Taking the first step toward a goal or an achievement can seem easy and simple, but it may be the hardest step in some scenarios. Many of us find ourselves in situations where we procrastinate these actions due to a plethora of reasons. This very issue is what our guest today has dedicated his career to addressing. Eric Twiggs, Certified Executive Coach, speaker, and the author of “The Discipline Of Now: 12 Practical Principles To Overcome Procrastination,” joins us today to talk about how procrastination gets in our way to success and how to overcome the habit of procrastination.

We start the conversation focusing on Eric’s book, the content of it, and the target audience of the book. Getting into the core concepts of his philosophy, Eric dives into how the gap between our intentions and the way of execution can lead to procrastination. He also talks about the consequences of procrastination that come in different forms, such as stress, reduced creativity, damages to our reputation, and even some health implications that often go unnoticed but are caused by procrastination.

Another concept we discuss in-depth is vision. Concepts like vision statements, missions, and core values are predominantly used in the corporate arena, and we don’t see them being used in personal spaces as often. Eric beautifully translated these concepts in a way we can fit them into our personal lives and utilize them to achieve our goals. We also talk about the negative effects of having a vision without taking any actions and why we’re less likely to procrastinate when we’re working on something we’re really passionate about.

Being a perfectionist is one of those things that may get in our way to progress, and it can sometimes lead to procrastination as well. Eric shares his thoughts on some of the factors that become obstacles in our way to success, including perfectionism, fears, and negative mindsets. He also shares with us some strategies our listeners can utilize to overcome these obstacles. Wrapping up the discussion, Eric shares his thoughts on how building awareness about our own behaviors can help us overcome procrastination. 

Resources:

Eric’s Book - The Discipline of Now:
amazon.com/Discipline-Now-Practical-Principles-Procrastination/dp/0692835008

Connect with Eric

Website: www.ericmtwiggs.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erictwiggs
Twitter: twitter.com/EricMTwiggs

Mentioned in the episode:

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks:
goodreads.com/book/show/6391876-the-big-leap

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Abbe Lamott:
goodreads.com/book/show/12543.Bird_by_Bird

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck:
goodreads.com/book/show/40745.Mindset

Financial literacy is one of the life skills many of us have a hard time developing and don’t pay attention to. When it comes to moms, managing money can easily become a headache as they already have a lot on their plates. And with all the tech quirks of modern society, such as influence social media, it can be even harder to make savvy financial decisions. That’s why we decided to have a deep conversation with someone who specializes in helping moms develop their money management skills. Catherine Alford, the author of  ‘Mom’s Got Money: A Millennial Mom’s Guide to Managing Money Like a Boss,’ joins us on the podcast today to share her wisdom with our listeners.

I am super motivated by all of the moms who I haven’t reached yet who I haven’t helped yet, says Catherine. We start the conversation by talking about what motivates her and the experiences that inspired her and led her to write her book. Catherine mentions that she had to face 28 rejections over a period of four and a half years before finally getting her book published. We talk about how she was able to stay strong and push through all these obstacles until she reached her goal and advice she has for people who are facing rejections while pursuing their goals.

Getting into the core concepts Catherine covers in her book, we talk about the mindset we generally have towards money, how emotional labor affects our lives, and how to develop a growth mindset. We also dive into some of the money management concepts, including net worth, goal setting for families, family budget meetings, eliminating high-interest debt, cash flow management, and developing a wealth mindset. Wrapping up the episode, Catherine shares a story of how maintaining an emergency fund helper her with an unexpected disaster and some tips and tricks for deciding how much you should allocate for an emergency fund.

Connect with Catherine

Website: catherinealford.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/catherine-alford-8b983049/

Mentioned in the Episode

The Prosperous Coach: Increase Income and Impact for You and Your Clients
by Rich Litvin and Steve Chandler :
amazon.com/Prosperous-Coach-Increase-Income-Clients-ebook/dp/B00CLLACTA

Existential Kink: Unmask Your Shadow and Embrace Your Power by Carolyn Elliott:
amazon.com/Existential-Kink-Unmask-Embrace-getting-ebook/dp/B07XMG4BWN 

Kindness is one of the beautiful things that always make our lives better in some way, shape, or form. The more we practice kindness, the better we’ll feel and the better our relationships will be. In today’s episode of the Pursuit of Learning, we’re having a deep conversation with someone who has mastered the art of being kind. Donna Cameron, the author of the multi-award-winning book, “A Year of Living Kindly: Choices That Will Change Your Life and the World Around You,” joins us today to talk about all things kindness.

