In this episode of the GUTS podcast, I had the privilege of speaking with Tom Ziglar on the topic of leadership.

Tom is the author of the book, 10 Leadership Virtues for Disruptive Times, which we dig into during our talk.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• T. Rex managers vs. Coach Leaders
• We’ll discuss two of Tom’s leadership virtues, Kindness and Selflessness
  • Why they are so important?
  • And how we can cultivate and incorporate these virtues into daily life?
• Zig Ziglar’s most important lesson

Here’s a brief excerpt of our conversation. you can listen to the entire podcast episode right here on the Cuppa SEO Website, or on Apple Podcasts.

“And so, a coach leader asks each person on their team, hey, what’s your why? What’s your purpose for being here? When you do well on the job, what does that mean in the rest of your life? And so a coach leader, asking these questions, we’ll dig in, and find out what it is that that motivates and inspires and drives someone — what’s the bigger reason for the job rather than you know, other than just paying the bills?

And so if I’m a team member, and I’ve got a leader who helps me see that my purpose in life can not only be fulfilled at work by doing a good job, but by being fulfilled overall — like, the better I do on my job, the faster I get my dream — then all of a sudden, I’m moving towards my purpose, which means I’m not going to deal with depression. And if my life is balanced, then I’ve got that solid foundation. And then the third one is what we were talking about on results versus growth. People said that 37%, the reason they quit was lack of motivation. So what’s the antidote to that? It’s goals and growth.

If somebody is growing every day, and they’re getting closer to their goals on a regular basis, then that creates internal motivation.

And the way that a coach leader works with their people in this scenario, is they ask them very simply, hey, you know, where do you want to be in a year? Do you want to make more money here next year? You do? Well, great. What are you going to do to develop yourself so that you can demonstrate tangible progress that will allow you to make more money? And so the coach leader asks that question, and then all of a sudden the team member starts having to take ownership and they start having to think about how they’re going to improve themselves. And of course, the coach leader helps them.

And the big key here is that with all the disruption that we’re in, we know that the intensity and frequency of disruption is going up — all we’ve got to do is read the headlines. It’s not just the pandemic, it’s inflation. It’s the global uncertainty, it’s politics, it’s all these things hitting us at the same time.

But if you’re growing, if you’re leading a team and helping them grow, then you’re ready for the disruption.”

Connect with Tom on social, or go to Ziglar.com for great resources, books and more.

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thezigziglar/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheZigZiglar
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zigl…
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ziglarlife
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZigZiglar

Thanks for visiting, and stay well!

The post GUTS Podcast Highlight: An Interview with Tom Ziglar on Leadership appeared first on Cuppa SEO.

As you may have guessed, today’s topic is brain-centric, and it’s an important one … trauma

OUR DISCUSSION INCLUDES:

• How to identify and deal with trauma in healthy ways
• Trauma and disease
• How we can help children deal with, and overcome, trauma
• How movement, mindfulness and meditation positively affect the brain
• Metabolizing the stress hormone
• Becoming more aware of, and moving past, our childhood trauma

Listen to the full episode HERE.

EXCERPT FROM THE EPISODE …

Mark: So moving the body is a is a is a powerful way to help metabolize stress hormones associated with trauma.

A number of years ago, Christmas Eve, my wife and I are getting ready to go to bed. And all of a sudden there’s this loud knock at our door. And who’s this? I go the door, the dog starts barking and I open the door … cautiously.

I look out and there’s a guy there. And he’s wide eyed. And he says, “Did you know that your chimney is on fire?”

I didn’t. And so I looked. Up until I actually went up and looked, I was relatively calm. But then I saw these eight foot giant flames shooting up off the roof. And my stress hormones just went through the roof. So great that I couldn’t think, I basically froze. And suddenly, then I could hear myself in a little child’s voice. I said, “What should I do?” And the guy who knocked on my door said, “Well, you should probably call 911. And see if you can use your hose.”

And it’s winter, right … And so I go the first hose bib, turn it on, it’s frozen. I go the next one, it’s frozen, I’m racing around the house, right? I go the one that we keep outside there, we put the water for the dogs, and it’s working.

So immediately I run it, grab a ladder, and jump up and climb up on the roof on the ladder, and I take one squirt with the hose and that immediately knocked down the flames. And as soon as I saw that, I could feel my stress hormones just going down again, I knew the house wasn’t gonna burn down. It’s gonna be okay.

Joey: Mark, that’s some story, I can see it. And I could identify with it also — that moment, where it’s literally just a moment where it’s almost like a switch gets flipped, right? We could be completely fine. And then it’s like our brain stops working.

It’s funny that you mentioned water. I look what you call the stress hormones like it’s a raging river. Like at any moment, an external source can cause a flood or an internal source. Just internal anxiety, fear, worry, thoughts, thoughts, emotion. And I look at it like it’s it’s like a river. And even when the river is raging, you know, the question is, am I drowning in it? Which, for a moment, you were when you’re when your chimney was on fire — or are we making space so we can observe it? It doesn’t mean it’s not happening, it doesn’t mean we’re not experiencing something traumatic or intense. It just means that we are still able to
identify what’s going on and kind of process it, and make room for thought. Instead of panic.

Mark: Yeah, that’s right. We can’t really think well, when stress hormones are doing their thing. And basically what they do is they sever what’s called the binding proteins that keep the cells connected. High levels of stress hormones just sever them, they just run through the network and cut all the connections.

So you can’t think.

With the fire, once I realized that we’re not going to lose the house, we’re not going to lose all our possessions. It’s going to be fine. Everything came back online. And that’s that this is a key piece. That’s how fast cells in the brain connect and disconnect.

Listen to the full episode HERE.

—

MORE ABOUT MARK BRADY, Ph.D.
Mark is a transpersonal neurobiologist, neuroscience educator, and recent throat cancer survivor. He spent 10 years at The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, one of the nation’s premier think tanks (according to him: “stalking behavioral scientists in their natural habitat, undercover as the maintenance man!”). He is also the prize-winning author of a number of books, magazine articles and academic papers and has published The Flowering Brain blog regularly for 14 years.

RELEVANT LINKS

Visit The Flowering Brain blog
Mark Brady, Ph.D. books
The Anatomy of an Upset, by Mark Brady, Ph.D.
Trauma & Chronic Illness, by Veronique Mead, MD, MA

The post Tackling Trauma — An Interview with Mark Brady, Ph.D, Part 1 appeared first on Cuppa SEO.

Today, we’re sharing some insights from my recent conversation with Camille Gerrick. Camille is a neurodivergent artist living in Charlottesville, Virginia. And while her narcolepsy and ADHD present challenges to running a business and doing all the normal things grownups are supposed to do, she prefers to think of these conditions as her artistic superpowers.

What does it mean when someone is neurodivergent?
Being neurodivergent or neurodiverse means that the brain is wired differently from everyone else’s. Some conditions that might fall under this spectrum of neurodiversity are ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. When you think about neurodiversity, it’s important to acknowledge that just because that brain is different, it doesn’t mean that it’s any less than a neurotypical brain. Instead, it’s more about focusing on the strengths that neurodiversity will bring to the situation. For example, people with ADHD may be notoriously bad with time management, but they can also be very passionate and driven. And when we’re interested in something, we can spend hours on it and not even realize it—thinking of our differences as strengths. 

You grew up as a kid in the 80s and 90s; how has that affected your art style?
I remember having a lot of really obnoxious outfits like these crazy patterns with squiggles and triangles and loud colors. The big scrunchies, the side ponytails, and I guess I just never really grew out of that, to be honest. Colors just make me happy. When I was a kid in elementary school, Lisa Frank was a big deal, and everybody had the folders with the cute rainbow animals and the trapper keeper for all their school stuff. And I just never grew out of that phase. Maybe it’s childish, but it’s fun. And it’s harmless.

I just started reading the Aesthetics Of Joy by a designer named Ingrid Fetell Lee. The premise of the book is that we’ve been taught through ancient traditions that the source of joy lies within us. But, a growing body of research is starting to support the idea that tangible objects can also spark that feeling of joy. In the book, Ingrid embarks on this study to find out what things spark joy, and color was one of her findings.

