Most of us know the kind of person we want to be. More patient. Less stressed. Better listeners. More present with the people we love. The hard part is knowing what to actually do.

In this conversation, Linda Babulic shares the habits she's developed through decades of coaching, leadership training, and her own life experiences. We talk about why so many people feel stuck, how small daily practices can help you feel more grounded, why nature matters more than we realize, and how becoming a better listener can change your relationships at home and at work.

Linda also shares the story behind her upcoming novel, The Orange Compass, a story about a young woman searching for direction and discovering that the answers she's looking for aren't nearly as far away as she thought.

Topics in this episode:

• Why communication and conversation aren't the same thing

• The daily habit Linda says can change your mindset in minutes

• How to approach conflict without making it worse

• Why gratitude is more than just saying "thank you"

• The connection between nature, stillness, and clarity

• The leadership lesson that changed the way Linda lives and leads

• Why listening is one of the most overlooked life skills

About Linda Babulic

Linda Babulic is an author, speaker, executive coach, and founder of Zest Your Life. For more than 30 years, she's helped people strengthen relationships, improve communication, and live with greater intention through coaching, workshops, and speaking.

She's the author of ZEST Your Life: A Taste of Inner Wisdom and will release her new novel, The Orange Compass, this September. The book follows a young woman searching for direction and weaves together many of the same lessons Linda has spent years teaching about purpose, relationships, and intentional living.

As promised in the episode, Linda is also offering Tripoint Conversations listeners access to her free Three Daily Rituals guide. While you're there, you can also join the waitlist to be the first to hear when The Orange Compass launches.

Learn more at lindababulic.com.

About Kristina Lowe

Kristina Lowe is the founder and strategic partner of Tripoint Strategic Group, a Louisville-based firm that works with businesses and organizations to clarify direction, align strategy, and drive growth. With over 20 years of experience across marketing, product, and strategic development, Kristina has led growth initiatives for global brands and now partners with small to mid-sized companies and nonprofits to help them move from ideas to execution.

She is also the host of Tripoint Conversations, a podcast focused on real stories from leaders, founders, and operators, exploring the decisions, challenges, and moments that shape how people build and lead.

To learn more or be a guest, visit:

https://www.tripointstrategicgroup.com/podcast

What if feeling overwhelmed isn't about having too much to do? What if it's about making the same decisions over and over again?

In this episode of Tripoint Conversations, I sit down with Jennifer Kattula, Chief Marketing Officer of Microsoft Advertising, to talk about something every busy parent and professional can relate to: the mental load.

Jen shares how the same systems thinking she uses to lead global teams has shaped the way her family approaches everyday life. From creating family values and "default decisions" to using AI as a personal chief of staff, she offers practical ideas that make life feel less reactive and more intentional. We also talk about why you don't have to do everything, why playing to each person's strengths matters, and how a few small systems can create more space for the people and priorities you care about most.

We talk about:

• Why understanding your identity should come before building systems
• How Jen and her husband created a family vision before they were married
• The power of "default decisions" and how they reduce decision fatigue
• Practical family rhythms that bring consistency without adding rigidity
• Why trying to force yourself into someone else's routine, like becoming a 5 a.m. person, often doesn't work
• Dividing responsibilities at home based on each person's strengths
• The simple five-minute "special time" practice they use to connect with their kids
• How Jen uses AI as a personal chief of staff to organize work and family life
• Why focusing on three to five priorities each season leads to more progress than trying to do everything
• The advice she'd give her younger self about confidence, identity, and self-awareness
  

About Jennifer Kattula

Jennifer Kattula is the Chief Marketing Officer of Microsoft Advertising, where she leads global marketing strategy and teams. Beyond her corporate leadership role, she's also the creator of House Rules, a framework designed to help families build more intentional lives through identity, systems, technology, and everyday rhythms.

Drawing on her background in engineering, marketing, and leadership, Jennifer applies systems thinking beyond the workplace, helping families reduce the mental load of daily life so they can spend more time on what matters most. She's currently developing a guided platform to help families create their own values, mission, and operating principles.

Learn more at jenniferkattula.com.

About Kristina Lowe

Kristina Lowe is the founder and strategic partner of Tripoint Strategic Group, a Louisville-based firm that works with businesses and organizations to clarify direction, align strategy, and drive growth.

With over 20 years of experience across marketing, product, and strategic development, Kristina has led growth initiatives for global brands and now partners with small to mid-sized companies and nonprofits to help them move from ideas to execution.

She is also the host of Tripoint Conversations, a podcast focused on real stories from leaders, founders, and operators, exploring the decisions, challenges, and moments that shape how people build and lead.

To learn more or be a guest, go to:

https://www.tripointstrategicgroup.com/podcast

David Cooper has been on both sides of business for over four decades, as the owner of seven companies and as the attorney who has since helped hundreds of others build, structure, and sometimes walk away from theirs. In this conversation, he talks about what he watches for when entrepreneurs walk through his door, what business partnerships get wrong before they even start, and the week he made a last-minute call that saved him from losing everything.

David shared about:

• Operating agreements aren't just legal formalities, they're the plan for when things go wrong. Without one, a corporate divorce can fracture both the business and the family.
• The conversations most partners avoid (financial exposure, exit strategy, pledging personal assets) are the exact ones that matter most before anyone signs anything.
• Entrepreneurs tend to plan for the upside. David makes them think through the downside, including whether their spouse is genuinely on board with what they're risking.
• Using AI or online templates to draft your own business agreements is, in his words, "fraught with peril." The nuance is specific to your situation, and getting it wrong is expensive.
• The best business decision David ever made came a week before close: he demanded cash instead of stock on a gut feeling. The company went bankrupt 13 months later.

About David Cooper

David Cooper is a Louisville-based corporate and business attorney with nearly five decades of experience advising entrepreneurs, business owners, and organizations through formation, growth, transactions, and succession planning.

Today, through the Law Office of David H. Cooper, he helps clients navigate business transactions, partnership agreements, acquisitions, contracts, succession planning, and strategic decision-making. Drawing from both legal expertise and real-world business experience, David serves as a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs looking to build strong foundations and create long-term success.

About Kristina Lowe

Kristina Lowe is the founder and strategic partner of Tripoint Strategic Group, a Louisville-based firm that works with businesses and organizations to clarify direction, align strategy, and drive growth.

With over 20 years of experience across marketing, product, and strategic development, Kristina has led growth initiatives for global brands and now partners with small to mid-sized companies and nonprofits to help them move from ideas to execution.

She is also the host of Tripoint Conversations, a podcast focused on real stories from leaders, founders, and operators, exploring the decisions, challenges, and moments that shape how people build and lead.

To learn more or be a guest, go to:

https://www.tripointstrategicgroup.com/podcast