Lucid Commons™

Evie Wick—mother, former IBMer, priestess in training, and new empty nester and self-described "crone"—joins me for a conversation about her "pause and pivot." We talk identity, authenticity, and the messy work of becoming yourself when you've spent a lifetime wearing faces. We talk about the difference between the labels we hold and the values underneath them, and what it takes to live as "I am"...

Julie Rennecker, nurse turned organizational success consultant and "team whisperer," gets real about agency, boundaries, and the courage it takes to choose yourself and your principles. Julie takes us back to the solo bike trip in New Zealand that changed everything, to the day she was fired for telling the truth, to the moment she learned, to her surprise, that she's a person too. We talk about...

Richie Muniak, "indescribable lunatic with an MBA," joined me for a wide-ranging conversation about pursuing his curiosity in his quest to be a "Jack of all trades, master of none." We wander back to 1998 and the "do you want fries with that?" generation, then forward to present-day AI slop and talking in headlines—with a witty demonstration of his point (see the trailer). Richie advocates for fin...

Anthony Degli Obizzi Jr., husband, father, and financial planner, shares the leap that changed everything—walking away from a six-figure salary to build his own business—and why he always knew he was an entrepreneur, not an employee. We reflect on partnership and parenthood: how the right spouse is the ultimate "cheat code" and how he and his wife embrace the "iron sharpens iron" mentality without...

Xavier Cano, a leadership development consultant to Fortune 500 companies, spent years building a successful career in industrial engineering and project management. He did all the right things. The MBA. Six Sigma Black Belt. Ranked number one in his business unit. Until he hit a wall he couldn't credential or performance metric his way through. Xavier walks us through his journey from corporate t...

Joseph "Trey" Meeks, parent, leader, and occasional consultant, brings the four Stoic virtues (courage, wisdom, temperance, justice) to life through stories of parenting, career setbacks, and working with difficult leaders. We journey from Austria back to the States, dig into managing ego and anger, having tough conversations, redefining success, and finding peace amid uncertainty. Trey shares ins...

Daniel S. Elmlinger, servant leader, discusses loss, grief, and forgiveness. We talk about the science and soul of grief, growth after loss, and how to carry the departed forward with us. We took a trip down a winding road from Kentucky, to the pandemic, to an out-of-body experience, a life-changing diagnosis, to the drive-thru at McDonald’s (for a Coke, of course), to Seattle, service-over-self,...

Ari J. Lester, attorney and founder, talks about the messy middle of her career pivot from the perfect-on-paper job and lake-view office to her journey of self-discovery, values alignment, and social entrepreneurship. We talk about the hard work of self-actualization, AI and the future of work, the power of the human brain, gratitude, mortality, and gaining clarity through career moves. If you're...