Who are you beyond that role? Who are you besides a people leader? What keeps you from claiming all of who you are in a more holistic way? What's the effect of identifying yourself almost exclusively by your work role?

Transform your approach to leadership identity on this episode of the Work Positive Podcast with Dr. Joey Faucette and Nick Jonsson. Nick is a professional speaker, bestselling author, executive coach, and supervised counselor and psychotherapist specializing in holistic leadership, mental wellbeing, and identity beyond performance. His book "Executive Loneliness" is an international bestseller about isolation, stress, and depression in leaders. As a former senior executive himself, his journey through burnout and recovery (including overcoming alcohol addiction) shaped his understanding of success and meaning. Today he works with founders, second gen leaders, and senior executives worldwide, integrating psychology and his lived experience.

Listen as Nick explores:

☀️ Why he felt lonely and isolated once he reached the top and fell all the way down ☀️ How vulnerability is like a muscle you build in the gym through practice, not all at once ☀️ Why 10-20% of senior executives struggle with some form of alcohol addiction (100 people in a room of 1,000) ☀️ How the younger generation wants more meaning, purpose, and deeper conversations ☀️ Why leaders 50+ who aren't vulnerable won't connect with Gen Z and fresh graduates

Nick transforms how leaders think about identity by proving that when you build your vulnerability muscle and create psychologically safe spaces for storytelling, people treat each other differently and create cultures where it's okay to speak up.

🔑 Key Insight: "The vulnerability muscle is almost like building muscle in the gym. It's about practicing. We can do that by building up our safe spaces. The younger generation wants more meaning, more purpose, deeper conversations. The biggest challenge for the 50+ generation who are not vulnerable is they will not connect with the younger generation and fresh graduates. There's just a disconnect. When you create an agenda with storytelling in team building events, people love storytelling. That's how you get a dopamine kick and remember."

💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): See and think who in your work environment you can trust and have a vulnerable conversation with. Remember, it's like a muscle. You cannot go all out right away or people will be shocked. It's about just sharing something with one person you feel you can trust. Go for a coffee or take them to lunch and start by being a bit curious. Share something that is happening in your life. Once you've done that, ask an open question back to them: "What's happening in your life?" Once you've played the first card and been a bit vulnerable, the other person naturally starts to also share something.

Connect with Nick Jonsson:

• Get "Executive Loneliness" on Amazon (Kindle, paperback, audiobook)
• Visit nickjonsson.com for contact details, products, and services
• Take the FREE Life Self-Assessment (5 minutes, rank yourself on the Wheel of Life across 8 areas)
• Connect with Nick on LinkedIn
• Learn about his upcoming book "5 Steps to Holistic Leadership"
• Discover his keynote speaking and team building workshops

#ExecutiveLoneliness #HolisticLeadership #VulnerabilityMuscle #IdentityBeyondPerformance #MentalWellbeing #Ironman #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #WorkPositive

🎙️ Love the Work Positive Podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes to help others discover how to grow people and profits with a positive work culture!

🔗 Stay connected with Dr. Joey Faucette:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/

📧 Know someone who'd make a great guest on the show? Email analiza@getpositive.today with your recommendation!

How's that strategic plan working out for you? Are things going according to plan? What if you could grow forward when things don't go according to plan instead of losing it when things go off the rails? How do you build resilient teams when 70% of change initiatives fail not because of logistical issues but because we're not preparing the people? Transform your approach to resilience and adaptability on this episode of the Work Positive Podcast with Dr. Joey Faucette and Anne Grady.

Anne is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and expert in building resilient teams, leaders, and organizations. She's spent the last 20 years working with some of the largest organizations around the globe including Google, Lockheed, Johnson and Johnson, and Microsoft. Her new book is "Evolvability: Growing Forward When Things Don't Go According to Plan." She lives on a ranch outside Austin, Texas with her husband (VP of Everything), two donkeys, and four cows.

Listen as Anne explores:

☀️ Why the average adult spends two and a half months every year on their phone (11-14 year olds spend nine hours a day) ☀️ How going 30 minutes in the morning without your phone changes cognitive bandwidth, emotional reactivity, and stress levels ☀️ The power of using "because" in appreciation statements to transform teams at no cost ☀️ Why 70% of change initiatives fail because we're not preparing the people for what's coming ☀️ How today's leaders are supposed to inspire like Oprah, execute like Elon, and coach like Ted Lasso all in 8 hours a day

Anne transforms how leaders think about change by proving that evolvability is a learnable skill, and when you focus on what you can control and meet people where they are, you create cultures that navigate uncertainty together.

🔑 Key Insight: "The best cultures come from curiosity instead of judgment. Pay attention to what people are paying attention to and where they are right now, and meet them where they are. Validate those difficult experiences because when you don't acknowledge the difficult emotions they don't go away, they leak out everywhere. About 80% of employees who leave cite lack of appreciation as the number one reason. Use the word 'because.' You did a great job on that report because it synthesized really complex information and made it simple."

💡 Your DOT (Do One Thing): Listen. Ask good questions. Be curious instead of judgmental. Meet people where they are and validate those difficult experiences. Be incredibly appreciative and grateful with your employees, and use the word "because" to make appreciation specific. "You did a great job because..." or "I really appreciate the way you spoke in that meeting because you allowed everyone's voice to be heard." Start every meeting with a quick round of gratitude. Bonus tip: Go 30 minutes in the morning without your phone. Charge it in a different room. They make alarm clocks, and this one change will reduce stress and increase focus.

Connect with Anne Grady:

• Get "Evolvability: Growing Forward When Things Don't Go According to Plan" on Amazon (Kindle, audiobook coming soon)
• Visit myevolvability.com and take the FREE Evolvability Index assessment
• Discover which of the 6 skills can help you navigate change and uncertainty
• Learn how to protect your time, energy, and attention like you protect your money and data
• Connect with Anne on LinkedIn

#Evolvability #Resilience #AdaptableLeaders #AppreciationMatters #PhoneFreeTime #CuriosityNotJudgment #CultureEatsStrategyForBreakfast #WorkPositive

🎙️ Love the Work Positive Podcast? Please leave a review on iTunes to help others discover how to grow people and profits with a positive work culture!

🔗 Stay connected with Dr. Joey Faucette:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@workpositive7529
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjoeyfaucette/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkPositiveToday/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workpositive.today/

📧 Know someone who'd make a great guest on the show? Email analiza@getpositive.today with your recommendation!