Fine is a 4-Letter Word is all about those moments when “fine” is just the mask we wear before life gives us a loud wake-up call.

For Massimo Backus, that wake-up call came wrapped in a leadership 360 evaluation that painted a picture he didn’t recognize. The team he thought he was inspiring and supporting saw someone defensive, unsafe to approach, even a bully. Gut punch, right?

Raised by creative, supportive parents who met in a woodworking class over a three-legged chair, Massimo learned the values of creativity, acceptance, and generosity that would later guide his unconventional career path. He also carried the invisible weight of childhood dyslexia and a lifelong habit of needing to prove himself. That pattern followed him into adulthood and eventually showed up in how he led others.

His relentless pursuit of purpose-driven work eventually led him to a prestigious position as global head of leadership development for a large international consulting firm, where he thought he had finally “made it.” However, that 360-degree feedback assessment came as an unexpected wake-up call.

Massimo first tried to “fix” himself on his own. It wasn’t until he surrendered control and attended the Hoffman Process, a weeklong retreat, that he uncovered the real saboteur: his own inner critic.

Through self-compassion, Massimo finally found the power to stop performing and start being. Listen as we unpack his journey from overactive inner critic to radical freedom.

Massimo’s hype song is Dance Yrself Clean by LCD Sound System

Resources:

• InKind Leaders Website: https://www.inkindleaders.com/
• Massimo’s Personal Website: https://massimobackus.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/massimo-backus/
• Claim your copy of: “Human First, Leader Second” book

Invitation from Lori:

This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit.

Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today’s hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn’t built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It’s built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication.

Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it’s easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture. Because you’ve got annual all-hands meeting and open door policies, and “fun" team-building events.

But let's be real. Leaders who are serious about building real trust are finding better ways to strengthen culture, create connection, and foster community.

That's where I come in. Forward thinking companies are hiring me to produce internal podcasts. To bring leadership and employees together through authentic stories, real conversations, and meaningful connections. Think of it as your old-school printed company newsletter - reinvented for the modern workforce. I KNOW, what a cool idea, right?!

If you run, work for, or know of a company that wants to upgrade communication, facilitate connections, build community, and maintain culture, let's chat. Message me at Lori@ZenRabbit dot com.

Because when people feel heard, they engage.

When they engage, they perform.

And when they perform, the business succeeds beyond projections.

Hey high achiever, what if the only way to save your life… was to finally stop doing all the things and learn how to be?

In this powerful and deeply honest episode of Fine is a 4-Letter Word, we sit down with Karen Brown, a global leader, poet, and mentor who has lived and worked in nearly 90 countries—and once wore her “busyness” like a badge of honor. I know you can relate to that.

Raised in Jamaica on the values of personal identity, learning, and service, Karen built her life around helping others. But when decades of stress and 18-hour workdays landed her in the emergency room, she was forced to face a painful truth: the woman who’d mastered productivity had forgotten how to pause.

What followed was a journey of rediscovering the power of silence. Because for Karen, silence wasn’t just absence of noise; silence was painful and jarring. It was a void she tended to fill with constant learning and doing. Over time, though, she learned to sit with silence, to let it restore her body, calm her mind, and reconnect her to herself.

That transformation didn’t just heal her—it deepened the way she serves others.

Now, Karen changes lives through the simplest of acts: truly seeing people. Whether mentoring a young professional, writing letters to hotel staff around the world, or stopping a stranger just to say, “You are seen,” Karen reminds us how small moments of kindness can heal invisible wounds and ripple outward into the world.

But here’s the question that lingers: when silence finally knocked on her door… what truth did it whisper that changed everything?

Tune in to find out how Karen turned stillness into strength—and how you can, too.

Karen’s hype song is "We Pray" by Coldplay.

Resources:

• Karen Brown’s website: https://bridgearrow.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bridge-arrow/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BridgeArrow/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoeKJ8Bnc_POr-IidXaNAFg

Invitation from Lori:

This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit.

Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today’s hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn’t built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It’s built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication.

Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it’s easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture. Because you’ve got annual all-hands meeting and open door policies, and “fun" team-building events.

But let's be real. Leaders who are serious about building real trust are finding better ways to strengthen culture, create connection, and foster community.

That's where I come in. Forward thinking companies are hiring me to produce internal podcasts. To bring leadership and employees together through authentic stories, real conversations, and meaningful connections. Think of it as your old-school printed company newsletter - reinvented for the modern workforce. I KNOW, what a cool idea, right?!

If you run, work for, or know of a company that wants to upgrade communication, facilitate connections, build community, and maintain culture, let's chat. Message me at Lori@ZenRabbit dot com.

Because when people feel heard,...

Stop and ponder for a moment.

Is it possible that everything you thought was keeping you “safe” was actually keeping you small?

We often look to resolve our issues through self-help books, seminars, and courses. But if they really worked, we’d all be perfectly fit, deliriously happy, worry-free millionaires! No, we need to dig deeper.

Angie Tumlinson’s story is a roadmap on how to find that higher level of fulfullment.

She grew up with the values of hard work, perfectionism, and fear-driven faith—beliefs that shaped, then nearly broke, her life. From running a booming church to walking away from it all, from building businesses out of sheer grit (and $27 in her pocket) to discovering the power of belief and imagination, Angie’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and radical self-discovery.

Then came the devastating losses of both parents, the identity crisis that followed, and the unexpected mentor (a name you might know!) who appeared just when she needed him most. Along the way, Angie learned the difference between “need” and “want,” how to let go of old paradigms, and why most of us are terrified to admit what we truly desire.

When Angie finally allowed herself to envision the life she really wanted, something extraordinary happened—her income multiplied tenfold, her relationships transformed, and her voice grew stronger than ever.

So how did she go from exhausted pastor’s wife and overworked business owner to creating abundance, freedom, and authenticity on her own terms? And what powerful lesson did she learn about love, control, and partnership that changed her marriage forever?

Tune in and find out…

Angie’s hype song is “Can't Stop The Feeling” by Justin Timberlake.

Resources:

• Angie Tumlinson’s website: https://www.elevateyouinstitute.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angietumlinsoncoach
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angietumlinson
• Watch Angie’s webinar, “Go For It”, and discover priceless insights that help you start living the life you dream about at https://www.elevateyouinstitute.com/go-for-it

Invitation from Lori:

This episode is sponsored by Zen Rabbit.

Smart business leaders know trust is the foundation of every great workplace. And in today’s hybrid and fast-moving work culture, trust isn’t built in quarterly town halls or the occasional Slack message. It’s built through consistent, clear, and HUMAN communication.

Companies and leaders TALK about the importance of connection and community. And it’s easy to believe your organization is doing a great job of maintaining an awesome corporate culture. Because you’ve got annual all-hands meeting and open door policies, and “fun" team-building events.

But let's be real. Leaders who are serious about building real trust are finding better ways to strengthen culture, create connection, and foster community.

That's where I come in. Forward thinking companies are hiring me to produce internal podcasts. To bring leadership and employees together through authentic stories, real conversations, and meaningful connections. Think of it as your old-school printed company newsletter - reinvented for the modern workforce. I KNOW, what a cool idea, right?!

If you run, work for, or know of a company that wants to upgrade communication,...