# Swell AI Transcript: Jess Verplank (Second Edit) - Your Finest Hour.mp3

SPEAKER_00:
Welcome to the Beyond High Performance podcast featuring content and conversations from me, Jason Jaggard, along with our elite coaches at Novus Global, their high performing clients, and the faculty of the Metta Performance Institute for Coaching.

SPEAKER_00:
On this podcast, you'll hear some of the world's best executive coaches and high performing leaders, artists and athletes discuss how they continue to go beyond high performance in their lives and businesses.

SPEAKER_04:
Hi, I'm Joseph King-Barkley, and I get to serve as the president of the Meta Performance Institute, and I'm also the director of development at Novus Global.

SPEAKER_04:
Today, I'm joined by Jessica Verplank and her executive coach, Melissa Cadell.

SPEAKER_04:
Jessica currently serves as the deputy director for Kids on Bikes, a nonprofit organization that works to create community and empower all kids to lead healthy, active, and happy lives through riding bikes.

SPEAKER_04:
In today's conversation, we talk about why Jess made the choice to invest in herself by hiring a coach, why that is so rare, yet so game-changing in service-oriented work, and all of the immense positive change Jess and the entire Kids on Bikes team has experienced as a result.

SPEAKER_04:
Nonprofit is a demanding, draining, yet immensely fulfilling world to be in.

SPEAKER_04:
Jess's story is an acknowledgement that you are never too far away from the place you want to be.

SPEAKER_01:
The wait is finally over.

SPEAKER_01:
Our new book, Beyond High Performance, What Great Coaches Know About How the Best Get Better, is available for purchase wherever books are sold.

SPEAKER_01:
This USA Today bestseller is more than 250 pages

SPEAKER_01:
of expertise, anecdotes, and insights from Novus Global coaches, as well as faculty from the Metta Performance Institute for Coaching.

SPEAKER_01:
We are so excited to put our proprietary framework that has helped thousands of leaders achieve more into your hands.

SPEAKER_01:
And we can't wait to see how you'll use the book to enhance your life and leadership.

SPEAKER_01:
To learn more and obtain this essential resource for yourself, visit novus.global.com.

SPEAKER_04:
Jess, Melissa, so glad that you're with us today.

SPEAKER_04:
And to get us started, Jess, I want to hear you talk about kids on bikes.

SPEAKER_04:
It sounds like an absolutely fascinating idea.

SPEAKER_05:
It is, it is.

SPEAKER_05:
Kids on Bikes is a local nonprofit organization.

SPEAKER_05:
Our mission is to inspire and empower all kids to lead active, healthy, happy lives.

SPEAKER_05:
And we do it with a bicycle.

SPEAKER_05:
We provide access to bikes, bicycling opportunities, and then opportunities to ride, along with bicycle education.

SPEAKER_05:
So our biggest goal is to impact health in kids, and we use the bicycle as our tool.

SPEAKER_05:
We have afterschool programs.

SPEAKER_05:
We have community programs.

SPEAKER_05:
We just get kids on bike.

SPEAKER_05:
We have the opportunities to give them a bike after they go through the program.

SPEAKER_05:
So the kids learn the education around how to take care of their bike, how to change a tube, how to ride safely on the streets in their local neighborhoods, why we wear a helmet.

SPEAKER_05:
And then at the end of all of this wonderful programming that we have in our community partners, they get to earn the bike and take it home with them at the end of the session.

SPEAKER_05:
Which is fantastic.

SPEAKER_05:
We also have two social enterprises, a community bike shop, because we want everyone, no matter what your income, no matter what your history is with bikes, you can come into our community bike shop and find a refurbished bike to purchase.

SPEAKER_05:
You can find people that know a lot about, we have three full-time mechanics.

SPEAKER_05:
You can come in and question them, you know, ask them questions about bikes and anything that you want.

SPEAKER_05:
So we have that.

SPEAKER_05:
And then we have summer camps where over 600 kids join our camps and learn how to become better cyclists.

SPEAKER_04:
Jess, I'm really curious what impact beyond maybe the physical or the kid getting a bike, which they didn't have before.

SPEAKER_04:
Are you seeing other effects that it's having in the lives of these kids?

SPEAKER_05:
We are, I don't know if you remember, but I remember that feeling of empowerment and freedom when I hopped on a bike, especially when I'm young.

SPEAKER_05:
And even today, I still feel very free and empowered.

SPEAKER_05:
And so we give that to these kids.

SPEAKER_05:
They feel confident in it, you know, mentally getting outside in the sun, riding a bike, all of that empowers them on a daily basis.

SPEAKER_04:
Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:
What inspired the idea, like how this whole thing gets started?

SPEAKER_05:
Um, back in 2005, there was a local mother here in Colorado Springs that just was really inspired to start something with kids and local community.

SPEAKER_05:
We have a really strong cycling community here.

SPEAKER_05:
We have the United States Olympic Training Center, um, mountain bike teams, road bike teams.

SPEAKER_05:
We have a lot going on here.

SPEAKER_05:
And so they saw a need for us to help support the kids in the community.

SPEAKER_05:
Cause there's a lot of adult programs going on, but nothing for the kids.

SPEAKER_05:
We're kind of in the teenager phase.

SPEAKER_05:
No longer a startup, but really trying to figure out where to grow.

SPEAKER_04:
But it's also really, it's like connective tissue, because if you're in such an outdoor-minded, active culture, and you currently are not participating in things like that, or you don't feel like you can, or maybe you don't have access to some of the equipment, now that you do, oh, now I have a bike, now I can get out, does that also, I'm making up, it sort of creates connections with parts of the community you weren't connected to before, pulls kids out of isolation.

SPEAKER_04:
Are you seeing any of those effects?

SPEAKER_05:
Absolutely.

SPEAKER_05:
Recently in October, we did take a kid mountain biking day and we brought kids from the lower income side of town.

SPEAKER_05:
We bust them over to the mountain biking area of bear Creek park, and we took them on single track on trails.

SPEAKER_05:
They wrote over rocks, you know, and these things that they commented, they had never written on dirt before.

SPEAKER_05:
So giving them the opportunity and opening up their eyes to what's available out there to him, to them and giving them access to the bikes, giving them the helmet and safety education.

SPEAKER_05:
There's so much more that can happen with their lives once that door is opened, right?

SPEAKER_04:
Yeah, that's tremendous.

SPEAKER_04:
And Jess, what role do you play in this organization?

SPEAKER_05:
I'm the deputy director.

SPEAKER_04:
And what are your responsibilities as the deputy director?

SPEAKER_05:
Everything.

SPEAKER_05:
We're a nonprofit.

SPEAKER_05:
I hear that.

SPEAKER_05:
Yeah.

SPEAKER_05:
And so I'm in charge.

SPEAKER_05:
I'm the manager of the pedal station.

SPEAKER_05:
I manage the summer camps and then also H.R., I.T.

SPEAKER_05:
and anything else you can, you know, throw at me.

SPEAKER_04:
So the problem is just you're too talented.

SPEAKER_04:
So you're like a Swiss army knife.

SPEAKER_04:
All right.

SPEAKER_04:
Well, tell us what got you interested in at least exploring the idea of having an executive coach.

SPEAKER_04:
And I also want to know how you found Melissa.

SPEAKER_05:
I worked with a leadership cohort through Thrive Impact, which is a local organization that supports transformational work in nonprofits.

SPEAKER_05:
And through the Pikes Peak Community Foundation, we went through a six-month cohort where they taught us about capacity building, how to stop nonprofit leader burnout.

SPEAKER_05:
And part of this opportunity was to meet with an executive coach.

SPEAKER_05:
I have a huge passion for learning and continuing to become a better leader.

SPEAKER_05:
I feel like learning is lifelong.

SPEAKER_05:
And I was like, oh, wow, an executive coach, like I never thought that in my little world that I would be able to have that opportunity.

SPEAKER_05:
And so I jumped at it at that moment.

SPEAKER_04:
Yeah, I want to explore that a little bit more later, how the help of an executive coach does not always seem within reach with people, particularly in the nonprofit world in our experience.

SPEAKER_04:
But I want to find out a little bit more of some of the struggles that you were facing at the time.

SPEAKER_04:
So before you started working with Melissa, what would you have said were some of the biggest obstacles you were facing?

SPEAKER_04:
You mentioned burnout.

SPEAKER_04:
Was that already starting to bubble up in your life or in the in the organization?

SPEAKER_05:
Yeah, I think the life span of a nonprofit leader is like 18 months national average or something.

SPEAKER_05:
Is that right?

SPEAKER_05:
And so it's a normal thing for burnout to happen.

SPEAKER_05:
You asked me what I did and we do everything typically.

SPEAKER_05:
I was having difficulty with conversations.

SPEAKER_05:
just with my employees, difficult conversations felt so overwhelming to me.

SPEAKER_05:
I would practice them.

SPEAKER_05:
I would think about how I would say it.

SPEAKER_05:
And then after I had the conversation, I would think about it for days on end until I was like exhausted, right?

SPEAKER_05:
Why didn't I say this?

SPEAKER_05:
What could have been said better?

SPEAKER_05:
I was very harsh on myself.

SPEAKER_05:
I was having a hard time figuring out different ways to communicate with different employees.

SPEAKER_05:
Not everyone communicates or takes feedback the same way.

SPEAKER_05:
And so I was having difficulties in that.

SPEAKER_05:
area, giving of feedback was felt very shameful and I didn't want it to sell that way.

SPEAKER_05:
I always want to help people grow.

SPEAKER_05:
And so I just, you know, feeling confident was my biggest thing.

SPEAKER_05:
And Melissa was like, ah, I see that you're a pretty confident leader.

SPEAKER_05:
I just feel like there's some stocks that you are, you know, trouble getting over.

SPEAKER_05:
And so that's where I started.

SPEAKER_05:
I just felt very not confident in my ability at that time.

SPEAKER_04:
Jess, that's great.

SPEAKER_04:
Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:
And also before you started with Melissa, what at the time would you have said your vision was for Kids on Bikes?

SPEAKER_05:
I laugh now at it because it seems so simple because I've grown so much, but I just wanted to continue to grow Kids on Bikes and become a better leader.

SPEAKER_05:
And I had a sticky note that said I wanted to change the world.

SPEAKER_05:
And so somewhere like I had this vast, I can do this, but I didn't know what that looked like.

SPEAKER_05:
It was very simple.

SPEAKER_04:
Well, and nonprofit leaders like you, Jess, in our experience, have this sometimes debilitating cocktail of feeling the weight of the world because they want to solve a big problem.

SPEAKER_04:
They want to change lives.

SPEAKER_04:
And then how do you ever take a break from that?

SPEAKER_04:
How do you justify taking care of yourself or giving your team a break when there's still the problem to be solved somewhere in the world?

SPEAKER_04:
And so that can often become a beautiful recipe for burnout.

SPEAKER_04:
We see it over and over again, but also for distraction, insecurity, like you're talking about.

SPEAKER_04:
So I know a lot of our listeners, even if they're not in the nonprofit world, feel that same pressure.

SPEAKER_04:
I've got to win big for the sake of my team or for my clients or for, you know, this big under-resourced communities in the world.

