Insight at Work with Ken Blackwell Ken Blackwell

IN THIS EPISODE:
We’re going to start 2023 with Hope, specifically Valerie Hope. Valerie brings a truly global approach to leadership and building diverse, inclusive and equal work cultures. For Valerie it starts with curiosity and she shares how her early life as a self-proclaimed “military brat” and global traveller taught her the skills she now. shares with her clients. The conversation is wide ranging just like her perspectives and has a little something for everyone.
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Being a curious and creative learner has set Valerie Hope apart as an accomplished leadership coach and professional speaker. Since having traveled to more than 30 countries and having lived with more than 400 host families, she learned that life is the best teacher and the human being living it, as the star pupil.
For the past 25 years, Valerie has been called to inspire and activate global leaders to become more conscious, connected, and creative. As her coaching clients and audience members gain clarity of purpose, become bold and authentic in their self-expression, they tout fulfilling careers, more meaningful relationships, and experience a sense of aliveness. Her group workshops and one-on-one sessions are designed to go beyond concepts and data points, to shine a light on what has heart and meaning.
She’s honed her coaching and speaking craft throughout the Americas and Europe through work in and for major companies and organizations such asHyatt Hotels and Resorts, Up With People, Etsy, Salesforce, University of California at Berkeley, and Anheuser Busch. 
In 2018, she stumbled into entrepreneurship and is now the CEO of her company, Connect to Joy, LLC.Valerie received her executive coaching certification from UC Berkeley and holds a B.A. in Public Relations and Spanish from the University of Alabama.
She is a native Spanish speaker from the Republic of Panama. These days, you can find Valerie expressing her playful side on the tennis court, on the improv stage, and singing in a community choir. This former military brat calls Dallas home and she has the cowboy boots to prove it.
SHOW NOTES:
Connect with Valerie on: 
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/valeriehope  Twitter: ValerieVHope her website:  valeriehope.com or on YouTube: youtube.com/c/ConnecttoJoy INSIGHT AT WORK PODCAST THEME MUSIC:
Our theme music is composed by Chris Lucca, Jr.. You can listen to more of Chris’ work at http://chrisluccamusic.com  You can also connect with him on Twitter: @Flipluka and on Instagram: @_flipluka.music_
ABOUT THE HOST:
Ken Blackwell is a speaker, trainer, facilitator and executive coach. His focus is on creating a more human workplace. His firm InKlaritas, based in Princeton, NJ, works with teams and leaders in companies in the U.S. around the world. You can find out more about InKlaritas at: www.InKlaritas.com, follow him on Facebook at Ken Blackwell, Speaker and  connect with Ken on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethjblackwell/ (make sure to mention you listen to the podcast).

Today is the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year. Today is also a turning point. In this short "Insight Bite" episode, Ken shares a thought for using these dark hours to begin a transformation that will spark our growth in the year to come.

IN THIS EPISODE:
In the US, it’s the time of the year when we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday and are grateful for the many blessings of the past year. Ken suggests a particular focus for this year’s reflections in this short, “Insight Bite” episode.
INSIGHT AT WORK PODCAST THEME MUSIC:
Our theme music is composed by Chris Lucca, Jr.. You can listen to more of Chris’ work at http://chrisluccamusic.comYou can also connect with him on Twitter: @Flipluka and on Instagram: @_flipluka.music_
ABOUT THE HOST:
Ken Blackwell is a speaker, trainer, facilitator and executive coach. His focus is on creating a more human workplace. His firm InKlaritas, based in Princeton, NJ, works with teams and leaders in companies in the U.S. around the world. You can find out more about InKlaritas at: www.InKlaritas.com, follow him on Facebook at Ken Blackwell, Speaker and connect with Ken on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethjblackwell/ (make sure to mention you listen to the podcast).

N THIS EPISODE:
On the podcast, we tend to focus on our present-day goals for work, but what about our goals for post-work? What kind of life do we want to live after we leave the workplace? Today’s guest, Tara Nolan, builds on her background as a pilot and logistics officer for the US Air Force to help people see the whole picture of both their work, and post-work, lives and build a financial plan that makes sense. The key is “understanding the mission” and putting goals ahead of tools. While the topic is money, there’s also some great insights about problem-solving, connecting and finding clarity that have universal application. 
ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Tara Nolan
Tara Nolan is a money strategist who supports entrepreneurs and professionals, who have limited time due to business and family demands, achieve and retain the lifestyles they want.  Since starting her company, she has been obsessed with helping people feel good about their finances. It’s hard when they are stressed about money, and she loves helping people find that good feeling in their belly when they are in control of their money situation.
Tara combines finance, her background in strategic military planning and a focus personal development to create transformational financial plans.  She shares her philosophy and approach to money in her book, “Money Moves: Change where your money lives and change how your financial world grows”.
SHOW NOTES:
Learn more about Tara on the web at: www.nolanfinancialpartners.com
Find Tara’s book on Amazon: “Money Moves: Change Where Your Money Lives, Change How Your Financial World Grows”
INSIGHT AT WORK PODCAST THEME MUSIC:
Our theme music is composed by Chris Lucca, Jr.. You can listen to more of Chris’ work at http://chrisluccamusic.com  You can also connect with him on Twitter: @Flipluka and on Instagram: @_flipluka.music_
ABOUT THE HOST:
Ken Blackwell is a speaker, trainer, facilitator and executive coach. His focus is on creating a more human workplace. His firm InKlaritas, based in Princeton, NJ, works with teams and leaders in companies in the U.S. around the world. You can find out more about InKlaritas at: www.InKlaritas.com, follow him on Facebook at Ken Blackwell, Speaker and  connect with Ken on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethjblackwell/ (make sure to mention you listen to the podcast).

IN THIS EPISODE:
Many of us are aware of Google’s Project Aristotle which discovered a key characteristic of high performing teams was a climate of  “psychological safety” - that team members could speak up and share opinions without fear of any kind of reprisal or repercussion. Neuroscience backs this up - we do our best thinking when we feel safe and are working in an environment of trust. But feeling safe goes beyond just the ability to express thoughts and opinions, it extends to other aspects of our lives such as culture and identity.  Today’s guest, Tim Mousseau, has spent the last 10 years researching what makes people feel unsafe and how to create frameworks and boundaries that lead to safe work cultures. This is a deeper and more personal conversation than we’ve had in while and Tim shares some great insights that will change how you think about the workplace.
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
As a male survivor of sexual violence and harassment, Tim Mousseau has spent the last ten years studying prevention to create frameworks that help communities overcome sexual assault and individuals set boundaries to maintain feelings of safety.

As an HR speaker and researcher, Tim is studying how managers and employees define safe work cultures. This research builds off his past work on how different generations define feelings of safety and how to prevent workplace harassment. Tim has spoken in over five counties to over 450 organizations, including Fortune 1000 companies, professional sports teams, and Congressional offices.
SHOW NOTES:
Find Tim on the web at: timmousseau.com
INSIGHT AT WORK PODCAST THEME MUSIC:
Our theme music is composed by Chris Lucca, Jr.. You can listen to more of Chris’ work at http://chrisluccamusic.com  You can also connect with him on Twitter: @Flipluka and on Instagram: @_flipluka.music_
ABOUT THE HOST:
Ken Blackwell is a speaker, trainer, facilitator and executive coach. His focus is on creating a more human workplace. His firm InKlaritas, based in Princeton, NJ, works with teams and leaders in companies in the U.S. around the world. You can find out more about InKlaritas at: www.InKlaritas.com, follow him on Facebook at Ken Blackwell, Speaker and  connect with Ken on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethjblackwell/ (make sure to mention you listen to the podcast).

N THIS EPISODE:
We often think about burnout from an overwhelmed, overworked, and stressed out perspective. Today’s guest, Cait Donovan, suggests we also look at another source - boundaries, and the resentments caused when those boundaries are violated. She walks us through her own journey of burnout and boundaries and shares helpful lessons for all of us to have more resilient, balanced and healthy lives. Our conversation also touches on some eastern philosophy and neuroscience and how they impact our experience and responses to burnout.
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Cait Donovan is one of New York City’s leading burnout experts, host of “Fried – The Burnout Podcast,” and author of the book "The Bouncebackability Factor". Cait offers 1:1 coaching, corporate workshops, and keynotes - all with a focus on ending burnout culture.

She has been featured on podcasts and online magazines such as “Forbes”, “NPR,” “Thrive Global,” “The New York Post”, as well as quoted in Oprah Magazine.
SHOW NOTES:
Connect with Cait and learn more on her website. 
Get a copy of her book, The Bouncebackability Factor.
Listen to the latest episode of Fried: The Burnout Podcast with Cait Donovan.
INSIGHT AT WORK PODCAST THEME MUSIC:
Our theme music is composed by Chris Lucca, Jr.. You can listen to more of Chris’ work at http://chrisluccamusic.com  You can also connect with him on Twitter: @Flipluka and on Instagram: @_flipluka.music_
ABOUT THE HOST:
Ken Blackwell is a speaker, trainer, facilitator and executive coach. His focus is on creating a more human workplace. His firm InKlaritas, based in Princeton, NJ, works with teams and leaders in companies in the U.S. around the world. You can find out more about InKlaritas at: www.InKlaritas.com, follow him on Facebook at Ken Blackwell, Speaker and  connect with Ken on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethjblackwell/ (make sure to mention you listen to the podcast).