How to Embrace the 'In-Between' Space After Shedding an Old Identity | Laura Gassner Otting
Have you ever felt like the very identity that defined you was becoming a straightjacket? That the career path, role, or persona you'd so carefully crafted suddenly felt constraining rather than purposeful? If so, you've likely experienced the disorienting - yet potentially catalyzing - transition I'm exploring with my guest today.
I’m joined by Laura Gassner Otting. As an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who helped innovate AmeriCorps in the Clinton White House, she's intimately familiar with the psychological terrain one must navigate when shedding an old identity to birth the next evolution. Her new book "Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life" provides a roadmap for this journey.
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And before we dive in, a quick note on the state of the show.
So we have been in a season of reimagining here at Spark HQ, taking a look at what we're doing and why, how we're serving, and how best to keep serving you in the future. And as we do that, we've decided to take some time and place the show on hiatus while we deepen into new ideas and formats and ways to keep sharing the awakened work-life love. So this will be the final episode as we head into a quieter season of incubation and reimagining. We appreciate you coming along for the ride with us, and really look forward to being back with new ways to share new ideas.
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Find: Laura Gassner Otting Website | Books
Host: Jonathan Fields, creator of Good Life Project podcast & the Sparketype® Assessment
Read Jonathan’s Awake at the Wheel Newsletter
More on Sparketypes: Discover Your Sparketype | The Book | The Website
Presented by LinkedIn.
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How to Prioritize Fun and Still Get Brilliant Work Done | Bree Groff
Have you ever found yourself dreading Monday, counting down the hours until Friday? And wondering, when did work get so devoid of joy and fun? When did we start sacrificing playfulness and authentic connection at the altar of professionalism? And is that really giving anyone, including your employer, what they want and need?
Today, we're cracking open the door to a more joyful, fulfilling work experience. One where you can bring your whole, vibrant self without compromise. Where creativity and camaraderie flourish. And the very notion of "work" gets reimagined as a soulful pursuit to be savored.
My guest today is Bree Groff, a trailblazing advisor pioneering new ways of working at the intersection of leadership and life. Bree has partnered with industry titans to transform organizational cultures.
In her book "Today Was Fun: An Antidote to Humdrum Work Days," Bree maps out 7 liberating rules to reclaim the joy and magic of work. Drawing from years of consulting mastery and hard-won personal insights, she'll illuminate a path to more harmonious, human-centered workplaces and lives.
Find: Bree Groff Website | Book
Host: Jonathan Fields, creator of Good Life Project podcast and the Sparketype® Assessment,
More on Sparketypes: Discover Your Sparketype | The Book | The Website
Presented by LinkedIn.
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How to Cultivate Sustainable Ambition in Life and Work | Kathy Oneto
Have you ever felt like your ambition was unsustainable? That drive to achieve and succeed was slowly draining you, leaving you unfulfilled despite your accomplishments? What if there was a way to align your ambitions with your deepest motivations and capacity for a lifetime of thriving?
Today, we're turning our attention to the concept of sustainable ambition. We'll explore a fresh perspective that liberates ambition from its narrow professional confines and redefines it as a fluid force that ebbs and flows across all domains of life. Get ready to shed the toxic notion that ambition requires endless striving and embrace a more balanced "middle way."
My guest today is Kathy Oneto, an executive and life-work coach, speaker, facilitator and strategy executive whose mission is to help organizations and individuals live and work differently for greater success and satisfaction. She is the founder of Sustainable Ambition®, host of the Sustainable Ambition podcast, and author of the forthcoming book, Sustainable Ambition: How to Prioritize What Matters to Thrive in Life and Work.
Find: Kathy Oneto | Website | LinkedIn | Book
Host: Jonathan Fields, creator of Good Life Project podcast and the Sparketype® Assessment,
More on Sparketypes: Discover Your Sparketype | The Book | The Website
Presented by LinkedIn.
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How to Burn Bright Without Burning Out | Daisy Auger-Domínguez
Ever felt the crushing weight of burnout slowly snuffing out your spark? That bone-deep exhaustion that leaves you questioning if this is really the path for you?
Imagine a world where you can thrive without feeling endlessly drained, where purpose and joy intertwine in beautiful harmony. Today, we're embarking on a profound exploration of burnout - its insidious roots, its soul-sapping consequences, and most importantly, how to reclaim your fire.
My guest is Daisy Auger-Domínguez, a trailblazing executive dedicated to building vibrant, supportive cultures. With decades driving transformation at powerhouses like Google and Disney, Daisy is known for innovative solutions to burnout, uncertainty, and fostering high-trust teams.
In her book "Burnt Out to Lit Up," Daisy maps the path from depletion to aliveness. Through storytelling and hard-won wisdom, she'll illuminate your journey from burnout's ashes to a life and career that sets your soul ablaze.
Find: Daisy Auger-Domínguez | Website
Host: Jonathan Fields, creator of Good Life Project podcast and the Sparketype® Assessment,
More on Sparketypes: Discover Your Sparketype | The Book | The Website
Presented by LinkedIn.
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How to Playfully "Date" Potential Careers and Callings | Charlie Gilkey
Have you ever felt stuck pursuing a path that didn't truly resonate with you? A career, creative endeavor or major life change that you committed to fully, told the world it’s what you were doing, and who you were now…only to realize it wasn't what you really wanted?
Today, we're going to explore a more forgiving approach - one that allows you to experiment and gather critical data before going all-in.
Imagine if you could "date" a potential pursuit, getting to know it intimately, before deciding whether to take that next step. What if the weight of having to definitively choose was lifted, allowing a sense of playfulness and curiosity to guide your exploration?
My partner in conversation today is Charlie Gilkey, a strategic advisor, executive coach, founder of the Productive Flourishing consultancy, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Start Finishing and Team Habits. Charlie brings a wealth of wisdom for trying on new identities through low-risk projects and experiments.
Find Charlie Gilkey | Website
Host: Jonathan Fields, creator of Good Life Project podcast and the Sparketype® Assessment,
More on Sparketypes: Discover Your Sparketype | The Book | The Website
Find a Certified Sparketype Advisor: CSA Directory
Presented by LinkedIn.
We’re all in a moment. And, we’re asking the big questions. Especially about work. Should I join The Great Resignation? Should I stay and just keep on, keeping on. Or, reimagine, reinvent, maybe even start my own thing? Can I really expect more than just a paycheck and stability from work? How do I navigate the overwhelm, burnout, and work-life-bleed that’s turned work-from-home into never-stop-working? What about purpose, joy, excitement, time to breathe, and live? What about that nagging tension between money and meaning, the desire to feel secure and the quest to do something that makes you come alive - that sparks you?
These are the questions we’ll be diving into on the SPARKED podcast. Every week, we invite a listener to share what’s going on in their work & life, then pose a specific question. Then, our host, award-winning author, advisor, and founder, Jonathan Fields, and a rotating lineup of wise mentors from the SPARKED Braintrust will share insights, ideas, strategies, resources and tips to help us all better align what we do with who we are, so we can find and do more of what makes us come alive.
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