We're All in This Together

Taking care of ourselves and focusing on our well-being are important, as we all know.   Right now most of us, myself included, are finding it even more challenging to focus on these things effectively.   My guest today, Deborah Bonzell, is a good friend and an expert in well-being.   She's a coach, consultant, and the founder/creator of the Well Workout.   Deb works with people, leaders, teams, a...

With fires raging in Northern California, a hurricane down in Texas and Louisiana, 180,000 Americans dead from Covid-19, and the horrific shooting of Jacob Blake by the police and two people killed during the protests in Kenosha, WI, I'm feeling incredibly sad and angry.  In this intense episode of the podcast, I address these things and share some of my thoughts, feelings, and perspectives on whe...

My guest on this episode is the Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Laney College in Oakland, CA, John Beam.   John and I have known each other since 1989 when I arrived at Skyline High School in Oakland where he coached football for 22 years.   John and his Laney College Eagles are featured in the current season of Last Chance U on Netflix.   As an incredibly successful high school and c...

I learned an incredibly valuable lesson from my pitching coach at Stanford, Dean Stotz...that there are really only two things we can control, our attitude and our effort.   This lesson has served me well throughout my life and is critically important for us to remember, especially when we're faced with stressful, challenging, and uncertain times as we are right now.   On this episode, we discuss...

I'm back from our trip and a nice break...and have some stories to share.   In this episode we talk about the importance of "going with the flow," especially when things are stressful, challenging, and uncertain - as they are for many of us right now.   Going with the flow is about acceptance, which is not passive or weak, although it can be challenging.   In fact, it's incredibly powerful and eff...

Today is episode number 200 of the podcast!   In celebration of this milestone I both reflect on the past four years of the show and also plan to take a break for a few weeks.   And, on this episode, we discuss the importance and the challenge of taking breaks, especially right now.   Whether we're talking about vacations, days off, or simple breaks throughout the day - these are both more importa...

Things continue to be crazy in our country and our world these days in just about every aspect of our lives and society.   Staying grounded and mindful is both more important and more challenging than ever right now.   On today's show, I talk to an expert in mindfulness, Holly Duckworth.   Holly is the author of four books, including Everyday Mindfulness: From Chaos to Calm in a Crazy World.   In...

I have a tendency to hold onto things tightly, often to my own detriment.   Unless it's an actual emergency, gripping things tightly almost always limits our joy, perspective, and effectiveness.   These past few months, a lot of us have been holding on both personally and professionally pretty intensely, which is completely understandable, yet often problematic.   In this episode I talk about this...

Our friend Glennon Doyle, best-selling author of Untamed , often offers a great reminder to us all that "we can do hard things."   I woke up this morning thinking about this quote and idea.   Things in our country and our world seem pretty hard and bleak these days, and many of us are struggling in significant ways - physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, politically, organizationally, re...

The first six months of 2020 have been unprecedented in so many ways.   Things have been painful, challenging, and uncertain for most of us in just about every important aspect of our lives.   And, as we now move into the second half of this year, what if we did something similar to what we do at the end of the year and the start of the new year?   On this episode, I talk through a process we can...

There is a weariness that a lot of us are experiencing these days with everything going on in our country and our world the past few weeks and months.   On today's episode, I share five specific things we can think about and focus on to navigate these challenging times and hang in there: 1. Pace Ourselves 2. Check in with Others 3. Stay in the Present Moment 4. Remember...This, Too, Shall Pass 5....

Things continue to be incredibly intense in our country and our world these days.   And, if we want to make a difference, have impact, and create real change, we have to get in the "game."   In other words, we need to put ourselves out there, take action, and actually do things that align with our values and our desires for change, growth, and success.   Doing this takes courage and a willingness...

In the midst of all that has been happening in our country in the past few weeks, I've been hearing a lot of people ask the question, "What can I do?"   I think the answer to this question does depend a bit on who we are, where we are, our level of privilege and power, our background and identity, our experience, and more.   And, even with all of these variables and the intensity of this moment, o...

In response to the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests that have erupted throughout our country, I have noticed my own tendency to want to blame others or simply check out and go numb.   While these are understandable reactions, they are not helpful or healthy.   On today's show I talk about how we can avoid these traps, and explore some ways we can stay open, curious, and engaged...

On today's show I share some passionate thoughts, feelings, and perspectives on the recent killings of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery...and how we can authentically address issues of racial justice in our culture.   I clearly don't have the answers to these complex and painful challenges, but I do think we can and we must have a deeper, more authentic conversation about these things collectively....

On today's show I have the honor of talking to my friend Christine Hassler.   Christine is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, master coach, and podcast host.   She's the real deal who helps people get past their blocks and create what they truly want in life.   In this interview, we talk about how we can navigate the current challenges authentically and effectively.   We also delve into the i...

On today's show we talk about caring about and challenging each other, which is Pillar #4 from my new book, We're All in This Together: Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust, and Belonging .   For teams to perform at the highest level and unlock their greatest potential, they need to have a strong balance of nurturing and high expectations.   When people on a team feel cared about and...

On today's show I talk about embracing sweaty-palmed conversations, which is Pillar #3 from my new book, We're All in This Together: Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust, and Belonging .   These are conversations that often involve conflict, feedback, or other things that aren't easy to address effectively.   Even though they can be scary and difficult, when we're able to talk about...

On today's show I talk about focusing on inclusion and belonging, which is Pillar #2 from my new book, We're All in This Together: Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust, and Belonging .   Inclusion is about having respect for and appreciation of the differences of everyone on our team, and belonging is about creating an environment in which everyone knows they're an integral part of t...

On today's show I talk about creating psychological safety, which is Pillar #1 from my new book, We're All in This Together: Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust, and Belonging .   Psychological safety is essentially group trust, and it is foundational to the success of any team.   When we create an environment within our team that is safe for risk-taking, disagreement, failure, bold...

On today's show I talk about loneliness, which is something I recently realized I've been feeling, but haven't been acknowledging.   There is a lot of loneliness in the air right now, understandably.   And, like any emotion, when we authentically feel it, we have power.   But, when we avoid or deny it, it has power over us.   We explore healthy ways for us to feel our emotions genuinely and connec...

On today's show I talk about the challenge and importance of focusing on the good stuff in the midst of everything that is going on right now.   Because things are so challenging it can be hard to tap into gratitude these days authentically, or we can feel guilty for doing so given how much suffering exists in the world.   While it is important to be mindful of this, there is real power for us whe...

Today is the day...my new book, We're All in This Together, is officially available!   On this show, I share the origin story behind this new book, the specific reasons why I wrote it, the significance of the title and timing, and how it connects with what we're going through right now.   I also talk about the four pillars of the book and how these things relate to you and your team.   The moment...

On today's show I talk about the idea that "We can do hard things," which is something I've been reminded about over the past few years by my friend, the incredible author Glennon Doyle.   Things right now are really challenging for a lot of us, and there is so much pain, change, and uncertainty in our world.   I lay out five specific things we can focus on these days, which can help us navigate t...

On today's show I talk about the idea that "this, too, shall pass."   While there is deep truth and wisdom in this mantra, it can also be tricky.   We have to be careful about when and how we say it to others, and also how we think about it ourselves.   And, remembering how strong and resilient we are, as well as knowing that we will get through this, are important things for us to focus on as we...