SPEAKER_04:
We're only beginning to start to serve more and more nonprofits.

SPEAKER_04:
Right now, actually, we serve some of the biggest nonprofits in the world, but also really small startups.

SPEAKER_04:
In our experience, we're only really beginning to scratch the surface in the nonprofit world.

SPEAKER_04:
It may not always occur to nonprofit leaders like you that executive coaching may be a resource available to them.

SPEAKER_04:
And I'm curious if you have any insight as to why that might be the case.

SPEAKER_05:
I think a lot of time people working for the nonprofit industry, as you were saying earlier, like their sole focus is on the outside, the people that they're serving.

SPEAKER_05:
How do we make more of an impact on a regular basis?

SPEAKER_05:
And so when you think about leaders and people in the nonprofit industry, stopping and taking time for themselves and also that personal growth and spending money on that, whatever that looks like.

SPEAKER_05:
isn't really something that we think that we can offer for ourselves, right?

SPEAKER_05:
It's kind of odd because why would we do that when we could put that towards more impact in what we're doing?

SPEAKER_04:
So maybe for some leaders, it might feel like selfish.

SPEAKER_04:
And if we've got precious few resources, why would I invest that in me when there's still the big problem in the world?

SPEAKER_05:
I think that's the view that they look at.

SPEAKER_05:
And that's how I would look at it.

SPEAKER_05:
When I got the opportunity to do this, I'm like, wow, this is so outside of, I think, the norm with nonprofit, which we're

SPEAKER_05:
starting to turn that dial right that we need to look inside first so that we can have a higher impact on the outside.

SPEAKER_05:
But that's not the norm right now, but it's slowly gaining popularity.

SPEAKER_04:
Right.

SPEAKER_04:
Because what if we got leaders like you getting twice as much done in half the time with increased satisfaction?

SPEAKER_04:
I wonder if we would extend the lifespan of people leading in the nonprofit space.

SPEAKER_04:
It wouldn't be 18 months.

SPEAKER_04:
But what if a leader like you could continue to grow, create even greater impact over years, not just months?

SPEAKER_05:
Yeah, I have no doubt that digging in and taking care of themselves changes everything because I've seen it in my own life and in our own organization.

SPEAKER_05:
The burnout seems less likely and I have much more of a positive outlook because of the coaching.

SPEAKER_02:
Hi, my name is Mike Park and I'm a proud graduate of the Metta Performance Institute for Coaching.

SPEAKER_02:
The faculty of the Metta Performance Institute not only provided the training, tools, and experience to learn how to coach people toward powerful growth and thrilling results, but also advocated for that kind of growth and results in my own life.

SPEAKER_02:
unique opportunity to have world-class executive coaches invest in my development both professionally and personally.

SPEAKER_02:
It's a privilege to be part of a tribe of coaches fiercely committed to exploring what we are capable of together.

SPEAKER_02:
If you're looking to become a coach or to set up your coaching practice to reach the next level, I highly recommend the certification from the Metta Performance Institute for Coaching.

SPEAKER_02:
To fill out a free assessment of your abilities as a coach and to connect with someone to find out if the Metta Performance Institute is for you, check out www.mp.institute.

SPEAKER_04:
Melissa, I'm curious, what do you remember from your very first interactions with Jess?

SPEAKER_04:
What did you notice?

SPEAKER_04:
What got you curious about the idea of maybe working with her?

SPEAKER_06:
Yeah, well, I have to say that one of the things I noticed about Jess when we first connected was she was really hungry for growth.

SPEAKER_06:
Like she was really and not just like lip service, like you could see she was very interested in like, how do I get to be better as a leader?

SPEAKER_06:
And one of the things I love about working in a nonprofit space is the fact the impact

SPEAKER_06:
is the leadership in the organization and the organization and then the people they serve.

SPEAKER_06:
So there's this beautiful ripple effect that happens when we get to do work with nonprofits.

SPEAKER_06:
So when Jess came in, you could tell that she had a heart not only for her organization, but also for her community.

SPEAKER_06:
And she was really eager to continue to develop as a leader.

SPEAKER_04:
Jess, what do you remember about what you were working through with Melissa when you finally got started in the work?

SPEAKER_04:
You're partnering with an executive coach.

SPEAKER_04:
In those first few months, you got a clear vision and you start muscling through some of, I don't know, setbacks, obstacles, mindsets.

SPEAKER_04:
What do you remember from those first few sessions, first couple of months?

SPEAKER_05:
In our very first session, Melissa goes, Hey, what's your five-year plan?

SPEAKER_05:
What's your goal?

SPEAKER_05:
What does that look at?

SPEAKER_05:
Like, and so I, I set out this like perfectly laid plan of my life plan for the next five years.

SPEAKER_05:
And then she goes, well, let's do that in two years or less.

SPEAKER_05:
And I just like, mind blown.

SPEAKER_05:
I'm like, no, Melissa, you don't understand.

SPEAKER_05:
Like, that's my life plan.

SPEAKER_05:
We can't interrupt that.

SPEAKER_05:
And she's like, no, but just think about that.

SPEAKER_05:
And I was, it literally blew me away.

SPEAKER_05:
I'm like, I went home.

SPEAKER_05:
I'm like, this woman's crazy.

SPEAKER_05:
Like she's thinking that I can do all of this stuff so quickly, but I had no idea what was going to happen during those moments to believe in myself that that could possibly happen.

SPEAKER_05:
Right.

SPEAKER_06:
I would say too, like, what's funny is that now you're looking back at what your outcomes were.

SPEAKER_06:
And I said, what about that in two years?

SPEAKER_06:
You're like, oh, my gosh, no way.

SPEAKER_06:
And even looking at the things that have transpired, I'm like, yeah.

SPEAKER_06:
Now, how do those outcomes occur to you now?

SPEAKER_06:
You say, oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_06:
Like, how would those occur to you at this point?

SPEAKER_04:
Yeah, so when you're thinking about some big vision, or at least what seemed to be a very big vision when you first got started, and then somebody suggests the possibility that what if you get there in half the time or a quarter of the time, like what kind of stuff was coming up for you just to even explore that possibility?

SPEAKER_05:
Again, that confidence of that I could actually make something happen.

SPEAKER_05:
I don't have enough time in the day.

SPEAKER_05:
I don't have enough days in the week to actually accomplish what she's saying that I possibly could.

SPEAKER_05:
Right.

SPEAKER_05:
But then we started talking about assignments and books to read and podcasts to listen to all the things that could possibly make an impact on what I was doing currently.

SPEAKER_05:
So I dug in deep and I listened to every podcast and I listened or read every book that she asked me to read.

SPEAKER_05:
And then I asked her if she was like having a conversation on the side with my therapist, because she would bring up these moments and it really is, it's like a very personal journey to the fact that there are some stucks for you personally, from your background, from the life that you, you know, trauma, all of that is also part of the stuff that you have to work through to get through those stucks.

SPEAKER_05:
And so she would bring up wonderful ideas and conversations to have that were really tough, but we worked through those and we talked about.

SPEAKER_05:
you know, the tools that I can use in those moments, a lot of the things were about being curious instead of assumptives in every area of my life, personally and professionally.

SPEAKER_05:
And so we set a calendar notification every single day to remind me to be curious.

SPEAKER_05:
And we did it for like six weeks.

SPEAKER_05:
So every day I was curious instead of assumptive about anything that came across during that day, during that week.

SPEAKER_05:
It also changed.

SPEAKER_05:
Just the way I look at things when things came across my email or personal conversations or professional conversations, my reactions changed immensely.

SPEAKER_05:
Instead of feeling very emotional in the moment, I was curious.

SPEAKER_05:
So what is this person trying to convey to me?

SPEAKER_06:
Yeah, I would say that's probably one of the things that was most, I think that really helped Jess's growth is that she did, like she took that on that assignment and she's like, I wonder if I'm just curious about how things are occurring to me.

SPEAKER_06:
And her curiosity is really what helped like really strengthen her growth mindset.

SPEAKER_06:
Right.

SPEAKER_06:
So she was not only eager to grow, but then she was willing to step into those places and to stop making assumptions about her own stories that she's making up and then

SPEAKER_06:
to get curious about what other people's stories might be about things.

SPEAKER_06:
And I know that when she did that process of reflecting every day around, what am I making up?

SPEAKER_06:
What is the story I'm making up?

SPEAKER_06:
How can I stay curious here?

SPEAKER_06:
It was really transformative for her and then how she got to step back into organization as a leader.

SPEAKER_04:
You know, one of the things that we'll often say with teams that we work with, nonprofit, for-profit leaders that we work with like you, Jess, is if you're coming in with the fear that what you get out of executive coaching is that I'm going to do more things, like I got to do more things, then that is a recipe for disaster because you're already maybe feeling some of the burnout, you're fraying at the edges already.

SPEAKER_04:
So rather than doing more things, we want to step back and approach a different way of doing all things that you might already be doing or how you're showing up or how you're selecting those things that you actually give your energy to.

SPEAKER_04:
Is there any more before and afters for you just that you can remember in terms of how you used to do something before and now this is how I'm learning to do it as I move forward?

SPEAKER_05:
There are several key points that we had conversations about integrity and holding each other in integrity.

SPEAKER_05:
And it's there's a podcast that you guys have put out that explains that, but it's holding people to do what they say they're going to do.

SPEAKER_05:
There's a lot of great information and it changed my way of looking at that.

SPEAKER_05:
And also with my employees, the thought of gifting feedback.

SPEAKER_05:
Instead of giving feedback which i everyone takes a double take when they see gift of feedback and like did you read that round no that is exactly what i mean i don't want it to be.

SPEAKER_05:
A negative thing like i'm here to help support everyone grow they're here to help me grow and so please give me with feedback so we can all become better at what we do.

SPEAKER_05:
We talked about creating agreements instead of expectations.

SPEAKER_05:
And then the most important thing that she taught me that I've really run with is creating a vision, a strong vision, and then also getting the vision of each of my employees.

SPEAKER_05:
And that was a huge.

SPEAKER_05:
question moment and also a huge aha moment.

SPEAKER_05:
I'm like, you want me to know the vision of every single one of my employees.

SPEAKER_05:
And I don't have a huge organization, but I was thinking about, well, other people in huge organizations and how does that work for them?

SPEAKER_05:
And she's like, yes, you have no idea.

SPEAKER_05:
the goals of your employees and where they're headed until you know what their vision is.

SPEAKER_05:
And so I wrote my vision and then I sent it to all of my employees and I said, hey, this is something new that we're going to start working on because I want to gift you with feedback.

SPEAKER_05:
I want you to gift me with feedback.

SPEAKER_05:
I want to talk about what your goals are personally and professionally and how I can support you in continuously moving towards that vision.

SPEAKER_06:
Yeah, and that conversation really came out because Jess was so willing to step into the feedback conversation with her employees.

SPEAKER_06:
And she was like, I don't know how to give them feedback.

SPEAKER_06:
And I said, because you don't know what their vision is.

SPEAKER_06:
And we talked about how she wanted to be for her employees.

SPEAKER_06:
And that sort of created this beautiful moment for her to get clear about what their vision was, how she could support them and step into that with them in giving them feedback.

SPEAKER_06:
And then she

SPEAKER_06:
created space for her team to give her feedback when they understood what her vision was.

