Connect the Dots - Lead the Way

Send us Fan Mail Are you ready to harness the power of SMART goals? Join me, Heather Balcerek, as I take you on a refreshing journey, dispelling the complexities of goal setting and transforming it into an exciting, rewarding endeavor. I guarantee that by the end of this episode, you'll master the art of setting SMART goals. Trust me, the rewards of such strategic planning are monumental. Fro...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered how you can bring more gratitude into your workplace? As we wrap up our enlightening mini-series on words for the workplace, we shed light on the importance and methods of expressing appreciation to colleagues. From casual verbal acknowledgments to more formal accolades, we discuss how these actions can make people feel valued and included. This isn't simply abo...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready to revolutionize the way you navigate the digital communication landscape in your workplace. We promise you an insightful conversation about the power of clear language, the underestimated value of punctuation, and yes, even the strategic use of emojis in our digital interactions. We also address the common pitfalls of relying solely on text-based communication, providin...

Send us Fan Mail Ever felt that choking burnout at work? That desolate feeling of exhaustion that seems to suck away all your energy, making the simplest tasks feel like a mountain? This is the episode you need. We've taken a deep dive into understanding burnout, investigating the roots of these emotions and how they manifest in our workplaces. With insights from Brene' Brown's book...

Send us Fan Mail Want to supercharge your creativity at work? This episode promises to take you on an enlightening journey packed with fresh insights. We delve into the world of emotions, exploring how they ignite and fuel creativity in our professional lives. Discover how emotions like curiosity, awe, wonder, and even confusion can be key drivers in the creative process. We believe each of us bri...

Send us Fan Mail What if there was a more profound way of expressing your emotions at work beyond just being "happy"? Let's get into a stimulating chat about harnessing and articulating emotions more accurately within the workplace. Drawing valuable insights from Mark Brackett's book, 'Permission to Feel,' we ponder upon the multi-layered emotions we experience in our...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we continued exploring the world of learning and development in the business realm. Here are some key takeaways from the discussion: Understanding how change impacts where our focus lands.  Importance of telling a data story. Setting your intentions, then stretching them. How to have more inclusive conversations. The episode ended with some exciting updates regard...

Send us Fan Mail Hello Connect the Dots community! Welcome back to our 3 Part series, titled "Unlocking the Value of Learning and Development in Business," previously we dove deep into the importance of individual and collective efforts in impacting learning and development within organizations. Heather shared her top 6 takeaways from the keynote panel discussion. Today we are diving int...

Send us Fan Mail Hello Connect the Dots community! In our latest episode, titled "Unlocking the Value of Learning and Development in Business," we dive deep into the importance of individual and collective efforts in impacting learning and development within organizations. This is the first of a three part series. Heather highlights key insights and thought-provoking ideas that both lead...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is a really exciting one because we are welcoming in a guest that has made more of an impact on Heather’s journey than he probably knows or will ever know. Today we are talking to Dave Stachowiak (STA-HOE-VEE-AAK) the host and founder of Coaching for Leaders, a top-rated management podcast downloaded 30 million times. Coaching for Leaders is #1 search result for manag...

Send us Fan Mail *****I do want to start with a quick disclaimer today. This episode may touch on mental health topics. I am not a doctor or certified mental health professional. If you are  or someone you know is in crisis, please call 988 if you are in the US. If you are outside the US, there is a link in the below to a list of international options.  Are you trying to be a better leader, change...

Send us Fan Mail Over the past week, I have seen such an outpouring of recognition, both personally and across the posts on LinkedIn. It has made me think about the importance of showing recognition in the moment in and out of the workplace. Today I’m diving in on why it is so important and giving some recognition of my own. After you listen, accept my challenge to recognize someone you work with...

Send us Fan Mail No man really becomes a fool until he stops asking questions. - Charles P. Steinmetz When I met with my mentor yesterday, she had me answer 3 questions about the lay off situation. These questions really made me stop and think so I wanted to put them out there for you. Asking ourselves questions helps us process through the feelings. But these questions aren’t just for those that...

