Kris Windley's guest appearances

Kris Windley

What Works

What Are We Even Doing?

James Victore

Brian Scudamore

Mike McDerment

Cathryn Lavery

Vanessa Van Edwards

Nir Eyal

Jasmine Star

Laura Roeder

Melanie Duncan

Cathy Heller

Nicole Antoinette

Andrea Jones

Jessica Williams

Kate Northrup

Rachael Kay Albers

OwlTail

In This Episode:* Why writer Kris Windley decided to learn how to illustrate her articles* How doodling has helped her work with her ADHD* How she finds the idea or image she wants to illustrate for each piece* The metaphor she uses to think about skill-buildingI’ve become a bit obsessed with the concept of “sensemaking.”Really, I’ve been obsessed with it my whole life, I just didn’t have a name for it.Sensemaking is the process of taking sensory information and situational knowledge and creating a framework for meaning and decision-making.Okay, I know, that sounds kind of heady. But really, we do it all the time.Imagine you venture into the kitchen after a long day in your home office. The kitchen is torn apart. You see dishes stacked on the counter, cupboard doors open, and pantry items covering the table. You smell a slightly chemical citrus scent in the air. Your spouse isn’t there to ask what the heck is going on.Quickly, you deduce that they got the idea to deep clean the kitchen and had to step away for a bit. The job is almost finished but there’s still a ways to go and you’re hungry for dinner. You take the initiative to order pizza.That’s sensemaking.You went from “what the heck is going on here?” To “dinner is on its way” in less than 60 seconds.Anyhow, I’ve always got my eye out for a new way to make sense of the world. A framework, a script, a visualization, a map, a diagram… I love these tools. And I make good use of them in my own head.But my sensemaking tools don’t always make it out of my head.In the last year or so, I’ve really started to recognize that I have a unique strength for explaining how I make sense of things and that my frameworks are helpful for others, too.Score another for neurodivergence!That said, it’s taken some practice find my public sensemaking rhythm. The way I write and speak has evolved quite a bit in a short time—at least from my perspective.But the other thing that’s shifted for me is the ability to turn ideas into a visualizations and graphic representations. I’ve never thought of myself as very good at visual art or graphic design—even though I wished I was.Then, I had a conversation with writer, developmental editor, and communications consultant Kris Windley. Kris told me all about how she’d been learning how to draw to support her writing—and that helped manage her attention &amp; focus as she navigates ADHD.I don’t think I can overstate how much this got my wheels turning. It wasn’t until January that I really got to work on the project finding ways to illustrate my ideas. But once I got started, I couldn’t stop!Here 8 months later and almost a year after that conversation, I feel like I have a really powerful tool in my toolkit. And that that tool leverages a strength I had only been using at half-power.This episode is a rebroadcast but, if you follow my non-podcast work, I think it will have new meaning for you now—as it does for me. And regardless, I think it’s really encouraging to hear about how Kris has intentionally and methodically introduced this new skill into the way she works!  ★ Support this podcast ★ 

In This Episode: * Why writer <a href="http://withakwriting.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Windley</a> decided to learn how to illustrate her articles* How doodling has helped her work with her ADHD* How she finds the idea or image she wants to illustrate for each piece* The metaphor she uses to think about skill-building I’ve become a bit obsessed with the concept of “sensemaking.” Really, I’ve been obsessed with it my whole life, I just didn’t have a name for it. <a href="https://explorewhatworks.com/a-different-perspective-on-social-media-content-marketing-sensemaking/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sensemaking</a> is the process of taking sensory information and situational knowledge and creating a framework for meaning and decision-making. Okay, I know, that sounds kind of heady. But really, we do it all the time. Imagine you venture into the kitchen after a long day in your home office. The kitchen is torn apart. You see dishes stacked on the counter, cupboard doors open, and pantry items covering the table. You smell a slightly chemical citrus scent in the air. Your spouse isn’t there to ask what the heck is going on. Quickly, you deduce that they got the idea to deep clean the kitchen and had to step away for a bit. The job is almost finished but there’s still a ways to go and you’re hungry for dinner. You take the initiative to order pizza. That’s sensemaking. You went from “what the heck is going on here?” To “dinner is on its way” in less than 60 seconds. Anyhow, I’ve always got my eye out for a new way to make sense of the world. A framework, a script, a visualization, a map, a diagram… I love these tools. And I make good use of them in my own head. But my sensemaking tools don’t always make it out of my head. In the last year or so, I’ve really started to recognize that I have a unique strength for explaining how I make sense of things and that my frameworks are helpful for others, too. Score another for neurodivergence! That said, it’s taken some practice find my public sensemaking rhythm. The way I write and speak has evolved quite a bit in a short time—at least from my perspective. But the other thing that’s shifted for me is the ability to turn ideas into a <a href="http://instagram.com/tara_mcmullin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">visualizations and graphic representations</a>. I’ve never thought of myself as very good at visual art or graphic design—even though I wished I was. Then, I had a conversation with writer, developmental editor, and communications consultant <a href="http://withakwriting.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kris Windley</a>. Kris told me all about how she’d been learning how to draw to support her writing—and that helped manage her attention &amp; focus as she navigates ADHD. I don’t think I can overstate how much this got my wheels turning. It wasn’t until January that I really got to work on the project finding ways to illustrate my ideas. But once I got started, I couldn’t stop! Here 8 months later and almost a year after that conversation, I feel like I have a really powerful tool in my toolkit. And that that tool leverages a strength I had only been using at half-power. This episode is a rebroadcast but, if you follow my non-podcast work, I think it will have new meaning for you now—as it does for me. And regardless, I think it’s really encouraging to hear about how Kris has intentionally and methodically introduced this new skill into the way she works! <a href="https://cocommercial-llc.ck.page/products/support-what-works" rel="payment nofollow" target="_blank">★ Support this podcast ★</a>

EP 351: Thinking Differently With Writer Kris Windley

In This Episode:* How writer Kris Windley learned illustration skills to level up the way she communicates* The process she uses to figure out what she’s going to draw and how it’s going to enhance her writing* The 3 ways she coaches herself through the hard parts in learning a new skill* Where she draws motivation from to continue to learn new things and level up her skillsThe very first online course I ever created taught students how to build a WordPress website.I created the course about 10 years ago before drag &amp; drop page builders were the norm and before premium themes were easily customized.Back then, building a website was a special kind of skill. If you wanted something custom, you had to know some HTML and some CSS and you had to know where to put it to make it do the things you wanted to do.The first time I taught the class, the sheer newness of what was involved hit the students like a tsunami. They felt in over their heads and they were quickly drowning among the flotsam &amp; jetsam of page templates and child themes and stylesheets.I felt horrible.I wanted to teach them this new skill so badly. I wanted them to feel powerful and in control of their online presences.But instead, I felt like I had resigned them to the horrible fate of feeling confused and overwhelmed by something that seemed so central to building their businesses.We worked through it… but I knew I didn’t want a repeat of that.So the next time I taught the class, instead of diving into the first lesson, I shared a video with them where I explained what was going to happen—not in the class itself, but in their minds.I asked them to remember back to the last time they were learning something brand new—something that they had no point of reference for. I asked them to remember that it was hard at first but, little by little, it started to make sense and they were able to apply what they were learning.After I set this expectation, it was a little easier for everyone.There were still plenty of questions and problems learning the material—but there were far fewer freakouts and panic attacks!Not only were my students learning to build their websites, I was learning a valuable lesson about what it takes to learn a new, foreign skill as an adult.This month, we’re exploring how we level up by learning new skills.We all bring a unique skill set to our businesses. Some of us bring the skills we learned in school or corporate careers that transfer directly into the work we’re doing today. Others bring certifications and licenses from careers that no longer serve us.Some of us bring skills from our hobbies, personal adventures, or relationships. Others bring skills they had no idea would be useful but have been invaluable to their growth.The way we leverage our existing skills and learn new ones helps us to creatively solve business problems, invest ourselves in future outcomes, and differentiate our brands.Over the course of this month, we’ll hear from a number of small business owners who have spent time and energy on learning a new skill so they could level up some aspect of their businesses—or, in one case, start a new one.You’ll hear from Christianne Squires who committed to leveling up her community-building skills so she could serve her people in a new way.  ★ Support this podcast ★ 

In This Episode: * How <a href="http://withakwriting.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">writer Kris Windley</a> learned illustration skills to level up the way she communicates* The process she uses to figure out what she’s going to draw and how it’s going to enhance her writing* The 3 ways she coaches herself through the hard parts in learning a new skill* Where she draws motivation from to continue to learn new things and level up her skills The very first online course I ever created taught students how to build a WordPress website. I created the course about 10 years ago before drag &amp; drop page builders were the norm and before premium themes were easily customized. Back then, building a website was a special kind of skill. If you wanted something custom, you had to know some HTML and some CSS and you had to know where to put it to make it do the things you wanted to do. The first time I taught the class, the sheer newness of what was involved hit the students like a tsunami. They felt in over their heads and they were quickly drowning among the flotsam &amp; jetsam of page templates and child themes and stylesheets. I felt horrible. I wanted to teach them this new skill so badly. I wanted them to feel powerful and in control of their online presences. But instead, I felt like I had resigned them to the horrible fate of feeling confused and overwhelmed by something that seemed so central to building their businesses. We worked through it… but I knew I didn’t want a repeat of that. So the next time I taught the class, instead of diving into the first lesson, I shared a video with them where I explained what was going to happen—not in the class itself, but in their minds. I asked them to remember back to the last time they were learning something brand new—something that they had no point of reference for. I asked them to remember that it was hard at first but, little by little, it started to make sense and they were able to apply what they were learning. After I set this expectation, it was a little easier for everyone. There were still plenty of questions and problems learning the material—but there were far fewer freakouts and panic attacks! Not only were my students learning to build their websites, I was learning a valuable lesson about what it takes to learn a new, foreign skill as an adult. This month, we’re exploring how we level up by learning new skills. We all bring a unique skill set to our businesses. Some of us bring the skills we learned in school or corporate careers that transfer directly into the work we’re doing today. Others bring certifications and licenses from careers that no longer serve us. Some of us bring skills from our hobbies, personal adventures, or relationships. Others bring skills they had no idea would be useful but have been invaluable to their growth. The way we leverage our existing skills and learn new ones helps us to creatively solve business problems, invest ourselves in future outcomes, and differentiate our brands. Over the course of this month, we’ll hear from a number of small business owners who have spent time and energy on learning a new skill so they could level up some aspect of their businesses—or, in one case, start a new one. You’ll hear from Christianne Squires who committed to leveling up her community-building skills so she could serve her people in a new way. <a href="https://cocommercial-llc.ck.page/products/support-what-works" rel="payment nofollow" target="_blank">★ Support this podcast ★</a>

EP 306: Finding A New Way To Communicate With Writer Kris Windley

Welcome to What Are We Even Doing? I’m your host, richelle, and each week i talk to interesting people about what they’re making, reading, watching, creating, and doing. This week, I’m talking with my dear friend Kris Windley about baking bread, binding books, and what qualifies as art. Links to what we are even doing:  Exit Through The Gift Shop Jerry's Artarama Artists' Problems Brad Montague Nathan Pyle Why planning your vacation makes you happy  What Are We Even Doing?  is a podcast that explores all the different ways we are interacting in the world. Life is a shared experience so let’s share our experiences! The best way to participate is to sign up for notifications. You can also leave a VM on the Anchor app , call and leave a message at 619-352-0051, or reach out to me on Instagram @redscorpiomade--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wawed/message

Welcome to What Are We Even Doing? I’m your host, richelle, and each week i talk to interesting people about what they’re making, reading, watching, creating, and doing. This week, I’m talking with my dear friend Kris Windley about baking bread, binding books, and what qualifies as art. Links to what we are even doing: <ul> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/0ViUZzp6zgM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Exit Through The Gift Shop</a></li> <li>Jerry's Artarama <a href="https://youtu.be/xFCknHC8NAo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Artists' Problems</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bradmontague/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brad Montague</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B1cefs3ptaS/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nathan Pyle</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-to-make-the-most-of-vacation_n_5755b42ae4b0eb20fa0e906d" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Why planning your vacation makes you happy</a></li> </ul> What Are We Even Doing?  is a podcast that explores all the different ways we are interacting in the world. Life is a shared experience so let’s share our experiences! The best way to participate is to <a href="https://theredscorpio.com/wawed" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">sign up for notifications</a>. You can also <a href="https://anchor.fm/wawed/message" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">leave a VM on the Anchor app</a> , call and leave a message at 619-352-0051, or reach out to me on Instagram @redscorpiomade--- Send in a voice message: <a href="https://anchor.fm/wawed/message" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://anchor.fm/wawed/message</a>