A PODCAST ABOUT THE MESSY, BEAUTIFUL WAYS GROWN-UPS GROW UP.
Researchers , practitioners and thought leaders explore turning science into the day-to-day practice of adult development in teams, homes, organisations and life.
Emotions as Superpowers with Dr. Cindy Sholes
In this episode we dive into the rollercoaster of emotions and how they secretly power our lives. I’m thrilled to learn from Dr. Cindy Sholes, a neuroscientist, coach and co-founder of the rREST™ technique, as we explore "Emotions as Superpowers."
In this chat, Cindy takes us on her personal journey, from the foundational experiences of her early years to her research into neuroscience and her journey into the heart of human emotion. She sheds light on the mysteries of emotional agility and introduces us to the rREST technique – her unique approach to taming emotional stress. We'll explore how our feelings are not just fleeting reactions, but powerful guides that shape who we are and how we navigate the world - how we parent, engage with our life-partners and show up for others (and ourselves) every day.
So, grab a cozy spot and join us for a conversation that I hope will be as enlightening as it is heartwarming. We're not just talking about emotions – we're aiming to discover how they can be our greatest superpowers in this crazy, beautiful and yet often overwhelming journey of life.
Embodiment and Vertical Development
In the final episode of 'The Developmental' podcast for 2023, I explore a topic that has so far received very little attention - the role of the body in adult development. My guests, Natalie Goni and Hayley Linthwaite, are both pioneer practitioners at the intersection of vertical development and somatic practices and they bring a wealth of wisdom on the value of embodiment as a vehicle for personal growth.
We explore what embodiment is (and what its opposite - disembodiment - feels like), the importance of understanding and befriending our body, the impact of ignoring physical discomfort, and the link between embodiment and leadership. We discuss the delicate topic of introducing somatic practices into leadership development programs and the untapped value for leaders and businesses.
Natalie and Hayley both offer us the gift of two very different practices - so I’m encouraging you to listen to this episode in a private space where you might be able to get up, move or sit down, relax and close your eyes.
Neuroscience and Vertical Development
While empirical evidence for adult development theories is robust, we still have much to learn about the cognitive and neurological substrates of human development. What changes in our brain when we develop vertically? How can the idea that humans evolve in ever-increasing stages of mental complexity and perspective-taking be reconciled with research on neuroplasticity and cognition?
I was very excited to step into this fascinating in-between space together with Johan Mellerup Traekjaer a cognitive scientist with deep expertise in adult development.
A Systems Perspective on Vertical Development
Watching the ongoing debate between advocates for individual lenses on change versus systemic lenses has made me wonder if what we might be dealing with is, in fact, a polarity and whether we might learn something new from stepping back from it to see the broader perspective of the individual AND system. So I have set out to explore this myth of development as solely a function of the individual in more detail and sought to invite an alternative perspective that can illuminate the role of system, while also honouring the individual.
On today,’s episode, I am thrilled to dialogue with a guest whose work I admire and who I believe holds precious wisdom at the intersection of these two fields – individual development and systemic change. I have learnt a lot from this conversation with Joan Lurie and I hope it offers you as much food for thought as it did to me.
Developmental Coaching Starts With the Coach
Therapists, Coaches, Facilitators – all have, I believe, a big responsibility in doing the work of development for themselves, just as they do it with their clients. Scaffolds like mentoring and supervision go a long way to keeping us honest and evolving, but so do our own efforts, day in and day out. But what do those efforts look like? What does it mean to ‘embody the work’?
In this episode, I explore these very questions with my dear friend and fellow coach, Priya Ahuja.
What Does it Mean to Be a Developmental Leader?
I hope Mike’s story as a leader and my own story of being at the receiving end of his leadership style will invite all of you who listen to reflect on who the developmental leaders in your own lives might have been and what exactly did they do to nurture your growth? And most of all, I hope it invites you to consider who are the people you are being a developmental leader for? Who are you impacting through the way you show up every day? Who are you going to believe in next, who are you going to lift up, coach, encourage, let fail and learn and be there with no judgement when they get lost, trusting they’ll find their way again?
How Do We Design Learning for Vertical Development?
