Bright Insights

This is the final episode of season 2. It's been a long road, but I live by my words, and my zeal for this podcast has kept me going. What keeps you going? What pushed the passion? I'll talk about the importance of maintaining zeal throughout your leadership. Featured:  A WWE legend #ultimatewarrior An NBA team owner #steveballmer My personal inspiration #leadership #motivation #personaldevelopment  Are  you ready to lead? Take this 10 item assessment. 

Jadon Brooks is off to a good start: At 13, he's already engaged in 3 different business ventures with no plans to stop any time soon. If you think I'm kidding, check out his fitness Instagram! Despite all that flex, Jadon is a very humble young one with plenty to teach, which made him a perfect person to talk with for this episode, "Y is for Youth".  I learned a lot of what I need to do next just from talking to this smart kid! I met Jadon through his dad Kip Brooks, whom I had a conversation with in Season 2's first episode, "A is for Anxiety", where we discussed how he overcame his own anxiety issues that were rooted in past tragedies, and created a service to help others do the same.  So it's fitting that as this season ends, Jadon will teach us about how you can allow youth to inspire you as a leader.   Take this 10-item assessment to see if you're ready to lead!

If you're a new leader, expect to be a public speaker whether you like it or not. Yes, it can be scary. But there's one thing you absolutely MUST NOT do to make the process better: Stop self-criticism about public speaking! This short episode will help you learn how NOT to do that and what to do instead! Take this 10 item assessment to see if you're ready to lead!  

Do you find yourself worrying excessively over your leadership responsibilities? Are you tired of people telling you "don't worry" without trying to understand why you're worrying? This episode may not be the one you WANT to hear, but it is the one you NEED to hear. I'll tell you why you can stop worrying and instead what you can do to demonstrate the valid concern you need to get everyone on board so that you can solve future problems before they start. You can do this without giving into excessive worry and making those around you paranoid about the future! Mentioned in this episode:  - why worrying doesn't equate caring -  how the extreme opposite of worry lead to the The Fyre Festival saga - How to demonstrate careful concern   Are you ready to lead? Find out through this 10 item quiz at Bright Insights Media

I've spoken in the past about how to create a vision for your organization when you're new to leadership. But what about creating one for yourself now that you're in leadership? I talk about ways to do it, starting now. Take a 10 item assessment to see how ready you are to lead!

When you're ready to elevate your organization or business amongst the competition, rely on your uniqueness. Learn how to discover what it is about you that stands out (in a positive way), and how to make it work for you. Mentions in this episode: Dave Ramsey, "Sonja with a J", delicious burgers.   Are you ready to lead? Take the 10 item assessment at Bright Insights and get free gifts!

Leaders, if you feel your emotions are getting beyond the best of you, or you're completely forgetting any sort of self-care, or your relationships are breaking down now that you've taken the helm...it might be time to look at the role Trauma may be playing. In this episode, "T is for Trauma", I interview Whitney Walker, a therapist and recovery coach. She owns Women Waken (which not just for women, as explained in the episode) and will help explain what trauma looks like in leadership, how it relates to addiction, and what you can do to get through it. Trust me: you don't want to ignore any sign of trauma. There could be things that happened to you before you could even speak, and they are just now showing because you're stress levels are triggering. And just to keep things on the real, you'll also get to hear some of my past personal history with trauma as well as Whitney's. Even us therapist types have to learn the hard way! Go to Bright Insights Media for more resources on how to have less stress and more success.

The myth of "if you're sleeping, you're not working hard enough" is still running rampant. But there's too much practical research showing that lack of sleep eventually has significant, negative consequences on your health. And if you're not around to lead, or you're leading at 50% mental capacity, what's the point? I talk about what's actually happening to you while you sleep, the different sleep zones, and four areas where you can make practical changes to improve the quality of your sleep. I also consulted with a sleep expert and friend Dr. Rachel Markwald, who just returned from studying sleep habits of the world's greatest Navy at sea! Trust me, I know about this. I had horrible sleep AFTER I got out the military. I suffered from sleep paralysis as well! It's scary.  When you're done with the episode, visit my page for supportive, peer-reviewed resources.

Subscribe to the Bright Insights podcast so you can learn to lead with less stress and more success. We do this through helping you build tools for self confidence and self care. Here are some highlights of interviews and topics we cover. Want to know if you're ready to lead? Take this 10 question leadership assessment!

