Podcast
FINE is a 4-Letter Word
Hosted by Lori Saitz · EN
"Fine" is a lie leaders tell themselves — and it costs them their people, their culture, and their impact.
Every episode, a leader gets honest about what it really takes to lead with empathy, vulnerability, gratitude, and courage… especially when everything isn’t fine. We're sharing how human connection drives innovation, retention, profitability and ultimately, legacy.
I trust something in this conversation will stay with you.
One thing’s for sure… you’ll never hear—or say—the word “fine” in the same way again.
41episodes
Episodes
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210. Not Your Good Girl with Kristi Straw
Dec 1800:43:27Tap to summarizeGrowing up in the Midwest during the 1980s, Kristi Straw was raised with traditional values of being the quiet, grateful “good girl," don’t speak too boldly, and never outshine others. Alongside this mandate to be humble and accommodating came the classic Midwestern lessons in kindness, like let others go first at an intersection, and cook a pot roast for the new neighbors. But lurking underneath the surface was an undercurrent of self-diminishment. These expectations and beliefs would be both barriers and fuel for Kristi's eventual rise in the corporate world. Leaning into relentless drive and adaptability, she climbed from individual contributor to bank president and C-suite executive in just a few years. But behind the impressive title and substantial paycheck was a steadily growing sense of inauthenticity. She describes years of “chameleonizing” or masking her true self to fit an environment that wasn’t built for her bold ideas, her height, or her emerging leadership voice. Ultimately, her success required constant shape-shifting and sacrificing parts of herself, a survival tactic rooted in childhood messages about what women “should” be. Everything came to a head when, after finally reaching the top, Kristi realized three hours into her dream job that she simply couldn’t conform anymore. She found herself lying on her office floor with the stark realization that this life was no longer "fine." The money, status, and access couldn't mask the fundamental misalignment between who she was becoming and who she wanted to be. That raw acknowledgment sparked her greatest pivot yet. Now, Kristi is fiercely committed to building communities based on authentic connection, collaboration, and high standards of integrity. As a coach and author, she champions what she calls “psychological agility,” aka the ability to adapt, stay open to surprise, and continually learn regardless of the outcome. I suspect you’ll relate to her story of realizing that sometimes the most successful-looking life is in fact the one that's keeping you furthest from your true potential. And that no matter what, you have to find the courage to break the rules that never fit you in the first place. Kristi's Hype Song All I Do is Win https://youtu.be/GGXzlRoNtHU?si=9dwag_ZqVPmTJhgV Resources Website: www.LighthouseLeadershipConsultants.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kstrawmba/ Instagram: @LighthouseLeadershipConsultant Invitation from Lori:This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Smart leaders know trust is the backbone of a thriving workplace, and in today’s hybrid whirlwind, it doesn’t grow from quarterly updates or the occasional Slack ping. It grows from steady, human communication.Plenty of companies think they’re doing great because they host all-staff meetings, keep “open door” policies, and throw the occasional team-building event. Meanwhile, leaders who truly care about culture are choosing better tools.That’s where I come in. Forward-thinking organizations bring me in to create internal podcasts that connect people through real stories, honest conversations, and genuine community—your old printed newsletter reinvented for the way people actually work now.If you run, work for, or know a company ready to upgrade communication and strengthen culture, reach out at Lori@ZenRabbit dot com.Because when people feel heard, they engage. When they engage, they perform. And when they perform, the business succeeds beyond projections.
