Jenny Blake
363: 🌈 Taking a Quiet Sabbatical and ...

As I round the corner into this ninth year of podcasting, after over 700 episodes today, I’m announcing a pause for both shows.

Listen in to hear what factors helped me reach this decision across time, money, energy, depressing industry articles, the pace of both shows’ growth, and mix of additional business factors that make this an important moment to pause and regroup. You might also appreciate the even deeper dive with my longtime friend (and first coach) Adrian Klaphaak in Pivot episode 360: 📦 Unpacking a Big Business Decision and Dissolving Related Doubts.

Jenny Blake
362: Setting Creative Intentions Instead of ...

“Expectations are the enemy to the creative process. Sometimes you have to let go of the known to see the unknown.”

Today I’m speaking with James McCrae, an author, poet, and meme artist based in Austin, Texas. He is the founder of 🌻 Sunflower Club, a global school and community dedicated to conscious creativity.

Jenny Blake
361: On Decision Engineering and Evaluating ...

Good decision-making is not about omniscience or clairvoyance—it's more about resilience, according to today’s guest, decision engineer Michelle Florendo. “Decision-making is harder than ever before, and it's not your fault,” Michelle says. “People feel like they ‘should just know’ how to decide.”

Today we’re talking about a framework more helpful than pro-con lists, tuning into your head, heart and gut; why the quality of your decision is not equal to the outcome—did good or bad things happen; keeping a decision journal to evaluate the quality of your decisions regardless of the outcome; and how to drop the guilt of “bad” past outcomes.

Jenny Blake
360: 📦 Unpacking a Big Business Decision ...

What happens when you make a big decision but still have lingering doubt, fear, and even despair? How do you know when a “download” from the universe is worth following, and what does test-driving a decision look like? What happens on the other side or when a pivot is taking far longer than planned?

We’re unpacking all these topics in today’s twelfth and final (for now) conversation for the Pivot x Career Pathfinder series with Adrian Klaphaak.

Jenny Blake
359: “You can’t give what you don’t have” — ...

“You can’t give what you don’t have.” That’s just one of the powerful lessons that Nataly Kogan learned the hard way seven years ago, after suffering a debilitating phase of burnout. As a former refugee from the former Soviet Union, she began her American journey in the projects and on welfare, then going on to build an impressive career as a finance and tech executive and serial entrepreneur over the next 25 years. Until she crashed at thirty-eight years old and needed to find a new way of moving forward.

As part of her healing process, Nataly began to paint when she was 40 by signing up for a painting retreat in Tuscony (that turned out to be for semi-professional watercolorists), and now her paintings are on the cover of her books—front and center as part of her bold self-expression.

Plant

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262: Why I Decided To Run Ads

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262: Why I Decided To Run Ads

For the first time this month after six years of podcasting, you may notice something new: ads. This week I’m sharing my behind-the-business logic on “going pro,” with ads as one piece of my strategy to turn this show into a primary source of income. That way I can dedicate more time and energy to it, creating the best possible content for all of you!

I share why I switched to Megaphone for hosting, and why I opted into their ads marketplace despite years of resisting ads in general (a big piece of that was not wanting to negatively impact your listening experience!). My thoughts on host-read ads haven’t changed: I must authentically love and use that product or service in order to talk about something with full integrity.

❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener supported—consider donating to become a podcast BFF Insider and you’ll get access to a monthly Q&A call with Jenny and private feed.

📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot

💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join

💸 Enroll in the Mini-Course: Free-up Founder Time

💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Free Time listener survey

🗣 Submit a voice question or comment for future episodes: http://itsfreetime.com/ask

🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: http://pod.link/freetime

📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/009

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261: Cosmic Health—Why Your Wound is Your Wisdom with Jennifer Racioppi

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261: Cosmic Health—Why Your Wound is Your Wisdom with Jennifer Racioppi

What’s your sun, moon, and rising? That’s the shorthand for our inner blueprint, created the moment each of us took our first breath, based on where the planets were in the sky. In this conversation, we’re talking about her brand new book Cosmic Health: Unlock Your Healing Magic with Astrology, Positive Psychology, and Integrative Wellness.

Jennifer Racioppi is a certified Duke Integrative Medicine Health Coach, a holistic health counselor, a Positive Psychology coach, and an astrologer. In fact, she is the first person who ever gave me a natal chart reading, which sparked my own great love for—and deep dive into—astrology!

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[Best Of] Stay Relevant and Solve Difficult Problems with Stephen Shapiro

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[Best Of] Stay Relevant and Solve Difficult Problems with Stephen Shapiro

(Originally released May 2020) Why are so many of us allergic to the word innovation, solving the wrong problems, and experiencing idea-fatigue? Because, as Stephen Shapiro brilliantly shares in his book, Invisible Solutions: 25 Lenses that Reframe and Help Solve Difficult Business Problems, what we’re really aiming for is relevance.

