It’s been 5 years and 100 episodes of Leading Through Crisis! Join me for some reflections, why leading through crisis is still relevant, and the guests and conversations that give me hope, as well as a huge THANK YOU.
It’s been 5 years and 100 episodes of Leading Through Crisis! Join me for:
- Some reflections on how and why the podcast started
- Why I debate changing the name monthly (and why I haven’t yet)
- The guests and conversations that give me hope
- Why it has reaffirmed over and over again that there’s no such thing as “one-size-fits-all”
- Going deep in self-leadership
- What I would love to see more of and from my listeners
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for being here–whether you’ve listened to one episode or have caught most of them, I appreciate you and the work you’re doing in the world.
Here’s to the next five years and/or 100 episodes!
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Sign up for the newsletter (new episodes and all of my deep thoughts on life/leadership a couple of times per month) here: https://revisionary9248.activehosted.com/f/1
[00:00:00] I'm Celine Williams and welcome to the Leading Through Crisis podcast, a conversation series, exploring resiliency and Leadership in Challenging Times. So this is gonna be a little bit of a different episode, much more like the year in review episodes. I've done a couple of, because this is going to be our 100th episode of the podcast, which is crazy to think about.
Because when I started this podcast five years ago, almost again, crazy to think about, I don't think the first episode came out five years ago. 'cause that was, you know, early days of the pandemic. but it certainly came out sometime later that year. So almost five years. The. Idea of the podcast was certainly noodling around in my head five years ago, which I feel like it counts.
I'm going with that counts as five years, but it [00:01:00] has been almost five years. and this is the 100th episode, which is wild. So yay. Maybe we'll throw some cheering or clapping or, you know, some sort of sound effect in here. but yeah, I. I didn't, know, I didn't have a plan. I'm sure that's shocking.
For this to last this long, I didn't have a plan for a hundred episodes. I didn't have a plan for, I don't know, more than about 10 episodes. maybe a little bit more than that, but really not that many. I really had a, when I started this, it was really about filling some sort of gap that was happening inside of the conversation.
I've said this many times, you know, inside of the conversations I was having in my business in real life, around like just what to think about when [00:02:00] leading through crisis as this podcast is called, with the specific context of the time of the pandemic. And I didn't know it would still be going.
I'm glad it is. Because it turns out I really enjoy having conversations with people. I love having conversations with people that I already know, which I've had the benefit of doing in a few cases, and I really enjoy it with new people as well. Right, that I get to meet because of this podcast, which is incredibly cool.
The people that it's connected me to and, I've got to kind of poke into their brain and their thoughts on these things a little bit. especially because, you know, while the podcast is called Leading Through Crisis, what has really become [00:03:00] evident to me is that crisis is really, first of all, we all, and again, said this many times on the podcast, but on the pod, but truthfully, we all define it differently.
One person's crisis is not another person's crisis. And there are crises on the kind of macro global level that, again, not everyone, even on a global or macro level, sees as a crisis. They don't, we don't all see these things the same way. And so what's really become evident for me is that crisis is, besides being personally defined, it's change in some way, shape, or form.
And how we react to the change and respond to the change defines whether it is a crisis or not. and whether it's in our control or out of our control can also be a factor in that. And so I sometimes wonder if [00:04:00] the name of the podcast is still relevant, right? should it still be called Leading Through Crisis?
I truly on a monthly basis debate this internally and I'm like, do I change the name? What would be a better podcast name? What could I come up with that is more catchy or relevant or interesting or whatever? and I honestly, I have a notes app in my phone of potential other names for the podcast that.
I could just pivot and rename it and same feed or whatever it is 'cause man, branding, that would be a whole thing. and maybe it's time to rethink the name. And then I kind of come back to there's something universal in the concept of leadership and crisis and the whole... the [00:05:00] tagline of the show, which is around, you know, leader, I can't remember what it is, that's terrible.
But, you know, leadership in challenging times, that's really the key is however we define leadership and however we define challenging times, we get to talk about that. And I think we all have stories and experiences that fall into that category and that really is, You know, that's kind of what I come back to Now, that may change.
