I’ve done at least 40 podcasts, and this one with Abby Dixon was my all time fav! If you listen to one podcast I’ve done, please listen to this one. Why? Abby and I share a deep passion for growing and empowering people. Together, we made a pact to stop diminishing ourselves and a digital pinkie promise to be more accepting of help. Sparks flew as we discussed sizzles & pops, the dangerous power of the subconscious, and a pink ball of yarn.

Sizzles & Pops
When we create a space of open engagement, nurture passion, and encourage innovation, the room lights up! Nothing gives me more joy than experiencing those sizzles and pops when strangers meet in my space and quickly become a tribe. This is what my Social Legacy is all about: Kibun, creating a comfort for the spirit.
Abby asked, why don’t we see more leaders doing this? I think we haven’t seen it role modeled enough… yet. Remember when Brené Brown introduced the concept of vulnerability in the workplace? She gave us words to shape what we were feeling, and which we can now express. In the same way, we can benefit from witnessing leaders who role model true authenticity. In part, this speaks to the need for representation. We need to see and lift up different types of people, who model different styles, and help them succeed and thrive in the workplace!
But sometimes, we let our light dim.

We think to ourselves, “I’m not outstanding,” or “I’m good enough but not great.” We wonder, “Who am I to shine so brightly?” Now, we don’t want to become arrogant or cultivate an inflated sense of self, but when we diminish our light, we’re missing out and so are those around us.
In fact, having an objective perspective of what we offer pays tribute to how we have been so uniquely and wonderfully made. For this one precious life, don’t we want to live it to the absolute maximum? So, fully embrace everything you think can do, everything you offer, and bring all that is unique and precious and special about you to the table! Then, here’s what happens: once you put your Social Legacy out there, you might find someone else who has the same. You will immediately spark to each other and the power that’s amplified when people who share a similar Social Legacy meet is so exciting! Because we suddenly find ourselves with like-minded, like-hearted, like-spirited people who want to have a similar impact in the world! Sizzles and pops, galore!
Beware the dangerous power of your subconscious.
Wait, isn’t my subconscious a good thing? Sure, it can be. The subconscious mind is where our brain makes decisions without actively needing to think about them. Some refer to it as our lizard brain – that primitive part of us, which is dominated by instinct or impulse and can serve to protect us in times of danger.
In fact, we humans are so good at pattern recognition, much of what happens on the subconscious level triggers so quickly, that we don’t even recognize it’s happening. But sometimes, if we don’t pause to interrogate our decisions and judgments, we may be yielding to irrational fears or insecurities. We might be passing judgment on others, without even realizing it.

That’s why we should pause in the micro-moments to analyze what conclusion we just drew and why. Let our conscious mind confirm what our subconscious might already believe and why. In the process, we’ll be exercising more conscious grace towards ourselves and others.
This is where the pink ball of yarn comes in.
To understand this reference, check out the 8min short: Purl the pink ball of yarn. I remember when I was recruited by IHG and met the CEO. Kenneth looked like a stoic, British man and I immediately wondered if I should dye my blue hair back to black. Why was that my first question? Why wasn’t I thinking about why he’s interested in my leadership, or what talents I bring? Instead, my first thought was whether I should conform physically. That lizard brain! See what I mean?
We must pause in these micro-moments, before we yield to the nasty inner whispers that can so easily dominate and begin to reshape us. Purl’s transformation is so whimsically and artfully visualized in Pixar’s short. And it resonates deeply, because it is all too true.

In Summary:
- Look for, fuel, and celebrate the sizzles & pops!
- Don’t you let that light of yours dim.
- Beware the dangerous power of your subconscious.
- And stay pink.
Related articles:
My lizard meme was built off this photo, dim lightbulb here