Leaders Examine Information and Influence

LisaMarie • May 18, 2020


Several years ago, my business was growing and I prayed I would connect with the right person to hire…someone who would complement my work and coach clients giving them (and me) added depth as a leader. 


And, that’s when I met success coach and emotional resilience expert, Suzanne Dudley-Schon. Over the past several years we’ve worked together, we’ve each grown our own growth edges – and had a ton of fun along the way. 


Suzanne understands that the beingness of leadership matters more than the doingness of leadership. You can take all of the tactical leadership actions that generate success – and not be a leader worth following. 


This week, I’ve asked her to be a guest writer for the Upside Thinker on the topic of thinking about your thinking. 


Happy Reading!


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Look at what you are looking at. Look at what we are looking at. 


As a society, we have become pretty aware, in some cases hyper aware, of what we are putting into our physical bodies.


Are we watchful of what we are feeding our minds and our spirits?


Whether through research studies, articles in Psychology today, or even good old common sense, we know that our brains and bodies are wired to adopt habits to survive. Using habits we conserve energy and mental bandwidth. We learn routines. We become more efficient. And, like the animals that we are—we can be trained whether by choice or default.


Think about how you brush your teeth. Make coffee. Load the dishwasher.


Once you have established routines they are stubbornly difficult to change. Sometimes that’s great. Sometimes it’s not. 


Because the knowledge of our trainability and predisposition for routine is widely understood, there are countless businesses that have made it their mission to utilize this information to benefit their bottom line. This can happen through marketing or in the consumption of the product. Take a closer look at commercials and what they activate. And habits we have around our cell phones? They are entirely Pavlovian driven (remember how dogs respond to the bell… and started salivating?). 


Yeah… that’s us.


I would posit where we haven’t looked enough, is in the nefarious use of fear. Yes, fear—that primal force that essentially subjugates our ability to access executive function and reverts us into the reptilian responses of fight, flight, freeze, and submit.


Sometimes it’s sneaky… like a low-grade fear of missing out. Or fear of social failure (don’t have the right dress, shoes, lipstick, abs, thighs or nose, oh no!).


And sometimes we sign up for it for “fun”—watching a movie that scares the socks off of us. We lap up the temporary adrenaline pump and rush of relief we feel afterwards. 


And sometimes we sign up for it thinking we are being responsible adults. We read, watch, and listen to the news. We want to stay current.


When I was eight, it meant curling up in my dad’s lap to watch Walter Cronkite deliver neutral information about the nation and world. It was measured and reassuring because we were learning about what was important to be aware of as citizens. The news was meant to inform. Hence—inform-ation. While not all of the content was cheery, there was a sense of it being simply, “what was occurring.” The feeling was not that much different than the way it felt when my sisters would fight with my parents: discordant for sure, but underlying the disharmony or conflict was fundamental love and safety.


Now we have news giants. Media machines cranking out… product. Product to drive profits into their coffers, a drive to get people… watching. The headlines are crafted to grab you by the throat, make your pulse shoot up, alarm you until your bloodstream is flooded with cortisol.


We are learning what seems to be dire information that frightens, causes worry, and sets off fear responses to which the brain determines, quite swiftly, is important to stay on top of from here on out. Think how quickly one learns not to poke a hive of hornets, where the hornets are located, and to be on the lookout for them at every turn.


After all, aren’t our decisions as good as the information we have? We try to learn in order to protect. So now, we will go to that news source to find out the latest. We soak up the newest alarming headline so that we’re “up to date,” “informed, ” current, “aware of what’s relevant.” Again and again and again. Soon our heads are spinning with confusion and panic. In danger, instinctively, automatically, habitually we return to feed on “news.” We are hooked. Addicted.


Few people notice they have been ensnared. Not many can pay close attention because we are cranking through our days over-stimulated and under-connected, in relationship with our phones more than our partners, and consuming the news like a lemur pressing a lever to get a raisin.


Because of the bots and algorithms driving the news and Facebook feeds, we are getting more and more curated content that polarizes us with every click. Opinions and fears and emotional reactions are engrained deeper and deeper into the neural grooves of our exquisite brains.


We are puppets, terror dripped into us through the IV of TV or whatever your particular “source.”


Yes, and…


I write this fervently because yesterday I succumbed. I forgot. Failed to be aware of the flood of news I was ingesting until I found myself barely able to do work, wringing my hands, and alternating between catatonia and bouts of weeping, awash in despair. I fell in deep and was sinking fast. I had to do something.


I pulled out an old improvisation tool. The, “Yes, and…” It’s a way of getting a scene un-stuck. And, as a life and leadership coach, I’ve applied it for years to help clients move forward, and as a parent I invoke it’s special powers multiple times a day, and I’ve used it personally for my own mental health and survival.


To use, “yes, and…” you acknowledge “what is” and go from there. (If you say, “no” or “but,” it stops the scene and requires even more effort to get it going again.) 


So, yesterday, I spoke it aloud: “yes… (it is how it is)… AND… (What can I do in this very moment?). I applied it. And started to ask myself what I might do to help others and myself. I took care of some menial tasks to get the ball rolling– gave the dogs their medication. Laundry. Wrote a long overdue thank you note. Paid some bills. Prepared dinner with my family. Thought about how fortunate I am.


Having some personal traction, then I looked to the bigger picture.


What could I do about the news that had me so undone? Only what I had under my control. I turned it off. Covid-19 and all it’s spikiness would still be there. The facts and figures would still scroll if I turned away to take care of myself. Take a walk. Listen to music.


If we push pause, literally and figuratively, we have choice and freedom restored in an instant. The single act of disconnecting – from whatever it is that might be toxic to our systems—is powerful. It is the tipping point, the pivot between an exhale and inhale. It is the bounteous opportunity held in every moment… that we tend to forget, or forget that we have available within reach. Always.


Once we pause, putting on hold the fast-moving trains of commerce and thought, we hold infinite possibilities.


Currently, we have an external situation that is forcing pause and retreat. And what exactly is retreat? What does it look like in our lives? What is it we are retreating from? And what are we retreating to?


Given the current covid-19 pandemic crisis, we have an externally imposed pause and in many cases order to “retreat.”


In this retreat time, I have read wonderful articles and blogs suggesting making “quarantine goals,” that are goals comprised of the things we tend to push down the road for a rainy day activity. The goals we never end up doing because we tend to live under the tyranny of the urgent. Goals like reading a book, writing a letter, cleaning a closet, and making bread.


From a business perspective, we can examine what to do in response to the current situation. How can we adapt so we are still relevant? How can we adjust in the short and the long term to become more nimble? Fluidity, uncertainty, and constant change will become more and more the way of the future.


Other personal recommendations include connecting with friends and family through the many platforms available these days –from a phone call to a Zoom virtual cocktail party, yoga, or cooking class.


Most importantly this retreat time might be invaluable for us to realign with our deeper purpose. Time to identify our unique gifts. 


Are you good at making people laugh? Are you handy? Able to buy a neighbor a meal from a restaurant offering take-out so that it’s a win-win-in many directions?


What I have shared with my family is that we might look to do one thing each day that is a gesture of care and kindness for oneself, one’s family (however we define that and consider to be our “family”) and the greater community. 


In this way, people can identify their value as a human, not as a dollar sign or a job title. It brings us back to our true selves, not a chosen identity. Our cores—made of light and love.


When we bring ourselves back to our essentials selves, isn’t it easier to recognize that we are all one? That we all have value? That we all have gifts and innate beauty? And from this nakedness, we see our strength, our resilience, and can combine to be extraordinary and oh so luminous.


Along with being a credentialed leadership and life coach for over 12 years, I recently went through training as a yoga teacher. This physical, mental, and spiritual practice has brought me a renewed sense of peace and connection. From it, one of the many gifts I received and carry with me is the use (in language and in action) of the word, Namaste, which basically means, the beauty and the light in me, honors and sees the beauty and the light in you. It is about the interconnectedness of us all.


Can you imagine the impact of this scenario on a larger scale? What if we paused our newsfeeds, retreated in a moment of breath and peace, and came to look away from our screens and instead to the light in ourselves and others? 


I see it happening. Yesterday, a woman who lives down the road delivered daffodils to each neighbor as a little surprise of spring. A friend’s son wore a Santa hat for three days straight. The local general store partnered with the bookstore to deliver goods and books. A viral video of a little girl advising people in Spanish about the corona virus, who’s parting words were, “Listen to me and repeat after me, ‘Todo va estar bien. Todo va estar bien (Everything will be okay, everything will be okay).’”


And it will be.


Especially, if we look … with care. 


ACTION: The Upside Challenge for this week is to first, notice if you need to change your information diet to be one that fills you with good energy, balance, and insight.


Second, each day this week, try to do something that is good for you, good for your family (chosen or biological), and for the good of the community beyond your family.


As Lisa Marie says, the world needs you and your brilliance.

By Lisa Marie Platske June 30, 2025
The greater something is to your personal growth and evolution, the more resistance or push-back you will experience from the world and the people you love. Think about that. You’ve got a force inside of you that works against your desire to be better. In his 2002 book, “ The War of Art” , Steven Pressfield talks about this inner force as "the resistance". This inner force or resistance you feel creates distractions to take you off-course from fully stepping into who you're called to be. Activities like… Scrolling through Instagram Watching your favorite TV show or movie Shopping for more cool stuff … may seem fun yet they aren't designed to get you closer to what you want most in life. They also won’t move you forward in every single area of your life. And yet, you still find yourself doing them. Why? Because Resistance is subtle. It doesn’t shout—it settles. It lulls you into routine. Resistance may pull you into a comfortable groove where you just keep doing what you’ve been doing, ... and someday you wake up wondering, “How did I get here?!?” You’re not off track for feeling this way. You’re simply at a pivotal point, one that asks you to decide who you’re becoming. Moments like this aren’t meant to be rushed. They’re invitations to rise, realign, and remember what matters most. Resistance is where the growth is. It’s time to push back against it. What are you waiting for? ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to choose one area—leadership, relationships, health, or spiritual growth—and make one intentional move in that space. Do it with presence. Do it on purpose. Here are a few ideas: Begin your day by speaking one thing you’re grateful for. Hold off on replying to that text until you can be fully present. Take 60 seconds before a meeting to get still and set your intention. You don’t need more tasks. You need aligned action.
By Lisa Marie Platske June 23, 2025
You probably don’t want to be in the same place a week from now, let alone a year from now. Yet, you keep doing the same thing over and over and over again, expecting different results. You would never add 1 + 1 again and again — and expect your answer to be 3. So, stop doing the same things over and over hoping that you’ll magically be where you want to be — and everything you want for your life and business will come to fruition. Sometimes you need a new way of being, thinking, and living. That was one of the hardest lessons I've ever learned. Not knowing a lot about how to start a business, I relied on what I thought was the wisdom from other business owners. I didn't make decisions based on whether the people I had hired and listened to were 1) where I wanted to be, or 2) who I wanted to be when I got there. I looked at success as having a formula, and I just wanted to know what that formula was so I could get my piece of the pie. As each week went by, I got further and further away from the values I held dear before I started my entrepreneurial journey. I found that I was making decisions based on what seemed like I had to do versus what I wanted to do. So much of my day was spent chasing "opportunities" that I darn near lost my way. I remember one day looking up and thinking, " How the heck did I get here?!? " From the outside, it looked like I've got a great business, yet on the inside, if I'm honest with myself, I don't like what I'm doing, or who I have to pretend to be to do it. Every day felt like I added one more layer to the façade. Over the years, I've bought into the belief that I needed to be something — correction someone — different than who God made me to be. I can't tell you how many clients have come to me with that monkey on their back. A new way of thinking, being, and living was an arduous journey. I knew the path I was on. It had become familiar. And I was quite comfortable with the folks in my circle. Yet this wasn't the place for me to stay if I was going to do what God had been nudging me to do all along. I remember the first time I used the word Holy Spirit in one of my marketing pieces. I waited for the backlash to come. I waited for folks to call me out on who I was, and whether I had the right to speak about God. After all, I wasn't a pastor, a preacher, or someone who held a degree in religious studies. And yet, when no backlash came… when instead, I heard “ Thank you for saying what I’ve been feeling, ” something shifted. I realized I didn’t need another strategy. I needed alignment. Both in my business and in my whole life. The truth is, you already know when something isn’t working. You feel it. It nags at you in quiet moments. It whispers that what you’re doing is no longer sustainable — and maybe never was. So, let me ask you this: If nothing changes, where will you be this time next year? Because if you're still adding 1 + 1, you'll still be getting 2. And maybe what you need isn't just a new plan, maybe you need a new path. One that doesn’t force you to abandon who you are, and instead invites you to bring more of yourself into every space you lead. If something’s stirring in you, don’t brush it off. You weren’t made for surface-level success. You were made to lead from the inside out. ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to slow down before making any decision — big or small. Ask yourself: "Is this aligned with who I am and where I’m being called? Or is this just what I’ve always done?" Then choose from that place of awareness. Becoming a purpose-led leader isn’t about doing more — it’s about being intentional with every step you take. Let this practice guide you back to alignment, one decision at a time.
By Lisa Marie Platske June 16, 2025
For a good portion of my life, I found it difficult to hear God's voice. Mostly I heard just static. Every so often, I'd listen to a song or get a nudge to do something, and mostly it was just quiet in my prayer time. In 2020, something broke open for me. I had been in a terrible place, working very hard in a few different areas. Yet, overall, I felt my life was stuck - and I wasn't making any progress anywhere. I looked at closing my business down and getting a job. My head was hurting from running into what felt like stone walls, and I was plain tired, battered, and bloodied. And I was embarrassed that I wanted to throw the towel in on things I had been working on for years. While many of the leaders I was coaching were doing well, I couldn't figure out the missing piece for where I was standing. And I was getting angry as it seemed my whole life was on the verge of one big meltdown. On a walk in my neighborhood in Virginia, I looked up at my street sign. I lived on Faith Court. The irony of God bringing me there. I decided that I would just start talking to God, and began asking Him questions as if He were walking beside me. I'd often sent clients on God walks, and today I felt this was my last hope. As fast as the questions came, so did the answers. Pieces of my life became clearer and I got an explanation of what had been going on behind the scenes when I thought God had forgotten about me. At the end of my walk, I had a re-commitment to going where God was leading even if it didn't make sense. It was profound and has led me to where I am today. Maybe you’ve felt that silence, too. That deafening quiet when you’re asking for direction, begging for clarity, and all you get is static. And maybe you’ve also been tempted to quit—to let go of what once felt certain, just because the road got too hard, too confusing, too quiet. Yet at times this silence isn’t a void, it’s an invitation. What broke open for me didn’t come from striving harder. It came from walking with God like He was right there beside me—because He was. ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to ask God one real question today. Just one. Go outside. Take a walk if you can. Leave your earbuds behind. Imagine Him walking with you, then ask. Not with fear. Not with desperation. Just… ask. And listen. You might be surprised by what you hear when you stop trying to figure it all out and simply make room for Him to respond. You don’t have to get it right. You just have to get moving.
By Lisa Marie Platske June 9, 2025
Have you ever struggled with taking action on what you really wanted? Have you ever wondered if you’re not living up to your full potential? Research shows most people regret the choices they didn't make and the chances they didn't take at the end of their life. Yet, I get how sometimes fear can paralyze you from moving forward with what you want most. Over the past several years, I've been learning how to walk by faith, moment by moment. And when I look back at my life, I realize this has been a journey that began a long time ago. I would never have left working in Federal law enforcement if I didn’t take the journey from fear to faith. When I made the decision to turn in my resignation, my dad wanted to know why I was going to move from the steady income of a 6-figure government gig... ... to a zero-dollars-promised opportunity opening up my own business. I had no business degree, knew no one who had ever owned a business, and was living 3000 miles away from my closest friend or family member. Still, I took the leap of faith and trusted a net would appear. That's what most folks don't get. You have to take the leap BEFORE the miracle can show up. The journey to get from there to where I am today wasn't a solo effort. The people around me shaped my growth. I chose to surround myself with folks who think differently — who have challenged me to grow and evolve way beyond what I knew. The right leadership and different communities I stepped into gave me the confidence to move forward, even when the path ahead wasn’t clear. That’s why I believe coaching and community are essential for anyone who wants to go beyond where they are at this moment. See, every day you get an opportunity to decide what you are going to do with your life. Moment by moment, time moves forward without regard to your answer. Where do you need to take a leap of faith? Remember, your life is simply the sum total of all of the choices you've made. If you’re not happy with where you’re at, make different choices. It really is that easy.  ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to examine your decisions and see where you might be playing it safe. Because comfort doesn't change the world.
