Ever Better Podcast | Inspiring Stories | Motivating | Transition With Grace | Fulfillment | Wisdom

Have you ever noticed how your perspective on life, business, and social interactions can dramatically change just because of the color of your skin? The color of your skin doesn't define who you are, but it can have an impact on your life and perspective ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Here are some of the disadvantages of having a different skin color in society I observed throughout the years:  Underestimated educational abilities. Others will look at you with great skepticism. People might think you're doing something terrible.   Shockingly, even today, some white people think they are better than other races. It's time to break the silence and stand up against racism with books like White Ra

How do you respond when you ask a question and don’t get an answer? When you don’t receive a “yes” or a “no” do you assume it’s a maybe? Do you assume you did something wrong and it’s a “no”? Do you assume a “yes” is coming? The Ladder of Inference is a model that describes how our minds work when faced with uncertainty. Do you tend to climb a positive or a negative ladder of inference? Most of us lean toward the negative ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Ladder of Inference This is a model that describes the steps that we take, mentally, to reach a conclusion and then take an action.   Here are the “rungs” of the Ladder of Inference from a negative perspective… Selected Reality This is where you are

Have you played Wordle? It’s a game published by the New York Times where you try to identify the “word of the day” in six turns or less. I’m taking on a challenge from my “Wordle friend” to use today’s word in a sentence. And of course, I’m taking it a step further and creating a podcast around it. Today’s word… AGAPE ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- What does "Agape" mean? Agape love is unconcerned with the self and concerned with the greatest good of another.  Agape is a choice. It is a state of mind, a way of being with yourself and others, a way of being in the world.   Agape requires faithfulness, commitment, and sacrifice without expecting anything in return. The love that we never expect, t

Inventors are always considering how to create a new service, product, or concept. This helps businesses and people to evolve. Do you consider the future when planning for the present? How can you cultivate an inventor mindset? ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- What does the inventor mindset mean? Inventors constantly think about creating something new. Inventors think ahead and have a “treasure trove” of ideas and projects they can tip into in the future. Always consider the future when planning for the present. Inventors look for new clients who use their services in different ways to stay creative and continuously consider expanding the scope of their work. Thomas Edison said, “Many of life's f

How do you handle a NO? It’s a matter of attitude!  Know that NOs are a part of life and adopt a mindset of using it to your advantage or be continuously disappointed. It’s your choice. ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Robin De Wind covered a wide range of news stories for television in the Rochester, NY area for 25 years. Now, she creates written, video, and audio content for businesses and non-profits. As a reporter, she was used to handling NOs and uses that mindset to grow her business today! Learn more here! ----------------------------------------------- Here’s how to control your response when you get a NO… Consider NO, slammed doors, hang-ups, or insults from others as a definitive response

Saying YES is one of the easiest things to do in our society, but saying NO is one of the most powerful tools you have.  My challenge to you is….what can you say no to? ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! -----------------------------------------------  Here’s how to say NO…. When someone asks you for help, consider your options. Do you have the time and energy to provide the assistance? Dare to be honest if this would jeopardize your plans. Think before you say yes. When you say “yes” you shut the door on another opportunity. When someone asks you to get involved with something, take your time before answering. Pause before saying Yes! Come up with a response that is natural to you and practice it with a friend or in front of the mirror.     Some

When you're considering a significant decision, take the smallest possible action first. Your insights will follow your actions. Don't be pressured by other people's timelines. Take the time to learn about yourself and the situation before making your final decision. ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Here are some examples of major decisions that should only be made after taking small actions to gain significant insight. Leaving a full-time job Getting divorced Starting a business Here are actions you can take: Carefully consider your situation. Journal and reflect on the pros and cons. Seek insights by consulting with people who have dealt with similar situations. They might be friends, family me

What tasks have you been putting off?  To find someone to assist with all kinds of projects, check out TaskRabbit. ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Reasons to use TaskRabbit… They can hand pictures on walls, assemble furniture, and even do yard work!  In my experience, employees are efficient. They bring their own tools, are skilled in the tasks, and clean up after themselves.  The service is fast. If you're procrastinating, consider getting help and finally cross that task off your list!  Bringing someone to your home might be risky. I recommend choosing those with five-star reviews and plenty of experience. ----------------------------------------------- Listen to Episode 80 for other productivi

If you have too many tasks on your list or you're looking for a new way to bring in clients, check-out Upwork and Fiverr. ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- How to use Upwork and Fiverr to get help with a project… Use the search box. Type in a short phrase that represents the skills you’re looking for. Ex: “graphic design for social media posts.” Be as specific as possible! Review first then choose. Before contacting someone, look at their ratings and review. Look for people with four and five-star averages and their experiences using the same platforms that you do. Take a risk but do background checking. If you're looking for legal services, you might consider Upwork or Fiverr. But remember, you're

What is financial security to you?  Think about where you stand from a financial security perspective. ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- What does financial security really mean to you? It has a different definition for everyone. Financial security can involve having enough money week to week to pay your bills. Financial security involves having savings to use for enjoyment or unfortunate situations. It could mean funding your 529 accounts for education expenses. Or, having enough money in the bank to pay for two months of living expenses.   It could mean having diversified investments and generating enough income to continue making investments. This could involve investing in other businesses, real

