If I had to name a theme for this conversation, it would be all about the quality of the question. Nick Miller is a phenomenal question asker – as you will hear in this conversation, where more than once, he turned the table and asked me a question. You will also hear where I asked a question he had no answer for – because I didn’t ask a great question. We covered his weekly sales thought – as he’s coming up on number 1000, on his writing and storytelling mentors, what he learned about asking questions from a graveyard, how he got a famous author and coach to take him on as a client and the only three things we really need to know how to do. Hint: one of them is to learn, and we dove deep on the topic of how we know we are learning, and what he wished he had learned earlier in his career. 

Creative Spirits Unleashed

#22: Nick Miller. Stop Teaching and Start Telling Stories

Diane has practical ways to help us to help ourselves to help the Earth. Her real passion is finding choice in what we buy and how we choose to buy, so that we don’t destroy the planet we live on.  Our conversation started with her role in working with Richard Branson, who has been in the news lately thanks to the Virgin Galactic space flight. She has in interesting take on what drives him to make space flight available.  We had several themes in this conversation, which revolved around her passion for the planet. One theme was choice, and showing all of us how much choice we have. Another was around animals, and especially sea life. She has a clear affinity for dolphins, whales, and so forth. She also deeply understands what it takes to get behind the story on where the products that make modern life possible come from.  Here’s what she has to say about herself:   Diane Osgood is an authority on sustainable and ethical products. For over thirty years, she’s helped companies innovate to manufacture and sell sustainable stuff that’s better for the planet. She knows the tricks, tips, and strategies that can help shoppers align the contents of their shopping basket with what matters most to them.   https://dianeosgood.com/ 

#31 Diane Osgood: Finding Choice in what We Buy and How We Choose to Buy

Sometimes, you read a book and the lessons stay with you long after you’ve finished the book. That’s what happened for me after I read Terri Tomoff’s book The Focused Fight-A Childhood Cancer Journey: From Mayhem to Miracles. I had the honor of watching this book unfold last year. Terri and I were in the writing in community group through Akimbo where we wrote daily and shared blurbs, plus offered each other encouragement. No one offered more hope and encouragement than Terri, which will not surprise you after you listen to this conversation.We started with her history of going behind the iron curtain as a teenager to win two races in the Polish Olympics. Terri has continued to be an athlete through her life – and her “all things are possible” mindset helped carry her through the battles of her son Ryan’s 5 battles with cancer, including 3 occurrences of leukemia. When you listen to the conversation, you will quickly realize that this is a story of leadership at its very essence. Terri not only understands how to receive help, which is my definition of leadership, she also knows how to give it. And boy, does she know how to rally resources. Terri’s shares many of her philosophies in this conversation. Creating a team is number one. She also shares some of the finer points of delegation and how she manages to be optimistic and find the blessings in the most dire of circumstances. Her stories inspired me and I think you will be inspired as well. The book is a gift to anyone who has been handed more than they think they can handle – and it’s a gift to those who want to be better able to recognize their blessings. I will tell you this – Terri Tomoff is the kind of person you want on your team, and she’s allowed us the chance to experience her hope and inspiration through this book. And stay tuned, she is blogging regularly and writing another book about Manufacturing Sunshine.

#30 Terri Tomoff: Capturing Hope and Inspiration Through Adversity

Sometimes when I’m watching a movie based on real life disasters, like Titanic or The Perfect Storm, I find myself yelling at characters on the screen to STOP. Wait another day! You don’t want the story to end this way! Of course, the people in these stories did not set out expecting the worst. They set out expecting their skills to be up for the challenges that awaited them. In this podcast, Peter Barr tells of a harrowing adventure he had on a mountain in Nevada last December. In this case, we are not watching a movie. It’s real. The main character in the story is actually taking us through the adventure, so we know it ends up ok. Nonetheless, I found myself listening back to this story with a part of me wanting to tell him to turn back! Peter, wait another day!There was another part of me that wanted to understand his choices. When Peter and his wife Allison decided to live a life of adventure from their RV last summer, they chose to test themselves on many fronts. Where it’s common in the modern world for us to avoid trouble and inconvenience, Peter and Allison have recognized that every challenge makes them a little better under pressure.In our first podcast from last August, Peter talked about his dreams of making the most of his life and putting his love of getting up to high places front and center. I was thrilled to get a chance to hear how it’s going, and I think you will be too. This conversation is filled with lessons on how to use pressure as a catalyst for personal growth and the development of skills.  Peter has captured his love of high places in his recently released book “Exploring North Carolina’s Lookout Towers”. It’s a beautiful book, full of magnificent pictures, compelling stories, and practical hiking information.I think you are really going to enjoy this conversation.

