The Discomfort Practice with Betsy Reed

In this solo episode, I ask 'What do you want to suck at?' Because if you want to be good at something, you need to suck at it first. So perhaps ask yourself 'What have I always wanted to try or to be good at?' I share my thoughts on trying new things - or not! - because you're afraid you're going to suck at it. Oliver Berkman, a great writer, talks about sucking at things. The experience of sucking in itself expands you and takes you to a place of discovery. Yes, it is uncomfortable, but that's where the fun stuff happens.

So, come join me, listen in, and do the personal activity I lead you through toward the end of the episode. Get out of your comfort zone with me and see what expands within you or around you when you decide to go forth and suck at something.

Key Points Discussed:

• Learning only takes place in discomfort (00:33)
• What have you always wanted to try or be good at? (02:04)
• Sucking at something and becoming good at or just trying it out (03:27)
• The value of trying something out and not caring whether you suck at it or not (05:13)
• The wonder of discovering the potential in the things that you are going to try out (07:40)
• It's not that scary sometimes (08:54)
• A personal activity for you to do (09:28)

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn, and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five-star and written review, follow, and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favourite ones on social media!

In this episode of The Discomfort Practice, I am joined by a rock star in his industry, Matt Peacock. Matt is currently a partner at a London-based strategic and creative advisory firm called Blurred, where he provides specialist counsel to clients on Environment, Social and Governance (ESG), risk, sustainability, social purpose, and corporate transparency.

Together, Matt and I discuss important and relevant topics about how to lead and support others to step away from things that are not working and actually create positive change in your organization and more broadlyin society. Matt sheds light on some mindsets that hold us back and talks about strategies to break free and step into action to make things happen. And Matt gets shit done, I can tell you that. We talked about how important it is now for business communicators and governments to focus on doing things differently, as well as communicate well with each other onthe tricky issues and trends they have to grapple with. We also talk about our responsibility as individuals and communicators in the age of digital and social media ito fact check information and responsibly communicate and connect to others.

In every episode of season three of The Discomfort Practice Podcast, we're focusing on the discomfort of change. So, give this episode a listen and let me know what your steps might be for creating the world you want to live in.

Key Points Discussed:

• Matt's uncomfortable moments when working with organizations that knew they need to change but don't (04:12)
• When Matt was a reporter with BBC and faced with 'absolute evil,' facing the frustration of listeners who don't want to listen (06:32)
• 'don't-look-up' syndrome (09:09)
• Unpleasant truths are disruptive (10:03)
• The inexorable momentum syndrome - a false narrative (14:00)
• How to help people step away from things that are not working (16:14)
• What leaders need to be uncomfortable about that they're not (25:36)
• Businesses making more difference to the world faster than then politicians could (33:26)
• How to exercise the key trait that leaders or everybody must demonstrate over the coming months and beyond (41:47)
• The cult of disempowerment (45:56)
• Making the change happen (52:33)
• How to be wise consumers of information (56:55)
• Stepping into the skin of those who are opposed to you (1:06:08)
• The Net Zero transition (1:08:17)
• Discomfort is a life force (1:13:19)

Resources Mentioned:

• Don't Look Up
• Matt Peacock Joins Blurred as Partner

Connect with Matt:

• Matt on LinkedIn

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn, and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five-star and written review, follow, and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media!

In this episode, I'm speaking with someone I've known for many years - the fabulous Shannon Houde. Shannon is the founder of Walk Of Life Coaching, and for more than two decades, she's mentored and trained over 1000 change leaders, and used over 3000 hours with them to maximize their personal brands to advance impactful careers. She's had her own impact on the world by helping others find theirs and does it very well and she shares some insight if you're wondering how you or someone you know can map out how to ensure your career is more purposeful and impactful.

Shannon chose Impact Coaching to combine her diverse experience as a hiring manager, a business coach, and a CSR consultant for brands like Adobe, Deloitte, BlackRock, and WWF. As an ICF-ACC certified coach. She's also a 'Meta Coach,' trained by and involved in teaching Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence Certification Program, and she also works with the Game Changer Index. She recently published her first book: Good Work, How To Build A Career That Makes A Difference In The World. And the title says it all!

She shares wisdom with those who might be thinking, "I really do want to have more impact on my career, but I'm not sure how." That's what Shannon lives to do. So, click the play button now, and discover more nuggets of wisdom to help you up-level your impact on this world.

