Fishing for Answers

Fishing for Answers: GDE CEO Mark Kimbell on Leadership, Relationships & Succession Planning

Marlin and Jaerica welcome special guest Mark Kimbell, CEO of Gallatin Department of Electricity, who shares his background as an electrical engineer and GDE’s growth since 2012. He emphasizes leadership principles of honesty, openness, integrity, and strong relationships, including empowering employees through training and educational opportunities. Mark discusses balancing career and family, his children’s engineering paths, and the influence of faith and values. Looking ahead to his planned retirement in August of 27, he outlines structured succession planning with the board and department-level backups, and personal plans including a long Pacific cruise and more time with grandchildren. He reflects on receiving the TVPPA Distinguished Service Award and APPA’s Mark Crisson Leadership Award, and explains founding the Valley Public Power Leadership Academy to strengthen TVA–local power company relationships. He closes with advice to treat people well and help everyone succeed. #leadership #retirement #fishingforanswers #f4a 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:23 Mark’s GDE Journey

02:33 Growth Awards and Industry Impact

03:46 Leadership Through Relationships

04:23 Core Leadership Principles

06:00 Empowering Teams and Training

07:11 Leadership at Home and Family

08:49 Communication Style and Curiosity

10:38 Retirement Plans and Succession

13:10 Preparing Personally for Transition

13:24 Pacific Cruise Plans

14:06 Family Time and Grandkids

14:32 Faith and Values

15:32 Awards and Recognition

17:00 VPPLA Origin Story

19:59 Relationships Built Through VPPLA

21:21 Community Legacy at GDE

23:10 Leadership Wisdom to Close

24:35 Final Thanks and Sign Off

Handling Workplace Friction | Fishing for Answers

Marlin and Jaerica reunite in Gallatin for an episode of Fishing for Answers focused on navigating friction and difficult people in the workplace, including recognizing when you may be the one causing tension. They share practical strategies such as using a 24-hour cooling-off rule, assuming positive intent (low competence vs. high malice), building a personal “firewall” to prevent negativity from spilling into home life, and using physical transitions after work to shed stress. They discuss reclaiming control by changing the power dynamic through “gray rocking,” documenting patterns when bullying or unfairness is involved, and refocusing on “the third space” (you, them, and the work) by redirecting energy into excellence. They also cover BIFF communication (brief, informative, friendly, firm), avoiding dependency on apologies or validation, and maintaining kindness and professionalism even without reciprocation.

00:00 Welcome Back and Pizza

00:53 Workplace Friction Topic

01:11 Owning Your Part

02:09 24 Hour Cooling Rule

04:31 Assume Positive Intent

06:28 Build a Personal Firewall

07:42 Work Persona Boundaries

09:52 Shed Work Stress

11:26 When Grudges Linger

12:45 Change the Power Dynamic

13:10 Gray Rocking Tactics

14:15 Document the Pattern

14:36 Vent Without Ratting

15:14 Journaling for Clarity

16:02 Focus on the Work

17:40 Sticky Notes for War

18:55 Mental Stretch Routine

20:44 Strategic vs Emotional

22:37 Passive Aggressive Traps

24:47 BIFF Communication Method

25:25 Stop Chasing Apologies

25:56 Kindness and Boundaries

27:44 Closing Thoughts

Redefining Hope (Mental Health Month): Micro-Wins, Borrowed Hope & Finding Glimmers | Fishing for Answers

Marlin and Jaerica reunite on Fishing for Answers to discuss redefining hope when life feels dim, exhausting, and hopeless for mental health month.They distinguish optimism (believing things will turn out well) from hope (believing life can still be meaningful regardless of outcomes), and encourage “shrinking the horizon” to the next minutes or hour through micro-wins that restore a sense of agency. They emphasize borrowed hope through community, choosing supportive people, and the power of presence—like Job’s friends sitting in silence—rather than forced advice. They discuss narrative hope, radical acceptance of hard realities, and spotting “glimmers” or “God nudges” in small cues of beauty and safety (sunrises, sunsets, songs, fresh air). They close by urging listeners to like, comment, share, and keep doing small things.

