What's on Your Bookshelf?

Denise Russo and Zach Elliott
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“What’s On Your Bookshelf” is a personal and professional growth podcast exploring the intersections of passion, potential, and purpose - featuring multi-certified coach and leadership development consultant Denise R. Russo alongside Sam Powell, Zach Elliott, Tom Schweizer, Dennis LaRue, and Michelle King.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    135 Next Up: The Space Between Books

    We pause between books to invite you to read with us and announce The Four Agreements as our next deep dive into practical personal freedom for work and life. We share why slow, deliberate reading changes behavior, and offer a complimentary Agile Brain assessment to support the journey. • reason for a pause and invitation to catch up • announcement of The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz • link promise to buy from Amazon or Barnes & Noble • personal freedom as a leadership cornerstone • why ancient Toltec wisdom applies to modern work • four agreements as a simple, durable framework • reading slowly vs consuming summaries • savoring lessons and implementing week by week • year theme moving between modern and ancient ideas • impact on community, family, and teams • shoutouts to producers and contributors • invite to binge past seasons and join the journey To receive your complimentary Agile Brain assessment, send either of us a message saying you want the free Agile Brain assessment Support the show Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify. Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.

    28 min

  2. 30 OCT

    SP6 Special Edition Agile Brain: Climbing The Pyramid Of Human Needs

    We map a four-sided pyramid of human needs—self, social, material, spiritual—and explore how foundations enable higher aims like purpose and transcendence. Research, culture, and real stories show why ethics, community, and conscious reflection turn values into action and bias into empathy. • defining the four opposing life domains • why foundations like safety and justice come first • evidence from goal research and world cultures • how self leads to social, then to spiritual • in‑group bias, polarization and the contact effect • ethics as the hinge between ideals and action • integrating needs into a coherent life purpose • practical steps to reflect, rebuild and align Please get a copy of The Emotionally Agile Brain by Dr. JD Pincus. From now till the end of this calendar year, we’re gifting complimentary Agile Brain assessments, with optional deep dives with certified coaches. Support the show Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify. Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.

    50 min

  3. 29 OCT

    SP5 Special Edition Agile Brain: Justice, Ethics, And The Search For Meaning

    We trace how justice, ethics, and transcendence shape a meaningful life and why chasing happiness fails while purpose endures. JD Pincus shares research, history, and a practical tool to surface unmet needs and align action with values. • defining the spiritual domain and why it matters • rules to ethics to transcendence as a growth ladder • evidence for principle-driven sacrifice across species and cultures • history’s awakenings fueling social change and justice • trauma’s link to purpose and giving • the hedonic treadmill versus durable well-being • moral gray areas, disgust, and context effects • risks of ends-justify-means thinking • AI, misinformation, and ethical decision-making • how Agile Brain reveals unmet emotional needs • applying insights at work and in life For anyone listening today, we would love to give you a complimentary assessment from Agile Brain. For those that want to go even deeper, we can talk with people about having a discovery call on the assessment results with a certified coach Make sure they can go to any online bookstore and Amazon to get The Emotionally Agile Brain Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify. Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.

    1 hr

  4. 28 OCT

    SP4 Special Edition Agile Brain: Lonely Hearts, Social Needs

    We explore why inclusion, connection, and recognition are the social motives that make work and life feel meaningful, and how loneliness quietly harms health, teams, and trust. Stories from reality TV to school lunchrooms reveal why sincere care and specific praise beat trophies every time. • inclusion as the base of belonging  • connection deepening care and trust  • sincere recognition versus programs  • grief as real social pain in the brain  • loneliness risks and health impacts  • layoffs, survivor guilt, and community  • social media comparison and FOMO  • caring leadership, burnout, and loyalty  • moving from self to service and purpose Friends, get this book, The Emotionally Agile Brain by Dr. JD Pincus. You can get it wherever you like to purchase your books online. Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify. Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.

    50 min

  5. 28 OCT

    SP3 Special Edition Agile Brain:Autonomy To Flow

    We explore how autonomy enables immersion and why true success is a byproduct of meeting core emotional needs, not a shortcut to status. Stories of lottery winners, creatives, athletes, and leaders reveal why skipping foundations backfires and how failure becomes fuel. • autonomy as permission, resources, skill, and influence • immersion as real employee engagement and deep work • flow state conditions and practical workplace fixes • failure as essential to mastery and learning • power paradox and healthy team-based success • redefining success beyond status and comparison • agile brain assessment, coaching, and action planning • inclusion, safety, and authenticity as precursors to focus If you're listening to this episode, if you would like a complimentary assessment and a discovery call about your results from your assessment, please reach out to me If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with others Share your comments about what you're learning with us Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify. Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.

    45 min

  6. 24 OCT

    SP2 Special Edition Agile Brain: Self, Safety, And The Road To Potential

    We explore how psychological safety enables authenticity, and how authenticity unlocks potential. JD Pincus connects fear, narcissism, imposter syndrome, and conspiracy thinking to a broader model of self, social, material, and spiritual domains, leading to transcendence. • Safety as the basis for authentic expression • Apprenticeship and voice development before mastery • Redefining self-actualization as attitude, not fame • The four domains reframed with an integrated self • Evidence-based case for spiritual well-being • Student mental health pressures and system strain • Fear as information and the SM case study • Fight, flight, anger and self-control under stress • Authenticity versus narcissism and emotional stunting • Imposter syndrome as a brake or motivator • Stress, prevention energy and conspiracy belief • Transcendence beyond self and resolving opposites • Coaching questions to assess talents and next steps We do a monthly forum the first Wednesday of each month. It’s free. Join us and bring your questions Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify. Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.

    46 min

  7. 23 OCT

    SP1 Special Edition Agile Brain: Emotions Drive The Wheel

    We launch a special seven-part series with Dr. JD Pincus exploring the 12 emotional needs that shape decisions, leadership, and fulfillment. Emotions lead, thoughts explain, and leaders thrive when they surface needs and align habits with values. • origin story from punk band to psychologist • scope of the book and why the bibliography matters • emotions as primary drivers over rational intention • CBT and habit loops for rewiring behavior • naming and working with the 12 emotional needs • limits of over-rationalized leadership cultures • fulfillment, Ikigai, and non-striving compared • marketing’s promise versus authentic need satisfaction • preview of next session on safety, authenticity, potential Get the book. Go to agilebrain.com to take a free assessment. If you’d like a debrief of that assessment, you can reach out to me. Zach has information in the show notes as well as how you can reach out to me. Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify. Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.

    32 min

  8. 22 OCT

    134 UnF Yourself: Conclusion-Step Up, Then Think

    We close out the book’s final chapter with a clear call to move from mantra to motion, to treat growth as a loop—think, act, learn, repeat—and to choose deliberate trade-offs instead of waiting for perfect timing. Stories, tools, and a simple challenge help you shift from can’t to won’t to done. • mindset loop from internal assertions to external action • sacrifice and invisible work behind visible success • stop waiting for perfect timing and change current behavior • can’t vs won’t reframed with yet and tiny actions • fewer books, deeper application, repeat for recall • time capsule practice to track progress and identity • Agile Brain assessment to explore subconscious blockers • seize moments, not just days, with deliberate swings • next book reveal: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz If you want to learn how to do this or you want me to help you set it up for yourself, reach out to me or Sam If you message us and say that you heard about it on the show, we'll send you a free assessment and then we'll set up a discovery call so that you could see what the assessment reveals for you We'd really like to ask you to share them with others. Comment so that we know that you're getting value from them. Send us notes Connect with us on our LinkedIn page School of Thoughts . We also value your reviews, subscribing, and sharing our podcast "What's On Your Bookshelf?" on Apple and Spotify. Subscribe to our new YouTube channel.

    31 min
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About

“What’s On Your Bookshelf” is a personal and professional growth podcast exploring the intersections of passion, potential, and purpose - featuring multi-certified coach and leadership development consultant Denise R. Russo alongside Sam Powell, Zach Elliott, Tom Schweizer, Dennis LaRue, and Michelle King.

Information

  • Creator
    Denise Russo and Zach Elliott
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    143
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 What's on Your Bookshelf?
  • Show Website
    What's on Your Bookshelf?