The Mike Method

EP100 Why “Just Push Through It” Stops Working with Kara Kalin

We’re excited to welcome Kara Kalin for the 100th episode of The Mike Method. We’re also incredibly grateful for the support that has helped us reach this milestone. Every listen, follow, share, and conversation around the podcast truly means so much to us. In this conversation, she shares how early experiences in sport, grief, pressure, and performance shaped the way she understood strength, achievement, and emotional survival. Kara has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of trauma, resilience, mental health, and high performance as a registered clinical counselor, certified EMDR therapist, mental performance specialist, former national level athlete, and Team Canada coach. Together, she and Mike explore how trauma can remain stored in the body long after an experience is over, why “just push through it” is not a sustainable strategy, and how nervous system overload often shows up as anxiety, overthinking, shutdown, or emotional exhaustion. Kara also breaks down EMDR in a practical and accessible way, explaining how trauma loops form, the difference between conscious and unconscious looping, why many people cannot simply reason their way out of activation, and how processing experiences can create more capacity, connection, and resilience over time. The conversation explores parenting, sport culture, leadership, grief, emotional regulation, and the difference between surviving hard experiences and actually healing from them. This episode is about learning how to move through life with what Kara calls a strong spine and an open heart. Episode Resources: Kara Kalin: Website [https://www.karakalin.com/] / LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karakalin?originalSubdomain=ca] Shift Change - leadership and corporate integration: Website [ www.shiftchange.life] ViRTUS: Website [https://www.virtusinc.com/] / Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/virtus.inc/] / LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/284723/admin/dashboard/] Sign up for our Newsletter: Sign Up [https://www.virtusinc.com/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

EP99 Almost Good Enough: Perfectionism, Peace, and the Nervous System with Lynn Sumida

In this episode of The Mike Method, Mike sits down with returning guest Lynn Sumida for a deeply personal conversation about perfectionism, nervous system safety, and the hidden fear many high performers carry beneath constant striving. Lynn is the founder of Mirrors Point and Expanding You, co-author of The Extraordinary Within, and is currently writing her upcoming book Almost Good Enough, which explores the pressure so many people feel to perform, perfect, and prove themselves. Together, Mike and Lynn explore why peace can feel uncomfortable for the nervous system, how early experiences shape our relationship with safety, and why many leaders stay stuck in cycles of achievement while struggling to actually enjoy the journey. The conversation also moves into masculinity, emotional sensitivity, vulnerability, and the difference between the polished facade people present to the world and the very human reality underneath it. Topics include: * nervous system protection and hypervigilance * perfectionism and productivity * why white space can feel threatening * emotional safety and childhood patterning * vulnerability and leadership * the inner critic and self-protection * peace, achievement, and identity * how early experiences shape adult behavior Lynn also shares details about her upcoming Almost Good Enough workshop experience happening in Nanaimo. Episode Resources: Connect with Lynn: Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnsumida?originalSubdomain=ca] / Website [https://expandingyou.com/programs/workshops/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

EP98 Alignment Over Agreement: The Leadership Skill Most People Miss with Céline Williams

Agreement is not the goal. Alignment is. In this episode, Mike sits down with Céline Williams, a business strategist, executive coach, and leadership development expert who has spent more than 15 years helping fast-growth companies and Fortune 500 organizations build stronger cultures, improve communication, and lead with greater clarity. This conversation starts where most leadership advice does not, with self-awareness. Céline shares why understanding your own reactions, patterns, and internal drivers is the foundation for everything else, including empathy, communication, and decision making. From there, they explore the difference between listening for agreement and listening for understanding, and why that shift can change how we navigate conflict, relationships, and team dynamics. They also get into: * Why empathy starts with curiosity about yourself * A simple two-question framework to approach difficult conversations * The relationship between people and systems, and why one cannot be prioritized at the expense of the other * The false choice between kindness and accountability * Why leaders need to acknowledge power dynamics to build real psychological safety * This is a grounded, practical conversation with ideas that feel clear once they are named, but are easy to miss when you are immersed in the day to day. Episode Resources: Connect with Celine on LinkedIn [linkedin.com/in/celinewilliams?originalSubdomain=ca] reVisionary [https://www.linkedin.com/company/revisionary/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

EP97 Resilience, Clarity, and Decision Making in an AI Driven World with Reese Haydon

Resilience is often framed as pushing through. But in a world where AI, fintech, and constant change are reshaping how we work, that definition is no longer enough. In this episode, Mike sits down with Reese Hayden, Senior Director and Head of Executive Talent and Learning at PayPal. Reese leads executive selection, development, and top team effectiveness for senior leaders, and has spent over a decade helping organizations like Salesforce, Dropbox, and Cisco connect leadership development directly to strategy and performance. Together, they explore what leadership requires when the pace of change continues to accelerate. They break down PayPal’s four core leadership capabilities: investing in self and others, leading with clarity, impactful problem solving, and agile decision making, and how these show up in real, day to day leadership. The conversation moves beyond theory into practical tools, including how to recognize when you are in the “yellow” before burnout, the difference between productive and destructive tension, and how simple frameworks like DAISY and the Five Whys help leaders make better decisions and avoid solving the wrong problems. This is a grounded, practical conversation on how leaders can stay effective, present, and resilient without running themselves into the ground. Episode Resources: Connect with Reese on LinkedIn [linkedin.com/in/rshydn] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

EP96 Boundaries That Change Everything: Strength, Safety, and Letting Go of People Pleasing with Dana Skaggs

Setting and defending healthy boundaries saved Dana Skaggs’ life, and in this conversation, she breaks down exactly why. Mike Desjardins sits down with Dana Skaggs, therapist and trauma specialist known for her work on boundaries, to explore how anxiety, people pleasing, resentment, and emotional exhaustion are often rooted in one core issue: weak or unclear boundaries. Drawing from both her professional work and her own upbringing in a home shaped by unpredictability and emotional volatility, Dana shares how discovering boundaries changed not just her career, but her entire life. Together, they unpack what boundaries actually are, why they feel so difficult to set, and what really happens when you start to change the dynamic in your relationships. Dana introduces practical frameworks like the “yard” analogy, where your thoughts, feelings, and actions are yours to own, and explains why the pushback you receive after setting a boundary is not a sign you are doing it wrong, but often a sign you are doing it right. They also explore people pleasing, the fear of losing relationships, and the reality that if someone cannot accept your “no,” the relationship may not be what you think it is. This conversation offers a grounded, honest look at what it takes to move toward relationships built on strength, safety, and personal responsibility. Episode Resources Boundaries by Henry Cloud & John Townsend Learn more about Dana Skaggs: Website [https://danaskaggs.com/] Connect with Dana: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danabskaggs-speaker] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.