#29: Peter Barr Living a Life of Adventure

Every year, the Masters Water Ski tournament is held in Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain Georgia. It is THE most prestigious tournament in water skiing. This year, my friend Cyndi Benzel was chief judge and asked me to be the judge’s assistant. During the officials meeting the first night we got there, I ran into Tyler just to say hi. We have been connected on Linkedin for years -  because water skiing is that kind of sport. You just connect with everyone involved in the sport.  Somehow Tyler and I started talking business and leadership and books that changed our lives.It was one of those moments where I wanted to capture the conversation – so we set the earliest date we could to record this podcast. This conversation gets going very quickly. Before we are five minutes into it, Tyler starts sharing some of his ideas on leadership and performance. He was deeply affected by Carol Dweck’s book Mindset and Annie Duke’s book Thinking in Bets. Both caused him to think differently – and act differently - and those themes are woven into this conversation. We also cover a lot of other ground on his thoughts on applying his life principles to investing and to sports.  Of course, the conversation would not have been complete if we didn’t talk about the Master’s and some of the incredible stories from the event a few weeks ago. One thing I learned without a doubt: Tyler pours his heart into giving every athlete their moment in the limelight. I also learned how he has spent his whole life preparing to be behind the mic, whether in water skiing or announcing football. I was captivated by his stories about he learned to be so good on the microphone.   Here’s what he has to say about himself. Tyler Boyd started water skiing as a child 30 years ago. His exceptional speaking skills gave him the motivation to become an announcer for water skiing events over ten years ago. For the last three years, he was the commentator for the Masters of Water Skiing. Tyler has also spent time announcing football events for Houston Baptist University. A licensed attorney, he brings exceptional speaking and negotiating skills to the table, along with a high level of focus, creativity, and value to every interaction. He stands out from the crowd by combining talent and passion in his professional pursuits. As a Houston attorney, he handles a wide range of legal issues in commercial, contract, business, and employment law. Tyler is a four-time USA National Water Ski Champion and remains active in the sport where he continues to compete. In his free time, Tyler enjoys traveling with his wife and three children, researching, skiing, diving, biking, and working out. 

#28 Tyler Boyd Betting on Yourself and Your Own Skills

When the shutdowns started happening last year, we all had to take our “engagement game” up to another level. Suddenly, our meetings became virtual. Once we mastered the “unmute” and “turn on video” buttons, we had to also master keeping people engaged without the benefit of being in the same room. We could no longer read body language…or yawns. Vernon Roberts started mastering virtual engagement before it was cool. He and I worked together in the 90’s, teaching accounting, banking, loan approvals and other dry topics. In that environment, Vernon brought life to the classroom. When he formed Evoke Virtual in 2003, he was ahead of his time.  As it often does, this conversation took many interesting turns; not surprisingly, it was engaging start to finish. He has so many tips and tricks, from setting context, using open ended questions, understanding our own interests in a conversation, to hearing what really matters to those we are talking to.  Vernon Roberts is an author, master instructor, coach and speaker. Vernon creates a positive learning environment and provides masterful coaching that allows participants to achieve rapid and permanent growth in their skills as communicators and presenters. Vernon coaches and consults face-to-face and virtually in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Co-author of The Gift of Success and Happiness (Skyhorse Publishing, 2011), Vernon challenges readers to transform their lives by utilizing dynamic business process principles. He has also published in T+D magazine and client newsletters and delivered seminars on work-life balance to audiences in such institutions as the Wake Forest University Schools of Business. Vernon holds a B.A. in Economics/Business Administration from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) and an M.B.A. from Loyola University’s Sellinger School of Business and Management in Baltimore, Maryland. 

