We had an anonymous improve it! peep call in and ask about burnout - something we all know a little bit too well, and what our best advice is for preventing it and how to make burnout prevention a company-wide initiative.

It has a little something to do with LSD (and that’s Light Saver Day, mind you).

In today’s episode, Erin gives you a solo activity called “Light Savers” to prevent burnout from the source & a group activity called “Light Saver Day” to prevent burnout in your team.

Erin also shares:

• What a Bliss List is and why you need to make one right now
• Why taking time off as a leader is crucial
• How to survey your team before and after Light Saver Day implementation

If you're feeling burnt out or sense burnout in your team – this is the episode for you.

Special sprinkles on top of this episode:

• How to have BWE (Big Wick Energy)

If you liked this episode, you can keep the party going with:

• Episode 246: Is Your Professional and Personal Freedom Just Five Steps Away?

Show Links:

• Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy.
• Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here.
• Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a 5-star review and drop us any Qs you want answered in upcoming episodes.
• Boring professional development is out, virtual improv team building is in. Learn more about our offerings here.
• Your hunt for the top best virtual keynote speakers stops today. Learn more about our F Words at Work & Empathetic Leader keynotes here.

Connect with Erin Diehl:

• Erin’s Instagram
• Erin’s LinkedIn
• Erin’s website
• improve it!’s Instagram
• improve it!’s website

What does a tiny tattoo of a key have to do with remembering who you are and what you’re here to do?

All that and more, according to Chief Visionary Officer, serial entrepreneur, and #1 bestselling author Jessica Zweig. Jessica’s “it” has always been to be able to reflect back to people their divinity, their necessary responsibility they have to be themselves. Her work is to be your mirror and then get out of the way.

In today’s episode, Jessica shares the ONE thing you can do to step into the light - and it’s not complicated at all, but it’s also not easy. 😊

Jessica also shares:

• Her experience starting her own business, growing it to a multimillion-dollar business in the first 5 years, and then selling it
• Her light-body activation at a temple in Egypt and the one big truth that it brought her
• Her definitions of “light” and “dark” and how anyone can be a “light worker”

If you’re interested in remembering what you came here for and letting everything else go—this is the episode for you.

Special sprinkles on top of this episode:

• Jessica and Erin's funny "run-in" in Costa Rica
• Being burnt out on a cellular level and how Jessica came back from it

If you liked this episode, you can keep the party going with:

• Episode 246: Is Your Professional and Personal Freedom Just Five Steps Away?

Show Links:

• Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy.
• Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here.
• Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a 5-star review and drop us any Qs you want answered in upcoming episodes.
• Boring professional development is out, virtual improv team building is in. Learn more about our offerings here.
• Your hunt for the top best virtual keynote speakers stops today. Learn more about our F Words at Work & Empathetic Leader keynotes here.

Connect with Jessica Zweig:

• Jessica’s LinkedIn
• Jessica’s website
• Jessica’s Instagram
• Jessica’s podcast
• Jessica’s book, The Light Work

Connect with Erin Diehl:

• Erin’s Instagram
• Erin’s LinkedIn
• Erin’s website
• improve it!’s Instagram
• improve it!’s website

In today’s episode, Daralyse Lyons joins Erin on the pod. Daralyse is a business growth officer, podcast host, author, and journalist.

Daralyse shares concrete strategies for making your workplace culture more inclusive and equitable.

Daralyse also shares:

• Her experience working for a hedge fund and stepping away to teach yoga, which led to a career in journalism and writing her first book
• Her biracial identity and experiences growing up & as an adult in community with other biracial and multiracial folks
• How improv has prepared her to jump into whatever makes her happy and allows her to give back to the world

If you’re interested in learning more about biracial experiences and how to make your workplace more equitable—this is the episode for you.

Special sprinkles on top of this episode:

• What a “partial offer” is on the improv stage & why it matters for your everyday life
• How to use improv to say “no”

If you liked this episode, you can keep the party going with:

• Episode 114: How to Connect & Communicate in a Cross-Cultural World with Tayo Rockson

Show Links:

• Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy.
• Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here.
• Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a 5-star review and drop us any Qs you want answered in upcoming episodes.
• Boring professional development is out, virtual improv team building is in. Learn more about our offerings here.
• Your hunt for the top best virtual keynote speakers stops today. Learn more about our F Words at Work & Empathetic Leader keynotes here.

