As a leader, you have no shortage of content offering inspiration, best practices, and insights to help you further your ongoing journey to self-improvement. Conferences, workshops, webinars, ebooks, online courses, and even good old-fashioned news articles. But alas, there are only so many hours in the day, and odds are you’d rather not spend all 24 of them staring at your laptop screen.
So what’s the alternative? Podcasts.
Podcasts are not a shiny, new trend. But they are an excellent complement to all the other digital content you consume, most notably because you can listen to them while you do other things. Commuting to meetings, hitting the treadmill, tackling housework go by so much faster when your brain is engaged with an awesome podcast episode.
At PeopleForward Network, we live for excellent podcasts and believe in their power to transform how people experience work and life. That’s why we put together this list of some of our favorite episodes that dig into work-life integration – how you can be your best self at work and in your personal life, and how those two buckets should fuel one another. Some of these episodes are from podcasts in our network, and some are just so good we want to make sure everyone gets a listen.
1: Humans First, Employees Second with Gianna Driver – Show Up as a Leader with Dr. Rosie Ward
In this episode, hear why authenticity is key to developing a work culture that promotes not only learning and innovation but also kindness and communication. Listen to learn how reflection, a willingness to make mistakes, and a focus on empathy can enable transformation and growth.
2: Decoding Dream Deficit Syndrome with Mark Cumicek – Geeks Geezers Googlization
From the time we dreamed as kids without limits to the time we became responsible adults, some of us lost the ability to give ourselves permission to dream. Others simply don’t make time or feel we don’t deserve to dream. Why? Certified Dream Manager and Mental Fitness Coach Mark Cumicek blames it on what he calls a “dream deficit.” Here’s the good news. Mark has developed a 21 days of dreaming program that is really a strategic plan for life, a plan to become a more fully alive version of yourself.
3: Help Your People Live Their 10 with Cory Chadwick – Gut + Science
Cody Chadwick, Founder of The Mental Gym, shares how he found the best version of himself. In this episode, you’ll hear why living your “ten” allows you to feel and perform at your very best and pick up tips to live your best in all areas of your life.
4: Got Goals? Have Systems – Addicted to Betterment
To unlock success and reach your goals, create powerful systems. Which sounds simple enough but begs the question: what kind of systems, how do you set them up, and which ones work best? Learn tactics for reaching your goals and how to make sustainable systems with tools like The Life Wheel to help you track and measure progress.
5: Lead with Who You Are with Dr. Paul Porter – The Strengths Whisperer
Dr. Paul Porter shares his strengths journey and how he went from a school superintendent to the Director of Learning and Development at 34 Strong. Listen to his long-term approach to leveraging strengths, why leaders must continuously work on themselves, and how to balance it with the need to focus on your people.
6: To Live Well is To Work Well with Karen Mangia – Conscious Habit
How can your values define you here and now? Karen Mangia, Salesforce Executive and author of “Success from Anywhere”, believes it all boils down to what she calls progressive tolerance and progressive consciousness. By focusing on what matters most, you can change your relationship to your circumstances, thus thriving in a more inclusive and balanced culture.
7: Happiness Isn’t a Crop You Harvest—It’s the Fertilizer – Being [at Work]
Being [at Work] offers a daily dose of leadership focused on helping you, the leader. Sometimes there’s simply no playbook and you just need to do the best you can and be reminded of the gifts and insight you already have within.
8: Be Better Tomorrow with Laurie Butz – Be Worth* Following
It’s never too late to develop yourself as a leader or as a person, you just have to be open to change. Laurie Butz, CEO and President of Capital Credit Union, shares with raw transparency her personal development as a leader, from a competitive workaholic to a CEO who cares. Listen in to learn how to turn empty success into a fulfilled personal and professional life.
9: Overcoming Burnout and Thriving at Work-Life Control with Brave Boundaries – No Ego with Cy Wakeman
Bestselling Author Dr. Sasha Shillcutt joins Cy in this episode to offer guidance and practical tools to set boundaries that protect our physical and mental health for an empowered and peaceful life. Cy and Sasha share their personal and professional expertise on how we can overcome burnout and take back control of our time and our life by learning to set clear work-life boundaries.
10: Being Yourself with Kathryn Finney – A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek
Kathryn Finney discovered at a young age that – when it comes to being authentic – the rewards are actually far greater than the risks. Kathryn is a model for how being yourself can get you ahead in both business and relationships. She is: an author, an entrepreneur, a fund manager, and a celebrated non-conformist. And she does it all in incredible style.
We hope this playlist of ear candy inspires and motivates you to strive for better work-life integration, whether in your own life or to shape that of the teams you lead. Want more people-first leadership fuel? Be sure to subscribe to all of PeopleForward Network’s podcasts here.
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