Circle Up & Get REAL Podcast

Jodee Bock
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

When you're with your peeps, you invite them to Circle Up. And when like-minded and like-hearted others come together, they hold space for each other to Get REAL: Radical, Energized, Authentic, & Learning-focused. It's time to Circle Up & Get REAL.

  1. 3d ago

    Episode 322 - Getting REAL About The Radical Promise with Steve Farber

    What is your word worth? In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend Steve Farber to talk about his newest book, The Radical Promise—and an idea that sounds remarkably simple: Do what you say you will do. But Steve's invitation goes much deeper than keeping the big promises we consciously make. What about the casual "I'll get back to you"? The introduction you said you'd make. The email you meant to send. The thing you told your team you'd take care of. Were those promises? Steve and I explore how credibility is built—or quietly eroded—in those seemingly insignificant moments. We talk about why leaders may be making commitments without realizing it, what it means to develop a more "contractual attitude" toward our words, and why consistently following through can make someone remarkably valuable in a world where people have grown accustomed to being disappointed. Steve also takes us behind the scenes of The Radical Promise: why he returned to the parable-style storytelling of his earlier books, how real people and experiences found their way into the story, and how leadership legends Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner became part of the narrative. We also talk about overcommitting, learning to say no, tracking the promises we make, and the connection between credibility, love, leadership, and the kinds of workplaces we create. And because Steve and I have known each other since 2004, there are a few stories along the way. Maybe the question isn't simply, "Do I keep my promises?" Maybe it's: Do I know when I've made one? Find out more about Steve's new book at www.theradicalpromise.com.

    Episode 322 - Getting REAL About The Radical Promise with Steve Farber

  2. Sep 2

    Episode 321 - Getting REAL About Changing the Way You Look at Things with Jodee

    Wayne Dyer famously said, 'When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.' But do they? Does the object itself change—or does a different perspective allow us to see something that was there all along? In this solo episode, Jodee moves from that question into her first full spoken explanation of Human Systems Development. Rather than treating an organization as a machine whose people and outcomes can be controlled, Human Systems Development asks us to see people, relationships, teams, cultures, and organizations as living systems. Every system is already producing outcomes consistent with the conditions that have emerged within it. We cannot plant corn and demand a carrot. We can, however, become more conscious of the ground we are tending. Jodee explores culture as something elusive but always present—much like electricity or energy. We may not be able to hold it in our hands, but we can feel its effects, and it always leaves clues. She introduces three parts of the Human Systems Development worldview: how we develop capacity, how we see the system, and how we work together over time. She also invites us to look through three lenses: individual, relational, and systemic. The goal is not to eliminate tension and uncertainty or engineer people into predetermined outcomes. It is to develop our shared capacity to navigate reality well, notice what our systems are producing, and tend the conditions in which people can contribute, learn, and become more fully who they are.

    Episode 321 - Getting REAL About Changing the Way You Look at Things with Jodee

  3. Aug 28

    Episode 320 - Getting REAL About Fine Lines with Jodee

    Most meaningful decisions are not between right and wrong. Jodee explores the fine lines between being and doing, acceptance and resignation, conviction and certainty, and stewardship and control — and the discernment required to feel the difference. We often talk about decisions as though the choices are obvious: one way is right and the other is wrong. But many of the decisions that shape our lives happen somewhere less certain — between right and right, along fine lines that shift with our intention, energy, experience, and circumstances. In this solo episode, Jodee explores several of those distinctions: being and doing, patience and passivity, acceptance and resignation, conviction and certainty, surrender and giving up, and stewardship and control. From the outside, the behaviors can look almost identical. The difference often lives underneath them. Jodee reflects on a time when constant doing looked like dedication but was also connected to avoidance, resentment, and the identity she had built around being the person who would always stay late and take on more. She considers how acceptance can acknowledge reality without abandoning agency, how conviction can guide us without hardening into certainty, and why certainty closes the curiosity that dialogue requires. The episode offers discernment not as a way to find the one perfect answer, but as a capacity we can develop: integrating head, heart, gut, and the signals of the body before we decide. The question is not only, 'What am I doing?' It is also, 'What energy, intention, fear, or story is doing it through me?'

    Episode 320 - Getting REAL About Fine Lines with Jodee

  4. Aug 19

    Episode 319 - Getting REAL About The Money with Jodee

    Has money been given a job it was never meant to do — proving your worth? In this solo episode of Circle Up and Get Real, Jodee Bock explores money as a tool and an exchange of value, while questioning the meaning we attach to salaries, prices, rates, achievement, and someone else's willingness to pay. She shares the personal path from a Midwestern 'work harder' mindset through corporate leadership, accidental entrepreneurship, free speaking engagements, undercharging, and the gradual separation of worth, value, and cost. The conversation ultimately shifts from transaction to stewardship: using the time, talents, relationships, and resources entrusted to us in service of something greater. In this episode: • Why working harder eventually reaches a limit • How salary, pricing, and external validation can become tangled with worth • What free talks and $100 gigs taught Jodee about value • Why money can represent exchange without measuring humanity • Moving from achievement and transaction toward stewardship • What organizational culture makes possible when humans are treated as humans • The question that can change how we earn, spend, save, and give Reflection: If money no longer had to prove your worth, what might change? Check out www.emergentculturelabs.com for more info about our work

    Episode 319 - Getting REAL About The Money with Jodee

  5. Aug 14

    Episode 318 - Getting REAL About Discipline with Jodee

    After nearly two weeks away from the podcast, Jodee finds herself wondering: Who really cares if an episode arrives on schedule — and who is keeping score? That question opens a deeper reflection on commitments, promises, connection, resilience, and discipline. From a rainy Disrupt HR event in Fargo to wildfire-smoked mountains in Montana, Jodee considers what happens when reality does not match our expectations. She shares how a quick, meaningful conversation reminded her that our challenge may not be a lack of communication, but a lack of genuine connection. She also explores how small personal practices — 15 squats after every bathroom visit, wearing a meaningful pin, and riding her bike every day — have helped her experience discipline as self-trust rather than pressure. This is not a prescription or a challenge to copy someone else's habits. It is an invitation to ask: What are you willing to do over time, simply to see what happens? And how might your experience change when you choose from purpose rather than should, force, or fear?

    Episode 318 - Getting REAL About Discipline with Jodee

  6. Jul 29

    Episode 317 - Getting REAL About the Space Between with Jodee

    What do you do when life creates an unexpected opening? Most of us rush to fill empty space—with busyness, worry, or the next thing on our list. But what if those openings aren't problems to solve? What if they're invitations to grow? In this episode, I explore the difference between loss and capacity, why our identity matters during times of transition, and how creating space can help us recognize possibilities we might otherwise miss. Whether you're changing jobs, retiring, launching a business, or simply entering a new chapter of life, this conversation invites you to pause before filling the space. I'd love to hear your story in the comments: When has something that ended eventually made room for something better?

    Episode 317 - Getting REAL About the Space Between with Jodee

  7. Jul 21

    Episode 316 - Getting REAL About the Journey of You with Jodee

    What if life isn't a problem to solve—but a journey to experience? In this solo episode of Circle Up & Get REAL, Jodee reflects on an upcoming biking adventure through Montana and discovers that planning a road trip has a surprising way of illuminating life itself. Through stories about maps, GPS systems, bike trails, and mountain roads, she explores why we often expect life to be easier than it was ever meant to be. The journey reminds us that hills, valleys, storms, detours, and unexpected companions aren't signs we've gone off course—they're part of the adventure. Jodee shares why agency isn't about controlling every circumstance but about choosing how we respond to the conditions we encounter. She introduces the powerful distinction between an external GPS that helps us navigate and an internal compass—our values, intuition, instinct, and discernment—that helps us determine our True North. Along the way, she explores: Why expectations often create unnecessary suffering What a GPS can teach us about self-compassion ("Recalculating...") The two questions every journey requires: Where am I? and Where do I want to go? Why mentors and trail guides can show us where they've been—but cannot walk our path for us The meaning of coddiwomple: traveling purposefully toward a destination that isn't yet completely clear How curiosity, courage, and discernment help us navigate uncertainty Whether you're standing at a crossroads, questioning your direction, or simply trying to enjoy the scenery a little more, this episode offers an invitation to trust both the map and the compass—and to remember that becoming may matter even more than arriving. Key Takeaway: Life isn't about avoiding wrong turns. It's about learning to recalculate with curiosity instead of judgment and having the courage to continue the journey. Quote from the Episode "It's never what happens to you. It's who you become in the process." Reflection Questions What expectations am I carrying that may be making my journey harder than it needs to be? Where am I today—not where I wish I were? Where do I truly want to go? What does my inner compass tell me that no GPS can? If I took one courageous step without knowing the entire path, what might become possible?

    Episode 316 - Getting REAL About the Journey of You with Jodee

  8. Jul 9

    Episode 315 - Getting REAL About Saying No with Heather Archer

    What if saying no was actually one of the most important career skills you could develop? In this episode of Circle Up & Get REAL, Jodee sits down with workplace strategist, facilitator, and author Heather Archer to explore why so many talented professionals become overwhelmed by saying yes to work that doesn't move them forward.  Drawing from her signature framework, The Promotion Equation, Heather explains how to distinguish between high-value work that advances your career and the "invisible" tasks that quietly consume your time and energy. Heather shares the personal story behind the framework, which began as coaching conversations with her daughter after she found herself buried in responsibilities simply because she struggled to decline requests. Those real-life lessons eventually became a practical system that helps professionals pause, evaluate opportunities, and respond with confidence rather than obligation. Together, Jodee and Heather also explore the language we use in business, challenging the common phrase "I help people…" and examining how our words shape perceptions of value. Their conversation moves beyond workplace productivity into authenticity, visibility, self-advocacy, and the importance of recognizing the difference between generosity and professional contribution. Whether you're an emerging leader, an experienced professional, or someone who simply finds it difficult to set boundaries, this episode offers practical tools for protecting your time, increasing your impact, and saying yes to the work that matters most. In This Episode Why saying "yes" can quietly derail your career The difference between promotable and non-promotable work Heather's simple framework: Ask + Pause = Answer How to decline requests without damaging relationships Why visibility matters as much as hard work The surprising problem with saying "I help people…" Practical ways to advocate for yourself without feeling self-promotional How intentional boundaries create greater impact and fulfillment Memorable Thought "Every time you intentionally say no to work that doesn't align with your goals, you're creating space to say a wholehearted yes to what matters most." Connect with Heather Learn more about Heather Archer and The Promotion Equation through her company, Training Du Jour, and connect with her on LinkedIn to follow her work in leadership, facilitation, and workplace strategy.  Final Thought Success isn't about doing everything. It's about having the courage and clarity to do the right things well. Heather reminds us that every thoughtful "no" creates room for a more meaningful "yes."

    Episode 315 - Getting REAL About Saying No with Heather Archer
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When you're with your peeps, you invite them to Circle Up. And when like-minded and like-hearted others come together, they hold space for each other to Get REAL: Radical, Energized, Authentic, & Learning-focused. It's time to Circle Up & Get REAL.

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