Are you ready to harness the power of SMART goals? Join me, Heather Balcerek, as I take you on a refreshing journey, dispelling the complexities of goal setting and transforming it into an exciting, rewarding endeavor. I guarantee that by the end of this episode, you'll master the art of…

Ever wondered how you can bring more gratitude into your workplace? As we wrap up our enlightening mini-series on words for the workplace, we shed light on the importance and methods of expressing appreciation to colleagues. From casual verbal acknowledgments to more formal accolades, we discuss how these actions can…

Get ready to revolutionize the way you navigate the digital communication landscape in your workplace. We promise you an insightful conversation about the power of clear language, the underestimated value of punctuation, and yes, even the strategic use of emojis in our digital interactions. We also address the common pitfalls…

Ever felt that choking burnout at work? That desolate feeling of exhaustion that seems to suck away all your energy, making the simplest tasks feel like a mountain? This is the episode you need. We've taken a deep dive into understanding burnout, investigating the roots of these emotions and how…

Want to supercharge your creativity at work? This episode promises to take you on an enlightening journey packed with fresh insights. We delve into the world of emotions, exploring how they ignite and fuel creativity in our professional lives. Discover how emotions like curiosity, awe, wonder, and even confusion can…

What if there was a more profound way of expressing your emotions at work beyond just being "happy"? Let's get into a stimulating chat about harnessing and articulating emotions more accurately within the workplace. Drawing valuable insights from Mark Brackett's book, 'Permission to Feel,' we ponder upon the multi-layered emotions…

In this episode, we continued exploring the world of learning and development in the business realm. Here are some key takeaways from the discussion: - Understanding how change impacts where our focus lands. - Importance of telling a data story. - Setting your intentions, then stretching them. - How to…

Hello Connect the Dots community! Welcome back to our 3 Part series, titled "Unlocking the Value of Learning and Development in Business," previously we dove deep into the importance of individual and collective efforts in impacting learning and development within organizations. Heather shared her top 6 takeaways from the keynote…

In this episode of the Connect the Dots podcast, titled “Unlocking the Value of Learning and Development in Business," we dive deep into the importance of individual and collective efforts in impacting learning and development within organizations. As leaders, we explore how we can support the growth of our employees…

This episode is a really exciting one because we are welcoming in a guest that has made more of an impact on Heather’s journey than he probably knows or will ever know. Today we are talking to Dave Stachowiak (STA-HOE-VEE-AAK) the host and founder of Coaching for Leaders, a top-rated…

*****I do want to start with a quick disclaimer today. This episode may touch on mental health topics. I am not a doctor or certified mental health professional. If you are or someone you know is in crisis, please call 988 if you are in the US. If you are…

Over the past week, I have seen such an outpouring of recognition, both personally and across the posts on LinkedIn. It has made me think about the importance of showing recognition in the moment in and out of the workplace. Today I’m diving in on why it is so important…

No man really becomes a fool until he stops asking questions. - Charles P. Steinmetz When I met with my mentor yesterday, she had me answer 3 questions about the lay off situation. These questions really made me stop and think so I wanted to put them out there for…

Sadness does not last forever when we walk in the direction of that which we always desired. - Paulo Coelho It’s Day 1 of this new world where my job is to job hunt. Oh the life of a layoffee... Since I left Apple for Amazon in November 2021, I…

Today I went through something (along with over 18K other Amazonians) that I never expected. I was laid off, hence the Open to Work ring now appearing on my photo. Podcasting has been an outlet for me these last few years to talk through situations and share experiences so I…

Disclaimer: This video/podcast contains explicit language and covers topics that might cause you to use explicit language too. I might hurt some feelings and make folks mad. These are my own thoughts and opinions and do not reflect the views of my employer/previous employers. I am not a financial advisor,…

After almost 3 years, Christa and I finally got to sit down for a conversation. We met at Blissdom in late 2019 and I was instantly drawn to her passion for helping others. She is a project manager by trade, then was called by God to help His girls. Christa…

After seeing so many people online recommend the book, “How to keep house while drowning” by KC Davis, LPC, I decided to pick it up and read it. I really enjoyed her approach to cleaning and organizing. I had a lot of things marked in the book to mention but…

Today’s episode is all about nothing. I mean it’s not dead air, but I just had some fun talking about the random things going on in my life. It’s just some unscripted fun catch up from the last few weeks. I cover mocktails, sunscreen, the account that might make me…

On today’s podcast, I welcome Martha Arrington. She is a painter, a certified zentangle instructor, educator, and amazing human. I met Martha on Instagram awhile back and instantly became a fan of her work. It’s truly beautiful and unique, just like Martha. Through our conversations over DMs, I knew that…

Masking. When I started to research ADHD, this was a term that came up quite a bit. Masking “involves hiding symptoms or overcompensating for them. When you mask ADHD, you try to act like you do not have the condition” (PsychCentral). I knew that I had some masking tendencies but…

This is part 2 of the “Reversing the Rachel Hollis effect - Deconstructing Toxic Positivity” podcast set. I am sharing a few YouTube videos that help explain the concept more and offer insight on how to overcome it. When it comes to things like this, we have to own the…

Toxic positivity is something that I had not really heard of until the last year or two. But it’s something I am extremely familiar with. For me, Rachel Hollis was the influencer that pulled me into this way of thinking and being. Positivity on it’s own is not a bad…

Finding harmony between work and life is hard. This week we are navigating the workplace as we talk about work/life harmony. So what’s that all about. When people talk about work/life balance that brings up this image of the scales of justice. Balancing your time between the two is just…