Make Life Less Difficult

My guest today is Elizabeth Tilstra.  Elizabeth describes herself as a perfectionist who found herself in the physically-demanding career of professional ballet, later becoming a Doctor of Physical Therapy.  As a PT she is dedicated to working with people committed to being hard on their bodies – just as she was as a professional dancer.She works with clients from all backgrounds, but finds her passion is working with dancers and helping them care for themselves, keep their bodies strong, and be their best selves on and off the stage.She is a movement expert, having been in the art of movement and body awareness since the age of five. Picking up on the nuances of movement is essential as a professional dancer. And as a PT.  as a physical therapist, she can understand and identify dysfunctions that arise from improper mechanics, and then find creative ways to improve them. Elizabeth is a passionate educator at heart. She shares that nothing bothers her more than feeling like she doesn’t have all the answers, yet she’s the first person to tell you she doesn’t have all the answers. But you can count on her to be reading, researching, inquiring, and listening to continue growing and learning to better serve her patients and clients. Elizabeth is also my sister-in-law, married to my husband’s brother, and I’m so grateful to have her as a guest today.  Her story is one of determination and growth and resilience.  Thank you for sharing, Elizabeth!Connect with Elizabeth:InstagramLinkedInwww.makelifelessdifficult.com Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~   Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is my niece!  Sarah Cole joins me to discuss conflict and how we can make dealing with conflict a little less difficult.In Episode 16, I shared strategies for approaching and managing conflict based off the Thomas-Kilmann Model of Conflict Management.  After listening to this episode, Sarah reached out to me and asked me several questions including, how can someone who is a hardcore accommodator learn to be more assertive?  And what are the differences between a peacekeeper and a peace maker?Sarah and I exchanged a few messages and then I said, Hey!  Would you come on the podcast and we can have a conversation about all this?!?She said a quick yes, before she “chickened out” and here we are!Sarah is studying Social Work at Southern Adventist University in Tennessee.  She loves people and animals and engaging in interesting conversations.  Sarah, thanks for coming on the podcast and for the fantastic reflections you share.  I love the metaphors you introduced me to and am grateful to be able to share them with others! www.makelifelessdifficult.comSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~   Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Kris Burbank.Kris’s website begins with the phrase: Learn to Bloom.  Kris embodies this admonition in a deep way and helps others learn to bloom amidst the challenges of life.  As the proud mother of three grown children, including a son born four months premature with severe cerebral palsy, Kris loves working with parents to help them figure out how to make the most of their lives.  She helps parent navigate with joy, compassion, and humor (even when it’s messy!).Through her own family’s experience with CP, ADHA, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and more, Kris says she continues to learn life’s lessons daily.  She acknowledges the difficulty of parenthood and she also emphasizes that support and community and knowledge can enable us to be our truest and best selves and can make life less difficult.As an executive leadership coach, Kris connects this reality to positive impacts in our professional performance.  She’s working to help leaders develop their leadership potential as courageous and effective leaders because the world needs them!  Kris has her ACC accreditation with the International Coach Federation.Kris, thank you for sharing your journey, stories, and lessons learned with us here!Connect with Kris:WebsiteLinkedInwww.makelifelessdifficult.comSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~   Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Miranda Holder.Miranda is a leadership coach who began her career as an endurance athlete.  At 25, while training for the US Olympic Rowing Team, she found out she had a congenital heart condition that abruptly ended her career as an athlete. She transitioned to coaching and served as the Head Coach for the Georgetown University’s Women’s Rowing Team but found herself burned out after about a decade. Miranda transitioned and trained as a leadership coach at Georgetown.  She has her own company and is as a professional certified coach with the ICF, a certified narrative coach through moment institute and is also a registered yoga teacher. Miranda describes herself as equal parts artist, athlete, and dreamer.  And a deeply devoted pragmatist.  She is most excited when she’s supporting another human who has a big dream they want to bring into the world.Miranda and I met through Brian Levenson, my guest on episode 27.  (Thank you, Brian, for the introduction and connection).  After our initial conversation Miranda and I agree that we’d be great neighbors and it was one of those moments when I wished the world was a little smaller so we could indeed hang out in person!  Alas, Miranda is in the NE United States, I’m in Sri Lanka… I’m grateful for the technology that connects us and allowed us to have this conversation and exploration.  In fact, it is thanks for Miranda that I learned the term “structured emergence.”  Miranda attributed the term to her narrative coach training, but it really captures the essence of my conversation on this podcast.  I love the experience of seeing what emerges with each guest, for myself, the guests, and the listeners.  If you’ve been touched by any of the conversations here, I’d love to hear from you.  Or reach out directly to my guests. This podcast has been an experience of ‘structured emergence’ since the start and I love what’s emerging! Thank you so much for being part of the journey!Miranda, thank you for sharing pieces of your journey with us today, your reflections, wisdom, and inspiration. Miranda's Websitewww.makelifelessdifficult.comSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~   Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Aaron Brown.Aaron has over two decades of experience in law enforcement, Army Special Operations, national security, and intelligence.  His work has taken him to challenging and remote places around the world.  And he has advised senior government officials on matters of national security and now consults in the private sector.I first met Aaron when we were living in Saudi Arabia.  He and his wife became fast friends of ours.  In the life of expats, some friends are friends for the time you live in the same place.  Other friends remain close friends even when our jobs create 1000s of miles of distance between us.  Aaron and his family are in the latter category and we’re so grateful!In our conversation today, Aaron shares reflections on his time in Army Ranger school and how mindset was the element that made that difficult time a little less difficult and prevented him from quitting.  We discuss the power of mindset across a spectrum of topics and experiences, including Aaron’s training and time as a police officer.  Some mindsets are incredibly helpful, others can be harmful.  Sorting through these mindsets, being willing to change the ones that are harmful, and creating ways to help others shift their mindsets is a complex problem.  One of my reflections from my conversation with Aaron is the importance of recognizing even small shifts in perspective and mindset can have enormous results for good.  www.makelifelessdifficult.comSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~   Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Melina Cordero.If you Google Melina Cordero, you’ll find page after page of Melina in the news, on podcasts, and highlighted in prestigious corporate publications for her quick rise in her firm, breaking glass ceilings and being the youngest executive ever in her position.On her own website, Melina describes herself as a “former box-ticking corporate exec who left it all to change the way we work.”For over a decade, Melina spent her time “sprinting between airports, board rooms, and conference stages.” She was extremely successful and especially lauded for this success in a male-dominated industry.But, she says, behind the scenes she “was overworked, unfulfilled, and following rules that did not align with [her] values.” Then along came 2020....In our conversation today, Melina shares her story of corporate success and why she walked away from it.  Melina’s purpose is direct and straightforward: She believes there’s a better way to work.  She’s studied why humans and organizations work the way we do and how we can do it better.So many feel burned out, exhausted, and feel stuck.  Melina believes we can change this and if we succeed at changing the way we work, we can improve not just our lives but the productivity of organizations as well.Melina, thank you for sharing your story with us.  Your insights into work and how we can do better are inspiring and energizing!  Let’s make life less difficult by changing the way we work!Connect with Melina:WebsiteLinkedInInstagramwww.makelifelessdifficult.comSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~   Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Gavin McClurg.It’s difficult to know how to introduce Gavin.  He’s had more adventures, close-calls, and epic expeditions than anyone I know.  He’s also one of the most driven and passionate humans out there.  I met Gavin through the paragliding community by listening to his podcast, Cloudbase Mayhem.  After learning to paraglide, I got the crazy idea to reach out to Gavin and pitch the idea of me being a guest on his podcast – a total newbie, but with some insights that could be helpful to other new pilots and especially for woman in this sport, as we are a minority.  I was thrilled when Gavin answered my email with a Sure, let’s give it a try!  He did caveat the invitation with, “I’d like to reserve the right to decide whether I publish it or not until after we talk!”  (And I made the cut! Listen to Episode 60 here!)Gavin started his athletic career as a ski racer and was headed for the Olympics in the early 90s when an accident resulted in his knee being unable to keep going under that amount of pressure.  