Holly's Highlights: Faith, Hope & Purpose for Everyday Life

Send us Fan Mail

Forbes recently released an article referring to the importance of empowering employees with statistics that over a third of organizations that empower their staff tend to experience revenue growth between 10-30%, and 16% of these organizations experienced growth above 30%. Disappointingly though, while 90% of businesses tend to see the importance of empowering their team at all levels, only 7% of those actually make it a reality. 

Although Forbes mentions many businesses to look at for such examples of developing, leading, and empowering teams such as the Ritz Carlton, and Disney, it is a church that has caught my attention on their intentionality of making leadership a priority and what appears to be a success story of development, leadership, and empowerment of their team.

Today we have Senior Pastor of Risen Life Church, Kevin Lund, with us to share some insight on his success in leading and empowering teams. Kevin's apparent gift of leadership in putting together a team, developing them as leaders, and then empowering his team is one I am inspired by and I am excited for us to learn more about his tips and suggestions on how to carry over some tools he's used to help our own leadership skills to develop and empower the teams we lead.

Connect with Kevin Lund via email at [email protected].

This episode sponsored by PostNet.
For more information contact:
PostNet
Owners: Paul and Linda Schiele
For quotes or questions email: [email protected]
Website: www.postnet.com/ut113

Support the show

Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.

Send us Fan Mail

International Women's Day can often be misconstrued as women trying to take dominance, but in reality, it is about women seeking equality. Or as Real Simple magazine puts it - National Women's Day celebrates women’s contributions to society, raises awareness about the fight for gender parity, and inspires support for organizations that help women globally."

Throughout the decades we have seen strides made in efforts of women's equality - including as of recent the first female to ref the big game in February. We are also seeing more and more fortune 500 companies ran by female leaders such as General Motors, Hershey Company, Nasdaq Inc., the Clorox Company, United Parcel Services, Inc., and even the well-known pink Cadillac company, Mary Kay.

In fact, in honor of the 100-year anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in America, Mary Kay was recently named in USA Today among one of the USA TODAY Women of the Century - an honor recognizing those who have significantly impacted their community and country.

For more than 50 years, Mary Kay Inc. has empowered women while changing the world of business. According to Mary Kay's website, for founder Mary Kay Ash, it was always mission possible. After experiencing inequality in the workplace, she knew she had to make a change, not only for herself but for all women. In 1963, Mary Kay Ash launched her business and disrupted the idea of “business as usual,” turning the male-dominated workplace on its head in the process.  A change champion and groundbreaking businesswoman, Mary Kay Ash dedicated her life to empowering women and putting them in control of their own futures.

Today we have special guest Christy Flater joining us. Christy has been building her Mary Kay business since December 2005 and chose to build her team to earn the position of Independent Sales Director. Christy has put herself in the driver’s seat of one of the best-in-class car incentive programs by earning the use of 9 Mary Kay career cars through her hard work and applying the skills taught through the valuable resources and education offered in Mary Kay. We will talk about the mission to enrich the lives of women and their families, their commitment to respect each other, servant leadership within the organization, resources to help build up and empower the women in our lives, and more!

Let's celebrate International Women's Day with a company that pioneered celebrating women. As the saying goes “Here’s to strong women: May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”

If you do not have a Mary Kay consultant and are searching for one, go to www.MaryKay.com.  To find out more about the Mary Kay foundation visit www.MaryKayFoundation.org.

This episode sponsored by She Is Hope Uganda.
For more information contact:
She is Hope Uganda
Founding Director: Kaley Grace
[email protected]
www.sheishopeuganda.org
Registered Charity: 84-4658807

Support the show

Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.

Send us Fan Mail

According to the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 13% of US employers utilize personality assessments (otherwise referred to as human development systems); and depending on the source 80-88% of the fortune 500 companies attract talent using behavioral interviews. 

There are plenty of conflicting reports out there as to whether or not personality tests are reliable. The Washington Post has done an article on the “5 myths about personality tests”, Forbes covered a story on how personality tests seem to indicate that the results are permanent, and even the New York Times shared of a woman’s story about it being mandatory to take a personality test when applying for a job only to find out she wouldn’t get the job because there wasn’t a role for her on the team per her assessment results. 

Although there are conflicting reports as to how often to take the personality test, Cleverism.com reveals that you can never be completely objective about yourself, and you’ll always answer the questions on the test in accordance with how you think about yourself “now”. It goes on to say that people change and the person you are now and your traits might alter significantly in the future.

So why all the craze with personality tests? Well, there are upsides amongst all the controversy. They can help us learn more about behaviors (how you deal with stress, are you a team player), they can educate us on how to best understand and communicate with those around us, and they can help us learn more about our strengths and weaknesses - even what may be triggers for us, so that we can grow as a person and even a leader.

