Coffee & Change

Brandi Olson believes that you shouldn’t have to choose between doing good, important work, and your own humanity. An expert in organizational design and agility, she teaches leaders how to solve problems and adapt fast with high-performing teams. Brandi is a best-selling author of Real Flow: Break the Burnout Cycle and Unlock High Performance in the New World of Work. Her work has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, and Inc. Magazine. She is the founder of Real Work Done and lives in Minnesota with her kids, dog, chickens, and garden.

You can learn more about Brandi at www.realworkdone.com

Coach GARY WATERS spent 11 seasons (2006-2017) as Winningest Coach in Cleveland State University’s Program History. With over two decades of experience in coaching, Waters has seen many changes within the profession over the years, and has worked tirelessly to instill a core of values and integrity, both on and off the court.

Together, we talk about the imperative and life changing role an Athletic Coach can play in the lives of others, past, present and future. We also talk key moments in sports history that left us both changed.

Enjoy the listen! Learn more about Coach Waters at https://www.coachwaters.com/

My guest on Episode 112 needs almost no introduction. Scott Kelly is a former military fighter pilot and test pilot, an engineer, a retired astronaut, and a retired U.S. Navy captain. A veteran of four space flights, who has commanded the International Space Station on three expeditions and was a member of the yearlong mission to the ISS. In October 2015, he set the record for the total accumulated number of days (520 days) spent in space, the single longest space mission by an American astronaut. I am honored to welcome Scott Kelly to the podcast to launch the 2023 season. This conversation was a true honor and a dream come true.

You can find more about Scott Kelly at: scottkelly.com and support his cause to help Ukraine and their citizens at donorbox.org/scottkelly

Our final episode of 2022 is a unique episode for me. My guest, Thomas Mallon, is an author whose work is special in my life. His novel “Fellow Travelers” created a lasting bond and memory for me and my husband, and is a gleaming gemstone in the mosaic that is our relationship.

We used to talk of how great it would be to someday invite Thomas Mallon to dinner and thank him for his work, stories and characters. After reading so many of his works, it feels like Thomas is an old DC friend, with his stories intertwined with our life and the city where our love story began.

This conversation, recorded in DC on a beautiful winter morning, reminds me of the power of a friendship that exists through his characters and the pages of his stories…a friendship that spans 14 years. And yet we hadn’t personally met until the morning of this podcast recording.

In this very special episode we hear his story and have a conversation with Thomas Mallon. We discuss his novels and how the changing stories in our lives unfold, not only through the characters on the pages, but also in the lives we lead in change. We also hear more about his soon to be released novel “Up with the Sun.” Enjoy the conversation and Happy New Year! Learn more about Thomas at thomasmallon.com

Imagine being able to go back and have a conversation with your 12 year old self. Imagine being able to share all the things you had learned along the way, to celebrate your unwavering resilience, to honor your fortitude and most importantly admire your compassion for change.

While it may not seem achievable, this next conversation with Rory Woonsue did just that, for both the host and the guest. See, I met Rory when I was 12 years old and we were both in the 7th grade in Warsaw, Poland. It was a historic time - Gulf War, Reunification of Germany, the fall of the Soviet Union. All this was taking place around us while we were trying to salvage our childlike wonder, and hold on to our innocence.

The world around us was changing fast, and we had no choice but to try and find our way in the world, in a post communist country, while navigating adolescence behind the Iron Curtain.

This conversation was a salve on a wound I didn't know I had been ignoring for multiple decades. It was in this connection, reignited from a place of forgiveness and laughter, grace and gratitude, that allowed us both to heal and pay it forward for the next generation. As they say in Polish, Sto Lat! (100 Years!) Here's to friendship, no matter what.

On Episode 109, I welcome a long overdue conversation with Dele Downs Kooley. Dele and I met on a panel for the Women in Tech Regatta in Seattle. We both hit it off sharing our backgrounds in the military and as fate would have it, we would be working together a year or so later. Her story is one that will remind you the power and importance of the pivot. And most importantly, the pivot to joy. Enjoy the listen. Learn more about Dele and her new book at: https://delekooleycoaching.com/

Edward Cleaves is the author of Kind Soul, Closet Maniac: A Memoir – a tale of a kid trying to escape a horrible past and navigate an uncertain future. All the while never giving up, and eventually coming to terms with life. Ever vigilant and ever hopeful. This is a powerful story rooted plainly with purpose and perseverance in prose. Learn more about Ed at: https://www.edwardcleaves.com/

On Episode 107, we meet Bryan Komornik. Bryan is a Partner at West Monroe where he leads and focuses on Healthcare Management and Health Strategy Solutions. Bryan is also an Executive Board Member at Trilogy Behavioral Healthcare, a non profit that provides integrated care that enables people in mental health recovery to build meaningful and independent lives.

Bryan is a frequent author of articles and publication on topics of navigating the future of healthcare and the transformative power of connected care. Bryan also wrote a very powerful article on Progressology.com in 2019 on his personal journey while becoming a father to twin boys and redefining his understanding of work-life balance, and how it is an erroneous myth.

Read Bryan's article here: https://progressology.com/articles/2019/02/26/throw-out-the-work-life-scale-a-father-of-twins-journey-to-imbalance/

Learn about Trilogy Behavioral Healthcare here: https://www.trilogyinc.org/

Welcome back and thanks for listening. As we approach the Thanksgiving Day Holiday here in the United States, I want to extend my gratitude and thanks to all the listeners that keep this show vibrant, relevant and growing.

One of the many gifts I get to experience from this platform built on a passion for both storytelling and story listening are the connections, recommendations and suggestions that former guests share with me for future shows. Today’s guest came to me that way as well, and from one Steven to another. My guest on Episode 106 is Steven Jaggers, founder of Somatic Breathwork.

Steven’s purpose in life is to liberate people from the stress & overwhelm that lies unprocessed in our bodies so that we become free in our mind. As we discuss in this episode together, Steven believes there is an exact correlation between our physical vitality and mental health. If we want to improve the quality of our lives we MUST address both…and that begins with breath.

Living and practicing out of Sedona, Arizona and Austin, Texas Steven helps people from all over the world align their Minds & Bodies through somatic breathwork, energetic bodywork and a deep reconnection to nature. Enjoy the conversation and feel into your breath as you listen.

You can find more about Steven and his great work at: https://www.somaticbreathwork.com/

To listen is to practice...

To listen is to prompt...

To listen is to love.

Thank you for joining me in and adventure in attunement and an alongside listen.

New Seasonal Theme music composed by Jason Latham. Poetry and words written by Bill Kirst and Jason Latham.