Russ Off The Cuff

Russ Off The Cuff

By Russ EwellSociety & CulturePersonal Journals
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Russ Off The Cuff episodes

  • The Parenting and Leadership Connection

    This episode evolved out my research on the topic "Leadership Begins with Leading Yourself." Hopefully there will be a time when I can complete this very practical episode, but today, "The Parenting and Leadership Connection" spoke to me personally, and if you give it a chance, whether you are married or single, with or without kids, my bet is it will speak to you, because all of us have experienced parenting and leadership.  The goal of this episode is to inspire us to learn how to parent and lead, not merely do these things on instinct.  Here are some notes to help navigate the show.

    • The Parenting and Leadership Connection article on Lead Different.
    • John Adams biography by David McCullough
    • John Adams HBO Miniseries
      • 28 min
    • Too Much Truth???

      Thank you for your patience. My audio quality needs to get better.  Since I am doing these on the move, in the wild so to speak, there is a bit more mastery needed.  I will get there.  Hence the title, "Russ Off The Cuff."

      This episode may require bravery. It was helpful to me. Hope it is helpful to you.  Never thought about the fact that the way to better manage life is to "run to rather than away from the truth."

      The episode referred to here along with a couple of other references are linked below.

      • When Life Gets To Be Too Much - This is the previous episode which will make better sense of this one.
      • Kennedy Accepts Sole Responsibility for Bay of Pigs - I may have confused this with the Cuban Missile Crisis, but the point remains the same, Kennedy unlike Johnson with Vietnam embraced the truth.
        • 13 min
      • When Life Gets To Be Too Much

        "When Life Gets To Be Too Much" is the beginning of a conversation we should have about the overwhelming nature of life, especially in the midst of a pandemic, political polarization, presidential election, wildfires, racism, and the social unrest that goes along with all of these.  

        This is an acknowledgment I think some of you will agree with, which is that right now life has gotten to be too much. 

        There will be more content coming on this subject. 

        • Home, bittersweet home - Can a single place - one that's failed us in the past - squeeze everything it takes to life a life? 
        • Lead Different - Where I discuss leadership, emotion, and spirituality the components of leading different 
        • The 4D's - The 4D's of Emotionalism are Disoriented, Distracted, Disrupted, Derailed. They can overwhelm is with feelings of too much 
        • The Pandemic is a Mental Health Crisis for Parents  - Parenting just got harder during the pandemic as if we needed more difficulty 
        • Master of the Senate - One of the best books on Lyndon Johnson 
        • Indomitable Will - Presidency of Lyndon Johnson 
        • Doris Kerns Goodwin on LBJ - Goodwin actually worked with Johnson so personal view 
        • LBJ starring Woody Harrelson
        • BJ Armstrong - MJ went from 'doing too much in a game' to ' to doing what it took to win the game' 
        • Please follow Russ Off the Cuff on Spotify.
          • 16 min
        • How To Discover Your Voice (All Episodes in 1, Unedited, No Stops)

          Turn Up The Volume On This One


          This recording is unique.  While recording the separate 5 episodes for "How To Discover Your Voice," simultaneously I was recording a one complete episode, non-stop. You get to hear me prepare the entire series and add some commentary.  

          One note. I am learning.  You may have to turn the volume up a bit higher to hear well.  I will fix this in the future.


          This is, again, all episodes in 1, with commentary and noises.  


          All under the title "How To Discover Your Voice."  The article upon which each episode is based can be found at Lead Different. "Discovering Your Voice" is a journey, a hero's journey, it is about building our lives, finding our destiny, listening to our heart and soul, until we are set free of all labels allowing us to authentically be ourselves.

          The links below are resources for all 5 episodes so if you don't hear the reference keep listening!

          • Lead Different "How To Discover Your Voice - This is my article which contains everything in the podcasts with additional links
          • We Are Alive, Bruce at 62 by David Remnick - this is the seminal article that helped me center all of my research on Bruce Springsteen.  It may sound ridiculous to those unfamiliar with Bruce to say this, but he is how I discovered my voice. There were certainly other influences, but his self-awareness, willingness to work in obscurity, and willingness to build his life step by step captured my attention and imagination.  This article along with several books open my eyes and inspired my heart.  It is often quoted an a must read.
          • Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth writes with enlightening clarity about the importance of grit and in so doing makes it clear the talent is not enough.  These 5 episodes use Springsteen and sharing from my own life and observations to make real the truth that it is the combination of our talents with grit that leads to success.
          • Angela Duckworth "Grit" Ted Talk - in case you don't want to read the book
          • Genesis 32 - There are references to Jacob one of the central characters of the New Testament.  These come from Genesis 32 and II Corinthians 13:11 and the link provided allows you to use the Tecarta Bible to read the references online.
          • White Men Can't Jump - This movie makes an appearance and I think you will enjoy the clip and the movie.
          • The War of Art - Total inspiration especially for creatives by Steven Pressfield.
          • Originals: How Non-Conformist Move the World - Adam Grant is a scholar of organizations and leadership.  This book plays a prominent role in the later episodes.
          • Deep Spirituality - There is a reference to this site for those who want to read more of my spiritual writings. I serve as Editor in Chief here.
            • 1 hr 18 min
          • How To Discover Your Voice (Part 5, Time To Woodshed)

            This is the 5th of 5 episodes under the title "How To Discover Your Voice."  The article upon which each episode is based can be found at Lead Different. "Discovering Your Voice" is a journey, a hero's journey, it is about building our lives, finding our destiny, listening to our heart and soul, until we are set free of all labels allowing us to authentically be ourselves.

            The links below are resources for all 5 episodes so if you don't hear the reference keep listening!

            • Lead Different "How To Discover Your Voice - This is my article which contains everything in the podcasts with additional links
            • We Are Alive, Bruce at 62 by David Remnick - this is the seminal article that helped me center all of my research on Bruce Springsteen.  It may sound ridiculous to those unfamiliar with Bruce to say this, but he is how I discovered my voice. There were certainly other influences, but his self-awareness, willingness to work in obscurity, and willingness to build his life step by step captured my attention and imagination.  This article along with several books open my eyes and inspired my heart.  It is often quoted an a must read.
            • Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth writes with enlightening clarity about the importance of grit and in so doing makes it clear the talent is not enough.  These 5 episodes use Springsteen and sharing from my own life and observations to make real the truth that it is the combination of our talents with grit that leads to success.
            • Angela Duckworth "Grit" Ted Talk - in case you don't want to read the book
            • Genesis 32 - There are references to Jacob one of the central characters of the New Testament.  These come from Genesis 32 and II Corinthians 13:11 and the link provided allows you to use the Tecarta Bible to read the references online.
            • White Men Can't Jump - This movie makes an appearance and I think you will enjoy the clip and the movie.
            • The War of Art - Total inspiration especially for creatives by Steven Pressfield.
            • Originals: How Non-Conformist Move the World - Adam Grant is a scholar of organizations and leadership.  This book plays a prominent role in the later episodes.
            • Deep Spirituality - There is a reference to this site for those who want to read more of my spiritual writings. I serve as Editor in Chief here.
              • 13 min
            • How To Discover Your Voice (Part 4, Be Original)

              This is the 4th of 5 episodes under the title "How To Discover Your Voice."  The article upon which each episode is based can be found at Lead Different. "Discovering Your Voice" is a journey, a hero's journey, it is about building our lives, finding our destiny, listening to our heart and soul, until we are set free of all labels allowing us to authentically be ourselves.

              The links below are resources for all 5 episodes so if you don't hear the reference keep listening!

