The Still Space Podcast

Most strong executive leaders know the cost of being too emotional and have practices to keep their egos regulated. Gratitude is one of those practices. In this episode we’ll discover ways gratitude can open opportunities for you and how to easily weave it into a busy life. For more fun, self-care, career, executive presence and self-regulation resources go to www. MaryLeeGannon.com

In this episode, we'll explore what it's like to set goals, have the best of intentions, start to execute on those goals, and then have something completely out of the blue blow all of that out of the water. That recently happened to me with all the disappointments, frustrations and letdown that go with an unexpected setback. This is a difficult situation for me. I'm going to walk you through how...

Grief is hard. Losing someone you love is devastating. The funeral process is taxing and tiring. In this episode we discuss ways to navigate all of it so that you may be with your feelings and not armor up against them, thus pushing away people you love and burdening yourself with unresolved issues. The goal is to allow all of it to flow through you and not damn up your warmth, love and peace. For...

No matter how old your children are, we sometimes adopt expectations around how they behave, how we want them turn out, and how they respect us and others. That is human. We feel responsible for shaping them. Weighing in on this is how we were raised. Some of it is based on how comfortable we are in our own skin. And some of this is based in a need to control. In this episode we are going to unrav...

It happens a lot at work and in life. You get drawn into a dispute where after a few minutes you find yourself defending a position you never took. Or people come to you to mediate a situation that does not warrant your involvement. Or you find yourself doing things for someone out of duty not honor. I could write volumes on what motivates people to behave this way but that’s not important. These...

Most achievers got to the levels they are in their careers because they are hard workers - staying late, outperforming others, getting things done, taking risks and being the trusted go-to person. At a certain level everyone is working hard. It is no longer a differentiator. But what happens when you get to the level you desire and that nagging feeling of working hard won’t go away? This can happe...

Throughout my life I have had 11 dogs. I’ve had cats too and I’ll likely do a podcast about the life lessons from cats which are quite different from those learned from dogs, but this episode is about the life lessons I’ve learned from my rescue dog Bailey. For more fun, self-care, career, executive presence and self-regulation resources go to www. MaryLeeGannon.com

In this episode we discuss the value of dedicating a special place for yourself in your home, how to do it, what you will do there and how this helps you to stay with your commitments to what you want in your life. When we moved to our new home I decided to dedicate a special place where I could reflect, set intentions and manifest what I want in my life. “My Special Place” is tucked into the corn...

Recently, I started making a list of some of the issues my clients have complained about over the years and I realized how immature corporate America often behaves. The following is a parody of what is sometimes our culture at the office. For more self-care, career, executive presence and self-regulation resources go to www. MaryLeeGannon.com

Have you ever thought that thinking about death could make your life more meaningful and help you to reconcile a lot of old stuff that holds you back? In this episode we explore the difficult emotions around death – the death of a loved one and our own death. You’ll walk through ten important questions to answer to experience end of life issues as a way to refresh your life to today and deal with...

Being a mom is hard enough without the guilt society places on us. You're expected to keep a nice home, and be a great mom, be a responsive partner, volunteer at school, and hold a leadership role at work. It's a lot. Then, not only does our culture tell you what's expected, you start to impose guilt on yourself when things aren't going well. In this episode of The Still Space Podcast we discuss t...

The holidays bring a sense of rebirth, joy and gratitude. Sometimes they also bring stress too. In this episode we talk about how to manage yourself, set clear boundaries, what to do with expectations and how to prepare to have ease for yourself this holiday season. Here is a tip sheet on Mindful Holiday Tips to keep in your kitchen >>> https://www.maryleegannon.com/pl/2147636284. For mor...

According to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace Report the majority of workers are not engaged or are actively disengaged. The old command-and-control style of leadership does not work today. In this episode you will learn 11 signs that you are not connecting with your employees and what to do about it. For more career, executive presence and self-regulation resources go to www. MaryLeeGanno...

Just last night I returned from a 16 day Portuguese vacation to Lisbon and The Algarve during which I made time to notice some important aspects of why travel does and does not work for people. Over the years, my travel experiences have showed me a lot about myself, other people, other cultures and what I call vacation behavior. I have had time to think about this and in this episode I share six r...

When you walk into a room you can tell immediately who the strong and respected leaders are by the way they carry themselves, by the people around them, by the way the speak and by their body language. In this episode we discuss not only the tactical moves and personas of high performing executive leaders but what they do to mentally, physically and spiritually center themselves to lead. For more...

Every one of us has been through a transition – first day of school, first day of college, first day on the job, heartbreak, a layoff, having been terminated at work, a divorce, death of a loved one, moving to a new home or a new town, cleaning out and selling your family house, being an empty nester, a serious illness, illness in a loved one, caring for aging parents or a loved one, retirement, d...

How do you maintain executive presence, be an accessible leader, exhibit agility and strategic execution when you’re being asked to do more with less, you doubt yourself, you see others advancing when you are not, and your personal life takes a backseat to work? In this episode you’ll hear eight actionable practices you can do right now to be the person people ‘must have’ on their team. For more c...

Every day in your work you present information for the purpose of influencing others. A great presentation creates connection, builds, rapport, underscores trust and closes deals. Poor presentations bore people, divide them, and worse yet close the door on future opportunity. It is hard to change a first impression. In this episode we discuss nine mindful tips for a great presentation. For more ca...

Humans are wired to play it safe. This is why we are not extinct as a species - we know our tribe, we know our role in the tribe, and we know if we don’t live up to our role we may risk being ousted by the tribe which in earlier times may have resulted in death by the elements, a competing tribe or a mastodon. In current day that human will to survive translates to our need to belong, be accepted,...

Many of my clients are in their 40s, 50s and 60s and are experiencing ageism at work and in life. It is an insidious form of discrimination because it is hard to prove, rarely litigated yet quietly undermining careers, workforce productivity and people’s self-worth. I speak and write a lot on ageism because it upsets me. I see the havoc it plays on personas and self-esteem. In this podcast we disc...

Have you ever tried to reason with a difficult person who absolutely will not listen? Anxiety builds when you think you are making a logical argument, have the facts behind you, the other person is not bending at all yet you keep arguing with them. You start to question yourself, doubting your effectiveness. Your frustration becomes apparent, unraveling of your composure and destroying your execut...

It’s human nature to look in the mirror and compare ourselves to the images our culture throws at us every day. Being young, successful, body beautiful and wealthy are what our society thrives on, reminding us of what we should aspire to be and spend our money on to get there. And so, we invest in expensive products, clothes, gym memberships, degrees, makeup, youth enhancements and the like graspi...

My two thirty-something daughters asked to go on a vacation with me – just the three of us alone. I was profoundly touched and also grateful because when they were little I didn’t have money to take the family out to dinner let alone on a vacation. Because of the financial and emotional hardships we suffered during my divorce and afterward, there was a lot of stress when they were little. Some res...

The Latest Still Space Podcast #113 Seven Tips When You’re Not Sure What to Do in Your Career Don’t have an accidental life or career. Often more planning goes into a summer vacation than a 40-year career or 90-year life. Spend purposeful time creating an actionable plan for your next career move and you can trade the treadmill to nowhere for fulfilment. In this episode I walk you through seven ac...

Many corporate executives struggle with the balance of certainty and humility as a leader. I see a lot of great leaders being brought down by people who are jealous of them. We spend a lot of time and energy trying to win over the person who doesn't like us when the issue is not you - it is within them. Still we perseverate on what is wrong with us. Not healthy. You want to have the presence...