Connections with David Reynolds →

Published August 2, 2021  ·  All posts on Aug 2

How does podcasting facilitate unexpected connections and personal growth?

Podcasting leads to unexpected relationships, including connections with Holocaust survivors and international collaborators.

You had to really interact with people and get information and learn and ask questions and be kind of vulnerable too… ‘This might sound dumb, but I’m going to ask it anyway because I don’t know the answer.’ And everybody is really gracious and generous.

~ David Reynolds (6:53)

The conversation explores how podcasting has created unexpected connections and opportunities for personal and professional growth. David describes how chance interactions, such as a humorous online mix-up with a stranger, transformed into valuable conversations. Notably, the podcasting journey led to memorable interviews, emphasizing how meaningful stories emerge from unexpected connections.

Additionally, podcasting has introduced David to new tools, workflows, and skills they hadn’t previously encountered. The technical demands of podcast production, such as using multiple software tools, highlighted the complexities behind creating polished episodes. Beyond the technical aspects, the experience also influenced his personal life, fostering deeper reflections on relationships and ideas, including interactions with his spouse and interviewing his own parents.

Takeaways

Unexpected connections — Podcasting opens doors to surprising relationships, such as meeting international collaborators and interviewing Holocaust survivors.

Personal reflection — Hosting conversations helps clarify personal ideas and deepen understanding of relationships.

Skill development — Podcasting requires learning new tools, workflows, and technical processes to create professional episodes.

Community engagement — Creating a podcast necessitates vulnerability, curiosity, and active participation in a supportive learning community.

Completion mindset — Publishing episodes regularly encourages a mindset of finishing creative projects, including books and podcasts.

Interconnected growth — The lessons learned through podcasting ripple into other areas, such as writing, work habits, and personal conversations.

Serendipity in action — Being open to seemingly random events, such as a LinkedIn message, can lead to meaningful outcomes.

Resources

Lead. Learn. Change podcast — David’s podcast focused on impactful conversations about education and leadership.

Seth Godin’s creative insights — Ideas about embracing failure, publishing consistently, and fostering creativity.

Airtable — A database and organization tool used to streamline podcast production.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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When in doubt →

Published August 2, 2021  ·  All posts on Aug 2

We once spent 7 years remodeling our house while living in it. *shudder* Note to self: Don’t ever do that again. In such a journey, you must learn to navigate a precarious balance between perfection, and omgbecky just get it done! Reflooring the entire house? …maybe lean toward the former. Gutting the only bathroom to subfloor and bare stud walls? …maybe lean toward the later. (Ask me in person and I’ll tell you some stories.) But there is a huge swath of work that falls in the middle area.

“When in doubt, rip it out,” became my matra in those years. Yes, we could fix, cover, repair, patch, shift, or ignore whatever-it-was. And we’d then forever live with the fixed, covered, repaired, patched, shifted, or… well, you can’t ignore it forever. So any time there was doubt, we ripped it out. Dug it up. Tore it down. And then—as time, energy, and money—were available we did it the right way. Or at least, the way we wanted it.

This principle works spendidly too for things other than one’s physical domicile. “What would be the right way, or at least the way I’d want it to be?” will lead you on a journey of exploration.

What’s the right way to repair the crown wash atop our chimney?

How should I convey all these features, benefits and doo-dads to new community members?

How should I organize this book I’m writing?

What would whatever-this-is be like if I did it the Right Way(tm)? …why is that the Right Way(tm) and what if I did it differently?

…but this is actually a post about my slipbox. I’ve not posted recently about it, and it continues to grow. Mostly I continue collecting quotes. But the main part of the slipbox is growing slowly as well. The topmost-level numbers are major divisions, conceptually. “4” is a hierarchy of analects. (I’ll pause while you search.) And “2” is for books.

Any time I want to refer to a book, I add a reference like, “(2b2)” on a card. I had setup the 2nd-level-letters to be MDS leading digits. So that’s a reference to the 2nd book in the 2b section. The point isn’t to understand the structure, when I see a reference… I can just go find the slip. I’m simpy explaining how it was setup. When I set it up, I thought a structural organization would be the way I’d like it.

I was thinking I’d put notes about the books elsewhere in the slipbox. Turns out I’d rather keep a few notes directly “under” the slip for the book itself. But that means I can’t easily find Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow—great book by the way. I have to go find its MDS number and then go into that slipbox section. So yesterday I pulled all the slips out of the “2” section and redesigned the entire thing.

“When in doubt, rip it out.”

The section is now simply organized by title. That book is now under “2to1″ —”to” from the title, first book under “to”. But the first rule of a slipbox is that you cannot change the address of a card. Other cards likely refer to it. And my blog posts have slip addresses on them. And I have digital documents with slip addresses in the names.

So I spent hours hunting and searching through everything, updating blog posts, updating filenames of digital files, updating notations on slips, … hunting down the physical books and updating the notes I keep in the books. It was a big undertaking.

If you’ve been following along with my slipbox journey, you’ve seen me write about how the slipbox enables having a conversation… with the ideas in the slipbox. It sounds wacky, I know. But my experience yesterday showed me it’s true. Every idea, every slip, were mine originally—I put them all in there. But I had an entire day’s worth of new ideas, connections, rereading parts of books, making new notes, … it was totally worth every minute, (yesterday and to date creating the slipbox.)

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Enthralled →

Published August 1, 2021  ·  All posts on Aug 1  ·  ,

When one is enthralled with the beauty on the surface of the ocean, the immensity of its depths can never be discerned.

~ Wu Hsin

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Second best bee →

Published August 1, 2021  ·  All posts on Aug 1

It was a bit spooky to see my own reflection in this bee’s eye. And the best bee photo I’ve ever taken is amazing, even if I do say so myself.

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Cognitive biases →

Published July 31, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 31  ·  

If our goal is to help people make better choices, it helps to first create better feelings.

~ Seth Godin from, Narrative and feelings | Seth’s Blog

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Godin often makes insightful points like this one. But I often wish he’d use his enormous reach to also talk about the other part—

If our goal is to help people make better choices, it helps even more to show them how they can use their rationality. It’s an inbuilt feature of being human—sometimes I’ve argued it is the defining characteristic of being human. It is, in fact, our planetaryily-unique super power. (We have other super-powers, like compassion, which I think may not be unique to humans.)

Yes, as Godin points out, we should create better feelings for others. But how great would each of our lives be if we weren’t governed by our feelings. The goal isn’t to eliminate feelings nor emotions—that’s a dumb idea. The goal is for all the parts of who we each are, to get the appropriate due.

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Education with Nicole Colter →

Published July 30, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 30

How can podcasting serve as an effective tool for active learning and decentralizing power dynamics in the classroom?

Experimenting with podcasting helps students move from passive listeners to active creators.

They always get surprised at the end that, even as painful as it is in the process, you can look back and be like, ‘I knew nothing about any of this and now look what we’ve created.’

~ Nicole Colter (19:36)

The conversation explores the innovative use of podcasting as a tool for active learning in higher education, particularly in a management class. Nicole explains how podcasting helps decentralize classroom power dynamics, allowing students to collaborate, manage projects, and co-create learning experiences. By recording interviews with textbook authors, students engage in active learning while gaining communication and organizational skills.

Nicole highlights the broader learning benefits of podcasting, such as fostering creativity, confidence, and reflective listening. She shares how students begin to see themselves as creators and take initiative beyond assigned tasks. Topics discussed include decentralized pedagogy, alternative assessment methods like “ungrading,” and the value of indirect learning outcomes. Nicole also reflects on challenges such as students’ initial struggles with conversation and project management, ultimately noting their surprise and pride in their final accomplishments.

Takeaways

Active learning through podcasting — Students engage deeply by creating content and interviewing experts.

Decentralized power dynamics — The course empowers students to manage their learning experience collaboratively.

Indirect learning outcomes — Podcasting facilitates valuable skills beyond stated course objectives, like communication and confidence.

Overcoming communication struggles — Students learn and practice the art of meaningful conversations.

The role of reflection — Listening to their own recordings helps students critically evaluate and improve their communication.

Project-based education — Podcasting replaces traditional tests with real-world, outcome-driven projects.

Encouraging creativity — Students begin to see themselves as capable creators, even outside assigned tasks.

Experimentation and adaptability — Nicole views each semester as an opportunity to refine processes based on reflections and feedback.

Practical management skills — Students apply concepts like planning, organizing, and leading through collaborative projects.

The value of open resources — Projects like interviewing textbook authors create accessible learning materials for others.

Resources

The Last Lecture — Randy Pausch’s book referenced for the concept of “head fake” learning, which emphasizes indirect learning outcomes.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Education with Mark Hochgesang →

Published July 30, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 30

What motivates someone to start podcasting as an educational pursuit after retirement, and what are the challenges they face?

Podcasting begins as a post-retirement pursuit but becomes an unexpected journey of storytelling and learning.

And also kind of express my point of view on a multitude of different things happening in that sports world. So that’s how it all kind of kicked off and as we talked about kind of pre-mic episode here I am a learner at heart and I knew that I was starting from ground 0 but that was invigorating for me.

~ Mark Hochgesang (1:21)

The conversation explores how podcasting became an unexpected post-retirement pursuit for Mark. Starting with a suggestion from former colleagues, podcasting offered a way to share perspectives on sports while continuing to learn and engage with others. The discussion touches on the personal aspects of podcasting, such as storytelling, preparation, and the intimacy of audio communication. His episodes often feature guests who have overcome adversity or achieved significant milestones, reflecting his interest in inspiring and game-changing stories.

The conversation also highlights the challenges of producing a podcast, from mastering technical aspects like sound quality to managing the editing workload. Preparation and thoughtful content development play significant roles, as does the balancing act of how much of the host’s personality to include. Podcasting has also strengthened connections within his immediate circle and reconnected him with old colleagues, further emphasizing the communal and connective power of the medium.

Takeaways

The learning process — He views podcasting as a continuous educational journey.

Game changers in sports — The podcast highlights guests who have overcome adversity and made significant impacts.

The power of preparation — Extensive research and planning go into every episode to ensure engaging storytelling.

Podcasting as a post-retirement pursuit — It serves as a meaningful and creative way to stay active and connected.

The intimacy of audio — Podcasting creates a personal and compelling form of communication.

Balancing personal presence — He reflects on how much of himself should be included in his podcast episodes.

Technical challenges — Managing sound quality and editing initially proved time-consuming but rewarding.

Building connections — Podcasting reconnects him with former colleagues and introduces him to inspiring new people.

Resources

Heavy Hitter Sports — Marks’ podcast featuring inspiring stories of game changers in sports.

Zencastr — The recording tool used in the conversation.

The Rookie (Movie) — A Disney film about Jim Morris, a guest mentioned in the podcast.

Multipliers —  Liz Wiseman’s book discussed during the episode.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Actions and perceptions →

Published July 30, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 30  ·  , ,

Operatics, combat and confusion. Sloth and servility. Every day they blot out those sacred principles of yours—which you day-dream thoughtlessly about, or just let slide. Your actions and perceptions need to aim: at accomplishing practical ends; at the exercise of thought; at maintaining a confidence founded on understanding. An unobtrusive confidence—hidden in plain sight.

When will you let yourself enjoy straightforwardness? Seriousness? Or understanding individual things—their nature and substance, their place in the world, their life span, their composition, who can possess them, whose they are to give and to receive?

~ Marcus Aurelius

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And speaking of cognitive biases →

Published July 30, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 30

Confirmation bias is one of my faves. You know, where you suddenly notice all the other cars like yours when you buy one, or spot coincidences from which you draw an [erroneous] causal conclusion. I know right? Screw you cobbled-together-brain! But this coincidence can’t just be a coincidence:

I’ve been reading-around my copy of The Daily Stoic for about 5 years now. Each page of the book is for a specific date. I long-ago got sick of lugging the book around, so I photographed every page, and loaded them into my personal productivity software. For five years, I’ve had annually repeating todos with the day’s image attached. (Yes, it was a few hours of work to set up 365 todo’s, with “recurs every year on the same date,” and an attached image. Yes, it was absolutely worth it.) So every year, on the same date, the same photo of the same page of the Daily Stoic comes up for me to read. (Craig-level crazy: The image for February 29 is attached to the todo for February 28 and I read it every year.) Finally, you need to know that only a small percentage of the Daily Stoic entries quote from Marcus Aurelius’s, Meditations.

Recently, I bought a fresh, hardcover of my favorite translation of Aurelius’s Meditations. (My paperback copy of this same translation is mangled and marked up, and the typography isn’t as spiffy.) I photographed each page, and set it on recurring todos. This was slightly more complicated because it’s not a page-for-each-date. I simply counted the images and made the todo’s recur that often. So each day a page comes up, but it’s not the same page on the same date each year. (There are 139 pages of content, so I’m reading Meditations 2+ times per calendar year.) For added complexity, the modern book is comprised of Aurelius’s 12 original books; Each was a long scroll on which he wrote entries in sequence. What’s on each page of the modern book is simply determined by book layout: It might be Aurelius’s original book 4, entries 11 and 12, or it might have part of an entry continued from the previous page, or an entry which is cut short that runs to the next page. Sure, it’s messy to try to read a book a-page-a-day if it wasn’t designed that way, but it works, and I get to visit Marcus each day.

That’s the setup. Here’s the coincidence…

Today I hit a Daily Stoic entry that quotes Meditations. The page that’s up for reading in my sequence from Meditations, CONTAINS THE QUOTED PASSAGE.

o_O

After looking around suspiciously… “Am I on Candid Camera?” After looking up suspiciously… I decided I better blog about this.

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Campfire, marshmallows and conversation →

Published July 29, 2021  ·  All posts on Jul 29  ·  ,

Many moon ago, Movers Mindset had a weekly team meeting with 5 people. It was simply a video call to socialize. Work-related discussion was allowed, but mostly we were just talking about training, sharing instagram videos, discussing news and events in our sports and its surrounds, … that sort of stuff. Just hanging out with people who have a shared interest.

From the start we knew we didn’t want to record those calls. That suddenly makes everything too permanent; You have to show up looking not-insane, and you automatically hold back some of your energy to be on the safe side. But we also felt that we were losing something by having no artifact at all. Much of what we were discussing and sharing in the team call would be of interest to others— but we didn’t want non-team-members attending our private call. Thus, no recording. The meeting gave us what we needed, and that was good enough.

Time passed. (And many great team meetings were had.)

One day, as I sat around wondering how to make the already-great calls even better, my mind drifted as it so often does. It wandered back to the 80s/90s and I thought of the seemingly endless hours I’d spent on text-based chat with people in far off places. Stuck underground in some computer lab, (for real,) I’d open a text window and visit some distant friend. It was real-time interaction, but in a restricted medium; Restricted, at the time, because that’s all we had. But still, it was magical to have real-time access to other people. It felt so much more alive than bullentin boards (the online kind), Usenet, and email. Still wondering how to make our team meetings better, I recalled this once-in-a-lifetime experience I had.

It went like this…

A group of friends had all being doing Parkour together for several years. To be clear: We found ourselves doing Parkour together, and wound up a group of friends through countless shared experiences. (Ask me in person and I’ll tell ya’ some stories.) Two of the group eventually got married. The fellow ended up deployed to Afghanistan in a intelligence role with special forces. (I may have the details wrong, sue me.) Suffice it to say: Half a world away from everyone, and while not physically in immenent danger, his day-to-day surroundings drove him to depression. One day he apparently reached the cliff’s edge and in a fit of frustration he sent a message to a dozen-or-so of us, (which included his wife,) with an enormous brain dump of his current state.

He’d sent a Facebook Messenger direct-message—apparently one of the few channels he was permitted. This wall of text arrives in my phone, with a bright and cheery *ding* I suddenly have this giant message from my good friend. I was delighted to hear from him, but all of it was news to me, and frankly none of it was good. Then, two magical things happened:

We promised that we’d do pushups immediately when he wrote to us, if he promised to never miss a day. It had a terrifically witty name—which I’m not sharing because then I’d have to tell you his first name. Every day, around 2pm my time—but it was unpredictable—*ding* and I’d end up doing pushups right in the middle of the super market. Literally. Once I got caught driving, and pulled over to the side of the road to do my pushups, and message back, done! It didn’t take us long before those of us on the dm-list were racing to see who could reply, “done!” first. Our far away friend became a sort of evil pushup assigning drill Sargeant. But there’s a twist. On day one, we all did 1 pushup. On day 2, we did 2. Then 3. Then 4… And yes, we were somewhere above 100 by the end of his deployment. (Spoiler: He returned home safely.) He repeatedly told us that every day he pretty much spent the entire day planning his daily entry in the back of his mind, and day-dreaming about making us all suffer the next number of pushups. Somehow, we small band of merry idiots managed to create a small daily dose of inspiration for our far away friend. (We all got pretty good at pushups too.)

The second piece of magic happened because we were all there for it in real time. We’d each do our pushups—as the numbers got stupid-large, you’d do them in sets and start reporting your reps in real-time. And somehow, the entire thing became performance art. Soon, we were having our friend pick an “animal of the day”, and it had to be different each day. Finished our pushups, we’d try to find and share funny photos, making up our own silly captions. We tried constantly to Rick Roll each other. We did anything we could think of to make our friend, and each other, laugh. Because we were doing this at the end of our friend’s day, he’d eventually “call it” when he was ready for sleep, and we’d all drop off. Years later, we still have in-circle nicknames for each other, and inside jokes that make me giggle even now as I’m typing.

One day, after it was over, I realized how special it had all been. I opened up Messenger on my desktop browser, and I tried to scroll back through the thousands of messages. I wanted to screenshot it all and somehow make a book to give just to those who were involved. But my browser crashed from all the images, animated GIFs, etc before I got even halfway.

Now, back to those weekly meetings I wanted to improve…

Having that story about our far away friend flash through my mind was the spark I needed! In our team meetings, I wanted to capture some of that ephemeral, asynchronous-messaging based, magic. I wanted our cool meeting to somehow also be a little bit performance art that left us with something that others could enjoy, (and even find useful.) My “campfires” ideas was born.

Campfire, marshmallows and conversation! The MM team gets together occasionally in a sort of free-form discussion that’s not quite a chat, and not quite a discussion. It’s a cross between instant chat and performance art.

Each week, as before, we had a completely ephemeral video call. But at the same time, in real time, we would all co-create a long Google Doc. That sounds silly—it is. And it’s hard to do as things move around in the document. But it feels like instant messaging. At the end of the set time, we ended the call, and I simply copy-n-pasted the contents into a Discourse thread.

We eventually stopped doing them as the team shrank. But if you want to see what they were, they’re all still there, in https://forum.moversmindset.com/c/campfires/37 — they still make me smile, and I’m so glad we did them.

What—you might wonder—makes we write all this up now?

I’m bringing back this beloved idea as: Campfires in the Podcaster Community.

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