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  • 249. Why Not You with Ryan Lavarnway

    249. Why Not You with Ryan Lavarnway
    2026/10/15
    Ryan Lavarnway spent ten seasons in Major League Baseball and was called up and sent back down to the minors 26 times over 12 years. He was the slowest player on his high school team, never started a single varsity game at his natural position, and read in old newspaper clippings that every coach he ever had called him both the hardest worker they had seen and an unlikely success.At 17, desperate to be seen, Ryan raised his hand when his high school coach wondered aloud who would bat fourth. The coach didn't laugh. He asked, "Why not you?" Ryan didn't have an answer, and the doubts that had been running his head suddenly had nowhere to go. That question carried him to Yale, the majors, a World Series ring, and the Olympics with Team Israel.In this conversation, Ryan tells Lori how he trained the mental side of a career built on uncertainty: controlling what he could control each day, raising the floor instead of the ceiling, refusing to call any goal "unrealistic," and deliberately drafting the people he needs around him. He also shares the one thing he misses now that he has retired: waking up and knowing exactly what a win looks like.What You'll Take AwayWhy the question "Why not you?" can turn self-doubt into a roadmap of hurdles to clearHow to raise the floor, not the ceiling: give 100% of what you have on the days you don't feel your bestWhy calling a goal "unrealistic" is the first step toward not reaching it, and what to call it insteadThe six roles worth drafting onto your team: a coach, a peer, a gambler, an analyst, a cheerleader, and a BS meterWhy life after a scoreboard requires you to decide for yourself what a win looks like today, this month, and this yearGuest BioRyan Lavarnway played ten seasons in Major League Baseball as a catcher after starring at Yale, and is a World Series champion and an Olympian who represented Team Israel at the Tokyo Olympics. Over 12 years he was added to and removed from Major League rosters 26 times, a career he describes as proof that resilience, adaptability, and self-belief can beat the odds. Today he is a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and leadership coach who helps teams and individuals unlock their potential. He is also an Ironman, a 90s music fan, a coffee addict, and a proud girl dad.Chapters & Key Timestamps00:00 Cold open: 26 call-ups and the question "Why not you?"01:21 Meeting at the Warrior Defined men's retreat02:24 How "do your best" became "be the best" in a young athlete's mind03:45 A father who coached by asking Ryan to teach him05:00 From catcher to the slowest outfielder, and back again07:03 Every coach called him the hardest worker, and an unlikely success08:40 The mental side of being sent down 26 times10:01 Control what you can control today11:43 Raise the floor, not the ceiling12:29 The high school coach who asked, "Why not you?"15:04 Keep the goal audacious, make the next step small16:59 Why you should never call your goal unrealistic18:56 Draft your team: coach, peer, gambler, analyst, cheerleader, BS meter21:42 Letting people be who they naturally are for you25:16 Going after the Olympic opportunity instead of waiting for it26:31 New North Stars: husband, father, and life after baseball27:17 What he misses most: knowing what a win is28:51 A career's worth of walk-up songs30:15 Where to find Ryan30:46 Lori's five takeawaysResources MentionedBook: The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World by Brad Stulberg - https://www.bradstulberg.org/p/the-way-of-excellenceBook: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (mentioned by Lori)Research: Goal-setting research by Locke, Shaw, Saari, and Latham (see Research & Sources)Walk-up Songs: "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison and "Head & Heart" by Joel Corry featuring MNEK (his two most frequent); others over the years included "What I Like About You" by The Romantics, "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas, "What It's Like" by Everlast, "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, and "Superstition" by Stevie WonderConnect With Ryan LavarnwayWebsite: https://ryanlavarnway.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-lavarnway/Ryan is available for keynote speaking, workshops, and leadership coaching. Reach out through his website or LinkedIn.Continue With LoriWebsite: https://zenrabbit.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/Email: Lori@ZenRabbit.comInvitation From LoriZen RabbitThis episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Trust is the foundation of all great workplaces, and in today's hybrid, fast-moving work culture, it's built through consistent, clear, human communication.Quarterly town halls, Slack messages, or team-building events are rarely enough to create the connection employees need. That's why forward-thinking companies are hiring Lori to create internal and private podcasts that bring leaders and employees together through authentic stories and real conversations.Think of it as the old-school company newsletter reinvented for ...
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    34 分
  • 248. Not From a Nice Family with Diana Keough

    248. Not From a Nice Family with Diana Keough
    2026/10/08
    In 1988, Diana Keough came home for Christmas for the first time in three years. She was married, she had a six-month-old baby, and she was determined to finally build the kind of relationship with her mother she had watched her friends enjoy. Within weeks, her family learned that her father, a trial attorney and pillar of a fundamentalist Baptist community, had AIDS and had been living a double life for 27 years. Three weeks later, her mother tested positive for HIV.Diana was trained as a journalist, so she did what journalists do. With her mother's permission, she dropped a tape recorder into her purse before her mother confronted her father in the hospital, and she kept recording. Over the next six years she gathered more than 100 hours of interviews with both parents, their caregivers, and her mother's psychiatrist, trying to understand the people who had raised her inside so many secrets.In this conversation, Diana tells Lori what it took to forgive a mother who had been cruel, to keep loving a father who had been her North Star and had also lied, and to reconcile with five siblings who split into Team Mom and Team Dad and went years without speaking. It is a conversation about truth-telling, the grace families rarely offer each other in a crisis, and why she ultimately decided her story had no victims and no villains.What You'll Take AwayWhy Diana started recording her parents in 1988, and what 100 hours of tape revealed about two people she thought she knewHow learning her parents' own childhoods helped her see them as broken people rather than only as the source of her painWhy the silence in an interview, or a hard conversation, often gets you closer to the truth than the next questionHow six siblings who went years without speaking found their way back, through a Sunday morning book club that became "a reconciliation in real time"What it means to tell a painful family story so that there are no victims and no villainsGuest BioDiana Keough is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, on NPR, and on PBS. Named AP Ohio Reporter of the Year, she has won roughly thirty journalism awards across print and radio. She holds an MFA in narrative nonfiction from the University of Georgia's Grady College, where she teaches, and writes the monthly column "Between Sundays" for Salvation South. Not From a Nice Family, her reported memoir podcast produced with Campside Media for Audible, is her first podcast.Chapters & Key Timestamps00:00 Opening and episode premise01:29 Growing up fundamentalist Baptist in Elm Grove, Wisconsin02:32 Leaving Bob Jones University, and the mother who stopped speaking to her03:47 Coming home in 1988 hoping to finally connect with her mom04:54 The diagnosis that exposed her father's 27-year double life05:50 Why a journalist put a tape recorder in her mother's purse07:48 Seeing her parents as broken people, and the abuse she had to forgive11:00 Team Mom vs. Team Dad: how six siblings split apart13:13 Why both parents agreed to be recorded17:54 The interviewer's best tool: staying silent19:22 A marriage her mother never wanted, and her father's side of the story23:41 National media, and her father becoming a leader in Cincinnati25:55 "The six of us is the only club I ever wanted to be a member of"27:07 Thirty years of boxes, 33 cassettes, and full transparency with her siblings30:15 No victims, no villains, and the Sunday calls that became the ending33:05 Her hype song: "Brave" by Sara Bareilles33:45 Where to listen to Not From a Nice Family and connect with DianaResources MentionedPodcast: Not From a Nice Family by Diana Keough, an Audible Original produced with Campside Media (search "Not From a Nice Family" on Audible; Audible subscription required)Column: "Between Sundays" by Diana Keough at Salvation South - https://www.salvationsouth.com/author/diana-keough/Hype Song: "Brave" by Sara Bareilles - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQsqBqxoR4&list=RDQUQsqBqxoR4&start_radio=1Connect With Diana KeoughLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-keough-a354646/Instagram: @dianakeyo (https://www.instagram.com/dianakeyo/)Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557124244395Twitter/X: @dikeough (https://x.com/dikeough)Podcast: Not From a Nice Family (Audible Original; search the title on Audible)Continue With LoriWebsite: https://zenrabbit.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/Email: Lori@ZenRabbit.comInvitation From LoriZen RabbitThis episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Trust is the foundation of all great workplaces, and in today's hybrid, fast-moving work culture, it's built through consistent, clear, human communication.Quarterly town halls, Slack messages, or team-building events are rarely enough to create the connection employees need. That's why forward-thinking companies are hiring Lori to create internal and private podcasts that bring leaders and employees together through authentic stories and real ...
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    38 分
  • The Pause Is the Work with Jobert Abueva

    The Pause Is the Work with Jobert Abueva
    2026/10/01
    On September 6, 1997, the day of Princess Diana's funeral, Jobert Abueva couldn't get out of bed. He was in a Hong Kong hotel room, paralyzed for the better part of 48 hours, unable to touch the club sandwich or hot tea he'd ordered, crying from exhaustion, loneliness, and homesickness. It was, he says, the lowest point of a career that from the outside looked like nothing but success.For most of his thirties, Jobert had been living the frenzied pace of a global marketing career, opening new markets for Herbal Essences across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, jumping from country to country in a matter of months, taking calls with U.S. headquarters at all hours. He got the raises and the next plum assignment. He also got the lack of sleep, the overeating, the overdrinking, and the signals he kept ignoring, until his body simply stopped.In this conversation, Jobert tells Lori how a childhood memory of Janus, the two-faced Roman god of beginnings and endings, surfaced in that hotel room and became the seed of a framework he now calls the Janus Plan. It's a conversation about what happens when you finally stop outrunning burnout, why looking backward is what makes it possible to move forward, and why boundaries only stick the second time you build them on purpose.What You'll Take AwayWhy ignoring burnout signals for years eventually catches up with even the highest performersHow a childhood memory of the Roman god Janus reframed Jobert's understanding of endings and beginningsWhy 'ponder the past' before 'frame the future' makes goals more sustainable than New Year's resolutionsHow setting boundaries the second time around, including turning down future expat assignments and developing a team instead of doing everything himself, reshaped his second corporate careerWhy any personal threshold, not just January 1st, can be the start of a meaningful new chapterGuest BioJobert E. Abueva grew up between four Asian countries and went on to a three-decade global marketing and philanthropy career, including launching Herbal Essences into international markets. He is a TEDx speaker, a Lambda Literary Prize recipient, and the author of The Janus Plan: A No-Resolutions Path to Begin Your Year with Intention. He lives in New Hope, Pennsylvania.Chapters & Key Timestamps00:00 Opening and episode premise00:39 The nomadic childhood that shaped a global career07:09 Launching Herbal Essences across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia10:55 The signals he ignored: exhaustion, overwork, and a frenzied pace12:00 September 6, 1997: the Hong Kong hotel room he couldn't leave15:48 A childhood memory of Janus reframes everything20:15 Ponder the past, frame the future: leaving corporate to write24:13 Setting boundaries the second time around26:05 The Janus Plan: a no-resolutions path to a new year34:24 His hype song and the moment it found him36:17 Where to find Jobert and the invitation to 'be like Janus'Resources MentionedBook: The Janus Plan: A No-Resolutions Path to Begin Your Year with Intention by Jobert E. AbuevaJobert's 2023 boyhood memoir (referenced in conversation; title to be confirmed with Jobert's team before publication)Hype Song: "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7-CKirWZE&list=RDDL7-CKirWZE&start_radio=1Connect With Jobert AbuevaWebsite: https://joberteabueva.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobertabueva/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joberteabueva/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joberteabueva/Book: The Janus Plan: A No-Resolutions Path to Begin Your Year with IntentionContinue With LoriWebsite: https://zenrabbit.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/Email: Lori@ZenRabbit.comInvitation From LoriZen RabbitThis episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Trust is the foundation of all great workplaces, and in today's hybrid, fast-moving work culture, it's built through consistent, clear, human communication.Quarterly town halls, Slack messages, or team-building events are rarely enough to create the connection employees need. That's why forward-thinking companies are hiring Lori to create internal and private podcasts that bring leaders and employees together through authentic stories and real conversations.Think of it as the old-school company newsletter reinvented for the modern workplace.If your company wants to strengthen communication, connection, community, and culture, connect with Lori at Lori@ZenRabbit.com or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/About FINE is a 4-Letter WordFINE is a 4-Letter Word is the show for leaders who are tired of pretending everything is fine.We explore what it takes to lead with empathy, vulnerability, gratitude, and courage, especially during the seasons when life and leadership feel anything but fine.Listen for honest conversations about how human connection influences innovation, retention, leadership, and real impact. New episodes every week.Follow FINE is a 4-Letter WordFollow or subscribe so you never...
