Episodes

Enjoy this wide ranging conversation with author, singer, business owner and entrepreneur, Kathy Jorsch. Conversation Highlights John and Kathy met via Rick Tamlyn’s VIP Mastermind in January 2018 What it’s like to write a novel Different businesses Kathy has started and run Love of tennis The power of talking to yourself in the first person High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way by Brendon Burchard The value of truly listening to yourself The things on Kathy’...

It’s easy to get stuck in the past, and yet there’s not much it gives us. Here’s an encouragement to live in the present and look to the future. Credits Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk by Kevin MacLeod Original photo source All songs licensed under Creative Commons The post 60: Setting a Present and Future Focus appeared first on John Poelstra.

In this conversation with Dave Stuart Jr we explore teaching, experiential learning, leadership and so much more. Dave is a 9th grade teacher who writes a popular blog and authors books about being an effective teacher. His latest book is called These 6 Things: How to Focus Your Teaching on What Matters Most (and you should buy it today). Conversation Highlights There’s more to life than just being a teacher–investing your entire life into being a teacher is not sustainable Dave figured out w...

This short riff considers what it might look like to live a life of “no excuses.” This idea was inspired by a story about Navy SEAL training combined with thoughts I had while writing out a list of things I believe involving ownership. Links My manifesto How to not make excuses and take extreme ownership with Kylon and Teliah Gienger on the Successful Dropout Podcast Credits Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk by Kevin MacLeod Original photo source All songs licensed under Creative C...

At Bigger Game Live I sat down for a conversation with Nancy Jamieson. We explore her interest in podcasting by sitting down to do just that. Over the course of our conversation we cover a variety of topics about her experiences and what she believes about how life works. Highlights Approaching people from a heartfelt space Bigger Game Live put on by Rick Tamlyn and his team Envisioning your future needs being met Manifestation–creating from a place of awareness Re-framing Being aware of ...

Tina Robinson is back to delve into the often murky topic of figuring out what we want. Together we share some ways to get clearer. Discussion Notes Money is often an immediate answer and yet it doesn’t truly describe what we want Ask yourself what you believe money will give you as a way to push things deeper What does money represent to you? Freedom Security Safety The ability to play Take care of others and be of service Something else Tina’s Trader Joe’s Meltdown Moment The tensio...

Over the past couple of months I’ve been learning by doing, living more from my heart than my head, and learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Next month I’m teaching an in-person class on how to create a podcast in Portland, Oregon, and I hope you’ll join me. Highlights and Resources Mentioned Kyle Cease — Free 2 hour movie I Hope I Screw This Up by Kyle Ceases Zoom John’s upcoming in-person podcasting course: PUGS Podcasting Jumpstart in Portland, Oregon Success is what you d...

Long time Red Hat colleague Greg DeKoenigsberg and I talk about managing our time–how we get off track and how we fight against letting it happen. Red Hat and Open Source Software In today’s world of “work” where we sit in a chair and look at a screen, it’s really easy to waste time Being on the lookout for those “tells” that give you an early-warning indicator that you’re on the path to wasting time “Fake fortification” Anxiety about our work and tasks to be completed Anxiety vs. procrast...

In this episode I share the experience of following an inkling I had and the ways I was rewarded. I also share a simple process for capturing your beliefs. Highlights One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization by Dee Hock Dee Hock’s Twitter feed is full of wisdom My version of “drunk dialing” Self-management and living in the moment applies to good coaching and most areas of life Stephen Warley at Life Skills That Matter Stephen’s Beliefs If you are are a solopreneuer peop...

Ryan McRae helps adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) live more effectively. Ryan explains how ADHD affects his life, how he deals with it, and the benefits he’s found from having it. He also explains how he helps people live above it. Conversation Notes ADHD comes in three flavors 1) Inattentive 2) Hyperactive 3) Inattentive & Hyperactive (known as “combined”) The importance of going to a clinician to get a professional diagnosis Different ways ADHD can be managed ...

Join me in this riff about email handling and getting your important work into the world. Episode Takeaways Stop the flood of email and regain your sanity by putting your email client in “offline mode” Deal with what you have Turn it back on when you’re ready The world will not stop spinning or come to an end if you don’t check your email for an hour or two Disable all notifications for new messages Set the interval that your client checks for mail to never or a high number… you’ll go loo...

In this episode I read a letter I wrote to myself encouraging me to keep showing up while calling out the things I to need stop doing. I encourage you to write your own Dear John letter and break up with the unhelpful parts of your brain and share it with me. It’s more powerful than it sounds. Notes Listen to the episode to hear what I wrote Wikipedia’s explanation of a Dear John letter Write your own letter to yourself You might be shocked at how helpful and powerful it is to do Rick Tamly...

John and Tina Robinson, CEO of WorkJoy, LLC, explore the notion of “coping” and nuances of what it means as it relates to handling situations or problems in our lives. Tina is saving the world by transforming how we think and feel about “work.” Sign-up to join John at a virtual live event to discuss this topic more and be coached around something you’re coping with. Coaching is a powerful mechanism to engage change in people’s lives When coaching isn’t working, client and coach have a respons...

Enjoy this conversation with Josh Bressers, product security at Elastic and former colleague at Red Hat. Josh answers my questions about password management, general computer security and what matters (or doesn’t) in today’s predominantly online world. Discussion Highlights How John and Josh met at Red Hat Reliving the old days of testing and releasing security updates Considering overall return on investment (ROI) of your approach to security How do we know that these password managers are...

Here’s a riff on what I’ve been learning since the last update and my challenge to consider different perspectives around the notion of time. Highlights Learning can come from anything, including things that don’t happen Bouncing between lots of different tasks and projects is tiring and unsatisfying Decluttering pro-tip: take everything out of a particular close and only return the stuff that is staying Taking the whole week of spring off was just what I needed Are you “creating” or “reac...

Mike Vardy from The Productivityist shares practical details about his approach to planning and managing the things he wants to accomplish through the use of themes, modes and energy levels. Discussion Highlights John’s dislike for overly complex plans and the wasted time it takes to manage them Planning has value, to a point “In preparing for battle I’ve also found that plans are useless and planning is indispensable” — Dwight Eisenhower The difference between “complicated” and “complex” p...

Getting off track happens in just about every area of life. It’s inevitable that things are going to get off track and not go as planned. The key to overall success is how you get going again when you have a setback. Here are some ideas to get you restarted. This quote from Michael Hyatt’s podcast episode “How to Develop More Discipline” has always stuck with me. Nothing is more important than consistently restarting. That’s really the measure of success. Not the fact that you start and you ha...

This conversation with Ron Renaud (coach, author, podcaster, and trainer) explores the topics of truth, freedom, personal growth, taking responsibility and more. Topics Discussed Tough love for the purpose of growth Being faithful to the role you are in Clarity and truth as guideposts to helping people grow Speaking the hard truth and being willing to accept it The law of compensation Are you creating “more heaven” or “more hell” in the world? Cleaning up and taking responsibility for th...

In February I learned to embrace the emotional roller coaster of building your own business. I was surprised how quickly a “low” could turn into a “high” and then back into a “low.” Highlights I am dropping the “experiment” label from what I’m up to–I’m all in on this business building thing Loving the ability to focus 100% on personal development work What I did in February Continuing to work with my existing clients and look for new ones Continuing to coach through A Social Ignition as a...

How do you move forward when you aren’t sure what to do next? How do you escape the trap of continuing to need more information before you make your next move? You move. Highlights It’s tempting to want 100% clarity before taking action and yet that clarity often only comes by taking action The benefits of perspective from other people Coach Mentor Someone that’s not you Deep planning can be a huge procrastination trap because there is no way to 100% know the future and unexpected things ...

Here’s what I learned, experienced and accomplished in month #1 of “The Experiment.” Accomplishments, Experiences & Learning A lot of this getting started / setup stuff takes a lot longer than you think Meeting lots of people virtually and in person takes lots of time Use Trello as a CRM to keep track of the people I talk to, topics, next date to contact, etc. Getting lots of foundational things done—different kinds of insurance, estate planning, etc. Recorded four new episodes for this po...

This episode explores the balance between honoring people and expanding professional opportunities in the context of networking. It was sparked by Laura Dreyer’s comment on a previous blog post about valuing people for who they are and not what they do. I also share my best advice for approaching networking events if you dread or dislike them. Ideas Take a “both and” perspective and approach Go with a plan and a specific mindset Set your own minimum success criteria Meet a certain number of...

Learn how saving more money isn’t always the answer and what’s possible when you look at something as an experiment. Stephen Warley also explains his belief that the nature of work is changing. Stephen Warley runs a community and weekly podcast called Life Skills That Matter. He believes work as we know it is changing. Stephen is on a mission to spread that message and help people prepare for it. Important Highlights and Takeaways Self-employment is a more natural way of being human and being...

Today John and Alene Gabriel talk about how she quit her corporate job to go out on her own as a coach and how John is pursuing a similar, but different path. Credits Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk by Kevin MacLeod Original photo source Music licensed under Creative Commons The post 38: Taking a Break & Experimenting with Self-Employment appeared first on John Poelstra.