Ep 30 - Purpose, Planning, and Power: An Interview with Donna Peters, Founder of The Me-Suite

Donna Peters shares her groundbreaking idea for leading a life of purpose: applying the C-Suite mentality to our own lives. Prepare to take a deep dive into self-development with a recognized executive coach, speaker, and workshop leader with 20+ years advising senior executives and next generation leaders at the world's most admired companies. Donna challenges us to explore the following questions: Why should we identify and embody our core values? What should we know about work life balance? How do we build our own board of directors? What are ways we can use improv in business and life? What's a process for giving ourselves more options no matter how challenging the situation? What are the benefits of adopting the Me-Suite Mindset?

For more information about Donna Peters,
visit https://www.the-me-suite.com/

Ep 29 - Fill Your Cup: An Interview with Erin Engelke, Executive Director for Calm Waters

Today's episode features Erin Engelke, Executive Director, of the Non-profit Calm Waters. She shares her unique perspectives on work life balance, productivity, purpose-driven leadership, and the biggest obstacle preventing us from living our purpose. Erin gives us actionable steps that will have a profound effect on you and those you care about. 

Related links:
www.calmwaters.org

www.beautyinthebusyness.com

Ep 28 - What is Your Everest? An Interview with Sara Safari, Mountain Climber and Advocate for Women’s Empowerment

Sara Safari is amazing! She is an author, speaker, mountain climber, college professor, electrical engineer, and advocate for women's empowerment. In this episode, you'll hear her inspiring story as we touch upon perseverance, empowering girls and women, goalsetting, thinking big, having a vision for your life, and leading a purposeful life by helping others achieve their potential. The sky's the limit in this episode. Visit her web sites: www.sarasafari.com and www.climbyoureverest.org.

Podcast Notes:

Empower Nepali Girls Foundation

Landmark Forum

“Perfect Impossible”

You must become as big as your goal

Reconnect with your why when you face adversity

Write a why letter to yourself

Practice overcoming willpower

Goalsetting approach: divide your goal into 1,000 steps and take just one

Take the same approach in every area of your life

It’s not the goal itself that is important. It’s who you meet and what you become in the process of achieving the goal that is everything.

Ep 27 - How Spirituality and Creativity Serve Others: An Interview with Richard K. Pope

An uplifting and entertaining conversation with Richard K. Pope, Founder of Canvas Church and Chaplain for Coca-Cola. We discuss a vital attribute that all effective leaders possess. Richard shares the creative collaboration required to design a logo for Canvas Church. And Richard delves into the beauty of cultivating passions personally so they can be expressed professionally. 

For more info about all that Richard does visit: https://www.facebook.com/richard.pope.39750121/

Podcast Notes:
Skal Sauce

Vikings tv show

Richard K. Pope’s book of poetry

His purpose for journaling

Podcast niches

Writing to improve mental health

Create products with wide appeal then niche the funnels

How the logo for Canvas Church was created

Books discussed: Dracula, Frankenstein, Moby Dick, Game of Thrones, Blue Ocean Strategy, Prince Machiavelli, Sherlock Holmes, Simon Sinek: Leaders Eat Last and Start with Why

Put people first but not at the expense of your own mental health

Love people well and you’ll get love in return

Purpose and Meaning in the Workplace: Have an Attitude of Gratitude

Here’s a tip related to purpose and meaning in the workplace inspired by an episode of the classic Twilight Zone series. This is day 2 of my 156-day exercise streak in which I exercise while watching an episode then share an insight related to self-development.

Ep. 2 - “One for the Angels” Lou, a small-time huckster, gets a visit from Mr. Death but gets a reprieve with some smooth talking. However, Mr. Death takes a substitute - a neighborhood girl who is pals with Lou who will die at midnight. Lou convinces Mr. Death to take him instead with a pitch for the ages.

