Lately I have been focusing on being in a state of greatfulness. Whether that is in work, life, relationships, whatever it may be. I am trying to see opportunities for gratitude. What is a life-nourishing moment you've had because of someone's gratitude?

Sometimes it's helpful for me to empose a deadline on myself. It creates really good traction and productivity in my projects. When I know have to be finished with a project by a certain day/time, it gives me a margin for the most important tasks at hand.

At Sharpen 2.0 we're all about helping you develop skills for the workplace and beyond. What skills are you actively trying to develop that will help in your professional and personal lives?

The New Year is fast upon us! It's never too late to plan your goals, no matter the time of year. How are you working to overcome Parkinson's Law and be more productive in your career?

I recently had a career change and was immediately reminded of the fear that comes with it. Learning new processes and procedures, meeting new people, it can be daunting. It's always going to happen but you can't let the fear of change stop you from progress.

As I ventured back into the realm of podcasting I had to remind myself that things can be a little rough around the edges at first. Sometimes we forget about our "first times" but it's important to remind ourselves that it's normal to have clunky starts to new things.

After reading an amazing book I decided to do more hard "stuff." This led me to training for and competing in a marathon. It was not easy! Check out this episode to learn how you can get into the groove of doing hard things.

In an effort to prove to my family that I can get up on a surfboard, I learned a valuable lesson. When we're doing all the right things in life, business, relationships, do we really know where we're going with them? Check out this life lesson I learned the hard way.

The School of Hard Knocks can teach us many valuable lessons. However, it has a tendency to lean into cynicism. It's important to remember the joy in what we do despite the set backs.

When faced with an important decision, do you ask yourself if you are really, really excited about it? Sometimes that double-down on "really" can open up our minds to the correct path to choose. Do you run your decisions through the Really, Really filter?

In my early career I was quick to adopt all the new fads. It wasn't until I had some years under my belt until I realized I needed to pass those things through my own life filter. How does it fit in my current schedule or in the way I handle business? I challenge you to recognize your own life filters and use them often!

Welcome back young professionals! Sharpen 2.0 is here to help you with the next 10 years of your professional career. This episode focuses on positivity and how it can help in the workplace

There are at least two sayings that can define a person's productivity: "How you do anything, is how you do everything," and "Done is better than perfect." Which camp do you fall into? Or are you somewhere in the middle? We should always seek more excellence and this episode will explain how.

Introducing yourself is your first chance at a good impression. This episode will help you polish your elevator pitch and get a leg up on introductions.

Sometimes it's better to create habits than to set goals. What are your habits every day? Week? Month? Quarter? Year?

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When you are a young professional in the workplace or about to graduate college, you hear “just get in there and take initiative” or “we are looking for employees who know how to take initiative”. However, this is rarely a discussion we’ve had in college or beyond. What does that mean? What are some examples? What if this isn’t my personality? We’ll talk about these questions on this episode.

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If you’d like to receive Kirby’s occasional blog posts for young professionals, check that out HERE

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Sharing your work is a proactive step in communication that you can develop early on in your career. This is a great way to share progress and learnings with your team, manager or boss, and the people you serve. The application looks vastly different by industry and individual so take liberty in deciding what this looks like for you.

Do you have a practical way to share with your audience in which you share your work? Reach out HERE to let us know

If you’d like to receive Kirby’s occasional blog posts for young professionals, check that out HERE

We also have an Instagram account. FOLLOW if you want to be sure you know about the latest episode coming out.

Kirby shares what she loves about the book “How Will You Measure Your Life” and the mention of two different strategies for life. These are especially helpful for young professionals in the first ten years of a career.

HERE is the book

HERE is further reading about this topic

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If you’d like to receive Kirby’s occasional blog posts for young professionals, check that out HERE

We also have an Instagram account. FOLLOW if you want to be sure you know about the latest episode coming out

In this final episode of the Back to Basics Series, we talk about the importance of recognizing milestones in the workplace as a young professional. We often go through the first years of our careers without recognizing the progress made. This is a great episode for people leaders who work with young professionals to be reminded of the milestones that do take place.

If you’d like to receive Kirby’s occasional blog posts for young professionals, check that out HERE We also have an Instagram account. FOLLOW if you want to be sure you know about the latest episode coming out

“There’s no such thing as a bad question!” Well, maybe there can be some bad questions. But how in the world do we even know what good questions exist, especially as young professionals? Today’s episode is super practice with questions you can begin asking right away. Change them up a bit to make them work for you and your workplace, but having a core set of questions to ask can leave you feeling confident and curious, ready to connect and learn.

If you’d like to receive Kirby’s occasional blog posts for young professionals, check that out HERE

We also have an Instagram account. FOLLOW if you want to be sure you know about the latest episode coming out.

A spirit and discipline of gratitude is one of the most basic and simple practices that will create profound impact in your career. Today’s episode highlights this spirit along with sharing ideas to help inspire how you might build this into your days. Gratitude is often thought as something that simply happens but as we discuss in this episode, it is often a practice that we build that eventually becomes habitual... but we first have to build it in.

Do you have a topic for this Back to Basic series you want to learn more about? Share your comments HERE

Be sure to share this episode with another young professional in your network and don’t forget that college students, especially seniors, are great people to share Sharpen episodes with as they prepare for the next phase in life.

Today’s episode will feature two simple categories of thinking about your work and how both are essential for success at work and beyond. Continuing in our Back to Basics series, on stage/back stage reminds us of the simplicity and impact of structuring our days along with knowing that we probably have a bias to one of the two. There is also a reminder that both of these will likely take more time and effort as a young professional. Don’t count yourself out or think you’re not qualified because it takes more work; it makes sense that it takes more work.

Do you have a topic for this Back to Basic series you want to learn more about? Share your comments HERE

Be sure to share this episode with another young professional in your network and don’t forget that college students, especially seniors, are great people to share Sharpen episodes with as they prepare for the next phase in life.

As we continue in the Back to Basics Series, today’s topic is all about mentors and pursuing a diversity of mentors in your life. Kirby will share about the idea of a Personal Board of Directors that allow young professionals to learn from a variety of people in a variety of areas of life. You will not find ONE mentor to advise and guide you in all areas of life, so a mindset of a personal board of directors will a basic concept with great impact in your career and life.

Do you have a topic for this Back to Basic series you want to learn more about? Share your comments HERE

Be sure to share this episode with another young professional in your network and don’t forget that college students, especially seniors, are great people to share Sharpen episodes with as they prepare for the next phase in life.

With the hectic pace of life and work, I sometimes find it hard to rest and settle in. Over time I think we lose sight of the gift of patience and letting things breathe. When was the last time you were patient in your career?

We can lose sight of the “who” in our spheres of influence as young professionals from time to time. Being a great team mate to your peers in your role is one of the most crucial components of being a great leader.

Today’s Back to Basics episode is all about why and how to be a great teammate at work. These are some of the most important relationships you can focus on building as a young professional.

Do you have a topic for this Back to Basic series you want to learn more about? Share your comments HERE

Be sure to share this episode with another young professional in your network and don’t forget that college students, especially seniors, are great people to share Sharpen episodes with as they prepare for the next phase in life.

Sharpen is back! The podcast will continue to focus on young professionals in the first ten years of a career with both interviews and short episodes with practical applications. Consider these episodes as your 5-10 minute professional and personal development boost for the week.

Kirby kicks off the Back to Basic Series with knowing your core at work. Back to Basics will focus on the “main things” of the workplace for young professionals. These simple yet profoundly impactful topics will either be a game changer in your career or jump start your career with clarity and traction.

Do the many tasks and objectives of the work day feel overwhelming? Do you end a work day wondering what you actually accomplished? And was it supposed to be the things you are supposed to be doing? Know your core will remind you of the 1-3 most important aspects of your job... and go do those!

Do you have a topic for this Back to Basic series you want to learn more about? Share your comments HERE

Be sure to share this episode with another young professional in your network and don’t forget that college students, especially seniors, are great people to share Sharpen episodes with as they prepare for the next phase in life.

Productivity, purpose, and peace.  Do you find that you are lacking in all or any of these things? In this episode, I sit down with Mitadru Dey as we discuss how these three “P’s” are the mantra he lives by and why they are so important. He also shares with us how he came to understand these traits and how it has helped him to grow in his own career.

Mitadru shares with us his struggle with feeling that he could not properly communicate with his clients due to English being his second language and how he overcame that and worked through it, and now helps others to do the same.  He has a heart for helping young professionals in India to rise up and be leaders in the businesses and companies they work for.

We also discuss how we can learn so much about productivity from children and why they are the masters of productivity.  I am so honored to welcome our guest, and I know you will love the content we dive into.

I have heard it said in workplaces that they can teach hard skills, but they have to find people with soft skills.  Well, I am here to challenge that mode of thinking. While some of us have been fortunate enough to have had mentors and people to guide us in our personal and professional development, many of us have not had the opportunity to learn soft skills.  But they can be learned. 

I am super excited to announce the launch of Sharpen University, a place where we can help young professionals develop those soft skills and continue to improve their abilities, and skills in the workforce.  I believe we all need encouragement and support in this area and can all hone our craft and learn more.  In fact, that is one of the key elements to develop any skill set, being a lifelong learner and never quit improving.

Curiosity can lead us to learn about things that we may not have even thought we needed before, but can lead us to new opportunities.  In this episode I sit down with Aaron Seabron and we discuss how much he learned by staying curious in jobs that were not his dream jobs.  He shares with us how by recognizing the areas he was weak in he was able to hone his skills so that he could better step into his dream job later on in life.

We also dive into the importance of hard skills that are transferable in just about every job and how due diligence is so important. As young professionals we are often seated at a table with many people who have far more years of experience than us, so how do we approach that?  We talk about humbleness and the importance of being willing to learn and be gracious regardless of whether good or bad happens.

Finally we talk about preparing.  We come back to the due diligence aspect and how to make sure we are ready as much as possible to face challenges that come up and try to surprise us.  This not only helps us stay accountable but it keeps us sharp so that we can keep up with those who have more experience.

With the right resources and given the opportunity, anyone can succeed.  That is the message that we are discussing today.  In this episode, I talk with Dr. OJ Oleka as we discuss his own personal journey and how education transformed his father’s life, and as a result, also changed his own. Because of the drastic change in his own life, this led OJ to begin to look into the systems in place and learn how education both to adults and children could drastically change the landscape for many families.

We think that the worst experiences are a direct reflection of who we are, that we are our mistakes, and that we are our worst selves.  So how do we flip that script?  How do we see the good in ourselves, and realize that everyone is highly capable?  We dive into the importance of vision and how to cast a clear vision.  In addition we discuss the importance of mentors in developing both the good in ourselves, as well as establishing a vision.

Lastly we talk about stepping into leadership roles, and leading, even in small areas, it begins to snowball and we begin to see other opportunities around us that we can lead in.  One thing typically does lead to another.  If you have a goal of leading a business, start asking what it looks like to lead in that specific role.  Then ask how or what you can do right now to make strides towards that end goal.

Sometimes in life, we can get so caught up in chasing the corporate ladder that we forget the importance of the work itself.  In this episode, I sit down with Anthony Casablanca as we dive into the importance of not just chasing titles, but working and living with intention and finding a deeper purpose in our work.

In addition, we dive into the vast subject of grief.  Anthony believes that any emotional event that we can experience can cause us to grieve.  This affects our performance.  So how do companies and leaders deal with this grief?  Anthony states that one of the true signs of a company that handles it well is one that engages well.  Leaders that step in before something is off, and acknowledge what is happening before it affects an employee’s performance.

Leaders have to understand that they are an intricate part and a support system for their employees.  When leaders can properly establish that, it doesn’t just build a strong relationship, it also helps build up the employees and creates an atmosphere of respect as well as boosting productivity.

Strategy among companies is constantly shifting.  Jobs that we didn’t even know about now exist, and on the other hand jobs that used to be prevalent are no longer a thing.  So how do we stay current in this ever-shifting work environment?  In today’s episode I sit down with Travis Martin and he talks about his own personal journey from working with large companies to shifting into a more entrepreneurial standpoint and working with startups.

We talk about the importance of self-awareness of our roles in a company and if we are tapping into our own abilities and giftings or if we are missing out on putting them to their best use.  We also dive into knowing when you are ready to move on or if you need to put in the work to get through whatever difficult time you are experiencing in the workplace, and how both of these times are crucial to both our personal development and career development.

Work diligently, live simply, risk wisely, and give generously, and love unconditionally. In this episode, I sit down with Pete Ochs as he discusses how he has slowly learned over the years how his life is not ownership, but stewardship. So if that is the case how do we properly steward our lives, and what does that look like on a practical day-to-day basis?

Pete shares wisdom that he has learned how to run a business in an honorable way. This comes through living simply, deep healthy relationships, a strong moral code. Pete shares with us when the big switch came for him when he stopped viewing himself as the owner of all his business and instead saw himself as a steward and how that dramatically changed the way he did business.

He also shares with us how he began to employ prisoners in his business, and how the impact that has had has gone beyond what he even thought was possible when he started that endeavor.

What does it mean to promote diversity both at home and in the workplace? In this episode, we sit down with Bryana Clover and discuss what that looks like. She tells us her story of moving to Texas from Detroit and entering the AG world as a young black woman. What challenges she was met with as a result of that, and how she got to the place of helping companies and individuals better understand diversity.

We tackle some tough subjects that many try to cover over in this episode, but that are so necessary to discuss. Bryana shares with us her own struggles she faced because of her skin color, along with how opportunity can look different to people of different skin colors.

When it comes to the workplace we generally consider it a diverse group and equal in all regards, but we learn of many forms of micro-aggression that can come across in the workplace, that may seem harmless to some, but in fact when we get to the root of it, is very harmful.

You can get a lot accomplished in only 10 minutes. The key is to prepare, plan, and schedule. Take a listen to learn more about how 10 minutes each night can change your life!

As a young professional in the workplace, it can be challenging to really make a stance on things you believe in, and also admit your shortcomings. In this episode, I sit down with Blake and we talk about how crucial it is to play into your strengths, and admit your weaknesses so that those around you can help not only feed your strengths but also help you in the areas you are still learning in.

We also talk about the challenges of COVID 19 and how it’s important to adapt to new circumstances. But how do we adapt and keep up with modern changes, while still staying true to our community and making sure they are being heard and that we are still giving them the time that they need and desire?

And finally, we talk about building relationships both with your generation and with others, as well as how staying in constant touch with your fellow employees and customers can help you form solid bonds that are not easily broken.

When it comes to taking ownership over our lives what does that look like? Both on a personal and work level. How do we step up and say the hard things both at home and at work without pushing people away? How do we step into our calling, and feel confident in the work we are producing and the way in which we own ourselves?

In this episode Lisa Granadino sits down with us and discusses how not only is it necessary to own the situation for our own personal growth and mental health, but how it opens up opportunities with those around us to forge better relationships, stronger work partnerships, and how it causes us to effectively get more work done. This comes through actionable steps which Lisa lays out for us, as well as staying open to the growth mindset which we also dive into. So if you feel like you sometimes take a backseat to problems or to who you are as an individual, then this episode is for you!

What does it look like to cultivate a work environment where you are not only leading to the best of your ability but also following to the best of your ability? We often think of how we can better portray our leadership skills, but one of the most beneficial things we can do is support the best ideas that come forth, whether they stem from us or someone else in our organization.

In this episode, we dive into how to practically grow as a human both in our work and personal life, and how the two work together. We learn how to become a better leader, a better listener, and someone that has a lot to offer in the workplace. Charlie dives into how we need to take ownership of our future, and lays out some practical step to start doing that where you are at.

We are joined again by Curt Thompson and today we dive into the need for both grief and gratefulness. Often we focus only on the gratitude portion when bad things happen to us. And while that is important to do and to put things into perspective, it is equally as important not to downplay our grief.

In this episode Curt walks us through how to be both grateful, but also how to give ourselves grace to grieve. He explains how if we don’t allow ourselves to acknowledge our hurts and griefs that they can pile up and cause us even more issues later on. He also explains why grief was so important in the Bible.

The way in which humans connect and communicate is often much more involved than we think. We don’t realize the everyday small things such as body language, the seemingly unimportant water cooler talk, or the casual conversation in the hallway actually have a huge impact on our relationships with others. It’s these small things that we may be missing without even realizing as we are largely working from home and carrying on long distance relationships during the Corona Pandemic.

In this episode Curt walks us through how to be more aware of other people and ask the difficult but more important questions to find out how someone is doing. We discuss how talking with people via webcam is much different than talking with someone in person, and how to still work on developing our relationships from afar.

There is no doubt that the world is filled with a lot of stress and tension right now. The unknown is a big factor for many people, and fear is often a big motivator. In today’s episode I sit down with Wesley Cate as we talk about how to find peace and stillness in the midst of chaos. He tells us some concrete ways that we can find that inner quietness despite the world being filled with a lot of noise.

We also dive into why it’s extremely important as leaders to maintain a sense of calm during this time, when many people are looking for an anchor in the storm. Wesley talks us through using creation even during a time of high stress to help us to bring peace to ourselves and to those around us. We delve into the importance of building and strengthening our relationships with those around us. We rely heavily on those that are around us and we also need to make sure we are helping to lift them up and encourage them.

This is part 2 of our conversation with Rick Woolworth We can probably all say that we would love to have a mentor. So how do we go about finding one, and also finding the right one? In this episode I sit down with Rick Woolworth, who has created an entire business and movement around mentorship. In this interview we talk about how to “date” your may-be mentor to be sure they are a good fit.

We also tackle some tough topics such as bridging the game between the baby-boomer and millennial generations. We talk about how society has changed and moved away from a natural mentorship state, and how to move back into it, and what that would mean for those on both sides of the generational spectrum. So whether you are wanting to be a mentor, or be mentored, this conversation is filled with how to do both in the best way. For instance we often think of what we can gain from a mentor, but how can a mentee give back to their mentor so that both sides are benefiting from the relationship?

This is part 1 of our conversation with Rick Woolworth

We can probably all say that we would love to have a mentor. So how do we go about finding one, and also finding the right one? In this episode I sit down with Rick Woolworth, who has created an entire business and movement around mentorship. In this interview we talk about how to “date” your may-be mentor to be sure they are a good fit.

We also tackle some tough topics such as bridging the game between the baby-boomer and millennial generations. We talk about how society has changed and moved away from a natural mentorship state, and how to move back into it, and what that would mean for those on both sides of the generational spectrum. So whether you are wanting to be a mentor, or be mentored, this conversation is filled with how to do both in the best way. For instance we often think of what we can gain from a mentor, but how can a mentee give back to their mentor so that both sides are benefiting from the relationship?

How do young professionals step into leadership roles when they feel insecure or unqualified? How do you gracefully transition between careers and feel confident while doing so? In today’s episode I sit down with Katie Huey and we discuss how to position yourself in your work and evaluate what career feels right for you.

Katie generously shares with us about the different jobs that she has had and what she has discovered about herself along the way. We talk about the importance of pivoting in your work and asking the tough questions of whether you are in the position you need to be in or if it’s time to move on. Katie does a great job of laying out for us how to tactfully pivot and shift in our work environment and why it’s not a bad thing sometimes to jump ship.

We hope that today’s episode encourages you wherever you are at in your professional journey to feel more comfortable in seasons of change and that you can lead wherever you are at. Connect with us on social and let us know about your own career pivots and what you think about today’s conversation!

Have you ever wondered if your job matters? Have you found yourself being discontent and wondering how you ended up working a job where all you wish for is the weekend? In this incredible episode, we sit down with Zach Mercurio who explains to us that often it’s not a matter of our job lacking purpose, but our mindset being stuck in thinking that our job is supposed to give us purpose.

