Episodes

We constantly encounter complex problems at home, in our places of work, and in society at large. Even if we had all the time and money in the world, sometimes no good solution can be found. So, what should we do, especially when we can’t wait? The answer: a workaround. For ages, global corporations have been lecturing small organizations and not-for-profits on how to get things done. As it turns out, it should have been the other way around. Small, scrappy businesses, startups, and even indivi...

Over the last few years, there’s been a massive acceleration in the trend of people leaving mainstream jobs to start their own business, from freelancing or private practices to portfolio careers. Largely in the name of freedom. But, many are also finding, they’re giving up something big along the way. A sense of community, comradery, and belonging. And, it may even lead to increasing levels of social isolation or even loneliness. If you’ve ever worked in a corporate role or within any team, yo...

Following on from last week’s episode we dig deeper into how to ask for help in a way that is more likely to actually get you the support or guidance you are looking for. Deborah shares supportive guidelines and a powerful shift in approach that will change how you look at asking for help. She shares that it is worth being bold when it comes to asking for what you need and reminds us that the right ask, at the right time, with someone willing and able to help you, could very well be life-changi...

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here. There’s a mythology in work and in life, of the individual who goes out and does all the things they want to do, completely on their own. The Self-reliant, capable of anything and everything human. We have a misguided story that that kind of self-sufficiency is an achievement, that anything less than that is a burden, and asking for help is a sign of weakness, lack, or inability. This myth is doing us a lot of harm and, in tur...

It’s a challenge we all deal with. We show up, work incredibly hard, strive to create something powerful, unique, impactful. And, yet, it lands with a thud. Maybe not an outright failure, but also nowhere close to what you thought could or would happen. Creative disappointment is a part of the process of making anything great. Whether it’s a book, a brand, a company, product, culture, or beyond, you will, inevitably, be disappointed along the way. Sometimes with yourself, other times by the rea...

What if this was the year you actually did the thing that you have dreamed of doing, the thing that’s been in the back of your mind for months or years, maybe even decades? The thing that when you think about it, your whole body responds – exhilarated in part, energized. You can feel it in your heart. And if you’re being honest, maybe along with that tingling of excitement, there’s even a touch of fear and doubt. Well, what if this was the year and now was the time to begin? How would that feel...

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here. You’ve spent years becoming really good at what you do. Expert level. And, you’ve reached the end of your ability to serve clients on an individual basis. It’s time to scale. But, how do you scale a business and find ways to duplicate yourself when offering highly-skilled, one to one services? Especially, without degrading the quality of the service you envision? Is that even possible? If so, what would it take? And, how do Spar...

Got a career or business question for the Braintrust? Submit here. So many of us look at the world we live in, and wonder how we might make a bigger impact. After a decade in academic setting, with a focus on career advising and HR, today’s guest, Claire, is now a parent to two children at the beginning of their teen years, and a new leader in elected government. And, she’s proud of how she accomplished this, even in light of her Anti Performer impulse. Jonathan & Karen discuss: The potential ...

How do we find the time to make our own art? How do you blend your own creative or expressive practice with running a business? Today’s listener Claudia presents this question. She has been running a successful Paint Your Pottery Studio with her sister, which impressively survived the pandemic, and is now seeing revenues go back up as people yearn to make and gather. Jonathan & Cynthia offer: JF’s Three stages of business growth How to delegate or alter your role to find the spark H...

Can social conditioning, past experiences, and external pressure affect the way we explore figuring out our Sparketype? Or, for that matter, any metric we might look to, as a way to help figure out what drives us? And how do we turn down the volume on social conditioning and perceived expectations, determine what our “truest truths” really are, and express ourselves in a more aligned way? Today’s listener, Sarah, asks these interesting questions, after re-taking the Sparketypes Assessment a year...

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here. How do you satisfy an impulse to build a living around multiple passions and be in constant learning and growth mode, in a work world that keeps pushing you to pick a single passion or skill-set, become an expert and just keep doing that one thing for life? Jonathan & Jenny offer: Closing the communication gap with multiple resumes / portfolios Pitching your varied skillset as an asset and differentiator not a detractor Is i...

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here. Today’s listener Paulina asks, as an Essentialist who thrives and is energized by chaos, problem solving and ‘putting out fires’, when you run your own consultancy and need to wear all the hats, but things settle into a fairly dialed-in mode where that Essentialist impulse isn’t so organically activate any more, how do you keep feeling Sparked? And it is more about finding satisfaction and joy in everyday, non chaotic work or fi...

And can we ever really know?

'How do you Move Forward with Self Compassion & Curiosity after experiencing Great Loss?'

And would he do it again?

'How do you take a Life-Changing Sabbatical?'

How do you Build the Team Habit of Belonging?

How can you Handle the Parts of a Job You Love that Don’t Come Easily?

'How do Use Your Shadow Sparketype to Amplify Different Impulses?'

'How do you convert Creative Inspiration into Action Taking?'

'How do you navigate Career Gaps with Courage and is it ok to keep starting over?'

‘How do you Reframe the so-called ‘Portfolio Career’ dilemma?’

Hosted by keynote speaker & best selling author Cyndie Spiegal

‘How do you unpack the assumption that your ‘Anti’ Sparketype is the only way to succeed in business?’