Circle Up & Get REAL Podcast

What happens after the event is over? An election, a flood, a workshop, or even a chorus competition can bring people together, create excitement, or disrupt everything familiar. But once it's over, what do we actually do differently? In this solo episode of Circle Up & Get REAL , Jodee Bock revisits a favorite childhood book, Miss Twiggley's Tree , and the question that has stayed with her: What...

When does our desire to win become stronger than our desire to build the community we say we want? In this solo episode of Circle Up & Get REAL, I'm sharing the questions and connections coming up as I read William Ury's Possible. When does belonging start costing us our discernment? What happens when certainty replaces curiosity? And whose voices disappear when we insist there are only two sides?...

Matthew Hallaway spent the first 20 years of his career in banking. Today, he is the new Director of Advancement for Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre—and preparing to take the stage himself as Inspector Eddie Constantine in Last Call at Chez Mort. Looking backward, the path makes more sense than it might have while he was walking it. Mentors encouraged him to get involved. Relationships introduced...

What happens when the career you've dreamed about no longer fits—and the business you build next asks you to grow in ways you didn't expect? In Episode 326 of Circle Up and Get REAL, I welcome marketing strategist, coach, author, and Clarity to CEO podcast host Philippa Channer. Philippa connects the dots from managing high school football equipment to nonprofit communications, police academy, and...

What does it really mean to do what you say you will do? In Part 2 of my conversation with longtime friend, mentor, and Extreme Leadership author Steve Farber, we continue exploring the ideas behind his newest book, The Radical Promise , co-authored with Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner. Our conversation starts with love — something Steve has been talking about in the context of leadership and business...

A Facebook meme about gas prices and the Keystone pipeline sent me looking for more information. But what caught my attention wasn't really the pipeline. It was the conversation underneath the meme—and the language people were using about "us" and "them." I began wondering: Who exactly is "they"? What makes someone part of "us"? And why can questioning a group's assumptions be interpreted as evide...

What if serving a mission didn't require sacrificing yourself in the process? In this episode of Circle Up and Get REAL , I sit down with Kayla Deitch, the first full-time Executive Director of the North Dakota Association of Nonprofit Organizations — NDANO. Kayla stepped into a 30-year-old organization at a moment of change, with an opportunity to listen, build relationships, connect nonprofit le...

What is your word worth? In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend Steve Farber to talk about his newest book, The Radical Promise —and an idea that sounds remarkably simple: Do what you say you will do. But Steve's invitation goes much deeper than keeping the big promises we consciously make. What about the casual "I'll get back to you"? The introduction you said you'd make. The email y...

Wayne Dyer famously said, 'When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.' But do they? Does the object itself change—or does a different perspective allow us to see something that was there all along? In this solo episode, Jodee moves from that question into her first full spoken explanation of Human Systems Development. Rather than treating an organization as a machin...

Most meaningful decisions are not between right and wrong. Jodee explores the fine lines between being and doing, acceptance and resignation, conviction and certainty, and stewardship and control — and the discernment required to feel the difference. We often talk about decisions as though the choices are obvious: one way is right and the other is wrong. But many of the decisions that shape our li...

Has money been given a job it was never meant to do — proving your worth? In this solo episode of Circle Up and Get Real, Jodee Bock explores money as a tool and an exchange of value, while questioning the meaning we attach to salaries, prices, rates, achievement, and someone else's willingness to pay. She shares the personal path from a Midwestern 'work harder' mindset through corporate leadershi...

After nearly two weeks away from the podcast, Jodee finds herself wondering: Who really cares if an episode arrives on schedule — and who is keeping score? That question opens a deeper reflection on commitments, promises, connection, resilience, and discipline. From a rainy Disrupt HR event in Fargo to wildfire-smoked mountains in Montana, Jodee considers what happens when reality does not match o...

What do you do when life creates an unexpected opening? Most of us rush to fill empty space—with busyness, worry, or the next thing on our list. But what if those openings aren't problems to solve? What if they're invitations to grow? In this episode, I explore the difference between loss and capacity, why our identity matters during times of transition, and how creating space can help us recogniz...

