Design Yourself

We are living through unprecedented times. Words like pandemic, recessions, layoffs, hybrid work, and more are part of our everyday professional vernacular. And that's to say nothing of ongoing systemic issues from which there are many to choose. As a result, anxiety has become a necessary part of workplace conversations. What do I do when anxiety strikes - for myself or for a colleague? How can I get out of an anxiety spin cycle and into aligned and inspired actions?     Links & Resources: For show notes visit: https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/growing-capacity/ To connect on Linked In and Instagram: @Sharon Lipovsky @Point Road Studios  @pointroadstudios Rate, Review & Subscribe to the podcast on Apple & Spotify

The week we explore how to stretch into greater capacity. Both within yourself and beyond yourself. As we age and evolve, we often seek to be able to do more. This desire to grow might be tied to a certain season of life when you are stepping into something new and expansive - taking on a new role, launching a side hustle or creative endeavor, welcoming a child into your family. The need to stretch into a new way of doing things could also be tied to loss - letting go of a relationship, losing a job, grieving the death of a loved one. Or it could emerge from a personal conviction where you declare that you are ready to grow. Wherever the source, asking ourselves maximize our capacity is not an uncommon experience. But how? Tune in to learn about pathways to growth from within yourself and when you expand through building out a team of support. -- Links & Resources: For show notes visit: https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/growing-capacity/ To connect on Linked In and Instagram: @Sharon Lipovsky @Point Ro

Oh the things we carry. Our capacity is precious resource and must be treated with care and attention. And to do this, we have to have an honest assessment on what our capacity actually is. This episode is all about deepening our awareness on how to assess our capacity. We gain new perspective as we explore the interplay between capacity and scale, capability, attention and discernment. And we reflect together on 6 simple questions to cozy up to the truth of your own capacity right now.   For show notes visit: https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/assessing-capacity

It is easy to get distracted by what we can see. Or what we want others to see. But what is visible is a small fraction of what is there. What happens on the inside, out of sight, is a tremendous source of wisdom and guidance for each of us. How can we connect to our interior selves? What clues might we find at the surface to help us drop in and see with new eyes? In this episode, we deepen our awareness of what's happening for each of us under the surface.   For show notes visit: https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/under-the-surface/

It is easy to get caught up chasing dreams. Yes, I am an advocate for daring to imagine what you really want and going after it; however, it is equally important to remember that the end goals and outcomes achieved aren’t the only point.  The experience that we have on our way to a particular destination gives us a strong indication of how we will feel when we arrive. Life is not about rushing and pushing ahead to the goal; it is about the practice of setting a vision, leading with intention and acting on purpose. Practice over achievement. In this week’s podcast, we draw upon the wisdom of Ann Patchett and her 2021 New Yorker piece on How to Practice, discuss the mindset freedoms available to us when we practice, and reflect together on a few questions to bolster a practice of our own.    For show notes: https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/practice-over-achievement/

We create our paths through every step we take. Yes plans and visions can bolster - even accelerate - our paths forward. But the actual road taken can only be seen in the review mirror. Because we forge our paths as we go. In each decision we make, each choice we own, each step we take. This podcast lays out 5 habits to nurture as you take the next step.

Spring is here and with it an invitation. We have made it through the cold, dark, fallow period. And it’s time now to wake up. To move and stretch and create focus. What do we wish to cultivate this season? What do we hope to grow? And how do we do so with intention? That’s what we discuss in today’s episode on Planting Seeds. "My seeds are afraid to grow?" asked Toad. "Of course," said Frog. "Leave them alone for a few days. Let the sun shine on them, let the rain fall on them. Soon your seeds will start to grow." -Arnold Lobell, "The Garden" from Frog and Toad Together

Being able to move with your vision is pure magic. To do it, requires not just that we are able to take aligned and vision-forward actions; it also requires that we can see and delineate the connection between what we want and what we are doing. It's easy to feel stuck on a hamster wheel if we are missing the big picture. And it's just as easy to feel ungrounded and stuck if we know what we want, but don't know how to take action towards that thing. In today's podcast we share a framework that helps us break down the movement from vision to action. Along the way we offer techniques and mindsets on how to move with ease as you lift your attention up to the big picture and drop down to tactics that bring your vision to life.

Is raising the bar a familiar activity to you? Always pushing and expanding to do more, bigger, better, faster? Me too. While there is a time and a place for this direct growth strategy, this podcast episode shares an alternative: Lowering the stakes. The approach is not about apathy. When we clear the clutter of our expectations, we can see our way through to smaller, more manageable approaches like developing our technique, building emotional range and resilience and tapping into artistic flow.

Growth lies in the edges: Those places where we push past discomfort to metamorphosis. Our learning edges clarify the path to our potential - whether through skills, knowledge, or perspective. In this episode of Design Yourself, Sharon holds space for listeners to name and explore their learning edge. She then guides listeners through reflections about her learning edge - "let go and go fast" - and the beliefs that inspire her to continue to seek transformation. The gift of being human is that we can evolve every day into the fullest expression of our dynamic selves. We close the episode with the same question we started. What is my learning edge?

Anguish shows up when we don't know how to move. Many things can cause this stuckness. Maybe it's a limiting belief that we aren't worthy of having what we want. (Not true.) Maybe it's a lack of clarity on the direction we want to head. (Time to create a vision.) Maybe it's that we don't know how to get there. (Pause, look back, ask for help.) In this week's episode Sharon highlights two stories of getting past stuckness and into aligned and inspired action. The first story celebrates a nonprofit leader focused on growing their leadership at work while exploring making a physical move for their family. Learn about how they developed an action plan that honored both of these visions - and what limiting belief they released along the way. The second story highlights a personal struggle that Sharon's been facing in her garden and what she's doing to get past it. We close with a bonus memory that underscores how patterns tend to repeat themselves.      https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/getting-unstuck/

Wild growth is possible when we abandon our addiction to knowing and surrender to wonder and awe. A beginner mindset acknowledges that we always have more to learn and accepts that failure is just a natural part of the process. But it's tempting to sit back in old habits. And really who will know if we are accelerating toward growth or relying on what we already know to be true? So often the difference is unseen because it happens on the inside. It's a mindset and not a physical experience. In today's episode, we talk about the power of a beginner's mindset and the power of living this mindset in your body. Sharon shares her recent adventures in skiing and past attempts at ballet as examples of both being a beginner and being a beginner in your body - where all mistakes will be visible on the outside. Finally, she challenges you to consider what new body practice you might attempt to accelerate your learning. Tap into your inner 8-year-old and just have fun - mistakes and all.       https://pointroadstudios.

Listening is an incredibly powerful leadership and life skill. But that doesn't make it easy. There are habits and culturally accepted practices that hold us back from really listening to understand. But the good news is that you can create simple shifts to improve the quality of your listening and inspire others to do the same. This change requires radical self-awareness. This episode highlights 12 different habits that prevent us from listening - including rehearsing, daydreaming, and placating. We invite you to see with a fresh perspective where your listening gets derailed and to make simple shifts to bring your attention back to listening to understand.   https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/listening-blocks/ 

A powerful question will stop us in our tracks. It will demonstrate that the asker is listening deeply to us. It will deepen our own best thinking and invite us to see our situation with a fresh perspective. In a world where talking the loudest and unfailingly asserting our viewpoint is modeled in the highest levels of leadership, asking questions offers an antidote. The quality of the conversations we have comes from the quality of the questions we ask. This is true of how we connect and speak with ourselves and how we connect and speak with others. In today's podcast, we offer practical tips for how to hone the craft of question-asking. Learn key distinctions in the types of questions you can ask and how you can put your question-asking skills to use in personal reflection, in 1-on-1 conversations, and in group facilitation.

So many things in today's world demand our attention: Targeted ads; technology programming; catchy headlines; our constantly refilling inboxes. Knowing how to eliminate distractions is a survival skill. We must learn to quiet the white noise and focus on the things that matter most. To eliminate distractions, we must know what to pay attention to - and then relentlessly block out the disruptions that pull us away. In this episode, we explore three key questions to help us get clear on what matters most, clarify the perspective that will help move us toward growth and discover the tactics that will help keep us on our path.       https://pointroadstudios.com/podcast/eliminating-distractions/

Being prepared isn't just an act of readying for the future. It is a present state that means we are ready to do or deal with whatever comes our way. What a marvelous aspiration! In this way, preparedness feels connected to resilience, which allows us to bounce back from whatever circumstances we may face. But it's tricky. Preparation is something that holds both light and shadow. Preparation offers an antidote to anxiety. When we have put in the work and are ready, we can focus on our quality of presence. Think speaking from the heart on a topic you've researched and rehearsed versus reading off half-scribbled notecards shaking in your hands. And preparation can also trigger anxiety. We may feel like we can never know, do or be enough. There is more research to do. More visuals to create. More practice needed. Think toiling away on that creative endeavor that remains forever unfinished because there is no sense of what "done" looks like. In this week's episode we explore 3 aspects of being prepared - 1) Deep

Great leadership demands that we look beyond our own point of view. Taking perspective allows us to build empathy in the face of conflict, to understand the wants of our customers, to deepen our connection to our colleagues. Perspective taking can also be applied inward. We can weigh our options, see new pathways forward, tap into our vision, breathe life into our personal narratives. Today's podcast focuses on how we can expand our capacity to take perspective. We look at four ways to hone your ability and build up your perspective taking muscles - everything from learning how to look beneath the surface, to practicing fierce empathy (even in the face of conflict), to finding fun ways to get outside of your comfort zone, to seeking opportunities to expand your consciousness. Throughout the episode learn practical tips for how to develop and apply this skill.

Ready or not, the new year is upon us. While there is no one right way to do anything, there is what's right for you. Answering this question requires our discernment. How will you choose to show up and move through 2023? What are you wishing to call in this year? What will support you on this path?  In today’s episode we talk about finding your own right-fit approach to kicking off the new year and how you can use the flipping of the calendar year to bring fresh perspective to your daily rhythms and routines. We discuss what's different about a resolution and an intention. We talk about different themes you might play with like a word or color of the year. We invite you to consider what - if any - big picture annual thinking might be useful as you step into 2023. Regardless of what you are moving towards, the rhythms and routines that you establish will steward you on this path. To that end we close today's episode with an audit of what's working for you and how you might reimagine both the fixed and flexibl

The new year invites us to reimagine what's possible. This is not about trying to burden ourselves with unrealistic resolutions that we are doomed to abandon by February. Instead, it is about letting the rhythm of the calendar offer us a natural disruption in the momentum of our day to day. It is a chance to dream something new. In this week's podcast, we begin by discussing the importance of cultivating a belief that what you want is possible. And we look to Maslow's hierarchy of needs to create distinctions on where to focus our visioning energy. Do we need to shore up our foundation (physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem)? Or are we in a moment where we can expand into self-actualization? We then consider how to hold space to explore what you want. We embrace the mindset that whatever we are doing, it is enough. And we offer ways to go deeper. We then offer prompts to get you thinking about what you really want for this year - a linear process to get clear on your 2023 vision. We close with a s

Wintering is a season in the cold. It is both literal and figurative. It acknowledges those times where we move through a fallow period – cut off from the world. What is the power of wintering? How can we learn to call in the dark and the cold? In today’s episode on wintering we discuss what wintering is, borrowing from the brilliance of writer Katherine May; we speak to the power of wintering, specifically the power of the dark, the cold, letting go and resting; and we close with reflection questions to spark your own best thinking on how to integrate this practice. “So that is my wish for you – that you may be unburdened by the cold and dark of wintering. And more than that. That you can embrace it. Call in the dark and the cold – don’t run from it. It is through learning how to sit in this discomfort that we build our resilience for when the unexpected winters arrive.” https://pointroadstudios.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=4750&action=edit