Saving You a Seat

This week, Karen gets the joy of speaking with Tami Stevenson, General Counsel for Crawford and Company. Tami embodies what it means to be a leader in tune with her people and deeply connected to her true self.

Tami shares her early life experiences with loss. The same inner-warrior-spirit that helped her navigate her grief spurs her on to protect her loved ones, and go to bat for those with whom she works. No surprise:  Karen and Tami talk about how they are carried by their spirituality, which cradles them even in the toughest of times.

In this episode, you will learn:

• About the connection-pillar: Navigating Chaos Comfortably
• How struggle and grief help us to discover our true strength
• That when life feels like it’s falling apart, it’s moving into place
• We deepen connection when we embrace and heal our brokenness

To find more on Tami, visit her LinkedIn page at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tami-stevenson-6b9b582/.

This week, Karen sits down to chat with Ian Morgan Cron, author, speaker and host of the Typology Podcast. Ian shares personal stories about his journey with the Enneagram, an ancient personality typing system that transforms how people view themselves and their impact on others. Ian leads us in a conversation about how heart, mind, and soul come together to revolutionize corporate cultures, intimate relationships, and recovery from addiction.

In this episode, you will learn:

• The Connection-pillars: Exhibiting Empathy and Celebrating Curiosity
• How self-knowledge is not enough to create change
• How self-awareness must be accompanied by sustainable insight and change
• How the Enneagram deepens connection to self, a spiritual solution, and others

To find more on Ian, visit ianmorgancron.com and @ianmorgancron across social media platforms. Check out Ian’s new book, The Story of You here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-story-of-you-ian-morgan-cron/1139127822;jsessionid=644CBBFBCD90F2E6E65C3414F39B7A26.prodny_store02-atgap13?ean=9780062825810&st=AFF&2sid=HarperCollins%20Publishers%20LLC_7229662_NA&sourceId=AFFHarperCollins%20Publishers%20LLC

Join Karen this week as she chats with her long-time friend Barri Rafferty, Head of Communications & Brand Management at Wells Fargo. Previously, Barri served Ketchum as the agency’s president and CEO; she was the first female CEO of a top-five public relations agency.

Barri is a fully human leader who also makes tough decisions. Her insight into leadership is needed more than ever as we navigate the Great Resignation. So tune in because this episode is jam-packed with wisdom and you will learn:

• The Connection Pillars: Connecting Consciously and Demonstrating Accountability
• Why it is important for leaders to set the weather for those around them
• How to create psychologically safe places for others by being gracious and tough
• How to navigate the difference between being liked and respected
• The value of embracing the positive seeds planted during our childhoods

To find more on Barri, check out her social media platforms: @barrirafferty on Twitter and Instagram and linkedin.com/barrirafferty.

In this week's featured podcast, Karen chats with award-winning author and speaker Amy Julia Becker. Amy Julia, or as Karen calls her, AJ, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of her book A Good and Perfect Gift, which focuses on the journey of parenting a child with Downs Syndrome. We are also delighted that her new book, To Be Made Well: An Invitation to Wholeness, Healing and Hope, is now available. It is a beautiful exploration of how we heal physically, emotionally, spiritually and relationally in a world filled with brokenness and also brimming with beauty and hope.

Karen and Amy Julia discuss the challenges of life including how our children, in all of their wonder and complexities, deeply heal us and restore us to wholeness. As these two make perfectly clear through their own journeys and what they have learned, us humans are never not broken; yet in our brokenness, we open up to deep wholeness and connection.

Do not miss this conversation between two faithful, real women who are learning how to rest, awaken, and heal while sharing their hope with others.

Join Karen as she sits down with Richard Sheridan, author of Joy, Inc., and CEO and Chief Storyteller of Menlo Innovations. Richard shares how to infuse joy in the workplace by cultivating the connection-creators of empathy and accountability that fuel engagement.

Richard shares an impactful story about how grief can help us to take off our masks and show up with our true selves at work and home. Tune in to hear the transformative insights shared with Karen in this can’t-miss episode of “Saving You A Seat”.

For more about Richard, check out @MenloPrez on Twitter and LinkedIn. Also, check out https://MenloInnovations.com

Join Karen as she chats with Scott Murphy,  former Executive Developer and Director of Board Engagement of The Boys and Girls Club of America and also Chief People Officer for Ogilvy, as they discuss the importance of connection in relationships, at work and in life. Scott shares how his own painful experiences fuel his fierce empathy towards others, as a leader and human being. This gift of empathy has allowed him to be a world-class, trusted advisor to CEOs, and one who encourages leaders to show up fully human.

Tune in as Scott chats about how he connects deeply so people feel safe to show up authentically, sharing what brings them happiness and what breaks their hearts.

To find more on Scott, visit his LinkedIn page @Scott Murphy.

Tune in as Karen celebrates the release of her book, The Connected Leader. She talks about the writing process which occurred during a season that was bringing her to her knees, kicking her ass, and encouraging her to lean in even more to God’s Grace.  She shares some real-and-raw details and also an excerpt from the book as she invites us into the Connection Journey.

Join Karen this week as she chats with Molly Fletcher, author of The Energy Clock, podcast host of Game Changers, and an in-demand motivational speaker. As a former sports agent, she earned the reputation of being the “female Jerry McGuire”.

Join Molly and Karen, long-time friends and truth-tellers, as they discuss the gift of feedback, how family can keep us grounded, and how empathy is an antidote to the worry that can go hand in hand with loving and working with people as we navigate this messy life.

To find more on Molly, visit @mollyfletcher on all social media platforms or visit mollyfletcher.com/leadership-coaching. Use the code: “SEAT” for a $10 off her coaching program reserved for listeners for Karen’s podcast.

In this episode, Karen chats with Jerry Colonna, author of Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up, former private equity guru, and CEO/cofounder of Reboot.io. Karen and Jerry are both lovers of all things inner psyche, connection, and radical self-inquiry.

Karen and Jerry dive deeply into the notion of suffering and how those who are unconscious about their suffering cause damage. Jerry speaks compellingly about the “hungry ghost”, who is constantly consuming, never satisfied, and can appear in all of our lives until we awaken, heal, and learn to be present.

Karen and Jerry also discuss how suffering and violence are two sides of the same coin. While we may think of violence as physical, the most damaging form of violence is the spiritual and emotional violence we sometimes don’t even know we are experiencing or promoting. The violence we commit on ourselves (e.g., substance abuse, overworking, and disconnectedness) leads to violence in the world around us.

Jerry closes out the episode by sharing his wild story of why he is known as the “consultant with the spider tattoo” in this can’t miss episode of Saving You A Seat.

To find more on Jerry, visit his Twitter page, @jerrycolonna or check out reboot.io.

Tune in as Karen sits down to chat with Mark Hawn, CEO of a luxury hospitality brand which focuses on bringing families together for a once-in-a-lifetime experience in breathtaking Montana and soon, in the Bahamas.

Reminiscent of the first day they met, Karen wastes no time talking with Mark about the real, raw, and joyful experiences that fuel connection.

Karen and Mark discuss the joy of parenthood, the privilege of leadership, how sometimes, you metaphorically (and in Montana, literally) jump off a cliff to discover how letting go is life-changing.

Mark and his team at The Ranches at Belt Creek work tirelessly to provide their guests with an experience that deepens connections; Karen has experienced this first-hand and shares a story about courage from her time underneath the big skies of the “last best place”.

To find more information about the Ranches at Belt Creek, please visit:https://www.ranchesatbeltcreek.com or check out @ranchesatbeltcreek on social media!