Julie Freedman-Smith - From Parenting Skills to Leadership Qualities

06/05/24 • 50 min

In this engaging episode of Sweet on Leadership, host Tim Sweet sits down with Julie Freedman Smith, a seasoned parenting expert, for a thought-provoking conversation on parenting and leadership. Julie shares important insights on how parents can support their children in finding their own paths while balancing guidance and empathy. They discuss the importance of understanding the unique perspectives of children and how parents can embrace courage and flexibility while parenting.

Julie and Tim explore the idea that children operate on a different "currency" than adults, valuing friendship and good feelings over time and achievement. They emphasize the necessity of reassessing parental expectations and focusing on short-term progress rather than long-term outcomes. Additionally, they draw parallels between parenting and leadership, discussing how adults can avoid limiting themselves to specific roles or activities based on early career choices or societal expectations. This episode is packed with practical advice and is a must-listen for anyone looking to enhance their parenting skills and leadership qualities, fostering growth, adaptability, and genuine fulfillment in both personal and professional realms.

About Julie Freedman Smith

Julie Freedman Smith is the founder of JFS Parent Education and co-founder of Parent Mentor Now. With over two decades of experience guiding parents across North America, she is dedicated to transforming family dynamics by fostering safe, respectful communication that builds lasting connections. As an author, podcast host, parenting expert, and mother of two, Julie understands the thrilling yet challenging journey of raising children in today's complex world.

Her empathetic and practical approach empowers parents to support their children's growth and development while maintaining a positive family dynamic. Through practical strategies and open communication, she helps parents navigate the stresses and joys of parenting, ensuring both they and their children thrive. Julie's mission is to equip parents with the tools they need to create harmonious and resilient family environments, enabling them to handle the ups and downs of parenting with confidence and grace.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Contact Tim Sweet | Team Work Excellence:

Contact Julie Freedman Smith | Parent Mentor Now:

Transcript:

Julie 00:01

So, I was just talking to a family this week about a child who's playing one level up. So, he's the youngest kid on the game. He's being picked on all the time and then he's taking that and he's picking on everybody else in his class because that's what it looks like. And so we can just take a step back, sit in the discomfort, this means I might not know the entire path for my child. And can I just be here? Can I be with this child right now with what they need from me right now, and see where we get to next?

Tim 00:34

Do you rely on others to set a vision and then give them what they need so that they can achieve something they never would be able to do on their own? Whether or not you formally lead a team. If this sounds like you, then you, my friend, are the definition of a leader. And this show is all about bringing you new insights from real people that you've never been exposed to. So, you can grow and increase your impact on the world and feel more fulfilled while you're doing it.

Tim 01:01

I'm Tim Sweet. And I'm glad you could join us for episode 34.

Tim 01:08

Hey, everybody, welcome back to the Sweet on Leadership podcast. Joining me once again, this will be your seventh visit? Seventh visit is, Julie Freedman Smith. Together, we form some sort of a superhero duo, yet to be named. We've been talking off-camera about things that are going on in our lives, we decided to hit record. And today we're going to take you into a subject that I...

About Julie Freedman Smith

Resources discussed in this episode:

Contact Tim Sweet | Team Work Excellence:

Contact Julie Freedman Smith | Parent Mentor Now:

Transcript:

Julie 00:01

Tim 00:34

Tim 01:01

I'm Tim Sweet. And I'm glad you could join us for episode 34.

Tim 01:08

Previous Episode

Brent Yonk - Beyond Titles in Leadership

What does it take to create an impactful leader? Find out in this episode of the Sweet on Leadership podcast. Tim interviews the insightful Brent Yonk—Leadership Coach, Culture Change Agent, and Senior Leader at the FBI—about his extensive experience coaching diverse leaders from around the world. Their conversation will provide you with a wealth of wisdom, including why leadership titles don’t matter as much as we think they do, how to develop yourself as a leader first before seeking followers, plus the impact of technology on organizational leadership structures. You don't want to miss this episode if you want to grow your leadership skills and inspire others around you!

Brent also shares stories from his experience working as a leader within the FBI and coaching leaders in law enforcement around the world. You’ll hear about the many misconceptions people have about leadership, the mistakes organizations make when searching for leaders, and how to cultivate those skills in yourself. For the aspiring leaders out there, you’ll learn why it’s so powerful to unlock your potential by believing in yourself and cultivating a culture of leadership in your environment. By the end, you’ll be inspired to make changes to the way you lead and the way you view leadership.

About Brent Yonk

Brent Yonk is an Assistant Section Chief for the FBI Counterterrorism Division’s Technology and Data Innovation Section. In this role, he oversees the development of novel technology solutions supporting international and domestic terrorism investigations and other critical incidents around the world. Prior to his current role, Brent served as the FBI’s In-Q-Tel Interface Center Director leading the Bureau’s commercial scouting, testing, and evaluation of emerging technologies. Brent is also an Adjunct Faculty for the FBI Academy, instructing and facilitating courses in leadership, organizational change, and project management for law enforcement partners around the world. Prior to joining the FBI, he spent over 10 years working in the private sector with several Fortune 500 companies in the areas of organizational change management and workforce development.

Resources discussed in this episode:

Contact Tim Sweet | Team Work Excellence:

Contact Brent Yonk:

Linkedin: Brent Yonk

Transcript

Brent 00:01

And the beauty is usually when you're exercising leadership without titles, the competitive nature of it doesn't really ever come into play. Because there's really not an opportunity for you to one up anybody else, right? It's really about looking at each other, evaluating each other's strengths, understanding what each person on that team brings to the table, and then really just giving each other and empowering each other to bring their best selves, to support whatever the shared objective or goal is.

Tim 00:33

I'd like to ask you some questions. Do you consider yourself the kind of person that gets things done? Are you able to take a vision and transform that into action? Are you able to align others towards that vision and get them moving to create something truly remarkable? If any of these describe you, then you, my friend, are a leader, and this show is all about and all for you. I’m Tim Sweet. Welcome to the Sweet on Leadership Podcast. This is episode 33. Thanks for joining us.

Tim 01:08

Welcome back to the Sweet on Leadership podcast. Thank you very much for joining me today. This is a podcast that has been months in the making. I am absolutely electric with excitement for talking to my guest today. I'd like to introduce Brent Yonk. And Brent, I'm gonna let you tell people all about why I'm so jazzed today. Tell them about what you do. And what you find yourself doing day in day out. It's not my normal cup of tea.

Brent 01:39

Absolutely. Well. Hopefully, I don't underwhelm everybody. But, so my name is Brent Yonk. I'm an assistant section chief with the Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI. Specifically, I'm in the FBI’s counterterrorism division. And so my role, I focus on leading a group of folks who develop kind of the next generation technology that supports our agents and our analysts who are both at our headquarters divisions, as well ...

Next Episode

The Permission to Seek the Career You Deserve

In this insightful episode, Tim responds to the most compelling questions submitted by listeners over the past year. A major theme explores permitting yourself to make big changes. Tim dives deep into topics such as recognizing and navigating career slumps, the evolving nature of skill sets in rapidly changing industries, and how to pursue passion in your career. For those balancing leadership roles with creative ambitions, Tim offers guidance on re-engaging with your passions without sacrificing your career progress.

Tim shares practical advice on determining whether it's time for a career shift or if you're just in a temporary slump. He also tackles the challenges of feeling obsolete in an automated world and provides strategies for reassessing your career path. Lastly, he discusses the complex interplay between career progression and family life, providing ideas for maintaining balance and fulfillment in both areas.

Contact Tim Sweet | Team Work Excellence:

Tim 00:34

Tim 01:10

Hey, thanks for joining me, this week, it's going to be just you and me, we're going to be flying solo, somebody had come to me and said that they really liked the direction that the podcast is heading. And one of the things that they noticed is that everybody that's been on, it seems to have this really clear sense of who they are and what they do. And they have been able to take a big bold step, and change their life up. And they encouraged me to do an episode where we talk about giving yourself permission to make big change. What is it we need to do in order to shake ourselves up and to seek something better? So, what I've done is I've gone through some of the best questions that I've received over the last year, and there are dozens of them, and I narrowed it down to 10. And I'm hoping to get through five, maybe more today, if we can. Give you a bit of the response that I would have provided the person writing, and then build on those. So, if you're one of the people that have contributed these questions you're going to know, and thank you very much for listening. Thank you to all of you. Without listeners, this podcast doesn't have much of a purpose, does it? So, I'm really happy to find out that you're getting value from it, that you're enjoying the eclectic mix of leadership experts, and insightful visionaries that we've got joining us every week, and I can't wait to bring you the next 30 episodes. So, let me start off by saying, my goal in life has always been to not have people struggle. Nothing bothers me more than when I come into a relationship with a person and I understand that they've got something in their life that just really is, not just hard, but it's routinely hard. It's this pattern of struggle that they've got. When I work with teams, I look for the same thing. Where do we have patterns of unnecessary struggle? Work should be challenging, work should be hard, we should be applying ourselves and we should be enjoying taking our skills to difficult problems and projects and making them better. But working with people shouldn't be hard. And being a fit for a job shouldn't be hard. We spend so many hours of our lives in a profession that we deserve, to really feel like that profession is bowing us up. So, whether you're a leader, and you're used to talking to me or listening to the podcast with ears of a person that's leading a team, or you're somebody who's involved in a profession, or a pursuit, where they're really a subject matter expert, or they want to leave a legacy, I'd encourage you to listen to these questions. Each one of them I think builds on an aspect of that finding permission to seek out more, it doesn't always mean leaving a job either. Sometimes it can be reengineering the job that you've got, and looking very specifically for those elements of the job that you are struggling with. It's such a huge part of my profession now to work with executives who are climbing ladders of success or are getting more and more passionate about the areas that ...