What does it take to create a culture of wellness in our workplaces and our lives? And how do we overcome the 'yes, but' resistance when it comes to making better choices?

In this episode, I sit down with the amazing Elaine Pasqua, a speaker who has spent the last 30 years working with universities, corporations, and professional sports teams on wellness, resilience, and responsible decision-making. We dive into how to make smart wellness choices that stick, the power of self-reflection, and why small, intentional actions matter more than big, overwhelming goals.

Plus, we discuss the impact of social media addiction, dopamine, and why so many of us struggle with motivation—even when we know what we should be doing. Elaine shares actionable tips for building healthier habits, boosting workplace morale, and fostering a culture of care that benefits both individuals and organizations."

Key Takeaways:

• How to make wellness an effortless part of your daily routine.

• The power of self-reflection in driving personal and professional change.

• Why workplace wellness programs matter (and how they boost productivity).

• How social media addiction hijacks our motivation—and what to do about it.

• What Saquon Barkley, the Philadelphia Eagles, and elite athletes can teach us about leadership and teamwork.

• Why resilience isn’t just about pushing through challenges—it’s about learning, adapting, and growing stronger.

Relevant Links:

• Connect with Elaine: www.elainepasqua.com

• Follow Elaine on LinkedIn: Elaine Pasqua

• Watch Elaine on YouTube: Elaine’s Channel

• Learn more about Yes, And with Avish Parashar: Podcast Homepage

In this episode of Yes, And with Avish Parashar, I sit down with Lisa Ryan, a gratitude strategist, speaker, and author of Gear Up for Greatness. Lisa shares her journey of transforming gratitude into a powerful workplace strategy and explains how organizations can use appreciation to retain top talent, build better relationships, and foster thriving cultures.

We dive into Lisa’s six gears of strategy, her unique approach to employee engagement and retention, and the role of gratitude in creating sustainable change. Lisa also shares practical tips for leaders and managers to implement gratitude as a daily practice and how small shifts in mindset can create massive impacts.

If you’re looking for actionable strategies to improve workplace culture or simply want to bring more positivity into your life, this episode is for you!

Key Takeaways

• How gratitude as a personal practice can lead to business transformation.

• The six gears of strategy from Gear Up for Greatness: Attitude, Appreciation, Access, Applause, Acts of Service, and Accountability.

• The importance of access and how leaders can create psychological safety in their teams.

• The "Lasada Ratio" and how small shifts in positive communication can significantly impact team performance.

• Practical tips for creating a culture of appreciation to retain top talent and boost morale.

Relevant Links

• Lisa Ryan’s Website

• Lisa’s Book: Gear Up for Greatness

• Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn

In this episode of Yes, And, I dive into the idea of thinking in terms of experimentation, not execution, especially when it comes to reaching big, impossible goals. As professionals, we're often encouraged to follow rigid plans and execute them to perfection. But in a world of constant change, creativity, and uncertainty, sometimes we need to let go of fixed plans and embrace the process of experimentation.

I share stories from my own life where I used this approach to take my keynote and business to the next level—through trial, error, and adapting as I went. Instead of adhering to a step-by-step execution model, experimentation gave me the freedom to try new things, learn from my failures, and ultimately find success in unexpected ways.

Listen in for some valuable insights on how you can apply this mindset to your own goals, whether personal or professional, and learn how embracing experimentation could lead to greater innovation, growth, and resilience.

• Shift from execution to experimentation: Learn why experimentation, rather than rigid execution, can lead to more innovative and effective results, especially when dealing with uncertainty or creativity.

• Real-life application: Hear how I used this approach to transform my keynote, from initial failures to eventual success, and how small experiments led to big breakthroughs.

• The power of flexibility: Understand how flexibility and adaptability can help you pivot and improve your approach when things don’t go according to plan.

• How to experiment in your own life: Tips on how to apply the experimentation mindset to both your personal and professional goals, particularly when you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed.

• Embrace failure as part of the process: Recognize that failures are valuable learning opportunities and part of the experimental journey that leads to growth and success.

In this episode, I talk to Roger Courville, a virtual events pioneer with over 25 years of experience. Roger shares his journey from the early days of 'internet conferencing' to becoming a recognized expert on adapting in-person interactions to virtual settings. He explains the analyze, map, discover framework, a systematic approach for turning resistance to change into opportunities for innovation—whether you’re presenting online, managing change, or just tackling something new.

We also discuss why people resist change, how to engage audiences better online, and why building relationships—whether virtually or in-person—is critical to success. Oh, and if you love spicy food and Rush, you’re in for a treat!"

Key Takeaways:

• The "Analyze, Map, Discover" framework for navigating any change.

• How virtual presentations can solve challenges like participation and engagement.

• The biggest mindset shifts needed when moving from in-person to virtual events.

• The importance of understanding what’s lost and gained in any new medium.

• Why resistance to change comes from noticing losses before gains.

• A small change that could make the world better: "Take someone you don’t know to coffee and ask them, ‘Tell me your story.’"

Relevant Links:

• Roger Courville’s Website: rogercourville.com

Virtual Event Production: virtualvenues.com

In this episode, I explore why setting “SMART” goals — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound — might actually be the thing holding you back. While SMART goals are great for achieving incremental progress, they can also make your goals feel like checklists, leading to disengagement and boredom. Instead, I challenge you to set an “impossible goal” — a goal so big and out of reach that it forces you to tap into your creativity and problem-solving skills. By setting a 10x goal, a failure goal, or simply one that feels impossible, you can ignite excitement and engagement in the process, rather than just ticking off boxes. Listen in to find out how to reframe your goals to make them not only achievable but exciting!

Key Takeaways:

• The Weakness of SMART Goals: SMART goals can reduce creativity and engagement by making the process too clear and structured.

• Set an Impossible Goal: Choose a goal that challenges you beyond your current abilities, requiring creativity and problem-solving to achieve.

• Creativity Over Checklists: When setting big, difficult goals, you activate your creativity and maintain engagement with the process.

• Failure Club Concept: Embrace the idea of setting goals with a high probability of failure, which frees you to experiment and learn.

• Relevant Goals Only: Make sure the goals that seem impossible to you are still highly relevant to your life, career, or business.

• Commit to Growth: Focus on figuring out how to achieve the impossible goal over a set period, using failure as a stepping stone for learning and growth.

Happy New Year!

In this first solo episode of 2025, I dive into the powerful concept of overcoming the "persistent yes, but" that so often holds us back from pursuing our goals and dreams - how small mental roadblocks can prevent us from taking meaningful action and shares a framework for transforming those "yes, buts" into "yes, ands."

Learn how reframing your internal dialogue and taking small, manageable steps can unlock new opportunities and change the course of your life. Whether you're into New Year's resolutions or not, this episode will inspire you to look at your goals in a fresh light.

Key Takeaways:

• Persistent "Yes, But": Recognize the small but powerful voice that holds you back from action and identify what it is in your own life.

• Reframe with "Yes, And": Shift from self-doubt and excuses to empowerment and progress by changing "Yes, but" into "Yes, and."

• Small Steps Lead to Big Change: Break down large, overwhelming goals into smaller, manageable tasks to make progress every day.

• Celebrate the Journey: Celebrate every step forward, even small wins and failures, to keep momentum going.

• Experiment, Don’t Execute: Take the first step, experiment with your approach, and adjust along the way instead of stressing about a perfect plan.

Relevant Links:

• Creative Genius and Flow: My earlier podcast on tapping into creativity and how it can support goal-setting: https://avishparashar.com/solo-episode-say-yes-and-to-creatively-using-ai/

In this holiday special of Yes And, I’m stepping away from the usual format to share something fun and festive. I’m dropping in a full episode of my old podcast, In a World of...Improvised Movie Homages, where we played improv games to parody different movie genres. This one’s all about the magic of Hallmark Christmas movies—their charm, predictability, and everything we love (or love to make fun of) about them.

This episode takes a lighthearted look at Hallmark’s signature holiday films and explores how the “Yes, And” mindset can make our lives a bit more magical, just like the movies. It’s all about embracing love, community, and the holiday spirit—whether you're watching a Hallmark flick or living out your own story.

Take a break from the usual hustle and enjoy the magic of Hallmark Christmas movies—improvised, of course. Tune in for some laughs, a bit of nostalgia, and a reminder of what makes the season so special. Happy holidays, and I’ll see you in 2025!

In this episode of Yes, And with Avish Parashar, I dive into the critical yet often overlooked skill of being present. Whether you're in a leadership role, working with coworkers, or navigating personal relationships, being fully present in the moment is the key to effective communication, emotional management, and fostering positive outcomes in challenging situations.

This episode is a follow-up to my conversation with David Dye, where we discussed powerful phrases for dealing with workplace conflict. While David’s book offers tactical tools for conflict resolution, today we zoom out to explore how being present enhances those tools and improves overall communication.

I also share a fun improv game, Last Letter, First Letter, to demonstrate the power of being truly present in your interactions. This game requires listening attentively to your partner and being in the moment, and it serves as a practical technique you can use in your own life.

• The Power of Presence: How being fully present helps improve communication and creativity, whether in the workplace or at home.

• Managing Emotions: Why being present allows you to manage emotions, especially in high-stakes conversations or conflicts.

• Validating Others: How actively listening to understand helps validate the other person’s feelings and fosters better relationships.

• Improv as a Tool: How improv games like Last Letter, First Letter can train you to be more present in conversations and how you can use this skill in real life.

• David Dye's book: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00HZPM7NQ

• David’s Website: Let’s Grow Leaders

• Listen to my previous episode with David Dye: https://avishparashar.com/say-yes-and-to-workplace-conflict-and-collaboration-with-david-dye/

• In a World Of…Improvised Movie Homages Podcast: http://avishandmike.com/