work life balance

Optimize the Intersection of Career & Life with Susie R. Lecker

Susie R. Lecker
Global Executive, Advisor & Speaker

Susie R. Lecker is a seasoned, authentic executive with a background in CPG and proficiency in the Toy and Licensing Industries. Her career has spanned 25 years in marketing and general management leadership roles across multiple consumer packaged goods industries with a focus on children’s brands. Susie has extensive experience in developing and scaling new brands/products, leading cross-functional teams, and successfully managing relationships and P&Ls.

Susie recently established a consulting practice focused on lending her expertise to build brand franchises and support executives in making choices that shape their personal and professional vision. Prior to this, she was the CEO of FitSwoop, a wellness startup. At Mattel, Susie served as EVP/Chief Brands Officer for the Toybox division, overseeing a $2B division and driving trend- inspired innovation in toy development. She played a key role in the acquisition of the Thomas The Tank franchise and launched successful toy lines globally.

Throughout her career, Susie has been recognized for her creativity and innovation in marketing, including receiving the Women In Toys award for Marketing in 2013. She holds a BA in Psychology from York University in Toronto and is dedicated to promoting physical, mental, and spiritual fitness at every age.

In this interview, Chelsea and Susie had an inspiring and transformative discussion that covered:

✅ Embracing Duality: Learn how to hold both sides of a situation, giving yourself permission to enjoy life even when facing challenges.

✅ Overcoming Comparison: Gain strategies to overcome the tendency to compare yourself to others, fostering a healthier self-image.

✅ Breaking Free from Perfectionism: Understand the pressures of perfection and develop techniques to overcome them, allowing for a more authentic and fulfilling life.

 
 

Additional Resources


The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage by Kelly McGonigal - discusses how to shift your perspective on stress, turning it into a positive force that can improve your performance and well-being. (Book)

Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna Huffington - argues that true success is not just about money and power but also about well-being, wisdom, and wonder, advocating for a balanced life that prioritizes health and happiness. (Book)

3 Lessons of Revolutionary Love in a Time of Rage by Valarie Kaur - shares insights on transforming anger and grief into a force for positive change, which is applicable to both personal and professional challenges.. (TED Talk)

The Fallacy of Work-Life Balance by Forbes - The article argues that the concept of work-life balance is a misleading ideal, suggesting instead that individuals should strive for work-life integration where personal and professional aspects coexist harmoniously. (Article)

Resilience: Building Mental Strength in a Fast-Changing World by Medium - The article emphasizes the importance of developing mental resilience to navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing world, focusing on strategies like adaptability, emotional regulation, and maintaining a growth mindset.. (Article)

Mastering Control in Your Personal & Professional Life

During this call, we explored how to overcome the need for excessive control, by focusing on what we can actually control— our personal energy. 

We covered: 

✅ Understanding control dynamics in the workplace

✅ How to effectively manage and harness personal energy

✅ Strategies for reducing the need for control through energy management

 
 
 
 
 

Additional Resources Coming Soon

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown - Advocates for focusing on what truly matters to maintain balance and control (Book)

Attuned: Practicing Interdependence to Heal Our Trauma—and Our World by Thomas Hübl, Julie Avritt, et al. - Explores how cultivating interdependence and attunement to ourselves and others can heal personal and collective trauma. (Book)

Energy is Real!: A Practical Guide for Managing Personal Energy in Daily Life by Gail Christel Behrend - provides practical guidance for understanding and managing personal energy levels for improved well-being and daily life. (Book)

Duality - In just 15-20 minutes a day, you’ll be guided through Duality’s mindfully crafted curriculum that will help you tap into your intuition, eliminate energy blocks, strengthen your chakras, and heal yourself & others using energy. (Online Course)

The Huberman Lab Podcast - Covers scientific research on human performance, including sleep, stress, and brain optimization. (Podcast)

Our Mindful Nature - Offers short, practical mindfulness exercises for daily life. (Podcast)

How to Protect Your Energy at Work by Motion - Focuses on the concept of mental energy and offers strategies to protect and replenish is. (Article)

Syncing Work Cycles and Rhythms: A Blueprint for Dodging Burnout

Do you find yourself constantly in motion, striving to accomplish more and more, with the belief that completing just one more task will bring relief or solve all challenges? If so, you're not alone. Many professionals are ensnared in unsustainable and often toxic productivity cycles.

During this call, Chelsea will delve into:


✅ Examination of prevailing productivity patterns and behaviors.

✅ Introduction of a transformative productivity cycle.

✅ Exploration of how transitioning to this new paradigm can cultivate heightened energy, creativity, resilience, and passion in your work endeavors.


 
 
 
 

Additional Resources

“How Woman Can Use Monthly Periods As A Productivity Tool” - Explore the female hormonal cycle and how you can use it to your advantage as you navigate work productivity.

‘Ano Lani: ‘Año Honua by Kahu Wendell Kalanikapuaenui Silva - This book provides a look into the Hawaiian Lunar Calendar and introduces you to a new way of looking at cycles and their affects on the human world.

"How to Gain Control of Your Free Time" by Laura Vanderkam: In this TED Talk, Vanderkam discusses how to manage time effectively and make choices that align with your values, rather than just trying to do more.

"What is Toxic Productivity & How to Break Free" by Natalia Rossingol - The article from Runn discusses toxic productivity as an excessive focus on constant work at the expense of well-being, explaining its risks and offering strategies like setting boundaries and prioritizing tasks to maintain a healthy work-life balance and avoid burnout.

"Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown - This book emphasizes focusing on what is essential and eliminating the non-essential to improve productivity and lead a more purposeful life.

"The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal" by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz - This book focuses on managing energy to enhance productivity and overall well-being.

EMPOWERSHIP Kick-Off + One Mindset Shift for 2024

This kick-off call shared everything you need to know about this year's program - logistics, calls, resources, PLUS we taught a lesson you don't want to miss - One Mind Shift that is Guaranteed to Bring More Power, Choice, and Joy into your 2024.

During this call, you’ll gain a clear understanding of what's to come in Empowership in 2024, highlighting what's new or changed for both new folks and our returning members.

Navigating Personal Hardships At Work (Yours and Those of Others)

This month’s call is with Christie Bishop, an Advertising & Marketing Executive, and host of the podcast, “What Nobody Tells Us.” Prior to starting her own Marketing Strategy consultancy firm in 2021, Christie spent nearly two decades in Executive roles leading North American and Global Strategic Planning teams both at agencies and in-house.

At home, Christie was (and continues to be) the primary caregiver for her husband, Bryan, through his ongoing treatment for brain cancer. During this call, we'll dive into how Christie's experiences have helped her support not only herself, but also her teams, colleagues and direct reports through personal hardships of their own. These tips are especially important, given they apply to personal situations that a lot of employees often hide from others.”

We'll cover:
What Personal Hardships are and the Impact They Can Have at WorkTools & Tips to Navigate Personal Hardship as:

✅ An Individual Employee (yourself)

✅ A Manager or Leader supporting a direct report or colleague

✅ A Colleague Supporting Another Colleague

Additional Resources

"How To Handle Personal Issues in the Workplace (Plus Tips)" (Indeed)

"What to Do When a Personal Crisis Is Hurting Your Professional Life" (Harvard Business Review)

”How to Keep Working During Personal Hardship” (Forbes)

Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant - This book discusses how to navigate personal hardships, including grief and loss, and find resilience and happiness.

The Tim Ferris Show (Podcast)

EVERYONE GETS LONELY: What To Do When It Hits You

Public crisis and epidemic are words we're now seeing next to loneliness. Even prior to COVID-19, nearly half of U.S. adults reported experiencing loneliness. During this talk, Chelsea Szabo will explore loneliness with a fresh perspective.

You'll learn how to empower yourself to use loneliness as a springboard into a more connected and fulfilled life ... both in and out of the office. 

Learn: 

✅  The #1 thing most people don't realize is behind loneliness  
✅  The 3 crucial relationships you must invest in to fend off loneliness (everyone is currently in a relationship with these 3 things) 
✅  What fuels loneliness and how to stop feeding it 

Pop-Up: Being Flexible In Your Career with Colleen Okolski

In this Pop-Up Call Archive, we speak with Gigasavvy’s Beacon of Happiness (yes, that’s her title!), Colleen Okolski. Colleen shared her experience and thoughts on Being Flexible in Your Career and how learning how to be flexible has attributed to her success.

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