In this episode, Victoria takes a deep dive into The Growth Zone. Along the way, Victoria has a spontaneous on-the-fly moment, connecting DISC factors to the four common responses to perceived threats: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn—a completely unscripted insight!

The conversation also ties into Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset (See Episode 9). The episode is packed with psychological insights, personal stories, and practical strategies to help listeners take small, meaningful steps toward growth.

Did you watch the Oscars on Sunday? You know what’s coming…here’s DISC as Academy Awards.

High D – The Substance. Intense, controversial

High I – Wicked. Fun, emotional

High S – I’m Still Here. Themes of persistence and family

High C – Conclave. Themes of tradition and order

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] - Podcast intro and mood check-in

[00:01:32] - DISC as Academy Awards

[00:01:53] - Introduction to the Growth Zone concept

[00:02:57] - Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses

[00:05:00] - The four zones: comfort, fear, learning, and growth

[00:06:09] - Self-awareness and leaving your comfort zone

[00:07:39] - Benefits of leaving your comfort zone

[00:07:51] - Self-actualization

[00:08:22] - Growth mindset

[00:10:33] - Resilience

[00:11:00] - Self-efficacy

[00:12:24] - Tips for reaching the growth zone

[00:12:30] - Reframing stress

[00:17:27] - Personal examples and reflections

[00:21:00] – Outro

Poll: What’s one small step you can take today to move out of your Comfort Zone and into Growth?

If you're interested in learning more about team building, coaching, strategic hiring and onboarding, let's connect!

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In this episode, Victoria explores the concept of happiness through the lens of psychology and personality. She discusses the PERMA model of wellbeing developed by Martin Seligman, breaks down different psychological theories of happiness, and shares a happiness assessment based on Seligman's work.

• DISC analogy comparing personality styles to sports
• Three psychological approaches to studying happiness
• The PERMA model components: Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishments
• Practical strategies for increasing happiness in each PERMA area
• Discussion of a happiness assessment with average scores and interpretations

• Oxford Happiness Questionnaire by Argyle and Hills
• PERMA model happiness assessment https://www.purposeplus.com/survey/perma-profiler/
• Martin Seligman's work on positive psychology
• How We Feel app for tracking emotions

[00:00:00] - Show introduction and mood check-in with hosts

[00:03:00] - DISC analogy: Comparing personality styles to sports

• Football (High D): Direct contact, aggressive
• F1 Racing (High I): Glamorous and thrilling
• Rowing (High S): Steady teamwork
• Tennis (High C): Individual focus, rule-bound

[00:04:00] - Introduction to happiness assessments

• Oxford Happiness Questionnaire overview
• PERMA-based assessment introduction

[00:08:00] - Three schools of thought on happiness

• Need and goal satisfaction theories
• Genetic and personality predisposition
• Process activity theories

[00:10:00] - Introduction to PERMA model and flourishing

• Overview of positive psychology
• Explanation of PERMA components

[00:12:00] - Detailed discussion of Positive emotion

• Ways to build positive emotions
• Importance of gratitude practice

[00:13:00] - Exploration of Engagement

• Flow state concept
• Connection to strengths and work alignment

[00:16:00] - Discussion of Relationships

• Importance of positive social connections
• Strategies for building relationships

[00:18:00] - Coverage of Meaning

• Purpose in life
• Ways to build meaning

[00:19:00] - Examination of Accomplishments

• Internal vs external motivation
• SMART goal setting

[00:20:00] - Discussion of assessment scores

• Average score explanation (6.8)
• Hosts' scores and interpretation

[00:24:00] - Show conclusion and contact information

If you're interested in learning more about team building, coaching, strategic hiring and onboarding, let's connect!

discoverwhatworks@gmail.com

https://pod.link/1614071253

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaDISC

https://www.instagram.com/discoverwhatworks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/discoverwhatworks

In this episode, Victoria explores the concept of charisma and its learnability through warmth and competence cues, as discussed by Vanessa Van Edwards. Victoria and Heather kick off the year with lively discussions about Golden Globe nominated TV characters that exemplify DISC personality traits, their own holiday experiences, and their personal charisma quiz results. The episode emphasizes the importance of balancing warmth and competence in social and professional interactions for improved communication and success.

Did you watch the Golden Globes on Sunday? Here's DISC as nominated characters:

High D - Jodie Foster as Liz Danvers in True Detective: Night Country

High I - Kristen Bell as Joanne in Nobody Wants This

High S - Adam Brody as Noah in Nobody Wants This

High C - Steve Martin as Charles in Only Murders in the Building

Time Stamps:

00:00 Welcome and New Year Greetings

00:54 Checking In: Mood Meter

01:46 Introducing Today's Topic: Charisma

02:10 DISC Illustration with Golden Globes Nominated TV Characters

06:59 Vanessa Van Edwards and the Science of People

08:34 Understanding Charisma: Warmth and Competence

10:06 Charisma Scale and Personal Reflections

21:55 Exploring the Charisma Quadrants

27:07 Wrapping Up and Final Thoughts

If you're interested in learning more about team building, coaching, strategic hiring and onboarding, let's connect!

discoverwhatworks@gmail.com

https://pod.link/1614071253

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaDISC

https://www.instagram.com/discoverwhatworks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/discoverwhatworks

With 2024 coming to a close, today's podcast looks at highlights from this year's episodes. I enjoyed putting this together, as it's a nice way to reflect on the past year and revisit memorable conversations and guests.

The holidays are almost here! Let's "unwrap" DISC as presents:

High D - Omega Watch: Makes a strong statement - be on time!

High I - Chocolates: A sweet, serotonin boost

High S - Cozy PJ's: Comforting and relaxing

High C - Books: Entertainment and learning through the written word

Resources for this episode:

Love Languages

EI in the World of AI

Showcasing Steadiness with Shawn Z

Illustrating Influence with Rachel Hammer

The Four Archetypes of Happiness

Recruiting and Hiring with DISC

Meet Michelle

More with Michelle

Wishing you all the best this holiday season :)

To learn more about Victoria and her business offerings visit or email her at mailto:discoverwhatworks@gmail.com

Connect with Victoria!

https://pod.link/1614071253

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaDISC

https://www.instagram.com/discoverwhatworks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/discoverwhatworks

I’m excited to get into this episode but first, it’s time for our DISC analogy:

If DISC was a board game, what would it be?

High D – Monopoly – described as the ultimate game of capitalism. The goal is to drive your competitors into bankruptcy!

High I – Charades – interactive, emotive, fun, high spirited

High S – Game of Life – it rewards players for good behaviour. For instance, recycling, helping others

High C – Clue – Using deductive reasoning, to solve a mystery

This checks out for me – I LOVE Clue, which one is your fav, Heather?

Let's jump into part 2 of my discussion with Michelle Minnikin, (if you haven’t listened to part 1) she’s an Organizational Psychologist, Executive Coach, and Author of the book, Good Girl Deprogramming.

Part 1 with Michelle Minnikin

https://www.michelleminnikin.com/

To learn more about Victoria and her business offerings visit or email her at mailto:discoverwhatworks@gmail.com

Connect with Victoria!

https://pod.link/1614071253

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaDISC

https://www.instagram.com/discoverwhatworks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/discoverwhatworks

I also had the opportunity to interview Michelle Minnikin, an organizational psychologist, executive coach, and author. We chatted about everything from the best way to use psychometric tools in the workplace, to what compelled us to do the work that we do. You can check out part 1 of my conversation with Michelle on today's episode of DISCovering You 👇

It's International Coffee Month! What's your preference?

High D - Espresso: Swift, bold

High I - Macchiato: Sweet, frothy

High S - Latte: Smooth, mellow

High C - Americano: Strong, precise

If you're interested in learning more about team building, coaching, strategic hiring and onboarding, let's connect!

To learn more about Victoria and her business offerings visit or email her at mailto:discoverwhatworks@gmail.com

Connect with Victoria!

https://pod.link/1614071253

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaDISC

https://www.instagram.com/discoverwhatworks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/discoverwhatworks

Hi Listeners! I’m excited to welcome you back for our first episode of Season 3!

Today we’re going to be talking about how to become a Supercommunicator, but before we dive in, Let’s do this month’s DISC analogy.

Of all the metaphors, examples, comparisons I’ve done, Social Media has been the DISC analogy that most resonates with people. I had removed it from my Slide Deck when Twitter changed to X, but based on popular demand LOL, I’ve brought it back. So, I give you, an updated DISC as Social Media:

D – X (formerly Twitter): Direct, concise, thrives in conflict

I – Instagram and tik tok: Hearts abound, (no thumbs up liking as on other platforms) aesthetically pleasing, trendy

S – Facebook: Supportive, more space for connection and conversation

C – Linked In: Facts over feelings, business focused

I read a really insightful book on the hiatus by Charles Duhigg, called Supercommunicators, How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection. Well, you can imagine that got my attention, right? Totally in my wheelhouse.

The book is very comprehensive with tons of great material, which I could never cover here, but I’m going to try and distill the main points.

The author, Duhigg, starts the book by explaining why he was inspired to write it.

He says, “this book was born, in part, from my own failures at communication”.

He goes on to say that he was confused by his failures because as a writer he’s supposed to communicate for a living!

He recounts a story of a work project he was managing and was doing very well at it analytically speaking – doing schedules and logistics. (I’m going to put in my guess right now, that Charles has a High C) 😊

BUT…he realized he was failing at connecting with the people he was working with. When they came to him with issues, he responded with practical fixes. He came to realize that they were looking for empathy, but instead of listening to how they were feeling, he responded with practical solutions.

He also noticed this pattern playing out at home in his family life and this was particularly frustrating because these were the people in his life that mattered the most!

In his quest for understanding, he came away with a key finding:

There are 3 different types of conversations. If we aren’t having the same type of conversation with our partners, colleagues, family members, at the same moment, we won’t be able to connect with each other.

Researchers have studied how our mind operates during different types of conversations. It turns out that different parts of our brains are activated, depending on the type of discussion.

Duhigg breaks down this research into 3 mindsets, each corresponding to a different conversation style. Please enjoy!

To learn more about Victoria and her business offerings visit or email her at mailto:discoverwhatworks@gmail.com

Connect with Victoria!

https://pod.link/1614071253

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

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This is the second in a series that I started earlier this year. I’m chatting with some of my clients (each with a different DISC profile) to see how their particular profile operates in the world. I started with High Steadiness, and spoke with Shawn Zigelstein (Episode 26).

Before we dive into that, let’s do this month’s DISC comparison.

National Fashion Day is coming up, so of course it prompted me to explore DISC as Designers!

High D – Jean Paul Gaultier. His designs are known to be unconventional, even audacious.

High I – Versace. Vibrant and exciting.

High S – Ralph Lauren. Consistent, practical

High C – Burberry. Patterned, symmetrical

Today we’re going to be looking at the Influence factor, (High I). I’m pleased to introduce Rachel Hammer as my special guest! Rachel is the founder and leader of Hammer and Associates, a highly successful real estate team in the Ottawa area.

To learn more about Victoria and her business offerings visit or email her at mailto:discoverwhatworks@gmail.com

Connect with Victoria!

https://pod.link/1614071253

https://discoverwhatworks.org/

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaDISC

https://www.instagram.com/discoverwhatworks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/discoverwhatworks