#mentalhealthawarenessmonth #F4A #fishingforanswers #hope #motivation

00:00 Welcome to the Show

01:03 Why Hope Matters

03:16 Hope vs Optimism

05:11 Presence Creates Hope

06:12 Shrink the Horizon

08:27 Micro Wins and Agency

09:09 Borrowed Hope Community

10:49 Narrative Hope and Forgiveness

12:20 Radical Acceptance

13:23 Towel Mirror Trick

13:45 Finding Glimmers

14:28 God Nudges in Nature

16:11 Steal Five Minutes

16:48 Songs and Safe Cues

17:30 Triathlon Dad Story

18:55 Tune Out Negativity

20:00 Crack in the Door

20:44 Tiny Wins Reset

22:01 Helping With Intent

23:38 Hold On to Hope

Mind, Body & Spirit: Iron Tribe Gallatin Owners Share Their Story

Jaerica hosts Fishing for Answers with guests Joshua and Kaitlyn, owners of Iron Tribe Fitness Gallatin, a semi-private personal training gym focused on barbell and strength training. They share their background—Joshua’s 21 years in strength and conditioning and Kaitlyn’s work as an emergency room doctor—how they met, moved to the Nashville area, built the Gallatin location, and later bought the gym, integrating family life and community into the business. In honor of Mental Health Month, they discuss how physical training supports mental discipline, resilience, sleep, stress regulation, and workplace performance, emphasizing movement and strength training as powerful tools for mental wellness alongside prayer and spiritual disciplines. They address balancing mind, body, and spirit, building routines for busy professionals, and end with a call to action to start small, and find your Tribe.

#MindBodySpirit #WellnessJourney #FitnessMotivation #F4A #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth00:00 Mind Body and Spirit00:17 Welcome & Guest Introductions00:33 Meet Kaitlyn & Joshua08:27 Mental Health Month: Fitness & Mental Wellness18:51 Mind, Body & Spirit Connection28:48 Routines & Mindset Shifts for Busy Professionals36:01 Call to Action

How to Stay Focused: Set Your Environment, Silence Distractions & Get More Done | Fishing for Answers

Jaerica and Marlin reunite on Fishing for Answers and discuss practical ways to stay focused by intentionally setting up an environment that supports attention and productivity. They share examples from traveling and working in hotels, emphasizing that surroundings influence output, and suggest strategies like avoiding the bed for work, reducing visual clutter, closing extra tabs, and using do-not-disturb signals. They address phone and smartwatch distractions with tactics such as turning the phone over, putting it away, using a sticky-note checkmark method to track interruptions, and checking messages only at planned intervals. Other tips include time blocking (especially at home), “eat the frog” by tackling the hardest task first, batching communications, using two-minute tasks to reduce mental clutter, making checklists for small wins, taking movement breaks, staying hydrated, and forgiving occasional slip-ups as focus is a practice.

#F4A #stayfocused #timeblocking #eatthefrog #motivation #fishingforanswers

00:00 Welcome Back

Update00:41 

Why Focus Matters

02:21 Design Your Work Space

03:57 Morning Routine For Focus

04:56 Phone And Watch Distractions

09:18 Work In Focus Sprint

s10:13 Do Not Disturb Boundaries

11:18 Handling Interruptions Politely

14:44 Desk Clutter And Open Tabs

17:21 Cluttered Desk Mindset

17:55 Time Blocking at Home

18:58 Team Scheduling Limits

19:47 Eat the Frog First

22:18 Busy vs Productive

24:03 Two Minute Rule

24:59 Texting Boundaries

26:18 Checklists and Small Wins

28:45 Final Focus Tips

30:10 Wrap Up and Goodbye

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Jaerica hosts Fishing for Answers solo and reflects on the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” noting that many people change jobs or careers multiple times and that it’s common not to choose one path at 18 and stay until retirement. She shares her own trajectory into public power and human resources, explains the difference between changing a career versus changing a job, and discusses reasons people shift paths such as stress, flexibility, burnout, finances, and the desire for alignment between heart and head. She encourages viewers to make pros-and-cons lists, pray and think through fear, training, networking, and relocation, and to consider personal growth and relationships alongside professional goals. She invites viewers to comment with their experiences and to follow and engage on Spotify. #FishingForAnswers #CareerChange #JobChange #HumanResources #PublicPower #WorkLifeBalance #Burnout #Flexibility #ProfessionalDevelopment #F4A

00:00 Solo Welcome

00:42 Why Careers Change

01:44 My Career Journey

02:51 Childhood Dream Jobs

04:43 Talking Into HR

07:58 Job Versus Career

10:01 Why People Shift

12:04 Burnout And Purpose

13:35 Facing Change Fears

14:42 Relocation And Alignment

16:04 Who Youll Be Next

17:37 Money Friends And Growth

18:14 Reflect And Take Action

20:16 Closing And CommentsRead along when you get the chance:

BLS-https://www.bls.gov/nls/questions-and-answers.htm

Indeed- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/starting-new-job/how-often-do-people-change-careers

Staying Grounded While Staying Busy | Fishing for Answers

Jaerica and Marlin welcome listeners back to Fishing forAnswers and thank them for feedback. They focus on self-care, protecting mental health, allowing time to reflect, and not letting constant busyness or notifications steal clarity—while also encouraging listeners to forgive themselves for one-off mistakes and ask to be taught so mistakes become teachable moments. Marlin describes habits that help him stay grounded, including faith, consistent sleep routines, reading, podcasts, and honest feedback from friends, while both hosts share recent hectic travel and family commitments. They preview upcoming topics like encouragement, being firm but fair, and deeper discussions on building great workplace culture and leadership changes. Jaerica mentions the upcoming HR conference presentationon culture change initiatives. #FishingForAnswers #F4A #SelfCare #MentalHealth #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #HR #Encouragement #PersonalGrowth

00:00 Welcome Back Updates

00:39 Recording Plans and Guests

03:01 Self Care and Mistakes

06:04 Entrepreneur Self Care Habits

07:48 Family Time and Busy Weekend

10:46 Jaerica Beach Reset

11:53 Handling Criticism and Mindset

12:56 Upcoming Topics Culture Change

16:08 Wrap Up and Takeaways

12 Phrases Great Leaders Use to Build Trust, Confidence, and Culture | Fishing for Answers

On the road again, Jaerica and Marlin share “12 phrases that great leaders use” to strengthen trust, empowerment, and workplace culture, especially for new leaders learning the role. They discuss why simple statements matter in HR and everyday leadership, including: “I trust you,” “You’ve got this,” and more. They emphasize humility, recognizing effort, involving others in decisions, avoiding micromanagement, and using one-on-ones for support. They invite viewers to suggest future topics and contact them at [email protected].

#FishingForAnswers #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #Communication #ServantLeadership #HR #F4A

00:00 Welcome Back Road Trip

00:39 Episode Topic 12 Leader Phrases

01:14 I Trust You

01:46 Youve Got This

02:50 I Believe In You

04:56 How Can I Help

06:23 I Made A Mistake

08:40 Im Proud Of You

09:25 What Do You Think

09:59 Take The Lead

10:26 We Are In This Together

12:12 You're Making A Difference

12:55 Thank You For Hard Work

14:58 Support You One On Ones

15:44 Wrap Up And Stay Connected

Silent Killers of Workplace Motivation

Jaerica and Marlin discuss “Silent Killers of WorkplaceMotivation,” focusing on how small leadership and culture issues can quickly drain morale. They highlight unclear expectations (especially outdated job descriptions), lack of recognition, micromanaging and the resulting loss oftrust, and workplace culture problems like negativity, silos, gossip, and disrespect. They also cover how no opportunities for growth, poor communication, and unfair treatment—such as inconsistent accountability or unequal access to training—hurt engagement. The episode closes with lack of empowerment and overwork/burnout, emphasizing the need for rest and even required PTO in some organizations. They encourage listeners to take practical steps like asking for clarity, seeking mentorship, addressing unfairness through HR, setting boundaries, and helping shift culture by refusing to participate in unproductive venting.

#WorkplaceMotivation #Leadership #culture #F4A #expectations#fishingforanswers

00:00 Welcome Back Banter

00:55 Today’s Topic Motivation Killers

01:44 Unclear Expectations

03:36 Job Description Reality Check

05:15 Lack of Recognition

07:00 Micromanaging Kills Trust

10:20 Workplace Culture and Silos

13:34 No Growth Paths

14:27 Creating Opportunities

15:24 Fixing Poor Communication

16:40 Unfair Treatment Issues

18:20 Empowerment vs Micromanaging

19:39 Overwork and Burnout

23:52 Take Control and Close

6 Ways to Communicate Better: Clear, Concise, Considerate, Consistent & Connected

Jaerica and Marlin record from a new on-the-road location and dive into practical communication tips that impact both work performance and family life. They emphasize making communication clear so both parties truly understand, noting how people often assume thoughts were spoken aloud. They discuss being concise and concrete to reduce frustration, including examples from helping with homework and tailoring messages to different personality styles. They stress being considerate in tone and approach, choosing kindness and perspective over conflict. They highlight consistency through regular check-ins, appreciation, and being the same person across settings, including fair accountability. Finally, they explain staying connected through shared goals, feedback, aligned finances and leadership at home, and avoiding workplace silos and festering issues. #communication #F4A #fishingforanswers #encouragement #motivation 00:00 Welcome Back Road Trip01:01 Why Communication Matters02:34 Friendship Banter U Turn03:56 Tip One Be Clear06:00 Tip Two Be Concise10:07 Patience Over Being Right12:47 Considerate Communication Styles13:15 Considerate Not Combative14:00 Small Kindness Everyday14:47 Letting Mistakes Go15:28 Consistent Family Praise16:40 Consistency At Work18:41 Same Person Everywhere20:29 Connected Teams And Homes22:41 Guard Minds And Accountability24:00 Wrap Up And Support