Inspiring Impacts

Empowering Equity and Racial Justice with Dr. Ame Lambert

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Dr. Ame Lambert! Dr. Ame Lambert is the Vice President for Global Diversity & Inclusion at Portland State University (PSU). Tune in as Ame speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about the generative power of Appreciative Inquiry in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion at universities and beyond.
Ame describes how Appreciative Inquiry helps bring diverse groups together across cultures, races, and ethnicities, making it a powerful tool for seeing the universal humanity in all of us and bringing out the best in each of us.
You’ll learn how Ame and her colleagues are using an appreciative approach to co-create a racially just and equitable future for the Portland community. She notes how the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, along with a similar tragedy at PSU, fueled her action-focused diversity and inclusion summit called Time to Act. Listen in to learn about the powerful impact of this summit and the work that continues to unfold at PSU.
In her role as  Vice President for Global Diversity & Inclusion at Portland State University, Dr. Ame Lambert  leads the embedding of equity into all university operations, and supports the thriving of minoritized students and employees. Her goal and core purpose is to close the gap between potential and thriving for students and the university as a whole.
Episode Highlights:
What pushed Ame to use Appreciative Inquiry in her diversity and inclusion work.
How to use Appreciative Inquiry to fuel action in people who feel hopeless, angry, and frustrated.
The Appreciative Inquiry framework that informed the design of the Time to Act Summit.
Dream and Discovery questions that encourage people to imagine a more inclusive, equitable future.
Goals and action items of PSU’s Time to Act Plan.
How PSU is infusing diversity, equity, and inclusion into leadership and infrastructure, student education, scholarship and service, and the performance review process.
Resources Mentioned:
Time to Act Summit: https://www.pdx.edu/diversity/equity-summit
Inspiring Quotes:
“I see AI as a methodology that really activates the best in us to work for the best of us.”
“Every year we’re getting better.”
“What pain and anger of frustration actually are communicating is that in my core, I have a sense of how it should be.” 
What is Appreciative Inquiry?
Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.
Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

From Small Shop to Billion-Dollar Success: The Journey of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters with Pru Sullivan

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Pru Sullivan! Pru Sullivan is the former Director of Continuous Learning and Organizational Development at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Tune in as Pru speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about how to integrate Appreciative Inquiry principles into the core of your company and with employees.
Pru sheds light on how Green Mountain Coffee Roasters leveraged Appreciative Inquiry to grow from a small shop to the billion-dollar company it is today. She describes the different ways you can adopt an appreciative approach at a growing organization, from leadership onboarding and project management to accelerating employee and collective performance and beyond.
Pru Sullivan is a Founding Partner of The Change Factory and a Practitioner in Residence Emeritus at David L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry at Champlain College-Stiller School of Business. For over a decade, Pru has been co-creating, designing, and delivering strength-based growth initiatives based on Appreciative Inquiry methodology. Her mission is to be an inspirational catalyst for personal, team, organizational, and community breakthrough growth and strength-based transformation.
Episode Highlights:
How Bob Stiller’s philosophy of strength-based Appreciative Inquiry impacted Green Mountain Coffee’s culture.
How Appreciative Inquiry creates shared ownership in organizational change.
Green Mountain’s AI Summit: Where their core principles were born.
Tips for onboarding new leaders and ensuring they’re aligned with your organization’s core values and culture.
The critical impact of appreciative training for frontline supervisors.
How to use Appreciative Inquiry in employee performance reviews to accelerate individual and collective performance.
Building Appreciative Inquiry into project management and product development.
Resources Mentioned:
The Joy of Appreciative Living by Jackie Kelm: https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Appreciative-Living-Happiness-Incredibly/dp/1585426601
Inspiring Quotes:
“What’s wonderful about Appreciative Inquiry is that when you make that shift, the evidence shows up.”
“A performance review cycle often acts as a demotivator and an upsetter that takes months to often recover from. And so, we formed a cross-functional team… to say, our task is to redesign this process and redesign the software that’s coming in to reflect how we want performance management to be managed.”
“It’s not a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have if you want to be a high-performance organization that is making a positive difference in the world.”
What is Appreciative Inquiry?
Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.
Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Transforming Early Childhood Education: Empowering Educators and Young Learners with Ellen Drolette

