Criticism at work only gets harsher and more frequent the higher you climb – not easier or less. That’s why in this episode Melody shares strategies to take feedback seriously without taking it personally (none of which requires superhuman zen). You'll learn how to handle difficult conversations in a way that both projects executive presence and safeguards your confidence.

What You’ll Discover:

• How to decode what criticism reveals about workplace politics, power dynamics, and hidden agendas
• How to separate someone's communication style from the actual content of their feedback
• Why you should never act on a leader’s input until you do THIS (and no, it’s not “ask questions”)
• The specific scripts to use when you're blindsided by criticism and need to calm down

https://melodywilding.com/training

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE CLASS: 5 Steps to Speak Like a Senior Leader
2. Get Melody's weekly newsletter
3. Get Melody's book, Managing Up

Do you feel busy but not necessarily productive? In this episode, Melody Wilding talks with Dr. Christian Poensgen, co-author with Eric Partaker of Ultraproductive: The 90-Minute Method to Optimize Focus, Sleep, and Stress. Christian shares practical strategies to be more productive at work, improve your concentration, reduce stress, and get more done without working longer hours.

You’ll discover:

• The 90-minute rhythm that shapes your focus, sleep, and stress and how to engineer it into your schedule
• Build this one type of work block into your day and DOUBLE your output, McKinsey research finds
• Follow the "33-11 Rule" to prime your mind for deep focus
• Use a 60-second desk-side reset that lowers stress fast (and no, it's not breathing)

About Christian

Dr. Christian Poensgen is a scientist-turned-entrepreneur, writer, and executive coach. He holds a PhD (summa cum laude) on the relation-ship between stress and performance and has spent decades studying how research in neuroscience, physiology, and psychology can be translated into practical, real-world systems that help ambitious people perform at a high level without compromising health or well-being. Christian has served as Senior Fellow of the “Future of Work” think tank in the German Federal Parliament, as Co-Founder and Director of the European Center for Digital Competitiveness at ESCP Business School, and as an Agenda Contributor at World Economic Forum.

https://melodywilding.com/training

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE CLASS: 5 Steps to Speak Like a Senior Leader
2. Get Melody's weekly newsletter
3. Get Melody's book, Managing Up

No more being slotted as the “tactical one” in meetings. In this episode, Melody shares how to make your contributions more useful, more memorable, and easier for decision-makers to trust without turning into the person who talks just to hear themselves.

What You’ll Discover:

▪️What makes some leaders sound instantly more sophisticated (and no, it's not fancy words)

▪️ The type of question that instantly reframes you from "logistics tracker" to "someone who sees the bigger picture"

▪️Get others to trust your recommendation in seconds with THIS behavioral principle.

▪️Cut this 4-word phrase from your vocabulary to show you’re ready for bigger scope

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly
2. Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™
3. Get on the Waitlist for Lead from Within
4. Get Melody's new book, Managing Up