More Posts
By Lisa Marie Platske June 30, 2025
The greater something is to your personal growth and evolution, the more resistance or push-back you will experience from the world and the people you love. Think about that. You’ve got a force inside of you that works against your desire to be better. In his 2002 book, “ The War of Art” , Steven Pressfield talks about this inner force as "the resistance". This inner force or resistance you feel creates distractions to take you off-course from fully stepping into who you're called to be. Activities like… Scrolling through Instagram Watching your favorite TV show or movie Shopping for more cool stuff … may seem fun yet they aren't designed to get you closer to what you want most in life. They also won’t move you forward in every single area of your life. And yet, you still find yourself doing them. Why? Because Resistance is subtle. It doesn’t shout—it settles. It lulls you into routine. Resistance may pull you into a comfortable groove where you just keep doing what you’ve been doing, ... and someday you wake up wondering, “How did I get here?!?” You’re not off track for feeling this way. You’re simply at a pivotal point, one that asks you to decide who you’re becoming. Moments like this aren’t meant to be rushed. They’re invitations to rise, realign, and remember what matters most. Resistance is where the growth is. It’s time to push back against it. What are you waiting for? ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to choose one area—leadership, relationships, health, or spiritual growth—and make one intentional move in that space. Do it with presence. Do it on purpose. Here are a few ideas: Begin your day by speaking one thing you’re grateful for. Hold off on replying to that text until you can be fully present. Take 60 seconds before a meeting to get still and set your intention. You don’t need more tasks. You need aligned action.
By Lisa Marie Platske June 23, 2025
You probably don’t want to be in the same place a week from now, let alone a year from now. Yet, you keep doing the same thing over and over and over again, expecting different results. You would never add 1 + 1 again and again — and expect your answer to be 3. So, stop doing the same things over and over hoping that you’ll magically be where you want to be — and everything you want for your life and business will come to fruition. Sometimes you need a new way of being, thinking, and living. That was one of the hardest lessons I've ever learned. Not knowing a lot about how to start a business, I relied on what I thought was the wisdom from other business owners. I didn't make decisions based on whether the people I had hired and listened to were 1) where I wanted to be, or 2) who I wanted to be when I got there. I looked at success as having a formula, and I just wanted to know what that formula was so I could get my piece of the pie. As each week went by, I got further and further away from the values I held dear before I started my entrepreneurial journey. I found that I was making decisions based on what seemed like I had to do versus what I wanted to do. So much of my day was spent chasing "opportunities" that I darn near lost my way. I remember one day looking up and thinking, " How the heck did I get here?!? " From the outside, it looked like I've got a great business, yet on the inside, if I'm honest with myself, I don't like what I'm doing, or who I have to pretend to be to do it. Every day felt like I added one more layer to the façade. Over the years, I've bought into the belief that I needed to be something — correction someone — different than who God made me to be. I can't tell you how many clients have come to me with that monkey on their back. A new way of thinking, being, and living was an arduous journey. I knew the path I was on. It had become familiar. And I was quite comfortable with the folks in my circle. Yet this wasn't the place for me to stay if I was going to do what God had been nudging me to do all along. I remember the first time I used the word Holy Spirit in one of my marketing pieces. I waited for the backlash to come. I waited for folks to call me out on who I was, and whether I had the right to speak about God. After all, I wasn't a pastor, a preacher, or someone who held a degree in religious studies. And yet, when no backlash came… when instead, I heard “ Thank you for saying what I’ve been feeling, ” something shifted. I realized I didn’t need another strategy. I needed alignment. Both in my business and in my whole life. The truth is, you already know when something isn’t working. You feel it. It nags at you in quiet moments. It whispers that what you’re doing is no longer sustainable — and maybe never was. So, let me ask you this: If nothing changes, where will you be this time next year? Because if you're still adding 1 + 1, you'll still be getting 2. And maybe what you need isn't just a new plan, maybe you need a new path. One that doesn’t force you to abandon who you are, and instead invites you to bring more of yourself into every space you lead. If something’s stirring in you, don’t brush it off. You weren’t made for surface-level success. You were made to lead from the inside out. ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to slow down before making any decision — big or small. Ask yourself: "Is this aligned with who I am and where I’m being called? Or is this just what I’ve always done?" Then choose from that place of awareness. Becoming a purpose-led leader isn’t about doing more — it’s about being intentional with every step you take. Let this practice guide you back to alignment, one decision at a time.
By Lisa Marie Platske June 16, 2025
For a good portion of my life, I found it difficult to hear God's voice. Mostly I heard just static. Every so often, I'd listen to a song or get a nudge to do something, and mostly it was just quiet in my prayer time. In 2020, something broke open for me. I had been in a terrible place, working very hard in a few different areas. Yet, overall, I felt my life was stuck - and I wasn't making any progress anywhere. I looked at closing my business down and getting a job. My head was hurting from running into what felt like stone walls, and I was plain tired, battered, and bloodied. And I was embarrassed that I wanted to throw the towel in on things I had been working on for years. While many of the leaders I was coaching were doing well, I couldn't figure out the missing piece for where I was standing. And I was getting angry as it seemed my whole life was on the verge of one big meltdown. On a walk in my neighborhood in Virginia, I looked up at my street sign. I lived on Faith Court. The irony of God bringing me there. I decided that I would just start talking to God, and began asking Him questions as if He were walking beside me. I'd often sent clients on God walks, and today I felt this was my last hope. As fast as the questions came, so did the answers. Pieces of my life became clearer and I got an explanation of what had been going on behind the scenes when I thought God had forgotten about me. At the end of my walk, I had a re-commitment to going where God was leading even if it didn't make sense. It was profound and has led me to where I am today. Maybe you’ve felt that silence, too. That deafening quiet when you’re asking for direction, begging for clarity, and all you get is static. And maybe you’ve also been tempted to quit—to let go of what once felt certain, just because the road got too hard, too confusing, too quiet. Yet at times this silence isn’t a void, it’s an invitation. What broke open for me didn’t come from striving harder. It came from walking with God like He was right there beside me—because He was. ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to ask God one real question today. Just one. Go outside. Take a walk if you can. Leave your earbuds behind. Imagine Him walking with you, then ask. Not with fear. Not with desperation. Just… ask. And listen. You might be surprised by what you hear when you stop trying to figure it all out and simply make room for Him to respond. You don’t have to get it right. You just have to get moving.
By Lisa Marie Platske June 9, 2025
Have you ever struggled with taking action on what you really wanted? Have you ever wondered if you’re not living up to your full potential? Research shows most people regret the choices they didn't make and the chances they didn't take at the end of their life. Yet, I get how sometimes fear can paralyze you from moving forward with what you want most. Over the past several years, I've been learning how to walk by faith, moment by moment. And when I look back at my life, I realize this has been a journey that began a long time ago. I would never have left working in Federal law enforcement if I didn’t take the journey from fear to faith. When I made the decision to turn in my resignation, my dad wanted to know why I was going to move from the steady income of a 6-figure government gig... ... to a zero-dollars-promised opportunity opening up my own business. I had no business degree, knew no one who had ever owned a business, and was living 3000 miles away from my closest friend or family member. Still, I took the leap of faith and trusted a net would appear. That's what most folks don't get. You have to take the leap BEFORE the miracle can show up. The journey to get from there to where I am today wasn't a solo effort. The people around me shaped my growth. I chose to surround myself with folks who think differently — who have challenged me to grow and evolve way beyond what I knew. The right leadership and different communities I stepped into gave me the confidence to move forward, even when the path ahead wasn’t clear. That’s why I believe coaching and community are essential for anyone who wants to go beyond where they are at this moment. See, every day you get an opportunity to decide what you are going to do with your life. Moment by moment, time moves forward without regard to your answer. Where do you need to take a leap of faith? Remember, your life is simply the sum total of all of the choices you've made. If you’re not happy with where you’re at, make different choices. It really is that easy.  ACTION: The Upside Challenge for the week is to examine your decisions and see where you might be playing it safe. Because comfort doesn't change the world.
More Posts