Make Life Less Difficult

Lisa Tilstra
  • 4.8 (31)
  • Relationships
  • Updated Weekly

"What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other?" - mary anne evansThis quote summarizes my life purpose. Life isn't easy. It's complex, filled with the unexpected, and sometimes really hard. While life is full of challenges, I believe there are myriad things we can do to help make life less difficult for each other.On this podcast we'll share stories, struggles, and successes that help us know we're not alone. And knowing we're not alone is one way to make life less difficult.

  1. 1d ago

    Jessica Zucal: Embracing the Dark Passages

    Send us a message! My guest today is Jessica Zucal. Jess is a returning guest and I'm so honored to share this conversation with you. Jess is an organizational change and culture specialist.  She supports leaders and organizations in navigating transformational change by integrating both the inner work of leadership and the systemic work of organizational change. She helps leaders see their organizations clearly, understand the patterns and dynamics shaping their reality, so they can move through complexity with greater alignment and make better informed decisions.  Jess has been through significant change and reorganization in her personal life as well.  In our previous conversation on episode 219, Jess shared the story of her journey with breast cancer, identifying cancer as one of her greatest teachers. In our conversation today, Jess shares about going through a dark passage which, with the support of trusted partners, she identified as an ego death and rebirth.  Jess's ability to articulate her journey as well as reflect on her experience is a gift.  Often in our own dark passages, it's difficult to find the words to describe what's happening and even more difficult to find people who can relate.  If you have experienced or are in the midst of experiencing a dark passage in your own life, I hope that this conversation helps you know you are not alone, and assures you that these times don't last forever (even though they can feel like they do), and there's beauty and light woven into the darkness. Jess, thank you for this meaningful and inspiring conversation.  Thank you for your openness, your willingness to share and invite us into these pieces of your journey so that we can be inspired and know that we aren't alone during the difficult times.  I'm deeply grateful to have you in my life. To learn more about Jess and her work in the world, you'll find links below. Connect with Jess on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-zucal-3323795/ Support the show Make Life Less Difficult ~    Support: buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

  2. Sep 25

    Donna Moreno: Get off the Ladder and onto the Jungle Gym of Life and Work!

    Send us a message! My guest today is Donna Moreno. Donna spent 34 years at Verizon, where she was trained as a company spokesperson, representing them everywhere from industry conferences to investor events. Today she's at The Washington Post, working on compensation, pay equity, job architecture, and how AI is reshaping the way we design jobs. But her résumé only tells you a sliver of the story. Donna has chaired committees at the Kennedy Center, led Rockville Sister Cities International, judged international competitions, and worked behind the scenes on productions like the Kennedy Center Honors and a presidential inauguration. She's traveled to over 20 countries and 40 states, picked up a literal key to the City of Rockville and a governor's proclamation — and built award-winning mentoring programs along the way. In our conversation today, Donna shares that she's on the brink of 70, managing cancer, and working on a book with the help of her daughter.   Donna, thank you so so much for sharing these stories.  Thank you for sharing your heart and passion for others, thank you for sharing your wisdom.  Your courage, energy, and clarity are deeply inspiring. If you'd like to connect with Donna and learn more about her work in the world, there are links below: Connect with Donna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-moreno-ccp-700754b?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios  https://www.instagram.com/dmenzigian?igsi=MTFwbnllMzlzcDNkMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr https://www.threads.com/@dmenzigian?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== https://www.facebook.com/share/1DbQdevcNW/?mibextid=wwXIfr  Email for contact dmmenzigian@gmail.com Support the show Make Life Less Difficult ~    Support: buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

  3. Sep 21

    Nick Reittinger: Failure, Cookies, Faith, and Recovery

    Send us a message! Today's guest is Nick Reittinger (write - ting - jer). And Russ Watts is hosting today. Nick is a seismic consultant in Kyle TX. If it shakes, rattles or rolls, he's got it covered. His real passion in life is traveling with his lovely wife and two beautiful daughters. Connecting with individuals across the country has turned out to be an unexpected skill.  In this conversation Nick shares a story about a time when everything he expected would happen, didn't.  The rug was pulled out from underneath him and it left him feeling incredibly disrupted.  Nick shares how baking cookies became an anchor for him during this stormy time.  Doing something with his hands -- something that had absolutely nothing to do with his work -- kept him grounded when everything else was up in the air.   This is an inspiring conversation that will bring a smile to your face and perhaps resonate deeply in your heart if you find yourself in the midst of a challenge or disruption in your life and the difficulty that often accompanies these times. Nick, thank you for sharing these stories, thank you for sharing your reflections on this time of deep disruption in your life, and for sharing how you found an anchor to pull you through!  And thank you for the encouragement to search for an anchor during the storms and to know that anchors come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and flavors! If you would like to reach out and connect with Nick -- you'll find his email and LinkedIn profile in the show notes! Connect with Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-reittinger/ Email Nick: nickreitt@gmail.com Support the show Make Life Less Difficult ~    Support: buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

  4. Sep 16

    Graham Shelby: Telling Stories for Connection and Impact

    Send us a message! My guest today is Graham Shelby. Graham is a storyteller in just about every sense of the word — a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times and on NPR's The Moth Radio Hour, a veteran stage performer, a speechwriter, and director of the documentary City of Ali, about the week the city of Louisville, Kentucky — Muhammad Ali's hometown — came together to say goodbye to its champion.  In this conversation, we explore the power of story and the impact of truly listening, what to consider when telling a story to any audience, and Graham's own story of how he came to perform on The Moth stage in New York City.  We also dig into a tension at the heart of this podcast: the balance between making life less difficult and choosing to do difficult things — the ones that lead to growth and deeper satisfaction.  Graham, thank you for this conversation, for sharing these pieces of your story and journey, and your wisdom in storytelling. You'll find links below to connect with Graham, watch the documentary, City of Ali, and listen to Graham on The Moth. Links: Connect with Graham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamshelby/ Watch "City of Ali": https://www.cityofali.com/ Listen to Graham on The Moth: https://themoth.org/stories/the-man-on-tv Support the show Make Life Less Difficult ~    Support: buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