Zach flips conventional thoughts about work and challenges us to find the purpose in whatever job we may have. He tells us a story of Mary, a janitor who used her position to speak life and purpose into the students around her. She found contentment in her job because she actively chose to be purposeful IN her job!

This is a powerful interview to start the new year that puts a fresh perspective on how we can leave a legacy by finding “everyday purpose”. Zach shines a light on how to view even the smallest of tasks that we disregard and see how they are making an impact in the world.

We hope this conversation encourages you no matter who you are or what task you find yourself doing today, that your work matters. Find purpose in your work, you never know the lives that you are touching.

Former president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, had a rule when it came to speaking. Ultimately it comes down to being respectful of people's time. Take a listen to learn more about his rules!

Sharpen listeners! This is the very last episode of 2019. However it is with great joy that we celebrate all the wonderful episodes that we had this year where we covered a variety of topics including things like the Enneagram for young professionals. Today we wrap up our series on mentorship with my own mentor group!

I could not think of a better way to close this series than by hearing from our group members, Gracie Furnish, Ruth Ann Layne, and Megan. Each month they join me in our Edge mentoring group and they have such beautiful perspectives on mentorship and why it is so important for us both personally and professionally.

While sharing about this topic, they bring powerful insight about the importance of having a “board of directors”, how mentorship can sharpen our faith, and even how we need to be looking to mentor others ourselves and not just receive mentorship.

This is a powerful episode to wrap up this year and we encourage you to take some time and consider who you would like to receive mentorship from this year and who you can pour into as well. We thank you for being a part of our community and we are beyond excited to connect with you this upcoming year. See you in 2020!

As you may know, I am a HUGE fan of the power of mentorship and have been apart of an amazing organization called Edge Mentoring for years. Today we are welcoming Claire Couch and Linda Hajduk who have been in a mentoring relationship for years. They share with us their wisdom of how to mentor as well as how to adjust when you need to. From mentoring online or over the phone to in person these two have done it all.

We talk about how mentoring benefits individuals as well as how feeling that you unqualified to become a mentor is a common feeling and one that you should not let keep you back from starting the journey. We all have life experiences that we have learned from and because of that we all have something to impart to other individuals. We dive into that in this episode and also talk about how mentoring in person can take on a different persona and get us to another place that we are not able to go sometimes through online or over the phone mentorship.

Today we are welcoming Lindsay Hastings to the show as we kick off our first episode in our brand new mentoring series. Mentoring is something we are all probably familiar with hearing about. Coaching and mentorship can be popular catch phrases these days, but there is a big difference between coaching and mentoring and we are diving into those differences along with the importance of mentorship.

But just how do you go about finding a mentor both in the workplace or outside of it? Well rest assured because Lindsay is helping us navigate those waters and go about finding a mentor the right way. Mentorship can help shape our values, our work habits, and so much more, which is why it’s so important for us to find a mentor.

In addition how can we mentor others? What are ways that we can grow personally and help others grow through becoming a mentee? It’s easy to think we don’t know enough to mentor someone, but mentoring someone doesn’t require us to know all the answers.

This episode is jam packed with relevant takeaways, so get ready!

Today we are welcoming Caroline Leallan to the podcast. Caroline helps run a farm where she is in charge of field trips, events, and many of the day to day activities. In addition, her and her husband also run their own farm where they are focusing on raising beef. Caroline has shifted her skills that she has developed in retail and implemented them in the world of customer support in the produce and farming industry.

She talks about how to add in your own self and creativity even when working for someone else and furthering a vision that is not your own. We dive into the importance of stepping outside of your comfort zone, and how by doing so, we not only learn new skills, but we learn more of who we are and how to better serve our clientele. Most importantly we discuss how nothing can ever come before personal connection regardless of what type of business you run or what type you work in.

So get ready for a fun filled conversation with Caroline packed with nuggets of wisdom that you can apply to your job and interaction with people today.