The Inner Leader Podcast

Make Like a Tree: The Power Of Letting Go

Today’s episode is inspired by the most glorious of seasons we’re now experiencing. The autumn leaves show us just how beautiful it is to let go. In the spirit of the season, I talk about 7 things we’d all do well to let go.
Topics covered:
Elissa’s story of holding onto old stories about celebrating seasonal change
7 things to let go of (and how to do it):
The “Shoulds” - stop “shoulding” yourself. It brings shame and judgment and keeps us in the past. I give you words and phrases to use instead
Stories - we tell so many stories, consciously and subconsciously, about ourselves and others. Who would you be without your story?
The Ego* (*this is a qualified letting go - we still need our ego, we just need to diminish its power)
Attachments - to people, to our stories, to our own suffering. We need to diminish the ego in order to identify our attachments
Judgment - of selves and others. Judgment keeps us in low vibration and prevents us from moving forward. Replacing judgment with curiosity opens up possibilities, solutions, and connection
Blame/Victimhood
Old, stuck emotional energy
Elissa here! 👋 Did you love this episode? Do you have feedback? Please let go of your hesitancy;) and leave a rating and review. My inner leader thanks your inner leader for your listenership and connection.
 

Cue the Barry White: All Aboard the (Core) Love Train!

Everyone's talking about self love - and while that's a good thing, what does it actually mean? And are we doing it right? Elissa has her own way of looking at this fundamental competency - and what it looks like in action.
Elissa explains:
Core love vs self love
The importance of "witnessing yourself"
ThEe critical role of journaling your process
The things we do that make us absent from ourselves - and how to get back
The ways in which we resist our own self love
Core love case study: Simone Biles
Action plan:
Observe
Acceptance
Build trust
Use the 3 C's: Courage, Curiosity & Compassion
Identify what YOU want & need;
Commit to self
Elissa's very personal (and spicy) example of choosing herself
The need for love & acceptance of self in order to grow
The core connection between intuition and building core trust
The enlightenment that comes from looking at how we handle failure
Showing up in small, consistent ways:
The "Stuart Smalley"
Saying no
Loving all ages of YOU.
Elissa here. Would you please show me some love in the form of a rating, review, or download? The more of you who do this, the more people will feel the love of this podcast. Thank you🙏🏼

Between Stimulus & Response: Inner Leader CEO with Dan Dumsha

This week on The Inner Leader Podcast, it's the first in our CEO series, where I talk to business owners and CEOs about how they use intuition at work. And it doesn't get any more intuition friendly than the Improv space. 
My dear friend Dan Dumsha, President & Founder of Improv for Work and Wellness, joins me in this episode to talk about how improv serves us at work, and how intuition has served him in his. We'll learn:
The “magic” of being in the moment in our work (07:00)
How the corporate world has received improv - and how Dan builds trust with his co-creators (07:50)
Building a safe space & its evolution into a brave space (11:00)
Co creation vs control (13:15)
Making meetings more efficient and cost effective (13:35)
Taking a “beat” before answering (15:45)
What we can learn about someone from the questions they ask (16:00)
Using intuition the second time (17:35)
Why mistakes are so important to make (18:40)
How intuition has played a role in Dan’s business decisions (21:00)
The relationship between discomfort and change (21:20)
Patterns & Feelings: How Dan experiences intuition (24:00)
How to plan for a change before you’re able to make that change (26:40)
Fighting for our limitations vs welcoming change (27:40)
An improv-inspired tool everyone can use right now to create greater connection in their everyday conversations (28:30)
The benefits of checking the ego (33:00)

Did it Have to Be a BMW? What the World Is Reflecting & What You're Projecting

In this episode, Elissa shares her own candid & humbling experiences with the phenomena of reflection and projection - how the world reflects our view of ourselves, and how we project that view onto others. Elissa explains how the process of discovering our projections and reflections can be actually be fun! We promise you won’t see life quite the same after this episode.
How being triggered can be a great gift
Elissa’s examples of reflection in her own life & how it helped her
The amazingly metaphorical nature of reflection - and how to decode it
Seeing the world as we are, not how it is - and how to identify when we are
Applying curiosity to identify what we need to know about ourselves
Projection: what our accusations are saying about ourselves
The dangers of projection - and the opportunities
The role of gratitude and humility in decoding our projections
How understanding our projections allows us to grow
“Trolls” - their folkloric history and how today’s online trolls are masters of projection
The magic that happens when we acknowledge a projection
Name, tame and reframe the stories we’re projecting onto others
The role of gratitude in the process of identifying projection and reflection

So You Think You're a Good Driver? The Joys Of Conscious Conflict

In this episode, Elissa shares a radical view on conflict - it’s a tremendous opportunity for learning and growth.
 
Are you still reading? Good - we know conflict can be uncomfortable to think about. But it doesn’t have to be. In fact, in this episode, Elissa breaks it down in a way that makes it downright … agreeable. So think of an ongoing or recent conflict you’ve experienced and be ready to see it in a whole new light.
 
We cover:
 
The universality of types of conflict and feelings about it
The “elephant in the room” people avoid when it comes to conflict
A takeaway from the book Crucial Conversations - the sooner the better
Conflict as an opportunity for growth
7 radical assumptions for approaching conflict 
7 steps to thriving through it
The role of ego when we disagree
Releasing the victim archetype
The role of values in our messaging
What’s in the “energy field,” and how to adjust it prior to a difficult conversation
Listening to understand vs respond
“And” vs “But” and the game changing difference it makes.

Why Isn't George Clooney in My Villa? (The Thing About Manifesting)

Manifestation is a thing, right?  So why don't we all have the thing we've been trying to manifest? In other words, why isn't George Clooney in my villa? ;)
 
In this episode, Elissa addresses a listener's question about how to make their professional and lifestyle goals a reality. Manifestation is a hot topic, and while the tik tokers have their methods, Elissa shares some different ways of approaching this practice, including:
The realization that YOU'RE ALREADY MANIFESTING! Just not how you may be thinking;
Why visualization alone doesn't work;
How to achieve the FEELING. 
The role of limiting beliefs in blocking our manifestation;
What "stories" are you telling that are in conflict with your goals?
The "3 C's" framework that allows you to approach manifesting - and life;
Reverse engineering what you already manifested so you can learn;
Reframing a new story that's more consistent with what you want to manifest;
Letting go in order to make room for what you want;
Why "shoulds" can be so damaging & how to rise above - and raise your vibe.

Putting Out Fires On a Hamster Wheel: Why This Podcast?

Elissa welcomes listeners to the Inner Leader community and shares some of her story and what you can expect with this podcast:
Why this podast? 
Co-creation - we all have something to contribute;
What's getting between us and our Inner Leader;
Topics we'll cover;
The 3 C's which provide a framework for our journey;
Letting go to grow;
"Core love" and what it means;
What happens when we shine a light on our common struggles;
Elissa's journey;
The connection between anxiety and denial of self;
Who this podcast can help;
An invitation to connect and share your own struggles & successes.

Welcome to Your Inner Leader!