Life in the And

Goodbye Life in the AND, Hello Shift Starters Let’s Start Some Shift!   Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Shift Starters with Erin Baker. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help me reach more Shift Starters, like you. Join me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For more exclusive content, information, and to request your FREE 7 Questions for Tackling Fear workbook, visit our website.

I have been wanting to have Bex Taylor-Klaus on the podcast ever since I decided Life in the And was going to be a thing. Bex - the eldest child of previous guests Elaine and David Taylor-Klaus - is someone whom you may know from their role as Sin in CW’s Arrow, Audrey in MTV’s Scream, the voice of Pidge in Voltron: Legendary Defenders, or as the non-binary Deputy Brianna Bishop in Fox’s procedural drama, Deputy. An “Accidental AND,” Bex is a non-binary individual - an identity that we all need to talk more about in society. In this episode, Bex and I explore what it means to be non-binary and what it looks like in Hollywood. We illustrate Bex’s experience with gender & identity as a child and how they discovered the non-binary identity. We elaborate on the non-binary identity’s characteristic as a spectrum and explain why it’s not about being “in the middle.” We emphasize the importance of letting people know that they are not alone and underscore the power of standing in your truth and speaking it. “You are who you are. Who you are can change, and you can figure it out as you go along.” - Bex Taylor-Klaus This week on Life in the AND: Bex’s childhood experience and how they discovered the non-binary spectrum Why Bex loves Dorothy from Wonderful Wizard of Oz How Bex came out as non-binary for the first time during an argument The power of knowing and speaking your truth Pitching Deputy’s Breanna Bishop to Fox TV and why the show means so much to Bex Transforming pain and heartache into art and content Gatekeeping in the queer community What the non-binary spectrum is and why it’s not about being “in the middle” The superpower of non-binary humans How we can become an AND with the pronouns we use and why it’s okay to let other people be confused Our destiny to make a mark in the world Why Bex likes to play characters that make people uncomfortable The beauty of our human brains and the squiggly ANDpersand Resources Mentioned: Lessons from Being Complex AND Raising Complex Humans with Elaine Taylor-Klaus We Need Our Heads AND Our Hearts with David Taylor-Klaus Connect with Bex Taylor-Klaus: Bex Taylor-Klaus on Instagram Bex Taylor-Klaus on Facebook Bex Taylor-Klaus on Twitter Bex Taylor-Klaus on Tumblr Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit our website and join The Heart Leader Launchpad Facebook group.

    Sean Smith is someone whom I call a teacher, mentor, and a friend. He is a Neuro-Transformational Coach and Founder of the MVP Success Systems, through which he helps passionate people become successful and authentic life coaches. He recently penned And, a poem about independence, our country, and the world. It is a poem that reflects not only his ability to hold honest and uncomfortable conversations but also his desire to bridge the country’s social, political, and racial divides. Sean is a man on a mission to heal the world - and a person I am glad to have in my life.   In this episode, Sean and I discuss what it would take to create AND in a world of “us” versus “them,” of “we” and “the others.” We explore what could happen to a country if its citizens lived a life in the AND as well as discuss how our sense of belonging informs our decisions and beliefs. We explore the story of a young white supremacist whom Sean met when he was a probation officer, explain how we go into survival mode when our validity is threatened, and contemplate on how white people, including myself, benefit from racism even when we are not consciously racists. We also explore how powerful humanity can become when they acknowledge the existence of both light and dark within them.       “If we can live a life in the AND, if we can look at our differences from a place of love and compassion, all our divides would be healed.” - Sean Smith       This week on Life in the AND:   A reading from Sean’s poem, And How we are born in the And before we get “Or’d” What it means for the country when its citizens live a life in the AND Lessons from improv’s “Yes, And…” game and our tendency to look for what’s different rather than what the similarities are between us Healing the world’s greatest political divides through empathy and compassion The pain of being ostracized in the Black community and the need for belonging How certain conversations and environments force us into survival mode The story of a young white supremacist and how our mortal fear of abandonment pushes us into bad decisions Acknowledging that a person can NOT be racist and receive the benefits of racism at the same time Contemplating on how I have perpetuated racism, whether consciously or unconsciously, as a white person How we can have compassion for a person and not enable their toxic behavior The difference between controlling and suppressing an emotion William the Werewolf and how anger can be a productive emotion The importance of committing to personal values over validation from other people The relationship between knowing, trusting the self, and their relevance in politics The power of humanity when they’re at their AND     Related Content:   It’s Time to Replace “Reach Your Potential” With an AND     Connect with Sean Smith:   Sean Smith Website Sean Smith on Facebook Sean Smith on Twitter Sean Smith on YouTube Sean Smith on LinkedIn Email: info@coachseansmith.com         Embrace Life in the AND   Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review.   Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit our website and join The Heart Leader Launchpad Facebook group.

If you are the product of the five people you spend the most time with, then I am a product of Mahrukh Imtiaz. Mahrukh is part of my chosen family and, together with two others, we formed a group called Wednesday Wonders. By day, Mahrukh is the Project Manager for EY’s US Talent Specialist Team and a cricketer for the Canadian Women’s Cricket Team. But by night, she is a prolific content creator on TikTok. Mahrukh is dedicated to creating inspirational content that helps other people be the best version of themselves and the champions they want to be. Mahrukh joins me today to describe the power of being a master and giving yourself permission to be a disaster. She shares what inspired her to start her journey as a content creator and explains why she chose to focus on TikTok over other social media platforms. She discusses what it means to NOT judge for your audience and highlights how she trains her brain to reframe anxiety into excitement. She also emphasizes the role of action in clarifying your life’s purpose and underscores the importance of sharing your story. “Be a disaster AND a master at the same time. Having that mindset permits you to produce content without judging yourself.” - Mahrukh Imtiaz This week on Life in the AND: Taking control of your life and being open for what’s to come Our tendency to expect results right away Mahrukh’s TikTok journey and the importance of attention What makes TikTok different from other social media platforms The power of shifting your mindset towards allowing yourself to be imperfect The impact of allowing yourself to become a master AND a disaster How to be patient with the macro and hustle in the micro My 90-day live journey and how you won’t know your message until you speak it How imperfection can make you more relatable to people The value of not judging for your audience Training your brain to reframe anxiety into excitement and how they’re physiologically the same thing The importance of sharing your perspective and story How getting into action creates clarity and confidence in your life’s work Beating worries over doing the wrong thing through having high intentions and low attachment to outcomes Related Content: I Control My Destiny AND So Does “The Universe” What Would You Do if You *Were* Afraid? How to Be Fearful AND Fearless What Becomes Possible When We have High Intention and Low Attachment to Our Goals Connect with Mahrukh Imtiaz: Mahrukh Imtiaz Website Mahrukh Imtiaz on Facebook Mahrukh Imtiaz on Instagram Mahrukh Imtiaz on Twitter Mahrukh Imtiaz on TikTok Mahrukh Imtiaz on LinkedIn Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website and join The Heart Leader Launchpad Facebook group.

    Niiamah Ashong is a pioneer and outlier on a mission to create a world of true inclusion and empowerment. He is the founder and leader of the World of Joy Movement where he brings his vision of true inclusivity and diversity into life by helping leaders and organizations leverage their uniqueness and strength. Before embarking on leading this movement, Niiamah worked with AppNexus as a People Experience Consultant and a Senior Consultant for management services firm Deloitte Consulting. Today, Niiamah is a dear friend and kindred spirit who continues to inspire me on my mission. Niiamah joins me today to discuss the Ands we need to create a world of true inclusion. He shares his vision of an inclusive world and explains how he was inspired to make this vision a reality. He explores the paradox of inclusion and exclusion and illustrates how we can become inclusive while maintaining our differences. He also emphasizes the role of outliers, trailblazers, and mavericks in a divisive and uncertain world, and explores the possibility of being fearful and still being authentic.   “True inclusion is about being celebrated and valued for the things that make you different.” - Niiamah Ashong   This week on Life in the AND: What inclusion means for Niiamah and why it’s more about difference than sameness Creating a world of true inclusion and what it looks like in 2045 How innovation comes when people who are different from each other work together The “Yes And” game and why And is a skill set that could be honed Where Niiamah’s mission of creating an inclusive world started and how he came to realize it How inclusion and exclusion go hand in hand, and how we can create a space of diversity that accepts outliers and trailblazers The characteristics that make trailblazers, outliers, and mavericks, and what makes them important in a world of uncertainty Self-identifying as an outlier and how we are alone and belonging at the same time The difference between belonging versus fitting-in The costs of owning authenticity and uniqueness and why trailblazing isn’t safe Handling both sides of fear and what it means to be fearful and fear less at the same time   Connect with Niiamah Ashong: Niiamah Ashong Trailblazer Tribe Niiamah Ashong on YouTube Niiamah Ashong on Instagram Niiamah Ashong on LinkedIn         Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit our website.

