Be Verdant Podcast

Ryan Wolf joins the show for our first episode of 2022, and this is a great one! Ryan is the Physical Wellbeing lead at Gallup, so he brings a wealth of insights about the latest research. We discuss the topic of "toxin handlers," with a specific focus on HR, based on a 2021 article. We also refer to a December 2021 report from Gallup that showed an increase in burnout for people managers, as well as a Gallup report showing that increasing engagement factors (like having a best friend at work) can help reduce burnout. Ryan and I demonstrate how to apply strengths to managing toxin handling, as well as a few other tips for HR and people leaders alike. 

Annabel Fitzsimmons and Amy Brown, Co-Founders of MindMGT, join us for a final "Season of You" episode to help us find a bit of calm as we round out the year. We discuss a November 2021 study that demonstrates how mindfulness and suspending judgement can help increase motivation. Amy provides us with a short exercise, and we discuss the science behind mindfulness. Annabel also drops some fantastic sayings, one of which I have added to our Verdant Supply Co t-shirt collection.

You can catch Amy and Annabel in January at HR Wellbeing Week, where they will be presenting about mindfulness for HR professionals.

Brian Henderson, Founder of Whole Business Wellness in Hong Kong, joins me to discuss one of my favorite topics: leaders. With recent data (which we will discuss on a future episode) showing an increase in manager burnout, and as part of our "Season of You," this is a timely topic.

We kick off our discussion with a review of the recent article, "When Leader Self-Care Begets Other Care," in which the authors explore the emotional strain of people management. One quote I liked in particular was this one:

"Our theoretical model proposes that on days when leaders take a self-compassionate stance toward their leader role, they approach themselves with kindness and patience in that role, seeing the inherent hardships of leading not as an indictment of their leadership (e.g., that they are not really a leader if things are this challenging), but as a normal part of the leader role."

Leader self-compassion is focused on accepting that leadership is hard, can challenge us emotionally and intellectually, and we won't get it right all the time. 

Brian is the perfect guest to discuss this topic, as he was an executive who experienced burnout himself and has great tips for our listeners. Check it out!

Author, coach and cancer survivor, Savio Clemente, joins me for this episode, where we continue our "Season of You" by focusing on building resiliency. We share findings from a 2021 meta-analysis of resiliency training effectiveness, which reveals that formal training can result in a 70% improvement on post-traumatic stress indicators. Web-based or self-paced programs have such a limited participation rate, they don't really qualify.

Hmmmm.

Savio shared his experience reading over 300 submissions for his series on resiliency for Authority magazine (one of which was mine). We discuss the themes and surprises he saw through this process, as well as his own experiences through his cancer journey. 

You can learn more about Savio's work and podcast through these links. 

And check out our content pages or reach out to learn more about the Verdant Resiliency training program! 

As part of our "Season of You," accomplished author, former Assistant Director at the Obama White House, and psychologist, Dr. Monica Ramirez Basco, joins me for our second session on perfectionism. In her book, Never Good Enough, she describes inward- and outward-focused perfectionism (what she calls "Innies" and "Outies"), as well as many specific activities and tactics for using perfectionism to our advantage. We start by exploring this 2021 meta-analysis on the volume of studies on perfectionism, which has grown significantly since Dr. Basco's book was published (I mean, this was when Oprah was on the air!)

We further discuss the impact of perfectionism on BIPOC and women, as well as some of Dr. Basco's top tips for addressing perfectionism in our lives.

You can learn more about Verdant Consulting's offerings to help support your resiliency journey and build acceptance and compassion on our website. Thanks for stopping by!

This week we cover the causes and education of perfectionism with the high-energy insights of Geraldine McGrath. You may recognize her from her TedX Talk on this topic, where she shares her story and how she developed perfectionism. On our show, we go through a 2021 meta-analysis of how perfectionism is taught online. Geraldine than further describes approaching perfectionism from the point of embracing self-awareness and being I.M.P.E.R.F.E.C.T.:

• I: inspiration
• M: meaningful life
• P: peace
• E: empathy
• R: reconciliation
• F: fabulous
• E: expressive
• C: captain
• T: thankful

You can learn more about Geraldine on her website, and more about our offerings on ours, as well. We also recently launched specific pages for industries and use cases we support, as well as this overview video.

As part of our "Season of You-le" series, the lovely Christopher Shen joins me from across the globe to talk about self-compassion, mental toughness, machismo, and more. Christopher is a psychologist in Melbourne who works with athletes and construction employees to manage their emotions and build resilience. He is also a badass himself, as a former wrestler and mixed martial artist.

We start by a review of the study "Can athletes be tough yet compassionate to themselves?," which shares even more data about the benefits of self-compassion. We then discuss Christopher's book, Wrestling with Resiliency and Mental Toughness, and the complicated concept of control.

If you want to learn more about our offerings to build resiliency and emotional wellbeing, check out our website at verdantconsulting.net.

Dr. Taisha Caldwell-Harvey, psychologist and founder of The Black Girl Doctor, joins me this week to discuss the poignancy of the Strong Black Woman schema. According to the study we cover, this construct causes damage in the black community, including:

• Perfectionism
• Loneliness
• Anxiety
• Lowered Self-Compassion

We also cover some of the amazing work and insights from "Dr. Tai"'s work, including her one request of HR leaders. This episode is not to be missed!

Speaker, coach and author, Anita Lawrence joins me from across the globe to discuss one of the major stressors for leaders: employee feedback. While this is a basic need for employees, a recent study shows that a low sense of power for leaders can make them 50% more likely to see employee input as negative, even if the message isn't. We discuss leader motivations and starting internally to develop as a leader, with many insights from Anita's 20 years of leadership coaching experience. 

You can learn more about our leadership development offerings to help leaders manage stress for themselves and their teams by visiting our website.

Ingrid Wilson, Sr Human Resources Executive, Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Strategist, joins me to review how HR professionals can avoid burnout and build resiliency. We start with a 30-year-old article on HR burnout, which is strikingly familiar to the struggles of today, and includes issues like 

• Senior management's inability to see the importance of HR
• a lack of appreciation for the professional expertise of personnel managers
• The pressure created by HR executives' unique position between top management and the work force
• poor communication channels
• lack of opportunities for professional advancement.

Sound familiar?

You can learn more about this topic during our upcoming roundtable on 11/17. Click here to learn more!