Start with Small Steps

188 - Sharing Creativity with Others Welcome back to our exploration of creativity, where today we dive deep into the heart of innovation with Austin Kleon's influential work, "Steal Like an Artist." This episode unravels the fabric of creativity, guiding us through the art of borrowing ideas to forge our unique path. Join us as we dissect key insights and share personal anecdotes inspired by Kleo...

187 - The Art of Creative Borrowing Inspiration Welcome to today’s episode, where we dive deep into Austin Kleon’s book, “Steal Like an Artist.” This book has resonated with creators worldwide, urging us to rethink our approach to creativity and inspiration. Kleon delivers a powerful message: innovation doesn’t spring from a vacuum but from the rich tapestry of existing work. Key takeaways from to...

186 - Embrace Adventure And Live Fully In this episode, we dive into the profound lessons from Bear Grylls’ “How to Be a Scout,” exploring how the principles of wilderness survival apply to our daily lives. Grylls introduces the STOP acronym—Stop, Take a moment, Observe, Plan—as a method to tackle life’s challenges head-on without succumbing to panic. We discuss how the priorities of Protection, R...

185 - Unveiling Life's Blueprint Through Scouting In the tapestry of life, few threads are woven as intricately and with as much care as the lessons learned through scouting. It's an odyssey that transcends the mere act of tying knots or pitching tents under the starlit sky. Instead, it lays down a blueprint for building character, fostering resilience, and nurturing a profound connection with the...

184 - The Power of Curiosity and Connection In this episode, I share with you my thoughts on Brene Brown’s book “Braving the Wilderness”. I was particularly struck by the concept of ‘true belonging’, which Brown explores in her book. She argues that true belonging comes from standing in one’s truth, even when it’s uncomfortable or different from those around us. Brown also talks about ‘braving’ as...

183 - The Power of Your Authentic Self I talk about the book from Brené Brown called Braving the Wilderness about the importance of being brave and bringing everyone in, even those we disagree with. She explained that true belonging is about standing in our own opinion, presenting our authentic selves to the world, and having the courage to stand alone when necessary. She also mentioned that belon...

182 - Turn Your Ship Around In this podcast episode, we're delving into the world of leadership, through the experience of a commanding officer plays in shaping the culture and morale of their ship. We will review the book It's Your Ship, Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff. We're exploring how the principle of "ownership" can transform a low-m...

181 - Get out of the Rut of Overthinking In this episode, we explore the topic of overthinking and how it can negatively impact us. We discuss the book 'Overthinking' by Daniel Michaels, where the author suggests that overthinking is a safety mechanism that helps us make decisions. However, it can often lead to unnecessary stress and anxiety.  Overthinking can have both mental and physical effects...

180 - Great Opportunity in the Cave of Fear We wrap up our conversation on Joe Polish's book “What’s in It for Them? Nine Networking Principles to Get What You Want by Helping Others Get What They Want.” and highlight the fact that many jobs, especially in retail, require such an ability. Even if your current job isn't your dream job, getting it right is necessary for growth and finding your ideal...

179 - Be Creative to Make A Connection In this podcast episode, we discuss how to improve the lives of others by exploring Joe Polish's book, "What's in it for them? Nine networking principles to get what you want by helping others get what they want." I highlight the importance of investing time, attention, money, effort, and energy to foster connections and relationships. It's crucial to adapt o...

178 - Feel Their Pain And Connect In this podcast episode, I talk about the book What's in It for Them?: 9 Genius Networking Principles to Get What You Want by Helping Others Get What They Want By Joe Polish. We explore the importance of understanding people's unique circumstances, which the author calls "atmospheric conditions." As a "pain detective", he says we have to investigate what's genuine...

177 - Making Weight Loss and Health Easier In this episode, we’re going to explore the concept of weight loss as described in Driving. Rangan Chatterjee’s book, “Feel Great, Lose Weight.” Driving. Chatterjee’s book focuses on maintaining a healthier lifestyle by improving our habits and emotional responses and by choosing quality food options. One important aspect we discussed is the need to shift...