We kick off the conversation with a brief review of what motivated Donna, the story of what led to the realizations behind writing her book, some of the values we’ve lost as a society in recent years, and what we have to do in order to rebuild those lost values. Moving onto kindness, Donna explains two key distinctions we have to make; being nice versus being kind and being kind versus not being unkind. We talk about the role these definitions play when it comes to practices that help us be kind to fellow human beings.

According to Donna, kindness is a practice where we need to take certain risks, but it also comes with benefits. We talk about some of the scientific research that explains several benefits of being kind, such as being able to sleep better, enhanced creativity, and greater life satisfaction. We also talk about how corporations can cultivate a culture built around kindness and how we can practice kindness toward ourselves.

Just like in everything else in life, our path to kindness may also have some obstacles. We talk about some of these obstacles and some things we can practice in order to overcome these obstacles. Another concept Donna dives deep into is passing the gift of kindness to our future generations. She explains that when our children see us being kind to other people, they tend to absorb those traits of kindness, developing kindness within themselves as well. 

Resources:

Connect with Donna

Donna’s Book:amazon.com/gp/product/B078FXP1BL/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
Website: ayearoflivingkindly.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DonnaCameron.author
Twitter: twitter.com/donnajcameron

Mentioned in the Episode:

The Nonviolent Communication Training Course by Marshall Rosenberg:
puddledancer.bookstore.ipgbook.com/nonviolent-communication--a-language-of-life-products-9781892005281.php

The thoughts we have in our minds can heavily influence our emotions, and our thoughts are often affected by what we surround ourselves with. An environment that constantly produces thoughts that provoke anxiety within us can sometimes lead us to depression. Our guest today is someone who has masters the art of overcoming anxiety by understanding how our brain and body work. Brian Sachetta, the author of ‘Get Out of Your Head: A Toolkit for Living with and Overcoming Anxiety,’ joins us today to talk about his ten-step process to overcoming anxiety.

Brian started his professional career in computing as a graduate of management and computer science. After college, his background in computer science led him to explore parallels between computer systems and the human mind, ultimately creating his first book, which gives readers practical strategies for overcoming anxiety. We start the conversation with his perspective on his approach to writing and what motivates him as a writer.

A dilemma that many of us face often is getting fixated on things that make us worry or things that trigger us. When we keep thinking about things that trigger us, that can lead to elevated levels of anxiety. When you continue this behavior in an infinite loop, it can ultimately induce depression. Brian talks about how we can get out of this loop of dogs and avoid anxiety and depression.

In his book, Brian outlines ten steps we can take to strategically control the factors that contribute to anxiety. These ten steps cover several aspects and behaviors that are crucial to controlling anxiety, including how our body functions come into play, thought patterns, how our focus contributes to anxiety, and living in the present moment. Throughout the episode, we dive into each of these steps and how to implement them in our lives to overcome anxiety.

Connect with Brian:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-sachetta/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bsachetta/

Book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HSnqpo

Articles of Brian: https://medium.com/@brian_sachetta

The way we set our expectations often governs how we feel in many scenarios in our lives. We might feel down when our expectations aren’t met, and on the other hand, setting reasonable expectations can lead to better outcomes. Ben Winter, Team Building Expert, Expectations Guru, and the founder and CEO of Success Improv, joins us today to explore how learning and implementing the rules of improv into every area of your life helps you become successful in life.

From traveling to personal growth to marriage and child to divorce and parenthood to entrepreneurialism and inspiring others, Ben certainly hasn’t been idle in life. A couple of years out of college and he started doing things and going places he never would have expected. He has seen the animals of Tanzania and has traveled all over Europe with a 6-month-old child in tow. He has performed improv for over a decade, acted in several plays and even a movie.  We talk about his ups and downs, the amazing experiences he’s had, and what he learned from them.

Between personal growth and improv, Ben found this weird realm called expectations. And while most people would shy away from such a thing, he decided to tackle it head-on.  Along his journey, he began teaching that in his Success Improv business. From there, he noticed that there has to be a way to use that upset feeling to fix the situation. And he created the amazing “How to stop being upset” flow chart that can be found on his website.

Ben has over ten years of acting and improv experience. He has over 15 years of personal and professional growth experience, personal coaching and has owned several businesses, including Success Improv. As he calls himself, Captain Obvious, in short, grew up with the constant need to be right and have more information than the next guy. He is, in fact, getting better at not forcing that on other people keeping in mind what sometimes people say is subjective, which is why it doesn’t really matter if they’re wrong. 

[3:40] Unmet Expectations – Upon being asked about one of his statements regarding unmet expectations resulting in a person getting upset, Ben clearly explains how in most people he has observed, unmet expectations of any sort are the sole reason behind people being upset. 

[8:10] Set a Framework – Ben further delves deep into how expectations can help set a framework similar to setting a goal or boundary. He uses his very own example of setting a timeframe to finish the first or second draft of his novel. Hence, if he meets his goal of completing the first or second draft, he has successfully met his expectations; if not, it is when the problem of unmet expectation arises, explains Ben. 

[13:50] Unknown Expectations – Upon being asked to throw light on how rules or laws are effectively expectations by the host, Ben explains while unknown expectations are the ones you didn’t see you had until it comes crashing down due to non-fulfillment, rules or laws as expectations are known expectations with clear known consequences. For instance, if you know that driving over the speed limit will give you a ticket. You should in no way be upset about getting a ticket when you’re pulled over, he says. 

[18:55] Expectations are Unavoidable – Ben explains that when someone says they aren’t going to have expectations, that then and there itself is clearly an expectation about expectations! Hence, he cleverly uses the most commonly occurring example to show how impossible it is to avoid expectations. 

[20:25] Improv Career – Upon being questioned about how improv makes communicating about expectations easier by the host, Ben explains it is all about learning the rules of improv, expectations of how improv works, and being able to follow them. 

[46:18] Combat Hate – In terms of combatting hate, Ben states that there’s only one way to go about it, and that’s to sit one-on-on with the people

Leadership is an essential skill that an organization needs to develop within their member in order to thrive and overcome challenges and obstacles that may stand in its way. In today’s episode of the pursuit of learning, we’re having a fascinating conversation with someone who specializes in helping business leaders radically improve themselves and transform their businesses. Rich Huisman, the president of JENT Consulting Inc. and the author of the LEADERS’ LIST, joins us today to talk about the ten traits that every great leader must have and how you can develop these traits.

Rich started his career in the corporate world, working in sales and worked his way up to become an executive. We start the conversation with the story of his career journey, lessons he learned from working in the corporate arena for years, and some of the things that inspire and motivate him. Rich later left the corporate world to focus more on family and to start his own consulting practice. We also dive into the story of what influenced him to leave the corporate environment and start his business, JENT Consulting, and the story behind its name.

With his experience of working with several organizations and business leaders, Rich developed an assessment that helps leaders to measure their leadership skills. He dives into what inspired him to develop this tool and how our listeners can use it to assess their leadership skills. In the next section, we start exploring the ten traits Rich mentions in his book that every great leader must have, starting with love and empathy. Diving into each of these traits, Rich shares his wisdom on why these traits are important for leaders, some of his experiences related to these traits, and some practical methods, exercises, and strategies leaders can utilize to develop the ten traits and improve their leadership skills.

Resources:

Connect with Rich

Website: theleaderslist.com / www.jentconsulting.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/richhuisman

the LEADERS’ LIST: Are you a Great Leader? Find out now!
www.amazon.com/LEADERS-LIST-Great-Leader-Find/dp/B08C8R9R8H

Mentioned in the Episode:

Strengths Assessment by Marcus Buckingham:
marcusbuckingham.com/gift-of-standout/

The Speed of Trust - Stephen M. R. Covey:
www.speedoftrust.com/#the-book

How do we build those authentic relationships? What are the most powerful questions we can ask? How can we tell stories in a way that captures attention and inspires others to take action? Today we have Riaz Meghji, Tv Host and Human Connection Keynote Speaker. In today’s episode of the pursuit of learning, we dive deep into his book, ‘Every Conversation Counts,’ in which Riaz breaks down the five habits that build extraordinary human connections. 

After years of interviewing leaders, athletes, philanthropists, and celebrities, Riaz has figured that the one clear commonality has been that we all need meaningful human connection. In a challenging era of loneliness and isolation, he helps leaders elevate their communication, spark real conversations and collaborate effectively with their teams so that they can build high-trust cultures in our new hybrid reality. Riaz also shares his thoughts on how modern society is being impacted by technology, especially social media and how we can avoid falling into the trap of making social media a harmful distraction.

In his book, Meghji digs deep into the dangers of isolation and loneliness, our social pandemic, that were brought into sharp relief by the coronavirus crisis. Throughout this episode, he walks us through the five simple habits for building extraordinary relationships. He explains how to spark authentic conversations, win trust, create new business, and collaborate effectively.

We also talk about some of the barriers that get in the way of pursuing our curiosity and limit our ability to learn and explore new knowledge and experiences, the value of overcoming these barriers and how to do it. Stay tuned until the end of the episode, where Riaz shares some tips and tricks on how to crafting a good story that allows you to be vulnerable and engage with an audience, and learnings from one of the most important conversations Riaz has ever had.

Resources:

Get the book, ‘Every Conversation Counts’: https://riazmeghji.com/book

Connect with Riaz:

Website: https://riazmeghji.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riazmeghji/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riazmeghji/

Stephanie Hunter is a shadow work facilitator and transformational mentor in Vancouver, BC, and online. She leads programs, including a weekly women’s group with Georgianna Lee of Rising Woman and semi-annual Conscious Relationship Training founded by Phil T. She is gifted with the ability to translate woo-woo into practical terms, for bringing humor into hard work, and for Radical Acceptance. Hence is ready to bless anyone in need of her gift by helping them. In today’s episode, we have an interesting conversation with Stephanie regarding the framework for conscious living and radical honesty. She walks us through the eleven most important habits/ characteristics that make up this whole framework of the conscious code.

We start the conversation with some of the things that interest and motivate Stephanie. Her top picks include not making assumptions, interconnectedness, and radical honesty. Stephany shares how these things are connected to her life. Some of us have not been able to admit to ourselves who we are and how we want to live our lives. Stephanie shares her thoughts on how we can go about uncovering who we are. Her preferred ways of uncovering truths about ourselves include meditation and shadow work. We talk about how we can practice these methods in our lives.

Something many of us find to be difficult in life is maintaining healthy boundaries. Whether it is with partners, family, friends, or colleagues, it can often get challenging. We talk about how we can establish and maintain healthy boundaries. Stephanie dives deep into how we can get to know our feelings, what feels good to us, and the questions we should ask ourselves to establish our boundaries.

Moving onto relationships, we talk about one-sided relationships and why some people feel connected to someone and take too long to notice that they’re in a one-sided relationship. We talk about key signs we can use to identify whether we’re in a one-sided relationship. Another type of relationship we touch on is codependent relationships, where we’re sometimes plugging into our partners and expecting them to meet our needs. Stephanie shares her thoughts on how this behavior can limit our freedom and independence as human beings and how we can build healthy relationships. Wrapping up the episode, Stephanie talks about finding our purpose. She shares with us how we can start finding our purpose by noticing what feels good and what feels bad and what we would naturally have energy for.

