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A great conversation only happens when your primary goal is to make a good connection.
A great conversation…
A great conversation only happens when your primary goal is to make a good connection.
Marcia Reynolds
September 15, 2024 
The Biochemistry of MotivationArtemisDiana/DepositphotosIf you are trying to influence people to change their behavior, unless they clearly see value in changing and a path safe from failure o…
The Biochemistry of …
The Biochemistry of MotivationArtemisDiana/DepositphotosIf you are trying to influence people to change their behavior, unless they clearly see value in changing and a path safe from failure or loss, they will resist your suggestions. Emotions are often triggered when people are presented with a view of a possible future that conflicts with their current views of what is right and how they define who they are today.However, an observable vision of a possible reward or meaningful outcome may stimulate positive feelings and encourage even risky actions in the same way that good stori…
Marcia Reynolds
June 29, 2024 
You take risks regularly, from backing your car into the street to trying a new restaurant. You only hesitate when your fear of the unknown leads you to focus on the worst that could happen. I’ve ha…
You take risks regul…
You take risks regularly, from backing your car into the street to trying a new restaurant. You only hesitate when your fear of the unknown leads you to focus on the worst that could happen. I’ve had many coaching conversations start with, “I need to make a decision.” Yet after describing the options, it’s clear my clients want to take a risk but their speculative fear of loss or their guilt around how others might react freezes their brains. I often ask, “A year from now, what will you most regret not doing?” They always know the answer. The coaching then focuses on the clarifying…
Marcia Reynolds
April 29, 2024 
sdecoret/depositphotos In her essay collection, Jenn Shapland explores Thin Skin — “To be thin-skinned is to feel keenly, to perceive things that might go unseen, unnoticed, that others might pref…
sdecoret/depositphot…
sdecoret/depositphotos In her essay collection, Jenn Shapland explores Thin Skin — “To be thin-skinned is to feel keenly, to perceive things that might go unseen, unnoticed, that others might prefer not to notice.” In our desire to feel safe and be seen as competent, we develop thick skin so we don’t feel vulnerable to judgement. The noise in our heads when we worry about what to say, how to say it, and if we crossed the line destroys the open, spontaneous flow of a conversation. A sheath forms to protect us from the pain of judgements and hurtful remarks, but then also blocks us from …
Marcia Reynolds
January 28, 2024 Hope can be a destructive emotion – when should you replace it with something more powerful?Most books on ending toxic Relationships or leaving dead-end situations talk about the dark side of h…
Hope can be a destru…
Hope can be a destructive emotion – when should you replace it with something more powerful?Most books on ending toxic relationships or leaving dead-end situations talk about the dark side of hope. Letting go of a dream or desire requires you relinquish hope. When you give up hoping, you can move on. With hope, you might seek and even manufacture evidence that there will be a happy ever after.Hope can blind you to harm and sabotage. I had a friend who lost everything in a divorce because she kept hoping her husband would forgive her and be kind. It didn’t happen.There is also …
Marcia Reynolds
December 25, 2023 
Empathy doesn’t mean getting caught up in people’s emotions and dramas. There is a difference between empathy and sympathy. Sympathy is absorbing another’s emotions. When sympathizing, you often…
Empathy doesn’t me…
Empathy doesn’t mean getting caught up in people’s emotions and dramas. There is a difference between empathy and sympathy. Sympathy is absorbing another’s emotions. When sympathizing, you often try to do or say something to ease both your and their discomfort. With compassionate and courageous empathy, they feel cared for and safe but valued as competent. Empathy is understanding. Merriam-Webster says, “With empathy, you can imagine or understand how someone might feel, without necessarily having those feelings yourself.” You have empathy when you witness what others share without …
Marcia Reynolds
November 12, 2023 
sangoiri/Depositphotos Humans are social animals; we long to connect with others which is why the social disconnections during the pandemic negatively affected so many people emotionally and mentally.…
sangoiri/Depositphot…
sangoiri/Depositphotos Humans are social animals; we long to connect with others which is why the social disconnections during the pandemic negatively affected so many people emotionally and mentally. The irony is that what makes us human tends to keep us apart. By nature, our conversations are filled with misunderstandings, mixed feelings, and unmet expectations. At the core of our disconnection is our illusion that we believe we know what is real. We don’t like it when others challenge what we believe is true. How your brain sabotages your attempts to connect To survive, your brain is cons…
Marcia Reynolds
October 23, 2023 
I recently saw the movie Golda. There was a scene where Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir was describing her family’s flight from the Ukraine when she was a child. She recalled watching her father b…
I recently saw the m…
I recently saw the movie Golda. There was a scene where Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir was describing her family’s flight from the Ukraine when she was a child. She recalled watching her father boarding up the front door after hearing the Russians were executing Jews in the streets. Golda later noted that this experience, and then political conversations in high school in the US were significant to her enduring identity. She said she integrated these moments “…to the extent that my own future convictions were shaped and given form.” I gasped when she described the fear in her father…
Marcia Reynolds
September 6, 2023 Your old patterns may have served you, but now is the time for transformation. These questions will help you shift from WHO YOU ARE TODAY to WHO YOU CAN BECOME.
