The Creative Giant Show with Charlie Gilkey

A common myth is that scaling a business means you have to compromise the core values, culture and human-friendly qualities that the business originally started with. In today’s episode, Laura Novak Meyer joins me to share what she learned in the process of scaling her business while keeping it true to its core. Laura is an entrepreneur who is one of only 3% of women business owners to grow their company to more than one million dollars in revenue. Ready? Let’s do this!   Key Takeaways: [0:53] Laura Novak Myers – The owner & founder of Little Nest Portraits [1:46] Laura shares her origin story. [2:30] How did Laura go from an independent photographer to a retail photography company? [5:35] Opening her first little Nest location. [6:38] What made Laura hire her first employee? [9:12] Did Laura have any entrepreneurial background before starting her own business? [10:25] Why do people cling to that divide between creative and business? [13:21] Laura’s 3 seminal challenges and lessons learned from them. [17:46] How did she overcome her concern for hurting people’s feelings while giving feedback. [20:32] Something Laura is very passionate about. [22:37] Laura doesn’t believe you can grow without constantly reinforcing your values. [25:35] Why didn’t Laura tell her employees about franchising at first? [28:52] Some of Laura’s spark moments throughout her career. [31:07] Laura’s best practices for maintaining a sense of calmness. [33:34] The unspoken pressures every entrepreneur is faced with. [36:52] Franchising was harder than Laura expected it to be. [41:36] The most unanticipated challenge Laura is facing. [44:14] If people remember only one thing about Laura and her body of work, what would it be?   Mentioned in This Episode: Little Nest Portraits Radical Candor by Campbell Scott Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard Build to Sell by John Warrillow

Coaching is a powerful way of being with people, because it unlocks human potential and transforms the way you relate to others. It is also really misunderstood, misrepresented, and when done right it is hard to do. Michael Bungay Stanier is an award winning coach and he joins me today to work through some powerful coaching questions you can use at work and at home. Make sure to listen in, for the turn in the conversation about two thirds of the way through this episode. Ready? Let's do this!   Key Takeaways: [1:00] Who is Michael Bungay Stanier? [3:25] Michael’s books, Do More Great Work & The Coaching Habit [4:31] Michael talks about the ‘resistance’ to coaching and related statistics [6:00] Coaching is about leading with more curiosity and with a lot less advice [6:59] The T.E.R.A quotient explains why it’s hard for people to listen and not be an 'advice monster' [9:33] Coaching is an effective leadership style and it has to be done in 10 minutes or less [12:59] Michael talks on the process and provides a working definition of coaching [14:47] Managers can delegate and still hold their value in an organization [16:41] The drama triangle: Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer [21:14] The 7 most powerful coaching questions for managers, from The Coaching Habit (p. 200) [23:04] The two questions Michael puts more weight on when coaching managers. [26:28] Why does asking 'why' get a little problematic? [27:27] Which of the questions seem easy but in fact are harder to have a powerful conversation around? [29:39] The trickiest question for Michael is the foundation question: What do you want? [32:12] Michael talks on the difference between wants and needs [34:06] Which of the 7 questions is the most challenging for Michael? [41:04] How to transform your own potential? Michael has a mastermind group [43:19] Michael talks about the process of writing and shaping his new book [46:30] Michael’s one takeaway message: "Say no to more stuff so you can say yes to the right stuff".   Mentioned in This Episode: Box of Crayons Do More Great Work by Micheal Bungay Stanier End Malaria by Micheal Bungay Stanier Malaria no More The Coaching Habit by Micheal Bungay Stanier Goleman, Daniel. "Leadership that gets results." (2000). TouchPoints: Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moments by Douglas Conant and Mette Norgaard John Whitmore The 7 most powerful coaching questions… from The Coaching Habit (p. 200) Immunity to Change by Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey Michael Bungay Stanier’s Mastermind Group

You were probably in the goal setting mode for 2016 or maybe you just want to set the right goals. It turns out that making great goals is often a matter of asking the right questions. Jeffrey Davis and I think a particularly good question is, "what will you stand for, this year?" and that's what we're jamming about on this episode. This isn't about fighting against something but rather standing up and standing for something. You are writing a story, so you might as well think about what you want to include in that story. Ready? Let's do this!   Key Takeaways: [01:04] Jeffrey Davis joined Charlie on episode 7: "Don’t Be an Idea Thief" [03:56] Jeffery thinks creativity is our biological and even spiritual impulse [04:33] One way that we're creative – we connect dots and find patterns  [07:04] We can be selective about our public story and still remain authentic [09:02] Jeffrey on putting forth the story you want to own [12:47] Stories can serve as windows and as mirrors [14:04] Jeffrey and Charlie discuss creativity and authenticity [17:16] Shaping the larger story of what you're about can be a really creative endeavor [20:46] Wanting to re-enter a story and the importance of the back story [23:45] What are the values or ideals that are driving us?  [24:25] Jeffrey talks about Paul Zak's research on the neuroscience of the narrative [27:11] Examples of ideal-driven companies that own their brand stories [34:25] Think about your core story, your legacy, and what you want to be known for [36:16] "Your brand is the total emotional experience that people have with you or your business" [37:05] Jeffrey on what it means to be a thought leader [39:01] Charlie on looking retroactively and asking, “what have I been standing for?”    Mentioned in This Episode: Episode 7 : "Don't Be an Idea Thief" with Jeffrey Davis Tracking Wonder Paul Zak’s research on the neuroscience of narrative Apple and Steve Jobs Jeff Bezos from amazon Brandon Page from Google Sam Walton from Walmart Joe Gebbia and his partners from Airbnb Method house cleaning American Giant Daniel Goleman and emotional intelligence  

Branded a "Moxie Maven" by The White House Office of Public Engagement for her unique and effective approach to leadership development, through her 'Step Into Your Moxie' platform, Alexia has become the go-to expert for helping entrepreneurs, executives, online experts, and other thought leaders create, pitch, and perform their spotlight talks and design and execute transformational events. Alexia is also the founder and director of Influencer Academy, a women's leadership development program. Alexia not only cultivates the voices of thought leaders, she is one! Alexia has scored FaceTime with hundreds of corporate, conference and college audiences; with her key note speeches and interactive trainings; and she has contributed to media including CNN, NBC, The Wall Street Journal, Inc., Forbes, and Women's Health Magazine. I'm excited to have Alexia on the show, sharing her voice so that you can better use your voice!   Key Takeaways: [02:28] Alexia shares her origin story on how she got started with public speaking? [05:51] The powerful moment Alexia experienced at 4 years of age (aka Initial Act of Moxie) [07:12] The power and fears associated with speaking out to say what needs to be said [08:52] Alexia talks about gender differences in fear of public speaking [10:48] Charlie's theory on how women & men have been socialized to respond to rejection [11:39] Alexia’s 10 month program, rooted in leadership [13:57] Alexia shares on learning that we don't need to be great in everything we do [17:49] Charlie recommends The First 20 Hours by Josh Kaufman [18:35] Alexia shares her journey to public speaking after getting her BA in Women's Studies [21:37] Charlie wants to celebrate that Alexia hated being broke! [23:36] How did she ‘unlearn’ the idea business is contradictory to what I'm doing - how did that manifest for her? [27:12] Alexia talks on the different parts of their journey potential speakers might be facing [29:52] Alexia shares some insight on talking about topics that are more difficult or unpopular [33:48] What's most important is for people that need you to know that you are there for them! [35:47] Alexia gives a shout out to Toshia Shaw [38:14] How do people find their message? How do you get to "The idea"? [40:17] What stories do you share? [40:59] What do you do when your message starts changing? [43:38] Do what makes sense based on your circumstances [46:40] What's Alexia's big message today? [48:06] What's the most unanticipated challenge that Alexia is currently facing? [51:04] What does Alexa want people to remember about her & her body of work?   Mentioned in This Episode: Influencer Academy   Step Into Your Moxie The First 20 Hours by Josh Kaufman Jacquette Timmonson TCGS Woodhull Institute The pact by Toshia Shaw at TEDx Brene Brown on “Big Strong Magic”, from Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert

It's the time of year where we're thinking about setting new goals and new resolutions. On this final episode of 2015, Angela and Charlie wanted to take the time to talk about some things to think about as you’re setting intentions and new plans for the New Year. They’re excited to jump into the show. Ready? Let's do this!   Key Takeaways [01:12] What is Angela looking forward to for next year? [02:26] What to think about when you're creating plans for next year. [02:33] Do a review before you plan a new. [06:17] How did your actions for this year align with your values? [07:00] Why is it so important for us to review before we start planning? [09:50] How the negativity bias plays into New Year's resolutions. [12:49] Reviewing plans allows you to see the story in a very deep way. [13:18] Celebrate your daily & weekly progress instead of waiting for a huge ending to celebrate. [19:20] Focusing on our mundane progress builds processes that we really enjoy. [20:41] What you feed, grows – Make sure the things that matter to you are getting fed. [26:19] Focus on fewer goals – Choose the things that matter most & focus more of your energy on those things. [30:36] What to do when you get stuck and not sure what to do. [33:19] Celebrate what you have achieved this year!   Mentioned in This Episode: Sideways Isn't Necessarily the Wrong Way 5 Ways Reviewing Your Plans Can Enhance Your Success Vision Quest

The stories we often hear and tell ourselves about entrepreneurs, are that successful entrepreneurs somehow had it in their blood or it was always what they wanted to be. The problem is that a lot of people who are now entrepreneurs never thought they'd be one or even have a hard time owning the title now. Graham Cochrane joins me to talk about his journey from freelancer to a successful entrepreneur in the music industry.   About Graham Cochrane: Graham is a freelance recording and mix engineer living in Tampa, Florida; and he is the founder of one of the world's most loved audio recording and mixing blogs, The Recording Revolution, having over 200,000 readers each month. As a lifelong singer/song writer and musician, his passion for recording and mixing has grown from the bedroom studio, to university where he studied audio production, to multi-million dollar studios, to fortune 500 software companies; and all the while freelancing for artists and bands worldwide. Graham's work in business has been featured in Yahoo, Business Insider, and Creative Live to name a few. He thinks of himself as a musician and an artist and never thought he'd be in the position where he is now a success that other people are turning to.   Key Takeaways: [02:07] Graham shares on how he got started in the music business. [04:44] He returned the book Four Hour Work Week, because he thought it’s a fantasy. [05:59] Graham never thought it was in the cards for him to make a good living as a musician. [07:48] How did he get the idea he could make good money doing something he loves? [09:16] Feeling like an impostor makes it tough to feel confident at the beginning. [11:29] It takes having a vision that most of us don't have at the beginning. [13:53] We're not a good judge of what we can sell, so sometimes we have to try & that is how his blog started. [14:23] The thing we're best at, we undervalue the most! [15:45] Blogging is a great way to find out what people are willing to pay for. [16:30] What was the process of going from free to paid to premium content like for him? [19:34] Graham shares a few ways to make money as a content creator. [22:01] Major lessons he learned when first starting The Recording Revolution. [24:41] His entire business model is… [25:52] Spark moments & how his website's traffic doubled in just a month. [28:39] Graham’s advice for content creators when they're in the pre-hockey stick phase. [33:06] Graham summarizes his 3 pieces of advice. [34:16] Quality over quantity! [36:44] Don’t get away from the core of what made you great, plus more advice on succeeding. [40:16] People & relationships outweigh numbers. [43:45] Most people won't buy from you - create the best free content in your niche. [45:41] Front load with free content because it's like advertising & grows your audience. [48:17] You have to really like the content you're creating. [50:27] What is the most unanticipated challenge he is currently facing? [52:52] What is an unanticipated challenge he is facing on the personal level? [54:58] It’s important to learn to say ‘no’ as your business grows. [57:37] What is the one thing people should remember from Graham?   Mentioned in This Episode: The recording revolution The 4 Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss The Go Giver, by Bob Burg Impostor Syndrome, by Ramit Sethi Michael Hyette Ryan Lynch - niching down 3 levels Mr. Money Mustache - Personal Finance Blogger Career Renegade, by Jonathan Fields The Small Business Lifecycle  

