I want to welcome Steve DiPaola to the channel today! In our discussion, we talk about all things related to creating and maintaining connectivity—from how to approach first-time conversations in networking to navigating the complexity of nurturing a relationship over many decades. You’ll see one of the key tenets is meeting people where they are NOW. I’m so thankful to Steve for sharing his story with me—and frankly we have MUCH MORE from the conversation than what I was able to fit into this video. SO, if you have interest in a longer, more in-depth discussion, let me know!

We're talking about five surprises about weight loss, that most people don’t talk about! We often talk about how hard the process is, especially regarding willpower. We even talk about all of the benefits that you can get by succeeding. BUT, I don't think we talk enough about the little issues that crop up during and after the process. 👕 CLOTHING: If you're like me, most of your life was spent dealing with clothes that suddenly (and unexpectedly) became just a little too tight to wear, which isn't a great problem to have. If you're losing weight, the opposite can become true. Suddenly, your clothes are looking a little baggy--and even though it's not the worst problem to have, it really does start to show. Consider getting clothes tailored if you can (and want to preserve some of your favorite items). This is a great way to avoid having to go buy a whole new wardrobe. 😈 DEALING WITH "SABOTAGE": I dealt with this a lot, especially early on in the process. Invariably, a friend, colleague, or family member seems to get a little too pushy with food that you know doesn't quite fit into your plan, and you think "are you sabotaging me???" It's easy to get upset (at least for me) but this is all about point of view. No one is sitting around thinking about how to derail you--they're just acting out of habit, love, or something similar. It's not sinister. Give them the benefit of the doubt. If it continues after saying 'no' perhaps it's worth a more honest conversation about your goals and how they can support you rather than tempt you! 🧠 CHANGES TO ENERGY / MOOD: Until I started my first diet (way back when) I had no idea that cutting calories could make such a HUGE difference in mood. But, I was super irritable, which is never a good feeling. Even during my most recent endeavor where I lost 30 lbs, I was having trouble keeping my mood just right when I started off--which meant that I needed to make a change to allow for more balance. Losing weight a little more slowly allowed me to better manage mood AND make progress towards my goal. 💊 CHANGES TO RXs: With a change in weight, there is a chance that something about current medicines, supplements, or other treatments could need to change. For me, I needed to work with my doctor to asses changes for my blood pressure medication. If you're considering any weight loss, diet, or fitness plan--it's usually a good idea to discuss with your doctor to get whatever support you may need. As a note, i recognize that healthcare, access to doctors, etc is something that is (truly unfortunately) not accessible to everyone in the world. Even in the US where I am, so many people do not have the ability to access healthcare. With this unfortunate truth, I can only offer that we need to be listening to our bodies and TAKING CARE OF THEM as much as we can given the supports we have available. ⚙ THE SYSTEM DOESN'T SUPPORT THIS: It's easy to get disillusioned with the way the system / life / the world works when trying to make a change to your wellness and weight. For me, it's immediately obvious that the systems around me (work, social pressures, etc) aren't conducing to having the time, energy, or choices available to make change. AND, I think in a lot of ways, just seeing that and knowing that things will be challenging (ahead of time) can be beneficial. And it's also helpful to know that you're not alone. This isn't EASY for anybody, and we're all dealing with many of the same pressures of life, lack of healthful choices, and deficit of time that you might be. If you're curious to learn some tips that helped me manage that, I encourage you to take a look at the video I created on 7 tips that help with the weight loss journey (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cILoHLLvYM) I hope they help!