Maybe I'll think of a name that I like more and that I want to focus on. I want to change it to, but for now that I keep coming back to that because I think that still is relevant and there are so many conversations to be had in stories to be told around leadership in challenging times. Right. Like it's not, that's not going away.
The world is not changing less. There are not fewer challenges today than there were yesterday. [00:06:00] So there's just going to be more to talk about and more perspectives to share, and more voices to get out there. And I think that matters. And so for now, the name remains asterisk. I reserve the right to change my opinion on this at any point in time.
Yeah, I, there's something about that as a title or topic that I think matters. and I also think it probably scares a lot of people. I think there are people who see the name leading through crisis and I'm never gonna listen to that or watch that 'cause I don't want any more of that. and it's too bad.
Because I think I get to have a lot of incredibly interesting conversations with incredibly interesting people, who have different perspectives, and it's not all doom and gloom. And I think there's a lot of hope that comes [00:07:00] out of these conversations. And I think that's a big piece of why I still continue to have them, is it also gives me hope, right?
Like it's, I really get to have. A variety of conversations with people who are very different, have very different experiences, different professions, different types of conversations, and they all have different perspectives on leadership or change or how they define these things. And so for me, that's really, there's a lot of hope inside of that.
And I, hope, oh man, let me say hope a few more times, but I hope that, it doesn't deter people. From listening because to me that's one of the best things that have come out that has come outta this podcast is, a real sense of continued hopefulness in a world that can often feel hopeless more often than I think we would all [00:08:00] wish it did.
I'm grateful to all of the guests that I've had and will continue to have, and the conversations unexpected or expected that I get to have. And it's funny because I think about how much I enjoy those and how much I enjoy that interaction. And then I. How much I dread doing something like this where it's just me talking.
and it's not because I don't have thoughts because you know, I joke all the time, I have all the thoughts on things, but I do. And you, when the reason it's a conversation series is 'cause I can't not share my thoughts or I can't just ask a question in the order of questions. Interaction is really important to me.
I thrive on interaction. I thrive on conversation. It really does light up my brain in a very exciting way. and so I keep thinking I should do a few more solo episodes a year, [00:09:00] like once a quarter or something, right? balance it out, share a perspective, share insights every quarter, share. I don't know why I'm saying quarter is my thing, but let's you know twice here, whatever it is.
because that would be interesting and I get to share more of my thoughts and I do, as I mentioned, I do have some thoughts and then I'm like, but I really just, the interaction is what I thrive in. You know, I think of this as many years ago in a former life, I did a lot of improv, and it was, I. So fun and I learned so much and I continue to use all of the things I learned from that time.
So I'm really grateful for it. But one of the things was that interaction is, that was a sweet spot for me. I cannot imagine getting up and doing like a standup comedy show where it's just you and it's not that interaction because that [00:10:00] planned or not, the interaction is really a sweet spot for me. So I.
May or may not do more solo episodes. I feel like I say this every year I'm gonna do more solo episodes and then I don't, because I don't even know, you know, where to start, I guess, or what to talk about or what people would want to hear about. Or maybe it is a reflection on the previous quarter since I'm focused on quarters.
I'm not sure. I don't know what's gonna come. But I do know that, I'm really grateful to have the conversations I have and to get, to have them with the people I have them with because they're all unique and different. And, it helps me in ways beyond just the podcast in terms of thinking about things differently or bringing conversations into the work that I do or the interactions [00:11:00] I have.
and it's kind of awesome. That I get to, that I get to do this, you know, and I think it's part and parcel of, the quality and depth of the conversations continues to evolve. It's part and parcel of the podcast evolving. it has certainly become in the last year we've had more personal stories or storytelling arcs as part of.
The podcast we're doing less. not that I was ever not, you know, I was never really doing the promoting of specific services, but that would kind of come up with, certain guests more, certain conversations, more. And it's really we're, I'm really focusing more on the storytelling and personal stories.
And part of that is because some of the feedback I get, which I don't get as much as I would like. You know, people will acknowledge the mail, the mailers, that's not what we call them, the emails that [00:12:00] we send out about the podcasts. And if you're not on the mailing list, get on the mailing list. 'cause you'll get a whole bunch of thoughts from me in your inbox on a semi-regular ish basis.
but I get responses to that sometimes. but not as much feedback as I would like. I'd love to hear more about what people like or don't like, or. You know, but for me, some of the stuff I have heard is that the more personal stories, professional stories, whatever they are, the more stories, the more engaged people are, with what we're talking about.
And so we've really tried to focus on more storytelling, more unique stories, more unique guests, and not just. Here's an author who has a book that they want to promote. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and obviously that's still part of it because authors write books about things [00:13:00] that are very relevant for, what I talk about or what I'm interested in, and the audience that seems to be paying attention to the podcast.
but certainly, you know, there's more than that. So I think that has certainly changed. or evolved and I think it will continue to evolve in that way. And I'm not sure where the conversations go next or what's next, but
I'm just enjoying it while we're doing this, while also not, not getting really stuck on the how. So, I think when I started this podcast I was, I think, originally. Really like it has to be once a week and it, and then it was like, it has to be every two weeks, and then it became more of a look. The reality is that I'm busy.
We're busy. It's not like there's a podcast network paying me, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars or millions of [00:14:00] dollars. Ps if there is a podcast network who would like to pay me that kind of money to podcast, I'm happy to have that conversation with you just saying, but because that isn't the case.
there's no pressure outside of what I would put on myself to get an episode out in a specific amount of time on the same day. And so we aim for every two weeks on Thursdays, and that does not always happen. And sometimes it's because of travel or not having episodes prepped, which is me. and sometimes it's because of time or illness or whatever things, and I just don't.
I'm not willing to sacrifice the health or wellbeing of myself or anyone who's involved in this on the back end, to make sure we hit some arbitrary deadline that I have set. Just because best practices [00:15:00] say you, you know, release an episode every week at the same day and time, or every other week or every month or whatever it is, you know what?
There's no such thing as one size fits all. I say that all the time, and so I'm embracing it in this as well. We release episodes every two-ish weeks. sometimes it's every three, two-ish, usually on Thursday, sometimes on Fridays. And we're more interested, I'm more concerned about the conversations being good and engaging, and that everyone involved has space and time to be humans.
You know, and, live their lives. And so we'll continue to do that. And I'm going to lean fully into, there's no such thing as one size fits all, which I believe anyways. And now I get to, this is one of the many ways that I get to lean into it. yeah, and I think, you know, a [00:16:00] lot has changed in the last five years.
For me, for the world, for work, for life, for everything. and like all things, some of it is good, some of it doesn't seem to be good. There's a lesson in all of it. I'm still navigating my way through a variety of those changes, which is. A really great reminder of so many of the lessons that come up in this podcast truthfully, of like how you lead through, change myself, other people, whatever the case may be.
And I'll talk about that in a second. But like truly sometimes I feel like when people ask, you know, to reflect on. Business life, whatever, like what's new, what's different, what blah, blah, whatever it is. And it's I, where do you even start? Everything is constantly changing, you know? I and others are constantly navigating, leading myself through it, [00:17:00] and you just, you keep putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward and reassessing and learning and moving forward and.
One of the courses I'm taking right now, this year, I definitely signed up for too many courses this year, a lesson to myself, calm down. but one of the courses I'm taking this year, one of the sayings that they say over and over again is, who knows what is good or what is bad? And while I have believed that, and I've said for years, not in that concise a way, they're much more concise than me.
I've always believed that, but. It really is. It's true. You never know what's good or bad, you just don't know. It's just change and navigation and momentum and all of those things. And so, you know, I continue to navigate change. I don't know that I would [00:18:00] put much of that into the my category of crisis, maybe the global scale of things.
Crisis, yes. But personally and professionally, I don't know that I'd put much, if any of that into cri, into that, you know, category for me. But it's still navigating and leading my way through the change that is happening and has happened and continues to happen. And a couple of things that, you know, definitely show up and we emphasize on the get emphasized, we...
on the show all the time. Is that leading yourself? First and foremost, it's where it starts. It's all about self-leadership. It's all about self-knowledge. It's all about self-management and not just the surface level, and not just the easy stuff, but really the tougher stuff. And it is. And having people around that will point out some of those [00:19:00] gaps in a constructive way and being open to that and being willing to work and wanting to work on it. That matters. because I see too often, not only in the work that I do, but in life in general, is that we deal with the, we talk about knowing ourselves. We talk about self-awareness, and we talk about how well we know ourselves and while that may be true on a surface level, it's just a surface level. Oftentimes people don't want to know about their gaps or dark sides or challenges. They don't want to look at that stuff. They just want the validation or the easy stuff, or we, you know, it's the corporate. That's not the word I'm looking for.
It is the professional version of spiritual bypassing, professional [00:20:00] bypassing. I'll come up with something at some point, but you know that I see that all the time. I've done that in my past. I'm not, by no means would I ever say that I have, and that deep work is, and more and more of it is really what matters and what's important.
And as part of that, really knowing what your values are. And how you live them and how you wanna show up. And not only, and your, you know, not only your, lived values as in what you are making decisions from today and how you're showing up today, and also your aspirational values as in what you would like to be showing up as understanding there's a distinction there.
And knowing which is hugely important and helps guides to sit, helps guide decisions and many, other things. And. you know, that continues to, I think we've talked about values in probably a hundred conversations on the show. You know, it comes up over and over [00:21:00] again, and creating spaces where, another theme for me is creating spaces where people can speak up and fully be themselves and feel safe inside of that and discerning.
When those spaces exist and don't exist and how you can create them and impact them, really matters. And not, I mean for 100,000 reasons. Inclusivity, diversity, all of the words, and also because it helps us navigate change in crisis. It just does. And so that as well as. As I said before, there's just no one size fits all.
There's not in leadership, not in crisis, not in change. There's just no one size fits all, and I will die on that hill. I say that more than anything. I've been ranting about it for years and I just, it keeps getting [00:22:00] emphasized on this podcast. Out in the world, in work life, everything. There's just no one size fits all.
We keep trying to make things one size fits all. 'cause it's just easier when we can fit, when we can shoehorn something in and roll forward. But it just doesn't work. It's not effective and it's not human. And the more I do this podcast, the more I do the work that I do, the more that humanity really matters to me.
Because ultimately there's our one of. Of our strengths, there is strength, however, I wanna say this, in our differences and our different perspectives. And that's not a weakness and that's not a flaw, and that's inherently part of not being one size fits all, you know? So, [00:23:00] yeah, I think that it's just a lot of thoughts for you and a lot of reflection for you.
Right now as, we hit our hundredth episode, and I'm not a hundred percent sure what the next hundred will look like, hopefully more conversations, I mean, obviously more conversations. What do you mean? Hopefully, obviously more conversations, hopefully more great conversations, hopefully more interesting conversations.
Hopefully more of you will leave comments or respond to emails and let me know what you wanna hear more of, what you liked, what resonated. ' cause I love that and I, want more of that and, you know, yeah, maybe some more solo episodes. Who knows? Since again, lots of thoughts. Don't love doing this without the interaction.
but it'll be. [00:24:00] It'll, hopefully it'll be interesting and hopefully it'll be engaging and hopefully you'll continue to show up and listen and watch and whatever it is. And, thank you for those who do listen and who have listened and who continue to listen and who share the show with friends and family and colleagues.
And it really means a lot, because it's a labor of love in the best way. I love doing this. Again, if there's any podcast network out there who would like to maybe do this. So it's not only a labor of love, I'm very open to that and I'm still gonna keep doing it because it's a labor of love that matters.
It matters to me. It matters to what I do, it matters to my business. And yeah, I'm grateful to all of you. Who listen, who watch, who show up. I'm grateful to every guest who is on the show, who shares [00:25:00] a piece of themselves with me and you know, is so open and honest and I hope to do this for another a hundred episodes.
and I hope that they just keep getting better and they keep getting more interesting and. We'll see where it's at. Maybe I'll do 150, maybe that's the thing. Maybe I won't do a quarter, but in 50 episodes I'll do another one of these. Who knows Nodes, who knows? Let me know what you think. Interact, as you can tell, interaction means a lot to me.
so thank you. Thanks for joining me today on the Leading Through Crisis podcast. If you enjoyed this conversation, please take a minute to rate and review us on your podcast app. If you're interested in learning more about any of our guests, you can find us online at [00:26:00] www.leadingthroughcrisis.ca.