The Even Better Podcast

Sinikka Waugh and Sheri Zevenbergren discuss 5 Fundamental Reasons to Develop Self-Awareness.

Sheri is a coach & trainer who helps people develop & apply self-awareness to embrace their differences, unlock their potential & engineer the lives they truly want. She works with high-school & college students, more "seasoned" individuals (like herself), organizational leaders & teams, & couples who simply want to better understand themselves & one another.

Sinikka Waugh and Mel Worrel-Johnson discuss 4 Questions to Discover the Power of Appreciation.

Melissa A. Worrel-Johnson, MBA, PCC - Executive & Leadership Coach, Facilitator, and Speaker

Over her 20-year career, Melissa Worrel-Johnson has focused her efforts on leadership, talent development, and business strategy. Her diverse background includes entrepreneurial business start-ups as well as significant leadership roles in large corporations to now being a partner in Your Leadership Group – a people development organization focused on coaching, training, and facilitation to inspire, elevate and help leaders and organizations. Melissa believes we grow our businesses through People, Processes and Trust. How we lead our teams, develop our people and roll up our sleeves with trust leadership.

Sinikka Waugh and Jana Mitzoda discuss 5 Ways Dreams May Be Guiding You.

Jana is a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation and a certified facilitator through the Oxford Institute for Organizational Science and Mindfulness. She is trained and accredited by author and guru W. Timothy Gallwey on The Inner Game method. She has extensive experience with positive leadership and conscious presence, creating and facilitating hundreds of workshops with participants from more than 90 countries. Jana has accompanied people from all over the world on the path to finding meaning in life and in discovering their natural talents. She supports her clients in increasing their awareness and in assuming full responsibility for their state of mind, body, and energy while guiding them to realize their life mission. She believes that consciously steering our ship on our personal sea of dreams is essential for our fulfillment. Relying on the depth of her experience and well-honed intuition, Jana helps individuals activate their inner wisdom, and to remember who they really are, what unique gifts they bring, and how to best apply them. Her business and leadership world coalesced with the gift of lucid dreaming, something Jana developed as a child and which she has continued to hone, also by completing a 3-year Active Dreaming program with Robert Moss. Her lifelong hobby of dreaming was the foundation upon which she fulfilled her desire to become a Dream coach. Jana leads public events, residential retreats, guided group meditations, and dream circles. She also accompanies vision quests and communicates with dolphins and whales. She is the author of Through the Eye of the Whale, available as an e-book and audiobook, in both Czech and English. You can find more about her work on her Surf life Facebook page or at lamurai.com

Sinikka Waugh and Hannah Moeller discuss 4 Steps to Build Confidence and Live an Expansive Life.

As a coach and consultant with 12 years of experience in the finance industry, Hannah empowers diverse clients to build inclusive workplaces and expansive lives. She knows that teams and individuals thrive when each person has a deep sense of belonging. Her goal is to help people align with their dreams by doing more of what brings their soul joy. Hannah is a “former gifted kid” from Indianola, Iowa, and acknowledges that this land belongs to the Sauk and Fox tribes of the Meskwaki Nation. Married to her high school sweetheart for 10 years, Hannah is a mama to three boys, two cats, and many abandoned bright ideas. She identifies as a neurodiverse, multipotentialite bookworm striving to be a life-long learner, a better ally, and a diversity champion.

Sinikka Waugh and Tim Ferry discuss 5 Bullet Points on How Board Game Design Strategies can be Applied to Solve Your Problem.

Tim has made a career out of pursuing creativity and is passionate about helping others to pursue that path as well. His freelance career in composing video game music for indie game developers led to helping others learn music by teaching children how to play piano. He taught private lessons as well as group piano classes for an after-school club. During this time, Tim also explored a new branch of creativity by designing and publishing a board game. He was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to convert his board game design journey into an experience for kids. Combining his past experiences, this turned into an 8-week board game design program for late elementary and early middle school kids that would encourage them to take a step toward being a lifelong creator, designer, and maker. Since launching the program, Tim has also had the opportunity to work with companies that are interested in using board games to build their brand or explore how gamification can be used to move their company forward.

Sinikka Waugh and Laura Casale discuss 4 Things You Can Do to Advance in Your Career.

Laura Casale is a Coach and Consultant in Learning and Leadership Development in the tech and financial services industries. She has held management and executive positions at IBM and New York Life Insurance Company.

Laura has multiple coaching certifications including Career coaching, Integrative well-being, and Life Purpose — that serve to enable a whole-life approach with her clients. She is passionate about career development and advancement and believes everyone has the ability to achieve their potential.

Laura has written articles for ThriveGlobal, is a coach with the GoCoach Organization, a Leadership Development Consultant for IBM, and volunteers as a Career Transition Coach through MeetUp.com, the Women in Transitions Group, and a Women’s Mentoring Network Organization.

Sinikka Waugh and Keisha Thompson discuss the 5 Simplified Joys.

I grew up on my family’s century farm in rural Iowa. I’m an advocate for agriculture education, teaching about where food comes from and how to best care for land and livestock. I’m active in many volunteer agriculture and conservation groups and focused on sustainability. I want to make sure I leave this land better than when it became mine, ensuring it’s around for future generations.

I have been blissfully married to my husband for 10 years and we have a little boy who brings the most joy to our lives! We enjoy traveling to a new state each year for our anniversary, with the goal of 50 states in 50 years.

In 2017, I started 1 OAK as a creative outlet. It stands for 1 Of A Kind. I love unique finds that have character and helping people discover things that will be conversation starters in their homes. What began as a small occasional retail shop in my barn has now become an online retail store with local pop-up shops, workshops, and potting bar events. I’ve always had a love of nature. I incorporate natural elements into my home with vintage, florals, or plants. From farm to boho, vintage, and plants, you’ll be sure to find or create a statement piece for your home or the perfect 1 Of A Kind gift.

Sinikka Waugh, Jodi Rhone, and Andy Haning-Brown discuss 4 Reasons Values are Fundamental to Your Success.

Jodi Rhone; Founding Partner

Jodi co-founded Canary Consulting group with more than twenty years of experience in strategic planning, operations process improvement, and building a healthy workplace culture.

She uses this experience to help nonprofit leaders expand their impact and operate more efficiently. Jodi enjoys coaching nonprofit leaders and boards, helping them define and communicate priorities to their teams, maintain focus, and work effectively together. Jodi is a natural problem solver and encourager who loves making a difference in her community.

Originally from Greenfield, Iowa, Jodi earned her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Simpson College. She currently lives with her husband and teenage son in Waukee, Iowa.

Andy Haning-Brown; Founding Partner

Andy is the co-founder of Canary Consulting Group; he is an experienced leader with background in human resources, strategic planning, communication, and optimizing operations.

Andy enjoys working with nonprofit leaders to help them effectively engage and communicate with their workforce, optimize their culture, and develop effective leaders. He loves helping organizations find the right-sized solutions to everyday problems, freeing up leaders to focus on building strong and scalable organizations that meet the needs of the communities they serve.

Andy grew up in Knoxville, Iowa, and has a degree in computer programming. Andy and his husband own multiple small businesses and live in Des Moines, Iowa.

Sinikka Waugh and Christine Samuel discuss 5 Ways to Bring Your Best Self to Work.

Christine Samuel is a coach, trainer, and facilitator specializing in transformational change and inner work. She helps leaders, change-makers, and their teams cultivate their inner capacities so that they can bring their best selves in dealing with the increasingly complex and challenging environment. She assists clients by utilizing mindfulness, NLP, Solution-Focused Brief Coaching, Soma-awareness, neuroscience, and ancient wisdom traditions.

She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children. Currently, she is working on a book titled Taming the Anxious Mind: Moving from Head to Heart Space, which is scheduled to be released in late 2023.

Sinikka Waugh and Scott Helmers discuss 5 Things I Learned in Musical Theater that Apply at Work.

Scott Helmers is a business process consultant, app designer, and trainer with the Harvard Computing Group. He is a co-inventor of TaskMap, a Visio add-in that allows anyone to create data-rich, easy-to-read maps of any business process. For more than a decade Scott has been the best-selling author of books about Visio, and he shares his Visio, data visualization, and business process knowledge at conferences around the world. When he’s not at his keyboard, you’re likely to find him on his bicycle or dabbling in community theater north of Boston.

Sinikka Waugh and Vicki Flaherty discuss 4 Ways to Connect with Others.

Vicki Flaherty creates and spreads joy in the world through one-on-one coaching to support individuals in being their best, facilitating mindfulness and resilience-related experiences, blogging about leadership and life, and capturing moments of joy through her photography, poetry, and art. She believes in being present in the moment, focusing on what really matters, honoring every individual, listening from a place of openness and caring, examining issues from different perspectives, and acting with passion, courage, and creativity. The common thread of her career is that every step involves helping people succeed. As an Industrial/Organizational psychologist, she designed a variety of people-focused experiences such as onboarding, mentoring, career development, and talent management programs for organizations. She’s created leadership, mindfulness, and resilience programs for a Fortune 50 company, and is most fulfilled when facilitating experiences that help people lead their lives with clarity, intention, and authenticity, and that encourage health and well-being. She loves traveling with her husband, taking long walks, practicing yoga, volunteering at her local food pantry, gardening, writing, photography, and creating collage art. You can follow her on LinkedIn and check out her writing and photography on her Wordpress blogs at Leading with Intention, And Then Opens Possibility, Where Possibility Awaits, and the joyful eye.

Sinikka Waugh and Tracy Schuster discuss 5 Keys to Building Your Personal Productivity System.

Tracy is the director of the Iowa Lean Consortium, a program of CIRAS at Iowa State University. She has worked with the consortium in various capacities since 2012 and become the director in May of 2020. The ILC is a dynamic, member-driven consortium dedicated to connecting member organizations to the resources they need to help them develop their people and their processes. 

Tracy owned her own virtual assistant business for 10 years and before that was a licensed mental health and substance abuse counselor. Helping people improve themselves and their processes has been a lifelong passion for her. She is a mom to two wonderful young adults who have developed strong wings and flown from the nest. She and her husband, Todd, will celebrate 30 years of marriage in June.

Sinikka Waugh and Helene Fein discuss 4 Things that I have Learned that are Most Important About Effectively.

Dr. Helene Fein is the Executive Director of the Iowa Literacy Council, a state association serving adult literacy professionals that are affiliated with COABE (Coalition on Adult Basic Education). Previously, Helene was the Data and Research Lead for United Way of Central Iowa and was a former Adult Literacy Director for the state of Iowa. She earned a Masters in School Administration and an Ed. Specialist degree in Adult Training and Development, both from Drake University. Helene earned her Ph.D. from Iowa State University and wrote her dissertation on why adults return to school to earn a high school equivalency diploma based on transition theory. In addition to her published dissertation, Helene has published a book, Necessary Conversations About English Language Learners, which combines coaching skills with ESL strategies. Helene is a trainer in Cognitive Coaching and Real Colors. She has three adult children and five grandchildren and lives in West Des Moines.

Sinikka Waugh and Joe Gonzalez discuss  5 Ways that Diversity Makes Us Better.

Executive Director of Latino Resources Inc.

Joe Gonzalez is a retired Lieutenant from the DM Police Department; he was hired as a Police Cadet in November of 1971. The program was started to recruit more minorities in the police department, he was promoted to Police Officer in January of 1975 and attended the Des Moines Police Regional Police Academy graduating in June of 1975. Joe was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in February of 2004 and was assigned to the Community Outreach and Protective Services Division where he supervised officers that worked in community outreach. In April 2010, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and was then assigned to be the commander of the Neighborhood Based Service Delivery Unit. The unit had officers that worked with the neighborhood associations in the city, he also oversaw the Mobile Crisis Unit which responded to calls from individuals that were having mental health crises. In addition, he oversaw the Police Activities League and a boxing club for youth, this gave them a place to be involved in an activity and to stay off the streets. Joe graduated from DMACC earning an AA degree and worked at the police department soon after graduating from high school. Joe is a graduating member of the 2007-2008 Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute and was awarded with the Community and Visioning award for connecting in 2012. Joe was fortunate to have a successful career and was recognized for his work as an advocate for crime victims, especially domestic violence victims. He was recognized by the United States Attorney's Office, Domestic Abuse Coordinating Council, Iowa Organization of Victim Assistance, and United Latinas for a New Dawn for his work in assisting victims of domestic violence. In 2003 the Des Moines Rotary Club selected him as the Police Officer of the Year. Upon his retirement in July of 2014 Chief Judy Bradshaw awarded him with the department's meritorious service award to honor his career. Joe has the honor of being the highest-ranking Latino in the history of the Des Moines Police Department. Joe currently serves on the Proteus and Police Activities boards and he’s a past board member for Variety, Chrysalis Foundation, Polk County Housing Trust Fund, and Broadlawns. Joe is also currently involved with the Inclusion and Diversity Council and the Equity and Inclusion Committee. He has also been a mentor for the Community Connect Program for 4 years.

