Breath, Stoicism, and The Power of Not Knowing with Carl Smith

In this episode, hosts Dave Prior and Stuart Young sit down with Carl Smith, a "philosophical futurist" and leader of The Bureau (https://thebureau.community/), a community of over 1,500 creative leaders. The conversation explores how to "tune up" your personal and professional systems to better serve yourself and others by embracing vulnerability, mindfulness, and the power of imperfection.

Key Topics and Takeaways

• The Trap of Busyness vs. Productivity: Carl shares a recent "reset" triggered by a Saturday morning spent staring at spreadsheets. He discusses the danger of moving from a "creating" mindset to a "protecting" mindset, and how his attempt to become more efficient unintentionally made his team inefficient. 

• Energy Management and Burnout: Carl defines burnout as a state where you send all your energy out and none comes back. He uses a slot machine analogy to describe how different interactions can either deplete or replenish your internal "jackpot". 

• Self-Regulation Power-Ups:
• Speed Journaling
• NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Relaxation)
• Nose Breathing (Yes, it's a thing)
• Health Tracking Systems and why you might need more than one
• Stoicism


You can find the podcast here: https://systemsofimperfection.riverside.com/

Links from the Podcast

• No One Is Coming to Save You: The Power Ups to Help Surf the Chaos https://tinyurl.com/5dsh2n4v
• The Bureau of Digital https://thebureau.community/
• Breath by James Nestor https://tinyurl.com/38uemcx4
• Outlive by Peter Attia https://tinyurl.com/4e5a6nc3
• The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins https://tinyurl.com/2rpwe93u
• Project to Product by Mik Kersten https://tinyurl.com/2rksj6bw
• Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman https://tinyurl.com/46xeh8nn
• Everyday Stoicism by Gareth Southwell https://tinyurl.com/5c5n5392
• Daily Stoic Podcast byRyan Holiday https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily-stoic/id1430315931
• Life Saver Graphics LLC https://tinyurl.com/yfr95r8u




Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Systems of Imperfection

03:22 The Importance of Self-Care and Productivity

05:50 Navigating Work Overwhelm and Chaos

08:55 The Role of Community in Professional Growth

11:45 Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence

14:50 Mindfulness Practices for Better Living

17:47 The Power of Authenticity in Leadership

20:59 The Intersection of Technology and Humanity

23:59 Stoicism and Its Relevance Today

26:54 Embracing Imperfection and Learning from Mistakes

29:52 The Future of Work and Community Engagement

32:57 Creating Value Through Collaboration

35:54 Final Thoughts on Being Human in a Digital Age

56:09 Outro.mp4

Contacting Carl

• The Bureau:  https://thebureau.community/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-w-smith/

Contacting Stuart 

• linktr.ee/stuartliveart



Contacting Dave 

• linktr.ee/mrsungo

Receiving the Gift of Feedback with Lonnie Weaver Johnson

In this engaging conversation, Dave Prior and Lonnie Weaver-Johnson delve into the complexities of giving and receiving feedback. They explore personal experiences, the emotional challenges associated with feedback, and practical strategies for improving feedback dynamics. Lonnie shares her insights on the importance of mindset, recognizing triggers, and the four Rs of feedback: recognize, receive, react, and respond. The discussion emphasizes the value of self-awareness and the need for constructive communication in both personal and professional settings.

You can find the video recording here.

You can find the audio version here.

Distancing - How Great Leaders Reframe to Make Better Decisions with Dr. Michael Gillespie

In this conversation, Dave Prior interviews Dr. Michael Gillespie about his book 'Distancing - How Great Leaders Reframe to Make Better Decisions', which explores psychological distancing as a tool for better decision-making. They discuss the importance of stepping outside one's own perspective to gain clarity, the different types of distancing (self, time, and space), and practical applications of these techniques. The conversation also touches on the role of journaling, the significance of construal level theory, and how mindfulness can complement these strategies. Ultimately, the discussion emphasizes the need for individuals to pause and reflect in order to make more informed decisions.

You can find the podcast here: https://www.projectmanagement.com/blog-post/78726/distancing---how-great-leaders-reframe-to-make-better-decisions-with-dr--michael-gillespie

And you can pick up the book here:
Distancing - How Great Leaders Reframe to Make Better Decisions by L. David Marquet and Michael A. Gillespie https://tinyurl.com/wtadnumb