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174. Lessons From My Grandfathers with Frank Favaro
Jan 16, 202500:44:14Tap to summarize“Life is short” is one of those cliches that gets thrown around with the idea that you should let things roll off your shoulders or not spend time analyzing the past.The truth is, though, that life is longer than you realize because...A person lives on in the memories of those who knew them, are familiar with their stories, and share these stories so that other people may know them too.Frank Favaro’s grandfathers both died in 2004 when Frank was 27, but they are very much alive for him due not only to their stories, experiences, and lessons, but how they instilled in him both the values and the expectations that have simultaneously driven Frank’s success and sometimes gotten in the way of it.His paternal grandfather, also named Frank Favaro, grew up fighting in a tough neighborhood to keep his lunch money, then had to fight to stay alive when the Mob took over his contract as a light heavyweight fighter, then went on to become a fighter as a union leader. Yet Frank Sr., who had a seventh-grade education, read poetry and discussed its lessons with his grandchildren.His maternal grandfather, Jim Biggins, was the nicest guy you’d ever meet and showed Frank how to be a great husband and father. Yet Jim’s own daughter (Frank’s mom) got divorced and left her son emotionally scarred by what she DIDN’T do.Frank Sr. taught him to look a person in the eye, while Jim taught the value of connections. Together, these values underpin the guiding principle that has brought Frank success working in six industries and as an entrepreneur, which is to find out who people are and how to create emotional connections with them. With all that, he should have been just fine – but Fine is a 4-Letter Word.In a moment, when you meet Frank, you’ll discover how being a wrestler in high school not only left him feeling beaten down like a failure and demolished his will to apply himself in college, but pinned him down emotionally, leaving him unfulfilled in his career. Expectations are a lot to wrestle with, especially when they’re someone else’s.Then you’ll learn how zooming back to the experience of his parents divorcing when he was seven years old, the lack of support he received when he blamed himself for it, and the stunning reason his parents, who were great people who loved him, did not offer him that support or even think to do so, left its marks.These unrelated threads came together to show Frank the importance of the customer experience – his life’s work. And in their own way became pillars of his work, just as the memories of his grandfathers are living pillars for him. Frank’s hype song is “Believe” by Lenny Kravitz.Resources:Frank Favaro’s website: https://serve-centric.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-favaro-b1507b80/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankfavaro1/ Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It’s about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time, consistently. Consistency over perfection wins every time. You deserve a life where you can breathe easy and not feel like a gorilla is standing on your chest all the time. When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start and it will give you new perspectives that can change your life starting today!Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free. Here comes Frank, walking down the path toward us. He’s the first guy I’ve seen walking in a long time who didn’t have earbuds in. Let’s join him!
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173. Fear Is A 4-Letter Word, Too with Katie Carty Tierney
Jan 9, 202500:41:23Tap to summarizeIn the written description of my podcast, Fine Is a 4-Letter Word, I begin by asking:“Wasn’t it just a couple years ago you were sitting on the beach at spring break in Ft. Lauderdale – listening to the Pet Shop Boys, U2, and Def Leppard - with your entire life ahead of you? Now you’re looking back 30-plus years and wondering what the hell happened.”Basically, I’ve just described what used to be called the mid-life crisis. I started the show shortly after I’d embarked on some major mid-stream changes and was hearing similar rumblings from many of my friends. But I’ve long maintained that this isn’t a crisis!What if everything that happened was just groundwork setting you up for your current success – and that there’s a lesson to be found in how fast time seemed to zoom until one day you looked up and said “Holy s*it, I’m 52 years old!”This is what Katie Carty Tierney tells those who have yet to go through it.Her early life didn’t seem like much of a crisis – she came from a good home where she learned that when you say you're gonna do something, you do it; and if you make a mistake, own up to it and work hard to be better.Growing up, she wanted to be a brain surgeon, then a pediatrician. As a college freshman, as part of her studies toward becoming some sort of doctor, she was made to do something in a biology lab she didn’t agree with, which I’ll leave to your imagination. So she pivoted to business analysis and research. This led Katie to a career in the computer industry as a consultant, which she enjoyed until she and her husband decided she would be a stay-at-home mom just before the birth of her first child in 2000.Her husband was doing well in his career, so she became a stay-at-home mom for a while, volunteering for various networking organizations and stuff for the kids. She figured she’d never go back to work and everything seemed fine. But Fine is a 4-Letter Word.In 2007, Katie took an opportunity to go back into the workforce, and it’s been a wild ride since then.In a moment, when you meet Katie, you’ll discover how her need to hang out with adults again led her down new career paths, including landing a job that required her to go through fifteen – yes, fifteen – interviews.What did she learn from that?And looking back with 20/20 hindsight, how has becoming an empty-nester for the first time in 23 years not only brought things full-circle, but also given her a wealth of information to pass along as she blazes the trail for others?You’re about to find out.Katie’s hype song is "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.Resources:Katie Carty Tierney’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiecartytierney/ Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It’s about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time, consistently. Consistency over perfection wins every time. You deserve a life where you can breathe easy and not feel like a gorilla is standing on your chest all the time. When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start and it will give you new perspectives that can change your life starting today!Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.Oh look, I think I see Katie over there rummaging through a small-town antique store! She and her husband look so cute, holding hands like teenagers in love. Let’s go say hello!
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172. Slamming My Hand In The Door Changed My Life with Susan Jackson Lee
Jan 2, 202500:43:47Tap to summarizeRemember that time you slammed your hand in the door? I heard you screaming obscenities for days. And depending on how it happened, it might have stung for a minute or caused you pain for a week.But imagine your hand didn’t heal. Instead, it revealed you were slowly being ambushed by a silent killer. Act One to a new story you never saw coming.This is Susan Jackson Lee’s story, and it ends on a cliffhanger.Susan grew up in a military family as the only daughter in a family full of men, where unsurprisingly she learned the values of discipline, timeliness, and hard work. Her father didn’t believe women should be doctors or become successful on their own – he was old-fashioned like that. But this upbringing also taught her the value of never taking “no” for an answer – or as she puts it, “a no meant a yes for me”.She went to college and, unlike most of her classmates, was specifically interested in sales. Because she was usually the only person in line for sales jobs at the recruitment fairs, getting in was easy. And since then, Susan has grown in her career from a salesperson, to a manager of a federal business, all the way to vice-president at an Interior Design organization.Along the way, Susan met and married her entrepreneurial husband, started a family, and was fortunate to be healthy and fit. It seemed like she had everything going for her, and everything was fine.But Fine is a 4-Letter Word, and one day everything slammed to a halt – literally.One day while out running errands, Susan jumped out of her car and accidentally slammed the door on her hand. OUCH! I wince just thinking about this! She got a tetanus shot, but her hand wasn’t healing. So she got an MRI, followed by a diagnosis of…Lung cancer.How could this be? Susan didn’t smoke or drink, she ate right, she took care of herself, and she was disciplined about her health. Lung cancer?!?In a moment, when you meet Susan, you’ll be stunned and amazed by the many lessons she learned while going through treatment, going into remission, and picking up the pieces of her life. Along the way, she let herself go to hell on purpose and got the idea she was about to lose her job, but she didn’t. At the time of our recording though, she had just given notice at her job. What’s up with THAT?!?Susan’s hype song is "A Beautiful Day" by India Arie.Resources:Susan Jackson Lee’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/susan-jackson-lee-5878a13 Susan's new website: www.field2futureconsulting.comInvitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It’s about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time, consistently. Consistency over perfection wins every time. You deserve a life where you can breathe easy and not feel like a gorilla is standing on your chest all the time. When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start and it will give you new perspectives that can change your life starting today!Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.Here comes Susan around the corner. Not surprisingly, she’s out for a walk. Let’s head over and meet her!
