Ken Lindner | Life Changes To Elevate Yourself From the Author of Aspire Higher

Written By Kristel Bauer

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Not loving the direction your career is taking? You might feel like it's too late to make a shift? In this episode, Ken Lindner shares an inspirational story about his father that illustrates that the best time to take action is NOW. Tune in and learn the two things that may prevent you from making the right decisions. And what you can do to make the world a more positive and loving place!

Key Takeaways From This Episode

  • The first step to making a career change

  • Why you need to focus on your talents

  • Positive impact of self-confidence in the world

  • How to start making good decisions

  • The negative cycle of bad choices

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

 Disclaimer: All information and views shared on the Live Greatly podcast & the Live greatly website are purely the opinions of the authors, and are not intended to provide medical advice or treatment recommendations. The contents of this podcast & website are intended for informational and educational purposes only. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified health professional when you have any questions regarding your specific health, changes to diet and exercise, or any medical conditions.

About Ken Lindner

Ken Lindner is the founder of Positive Life Choice Psychology. Ken is largely underwriting the printing, editing and distribution of “ASPIRE HIGHER” to focus on getting it to as many people as possible. In April of 2021, Ken released his bestselling book Career Choreography, which was featured on the likes of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Good Morning America, CNN’s New Day, and more! A graduate from Harvard University and Cornell Law School, Ken also owns one of the most successful and well-respected TV broadcast journalist representation firm in the country, Ken Lindner & Associates, Inc. For nearly 38 years, Ken has represented many of the most well-known and popular national and local newscasters and program hosts including Mario Lopez, Lester Holt, Liz Claman and more.

Connect with Ken

 

About Vegamour

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Kristel Bauer, the Founder of Live Greatly, is on a mission to help people thrive personally and professionally. She is a corporate wellness expert, Integrative Medicine Fellow, Keynote Speaker, TEDx speaker & Physician Assistant experienced in Integrative Psychiatry and Functional Medicine. 

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To Book Kristel as a speaker for your next event, click here.

Episode Transcript

Ken (Teaser)

If you have been laid off, you pretty much know what it is you do well. What it is you love to do. Where your talents lie. So use that experience to make a really great next professional choice

Kristel (Guest Introduction)

If you're looking to have more positivity and love in your life, you're going to really enjoy today's episode with Ken Linder.

Ken Linder is the author of Career Choreography. He's been on the Kelly Clarkson show, Good morning America and more. And he has a new book Aspire Higher, how to find the love, positivity, and purpose to elevate your life and the world. So Ken and I are going to be chatting about how do you do that? How do you add more positivity to your life, especially with all the things going on in our world right now. Ken's also the owner of one of the most successful TV broadcast representation firms, having represented Mario Lopez, Lester Holt, and more.

I'm super pumped about this episode. Let's jump right into it and welcome Ken to the show.

Ken:

Really glad to be here.

Kristel:

Amazing. So to start off, Ken, I would love for you to share some of the highlights about your journey and what you're currently up to so that the listener can get to know you a little bit.

Ken:

Sure. I am from Brooklyn, New York. I was a, an overweight late blooming youngster. And the way I bonded with my dad was through athletics. And I truly believe Kristel that I have learned more about how to successfully navigate life on the athletic field than I have from any classroom. I learned how to be disciplined.

I learned how, as they now say to play the long game and not settle for immediate gratification, I've learned how to lose and learn from that experience. I learned how to win and learn from that experience and not get so hype. That I got too full of myself. There's so many life lessons to be learned on the athletic field.

And I did very well athletically. I was men's national singles and doubles paddle tennis champion. When I was 17. 

Kristel:

Oh my gosh! It was so amazing. I have to stop you really quick, Ken, because my husband and I love paddle tennis. So we love it. So that is awesome. I'm so excited to talk. We can talk more about this after we're done recording.

Ken:

Sounds great.

And by the way, I'm now spreading paddle tennis and I renamed it to Pop tennis all over the world with someone by the name of Mitch Kuttner. So I have been the, sort of the trailblazer for bringing that sport all over the world. 

Kristel:

So cool!

Ken:

And then I went to Harvard and played number one singles and doubles there and wrote a thesis on decision-making and the effects of our light choices on our self-esteem on our feelings of self-worth and self image.

And that passion for studying decision-making in life choices has led to, and sort of inspired everything I've done ever since. And in fact, I now am the founder of Positive Life Choice Psychology and have a website devoted to that. And it's all about how to make positive life choices that will elevate your life, which we can talk about in a little bit.

And then I went to Cornell law school and that was really great because Cornell law school and law school in particular taught me how to spot the issue. That is when you have a problem, what's the issue, very similar to going to a doctor, you have an illness, he or she needs to figure out what's wrong so they can figure out the steps to get things right.

Well, that was really great for me because I believe that once you know the issue, you can figure out the steps to get to the answer that you want. And years later, I trademarked a term called Career Choreography, and that was the title of my book before my current book. And it's all about how to take logical steps to put yourself in the very, very best position to attain your goals and live your professional dreams. 

And I truly believe that there is a set of steps for everyone to take, to give themselves the best chance to attain their goals. So starting at law school, it sort of helped me formulate the career choreography, a set of steps. So I then when I was in law school, figured out I didn't want to really practice law. 

I just wanted to study it. And I wound up getting a job at the William Morris agency, which at the time was the, probably the most well-respected talent agency in the world. And I was fascinated by the fact that years earlier, they had represented the Beatles and Elvis Presley and they were representing the beach boys and Billy Joel and Goldie Hawn and Robert Redford and Al Pacino. All the stars of that era. And I love the idea of working with talented people, seeing what can be in them and figuring out the steps to help them get there, the choreography and this all comes from the fact that I was this late blooming insecure youngster.

But luckily I had a sociology teacher, a mom, and a tennis coach who saw the best in me who believed in me before it was fashionable. And because they believed in me, they have given me the mission to believe in others. To see what can be and to help them get there. So I became a talent agent in the news and hosting areas at William Morris.

And again, I love the idea of finding up and coming talent and helping them grow. And about 33 years ago, I started my own company, Ken Linden and associates, and we represent somewhere around 275. National and local broadcasters around the country. People like Lester Hol and Mario Lopez. And through the years, I've had the honor to work with people like Tom Bergeron and a whole bunch of other people making Kelly.

I worked with Robin Meade at CNN on a compressor at CNN, many people who you would know, and many people for example, and your city in Chicago, many of whom might found at the beginning of their careers were pivotal points. And we figured out the steps to get to where they want to go.

Kristel:

I love that. Okay. So your journey, there's so much depth there, and you've really kind of forged your own path with law school and turning into what you're doing now, and then also being an author and sharing your message. So let's take a step back here and I want to talk a little bit about the choreography. So right now our world is going through so much change and conflict. And there, the American quit rates are at record highs. 

We had over 4 million Americans quitting their jobs in August of this year. So I think a lot of people are left feeling dissatisfied with maybe their current situation and looking for more. And I really think people have this pandemic has been like a wake up call for everybody and it's making everyone figure out, well, what do you want to do?

What matters to you? And this is like pivotal moment of people kind of choosing what's next. So for those listening, if they're in a situation where they're like, what's next, what advice or tips do you have for them on how to figure out what steps to take for a new career path?

Ken:

Well, I love this question, Kristel.

I really believe that instead of looking at this pivotal time, as you know, I lost my job. I understand that, but I will also say it's a golden opportunity for an amazing reset of your career. And I think it's really important, first of all, to think about all the things you truly love to do, because if you have been laid off, you pretty much know what it is you do well, what it is you love to do, where your talents lie.

