Productive Joy

On Productive Joy, Dr. Christie talks with Jennifer Robin Wilson—writer, coach, consultant, and certified Kolbe consultant—about leveraging strengths to create more productive, joyful work and relationships. Jennifer explains the Kolbe assessment (K-O-L-B-E) as a validated tool that measures how people take action (not personality), helping teams reduce friction, delegate effectively, hire for rol...

On Today’s Productive Joy, the recap, Dr. Christie reflects on Leza Danly and her production Soul Breadcrumbs, which shares snapshots of Leza’s life at different stages. Dr. Christie connects Leza’s story about receiving a text that her mother died right before a major in-home performance, to her own habit of emotional bypassing.  Raised with a “suck it up, buttercup” mindset and identifying as an...

Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie interviews author, performer, and Lucid Living founder Leza Danly, a life coach and trainer for 35 years, about realizing “gulp dreams” and creating productive joy. Leza shares how a traumatic onstage experience in her 20s led her to stop performing, then later—at age 70—return with her 1 hour 43 minute one-woman production, Soul Breadcrumbs, combining monolog...

Today, Dr. Christie recaps the 300th episode of Productive Joy and her conversation with Maaya Konishi, who called in from Japan. Maaya speaks five languages, loves linguistics, and wrote Becoming CEO: My Love of Languages and how that made her who she is. She moved from Japan to America at age five, learned English, attended an international school, and added Indonesian, plus Chinese and Spanish....

Today Dr. Christie has an outstanding interview with Maaya Konishi, CEO of Communica, author, global speaker, five-language polyglot, and amateur golfer based in Japan. Maaya shares how moving to the U.S. at age five and later living in Indonesia sparked her passion for language, culture, and linguistics, and how translating for her family accelerated her English.  She explains leaving investment...

In this Productive Joy the recap episode, Dr. Christie shares key takeaways from a conversation with Jen Coken, whom she met at a Women in Leadership for Healthcare conference focused on helping people create spaces to be their best selves. Jen’s recent book, Make Impostor Syndrome Your Superpower, is aimed at women in STEM but applies broadly, emphasizing that pervasive negative thoughts can be r...

Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie welcomes author, keynote speaker, and coach Jen Coken, who shares her playful philosophy of doing what’s fun and her background in political campaign management and grassroots organizing before shifting into coaching. She discusses her mother’s influence, writing a memoir about ovarian cancer, and why she ultimately focused on coaching women leaders after real...

In this Productive Joy recap, Dr. Christie highlights Kristin Haluch and her book Mama Bear Leadership, inspired by the “mama bear” instinct to protect and support others in both parenting and the workplace. The episode emphasizes human-centered leadership—prioritizing caring for people rather than focusing only on productivity—while curating and improving your leadership style through learning, e...

Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie introduces Kristin Haluch, a human-centered leadership expert and author of The Mama Bear Leader: How Human-Centered Leadership Can Reimagine the Way We Work. Kristin explains why leaders often prioritize profits and spreadsheets over people, arguing that psychologically safe workplaces drive productivity and that focusing on people first leads to profits.  Sh...

In this Productive Joy: The Recap, the host reflects on David Wooding and his book Sixty, Not Out, emphasizing that life isn’t “butterflies and bubbles,” but people can choose whether to learn from adversity or be consumed by it. She shares a pastor’s idea of focusing on the promise rather than rehearsing the problem, and illustrates it with a story about wading through murky water to reach clear...

Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie introduces author and real estate professional David Wooding, a husband and father of three, who discusses his memoir Sixty, Not Out. Wooding explains he wrote the book as therapy after losing a substantial amount of money in an investment-visa that turned out to be a scam, a burden he hid for years until depression affected his family.  The book includes diff...

In this Productive Joy recap, Dr. Christie shares key takeaways from her conversation with career coach Jerry D. Goldstein, a former lawyer who identified his unique value proposition and built a career helping others grow. Dr. Christie encourages listeners to ask trusted family, friends, or colleagues, “When you think of me, what do you think of?” to better understand how others experience their...

Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie interviews career development strategist, mentor, and author Jerry Goldstein about building a career rooted in confidence and happiness. Jerry shares how people often feel stuck because life layers “software” of experiences and expectations, and explains how to decompress, connect past experiences, and identify a personal unique value proposition.  He describe...

In this Productive Joy: The Recap episode, Dr. Christie revisits her conversation with London-based TV personality Esther Stanhope, highlighting Esther’s vibrant energy and her work helping people become the best versions of themselves by making their strengths visible. Dr. Christie encourages a mid-year 2026 goal check-in, sharing how a visible “bingo card” of goals helped her celebrate wins like...

Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie has a very special guest, Esther Stanhope. An author, personal impact coach, and former BBC producer who has interviewed major celebrities and was recently diagnosed with ADHD. They discuss imposter syndrome and Esther’s “voice of doubt,” which she names “Cynical Cyril,” plus a story about interviewing George Clooney that highlights how even famous people are...

In this Productive Joy recap, Dr. Christie highlights guest Teri Chilcoat, an HR expert and author of Surviving the Toxic Workplace: From an HR Insider: How to Reclaim Your Power, Peace, and Happiness. Christie shares that the book’s eight chapters emphasize “self” themes—self-awareness, self-control, self-care, self-acceptance, and self-empowerment—framing toxic workplace survival as taking owner...

Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie interviews Teri Chilcoat—an HR expert, author, and “clarity creator”—about surviving a toxic workplace by focusing on self-awareness, self-control, and self-care. Teri emphasizes that even when you can’t quit, you always have options, including building skills, pursuing hobbies, or creating a practical roadmap from a calm, rational mindset.  Her book, Survivin...

In this Productive Joy Dr. Christie highlights guest Courtney Hamm’s message that leadership is not tied to age but to awareness, reading the room, and putting people first. Courtney models modern leadership by mentoring the next generation within her organization, showing how people can help those who are a few steps behind them. Dr. Christie reflects on how many young adults feel they should hav...

Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie interviews Courtney Hamm, an efficiency expert and “chaos coordinator” at The Solution, an association management company. Courtney shares how early leadership traits, musical theater, and a Texas A&M orientation leadership role prepared her to manage small-to-mid-size 501(c)(6) associations—handling events, finances, membership, and marketing for clients,...

In this Productive Joy recap, Dr. Christie highlights executive coach Laurie Maddalena’s message that real leadership requires shifting from fixing to facilitating, focusing on enabling change rather than controlling it. The episode emphasizes that many leaders are promoted without leadership training, which can lead to insecurity, micromanagement, and diminished teams.  Dr. Christie argues that e...

Today Dr. Christie welcomes executive coach and leadership development consultant Laurie Maddalena to discuss how leaders can be more productive and intentional with their time to enjoy life outside work. Lori shares her path from untrained first-time manager to VP of HR, then launching her coaching business 18 years ago after earning a coaching certification and experiencing company value misalig...

In this Productive Joy recap, Dr. Christie highlights guest Croft Edwards, a 25-year Army veteran and author of The Liquid Accordion, discussing how the body and mind work together and how daily habits are always “practice” that either move you toward desired outcomes or keep you stuck. The key takeaway is to practice intentionally—whether that’s exercise, breathwork, getting off the couch, or cho...

Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie interviews author, veteran, and leadership coach Croft Edwards about his book The Liquid Accordion and the power of the body in shaping emotions, mindset, and results. Croft explains that humans are “liquid accordions,” with cells that expand and contract, and that the body’s sensory system drives how we experience fear, love, confidence, ambition, and joy.  H...

In this Productive Joy: The Recap, Dr. Christie highlights guest Jason Greenhaw, a personal trainer of 25 years and author of “Monday Mindsets: 52-Week Mindset Makeover for People Who Hate Mondays,” aimed at helping people overcome the Sunday scaries and start the week with a more positive perspective.  She shares Jason’s statistic that 75% of people don’t enjoy going to their jobs on Monday morni...

Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie interviews fitness trainer, gym owner, author, and mindset coach Jason Greenhaw, a longtime personal trainer who opened a private personal training studio in 2005. Jason explains how he left college and had a short stint as a prison guard after seeing a “now hiring personal trainers” sign at Bally Total Fitness, then built a career motivating clients—often old...