Your old patterns ma…
Your old patterns may have served you, but now is the time for transformation. These questions will help you shift from WHO YOU ARE TODAY to WHO YOU CAN BECOME.
Marcia Reynolds
July 7, 2023 These four words will strengthen your relationships and coaching conversations as you explore the meaning and value of what is said together.
These four words wil…
These four words will strengthen your relationships and coaching conversations as you explore the meaning and value of what is said together.
Marcia Reynolds
May 13, 2023 What does it mean to stay steady? Do you have to fulfill every goal you set? This post gives the criteria needed to feel steady even when changes need to be made.
What does it mean to…
What does it mean to stay steady? Do you have to fulfill every goal you set? This post gives the criteria needed to feel steady even when changes need to be made.
Marcia Reynolds
March 13, 2023 Telling people what they need to do is a common, annoying habit. This post will help improve your relationships by releasing the judgement that people need your help.
Telling people what …
Telling people what they need to do is a common, annoying habit. This post will help improve your relationships by releasing the judgement that people need your help.
Marcia Reynolds
January 24, 2023 Social media is full of self-care suggestions. These lists fall short of impacting your whole self. You need 7 types of rest for happiness and success.
Social media is full…
Social media is full of self-care suggestions. These lists fall short of impacting your whole self. You need 7 types of rest for happiness and success.
Marcia Reynolds
November 14, 2022 Time management is a futile goal. Instead, manage your emotions, your focus, and knowing what gives you a sense of purpose to feel more joy than Stress.
Time management is a…
Time management is a futile goal. Instead, manage your emotions, your focus, and knowing what gives you a sense of purpose to feel more joy than stress.
Marcia Reynolds
August 28, 2022 In order to expand your mind and grow, you have to clearly see the stories you are living by. But you need someone else to bring your stories to light. This post will give you simple tools to coach ot…
In order to expand y…
In order to expand your mind and grow, you have to clearly see the stories you are living by. But you need someone else to bring your stories to light. This post will give you simple tools to coach others to see themselves and the world in broader more hopeful ways.
Marcia Reynolds
June 21, 2022 No matter if you are clear about what you want to create or change in your future, if you use this one word, you will stop yourself from moving forward.
No matter if you are…
No matter if you are clear about what you want to create or change in your future, if you use this one word, you will stop yourself from moving forward.
Marcia Reynolds
May 17, 2022 For a conversation to be transformational, there must be psychological safety. Practice these steps to quickly make others feel safe with you.
For a conversation t…
For a conversation to be transformational, there must be psychological safety. Practice these steps to quickly make others feel safe with you.
Marcia Reynolds
March 28, 2022 No matter how right you know you are, the person you want to convince to think differently isn’t looking for facts or logic. To influence means you affect a change or shift in thinking, not force yo…
No matter how right …
No matter how right you know you are, the person you want to convince to think differently isn’t looking for facts or logic. To influence means you affect a change or shift in thinking, not force your ideas on others. These 3 steps will help your conversation flow smoothly.
Marcia Reynolds
January 12, 2022 