So use that experience to make a really great next professional choice. I also believe, and this is one of the best steps I can, I can give to your viewers. And that is, think about all of the people you've worked with. All of the people you've worked for, because they may well be in a position to now hire you or recommend you because who better than the people with whom you've worked now, how good you are.

Know the body of your work, know your character, know your work ethic. And I will tell you one of the great stories that I've experienced had to do with my dad. My dad started as a stock boy in a department store chain when he was 14, because his dad died very early and he had to support his mother and sister.

And eventually he started as a stock boy in this department store chain. And eventually he worked himself up to be executive vice president, which was a great story in itself. And he loved working. It was so much a part of the meaning he found in life. Well, he worked with so many talented people. He trained people how to buy label goods off price.

And when they laid my dad off at 66, he was still vibrant. He was still excited about working, but you know, the emotional wind was taken out of his sails and he and I talked and one of the things I told him, and by the way, it's so great. When a son can give some advice that really works too bad. And I said, dad, stay in touch with all of the people that know you and he did.

And he remained discipline. He kept in touch with all the manufacturers, with whom he worked with because he hoped that he could work with them. Again, he continued to read all the journals in merchandising like women's wear daily here, remain relevant. So what happened was he also kept in touch with a lot of his buyer trainees.

Well, one of those buyer trainees became a megastar in the industry and his name was Ben Colorado. And he had become, I believe the chairman of the board of Marshall's department stores. And then one day my dad got a call and it was from Ben and Ben said, Jack, I'm starting a company called TJ Maxx. And I would love you to come out to Framingham, which is where our base of operations is.

And if you want to work for three weeks, Three months, however long you want to work. You've got it. I just want you to train my buyers with the negotiating skills that you taught all of us. So my dad had been laid off at 66 and it's 69, 3 long years later. You got that call from Ben. Well, the beautiful end of the story is those three or four months that Ben proposed turned out to be 30 years. 

My Dad worked until he was almost 99. It was amazing second career. And I remember the day he was laid off and my dad said to me, who's going to invest in somebody at 66 years old. Well, you know what, there are people out there who know how good you are.

Who can take advantage of your gifts and of your experience.

Remember, experience is a huge asset. Make the most of it. I would much rather hire somebody who can hit the ground running than somebody who I have to train if everybody's equal. So make sure in your interviews, you make the most of your experience.

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Kristel:

Wow. That is such an incredible story. And so motivating, you know, I loved what you shared there about like, what are your talents? What are you good at? And I think too often when we get in these situations where things don't go our way we focus on what's wrong or what we're not good at instead of like, what are you good at? What do you have to offer? 

And I love also that you talked about really nurturing those relationships because I think that is so incredibly important. And I challenge the listener to really get out of their comfort zone a little bit here too, because it can be uncomfortable to reach out to other people to ask for recommendations, to ask for support, but that's what you have to do if you're looking to grow or switch careers.

So thank you, Ken, for that. I'm thinking at this point, it would be great to segue a little bit into your new book because you have a new book Aspire higher, and I love the concept of it. And I'm hoping you can share a little bit about it and give us some tips for like, how can we start to aspire higher for ourselves in our lives.

Ken:

Well, Kristel, I love this book. It's  the best book I've ever written. I don't think I'll ever write a better one. So at least I'm starting with that. And the name of the book is Aspire higher, how to find the love and the positivity and the purpose to elevate your life and the world. And the concept is that, let me tell you how I came to write it.

So I watched the news every night and we're barraged with negativity. Shootings, violence, racism, distrust, division, the devastating effects of COVID and global warming. And I believe that you know, many of us has spirits that can get deflated better demoralized. And we are demoralized and very often, and I just spoke with the head of a hospital chain a couple of weeks ago, and he told me sadly, that he's seeing more attempted suicides than he ever had 

And he said, because people don't see a way up or a way out or a light at the end of this tunnel, they just don't see a brighter day. And I've heard so many people on television shows and print say, we need more love, we need more positivity. We need more respect. And I so agree, but the thing is, nobody has found the formula to take us from where we are today to attaining those wonderful aspirations. 

