Episode 126: Want to Gain Confidence, Get Comfortable with the Uncomfortable at Work? Try Chicken Dancing! (with Special Guest Cameron Roffey)

 
 
 

Hey hey, improve it! peeps! From workshop participant to Chicken Dance Champion, meet Cameron Roffey! He is a living example of the power and magic of 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃.  

 

📖 O𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙪𝙥𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, Cameron was participating in an improve it! workshop when he and a colleague decided to get up and 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 bust a move.  

 

⏩ Fast forward to Cameron posting a reflection about how empowering it was to get up and Chicken Dance, Erin being moved by his post, and inviting him on the improve it! pod. When you use improv as a stepping stone to step out of your comfort zone, 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 arise 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱’𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱. 🤯 

 

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About Cameron Roffey:  

Cameron is a high school graduate in pursuit of his B.S. in Marketing from Azusa Pacific University. He has experience in telemarketing, retail, restaurant, and non-profit work. He is a value and ethics driven leader who holds a strong interest in corporate partnerships. Cameron has had the opportunity to work in different work spaces, providing the constant opportunity for growth. He is a self-motivated, relational worker that desires for a productive and enjoyable workspace. 

Connect with Cameron Roffey: 


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Connect with Erin Diehl: 

Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the improve it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award. 

This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre. 

When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl. 

You can follow the failed it! podcast on Instagram @learntoimproveit and facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram @keepinitrealdiehl here. You can also check out improve it! and how we can help your organization at www.learntoimproveit.com. We can’t wait to connect with you online! 


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Episode 126 Transcription

Erin (00:00): 

Are you a leader searching for new and innovative ways to drive employee engagement and team morale through the roof? Do you wanna create a company culture where everyone feels seen, heard and valued? Hi, I'm Erin Diehl, business Improv edutainer, failfluencer and Professional zoombie who is ready to help you improve your it, your IT being the thing that makes you you. Think of me as your keeping it real, professional development bestie who is here to help you learn from your failures, stand tall in your power and improve yourself so you can improve the lives of others. Oh, and did I mention that we are improving your IT through play? That's right. I am an improvisational comedy expert who uses experiential learning to help you have your aha moments. Those are the moments when the light bulb goes off and you're laughing at the same time. So grab your chicken hat, your notebook, and your inner child because I'm gonna take you on a journey that is both fun and transformative. Welcome to the Improve It! Podcast! 

Erin (01:24): 

Improve it peeps. Welcome to a very special episode of the Improve It Pod. Today is gonna be a bit different. You're gonna hear from a previous client, a friend, a colleague of mine as well as a participant in one of our workshops. So if you are someone who wants to gain confidence by getting uncomfortable and let me just say this, you're gonna get comfy with that uncomfy, then this show is for you. I want you to put on some pants with no waistband, your bedroom slippers. I want you to get a fleece blanket, wrap it around yourself because we are gonna lean into this concept of getting comfortable with the uncomfortable today. Now you saw the title of the show. We are getting comfortable with the uncomfortable by trying chicken dancing. What? Erin, what are you talking about? Well you see the cover art for this show. 

Erin (02:27): 

We have a chicken that is somewhat our mascot and let me just give you the origin story of how this came to be. So in 2013, this is when I started really putting pen to paper and developing what improve it would become. I was coming up with concepts for our workshops and I was getting ready to pilot, pun intended with United Airlines. No big deal. Our first workshop ever. And I said, You know what? I need something to grab their attention. And it just so happens that in my dressup bin, because I have a dressup bin, there was a chicken hat that I purchased at a random boutique in northern Michigan given you the full backstory here. And it was a chicken hat. So you put it on your head and it literally was a fleece chicken and then it had long legs that dangled from your ears, okay? 

Erin (03:27): 

And I thought this has to be in here somehow some way. So it came to me whenever you say the word improv, cuz we were probably gonna use that term frequently, you have to pass the chicken hat to somebody on your right and whoever ends up with the chicken hat is the improv chicken champion. Now, not to brag, but I went to leadership camp a lot. I was in student government, okay? Not only did I attend, I also was a counselor. So you know, put that on your resume. We did a lot of stuff like that at leadership camp to keep people's attention. And so it was natural having a chicken hat next to you. Is that natural? Tough to tell. Jury's still out on that one. So we started this with piloting our workshops with United Airlines and it worked and it was kind of a thing. 

