Redefining Hope

Time with a leader

Fishing for Answers: GDE CEO Mark Kimbell on Leadership, Relationships & Succession Planning Marlin and Jaerica welcome special guest Mark Kimbell, CEO of Gallatin Department of Electricity, who shares his background as an electrical engineer and GDE’s growth since 2012. He emphasizes leadership principles of honesty, openness, integrity, and strong relationships, including empowering employees through training and educational opportunities. Mark discusses balancing career and family, his children’s engineering paths, and the influence of faith and values. Looking ahead to his planned retirement in August of 27, he outlines structured succession planning with the board and department-level backups, and personal plans including a long Pacific cruise and more time with grandchildren. He reflects on receiving the TVPPA Distinguished Service Award and APPA’s Mark Crisson Leadership Award, and explains founding the Valley Public Power Leadership Academy to strengthen TVA–local power company relationships. He closes with advice to treat people well and help everyone succeed. #leadership #retirement #fishingforanswers #f4a 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:23 Mark’s GDE Journey 02:33 Growth Awards and Industry Impact 03:46 Leadership Through Relationships 04:23 Core Leadership Principles 06:00 Empowering Teams and Training 07:11 Leadership at Home and Family 08:49 Communication Style and Curiosity 10:38 Retirement Plans and Succession 13:10 Preparing Personally for Transition 13:24 Pacific Cruise Plans 14:06 Family Time and Grandkids 14:32 Faith and Values 15:32 Awards and Recognition 17:00 VPPLA Origin Story 19:59 Relationships Built Through VPPLA 21:21 Community Legacy at GDE 23:10 Leadership Wisdom to Close 24:35 Final Thanks and Sign Off

Friction in the Workplace

Handling Workplace Friction | Fishing for Answers Marlin and Jaerica reunite in Gallatin for an episode of Fishing for Answers focused on navigating friction and difficult people in the workplace, including recognizing when you may be the one causing tension. They share practical strategies such as using a 24-hour cooling-off rule, assuming positive intent (low competence vs. high malice), building a personal “firewall” to prevent negativity from spilling into home life, and using physical transitions after work to shed stress. They discuss reclaiming control by changing the power dynamic through “gray rocking,” documenting patterns when bullying or unfairness is involved, and refocusing on “the third space” (you, them, and the work) by redirecting energy into excellence. They also cover BIFF communication (brief, informative, friendly, firm), avoiding dependency on apologies or validation, and maintaining kindness and professionalism even without reciprocation. 00:00 Welcome Back and Pizza 00:53 Workplace Friction Topic 01:11 Owning Your Part 02:09 24 Hour Cooling Rule 04:31 Assume Positive Intent 06:28 Build a Personal Firewall 07:42 Work Persona Boundaries 09:52 Shed Work Stress 11:26 When Grudges Linger 12:45 Change the Power Dynamic 13:10 Gray Rocking Tactics 14:15 Document the Pattern 14:36 Vent Without Ratting 15:14 Journaling for Clarity 16:02 Focus on the Work 17:40 Sticky Notes for War 18:55 Mental Stretch Routine 20:44 Strategic vs Emotional 22:37 Passive Aggressive Traps 24:47 BIFF Communication Method 25:25 Stop Chasing Apologies 25:56 Kindness and Boundaries 27:44 Closing Thoughts

Redefining Hope

Redefining Hope (Mental Health Month): Micro-Wins, Borrowed Hope & Finding Glimmers | Fishing for Answers Marlin and Jaerica reunite on Fishing for Answers to discuss redefining hope when life feels dim, exhausting, and hopeless for mental health month.They distinguish optimism (believing things will turn out well) from hope (believing life can still be meaningful regardless of outcomes), and encourage “shrinking the horizon” to the next minutes or hour through micro-wins that restore a sense of agency. They emphasize borrowed hope through community, choosing supportive people, and the power of presence—like Job’s friends sitting in silence—rather than forced advice. They discuss narrative hope, radical acceptance of hard realities, and spotting “glimmers” or “God nudges” in small cues of beauty and safety (sunrises, sunsets, songs, fresh air). They close by urging listeners to like, comment, share, and keep doing small things. #mentalhealthawarenessmonth #F4A #fishingforanswers #hope #motivation 00:00 Welcome to the Show 01:03 Why Hope Matters 03:16 Hope vs Optimism 05:11 Presence Creates Hope 06:12 Shrink the Horizon 08:27 Micro Wins and Agency 09:09 Borrowed Hope Community 10:49 Narrative Hope and Forgiveness 12:20 Radical Acceptance 13:23 Towel Mirror Trick 13:45 Finding Glimmers 14:28 God Nudges in Nature 16:11 Steal Five Minutes 16:48 Songs and Safe Cues 17:30 Triathlon Dad Story 18:55 Tune Out Negativity 20:00 Crack in the Door 20:44 Tiny Wins Reset 22:01 Helping With Intent 23:38 Hold On to Hope

Mind, Body and Spirit

Mind, Body & Spirit: Iron Tribe Gallatin Owners Share Their Story Jaerica hosts Fishing for Answers with guests Joshua and Kaitlyn, owners of Iron Tribe Fitness Gallatin, a semi-private personal training gym focused on barbell and strength training. They share their background—Joshua’s 21 years in strength and conditioning and Kaitlyn’s work as an emergency room doctor—how they met, moved to the Nashville area, built the Gallatin location, and later bought the gym, integrating family life and community into the business. In honor of Mental Health Month, they discuss how physical training supports mental discipline, resilience, sleep, stress regulation, and workplace performance, emphasizing movement and strength training as powerful tools for mental wellness alongside prayer and spiritual disciplines. They address balancing mind, body, and spirit, building routines for busy professionals, and end with a call to action to start small, and find your Tribe. #MindBodySpirit #WellnessJourney #FitnessMotivation #F4A #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth00:00 Mind Body and Spirit00:17 Welcome & Guest Introductions00:33 Meet Kaitlyn & Joshua08:27 Mental Health Month: Fitness & Mental Wellness18:51 Mind, Body & Spirit Connection28:48 Routines & Mindset Shifts for Busy Professionals36:01 Call to Action

Staying Focused

How to Stay Focused: Set Your Environment, Silence Distractions & Get More Done | Fishing for Answers Jaerica and Marlin reunite on Fishing for Answers and discuss practical ways to stay focused by intentionally setting up an environment that supports attention and productivity. They share examples from traveling and working in hotels, emphasizing that surroundings influence output, and suggest strategies like avoiding the bed for work, reducing visual clutter, closing extra tabs, and using do-not-disturb signals. They address phone and smartwatch distractions with tactics such as turning the phone over, putting it away, using a sticky-note checkmark method to track interruptions, and checking messages only at planned intervals. Other tips include time blocking (especially at home), “eat the frog” by tackling the hardest task first, batching communications, using two-minute tasks to reduce mental clutter, making checklists for small wins, taking movement breaks, staying hydrated, and forgiving occasional slip-ups as focus is a practice. #F4A #stayfocused #timeblocking #eatthefrog #motivation #fishingforanswers 00:00 Welcome Back Update00:41  Why Focus Matters 02:21 Design Your Work Space 03:57 Morning Routine For Focus 04:56 Phone And Watch Distractions 09:18 Work In Focus Sprint s10:13 Do Not Disturb Boundaries 11:18 Handling Interruptions Politely 14:44 Desk Clutter And Open Tabs 17:21 Cluttered Desk Mindset 17:55 Time Blocking at Home 18:58 Team Scheduling Limits 19:47 Eat the Frog First 22:18 Busy vs Productive 24:03 Two Minute Rule 24:59 Texting Boundaries 26:18 Checklists and Small Wins 28:45 Final Focus Tips 30:10 Wrap Up and Goodbye