Saving You a Seat

Did you know that 25% of young adults meet the definition for substance abuse disorder? In a culture fueled by social media where partying and overdoing just about everything is considered the norm, it’s no shock that addiction is a huge problem for the people who will become our future leaders.

The stigma surrounding substance abuse disorder can be brutally difficult for anyone recovering, and for young people and their parents, it raises very specific challenges.

This week, I am honored to welcome my friend, Susan Packard, back to the table. Susan is a co-founder of HGTV and is in long-term recovery. She speaks about her own recovery, why it was so important to her as an executive, and how the disease of “more” swirls around executives in many ways. Her latest book, The Little Book of College Sobriety, was released this past June. It captures the real-world stories of college students who speak  openly about their addiction and their road to recovery.

Sobriety is best done in a slow cooker, which means it is done intentionally and with great care one day at a time. For those recovering from substance use disorder and attending college and living on campus, it is like being in an environment that can only be described as their own personal Sodom and Gomorrah. Temptations are everywhere and they dig deep, every day.. It is vital for the recovery community to embrace these young people and help them on their path to true freedom, wellness and healing.

Here’s what we connect on:

• The moment Susan truly recognized she had a problem with alcohol  (2:40)
• The importance of empowering and encouraging young sober people (15:43)
• How there is plenty for us to learn from these college students who have truly been brought to their knees (21:05)
• Tools that are actually helping college students stay sober while in school (27:02)
• The effort towards erasing the stigma around recovery in the workplace (31:22)

Thank you so much for saving a seat for us this week! Please rate this podcast and subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode!

To connect with Susan, visit her at www.susanpackard.com, on Instagram @susanpackard. Order her new book, The Little Book of College Sobriety, everywhere books are sold.

To connect with Karen, follow her on social media: @karenjhardwick and visit connectedleaderbook.com to order The Connected Leader today.

There comes a time in many of our lives where we must decide to take a leap of faith. Even though it may look different for each of one us, we know in our souls that it is the right path to follow.

Taking a leap of faith is absolutely terrifying. Imagine going into the darkness, not knowing what is waiting for you on the other side. I am certainly feeling this way as this month I’m participating in a healing program designed to help me connect and come home even more to myself. Among all the emotions I am feeling, I am terrified, grateful and humble. I’m closing all of the escape hatches and truly practicing what I preach to buckle down on self-connection and healing. I am disconnecting with the hustle and bustle of my everyday life to connect in new, deeper, and healing ways to myself.

This program is going to be life changing in ways I don’t even know yet. It is like an emotional and spiritual archeological dig - I am sure there is treasure waiting for me. I hope you'll join me as I share more about how I am truly practicing what I preach on this journey of self-discovery.

To connect with Karen, follow her on social media: @karenjhardwick and visit connectedleaderbook.com to order The Connected Leader today.

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by grief that the world seemed upside down? As if there was no path through to the other side? If so, then this episode is for you. And if not, join us anyway because all of us will know sorrow at some point.

This week, I chat with Amanda Held Opelt, speaker, songwriter and an author of A Hole in the World, sharing how stories, community, and faith soften and heal our sorrow.

Our modern day culture encourages us to “be strong” in the face of heartbreak when we just need to let it out, wail, and honor the pain.  Losing a loved one is an unspeakable experience. As Amanda and I unpack our own stories about loss,  we hold out a lantern to others showing them that there is a path through grief by weaving it into our lives and knitting it into our hearts. We share the importance of grief rituals and how to navigate the fierce landscape of loss. This conversation is one of hope:  the hope that comes from embracing  grief and how doing so deepens love, faith, and healing.

Amanda and I are no strangers to grief, and this conversation is a gift. We hope you join us at the table.

