SFIO 205 - Backward Goals, Brewery Goals, and Bathroom Adventures
Release Date: 05/27/2025
Still Figuring It Out
info_outlineStill Figuring It Out
📋 Episode Summary In this episode, Emily and Marc sit down with fundraising consultant and bow tie enthusiast Chris Baiocchi to explore how a career rooted in journalism led to a calling in philanthropy. Chris shares candidly about the leap from nonprofit staff to self-employed consultant, and what it’s taken to redefine success, stability, and service in his work. They unpack the nuances of donor relationships, alignment, and the importance of momentum—and toss in a few great sci-fi references for good measure. 🔑 Key Takeaways Fundraising is about alignment—doing the right...
info_outlineStill Figuring It Out
📋 Episode SummaryMarc and Emily take on their favorite recurring theme: goal setting. But this time, they dive deeper into their wildly different upbringings, internal narratives, and current practices around goals—from poker chips and chore lists to Scrum boards and morning routines. They explore why goals can feel like punishment for some and purpose for others, and how they’ve each shifted their relationship to goals in ways that feel more personal, flexible, and free. This episode offers an honest, layered conversation that blends coaching insight with lived...
info_outlineStill Figuring It Out
📋 Episode SummaryAndrea Ferry Daniels joins Emily and Marc for a candid conversation about sales, coaching, and showing up with purpose. As CEO of Rookie to Rainmaker, Andrea shares how she built a six-figure business from a South Jersey apartment, turned her gift for connection into a scalable model, and now helps others build confidence and close deals—with authenticity and heart. They talk about what it means to speak with impact, the power of letting go of familiar goals, and how to keep showing up even while you're still figuring it out. 🔑 Key Takeaways Sales doesn’t...
info_outlineStill Figuring It Out
📋 Episode Summary In this vulnerable and insightful episode, Marc and Emily open up about the evolution of their working relationship—and how their personal growth has shaped their professional path. They reflect on what it’s meant to co-create a life and a business, especially as Emily stepped more visibly into roles of leadership, coaching, and authorship. From sacred cows and shared systems to spontaneous pivots and solo retreats, this episode explores what it really takes to work together as equals—when the brand once felt like an extension of just one person, and when your growth...
info_outlineStill Figuring It Out
📋 Episode Summary Marc and Emily get candid about what it’s been like to build a life, family, and work in close proximity for more than 30 years. This episode dives into what it means to “work together now,” unpacking the realities of sharing space, parenting, making intentional choices—and growing up alongside each other. From early dreams of connection and community to unromantic but essential rituals (like coffee at 6 a.m. and cereal in low cupboards), they reflect on what’s helped them stick together through different seasons, even when things got messy. Not as advice—just...
info_outlineStill Figuring It Out
📋 Episode Summary In this episode, Marc and Emily share the behind-the-scenes journey of creating EWTS Coaching—how a yearlong project to help coaches find clients took an unexpected turn, thanks to a conversation with Phil M. Jones. They open up about the founding of Sidecar Advisors, the birth of EWTS Coaching, and the values that guide both ventures. From honoring coaching ethics to building tech infrastructure to supporting 12 phenomenal founding coaches, this episode is a candid look at how big ideas evolve, one bend in the road at a time. 🔑 Key Takeaways Coaching isn't...
info_outlineStill Figuring It Out
📋 Episode Summary Marc and Emily kick off Season 3 of Still Figuring It Out with a playful, book‑loving, tech‑nerdy conversation about what’s ahead. They share what they’re reading (Joseph Campbell and Jean Shinoda Bolen), why this year is their “Year of Play,” and how the podcast feels like opening a box of favorite sweaters at the start of a new season. The two reflect on lessons from the past year—including the passing of Marc’s father—and look forward to creating a season that emphasizes conversation and discovery rather than perfection. 🔑 Key Takeaways Life and...
info_outlineStill Figuring It Out
📋 Episode Summary In this season finale, Marc and Emily wrap up Season 2 by doing what they do best: reflecting, learning, and laughing together. The episode centers on a deceptively simple feedback framework they love—LBs and NTs (Liked Bests and Next Times). From the unexpected power of pausing to celebrate progress to the ways this tool has helped them recover from disappointments and find traction when stuck, they explore how intentional reflection can be both practical and healing. They also share favorite gadgets, small joys, and their own LB/NT reflections on the podcast itself....
info_outlineStill Figuring It Out
📋 Episode Summary In this thoughtful and energizing conversation, Marc and Emily welcome Dr. Jessica Sharp—organizational psychologist, educator, and champion of belonging. From her travels across the country to her work in Houston and beyond, Jessica is known for making complex topics like unconscious bias, self-leadership, and brain science accessible and engaging. Together, the trio explores the cultural baggage we carry around struggle and ease, what it means to be a grownup (with or without kids), and how boundaries are more than just saying “no.” This is a conversation about...
info_outlineIn this episode, Marc and Emily explore their very different relationships with goal setting. What starts as a reflection on abandoned international travel dreams quickly turns into a candid conversation about how goals can serve—or burden—us.
Marc shares his long history of goal-setting (and the ways it still trips him up), including his yearly list of 100 “magnet goals” and the mental gymnastics involved in sticking to goals like “visit one brewery a month.” Emily reflects on how her earliest experience with goal setting was punitive and tied to shame—shaping a lifelong tension with traditional goal frameworks.
They talk about neurodivergence, executive function, the false sense of completion that sometimes comes just from planning a goal, and the difference between forward-focused and backward-looking intentions. Along the way, they share practical reframes and offer each other new language for celebrating progress.
If you’ve ever struggled with how to make goal setting feel more human—or you’ve wondered whether there’s another way to approach productivity—this episode offers a thoughtful, honest, and often funny look at the topic.
Key Takeaways
- Not everyone has the same relationship with goals—some find them motivating, others experience them as shame-triggering.
- “Magnet Goals” can be a creative, idea-based alternative to rigid planning.
- Sharing goals publicly can create a false sense of completion.
- Neurodivergent brains often use emotional weight to create momentum, which can be both helpful and exhausting.
- Setting goals in retrospect (looking at what you did rather than what you planned) may be a more useful approach for some.
Quote Highlights
“I’m still figuring out how to set goals without shame being part of the process.” – Marc
“Maybe I’ll just do goal setting backwards—looking for the goals I didn’t know I set.” – Emily
“Goal setting feels like a dialect to you. For me, it still feels like a foreign language.” – Emily
“There’s a kind of figuring it out that feels like play—and a kind that feels like punishment.” – Emily
“I’ve been goal-setting since I was 14. And I’m still surprised how much pressure I put on myself.” – Marc
Resources & Mentions
- Magnet Goals Framework
- Enneagram Type 7 (referenced in Marc’s reflections on anticipation and follow-through)
- Zoho Campaigns & SpeakerFlow (tools Marc mentions wrangling)
- Shad Helmstetter, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy (classic goal-setting cassette tape influences)