Pivot with Jenny Blake

“Your smile is your shield and your sword.” That’s just one of many wisdom gems from today’s guest and longtime Pivot advocate, Sensei Ando Mierzwa. He’s sharing many of the principles from his free self-defense basics course on turning intuition into action, the importance of projecting (and feeling!) confident, ignoring social niceties when it comes to making “bad guys” uncomfortable, and how to maintain a zen state even in tense situations. I hope you love this conversation as much as I did!Ando’s Free Course: Self-Defense Basics❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call: http://pivotmethod.com/insider💌 Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter at http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: https://pod.link/1054817076📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/249 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pandemic-response expert Dr. MJC is back for our 15th (!) installment in the Pivoting Around a Pandemic series. In this “pandepic” two-hour round, we riff on: what we’ve been up to this summer, the five gnarly viruses we’re experiencing (COVID being only one), the horseshoe theory of political ideologies, discourse and censorship, tyranny and the fall of empires, vaccine trials, vitamin D, second-hand social media, and more.💌 Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter at http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: https://pod.link/1054817076❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call with Jenny: http://pivotmethod.com/insiderTopics Covered: What we've been up to this summer21:20 - Business ups and downs this year, coming out the other side25:00 - At least 5 gnarly viruses of 2020:32:19 - On Tyranny by Tim Snyder, the Fall of Empires, and hubris42:52 - Horseshoe theory of far-left, centrist, far-right44:13 - On Joe Rogan and the campaign from Spotify staffers to implement editorial involvement1:00:35 - Censorship and cancel culture1:09:54 - Vaccines: is it possible? Would you sign up for a trial? Would you get it in the first wave? Do you trust pharmaceutical companies?1:34:06 - Vitamin D's role in our immunity1:44:11 - Questioning how we work as it relates to our health1:45:44 - Considering the downstream effects of so much accelerated technological advancement1:47:34 - Surge capacity depletion1:51:27 - Second-hand social media1:52:10 - Cut out anything extraneous: do you miss it?1:54:10 - Topic teasers for next time: travel, going to the movies, schools📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/248 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Recorded July 2020) Thanks to Chris, we’ve got a new term for 2020: “Coronavating” — a portmanteau of coronavirus and innovating. Chris is an expert in employee appreciation, recognition, and workplace culture, and I think you’ll love this episode on how to build trust and teamwork even in virtual (and often chaotic) settings. He is the founder of Beyond Thank You, and author of 75+ Team Building Activities for Remote Teams – Simple Ways to Build Trust, Strengthen Communication, and Laugh Together from Afar.🚴🏻‍♀️ Peloton Bike—If you're in the US, Canada, or the UK, use referral code 7ED7VQ to receive $100 💌 Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter at http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist 💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey 🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask 🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: https://pod.link/1054817076 ❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call with Jenny: http://pivotmethod.com/insider📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/247 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s your job today? It might not be what you think . . . and you get to decide anew every day, especially for sanity and health preservation in #2020. In this solo episode, I’m riffing on perfectionism, streaks, and combinatorial questions to create possibility.Peloton—If you're in the US, Canada, or the UK, use referral code 7ED7VQ to receive $100 towards accessories at purchase.❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call with Jenny: http://pivotmethod.com/insider💌 Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter at http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: https://pod.link/1054817076📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/246 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peeking out from another plateau with my first solo episode since June 19’s 5 Reorienting Inquiries for Revolutionary Times. It’s been a rough ride on the #CoronaCoaster these last few months — even with so much to be thankful for. I’m grateful for our physical health (knock on wood), but mental health has been another story! This episode is a bit of a rambler; more for longtime listeners looking for an update (and perhaps something to relate to). Even if there aren’t clear templates or takeaways, I invite you to ponder on my summer theme: Radical Reimagining—everything is up for grabs.Links Mentioned: Article: Your 'Surge Capacity is Depleted' — It's Why You Feel Awful Books: The Practice: Shipping Creative Work by Seth Godin, The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker, Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff Podcast: Centered in the City with Wade Brill TV Show: Call My Agent! on Netflix Heart-Based Business Owners: Join us in Momentum at http://pivot.love/momentum Jenny’s Fave Raves: Peloton—If you're in the US, Canada, or the UK, use referral code 7ED7VQ to receive $100 towards accessories at purchase. Delicious frozen meals—$20 off your first box of Mosaic (use that link or promo code FRIEND-SZHR2R9) and our other favorite, Trifecta For coffees and coconut-based creamers, check out Laird Superfoods $10 off our new "everything" pot for cooking, h/t Sarah Young! From Our Place, a new mission‑driven kitchenware brand. ❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call: http://pivotmethod.com/insider 💌 Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter at http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist 💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey 🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask 🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: https://pod.link/1054817076 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/245 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy summer, friends! I’m taking a short break to pause and design what’s next for the podcast content-wise. Please enjoy this series with Penney Peirce, released M/W/Fri in keeping with my latest experiment.Penney is consistently named as a listener favorite when I get feedback notes, and after our first interview together we jokingly started naming these follow-up conversations “The Penney & Jenny Show.” Until now, these interviews were spread out over the last four years — now they’ll be bingeable as a consecutive series :)🗣 Want to help shape what’s next? Take the listener survey if you haven’t already! http://pivotmethod.com/survey »Original air date: March 2020I’m delighted to have Penney Peirce back on the podcast to unpack her essay in conversation together, on How Coronavirus is Speeding Us Toward Transparency.Since the pandemic started, I have been wondering what Penney’s take would be. Longtime listeners know she needs no introduction, as people often remark to me that the episodes with her are their favorite! We have 11 conversations in the Penney & Jenny show so far, and in the previous episode (167) I read her essay on the crisis directly, How Coronavirus is Speeding Us Toward Transparency.View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/168 » and http://pivotmethod.com/169📝 View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/podcast/penney12 »*** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy summer, friends! I’m taking a short break to pause and design what’s next for the podcast content-wise. Please enjoy this series with Penney Peirce, released M/W/Fri in keeping with my latest experiment.Penney is consistently named as a listener favorite when I get feedback notes, and after our first interview together we jokingly started naming these follow-up conversations “The Penney & Jenny Show.” Until now, these interviews were spread out over the last four years — now they’ll be bingeable as a consecutive series :)🗣 Want to help shape what’s next? Take the listener survey if you haven’t already! http://pivotmethod.com/survey »Original air date: December 15, 2019The Penney & Jenny Show is back! The latest installment (PJ Show #11!) answers a listener Q&A about pivoting out of toxic situations at work. Penny and I discuss how we evaluate when to stay vs. go, discerning normal ups and downs from true toxicity, and the highest emotional state that acts as a tuning fork and compass to pull you forward into a new direction and a new lease on life.Enjoying the podcast and want to support the show? Become a Pivot Insider for as little as $8 each month and get access to a live monthly Q&A call—you’ll get six months of archived calls, a slew of bonus resources, including a two-hour Upgrade Your Energy workshop. Our next call is Wednesday, January 8—join now as a powerful way to kick-off this next decade!Have a question related to this episode, or any in our Penney & Jenny series? Ask us here in a quick voice note. We look forward to rolling all of your questions together and creating a listener Q&A show soon :)View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/148.📝 View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/podcast/penney11 »*** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy summer, friends! I’m taking a short break to pause and design what’s next for the podcast content-wise. Please enjoy this series with Penney Peirce, released M/W/Fri in keeping with my latest experiment.Penney is consistently named as a listener favorite when I get feedback notes, and after our first interview together we jokingly started naming these follow-up conversations “The Penney & Jenny Show.” Until now, these interviews were spread out over the last four years — now they’ll be bingeable as a consecutive series :)🗣 Want to help shape what’s next? Take the listener survey if you haven’t already! http://pivotmethod.com/survey »Original air date: August 11, 2019Why do we hesitate when it comes to being more of ourselves? In this episode, which happens to be released on Penney’s birthday (woohoo!) we discuss why we fears and limitations that hold us back from our fullest expression.In this conversation, we talk about the cultural pressure to fit in, self-entertainment as spiritual practice, setting big goals and going too big or too small, willingness to be a “misfit,” why transparency attracts more joyful friendships, and what’s behind comparison to others—how noticing a quality in someone else means that you have that quality somewhere within you.View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/129.Enjoying the podcast and want to support the show? Become a Pivot Insider and get access to Jenny’s Monthly Q&A call—the next one is coming right up on August 14!Have a question related to this episode, or any in our Penney & Jenny series? Ask away here in a quick voice note. We look forward to rolling all of your questions together and creating a listener Q&A show soon :) Read the full transcript here.📝 View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/podcast/penney10 »*** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy summer, friends! I’m taking a short break to pause and design what’s next for the podcast content-wise. Please enjoy this series with Penney Peirce, released M/W/Fri in keeping with my latest experiment.Penney is consistently named as a listener favorite when I get feedback notes, and after our first interview together we jokingly started naming these follow-up conversations “The Penney & Jenny Show.” Until now, these interviews were spread out over the last four years — now they’ll be bingeable as a consecutive series :)🗣 Want to help shape what’s next? Take the listener survey if you haven’t already! http://pivotmethod.com/survey »Original air date: July 14, 2019Penney and I are back in action, with the 9th (!) installment of our Penney & Jenny show. If you missed last week’s episode (#124) on liminal space and embracing the in-between, check it out here.This is installment is all about discriminating truth, just rightness, and making good choices. How do you trust your truth and anxiety signals? How do you know when it's time to Pivot? What's the difference between authenticity, honesty, and humility versus hiding, avoidance, and apathy?As poet David Whyte says, some beautiful questions need to be lived. We explore how the body is the first level of knowing in the physical world, and how we can better trust and tune into our bodies to know if something is true or not.For full show notes, visit http://pivotmethod.com/125. Have a question related to this episode, or any in our Penney & Jenny series? Ask away here in a quick voice note. We look forward to rolling all of your questions together and creating a listener Q&A show soon :) Read the transcript for this episode here.Pivot Podcast is listener supported: Contribute as a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A with Jenny, with access to the recordings in case you can’t make it live.📝 View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/podcast/penney2 »*** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy summer, friends! I’m taking a short break to pause and design what’s next for the podcast content-wise. Please enjoy this series with Penney Peirce, released M/W/Fri in keeping with my latest experiment.Penney is consistently named as a listener favorite when I get feedback notes, and after our first interview together we jokingly started naming these follow-up conversations “The Penney & Jenny Show.” Until now, these interviews were spread out over the last four years — now they’ll be bingeable as a consecutive series :)🗣 Want to help shape what’s next? Take the listener survey if you haven’t already! http://pivotmethod.com/survey »Original air date: July 7, 2019Penney and I are back in action, with the 8th (!!) installment of our Penney & Jenny show. This week we dive into why it can be so difficult to embrace liminal space, also known as a transitional state of “in-between.”Penney equates the liminal space to the time when a caterpillar has created and entered the cocoon, but has not transitioned into a butterfly. It is the space in which we are given the chance to rest, reset, and recharge before moving into the next phase. It sounds lovely when put that way, so why do we often want to rush the process?Tune into this episode to learn all about why hindering the liminal state is like fighting a tidal wave, and why taking the time to stop is so important to your life, brain, and success.For full show notes, visit http://pivotmethod.com/124. Have a question related to this episode, or any in our Penney & Jenny series? Ask away here, in a quick voice note. We look forward to rolling all of your questions together and creating a listener Q&A show soon :) Read the transcript here.Pivot Podcast is listener supported: Contribute as a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A with Jenny, with access to the recordings in case you can’t make it live.📝 View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/podcast/penney2 »*** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices