About Erin Diehl:

Erin “Big” Diehl is a Business Improv Edutainer, Failfluencer, and Professional Zoombie. Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn, play, and grow. Among her many accolades, Erin is most proud of successfully coercing over 30,000 professionals to chicken dance.

Erin Diehl is a graduate of Clemson University, and a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater and The Annoyance Theatre.

Erin has spoken on global stages both virtually and in person – with companies like Uber Freight, Walgreens, Motorola, LinkedIn and The Obama Foundation (to name a few)! She is a member of The Chicago Innovation Awards Women’s Cohort and a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program. She is also the proud host of a Top 1% Global Podcast, The improve it! Podcast, which you can find anywhere you listen to pods!

When she’s not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys walking on the beach with her husband, son, and eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG DIEHL.

Episode Notes:

Dr. Laura welcomes special guest Erin Diehl to the show to talk about radical empathy and Erin’s new book “I See You!: A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team Through Radical Empathy”. Erin Diehl is a Business Improv Edutainer, author, and keynote speaker who hosts the improve it! podcast. Dr. Laura and Erin talk about Erin’s recent journey of self-exploration and why she was called to write her book after emerging from an oppressive hustle mentality.

Erin understands how people get to a place of being overloaded, stressed, burnt out, and feeling like they don’t matter. Her desire through the book and her work is to help people, including leaders, give to themselves and take moments of self-reflection. She shares her journey through struggles with infertility and the physical pain that came from overwork. Erin’s story of how she decluttered her life, found her purpose, and claimed inner peace is inspiring. The revelations and discoveries in her book are for everyone to apply to their own lives, especially those in management positions so toxic leadership can be replaced by leaders who are empathetic and supportive.

“And it’s so crazy how our thoughts really affect every cell in our body. And I’ll tell you this, I didn’t heal, I had chronic back pain, like shoulder pain and back pain that was so tight… I would literally cry myself to sleep at night because I was just so frustrated. … I took every ergonomic chair on Amazon into my office. I tried all the things, all the pillows, and went to all the doctors. And no one could say what was wrong. And I finally realized it was just my own mental emotions and my own thoughts that were really stagnating me. And I had not dealt with a lot of things.” Erin Diehl

Season 4 Episodes:

Episode 62 | The Gift of Intuition in Our Work and Lives

About Dr. Laura: Bringing nearly 25 years of expertise as an Industrial/Organizational and Career Psychologist and pioneer on the future of work, Dr. Laura helps organizations evolve their cultures, and leaders and employees to thrive in their work and lives. She...

Episode 61 | Vitamin N: The Power of Nature in Work/Life Wellness

About Laura Cohen: Originally from Montreal, Laura is now based in Halifax with a 10 minute walk to the ocean. For the last 6 years, Laura has worked as a counsellor in universities, Employee Assistance Programs, and in private practice, including her own nature...

Episode 60 | Exploring the Human Side of Unconscious Bias at Work

About Tina Varughese: An Indo-Canadian daughter of first generation parents, Varughese says her cultural background allows her to find “the best of both worlds” and shed light, knowledge, and, most importantly, universal humor into the changing workplace. Her highly...

Episode 59 | Closing the Confidence Gap to Thrive in Your Career

About Kelli Thompson: Kelli Thompson is a women’s leadership coach and speaker who helps women advance to the rooms where decisions are made. She has coached and trained hundreds of women to trust themselves, lead with more confidence, and create a career they love....

More Thriving Human Episodes:

Episode 95 | Listening to the Call to Live Your Most Authentic Life

About Tresa Gibson: Recognized for her unique impressionist style that balances colour and depth, Tresa’s work has been described as a simultaneous sense of order and chaos. She has been a thriving self-taught artist for over 14 years specializing in oil on canvas. ...

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