📋 Episode Summary
In this warm and reflective season finale, Marc and Emily close out Season 3 by looking back at the conversations, surprises, and throughlines that emerged. From getting their first live Christmas tree in two decades to reflecting on the grief and growth that shaped their year, they offer a candid behind-the-scenes look at how the season unfolded.

They talk about the intention behind creating a story arc, the joy of unexpected episodes, and how Concord Leadership Group is more than just a name—it's a shared vision of harmony and wholehearted leadership. Plus, they preview hopes (and side quests!) for Season 4 and 2026.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Most podcasts don't make it past 3 or 20 episodes—finishing Season 3 is a milestone worth celebrating.
• Conversations around grief, transition, and rest shaped this season in unseen but powerful ways.
• Planned arcs are great—but spontaneous questions often spark the best episodes.
• "Concord" means harmony—and that resonance is core to their life and leadership work.
• 2026 will bring themes of legacy, hardwiring, coaching, and living into one's vision.
• Leaders don't need to bottle hope—they need space to be seen and grow at their own pace.

🗣 Quote Highlights

"This season was not a color I could name—and not a sock yarn pattern either. But there were threads that came through." – Emily
"We've never been answer holders. We say, 'Here's my understanding—tell me what you think.'" – Emily
"Don't keep digging up the seed. It's part of the process." – Marc
"Perfectly imperfect—that's us." – Emily
"The shortest way is often the long way." – Marc
"We get to be part of a vision. A wholehearted approach to life." – Emily
"May there be light and color, and comfort and joy." – Emily

🧰 Tools & Mentions

• 📚 Legendborn & Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
• 🌲 Live Christmas tree (first in 20+ years... with cats!)
• 🧶 Yarn metaphors: solid, variegated, sock yarn
• 💻 ConcordLeadershipGroup.com & Emily's blog post on "Concord"
• 📰 Jeff Gibbard's Infinite Impact Newsletter
• 🧭 Coaching conversations around values, legacy, and intentional leadership
• 🧠 Magnetized 2026 cohort—ongoing growth and goal setting

👥 Who Should Listen

• Longtime fans who want a wrap-up and peek behind the scenes
• Leaders navigating grief, life transitions, or legacy work
• Coaches, founders, and partners building a vision together
• Listeners who value curiosity, humility, and meaningful conversation
• Anyone looking for a reminder that they're not alone—and still figuring it out, too

🎺 That Music!
Special thanks to Lexi Moreno, Caleb Pitman, and Zoe Czarnecki for the original music.
Lexi Moreno – composing / mixing / mastering / guitar
Caleb Pitman – composing / mixing / trumpet
Zoe Czarnecki – bass

📋 Episode Summary
In this thoughtful conversation, Marc and Emily reflect on the deeper dimensions of rest—not just as sleep or downtime, but as intentional recovery, play, and emotional repair. They share how this past year of travel, loss, and transition reshaped their understanding of what it means to truly rest. From the importance of daily routines to the power of letting go of urgency, they invite listeners to reconsider their own rhythms and how grief, joy, and presence all play into real restoration.

With humor and candor, they explore how play can be a portal to healing, how sabbath practices protect against burnout, and how sometimes the best productivity tool is a jigsaw puzzle.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Rest isn't just sleep—it's emotional, physical, and psychological recovery.
• Play is restorative, especially when it's free from deadlines or expectations.
• Self-employment blurs work/rest boundaries—intentional sabbath rhythms help.
• Grief and loss require more recovery than we often acknowledge.
• Daily rituals (walks, puzzles, Switch games) offer a foundation for renewal.
• Patience and reserves are essential leadership postures for 2026 and beyond.

