Jenny Blake
363: 🌈 Taking a Quiet Sabbatical and ...

As I round the corner into this ninth year of podcasting, after over 700 episodes today, I’m announcing a pause for both shows.

Listen in to hear what factors helped me reach this decision across time, money, energy, depressing industry articles, the pace of both shows’ growth, and mix of additional business factors that make this an important moment to pause and regroup. You might also appreciate the even deeper dive with my longtime friend (and first coach) Adrian Klaphaak in Pivot episode 360: 📦 Unpacking a Big Business Decision and Dissolving Related Doubts.

Jenny Blake
362: Setting Creative Intentions Instead of ...

“Expectations are the enemy to the creative process. Sometimes you have to let go of the known to see the unknown.”

Today I’m speaking with James McCrae, an author, poet, and meme artist based in Austin, Texas. He is the founder of 🌻 Sunflower Club, a global school and community dedicated to conscious creativity.

Jenny Blake
361: On Decision Engineering and Evaluating ...

Good decision-making is not about omniscience or clairvoyance—it's more about resilience, according to today’s guest, decision engineer Michelle Florendo. “Decision-making is harder than ever before, and it's not your fault,” Michelle says. “People feel like they ‘should just know’ how to decide.”

Today we’re talking about a framework more helpful than pro-con lists, tuning into your head, heart and gut; why the quality of your decision is not equal to the outcome—did good or bad things happen; keeping a decision journal to evaluate the quality of your decisions regardless of the outcome; and how to drop the guilt of “bad” past outcomes.

Jenny Blake
360: 📦 Unpacking a Big Business Decision ...

What happens when you make a big decision but still have lingering doubt, fear, and even despair? How do you know when a “download” from the universe is worth following, and what does test-driving a decision look like? What happens on the other side or when a pivot is taking far longer than planned?

We’re unpacking all these topics in today’s twelfth and final (for now) conversation for the Pivot x Career Pathfinder series with Adrian Klaphaak.

Jenny Blake
359: “You can’t give what you don’t have” — ...

“You can’t give what you don’t have.” That’s just one of the powerful lessons that Nataly Kogan learned the hard way seven years ago, after suffering a debilitating phase of burnout. As a former refugee from the former Soviet Union, she began her American journey in the projects and on welfare, then going on to build an impressive career as a finance and tech executive and serial entrepreneur over the next 25 years. Until she crashed at thirty-eight years old and needed to find a new way of moving forward.

As part of her healing process, Nataly began to paint when she was 40 by signing up for a painting retreat in Tuscony (that turned out to be for semi-professional watercolorists), and now her paintings are on the cover of her books—front and center as part of her bold self-expression.

Business

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213: Flex Your Flywheel (for Solopreneurs)

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213: Flex Your Flywheel (for Solopreneurs)

Building on the previous episode that covered virtuous circles (or cycles), this is an excerpt from my Pivot to Profit course where I go deeper into Jim Collins’ Hedgehog and Flywheel concepts. This will help you think more strategically about the highest impact activities in business and career that create self-perpetuating, unstoppable momentum.

Join us in Momentum at http://pivotmethod.com/momentum

I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey

Help us tip Pivot over the 200 reviews on Amazon milestone! At the time of recording, we are just TWO reviews short!! Visit http://bit.ly/Pivotpaperback

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/213

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212: Virtuous Circles in Pivot Portfolio Planning

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212: Virtuous Circles in Pivot Portfolio Planning

How can virtuous circles (or cycles) help us think more strategically about the highest impact activities in business and career that create self-perpetuating momentum? That’s the topic of this episode; how we can transform even “time for money” or marketing activities into something more.

I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey

Help us tip Pivot over the 200 reviews on Amazon milestone! At the time of recording, we are just TWO reviews short!! Visit http://bit.ly/Pivotpaperback

Join us in Momentum at http://pivotmethod.com/momentum

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/212

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209: On Seinfeld, Sensitivity, and Trend Spotting

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209: On Seinfeld, Sensitivity, and Trend Spotting

This riff is inspired by the synchronous confluence of two things: re-reading a note to self on “sensitivity as a tool for trend spotting” and a recent NYT interview with Jerry Seinfeld (who I also highlight in the chapter on pilots in Pivot), Jerry Seinfeld Is Making Peace With Nothing: He’s ‘Post-Show Business.’

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://www.pivotmethod.com/209

I’d love your help tipping Pivot over the 200 reviews milestone! If you’ve read the book, please share your honest thoughts at http://www.bit.ly/Pivotpaperback

What’s on your mind? Take the Pivot listener survey at http://www.pivotmethod.com/survey and/or submit a question at http://www.pivotmethod.com/ask

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208: Your Book and Big Idea (Part 2)

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208: Your Book and Big Idea (Part 2)

Part two of my recent Momentum Masterclass on Your Book & Big Idea (recorded 3/3/20). Whether you’re creating a course, a speech, or a book learn how to map the transformation you’re trying to create, and the difference between different stages such as harvesting, thinking, outlining, writing, editing, and launching. As Richard Bach says, “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”

Listen to part one at http://pivotmethod.com/207

I’d love your help tipping Pivot over the 200 reviews milestone! If you’ve read the book, please share your honest thoughts at http://bit.ly/Pivotpaperback

To dive deeper into these topics: join us in Momentum at http://pivotmethod.com/momentum or take the week-long course, He(art) of Book Publishing. Be sure to also check out the free Author Toolkit (the tools and templates that were most helpful for writing, editing, and marketing Pivot).

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/207

What’s on your mind? Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey

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207: How to Develop Your Book and Big Idea (Part 1)

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207: How to Develop Your Book and Big Idea (Part 1)

In this replay of a Momentum Masterclass on Your Book & Big Idea (recorded 3/3/20), I’m walking you through how to hone in on a powerful, resonant message that will connect with and help you build your ideal community, as well as next steps to getting it out into the world.

As one of my earliest book mentors Michael Larsen said to me, "It's not a question of if you'll get published, but when and how."

I’d love your help tipping Pivot over the 200 reviews milestone! If you’ve read the book, please share your honest thoughts at http://bit.ly/Pivotpaperback

To dive deeper into these topics: join us in Momentum at http://pivotmethod.com/momentum or take the week-long course, He(art) of Book Publishing. Be sure to also check out the free Author Toolkit (the tools and templates that were most helpful for writing, editing, and marketing Pivot).

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/207

What’s on your mind? Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey

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205: Delightful "5-Star" Relationships with Marriage Coach Maggie Reyes

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205: Delightful "5-Star" Relationships with Marriage Coach Maggie Reyes

It’s right there in her last name: Maggie Reyes is a ray of sunshine who brightens every room she enters. Maggie’s energy in contagious, particularly when it comes to creating delightful, conscious relationships full of affection and appreciation.

We’ve both hired each other as a coach, and in just three sessions (and a surprise book she mailed me), Maggie completely transformed my approach to sticky relationship situations. I hope you enjoy this conversation around what it means to create a “5-star” marriage—and even who we’d each cast in the TV sitcom of our lives :)

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/205

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201: Strengthen Your Systems (for Solopreneurs)

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201: Strengthen Your Systems (for Solopreneurs)

Do your systems spark joy, or are they cluttering your mind and creating bottlenecks in your business?

Are you telling yourself unhelpful stories like, “I’m not good at technology?” If so, or even if you love systems (like me!) and want to improve your systems-thinking mindset and muscles even further, this episode is for you.

This episode is excerpted from a 90-minute lesson within the Pivot to Profit bonus course in Momentum ($997 value). To access the video version with detailed walk-throughs of how I use apps like TextExpander, Asana, Google Drive, Dropbox, Kajabi, etc — join us in Momentum at http://pivotmethod.com/momentum.

The investment is just $220 per month (you can cancel at any time), and you’ll get access to the entire Pivot to Profit course, along with 5+ years of archives and a private Facebook group with heart-based business owners.

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/201

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199: In Brilliant Conversation with Steve Morris

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199: In Brilliant Conversation with Steve Morris

Steve Morris is on a mission to help organizations and their leaders rise to their potential to live and work wholeheartedly, all while making a positive impact on the world. We last spoke in episode 173 on Beautiful Questions for Challenging Times, which many of you gave us great feedback on—thank you!

