Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity

How often do you ask yourself "Who am I? Where am I going? How do I get there?" How do you gain personal awareness? How do you present yourself authentically to others? In this the first of three episodes on Mindfulness, we gain insight on those questions by exploring the concept of "contemplative practices" with educators Dr. Esmilda Abreu and Rhonda Schaller. We learn how those practices can lead to greater emotional intelligence, and offer important benefits to individuals and organizations.

How does your organization approach change? Where do ideas for change come from? How do you assess for change readiness? How do you develop and maintain a culture where change is seen as a vital part of the organization's focus? How do you hire the right talent for that culture? In this wide-ranging interview, we hear from Tom Parker how the highly respected not-for profit, Make-A-Wish America wrestles with these questions. Tom is currently serving as the organization's Director of Human Resources.

Cognitive distortions are self-limiting patterns of thinking that many of us demonstrate in life. These mental biases include "all or nothing thinking," "overgeneralizing," and "no control fallacy." Sound familiar? In this episode, we hear from Courtney Ackerman on how to identify and begin to manage these negative thought patterns. Courtney is the author of My Pocket Positivity, and a researcher and regular contributor to the Positive Psychology Program.

When have you ever been asked – or been forced – to move out of your comfort zone – the arena in which you've historically operated? What did you discover about yourself and your strength repertoire in the process? What lessons did you learn about life? In this episode, we meet Tom Dietzler who suddenly found himself engaged in two roles that were very different from the one he had heretofore performed.

Who is the best leader with whom you have ever worked? What made them so? Was it their technical knowledge and the application of their experience? Was it how they worked with staff? A combination of these qualities? In this episode, we hear from Pat McHugh, a highly inspirational and successful leader who epitomizes the idea of the "servant leader" – the leader who leads from the "other," and not the self, perspective.

What do we mean by "soft" or "interpersonal" skills? Where do you see them – or the absence of them – in the workplace? Which ones do you consistently demonstrate? In this episode, we're joined by Mary Schaefer, an HR specialist who now works with organizations and leaders on how to bring humanity back to the workplace through interpersonal skills.

What are your experiences with performance appraisals? Useful? A waste of time? Somewhere in the middle? In this episode, Steve Paul, former owner of a construction service company and now a business consultant, offers a proven way to boost their usefulness: "acceleration meetings." Listen for how frequent, but time-limited conversations can bring you closer in tune with your staff's needs and idea, and establish deeper trust in the process.

Do you find yourself living your life, or someone else's? Do you routinely invest in yourself to carve out your own identity and solidify your life? Or are you lost in someone else's flashlight beam, a light that is gradually dimming as the batteries fade? Today we meet Hannah Bratterud, now a fulfilled individual, and successful consultant and coach for small business owners. But it wasn't always that way. Listen in as Hannah tells her story of transformation.

How can organizations best engage their employees to create real loyalty? What impact does leadership have on employee loyalty and engagement? What do we need to know about employee retention today? In this episode, we get some answers from Heather Younger, best-selling author of The 7 Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty. Heather is also a workshop facilitator, motivational speaker, and host of the very popular podcast, "Leadership with Heart."

Your life's clock is ticking. What's the trip you can't afford not to take? What's the activity you can't afford not to do? Who is the person you can't afford not to meet? In this episode, we meet septuagenarian Jane Trombley, who manages 3scoreandmore.com, a unique website, which was first intended to support women interested in solo travel. The site has since grown to include people of all ages and genders. Jane also writes extensively on the "Medium" platform for those approaching retirement.