What if life isn't a problem to solve—but a journey to experience? In this solo episode of Circle Up & Get REAL , Jodee reflects on an upcoming biking adventure through Montana and discovers that planning a road trip has a surprising way of illuminating life itself. Through stories about maps, GPS systems, bike trails, and mountain roads, she explores why we often expect life to be easier than it...

What if saying no was actually one of the most important career skills you could develop? In this episode of Circle Up & Get REAL, Jodee sits down with workplace strategist, facilitator, and author Heather Archer to explore why so many talented professionals become overwhelmed by saying yes to work that doesn't move them forward.  Drawing from her signature framework, The Promotion Equation, Heath...

What happens when the identity you've been living no longer feels big enough to hold who you're becoming? In this episode of Circle Up & Get REAL, Jodee welcomes keynote speaker, executive coach, and leadership expert Lisa Connors for a conversation about identity, growth, and the courage to step into new possibilities. Lisa shares the story behind her emerging framework, Name Yourself, which enco...

What happens when you stop looking outside yourself for answers and begin trusting the wisdom already within you? In this episode of Circle Up & Get REAL, Jodee reconnects with entrepreneur, coach, author, and manifestation guide Tonja Waring. The two first met through a networking organization in 2018 and have both experienced significant personal and professional evolution since then. Tonja shar...

Why do we often expect nonprofits to do more with less while holding them to intense levels of scrutiny?   Recently I've been pondering the relationship between accountability, ownership, stewardship, and the conditions that bring out our best thinking and leadership.   I used to believe what was missing in our organizational dynamics is accountability. But I wonder if it's something else.

Napoleon Hill understood the power of the master mind ... having others in your circle who can give you additional perspectives you couldn't have realized on your own.   I have facilitated or been a part of several of these groups over the years, and I have witnessed and experienced first-hand what that power has done for me.   Find out more about our Monday Mastermind: The Enlightened Leadership...

In this episode of Circle Up and Get REAL, Jodee sits down with photographer, filmmaker, and creative visionary Josh Madson to explore an extraordinary journey of reinvention, purpose, and human connection. Josh shares how a broken-up band and a leap of faith led him from Minnesota to Los Angeles, where he built a successful career working alongside some of the biggest names in photography, includ...

Today's guest is Patrick Kirby, founder of Do Good Better Consulting, where he specializes in nonprofit fundraising coaching and consulting, among other entrepreneurial hats he wears. In this episode Patrick and I talk about what it means to be an entrepreneur: embodying characteristics like self-trust, audacity, and a willingness to deviate from conventional paths. We also talked about how "soft...

Stephen Colbert is finishing his run as a late night talk show host this week (tomorrow, to be exact). Before he took on this role, back in 2005 he was host of a political satire program called The Colbert Report, where he coined the term "truthiness." Truthiness is the belief or assertion that a particular statement is true based on the perceptions of some individuals, without regard to evidence,...

Lately my wonders and ponders have been really impactful as I'm learning things about myself I either overlooked or didn't realize. Owning my greatness has been a journey, for sure, and I am continuing to pull out bags, look at the contents, and decide to throw some of that baggage out (both literally and figuratively). I've been pondering topics like love at work, fierce conversations (like those...

In today's episode Jodee speaks with Chris Dyer, author of the new book "Moments That Matter," about his framework for identifying, understanding, and responding to significant moments in both business and personal life. Chris shares how his experience as a former CEO who built a company where employees loved working led him to realize that moments, not just consistent culture or leadership, were...

There are at least a couple of ways of thinking about consistency. What keeps happening TO me or what do I bring with me because of who I'm being? I have noticed some similarities in conversations I've been having over the past couple of weeks. Why should I be surprised, since I'm what my experiences have in common? The song Kara recommended we listen to is "If You Can't Find Hope" by Able Heart....