Podcasts · Business · Arts

Tales From The Lane

Kate Kayaian

137 episodes

Welcome to Tales from The Lane—the podcast for high performers who are ready to build a life that's not just impressive on paper, but deeply fulfilling.

More about the show

I'm your host, Kate Kayaian—former professional cellist turned writer, coach, and strategist for people who've already achieved a lot… and are now asking, What's next?

Each week, we dive into the mindset, habits, and strategies of high-achieving creatives, entrepreneurs, athletes, and leaders who are committed to playing at the top of their game without burning out, selling out, or slowing down their growth.

You'll hear solo episodes packed with insights and tools, candid conversations with industry trailblazers, and the kind of honest talk most successful people don't get to have anywhere else.

If you're here to pursue excellence on your terms—to lead, to grow, and to thrive—this is your show.

Subscribe to Tales from The Lane and join a global community of high performers building meaningful, sustainable success.

Episodes page 1 of 3

  1. Episode 136: Productive Procrastination: Are You Using Productivity to Avoid the Hard Stuff?

    · 41 min · S3 E136

    What if your productivity is actually keeping you stuck? You're busy all day. You're checking things off your to-do list, completing projects, organizing your life, and getting things done. But when you look at the…

  2. Ep. 135: How to Move Forward When You Don't Have a Map

    · 35 min · S3 E135

    What do you do when you know you want something more, but you have absolutely no idea how to get there? For successful professionals, one of the hardest parts of starting something new is suddenly finding ourselves in…

  3. Episode 134: Why Growth Sometimes Requires Taking a Step Back

    · 18 min · S3 E134

    Are you so busy maintaining your current life that you have no time to build the next one? There's a big difference between being busy and building. And for successful professionals, freelancers, and entrepreneurs,…

  4. Episode 133: What Really Happens When You Reach a Big Goal

    · 31 min · S3 E133

    The Creators Leadership Mastermind, my 9-month guided mastermind group for people ready to finally move a meaningful goal from idea to reality, is open for enrollment through October 11th. If you're ready to find out…

  5. Episode 132: How I'm Spending the Last 100 Days of the Year

    · 25 min · S3 E132

    ***The Creators Leadership Mastermind, my 9-month guided mastermind group for people ready to finally see their biggest goals come to life, is open for enrollment through October 11th. Book a call today to get the…

  6. Episode 131: How to Try Again (Differently) with Author, Steve Kamb

    · 53 min · S3 E131

    What happens when something you really, really wanted doesn't work out? You don't get tenure. The business fails. The career you spent decades building no longer fits. A relationship ends. Or maybe you simply realize…

  7. Episode 130: How to Build Your Next Chapter While Living Your Current One

    · 22 min · S3 E130

    You want to write the book. Build the business. Prepare the audition. Launch the festival. Make the career pivot. There's just one problem: your current life is already full. A lot of deep-work advice assumes that…

  8. Episode 129: My Favorite Back-to-School Rituals for Grown-Ups

    · 19 min · S3 E129

    Remember the thrill of a brand-new Trapper Keeper, freshly sharpened pencils, new clothes, new classes, and walking into school knowing you were officially one grade older? Why did we stop getting that feeling just…

  9. Episode 128: How to Design Your Calendar for the Results You Want

    · 25 min · S3 E128

    What if you could predict where you'll be six months from now simply by looking at your calendar today? In this episode of Tales from The Lane, Kate walks through four common ways we manage our calendars, from…

  10. Episode 127: The Success Cycle: When to Invest, When to Test, and When to Rest

    · 19 min · S3 E127

    Are you supposed to be hustling right now...or resting? Should you be launching something, learning something, or stepping away for a while? Spend enough time watching other successful people online, and you'll find…

  11. Episode 126: What Nature Can Teach Us About How We Work, with Mary Cay Durrant

    · 49 min · S3 E126

    This week on Tales from The Lane, I'm joined by speaker, facilitator, and transformational leadership guide Mary Cay Durrant, whose work has touched thousands of senior leaders at more than 100 organizations, including…

  12. Episode 125: What Waiting One More Year Really Costs You

    · 34 min · S3 E123

    What if waiting one more year to pursue the thing you really want isn't as harmless as it seems? Most people don't consciously give up on their dreams. They postpone them. Work is busy. The timing isn't ideal. The…

  13. Episode 124: The Projects That Change Your Life Rarely Have Deadlines

    · 17 min · S3 E124

    Ep. 124: The Projects That Change Your Life Rarely Have Deadlines Why is it so easy to finish work for someone else... but so hard to make progress on the projects that matter most to us? In this episode, I share a…

  14. Episode 123: Why Smart People Stay Stuck for Years

    · 15 min · S3 E123

    Have you ever looked around at your life and thought... "Everything is fine... so why do I feel so stuck?" This week, we're exploring one of the most common challenges I hear from high-achieving professionals. They…

  15. Episode 122: What Could Change in the Next 90 Days?

    · 13 min · S3 E122

    Most people think planning season happens in January. I disagree. July might be the most powerful planning month of the entire year. By now, we have six months of evidence. We know what's working, what's draining…

  16. Episode 121: What Eight Days in Idaho Taught Me About Success, Community, and Growth

    · 18 min · S3 E121

    I just returned from my first-ever Craft + Commerce conference in Boise, Idaho—and I came home with far more than a notebook full of quotes. In this episode, I share the biggest lessons I learned from spending eight…

  17. Episode 120: You Don't Have to Do it All Alone! Hiring Fractional Support for Your Next Big Event, with Ginger Taylor

    · 59 min · S3 E120

    What does it actually take to create an event that people remember for years? Whether you're dreaming of hosting a conference, retreat, concert series, fundraiser, festival, or community gathering, there's a lot more…

  18. Episode 119: The Summer Success Blueprint, Part 3: Who?

    · 16 min · S3 E119

    Two episodes ago, we talked about choosing your One Big Thing, Two Small Habit Tweaks, and giving yourself Three Months to make meaningful progress. Last week, we talked about how to stay focused when motivation fades.…

  19. Episode 118:The Summer Success Blueprint, Part 2: Making Your Goals Stick

    · 22 min · S3 E118

    Last week, I introduced my 1-2-3 Summer Framework: One Big Thing. Two Small Habit Tweaks. Three Months to see what happens. This week, we're tackling the question that determines whether any of it actually happens:…

  20. Episode 117: How to Design a Summer That Expands Your Life

    · 21 min · S3 E117

    Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of summer, and while many of us still think of summer as a season of possibility, adulthood has a way of turning it into little more than a blur of logistics, obligations,…

  21. Episode 116: Emotional Time vs. Physical Time

    · 17 min · S3 E116

    Why does one difficult email feel like it will consume your entire day… only to take six minutes once you finally send it? In this episode of Tales from The Lane, we explore the difference between physical time and…

  22. Episode 115: How to Take the "Ick" Out of Self-Promotion with Steph Crowder

    · 46 min · S3 E115

    In this episode of Tales from The Lane, Kate is joined by sales and strategy coach Steph Crowder for a conversation about entrepreneurship, selling, courage, and building a business that actually supports the life you…

  23. Episode 114: If You're Already Enough, Why Grow?

    · 21 min · S3 E114

    There's a conversation happening everywhere right now: "You're already enough." "You don't need to improve." "You don't need to be better." And while all of that is true… it's also incomplete. Because most…

  24. Episode 113: How to Connect With Your Audience in the Moments That Matter: With Speech Coach, Mike Pacchione

    · 48 min · S3 E113

    Ready to think about your next season? Kate's 90-Day Strategy Sessions are now open. These one-off 1:1 sessions help you get clear on what matters most, organize the work in front of you, and build a realistic plan for…

  25. Episode 112: Become a Planning Ninja: How to Prioritize Your Week When Everything is Important

    · 14 min · S3 E112

    What do you do when your to-do list is full of important things, but none of them are urgent? That is one of the most disorienting places to be. There is no immediate deadline forcing your hand, no outside pressure…

  26. Episode 111: The Real Secret to a Morning Routine That Sticks, with Amy Landino

    · 56 min · S3 E110

    What if the problem isn't that you need a better morning routine… but that you've been trying to follow someone else's? In Episode 111 of Tales from The Lane, I'm joined by Amy Landino — high-performance coach,…

  27. Ep. 110: Gaining Traction: How to Rebuild Momentum When Your Goals Start to Drift

    · 14 min · S3 E110

    In this episode of Tales from The Lane, Kate breaks down why Q2 is the most powerful and underutilized part of the year, and how to turn the next 90 days into real traction instead of more busy work. She introduces…

  28. 109: Lonely at the Top? Friendship, Leadership, and Adult Connection with Dr. Kimberly Horn

    · 58 min · S3 E109

    What happens when a high-achieving life is optimized for performance—but quietly hostile to connection? In this episode of Tales from The Lane, I'm joined by Dr. Kimberly Horn—research psychologist, professor, health…

  29. Episode 108: Small Systems That Create Big Momentum in Your Work and Life

    · 20 min · S3 E108

    Most high achievers don't struggle because they lack ambition, ideas, or discipline. They struggle because their lives are full of tiny points of friction. Small decisions. Small interruptions. Small logistical…

  30. Episode 107: Why the Fastest Way to Build Your Career Is to Slow Down

    · 18 min · S3 E107

    If you feel like everyone around you is racing ahead – launching faster, reading more, doing more, moving more quickly – this episode is for you. In this solo episode of Tales from The Lane, Kate explores a principle…

  31. Episode 106: Have You Outgrown Your Own Success?

    · 12 min · S3 E106

    You did everything you were supposed to do. You worked hard. You built the career. You earned the reputation. You became successful by every conventional metric. And now… something feels off. In this solo episode,…

  32. Episode 105: How to Design a Career That Supports Your Life (Not the Other Way Around)

    · 54 min · S3 E105

    What if the next level of your career isn't about doing more… but about designing better? In this episode, I'm joined by Laura Sinclair—performer, educator, and coach (and a returning guest from Season 1, Episode…

  33. Episode 104: Why So Many Friendships Struggle During Seasons of Growth (and How to Handle It)

    · 39 min · S3 E104

    What happens to our friendships when our lives start to expand? In this episode of Tales from The Lane, I'm joined by Dear Nina: Conversations about Friendship host Nina Badzin, whose podcast is ranked in the top 1%…

  34. Episode 103: Quiet Courage: The Decisions That Shape Your Next Chapter

    · 14 min · S3 E103

    We tend to think of courage as something dramatic—big leaps, bold declarations, or burning it all down and starting over. But most of the courage that actually changes your life is much quieter than that. In this…

  35. Episode 102: How Becoming Your Best Self Strengthens Your Community

    · 14 min · S3 E102

    In this episode of Tales from The Lane, Kate explores a question she's been asked repeatedly—especially in uncertain, chaotic times: Is it selfish to focus on your own growth when the world feels like it's on fire?…

  36. Episode 101: Chiseling Marble: How to Remove What's in Your Way

    · 27 min · S3 E101

    In this solo episode, we talk about what is REALLY standing between you and your dreams, and how to remove the obstacles. If you've been circling around the same goal for months (or years), telling yourself you'll…

  37. Episode 100: Looking Forward–My 2026 Goals and How I Plan to Get There

    · 20 min · S2 E100

    Book a 1:1 Strategy Session with Kate! limited spots available, click HERE to schedule yours. This episode marks a major milestone: 100 episodes of Tales from The Lane! Instead of celebrating with highlights or a…

  38. Episode 99: An Honest Look Back on 2025–the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

    · 45 min · S2 E99

    Get your free copy of my Quarterly Retreat Guide– it's the perfect time to plan out your next 90 Days. In this episode of Tales from The Lane, I'm doing one of my favorite things of the year: a full, honest Year in…

  39. Episode 98: Retreat Day 4– How to Optimize Your Systems for a Smoother Quarter

    · 10 min · S2 E98

    Day 4 of the Quarterly Retreat Mini-Series: OPTIMIZE You've planned. You've created. You've organized. Today, we optimize. Day 4 is where we take everything you've built this week and make it smoother, lighter, more…

  40. Episode 97: Retreat Day 3 — From Overwhelmed to Ordered

    · 9:06 · S2 E97

    Welcome to Day 3 of our Quarterly Retreat series inside Tales From The Lane! If you've been following along, you've already: • Day 1: Planned • Day 2: Created And today… We Organize. This is the quiet power day.…

  41. Episode 96: Quarterly Retreat Day 2: CREATE–– Build What Future-You Needs

    · 11 min · S2 E96

    Welcome back to Day 2 of our Stay-at-Home Quarterly Retreat mini-series! If yesterday was about reflection, clarity, and direction, today is about rolling up your sleeves and building the things your next 90 days will…

  42. Episode 95: Quarterly Planning Retreat Day 1: Planning Your Next 90-Days

    · 11 min · S2 E95

    Ready to step out of reaction mode and into intention? Today we're kicking off a special 4-part mini-series walking you through my Quarterly Retreat Strategy so you can step into the next 90 days grounded, organized,…

  43. Episode 94: How to Be the Change You Want to See with Mari Manoogian

    · 43 min · S2 E94

    How to be the Change You Want to See with Mari Manoogian Today on Tales from the Lane, I'm joined by the Honourable Mari Manoogian—former Michigan State Representative and now Executive Director of The Next 50, an…

  44. Episode 93: Identity Shifts: Becoming the Person Your Goals Require

    · 20 min · S2 E93

    As we head into a new year, many of us are thinking about goals—what we want to do, accomplish, or finally finish. But what if the real work starts somewhere deeper? In this episode of Tales from The Lane, Kate…

  45. Episode 92: How to Pitch Podcasts, Build Community, & Play the Long Game with Michelle Glogovac

    · 52 min · S2 E92

    In a world where everyone is shouting for attention online, how do you share your story in a way that actually connects, and doesn't just add to the noise? Today's guest has built an entire career around answering…

  46. Episode 91: The Pursuit of Excellence: How to Up Your Game Without Burning Out

    · 22 min · S2 E91

    In a world that's speeding up, sloppier than ever, and overflowing with noise, excellence can feel like a lost art. But what if small, intentional acts of care are exactly what bring you back to yourself? In this solo…

  47. Episode 90: Burnout, Wake-Up Calls, and What Happens When You Finally Prioritize Yourself with Dr. Kristen Strom

    · 57 min · S2 E90

    This week on Tales from The Lane, I'm joined by Dr. Kristen Strom — speaker, author, former English professor turned transformational wellness coach — for a deeply real, encouraging conversation about what it actually…

  48. Episode 89: Stop the Overwhelm: Five Tools to Reduce Mental Noise

    · 21 min · S2 E89

    Does life feel louder lately? Not just audibly, but mentally? Between the news cycle, nonstop notifications, the group chats, and the never-ending list of micro-decisions—we're all running on cognitive overload. In…

  49. Episode 88: Authenticity, Confidence, & the Courage to Be Seen with Dayna Del Val

    · 1 h 15 min · S2 E88

    Register for Thrivefest (it's free!) We begin on November 17th! What does it really mean to show up—on stage, on camera, online—and feel authentic instead of performative? Certified coach, speaker, writer, and retreat…

  50. Episode 87: How to Think Like the Panel, Lead Like the Boss, and Grow Like the Elite

    · 19 min · S2 E87

    Most high achievers spend their lives mastering their side of the table—preparing, polishing, striving. But what happens when you switch sides? When you stop practicing only for the audition, for the interview, for the…

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