Email has become the primary tool many of us use to communicate with others. We both love it and hate it, because like money, email can be a great servant but a terrible master. Dmitri Leonov joins Charlie Gilkey to jam about ways you can make email work for you rather than against you. Email is one of Charlie’s favorite topics to talk about and he’s ready to jump into it with Dmitri.   Key Takeaways: [0:48] Charlie introduces his guest, Dmitri Leonov [1:30] The current email landscape [2:31] The real reason for email overload is communication overload [2:44] Three factors that contribute to this [3:38] Becoming aware of how plugged in you are to everything by changing the context [6:55] The other thing you can do is to put your smart phone in a shoebox! [7:36] What else is it about the current email landscape that gets us to where we are? [9:31] Dmitri schedules an hour in his calendar called “email time”, each day [10:09] Charlie talks about the two posts he has written about this: Difference between checking email & processing email Don’t use your inbox as a to-do-list [11:50] Dmitri adds to this by introducing the process called “triage” [12:31] A hack he has found very useful [14:15] Don’t use your inbox as an archive and what to do instead [18:52] The Five Sentences Movement is about short & concise messages [21:45] Transactional vs. conversational email communication [24:25] Tags within email are an amazing development [25:58] What other best practices Dmitri suggests? The core is to triage! [28:10] The attention switching cost [28:33] Dmitri suggests a second best practice [31:42] We get stuck in the technological loop & it’s infinite [32:39] Dmitri shares other advanced Ninja moves [38:13] His favorite hack! [44:01] Dmitri’s one takeaway: “don’t make email your priority”   Mentioned in This Episode: Find BigMail Slack Boomerang Google Inbox SaneBox Gmail’s “Undo Send” The Black Hole - a tool developed by Dmitri’s group WiseStampt 1Password  

The imposter syndrome is a major road block for many of us when it comes to doing our best work, especially if doing it requires us to start something new. “Who are you to do it?” rings so loudly inside us that we often can’t hear the other more helpful stories or see the other data points that show us that we’re on the right path. Dan Picket joins Charlie Gilkey for episode 59 to jam about how to debug the imposter syndrome.    Key Takeaways: [0:55] Who is Dan Picket? [1:02] Dan’s personal vision is to help people become the best version of themselves [1:45] How is the imposter syndrome working on him right now? [2:24] How did he get into programming? [3:25] How did Dan start out in software development and programming? [6:07] The stigma associated with software engineers. [8:32] Why did he make the jump from Launchware to Launch Academy? [10:59] How was the transition from entrepreneur to teacher? [13:48] Computer software engineering is a rapidly evolving and multi-faceted universe! [16:01] Disciplines that are in close periphery to software engineering are also affected by the pace of changing technology. [17:07] What qualifies Dan to start Launch Academy? [19:04] Imposter syndromes are so prevalent when you start something new. [19:42] Dan shares two small anecdotes on overcoming the imposter syndrome. [23:00] Only seeing the surface level of others’ work can make you feel like you’re not enough. [24:32] The ironic thing about the imposter syndrome: it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. [26:36] Negative thoughts and stories can feed our fears and make us feel like an imposter. [29:23] What would he do differently? Mindfulness. [34:12] Always go back to your core values to see if what you’re doing is in-line with them. [35:01] How does the imposter syndrome slide into the curriculum at Launch Academy? [37:03] The zone of proximal development [39:39] Advancement and growth only happens in discomfort. [41:00] What’s his biggest challenge right now? [44:52] Having patience and trust in others. [46:06] The beauty of hiring based on core values and cultural fit. [47:28] What is the one thing people could remember about Dan & his body of work from this episode?    Mentioned in this Episode: Launchware Launch Academy MIT Worcester Politech Agile Education Method Pam Slim Podcast (@ 22:04 min) The Feeling Good Handbook by Dr. Burns Emotional Obesity by Laura Coe The World’s Religions by Huston Smith Young Entrepreneurs Club  