Do you ever get caught up in negative thoughts about why something won’t work out? Well…everyone does! In this episode, you’ll learn how to turn things around when you are starting to catastrophize. ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Byron Katie is known for The Work, a process by which you ask yourself questions about what’s really happening. ----------------------------------------------- Here are examples of The Work: If a certain situation or result becomes delayed and you start to think about negative outcomes, ask yourself IS IT TRUE? If you believe that your negative thoughts are true, ask yourself, can you absolutely know that it’s true? e.i that you got negative results or feedback? If that

Fear can be a positive force, motivating us to take immediate action. But fear also has the capacity to limit our lives through concerns about unjustified implications. Does fear help or hinder you? Here are four ways to think about FEAR from Anne Lamott. ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Anne Lamott is the author of Bird by Bird, a book about the writing process. Listen to Anne on the Tim Ferris Podcast, episode 522, Taming Your Inner Critic, Finding Grace, and Prayer. ----------------------------------------------- Four interpretations of FEAR:   #1 False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR) You might look at a situation and conjure up all kinds of negative interpretations without true evidence that any

Life will always dish up challenging circumstances like Covid-19. Hope for and expect the best, be prepared for the worst, and make the best of whatever comes your way. ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Here’s what I learned from having Covid in June 2022… Do risk management Think about what might happen in your life and prepare as much as possible in advance! Set up automated tasks so that they can keep happening even if you're unable to actually participate! Do as much advanced prep as you can whenever possible. I’m a risk-taker Covid-19 has been around for two and half years as of this recording and many people are still keeping their social world, and personal interactions small and contained

To make it to the top, stay at the top, or start your own company, think about the insights you provide versus the reports you give! ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Insights vs Reports…   Reporting Reporting means taking in information and sharing it without adding your own perspective. An example of this is writing a book report without including your own thoughts and perspective.   Insight This involves thinking, reading, and understanding information, and putting it together with other pieces of information. You’re creating something new by adding your perspective and connecting the dots. An example of this is one business owner who realized that sales began to decline in March of this year. She

Are you isolating yourself from change? Keeping your life at its status quo? If so, the quality of your life will gradually decline.  Take advantage of the assets, resources, and knowledge of your friends to help you evolve. ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Avoid the cost of not evolving from different perspectives…   Business Adapt to changes or face extinction! For example, self-service in financial technology work has improved dramatically. Traditional brokerage firms like Merrill Lynch needed to adapt or sell. They sold to Bank of America and the brand name is being phased out.   Cryptocurrency Understand the concepts behind crypto on a conversational level so that you can assess business trends

In a coaching session, I sometimes ask “If you had a magic wand and could do anything in your life, what would it be? What’s your answer? ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- What would you change in your life if you had a magic wand? Would you… Creating new relationships and nurturing them with your family and friends? Enhance your physical condition? Overcome a feeling of flatness or lack of excitement in my life? Bring something into your life that could brighten up your days, like a pet? Increase your income?   Ways to begin making those things happen… Be more attentive in every conversation with every person. Monitor your diet, take more vitamins or supplements and spend more time working out to

Believing in "better an oops than a what if" involves trusting your instincts and taking calculated risks. You may have to rely on “asking for forgiveness rather than permission” but it just might be worth it! ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Creating How to navigate the “Better an Oops Than a What If” mindset… Move past “the freeze”. The freeze is that awkward moment when you know something, but you can't say anything because you freeze up. Get past the freeze so that you can move forward by asking a question, and then another one, and then another one. Watch the TEDx talk below with Kasia Urbaniak to learn more. Attending parties and camps. Despite feeling a mixture of excitement and discomfort,

How do you know if you are creating or maintaining?  They are two totally different mindsets!  A leader creates by bringing ideas to life while still staying rooted in reality. A maintainer sustains the status quo.   Either way, think of which will create the highest value and will best serve your current goals. ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Creating Is an act of thinking, discovering, and implementing fresh ideas. Entrepreneurial people are always coming up with new ways to do something, creating new processes and procedures. You may feel like an idea factory! You’ll be served well by choosing wisely what to implement.   Maintaining Is an act of preserving your norms. In a business setting, you

Managing up means creating a good relationship with the person or people you report to. or who have an investment in your success. If you’re a CEO, this could be your board of directors and investors, if you’re a director, this could be the vice president that you report to and the executive team. ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- Six Key Points for Effectively Managing up Create a Relationship of Two-way Respect. People who are very strong leaders appreciate feedback and an active, open discussion around strategies and ideas. However, continue to be mindful of your status and relationship with that person. Practice giving strong feedback before delivering it in person. Assess What Your Team Can and

Movies often reflect real-world coaching scenarios. In the movie Jerry Maguire, the relationship between Jerry and Rod Tidwell is a great example of what often happens in coaching. Jerry points out what might be holding Rod back from achieving everything that he wants. Rod doesn’t truly hear Jerry until he finally does. And then everything shifts. ----------------------------------------------- Welcome to Ever Better Today: the daily podcast for creating your optimal business, career, or overall life in ten minutes or less. I’m Lisa Conners Vogt, Executive and Leadership Coach and founder of Ever Better Coaching and Consulting. Let’s jump in! ----------------------------------------------- The film Jerry Maguire is about a sports agent, Jerry Maguire (played by Tom Cruise), who sees that money has become more important than players' well-being. So he writes a very long memo and distributes it to everyone at the company, thinking he can affect real change. Instead, he is fired. As a solo agent, Jerry’s lone cl