He started and ran a sailing and kite surfing expedition company for over 10 years, circumnavigating the world twice and exploring some of the most remote beaches and waters in the world.In 2006 he learned to paraglide, and I think it’s safe to say paragliding has consumed his life ever since!  He’s a professional pilot and has competed in the X-Alps (one of, if not, THE, most challenging adventure race across the Alps) 4 times now. (and counting…?  Maybe!)I love exploring the idea of making life less difficult with people who chose hard things, who push themselves to the brink over and over.  Does it even apply?  Is the concept relevant here?  In our conversation, Gavin generously shares his stories and reflections around the difficulties in life, especially when they are chosen.  We explore the value of simplicity and how even in challenging situations, simplicity is often what makes life less difficult, and we touch on themes of pursuing what’s most important, letting go of the drive to get and accumulate more and more, and also the unique challenges of the changes that come with the privilege of aging.Thank you, Gavin, for your inspiration, not just to me, but to countless others around the world!Please check out the  links to Gavin’s website, Ted Talks, Expedition Movies, and more:Cloudbase Mayhem PodcastGavin's Tedx TalkNorth of Known500 Miles to NowhereThe Rocky Mountains Traverse2021 Red Bull X-AlpsInstagramBook: Advanced Paraglidingwww.makelifelessdifficult.comSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~   Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

Anna Sparks returns for another great conversation exploring the book we read: Unbound, A Woman's Guide to Power by Kasia Urbaniak.Unbound is described as, "The ultimate guide to owning your power – and mastering how to use it.  Part manual, part manifesto for a woman of the pivot, Unbound  is a how-to guide to the impossible, the outrageous, the unimaginable--a field guide to living your wildest, best, and most satisfying life." - www.kasiaurbaniak.comThis book!  It has revolutionized my life and relationships!  I had to read it three times in a row to take it in, swirl it around, test it out, and ultimately deeply appreciate all I'd learned and how it was impacting my relationships.  Anna is the founder of Granada Group which provides leadership coaching and consulting and coaching services based on transparent, authentic partnerships and an avid reader who could talk about books all day long.Connect with Anna:WebsiteLinkedInResources:"Leadership That Gets Results", Harvard Business ReviewBrene Brown's term Vulnerability Hangover, Psychology Todaywww.makelifelessdifficult.comSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~   Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Madeha Al Ajroush.  Madeha has been a dedicated psychotherapist for over 25 years.  She’s passionate about her work helping clients on their journey toward greater personal fulfillment.She describes therapy as an effective process of self-discover.  And creates a safe, respected place for people to explore their pasts, present, and futures.Madeha was mentioned on our podcast in Episode 9 with Evelyne Fallows.  Evelyne mentioned working with a therapist while she was living in Saudi Arabia -- Madeha.  She shared many beautiful and life-changing impacts from her work with Madeha.  And now it is an immense honor to share directly with you, my conversation with Madeha.   In additiona to being a psychotherapist, Madeha is a mother, wife, author, and photographer.  She lives in Saudi Arabia and works with clients from all over the world.  Connect with Madeha:WebsiteInstagramLinkedIn www.makelifelessdifficult.com Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~   Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Dr. Lisa Clark Diller.  Lisa is an historian of the early modern world and the chair of the History Department at Southern Adventist University.  Lisa is passionate about teaching because she believes that education expands the heart and mind and helps people better become who they were created to be.  It gives them the tools and perspectives and dispositions to be agents of change in their spheres of influence.Lisa is active in her community, a leader in her church, and enjoys traveling and many other outdoor activities.Lisa & first met in college, but got to know each other much better later in life when we lived in the same city.  I have long quote Lisa when I talk about taking risks, pushing back against perfection, giving ourselves space to explore and be beginners.  Lisa's encouragement of, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing poorly," has deeply impacted me and helped move me away from the paralyzing fear of perfection (or rather imperfection!).  During our conversation, I also discover my word for 2022: Imperfect!  May we each go forth boldly into the world with love, kindness, and with the embrace of imperfection!Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn.www.makelifelessdifficult.com Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~   Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra