Great Life Experiment Podcast

You don’t always need more discipline to find your creative spark again. Sometimes, all you need is one conversation. In this episode, Monique reflects on what happens when creative energy begins to fade under the weight of a full, demanding life, and how, unexpectedly, one conversation can shift everything. What starts as a reflection on corporate pressure, survival mode, and creative depletion becomes a powerful reminder: creativity is often reawakened through connection, not isolation. And the real shift happens when you stop trying to push through alone, and instead start paying attention to the people, conversations, and environments that bring you back into alignment with your energy, clarity, and creative spark. In this episode: (01:31) - The Tension Between Corporate Demands and Creative Energy (02:11) - The Subtle Signs You’re Becoming Disconnected (03:18) - The Power of One Conversation (04:08) - Why Community and Connection Matter More Than You Think (04:51) - Simple Ways to Reconnect with Your Creative Spark Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

So often we find ourselves frustrated at work, in teams, in family, or in friendships, because someone else isn’t showing up the way we think they should. We get stuck waiting for them to act, to decide, and to fix things. And in that waiting, we surrender the control that’s always been ours. In this episode, Monique dives deep into the concept of reclaiming your agency, emphasizing the importance of reclaiming personal power in various aspects of life, including relationships and workplace dynamics. Whether it’s navigating constant urgent requests at work, negotiating expectations with a team, or stepping back from relationships that no longer align with your values, this episode is a reminder that you always have a choice, and real change comes when you take action. In this episode: (01:16) - Understanding “Agency”: The Power of Choice (02:18) - Waiting for Others to Change (And Why That Fails) (03:13) - Identifying and Addressing Agency in Group Dynamics (05:43) - Protecting Your Energy and Structuring Your Time (06:29) - Negotiation as a Leadership Tool (07:17) - Resentment as a Signal You’ve Lost Control (09:00) - When Values Are Fundamentally Misaligned (10:32) - Taking Action: Your Right to Change Links and Resources: • Book - Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself | https://a.co/d/01s96IQB Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

Life doesn’t slow down when you’re overwhelmed. In this episode, Monique explores what it’s like when all aspects of life demand attention at once - work, parenting, health, leadership, and personal projects. She examines how to stay present and effective without letting overwhelm take control. Monique reframes difficulty as an opportunity rather than a failure. She shares practical strategies for navigating busy seasons with clarity, intention, and self-compassion. Through stories and reflections from her own life, she demonstrates how to use friction as a signal, make strategic decisions about what truly matters, and how to protect energy while still showing up fully. In this episode: (00:51) - How Are You, Really? (03:12) - The Reality of Full Seasons (05:22) - Using Difficult Moments to Your Advantage (06:50) - Acknowledging Frustration Without Paralysis (08:51) - Brain Dumps & Clearing Mental Overload (11:37) - Glass Balls vs Rubber Balls Framework (13:42) - Protecting Your Team & Shielding Priorities (15:24) - Delegation, AI, Virtual Assistants, and Family Advisors Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

At the start of every year, we quietly hope that this will be the one where we finally feel in control of our time. We imagine a calendar that feels calm, a life that feels balanced, and a year that feels ours. But the truth is, most of us aren’t overwhelmed because we lack discipline. We’re overwhelmed because we’re trying to keep every option open, and the pressure of possibility quietly becomes a weight to carry. In this episode, Monique shares the exact vision-planning framework her family uses to design their year with intention - without burnout, guilt, or decision fatigue. It’s not about doing more, but choosing with clarity. It’s a grounded, realistic method that turns broad dreams into a clear calendar, while still leaving room for life’s unpredictability. You’ll learn how to prioritize outcomes, reduce mental load, and make big decisions early so your year can flow with purpose. In this episode: (00:54) - The Family Vision Planning Tradition (02:27) - The 4000 Weeks Reminder (03:11) - Why You’ll Never Do Everything - And Why It’s OK (07:03) - Defining the Outcomes (08:46) - Planning in Order of Priority (10:47) - The Regret-Minimization Test (11:48) - Locking In Priorities to Eliminate Decision Fatigue (12:40) - Staying Flexible Without Losing Structure Links and Resources: • Book - Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman | https://a.co/d/iFhCsrC Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

Have you ever been in a meeting when someone proposes an idea, and your first thought is, “That will never work”? Maybe you hesitated to speak up because you didn’t want to come across as negative, or worse, shut down creativity. But what if that gut reaction could actually become your most powerful tool? In this episode, Monique explores how diverse experiences, expertise, and biases can shape the way we respond to new ideas. She shares a practical framework for turning a “hard NO” into curiosity-driven questions that guide collaboration, uncover hidden opportunities, and help others think through their solutions. Whether it’s at work, in your side projects, or even in your home life, this episode shows you how to influence outcomes without dominating the conversation, how to walk through scenarios constructively, and how to create space for breakthroughs that might never have happened otherwise. Let’s dive in! In this episode: (00:54) - Reflections from an off-site activity with the team (01:50) - The challenge of diverse experiences and solution bias (02:52) - How to say “No” without shutting down the conversation (04:13) - Finding a common ground and aligning on the problem (06:35) - Walking through solutions with curiosity-driven questions (08:22) - Holiday reflections and sneak peek into 2026 Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

