Many of us have encountered an event like a job interview where we are asked, "what are your strengths"? And, "what are your weaknesses"? Others have been asked to reflect on their strengths by taking a personality assessment or strengths finder quiz. In any situation, I'm sure we can agree...knowing one's strengths is a big ask! Cliff Troyer, an Employment Specialist at Nebraska Vocational Rehab with the Department of Education, centers his expertise around helping students with Individualized Educational Plans and other disabilities to prepare for their next steps after high school. Through his work, Cliff will help these students identify and articulate their strengths in order to build confidence in their employment and career activity endeavors. In this episode, Cliff is going to share his advice on how we can develop a way to advocate our strengths for our own personal gain as well as how our strengths can also benefit others during the exploration and journey into a fulfilling career!

Credits: Music by Ellie Westfall. Artwork by Kristina Bachman. Produced by Greg Joyce.

In my opinion, one of the hardest parts about being human is coping with the fact that it's hard to be your true self day in and day out. We may say things like, "I know who I am" or "I stopped keeping up with the Joneses a long time ago". But, I feel the fact of the matter is that every day we battle external pressures that cause us to behave in a way that doesn't align with who we tell people we are. I'm not casting fault; it's easy to do. At least, I know I'm guilty of this...all I want is to be popular, right? Chad Thies is in the business of knowing and serving people. As the founder and president of Zelle HR Solutions, he oversees a unique business model which is devoted to building impactful relationships with clients to ensure healthy organizational growth and development. In essence, Chad has a passion for people. He thanks his Nebraskan roots which taught him good ole’ fashioned values of hard work, sacrifice, and determination. In this conversation, I'm going to explore what authenticity could look like as the center-fold of a good work ethic and how staying true to who you are can actually create more "yes" and "success" in a life of becoming.

Credits: Music by Ellie Westfall. Artwork by Kristina Bachman. Produced by Greg Joyce.

Death is usually an uncomfortable topic to talk about. At least, most of us don't use it as a conversation starter at a dinner party! It is, however, something we as humans think about or encounter often. Julie Masters, professor of Gerontology at the University of Nebraska Omaha, concentrates her work on aging and end-of-life. While educating her students, she eludes to the values of meaning and purpose as a way to live well. Emphasizing that finding connection to something greater than oneself can greatly prolong your desire to live. Julie's fascination around what it means to age has helped her become comfortable with the topic of death. In this conversation, we will explore why it's important to think about and discuss each stage of life and why living well can help us to die well.

Credits: Music by Ellie Westfall. Artwork by Kristina Bachman. Produced by Greg Joyce.

If I were to guess, many of us spend the majority of our day deliberating on what is to come. The description of this show even prompts future questions such as: "Who are we supposed to be?" or "How do you know when you've "made it?" Emily Shelton has given great thought to how she can focus and find control when life takes her in an unexpected direction and forces her to adapt to a new path. Emily owns and operates Legacy Curbing, a concrete curbing company which installs decorative landscape curbing for commercial and residential properties. Emily's ability to appreciate the past, live in the present, and be open to the future began when she took a sharp turn from her twenty-year career in dentistry to the concrete industry. She wakes up every day and chooses to be happy with where she is, rather than focusing on the bumps in the road.

Credits: Music by Ellie Westfall. Artwork by Kristina Bachman. Produced by Greg Joyce.

Have you ever felt like you have no idea what is going on, but have all the information you need at the same time? In life, we are put into amazing positions where people depend on our expertise, but behind the scenes, we feel like we’re failing and don’t know what we’re doing. Ellie Westfall, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Legacy Retirement Communities, loves her job because she gets to utilize her creative side on different projects every day. I asked Ellie to talk to me about the challenges she faces day to day, and she explained that most of the time, she feels like she’s putting little fires out everywhere. Listen closely as Ellie explores with us how to manage time wisely and meet tight deadlines.

Credits: Music by Ellie Westfall. Artwork by Kristina Bachman. Produced by Greg Joyce.

Picture yourself as a marionette. Someone controlling your every movement, thought and desire. I'm guessing, for most of us, picturing this brings up emotions like frustration, disgust or even a feeling of being claustrophobic. Now, what if you weren't physically a marionette and you had control over your movements and thoughts but, someone was instead controlling your TIME. Matt Mueller is the Chief Operating Officer of Hudl, a Lincoln, Nebraska-based company which provides video analysis, coaching and recruiting tools for professional, college, high school, club and youth teams and athletes. Being a busy guy, Matt lives by this piece of advice: if you don’t schedule your time, someone will schedule it for you. Matt and I are going to talk about ways we can all get proactive with time management and be more protective of our personal time to focus on the important things!

Credits: Music by Ellie Westfall. Artwork by Kristina Bachman. Produced by Greg Joyce.

What do you feel when someone tells you, "NO"? Do you meet the response with resistance? Hurt, sadness, an un-wanting feeling. Or, do you meet it with curiosity? Relief or even excitement towards what may follow. Dr. Carrie Petr, the founder and CEO of Carrie Lovelace Petr Coaching and Consulting, joins us on this episode to uncover the kindness that comes from telling people "no" when they need to hear it, as opposed to avoiding those difficult conversations. Carrie leads an executive coaching practice that specializes in healthy leadership behaviors, organizational change and development and talent management. She is passionate about leadership development, creating healthy workplace cultures, personal and professional development, and goal setting and strategic planning. Although her work is aligned with achieving positive outcomes for her clients, Carrie sometimes has to face difficult conversations to get the end result her client deserves.

There is a quote by Pablo Picasso that says, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." Art is beautiful, art is wise, art is introspective. Art is. It is what you make it to be. It is what you need it to be. Mike Semrad is the owner of Red Rebel Media, a marketing company that assists local businesses as well as nonprofits. The company also moonlights as concert promoters and helps to get their clients in front of mass audiences. Since a young age, Mike has found great meaning through music and the arts. He lives for the joy these things give to his life. The joy he has found by sharing his love and talent through the arts has made him somewhat of a renaissance man. He strives to give back to his community in everything that he does. In this episode, Mike and I are going to explore how engaging with music and the arts can significantly alter a person's way of appreciating what life has to offer.