Connect with Stephanie

Website: taoofself.com

Instagram: instagram.com/tao.of.self

Conscious Relationship Training: crtrainings.com

Today we have Jeff Leisawitz, who is a life coach for creative types, critically acclaimed author, instructor, speaker, and internationally distributed screenwriter, director, and producer. Having won the title, ‘The Best Independent Electronic Artist in the World’, having done over 5000 music placements in film and television, Jeff is also the author of the book, ‘Not F*ing Around’ - The No Bullsh*t Guide for Getting Your Creative Dreams Off the Ground. Throughout the episode, we talk about several concepts Jeff covers in his book, including finding and understanding passion, how curiosity helps us grow, why we should not be afraid of failure and more.

Jeff Leisawitz burns with a mission to inspire and teach writers, artists, songwriters, musicians, filmmakers, solopreneurs, arts organizations, and every other human with a heartbeat to amp up their vision, tap into their potential and shine in the world. With the philosophy, “At its best, creativity is a way for us to be seen, expressed, and connected,” Jeff has helped empower countless people to tap deeply into their creative hearts to live richer, more fulfilling lives. By combining decades of street cred with personalized exercises, guided meditations, and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Re-Patterning) techniques, Jeff’s clients have overcome creative blocks including fear of failure, the inner critic, imposter syndrome, etc.

We start the discussion with Jeff’s philosophy behind his first critically acclaimed book, Not F*ing Around, and his perspective on the meaning of the concept of not f*cking around. He explains the importance of searching squashed passions, rekindling them by awakening the curiosity of wanting to know more about a certain subject matter, and figuring out the ‘Why’ behind a passion in order to ease the journey of personal growth and, achieving one’s goals and passions. 

Another concept we discuss in detail is how to achieve a certain goal by remaining accountable. Jeff dives into some of the scientific research that shows why we’re more likely to be dedicated to working towards a goal when we have declared our goals to someone. Jeff also talks about the problems associated with the way most people understand failure and how we can grow and learn better by redefining failure as feedback. 

Resources:

Jeff’s book, Not F*ing Around: https://www.amazon.com/Not-ing-Around-Getting-Creative/dp/0692899960/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500397877&sr=8-1&keywords=leisawitz

Connect with Jeff through his website and LinkedIn:

https://jeffleisawitz.com/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffleisawitz

A loved one being diagnosed with a severe illness is one of the most horrendous experiences we may have to face. And eventually, losing someone you care about is even more devastating. These sorts of experiences turn our whole world upside down, and they sometimes decide heavily influence where we’re headed in our life. Our guest today is someone who has endured the devastating effects of a loved one going through a terminal illness and the grief of losing him. Rachel Engstrom, Certified Health Education Specialist and the author of the book “Wife, Widow, Now What?” joins us today to share her experiences that inspired her book.

We start the conversation with the story of how Rachel met Grayson in the year 2000 when she was 19. Three years later, Rached proposed to him, and soon after, they got married and were on the way to building their new life together. It wasn’t long before Rachel and Grayson saw signs of trouble. We talk about the acute lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosis of Grayson and how the emotions that come with the news influenced Rachel and Grayson’s lives. 

According to Rachel, one of the first challenges they faced was dealing with a plethora of new information, acronyms, and unfamiliar medical concepts related to Grayson’s condition. She shares with us some of the methods she used to try to understand and be educated about Grayson’s condition. While Grayson was under treatment, Rachel had to figure out lots of things in her life, including taking care of Grayson, maintaining finances, keeping her job, and taking care of herself. We dive deep into how she managed all these overwhelming tasks and some useful tips for caregivers.

After a long battle against the illness, eventually, Rachel had to say goodbye to Grayson. She talks about what that fateful day felt like, how her life, her relationships with her peers, her life trajectory, and how she looks at the world changed after Grayson was gone. Wrapping up the episode, we talk about the current chapter of Rachel’s life and the work she does to help other people who are fighting cancer.

One of the concepts Rachel focuses on in her book is widow logistics. We dive deep into this concept of managing the logistical aspect of a loved one passing away and figuring out life after the demise of a loved one. 

Resources:

Rachel’s Book:
amazon.com/gp/product/B08K6477RL/ 

Connect with Rachel:
linkedin.com/in/rachel-engstrom-4579988a

Mentioned in the episode:

https://www.caringbridge.org/