Purpose and Meaning in the Workplace

In this episode, Lou, gets the news that his time is up and appeals to Mr. Death that he still has many things to do, therefore, this can’t be the end for him. In life, we often get caught up in the daily hustle of our busy lives and forget to enjoy the great moments - enriching and painful. As John Lennon says, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

How can we smell the roses more?
* Start a journal. Jot down creative snippets and insights throughout the day and explore your thoughts each night in a journal before dinner. I use a digital recorder but you could use your phone. In five minutes a day, you can have a record of all the wonderful events of your life. It’s also a valuable record that you can refer back to when there’s a question of which day something occurred. Imagine having a recording of the top 5 moments of every day for decades. Focus on the 5 senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing. Which details should you include to capture the key moments of your day?
* Develop an attitude of gratitude. Expect good things to come your way (now I sound like one of my heroes, Brian Tracy - “I LIKE myself. I LIKE myself. I LIKE myself - lol).
* Make more thoughtful and intentional pitches at work and home. In today’s episode, Lou made a master pitch to save the life of a child. What are the pitches you make to co-workers, family members, friends, and other people in your network? What pitches SHOULD you be crafting and executing? * At first, be content with identifying moments of goodness in your life. Soon, you’ll string them together and expand them. Examples of moments of joy: coffee and paper in the morning, energizing music while you shower, sluicing an ice cold glass of water after mowing the lawn, and creating habits and winning streaks in your life - no matter how insignificant they seem.

Related resources:
Why you need to start an audio journal
The connection between creativity and purpose
Journaling makes you more creative
Start an audio journal now and enjoy more purpose and meaning in your life

“If you can tune into your purpose and really align with it, setting goals so that your vision is an expression of that purpose, then life flows much more easily.” ― Jack Canfield

An Essential Leadership Development Skill You Need is to Identify Your Roles

Today, I’m starting a streak and eager to see how long I can keep it going. I’m exercising on the treadmill every day for 25 minutes - time enough to watch one episode of the original Twilight Zone tv show from the fifties. There are 156 episodes. It might not sound like much of a challenge but I’ve tried for decades to make a habit of daily exercise - let’s go!

Each day, I’ll share a self-development lesson from a Twilight Zone episode. Here goes.

Ep. 1 “Where is Everybody?”

A man with amnesia wanders through a small town without people. Turns out he was in the Air Force doing an isolation exercise where he was in a tiny room for 20 days without outside stimuli. He loses touch with reality because of the isolation.

Leadership Development Skill - Identify Your Roles

We’re social animals and need to make meaningful connections with others. In my book, “All the Hats We Wear: How to be Joyful, Productive, & Fulfilled,” I start with identifying life roles - the many hats we wear. Once you identify the 15-20 roles you play (or should be playing), focus on crafting them into works of art. 15-20 is a manageable amount to curate. Also, there are four types of roles: mind/body/spirit, giving/receiving, personal, and professional. 

Once you define your roles, expand your network for each one. If you have a Meditator role, go on a meditation retreat with other passionate meditators. If you have a role of Roller Derby Queen - yes, I know someone who is on a team, your experience deepens with your teammates and your new roller derby community. By the way, the best roller derby nickname I’ve heard is Holly Wanna Crack ya! Define your roles then seed community and expand your network in each.

Related resources for identifying roles and other key leadership development skills:

Assume Big Bold Roles

The Benefits of Identifying Your Past and Present Roles

Work Life Balance Tip

Most Powerful Time Management Skill Podcast Episode

Identify Your Top Roles - Forbes Article on Productivity

Team Roles and Responsibilities - Indeed Article

Play Your Roles - Franklin Covey Leadership Article

3 Lessons Parasailing Can Teach You About Living a Joyful and Purposeful Life

Last week, my family went to Cape Cod for vacation and we went parasailing - partly the result of a dare from my father-in-law. 

Lesson #1 - Be a Flyer, Not a Passenger 

As we boarded the boat with 10 other vacationers, we were separated into two groups: passengers and flyers. I have 11-year old twins and up we went - 1,000 feet above the ocean. It felt like we were in a movie and the background was a green screen - it was so vivid! We laughed the whole time. We had pangs of panic at times when we heard tiny crackling sounds from the rope - our lifeline! I’m sure being an observer was enjoyable but it paled in comparison to feeling as light as a feather as we floated far above the boat with the sound of our parachute flapping above us.

Lesson #2 - Vulnerability is a Strength

The mood was serious and perhaps that’s why I blurted out my silly statement. Maybe I said it just to make my kids laugh. Our burly, bronzed deckhand told us he’d be taking pictures of us as we flew so I asked if he could take a few tasteful nudes. Luckily, everyone laughed and it loosened the tension onboard. Afterwards, I realized it’s the moment of not knowing that is the most exciting part for me. Jerry Seinfeld described the moment when you finish delivering the joke and wait to see the audience’s reaction. It’s a moment of surrender for the joke teller. It’s putting trust in other people’s hands. And I like that. Naturally, I’m not espousing telling distasteful or hurtful jokes. 

Lesson #3 - Share Your Personality Generously

After our adventure, we walked ashore and a high-school aged girl approached us to see if we wanted to purchase the photos. She wasn’t impolite. She just showed zero personality. I suppose she wasn’t encouraged to be personable or relate in any meaningful way with customers. This only came up during the ride in the mini-van to return to the campground. My sons and I had a conversation about sharing one’s personality and friendliness with others. They accused me of saying something mean about that girl but I explained to them that wasn’t my intent. I gave my sons a few examples of things she could’ve said other than “Nope” and “Yup” to get more sales and to give us an even better experience - to put the cherry on top.  Being friendly and supportive is a muscle that needs reps every day.

Related blog posts:
The First Step in Self-Development

Most Powerful Time Management Skill You’ll Ever Learn

Ep 26 - How to be Mindful and Productive

One way to increase mindful living is to notice the details and reconnect with the sensory experiences throughout your day. When you notice the beauty of everyday experiences, you will be more productive and fulfilled. We discuss authenticity, happiness, and the importance of emotional fulfillment for you and everyone around you. 

This show will teach you the time management skills you need to be joyful, productive, & fulfilled in all areas of life. I believe that if we want a fulfilling life, we have to identify all the hats we wear, then dedicate our lives to turning each role into a beautiful work of art. I’m your host productivity expert, life coach, and corporate trainer, Scott Snow. 

Productivity Tips and Mindfulness in the News - episode outline

1. How to be authentic and be the best version of yourself with Lesley Everett (Speaker magazine, July 2008)

2. Sculptor, Ikuko Burns, show us how to be inspired and joyful (Boston Globe, 12/3/17, B. Marquad)

3. Einstein’s Theory of Happiness (Associated Press)

4. Analog is making a comeback over digital (NYT, 11/18/17, D. Sax)

5. Importance of emotional fulfillment in business (WSJ, 12/16/17, S. Moore)

6. Man sails a 500 pound pumpkin across Boston Harbor (Boston Globe, 10/2/17, S. Annear)

7. Mindful living despite winning the jackpot (Boston Globe, 9/27/19, D. Arnett)

8. Use you daily journal as an assessment for your level of mindfulness

Well, that brings us to the end today’s episode. Let’s keep the momentum going. Text or email me and say you want a free consult and we’ll schedule a complementary, 20-minute consult call, to get you moving in the right direction. We’ll focus on your biggest time management challenge and I’ll help you come up with some personalized strategies to overcome that obstacle. My text number is 774-230-3928 and my email is scottsnow1234@gmail.com. 

Never under-estimate your ability to come up with your own solutions! The best way to do that is by participating in 1:1 coaching with a trained life coach.

We covered a lot today. You heard inspiring stories about mindfulness, emotional fulfillment, and productivity tips for using sensory experiences to be your best self. I hope you enjoyed these strategies for managing your busy life and living your life’s purpose. 

Ep 25: Surprising Leadership Traits that will Help You Become a More Effective Leader

Leaders are made up of many unique traits. In this episode, we’ll explore: critical thinking skills you learn from playing bridge and how that will help you become a better leader, how we need pregnant pauses to do great creative brainstorming, excellent questions to ask ourselves to uncover our leadership style, Jeff Bezos show us who’s the most important person in every executive meeting at Amazon, and how we can become giants in leadership for the future - as told by Segun Idowu.

One of the greatest gifts you can get from your life coach or executive coach is the space they leave for you to grow into who you wish to become. Learna how creating empowering habits can set you up for becoming a bigger and better version of yourself. 

This show will teach you the time management skills you need to be joyful, productive, & fulfilled in all areas of life. I believe that if we want a fulfilling life, we have to identify all the hats we wear, then dedicate our lives to turning each role into a beautiful work of art. This is episode 24 and I’m your host productivity expert, life coach, executive coach, and corporate trainer, Scott Snow. 

