The Alignment Show
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Are You Responding to Facts… or to Your Story About Them?
<p>Editor’s note: We’re grateful for all our listeners. We’ve been offering some added “perks” for paid subscribers, and we have realized that most if not all of those subscribers pay because they want to support our work, not because they get exclusive access to content. So we are experimenting with making all of our content here available to all subscribers. Thank you, thank you, thank you, and if you find value in what we do, please share us with others and upgrade your subscription as you see fit with our deepest gratitude. We are making this change as...
The Hidden Mechanics of Conflict (And How to Fix Them)
<p>We’ve all had that moment.</p><p>You walk away from a conversation thinking, How did that blow up so fast? Or worse, That’s not what I meant at all.</p><p>In this episode of The Alignment Show, I sit down with Dr. Patricia Timerman Barbosa da Silva (known simply as Dr. T) to talk about what really happens between intention and perception.</p><p>We recorded this conversation some months ago, and while a few references are time-stamped, the insights are anything but. What she shares here is timeless and deeply practical.</p><p>Dr. T in...
Introversion, Identity, and the Courage to Be Real at Work
<p>I’ve learned over the years that the most meaningful conversations often start with shared experience rather than shared credentials. This one did.</p><p>In this episode of The Alignment Show, I sit down with Steve Friedman, an author, speaker, and longtime corporate leader who spent decades navigating professional life as an introvert before reinventing his work around writing, speaking, and supporting families affected by Down syndrome.</p><p>Steve and I talk about masking, energy management, leadership, caregiving, and what it means to stretch your comfort zone without losing yourself in the process. We explore why introversion is...
After the Dumpster Fire: Rebuilding Rhythm, Meaning, and Creative Work
<p>This is the first episode of The Alignment Show for 2026, and it’s a solo one.</p><p>I wanted to start the year by speaking honestly about why consistency broke down over the past year, what that cost, and what it’s taken to begin rebuilding. This isn’t an episode about productivity hacks or polished plans. It’s about grief, caregiving, creative identity, and what it means to keep choosing alignment when control turns out to be mostly an illusion.</p><p>In this episode, I talk about why I shifted the show to an audio-first rhythm, how I’m...
Writing in Alignment: Miracles, Missions, and Letting Go
<p>Rachael Herron returns to The Alignment Show, and as always, she brings a mix of honesty, wisdom, and grounded joy to the conversation. We talk about her new novel The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland and how writing it pulled her deeper into a long-running personal theme—letting go of control. We explore what happens when a story arrives before the plan does, why “mission” matters more than “goals,” and how creative work shifts when you stop writing to please the market and start writing from alignment.</p><p>Along the way, we get into traditional vs. indie publishing, the surpri...
Becoming a Category of One: Visibility, Voice, and Values
<p>What does it take to stand out in a noisy world without becoming a caricature of yourself? In this conversation, marketing expert and bestselling author David Newman, CSP, joins me to talk about the real work behind visibility, credibility, and building a business rooted in who you actually are. We dig into why personal brands now matter more than company brands, how to double down on your human strengths in the age of AI, and why the most successful people aren’t chasing every opportunity—they’re aligning with their values.</p><p>If you’ve ever wondered how to be se...
Learning by Doing in the Age of AI
<p>What happens when we stop trying to master technology and start learning with it?</p><p>In this episode of The Alignment Show, I sit down with Joshua Hale — a self-taught “holistic tech wizard” who helps creators and entrepreneurs build businesses that serve life instead of consuming it. Joshua’s journey runs from the intensity of restaurant kitchens to the freedom of leading his own AI-driven strategy practice. Along the way, he’s learned that the most valuable skill in a changing world isn’t technical expertise — it’s curiosity.</p><p>We talk about his “teach-by-doing” approach, the mindset of an autodi...
Money Myths, Hostage Situations, and the Power of Story
<p>Listen here or watch video on YouTube:</p><p>In this episode of The Alignment Show, I sit down with returning guest Jeff West, one of our “stars in alignment,” to talk about his newest book, The Hidden Heist, co-authored with Bill Cates.</p><p>Jeff has built a reputation for crafting business parables, stories that don’t just explain principles but draw you in through characters and plot. The Hidden Heist may be his boldest yet: a personal finance parable set entirely during a bank robbery. With humor, tension, and unexpected twists, Jeff and Bill tackle the money myths...
When Frustration Hits Hard
<p>Ever had one of those moments where a “five-minute fix” with technology turns into two hours of hair-pulling? In this solo episode of The Alignment Show, I share a recent run-in with Photoshop that pushed me right to the edge of giving it all up—computers, creative work, even publishing.</p><p>But behind the exasperation was something deeper:</p><p>* What do you do when the tools you depend on start draining the joy out of the work?</p><p>* How do you know if it’s just a temporary frustration—or a sign it’s time to lay somethin...
The Courage to Realign: Jennifer Pierce’s Journey from Corporate to Coaching
<p>Jennifer Pierce spent decades climbing the corporate ladder—investment banking, HR, and commodities trading—before realizing she wasn’t living true to her values. Burnout and loss pushed her to recalibrate her life and eventually find her calling as a leadership coach.</p><p>In this conversation, Jennifer shares her honest reflections on imposter syndrome, the difference between therapy and coaching, and why true alignment comes when we stop just naming our values and actually live them. She also reveals how a painful personal turning point helped her embrace authenticity, service, and connection.</p><p>If you’ve ever wondered...