Psychology Today shares that personality tests are looking for five broad domains:
Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience. 

Now I've taken my share of personality assessments - from Myer's Briggs and Strength Finders to 5 Voices and DISC analysis, but what are we to do with the results? What really is the point? 

Well, today we are going to cover three main areas on how to actually use our personality assessment results no matter what personality assessment you take. 

1) Understanding our Voice

2) Knowing the rules of engagement

3) Learning how to control our voice

Overall taking personality assessments is one way to be open to feedback so that you can continue to grow personally and professionally. As Aristotle said “knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Support the show

Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.

Send us Fan Mail

Valentine's Day is approaching and you know what that means - love is in the air. According to WalletHub, Valentine's Day is the second priciest holiday on the calendar for US consumers shelling out more than $27.4 billion last year. According to Good Housekeeping, it is actually Teachers who receive the most Valentine's Day cards each year with kids, mothers, and wives following. According to Forbes magazine, Valentine's Day is celebrated differently throughout the world (i.e. Latin American countries use it to show gratitude to friends, in Japan it's more customary for the women to give chocolates to the men in their lives), but they all have one thing in common that they are trying to signify - love!

In this episode, we are joined by Geremy Keeton, senior director of the counseling services department of Focus on the Family, and a licensed marriage and family therapist. We'll take an inside look at the stages of love, how to have healthy relationships and avoid the toxic ones, dive into all things dating from online dating and dating your spouse to even what age your kids should start dating and what that looks like. We will also discuss traditions that we can create as a result of perhaps having a new perspective on what Valentine's Day is - or could be. 

Connect with our guest, Geremy from Focus on the Family, at 1.800.AFAMILY or at www.FocusontheFamily.com/counseling.

Support the show

Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.

Send us Fan Mail

Today it is all about balancing our life.

According to the financial diet, nearly 80% of all students work while attending school. And Mental Health America research shows that 70% of all students are stressed about finances, the research goes on to emphasize that with "work, school, activities, and friends all demanding attention, many students struggle with balancing and prioritizing the different areas of their life." So when it comes to trying to balance your life - hear me say, you are NOT alone.

During my main college years of pursuing my Associates and then my Bachelors, I worked (there was one point I was working three jobs). I volunteered in the community. I helped babysit weekly for my two oldest nephews. And yes, I went to school full-time (including taking 21 credit hours). In the midst of it all, it was just life - and it was busy, but now looking back I honestly don't know how it worked (I prefer to call those God moments). 

So, when it was recently brought to my attention that many of the teens around me were all struggling with the same need, balancing life - from work and school to home and personal relationships, I dug in deep into those memories, researched through some of my old college stuff, and thought if I could help them with some tips that I used, perhaps it may be a game-changer in successfully balancing their life. I sure hope these 5 tips will help you this coming school term too. 

If you'd like more one on one assistance in finding the balance in your life, I provide life coaching. Feel free to book just a one-hour consultation, or we can do on-going coaching calls which are typically thirty minutes 1-2x a month. Check out more on my website at www.hollycurby.com.

Whatever you find yourself trying to balance in life - work, school, home - just be intentional and know there is no secret formula to balancing it all, but rather you determining what matters to you - then going for it! I wish you the best in finding the balance that is best for you.

Support the show

Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.

Send us Fan Mail

Starting a New Year is a perfect opportunity to have some reflective thinking on the past year in order to help us determine, set, and achieve our goals for the year to come. We'll take a deeper look at the voice of fear stopping you from accomplishing your goals, how to examine your values, taking action to accomplish your goals, tips on finding balance in life, setting boundaries to attain your goals, and of course, speaking up and celebrating your accomplishments.

For a FREE "Get It Done!" downloadable goal worksheet join my FREE monthly newsletter at www.HollyCurby.com.

Support the show

Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.

Send us Fan Mail

The end of the year is a great time for some self-reflection... to see what worked, and make some change for the year ahead. Of those who set financial goals for the year ahead, only 80% actually end up keeping them for even the first six weeks of the year. When it comes to our finances there are many tools we can use from an annual bank statement, or credit card statement, to even meeting with a professional tax consultant.

We are going to talk with principal tax partner, Tony Wolff, who is going to help us with all things end-of-year finances. From tax deductions and tax credits, and how to reduce the risk of an audit, to monies we need to claim taxes on, how that stimulus check may or may not affect us, how to set up a budget, and so much more!

Connect with Tony online or by email at [email protected].

Support the show

Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.

