we understand our personal and/or company identity and how it translates to those we serve, its rocket fuel. In this episode, we're sharing 3 key questions you can ask yourself to effectively translate the identity of your business, nonprofit or movement into a strategy that works. As always - head...

Harvard Business Review declares that, "The Future of Human Work Is Imagination, Creativity, and Strategy" - and we believe it's true.  In this episode, we're sharing some pretty staggering stats on what the future of work looks like, and what you can do to stay ahead of technology replacing jobs. If you loved this episode and want to work through your personal plan to draw out more creativit...

Anyone? I'm sure over the last few years, you have felt this way (I know I have). If you can relate, listen in to this episode for some encouragement, inspiration, and tactical steps on how to navigate capacity. For more, check out www.storywork.co and here's the link to the original blog post !

If you're in a place where you're foreseeing a pivot, re-evaluation or transition is for you. In this episode we're talking about the 5 key things that you need to focus on during a season like this in order to be successful. This is an eye opener, and even as I was talking through these things, it reminded me how how important these things are!  For more content and free guides - head to www...

Do you ever feel like you're in a game of Chutes & Ladders - trying to reconnect with your vision/goals? Especially about half way through the year, things seem to get daunting, we can sometimes forget why we started - this episode is here to help you. We're recapping Belay CEO Tricia Sciortino's guest blog post as she shares 5 key questions around assessing where you are - that will help you...

We all go through seasons of restlessness or disconnect as it relates to purpose in our lives. We're sharing a recap of 5 different gifts that, when practiced, can re-ignite that connection with purpose in your life at work, home or in community with others.  Guest contributor Aaron Marshall shares that these gifts are not about personality types or motivations, but rather our unique gifts th...

We're recapping a blog post with guest blogger Jean Roberts on the podcast this week - and it's a really important episode because so many organizations (pretty much all) face the dichotomy of balancing vision with tactics. If you want to be successful, there has to be a balance. But how do these 2 coexist successfully? A lot of teams face a lot of friction around this - and we're going to be iden...

This is probably one of my favorite episodes so far. Strategy guru, Helen Schmid, and I chat about passions, how to navigate decision points in life, and how faith has played a role in navigating through life.  Helen is the founder of My Strategy Mentor . Prior to founding My Strategy Mentor in 2021, Helen was a Director of Marketing Strategy at Walmart Corporate. She has 10+ years of experie...

In this episode, we're recapping a blog post from Jean Roberts on Treating Yourself Like a Client and the 2 things you must balance in order to have success in your business or nonprofit. This 7 minutes is extremely important and we don't want you to miss this window into taking these things and applying them.  If this resonated with you - join our mastermind or take The Strategy Masterclass...

Listen in to The Strategy Game podcast as good friend and team member LeeAnn Roberts shares her story of over 20+ years in marketing (both successes and failures!) and gives 3 top tips on how to ensure that your marketing is working.    Grab our 2 free guides:  Website Audit Checklist   Social Media Content Calendar If you're interested in getting a marketing audit - check out...