  5. Sep 11

    Nicole Anderson: Audacia Leadership and The Long Wake Podcast

    Send us a message! My guest today is Nicole Anderson. Nicole is a leadership development consultant and coach. Nicole is a returning guest to the podcast and this is an inspiring conversation that includes stories of Nicole's recent journey of starting her own company and podcast. Nicole founded Audacia after two decades inside the rooms where growth-stage decisions get made, leading teams, building leadership programs, and watching what separates the organizations that scale with purpose from the ones that scale into chaos. She founded Audacia because the conversations leaders are having now, about AI, scale, headcount, pressure, are getting answered with the wrong playbook. Her take might seem counter-intuitive: to speed up, we must first slow down.  As you'll hear us talk about, audacia is the latin word for being bold, courageous, or brave.  What I love about it all is that, to me, Audacia has a softness to it that sets it apart from the harshness that I sometimes feel associated with being bold and standing out.  You'll hear us talk more about and explore this, along with so much more. Nicole, thank you for sharing your stories and your wisdom.  Thank you for being an authentic and bold -- audacious -- leader.  You are an inspiration and your work is deeply needed in the world! To learn more about Nicole and the work she does, you'll find links here: Audacia website: https://www.audacialeadership.com/home Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-morrow-anderson/ Support the show Make Life Less Difficult ~    Support: buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

  6. Sep 1

    5 Years of Make Life Less Difficult!

    Send us a message! It's been 5 years since the release of the first episode of Make Life Less Difficult! Today, Russ Watts joins me to reflect on the journey of this podcast, what it means to me, how it's impacted me (and others), and what I envision for the upcoming 5 years! Russ is a guest host and a frequent guest of the podcast.  He and I facilitate retreats and workshops focused on storytelling, connection, and soul space. Check out our offerings at: https://thestoryacademy.org/ Support the show Make Life Less Difficult ~    Support: buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

  7. Aug 20

    Suneet Bhatt: Making Sense of Purpose

    Send us a message! My guest today is Suneet Bhatt. Suneet helps people and organizations get unstuck, find purpose, and build momentum.  Suneet teaches at Rutgers University, helping students make sense of their purpose and understand their journey to purpose. In his work, Suneet has found that before we can make sense of our purpose, we have to make sense of ourselves.  This sounds so simple, but has profound implications and is so often overlooked.  I love this conversation because Suneet both shares his own story of making sense of his purpose, and also shares valuable insights to help all of us better understand  and make sense of our purposes. Suneet, thank you for this energizing and inspiring conversation.  Your stories, your wisdom, your encouragement are all so appreciated and I'm honored to have met you and to get to share this on my podcast! To learn more about Suneet, his work, and his book, Making Sense of Purpose, you'll find links in the show notes. Connect with Suneet: https://makingsenseofpurpose.com/ Book: Making Sense of Purpose  Link to Donate to help inmates and other receive this book! Support the show Make Life Less Difficult ~    Support: buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

  8. Aug 13

    Srikanth Seshadri: What to Make of a Life

    Send us a message! My guest today is Srikanth Seshadri. Sri is a returning guest, previously on episode 169 in 2022. Today, Sri and I discuss the book, What to Make of a Life, by Jim Collins.   Sri is an executive coach who helps CEOs scale their companies and accelerate performance. When Sri and I talked about doing another podcast together, he sent me a link to this book, suggesting we both read it and talk about it for the podcast.   What to Make of a Life is an exploration through the study of a dozen or so people: writers, actors, scientists, leaders and others, asking the questions, How do we find our way in the world? How do we make it past the significant events that can radically change a life? How do we keep the inner fire burning bright, long and late? Inspired by relentless curiosity, Collins devoted a decade to studying these questions and to minutely analyzing those moments when life flips from clarity to confusion and casts us into a befuddling fog. I'm so grateful you shared this book with me, Sri, and that we had this conversation.  It has given me new perspectives on twists and turns my life has taken, new ideas for continuing to shape my life and choices for living in meaningful and purpose-filled ways, and inspiration to keep taking one step at a time into areas of exploration and unknown. In our conversation, Sri mentions a number of other books and resources.  You'll find links to all those in the show notes as well as ways to learn more about Sri and the work he does in the world. Resource Links: Connect with Sri: https://agilegrowthpartners.com/a1/What to Make of a Life by Jim CollinsMindset by Carol DweckThe Right Kind of Wrong by Amy EdmondsonAdaptive Leadership by Ron Heifetz Why Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold KushnerMovie: Just Mercy (About Bryan Stevenson and his justice work)Jim Collins interviewed by Oprah Keep an eye out for Sri's book on Leadership Agility coming in 2027! Support the show Make Life Less Difficult ~    Support: buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

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4.8
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About

"What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other?" - mary anne evansThis quote summarizes my life purpose. Life isn't easy. It's complex, filled with the unexpected, and sometimes really hard. While life is full of challenges, I believe there are myriad things we can do to help make life less difficult for each other.On this podcast we'll share stories, struggles, and successes that help us know we're not alone. And knowing we're not alone is one way to make life less difficult.

Information

  • Creator
    Lisa Tilstra
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    293
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Make Life Less Difficult
  • Show Website
    Make Life Less Difficult

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