SPARKED

Overwhelm has become the post-pandemic pandemic. And it’s showing up in all parts of life - personal, professional, social, health and beyond. So many feel like they’re one seemingly small thing away from completely shutting down. That your work, task and emotional load has hit a saturation point, leaving you unsure how to move forward. And terrified of the one more thing that gets piled on and en...

What story will your audience notice and act on? How do you cut through noise to connect? And why does it seem so difficult for people and organizations to communicate clearly?  In today’s SPARKED hot take episode, messaging expert Ben Guttmann joins me to explore simplifying communication to ensure it resonates. Together, we tackle why most messages fail and how to design ones that compel ac...

Imagine feeling like no matter how hard you work, how much you contribute, you just can't seem to get the recognition or advancement or even feedback you deserve. It's frustrating. Especially that last part. Can you remember a time when a vague performance review left you unsure what to actually change? Or when subtle biases infected feedback, limiting your growth? I’m sure a lot of us can. So how...

How do we transcend “us vs them” thinking? In turbulent times how do we build bonds instead of walls? In today’s episode, Talia Fox joins me to explore the skills that shape conscious connection. Talia reveals the nightmare of disconnection plaguing our teams and work culture and shares frameworks to transform noise and vitriol into understanding and connection. In today’s episode we’re digging in...

What truly ignites your inner spark? Does the work you’re doing fuel your fire or is it time to rewrite stale stories of “success”? How do you know when logic alone can no longer guide your path?  Karen offers insights on protecting space for what matters, even within traditional careers. Because radical change may not be required to reclaim meaning. Subtler shifts can get you closer to the f...

*Coaches & Leaders: Tap a Game-Changing Credential - The Certified Sparketype® Advisor Training , Next Training starts March 2024 * When is it time to walk away from work? How do you know when that creative spark has faded? Have you ever felt torn between loyalty to a job, cause or team, and honoring your own well-being?  In this conversation, we address those pivotal questions that...

Why do we stay silent when we know things aren’t right? How can leaders spark truth-telling in turbulent times?  And how can we foster environments that make it feel safer and worthwhile for people to voice opinions or issues? Together we tackle why people don’t speak up more, the often devastating impact of staying quiet, both on ourselves and on others, and what we can do to change that.&nb...

How do we build a future of work that moves fast, makes amazing things happen, yet is more humane? One where care, wellbeing, and innovation coexist?  In today’s episode, we dive into the often brutal state of workplace culture, how it celebrates pace and drive, but often at the cost of humanity and sustainability, and we talk about how we can continue to move fast and do big things, but also...

Have you ever struggled to find the right words when tensions run high? Wanted to stand up for what you believe in but risked fueling the fire? In divided times, how do we speak out thoughtfully, with intelligence, heart and nuance? Today we’re exploring moving through polarizing moments with intention, in this episode we ask, What if there was a way to stand up for what you believe in, while stil...

Have you ever had a lightning bolt of inspiration, only to second-guess yourself when it's time to execute?  I'm sure you can relate to staring at a blank page, realizing your brilliant idea feels muddled and unclear. In today's episode of Sparked, we explore why it's so hard to distill multidimensional concepts into singular big ideas.  In today’s episode we’re digging into: Why do we r...

What if just 15 minutes could make or break your day?  We all have habits and routines that seem to last only minutes, yet end up influencing how our entire day unfolds. Those small, seemingly innocuous things we do that unwittingly either prime us for productivity, happiness, and success - or leave us uncentered, unproductive, and adrift. Things like mindless scrolling or other unfulfilling...

When was the last time life threw you a major curveball that upended your plans?  Can you picture a time when you found yourself blindsided by disruptive events that derailed your goals and left you scrambling to adapt? If so, how did you handle it? Looking back, you wish you’d had the skills to approach it differently? It’s an inevitable part of life, as we’ve been reminded in the past few y...

This episode explores how to move beyond good intentions to create truly inclusive workplaces, featuring guest Mita Mallick who shares practical strategies for effective allyship and systemic change. SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Mita Mallick | Reimagine Inclusion: Book Mita is a corporate change-maker with a track record of transforming businesses and cultures. She is the Head of Inclusion, Equity, and...

We’ve all seen it and maybe even experienced it, the high pressure workload of starting your own business. The long hours, extreme stress and rollercoaster of highs and lows. Enduring these realities is almost celebrated in the entrepreneurial world and rarely questioned, when in any other setting they would be cause for alarm.   So why do entrepreneurs feel such pressure to hide their s...

Morning routines. There is just soooo much mythology around them. Some of it’s true and valuable. But a whole lot of it is also just plain wrong. And, it can lead us to think we have to adopt a certain approach to starting our days that is universally helpful for every person. Life just doesn’t work that way. So, today we’re taking on the topic of morning routines, and there are going to be some b...

How do you know if you’re genuinely no longer interested in the work you’re doing and it’s time to do some reimagining, or if you’re actually just burned out and, literally, nothing you do will excite you until you step into a place of renewal? So many of us have felt it - completely depleted, disconnected from work we once loved. The cynicism creeps in, passion fades. You're just going through th...

Have you ever wanted to express your needs but held back for fear of rocking the boat? Only to finally explode and regret the fallout? How do you stand up for yourself without compromising important relationships, values, or commitments? Navigating the messiness of holding people and systems accountable without damaging relationships can feel impossible. Which is why it’s so important to have tool...

Follow the SPARKED Newsletter on LinkedIn here. What if your 5 senses secretly controlled everything from your mood to your creativity, intelligence, memory, or even your ability to succeed in work and life?  We all tend to take our senses for granted, using them automatically without much thought. But what if curating sensory experiences was a hidden gateway to so much of what we want out of...

Ever feel like you’ve just outgrown your surroundings, and your environment is actually limiting your growth? Like the desk, room, studio, space that got you here just isn’t working for you any more? Maybe, it’s even working against you? Our workspace has a profound effect on us, our work, and even our wellbeing, relationships, and interactions. It impacts our ability to show up as our best selves...

Have you ever felt like your team could do so much more if you just worked better together? We’ve all been there – stuck in dysfunctional team dynamics, unproductive meetings, and confusion around decision-making. The doubts start to creep in: “Are we even capable of working smoothly together?” “Why does collaboration feel so hard?” When was the last time you joined a new team only to encounter fr...

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here. We've all been there - mired in a project, job or pursuit and wondering "when will this get easier?" The doubts start to creep in: "Am I cut out for this level of effort? Is this pain just part of the process, or a sign it's not right for me? Why does this feel so hard?" When was the last time you embarked on a new project, pursui...

Listen to part one here. Change is in the air, and it’s making many of us recoil. But, why? And, what can we do to change how we respond to change? To turn it from something we fear into something we embrace, maybe even seek out. Because the other side holds so much potential and possibility, once we’ve learned how to move through it with so much more grace and ease. That’s the conversation we beg...

Change. Just the word makes so many people anxious. But why? Why do so many of us experience change, and even the thought of it, as something negative to be feared and resisted, rather than something positive to be met with hope and excitement, and embraced? That’s the question we’re diving into today with author of the fascinating new book, FLUX, April Rinne. April has studied how cultures worldw...

Have you ever looked at someone else, someone you admire, who’s maybe accomplished a lot, and just assumed they must be wildly confident and always winning at everything? You’re not alone. But, the truth, it turns out, is much more complex.  So many of those luminaries are not, in fact wildly, or even remotely confident. And if they are, they go through cycles of profound change, self-doubt,...

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here. Have you ever felt burned out in work that, at least on paper, seemed so well aligned with your values, passions, interests, skills and Sparketype that, in your mind, you just “shouldn’t” feel this way? Even though you care deeply about what you do, if like so many, you’re feeling so depleted in your work that quitting seems like...