SPEAKER_06:
And this, I think, was really, really clarifying and powerful for her to know what her team was up to and how she could be for them and for them to know what she was up to and how they could also be for her in that space.

SPEAKER_04:
Jess, I'm curious, as you were getting clear on the vision for each of your team members, were there any surprises like, oh, my goodness, I didn't know that about you or I didn't know that that was something that you wanted or, you know, something that you were dreaming about?

SPEAKER_05:
A little bit.

SPEAKER_05:
We spend a lot of time to hire very slowly and get the right people in the right positions.

SPEAKER_05:
And so a lot of that information had already kind of been bubbled to the surface and talked about.

SPEAKER_05:
And then some of them were completely taken aback.

SPEAKER_05:
Like, I don't even know what I'm going to do tomorrow.

SPEAKER_05:
How am I supposed to, you know, and so you look at this young 20 year old employee and go, well, I get it because I don't know if I could have had like a little bit of direction at that age, but give me something.

SPEAKER_05:
What's your next step?

SPEAKER_05:
What does that look like?

SPEAKER_05:
How can I help you feed into that next step?

SPEAKER_05:
It may be really simple, right?

SPEAKER_05:
But I think that was the funniest part is that some people are just like blown away.

SPEAKER_05:
Like, what am I going to do tomorrow?

SPEAKER_05:
I don't know.

SPEAKER_04:
Yeah, and then giving them an opportunity to begin imagining what a big picture of the future could look like is such a resource for today that really does or can help us to identify, well, what must I do today if that's what I'm up to in the world?

SPEAKER_04:
And what can I say no to?

SPEAKER_04:
What a gift that can be for our teams and for us as leaders.

SPEAKER_04:
What now am I equipped to say no to more decisively because I have a clear picture of the future?

SPEAKER_04:
Now, it's one thing to talk about a big vision and to talk about mindsets and limiting beliefs and new techniques, but I got to know if any of it paid off.

SPEAKER_04:
Like, did we see any results?

SPEAKER_04:
Did you find that you were able to make a greater impact because of some of the work that you're doing with Melissa?

SPEAKER_05:
I have to tell you that this completely changed my life.

SPEAKER_05:
It is not like everything personally and professionally.

SPEAKER_05:
My director has said that he has seen changes in my confidence.

SPEAKER_05:
He feels more confident in me and how I'm leading and how I'm running the organization.

SPEAKER_05:
And I feel so much more grounded in my personal and professional life.

SPEAKER_05:
But that's not it.

SPEAKER_05:
My connection with my staff has changed immensely.

SPEAKER_05:
We have this wonderful atmosphere at work.

SPEAKER_05:
It's incredible.

SPEAKER_05:
People should be jealous of it.

SPEAKER_05:
Our new employees come in and they're like, I seriously get to work here.

SPEAKER_05:
And you're asking me about self-care, how I take care of myself.

SPEAKER_05:
Everybody's always asked me to just do more, do more for the organization.

SPEAKER_05:
How much more output can you have?

SPEAKER_05:
And so each of us having our vision, having these open conversations that are honest,

SPEAKER_05:
They also know that I'm their biggest cheerleader and they tell me that and they know that I respect them, but I also am going to hold them into integrity in the same way that they would hold me.

SPEAKER_05:
Right.

SPEAKER_05:
We're all human and I am their manager.

SPEAKER_05:
I am their leader, but I'm also no more special than they are.

SPEAKER_05:
Right.

SPEAKER_05:
We're all just this wonderful, magnetic, fantastic team.

SPEAKER_04:
Well, I got to know some more of like the ideas, the stuff that you try.

SPEAKER_04:
Like if I was if I got the privilege of getting to work with kids on bikes, like I just start on the team.

SPEAKER_04:
Like, what are some of the things that you've now implemented that celebrate the margin and a healthy pace and the mission?

SPEAKER_04:
Like, how are you nurturing this culture on your team?

SPEAKER_05:
We first require four hours of self-care time a month.

SPEAKER_05:
I don't care how you use it, but it's paid.

SPEAKER_05:
I want you to go take care of yourself.

SPEAKER_05:
I want you to go ride your bike.

SPEAKER_05:
That's the number.

SPEAKER_05:
Of course, that's the number one thing we say, but whatever that looks like to you, go get a massage, go walk outside, go spend time with your family members, your partners, your kids, anything that, you know, brings you joy and kind of lets you fill that bucket.

SPEAKER_05:
So that's number one.

SPEAKER_05:
We also do team building exercises or days where we've gone whitewater rafting together.

SPEAKER_05:
We go on ski trips up to Monarch Ski Mountain, and then we want to have staff meetings on the bikes.

SPEAKER_05:
It's not always, doesn't always have to be a rigid, serious place, right?

SPEAKER_05:
We can kind of bring in the joy and the fun to our normal existence and our normal work life.

SPEAKER_05:
And I think that impacts everyone and changes the way that you look at work like you want to come to work doesn't everyone want to say I enjoy going to work I love what we're doing and I think because our staff is so full of that energy and that positive.

SPEAKER_05:
feedback and all of that, that it overflows into those that we are serving.

SPEAKER_05:
And so not only did it impact my staff personally and the way that everything flows, but our vision is directly overflowing in that atmosphere into our programs, into the people that work with us in the community partners.

SPEAKER_05:
They see that and they're like, wow, what are they doing every day to create this energy and excitement for what they do?

SPEAKER_05:
And how are they not burning out?

SPEAKER_05:
And how are they still showing up every day?

SPEAKER_05:
with all that they have, and it's incredible.

SPEAKER_06:
One of the things that Jess and I got to explore was the mindset around nonprofits in particular and lack of resources, right?

SPEAKER_06:
So we sort of enter into this mindset, oh, it's a nonprofit, so there's a lack of resources.

SPEAKER_06:
And we just really press into that.

SPEAKER_06:
And I'm like, well, what if that's not true?

SPEAKER_06:
Like, what if there is plenty of resource out there?

SPEAKER_06:
And it turns out there is plenty of resource out there.

SPEAKER_06:
And when you when you assume that you're going to step into and find those places instead of operating from a scarcity to mindset, it really changes how you approach everything, even how you're expecting budget intake, fundraising and how your work in the community is impacted by your belief that your employees can be well resourced and your organization can be well resourced.

SPEAKER_06:
And that mindset.

SPEAKER_06:
So when you are operating from the mindset that there

SPEAKER_06:
is a resource for you, for your organization and the work that you want to do.

SPEAKER_06:
There's really some extraordinary things that can happen.

SPEAKER_06:
And Jess, I'd love for you to share the story about what happened in your organization.

SPEAKER_05:
Yes, we were awarded our largest grant thus far, which is $100,000.

SPEAKER_05:
It was given to us from the Why Not Me Foundation, which is Sierra, the singer, and Russell Wilson, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

SPEAKER_05:
It was an application that we had put in through a local, Centura, which is a local hospital

SPEAKER_05:
System and they put ours to the side because it was such a wonderful application and we were able to be chosen by these fantastic you know superstars but they really believed in what we did and like melissa said what we're doing inside is overflowing and showing in our grant applications and our staff everything.

SPEAKER_03:
What if one call could change what you once thought was impossible into a reality?

SPEAKER_03:
Novus Global is offering you an exploration call with one of their world-class coaches to explore what you as a leader and your team are capable of.

SPEAKER_03:
Novus Global is an elite executive coaching firm that works with multi-billion dollar companies, professional athletes, nonprofit leaders, and faith in government, all to create teams, companies, and communities that go beyond high performance.

SPEAKER_03:
Book your call right now.

SPEAKER_03:
Just go to novice.global forward slash now.

SPEAKER_04:
Jess, I've heard the impact that this has had on kids on bikes and on your team, and by extension, the impact this is having the lives of kids in your community.

SPEAKER_04:
I'm curious, to what degree has this had an effect on you personally?

SPEAKER_05:
Personally, it, like I said earlier, it's changed my life, but it's also impacted me in a way to kind of change my trajectory for that five year plan that I had started with.

SPEAKER_05:
I was so overwhelmingly.

SPEAKER_05:
Changed by coaching that it has caused me to have a desire to become a coach also because of the impact it has had on me Personally, I want to be able to share what Melissa did for me.

SPEAKER_05:
I want to learn more because that continuous learning I want to become a coach so that I can help people that are in my position get their stuck figure out

SPEAKER_05:
where they're missing something or just, you know, come alongside them and help list them up.

SPEAKER_05:
And that's something that has completely surprised me, but it also has become something that I want to put in that like quicker, like two year plan or less for that.

SPEAKER_04:
Well, in some ways, it doesn't surprise us because when we look at a leader like you, Jess, and we see you obviously are somebody who wants to pour out your life, your talent, your attention to impact other people's lives.

SPEAKER_04:
And not that executive coaching is the only way that that happens.

SPEAKER_04:
But when you're exposed to, oh, this is one way that that can happen powerfully.

SPEAKER_04:
Again, it's not surprising that that might be of interest to you because you have a desire, a motivation to see the world changed because you are in it.

SPEAKER_05:
Uh, yeah.

SPEAKER_05:
And that was another thing like Melissa, you know, when she said that there are options out there for you, you just need to ask and work towards that.

SPEAKER_05:
And so my mind has completely started rolling and you know, how can I become that person?

SPEAKER_05:
Because I was so inspired on how she's changed my life is how I can.

SPEAKER_05:
impact people even around me in the local community.

SPEAKER_05:
I saw a TED Talk once that this gentleman said, part of leadership is when someone comes in contact with you, walks up and talks to you in a group or pulls you aside, you want them to leave changed because they had an interaction with you.

SPEAKER_05:
You want them to feel like, wow, she spoke so kindly, had so much respect for me, and I walked away feeling better.

SPEAKER_05:
I want that to be a consistent

SPEAKER_05:
thing that happens in my life.

SPEAKER_05:
I want people to come up to me, whether it's on the street or at a meeting that we have.

SPEAKER_05:
And I want them to feel that I really deeply care about them.

SPEAKER_05:
I respect them and I want the best for them.

SPEAKER_05:
And that's with my staff.

SPEAKER_05:
That's with my family.

SPEAKER_05:
That's with anybody.

SPEAKER_05:
I want them to be able to be the best person that they can possibly be.

SPEAKER_04:
just whether this would occur to you or not, your presence on this podcast is going to have that effect on somebody.

SPEAKER_04:
Just based on feedback that we've gotten from these conversations, there is a leader out there who feels like their present is your past.

SPEAKER_04:
So by you sharing what you're currently getting to experience and the life that you're now getting to live and the dreams you have for the future gives that person hope that their present doesn't have to be there forever.

SPEAKER_04:
So thank you for having that impact on us.

SPEAKER_04:
And what probably goes without saying is your ability to increase how much funding is accessible to you and how healthy your team is and how long they stay on the job means that more and more kids' lives are being affected because of that.

SPEAKER_05:
That is correct.

SPEAKER_05:
The more that we can create capacity, less burnout.

SPEAKER_05:
People that want to come work for our organization because of what we do and because of how we treat our employees.

SPEAKER_05:
I think that impact can continually overflow into those that we serve.