Erin (04:21): 

And then our very first ever public workshop in 2014, I'll never forget Andrew McCannon, who is one of my dearest and nearest facilitators, been with me literally since 2014, was in the workshop as a co-facilitator. And I said, Here's what we're gonna do. Whenever you hear the word improv, we're passing it. And he was like, He's got this great energy, we're gonna have him on the show soon. So he was like, Aaron, I love this idea. What if every time that we did the chicken dance or every time, sorry, I ruined the punchline. Every time we pass the chicken hat, we do the chicken dance. And that's literally the chicken dance that you would hear at weddings like da da da da. 

Erin (05:10): 

So I said, Let's try it. Yes. And right. So it worked. Now we also ruined the word improv for ourselves because if you do multiple workshops in a day, you will hear that chicken dance song in your head every time you say the word improv. But it became a thing. And the chicken hats had to be plentiful because we had very large scale workshops. Sometimes we have four or five workshops happening at the same time. So we found a chicken hat guy, he was on Amazon and these turned into these little skimpy chicken hats to beautiful chicken hats and the legs extended and we put sneakers on the chicken's fate. Okay? We would travel with these chicken hats, they were in my suitcase going all over the country and as well as the facilitator's suitcases. And we kept that chicken dance alive. So every time you hear the word improv, you would chicken dance. 

Erin (06:10): 

Well cut to 2020 in the pandemic where we became completely virtual. If you've listened to this show a long time that you know that the journey was real. So we had no chicken hats. So we decided we're gonna chicken dance over zoom. And let me tell you, people can get down on zoom. So once we started to become back in person in 2021 and now 2022, totally almost I would say half of our workshops are in person, half are virtual. We said, okay, let's just keep it the chicken dance and let's not bring the chicken hats because hashtag germs. So the chicken dance is still a huge part of what we do. We don't have the physical hat anymore, but the chicken dance remains a part of improvement. It's almost our calling card if you will. And I love that it started with Andrew. Yes. 

Erin (07:14): 

And ending this idea. So what I'm about to share with you today is a testimony to this chicken dance. Why it works, how it works. So this is how we set it up in a workshop. We say, All right, every time you hear the word improv you're gonna pass. No, that's what we used to say. Every time you hear the word improv, we are going to chicken dance and it looks like this. So we'll say it a couple times to get everybody warmed up. And then we say our co-facilitators are watching for the most enthusiastic and committed chicken dancer. And whoever that is at the end will be crowned our improv chicken champion. So we say the word they have to dance yet again. Why do we have the chicken dance as part of our thing? Well number one, it reminds us like our jobs improv requires you to focus on multiple things. 

Erin (08:15): 

That once it is also a reminder to play, learn and have fun. Don't be a chicken. So we start off with that and as you can imagine, sometimes we have fian slips, we say the word improv. If anyone in the workshop says improv, we have to chicken dance. And right away we start to see the walls come down, everyone's doing it together right away we start to see people loosening up, people smiling, taking off that hypothetical mask that they wore to work that day to be a person at work and becoming a real human engaging in play, allowing the barriers to drop. So we started working with AJ Gallagher, which is a fantastic organization probably in 2016 or 17. And it's so funny the way that the world works because a dear friend of mine, Aman, who was actually a friend of mine from my previous life as a recruiter, starts working at Gallagher this past year. 

Erin (09:25): 

And I'm thrilled because guess what? She is actually working with the intern program at Gallagher and she is our contact for this event that we're doing with them. And I wanna tell you, this is no small feat. We had 400 interns over the course of four hours. So 100 interns every hour came in, we did an hour workshop with them. And then what you're going to hear right now is a testament from AEE about this experience. So know that I've known AEE now for about seven, eight years. Probably one of the funniest people that I know. She just started doing standup comedy by the way. So if you're in New York, check her out. One of the most amazing recruiters, talent development professionals that I know, Here's her experience working with us at AJ Gallagher this summer. 

Adi (10:29): 

Hi, my name is Adi Clerman and my title is Early Talent Relationship Manager at Gallagher. And what did I notice when watching over 400 participants Chicken dance? Oh my goodness, it was so fun to see all of our interns have such a great time during the workshops throughout the day. What I really noticed is that something so silly that could be really nerve wracking was actually super disarming for all of our students, especially in that age group. As young adults in college where image and looking cool is kind of the name of the game. It was amazing to see all of our interns really enjoy being silly together, bond over it and talk about how exciting it was. I think this methodology broke down barriers and groups of people by showing that it's okay to be silly, it's okay to work towards a common goal and it's right to kind of get outta your comfort zone and have a good time in a professional setting. Again, it was so much fun seeing all of our interns have a great time with the chicken dance and it was really awesome to see how much pride our winners took in being the winners of the chicken dance. So kudos to improve it. Well done, awesome event. Can't wait to have it again. 

Erin (11:50): 

I love Adi and just know she is a joy, a light in this world and thrilled to get to partner with her on this. But you can hear from her. She was actually, I was not at this event so this was in Chicago. Adi was texting me from the event pictures and videos and I knew my team would crush as always and they did. It was just so wonderful to see her reaction because she's come to a lot of our public workshops back in Chicago and to have her witness this transformation with the young adults in the internship program at Gallagher was so cool to hear her perspective. And I was floored because one of the participants actually wrote about his experience on LinkedIn, specifically with chicken dancing during this workshop at AJ Gallagher, this LinkedIn post, and I'm not gonna read it, he's actually going to read it to you in just a moment, moved me to tears because his name is Cameron Rafi rhymes with coffee. 

Erin (13:09): 

It is such a perfect example of why we do what we do. This testimony alone is why you should get comfortable with the uncomfortable. His LinkedIn post really moved me to have a conversation with him, which we recorded for you and moved me to continue to keep this a thing for us. Sometimes we're like should we keep it should no, it's forever a part of our mission because the reason why we use improv as a teaching tool to begin with is because it is a way to create connection, to foster creativity, to postpone judgment, to allow you to physically play and experience the things that we wanna teach you. So I'm gonna stop talking. You're about to hear from Cameron Rafi and let me just give you a quick high level overview of how he is improving it. So Cameron is a high school graduate in pursuit of his BS in marketing from Asuza Pacific University. He has experience in telemarketing, retail, restaurant and nonprofit work. He's a value and ethics driven leader who holds a strong interest in corporate partnerships. Cameron has had the opportunity to work in different workspaces providing the constant opportunity for growth. He is a self-motivated relational worker that desires for a productive and enjoyable workspace. You will hear this in just how he communicates. He is lovely and he is such a joy to talk to. So let's get to it. Here is my conversation with Cameron. 

Erin (15:04): 

Cameron, I'm so excited to have you on the show sometimes seeing you in. So welcome to the improve it! Podcast. I told the improve it! Peeps your story, who you are, but start with a little bit about you and your internship at Gallagher and what you're doing now. 

Cameron (15:29): 

Yeah, of course. And for your listeners, I'm not gonna sing my intro cause that would drive away a lot of people. So I'm really just looking out for you here. But yeah, I found the Gallagher internship through a job site back in November of 2021. And I started applying to internships cuz I really wanted to make sure I had one going into summer and January rolled around and they were like, Hey, we wanna interview you. I was like, Oh wow, this is super quick. And by end of March I already had my summer internship plan, which was really nice. I really enjoyed my time with Gallagher. The internship program was unlike any I have heard about. Obviously I don't have a ton of experience in internships, but the experience that we had just in public speaking alone was so helpful and it made me so much more comfortable, like going into my classes, first week of school, kind of watching other people's presentations and then realizing how much Gallagher prepared me has been awesome. And this semester I'm really excited. I'm getting to intern with a company called Help Systems as a business development intern. I'm really excited about that. It's fully remote. My manager lives all the way out in Connecticut, so it's a super cool opportunity. And then I also get to work with the Anaheim Ducks this year as part of their street team, which is something I'm super excited for. I've wanted to work in the sports industry for a really long time, specifically hockey and I have that opportunity. So I'm very stoked. 

Erin (17:03): 

We are stoked for you. And let me just say this, going back to the singing, Thanks everybody for sticking with us because this is so how will do and camera will Rick for you. I mean truly that is number one awesome to hear. We love AJ Gallagher, been working with them for years and they have built a awesome robust program. And so to know that it's spilling over into other areas of your life is so exciting. Why I wanted to have you here today is because we met through the interwebs and specifically LinkedIn. It's a, it's a beautiful platform. You posted a commentary about the internship workshop, we call it Career one oh one, but it was a workshop all about how to help you in your career and how to guide you through the internship at Gallagher. And you wrote this amazing post specifically about the chicken dance. Would you mind reading that to us and then let's chat through it. 

Cameron (18:08): 

Yeah, of course. So bear with me cuz it's a, it's a writing piece so it might not translate very well as I read it, but we'll see how it how it sounds. In my previous post I mentioned how I was fortunate enough to go to Chicago for intern orientation with Gallagher. Obviously I learned so much, but there's one lesson that I really wanna highlight. One of our learning sessions was with a company called Improve It and this company helps teach organizations how they can successfully use improvisation skills in the corporate. Plenty of concepts were learned along these lines, but rather I want to focus on the chicken award. The team presenting to us informed everybody that time. They said the words improv, we were to do our best chicken impression. This was in a room filled with other college students and it would've been really easy to stay in my comfort zone and kind of quietly sit in my chair and do my little B box <laugh>. 

Cameron (19:03): 

But instead my fellow interns, I'll shout 'em out here. Aiden Broman and Evan Honner decided that we wanted to stick out and be memorable. And when the word improv came out of the coordinator's mouth, we were out of our seats walking around arms awkwardly stuck out by our side doing the best that we could to act like a chicken. And with our determination and incredible acting skills, we brought home the award, which was just bragging rights. And truthfully, it may have been on the edge of obnoxious for others cuz I mean we were really like walking around outside of our seats. And maybe it was a little bit embarrassing at first, but do you know what happened the next couple of days at the networking events? As I introduced myself to others, people remembered that I was the winner of the chicken award. Okay, Cameron. A really long wordy post about literally pretending to be a chicken. What's the lesson here? Briefly stepping outta my comfort zone left a lasting impression on others. I was memorable. No one was bothered by the fact that I acted silly in front of others. And this served as a wonderful reminder that even in something as mundane or perhaps strange as acting like a chicken, people will will remember you for stepping out your comfort zone. 

Erin (20:20): 

Oh, okay. I'm clapp for you. This is clap everyone 

Erin (20:26): 

Take, take that. Oh my God. Even just hearing you say that in your own words, when I read it, I teared up a little bit. I almost cried and listening to you do it even though we're talking about you walking like a chicken and dancing around. You know the origin story, which I have told the Improve peeps before is it really started off as a chicken hat pre covid. And we would pass the chicken hat from person to person and whoever. And every time we said the word improv, just like you chicken danced, we would actually do the da da da and we would do that Uhhuh <affirmative>. That was the progression cuz Andrew, who was your facilitator in Chicago for this session actually started that with me when we first started in 2014. So this has been going for however many year math, math is hard. So anyway, from that it's progressed into no chicken hat because when we passed a chicken hat, there's germs to just doing your own version of the chicken dance. And I love that story so much because it truly embodies what it's all about and just what using improv as a teaching tool is all about. So let me ask you this. Prior to that workshop, had you ever done anything using improv to teach you business fundamentals before? 

Cameron (21:53): 

I don't think I have. It's actually funny, my sophomore year I remember one of my good friends who was in the acting program at my university and I was like, I kind of, I kind of wanted to do improv. Like it sounds really fun. The, the idea of just being on stage with a group of people that I like and kinda just having fun that sounds like a great opportunity, ended up not working out. And I was like, well, time's passed. Oh well. But then when I walked into the room and found out it was an improv workshop, I was like, cool. Like I feel like I'm really excited. I have no idea if I'm actually any good at improv, but the idea of it sounds great. But no, that was my first time ever even hearing about using improv in a corporate setting. 

Erin (22:40): 

Yeah, I love that. Okay, that's awesome. And let me tell you, you should get into improv outside of work if it's something that sparks your interest because it really is a life changing tool. Okay, I can talk all day about that. So when you walked in the room, you were excited, you, were you nervous at all? Like, tell us what your first emotion was when you found out. 

Cameron (23:02): 

I think I was, I was comforted at first by the fact that I even had other interns in the room with me that I knew. Cause I was a little bit nervous. Like I'm, I'm a pretty outgoing guy, but there was still some nerves about like, okay, I'm gonna be trapped in a room with literally over a hundred people that I don't know. But I, I had some comfort that I had two of my friends with me. I think I was just intrigued because I was looking at how many people were in the room and I was like, How are we gonna do anything improv with this many people? And then I kind of figured out, okay, it's more we'll break off into groups, it's facilitated, but I was definitely just excited. I I was super excited to just be at the event in general. And so seeing improv, I was like, okay, cool. Like something I'm at least a little bit familiar with. 

Erin (23:50): 

Yeah. Well that makes me so happy. And you know, we like to create this safe space too. So knowing you're coming in. Yes. When people hear the word improv, they get what I like to call the I factor. It's when there aren't pets get really sweaty and they need to apply a very strong anti purse sprint and they're like, Ugh, I feel gross. I don't wanna do this. But you were comfortable from the get go, which is awesome. It's not always the case, but it's really cool that you were, and then you found out you were chicken dancing and I know you put, you talked about this in your LinkedIn post, but gimme some more. What was that first thought when you're like, we're going to chicken dance. When you say the word improv, what was that thought like? 

Cameron (24:30): 

At first I was like, okay, how often, like, are we talking like every other sentence? I was like, <laugh>, I get the idea, but how often are we really gonna be acting like chickens? And ended up not being much, he, he clarified, he like, Don't worry, I'm not gonna make it a super common occurrence. I'll actually avoid the word a couple times. But then I kinda looked at Aidan and Evan and was like, let's just go for it. Like, yeah, let's, let's make an impression. I was like, we're probably never gonna see these people again. So there's no reason to be embarrassed. And it was so much fun. Like, I, like we bonded over that moment. Like we're, we're the three of us are pretty good friends now. It's really cool. I think at the first time when we had decided to go all out, I was a little nervous cuz it was kind of my idea to go all out. I was like, man, if I stand up and start going all out and these two guys just sit staying next to me, super awkward. Like yeah, there was, there was the, the strength and numbers aspect of it. But thankfully they, they were fully committed just like me. And it was, I mean I'm biased but it was beautiful. Ha 

Erin (25:40): 

<Laugh> no, I could imagine that's the moment I like to call 'em the aha haha moments cuz it's the like your light bulb goes off, but you're doing it through laughter and play and it's just so, so as a facilitator, beautiful to witness truly, it's one of my favorite things. It's when I saw your post, I was, I just, I teared up. I said, because that's my why. This is our why, This is why we exist. To have you create those beautiful moments with people that you knew and have yet not yet met. I wanna ask you this, so hypothetically, the chicken dance can mean so much if you put it in a metaphorical sense, the chicken dances. What is that thing that you are afraid to do? What is that thing that gets you outside of your comfort zone? What is that thing that you're a little bit afraid to lean into, but once you do, you're so happy that you did. So knowing that, just that metaphor, what would you say to somebody listening today who is afraid to dip a toe into something that might make them a little bit uncomfortable in the moment, but it builds character over time? What would, what's a piece of advice you would give them? 

Cameron (27:01): 

Yeah, I think for me the, the way I try to look at it, you know, if assuming I have a little bit of time to kind of analyze the situation yeah. Is taking myself out of my own position and pretending I'm just somebody watching whatever it is that I'm about to do. So it was super easy for me, like the chicken dance, I was like, okay, first of all, hilarious, just seeing college kids doing the chicken dance. Like nobody's gonna look at me and be like, Oh, that guy's super weird. As well as obviously on the podcast, you can't tell I'm six seven, so I'm a very, very long person. And so seeing somebody that tall doing the chicken dance, like it's, it's just funny. Like nobody's gonna watch me and say, Oh man, like what a weird guy. He did what the facilitator asked him to do on a whole nother level. 

Cameron (27:51): 

So usually that's the way I try to approach anything that I think might make me uncomfortable is, is anybody really gonna view this as an embarrassing moment? And the answer is usually no. I mean, obviously user discretion, but I've found even in class time, I mean this was my first week of classes my senior year and I keep remembering like, okay, you've gotta step out. You have to get outta your comfort zone. And you know, you're, you're sitting in the middle of the room and the professor says, All right, somebody start introductions. I don't care who it's, and normally I would just sit there and be like, Well I'll just wait my turn. But I was like, no. Like I need to, I need to like step up, step up and step out in this class. And I did and I met people otherwise, if I just waited my turn, the opportunity to meet people isn't as high because they don't view you as somebody that might be approachable. And like I said, being six, seven, sometimes people have trouble approaching you cuz you can be a very intimidating figure. And so kind of cutting your own walls down so you can be comfortable in the space, but also cutting the wall down for other people. I think those two, when you take risks that you're not used to are super helpful. 

Erin (29:08): 

Oh, I love it. I love that. So what would you say was your biggest takeaway? Cause it sounds like you've applied it already at school, but if you could sum it up, what would you say is your biggest takeaway from, from in? Honestly I was moved that it moved you so much and it does move people in different ways, but it was so refreshing to hear your posts and your point of view. What would you say is the biggest takeaway? 

Cameron (29:40): 

Oh, that's tough because the, the first thing that kind of came to my mind is it made me happy as I did it. Like looking around the room and seeing how much people were enjoying it. Like that brought me happiness just in that like brief moment cuz I saw like I made people happy. Like that's, that's super important. I'm glad that I can make people happy. But the biggest takeaway, I think I've repeated it a little bit, but when you step outta your comfort zone, the opportunity for connections becomes a lot higher. People view you as a more approachable person when you do something that maybe they were too nervous to do there. There, I think there's an admiration aspect that comes with that. But Evan, the one of the other guys that I did it with, he and I are really good friends now and obviously he and I bonded over that experience a little bit. But both of us stepping out of our comfort zone at the same time made it so easy for us to connect. And I think that's kind of a, a step ahead of the biggest takeaway is the opportunity for connections that comes with stepping out of your comfort zone. I mean, I wouldn't be on the podcast today had I not stepped outta my comfort zone at the beginning. So it's, it's a clear testament to how many doors can open when you do step outta your comfort zone. 

Erin (31:05): 

Truly, truly. And I'm like, keep in touch with me, okay Cameron, because when you graduate you never know where you can land. You never know. Yeah. So I love that and that is why it exists and that's why improv in my opinion, is this most special, it's the most magical teaching tool because not only do we get you to experience what we wanna teach you, but we also get you to create these connections and these friendships and this comradery and the confidence actually in yourself to do these things. So you're right, if you didn't lean, if you didn't step outta your comfort zone that day, you had never written the LinkedIn post. I would've never seen it and been like, Cameron, I gotta talk to you. You wouldn't be sitting here and then who knows where this can go. Right? So it's just a wonderful testament to just really believing in yourself and I'm so proud of you. I'm so grateful that you wrote that post. I'm so grateful you were in our workshop. I wish I was there. I wasn't the facilitator for that one, but I'm so glad you met Andrew and our fantastic team. Let me ask you this, you just won about two months ago. The Improve it AJ Gallagher Chicken Championship, we work with AJ Gallagher every year. So you are the reigning chicken champion and your friends, what are you gonna do next? What are you gonna do next? 

Cameron (32:29): 

Oh, I feel like I have to, I have to do some sort of celebratory like chicken dinner. I mean winter's only option I have right now. 

Erin (32:38): 

I love it. Yes. Okay, well get out there, get, you know, get whatever your fancy is. You can go fried, you can go grilled, you know, get some sides. You got mac and cheese, that chicken and cheese is the whole thing. So live your best life. But I'm so thrilled to have you on the show. Thank you Cameron, for just stepping outside of your comfort zone, being here today and sharing your story with us. 

Cameron (32:59): 

No, thank you for the opportunity Erin. It was great getting to talk to you. 

Erin (33:03): 

Oh, big hugs. 

Erin (33:13): 

Improve it! Peeps, what a world, what a guy. Here's what I want you to take away from today's show. What is your chicken dance? It might not be the physical chicken dance. Okay? I'm not saying you need to stop what you're doing right now, drop it low, shake your arms and flap your wings. But what is that thing that you're like, Oh, it makes me feel a little icky. I don't want to it. What is that thing that you're putting off? How can you dip a toe and then a foot and then the whole leg and try it? What can you do to step outside of your comfort zone? I want you to identify what is that thing that trepidation that you're holding back from? What is that one thing? 

Erin (34:09): 

I want you to remember this quote from episode I believe 99 of this show with Kara Golden, the founder of Hint Water Complacency kills. How can you take tiny baby steps and do one thing one day at a time to reach that big goal? What can you do to reach that big goal? What scares you and how can you take a tiny baby step towards it? This reminds me of a great resource that I love. It's a book by Darren Hardy and it's called The Compound Effect. You might have heard me talk about it on the show before. And it's all about how tiny baby action steps can compound over time to reach those big hairy goals. It's a fantastic resource. It's actually the tool that I use to help build, improve it. And without it, would we have chicken dancing? I dunno. My mind is blown. 

Erin (35:14): 

So that's your homework. Take it, apply it. And I just want you to know, I'm so proud of you, I'm so proud of you for taking a step towards your future by pressing play on this show, by showing up week after week. And just know I am rooting for you always. So keep failing, keep improving because this world needs that very special it that only you can bring. I'll see you next week. Hey friend, did you enjoy today's show? If so, head on over to iTunes to rate and subscribe. So you never miss an episode. Now, did I mention that when you leave a five star review of the Improvement podcast, an actual team of humans does a happy dance? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. That's right. So leave a review for us on iTunes, screenshot it and send me an email at info learn to improve it.com. I'll send you a personalized video back as a thank you. Thanks so much for listening. Improve it pees. I'll see you next Wednesday. 

 

 

Erin DiehlComment