Connect with Daralyse Lyons:

• Daralyse’s LinkedIn
• Daralyse’s website
• Daralyse’s book: Demystifying Diversity: Embracing our Shared Humanity
• Daralyse’s podcast

Connect with Erin Diehl:

• Erin’s Instagram
• Erin’s LinkedIn
• Erin’s website
• improve it!’s Instagram
• improve it!’s website

Is the only component to your evening routine scrolling mindlessly on your phone before your eyelids can’t stay open anymore?

You’re definitely not the only one. 😅

In today’s episode, Erin gives you the full rundown of the iDiehl Day—what it is and how you can use it to create the routine that the current season of your life is calling for. (Hint: it’s probably not more hours on the ‘Gram).

She also shares how most recently she’s paired the iDiehl Day with chronobiology and Ayurvedic concepts discussed in the book Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life.

Erin spills the tea on:

• How an accountability partner helps you actually stick to your morning routine
• Working out as a working parent & how to balance workout classes with home workouts
• The minute-by-minute breakdown of going from CEO to Mom to Erin each day

If your routine needs a little sprucey spruce—this is the episode for you.

Special sprinkles on top of this episode:

• The breakfast Erin has eaten for 15 years and why
• When she finds reading time and how it adds up
• ~strategic~ showering

If you liked this episode, you can keep the party going with:

• Episode 242: Time Slipping Away? What's the Secret to Becoming a Time Management Pro?

Show Links:

• Check out the book referenced in this episode: Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life: How to Harness the Power of Clock Genes to Lose Weight, Optimize Your Workout, and Finally Get a Good Night's Sleep.
• Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy.
• Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here.
• Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a 5-star review and drop us any Qs you want answered in upcoming episodes.
• Boring professional development is out, virtual improv team building is in. Learn more about our offerings here.
• Your hunt for the top best virtual keynote speakers stops today. Learn more about our F Words at Work & Empathetic Leader keynotes here.

Connect with Erin Diehl:

• Erin’s Instagram
• Erin’s LinkedIn
• Erin’s website
• improve it!’s Instagram
• improve it!’s website

Here to get TRASHED?! 😝

Kidding, kind of.

Founder & confidence sherpa, keynote speaker, author, and podcast host Nicole Kalil is here today to discuss how bringing her trash to the “transfer station” ie, dump, led her to interrogate the “trash” that was in her head or “head trash” and write her first book called Validation is for Parking.

In today’s episode, Nicole explains what “head trash” is and the 3 things you need to know about it to become more confident.

Nicole and Erin also talk about:

• Nicole’s personal story of BECOMING confident when she was climbing the corporate ladder and why this is different from all of the other voices telling us how to BE confident
• 5 things that derail your confidence and how to be aware of them
• Why you’ve been lying to yourself with the affirmations you’re using and how to actually believe them and embrace them

If you want to become more confident—this is the episode for you.

Special sprinkles on top of this episode:

• Why “fake it til you make it” is out and its better replacement
• Why Nicole’s plan B is to be a detective

If you liked this episode, you can keep the party going with:

• Episode 126: Want to Gain Confidence, Get Comfortable with the Uncomfortable at Work? Try Chicken Dancing! (with Special Guest Cameron Roffey)
• Episode 121: Let Go of Your Leadership-Limiting Beliefs - How Improv Improves Your Confidence

Show Links:

• Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy.
• Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here.
• Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a 5-star review and drop us any Qs you want answered in upcoming episodes.
• Boring professional development is out, virtual improv team building is in. Learn more about our offerings here.
• Your hunt for the top best virtual keynote speakers stops today. Learn more about our F Words at Work & Empathetic Leader keynotes here.

Connect with Nicole Kalil:

• Nicole’s website
• Nicole’s book, Validation is for Parking
• Nicole’s freebie, My Year of Confidence Action Plan
• Nicole’s Instagram

Connect with Erin Diehl:

• Erin’s Instagram
• Erin’s LinkedIn
• Erin’s website
• improve it!’s Instagram
• improve it!’s website

Toxic leadership comes in all shapes and sizes, but there are common threads to look out for that can either help you exit and heal or empower your organization as a whole to make change.

Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett is a work & career psychologist, keynote speaker, author, and podcast host. She’s currently researching toxic bosses in the workplace and what this entails for psychological health.

Erin and Dr. Laura discuss:

• Some of the telltale signs of toxic bosses in an organization
• “Hot spots” in toxic workplaces and how to take them seriously
• The healing phase after you leave a toxic boss

Dr. Laura shares her top methods for coping and processing when you have a toxic boss and aren’t able to exit the situation immediately.

If you’re experiencing a toxic boss, have in the past, or know someone who is/has--this is the episode for you.

Special sprinkles on top of this episode:

• How to actually put your ego aside
• Erin’s own experiences with a previous toxic boss

What are the traits of a toxic boss?

They come in many forms, but the most common traits of a bad boss are clear: grandiosity, micromanaging, demanding unrealistic expectations from employees, being too political, and not trusting their team. -Online Career Coaching Services

How do I protect myself from a toxic boss?

5 Effective Tactics to Handle a Toxic Boss

1. Do Not Take Their Treatment Personally.

2. Find Allies and Support.

3. Take Time Off to Recharge.

4. Document, Document, Document.

5. Be Your Own Advocate.

-usnews.com

If you liked this episode, you can keep the party going with:

• Episode 104: No Job is Worth Your Mental Health - Why Attention to Your Intention Matters with Jasmine Francis

Show Links:

• Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy.
• Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here.
• Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a 5-star review and drop us any Qs you want answered in upcoming episodes.
• Boring professional development is out, improv team building is in. Learn more about our offerings here.
• Your hunt for the top virtual keynote speakers stops right now. Learn more about our F Words at Work & Empathetic Leader keynotes here.

Connect with Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett:

• Dr. Laura’s website
• Dr. Laura’s LinkedIn
• Dr. Laura’s podcast

Connect with Erin Diehl:

• Erin’s Instagram
• Erin’s LinkedIn
• Erin’s website
• improve it!’s Instagram
• improve it!’s website

What does planning your week around a McDonald’s lunch date with your daughter have to do with top leadership qualities?

More than you think. And Erin’s dad, Fred Holbrook, is here to tell the tale.

Fred worked in accounting, operations management, and owned his own appliance services business. He’s now retired—but does consulting on the side—and loves being a grandpa.

Erin and Fred discuss:

• How being the parent of a strong-willed child (Erin, lol) helped him become a better leader
• How to balance being a leader and a parent
• Why negative feedback is just as essential as positive feedback & how to give it gracefully

Fred shares the top three leadership lessons he’s learned from parenting a strong-willed child and how you can apply them today.

If you’re a working parent or you know a working parent – this is the episode for you.

Special sprinkles on top of this episode:

• Erin’s not-so-hot grades freshman year of college
• What it means to set parameters for your team

Does parenting have anything to do with leadership?

Parents are the first people children interact with, which is why they play such an important role in the development of an individual's leadership skills. For many of my clients, if they're facing a particular challenge when it comes to leadership, I can trace it back to a parenting style they experienced as a kid.

-Christine Laperriere

What leaders can learn from kids?

If you observe kids closely, you will notice that they can teach us a lot about leadership.

1. Thirst for knowledge.

2. Every day is a new one.

3. Being creative and innovative.

4. Collaboration.

5. Persistence but with adaptability and resilience.

6. Get moving.

-plopdo.com

If you liked this episode, you can keep the party going with:

• Episode 113: 5 Easy Time Management Hacks: My Weekly Schedule Breakdown as Full-Time Leader, Facilitator, Content Creator and Working Mom

Show Links:

• Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy.
• Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here.
• Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a 5-star review and drop us any Qs you want answered in upcoming episodes.
• Ever thought about using improv workshops for business development? Check out our offerings here.
• Virtual employee engagement just got a whole lot easier. Learn about our virtual workshop options here.

Connect with Fred Holbrook:

• Email info@learntoimproveit.com and Erin will get you in touch with him!

Connect with Erin Diehl:

• Erin’s Instagram
• Erin’s LinkedIn
• Erin’s website
• improve it!’s Instagram
• improve it!’s website