71. The Power of Noticing with Executive Coach, Jeana Marinelli
What if the most powerful lesson from the Olympics has nothing to do with the athletes?
Executive coach Jeana Marinelli joined me for a conversation straight from her last days in Florence, Italy — capping off nearly 90 days abroad that started as a one-week trip to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. What began as a trip to see snowboarding turned into an extended season of rest, community, curiosity, and unexpected self-discovery. We talked about what it really means to be present in an experience, why we're all at risk of being passive consumers of our own lives, and how the smallest act of noticing — and then sharing what you notice — can change everything.
Highlights
- Jeana packed for one week and stayed for 86 days — following curiosity, awe, and wonder every step of the way
- Milano Cortina 2026 was the first gender-equal Winter Olympics (and Paris 2024 was the first gender-equal Summer Olympics) — and Jeana attended both
- The Olympic spectator experience is completely different from watching on TV: no commentators, no play-by-play, just raw emotion and crowd energy
- Jeana reframes "spectator" — she wasn't watching the Olympics, she was participating in a community
- The difference between consuming community and contributing to it is one of the episode's central threads
- A chance encounter with Jaelin Kauf's family at dual moguls — sparked by offering to take their photo — turned into a full day of celebration
- How "noticing + sharing what you notice" is a simple, accessible way to build connection anywhere
- Why slowing down is always the starting point for meaningful change — whether in personal life or organizational leadership
- Turning 40 and the lessons of living in the gray (not everything is black and white)
- The National Equity Project's definition of leadership: taking ownership over something that matters
Chapters
2:35 — Birthday Reflections
5:35 — From One Week to Ninety Days
7:52 — What the Trip Gave Her
10:29 — Handling Transition Seasons
12:37 — Spectator Experience Reframed
16:58 — Gender Equal Olympics
18:30 — Bringing It Home Through Writing
21:37 — Consumption Versus Contribution
29:38 — Noticing Wonder Daily
34:09 — Final Threads and Farewell
Resources Mentioned
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