SPEAKER_05:
They can feel our greatest strengths are to help them with their health and their well-being.

SPEAKER_05:
And we use the bikes, which is just a really fun avenue.

SPEAKER_04:
Jess, I need your help.

SPEAKER_04:
I think that we in Novus Global, as Meta Performance coaches, but I think generally speaking, executive coaches who want to see the world change and lives impacted, I think we could do a better job letting nonprofit leaders like you know that help is available through coaching.

SPEAKER_04:
Now, you won't hurt our feelings, but we want some feedback, the gift of feedback.

SPEAKER_04:
How could we do a better job of introducing the idea of this work to people?

SPEAKER_04:
Are there talking points that maybe you would suggest that we bring up more often in conversations?

SPEAKER_04:
Are there messages that nonprofit leaders need to hear so that it demystifies what this is for them and maybe lets them know that this is something that's a resource to them?

SPEAKER_05:
You know, I wasn't even sure that coaching was accessible to me.

SPEAKER_05:
And then when you're working with a nonprofit sector, you don't always get the most glamorous opportunities.

SPEAKER_05:
You don't always allow yourself to focus to become better.

SPEAKER_05:
If something comes up and it's easy, that it seems like it would be okay for the organization, I think that they jump on that.

SPEAKER_05:
If they could see the results,

SPEAKER_05:
of how that impact of the internal change can impact those that they serve.

SPEAKER_05:
I think that it would be more of a something that they could look at.

SPEAKER_05:
I think more voices need to be heard about executive coaching and how it can actually change everything internally and overflow externally to those you serve.

SPEAKER_05:
You can become a better organization.

SPEAKER_05:
You can have more capacity.

SPEAKER_05:
You have less burnout.

SPEAKER_05:
And I think burnout is a big word that we use a lot, but I think that's overused in the

SPEAKER_05:
nonprofit sector and finding different ways to hit where it will have more of an impact on those.

SPEAKER_05:
It's also scary for people personally to open up the door to working with an executive coach.

SPEAKER_05:
There's a lot of work involved.

SPEAKER_05:
I mean, there is a lot of work involved with it.

SPEAKER_05:
And then you're also very vulnerable during that time because you're looking inside.

SPEAKER_05:
And so you have to be ready for that hard work also.

SPEAKER_05:
It's rewarding and it's worth it.

SPEAKER_05:
But I think that's the best way that I can help you look at it.

SPEAKER_04:
Well, thank you for caring enough about us to give us some feedback.

SPEAKER_04:
Melissa, I'd love for you to chime in here to the leader out there.

SPEAKER_04:
Melissa, I want you to speak to the leader, the leaders that are listening.

SPEAKER_04:
And they might be just leading in their families or not just.

SPEAKER_04:
That's a massive responsibility.

SPEAKER_04:
They could be leading on a team.

SPEAKER_04:
They could be leading nonprofit, for profit.

SPEAKER_04:
the leader that is feeling how Jess used to feel.

SPEAKER_04:
Do you have any final encouragements for them or invitations for them as they consider, is hope available for me?

SPEAKER_04:
Is there a better way to do this thing?

SPEAKER_04:
What you say to them?

SPEAKER_06:
Yeah, I think what's interesting is oftentimes we aren't even aware of what we have access to.

SPEAKER_06:
Like Jess was saying, you know, the mindset around like, this isn't for me.

SPEAKER_06:
And I would say that that is a lie, right?

SPEAKER_06:
You don't really know what's accessible for you until you align it to a vision.

SPEAKER_06:
If you want something in your life that you can't figure out how to get to, understand that there are resources available in the world, in your world.

SPEAKER_06:
People, you can make bold and clear requests of like, hey, I would love some support or I don't know how to get to this thing.

SPEAKER_06:
As Jess said, she was feeling stuck and she wasn't, couldn't get around herself in some of those ways.

SPEAKER_06:
So I would say for anybody who's feeling frustration or you're feeling, you're hearing yourself complain about things in your life where that's personal or professional, and there's just that feeling in your gut that something should be different, something can change.

SPEAKER_06:
I'm going to just encourage you to get clear about what it is you want.

SPEAKER_06:
like to just kind of clear out the cobwebs of like, if I was really sober-minded about what I'm up to in the world, what I want for my family, what I want for my organization, what I want for myself, the kind of person that I want to be in the world, know that there's resource available.

SPEAKER_06:
And once you get clear on where you're going, you can take a step back and really think about, oh, well, what's the first step there?

SPEAKER_06:
Who can I ask?

SPEAKER_06:
What can I request for in my life?

SPEAKER_06:
Can I get coaching?

SPEAKER_06:
Can I get mentorship?

SPEAKER_06:
What resources might be available for me?

SPEAKER_06:
So if you start from the standpoint of, there is a resource available to me, and go from there, you might be very surprised at what opens up in the world.

SPEAKER_04:
Melissa, I want to give you some space here to acknowledge Jess.

SPEAKER_04:
So take your time, and I would love for you to share with Jess any acknowledgments that you have for her.

SPEAKER_06:
Oh my goodness, Jess, I would just tell you that what a tremendous privilege it has been to walk alongside you.

SPEAKER_06:
And in looking at some of our session notes in preparation for our podcast today, and noticing as you came into the conversation, you were hungry and you were eager.

SPEAKER_06:
Over the course of a conversation or two, it shifted into massive curiosity of like, what am I not seeing?

SPEAKER_06:
What's available to me?

SPEAKER_06:
And with that curiosity, you started to ask questions around, how do I want to show up in this space as a leader?

SPEAKER_06:
How do I want to show up with my team?

SPEAKER_06:
I remember our first conversation, you said, I lack confidence.

SPEAKER_06:
I was like, I'm pretty sure that's bullshit.

SPEAKER_06:
If you don't strike me as a leader that lacks confidence, Doug, well, I'm new in this role.

SPEAKER_06:
And we started, we kind of parsed it down to what it is, is that when you show up in the different spaces that you're in, that there is a sense for you of like, you want to be liked or you want.

SPEAKER_06:
as some things to go a particular way.

SPEAKER_06:
And when we could sort of clear away some of that, and you were so willing to engage in that space of like, Oh, I see how this belief about how I'm showing up is literally getting in my way of my vision to be a powerful leader.

SPEAKER_06:
And that is not serving my organization is not serving my team.

SPEAKER_06:
So you are so willing to get curious and to be wrong about some of the stories you were telling yourself.

SPEAKER_06:
And I think that is what has really engaged this transformation for you as a leader and then also for you as a human.

SPEAKER_06:
Have you examined the things, how things are going on in your life and you just take a pause and you're like, wait a minute, let me get curious, right?

SPEAKER_06:
And so I think for you, I've watched you step away from perfectionism running you.

SPEAKER_06:
I watched you step away from caring, you know, not caring when people think, but really being sober minded about why is this,

SPEAKER_06:
driving me, what this person's opinion of me.

SPEAKER_06:
And I watched it free you up to really step forward and to love and care and serve people in a tremendous way.

SPEAKER_06:
I'm so proud of you.

SPEAKER_05:
Thank you.

SPEAKER_05:
Do you receive it?

SPEAKER_05:
Oh, I absolutely do.

SPEAKER_05:
She's changed the way I look at everything.

SPEAKER_05:
And it's just been so wonderful.

SPEAKER_05:
Melissa has given me a gift that that's just changed everything in my life.

SPEAKER_05:
So I really appreciate her.

SPEAKER_06:
You did the work.

SPEAKER_06:
I received that, but I would tell you people are different levels of coachable.

SPEAKER_06:
Like I coach a lot of different kind of leaders and there's different degrees of people been willing to step into the work.

SPEAKER_06:
And you were willing to step into it with a vulnerability and a curiosity that I think has clearly served you and serve your organization and the people you get to impact.

SPEAKER_06:
So I would say that, yes, I receive the impact I have on you, but I also want to acknowledge you for the fact that you ran into it with such courage and such bravery.

SPEAKER_06:
And I think that's tremendous.

SPEAKER_04:
Well, I hate to break in on the acknowledgment fest here.

SPEAKER_04:
I know.

SPEAKER_04:
But I'm going to close this up here by just saying, Jess, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_04:
Melissa, thank you so much, not just for

SPEAKER_04:
showing up and giving us some time today to tell us about your life and tell us about your work and tell us about how things have been changing over the last few months.

SPEAKER_04:
But by being a force for nobility in the world, for not wanting to go it alone, for not believing, at least not all the time, that you have to do it alone,

SPEAKER_04:
By bringing people along to change the lives of so many, I know that you're just getting started.

SPEAKER_04:
And I know that you've inspired so many of us today.

SPEAKER_04:
So Jess, Melissa, thank you both so much for being on the show today.

SPEAKER_05:
Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00:
All right, we have a few more things to let you know about before we go.

SPEAKER_00:
First, podcast reviews really help us serve more people.

SPEAKER_00:
So if this podcast is helpful for you, we'd love your help to get it into as many leaders' hands as possible.

SPEAKER_00:
Please leave us a review, even if it's not five stars.

SPEAKER_00:
And if you really want to go the extra mile, let us know what you'd like to hear more of or what you think we could do better to serve you and the people you care about.

SPEAKER_00:
Okay, second, we have more resources for you online and they're all free.

SPEAKER_00:
We have free assessments, educational videos, articles from sources like Fast Company, written by our coaches and clients, all designed to help you use our tools in your everyday life and leadership.

SPEAKER_00:
To dive into the free treasure trove of goodies we have for you, go to novus.global and then click on resources.

SPEAKER_00:
Some of you have been listening for a while and you haven't yet taken that next step to hire a coach.

SPEAKER_00:
This is your time.

SPEAKER_00:
I can't tell you how often I've heard from clients around the world that they wish they would have talked to us sooner.

SPEAKER_00:
If you have a sense that you're capable of more, we would be thrilled to explore what coaching could do for you and those you influence.

SPEAKER_00:
Simply email us at begin at novus.global or click the link in the show notes.

SPEAKER_00:
You also might be listening to this thinking,

SPEAKER_00:
Maybe you want to be a coach, or maybe you already are and you have a vision to build a six or seven-figure practice coaching people you love in a way that brings life to you and your clients.

SPEAKER_00:
Well, that's why we created the Metta Performance Institute for Coaching.

SPEAKER_00:
It is an in-depth coaching apprenticeship designed to help you create the coaching practice of your dreams.

SPEAKER_00:
The first step in exploring that is simple.

SPEAKER_00:
Just go to www.mp.institute.

SPEAKER_00:
There we have free assessments to help you see what kind of training you need to create the coaching practice the way our coaches do at Novus Global.

SPEAKER_00:
And finally, and for some of you, this will be the most important part.

SPEAKER_00:
This podcast was produced by Rainbow Creative with Matthew Jones as senior producer, Steven Selnick as producer, and editors and auto engineers, Drew McPowell and Jeremy Davidson.

SPEAKER_00:
We love working with this team.

SPEAKER_00:
To find out more about how to create a podcast for you and your business, check them out at rainbowcreative.co.

SPEAKER_00:
Thank you so much for listening.

SPEAKER_00:
We love making these for you.

SPEAKER_00:
And remember, dare to go beyond high performance.