Productive Flourishing Podcast

In this episode, Jenny Blake joins Charlie on the show to talk about free time and how systems can help us create more of it in our busy lives. The real goal of effective systems is to help us do our best work, free up our energy, and pursue what matters to us. Jenny and Charlie discuss what keeps people from building the right systems, why our ideas of hard work play into the systems we build, and how to start creating more free time in our businesses and personal lives. If you want more free time, this episode is going to be an eye-opener.Key Takeaways:[3:13] How did Jenny end up with the book Free Time? She explains how she was inspired to write her first two books, Life After College and Pivot, and Free Time is about optimizing what's now.[6:54] A lot of books on systems tend to be quite dense and complex. Jenny's aim was to bring some levity to the conversation with her book.[9:23] For business owners, Charlie highlights some important things to keep in mind about people sharing their numbers.[12:57] What is Free Time about? At its core, it's a book that helps you make your business work for you without so much work to make it work.[19:25] We need to start thinking about systems differently. A system is essentially a set of interrelated, interconnected parts that produce a consistent result. Oftentimes, in organizations, it can feel like people are at fault, but the underlying issues may be the work systems that have been created.[21:52] Jenny shares some examples of the importance of having systems on the personal and household front.[34:45] When we look at the things we don’t like to do or are not good at doing from another perspective, we can actually see that there are people out there who are good at it, and who want to do it, and will benefit economically from doing it.[37:29] One of the things we have to take seriously in all teams is the energy and emotions that we inject into them.[40:32] The bottleneck and chief constraint in a business is often not time, but energy and attention.[43:51] Jenny and Charlie discuss infinite games and how happiness and free time tie into that.[52:20] Creating systems can start by thinking of what you would like an ideal world to look like. The point is not to get caught in the minute details of how that is possible but merely visualize and dream what is possible.[57:29] Strategic laziness can be a helpful concept to tap into to create systems and processes in your business to make things easier for your future self.[62:25] Jenny invites listeners to do less. So much of free time is permission, and that permission is to be a little bit radical with your free time.Mentioned in This Episode:Productive FlourishingStart Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done, by Charlie GilkeyFree Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business, by Jenny BlakePivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One. by Jenny BlakeLife After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want. by Jenny Blake Productive Flourishing Podcast “Episode 72: How to Embrace Uncertainty Through a Career Change with Jenny Blake”Pivot PodcastFree Time PodcastOne Stone CreativeThe Infinite Game, by Simon SinekDeep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal NewportTim Ferris, Strategic LazinessAndrew Wilkinson — Lazy Leadership This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

In this episode, Productive Flourishing team members Cory Huff, Steve Arensberg, and Maghan Haggerty join Charlie on the show to talk about the Start Finishing Field Guide, the workbook version of Charlie's best selling book, Start Finishing. In this behind-the-scenes chat with some team members who helped bring the field guide into existence, hear more about some lessons the team learned along the way, the challenges they faced, and why this is the perfect time to launch this workbook. It's going to be an episode with takeaways for everyone, regardless of whether you're a writer, creator, or team leader.Key Takeaways:[4:07] Charlie explains his process of writing Start Finishing, and how it turned out to be the kind of book that it is.[6:08] Steve was the champion for the Start Finishing Field Guide from the beginning. He shares more about why he felt the worksheets and guides that accompanied Start Finishing were so important.[8:00] When writing a non-fiction book, it is always important to be open to other bits of collateral that you might need to support it.[9:05] It took a lot of effort to bring the Start Finishing Field Guide into existence. Steve talks about why important tasks that aren’t urgent can sometimes get pushed to the back, especially if there isn’t someone in the organization to champion them.[10:47] There was a gap between the information presented in Start Finishing and readers actually translating that into a final finished project.[13:50] How did Maghan get roped into the field guide of Start Finishing? She talks about how she started as part of a street team to promote Start Finishing and found herself needing companion worksheets to better process the concepts it covered.[15:44] Charlie outlines the timeline for the field guide and how it ended up being launched now.[17:50] Steve talks about some of the calculations and approximations the team had to do around the cost of producing the field guide, as well as how the team decided which other projects were going to be put on the backburner for this.[20:35] What are some of the differences between publishing a workbook and a traditionally published book?[24:48] What's the thought process behind creating worksheets to help people grasp concepts or ideas better?[29:39] For Maghan, working out how to translate each chapter of the book into worksheets essentially became a lesson for her on what to do next and how to implement the principle of that chapter in her life.[34:11] The team shares their reflections on what they have learned from working on the field guide and being a part of the PF team.[42:02] Why is the book called a field guide rather than a workbook? It’s a great resource to have along the journey![44:16] Sign up to get the details about the field guide when it gets released.[45:32] Steve, Maghan, and Cory share their final thoughts to wrap up the interview.Mentioned in This Episode:Productive FlourishingStart Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done, by Charlie GilkeyMomentum PlannersSounds True This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

 In this episode, Angela joins Charlie on the show after a long hiatus to talk about her concussion rehabilitation process and what she has been going through since July when she experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Angela has been going through an intensive rehabilitation program, and it has been an exhausting experience for her. Her history with TBIs has impacted her in more than one way, and she and Charlie share how her neural deficits have inspired them both to change and adapt, as well as to ask and receive help when they need it.Key Takeaways:[2:16] Angela experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI) in July and has been going through concussion rehabilitation since then. It has been a journey of learning to navigate the changes Angela has experienced in her thinking and thought patterns, both for herself and Charlie.[5:37] Team discussions have also taken on a different dynamic within PF with more neurodiversity. This has encouraged the team to become more reflective and introspective about how they share their material.[7:28] Angela’s recent concussion is likely her eighth serious TBI. She talks a little about her experience with previous TBIs and how they have impacted her.[13:24] It is possible to have a TBI without blacking out, or any of the other common symptoms doctors screen for. Additionally, having TBI makes you more susceptible to additional TBIs.[17:11] Concussions and TBIs are a lot more common than people think they are. Oftentimes, changes that people, especially women, experience because of TBIs are misattributed to hormonal changes.[20:56] Angela has been on an intensive concussion rehabilitation program working with multiple specialists. It has been an exhausting experience for her, and she explains why.[27:30] When dealing with TBIs, it is important for the medical team to have a baseline of what the person's original level of functioning was. It makes all the difference in how they’re evaluating the person’s progress. Having someone else to advocate for you can help in this situation.[36:02] What are some things Angela and Charlie have learned from this journey? The first thing they realized was how much Angela was in charge of care work in the home, and how that had to change after her injury.[44:30] The second thing they learned was that Angela’s schedule had been lying to her. Charlie and Angela talk more about how they helped her get into momentum planning to schedule her time.[49:54] Angela is still deep in the throes of her rehab, but there are already things she is grateful for.[51:05] Something that has helped Angela in this process is “sense naps.”[55:23] Knowing how to ask for help and how to accept it is one of the hardest things to do.[59:58] While most of this conversation has been focused on Angela’s journey, Charlie has also experienced some catalytic changes.[64:14] Angela invites listeners to be honest with themselves about where they are and where their capacity is. It starts from there to let the people around you know where you are, so they can engage and interact with you as you are.Mentioned in This Episode:Productive FlourishingStart Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done, by Charlie GilkeyMomentum Planners This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Ashley Zuberi, yoga teacher, author, and former teammate of Team Productive Flourishing, joins Charlie on the show to discuss how we can reframe yoga, spiritual practices, and mindfulness so that we can integrate them into our days and make them work for us. Spiritual practices and philosophy are best suited to help us live our actual lives more fully rather than trying to create an ideal version of ourselves. Charlie and Ashley discuss how spirituality shows up in our day-to-day life and why it will always be a work in progress.Key Takeaways:[2:40] For many people, doing yoga, and cultivating a meditation or mindfulness practice are on their to-do list. Yet, people struggle with actually starting and maintaining these practices. Ashley addresses why people can get stuck before beginning.[5:29] Creating a meditation or yoga or spiritual practice is hard, and it's because it requires experimentation where people are looking for someone to tell them what to do.[7:03] One way to approach these practices is by integrating these practices into our lives in a more practical way. Ashley outlines how this plays out in her own life.