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171. Goodbye 2024. Here’s To a Transformational 2025: A Special Episode with Lori
Dec 26, 202400:27:21Tap to summarize2024 has been quite a year.I spent most of the year as a nomad, traveling throughout the Southeast United States moving from town to town, housesitting for a lot of awesome cats (and a few awesome dogs). It was an amazing adventure that led me to see lots of new places, meet people in real life I’d only known online, and discover a few things about myself along the journey.But as I moved around, I lived with uncertainty. Tonight I would be in this one house, but where would I be tomorrow night? Would I have a place to go the next night after my current gig ended? When would I find out? Not only that, but this past summer my dad passed away. I was fortunate to be able to spend the last week of his life with him in Florida, however it also served as a reminder of how things change, how things come and go, and how important it is to cherish and savor what we have now.As we wrap up the year, I find myself settled down in a new apartment in Charlotte, North Carolina, determined to begin a new and different kind of adventure. As I traveled around the country in 2024, one of the things I missed out on was a sense of community. In 2025, we’re changing that.Now, as your 2024 comes to an end and you look forward to the new year, give yourself the gift of tuning into this episode and discovering the takeaways that may serve your journey as you move to the next chapter in your life. And as you do so, take a moment and ask yourself these questions:✅ What is your theme word for 2025? (Mine are "community" and "transformation".)✅ What are some things that you want to do and bring into 2025 in your life? ✅ Conversely, what are you leaving behind? What is no longer serving you that you do not need to drag into 2025 with you?✅ What are your intentions for this coming year? ✅ What are you building for yourself? ✅ What would you ideally like your life to look like?✅ What are you committing to doing or not doing to get there?✅ What do you feel good about right now having accomplished or done in the past year?✅And how are you going to celebrate?My hype songs as we enter 2025 are "I Am Not Okay" by Jelly Roll and "Fearless" by The Goo Goo Dolls.Resources:My Website: https://ZenRabbit.com/ LinkedIn: https://zenrabbit.com/linkedin/ Facebook: https://zenrabbit.com/facebook/ Instagram: https://zenrabbit.com/instagram/Visit the “FINE is a 4-Letter Word” store at https://zenrabbit.printful.me Also check out Episode #67, Gratitude Through Hard Times with Chris Schembra.Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It’s about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time, consistently. Consistency over perfection wins every time. You deserve a life where you can breathe easy and not feel like a gorilla is standing on your chest all the time. When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start and it will give you new perspectives that can change your life starting today!Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free. Now, let’s get started!
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170. Not Lost in Translation with Robin Ayoub
Dec 19, 202400:44:21Tap to summarizeGrowing up in the United States, I was fortunate to not know what it’s like to go through a day with bombs falling around me and my dad fighting in the war. For Robin Ayoub, this was his daily reality, and as he would eventually discover, getting away from it was how he found his way home.Imagine being eleven years old and given 24 hours to learn how to operate a knitting machine because your family's survival depends on it. Then picture yourself going door-to-door every weekend, selling the sweaters you made, knowing you can't come home until every single one is sold. That’s where he learned what all good sales professionals know: the importance of making “one more call” or “one more stop on your route” before quitting time.That was just the beginning of Robin's extraordinary journey from war-torn Lebanon to becoming a tech executive whose influence spans four continents. Growing up as the oldest of five children, he was taught the importance of being productive and responsible. With a civil war raging around him, survivability was key. There was no time to lose. Even with all this going on, Robin finished college and got a job as a bank teller. One day he was sent home because of a bombing raid. Long story short – listen to hear what happened – he ended up in the hospital. When he got out, he said, “that’s enough. I’m done here!” He took his younger brother and moved to Cyprus. He found a job and from there helped his parents and four younger siblings get their immigration paperwork in order. They all moved to New Brunswick, Canada, landing in the middle of a snowstorm and not speaking English. Through luck, Robin found a Maronite priest who spoke their language in the phone book, and within a short period of time he found work sweeping a construction site – a great use of his education in computers.But, it turns out the hotel they were expanding on that construction site needed somebody to update their billing software. Since programming languages were universal, his lack of English at the time didn’t stop him. This opportunity led Robin to more jobs in computer programming, which in turn launched him onto what has become a rich, successful entrepreneurial journey.In Lebanon, daily bombardments were normal. The constant threat of violence became background noise. And he thought it was all fine. But as we know, Fine is a 4-Letter Word. In a moment, when you meet Robin, you’ll discover how he looked back and realized how living with bombs falling around him showed him the importance of his family, his work, and his opportunity to inspire and lead others. You may be particularly interested in how it informed his definition of “perfect”.And I can hardly wait for you to hear where you can find Robin and his family every single morning at 6:30, without fail. Robin's hype song is "Daddy Cool" by Boney M.Resources:Robin Ayoub’s website: https://www.L10NFiresideChat.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinayoub/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robin.ayoub Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robin.ayoub/ X: https://x.com/robinayoub Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It’s about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time, consistently. Consistency over perfection wins every time. You deserve a life where you can breathe easy and not feel like a gorilla is standing on your chest all the time. When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start and it will give you new perspectives that can change your life starting today!Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.And now, let’s go meet Robin. Hopefully we’re not catching him in a plane, train, or automobile.