#27 Vernon Roberts: Creating Authentic Communication in a Virtual Conversation

Michele Stowe has a thing or two to say about leading change. She also has a thing or two to say about a lot of the most joyous – and least fun – parts of corporate life. From the title of the podcast, it’s probably no surprise to you that Michele Stowe is also a self-described comic book nerd. In our conversation, she tells us about how and why she decided to leverage a comic book tool in her coaching repertoire. It’s the kind of thing that makes you tap your forehead and ask “Why didn’t I think of that?” If you have ever been through a corporate downsizing, whether on the receiving or “giving” end of it, her story about an early experience will hit home. Memories of several of my experiences came flooding back as she described her role, which happened very early in her career. I could just picture 22-year-old Michele wearing her only business suit telling bankers twice her age the reason their badge failed to operate that morning. The story shaped her in very important and useful ways, as we hear in this conversation. This podcast is like a master class in leadership development and change management – and in taking risks. One of my favorite quotes was this: “I can…try some experiments, fail, learn and try again, I can emerge to be someone completely different, I can emerge to be that someone that I was meant to be, or at least that I was meant to be for now.” Michele has also learned a LOT about true motivation and purpose from working in Mercy Housing, led for many years by Sr. Lillian Murphy, one of my favorite people ever. You can hear Michele a talk titled “Annie Get Your Nun”.  Here’s what Michele has to say about herself:  For over 20 years, Michele Stowe has been guiding individuals, teams, and leaders of a wide range of organizations to create authentic, equitable, and fulfilling change, producing real, sustainable proven results.  Born in the US and raised in Germany, where she also lived and worked for many years, Michele graduated from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania and earned her Master&apos;s Degree in Organizational Psychology at Columbia University. Following an executive career at Fortune 100 companies that spanned almost two decades, in industries ranging from real estate to pharmaceuticals, she executed a professional pivot into the nonprofit sector, and became Chief Operating Officer of Mercy Housing.  A self-described "leadership development junkie," her diverse experience in the for-profit sector - opportunities to leverage her multinational background - helped stoke her professional philosophy, but it was her time at Mercy Housing where it caught fire. One of many achievements, Michele created a comprehensive talent management program for the company&apos;s leaders that structured everything from onboarding to succession planning, all wrapped around the organization&apos;s core values. Five years ago, Michele brought her vast array of knowledge and experience to bear and founded SkyRocket LLC, a coaching and consulting service that leads clients through a dynamic and thought-provoking process. Drawing from her own C-Suite experience and incorporating research-based approaches that foster creativity and self-discovery, Michele is able to tap into the client&apos;s own resourcefulness to help them align and clarify goals, elicit solutions, and hold them responsible and accountable. Certified by the International Coaching Federation, Michele is also a Hogan Assessment practitioner and a highly sought-after speaker, offering these services to any size audience or venue through SkyRocket. 

#26: Michele Stowe: A Leadership Development Junkie talks about Developing Leadership Superpowers

Michael Cohen woke up to the possibilities of acupuncture when he was told he might not run again after a knee injury. His experience was so profound that he decided to dive deeply into acupuncture and Eastern medicine to learn what this different healing modality is all about. In his journey, he discovered that acupuncture is much more than a way to heal; it can also help enhance athletic performance. This conversation opened my eyes to some nuanced ways of thinking about energy, balance and harmony. 

#25 Michael Cohen: Working in Balance with the Cycles of Life

For this episode, I’m speaking with Susan Robertson, founder and managing partner of Linceis Conscious Business. She is also the author of two books: REAL Leadership: Waken to Wisdom and her upcoming book, REAL Culture: The Catalyst for Conscious Business.Su and I have a long history together that covers a lot of different domains. Before Linceis Conscious Business, she was a founder along with her husband Barry of Stop at Nothing, who ran one of the deepest, most effective leadership programs I’ve ever seen or experienced. Well over 50% of the people who attended that program had positive changes to their lives afterwards, including me. After attending many of the Stop at Nothing programs, I eventually taught the program for about 10 years.With Linceis Conscious Business, she is taking her expertise in human development to a whole new level. When she works with teams, she helps them bring a whole new level of psychological safety and trust to bear – which then brings a new level of effectiveness to the team and to the whole culture. We covered so much in this conversation – starting with fear. You will hear the story of when I was sure Su was sending me out to be attacked by the Texas Chainsaw guy when the biggest risk was really mosquitoes. That would be mind created fear – and Su dives deep into what we can do to keep those fears from robbing our joy.She also shares some deep coaching wisdom with several stories with clients – names changed to protect the innocent of course.Here’s Su’s bio:Susan Robertson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Linceis Conscious Business Group, LLC (LCB). For over 31-years, Susan has worked with businesses worldwide focusing on executive leadership and cultural transformation. Susan is the author of REAL Leadership: Waken to Wisdom and her upcoming book, REAL Culture: The Catalyst for Conscious Business. Her passion is to support leaders, teams, and organizations helping them find their direction and purpose by becoming REAL. Simply put, the REAL methodology increases bottom-line performance. Susan believes companies can be both profitable and compassionate. Susan is a long-time meditator, she enjoys hiking in the Blue Ridge, and skiing in Vail with her stepchildren and grandchildren. There’s so much in here. You will want to listen to this one several times.I would love to hear what you like about this conversation. All you have to do is go to the podcast page on my website www.lynncarnes.com and click the “send a voicemail button” on the right-hand side of the page. Super easy to do and it helps me know what to bring you in future episodes.