America is coming out of the pandemic. Leaders will be going back to the workspaces and interact for longer with coworkers and customers. How do you do that successfully after being virtually isolated for more than a year? The key is nature. And this episode's guest, Gabriel Kram, is well-schooled in how nature helps human beings restore themselves for each other. Gabriel is a connection phenomenologist that has brought schools, companies, and other organizations closer together and more productive by increasing their awareness of self and others.  His book , Restorative Practices of Wellbeing, can be ordered here. This episode features a deep and intriguing exploration of restorative practices. -What happens when we're missing the oxytocin exchange (2:38)  -My experiences with going to the beach during the pandemic (17:02) - How coexistence of order and chaos restore us (24:12) - Where nature can be found if you don't live anywhere near "nature"  -Gabriel's book/ application (42:00) Visit Bright Insights Media for more information on leading with less stress and more success

I would argue that one big mistake new leaders make is assuming everyone assumes they have all the answers to every question. You don't have all the answers. You'll never have all the answers. No great leader has every answer. But great leaders DO learn what questions to ask, who to ask, and how to ask them so that they have the right answers at almost any moment! Listen to this podcast to figure out  the who/what/how on asking questions. Are you ready to lead? Take this 10 item assessment at Bright Insights Media.

Prepare to Pivot! Some of you have already learned this the hard way during the pandemic, but leaders do need to be prepared to pivot. Sometimes your vision is perfect, but an imperfect world can de-rail the path towards that vision. I started to do this as a solo episode, but I thought it was better to go straight to the source: my very young church pastor, Nate Stonestreet, who had just taken over leading the church when Covid19 shut the doors on in-person services. You don't have to be religious to appreciate the challenges and knowledges he brings as to how he had to pivot as a new leader and the many valuable lessons he's learned in less than a year! Are you ready to lead? Take this 10 item assessment and find out at Bright Insights Media

Optimism is probably one of the hardest things to come by; even harder when there's a global pandemic. However, leaders can keep their organizations from having a complete collapse in morale by maintaining realistic optimism. If you're used to being motivated by fear of failure, use this episode to learn why realistic optimism can propel you and your organization to great success. Are you ready to lead? Take this 10 item assessment at Bright Insights Media.

I am taking a tactical pause from creating new episodes. It's not a cancelation, or discontinuation, but a pause with a purpose. Listen in to find out why I'm taking the pause and what you can look forward to in the very near future. You won't want to miss this opportunity to get more free products while I prepare for something bigger! Get a head start on what's new by signing up at Bright Insights Media. Are you an artist with a voice and in need of networking to improve your message delivery? Check out Champloo Media.

Arish Rivers is a master at networking. He doesn't let a contact die, and every connection leads to something better for both parties.  Music promotions, podcasts, band ambassadors, apparel, supplements, spirits; if Arish wanted to get into an entrepreneurial adventure, he could network his way into getting it done! Listen to Arish explain how new leaders learn how to network. And when you're done, check out his latest networking project Champloo Media, a hub where storytellers (like Bright Insights) can support each other. Topics we cover: Arish's entrepreneurial mindset developing at age 13. Where introverted leaders should start when networking. A personality test exploring your "bad side" helped him figure out his networking skills How a conversation with a sex worker started a networking ripple that is still going today. For more tips on how to have less stress and more success, visit brightinsightsmedia.com

Meditation isn't just spiritual chants and yoga. It's not just stuff you can use an app for, either. It can be done many ways. And if you are a leader that feels lost in your role, listen to me explain three reasons why I think you should try meditation. I wish I had learned how to do this when I served in the Air Force! I'm glad I learned how to do it while I work in mental health! I'll also include a sample meditation I made. You can get the whole one free at brightinsightsmedia.com/reclaim 

When you transition from employee or solo preneur to leader, you have to adjust your language. The words you use and don't use have a ripple effect. Learn the 3 L's of what you need to look out for! Visit Bright Insights Media for more leadership tips and tricks. If you're ready to start having less stress and more success, go to this link and sign up for two FREE Gifts.

We continue on with Bill DeMarco's interview. Here we talk about his role in Air University's Department of Education Leadership, cognitive diversity, and why new leaders should be in "Permanent Beta". Visit Bright Insights Media for more leadership tips and tricks. If you're ready to start having less stress and more success, go to this link and sign up for two FREE Gifts. Take a pop quiz on where your leadership awareness is right here!

I'm very excited to bring you part one of this discussion with retired Air Force Colonel Bill DeMarco, Chair and Dean of Air University's Education Leadership Department and forerunner of the M100 Management Group I don't have enough room in these show notes to list all of Bill's awesome leadership history and current leadership accomplishments. But he's literally flown all over the world and provides top leadership development instruction to an international group of young officers.  He also had a really cool Ted X talk. This made him the perfect pick to discuss what sort of knowledge avenues  new leaders can go down to establish their own base philosophy. This is part 1 of "K is for Knowledge", where we talk about Bill's transition from wanting to just fly planes for a living to being put in charge of "the worst squadron in the Air Force". Bill and I also an assessment tool that we both feel is better than the Meyers-Briggs. Visit Bright Insights Media for more leadership tips and tricks. If you're ready to start having less stress and more success, go to this link and sign up for two FREE Gifts. Take a pop quiz on where your leadership awareness is right here!

Finding Joy will help jumpstart that "juice" in you that makes you a great leader! But how do you find joy when things are tough all over? There are four ways. I talk about them in a pretty straight forward, quick and easy style in this episode!   As a special thank you for listening to this episode, here are two FREE Gifts from Bright Insights Media.