Claudette Rowley is a wellness-first interior designer who helps people create spaces that not only look beautiful but also support their well-being. Drawing from her background in social work, coaching, and cultural transformation, Claudette practices neuro-aesthetic design - an approach grounded in the science of how color, light, texture, and flow impact our nervous systems.

Rebecca and Claudette explore why design matters beyond aesthetics. Claudette explains common design mistakes and introduces her WIRED method (Wellness, Intention, Rhythm, Energy, Delight) for creating spaces that truly serve you. They discuss how cool and warm colors create completely different spaces, the power of biophilic (nature-based) design, and why the question isn't "what's trending?" but "how do I want to feel in this space?"

Claudette reminds us: "You deserve to be in a space that you really love and not to settle if you feel stuck - it makes a difference in your life."

Learn more: https://www.claudetterowleydesign.com/ Take the free Color Code quiz: https://www.claudetterowleydesign.com/color-quiz

Dan Minnich is the co-founder and Executive Director of Waypoint Adventure, an organization creating outdoor adventure programs for people with disabilities in the greater Boston area and western North Carolina. Waypoint's mission is to challenge people with disabilities to discover their purpose, talents, and strengths through the transforming power of adventure. For Dan, accessibility often comes down to something simple: extending an invitation.

Rebecca and Dan explore what adventure education is and why making it accessible matters. Dan challenges common assumptions about barriers, how adventure activities become powerful teaching moments for perseverance and problem-solving, and how everyone can find success on the same adventure in different ways.

Learn more: waypointadventure.org Additional resource: moveunitedsport.org

Lisa Tilstra: The Transformational Power of Personal Storytelling

Lisa Tilstra is a coach, podcaster, and storytelling enthusiast who describes herself as a "creative disrupter." After years of telling stories without recognizing their value, Lisa now understands storytelling's power for transformation, healing, and connection. Through her podcast "Make Life Less Difficult" and storytelling workshops, Lisa helps others navigate complexity through personal narrative.

Rebecca and Lisa explore how to tell better stories that invite genuine connection. Lisa challenges listeners to notice how often their stories focus on others rather than themselves, encouraging us to "pull back the metaphorical curtain" and share more personal narratives. They discussed effective story endings, how single moments can be complete stories, and the art of deep listening. Lisa reminds us that "the more specific a story, the more universal."

Mentioned in the podcast:

• Adele Fedorak - Story Intelligence and Listening

• Lisa's storytelling workshops

• "Make Life Less Difficult" a podcast by Lisa Tilstra

What if divorce could be a path to healing, rather than harm? In this conversation, attorney Nanci Smith offers a window into the world of collaborative divorce—a non-adversarial approach designed to help families navigate separation with dignity, empathy, and support. Drawing on over 30 years of experience and themes from her book Untangling Your Marriage: A Guide to Collaborative Divorce, we explore why divorce is more than just a legal process- it's a life transition that deserves the same care and recognition as any other major rite of passage. This episode invites listeners to reimagine what divorce can look like when conflict gives way to collaboration.

A link to Nanci's website is here: https://nancismithlaw.com/

Mark is a trauma-informed coach with roots in somatics, development, and mindfulness. He is also a trained teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion and believes how we talk to ourselves is more than just a way to feel better. It's also instrumental to our growth as leaders in a complex world. He came to Not Simple to discuss what we get wrong about self-compassion, as well as how it can improve our lives.

Learn more about the course Mark and Rebecca are leading here. And use the code MSC50 for 50% off.

Cathy Carroll is the granddaughter of an entrepreneur who led a Fortune 500 company and the daughter of an entrepreneur. She led a turnaround of her father's manufacturing business and encountered the distinctions between leadership in a corporate domain and leadership in a family business. She founded Legacy Onward, Inc. to support family business leaders through the complexities of family business leadership. Her book Hug of War: How to Lead a Family Business with both Love and Logic is out now.

Rebecca and Cathy discussed the complexities of leadership in family businesses, with Cathy sharing her insights from her experience leading her father's business and her book, "Hug of War, How to Lead a Family Business with both Love and Logic." They explored the concept of 'hug of war' and the importance of balancing the business and family mindsets in a family business. The conversation also touched on the concept of integrating opposing mindsets, the role of shadow influencers, and the challenges of leadership and ownership succession in family businesses.

Mentioned in the podcast: Navigating Polarities with Andiron

"Societal change requires movements and networks of organizations working together—but what if the way we work together could be even better? Could it lead to greater freedom for our leaders and more realistic expectations? ... No one person holds the answer, but when the right people come together, we just might find a better one."

Robin Katcher is a colleague at Cultivating Leadership and has spent the past 25 years supporting justice organizations, leaders, and networks as a faciliatior, consultant, and a coach. She and Rebecca discuss how leaders from across different organizations come together across differences to accomplish tasks and win gains that they couldn't on their own and how that affects their leadership.

"How do you experience rest while doing what you love? What if we could even experience a sense of relaxed focus while hosting a party for 20?"

In our latest podcast episode, we dive deep into the art of grounded leadership with Dr. Jaime Lee, a fellow CL colleague. Jaime believes that true leadership starts with connecting to our health and the innate intelligence of our bodies. She expertly guides her clients and teams through the intricate balance of work, life, health, and relationships, helping them reclaim their sovereignty, alignment, and wholeness for a more effortless flow.

Jaime explores how we can cultivate rest daily, even while hosting a party or pursuing our passions. She challenges the traditional view of self-care, suggesting that instead of fixing deficiencies, we can embrace self-acceptance and see that we already have everything we need. Discover how making time your friend and putting "breathe" on your to-do list can transform your life, allowing you to be more generous with yourself and more trusting of the world in this latest podcast hosted by Rebecca Scott.

"So it's not that our brain constrains the activities we can engage in and the behaviors that we have. It's the other way around. The behaviors we engage in change the brain we have."

Dr. Victoria Leavitt is an assistant professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University who studies brain resilience, brain reserve, and cognitive reserve, companion theories that help us understand individual differences in our ability to maintain brain function over the lifespan. She and Rebecca discuss the arc of evolution, the effect biologial dictates have on our brains, the challenges of thinking about difference, and the promise (and limits) of precision medicine.

Mentioned in this episode:

E. O. Wilson

Human Genome Project

Dr. Leavitt's research on sex difference:

https://pubmed-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/38718749/

Leavitt VM, Dworkin JD, Kalina T, Ratzan AS. Sex differences in brain resilience of individuals with multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2024 May 1;87:105646. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2024.105646. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38718749.

https://pubmed-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/38452646/

Leavitt VM, Dworkin JD, Galioto R, Ratzan AS. Disparities in DMT treatment: Demographic and neurocognitive differences between MS patients currently treated versus not treated with disease-modifying therapies. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2024 May;85:105508. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2024.105508. Epub 2024 Feb 22. PMID: 38452646.

"In addition to it being small moves, I would say consistent moves. What are those consistent practices help that create the conditions for impact?"

CL colleague Barry Bales thinks of leadership as an action rather than a title, and he knows that sometimes the most effective actions are small ones. He and Wendy discuss the importance of connection and engagement, as well as the small moves they've seen have big impact.

Mentioned in this episode:

Matthew Lieberman

Adam Kahane