Conscious Leadership with Dale Allen & Trevor Stevenson
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Some of you may have noticed that this blog/email/information is going out later than it normally would. The podcast episode was released on time, social media posts were up, and yet some of the additional pieces that usually accompany it were not. Ah, the joy of my own unexpected crisis… (albeit a small one)
I was traveling home last Wednesday and, with the planned layover, was meant to be home around 9:30 that evening. Given that I was at the airport at 1:00 pm, it was a long day of traveling, even at that point. However, the day got exponentially longer than expected. 😅
The plane that was meant to take us back to Toronto had a “mechanical issue” so after a 2+ hour delay to get on the plane, we then sat on the tarmac for another 90 minutes before heading back to the gate so we could get off the plane while they checked it out.
About 2 hours later, we were sent back to the plane – where we sat for another almost 2 hours before the pilot explained that, for a number of reasons (the end of his legal ability to fly, ongoing issues with the plane, no other pilots around to change out, etc), we weren’t going to take off that night. It was now nearly 2 am.
After another 90 minutes at the service counter, to get the vouchers that we needed for hotel/transport/food/etc ($12 for food, by the way… which is literally a coffee and a bottle of water. Oh airlines, get with the times!), I eventually made my way to the hotel and settled into bed around 4 am. The flight was delayed until 11 am Thursday morning, at that point, so I was hoping for a few hours of sleep.
As some of you might be aware, we had some terrible weather here in Toronto on Thursday, and, as a result, that 11 am departure kept getting pushed back later and later. I did eventually leave and make it back to the city around 9 pm that night – but without my checked luggage that (stupidly on my part) had my computer charger in it. Thankfully, my luggage showed up Friday afternoon. But, before that, all day Thursday and half of Friday were a hilarious disaster in navigating life with only a phone (hence, no blog) and trying to reschedule all the things I was meant to do those days. 🤪
Needless to say, I was unendingly grateful for all the practices I have in place that helped me navigate crisis during that time. And, I recognize this was not a major crisis… But, I promise you, if you had witnessed some of the behaviour and reactions I saw, as all of this was unfolding, you would have thought the sky was falling. There was yelling, there was passive-aggressive behaviour, there was borderline aggressive behaviour, there was a LOT of rudeness, there was stomping, and tantrums, and just a lot of ugliness overall. And, the scariest thing to witness was the obvious lack of awareness that any of those people had about their own behaviour.
As my guests, Dale Allen and Trevor Stevenson, noted in the podcast last week, awareness comes first when we’re talking about navigating crises and the ups and downs of life. If we want to minimize our suffering and move through things with ease and grace, it all starts with awareness – so we can, then, shift, reframe, and move forward.
Dale and Trevor are such lovely humans, and it was a pleasure to get to speak with them and see their dynamic and partnership at work!
We covered a lot of topics in this episode including:
- Practicing awareness
- Shifting or reframing the narrative
- The definition of neuroplasticity
- What responsible leadership looks like
- Empathy at work
- Preventing or reducing harm
And, how to navigate everyday annoyances and unforeseen circumstances that occur – as described above.
I echo Dale in saying, “Our hope is that, by having conversations like these, more people would value doing this particular work, understanding that it’s not just, 'I have this title and I’m an expert in X.' But, also, 'I have a social contract with everyone that I meet and lead. AND, I honor that contract, intentionally.'"
Join us for a truly fascinating and essential conversation on what it means to be a conscious leader and to care for yourself and other people well (whether you’re at work or not).
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Dale Allen and Trevor Stevenson are the Founders of and Executive Coaches at Conscious Lead Life (www.consciouslead.life).
Dale is most passionate about working with inspiring and seriously committed leaders who want to prevent toxic conversations, relationships, workplaces, communities, and homes.
She has a Master’s Degree in Human Kinetics with specializations in Gerontology and Adapted Kinesiology from Lakehead University. She is certified as an Executive Coach, Process Facilitator, and in the Bar-On Method of Emotional Intelligence Testing. She is also a Yoga Instructor/Fitness and Health Coach who loves nourishing food, reggae music and sweet ocean vibes -- there’s, honestly, nothing that brings her more joy than a spontaneous dance party, so don’t even try to fight it!
With a sense of adventure as his guide, Trevor brings 100% of his energy to being in the moment. His unconventional background in long-term world travel, live music, sports, and even farming adds up to his deep respect for people’s experiences.
In his coaching, Trevor makes deep and transformational change fun. His clients might do hard emotional and mental work, but there will never be a session without a laugh. His unique campfire-coach approach to leadership helps his clients reflect in a safe environment and encourages solutions. Trevor shares, from great depth, everything he's learned and is practicing.
You can find them on all social platforms by searching, Conscious Lead Life.