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Ellen Drolette! Ellen Drolette is an appreciative educator and expert on early childhood education. Tune in as Ellen speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about the transformative impacts Appreciative Inquiry has on the mindsets and behaviors of early childhood teachers and students.
Ellen breaks down how Appreciative Inquiry can help educators reframe and change negative behaviors and perspectives, from kids’ biting habits to the dread you feel about Mondays. She emphasizes the power of using AI to dismantle and avoid negative self-fulfilling prophecies and even improve your interactions with co-teachers and parents.
Ellen Drolette is a certified Appreciative Inquiry practitioner and has found innovative ways to work AI into the practices of early childhood education. She earned her certificate at Champlain College under the direction of Dr. Lindsey Godwin. Ellen brings nearly 30 years of experience to the early childhood field. Her enthusiasm and passion for working with young children and families are as enormous as her passion for working with early childhood teachers, directors, mentors, administrators, and the entire team of early childhood educators. Ellen’s first book, Overcoming Teacher Burnout in Early Childhood: Strategies for Change, was published in 2018 by Redleaf Press and focuses on how early childhood professionals can battle burnout and low morale in the workplace.
Episode Highlights:
How Appreciative Inquiry guides her through difficult moments as an educator.
Ways to integrate Appreciative Inquiry in early childhood education + examples of AI questions to ask young students.
How to use Appreciative Inquiry at parent-teacher conferences.
Understanding, reframing, and correcting children’s behaviors, like biting, with Appreciative Inquiry.
How to stop dreading Mondays.
How to work more effectively with your co-teacher.
Resources Mentioned:
National Association for the Education of Young Children: https://www.naeyc.org
The Joy of Appreciative Living by Jacqueline Bascobert Kelm: https://appreciativeliving.com/the-joy-of-appreciative-living
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dwek: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400062756/sociapsychn0f-20 
Research on Growth Mindset: https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/
A summary of Barbara Fredrickson's Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions: https://positivepsychology.com/broaden-build-theory/ 
Summary of Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and the Pygmalion Effect: https://www.simplypsychology.org/self-fulfilling-prophecy.html
Inspiring Quotes:
“Once you learn about Appreciative Inquiry, you can implement it so deeply in all of the different places of your life.”
“I realized in that moment, it had nothing to do with the children. It had everything to do with me and my attitude and how I was showing up for that day… That really was very impactful for me.”
“If you know your co-teacher’s not a morning person, don’t try to engage with them in the morning, but also, recognizing what is going well with that teacher… that can go a long way... when you say that you appreciate the way someone did something, it’s so powerful.”
What is Appreciative Inquiry?
Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.
Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Unleashing Students Strengths: The Power of Appreciative Advising with Jenny Bloom

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Jenny Bloom! Jenny Bloom, Ed.D. is a co-founder and leading expert on the Appreciative Advising and Appreciative Education movements. Tune in as Jenny speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about how appreciative advising can help students and advisors make inspiring impacts on themselves, each other, and the world.
Jenny shares insights on how Appreciative Inquiry helps you reframe challenges into solutions and visions of success and how appreciative advising can increase retention and GPAs in college students. Then, she shares her vision for how Appreciative Inquiry will evolve into the future of education.
Dr. Jenny Bloom joined the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology at Florida Atlantic University in August 2015 as an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Higher Education Leadership Master’s Degree Program. As a co-founder of the Appreciative Advising and Appreciative Education movements, Jenny established the annual Appreciative Advising Summer Institute, the Appreciative Education Conference, an online Appreciative Advising course, the process for Certifying Appreciative Advisers, and other exciting initiatives. Jenny has co-authored 6 books, 6 book chapters, 31 articles, and even co-founded and serves as a section editor for the Journal of Appreciative Education (JAE).
Episode Highlights:
How Jenny discovered Appreciative Inquiry over 20 years ago and what inspired her to enter the field of advising.
What it takes to integrate Appreciate Inquiry, advising, and education.
The 6 phases of appreciative advising + example questions you can ask students.
Shocking stats that show the impact of appreciative advising in higher education.
How appreciative advising grew into a movement that inspires impact.
Research studies that inspire Jenny the most about the impact of advisors adopting appreciative advising methods.
The biggest impact appreciative advising has made on Jenny herself.
Resources Mentioned:
Incorporating Appreciative Inquiry into Academic Advising by Jennifer Bloom and Nancy Archer Martin (2002) https://journals.psu.edu/mentor/article/view/61701/61346
The Appreciative Advising Revolution by Jennifer Bloom, Bryant Hutson, and Ye He: https://bit.ly/46defYH
FAU Office of Appreciative Education: https://www.fau.edu/education/centersandprograms/oae
Inspiring Quotes:
“90% of the people who’ve met with an appreciative advisor, and this was a voluntary thing… were eligible to return the following semester after they’ve come back off of dismissal, versus 33% of the other students who did not meet with an appreciative advisor.”
“The sustained impact is, I think, really important. It’s not about a one year blip going up… it’s looking at this data over time that really matters.”
“Appreciative advising is not just a powerful framework for enhancing interactions between advisors and students, it’s a framework for how you build good relationships with other people, whether they be students or your supervisor or your colleague.”
What is Appreciative Inquiry?
Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.
Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

From Collective Intelligence to Collective Action: Unlocking the Power of the Whole System with Luc Verheijen

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Luc Verheijen! Luc Verheijen is a Partner at Kessels and Smit, The Learning Company in Belgium. In this episode, Luc speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about how to use Appreciative Inquiry and learning networks to address challenges, improve performance, and create energized workplace environments.
Luc emphasizes the power of storytelling and leading with questions instead of answers, noting how different questions can lead to different realities. He describes how to use appreciative inquiry in large groups and learning networks to foster collective intelligence and inspiring impacts.
Luc Verheijen is a Consultant and Partner at Kessels and Smit, where he focused on process guidance, appreciative inquiry, leadership, organizational and social development, and positive education. He believes that if we can change the conversations, then the organization changes.
Episode Highlights:
How Luc utilizes an appreciative inquiry approach to work with large groups and bring diverse views together to tackle challenges head-on.
Collective Intelligence: When people come together around a shared purpose, they can take on challenges and create positive impacts far beyond what they could do alone.
The power of the question: “Whose voice do we need to hear at this moment?”
AI learning networks to learn about and apply appreciative inquiry to a large group’s work around a shared topic.
What does it look like for people participating in a tourism-focused appreciative inquiry learning network? What’s been the biggest impact of the learning network?
How to bring feuding companies together through appreciative inquiry.
Advice for using appreciative inquiry: AI itself is the learning. It’s a tool for continuous discovery.
Resources Mentioned:
Kessels and Smit: https://www.kessels-smit.com
AI Practitioner - International Journal of Appreciative Inquiry: https://aipractitioner.com
“Appreciative Inquiry as a Daily Leadership Practice” by Luc Verheijen, Saskia Tjempkema, & Joeri Kabalt: https://www.amazon.com/Appreciative-Inquiry-Daily-Leadership-Practice/dp/193855275X
Inspiring Quotes:
“Every participant who joins and learns about AI, we get tens and tens of projects using AI to support the mission of everyone deserves a holiday and we strengthen the interrelationships between all these network parts.”
“For me, the essence is a practice of inquiry, a practice of being curious every and each time, again and to see the wonder in everything you meet during a day.”
What is Appreciative Inquiry?
Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.
Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Transforming Cancer Care Through Appreciative Inquiry with Liz Vogel