How can you apply the 5D’s of disruption to solve difficult problems? We dive into that and so much more during this conversation—one I can’t wait to listen back to at least twice more to absorb all the powerful pivot-related concepts! I’ll tell you one thing: you’ll never brainstorm the same way again . . .

Check out full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/215

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253: MIRACLES—What was your word of 2020? What word chose you?

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253: MIRACLES—What was your word of 2020? What word chose you?

This is a quick reflection episode, recorded on-the-go on my iPhone while throwing the frisbee for Ryder in the park. Although it’s a bit noiser than usual, I hope you enjoy the New York City soundscape.

So many of us were feeling incredibly hopeful and optimistic heading in to this new decade. In keeping with the theme of radical reimagining, my hope is that this episode helps you reflect not just on the theme you set at the start of this year, but what theme has chosen and shaped you.

Key questions: What are you secretly relieved has dissolved or disappeared this year? What are the different permissions granted, that you might not have had the courage to do on your own?

Heart-Based Business Owners: Join us in the private Momentum Community

❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call with Jenny: http://pivotmethod.com/insider

💌 Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter at http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist

💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey

🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: https://pod.link/1054817076

📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/253

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[Best Of] Penney & Jenny 3: Perception and Navigating Our Non-Linear Universe (June 2016)

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[Best Of] Penney & Jenny 3: Perception and Navigating Our Non-Linear Universe (June 2016)

Happy summer, friends! I’m taking a short break to pause and design what’s next for the podcast content-wise. Please enjoy this series with Penney Peirce, released M/W/Fri in keeping with my latest experiment.

Penney is consistently named as a listener favorite when I get feedback notes, and after our first interview together we jokingly started naming these follow-up conversations “The Penney & Jenny Show.” Until now, these interviews were spread out over the last four years — now they’ll be bingeable as a consecutive series :)

🗣 Want to help shape what’s next? Take the listener survey if you haven’t already! http://pivotmethod.com/survey »

📝 View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/podcast/penney2 »

***

Original air date: June 5, 2016

“The new attention span is about scope. Time stops, everything is instantaneous, coordinated and synchronous. You can already feel the result existing.”

—Penney Peirce, Leap of Perception

I have had such a blast talking with Penney Peirce about her Transformation Trilogy on intuition, frequency, and now perception. Talk about a dream come true! Today’s Pivot Podcast is our third in the series, and we dive deep into the nature of our holographic universe, the shift toward right-brain perception, why attention is the new intention (forget the law of attraction), how to find flow in projects, and how to navigate the void after major life or work phases are complete.

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244: Design The Life You Love with Ayse Birsel

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244: Design The Life You Love with Ayse Birsel

Named by Fast Company as one of the 100 most creative people in the world, Ayse Birsel is giving us a special preview of her Deconstruction + Reconstruction process to Design the Life You Love at this crucial inflection point of halfway through the madness that is 2020.

In this Momentum Book Club (a live Pivot podcast taping with my private community for heart-based business owners), Ayse walks us through two key exercises: identifying your superpowers and kryptonite, then mapping what to keep and let go of across four key areas as we enter the second half of the year.

📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/244

🎧 Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call with Jenny: http://pivotmethod.com/insider

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238: 5 Re-Orienting Inquiries for Revolutionary Times

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238: 5 Re-Orienting Inquiries for Revolutionary Times

Happy #PrideMonth and happy Juneteenth! These are revolutionary times that require re-orienting questions to spark a new way forward, from the inside out.

Today I’m sharing the five inquiries that have had a profound impact on me these last few weeks, building on episode 173: Beautiful Questions for Challenging Times with Steve Morris.

A little more context on the holidays we’re honoring:

#PrideMonth via Charities.org: “In honor of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan - considered the tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States - each June Americans come together to celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride Month.”

Juneteenth via Wikipedia: “Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Cel-Liberation Day, is an American holiday celebrated annually on June 19. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union general Gordon Granger read federal orders in Galveston, Texas, that all previously enslaved people in Texas were free.”

Get show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/238

Find ongoing resources for Black Lives Matter at http://pivotmethod.com/blacklivesmatter

Submit a question for the Pivot Podcast at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

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230: Creating Flow States (BookRx)

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230: Creating Flow States (BookRx)

When was the last time you experienced a truly ecstatic flow state when working? Where time was flying, and you didn’t even notice it passing? Do you know how to create more of these in the future?

It took 10 years for The Office to find success after it aired. What would you create for the intrinsic reward of the project itself? What if you knew it wouldn’t find popular success until 10 years from now, if at all? Would you still create it?

