Design Yourself

Taking time out brings about mixed emotions for a lot of us. We know we'd like to, but how to balance what needs doing with the desire for taking a break. We've talked in the past on this podcast about the importance of taking breaks and how they can be fun. But what about when we don't choose the pause? What about when it feels like it is out of our control? That's just what we dig into this week. Inspired by an extended power outage on the home front, Sharon discusses key distinctions about the kinds of pauses we take, recent lessons she has learned and some questions to prompt reflection about your own relationship to the concept of pause. From the disruptive nature of stopping to how we react differently to short, medium and long-term breaks, prepare to see with new eyes the power of pause.

This week's episode shines a light on the important role that our stories play in our lives and works. Not just as a reminder of what has been, but as a signal for what's coming next. To step into what we really want, we have to own our stories. This podcast will help you along this path. Sharon begins the episode with some personal updates, which include east coast spring break adventures, the kick off of building her dream home and how she missed three Thursdays of hitting publish on the podcast. She shares how her own story about being a failure if she missed publishing the podcast weekly was wrestling with her story that there is a way to do the podcast in her own way, with ease. She then shares how the podcast schedule is evolving. The episode builds from Sharon's own stories to reflections and actionable tips for both how to see the stories you tell and how to create shifts in your stories.  "It's not just about changing your stories. It's about choosing them." - Sharon Lipovsky Ideas Shared How To See

Raindrops on roses / And whiskers on kittens / Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens / Brown paper packages tied up with strings / These are a few of my favorite things...or so the song goes. This week Sharon is inspired by the feeling of Spring in the air and wants to share a personal update about how things are going at this very transitional and transformational moment in her life. She shares a behind the scenes look at what's happening with her home and her work and how her intention setting process is evolving this year and this season. This is a great episode for anyone who's been wondering what exactly Sharon's been up to in her cottage in the woods. It's also excellent for those of you looking for some reflection and inspiration as you contemplate or move through a transition of your own. Ideas Shared Sharon's monthly intention setting from 2018 has been shifting to be more seasonal. Simplicity continues to be the focus in 2019. In the transition from the winter focus on clearing to something

Meet Bill Goulding in this week's episode. He's finishing up his PhD at MIT's Sloan School of Management. His research interests include Empirical Asset Pricing, Financial Intermediation, and Market Microstructure. If that sounds confusing to you, don't worry, we break down his deep financial expertise into human terms and also discuss his own unexpected path to his nearly finished PhD. We talk about the stresses and benefits of professional development through higher education and Bill's own journey. Bill is insightful, open and funny and makes complex topics accessible. This is a great episode for anyone curious about finance, economics and the impact of both on your average human being. It's also lovely for anyone whose ever gone through or thought about pursuing a PhD. 

When we our energized, it's apparent in the way we lead, act, and feel. This week's episode offers up ideas for how play with and grow your energy - and makes the case for why prioritizing how you feel is critical our role as leaders. We discuss how your energy is impacted by your priorities and values, your emotions, and the health (or lack thereof) of your body. We talk about how to quiet your mind when busyness and stress surges. And we close with a discussion of how critical it is to write your own rules for how you structure your time. This is a great episode for anyone teetering on the edge of burnout (or managing/supporting someone else in this position). It's also great for anyone looking to summon the courage (and energy!) to make a change. In taking care of your energy, you are taking care of not just yourself, but all the people around you too. Take good care!

What money mindsets or limiting beliefs are getting in the way of what you really want? That's what we are cracking open in this week's episode. Sharon shares how to pull apart our money mindsets and simple ways we can all make small shifts about our approach to money today. Explore together the difference between "bad scary" when it comes to money (e.g. spending beyond your means) and "good scary" (e.g. changing your spending habits to align with your values). Investigate 6 money mindsets that could be getting in your way and then learn a practical process to help you move past these roadblocks.   Ideas Shared There is Good Scary and Bad Scary when it comes to money Bad scary are triggers for true concern; the modern day saber tooth tigers showing up on your living room. Good scary are ways that you are really aligning with what you want, but maybe feeling nervous about the change it prompts. Money Mindsets that Get In Our Way "I'm not good with money." "People with money are bad." "Money will change me."