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    41 分
  • 246. Toxic Optimism with John Azar

    246. Toxic Optimism with John Azar
    2026/09/24
    John Azar fled Syria at 16 in the middle of a civil war, arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina not speaking a word of English, and eventually built his way to an MBA in finance and a career in commercial real estate. Then came 2008. His first company collapsed with no clients, no money, and a brand new baby at home.He rebuilt, more than once. Along the way, his own therapist gave him a label he still carries: toxic optimist. He believes, almost unshakably, in people's capacity to change, and he's had to learn what that belief costs him when the other person never actually does the work.On this episode of FINE is a 4-Letter Word, John talks with Lori Saitz about what failure actually means once you separate the event from the emotion attached to it, why he believes mastery requires periods of genuine imbalance, and what he tells business leaders facing circumstances completely outside their control.What You'll Take AwayWhy believing in people's inherent goodness can work against you, according to what John's own therapist told himWhy failure is whatever you decide it is, and why the event itself is different from the emotion you attach to itWhat John did in 2008 with no clients, no money, and a newborn at home, and what it teaches about controlling only what's actually yours to controlWhy sometimes the answer isn't what to add to your life, but what to stop doingWhy mastery requires periods of genuine imbalance, and why that imbalance has to come in sustainable chunks rather than foreverGuest BioJohn Azar is a public speaker, coach, and founder. He speaks and coaches about entrepreneurship, resilience, and the myth surrounding balance and failure. He founded Peak15 Capital, a private equity firm specializing in commercial real estate, with talks drawing on two decades of deal-making, including work on a cumulative portfolio worth over $2 billion nationwide. Prior leadership roles at MACC Venture Partners and Boston Venture Partners, which he co-founded, round out his operating background, and he is also co-founder of Forja, an institutional-grade education and coaching ecosystem for commercial real estate investing and capital markets. He is a graduate of UNC Charlotte and Boston University's Questrom School of Business.Chapters & Key Timestamps01:25 The values he was raised with, and growing up the youngest of five in Syria02:52 Growing up “raised by the wild,” and a childhood shaped by civil war04:09 Immigrating to Charlotte, North Carolina at 16 with no English05:32 The people who became his avatars: his father, brother, mother, and sisters08:46 The term his therapist gave him: “toxic optimist”10:53 Why failure is whatever you decide it is14:14 His failed marriage, and what he's learned about facing himself18:09 Building and closing multiple companies, including through the 2008 crisis20:49 What to say to leaders facing circumstances completely outside their control23:15 Commission and omission: sometimes the answer is what to stop doing24:34 The daily practices that keep him grounded25:00 Embracing imbalance as a requirement for mastery31:04 The free diver metaphor: why imbalance has to come in chunks, not forever32:27 The song that gets him going, and its unlikely origin33:20 Where to find John: his coaching site and Peak 15 CapitalResources MentionedCompany: Peak15 Capital — private equity firm specializing in commercial real estateCompany: Forja — institutional-grade education and coaching ecosystem for CRE investing and capital markets, co-founded by JohnTV Show: Ballers (HBO) — the source of John's energy songSong: Right Above It by Lil Wayne and Drake — open.spotify.com/track/1kMuU3TNQvHbqvXCWBodmPConnect With John AzarCompany: Peak15 CapitalCompany: ForjaWebsite: johnazar.comWebsite: peak15cap.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jalalazarInstagram: @jjazarEmail: azar@peak15cap.comContinue With LoriWebsite: zenrabbit.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/Email: Lori@ZenRabbit.comInvitation From LoriThis episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Trust is the foundation of all great workplaces, and in today's hybrid, fast-moving work culture, it's built through consistent, clear, human communication.Quarterly town halls, Slack messages, or team-building events are rarely enough to create the connection employees need. That's why forward-thinking companies are hiring Lori to create internal and private podcasts that bring leaders and employees together through authentic stories and real conversations.Think of it as the old-school company newsletter reinvented for the modern workplace.If your company wants to strengthen communication, connection, community, and culture, connect with Lori at Lori@ZenRabbit.com or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/Related ConversationEpisode 240: Amanda Van Der Heiden — on “win or learn,” her own reframe of failure that closely parallels John's view that failure is whatever you decide it is.About FINE is a 4-Letter WordFINE is a...
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    38 分
  • 245. It's Not Your Job to Fix Everything with Lori Saitz

    245. It's Not Your Job to Fix Everything with Lori Saitz
    2026/09/10
    How many things in your life are you currently trying to fix that aren't even yours to fix? An employee who isn't performing the way you want. A team member who keeps making the same mistake. A business problem you've been solving alone for years. A family member whose choices frustrate you. Your own tendency to overwork, overthink, and over-achieve.Recording solo this week from Ideas Fest, a festival in a field about 45 minutes outside London with 6,000 other founders, entrepreneurs, and investors, Lori Saitz breaks down why fixing feels like responsibility but is actually about control, and why the exact instinct that made you successful as an individual contributor is often the thing holding your team, your family, or yourself back.Drawing on conversations from four past episodes, a business owner who scaled by stepping back, a leader who reframed what it means to see people as more than resources, a guest who spent years achieving to prove his worth, and a founder who lost everything overnight through no fault of her own, Lori lays out a five-question test for telling the difference between fixing and leading, and what real trust actually requires you to give up.What You'll Take AwayWhy fixing other people's problems is often less about helping them and more about maintaining a feeling of controlThe real difference between helping someone become more capable and rescuing them from ever having to beWhy the skill that made you successful as an individual contributor can become the exact thing holding your organization back once you're leading othersA five-question test to run before you jump in and solve a problem that was never yours to solveWhat “this is how it is now” actually means as a starting point for acceptance, not a form of giving upChapters & Key Timestamps00:00 Opening: the cost of fixing things that aren't yours to fix01:27 Recording solo from Ideas Fest in England01:57 The things we try to fix that were never ours to fix02:41 Why fixing feels like responsibility, but is often about control03:10 The high-achiever hustle myth, and what it actually costs03:37 You can only control your inputs, never the outcomes04:08 The exact skill that gets you promoted becomes the thing holding your team back04:39 Will Steel's story: the business owner who scaled by stepping back (Ep. 235)05:16 Five questions to ask before deciding your team needs more of you05:55 The real difference between helping and rescuing06:30 What rescuing sounds like, versus what leadership actually sounds like07:37 Scott Doggett's boat analogy: rowing hard, barely rowing, rowing backwards (Ep. 238)08:42 Why you can't lead someone you've already decided is a problem09:19 Recognizing people as humans, not managing them as “resources”09:55 Anthony Sparks and the belief that achievement will finally make you worthy (Ep. 216)11:01 Why external achievement can't fix an internal problem11:30 What happens when you genuinely cannot fix the situation11:57 Jodi Scott's story: losing everything in 24 hours, through nothing she did wrong (Ep. 236)13:17 “This is how it is now”: acceptance as a starting point, not surrender14:00 Why trust and micromanaging cannot coexist14:38 Trusting someone means trusting their way, not just your way15:16 The five-question test: am I fixing, or am I leading?16:28 What true leadership actually looks like16:56 The song, and why it's a little ironic given today's topicThe Fixing-or-Leading TestRUN THIS BEFORE YOU JUMP IN TO SOLVE SOMETHING THAT ISN'T YOURS:1. Is this even mine to fix? If not, step back.2. Does this person need me to give them an answer, or do they need meto ask better questions?3. Am I solving the problem, or am I relieving my own discomfort?4. If I fix this, what will this person learn?5. What happens if I don't step in?Resources MentionedSong: Control by Janet JacksonEpisodes Referenced in This EpisodeEpisode 235: Will Steel — the auto body shop client who went from 65–75-hour weeks to 12, grew revenue from $2.5M to $7M, and sold the business for $23.5M within 12 months of stepping out of the day-to-day.Episode 238: Scott Doggett — the boat analogy for team engagement: three people rowing hard, five barely dipping their oars, two actively rowing backwards.Episode 216: Anthony Sparks — on why money, titles, and achievement are scoreboards that can buy options and reduce stress, but can't replace self-respect or meaningful connection.Episode 236: Jodi Scott — on losing her team and her income within 24 hours after her acquiring partner was raided by federal investigators, and the phrase that became her starting point afterward: “this is how it is now.”Continue With LoriWebsite: zenrabbit.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/Email: Lori@ZenRabbit.comInvitation From LoriThis episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Trust is the foundation of all great workplaces, and in today's hybrid, fast-moving work culture, it's built through consistent, clear, human ...
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    18 分
  • 244: A Google Search Got Him Fired with Shane Lukas

    244: A Google Search Got Him Fired with Shane Lukas
    2026/09/03
    Shane Lukas built his career on the belief that transparency, done right, protects you. He had spoken about his history in sex work advocacy at national and international conferences for years, and when a highly awarded, LGBTQ-friendly US company hired him, he did what he always did: he was upfront about who he was and where he'd come from.The same day, someone in the sales department Googled his name and called HR. He was terminated immediately, for something that had nothing to do with his job performance.On this episode of FINE is a 4-Letter Word, Shane tells Lori Saitz what that firing revealed about the gap between a company's stated values and its lived ones, what a federal arrest years later taught him about testing his own values under real pressure, and why he now believes clarity about your values, not compromise, is what actually makes hard decisions easier.What You'll Take AwayWhy being fired for radical transparency, from a company that had built its brand on LGBTQ+ support, revealed the real gap between stated values and lived onesWhat a values hierarchy is, and why trying to defend every value equally leaves you paralyzed instead of groundedWhy Shane believes the next generation may be better positioned to stand up for their values, having less invested in promises that were already brokenThe difference between the 'melting pot' and 'mosaic' metaphors for culture, and why the mosaic reflects what he actually wants to seeWhat algorithm-driven feeds cost us that a library shelf never did, and why 'adjacent knowledge' matters more than it soundsGuest BioShane Lukas is an activist, the brains behind award-winning brand strategy firm A Great Idea, a public speaker, and co-host of Power Beyond Pride, the weekly podcast for queer changemakers. In his latest TEDx talk, “What Values Conflict Costs You,” he brings Midwestern straight-talk to the lie of “I'm fine”: what misalignment actually costs you, and how courage becomes a practice instead of a personality trait.Chapters & Key Timestamps02:00The values he was raised with: authenticity, compassion, and bodily autonomy06:00Growing up in an unstable, abusive household, and learning to self-parent at a young age07:30Meeting Patty Alzator at 14, and what she modeled about dissent through compassion09:00Studying journalism on the belief that more information leads to better decisions11:00Building the country's only advocacy program for men in the adult industry12:00Terminated the same day, after being fully transparent about his past15:00Being tested on how far he was actually willing to go for his own values16:00The second TEDx talk, and the arrest that prompted it19:00The values hierarchy: why you can't defend every value equally21:00Clarity around your values as the thing that actually makes decisions easier23:00Whether thinking about your values is a luxury, and why he doesn't think so27:00Pushing back on a company that refused LGBTQ+ protections despite employing queer people29:30Why the next generation may be more prepared to stand up for their values33:30The library metaphor: what 'adjacent knowledge' gave us that algorithms don't38:00The song that gets him ready to walk on stage39:00Where to find Shane: shanelukas.com and agreatidea.comResources MentionedTEDx Talk: What Values Conflict Costs You — Shane LukasTEDx Talk: Shane's second talk, on the arrest referenced in this episodePodcast: Power Beyond Pride — the weekly podcast for queer changemakers, co-hosted by ShaneFree Resource: downloadable resources and white papers — agreatidea.com/insightsBook: Shane's upcoming book, launching October — sign up for launch notice at shanelukas.com/bookSong: Be Great by Jill Scott (feat. Trombone Shorty) — youtube.com/watch?v=ouDRlJljBgsConnect With Shane LukasCompany: A Great IdeaWebsite: shanelukas.comWebsite: agreatidea.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shane-lukasInstagram: @shanelukascom and @agreatideacoX (Twitter): @shanelukascom and @weareagiPodcast: Power Beyond PrideFree Resource: agreatidea.com/insightsBook: sign up for launch notice at shanelukas.com/bookContinue With LoriWebsite: zenrabbit.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/Email: Lori@ZenRabbit.comInvitation From LoriThis episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Trust is the foundation of all great workplaces, and in today's hybrid, fast-moving work culture, it's built through consistent, clear, human communication.Quarterly town halls, Slack messages, or team-building events are rarely enough to create the connection employees need. That's why forward-thinking companies are hiring Lori to create internal and private podcasts that bring leaders and employees together through authentic stories and real conversations.Think of it as the old-school company newsletter reinvented for the modern workplace.If your company wants to strengthen communication, connection, community, and culture, connect with Lori at Lori@ZenRabbit.com or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/...
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    45 分
  • 243: Wrong Tape, Wrong Story with Henry Tolbert

    243: Wrong Tape, Wrong Story with Henry Tolbert
    2026/08/27
    Henry Tolbert was sitting at a fire pit behind a rental house, grilling hot dogs for his wife and four daughters because the insurance money for their flooded home was running out, when he finally said out loud what he had been avoiding for months: this isn't fine.A few years earlier, Henry had been leading a small church that grew from 40 people to nearly 200, and had been named bishop over 65 churches. Then, without warning, discord broke out with the leader who had brought him in, and he was forced to resign from everything at once. In that same season, an unidentified animal chewed through the water lines in the walls of his home, flooding the first floor and displacing his family for six weeks. He had no job, no income, and what he calls a broken sense of purpose.On this episode of FINE is a 4-Letter Word, Henry tells Lori Saitz the full arc: a high school football career derailed by one injury after another, a scholarship earned in just five games, an NFL tryout built on the wrong game tape, a Bible study intervention that redirected him into ministry, and the fire pit moment that gave him permission to stop building other people's dreams and finally build his own.What You'll Take AwayWhy a childhood dream pursued through repeated injury taught Henry more than an NFL career would haveHow losing his ministry role and his home in the same season forced an honest reckoning he had been avoiding for yearsWhy judging his life by lead goals, the inputs he controls, instead of lag goals, the outcomes he doesn't, changed how he shows up every dayWhat shifted when Henry stopped chasing clients and started inviting people insteadHow admitting he wasn't fine gave him permission to finally build something of his ownGuest BioHenry Tolbert spent years answering “How are you?” with “I'm fine” while quietly running on fumes, leading a church, building a business, and pretending he had it all together. Spoiler: he didn't. Now he's the Founder of Simple Systems Consulting, author of The Comeback Plan, and a recovering “I'm fine” addict who helps pastors and entrepreneurs stop white-knuckling their way through leadership and start building systems that actually let them breathe. He's also an Associate Pastor, podcast co-host, husband, dad of four, and a man who once grilled hot dogs over a fire pit in his backyard because life had completely fallen apart, and decided that was the last time he'd pretend everything was fine when it wasn't.Chapters & Key Timestamps00:00Opening and introductions — the Henry connection and generational names01:33The values that shaped him: faith and football in Birmingham, Alabama05:07A high school career derailed by injury after injury07:07Five games, one scholarship, and a record-setting career at Grambling State07:47What NFL scouts never saw: the tape from his best season08:47His grandmother's plea to walk away — and why he couldn't11:07The Bible study intervention that redirected him toward ministry13:47“There's a light around you” — the moment that sealed it14:47Becoming a bishop over 65 churches, then losing it overnight15:47The critters, the flooded house, and six weeks displaced with four daughters17:47The fire pit moment: admitting he wasn't fine21:07Why people of faith are so good at sweeping things under the rug25:47Lead goals vs. lag goals: judging life by inputs, not outcomes27:47The coaching advice that changed everything: invite, don't chase29:47Why the people who found him became his best clients31:47Building an audience by just showing up, even when only his wife was watching34:07In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins: Henry's walk-up song35:07Where to find Henry: getchurchsystems.com and mybusinesssystems.comResources MentionedBook: The Comeback Plan by Henry TolbertFree Resource: Get Church Systems — getchurchsystems.com (for ministry and church leaders)Free Resource: My Business Systems — mybusinesssystems.com (for business owners and entrepreneurs)Resource: The Mandate Method — themandatemethod.comSong: In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins — open.spotify.com/track/7Dbg5O9nNWu6SWxDjJ9qoqConnect With Henry TolbertCompany: Simple Systems ConsultingWebsite: getchurchsystems.comWebsite: mybusinesssystems.comWebsite: themandatemethod.comBook: The Comeback PlanLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/henry-tolbert-005a3943Facebook: facebook.com/htolbertInstagram: instagram.com/henry_tolbertContinue With LoriWebsite: zenrabbit.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/Email: Lori@ZenRabbit.comInvitation From LoriThis episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Trust is the foundation of all great workplaces, and in today's hybrid, fast-moving work culture, it's built through consistent, clear, human communication.Quarterly town halls, Slack messages, or team-building events are rarely enough to create the connection employees need. That's why forward-thinking companies are hiring Lori to create internal and private podcasts that bring leaders and employees together...
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    40 分
  • 242: A Toddler Saved His Life with Jim Morris

    242: A Toddler Saved His Life with Jim Morris
    2026/08/20
    Content Note: This episode includes a brief, non-graphic reference to a personal crisis involving suicidal thoughts.Jim Morris grew up believing giving was the whole equation. His father taught him to give the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it, and it showed up everywhere in his childhood, right down to the night his father pulled a stranger from a burning car outside their home.What Jim didn't learn for a long time was how to receive. It took a high-stakes business risk, a $240,000 self-funded conference that lost $112,000, and a moment of real personal crisis for him to finally ask for help directly.On this episode of FINE is a 4-Letter Word, Jim tells Lori Saitz about the Triple H method for actually supporting the people you love, and about four words from his two-year-old daughter that pulled him back from the lowest point of his life.What You'll Take AwayWhy guessing what someone needs, help, being heard, or a hug, is one of the most common ways people let each other downHow a single moment of connection can ripple outward in ways you'll never see or know aboutWhy anticipating the worst contractually protects relationships and business deals alikeThe Five Alive exercise: what's already sitting, untapped, in your last five text conversationsWhy Jim now treats a $112,000 loss as an investment, not a failureGuest BioJim Morris is a keynote speaker who helps organizations scale revenue and create deep belonging by centering their culture on integrity, connection, and intentional growth. He is the author of Connect or Die: How to Survive AI and serves as the CEO of Human Touch Publishing.Chapters & Key Timestamps03:00The night a car crashed outside his childhood home05:00His father pulling a stranger from a burning car, and the police officer's warning07:00The question that reframes everything: how are you at receiving?09:00The moment everything was on the line and he finally had to ask for help11:30The Triple H method: help, heard, or hugged, and why guessing wrong fails people17:47A period of profound personal crisis, interrupted by four words from his daughter26:30The confidant, ally, acquaintance bullseye exercise, and how to build it32:00The Five Alive exercise: what's already sitting in your text messages34:00The $240,000 conference, the sales team that walked out, and losing $112,00035:30The sign on the highway that said exactly what he needed to hear37:30Reframing failure as an investment, not a lossResources MentionedBook: Connect or Die: How to Survive AI by Jim Morris — a.co/d/00BVmyGxSong: Spinnin by Connor Price — youtu.be/UekfKh59KOwConnect With Jim MorrisCompany: Human Touch PublishingWebsite: realjimmorris.comBook: Connect or Die: How to Survive AI — a.co/d/00BVmyGxLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/realjimmorrisFacebook: facebook.com/therealjimmorrisInstagram: instagram.com/realjimmorrisContinue With LoriWebsite: zenrabbit.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/Email: Lori@ZenRabbit.comInvitation From LoriThis episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit. Trust is the foundation of all great workplaces, and in today's hybrid, fast-moving work culture, it's built through consistent, clear, human communication.Quarterly town halls, Slack messages, or team-building events are rarely enough to create the connection employees need. That's why forward-thinking companies are hiring Lori to create internal and private podcasts that bring leaders and employees together through authentic stories and real conversations.Think of it as the old-school company newsletter reinvented for the modern workplace.If your company wants to strengthen communication, connection, community, and culture, connect with Lori at Lori@ZenRabbit.com or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz/Related ConversationEpisode 240: Amanda Van Der Heiden — on resilience, boundaries, and what it costs to keep giving without receiving.About FINE is a 4-Letter WordFINE is a 4-Letter Word is the show for leaders who are tired of pretending everything is fine. We explore what it takes to lead with empathy, vulnerability, gratitude, and courage, especially during the seasons when life and leadership feel anything but fine. Listen for honest conversations about how human connection influences innovation, retention, leadership, and real impact. New episodes every week.Follow FINE is a 4-Letter WordFollow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. If this conversation gave you something useful to think about, leave a review. Reviews help more people discover the show and join the conversation.
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    45 分