176 - Simplify Against the Blissy Food In this episode, we will explore the weight loss concept, as described in Dr. Rangan Chatterjee's book, "Feel Great, Lose Weight." According to Dr. Chatterjee, losing weight can be challenging not because of personal fault, but due to our environment. Our world is filled with calorie-rich foods and sedentary work, making battling societal norms and pressures...

175 - Igniting Change in Your Life   I delve into the concept of achieving our goals and creating our best life, drawing inspiration from the book "A Whole New You, Six Steps to Ignite Change for Your Best Life" by Bret Blumenthal. I discuss the importance of creating a mission statement, to guide our life's goals. These mission statements can be about work, health, or other aspects of life and sh...

174 - Small Steps to Big Changes   I’m diving deep into the topic of personal transformation with Brett Blumenthal’s book, A Whole New You: Six Steps to Ignite Change for Your Best Life. We’ll be discussing how incremental changes can lead to significant reinvention and how to recognize when change is needed, whether due to dissatisfaction or a natural transition in life.   One of the key takeaway...

173 - Night of the Comet Reflections Today, I'll discuss the 80s apocalypse movie "Night of the Comet." In this movie, we follow two sisters, Regina and Samantha, who survive an event that turns most of the population into zombie-like creatures. We'll explore the important apocalypse themes that this movie raises, such as trust, the importance of loved ones, and the need to establish a plan for re...

172 - Beyond What You Can Prove on 34th Street In this episode of our podcast, I talk about a movie that always reminds me of the magic of Christmas - "Miracle on 34th Street." The movie tells the story of Macy's store hiring a new Santa Claus, who is a kind and genuine person resembling Santa. As we follow the plot, we see how belief, mistrust, and the power of helping others during the Christmas...

171 - Overcoming Limiting Beliefs with Self-Therapy Today, I talk to you about the book How to Be Your Own Therapist by Owen O’Kane and the importance of reprogramming our negative thoughts and challenging the rules we have set for ourselves. You and I are not victims of our thoughts and we have the power to break free from the negative narratives in our minds. By reprogramming ourselves and adopt...

170 - The Importance of Self-Therapy and Reflection I discussed the importance of therapy and self-reflection in managing our emotions and improving our lives from the book How to Be Your Own Therapist by Owen O'Kane. Therapy and self-reflection can help us manage our emotions and improve our lives. When someone goes to therapy, they get to bounce ideas off of someone who is objective and can offe...

169 - The Importance of Intentional Rest I dive into the concept of rest and how it's often mistaken for laziness. With everything going on in the world right now, it's no wonder that o many of us are feeling exhausted and drained. But don't worry, we've got you covered! We'll be discussing all sorts of ways to find rest and recharge, so that you can tackle your day-to-day responsibilities with re...

1 68 - Embracing the Power of Decision-Making Today, talk about something crucial to achieving success in life: making decisions. Even deciding not to make a decision is still a decision, and it can lead to missed opportunities and a feeling of stagnation. That's why it's better to make wrong decisions and learn from them than remain indecisive and not move forward. Indecision can prevent personal...

167 - Taking the Extra Step for Excellence I talk about the importance of going above and beyond personally and professionally. I share an idea from Napoleon Hill's book to highlight the benefits of going the extra mile and encourage listeners like you to make additional efforts and exceed expectations consistently. In today's society, many individuals only do the bare minimum. However, I believe...

166 - Turning Regrets into Opportunities We explore the topic of regrets and how we can deal with them in a positive and constructive way. One of the key things we discuss is reframing regrets and finding silver linings. Even when things don't go as planned, there are often positive aspects to be acknowledged. The concept of "at least" moments can help us shift our perspective and focus on the goo...

165 - How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward In this episode, I delve into the topic of regrets and their impact on our lives. I talk about the book The Power of Regrets, How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward, by Daniel H. Pink. He draws on insights from a researcher who conducted a World Regret Survey, which classified regrets into four types: foundation regrets, boldness regrets, moral regrets, a...

164 - Using the Tools of the Creative Today, we will explore the concept of creativity and how it applies to our everyday lives. I'll be sharing some insights from Adam Savage's book, "Every Tool is a Hammer", as well as my own experiences with podcasting and project management. First up, let's talk about the power of deadlines. As creators, we all have unique ways of expressing ourselves, but som...