Ever replay an awkward moment in your head… for 3–5 years? 

Me too! And according to communication expert Henna Pryor… you might be doing it ALL wrong.

In this laugh-out-loud and wildly insightful episode, Henna (hennapryor.com) breaks down why awkwardness isn’t something to avoid.  It’s actually a powerful tool for connection, confidence, and growth.

From career pivots to cringey social moments, we dive into how self-awareness, authenticity, and a little willingness to feel uncomfortable can completely change how you show up.

We also tackle Henna’s concept of the “signal gap”.  Why what you say isn’t always what people hear, and how closing that gap can make you more believable, trustworthy, and impactful in every room you walk into.

In this episode we talk about:

•  Why awkwardness is actually a social superpower
•  The biggest lie you tell yourself after a weird interaction 
•  How to recover from awkward moments (and look MORE confident because of it) 
•  What the “signal gap” is, and why it’s killing your communication 
•  Simple ways to build confidence in everyday, low-stakes interactions 
•  Why authenticity is the key to trust in a skeptical world 

Bottom line:   Awkward isn’t the problem. Avoiding it is.

Chapters

• 00:00 Career Pivots and Personal Growth
• 06:15 Understanding Awkwardness in Social Situations
• 18:29 The Signal Gap: Building Trust and Believability

Want more from Henna?

• hennapryor.com 
• @hennapryor on linkedin and IG
• Inc column: https://www.inc.com/author/henna-pryor 
• Linkedin Learning courses: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/instructors/henna-pryor 

Henna Pryor, CSP is a dynamic Workplace Performance Expert who speaks and writes about performance mindset, interpersonal dynamics, high-impact communication, and embracing bumps in a world that keeps optimizing for smoothness.

She is a regular Expert Columnist for Inc. Magazine, 18x award-winning author of Good Awkward, and an in-demand global keynote speaker. Her playful personality and insightful talks blend 2 decades of working with corporate leaders and teams with a fresh, science-based approach to taking more strategic risks and bo

What if the career you’re chasing…isn’t actually yours?

In this high-energy episode, I sit down with powerhouse speaker, author, and self-proclaimed “Queen of Nerds,” Alaina G. Levine (www.alainalevine.com), to talk about building what she calls a Unicorn Career...one that’s authentic, meaningful, AND pays the bills (because…yeah.  Dinner)

From "humble beginnings" as a billiards champion to helping thousands of professionals ditch the “shoulds” and own who they are, Alaina brings the heat on authenticity, courage, and why playing it safe is costing you more than you think.

We dive into:

•  Why authenticity isn’t fluffy...it’s your competitive advantage 
•  The biggest mistake women make when applying for jobs (and how NOT to do it) 
•  How AI is changing careers, and why your humanity matters more than ever 
•  The 3-part “Unicorn Career” framework to align who you are with what you do 
•  Why your goal isn’t just a career… it’s a Unicorn Life

Bottom line? You’re not here to fit in. You’re here to stand out...and get paid for it.  LET'S GO!!!

Alaina G. Levine, CSP, is a STEM workforce expert, and she’s spoken 1,000+ times on 5 continents, written 500+ articles in magazines such as Scientific American, and is praised by NASA as “worth her weight in gold.” As a skilled panel moderator, she once stopped a fistfight onstage between the CEO of a billion-dollar global company and a Nobel laureate. And as an undergraduate, Alayna was a championship billiards player and competed in national tournaments under her moniker, Lady Dyn-o-mite. She studied Mathematics, Arabic, and Egyptology in Cairo as a US Department of Defense Boren Fellow.

Anne Bonney is a keynote speaker and emcee who helps organizations lead through change by building resilience, emotional intelligence, and courageous communication.

What do tough conversations, grief, fear, and habits all have in common?

Discomfort.

In this month-end wrap-up, I’m pulling together the biggest insights from conversations with a hostage negotiator, a grief coach, a keynote speaker, and a habit expert—and the message is clear: discomfort isn’t the problem… avoiding it is.

If you want more resilience, stronger relationships, and habits that actually stick, it starts with getting better at the uncomfortable stuff.

• Crucial Conversations Book: https://bit.ly/3Q1dDl6
• Anne's TedX link on seeking discomfort: https://youtu.be/wSL6tVD__po?si=Gdum754IZYvCO3gS

Anne Bonney is a keynote speaker and emcee who helps organizations lead through change by building resilience, emotional intelligence, and courageous communication.

Let’s talk habits… but not the cute, color-coded, “new year new me” kind.

I’m joined by CHRISTOPH Merrill (aka the Habit Freak, thought-leader, speaker, author CHRISTOPHmerrill.com ), and this conversation goes way deeper than discipline and checklists. After a life-altering moment that nearly cost him everything, CHRISTOPH discovered a truth most habit advice completely ignores:

Habits aren’t built for calm days. They’re built for the hard ones.

We talk about what it really takes to build habits that hold up when motivation disappears, your brain turns against you, and life gets messy (because… it will).

We dig into:

•  Why most habits fail the moment pressure hits 
•  How mental health and habit formation are deeply connected 
•  A simple, flexible approach to staying consistent...even on your worst days 

We also get into radical self-awareness, journaling, decision fatigue, and why doing your best today beats chasing perfection every time.

If you’re tired of starting over… this episode will help you build habits that actually last.

CHRISTOPH merrill is the creator of Habit Freak and a leadership thought leader who helps people build habits that hold when pressure hits. After a life-altering moment changed everything, he dedicated his work to proving this truth: habits are not built for calm days, they are built for hard ones. His work helps leaders perform when motivation disappears and the stakes are real.

Anne Bonney is a keynote speaker and emcee who helps organizations lead through change by building resilience, emotional intelligence, and courageous communication.

Today we’re dancing in the discomfort zone with Greg Bennick (www.gregbennick.com) keynote speaker, author, musician, juggler (yes, actually), and professional reminder that you matter.

Greg’s message? If you want a better future, build a better now.

We talk about what it really means to embrace discomfort.  Not as something to survive, but as something to lean into. Greg shares how his early days as a performer (and yes, literal juggler) shaped his relationship with fear, uncertainty, and personal freedom.

Inspired by Indiana Jones stepping onto the rock bridge (look it up!) Greg challenges us to stop waiting for clarity and start building momentum.

We explore:

• Why your relationship with fear determines your growth
• How authenticity cuts through distraction and chaos
• What it takes to build stronger teams where everyone feels like they matter

We also dive into his book Reclaim the Moment: Seven Strategies to Build a Better Now, and how focusing on the present moment isn’t fluffy advice...it’s survival in today’s overloaded, distracted world.

If you’ve been waiting for the “right time,” this is your nudge.

Chapters

• 10:42 Establishing a Relationship with Fear
• 14:18 Indiana Jones and Stepping Into the Unknown
• 16:55 From Juggler to Keynote Speaker
• 18:21 Reclaiming the Moment in a Distracted World
• 29:45 Why Everyone Matters on a Team
• 32:10 Building a Better Now (Instead of Waiting for Later)
• 35:34 Authenticity as a Competitive Advantage

Greg Bennick is a team building keynote speaker from Seattle who reminds people that they matter through a keynote that brings teams together called “Build a Better Now". He invites us to focus on taking action to build a better personal and work life by focusing on authenticity amidst a world of distractions. He likes vegan snacks, rare coins, and juggling. Yes, you read that correctly. See more at www.gregbennick.com

Anne Bonney is a keynote speaker and emcee who helps organizations lead through change by building resilience, emotional intelligence, and courageous communication.

Grief. Death. Loss.

Deep breath. Stay with me.  (The name of the podcast should have warned you!) 

In this episode, I sit down with life transition coach and death doula Jennifer Sanfilippo (www.jennifer-sanfilippo.com) to talk about something we ALL experience… but rarely talk about well.

PLOT TWIST: grief isn’t just about death! We explore how unacknowledged losses (like career shifts, identity changes, empty nests, layoffs, divorces and all that) quietly shape our resilience. Because if we don’t learn how to face the small griefs, the big ones hit even harder.

We dive into:

• How to support someone who’s grieving (without saying the wrong thing)
• Why grief absolutely belongs in workplace conversations
• How open discussions about death and loss actually build resilience and connection

Jennifer also shares her powerful journey from the financial industry to becoming a life transition coach after the loss of her husband, and why creating space for grief is one of the bravest things we can do.

Yes, we talk about death, and yes, we laugh because grief and joy can coexist. 

If you’ve ever felt unsure what to say… avoided the topic… or tried to “stay strong” instead of feeling… this conversation is for you.

Chapters

03:08 Understanding Grief and Loss

05:57 The Journey from Finance to Life Coaching

12:03 Building Bridges of Compassion

17:55 Death Cafes: Creating Safe Spaces for Conversation

24:02 Navigating Grief in the Workplace

Jennifer Sanfilippo, MBA, is a certified end-of-life doula and executive coach. After her husband Jim died in 2020, she redirected her leadership skills to grief support, facilitating Death Cafés, community forums, and bereavement groups. A mother of two, she lives in Rochester, NY, with three cats and a high-energy dog.  

Anne Bonney is a keynote speaker and emcee who helps organizations lead through change by building resilience, emotional intelligence, and courageous communication.

What do hostage negotiations and workplace conflict have in common?

More than you think.

Former SWAT hostage negotiator Scott Tillema (https://scotttillema.com/) joins me to break down what it really takes to influence emotional people in high-stakes moments...whether you’re outside a barricaded building, delivering some uncomfortable performance feedback or trying to solve a problem with your spouse.  

If you’ve got tough conversations in the back of your head that you need to have, this episode is for you!

We talk about:

• Why trying to be “right” can quietly destroy your influence
• The foundation you must build before you try to persuade anyone
• How timing can make or break a difficult conversation (this is HUGE!)
• What respect actually means...and what it doesn’t
• How to separate the person from the behavior without losing your cool

Because the moment it becomes about being right… we’re in trouble.

Want more from Scott?

• https://scotttillema.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/tillema/

Scott Tillema (TILL'-uh-ma) is a retired SWAT hostage negotiator from the Chicago area. Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science, a master’s degree in psychology, and he was trained in negotiation by the FBI and at Harvard University.
He is the founder of Negotiation Excellence, LLC and as a global keynote speaker and corporate trainer.  His TEDx talk “The Secrets of Hostage Negotiators” has been viewed over one million times.   

Anne Bonney is a keynote speaker and emcee who helps organizations lead through change by building resilience, emotional intelligence, and courageous communication.

Two Super Bowl commercials. Two very different emotional reactions. And one curious conversation that opens the door to something much bigger. 

In this episode, your host Anne Bonney (https://YourChangeSpeaker.com) contrasts a feel-good moment of human connection with a symbol-heavy display of comfort and certainty and explores what our reactions to each might say about how we view belonging, agency, and discomfort. This isn’t an episode that hands you tidy answers. Instead, it offers a lens, a pause, and a few questions worth sitting with long after the ads are over. Perfect if you enjoy thinking a little deeper about why some things comfort us… and why others quietly challenge us. 

What happens when success on paper no longer feels right in real life? In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, Anne Bonney talks with Trevor Blondeel (www.trevorblondeel.com) about leadership, emotional intelligence, and what it really takes to connect people across the C-suite and the shop floor. From manufacturing leadership to tough conversations and values-based decisions, this episode is packed with practical insight and refreshing honesty. 

We talk about:

• Making big, scary life and career changes when your values are waving red flags
• Why telling people what to do is killing engagement and what to do instead
• Talking about feelings in manufacturing without passing out or handing out tissues

Want more from Trevor, check out www.trevorblondeel.com OR www.manufacturinggreatness.com

Trevor Blondeel connects the top to the shop—one conversation at a time. After 25 years in manufacturing, he now speaks, writes, and coaches leaders to stop telling and start talking, turning deeper conversations into real results. He’s the host of Mindfulness Manufacturing, a top 1% podcast globally, and his client list includes Nestlé, Energizer, and Nucor. If you want retention, engagement, and accountability, start by getting uncomfortable.

Anne Bonney is a keynote speaker and emcee who helps organizations lead through change by building resilience, emotional intelligence, and courageous communication.

What happens when life knocks you all the way down—and then keeps going? In this powerful episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, Anne Bonney talks with Front Row Frankie (https://frontrowfortitude.com) about addiction recovery, resilience, personal growth, and rebuilding life after rock bottom. This raw, honest conversation explores emotional intelligence, accountability, courage, and how real change happens when you’re willing to face discomfort head-on. 

We talk about

• What rock bottom really looks like—and the moment that turns survival into a decision to change
• Why resilience isn’t mindset fluff, but daily choices, accountability, and doing the uncomfortable work when no one’s watching
• How to rebuild your life (and self-trust) after addiction, loss, or failure—without pretending it’s easy or pretty

Go get your calendar now!  https://www.frontrowfortitude.com/category/all-products

Front Row Frankie is a keynote speaker and mindset coach known for his No Bad Days Mindset™. After overcoming extreme hardship and adversity, he rebuilt his life on daily positive action, spiritual growth and selfless service. He now leads professionals in high-stress industries find purpose, build resilience, and tap into their full potential. With contagious energy and real-world tools, Frankie’s mission is to help people turn struggles into strengths. One day, one choice, one mindset shift at a time.

Anne Bonney is a keynote speaker and emcee who helps organizations lead through change by building resilience, emotional intelligence, and courageous communication.

How do you perform under pressure without burning out? In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, host Anne Bonney sits down with Jay Abbasi (https://jayabbasi.me/) global keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, former Tesla leader, and host of the Unstuck podcast to break down how high performers can navigate stress, uncertainty, and change with resilience and clarity.

Jay draws from his experience leading national training programs at Tesla and coaching leaders at Google, Amazon, and Wells Fargo to explain why burnout isn’t a weakness, how pressure hijacks focus and decision-making, and what actually helps professionals stay grounded, effective, and engaged. This conversation blends leadership development, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and practical resilience strategies for today’s fast-paced workplace.

Perfect for leaders, high achievers, and teams navigating change, stress, and constant demands.

In This Episode we talk about...

• why burnout hits high performers hardest
• how pressure impacts focus, decision-making, and resilience
• practical strategies to manage stress and uncertainty at work
• purpose-driven leadership and thriving through change

Want more from Jay?  Here are the links!

• https://jayabbasi.me/
• Are you headed for Burnout?  take the quiz.  https://jayabbasi.me/resources/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayabbasi/
• https://www.instagram.com/jayabbasi_/
• https://www.youtube.com/@jayabbasipodcast

Jay Abbasi is a global keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, and former Tesla leader who helps professionals thrive under pressure without burning out. At Tesla, he led national training programs for over 1,000 employees and has since coached leaders at Google, Amazon, and Wells Fargo. Featured in Forbes Founder and Authority Magazine, and host of the top-rated podcast Unstuck, Jay blends corporate experience with expertise in mindfulness, resilience, and purpose-driven leadership.