The idea of doing something on purpose carries with it a feeling of positive authority. I've chosen it. I've selected this option. It's mine. But how do you actually figure out what your purpose is? That answer is often elusive. In this week's episode, Sharon offers perspective and a framework to help you navigate your own path forward. On purpose. Learn how to figure out what matters most to you and a simple way to make thoughtful decisions to align with your values. This is a great episode for anyone trying to figure out how to move through the world with a feeling of, "yes, I chose this." "Here's my perspective. Your reason for existing will likely shapeshift over time. That's okay."   Ideas Shared 5 Steps to Clarify Your Purpose Check In With Your Current Awareness Notice What Others Want Your Purpose to Be Observe How Your Actions Indicate What's Important (or not) Let Go of Unnecessary Move with Your Purpose

Radical self awareness is worth chasing. It is through expanding what we see that we expand our sense of what's possible. In today's episode, Sharon shares a simple and powerful practice to help you do just that: be the observer of your actions. Gain clarity on how to step back from being in the action to seeing yourself in the doing. Learn how to notice patterns and expand your perspective on you in action. And finally get some tools to help you interpret the data you are collecting. This is a great episode for anyone who has been feeling like they need to grow in their leadership capacity, but are unsure about how to make a change. It's also great for anyone who is curious about pushing their own boundaries on what's possible. Enjoy!   Ideas Shared How to Be The Observer of Your Actions Stop and Step Back (See More) Step above the fray Disrupt your habits Partner with an accountability partner Breathe and other simple pauses Notice Patterns and Insights (See Deeply) Pace Story Questions vs. Statements Wh

Happy Valentine's Day! And welcome to Design Yourself's new release day, Thursday! (If you are wondering why we moved from Mondays to Thursdays, go check out last week's episode where I dish on this shift.) This week's episode talks about two seemingly distinct topics: love and leadership. How many times have you considered the role of love at work? For many of us the topic is taboo. In today's episode, Sharon talks about the importance of leading with love. She shares vignettes of how she has seen leaders and teams transform with this approach and offers four key actions on how you can lead with love. She closes things out with a short meditation to get you in the practice of growing and embodying love. Enjoy! Ideas Shared 4 Actions to Lead with Love Radical Self Awareness - Start by noticing what emotion shows up when you lead. Are you calm or anxious? Delighted or frustrated? Angry or sad? Simply notice without judgement what emotion/s show up when you lead. Set an Intention - Whether love is already pres

We've talked on the podcast many times before about story - specifically that we are all writing our own stories every single day, usually unconsciously. The stories we tell impact how we lead at work and at home. Today we are going to zoom in on a particular story we tell that often massively influences our willingness to take risks, value our worth and grow our businesses or bank accounts - yes, my friends, we are talking about our Money Stories. In today's episode Sharon discusses the impact that our money stories have on us and offers a series of reflection questions to empower you to see the story you are currently telling, adapt what's not working and make sure your Money Story is working for you.

This week’s episode is a little like grabbing coffee with an old friend. Sharon shares her word of the year – simplify! – and all the ways she’s holding this theme. How can she simplify her building/renovation project upstate? How can she simplify and slow down life at home? How can she help her clients simplify their approach to leadership? How can she simplify her own approach to scaling Point Road Studios. She also talks about why she stopped setting annual resolutions or intentions or words of the year in the past and why she felt called back to this practice in 2019. You’ll also learn about how her Design Myself Experiment in 2018 has turned into a monthly intention setting practice. This is a great episode for anyone looking for simple structures to bring more joy and intention into the way you lead your life. It’s also a good one for anyone wondering what Sharon’s been up to lately. Enjoy!

As of publishing this episode, the US partial government shutdown is into its fifth week. If you or someone you know is expectedly out of work, this episode for you. While the inspiration for the 4 tips shared are the many individuals who are effected by the shutdown, these are lessons gleaned from coaching many individuals through various interruptions from work-as-planned. Sometimes the interruption is undesired, like a layoff or a furlough. Other times the interruption was sought after, like a sabbatical or a pause between jobs. No matter how you landed in a space without work, this episode walks you through 4 ideas for how to shape your time off.

In 2018, Sharon conducted a little experiment - Design Myself. The Design Yourself method that she'd honed through personal reflection and lessons learned through her executive coaching work had taught her how to support individuals and organizations to get really clear on what they want and then move towards making that vision come to life. She'd podcasted for nearly 100 episodes on the topic to boot. But it had been awhile since she went inward and really asked herself those same questions. Thus Design Myself was born. She took a simple approach with big, BIG results. Tune in to today's episode to hear what Sharon learned and to consider what might serve you as you move towards your own dream, wishes and ambitions.   Ideas Shared 5 Top Lessons from Design Myself Experiment Strike the balance for this season between structure and flexibility Focus on self first and the rest will follow Strengths Can Get In Our Way Magic is real Habits change with our assessments (e.g., beliefs, judgements, stories) Monthly

It’s the last day of 2018 and a perfect time to take stock. What has 2018 brought you and what are you really wishing for in the coming year. In this week’s episode Sharon shares common new year strategies (e.g. word of the year, intention setting, resolution making) and pairs those ideas up with whimsical and dreamy approaches to unleashing your own inner wisdom and vision. What do you really want in 2019? Let’s dive in!

December is a month filled with family traditions for so many of us. Hopefully these traditions are experiences that you enjoy and that are aligned with what matters most to you! But don’t worry if that’s not the case. For many of us our traditions carry with them a weight that can be downright burdensome. It’s what we’ve always done and therefore we keep on doing it – without really thinking about it. In this week’s episode, Sharon looks closely at family traditions. (And yes we mean family in whatever way YOU define that community of loved ones around you.) What’s working for you? What’s missing? What’s getting in your way and how can you adapt or let go? Here’s to embracing what you love about your traditions and changing what you don’t. Life holds too much delight and wonder to carry anything less. Ideas Shared Steps to Re-energize your Family Traditions Take stock of the traditions you are holding. What’s working? What’s missing? What’s holding you back? Include all the important people in your traditio

It’s the end of the year and the holiday season is in full effect. Today Sharon shares 10 questions designed to help inspire you to move through the holidays with intention and choice. Explore your own answers and hear Sharon’s personal reflections for each of these inquiries. Learn about everything from how slowing down is shifting Sharon's approach to the holidays to why she chose to post the podcast "late" this week. Get inspired to create happy new memories and celebrate old traditions! From Sharon and the whole team at Point Road Studios, we are wishing you a peaceful and joy-filled holiday season.

Point Road Studios is the business Sharon founded back in 2012. It is a coaching and leadership development business that focuses is on helping businesses and creatives bring intention and choice into their work and lives. As Point Road celebrates it's 6th birthday this month, Sharon reflects on the key business lessons she's learned over the last year. She also offers up simple questions for your own personal reflection as you crest over important milestones fo your own. This is a great episode for anyone curious about a behind the scenes look into running a business. It's also great for anyone looking for some inspiration to learn from your own leadership experiences.

December is here! It's both inevitable and always a little surprising. This week on the podcast Sharon introduces the final theme of her 2018 Design Myself challenge, Slow. This challenge has been all about finding a way to both achieve results AND feel good at the same time. You'll learn what appeals to Sharon about a slower pace of life, leadership and general way of being (pssst - it's because it's a good counter to her natural fast moving tendencies). Sharon discusses the connection between living slowly and leading slowly - how slow leadership, zero waste and mindfulness all intersect. You'll hear the four ways that Sharon's embracing slow in an intentional way this month and prompts for you to reflect on what pace will serve you right now - and how you will choose it. This is a great episode for anyone looking to find some balance and joy this holiday season. What's important to you in this season? Love the podcast? Join the conversation! Don’t miss out on this free webinar series, Design Your Work. 

To speak with ease, authenticity and full command of your personal power and beliefs. This is what it looks like to own your voice. In this week’s podcast episode Sharon discusses how to overcome common pitfalls and step into the practice of discovering and owning your voice. From deepening your own self awareness to tapping into someone else’s perspective to clarifying what you want and more. This is a great episode for anyone who wants to speak up and out in a way that feels perfectly you. Love the podcast? Join the conversation! Don’t miss out on this free webinar series, Design Your Work.  Ideas Shared 5 Steps to Practice Owning Your Voice Start By Noticing Get Another Perspective Be Clear on What You Want to Say Welcome in All the Feelings Keep Going + Keep Growing Resources and Links What Do You Want Me to Say by the Dismemberment Plan A vision meditation from episode 5 of Design Yourself

We are all writing our stories every day - but how many of us are conscious of it? I'm a hard worker. (Story.) I'm a rules follower. (Story.) It is what it is. (Story.) There is nothing stopping you. (Story.) In this week's episode Sharon shines a light on our unique roles as storytellers. She discusses the importance of getting clear on our stories so that we can let go of what's holding us back and amplify what's working. She shares questions for reflection and framing to guide you through this process. This is a great episode for anyone who is looking to clarify what matters most and feel a sense of alignment between what was, what could be and what is right now.