Workday Playdate

Latest Episodes:

7. Three Secrets to Getting It All Done – and Turning Failing It! Into Nailing It! Jun 10, 2020

Show notes

“You know the peeps who seem to have it all together? You, too, can have it all with the help of some friends.” - Erin Diehl Each week, your failed it! podcast host and improve it! founder Erin Diehl, will take you on a comedic journey that flips the “highlight reel” of Instagram on its head and shows you the grit, creativity and determination it takes to overcome your disappointments, embrace the suck, and design the career you’ve only dreamed about. Do you feel overwhelmed at times? Unorganized? Have so much on your plate? Well, in this episode, host Erin Diehl will talk through key points on how you truly don’t have to do it all to be successful. So tune in, take a load off, and listen to the tips and tricks she has for you on turning failing it! into nailing it! Welcome to failed it! Erin fills you in on three secrets to getting it all done:

[2:41] A day in the life of Erin pre-quarantine
[4:48] You don’t have to do it all!
[5:25] Get a lil help from your friends
[6:28] Eliminate and delegate
[9:44] Intern hire tips
[11:36] Come laugh and learn with improve it!’s WFH (work from home) membership
[14:15] Outsourcing Pros
[16:38] Structure your work day
[18:20] Big 3 Freebie LINK
[19:01] The final tip
[20:35] Let’s review
[21:18] And remember...
[21:36] Take a screenshot and tag us using #faileditpodcast
- Instagram: @learntoimproveit
- Facebook: @improveit
[22:00] Always remember, you have to fail in order to improve

Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the failed it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award. This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre. When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running by the lake and patio dinners with her husband and son, and their eight pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl. You can follow the failed it! Podcast @learntoimproveit on Instagram and Facebook, and you can follow Erin here on Instagram. We can’t wait to connect with you online!
For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.

Connect with Erin Diehl

🌟 Learn more about Workday Playdate: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/podcast-page
🎤 Book Erin to speak: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/keynote-speaker
📚 Workshops & Team Experiences: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/experiential-training
💌 Learn more about Erin: https://www.itserindiehl.com/meet-erin
📱 For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.

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6. Stand Up to Failure with Comedian Josh Johnson May 27, 2020

Show notes

“I think that if you’re able to be flexible, you open yourself up to all possibilities of getting to the place that you eventually want to be.” - Josh Johnson Each week, your failed it! podcast host and improve it! founder Erin Diehl, will take you on a comedic journey that flips the “highlight reel” of Instagram on its head and shows you the grit, creativity and determination it takes to overcome your disappointments, embrace the suck, and design the career you’ve only dreamed about. On today’s failed it! episode, host Erin Diehl introduces stand-up comedian, writer and performer, Josh Johnson, to speak about how he stands up and embraces failure! Please note that this episode was recorded prior to the pandemic. Welcome to failed it!

[3:59] The real Diehl on the real Josh Johnson
[7:26] Josh’s failure resume
[10:04] The first year of stand-up
[13:26] Podcast idea that didn’t come to fruition
[22:36] 3 lessons Josh learned
[23:45] Doors don’t get slammed, but get closed slowly
[25:06] “I think that if you’re able to be flexible, you open yourself up to all possibilities of getting to the place that you eventually want to be.”
[27:45] improve it!’s WFH (work from home) membership
[34:12] “Time only builds and helps them to get them where they want to go.”
[35:47] Josh provides 3 action items for you that he learned
[37:53] “Reading is a lot like exercising”
[43:03] What did Josh fail at today?
[44:44] Fail Yeah!
[46:21] You can follow/DM Josh on Instagram and Twitter and Facebook
[47:24] Check out Josh’s album ‘I Like You’ on Spotify, Tidal, etc.
[48:08] Rate/Subscribe on iTunes and screenshot you listening by tagging us using #faileditpodcast!
- Instagram: @learntoimproveit
- Facebook: @improveit

Josh Johnson is a stand-up, writer, and performer from Louisiana by way of Chicago. He is currently a writer on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and has been featured on Kevin Hart’s Hart of the City. Josh was named one of Comedy Central’s ‘Comics to Watch’ in 2015 and one of the Just For Laughs Festival’s ‘New Faces’ in 2016. He is a former writer and performer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he also made his late-night debut in 2017. As a stand-up, Josh has performed at clubs, colleges and festivals around the world, including JFL Montreal, Bumbershoot, Moontower, SXSW, Riot LA, Bridgetown, High Plains and the New York Comedy Festival and was named New York’s Funniest Comic at Caroline's during the New York Comedy Festival in 2018. On screen, Josh has appeared on CONAN, @Midnight with Chris Hardwick, and Netflix as part of The Comedy Lineup. In 2017, he released his Comedy Central half-hour special and album ‘I Like You.’ His web series Genies, which he wrote and starred in, was released on Comedy Central in late 2018. He was on the road with Trevor Noah, as a part of the LOUD & CLEAR Tour, prior to the pandemic. Josh lives in New York and can be seen performing regularly at the Comedy Cellar. Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the failed it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award. This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre. When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running by the lake and patio dinners with her husband and son, and their eight pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl. You can follow the failed it! Podcast @learntoimproveit on Instagram and facebook, and you can follow Erin here on Instagram. We can’t wait to connect with you online!
For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.

Connect with Erin Diehl

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5. How Celebrating Your #FAILS Can Change Your Life May 20, 2020

Show notes

“Instead of thinking of your failures as #fails – why not think of them as gifts? What did you learn from the experience? What could you gain?” - Erin Diehl Each week, your failed it! podcast host and improve it! founder Erin Diehl, will take you on a comedic journey that flips the “highlight reel” of Instagram on its head and shows you the grit, creativity and determination it takes to overcome your disappointments, embrace the suck, and design the career you’ve only dreamed about. Being in quarantine has given us time to start new things and/or finish projects, but have you been hesitant in starting something because you think you might fail? In this episode, host Erin Diehl will show you how celebrating and sharing your failures can help you process, learn, and appreciate the mistakes. It is within these failures that you can find your life’s greatest gifts. Welcome to failed it! Today, Erin discusses three ways on how you can celebrate your failures.

[2:49] Sound familiar?
[4:37] The pandemic shows our more authentic selves
[5:08] The message behind the smile
[6:55] Reality
[7:28] 3 ways to help you celebrate your failures
[7:49] Fails are our presents to the world
[11:16] Erin’s celebration of fails aka gifts
[12:33] Action item
[13:00] Episode 2 with Haley Bohon offering affordable classes
[14:05] improve it!’s WFH (work from home) membership
[16:41] “The person that we become is due in part to the lessons we have learned over time, and most of the lessons have been learned through failure”
[17:08] Write your failure resume!
[18:39] Failures mean you tried
[18:46] Shout out Brene Brown
[19:21] Come fail away with me
[21:13] “Sharing our struggles create connection and community”
[21:46] Take a pic with your failure resume and tag us using #faileditpodcast
- Instagram: @learntoimproveit
- Facebook: @improveit
[22:06] Recap
[22:34] Take a screenshot and share on social
[23:06] Always remember, you have to fail in order to improve

Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the failed it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award. This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre. When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running by the lake and patio dinners with her husband and son, and their eight pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl. You can follow the failed it! Podcast @learntoimproveit on Instagram and facebook, and you can follow Erin here on Instagram. We can’t wait to connect with you online!
For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.

Connect with Erin Diehl

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4. The Fortune Favors the Bold - Lessons in Failure with Kyle Stapleton of WarnerMedia Studios. May 13, 2020

Show notes

“You gotta get through the discomfort of ‘this doesn’t look like something I have experienced and am comfortable with,’ but it’s going to push us ultimately, and hopefully into something better.” - Kyle Stapleton Each week, your failed it! podcast host and improve it! founder Erin Diehl, will take you on a comedic journey that flips the “highlight reel” of Instagram on its head and shows you the grit, creativity and determination it takes to overcome your disappointments, embrace the suck, and design the career you’ve only dreamed about. On today’s failed it! episode, host Erin Diehl introduces the Senior Manager of Culture & Experience at WarnerMedia Studios, Kyle Stapleton to speak about his lessons in failure and his embodiment in creating soulful, human work experiences. Welcome to failed it! Tune in to how innovator Kyle proves that the fortune sure does favor the bold by the highlights below:

