Pivot with Jenny Blake

(Recorded 2/12/20) Laura Huang is a professor at Harvard Business School who studies interpersonal relationships and implicit bias in entrepreneurship and in the workplace. In this conversation, we’re talking about her new book Edge: Turning Adversity Into Advantage. You’ll learn about her framework: Enrich, Delight, Guide, Effort — and how she recovered from almost getting kicked out of Elon Musk’s office within the first two minutes of their meeting. Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/181 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here in the U.S., a record 10 million people have filed for unemployment in the last two weeks, and employment estimates are at a mind-boggling 13%—which doesn’t even include gig economy workers. I have friends who are pregnant, slated to get married, and who have family members who are sick that they can’t visit. On a personal level, I am staying buoyant, although in the last few weeks I have lost 90% of my projected income for Q2, including money that I had been planning on putting directly into a six-month business reserves account long before the pandemic hit. I did end up applying for the Small Business Association’s COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (also called the Payroll Protection Plan), despite initial hesitations that there were people who needed it more than me. We are all feeling it. I have been trying to journal through this, both in my 5 Star Spiral Notebook (a 15+ year staple) and my new One Line a Day: Five-Year Memory Book. Along those lines, today I’m sharing some reflection questions that have been helpful for me and others. We’re still early in all this, so I recommend revisiting these even on a monthly basis (as well as episode 173 with Steven Morris on beautiful questions that reorient one’s life trajectory). I am purposefully not going through my analysis on the podcast yet, because I want to give you the space to reflect on your own without influence from my responses, but I’m happy to share in a future episode. ❤️ Finally, remember the Buddhist saying: nothing is permanent, personal, or perfect. What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/180 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Recorded 4/1/20) Dr. Michael J. Conseulos and I are back for part two of this week’s “huddle” as we discuss what’s in the news now, along with practical tips and tools for the business side of things. What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future COVID-19 conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/179 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Recorded 4/1/20) Dr. Michael J. Conseulos and I are back for part one of this week’s “huddle” as we discuss what’s in the news now on the medical front. I ask about make-at-home supplies like masks, and re-washing gloves, and managing our energy (and workload) through the daily ups and downs. What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future COVID-19 conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/178 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Recorded March 25, 2020) How do we help others navigate change, particularly during moments of crisis? In this episode, I’m including a replay from another recent workshop I delivered on March 25: Pivot for Managers, Mentors, and Coaches. This mirrors the keynote I give within organizations around helping managers and coaches improve their career conversation capabilities, but I have shifted (ahem—pivoted) the content to more directly address what we’re all going through now. Listen for strategies and reflection questions on how to apply the Pivot Method as a coaching tool, even just to help others envision one day, one week, or one month from now. To watch the video version of this session, with slides, visit http://pivotmethod.com/watch. Submit follow-up questions or audio notes for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/177 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Recorded March 18, 2020) How do we map what’s next when the ground underneath us shifts on a daily, if not hourly, basis? How do we navigate change when change is accelerating so quickly? In this episode, I’m including a replay from the recent Map What’s Next workshop I ran for individuals. This mirrors the keynote I give within organizations and my annual “Set Your Strategy” podcast episode, but I have shifted (ahem—pivoted) the content to more directly address what we’re all going through now. Listen for strategies and reflection questions on how to adapt the Pivot Method to envisioning even just one day, one week, or one month from now. To watch the video version of this session, with slides, visit http://pivotmethod.com/watch. Submit follow-up questions or audio notes for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/176 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Recorded March 4) How do you know when to trust your intuition? What is it about certain people that prickles your spidey senses? I’m delighted to bring you this conversation with former FBI Agent Robin Dreeke on how to read behavior signals for who we can trust — and who we can’t. Robin and I also discuss one of the lowest points of his career, six months after 9/11. As he writes in his book, Sizing People Up, “The destruction of my dreams left me with nothing to lose, and my mindset shifted, as if on its own, and settled in a place that said it was acceptable to help one person at a time. It felt like neither capitulation nor epiphany.” Although this was recorded just on the cusp of things getting quite serious around the pandemic here in the U.S., that advice is more true now than ever. Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/175 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do your eyeballs hurt?! No matter my joy and awe at humanity’s creativity in times of crisis in terms of moving everything online—everything. is. online. Even pre-pandemic, our phones were already spitting out weekly Screen Time reports to help us put down the devices . . . now we’re glued to them as the only outlet for social connection, culture, and productivity. In a New York Times article, When a Home Becomes Headquarters—also titled “Logged on from the Laundry Room” (LOL)—even the CEO of Cisco, the company that runs meeting software WebEx, Chuck Robbins acknowledged the difficulties. He said, “I tell you…this whole teleworking thing — as much as we sell it to our customers, I’m not sure I want to do it 100 percent of the time. Nobody prepares for this,” he said. At the same time, people want to connect! We are hungry for it, going stir crazy, and missing our cultural outings. I wholeheartedly agree with Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, who said “It’s a miracle you can run a company this way." So today I’m sharing 16 strategies for staying sane amidst the endless screens—particularly for work-related meetings—across three categories: for meeting leaders, participants, and during the meeting best practices. Got a brilliant solution I’m missing? Submit follow-up questions or audio notes for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/174 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There’s nothing more powerful than a united group of souls ignited in a common cause with love at the core.” – Steven Morris Steve Morris is on a mission to help organizations and their leaders rise to their potential to live and work wholeheartedly, while making a positive impact on the world. In this conversation we talk about beautiful questions that reorient one’s life trajectory, moments of truth, and the practice of pivoting, or evolving. We me after he sent me a handwritten thank you note, then two years later we got to meet in person when I took his 2018 workshop on how to cultivate a life of curiosity. Steve’s emphasis on curiosity, conscious business, and wholeheartedness are an inspiration to me, and I know you’ll love his take on how to cultivate habits and a path of choosing curiosity over fear. Be sure to also check out his free Care Package for COVID-19. What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/173 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you ever feel like a sponge for the energy (and moods) of people around you, particularly during times of massive change or crisis; if you feel flooded by emotion, overwhelmed with empathy, more sensitive than usual to sights, sounds, and media; and/or hit with powerful bursts of intuition, this episode is for you. Sarah Santacroce and I recorded a two-way conversation for Pivot and her podcast, Gentle Business Revolution (be sure to also check out the PDF of her manifesto, Gentle Business Revolution Manifesto). View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/172 » Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Michael J. Conseulos and I are back for part two of this week’s “huddle” as we discuss what’s in the news now. And more importantly, we’re diving into practical tips and tools for the business side of things: journaling, scenario planning, buying time, “hot wash” analysis, and third door solutions. What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future COVID-19 conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/171 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Michael J. Conseulos and I are back in a “huddle” as we discuss what’s in the news now. And more importantly, we’re diving into practical tips and tools for as many aspects of this pandemic as we can, including: vaccines, what to do if you get sick, contact tracing, what he’s seeing and hearing from the medical community front lines, and his professional opinion on whether “the cure is worse than the cause.” Make sure you’re subscribed to get part two of our conversation, on business scenario planning, business journaling, and “third door” solutions. What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future COVID-19 conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/170 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part 2 of yesterday’s conversation with Penney Peirce (episode 168) — listen in as we continue unpacking her essay in conversation together, How Coronavirus is Speeding Us Toward Transparency. In this second half, we talk about the stock market, how money is like a child and responds to our inner energy blueprint, how to find and reconnect with your home frequency, and making the most of business lulls (when ready). Do the next productive thing. Background: Since the pandemic started, I have been wondering what Penney’s take on all this would be. Longtime listeners know she needs no introduction, as people often remark to me that the episodes with her are their favorite! We have 11 conversations in the Penney & Jenny show so far, and in the previous episode (167) I read her essay on the crisis directly, How Coronavirus is Speeding Us Toward Transparency. If you’d like to submit a question for us for a future episode visit http://PivotMethod.com/ask » Special announcement! Penney will also be our featured guest for April’s Pivot Insider live video Q&A session. It will be on Wednesday, April 8 at 3:30pm ET. Join us at http://PivotMethod.com/insider by supporting the podcast with a small monthly donation, and you’ll also get instant access to 7+ months of archives and a slew of bonus resources, including a two-hour Upgrade Your Energy workshop. View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/169 » Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m delighted to have Penney Peirce back on the podcast to unpack her essay in conversation together, on How Coronavirus is Speeding Us Toward Transparency (Part 1). Since the pandemic started, I have been wondering what Penney’s take would be. Longtime listeners know she needs no introduction, as people often remark to me that the episodes with her are their favorite! We have 11 conversations in the Penney & Jenny show so far, and in the previous episode (167) I read her essay on the crisis directly, How Coronavirus is Speeding Us Toward Transparency. Make sure you subscribe to get Part 2 of the conversation, and if you’d like to submit a question for us for a future episode visit http://PivotMethod.com/ask » Special announcement! Penney will also be our featured guest for April’s Pivot Insider live video Q&A session. It will be on Wednesday, April 8 at 3:30pm ET. Join us at http://PivotMethod.com/insider by supporting the podcast with a small monthly donation, and you’ll also get instant access to 7+ months of archives and a slew of bonus resources, including a two-hour Upgrade Your Energy workshop. View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/168 » Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York City is now in a state of emergency, the usually overflowing streets and parks are eerily vacant, and the line for Whole Foods was around a city block today, cordoned off by fences and a security guard. I’m so grateful to all grocery store workers, Amazon and USPS employees, teachers, and health care providers. Since the pandemic started, I have been wondering what Penney’s take would be. Longtime listeners know she needs no introduction, as people often remark to me that the episodes with her are their favorite! We have 11 conversations in the Penney & Jenny show so far, and another one scheduled this week to discuss her essay on the crisis, How Coronavirus is Speeding Us Toward Transparency. In advance of that, she has given me her blessing the read the essay in full here on the podcast, for those of you who prefer listening over reading. We hope things brings you comfort and a refreshing perspective; it’s certainly has for me. More from us soon! If you’d like to submit a question for us, visit http://PivotMethod.com/ask Special announcement! Penney will also be our featured guest for April’s Pivot Insider live video Q&A session. It will be on Wednesday, April 8 at 3:30pm ET. Join us at http://PivotMethod.com/insider by supporting the podcast with a small monthly donation, and you’ll also get instant access to 7+ months of archives and a slew of bonus resources, including a two-hour Upgrade Your Energy workshop. View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/167 » Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pivot Insider member and creativity expert Kathryn Haydon is here to help parents “turn a difficult time into a time of possibility.” Over the past decade, she has written four books, several hundred articles, taught and trained thousands of kids, educators, and businesspeople, all while working from home and homeschooling her son, while her husband worked long hours at the office and on weekends. Before we get into her many helpful ideas for homeschooling while WFH, a caveat: just hours after we finished recording, I read a New York Times article titled, “I Refuse to Run a Coronavirus Home School.” If you’re already maxed out with kids and home and trying to get your own work done, that article may provide much-needed solace! You have permission not to Pinterest your pandemic, as we said in episode 162. If/when you do want some best practices from someone who home schooled for over a decade while also working from home, this episode is always here for you! Kathryn is also a great podcast success story: she listened to the episode with Rohit Bhargava from December 2017, 75: Become a Trend Curator, reached out to him, and next thing you know his imprint Non-Obvious Guides was publishing her book, The Non-Obvious Guide to Being More Creative, No Matter Where You Work! For a deeper dive, check out Kathryn’s Course: Work From Home With Kids and THRIVE (Enter discount code PIVOTTHRIVE20 for 5% off) , and this great list of online learning resources for kids from my business attorney, Francine Love. View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/166 » Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Story time! ❤️📘🤓 Today I’m reading one of my all-time favorite passages for tough times, from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet. I love this timeless letter (#8, written in 1904) so much that I included an excerpt at the very start of Pivot, and a second excerpt to close the book—both are included in the full text that I’m reading on this episode. What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Background from our kick-off to this Pivoting Around A Pandemic series, episode 159: With so much happening daily in the world and global economy around coronavirus, we’re all dealing with massive amounts of uncertainty, pivots at work, and for many—fear and anxiety that comes with not only the health concerns, but questions around how to maintain our livelihoods moving forward. When Momentum member and pandemic expert Dr. Michael J. Consuelos reached out to offer himself as a resource to the JBE team and the MoMo community, I jumped at the chance to record a conversation for all of you as well, which has now turned into a full-blown series: 159: Pivoting Around a Pandemic 160: 11 Ways for Solopreneurs to Maintain Momentum 161: Personal Safety, Contingency Planning, and Crucial Conversations 162: What It's Like—Two Weeks in to Self-Quarantine in the Seattle Area (Hint: Ditch the Pressure for a Pinterest-Worthy Pandemic Response) 163: 25 Favorite Tips for WFH (Working From Home) View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/165 » Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Recorded pre-pandemic) I’m thrilled to bring you another one of my favorite friendtors, Mike Michaelowicz. He’s the author of several books that have dramatically improved my business: Profit First, Clockwork, and now this week we’re talking about his latest upcoming release, Fix This Next: Make the Vital Change that Will Level Up Your Business. Mike was last on the show in episode 37, Surge: How to Spot and Ride Trend Waves. This is also our second round of the live Pivot Podcast + Momentum Book Club, so you’ll hear a few Mo’ members ask questions at the end. Reminder that doors for this round of Momentum enrollment close today! Join us here » Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at PivotMethod.com/161. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While it can seem distracting and disorienting at first, working from home is an incredible opportunity to tune into your circadian rhythms and exactly how you work best. Even though your new commute may be from the bed to the living room to the office, you can still create rituals and boundaries that set you up for success when you start the day, and sanity when you end it. These are 25 of my favorite tips from nine years of working from home. What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Background from our kick-off to this series, episode 159: With so much happening daily in the world and global economy around coronavirus, we’re all dealing with massive amounts of uncertainty, pivots at work, and for many—fear and anxiety that comes with not only the health concerns, but questions around how to maintain our livelihoods moving forward. When Momentum member and pandemic expert Dr. Michael J. Consuelos reached out to offer himself as a resource to the JBE team and the MoMo community, I jumped at the chance to record a conversation for all of you as well, which has now turned into a full-blown series: 159: Pivoting Around a Pandemic 160: 11 Ways for Solopreneurs to Maintain Momentum 161: Personal Safety, Contingency Planning, and Crucial Conversations 162: What It's Like—Two Weeks in to Self-Quarantine in the Seattle Area (Hint: Ditch the Pressure for a Pinterest-Worthy Pandemic Response) Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://PivotMethod.com/163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While all of us have been adjusting to self-imposed social distancing and quarantine this week under new global guidelines, Lindsay Pedersen had a head start. She and her family live in the greater Seattle area, which was the site of the first major outbreak in the U.S. In this conversation with Lindsey and Dr. Consuelos, we talk about the emotional rollercoaster of the entire family staying home all day, and creative ways to infuse silliness, sanity, and connection. Quick background on both: Lindsay Pedersen is a brand strategist and author of Forging an Ironclad Brand. Dr. Michael J. Consuelos is the Principal at MJC Solutions, a veteran-owned, small business that provides professional consulting and advisory services to organizations serving the healthcare sector. He has held several leadership roles in emergency preparedness and pandemic response since 1997. What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future COVID-19 conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Background from our kick-off to this series, episode 159: With so much happening daily in the world and global economy around coronavirus, we’re all dealing with massive amounts of uncertainty, pivots at work, and for many—fear and anxiety that comes with not only the health concerns, but questions around how to maintain our livelihoods moving forward. When Momentum member and pandemic expert Dr. Michael J. Consuelos reached out to offer himself as a resource to the JBE team and the MoMo community, I jumped at the chance to record a conversation for all of you as well, which has now turned into a full-blown series: 159: Pivoting Around a Pandemic 160: 11 Ways for Solopreneurs to Maintain Momentum 161: Personal Safety, Contingency Planning, and Crucial Conversations Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://PivotMethod.com/161 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just yesterday (after we recorded), the U.S. recommendation has gone from avoiding gathering in groups larger than 50 to groups larger than 10. Dr. Michael J. Conseulos and I are back in a “huddle” as we discuss what’s in the news now, and more importantly, practical tips and tools for as many aspects of this pandemic as we can cover. In this episode, we discuss how all of us can stay safe, think through contingency plans, and have crucial conversations with our family members and others as we all practice unprecedented social distancing. What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future COVID-19 conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask Background from our kick-off to this series, episode 159: With so much happening daily in the world and global economy around coronavirus, we’re all dealing with massive amounts of uncertainty, pivots at work, and for many—fear and anxiety that comes with not only the health concerns, but questions around how to maintain our livelihoods moving forward. When Momentum member and pandemic expert Dr. Michael J. Consuelos reached out to offer himself as a resource to the JBE team and the MoMo community, I jumped at the chance to record a conversation for all of you as well. Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://PivotMethod.com/161 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Don’t buy in to the fear / media hype” is something I’ve heard more than once this week. No matter how calm you are staying (or not) there is no doubt our lives are already significantly impacted by the spread and precautions around coronavirus, far beyond fear itself. I feel an urgency to keep this conversation going, with real-time content that addresses what’s going on around us, particularly at the intersection of mind, body, and business (my website mission in 2013-2014 before I started this podcast). Acting like nothing is happening and it’s all just “business as usual” strikes me as out of touch, and certainly not Truth While It’s Fresh (a JBE team value). It’s not business as usual for any of us, and I don’t have to tell you that. There are very real impacts we are all navigating daily. For that reason, I have scrapped or postponed several already-scheduled episodes, and am going to release podcasts more frequently for this series, Pivoting Around a Pandemic. This is something unique in most of our lives — the shuttering of broadway, sports, schools, businesses, — not to mention travel bans, self-quarantine, and the very real possibility our family members or we could get sick before year’s end. This episode is for solopreneurs, but I’ll be doing a range that speak to entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and parents throughout the series. For full show notes from this episode, visit http://pivotmethod.com/160 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With so much happening in the world and global economy around coronavirus, we’re all dealing with massive amounts of uncertainty, pivots at work, and for many—fear and anxiety that comes with not only the health concerns, but questions around how to maintain our livelihoods moving forward. When Momentum member and pandemic expert Dr. Michael J. Consuelos reached out to offer himself as a resource to the JBE team and the MoMo community, I jumped at the chance to record a conversation for all of you as well. In this episode, we discuss how entrepreneurs, leaders and organizations can transition from fear and anxiety toward calm, measured action and experiments. How can we know what actions to take? We can’t. These times require responsiveness, vulnerability, transparency, releasing perfectionism, and a willingness to be far more innovative and creative than we have in the past. Michael and I talk about how to shift from victim to hero, how to quiet internal concerns, and small daily actions to focus on—as well as what organizations and entrepreneurs can we learn from each other during “Black Swan” events like these. This is a wide-ranging, imperfect, in-the-moment response so we could at least start the conversation around how to maintain business continuity while Pivoting around a pandemic, primarily for people in information-based roles and industries — and both of us are open to an ongoing series on this topic if/as you find it helpful! Feel free to submit follow-up questions for a future episode at http://pivotmethod.com/ask. Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://PivotMethod.com/159. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s Pivot Podcast is a field report from seeing one of my heroes live! I attended Oprah’s 2020 Vision Tour: Your Life in Focus in Brooklyn in early February, and I was so curious going into this event that I thought you might like to hear about the experience and key takeaways. Oprah is inviting a different headliner from each stop on the tour (ours was Michelle Obama), so if you want a peek into other cities and guests, listen to her Super Soul Conversations podcast — she’s had equally wonderful conversations with Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Kate Hudson, Tracee Ellis Ross, and more. Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://PivotMethod.com/158. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What kind of company are you building (or working for)? Are you optimizing for chaos or for calm? One of my favorite books from recent years as it relates to company culture — even if you're a culture of one (or one+) — is It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy At Work, by Basecamp co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. Jason and David aim for a calm company, so every chapter (and business area) is about asking the question: How do we create calm? How do we choose calm? This episode is preview lesson from my—totally free!—mini-course, Free-up Founder Time. I cover strategies for time blocking and content batching, and walk you through exactly how I set-up my schedule each week (knowing that life and work never go perfectly to plan). After you listen, register for the course here — in 15 short actionable lessons, I cover topics like content batching, time blocking, getting ready for your big break, courage cookies, luck trucks, and a whole lot more. Each lesson as a combination of helpful tools, templates, podcast episodes, and book recommendations also available in audio format (most are 5-10 minutes long) for learning on the go. Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://PivotMethod.com/157. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m so excited to share this week’s Pivot conversation with one of my longtime friends and most important mentors, Michael Bungay Stanier. We talk about tipping points, preparing for TED Talks, and transitioning out of the CEO role from the company he founded nearly 20 years ago, Box of Crayons. We are also celebrating the launch of his latest brilliant book, The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious, and Change the Way You Lead Forever. To enroll in free upcoming workshops on the Pivot Method as a coaching for managers, mentors, and leaders, visit PivotMethod.com/live. Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at PivotMethod.com/156. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s episode was recorded while on the road, preparing to speak at the International Monetary Fund to help them kick-off new career programs for 2020 (an honor!). Thankful for a quiet hotel room all to myself in the midst of puppy-training (semi)chaos, I stacked a call with my attorney for a licensing contract, then recorded this interview and two solo shows — true to this week’s topic of navigating life as a professional speaker! Grant and I discuss guidance from his new book, The Successful Speaker: Simple Steps to Make a Living Off Your Message, on everything from pricing, to outreach, to navigating life on the road. Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at PivotMethod.com/155. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s solo episode, we have the two-month report from the puppy training trenches! Michael and I brought Ryder home December 8, our little angel-in-a-fur-coat — aka the pup-pup. Take one look at his 8-week old cuteness in the photo gallery below and you'll understand why! For inquiring minds, he's a German Shepherd—albeit a tiny one in the early photos, he has doubled in size in just two months. As our neighbors tell us daily (we make so many friends now!), "Look at those paws! He's gonna be BIIIIIG!" 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/154 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2007, while working within Sheryl Sandberg’s Online Sales and Operations organization at Google, I received a coaching session that changed my life. This was before the word coaching (and careers revolving around it) was ubiquitous outside of the sports arena. In this episode I share more about how that one session helped spark an entire movement that’s still alive within Google today: an internal “drop-in” coaching program—to make coaching accessible, easy to sign up for, and free—for all employees at all levels of the company. I’ll dive into the big themes and mechanics of how to set this up if you’re hoping to run a pilot within your organization. That first coach, Erik, in just two sessions also inspired me to attend coach training myself in 2008, restart my (at the time) sleeping website Life After College, and gave me hope that I could be an author someday . . . and the rest is history :) Shoutout to Denny Clark for submitting the Listener Q&A that inspired this episode! Learn more about Pivot Programs at PivotMethod.com/companies » 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/153 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s episode is another one of my favorite formats, just two new (soul) friends shooting the breeze in what we’ve dubbed a “podcast tango” :) Given that we both have podcasts, we decided to just hit record and do this joint conversation, neither of us officially interviewing the other. I hope you enjoy this conversation jam with insta-BFF Kristoffer “KC” Carter (shout-out to our mutual mensch mentor Jonathan Fields who introduced us!), whose new podcast This Epic Life is one I know you’ll also love. We deepen our budding BFF-ship and discuss the BIG topics of life—including death, dips, permission to shine, business pivots, his yogic and meditation practices, and much more. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/152 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kelly McGonigal joins us this week to kick-off 2020 with a candid conversation on why movement is integral to our happiness and our humanity. Learn how to harness the power of authentic, joyful movement to create meaning and connection that goes far beyond the way we look or what the scale reads. And for those of you in the NYC area, join us this week, Thursday January 9, for Jumpstart Joy 2020: a LIVE Pivot Podcast and celebration of Kelly’s book launch, with dancing and Nia movement! Learn more and get tickets (which includes a signed copy of the book) at http://pivotmethod.com/joy. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/151 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s episode is a special behind-the-scenes preview from my live monthly Pivot Insider community Q&A call. In our December call (last one of the decade!) I shared my favorite things Oprah-style, why I launch everything in an “imperfect,” incomplete state, my go-to workouts from home, and questions submitted from the group on side hustles and staying motivated. Enjoy more intimate conversations like this one? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider at just $8/mo and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call on Zoom in real-time, and the chance to submit questions in advance even when you can’t make it live. You’ll also get instant access to over six months of archives and special bonuses, including the two-hour Upgrade Your Energy workshop. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/150 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laura Simms and I have been traveling parallel Pivot paths for a while now — nearly a decade of tracking each other’s work, but finally for the first time speaking live, 1:1! Of course we hit it off as fast friends, as we discuss ageism, passion vs. purpose, and working through insecurities when navigating career pivots. Laura is an expert in meaningful work who challenges conventional wisdom by asking people to ditch their passions and start with purpose. She’s the creator of Your Career Homecoming, a celebrated career change program that helps people discover the meaningful work that’s right for them. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/149 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Penney & Jenny Show is back! The latest installment (PJ Show #11!) answers a listener Q&A about pivoting out of toxic situations at work. Penny and I discuss how we evaluate when to stay vs. go, discerning normal ups and downs from true toxicity, and the highest emotional state that acts as a tuning fork and compass to pull you forward into a new direction and a new lease on life. Enjoying the podcast and want to support the show? Become a Pivot Insider for as little as $8 each month and get access to a live monthly Q&A call—you’ll get six months of archived calls, a slew of bonus resources, including a two-hour Upgrade Your Energy workshop. Our next call is Wednesday, January 8—join now as a powerful way to kick-off this next decade! 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/148 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To help you kick-off the new year in style and soul-aligned next steps, I’m back with my annual Set Your Pivot Strategy episode! New and improved with the best resources and reflection questions to help you explore a powerful vision for 2020 :) I encourage you to get out a pen and paper for this one—yes, analog-style—and pause frequently to journal for as long as you’d like on each prompt. Go big! Go for quantity, not quality, and don’t censor yourself or worry yet about whether or not what you are envisioning is possible—the time for that will come later. When you think you’re done writing, keep going! That just means you’ve gotten your most obvious ideas down. Pushing through the pauses is where you create breakthroughs, and every time you sit with a question you’ve never heard before, you are creating new neural pathways in the brain. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/147 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Creating online courses does not require huge investment in time or money. Although they certainly can cost tens of thousands of dollars to produce, with professional video editing and branding, they don't have to. In fact, my favorite way to create and launch a course is with my future students! This follows agile design principles (check out the agile manifesto here). The goal is developing rapidly, with frequent input from key stakeholders, not building so much behind-the-scenes that what you’re working on becomes out-of-date or out of touch with what your audience and potential future students actually need. I this episode, I break down all the details on how I love launching and creating courses. You can also read a summary of the steps on this page of the Pivot website. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/146 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re attempting any creative or business endeavor, you know that it’s one of the great personal development journeys a person can undertake. Dips, mood drops, discouragement, disillusionment — these are all natural byproducts of forging new territory and taking on the vulnerability and uncertainty that come with creating anything new in the world. John Jantsch is one of my longtime business mentors-from-afar, someone I’m now lucky to call a friend. In his latest book, The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur: 366 Daily Meditations to Feed Your Soul and Grow Your Business, he combines timeless transcendentalist wisdom with his three decades of entrepreneurial time-in-the-trenches. I hope you enjoy this conversation on luck, pivoting, and the spiritual side of business-building. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/257 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re back with the latest listener Q&A! This round is on a podcast listener success story (and mentors-from-afar), as well as a great question from Mark on how to deal with so much sitting throughout the work day. As always, if you’d like to submit for a future round, leave me a brief voice note at PivotMethod.com/ask. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/144 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We don’t even need to talk about the new book,” Neil said as we started our Skype call, while I thumbed through the dog-eared, underlined, and marked-up pages of the You Are Awesome galley. Ooh, fun! Knowing I have a tendency to focus too much on the paper artifact in front of me while interviewing authors, rather than what’s True and present in the moment, I decided to chuck all my potential questions and just shoot the breeze with a longtime blog-friend (February marks our ten year friendiversary!). Neil was on the Pivot Podcast in the early days (check out 44: Want Nothing, Have Everything: The Happiness Equation with Neil Pasricha), and that episode has been a long-time listener favorite. I think you’re going to love this unfiltered, unplanned conversation every bit as much! 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/143 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Given the “mutation of television’s DNA” that reporter Jonah Weiner describes in his fantastic New York Times Magazine article, The Great Race to Rule Streaming TV, there is much we can learn about where the creative economy is heading, how to stand out, and how to Pivot your own creative projects. This article is so juicy—so jam-packed with insights into where TV is heading that parallels publishing, podcasting and product creation—that I couldn’t resist jumping on the mic to do a point-by-point analysis of how they might apply to our own creative projects in this experimental episode. The article—and what we’re going to dive into together—spans a fascinating swath of topics that I’ll help unpack. Everything from prestige content versus quick bites, hyper-abundance and the atmosphere of plentitude, infinite possibilities, unpredictability, celebrating fringe, “great-ish” and the golden age of good enough, quiet time meetings, licensing versus original content, hoarding, the great reclamation of content, perceived barriers to entry, and preserving storytelling. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/142 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve been a big fan of Marianne’s writing, Be a Free Range Human, since my earliest days as a solopreneur; and in fact, she crossed my radar when my blog was just a budding baby side-hustle, but we hadn’t connected in real-time until this conversation. A longtime advocate for going your own way in life and work, Marianne shares where many solopreneurs go wrong: leaving a suffocating, one-size-fits-all corporate environment just to feel equally penned in by a box of their own making with shoulds from the self-employment space. In this episode, you’ll learn how to identify your Free Range Style, and why it is a big blind spot for many entrepreneurs. In fact, it’s one of the biggest detriments to the health and success of your business to go against your Free Range Style, even though many best practices would have you inadvertently doing just that! 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/141 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does horse whispering have in common with entrepreneurship? More than you might think; unless you are already running your own show and know exactly how fickle taming a wild new business can be! I loved this conversation with Eileen Kenney on her trials as a single mom building a business, her resilience in the face of dips and defeat, her obsession with horses, and how she navigates every next phase with joy, grace, and perseverance. If you enjoy this conversation, check out another one of my all time favorite Pivot podcasts, The Soul of an Octopus—Exploring Animal Consciousness with Sy Montgomery. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/140 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Quick reminder! Doors close for Momentum Enrollment on Tuesday, October 15 — learn more and enroll at PivotMethod.com/Momentum if you’re looking for super smart systems and strategies to design your ideal six-figure business in 2020 and beyond :) This week’s episode is another fun Podcast Row conversation, and this time I got to geek out on two topics I haven’t talked much about publicly: one of the first personal development books I read in my early twenties that changed the trajectory of my life, business, and finances—and real estate! With a brother in commercial real estate, I’m often having walk-and-talks on these topics with him whenever we’re in the same city, so I think you’ll enjoy this conversation with Erik Cabral. Listen closely, as he also shares a fantastic podcast pro tip for those of you who have your own shows! 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/139 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are a heart-based business owner, and you want to learn how to earn twice as in half the time, with ease and joy while serving the highest good, then I invite you to join us as an official Momentum Member! Visit http://PivotMethod.com/Momentum to learn more about my private community for side-hustlers and solopreneurs, and how we can support you with systems and strategies to build your ideal six- (or seven!) figure business in 2020 and beyond. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/138 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you ever experience “design block” or personal branding BLEGH when you think about how to present yourself and your business online? If so, you are not alone! That makes at least two of us :) You are going to love this episode with brand strategist Kaye Putnam on authentic expression, the 12 brand archetypes, and why sometimes understanding our own brand is like reading a label from the inside of a jar—and what to do about it. Kaye believes that when you have a clear brand, your clients love, respect, and are willing to pay premium prices for your work—which gives you the clarity and confidence to scale your impact and income. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/137 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes the Audio Gods just do not shine upon you, and that’s what happened during this super fun experimental interview with my brilliant friend Charlie Gilkey! My mic is “hot” (aka way too loud), but I hope you’ll forgive me and listen anyway, as Charlie shares SO. MUCH. GOLD!! We even go into “extreme coaching” mode together at the end, as we discuss topics from his new book, Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done. A bit more backstory: we piloted a book club within Momentum for the first time this month, where MoMo’ers were on the podcast interview live with us on mute, then after my interview we opened it up for Q&A and coaching with Charlie. We cover all kinds of topics ranging from his Five Projects Rule, The Project Pyramid, comparisitis, creative constipation (LOL!), his awesome Momentum planning strategy, and pricing our services as a small business owner. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/136 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a verrrry special guest this week in honor of his big birthday month, and that’s my dad—Jim Blake! He happened to be in town visiting on a day that I was participating in Podcast Row, an all-day podcasting extravaganza at Stand-up New York. My first guest had a last-minute emergency and had to bow out, so with no notice I pulled my dad onto the main stage and interviewed him about his books, his music, his creative process, and what he calls “mouth management.” We had so much fun! If you've enjoyed either of my two books it's in large part thanks to his expert editing, content discussions, and ongoing inspiration—so I can’t wait for you to get to know him better through this week’s episode :) 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/135 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When you witness a dark thought – you witness it, and love it. You love your dark thoughts. The witness is part of the soul, and the soul loves everything.” —Ram Dass from “Dark Thoughts” with East Forest In this episode, East Forest joins us to discuss his latest album, Ram Dass, and his time in Maui to record these exclusive new teachings from an enlightened master. After capturing Dass’ words of wisdom, East Forest returned to his studio to compose this incredible soundtrack to beautifully support each songs’ subject. Together we explore themes like balancing guru worship with finding wisdom within, music as soul medicine, infinite existence, and creative expression. You know, the good stuff :) 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/134 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can I earn twice as much in half the time, with joy and ease, while serving the highest good for all involved? This is one of the central questions in my solo+preneur-based business, one that builds a habit (okay, okay, obsession) of looking for simple systems and strategies to help free our time, mind, and money. This episode is preview lesson from my new—totally free!—mini-course, Free-up Founder Time. I cover strategies for time blocking and content batching, and walk you through exactly how I set-up my schedule each week (knowing that life and work never go perfectly to plan). I define Founder Time as time that you dedicate to working on your business, as the owner of the whole operation. Ideally, you schedule it for your most creative windows—when you feel energized to do your best work. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/133 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her book, The Making of a Manager: What To Do When Everyone Looks To You, author Julie Zhuo takes us back to the childhood lemonade stand in a way that flipped a major “aha” lightbulb switch for me. As the founder of a budding business, you might be the best at making lemonade, or at least think you are, even as you hire helpers to (wo)man the stand. But if you only ever make lemonade you’ll only be serving an additive role in your business. Instead, if you hire a small team and teach them how to make the lemonade, even if they’re not quite as skilled as you at first, you’ll be serving a multiplicative role. 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/132 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices