Season 3, Episode 9

SUMMARY

Nearly every professional has felt like a fraud at one time or another and the higher you advance in leadership and responsibility, the more likely moments of inadequacy or "being found out" occur.  While the drive to be confident in professional roles can have its benefits, it also tends to raise the likelihood of imposter syndrome emerging.  Jen Coken is a comedian, coach, speaker, and Imposter Syndrome expert. She transforms womxn executives and founders from being stuck and fearful of making the wrong decision, to owning their expertise, having confidence in the direction they’re headed, and the courage to be with the uncertainty.  She shares client examples of recognizing where their imposter syndrome initiated, how it became their superpower, and how they moved through the "fraud" to become more effective leaders.  Hear the different types of imposters and ways to flip your narrative to work more...

Season 3, Episode 7

SUMMARY: 

Nearly 1 in 3 people are perfectionists. While many carry it as a badge of honor, or use it as an explanation as to why they have not completed or started something, it really is a dream killer. Perfectionism creates unnecessary pressure, and amps up worry, fear, and doubt. It is one form of procrastination, something nearly all of us encounter at least occasionally, 20% of us chronically. It is possible, and I'd say necessary, to break free from perfectionism and create an identity that is more self-supportive. Elizabeth Onyeabor is a leading international expert on perfectionist leaders and high achievers. As the Founder of InnerGenuity and Habitual Happiness Hub, she coaches leaders ready to move forward with ease, be their best, and achieve unstoppable results. She shares the four main reasons why people procrastinate, 7 Practical Practices for Perfectionists that will help you start letting go of your perfectionist...

Season 3, Episode 6

SUMMARY: 

As an independent journalist and two-time Emmy nominee, Georgia Fort is committed to providing visual stories about race and culture that build equity.  She's had plenty of material to work with right here in Minnesota.  She was one of two reporters in the courtroom for the sentencing of Derek Chauvin, the former officer who murdered George Floyd.  She's also covered the Kim Potter trial, and most recently Amir Locke, who was killed by police in a SWAT raid (happened on the day we recorded this podcast).   The murder of George Floyd once again raised the issue of responsible reporting and the need for change. It also shaped Georgia's purpose to help change the narrative in media to include different perspective from the perpetual white lens. Still truth. Different perspective. Perspective mainstream media has often failed to include in its storytelling.  Her reporting has been published on CNN, ABC, NBC, Fox and...

When I was in college, I was a sports reporter. The big goal was to do play by play in the NFL and eventually own the New York Giants. I gained experience as the sports editor of the college newspaper, working on the sports desk for the city paper and covering sports for the local CBS station on the weekends. It was a football town and I was the only woman around at the press conferences, in the press boxes, on staff.

My presence interrupted the way things had always been. I was supported by some, tolerated at best by others, harassed by a few. Most days I didn’t let it get to me, but I did enter all situations with my game face on ready to battle, stand my ground, demand to be heard. It required showing up every single day without a roadmap and doing what seemed like the next best step. Action, fumble, adapt, repeat.

I didn’t wait for people to tell me I could do something or ask for permission. I showed up, wrote what I saw and focused on amplifying voices and talent...

Season 3, Episode 6

Summary:

Today's episode tells the story of two powerhouses in the world of writing who joined forces to elevate the words, stories, and writing of women. Chris Olsen is dedicated to amplifying women's voices through her social enterprise My Founder Story. Julie Burton is an author, co-host of Her Next Chapter podcast, and founder of Modernwell, the first female-centered co-working collaborative space in Minneapolis. The two share about their ventures and their new collaboration, Publish Her, a female-founded hybrid publishing company.

Links:

Buy the Book: Her Path Forward: 21 Stories of Transformation and Inspiration

Modernwell | My Founder Story | Her Next Chapter

Chris and Julie recommend: Still Writing | On Writing | Bird by Bird

Transcript:

Michael Kithcart: 0:01 

Hello, I'm Michael Kithcart, high-performance leadership coach and the creator of Winning Your Way. Welcome to...

I was working with a leader who was self-admittedly out of control. He was upset because the executive team was not making decisions he thought they should be making and in absence of doing so, he kept bringing up what he thought the solutions should be to them.

He so desperately wanted to control the outcome based on what he thought others should be doing or providing. It was stressing him out and it was starting to damage his reputation.

Once I redirected him to what was within his own control, he could identify direction he and his team could take. By releasing his desire to control executive decisions, he could focus on other ways to achieve his priorities.

Wanting to control outcomes is futile and stressful. It is fear-based and in an effort to reduce the anxiety, you attempt to take over. How’s that working for you?

Chances are you’re trying to control something in your life right now, an outcome, a person. As a result, it’s also likely weighing heavily on...

Season 3, Episode 4

Summary:

People are the biggest asset of any company, but companies don't always provide their people with the greatest experiences or opportunities. In this episode, Susan Rylance shares her wisdom about next-level leadership and teams. She's the VP of Growth, the Search Practice Lead, and a Partner at Fahren, a digital leadership company. Susan talks about her experiences helping businesses achieve their goals while building next-generation teams, and also about her work with the Minority Business Growth Alliance.

Links:

Work with Fahren

Support the Minority Business Growth Alliance

Transcript:

Michael Kithcart: 0:01 

Hello, I'm Michael Kithcart high-performance sales coach and the creator of Wynning Your Way framework. Welcome to the Champions of RISK podcast, where we examine the many aspects of risks so that we can all face uncertainty with more courage and confidence together, and we champion those who are leading this...

If a stranger were to look at your weekly calendar, what would they say you’re
committed to? Would the actions and to-dos represent what you think is most important to you? If not, what’s getting in the way?

If you’re like most people, commitment gets associated with others - clients, family, work peers, community, friends. For some, there’s a good balance between professional and personal commitments, while others feel more pulled to one side. What often gets missed is the dedication to self and what you need to be productive, energized, joyful. Some people go all-in on being a certain way (being right, a victim, positive) while others refuse to commit (which is a commitment in and of itself). Of all these versions, resistance actually takes more energy and time than doing an action consistently.

Now is a great time to take a step back and take inventory in a non-judgmental way of what’s working for you and what’s in need of some tweaking....

Season 3, Episode 3

Summary:

Named in the FORBES 30 Most Powerful Women in Sports, our guest Angelina Lawton founded Sportsdigita over ten years ago. In this episode Angelina shares about building their flagship product the Digideck, the risks and rewards of running a successful SaaS company, making it in the world of sports, and the chapters of her life that made her who she is today. 

Links:

Check out Sportdigita.com

Transcript:

Michael Kithcart: 0:04 

Hello, I'm Michael Kithcart, a high-performance leadership coach and the creator of Wynning Your Way. Welcome to the Champions of RISK podcast where we examine the many aspects of risks so that we can all navigate uncertainty, with more courage and confidence together. Okay, I'm gonna date myself a little bit on this one. But do you remember Wide World of Sports? You know, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat? I think this really kick-started my love of both storytelling and...

People start to twitch when the topic of purpose pops up. Some twitch in excitement because they’ve been on the journey of purpose discovery, and they’ve attained clarity. Most others stress twitch. The pressure of figuring out their purpose in life morphs into sweaty palms and darting eyes. Relax. Knowing your purpose is not about a mission statement that brands you for life. It doesn’t have to be all-encompassing to include what you’ve done and what you want to do. In fact, purpose is a lot less about doing and a whole lot more about being.

A client refused to talk about their purpose. It was a trigger word for them. I reframed it to aspired identity - who do they want to be in life and how did they want to show up for the world - and we were off and running. If you don’t like the word, change it to what works for you, don’t avoid it. And change it up when it no longer fits you. You continue to evolve and grow. Who you are today isn’t...