Kristin Meekhof is a licenced Masters level social worker. She's a speaker, contributor to Huffington Post, a Maria Shriver “Architect of Change”, and the author of A Widow's Guide to Healing. She has been seen on Huffington Post Live, featured on American Greetings and at ABC Headquarters in New York. She has also been a panellist at the Parliament of World Religions. In 2007, she was 33 when her husband died from Adrenal cancer. About three years after his death, she decided that she wanted to interview as many widows as possible and put their narratives together in her book. She spent three and a half years talking with widows from various backgrounds to compile the book and share their stories. In 2014, Kristin traveled to Kenya and saw firsthand how widows live on less than a dollar a day. On today’s show, Kristin joins Charlie to talk about her experiences as a widow, and her experiences as an author who shared the stories of other widows in her recent book.   Key Takeaways: [02:51] Is this something that we talk enough about in our society? [02:57] Talking about loss & grief is a difficult conversation for people to have [04:23] How did Kristin go from loss & grief to writing her own book? [07:17] Clinical vs. narrative: which approach is more helpful for healing? [08:17] What are some of the common threads of the widows’ stories that she compiled? [09:20] Secondary losses that are caused by the primary loss [10:42] Intense loneliness, secondary losses, and financial concerns are major themes across stories [11:28] How different widows experience moving on with another partner [14:38] Mothers of younger children have different approaches in dealing with the void that’s left following the loss of a father [15:54] The widow label, and how it can have negative stigmas behind it [18:08] After her husband's passing, when were some moments that checking the 'widow box’ struck Kristin? [20:45] She talks on some assumptions that are made about widows [22:08] What happened to her professional life after she published her first book? [23:43] The opportunities or experiences that have surprised her [25:59] Kristin talks about the project in Kenya, where she witnessed how widows live on less than a dollar a day [27:37] What were some of the cross-cultural differences and convergences between the widows' experiences in Nairobi, Africa vs. those in the US [30:03] Now that her first book has been published, what is her next idea? [31:04] How can we be supportive or helpful as family or friends without overtaking the widow? [33:03] She shares some of the gems from Chapter 8, The best advice I never got: things widows know [35:21] In her own experience, what's been the most challenging aspect of being a widow? [37:25] How is she working through the “re-griefing effect”? [39:31] The physical effects of grief & how it affected Kristin’s health [41:42] The “loss spiral”: starts with losing one thing, then losing something else & it goes down from there [42:40] One of the changes that creeped up on her [44:53] What's she excited about going forward? [45:55] What does she want people to take away from this episode?   Mentioned in this Episode: A Widow's Guide to Healing by Kristin Meekhof Chelsea Dinsmore at Live your Legend Holocaust survivor Stephen Ross Deepack Chopra Architects of Change by Maria Shriver How widows live on less than a dollar a day (in Kenya) Parliament of World Religions Huffington Post    

Sometimes, you commit to a few things and then life intervenes and throws a few more things on your plate, and it can sometimes get away from you. You feel like "how am I going to do all of this?", "what do I need to let go?", "how do I handle my own expectations for what I'd be able to do?" - That's what Charlie Gilkey & Angela Wheeler will chat about on this episode.     Key Takeaways:   [02:08] Charlie talks about the major products he has going on at once   [05:03] Angela points out that each project has many other mini-projects within it [06:27] Self-care is about being gentler with yourself, not beating yourself up [07:24] A venn diagram analogy on ‘the work’ and ‘the story about the work’  [11:01] Feeling frustrated with yourself - what is it getting you? what is it doing for you? [13:56] Angela is harder on herself than on other members of the team [14:35] We wouldn't ride a donkey the way we ride ourselves, because it would be inhumane [15:21] You’re not a computer nor a robot, and can't work 24-7. You're human & stuff comes up  [16:29] How do you communicate with people when you have overcommitted and need help? [18:00] Ego prevents us from asking for help, but not asking is the worst thing you can do  [21:58] Asking for help can be seen as a weakness [23:40] Asking for help may feel like it's a 'taking' [25:50] Always ask the yea-sayers & people you trust, if they're willing to help you [28:25] Ask for help by welcoming people to be of service to you [28:54] You matter just as much as somebody else [30:55] How not to get there again by giving yourself enough room for a margin [32:50] People confuse focus and capacity [33:19] Proactive communication with others and with yourself [34:27] Choosing the projects that matter to you [38:53] Deciding what's really important and what to let go of, is hard, but worth it [39:50] Defining what you want your good life to look like - rather than what others think [40:18] Choosing projects and priorities that matter most to you and sticking to them      Mentioned in this Episode:   Live Your Legend Start Finishing [book proposal] Jeffrey Davis from Tracking Wonder   Rain Maker "No" vs. "Not now" Why strategic planning is so hard for creative people?    

