The Soulful Leader Podcast

Think about that time when you were so irritated you could barely see straight. That’s emotional hijacking - it happens more than we notice AND it costs us way more than we realize. It can cost you a client, a team member, a partnership or even your reputation. As a leader, you definitely want an alternative. In today’s podcast, Maren and Stephanie talk about Maren’s personal experience of being emotionally hijacked that led her to almost transfer her emotions onto her husband. This vulnerable, real and funny discussion travels through the Drama Triangle (victim, violator, rescuer), the importance of creating a safe space within oneself and the role of imagination in shifting out of the drama. Most importantly, Maren and Stephanie share a favorite tool to break the drama cycle and literally build new, more empowering pathways in the brain. Does this type of work interest you? Be sure to check out Maren & Stephanie's 2025 Co-Creation Circle. It’s built for leaders that want to go more deeply into changing their world, into making shift happen - from the inside out. LINKS 12:05 Halloween Podcast: Ep 170 More Energy, Your Shadow’s Gift 20:43 Joe Dispenza YouTube Video TRANSCRIPT YouTube Video Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

You are not the problem. The way you were taught to solve problems is actually limiting you. Rational thinking is inherently limited - mainly because we’re not meant to stop at ‘rational’, we are meant to keep evolving. Einstein said that you cannot solve that problem on the same level that created it. That means traditional problem-solving methods are insufficient for addressing our modern societal issues and personal challenges. It's time for us to go beyond what we currently know and do, we need to develop ‘trans-rational’ awareness. Trans-rational awareness is real, and embracing it requires each of us to let go of who we think we are. That may seem confusing and scary, and there is a process. This week, Stephanie and Maren: If you are frustrated with escalating issues in your own life and the world, there is a better way. Today's podcast does more than scratch the surface - it provides tangible tools to foster deeper, more meaningful and impactful lives. It provides hope. LINKS 16:40 Sir Ken Robinson TedX Talk TRANSCRIPT YouTube Video Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

Have you ever wanted something more for someone then they want it for themselves? It can be painful and heartbreaking - for both people. And it can decimate a relationship. Today, Maren and Stephanie dig into every aspect of this from both personal and professional perspectives. They cover control and codependency, arrogance and boundary issues, internal dialogs, the external world as a mirror and how so much of what we say to ourselves is actually not our own voice. Through two personal stories comes - wisdom, insights and thought provoking guidance for leaders and business people alike. This is a jam packed, short episode with a great practice toward the very end - so be sure to stay tuned. Please share it with a friend and join us on Facebook and/or LinkedIn. We’d like to hear your comments, questions and thoughts. TRANSCRIPT YouTube Video Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

There is a direct link between Soulful Leadership, your shadow and Halloween. Don’t let it ‘spook’ you! Carl Jung has done powerful work around exploring the shadow as a path of both personal and leadership development. Today, Stephanie and Maren share how that can be done in a playful way. By consciously using Halloween (or any time of the year) you can embrace the beautiful leadership gifts that are stuffed in your shadow. In their fun, insightful way, Stephanie and Maren share the deeper side of our current customs so we can all mine some inner gold - while fully enjoying our holiday. If you’ve ever wanted more energy, freedom, healing, creativity, abundance or anything else, you will want to listen in - regardless of the time of year. LINKS Transcript YouTube Video REFERENCES 11:04 Rumi Poem, The Guest House — Jalaluddin Rumi, translation by Coleman Barks (The Essential Rumi) This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes As an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. 18:38 Albert Einstein — ‘The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.’ Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

