In a world filled with challenges and crises, our collective wellness faces a daunting test. The relentless exposure to negative news often leaves us emotionally adrift—caught in a whirlwind of sadness, frustration, and anger. With each passing day, hope seems to slip away.But amidst this storm, psychologists help us identify a lifeline that we easily overlook: gratitude. It’s a simple yet profound remedy—one that can elevate our spirits and reshape our outlook. Not only feeling grateful but also expressing it to others can work wonders.As we approach this special time of year, let’s allow it to rekindle our sense of gratitude and thanksgiving. Join me on this podcast as we explore the transformative power of embracing gratitude and expressing it to our loved ones. Together, we’ll discover how a small act of appreciation can ripple through our lives and others, bringing warmth and connection.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Who am I?” Or has someone else asked you, “Who are you really?” Many people are pondering this question, and some are struggling to answer this fundamental question of their existence. It’s a question that begs the person asking, “Do I really understand myself?” Sometimes we do, but many times we don’t, and we need help to discover who we are.Think about the opportunities lost, conflicts created, and relationships that fell apart all because we didn’t take the time to “know thyself.” This is crucial to being the best person we can be at home, on the job, or in the office. Yet we don’t take courses at school or get provided with a textbook of ourselves to help us with this lifetime subject.In our next podcast, we’re going to explore how to better understand who we are. I have Jeff Harnois as our coach in this corner, who will be bringing his expertise to this topic and show us the tools out there for this discovery. Let’s check it out.Jeff Harnois, CEO of iBridged is passionate about helping people and teams reach new heights in performance and relationships. With a focus on understanding “current state” using key diagnostics like MBTI and Everything DiSC , Jeff and his team gain deep and actionable insights for clients.  These insights often lead to significant improvements in communication, connection and confidence with both individuals and teams alike.Clients enjoy improvements in executive level communications, executive presence, leadership development and team development with an emphasis on understanding their natural superpowers along with potential blind spots.  Clients repeatedly report higher levels of communication effectiveness coupled with deeper, more meaningful connections with colleagues, friends and family!     Jeff has enjoyed many rewarding and successful career opportunities from Fortune 50 companies to living the start-up experience, multiple times. Working with companies like: Apple, Inc., Hewlett Packard, AT&T, Microsoft and Bank of America have given Jeff a unique perspective that add rich experiences to share and leverage with clients.Jeff is a graduate of the University of San Francisco’s School of Management, earning a Master of Science degree in Organizational Development. Additionally, Jeff is a certified practitioner of the Everything DiSC and The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team along with Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.Jeff loves to volunteer in his community as well. He is the former VP of Football Operations, Head Coach for PeeWee football and PeeWee cheer-leading for the Police Athletic League in Campbell, Ca. He also volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, Second Harvest Food Bank and serves as the former President of the Bay Area Alumni Association.In his free time, Jeff enjoys trail and motocross riding on his Yamaha WR 450, weight training and golf. Jeff is at an expert level on Xbox…To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

In these polarizing times, corporate leaders, especially executives, are expected to navigate tough conversations where they must be truthful, integral, compassionate, and wise all at once. It’s not an easy tension, and leaders are showing how much coaching they need to balance the forces in this four-point shape. They must figure out how they can create a space of understanding where their staff may not all agree but can agree to disagree agreeably.It is critical for leaders to create this space. It is also critical for leaders to have this skill. Otherwise, workplace incivility will take over workplace productivity. As a leader, you can learn how to create a space where courageous conversations can happen without being perceived as taking polarizing sides. Join me to know how in 7 key steps.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

When was the last time you celebrated the process of change? Feeling the rhythm and joys of change is not something most people think about. Many times, moving through change brings frustration, impatience, and stress. People often curse the change taking place. But what if we embraced change? What if we had a mindset that sees change as an opportunity to thrive, not just survive? Where would it take us? Where would it take you in your career and life?This mindset can help you navigate through the discomfort of unfamiliar situations and help you grow in your career and life. In fact, one of the most common unconscious mindsets is that “change is temporary; this will pass” but when you see something as temporary, you tend to cope with it instead of accepting and embracing it. The reality is that change is a constant, and you’ll need to navigate it.In this podcast, we’re going to explore how to embrace moving through change with peace and joy. I have in my corner as coach, Tajé McIntosh, who will be bringing her expertise to this topic.Tajé McIntosh is the co-founder of RenewIQ Consulting and the Director of Client Delivery at Pearl Operational Design. She is an organizational culture and change management champion, who works diligently to help organizations improve operational processes. She works with clients to ensure transformations (whether culture, process, or systems) are adopted in a way that puts people first.When she’s not busy working with clients to transform their organizations, she is spending time with her family and giving back to the community. Her strong desire to serve has led her to work with many different grassroots, established community groups and non-profit organizations over the last 25 years – in service to youth and marginalized people.  To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

Many people suffer from the pain of regret, which may be more intense than the pain of failure. Regret leaves us wondering what could have been, while failure gives us a clear answer. We can move on from failure, but not from regret. The ghost of regret haunts many of us as we march toward the end of our lives. It whispers to us: “If only you had more courage, if only you took some risks, things would be different now.” But we can’t change the past, we can only shape the future. And to do that, we need to have guts and take the right risks.That’s what this podcast is about: No Guts No Glory – The Courageous Art of Making the Right Risks. We will explore the opportunities that we miss because of fear, and how we can build artful skills to overcome it. We will learn how to find the guts to pursue our purpose and achieve our goals. We will discover the glory of shining our light in this world. Join us as we talk about finding guts to experience glory in our lives.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

Have you ever faced a change that turned your life upside down? Maybe you lost your job, moved to a new country, got divorced or even lost a loved one. How did you cope with such a heavy change? Did you learn to embrace it or … resist it?In this fast-changing world, we are constantly faced with changes that challenge us in fundamental ways. However, not all changes are bad. Some changes can open up new opportunities, perspectives, and growth. Therefore, it is important to learn how to cope with heavy change and turn it into a positive force in our lives.In this podcast, I will share with you some of the challenges of change and some innovative strategies for coping and thriving. You will hear my insights through the voice of experts who understand heavy changes and learned valuable lessons from them. You will also get practical tips and tools to help you deal with any change that comes your way.If you want to learn more about how to cope with heavy change, tune in to my podcast “Oh No - How to Cope with Heavy Change” or visit my LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/. Let’s not just survive, but thrive through the heavy change.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

Are you tired of dealing with challenging people? We’ve all had our fair share of encounters with difficult individuals, and it’s completely normal to feel frustrated when we can’t seem to connect with them. But what if we could shift our mindset and see these people not as problems to be solved, but as complex individuals to be appreciated? How would that change the way we feel about them?Join me on my podcast as we explore the difference between a complex person vs. a complicated person, and discover the steps to unknotting the difference and maintaining the relationship. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to transform your interactions with challenging people!To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

Groupthink can have a significant impact on our behavior at home, in public, and in the office. It can cause people to ignore important information and ultimately lead to poor decisions. This can be damaging even in minor situations but can have much more dire consequences in certain settings. For example, in schools, the workplace or religious settings, groupthink can lead groups to ignore ethics or morals, prioritize one specific goal while ignoring countless collateral consequences, or, at worst, instigate serious harm or even death.To disrupt groupthink, there are several steps or techniques that can be employed. What are those steps? Well join me on this podcast as we figure out how not to get lulled into groupthink. We’ll explore ways to disrupt groupthink and avoid its negative consequences. Together, we can learn how to make better decisions and avoid being sunk by groupthink.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

Many people are learning about increasing their IQ (intelligent quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient) but many are not increasing their CQ (cultural quotient), which is their ability to connect with people who are more culturally distant from us. There is a greater need for people to get along with those who are different from us. The words of the late Stephen Covey, “Seek first to understand then to be understood,” becomes more critical to avoid continual misunderstanding that can lead to interpersonal conflict at home, intergroup conflict at work and even international conflict abroad.Today, interactions between countries spanning the distance of oceans seem like merely a block away. Although commercially the world has become increasingly smaller with technology, culturally many act as if they are planets away. This means the more multicultural, multiethnic, and multiracial that we become as a society, there is a greater need for people to become knowledgeable about each other’s cultural background to be successful together.Join this podcast as we talk about taking our CQ to build our strength to understand each other’s culture.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

The world can be a cold place for many days. It only becomes colder when we lack kindness to each other. We forget that kindness is that bit of heavenly sweetness which can really make a person’s day (and ours too). Kindness can be a part of the solution in our conflicts with each other, especially on social media. Unfortunately, we’ve forgotten what kindness looks like.As our culture struggles about the values that matter to one another, one thing is evident. We believe kindness is still important. However, we don’t always put it into practice during conflict. And even beyond the conflict, many of us still don’t put kindness into practice when others who disagree with us most need it. In this podcast, we’re going back to basics and talking about kindness. So, we’re able to extend and have a cup of coffee with each other—sweetened with a bit of kindness. You’ll leave this podcast knowing some more ways in which you can offer that cup of kindness, with some sweetness, to friends and strangers alike.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

The art of giving feedback is a skill that many learn to do, especially those who are managers. However, the reverse is not true. There is a lack of the art of receiving feedback, which paralyzes people from realizing their best selves. The trauma of receiving horrible feedback creates the fear of running away from future feedback especially if you're an employee.The reality is feedback is part of life—for better or for worse. The question is: how do we create an inner system of resilience and process of feedback, so we don’t become bitter—but better? How do we not take feedback personally? Join me in this next podcast to hear.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

If you have ever played a string instrument like a guitar or violin, you know how challenging it is to get the right sound when you immediately pick it up. And this is not necessarily because you’re a bad guitarist or violinist. However, you recognize the strings on the guitar or violin need to be adjusted—tightened or loosened.When strings are too lax, the quality of sound is hindered (muffled) or not produced. The opposite is also true. If the strings are tightened too much, they will rupture and pop. A stringed instrument works best when it can "live in the tension".How about our lives? How do we live in the tension—the right tension to make music? In this Coach’s Corner podcast, we will help unpack this tension and understand it to find that right balance. So our lives will better sing to others around us and ourselves within. To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

As we get older, we start to really focus on things that really matter to us in life. We start to prioritize our time, energy, and our relationships. We look at the people who we interact with and call friends and ask if they really are your friends. Or maybe the better question is, am I really their friend?In this podcast, we’re going to get brave and honest about those relationships we may be pretending to say are dear. What makes a friend–a friend? After this podcast, you may make different choices about the kind of friends you want to keep in your life or give distance.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

They say Monday is the toughest day of the week. This can be for several reasons of course. However, what makes Monday all the tougher is when you can see the unhappiness on everyone else's face to start the day. It is like the Frown Central train pulled into the station on Monday with its passengers wearing their frowns as their paid ticket for travel.One wonders if a smile is too expensive to purchase or if we have forgotten the key to unlock the door of unhappiness we find on Monday and brighten each other’s day. We can all be superheroes if we just smiled more.How can a smile be so powerful? Check out this podcast to find out how and know the power of just a smile that can better brighten your day—at no cost.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

Today we find ourselves in a time where friends have become strangers and strangers have become enemies. Conflict abounds. Trust is none. We’ve become poor relationally speaking. Whether online or in person, the person next to us is no longer seen as our neighbour whom we can trust. What’s the impact on this fact on our work, on our relationships and maybe even more importantly, on our health? Is there any way we can build the most asset or capital in our lives, which is social, which is trust.Join me on this podcast as we talk about how we build trust in each other – the ones we do life within our community and society. In us, we trust.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

Why are people leaving our companies? Why are people leaving your company?Do they need more money? Do they need more time off? Do they need more help? Let’s give them more money and more vacation. That’s the answer. If that’s been your response as a senior leader or response from your executive peers, well the answer may shock you.In this next podcast, I’ll talk about the 3 things your team needs for them to remain and stay in your organization. And believe it or not—it’s not more money, vacation, or hires. Tune in to find out what.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

What are your values? You’ve probably been asked that question numerous times. Whether be in an interview, a workshop or a date, this is an inevitable question that is asked by either interviewer, workshop facilitator, or the date in front of you, “what are values?” The question seems simple: that's if you really know your values. The question seems innocent if you haven’t been impacted by those who understand them. Many relationships fall apart whether on teams or in families because we don’t understand each other’s values including our own. This creates frustration, anger, and pain.In this next episode, Denley will explore how we can better understand our values personally and collectively. So, we can not only better understand what drives others but also what drives us. To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

Have you ever been disrespected by someone out in the open like in a meeting with colleagues, in an outing with friends or even in your backyard BBQ with family? The person says something so offensive to you or about you or others that you can’t think straight with offense and anger. You want to say something, but you don’t know how it will be received. At the same time, you know if you leave it alone that it wouldn’t sit right with your conscience. What do you do? How do you call out in a respectful way where you both win? Your goal is to be authentically heard while the other person who hurt you is motivated to change their behaviour without you stooping lower and retaliating–at least ideally.If that’s your situation and you can't figure out how to muster the courage and approach to address it in the open, you need to listen to this next podcast. We address how to call out others in a respectful way for you personally and you to help others to do the same. Join us as we tackle this uncomfortable topic of calling out and how to do it in a respectful way.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

Have you ever heard of the equation Love + Courage = Freedom. Not your typical math problem, is it? Yet, getting this equation right can make your life a lot easier. Not getting it right has sustained the relational problems with family, friends and coworkers.You may not be a math expert, but this podcast will make this equation simple to get. Join us on the Coach’s Corner as we talk about how mixing love and courage together will set you and your relationships free.To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/

Can time really heal my wounds? Can I forgive and not forget? Is forgiveness just a matter of a decision? Is it really that easy? Maybe you could be the person that is asking, “What does forgiveness feel like inside when I arrive at the destination of forgiveness?” “Can I even forgive when I’m so hurt?” If these are your questions about forgiveness, then this podcast is for you.   In this next podcast, we’ll talk about The Bumpy Road to Forgiveness. We’ll talk about those questions and more. We hope to give you steps to get you through that uncomfortable journey. To learn more, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/in/denleymcintosh/Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:https://missionmatters.com/author/denley-mcintosh/