Send us Fan Mail It’s Day 1 of this new world where my job is to job hunt. Oh the life of a layoffee... Since I left Apple for Amazon in November 2021, I have been asked if I regret the move more times than I can count. So sitting here now, the day after the layoff, I wanted to answer this question again. Do I have regrets about the move I made? The answer is no. I now get to take my knowledge and...

Send us Fan Mail Well now...here we are... together again. It's Season 4 of the podcast and this season is all about bringing all of you to work. I will say I had a different plan to start this season but it seems I have more time on my hands now. Today I was laid off from my job. Ouch. Me and thousands of others were impacted by the layoffs at Amazon. I'm hurt, confused, sad, angry....a...

Send us Fan Mail Hey All! I just wanted to check in and let you know what’s been going on since I haven’t released a podcast in the past month. All is well. I’m just working through some things that I committed to. I’ll be back soon. I promise. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/connectthedotspodcast/support This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this...

Send us Fan Mail Disclaimer: This video/podcast contains explicit language and covers topics that might cause you to use explicit language too. I might hurt some feelings and make folks mad. These are my own thoughts and opinions and do not reflect the views of my employer/previous employers. I am not a financial advisor, certified coach, or medical professional. Just wanted to make sure you knew...

Send us Fan Mail After almost 3 years, Christa and I finally got to sit down for a conversation. We met at Blissdom in late 2019 and I was instantly drawn to her passion for helping others. She is a project manager by trade, then was called by God to help His girls. Christa started to volunteer with Proverbs 31, using her project management skills to help them grow. Over the years, she has continu...

Send us Fan Mail After seeing so many people online recommend the book, “How to keep house while drowning” by KC Davis, LPC, I decided to pick it up and read it. I really enjoyed her approach to cleaning and organizing. I had a lot of things marked in the book to mention but did not get through them all. I definitely recommend picking up this book physically or e-book style. You can find KC Davis...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode is all about nothing. I mean it’s not dead air, but I just had some fun talking about the random things going on in my life. It’s just some unscripted fun catch up from the last few weeks. I cover mocktails, sunscreen, the account that might make me get TikTok, and more randomness. Come along for laughs and fun! Laughter, Love, and Blessings, Heather Social Links @...

Send us Fan Mail On today’s podcast, I welcome Martha Arrington. She is a painter, a certified zentangle instructor, educator, and amazing human. I met Martha on Instagram awhile back and instantly became a fan of her work. It’s truly beautiful and unique, just like Martha. Through our conversations over DMs, I knew that I wanted to learn more about her story and her take on creativity. I hope you...

Send us Fan Mail Masking. When I started to research ADHD, this was a term that came up quite a bit. Masking “involves hiding symptoms or overcompensating for them. When you mask ADHD, you try to act like you do not have the condition” (PsychCentral). I knew that I had some masking tendencies but it’s a journey to start identifying what is and isn’t a mask. In this episode, I am covering informati...

Send us Fan Mail This is part 2 of the “Reversing the Rachel Hollis effect - Deconstructing Toxic Positivity” podcast set. I am sharing a few YouTube videos that help explain the concept more and offer insight on how to overcome it. When it comes to things like this, we have to own the mistakes and wrong doings from our past. This is where we grow. These deep thoughts episodes were a big step in m...

Send us Fan Mail Toxic positivity is something that I had not really heard of until the last year or two. But it’s something I am extremely familiar with. For me, Rachel Hollis was the influencer that pulled me into this way of thinking and being. Positivity on it’s own is not a bad emotion and it’s one of my personal favorites. When it starts masking the real emotions and your aren’t able to feel...

Send us Fan Mail Finding harmony between work and life is hard. This week we are navigating the workplace as we talk about work/life harmony. So what’s that all about. When people talk about work/life balance that brings up this image of the scales of justice. Balancing your time between the two is just not possible, you would be working 84 hours a week. that’s a hard pass for me. But when you can...