This is &Beyond Improv

10/03/2024

Forgiveness is the most important leadership skill.

Why? Because it frees us from the distractions of resentment, suspicion, self-loathing and shame.

Those are collaboration killers, innovation killers and things that distract us with proving/perfecting rather than **serving** our teams.

I've said it once and I'll say it again:

📣 If you're not serving, you're not leading. 📣

Forgiveness helps us be the leaders we mean to be more consistently, and it helps us create more joy and genuine peace in our experience of leadership... and of being adult humans. 💛

There is still room on my fall calendar for a few more in-person leadership retreats. If you're bringing your team together, and you'd like to equip them for leadership on a soul-level, I'd love to talk with you!

03/07/2023

Sometimes, in order to protect your own joy, you have to forgive someone who didn't officially do anything wrong. More on that in this video:

My book is called The Funny Thing About Forgiveness, and you can find it here: https://www.andbeyondimprov.com/book.htmlEVERY DAY FORGIVENESS (WHEN YOU'RE FE...

02/17/2023

Absolutely loved this conversation on the None of Your Business podcast! Thanks so much for having me :)

All of life is improv according to Andrea Flack-Wetherald. As a comedian, author, and speaker, Andrea helps teams and corporations build better relationships...

04/07/2022

I’m so excited to speak at the 2022 Brady Ware Women’s Leadership Conference in Columbus, OH! This year’s theme is Energizing Your Growth and looking at the schedule, this event will be perfect for you if you’re looking for soul-level encouragement as well as tactical advice on subjects like:

* delegating
* retention of great people
* negotiation
* cyber security awareness
* creating trauma-informed workplaces
* how forgiveness is the most important leadership skill … I hear the speaker on this topic is INCREDIBLE. ;)

This event is attended by >300 professionals who identify as leaders or entrepreneurs. If you’re interested in attending, use the link below to learn more about it. You can use my code Andrea20 to save $20 on your ticket.

https://www.columbuswomensleadership.com/

03/22/2022

I am so delighted to share my podcast interview with of . I have been a fan of Claude’s for a long time and am so inspired by the way she and are working to change our perception of corporate culture and corporate success.

They call it building a “honey empire” - or a place that is wildly successful because of (not despite) how it prioritizes human people; treating them with dignity, respect and LOVE.

That’s right. Love. At work. How audacious and beautiful is that?

Claude's podcast goes even deeper into her heart-centered ethos, which is why I was completely, completely beyond honored for the opportunity to share my work around forgiveness and Mindful Improv Thinking with her.

We talked about prioritizing forgiveness right alongside setting healthy boundaries and holding ourselves and others accountable. **You don't have to pick forgiveness OR accountability.** 🎉💛🌟

You can listen to our full conversation on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4rJZOpwK9uYnIoC1Ae7LNt?si=IixQZQ6jTWmNoJh2Kp_lPA

03/19/2022

And now we celebrate! 🎉🎉 She was a great helper - sold out of hardcover and had a great time talking with the lovely library patrons of Orrville, OH 😊

03/19/2022

Grateful for my little intern at my first tabling event to sell/sign/answer questions about my book. She's keeping me on my toes for sure - a woman asked me a question and norah goes "Everything you need is IN THE BOOK!" while tapping one of the copies 😂😂😂 She's been a huge help with load in and set up! 💛

Thank you for hosting this event!

03/18/2022

Came across this gem today - it's from the start of my dental implant surgery a few years ago.

I was feeling **so much shame** about my toothless smile, and my mouth was still tender from the first part of the surgical process, so the temporary tooth retainer was too painful to put in.

Our son was at a sleepover and Kyle had invited our daughter out for an ice cream date. "Come with us, Mommy!" she said.

I started crying - like, hot shame tears from the soul: "I can't, honey. My tooth is missing and I'm just feeling really embarrassed."

"It's okay, Mommy. Mine is missing too! and it wouldn't be a fun date without Mommy!"

My sweet little girl taught me about and on that day.

Just a sweet reminder from my toothless family that:
A) You don't have to wait until you're perfect to go to the ice cream party. Just go: you're good enough how you already are.

B) Be brave enough to express genuine empathy and include someone.

You just might encourage them for years to come. And shout out to Kyle for covering one of his teeth so he could fit in. There's probably also a lesson there, but I'll save that for another post.

03/17/2022

Pastors, teachers, parents, managers, entrepreneurs, activists: leaders of every kind. This is - possessing both the courage to influence and the humility to be influenced.

It’s important for leaders to be strong enough to speak the truth when others would rather look away: yes. AND - it's just as important for leaders to be humble enough to be moved by deep truth when they see it.

It’s easy to give in to the idea of the unbreakable leader: firmly rooted in his/her convictions. Ideas of humility and open-mindedness are talked about in the leadership sphere, but as a human race, we’re carrying thousands of years of contrary examples.

May you bask in the knowledge that it is safe to be the stone or the ripple. It is safe to decide in any moment which role is yours this time. This is the courage and humility dance, and it makes for a beautifully fulfilling and deeply impactful life.

03/16/2022

I am honored to be interviewed by the incredible, Dr. Toya Jones on her new video series: Healing Overflow with Dr. Toy. We'll discuss the misconceptions around forgiveness, and how mindful improv thinking helps us do this powerful work proactively.

You can listen to our conversation on Friday at 4pm on her page (Healing Overflow with Dr. Toy) or catching the replay later.

03/16/2022

Not everyone is the right choice as a collaborator or "scene partner." ...But every great collaborator is also imperfect.

It would be a shame to miss out on the joy of building something wonderful, because you kept dismissing the folks as you saw their opportunities for growth.

That's easy to do, and I'm in the emotional trenches doing that work right alongside you! It helps me to ask this question:

Are we tethered to the same WHY?

If so, brave questions and brave conversations will help our collaboration be successful despite our faults. If not, the partnership is doomed - regardless of what strengths or imperfections either of us has identified.

Wishing you the humility to see your scene partners as more than their imperfections today, and the courage to ask brave questions if you ned to!

03/14/2022

When you see someone you’re trying to trust MESS UP, our surrounding culture encourages us to view those moments as “the truth coming out,” or someone’s “true colors” being exposed. We live in a time of hype and cancellation, which creates a trust dichotomy that reaches further than our feelings toward discredited celebrities or institutions.

No one can thrive in a world of “perfect or evil.” …no one: that means you, me and anyone else currently sitting in the comfortable position of judging another.

We will miss out on SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES for expansion - in our work, in our relationships and even in our deepest missions and purposes - if we cling to the belief that once someone has demonstrated imperfection, they are inevitably cast into the evil ones. The bad guys. The folks who’ve been canceled.

Today, let us reflect on the Mindful Improv Thinking component of trusting imperfect scene partners and giving them space to be more than one thing. It does not require anyone to be let off the hook: compassionate accountability is required for real trust, and there are many Mindful Improv Thinking skills associated with honorable confrontation and fruitful engagement of vulnerable conversations.

But for a moment, let us think compassionately about failure, misstep and moments when one definitely proves that he or she possesses the need for growth. Each of us has been there. Let us not fail to extend the grace we have received. Let us not fail to build something brave because we’re waiting for perfect scene partners.

In fact: All that exists was built by imperfect scene partners choosing to collaborate anyway.