So I wrote Aspire higher because I wanted to give everyone the clear, easy and actionable steps to make positive life choices that reflect your highest self. And your highest values and your highest goals, because if you make these empowering life choices, first of all, you're going to feel great about yourself because you're actually doing things that make you feel good, that in your gut, you know, are right and really great for you.

And once you start to jumpstart your life from wherever you are with small decisions and bigger decisions later, that reflect your highest self. I truly believe your self esteem grows. Your feelings of self-worth grow. Your self image grows and you develop the competence that I can elevate my life. I can truly affect positive change in the path of my life.

And I believe that confidence will eventually lead to you, feeling really worthy and deserving of the sweet fruits of those life choices. And if you love yourself and you love where your life is going, I believe when you feel great about yourself, you're far more likely to bestow love, empathy, compassion, support and respect on to others. 

So to me, the formula is if you can elevate yourself first through your positive life choices, one by one, you're far more likely to organically want to elevate others. So to finish up, I believe that making positive light choices with each of us evolving into the best and, um, most positive and happy person that they can be. 

That is our formula for attaining the mutual respect, the peace, the civility and all of those great things in our country that we crave. 

Kristel:

I love that. And I'm wondering what tips you have for people who want to get started with this, because what I, what I've seen, I've worked in lots of different fields in healthcare.

I've worked in integrative psychiatry for quite a while and people get stuck in patterns and stuck in habits that don't serve them. 

So I love the idea of making positive choices. I'm wondering what advice you have for people on how to start doing that if they haven't been in the habit of making the best choices for themselves.

And you know, one thing I want to just say to the listener is that no matter what choices you've made in the past, that's all, everybody makes mistakes. Everyone's learning, everyone's growing. And each moment you do have an opportunity to make a different choice. So I feel like this is an opportunity for you to kind of carve a new path.

And I would love you Ken, to kind of help them get started. 

Ken:

Well, Kristel I so agree with everything you said. I mean, this is your chance, wherever you are, no matter how down you are to start making baby choices. Just small ones, the ones that make you feel good, the ones that you really feel, yes, that is something I really wanted to accomplish.

I did it right. The keys you want to start to develop your core competence and your mastery and control of your life and the way you can control the things you are able to control our three-year life choices. So I really believe. We're given the opportunity to make choices every day. So many of them. So you can start right now. Just saying, you know what, I'm going to live a better life.

I am going to truly, um, lift myself out of wherever I am right now. Baby step by baby step by making great choices. 

The other thing is, is that really positive choices. Positively reinforce and beget other positive choices, because if you feel good about the way your life is going, you really are motivated to make more and more good choices.

But if you start to make bad choices, There's a huge cycle, negative cycle. It happens. You feel badly about yourself. If you go for the drink, when you shouldn't, if you take the drug, you shouldn't. If you go for the bad guy, the girl, when you shouldn't, if you let your anger get the best of you, when you shouldn't, you feel badly about yourself, you haven't lived up to your highest self and you start to feel badly. 

And when you don't feel good about yourself, things start to spiral down because then you don't have the discipline to make great choices. You don't have the discipline to play the long game. You often go for the immediate gratification. And that oftentimes is inconsistent with making great life choices for the future.

And the other part of it is I believe you've probably heard of something called the negativity bias, but the negativity bias scientists say is that we can hear three great things about ourselves and one negative. And we will obsess about the negative and scientists say that we are hardwired to focus on the negative and focus on the negative longer than the positive as a protective mechanism.

But the problem is if you're already demoralized, if you already feel defeated, then the negativity bias is going to spiral you down even more. So it's the way to fight the negativity bias is to make positive life choices that give you the confidence and the strength to continue to make disciplined positive choices.

Also one other dynamic that can really hurt making positive life choices. Cognitively clear choices is the fact that our emotions are potentially sabotaging emotions can cloud our best judgment when we're making decisions. For example, if we feel hurt lonely, desperate, resentful, angry, rageful, sad. We often just do something to make us feel good for the moment, we write a horrible text and send it or a horrible email, or we yell at somebody, we lose our temper, or we go off our diet.

We start drinking again. We take drugs, wherever it is. We tend to just grab something to make us feel good for the moment. And the key really is to know what your highest values are to know what you really, really want in your life, because that'll help you be more disciplined. And the more you make positive life choices also gives you the strength and the motivation to continue to play the long game and make decisions that reflect, as I said, your highest self and your highest goals. 

Kristel:

I love that. And I want to stress that it doesn't have to start with a big step. Right now you can look around and be like, what's something I can do to make me feel good about myself. And it could be something as simple as like cleaning up your desk where you were, you know, and, and getting more organized or making your bed or making a little bit of a healthier choice for breakfast or lunch today, or writing a nice note to your kids or your loved one or your spouse for when they come home.

It's these like little baby steps that you're going to feel good about yourself if you do that, you know, or texts a family member that maybe need some support right now or call them, you know?

So there's like endless possibilities here just to get that momentum going to help you off on your new path. So this has been incredible, Ken. We are coming towards the end. I do have some quick like wellness, lightning, round questions I want to ask you, but before we do that, What else? Anything else you want to share?

Any kind of last little tidbits before we get into this wrapping up session? 

Ken:

Well, I so believe and I discuss this in Aspire higher. I really believe that our choices are our gifts. Life choices are like train tracks in the sense that trains go, where the tracks take them. Our lives are a reflection of the positive and the poor choices that we make.

So the key is if you can make a series of small and then bigger, positive life choices, the path, the track of your life is going to be so much brighter, so much greater, so much more fulfilling. So please remember that your positive life choices or your opportunities to make sure choices are truly are golden gifts.

Take advantage of them. Carpe Diem. Seize the moment.

Kristel:

Love it. Thank you so much, Ken and links to access your book and all your good stuff, all your social and your website and all of that will be in the episode details. So if you want to learn more, go to the episode details and you can access all of that information.

So Ken, we are going to do a few quick questions. I want you just to tell me what comes to mind. Don't give it a lot of thought. Are you ready? Let's do it. So first question I have for you, Ken is if you were on a deserted desert island and you had to bring three foods with you, and those are the only three foods that youcould eat, what three foods would you bring?

Ken:

I would bring chicken for protein. I would bring a water and I probably bring some sort of a some sort of rice or something. Very practical cause when I'm going to be on a desert island, I want to survive. 

Kristel:

Yes. Okay. Love it. Love it. Now the second question I have for you is what is a self-care practice that you have for yourself? That is something that's a, non-negotiable something that you really need to incorporate into your days. 

Ken:

I have twins, boy, girl twins. I want to be around for their graduations, for their wedding and for their grandkids. So whenever I have the chance to eat fried foods or things that aren't good for me, I always say to myself, do I want to be around for those great times for my family or to I want to have the fried foods and the foods that may not be good for me. 

And I always opt to forego that food because I found a value that is far more important to me in my value system. That is being healthy and being around with my family. 

Kristel:

So incredibly [important. And the last question I have for you, Ken, is knowing what you know now, what advice would you give into yourself from 10 years ago?

Ken:

Um, Be always look for the constructive solution that not only benefits me, but benefits others, because if I can find a constructive solution that benefits us all and lifts us all. Oh my God. I not only am helping somebody else, but it makes me feel great. So I think the term is being Solutionary and is not only being constructive for yourself, but for others.

Kristel:

Amazing. Well Ken, this has been incredible. Thank you so much for taking some time with me today. I really appreciate it.

Ken:

It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much.

Kristel Bauer
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