This episode was so much fun to record! My long time friend John Melhorn comes on the podcast to talk about the process of growing his company, Melhorn Architecture & Construction. But more than that, we talk about the "behind the scenes" of what it takes and what you want around you as you navigate all of life's twists and turns.

Have you ever been talking to someone and you’re not fully hearing what they’re saying in the moment because you heard them say a particular word or phrase and your mind started to automatically “classify” what they’ve said into a category?

Assumptions can happen quickly, so they’re tricky to keep track of unless we really assess our thoughts regularly because we can make them in a split second without even knowing it. Assumptions are often unprompted and based on a number of diverse things such as our past experiences in life, people we know like them, our political or religious beliefs, our news and social media feeds, and so much more.

As we’re seeing people throughout the day, whether words are used or not, we’re probably making a whole bunch of assumptions about those people – everything from surface level demographics like their socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, background and upbringing, and their education level. We also might be subconsciously or consciously making assumptions about their philosophies and worldview such as their faith, political orientation, or their stance on social issues. We all have biases – whether we acknowledge them consciously or not. And we all have triggers that create associations with past wounds and hurts.

Listen in as we unpack more on how to navigate assumptions + judgments.

For more, head to www.storywork.co.

Listen in as we share another word on how to stay the course.

For more, head to www.storywork.co.

Eighty-four percent of people surveyed said Americans are angrier today compared with a generation ago, according to the latest NPR-IBM Watson Health poll. 

In a related question, they were asked if they were more likely to express their anger on social media than in person. Overall, nine in ten people said that was the case. We have more time due to automation and technology, but almost to our detriment. We have more information, but almost too much for our brains to process. We have more relationships with people, in some cases all over the world, but sometimes at the cost of us feeling overwhelmed by keeping up with all of these people. Burdens pile up, world events and leaders seem to become more and more amplified, and we don't know where to go with our anger. We feel more out of control than a decade ago because of all of the information we can access and more public platforms to express it. 

In this episode we talk about what you can do right now to maintain peace of mind and clarity.

For more things StoryWork: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/storywork⁠⁠⁠⁠

Listen in as we share another word on how to catch the aerial view.

For more, head to www.storywork.co.

I LOVED having great friend and amazing leader Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well on the podcast.

She is a fellow visionary, big picture thinker and also constantly committed to personal growth. Listen in as she shares how those two interact and some of the personal themes from her life story that have influenced how she got to where she is today.

Bitterness, or resentment, is anger compounded over time.

Bitter roots can run deep. Bitterness doesn't just happen on the first offense, it simmers slowly and with each offense, it grows.

My therapist used to say that bitterness is like a cut. The first time you get a cut, it can heal pretty quickly. The second, third, fourth time you hit it in that same place, it's going to take longer to heal because the wound now runs deeper. Bitterness is the same; each time someone hurts us using the same pattern, in a similar scenario, or leaves us with the same feeling, it drives that bitterness or resentment down deeper.

You are going to a new place.

It won’t look like the places you’ve been before. You don’t need to bring anything with you, just yourself.

What you need for the new place is already in you, inscribed on the tablet of your heart, soul and mind.

When you start out, it will feel unfamiliar, but as you go, you will see fragments of where you’ve been before and you will know that you are revisiting those places to get healed. The time is being redeemed, what has been lost is being restored. Notice the turns, stop and observe the map when you need to, cross over into new spaces and come back often to refuel.

You are going to a new place.

The New Place Guide

Welcoming Lauren Cotton from Cotton Crews to the podcast today! She's a long time friend, fellow entrepreneur and I've loved watching her consistently build her business. Listen in as she shares the lightbulb moment that started her business, the top 3 things that have led to her success and the generational wisdom that she has carried with her.

For more on Cotton Crews - head to https://www.cottoncrews.com

The only person that unforgiveness holds captive is you.

In preparation for practicing a lifestyle of seeing, knowing and hearing others, a regular rhythm of releasing others and forgiving them will set us free. Forgiveness is simply an acknowledgment that you no longer hold the offense against them; you release them.

In other words, we no longer carry the burden of setting the record straight, righting their wrong, or holding them to expectations of repentance or justice. We set them free to let the offender work their own stuff out.

For more things StoryWork: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/storywork⁠⁠