The Focus Bee Show

There are many different methods that can help you to boost your productivity and efficiency. Two of the key ways are Pareto Principle and Parkinson’s law.  Pareto principle: the 80/20 rule. Knowing that 20% of your work contributes to 80% of your achievements. In other words, what are the main activities that enhance your performance? Once you are clear on these activities, you can focus more on them, and diminish or eliminate the rest.  The Pareto principle shows up in many areas in our life: work, relationships, well-being, etc. By consciously looking for the 20%, you can greatly reduce your workload and only focus on the activities that matter most.  Parkinson’s law: Work expands to fill the allotted time. If you give yourself a tight deadline by which you need to accomplish an activity, you are likely to be able to achieve it in that time.  Parkinson’s law can force you to think differently, take shortcuts, avoid perfectionism and overcome procrastination.  Combining Pareto Principle and Parkinson’s law is a powerful combination for achieving greater results at a faster pace. They help you to think strategically and not to get caught up in less important tasks.  Mentioned in this episode: The artist’s Way by Julia Cameron VIDEO of this episode: YouTube VideoABOUT Katie Stoddart: Katie Stoddart is an award-winning, international, high-performance coach. Katie started her career as a hydrographic engineer working at sea and she now supports founders and executives to thrive in their life & business. As a keynote speaker, Katie frequently speaks at summits, conferences & podcasts. For her weekly podcast ‘The Focus Bee Show’, Katie interviews thought leaders in peak performance. Katie works primarily with entrepreneurs & executives through 1-1 coaching & corporate workshops on Focus, Leadership & Performance.CONNECT with Katie Stoddart, aka 'the focus bee': PODCASTLINKEDINTWITTERFACEBOOKBLOGINSTAGRAM

Giovanni Dienstmann is an international coach and speaker, author of the book: Mindful Self Discipline. His approach to self-discipline is not only more compassionate, it is also more effective! Loved every minute of the conversation – turns out focus & self-discipline have a lot in common! Some of the magic: The concept of mindful self-discipline The greatest obstacle to self-discipline and how to overcome it Tangible tools to increase self-discipline Meditation is empowered peace False hope syndrome and Dunning Kruger effect And so much more!  ABOUT Giovanni Dienstmann  Giovanni Dienstmann is the creator of Live and Dare, one of the top five most popular meditation blogs on the planet. As an international author, meditation coach, and speaker, Giovanni is an expert in helping people overcome anxiety and stress to live a more calm and centered life.  He is the author of the best-selling book Practical Meditation, which is available in eight different languages and has popularly been called “The Meditation Bible”. With over 9,000 hours of personal meditation practice, and diverse training in meditation methodologies from different traditions, Giovanni brings a practical and unique approach to help both meditation novices and spiritual seekers alike. Giovanni is also the author of Mindful Self-Discipline, the ultimate guide to self-discipline.  He is a registered teacher through the Meditation Association of Australia, as well as a sought-after consultant to award-winning meditation apps. His insights have been featured in popular publications such as Daily Yoga, Elephant Journal, Coach.me, and many more.  Giovanni’s clients range from stay-at-home parents to entrepreneurs, C-level executives, and pro athletes. His acclaimed program Limitless Life has helped thousands of people master their minds, find contentment and clarity, and live a more purposeful life. To learn more about Giovanni and his work, visit LiveAndDare.com.  CONNECT with Giovanni Dienstmann FacebookLinkedInTwitterInstagram Website Live and Dare Website Mindful Self DisciplineMindful Self Discipline App VIDEO of this episode: YouTube VideoABOUT Katie Stoddart: Katie Stoddart is an award-winning, international, high-performance coach. Katie started her career as a hydrographic engineer working at sea and she now supports founders and executives to thrive in their life & business. As a keynote speaker, Katie frequently speaks at summits, conferences & podcasts. For her weekly podcast ‘The Focus Bee Show’, Katie interviews thought leaders, speakers, and authors.  Katie works primarily with entrepreneurs & executives through 1-1 coaching & corporate workshops on Focus, Leadership & Performance.   CONNECT with Katie Stoddart, aka 'the focus bee': PODCASTLINKEDINTWITTERFACEBOOKBLOG

Cold showers have so many incredible benefits that I feel that I talk about them all the time. It really is incredible what a few minutes in a cold shower can do for our mind and body.  Stimulates alertness and put us in a good mood! Nothing more fantastic than the post-cold shower feeling. They make you feel more focused!  Cold exposure helps with muscle recuperation after a workout and is a great boost for the immune system! I know many people who have been taking cold showers for years now and have not been sick once in that whole period of time.  It is a fantastic exercise for your discipline and your willpower. The more uncomfortable it feels for you, the more you are strengthening your willpower. This means that you start your day with success and a boost!  Putting your body under physical stress, helps you to cope with mental stress!  To do cold showers, start with your legs and arms a few times, before going over your whole body. Be mindful of your breathing and not ‘force’. Obviously, if you are sick, or have cardio issues, then cold showers are to be avoided. But for the vast majority of us, cold showers are great!  Cold showers are a great asset to increase your energy, make you feel great and boost willpower and self-discipline! I cannot recommend this enough – it has really done wonders for me and other people in my life!   Mentioned in this episode: Wim HofVIDEO of this episode: YouTube VideoABOUT Katie Stoddart: Katie Stoddart is an award-winning, international, high-performance coach. Katie started her career as a hydrographic engineer working at sea and she now supports founders and executives to thrive in their life & business. As a keynote speaker, Katie frequently speaks at summits, conferences & podcasts. For her weekly podcast ‘The Focus Bee Show’, Katie interviews thought leaders in peak performance. Katie works primarily with entrepreneurs & executives through 1-1 coaching & corporate workshops on Focus, Leadership & Performance.   CONNECT with Katie Stoddart, aka 'the focus bee':  PODCASTLINKEDINTWITTERFACEBOOKBLOGINSTAGRAM

Kate Strong, world champion in triathlon, has proven that our mind is the greatest part of our performance. Loved my conversation with Kate, which illustrates that so much is within our possibilities, and we can achieve so much more than we realise!  Some of the magic: The drives that carried her towards her goals The physical, mental and emotional sides of world-class achievements Why cleaning toilets helped Kate more than positive affirmations in a challenging phase of her life How to deal with being discouraged – building resilience Key tools to reframe your beliefs ‘Success is 80% in the mind’– Kate  And so much more!  ABOUT Kate Strong Kate Strong leads by example in attaining peak performance whether that’s climbing Mont Blanc, developing a globally reaching sustainable business or founding a charity, Limitless Foundation. She is a widely sought-after coach, enabling individuals and teams to redefine what’s possible and introduce flow into their daily way of being.  Kate has lived and travelled all over the globe, earning a double Masters in Engineering while living in France & Italy, She’s set up micro-businesses in indigenous communities in Guatemala, Cambodia and Vietnam as well as taught diving in Spain & Mexico and found a hospitality business in Australia. It was during her time in Australia that she discovered a triathlon while recovering from a toxic relationship. Within 14 months of taking up the sport, she was crowned age-group World Champion and later went on the break of 3 cycling world records.  Yet, she has also faced her fair share of difficulties from being trapped in a toxic relationship to working herself out of a million-dollar debt left by her ex. These challenges don’t define her, and she uses these darker days to fuel her to always be the best version of herself. Always seeking the next ‘glass ceiling’ to break through, in 2023 Kate is attempting the Limitless Challenge, cycling 3,000miles around the circumference of the UK and swimming the English Channel and summiting the 3 Peaks. CONNECT with Kate Strong Website Instagram LinkedIn Twitter FacebookVIDEO of this episode: YouTube VideoABOUT Katie Stoddart: Katie Stoddart is an award-winning, international, high-performance coach. Katie started her career as a hydrographic engineer working at sea and she now supports founders and executives to thrive in their life & business. As a keynote speaker, Katie frequently speaks at summits, conferences & podcasts. For her weekly podcast ‘The Focus Bee Show’, Katie interviews thought leaders, speakers and authors.  Katie works primarily with entrepreneurs & executives through 1-1 coaching & corporate workshops on Focus, Leadership & Performance.   CONNECT with Katie Stoddart, aka 'the focus bee':  PODCASTLINKEDINTWITTERFACEBOOKBLOGINSTAGRAM

Widening our perspective and horizons increases our opportunities, and reduces our struggles. Perhaps one of the easiest ways to overcome a challenge is to change our perspective! Stuck thinking is the opposite of flexible thinking – being stuck in one way of proceeding.  Being open-minded and listening to other people’s input might be all it takes to create a new way of thinking and looking at a problem.  Changing your environment, moving, walking, going somewhere different – this can contribute to a change of thought, an epiphany or a different perspective.  Asking yourself powerful questions – never underestimate the power of questions! Sometimes one question is enough to shift all of your thought processes.  Flexible thinking is a powerful way to unblock new ideas, be innovative and think ‘outside the box’ – challenging yourself to look at situations and problems from another perspective shows open-mindedness and a willingness to change your approach.  Mentioned in this episode: Thinking hats, De Bono VIDEO of this episode: YouTube VideoABOUT Katie Stoddart: Katie Stoddart is an award-winning, international, high-performance coach. Katie started her career as a hydrographic engineer working at sea and she now supports founders and executives to thrive in their life & business. As a keynote speaker, Katie frequently speaks at summits, conferences & podcasts. For her weekly podcast ‘The Focus Bee Show’, Katie interviews thought leaders in peak performance. Katie works primarily with entrepreneurs & executives through 1-1 coaching & corporate workshops on Focus, Leadership & Performance.   CONNECT with Katie Stoddart, aka 'the focus bee':  PODCASTLINKEDINTWITTERFACEBOOKBLOGINSTAGRAM

Stephanie Figueira is an actor, voice artist, performer and founder of the Barcelona Improv Group. We covered so many different topics in this conversation – it was a real joy to re-connect with Stephanie, having met three years prior in Barcelona! Some of the magic: How to embrace your creative path The importance of play and how to add fun and joy to our life Enneagram: self-reflection and how to accept all of our nature How challenging times best contribute to our growth! And so much more!  ABOUT Stephanie Figueira Stephanie Figueira is originally from Toronto, Canada and worked as an actor, emcee, acting coach and voice artist in Barcelona before moving to Austria last year. She is one of the founders of the Barcelona Improv Group and performed improv with them for over a decade. She was the producer and host of ¨Frank¨ and ¨Vent,¨ a monthly affair of true stories told live and has hosted large events for Revlon, HP and the MWC.  Starting her career in theatre and stand-up comedy, Stephanie was the first female comic to win the Funniest Ficer championship in Spain. She has spent the past several years focusing on film and television, giving her the opportunity to work with directors such as Woody Allen, Mariano Cohn, Gaston Duprat and Billie Woodruff. She is currently shooting the new Vampire Academy TV series for Peacock television. Her plan for the near future is to move to the countryside and learn a whole new approach to life. CONNECT with Stephanie Figueira LinkedInVIDEO of this episode: YouTube VideoABOUT Katie Stoddart: Katie Stoddart is an award-winning, international, high-performance coach. Katie started her career as a hydrographic engineer working at sea and she now supports founders and executives to thrive in their life & business. As a keynote speaker, Katie frequently speaks at summits, conferences & podcasts. For her weekly podcast ‘The Focus Bee Show’, Katie interviews thought leaders, speakers and authors.  Katie works primarily with entrepreneurs & executives through 1-1 coaching & corporate workshops on Focus, Leadership & Performance.   CONNECT with Katie Stoddart, aka 'the focus bee':  PODCASTLINKEDINTWITTERFACEBOOKBLOGINSTAGRAM 

When it comes to peak performance, there are two main ways to reach it: the yin approach and the yang approach.   Peak performance entails reaching your goals and aspirations in your work and life, all while maintaining balance in all areas of your life.  Yang Peak Performance comes from a place of forcing and pushing. Often it is fuelled by a lack of self-worth and a need to perform to prove to ourselves that we are worthy. The downfall with this approach (aside from the forcing self-talk!) is that no matter the results achieved, it never feels like enough.  Many high achievers are driven by a lack of self-worth and a need to prove themselves. You can also check if you are a high achiever by doing the saboteurs of positive intelligence.  Yin Peak Performance, on the other hand, comes from a place of self-acceptance. Knowing that you are already whole and striving for your goals for the enjoyment of the journey, to contribute to others, and to be aligned with your vision.  Though the yin approach is gentler – ironically, it yields the best results! You are more likely to stick with your habits, processes and goals if your self-talk is encouraging, compassionate and kind!  To transition from yang to yin, start to notice the self-talk you use and re-adjusting to a more compassionate version. Don’t worry you won’t become lenient, and you will still reach your goals even if you are kind to yourself!  The reason I am so passionate about yin peak performance is that it not only contributes to great achievements but also enables greater levels of inner peace. Inner peace and well-being are fundamental aspects of leading a fulfilled life. Yang peak performance goes against well-being and can add extra stress to your life. Reaching high performance through a yin approach is really the most beneficial way forward!  Mentioned in this episode: Saboteurs, Positive Intelligence Mindful self-discipline, Giovanni Dienstmann VIDEO of this episode: YouTube VideoABOUT Katie Stoddart: Katie Stoddart is an award-winning, international, high-performance coach. Katie started her career as a hydrographic engineer working at sea and she now supports founders and executives to thrive in their life & business. As a keynote speaker, Katie frequently speaks at summits, conferences & podcasts. For her weekly podcast ‘The Focus Bee Show’, Katie interviews thought leaders in peak performance. Katie works primarily with entrepreneurs & executives through 1-1 coaching & corporate workshops on Focus, Leadership & Performance.   CONNECT with Katie Stoddart, aka 'the focus bee':  PODCASTLINKEDINTWITTERFACEBOOKBLOGINSTAGRAM

Joanna Lott, a business strategist coach, goes through the intricate world of positive intelligence: from dealing with her pleaser tendencies to re-wiring our brain through positive intelligence boosts (PQ reps).  Some of the magic: How to stop being a pleaser and be more assertive Positive Intelligence, Saboteurs etc.  Using PQ reps to reset your mind and brain And so much more!  ABOUT Joanna Lott  Joanna shows coaches how to build their coaching business with honesty vs hustle so they gain consistent clients and income.  She has over 20 years of experience within various businesses, working in different roles and directly with the leadership team so she’s had great exposure to the challenges that arise. She’s led work on recruitment, employee engagement, culture and values and is passionate about supporting people through those challenging transitions that we all face at times in our lives. Joanna is co-author to a #1 bestselling book ‘Your Dream Job Toolkit’, a proven guide for anyone who wants to get into work they love but have no idea where to start. Joanna’s qualifications include ICF Associate Certified Coach, ILM Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching & Mentoring, CIPD Certificate in HR Practice.  CONNECT with Joanna Lott LinkedIn: Joanna Lott ICF ACC | LinkedIn Instagram: Jo ACC | Values-led biz mentor (@joannalottcoaching)Mentioned in this episode: Positive Intelligence: https://www.positiveintelligence.com/  Saboteurs test: https://www.positiveintelligence.com/assessments/ Positive Intelligence test: https://www.positiveintelligence.com/pq-score/ Viktor Frankl, Man’s search for meaning  VIDEO of this episode: YouTube VideoABOUT Katie Stoddart: Katie Stoddart is an award-winning, international, high-performance coach. Katie started her career as a hydrographic engineer working at sea and she now supports founders and executives to thrive in their life & business. As a keynote speaker, Katie frequently speaks at summits, conferences & podcasts. For her weekly podcast ‘The Focus Bee Show’, Katie interviews thought leaders, speakers and authors.  Katie works primarily with entrepreneurs & executives through 1-1 coaching & corporate workshops on: Focus, Leadership & Performance.   CONNECT with Katie Stoddart, aka 'the focus bee':  PODCASTLINKEDINTWITTERFACEBOOKBLOGINSTAGRAM   

Too often we feel disconnected from our future selves. This leads us to indulge in the present moment and ignore the consequences. Reconnecting to our future selves makes it easier for us to be disciplined and follow through with our commitments to ourselves.  When I was reading ‘mindful self-discipline’ (by Giovanni Dienstmann), the passage on the connection between our present selves and future selves really struck me. How often had I postponed/procrastinated/ignored something, only to pay the consequences later? Does that feel familiar?  It seems that we are biologically wired to favour short term gratification over long term fulfilment, but this does not serve us well! We end up feeling guilty, misaligned and dissatisfied with the way we are leading our lives.  To change this, we need to think more clearly and visualise what the consequences of our actions will be. Not theoretically speaking but fully living the experience as if it was happening now. This can be one method to reconnect with our future selves.  Writing a letter to yourself (using futureme.org) can also be useful and help you to remember and honour your commitment.  Simply remembering and fully visualising how our decisions and actions affect us, in the long run, can be enough to bring us back on track. Not just understanding this intellectually speaking, but really feeling the future as it was happening now. These different tricks can enable you to reconnect with your future self and be more mindful when you act and make decisions.  Mentioned in this episode: Mindful Self-discipline, Giovanni Dienstmann VIDEO of this episode: YouTube VideoABOUT Katie Stoddart: Katie Stoddart is an award-winning, international, high-performance coach. Katie started her career as a hydrographic engineer working at sea and she now supports founders and executives to thrive in their life & business. As a keynote speaker, Katie frequently speaks at summits, conferences & podcasts. For her weekly podcast ‘The Focus Bee Show’, Katie interviews thought leaders in peak performance. Katie works primarily with entrepreneurs & executives through 1-1 coaching & corporate workshops on Focus, Leadership & Performance.   CONNECT with Katie Stoddart, aka 'the focus bee':PODCASTLINKEDINTWITTERFACEBOOKBLOGINSTAGRAM

Paula Garzon, a negotiation trainer and conflict resolution trainer, joined the show and dived into the fascinating topic of negotiation!Some of the magic:The misconceptions of negotiationSome key tips on how to be a better negotiatorCross-cultural aspects of negotiationAnd so much more! ABOUT Paula Garzon Born and raised in Colombia, passionate about cross-cultural issues from an early age, Paula has acquired a keen interest in language learning. She is fluent in Spanish, French, Italian and English.She started her career and worked for several years as an economist and in 2019 she decided to have a career shift and to focus on negotiation. Trained and currently working with former French special forces negotiators, she is also a negotiation lecturer at IRENE ESSEC business school negotiation chair.   Paula has currently an independent consultancy practice. She works as a negotiation trainer, conflict resolution trainer and negotiation advisor CONNECT with Paula GarzonInstagram LinkedIn  Mentioned in this episode:Jonathan Powell books on negotiation Paul Ekman: emotions & micro-expressions The culture map by Erin MeyerVIDEO of this episode:YouTube VideoABOUT Katie Stoddart:Katie Stoddart is an award-winning, international, high-performance coach. Katie started her career as a hydrographic engineer working at sea and she now supports founders and executives to thrive in their life & business.As a keynote speaker, Katie frequently speaks at summits, conferences & podcasts. For her weekly podcast ‘The Focus Bee Show’, Katie interviews thought leaders, speakers and authors. Katie works primarily with entrepreneurs & executives through 1-1 coaching & corporate workshops on Focus, Leadership & Performance.  CONNECT with Katie Stoddart, aka 'the focus bee': PODCASTLINKEDINTWITTERFACEBOOKBLOGINSTAGRAM