📺 Watch & Subscribe on YouTube

In this episode of I’ll Meet You There, host Paige Nolan sits down with executive coach and author Danielle Baldwin for a thoughtful conversation about the relationship between inspiration and motivation—and why we need both. Together, they explore how inspiration acts as a pull toward purpose, while motivation becomes the push that helps us keep going when clarity fades or challenges arise.

Paige and Danielle reflect on why inspiration can feel elusive in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, and why it can’t be forced. Drawing from Danielle’s work and her book Sparking Greatness, the conversation highlights three conditions that invite inspiration to emerge: spaciousness, stillness, and self-forgetfulness. They discuss how creating space, quieting distraction, and shifting attention beyond the self can reconnect us with what truly matters.

Touching on leadership, burnout, and the experience of losing sight of one’s “why,” this episode offers grounded insights and gentle reminders that inspiration often shows up in ordinary moments—when we slow down enough to notice.

00:02 - Understanding Motivation and Inspiration

02:58 - Danielle's Journey to Executive Coaching

11:34 - The Dynamics of Inspiration: Understanding the Psychological Frame

22:40 - The Importance of Connection in Community

28:56 - Inspiration and Self-Forgetfulness

35:42 - Navigating Overwhelm and Burnout in Leadership

40:48 - Navigating the Helium Hand: Finding Your Own Space

54:25 - Finding Spaciousness During Overwhelm

57:40 - The Journey of Inspiration and an Invitation

"Because what happens is when we get overblown, like we think that we're like doing this great thing and we show up crappy. And so all this help and love and we're doing it for all these other people and we're not showing up --- 'cause we're empty."

"The easiest way that I describe motivation and inspiration is inspiration is the pull and motivation is the push. "

Sparking Greatness by Danielle Baldwin

Ryan Holiday: https://ryanholiday.net

On Being with Krista Tippett

The Questions that Fail Us by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Website - https://www.daniellebbaldwin.com

Facebook - @danielle.b.baldwin

LinkedIn - @danielle-bruno-baldwin

Instagram - @_dbbaldwin

Website - https://paigenolan.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/paigenolanwrite

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/paigenolanwriter

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paige-nolan-0932751/

🎙️

Music by Boyd McDonnell

Cover art photography by Innis