“I am so tired of trying to be what everyone wants me to be. When will it end?”……… That was the email that woke me up this morning.   A result of a recently posted graphic on my social that said, “You’re allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously.” Wow. That sure opened up the floodgates. People were blowing up my inbox. “But Connie, NO ONE likes it when I am a work in progress.”  “I’ll never be PERFECT, so who will want me?” “How do you keep it all together when you’re a hot mess deep down?” When will it end? When will others stop pulling at us or th ..read more

Let’s talk about work for a minute. Most people don’t often rank HAPPINESS as a major component of success in the workplace. How many times do people put “I’m so happy” on their list of résumé skills and traits? I’ve never seen it even once. Is your “happiness level” ranked on the yearly evaluation sheet that determines whether you get a raise or promotion? Are you attending training workshops on “Raising the Bar for Happiness” or “Exceeding Happiness Expectations”? Does your company have a five-year strategic plan for increasing happiness ratios? Probably not. But let me tell you: HAPPINESS ..read more

How to Stay in the Present By Motivational Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta It’s started already. People are asking, “Connie, how will I EVER get through the holidays?” Irritating family, overwhelming schedules, and stress. And now, we’re even having to have family time via TECH like Zoom! Yikes! If holidays for you are more scary than merry–STOP. Take time. Breathe. You get to control your own life. That free will thing? Totally true. Make this the season you take some time for you. Change traditions. Savor the moments. Find your joy. Make some memories. Holidays shouldn’t be about the hustle ..read more

By Connie Podesta, Hall of Fame Speaker Are you planning on a virtual holiday party to de-humbug a team totally over all the change we’ve seen this year? I get it. It’s been a LOT. Steep learning curves. Stress. Adapting to new technology. Finding new ways to communicate. How will you give your Zoom from Ho-Hum to Ho-ho-ho? Bring in entertainment with a message. Here’s six solid reasons my clients are adding a little comedy and therapy to their virtual gatherings this holiday: Laughing is one of the best ways to help people let go. There’s so much that people are just ready to put behind them ..read more

By Hall of Fame Speaker Connie Podesta Johns Hopkins. UCLA Health. Psychology Today. World Health Organization. Just about every mental health professional in the world right now is helping people navigate Pandemic Fatigue. It’s real. It’s draining. And it is likely to be around for a while. As leaders, now is the time to be proactive about fueling your team’s mental well being with empowering tools, training, support systems – and a little levity. Gagandeep Singh, MD, a psychiatrist at Banner Behavioral Health Hospital in Scottsdale says, “A good laugh can help lighten the mood and help you ..read more

By Hall of Fame Speaker Connie Podesta Let’s talk about fear. As emotions go, it doesn’t have the best reputation. People don’t usually want to be seen as fearful or anxiety-ridden or…well, wimpy. But here are two things you should know. Everybody (and I mean everybody) experiences anxiety about something. Anxiety can be a catalyst for some pretty amazing things. As someone who’s been a speaker for more than 25 years, I know a thing or two about this topic. You’ve probably heard that people are statistically more afraid of public speaking than they are of death. I get it. Every time I step i ..read more

By Connie Podesta, Hall of Fame Speaker, CSP, CPAE If your team seems to be missing its usual spark, you’re certainly not alone. Let’s face it, this year has been an idea-stifling, rut-producing, stress-inducing ball of…well, you get the idea. And we’re still not out of the 2020 woods yet. To be fair, the slump is understandable. Many organizations have been scrambling for months—shifting to remote work locations, implementing convoluted technology workarounds, re-imagining how to do business in a pandemic, and redefining team dynamics. Employee stress levels are off-the-charts, especially if ..read more

By Hall of Fame Speaker, Leadership Guru, and Award-Winning Author Connie Podesta, MS, CSP, CPAE If you thought leaders were stressed to the breaking point before, throw in a pandemic and some economic turmoil. It’s hard enough to climb the steep hill of adapting to the wild challenges of our new normal but try making that climb while carrying an entire team on your back. That can feel exhausting and, many times, impossible. So, what’s the difference between leaders who can reach new heights during uncertainty with highly engaged, super productive teams versus those who leave workers scattered ..read more

By Connie Podesta, CSP, CPAE, Hall of Fame Speaker What’s a salesperson to do in a world of unexpected challenge, predictability, and quick-as-a-blink change? Start with this first:  Let go!  Just let go! Sales as usual is OVER!  And there’s no time or value in moaning, regretting, fuming or wishing it wasn’t happening. Instead it is time to sit up, pull it together, and begin to rethink, reformat, reinvest, and reinvent everything you have been doing in sales up to this point. That means even all the good stuff that was working. Every new strategic decision you make now could ..read more

By Hall of Fame Speaker Connie Podesta Change is tough. Change on a global scale that has literally hit home and business in every conceivable way? Can stop people – teams – and companies in their tracks. So, how do we get people to lean into their inherent resilience? To get out of fear that is playing in their heads and back to leading, servicing, connecting, selling, and communicating in new and adaptive ways? We add a little psychology into the mix. We teach them that change is what we do – and do well – as human beings. We gift them with tools and insights and strategies that will help t ..read more