Circle Up & Get REAL Podcast

Matthew Hallaway spent the first 20 years of his career in banking. Today, he is the new Director of Advancement for Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre—and preparing to take the stage himself as Inspector Eddie Constantine in Last Call at Chez Mort.

Looking backward, the path makes more sense than it might have while he was walking it. Mentors encouraged him to get involved. Relationships introduced him to new people and possibilities. His family developed a shared love of theater. Each experience opened another door, and Matthew chose to walk through it.

In this episode of Circle Up...

What happens when the career you've dreamed about no longer fits—and the business you build next asks you to grow in ways you didn't expect?

In Episode 326 of Circle Up and Get REAL, I welcome marketing strategist, coach, author, and Clarity to CEO podcast host Philippa Channer. Philippa connects the dots from managing high school football equipment to nonprofit communications, police academy, and launching Channer Consulting in February 2020.

Together, we explore recognizing strengths we may take for granted, becoming willing to receive coaching, and questioning advice we've followed without checking whether it works. Philippa sh...

What does it really mean to do what you say you will do?

In Part 2 of my conversation with longtime friend, mentor, and Extreme Leadership author Steve Farber, we continue exploring the ideas behind his newest book, The Radical Promise, co-authored with Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner.

Our conversation starts with love — something Steve has been talking about in the context of leadership and business for decades. Not love as sentiment or something "soft," but love made visible through action. Because, as Steve points out, without action behind the words, love isn't much more than a...

A Facebook meme about gas prices and the Keystone pipeline sent me looking for more information. But what caught my attention wasn't really the pipeline. It was the conversation underneath the meme—and the language people were using about "us" and "them."

I began wondering: Who exactly is "they"? What makes someone part of "us"? And why can questioning a group's assumptions be interpreted as evidence that you belong to the other side?

Then the inquiry became more personal.

As I tried to correct what I saw happening in the conversation, I began to...

What if serving a mission didn't require sacrificing yourself in the process?

In this episode of Circle Up and Get REAL, I sit down with Kayla Deitch, the first full-time Executive Director of the North Dakota Association of Nonprofit Organizations — NDANO.

Kayla stepped into a 30-year-old organization at a moment of change, with an opportunity to listen, build relationships, connect nonprofit leaders across North Dakota, and help imagine what the sector could become.

And there is plenty to imagine.

We talk about the realities many nonprofit leaders are facing: burnout, underpayment, is...

What is your word worth?

In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend Steve Farber to talk about his newest book, The Radical Promise—and an idea that sounds remarkably simple:

Do what you say you will do.

But Steve's invitation goes much deeper than keeping the big promises we consciously make.

What about the casual "I'll get back to you"?

The introduction you said you'd make.

The email you meant to send.

The thing you told your team you'd take care of.

Wayne Dyer famously said, 'When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.' But do they? Does the object itself change—or does a different perspective allow us to see something that was there all along?

In this solo episode, Jodee moves from that question into her first full spoken explanation of Human Systems Development. Rather than treating an organization as a machine whose people and outcomes can be controlled, Human Systems Development asks us to see people, relationships, teams, cultures, and organizations as living systems. Every system is already pr...

Most meaningful decisions are not between right and wrong. Jodee explores the fine lines between being and doing, acceptance and resignation, conviction and certainty, and stewardship and control — and the discernment required to feel the difference.

We often talk about decisions as though the choices are obvious: one way is right and the other is wrong. But many of the decisions that shape our lives happen somewhere less certain — between right and right, along fine lines that shift with our intention, energy, experience, and circumstances.

In this solo episode, Jodee explores several of those distinctions: bein...

Has money been given a job it was never meant to do — proving your worth?

In this solo episode of Circle Up and Get Real, Jodee Bock explores money as a tool and an exchange of value, while questioning the meaning we attach to salaries, prices, rates, achievement, and someone else's willingness to pay. She shares the personal path from a Midwestern 'work harder' mindset through corporate leadership, accidental entrepreneurship, free speaking engagements, undercharging, and the gradual separation of worth, value, and cost.

The conversation ultimately shifts from transaction to stewardship: using the time, talents, re...

After nearly two weeks away from the podcast, Jodee finds herself wondering: Who really cares if an episode arrives on schedule — and who is keeping score? That question opens a deeper reflection on commitments, promises, connection, resilience, and discipline.

From a rainy Disrupt HR event in Fargo to wildfire-smoked mountains in Montana, Jodee considers what happens when reality does not match our expectations. She shares how a quick, meaningful conversation reminded her that our challenge may not be a lack of communication, but a lack of genuine connection. She also explores how small personal practices — 15 squats after ever...

What do you do when life creates an unexpected opening?

Most of us rush to fill empty space—with busyness, worry, or the next thing on our list.

But what if those openings aren't problems to solve? What if they're invitations to grow?

In this episode, I explore the difference between loss and capacity, why our identity matters during times of transition, and how creating space can help us recognize possibilities we might otherwise miss.

Whether you're changing jobs, retiring, launching a business, or simply entering a new chapter of life, th...

What if life isn't a problem to solve—but a journey to experience?

In this solo episode of Circle Up & Get REAL, Jodee reflects on an upcoming biking adventure through Montana and discovers that planning a road trip has a surprising way of illuminating life itself. Through stories about maps, GPS systems, bike trails, and mountain roads, she explores why we often expect life to be easier than it was ever meant to be.

The journey reminds us that hills, valleys, storms, detours, and unexpected companions aren't signs we've gone off course—they're part of the...

What if saying no was actually one of the most important career skills you could develop?

In this episode of Circle Up & Get REAL, Jodee sits down with workplace strategist, facilitator, and author Heather Archer to explore why so many talented professionals become overwhelmed by saying yes to work that doesn't move them forward.

 Drawing from her signature framework, The Promotion Equation, Heather explains how to distinguish between high-value work that advances your career and the "invisible" tasks that quietly consume your time and energy. Heather shares the personal story behind the framework, which began a...

What happens when the identity you've been living no longer feels big enough to hold who you're becoming?

In this episode of Circle Up & Get REAL, Jodee welcomes keynote speaker, executive coach, and leadership expert Lisa Connors for a conversation about identity, growth, and the courage to step into new possibilities. Lisa shares the story behind her emerging framework, Name Yourself, which encourages people to stop waiting for permission and begin claiming the identities that have been quietly calling to them all along.

Together, they explore everything from leadership and creativity to painting, drumming, podcasting...

What happens when you stop looking outside yourself for answers and begin trusting the wisdom already within you?

In this episode of Circle Up & Get REAL, Jodee reconnects with entrepreneur, coach, author, and manifestation guide Tonja Waring. The two first met through a networking organization in 2018 and have both experienced significant personal and professional evolution since then.

Tonja shares her journey from a difficult season of life just a few years ago to creating the Wise Mystic Lounge, a growing community focused on intuition, manifestation, energy alignment, and conscious creation.

Along the way...

Why do we often expect nonprofits to do more with less while holding them to intense levels of scrutiny?   Recently I've been pondering the relationship between accountability, ownership, stewardship, and the conditions that bring out our best thinking and leadership.   I used to believe what was missing in our organizational dynamics is accountability. But I wonder if it's something else.

Napoleon Hill understood the power of the master mind ... having others in your circle who can give you additional perspectives you couldn't have realized on your own.   I have facilitated or been a part of several of these groups over the years, and I have witnessed and experienced first-hand what that power has done for me.   Find out more about our Monday Mastermind: The Enlightened Leadership Lab at www.emergentculturelabs.com/leadershiplab

In this episode of Circle Up and Get REAL, Jodee sits down with photographer, filmmaker, and creative visionary Josh Madson to explore an extraordinary journey of reinvention, purpose, and human connection.

Josh shares how a broken-up band and a leap of faith led him from Minnesota to Los Angeles, where he built a successful career working alongside some of the biggest names in photography, including Annie Leibovitz and major commercial brands. Along the way, he learned that great photography is less about technical perfection and more about helping people feel comfortable, valued, and authentically themselves.

...

Today's guest is Patrick Kirby, founder of Do Good Better Consulting, where he specializes in nonprofit fundraising coaching and consulting, among other entrepreneurial hats he wears.

In this episode Patrick and I talk about what it means to be an entrepreneur: embodying characteristics like self-trust, audacity, and a willingness to deviate from conventional paths.

We also talked about how "soft skills" like leadership, communication, and building connections are actually essential to business and life success.

Patrick talked about how he is relaunching Do Good University, an online community platform for nonprofits to allow...

Stephen Colbert is finishing his run as a late night talk show host this week (tomorrow, to be exact). Before he took on this role, back in 2005 he was host of a political satire program called The Colbert Report, where he coined the term "truthiness."

Truthiness is the belief or assertion that a particular statement is true based on the perceptions of some individuals, without regard to evidence, logic, intellectural examination, or fact. 

While it was satire in 2005, I wonder how it plays out in our current times.

I also talked today about l...

Lately my wonders and ponders have been really impactful as I'm learning things about myself I either overlooked or didn't realize.

Owning my greatness has been a journey, for sure, and I am continuing to pull out bags, look at the contents, and decide to throw some of that baggage out (both literally and figuratively).

I've been pondering topics like love at work, fierce conversations (like those Susan Scott tells us about in her book of the same name), attachment vs. commitment, and so much more.

In this episode I share some ideas...

In today's episode Jodee speaks with Chris Dyer, author of the new book "Moments That Matter," about his framework for identifying, understanding, and responding to significant moments in both business and personal life.

Chris shares how his experience as a former CEO who built a company where employees loved working led him to realize that moments, not just consistent culture or leadership, were what made the biggest difference in employee satisfaction.

They discussed his three-step approach to handling moments: stopping to assess, determining what others need from you, and deciding who you want to be...

There are at least a couple of ways of thinking about consistency.

What keeps happening TO me or what do I bring with me because of who I'm being?

I have noticed some similarities in conversations I've been having over the past couple of weeks. Why should I be surprised, since I'm what my experiences have in common?

The song Kara recommended we listen to is "If You Can't Find Hope" by Able Heart. HOW APPROPRIATE for this conversation! Here's a link: https://youtu.be/mDhOVSMUDaE?si=opwd07INZ4OyGs_Y

...

Today's guest is Michaela Schell, owner of Immersion Sauna and Cold Plunge Studio in Fargo, where she calls herself a Saunapreneur.

In this conversation, in addition to talking about the many benefits of her business, we also shared how we reconnected and about last week's Walk and Talk, which inspired this conversation.

One of the themes in this episode is about how modern society has caused people to be less resilent by providing constant distractions. We also talked about how while we may come from different starting points with political and religious perspectives, we realized...

In today's episode I reconnect with longtime friend Meghan Fife, founder of B-Side Consulting and the Instagram persona "Mystic Meghan." Meghan and I met while we were both in the real estate industry (Meghan still has a specialty working with seniors in Dallas).

We didn't talk much about real estate today. Instead we explored future-oriented initiatives, yoga, Meghan's values of joy, gratitude, peace, and love, and how that mindset and worldview fits with my recent study of the fourth turning, where we find ourselves today.

Meghan shared her personal growth journey and how she has...

I'm thinking today about an autographed book that's been on my shelf for years: "The Soft Edge: Where Great Companies Find Lasting Success" by North Dakota's own Rich Karlgaard, Forbes publisher, entrepreneur, investor, and board director.   What is it that makes our skills "Soft" or "Hard"? What is most needed in our world today? How might we be able to BE the change we want to see in the rest of the world as we move toward the end of this Fourth Turning Crisis and into the next First Turning High?   Masculine and Feminine energy aren't necessarily demonstrated only by me...

One of my favorite coaching questions is this one:

"What is missing the presence of which would make a positive difference?"

Today I ask myself this question.

Given all I'm observing - about myself and others - might it be something like Personal Accountability?

In this episode I share some observations from politics and sports, including this clip from the Maryland women's basketball game in the NCAA tournament: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SJhqv_2lFhg

I also refer to a new (to me) term: Collective Narcissism, and this white...

It's Episode 300! Today I reflect on some of the great interviews I've had over the six seasons of this podcast.

What can history tell us about the seasons of our live? 

A lot, according to Neil Howe, author of The Fourth Turning is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us About How and When This Crisis Will End.

This is my current morning reading, and, while it's certainly not easy (nor is it short at 578 pages), it's become essential for my understanding of how Americans have gotten where we are, and gives some hope for where we are going.

In this episode I share some of what I'm learning about the concept o...

The way you perceive the world has everything to do with your perspective.

Today I'm exploring sports—something I've lived and loved most of my life—and how microcosms can become macrocosms when we stop and really look at them.

I'm exploring the locker room moment with the men's Olympic hockey team. The celebration. The speakerphone call. The off-hand comment about the women's team.

What happens when humor and hierarchy collide, not just in locker rooms, but also in board rooms?

I've been noticing something for the past few years. As a speaker and author, I used to work really hard to make sure the message was "right."   But lately I've been experimenting with what happens when I let the message find me. I might say or write something and think "oh, that's good." Not in an ego-based way, but in an aligned way. Like I'm learning from myself in real time.   If you've listened to any of these Facebook Lives over the 5+ years I've been doing them, you may have noticed.   Something really cool happens when I stop editing myself. May...

I've been watching the conversation about the Super Bowl halftime show unfold online and what struck me isn't the show(s) themselves but how quickly narratives and opinions formed.

Some people are saying Bad Bunny's show included vulgar lyrics. There was an alternative halftime show. There are rumors about where it was filmed - if it was lip synced.

And I found myself thinking: wait ... what do we actually KNOW? And how do we DECIDE?

Today's episode isn't necessarily about the halftime show options. It's about what and how we decide. Is it...

We humans have a lot to process these days.

The two topics we are never supposed to talk about in public are religion and politics, and both seem to be taking up a lot of space in heads and hearts without any way to process, if we are following that advice.

What is a human to do with only our own thoughts if we don't have a safe space to process? 

I took on an experiment over the weekend, which I wouldn't recommend anyone else doing unless you're very prepared. Hint: If you w...

I've been sitting with something this week and I want to name it out loud, and see if there is dialogue to be created around it.

When people go all-in on any single viewpoint - political or otherwise - it seems to me that nuance disappears. And when we lose nuance, we lose curiosity.

So I wonder where curiosity lives in the world of this or that. Does it? What happens when curiosity dies?

Is there space for Both/And instead of only Either/Or?

What happens to us humans when we feel like we are the only ones thinking or feeling something? If we don't have a place to process what we are seeing, it's easy to second guess our own perception.

I've been thinking about this in a leadership context, and I'm reminded of two books I've studied, both by The Arbinger Institute: Leadership and Self Deception and The Anatomy of Peace.

The premise is that when we are under stress, humans tend to see others not as humans but as objects. This can easily happen when we...

In this episode of Circle Up & Get REAL, I'm exploring some thoughts about leadership (no surprise) and what pressure might do to the humans who are in those leadership roles.

What role might AI have, not just in our corporate efficiencies, but in creating a culture of awareness and acceptance instead of fear?

In other words, if we stay in curiosity instead of falling into certainty, what could the rise of AI mean to our corporate cultures?

In today's episode, I chat with my friend Sue Paulson, a 2-time cancer survivor and a survivor of a near-death experience, all of which have awakened her to her own magnificence, which she now mentors others to understand for themselves.

Sue is the author of several books, including her memoir, Magnificent Misery, about her health journey.

In today's episode I share some ideas from books I'm reading right now, and I apply what I'm learning about leadership to current day affairs.

Against advice from many, I talk today about politics, but not from a political lens, rather from a leadership one. 

I refer specifically to passages from Richard Rohr's "Falling Upward," and Bob Chapman's "Everybody Matters."

Leadership is not management, although both are needed to run successful organizations, from business to religion to education to government.

If we all understood that leading is a sacred assignment, and w...

Today I'm exploring a thought I first heard about from Steve Jobs: You can only connect the dots of your life looking backward.

What have each of us learned about our lives from that perspective? And how might it shape the choices we make from today forward?

We'd love to have you join us at the Enlightened Leadership Lab on Mondays from 4-5 central. You can get more information at www.emergentculturelabs.com/leadershiplab