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Liz Vogel! Liz Vogel is the Senior Director of Organizational Development at Moffitt Cancer Center. Tune in as Liz speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about how she and her team are using Appreciative Inquiry to transform patient experiences while envisioning and planning the future of cancer treatment.
Liz breaks down her approach to integrating multiple diverse perspectives through appreciative inquiry and the importance of integrating the whole system in organizational development. She touches on how Appreciative Inquiry can improve skills, like communication and problem-solving. Then, Liz shares how her experience as a Moffitt patient has informed her work within the organization.
As Senior Director of Organizational Development for Moffitt Cancer Center, Liz has provided strategic insight, solutions, and organizational design across the organization. She has transformed the OD department to operate as a professional service model. She is responsible for Moffitt's executive development to enable long-term business and financial stability for the organization and leads the VP tier in cross-collaboration and advanced understanding of integrated hospital operations.
Episode Highlights:
How Liz utilizes appreciative inquiry to create an energizing and psychologically safe environment for stakeholders to share ideas for improving the patient experience.
Why is it so important to engage the whole system in organizational change work?
How to use the “yes and” technique to create an appreciative space for different perspectives to be honored.
How appreciative inquiry helps us approach challenges in different ways.
How Moffitt Cancer Center is using AI to envision and plan the future of cancer treatment.
Liz shares her experience being a cancer patient at Moffitt and how that influences her organizational development work.
The importance of businesses having tough conversations instead of avoiding conflict or difference of opinion.
Resources Mentioned:
Moffitt Cancer Center: https://moffitt.org
Inspiring Quotes:
“Without a voice, without a certain perspective, there’s a risk, there’s actually sort of a business risk when you’re looking at solutions to missing something.”
“In all my years, I have never worked so closely with this tier who got along so well, where you do have differences of opinions. People can kick the tires and say, ‘Is this the best answer or is there another answer we should be looking at?... That doesn’t always happen at every organization.”
“I was talking with one of our executive leaders a year ago and was humbled by her thanks for being able to have the tough conversations that businesses need to have, being able to facilitate those so that we get the answers that we need. So, I think this process is just invaluable to businesses.”
What is Appreciative Inquiry?
Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.
Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Trauma-Informed Appreciative Inquiry: Unlocking Resonant Transformation with Dr. Yabome Gilpin-Jackson

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? Dr. Yabome Gilpin-Jackson! Yabome Gilpin-Jackson, PhD, is an award-winning scholar, executive coach, organizational development practitioner, and thought leader. Tune in as she speaks with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about how she’s using trauma-informed Appreciative Inquiry to create resonant transformation in organizations.
Yabome sheds light on how Appreciative Inquiry can be used across a diverse spectrum of situations – from sparking innovation to solving conflicts to creating positive transformation in the face of dysfunction. She busts the misconception that Appreciative Inquiry can’t be used in difficult situations or where people have had trauma. Then, Yabome shares real examples and stories that illustrate the inspiring impact of this work.
Dr. Yabome Gilpin-Jackson is an Organization Development Professional [Leader, Consultant, Executive Coach, Facilitator and Scholar] with a mission to inspire the development of people and groups through transformative learning. Her passion and expertise is helping leaders, teams, organizations and communities make progress in uncovering possibilities and igniting transformation in the complex issues they face. She has worked with corporate, non-profit/social profit and public sector organizations, internationally. She is also adjunct/sessional faculty for undergraduate and graduate courses in her areas of expertise.
Episode Highlights:
How Appreciative Inquiry can be used in difficult and traumatic situations.
Creating resonant transformation through Appreciative Inquiry – Why should we focus on resonance?
How Yabome first discovered the power of resonance in Appreciative Inquiry.
Trauma-Informed Appreciative Inquiry in Healthcare: How to shift a group into a positive future mindset through group disclosure and collective processing.
Questions you can use to create resonance through trauma-informed Appreciative Inquiry.
How Yabome & We Will Lead Africa are using storytelling to solve challenges and unlock the past, present, and future of African leaders.
Advice for using Appreciative Inquiry in your organization or personal life: You must first ask yourself resonance questions before you ask others. Don’t be intimidated. Learn as much as you can. Use your resonance to chase the possibilities.
Resources Mentioned:
We Will Lead Africa: https://wewillleadafrica.com
(Book) Transformation after Trauma: The Power of Resonance  https://www.amazon.com/Transformation-after-Trauma-Power-Resonance/dp/1433172178
What's Trauma Got to Do With it? Facilitating our Giant Leap through Resonant Transformation and Trauma-Informed Appreciative Inquiry: https://tinyurl.com/5bub3rw3
Inspiring Quotes:
“Where I’ve used [Appreciative Inquiry] often is when, very intentionally in that space of innovation and transformation, where I’m not just looking for a positive future, but I’m looking for a positive future that’s radically different, that’s transformative.”
“[Resonance] is about connecting to a core identity part of ourselves that when we connect to that core, we find a place of internal inspiration and motivation that is not easily shaken.”
“Appreciative Inquiry is about asking different questions that open up the possibility of us looking at the challenges we’ve faced in new, different, and positive ways, but that search starts with us.”
What is Appreciative Inquiry?
Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.
Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

From Steel Mills to Dinner Tables: The Power of Storytelling with Dr. Ronald Fry

Who’s Inspiring Impacts today? It’s Dr. Ronald Fry! Ronald Fry, PhD, is one of the co-creators of the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) theory and method. Listen in as he chats with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin about his perspective on impactful storytelling and the true power of the Appreciative Inquiry approach.
Ron highlights real life examples that illustrate the power of storytelling in breaking down barriers and helping us solve complex problems. From drastically improving safety for hundreds of employees in a steel mill to having more open conversations with family at the dinner table, it’s easy to see the inspirational impact storytelling can play in both our professional and personal lives. We’re certain Ron’s insights will encourage you to think deeply about the questions you ask, how every question is really an intervention, and what it takes to ask meaningful and impactful questions.
Dr. Ronald Fry is an author and professor of Organizational Behavior at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. As the co-creator of Appreciative Inquiry, Ron works with groups, organizations and institutions around the world to increase their cooperative capacity to engage the whole system in strategic thinking, planning and change.
Episode Highlights:
Ron’s definition of Appreciative Inquiry.
The scientific research and data behind the impacts of Appreciative Inquiry and storytelling.
Why storytelling is a crucial part of Appreciative Inquiry.
How storytelling is used to create meaningful and measurable change in organizations.
The greatest lesson Ron has learned about leading change with Appreciative Inquiry.
The transformational impact that Appreciative Inquiry has had on Ron’s personal life.
Advice for using Appreciative Inquiry in your organization or personal life: Try to be it before you do it. Watch your thoughts, language, and tendencies. It’s a constant practice because we’re human!
Inspiring Quotes:
“We know scientifically that when people connect to shared strengths, they immediately see new possibilities.”
“Strangers could interview each other, find commonalities in their different stories, and you can see the bond or you could experience the connective energy of that. It relates to inquiry. You’re listening to someone’s story, they’re listening to your story, and then together, you’re inquiring… Are their commonalities in our different experiences? And lo and behold, there always are.”
“The power of stories to connect people – no matter how familiar or different or strangers they are to each other – I just see that over and over. Start with stories, never start with what we call a list question (what do you think about…).”
“Before you can authentically help others or urge others to look for the best and then work from there, I think you have to see it in yourself.”
Resources Mentioned:
AI Practitioner Journal article "Improving Safety in a Steel Mill" by Ron Fryhttps://aipractitioner.com/product/improving-safety-in-a-steel-mill/
How Stories Change the Brain https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_stories_change_brain 
What is Appreciative Inquiry?
Appreciative Inquiry, sometimes referred to as “the other AI”, is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations. The AI approach is strength-based, meaning it focuses on identifying and leveraging successes to solve problems, rather than focusing on trying to fix individual failures.
Did this episode inspire or impact you? Want to make an impact on us? If so, SHARE this episode with a friend, leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, and follow Inspiring Impacts wherever you listen to podcasts!

Trailer: Inspiring Impacts

Learn how to unlock the power of "the other AI" - Appreciative Inquiry - with host Dr. Lindsey Godwin.  AI is one of the best kept secrets behind meaningful and lasting change at organizations like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Apple, The Cleveland Clinic, and the United Nations.  In each episode, we’ll hear from leaders and experts who have achieved astonishing results at their organizations, from improved teamwork and productivity, to increased engagement and revenue.  Get inspired with "Inspiring Impacts," brought to you by the Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry at Champlain College.  The first two episodes air on June 14th, 2023!