Evolving Human Beings - January Update
Welcome
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Hi Everyone & Happy New Year!
I want to start this newletter off by expressing my sincere gratitude at your being on our newsletter list. I hope these messages bring you value and make you think, feel, and act in ways you might otherwise not have done.
I planned to release this prior to the holidays but didn't, because for me December is an incredibly challenging time of year for me. (I share a bit about this in an article listed below if you're interested.) My 2025 got off to a slightly bumpy start with a surgery and the "snowpocalypse" in the Midwest which led to an extended "vacation" for my kids.
As I reflected on what to share with you all at the start of this year, it became apparent that we are living in incredibly interesting and equally challenging times. I've observed:
- The latest workplace reports paint a problematic picture for people and people-related practices. Gallup is calling it the "Great Detachment."
- People are grappling with increasingly high rates of stress and its impact on their health and well-being. At the same time, loneliness, childcare, healthcare, and financial stress remain significant challenges.
- Workplaces are pulling back on many of their people-related intiatives such as DEI and well-being investments due (at least in part) to a lack of measurable results or outcomes.
- The political and social climate remains polarized. While many are trying to understand the current cultural climate, what it means for them, and how to navigate it effectively.
I continue to believe we are at a key turning point in human evolution.
The rate of change (of technology and the world at large) has outpaced our human body's ability to adapt to it. As a result, more people are experiencing capacity overload which is impacting individual, business, goverment, and community health.
The gap will continue to grow until we equip ourselves (and one another) with the capabilities, competence, and capacity we need to thrive, not just survive.
The good news is that science has provided us the answers we need to make wiser decisions. Equipped with the knowledge and research, human and cultural transformation to create wiser ways of being, living, and working is entirely possible.
The time for investmetn and transformation is now (or arguably yesterday)!
I've spent the last few years working on researching and updating work practices to reflect the science of human performance. My intention for 2025 is to identify creative ways to make this work accessible to more people and workplaces.
I hope you will continue on this amazing journey with us and experience the benefits of new and improved ways of living and working!
Always Evolving - Jessica
P.S. Interested in a particular topic or want a specific tool/resource? Email us and let us know at: [email protected]
Being Human, Evolving Your Brain
Did you know short-form content is impacting your brain capacity?
If you love short-form content, you are not alone! Millions of us are drawn to apps like TikTok and YouTube to consume short bits of content.
We live in a world where we are constantly striving to simplify and shorten the information and knowledge we consume. We treat our brains like computers "uploading" video clips, text messages, emails and more. But unlike computers, the human brain doesn't retain everything it receives.
Instead, our brains are taking in data, choosing which of it to process, then categorizing and sorting it such that we can make sense of it. As a result, the simpler things are, the easier they are to categorize and make sense of.
Which means, our brains have a preference for simple. But simple content (while possibly more engaging and entertaining) doesn't equate to long-term retention, growth, or development. And it certainly doesn't cause us to think deeply enough to experience transformation.
Our brains operate more like how a tree grows:
- We have to plant seeds - learn new skills, knowledge, or behaviors.
- Nurture them - develop them by reinforcing neural pathways.
- Prune away the weeds - eliminating past patterns that aren't serving us.
- Build strength in our roots - consistent practice strengthens neural pathways.
- Adapt to seasonal changes - grow and change with experiences.
I'm constantly feeling pressured to simplify and shorten my training videos, content, and programs. But our brains don't retain or grow without extended opportunities for insight, reflection, integration, and development.
Quick, ad hoc, or isolated training events don't equate to sustained growth and development.
The forming of neural pathways and connections takes time, intention, and action. Not to mention when we want to change old neural pathways, this requires even more attention and effort.
Reflect:
- What types of training, reflection, and development are you currently engaged in? Is it truly designed to create lasting growth or merely to engage and entertain?
- How often do you prioritize quick consumption over meaningful engagement and how is this shaping your capabilities and capacity?
- How can you create opportunties for deeper learning and reflection in your life to nuture long-term growth?
Consider:
Instead of perpetually simplifying and shortening what we share, what if we became more selective about our time and energy? How would intentionally applying it to our human growth and development positively impact us? How could we consider integrating meaningful opportunities to plant, nuture, and grow our neural pathways into our daily practices? How might we do so in our workplaces?
Did you know we have a Wise Interviewing Practices Program?
Our "Done-for-You" Program is a comprehensive resource designed to assist organizations in successfuly preparing to conduct exceptional interviews.
Consider this program a one-stop solution that provides a structured and customizable approach to interview preparation, aimed at helping businesses identify the best cnadidates and make wiser hiring decisions.
Included Tools & Templates
- Wise Interviewing Practices Program Training.
- Interviewer Training Presentation (can be customized).
- Competency Library with over 60 competencies with definitions, questions, and follow-up questions.
- 30 Pre-Created Phone Interview Guide Templates
- 50 Pre-Created Behavioral Interview Guide Templates
- 13 Pre-Created Templates (e.g. job description, interview guides, interview feedback & candidate evaluation, pre-created emails, and more!)
- 8 Reference Guides (e.g. Navigating Employment Descrimination, Behavioral Interviewing, and Pronoun Use).
Have you wondered what coaching with us might be like?
Are you curious about our unique neuroscience-based multiple brain integration techniques and want to see how it works for yourself?
We are so incredibly passionate about impacting people's lives that we are running a new year "New Client Special" offer for a 1:1 Coaching Session with us at only $47!
Come discover how we differ from other more traditional coaching methods that are much less effective and take much longer to see results. With our transformational approach, you can expect to experience results in as little as just one session.
Get Your 1:1 Coaching Session Here
New to coaching? For a long time I never had coaching and had no idea how valuable it could be. Learn More: My Biggest Career Mistake
One reason coaching is so important, is that we can't see beyond our neural pathways (the patterns that we've created from our unique life experiences). Which means, we need someone else who can partner with us and help reflect back what we can't see in ourselves.
Check Out "Wisdoming the World" on Substack
I wanted to share more of the topics I write about and the things I create under a banner that isn’t limited to workplaces and leaders. On this Substack platform, I will be publishing articles on a variety of topics, sharing my poems, and eventually releasing a new audio podcast.
What is "Wisdoming" the World? An Introduction to this Substack on Wisdoming the World open.substack.com |
Explore today's challenges through a multi-brain (head/heart/gut), neuroscience-based lens to be enlightened, equipped, and empowered to enhance and expand human evolution, transform workplaces, and enrich communities.
Here are a few of my first few posts/articles:
- Start with the Heart: Begin Building the Bridge
- Evaluating the US Election: A multi-part Neuroscience-Based Analysis (Part One)
- Comprehending the Context of the Current Climate (Part Two)
Upcoming Events
SHRM St.Louis Webinar on Tuesday, January 28th at 12pm CST
Updating Your Human Operating System: Introducing the 4 Pillars of Peak Performance
Workplaces are experiencing what’s being called “the great detachment,” with job satisfaction at historic lows and stress at record highs. As we enter the era of intelligence, combining AI and human potential, it’s clear that outdated work practices are no longer sustainable. Join our upcoming webinar to explore how to address “the great detachment” and rebuild workplace connection and performance.
In this session, you’ll learn why stress and constant change are triggering trauma, impacting well-being, and decreasing productivity. Discover the four pillars of peak performance—capabilities, consciousness, competence, and capacity—and how they lay the foundation for healthier, more effective ways of working. Walk away with actionable strategies to upgrade your work practices and optimize your Human Operating System for a thriving future.
Don’t miss this opportunity to transform the way you work and lead!
Sign up now to secure your spot
Stay Up to Date with Our Podcasts & Blogs
🎧 Evolving to Exceptional Podcast with Jessica Tietjen
Check out the latest episodes:
- Breaking Barriers: Cultural Intelligence in a Polarized World with Dr. Amy Narishkin (Part 2)
- Breaking Barriers: Cultural Intelligence in a Polarized World with Dr. Amy Narishkin (Part 1)
- The Strength of Community: Evolving Leaders from Within with Lynell Shattls
- Do you ever feel like quitting?
- What Drives Change in Long-Standing Organizations? with Derek Temper
- Navigating the Election Results & Finding Our Way to Fulfillment (Eliminating Extremism Part 2)
- Unlocking Manager Potential: Psychological Safety, Engagement, and the Neuroscience of Leadership with Monica Lummus
- Building a People-Centric Culture with Lus Haberberger
- Eliminating Extremism: Wise Decision-Making for Elections
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Learn more about key topics related to reaching peak performance in our workplaces, homes, and communities.
Check out the latest blog articles here.
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