Kinder Corporations, Better World with Cole Baker-Bagwell (Episode #96)
Accomplished business strategist Cole Baker-Bagwell is a master of perspective, and is here with us today to share some of the most amazing insights she has about kindness, and how we can choose to be kind more often!
Cole Baker-Bagwell is a “master of mindsets” with an amazing way of zeroing in on the precise perspective worthy of each challenge.
Principal at Cole Baker Bagwell Coaching, Cole is a Mindful Business Coach and an energizing coach for professional women. And she’s here with us today to share some of the most amazing insights she has about kindness, and how we can choose to be kind more often!
We interviewed her when she was moving to a new level of impact—wrapping up an amazing chapter that included her co-founding a global company that worked with industry to make “kindness” a cornerstone of their business cultures—and now, taking her experience to a more personal focus for women and leaders of conscious companies.
Cole’s zone of genius is in helping others to ask themselves better questions and then move into new landscapes of possibility.
She is a Master Certified Professional Coach who empowers (courageous) professional women to reset from negativity, tune-in to their potential and thrive across every dimension of their lives.
And here’s what makes Cole’s work so unique: she seems to know each of us personally. I can’t articulate it any better than that. Cole seems to connect with others at some core level that we all share. She knows (deeply) our struggles to hustle and juggle a dozen priorities—often for others—and then sometimes settle for less than we need or want so that we can feel “whole” at the end of the day. She says:
“You love big, give your all and you keep going—day after day. And when you are done with struggling, racing, and surviving, only then can you glow, grow and rock your life!”
Cole gets it. She knows all of us want, pretty much, the same things: more happiness, joy, love, ease, clarity, and serenity. We want healthy, fulfilling relationships, personally and professionally.
And in her counsel, she has a gift for making us feel that anything is possible.
Sometimes, all it takes to start clearing our lives of the toxicity keeping us stuck is a thoughtful, fresh insight or two that seems to sweep away the debris in our way. In her private coaching practice, Cole’s vast knowledge helps people get curious and connect with their best selves.
In my many rambling personal and business conversations with her, on many occasions, I have experienced minor and major revelations that seem, on some level, to be things that I already knew. It’s a refreshing way to build a mindset that expands and serves, rather than keeps one mired.
In this conversation, we get many of Cole’s best thoughts on perspectives that move us along our unique path:
To a listening journey that will supercharge your mind, body, and soul.
To a powerful conversation that will ignite optimism and possibilities.
To scientifically proven practices that will help you reset from fear, stress, negative patterns and exhaustion.
To a courageous and inspiring journey of awareness. One that will empower you to tune in and thrive.
One specific insight, which I have been calling the “Blanket versus Cactus” practice, is an amazing idea for how we start or end our days with a mindset that is transformational.
So, welcome! I’m so glad you found your way here with Cole and I.
Quotes:
“What we’re told becomes our truth—good, bad, and everything in between.”
Cole Baker-Bagwell
“At the end of the day, we have to want something better for each other.”
Cole Baker-Bagwell
Connect with Cole
Her website, ColeBakerBagwell.com
Resources Mentioned:
- Famous TED Talk, Celebrate What’s Right With the World by Dewitt Jones.
Follow Us on Social Media:
[00:01-06:20] Opening Segment.
- Introducing Cole Baker-Bagwell.
- Reflecting on the last two and a half years.
- How little we need vs. how much we need one another.
[06:21-12:18] Kindness: Obligation or Ability?
- Every life has complexity.
- We are wired to be kind.
- “You should be kind,” and “You CAN be kind.”
[12:19-19:09] We Can Always Choose to be Kind.
- Choosing joy and belonging.
- The traffic metaphor.
- Extending compassion, not aggression.
- You’re going to breathe anyway.
- We only hear about the worst thing of the day.
[19:10-30:52] How Kindness Affects Us and Others.
- The science behind kindness.
- Rest and reflection is not wasted time.
- No act of kindness is too small.
- Doing your human best.
[32:55-48:06] The Power of Kindness.
- How perspective informs our reality.
- Being aware of those around you.
- Talking about the negative news.
- The blanket/cactus analogy.
- Changing narratives in our lives.
- Handling everyday points of conflict.
[48:07-60:40] Closing Segment.
- Being cortisol crabby.
- The Kindness Corporation.
- Kindness first in the workplace.
- The false dilemma of kindness vs. profit.
- #workkind