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169. Hope That Won’t Die: A COVID Survivor’s Story with Craig Andrews
Dec 12, 202401:01:35Tap to summarizeYou’ve probably experienced sleep paralysis at some point – that weird “twilight zone” where you’re caught between the conscious world and the world of dreams, aware of your surroundings but noticing they have weird shapes.Usually you can break out of sleep paralysis within a few seconds and after catching your breath, you’re fully aware you’re awake again and safe from whatever monster was trying to get you. But imagine being in that twilight zone for more than six weeks, where even though you’re trying to scream and wake yourself up, there’s no way out!This is where Craig Andrews found himself a few weeks into his COVID diagnosis.Craig’s wife claims he was raised by wolves. He and his brother went for long walks, built a log cabin in the woods, and lept into swimming holes filled with sea nettles and jellyfish, which can be nasty toward humans invading their space. One day, the Andrews boys miraculously found a swimming hole with no sea nettles and no jellyfish. When they told their dad, he shook his head and told them they had been swimming in sewage.Craig’s sense of adventure may have contributed to him having low grades in school – who has time to sit around and study? It definitely contributed to him joining the Marines and serving several tours of duty abroad, then coming home to get his degree from North Carolina State. First he worked as a design engineer, which did not reward creativity. So a shift to marketing, selling semiconductors for mobile phones, was Craig’s next adventure. He kept at it, selling a product with steadily decreasing price curves, but everything seemed fine.As you know though, Fine is a 4-Letter Word. Craig quit to start his own business when the margins got so low his employer insisted he fly coach - but that wasn’t the half of it!On Saturday, July 31st, 2021 Craig and his wife woke up horribly sick. A week later, Karen was gasping for air. Then she got better but Craig got worse. By August 10th, Craig conceded to going to the emergency room. He couldn’t complete a sentence without taking multiple gasps of breath, and it would be another two months before he’d see Karen again. And three months before he’d leave the hospital in a wheelchair.Despite being put on a ventilator, Craig survived. Despite being prescribed a medication for COVID that was known to cause kidney failure because the government gave bonuses to doctors for prescribing it, Craig survived.In a moment, when you meet Craig, you’ll discover his journey through TWO worlds – the physical world where bad things were done to him and said about him in his presence while he was in a coma, and the subconscious twilight world where these experiences morphed into dystopian adventures.Get comfy on the edge of your seat as you hear why the adventures stopped when Craig’s wife showed up, and where Craig found himself when he woke up.Craig’s hype song is "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" by The Offspring.Resources:Craig Andrews’ website: https://allies4me.com Book websites: https://hopethatwontdie.com/ and https://makesalesmagical.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-andrews/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraigAndrewsMarketing X: https://x.com/allies4me Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It’s about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time, consistently. Consistency over perfection wins every time. You deserve a life where you can breathe easy and not feel like a gorilla is standing on your chest all the time. When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start and it will give you new perspectives that can change your life starting today!Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.Hey, there’s Craig! He’s putting in a hell of a workout today. Let’s find out why is he enjoying a song about a loser who just doesn’t get it.
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168. Your Power Is In Your Vulnerability with Lilah Jones
Dec 5, 202400:43:02Tap to summarizeCan you feel the sense of dread just thinking about that time in your life when something went horribly wrong and everything you had planned was totally shot to hell?And what’s worse? The fear of criticism and rebuke from those you count on to be part of your support network or their well-intentioned comments that don’t do a damned thing to help and actually make you feel worse?Lilah Jones faced these questions when she got ripped off for thousands of dollars and almost lost her new house just when she had it in the bag.For Lilah, her values are so important she lists them on her website: heart-centered hustle, authenticity, bold action, active listening, holistic well-being, and self-actualization. The first three were ingrained growing up as the youngest of 11 children, a situation she describes as a place of scarcity and survival of the fittest. As she grew up, finished school, and started her career, Lilah came to appreciate that hustle does not have to be a painful thing and it doesn’t need to be rooted in survival. She did not need to have suffering attached to her accomplishments. With this mindset, it seemed everything was fine.Then, in a sudden, dramatic way, Lilah found out that Fine is a 4-Letter Word when she had the opportunity to get scammed out of the down payment on her new house. Literally, as she was at the closing meeting, she discovered scammers had sent her a link to wire the money to them instead of where it was supposed to go in order to close on the house. Lilah and her family, including her elderly mother, were at risk of becoming homeless! Meanwhile, her family was waiting for her and her husband to get back from the closing meeting to celebrate with a bottle of champagne ready to pop.What was she to do?Now, note that a moment ago I said “opportunity to get scammed” and not “misfortune to get scammed” – this is key.In a moment, when you meet Lilah, you’ll hear her amazing story about how she quickly got almost all the money back and still closed on the house. This only happened when she took a chance on being vulnerable. And instead of being condemned, she found strength she didn’t know she had. This is a story she has told time and time again. It not only made the news, but has inspired thousands of others to find their strength in vulnerability, so they can achieve more than they thought possible. It changed her life forever.Lilah’s hype song is “Fantasy” by Earth Wind and Fire.Resources:Lilah Jones’ website: https://www.lilahjones.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilahjones Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_lilahjones/ Claim your instant access to Lilah Jones’ free guide, “The Road to Renewal: Mapping Your Personal Off-Site”.Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It’s about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time, consistently. Consistency over perfection wins every time. You deserve a life where you can breathe easy and not feel like a gorilla is standing on your chest all the time. When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start and it will give you new perspectives that can change your life starting today!Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.Now, let’s bring on Lilah. I have some thoughts already about what happened to her; I hope she’s interested and willing to listen!
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167. A Powerful New Perspective on Gratitude: A Special Episode with Lori
Nov 28, 202400:23:15Tap to summarizeWhen I was a kid, I remember having Thanksgiving with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. As an adult, there have been years where my husband and I spent Thanksgiving with just my mom or with a small group of friends. In the most recent past years, before last year, it’s been having dinner with just one or two friends. My point is, not everyone has a big dinner to go to - and that’s ok. You’re not “less than” if you don’t. And at the same time, it can feel lonely. If this is your situation, you’ve got a few choices here. One, you can figure out a way to alter your situation. Can you take the initiative to invite some others together and create an impromptu gathering?Or can you volunteer somewhere you can make a difference?Another choice is to find the good in being alone.As you can see, there are many ways you can go about this.Before you embark on today’s adventure, wherever it takes you, give yourself the gift of tuning in to this special episode and discovering for yourself:✅ Why gratitude is a practice, not a platitude✅ How connection is the remedy for loneliness ✅ What it truly means to show up and be present - beyond the mental and emotional aspects ✅ A roadmap to help you shift your perspective so you can also shift your entire energy and outlook✅ How to hear, and trust, your inner voice and what it's telling you✅ And much, much more packed into this powerful episode!Resources:My Website: https://ZenRabbit.com/ LinkedIn: https://zenrabbit.com/linkedin/ Facebook: https://zenrabbit.com/facebook/ Instagram: https://zenrabbit.com/instagram/Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It’s about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time, consistently. Consistency over perfection wins every time. You deserve a life where you can breathe easy and not feel like a gorilla is standing on your chest all the time. When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start and it will give you new perspectives that can change your life starting today!Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.It’s time to step out of the clusterf*ck... of fear, regret, and disappointment, and into a place of peace, contentment – and gratitude in a way you’ve never seen it before, up until now!