🗣 Quote Highlights

"There's something about this season that says both ramp up and slow down at the same time." – Emily
"Rest isn't just sleep. I had plenty of hours last night, but I had neither sleep nor rest." – Emily
"My job is not to worry about revenue on Sabbath. Worry will have to wait." – Marc
"The jigsaw puzzle lets me focus and still be part of the room." – Marc
"Play pulled me into rest. I didn't realize how important that was until I missed it." – Emily
"Reserves." – Marc (on his 2026 word for rest and renewal)
"Patience—with a 'C,' not a 'T.'" – Emily

🧰 Tools & Mentions

• 🧩 Jigsaw puzzles as a focus-friendly play tool
• 🎮 Nintendo Switch & Skyrim as relaxing escapes
• 🎥 Movie theater as monthly immersive rest ritual
• 📖 "How to Judge Beer Like a Pro" by Marty Nachel
• 🕯️ Sabbath as a framework for rest: sundown-to-sundown tradition
• 💬 Reference to Lark Rise to Candleford: "This is my one weakness."
• 🧠 Talk of grief recovery and the weight of unprocessed emotions

👥 Who Should Listen

• Self-employed leaders and entrepreneurs who struggle to "turn off"
• Coaches and therapists navigating grief, transition, or burnout
• Anyone feeling the tension between productivity and presence
• Listeners wrestling with their own rest rhythms or end-of-year overwhelm
• People who want to restore play, stillness, and rituals of renewal to their life

🎺 That Music!
Special thanks to Lexi Moreno, Caleb Pitman, and Zoe Czarnecki for the original music.
Lexi Moreno – composing / mixing / mastering / guitar
Caleb Pitman – composing / mixing / trumpet
Zoe Czarnecki – bass

📋 Episode Summary
In this spontaneous episode, Emily surprises Marc with a question about 90-day goal planning. What unfolds is a layered conversation about timelines, personal wiring, vision vs. focus, and the often overlooked practice of celebrating accomplishments.

Together, they explore how goal setting and pacing intersect with neurodivergence, business rhythms, and the real-life complexity of working toward big things while juggling many.

They challenge productivity myths, question quarter-based planning, and offer a more compassionate, flexible model for building momentum—one that honors both milestones and maintenance.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• 90-day plans can create urgency and traction—but they're not one-size-fits-all.
• Parallel goals (maintenance + growth) help prevent a "goal cliff" when one big milestone is reached.
• Celebrating accomplishments is just as vital as achieving them.
• Knowing what comes after a goal helps sustain momentum.
• Not all goals are linear or tidy—life often requires juggling priorities, not sequential steps.
• Vision can be zoomed in or out, like turning the dial on a microscope.

🗣 Quote Highlights

"Whenever I go to my favorite stationery store... I feel like I'm at the candy counter again." – Emily
"If a goal doesn't have a 'what's next,' it's a cliff." – Emily
"I can see it will eventually come together—I've had to work on what I'm doing today to make that happen." – Marc
"There's something to the revisiting, to knowing what's next. A goal without a step to step onto is a drop-off." – Emily
"Celebrating the accomplishment, not just resetting the horizon, matters too." – Marc
"Some people stop when they're winning. But maybe there's momentum that could carry them further." – Marc
"I think the 90-day takeaway is that we can set a goal and zoom in and out on it, like twisting a microscope lens." – Emily
"What will doing this in the next two weeks allow you to do in the next two months?" – Marc

🧰 Tools & Mentions

• 📖 Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada
• 🧁 Penny candy, stationery pens, and Swedish Fish nostalgia
• 🧠 EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), Big Rocks, and Quarterly Goals
• 🛠️ CRM goals, coaching goals, and parallel goal structures
• 💬 "Begin with the end in mind" and "history of the future" frameworks
• 📊 Coaching tip: always help clients define what's next after the goal

👥 Who Should Listen

• Coaches and consultants navigating goal structures with clients
• Entrepreneurs wrestling with time horizons and traction
• People who struggle to revisit or reframe their goals
• Listeners looking for a more personalized alternative to rigid productivity frameworks
• Anyone learning to set big goals and celebrate the small wins

🎺 That Music!
Special thanks to Lexi Moreno, Caleb Pitman, and Zoe Czarnecki for the original music.
Lexi Moreno – composing / mixing / mastering / guitar
Caleb Pitman – composing / mixing / trumpet
Zoe Czarnecki – bass