Paper Napkin Wisdom

Paper Napkin Wisdom with Govindh Jayaraman The biggest breakthroughs don’t always come from boardrooms, textbooks, or endless strategy decks. More often, they’re sparked in simple moments—captured on the back of a napkin. That’s the heart of Paper Napkin Wisdom. Each week, host Govindh Jayaraman sits down with entrepreneurs, leaders, athletes, artists, and difference-makers who distill their most powerful insight into one napkin-sized idea. These aren’t abstract theories. They’re lived lessons—the kind that shift how you see the world and give you tools you can use immediately. From billion-dollar founders and bestselling authors to under-the-radar innovators changing their industries, every guest shares a perspective that challenges assumptions and invites you to loosen your grip on “the way things are.” You’ll discover how simple reframes can spark growth, how clarity emerges from constraint, and how wisdom becomes powerful only when it’s put into action. Expect conversations that are raw, practical, and deeply human. You’ll leave each episode not only seeing reality differently, but also knowing exactly what you can try today—in your business, your leadership, or your life. If you’re ready for small shifts that lead to big results, this is your place. Grab a napkin, listen in, and share your takeaway with #PaperNapkinWisdom. Because wisdom isn’t meant to sit on the page—it’s meant to move you forward.

Aura, Pillar 3: Calm “The Container” - Why Leadership Presence Starts With What You Can Hold | Edge of the Napkin #23 02/01/2026

Aura, Pillar 3: Calm “The Container” - Why Leadership Presence Starts With What You Can Hold | Edge of the Napkin #23 In the last few Edge of the Napkin episodes, we’ve been building something deliberately. Not a formula. Not a personality profile. Not another leadership “style.” We’ve been unpacking something more fundamental—what I’ve been calling the Magnetic Growth Aura. An Aura isn’t what you say. It isn’t your title. It isn’t even your expertise. It’s what people experience when they’re around you. And as we’ve explored the first two pillars—Confidence (“Do I believe in me?”) and Congruence (“Do my words and actions match, especially under pressure?”)—a deeper truth starts to surface: None of it holds without Calm. This episode is about why Calm is not softness. It’s not passivity. And it’s definitely not disengagement. Calm is the container. Calm Is Not the Absence of Pressure One of the biggest misconceptions about calm is that it shows up after things settle down. But real leadership doesn’t happen in calm conditions. It happens: when people are emotional when stakes are high when clarity is missing when outcomes are uncertain Calm is not the absence of pressure. Calm is the ability to hold pressure without leaking it. That’s what leadership containment really means. When a leader lacks calm, the pressure doesn’t disappear—it just gets transferred: into urgency into micromanagement into reactivity into the room When a leader has calm, something different happens. The pressure stays contained. And that containment creates safety, clarity, and trust—even when answers aren’t obvious yet. Calm Is the Ability to Hold Space Most people don’t come to leaders for answers first. They come to leaders with emotion. Confusion. Fear. Frustration. Uncertainty. The unspoken question underneath all of it is simple: “Can you stay steady while I’m not?” Calm is the capacity that allows you to hold space without rushing to fix, reframe, or escape discomfort. Leaders who lack calm: interrupt too quickly problem-solve too early talk when silence would do more offer certainty before understanding Leaders with calm can: listen longer than feels efficient let people complete their own thinking allow emotion to move without taking it personally trust that clarity will emerge This is not a communication skill. It’s a nervous system skill. Calm Is the Ability to Wait One of the most underrated leadership skills is the ability to wait. Not withdraw. Not hesitate. But wait intentionally. Calm allows you to pause: before responding before rescuing before asserting authority before collapsing ambiguity too soon When leaders can’t wait, teams don’t grow. They learn to look up instead of inward. They optimize for approval instead of ownership. They outsource thinking to the person with the loudest presence. Calm says: “I trust this process enough not to interrupt it.” That’s not disengagement. That’s confidence in emergence. Calm and the Other Pillars of the Magnetic Growth Aura Calm doesn’t replace the other pillars. It activates them. Calm + Confidence Confidence answers, “Do I believe in me?” Calm answers, “Can I stay with myself when belief is tested?” Without calm, confidence turns into defensiveness or bravado. With calm, confidence becomes quiet certainty. Calm + Congruence Congruence asks whether your words and actions still match under pressure. Calm is what makes that possible. Without calm, values collapse under urgency. With calm, alignment holds—even when it would be easier to break it. Calm + Contribution Contribution is about serving something larger than yourself. Calm creates the internal space to do that sustainably. Without calm, contribution becomes draining. With calm, contribution flows from overflow. Calm, Coherence, and Why People Can Feel You Calm isn’t just psychological—it’s physiological. Research from the HeartMath Institute shows that when we’re calm, the heart and brain enter a state of coherence—a synchronized rhythm that improves emotional regulation, cognitive clarity, and decision-making. Here’s the part most leaders miss: Coherence is contagious. When you’re calm and coherent: people settle around you conversations slow down trust increases without explanation the room regulates itself You don’t need to tell people to relax. Your physiology teaches them how. This is why calm leaders feel safe. Why calm coaches create breakthroughs faster. Why calm presence often matters more than perfect words. The Napkin: Calm Is the Container The napkin sketch for this episode says it simply. A large circle labeled Calm. Inside it, three pillars: Confidence, Congruence, and Contribution. At the center, a small heart labeled Coherence. And underneath it all: Calm holds pressure without leaking it. Calm doesn’t compete with the other pillars. It holds them. The Quiet Power of Calm Leadership The world doesn’t need louder leaders. It needs leaders who can: hold space wait wisely regulate environments without force stay coherent under pressure Calm is not retreat. Calm is readiness without reactivity. And when Calm stands alongside Confidence, Congruence, and Contribution, your presence doesn’t just move people— It steadies them. That’s the Magnetic Growth Aura. That’s leadership containment. And that’s Pillar Three: Calm. Five Key Takeaways (with Take Action) 1. Calm is not passive—it’s a container. Take Action: Notice where pressure leaks from you under stress and practice holding one extra breath before responding. 2. Calm allows others to finish their own thinking. Take Action: In your next conversation, delay problem-solving and listen 30 seconds longer than feels necessary. 3. Calm enables congruence under pressure. Take Action: Identify one value you’re most tempted to compromise when rushed—and choose to slow down instead. 4. Calm is felt, not explained. Take Action: Before a meeting, regulate your breathing and posture first—then speak. 5. Calm makes leadership magnetic. Take Action: Ask yourself: Do people leave interactions with me more regulated than when they arrived? If this episode resonated, grab a napkin and write the one line that stood out for you. Share it. Live it. Because calm isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you carry. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39949445

Keep Your Commitment to Yourself | Edgar Jones – Speaker and Coach, Former NFL Linebacker 01/29/2026

Keep Your Commitment to Yourself | Edgar Jones – Speaker and Coach, Former NFL Linebacker Some wisdom doesn’t shout. It waits. It waits patiently until you’re ready to stop running… until you’re willing to turn around… until facing it finally becomes worth it to you. That’s exactly what Edgar Jones brought to the Paper Napkin Wisdom table. On his napkin, Edgar wrote: “Keep your commitment to yourself!!! You will face it when it’s worth it to you.” At first glance, it feels simple. But as you’ll hear in this conversation, that sentence carries the weight of lived experience—of professional sports, sobriety, leadership, loss, and the quiet work of becoming whole again. About Edgar Jones Edgar Jones is a former NFL linebacker who played at the highest level of professional football after entering the league as an undrafted free agent. Beyond the field, Edgar is a speaker, leadership coach, and creator of practical tools that help leaders slow down, reconnect with themselves, and reset how they define success. What makes Edgar’s voice especially powerful is that it’s not theoretical. It’s earned—through pressure, loss, recovery, faith, and reflection. This conversation is not about motivation. It’s about truth. You Will Face It When It’s Worth It to You Edgar traces this phrase back to a scene in King Arthur (Guy Ritchie’s version). After Arthur emerges from the Darklands—the place where he’s forced to confront his past—a mage asks him what he saw. When he avoids the truth, she responds: “We all look away… but you will face it when it’s worth it to you.” That line stayed with Edgar because it mirrored his own life. For years, Edgar was doing the right things—but for the wrong reasons. When he first chose sobriety, he did it for his family. For his wife. For his kids. All honorable reasons. But something subtle happened beneath the surface: expectations crept in. The need for validation. The quiet hope for applause. And when that applause didn’t come? The old patterns waited patiently. The breakthrough came when Edgar realized this truth: “I had to learn how to say, ‘Edgar, great job.’ If someone else said it, that was just a bonus.” That shift—from external approval to internal commitment—changed everything. The Red Dot Problem Edgar shared a story from his NFL days that perfectly captures how performance culture shapes us. Each week during film review, coaches would highlight strong plays with a red dot. The dot meant recognition. Validation. Proof that you mattered. One game, Edgar played his heart out—six tackles, full effort. He sat in the meeting waiting for the red dot. It never came. “I walked out of that meeting feeling lesser than… all because I wanted that red dot.” Seventy thousand fans could be cheering in the stadium, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the one person whose approval he didn’t receive. That experience planted a powerful leadership lesson Edgar carries today: People don’t just want to perform. They want to be seen. As a leader now, Edgar is intentional about naming what he sees in others—clearly, specifically, and honestly. Because recognition isn’t a scarce resource. The more you give it away, the more connection you create. Turning Around to Face the Dog One of the most striking moments in this conversation is a childhood story Edgar shares. Growing up in rural Louisiana, Edgar would run home from the school bus every day—not because he loved running, but because a neighbor’s Rottweiler chased him relentlessly. One day, mid-sprint, Edgar realized something: “I’m not going to outrun this dog.” So he stopped. Turned around. And screamed. The dog froze… and ran away. It never chased him again. Years later, Edgar saw the parallel. When he retired from the NFL, he wasn’t just stepping away from football. He was running—from grief, from unresolved loss, from pain he hadn’t fully faced. Including the traumatic loss of a teammate in 2012 that left a deep, unprocessed mark. Eventually, the running stopped working. “I realized there were some dogs that had been chasing me that I needed to turn around and face.” That’s what the napkin means. You don’t face everything right away. You face it when it becomes worth it. And when you do, something loosens its grip. Slowing Down to Perform Better In football, Edgar explains, the best teams do something counterintuitive during the playoffs. They slow down. Walkthroughs replace full-speed reps. Players literally walk through plays—thinking, noticing, aligning—so that when it’s time to move fast, mistakes are minimized. Rehab did the same thing for Edgar’s life. It slowed him down long enough to ask better questions. To notice patterns. To reset what “winning” actually meant beyond performance and survival. “We’ve confused fast with good and slow with bad.” But growth doesn’t happen at full speed. It happens in the walkthroughs. Defining Your Own Scoreboard One of the most practical tools Edgar shares is his Five C’s—his personal, internal scoreboard. Not a scale of 1–10. Just yes or no. Did it happen or didn’t it? The Five C’s: Create – Did I create solutions, ideas, or value using my gifts? Connect – Did I meaningfully connect with someone today? Contribute – Did I give to something bigger than myself? Compete – Did I take care of my body and physical energy? Contemplate – Did I slow down and get still? Each is clearly defined so Edgar can answer honestly—without shame, without spin. “If I don’t define winning for myself, I’ll always be chasing someone else’s scoreboard.” That clarity keeps his commitment grounded—and personal. 5 Key Takeaways from My Conversation with Edgar Jones 1. You Can’t Outsource Your Commitment to Yourself If your growth depends on applause, it will collapse under silence. Take Action: Write down one commitment you’ve been keeping for others—but not yourself. Redefine it in your own words. 2. Recognition Is Fuel, Not Identity The red dot feels good—but it can’t be the source of your worth. Take Action: Acknowledge one win this week without telling anyone. Let it be enough. 3. Slowing Down Is a Leadership Skill Walkthroughs create excellence under pressure. Take Action: Schedule one intentional slowdown this week—a walk, reflection, or quiet reset—before making a key decision. 4. Facing the Thing Changes the Chase What you avoid gains power. What you face loses it. Take Action: Identify one “dog” you’ve been running from. Ask yourself what would happen if you turned around. 5. Define Your Own Win If winning isn’t clear, you’ll always feel behind. Take Action: Create a simple daily scoreboard (3–5 items) that reflects the life you actually want to live. Final Thought Edgar’s napkin isn’t about discipline. It’s about honesty. You don’t face everything at once. You don’t force growth on a timeline. You face it when it becomes worth it. And when you keep your commitment to yourself—even quietly—something powerful happens: You stop running. You start becoming. If this episode stirred something in you, grab a napkin and write down the commitment you’ve been postponing. Then take one small step toward it—and share your reflection with #PaperNapkinWisdom. More About the Guest Edgar Jones is a former NFL linebacker, leadership speaker, and creator of practical tools for high performers seeking alignment, clarity, and sustainable growth. His work blends elite performance experience with reflection, faith, and human-centered leadership. linkedin: website: /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39876225

Aura, Pillar Two: Congruence - Say What You Do. Do What You Say. | Edge of the Napkin #22 01/25/2026

Aura, Pillar Two: Congruence - Say What You Do. Do What You Say. | Edge of the Napkin #22 Some leadership traits are easy to spot. Confidence shows up quickly. Calm is noticeable under pressure. Contribution is visible in results. Congruence is different. You don’t always notice it when it’s present — but you always feel it when it’s missing. In Episode 334 of the Paper Napkin Wisdom Podcast, and #22 in the Edge of the Napkin series, Govindh Jayaraman explores the second pillar of the Magnetic Growth Aura: Congruence — the quiet discipline that makes confidence believable, calm receivable, and contribution sustainable. This episode isn’t about being perfect, polished, or impressive. It’s about alignment. And more specifically, it’s about whether the life you’re living actually supports the words you’re using. The Magnetic Growth Aura (A Quick Reframe) In earlier Edge of the Napkin episodes, Govindh introduced the idea of a Magnetic Growth Aura — the felt experience people have when they’re around you. Not your intentions. Not your credentials. Not your personality. Your presence. That Aura is shaped by four pillars: Confidence – belief made visible Congruence – alignment made reliable Calm – space under pressure Contribution – value beyond self Congruence sits at the center of this structure. It doesn’t shout. It doesn’t perform. But it quietly answers the question every nervous system is asking: “Can I trust what happens next?” When congruence is present, people relax. When it’s missing, people hedge. Congruence Is Not Honesty — It’s Coherence One of the most important distinctions in this episode is the difference between honesty and congruence. Honesty is telling the truth. Congruence is living in such alignment that the truth doesn’t need defending. You can say you value people — and still cancel meetings casually. You can say family comes first — and never be home. You can say you’re open to feedback — and explain yourself every time. None of that makes you dishonest. It makes you unintegrated. Congruence is integration. It’s when what you believe, what you say, and what you do all point in the same direction — not perfectly, but consistently enough that people can rely on it. Where Congruence Quietly Breaks: The Street-Corner Yes One of the most relatable moments in this episode happens far from a boardroom. It happens on a sidewalk. You run into someone from your past. You smile. You catch up. And then the familiar phrase appears: “We should get together sometime.” Without thinking, you respond: “Yes, absolutely.” But you already know the truth. You won’t follow up. You won’t schedule. You don’t actually intend to. You didn’t say yes because it was true. You said yes because it was polite. That moment seems harmless — but it trains incongruence. Each time we choose comfort over truth, we teach ourselves that our words are flexible. And when words lose weight, trust slowly leaks. Congruence doesn’t require being cold or abrupt. Sometimes it sounds like something much simpler: “It was really great to see you today.” True. Kind. Clean. Say What You Do. Do What You Say. (As a Practice) In Episode 334, Govindh reframes “say what you do, do what you say” as training, not morality. Congruence isn’t about being rigid. It’s about slowing your language down until it matches your reality. Most incongruence doesn’t come from bad intent. It comes from a reluctance to feel momentary discomfort. So we soften language. We overpromise. We say “sometime.” But every incongruent yes becomes a future resentment. Congruence asks a simple, uncomfortable question: Am I willing to feel a little awkward now to stay aligned later? Consistency, not intensity, is what restores trust. Congruence and the Other Pillars A powerful part of this episode is how Congruence is shown in relationship to the other pillars of the Magnetic Growth Aura. Without Confidence, congruence turns into compliance and people-pleasing. Without Calm, congruence becomes sharp honesty — technically accurate, emotionally unsafe. Without Contribution, congruence becomes self-contained alignment that serves no one else. But when all four pillars work together, something shifts. Confidence gives congruence choice. Calm gives it softness. Contribution gives it meaning. People stop bracing. They stop double-checking. They trust. The Parable of the Echo Temple One of the deeper moments in this Edge of the Napkin episode is the parable of the Echo Temple — a story about a teacher who mistakes repetition for integrity. By clinging to consistency without awareness, the teacher stays aligned with his routine but disconnected from reality. The lesson is subtle but powerful: Congruence without confidence, calm, and contribution becomes dogma. Living congruence, on the other hand, allows principles to stay intact while expression evolves. The Napkin Question If this episode were captured on a paper napkin, it would ask just one question: Where do my words and my life stop touching? That’s the work. Not becoming someone else. Not doing more. But bringing what you already believe into clearer alignment with how you actually live. 5 Key Takeaways from Episode 334 1. Congruence Is the Trust Bridge Congruence makes confidence, calm, and contribution usable. Take Action: Notice one place this week where you say yes automatically — and pause. 2. Niceness Can Undermine Trust Being polite at the expense of truth creates invisible misalignment. Take Action: Practice accuracy over reassurance in low-stakes conversations. 3. Congruence Is Trained, Not Claimed Alignment is built through repeated, small choices. Take Action: Delay your yes by one breath or one sentence. 4. Incongruence Costs Energy Later Every soft promise becomes future tension. Take Action: Replace “sometime” with a clear commitment — or none at all. 5. Living Congruence Feels Like Relief When words and actions align, people relax. Take Action: Ask someone you trust where your actions speak louder than your words. Final Thought Congruence isn’t loud. But it’s what makes everything else believable. Say what you do. Do what you say. And if something needs to change — let it start with alignment, not performance. Challenge: Take out a paper napkin. Write down one place where you’ve been saying what’s nice instead of what’s true. Share your reflection with the hashtag #PaperNapkinWisdom — and notice what shifts when your words and your life start touching again. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39866995

One Ripple Can Change the Tide - Leaders Create Them | Sabine Hutchinson Author, Founder 01/22/2026

