Who gets access to your heart, and who gets a little more distance?

→ Free training: https://www.think-time.com/free-training

After an Adam Grant event in Nashville, a group of us from Brand Builders Group shared a car ride and a conversation I wished I had recorded. So we recreated it. Jennifer Marcou, Carrie Chandler, Stacy Sherman, John Lentini and Zach King join me to talk about their missions, from first keynotes to book launches and coaching programs.

We talk about using AI without losing your voice, speaking from the scar, not the wound, and sorting relationships into pals, allies and companions. We also get into capacity, boundaries and generosity.

Every brain deserves a plan that fits. Try the 30-day free trial of the Think Time membership. Or hop on a free call with me.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

01:08 Welcome and introductions

06:05 First keynotes

17:04 When the slides don't animate

21:36 Using AI without losing your voice

24:18 Origin stories

29:13 Speaking from the scar, not the wound

32:33 Pals, allies and companions

36:20 Capacity and boundaries

41:06 Generosity with boundaries

Listen & connect

Jennifer Marcou (Introverted Leadership): JenniferMarcou.com

Carrie Chandler (Authentic Leadership): carriechandler.com

Stacy Sherman (Customer Experience): doingcxright.com

John Lentini (Character Under Pressure): johnjlentini.com

Zach King (AI Agents): ZachPKing.com · LinkedIn · Instagram

Sweta Vikram (Grief & Wellness): swetavikram.com

Srijata Bhatnagar (Setback Leadership): srijata.com

Christine: Instagram · TikTok · LinkedIn

Think Time®: Website · Free Training · Instagram · YouTube · TikTok · LinkedIn

Hyperfocus & High Performance: Listen Here

This podcast is for educational purposes only and isn't a substitute for individualized medical, mental health, or professional care. Every brain is different, and results will vary.

SMART goals can be helpful. For many of us, especially those with ADHD, they just aren't enough on their own. → See how your brain naturally approaches planning in my free training: https://www.think-time.com/free-training

In college, the only things I put in my planner were lunch dates. I was top of my class, and I didn't have any planning skills. None. I didn't even know I wasn't planning. In this solo episode, I share that story, the question I asked a student leader in the computer lab, and the years I spent reading book after book on productivity that I couldn't actually do.

Then I walk through SMART goals and why they're not enough for ADHD leaders and creative high achievers: they lead with logic over motivation, they don't leave room for life to happen (as a mom of six, I know a little about that), and they focus on the result instead of the process.

From there, I share six things to try instead: dream before you decide, find your big why, break it into micro goals, use habit stacking, create a flexible framework, and celebrate your progress, not just your results. I also explain the reticular activating system, the natural filter in your brain that I like to think of as an executive assistant.

It's not about being perfect. It's about being present. If you'd like support planning in a way that works with your brain, try the 30-day free trial of the Think Time membership, where we plan weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly together. Or book a free 30-minute clarity call with me and we can talk through what you need.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro: when lunch dates were all I planned

02:27 "How do you do it?" A little and often

07:07 What SMART goals are, and why they're not enough

09:34 Being pivot ready, and having a North Star

14:22 Step 1: Dream before you decide

16:46 Your brain's executive assistant

21:34 Step 2: Find your big why

26:18 Steps 3 and 4: Micro goals and habit stacking

28:46 Steps 5 and 6: A flexible framework, and celebrating progress

35:50 What to try today: draw your goal, ask why, take one tiny step

Listen & connect

Follow me: Instagram · TikTok · LinkedIn

Think Time®: Website · Free Training · Instagram · YouTube · TikTok · LinkedIn

Hyperfocus & High Performance: Listen Here

This podcast is for educational purposes only and isn't a substitute for individualized medical, mental health, or professional care. Every brain is different, and results will vary.

My friend John Mabry has been a leg amputee for more than 25 years. He's a former Hollywood actor and stuntman, an inventor, a public speaker, and a life strategist. In this conversation, he shares how he spent most of his life performing perfectly in public and perishing in private.

John walks me through the car accident that changed everything just before he graduated from Baylor, choosing to amputate his leg a year later, and the pain pills and the Adderall prescription that was written at three times his dose. He talks about Hollywood, finding his brother after a drug overdose, his marriage ending, and the night during COVID when he wanted to check out. A friend sat with him and asked one question: can you start with a shower?

From that moment came the framework John uses today: acknowledge something's going on, choose somebody to tell, and tell them now. He also shares how Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered 12-step group, gave him the consistency and accountability he'd never had, and the HERO check-in he now uses with the leaders he coaches.

This episode includes discussion of addiction, a fatal overdose, and thoughts of suicide. If you're in the US and you're struggling, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Every brain deserves a plan that fits. If you'd like support building rhythms that work with your brain, try the 30-day free trial of the Think Time membership, where we plan weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly together. Or hop on a free call with me and we can talk through what you need.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

02:20 Who John was at eight

05:40 Class clown, Baylor, and the entitled side

10:40 The crash, and crawling back in for his friends

15:20 Choosing amputation, grad school, and numbing out

19:06 ADHD, Adderall, and a prescription error

24:00 Hollywood, and performing perfectly in public

28:26 Rock bottom, and starting with a shower

32:53 His brother, silence, and Celebrate Recovery

37:28 HERO, and where to find John

Listen & connect

John Mabry: Website · Instagram · Facebook · LinkedIn

Christine: Instagram · TikTok · LinkedIn

Think Time®: Website · Free Training · Instagram · YouTube · TikTok · LinkedIn

Hyperfocus & High Performance: Listen Here

This podcast is for educational purposes only and isn't a substitute for individualized medical, mental health, or professional care. Every brain is different, and results will vary.