How did you get started?
It always sounds cheesy to say; I’ve been creative since I was a child. But there’s really not a time I can remember not being enamored with drawing or painting or the creative process. Growing up, we had this little kids’ table with chairs that had pockets on the back full of all our crayons and markers. I remember sitting at that table and coloring away. My dad is a writer and a musician, and my mom is a teacher, so it’s just something we grew up with, being encouraged to be creative. My mom was very anti-TV as well so that probably helped, if we can’t watch TV,  maybe we’ll make something. 

As a kid, I was always given craft special interest books like learning calligraphy or origami with a dollar bill, and oftentimes, they came with all the supplies you need to do what was in the book. Specifically, there was one book about macrame friendship bracelets, and I latched on to that book; I learned how to do all these different knots. I actually started my first business when I was in elementary school, selling macrame friendship bracelets on the playground. I would take my little box of embroidery thread and pull custom colors for people to make them custom color friendship bracelets during recess. Around this time, my grandfather, who owned his own landscaping business in South Florida – landscaping was a big deal – started having conversations with me about charging for my products. He’d say you need to think about how much it costs you to make it and make sure that you charge the right amount so that you’re not losing money. And then you need to decide what percentage of what you make you’re going to invest back into materials or growing the business and what percentage do you want to save. So from a very young age, those conversations about entrepreneurship were had through my grandfather.

You’ve mentioned throughout your story (you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out more) that you also cope with chronic issues like pain; how do you do art while dealing with those issues?
Yeah, I have a lot of chronic pain from when I was in the military and art helps me cope with that. With art, I get into that flow state where your sense of time, like physical sensations from your body, kind of cease to exist, and you’re 100% in the moment, focused on what you’re drawing or creating. I need that in my life on a very regular basis. It helps me feel sane. It’s something that takes my mind off these health issues – it’s a mental escape from really anything adulty in life.

Where You Can Find Camille:

• Website: www.camilovescolor.com
• Facebook: camillegerrick
• Instagram: @cami.loves.color
• TikTok: @cami.loves.color
• LinkedIn: camille-gerrick

This podcast and all past episodes are available to listen to now. You can also subscribe to Get Under The Surface podcasts on all major platforms (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc.).

Want more from Cuppa SEO Web Design?

The post The Challenges of Being an Artist, Mom & Business Owner with Chronic Health Issues — Camille Gerrick appeared first on Cuppa SEO.

Today, we’re talking with Janine Kwoh. She’s the author of “Welcome to The Grief Club,” a book she wrote after realizing how hard and complicated grief when she lost her partner, Nap. Janine is also the owner and designer of Kwohtations, a Brooklyn-based stationery company.

You wrote about feeling the need to grieve less, more privately, and move through it more quickly in the book. Can you tell us more about that? And how to deal with these expectations?

These ideas came from my own experience with grief the questions and struggles I faced. Is my grief valid? Am I grieving too much or grieving incorrectly?

I experienced grief at a young age; my partner, Nap, died when we were both 28. And he was the first person I loved, who died, and I just had no idea what to expect. And at the time, not many people in my peer group had experienced a significant loss. So I felt like my friends wanted to be there for me, but no one really knew how. So, I looked to external cues. But, as a society, we’re not good at talking about grief or making space for suffering, and in turn, it made me feel like I was taking it too hard. People don’t necessarily talk to you about your grief because they don’t want to make you feel bad, or they don’t know what to say. For those of us who work in an office, there’s no federally mandated bereavement leave, or it’s three to five days, which can be another signal that the worst of your grief should be over in less than a week, which is perfect for anyone who’s gone through it. I think the impact of that can make it feel like it’s time to move on and stop talking about it. And that can be really hard.

You never get over grief. You just learn to carry it, and it changes over time. Permitting yourself to grieve is necessary because losing someone you love is so hard. Putting judgment on your feelings is too much for one person.

What if someone wants to be present and supportive? To someone who’s grieving? What’s the best way to approach being supportive? So it’s helpful and doesn’t come off as condescending, insensitive, or sounding like you think the grieving person’s person should suck it up? 

