213: Who’s Sitting in the Board Room of Your Brain? with Adrian Klaphaak (Pivot Crossover)

Aug 8, 2023

Adrian Klaphaak, a coaching expert and practitioner of Internal Family Systems therapy, joins Jenny to discuss the concept of the 'boardroom in your brain.' They explore the different voices or parts that influence thoughts and actions, and share personal experiences and homework on identifying these voices. They discuss three different board members in the brain: the one that wants you to work harder, the one that demands surrender, and the one that tries to figure everything out. They delve into internal struggles and self-doubt that entrepreneurs face, as well as explore the presence of a disengaged Buddhist monk in the brain's boardroom and the internal conflict between different aspects of oneself.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Understanding the 'Boardroom in Your Brain'

02:19 • 9min

Exploring Multiple Voices and Overwhelm

11:23 • 2min

The Three Board Members in the Brain

13:22 • 19min

Internal Struggles and Self-Doubt

32:01 • 8min

The Presence of a Disengaged Buddhist Monk in the Brain's Boardroom

40:16 • 2min

Internal Conflict and the Tug of War

42:19 • 19min

Who is sitting in the boardroom of your brain? Who is sitting around the table, challenging your decisions, making noise, and offering critiques?

Today Adrian and I are walking through one of our favorite coaching exercises by offering up (and coaching each other through) identifying and describing three of our current loudest board members and who we want to hire moving forward. This work connects to a therapy tool called Internal Family Systems which Adrian will share more about in our next episode together.

This crossover episode originally aired on the Pivot podcast on April 23, 2023.

We want to hear from you! Leave us a voice memo about this episode or to request a future topic for us to cover at http://pivotmethod.com/ask.

Are you working on a pivot-in-progress? For guidance on reconnecting with what lights you up and creating an action plan to move forward, check out Adrian’s flagship Career Pathfinder Program and apply promo code PIVOT at checkout.

More about Adrian: Adrian Klaphaak is a coach, purpose guide, entrepreneur, and founder of A Path That Fits Career and Life Coaching. His coaching approach is holistic—a constant balance between getting results and a quest for meaning and fulfillment. He describes himself as “a deep seeker with a constant itch to make things happen.”

🌟 3 Key Takeaways

We all have parts of us that seem like voices in our heads speaking from different perspectives. When experiencing change, separating them out can provide powerful clarity.
Ask questions and imagine (or write) the answers from each of your board members. What is each one's primary motivation? Their biggest fear? What are they trying to protect you from?
What is the bigger vision coming from your more critical board members? For example, that you experience greater peace, success, time with your family, etc.

✅ Try This Next: Brainstorm your current board members, either on a piece of paper or together with a friend. Make a list of as many as you’d like, and build out the description by personifying them: What are they wearing? How are they acting? What is their primary fear and their primary motivation? What do you want to say to each one? Bonus: Who are the three board members you’d like to hire moving forward to help bring out your best self?

🔗 Resources Mentioned

Adrian on the web, Yelp, Facebook, LinkedIn
Course: Career Pathfinder, promo code PIVOT
IFS Training: Internal Family Systems
Coach Training: CTI
Articles: Finding Your Calling by a Path the Fits
Selfleadership.org

📚 Books Mentioned

🎧 Related Episodes

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