Podcast Summary: Portrait Mode with Kristen Ziman

Guest: Kristen Ziman - Former Police Chief, Author, Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach

Duration: ~35 minutes

Main Theme: The power of self-confidence, presence, and human connection through the lens of leadership and personal growth

1. Leadership Through Crisis

• Kristen served 30 years with Aurora Police Department, becoming the first female police chief
• Led through unprecedented challenges: 2019 mass shooting (5 killed, 5 officers shot), pandemic, and George Floyd aftermath
• Spent 3 of her 6 years as chief in crisis mode

2. The Journey to Public Speaking

• Started speaking to angry citizens in community policing in the 1990s
• Developed skills addressing police officers (described as the "hardest audience")
• Key insight: Watch body language, engage when attention drifts, make it about the audience, not yourself
• Speaking is a muscle that requires repetition and practice

3. Confidence & Competency

• Confidence is built through competency and repetition
• It's about the promises you keep to yourself
• Identity matters: "I am a writer" vs "I want to write"
• Your future self is better when you keep commitments (like cold plunges)

4. Recognizing Your Gifts

• Referenced Mark Manson's work on recognizing our own gifts
• Our gifts often come so naturally we don't recognize their value
• Need "self transference" before you can have "human transference"
• Must be comfortable with yourself before going above and beyond for others

5. Being Present

• Kristen's biggest challenge: constantly thinking about the next thing
• Must consciously choose to be present
• "Protect your attention to preserve your intentions"
• Best ideas come in quiet moments

6. Significant Emotional Events (SEE)

• Kristen's recent health scare: 5 days believing she had terminal pancreatic cancer
• Changed her perspective on presence and priorities
• Led to an "audit" of her life and relationships
• Identified and removed "energy vampires" - people and obligations that drain without return

7. The Power of Portraits

• Portraits capture essence and responsibility
• A current portrait serves as self-accountability
• Not egotistical - it's about being your best self
• Physical objects (printed, framed) have more impact than digital

8. The 2% Principle

• Referenced Michael Easter's concept: only 2% take the stairs vs escalator
• Similarly, only ~2% have a current portrait on their wall
• Small intentional choices compound over time

• "Confidence is built through competency"
• "Protect your attention to preserve your intentions"
• "It's easy to give advice. It's so much harder to live it"
• "At the end of your one wild and precious life, it's not going to matter how many keynotes - it's the connections you made along the way"
• "We spend so much time with energy vampires - things that suck the energy out of our lives"
• "You have to treat yourself like your own client"

1. Build confidence through repetition
2. Keep promises to yourself
3. Audit your relationships
4. Be intentionally present
5. Set systems, not just goals
6. Recognize your gifts
7. Get a current portrait
8. Choose the harder path

Memorable Quotes

• "Confidence is built through competency"
• "Protect your attention to preserve your intentions"
• "It's easy to give advice. It's so much harder to live it"
• "At the end of your one wild and precious life, it's not going to matter how many keynotes - it's the connections you made along the way"
• "We spend so much time with energy vampires - things that suck the energy out of our lives"
• "You have to treat yourself like your own client"

• Website: kristenziman.com
• Services: Keynote speaking, executive coaching, consulting
• Podcast: Hollow Bunny
• Newsletter available on website