become

embrace your uniqueness

If I were to guess, many of us spend the majority of our day deliberating on what is to come. The description of this show even prompts future questions such as: "Who are we supposed to be?" or "How do you know when you've "made it?" Emily Shelton has given great thought to how she can focus and find control when life takes her in an unexpected direction and forces her to adapt to a new path. Emily owns and operates Legacy Curbing, a concrete curbing company which installs decorative landscape curbing for commercial and residential properties. Emily's ability to appreciate the past, live in the present, and be open to the future began when she took a sharp turn from her twenty-year career in dentistry to the concrete industry. She wakes up every day and chooses to be happy with where she is, rather than focusing on the bumps in the road.

am I winning or losing in the workplace

Have you ever felt like you have no idea what is going on, but have all the information you need at the same time?  In life, we are put into amazing positions where people depend on our expertise, but behind the scenes, we feel like we’re failing and don’t know what we’re doing. Ellie Westfall, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Legacy Retirement Communities, loves her job because she gets to utilize her creative side on different projects every day. I asked Ellie to talk to me about the challenges she faces day to day, and she explained that most of the time, she feels like she’s putting little fires out everywhere. Listen closely as Ellie explores with us how to manage time wisely and meet tight deadlines. 

protect your peace

Picture yourself as a marionette.  Someone controlling your every movement, thought and desire.  I'm guessing, for most of us, picturing this brings up emotions like frustration, disgust or even a feeling of being claustrophobic.  Now, what if you weren't physically a marionette and you had control over your movements and thoughts but, someone was instead controlling your TIME.  Matt Mueller is the Chief Operating Officer of Hudl, a Lincoln, Nebraska-based company which provides video analysis, coaching and recruiting tools for professional, college, high school, club and youth teams and athletes.  Being a busy guy, Matt lives by this piece of advice:  if you don’t schedule your time, someone will schedule it for you.  Matt and I are going to talk about ways we can all get proactive with time management and be more protective of our personal time to focus on the important things!

the kindness that comes from telling someone, "no"

What do you feel when someone tells you, "NO"?  Do you meet the response with resistance?  Hurt, sadness, an un-wanting feeling.  Or, do you meet it with curiosity?  Relief or even excitement towards what may follow.  Dr. Carrie Petr, the founder and CEO of Carrie Lovelace Petr Coaching and Consulting, joins us on this episode to uncover the kindness that comes from telling people "no" when they need to hear it, as opposed to avoiding those difficult conversations.  Carrie leads an executive coaching practice that specializes in healthy leadership behaviors, organizational change and development and talent management.  She is passionate about leadership development, creating healthy workplace cultures, personal and professional development, and goal setting and strategic planning.  Although her work is aligned with achieving positive outcomes for her clients, Carrie sometimes has to face difficult conversations to get the end result her client deserves. 

march to the beat of your own drum

There is a quote by Pablo Picasso that says, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." Art is beautiful, art is wise, art is introspective. Art is. It is what you make it to be. It is what you need it to be.  Mike Semrad is the owner of Red Rebel Media, a marketing company that assists local businesses as well as nonprofits. The company also moonlights as concert promoters and helps to get their clients in front of mass audiences. Since a young age, Mike has found great meaning through music and the arts. He lives for the joy these things give to his life. The joy he has found by sharing his love and talent through the arts has made him somewhat of a renaissance man. He strives to give back to his community in everything that he does. In this episode, Mike and I are going to explore how engaging with music and the arts can significantly alter a person's way of appreciating what life has to offer.

why it’s ok to be selfish with your time

At one point or another we’ve all had the thought, “if I could only make time slow down”.  As humans, we quite literally watch time pass us by as we acknowledge the clock tick and the earth rotate around the sun.  Figuratively, we use the concept of time to achieve certain outcomes.  We may do this by holding a hug goodbye just a little longer to make it feel as though time has slowed or we might procrastinate an important task in order to deny that an experience is coming to an end.  On today’s episode we will talk with Toni Rupe, the president at Junior Achievement of Lincoln or JA.  Toni and I will explore how to observe time in the sense of accepting it more as quality over quantity and how awareness around the present moment may foster more advantages than disadvantages in things like a sense of belonging and direction on life’s journey. 

do we have to grow up

“Growing up.” A phenomenon we all experience, whether we feel ready or not.  From the day we are born, we are graced with the ability to make choices. These choices can lead us to endless opportunities, both good and bad.  Jayden Hood, a Dining Services Coordinator at Legacy Retirement Communities, makes the choice each day to lead young high school students in an effort to make a difference in the lives of Legacy’s Residents. Simultaneously, Jayden also makes the personal choice to do his best in a job he loves in order to create a fulfilling life as a (quote/unquote) “new” grown up himself. 

there is always a next move

Being open to trying things and letting it lead you to finding what you do best.  This sound advice comes from Kaylie Hogan-Schnittker, the Director of Talent Strategy at the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development.  Kaylie finds wisdom in thinking: there is always a next move.  Although she finds connection and meaning in each present moment, she is open to whatever comes her way.  Kaylie challenges herself along with those she mentors to get out of their comfort zone.  In this conversation, Kaylie and I will talk about how the ability to try new things allows for growth in life.  We will also explore how growth can mean acceptance.  Accepting what is and has been with the willingness to persevere with the good and bad.  

the nature of presence: part II

Our body is beautifully interconnected with nature, the elements, and the seasons; never separate.  Separation might evoke anguish within our human matter.  To find balance, we turn to our collective consciousness which helps us to explore the perception that our thoughts create our reality, and where our thoughts go, our energy flows.  Maggie Pleskac is the brilliant soul behind these teachings.  Maggie is the owner of Milkweed Collective, a wellness center that consists of three businesses: a Community Event Space, a Yoga Studio and a Commercial Kitchen that specializes in local and organic vegetarian food packaged for retail, prepared as pop-up lunches and hired out for catering.  She is also an accomplished instructor helping those around her strengthen their bodies and minds through wellness. 

the nature of presence: part I

Our body is beautifully interconnected with nature, the elements, and the seasons; never separate.  Separation might evoke anguish within our human matter.  To find balance, we turn to our collective consciousness which helps us to explore the perception that our thoughts create our reality, and where our thoughts go, our energy flows.  Maggie Pleskac is the brilliant soul behind these teachings.  Maggie is the owner of Milkweed Collective, a wellness center that consists of three businesses: a Community Event Space, a Yoga Studio and a Commercial Kitchen that specializes in local and organic vegetarian food packaged for retail, prepared as pop-up lunches and hired out for catering.  She is also an accomplished instructor helping those around her strengthen their bodies and minds through wellness.