Today I have an interesting episode for you. When Robert Kandell approached me to be on my podcast, I was like, “Wait, whaatttt, who is this guy?” I started looking into his work and he also sent me a copy of his book; I knew I had to have him on the show. He is known as “The Modern Mantor,” is an interpersonal communications and relationship expert, speaker, and podcaster. He is also the author of the book, unHidden: Book for Men and Those Confused By Them. 

Most of the listeners of this podcast are women...but obviously you have men in your lives - whether it be father, brothers, friends, or spouses. And sometimes it can be complicated. Robert and I discuss the different ways in which we can be better communicators with each other, how practicing telling the truth can build stronger relationships, and where and why men tend to hide from their own truths.

In this episode you will hear:

• Where men tend to hide and why they hide, plus Robert shares some brain science and explains some of the reasons why men (and women) don’t do the work. (5:18)
• How Burning Man and an orgy led Robert to a new path in life and relationships. (10:32)
• The effects of withholding your truth from your intimate partners. (14:58)
• We are trained to be mediocre communicators, Robert shares one way men and women can have better communication. (19:31)
• The #MeToo movement was a huge wakeup call to society that the toxic habits of men and women supporting those men can no longer hold up and how the movement has affected men. (25:18)
• The imbalance of personal development between women and their male companions (whether it be partner, brother, etc). (29:21)

http://yourkickasslife.com/334

Jennifer Louden is a pioneer in the life coaching industry and author of the upcoming book, Why Bother?. I don’t know about you, but I think the title and topic of her book are incredibly timely. As we watch world events unfold, many are probably thinking things like, “Why bother to do that project right now?” Or “Why bother speaking up about the things I believe in?” Why bother?

Together, Jennifer and I discuss her new book and all of the implications of asking the question, “Why bother?” We talk about why it is essential to sit in the grey area of inquiry and curiosity, even when it’s incredibly uncomfortable. And, we explore the idea of desire and the importance of letting desire flow without knowing how it’s going to turn out.

In this episode you’ll hear: 

• How the writing of a failed memoir led Jennifer to write Why Bother? (10:00)
• One of the ways “Why bother?” comes visiting (18:18)
• As we face an unprecedented climate crisis, how asking, “why bother?” helps us address that (19:00)
• Jennifer shares her six-step process for turning to the bright side of “why bother?” (24:03)

Amy Ahlers returns to the Your Kick-Ass Life podcast! She has been a life coach for many, many years and is a dear friend of mine. She is a master women’s leadership and life coach, keynote speaker, and the bestselling author of Big Fat Lies Women Tell Themselves and Reform Your Inner Mean Girl. Amy is on a mission to STOP women from self-bullying and being so darn hard on themselves so they can make their greatest possible contribution.

Today we talk about managing your inner mean girl during times of crisis, such as what we’re all going through right now. Together we discuss the idea of leaning into the depth of what is really important to you currently— which could be napping or jumping into a passion project. What is your soul’s message? We also chat about writing and how it can be a powerful tool for healing. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Reform Your Inner Mean Girl: why Amy decided to co-author the book (5:00)
• Don’t let your inner mean girl beat you up about what you are doing or not during this time of crisis (7:00)
• The stress response and the antidote to the stress response; the relaxation response (9:00)
• Common lies women tell themselves like, “It’s too late for me.” (12:00)
• The many different ways to journal and how Amy’s practice of writing a letter to her inner wisdom (30:00)

Don’t forget to sign up for our free community call, Top 10 Kick-Ass tips to Get Your Project Started, Done or Out the door which will be held on April 22nd at 3 pm Eastern time. You’ll walk away with concrete tools so that you can create new awareness, heal some old stuff that’s been hanging around, and/or finish that novel or blog you’ve been putting off for years. 

http://yourkickasslife.com/332

This week’s guest is a certified life coach, Liz Applegate. I’ve been wanting to introduce you to Liz because she is my lead coach here at Your Kick-Ass Life! (I so rarely use exclamation marks, so please know, this is very exciting!)  She was hand-selected to assist me with my private coaching clients and I could not be more thrilled to have someone as fantastic as a coach as she is on my team. She is a certified Courageous Living Coach and has been called an inner-critic whisperer by many of her clients.

One of the reasons I wanted to bring Liz onto the show was to speak on the topic of breaking the good girl rules, which is one of her areas of expertise. She explains that these rules are those in which keep grown women playing small. In this episode, we talk about what it actually means to play small, why we move through life unaware of our tolerations, and how we can work to let our innate gifts shine. We also talk about one of Liz’s deepest passions, creating connections with other women. I am super pumped to bring this episode to you today. I hope you enjoy it!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Liz’s introduction into the world of coaching, first through being life coached and then transitioning to becoming a life coach herself, in 2015. (6:00)
• What Liz means when she says, ‘breaking the good girl rules’ 
• How Liz helps women get to the place of being their biggest/best self
• Breaking limiting beliefs: what they are and how to break them
• Creating connections with other women (29:00)

http://yourkickasslife.com/331

This episode is a mixed bag of topics! First, I talk about how exhausted you might be, and not understand why. Most of us are emotionally and mentally exhausted, so if you need a nap, this is why. 

Next, I move on to values. Values are still important, even though you’re probably not living your life like you were the last time you did values work.I give an assignment in this section of the episode and talk about how the real work happens in the dark. 

I then move into some advice for other life coaches (I know there are a lot of you who listen!). 

About halfway through the episode, I speak to other life coaches, wellness people, and those of you that run online businesses. I’ve seen some people comment that life coaches and healers should stop promoting their services during this crisis, and I’ve got some things to say about this. In a nutshell, if you’re a coach or healer, don’t stop promoting your business because that would essentially be shutting down your business and that won’t help the economy. 

At the same time (and this is for everyone)-- be present as to what’s happening right now. Communicate about it. Be of service as best you can and know your limits and capacity. 

http://yourkickasslife.com/330

I’ve known Sam Bennet for many years now. She’s a writer, speaker, actor, and creativity-productivity specialist as well as the author of the best-selling books, Get It Done and Start Right Where You Are. Sam is the creator of the Organized Artist Company where she helps creative individuals get unstuck and move forward with their goals. She is such a joy and she gives the best advice when I need to hear it.

In this episode, Sam and I discuss procrastination and overwhelm. She reminds us that other people can’t make us feel overwhelmed, it’s a feeling we put onto ourselves. And, she shares some ways to reclaim our power. As Sam said, “When you are doing something you like, in the way you like to do it, it’s not so hard to get stuff done.” 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What if you let this thing (whatever that thing is for you) be as big as it wants to be? (8:22)
• Overwhelm and procrastination are BIG words and used to describe many things (10:39)
• Setting worthy goals and how one can achieve them; plus the ‘groan’ zone (14:56)
• Some action steps to use your imagination for good (20:50)
• The eye-opening thing Sam does when she sees people doing things in which she disapproves (30:10)
• A 5-minute art exercise you can do to help you work through your feelings (32:19)
• The difference between being creative and being artistic (39:33)

http://yourkickasslife.com/329