In this episode of Here Be Dragons, your favorite Dragons, Rachel Inabinet and Clair Poletti, explore the radical power of rest in a culture that glorifies hustle and burnout. From personal reflections to practical strategies, they unpack how pausing intentionally can fuel creativity, strengthen leadership, and model a healthier way forward. Rest isn’t a reward — it’s resistance.

Action Item:

Think of your dream rest activity if money, time, and guilt weren’t factors.

Keep Soaring with Additional Resources:

• Previous conversations referenced include our Sunday Serenity episodes, our Sunday Serenity video compilation, and our paid memberships to get the archive of any of our webinars in our Member Webinar Library.
• The effectiveness of micro-breaks, as referenced in this NIH study.
• Elizabeth Gilbert's Letters from Love Substack.

New Season, Fresh Guests!

What does it really look like to live with full authenticity? To stay curious, lead with acceptance, and take up space like you belong there?

In this episode, we talk with someone who lives the Dragonhood mantra out loud. Donald reminds us what it means to awaken your inner dragon—and live boldly, bravely, and fully you.

Our guest: Donald C. Shorter Jr., is an educator, an artist, and a "queer artist committed to glitching the system."

Action Item:

Think of one part of the Dragonhood mantra and how you connect to it.

Keep Soaring with Additional Resources:

• Discover more about Donald
• Join our thunder of Dragons at the Dragonhood

Clair and Rachel chat with the first unofficial Dragonhood graduate, Katie Roberts! In this conversation, they chat about the benefits of coaching and how their lives have changed since embracing the core Dragonhood concepts.

Action Item:

Think about environments where you find yourself shrinking. Notice those moments so you can practice taking up some of the room in those same spaces.

Keep Soaring with Additional Resources:

• Dragonhood coaching and other services
• Working Genius
• Dawna MacLean, Conscious Living Coach and Founder of Agents of Way

Clair and Rachel explore how glimmers, or small acts of positive interaction, can affect our lives. Listen as they chat about the power of Emotional Intelligence and micro-moments in leadership and work life.

Action Item:

How will you practice creating glimmers? What small steps will you take to create a more connected and authentic environment in the spaces you share with others?

Keep Soaring with Additional Resources:

• Soul Science
• Richard Branson
• Emotional Intelligence Network
• Gary Vaynerchuk
• Amer Nizamuddin
• Kim Scott
• If you missed our webinar, check out Little Moments, Big Impact: Building Psychological Safety and Supporting Inclusivity

Do you find yourself apologizing excessively, especially at work? Clair and Rachel dive into why we do this and explore alternatives. Take control, take up your space, and stop saying sorry!

Action Item:

How will you practice stopping yourself from apologizing? Any replacement phrase(s) you want to try?

Keep Soaring with Additional Resources:

• Agents of Way
• Sign up for Dragonhood Coaching or any of our other services! https://www.dragonhood.world

Clair and Rachel discuss the importance of all types of rest and finding your center. In Part Two, they continue the conversation by exploring the Dragonhood Sunday Serenity series.

Action Item:

How will you start practicing rest in your life? Try one new type of rest this week!

Keep Soaring with Additional Resources:

• Visit our curated Sunday Serenity page!
• Buy the book! The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Diana Chapman, Kaley Klemp, and Jim Dethmer
• Psychology Today article on the Seven Kinds of Rest
• Dr. David Rock and his thoughts on neuroleadership: https://davidrock.net/
• Octavia Spencer's inspirational account: @octaviaspencer
• Sign up for Dragonhood Coaching or any of our other services! https://www.dragonhood.world

Clair and Rachel reflect on their first full year as the Dragonhood: celebrating successes, sharing growth opportunities, and looking towards a bright future for the second year.

Action Item:

Think about your last year and really reflect on what you're proud of, what challenged you, and what you want to focus on next.

Keep Soaring with Additional Resources:

• Join our upcoming free webinar, Navigating Milestones & Transitions
• Shop local wherever you are! If you're in the Upstate South Carolina area, we mentioned two of our favorites: Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery and Sum Bar!

Clair and Rachel discuss the importance of all types of rest and finding your center. In Part One, they explore the different kinds of rest with examples of what rest can look like, often in surprising ways!

Keep Soaring with Additional Resources:

• Visit our curated Sunday Serenity page!
• Buy the book! The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Diana Chapman, Kaley Klemp, and Jim Dethmer
• Psychology Today article on the Seven Kinds of Rest
• Dr. David Rock and his thoughts on neuroleadership: https://davidrock.net/
• Sign up for Dragonhood Coaching or any of our other services! https://www.dragonhood.world

Content Warning: This episode of Here Be Dragons contains discussion of grief, death, and the loss of a parent. The conversation may be difficult for some listeners to hear, so feel free to skip this episode. And for those of you grappling with grief, some helpful resources include: 

CDC resource page on Grief: includes other resources on the Emotions page, such as Loneliness

National Alliance for Children’s Grief Resource Library: Helpful resources, graphic novels, available in English and Spanish

Clair and Rachel discuss a personal grief journey and how, even in the midst of grief, moments of gratitude appear. They explore the importance of sharing your grief and your life moments with team members when appropriate.

Action Item:

Can you think of a moment where, even in the midst of grief, you were able to be thankful for a special gift from someone? Some way that they touched your life?

Keep Soaring with Additional Resources:

• Buy the book!  Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain

If you need a good cry, and want to connect to some of that sadness to move it through, Donna Ashworth has written several beautiful poetry books: 

• Wild Hope: Healing Words to Find Light on Dark Days
• Loss: Poems to Better Weather the Many Waves of Grief

Clair and Rachel continue to explore the concept of conversational jazz with Pete Riddell, storyteller extraordinaire in Part Two of this conversation. Pete is an Executive Creative Director at Derse by trade, but is also a self-described noticer and treasure hunter. Together, they uncover how conversational jazz can be beneficial in both the workplace and our personal lives.

Action Item:

How will you practice conversational jazz (creating connection) and using questions to uncover stories?

Keep Soaring with Additional Resources:

• Buy the book!  Belong: Find Your People, Create Community, and Live a More Connected Life by Radha Agrawal: https://amzn.to/3QfV0X2
• Buy the book! Find Your Unicorn Space: Reclaim Your Creative Life in a Too-Busy World by Eve Rodsky https://amzn.to/3Qr1q5I
• Sign up for Dragonhood Coaching or any of our other services! https://www.dragonhood.world