Sound Insight

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love." Attributed to Mother Teresa.

In this episode, Cathy shares the impact that these words have had on her life. But it wasn't until she dug deeper into the question of what creates psychological wellbeing, that a deeper meaning began to emerge. Cathy explores how these simple words parallel what research tells us lies at the heart of psychological well-being.

• What does it mean to have healthy sense of self?
• How can we cultivate psychological well-being?
• How does that relate to our effectiveness as leaders?
• And how through this understanding a deeper meaning for these words began to emerge.

If you'd like to read an adapted transcript, you can find it here.

A Simple Way To Make Everyday Choices That Matter.

Over the sweep of a life, it is the tiny, seemingly insignificant decisions we make every day that can make the biggest difference. On their own, they don't seem to matter much, but as they accumulate over time, they can make the difference between a rich and fulfilling life or one filled with regret.

In this episode, Cathy shares a simple approach for recognizing and making the tiny decisions that matter.

When everything in your world is changing too fast, sometimes the best thing you can do is stop trying to keep up.

In this episode, Cathy reflects on the years since the onset of the pandemic and how the new normal sometimes feels like no normal. From the steady drumbeat of natural disasters, wars and gun violence to rapid advances in technology, and shifting norms in worklife and the culture at large, the pace of change feels breathtaking. All of this upheaval has produced sometimes physical, sometimes psychological displacement.

She explores the question, how do we navigate in a land of no normal?

You can find an adapted transcript of this episode on her blog, Field Notes.

5 Ways you can work with your future self to create better results with greater ease.

"After years of suffering the consequences of working against myself, it slowly dawned on me that I had a future self worthy of consideration and respect."

In this episode, Cathy explores the surprising benefits of cultivating a healthy relationship with your future self. Whether you are trying to improve your health and well-being or pursue a life-long dream, thinking of your future self as a friend and ally can produce powerful results.

She shares personal stories of how this simple shift in perspective can result in positive changes in your behavior and offer new insight when you are stuck. Finally, she offers 5 practical strategies she uses with herself and her clients to enhance well-being and deliver better outcomes with greater ease.

You can find an adapted transcript of this episode on her blog, Field Notes.

How to Deepen Your Relationships and Sweeten Your Life with this Simple and Ancient Practice.

What if you knew that your next conversation, your next piece of chocolate, or your next kiss would be your last?

In this episode, Cathy shares how you can bring more appreciation, joy and connection to your life with this simple but powerful practice from the ancient Stoics.

For an adapted transcript, check out her blog, Field Notes.

At a time when the risks of speaking up have never been higher, how can leaders encourage good faith conversations to tackle important and complex issues?

In this episode, Cathy explores seven strategies to help you engage in good faith and become a leader in creating spaces where it is safer to have these crucial conversations.

You can find an adapted transcript on Cathy's blog, Field Notes.

How to turn limiting beliefs into empowering stories.

The stories we believe about ourselves can empower us, inspire us, and sustain us. They can also hold us back.

In this episode, Cathy explores how the stories we tell about ourselves shape our identity and our experience including:

• A personal story of how a faulty set of limiting beliefs contributed to a professional and personal crisis. • How our stories become embedded in our identity and how that can be both empowering and limiting. • How to recognize and question limiting beliefs and create more empowering ones. • The key to finding lasting freedom from the stories that hold you back.

You can find an adapted transcript of this podcast at Cathy's blog, Field Notes.

The truth about the hard work of loving yourself.

Do you struggle with self-compassion? Are you tired of people saying you just need to love yourself? For many of us, it takes more than platitudes to put compassion at the heart of our inner conversation.

In this episode, Cathy explores: • Why most self-help advice on self-compassion doesn't acknowledge how challenging it can be. • Why telling someone to stop being so hard on themselves doesn't help. • Why trying to silence your inner critic can actually make it worse. • And finally, what she's learned from her clients and her life about what it really takes to love yourself. You can find an adapted transcript of this episode on Cathy's blog, Field Notes.

What does it mean to live life more deeply? What is the cost of living life in the shallows?

In this episode, Cathy explores:

• What happens when you take the time to dive deep.
• The value and fulfillment that come from deep work.
• Why our current workplaces are ill-suited for deep work.
• And the transformative power of deep connection and conversation.

You can find an adapted transcript on Cathy's blog, Field Notes.

Special note: In this episode, I read the beginning of a poem by David Whyte, A Seeming Stillness from his book David Whyte: Essentials. Copyright © 2020 Whyte, David. Reprinted with permission from Many Rivers Press.

In this episode, Cathy explores the critical questions surrounding the impact of rapidly evolving information and communication technology on our behavior and our minds.

• How is our use and relationship with technology evolving and what is the impact on our health, our relationships, and our performance?
• What is the impact on our minds of living and working in an environment of constant distraction?
• How are the rapid advances in communication technology changing our workplaces and what are the impacts on culture, performance, and employee mental health?
• Given what we know today, what should we do to protect ourselves and our organizations?