One Ripple Can Change the Tide - Leaders Create Them | Sabine Hutchinson Author, Founder Introduction: The Power of a Small Stone Sabine Hutchison has lived a life shaped not by grand plans, but by small, courageous moments — moments where she spoke an idea out loud, asked for help, or chose possibility over certainty. Sabine is the author of Beyond the Ladder, the founder of the Ripple Network, and a longtime leader working at the intersection of science, leadership, and advocacy for women. Born in the U.S. to a German mother, her life has unfolded across countries, industries, and identities — from chemistry labs to the world tour of David Copperfield, from corporate science to building platforms that amplify women’s voices. When Sabine sat down with me, her napkin was deceptively simple: “One ripple… can change the tide.” What followed was a conversation about how change actually happens — not through force or perfection, but through presence, asking, awareness, and the courage to release an idea into the world. The Napkin: One Ripple… Can Change the Tide At first glance, the idea of a ripple feels almost poetic. But Sabine reminds us it’s not abstract at all — it’s deeply practical. A ripple begins when something moves. A question asked. A need spoken. A kindness offered. A decision made without knowing how it will turn out. Sabine shared that one of the most significant ripples in her life came during her senior year of college. Working two jobs while studying chemistry, she casually voiced a thought to her employers: “There has to be some rich person out there who wants to help me finish this year.” It was said half‑jokingly. Lightly. Without expectation. That small stone changed everything. Her employer didn’t dismiss it. He didn’t correct it. He carried it forward — quietly — and found a way to support her final year financially. Only later did Sabine discover that the person helping her was him. One ripple. A tide changed. Focus: Ripples Begin With Expression One of the most powerful themes in this conversation is that ripples cannot form in silence. Sabine points out that many people hold their ideas, needs, and dreams too tightly. They wait for certainty. They wait for permission. They wait until they feel “ready.” But stagnant water creates no ripples. When Sabine spoke that thought out loud in college, she wasn’t crafting a strategy. She was expressing a truth. That expression created motion — and motion invited possibility. As she put it, the person you speak to doesn’t need to be the solution. They only need to be part of the current. Ideas travel. Help compounds. Ripples converge. Align: Safety Changes What We’re Willing to Try Another defining ripple in Sabine’s life came from her parents. When she decided to leave a stable career in chemistry to join the touring world of David Copperfield — quite literally “running away to join the circus” — she bought a one‑way ticket. Her parents didn’t discourage her. They didn’t frame failure as an outcome. They simply said: “You always have a place to come back to.” That assurance created psychological safety — and safety fuels boldness. Sabine reflects that when we remove the label of failure, exploration becomes possible. Decisions no longer carry identity‑level risk. They become experiments. This mindset carried her across continents, into new industries, and eventually into Germany — a country she moved to without speaking the language. Another ripple. Another tide shift. Act: Awareness Is a Daily Practice One of the most grounded insights Sabine shared is that ripples are always happening — but we often miss them. We’re busy. Distracted. Rushing. Sabine believes awareness is what allows us to see — and respond to — the currents around us. Her daily practice is simple: - A moment of breath - Writing one thing she’s grateful for - Writing one intention for the day Recently, her daily intention has been the same: Be present. Presence sharpens intuition. Presence reveals subtle invitations. Presence lets us notice when someone says exactly what we needed to hear — or when we’re the one meant to speak. Ripples don’t always announce themselves. They require attention. The Ripple That Keeps Moving Forward Sabine eventually learned that the man who supported her education had himself been helped years earlier. His father had been supported by a wealthy woman who asked for nothing in return — except that he pay it forward. That request became a lineage. Today, Sabine carries it forward through her work: - Supporting women in leadership - Creating platforms for women’s voices - Naming inequities that still exist - Refusing to let progress slide backward through silence She shared a recent story of a female physician being asked in an interview, “Why are we talking about salary? Doesn’t your husband make enough?” That wasn’t decades ago. That was last year. Which is why Sabine believes the work isn’t finished — and why ripples still matter. Five Key Takeaways 1. Ripples Start With Speaking Action begins when an idea leaves your head and enters the world. Take Action: Identify one idea, need, or question you’ve been holding quietly. Speak it out loud to one trusted person this week — without polishing it or knowing the outcome. 2. The Listener Doesn’t Have to Be the Solution Ideas travel through people. Trust the current. Take Action: Share an aspiration with someone who may not be able to help directly. Pay attention to where the conversation flows next rather than trying to control it. 3. Safety Enables Bold Choices When failure isn’t an identity, courage expands. Take Action: Ask yourself, “What would I try if I knew I could come back safely?” Take one small step toward that decision this month. 4. Awareness Reveals Opportunity Ripples are everywhere — presence lets you see them. Take Action: Begin or end each day by writing one thing you noticed — a comment, interaction, or moment that felt meaningful but easy to overlook. 5. Paying It Forward Creates Tides Small acts, repeated across generations, change systems. Take Action: Perform one quiet act of support this week with no expectation of recognition or return — and consciously release the outcome. A Final Thought You don’t need a grand plan. You don’t need certainty. You don’t need to know how the story ends. You only need to release one honest stone into the water. Because one ripple — truly — can change the tide. More About the Guest Sabine Hutchison is the author of Beyond the Ladder, founder of the Ripple Network, and a leader supporting women in finding and using their voices across science, business, and life. linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabinehutchison/ website: https://sabinehutchison.com/ /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39808580

Aura, Pillar One: Confidence - Why Pushing Harder Isn’t Leadership (And What Is) Edge of the Napkin Series — Episode 21 01/18/2026

Aura, Pillar One: Confidence - Why Pushing Harder Isn’t Leadership (And What Is) Edge of the Napkin Series — Episode 21 Introduction: When Confidence Quietly Turns Into Pressure Most leaders I work with don’t lack confidence. They’re capable. They’ve proven themselves. They’ve built something real. And yet… there’s a familiar pattern I see again and again. When the outcome isn’t coming, they don’t pause. They push. They work longer hours. They inject more of themselves into the system. They become more present in every decision. They try to force momentum. I know this pattern well — because it used to be mine. For a long time, I believed that leadership meant doing more when things got hard. If results stalled, I assumed the answer was effort. More thinking. More talking. More fixing. And if it still didn’t work, I quietly blamed myself. What I didn’t understand then is what this napkin captures so simply: Confidence, on its own, can turn into overperformance. And overperformance isn’t leadership. It’s pressure disguised as commitment. The Napkin: The Overperforming Leader On the napkin, you’ll see a leader leaning forward, body tense, pushing a massive boulder labeled “Force Outcome.” Above it: Pillar One — Confidence Below it: The Leader’s Loop This image isn’t about laziness versus effort. It’s about where confidence goes when it isn’t supported. When confidence isn’t grounded in congruence, calm, and contribution, it doesn’t disappear. It pushes. What Overperformance Really Is Overperformance isn’t excellence. It isn’t high standards. And it isn’t caring too much. Overperformance is what happens when a leader pushes for outcomes instead of holding space for: growth learning alignment discovery impact It looks productive. It feels responsible. But underneath, it’s a trust issue — not a work ethic issue. When leaders don’t trust the process, the team, or the timing, they compensate with effort. And the system feels it. My Own Pattern (And the Cost) When outcomes weren’t coming, I didn’t slow down. I worked more. I pushed harder. I forced clarity. I injected more of myself into the situation. And if it didn’t work? I internalized it. “I should have done more.” “I should have seen this sooner.” “I can’t let this fail.” What I couldn’t see at the time was that my overperformance was actually limiting others. I wasn’t holding the container. I was lifting the weight for everyone. Leadership Isn’t Pushing — It’s Holding One of the most important leadership shifts I’ve made is this: Leadership isn’t about pushing outcomes. It’s about holding the container. Holding the container means: setting clear intent establishing standards staying present under pressure allowing learning without panic trusting people to step into capability When leaders push, teams hesitate. When leaders hold, teams rise. That’s real confidence. Confidence, Reframed Confidence is not believing you’ll win. It’s trusting that you can stay aligned — even when the outcome is uncertain. It’s knowing you don’t need to dominate the moment, rush the process, or rescue the system to prove your value. Confidence says: “I can hold this.” The Leader’s Loop (The Opposite of Forcing) At the bottom of the napkin is the loop that matters most: Hold Space → Trust First → Adjust → Stronger Action This isn’t passive. It’s disciplined. It replaces urgency with presence. Control with trust. Performance with development. And it works — not immediately, but sustainably. Five Key Takeaways from Episode 332 1. Confidence Alone Can Create Pressure Confidence without balance often shows up as control and urgency. Take Action: Notice where your confidence is creating pressure instead of clarity. 2. Overperformance Is a Trust Signal When you push harder, ask who you don’t trust — the team, the process, or yourself. Take Action: Identify one area where effort is replacing trust. 3. Leadership Is About Holding, Not Pulling Great leaders don’t drag people forward — they create conditions for growth. Take Action: Ask, “What would holding space look like here?” 4. Calm Is Not Optional Without calm, confidence turns into stress that leaks into the system. Take Action: Regulate yourself before trying to regulate outcomes. 5. Growth Beats Forcing Every Time Capability emerges when people are trusted, not managed harder. Take Action: Step back from one decision this week and let your team step in. Final Thought The strongest leaders I know aren’t the ones pushing the hardest. They’re the ones who can stand still… stay present… and trust that growth is happening — even when it’s uncomfortable. So here’s the napkin question I’ll leave you with: Where are you pushing — when you could be holding? Write it down. Sit with it. And if it helps, jot it on a paper napkin and share it using #PaperNapkinWisdom. Because sometimes the biggest shift in leadership isn’t doing more. It’s trusting more. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39771395

Always Look for a Glimmer of Light | With Denise Cesare, Founder, Author 01/15/2026

Always Look for a Glimmer of Light | With Denise Cesare, Founder, Author Introduction: When the Light Is Almost Invisible Denise Cesare didn’t bring a complicated napkin. She didn’t bring a framework. Or a system. Or a clever phrase designed to sound insightful. She brought a sentence that could only come from lived experience: “Always look for a glimmer of light.” At first glance, it feels gentle. Comforting. Almost obvious. But as this conversation unfolds, you realize this isn’t encouragement spoken from the sidelines. It’s a survival strategy. Denise’s story is not about optimism. It’s about navigating real darkness — loss, identity disruption, silence, and uncertainty — and choosing, again and again, to stay present long enough to notice what hasn’t gone out. This episode is a meditation on resilience, intuition, self-love, and the quiet courage it takes to keep going when there is no dramatic breakthrough — only the next small glimmer. The Core Idea: Light Doesn’t Arrive All at Once Denise’s napkin isn’t asking us to find the light. It’s asking us to look for it. That distinction matters. After a car accident in 2006, Denise gradually lost her voice due to a neurological condition called spasmodic dysphonia. For five years, she lived without a functional speaking voice — as a speech-language pathologist whose work depended on communication. No clear answers. No immediate solutions. No guarantees. What carried her through wasn’t a single moment of rescue. It was the discipline of noticing what was still there. A child who understood her without words. A student who loved her voice — even when it changed. A friend clapping when she successfully spoke into a drive-through microphone for the first time in years. The glimmer wasn’t dramatic. It was human. And it was enough to take the next step. When the Darkness Lasts Longer Than You Expect One of the most sobering parts of Denise’s story is the timeline. Five years. That’s how long she lived without a voice before finding the right medical partner and treatment. During that time, she continued working, advocating, adapting, and learning to accept accommodations she never imagined she’d need. What makes this part of the story powerful is not the eventual outcome — it’s what she didn’t do. She didn’t give up. She didn’t disappear. And she didn’t outsource her knowing. At one point, she was told she should stop working altogether. That moment could have ended everything. Instead, Denise trusted her intuition and walked away. This is where the napkin becomes less poetic and more practical: Looking for the glimmer sometimes means refusing to accept a conclusion that doesn’t feel true — even when it comes from an authority. “I Thought Someone Else Saved Me — But It Was Me” One of the most honest moments in the conversation comes when Denise reflects on what she believed kept her going. For years, she told herself it was her son. That he was the reason she stayed. That she endured the darkness for him. And then, later, she realized something deeper: It was self-love. Not in a performative sense. Not in a slogan sense. But in the quiet, daily choice to keep caring for herself — even when the path was unclear. This realization reframes the napkin entirely. The glimmer of light isn’t always external. Sometimes, it’s the part of you that refuses to abandon yourself. Silence as a Creative Incubator Ironically, the years without a voice became some of Denise’s most creative years. Without the ability to speak freely, her inner world expanded. She began imagining new ways of working. New forms of expression. New ways to help people feel seen, included, and whole. Out of that space emerged: Deeper connection with her students A growing commitment to embodiment and self-acceptance And eventually, a book that arrived fully formed during the isolation of COVID One night, she woke with the story in her mind — a story that would become Moments in Motion with Love. She tested it not with focus groups or metrics, but with people who knew her heart. When her son heard it and cried, she knew. The glimmer had turned into a calling. Presence Is the Practice As the conversation deepens, a quiet truth surfaces again and again: We only ever have this moment. Denise doesn’t talk about mindfulness as a trend. She talks about it as a necessity — especially for children, for people in pain, and for anyone navigating uncertainty. Her work now integrates movement, emotion, and accessibility, meeting people where they are — seated, standing, or lying down. The common thread is presence. Not fixing. Not forcing. Not rushing ahead. Just staying. That, too, is a form of light. 5 Key Takeaways (with Take Action) 1. The Light Doesn’t Have to Be Big Take Action: Today, look for one small thing that’s working — even if everything else feels heavy. Name it. Acknowledge it. Let it be enough for now. 2. Intuition Is a Form of Intelligence Take Action: Notice where something feels off — even if you can’t explain why yet. Instead of dismissing it, give yourself permission to pause and listen. 3. Adaptation Is Not Weakness Take Action: Identify one area where you’re resisting help, tools, or accommodations. Ask: What would become possible if I stopped fighting this? 4. Self-Love Is Often Quiet and Unseen Take Action: Do one thing today that supports you — not to be productive, but to be kind to yourself. No justification required. 5. Presence Creates Its Own Momentum Take Action: Instead of rushing to the next solution, stay with the current moment just a little longer. Ask: What is this moment asking of me? Closing Reflection Denise’s napkin isn’t a promise that things will get better quickly. It’s an invitation to stay. To look again. To trust yourself. To believe that even in silence, something meaningful is forming. Sometimes the glimmer doesn’t guide you forward. Sometimes it simply reminds you that you’re still here. And that is more than enough to begin again. Chapters and Key Moments 00:00 Introduction and Personal Connection 04:25 The Journey of Finding Light 07:32 Rediscovering Voice and Self-Love 13:02 Trusting Intuition and Overcoming Adversity 18:32 Understanding Spasmodic Dysphonia 20:54 Creating Opportunities from Challenges 25:48 The Birth of a Book 31:56 Impact and Recognition of the Book 36:50 Legacy and Shout-Outs 38:46 Five Key Takeaways from this Conversation About the Guest Denise Cesare is a speech-language pathologist, author, and creator whose work centers on voice, self-love, presence, and healing. Drawing from her lived experience and decades of professional practice, she creates stories and programs that support emotional awareness, embodiment, and connection for people of all ages. linkedin: website: One idea. One napkin. One shift. If this resonated with you, jot your takeaway on a napkin and share it with #PaperNapkinWisdom. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39698105

Build Your Growth Aura - How Leaders Attract Momentum and Gravity - Edge of the Napkin #20 01/11/2026

Build Your Growth Aura - How Leaders Attract Momentum and Gravity - Edge of the Napkin #20 Introduction: When Effort Isn’t the Problem There comes a point in leadership where doing more stops working. You’re focused. You’re aligned. You’re taking action. And yet—momentum feels heavier than it should. Trust takes longer to build. Progress happens, but it doesn’t compound. This episode lives in that space. Not to offer another tactic or system, but to explore something quieter and more foundational: why some leaders seem to carry gravity, while others—with equal effort and capability—do not. What if the difference isn’t effort at all, but structure? The Core Idea: Presence Is Built, Not Projected We often talk about presence as if it’s a personality trait. Charisma. Confidence. Energy. But spend enough time around leaders whose influence endures and you start to notice something else. Their presence doesn’t fluctuate with circumstances. They don’t perform for the room. The room adjusts to them. That kind of presence isn’t stylistic. It’s structural. This is what I’ve come to call a Magnetic Growth Aura—not something you perform or manufacture, but something you build over time. The metaphor that makes this visible is architecture. Enduring buildings aren’t designed from the outside in. Architects don’t start with aesthetics. They start with foundations, load paths, and integrity—because if the structure is wrong, everything else eventually cracks. Leadership works the same way. Belief Before Evidence: The Invisible Foundation Every structure rests on a foundation you rarely see once the building is complete. For growth that lasts, that foundation is belief before evidence. Not blind optimism. Not wishful thinking. But the willingness to act from conviction before the proof shows up. Every meaningful body of work begins here. Someone moves without applause. Someone commits without guarantees. Someone trusts principles more than outcomes. Without this foundation, action hesitates and energy fragments. With it, decisions feel cleaner and effort carries weight. This is where Focus–Align–Act lives. It’s the operating system. But operating systems still need architecture that can carry their power. Four Pillars That Carry the Weight What rises above the foundation isn’t a single trait, but a structure built on four pillars. Confidence gives permission to act. Congruence creates credibility. Calm provides leverage without force. Contribution gives the work meaning beyond metrics. Most instability comes from overbuilding one pillar while neglecting the others. Confidence without congruence becomes arrogance. Calm without contribution becomes sterile. Contribution without confidence stays small. But when these four pillars work together, something subtle changes. People trust you faster. Decisions feel cleaner. Energy compounds instead of leaking. You stop forcing momentum. Gravity takes over. A Hall That Held There’s a town with a meeting hall that never quite worked. Leaders debated lighting, seating, sound systems. Every fix helped briefly—then failed. A builder arrived and studied the ground. “If we repaint this hall,” he said, “it will still collapse. If we rebuild the structure, people will gather.” Foundations were expensive. Invisible. Unimpressive. But he rebuilt anyway. Winter came. Storms hit. Every other structure creaked. The hall held. By spring, no one asked questions. They just brought chairs. That’s how aura works. 5 Key Takeaways (with Take Action) 1. Presence is structural, not stylistic Take Action: Notice where you’re managing perception instead of strengthening foundations. 2. Belief before evidence creates momentum Take Action: Act on one conviction today without waiting for validation. 3. Confidence needs alignment to be trusted Take Action: Check where your words and actions may be slightly out of sync. 4. Calm multiplies impact Take Action: In one conversation today, slow the moment instead of pushing it. 5. Contribution is the point of growth Take Action: Ask: Who benefits if this works—and how? Closing Reflection A magnetic growth aura isn’t built in moments. It’s built in consistency. Belief before evidence. Alignment without negotiation. Calm under pressure. Contribution beyond scale. This isn’t fast work. But it is enduring work. And like the best architecture, long after the noise fades, people will still feel something solid when they stand near what you’ve built. Chapters and Key Moments 00:00 The Essence of Influence 07:10 Building a Magnetic Growth Aura 10:01 The Four Pillars of Magnetic Growth 14:04 The Integration of Confidence, Congruence, Calm, and Contribution 17:22 The Long-Term Impact of a Magnetic Growth Aura One idea. One napkin. One shift. If this resonated with you, jot your takeaway on a napkin and share it with #PaperNapkinWisdom. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39683735

Help Me See What You See - With Susan Asiyanbi Founder and CEO Olori Network 01/08/2026

Help Me See What You See - With Susan Asiyanbi Founder and CEO Olori Network Introduction: Seeing Beyond What We See Susan Asiyanbi is one of only two guests in the history of Paper Napkin Wisdom to draw eyes on a napkin. Not symbols. Not words alone. Eyes — complete with lashes — and a simple phrase beneath them: “Help me see what you see.” At first glance, it feels poetic. But as this conversation unfolds, you realize it’s not poetic at all. It’s practical. It’s disciplined. And it may be one of the most underutilized leadership skills in modern organizations — and in our personal lives. Susan’s work lives at the intersection of leadership, learning, and human systems. And in this conversation, she offers a deceptively simple idea that carries enormous weight: Your perspective is true — and incomplete. That sentence alone could sit on a napkin and change how meetings are run, how families navigate hard seasons, and how leaders unlock innovation, alignment, and trust. What follows is not a theory-heavy conversation. It’s a grounded exploration of how curiosity — real curiosity — becomes the gateway to better leadership, stronger relationships, and faster, more sustainable results. govindh-jayaramans-studio_susan… The Core Idea: Perspective Is True and Incomplete One of the most powerful moments in the conversation comes early, when Susan names something many leaders feel but rarely articulate: “I just think it’s critical to frame and see the world in a way where you know that your perspective is true — and also incomplete.” That framing does two things at once. First, it honors experience. Your view matters. It’s informed by what you’ve lived, seen, and learned. Second, it creates humility. No matter how senior you are, no matter how experienced, you are missing something. And the missing pieces don’t live in data dashboards alone. They live in other people. This is where leadership either contracts… or expands. Curiosity Is Not a Soft Skill — It’s a Sophisticated One Susan pushes back hard on the idea that curiosity and listening are “soft skills.” She reframes them as sophisticated skills — the hardest ones to master. Why? Because our brains are wired to respond, defend, and conclude quickly. The moment someone says, “I see it differently,” our nervous system is already preparing a counterargument. Susan offers a disciplined alternative: Ask seven questions. Not to stall. Not to perform curiosity. But to interrupt the brain’s rush to certainty. She explains that leaders who claim they “don’t have time” for this work are already paying a much higher price — in rework, misalignment, fractured relationships, and emotional repair. Slow down now, or pay for it later — with interest. govindh-jayaramans-studio_susan… When Words Become Shortcuts (and Create Misalignment) One of the most practical insights in the episode is how teams often use the same words — but mean entirely different things. Strategy. Innovation. Culture. Acceleration. Susan shares an example of an executive team all agreeing they had a “strategy problem,” only to discover: One leader meant product-market misalignment Another meant execution breakdown Another meant culture and retention Same word. Three different action paths. Zero shared understanding. This is how organizations burn time and energy without realizing it. Curiosity slows the conversation just enough to ask: “When you say that word — what does it mean to you?” That single question can save months of misdirected effort. govindh-jayaramans-studio_susan… The Personal Mirror: When Assumptions Hurt the Most One of the most human moments in the conversation comes when Susan shares a deeply personal story about navigating grief with her siblings after the loss of their father. They all agreed on one thing: “We want to love and support our mom.” And yet — chaos followed. Why? Because each sibling held a different definition of what “support” meant: Being physically together Honoring her wishes Planning for long-term care No one asked the seven questions. Everyone assumed alignment. This is the paradox Susan names beautifully: We take the greatest shortcuts with the people we love the most. And those shortcuts cost us understanding. The napkin phrase becomes personal here: Help me see what you see — especially when I think I already know. govindh-jayaramans-studio_susan… The Currency of Challenge Is Connection A subtle but powerful theme emerges as the conversation deepens: Once someone feels understood, challenge becomes possible. Susan calls understanding the currency for challenge and change. When people know you’ve truly seen their perspective: They become open to alternatives They’re willing to stretch They engage instead of defend Curiosity doesn’t weaken leadership. It legitimizes it. And over time, organizations that practice this build something rare: Energy without drama Rigor without fear Speed without burnout 5 Key Takeaways (with Take Action) 1. Your Perspective Is Valid — and Incomplete Take Action: Before asserting your view in a meeting this week, say out loud: “This is how I’m seeing it — and I know I’m missing something.” Then invite others to fill the gaps. 2. Curiosity Requires Discipline, Not Just Good Intentions Take Action: In your next difficult conversation, commit to seven curiosity-based questions before offering an opinion. Notice what changes. 3. Shared Words Do Not Equal Shared Meaning Take Action: When your team uses a big word (strategy, innovation, alignment), pause and ask: “What does that word mean to you in practice?” 4. Understanding Comes Before Agreement Take Action: After listening, reflect back what you heard and ask: “Did I get that right — or am I missing something?” Don’t move forward until the answer is yes. 5. Frustration Is a Signal to Get Curious Take Action: The next time you feel irritated or stuck with someone, treat it as a cue — not a conclusion. Replace judgment with one curious question. Closing Reflection The napkin Susan left us with isn’t about seeing more clearly. It’s about seeing together. In a world that rewards speed, certainty, and confidence, this episode offers a different kind of strength: Slowing the mind Opening the lens Letting others help us see what we cannot see alone If leadership is about expanding what’s possible — this may be one of the most important starting points. So the next time you feel sure… Pause. Look again. And ask: “Help me see what you see.” About the Guest Susan Asiyanbi is a leadership advisor and organizational expert focused on helping leaders and teams navigate complexity, difference, and growth through learning, curiosity, and disciplined conversation. Her work centers on building systems where people can think together more clearly and lead together more effectively. linkedin: website: One idea. One napkin. One shift. If this resonated with you, jot your takeaway on a napkin and share it with #PaperNapkinWisdom. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39639600

One Punch. One Practice. One Shift. Why Mastery Beats Momentum in Leadership 01/04/2026

One Punch. One Practice. One Shift. Why Mastery Beats Momentum in Leadership We are drowning in leadership wisdom. Quotes. Frameworks. Podcasts. Books. Slides. Ideas stacked on top of ideas — each one sounding right, useful, even necessary. And yet, if we’re honest, something feels off. We’ve never known more about leadership… and rarely have we lived less of it. This isn’t a crisis of information. It’s a crisis of integration. We confuse motion with progress. Exposure with understanding. Volume with mastery. And nowhere is this more visible than in the leadership clichés we repeat — often without realizing how quickly they begin to replace practice instead of invite it. The Paradox of the Napkin Before we go any further, let’s name the paradox. Paper Napkin Wisdom is about ideas small enough to fit on a napkin — and yes, this piece critiques leadership clichés. But here’s the distinction that matters: A cliché is an idea that feels complete the moment you hear it. A napkin is a compression of something already lived. Same size. Very different weight. Clichés give us the feeling of wisdom. Napkin wisdom asks for commitment. When Familiar Phrases Stop Teaching Take a line like: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Powerful? Absolutely. Misused? Constantly. Instead of reflection, it becomes judgment. Instead of awareness, it becomes exclusion. Or consider: “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” It sounds empowering — until leaders take credit for systems they inherited and blame themselves (or others) for constraints they didn’t design. Or: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” Purpose matters — deeply. But purpose without execution erodes trust faster than no purpose at all. These ideas aren’t wrong. They’re unfinished. And when we treat them as conclusions instead of invitations, they quietly stop shaping behavior. The Weight of Knowing If reading this feels a little heavy — that’s intentional. This is what modern leadership feels like. We’re told: Discipline beats motivation Manage your energy, not your time What gets measured gets managed Culture eats strategy for breakfast Hire slow, fire fast Clear is kind Fail fast No excuses Start with the end in mind Most of these are true. Some of them are deeply helpful. And still — something breaks. Leadership doesn’t fail from lack of insight. It fails from fragmentation. We try to live everything at once. We stack frameworks like furniture in a room we never sit in. Eventually, wisdom turns into noise — not because it isn’t true, but because nothing is practiced long enough to become reflex. A Story About the Difference There’s a story about a seeker who travels to a hall filled with teachers. Each room offers wisdom: Influence. Vision. Discipline. Culture. Systems. Resilience. The seeker moves quickly. Nods. Takes notes. Moves on. At the end of the day, his notebook is full. As he leaves, an old man asks him a simple question: “Which room did you return to?” The seeker pauses. “I didn’t,” he says. “There were too many to see.” The old man replies, “Then you didn’t study leadership. You visited it.” At the end of the hall is one small room. One teacher. One lesson — practiced every day. That’s the difference between volume and mastery. The Quieter Wisdom We Ignore Some of the most enduring leadership truths don’t shout. “I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand punches once, but the man who has practiced one punch ten thousand times.” Mastery doesn’t look exciting. It looks repetitive. Boring. Restrained. Until pressure arrives. That’s when it works. Or consider: “Beware the man of one book.” Not because he knows less — but because the idea knows him. These aren’t ideas you collect. They’re ideas you return to. The Real Invitation Leadership culture rewards motion. But leadership that lasts requires commitment. You don’t need more ideas. You need: fewer ideas practiced longer lived deeper And yes — there’s irony here. Paper Napkin Wisdom trades in short ideas. But here’s the distinction that matters: A cliché ends the conversation. A napkin starts one. The napkin isn’t the wisdom. The life behind it is. So maybe this year isn’t about learning something new. Maybe it’s about choosing one thing… and finally mastering it. 5 Key Takeaways (with Take Action) 1. Familiar ideas lose power when they replace practice Take Action: Identify one leadership phrase you quote often. Ask yourself: How am I actually living this? 2. Leadership fails from fragmentation, not ignorance Take Action: Write down every framework you’re trying to apply. Circle one. Pause the rest for 90 days. 3. Mastery requires return, not novelty Take Action: Re-read one foundational book or principle you already own — slowly, with application in mind. 4. Clichés feel complete; wisdom demands commitment Take Action: When an idea feels obvious, don’t move on. Sit with it longer. Ask what it’s asking of you. 5. Depth beats volume — every time Take Action: Choose one “punch” to practice daily this quarter. Measure consistency, not intensity. Final Thought One napkin. One idea. One shift. If something here stood out, don’t scroll past it. Write it down. Practice it. Live it. And if you do, share it — literally. Post your takeaway on a napkin and tag #PaperNapkinWisdom. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39606850

If It’s Not a Hell Yes, It’s an Easy No | Guest: Liza Roeser Founder, CEO of Fifty Flowers 01/01/2026

If It’s Not a Hell Yes, It’s an Easy No | Guest: Liza Roeser Founder, CEO of Fifty Flowers Some ideas don’t need to be polished. They don’t need to be optimized. They don’t need a strategy deck or a five-year plan. They just need to be true. When Liza Roeser wrote her napkin for this conversation, she didn’t overthink it. She didn’t hedge it. She didn’t soften it. She wrote: If it’s not a Hell Yes, it’s an easy No. At first glance, it sounds obvious. Almost too simple. But as you’ll hear in this conversation, simple doesn’t mean easy. This napkin came from lived experience — from building, growing, sustaining, and at times questioning a business in the real world. From moments where saying “yes” felt exciting… and others where it quietly drained energy, focus, and alignment. Liza shared openly about the tension leaders face when opportunity is everywhere — when good ideas, good offers, and good paths forward keep showing up. And how, paradoxically, those “good” options can become the very thing that pulls us away from what’s right. This episode isn’t about being reckless. It’s about being honest. Honest with your energy. Honest with your capacity. Honest with what you’re truly available for — and what you’re no longer willing to carry. The Hidden Cost of “Maybe” One of the themes that kept resurfacing in this conversation was how hard it can be to identify a true Hell Yes — especially for high performers. Leaders are wired to push. Entrepreneurs are trained to see possibility everywhere. Builders are conditioned to believe that effort can make anything work. And yet, Liza spoke candidly about moments when pushing through wasn’t noble — it was exhausting. When perseverance crossed the line into misalignment. When shutting something down was harder than starting it, but necessary. There’s a subtle trap here: When everything feels like an opportunity, nothing feels like a clear choice. And in that fog, “maybe” becomes the default. Not because it’s right — but because it delays discomfort. But as Liza reflected, when decisions come from that place, clarity erodes. Energy leaks. And leadership becomes heavier than it needs to be. Why “Easy No” Is an Act of Leadership What stood out in this episode wasn’t bravado or bold declarations. It was restraint. Liza talked about how difficult it can be to say no — not because the answer is unclear, but because the implications are real. Saying no can mean disappointing people. Letting go of revenue. Closing doors that once mattered. And yet, the alternative is far more costly. Dragging a half-hearted yes forward doesn’t just slow you down — it reshapes your culture, your calendar, and your confidence. An “easy no” isn’t dismissive. It’s decisive. It protects what matters most so your Hell Yes has room to breathe. 5 Key Takeaways from This Conversation 1. A Hell Yes is felt before it’s justified Liza shared how clarity often shows up as a feeling long before logic catches up. The challenge isn’t knowing — it’s trusting what you already know. Take Action: Before you analyze the upside, ask: Does this expand me or drain me? 2. Hard choices don’t mean wrong choices There were moments Liza described that were deeply difficult — emotionally and practically — yet still clearly right. Take Action: Stop equating difficulty with misalignment. Some of the best decisions are hard because they matter. 3. Good opportunities can be dangerous Not everything that’s viable is valuable. Not everything that works is worth it. Take Action: Review your current commitments and identify one “good” thing that may be crowding out something great. 4. Energy is a leadership metric Liza spoke about how decisions made without regard for energy eventually show up everywhere — in culture, quality, and momentum. Take Action: Audit where your energy consistently drops. That’s data. 5. An easy no creates space for the right yes Saying no isn’t about shrinking — it’s about making room. Take Action: Ask yourself: What would become possible if I released what I’m tolerating? A Quiet Question to Sit With As you listen to this episode, you may notice a situation, an offer, or a commitment that’s been lingering in your mind. Not wrong. Not broken. Just… heavy. And you may already know the answer. Because when it’s truly a Hell Yes, it doesn’t require convincing. It simply feels like alignment. More About the Guest Liza Roeser is the founder of FiftyFlowers, a company built with intention, resilience, and a deep understanding of what it takes to grow something meaningful over time. Her insights in this episode come not from theory, but from lived leadership — navigating growth, challenge, and clarity in the real world. LinkedIn: Website: What’s your Hell Yes right now — and what deserves an easy No? Write it down. Even if it fits on a napkin. Then share it with us using #PaperNapkinWisdom. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39544540

Cut the Anchor: Why Your Most Powerful Resolution for 2026 Might Be a STOP List - Edge of the Napkin Series #18 12/28/2025

Cut the Anchor: Why Your Most Powerful Resolution for 2026 Might Be a STOP List - Edge of the Napkin Series #18 This time of year, something familiar happens. We turn the page on the calendar and feel the pull to do something different. We reach for a word like resolution and instinctively pair it with action. More discipline. More consistency. More output. More effort. Most resolutions are framed as additions — new habits, new systems, new rules we promise ourselves we’ll finally follow. But what if the most powerful move forward isn’t about what you start doing? What if real momentum comes from what you’re willing to stop? Growth Isn’t Always About More We’ve been taught that progress is cumulative. That success comes from stacking behaviors, strategies, and systems. But clarity doesn’t work that way. Focus doesn’t work that way. Energy doesn’t work that way. The leaders and entrepreneurs who move with conviction instead of exhaustion aren’t doing more. They’re carrying less. They’ve learned that growth is often subtraction — and that the fastest way forward is removing what no longer belongs. Why Most Resolutions Don’t Stick Most resolutions fail for a simple reason: They ask you to become someone new without letting go of who you’ve been. You try to build a new future on top of old beliefs, habits, and emotional patterns — patterns that were never designed to support where you’re going next. That creates friction. You don’t need more motivation. You need fewer anchors. A Parable: The Boat That Wouldn’t Move A seasoned sailor couldn’t understand why his boat felt heavy. The wind was strong. The sails were raised. The destination was clear. So he worked harder. Adjusted the sails. Studied the charts. Still, the boat barely moved. An old shipwright finally took a look. He didn’t touch the sails. He leaned over the side and pointed. “You’re dragging anchors.” Plural. Old anchors. Forgotten anchors. Anchors from earlier journeys that once made sense — but no longer did. “But I never dropped anchor,” the sailor said. “No,” the shipwright replied. “But you never stopped carrying them.” Leadership works the same way. You don’t need more wind. You need to cut what no longer belongs. The STOP List: A New Kind of Resolution If growth is subtraction, then the most powerful resolution you can make is a STOP list. Not aspirational. Not performative. Practical. Honest. Personal. Here are some anchors leaders and entrepreneurs commonly drag. Stop second-guessing yourself Second-guessing masquerades as responsibility, but it fractures momentum. Certainty doesn’t mean being right — it means not abandoning yourself mid-decision. Stop playing small to make others comfortable Dimming your light doesn’t protect people. It deprives them. Leadership requires clarity, not contraction. Stop using belief in the wrong direction Belief shapes behavior. Behavior shapes results. If belief is aimed against your future, it becomes your most expensive anchor. Stop giving unsolicited advice Sometimes people don’t need fixing. They need safety. Presence often outperforms expertise. Stop playing devil’s advocate when encouragement is needed There’s a time for rigor — and a time to borrow belief to someone who’s still finding theirs. Certainty Is the Lens That Reveals What to Stop Certainty isn’t arrogance or rigidity. It’s clarity of direction. When you’re certain — even loosely — about where you’re heading, you gain a powerful filter. You see what doesn’t fit. You notice where energy leaks. You recognize what you’ve been tolerating. Certainty doesn’t make life easier. It makes decisions cleaner. A Personal Reflection I thought I was being generous by holding back. Being measured. Being considerate. But I realized I wasn’t being my full light. A friend reflected this back to me in a Christmas message: “You’re selfless with your love and advice to all of us lucky enough to have you in our lives.” It didn’t land as praise. It landed as a call to action. If that’s true, then holding back isn’t humility. It’s withholding. So my STOP list became clear: Stop dimming. Stop self-editing. Stop believing that being fully myself is “too much.” My commitment isn’t to do more. It’s to be more by stopping what isn’t aligned. 5 Key Takeaways (with Take Action) 1. Growth is often subtraction, not addition Take Action: Write a STOP list before you write a goal list. Identify one habit, belief, or behavior to remove before adding anything new. 2. Certainty reveals where energy is leaking Take Action: Ask yourself: “What am I tolerating that no longer fits where I’m going?” Circle one answer and act on it this week. 3. Second-guessing is an anchor disguised as humility Take Action: Make your next decision without polling others unless expertise is truly required. Practice trusting your first knowing. 4. Playing small is a form of withholding Take Action: Share one idea, truth, or conviction you’ve been holding back — publicly or privately — without over-editing it. 5. Belief must be aimed intentionally Take Action: Notice where you’re rehearsing what won’t work. Consciously redirect belief toward what you want to build instead. Your Edge of the Napkin Question If growth is subtraction… What’s on your STOP list for 2026? What belief, habit, or behavior is anchoring you to the past — and ready to be cut? Sometimes the most powerful move forward isn’t adding another habit. It’s cutting the anchor. One Napkin. One Insight. One Shift. This post is inspired by Episode 326 of the Paper Napkin Wisdom Podcast and Edge of the Napkin #18. For more leadership conversations, reflections, and napkin wisdom, visit: What will you stop — so you can finally move forward? /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39542550

People Come for the Work. They Stay for the Team. – Wintress Odom, CEO The Writers for Hire 12/25/2025

People Come for the Work. They Stay for the Team. – Wintress Odom, CEO The Writers for Hire Wintress Odom is the Founder and CEO of The Writers For Hire, a company built on clarity, discipline, and consistently high-quality work. From the outside, it’s easy to assume the success came from systems, execution, and technical excellence alone. But on her paper napkin, Wintress wrote something deceptively simple: “People come for the work. They stay for the team.” That sentence didn’t come from a leadership book. It came from lived experience — from building a business, leading people, and learning (sometimes the hard way) what actually keeps a team engaged over time. This conversation is about a shift many leaders make too late… and how everything changes when they finally make it. The Napkin That Changed the Way She Led Early in her journey, Wintress did what many high-performing founders do: She optimized for output. She valued efficiency. She valued competence. She valued getting the work done — and getting it done well. What she didn’t value (at least at first) were the things that felt inefficient: Team time Small talk Recognition Emotional check-ins “Soft” leadership moments In her mind, the work was the reward. But that assumption quietly created distance. Not because the work wasn’t good — it was. Not because people weren’t capable — they were. But because not everyone is motivated by the same things. And leadership breaks down the moment we assume they are. The “Everyone Is Like Me” Trap One of the most important moments in this conversation is Wintress’s realization that she was leading from an unspoken belief: If the work matters to me, it should matter the same way to everyone else. That belief is subtle. And incredibly common. It shows up as: Silence instead of appreciation High standards without context Feedback only when something goes wrong A culture where results matter… but people don’t always feel seen What surprised Wintress wasn’t just that the team felt disconnected — it was that she didn’t see it coming. From her perspective, she was being fair. From theirs, she felt distant. That gap is where disengagement begins. Why “Doing the Work” Isn’t Enough One of the clearest insights from this episode is this: You can’t expect the work alone to carry the relationship. People may join because the work is meaningful. They may start because the role fits. But they stay because of how it feels to belong. Wintress didn’t change her standards. She didn’t lower expectations. What she changed was how she showed up between the work. She learned to: Say thank you Offer meaningful feedback Acknowledge effort, not just outcomes Create space for people to enjoy working together Those shifts didn’t slow the business down. They accelerated it. Culture Is Not a Perk — It’s a Multiplier As Wintress describes it, once she stopped leading by silent example and started leading with intentional connection, something unexpected happened: The team didn’t just feel better. They performed better. Trust increased. Engagement increased. Ownership increased. And the work — the very thing she had always prioritized — improved because of it. This is the paradox many leaders miss: When people feel respected and included, they give more — not less. Culture isn’t the opposite of productivity. It’s what sustains it. The Quiet Shift That Changed Everything What makes this wisdom so powerful is that it isn’t flashy. There’s no grand overhaul. No dramatic turnaround story. Just a leader willing to question a long-held assumption: What motivates me might not motivate everyone else. That awareness created room for: Mutual respect Real engagement A team people actually wanted to be part of And that’s what turned a group of capable individuals into a cohesive, loyal team. Five Key Takeaways from Episode 325 1. People don’t stay for the work alone. The work may attract them — the team keeps them. 2. Efficiency without connection creates distance. What feels “productive” to a leader can feel cold to a team. 3. Not everyone is motivated like you are. Assuming they are is one of leadership’s most expensive mistakes. 4. Appreciation is not inefficiency. It’s fuel. 5. Culture compounds results. When people feel respected and engaged, performance follows. More About the Guest Wintress Odom Founder & CEO, The Writers For Hire, Inc. Wintress Odom is the founder and CEO of The Writers For Hire, a professional writing firm known for clarity, consistency, and high standards. Her leadership journey reflects the evolution many founders experience — from task-driven excellence to people-centered impact. Website: LinkedIn: Instagram: @thewritersforhire One napkin. One idea. One shift. If this episode sparked something for you, grab a napkin and write down what your team needs more of — then share it with #PaperNapkinWisdom. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39513040

Presence Over Presents: The Ultimate Gift You Can Give Yourself This Holiday 12/21/2025

Presence Over Presents: The Ultimate Gift You Can Give Yourself This Holiday The holidays come wrapped in familiar language. Slow down. Rest. Be present. Unplug. It sounds right. It even sounds desirable. And yet, for many leaders and entrepreneurs, it doesn’t always land. If anything, the holidays can quietly amplify a tension that’s been humming all year. Because while the world appears to be pausing, something inside you may still be moving. Measuring. Reviewing. Assessing. For years, that’s where I lived. When the Holidays Became a Scorecard While others talked about rest, I found myself doing a very quiet audit. Not intentionally at first — just instinctively. I’d look back at the year and notice the ideas I didn’t follow. The projects that stalled. The results that didn’t show up the way I expected. Revenue targets. KPIs. Momentum. And without ever saying it out loud, my body would reach a conclusion: There’s a gap. So naturally, I wanted to fix it. Fill the gap. Drive the solution. Push forward. The problem wasn’t ambition. The problem was timing. Because that push showed up at the exact moment the rest of the world was letting go. Clients were offline. Teams were unplugging. Suppliers were closed. And suddenly, my internal urgency had nowhere to go. That misalignment — between my energy and the world’s rhythm — left me uneasy. Anxious. Off balance. Overcorrecting in the Wrong Direction Sometimes I tried to solve that discomfort by staying busy anyway. If I couldn’t push at work, I’d overperform at home. I’d pour myself into family time with intensity. I’d put pressure on moments to be meaningful. I’d try to manufacture presence. And when things didn’t go perfectly — when moods shifted or plans changed — I’d feel that same unease return. Because effort and presence aren’t the same thing. Trying to be present carries tension. Actually being present carries permission. For a long time, I didn’t know how to give myself that permission. A Quiet Shift This year feels different. And not because the year was perfect. What’s changed is where I’ve been placing my attention. For the first time in a long time — maybe since I was a kid — I feel aligned heading into the holidays. Not checked out. Not forcing calm. Not pretending everything’s fine. Aligned. I feel in tune with my family. I feel present. I feel ready for this season — not just the calendar version of it. And what surprised me most is that this shift didn’t come from doing more. It came from seeing something that was already there. The Vision That Was Waiting At some point, I started paying attention to a vision I’d carried for years. Not a business plan. Not a list of goals. A life vision. Whenever I pictured my future, my family was always there. Smiling. Content. Peaceful. Not rushed. No frantic energy. No sense of being pulled somewhere else. Just time. Time together. And when I really looked at that vision — like watching a movie — something became obvious. Time wasn’t a reward for success. Time was the success. That realization didn’t create urgency. It created gratitude. Because the vision didn’t feel distant. It felt familiar. Like something I’d been overlooking while chasing outcomes. The Treasure That Was Already Home There’s a timeless parable echoed in books like The Alchemist and The Greatest Salesman in the World. A man travels the world searching for treasure — crossing deserts, following signs, enduring hardship — only to discover that the treasure was buried beneath the place he started. The journey wasn’t wasted. It was necessary. Because without it, he wouldn’t have recognized the treasure even if it had been handed to him. That’s what this realization felt like. The striving. The pressure. The misaligned holidays. They weren’t mistakes. They were what made alignment visible. Presence > Presents So here’s the napkin wisdom at the center of this season: Presence > Presents Not as a rejection of gifts. Not as a rule or a moral statement. But as a reminder. The most meaningful gift you can give yourself — and the people you care about — isn’t something you buy. It’s something you inhabit. Presence isn’t passive. It’s practiced. And the gateway to it is vision. The Greatest Gift You Can Give Yourself The ultimate gift this holiday isn’t rest. It’s time to connect with your vision for the future. Not your goals. Not your metrics. Your life. Time to feel it — not analyze it. Time to write about it. Time to attach positive emotion to it. To animate it. Because vision without emotion stays abstract. And emotion without practice fades. But when you bring them together — deliberately — something shifts. A Simple Edge of the Napkin Process This doesn’t need complexity. It needs intention. Here’s a simple way to begin. 1. Name What You Want (Without Editing It) Forget practicality for a moment. What do you want your life to feel like? Who’s there? What’s the pace? What’s present — and what’s missing? Write it down without polishing it. Truth matters more than clarity. 2. Play the Movie Close your eyes and watch it. Not once — daily. Notice the energy. Notice the tempo. Notice how time behaves. This isn’t visualization for achievement. It’s rehearsal for being. 3. Attach Emotion on Purpose Gratitude. Peace. Contentment. Let your body feel it. Emotion is what turns imagination into orientation. 4. Practice Integration, Not Perfection Ask one question each day: What part of this can I live today? A slower meal. An unrushed conversation. A decision not to fill every gap. Small moments compound. 5. Protect the Vision Gently Not aggressively. Not defensively. When urgency shows up, check it against your vision. Does this move me toward it — or away from it? That question alone recalibrates everything. Coming Home for the Holidays This season, you don’t need to fix the gap. You don’t need to push harder. You don’t need to prove anything. You can give yourself something far more valuable: Permission to be in the story you’re already building. Because the future you want isn’t waiting for you to arrive. It’s quietly inviting you to notice where you already are. And that — more than anything wrapped under a tree — might be the gift that lasts. 5 Key Takeaways (with Take Action) Misalignment Creates Anxiety Take Action: Notice where your energy doesn’t match the season — without judgment. Time Is the True Currency of Fulfillment Take Action: Choose one moment each day to be unhurried on purpose. Vision Precedes Presence Take Action: Write one paragraph describing the life you want to live, not achieve. Emotion Activates Imagination Take Action: Attach gratitude or peace to your vision — feel it, don’t analyze it. Small Moments Create Big Alignment Take Action: Ask daily: What part of my future can I live today? If this resonated, take one idea from this post, write it on a paper napkin, and share it with someone you care about — or post it with #PaperNapkinWisdom. Because sometimes, the simplest reminders are the ones that bring us home. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39484175

Turn the Other Cheek, Smile — and Mean It – David Miller 12/18/2025

Turn the Other Cheek, Smile — and Mean It – David Miller There’s a particular kind of wisdom that doesn’t shout. It doesn’t posture. It doesn’t try to win the room. It shows up quietly, often after experience has taken its toll, and says: this way works better. That’s the kind of wisdom David Miller brought to this conversation. On his paper napkin, David wrote a deceptively simple line: “Turn the other cheek, smile :) and mean it!” At first glance, it sounds like something we’ve all heard before — maybe even dismissed. Too soft. Too passive. Too idealistic for the real world of business, leadership, and pressure. But as David’s story unfolded, it became clear: this isn’t about avoidance or weakness. It’s about mastery. Emotional mastery. Leadership mastery. The discipline to respond instead of react. And that distinction matters more than ever. Where This Wisdom Comes From David’s perspective isn’t theoretical. It’s shaped by a life of movement, risk, intensity, and responsibility — from aviation and air sports to entrepreneurship and leadership. He’s spent years in environments where reactions are costly, composure is essential, and ego can get you hurt. Throughout the conversation, David keeps returning to one idea: how you respond when things don’t go your way defines who you are — and how far you can go. Turning the other cheek, in his framing, isn’t about letting people walk all over you. It’s about refusing to let someone else’s behavior hijack your internal state. Smiling — and meaning it — isn’t performative. It’s intentional. It’s a signal to yourself first: I’m choosing how this moment affects me. The Cost of Reaction One of the undercurrents of this episode is how often leaders sabotage themselves not through bad strategy, but through unmanaged emotion. A sharp comment. A perceived slight. A deal that doesn’t go as planned. A team member who disappoints. The instinctive response is to defend, correct, push back, or assert control. David’s lived experience suggests something different: Every reactive moment taxes your energy, clarity, and credibility. Reaction feels powerful in the moment. But it’s expensive over time. Turning the other cheek creates space. Space to see the bigger picture. Space to keep relationships intact. Space to remain aligned with who you want to be — not just what you want to win. Smiling — And Meaning It This is the hardest part of the napkin. Anyone can fake composure. Anyone can suppress frustration for a meeting or two. But David is talking about something deeper: genuine internal alignment. Smiling and meaning it requires you to let go of the need to be right. To let go of the need to score points. To let go of the story that says, “They shouldn’t have done that.” Instead, you choose a different internal posture: Curiosity over judgment Calm over control Long-term trust over short-term dominance That doesn’t mean you don’t address issues. It means you address them from a grounded place, not a triggered one. Leadership Isn’t Loud A quiet theme running through this episode is that true leadership rarely looks dramatic. It looks like restraint. It looks like patience. It looks like someone who doesn’t need to prove anything. David’s napkin challenges a common leadership myth — that strength requires confrontation, force, or constant assertion. In reality, the leaders people trust most are the ones who are hardest to knock off center. Turning the other cheek isn’t retreat. It’s choosing not to escalate. And over time, that choice compounds. Five Key Takeaways from the Conversation 1. Emotional Control Is a Leadership Skill Your ability to regulate your response under pressure directly impacts trust, culture, and outcomes. Take Action: Notice your first reaction this week — and pause before acting on it. Choose your response deliberately. 2. Not Every Moment Requires a Counterpunch Just because you can respond doesn’t mean you should. Take Action: Identify one recurring situation where you habitually push back. Experiment with restraint instead. 3. Strength Can Be Quiet Composure often communicates more authority than confrontation. Take Action: In your next tense interaction, focus on tone and presence rather than winning the point. 4. Internal Alignment Matters More Than External Optics Smiling only works if it’s genuine. Otherwise, the cost gets paid internally. Take Action: Ask yourself: What am I holding onto that’s preventing me from actually letting this go? 5. Long-Term Respect Beats Short-Term Satisfaction Turning the other cheek preserves relationships and momentum over time. Take Action: Make one decision this week based on long-term trust instead of immediate gratification. A Final Thought The napkin doesn’t say avoid conflict. It doesn’t say be passive. It says something far more demanding: Choose who you are — especially when it’s hard. Turning the other cheek is a discipline. Smiling and meaning it is a practice. And together, they form a leadership posture that doesn’t just get results — it earns respect. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39423675

Seeds Grow in the Soil: Why the Most Important Progress Is Invisible (Yet) 12/14/2025

Seeds Grow in the Soil: Why the Most Important Progress Is Invisible (Yet) There are seasons where doing the work feels strangely unrewarding. You’re showing up. You’re staying consistent. You’re doing what you said you would do. And yet — nothing obvious is happening. No external validation. No visible breakthrough. No clear sign that you’re “on track.” That’s usually when doubt starts whispering questions we don’t want to answer: Is this actually working? Am I wasting time? Shouldn’t I be further along by now? This Edge of the Napkin episode is about that exact season — the one where growth is real, but hidden. The phase where progress exists, just not where you’re looking for it. Because one of the hardest leadership lessons — in life and in business — is this: Seeds grow in the soil, not in the spotlight. The Cost of Misreading Silence We live in a world that celebrates what’s visible. If something can be measured, shared, or announced, we trust it. If it can’t, we question it. But growth doesn’t care about appearances. Growth cares about conditions. And when you don’t understand how growth actually works, you don’t just slow yourself down — you often sabotage the very thing you’re trying to build. Most people don’t quit because they lack discipline or intelligence. They quit because they misinterpret silence as failure. A Parable of Two Farmers Imagine two farmers working identical land with identical seeds. The first farmer prepares the soil carefully. He removes obvious rocks, plants the seeds, waters the field — and then waits. Not passively, but patiently. He understands the process. The second farmer does the same thing at first. But after a few days, he grows restless. Nothing is visible. So he digs. “Just checking,” he tells himself. He covers the seed back up. Waits a little longer. Digs again. Adjusts the seed. Adds water. Worries he’s added too much. Keeps checking. One farmer looks inactive. The other looks busy. Only one of them will harvest anything. Why? Because every time the impatient farmer digs, he destroys the fragile roots forming underground — the very roots that make growth possible. Growth requires stability before it earns visibility. Seeds Don’t Grow in Clean Places Seeds don’t grow in sterile environments. They grow in dirt. And dirt isn’t punishment. It’s nourishment. Pressure. Moisture. Time. Stillness. Ironically, these are the exact conditions most of us try to escape. We want reassurance before commitment. Proof before patience. But seeds don’t get reassurance. They get buried. And here’s the part most people overlook: soil grows weeds too. When Waiting Turns Into Planting the Wrong Things Many of us say we’re waiting — but what we’re really doing is planting. We plant doubt: Maybe this isn’t working. We plant fear: What if this fails? We plant comparison: They’re so much further ahead than I am. Weeds grow faster than seeds. Left unchecked, they steal oxygen from the soil and weaken what’s trying to grow. Later, when progress struggles to surface, we blame the seed — not the environment we allowed to form. We quit right when the roots are taking hold. The Invisible Phase Is Where Growth Is Decided Most real progress doesn’t feel like progress. It feels like: effort without feedback repetition without reward discipline without dopamine And that’s why so many people abandon good ideas, meaningful businesses, and strong leadership paths — not at the beginning, and not at the end, but right in the middle. Right when the roots are forming. The Seed Must Crack to Become What It’s Meant to Be Here’s the deeper truth most people never consider: A seed doesn’t become a better seed. It becomes something else entirely. Before anything can grow above the surface, the seed must crack. Split. Break apart. In every meaningful sense, the seed is destroyed. The shell that once protected it would suffocate it later. And this is where growth gets uncomfortable for us. We want expansion without loss. Success without surrender. Becoming without breaking. But growth doesn’t negotiate. Some versions of you must end so that something stronger can emerge. Looking for Progress in the Wrong Places Another trap we fall into is looking for progress where we expect to find it. More revenue. More confidence. More clarity. But often progress shows up sideways — in calmer reactions, stronger boundaries, better questions, or fewer emotional decisions. Because that progress isn’t flashy, we dismiss it. Meanwhile, everything is reorganizing beneath the surface. The Bamboo Lesson Bamboo is famous for a reason. For up to five years, nothing visible happens. No shoots. No stalks. No proof. But underground, an enormous root system is forming. Then suddenly, bamboo can grow several feet in a single day. Not because it rushed — but because it was ready. Bamboo bends without breaking. It survives storms. It lasts. That kind of strength can’t be rushed. What This Looks Like in Business and Leadership In business, this shows up when founders pivot too early. They’re learning, refining, building trust — but abandon the work before momentum compounds. In leadership, it shows up as hovering instead of trusting. Interrupting culture instead of letting it form. Digging instead of stabilizing the soil. Strong businesses and strong teams aren’t built in visible moments. They’re built quietly, long before results show up. How to Support Real Growth Real growth requires restraint. Less digging. Fewer fear-based decisions. More consistency. It means pulling weeds early — naming doubt, challenging fear, and refusing to rehearse failure. It means watering the soil with small, boring fundamentals done well over time. And it means giving growth intentional time, not infinite time. Final Thought Seeds don’t grow because they’re watched. They grow because the soil is right. So ask yourself: Where are you digging too often? What weeds are you letting grow? And what might already be forming — quietly — beneath the surface? You don’t need proof. You need patience. The soil is working. Even now. 5 Key Takeaways Silence doesn’t mean failure — it often means roots are forming. Take Action: Commit to staying with one meaningful effort one season longer than feels comfortable. Growth begins underground before it becomes visible. Take Action: Identify one habit you’ll continue even without feedback or validation. Doubt and fear are weeds that must be removed early. Take Action: Write down the doubts you’re rehearsing — then question their truth. The seed must crack to become something greater. Take Action: Name one outdated identity, role, or habit you may need to release. Strong growth is patient growth. Take Action: Shift your focus from results to tending the soil consistently. ✍️ Your Turn What are you growing right now — quietly, beneath the surface? Write it down on a napkin. Protect it. And when you’re ready, share it using #PaperNapkinWisdom. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39401005

“Your Revenue Is Hiding in Plain Sight” — Sailynn Doyle on the 80/20 Shift That Changed Everything 12/11/2025

“Your Revenue Is Hiding in Plain Sight” — Sailynn Doyle on the 80/20 Shift That Changed Everything There’s a moment in every entrepreneur’s journey when the hustle stops feeling heroic and starts feeling heavy. For Sailynn Doyle — business systems strategist, former home-care franchise owner, and founder of Passion • Purpose • Posture — that moment came sitting alone in her car at 9 AM on a Tuesday, exhausted and crying before another 12-hour day. From the outside, she was a success story: a million-dollar business by year three. On the inside, she was drowning in the weight of the work. Endless demands. Constant interruptions. Team members who depended on her for every answer. Growth that created more chaos instead of more freedom. But all of that began to change the day she uncovered a truth hiding in plain sight — a truth she captured on her Paper Napkin: “Your revenue is hiding in plain sight. Stop chasing everyone — go all-in on the 80% that actually matter.” — Sailynn Doyle It wasn’t just a clever saying. It was the key that transformed her business, her team, her time, and ultimately, her life. The Lesson That Changed Everything In 2012, during a quarterly planning meeting with two neighboring franchise owners, Sailynn and her partner Steven pulled up their referral database — a thousand potential sources. Up to that point, their salesperson was visiting everyone equally, spreading effort thin and hoping volume would carry the day. But when they finally examined the data, everything clicked. “When we dug into that information, there in plain sight that I did not realize for five years was that 80% of my revenue came from 20% of that list.” This wasn’t a small revelation — it was a seismic one. Thousands of hours had been spent courting people who were never going to make an impact. The system wasn’t broken — their focus was. And like many entrepreneurs, Sailynn had equated activity with progress. So they made the bold decision: Stop chasing everyone. Start going deeper with the people who already mattered. She remembers the moment vividly: “We both looked at each other like deer in the headlights, like… I hope this works.” It did. Quickly. By pouring their time into the top 200 referral sources — understanding their pain points, building real relationships, showing up consistently — the entire business shifted. Revenue accelerated. Referrals increased. Their salesperson stopped “running around like a chicken with her head cut off” and started making meaningful traction. But the real win? Sailynn got her life back. As she implemented systems, structured her team intentionally, and streamlined the business around what actually mattered, she eventually stepped away for 30 consecutive days — and the company ran without her. A milestone many entrepreneurs dream about but rarely reach. And she did it without burning out, scaling chaos, or losing herself. Because underneath the business strategy was a deeper truth Sailynn had learned through years working with seniors at the end of their lives: “No one ever said to me, ‘I wish I had worked more.’ They talked about regret. They wished they had better relationships. More presence. More time.” This became her mission: Helping women entrepreneurs build businesses that support their lives instead of consuming them. Her napkin isn’t just about revenue. It’s about clarity, boundaries, intentionality, and reclaiming the life your business was supposed to give you. Here are the five core ideas from her conversation — and how leaders can put them into action today. Five Key Takeaways (with Take Action Items) 1. Surface-Level Success Is a Trap So many entrepreneurs build impressive numbers… and miserable lives behind them. Sailynn looked successful on paper but was the bottleneck everywhere. Systems aren’t systems if they break the second you stop touching them. Take Action: Choose one system you’ve “checked the box” on — onboarding, scheduling, sales follow-up — and strengthen it to the point where someone else can run it without you. 2. The 80/20 Rule Is Sitting in Your Data Your most valuable opportunities aren’t new — they’re already in your business. For Sailynn, the top 20% of referral partners drove 80% of revenue. When she stopped spreading her team thin and started going deep, everything improved. Take Action: Pull one year of customer, client, or referral data. Identify the top 20% driving the majority of results. Build a nurturing plan exclusively for them for the next 30 days. 3. If People Come to You for Every Answer, You’re the Problem Sailynn calls this being a “teller.” When the entrepreneur answers every question, the team learns to stop thinking. True scale requires empowerment. “If you’re constantly being asked for answers, you have created a culture of dependency.” Take Action: When someone brings you a question this week, respond with: “Where could you find that?” Point them to the system. Do it consistently for 30 days. 4. Training Must Match the Way People Actually Learn Most entrepreneurs train people the way they learn — fast, verbal, minimal detail. But real empowerment requires layered training: visual, written, hands-on. Take Action: For your next training, create: A video walkthrough A step-by-step written guide One hands-on practice session Ask the trainee which one helped them most. 5. Your “Why” Determines Your Burnout or Your Breakthrough When Sailynn finally got clear about the life she wanted — relationships, health, presence — she realized her business needed to serve that vision, not sabotage it. Take Action: Write out your ideal day in detail. Not someday — today, if everything were aligned. Use this as the filter for every business decision you make in the next month. Conclusion: What’s Hiding in Plain Sight for You? Sailynn’s wisdom reminds us of a truth many entrepreneurs resist: Sometimes the biggest growth isn’t found in doing more — it’s found in noticing what’s already working and doing it with intention. Her story is a testament to clarity over chaos, depth over breadth, and purpose over busyness. So here’s the question she leaves us with: What revenue — what opportunity, what freedom — is already hiding in plain sight in your business? Write it down. Share it on a napkin. Use the hashtag #PaperNapkinWisdom so others can learn from your insight. Every big transformation starts with the courage to look at what’s right in front of you. Guest Links (URLs, not hyperlinks) Website: LinkedIn: /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39334900

Nothing to Prove. Everything to Be. 12/07/2025

Nothing to Prove. Everything to Be. There’s a moment in every leader’s life when they look around the “room” they’re in — not the physical room, but the emotional one, the psychological one, the internal one — and ask: “How much of who I am today was shaped by the right voices… and how much by the wrong ones?” For years, Govindh Jayaraman — founder of Paper Napkin Wisdom — sat in rooms filled with people who called themselves friends, collaborators, supporters. And many of them were exactly that. They challenged ideas. They sharpened thinking. They asked questions that helped build the early architecture of Govindh’s life work. But others? They shared something else entirely. Not truth. Not clarity. Not genuine care. But doubt. Subtle doubt. Delivered with a smile. “You’re not as strong as you think.” “You’re not that good of a leader.” “You’re not who you think you are.” The words didn’t critique the work — they critiqued the identity behind the work. And the most painful part? Govindh believed them. This blog explores the powerful insight behind his latest Edge of the Napkin episode — an insight about identity, doubt, proving yourself, and the freedom available the moment you finally set down the emotional backpack you never needed to carry in the first place. When Truth Helps You Grow — And When Doubt Makes You Small There’s a difference between a friend who looks at something you’re building and says: “It's not ready yet — but I see what you're doing, let’s make it stronger,” and a person who says: “You’re not who you think you are.” One speaks to the work. The other speaks to your worth. One helps you grow. The other keeps you small. And the tricky thing? Both voices can sit in the same room. Both voices can sound like support. Both voices can feel justified. But inside you, they do completely different things. Truth sharpens. Doubt shrinks. And when you’re not paying attention, you can start shaping your entire identity in reaction to someone else’s insecurity. The Era of Proving When Govindh believed the wrong voices, he didn’t argue. He didn’t push back. He didn’t reject the claims. Instead, he decided to prove them wrong. He dug deeper. He ran faster. He hustled harder. He climbed a mountain he didn’t choose. On the surface, it looked like resilience. Internally, it was something else entirely: A life built on someone else’s narrative. Because whether you’re surrendering to a limiting belief or rebelling against it, you’re still letting that belief steer the wheel. Proving is not leadership. Proving is not purpose. Proving is not becoming. Proving is bondage. And this is where the episode introduces a story — a parable — that reframes everything. The Parable of the Heavy Stone A young man once asked a monk: “Master, why is my life so heavy?” The monk told him: “Show me what you're carrying.” The young man insisted he was carrying nothing. The monk pointed to his chest: “You are carrying the belief that you’re not enough. And the proving? That is the strap you use to keep the stone with you.” He placed a small stone in the young man’s hand and told him to hold it. At first, it felt light. Then tolerable. Then uncomfortable. Then unbearable. When the monk finally told him to put it down, the relief washed over him instantly. The monk said: “The stone never owned you. You were always free to let it go.” This is the heart of the episode: The weight you feel isn’t the doubt. It’s your decision to keep carrying it. The Backpack on the Ground Govindh’s napkin sketch for this episode is beautifully simple: A stick figure standing tall. A backpack on the ground. Space between them. The message? You are allowed to put down the weight that was never yours. There is nothing to prove. There is everything to be. When you stop performing for an audience that never had your best interests at heart… When you stop reacting to voices that never deserved authority… When you curate your internal room with intention… You reclaim the ability to hear yourself again. And that is the beginning of becoming. 5 KEY TAKEAWAYS + TAKE ACTION (For Entrepreneurs & Leaders) 1. Curate Your Room Not every voice deserves a seat at the table of your identity. Take Action: List three people whose feedback sharpens you — and three whose doubt drains you. Adjust access accordingly. 2. Know the Difference Between Truth and Doubt Constructive truth improves the work. Doubt attacks the identity. Take Action: Before accepting feedback, ask: “Is this about the work… or about me?” 3. Stop Proving. Start Being. You can’t build a life while fighting someone else’s narrative of you. Take Action: Identify one area where you feel the need to prove something. This week, practice releasing the expectation — and observe what opens. 4. Put Down the Stone The weight is not the critique. It’s the belief that you must carry it. Take Action: Write down one belief that no longer serves you. Fold the paper. Throw it out. Symbolism matters. 5. Leadership Begins With Identity Your growth accelerates the moment you stop trying to be someone else’s version of you. Take Action: Ask yourself each morning this week: “Who am I choosing to be today, for me?” YOUR TURN — WRITE IT ON A NAPKIN Now it’s your move. ✏️ Grab a napkin. Write your version of this truth. Maybe it’s: “I choose being over proving.” or “I set it down.” or “The stone was never mine.” Then share it with me — and with the world — using #PaperNapkinWisdom. Because the moment you can articulate your wisdom simply… you can begin to live it deeply. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39310320

Dan Perry & Michael Serapiglia – “If You Get Lost, Enjoy the View Around You” 12/04/2025

Dan Perry & Michael Serapiglia – “If You Get Lost, Enjoy the View Around You” Some stories begin with a business plan. Others begin with a feeling — a deep, lived truth that travel isn’t just about going somewhere, but about finally being somewhere without fear. That’s the story behind Toto Tours. When founder Dan Ware launched the company in 1990, LGBTQ+ travelers faced a world far less welcoming than it is today. Travel was often an act of courage. Safety wasn’t guaranteed. Connection wasn’t a given. And yet Dan believed something radical: that the world belonged to everyone, and that queer people deserved to explore it without shrinking, hiding, or apologizing. That early mission — to create safe, joyful, life-changing journeys — set the foundation for one of the longest-running LGBTQ+ tour companies in the world. Today, that legacy is being carried forward by Dan Perry and Michael Serapiglia, two leaders who bring heart, artistry, and intentional strategy to the next era of Toto Tours. Michael’s background alone is a reminder that great careers rarely follow straight lines. A Broadway dancer in productions like Annie Get Your Gun and Aida, an Emmy®-nominated makeup artist, and a lifelong student of people and culture, Michael brings a performer’s attention to detail and a creative’s sense of wonder to everything he touches. That energy is written all over Toto’s new vision — a company designed not just to take people places, but to orchestrate experiences. Dan, meanwhile, is rooted, thoughtful, and anchored in the operational heartbeat of the business. As co-owner and steward of the brand’s legacy, his leadership ensures that the company’s emotional mission is matched with real-world execution: logistics handled with precision, safety prioritized above all else, and every traveler supported as a deeply valued guest. Together, they are scaling Toto Tours for the next generation — bringing structure to creativity, growth to mission, and clarity to chaos. That blend shows up beautifully in their napkin: “Remember… if you get lost, enjoy the view around you.” It’s playful. Light. But also quietly profound. Because travel does involve getting lost. Entrepreneurship definitely involves getting lost. And navigating identity, belonging, and community? That’s a lifelong journey with no perfect map. What makes Toto Tours powerful — and what makes Dan and Michael’s leadership so compelling — is how they embrace that “lostness” with intention. They’ve built a business around creating psychological safety in unfamiliar places. They design tours where vulnerability isn’t a risk, but a pathway to connection. And they do it in a way that proves something important: When your business is built on empathy and authenticity, growth becomes a natural outcome — not the goal. In our conversation, they talked about inheriting a business that has meant something real to thousands of travelers. They shared the challenges of honoring a 35-year legacy while modernizing every aspect of the customer experience. They spoke openly about the responsibility that comes with being stewards of a community, not just operators of a company. And what stood out most was this: Their success is rooted in the courage to stay human in an industry that often forgets to be. Their stories ranged from navigating international travel logistics to deeply personal moments on tour — when someone feels seen for the first time, or finally gets to show up as their full self after years of holding back. This is not a commodity business. This is not “selling vacations.” This is transformational work disguised as travel. And Dan and Michael are the right leaders at the right moment — blending heart, craft, psychological safety, and strategic growth in a way that honors the past while confidently shaping the future. 5 Key Takeaways (with Take Action steps) 1. Empathy is a business strategy, not a soft skill. Toto Tours was built on understanding the emotional experience of the traveler. That core value is still their competitive advantage. Take Action: Identify one customer anxiety or emotional need you haven’t been addressing — and build a process or moment that solves it. 2. Legacy is something you steward, not something you own. Dan and Michael inherited a 35-year mission. Their role is not to change the soul of the company, but to carry it forward. Take Action: If you lead a team or a business, ask: What part of our legacy must remain untouched? What part needs to evolve right now? 3. Safety creates the conditions for joy. Their tours work because people feel safe — emotionally, physically, and socially. Safety unlocks curiosity and connection. Take Action: Audit how your team experiences psychological safety. Identify one area where people still “armor up.” 4. Creativity and structure don’t compete — they complete each other. Michael brings artistry. Dan brings operational consistency. Together, they create magic. Take Action: Look at your own leadership style. What’s your opposite energy — and who could you partner with to balance your approach? 5. Getting lost is part of the journey — but meaning comes from how you respond. Their napkin says it best: if you’re lost, enjoy the view. Trust the moment you’re in. Take Action: Ask yourself: Where do I feel lost right now? Instead of fixing it, what can I appreciate about this moment? About the Guests Dan Perry & Michael Serapiglia – Co-Owners, Toto Tours Toto Tours began in 1990 when founder Dan Ware envisioned safe, joyful global travel for LGBTQ+ explorers. The company has grown into a trusted international leader rooted in community, inclusion, and curiosity. Today, Dan Perry and Broadway-performer-turned-Emmy-nominated-makeup-artist Michael Serapiglia carry the torch, expanding Toto’s impact while honoring its spirit. Their work blends purpose, creativity, and operational excellence — proving that meaningful business growth begins with humanity. Links website: www.tototours.com /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39207685

Be the Man in Someone’s Corner 11/30/2025

Be the Man in Someone’s Corner There are times in life when wisdom doesn’t show up quietly. It doesn’t whisper. It doesn’t tap you gently on the shoulder. Sometimes it arrives like a jolt — like your heart recognizing something before your brain can process it. That’s how this episode began. If you’ve been following along, you know it’s been a hard season in our home. Stacey’s father — my father-in-law — has been moving through the final stages of his cancer journey. And while there is an entire conversation to be had about the health, the living, and the complexity of that experience… this message isn’t about that part. This one is about emotion. The kind that sits heavy and deep. The kind that reshapes you quietly. It started with a simple clip of Steve Harvey telling a story about his dad. In it, he said something that froze me in place: “Your father is the only man who truly wants you to be better than him. The only one who can say ‘I’m proud of you’ without competition.” And as he said it, he broke — emotionally — because when his father died, he knew he’d never hear those words again. That landed in me with a weight I wasn’t expecting. Not because of loss. Not because of fear. But because of truth. Over the last few months, I’ve been having deep conversations about masculinity — real masculinity. Not the loud, performative kind. Not the kind wrapped in bravado or posturing. I’m talking about the lived kind. The grounded kind. The kind that holds space for vulnerability, accountability, tenderness, and strength all at once. And I’ve been doing this in community with other men — real, honest conversations where ego takes a back seat and presence takes the lead. So when I heard Harvey’s words… they sparked something. Because I’m lucky. I have a father who calls me to remind me of who I can be. A father who tells me he’s proud. A father who truly wants me to be better than he was. That is a rare gift. One I don’t take lightly. And then it hit me — I feel the exact same way about my children. I want my sons to be better than me. I want my daughter to be better than me. Not in the way the world measures “better,” but in depth of character, in presence, in courage, in self-trust. And it goes further still: I realized I want this for my friends too. Not just that they succeed… but that they surpass their own expectations. That they rise higher. That they win. That they become the absolute best versions of themselves. It’s strange to say this out loud, because men aren’t really taught to cheer for each other that way. We’re taught competition, comparison, stoicism, silence. But silence has been doing a lot of damage. So a few weeks ago, I made a small — but life-shifting — decision: I would no longer be the silent man in the corner. I would be the active one. The one who sends the message. The one who checks in. The one who says the thing out loud instead of assuming they know. The one who tells his friends he’s proud of them. The one who reminds them they matter. Every week now, I’ve been sending short notes to the men in my life. Notes like: “I believe in you.” “I’m proud of you.” “You’re doing better than you think.” “You matter to me.” And the responses reveal something profound: Men don’t hear this often. Sometimes not at all. In a world full of noise, what’s missing is something incredibly simple — active encouragement. Not advice. Not fixing. Not lecturing. Encouragement. And in the middle of all this reflection — the emotional weight of watching my father-in-law’s final chapter, the Steve Harvey moment, the conversations with other men — a parable emerged. THE CORNERMAN — A PARABLE There was once a young fighter named Sam. Talented. Strong. Smart. But he couldn’t win. Not once. Every fight ended the same way. He’d enter the ring hopeful… and leave defeated. After one especially tough loss, Sam sat in the change room, crushed. A retired fighter — an older man sweeping the hallway — wandered in and said, “Rough night.” Sam nodded. “You’ve got talent,” the man said, “but that’s not your problem.” Sam looked up. “Kid… you’re losing because you don’t have a corner.” Sam frowned. His coach was right there. But the old man shook his head. “I didn’t say a coach. I said a corner. A corner is the place you go when you’re hurt. The place where someone wipes the blood from your face. Where no one judges you. Where someone speaks truth into you, not doubt. A fighter without a corner doesn’t lose because he’s weak… He loses because he’s alone.” That one idea changed Sam’s entire career — and his life. He didn’t just learn how to fight. He learned what it means to be supported. And eventually, he became that man for others. Because we all need someone in our corner. And we all have the ability — and responsibility — to be a corner for someone else. 5 KEY TAKEAWAYS (For Entrepreneurs & Leaders) 1. Encouragement Is a Leadership Skill Most leaders underestimate the power of saying, “I’m proud of you.” Encouragement is not soft — it is strategic. Take Action: This week, tell one person on your team something specific you’re proud of. Name it. Say it. 2. Don’t Wait for People to Ask Most people won’t ask for support. Initiation is what separates real leadership from passive friendship. Take Action: Send one check-in message today without being prompted. 3. Men Need Active Support, Not Silent Approval Silence leaves too much room for doubt. Active encouragement builds identity and confidence. Take Action: Choose one man in your life and tell him something you admire about him. 4. Strength Isn’t Stoicism — It’s Presence Real masculinity isn’t about withholding emotion; it’s about holding space. Take Action: Practice one moment of emotional presence today — with your partner, a friend, or your child. 5. Become the Corner You Needed We all needed someone at some point. Leadership is becoming that person for the next generation. Take Action: Make encouraging one person per week a non-negotiable ritual. THE NAPKIN IDEA If everything in this message could fit on one napkin, it would say: “Be the man in someone’s corner.” (Say it out loud.) Because no one wins alone. And the man who shows up for others becomes a man others trust, follow, and grow because of. CALL TO ACTION I want you to take this idea and make it real. Write down the name of one person — just one — who needs to hear something today. Then write your message on a paper napkin (yes, literally). Take a photo. Post it. Tag it with #PaperNapkinWisdom. Let’s normalize active encouragement. Let’s show the world what leadership looks like in real life. 🌐 Website www.papernapkinwisdom.com ▶️ YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@papernapkinwisdom 🎧 Podcast Links Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom/id735345903 Spotify: /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39207405

Noah Ellis — Do The Thing 11/27/2025

Noah Ellis — Do The Thing There’s a moment in every entrepreneur’s life when the universe stops whispering and starts shouting. A moment where the next level isn’t waiting behind brilliance or luck or timing — it’s sitting directly behind the one thing we don’t want to do. For Noah Ellis, founder of Ofland and a hospitality leader who’s spent his life building concepts, teams, and experiences, that moment became a clarity-inducing mantra so important that he didn’t just write it down… he tattooed on his body: Do the thing. Noah’s wisdom is the kind that doesn’t land with theory — it lands with truth. It’s lived. It’s earned. It’s carved out one uncomfortable step at a time. Over the past decade, he’s discovered a pattern that every leader secretly recognizes: everything you want is on the other side of something you'd rather avoid. That avoidance isn’t the same for all of us. For some, “the thing” is the grind — doing operations, building processes, cleaning up details no one applauds. For others, it's stepping into conversations, making asks, building relationships, or being seen. And for a few, the hard thing is the exact opposite of what they’ve been praised for their whole lives: slowing down, waiting, letting things unfold instead of forcing outcomes. This episode digs deep into that idea — not as a slogan, but as a leadership operating system. The Story Behind the Napkin A simple brown napkin, thick black marker, one sentence: Do the thing. Underlined. Period at the end. Nothing decorative. Nothing softened. This wasn’t drawn for branding or aesthetic. It was drawn because this is the thing Noah wants leaders to wrestle with: the simplicity of the truth and the difficulty of the application. Noah realized over the last ten years that every major breakthrough sits behind an internal barrier — and those barriers are different for everyone. He explains: “Everything you want (in both business and life) is on the other side of something you don’t want to do.” In the hospitality world Noah came from, he and a former partner represented two very different strengths. His partner was a dreamer — the type who could conjure ideas, gather money, win partners, wrangle contractors, build energy, keep momentum. Noah, on the other hand, could take a permitted building and money and turn it into a functioning, profitable operation. They each admired what the other could do. But the real lesson didn’t emerge until Noah noticed that many of the “dreamer-built” projects started to falter right after opening. The shiny part was fun. But sustainability? That came from the grind — from patience, discipline, humility, and daily, unsexy decisions. Noah realized it wasn’t enough to stay in his lane or admire his partner’s strengths from afar. His next level required him to do the thing he resisted: developing the same social and strategic abilities his partner possessed. And his partner’s success-long-term required something equally uncomfortable for him: building patience, structure, and commitment to the long game. “Sometimes the thing you don’t want to do is short term and physically uncomfortable… Sometimes, it’s much longer term and emotionally taxing.” This is the heart of Noah’s napkin: not everything hard is the same for everyone. Your thing is your thing. What Happens When You Actually Do the Thing Noah’s life changed when he stopped assuming that problems required immediate action. For years, he believed decisive leadership meant moving now. Fixing now. Addressing now. Jumping in now. But that instinct — while useful in some contexts — was also his crutch. “Even though I wanted to jump in, I needed to develop some patience and let things play out.” Waiting wasn’t passive. It was strategic. In that space, he collected more information, made smaller but smarter decisions, and began choosing sustainability over perfectionism. He had to temper his instinct to control outcomes and refine details beyond what mattered. Perfection in one area was often creating imbalance in others. That’s when Noah realized this wasn’t a motivational poster idea — it was a leadership truth: Doing the thing you avoid changes who you become. Sometimes that’s learning discipline. Sometimes that’s learning patience. Sometimes it’s saying yes. Sometimes it’s saying no. Sometimes it’s stepping forward. Sometimes it’s stepping back. But it always involves stepping. Why This Matters to Leaders Everywhere Noah calls out something profound and rare: success isn’t about working hard at what you’re good at — it’s about working hard at the thing you avoid. As he notes: “We gravitate toward leaders who support our worldview… but the real growth is in doing the opposite.” For the Jocko-style hard chargers, the work might be softness, breathwork, patience, and presence. For the quiet creative thinkers, the work might be decisive action, uncomfortable conversations, or stepping into visibility. Noah’s wisdom asks leaders to look directly at the asymmetry in their strengths and decide to grow on purpose — not default. This is why his message matters. Because leadership is never one-dimensional. Because excellence requires contradiction. Because growth hides behind friction. Because your thing might be the only obstacle between who you are and who you’re becoming. 5 Key Takeaways & Take Action Items 1. Your Biggest Breakthrough Is Behind Your Biggest Avoidance Take Action: Identify the one thing you’ve been postponing for weeks or months. Do it today. Not all of it — the first step. 2. Your “Thing” Is Unique to You Take Action: Compare the tasks you love with the tasks you resist. Write down the patterns. This becomes your personal leadership map. 3. Patience Is a Skill, Not a Personality Trait Take Action: Before reacting to an issue, impose a 24-hour pause. Track what changes inside that space. 4. Perfectionism Is a Crutch When It Prevents Progress Take Action: Choose one area where you’re over-optimizing. Set a “good enough” line and move on. 5. Opposites Build Balance Take Action: Follow one leader, thinker, or creator whose style contradicts your natural wiring. Let it stretch you. About Noah Ellis Noah Ellis is a hospitality operator, concept creator, and founder of Ofland — a company known for developing and operating unforgettable food and hospitality experiences. With a background that blends creativity, operational excellence, and deep understanding of the guest experience, Noah has built a career around bringing ideas from concept to reality and ensuring they can thrive long-term. More about Noah: Website: LinkedIn: Your Turn — What’s Your Thing? Every Paper Napkin Wisdom episode ends with one challenge: take the wisdom off the napkin and into your life. So grab a real napkin. Write down: What’s the thing you’ve been avoiding that you know would change everything? Post it with #PaperNapkinWisdom — I’d love to see your version of Noah’s idea. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39138725

I Like Me — An Identity-Level Lesson from John Candy 11/23/2025

I Like Me — An Identity-Level Lesson from John Candy Every so often, a line in a movie sneaks past your defenses and lands directly in the center of your chest. Not because it’s poetic. Not because it’s profound. But because it is absolutely, undeniably true. That’s exactly what happened the first time I heard John Candy say three simple words in Planes, Trains and Automobiles: “I like me.” If you know the scene, you can probably feel it already. Steve Martin’s character lashes out, attacks Candy’s character—Del Griffith—on every level: his personality, his quirks, his energy, the way he moves through the world. It’s the kind of attack you can only deliver when you’re stressed, frustrated, disconnected, and trying to control everything except your own emotional state. Candy doesn’t fight back. He doesn’t crumble. He doesn’t apologize for existing. He just breathes, feels the sting, and answers: “I like me. My wife likes me. My customers like me. Because I’m the real deal.” And in that moment… the entire movie shifts. But something inside us shifts too. Because somewhere deep down, every entrepreneur and every leader knows what it feels like to be judged for who they naturally are. To feel “too much” or “not enough.” To feel pressure to fit into a mold that was never designed for them in the first place. And yet here is John Candy—the ultimate “unlikely” star—not fitting into anything. Except himself. John Candy: The Unlikely Icon Who Never Tried to Fit the Mold Hollywood had a type. And John Candy wasn’t it. He didn’t have the chiselled jawline or the cover-ready look. He wasn’t the leading-man archetype studios chased. They tried to box him into “the big guy,” the sidekick, the comic relief. But he brought something else—something stronger than image. He brought identity. He brought heart, empathy, warmth, and a kind of emotional honesty you can’t fake. And because he brought that, we didn’t just watch him… we loved him. He wasn’t a star because he fit in. He was a star because he didn’t. And in that lesson lies a truth most leaders and entrepreneurs take far too long to learn: People don’t follow the image of a leader. They follow the identity behind it. Entrepreneurs Carry an Invisible Pressure No One Talks About Let’s be honest. Most entrepreneurs—no matter how confident they look—carry a quiet question: “Am I enough?” Am I skilled enough? Disciplined enough? Polished enough? Ready enough? Worthy enough? That pressure shows up in subtle ways: overexplaining overcommitting overdelivering grinding harder than necessary shrinking in the presence of bigger personalities questioning your own instincts trying to “look the part” rather than be the part It becomes a trap. A cage made of other people’s expectations. John Candy’s line cuts right through the bars: “I like me.” Not because he’s perfect. Not because he’s winning. Not because he fits. But because he recognizes the truth: Identity > Image. That’s the napkin for this episode—and a reminder every leader needs to carry. Why “I Like Me” Is a Leadership Strategy When you like yourself: You make clearer decisions. You negotiate with confidence. You set boundaries without guilt. You attract the right customers. You build teams that trust you. You communicate without fear. You step into vision instead of validation. Self-acceptance isn’t fluff. It’s leadership infrastructure. And when you don’t like yourself enough? You chase approval. You contort your identity to fit expectations. You build a business that drains you instead of expressing you. The game changes—immediately—when you anchor into identity instead of performance. Your Napkin: Identity > Image Your napkin sketch says it simply and perfectly: A hand-drawn mirror. Three words in the center: I LIKE ME. Underneath it: Identity > Image Because leadership isn’t about appearing impressive. It’s about being anchored. The people who matter—your team, your family, your customers—are drawn to the real you, not the “corrected” version of you. 5 Key Takeaways (with Take Action Steps) 1. Identity is a leadership superpower. People follow leaders who know who they are. Take Action: Write one sentence on a napkin right now: “I like me because…” Finish it honestly. 2. Authenticity is more valuable than polish. John Candy didn’t fit the Hollywood mold—and that’s what made him magnetic. Take Action: Identify one area in your business where you’re performing instead of being. Remove the performance layer. 3. Self-acceptance creates clarity. When you like yourself, decisions become easier and direction becomes obvious. Take Action: Before your next major decision, pause and ask: “What would I choose if I trusted myself completely?” 4. Identity builds trust effortlessly. Customers feel who you are long before they evaluate what you do. Take Action: Record a 60-second voice memo explaining “why I care” about your mission. Share it with your team. 5. Confidence is not a mood—it's an identity choice. You don’t wait to become confident. You choose to like you, now. Take Action: For the next three mornings, look in the mirror and say out loud: “I like me. I’m the real deal.” Say it until you feel it. Final Thought John Candy didn’t ask permission to be himself. He didn’t wait to fit in. He didn’t shrink when someone attacked him. He simply held the one truth that matters: “I like me. The people who matter like me. Because I’m the real deal.” And you? You’re the real deal too. Write it on a napkin. Carry it with you. Build from that place. Links Website: Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom/id735345903 Spotify: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@papernapkinwisdom /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39138395

Brandon Bagley: WE ME — Stronger Together 11/20/2025

Brandon Bagley: WE ME — Stronger Together Entrepreneurs often try to win alone. We push, grind, and carry the weight of the business on our shoulders. But every once in a while, someone shows up with a piece of wisdom that reframes the entire game. In Episode 315 of Paper Napkin Wisdom, Brandon Bagley brings that shift in the simplest and most powerful way possible: a blue-ink message on a napkin that reads “WE > ME — Stronger Together.” Brandon is a leader who has built people-centered cultures for years, especially through his work with AlphaGraphics Chandler, where collaboration is not a slogan — it’s a system. His background in athletics, leadership, and now the world of print, design, and communication has given him a front-row seat to how teams transform when the focus shifts from individual achievement to collective strength. The napkin he brought is not a clever motto. It’s a lived belief. And in this conversation, Brandon walks us through what it looks like when leaders commit to building a culture where we really does matter more than me — and how everything changes when that becomes the foundation. The Power of “We” in Action From the very first moments of the conversation, Brandon returns to one theme: people want to belong to something meaningful. Entrepreneurship is hard enough without trying to do it alone — and yet so many leaders instinctively isolate themselves. Brandon has seen the opposite work better every time. He shares stories from the shop floor to client relationships, illustrating how collaboration isn’t just a feel-good principle — it’s a performance multiplier. In one segment of the transcript, he talks about how the team rallies when challenges arise: “When people know you're in it with them, they show up differently — not because they have to, but because they want to.” That’s the heart of WE > ME. It’s not about distributing tasks. It’s about shared ownership. And shared ownership, as Brandon says, “changes the energy of every room.” He describes moments where team members stepped into leadership without being asked, clients leaned in more deeply because the rapport felt like partnership, and the business grew not because of a single hero but because everyone contributed to the win. Creating Environments Where “We” Thrives Throughout the episode, Brandon keeps returning to a pattern: People contribute more when they feel seen. People trust more when they feel supported. People stretch more when they know they won’t be punished for trying. His napkin isn’t a motivational poster — it’s a blueprint. He shares a piece in the transcript where he reflects on team communication: “If your people don’t feel safe telling you what they see, you’ll never actually know what’s going on inside your business.” And later: “The best ideas in any organization almost never come from the top.” Brandon’s leadership emphasis is simple and powerful: Build a team where ideas flow freely, feedback is welcomed, and success is genuinely shared — and you’ll always outperform the organizations built around a single dominant personality. Entrepreneurship Without Isolation One of the standout themes from the transcript is Brandon’s honesty about how lonely entrepreneurship can be. Even leaders with teams often cut themselves off emotionally, believing they have to carry the burden alone. He challenges that directly: “Why would we choose to be alone when being together is both easier and better?” This isn’t theoretical. He describes periods where collaboration literally changed the trajectory of the business — where the strength of the team covered gaps, generated momentum, and turned challenges into opportunities. “Stronger Together” isn’t a tagline. It’s a survival strategy. And it’s a growth strategy. When he talks about the environments he tries to build inside AlphaGraphics Chandler, everything revolves around this idea: empowered teams are unstoppable teams. 5 Key Takeaways from Brandon Bagley (Each with a Take Action item for entrepreneurs and leaders) 1. WE > ME is a strategic advantage, not just a belief. Teams outperform individuals — consistently and predictably. Take Action: Identify one area in your business where you’ve been operating alone. Invite your team into that process this week. 2. Psychological safety fuels innovation. People won’t share ideas if they fear being judged or dismissed. Take Action: Ask your team: “What’s one thing you see that I don’t?” Then listen without interruption. 3. Shared ownership creates shared momentum. When the wins belong to everyone, the effort comes from everyone. Take Action: Celebrate one team-driven win publicly — emphasize the collective effort. 4. Leadership is a relationship, not a role. Influence grows through connection, not authority. Take Action: Have one non-transactional conversation with a team member this week — no agenda, just connection. 5. Collaboration must be intentional. “Stronger Together” happens by design, not by accident. Take Action: Choose one system, meeting, or workflow and redesign it to include more voices. About Brandon Bagley Brandon Bagley is a seasoned leader known for building collaborative cultures and helping organizations unlock the potential of their people. He is part of the leadership at AlphaGraphics Chandler, a high-performing Arizona-based print, design, and marketing communications center known for delivering exceptional client experiences through team-driven execution. You can learn more about him here: linkedin: website: Call to Action Brandon’s napkin is an invitation: look at your business, your team, and your leadership — and notice where “me” is still winning over “we.” Then shift it. Strengthen it. Open it up. And when you capture your insight, write it on a napkin, snap a picture, and share it with the world using #PaperNapkinWisdom. Because we really are stronger together. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39060965

Believing Is Seeing (Edge of the Napkin Series #12) 11/16/2025

Believing Is Seeing (Edge of the Napkin Series #12) There’s a phrase we’ve all inherited without ever asking whether it serves us: “I’ll believe it when I see it.” It sounds reasonable. It sounds mature. It sounds like the responsible stance of someone who has been around long enough to be cautious. But anyone who has ever built something meaningful — a business, a team, a movement, or even a new version of themselves — knows the truth beneath that old saying: “Seeing” has never created belief. Belief is what creates the ability to see. That’s the heart of today’s napkin thought: Believing Is Seeing. And if you let it in, this shift can alter the way you make decisions, lead others, spot opportunities, and move toward the version of your life you’re meant to live. Most of us were trained to trust what is visible. Data. Proof. Safety. Certainty. Security. We internalized the idea that confidence comes after evidence. That clarity arrives before commitment. That movement follows permission. But growth — real growth — never begins outside of us. It begins in what we cannot see yet. It begins in the unseen. As I shared in the episode: “Results are lagging indicators. By the time you see the change, the real transformation has already happened inside.” Entrepreneurs don’t innovate by responding to what’s already visible. Leaders don’t serve by waiting for permission. People don’t level up by demanding certainty before taking action. We grow through a different path — an internal shift first, external proof second. You’ve experienced this before: the moment where you decided to believe in an idea before the market validated it… the moment you trusted a teammate before they performed at that level… the moment you committed to something bigger before you had any evidence that you could pull it off. Every breakthrough you’ve ever had required belief before visibility. That’s why the work is inside-out. Always has been. Growth Happens in the Unseen Think of a seed. The first sign of life doesn’t happen above ground. It happens in darkness, in the unseen, in the place nobody notices until much later. Your identity works the same way. Before you behave differently, you believe differently. Before you see differently, your internal world shifts. Before your results expand, your sense of who you are expands. One of the most powerful lines from this Edge of the Napkin episode was this: “You aren’t becoming someone new. You are remembering who you already are.” This is not motivation. It’s mechanics. Your belief determines what you notice. Your belief determines what you move toward. Your belief determines which opportunities filter through your awareness and which ones slide by unnoticed. Once you believe something deeply — that you can grow, that you can lead, that you can build something extraordinary — the world reorganizes itself around that belief. Not magically… but mechanically. You move differently. You decide differently. You persevere differently. You show up differently. And suddenly you begin to see what was always there but invisible to you when you were looking through a smaller frame. The Parable: The Sculptor and the Stone In the episode, I shared a short parable that captures this perfectly. A young apprentice watched a master sculptor work on a block of marble. After days of chiseling, he finally asked: “How do you know what to carve? How do you know there’s something inside worth finding?” The master smiled and said: “Every block of stone has a statue inside. I don’t create it. I simply remove everything that isn’t it.” When the apprentice grew older, he understood the truth: He had never created a masterpiece. He had revealed one. It had always been there. And so are you. You don’t have to push yourself into a new identity. You simply have to believe in the truth that’s been waiting inside you. Believing is not about forcing confidence. Believing is about remembering. 5 Key Takeaways — and How to Take Action 1. Belief Shapes Perception Your mind filters the world through what you expect to find. Shift your belief and you shift your vision. Take Action: Ask yourself daily: “If I already believed this was possible, what would I notice today?” 2. Growth Begins Long Before Results Appear The visible is always the last part. Real change happens internally first. Take Action: Track internal wins, not just external ones: decisions, courage, awareness, alignment. 3. Leaders Expand What Others Can See Your belief becomes the lens your team uses to view possibility. Take Action: Tell someone on your team this week: “Here’s what I see in you.” Watch what happens. 4. Entrepreneurs Create Evidence Instead of Waiting For It Waiting for proof kills momentum. Belief fuels action, and action generates proof. Take Action: Move one step this week before you feel ready. Evidence will follow. 5. You Are Not Becoming — You Are Remembering Your next level isn’t a new invention. It’s a revelation. Take Action: Finish this sentence: “If I stopped resisting who I really am, I would…” Write the first three things that show up. A Call to the Builders, Leaders, and Difference-Makers If this message resonated with you — if something inside felt like it opened or relaxed or clarified — then take a moment. Grab a napkin. Write the phrase: Believing Is Seeing. And then add your insight, your reflection, or your reminder. Share it on social with #PaperNapkinWisdom. You never know who may need exactly what you have to say today. And if you want more episodes like this — tools, insights, and stories to help you grow from the inside out — you can find the podcast here: Paper Napkin Wisdom Website: www.PaperNapkinWisdom.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@papernapkinwisdom Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom/id735345903 Spotify: Because you’re not waiting for proof. You’re remembering your power. And when you believe deeply enough… you finally begin to see. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/39048105

Listening & Learning with Shivani Dhamija 11/13/2025

Listening & Learning with Shivani Dhamija In this episode of Paper Napkin Wisdom, Govindh Jayaraman sits down with Shivani Dhamija, founder of Shivani’s Kitchen — a culinary brand rooted in authentic Indian flavors and fueled by a passion for empowering others through food. From her humble beginnings selling spice blends and sauces at local markets in Nova Scotia to building a thriving food-manufacturing business, Shivani’s journey is as flavorful as her recipes. At the heart of her success lies a simple napkin message: “Listening & learning.” Two small words that capture a massive truth about leadership, growth, and entrepreneurship. The Power of “Listening & Learning” When Shivani first began sharing her spice blends, she wasn’t just selling a product — she was listening to people’s stories. Every market conversation, every customer review, every “you should try this” became a lesson. She explains that listening isn’t passive; it’s an act of connection. And learning isn’t about knowing everything — it’s about staying humble enough to realize you never do. Shivani’s insight is deeply entrepreneurial. Leaders who stop listening lose touch with the people they serve. Entrepreneurs who stop learning lose the adaptability that keeps them alive. As she puts it, “Every interaction — whether it’s a happy customer or a tough critic — is an opportunity to grow stronger.” Her napkin reminds us that progress doesn’t come from constant talking or defending ideas. It comes from being open — to feedback, to failure, to the world changing faster than we expect. Listening as a Leadership Skill Shivani’s story highlights something that many leaders overlook: listening is strategic. She built her business by tuning into what customers really wanted — convenience without compromise. In a world flooded with fast food, she heard a quiet craving for authentic home-style cooking made simple. That insight led to her signature ready-to-use sauces and spice blends. In leadership, listening also means hearing the unspoken — what your team isn’t saying, what your market isn’t yet demanding, and what your own intuition is whispering. Shivani’s example shows that great leaders hear beyond words; they listen for intent, emotion, and opportunity. Learning as a Way of Being For Shivani, learning never stops. She admits that when she first started, she didn’t know the language of manufacturing, retail supply chains, or business finance. But she learned by doing — by seeking mentors, asking better questions, and experimenting without fear of failure. Her approach reframes what “failure” means. Every misstep became a feedback loop, not a full stop. As she says, “If you’re learning, you’re never losing.” That mindset — curiosity over perfection — is what allows an entrepreneur to evolve. It’s also what transforms a local business into a lasting brand. 5 Key Takeaways from Shivani Dhamija’s Napkin 1️⃣ Listen with Intent, Not Ego When you’re building something, people will tell you what they love and what they don’t. Take Action: Next time you receive feedback, don’t defend — document. Write down what you hear, reflect overnight, and find the truth in it. 2️⃣ Be a Lifelong Learner Every entrepreneur starts as a student. The difference between success and stagnation is how fast you keep learning. Take Action: Commit to learning something new each week — a system, a trend, a story from your customers. Growth compounds when curiosity becomes habit. 3️⃣ Turn Conversations into Strategy Shivani’s business evolved through real-world listening — she let her customers co-write her roadmap. Take Action: Identify three recurring themes you’ve heard from your market or team. Translate them into one actionable improvement this quarter. 4️⃣ Stay Grounded in Gratitude Listening isn’t just about business — it’s about connection. Shivani talks about the joy of serving people and the gratitude that keeps her motivated through long hours. Take Action: Before every major decision, pause and ask: “Who does this serve?” Gratitude keeps strategy human. 5️⃣ Teach What You Learn True learning becomes mastery when it’s shared. Shivani now mentors other entrepreneurs and collaborates with local producers to help them scale. Take Action: Host a 15-minute “teach-back” session with your team or peers each month. Share one lesson you’ve learned — and invite others to do the same. Bringing It All Together Listening & learning isn’t just a recipe for leadership — it’s a rhythm for life. Shivani Dhamija embodies what happens when you combine cultural authenticity with curiosity and humility. She’s proof that when we listen more deeply and learn more intentionally, our work — and our impact — expand exponentially. So grab a napkin, write down what you’re hearing and what you’re learning, and share your wisdom with the world using #PaperNapkinWisdom. Because every big idea starts small — sometimes just two words at a time. About Shivani Dhamija: Shivani Dhamija is the founder of Shivani’s Kitchen, a Nova Scotia-based company creating authentic Indian spice blends, sauces, and ready-to-cook meals that make real flavor accessible to everyone. Her products are now distributed across major retailers in Canada, and she continues to champion entrepreneurship, inclusion, and cultural connection through food. Website: Instagram: Facebook: LinkedIn: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom/id735345903 Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/38995935

Build for Value — Not for the Hype: How some AI Companies are Winning, and others aren't (Edge of the Napkin #11) 11/09/2025

Build for Value — Not for the Hype: How some AI Companies are Winning, and others aren't (Edge of the Napkin #11) Edge of the Napkin #11 There’s a feeling that sweeps through every era of innovation — that electrifying sense of this is it. The next big wave. The one that’s going to change everything. In this episode of Edge of the Napkin, Govindh Jayaraman dives into what happens when high-expectation innovation collides with reality — when the future we bet on becomes today’s proving ground. The AI boom, once the unstoppable tide lifting every boat in sight, is now pulling back. Markets are correcting. The water is getting choppy. And what’s being revealed isn’t failure — it’s truth. Because in every correction, there’s clarity. And clarity always comes back to one simple principle: Build for value — not for the hype. When the Rising Tide Turns A rising tide, they say, lifts all boats. But when the tide goes out, you see who built on sand. For years, AI was the tide. Money poured in. Startups ballooned overnight. Everyone rebranded themselves with a shiny “AI-powered” tagline, believing that being in the space was enough. The energy was intoxicating — the gold rush mentality that said, “Just show up, and you’ll win.” But hype, like all waves, always breaks. Now, as markets tighten and investors demand results, reality has set in. The companies that were built to chase attention are scrambling. The ones that were built to create real value are rising. Because when the water recedes, what’s left standing is what was anchored well. From Hype to Heart There’s a rhythm to entrepreneurship — expansion, contraction, recalibration. When everyone’s sprinting forward, it’s easy to get swept up in the rush. Easy to mistake momentum for mastery. But that’s not leadership. That’s reaction. Leadership happens when the story changes. When “growth at all costs” becomes “growth with purpose.” When we stop asking, How big can we get? and start asking, How deep can we go? Because business isn’t just numbers — it’s emotion. It’s how you feel about what you do. It’s how your team feels showing up every day. It’s how your customers feel when they interact with your brand. Those feelings — that energy — are what drive value. And when hype fades, that’s the energy that remains. The entrepreneurs who are still standing today? They’re not the ones who shouted the loudest. They’re the ones who listened the hardest. The AI Lesson for Everyone AI is not the villain of this story. It’s the mirror. It shows us what happens when excitement outruns execution, when vision leaps ahead of value. Most of the companies that faltered weren’t wrong about AI’s potential — they were wrong about how fast value compounds. They extracted before they contributed. They optimized before they empathized. They sold the sizzle before they built the steak. And that’s the real takeaway here — innovation is not about invention alone. It’s about integration. It’s about how well your innovation serves people. Because profit doesn’t follow hype. Profit follows contribution. 5 Key Takeaways (and How to Take Action) 1. Value Is the Foundation The companies that last are the ones that start with contribution, not extraction. Hype builds momentum; value builds endurance. Take Action: Revisit your business model. For every revenue line, write down what human problem it actually solves. If you can’t find one, refine it until you can. 2. Simplicity Wins When Times Get Complex When markets get noisy, the message that cuts through is the one that’s clear. Complexity repels. Simplicity attracts. Take Action: Ask yourself, If I had to explain what I do in one sentence, could I? Practice until your purpose fits on a napkin — literally. 3. Energy Shapes Outcomes The emotional tone of your team, your clients, and your leadership ripples through everything you build. When that energy is aligned, momentum becomes effortless. Take Action: Start every meeting with one question: How are we feeling about what we’re doing? You’ll be amazed at what surfaces — and what shifts when people feel seen. 4. Execution Is the Antidote to Illusion Vision without action is imagination. Execution turns imagination into impact. The companies that rise after correction are the ones that turn talk into traction. Take Action: Review your “someday” list and move one idea into action today. Momentum comes not from motion — but from completion. 5. Profit Follows Contribution It’s not magic. It’s alignment. When your focus is on serving — deeply, meaningfully — the results take care of themselves. Take Action: Create a metric for contribution. Track not just what you make, but how much value you add. The simplest way to attract success is to deserve it. The Proving Ground Is a Gift Every hype cycle ends with a lesson — not a loss. This correction, this cooling-off period in AI, is not a collapse. It’s a cleansing. It’s a collective return to what really matters: helping people. And when you zoom out, that’s the story of entrepreneurship itself. We fall in love with possibility. We overreach. We get humbled. Then we build again — this time, wiser. So if your tide feels like it’s pulling back right now… good. It means you’re getting the chance to see what’s real. And if you choose to re-anchor in value — in simplicity, in contribution — you’ll build something that doesn’t just rise with the wave… it stands when the water retreats. The Napkin “Build for value — not for the hype.” Underneath that truth lives every great turnaround story. Every comeback. Every leader who’s weathered the storm and found their center again. Because the proving ground isn’t punishment — it’s practice. It’s where hype burns off and integrity begins. It’s where we remember that success isn’t about how loud we are, but how much light we bring. Listen to Episode 312 – Edge of the Napkin #11: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom/id735345903 Spotify: YouTube: Final Thought When your future bet becomes today’s proving ground, take a breath. Step back. Ask: Am I building for value… or chasing the hype? And if you find yourself off-center, that’s okay — it just means the tide has gone out. Now you get to see the foundation. Now you get to build again — this time, for real. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/38959930

Dr. Jenny Hoffmann: Open Up! Lead with Curiosity, Empathy, and Connection 11/06/2025

Dr. Jenny Hoffmann: Open Up! Lead with Curiosity, Empathy, and Connection Today on Paper Napkin Wisdom, we welcome Dr. Jenny Hoffmann, a leader in health-tech innovation who currently serves as Executive Director at the New England Medical Innovation Center (NEMIC). With a rich background in healthcare strategy and technology deployment, Jenny has spent her career bridging clinical insight with entrepreneurial energy, helping organizations turn innovative ideas into meaningful patient-outcomes. In this episode, we dive deep into how leaders can lean into vulnerability, curiosity, empathy and connection — the key themes captured on her paper napkin: “Open Up! Be vulnerable enough to lead with curiosity, empathy, and connection.” Story & Insight: The Napkin Unpacked Jenny’s succinct message on the napkin resonates like a simplified leadership creed: “Open Up!” At first glance it’s an invitation — but as Jenny unpacks in the conversation, it becomes a framework for how you show up in leading others. Vulnerability Jenny opens by reflecting on the myth of the infallible leader. She shares how in her earlier roles she felt the pressure to always “have the answer”, and how that posture created distance from her team. She realized that genuine connection begins when you stop pretending you’re perfect and risk showing your human side. That kind of vulnerability doesn’t show weakness — it signals trust, and invites others to bring their full selves. Curiosity From there Jenny shifts into curiosity. She recounts how when leading teams in health-tech innovation, the real breakthroughs didn’t come from already knowing the solution, but from asking “What do you think?”, “What are you missing?”, “What do we need to understand better?” Curiosity becomes a leadership superpower because it keeps you open to possibilities others may spot first. It also flips the script from “I must direct” to “We must discover together.” Empathy & Connection Jenny then emphasises empathy as more than a buzzword. She describes a moment when a project stalled because the clinical users felt unheard, the engineers felt under-pressure, and leadership insisted on timelines over dialogue. She intervened by organizing listening sessions, acknowledging the stress on all sides, and creating a space where people’s concerns were voiced. The result: renewed trust, smoother collaboration, and better outcomes. Empathy here is the bridge to connection — and connection is what transforms teams from groups of individuals into aligned, energized partners. Key Takeaways Here are five major takeaways from Jenny’s conversation and the napkin message — each followed by a practical “Take Action” for you, the leader. The power of showing your humanity Take Action: At your next team meeting, share one thing that didn’t go as planned this week and what you learned. Ask questions before giving answers Take Action: Replace one directive in the next 48 hours with a question like, “What do you think might work?” or “What are we missing?” Create spaces for listening and reflection Take Action: Schedule a 15-minute “open forum” in a future meeting where the agenda is simply: “What’s on your mind right now?” Lead from emotional insight, not just logical planning Take Action: Next time you’re setting a goal, pause and ask: “Who will this impact and how will they feel about it?” Write it down. Turn connection into coordination Take Action: After a joint project ends, hold a short “what went well / what could we improve” debrief—and emphasise not just what we did, but how we worked together. Guest Bio & Links Dr. Jenny Hoffmann is currently Executive Director at NEMIC, where she is ushering in a new era of health-tech innovation. Previously she held leadership roles in both provider and startup settings, specializing in translating clinical needs into scalable solutions. LinkedIn: About page: Conclusion Jenny’s napkin is deceptively simple—but her message is profound: Open up. When you lead with vulnerability, curiosity, empathy and connection, you don’t just manage your team — you mobilize it. Take a napkin. Write your version of “Open Up!” And then step into leadership with your full heart. Share your takeaway on social media with #PaperNapkinWisdom and let others in on the conversation. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/38895660

Make Believe: The Stories Entrepreneurs Tell Themselves (Edge of the Napkin #10) 11/02/2025

Make Believe: The Stories Entrepreneurs Tell Themselves (Edge of the Napkin #10) Make Believe: The Stories Entrepreneurs Tell Themselves (Edge of the Napkin #10) Every entrepreneur lives inside a story — the question is, who’s writing yours? If you’ve ever had a morning where nothing goes right — you stub your toe, drop your keys, spill coffee on your white shirt before 8 a.m. — you know the script that starts to play in your mind: “It’s gonna be one of those days.” And somehow, it is. Everything that follows seems to prove the story true. But the opposite happens too. You walk out the door feeling light, confident, certain something good is about to happen. Suddenly, you find a forgotten twenty in your pocket, get the short line at security, and the world seems to smile back. The truth is: the world didn’t change. Your story did. The Invisible Script of Entrepreneurship As entrepreneurs, we tell ourselves stories all day long. About clients. About employees. About the market. About ourselves. “That customer doesn’t like me.” “My team’s not ready yet.” “This quarter’s going to be brutal.” But none of that is fact. It’s make-believe. We make up stories to explain the world — and then we believe them so deeply that they shape our reality. Our thoughts become things. Our stories become strategies. Our beliefs become behavior. So why not make up stories that work for us? The Hidden Power in “Make Believe” The phrase make believe is one of the most perfectly designed pieces of language for entrepreneurs. “Make.” “Believe.” It’s a two-step formula for creation. Make — imagine, construct, design the story you want. Believe — live it, commit to it, act as if it’s already true. Every innovation starts with make believe. Steve Jobs imagined a world where everyone could have a computer in their pocket. Wright brothers imagined humans flying. Kids do it every day — no hesitation, no proof, no fear. They believe the story so completely that it becomes real. Adults call it vision. Entrepreneurs call it leadership. But at its core, it’s just make-believe. Why We Forget How to Believe Somewhere between childhood and boardrooms, we stop believing before we make. We start saying things like: “I’m just being realistic.” “That’s not how it works.” “I can’t afford to think like that.” We stop being the author of our story and start acting like a character trapped inside it. And that’s dangerous — because if you don’t write your story, your fear will. As leaders, we have to reclaim our imagination. Not fantasy — intentional imagination. The kind that directs focus, aligns action, and creates reality. The Napkin: The Story Loop On the napkin for this episode, I drew a simple loop: Story → State → Action → Evidence → (back to Story) It’s the circle we all live in. Your story shapes your state (how you feel). Your state influences your action. Your action creates evidence. And that evidence reinforces your story. Most people are stuck in a negative loop — “I’m unlucky” → frustrated → hesitant → confirm failure → reinforce “I’m unlucky.” But if you flip the story, the whole loop changes — “I create my own luck” → energized → take initiative → see opportunities → reinforce “I’m capable.” The power lies in the center of that loop, where I wrote two words: MAKE BELIEVE. That’s where you choose which story to live. Three Ways to Make Better Stories 1. Use the Focus–Align–Act Loop Ask yourself: What story am I focused on right now? Does it align with what I actually want? What one action would prove a better story true? Every new belief needs proof — and your actions create it. 2. Flip the Script Catch yourself mid-story and rewrite it. Instead of saying “I’m overwhelmed,” try “I’m learning to prioritize what matters.” It’s not denial — it’s direction. You’re changing the movie playing in your head. 3. Make It Bad, Make It Better Perfection is the enemy of momentum. Your first version of any story will be messy — and that’s okay. Say it badly first. Then refine. “I’m not a good leader yet” becomes “I’m growing into the leader my team deserves.” Iteration isn’t just for products — it’s for beliefs, too. 5 Key Takeaways 1. Your Story Is Your Strategy The beliefs you hold are the systems you build. Every result in your business started as a thought you believed long enough to act on. Take Action: Identify one recurring thought that limits you. Rewrite it in a way that propels you forward. 2. Make-Believe Is the Entrepreneur’s Edge Imagination is the ultimate competitive advantage. If you can picture it and commit to it, you’ll see paths others can’t. Take Action: Spend five minutes daily visualizing your “impossible” goal as already achieved. Feel what it’s like. 3. Choose Stories That Serve You You can’t stop telling stories — but you can choose which ones to amplify. Take Action: Notice your language this week. Each time you say “I always” or “I never,” rewrite it with “I’m learning” or “I’m creating.” 4. Belief Changes Biology When you change your story, your energy, tone, and confidence change too. People feel it — and respond to it. Take Action: Before your next team meeting, tell yourself: “They’re lucky to have me leading them.” Notice how your posture and voice shift. 5. Make-Believe Like a Kid Again Children don’t need proof to believe. They go all in — and that’s the secret. Take Action: Pick one area in your business where you’ve been “realistic” for too long. Suspend disbelief for one week. Play full out. The Challenge: Author, Don’t Act You’re either writing your story or reacting to someone else’s. The entrepreneurs who win — the ones who grow movements, not just businesses — are the ones who never stopped making believe. They don’t wait for proof. They act on faith, backed by intention. And as they move, the world rearranges itself around that belief. So what story are you telling today? Because make-believe isn’t just for kids. It’s how entrepreneurs build reality — one thought, one choice, one action at a time. Listen to Episode 310 — Edge of the Napkin #10: “Make Believe — The Stories We Tell Ourselves” Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom/id735345903 Spotify: YouTube: /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/38881295

Jon Rosemberg — Survival Is Instinct, Thriving Is a Choice 10/21/2025

Jon Rosemberg — Survival Is Instinct, Thriving Is a Choice When you meet Jon Rosemberg, you immediately sense two things — depth and discipline. He’s a behavioral scientist, author, and executive coach who has spent years exploring how we, as humans, can move beyond mere survival into a state of thriving. His work combines neuroscience, psychology, and lived experience, and it’s reflected powerfully in his new book, A Guide to Thriving: The Science Behind Breaking Old Patterns, Reclaiming Your Agency, and Finding Meaning. On his paper napkin, Jon wrote just seven words: “Survival is instinct, thriving is a choice.” At first glance, it seems like a motivational quote — something you’d find on a coffee mug or a gym wall. But when you listen to Jon unpack it, it becomes clear that this idea cuts much deeper. It’s not about positive thinking or grinding harder; it’s about reclaiming agency. It’s about recognizing that while your biology may be wired to survive, your mindset and daily choices are what allow you to thrive. From the Instinct to the Intention Jon began by reflecting on how our nervous system is designed for safety, not success. “The human brain evolved to protect us, not to make us happy,” he explained. “So when we operate from a place of fear, anxiety, or scarcity, we’re not broken — we’re just running old code.” That’s the heart of it. Survival isn’t bad; it’s just incomplete. It’s reactive. It keeps you from drowning but never teaches you to swim. Thriving, on the other hand, is intentional. It means rewriting the code — taking conscious ownership of your patterns, your responses, and ultimately your story. Jon shared moments in his own life where he caught himself defaulting to survival mode — overworking, overanalyzing, overcompensating. “I used to think thriving was about achievement,” he said. “Now I know it’s about alignment. It’s about living in harmony with your values, not just chasing outcomes.” Key Takeaway 1: Awareness Precedes Agency Before you can change, you have to see. Jon calls this “meta-awareness” — the ability to notice your own patterns without judgment. It’s the first step in reclaiming agency from the automatic survival system running in the background. Take Action: This week, observe one moment where you feel triggered or reactive. Pause and ask: “Is this survival or choice?” That single question begins the process of thriving. Key Takeaway 2: Thriving Requires Safety It may sound counterintuitive, but thriving starts with safety — both psychological and physiological. Jon points out that many leaders try to “thrive” without ever calming their nervous systems. They’re running at full speed in fight-or-flight mode, confusing momentum for mastery. Take Action: Build micro-moments of safety into your day. That could be a deep breath before a meeting, a brief walk without your phone, or ending the day with gratitude instead of to-do lists. Safety is the soil in which thriving grows. Key Takeaway 3: Rewrite the Old Story Survival keeps you stuck in the past — protecting the version of you that got hurt, failed, or feared rejection. Thriving means rewriting that narrative. Jon says, “When you choose to thrive, you stop defending who you were and start creating who you want to become.” Take Action: Write down one “old story” you keep repeating — something that starts with “I always…” or “I never…” Replace it with a new one: “I’m learning to…” That shift from identity to evolution is where growth begins. Key Takeaway 4: Choose Energy Over Effort In the survival mindset, effort is everything — grind, push, endure. But thriving requires energy management, not energy expenditure. Jon shared how leaders often deplete themselves trying to “perform” instead of “be.” When you shift from proving to presence, you conserve energy for what truly matters. Take Action: Ask yourself daily: “What gives me energy?” Do more of that. Cut or delegate what drains you. Thriving isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing what matters with energy that sustains you. Key Takeaway 5: Thriving Is Contagious Perhaps the most powerful insight from Jon’s conversation was this — when you choose to thrive, you give others permission to do the same. Teams mirror their leaders. Families mirror their anchors. Organizations mirror their culture. When one person steps out of survival, it shifts the system. Take Action: Model thriving. Talk about rest, purpose, and meaning as much as you talk about results. Celebrate progress, not just outcomes. Your example will ripple farther than you can imagine. The Choice Before Us Jon’s napkin doesn’t promise ease — it promises evolution. Survival is baked into our DNA, but thriving is a decision we make daily. It’s a commitment to awareness, safety, story, energy, and influence. It’s a discipline of choosing growth when comfort whispers otherwise. So, the question Jon leaves us with is this: If survival is instinct, how will you choose to thrive today? About Jon Rosemberg: Jon Rosemberg is a behavioral scientist, executive coach, and author of A Guide to Thriving: The Science Behind Breaking Old Patterns, Reclaiming Your Agency, and Finding Meaning. His work bridges neuroscience, psychology, and personal development to help individuals and organizations move from coping to creating. Website: LinkedIn: Book: A Guide to Thriving – available from Wiley.com Call to Action: Take a moment to write down your own definition of thriving — what it feels like, looks like, and sounds like in your life. Then, post your takeaway on a napkin and share it with the hashtag #PaperNapkinWisdom. Because thriving begins with one conscious choice — yours. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/38641940

Flexibility Is the Only True Hedge – Edge of the Napkin #9 10/19/2025

Flexibility Is the Only True Hedge – Edge of the Napkin #9 In a world where volatility has become the norm — prices swing, markets shake, politics polarize, and technology rewrites the rules daily — one question stands out for leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone simply trying to navigate life: How do we hedge against uncertainty? Not with gold. Not with cash. Not with control. But with flexibility. That’s the essence of this week’s Edge of the Napkin. On my napkin, a single word runs across the center: RISK. Below it — Rigidity → Fragility. Above it — Flexibility → Resilience. And an arrow curves between them, reminding us that the difference between collapse and adaptation isn’t conditions — it’s behavior. The Human Side of Risk Everyone understands risk now. You can feel it at the grocery store, at the gas pump, in the way your phone updates its own intelligence while you sleep. When life gets uncertain, our instinct is to tighten our grip — to control. But control is an illusion. The tighter we hold on, the more fragile we become. The truth is, rigidity is a form of denial. It says, “If I hold still long enough, maybe the world will stop moving.” But the world doesn’t stop moving. And those who survive — and thrive — are the ones who move with it. The Hedge That Money Can’t Buy In finance, a hedge is something you buy to protect against loss — a trade you make so you don’t get wiped out when markets turn. But in life and leadership, flexibility is the ultimate hedge. It’s not a financial instrument; it’s a behavioral one. It’s the capacity to say: “If the world changes, I can change too.” And that’s priceless. It doesn’t expire. It doesn’t require a broker. It compounds — every time you use it. Rigidity vs. Flexibility: The Everyday Test You see this dynamic every day. When a flight gets canceled, one traveler melts down, pacing and shouting at the counter. Another grabs a coffee, smiles, and says, “Well, let’s see what happens.” One loses a day; the other gains a story. Same event. Different behavior. One fragile, one resilient. Leaders experience the same thing. When plans fail, rigid leaders double down on control. Flexible leaders shift gears, find the lesson, and move forward stronger. That’s what separates companies that survive disruption from those that get buried by it. In Business: Rigidity Costs, Flexibility Pays Think of Kodak — rigid around film. Blockbuster — rigid around physical stores. Both had opportunities to evolve; both held too tight to “how we’ve always done it.” Contrast that with Toyota after Fukushima — flexible in the face of chaos, retooling factories and redistributing supply. Or Apple — constantly adjusting, learning, and reinventing even its own products before the market forces it to. The difference wasn’t money, talent, or technology. It was flexibility. Rigidity is expensive; flexibility pays dividends. Leadership: Whisper, Don’t Shout Flexibility isn’t just strategy — it’s communication. It’s the hallmark of leadership. Because great leaders don’t shout in their own language. They whisper in the language of their team, their customers, their audience. Rigidity shouts, “This is how we do things!” Flexibility listens and says, “Let’s meet where you are.” That whisper — that empathy in motion — builds trust. And trust is the strongest currency in uncertain times. Letting Go to Grow The paradox of flexibility is this: You don’t gain it by adding more — you gain it by letting go. We become rigid by holding on — to outdated plans, assumptions, and fears. We become flexible by clearing space — for learning, for movement, for new data to enter. Letting go is not weakness. It’s capacity creation. Ask yourself: What am I clinging to that keeps me rigid? What belief, process, or habit no longer serves who I’m becoming? What could I remove today to create more space to move tomorrow? Flexibility doesn’t come from control — it comes from clarity. The Napkin Wisdom So the next time you feel risk rising — in the market, in your relationships, or in your own emotions — remember that napkin line: RISK Below it: Rigidity → Fragility Above it: Flexibility → Resilience And the arrow in between? That’s the pivot — the one we each have to make. Because the world doesn’t reward rigidity anymore. It rewards responsiveness. It rewards curiosity. It rewards leaders who can hold their center while changing shape. The future belongs to those who can flex. 🎧 Listen to the Episode You can hear the full Edge of the Napkin #9 – Flexibility is the Only True Hedge conversation here: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/paper-napkin-wisdom/id735345903 Spotify: YouTube: 📝 Your Turn Draw it out. One line labeled RISK. Below: Rigidity → Fragility. Above: Flexibility → Resilience. And right there in the middle, write: “Flexibility is the only true hedge.” Then ask yourself: Where do I need to bend so I don’t break? When you have your answer, share it. Post your napkin with the hashtag #PaperNapkinWisdom — and let’s keep the conversation going. Because the ideas small enough to fit on a napkin… are still the ones big enough to change your life. /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/38634120

Simone Kelly - Build a Business You Love (But Not Your Hobby) 10/14/2025

Simone Kelly - Build a Business You Love (But Not Your Hobby) When Simone Kelly first began helping families navigate the complexities of senior care, she didn’t just build a company—she built a movement. As the founder and CEO of Seniornicity, Simone’s mission is rooted in empathy, connection, and empowerment. Her company bridges the gap between older adults, families, and trusted care providers, making it easier for people to age well, together. But the napkin she brought to Paper Napkin Wisdom goes deeper than business strategy—it’s about protecting your passion and preserving your peace. “Build a business that you love, but not your hobby. Because when you need to shut your brain off to your work, you won’t have your hobby to turn to.” Simone’s insight is simple, but it carries the kind of wisdom that only comes from lived experience. Entrepreneurs often start businesses around something they’re passionate about. But as Simone points out, when that passion becomes your full-time pursuit, it can consume everything—including the joy it once brought you. She shares in this conversation how running Seniornicity—though deeply aligned with her values—requires constant emotional investment. Supporting families through moments of transition takes heart, patience, and empathy. It’s rewarding work, but it’s also heavy. So Simone learned that she needed something outside of her purpose-driven business to recharge her creativity and spirit. That’s where the power of this napkin lives. Loving your business doesn’t mean making it your whole identity. In fact, the healthiest entrepreneurs draw energy from outside their enterprises. Simone and Govindh unpack how business owners blur the lines between “who I am” and “what I do,” and why that can lead to burnout, resentment, or even loss of self. It’s not about doing less—it’s about finding the balance between purpose and preservation. She tells stories of early challenges—moments where she tried to give 100% to everything and everyone, until there was nothing left for herself. Over time, Simone realized that when you build a business around your hobby, your outlet becomes your obligation. There’s no off switch. No mental reset. No safe space to retreat and rejuvenate. Instead, she encourages entrepreneurs to build businesses that light them up and to nurture hobbies that fill them up. The two don’t need to compete—they need to coexist. It’s a mindset shift that resonates across every industry: Your business can be your mission, but your hobby should remain your medicine. 5 Key Takeaways from Simone Kelly 1. Love the Work—But Don’t Let It Consume You Loving what you do doesn’t mean doing it all the time. Take Action: Schedule intentional “off-business” hours each week where you explore something purely for fun—with no ROI attached. 2. Purpose Without Boundaries Leads to Burnout Simone reminds us that passion must be paired with limits. Take Action: Set clear mental and emotional boundaries—decide when work thoughts stop and personal space begins. 3. Keep Your Hobby Sacred Your hobby is your reset button—it fuels creativity and restores perspective. Take Action: List three things that bring you joy outside your business and commit to one weekly. 4. Your Business Isn’t Your Identity When identity and business merge too tightly, failures feel personal. Take Action: Practice saying, “This challenge is happening in my business, not to me.” 5. Build a Life That Can Hold Both Passion and Peace The best leaders know when to engage and when to rest. Take Action: Create a “recovery ritual”—a consistent way to decompress after major pushes or emotional days. Simone Kelly’s message is a vital reminder that sustainability in entrepreneurship isn’t about working harder—it’s about designing your life so that your energy, joy, and purpose can thrive together. Build a business that matters. But also build a life that restores you. When your business lights you up and your hobbies ground you, you don’t just succeed—you stay whole. Now it’s your turn: What’s your takeaway? Write it on a napkin, share it, and tag #PaperNapkinWisdom. More about Simone Kelly and Seniornicity Website: LinkedIn: Company Page: Instagram: TikTok: Facebook: /episode/index/show/wisenapkin/id/38561160

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