Make Life Less Difficult

My guest today is Kyle Dietrich.Kyle is the founder of Grounded Idealist and co-organizer of the Coaching Collaborative, a powerful initiative supporting tens of thousands of displaced public servants with coaching, career transition support, and deep innovation work designed to empower changemakers to continue serving. Grounded Idealist has mobilized nearly 3,000 credentialed coaches and offered over 20,000 hours of pro bono coaching to workers in transition since February 2025. Kyle is a peacebuilder, social entrepreneur, and trauma-informed leadership coach. With more than 25 years of experience leading large-scale international development and humanitarian assistance programs in complex contexts like Haiti, Niger, and Burundi, including his former role as Training and Learning Director in USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Kyle brings a practitioner's insight to the intersection of global change, trauma, and human development.Episode Resources: Click this link if you are a worker in transition and would like to learn more about Grounded Idealist's programs, including signing up to receive coaching: https://www.groundedidealist.co/workers  Click this link if you are a coach interested in signing up to offer pro bono coaching and/or join their coach membership program: https://www.groundedidealist.co/coachesYou can also follow Grounded Idealist on LinkedIn to learn more about their programs and events: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grounded-idealistSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guests today are Sue Callaghan and Roberta Miceli.Sue & Roberta are leadership coaches and facilitators of the program, Designing Your Life.Here's what they say about the Designing Your Life workshops:Do you ever find yourself 'stuck' at work? Feeling overwhelmed? Wanting more meaning from your life?​This eight week Designing Your (Work) Life* small group helps you reclaim meaning, find joy in your life and "try stuff!" You will gain strategies and design thinking tools to change your mindset from "It's not working" to "I can make (almost) any situation work!" ​Join us! We are DYL Certified Coaches Sue Callaghan, PCC and Roberta Miceli, PCC.*Adapted from the Designing Your Work Life approach created by Stanford professors, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.Connect with Sue and Roberta:Sue's website: https://www.goldvineco.com/Roberta's website: https://www.micelicoaching.com/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Sharoya Ham.Sharoya is a mother of three and wife of one!  She's also a behavior change specialist and parent coach.  She created Embrace Behavior Change to help families strengthen their relationships.  Her goal is for parents to spend less time focusing on problems and more time enjoying precious moments with their children.In our conversation today, Sharoya generously shares her journey of learning she has Bipolar Disorder.  She shares about the stories of others that helped her embrace her own story and begin sharing.  And she talks about un-judging.  This is so powerful and important.  Learning to un-judge -- ourselves and each other!You can learn more about Sharoya at her website: https://www.embracebehaviorchange.com/On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharoya-ham-7718a5113/And through her work on The Big Purple Blob, support for Ex-Pat Families: https://thebigpurpleblob.com/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Owen Marcus.Owen is the Co-Founder of Meld, a platform guiding high-performing men—founders, executives, creatives—through emotional development using somatic-based group work. With 50 years of experience in body-centered therapies and the original IP behind Everyman, Owen has helped thousands of men improve their relationships, emotional health, and overall well-being through community-based transformation. Meld has worked with professionals across industries—from Google X engineers to first responders and entrepreneurs—helping them access vulnerability, rewire stress responses, and build emotional resilience. This is a great conversation with so much wisdom.  Connect with Owen through his website: https://owenmarcus.com/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Lisa Krim.Lisa is an executive coach who works with organizations and senior leaders to meet the challenges of leadership in complex landscapes across a range of sectors.  She serves leaders who are committed to accelerating their own growth and navigating change, to help them meet individual goals and optimize their organization’s effectiveness. Before we jump into our conversation, I wanted to take a minute to let you know that our conversation today is a deep one.  We talk about loss and grief, as Lisa shares about losing her daughter of 2 years of age.This is a beautiful conversation and I’m incredibly grateful to Lisa for sharing these pieces of her journey and her wisdom.  If for any reason you aren’t in a space to listen in at the moment, please take care of yourself first and foremost.  If you happen to be in the depths of grief and loss, know that you are not alone.  There are links below if you’d like to connect with Lisa or myself. Lisa's website: https://www.lisakrim.com/Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-krim-847674351/ Resources mentioned in our conversation:StandOut Strengths Free Assessment: https://www.adpresearch.com/standout/ Brené Brown Values Exercise: https://brenebrown.com/resources/living-into-our-values/Book: The Amen Effect by Rabbi Sharon Brous:  https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-amen-effect-ancient-wisdom-to-heal-our-hearts-and-mend-our-broken-world-sharon-brous/19997305Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Jim Brulé.Jim is a transformational storyteller, a death doula, a trauma chaplain, and so much more.  This is the 4-year anniversary of the Make Life Less Difficult podcast, so I'm especially delighted to share this conversation since it's all about storytelling, which is the heart of this podcast.Jim defines transformational storytelling as the art of telling the right story in the right way, with an open heart, to heal the wounds within and between us.Learn more about Jim on his website: https://transformationalstorytelling.org/about-me/Connect with Jim: https://dot.cards/jimbrule%0ASupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Dr. Sudha Kumar. I was honored to meet Dr. Kumar through the kind introduction of her husband, Vinay, who has also been a guest here on the podcast.Dr. Kumar is a Board-Certified Physician with over 30 years of experience managing acute and chronic conditions.  At this point in her career, she focuses on helping her patients live healthier lives by making changes in their diet, balancing hormones, exercise, and adding natural supplements while minimizing the use of prescription medications.  When she works with a patient, she studies their lifestyle, eating habits, and lab results.  Like a detective, she looks at the whole system to understand the causes of issues, so she can create an individualized roadmap for her client’s success.Dr. Kumar is also a published author, a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrative Medicine and Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Training Academy, and a certified yoga instructor.  In our conversation today, we talk about what integrative and functional medicine is and how it differs from traditional medicine.  We discuss women’s health and really delve into the too-often overlooked phase of perimenopause and menopause and what can be done to really care for our health during this time.  I learned so much during our conversation and I think you’ll really appreciate Dr. Kumar’s beautiful way of explaining technical medical information in a way that’s understandable for the non-medical among us!She enjoys hiking, practicing yoga, and creating healthy recipes in her spare time.  She also frequently leads medical missions overseas to provide free medical care to those who are underserved.Dr. Kumar, thank you so much for this conversation!  Thank you for generously sharing your knowledge, expertise, and passion with us.  You are doing such important work in the world!To learn more about Dr. Kumar and her work, you’ll find links below:Website: https://wholistichealthmd.com/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Chris Lebrun. Chris is a productivity coach and the creator of the Wholistic Productivity podcast, and he has one goal: to empower you to be happier and more fulfilled by achieving your professional, personal, and purpose-driven goals.Chris's work around productivity came out of his personal experience, which is why he’s so passionate about helping others. He’s spent more than 25 years helping nonprofits expand their mission through philanthropy, marketing, and communication.Chris and I met a very long time ago in high school! It was super fun to reconnect after 3 decades! And although back in high school I would have expected Chris to be a stand up comic rather than a productivity expert and coach, he has incredibly practical insights and expertise on productivity, setting meaningful goals, and living life on purpose!In our conversation today we talk about the journey of self discovery and awareness that leads to a more fulfilling life, the impact of deep listening, and how systems (of all sorts!) can make life less difficult. Chris, thank you for this great conversation! Thank for the work you are doing in the world to help people show up at their very best!To learn more about Chris, his work, and the Wholistic Productivity Podcast, you’ll find links below:Wholistic Productivity Website: https://wholisticproductivity.com/Podcast: https://wholisticproductivity.com/podcast/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is John Schuhart.John is an executive leadership coach. He spent 17 years as an Intelligence Community Senior Executive, including: Chief Financial Officer of the National Geospatial-Intelligence AgencyDeputy Chief Financial Officer, Office of the Director of National IntelligenceDeputy Executive Director of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Community Management StaffJohn is also the author of, New Supervisor Survival Guide, a book that explores the challenges of becoming an effective leader. Being a leader who people want to work for is not rocket science. But most people either spend too-little time learning or fail to get the training and support they need to learn how to lead and—perhaps more importantly—think about how they want to lead before they become supervisors.In our conversation today John shares his insights and wisdom about leadership and the skills that make leaders effective. John, thank you for this great conversation. Thank you for writing your book and sharing these practical insights and principles of leadership. Your work is making the world a better place!If you’d like to learn more about John and the work that he does, you’ll find links below:Gray Beard Coaching: https://graybeardcoaching.com/Book: New Supervisor Survival Guide: Twelve Simple and Proven Leadership Skills to Help New - and Not So New - Bosses ThriveSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Doug Tilstra.As I introduce Doug, I’ve debated which title to share first and I think I’ll share that he’s my father-in-law!  And I’m honored to share another podcast with a family member!Doug has more than 44 years of experience as a pastor, professor, mentor, coach, and university administrator.  In the six years leading up to his retirement in 2023, Doug served as the vice president for Student Life at  Walla Walla University.  He managed the challenges of covid, as you’ll hear him share some reflections about, and dealt with a high level of stress in his final years of full-time employment.Doug holds a doctoral degree in organization and management with a specialization in leadership, and two master’s degrees – a Master of Divinity and Master of Science in education.  He’s a Georgetown University-certified leadership coach and certified emotional intelligence trainer.  He is a published author and frequent workshop speaker on a variety of leadership topics.Doug and his wife Lorraine have been married since 1979 and are the proud parents of 3 adult children and adoring grandparents of 2 granddaughters.  Doug loves the outdoors, biking, writing, hiking, and reading.In our conversation today, Doug and I dig into the challenges of retirement and major life transitions.  There are a lot of relevant connections for times of transition, which many people are experiencing this year. Dad, thank you for jumping into this conversation with me.  Thank you for being persistent in making time.  It’s especially rewarding since we’ve been talking about this for several years now!  Your reflections, stories, and wisdom are thought-provoking and inspiring.  If you’d like to connect with Doug or learn more about his work in the world, you’ll find links below:Connect with Doug on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-tilstra-4a0472/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra