Dr. Lauren Hodges

It shouldn’t surprise you that one of the biggest challenges people face is trying to perform at a high level while balancing a full calendar, insurmountable to-dos, and the ever-present guilt of maintaining some sort of personal life in the process. Some struggles we often hear are:

• Why is it that the harder I work, the less productive I feel?
• I feel so overwhelmed – there’s no way I can tackle everything on my list.
• I’m worried about advancing my career and leaving my family time behind.
• If I stop to rest, I’ll just get a backlog of work.
• I just wish I had something left in the tank at the end of the day for my family.

There is a pervasive belief that we should always be “on” in our 24/7 hyperconnected world; that productivity and high performance stem from doing more, pushing harder, and staying connected to our jobs. The reality is, the science behind high performance indicates the opposite to be true: doing less, strategically, not more, is the key to high performance. In this hands-on, science-based, out-of-the-seat program, we’ll explore the concept of strategic recovery and its impact on our energy, well-being, productivity, and ability to lead others .. and the downstream impact on the health of your organization.

You’ll walk away with:

• A deeper understanding of your own brain biology when it comes to high performance and energy.
• Awareness of what it really takes to show up at your best in your daily lives (at work and at home, where it matters most).
• A paradigm shift about reframing stress as something we can use to burnout and regain control over our energy.
• Actionable recovery strategies that can be used right away.

We all know that boundaries are an important ingredient in working toward a healthy work/life balance (as if there’s such a thing, right?). But setting boundaries is more than trimming up your calendar and lip service – it’s about understanding why we set boundaries in the first place, and which boundaries are worth fighting for. Setting boundaries without grounding in our core values is a lot like driving to a new destination without a map. In this engaging, interactive program, we’ll explore the importance of setting healthy boundaries between work and home life while clarifying your core values in the process, and why it matters to integrate the two. We’ll also get real about why we constantly violate our own boundaries and let others do the same – and what to do about it.

You’ll walk away with:

• A better understanding of the intersection between boundaries and core values.
• Greater clarity around your core values (and a head start in defining them).
• Strategies to hold and protect healthy work boundaries that actually stick.

Every belief, opinion, and memory we have is a story that shapes the way we see the world around us. We tell stories about what happens to us, how others see us, our abilities, our experiences, about friction with others – everything. These stories profoundly impact our mindset, our behaviors, our relationships, and how others see us. For example, what story do you tell about the hardest thing that’s ever happened to you? What does your private voice say when you fail? How do you approach stress, challenge, and change? Do you believe you’ll accomplish the goals you’ve set? Do you believe you have control over your life circumstances and where you go from here? When you are in conflict with someone else, how do you tell that story and to whom do you assign fault? Mindset matters … so much more than we think. And, we are neurologically wired to tell stories. This science-based program will challenge participants to take a deep look inside at their own stories and how they impact the way they live, lead, and approach stress and challenge.

You’ll walk away with:

• A greater understanding of the biology behind storytelling and how it shapes the stories you tell.
• Deeper awareness of limiting mindsets that may be getting in the way in your own personal or professional lives.
• Strategies to leverage storytelling to radically transform your personal and professional lives.

Think about the last time you felt stressed. Internet went down before a meeting; you were running late and got stuck in traffic; you were racing toward a deliverable and faced a significant setback that threatened your timeline. We all have a “stress personality” which stems from well-worn patterns of thought and emotion carved over years and years of memories, experiences, modeling, and genetics. Advancements in neuroscience over the past two decades have brought us to a place where we understand more about this than ever before. What is your stress personality? How does it impact your mental health? And why does it matter when it comes to leading others, being a part of a team, or managing stress and avoiding burnout? If high demand is a part of your team’s daily lives, and mental well-being is considered a business-critical value for your organization, then you don’t want to miss this one.

You’ll walk away with:

• A deeper understanding of the brain science behind stress and stress patterns and its application in your everyday work and home life.
• A light-hearted, fun exploration of various “stress personalities” and how they show up in your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
• The impact of stress personalities on performance, leadership ability, team dynamics, and mental health.
• A solution to better managing stress through awareness of these patters of thought, emotion, and behavior.