Blog
#54 How volunteering is different from protesting and much more
In 2018, Luis Fernandez wrote "Disband, Disempower, and Disarm" about the Defund the Police movement and the first wave of the Black Lives Matter movement. It wasn't until a few months ago that the article gained a large audience and Luis started doing interviews on...
#53 When a COVID Testing Site Is One of the Best Places to Work
This episode is surprisingly full of laughter, hope, and fun anecdotes, while also giving you insights into what it has been like to work in public health during a global pandemic. Last time we spoke to Sydney she was teaching teens about healthy relationships. With a...
Water? Pets? Tips for Minimizing Distractions During a Video Interview or Meeting
Do you know what you look like on video when you drink out of a water bottle? Probably not. Trust me, it’s awkward. In this short video clip, I share a few things I have learned from delivering tons of webinars. In this video clip, I show you what not to do and...
Practical and easy tips for what to wear to a video meeting
So many meetings, events, and conferences are happening virtually right now. Perhaps you have one coming up this week. Do you know what you are going to wear? Dressing for a video is different than dressing for the office. In this short video clip, I will demonstrate...
#52 Finding the Courage to Reopen Thoughtfully
Rebekah Kaufman's Barre3 Fitness Studio has been closed for over two months. During our conversation on May 11th, Rebekah discussed the challenges and joys she has faced in suddenly being required to stay home and slow down. Now as she prepares to reopen, she tries to...
#51 Smoking trout, raising chickens and taking down colonialism
Like many of us, Geoff is trying new recipes, but his quarantine baking has taken on deeper meaning. Geoff Kie is indigenous, from the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico. Geoff was first on the show in Season Two to talk about his service as an AmeriCorps VISTA member. Now...
#50 Zoom Bomb, Harry Potter, and COVID Pinterest Boards
Jamie Paul, an Events and Marketing Librarian, shares what it is like to shift all library programming onto Zoom and try to keep the public engaged on social media. Jamie shares what it is like to be "zoom bombed" and her thoughts on expanding digital access. For more...
Take this free 10 minute assessment of your strategic plan
You want to create or update your strategic plan so that it is actually helpful. In the past, has your completed plan languished on a shelf? Just a collection of paper that was wordsmithed to death, the memory of which is too fresh for staff to want to start a...
How to engage introverts in a video meeting
When the stay at home orders started, I forwarded my father this meme: A little dark humor that we both got a laugh out of since my dad is an introverted engineer from central casting. He’s married to an extreme extrovert and I seem to be trying to prove that the...
#49 Making the Choice to Slow Down and Prioritize Health
Before all non-essential workers were pushed to slow down and isolate, Deidre had already taken a big step away from the frenetic work life of a K-12 school administrator. In this episode we talk about her career choice and about what she is learning from staying home...
3 powerful questions to ask right now
For creative thinkers and problem solvers, a powerful question has always been the key to opening up exciting possibilities. During a crisis, our minds have a tendency to narrow. We think in terms of survival. We look at options as helpful or hurtful. Our beautiful,...
How can your strategic plan help you during this crisis?
If you created a Strategic Plan a year ago, two years ago, or more, you may be wondering…is that worth looking at right now? During a time when so much is changing so fast and a lot of the things that you had been planning to do are no longer possible, it may feel...
#48 When COVID-19 Shut Down Nepal’s Borders
In March, Dan Maurer was supposed to be in Nepal organizing a medical clinic with Elevate Nepal. The pandemic grounded everything and over the matter of a few weeks it changed his plans for the entire year. We check in about how he and his team are doing and what has...
Are your zoom meetings a waste of time? This will help.
Working from home? Have all of your work meetings moved onto Zoom, Skype, etc? I’m just going to make a wild guess that you are frustrated. I’ve got a few things I want you to try for your next meeting. If you try that and want more, just let me know. The three...
Getting to Know New Colleagues in the time of social distancing
My best friend called me up recently. Good news: she just started a new job and she isn’t being laid off right now. Bad news: she just started a new job and has no idea when she will ever get a chance to meet her coworkers in person. She’s not the only one. There are...
#47 A Message from Sharon During this Crisis
In this direct message to listeners, Sharon checks in about the current crisis and shares her thoughts on how we can approach our work during this time as we navigate such rapid and unpredictable change. 00:00 Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom: Greetings. I'm your host, Sharon...
#46 Empty Nesting After Fostering Four Kids
In 2017, Gina Marie Byars shared her story of taking emergency custody of her brother's four children and how this affected her life and her relatively new marriage. Now, the kids have moved back in with their mother and we are talking about the next chapter - how she...
#2 (Rebroadcast) And Then There Were Four
This is a rebroadcast from October 2017 in preparation for an update next week. Today's guest is Gina Marie Byars, Station Manager of Sun Sounds of Arizona. I have known Gina for years through her community service work in Flagstaff. On the show she shares a personal...
#45 Coming Home to Build Homes for Others
Eric Wolverton is back on the show and back at Habitat for Humanity. We discuss why he left a good job with benefits in the public sector to return to the busier, more stressful job as Director of the local Habitat for Humanity organization. We also discuss his choice...
#3 (Rebroadcast) If your job was easy I would find a volunteer to do it
In preparation for a new episode with Eric Wolverton, we are rebroadcasting Episode 3, from October 2017 with a couple of updates. In this episode I speak with Eric Wolverton. I met Eric when he worked at the local food bank and then we partnered on projects when he...
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