The very notion of a “flow” state was popularized and explored in Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s seminal book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. We’re unpacking the first half of his book, flow ingredients and impediments, in this “BookRx” episode.

Get my curated weekly(ish) PivotList newsletter at http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist »
I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey
Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/230

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222: Pronoia and Why I Love the Placebo Effect

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222: Pronoia and Why I Love the Placebo Effect

Can the universe possibly be always working “for” you and not just happening to you? How can that be if bad things that happen to good people?

In this episode I respond to a listener question with my take on helpful ways to apply the placebo effect and pronoia, the belief that “the world around you conspires to do you good.” I talk about noticing what you’re noticing, and how to discern fears versus wants through your inner magnet (aka intuition).

As Eckhart Tolle writes in A New Earth, “Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment.”

If you are a recent grad looking for a portable coach to help you hold your highest vision even while navigating the nuts-and-bolts of adulting during these challenging times, check out my first book Life After College (first launched 2011, revised edition launched 2018). Compliment it with Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One, and you’ll be well-equipped to navigate change now and in the future.

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/222

I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey

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215: Stay Relevant, Sense What's Next, and Solve Difficult Problems with Stephen Shapiro

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215: Stay Relevant, Sense What's Next, and Solve Difficult Problems with Stephen Shapiro

Why are so many of us allergic to the word innovation, solving the wrong problems, and experiencing idea-fatigue? Because, as Stephen Shapiro brilliantly shares in his new book, Invisible Solutions: 25 Lenses that Reframe and Help Solve Difficult Business Problems, what we’re really aiming for is relevance.

How can you apply the 5D’s of disruption to solve difficult problems? We dive into that and so much more during this conversation—one I can’t wait to listen back to at least twice more to absorb all the powerful pivot-related concepts! I’ll tell you one thing: you’ll never brainstorm the same way again . . .

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/215

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214: Nerding Out w/Mitch Joel—On Ideas, Systems, Credibility, and Connections

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214: Nerding Out w/Mitch Joel—On Ideas, Systems, Credibility, and Connections

Seth Godin recently described Mitch Joel (in celebration of his 700th episode) as “in the pantheon, one of the greats.” I couldn’t agree more.

Mitch is a well-respected friend and colleague to so many of us in the business, writing, and speaking communities. He sees trends and platforms coming long before they hit mainstream, and his output, ideas, and incisive interviewing style consistently leaves me with inspiration and new information.

He was gracious to have me on his Six Pixels of Separation Podcast when Pivot launched, and the conversation (among dozens and dozens) left such a mark on me that I quoted him in the afterword for the paperback edition of Pivot in 2017 the following year. Here’s an excerpt:

"My guiding principle now is faith in flow, a reminder that helps me trust the natural cycles of tension and release, hustle and flow, grit and grace. I listen for what’s next, but try not to rush the answer.

If the Plant stage involves putting a pin in one’s desired destination a year from now, entering my post-pivot rest mode was like hitting the “current location” button in a maps app—it spun me back and helped me zoom in on where I was right now, not someplace off in the future where I should be.

In the words of my friend and fellow author Mitch Joel, instead of only focusing on what’s next, we’d do well to reflect on the equally important question: what’s now?"

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/214

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212: Virtuous Circles in Pivot Portfolio Planning

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212: Virtuous Circles in Pivot Portfolio Planning

How can virtuous circles (or cycles) help us think more strategically about the highest impact activities in business and career that create self-perpetuating momentum? That’s the topic of this episode; how we can transform even “time for money” or marketing activities into something more.

I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey

Help us tip Pivot over the 200 reviews on Amazon milestone! At the time of recording, we are just TWO reviews short!! Visit http://bit.ly/Pivotpaperback

Join us in Momentum at http://pivotmethod.com/momentum

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/212

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210: Why Bother? With Jennifer Louden

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210: Why Bother? With Jennifer Louden

Jennifer Louden is a personal growth pioneer who helped launch the concept of self-care with her first bestseller, The Woman’s Comfort Book.

Since then, she’s written seven additional books on well-being and whole living, including The Woman’ s Retreat Book and The Life Organizer, with close to a million copies of her books in print in nine languages. She’s been profiled or quoted in two of Brené Brown’s books, Daring Greatly and Dare to Lead; and even appeared on Oprah.

Jen and I met way back in the day at SXSW 2012 — my first time attending, and have kept in touch from afar ever since. Today we’re talking about her newest and most personal book, Why Bother? Discover the Desire for What’s Next.

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/210

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204: Radical Alignment: Getting to Hell Yes with Alex & Bob

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204: Radical Alignment: Getting to Hell Yes with Alex & Bob

Joining the Pivot Podcast today are two of my closest friends in NYC, Alex Jamieson and Bob Gower. I spend Friendsgiving with them almost every year, and Bob is actually featured in the Pilot section of Pivot.

