The Made Leader

Until recently, Dr. Karyn Mathura felt like she had to hide her ADHD from her co-workers. Now, she'll openly disclose her diagnosis, leading with vulnerability about her challenges. In this episode, Karyn candidly shares how she navigates leading in Corporate America while having ADHD.

We explore how ADHD is both a challenge and a superpower for her. Karyn openly shares her challenges - she can be direct, interrupt colleagues, has discomfort in social situations, and gets nervous presenting to senior leadership. She also walks us through how she overcomes these situations.

Karyn also thinks of ADHD as her superpower - adapting well to change, handling multiple projects at a time, and being an empathetic leader. She's become an asset to her company and the many people she works with.

This conversation underscores the hurdles neurodivergent leaders face and the importance of creating an accommodating environment. You'll gain valuable insights into the complexities of ADHD in the workplace, offering practical advice, and fostering a deeper understanding of neurodiversity.

Think neurodivergent leaders can't be successful? Listen to Karyn's story to hear how she has forged her leadership path in Corporate America.

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In this "in between the interviews" episode of Growing Through It, host Jen Arnold delves into three insights from her interview with Rucker Taylor, who shared his leadership frustrations and how he got through them.

Key Themes:

1. Reflecting on frustration: It's normal to have frustration in leadership roles but extended frustration indicates an underlying issue. Jen shares her own leadership frustration story, expressing regret for not examining her approach when a team member faced challenges. It's a reminder that self-reflection is crucial in leadership.
2. Paint a clear picture: No one can read your mind, so don't expect them to. Instead, paint a crystal-clear picture of the outcome you want to see. You don't need to tell them how to get there. Empower your team members and provide the necessary support for their success. Recognizing and nurturing individual strengths can lead to powerful outcomes.
3. Discover your leadership style: Each of us has a natural way we lead but sometimes we question if it's the "right" way. Pay attention to the script in your head and check your outcomes – are you happy with how your team is functioning?

Leadership is a journey, and each insight brings us closer to becoming the best version of ourselves. Be patient in finding an effective leadership approach and embrace your unique leadership journey.

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Think about leading a college baseball team. You're working with 18- to 22-year-olds who also go to school and must keep up their grades. Team members are constantly in flux - graduating, getting drafted, freshman getting acclimated, transfers from other schools, etc. Plus, you're under pressure to win games.

You may not be leading a sports team but there are lessons we can take from sports and apply them leadership in a traditional work environment. After all, there's one thread that runs through any strong team – good leadership.

In this episode, Rucker Taylor, Head Baseball Coach at Davidson College, shares his journey of getting comfortable with his authentic leadership style. Rucker unpacks his recent leadership frustration – what were the signs, what caused it, and how he ended up tweaking his approach to give his team what they really needed – more guidance and structure.

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In this "in between the interviews" episode of Growing Through It, host Jen Arnold delves into three insights from her interview with Rhonda Okurowski, who shared her journey leading in her first Fortune 500 company.

Whether you're a seasoned leader or an aspiring one, this episode offers valuable wisdom and practical guidance for navigating the complex terrain of organizational fit and change.

Connect with Jen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenparnold/

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Rhonda Okurowski, a leader with over 20 years of experience, recounts a challenging period in her leadership when she started at her first Fortune 500 organization.

Upon starting her new role, Rhonda began meeting with each one of her 14 team members one on one. When her team raised concerns about inadequate compensation despite increased responsibilities, Rhonda brought these issues to her director, realizing the limitations of middle management in addressing pay-related matters.

Her director recommended Rhonda look into it and present him the findings. That's where the miscommunication began. Listen in to hear what happened when Rhonda followed through on her director's advice. Spoiler alert – it didn't end well!

In this episode, you'll hear Rhonda's candid story of navigating middle management in her first Fortune 500 company, what actions she regrets and what she doesn't, along with her advice for fellow managers.

Connect with Rhonda on LinkedIn

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Jen Arnold, the host of the "Growing Through It" podcast, returns with a new season. In Season two, she shifts focus back to her roots - exploring the impact of work on wellbeing.

This time the spotlight is on how leaders recover when things don't go their way. Unlike typical leadership podcasts, Jen will showcase real leaders sharing their stories of mistakes, mishaps, and missteps, and how they recovered and grew from them.

The goal of this season is to provide listeners with insights into the challenges of leadership and offer actionable leadership tips. Stay tuned for bi-weekly episodes, all with a fresh story to share.

Each episode comes with a nugget of wisdom that we expand on in our newsletter. If you're eager to put these insights into action, you can sign up here and get exclusive content that'll give you an edge in your leadership journey.

And it's a wrap! What started as a seasonal podcast went longer than originally planned.

Join your host, Jen Arnold to hear the podcast origin story, her realizations over the past 40 episodes, and what's in store for a next season. She'll also provide some updates on some life challenges she mentioned in prior episodes.

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that affects about 10-30% of adults worldwide. It's defined as a difficulty getting to sleep and/or staying asleep and persists over a period of time.

Insomnia can be caused by a variety of factors, including the genes you're born with, stress, changes in sleep schedules and health issues. Luckily, it's very treatable and there are available tools that can effectively change your relationship with sleep and improve your sleep quality.

Podcast guest, Spencer Richards, Ph.D., is back to offer ways to overcome insomnia. Spencer works as a full-time clinical health psychologist and specializes in the treatment of concerns that arise in the space where our mental and physical health meet.

He holds specialty training that includes insomnia, chronic pain, weight management and emotional eating, chronic illness management, and improving overall well-being.

In this episode, Spencer defines insomnia and explains how good sleep hygiene is necessary but insufficient for this condition. He walks us through how to get out of your body's way of receiving sleep signals, what causes insomnia, and how using a sleep diary is an important tool to examine patterns of sleep.

Spencer describes sleep consolidation, offers his view on naps, and gives advice on how to decrease the length of time you spend in bed awake.

With more than one-third of U.S. adults sleeping less than seven hours per night, it's common to have a strained relationship with sleep.

Not getting enough quality sleep can not only leave us feeling moody, foggy, and hungry but it also negatively impacts our immune system, memory, and overall brain health. But sleep problems don't start at nighttime. What we do all day has a lot to do with how we sleep at night.

Podcast guest, Spencer Richards, Ph.D., is here to offer ways for a better sleep. Spencer works as a full-time clinical health psychologist and specializes in the treatment of concerns that arise in the space where our mental and physical health meet.

He holds specialty training that includes insomnia, chronic pain, weight management and emotional eating, chronic illness management, and improving overall well-being.

In this episode, Spencer explains what "good enough" sleep means and how our sleep needs change as we age. He offers guidance for those working night shift and helps us understand how to get out of our body's way to sleep better.

Spencer debunks some sleep myths and sets us straight on what's fact versus fiction. He leaves us with his top sleep tips so we can all get a better night's sleep.

With headlines of raging quitting, quiet quitting, and just regular old quitting, is leaving your job the way to go if you're unhappy with your career?

Podcast guest, Lindsay Gordon, says that quitting isn't always the answer. In fact, all of her clients think they need to quit but only half of them actually do.

Lindsay Gordon is a Forbes award-winning career coach, author, and speaker on a mission to help people stop doing what they think is "right" in their career and start doing what's right for them.

Through her work, she assists leaders in making clear and confident decisions so they can move forward in their careers (and lives) with purpose.

In this episode, Lindsay walks us through when she was unsatisfied with her job and the steps she took to make herself happier.

She describes the most common career situations her clients find themselves in, why we should all look for "deeply unsexy results", and why it's important to understand the job pressures we may be facing.

Finally, Lindsay emphasizes the importance making a decision, knowing you can change your mind at any point.

If you're daydreaming about a more fulfilling job, this episode is for you!