Badass Softie

You have an idea you keep coming back to. A book you want to write. A podcast you want to start. A business, creative project, or next chapter you can see yourself pursuing. But starting means finding out what happens when the idea leaves your head. What if it isn’t as good as you thought? What if nobody wants it? What if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing yet? Jill Pickering has spent more than 20 years making creative work as a musician, songwriter, producer, podcaster, and author, including touring with Kelly Clarkson. She’s also learned that you can’t answer every question about an idea before you begin. Jill and Dr. J.J. Peterson explore what changes when you stop requiring certainty before taking the first step. They talk about starting small enough to learn from what happens, finding your voice by actually using it, recognizing real signs that an idea has potential, and recovering when something you put into the world doesn’t go the way you hoped. Because sometimes the next step isn’t another plan. It’s making enough of the thing to discover what comes next. What This Explores Starting before you know whether the idea will work Using small experiments to discover what comes next Finding your voice through making, not just planning Looking for real signs that your work is connecting Recovering when the response—or the work itself—falls short Defining success for yourself as the work evolves Connect with Jill Pickering Instagram: @jipimusic Website: jipicreative.com Podcast: Take a Jill Pill   Follow Badass Softie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badasssoftiepod Website: https://www.badasssoftie.com  

We have more language for healthy communication, boundaries, and emotions than ever before. So why can our relationships still leave us feeling so disconnected? Dr. Lee Long believes part of the problem may be where we put our attention. When a conversation becomes difficult, we often focus on finding the right words to get the other person to understand, respond differently, or change. We may genuinely believe we’re trying to communicate better, without realizing how much energy we’re putting into managing the outcome. Dr. J.J. Peterson and Lee explore what changes when we bring some of that attention back to ourselves. They talk about the difference between influence and control, the stories we create when we assume we know what someone else is thinking, and why anxiety can make it difficult to recognize what we’re actually feeling. Lee also shares a simple question that can interrupt those patterns: Where am I in this? Because understanding where you are doesn’t mean avoiding the difficult conversation. It can help you decide how you want to show up in it. What This Explores Why trying harder to communicate doesn’t always create more connection When communication can quietly become an attempt to control the outcome The difference between influence and control How mind reading and old patterns contribute to conflict and disconnection What anxiety and other emotions may be trying to tell us How “Where am I in this?” can help us choose what to do next Connect with Dr. Lee Long Follow Dr. Lee Long on social media: @dr.leelong Learn more about Lee, his book Wait! Where Am I in This?, his podcast, and his work at drleelong.com.   Follow Badass Softie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badasssoftiepod/ Website: https://www.badasssoftie.com/

AI can write, research, organize, automate, and produce at a scale that would have been impossible for most people a few years ago. But Dan Cumberland thinks the more interesting question is what all of that frees you up to do. As AI takes on more of the execution, it can create room to go deeper—to spend more time on the ideas that are working, the problems worth solving, and the decisions that need your experience and judgment. It can also force a bigger question: If technology can perform more of the tasks you associate with your work, where do you bring the most value? Dan and Dr. J.J. Peterson explore what to hand off to AI, how to identify the deeper value you bring beyond the tasks you perform, and why the time AI gives back doesn't have to be filled with more work. Because the real opportunity may be letting technology do more of what it can do so you have more room for what only you can do. What This Explores How AI can create more room for higher-value work Where your experience, judgment, and perspective matter most How to identify the execution AI can take off your plate Why getting time back doesn’t automatically mean producing more How AI can help you go deeper on the work that’s already creating value Why human judgment and transparency matter as AI scales your work Mentioned Pacemark AI Maturity Assessment: pacemark.ai  AI Training Guide: aitrainingguide.com  Dan Cumberland Labs: dancumberlandlabs.com  Follow Badass Softie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badasssoftiepod Website: https://www.badasssoftie.com/

What do you do when a problem is so big that anything you could possibly do feels insignificant? On September 11, 2001, Dr. J.J. Peterson was thousands of miles from home, volunteering with a medical clinic in a rural village in the Dominican Republic. With almost no information and no way to change what was happening back home, someone in his group finally asked a simple question: “What can we do?” Twenty-five years later, J.J. still comes back to that question when the suffering in the world feels too big to hold, much less fix. He reflects on the difference between control and agency, Viktor Frankl’s idea of tragic optimism, and how we find meaningful ways to respond when some things simply can’t be fixed. What This Explores Why having no control doesn’t mean having no agency What Viktor Frankl meant by “tragic optimism” What research after 9/11 revealed about the search for meaning Why small acts of care still matter when the problem feels overwhelming A different question to ask when “why?” has no satisfying answer Mentioned in This Episode Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/0807014273  Website: https://www.drjjpeterson.com  Follow Badass Softie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badasssoftiepod Website: https://www.badasssoftie.com  

You’re used to being the person who follows through. So when plans change, it can feel personal. Dr. J.J. Peterson had just celebrated a year of Badass Softie without missing an episode. Then interviews moved, a new client required unexpected travel, his daughter left for college, and suddenly the plan he had been following no longer fit his life. Instead of simply adjusting, JJ found himself wondering if he was dropping the ball. But changing the plan isn’t the same as giving up on what matters. JJ explores why ambitious people can be so quick to judge themselves when circumstances change, why being harder on yourself may not actually help you move forward, and how to distinguish between abandoning a commitment and finding a different way to honor it. What This Explores Why changing the plan can feel like a personal failure The difference between changing your approach and giving up What unfinished commitments can do to your attention Why grace may be a better motivator than self-criticism Three questions to help you decide what moving forward looks like now Follow Badass Softie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badasssoftiepod/ Website: https://www.badasssoftie.com/