Most of us have experienced a “busy season” — either because our work flows in seasons, or because of project crunch time, or for some other “work is going to get wild for the next few weeks” reason.

The thing about busy season (no matter what you call it in your world) is that it has a sneaky way of keeping itself alive and relevant. Meaning the more we accept it as fact and brace for it, the more stressful it can become.

On today’s Joyful Leader, we’re breaking down why this is and what to do instead.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

If you added up every incoming request, data point, question, and flashing blip that enters your brain daily, the number would be enormous.

Many of us walk around carrying these things as psychic weight, feeling pressure and burden about not being able to get it all done, or respond quickly enough.

Today, we’re going to break down some of the twisted socialization that’s at play here and peel back the layers of this situation, so that we can look at it from a different angle.

If you are one of the many, many people who feel overwhelmed, or behind, or like there’s not enough of you to go around, this episode is definitely for you.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

One of the things my clients and I find when coaching about working less is a subconscious belief that if they work less, they will somehow be worse at their jobs — their brains have linked the quantity of their hours to the quality of their performance.

Today on this podcast, we’re talking about why the exact opposite is true — how overwork actually causes underperformance, and why working less drives up the quality of our work.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Do you know your own truth? About your relationship with your job, for example? Or to specific family members? Do you know the truth of what you want in your life, and what you don’t?

I’ve spoken to so many incredible people who feel like they’ve lost touch with what they want — they tell me they used to know, but can’t access it anymore . . . or that they feel overwhelmed when they even ask themselves the question.

In our lives, many, many things act as obstacles between us and the voice inside us. And there’s one of these obstacles — a particular kind of thought — that is one of the biggest truth blockers of all.

Today on Joyful Leader, we’ll discuss this truth blocker and how to reconnect with what you truly want in your life, work, and relationships.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

There's a trait that's common amongst good leaders: future orientation and forward momentum.

These two things, when combined, create a sense of energy, agency, and self-esteem within leaders themselves and within the teams and organizations they serve.

Today on the podcast, we're going to break down what these things are, why they're helpful, and how you can embody them.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

There's a model that I bet you've seen many places. In relationships — whether those relationships are romantic, friendships, or employment-related — we have needs, and it’s the responsibility of other people to meet them.

This leaves us waiting for other people to notice our needs, which we may or may not have expressed. It leaves us waiting for them to take action to meet them. It leaves us waiting.

Today, I’m making a pitch for thinking about this differently. And for meeting your own needs through the action you take.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

We all face challenges in our work and lives, and we all make mistakes and find ourselves in uncharted territories — situations that we’ve never encountered before, and so need to learn to navigate.

How well we navigate these moments, how quickly we move through their challenges, and how much we learn from them often comes down to one thing: what we make them mean.

I sometimes describe this as whether we “take on” a situation (making it mean something about who we are, wearing it like a weight) or “take in” a situation (absorbing the decisions and actions we could have done differently, or can do differently in the future, without attributing them to deep character flaws).

Today, we’re talking about this difference. If challenge is inevitable, let’s navigate it in a way that helps us feel whole and in integrity.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Today, we’re talking about another culture eroder: the assumption of inclusion.

Assuming inclusion is often innocent — it’s the assumption that if we haven’t heard that we’re being exclusive, we must be doing alright. And while this is sometimes true, often, we’re being unintentionally exclusive in ways we can’t see.

This can happen in the context of the diversity of our team, but in other ways, too. Some of which are quickly and easily corrected. We’ll talk about both, and I’ll also gush about one of my favorite humans (Viva Asmelash, @viva.asmelash), who teaches companies to have a holistic approach to safe, welcoming, diverse workplaces.

Thanks for listening.

Hungry for more of the things we talk about on this podcast? Visit mimigordon.com to find articles, classes, and other resources. Or to schedule a free 60-minute consultation to talk about working with me as your coach. You can also find me on Instagram @mimigordoncoaching.

Help other people find exactly what they’re looking for — take two minutes to rate and review Joyful Leader. Give the podcast 5 stars and a one-sentence (or more) review. I appreciate you in advance. And so will the people who find the show. (Find the show in Apple Podcasts from your phone, and scroll to the rate/review section below the episodes.)

Original music by Amir Sberlo | Never Bored Photograph by Vivian Johnson Design by Deena Rutter This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm