Episode 64: From Failed It! to improve it! Over 26,000 Happy Participants and Counting
Failed it! Fam, we’re changing up our name! We’re thrilled to share we’ve rebranded our beloved podcast to The improve it! Podcast. So, improve it! Fam, are you a leader or change maker inside of your business, organization or corporation? Are you looking for new, innovative ways to drive morale through the roof? Are you looking for fun, exciting icebreakers, team-building exercises, and activities that will foster team growth, friendships, loyalty, and completely transform your organization from the inside out? Have you been searching for a fun and unique way to create change? If so, listen in to the brains and history behind this exciting change!
Resources:
Connect with Erin:
Email Erin: info@learntoimproveit.com
About the Host: Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the improve it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award.
This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre.
When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl.
You can follow the failed it! podcast on Instagram @learntoimproveit and facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram @keepinitrealdiehl here. You can also check out improve it! and how we can help your organization at www.learntoimproveit.com. We can’t wait to connect with you online!
Episode 64 Transcription
Erin (00:00):
We were failing at not giving you all the goods. We have so many tools in our soft skill training toolkit, and we want you to have them, accessorize with them, make it fashion honey. Okay. So after listening to this podcast, you will be working, yes, like the baddest mamajama. Okay. We are legit giving away all of our secrets because we asked you what you want and you told us what you needed. So stay tuned, improve it! Fam. So much goodness is in store for you.
Erin (00:44):
Are you a leader or change maker inside of your business, organization, or corporation? Are you looking for new, innovative ways to drive morale through the roof? Are you looking for fun and exciting icebreakers, team-building exercises, and activities that will foster team growth, friendships, loyalty, and completely transform your organization from the inside out? Have you been searching for a fun and unique way to create change instead of the same old dry, boring leadership books and icebreakers that aren't actually working? Hi, I'm Erin Diehl, business improv edutainer, Failfluencer and professional zoombie who is ready to help you improve it. My mission in life is to help you develop teams and leaders through play improv and experiential learning. In this podcast, we will deep dive into professional development team building effective communication, networking, presentation, skills, leadership training, how to think more quickly on your feet and everything in between. We have helped everyone from fortune 500 companies to small mom and pop shops transform their business, their leadership, and their people through play. So grab your chicken hat, we are about to have some fun, welcome to improve it, the podcast.
Erin (02:17):
Welcome my friends to the new and improved, pun intended, improve it podcast. All right. So if you are a long time listener of the of podcast, you may be thinking to yourself what in the actual hello is happening here. This was the failed it podcast. You were probably thinking I come here to hear success stories through the fails of Uber successful individuals. Failed it fam, I have an update for you. Let's hold hands, hold hands. Here we go. You are always my failed it! Family, but more importantly, you were always my improve it! Family. So today we're launching a rebrand of our actual brand. Let me say that again. Yes. It is a rebrand of our actual brand record scratch, what? Icky. Yeah. You heard me correctly. The failed it! Podcast is now the improve it! Podcast. So why in the holy guacamole, did we do this?
Erin (03:35):
How did this happen? I am going to spill the beans and let you in on a little secret. My friends, we did not fail the failed it! Podcast. Just like anything that happens on the improv stage. There were no mistakes from the failed at pod only gifts. So I want you to go back. We are in episode 64 of now the improve it! Podcast, but go back just one more episode of what was the failed it! Podcast and listen to the highlights, it was episode 63, of some of the amazing humans who are now a part of our lives because the failed it podcast existed. So we had entrepreneurs who were scaling seven figure businesses to corporate leaders leading the charge on equity and inclusion in corporate America, to comedians who were crushing it with comedy specials on Netflix and comedy central and Ted talks, we talked to them all, but we, and you, my friends were always bigger than just the fails and the fail.
Erin (04:49):
Yes. Don't worry. We'll still fail yeah around these parts and improve it!, the company that I run is so much more than that. We are all about our core values, which include things like yes and everyday leadership play learn and have fun, explore more and drive results. These are the things, the fundamentals, the pillars that we stand on behind the brand here at improve it. And I just felt like we weren't giving you all the goods. Now at improve it! We teach on 11 different soft skills, and we do so much more than highlight the low lights. Now I am going to say this. I am so grateful. I mean this with my whole heart, I am so grateful for the guests that we had on this show and on failed it. And if you're listening as a previous guest on the show, I'm just going to tell you thank you again, because it took a ton of vulnerability, guts and confidence to come on here and discuss the things that weren't so glam.
Erin (05:59):
Or glamorous. I still talk to a lot of the people we had on the show as guests today, and I have built some amazing friendships and relationships through it all. I'm so grateful for the show that got us to this point. So I am not sad at all previously failed it, but always improve it! Family. I am excited. So welcome to the new pod. And if you are new here, let me just give you a quick and brief intro of myself. Allow myself to introduce myself if you will. So, and maybe failed it! Fam this might be news to you too. So just, just hold tight, hold tight. All right. So if you're new and if we don't know each other that well I'm Erin Diehl. I'm a business improv edutainer failfluencer, and professional zoombie. That's Zoom Zombie. And I help leaders and companies develop teams and people through play improv and experiential learning.
Erin (07:03):
My mantra is get comfortable with the comfortable. I'm talking about, sit in a yoga pant, a messy bun, a sweat shirt get real comfy with the uncomfy. Now through a series of unrelated dares, I created this company, improve it, a professional development company that uses the fundamentals of improv comedy to help professionals laugh, learn and grow. Among my many accolades so many, I am most proud of successfully coursing over 26,000 professionals. That's 26,000 professionals to chicken dance. You heard that correctly. The thing you see at a wedding, yes, 26,000 people have done that in my presence. So you heard that, right? We're going to get back to that number in just a minute, but I've spoken on stages nationwide for all types of events and associations. Usually in some form of teal attire, teal is my favorite color. And to me, teal is the real deal, which is also my Instagram handle.
Erin (08:17):
Keepingitrealdiehl. If we aren't friends go give it a little follow. You're going to see all kinds of behind the scenes things, some tips and tricks, the motivation, and a lot of love and laughter. So I'm a two time graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 small business program. And I'm a graduate of many improv schools of comedy, including the second city, IO theater, and the annoyance theater. Now, when I'm not playing pretend over zoom or on stage, you can find me at the beach in my new hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, with my hubs, my two legged miracle, baby Jackson, or my four legged child, big Diehl. And that is an eight pound toy poodle middle initials F in. So now that we have become virtual BFF, so I'm giving you a hug through the, the airwaves here, or if we already were virtual BFFs, perhaps you learned a new thing or two about your gal.
Erin (09:19):
Let me fill you in on improve it! Because we are going to take a lot of the work that we do in our workshops, keynotes and laugh breaks, and apply it here on this show. Now, as I said, we are a professional development company that uses improv comedy to train professionals on soft skills. Let me toot the horn for a minute. Okay. Got to pass some gas and toot the horn. I don't really know why I said that, but I'm going to, to, to, so we've worked with fortune 500 fortune, 100 to small mom and pop shops. And non-for-profit organizations we've worked with companies like United airlines, Uber freight Paylocity group on Pepsi coat, Deloitte, Motorola Walgreens, the Obama foundation, Met him, got a show about it. We'll both queue to that in just a little bit or actually we'll make sure we queue to that show in the show notes because that story is just one for the ages we've worked with Kellogg Warby Parker, Abbott labs, and more, and we train on soft skills.
Erin (10:30):
So anything from leadership to team building, to sales, to presentation skills, and we have 11 different workshops that can be conducted online, or in-person. Now we have pivoted as a very strong pivot in this pandemic. And if you go all the way back to episode one of this show, you can hear the struggles that we went through becoming a, or sorry, being a completely in-person business that had to go completely virtual overnight. The struggle was real. Now, like I said, we have now 11 different soft skill workshops that are in-person and on zoom each complete with a three week DIY e-learning course. And so these are what we do day in and day out. This is what started, started us off as a company, as a brand, but we've also added in some different offerings. So we do virtual and in-person keynotes for large conferences and events.
Erin (11:35):
And we now also offer laugh breaks, which are short form improv to break breakup your boring zoom meetings. This was a product of the Patty, the pandemic, and to date, we have conducted over 78 laugh breaks to teams across the world, literally the world because we're virtual and we started doing this in August of 2020. So it's so much fun. We love crashing zoom meetings with laughter, levity and positivity. Now remember that statistic I gave you, 26,000 professionals impacted by our work. That is a hundred percent accurate. We have worked with over 26,000 people, improving their lives through the magical teaching tool that is improv comedy. Now we also use that chicken dance, like I mentioned, as part of our workshops. So know that 26,000 people have also had fun and got outside of their comfort zone with us. So I wanted to give you this background on what we do.
Erin (12:52):
I also think it's sort of important for us to start at where did improve it! Come from, how did this idea come to be? So I got this idea for improve it in 2011, after being asked to join a women's entrepreneurship pilot program with my friend Nicole. Now she was also on this show. We're going to link to that in the show notes, too. If you want to go back, she does a great episode under the failed at name where we're talking about fails in social media, she is a social media director at Allstate now, but at the time she was a very popular blogger, as well as sort of social media Maven. She created a brand called miss career girl, and she had started this pilot program for women who had entrepreneurial ideas. And she asked me to come and sit in and give her feedback on the program.
Erin (13:51):
Now, at the time I had zero ideas for a business, but I was working in corporate America, doing business development at a recruiting firm. And I'll tell you this. I loved my manager so much. I love her still talk to her to this day. And I loved helping people. And I never thought I would be in recruiting and, or doing business development, but somehow the two of these just fit. So I was working this nine to five and I then started getting very serious with improv in the evenings and on the weekends. And I would go work my nine to five, leave the nine to five, then spend 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM in class or in shows or rehearsing with my improv teams. So I basically had two jobs. And the one I was doing in the evening was spilling into my day job. And it was making me so much better at my job.
Erin (14:47):
Improv started making me a better listener, a better networker, a better presenter. The list just goes on and on. And after many, many hours and evenings and weekends spent formulating a vision of this brand, improve it. And this business plan, which fun fact, I didn't really have a plan, just a vision, improve it! Was actually born and came into existence in April of 2014, but it was all Nicole's class that helped me start thinking about this vision and this brand. Now, this also led me to asking people to join this team because I knew improve it! Was not just me. It was way bigger than me, right? So I asked people to join the team as facilitators and take a chance with me. And this was in 2014. And at the time I was still working full time at my recruiting job. And I eventually left in the fall of 2015 to pursue improve it full-time and I haven't looked back ever since, but I'm so proud to say that I would say almost all, but like two people that I asked to be a part of improve it! In the very beginning are still with us today. And we've grown the team. We are a small but mighty internal team. Now we have a client experience manager, a director of talent, a podcast manager, social media manager. And we have 22 improv professionals from Chicago to LA to New York. So we are so proud of this engine that could, that came into existence in my mind in 2011, actually became a thing in 2014 and a real thing in 2015. And we have been growing and growing and then with stood a pandemic and are still here to tell the tale. Now we've been nominated for the Chicago innovation awards in 2015 to 2019, we've received the Chicago red eye big idea award, which actually catapulted us into launching and building this brand in 2014.
Erin (17:01):
So as I had started this side job on my full time job and also doing improv, I applied for this, this competition called the Chicago red eye big idea awards, and no one at my full-time job at the time knew that I was building improve it! But it started to become very obvious to everyone around me when we started to get a lot of press and this idea started to really get noticed. And then we won this award and everything just was a domino effect from there. So I'm just giving you some stats here on why improve it! Is going to change your life through this podcast. So we've been featured in Forbes, Crain's Chicago, and insight magazine to name a few. Now my improve it formerly known as the failed it! Family. Let me just share with you who this podcast is for. So maybe you're listening and you're thinking I loved failed it.
Erin (18:01):
I was on board for failed it. You know, do I want to stay on board with improve it? I'm pretty sure you do, because let me share with you why this show is created and for who. So it's for leaders, the people who care about the people and how the people operate within their organizations and systems, it's you my improve it! Family. You care about your people and the teams that make up those people. You are a leader in talent development, learning development, human resources, or in some type of capacity within your organization. You can be in corporate America, you can own a small business. You lead those people and you care about your company culture and professional development and growth. You want to think outside of the box, off the beaten path, and you want to do all of that to drive morale through the roof, you are open-minded and you are searching for something fun and different.
Erin (19:08):
You want tactical tips on how to engage and empower your teams. You want those outside of the box methods to grow and scale your team. And you want to empower yourself to be the best leader. You can be. You want this outside of the box methodology that can help your team in both a virtual and in-person workforce. And you want to incorporate the values of the individuals to create a safe space internally. You want these tactical tips to evolve your team as you evolve as a leader. And that my friends is why failed it! Is no longer failed it. We were failing at not giving you all the goods. We have so many tools in our soft skill training toolkit, and we want you to have them, accessorize with them, make it fashion honey. Okay. So after listening to this podcast, you will be working yet like the baddest mamajama there is.
Erin (20:21):
Okay. We are going to give you professional development through the lens of improv comedy. Some lessons learned through failures. Don't think she is going away. Okay. Some tips on developing your team, tips on corporate leadership, best practices as a leader and more. This is not your stuffy corporate podcast with tactics and snooze Fest, scenario training. This is outside the box, you see that box sitting right there, look around it, that space all around it is where we live. And we don't ever jump in that box. Be prepared for tangible icebreakers, tips and tricks that you can use today, legit today with your teams and in your beds, we will talk about the magic of improv as a teaching tool and how you can apply it to leading hybrid teams. We are legit giving away all of our secrets because we asked you what you want and you told us what you needed.
Erin (21:28):
So stay tuned, improve it! Fam. So much goodness is in store for you. Now, if you have listened to what was previously the failed it! Podcast, I'm going to ask you a huge favor since we are changing our show name, but keeping the old show titles, we have to make a splash. And if you haven't done it, could you believe from the depths of my heart, leave us a review on iTunes. It would mean so, so much to me, to the team and the people who drive the show behind the scenes. All you have to do is go to iTunes, scroll to the bottom of the page and hit five star. So first go to iTunes, search improve it! Podcast, Scroll down, hit five stars. There's a space that you can write a sentence or two. Literally it takes less than one minute, but we need your help to spread the word about this show.
Erin (22:27):
And it would mean the world if you are a part of the improve it! Family for you to do that for us, we will keep pumping out this great free content, but all we need is your review to help us do that. Reviews are also how we get great guests on the show because you can't see show downloads. They are only available to the people who run the show. They aren't public. So reviews are what a guest looks at to determine if they want to come on the show as a guest or not. So with that review, we can bring you all the great guests. That is my ask, but I am so excited. I am so excited and I am so happy and improve it! Family that you're here. Thank you so much for trusting me with your fails and for trusting me and the team to help you improve your it, whatever your it is. We are here to help you learn through play one laugh and one smile at a time. So until next time, improve it! Family, keep failing, keep improving and keep trying because the world needs that special it that only you can bring, see ya next time.
Erin (23:54):
Hey friends, thanks for tuning in to improve it. I am so happy you're along for the ride. If you enjoyed this show, head on over to iTunes to leave us a five star review and subscribe to the show. So you never miss an episode. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Now, if you're really feeling today's show and you've improved it even just a little bit, please take a screenshot and tag me @keepingitrealdiehl on Instagram and share it in your stories. I'll see you next week, but I want to leave you with this thought, what did you improve today and how will that help your future successful self? Think about it. I am rooting for you and the world needs that special. It that only you can bring see you next time. [inaudible].