Talk, Unleashed

This is not about hockey. It’s not even about sports. It’s about what it means to find heart in something entirely unexpected. It’s about what it means to give people hope, healing. That it involves the story of a six-year-old NHL team is kind of besides the point. If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a hot second you know my passion for the Vegas Golden Knights. You also know that hockey,...

The more you resist a thing, the more it persists. That’s a common phrase used in lots of places - transformational coaching, recovery, Eastern philosophy. It’s all about energy, the flow of it. That things have an order and flow. Ever try to rush to do something and it becomes impossibly difficult and then you slow down, breathe and suddenly it flows? Or how about when you are rushing to get out...

We all have them. Feelings. Learning how to have them without having them ON other people seems to be a much lacking skillset in the world these days. Lots of effusive display (especially on social media) but how connected is it to real emotion? How authentic is it, really? That’s where I go this week. What does leadership actually mean in today’s world? Good question. That’s what Cathy Brooks tho...

The topic sounds serious, right? Death. Week. Truth is, we folks in western culture seem to have this fear-based relationship with death. What if it’s not scary? What if it’s just about shifting from one place to another and what if as we approach it, the veil between the two draws thin enough that we can be in both? Haven’t had a near death experience, thankfully, but I have had some experiences...

Lots of talk about consciousness and the seemingly serious lack of it around these days. Can’t say that I overall disagree, but having just spent a week in Paris, primarily for a conference specifically focused on bringing ancient “technology” of indigenous culture to create a more conscious business world, gotta say there’s some real movement.  The event was PAUA Paris 2023 and I had the great ho...

If I do what I’ve always done. I’ll get what I always gets. Bet you’ve heard that before. It’s a pretty solid perspective on why it’s important to break beyond usual convention, try new things and stretch into uncomfortable places in order to truly rise to the next level of … whatever. It’s bigger than that, though. There are two thoughts in particular that came up for me this week: The first is a...

Nothing like getting an inspired thought while in the shower, and jumping out buck naked to record a podcast episode about it.  Okay, so I wrapped myself in a towel first (it was a little chilly). You’re welcome for the visual.  What was that important? I’ve been spending a lot of time going through some emotional excavation and in the process finding myself thinking about my feelings. It occurred...

So I’m a results gal. Always have been. Made a career of it, actually. Nearly ground myself to a nub in the process. Taking a break to work with dogs, I thought was going to be the new path entirely. Turns out that it was that work, and getting to be really clear about what it means to be in the flow of an intention, in the process of creation and not letting the output (goal) muddy the path.  I’v...

In our instant gratification, short attention span world there’s SO much effort spent on efficiency, streamlining and using technology to replace or speed things up. In some ways that’s great. Overall, though, especially when it comes to the things that make us human, it’s a load of horseshit.  Specifically, you cannot rush a relationship with another human being. That being said, it actually *doe...

What is real? I’m reminded of that question in a favorite children’s book, The Velveteen Rabbit . That story tells that being “real” is about being loved, well-worn, and so authentically connected that being messy is more than just okay, it’s guaranteed. So what of today’s world? What of this time when Artificial Intelligence is the hottest topic of discussion? In a Twitter chat with my friend Phi...

Transitions. It’s amazing how nature has them. More odd that we humans seem so set on homogenizing everything. All things the same. Taking one place and whitewashing another with it. Missing the point entirely about exploration and discovery. What gives rise to the perspective? Being in a place where Spring is a real, actual thing. There’s a deep sense of transition and evolution to something new....

Funny thing, trust. Seems that people believe it is built and grown over time. Truth is, trust is binary. It is or isn’t. Kinda like being pregnant. Inspired by this blog post from my friend Loic LeMeur I decided this week to dig into the crux of where trust lies - with oneself.  In a world where we can no longer necessarily trust even what we see (frightening and powerful images that caught my ey...

Oops. Well, for the first time in over a year - I dropped the ball. Okay, in the case of this week's episode, the puck. Guess that's fitting given the general theme this week. DON'T BE SO FUCKING SERIOUS. Took a minute and looked back at the most recent episodes and ... holy shit. It's been a heavy and serious ride this year so far. I mean, makes sense. It's been a tectonic tim...

Do or do not. There is no try. And that, friends, could be all I need to say when it comes to honesty. Do or do not. There is no try. There is no “brutal” honesty. There is no qualifier in front of it. You are, or aren’t. There is, however, something called discretion. There is a time when unvarnished, forthright communication gets to be tempered, consider the context and whether the person is in...

Hate is an interesting thing. The immediate reaction of response is defensive, right? And in my experience that defensive energy comes with its own level of reciprocal hate. Perhaps different words or intention. Perhaps justified as necessary because it’s protective, but hate all the same. And thus the cycle of hate is perpetuated. In this week’s podcast, a close look at a very personal example of...

If we do not pay attention to the past, we are bound to repeat it, right? Well, sometimes paying too much attention isn’t good either. I mean, when driving a car it’s best to look forward through the windshield AND ensure that you pay some mind to the side and rear mirrors to be clear on what’s going on behind you. To be aware. To avoid problems. Thing is, the view I have from my rearview mirror i...

There are likely few who haven’t heard the warning at some point when they were young. “Don’t talk to strangers.” It’s not an altogether unusual premise. There are some logical dangers in the world of which to be aware. AND at the same time creating a fear-based view of the world doesn’t exactly do us any favors. The irony is that if I move around the world with intention and belief of fear, I end...

On any list of criteria for people in my life you’d think “must love dogs” would be top of the list. You wouldn’t be wrong. That said, there are people in my life who don’t particularly care for them. Some of them had bad experiences as kids. Others are allergic. And some just don’t like them much. They’ll tolerate well behaved dogs but generally speaking given a choice they’d rather not have dogs...

Home. It’s a four-letter word that brings up a lot of things. As a gal who was voted “most likely to move away and never come back” in high school, the idea of home has never been about a birthplace. Okay so I wasn’t actually voted that, but I never felt like Philadelphia fit. Odd to say, considering it’s where I was born and spent the first 18 years of my life. Went away to college and loved Chic...

There are a a few fascinating things about Southern Florida. One of them - the wildlife. Specifically a particular Iguana that isn’t actually from here, but ended up here due to … well … human error. This week Cathy found herself playing Iguana wrangler and in the process connecting with a substantive message about responsibility, tolerance and that topic that was mentioned last week , the differe...

As the big journey of 2023 begins and I untether from the City of Las Vegas for a while, there was an interesting set of interactions I had that delivered precisely the message that needed to percolate while I was beginning my cross country drive. Happenstance and serendipity led to a slightly longer than anticipated trajectory for my trip ( a story you can read about here ), which also gave me lo...

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve had the pleasure of sharing an Unleashed Conversation with an amazing leader here with you and it felt entirely apt to kick it off with Tim Schneider. I met Tim while taking a 5 month leadership intensive he leads through his leadership company for the Vegas Chamber called Leadership Advance. It was a small cohort and considering the brevity of the program we cove...

In last week’s episode I spoke about a concept that I dig into today - the difference between between detached … and unattached. Yes, I hear you. “Come on, Cathy. They’re not that different those words.” Perhaps not in literal meaning, but for this gal, the way they land is much different. The latter is about staying present, connected and committed - even in the face of difference. The former is...

AWAY WE GO!! It’s a New Year. Time to look ahead with the wisdom of months past, take the lessons and be ready to crush it. Every year I pick a word, an intention, and lean into the New Year with it. Last year the word was abundance. And boy did I get to see just how surrounded by abundance I am - an abundance of friends whose support literally held me up in moments where I felt like I might just...

Ah, family. This time of year is saturated with all kinds of commercials and expectations around what things are supposed to be like. Truth is, for most folks, family pushes buttons. No big surprise there. The family is the place those buttons got installed. What if getting together with family didn’t have to be stressful? What if the holidays didn’t have to be? What if you actually COULD experien...