The Compassionate Leader School Podcast

Is this you? You share with someone an idea you’re playing around with and all of a sudden you’re feeling the pressure to act on it because people keep asking you what’s happening? So you stop talking about it? And exploring it? Join me for this episode where I take you through the journey of two clients and show you how their choice to invest in a specific period of time to explore all the possibilities led to the best decision for them in the end. Listen here and learn how to make better choices for those dreams you want to bring into reality! 

Melissa is a CGA-CPA with the federal government and has also been a long-time business owner with her company Melissa Kew Photography. Three months ago I did a video interview with her. At the time, we had just begun to live with the realities of businesses shutting job, people being laid off from work, compassionate leaders having to lay people off, business owners trying to figure out how to work remotely with their teams, and people feeling unsure and afraid about the future. Our video interview turned out to  be one of the most watched videos I’ve done to date.

 Well, it’s been over three months and we have shifted into what I call the "next normal". With many businesses re-opening and with people trying to make decisions about returning to work and planning for what is ahead, it was time to bring Melissa Kew back for a follow-up. With her down-to-earth, pragmatic and sensible advice, here’s our conversation.

Why are some people able to make incredible things happen in their lives? Why are there those who are born under a lucky star, who get all the breaks, and who seem to have life handed to them on a silver platter? The answer is rooted in the words of Stephen Vizinczey who said, “You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.” How do you do that? In today's episode, you'll learn how starting with understanding the power of intention and using your intentions as the steering wheel, you can upscale your personal and professional life.

How many of you have important dreams that you keep to yourself either because your self-talk means you don't have the confidence to share them with anyone or because history has taught you that they'll just get squashed? If that's you, you need to listen to this episode of The Compassionate Leader School Podcast. Learn why it's important to give your dreams a voice and how to go out building an abundant circle of support so that they can finally be shared with the world!

Given that our economy is on the path of re-opening, so many of us are struggling with making the right decisions for what is now being referred to as our “next normal”, especially in the face of not having full information, being overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information, wading through hearsay, trying to interpret poorly articulated guidelines, and so on. This episode is all about the importance of doing the work to gather  facts coupled with nurturing your self-talk to give you courage and help you make high quality, soul-satisfying choices that make your heart sing!

Do you suffer from having weak boundaries? In this week's episode, I'm talking about the emergence of compassion fatigue in light of the impact of Covid-19 and the importance of building our resilience muscles to be able to respond in a healthy way. In particular, I'm exploring one of the foundational strategies for building resilience, which is establishing, clearly communicating, and honouring our boundaries. With step-by-step guidelines, you'll know exactly what to do when it comes to setting your boundaries so that others can give you what you need.

If you've been wanting to figure out how to plan your work schedule in a way that optimizes your productivity, efficiency and creativity, this episode is for you! Learn how choosing themes and time blocking, batching and mega-batching around them can help you capture free time that I lovingly coin as "white space".

At the best of times, clearly and concisely communicating with others is challenging. Enter self-isolation and working remotely in the midst of the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and these challenges become heightened. In this episode, I offer insight into what makes for effective communication and six specific strategies to help you be less defensive, especially when the other person is offering something that sounds like criticism.

In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic and the "new normal" of working remotely from home for so many of us, this episode offers guidance and 10 practical strategies you can implement right away to set you - and your family - up for success as you aim to be productive as you transition to working from your makeshift home office.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve been talking a lot  about being the bison and focusing on your circle of control. To support you in doing that, in this week’s podcast I’m offering six specific strategies you can focus on to help you show up as an open, fierce and compassionate leader in your work life as well as in your personal life in these really tough times.