[8:34] Charlie reflects on how his relationship with yoga has changed since 2020. Yoga is much more than just practicing poses. In its original form, yoga was a meditation practice![12:58] It can be just as, if not more, helpful to do shorter periods of yoga more frequently rather than longer sessions at larger intervals. What has happened is the assimilation and co-opting of other traditions into a Western paradigm.[15:40] A lot of what drives our actions is being more efficient and doing things more as efficiently as possible. However, that's not the goal in a spiritual practice.[17:54] Even hugs can be a part of your yoga practice if you are tuning into the present moment and practicing presence.[21:46] Spirituality is what happens in the moment and not just what happens in the special containers we create for them.[23:12] Charlie and Ashley discuss what it means to truly be able to show up as your full self at work, particularly now with COVID-19 and working from home.[25:29] COVID-19 has had some negative impacts on this generation of children, but looking beyond the arbitrary constructs and structures, we can see some other benefits like children seeing their parents at work, and parents being able to spend more time with their kids.[26:28] Charlie explains more about different types of reality, the objective, subjective, and interest objective, and how this ties into spiritual practices.[30:01] Our understanding of what yoga is evolves and changes with time. Charlie and Ashley share what it means for each of them and how it influences how they show up in the world.[34:33] What are some steps we can take to move forward from this conversation and start our spiritual practice?[43:55] Each of us has our own challenges and struggles with our spiritual practice. What is Ashley feeling most challenged by now?[48:50] Ashley invites you to try something today that helps you find more peace.Mentioned in This Episode:Productive FlourishingStart Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done, by Charlie GilkeyAshley ZuberiEight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love, by John M. Gottman, Doug Abrams, Julie Gottman, Rachel Carlton AbramsThe Mom ProjectSapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Jeffrey Davis, branding consultant, repeat guest, and author of the new book, Tracking Wonder, joins Charlie on the show to discuss how we can reconcile productivity and wonder. Our culture’s obsession with productivity has a bias against wonder and yet wonder is essential for our creativity, satisfaction, and belonging. They discuss how these seemingly opposing forces balance each other and allow us to thrive and flourish, not merely be more productive.Key Takeaways:[2:10] Jeffrey shares the journey of how he wrote his latest book, Tracking Wonder. It was a process of discovery and learning through extreme adversity and crisis.[8:42] When we go on these journeys as thinkers and writers, there is often an intense pressure for it to be quick. Often, this is not the case and it can take months or years for ideas to come to fruition.[12:18] Fifteen to 20 years ago, positive psychology was still in its infancy, and the only option then was to turn to philosophy to talk about thriving, wonder, happiness, belonging, etc. Now, there is science to back it up.[15:49] The past 18 months, both culturally and socially, have raised a lot of questions about meaning and relationships.[17:03] Charlie and Jeffrey discuss measuring productivity; it has always been difficult to measure and has become even more difficult recently. Why are we tracking only certain metrics for productivity and efficiency and not others?[22:06] There is a lot of work to be done, and it does have an impact on the company’s bottom line. On the flip side, as leaders, we need to have the integrity to recognize that people need to go out and do something different than just being stuck to their screens all day.[25:06] Charlie reflects on an interestingly productive time of his day — when he goes on his coffee walks in the morning.[29:05] There are a lot of things that look like not working, that make the working actually happen.[32:11] Getting off a structured routine can be a very bewildering experience of deinstitutionalization. When we get off the path fixed for us, we have to create boundaries, rhythms, and structures for ourselves.[37:02] How can we navigate that sense of bewilderment and disorientation when our rhythms are disrupted? Bewilderment fatigue can be a challenge, and sometimes we may disengage or bypass as a way of escaping reality.[40:41] Wonder has six facets. Jeffrey explains each one briefly. 1: Openness, 2: Curiosity, 3: Bewilderment, 4: Hope, 5: Connection, 6: Admiration.[44:16] How can productivity and wonder coexist? They seem to be at odds with each other, yet a balance is necessary.[48:10] We are more than our work. Charlie shares some ways to detach ourselves from our work in the language we use.[49:57] You are what you pay attention to. What are you paying attention to, and what are you focusing on?[53:31] How can we shape our time together better so that we develop more connection?[56:04] Jeffery used the design of his book to invoke wonder and bewilderment.[60:05] Jeffrey invites and challenges listeners to conduct an experiment at the beginning, middle, and end of your day to bring more openness, surprise, elevation, or connection.Mentioned in This Episode:Productive FlourishingStart Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done, by Charlie GilkeyJeffrey DavisTracking Wonder: Reclaiming a Life of Meaning and Possibility in a World Obsessed with Productivity, by Jeffrey DavisThe Journey from the Center to the Page: Yoga Philosophies and Practices as Muse for Authentic Writing, by Jeff DavisShiva Sutras“Why You Need to Protect Your Sense of Wonder — Especially Now,” by David P. Fessell and Karen Reivich for Harvard Business ReviewBewilderment, by Richard PowersSounds True This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Pam Slim, business coach, speaker, and author of the new book The Widest Net, joins Charlie on the show to discuss how building your business from an ecosystem paradigm instead of an empire paradigm changes everything — from how you do marketing to your approach to partnerships. They discuss the importance of having a focused beacon in your work, getting into the flow of building partnerships, and how to successfully start and grow your business in collaboration with others.Key Takeaways:[2:07] An arc connects all three of Pam's books — Escape from Cubicle Nation, Body of Work, and Widest Net. She explains the trajectory of the reader going through all three books.[4:51] Pam has experienced several different configurations of working since her first book. She shares more about her journey with work, and how she has built up her network of relationships.[8:18] In her book, The Widest Net, Pam talks about some of the other elements of marketing that are more relatable and inclusive. At its foundation, The Widest Net is focused on shifting the paradigm from “building an empire” to “building an ecosystem.”[13:51] A lot of marketing already happens within an ecosystem model.[16:33] Whether you’re going deep in cultivating relationships or broad in reaching out to a large audience, you still have to do marketing, and you still have to do the work.[18:22] There is a distinction between relational connections and transactional connections.[21:21] As an expert within your field, you need to have a beacon. It is your responsibility to be really clear about what you do, your perspective, and your unique approach.[23:32] Many of us want to showcase all of our talents and interests, and illustrate that we have range. However, this can be problematic from a business perspective. Pam and Charlie discuss how to build a better beacon for our work.[28:33] You don’t have to let go of all your passions, interests, and different revenue streams in your business. It’s all about what you're shining the light on.[30:26] When our beacons are too diffuse, it makes it hard for people to refer us to others.[31:00] Partnerships are an essential part of building success in the ecosystem model. Pam explains how having “peanut butter and jelly” partners and brand partnerships can be useful.[36:31] How can we start positioning ourselves to get into the flow of building partnerships? It can be difficult, especially for underestimated or overlooked founders.[41:51] Pam shares some of the things she has learned about her own business and journey in writing The Widest Net.[49:34] Pam invites listeners to identify partners to help them market their business. The first place to start is with your favorite clients, customers, and people you work with.Mentioned in This Episode:Productive FlourishingStart Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done, by Charlie GilkeyPam SlimThe Widest Net: Unlock Untapped Markets and Discover New Customers Right in Front of You, by Pamela SlimBooks by Pam SlimMain Street Learning LabBackstage CapitalRareBreed VenturesOverlooked VenturesThe Plug Newsletter This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

KC Carter, meditation teacher, executive coach, and author, joins Charlie on the show to discuss the four permissions that will help us live a fuller life and be great leaders. They touch on how some of these permissions are sneakily radical, and KC’s process of setting aside the time to make his new book Permission to Glow  a reality.  Key Takeaways:[3:07] - In his work, KC shows up in many different communities throughout the world. Those with a brand around nonfiction are often under pressure to show up one way all the time, but we are human beings that contain multitudes. [7:23] - The law of accumulation says that we are more than all that we’ve ever lived, and we’re lucky if we can integrate some of that into our work. There can be a perpetual discomfort knowing which part to display in a given setting to get people to believe what you have to share.[10:15] - KC shares his process in overcoming the enormity of his book project to stay focused and on task, as well as to carve out the time to make it happen. He was able to draw on his experience putting a song together and recognizing the joy that comes at the end of a project. [16:20] - Glow vs shine: the reason glow resonated more than shine is because of the longevity of its potential, and it allows a wider spectrum of what it means to glow. Glow comes from within rather than reflecting light when we shine.[20:00] - KC talks through the four permissions: 1. Permission to chill 2. Permission to feel all the feels 3. Permission to glow in the dark 4. Permission to transcend competition for collaboration and uplift our human family[25:40] - The radicalness of the four permissions comes from looking at them in reverse order. Permissions 3 and 4 focus more on what we can do together, but Permissions 1 and 2 are radical in their own right because as a society, we don’t often prioritize these things.[32:20] - KC talks about his struggle with the second of the previous permissions. Because his intelligence centers around his mind (rather than the heart), it can be difficult to let people into his process of struggle and victory.  [36:25] - KC also included a 5th permission, 5. Permission to suck. This allows people to keep compassion as they create change in their lives. [42:30] - The permissions are like a vine that continues to propagate throughout your life, and they change you as they change on external and internal levels. [45:40] - If you want to get started on these concepts, the default place to get started would be to create a daily meditation habit. That’s the foundation of conscious leadership. [52:03] - KC’s challenge to listeners is based on Permission 3 - look around at the fear in today’s world, and ask yourself “What would it take for me to defiantly glow in this darkness, no matter what?”Mentioned in This Episode:Productive FlourishingStart Finishing, by Charlie GilkeyPermission to Glow, Kristoffer (KC) CarterKC Carter This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Andrea Owen returns to the show to talk about her new book, Make Some Noise. She and Charlie talk about the unlearning we all need to do to be able to speak our minds, with a specific focus on how challenging this is to do for women, and why. They also discuss the importance of unlearning through your own process.  Key Takeaways:[3:00] - Andrea talks through the trajectory of this book compared to her previous book, given the current climate of women’s empowerment and looking back into the culture that raised us.[6:50] - Her book gets to the root of many issues, and sometimes that’s uncomfortable. But going out of our way to make people comfortable with the conversation sometimes can exclude people from entering the conversation as their authentic selves.[11:30] - Charlie and Andrea talk about the idea of generational transmissions, and how the same head trash that affected our parents and grandparents still affects us today.[13:33] - One of the best tools Andrea has learned is to get curious about why you’re acting the way that you are. It doesn’t mean you are wrong for it, but it’s valuable to explore where that’s coming from.[17:25] - Andrea talks about the pendulum of “the norm” over the past few years, and the wake up call we all received around 2016. As the pendulum is moving back towards the middle, we will be able to have candid and vulnerable conversations that are necessary to unpack “the norm” to move forward to real social change.[25:50] - Charlie and Andrea talk about some of the reasons it’s so difficult for women to initiate difficult and vulnerable conversations, as they are often waiting for other people to take care of their needs. It starts with this unpacking and unlearning of the conditioning and socialization that we’ve received.[28:10] - Andrea walks us through the four steps of unlearning: 1. Pay attention 2. Get curious 3. Self compassion 4. Keep the momentum[33:50] - In the process of unlearning, there will be feelings of discomfort, and that is okay. The important thing we can be responsible for is our behavior when reacting to those feelings.[37:00] - Another important topic Andrea includes in the book is money. Women tend to not talk about money and tend to not invest, even though they are often more successful than their male counterparts. [41:20] - Andrea talks about a specific experience with trying to find a babysitter, and the importance of having important conversations with young girls around their worth. Boys are often socialized much differently even from a young age, especially when it comes to financial worth. [46:12] - What you charge is not your value; you should charge for the value that you bring, but the value that you bring is not your personal worth.[47:30] - Andrea talks about the list of things to start and stop doing that is outlined in her book, as well as which she finds most challenging to work on.[52:55] - Andrea’s invitation for listeners is to think about your conditioning and your socialization, how it is or isn’t serving you, and what you are doing to change it. Mentioned in This Episode:Productive FlourishingStart Finishing, by Charlie GilkeyMake Some Noise, by Andrea Owen This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Larry Robertson returns to the podcast for this episode to talk about his new book and way of thinking about leadership, Rebel Leadership. He and Charlie talk about why the times we are living in now will be the norm for the century, the upshot of this uncertainty, why future proofing is inevitably going to be a no-win scenario, and how we can thrive despite difficulties of the work ahead. We all have the capability of leadership within us, and today’s conversation will inspire listeners to step into it.  Key Takeaways:[2:50] - Rebel and leadership are both terms that people are simultaneously attracted to and repelled by; however, the best aspect of both is how we can thrive in these uncertain times. Rebels are innovative, open, experimental, and adaptable. On the leadership side, the best leaders create an environment where everyone can lead in their own way. [8:25] - As we move forward in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world, we will experience risk in one of two ways: conventional risk and storm-surge risk. We are experiencing both more often and more simultaneously than the human race has before. [12:50] - Rather than trying to contain the uncertainty, we have to prepare for and learn to live in that uncertainty. Larry talks about structure in organizations and our own preparedness, and using that structure as support for your larger purpose. This VUCA world is an opportunity to create a new normal.[16:30] - Larry and Charlie talk about the idea of future proofing, and how it can be dangerous to focus on future proofing, because it doesn’t allow you to see opportunities in the middle of difficult times. Future readiness recognizes that we have to continually adapt.[19:35] - This new book is kind of an evolution out of Larry’s previous two books, focusing on how we lead out of our ideas into something bigger, and how leadership has changed. He combined four ideas to make this book: a sense of incompleteness, time relevance of uncertain times, looking for something new in leadership, and identifying patterns of success for people leading in uncertain times. [26:30] - The people that are creating value and impact are engaging and re-engaging in the creative process to not only materialize their best work, but also evaluate what that means, especially over time. Moving on this continuum can make it easier to get started on the next part of your body of work.[30:10] - When advancing on our next body of work, it’s important to dig deep into what people have thought along the way, what went well and what went poorly, and what kept them on the path through the ups and downs. The back and forth of digging and advancing is part of the mix all the time. [33:35] - Larry talks about his interview process. With a broader audience, the more revelatory it is. If you can broaden out the spaces that you’re serving, you’re going to start to see patterns emerge. These patterns become lessons that can transfer.[41:00] - A key thing about interviews is that we often think we need better answers, but in reality we need better questions, and the willingness to engage with them in a way that fits the question. [45:20] - Another thing to recognize is that during this interview and exploration process, we may not always get closure on a question or idea. Recognizing the power in the idea of accepting the incomplete, we have to begin to apply it across the board, not just to isolated experiences. [47:00] - Each of the five insights explored in the book are helpful and powerful, but what they do in combination surprised Larry the most. The interconnection became so important, and as he realized the power, he was able to emphasize that for readers.[51:55] - As Charlie is writing his new book, Work Ways, this same interconnection becomes important as we examine how making changes in one aspect of work will affect everything else, especially in the times we live in today as we transition back to the workplace. The reality of the uncertainty around us is that it is real, but it is also necessary. Uncertainty is how we stay curious and advance ourselves.[1:01:25] - Larry’s challenge for listeners is to think about leadership differently; it’s not leadership in the traditional way we have thought about it, but an inherent capacity in all of us. His invitation to listeners is to rethink what leadership is, realize that you have a place in it, and choose to step into it. Mentioned in This Episode:Productive FlourishingStart Finishing, by Charlie GilkeyRebel Leadership, by Larry RobertsonBody of Work, by Pamela Slim This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Key Takeaways:[2:15] - The elephant is not the only creature in the room. The idea behind naming the mouse in the room is that sometimes you have to acknowledge the more subtle things in the room - they’re not always as big as an elephant. When we don’t name our mice, we’re more disconnected from our souls and from others.[8:40] - Charlie talks about the model of “name it, claim it, tame it.” We often can name our feelings, but until we claim them as true, we can’t do anything to tame them, to be able to live and work with them. Emotion drives action, and when we claim those emotions it’s easier to relate to the world through our stories. [12:51] - Naming mice is a doorway to deeper connection, more confidence, and stronger leadership. Having these conversations gives us the opportunity to be more deeply connected  to what’s actually happening.[16:05] - David selected a mouse to represent this idea because it already relates to a saying and concept we have in society, and its size represents the little moments that happen in between the big things in our lives. [19:55] - At its heart, David’s book is about awareness. Once we become aware of these feelings or moments, then we get the opportunity to name it, welcome it, and acknowledge that it is okay. This acknowledgement is where transformation can begin. [26:05] - Charles talks about some of the different reactions we feel when we name our mice. In some cultures there is a tendency to take immediate action, but we have the freedom to sit with what we’ve named and just allow it to be. [31:15] - The same goes for our interactions with others when they name their mice. Authentic relating is about just being with someone to explore what it’s like to feel what they are feeling. As we each relate to the world through our stories, we have the opportunity to weave a common reality. [38:05] - How much of the range of human experience do we not allow ourselves to experience because we’re afraid to name the mice or share our vulnerabilities? If we don’t acknowledge our emotions, it is hard to move through them and transform them. [43:56] - David’s call to action for listeners is to visit the Kickstarter page, join the campaign, and share the movement. The more people we get naming mice, the more we can begin to transform the world. Mentioned in This Episode:Productive FlourishingStart Finishing, by Charlie GilkeyName That Mouse Kickstarter Campaign This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe