The Focus Bee Show

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

Dopamine detox or dopamine fast is a trendy tendency! Everywhere, we seem to read about the importance of dopamine detoxing. What is it really all about and does it work? The concept of dopamine detoxing is to reduce the number of stimuli in one or several areas for a given amount of time. The idea is that by reducing it, we become less dependent or addicted to this behaviour. The term dopamine detox is misleading as it suggests that it reduces our dopamine levels. In fact, it does not impact our dopamine but rather gives us the opportunity to be more mindful about the way we engage in these activities. By taking a conscious break from addictive behaviours (such as phone, emotional eating etc.), allows becoming aware of what triggers these behaviours and how we can change them. In this sense, dopamine detox does ‘work’ as it helps us to rewire our behaviours, be more mindful and give ourselves a break from unhelpful habits. The term is misleading but the actions (or breaks) are helpful! To take a dopamine detox: simply take one or several days, during which you don’t indulge in the behaviour you want to change (phone/social media/ internet/ etc.). After your detox, observe how it has changed you and continue to be mindful about your behaviour. The benefits of awareness and mindfulness are tremendous. Yet the term ‘dopamine detox’ sounds more elaborate. The idea stays the same: increase our awareness about our behavioural patterns so that we don’t indulge in an automatic/habitual way but are more mindful about how we spend our time and energy!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

Max Frenzel, co-author of the bestselling book Time Off, explains why rest is a prerequisite to well-being and how we can build a rest ethic. So many key insights in this conversation!Some of the magic:The journey that enabled Max to discover the power of time offHow to implement rest to prevent overwhelm and burnoutSome key reflections to shed the light on the right balanceYudemon: use of HRV to reduce anxietyAnd so much more! ABOUT Max Frenzel Max Frenzel is the co-author of the international bestseller Time Off A Practical Guide to Building Your Rest Ethic and Finding Success Without the Stress. His ideas have been featured in Fast Company, Financial Times, Thrive Global, Entrepreneur Magazine, and other publications. After receiving his PhD in Quantum Information Theory from Imperial College London and working as a postdoctoral research fellow at Tokyo University, Max has been involved in several tech startups, focusing on the intersection of AI research and product design. Most recently he has been interested in the applications of AI and deep learning to creativity, design, and music, particularly in the context of wellbeing and performance optimization. Some of the AI-art Max has been involved in was exhibited at places like the Barbican Centre in London, and he is a regular public speaker on topics such as AI, creativity, and the future of work. As a consultant, Max has helped companies like Deloitte, Gitlab, and Amdocs build their rest ethic. In his time off, Max enjoys good coffee, tries to perfect his bread baking skills, and produces electronic music and performs around Tokyo. You can find him online at www.maxfrenzel.com.CONNECT with Max FrenzelInstagram LinkedIn Website  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

Be proactive is the first habit of the seven habits of highly effective people (Stephen Covey) and there is a reason for this! Being proactive can transform your life! By taking full responsibility for your actions, you can no longer blame external circumstances for your situation. This empowers you to take control and action to change/ improve your life. Being proactive comes down to taking aligned action: not taking any action but being aligned with what matters to you most and then having the courage and discipline to follow through with it. The 5 seconds by Mel Robbins is a tangible way to live proactively. Every time you hesitate to take aligned action, you count to five and then do it! By taking full responsibility and living proactively, it can have huge transformational impact on your life and work. My coaching career began thanks to this. I remember taking one specific action (signed up to coaching training) and from then on, my entire life pivoted. It was as if I was taking back control of my life and future, and no longer drifting with the current. This is why I so strongly believe in the impact of being proactiveMentioned in this episode:The seven habits of highly effective people, Stephen Covey The five seconds rule, Mel RobbinsVIDEO of this episode:YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/3oIplNDay9cABOUT 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': PODCAST: https://thefocusbeeshow.buzzsprout.com/LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiestoddartINSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thefocusbee/TWITTER: https://twitter.com/TheFocusBeeFACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/thefocusbeeBLOG: https://thefocusbee.com/blog/

Luisa Ferrario, is a rebel transformative leader who mentors conscious business owners who are wiling to become inspiring, impactful transformative leaders.  Pure magic is shared in this episode!Some of the magic:The rebel & transformative approach Luisa has to leadershipEnergy tools to facilitate transformationEFT Techniques and the impact they had on her lifeHow to strengthen our intuitionAnd so much more! ABOUT Luisa Ferrario Rebel Transformative Leader, Luisa Ferrario mentors conscious business owners willing tobecome inspiring and impactful transformative leaders too. She is the founder and CEO of Elle Effe Consulting, a ground-breaking organization  which specializes in unmasking the hidden forces leading teams and organizations, and removing the last obstacles that prevent you from going to the next level of fulfillment and profitability. Leadership mentor & advisor to Boards, she has been chosen for over fifteen years by Fortune 500 Companies and World Leading Organizations, start-ups and scale-ups from 20+ Countries to step into the future, stand out on the market, and feel joy again as business leaders.Luisa is not only an empowering and deliberate leadership mentor, she is also a hidden leading force Ninja. She owns the astounding power to get the unspoken heard, the hidden revealed, and the unfelt perceived, to activate people-centric transformation that exponentializes the impact of your business.As a result of working with her, you will master the art of activating and driving impactful, engaging, and lasting human-centered transformations to unleash the potency of your people, profit, and purpose.As a published author, she loves to write and speak on international platforms about the power of choosing consciously, personal mastery, kind and authentic leadership approaches, humancentered business models, joy in business, dynamic transformation, and hidden leading forces.Born and raised in Italy, Luisa lives in Europe. You can find her online at www.luisaferrario.com, hugging a tree in a forest, or in Milan visiting her gorgeous daughter, who proudly states she grew up on ‘bread and leadership’.CONNECT with Luisa FerrarioWebsite: www.luisaferrario.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisa-ferrario-20a35021/ VIDEO of this episode:YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/_koCHCY_7kwABOUT 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': PODCAST: https://thefocusbeeshow.buzzsprout.com/LINKEDIN: https://www.l&

Stoicism is booming right now and this is mainly because of how practical and effective it is. Unlike other philosophical movements, stoicism is based on action and can be ‘lived’ every day. • The four virtues of stoicism are courage, temperance, wisdom and justice.• Temperance is directly related to self-control. The idea is to keep everything in balance so that you are on neither extremes. The virtue of temperance can be applied to your work, your nutrition, your exercise – everything in moderation. • Wisdom comes not only from experience but also from applying philosophy in action. Using concepts such as the four virtues to lead our lives in a wise way. • Courage comes from leaving your comfort zone, from being able to stand up for yourself and your principles. • Justice relates to ‘sympatheia’ – the idea that ‘what hurts the hive, hurts the bee.’ Being aware of how our own actions impact others around us. The more I read about Stoicism, the more fascinating I find it. There is always more to discover and applying the principles of stoicism is life-changing. The four virtues are wonderful guidelines that can help us lead a more fulfilling life.  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

Perttu Polonen, futurist, innovator, keynote speaker and author share his wisdom on the importance of fundamental skills and what can help us lead a fulfilled life. Some of what we cover:• Importance of daily courage• How to develop an exponential mindset• The origin of purpose and motivation• Fulfilment vs happinessAnd so much more! ABOUT Perttu Polonen Perttu Pölönen has been given many titles, such as inventor, author, composer, keynote speaker, futurist and visionary. In Finnish media, Perttu has been called a gentle highbrow and a fearless inventor. Perttu himself still prefers not to use titles at all –it’s difficult to put him into any known box. Perttu is a classically trained composer by education but became an entrepreneur at a young age. Perttu has studied at Singularity University, a think tank located at the NASA Ames Research Center in California. While in California, he co-founded a non-profit, 360ed, that develops AR apps for the education sector in developing countries–the company is run and operated in Myanmar. Perttu’s own invention, MusiClock, is an example of how a personal challenge can be turned into an internationally awarded and patented invention. It won the biggest science fair in Europe, the European Union's Competition for Young Scientists. The MusiClock mobile app became the #1 music app in over 10 countries. In 2014, Perttu was given the “Most Creative Finn” Award at Slush and in 2018 MIT Tech Review honoured him among 35 Innovators Under 35 in Europe. Perttu has written two books: Future Skills (2020) and Future Identities (2021). Perttu is known as an inspiring thinker who believes that human skills and values will be crucially important in the future, to balance technological advancements. CONNECT with Perttu PolonenWebsiteLinkedInInstagramFacebookTwitterVIDEO 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