Circle Up & Get REAL Podcast

When I say "bugging" in the title, I mean what's on your mind? What's getting you uncomfortable? What's irritating you? What's not right in your world? Often those irritants are trying to tell us something, and we don't listen until they provoke anger and even rage.

What if we learned to listen earlier? Not only to ourselves, but to others? What are they trying to tell us, even when the words they are using are clunky?

Listening is an art and a skill we can get better at when we practice it. My mom used to say, referring to my piano lessons as a kid, "practice makes perfect." That's true when we are practicing perfectly. But really, practice makes permanent. The WAY we practice makes all the difference.

How are we listening? ARE we listening or are we just hearing?

This is a huge distinction and one I'm still working on.

John Maxwell says that everything rises and falls on leadership.

But before leadership can move at all, it needs to be enveloped in a deliberate and purposeful culture.

In this podcast episode, I talk with my co-author and co-host of the Enlightened Leadership Lab, Chris Angell, about our upcoming book and process we are calling Culture First.

Listen in as we allow the conversation to guide us as we talk about who leaders become when the culture encourages them.

You will see how the MasterMind principle (the best of each of us that comes out when we are in a spirit of harmony) shuffles between Chris and me as we allow that principle to guide our conversation.

Find Chris on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chris.angell and at his website, www.mygroundswell.com.

What is it called when you're not content where you used to be, but you're not yet sure what you want to be instead?

Today I'm calling it the "in-between." And I'm going to talk about the restlessness and discontent that is part of the journey to progress.

I've got a list of bullet points, but I'm not sure how we'll get from there to here. Isn't that the actual point though?

Today's guest is Dr. Pam Denton, a visionary expert in evolving organizational culture through a systematic approach that combines human-centric insights, AI-driven precision, and long-lasting collective mobility achieved through neuroenergetic reprogramming.

That might sound like a mouthful, but in this conversation, Pam and I break it down.

Pam's work centers on evolutionary leadership, and we talk about how important it is for leaders to understand and accept neurological reprogramming to eliminate toxicity in corporate cultures.

Pam shares her journey into her current work, and how she applies her knowledge of energy, vibration, and the nervous system to help people, particularly leaders, deal with stress and trauma.

You can find out more about Pam's work on her website, https://www.positiveevolutionconsulting.com/. You can also download her ebook, "Neuroenergize Your Leadership" at this link: https://simplebooklet.com/neuroenergizeyourleadership#page=1

Whenever the world gets me down, I remember that I've survived every single day of my life up to now, and I plan to do that for many days, weeks, months, and years to come.

Working as I have for the past 22 years on personal self-awareness has given me so much awareness and confidence, and it has also tested and validated my faith and hope in humankind.

Once in a while it's good for me to take stock of where my life is so that I can make an informed choice to move in the direction I feel called, even if that move is a coddywomple (moving purposefully toward a vague destination).

Is there order underneath the perceived chaos of the world today, March 12, 2025?

In this episode I refer to: S

piral Dynamics (https://spiraldynamicsintegral.nl/en/)

Chloe Valdary's program "Theory of Enchantment" (https://www.theoryofenchantment.com/)

Deepak Chopra's quote: "Great changes are preceded by great chaos"

Paraphrased quote by Ram Dass: "Whether this is the first day of the Apocalypse or the first day of the Golden Age, the work remains the same ... to love each other and ease as much suffering as possible."

Hafiz quote: "Even After all this time The Sun never says to the Earth, "You owe me." Look What happens With a love like that, It lights the whole sky."

Today's guest is Jess Almlie, a Learning and Development Specialist who is living her best life as the Founder of her own company, Almlie Consulting.

Jess holds a B.A. in Organizational Communication and an M.S. in Educational Leadership, where her thesis explored, "Can leadership be learned in a classroom?" She's also certified in Improving Human Performance through ATD, with 30 years of experience in the L&D industry, having done it all—from orientation coordinator to VP of Learning Experience.

She's led teams, developed strategies, and measured impact. As a dedicated volunteer, Jess has served as the President of her local ATD chapter and as an ATD National Advisor, mentoring and coaching chapter leaders across the country.

In this conversation, Jess and I talk about a lot of things, including how to and why to measure the results of squishy subjects like leadership, communication, and learning.

Jess is on a mission to help L&D leaders and teams level up—whether through one-on-ones or what she calls "coachsulting," dynamic workshops, or teaming up to build strategic learning blueprints that actually drive results.

Jess' book, published by ATD Press, will be available this fall. It's called "L&D Order Taker No More: Become a Strategic Business Partner," which Jess says is the handbook she wishes she would have had. It's Jess' story, along with lots of qualitative research.

Find out more about Jess at her website, www.JessAlmlie.com or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessalmlie/

Have you ever wished you could speed up time? Slow it down? "Make" something happen when YOU want it to?

I had an insight today in my Wednesday mastermind meeting that I want to share. It has to do with vision and with timing.

Today I talk about the following books:

• "Open Space Technology: A User's Guide" by Harrison Owen
• "Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't" by Simon Sinek
• "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided By Politics and Religion" by Jonathan Haidt
• "Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership" by Joseph Jaworski

When you really get to know people, they are terribly fascinating. And the ways we connect with people can be so random ... even though, deep down, nothing is random.

This episode of Circle Up & Get REAL is a great example of this principle.

Today's guest is Geoff Talbot, Founder, Director, CEO at Sphere Builders - A Transformation Business/Life Journey, a former veterinary surgeon, and a screenwriter, actor, filmmaker, and producer. Geoff's now building a coaching community called 200 Strong to help people leverage skills and time with group coaching.

Join Geoff and me as we talk about connecting, communicating, problem solving, freedom, career choices, and so many more subjects that are most important to each of us.

We show what can happen when you feel safe having a REAL conversation with someone even if you've just met.

You can connect with Geoff via Messenger at https://m.me/geoff.talbot

Today's guest is Shannon Miller-Lutz, a certified coach who shares her story of turning 50 and feeling a deep yearning for something more meaningful in life than her award-winning real estate business was giving her.

Shannon's company is called SML Coaching, where she combines her extensive training and life experiences to provide guidance and support needed for others to achieve personal growth and fulfillment.

Shannon has certifications in Positive Intelligence (CPQC), NLP Master Practitioner, Hypnotherapy, Mental and Emotional Release (MER), CPCC, PCC, Integrative Psychology, and a membership with the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

In our conversation we talk about what it really means to live your life with meaning and purpose, and to leave a legacy that we can be proud to leave.

Contact Shannon on all the socials, or by visiting her website, www.smlcoaching.com.

My furnace had a glitch yesterday, so I got it fixed.

The company I called is named Legacy. And that got me thinking.

Then this morning I heard on the radio about a question being posed on a call-in show. I'm paraphrasing, but the question was something like: "Do you think actors and athletes should be discounted from awards they could win for their work on the stage, screen, or field based on their political or religious ideals?"

And I started thinking about our legacies. The memories people will have of us.

I mention our upcoming event ChillOutFargo.com

Also my book Just Give a Sh*t (https://amzn.to/4157bfZ)

And The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership book.