Our guest for this episode is one of the leading researchers and practitioners in the space of vertical development. Nick Petrie has been a pioneer in bridging the science and application of adult development theories into organisational learning. His whitepapers on designing and implementing developmentally effective learning programs have inspired a whole new generation of researchers.
Vertical Development and Parenting: How Raising Kids Raises Us
In this episode, we explore how raising children can be a catalyst for vertical development and how our kids end up, in a very real sense, raising us, just as we are raising them. My dialogue partner is a dear friend, senior leader and a mother who has walked the talk of personal transformation in the act of raising her (now adult) children.
Genevieve Hawkins is General Manager Transformation and Supply Chain at Coles Liquor Group and the author of the book "Mentally at Work" - a powerful and practical guide for creating workplaces where humans can thrive.
Giftedness, Neurodivergence and Vertical Development
In this episode, I am joined by a self-confessed fellow 'nerd' to explore a topic that has hardly ever been discussed in relation to vertical development: adult giftedness and neurodivergence. This has been both an intellectually stimulating and enlightening conversation and a very personal one. Tracy and I dove into some of our lived experiences of neurodivergence and the gifts and challenges that come with that and explore why leaning in with curiosity towards the 'different other' might be the smallest most transformative thing we could do in families, teams and society to help harness the huge (and often untapped into) potential of the neurodivergent among us.
Mindfulness: A Path to Vertical Development
In this episode, we explore the bridges between the new field of vertical development and the ancient practice of mindfulness with the help of Michael Bunting - author, researcher, and leadership expert. We discover how certain types of meditation - such as insight-mindfulness practice - can actually create an impact on vertical development by teaching us to recognise and lean into the most difficult feelings (the ones we usually try to avoid). This ancient practice is consistent with the newest research on adult development and the role of contrasting emotions in vertical growth. We also talk about love, addiction, what it takes to open up our hearts and how organisations might become places of healing, instead of suffering.
Friendship: Catalyst for Vertical Development
This is a very special episode of The Developmental, featuring two adult development experts who are also best friends. They will open up the inner sanctum of their 12-year friendship to explore why and how it has transformed each of them, and what other people might learn from it all. This is an episode filled with personal life stories, but also one grounded in a research-based framework on transformative relationships. The story of one friendship will illuminate how this framework actually works and how you might bring it to life in your own friendships or other meaningful relationships.
Fallback: How We Grow From Being At Our Worst
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Valerie Livesay, a passionate researcher who has devoted her work to illuminating the darker corners of our beings and the role our worst moments play in our long-term development. We talk about a core concept stemming from Valerie's research - Fallback - which describes those moments in life when we involuntarily revert to less mature ways of behaving and find ourselves simply unable to access our usual sense of perspective and wisdom. We discuss how vertical development is not at all a linear journey and is more of a 'two steps forward-one step backward' progression. We explore what triggers fallback, and how it manifests in our life both at work and at home. Valerie shares her insights into how we might turn moments of fallback into precious lessons for growth.
Vertical Development in Leadership Learning
This has been a great conversation with a leader who actively integrates the practices of vertical development into both his own life and his work. Marti Hughes is currently the Principal of Organisational Leadership at Tennis Australia. We talk about the messiness of growth, the generational conflict in organisations and how adult development done right might transform the cultures we live and work in.
What is Vertical Development and Why Does It Matter?
In this episode it is just me and you, trying to unpack some of the core theories of adult development and lay a foundation for the conversations to come. I invite you to reflect on your own journey of growth up to this point in your life and on what you feel might still be needed. Together we explore what vertical development is, how it is different from horizontal development and why we need both. We also look at some of the science around vertical development and what different researchers suggest it is that develops as we continue to evolve in our lives.
Welcome to the podcast!
In this short introduction, I share a bit of the story that led me to study adult development and ready you for what you can expect from this monthly podcast. I will invite leaders, learning experts, and developmental researchers to share their own experiences of growth, to help make the science accessible and, most importantly, share perspectives, tools and practices you can apply to your own work and life. As we go along, we’ll explore development in leadership, in teams and in organisations, but we’ll also shift gears and look at development in our personal relationships or in the way we raise our own children.