Here’s what we connect on:

• Accepting grief as our lives begin to change and shift after experiencing loss (5:54)
• Learning to let go of the things we love the most + I share one of my favorite stories of learning to let go (8:35)
• How grief rituals from around the world influence grief journeys in modern western society in daily life (16:24)
• How weeping and worshiping go hand in hand and how God encourages us to grieve (24:39)
• The power of getting into nature and finding solace in rituals of sun-land-and-blueberry picking amid the most painful losses like miscarriage (29:10)

Thank you so much for saving a seat for us this week! Please rate this podcast and subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode!

To connect with Amanda, visit her at @amandaheldopelt on Instagram, amandaheldopelt.com and listen to her music under the name “Amanda Opelt” including the new song, There are No Words.

To connect with Karen, follow her on social media: @karenjhardwick and visit connectedleaderbook.com to order The Connected Leader today.

If you have been feeling stuck or energized in your marriage, you are in for a treat because this episode is for you!

This week, I have the joy of sitting down with Julie Bulitt, a marriage therapist, and her husband David, a divorce attorney, who have been married for 36 years. The Bulitts are raw, open and honest about what they have experienced over the years as a couple raising four daughters.

Together, the Bulitts wrote a book, The Five Core Conversations for Couples, which lays out invaluable marriage wisdom. These hard-won kickstarters are learned through the Bulitt’s own journey as they learned the importance of an apology and prioritizing time together.. . They invite us to give our marriage as much focused attention as we give our professional goals. They play off of each other, with gratitude and humor, as they talk about their different styles and weathering storms.

As Julie and David will share with you in this episode, marriage holds the possibility of being a beautiful and powerful connection that brings us together while encouraging us to be our true, individual self.

Here’s what we connect on:

• How to continue to show grace and respect to your partner throughout shifts and changes in the relationship (4:13)
• The importance of showing up for a true, genuine and honest apology (8:32)
• Keeping the attitude of gratitude alive in marriage (13:08)
• The hierarchy of needs in relationships + the importance of self-care and self-connection (17:26)
• Learning to apply corporate skills to your personal relationship to achieve your mutual goals (25:36)

Thank you so much for saving a seat for us this week! Please rate this podcast and subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode!

To connect with The Bulitts, read their book,The Five Core Conversations for Couples, available everywhere books are sold, on social media @thebulitts and at their website www.thebulitts.com.

To connect with Karen, follow her on social media @karenjhardwick and visit connectedleaderbook.com to order The Connected Leader today.

Quotes for Hannah:

• 6:59: “The “out” when something goes wrong is to blame someone else and making sure that you do not do that is crucial to a healthy relationship.” (Julie)
• 8:19: “It’s time to close the escape hatches and own your stuff.” (Karen)
• 14:52: “The best role model for independence [for my daughters] is my wife. She doesn’t need me to move her life along. But she wants me to be there and knows we are better together.” (David)
• 16:51: “The relationships that are the strongest are two individuals standing next to each other sharing their strengths but also being very separate.” (Karen)
• 18:30: “We can’t connect to anybody in healthy ways until we learn to connect with ourselves in meaningful, honest ways.” (Karen)
• 20:21: “Radical self-care is not selfish.” (Karen)
• 26:36: “Why wouldn’t you put the same effort you put into succeeding in business into succeeding in your relationship?” (David)

In today’s world, life feels busy, overwhelming and stressful more often than not. Burnout is a feeling almost everyone has struggled. In a world where we are constantly hustling for approval, it seems impossible to find time to rest. Rest is easily written off as sleeping at night, when in reality, true rest happens by incorporating peacefulness throughout our day.

This week, Stacey Robbins, author of You’re Not Crazy and You’re Not Alone takes a seat at the table to chat about all-things acceptance, vulnerability, and how to achieve restorative rest.

Stacey and I dive deep into things not for the faint-hearted like our struggles, traumas and pain points. Stacey tells us how she found peace and how uses her story to help others.

Stacey’s wisdom is what we need and it is exemplified in the guidelines she taught her children. As an example, one of these guidelines is about living in the “and” which means two things can be true at the same time like we are healing and we are perfectly imperfect. (31:46) It is this wisdom that helps us to know what Stacey knows that “when we try to mitigate pain, we often mitigate the healing process.” (22:11)

Here’s what we connect on:

• Stacey shares an incredible story about her family’s cross-country move in order to escape the hustle and bustle of living in Southern California. (3:52)
• How 15 minutes of mindful rest and stillness daily can change your life (7:05)
• The balance between sharing our stories authentically while being discerning (14:12)
• How life’s most horrible traumas and rage can push us to become mentally, emotionally and physically stronger (25:28)
• How to find your footing and work towards healing when life feels just as messy as we are (30:11)

To further connect:

• Find all of Stacey’s books and resources HERE.
• Pre-order Stacey’s newest book God Loves Me, I Think… Stories from Hell, Heaven, and the Other Side of Texas coming Fall 2022!

Thank you for grabbing a seat at the table, please rate this podcast and subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next conversation!

To find more on Stacey, visit her website www.staceyrobbins.com or on Instagram @lovestaceyrobbins.

To connect with Karen, follow her on social media: @karenjhardwick and visit connectedleaderbook.com to order The Connected Leader today.

Not all people see, respond and process the world the same way. The way in which we move through the world and impact others around us is different from the way others do it. We are motivated differently. Our unresolved wounds can drive our behaviors, unconsciously.

This week, we are “re-dropping” an episode with Ian Morgan Cron, bestselling author, psychotherapist, and Enneagram blackbelt about how we can learn to see the world through multiple lenses. Specifically, through each of the nine personality types of the Enneagram.

The Enneagram is a tool that enhances self-awareness. It helps us to recognize and disconnect from our personality patterns that limit us. It invites us to step into our truest and best self.  What you don’t realize about yourself can hurt you and others at work and home. And the more we hold our complex selves lightly, the more our self-compassion grows as does our empathy for others.

In this week’s episode, we explore how the Enneagram can enhance connection. It elevates leadership and deepens intimacy. It is a valuable tool for those of us recovering from addiction as it helps with rigorous, compassionate self-honesty. It helps us to have a sense of humor about ourselves.

Ian is a host of the ever-popular podcast Typology, which has nearly 15 million downloads, and he brings transparency, humor, and depth of insight into the inner workings of the heart, mind and soul for all those he works with and inspires.

Here’s what we connect on:

• Ian tells us of his journey, his life, and how he found the Enneagram (3:33)
• How the Enneagram is a transformative and spiritual tool that can help aid in the connection to ourselves, to a spiritual presence, and to others (9:35)
• How leaders can embrace the Enneagram by learning how to lead themselves, so that they can then lead others in healthy and sustainable ways (12:31)
• How the Enneagram can cultivate compassion, empathy, appreciation, and excitement in marriages (17:12)
• The Enneagram as a tool for addiction and recovery; How self-knowledge can be the missing piece for many addicts (20:25)

To further connect:

• Ian’s Podcast: Typology
• Find all of Ian’s books here

CTA:

Thank you for grabbing a seat at the table, please rate this podcast and subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next conversation!

To find more on Ian, visit his website ianmorgancron.com or on social media, @ianmorgancron.

To connect with Karen, follow her on social media: @karenjhardwick and visit connectedleaderbook.com to order The Connected Leader today.

Being human is a messy endeavor. Learning about ourselves can be the hardest and most life giving work we do. Many times, we feel we have to do this ourselves. However, there are tools designed to help us understand ourselves better. There are guides. This is not a DIY life.

The Enneagram is one tool that helps us become curious about how we can see and love ourselves in a more meaningful way. This self-discovery allows us to more lovingly accept others.

This week, join us as we talk with Beth McCord, Enneagram expert, speaker, and teacher. She combines spirit and grace with the Enneagram tool to help people live and lead with more empathy. She has witnessed transformative and profound results in her work.

Beth  is the founder and owner of Your Enneagram Coach.