Sinikka Waugh and Matt Arnold discuss 4 Ways Human-Centered Design Can Help You and Your Customers.

Matt Arnold serves as principal for services strategies and solutions at Brightidea, whose mission is to transform the way the world innovates. Matt has over 25 years of experience leading innovation and design projects with many of the world’s top brands. Matt was the creator and host of The Iowa Idea Podcast which explored stories of creativity, craft, and innovation in long-form interviews with over 100 innovators and creatives.  He holds a BA in Communication Studies from The University of Iowa and an MS in Communication from Illinois State University.

Sinikka Waugh and Kristen Boldt discuss 5 Ways to Build Conscious Leadership.

I don’t like thinking of myself as a lawyer. We all know the adversarial stereotype that label conjures up (absolutely not me!). Even outside the stereotypes, a lawyer works for the good of one side. That isn’t me either. My instinct always looks for the bigger picture, the story behind the story, and how all the different pieces work together because I know that it is in those nuances that our solutions usually reside.
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I prefer to think of myself as a tensegrity artist with a law degree. In art and nature tensegrity refers to structures created through the balancing of different tension elements to create structural integrity. As a metaphor for relationships, tensegrity refers to the omnidirectional give and take dynamics at work in all our interactions. We exist in dynamic relationship to each other. We are autonomous individuals and interconnected through our relationships and community.  When we bring these dynamics into harmony everyone has what they need as an individual and the integrity of the larger system, whether a family, a business, or a community, is strengthened.
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My work focuses on the system level. There is a great story about a guy walking through the woods who hears a baby crying in the stream. He pulls the baby out and starts to care for it and soon hears another. He rescues that one and calls for more help. Soon there are many people pulling the babies from the stream, setting up feeding stations, housing etc. Finally, one person asks, maybe we should go upstream and find out how they are getting in.
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I am that person.
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I work with systems because my instincts always take me “upstream”. What excites me about this work is the shift I see in individuals when the system is redesigned. When our systems are healthy it is easy for people to live into their highest selves, to use their gifts to be the contributions they are called to be.
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All of my work, through Conscious Contracts®, collaborative facilitation, and mediation, is focused on how we can best create harmony through healthy systems and healthy people. I have learned over time that I am most effective when I work for the good of the whole. Some refer to this as serving as a neutral, but I like the term poly-partial. A neutral is not invested in anyone, a poly-partial is working for everyone.
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I am an Iowa girl. I grew up in Des Moines and graduated from Roosevelt before heading to Tennessee for college. My 4 years at Vanderbilt University gave me a bachelor’s in communication and taught me that I am truly a Midwesterner at heart, so I came back to Des Moines to work for the family business for a few years before going to law school at Drake.
 
I have two amazing daughters, also Roosevelt grads (go Riders!) and 2 goofy cats. The arts have always been a big part of my life. I love the theater, I play the harp and I have been singing in church choirs since I was a kid. I think I have always been drawn to the arts because that is how we tell our deepest stories. It is said that what is most personal is also most universal. Our stories are what bring us together, the shimmery thread woven through our human tapestry. Our stories connect us and these days we desperately need more connection.

Sinikka Waugh and April King discuss 5 Ways to Expand a Learning Mindset.

I started my career during college in the retail space, which then led to a managerial role in the beauty industry.  Prior to my current company, I worked locally for a Global Beauty Brand as an Executive Director of Institute Development for Aveda schools in Iowa and Minnesota.  After 11 years in that role, I made a switch to a favorite IA industry…insurance.  I joined my current team with American Enterprise Group in November 2019.  Throughout the height of the pandemic and global turmoil and unrest, I found myself really appreciative of all the gifts I’ve been given in my life:  my health, my family, and my coworkers.  Through virtual connection, I built relationships and grew alongside teammates.  I am currently the Director of Employee Engagement and Development which allows me to combine my love of learning, culture, and business agility.  When I’m not at work, I am working alongside my husband to raise 2 human beings with the hope that they will give back to their communities as adults.

Sinikka Waugh and Damir Cavkusic discuss 5 Ways to Impact Through Inclusivity.

My name is Damir Cavkusic, and I am a product engineer with John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa. I was born in the former Yugoslavia (currently Croatia) and came to the United States as a young child in 1997 as a refugee to escape the war and turmoil in the Balkans. Starting life over with next to nothing, I grew up as an only child in a single-parent household in Fargo, North Dakota. I had a magnificent role model in my mother, who worked multiple jobs to support us and achieved a master’s degree in business. This all while raising me on her own and instilling her work ethic and perseverance even against great odds. I went to school at North Dakota State University where I majored in Industrial Engineering and Management and had my first foray into involvement and learning the value of working with diverse people and projects. After graduating, I worked as an engineer in North Dakota and later moved to Iowa in 2017 to work for John Deere. Today as a Naturalized American Citizen, I feel comfortable stating that I have achieved the true American Dream. Although everything was earned, I live every day feeling very fortunate to be where I am in life. Through my engineering career, I have been able to obtain multiple US Patents, I am currently pursuing my MBA through the University of North Dakota, I am involved in my community, and I proudly serve as an ally of diversity and empowering voices at work and feel very grateful to work for a company as exceptional as John Deere. Things I like to do in my personal time include traveling and road trips, exploring nature, finding interesting places to eat, keeping up with science and tech news, working on my cars, and attending car shows and sports events.

Sinikka Waugh and Kathy Towner discuss 3 Life Skills for Better Living... and Better Marketing!

The evolution of an entrepreneur often makes a great story, one involving personal sacrifice, intense highs and lows, and the drive to grow and to contribute. It's the entrepreneur's story that drives Kathryn as a business owner herself, and as a website developer and digital marketer.

Serving small businesses for over 20 years, Kathryn relies on her sales experience and public relations training to assist small businesses with online marketing programs at all stages. Straight out of Iowa State University with her degree in journalism, Kathryn worked for McGraw-Hill Higher Education as a publisher's representative, where she trained and practiced the art of inquiry, learning something new every day.

In 2001 Kathryn joined her late husband Greg Goaley in his start-up marketing company. Her goal was to add value, to build a new revenue stream and quickly doubled the size of the business. Today, Kathryn's company WinCommunications propels small businesses not only to stay current with online marketing trends, but also to find their unique voice, refine and re- establish their message, and develop trust online.
WinCommunications provides WordPress consulting, content management, and website development. Kathryn is an expert in small business email marketing and offers social media marketing services. Her focus is on saving the business owner time and money while growing and retaining a strong customer base. And what she values most of all are the relationships.

Kathryn stays involved in community groups and local business activities year-round. Currently she serves as Past President for NAWBO Iowa. She has served for many years in communications and leadership roles with the Iowa chapter of NAWBO, as well as the American Marketing Association, the Association of Women in Communications, the Iowa Society of Association Executives. Her volunteer work includes time on the boards at Opportunity On Deck and the Beaverdale Neighborhood Association.

Sinikka Waugh and Mel Worrel Johnson discuss 4 Questions to Ask to Help Get the Most of Your Assessments.

Over her 20-year career, Melissa Worrel-Johnson has focused her efforts in leadership, talent
development, and business strategy. Her diverse background includes entrepreneurial business start-
ups as well as significant leadership roles in large corporations to now being a partner in Your
Leadership Group – a people development organization focused on coaching, training, and facilitation to
inspire, elevate and help leaders and organizations.
Melissa believes we grow our businesses and profit through teamwork and people. One of our biggest
assets are how we lead our teams, develop our people and roll up our sleeves with people leadership.