Episodes

“Social media has mastered intermittent reinforcements as well, or even better, than a casino's slot machine." — Ana Melikian In today's episode, we'll be diving deep into the concept of FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out. Inspired by the insights from Gina Bianchini's book "Purpose," we explore how FOMO affects our lives and keeps us running in place. FOMO is a powerful psychological force that is constantly reinforced by modern social media and our fear of missing something important. Join us as we ...

“A good mission statement, in my opinion, is seven words or less and be answered with a yes or no." — Josh Patrick Welcome to another exciting episode of Mindset Zone! In today's episode, we have a special guest, Josh Patrick, who will delve into the fascinating world of MVVs, or Mission, Vision, and Values. You might be surprised to learn that there is no core book or program about creating these essential statements for businesses. However, our guest believes that having clarity about your MVV...

"I'm a human being. I am not a machine. I'm just like you. I just chose a different career." — Tammy Barlette In this thought-provoking podcast episode, we delve into the world of retired U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Tammy Barlette. With her extensive experience in high-pressure situations, Tammy brings valuable insights as a mental performance coach, speaker, and founder of Athena's Voice. She shares gripping stories of critical situations she faced during her military career and the crucial ro...

“Recognizing that working harder and more doesn't actually equate to better performance or success." — Mary Stelletello Mary joins me today to shed light on the profound effects of burnout. Mary candidly shares one of her burnout stories and the toll it took on her. She emphasizes the importance of managing energy levels and prioritizing self-care to increase productivity. We also discuss the significance of understanding cultural expectations and approaches to work-life balance. Throughout the ...

“If we get together as a community to make a difference and keep hope alive, then it is possible to make change.” - Ana Melikian I recently had the opportunity of seeing the premiere of Jane Goodall’s Reasons for Hope here at the Arizona Science Center with my 14-year-old daughter. Reasons for Hope is a documentary film that highlights Jane Goodall’s work as a primatologist and her mission to inspire people—especially the youth—to be active in the world and drive change. The premier was truly an...

“When we use ‘stressed’ and ‘overwhelmed’ as the same, we lose a container for when things get really overwhelming—when we feel upside down and underwater.” - Ana Melikian Have you ever noticed how drinking your morning coffee from your favorite mug makes that experience magical? In her book, Atlas of the Heart, American researcher and storyteller Brené Brown writes about how naming emotions is important. Words, according to Brené Brown, are like containers that shape our emotions. The right or ...

“A dialogue is not an event. It’s a process that’s not going to happen in one meeting, and it’s a journey that requires a lot of commitment to listening, to honesty, and to vulnerability.” - Bhakti Karkare Bhakti joins me today to outline her framework for facilitating dialogue and discuss how it can be used to create inclusive, engaging, and more human workplaces. She describes her background and how she became passionate about the power of dialogue. She defines dialogue and differentiates it f...

“Teacher’ sounds like you’re supposed to teach when you actually need to lead the learning. Sometimes, we lead the learning by teaching, but there are more ways to lead learning other than teaching.” - Lee Jenkins Lee Jenkins joins me today to discuss how schools are failing our kids and what can be done to bring joy back to learning. He explains what the Jenkins Curve is and describes how schools tend to use data to compare and shame children. Lee discusses how schools can leverage data and ass...

“We’re all connected as humanity. When we’re not in sync with ourselves, it’s difficult to create harmony and be in tune with everybody else.” - Maris Segal Ken and Maris join me today to discuss the four universal rhythms of relationships at home and work. It’s all about, “Show up with respect, stand up and be responsible, reframe limiting beliefs, step forward with resilience.” They also describe how anyone can increase awareness of their own limiting beliefs and highlight the importance of fi...

“The patients would sit up after their veneers had been placed and just cry. For the first time in their lives, they feel like they have the confidence to smile, talk, and eat. That was my ‘why.’” - Mark Willes Mark joins me today to discuss how giving back can give meaning to our work. He describes his unconventional path to becoming a dental lab technician and how he became frustrated after a year and a half of working at a dental lab. He offers advice on building a thriving business. Mark als...

“Acting is symbiotic with human life, culture, and how we interact with others.” - Darrell Stern Darrell joins me today to discuss thriving through loss and transforming challenges into opportunities to thrive. He explains how he first got into musical theater and describes how the art helped him get out of his shell. He describes using acting techniques to manifest and discusses the relationship between acting and authenticity. Darrell also elaborates on uses for acting beyond TV and theater, h...

“It’s a miracle that we are here—that we are curious beings who want to learn and expand possibilities for ourselves, for the ones around us, for the world, and for the universe.” - Ana Melikian When you were a child, did you get a chance to write a message on a piece of paper, put it into a bottle, and throw it into the ocean or a big river? Now, imagine doing that again, but this time, instead of throwing it into an expansive body of water, you throw it up to space, where future generations of...