#24 Susan Robertson on Getting Over Mind Created Fear

It’s easy to confuse our circumstances with our interpretation of those circumstances. In this conversation, Bill Goldsmith shares his own journey from feeling like a victim to loving his life and ending his career “100 times betters than it could have been”. Bill also shares a famous story in The Elegant Pivot, where assuming positive intent literally changed the direction and outcome of a critical team meeting.  

#23 Bill Goldsmith: No More Being a Victim by Assuming Positive Intent

In this podcast, Michèle Stanners shares her journey toward reconciliation with the First Nations people of Canada, provides a masterclass in the art of deep listening and demonstrates the value of taking both and artistic and pragmatic approach to facing the challenges of diversity. Her book and podcast of the same name “Unsettled” explores the path to reconciling  unconscious bias and racism and build bridges of understanding.

#21 Michèle Stanners on Building Bridges of Reconciliation

“The more you eliminate the need for control, the more you are open to communication.”  -Nahshon Cook If you have ever heard the phrase wise beyond his years, you are about to experience that. We barely talk about horses – although we do. We mostly cover fear, the need to control, what forgiveness means and so much more. We started this conversation with me asking him how he connects pain as a gift – and after that, we were off and running. There’s no way I can do his words of wisdom justice. You will just have to listen for yourself.  

# 20: Nahshon Cook on Love, Forgiveness, Healing and Communication

Ann Herrmann Nehdi started this podcast by saying “balance is a loaded word…and it’s almost impossible to attain…this exquisite balance.” Right out of the chute, we started this conversation by challenging assumptions and diving into her company’s research on thinking, resilience and managing change in times like these. There’s no one I know who “thinks about thinking” more than Ann. She spends a lot of time working with senior teams as well as those in the “magic middle” of some of the largest companies in the world. The company founded by her father Ned Herrmann has provided HBDI Thinking Style Assessments for 97% of the Fortune 100. She has incredible insight into the inner workings of how decisions get made throughout these organizations – and it’s often different than it appears from the outside looking in.  In this conversation, Ann walks us through the model, describing our four “selves” and how those aspects of our thinking can work together to create a better whole.  

#19: Ann Herrmann-Nehdi Can Help You Think Better

After a 30 year career at Nike, Dwayne Hildreth is exploring new territory with horses and music – and when he does something, he goes all out. He had visions of riding off into the sunset on his shiny new Palomino, only to discover that horse ownership, like almost any endeavor, involves a lot more than meets the eye. Nonetheless, he and his two horses are competing – and winning – in the Reined Cow Horse discipline, one of the most extreme of the horse sports. Yet this cowboy also writes and arranges music. His heart comes through in both. If there is any lesson in this podcast, it’s this: the sooner you find your heart, the more you will come to center.  

#18: Dwayne Hildreth on Coming to Center

My Daughter, Jen and I, have actually done several podcasts together over the years, talking about our story through addiction and our adventures working together as a mother daughter team.  A little over a month ago, we did a podcast together about how her moment of vulnerability changed everything. We are back for a round two for a very important reason; we are answering the question: Did anything really change?If you have not listened to the first podcast, it is worth your time to go listen to Episode 16 – both to get context for this one might and also to hear how Jen made it to the other side of fear in that incident. In this episode, we go even deeper into her behind the scenes thoughts, feelings and actions, especially around the constant balancing act of meeting goals and yet staying present. We can either be way too future focused or way to now focused. Somewhere in the middle is the magic balance and Jen does a marvelous job of teasing out how she walked that tightrope the second time she went for a trail ride – that might not ever get out on the trail. 

The Non-Drama of Getting Back On the Horse

Creative Spirits Unleashed is about becoming more of who you really are by changing your relationship with mistakes, pressure and criticism and adding more balance to your life.