Social Psychologist Lynnette Cook Reveals How to Move From Hopeless to Fearless

Lynnette Cook spends this episode discussing the Rootstrike program Hopeless to Fearless. We have a history with the initiative from our previous episode with Rootstrike’s Dave Parker. Through the program, frontline and mid-level professionals can use practical tools and resources to navigate challenging circumstances. We discussed the Nova membership looping informative experts, impact, and policy. Then, we returned to the origin story of Hopeless to Fearless developing into its current state.

Lynnette and Dave crossed paths as being part of the local community. The collaborative work really began when Dave participated in the psychology of creativity speaking series hosted by Lynnette at Ohio State University. The speaking series was meant to help students get in touch with the use of creativity in ventures. Lynette explained thoughts on creativity being in the nonprofit space:

“Creativity is about new and unique and seeing solutions where nobody's seen that before, and I can't think of a better definition for what nonprofits do.”

From the speaking series collaboration, Hopeless to Fearless emerged. Lynnette continued by sharing the interactive approach to communicate the core characteristics of the program. She told us about how creativity goes beyond arts and sports. Creativity is tied to the way people maneuver life; like finding an alternate route for your commute when a road is blocked.

People can begin to cultivate change even when roadblocks and limits may seem to fill a life. Lynnette explained that people can be innovative and get around feeling restricted while in supporting roles at work or in teams. Part of empowering yourself to be innovative is exercising mindfulness. Engaging in mindfulness focuses on being aware rather than controlling. Recalling a personal story, Lynnette shared a conversation with a colleague reflecting on Washington D.C. experiencing the storming of the Capitol.

Following her recollection, we expanded the conversation into priorities and self-care. Taking care of yourself contributes to you being in the best place to create change. Besides mindfulness, Lynnette also recommended for people to become familiar with Carol Dweck’s concept of a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset. Lynnette explains that people can shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. She emphasized that “...conceptually, your brain changes all the time; with every experience that you have, your brain changes.”

Building these new changes takes time, which taps into the paradox of refining skills. Strengthening skills is a combination of innovation and grit. Lynnette gave her thoughts on the paradox existing; the place where you weigh whether to try something new or persist. With finding that balance, peer support can be a way for people to stay grounded. Lynnette shared the impact the peer-to-peer component in Hopeless and Fearless brings as fellow members bond through watching each other navigate their experiences.

A majority of our entire discussion dealt with mindset. I asked Lynnette to share more about positive psychology, and then we followed up with three examples of gaining clarity in your journey.

If you would like to learn more, you can visit: Rootstrike Labs, instagram, facebook, linked-in, or twitter. Also, check out Lynnette's company, ARNOVA.

Lynnette Cook spends this episode discussing the Rootstrike program Hopeless to Fearless. We have a history with the initiative from our previous episode with Rootstrike’s Dave Parker. Through the program, frontline and mid-level professionals can use practical tools and resources to navigate challenging circumstances. We discussed the Nova membership looping informative experts, impact, and policy. Then, we returned to the origin story of Hopeless to Fearless developing into its current state.

Lynnette and Dave crossed paths as being part of the local community. The collaborative work really began when Dave participated in the psychology of creativity speaking series hosted by Lynnette at Ohio State University. The speaking series was meant to help students get in touch with the use of creativity in ventures. Lynette explained thoughts on creativity being in the nonprofit space:

“Creativity is about new and unique and seeing solutions where nobody’s seen that before, and I can’t think of a better definition for what nonprofits do.”

From the speaking series collaboration, Hopeless to Fearless emerged. Lynnette continued by sharing the interactive approach to communicate the core characteristics of the program. She told us about how creativity goes beyond arts and sports. Creativity is tied to the way people maneuver life; like finding an alternate route for your commute when a road is blocked.

People can begin to cultivate change even when roadblocks and limits may seem to fill a life. Lynnette explained that people can be innovative and get around feeling restricted while in supporting roles at work or in teams. Part of empowering yourself to be innovative is exercising mindfulness. Engaging in mindfulness focuses on being aware rather than controlling. Recalling a personal story, Lynnette shared a conversation with a colleague reflecting on Washington D.C. experiencing the storming of the Capitol.

Following her recollection, we expanded the conversation into priorities and self-care. Taking care of yourself contributes to you being in the best place to create change. Besides mindfulness, Lynnette also recommended for people to become familiar with Carol Dweck’s concept of a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset. Lynnette explains that people can shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. She emphasized that “…conceptually, your brain changes all the time; with every experience that you have, your brain changes.”

Building these new changes takes time, which taps into the paradox of refining skills. Strengthening skills is a combination of innovation and grit. Lynnette gave her thoughts on the paradox existing; the place where you weigh whether to try something new or persist. With finding that balance, peer support can be a way for people to stay grounded. Lynnette shared the impact the peer-to-peer component in Hopeless and Fearless brings as fellow members bond through watching each other navigate their experiences.

A majority of our entire discussion dealt with mindset. I asked Lynnette to share more about positive psychology, and then we followed up with three examples of gaining clarity in your journey.

If you would like to learn more, you can visit: Rootstrike Labs, instagram, facebook, linked-in, or twitter. Also, check out Lynnette’s company, ARNOVA.