In Residence with Keith and Laura

Keith and Laura explore the psychology behind gamification and share real-world examples of how game mechanics can transform your approach to personal development. Keith’s Efficiency GameKeith demonstrates how everyday tasks become opportunities for engagement through efficiency challenges. Drawing from his experience in kitchens and cabinet shops, he transforms mundane activities like chopping ve...

Keith and Laura explore the cycle of initial excitement, challenging middle phases, and eventual completion that comes with most projects. Laura's gardening experience serves as a framework for understanding how to navigate challenges and maintain momentum. Laura's Insights: The Power of Structured PersistenceLaura's four-day landscaping experience illustrates what Seth Godin calls "the dip" - tha...

Keith and Laura explore the concept of "making a ruckus" – inspired by a phrase they spotted on the Jumbotron at a Green Bay Packers game. What began as observations about appropriate fan behavior evolved into a meaningful conversation about taking action in creative work and personal projects. Keith's Perspective: Show Up and Speak UpKeith views making a ruckus as showing up and using your voice....

Keith and Laura unpack powerful strategies for personal growth and development through failure reflection, sustainable habits, and intentional prioritization. Key Points:Connecting Dots: Keith and Laura discuss the importance of not just collecting information but connecting ideas and processing thoughts. Failure Journaling: Arthur C. Brooks' concept of documenting failures, then returning after o...

Keith and Laura dive into the realities of gratitude journaling and stress management. What begins as a conversation about the benefits of gratitude quickly evolves into an honest exploration of the challenges in making gratitude practices feel authentic and meaningful. Despite feeling deeply grateful for her life and relationships, Laura finds it difficult to translate those feelings into words....

Keith and Laura share what media is currently bringing them joy. Whether it’s reading writing, listening or watching, they are leaning into thoughtful consumption with entertainment that truly resonates. Both Laura and Keith recommend HBO Max's "Somebody Somewhere," praising its authentic characters and balance of humor and emotion. They've each committed to reading more physical books in the comi...

Keith and Laura explore the concept of successful marriages functioning more like startups than mergers, based on an article by Arthur C. Brooks, “Why the Most Successful Marriages Are Start-Ups, Not Mergers.” The startup approach to marriage involves building something new together with flexibility and growth, while the merger approach often struggles when two established entities with entre...

Keith and Laura discuss the MEDS framework—Meditation, Exercise, Diet, and Sleep—as a holistic approach to self-care and wellbeing. Improving one area often benefits the others. They are designing strategies for meditation, exercise routines, mindful eating, and sleep hygiene that fit their rhythms and routines. Meditation Even if their practices are inconsistent, both Laura and Keith acknowledge...

Keith and Laura explore childhood aspirations and how those dreams connect to their current lives. Laura reveals she initially wanted to be a travel agent before attending college, while Keith aspired to be a musician. Adventure in Unexpected PlacesLaura shares that she initially wanted to be a travel agent rather than attend college. Given her extensive academic background and current role in hig...

Keith and Laura dive deep into acknowledging emotions, processing them, and breaking free from limiting beliefs. Laura shares a personal story that affected her self-image, and Keith reflects on his tendency to let external circumstances dictate his actions rather than exercising agency. The conversation begins with an emotional response to Child 1 turning sixteen. Reflections on parenthood a...

Keith and Laura discuss the book "Poke the Box" by Seth Godin and exploring themes around initiative, creativity, and overcoming resistance to starting projects. Central Themes Laura and Keith explore: - The "lizard brain" (resistance) that prevents people from pursuing creative projects- The "dandelion" metaphor - spreading many seeds knowing some will fail but others will flourish- The conc...

After six months of living in separate cities, Keith and Laura share insights on maintaining their relationship despite the distance. Their experience demonstrates how intentional communication, weekend commitments, and personal growth can transform a challenging situation into an opportunity for development. Laura highlights the importance of establishing consistent routines in her new environmen...

Keith and Laura tackle the pervasive issue of imposter syndrome–that nagging feeling of being unqualified despite evidence to the contrary. Their discussion reveals practical strategies for recognizing and overcoming these feelings in both professional and creative contexts. Leaning Into DiscomfortKeith describes imposter syndrome as "feeling not qualified" and questioning "why would anybody liste...

Keith and Laura discuss risk-taking and thoughtful decision-making. The conversation shares their perspectives on how to approach life's uncertainties with both caution and confidence. For Keith, risk-taking isn't about gambling with safety or livelihood, but about calculated steps toward growth. Laura highlights opportunity cost, risk mitigation strategies and pre-anticipating potential downsides...

Keith and Laura dive into Brendon Burchard’s The Six Habits of Growth. The couple shares thoughts on, and discusses, the habits: motivation, focus, confidence, energy, purpose, and leadership. Laura highlights using Burchard’s high-performance journal.  She credits the structured planning for gaining clarity.  Laura gets clear about what needed to happen that day, and the mindset of...

Keith and Laura discuss managing routines, handling disruptions, and setting personal goals. Keith opens up about the challenges of maintaining routines amid disruptions. He emphasizes the importance of a “routine floor”—a non-negotiable baseline for daily tasks—to stay grounded. Laura highlights the power of structured planning, particularly using tools like the High Performance Journal...

Keith and Laura discuss family life, romance, and communication in their modern relationship. They find connection by creating intentional, quality time together; embracing and improving their communication styles; and cultivating spontaneity and thoughtful gestures. Laura and Keith maintain a loving partnership in this busy seasons of life.  Thanks for Joining Us. Maintaining a Loving P...

Keith and Laura dig into strategies for personal growth, achieving long-term goals, and creating meaningful change. The couple returns to insights from Seth Godin’s book, “This is Strategy.” The conversation explores six core elements from section 63—truth, assertions, alternatives, people, money, and time—and how these can be applied to real-life challenges. Keith shares his struggles with short-...

Inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert's "Big Magic," Keith and Laura dive deeper into the topic of designing and leading one's best life. After reading part of “Big Magic” with a group, Keith wrote himself permission to design and lead his best life. And, sometimes that means doing hard things. The couple agrees that building the "muscle" of doing hard things is important to living a great life. Even when...

Keith and Laura dive into the principles of life design as presented in the book "Designing Your Life" by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. This conversation offers valuable insights for anyone looking to apply design thinking to their personal and professional growth. Laura brings a structured approach to the conversation, focusing on the importance of clearly defining problems and setting specific go...

     Keith and Laura discuss creativity, personal growth, and the importance of consistent action, while reflecting on their son's journey to learn guitar and his desire to create original music. They explore the idea that true originality is rare, and creativity often involves building upon existing influences and experiences. Laura shares lessons from Austin Kleon's “The Stea...

Keith and Laura reflect on their experiences and lessons learned from 2024 as they look forward to 2025. The couple discusses several key themes that emerged throughout the year:Embracing Change and UncertaintyPrioritizing Their RelationshipHealth and Wellness FocusFlexibility and CommunicationLooking ahead to 2025, Laura and Keith are adapting to life's changes with a positive mindset and focused...

It’s another super spectacular rerelease about resolutions, goals and priorities. This episode is a reflection on what was learned in 2023 as we looked forward to 2024. We want to carry what worked and bring it with us into the new year. Keith and Laura discuss their experiences with New Year's resolutions, acknowledging that while they've made them in the past, they haven't always been successful...

Keith and Laura's conversation highlights the struggle with burnout, hitting the wall, or simply having no energy left. They emphasize the importance of self-awareness, setting boundaries, and prioritizing personal well-being. Life is an ongoing process of balancing long-term productivity and avoiding burnout while maintaining and happiness. Laura talks about 11 strategies that help her reset and...

In this special holiday rerelease, Laura and Keith dive into tactics that will help them create and grow  projects and as people. What can we do differently? What has worked in the past that we could revisit? Before we leap into 2025, we can reflect back over 2024, and listening to how it started in this episode. As the calendar year winds down, we shift our focus. What is to come and ho...