[5:49] Kyle’s failure resume
[13:44] If you’re an innovator, surround yourself with integrators
[14:14] Book - Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman & Mark C. Winters
[16:55] The quarantine adjustment using the innovator mindset
[19:30] Breaking down old habits and embracing change; be smarter and work different
[20:06] Quarantine gave a chance to pause and reflect
[23:01] improve it!’s WFH (work from home) membership
[24:49] Chicken Champion Moment (getting comfortable with the uncomfortable)
[26:11] The fortune favors the bold - value of speaking up
[31:53] 3 action items for others to improve themselves (be a rebel, make sure you’re serving, take the opportunity to clean your slate)
[39:58] Today, Kyle failed at…
[41:13] With every failure, you learn
[41:30] Fail Yeah!
[43:13] You can follow Kyle on Twitter and LinkedIn
[43:40] Screenshot you listening and tag us using #faileditpodcast!
- Instagram: @learntoimproveit
- Facebook: @improveit

Kyle Stapleton is Sr. Manager of Culture and Experience for WarnerMedia Studios, the creative production engine that supports WarnerMedia brands like TBS, TNT, HBO Max,Cartoon Network, [adult swim], NBA TV, truTV, CNN, Bleacher Report, and more. There he fosters an environment that empowers top creative talent to shape culture through stories. This entails working across the employee life cycle, from talent attraction and onboarding through engagement, inclusion, and development. His team’s goal is to make WarnerMedia the world’s preeminent destination for multimedia creatives. As part of his interest in designing more soulful, human work experiences, Kyle co-founded the Atlanta chapter of CULTURE LABx, a global community of EX professionals experimenting with the future of work. He also advises and champions organizations working at the intersection of Atlanta’s cultural impact and civil rights legacy, such as Atlanta Influences Everything, Generator, and Future Foundation. Kyle also co-hosts TuneDig, a podcast about music discovery born from years of working with record stores. He earned his bachelor’s and MBA from Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business. He and his wife Caralee, a visual artist and curator, are proud lifelong ATLiens. Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the failed it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award. This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre. When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running by the lake and patio dinners with her husband and son, and their eight pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl. You can follow the failed it! Podcast @learntoimproveit on Instagram and facebook, and you can follow Erin here on Instagram. We can’t wait to connect with you online!
For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.

Connect with Erin Diehl

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3. Failing Forward: How to Lead A Remote Workforce During Covid-19 May 06, 2020

Show notes

“Change is inevitable. It’s how we grow as human beings, it’s how we motivate teams, it’s how organizations are built, why my company exists and how individuals and businesses thrive.” - Erin Diehl Each week, your failed it! podcast host and improve it! founder Erin Diehl, will take you on a comedic journey that flips the “highlight reel” of Instagram on its head and shows you the grit, creativity and determination it takes to overcome your disappointments, embrace the suck, and design the career you’ve only dreamed about. Welcome to failed it! In this episode, host Erin Diehl addresses how she and her company, improve it!, are adapting to the effects of Covid-19 and how she’s leading her remote workforce. Here, you’ll hear the “real Diehl” on how Covid-19 has completely shifted leadership and how to pivot through this crisis or any crisis that may come after this. Prior to this pandemic, the improve it! team already consisted of three remote employees. Erin shares with her fellow leaders the tips and tricks that her company uses to make remote work a part of their business prior to this pandemic:

[1:11] The Charlotte expansion
[2:30] Differences in having remote employees
[3:32] #FAILS
[4:41] Grab your notebook & pen
[5:04] How to lead a remote team using remote control wink wink
[6:14] Online tools RULE
[7:30] Zoom zoom zoom
[8:14] “Your tone sets the tone for conversation”
[11:49] improve it!’s WFH (work from home) membership
[13:29] Stop, collaborate, and listen
[14:06] Free, online tool resources (Asana, Calendly, Dropbox, Evernote)
[17:01] Trust your people
[17:44] Team weekly check-ins
[18:31] Yes, and
[19:49] Celebrate change
[20:55] Shoutout to Rachel Hollis
[21:43] You can’t control everything
[22:53] Think about these questions to benefit your team
[23:56] “You can do hard things”
[24:09] And remember…
[24:46] Screenshot you listening and tag us using #faileditpodcast!
- Instagram: @learntoimproveit
- Facebook: @improveit

Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the failed it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award. This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre. When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running by the lake and patio dinners with her husband and son, and their eight pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl. You can follow the failed it! Podcast @learntoimproveit on Instagram and facebook, and you can follow Erin here on Instagram. We can’t wait to connect with you online!
For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.

Connect with Erin Diehl

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2. SkillPop’s Pandemic Pivot with Haley Bohon Apr 29, 2020

Show notes

“It felt like I am just completely back to the beginning in both a terrifying and exhilarating way.” - Haley Bohon, Founder and CEO of Skillpop Welcome to the failed it! Podcast. Each week, your host and improve it! founder Erin Diehl, will take you on a comedic journey that flips the “highlight reel” of Instagram on its head and shows you the grit, creativity and determination it takes to overcome your disappointments, embrace the suck, and design the career you’ve only dreamed about. On this episode, host Erin Diehl brings on a fellow female founder, Haley Bohon, to hear her journey on starting Skillpop, a company that hosts expert-led classes and workshops on topics such as photography, gardening, social media and more. Haley talks all about the lessons she’s learned in becoming an entrepreneur and founder, and how the pandemic has forced her to quickly pivot her in-person learning company to become an online space. Check out the highlights from their conversation below. ● [4:25] Erin has retaken the Enneagram test and she is a Type 3, like Haley! What’s your personality type? ● [6:05] Inspiration for this podcast ● [6:55] Haley’s career journey and lessons learned ● [11:52] What led Haley to create her 4 ½ year old business ● [13:29] Importance of finding community in a new city ● [18:45] Current situation within the pandemic ● [22:01] Disaster planning ● [25:05] Join improve it!’s WFH (workshop from home) membership ● [27:41] Skillpop Anywhere was launched in 3 days ● [31:14] Haley’s 3 biggest lessons: Problems/Solutions, Ask for Help, Build in Normalcy ● [34:32] Great book shout out - Traction ● [37:30] Haley’s awesome advice ● [41:54] Skillpop Anywhere Pitch ● [43:08] Screenshot you listening and tag us using #faileditpodcast! Instagram: @learntoimproveit Facebook: @learntoimproveit Haley Bohon graduated from NC State University with her B.S in Mechanical Engineering and since has worked both in Product Development for a Fortune 500 company and in project management for a local tech company. Currently, Haley is the founder and CEO of SkillPop, a company that hosts expert-led classes and workshops on topics such as photography, gardening, social media and more. Since launching in 2015, the company has held over 4,000 in-person classes and has facilitated learning for over 40,000 students. Recently, SkillPop has introduced an online platform called "SkillPop Anywhere." You can find her on Instagram @SkillPop or on Facebook and Twitter @SkillpopHQ. Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the failed it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award. This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre. You can follow the failed it! Podcast @learntoimproveit on Instagram and facebook, and you can follow Erin @keepinitrealdiehl on instagram.
For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.

Connect with Erin Diehl

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1. Three Things I Learned As A Leader During COVID-19 Apr 17, 2020

Show notes

“You can turn this time of uncertainty into a time where one thing is certain: You are a leader and you are unstoppable.” - Erin Diehl The world has shifted and in a matter of just a few weeks, everything has changed. This episode, host Erin Diehl addresses how she and her company, improve it!, are adapting to the effects of Covid-19 and the most important things she learned as a leader during this time. Welcome to failed it! What a crazy world we live in right now. This pandemic has affected everyone in so many different ways. On this week’s episode, you’ll hear the “real Diehl” on how Covid-19 looks like a huge failure for a lot of businesses and teams. Erin invites you to think about how this “fail” can be the fuel you need to put you and your team into overdrive to create new revenue opportunities and scale in a different way. Today, Erin discusses her new norm during the quarantine and three main tips and tricks to help you lead your rockstar team during the pandemic. ● [1:11] Day in the life of a small business leader ● [2:45] The pivot from in-person to virtual ● [3:33] Team zoom calls ● [4:59] The brightside ● [5:35] Gratitude ● [6:32] Quarantine is hard ● [7:59] “I was letting go of what once was, and making room for what is. A new normal, a new beginning for me, my business and for the world.” ● [9:13] 3 things Erin learned ● [9:26] Focus on what you can control; “Your attitude and the way you show up is controllable” ● [14:34] Your effort is controllable; “you can show up, you can speak up and you can fail up” ● [18:52] You can control your support channels - George Gerbner Cultivation Theory ● [22:17] You can do hard things ● [23:24] Improvise your butt off improve it!'s WFH Monthly Membership can be found: HERE Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the failed it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award. This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre. When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running by the lake and patio dinners with her husband and son, and their eight pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl. You can follow the failed it! Podcast @learntoimproveit on Instagram and facebook, and you can follow Erin @keepinitrealdiehl on instagram.
For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.