Hey Noticeably Better crew – as a follow-up to the previous video, we’re getting into the weeds with some tips, tricks, and tactics to making weight loss a bit easier. Though you need to have your mindset right first (see the previous video!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOr6987G6RI) there are no doubt some tips that can make the process so much easier than it would be without them. So, let’s dive into the following simple tips today: 📑 Plan Ahead: Remember the adage: “fail to prepare? Prepare to fail!” ⚖ Weigh In More: This one can be annoying, but get on that scale more—and then don’t worry as much about the number. 💬 Tell People: You don’t have to do this alone. There are a lot of benefits to talking about your process, goals, and experience. ✈ Prepare: Kind of like putting things on autopilot, meal prepping can get you ahead without the need for much thought OR willpower (which we all lack sometimes) ➕ Get More Tools: Nothing is worse than looking around and realizing all of your measuring cups are in the dishwasher. How ever will you measure then? Have a backup. 📉 Track More Metrics: It’s not just about weight! You can and should track more. ⌚ Keep Busy: Don’t just sit around and think about food all day, no matter how awesome that sounds! As always, I encourage you to like, subscribe, and comment down below to chat more about your experiences with this journey or tips and tactics in this video. Here are the tools (and Amazon Affiliate links) that i used to make this all happen, if you’re curious!: • Food Scale (https://amzn.to/3RWzcCl) • Apple Watch (https://amzn.to/3ZQhdQ7) and FitBit (https://amzn.to/493Jk2z) • Bathroom Scale (https://amzn.to/46tsKXU) THANK YOU all for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one! 00:00 INTRO 00:19 PLAN AHEAD 01:26 WEIGH IN MORE 02:25 TELL PEOPLE 03:11 MEAL PREP 04:05 GET MORE TOOLS 05:06 TRACK MORE METRICS 07:05 KEEP BUSY 08:01 CONCLUSION _________________________ #weight #weightloss #wellness #fitness #weightlosstips #weightlossadvice #weightlosstransformation

Hey Noticeably Better crew – today we’re getting a little PERSONAL on the channel as I share my journey to losing some LBs. While weight loss doesn’t necessarily fall squarely within this channel’s video pantheon so far, I think health is a place where many of us recognize our lives COULD be better if we took a slightly more active stance. In this video, we’re cracking open the mindset, system, and tools I used to drop 30 lbs over the past 140 days. And, I have to admit that life does feel noticeably better now that there’s a little less of me 😊 BUT of course, the important disclaimer that I am not suggesting anyone need to or should want to lose weight—this was totally a personal choice for me. AND, I’ll be totally honest that I think it was the right one. Here’s what’s on deck for architecting a plan to lose weight without quite as much hype and complexity as some plans you may have seen before: 🧠 MINDSET: Are you playing the short game or the long game? If you’re playing the short game and neglecting the long-game attitude, health is a LOT harder. Can we use the idea of the infinite vs. finite game to set ourselves up with a better mindset for success? ⚙ SYSTEMS: We don’t rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems. That means—when we’re on autopilot and not thinking about it, can we ensure that our daily ‘system’ of life is created such that we make healthful choices and make progress toward our goals? 🛠 TOOLS: The right tools can make ALL the difference in our ability to be successful in any endeavor. What tools can we gather that support our system and ensure we’re able to make progress in the most optimized, friction-free way possible? Here are the tools (and Amazon Affiliate links) that we talk about in the video: • Food Scale (https://amzn.to/3RWzcCl) • Apple Watch (https://amzn.to/3ZQhdQ7) and FitBit (https://amzn.to/493Jk2z) • Bathroom Scale (https://amzn.to/46tsKXU) Put together, this trio can be a killer combo for managing our weight or really making any change in our lives, work, or relationships. As always, I encourage you to like, subscribe, and comment down below to chat more about your experiences with this journey or the tools and frameworks in the video. THANK YOU all for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one! 00:00 INTRO 00:39 BEFORE AND AFTER 01:58 MINDSET 04:05 SYSTEM 06:26 TOOLS 09:42 CONCLUSION #weightloss #weightlosstips #weightlossadvice #weightlosstransformation #fitness #wellness

