SPARKED

Have you ever felt like the very identity that defined you was becoming a straightjacket? That the career path, role, or persona you'd so carefully crafted suddenly felt constraining rather than purposeful? If so, you've likely experienced the disorienting - yet potentially catalyzing - transition I'm exploring with my guest today. I’m joined by Laura Gassner Otting. As an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who helped innovate AmeriCorps in the Clinton White House, she's intimately familiar with the psychological terrain one must navigate when shedding an old identity to birth the next evolution. Her new book "Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life" provides a roadmap for this journey. *** And before we dive in, a quick note on the state of the show.  So we have been in a season of reimagining here at Spark HQ, taking a look at what we're doing and why, how we're serving, and how best to keep serving you in the future. And as we do that, we've decided to take some time and place the show on hiatus while we deepen into new ideas and formats and ways to keep sharing the awakened work-life love.  So this will be the final episode as we head into a quieter season of incubation and reimagining. We appreciate you coming along for the ride with us, and really look forward to being back with new ways to share new ideas.  *** Find: Laura Gassner Otting   Website  |  Books Host: Jonathan Fields, creator of Good Life Project podcast & the Sparketype® Assessment Read Jonathan’s Awake at the Wheel Newsletter More on Sparketypes:  Discover Your Sparketype | The Book | The Website Presented by LinkedIn.

Bree Groff, a pioneering advisor at the intersection of leadership and life, and author of "Today Was Fun," discusses transforming work into a joyful experience. She shares insights on finding joy in professional settings and the need to prioritize playfulness and authentic connections. Bree highlights her transition from education to consulting, emphasizing the importance of emotional balance and the power of micro acts of mischief at work. The conversation inspires a rethinking of professionalism to enhance creativity and fulfill our human potential.

Have you ever felt like your ambition was unsustainable? That drive to achieve and succeed was slowly draining you, leaving you unfulfilled despite your accomplishments? What if there was a way to align your ambitions with your deepest motivations and capacity for a lifetime of thriving? Today, we're turning our attention to the concept of sustainable ambition. We'll explore a fresh perspective that liberates ambition from its narrow professional confines and redefines it as a fluid force that ebbs and flows across all domains of life. Get ready to shed the toxic notion that ambition requires endless striving and embrace a more balanced "middle way." My guest today is Kathy Oneto, an executive and life-work coach, speaker, facilitator and strategy executive whose mission is to help organizations and individuals live and work differently for greater success and satisfaction. She is the founder of Sustainable Ambition®, host of the Sustainable Ambition podcast, and author of the forthcoming book, Sustainable Ambition: How to Prioritize What Matters to Thrive in Life and Work. Find: Kathy Oneto  | Website  |  LinkedIn  |  Book Host: Jonathan Fields, creator of Good Life Project podcast and the Sparketype® Assessment, More on Sparketypes:  Discover Your Sparketype | The Book | The Website Presented by LinkedIn.

Daisy Auger-Domínguez, a trailblazing executive and author of 'Burnt Out to Lit Up', shares her insights on overcoming burnout and fostering vibrant workplace cultures. She discusses the three dimensions of workplace burnout: exhaustion, cynicism, and low performance, and emphasizes the importance of recognizing its signs. Daisy highlights the need for vulnerability and authenticity in leadership, plus the significance of self-awareness and open dialogue. Practical strategies such as breath work and self-reflection help individuals uncover their passions and enhance their joy in work.

Have you ever felt stuck pursuing a path that didn't truly resonate with you? A career, creative endeavor or major life change that you committed to fully, told the world it’s what you were doing, and who you were now…only to realize it wasn't what you really wanted?  Today, we're going to explore a more forgiving approach - one that allows you to experiment and gather critical data before going all-in. Imagine if you could "date" a potential pursuit, getting to know it intimately, before deciding whether to take that next step. What if the weight of having to definitively choose was lifted, allowing a sense of playfulness and curiosity to guide your exploration? My partner in conversation today is Charlie Gilkey, a strategic advisor, executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing and Team Habits. Charlie brings a wealth of wisdom for trying on new identities through low-risk projects and experiments. Find Charlie Gilkey | Website Host: Jonathan Fields, creator of Good Life Project podcast and the Sparketype® Assessment, More on Sparketypes:  Discover Your Sparketype | The Book | The Website Find a Certified Sparketype Advisor: CSA Directory Presented by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of feeling drained and unfocused at work? Do you wish you could harness your brain’s full creative potential without sacrificing productivity? In this thought-provoking conversation, Dr. Mithu Storoni, a neuroscience researcher and ophthalmic surgeon, reveals revolutionary insights from her book Hyperefficient: Optimize Your Brain to Transform the Way You Work. Imagine a world where you can effortlessly align your workflow with your brain’s natural rhythms, optimizing focus, creativity, and overall performance. Dr. Storoni exposes the flaws of the traditional 9-5 workday, shedding light on how our industrial-era approach to work actively undermines our cognitive abilities. But fear not, for she offers a transformative framework to redesign your workday around your brain’s unique needs. Discover how to “find your flame” – the work that ignites your intrinsic motivation, “get in gear” by aligning tasks with your optimal cognitive states, and “run in rhythm” by respecting your brain’s neurocycles. You can find Mithu at: Website | LinkedIn | Book Host: Jonathan Fields, creator of Good Life Project podcast and the Sparketype® Assessment, More on Sparketypes:  Discover Your Sparketype | The Book | The Website Presented by LinkedIn.

Dr. Emily Anhalt, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Coa, shares her expertise on emotional fitness. She discusses seven core traits essential for navigating emotions with resilience and empathy. Emily highlights the transformative power of discomfort for personal growth and the delicate balance between empathy and boundaries in relationships. She also emphasizes the role of playfulness in the workplace to foster creativity and collaboration. Tune in for practical insights to enhance your emotional agility and well-being!

Mitch Joel, a marketing visionary and co-founder of ThinkersOne, dives into the fascinating intersection of AI and creativity. He introduces his 'PACE' framework, which encourages using AI to enhance, rather than replace, human creativity. Mitch emphasizes that technology should foster personal expression and collaboration. He also explores the evolving concept of 'taste' in creative processes and highlights the significance of agency for creatives in an AI-driven landscape, advocating for thoughtful engagement and continuous self-discovery.

Today’s Career Transformation Story features a trailblazer's journey from the apex of the corporate tech world to embracing the path of the solopreneur coach. It's a tale of reclaiming autonomy and giving voice to one's innermost callings. My guest today is Christian Röpke, who spent over a decade rising through AI leadership roles like Head of AI and Chief Technology Officer at startups in Berlin's white-hot tech scene. Despite the prestigious positions, an insistent voice stirred inside longing for more ownership and creative freedom. With the Primary Sparketype® Sage and Maven as his Shadow, Christian felt an innate drive to enlighten others through deep insight and perspective-shifting wisdom. Yet his corporate roles, however elite, inevitably boxed in that expression. So Christian took a leap into the uncertainty of solopreneurship, now guiding businesses on their AI journeys while finally honoring his soul's work as a catalyst for "aha" moments. ~~~ And if you’d like to share your career transformation story on the Sparked podcast, to inspire others who may be feeling stuck or unsure about their own career paths, we encourage you to apply to be a guest and check out the form in the show notes. Because we believe that everyone deserves to find fulfillment and purpose in their work. To apply, please check out this form. We can't wait to hear from you! Host: Jonathan Fields, creator of Good Life Project podcast and the Sparketype® Assessment, More on Sparketypes:  Discover Your Sparketype | The Book | The Website Presented by LinkedIn.

A transformative journey unfolds as the host shares insights from a 17-month personal experiment aimed at enhancing joy and meaning in life. The focus is on crafting a fulfilling future through playful projects and holistic experiments in vitality, connection, and creativity. Listeners hear about bold identity shifts, confronting fears, and the joys and failures of navigating a life centered on deep values. This journey invites everyone to embrace their own experiments for a more vibrant and intentional life.