Key Points Discussed:

• Shannon's uncomfortable experiences that shaped her to want to serve others and make a difference (04:20)
• What is an impact coach (07:21)
• The Oprah of Impact (09:01)
• The type of impact people need to have and what's getting in the (11:53)
• The imposter syndrome (16:32)
• How does bringing emotional intelligence into the coaching look like (19:33)
• What is a Game Changer index (22:03)
• The kind of impact we need to see these days (25:08)
• Finding your impact (31:58)
• Careers and roles that help people make more impact (32:31)
• Having a greater impact on what you do (37:55)
• Writing a book to help more people bring impact (41:42)
• Having a vision board and the result it brings (44:48)
• What's exciting about the future (54:52)
• "Change is never painful, only the resistance to change is painful." (56:55)
• You got this! (57:39)

Resources Mentioned:

• Good Work, How To Build A Career That Makes A Difference In The World by Shannon Houde
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• Why Woo-woo Works by Dr. David Hamilton

Notes from the interview

• Shannon has been called 'The Oprah of Impact' :-)

• She's seen the biggest surge in ESG / sustainability roles ever in her 13 years as an impact coach, keeping an eye on trends in this space.

• 'Anyone anywhere can be in an impact role. You don't even need to change careers.'

• Shannon vision board post + link: https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/content/?fromMember=%5B%22ACoAAABQuMABF39e-gnrcv6I3GlGEsGC-PF8xEQ%22%5D&keywords=shannon%20houde%2C%20mba%2C%20pcc&position=0&searchId=0f71f48e-1a48-4173-ad5f-b874d5c2a5ac&sid=B!X&update=urn%3Ali%3Afs_updateV2%3A(urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6928317933500698625%2CBLENDED_SEARCH_FEED%2CEMPTY%2CDEFAULT%2Cfalse) Vision board: https://lnkd.in/ez4i7tXG

• https://walkoflifecoaching.com/

Connect with Shannon:

• Shannon's website
• Shannon on Facebook
• Shannon on Twitter
• Shannon on LinkedIn
• Shannon on Medium

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn, and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five-star and written review, follow, and share what you enjoyed about this episode. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media. We live in a world of algorithms and you really do help us reach new listeners!

In this episode, I'm excited to speak to David Richman. David is an entrepreneur, author, public speaker, endurance athlete, and philanthropist who brings the lessons learned in his life to enrich and inspire others. He pushed out of his comfort zone as a sedentary, overweight smoker stuck in an abusive and unhealthy marriage to seek true satisfaction in his life. That meant quitting an addiction to focusing on what others wanted out of him, and go full-throttle for what he wanted for himself.

What happened as a result is inspiring. In his first book, Winning In The Middle Of The Pack, David focused on how to get more out of ourselves than we ever imagined. More recently, he wrote Cycle Of Lives, an Amazon bestseller, in which he shares the stories of people overcoming cancer. He first started to form the idea for the book in 2007, when his sister was in the last few weeks of her battle with brain cancer. So, he set out on a nearly 5000 miles solo bike ride across the United States, in which in just six weeks, he visited most of the participants for the book, which chronicles 15 people's unique emotional journeys with cancer as caregivers, patients, loved ones, doctors, etc. He went through the various traumas in their lives as they told him their stories, and how that affected their experience of life and of cancer. He also explores in the book issues that are truly human, and often uncomfortable to talk about like suicide, abandonment, loss, survivor guilt, abuse, fertility issues, and the way people deal with trauma. 100% of the book's net proceeds have gone to cancer-related charities picked directly by those whose stories are in the book. It's a beautiful ethos from start to finish, and it goes without saying that it's inspirational, insightful, and evocative.

So, come join me in this wonderful conversation about life, loss, and the profound meaning to be found in transformational, uncomfortable journeys.

Key Points Discussed:

• David's very first endurance event that has affected him emotionally, physically, mentally, psychologically, in his most waking and aware moments, and also subconsciously (05:58)
• Doing things you don't know the answer to (11:25)
• Getting enough experience in that realm of uncomfortableness to learn with absolute certainty when it's okay to quit (12:14)
• David's current discomfort practice - the Ironman (17:41)
• Lessons David learned on his 5000-mile bike ride from California to Florida, and then to New York for his book Cycle Of Lives (26:16)
• A story about Joshua through his medical journey (31:46)
• Why David has 15 stories in his book (25:59)
• How the stories affected David personally (39:06)
• Are you afraid of living? (42:40)
• Experiences bring deeper and more profound meaning to trite quotes (47:32)
• Taking the discomfort experience and making it beautiful for others to learn from (51:47)
• Forming connections with people when we or they are going through difficult times to make the journey better (54:03)
• What gives you hope for the future (58:18)
• Take that step to reach out and connect with that person you know who is going through a really difficult time (1:00:00)

Resources Mentioned:

• Cycle Of Lives, by David Richman
• Winning In The Middle Of The Pack, by David Richman

Connect with David:

• David Richman's website
• David on Twitter
• David on LinkedIn
• David on Facebook
• David on Instagram

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn, and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five-star and written review, follow, and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media!

In this solo episode of The Discomfort Practice, I share what's been on my mind lately, and I hope it lands with you as the listener. I talk about trust. Life really becomes difficult when we can't trust - it messes with our nervous systems, our relationships, our ability to concentrate, our outlook on the world. It's not hard to see a massive lack of trust right now in the world, after some massive collective core-shakers like pandemic, war and the ongoing erosion of confidence in leaders and governments. When we let fear overtake us, we stop trusting to protect ourselves. But we can't live there. That is why it is important that we start to re-build trust in smart ways. We can start with a focus on building trust in ourselves. Which isn't necessarily easy. So in this episode I take you through a 'mindful micro'practice' to guide you to a place where you trust yourself. Because that is the place where you can be creative, open, compassionate, and brave. It's where you can find the answers to your questions, because you really do have all the answers inside yourself. And once you can trust yourself, the world is far less scary. It gives you a safe place to stand to connect to others, to find your purpose, to live out loud. And that's what the world needs from us all.

Key Points Discussed:

• We are connected and we create collective energy (01:14)
• Trust and its decline (01:53)
• Distrust is now society's default emotion (04:14)
• Building an ability to trust ourselves (07:10)
• A micro practice to help you get to a place where you trust yourself (10:13)
• Building trust and stepping away from fear starts with yourself (14:00)

Resources Mentioned:

• 2022 Elderman Trust Barometer

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn, and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five-star and written review, follow, and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media!

In this episode, it is my honour to introduce to you the (amazing people and) filmmakers, Anne Macksoud and John Ankele of Old Dog Documentaries. I first came across them through their film with Joanna Macy: 'Climate Crisis As A Spiritual Path.' It has reached international audiences with its powerful message on climate change and reconnection and personally moved me. John Ankele started his career as a producer of radio and TV programming in the 1960s, using mass media to empower faith communities advocating for civil rights, protesting the Vietnam War or struggling against apartheid in South Africa. He's also an ordained Presbyterian minister and a student of Zen and Shambala Buddhist traditions who has been involved for many years in interfaith dialogue around contemplative practice and social justice.

Anne Macksoud spent 17 years as a teacher of English literature, photography, and music, first bringing documentaries into her own classroom on a regular basis before transitioning into filmmaking herself. She believes that film is a powerful means to an end to open minds and hearts and, as a result, has been working with John since 1985. Together, Anne and John produce documentary films focused on the subtleties of human experience and the complexities of our collective challenges. In this episode, we talk about Anne's and John's formative life experiences and how that brought them together and eventually led them to interview Joanna Macy.We weave in quotes and references to Joanna Macy's life's work as an educator and activist, so we consider her our third guest on this episode. Together, we talk about the value of discomfort and we can all face our current collective discomfort over issues like climate change and pandemic with hopeful hearts. So, enjoy this chance to get to know Anne and John, the work they passionately give to the world, and get familiar with Joanna Macy. I hope that it gives you a deeper awareness of your connection to us, to others and to everything.

Key Points Discussed:

• A quote by Joanna Macy - Environmental Activist, author, and scholar of Buddhism, General Systems Theory, and Deep Ecology (00:32)
• Moments in Anne's life that shaped her passion for social justice (07:49)
• When John lost his mother, father, and then his brother, all during his time in East Africa and realized that nothing lasts and set him on a spiritual path with a mission to the world (10:21)
• What led Anne and John to interview Joanna Macy(13:48)
• Overcoming the narrative of disconnection (21:58)
• How the Joanna Macy interview video eventually reach international audiences (22:56)
• Anne and John's intention for the Joanna Macy interview and what they want to bring to the world - Leading people to productive discomfort and hope in action (25:51)
• How knowing and/or meeting people who are doing the work of the moment benefits and empowers us (35:41)
• The importance of supporting each other in expressing sorrow (39:06)
• We owe it to the young people, to not allow ourselves to breakdown, fall apart, and not get back up and show up (46:28)
• What gives us hope? (49:10)

Resources Mentioned:

• Joanna Macy: Climate Crisis As A Spiritual Path
• Joanna Macy

Connect with Anne M. and John A. on the Old Dog Documentaries:

• Old Dog Documentaries
• Old Dog Documentaries on LinkedIn
• Old Dog Documentaries on Vimeo
• Old Dog Documentaries on Facebook
• Old Dog Documentaries on Pinterest

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five-star and written review, follow, and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media!