Today we’re taking a page out of the Co-Active Training Institute’s playbook on Brilliant Conversations, the context for their recent open Zoom call. As CTI defines it, a Brilliant Conversation has the following qualities:

  • Larger than how we hold a regular conversation

  • Intentional conversation where there is no answer, no destination, no problem to solve

  • Resist the temptation to converge; allow ourselves to expand, to explore, and to play

  • Place and a space where contributions come from ideas, emotions, intuitive hits or spirit or strategy—we use all of us as a resource and our entire field to contribute.

  • Divergent nature, where as so many conversations aim to converge

  • Call upon on our “brilliant mind” or collective consciousness. We create a brilliant mind together, rather than a singular mind.

  • The process is organic and flowing, much like polishing a brilliant diamond.

  • You leave with more questions than you had when you came

  • We tap into a larger mystery and unfolding that is playing out around us

  • You are attuned to what life then starts offering you back as you walk the world with these questions in your heart, spirit, and mind

I hope you enjoy this unfolding, wandering, improvised, in-the-moment conversation with Steve! Be sure to also check out his free Care Package for COVID-19.

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/199

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197: Should You Start a Podcast? "It's A Love Game" — Interview by Petra Kolber

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197: Should You Start a Podcast? "It's A Love Game" — Interview by Petra Kolber

Is the market too saturated? Have people stopped listening to podcasts given that they no longer have a commute? Is it worth all the effort? How do you know if you have something meaningful to say?

Building on yesterday’s Listener Q&A around Agile Public Original Thinking, I’m sharing the interview from Petra Kolber’s recent Re-Imagine summit on the pros and cons of podcasting.

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/197

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🦠186: Apokalypsis, Improvisation, and Light with Dr. MJC

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🦠186: Apokalypsis, Improvisation, and Light with Dr. MJC

(Recorded 4/11/20) Dr. MJC and I start this week’s check-in with the New York Times article, “To people of many religions, crisis has signs of apocalypse.” As the intro states, this is the first time in nearly two decades all three of the major April holidays overlap: Easter, Passover, and Ramadan.

In Greek “apokalypsis" means an unveiling, a revelation. Michael and I discuss collective catharsis and gratitude, finding meaning and light in the dark, and how improvisation can help with acceptance.

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/186 »

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🦠 184: Reinventing You + Pivoting in the Crisis with Dorie Clark {LinkedIn Live Replay}

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🦠 184: Reinventing You + Pivoting in the Crisis with Dorie Clark {LinkedIn Live Replay}

(Recorded 4/9/20) Join me and business bestie Dorie Clark as we discuss how we’re reinventing and navigating our way through the unknowns of this crisis on a day-by-day basis.

In our recent LinkedIn Live session we covered a range of topics including: When is it time to pause, and when is it time to double-down? How can we create offerings during this time in a way that is sensitive and respectful, not salesy? What about those who are furloughed and feeling in a state of limbo?

If you haven't already, listen to our previous episodes together on how to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following, How to Monetize Your Ideas, and Creating Multiple Streams of Income. Check out Dorie's Recognized Expert Evaluation Toolkit and her Entrepreneur Self-Assessment, which we mention in this episode.

Get full show notes and links from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/184 »

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183: Cultivating Opposites and Checklists with Alexandra Franzen

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183: Cultivating Opposites and Checklists with Alexandra Franzen

(Recorded April 8) There is no one I was more delighted to connect with during this wild, winding time than longtime friendtor Alexandra Franzen. I’ve been following her work since 2011, and consistently delighted by the devotion, care, and creativity she gives to her community.

Alex is a writer, consultant, entrepreneur, retreat leader, and proud “checklist freak” based in Hawaii. She is the founder of the Tiny Press, a publishing imprint specializing in very short books–100 pages or less.

Today we’re talking about her 6th book, The Checklist Book: Set Realistic Goals, Celebrate Tiny Wins, Reduce Stress and Overwhelm, and Feel Calmer Every Day. Other books include You’re Going to Survive and So This Is the End: A Love Story.

In this conversation we touch on many of the topics she writes about: life, love, grief, unplugging from technology, creativity, focus, simplicity, time–and yes, the power of checklists for self-care, not just productivity!

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/183

Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call where you can ask me anything, and discuss the latest books, tools and topics I’ve shared in recent episodes. Our next session is May 13th — I’d love for you to join us!

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181: Find Your Edge (And Collect 10 No's to Pass Go) with Laura Huang

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181: Find Your Edge (And Collect 10 No's to Pass Go) with Laura Huang

(Recorded 2/12/20) Laura Huang is a professor at Harvard Business School who studies interpersonal relationships and implicit bias in entrepreneurship and in the workplace. In this conversation, we’re talking about her new book Edge: Turning Adversity Into Advantage.

You’ll learn about her framework: Enrich, Delight, Guide, Effort — and how she recovered from almost getting kicked out of Elon Musk’s office within the first two minutes of their meeting.

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/181

Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call where you can ask me anything, and discuss the latest books, tools and topics I’ve shared in recent episodes. Our next session is April 8th — I’d love for you to join us! Learn more at http://pivotmethod.com/insider.

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🦠180: Pivot-in-Progress—12 Reflection Questions

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🦠180: Pivot-in-Progress—12 Reflection Questions

Here in the U.S., a record 10 million people have filed for unemployment in the last two weeks, and employment estimates are at a mind-boggling 13%—which doesn’t even include gig economy workers.

I have friends who are pregnant, slated to get married, and who have family members who are sick that they can’t visit. On a personal level, I am staying buoyant, although in the last few weeks I have lost 90% of my projected income for Q2, including money that I had been planning on putting directly into a six-month business reserves account long before the pandemic hit.

I did end up applying for the Small Business Association’s COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (also called the Payroll Protection Plan), despite initial hesitations that there were people who needed it more than me.

We are all feeling it. I have been trying to journal through this, both in my 5 Star Spiral Notebook (a 15+ year staple) and my new One Line a Day: Five-Year Memory Book.

Along those lines, today I’m sharing some reflection questions that have been helpful for me and others. We’re still early in all this, so I recommend revisiting these even on a monthly basis (as well as episode 173 with Steven Morris on beautiful questions that reorient one’s life trajectory).

I am purposefully not going through my analysis on the podcast yet, because I want to give you the space to reflect on your own without influence from my responses, but I’m happy to share in a future episode.

❤️ Finally, remember the Buddhist saying: nothing is permanent, personal, or perfect.

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/180

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🦠179: Generation P and Antifragile Business with Dr. MJC

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🦠179: Generation P and Antifragile Business with Dr. MJC

Dr. Michael J. Conseulos and I are back for part two of this week’s “huddle” as we discuss what’s in the news now, along with practical tips and tools for the business side of things.

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future COVID-19 conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/179

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🦠174: Screen Fatigue—15+ Sanity Strategies for Organizers and Participants

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🦠174: Screen Fatigue—15+ Sanity Strategies for Organizers and Participants

Do your eyeballs hurt?! No matter my joy and awe at humanity’s creativity in times of crisis in terms of moving everything online—everything. is. online. Even pre-pandemic, our phones were already spitting out weekly Screen Time reports to help us put down the devices . . . now we’re glued to them as the only outlet for social connection, culture, and productivity.

In a New York Times article, When a Home Becomes Headquarters—also titled “Logged on from the Laundry Room” (LOL)—even the CEO of Cisco, the company that runs meeting software WebEx, Chuck Robbins acknowledged the difficulties. He said, “I tell you…this whole teleworking thing — as much as we sell it to our customers, I’m not sure I want to do it 100 percent of the time. Nobody prepares for this,” he said.

At the same time, people want to connect! We are hungry for it, going stir crazy, and missing our cultural outings. I wholeheartedly agree with Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, who said “It’s a miracle you can run a company this way."

So today I’m sharing 16 strategies for staying sane amidst the endless screens—particularly for work-related meetings—across three categories: for meeting leaders, participants, and during the meeting best practices.

Got a brilliant solution I’m missing? Submit follow-up questions or audio notes for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/174

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🦠173: Beautiful Questions for Challenging Times with Steve Morris

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🦠173: Beautiful Questions for Challenging Times with Steve Morris

“There’s nothing more powerful than a united group of souls ignited in a common cause with love at the core.” – Steven Morris

Steve Morris is on a mission to help organizations and their leaders rise to their potential to live and work wholeheartedly, while making a positive impact on the world. In this conversation we talk about beautiful questions that reorient one’s life trajectory, moments of truth, and the practice of pivoting, or evolving.

We me after he sent me a handwritten thank you note, then two years later we got to meet in person when I took his 2018 workshop on how to cultivate a life of curiosity.

Steve’s emphasis on curiosity, conscious business, and wholeheartedness are an inspiration to me, and I know you’ll love his take on how to cultivate habits and a path of choosing curiosity over fear. Be sure to also check out his free Care Package for COVID-19.

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/173

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🦠171: Dr. MJC on Business Scenario Planning, Buying Time, and Third Doors (Part 2)

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🦠171: Dr. MJC on Business Scenario Planning, Buying Time, and Third Doors (Part 2)

Dr. Michael J. Conseulos and I are back for part two of this week’s “huddle” as we discuss what’s in the news now. And more importantly, we’re diving into practical tips and tools for the business side of things: journaling, scenario planning, buying time, “hot wash” analysis, and third door solutions.

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future COVID-19 conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/171

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164: Fix This Next (And Stop Keeping Up With The Entrepre-Joneses) with Mike Michalowicz

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164: Fix This Next (And Stop Keeping Up With The Entrepre-Joneses) with Mike Michalowicz

I’m elated to bring you another one of my favorite friendtors, Mike Michaelowicz. He’s the author of several books that have dramatically improved my business: Profit First, Clockwork, and now this week we’re talking about his latest upcoming release, Fix This Next: Make the Vital Change that Will Level Up Your Business.

Mike was last on the show in episode 37, Surge: How to Spot and Ride Trend Waves.

This is also our second round of the live Pivot Podcast + Momentum Book Club, so you’ll hear a few Mo’ members ask questions at the end.

Reminder that doors for this round of Momentum enrollment close today! Join us here »

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at PivotMethod.com/161.

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🦠 160: 11 Ways to Maintain Momentum for Solopreneurs

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🦠 160: 11 Ways to Maintain Momentum for Solopreneurs

“Don’t buy in to the fear / media hype” is something I’ve heard more than once this week. No matter how calm you are staying (or not) there is no doubt our lives are already significantly impacted by the spread and precautions around coronavirus, far beyond fear itself.

I feel an urgency to keep this conversation going, with real-time content that addresses what’s going on around us, particularly at the intersection of mind, body, and business (my website mission in 2013-2014 before I started this podcast).

Acting like nothing is happening and it’s all just “business as usual” strikes me as out of touch, and certainly not Truth While It’s Fresh (a JBE team value). It’s not business as usual for any of us, and I don’t have to tell you that. There are very real impacts we are all navigating daily.

For that reason, I have scrapped or postponed several already-scheduled episodes, and am going to release podcasts more frequently for this series, Pivoting Around a Pandemic.

This is something unique in most of our lives — the shuttering of broadway, sports, schools, businesses, — not to mention travel bans, self-quarantine, and the very real possibility our family members or we could get sick before year’s end. This episode is for solopreneurs, but I’ll be doing a range that speak to entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and parents throughout the series.

In odd, but maybe perfect timing for some of you, Momentum doors are opening this week (3/17 - 3/20) — which partly inspired the theme for today’s episode. I debated postponing the launch (one we’ve planned around since the end of 2019) but with all that’s going on, now is the time small businesses need community, smart systems, and support more than ever to weather this storm.

Listen toward the end of the episode for bonuses just for podcast listeners, and there’s a free workshop coming up on Tuesday March 17 on 10 Scalable Streams of Solopreneur Income to learn more. Register to join us here »

For full show notes from this episode, visit http://pivotmethod.com/160