Mindful in 5 Podcast

Join my returning guest, Karen Richard, as we explore the flip side of healthy optimism.

Toxic positivity refers to the excessive and ineffective overgeneralization of positive thinking, which can lead to dismissal and invalidation of genuine human emotional experiences. It can also contribute to emotional repression and gaslighting.

Karen and I discuss the negative effects of toxic positivity and share strategies for avoiding it, drawing from experiences in our own lives. Karen also shares practical tools for how to navigate negative emotions and still maintain a positive outlook.

Please join us for this important and enlightening conversation with Karen. She is the senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Anderson Corporation. She was named one of the Top 100 HR professionals at the 2022 OnCon Icon Awards. She has a passion for improving the lives of busy leaders and avoiding toxic positivity at home and at work is key to living a life of greater peace, joy, and clarity.

Topics Discussed

• What is toxic positivity?
• The difference between optimism and toxic positivity
• The detrimental impact of toxic positivity on children
• How we strike the balance between being vulnerable - especially with our children - with being strong and available for them
• How toxic positivity shows up at work and how leaders can address it

As always, remember that mindfulness is a practice, so do your best to be present with us for the next few minutes, and let's get started. Avoid toxic positivity to bring your whole self to the table and feel more self-supported.

Related Links

• Podcast Episode: Overcoming Stress & Anxiety with Karen Richard 
• Book: Radical Candor by Kim Scott 
• Insight - Be Supportive with Brent

More Links and Resources

• Download Mindful in 5 Sample Chapters
• Pick up your Mindful in 5 Book and Journal from Amazon
• Join the Discussion on LinkedIn
• Join the Mindful Ninjas: Subscribe to the newsletter 
• Website: https://www.spiwejefferson.com/ 
• Get a Custom Signed Book and Journal
• Facebook
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• YouTube
• Contact Us: [email protected]
• Rate Us: Goodreads and ...

The word "rampage" and the concept of mindfulness don't seem to go together do they? But this week, get a quick lesson from my Season 2 guest, Carissa Andrews and try going on a mindful rampage.

Key Topics Discussed

• Get clear about what you want
• Be determined, inspired, and motivated from the inside out
• Expand and strengthen the vision for your goals

Related Episodes

• Listen to the full episode with Carissa
• Why Mindset Matters with Carissa Andrews
• Insight - Happy New Year! Just Today

More Links and Resources

• Download Mindful in 5 Sample Chapters
• Pick up your Mindful in 5 Book and Journal from Amazon
• Join the Discussion on LinkedIn
• Join the Mindful Ninjas: Subscribe to the newsletter 
• Website: https://www.spiwejefferson.com/ 
• Get a Custom Signed Book and Journal
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Contact Us: [email protected]
• Rate Us: Goodreads and ...

According to a study by Emtrain, around 1 in 10 employees do not believe their leaders would take the time to listen to their complaints. According to the same study, nearly 1 in 3 employees believe their leaders neither express empathy nor show interest in their reports.

While your technical skills have their place in an organization, meeting the needs of your team and achieving your goals goes beyond this knowledge. Making the right decisions as a leader takes effective listening. Or, as my guest for this episode frames it, you need to listen at the speed of business.

Melanie R. Jones, Region President at Sysco, joins us for a value-packed conversation on what it means to be a good leader.  If you are a leader in any capacity or a team member, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

“Listening at the speed of business is about identifying the places where you haven’t been your best and ensuring that you push those learnings into how you show up as a leader today.”

—Melanie Jones

Key Topics Discussed

• What it means to listen at the speed of business.
• The need for constructive accountability and courageous leadership.
• What is ego? What does ego look like from a place of mindfulness?
• A new and valuable paradigm of active listening
• The power and art of saying “No.”
• How does being present impact your team and coworkers?

Connect with Melanie Jones and More

• Learn more about Melanie Richardson Jones 
• Read Melanie's LinkedIn Article (“Listening at the Speed of Business”): 
• Cultivate Your Confidence Mindset with Dorothy-Inez 
• Article: Why the Ego Is an Obstacle to Mindful Leadership

More Links and Resources

• Download Mindful in 5 Sample Chapters
• Pick up your Mindful in 5 Book and Journal from Amazon
• Join the Discussion on LinkedIn
• Join the Mindful Ninjas: Subscribe to the newsletter 
• Website: https://www.spiwejefferson.com/ 
• Get a Custom Signed Book and Journal
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Contact Us: [email protected]
• Rate Us: Goodreads and ...

If you missed our first episode on optimism, here are three quick takeaways you can pick up to help you operate from your peaceful path. Find your way to a more optimistic, clear, and confident life with these three paradigm shifts. 

Topics Discussed

• How optimism pairs with action to help you celebrate baby steps and small wins
• How to build optimism along your life's journey
• The connection between self-care, self-confidence, and optimism

Related Episodes

• What Optimism is and Why We All Want It - Brent
• Cultivating Self-Confidence From the Inside Out - Dorothy Inez
• Find Your Joy

More Links and Resources

• Download Mindful in 5 Sample Chapters
• Pick up your Mindful in 5 Book and Journal from Amazon
• Join the Discussion on LinkedIn
• Join the Mindful Ninjas: Subscribe to the newsletter 
• Website: https://www.spiwejefferson.com/ 
• Get a Custom Signed Book and Journal
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Contact Us: [email protected]
• Rate Us: Goodreads and ...

The celebration of a new year brings hope and optimism for many of us. We toast, hug, kiss, and look forward to the new year with great anticipation. 

And just as well because optimism has been linked to numerous mental and physical health benefits, including increased life expectancy, better cardiovascular health, and improved immune function. 

But perhaps most importantly, optimism helps us to see the world in a more positive light. It gives us the energy and motivation to tackle challenges and pursue our goals, and helps us to bounce back from setbacks and failures. 

Join my returning guest, Brent, and me, as we unpack the notion of optimism, which infects so many of us at the beginning of each year. So why do we all want optimism? 

Key Topics Discussed 

• The increase in importance of mental health and wellness 
• How we define optimism 
• What optimism is not 
• The scientific benefits of optimism 
• The optimist’s approach to life challenges 
• The relationship between optimism and self-confidence (check out Dorothy-Inez’s episodes on cultivating self-confidence) 
• What to do if you are not naturally happy 

Related Episodes 

• Return to Office With Brent  
• Brent's Mindfulness Experience  
• Insight - Be Supportive with Brent  
• Cultivate Your Confidence Mindset with Dorothy-Inez 
• Build Confidence Through Self-Care with Dorothy-Inez  
• Cultivating Self-Confidence From the Inside Out with Dorothy-Inez 

More Links and Resources

• Download Mindful in 5 Sample Chapters
• Pick up your Mindful in 5 Book and Journal from Amazon
• Join the Discussion on LinkedIn
• Join the Mindful Ninjas: Subscribe to the newsletter 
• Website: https://www.spiwejefferson.com/ 
• Get a Custom Signed Book and Journal
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Contact Us: [email protected]
• Rate Us: Goodreads and ...

Especially at this time of year, it's easy to get caught up in the idea that we need to be perfect and make sweeping changes all at once. That can lead to overwhelm, discouragement, and self-judgment. But the truth is that lasting change takes time, effort, and consistency. 

Topics Discussed

• How to use the "Just Today" approach.
• How to give yourself grace
• How to succeed and win over the long term by simply planing a single "Just Today' at a time

More Links and Resources

• Download Mindful in 5 Sample Chapters
• Pick up your Mindful in 5 Book and Journal from Amazon
• Join the Discussion on LinkedIn
• Join the Mindful Ninjas: Subscribe to the newsletter 
• Website: https://www.spiwejefferson.com/ 
• Get a Custom Signed Book and Journal
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Contact Us: [email protected]
• Rate Us: Goodreads and ...

It’s easy to love people who are nice to us. It’s a lot harder to love or even like people who treat us badly. This week, our invitation focuses on how you can be more loving toward people you don’t like and why it matters. 

Key Topics Discussed

• Ways to feel softer toward people you don’t like
• Why it helps to accept people as they are
• How acceptance can free you to feel more at ease and fully present in your own life

Links and Resources

Connect with Mindful in 5

Operate from your peaceful path with a year of 5-day 5-minute meditations in the Mindful in 5 book or journal. Or pick it up from most major outlets.
Download your complimentary sample chapters from the Mindful in 5 book.
Rate on Goodreads or Amazon.

