Maps Are Dead

Mike D
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Education
  • Updated Weekly

Maps Are Dead is a podcast about navigating life when the old plans stop working. Hosted by Mike Dauphinee, this series is a raw, real, and often funny conversation with people learning to move forward without a clear path. It’s not about success formulas or five-year plans. It’s about inner maps—CliftonStrengths, courage, and the grit it takes to keep going when certainty disappears. Mike and his guests explore identity, leadership, parenting, purpose, and the moments that shake our lives loose. Join our community: https://the-fit-forum.circle.so/join?invitation_token=9d72b1d6f49e63892f277b

  1. Jun 9

    Life's Biggest Decisions Don't Have a Right Answer

    Summary In this episode, Mike Dauphinee sits down with Barbara Macnish, Gallup-certified strengths coach, founder of TriQuester Teams, and one of the first coaches to join The Dauphinee Group, for a conversation about what it means to navigate without a map. They go back nearly 20 years, to a strengths session in Portugal that changed Barbara's career before she even knew she wanted to be a coach. This conversation covers what it takes to choose a person over a plan, how a season of real hardship taught her to trust her own resilience, and why the best coaching has nothing to do with having answers. They also dig into what makes CliftonStrengths different, why tactics always expire, and what happens when you stop treating life like a math problem with a right answer.About Barbara MacnishConnectedness · Communication · Developer · Empathy · IndividualizationBarbara Macnish founded Triquester Teams in 2013 so that she could offer her coaching skills to individuals and teams, releasing their potential and enabling them to perform at their best. She uses assessments such as the Clifton StrengthsFinderTM and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and to help her clients grow in their understanding of who they are as individuals and in their contexts at work and at home. When team coaching, she identifies issues in the structure and composition of teams in order to enable the team to find creative solutions to the challenges they face. She was team leader of the European Team-training Group at Christian Associates International, a church planting and social action organization based in the USA and Europe, between 2010 and 2015. Her role included recruiting, training and organizing team builders to train leaders across Europe in inter-personal communication, shared vision, values and protocols within their teams. She is a qualified mediator and delivers training and coaching in dealing with conflict. Barbara taught in an inner city school in Baltimore, USA; was Office Manager for the executive office of World Relief in Baltimore; and delivers leadership and management training for Azesta LTD in the UK. She has been a part of The Dauphnee Group since 2022 working with leaders and managers in the financial sector. Mother of two, she paints and sells her art, and organizes community art projects.TakeawaysThe biggest decisions don't have right or wrong answers , they have trade-offs. Start by naming what you're willing to pay.Choosing a person over a plan is not abandoning your values. Sometimes it is the most authentic expression of them.Tactics have an expiration date. If the strategy isn't working, adding more tactics won't save it.You can have strengths and not be using them. Resource and application are two different things.The healthiest version of you has been shaped by others. You can't see yourself clearly without people who mirror you well.CliftonStrengths doesn't just describe you. It gives you language to name things you've been dismissing as nothing.Resilience isn't a trait you either have or don't. It's something you learn to trust, usually through the things you didn't think you'd survive.Being available to someone else's story is not a distraction from your struggles. For some wiring, it's exactly what refuels you.Soundbites"There isn't a right or wrong. You're not ditching all that is meaningful to you if you choose this relationship.""The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right name.""Self-esteem in a bottle. That's what CliftonStrengths can be.""In moments when only you can choose, the healthiest you has been shaped by others.""Being available to someone else's story always seems to help."Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Maps Are Dead with Mike D on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.⁠Join The Fit Forum⁠Mike's free CliftonStrengths community — bring your Top 5 and find your people.

    57 min

  2. May 26

    Stop Feeling. Start Designing.

    Summary In this episode, Mike Dauphinee sits down with Sarah Hassaine — global inclusion and diversity leader, TEDx speaker, and founder of Effective Immediately, for a conversation about what it actually takes to build cultures that work, and why the most human problems require the most disciplined strategy. Sarah has spent a decade doing the work that most companies rush to label and few actually understand: designing systems of belonging, trust, and psychological safety inside organizations that often don't know what they're asking for. She's done it at Qualcomm. At ResMed. In refugee camps. In Riyadh. And she's done it while quietly burning out, until a closed-door session at a conference lifted the veil and reminded her that even the person holding everyone else together needs a community. This is a conversation about the difference between passion and strategy, about why DEI failed when it forgot to be rigorous, about what AI is doing to our courage and our critical thinking, and about what it actually means to define what good looks like before you try to build it. About Sarah Hassaine Woo · Responsibility · Input · Strategic · Analytical Sarah Hassaine is an AI-Culture Business Strategist, helping small companies and nonprofits with their growth strategy, organization, and people management and development. She has built a strong and influential career in high-tech leading culture change and in non-profits sitting on boards providing a strategic business lens. Sarah works at the intersection of tech, people and social impact and values access and enablement for all. She is a public speaker, writer, and professional development trainer. Sarah has her MBA from Wharton and MPP from George Washington University. Check out her Ted Talk and learn more about her company here Takeaways Passion without strategy is how DEI failed. If you don't know how to measure it, you can't build it.Culture eats strategy for breakfast, but culture still has to be designed, not just felt.The label hurt the work. When inclusion became a category, it stopped being embedded and started being performed.You can't fill anyone else's cup if yours is empty. Responsibility without self-care is just slow burnout.We are designed for community. Finding people who do similar work in similar directions is not networking, it's survival.A value is non-negotiable. A preference isn't. Most companies can't tell the difference, and it costs them.Nobody goes to the hardware store for a drill. They go for a hole. Know the outcome before you design the tool.AI is not replacing our workload. It's atrophying our ability to think critically and make courageous decisions.You don't know what you don't need to de-risk until something breaks. The best time to ask is before it does.Define what good looks like first. Everything else, strategy, measurement, iteration, follows from that.Soundbites "You will fail if it's about passion. You have to have a strategic lens.""There's only 24 hours in a day and one Sarah. The responsibility part was hard.""We are designed for community. We're not designed not to have it.""Culture each strategy for breakfast. And if people don't trust each other, you will not build anything that goes strong.""Companies had values splattered on walls. Very few actually lived by them.""I find it hard when no one wants to take responsibility if things go wrong. All right, I didn't do well, but I learned." Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Maps Are Dead with Mike D on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube so you never miss a conversation. Have a question or want to be on the show? Drop a comment or reach out through the link below. Join The Fit Forum Mike's free CliftonStrengths community — bring your Top 5 and find your people.

    45 min

  3. May 12

    Know What You Won't Do. The Rest Gets Easier. with Kirsten Hogan

    Summary In this episode, Mike Dauphinee sits down with Kirsten Hogan, Chief Retail Officer at Dr. Squatch, for a conversation about what it actually takes to reclaim your story, and build a career you genuinely love. Kirsten grew up in a town of 900 people in northern Maine, made a deliberate choice to point herself somewhere different, and never stopped making deliberate choices after that. She spent 19 years at UNFI, ran her own consultancy, then built Dr. Squatch's retail business from the ground up before a single bar of soap hit a store shelf. But this conversation isn't really about the numbers. It's about the moment she looked up and realized she had lost control of her message and her joy, and what she did about it. About Kirsten Hogan (Responsibility · Arranger · Activator · Belief · Restorative) Kirsten Hogan is the Chief Retail Officer at Dr. Squatch, where she leads all sales and retail strategy. Over the past five years, she has driven profitable retail growth from the ground up, building the initial roadmap with her team and scaling through the brand's acquisition by Unilever. She is a collaborative leader with a strong moral compass and an infectious energy that drives her team forward. Takeaways Joy is a navigational instrument. If you can no longer feel it, you are already off course.Knowing what you won't do is often more useful than knowing what you want. Start there.Responsibility will carry whatever weight you give it. Learning to set it down is its own kind of strength.Being vulnerable in a room that's actually safe — and recognizing the difference — is a skill that takes practice.The people around you shape where you go more than the titles do. Choose accordingly.Belief is an anchor and an engine. It tells you the future is wide open and holds you steady while you find it.You can say yes to everything and build a great career. But at some point, you have to decide which yes is yours.Scrappiness can't be taught. Everything else can. Hire for the thing you can't build.The transition out of a job matters as much as the move in. Most people change without actually leaving.Set the end at the beginning. Name your non-negotiables before someone else fills in the blanks. Soundbites "I knew deep down that wasn't for me, but I knew if I stayed, that was probably what I would do.""Responsibility is not given. It is taken.""I've lost control of my message and my joy. And I can't allow the company to just keep moving me around where they want me if that's not where I want to be.""You can teach someone how to sell soap. You can't teach scrappiness.""I still don't know what I want to do in 10 years. But I definitely know what I don't want to do.""Just because circumstances change doesn't mean the foundation has to crack." If this landed for you, leave us a rating and review, it helps more people find the show. Share this episode with someone who's been doing everything asked of them and quietly wondering when they get to decide. Have a question or want to be on the show? Drop a comment or reach out through the link below. Join The Fit Forum Mike's free CliftonStrengths community — bring your Top 5 and find your people. Link in bio.

    54 min

  4. Apr 28

    Loyalty Is a Strategy with Amol Dhargalkar

    Summary In this episode, Mike Dauphinee sits down with Amol Dhargalkar — Chairman and Senior Managing Director at Chatham Financial, for a conversation that challenges one of the most common assumptions in modern career culture: that staying is settling. Amol has spent 25 years at a single firm, growing from its youngest undergraduate hire to Chairman of the Board. Not because he had no other options, but because he kept asking the same three questions, am I growing, am I with people I care about, am I making an impact? — and kept getting the same answer. This is a conversation about what it means to navigate with clarity in a world full of noise, to lead with humanity in an industry built on numbers, and to be the same person in every room you walk into. It's also about what happens when you overhear something that was never meant for your ears, and let it sharpen your compass instead of shake it. About Amol Dhargalkar (Developer · Positivity · Arranger · Learner · Empathy) Amol Dhargalkar is Chairman and Senior Managing Director, Corporate Development at Chatham Financial, advising clients on debt and derivatives capital markets strategies while helping drive the firm's strategic initiatives. He has spent 25 years at one of the world's leading financial risk advisory firms, growing from its youngest undergraduate hire to its Chairman of the Board. Amol holds a degree in Chemical Engineering and Economics from Penn State and an MBA from Wharton. He has been featured on Bloomberg, BBC, and Squawk Box, and is known as one of the most relational voices in a traditionally analytical industry. Takeaways Staying is a navigation decision. Loyalty isn't the absence of ambition, it can be the boldest expression of it.Growth is the compass. When you stop growing, the map stops working.Meaning carries more weight than money. The people who dig deepest are the ones who feel it.Being the same person in every room is not just good character, it's the lowest-tax way to live.You can't control how people interpret you. You can control who you are when they do.The relational leader isn't the soft one. They're the one with the best information.In the age of AI, the days of being a brilliant jerk are over. Humanity is the premium.Developer's North Star isn't a destination — it's a posture. Commit to growing, not to being one thing.Everyone is the hero of their own story. That frees you to just be yours.The sacrifices of those who came before you don't have to hang over you — they can light the way.Soundbites "As long as I felt like I was growing and doing different things with people I care about — I have wanted to stay.""Meaning carries so much more weight. People who have that sense of meaning, they dive in and dig in really deep.""It's a lot easier to be the same person no matter where you are than to be someone different in different situations.""Everyone is the hero of their own story. So may as well be who you are.""In the days of AI, the days of being a really, really smart, best-in-class, intelligent a-hole are over."Referenced in this episode Gallup's State of the Global Workplace researchGallup's Five Areas of Wellbeing frameworkMike's first published academic white paper on CliftonStrengths distribution in athletes Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Maps Are Dead with Mike D on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube so you never miss a conversation. If this landed for you, leave us a rating and review — it helps more people find the show. Share this episode with someone who's been chasing results and forgetting who they are in the process. Have a question or want to be on the show? Drop a comment or reach out through the link below. ⁠Join The Fit Forum⁠ Mike's free CliftonStrengths community — bring your Top 5 and find your people. Link in bio.

    50 min

  5. Apr 14

    Why High Performers Stop Growing with Johan Martinez on Presence Over Performance

    Summary In this powerful season two opener, Mike Dauphinee sits down with mental performance coach Johan Martinez to explore what it really means to build an internal compass, not as a concept, but as a lived practice forged through real adversity. From navigating the streets of inner-city Chicago as a child, to coaching championship-level athletes and high-performing executives, Johan unpacks the hidden cost of performance-based identity, the truth about addiction most people never recognize in themselves, and why the greatest breakthroughs in coaching happen not when you fix someone but when you hold space for them to fix themselves. Together, they challenge the idea that high performance is about doing more — and make the case that presence, not performance, is where real growth lives. This isn't just about sport or coaching. It's about who you become when you stop chasing results and start trusting the compass inside of you. About Johan Martinez (Communication · Ideation · Strategic · Woo · Restorative) Johan Martinez-Khalilian is a high-performance mindset coach and speaker who works with elite athletes, executives, and organizations to unlock clarity, resilience, and sustained peak performance. As the founder and CEO of DVLPMENT.studio, he leads a collective of coaches focused on ontological and transformational coaching. His work spans keynote speaking, private coaching, and leadership development, helping clients expand vision, break limiting patterns, and perform at the highest level. Connect with Johan: https://www.instagram.com/johanspeakshttps://www.instagram.com/johanspeaks Takeaways Your internal compass is built through lived experience, not borrowed from someone else's map.Knowing who you are — clearly, without flinching — is your greatest protection.Belonging is a primary human drive. Finding your people starts with owning what makes you different.Leaving comfort isn't abandonment. Sometimes it's the most compass-driven decision you can make.We're all addicted to something. The ones the world celebrates are just harder to see.Wanting to fix people is its own addiction — and it gets in the way of real coaching.The shift from external impact to internal excavation is where transformation actually begins.Judgment is the enemy of growth. Curiosity is the door.Neutrality is an option — and for most high performers, it's a revelation.You are not your results. Results either define you or inform you. That distinction changes everything.Soundbites "I just want to hoop.""The person is the curriculum.""We want the story of being an adventurer, but we don't want to take an adventure.""Results either define you or inform you.""The greatest performance of your life comes when you stop performing." Referenced in this episode Breathing Underwater — Richard RohrMike's first published academic white paper on CliftonStrengths distribution in athletes Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Maps Are Dead with Mike D on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube so you never miss a conversation. If this landed for you, leave us a rating and review — it helps more people find the show. Share this episode with someone who's been chasing results and forgetting who they are in the process. Have a question or want to be on the show? Drop a comment or reach out through the link below. Join The Fit Forum Mike's free CliftonStrengths community — bring your Top 5 and find your people. Link in bio.

    38 min

  6. Jan 8

    Navigating Life in a Mapless World

    Summary In the final episode of season one of the Maps are Dead podcast, Mike Dauphinee reflects on the journey of the podcast, the lessons learned, and the concept of navigating life without reliable maps. He emphasizes the importance of self-trust, understanding one's strengths, and the need for a new approach to decision-making in a rapidly changing world. The episode also introduces upcoming plans for the podcast, including a new course titled 'Vision to Decision in 30 Days' and a focus on building community and relationships. Takeaways Maps are dead, or at very least they should be. We have to find a new way of navigating. The world can't tell you what to do anymore. Self-trust is crucial when maps are unreliable. CliftonStrengths provides language for understanding ourselves. Decision-making is an internal process. Building relationships of dependability is essential. The future asks us to be fully alive. Navigating life requires understanding our values. Community support is vital in a changing world. Sound Bites "There's no map to fit." "I want to hear more from you." "Everything matters and helps." Chapters 00:00Season One Reflection and Future Plans 02:21The Concept of Maps Are Dead 05:12Navigating Life Without Trustworthy Maps 09:53Cultivating Strengths and Values 15:23Finding Fit in Decision Making

    20 min

  7. 12/09/2025

    Vulnerability creates capacity with Damon Goddard

    SummaryIn this powerful episode, Mike Dauphinee sits down with elite performance coach Damon Goddard to explore the link between physical movement, decision-making, and the mental frameworks that shape our lives. From training world-class athletes to guiding CEOs through burnout, Damon unpacks how compensatory patterns, both physical and psychological, have expiration dates. Together, they challenge the myth of "muscle memory," discuss how strengths-based coaching changes the game, and spotlight the quiet power of belief. This isn’t just about sports, it’s about who we become when we stop reacting and start preparing. About Damon Goddard (Belief Intellection Developer Input Learner) Damon is a leading expert in sports performance and is the performance coach for Jordan Spieth and Will Zalatoris along with a host of PGA, Korn Ferry, LPGA, and elite collegiate golfers. He is a 3x Top 50 Golf Digest- Golf Fitness Specialist, 5x Golf Fitness Association of America-Industry Leader and has played a role in over 50 wins on tour including multiple Major Championships. With over 25 years of experience in the sports performance industry, Damon has worked with numerous golf, basketball, and baseball professionals as they bridge the gap from post-rehabilitation to maximum sports performance. Insta: @‌goddardspn Web: www.GoddardSPN.com Takeaways Great performance begins with mastering the basics—consistently. Movement can awaken deeper capacity for decision-making and growth. Compensatory patterns help us survive, but they don’t last forever. Developers believe in others long before results show up. Vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s a gateway to strength. Recovery and performance are equal sides of resilience. Learning, gratitude, and relationships are daily performance markers. Mental preparation is as vital as physical training. Coaches play the long game of belief and small wins. Decision-making gets easier when you’ve done the reps. Soundbites “Compensatory patterns always have an expiration date.” “You don’t fix elite athletes. You build them from the ground up.” “I see people for who they can be—even when they can’t yet.” “Movement is medicine. Not metaphor—literal.” “Vulnerability creates capacity.” Chapters00:00 Intro: Why Performance Is More Than Just Talent02:16 Damon’s Early Career & the Decision That Changed Everything05:40 From Football Roots to Pioneering Golf Performance08:30 The Truth About Golf as an Athletic Discipline11:10 Becoming the Best Requires Doing the Boring Work13:00 Developer Strengths: Why Belief Transforms Performance18:20 The Mental Side of Proactive Training21:00 Preparation Beats Panic in High-Stakes Moments24:00 Every Compensation Has a Cost30:00 Burnout, Bodily Whispers, and Real Health33:00 Vulnerability Isn’t Weak—It’s Powerful36:00 Using Movement to Build Capacity in CEOs40:00 A Quiet Masters Moment: Witnessing Growth in Real Time45:00 The Cost of Belief and Why It’s Still Worth It51:00 Daily Dashboard: 4 Simple Performance Metrics56:00 Final Reflections & How to Prepare for Clarity

    57 min

  8. 11/25/2025

    How Faith Shapes Our Choices with Dr. Luke Powery

    Summary In this engaging conversation, Mike Dauphinee and Dr. Luke Powery explore the intricate relationship between decision-making, spirituality, and personal growth. They discuss the importance of mentorship, the pressures faced by today's youth, and the role of faith in leadership. Luke shares his journey from Miami to Stanford and Princeton, emphasizing the significance of relationships and community in shaping one's path. The dialogue also touches on the power of words, the necessity of reflection, and the quest for purpose in a rapidly changing world. Ultimately, the conversation highlights the importance of embracing one's unique voice and the ongoing journey of self-discovery. About Dr. Luke Powery: The Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery is the Dean of Duke University Chapel and a leading voice in the field of homiletics. With dual faculty appointments at Duke Divinity School and the Department of African and African American Studies, he stands at the intersection of theology, preaching, and culture. His work blends deep scholarship with practical ministry, drawing on music, pneumatology, and expressions of the African diaspora to shape how we think about the power of the spoken word. He’s the author of several critically acclaimed books, including Becoming Human, which earned 2023 Book of the Year from the Religious Communication Association. Before joining Duke, he taught at Princeton Theological Seminary and has preached across the globe. Whether on campus, in the pulpit, or at the podium, Dr. Powery’s presence challenges and inspires with equal force. He is married to Gail Powery and they have two children. Takeaways Decisions are often shaped by relationships and community.Mentorship plays a crucial role in personal and professional growth.Today's youth face unique pressures in decision-making.Faith and spirituality can guide leadership and personal choices.Words have the power to shape our understanding and reality.Reflection and silence are essential for self-discovery.Purpose and meaning are vital in navigating life's challenges.Building relationships is key to making informed decisions.The journey of self-discovery is ongoing and evolving.Embracing one's unique voice is essential for personal fulfillment. Sound bites "I want to go deeper.""The journey has been different.""You can't out-strategize God." Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Journey02:50 Decisions Shaping a Life05:37 The Role of Mentorship08:31 Navigating Modern Pressures11:20 The Importance of Relationships14:42 Faith in a Diverse Community17:25 The Evolution of Preaching20:21 Words Matter: The Power of Communication31:22 The Call for Wisdom and Courage32:34 The Theology of Incomprehensibility34:11 Living in Tension: Humility and Understanding36:48 Finding Purpose Through Reflection39:36 Integrating Faith and Education42:20 The Resurgence of Faith in Students44:28 Navigating Purpose in a Complex World47:49 Cultivating Your Voice and Identity51:00 Remembering Roots and Family History53:59 Contributing to a Larger Story55:54 Grounding in Purpose and Faith

    59 min
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5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Maps Are Dead is a podcast about navigating life when the old plans stop working. Hosted by Mike Dauphinee, this series is a raw, real, and often funny conversation with people learning to move forward without a clear path. It’s not about success formulas or five-year plans. It’s about inner maps—CliftonStrengths, courage, and the grit it takes to keep going when certainty disappears. Mike and his guests explore identity, leadership, parenting, purpose, and the moments that shake our lives loose. Join our community: https://the-fit-forum.circle.so/join?invitation_token=9d72b1d6f49e63892f277b

Information

  • Creator
    Mike D
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Mike D
  • Show Website
    Maps Are Dead