Despite Impossible

In this episode of Third Fork, Tansley and Ryan dive into the all-too-familiar feeling of vacation guilt. That anxious voice that whispers you’re falling behind, even when you’re supposed to be resting.

Tansley opens up with a personal story from her childhood, recalling how she could feel the tension and guilt building at home in the days leading up to family vacations, and how that same mindset can follow us into adulthood. She shares what it’s taken to quiet those feelings and fully unplug, especially during the first couple of days away.

Ryan reflects on his own recharge moments, like returning from a week volunteering as a counselor for his kids’ scout troops. Together, they explore practical ways to reduce the pull back into work:

• Delay sending emails so they don’t re-open your inbox floodgates.
• Set “micro check-in” windows to glance at your inbox without falling down the rabbit hole.
• Empower your team to step in during your absence confidently, both planned and unexpected.

Whether you struggle to silence your work brain or want to help your team unplug without guilt, this episode offers both empathy and actionable tips to make your time away truly restorative.

The Gift of Experience: Five Ways Credit Unions Can Leverage the Post-Service Era

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Today’s guest is Lamont Black. He is an educator, thinker, dreamer, speaker, an author with a focus on financial innovation, and a futurist. He’s inspiring our credit union movement to test, invest, and strategize to embrace Artificial Intelligence. Lamont is also the Associate Professor of Finance at DePaul University in Chicago and a former economist at the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C. This is Lamont’s story.

We’re rewinding one of our most popular and insightful episodes from the Third Fork archive: Curiosity Over Criticism. 

In this conversation, Tansley Stearns and Ryan Brown explore the delicate art of navigating unsolicited advice. Tansley shares how leading with questions rather than statements fosters openness and curiosity, while Ryan encourages listeners to assume positive intent, creating space for healthier dialogue. Together, they offer practical strategies for receiving, processing, and growing from feedback. Whether it’s your first time tuning in or you’re revisiting this one, you’ll walk away with tools to transform feedback, wanted or not, into meaningful growth.

Our Future's Playlist: Your Strategy Plays Here (Tansley Stearns originally published this article on December 6, 2024)

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Today’s guest is Christopher Veal. He is a great listener, someone who’s warm, thoughtful, challenging the traditional definitions of masculinity, and he’s known to be silly. He’s also a dad. Christopher is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, and faculty for the Co-Active Training Institute and ACT Leadership & Performance Coaching, a former Marine Officer, and the author of The Whole Man: Evolving Masculinity. This is Christopher’s story.

Four Strategy Lessons from Ms. Pac-Man (Tansley Stearns originally published this article on December 6, 2024)

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Today's guest is Vince Kadlubek, co-founder of Meow Wolf, an arts and entertainment company with experiential exhibits in Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and Denver. He creates immersive and interactive experiences that transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms of story and exploration. This is his story.

To learn more about his organization, visit: meowwolf.com

In the second part of our Third Fork series on interviews, Tansley and Ryan shift focus to external job opportunities, when your growth journey calls you beyond your current workplace.

Whether you’re passively exploring or actively applying, this episode offers practical insights on:

• How to prepare for external interviews without losing your authenticity
• Navigating loyalty and transparency with your current leader
• What to ask (and what to avoid) in a first conversation
• Why preparing your current leader to root for you is part of the process
• How to stay aligned with your personal values and career goals

If you're stepping into the unknown, Ryan and Tansley remind you: external opportunities aren’t just about new roles, they’re about renewed clarity on what matters most.

Raise Your Glass: Lessons from a Pink Concert (Tansley Stearns originally published this article on November 8, 2024)

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