              • Lead Different "How To Discover Your Voice - This is my article which contains everything in the podcasts with additional links
              • We Are Alive, Bruce at 62 by David Remnick - this is the seminal article that helped me center all of my research on Bruce Springsteen.  It may sound ridiculous to those unfamiliar with Bruce to say this, but he is how I discovered my voice. There were certainly other influences, but his self-awareness, willingness to work in obscurity, and willingness to build his life step by step captured my attention and imagination.  This article along with several books open my eyes and inspired my heart.  It is often quoted an a must read.
              • Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth writes with enlightening clarity about the importance of grit and in so doing makes it clear the talent is not enough.  These 5 episodes use Springsteen and sharing from my own life and observations to make real the truth that it is the combination of our talents with grit that leads to success.
              • Angela Duckworth "Grit" Ted Talk - in case you don't want to read the book
              • Genesis 32 - There are references to Jacob one of the central characters of the New Testament.  These come from Genesis 32 and II Corinthians 13:11 and the link provided allows you to use the Tecarta Bible to read the references online.
              • White Men Can't Jump - This movie makes an appearance and I think you will enjoy the clip and the movie.
              • The War of Art - Total inspiration especially for creatives by Steven Pressfield.
              • Originals: How Non-Conformist Move the World - Adam Grant is a scholar of organizations and leadership.  This book plays a prominent role in the later episodes.
              • Deep Spirituality - There is a reference to this site for those who want to read more of my spiritual writings. I serve as Editor in Chief here.
                • 15 min
              • How To Discover Your Voice (Part 3, Role of Spirituality)

                This is the 3rd of 5 episodes under the title "How To Discover Your Voice."  The article upon which each episode is based can be found at Lead Different. "Discovering Your Voice" is a journey, a hero's journey, it is about building our lives, finding our destiny, listening to our heart and soul, until we are set free of all labels allowing us to authentically be ourselves.

                The links below are resources for all 5 episodes so if you don't hear the reference keep listening!

                • Lead Different "How To Discover Your Voice - This is my article which contains everything in the podcasts with additional links
                • We Are Alive, Bruce at 62 by David Remnick - this is the seminal article that helped me center all of my research on Bruce Springsteen.  It may sound ridiculous to those unfamiliar with Bruce to say this, but he is how I discovered my voice. There were certainly other influences, but his self-awareness, willingness to work in obscurity, and willingness to build his life step by step captured my attention and imagination.  This article along with several books open my eyes and inspired my heart.  It is often quoted an a must read.
                • Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth writes with enlightening clarity about the importance of grit and in so doing makes it clear the talent is not enough.  These 5 episodes use Springsteen and sharing from my own life and observations to make real the truth that it is the combination of our talents with grit that leads to success.
                • Angela Duckworth "Grit" Ted Talk - in case you don't want to read the book
                • Genesis 32 - There are references to Jacob one of the central characters of the New Testament.  These come from Genesis 32 and II Corinthians 13:11 and the link provided allows you to use the Tecarta Bible to read the references online.
                • White Men Can't Jump - This movie makes an appearance and I think you will enjoy the clip and the movie.
                • The War of Art - Total inspiration especially for creatives by Steven Pressfield.
                • Originals: How Non-Conformist Move the World - Adam Grant is a scholar of organizations and leadership.  This book plays a prominent role in the later episodes.
                • Deep Spirituality - There is a reference to this site for those who want to read more of my spiritual writings. I serve as Editor in Chief here.
                  • 14 min
                • How To Discover Your Voice (Part 2, No Short Cuts)

                  This is the 2nd of 5 episodes under the title "How To Discover Your Voice."  The article upon which each episode is based can be found at Lead Different. "Discovering Your Voice" is a journey, a hero's journey, it is about building our lives, finding our destiny, listening to our heart and soul, until we are set free of all labels allowing us to authentically be ourselves.

                  The links below are resources for all 5 episodes so if you don't hear the reference keep listening!

                  • Lead Different "How To Discover Your Voice - This is my article which contains everything in the podcasts with additional links
                  • We Are Alive, Bruce at 62 by David Remnick - this is the seminal article that helped me center all of my research on Bruce Springsteen.  It may sound ridiculous to those unfamiliar with Bruce to say this, but he is how I discovered my voice. There were certainly other influences, but his self-awareness, willingness to work in obscurity, and willingness to build his life step by step captured my attention and imagination.  This article along with several books open my eyes and inspired my heart.  It is often quoted an a must read.
                  • Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth writes with enlightening clarity about the importance of grit and in so doing makes it clear the talent is not enough.  These 5 episodes use Springsteen and sharing from my own life and observations to make real the truth that it is the combination of our talents with grit that leads to success.
                  • Angela Duckworth "Grit" Ted Talk - in case you don't want to read the book
                  • Genesis 32 - There are references to Jacob one of the central characters of the New Testament.  These come from Genesis 32 and II Corinthians 13:11 and the link provided allows you to use the Tecarta Bible to read the references online.
                  • White Men Can't Jump - This movie makes an appearance and I think you will enjoy the clip and the movie.
                  • The War of Art - Total inspiration especially for creatives by Steven Pressfield.
                  • Originals: How Non-Conformist Move the World - Adam Grant is a scholar of organizations and leadership.  This book plays a prominent role in the later episodes.
                  • Deep Spirituality - There is a reference to this site for those who want to read more of my spiritual writings. I serve as Editor in Chief here.
                    • 13 min
                  • How To Discover Your Voice (Part 1, Intro)

                    This is the 1st of 5 episodes under the title "How To Discover Your Voice."  The article upon which each episode is based can be found at Lead Different. "Discovering Your Voice" is a journey, a hero's journey, it is about building our lives, finding our destiny, listening to our heart and soul, until we are set free of all labels allowing us to authentically be ourselves.  

                    The links below are resources for all 5 episodes so if you don't hear the reference keep listening!

                    • Lead Different "How To Discover Your Voice - This is my article which contains everything in the podcasts with additional links
                    • We Are Alive, Bruce at 62 by David Remnick - this is the seminal article that helped me center all of my research on Bruce Springsteen.  It may sound ridiculous to those unfamiliar with Bruce to say this, but he is how I discovered my voice. There were certainly other influences, but his self-awareness, willingness to work in obscurity, and willingness to build his life step by step captured my attention and imagination.  This article along with several books open my eyes and inspired my heart.  It is often quoted an a must read.
                    • Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth writes with enlightening clarity about the importance of grit and in so doing makes it clear the talent is not enough.  These 5 episodes use Springsteen and sharing from my own life and observations to make real the truth that it is the combination of our talents with grit that leads to success.
                    • Angela Duckworth "Grit" Ted Talk - in case you don't want to read the book
                    • Genesis 32 - There are references to Jacob one of the central characters of the New Testament.  These come from Genesis 32 and II Corinthians 13:11 and the link provided allows you to use the Tecarta Bible to read the references online.
                    • White Men Can't Jump - This movie makes an appearance and I think you will enjoy the clip and the movie.
                    • The War of Art - Total inspiration especially for creatives by Steven Pressfield.
                    • Originals: How Non-Conformist Move the World - Adam Grant is a scholar of organizations and leadership.  This book plays a prominent role in the later episodes.
                    • Deep Spirituality - There is a reference to this site for those who want to read more of my spiritual writings. I serve as Editor in Chief here.
                      • 13 min
                    • Before You Give Up On Being A Leader

                      Taking a snapshot from the best-selling biography of Ulysses S. Grant by Ron Chernow Russ Ewell reflects on how leaders can be worn down and potentially squander their leadership potential. 

                      • This episode is based on an original idea called "10 Fears That Limit Our Leadership Potential," which became "Before You Give Up On Being A Leader."  Why change?  Simplicity and Clarity!
                      • You can find the post "Before You Give Up On Being A Leader" at Lead Different
                      • "Grant asked himself whether the price of leadership was worth the pain" is a central question explored.
                      • "The capacity for fear to limit our leadership potential is immense" is a idea explored
                      • There are references to Walt Whitman's poem "America" and how it connects to Langston Hughes poem "I, Too," which contains the proclamation and protest line, "I Too, am America."
                      • There is a reference to legendary Coach Vince Lombardi and his timeless observation that "Fatigue makes cowards of us all."  There is a great biography of Coach Lombardi called "When Pride Still Mattered."
                      • The Order of the Phoenix from the Harry Potter Film Series is referred to, the inspiring moment when Dumbledore with the help of Fawkes the Phoenix disappears in a blaze of fire.

                        • You can find more of my content at russewell.com

                        20 min

                      About Russ Off The Cuff

                      From the publisher's feed

                      Russ Ewell invites you to embark with him on his journey to learn about the intricate relationship between Leadership, Emotion, and Spirituality. His goal is to imitate Ralph Waldo Emerson about whom…