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166. You Can’t Buy Back Time with Todd Bertsch
Nov 21, 202400:48:31Tap to summarizeWhen it feels like success and fulfillment continue to elude you even when you think you’re doing all the right things and making the right moves, it can be a real mindf*ck.What’s holding you back? What’s the block? Why is it always one step forward, two steps back?Todd Bertsch wrestled with this question for years.He grew up in the 1970s and 1980s in a lower middle-class family where they didn’t really discuss their values or have a lot of those poignant teaching moments you saw in the popular TV sitcoms at the time. Todd learned by watching and observing, and what he picked up was good enough: the value of hard work from parents who had multiple jobs and side-hustles, the value of inclusion from living in an ethnically mixed neighborhood, and the value of teamwork from playing sports. When he wanted something, he went to work and made the money to buy it.These same values carried him into early adulthood, where he worked his way through college as a janitor and graduated with honors, worked in jobs involving marketing, graphic design, web development, and other pursuits at the height of the tech boom. Then he decided it was time to put all that to good use and start his own business. Today, Todd is a successful entrepreneur and podcast host with a great family, and everything’s fine. Check out his website to learn more. The End. Now, let’s bring Todd on and get started with the interview.Right? WRONG!Todd struggled through that path much more than he needed to because everything was NOT fine. Remember, Fine is a 4-Letter Word.Underneath all that, Todd had a hell of a temper. It showed up when he constantly got ejected from sports games, so much so he became “famous” in his town for being red-carded at soccer more than any kid in the whole league. In his 20s, he lived in a house that was basically a drug den, until he got in a really bad argument with two guys who beat the f*ck out of him! Looking back at some of his interactions at companies he worked for, he says that if the person he was back then worked for him, he’d have fired his ass!And then it all changed. In a moment, when you meet Todd, you’ll find out that it wasn’t really some dramatic shift in who he was or how he did life, but more a decision not to be so trigger-tempered. You’ll discover what support systems he relied upon, what inspired and motivated him, and how the practice of Positive Intelligence not only improved his results, but enabled him to mentor others.Todd’s hype song is “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor.Resources:Todd Bertsch’s website: https://www.toddbertsch.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddmbertsch/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theboltwithtoddb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theboltwithtoddb/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theboltwithtoddb YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theboltwithtoddb Podcast: https://www.toddbertsch.com/podcast/ Invitation from Lori: Let me ask you, if there was a simple way to reclaim your peace of mind and not feel so frazzled, would you want to know what it is? Enter the “10 Proven Habits Top Leaders Use to Stay Calm and Focused Every Day” checklist — your quick guide to creating calm, intentional days.These practices are so incredibly simple, you'll probably question their effectiveness. Like, how could just doing THAT alleviate my stress?! But take my word - and all the science and research that's been done on these methods - implementing even ONE of these strategies will absolutely change your ability to manage your energy, embrace change, and foster resilience. PLUS, you want to cope with the distractions in your mind so you can stay focused and achieve your desired results? THIS checklist will give you the direction to do that. Oh, and lastly, it isn't about perfection or doing ALL the things all at once. It’s about taking each small step toward progress, one at a time, consistently. Consistency over perfection wins every time. You deserve a life where you can breathe easy and not feel like a gorilla is standing on your chest all the time. When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, this guide is the place to start and it will give you new perspectives that can change your life starting today!Go to https://zenrabbit.com right now to download it for free.And now, let’s meet Todd. He looks like such a mellow, easygoing guy… but I see in his gaze a determined glint… that eye of the tiger!
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