    Shelley Paxton is internationally recognized as The Burnout Fighter and Fire Re-igniter. She is the Chicago-based author of Soulbbatical: A Corporate Rebel’s Guide to Finding Your Best Life, a book where she shares her journey from working in Corporate America as the CMO of Harley-Davidson to becoming the Chief Soul Officer of her life and career. Shelley has spent over 25 years in the corporate world as a highly regarded marketing and advertising executive with some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Visa, McDonald’s, and AOL. Her work has been recognized and featured in multiple media publications including Thrive Global, Forbes, PBS, and CBS. Since taking her Soulbbatical in 2016 and launching her company, Shelley has been on a mission to liberate a billion souls by inspiring them to embrace their greatest truth, purpose, and possibility. Shelley joins me today to share all of the “Ands” in her life and career. She discusses her ballsy move to liberate a billion souls by creating a title wave of change in people’s lives and organizations. She discusses the magic that can happen when you trust AND surrender to your soul’s process instead of the corporate process or the process of others. She discusses how you can trust, surrender, and follow your soul’s desires while working in the corporate environment and why the first step to reconnecting to your soul is to get reacquainted with yourself and your personal values. She also explains the difference between rebelling for something versus rebelling against something and why she believes, deep down, everyone has a rebel soul. “You have to know where you’re heading, and you first have to know yourself because getting reconnected with your soul really is getting reconnected with your GPS system.” - Shelley Paxton This week on Life in the AND: Shelley’s big, audacious goal of liberating a billion souls - one soul at a time How Shelley stays grounded in holding onto her big, overarching goal while liberating one individual soul at a time The magic that happens when you trust AND surrender to your soul’s process Bridging the gap between working in the corporate world while following your soul’s desires Getting reacquainted with yourself and your values and why it’s the first step to reconnecting to your soul Choosing to believe that crisis always comes as a gift to teach us a lesson Why Shelley believes everyone has a rebel soul How your ‘ands’ are the lego pieces of your life Using fear as fuel to get to where you want to go Why Shelley believes trusting and surrendering to your soul’s desires is the “And” everyone should stand for Resources Mentioned: The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath and Dan Heath   Connect with Shelley Paxton: Soulbbatical Rebel Souls Podcast Book: Sabbatical: A Corporate Rebel’s Guide to Finding Your Best Life Shelley Paxton on LinkedIn Shelley Paxton on Instagram Soulbbatical on Facebook Shelley Paxton on Twitter   Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit our website.  

As 2020 draws to a close, and winter is upon us, I start my final episode of the year.  Life in the AND is about to rebrAND and expAND. I’m non-binary and non-conventional, I want to bring more of me to the podcast and I’m committed to it not being run of the mill.   In this episode, I reflect on the journey this podcast has taken me on, and the clarity it has given me to move forward as I think about what 2021 holds. I explore what rebranding and expanding means for me, explain what it means to be committed and unattached. I also speak about some of the inspirational guests who have contributed to my podcast so far; Shelly Paxton, Sean Smith, Bex Taylor-Klaus and Niiamah Ashong. “‘AND’ is this powerful, expansive word that creates possibility” – Erin Baker This week on Life in the AND: A reflection on my podcast journey Is winter a time to slow down or speed up? Why it’s time to rebrand and expand Being committed and unattached The power of ‘AND’ Highlights from some of my favorite guests Connect with my former guests who are in encore in December: Bex Taylor-Klaus on Instagram Bex Taylor-Klaus on Facebook Bex Taylor-Klaus on Twitter Bex Taylor-Klaus on Tumblr   Niiamah Ashong Trailblazer Tribe Niiamah Ashong on YouTube Niiamah Ashong on Instagram Niiamah Ashong on LinkedIn   Sean Smith Website Sean Smith on Facebook Sean Smith on Twitter Sean Smith on YouTube Sean Smith on LinkedIn Email:info@coachseansmith.com   Soulbbatical Rebel Souls Podcast Book: Sabbatical: A Corporate Rebel’s Guide to Finding Your Best Life Shelley Paxton on LinkedIn Shelley Paxton on Instagram Soulbbatical on Facebook Shelley Paxton on Twitter Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website.

I have been wanting to have Bex Taylor-Klaus on the podcast ever since I decided Life in the And was going to be a thing. Bex - the eldest child of previous guests Elaine and David Taylor-Klaus - is someone whom you may know from their role as Sin in CW’s Arrow, Audrey in MTV’s Scream, the voice of Pidge in Voltron: Legendary Defenders, or as the non-binary Deputy Brianna Bishop in Fox’s procedural drama, Deputy. An “Accidental AND,” Bex is a non-binary individual - an identity that we all need to talk more about in society. In this episode, Bex and I explore what it means to be non-binary and what it looks like in Hollywood. We illustrate Bex’s experience with gender & identity as a child and how they discovered the non-binary identity. We elaborate on the non-binary identity’s characteristic as a spectrum and explain why it’s not about being “in the middle.” We emphasize the importance of letting people know that they are not alone and underscore the power of standing in your truth and speaking it. “You are who you are. Who you are can change, and you can figure it out as you go along.” - Bex Taylor-Klaus This week on Life in the AND: Bex’s childhood experience and how they discovered the non-binary spectrum Why Bex loves Dorothy from Wonderful Wizard of Oz How Bex came out as non-binary for the first time during an argument The power of knowing and speaking your truth Pitching Deputy’s Breanna Bishop to Fox TV and why the show means so much to Bex Transforming pain and heartache into art and content Gatekeeping in the queer community What the non-binary spectrum is and why it’s not about being “in the middle” The superpower of non-binary humans How we can become an AND with the pronouns we use and why it’s okay to let other people be confused Our destiny to make a mark in the world Why Bex likes to play characters that make people uncomfortable The beauty of our human brains and the squiggly ANDpersand Resources Mentioned: Lessons from Being Complex AND Raising Complex Humans with Elaine Taylor-Klaus We Need Our Heads AND Our Hearts with David Taylor-Klaus Connect with Bex Taylor-Klaus: Bex Taylor-Klaus on Instagram Bex Taylor-Klaus on Facebook Bex Taylor-Klaus on Twitter Bex Taylor-Klaus on Tumblr Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit our website.

David Taylor-Klaus is a brilliant linguist who greatly inspires me. Before founding DTK Coaching, David was CEO of Digital Positions, an internet strategy and web development organization he co-founded. Despite guiding executives to become aware of how values can impact growth, David realized that he wasn’t consciously living his life as an entrepreneur, business partner, father, and husband. This insight ultimately led David to found DTK Coaching, through which he reconnects entrepreneurs and senior executives with their families. Today, David and I explore what it means to live and lead with the head and the heart. We discuss how money can distract us from the things that are important to us and how we can reconnect with our hearts by going deep with our values. David shares the story of how he discovered his life’s work and what it means to be a heart-centered leader. We also discuss what “bully values” are and emphasize the power of language to reflect and create how we think of the world. “There’s knowing in one’s head and knowing in one’s heart. Connect with both, so you don’t enter a boxing ring with one arm tied behind your back” - David Taylor-Klaus This week on Life in the AND: Getting caught up in the human doing and away from human being Woo-woo spiritual coaching and how David helps entrepreneurs reconnect with their families The importance of reconnecting with the heart first and how our mind blocks our connection with the heart David’s story, the undercurrent to his life’s work, and how he discovered that he needed to reconnect with his heart The isolating power of entrepreneurship and what makes an empowered environment conducive to change What it means to be a heart-centered leader Money as an agreed-upon fiction and how it gets in the way of letting the heart drive impact Time, community, family, spirituality, and other currencies that truly measure our success How values can connect us to what truly matters What aspirational, competing, and bully values are and how you can make values work for you Value conflicts in our political divides and how recent events amplified our need to question what’s important Words create worlds and how the power of AND creates possibility The ability of language to let us see and create how we think The impact of knowing in your heart and how it’s different from knowing in your head Related Content: In a World of Either/Or, How Do We Create an AND? With Sean Smith Connect with David Taylor-Klaus: DTK Coaching David Taylor-Klaus on LinkedIn David Taylor-Klaus on Facebook David Taylor-Klaus on Twitter David Taylor-Klaus on Pinterest David Taylor-Klaus on Vimeo BOOK: Mindset Mondays with DTK: 52 Ways to REWIRE Your Thinking and Transform Your Life by David Taylor-Klaus & Laurie Shiers Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website.

Elaine Taylor-Klaus is a professional certified parenting coach, speaker, and author of The Essential Guide to Raising Complex Kids with ADHD, Anxiety, and More. For most of her life, Elaine struggled with attention and learning issues, and when she was diagnosed with ADHD at age 40, everything made sense to her. This realization later led her to earning a coaching certification, co-founding Impact Parents, and dedicating her life to helping parents raise complex children with ADHD, anxiety, and learning disabilities. In this episode, Elaine and I discuss what it’s like to live a life with undiagnosed ADHD and reveal the three powerful words that could change your life. We explain how coaching can be an effective tool in managing ADHD despite its difference from therapy and why Elaine teaches parents coaching tools to help raise complex children. We also explore how the brain is an AND, and illustrate how taking care of our children starts with having compassion for ourselves. “The notion that any of us have a singular experience is absurd. To be human is to always be in some complexity of navigating this and that.” - Elaine Taylor-Klaus This week on Life in the AND: A life with ADHD and how Elaine didn’t realize she had it until she was 40 The former stigmatizing name of ADHD and how girls were never diagnosed with it What it was like for Elaine to live a life with undiagnosed ADHD Three powerful words that could change your life How coaching is a philosophy different from therapy and why it’s effective in managing chronic conditions Radical acceptance and the foundation of coaching and its language Why Elaine trains parents in fundamental coaching skills to empower complex children Lawnmower parenting and the coach approach to life The ripple effect of self-love and self-compassion Using the “Up Until Now” mindset to live a more authentic life Expanding Impact ADHD to Impact Parents The paradox of control Resources Mentioned: Women with Attention Deficit Disorder: Embrace Your Differences and Transform Your Life by Sari Solden, 2nd Edition Nowhere to Hide: Why Kids with ADHD and LD Hate School and What We Can Do About It by Jerome Schultz Related Content: It’s Time to Replace “Reach Your Potential” with an AND I Control My Destiny and So Does “The Universe” Connect with Elaine Taylor-Klaus: Impact Parents Impact Parents on LinkedIn Impact Parents on Instagram Impact Parents on Facebook Impact Parents on Twitter Elaine Taylor-Klaus on LinkedIn BOOK: The Essential Guide to Raising Complex Kids with ADHD, Anxiety, and More: What Parents & Teachers Really Need to Know to Empower Complicated Kids with Confidence and Calm Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website.

I wouldn’t be a transformational coach if it weren’t for Caitlin Padgett. Caitlin, the founder of Redefining Sobriety and author of the Amazon bestseller Drink Less, Be More: How to Have a Great Night (and Life!) without Getting Wasted, is a certified coach who helps women change their lives by redefining their relationship with alcohol. She is also a retreat facilitator and is currently building a physical space in Mexico for digital entrepreneurs. Caitlin is one of my most favorite people, and it was from meeting her, hiring her, and attending her retreats that I was inspired to go to where I am today. In this episode, Caitlin and I explore how we can redefine sobriety and our relationship with alcohol. We discuss how she developed her approach to healing herself and how it became the catalyst for Redefining Sobriety. We underscore the importance of knowing the good and the bad in drinking alcohol and why understanding both matters. We also illustrate how alcohol is often used to serve a need and explain how meeting those needs in other ways can let us enjoy alcohol for its positive elements. “When we give ourselves permission for what we need and learn how we can meet those needs through other ways, then we stop needing alcohol to do the job for us.” - Caitlin Padgett This week on Life in the AND: Caitlin’s personal journey with alcohol and drugs How Caitlin found her approach to healing in the AND Different people having different relationships with alcohol Helping people redefine their relationship with alcohol by helping them find their ANDs The importance of understanding the bad and the good when it comes to our relationship with alcohol Why redefining your relationship with alcohol means redefining your relationship with yourself How the social conditioning of women to forgo their desires influences their relationship with drinking How Caitlin takes care of herself to avoid turning to alcohol for its negative, numbing qualities Being in the AND by loving yourself The power of trusting in your intuition and why the AND space can feel risky and uncertain for many people Related Content:  We Are All Walking Contradictions with Hayden Lee  Connect with Caitlin Padgett:  Redefining Sobriety Caitlin Padgett on Twitter Caitlin Padgett on Facebook Caitlin Padgett on Instagram BOOK: Drink Less, Be More: How to Have a Great Night (and Life!) without Getting Wasted Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website.

If you are the product of the five people you spend the most time with, then I am a product of Mahrukh Imtiaz. Mahrukh is part of my chosen family and, together with two others, we formed a group called Wednesday Wonders. By day, Mahrukh is the Project Manager for EY’s US Talent Specialist Team and a cricketer for the Canadian Women’s Cricket Team. But by night, she is a prolific content creator on TikTok. Mahrukh is dedicated to creating inspirational content that helps other people be the best version of themselves and the champions they want to be. Mahrukh joins me today to describe the power of being a master and giving yourself permission to be a disaster. She shares what inspired her to start her journey as a content creator and explains why she chose to focus on TikTok over other social media platforms. She discusses what it means to NOT judge for your audience and highlights how she trains her brain to reframe anxiety into excitement. She also emphasizes the role of action in clarifying your life’s purpose and underscores the importance of sharing your story. “Be a disaster AND a master at the same time. Having that mindset permits you to produce content without judging yourself.” - Mahrukh Imtiaz This week on Life in the AND: Taking control of your life and being open for what’s to come Our tendency to expect results right away Mahrukh’s TikTok journey and the importance of attention What makes TikTok different from other social media platforms The power of shifting your mindset towards allowing yourself to be imperfect The impact of allowing yourself to become a master AND a disaster How to be patient with the macro and hustle in the micro My 90-day live journey and how you won’t know your message until you speak it How imperfection can make you more relatable to people The value of not judging for your audience Training your brain to reframe anxiety into excitement and how they’re physiologically the same thing The importance of sharing your perspective and story How getting into action creates clarity and confidence in your life’s work Beating worries over doing the wrong thing through having high intentions and low attachment to outcomes Related Content: I Control My Destiny AND So Does “The Universe” What Would You Do if You *Were* Afraid? How to Be Fearful AND Fearless What Becomes Possible When We have High Intention and Low Attachment to Our Goals Connect with Mahrukh Imtiaz: Mahrukh Imtiaz Website Mahrukh Imtiaz on Facebook Mahrukh Imtiaz on Instagram Mahrukh Imtiaz on Twitter Mahrukh Imtiaz on TikTok Mahrukh Imtiaz on LinkedIn  Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website.

Sean Smith has been a teacher, mentor, and friend. He is a Neuro-Transformational Coach and Founder of the MVP Success Systems, through which he helps passionate people become successful and authentic life coaches. He recently penned And, a poem about independence, our country, and the world. It is a poem that reflects not only his ability to hold honest and uncomfortable conversations but also his desire to bridge the country’s social, political, and racial divides. Sean is a man on a mission to heal the world - and a person I am glad to have in my life. In this episode, Sean and I discuss what it would take to create AND in a world of “us” versus “them,” of “we” and “the others.” We explore what could happen to a country if its citizens lived a life in the AND as well as discuss how our sense of belonging informs our decisions and beliefs. We explore the story of a young white supremacist whom Sean met when he was a probation officer, explain how we go into survival mode when our validity is threatened, and contemplate on how white people, including myself, benefit from racism even when we are not consciously racists. We also explore how powerful humanity can become when they acknowledge the existence of both light and dark within them. “If we can live a life in the AND, if we can look at our differences from a place of love and compassion, all our divides would be healed.” - Sean Smith   This week on Life in the AND: A reading from Sean’s poem, And How we are born in the And before we get “Or’d” What it means for the country when its citizens live a life in the AND Lessons from improv’s “Yes, And…” game and our tendency to look for what’s different rather than what the similarities are between us Healing the world’s greatest political divides through empathy and compassion The pain of being ostracized in the Black community and the need for belonging How certain conversations and environments force us into survival mode The story of a young white supremacist and how our mortal fear of abandonment pushes us into bad decisions Acknowledging that a person can NOT be racist and receive the benefits of racism at the same time Contemplating on how I have perpetuated racism, whether consciously or unconsciously, as a white person How we can have compassion for a person and not enable their toxic behavior The difference between controlling and suppressing an emotion William the Werewolf and how anger can be a productive emotion The importance of committing to personal values over validation from other people The relationship between knowing, trusting the self, and their relevance in politics The power of humanity when they’re at their AND Related Content: It’s Time to Replace “Reach Your Potential” With an AND Connect with Sean Smith: Sean Smith Website Sean Smith on Facebook Sean Smith on Twitter Sean Smith on YouTube Sean Smith on LinkedIn Email: info@coachseansmith.com Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website.

Seth Samuels is dedicated to healing some of our political divides. He has worked in the world of political data in the past eight years, starting when he left his PhD program to join former President Barack Obama’s Analytics Cave for the United States Presidential Elections in 2012. Frustrated at partisan politics—yet still devoted to bridging society’s rifts—Seth began working on his project, The Good World: a memoir, manifesto, and model on how we can create a more just and kind world. In this episode, Seth and I discuss his vision of a good world and describe the richness and beauty that already exist in it. We explore systemic racism and define the responsibility of white people in combating racial injustice. We elaborate on the collective trauma the world is currently experiencing and describe how generations can pass unhealed trauma to the next. We also underscore the importance of being open to the world’s surprises and emphasize the power of looking at the good and the bad of the world. “The good and the bad of the world are both important to see. If we are to get to the good world, we need to see, process, and hold both of them.” - Seth Samuels This week on Life in the AND: The characteristics that make a good world How much good already exists in the world and how we can make it better Food as an experience that shapes our world while we grow up Cultural diversity & richness and how language is a form of innovation The importance of lowering our expectations What it means to be open to the world’s surprises Systemic racism and the fear of speaking up What white people should do when they have offended people of color Cheese, trauma, and the power of recognizing collective trauma How trauma can be passed down through generations Healing trauma through hobbies & physical action Related Content: The ANDs We Need for True Inclusion with Niiamah Ashong There *Are* Barriers AND There Are Tunnels with Dante Clemons Connect with Seth Samuels: Seth Samuels on Twitter Seth Samuels on LinkedIn  Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website. 

Dante Clemons immediately inspired me when we met a few months ago. She’s a senior product manager at startup and is the founder of three businesses. Before product management, she studied architecture and served as a visiting Associate Professor at the Pratt Institute. The common denominator that underscores her wide range of experiences - from product management, design, and architectural planning - is her capacity for creative problem-solving. After not landing several jobs with notable companies due to “insufficient experience,” Dante created a job-hunting strategy that later led her to found a consultancy business: KICKINTHADOOR, a career services platform for job seekers in pursuit of fulfilling careers. In this episode, Dante and I discuss what it means to trust in yourself and how we can weave joy into our careers by living more intentionally. We explore how we can bring curiosity in to move through adversity and overcome our fears. We describe how personal value comes from being self-reliant and being able to ask for help from other people. We examine the difficulties of being a woman of color in America and reveal what Oprah Winfrey taught Dante about authenticity. We also explain why there are curved roads in the U.S. and discuss how we can use the power of AND to realize what’s possible for us. “The curve might look like a detour, but it keeps you awake. It keeps you alive. Lean into those curves and see where it goes.” - Dante Clemons This week on Life in the AND: Helping people unlock the career paths they want and Dante’s passion project Using curiosity to move through roadblocks Playing with possibilities and how journaling empowers Dante The Queen of Pivot and the power of iterations Letting go of control and opening up to the possibilities of the universe Understanding how to live life and cultivating trust in yourself The F.I.T.F.O. philosophy and how messing up means having opportunities to strengthen your resiliency muscles Dante’s vision of being the next Oprah AND not being the next Oprah Being forced into conformity to get a job and how Oprah’s authenticity inspired Dante Approaching the idea of authenticity and how cultural diversity can encourage empathy Encouraging others that anything is possible despite life’s real barriers Trust, faith, and the power of intuition Related Content: I Control My Destiny AND So Does “The Universe” What Would You Do if You *Were* Afraid? How to Be Fearful AND Fearless  Connect with Dante Clemons: Nola Dante KICKINTHADOOR KICKINTHADOOR on Facebook KICKINTHADOOR on Instagram KICKINTHADOOR on Twitter KICKINTHADOOR on YouTube KICKINTHADOOR on Spotify KICKINTHADOOR on Pinterest Dante Clemons on Instagram  Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website.

So far in our Life in the And journey, we’ve explored the ANDs in our minds and lives. We’ve discussed how we can use the paradoxes that reside within us to transcend uncertainty and doubt. But what if we also use ANDs not just as individuals but as communities, societies, and nations? As time goes by, it becomes more apparent how we live in a world divided by political ideologies, creed, and class. Can AND be powerful enough to bridge opposing beliefs and ideas? In this episode, I explore how an improv game can help us bridge the contradictions within ourselves and the divides in our society. I explore how the “Yes, And…” game can develop our deep listening skills and foster creativity, connection, and cooperation. I explain why our conversations regarding social issues become heated and illustrate how we tend to blame rather than build. I also discuss what’s possible when we surrender our need to always be right and speak from a place of love and understanding. “The ‘inclusive, loving world’ piece requires us to explore the ANDs between us.” - Erin Baker   This week on Life in the AND: Our increasingly divided world and the need to explore the ANDs between us Dante Clemons and the barriers she faces as a black woman Bridging political divides with Seth Samuels What keeps us healing our deepest divides in the world The ‘Yes, And...’ improv game, how it can help us bridge divides and differences, and how to play it How playing the ‘Yes, And’ game can help us develop emotional intelligence and creativity Why our conversations become heated and triggering Building bridges brick by brick and surrendering our need to be 100% right Related Content: Creating Magic Through Fully Being in your ANDs with Matt Chavlovich We Are All Walking Contradictions with Hayden Lee What Becomes Possible When We Have High Intention and Low Attachment to Our Goals Resources Mentioned: Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses “No, But” Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration - Lessons from the Second City by Kelly Leonard  Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website.

When I created Life in the And, there’s one person I’ve always wanted to have on the show. She’s Christina Berkley - an international coach, transformational experience curator, and co-founder of the NEXUS Futurism Lab. She is passionate about exploring edges, whether it’s in technology, frontiers, going to space, or even the edges within ourselves. Christina works with leaders on missions to better humanity, guiding them in exploring and unlocking their edges, their genius, and the impact they can have in the world.  Christina joins me today to share her Edge-Walker Manifesto and the experience that inspired her to create it. She shares her ideas on identity and fluidity and reveals how we create false dichotomies with our identities. She illustrates what toxic humility is and how we can effectively communicate our ANDs. She also discusses how we can experience enlightenment through our bodies and explains how we can learn to surrender. “We can tell ourselves that the shift isn’t dangerous. When it stops being dangerous to change, then we can intentionally seek out lifestyles we’re not used to.” - Christina Berkley This week on Life in the AND: A reading of The Edge-Walker Manifesto Being fluid with your identity and the dangers of clinging to youth The false dichotomies people cling to and how we can expand the archetypes within us Our concept of being “good” people and how avoiding our selfish parts can do more damage Asking for what you want while being a team player and communicating your ANDs Jacob’s Ladder and experiencing enlightenment through our primal nature Cultivating surrender and why aiming for hyper control is a losing game Related Content: Leadership from the Middle: Bridging Your Culture AND Corporate Culture with Kanchan Prinsloo I Control My Destiny AND So Does “The Universe” What Would You Do if You *Were* Afraid? How to Be Fearful AND Fearless What Becomes Possible When We Have High Intention and Low Attachment to Our Goals  Resources Mentioned: The Edge-Walker Manifesto Connect with Cristina Berkley: Coaches Light the Grid Edge-Walker Basecamp Christina Berkley Website Christina Berkley on Facebook Christina Berkley on Instagram Christina Berkley on LinkedIn   Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website.

Sarah Kettles is a high-level UX Research Leader and entrepreneur. She is currently the Senior Director of Research at The Zebra, was previously at AirBnb, and was a founding member of Facebook’s Research Operations. In addition to her career bio, she’s an avid triathlete, backpacker, and founder of OutPass Trekking, a company that provides transformational wilderness experiences for growth-seekers. Sarah is a person who fills gaps with spectacular grace and, through OutPass Trekking, guides people through receiving insights through nature.   Sarah joins me today to discuss nature’s power in enhancing our ability to zoom out, understand the whole world and our place in it, and zoom in, introspect, and push back our fears. She shares some of her most profound experiences exploring the wilderness and explains why the outdoors is one of the best places to cultivate trust in ourselves. She also describes how nature can be leveraged in a coaching experience and highlights how fear can sometimes point us to the things we need to do.       “The wilderness is a special place that we’re all born out of. Being in nature offers an opportunity to expand and focus your awareness.” - Sarah Kettles       This week on Life in the AND:   How Sarah discovered that she could turn her love of the wilderness, the outdoors, and backpacking into a business What makes nature so powerful The ability to connect with yourself and with nature Cultivating self-trust through our connection with the wilderness The epic experience that led Sarah to her passion for backpacking What makes being out in the wilderness a transformative experience Expanding awareness and narrowing your focus through experiencing nature One of Sarah’s most memorable moments on a hiking trail The FITFO Philosophy and how fear can sometimes mean go Redirecting your focus and working through mental blocks when you feel like you’re ‘so done’     Related Content:   What Becomes Possible When We Have High Intention and Low Attachment to Our Goals Leaders Can Have It All: What’s Possible When You Expand Your Vision AND Narrow Your Focus with Tony Martignetti What Would You Do if You *Were* Afraid? How to Be Fearful AND Fearless     Connect with Sarah Kettles:   OutPass Trekking Website OutPass Trekking on Instagram OutPass Trekking on Facebook Sarah Kettles on LinkedIn Email: sarah@outpasstrekking.co         Embrace Life in the AND   Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review.   Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website and join The Heart Leader Launchpad Facebook group.    

Hayden Lee is a walking bundle of “Ands.” He’s one of the quirkiest, most energetic people I’ve met. He’s someone who lights up a room with his dancing - and at the same time, he’s a high-achieving professional who passionately fights for the dreams of his clients. Hayden is a Master Certified Coach who specializes in, teaches, and facilitates the Enneagram, as well as the neuroscience of coaching. A living embodiment of what it means to embrace weirdness, Hayden is someone who inspired my question: “What AND do you stand for?” Hayden joins me today to explore what’s possible when we embrace the contradictions and paradoxes within us. He discusses how he uses the Enneagram to help people realize their polarities and live within them without rejecting a part of themselves. He explains how we can bring improv’s “Yes, and…” game into our lives and illustrates our tendency to pigeonhole ourselves into specific personality characteristics. He also describes And as a powerful reframing tool and shares an exercise he uses to help clients accept their contradictions. “We are all walking contradictions. Polarity and paradoxes reside within us. We’re these opposing forces happening and swirling all at the same time.” - Hayden Lee This week on Life in the AND: What it means to live in paradox and why we habituate towards certain ways of being Meryl Streep’s superpower of accessing many personalities and characters Teaching other people to access different sides of their personality and why life is a box of 64 crayons How the Enneagram can help people broaden their range How Hayden uses his And to increase his power as a coach The need of coaching clients for heart or heat and why intuition is a coach’s best friend Helping CEOs and leaders tap their intuition to lead their teams The cost of not being authentic and the fear of being yourself What helps Hayden to be a bold and courageous entrepreneur The beauty of cultivating high intention towards a goal and non-attachment to results Bringing the first rule of improv to coaching and life and why entrepreneurship should be fun An exercise in paradox and And as an ultimate reframing tool Related Content: The ANDs We Need for True Inclusion with Niiamah Ashong Leaders Can Have It All: What’s Possible When You Expand Your Vision AND Narrow Your Focus with Tony Martignetti Connect with Hayden Lee: Hayden Lee Website Hayden Lee on Facebook Hayden Lee on Twitter Hayden Lee on Instagram Hayden Lee on YouTube Hayden Lee on LinkedIn  Embrace Life in the AND Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit my website.

    Everybody has that voice in their head telling them that they’re not smart enough or not capable enough. It’s the inner critic telling you that you will never achieve anything good, so it’s better to just stay in comfortable, safe places. Since our experience with the inner critic is typically negative, the first thing we often want to do is to drown it out. But the inner critic brings with it an opportunity for an And to flourish: let it talk and let it quiet down.   In this episode, I explore the role our inner critics play in our lives and how they can help us go to the places where we can grow. I share my experiences with my own inner critic and consider the sources of the inner voices in our heads that discourage us. I discuss some of the questions you can ask yourself to get to know your inner critic better and the steps you can take to manage fear. I also explain why you shouldn’t totally eradicate your inner critic or your imposter syndrome and discuss how you can use them as a compass towards growth and development.       “Whenever our inner critic gets loud, it means we’re moving meaningful things to us and the things that can help us grow.” - Erin Baker       This week on Life in the AND:   Where our inner critic and impostor syndrome come from How the inner critic is trying to protect us from negative emotions Why I believe you shouldn’t completely eradicate your inner critic or your impostor syndrome Using your inner critic as a compass to a place of growth and development Recognizing the other side of fear and moving beyond our inner critic Externalizing our focus to overcome the inner critic Finding the deeper voice of purpose and meaning Questions that can help evaluate the fears the inner critic is protecting you from The reason you need to understand the source of your inner critic     Related Content:   What Would You Do if You *Were* Afraid? How to be Fearful AND Fearless         Embrace Life in the AND   Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Life in the AND, the podcast helping you embrace the AND in your life to cultivate more authenticity, creativity, inclusiveness, and love in every area of the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe to the show and leave a review.   Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share your favorite episodes across social media. And for more great content and information, be sure to visit our website and join The Heart Leader Launchpad Facebook group.