SPARKED
We’re all in a moment. And, we’re asking the big questions. Especially about work. Should I join The Great Resignation? Should I stay and just keep on, keeping on. Or, reimagine, reinvent, maybe even start my own thing? Can I really expect more than just a paycheck and stability from work? How do I navigate the overwhelm, burnout, and work-life-bleed that’s turned work-from-home into never-stop-working? What about purpose, joy, excitement, time to breathe, and live? What about that nagging tension between money and meaning, the desire to feel secure and the quest to do something that makes you come alive - that sparks you? These are the questions we’ll be diving into on the SPARKED podcast. Every week, we invite a listener to share what’s going on in their work & life, then pose a specific question. Then, our host, award-winning author, advisor, and founder, Jonathan Fields, and a rotating lineup of wise mentors from the SPARKED Braintrust will share insights, ideas, strategies, resources and tips to help us all better align what we do with who we are, so we can find and do more of what makes us come alive.
Episodes
September 26, 2023 • 34 mins
Have you ever wanted to express your needs but held back for fear of rocking the boat? Only to finally explode and regret the fallout? How do you stand up for yourself without compromising important relationships, values, or commitments?
Navigating the messiness of holding people and systems accountable without damaging relationships can feel impossible.Which is why it’s so important to have tools that empower you to speak up for y...
Mark as Played
September 19, 2023 • 52 mins
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What if your 5 senses secretly controlled everything from your mood to your creativity, intelligence, memory, or even your ability to succeed in work and life?
We all tend to take our senses for granted, using them automatically without much thought. But what if curating sensory experiences was a hidden gateway to so much of what we want out of work and life?
Today’s episode of SPARK...
Mark as Played
September 12, 2023 • 35 mins
Ever feel like you’ve just outgrown your surroundings, and your environment is actually limiting your growth? Like the desk, room, studio, space that got you here just isn’t working for you any more? Maybe, it’s even working against you?
Our workspace has a profound effect on us, our work, and even our wellbeing, relationships, and interactions. It impacts our ability to show up as our best selves, and do our best work. Yet, we rar...
Mark as Played
September 5, 2023 • 35 mins
Have you ever felt like your team could do so much more if you just worked better together? We’ve all been there – stuck in dysfunctional team dynamics, unproductive meetings, and confusion around decision-making. The doubts start to creep in: “Are we even capable of working smoothly together?” “Why does collaboration feel so hard?”
When was the last time you joined a new team only to encounter friction, lack of alignment, and diff...
Mark as Played
August 29, 2023 • 36 mins
Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here.
We've all been there - mired in a project, job or pursuit and wondering "when will this get easier?" The doubts start to creep in: "Am I cut out for this level of effort? Is this pain just part of the process, or a sign it's not right for me? Why does this feel so hard?"
When was the last time you embarked on a new project, pursuit or passion only to hit a wall of ...
Mark as Played
August 22, 2023 • 36 mins
Listen to part one here.
Change is in the air, and it’s making many of us recoil. But, why? And, what can we do to change how we respond to change? To turn it from something we fear into something we embrace, maybe even seek out. Because the other side holds so much potential and possibility, once we’ve learned how to move through it with so much more grace and ease.
That’s the conversation we began in last week’s Part 1 of this po...
Mark as Played
August 15, 2023 • 39 mins
Change. Just the word makes so many people anxious. But why? Why do so many of us experience change, and even the thought of it, as something negative to be feared and resisted, rather than something positive to be met with hope and excitement, and embraced?
That’s the question we’re diving into today with author of the fascinating new book, FLUX, April Rinne. April has studied how cultures worldwide approach change for decades now...
Mark as Played
August 8, 2023 • 41 mins
Have you ever looked at someone else, someone you admire, who’s maybe accomplished a lot, and just assumed they must be wildly confident and always winning at everything? You’re not alone. But, the truth, it turns out, is much more complex.
So many of those luminaries are not, in fact wildly, or even remotely confident. And if they are, they go through cycles of profound change, self-doubt, struggle and, when they learn to harness...
Mark as Played
August 1, 2023 • 31 mins
Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here.
Have you ever felt burned out in work that, at least on paper, seemed so well aligned with your values, passions, interests, skills and Sparketype that, in your mind, you just “shouldn’t” feel this way? Even though you care deeply about what you do, if like so many, you’re feeling so depleted in your work that quitting seems like the only option, you’re not alone. ...
Mark as Played
July 25, 2023 • 29 mins
So, what if the single-minded pursuit of a career that made you feel everything important to you wasn't actually the key to feeling fulfilled? What if, in fact, we sometimes put too many good life eggs into the work basket, ignoring the amazing possibilities available to us to find what we need and feel how we want to feel not just from work, but from a whole host of other experiences, interactions and relationships?
In this week’s...
Mark as Played
July 18, 2023 • 66 mins
Have you ever felt yourself spiraling into a sea of unending tasks, where even the simplest work feels like climbing Mount Everest and your once cherished projects now leave you numb?
You may wonder if you've lost the spark that drove you or simply lost your way. The truth is, you could be experiencing a state that plagues so many of us today: burnout.
I know the crushing weight of burnout all too well. There have been days where I...
Mark as Played
July 11, 2023 • 30 mins
How might you rethink the bargain you've made with work in light of life's recent shifts? As the ground continues to shift beneath our feet, are you wondering if the meaning you once found in your work still holds true?
That’s where we’re headed in today’s Sparked podcast, with our guest, bestselling author Bruce Feiler. In today’s conversation, Bruce reveals how mining our personal narratives can uncover clues about the work stori...
Mark as Played
July 5, 2023 • 29 mins
Is it only me, or do you feel like your work and life are pretty strongly affected by seasonal changes? Sometimes in a good way that lets you go deep and get focused, creative and productive. But, sometimes, it’s the exact opposite. Everything slows down and feels like a heavier lift. Well, what if, instead of fighting these natural and biological rhythms, we learned to roll with, and maybe even harness them instead?
Have you ever ...
Mark as Played
June 27, 2023 • 34 mins
There are some people you click with instantly at work—your collaboration is effortless, productive and enjoyable. But with others, it seems impossible; misunderstandings and friction mar every interaction.
What if there was a way to work with almost anyone—easily, effortlessly and in a way that brings out the very best in both of you - even those you’ve struggled with in the past?
My guest today, Michael Bungay Stanier believes we...
Mark as Played
June 20, 2023 • 33 mins
Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here.
How do you know when it’s time to stop exploring, commit to one or two things, narrow your focus and build? Is that the right path for everyone? And, more importantly, whose voice is in your head when you are making the call?
These are some of the key topics we dive into today, as we explore a story and question submitted by SPARKED listener, Angie, a young entrep...
Mark as Played
June 13, 2023 • 38 mins
Got a career or business question for the Brainstrust? Submit here.
So, how do you handle the dance between wanting lead with your creative or artistic side, and earning a grown-up worthy living?
In the past few years, we’ve all been through a lot of upheaval. At the same time, this moment has reawakened a burning desire to pursue creative passions. It’s a recipe for big life transition and potentially transformation.
And that is c...
Mark as Played
June 6, 2023 • 37 mins
Are you struggling to find work that nourishes your soul - yet still provides stability? Do you feel like you’re dancing between security and soulfulness in your day to day responsibilities? You're not alone.
In fact that is the question presented to us today by listener, Elena. Elena, has been a senior office manager for years, and is facing this challenge as she longs for more meaningful work aligned with her performer and mave...
Mark as Played
May 30, 2023 • 42 mins
We’ve all heard the phrase, “don’t escalate things.” Especially, in the context of work. But, what if there were moments when escalation, done in the right way and with the right intention, was actually the right move?
Are there situations when staying silent, or refusing to push an issue further, actually makes a difficult work circumstance worse?
That’s where we’re headed in today’s SPARKED Hot Take episode, where we look at hot...
Mark as Played
May 23, 2023 • 35 mins
Have you ever struggled with a problem or decision where the solution seemed impossible to see, yet obvious once someone pointed it out? You start kicking yourself for not seeing something that now appears so simple and clear. You're not alone. Nearly everyone has moments where we get stuck, limit our solutions and can't "read the label from inside the jar." How do we gain clarity on our own situations and start making better decis...
Mark as Played
May 16, 2023 • 59 mins
We’re often told, the only way to succeed in work - and, in no small part - in life, is to pick one or two things, focus intensively, go all in, and say no to anything that distracts you from that path.
But, is it true? Is that really the only way to be both happy and successful? Or, is there a place for a multi-passionate, diversified “portfolio of pursuits” approach to career-building that can lead not just to never having FOMO,...
Mark as Played
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