Are you in your 20s or 30s and feeling the weight of uncertainty, questioning your path, or searching for deeper meaning in your life? Whether you're in the whirlwind of your 20s or navigating the evolving landscape of your 30s, this video is for you! Join me as I explore the concept of the quarterlife crisis. There’s also a strong chance that I may be having one as we speak, so let’s see just how that plays out! We’ll use the trope of the midlife crisis to better understand what the crisis is, and once we understand the dual paths of stability and meaning (and how they can potentially be at odds with each other in our early lives) we’ll go though some strategies and tools to help us better navigate our quarterlife: 🔍 Determining Your OWN Values: Our parents, our society, friends, family, etc all force expectations on us as we’re coming of age—and often it’s super difficult to separate those expectations from our own wants, needs, and desires. If we’re still living to please others, it’s VERY likely contributing to our quarterlife woes. Learning what those expectations are and starting to determine what your OWN values are is step 1. 👂 Listening to Yourself and Your Emotions: Ignoring your inner voice can lead to feelings of restlessness and discontentment—especially given you’re likely listening to the expectations that have been put on you by society or family instead. Leaning to tune into your emotions so that you know what actually creates meaning for you is essential—especially combined with Curiosity! 🌄 Building a Life with Curiosity: Embracing curiosity is a powerful way to break free from crisis at any age. Getting curious as you experiment to see what drives you, what your passions are, and perhaps finding a deeper meaning is essential in usurping the quarterlife crisis. Don't let the challenges of quarterlife and the uncertainty stability and meaning hold you back; use them as catalysts for personal development and a path to a more fulfilling life. Hit that subscribe button, like, and share this video with anyone you know who might be navigating quarterlife with a bit of uncertainty. Together, let's embrace the adventure of quarterlife and find our path to balance, stability, and meaning. 🚀✨ #QuarterlifeCrisis #ThirtysomethingCrisis #Stability #Meaning #Values #SelfDiscovery #Creativity #PersonalGrowth #LifeInYour20s #LifeInYour30s

Welcome back! I’m so excited to bring to you all the first in what I hope will be a fantastic series of conversations with folks I know (and will know) who I think have extraordinary experiences, interesting perspectives, and valuable knowledge to share with the world. I hope you’ll find these ‘in conversation’ episodes to be a refreshing change of pace and a welcome addition to the channel. Today, we’re talking to Brock Morrison (@BrockMorrison - former CIO at Sasser Family Companies) about his life, his journey to becoming a CIO, and the ways he is forging his own path in life. Brock didn’t take a standard pathway to IT Leadership, and he continues to forge new paths in 2023 as he focuses on finding himself in faraway places, adventuring cross-country on his motorcycle.

If you are not already subscribed, this would be a fantastic time to do so! It really helps out the channel, and it helps me be able to produce more content like these conversations with exceptional guests. THANK YOU as always for your support!

Attribution here is required to Wilderness Collective (@wildernessco) as I sampled from their video “Ep. 222 “La Tierra, El Mar, La Aventura” | Baja, Mexico Moto”. Please go check them out, give them a follow, and feel free to check in with Brock in the comments below to get connected with them. ALL of their films are ridiculously awesome, so I encourage you to go check those out—even if you’re not a moto enthusiast!

If you're balancing the rigors of work (or school), family, friends, perhaps a relationship, and any number of other demands in your life, managing your time can feel overwhelming. Somehow, it seems we're all always getting busier. If you've been thinking about taking some steps toward better time management and productivity, let me share with you some of the time management tips that I've been using in my life as an IT professional, creative, and engaged member of my community. [And, oh yeah, good son, brother, friend, and boyfriend!] As always, I'd love to hear from you. Tell me what you've been doing to keep your time in order down below in the comments!

Today, we're talking about gratitude. And, if you did nothing else to make your life better, simply learning to cultivate gratitude could be enough for you to live a happier, healthier life. Gratitude has become a little commodified in recent times, and I think everyone has tried making a gratitude list (think: list of everything I'm thankful for) at some point. In this video, we dive a bit deeper into what gratitude is, how it might be different from a more surface-level thankfulness, what benefits we stand to gain, and what makes for an EFFECTIVE gratitude practice per the science. I'd love to hear from you down below if this inspires you to try a gratitude practice, and I look forward to being back with you all soon in another video.