By Finka Jerkovic
5
44 ratings
The podcast currently has 175 episodes available.
We live in a world where we’re constantly off to the races. Off to the next project. Off to the next meeting. Off to the next social media post. Off to the next promotion. But when was the last time you slowed down and took a beat? You probably can’t recall, right? You’re not alone, but continuing this way can make it harder to overcome workplace and personal stress, preventing you from excelling in your career.
In this week’s Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode, you’ll learn the tools to turn things around from stressful to blissful from the Founder of Zen Rabbit, Lori Saitz.
As the founder of the Zen Leadership Program for results-focused professionals, she is a leading authority on improving productivity and engagement through workplace well-being. With a comprehensive background in wellness and communication strategies, Lori helps executives create focused, resilient, and collaborative teams that can move projects forward with less stress and drama. You can listen to Lori on her own podcast too, Fine is a 4-Letter Word, where she engages guests in conversations about how they've grown from a time in their lives when things were decidedly NOT fine.
We’re constantly a work in progress (our career journeys and personal brands), which means we need to navigate through all the situations, good or bad. Tune into this podcast episode to help you swap workplace stress for wellness, so you can rise in your career.
Here’s What We’ll Be Talking About Today:
00:00 — An Introduction to Workplace Well-being
02:59 — The Power of Authentic Communication
09:09 — The Evolution of Zen Rabbit
15:05 — The Interplay of Well-being and Communication
17:57 — Our Individual Responsibility in Well-being
20:53 — Meditation: A Tool for Focus and Clarity
27:01 — The Importance of Taking Breaks
29:52 — How to Live a Sabbatical Life and Find Balance
Mentioned Resources:
Connect With Lori Saitz
Register for Personal Branding Keynote
In this Keynote presentation, Finka Jerkovic will teach you exactly how to use the Your Brilliant Difference Method to uncover your personal brand, so you can understand how you’re uniquely wired to add value to the workplace, helping you stand out and get noticed.
REGISTER HERE.
Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest
Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch!
Standing out and embracing your differences isn’t easy, but it’s one of the most beneficial and fulfilling things that can help you grow personally and professionally within your career.
Facing her fair share of obstacles and triumphs, Louise Taylor, Founder of FireflyEffect and the Collaborative Author of All Out Impact, explains how she’s persevered to live out her authentic impact despite career adversity.
Louise is a passionate, discerning expert with over 20 years of experience as a corporate brand and marketing executive, leader, and entrepreneur. With a keen eye for what makes each business truly special, Louise delves deep into the hearts of brands and goals of businesses, illuminating new insights, developing sound strategies, and empowering eager teams. As a Fascinate Certified Advisor, she’s honed her skills to not only identify but also amplify the inherent brilliance of individual businesses, ensuring it resonates with and captivates their desired audience.
In this Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode, Louise explains how being let go from her corporate role was her golden ticket to embracing her most authentic self and designing a career that aligns with her identity.
Tune in to learn how you can bring your most authentic self to work too!
Here’s What We’ll Be Talking About Today:
00:00 — A Journey of Self-Discovery
12:29 — Navigating Career Transitions: Finding Support and Clarity
17:18 — The Power of Authenticity: Embracing Vulnerability
28:45 — Collaborative Impact: The All Out Impact Experience
38:17 — Creating a Legacy: The Importance of Authentic Impact
Mentioned Resources:
Connect With Louise Taylor
Register for Personal Branding Keynote
In this Keynote presentation, Finka Jerkovic will teach you exactly how to use the Your Brilliant Difference Method to uncover your personal brand, so you can understand how you’re uniquely wired to add value to the workplace, helping you stand out and get noticed.
REGISTER HERE.
Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest
Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch!
Unicorn isn’t just a mythical creature; it’s an acronym for the elements of powerful leadership. Picture yourself in a career where you’re scared to try new things, but you do them anyway. Imagine having the confidence to bet on yourself to take you to new milestones and meaningful impacts. Envision purposeful work where you get to practice empathy and show up as your authentic self. You can do all of this and more with UNICORN leadership.
Meet the creator of this term, Founder of Lighthouse Leadership Consultants, and author of UNICORN Leader, Kristi Straw. She's a strategist by mind, a rebel by heart, and a UNICORN by spirit. Known for blending compassion with audacity, Kristi doesn't just walk the talk; she dances it, leading change with a flair that's as bold and brazen as her leadership style. Hold onto your seats, because with Kristi at the helm, you're in for a whirlwind journey of transformation, disruption, and outright leadership revolution!
Yes, being a unicorn is about standing out, but in Kristi's vision, it’s an acronym for 6 elements of leadership that can help you show up more boldly in your career. Find out what they are and how you can use them by tuning into this Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode.
Here’s What We’ll Be Talking About Today:
03:59 — The Essence of a Unicorn Leader
08:57 — Elements of Unicorn Leadership
14:12 — Navigating Career Transitions
19:00 — The Impact Legacy Lab
23:01 — UNICORN Leader Book Recommendation
26:59 — The Power of Personal Branding
Mentioned Resources:
Connect With Kristi Straw
Register for Personal Branding Keynote
In this Keynote presentation, Finka Jerkovic will teach you exactly how to use the Your Brilliant Difference Method to uncover your personal brand, so you can understand how you’re uniquely wired to add value to the workplace, helping you stand out and get noticed.
REGISTER HERE.
Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest
Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch!
Teamwork makes the dream work. I know it’s an overused saying, but I love it because it’s so true. When we open our horizons, especially in our careers, and collaborate with people of different ages, backgrounds, and experiences, that’s when we make the dream work. That’s when we reach new milestones and hit new goals. Collaborating with others pushes us and tests us, so that we can develop and grow in ways we never thought possible.
One of the best ways to collaborate and make your dream work in your career is through mentor/mentee relationships, which Kellan Brown, Executive Director of the FinServ Foundation and Founder of her own consulting firm, highlights in today’s Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode.
Mentorship and mentee relationships have played a starring role in Kellan’s successful career journey to date. She has worked in various leadership roles including being a Chief Growth Officer at Income Lab, the Senior Vice President at Finance of America Reverse, and the Vice President/Chief Growth Officer at PrimeCo. She is considered a subject matter expert for implementing mentorship programs in firms and non-profits, and currently is the Executive Director of Mentorship for the FinServ Foundation where their mission is to empower the next generation of financial professionals through coaching, mentorship, and community.
An ambassador for mentorship, Kellan tells you all about how mentorship can impact and enhance your career, and how you can go about approaching these types of relationships.
Here’s What We’ll Be Talking About Today:
00:00 — Kellan Brown Introduction
04:04 — A Day in the Life as the Executive Director at FinServe Foundation
06:16 — The Journey to Mentorship and the Importance of Giving Back
15:13 — Defining Mentorship and Different Mentor Styles
17:28 — Finding and Choosing a Mentor
19:03 — Implementing Mentorship Programs
21:45 — The Impact of Mentorship on Career Growth
23:04 — Creating a Culture of Promotion and Talent Succession
25:30 — The Fulfillment of Mentoring
28:27 — The Importance of Diversity in Mentorship Programs
29:58 — The Power of Informal Mentorship Relationships
Mentioned Resources:
Connect With Kellan Brown
Register for Personal Branding Keynote
In this Keynote presentation, Finka Jerkovic will teach you exactly how to use the Your Brilliant Difference Method to uncover your personal brand, so you can understand how you’re uniquely wired to add value to the workplace, helping you stand out and get noticed.
REGISTER HERE.
Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest
Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch!
Have you heard the saying, there are two things you can never escape from in life: death and taxes? Well, there’s also something that’s inescapable in your career, whether you work in corporate or are an entrepreneur: setbacks. Obstacles. Challenges. Scenarios that will bring you down and try to keep you there. But you can’t because you have a Brilliant Difference to share, a team to support, and clients to work with!
With some setbacks being more difficult than others, it can feel next to impossible to pull yourself out of the trenches, but in this week’s Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode, Kerry-Ann Powell teaches you how.
Kerry-Ann is a globally recognized business strategist, speaker, and champion of small- and medium-sized businesses. Her varied experience of over 20 years as a Washington, DC attorney, lobbyist, and fundraiser positions her as an authority of what it takes to strategically succeed while confronting difficult obstacles. After raising $120 million to build the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, she launched her business strategy consulting firm, Trafalgar Strategies. She and her team advise business owners from various industries and countries on creating the strategies, systems, and mindsets to thrive in business and in life.
Get comfy in your office or favourite spot in your house, replenish your drink, and listen as Kerry-Ann shares her own business setback story and the exercises and tactics she applied to continue moving forward to success.
Here’s What We’ll Be Talking About Today:
00:00 — Introduction and Background of Kerry-Ann Powell
04:23 — Personal Setbacks and Overcoming Toxic Shame
11:17 — The Importance of Identifying Root Causes and Processing
19:05 — Somatic Practices for Regulating the Nervous System
26:43 — The Importance of Regulating Emotions to Make Better Decisions
30:13 — Transparent Communication: Kerry-Ann's Brilliant Difference
39:29 — Faith as a Guide for Honest and Aligned Leadership
44:28 — Reflecting on Your Brilliance to Navigate Challenges
Mentioned Resources:
Connect With Kerry-Ann Powell
Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest
Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch!
As a corporate professional, no matter the industry, it can be easy to fall into default mode: doing things because they were asked of you or taking new opportunities and promotions because it’s what you’re supposed to do next, it’s the next rung on your career ladder. But have you stopped to think about what actually matters to you, what your expertise is, and how you want to apply that in your career?
In episode 169 of the Your Brilliant Difference Podcast, Founder of Jessica Lackey Consulting, Jessica Lackey, offers guidance to help you answer this question and design a career where you’re owning and flourishing in your expertise.
Once working in corporate and now transitioned to entrepreneurship, Jessica knows a thing or two about owning her expertise, as well as helping others do the same. She is a strategy and operations advisor who blends business strategy, practical application, and a human-centric approach to create sustainable businesses. With a background in corporate leadership, McKinsey & Company consulting, and a Harvard Business degree, Jessica knows a thing or two about hustle culture and what it feels like to judge success by the bottom line… at all costs. Now, she combines her deep experience in consulting, Fortune 500 operations leadership, and coaching to help businesses grow without sacrificing the well-being of their clients, team, and community.
Here’s What We’ll Be Talking About Today:
00:00 — A Background on Jessica Lackey
07:25 — Recognizing the Need for Change in Corporate Environments
13:10 — Transitioning to a New Job and Discovering Your Brilliant Difference™
19:17 — Importance of Owning Your Expertise
30:28 — Advice for Navigating Career Ups and Downs
39:35 — Connect with Jessica Lackey
Connect with Jessica Lackey
Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest
Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch!
When we don’t like something or something isn’t serving us, what do we usually do? Get rid of it! But what if that “something” is your job. Should you get rid of it and find something else? While every situation is different and there’s a time and a place for exiting your current position, I want you to consider these three things before job hopping:
So, at times when you bask in the unhappiness that can come with your job and you ask yourself, “Should I job hop?”, I want you to first follow the three strategies I outline in this episode.
What to Expect
00:00 — Feeling Stuck in a Job You Don't Love
07:32 — The Pitfalls of Job Hopping
08:21 — Strategy 1: Don’t Run, Be Present
09:56 — Strategy 2: Upskill
11:45 — Strategy 3: Become a Problem-Solver
Get a New Episode Delivered Right to Your Inbox Every Thursday
I’ve made staying in the loop of content that will help you accelerate in your career easy. Every Thursday, I send my Find Your Brilliant Newsletter to courageous leaders and go-getters, where they can listen to new podcast episodes and read new blogs that help them navigate the next level of their careers. All content is created and collaborated by yours truly. Subscribe HERE.
You did it. You’re committing to making a leap from your comfort zone. You’re making an Edge Move! Maybe you’re proposing a new project at work or applying for a new position within your company. Maybe you’re taking the lead on a campaign or managing a client meeting. But as you execute your Edge Move, implementing new action by new action to get there, the voice of doubt, fear, and uncertainty consume you. “I can’t do this.” “I’ve never done this before.” “I can’t fail.” Dialogue along these lines are self-limiting beliefs: assumptions we have about ourselves and our work. And if you listen to them, they can hold you back in your comfort zone, stopping you from accomplishing your goals.
I’m going through this right now. From July and now into August, I’ve been preparing and creating a client presentation that’s has undoubtedly left my knickers in a knot. I was excited when signing the contract, and now I’m full of second guesses and worry. After using three tactics that I’m going to share with you today, I was able to uncover and face my self-limiting beliefs, not letting them get in the way of me rocking this keynote presentation.
The three tactics include:
Feeling the squirm.
Reflecting on your emotions and finding the source.
Considering the passengers in your vehicle.
What do these tactics mean and how can you apply them? Tune in to the newest Your Brilliant Difference Podcast episode to find out.
What to Expect
00:00 — Introduction: Self-Sabotage and Stepping Outside of Your Comfort Zone
02:41 — Feeling and Navigating Internal Struggles
09:01 — The Power of Reflection and Contemplation
17:26 — Uncovering Different Versions of Self
33:49 — Taking Control of the Wheel: Trusting Yourself for Desired Outcomes
Get a New Episode Delivered Right to Your Inbox Every Thursday
I’ve made staying in the loop of content that will help you accelerate in your career easy. Every Thursday, I send my Find Your Brilliant Newsletter to courageous leaders and go-getters, where they can listen to new podcast episodes and read new blogs that help them navigate the next level of their careers. All content is created and collaborated by yours truly. Subscribe HERE.
You can gather a lot of inspiration in the world from TV, social media, websites, and articles. The list goes on and on. But recently the Paris 2024 Olympics caught my eye, or rather a particular athlete who I believe embodies Your Brilliant Difference to a T. You might have heard her name and know her as a prominent and talented gymnast on team USA: Simone Biles.
Consuming media coverage from this year’s Olympics and sifting through stories about her past performance experiences, I’ve gathered three lessons from her brand and impact that will help you live out your Brilliant Difference and live your life, both professionally and personally, to the fullest.
What to Expect
00:00 — Inspiration From Simone Biles
03:23 — Lesson 1: Own Your Unique Brilliance
07:10 — Lesson 2: Take Care of Your Brilliant Difference
14:17 — Lesson 3: Celebrate Your Wins
17:01 — Career Growth Invitation
Get a New Episode Delivered Right to Your Inbox Every Thursday
I’ve made staying in the loop of content that will help you accelerate in your career easy. Every Thursday, I send my Find Your Brilliance Newsletter to courageous leaders and go-getters, where they can listen to new podcast episodes and read new blogs that help them navigate the next level of their careers. All content is created and collaborated by yours truly. Subscribe HERE.
Leadership is built on conversations. To move the needle, your voice needs to be heard, as do the voices of your team. But let’s face the elephant in the room: not all conversations will be easy. Some will be difficult. Some will be polarizing. Some will consist of conflicting ideas and opinions. So how do you make a positive impact despite (and being inclusive of) diverse views?
Who better to answer this question than Karen Jones, Founder and President of Sacred Leadership Solutions. She’s also the Vice President of Learning and Partner Solutions at NextUp. To say that she’s done profound work is an understatement. With 15+ years of experience in leadership development, talent management, and process improvement, Karen is seasoned in handling polarizing environments and helping leaders navigate difficult conversations. Working with Fortune 500 companies like American Express and Ulta Beauty, she implements human capital strategies that produce desired and sustained outcomes. She specializes in designing emotionally safe discussion environments and has extensive experience in delivering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) strategies.
In her Your Brilliant Difference Podcast interview, Karen discloses the main cause for people avoiding difficult conversations at work—relationship erosion.
But Karen pulls back the curtain and shares how approaching polarizing conversations with “Speaking From Centre” can be beneficial and productive for organizations.
Tune in to learn how to have difficult conversations at work that produce productive, meaningful outcomes.
Here’s What We’ll Be Talking About Today:
00:00 — An Introduction to Karen Jones
03:00 — The Importance of Navigating Difficult Conversations in a Polarizing World
10:18 — Practical Tools for Productive Conversations
20:49 — The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Conversations
30:33 — Leadership Words of Wisdom: How to Be Distinctive
37:59 — Karen Jones' Brilliant Difference
Connect with Karen Jones
Become the Next Your Brilliant Difference™ Podcast Guest
Have a brilliant story you want to share that surrounds leadership, team building, communication skills, or leaning on your brilliance and strengths to drive meaningful results? Click HERE to fill out the application form, and our team will be in touch!
The podcast currently has 175 episodes available.