Take Your Shoes Off First w/ Julia Freeland

She was the keynote speaker, but I didn’t know. It was just her lovely energy that drew me to start speaking with Dr. Katie Eastman at the Seattle Founder’s Live event last year. With a mutual passion for helping people through change, we hit it off right away. When I learned that she had been mentored by the Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, I knew this was someone who knew more than a few things about what it takes to find peace with transition. 

Even more impressive than her close connection to the Kubler-Ross legacy is her 3 decade long career as a therapist and guide for parents of terminally ill children. The stories she tells are heart-wrenching and heart-warming – a true testament to the human spirit.  Although we don’t dive deep into these stories in this episode, her soon to be published book - “Uplifting – Stories of Change, Loss and Growth!” - does. 

In this episode, we explore why the famous Kubler-Ross change curve work is likely very different than what you think it is. We discuss the messages of Jung and Meister Eckhart, as well as exploring why we struggle to follow their wisdom. 

Tune in to hear:

-          What it means to deny death and the impact it has had on the U.S. ability to navigate the COVID pandemic (Wow.)

-          What one thing we always have, even at the end of life.

-          Why stress is a 15 second experience unless your brain gets in the way.

-          Why the origins of the mental health crisis can be found in our inability to reset.

-          Why the best thing we can do for kids today is to teach them how to just be at peace with how they are feeling, accepting it as real and normal and passing.

-          5 tips for helping kids and adults to be with their body and self-calm. 

As “Dr. KatieE” will be showing the world in the next few years, there is so much we can learn from the death of some of our youngest humans. Be sure to tune in to this episode for a glimpse of her wisdom and get ready to read her book soon!  

In her words, “Kids have been my greatest teachers, especially dying kids. Death is the greatest place to learn about living.” 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keastmanpsydlcsw/

Website and Book Release List: https://www.drkatiee.com    

What does it take to find stability and thrive when everything seems to have been turned upside down and nothing feels guaranteed? What can you rely on and how do you navigate such uncertainty? 

If you have been looking for something to put your hope into, tune in to this episode with recent high school graduate, Indira Heller. 

A high schooler???  YUP.  Well, actually, NOW she is a freshman in college and I can not wait to see what this young woman creates next! Her gift? Words that give hope and are grounded in all that is human and earthly. 

I first learned of Indira at my son's high school graduation where she was one of two graduates delivering the graduation speech.  Her words left me speechless.

Tune in to hear an 18 year old speak wisdom far beyond her years and learn about the experiences that have nurtured her outlook.  There is something in here for us all to reflect on and help us find our own personal hope and stability.

When your high school experience is shaped by:

- COVID school shut down in Seattle - one of the longest in the country
- SEATTLE - where you can't really gather outside much of the year as it RAINS.
- A brand new school where you are the oldest class for every year you are there 
- Mental health tanking in yourself and all of your peers 
- A lack of long standing school traditions
- Attending a school where they are working to disrupt what school has always been.

What do you learn? How do you grow? What do you think about the future? 

Tune it to find out!  The speech is worth tuning in to alone!! 

When you do a podcast with someone you used to date, I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that the conversation centered around navigating difficult relationships and growing through discomfort!

We met through Bumble, dated for a while, and stayed in touch over a shared passion for developing humans. In this session we get into the details of what it means to embrace discomfort and the growth opportunities it presents.  

Urs Koenig, Ph.D. is a keynote speaker, champion ultra-endurance athlete, U.N. Peacekeeper, and long-time executive leadership coach. Today, he speaks on leading with humility and the 5 Shifts of Then to Now Leadership, which will be the focus of his upcoming book. 

In this episode, Urs expands the perspective of this podcast by bringing his global leadership and education experiences to light. Born in Switzerland, Urs spent his young adulthood in Australia, had his children in the U.S. and travels the world for his work as an international speaker and U.N. Peacekeeper in the Middle East. 

As we wind our way through talking about the mind-body connection, how our bodies can do far more than we believe they can, the natural cycles of discomfort, and how to navigate tough relationships, including divorce and Middle East diplomatic meetings, you will notice a theme, Urs is a master at throwing himself into new situations and growing through discomfort.  

In this episode, we discuss the how the origins of Take Your Shoes Off First are found in my own experiences of healing deep conflict. Even as Urs challenges me, I explain how a shift in my perspective always preceded a breakthrough in understanding in which I could suddenly see what I could not before, enabling me to find neutral ground and bridges of understanding.

We discuss the importance of having solid boundaries but making sure they aren’t so impenetrable that you can’t see beyond them, and the power of realizing you can only change you.  

Tune in to learn why Urs is passionate about leading with humility and embracing discomfort as he talks about his experiences:

-          Becoming a semi-truck truck driver 

-          Going on two Peace Keeping missions

-          Leaving his kids for a year to pursue a life calling 

-          Living and working in Egypt, navigating daily the influence of radical Islam

-          Navigating conversations between ambassadors from countries who believed in genocide.