Send us Fan Mail

I love Christmas time. As a child my dad (who was our pastor) and mom would invite our entire church congregation to our home for a Christmas Open House. But I realize Christmas isn't fabulous for everyone. For some it's a financial burden. To others it is a time of loneliness. And others it is filled with difficult memories of missing a loved one or even unpleasant memories growing up. I empathize with you - I do. Although I had a perfect upbringing, my life would change Christmas of 2011 and continue to have a major impact each year around this time of year. Through it all I saw hope. Hope that God would see me through. Hope of God's provision. Hope of God's protection. Hope of God's healing. And hope that He would be by strength and never leave my side. This wasn't the path I had planned, but it is the path He has prepared for me. Through it all, Christ truly is our HOPE of CHRISTmas.

Support the show

Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.

Send us Fan Mail

Today we are talking about all things photos and photography. American photographer, Aaron Siskind said, "What you have caught on film is captured forever...it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." That's so true! I love to look back at my photos and reflect on those memories. In fact, my sister, and mom, and I used to have scrapbooking nights where we'd go stay at a hotel and scrapbook our photos until the early morning hours. Now I find myself just compiling a lot of saved images on my phone or computer because I take so many, but with Christmas and New Years approaching there are sure to be plenty of photo ops for you, your friends, and your family. 

According to Business Insider, "we are now posting a staggering 1.8 Billion photos to social media every day." In fact, Omnicore just released last month that 350 million of that is on just one platform alone - Facebook. That's 4,000 photo uploads per second! So how can you take the best photos? Well, today we have photographer Caleb Jones with us to give us practical tips on how to capture that moment to be picture perfect.

I have had the pleasure of seeing Caleb in action and even honored to have some events I was apart of captured by him. He has such a gift as he draws you into the story of the photo he captures. The lighting that is reflected in the picture, the emotion within it - truly amazing! Listen as he shares with us what drew him into photography, what equipment to use, some key techniques to learn, how to make your photos feel fresh and alive, and so much more!

You can connect with Caleb online at www.CalebJonesPhotography.com, email [email protected], or on Instagram @gcalebjones.

Support the show

Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.

Send us Fan Mail

Ivy Exec has recently listed these 7 industries as being the top for experiencing burnout:

• social workers
• Emergency responders
• designers
• business development and sales
• retail
• medicine fields
• law 

Reasonings for the burnout included anything from too much travel, long hours, high stress, emotionally stressful, continuous changes, complex tasks, not feeling like they have "me time" with all the technology.

Truth is - burnout can happen to anyone - from those in college just starting in the workforce, and stay-at-home moms or dads, to part-time workers and of course those who seem to have it all as executives. 

Some of the hints that the HR Exchange network says are sign's of burnout include:

• being cynical or critical of your job?
• irritable or impatient with co-workers or your customers?
• lacking feeling satisfied about your job and what you are accomplishing?
• struggle to find energy or excitement even about what your task at hand is?
• Have your sleep habits changed?

Gallup reported that 45% of millennials have experienced burnout. 

When I first started in the industry  I developed burnout. About this time I received the news I was the employee of the year and received a trip to Disneyworld. While there I was able to get away from the day-to-day operations and lighten my load as I just had fun. I was so grateful for the trip that as I flew home it had me reflecting on good times in my job, things I enjoyed - and before I knew it I was counting blessing upon blessing of my job and looking forward to getting back as I had some fresh ideas to implement. I was so thankful for this trip because it also taught me at an early age to stick with tough things, not to give up or quit, but rather to take a moment to breathe, regroup, and press forward.

Perhaps you can relate. You have been doing what you do for so long you are tired, worn out, dry on ideas, lacking energy, or feeling like you don't have much left to offer - or perhaps otherwise known as burnt out.

Six tips we are going to cover today on how to reignite your passion - whether it be in your job, at home, serving in your community - or truly any aspect of life.

1. Have a change in scenery
2. Find an outlet
3. Reflection
4. Count your blessings
5. Grow
6. Perspective

Overall, as a recent article from Forbes suggests “The first step in managing burnout is to acknowledge that you’re dealing with it,” said Ferstler. “If not, you can end up in a full-blown mental health crisis.”

Want more help on goal setting, talking through what some transitions may look like coming up in your life, or just need some more help about reigniting your passion - I'd love to work with you - feel free to check out my website at HollyCurby.com for both life and leadership coaching opportunities as well as business consulting needs. Looking for someone to come in and talk with your team - motivational speaking opportunities are available too. 

Coaching is not a professional mental health or medical care. If you feel burned out to the point that it is interfering with your ability to function, please seek help from a professional counselor or medical professional. 

Remember - it is perfectly normal to hit a slump in life - personally and professionally. The question is - where will you go from here? Just as airline Stewardess encourages us to put the oxygen mask on us first before attempting to help others - remember to stop and take care of you. And hopefully in the end you will have found a way to reignite your passion and press on to enjoy the journey.

Support the show

Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.