What motivates you? Does pain and fear get your butt in gear, or is it joy and meaning and purpose? Are ‘mess’ and ‘drama’ habitual patterns in your life? If you are comfortable complaining and don’t get really ‘motivated’ until something breaks or is on fire - then you are familiar with the fear/pain/adrenaline loop. While it works to get where you want to go, it’s exhausting and it’s probably gotten old. The adrenaline motivation loop takes a huge toll on our systems. Plus we end up in a cycle of internal fixation and procrastination so we can get to the adrenaline rush. The alternative? Being pulled forward by joy and purpose, it’s not only easier on our bodies, minds, and emotions, it feeds us and fosters growth and resilience. In this week’s podcast Maren & Stephanie talk about making the shift from one way of being to the other, what it takes and the benefits for body, mind and spirit. If you are interested in making that shift and are looking for support, join the Soulful Leader Podcast email list and get notified about our new, upcoming group program to help individuals connect with their deeper motivations and lead from the soul. (www.TSLP.life) “If you weren't getting a benefit out of the drama, you wouldn't be in it. It's serving you.” ~ Maren Oslac Upcoming group program - get tuned into yourself, and be able to stay tuned in! Join our email list for more information. (www.TSLP.life) TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube LINKS 01:53 Inner Chemicals Podcast: Ep 86 Your Inner Pharmacy 05:26 The One Thing podcast: Ep 168: That 'One Thing' You Can't Solve Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

“If I just — (fill in the blank) — had enough money, got the promotion, had the right team, was in a relationship, had a better job, lived in a different town… THEN I would be happy!” Right? The tantalizing shortcut, the quick fix - what if that is actually just rushing our life away? They say that we get to the end of life and wish for more time - because we missed the journey. This week, Stephanie and Maren offer a quick, fun and powerful exploration of that ‘one thing’ that eludes each of us. Spoiler alert: You were intentionally designed to have the ‘thing’ you can’t solve - we all were. It’s your passport on a journey of joy and delight - if you choose to take it. “There's a reason that that one piece is meant to elude us” - Maren TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

Imagine one of those moments when everything in life was clicking. You hit your stride and all cylinders were firing. Your business, and life, can be like that regularly. And it does take an awareness of not only your personal rhythms, but of the rhythms around you as well. Just like a good drummer, you feel it when you are out of sync with yourself AND with your surroundings, you’ve just learned to ignore it …and push through it. To understand and master rhythms, you must be comfortable with transitions - something we tend to both resist and fight. Resisting transitions and ignoring rhythms results in fatigue and illness. “Build the transitions into your rhythm so you don't have to get sick in order to have a justification for taking time off” - Maren Today, Stephanie and Maren take us all on their own journey of success, weaving through the power of rhythms, transitions and even expanding time itself. TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube LINKS 00:31 Ep 164: Expanding Time 04:42 Josh Waitzkin's video @ 9:48 https://youtu.be/ota0RrHcwP0?si=qrUbJOYgfZUxWIKT&t=588 07:37 Ep 161: Missed Takes or Mistakes? Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

Leaders who can articulate their thoughts grab attention. Leaders who can articulate their hearts create impact and connect hearts. Both of which are much needed in today’s world. Building that skill is not about talking - the real secret is the effort those powerful leaders put into listening. Listening to what’s being said behind someone’s words. So often, people seem to ramble about nothing for hours. As a society that idealizes the intellect, we live from the head up. We've disconnected from the (literal) brain cells that exist in our hearts and gut. We're so busy up in our heads trying to figure everything out we can’t help but ramble. So, as a leader, how do you get to the crux? How do you sort through it all and find the nuggets? This is a subject close to Maren and Stephanie’s hearts and they have a blast unpacking it together. Be sure to listen to the second half where they give 3 distinct skills that will help you further your own impact! TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube LINKS 09:24 Sir Ken Robinson Ted Talk 12:30 Life is a Bowl of Cherries 12:40 Metaphors We Live By Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

Most of the time there’s a mismatch between ‘job’ and ‘person’ - Even the best ‘matched’ positions (right person) are usually not quite right (wrong job). It’s crazy that this is the accepted standard! It has a negative impact on the company (customer attrition, environment, co-workers, etc.), the worker (mental, physical and emotional health, family, time, etc) and the customer (feeling slighted, not heard, abused, etc). Yet we live like this every day of the year. It’s the norm, it’s built into the ‘cost of doing business’. This week, Maren and Stephanie tackle this important leadership issue - yes, it does fall on the shoulders of leaders - through a story about Maren’s dog, Jemma, and a trip to the vet (no animals were harmed in the recording of this podcast). There is a way to ask for help, to get the help we need and for it to be a win-win-win. However, we need to rewrite the playbook, to think, and act, differently. Our planet desperately needs people who are ready to think differently. Are you one of them? TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube LINKS 10:45 Podcast Maren mentions: Ep 161: Missed Takes or Mistakes Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

How would you like all the time in the world to do what's necessary? The mystics say that we have it, so why do we always feel behind? One reason is that we’re out of tune with our own personal rhythm. Being out of rhythm puts us into tension, takes us out of flow, we are out of sync with the timing of things (and people) around us, everything gets crunchy. When we are in sync, time expands. It’s calming, kind, and nurturing. The body doesn't go in a fight or flight. It stays relaxed, so you have less chronic pain, you sleep better, you hear better, and it puts you into flow with everything around you. As leaders, understanding and using rhythm gives us an edge. Instead of the old ‘push through’ that takes its toll on us (and our teams), finding our rhythm means we get where we want to go AND we have the energy to both enjoy it and continue. “Our nature is to breathe and be in rhythm.” ~ Stephanie J. Allen Today, Stephanie and Maren share time, rhythm, connection and flow shortcuts in a quick and powerful podcast. You will love learning more about getting in touch with your own rhythm; it’s the only way we can really connect to another - and connection is what makes business, and life, work. TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

What if your life, and your business, could go from surface level, average, non-fulfilling to rewarding and filled with substance? Today’s podcast answers that question. Self-awareness and introspection in identifying one's values, as well as recognizing and aligning internal and external values leads to deeper relationships, better decision-making, and a more fulfilling life. Yet, most of us don't even realize what our values are. Our values were adopted, they got layered into our lives from very early on and we’ve not stopped to examine them, to see if they even fit us. Today, Stephanie and Maren look at all of that AND go even deeper into values looking at both intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external) values, the difference between them, and why it’s useful to distinguish between them. Many of us, as leaders, end up feeling empty and/or dissatisfied due to our culture’s focus surface, extrinsic values. When we take the time to identify AND align both internal and external values we end up with stronger teams and more balanced, harmonious lives. TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

For what purpose were you born in this time? In this place? With these people? In this situation? There is a reason. “For every single problem, there is a solution right next to it. And those solutions are us.” - Maren Oslac Life is more than meeting, or even exceeding, societal expectations. Ask anyone who has climbed that ladder. As leaders, we often feel pressured into doing all the ‘right’ things and checking off the boxes. And we lose ourselves in the process. Meaning is what we really seek and that is found in discovering, and doing, our life’s mission. Today’s episode touches something deep inside that’s been calling to us. Maren and Stephanie are articulate and bring both hope and joy to what could be scary, anxiety inducing subject matter. You’ll want to share this with those around you, leaders or not. TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube LINKS 26:12 Book - Caravan of Remembering 26:18 Corporations - HuPerson Project 26:34 Small Business, Solopreneurs - The Soulful Leader Project Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

Perfectionism is rampant in our culture. The pressure to do things right, right now, has induced in us a fear of making mistakes. Ironically, that very aversion is what keeps us from doing things ‘right’. It’s a horrible incapacitating cycle that HAS to be broken. Today, Maren & Stephanie talk about this ‘cycle’ we’ve caught in a fun and engaging way, laughing at their own mistakes (yes, Stephanie really did light a 90 year old man on fire). More than that, they bring perspective shifts AND multiple, tangible practices to the conversation so that we can all get to the benefits of the ‘missed takes’ in our lives. If you want the quickest doorway to growth, you will love this podcast. Of course, you’ll need to be willing to let go of your self-judgment and perfectionism! TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube LINKS 08:20 One and done, disposable society - Ep 119: Burdens to Blessings 08:49 Leading yourself - Ep 157: Inner Leadership: Awaken Your Potential 20:40 Daniel Goodenough - Ep 67: Three Questions that Will Change Your Life Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

What if the skills you’ll need to retire well are also the skills you need to live well? And to lead well? It turns out, they are. Retirement is not just reserved for a stage late in life when you're not working anymore, it happens throughout our lives on multiple levels. So having some skill with it can literally change your whole world. Imagine a part of yourself that you’d love to ‘retire’. Maybe you’d love to take the complaining part of you and set it aside, or be done with the part of you that gets anxious? We think about retiring from work or retiring for the evening, and we can apply that concept to letting go of the parts of ourselves that don’t serve us anymore. The idea that when we retire from something it’s all sunshine and roses is false. In reality, 99% of the time, there’s actually a struggle, a push back and a loss of identity. Creating a regular ‘retiring’ practice will up-level your life and make the continual ongoing process of growth easier. It will also build a powerful skill set, one that will keep you from getting caught in downward spirals like the trap in which most retirees get caught. Riley Moynes has a great TEDTalk and book that outline the 4 stages of retirement - and they are not all sunshine and roses. In this week’s insightful podcast, Stephanie and Maren use a ton of great examples to illustrate how we get stuck, AND how to get UNstuck by using the concept of ‘retirement’ as a regular practice. You will want to share this with your colleagues and teams! TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube LINKS 26:27 Four Stages of Retirement TedX Talk (“How to Squeeze All the Juice Out of Retirement” - Riley Moynes) Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

“We're not here just to do what everyone else is doing. There's some puzzle piece that we bring to the whole, that's our gift.” - Carissa Kazyss Society has a way of getting us to try to fit in. It’s built into our school system, it’s pervasive across all ad platforms and, subconsciously, it runs our lives. Today’s guest firmly believes that your unique self is the key - not only to your own personal happiness and satisfaction - but to every challenge that exists on the planet right now. If you have ever felt a longing for more meaning, or wondered, ‘is this all there is?’, your soul is talking to you, and you will likely find some inspiring keys in today’s up-lifting, empowering episode. Maren & Stephanie did. Carissa is a Caravan Guide, writer, community steward, producer, and consultant living in Nanaimo, B.C., Canada. She brings a MA in Integral Psychology and more than 15-years of training with Daniel Goodenough to the conversation. If you’d like to connect with Carissa, you can do so through the website CaravanofRemembering.com More About Carissa Carissa Kazyss is dedicated to helping life mission work as exemplified in The Caravan of Remembering move out into the world as a way, a place, a community, and a process to support the skill of being in conversation with one's life mission. Carissa is a Caravan Guide, writer, community steward, producer, and consultant living in Nanaimo, B.C., Canada. She brings a MA in Integral Psychology and more than 15-years of training with Daniel Goodenough. She has led numerous Caravan Conversation Club groups, is co-founder of Caravan of Remembering as a company and continues to be inspired by The Caravan of Remembering as an important resource for our times. Carissa has worked in multiple organizational contexts, roles and fields including sustainability, education, and community development. TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

In a world that celebrates giving and vilifies receiving, how do we learn to receive? And why is it important, especially to leaders? Stephanie and Maren discuss this critical component of leadership that impacts everything from relationships to bottom lines. This powerful podcast looks at receiving through the lens of limiting beliefs, definitions of success, agendas, alternative perspectives and more. The good news? Doing a bit of inner work can radically change your outer experience of the world - fast. If you are ready to live in a friendly universe where life surprises and delights you, you will love today’s episode! TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

“How we lead others is how we lead ourselves.” What does that even mean? And how does it help me as a person, and as a leader? We are different with different people - we’re one way with our spouse, another with our boss, another with our teams - we take on different personas. Last week Maren and Stephanie talked about this ‘inner’ cast of characters and this week they share three powerful practices to actually find AND develop those different parts of ourselves. As humans (and leaders), when we choose to work within, it shifts everything outside- for the better. If you want to be less judgmental, have more energy and life force, achieve your goals more quickly and own characteristics you admire in others, bookmark this episode for yourself. You can also download the transcript to go more deeply. “The minute you impact somebody's life, you're a leader.” - Maren Oslac and Stephanie J. Allen TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

Let’s step into controversy! In business we’re often told to give more than expected. That’s good business. Yet personally, giving more that someone expects, needs or wants is often a sign of an unhealthy, co-dependent relationship. So which is it? How do we know if we should give more than expected or hold back? This is such a key subject for leaders and businesses that Stephanie and Maren went all in. They don’t hold anything back as they pull it apart and look at it from multiple lenses. From honestly talking about the fact that most people don’t actually know (or can’t articulate) what they need, to people's tendency to assume “hey, I know what that person needs, and I'm just going to give it to them”, this is a power packed episode. “It's a growth, awareness, rather than a fixed awareness, meaning, you're focusing on where you're growing, where you're evolving, rather than where you're stuck.” - Stephanie J. Allen TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

Resiliency. We all want it. It’s a buzzword in business. Everyone has an opinion on how to ‘be resilient’. This week, Maren and Stephanie take a look at this hot leadership topic from a slightly different perspective and give three clear, actionable steps that work. If you are ready to up the resiliency in your life and your leadership, you will love today’s podcast. We work hard, grow into productive adults, change who we are and suddenly find ourselves in a situation that throws us right back into who we were - no warning - and no way to get out of it. Holding onto who we are, regardless of the situation is resiliency, and it does take a regular, intentional practice. This is the three part process that Maren shares as she tells her own story of discovery. Leaders who long to swap the life of judgment, criticism and blame for a one of curiosity, joy and playfulness will appreciate that Maren and Stephanie don’t just share the three steps, but they give the secret sauce that actually makes them work. TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders

Values are powerful tools, yet most of the time we don’t know what a value is, no less what our particular values are. Today Stephanie and Maren pull apart what values mean to us personally, and in our businesses. Knowing your values (and your business’ values) is one of the single most impactful thing you can do to attract customers and teams, to increase revenue and retention and even to meet Mr. or Ms. Right. Are you ready to shift out of the old way of relationships, of marketing, of leading. If you’ve ever felt like goldilocks - not able to find that ‘just right’ formula, today’s Values first episode will have you reaching for a pen. Instead of the old, exhausting way of going about life, join Maren & Stephanie and dive into a deeper, more meaningful way that leads to flow. "Bad marketing values promotions, good marketing, promotes values.” ~ Simon Sinek TRANSCRIPT Watch on Youtube LINKS 15:48 Ep 150 Vicki Keith (Neurodiversity is Your Superpower) 16:38 https://brenebrown.com/resources/dare-to-lead-list-of-values/ 20:19 Stephanie's Values Exercise What are my top 10 Values? After each value... A) why is this important? B) where am I living this value now? C) internally.. thoughts/beliefs/attitudes...what do I need to let go of? Learn? Change? So I can be more aligned with my values? There aren't always answers to the above questions. The questions are meant to be contemplated ..and they will grow, change and evolve as you inquire about them... you may want to pick one each day and just 'think about its presence in your life'. This is not a test. No pass or fail. No right or wrong Your answer will change as you do. Please share your insights and questions in one of our Soulful Leaders groups: Facebook Group LinkedIn Group Get all the latest episodes, news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe here. TheSoulfulLeaderPodcast.com Watch the podcasts on our YouTube Channel: @Soulful Leaders