Collective Energy Conversations

In this episode, I sit down with Brittany Fountain, Chief Humanity Officer of Britt Joy & Co. Brittany openly shares her story of growing up with a single mom, working her way through college, and spending 15 years in diverse corporate roles before courageously launching her own culture consulting business. We dive into the challenges and opportunities around workplace culture, preparing for the future of work, and the power of intuition in decision making. Brittany's candid and insightful perspective will leave you inspired to approach your own career with more curiosity, authenticity and intentionality. Don't miss this thought-provoking conversation!

Episode Quote: "Curiosity is the engine of achievement." - Ken Robinson

Collective Challenge: This week, make a conscious effort to cultivate curiosity in your daily life. Each day, identify one situation where you can pause and ask deeper questions – whether it's about your own thoughts, ideas, and actions, or those of others. Embrace the opportunity to lean in and learn more. Notice how this curiosity impacts your interactions, decisions, and overall perspective. At the end of the week, reflect on your experiences and consider how you can continue to integrate curiosity into your personal and professional life. Share your insights with others and encourage them to join you in this curiosity challenge!

Show Notes:
00:00 - Anna introduces Brittany Fountain and the episode theme of curiosity
04:36 - Brittany shares her childhood background and lessons learned from her single mom
09:46 - College experience as a first-gen student and entering the workforce during 2008 recession
17:33 - Overview of Brittany's 15 year corporate career across various industries and roles
25:01 - The launch of Britt Joy & Co in 2021 and identifying the need for culture consulting
32:13 - Challenges in getting leadership buy-in for prioritizing workplace culture
38:52 - Brittany's experience giving a keynote speech with her baby strapped to her
45:05 - The importance of staying curious and experimenting to identify gaps and solutions
51:50 - How organizations need to prepare for Gen Z and the future of work
58:16 - Balancing customer experience with employee experience and engagement
1:04:30 - Navigating ambiguity as a consultant and establishing metrics for success
1:09:59 - Learning to trust your intuition when making decisions about opportunities
1:12:07 - The value of reflective thinking and being the last to speak in a room
1:15:10 - Anna's closing thoughts on Brittany's openness and insights

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In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Anna Stumpf sits down with Josh Brammer, an entrepreneur, growth strategist, Storybrand Guide, and founder of Hello Lantern. Josh shares his profound journey of self-discovery, navigating the turbulent waters of entrepreneurship and finding his true "sweet spot."

From his beginnings in youth ministry to building a successful marketing agency, Josh's career has been marked by a relentless pursuit of clarity and impact. He vulnerably recounts the identity crisis that led him to question his passion for marketing and embark on a transformative path of exploration.

Through candid insights and hard-won wisdom, Josh offers invaluable guidance for professionals at any stage seeking to unlock their potential, reignite their joy, and align their work with their deepest values. His story serves as a powerful reminder that true fulfillment often requires courage, self-awareness, and a willingness to pivot – even when it means walking away from apparent success.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, creative professional, or simply seeking greater meaning in your work, this episode will inspire you to embrace your unique gifts and forge a path that sparks genuine joy and unlocks your full potential.

Episode Quote:  "The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs

Collective Challenge: Reflect on your current professional role or business. Identify one aspect that aligns with your strengths, interests, and passion – your "sweet spot." Commit to focusing your energy on nurturing and expanding that aspect over the next week. Notice how it impacts your overall sense of fulfillment and joy. OR identify one aspect of your professional life where you may feel stuck or unfulfilled. Take one small, actionable step towards addressing this area. This could be as simple as scheduling a conversation with a mentor, enrolling in a short online course to develop a skill you're passionate about, or dedicating time to reflect on your career goals and writing them down. This challenge encourages you to take proactive steps towards personal and professional development, fostering a sense of progress and self-awareness.

Show Notes:

0:00 - 3:35: Introduction, quote from Steve Jobs
3:35 - 13:55: Josh's background and pivot from agency to consulting business
13:55 - 22:45: Discovering his "sweet spot" and mission of unlocking potential and sparking joy
22:45 - 30:10: Balancing work with personal life, managing scope creep
30:10 - 37:20: Biggest career challenge - starting his own business
37:20 - 41:25: The importance of narrowing focus for creatives
41:25 - 47:45: Keeping a narrow focus, avoiding shiny objects
47:45 - 54:10: Collaborating with a collective group, importance of trust
54:10 - 59:02: Josh's family life, final thoughts

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Join Dr. Anna Stumpf as she talks with Coach Julie Downey about living an energized and purpose-driven life. Julie shares her journey from real estate to coaching entrepreneurs, prioritizing self-care and wellness, empowering women, and embracing change and new opportunities. Gain insights on discovering your unique abilities, achieving mastery, and finding alignment between your passion and purpose.

The books mentioned in the podcast episode are:

"Unique Ability" by Dan Sullivan This concept and book have been adapted by a new author who offers this book and workbook. You can google Dan Sullivan and his many appearances and coaching business. 

"Happy Money" by Jason Vitug

"The Gap and The Gain" by Dan Sullivan

Quote of the show: " Asking the right questions takes as much skill as having the right answers"- Robert Half

The Collective Challenge:
Our collective challenge for this show is to figure out some of your mastery in your innate talents, unlock some new levels, maybe of your confidence and some exploration. 

•  Ask five to 10 people across different areas of your to describe you or your impact may be on them. Ask them for five words, and then look for themes in their responses, maybe some patterns. 
• The other thing you can do is make a list of activities where you get into that like flow state or you lose track of time or it doesn't feel like work and look for themes of where you're getting energy and enjoyment. 
• The third thing you can do is identify tangible skills that come really easily for you. And remember, you don't have to love these. They're just skills that you have. 
•  Maybe even start like a journal page. Then, fill these skills, words, tasks, or themes over time as you run across them. 
• Ultimately, take a look at all of these strains of genius where you have people's descriptions of you, you have lists of activities where you kind of get lost in you have some of your tangible skills, and take a look at the impact the energy, the skills, and what kind of unique ability, unique themes, tie these together, and then start to brainstorm ways to use these abilities more, maybe through a pivot, volunteering, a passion project, whatever that might be just some sort of discovery is always the first step. And living on purpose is the fun part.

Show Notes with Timestamps:

00:07 - Introduction by Anna Stumpf and overview of the episode

01:21 - Julie Downey shares her background and initial career choices

05:09 - The shift from real estate to personal coaching

10:42 - Julie discusses the challenges and breakthroughs in her journey

16:12 - The evolution of Julie's career and her move towards coaching

21:27 - Discovering coaching as a calling through self-awareness exercises

26:39 - Julie talks about the impact of coaching and her approach

32:28 - Strategies for work-life balance and personal well-being

39:09 - Future aspirations and the importance of community and connection

44:27 - Mastery and the power of saying no

48:01 - Julie's recommendations for personal development and resources

Have you heard about the Energy Coin? Learn about it here or in this previous episode.

Today's episode gives four examples of energy coin impact just to give you a boost of energy! Enjoy!

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Collective Insights Newsletter: Because you are a collective of your roles, this newsletter serves to off you boosts of energy in your leadership of self, work, home, and connections.

If you would like this content delivered via email to your inbox every week, sign up on our website, at the bottom of the home page.

Learn more about the EQ-i 2.0 here.

The Hidden Costs of Not Showing Emotions
Navigating Emotions in the Workplace: Responding to Crying with Empathy
Emotional Intelligence: Bridging Work and Home Life
Beyond Transactions: Cultivating Meaningful Connections for Extended Influence

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Justin Demaree seemed to have it all - a successful corporate career, loving family, and active social life. But when the pandemic hit, it sparked an existential crisis that led Justin and his wife to ask themselves "are we living our best lives?" The conclusion that the answer was no launched Justin on a journey to pivot careers entirely, start creating YouTube videos, move his family to Florida, and ultimately leave corporate America behind to become "Bearded Tesla Guy." Justin shares his incredible story of change, risk-taking, fearlessness, and what he learned about finding career fulfillment along the way.

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living". Nelson Mandela

Show Notes/Timestamps:

2:38 - Justin and Dr. Anna's memories from his MBA program
4:09 - How Justin's passion for Teslas started
8:00 - The conversation with his wife that sparked major life changes
10:38 - Taking the leap and moving from Indiana to Florida
15:14 - Learning to balance being excellent at work with not sacrificing family time
21:18 - What prompted Justin to start a YouTube channel
25:22 - When the YouTube channel began making real money
27:25 - The best parts of Justin's life now
33:13 - Tuning out the news and negativity
37:14 - The supportive community among YouTube content creators
42:19 - Examples of Justin's leadership style and mentorship
43:53 - The difficulty of an individual contributor role vs. leading teams
45:56 - Prioritizing community service
47:55 - Justin's favorite podcasts and people to learn from
55:40 - Justin's future plans and new channels
58:39 - Justin's key pieces of advice for others
1:07 - Anna's Collective Challenge

Now that we've heard from Justin, your collective challenge this week, is to set aside as much time as you possibly can, maybe 30 minutes every day, try it for a week, figure out whatever passion project, new hobby, something you've been wanting to explore, don't put any judgments and no expectations on yourself. This is just an experimentation phase, your do not have to be perfect. As we talked about multiple times in the episode, you could just be doing research online, maybe starting a mini project, maybe a tiny piece of content, whatever it is that you've been wondering, and think about like atomic habits, that great book, little small pockets of time just to build on. So just start something that's all Justin said for us to do. Let's make that our collective challenge this week. 

Bearded Tesla Guy on LinkedIn
Bearded Tesla Guy You Tube Channel
BTG Instagram
BTG Twitter
All Things BTG

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Dr. Anna Stumpf is launching an initiative called "Collective Energy Coins" to spread positivity. She sent individually numbered wooden coins to 100 people who have inspired her. The coins have unique QR codes linking to stories of their impact. Recipients will pass their coin on to someone who energized them, sharing why that person mattered. Anna will track these encounters on her website to chronicle how connections and good energy are spreading in the world.

Today's episode is the explanation. Starting next week will be a weekly podcast of the stories from the coin encounters to give us all inspiration to share our contagious energy!

A conversation with O'Brien McMahon, host of the acclaimed People Business podcast. We explored themes of self-awareness, lifelong learning, finding your passion, and continually working to become the best version of yourself. O'Brien shared fascinating insights from his own personal growth journey as well as from the wide array of guests he's interviewed on his show. Whether you're an ambitious professional, curious explorer, or someone seeking inspiration, I think you'll get a lot out this episode!

Find O'Brien's book, "How You Become You" here.  Follow him on LinkedIn here.

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." – Ralph Waldo Emerson


Show Notes with Timestamps:

• 00:00-03:35: Introduction to Collective Energy Conversations and guest O'Brien McMahon.
• 03:36-06:24: O'Brien shares his journey and the philosophy behind his children's book.
• 06:25-08:04: Discussion on the diversity of podcast guests and balancing personal life with professional aspirations.
• 08:05-10:40: Insights into writing, creativity in sales, and the importance of storytelling.
• 10:41-22:06: Exploring the balance between hustle culture and personal fulfillment.
• 22:07-24:06: The significance of engaging in diverse activities and the impact on professional and personal development.
• 24:07-30:39: The benefits of podcasting and learning from guest experiences.
• 30:40-33:17: Reflections on humility and its role in success across various professions.
• 33:18-37:31: The practice of journaling and seeking coaching for personal growth.
• 37:32-41:35: The importance of self-awareness and communication in personal and professional relationships.
• 41:36-48:56: Encouraging young people to explore, learn, and be open to various experiences.
• 48:57-58:10: O'Brien and Anna discuss the power of skill development and the impact of parental influence on children's growth.

Collective Challenge:
Think about how you can communicate better with yourself, to learn more about yourself and where you could make explorative decisions, better conversations, enhance your relationships; just more in depth knowledge of yourself.

One of the things we talked about on the podcast was journaling. So there are journaling apps, some of you may already very good at journaling, very good habits around that. For those of you aren't just take one small step towards this goal and take some of the advice that O'Brien gave about challenging yourself with questions and prompts and different things. Take some dedicated time this week for self reflection. And if it's not through journaling, maybe it's through more intentional conversations with someone close to you or spend some time in your own thoughts. We're very bad at that sometimes with our phones and our feeds and all of the commitments that we have. But if you can challenge yourself to have some progress in this area, I think it will give you greater clarity and appreciation for your unique story and the journey that you're on becoming who you are meant to be.

Music by Music Unlimited from Pixabay

New name! New graphic! New Format!

The episode is a significant pivot point for the podcast, transitioning from "Conversations with Anna" to "Collective Energy Conversations." Dr. Anna Stumpf discusses her journey through the pandemic, personal and professional challenges, and the evolution into starting a growth coaching business. The podcast's new direction aims to explore growth, connectivity, and self-awareness through collective challenges and guest conversations.

New website: www.collectiveenergycoach.com

Show Notes with Timestamps:

• 00:12 Introduction to the episode's unique nature and the podcast's evolution.
• 01:00 Reflection on the journey since the pandemic and the shift towards personal and professional transformation.
• 03:20 Announcement of Dr. Anna's coaching business and the pivot to "Collective Energy Conversations."
• 04:45 Overview of the new podcast format, including guest episodes, collective challenges, and the "Energy Coin Movement."
• 06:30 Invitation to the audience to engage with the podcast's new direction and challenges.
• 07:50 Introduction to the podcast's social media channels and encouragement to connect.
• 08:40 Closing thoughts and the importance of community and collective energy in fostering growth and change.

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This is Part II of the conversation with Dr. Ray Sylvester  where we discuss the more practical application of digital identity for college students. With so many mixed messages and nuances to this arena people at all ages and stages are confused about the idea of authentically participating in professional networking, especially on a platform. However, we believe this is incredibly important for a college student. This conversation covers all of that and concepts for an approach to LinkedIn as well as an assignment of an informational interview that the students are about to embark on for this amazing course that Ray is teaching this year. If you missed Part I, we laid the foundation of  WHY Ray and I find this to be critical for young people, how it fits into our own research, life experiences, and journey, and more.