Keeping It Real with Tiff and Carl

What we say to ourselves can shape how we perform, lead, and respond to challenges. In this episode, Carl and Tiffany welcome workforce development consultant and coach Derrin Ford for a conversation about self-awareness, inner dialogue, imposter syndrome, and the role coaching can play in personal and professional growth.Derrin shares his journey from athletics to career counseling, teaching, and coaching, along with the inspiration behind his Mastering Inner Dialogue curriculum. Drawing connections between sports, the workplace, and leadership, the group explores how negative self-talk and performance anxiety can undermine confidence—even when someone has the skills and experience to succeed.The conversation moves from theory to practice as Derrin, Tiffany, and Carl share strategies for managing imposter syndrome, challenging unproductive thought patterns, and building confidence through action and reflection. They also tackle an important reality of coaching: you can't want growth more than the person you're coaching.Ultimately, the discussion is about knowing what you can influence, recognizing what belongs to someone else, and learning not to take every response personally. It's a practical and relatable conversation about developing the inner dialogue that helps us show up more confidently—for ourselves and for others. Derrin's bio is below.Derrin Ford, M.Ed., is a workforce development consultant and coach who helps individuals achieve clarity and structure in their professional goals. Drawing on mentorship from leaders across industries, Ford specializes in building self-awareness through his approach, Mastering Internal Dialogue. With more than nine years of experience, including roles as a career counselor and workforce development coach and trainer within CWDS, he integrates critical thinking, reflection and self-awareness strategies into group and individual settings. Ford’s facilitation style promotes engagement and equips professionals with practical tools to succeed in today’s workforce.Derrin can be reached on LinkedIn

Leadership isn't defined by age—it's defined by purpose, resilience, and a commitment to serving others. In this episode, Carl and Tiffany welcome Matt Franklin, who shares his remarkable journey from growing up in a Native family without federal tribal recognition to becoming a tribal vice chair at just 18 years old.Matt reflects on balancing the responsibilities of tribal leadership while attending college, working full time, and raising a young family. He discusses the challenges of leading through criticism and opposition, and the lessons he learned about perseverance, humility, and earning trust. He also shares why his tribe chose to focus first on defining its identity and reclaiming its ancestral lands before pursuing economic development—a decades-long effort that reflects a deep commitment to preserving culture and sovereignty.The conversation explores the importance of understanding the diversity of California's Tribal communities, recognizing the lasting effects of historical trauma, and approaching Tribal partnerships with cultural humility rather than assumptions. Matt also discusses the role of elders in preserving Indigenous knowledge, the challenges young Native leaders face today, and the importance of protecting access to traditional cultural practices and ancestral lands.Whether you're a leader in government, human services, or Tribal communities, this episode offers powerful lessons about servant leadership, cultural preservation, resilience, and leading with authenticity. Matt's full bio is below: Matt Franklin is of Miwok Nisenan descent and is an enrolled member of the Miwok Tribe, as well as a member of the Franklin and Blue families of Northern California. He brings more than 20 years of experience serving the California Department of Social Services Tribal TANF program and currently serves as unit manager for the Indian Health Center. In this role, Franklin supports both tribal and state governments and has presented at numerous local, state and national Tribal TANF conferences to build and strengthen relationships with Tribes and Tribal governments.Franklin previously served as chairman and vice chairman of his Tribe and has long been active in Indian education, Native social services and issues impacting the growth and wellbeing of Native communities in Northern California. He continues to support Native communities throughout the greater Sacramento region and beyond, with a focus on strengthening Tribal sovereignty and expanding direct services to Tribes and their populations. A strong advocate for Native families, Franklin promotes tribal self-sufficiency and has been elected to serve on numerous boards and committees dedicated to supporting Tribes and Native families. Raised as a traditional Miwok dancer, he continues to teach culture and songs to his children and relatives.

Leadership in human services has changed dramatically over the past three decades—but one principle remains constant: people helping people. In this episode, Carl and Tiffany welcome Glenn Basconcillo, whose career spans county government, Tribal TANF, policy development, and executive leadership.Glenn reflects on his journey from eligibility worker in Kern County to leading Tribal TANF programs, sharing lessons learned about building partnerships, navigating welfare reform, and creating innovative programs that meet the unique needs of Tribal communities. The conversation explores the evolution of government services from a traditional top-down model to one centered on collaboration, community engagement, and strengthening local relationships.Together, they discuss today's leadership challenges, including declining public trust, change fatigue, increasing organizational complexity, and the need to balance accountability with empathy. Glenn also shares practical advice for new leaders on building trust through transparency, involving frontline staff in problem-solving, and creating a culture where honest communication and continuous improvement can thrive.Whether you work in government, Tribal organizations, or nonprofit leadership, this episode offers valuable insights into leading with integrity, empowering employees, and keeping people at the center of public service. Glenn's bio is below:Glenn Basconcillo is founder and president of GNB Consulting Inc. where he collaborates with Tribal governments, federal partners and local agencies to strengthen cross-system partnerships supporting youth, families and elders., He has more than 35 years of experience in leadership, policy, program development and organizational management in social services. He has served as chief operations officer and TANF director for the Owens Valley Career Development Center, expanding its Tribal TANF program into one of the nation’s largest, and also held leadership roles with Kern County Department of Human Services.

What separates organizations that truly learn from those that simply offer training? In this episode, Carl and Tiffany welcome learning and development leader Marnice Emerson for a conversation about creating meaningful growth that aligns learning with organizational results.

Drawing from her unique career journey from finance to education and leadership development, Marnice shares why effective learning begins with the learner—not the instructor—and why successful training starts by defining the desired business outcome. The discussion explores practical strategies for aligning training requests with organizational goals, securing executive sponsorship, and measuring whether learning actually improves performance.

The conversation also examines how personality preferences influence learning and communication, highlighting the value of understanding different approaches through tools like Myers-Briggs. Finally, Marnice shares the personal story behind her debut novel, The Space Between Us, reflecting on how writing became part of her own healing journey after the loss of her mother.

Whether you're a leader, trainer, or learning professional, this episode offers valuable insights into creating learning experiences that drive both organizational success and personal growth.

Training doesn't create change—what happens after the training does. In this episode, Carl and Tiffany explore why so many professional development efforts fail to produce lasting results and what leaders can do to bridge the gap between learning and performance.Tiffany introduces her practical framework of Mindset, Skill Set, and Tool Set, explaining why successful development requires more than delivering great content. Carl builds on the discussion with Kirkpatrick Model, outlining the four levels of training evaluation and why organizations often stop after measuring participant satisfaction instead of focusing on behavior change and business results.Together, they discuss how leaders can become "learning multipliers" by reinforcing new skills, creating opportunities for practice, and following up after training. They also explore the importance of psychological safety, meaningful manager involvement, and asking whether performance problems are truly training issues—or whether other barriers are getting in the way.If you've ever wondered why employees leave a great training class only to return to old habits, this episode provides practical strategies for turning learning into lasting workplace performance.

Change is hard—not because people are resistant by nature, but because our brains are wired to seek familiarity and stability. In this episode, Carl and Tiffany explore why even positive change can feel uncomfortable and why staying in the status quo often carries hidden costs.They discuss the challenges leaders face during times of uncertainty, from budget constraints and organizational change to shifting roles and responsibilities. Rather than focusing only on the risks of change, they encourage leaders to also ask an important question: What is the cost of not changing?The conversation explores the psychology behind comfort zones, including the pull of familiarity, fear of failure, fear of judgment, loss of identity, and the sunk cost fallacy. Carl and Tiffany also introduce the concept of the stretch zone—the space where meaningful learning and growth occur—and explain how leaders can support others without pushing them into the panic zone.Whether you're navigating organizational change, considering a career move, or helping your team adapt to new expectations, this episode offers practical strategies for embracing growth while recognizing the very human challenges that come with change.

You don’t need a title to lead. In this episode, Carl and Tiff explore one of the most important leadership skills in any organization: influence without authority. Whether you're a frontline employee, supervisor, project lead, or middle manager, your ability to influence outcomes often matters more than your position on the organizational chart.

They discuss why people in highly structured organizations frequently feel powerless when they see problems but lack formal authority to solve them. Through stories and real-world examples, Carl and Tiff demonstrate how credibility, trust, and relationships create influence that often exceeds what authority alone can accomplish.

The conversation highlights the difference between positional power and personal power, emphasizing that true influence comes from consistently demonstrating competence, integrity, and respect. They also discuss the responsibility that comes with influence, the role of unofficial leaders in shaping culture, and why visibility should never be confused with actual impact.

Whether you're trying to gain buy-in for an idea, improve collaboration, or create change from the middle of an organization, this episode offers practical strategies for leading through relationships rather than relying on rank.

Accountability has gotten a bad reputation. Too often it’s associated with blame, punishment, or compliance when it should be about ownership, growth, and shared responsibility. In this episode, Carl and Tiffany explore what it takes to build a healthy culture of accountability and why leaders play a critical role in shaping it.They discuss how unclear expectations, inconsistent feedback, and weak systems often create accountability problems long before performance issues emerge. Drawing on concepts from Radical Candor, they examine how leaders can balance caring personally with challenging directly, creating an environment where feedback is seen as support rather than criticism.The conversation also explores the connection between accountability and psychological safety, emphasizing the importance of addressing behaviors rather than personal characteristics, providing timely feedback, and intervening early when issues arise. Through practical examples and leadership lessons, Carl and Tiffany show how accountability is most effective when it is rooted in trust, clear expectations, and a genuine commitment to helping people succeed.

Burnout doesn’t happen overnight — it’s a process. In this episode, Carl and Tiffany sit down with therapist, coach, educator, and former child welfare professional Avni Panchal to explore the hidden stages that lead to burnout and what it takes to move beyond it.

Drawing from her own experiences in social services and entrepreneurship, Avni shares how years of overfunctioning, people-pleasing, and saying “yes” to everything ultimately led her to develop her Beyond Burnout Framework. She explains how burnout often begins long before exhaustion appears, with subtle signs like overcommitment, friction, moral distress, and shame.

The conversation challenges common beliefs about productivity, sacrifice, and being a “team player,” particularly in helping professions where self-neglect is often rewarded. Avni offers practical strategies for prevention and recovery, emphasizing the importance of boundaries, realistic self-care, and leadership cultures that support well-being rather than glorify overwork. This is an honest and insightful discussion for anyone who has ever felt stretched too thin and wondered how to create a more sustainable path forward.

Almost every leader has experienced it: that feeling that you’re not qualified enough, don’t know enough, or are somehow going to be “found out.” In this episode, Carl and Tiffany tackle the topic of imposter syndrome and why it often shows up when people are growing, stretching, and stepping into new opportunities.They explore the connection between imposter syndrome and the tendency for highly capable people to underestimate their abilities, while less experienced individuals often overestimate theirs. Through personal stories and leadership examples, they discuss how role transitions, fear of judgment, and unclear expectations can fuel self-doubt — even among accomplished professionals.The conversation offers practical strategies for navigating these feelings, including seeking support from trusted colleagues, challenging negative self-talk, embracing vulnerability, and focusing on evidence of past success. Carl and Tiffany also examine the limits of the “fake it till you make it” philosophy, arguing that authentic confidence comes from learning, action, and continuous growth rather than pretending to have all the answers. A reassuring and practical discussion for anyone who has ever wondered, “Do I really belong here?”