Category Archives: Personal Development

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470: Turn Your Biggest Fears Into Your Leadership Superpower with Morra Aarons-Mele

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At the beginning of the year, I identified the six books I was most looking forward to in the first half of this year. My goal is to interview the author of all six books.

morra aarons-mele

With today’s guest we’re officially three out of four on that front. I’m talking about Morra Aarons-Mele. Her latest book is called The Anxious Achiever: Turn Your Biggest Fears Into Your Leadership Superpower.

Turns out anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the world. But in our workplaces, anxiety has been a hidden problem—there in plain sight but ignored. Until now.

The Anxious Achiever is a book with a mission: to normalize anxiety and leadership. As leadership expert and self-proclaimed anxious achiever Morra Aarons-Mele argues, anxiety is built into the very nature of leadership. It can—and should—be harnessed into a force for good.

Whether you’re experiencing anxiety for the first time or have been battling it for years, The Anxious Achiever will help you turn your stress and worries into a source of strength for yourself, your career, and the people you lead.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about James and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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469: Optimizing Learning and Development in the Workplace with James McKenna

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If there’s one thing in life I’ve grown to love, it’s learning. That hasn’t always been the case. But ever since I fell back in love with books in 2003, I’ve been on a learning journey that has no end in sight (and that’s A-OK with me).

james mckenna

I see myself today as a lifelong learner. That you’re here probably means you see yourself in much the same way. One thing I’ve enjoyed learning more about lately is learning itself. In other words, learning how to learn.

That’s why I am especially excited today for you to hear from author James McKenna.

His new book offers an accessible guide to understanding and applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to the workplace. Using exemplars from across sectors and industries, James highlights how learning and development professionals can redefine the goals of learning in the corporate environment – not only for the benefit of the organization but also, and perhaps more importantly, for the individual.

His book, Upskill, Reskill, Thrive illustrates how to create and sustain learning and work environments that honor and empower individuals in ways that promote knowledge generation and sharing.

It’s a book that will help L&D educators and corporate leaders motivate their teams from the inside to improve performance and become part of an inclusive culture across an organization.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about James and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

Join in on our chat below

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467: Success Starts With Your Thinking with Mind Your Mindset Author Megan Hyatt Miller

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The last time today’s guest appeared (which was also her first time), I wrote that I hoped it wouldn’t be her last. Well, lucky for you and me, my hopes were not in vein. I’m talking, of course, about Full Focus CEO, Megan Hyatt Miller.

Her new book, cowritten with her father Michael Hyatt, is called Mind Your Mindset: The Science That Shows Success Starts with Your Thinking.

With the book, they pose the question, “Do you trust the voice in your head?”

Our brains are remarkable, no doubt. They subconsciously translate the events around us into meaningful storylines that inform what we think and how we live. The problem is, the stories our minds feed us as facts aren’t always true.

Worse, these stories turn into false beliefs about others, the world, and ourselves that keep us from our true potential.

These limiting beliefs confront us all. But what if you could harness your brain’s operating system to tell a new story? Not just any story. A true story that empowers you to overcome limitations and surpass your goals.

Drawing upon the latest insights in performance psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science, as well as case studies from their own clients, Megan and her New York Times bestselling dad Michael Hyatt, outline a framework we can follow to test our own assumptions and start living better, truer stories that shape superior outcomes in business and life.

Intrigued? Click the play button below to learn more about Megan and her new book.

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466: Transform How You Talk, Listen, and Interact with Chuck Wisner

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If there’s one area everyone of us can improve in, it’s the area of communication. I’ve talked with dozens of communication experts over the years. And I’d put Chuck Wisner at the top of my list.

chuck wisner

His new book is called The Art of Conscious Conversations: Transforming How We Talk, Listen, and Interact.

The book is a practical guide for thoughtfully reflecting on conversations so we can avoid the common pitfalls that cause our relationships and work to go sideways. Chuck identifies four universal types of conversations and offers specific advice on maximizing the effectiveness of each:

  • Storytelling—Investigate the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and others
  • Collaborative—Explore the way our stories and other people’s stories interact
  • Creative—See new possibilities and discover unforeseen solutions
  • Commitment—Make promises we know we can keep

These conversations unfold sequentially: our awareness of our and others’ stories transforms our ability to listen and collaborate, which opens our thoughts to creative possibilities, guiding us toward mindful agreements.

Our conversations—at home, at work, or in public—can be sources of pleasure and stepping-stones toward success, or they can cause pain and lead to failure. Wisner shows how we can form a connection from the very first conversation and keep our discourse positive and productive throughout any endeavor.

Intrigued? Click the play button below to learn more about Chuck and his new book.

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464: The Power of Clarity with Ann Latham

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In 2021, when my book was released, I was invited shortly after to speak to a group at LinkedIn. LinkedIn staff were kicking off year two of their book club, and had chosen to do so with Read to Lead.

ann latham

My invitation to join that group came from Dan Horowitz, LinkedIn’s senior director of LinkedIn ads. It was a great experience.

Dan reached out last year and introduced me to author Ann Latham. Ann has written several books and hundreds of articles over the years. I had her on about 10 weeks ago to discuss her book called The Disconnect Principle: Eliminate Difficult Conversations with Clarity and Empathy.

Today, I’ve invited her back to talk about her modern-day classic, released in 2021, called The Power of Clarity: Unleash the True Potential of Workplace Productivity, Confidence, and Empowerment.

In The Power of Clarity, Ann Latham exposes the unrecognized confusion and explains how to eliminate it. This fascinating guide to workplace productivity and effectiveness draws upon extensive research and case studies to demonstrate how you can get better results in far less time while also increasing confidence and commitment.

Intrigued? Click the play button below to learn more about Ann and her book.

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