improve it! Podcast – Professional Development Through Play, Improv & Experiential Learning Erin Diehl | Business Improv Edutainer, Failfluencer, Keynote Speaker

How does jumping off of a 40-foot cliff in Puerto Rico lead to an epiphany that a 4-day work week needs to happen?
We’re here to tell the tale.
In today’s episode, Erin shares her story of first pondering and ultimately implementing a 4-day work week with the improve it! team, how she’s found flexibility within the 4-day work week itself, and each internal team member’s reflections on how the 4-day work week has gone since October of 2023.
Erin shares The 3 Bs—balance, boundaries, and breaks—and how our team uses this system to reach our goals, now working 36-hour weeks instead of 40-hour weeks.
If you’ve ever considered a 4-day work week and want to learn more about how to actually implement it—this is the episode for you.
Special sprinkles on top of this episode: how we’re redefining what a “break” means in the middle of the workday
What are the consequences of a 4-day work week?
Pros of a 4-day work week can include cost savings, increased productivity, and employee retention. Some disadvantages, however, can include scheduling challenges, reduced productivity, and added stress. -TriNet
Is it healthier to work four days a week?
Results showed people in the program had higher self-perceived health status, reduced levels of stress, were less tired and felt happier and more personally satisfied. The drop in commuting also led to a reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions and improved air quality. -The World Economic Forum

If you liked this episode, you might want to keep the party going with:

Episode 210: Episode 210: Work Less, Achieve More: Tales from a 4-Day Workweek

Episode 216: How Does a Four-Day Work Week Impact Your Team? with Special Guest, Jenna McDonnell


Show Links:

Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy


Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here


Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a 5-star review and drop us any Qs you want answered in upcoming episodes


Connect with Erin Diehl:

Erin’s Instagram


Erin’s LinkedIn


Erin’s website


improve it!’s Instagram


improve it!’s website



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does chaperoning a first-grade planetarium trip have to do with the benefits of a 4-day work week?
More than you think, trust us.
Joe Sanok is the author of Thursday is the New Friday, as well as a speaker, podcaster, and consultant at Practice of the Practice—an organization that helps counselors build their private practices.
Joe joins Erin on the pod today to discuss: his history of looking for work flexibility no matter what role he was in; how he’s negotiated 4-day work weeks throughout his career and the effects it’s had on his life as a whole; and a day-by-day breakdown of how he structures his week as a working parent.
Joe shares the exact script he’s used in the past to ask his boss for a 4-day work week that you can tweak to your liking.
Special sprinkles on top of this episode: how to have the confidence to leave things unfinished + why slowing down is where you need to start
Are people happier with a 4-day work week?
According to Forbes, a U.K. study found after six months of four-day work weeks, 71 percent of workers felt less burnout, company income increased by 1.4 percent on average, and there was a dramatic decrease in employee quitting and a significant reduction in sick days. -Governing Magazine
Who benefits from a 4-day work week?
Nearly anyone who works a full-time job.
Pilot studies in countries including the U.K., Spain, Portugal, and South Africa suggest that shorter workweeks can help employees reduce burnout, manage stress, get more sleep and exercise, spend additional quality time with loved ones, and feel all-around happier and healthier. -TIME Magazine

If you liked this episode, you might also want to try: Episode 216: How Does a Four-Day Work Week Impact Your Team? with Special Guest, Jenna McDonnell

Show Links:

Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy


Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here


Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a 5-star review and drop us any Qs you want answered in upcoming episodes


Connect with Joe Sanok:

Joe’s book, Thursday is the New Friday


Joe’s article in Harvard Business review, “How to Ask Your Boss For a 4-Day Work Week”


Joe’s podcast, The Practice of the Practice


Joe’s website


Joe’s LinkedIn



Connect with Erin Diehl:

Erin’s Instagram


Erin’s LinkedIn


Erin’s website


improve it!’s Instagram


improve it!’s website



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does it feel peaceful, or does it disrupt your nervous system?
This is the crux of the matter, which is making decisions that you feel good about—decisions that allow you to love yourself and others at the same time.
When you become overwhelmed, overworked, burnt out, and even the smallest daily tasks can become taxing...there needs to be a system in place for who and what you’re going to allow into your life.
Those moments when your body and your mind are screaming at you to stop, but you keep going because you think we need to...that’s what we’re talking about today.
In today’s episode, Erin gives you her four-step checklist for making decisions with greater clarity and a script for how to actually say no and continue to maintain the relationship.
If you’re looking for a concrete method for making decisions that honor your boundaries and your values – this is the episode for you.
Special sprinkles on top of this episode: the 3 Bs and the 4 Ps (no spoilers!)
Show Links:
Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy

Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here

Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a 5-star review and drop us any Qs you want answered in upcoming episodes
Connect with Erin Diehl:
Erin’s Instagram

Erin’s LinkedIn

Erin’s website

improve it!’s Instagram

improve it!’s website


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What were you doing when you were eight years old? What were you like? What did you like?
These are the questions keynote speaker, author, and entrepreneur Judi Holler asked herself when she found herself leaning her life ladder on the wrong house.
In her conversation with Erin, Judi explains how she operates from a place of mindfulness (and why you may be missing out), what it means to not only refine your voice as an artist but to trust it, and a foolproof strategy for coming home to yourself.
If you’re looking for a soul kick in the booty to get you moving in the right direction, not just the one that you feel like you should be going in – this is the episode for you.
Special sprinkles on top of this episode: sequin jackets and disco ball workshops
Show Links:
Learn more about Judi’s Speaker School & use code ERIN3879 for 15% off
Speaker School 3-month payment plan

Send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here.
Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy

Purchase the I See You Meditation Album

Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here

Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us
Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here.

Connect with Judi Holler:
Judi’s website

Judi’s Instagram

Judi’s podcast

Judi’s book

Connect with Erin Diehl:
@itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter

Erin’s LinkedIn

improve it! TikTok
Improve it! Instagram
Improve it! Facebook
improve it! website
Book a Laugh Break
Book a Workshop
Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com

“I love this podcast and I love Erin!!”
If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes it really is as simple as asking?
This is at the core of what Jamie Raines shares in today’s episode about how to support trans folks at work. Jamie is a YouTuber, Content Creator, and Author of The T in LGBT.
In his conversation with Erin, Jamie shares about his experiences when he began transitioning about 13 years ago and what you can do as a leader to create psychological safety for trans folks at work and outside of work.
If you’re looking for information and resources for creating streamlined, inclusive processes for the trans community at work – this is the episode for you.
Special sprinkles on top of this episode: Jamie’s future plans to write fiction and the most important thing you can do as an ally for the trans community
Show Links:
Send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here.
Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy

Purchase the I See You Meditation Album

Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here

Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us
Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here.

Connect with Jamie Raines:
Jamie’s Youtube

Jamie’s Instagram

Jamie’s book, The T in LGBT

Connect with Erin Diehl:
@itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter

Erin’s LinkedIn

improve it! TikTok
Improve it! Instagram
Improve it! Facebook
improve it! website
Book a Laugh Break
Book a Workshop
Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com

“I love this podcast and I love Erin!!”
If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Picture this: Erin sitting on a porch with a chicken on a laptop in the heat of the pandemic, asking herself how she was going to start a podcast.
Yup, that’s the improve it! Podcast’s origin story and Erin is here today to tell you the tale.
In today’s episode, Erin shares the logistics behind starting a podcast, the mistakes that she made so you don’t have to, and a step-by-step guide to how one episode of the improve it! Podcast gets made from start to finish.
Erin also explains when she realized the name of the podcast needed to change and how she’s starting to monetize the show.
If you’re interested in starting your own podcast or know someone who is – this is the episode for you.
Special sprinkles on top of this episode: Erin’s “podcast closet” and how to create a community with your show listeners
 
Show Links:
Jenna Kutcher’s Podcast Lab

Pro Podcast Solutions
Send a question/voice message on SpeakPipe here.
Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy

Purchase the I See You Meditation Album

Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here

Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a review for a chance to win a self-care package from us
Want to book Erin to speak at your organization or large-scale event: Learn more here.

 
Connect with Erin Diehl:
@itserindiehl on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter

Erin’s LinkedIn

improve it! TikTok
Improve it! Instagram
Improve it! Facebook
improve it! website
Book a Laugh Break
Book a Workshop
Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com

 
“I love this podcast and I love Erin!!”
If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast! This helps Erin support more people – just like you – move toward the leader you want to be. Click here, click listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let Erin know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. That way you won’t miss any juicy episodes! Thanks in advance, improve it! Peeps :)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices