Have you ever felt like you're on a hamster wheel, constantly running, but not getting anywhere? It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day routine of life and business, losing sight of the bigger picture. But what if you could hit pause and take a moment to reflect on the past year and plan for the future? In this Sparked Hot Take episode, Sparked Braintrust mentor, Jadah Sellner, and I explore a powerful practice, built around an annual family retreat that integrates personal and business goals.

Jadah is a multi-time founder and CEO of Jadah Sellner Media and the She Builds Collective, the co-creator of the Simple Green Smoothies social and business phenom, sought-after advisor to entrepreneurs, and bestselling author. 

In this episode, Jadah details her annual family retreat and the prompts she uses to create a thoughtful experience that integrates personal and business goals. You'll discover the ground rules for the retreat, including negotiation and decision-making processes. You'll also learn about the exercises and strategic planning involved in identifying priorities and action items. But it's not all work and no play. The retreat also includes rest and restoration, and it's the perfect opportunity to recharge for the year ahead. 

Jadah and her family have been practicing this retreat since 2017, and it has transformed their lives. The retreat involves reflection, celebration, and planning for the future, and it's not just for families. Jadah uses this process with pretty much all of her business clients as well, and the revelations and sense of purpose and direction are always powerful.

So, if you're ready to hit pause and take a moment to reflect on the past year and plan for the future, then this episode is for you. You'll learn about the process of dreaming and planning for the next six months, and how to create a "next level vision" for your life and business. And who knows, maybe you'll even be inspired to start your own annual family retreat. 

SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Jadah Sellner | Website

Jadah is a multi-time founder and CEO of Jadah Sellner Media, the co-creator of the Simple Green Smoothies social and business phenom, sought-after advisor to entrepreneurs, and bestselling author, including her new book, ‘She Builds: The Anti-Hustle Guide to Grow Your Business and Nourish Your Life’, order a copy here.

AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.

How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions

More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website

Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.

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Ever notice how, the moment you step into a new level of accomplishment and visioning, it’s amazing, but it almost always comes along with a success-sized helping of struggle, fear and uncertainty that leads to suffering? Our guest today, Laura Gassner Otting calls this, "wonderhell,” that moment where you’re both celebrating and simultaneously grappling with the burden of your potential to do more, be more, achieve more. It’s both wonderful, and it’s hell.

According to Laura, "Wonderhell" is an essential part of any journey that finds you striving for something more. The burden of your potential is real, maybe even unavoidable, but the suffering doesn’t have to be. The success industrial complex, which teaches us to grind harder, lean in, and achieve more to be happy, leaves us unprepared for the messy middle, filled with doubt and uncertainty. 

In her new book ‘Wonderhell: Why Success Doesn't Feel Like It Should...and What To Do About It’, she offers a toolkit to help people achieve their potential, with a "choose your own adventure" journey through three towns of Impostor Town, Doubtsville and Burnout City, each with five rides, to help people overcome their fears and doubts. Whether you're an entrepreneur or simply trying to achieve a personal goal, this episode offers practical tips and strategies for redefining your relationship with doubt and uncertainty and embracing wonder hell as a necessary part of the journey to success.

Laura also speaks from a place of personal experience. She’s has literally spent decades riding the Wonderhell roller-coaster, and developed a powerful set of tools to help find your way through with more ease and less chaos and suffering.

SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Laura Gassner Otting | Website 

Laura Gassner Otting is an Author, Catalyst, and Executive Coach and inspires people to push past the doubt and indecision that keep great ideas in limbo by helping audiences think bigger and accept greater challenges that reach beyond their current, limited scope of belief. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America, the TODAY Show, Harvard Business Review, and Oprah Daily. She served as a Presidential Appointee in the White House and founded, ran, and sold her own global search firm. Her bestselling book, Limitless, was chosen by Robin Roberts as one of Good Morning America's Favorite Books of the Year.

AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.

How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions

More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website

Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.

Presented by LinkedIn.

Are you unknowingly harnessing the power of anxiety to drive your success? In today's fast-paced, high-pressure world, it's no secret that anxiety is on the rise. But what if we told you that anxiety could be the key to unlocking your true potential? Welcome to our podcast, where we dive into the world of anxious achievers, and explore how mental health plays a crucial role in the success of leaders everywhere.

In this riveting episode, we will uncover the fascinating relationship between anxiety and achievement, shattering the stigma around mental health in the world of leadership. This is where we’re heading in today’s fascinating SPARKED hot take, and we’re welcoming another expert guide, Morra Aarons-Mele.

With Morra’s depth of expertise we’re uncovering the often underestimated and misunderstood elements of anxiety. We look at how embracing anxiety can fuel your ambition and drive you to new heights. Morra share’s the hidden strengths of anxious leaders and how deep empathy and awareness is transforming leadership and the way we think about success.

She offers powerful strategies for channeling anxiety into productive energy and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. As well as the surprising research that links high-functioning anxiety with extraordinary leadership.

Don't miss this enlightening conversation with Morra Aarons-Mele as we delve into the untold stories of anxious achievers and discover a refreshing reframe for those of us who have felt our experiences with anxiety were an obstacle for our success or would be perceived as a weakness. Tune in to learn more about the misconceptions of anxiety and how to harness the power of anxiety for success in your work and life.

SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Morra Aarons-Mele | Website | LinkedIn

Morra is the host of the top leadership podcast, The Anxious Achiever, which is also the name of her upcoming book, The Anxious Achiever: Turn Your Biggest Fears into Your Leadership Superpower, will be published by Harvard Business Review Press in April 2023. Morra has dedicated her career to helping people rethink the relationship between their mental health and their leadership. In 2010, she founded the award-winning digital consulting firm, Women Online, which has since become a powerhouse in the world of digital campaigning. Morra's impressive career spans across working with political and social leaders, including helping Hillary Clinton log on for her first internet chat, launching digital campaigns for President Obama, Malala Yousafzai, the United Nations, the CDC, and many more.

AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.

How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions

More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website

Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.

Presented by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of the 9-to-5 grind? Have you ever wondered what it takes to build a fulfilling and sustainable portfolio career? In today's SPARKED Hot Take episode, we’re back with Joy Batra for part two of our fascinating conversation on community building as a freelancer and how to approach a portfolio or freelance career as a whole.

If you missed the first part of our conversation with Joy, I encourage you to scroll back and listen as she shares a concept she calls ‘portfolios of community’ and how that can help us to understand where and how to cultivate community as a freelancer.

In this episode you’ll discover surprising insights from the journey of our guest, Joy Batra, and the depth of wisdom she’s collected from the 50 freelancers she interviewed. Joy shares the three main reasons people decide to return to a traditional job and why it might be time to reframe how we look at ‘going back’ to mainstream roles and instead unpack the false dichotomy of freelancing vs. full-time work and embrace the value of a portfolio career.

We discuss how freelancers can navigate the shame and judgment that comes with making unconventional career choices and how flexibility and adaptability are essential for thriving in the ever-changing world of work, which is more important than ever in a hybrid environment.

Get ready to break free from conventional thinking and embrace the boundless opportunities of a portfolio career and life. Join us in this eye-opening conversation with Joy Batra, as we uncover the secrets to living and thriving in a world that is constantly evolving.

SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Joy Batra | Website | LinkedIn

Joy Batra is founder of Quartz Consulting, a freelance consulting firm that has advised start-ups, venture capital firms, and Fortune 500 companies. She previously worked at Goldman Sachs, Gunderson Dettmer, JioSaavn, and briefly as a Bollywood actress (long story). Joy spends her days as Head of Legal at Syndicate Protocol and her free time freelancing in the arts. Joy has lived or worked in India, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, the UAE, and the UK. She currently splits her time between NYC and Boston. Joy holds a JD/MBA from Harvard University.

AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.

How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions

More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website

Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.

Presented by LinkedIn.

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here.

Have you ever found yourself stuck in the endless cycle of indecision, unable to make a choice, and constantly seeking input from others? What if we told you that the key to making better decisions lies within you, and that decision by committee may not be the best approach?

In this episode of SPARKED, we dive deep into the art of decision-making and explore the different types of decision-makers out there. From "mavens" who seek more information to "spontaneous" decision-makers who rely on their gut feelings, we discuss the pros and cons of each approach and provide insights into how to make better decisions.

Throughout this conversation, we reveal the five most important takeaways you'll learn:

1. There are different types of decision-makers, and each has their strengths and weaknesses. Some seek more information before making a decision, while spontaneous decision-makers go with their instincts. Understanding your own decision-making style can help you make better choices.
2. Trusting yourself is crucial when making decisions. While it's important to seek input from others, ultimately, you are the one who knows best what's right for you.
3. Decision by committee can be dangerous, especially when everyone involved has a stake in the outcome. It's essential to take ownership of your decisions and not rely on others to make them for you.
4. Time can be a significant factor in decision-making, but it's essential not to rush into a choice without considering all the options. Sometimes taking a step back and allowing yourself time to think can lead to better outcomes.
5. Finally, we discuss the dangers of absolutes in decision-making and how to balance the risk with the potential reward. By being open to possibilities and weighing the risks and benefits, you can make more informed and better decisions.

So, whether you're a spontaneous decision-maker or a careful planner, this episode has something for everyone. Tune in to learn more about the art of decision-making and how to make better choices for yourself and your business.

SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Karen Wright | Website

Karen is the founder of Parachute Executive Coaching, acclaimed executive coach, advisor to senior leaders for more than two-decades, and the author of two great books, The Accidental Alpha Woman and The Complete Executive.

YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.

How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions

More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website

Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.

Presented by LinkedIn.

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here.

Question - when it comes to work, do you really care about being more productive, or is the real goal to get all the important stuff done, but in a way that actually gives you back more free time to do the things, in both work and life, that you’re genuinely passionate about and excited to do? Because, they’re not the same. 

Sometimes, we talk about productivity as if it’s the end-goal. It’s not. The real goal is what it gives us. Which begs a question, are all those productivity methods, tools, strategies actually working for you? Are they giving you back your life? And the free time to choose what matters most, even if it’s just taking a nap or playing, and spend more time doing just that?

This is where we’re heading in today’s provocative hot take with SPARKED Braintrust regular, Jenny Blake. These Hot Take episodes are where we look at hot topics in conversation with expert guides from the SPARKED Braintrust.

In today’s Hot Take episode, Jonathan & Jenny discuss:

• The benefit of scheduling a ‘do not schedule’ time block on your calendar
• Asking what can you batch, delegate or automate?
• The power of A-synchronous communication tools
• How a rolling agenda can save you time and bring less friction to a meeting
• Why we need to run our own experiments on when and what works best for us
• Why we shouldn’t underestimate how helpful systems & processes can be ie. Canned or Guided Responses in your email for repeating conversations

And, today, we’re going on a myth-busting journey, taking a bit of an ax to old school ideas of productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness, and sharing powerful insights and practical tools from her body of work designed not just to help you be more productive, but to literally create a volume of free time you never knew was possible.  

Jenny also reminds us that ‘Free Time’ is not about floating through life as if on perpetual vacation. Free Time is about optionality: the ability to choose when you work, with whom, and on the projects that most excite you—on the work that you and only you can do. It is about moving from friction to flow through the power of focus and smart systems.

SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Jenny Blake | Website

Jenny is a podcaster, career and business strategist, and an award-winning author of three books: Life After College, the groundbreaking Pivot for navigating what’s next, and her recently published Free Time for optimizing what’s now. 

IN CONVERSATION WITH: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.

How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions

More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website

Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.

Presented by LinkedIn.

We constantly encounter complex problems at home, in our places of work, and in society at large. Even if we had all the time and money in the world, sometimes no good solution can be found. So, what should we do, especially when we can’t wait? The answer: a workaround.

For ages, global corporations have been lecturing small organizations and not-for-profits on how to get things done. As it turns out, it should have been the other way around. Small, scrappy businesses, startups, and even individuals have loads to teach us about moving through adversity and thinking creatively.

So in today's SPARKED Hot Take episode, we’re welcoming expert guide, Paulo Savaget, to share his perspective on what he calls, The Four Workarounds, and how some of the most valuable lessons about problem-solving can be learned from the scrappiest groups.

Jonathan & Paulo discuss:

• What Paulo defines as a workaround
• What are the ‘The Four Workarounds’
• What can we learn from scrappy start ups
• Why we need to be courageous and experimental

SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Paulo Savaget | Website | LinkedIn

Paulo is associate professor at University of Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science and Saïd Business School. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Scholar and has a background working as a researcher, consultant, and entrepreneur, finding innovative solutions for a more inclusive world. He currently resides in Oxford.

AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.

How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions

More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website

Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.

Presented by LinkedIn.

Over the last few years, there’s been a massive acceleration in the trend of people leaving mainstream jobs to start their own business, from freelancing or private practices to portfolio careers. Largely in the name of freedom. But, many are also finding, they’re giving up something big along the way. A sense of community, comradery, and belonging. And, it may even lead to increasing levels of social isolation or even loneliness.

If you’ve ever worked in a corporate role or within any team, you’ll be familiar with how your relationships and professional friendships are built into that environment. Often we don’t need to deliberately seek community, because it is already all around us. Which is why maintaining professional relationships or building new ones, can be an unanticipated layer to the experience of moving into the world of freelance.

So in today’s, SPARKED Hot Take episode, that’s the discussion we’re diving into. And today we’re welcoming a new expert guide into the fold and hearing from Joy Batra.

Joy has had a fascinating portfolio career and has embraced a multi-passionate life. She graduated from Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School with a JD/MBA, but instead of taking a prestigious job in the field she landed an acting contract in Bollywood instead.

Joy is founder of Quartz Consulting, a freelance consulting firm that has advised start-ups, venture capital firms, and Fortune 500 companies. She spends her days as Head of Legal at Syndicate Protocol and her free time freelancing in the arts. 

Joy is fascinated by how millions of people are using freelancing to support both their corporate and creative sides. And has turned this passion into her first book, The Freelance Mindset: Unleashing Your Side Hustles for Better Work, Play, and Life.

With this multi-passionate lens, Joy is perfectly placed to share insights on how to create community when you’re navigating the freelance world and how to cultivate a sense of belonging when it is no longer built in by default as it may have been in a ‘9-5’.

Jonathan & Joy discuss:

• What Joy calls ‘portfolios of community’
• Uncovering levels of connection and how they can help us to understand where and how to cultivate community as a freelancer
• Examining what style of community experience works best for each of us
• The pitfalls of comparing 9-5 community vs freelance community and why instead we should embrace the customizable nature of freelance community building

SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Joy Batra | Website | LinkedIn

Joy Batra is founder of Quartz Consulting, a freelance consulting firm that has advised start-ups, venture capital firms, and Fortune 500 companies. She previously worked at Goldman Sachs, Gunderson Dettmer, JioSaavn, and briefly as a Bollywood actress (long story). Joy spends her days as Head of Legal at Syndicate Protocol and her free time freelancing in the arts. Joy has lived or worked in India, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, the UAE, and the UK. She currently splits her time between NYC and Boston. Joy holds a JD/MBA from Harvard University.

AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.

How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions

More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website

Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.

Presented by LinkedIn.

Following on from last week’s episode we dig deeper into how to ask for help in a way that is more likely to actually get you the support or guidance you are looking for. Deborah shares supportive guidelines and a powerful shift in approach that will change how you look at asking for help.

She shares that it is worth being bold when it comes to asking for what you need and reminds us that the right ask, at the right time, with someone willing and able to help you, could very well be life-changing, so it’s a muscle worth learning to flex more often.

We also dive into practical steps that help you know how to most-effectively communicate your request for help.

In part two of today’s Hot Take episode, Jonathan & Deborah discuss:

• The ‘Big Ask’ that changed Deborah’s career trajectory
• Why you need to be super specific when you ask
• The importance of of modelling
• A powerful mind-shift when approaching asking for help
• And why we should be bold and try a ‘life-changing ask’

SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Deborah Owens | Website

After a long career in leadership in some of the biggest companies in the world, Deborah founded her own consulting firm, Corporate Alley Cat, where she advises and coaches People of Color in all aspects of career visioning and development. She has this incredible ability to see what’s happening under the surface in any given situation, and ask questions that get to the heart of the matter and reveal possibilities that feel both empowering and expansive.

AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.

How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions

More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website

Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.

Presented by LinkedIn.

Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here.

There’s a mythology in work and in life, of the individual who goes out and does all the things they want to do, completely on their own. The Self-reliant, capable of anything and everything human. We have a misguided story that that kind of self-sufficiency is an achievement, that anything less than that is a burden, and asking for help is a sign of weakness, lack, or inability.

This myth is doing us a lot of harm and, in turn, causing a lot of suffering, and keeping us from not only succeeding at a higher level in every area of life, but also creating opportunities to more deeply connect with other people. 

But, how do we ask for help, in a world where no one teaches us how, and we’re concerned about how our request will land?

The reality is none of us have all the answers, and while we could probably figure out many things on our own, why would you when you could garner support from someone who has walked the path before you? Why wouldn’t you ask for guidance and potentially save yourself time, money, stress and disappointment? And build deeper relationships along the way.

In part one of today’s Hot Take episode, Jonathan & Deborah discuss:

• Why should we ask for help & why it’s so difficult
• Research that reveals the surprising reasons we don’t ask for help
• The benefit of garnering support from someone who has walked the path before you
• And why we should ask for what we actually need rather than what we think we can get

SPARKED HOT TAKE WITH: Deborah Owens | Website

After a long career in leadership in some of the biggest companies in the world, Deborah founded her own consulting firm, Corporate Alley Cat, where she advises and coaches People of Color in all aspects of career visioning and development. She has this incredible ability to see what’s happening under the surface in any given situation, and ask questions that get to the heart of the matter and reveal possibilities that feel both empowering and expansive.

AND HOSTED BY: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive - the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.

How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions

More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website

Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.

Presented by LinkedIn.