Self-Improvement Episodes

“I had overridden my own intuition and inner guidance for so long in favor of achievement and looking good to the outside I honestly didn’t even know which way was up.” – Mandy Tang

“We have this capacity for deep peace, deep calm, deep knowing of who we are, deep connection with our callings and our gifts. And that's all within us, just waiting to be accessed.” – Laurie Smith

“We think of writing as something that happens in isolation, but writing really is best when it's done in community, when you have someone to bounce ideas off of, when you can have that back and forth that gets out of your own head and gives you fresh perspectives you probably wouldn't have thought of.” – Dianna Gunn

“Tap into your own inner creativity. It's there. It's always has been there, and your story matters.” – Abbie Emmons

"Don't wait for your life to become less busy before you honor your creativity." – Nataliya Falevich

“Your success is determined by your need. How badly do you want it? That's what really gets you to where you want to be.” – Michael Black

“Emotions aren't here just to overwhelm us. They're actually here to guide us.” – Liz Moyer Benferhat

“Lead them to Christ, not to you. Or you will burn yourself out quick, fast, and in a hurry.” – Rev. Dr. Nicole B. Simpson

"Never underestimate yourself because the things that you think you're bad at now, you can be great at later." – Dr. Katie Eastman

“Where people get stuck is when they find themselves doing a lot of what I call ‘rocking chair tasks,’ which are those things where, like, you feel like you're in motion, but you're not going anywhere.” – Kate Kayaian

“When I started having grandkids, I found that a good way to keep them entertained and to keep them from misbehaving was to tell them stories. So, I told them stories.” – Dr. Caroline Crocker

“You're going to have either a book or an excuse of why you don't have a book.” – Alinka Rutkowska

“I got my first rejection letter when I was 11… But I kept with it, and eventually it paid off.” – William Bernhardt

“I thought I would write this book 20 years ago, and it's a very different book than I would have written 20 years ago. So, for y'all who are thinking, oh, I should write the book, I should write the book, maybe your timing is perfect.” – Dr. Alisha Das

“Work tirelessly on the things that you love. Don't worry about ‘failing.’ Don't worry about producing work that you don't think is any good, because that's an essential crucible that you have to get through.” – Scott Dikkers

“You got to come first from a giving standpoint rather than from a taking standpoint.” – Bret Ridgway

“We were not really talking about sort of that messy middle, perhaps the much less exciting, much less headline grabbing set of stories about what ordinary people are doing here and now to use these tools to solve problems in their communities.” – Dr. Beth Simone Noveck

“Being out in nature and in the wilderness has always, always provided me with something, whether it be the answer I needed or something that I didn't even know I needed.” – Lisa Michelle

“You have to feel valuable within yourself.” – Toni Ann Johnson

“Writing a book to me is not just sharing information or telling a story. It's how do I metabolize the story and take it in enough that when I write or speak, it's a transmission, it's a message, it's a lesson, it's something ancient.” – Celinne Da Costa

"I'm a better pastor because of the high-quality professional development and the work that I've done on the job, and I'm a much better employee and leader because of the compassion and the experiences that I've seen in the church." – Rev. Kevin T. Taylor

“Books have been both a refuge and a source of inspiration. And they can be so uplifting.” – Nicole Pope

“Step out of how we've thought before and into that which is bigger than us.” – Janell Rae Warkentin

“For any endeavor or enterprise in the creative field, you have to think of it as a job. Even if you only can do it an hour, a day, or two hours a day, even if you have to get up really early in the morning and before the kids are awake.” – Steven Pressfield