I think the most important thing is to say something. It doesn’t have to be the most comforting or the perfect thing to say. In some ways, there is no perfect thing to say; there’s nothing we can say or do to take away that person’s grief. There is something crucial in acknowledging what they’re going through; it goes a long way in helping them by feeling seen and less alone. So even something simple, like I’m sorry for your loss, and I know this is hard, but I’m here is the most important.

That said, there are things to avoid saying.

• At least statements – At least you got to say goodbye, they were old, etc. I understand people just want the person to feel better or look on the bright side, but a lot of times, those statements can inadvertently minimize that person’s loss. 
• Comparisons – Comparing a loss can inadvertently minimize that loss for that person because every loss is different; even if you lost the same person, your loss is different, and your grief is different.
• Everything happens for a reason – This is probably everyone’s least favorite statement.

As long as you stay away from those, there is nothing you can say that is wrong.

What are acceptable times and places to cry?

Anywhere and anytime. Many of us feel like we need to compartmentalize our grief, like, I have to go to work and can’t be a grieving person at work; I have to be a productive and functional person. I remember thinking, I will grieve when I get home. But grief is not something we can easily slot in at a convenient time. We can’t control it, and we shouldn’t; we need to co-exist with it, alongside everything else in our lives.

This podcast and all past episodes are available to listen to now. You can also subscribe to Get Under The Surface podcasts on all major platforms (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc.).

Learn more & get in touch with Janine:

• Website: kwohtations.com
• Instagram: @kwohtations and @welcometothegriefclub

Want more from Cuppa SEO Web Design?

The post Welcome to the Grief Club, a Discussion on Loss and the Grieving Process — Janine Kwoh appeared first on Cuppa SEO.

Today we’re getting under the surface with Scotty Russell. Scotty is the side hustler’s coach helping creatives turn their side hustle into a full-time dream hustle. He offers coaching programs, boot camps, one-on-one coaching sessions, and free resources to help people get started on the road to improvement. Scotty is also a speaker and host of The Side Hustlers Perspective podcast. His passion to coach creatives stems from being an artist and designer himself, giving him the ability to understand first-hand the challenges and struggles creative individuals face. And today, we’re going to hit on some topics that include what it means to be the side hustler’s coach, embrace the suck, and how being selfish can be the best step to creating a ripple effect of selflessness.

I’m also a big believer that we should chase something new every year, something that excites and scares us. At every level, there’s a new devil. So every year, I find one new thing I can suck at that’s gonna push my business forward. In the beginning, it was sharing my artwork, just creating and sharing. I sucked at it. Then it was sharing my voice through microblogging on Instagram. I sucked at that. But then I learned I had more to say, so I decided to suck as a blogger, a public speaker, podcaster, coach, and now live streaming scares me the most, so I’m going to suck at streaming podcasts in front of a live audience. I’m just willing to suck at something new each year. 

F.U.D.
I do what I do because there’s so much Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (F.U.D.) in this world. There are so many things outside of our control, but what we do have control over is what we build for ourselves. You have to be selfish to find your gift so you can selflessly give it away. I want to teach people how to build something on their own to hedge against an uncertain day job, geoeconomic, or geopolitical climate that we’re all a part of but are outside of our control. What is in your control is how you show up, pouring yourself into something that you truly love, honing your craft, providing value, going all-in on yourself. It’s the idea that you can create a rippling impact way after you’re six feet deep in the dirt.

I ask myself, how can I make a lasting impact on people within my circle or influence people in different pockets of the planet? And then, set a great example for your kiddos and create generational wealth and change for my family tree. That’s what fires me up. Why live as the sad sappy Scotty who feels sorry because of my circumstances growing up. Life is about choices and perspective. There are so many people that would kill to be in this spot and kill to be in this spot.

This podcast and all past episodes are available to listen to now. You can also subscribe to Get Under The Surface podcasts on all major platforms (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc.).

Learn more & get in touch with Scotty:

• Instagram: @coachscottyrussell 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachscottyrussell 
• Podcast: https://coachscottyrussell.com/side-hustlers-perspective 
• Website: https://coachscottyrussell.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThePerspectiveCollective/

The post Creative Side Hustling, Embracing the Suck, Fear, & Fatherhood — Scotty Russell appeared first on Cuppa SEO.