Alex and Bob are one of those couples we all admire—they are warm, loving, respectful, and creative. Today we’re talking about their new book, called Radical Alignment: How to Have Game-Changing Conversations That Will Transform Your Business And Your Life. If you want to help them get a big boost of momentum, please consider pre-ordering today!

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/204

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🦠203: Re-Opening: What's Next? When and How Will You Leave the House? With Dr. MJC

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🦠203: Re-Opening: What's Next? When and How Will You Leave the House? With Dr. MJC

(Recorded 4/30/20) No matter when your area “opens back up,” when and how will you go on public transportation, or to restaurants, for example? (If you have the luxury to make that choice independent of your livelihood)

These are the questions Dr. MJC and I tackle in this week’s pandemic podcast conversation. We start with a brief overview of how different states and countries are approaching re-opening, and how we are wrapping our minds around it.

We don’t have the answers, but we are exploring how to frame thinking and important questions about risk, safety, and personal responsibility.

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/203

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202: Diamond Mind—"Inside Out" Coaching with Bev Willcocks

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202: Diamond Mind—"Inside Out" Coaching with Bev Willcocks

Universal Mind, Universal Consciousness and Universal Thought.

From the Three Principles Foundation website: “In 1973, Sydney Banks, an ordinary working man, experienced a spontaneous and profound spiritual enlightenment. His experience uncovered three foundational Principles; elemental principles that create and govern the human experience: Universal Mind, Universal Consciousness and Universal Thought.”

These are the three principles that guide Inside Out coaching, which I first heard about from today’s guest, Bev Willcocks. Bev is a Cape Town based adventurer, artist, and coach who “finds freedom in coming alive to the joy and raw energy of life” and helping her clients do the same.

Bev first reached out in July 2018 to share more about the practice, and after this conversation I’m sure you’ll be interested to learn more too, with powerful tools to find your footing during times of immense uncertainty.

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/202

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198: Comforting Words From the Momentum Community

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198: Comforting Words From the Momentum Community

I’ve got a big smile today to be sharing sharing this experimental compilation episode with you! Please enjoy some comforting words from the Momentum Community, from our hearts to yours. 

Big thank you to our Momentum members who contributed to today’s episode!

Solopreneurs: Want support in navigating these crazy times, with ease, joy, and crazy-smart systems? Join us in the Momentum Community: http://Pivot.love/Momentum

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/198

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195: Our Moment of Oneness—United Religions Initiative with Bishop William Swing

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195: Our Moment of Oneness—United Religions Initiative with Bishop William Swing

I love a good serendipity story, and this is one of my favorites! Bill and my brother were both 20 minutes early, waiting for a store to open in San Francisco; they started chatting, talking about business and books — and next thing I know, I got a text saying that Bill and I had to meet.

This is our first conversation, and I was riveted! Bishop William Swing is doing incredible work in the world — he is on a mission to build bridges between people and religions; helping people of (what seem to be) competing religious loyalties to discover each other and work together. The 20th anniversary of his organization, the United Religions Initiative, is in June, and he has over 1 million participants in over 1,000 interfaith cooperation circles.

As Bill says, "If you’re really committed and you’re on the right track, the right person shows up at just the right time.” This mindset, and saying yes at every open door, led to meetings with the Pope, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, and many other religious leaders in his efforts to create the United Nations of religions.

Happy Earth Day! I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did :)

View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/195

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

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194: Deep Souls with Kathryn Haydon

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194: Deep Souls with Kathryn Haydon

Pivot Insider and creativity expert Kathryn Haydon is back to discuss her emerging studies of Deep Souls, building upon her background in education and creativity. As she describes in her article, 7 Strengths of Deep Souls: The Thinkers We Need But Rarely Understand:

"Is Everyone a Deep Soul? The underlying traits that fuel deep soul strengths are universal characteristics of creative thinking. Research shows that nearly all of us have an intense combination of these strengths in early childhood, but they get dulled over time—especially during our school years. Deep souls, however, have resisted this dulling. They can't help it. The intensity of their ability to think differently cannot and will not be stopped.”

Listen in as we discuss the seven strengths, and how to best support and encourage the deep souls around you in life and work.

View full show notes from this episode at http://pivotmethod.com/194

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

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193: Zoom Pro Tips for Presenters with Leanne Hughes

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193: Zoom Pro Tips for Presenters with Leanne Hughes

First Time Facilitator host Leanne Hughes and I team up today to bring you our best pro tips for presenting on Zoom. She covers a range of great advice from the importance of run-throughs to whiteboards, polls, and group participation—and I chime in with tips on maintaining high energy while speaking into “the void,” and managing the many incredible (yet sometimes overwhelming) features while speaking.

What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/193