Jordan Agolli is a young, but highly experienced entrepreneur who is also the host of the Teenage Entrepreneur. He started his first business when he was 14-years-old, and grew the company to 20 employees by the time he was 18-years-old. In 2014, he founded Teenage Entrepreneur, which is a platform focused on educating and inspiring the younger generation to pursue entrepreneurship. The show has listeners in 65 countries. In 2015, he was hired as the director of operations for a company that helps business owners market their business through the Internet. Jordan's primary focus and passion is fixing operational breakdowns, building and maintaining relationships with clients, and managing day-to-day operations. On top of this, he is also the president of his bowling league, has a first degree black belt in a Japanese martial art. Jordan has his hands in a lot of projects, as do many Creative Giants. Charlie is excited to have him share his journey with us!   Key Takeaways: [02:24] Jordan shares his story on starting his own business when he was only 14-years-old. [05:11] Growing a company by using a hyper-local directory and cheap marketing. [09:27] A marketing strategy that leveraged being young and ambitious ‘high schoolers’ [11:01] College didn’t work for Jordan, so he worked full-time in his own business. [13:08] What was it about college that he didn't like, wasn't for him. [13:47] Jordan never wanted college to work for him. [15:17] Institutions box you into a system & that was his issue with school from the get go. [18:08] There’s a false perception that overestimates high schoolers’ understanding of the ‘online world’. [18:17] Fizzle was the first resource to teach Jordan about the online business world. [19:46] The Internet and social media can be leveraged to market and grow your business. [21:16] How Teenage Entrepreneur was born [22:32] Discovering podcasting and the online community is what brought him to where he is today [23:58] How he got involved in managing operations and talking to sought-after CEOs [29:28] It’s better to focus on one thing than to spread yourself thin [30:33] Three major lessons Jordan has learned [34:03] Putting yourself out there and the value of experience [35:12] In order to grow and take it to the next level, he'll be going back into the entrepreneurial world   Mentioned in This Episode: The Aha! connection Yelp Angie’s List Fizle Chase Reeves Podcast Movement Snap Chat Tweeter Instagram Vine John Dumas Chris Ducker Chase Jarvis David France Babson entrepreneurship forum Global entrepreneurship program, for the United States Suzan Scot’s Fierce Conversations

Rebecca is a serial entrepreneur who creates problem solving consumer goods that are in the hands of over half million people around the world, and have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, multiple episodes of ABC's Shark Tank, Good Morning America and more. Rescate began her entrepreneurial career at the age of 25 in New York City. In the past decade, she has built four brands with unique creative products, including: CityKitty, HoodiePillow, Top.Down Planner, and Blankie Tails; while raising 3 children and residing in Yardley Pennsylvania with her husband. Rebecca joins Charlie to discuss one of his favorite topics: planning; and about how plans drive us toward success and happiness and also create luck.    Key Takeaways: 02:12 – What lead Rebecca to create Top.Down Planner 03:41 – The methodology that Top.Down planning is based on 04:59 – What if we just focus on the things that are of high value to us 07:36 – The importance of incorporating values in planning 09:04 – The ‘values exercise’ in Top.Down Planners 11:11 – When your values don’t align with how you are doing business 14:06 – How not to say ‘yes’ to everything and prioritizing your values in planning 17:12 – Difference between ‘planning’ and ‘planners’ or ‘schedulers’    21:09 – Spear-heading a re-education on planning 23:34 – Rebecca talks about Blankie Tails 25:16 – Rebecca talks about CityKitty 29:36 – Doubling down on Blankie Tails 31:53 – The 2016 version of Top.Down Planner and inventory management 33:58 – Some pros and cons of manufacturing products in the US 38:05 – Planning for and running four different businesses 41:56 – The power of planning 43:20 – From baby steps to bigger plans    Mentioned in This Episode: CityKitty HoodiePillow Top.Down Planner Blankie Tails the Pareto Principle Franklin Covey 3.Purpose Staples Office Depot Google Calendar Daniela Port's desire mapping Uber Steve Jobs Uggs Instagram Kitchen Aide Shark Tank Calphalon  

Susan Piver makes a reappearance on this week's episode to talk about meditation. Susan was featured on episode four of The Creative Giant Show, so be sure to check out her first interview with Charlie after you listen to this one. Susan Piver has an international reputation for being an exceptionally skillful meditation teacher and shares valuable insight on how to start a meditation practice and make it stick.   Key Takeaways: [2:50] Susan's book, Start Here Now, is out. [5:50] What really counts as meditation? [7:45] In meditation you don't have to stop thinking. [10:45] Every person Susan knows thinks they're not disciplined in their practice. [15:55] The answer is right in front of you, but we often prefer to get distracted and take shortcuts. [18:10] Being present means letting go of what you know. [20:00] Susan talks about her 'Aimless Wandering' practice. [22:25] Practicing in the beginning can make you anxious, but it naturally goes away overtime. [25:20] How long -really- is three minutes? [28:55] There are three kinds of laziness. Susan explains. [33:30] What does it mean to be a Buddhist? [37:45] What can you do if you're not near a Buddhist/meditation center or community? [41:35] Charlie talks about his own practice. [46:25] Does meditation get easier? [48:35] Give yourself 5-10-15 minutes to be in the present.   Mentioned In This Episode: http://www.productiveflourishing.com/what-counts-as-meditation/ https://insighttimer.com/ The Heart of Unconditional Love by Tulku Thondup The Sacred Path of The Warrior series by  Chogyam Trungpa http://susanpiver.com/ Start Here Now by Susan Piver. http://www.productiveflourishing.com/episode-four-susan-piver/  

Angela Wheeler joins Charlie Gilkey in today's podcast episode. Charlie and Angela talk on how sometimes it's difficult to practice self-care and take care of all of your responsibilities at the same time. The two explore the subject of self-care and talk on why they're not feeling 100% at the best on the show.   Key Takeaways: [2:05] Charlie and Angela weren't in the best of places today. [3:20] Maybe we use the excuse of not feeling well to avoid responsibilities. [4:15] Look at your schedule two weeks in the past and assume it'll be the same. [6:30] Not looking your best is different for everybody. [9:00] Self-care is the highest priority. [14:00] When is that thing you're putting off going to get done? [17:40] Don't be a victim of the 9-5 schedule. [20:50] Are the important things showing up in your schedule? [24:40] Remember, you can't do everything. [28:00] Take care of yourself, your priorities, and do your best. [29:50] What are you doing to take care of yourself and what are you doing today to build a better tomorrow?   Mentioned In This Episode: http://www.productiveflourishing.com/  

Nathalie Molina Niño launched her first tech startup at the age of 20 and then later graduated with a degree in playwriting at Columbia University. In 2012, Nathalie co-founded a non-profit at the Athena Center for Leadership studies of Barnard College at Columbia University, where she advises young women entrepreneurs. Nathalie talks on how she got her head start in the tech industry and why she's working to fix the large gender and minority gap in the tech world.   Key Takeaways: [3:05] How did Nathalie get started in her career? [7:00] Why did Nathalie burn out? [9:30] We often forget we can define our boundaries. [11:30] We stop making good decisions after about 36-40 hours of work. [12:10] How did Nathalie get involved in her non-profit Entrepreneurs@Athena? [13:40] Nathalie is much more open now about talking about the core problems in tech. [16:30] There's a big group of people who are lazily uninformed about the gender and minority divide. [19:20] The tech culture is toxic and unfriendly to women. [22:10] Why aren't there more women in C-level positions? Nathalie explains why. [24:20] How can we make corporate and tech culture more friendly? [27:45] Nathalie believes we should focus on building healthy workplace culture on the entrepreneurial side of things, not in slow-moving corporate. [31:00] Charlie shares why he believes more women are leaving corporate to start their own businesses. [35:40] Nathalie talks about Power To Fly and why she got involved. [40:00] How did Power To Fly get 6+ million dollars in investor funds? [47:40] What's the most unanticipated challenge Nathalie is currently facing? [50:40] The one takeaway you need to know about Nathalie? You can be successful and still be kind.   Mentioned In This Episode: http://www.productiveflourishing.com/episode-18-factoring-tech-startup-world-thursday-bram/ https://www.powertofly.com/ http://nathaliemolina.biz