The topic of introversion is enjoying some major buzz, and can I just say, it’s about time? One of the most interesting conversations is happening around The New York Times opinion piece penned by Susan Cain, titled “The Rise of the New Groupthink.” Here are my thoughts on that piece, as well as some tips for putting the “I” in “Team.”

For this first podcast of the new year, I’m going to share with you an interview I did back in the fall of 2011 but saved for now because the timing works so well. Maybe you’re among the millions of people who use the new year as a catalyst to make some sort of resolution about their physical health.
Physical activity is key to our overall health, and my guest today takes that truth even further by sharing with us the mental game that contributes to our health, for better or for worse. He calls it “the athlete within,” and it’s not just about being able to run around the track and not collapse when you’re done… it’s about taking care of yourself, body, mind and spirit, so that you can have energy for all of things that you want to accomplish.

As small business owners, we have enough on our plates without worrying about the latest and greatest gadget that comes out every month. The good news is, we don’t have to. This conversation I had back in the spring with Sven Mogelgaard of Byte Slaves Computing provides some insights about how to stay on top of what’s most important while not getting distracted by bright shiny objects. We also talk about Sven’s discovery that he’s more in touch with his introvert side than he thought, and how that influences his networking and community involvement.

All entrepreneurs know how important it is to get off to a good start in their business. Today I’m talking with a visionary who wants your start to not just be good, but wicked good.

Bryan Janeczko is the mastermind behind Wicked Start, an online platform designed to help small business owners and early-stage entrepreneurs realize their dreams of starting a business. His goal is simple: to increase the rate of business success. Our conversation in this podcast covers a variety of ways you can do that, as wide ranging as the importance of bringing heart and compassion into your work, to allowing yourself space to be down in the dumps, all while honoring your introvert energy.

“KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid.”

All of us, at some point, have probably heard those words spoken to us, or have said them to ourselves.

How rude!

Not the “Keep it simple” part… just the “stupid” part. When we call ourselves or others “stupid” in this context, we’re beating ourselves up. It’s like a mental “whap!” upside the head and a wake-up call to get with the program. (Even calling an epiphany a “Duh! moment” – which I did this weekend – isn’t particularly compassionate.)

It’s an open acknowledgment of a tendency we all have: to make things much more complicated than they need to be.

Here’s my attempt to make a complicated subject simple!