“If you can see the space between stimulus and response, you start having the power to choose your response. This is the core of self-leadership and your self-development” - Ana Melikian What is the difference between a stressor and a stress response? The answer—that the stressor is what triggers the stress response—may be simple and obvious, but it isn’t something apparent to us when we’re in a stressful situation ourselves. Sometimes, we even deal with the stressor but forgo dealing with the s...

“We can certainly learn how to be more efficient, how to be high-performance, how to make a bigger positive impact, and still have the energy to enjoy the fruits of our labor—and that is really important.” - Ana Melikian Have you checked in with yourself to see if you’re exhausted at work? Have you asked yourself recently what burnout is? I’ve noticed that whenever I tell people I’ve been focusing on burnout—especially in the context of making a positive impact in the world while avoiding burnou...

“We need to up our game, think differently, and expand our horizons. Elevating our consciousness and becoming better humans, loving more, taking care of our environment—that’s what represents the best you.” - Bernardo Moya Bernardo joins me today to discuss his journey toward self-development. He explains how wanting to improve his communication and sales skills led him to the world of personal development. He describes what drove him to eventually seek personal development beyond its applicatio...

“Learning to tap into human potential by working smarter and not harder allowed me to achieve my goals without waking up tired every day. I could enjoy life and my family—travel and exercise more.” - Ana Melikian In this episode, I join Jenny Lynne at the Death of a Workaholic podcast to discuss unlocking human potential by working smarter—not harder. We explore my journey with dyslexia and how my relationship with work was shaped when I was around nine years old. We discuss the pivotal moment t...

“It takes a team, a village, a nation to move this needle of building more housing and getting individuals out of homeless shelters into stable housing.” - Jenna Juniper Jenna joins me today to discuss the personal experiences that led her to work in—and advocate for—affordable housing. She describes how having access to housing enabled her to turn her life around. She explains how the pandemic has affected the cost of living and what it will take to expand affordable housing. She also highlight...

“Wine, when aged, is way more expensive. We value antiques because they represent a different age and tell a different story. Why don’t we apply the same thing to people?” - Phyllis Ayman Phyllis joins me today to discuss how we can shift the conversation around aging. She describes life and aging as the stages of a play and outlines limiting beliefs related to aging and ageism. She explains why it’s the responsibility of older people to embrace strategies that allow them to age gracefully and v...

“If you have no idea who you are, then you haven’t been the best you. Work hard and make up for the time and become the best you.” - David Richman David joins me today to discuss transformation, trauma, cancer, and emotions. He describes the wake-up call that made him take ownership of his life’s transformation and what it means to be “response-able.” He explains how putting himself first helped him transform himself physically and why it took him longer to rewire his brain than to transform his...

“We have to start from the inside out because that’s where we have the power and control over our own lives. We have to drive our own bus. That’s where it begins.” - Tammy Gooler Loeb Tammy joins me today to discuss how to create career and life transitions and take charge of the uncertainty that comes with it. She explains why there’s so much dissatisfaction in today’s workplaces and why we need to shift our mindsets around professional development and career progression. She describes the comp...

“Where you sit today is the accumulation of all the decisions you’ve made in life. People are responsible for how they want to respond to stimulus.” - Austin Clark Austin joins me today to outline the core concepts from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that greatly impacted his life and business. He explains how the Moxie Pest Control company has incorporated concepts from the book into its leadership training as it relates to its salespeople, sales program, and operations. Austin also hi...

“When women, queer, people of color, and entrepreneurs do well, the whole world becomes a better place because of justice and power.” - Lindsay LaShell Lindsay LaShell is a marketing activist dedicated to helping purpose-driven organizations direct their marketing toward sustainability and impact. She is the founder of Open Lines Marketing and the creator of the Open Lines Marketing Framework, a one-of-a-kind strategic framework made to advance equity, justice, and sustainability through excepti...

“Within us, we have this amazing potential wanting to be unlocked.” - Ana Melikian In this episode, I join Tammy at the Work from the Inside Out podcast to discuss unlocking human potential. We explore my academic journey and how I became fascinated with personal development at a young age. We discuss the several pivots I’ve made in my career and how I became a life coach. We describe the systemic and cultural disruptions of the past few years and how organizations and leaders can respond effect...

“Everyday people are stepping up and wanting to know that the work they do in their company—whether they’re the CEO or employee—does something good in the world.” - Carolina Miranda Carolina joins me today to discuss B Corporations and B Labs and how an organization can be certified as a B Corp. She explains why B Corporations have an advantage over recruiting and retaining the best talent in the workforce. She outlines the beginning of the B Corp movement in the early 2000s and describes how we...