In this Discomfort Running Buddies episode, I am joined by an awesome person and friend, Blaire Caplan. Blaire is a certified Life Designer and Mindset Coach. She is a healing presence that serves as a guide on people's personal journeys and helps people manifest their most authentic selves by unlocking answers and unleashing power from within through co-creation and life design. Also, she set up the Lonewolf District, which is dedicated to creating safe spaces in external environments and internally within oneself, and to help people grow, heal, and evolve.

Blaire and I discussed brilliant insights on going through a tough time, what you can do when you are in it, and what you can do to come out of it stronger, better, and even either finding or strengthening your purpose in life. We also talked about understanding that things are not happening TO you but FOR you.

We definitely had a free-flowing wisdom-packed conversation that will surely nourish your soul for growth so click play now and join us in this exciting run!

Key Points Discussed:

• Showing up despite of… and keep doing it (02:31)
• Blaire lost her brother due to police negligence and how this shaped her into who she is now and what she does (04:51)
• What a session with Blaire looks like (09:09)
• Bringing humanity back to humanity through hope (10:15)
• Life designing with people (13:15)
• Being brave and kind (15:56)
• Blaire's witness in times of discomfort (18:00)
• You can witness yourself - Observing your life outside of yourself (19:36)
• There is no such thing as failure (23:15)
• Why me? What this?... Why not? (25:04)
• The power to give everything around us a purpose and find our purpose (31:32)
• Love is allowing ourselves to be truthful to ourselves and speak the truth out when it is needed (37:30)
• Having hope and a good company in times of discomfort (40:10)
• You are loved and you are allowed to be wherever you need to be because you need to grow (42:32)

Resources Mentioned:

• The Untethered Soul, by Michael A. Singer
• The Lonewolf District

Connect with Blaire Caplan:

• Blaire's Website
• Blaire on LinkedIn
• Blaire on Instagram
• The Lonewolf District Community on Facebook
• Blaire on Pinterest

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn, and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five-star and written review, follow, and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media!

In this episode of The Discomfort Practice, I speak to Jennifer Moss, a journalist, author, speaker, and strategist driving the conversation towards healthier workplace cultures. She's the award-winning author of Unlocking Happiness At Work and a frequent writer for Harvard Business Review and SHRM. She's also a member of the United Nations Global Happiness Council and contributes to the annual Global Happiness Policy Report.

Jennifer recently published a new book, The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise Of Chronic Stress, And How We Can Fix It, which has been described as 'an important and timely book.' (But that goes without saying.) It helps leaders and individuals prevent burnout and create healthier, happier, and more productive workplaces.

Jennifer and I talk about how working cultures and institutions contribute to burnout and what strategies can help prevent it. If the Covid19 pandemic has shown us anything, it's that self-care is important. In Season 3 of The Discomfort Practice, I'm focusing particularly on the discomfort of change and rediscovering or creating new ways of being in this world and shaping society. So this conversation with Jennifer is important, interesting and, hopefully, exciting. Join us as we get insightful on how employees and leaders can transform cultures and workplaces into places where people can actually be truly human, where they can flourish, and where they don't end up burned-out.

Key Points Discussed:

• When Jennifer's husband was paralyzed and how this circumstance has led them to actually start the career of identifying how psychological fitness, emotional, intelligent well-being plays a role in life satisfaction, and also satisfaction at work. (05:23)
• What is toxic positivity (09:00)
• What causes burnout and what people can do to prevent and address it (11:38)
• How working cultures and institutions have contributed to the burnout and how they can do better (14:19)
• How the pandemic ramped up burnout (22:02)
• Our way out from this burnout - A burnout prevention strategy (25:33)
• Having cautious optimism in facing these changes and discomforts (30:47)
• Some elements in the future world of work and what it is going to look like (35:41)
• Measuring the ROI in preventing burnout in the workplace (41:07)
• The role of leadership in enforcing being human at work (46:06)
• The United Nations Global Happiness Council and what they do (51:15)
• What's next for Jennifer Moss - Looking into the human experience of work post-pandemic (57:13)
• "Burnout is not your fault." (59:20)

Resources Mentioned:

• The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise Of Chronic Stress, And How We Can Fix It by Jennifer Moss
• The United Nations Global Happiness Council

Connect with Jennifer Moss:

• Jennifer's Website
• Jennifer on LinkedIn
• Jennifer on Twitter
• Jennifer on Facebook
• Jennifer on Instagram

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram
• Betsy on Twitter
• Betsy on Linkedin

Rate, Review, Learn, and Share

Thanks for tuning into The Discomfort Practice! If you enjoyed this episode, please drop us a five-star and written review, follow, and share how it has benefited you. Don't forget to tune into our other episodes and share your favorite ones on social media!

In this episode of The Discomfort Practice I get the chance to sit and talk to someone I've admired for a long time. Aja Barber is a well-known and respected stylist, author and activist who focuses on telling the truth about the human and environmental devastation caused by the fast fashion industry.

We talk about the stark facts of fast fashion:

- 80% of garment workers in the world, the majority of whom are not paid a living wage. Unionization is crushed and they are vulnerable to sexual and physical abuse, simply to produce the tee shirt we casually pick up in a shop and buy with delight because it's 'cheap.'

- 10% of greenhouse gas emissions (which contribute to the rapid acceleration of climate change and the irrevocable loss of natural resources) is caused by the fashion industry.

- We live in an age where paying workers a fair wage has become a marketing tool – something brands celebrate about themselves – because it's so uncommon they feel justified in using that as positioning. When it's actually basically admitting that exploitation is so embedded in our systems of production and consumption – of fashion and everything else – that it's actually worth noting when someone pays the workers at the end of their supply chain anything but wages that keep them in poverty.

- Many brands produce 50 fashion lines a year – that's nearly one a week – and marketing and the culture around us has programmed us to buy buy buy, simply to feed their business model. So that dress you buy to wear once is making billionaires richer while keeping the poor poor.

Aja and I talk about many of the great points in her recent book, Consumed: the need for collective change, colonialism, climate change and consumerism. Aja urges listeners to think about the human behind the label and choose not to buy any new clothes for one week – or even longer. To break a habit of consumption that is literally consuming our planet and propagating human misery.

So pull up a chair, settle in and let's get uncomfortable together!

Follow me on Instagram @thebetsyreed Find Aja Barber @ajabarber

Order Aja's Book via her website or anywhere you like to order books: https://www.ajabarber.com

In this episode of The Discomfort Practice I get the chance to sit and talk to someone I’ve admired for a long time. Aja Barber is a well-known and respected stylist, author and activist who focuses on telling the truth about the human and environmental devastation caused by the fast fashion industry.

We talk about the stark facts of fast fashion:

• 80% of garment workers in the world, the majority of whom are not paid a living wage. Unionization is crushed and they are vulnerable to sexual and physical abuse, simply to produce the tee shirt we casually pick up in a shop and buy with delight because it’s ‘cheap.’ * 10% of greenhouse gas emissions (which contribute to the rapid acceleration of climate change and the irrevocable loss of natural resources) is caused by the fashion industry.
• We live in an age where paying workers a fair wage has become a marketing tool – something brands celebrate about themselves – because it’s so uncommon they feel justified in using that as positioning. When it’s actually basically admitting that exploitation is so embedded in our systems of production and consumption – of fashion and everything else – that it’s actually worth noting when someone pays the workers at the end of their supply chain anything but wages that keep them in poverty.
• Many brands produce 50 fashion lines a year – that’s nearly one a week – and marketing and the culture around us has programmed us to buy buy buy, simply to feed their business model. So that dress you buy to wear once is making billionaires richer while keeping the poor poor.

Aja and I talk about many of the great points in her recent book, Consumed: the need for collective change, colonialism, climate change and consumerism. Aja urges listeners to think about the human behind the label and choose not to buy any new clothes for one week – or even longer. To break a habit of consumption that is literally consuming our planet and propagating human misery.

So pull up a chair, settle in and let’s get uncomfortable together!

Follow me on Instagram @thebetsyreed
Find Aja Barber @ajabarber
Order Aja's Book via her website or anywhere you like to order books: https://www.ajabarber.com