Soul Searching
83 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsBe entertained, empowered and encouraged. Soul Searching showcases relatable people with extraordinary stories. If you're seeking purpose, meaningful relationships and joy at work and home, this show is for you. It's an inspiring mix of positive psychology, documentary, and professional and personal development.
You'll get practical wisdom on how to thrive at work with leadership lessons, communication tips, and ideas to help you develop greater confidence. Learn ways to be happier at home with mindset and parenting strategies. You'll reflect on your own life, career, challenges and relationships so you can change your beliefs and patterns to live a life of joy.
Hosted by Nikki Kloeppel, who brings 15 years as a leadership and life coach helping over 10,000 men and women from all around the world to succeed at work and find meaning in life. Many of the strategies you'll learn are crowdsourced from these inspiring leaders and the best practices they've shared. Nikki is a motivational speaker and educator with Dale Carnegie Training, sharing tips from "How to Win Friends and Influence People" and "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" and an Educator with The Gottman Institute "7 Principles for Making Marriage Work" and she and her husband have been leading couple's retreats for 15 years.
https://linktr.ee/nikkikloeppel Instagram @nikkikloeppel and watch new videos every Friday @nikkikloeppel on YouTube and LinkedIn
Season 1 Practical Wisdom Stories: Here are stories from when we were little, have won and lost competitions, been bullied and stood up to authorities. Tales of building character at camp, overcoming injuries and studying abroad. Narratives of job interviews gone wrong, mentoring gone right, leadership wins and parenting fails.
Why? These life lessons offer Practical Wisdom: insight to help us be resilient, successful and happy. They teach us how to change our mindset, overcome imposter syndrome and trust ourselves so we can lead and inspire.
These are authentic and raw. People are vulnerable as they share what they discovered about human nature and themselves. Please trade perfect sound and script for imperfect human experience.
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Episodes
Soul Searching with Harpreet Kaur: Why blend in when you were born to stand out
July 10, 2020 18:26 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBOur guest today on Practical Wisdom Stories: Soul Searching is Harpreet Kaur. She shares insight on finding your superpower, becoming a confident speaker and developing resilience. Her practical wisdom: Stand out. Be resilient. Be hopeful. #Whyblendinwhenyoureborntostandout My favorite part? At minute 16: witness her journey in becoming a speaker and watch her first ever live video interview from 3 years ago when she shared a story with me on overcoming prejudice and embracing diversity. S...
Soul Searching with Pooja Sund: Manifesting, mentoring and motherhood
July 03, 2020 16:26 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBSome of the practical wisdom Pooja shares: On manifesting our goals: What you believe is what you become. Having a clear vision, taking actions to achieve that vision, and thinking about it all the time. Limitations exist in your mindset. Don’t downplay yourself. Look outside the box and you would find opportunities. How to stay positive in difficult times like loved ones dying of covid...it’s ok not to be ok...one thing I tell myself all the time is things are going to take time but thing...
Practical Wisdom Stories Season 2 Soul Searching
June 26, 2020 21:31 - 1 minute - 2.18 MBThanks to everyone who has been listening to this podcast. We're kicking off season 2 with adding videos on youtube, and deep dives interviews with people who have been soul searching during quarantine. This season we'll cover topics like what perspectives and character you've gained during this season of Covid and social distancing. We'll explore how to develop resilience, confidence and connection. We'll apply some of this insight to help us find our voices, follow our intuition, speak up ...
Lessons in Parenting from around the world: how to build character in kids
October 31, 2019 19:08 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBFrom being spanked with chopsticks in China, to escaping danger in Bangladesh, to teaching value of immigrating to America, these storytellers help you imagine their childhoods and the values their parents taught them. One dad broke culture to consult with his daughter to get her opinion, one mom said, "yes, you sure can become the first female President." You'll hear how qualifying in a swim meet created dedication, the value of being voted Freshman class president, and how being told "your...
From Bulgaria, Taiwan, Mexico to Australia: Universal lessons in connecting to others
October 31, 2019 18:56 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBA theme of these personal stories of defining moments teaches us how to stay calm in crisis, go from timid to resilient, and stand up for ourselves from bullies. You'll learn to stay in the game, turn haters into friends, and see how math is a universal language. You'll laugh at how blaming his brother for acetone on the TV led to valuing admitting mistakes, you'll cry at the faith developed by tragedy, and cheer for the tall girl who switched from ballet to choir. These storytellers inspir...
Lessons in Diversity, Culture Change and Mindset
October 31, 2019 18:33 - 23 minutes - 21.3 MBYou'll be inspired as you hear the lasting character strengths that come from hardships. From the tragedy of watching a young cousin die, to discovering happiness comes from within, not necessarily from dad, to being beat up for being black. You'll hear how body language makes friends at camp even without knowing English, how to avoid acting stupid when backed into a corner, and the importance of asking for help. You'll see the power of mindset like saying "girls can do anything" despite cul...
Defining Moments: overcoming mistakes develops character
October 01, 2019 17:36 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBWe often feel regret for mistakes we make. This episode teaches us to reframe difficulties and see how they are the birthplace of becoming our best selves. From a girl in Puerto Rico who gets inspired by her dad to pursue a lifelong goal, to discovering it feels good to tell the truth even if we get in trouble, to seeing the value of effort and achieving an MBA. You'll hear when it's worth it to lose a best friend, discover the importance of taking the blame, and see how time management can ...
Defining Moments: Misunderstandings, Leadership and Playing like a Girl
October 01, 2019 17:17 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBWe all have a special spark in us. Hear from these women about how they discovered theirs. From navigating the streets of India, to making grandparents proud of school success, to studying abroad and trying new foods. You'll hear how being misunderstood developed empathy and inclusion. You'll learn how to reframe labels like bossy into leadership and "play like a girl" to be a huge compliment. You'll see how high school sports teaches us to be competitive and what playing with neighborhood b...
Defining Moments and what they teach us about the power of connection
September 20, 2019 21:38 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBYou'll be inspired by these relatable stories of everyday people who have prioritized belonging, learned to be more tolerant, and discovered the benefits of sacrificing for loved ones. You'll hear how a CEO used a quote and a mom used movies to teach character. You'll learn to reframe challenges by thinking of them like games, hear how honesty prevented a costly consequence and how failed interviews creates determination. These stories will spark your own memories from childhood to share lif...
Defining Moments and what they teach us about diversity and resilience
September 20, 2019 21:19 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBYou'll be fascinated by the defining moments and the life lessons learned from these inspiring everyday people. You'll hear how moving to a foreign country helps foster diversity at work, how a mistake at work creates resilience, and you'll hear about the power of movies to build empathy. You'll examine your assumptions about undocumented workers by meeting this DACA dreamer and learn how a book report on Great Expectations actually fulfilled dreams. You'll learn more about usability, job op...
Jedi Parenting: How to Gain Cooperation from Kids
May 18, 2019 00:34 - 3 minutes - 3.57 MBPeople support a world they help create! In this episode you'll hear from one genius mom on how she avoided an argument and gained cooperation. She's a disruptor! Instead of saying what most parents say, "don't do what your friends are doing" she thought like a teen and instead asked what electives her friends were doing. Her daughter talked with her friends and came up with the solution mom was hoping for too. When we let kids feel the idea is theirs, they buy in and cooperate. They may eve...
Life Lessons in Parenting from the Kid's Point of View
March 02, 2019 21:28 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBYou'll hear adults reflect from their childhood about memorable decisions their parents made and how it shaped them. From tiger moms to parents who discipline in the opposite way you expect them to. You'll hear how childhood trauma can lead to greater compassion today and how 1 encouraging teacher saw potential in the new girl that made all the difference. You'll hear a cautionary tale about safety first and fireworks and the importance of staying calm under pressure. Spark your own childhoo...
Childhood Stories of Mistakes, Awkward Moments and Choices
March 02, 2019 18:24 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBAre you or your kid or teen going through bumps in the road? Have you gotten in trouble, or have tryouts around the corner? Get inspired by these childhood tales of being charged by a lion, practicing for auditions, and being excluded from a birthday party. You'll see how bumps in a rainforest oral report led to confidence in public speaking at work years later, and the value of sharing knowledge and choosing adventure and how that can shape our life and career choices.
Global Edition Childhood Stories of Learning and Determination
March 02, 2019 18:10 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBYou'll be delighted with stories from growing up on a compound in Ghana, to discovering learning styles in Singapore, to skipping a grade in Ecuador. You'll be inspired by the resilience, insight and honesty these adults developed growing up in India, Columbia and the US. You'll hear how special sneakers taught character and gain insight into how we're all alike. Develop increased appreciation of different cultures and the power of story to connect us.
Women's Childhood Stories of Strict Parents and Dream Jobs
February 15, 2019 23:55 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBYou'll be inspired as your hear from women from around the world as they share tales of their strict parents, resilience and the lessons they learned. You'll want to copy this parenting strategy: how a planet placemat led to a passion that earned a job at NASA. You'll hear how the seat you sit in can lead to compassion, and how changing seats can help make new friends. You'll hear a heart warming tale of surviving bullying, an eye patch and some great advice to focus on what you can control ...
Women share life lessons learned from their parents and teachers
February 15, 2019 23:37 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MBThe famous Skittles story! Learn how one dad made learning math so fun it helped his daughter discover her talent that led to a career in Finance. A classic How to Win Family and Influence Kids example. Contrast that with a teacher who let her ego suppress the curiosity of her student and the hero who righted the wrong. You'll hear stories from around the world of encouraging teachers, that when grades improve it impacts confidence and friendships, and the value of discovering our own learni...
Inspirational Women Share Childhood Stories
November 08, 2018 04:09 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBInspirational women share fascinating stories from their childhood that shaped their character. You'll hear from women from Zambia, India, Korea, Russia, India and the USA. You'll hear raw examples like a friend's comment "you're self-centered to say the boy I like was looking at you" that was so transformative it made one women empathetic and open to feedback. You'll hear about a 4 year old problem solver and peace keeper. You'll learn that character is developed when no one is looking. You...
Childhood Stories: Life Lessons of Overcoming Adversity and Managing Worry
October 09, 2018 18:46 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBIn today's episode you'll learn about the life lessons that leaders use today to inspire their teams and their families. You'll hear how growing up in the US, India, Poland, Peru, and China all created similar experiences and you'll feel a sense of unity in getting cultural perspectives. You'll be inspired by the metaphor of writing and rewriting our stories so you can be empowered to make edits in your own life. You'll hear how being a latchkey kid developed independence and won a coveted 2...
Childhood Stories: Women Share how to be inclusive, resilient, and brave
October 02, 2018 22:33 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBWomen share the stories that shaped their character and helped them become successful. You'll hear how kindness creates friendship, the disappointment doesn't define us, and the importance of trusting your instinct. You'll hear how working at McDonald's helps people become relatable, how stage performance creates long lasting confidence, and how a big wheel accident taught skills in remaining calm and problem solving. You'll learn how to navigate cliques and break ups with BFFs and the impor...
Childhood Stories: Global edition of life lessons
September 24, 2018 17:15 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MBLearn from finance professionals who grew up in Columbia, India, Dominican Republic, Holland, Congo, Peru, Argentina, Russia and the US. Hear how they learned humility from the mistake of being a "sass mouth," independence from hurt feelings when no one wants to hold our hand in kindergarten, and how to overcome the need to be perfect. You'll hear how to stand in your own power even when others doubt you. You'll be inspired to develop resilience and create a new dream when a setback like a ...
Childhood Stories: Global edition of life lessons
September 24, 2018 17:15 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MBLearn from finance professionals who grew up in Columbia, India, Dominican Republic, Holland, Congo, Peru, Argentina, Russia and the US. Hear how they learned humility from the mistake of being a "sass mouth," independence from hurt feelings when no one wants to hold our hand in kindergarten, and how to overcome the need to be perfect. You'll hear how to stand in your own power even when others doubt you. You'll be inspired to develop resilience and create a new dream when a setback like a f...
Back to School Tips for Parents: How to Manage Stress
September 07, 2018 20:58 - 4 minutes - 4.18 MBBack to School Tips for Parents: 5 Ways to Manage Stress Back to school can be overwhelming. Let’s try using the same strategies at home that help us succeed during big presentations, people development and uncertainty of change. Managing our worries sets an example for our kids and our employees. Try reframing the problem and negotiating during difficult conversations. Letting the other person win in small ways leads to cooperation when you need it. Cultivate a network and ask for help. B...
Back to School Tips for Parents: Help Your Kids Make Friends
August 31, 2018 00:30 - 9 minutes - 8.38 MBIt's back to school time which means many parents are helping their kids feel confident and make friends as they head off to new schools. My son just started high school. As I prepared to give him a pep talk for this big transition, I reflected on the life lessons I've had from teaching (and living) How to Win Friends and Influence People principles for the last 15 years. Coaching corporate leaders on mindset and how best to connect with people, make a good impression and build trust transla...
Life Lessons from Climbing Mt Rainier
August 24, 2018 21:20 - 17 minutes - 16 MBIn this inspiring episode you'll hear from a brave millennial woman about the wisdom and confidence she gained from climbing Mt Rainier. She shares how she silenced her inner critic and the self talk she used to overcome adversity, the power of having an encouraging guide, and how she's applying these life lessons in her career. She shares a story of her recent interview that secured her dream job in aerospace and why being genuinely interested and enthusiastic is the key to success at work,...
Biggest Takeaways: Dale Carnegie Graduates Share Their #1 Learning
July 17, 2018 22:43 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBMen and women from around the world share their #1 learning from applying the principles from How to Win Friends and Influence People and How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. You'll hear about the power of not criticizing others and how to be less judgmental of ourselves. You'll hear how giving appreciation is life changing both with colleagues at work and how it can change patterns even after being married for 31 years. You'll hear how training ourselves to see other people's point of vie...
Father's Day Edition: Childhood Stories Dedicated to Dads
June 16, 2018 17:55 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBIn honor of Father's Day, please enjoy this tribute to dads and father figures from around the world who have taught us life lessons and helped us become our best selves. You'll hear about one dad who taught kindness through an embarrassing moment, an Uncle who nourished a girl's love for STEM, and a dad who helped his daughter learn to stop worrying about placement tests and start living. You'll be inspired to hear how seemingly useless skills dads teach, like using chopsticks in India, was...
Childhood Stories: How Sports, Music and Bullies Shape Us
May 19, 2018 00:35 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBYou'll hear funny and heartwarming stories of how extracurricular activities shape who we are. From a successful piano recital that brought confidence, to how suffering through piano lessons taught self-awareness. You'll hear how competitiveness led to a Romanian national track champion who applies that determination at work today and how cricket taught individuality. You'll hear how getting a popsicle developed respect for money, and how cleaning a fish tank taught selflessness. Want to kno...
Mother's Day Edition: Childhood Stories Dedicated to Mom
May 12, 2018 00:45 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBIn honor of Mother's Day please enjoy this tribute to moms from around the world who've taught us life lessons, helped us develop character, shown us love and made us laugh. You'll laugh at a funny story of why one mom dumped curry and rice over her son's head. You'll hear how grateful a man is now that his mom set boundaries. You'll hear how one mom's encouragement led to a dream career. You'll even hear a heartbreaking story of a boy who mistakenly thought his mom didn't love him, but now ...
Childhood Stories: Character Development Stories
April 30, 2018 23:35 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBThis episode covers the character development of 11 women in a mentor ring and how they developed: problem solving, resilience, self-discipline, self-discovery, stress control, teamwork, time management, entrepreneurial drive, and being observant. My favorite story makes a perfect answer to an interview question: when is ok to break the rules? When it means kindness saving baby kittens of course! Parents will also hear a funny story from South Africa on how to stop nagging and start motivati...
Childhood Stories
April 28, 2018 00:42 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBHear how a grandmother's broken hip created a service oriented leader, how a shy girl discovered the power of trying something new, and why an 11 year old organized the whole class to create a performance. You'll be inspired to learn the power of standing up for people began with telling a bully "stop" to let a younger sister blow out her own birthday candles for the first time. These stories are funny, relatable and heartwarming.
Childhood Stories
April 28, 2018 00:42 - 22 minutes - 20.9 MBHear how a grandmother's broken hip created a service oriented leader, how a shy girl discovered the power of trying something new, and why an 11 year old organized the whole class to create a performance. You'll be inspired to learn the power of standing up for people began with telling a bully "stop" to let a younger sister blow out her own birthday candles for the first time. These stories are funny, relatable and heartwarming.
Introduction: Why personal stories matter
April 21, 2018 21:21 - 5 minutes - 4.97 MBMeet Nikki Kloeppel, your host of the show, and learn how this podcast came to be. Three main goals for the podcast are: 1) a resource for Dale Carnegie Leadership Course graduates and all self-help junkies looking for ideas to improve their mindsets and relationships; 2) personal stories helps us gain insight to make sense of our lives and prompts us to remember our own stories so we can share with our colleagues, friends and kids; 3) develop a sense of connection and belonging to help us ov...
Women Sharing Wisdom: Insights on Happiness
March 31, 2018 01:05 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MB20 women share their life lessons from taking The Dale Carnegie Leadership Course and the power of connecting with a cohort of women mentors. Hear their stories of how to overcome imposter syndrome, and not telling people what they should do or feeling guilty for what we should be. You'll hear the changes in perspectives and behaviors they've made to help them be stronger leaders and happier people. You'll hear why one of the How to Win Friends and Influence People principles can be taken o...