She says, “When you start to see people from their personality lens, you realize you see the world differently and it allows you to have compassion and grace.” (5:55)

Listen and learn about how you can use the Enneagram as a practical and spiritual tool for gaining more clarity and understanding in your life, parenting, marriage, and relationships, both at work and at home.

The Enneagram helps us release the shame we have around not being perfect. It allows us to feel God’s grace so He can work in us and through us and lead us to our purpose.

Here’s what we connect on:

• What is the Enneagram, why it is valuable for relationships, parenting, living, and leading, and how we can use it as a tool to become our best reflection of God (3:05)
• Beth’s personal story of how the Enneagram came into her life and how it can be integrated into any family life  (8:11)
• Exhibiting empathy: treating ourselves with compassion and grace so that we can do the same for others (18:10)
• Learning how to fully surrender to God and step into our gifts with a bigger sense of trust (20:49)
• Using the Enneagram as a tool to be curious about our children and understand how to love them better (24:18)

To further connect:

• Find out what Enneagram type you are!

Thank you for grabbing a seat at the table, please rate this podcast and subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next conversation!

To find more on Beth, visit her website yourennegramcoach.com or on Instagram @yourenneagramcoach.

To connect with Karen, follow her on social media: @karenjhardwick and visit connectedleaderbook.com to order The Connected Leader today.

We are not leaders having a leadership crisis, we are leaders having a human being crisis.

Now more than ever leaders are being asked to be more human. And while many leaders want to be seen and heard, they also feel hesitant about opening up to themselves. Why? Because doing so can leave them feeling raw and vulnerable and concerned about what they will discover. And yet, this is how we, as humans, learn to live and lead courageously. This is how we become transparent and honest with the people around us.

So how do we become more radically ourselves and still hold ourselves and others accountable?  We let go. Sounds a little out-there, doesn’t it?

When we let go of control, we become more emotionally, relationally, and spiritually whole in the workplace and at home. When leaders dare to dig deep and commit to self discovery, they inspire and lead those around them in more meaningful ways.

In this week’s episode, we are chatting with Cynthia Good, who is no stranger to the power of connection, resilience, and embracing the whole truth of our story. We discuss the importance of letting go and the role acceptance plays as we become present to the moments between “here and there.”

Cynthia shares, “When we try to make everything around us work so well, at some point we risk self abandonment.”

Cynthia is an entrepreneur, a woman’s activist, a public speaker, a published author and poet, and the creator of The Little Pink Book (a digital and events resource for women leaders aspiring to live a rich and full life). She speaks to companies like Coca Cola, General Mills, and IBM encouraging leaders to have the courage to do what they love and be themselves..

When leaders stop hustling for approval and dare to go deep, they discover their true worthiness and find real connection professionally and personally.

Here’s what we connect on:

• Cynthia shares what she has learned that helps her enable leaders to become more courageous, dig deeper, and find their true selves (2:50)
• Uncovering the power of chasing slow, connecting to our breath, and reconnecting to all the “amazing-ness” that lives “between here and there” (5:57)
• How leaders can find beauty in their brokenness and freedom in being honest, even in corporate America (9:26)
• How to embrace acceptance, let go of control, and become the CEO of your own life so that you can lead with courage, humility, grace and wisdom (11:27)
• The difference between self-awareness (information) and self-discovery (transformation) and how these self-practices can help leaders show up in times of uncertainty (15:28)

To further connect:

• Attend the next Little Pink Book Event
• Read Cynthia’s Most Recent Book of Poems

Thank you for grabbing a seat at the table, please rate this podcast and subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next conversation!

To find more on Cynthia, visit her website littlepinkbook.com or follow her on Instagram @littlepinkbooklifestyle.

To connect with Karen, follow her on social media: @karenjhardwick and visit connectedleaderbook.com to order The Connected Leader today.

When the tough stuff in life hits (like a breast cancer diagnosis), many of us want to run and hide. But what if we were able to sit with the pain? What if we were able to stay calm amongst the precious, messy, life-shattering moments that is life, instead of trying to escape?

This week on Saving You a Seat, we find out how to do this. Our guest, Katie Gustafson, calls it: radical self care.

Katie and I talk about what it is like to receive a breast cancer diagnosis. We both chat about our journey through a cancer diagnosis and how our healing deepened as a result of committed self-discovery, gratitude, and listening deeply to our hearts, souls, and bodies.

Katie says (22:17), “When it gets real, when it gets tough– that’s the time where we need to rush in and hold ourselves and hold space for ourselves the most. That’s when self care gets real.”

Katie is a therapist, an enneagram guide, writer, and a warrior for self-care. She uses the enneagram to help people identify the story they have been asleep in and break free of the lies they’ve been telling themselves. Katie’s unique program, The Practice, combines both western and eastern tools for a new way to approach personal empathy.

The paralleled paths we discuss on this week’s episode of Saving You a Seat are not simple and not for the faint hearted. When you choose to walk your path differently, with courage based confidence, and stop playing small, you just might find that it’s in the really tough and difficult circumstances that we come into contact with our deepest wisdom, presence and joy.

Here’s what we connect on:

• Katie and Karen discuss their breast cancer journeys (3:05)
• How the Enneagram can be used as a holistic tool to deepen our body, mind, and soul synergies (8:27)
• Learning how to find presence, daily gratitude, and gifts through even the hardest seasons of life (14:44)
• How to embrace radical self-care, cultivate self compassion, and change your outlook and perspective on life (16:55)
• Connecting consciously: How we can wake up to what is in our hearts and be rigorously self-honest (23:50)

To further connect:

• More on Richard Rohr
• Subscribe to The Practice monthly toolkit
• Email Katie: [email protected]

Thank you for grabbing a seat at the table, please rate this podcast and subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next conversation!

To find more on Katie, visit her website katiegustafson.co or on Instagram @katiegustafson.co.

To connect with Karen, follow her on social media: @karenjhardwick and visit connectedleaderbook.com to order The Connected Leader today.

Every day, over a thousand children enter the foster care system. These children do not arrive there based on their own choices. They enter the system as a byproduct of other people’s choices and most experience a life of chaos and heartbreak.

This week, Rob Scheer, author, child advocate, and founder of the non-profit, Comfort Cases, joins us to discuss his story, the stories of foster care children (including his own). Amazingly, his message focuses on how forgiveness and unconditional love helps us rise up from the dark and open our hearts to the greatest gifts love has to offer.

We dive deep into Rob’s story of redemption, restoration, and belovedness and learn how we can hold forgiveness alongside our parenting journey.

Grab your tissue box and open up your heart because Rob Scheer gets real about his experience in the foster system, becoming homeless at eighteen, and carrying his entire belongings in a tattered and torn trash bag.

If you are all about a story of human triumph, do not miss this.

Now as an adult, Rob, author of A Forever Family: Fostering Change One Child at a Time, has adopted five children from the same system he was once in and has devoted his life to restoring dignity to those transitioning in and out of foster care systems.

Here’s what we connect on:

• Reclaiming your strength through unconditional love and forgiveness (6:50)
• Rob’s story of pain, purpose, and finding light in the darkness through his faith (9:20)
• The story behind Comfort Cases and the gift of hope and love it gives foster children worldwide (16:59)
• What legacy are we leaving our children and is it something we can stand behind (22:00)
• The hardest part of being a Dad and how the challenge has made parenting a prayerful experience (23:29)

To further connect:

• Song: Belovedness by Sarah Kroger
• Book: The Awakened Brain by Lisa Miller
• Website: Comfort Cases
• Social media: @comfortcases
• Fostering Change Podcast

Thank you for grabbing a seat at the table, please rate this podcast and subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next conversation!

To find more on Rob, find him on social media @rob_scheer!

To connect with Karen, follow her on social media: @karenjhardwick and visit connectedleaderbook.com to order The Connected Leader today.