change doesn't have to suck!

Change starts in your mind, and in this episode of The Change Nerd, mindset coach Chelsea Denbow (The Sister Lifter) shows why most of us get stuck on identity, not discipline or strategy. Chelsea and I dig into how limiting beliefs form as early as age six, why self-awareness is the first step of any change, and how to look at the root instead of the fruit. We also cover serving others without losing yourself, getting comfortable with discomfort, the "bless and release" approach to relationships that no longer serve you, and why surrounding yourself with the right people makes change stick. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:07 Welcome and meet Chelsea 0:27 Chelsea's introduction: coaching from identity 1:25 Why change is hard: self-awareness and beliefs formed at age six 4:20 Too much caregiver energy: serving from love, not striving 6:18 Anchoring change in your "why" 7:54 Getting comfortable with discomfort: root vs. fruit 10:21 Do your clients change you? 12:47 Candle under a bushel: letting your gift shine 14:35 Bless and release: weeding your garden with love 16:15 What happens if we don't act? Sometimes the answer is to wait 17:14 The Sister Lifter assessment, cohorts and coaching 20:27 Leaders are readers 23:00 The ripple effect of helping people 24:10 How Chelsea found her calling 28:31 Every change begins in the mind 29:48 The one thing to do today 30:53 How to connect with Chelsea 💬 What belief have you had to unlearn? Tell me in the comments. 👉 Subscribe to The Change Nerd for more conversations on navigating change. Resources mentioned: • Take the free 2-minute assessment at The Sister Lifter: https://thesisterlifter.com • Connect with Chelsea on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chelsea.denbow

Change management isn't a communication problem. It's a learning problem. In this episode of The Change Nerd, Jason sits down with Michael Lopez of Michael Lopez Consulting to share new research on what employees actually need during organizational change. The surprise: there was zero overlap between the top 5 things companies provide and the top 5 things people say they need. We get into why leaders modeling the behavior matters more than a 98% email open rate, why go-live is the end of the technical work but the beginning of the human work, and how to rethink your RFP so people and technology run on parallel tracks. Michael also shares a process redesign that turned out to be a trust problem, his strategies for personal change (initiate movement, rethink your environment, build a productive relationship with stress), the neuroscience behind resilience, and what football taught him about culture. Chapters: 0:00 – Intro 0:10 – Welcome, Michael Lopez 0:57 – Change is a learning problem, not a communication problem 2:57 – What people need vs. what they get during change 4:45 – Why we default to emails, PDFs, and click-through rates 7:55 – Rethinking the RFI/RFP for big tech implementations 12:07 – AI personalization and the "change is easy" myth 14:30 – Tech projects vs. culture change 16:40 – When a process problem is really a trust problem 19:30 – When to recalibrate or stop a project 21:14 – Personal change strategies: environment, movement, and stress 26:22 – The Olenna Tyrell moment 27:07 – Your brain, your company, and the J-curve 29:57 – Resilience and the science behind it 32:50 – Change lessons from football and sports 36:18 – Parting advice: the version of you you haven't met yet 39:07 – How to connect with Michael 💬 What's one change you've been waiting for the "perfect time" to start? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe for more practical change tools. Michael's website: https://www.michaeljlopez.coach/ #changemanagement #Leadership #OrganizationalChange #OCM #ChangeAdoption #LeadingChange #HumanSideOfChange #StressMindset

DiSC C personalities don't resist change on purpose — they just need it to be right first. In the final episode of The Change Nerd's DiSC & Change series, Jason and Stacy (two proud I's) flip the script and talk about their opposite: the C (Conscientious) style. Detail-obsessed, accuracy-driven, and quietly powerful, C's are the ones who make every idea better — but they can also get so deep in the details that the launch never happens. You'll learn why you should never pop by a C's desk with small talk, how to give them feedback without damaging trust, and what happens when there's no deadline (hint: it goes on forever). Plus, the one small habit that changed the entire trajectory of Stacy's life: switching her nail polish color. If you're a C, this one's for you — and yes, the research backs it up. 0:06 – Intro: The final video in the DiSC & Change series 0:55 – What it's like being an I working with C's 1:55 – What C's actually want from a conversation 4:00 – The "Are you sure?" story — C's as idea refiners 5:31 – Good at something doesn't mean it's right for you 6:26 – Using DiSC for career guidance 7:08 – The DiSC student career test 10:32 – How to approach a C at work (skip the small talk) 12:37 – Who C's should reach out to when stuck 13:43 – Coaching a C through analysis paralysis 16:13 – Give C's a deadline or it never ends 16:35 – Getting a C comfortable with "good enough" 17:40 – What C's should celebrate and work on 💬 Are you a C? Tell us — what's one thing you've almost launched but haven't yet? 👉 Watch the full DiSC & Change series from the beginning: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOodVycdnI2k Resources mentioned: Free DiSC assessment from Stacy (Insights & Assessments page): https://www.thestacymulligan.com/ Connect with Stacy Mulligan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-mulligan/ Stacy's YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/@UC6H6ULcAdkhc41Ca9Yo-Ibg

DiSC S personalities don't resist change because they're weak — they resist it because security is everything to them. In Part 3 of The Change Nerd's DiSC & Change series, Jason and Stacy Mulligan break down the S (Steady) style: the quiet backbone of every team, the builders of systems and processes, and the ones most likely to disappear without a word if you push them too far. You'll learn why dropping a major change on an S at 4:45pm for an 8am rollout is a recipe for disaster, why 69% of the population is wired this way (meaning most people you're leading are S's), and what passive friction looks like when an S has been pushed past their limit. Stacy also shares how to actually get an S on board — and it starts with asking about their family before you hit them with anything else. If you are an S, this one's for you — and yes, you're going to be alright. 0:06 – Intro and series recap 0:40 – Setting the tone: "You're going to be alright" 1:53 – How life seasons shift your DiSC style 3:09 – S's are Captain America — here's why 3:35 – Why last-minute change is devastating for S's 5:45 – Will an S speak up when they're disrupted? 6:52 – Why S's quietly leave and don't come back 7:53 – 69% of people are S — what that means for change leaders 8:54 – DiSC assessment tools from Stacy 10:59 – Passive friction: how S's resist change quietly 12:52 – What S's should celebrate and watch out for 💬 Are you an S? Tell us in the comments — what's one change that threw you completely off? 👉 Watch the full DiSC & Change series from the beginning: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOodVycdnI2k Resources mentioned: Free DiSC assessment from Stacy (Insights & Assessments page): https://www.thestacymulligan.com/ Connect with Stacy Mulligan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-mulligan/ Stacy's YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/@UC6H6ULcAdkhc41Ca9Yo-Ibg