Urs shares that we have an inversion of expertise these days where all around you know more than you could possibly know, so it’s important as a leader to let go of the idea that you know it all.  He notes that the leader doesn’t have to have all the answers, but he should be focused on cultivating deep relationships with his  people.

“A strong focus on the relational piece between co-workers is where leaders need to be.”

For more information on Urs, visit: 

Urskoenig.com

Humergence Reflection episodes are glimpses into a library of micro lessons aimed at helping people achieve breakthroughs in their lives so they can get unstuck, find balance, or move past blockers.

"Have you ever been staring down the abyss of a big big leap you needed to make? Standing on the edge looking over it, knowing you had to take it, but not wanting to?"

This short Humergence Reflection episode is a glimpse at how I handle these sorts of situations. 

At the end is my three step formula for motivating myself to take the leap I know I must take.
Perhaps it will help you achieve breakthroughs just as it does for me!

In the shadow of Roe vs. Wade being overturned, it seemed fitting to release this podcast interview and feature the “shoes” of someone who has felt isolated during COVID due to not only pandemic restrictions but also for being harshly judged for her religious beliefs and correlating decisions. 

I invite you to get curious and learn about the shoes of Alice McIntosh - even if...no especially if they are very different than yours.  

Thanks to her mother, Alice learned at a young age how to get beyond the victim mindset and not let her circumstances keep her down. Her father died suddenly when Alice was only four years old, leaving her immigrant mom who couldn’t speak the language, didn’t have a job, and couldn’t drive a car, to raise her and her one year old sister. “It takes two to Tango” was the idea that resonated from her childhood and still guides her thinking today. There is always something you can do about your situation and always something you contribute.  

After earning her way through college playing volleyball, Alice made working for various national security agencies and government departments her life's career. But all of that almost came to an end when the vaccine was mandated for Federal employees. 

Listen in to hear how she navigated what felt like a mine field to her. Be inspired by how she found her voice – breaking free from the “old me” that was mired in a lack of self-confidence and introversion – and how she embraced trying new things and becoming more than she thought she could be. Learn about how she shifted her personality and shook off the weight of self-doubt. 

Within this episode, we also talk about several critical questions that Take Your Shoes Off First inspired her to ask and work through: 

• How do we come together to respect other people’s decisions? 
• How do we make space to HEAR and allow the perspective and experiences of another to influence what we think? 
•  What are we missing? 
• How do we really get curious about the shoes of another? 

To learn more about Alice...well, when you work in the national security field there are a lot of rules...but you can find her on LinkedIn. 

Bonus in this episode, if you have been wondering what Humergence is, there is an intro in here!

What does agriculture have to do with leadership and thriving in the future? 

In this episode, that’s what Christopher Cooke and I dive into. 

Long ago Christopher chose to focus his holistic engineering oriented mind on agriculture because it is the one of the most complex sectors on the planet. It’s relationship with religion and economies and governance is one of the tightest of all industries, and it is based on the way the world was long before any of those were formalized.

Studying with the likes of greats like Ken Wilbur and Alan Savory, Christopher has learned from a few of the great thinkers of our time and is making his own mark in the world of soil and water conservation.  However, if you speak with him (or listen to this podcast) you might think we were talking about leading humanity through change rather than about agriculture! That’s because from Christopher’s perspective, the biggest challenge we face today is not the individual problems faced by each industry or business, it is the lack of understanding how humans change and how best to facilitate the adoption of new paradigms to help humans reverse the damage of years of degradation of soil, plants and humans in the name of production. 

“We are actually overcoming or reversing a lot of beliefs and values that have been established and enculturated over the last 10,000 years.” Not only in business but in most every industry. 

“The present paradigm of most human cultures has one underlying ethos which is to dominate nature. It’s vital that we avoid discounting nature. Discounting that serves nobody.” 

Christopher notes how one of the primary challenges we face is a lack of a common understanding of what it takes to move humans through change. He explains that there are two types of change:

1)      Change within the paradigm – like palliative care for the dying

2)      Reframing and allowing the space for a new paradigm 

Our job is to grow the new until the existing is no longer needed so it can just go away. Unfortunately, very little attention is given to the second type of change and without it, no new paradigm will be able to take root. 

This is why he is a huge fan of “Take Your Shoes Off First” as it helps leaders, teams and individuals address that second type of change and take conscious steps towards making room for new ideas to bloom. 

“Your book takes us beyond the VUCA times, as it is encouraging people to thrive through the VUCA times but also be able to prepare to utilize innate capacities that they didn’t know existed before they chose to take their shoes off.”

I couldn’t have said it better!  Many thanks to the incredibly insightful Christopher Cooke for joining me on this episode of Take Your Shoes Off First. 

To learn more about the groundbreaking Christopher Cooke and his work, check out: 

-          LinkedIn HERE.

-          3LM Website HERE.

-          5 Deep Website HERE.

A short diversion from my regular podcast format. No guest, just me, reflecting and processing. Doing  my best to leave the world a better place.  

The shootings at Uvalde Elementary School left me feeling raw this week. After presenting to a group of futurists yesterday, that rawness shifted to a feeling of distance from humanity. While on a run, only nature's small miracles - the color, the buds, the shapes and the human babies I passed - were able to get through to me and stir new motivation.  

