The Fold In The Cheese Test

Over the course of the time I've been prioritizing my well-being (almost a decade), I have received lots of pithy admonishments, often accompanied by unclear instructions. Advice like, "Be mindful!" and "Have you thought about how to better balance your work and your life?". Yes, in fact, I've thought about THOSE THINGS, plus a bunch more. Just because I've thought about something doesn't mean I'm any closer to actually understanding how to do it.

Therefore, much like Moira repeating, "just fold it in" and "fold in the cheese" as David asks for help with learning how to fold in the cheese, I found myself similarly frustrated.

This scene elegantly encapsulates the frustration I felt when I was completely stuck and asking for help only to be met with unclear and unhelpful advice.

That's why every single thing we teach at Thought Kitchen must pass The Fold In The Cheese Test before we offer it.

"Fold in the [name of ingredient]" is a cooking technique that anyone can learn. The idea is that in order to incorporate an ingredient into sauce or batter, the ingredient has to to be introduced a little at a time, as the cook continues to stir the sauce or batter. In David's case, the cheese is already shredded, which is a great start. Smaller bits of cheese are easier to fold in because they melt easier than big chunks.

David would've learned to fold in the cheese if Moira said, "Here's what you do -- keep stirring the sauce while I add in a little of the shredded cheese. That's it! Keep stirring -- see how it's melting and incorporating into the sauce? Keep stirring while I add a little more shredded cheese," then invited David to try, and then continued doing this until all the cheese was incorporated into the sauce.

Of course, in this case, it's very likely that Moira has NO IDEA how to fold in the cheese, so all she could do was keep repeating the instructions while throwing in some "try to keep up" digs and intimating that "fold in the cheese" is self-explanatory.

Clearly, it's not. Just like "be mindful" and "find work-life balance" aren't self-explanatory. If they were, we'd all be doing it already!

To be clear, we all understand the words and have an idea of the concepts... and also, these are practices that anyone can learn, much like when a recipe calls for folding in an ingredient.

The Fold In The Cheese Test is what we use to make sure that every participant in our offerings has clear instructions to follow and opportunities to practice what they're learning, along with our support to make what they're learning their own, kind of like a detailed recipe that includes instructions about technique.

For instance, in Unlock Easier & Make It Your Own, participants learn what's actually happening in their bodies when they encounter a stressor that kicks off a stress cycle, along with specific ways to complete a stress cycle, among many other practices to make living Real Life easier.

At Flourishing Club, legal professionals who want to co-create an industry where we all want to work gather together to learn about practical ways to stay grounded, present, and clear-minded at work and at home. During the session, a practice or tool is taught and everyone goes home with a pdf to help them practice.

In our CLE offerings, we translate the findings from studies on legal professional well-being into actionable practices you can incorporate (maybe even fold in?) at the end of the session, along with links and handouts.

It's hard enough to ask for help, especially when you're feeling stuck. I get it because I've been there, same as Loretta. Theory is great... and also, we're as applied practitioners.

Each Thought Kitchen offering has been worked over in our test kitchen as well as out in the world and has passed The Fold In The Cheese Test, which means it:

• has clear instructions to follow,

• opportunities to practice what you're learning, and

• our support to make it your own.

Sample one of our offerings and see for yourself!