Join Us
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or Amazon.
Team Classic, download your proven 5-Step How-to Checklist
Team  God Lovers, download your proven 5-Step How-to Checklist here

LinkedIn: Mindful in 5 Group
Facebook: @mindfulin5
Instagram: @mindfulin5
YouTube: @mindfulin5

The information shared in this podcast is for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical or other advice. Please consult a qualified professional in the respective field if needed. 

More Links and Resources

• Download Mindful in 5 Sample Chapters
• Pick up your Mindful in 5 Book and Journal from Amazon
• Join the Discussion on LinkedIn
• Join the Mindful Ninjas: Subscribe to the newsletter 
• Website: https://www.spiwejefferson.com/ 
• Get a Custom Signed Book and Journal
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Contact Us: [email protected]
• Rate Us: Goodreads and ...

Discover relationship access, why it matters, and how you can proactively manage it to protect your heart and stabilize your emotional equilibrium - especially if you're facing stressful relationships over the holidays.

Topics Discussed

• What relationship access is
• How to leverage it over the holidays
• The different access portals to your heart

More Links and Resources

• Download Mindful in 5 Sample Chapters
• Pick up your Mindful in 5 Book and Journal from Amazon
• Join the Discussion on LinkedIn
• Join the Mindful Ninjas: Subscribe to the newsletter 
• Website: https://www.spiwejefferson.com/ 
• Get a Custom Signed Book and Journal
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Contact Us: [email protected]
• Rate Us: Goodreads and ...

This time of year is often filled with optimism and anticipation. But life happens to us all. Work might be challenging, exciting, or stressful. You may be faced with unique challenges, like Brent. 

This week, pay attention to your friends and colleagues. Is there someone you can support?

More Links and Resources

• Download Mindful in 5 Sample Chapters
• Pick up your Mindful in 5 Book and Journal from Amazon
• Join the Discussion on LinkedIn
• Join the Mindful Ninjas: Subscribe to the newsletter 
• Website: https://www.spiwejefferson.com/ 
• Get a Custom Signed Book and Journal
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Contact Us: [email protected]
• Rate Us: Goodreads and ...

Confidence is an immensely desirable trait that may significantly influence our personal and professional lives. It gives us an opportunity to claim our greatest potential. It opens us up to a more positive interaction with the world--allowing us to be more. 

But while it’s easy to perceive the presence of confidence in others, mustering and summoning it into our lives can be a challenge. The good news is that anyone (yes, including you) can cultivate a sense of confidence. It’s something you can create. 

But you must understand that self-confidence does not happen by accident or overnight. Feeling confident in yourself takes some effort—starting with the right mindset.

So how can we cultivate our confidence? Confidence coach, international best-selling author, and speaker Dorothy-Inez Breazell joins us again on the Mindful in 5 podcast to answer this question and more.

Listen in to learn the steps you can take today to boost and maintain your sense of confidence.

Key Topics Discussed

• Why is mindset important to the concept of confidence?
• Mindsets that undermine confidence
• What does it feel like when your mindset is off?
• Building your confidence muscle – How to get the confidence mindset going 
• Relearning to say “No” as part of your self-confidence practice
• "Seeing the world as we are” and the need to fill our minds with positivity
• Does expanding our confidence mindset impact success?
• Habits we can cultivate to continually expand and reconnect with our confidence mindset.

Connect with Dorothy-Inez

• Website: https://dorothyinez.com/ 
• Instagram: @dorothyinez 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dorothyinezcc 
• Email: [email protected] 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dorothyinez1 

Connect with Dr. Caroline Leaf

• Website: https://drleaf.com/

More Links and Resources

• Download Mindful in 5 Sample Chapters
• Pick up your Mindful in 5 Book and Journal from Amazon
• Join the Discussion on LinkedIn
• Join the Mindful Ninjas: Subscribe to the newsletter 
• Website: https://www.spiwejefferson.com/ 
• Get a Custom Signed Book and Journal
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Contact Us: [email protected]
• Rate Us: Goodreads and ...