Trying something new with the best of intentions. 

If you have ever wanted to write a book or take on a creative project that is bigger than you think you can handle, this is the episode for you!

While on one of my exploratory sessions – time that I give myself to just be pulled along by whatever interests me - I stumbled onto Anne Janzer and I’m so glad I did! Anne is a multiple book author and writing coach.  

She is also a wonderful example of what it takes to let your creativity bloom. Her advice? Get writing. Get creating. Get doing. 

What if you don’t have a solid idea on what you are wanting to create? Get doing. Get writing. Get creating!

In her experience, she says: “The idea came through the work. You don’t wait for the idea to come until you do the work. You do the work, and the idea will come.” 

This matches my experience too.  Although hard, as it is against what we have all been taught in school and business, it is also the right approach to take if you want to be better at thriving in change! When we engage with curiosity and flexibility in all we do, we make room for the differences in all of us – including our morale taste buds.  Yup…tune in to learn more on that!

There is sooooo much great content and ideas in this episode! 

Listen in as our conversation emerges and we wind our way through: 

• How the creative process can feel like wading through a field of Lego
• Why it’s good to cherish the time when you aren’t being seen
• How our priming impacts our behavior in big ways
• Why you should expect the mess
• The benefits of letting failures be seen
• Ideas and resources for expanding your thinking – including taking your shoes off first!

Enjoy!

To learn more about Anne Janzer, check out:

• LinkedIn HERE.  
• Her Website HERE. 
• Her books HERE.

Resources discussed in this Episode: 

• Being Wrong – Kathryn Schulz
• The Righteous Mind - Jonathan Haidt
• Take Your Shoes Off First - Julia Freeland

What does it take to be a Head of Human Resources at Amazon for over 100,000 people? 

Tune in to this week’s podcast to find out! 

After 7 years leading in various HR positions at Amazon, and 9 years at Blackberry before that, my guest, Dayna Perry knew Human Resources for tech companies backwards and forwards. As a fellow people geek, she is someone I have bounced numerous ideas with over the years.  However, we have bounced far more balls – beach volleyballs, to be exact.

In fact, it was years after welcoming Dayna into the beach volleyball scene in Seattle that I learned just how high up and influential she was at Amazon. I’d wager that many who know her still have no idea. At the beach, she is known more for her incredible margaritas, killer serves, and quick laugh. When she told me that humility is an attribute she looks for in candidates, it came as no surprise.  

Today, Dayna is the Head of People for rapidly growing revenue lifecycle company, Conga. Joining me on the podcast after being in her new role for just a few short months, she shares a few challenges and insights on how she is managing the transition – one that was made harder by the virtual nature of work today.  

Listen in as our conversation emerges and we wind our way through: 

•  How “Vipers” show up at work and destroy relationships
• The similarities between beach volleyball and business partnerships
•  What an “About Me” interview is and how it helps build connection
•  How Amazon kept the “beginners mindset” fresh
• The drawbacks and benefits of virtual working 
• Why it is so easy to have two people talk past each other and what can be done to stop it

Enjoy!

To learn more about Dayna, check out:

-          LinkedIn HERE.  

There are many moments when the actions of another changes the course of your life forever. Although we are unaware of many, it’s the ones we know about that fascinate me. I can think of a few which one person’s decision led to a radical different trajectory for my life. This week’s episode features one of those people.  

I didn’t know Ed Hess, but I did admire his thinking and books. After reading one, I thought I would be bold and let him know how much I liked it via LinkedIn. Surprisingly he accepted. Fast forward a few years with no communication between us, I had my draft manuscript of “Take Your Shoes Off First” and I was looking for a review from someone who could tell me if I had a hit or a dud. I immediately thought of Ed as I thought the book might resonate with his own thinking. Knowing it was a one in a million chance he would say yes, I sent a message to Ed asking if he would review my manuscript. He said yes.

This is where we start our episode. I’ll let you tune in to find out what happened next. 

Suffice it to say, Ed helped me jump to a new path for my life and I will be forever grateful for this now friend, but then stranger, for saying yes. 

Ed is a Professor Emeritus of Business Administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and a coach, consultant and connector focused on human performance in the digital age.  He is the author of “Humility is the New Smart” – a book in which Ed details his own transformation from ego-centered expert to humble learner, which was an inspiring read that resonated deeply with my own hard lessons. Our conversation touches on lessons we have both learned and the focus of his latest book, “Hyper-learning: How to Adapt at the Speed of Change.”

Listen in as our conversation emerges and we wind our way through: 

• What is the “New Smart”
• The problem with the current “people development systems” in the U.S.
•  How tech is moving faster than we are and why that is a big problem
• Why he is passionate about the idea of “otherness” 
•  What “hyper learning” is and why it is critical we shift our thinking about how we teach and learn if we want to be relevant in the future

Enjoy!

To learn more about Ed, check out:

-          LinkedIn HERE 

-          “Humility is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age” Book

-           “Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt at the Speed of Change” Book

-          Website