Missed the live workshop? Here’s everything you need to know to catch up and move your ideas forward. In this episode, Monique recaps The Great Life Experiment Sprint, sharing key lessons, breakthroughs, and exercises from the two-day workshop. From uncovering your real “why” to experimenting with new ideas and using AI thoughtfully, she distills the most important takeaways to help listeners move forward with clarity, purpose, and curiosity - experimenting in ways that actually create results. In this episode: (00:53) - The Great Life Experiment Sprint: Workshop Overview (02:38) - Uncovering your true WHY (05:27) - Turning ideas into small, testable experiments (08:44) - Using AI to amplify creativity without losing human insight (11:37) - Community and accountability (12:24) - Five Whys Technique Missed the Workshop Live? • Access the Replay and Workbook Now | https://greatlifeexperiment.com/sprint The Great Life Experiment: Collective: • Join the waitlist | https://greatlifeexperiment.com/Collective Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

There will always be more time to do than the time we have to do it. In this intimate birthday reflection, Monique invites you into the truth most high-achievers avoid: There will always be more ideas, more ambition, more responsibility than there will ever be time. And strangely, accepting that might be the most liberating shift of your life. Monique explores the transition between seasons, the grace required, the courage to slow down, and the deep wisdom of listening to the whisper before it becomes a roar. This episode is for the person who is grateful and grounded, yet quietly overwhelmed with the weight of everything he carries, for the leader who cheers others on to rest but can’t give himself the same permission, and for the mother who can hold the world together but rarely has a moment to breathe. This isn’t about abandoning ambition. It’s about creating capacity for what your soul is actually asking for next. In this episode: (00:00) - Introduction to the Great Life Experiment (00:44) - Reflections on Birthdays and Seasons (02:38) - The Importance of Health and Self-Care (06:35) - Taking Time Off for Health (08:50) - Creating Capacity for Personal Growth (11:37) - Prioritizing What Matters Most (15:20) - Invitation to reimagine capacity for the next season Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

The best leaders aren’t setting goals. They are setting puzzles. In this episode, Monique sits down with Radhika Dutt, author of Radical Product Thinking, to explore a new paradigm for leadership in a world obsessed with metrics. Radhika’s framework has been adopted across 40+ countries, helping leaders, founders, and teams replace goal-chasing with vision-led learning. Through her concept of puzzle setting, Radhika invites us to shift from controlling outcomes to cultivating curiosity, from chasing performance to building meaning. She explains why traditional frameworks like OKRs can erode creativity, and how leaders can learn to navigate uncertainty by framing better questions instead of setting faster goals. This conversation bridges innovation and introspection, challenging every listener to reflect not just what they’re building, but why. Whether you’re leading a team, a company, or your own transformation, this episode will shift how you think about leadership, from hitting targets to solving meaningful puzzles. In this episode: (01:37) - Radhika Dutt’s Diverse Career Journey (05:42) - The Mindset of Puzzle Setting and Solving (10:00) - Challenging Conventional Goal-Setting: The OKR Debate (15:00) - The Limitations of OKRs in Complex Work Environments (22:07) - The Iterative Process of Learning and Experimentation (29:12) - Redefining Metrics: From Vanity to Leading Indicators (35:47) - Public vs. Private Companies: The Metrics Dilemma (44:10) - The Impact of Short-Term Thinking on Business Practices (47:04) - The Human Element in Business (52:48) - Long-Term vs Short-Term Mindset (48:52) - Navigating Existential Threats as a Leader (54:19) - Balancing Vision and Survival (01:02:16) - The Hippocratic Oath of Product (01:19:42) - Personal Vision and Life Experimentation Grab your copy of Radhika’s Book: • Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter | https://a.co/d/cEe6HKA Connect with Radhika: • Website | https://rdutt.com/ • LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/radhika-dutt/ Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

We’ve all had those seasons where our career feels stuck, where the questions are loud, but the answers feel far away. But what if the way forward isn’t another job search, but a different way of seeing your path? In this episode, Monique shares a simple yet powerful framework that has guided her own career moves. This practical tool helps you uncover what you truly want out of your career, recognize the strengths you already bring, and map the future experiences you need to grow. It’s not about having everything figured out. It’s about creating a structure that frees you from feeling stuck and empowers you to move forward with intention. Whether you’re building a corporate career, dreaming of entrepreneurship, or navigating a pivot, this process will give you a way to evaluate your options, expand your opportunities, and unlock your potential. In this episode: (01:45) - Why overthinking often does not lead to clarity (03:09) - Writing down what you really want (05:49) - The 3-Step Career Roadmap Activity (06:56) - How to spot your strengths, gaps, and growth opportunities (09:14) - What to do when your current job can’t give you the skills you need (12:17) - How to apply the Career Roadmap to your own path (14:18) - Your free downloadable template + next steps Put the Career Roadmap Activity Into Action Today • Sign up and Receive Your Free Career Roadmap Template | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

When the rules of the game keep shifting, what does bold leadership look like? In this episode, Ben Schafer (Rev Op Leader and husband) joins Monique (Product Leader and Advisor) to explore a listener’s questions: do we make bold moves in uncertain times? And how do you, as a leader, show up with all this uncertainty? Together, Monique and Ben explore the nuances of courage, risk, why inaction is often the riskiest of all, and how to make decisions when the future refuses to give you clarity. This is a conversation that moves beyond easy answers and into the deeper work of leadership, navigating complexity, staying grounded in first principles, and helping others metabolize change. Through both personal and professional stories, from parenting during the pandemic to the disruption of AI, Monique and Ben reveal what it takes to lead with intentionality when uncertainty is the only constant. You’ll walk away with clarity on why boldness doesn’t mean recklessness, how to navigate the risks of the status quo, and what it looks like to lead others through change without losing sight of your values or purpose. In this episode: (01:47) - The HBR headline that sparked this conversation (05:44) - What “being bold” really means (and doesn’t mean) (10:49) - Why even small bold moves carry hidden risks (13:20) - When not making a decision is a decision, and often the riskiest one (18:28) - Unpacking uncertainty at both personal and business levels (19:31) - Parenting during the pandemic: making bold moves when the stakes are high (23:38) - AI disruption and the temptation of reactive boldness (31:11) - Experiment over analysis over paralysis (35:47) - Time horizons and pacing bold decisions (39:51) - The boldness of speaking truth into leadership (47:24) - Playing your own game without losing your core strengths (50:37) - Lessons from hard choices: one-way vs two-way doors (55:44) - Final reflections: brave, intentional, uncomfortable action in uncertain times Links and Resources: • Harvard Business Review (September/October 2025) | https://store.hbr.org/product/harvard-business-review-september-october-2025/BR2505 Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

When what you’ve always done stops working, it can feel unsettling. But disruption often carries a quiet invitation: maybe the only way forward is going back to the basics of who you are and what you truly believe. In this episode, Monique explores what happens when life, work, or the world no longer responds to the patterns that once made sense. Whether it’s shifting industries, changing careers, or personal rhythms that suddenly feel heavy, she invites listeners to lean into the power of first principles. She offers a reminder that going back to the basics isn’t about stepping backward. It’s about rediscovering clarity, anchoring in values, and building something new with intention. In this episode: (01:31) - Why many of us feel both stuck and energized in change (03:28) - Lessons from the movie, La Grande Maison Paris (05:50) - What this means for careers, product management, and leadership (08:18) - Why impact matters more than output in uncertain times (09:24) - Introspection, core beliefs, and new possibilities Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

What do you do when change is happening and you’re not in charge? In this candid AMA-style conversation, Monique sits down with her husband and long-time tech executive, Ben Schafer to unpack what it means to lead through change, especially when you’re not in a formal leadership role. Monique shares real stories from her own career pivots - from consultant to product leader to director, and breaks down what most people miss about internal transitions, leadership identity, and decision-making during moments of uncertainty. From soft power and emotional intelligence to tactical frameworks, this is the conversation most people wish they had earlier in their leadership journey. If you’re ever found yourself asking: Why does this feel off? Am I outgrowing something? Am I still valuable here? This one’s for you. In this episode: (02:57) - Defining and recognizing transitions (05:04) - The importance of the in-between period (08:17) - Monique’s real-life example of the true inner work of every career pivot (11:54) - How to lead when you’re not in a position of leadership (15:01) - Example of leadership in consulting (18:49) - Grounding people in the business objective (22:23) - Leadership is all about empowering people (24:09) - Decision-making frameworks that move teams forward (26:15) - Reconciling personal beliefs and emotions about change (35:52) - Navigating resistance and shutdowns with compassion (and boundaries) Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

You’ve returned to work after a necessary break—maybe it was for your health, family, or just life. But now you’re wondering… why does it feel like you’re starting from scratch? In this episode, Monique offers a grounded, strategic take on what it really looks like to return to work after a career pause and the quiet courage it takes to advocate for yourself in the process. Drawing from a real-life conversation, she shares the story of a professional who came back to work only to feel like she had lost her place. Through thoughtful guidance and practical insight, Monique unpacks how to re-establish visibility, align with leadership, and position yourself as a strategic asset, not a problem to solve. This episode is a permission slip to stop waiting for recognition and start initiating the conversations that will move your career forward. At its core, it’s not just about getting your old projects back. It’s about owning your worth, communicating with clarity, and building the future you’re still deeply called to lead. In this episode: (02:00) - Returning to work after a break (03:45) - “I’m back… but everything I built moved on without me” (05:10) - Clarity with leadership around your role and the current business needs (06:30) - How to express readiness without overexplaining (07:11) - Offering solutions - why framing matters (11:04) - What to do when your manager isn’t a natural advocate (12:41) - Advocating for yourself is leadership in motion Connect with Monique: • Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/ • Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast • Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer • YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment Ask Monique Got a question that’s keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem? ’Ask Monique’ is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let’s dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together. https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8