Leadership Skills in the News - episode outline

1. Leadership development learned by playing bridge: lessons from Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

2. How to allow for space and moments of pause in brainstorming and creativity with Cesar Melgoza. (NYT, 12/27/15, A. Bryant)

3. How to discover your leadership style with the help of John Addison. (Success magazine, April 2016)

4. Maggie Rogers and Marissa Meyer share their definition of leadership and leadership skills. 

5. The importance of having an inspiring vision during difficult times: Scott Kirby, United Airlines, CEO. (WSJ, 7/2/20, S. McCartney)

6. The human side of leadership: show vulnerability and empathy as a leader and you’ll inspire great teamwork and employee engagement, says Lars Dalgaard. (NYT, 10/18/15, A. Bryant)

7. Jeff Bezos’ tips of how to be an effective leader. (Forbes, 4/23/12)

8. Exciting new leader, Segun Idowu, tells us what inspired him and how he inspires ceos and executives to have better leadership development. (Boston Globe, 7/5/20, J. Nanos)

Well, that brings us to the end today’s episode. Let’s keep the momentum going. Text me and say you want a free consult and we’ll schedule a complementary, 20-minute consult call, to get you moving in the right direction. We’ll focus on your biggest time management challenge and I’ll help you come up with some personalized strategies to overcome that obstacle. My text number is 774-230-3928. Never under-estimate your ability to come up with your own solutions! The best way to do that is by participating in 1:1 coaching with a trained life coach. 

We covered a lot today: critical thinking skills you learn from playing bridge and how that will help you become a better leader, how we need pregnant pauses to do great creative brainstorming, excellent questions to ask ourselves to uncover our leadership style, Jeff Bezos show us who’s the most important person in every executive meeting at Amazon, and how we can become giants in leadership for the future - as told by Segun Idowu.

I hope you enjoyed these strategies for managing your busy life and living your life’s purpose. Always remember: Surprising Leadership Traits that will Help You Become a More Effective Leader.

Ep 24 - You Have to See the New You Before Anyone Else Can

One of the greatest gifts you can get from your life coach or executive coach is the space they leave for you to grow into who you wish to become. Learn how creating empowering habits can set you up for becoming a bigger and better version of yourself. 

This show will teach you the time management skills you need to be joyful, productive, & fulfilled in all areas of life. I believe that if we want a fulfilling life, we have to identify all the hats we wear, then dedicate our lives to turning each role into a beautiful work of art. This is episode 24 and I’m your host productivity expert, life coach, and corporate trainer, Scott Snow. 

Self-development and Personal Productivity in the News - episode outline

1. James Clear’s book “Atomic Habits and the concept of identity-based habits

2. Study published in the Journal of Consumer Research (Psychology Today magazine, September 2015, N. Eyal)

3. Violin prodigy, Ida Haendel’s big thinking (Boston Globe, 7/10/20, C. Wollheim)

4. What’s better for creativity: silence or ambient noise? (Fortune magazine, 1/1/16)

5. Leadership and emotion in movies (Boston Globe, 7/10/20, T. Burr)

6. Using design thinking for personal development (NYT, 1/5/16, T. Parker-Pope)

7. Getting to know Martha Stewart and what makes her successful (WSJ, 12/19/19)

Well, that brings us to the end today’s episode. Let’s keep the momentum going. Text me and say you want a free consult and we’ll schedule a complementary, 20-minute consult call, to get you moving in the right direction. We’ll focus on your biggest time management challenge and I’ll help you come up with some personalized strategies to overcome that obstacle. My text number is 774-230-3928. Never under-estimate your ability to come up with your own solutions! The best way to do that is by participating in 1:1 coaching with a trained life coach. 

We covered a lot today:  the concept of identity-first habit forming from James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, a violin virtuoso who had amazing confidence , the best conditions for doing your most creative work, how to use design thinking for self-development, and you were probably inspired by the great and powerful Martha Stewart.

I hope you enjoyed these strategies for managing your busy life and living your life’s purpose. Always remember: You Have to See the New You Before Anyone Else Can.