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1160:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Innovative Leader in Law Enforcement - Anthony Schembri
Anthony Schembri is a distinguished former police commissioner with a background in homicide and forensic evidence. He has held several leadership positions in law enforcement. Schembri’s dynamic career and accolades include an Innovations in Government award from Harvard. He is a Fulbright scholar and the author of several books on criminal law and leadership. His first novel, In Russia: A Brooklyn Solution, follows Lieutenant Anthony Migali of the NYPD on an international web of deceit and murder as he is tasked with solving Moscow’s first-ever serial killer case. The book is full of his real life adventures.
A Few More Interesting Facts
- Anthony Schembri was a NYC police commissioner for almost 15 years.
- ABC’s 1990s crime drama “The Commish” is based on his life. He wrote several episodes for the series. (This series is currently available on DVD through Amazon.)
- He took a professorship at the University of Florida to teach courses on serial crime.
- Governor Bush asked him to take the job of Secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (the juvenile prison system) where at that time they admitted 128,000 juveniles a year. His responsibilities also included 26 detention centers, 1,400 probation officers, and 164 prevention programs.
On His Bookshelf
In Russia: A Brooklyn Solution, a novel by Anthony Schembri
Leadership for the Soul: Thank God It’s Monday, by Commissioner Anthony J. Schembri
Connecting With Anthony Schembri
Website: anthonyschembri.com
A Day in the Life, Law Enforcement, Leadership, Serial Crime
Author, Law Enforcement, Professor
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1159:
The Accidental Entrepreneur - Lenka Lutonska
“It’s just not easy to find what we love, let alone do what we love and being financially rewarded for that. It does require a ton of courage. It takes us out of our safety zone. A job is giving us the most basic need on the hierarchy of needs, which is to feel safe, to survive. For a successful entrepreneurship or doing what we truly love, we just have to get okay with uncertainty and going out of that safety zone. Our brain is not designed to do that. The change is not easy.”
Born in Slovakia, Lenka Lutonska moved to the UK at the age of 19 with a dream to “change the world.” From humble beginnings working for McDonald’s, she is now an international business and mindset strategist for women entrepreneurs, an international trainer of NLP, a professional speaker and a passionate believer in every woman’s right to have the life and business she truly loves. Author of “Energetic Selling and Marketing,” Lenka has also been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur and other international business publications and has been described by many as deeply knowledgeable and an inspirational trainer and coach.
On Her Bookshelf
Energetic Selling and Marketing, by Lenka Lutonska
Connecting With Lenka Lutonska
Website: www.lenkalutonska.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Lutonska
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lenkalutonska
Free Gift
Education, Entrepreneurship, Listening to Inner Voice
Author, Business Owner, Business Strategist, Entrepreneur, Speaker
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1158:
Using His Talent to Succeed in an Ever-Changing Job Market - Jon Ostenson
“I love to go out there speaking and educating–on top of the franchising. It’s a great time to be exploring franchising. Our placements year-to-date are up over 50%, which was up 50% over the previous year. Whether you are thinking of switching careers or getting a side hustle going or looking at expanding your investment portfolio, I just think the time is ripe. A lot of people coming out of Covid have said, ‘Now’s the time to have a little more control of my life. I’ve always thought about business ownership, but it is risky.’ The fact is, working for somebody may be even riskier. There has definitely been a large shake-up out there. I often give talks to investors about franchising as an asset. There are tax benefits and all kinds of benefits that come from business ownership. I love being able to help others and later hear them tell their success stories.”
Jon Ostenson is a certified franchise consultant, owner/investor, author, and international speaker specializing in the area of non-food franchising. He draws on his experience as both the President of an Inc. 500 franchise system and as a multi-brand franchisee in serving clients across these capacities. He serves as CEO of FranBridge Consulting where he helps clients understand all aspects of non-food franchising in the process of introducing them to opportunities from the over 300 high growth brands that he represents. Additionally, Jon oversees FranBridge Capital where he and his partners own 17 territories across 5 property service franchises.
On His Bookshelf
NON-Food Franchising: The Better Path to Business Ownership, by Jon Ostenson
Connecting With Jon Ostenson
Website: franbridgeconsulting.com
Facebook: facebook.com/JonOstenson
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonostenson/
Being Adaptable, Franchising as a Career or Investment, Non-food Franchising
Author, Business Owner, C-Level Executive, Franchise Consultant, Investor
October 2024:
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1157:
Gaining Wisdom from His Patients’ Vacations - Dr. Mitchell Mays, D.C.
Several years into a successful chiropractic practice, Mitchell Mays puzzled over the patients who kept returning with recurring conditions, no matter what he tried. Then, he had an “ah-ha!” moment that took his practice in a whole new direction.
Dr. Mays is the #1 best-selling author of MIND GATE: Demolish Fear, Overcome Anxiety and Create the Life You Want. He’s been a licensed chiropractor since 1978 and is a certified master hypnotist and hypnotherapist employing functional medicine, biofeedback, nutrition, guided imagery and hypnosis for chronic anxiety, stress and pain. He and his wife Terry, also a hypnotherapist and mind/body practitioner, maintain a busy practice in northern California.
On His Bookshelf
The Science of Getting Rich: Financial Success Through Creative Thought, by Wallace D. Wattles
MIND GATE: Demolish Fear, Overcome Anxiety and Create the Life You Want, by Dr. Mitchell Mays
Future Shock, by Alvin Toffler
Connecting With Dr. Mitchell Mays, D.C.
Website URL: https://drmitchellmays.com/
Alternative Pain Management, Anxiety, Back Pain/Back Injury, Chiropractic, Fear, Hypnosis, Mind-Body Approach, Pain Management, Stress Management
Chiropractor, Hypnotherapist
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1156:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Book Publisher? - Morgan Gist MacDonald
Morgan Gist MacDonald began her career in academia, as a Sociologist, but soon found the entrepreneurial pull to take her skills as a researcher, writer, teacher, and leader into building a publishing company, from the ground up.
She is an author, speaker, and the founder of Paper Raven Books, an innovative publishing company designed to help first-time and experienced authors alike through the writing, publishing, and marketing process so they can get their books published and build a loyal readership and a long-term career as an author.
Morgan believes that even an unknown debut author with no connections, platform, or following truly can sell tens of thousands of copies of a book, gather thousands of reviews, and attract fans of their work that will come back for more, year-over-year.
Connecting With Morgan Gist MacDonald
Website: https://paperravenbooks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaperRavenBooks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-gist-macdonald/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperravenbooksllc/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
A Day in the Life, Building a business, Building a Career
Book Publisher, Business Owner, Entrepreneur
September 2024:
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1155:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be an Artist? - Jennifer J. L. Jones
“I was 28 and living back in Chicago. To pay the bills, while I painted on the side, I worked in the HR department of a national company. After a long day I’d go home and paint into the wee hours of the morning. I realized that I couldn’t continue to do this, so I called my parents and asked them for a little money. My parents are generous people and had even dipped into their pension to help me pay for school at The Art Institute of Chicago a few years earlier. At this point, however, they were simply not able to help me, not even a little bit.
“That was my wake up call. I realized I did not have a back-up plan. There’s nobody else, just me. So I decided that if I didn’t put 110% into my work as an artist, it’s not going to happen. I quit my job in Chicago, moved to Atlanta and lived with my brother while I put together a small body of my work. I sold it all, and ever since then the work flow has been consistently growing—for 21 straight years.”
Jennifer J L Jones is an American artist known for her elegant multi-layered glazed abstract paintings inspired by nature. Her work is exhibited and sought after worldwide by private and public collectors. Jones was born in 1971 in Alexandria, Virginia, and received her BFA from the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She works full time as an exhibiting artist going on 21 years. After living in cities growing her career, Jones now resides in Port Royal, S.C. At the time of this interview, she was working on her second coffee table book, memoir and preparing for several upcoming shows.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Listen to your instincts, your heart.
By the time I was in the 9th grade, I knew I wanted to be an artist.
It’s the one thing in my life I’ve never doubted about myself.2. Seek out mentors. They are always there.
There were so many teachers along my journey who spent time encouraging my talent and also sharing resources and introducing me to opportunities such as art competitions that I would never have found on my own.3. Get as much formal training as you can.
My time at The Art Institute of Chicago gave me a broad and deep foundation in all the arts. I experienced sculpture, ceramics, fiber, drawing, collage, paper making and even film. I’ve incorporated all of these modalities into my painting.4. Your career never follows a straight line.
The journey to being a professional artist always follows a winding path. After art school I took several kinds of jobs to pay the bills while I continued to hone my painting skills. I always kept my eye on my ultimate goal because I knew that it would happen when the time was right. And it did.5. Learn practical skills in addition to artistic ones.
Working in other jobs gave me an invaluable foundation in how to be more organized, manage money, work with all kinds of people and manage my schedule. These real-world skills have been invaluable in growing my business and allow me more time to focus on my art.6. Be open to unexpected opportunities to grow your audience.
When the Olympics came to Atlanta in July of 1996, a photographer friend of mine was offered a space to curate her own show. She asked me and a few other artists to exhibit as well. I created 13 new works in the span of a month after my day job in a frame shop. I sold all my paintings and that launched my art career in Atlanta.7. Always remember the impact your work can have on the lives of others.
The biggest gift for me of being an artist is how it helps people—to bring joy to their lives or even help them heal. After 9/11, I had scores of people from around the country reach out to say that looking at and experiencing my art was a great relief during those trying days.Connecting With Jennifer J. L. Jones
Website: www.jenniferjljones.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jenniferjljones
Instagram: @jenniferjljonesstudios
A Day in the Life
Artist
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1154:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Law Enforcement Officer? - Deputy Chief Maria Yturria
“I think that, number one, we are in a customer service role. Over 95% of our interaction with people requires the highest possible communications skills. That’s what you’re there for. You’re there to communicate and find out what they’re scared of, what they need, what their wants are, what their likes are, how you can help them. But without being able to communicate, how do you connect with people? This is foundational to our occupation.”
Captain Maria Yturria, since the original recording of this episode, has has been named Deputy Chief of the Professional Development Unit of the Richmond County Police Department . She is an FBI National Academy graduate. She has been in law enforcement since 2003, before that serving in the U.S. Army. Her assignments have included uniform patrol deputy, investigator, victim services, and Public Information Officer for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD). She has served on the Deputy Advisory Council and been the team leader of the Crisis Management Team. Maria has worked with federal, state, and local agencies on illegal immigration, drug prevention and human trafficking. Her certifications include Hostage/Crisis Negotiator, Statewide Peer Support Team Leader, Self Defense Instructor and board member for the AUSA SC Palmetto Chapter. She’s received numerous awards throughout her career.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In the year 2000, after 8 years serving in the U.S. Army, and enjoying my career as a Military Police Officer, my then-husband and I decided that being a military couple was just too difficult. It was very hard to be stationed together and the constant traveling by each of us put too much stress on our lives. At that point, I made the decision to leave the service. Soon after we moved to Columbia, South Carolina. I was attending a meeting of the Association of the United States Army, where I met Sheriff Leon Lott, the head of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. We had a long chat and I told him about my military background, which included receiving my degree in criminal justice from the University of Maryland. To my delight he said, “Why don’t you join our department?” After a few days of meeting members of his team and learning more about his department and the kind of work I would be doing, I joined his department and have been honored to be a part of RCSD ever since.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “I joined the U.S. Army in 1992 right after high school. I grew up in the inner city of L.A., was a latchkey kid because both my parents worked overtime to provide for me and my three siblings, so the transition into a highly structured environment where discipline is paramount was quite a challenge. Frankly it was just what I needed, and I am grateful I made that decision.”
2. “Soon after I entered the Army I joined the Military Police and enjoyed the work from the start. I ended up getting my degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland, which gave me an even broader and deeper understanding of law enforcement from many important perspectives.”
3. “A vital part of my training with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department was attending the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. During this intensive 8-week course I learned the essential tools required to become a Class I Certified Law Enforcement Officer: driving, shooting, handcuffing techniques, self-defense and what they called verbal judo: how to communicate with different people in different situations.”
4. “Far and away the most stressful part of the job of a law enforcement officer is the unknown. You have to be able to quickly assess what’s going on in every situation you engage in with an individual or individuals using all your senses—what you see, hear, smell and much more to quickly determine how to position yourself, how you are going to respond. And you must do all of this on a moment’s notice.”
5. “This work is gratifying in so many ways. Every person who calls us has a problem of some kind that is important or even urgently vital to them. To give that individual a sense of relief that you are there to do whatever you are able to do to help them solve their problem is essential and gives this job so much meaning to me and my fellow officers.”
6. “I think in this profession, it is vitally important to have a balance in life. You know, you can’t just be about your job. You have to have a family side, you have to have a social side, a spiritual side or something like that, which guides you, so that you don’t get caught in tunnel vision.”
Connecting With Deputy Chief Maria Yturria
Website: Richland County Sheriff’s Department: https://www.rcsd.net/
Email: myturria@rcsd.net
A Day in the Life of a Law Enforcement Officer, A Day in the Life of a Law Enforcement Officer
Law Enforcement Officer, Military, U.S. Army, Veteran
July 2024:
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1153:
How to Wake Up to Unconscious Biases - Aundrea DeMille
“I have always been very vocal about sharing my black experience with my friends and family members, and as I’ve mentioned, I have been a natural leader in bringing people together. So, I decided to go public with my own video about what it’s like raising black boys in this country, and what some of the experiences are that we go through, as well as the talks I have to have with my boys to keep them safe. That video ended up with 20,000 views within two days on Facebook–all organic. It was just off the cuff: I set up my phone and started speaking. Lieutenant Governor Cox, who was then running for governor of Utah, got wind of the video. His campaign reached out and said he and his running mate for Lieutenant Governor, Henderson, had seen my video and wanted to come chat. They came over, along with now First Lady Cox, and I was very frank with them. I said, ‘I know you are a politician and I’m sure that you have an angle–I’m not here to play that game. However, if you are going to help get the message out in a good way, that I can get behind. I began sharing some of the stories and experiences of my family and we ended up with this deep connection and became very good friends. Once they won the election, they commissioned me to serve on Project Gateway: Equity and Opportunity Commission for Utah.”
Aundrea DeMille is the author of “Is It Racism? How to Heal the Human Divide.” She’s an International Keynote Speaker, Trainer, and Podcast Host of The Wake Up Stories. She is a business owner with years of study in diversity and inclusion and has a degree in community health and human services. She has been appointed to serve on Project Gateway: Equity and Opportunity Commission for Utah. Aundrea is a maker of men (she has 5 boys), lover of peanut butter and hater of chocolate. She feels most like herself when she is barefoot and connected to nature.
Connecting With Aundrea DeMille
Website: thewakeupstories.com
Facebook: facebook.com/wakeupstories
Twitter: twitter.com/StoriesWake
Instagram: instagram.com/wakeup.stories
Bias, Business Ownership, Diversity, Mentors, Racism, Starting Business
Author, Business Owner, Keynote Speaker, Photographer, Podcaster
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1152:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Director of Career and Technical Education? - Rachael Mann, M.Ed.
“The Milton Hershey School is unlike any other school in the world, and I have been exposed to many other schools in the course of my career. To be here at this critical point when we are redesigning our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and adding new offerings, revamping…looking to create a ‘gold standard’ for CTE and a model for other educators to look to for guidance–this is a very inspiring and exciting time!”
Rachael Mann is the Director of Career and Technical Education at Milton Hershey School, a cost-free, private residential school for boys and girls from low-income families. Rachael is well-known in the education community as a speaker, author, and thought leader—with expertise in STEM, classroom innovation, and CTE professional learning. She is a founding member of the Council on the Future of Education. Rachael will lead the CTE program at MHS, which combines tailor-made instruction and hands-on learning with the ability to gain certifications and real-life experience through internships, co-ops, and pre-apprenticeships. Rachael holds an MA in educational leadership and has 14 years of classroom teaching experience in a range of subjects, including child development, science, technology, and culinary arts. Her experience includes work as the Network to Transform Teaching State Director, the Professional Learning Director of STEM, and the Arizona State Director for Educators Rising. She is also an author of several childrens’ books about careers and business books about STEM and AI in education.
On Her Bookshelf
The Martians in Your Classroom: STEM in Every Learning Space, by Rachael Mann and Stephen Sandford
The Spaces You’ll Go: Out of This World Careers for Little Big Dreamers, a children’s book by Rachael Mann
The Things You’ll Grow: Agriculture Careers for Little Big Dreamsers, a children’s book by Rachael Mann
Pack Your Bags for an AI-Driven Future: Artificial Intelligence in Education, by Rachael Mann
Connecting With Rachael Mann, M.Ed.
Website: www.mhskids.org
Twitter: twitter.com/RachaelEdu
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rachaeledu
A Day in the Life, Artificial Intelligence in Education, CTE: Career and Technical Education, Education for secondary school, Milton Hersey School, STEM
Administrator, Author, Education Thought Leader, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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1151:
An Inborn Talent for Mathematics and Finance Fails to Impress His Oppressive, Bipolar Father - Tom Harrison
“My mom and my dad were 16 when I was born. My mother was an amazingly loving woman all her life. My father, although I worshipped the guy, had his own issues and took it out on me in the sense that, by me being born, his life changed materially and he didn’t like that. Looking back, I now know he was bipolar and a narcissist.
“My self-esteem was knocked pretty low, and I didn’t take a lot of chances in life in those days. In fact, I was probably best served staying in my room with the door closed. I had to spend years overcoming the scars that came from that relationship.
“I got my first accounting job as a public accountant. What I enjoyed was that my work was being delivered to a client who then was going to rely on that work for security and understanding of what their financials look like–so that they can get a loan from a bank or secure their publicly traded equity in the stock market, or whatever they needed.
“It was this first kind of professional validation that I was not that broken person I thought I was growing up, that my dad unfortunately instilled in me. I felt like I was discovering myself as being very service-oriented with my clients, and I really enjoyed that.
“In my next several jobs, I was also mostly looking ‘back’ at numbers to interpret them for clients, and that was great. But looking forward with numbers would be even better. I decided to go to work with one of my old audit clients where I was in charge of their pension plan and all their investments and all their debt issuances. I thought this was the best job in the world. It didn’t pay me much, but it was a whole new world for me. During the three years of that job, I got my MBA at night and a professional designation on top of my CPA called a Chartered Financial Analyst designation or CFA.
“With my new degrees and experience, I transitioned into portfolio management and worked in several positions in different cities and companies, ending up in Los Angeles for 12 years. I remember the first three months I was there. I was living in a corporate apartment with all of the movie studios and all of the nicer restaurants and the glitz and glamour of L.A. right outside my window. I don’t want to say I got hooked, but in the beginning I was enjoying it an awful lot and embracing it.
“My career started to really accelerate. I felt that L.A. was ‘that place’ for me – the last place I was ever going to live. I was going to be hugely successful and crazy happy.
“I think what ended up happening with me was that I began to indulge, if not overindulge in Los Angeles. Because of my struggles in my youth and the fact that I wanted to please my father, all of my successes were measured by nothing other than how much money I made this year versus last year. I became obsessed with that and with what that money could acquire. I had everything in life that money could give me, and I wanted more. There wasn’t a reason why I wanted more–other than to prove my father wrong about my ability to be successful.
“I had to cut that cord somewhere, somehow.”
Tom Harrison has spent his career in the world of finance, traversing the four corners of the United States and beyond. Currently he is the owner of a thriving consulting firm, where he continues to channel his rich experiences into assisting others.
He is also an author with a passion for weaving captivating narratives. Born and raised amidst the vibrant rhythms of Memphis, his deep-rooted connection to the South shapes his unique storytelling style. His new book, From Punishment to Peace, Road Trips to Forgiveness, is a thought-provoking, philosophical memoir full of raw, spiritual insights and the healing of deep emotional and physical traumas.
On His Bookshelf
From Punishment to Peace: Road Trips to Forgiveness, by Tom Harrison
Connecting With Tom Harrison
Website: www.FromPunishmentToPeace.com
Bipolar disorder, Finance and Careers, Self-esteem
Accountant, Auditor, Author, Business Owner, Consultant, Finance, Finance Consultant, Portfolio Management, Portfolio Manager
June 2024:
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1150:
Connecting His Tech Side with His Business Side for Success - Sean Harper
“In the summers between years in college, I got a lot of really good work experience. My first year I worked for the FDIC, the government agency that insures the banks. My second year I worked for a hedge fund, and then my next two internships were both at big investment banks, which was really interesting. Those are intense and grueling jobs, but they sure do teach you a lot about that domain.”
“One of the things I’m most proud of at Kin, my current company, is we have a lot of really young, talented people who might have started as customer service people straight out of college. Maybe they didn’t go to college. Maybe they were waiting tables, but they happen to be smart and ambitious, and they worked their way up into very heavy positions at the company. And we’ve been able to help them do that by giving them an opportunity and the materials and the information that they need.”
Sean Harper is the co-founder and CEO of Kin, an insurance company built from scratch on modern tech to make it easier and more affordable to insure a home, especially in areas prone to extreme weather. A self-proclaimed tech geek, Sean has spent his career developing apps to revolutionize antiquated industries. When he realized that the homeowners insurance industry was still being managed unlike any other consumer financial products today, he co-founded Kin as a tech-based insurance agency in 2016 and has grown it to a fully licensed home insurance carrier supported by a team of over 400 employees. With a focus on world class customer service, insurance literacy, and smart coverage, Sean and his team are changing the way insurance is done.
Connecting With Sean Harper
Website: www.kin.com
Facebook: facebook.com/kinsured/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/harpersean/
Email: sean@kin.com
Economics, Finance, Insurance, Multiple Careers
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Finance, Insurance
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1149:
A Day in the Life–What’s It Really Like to Be a VA Supervisory Peer Specialist? - Jason A. Zimmerman
“After serving 8 years as a paramedic in the U.S. Army, which I believe I was very good at, I really thought I would do that job until I was unable to physically do it. I transitioned from the service, took 5 days off and took a position at a level one trauma center in my local community as a paramedic. Again, I thought that this role was what I would do for the rest of my career. I learned pretty quickly, however, that a car wreck looks pretty similar to a gunshot wound or an IED explosion and particularly that 18-hour days were not beneficial to me or my family. I realized that it was something I had to give up.
“I found myself lost again during that transition period. Once again, it was my Dad who stepped in and said, ‘You have a job that is killing you. You have to get your foot in the door at the VA and you will find something.’ And that is exactly what I did. I became an administrative officer for the chief nurse, Juan, at the local VA. I did that for about 6 months and hated every minute of it.
“One of the folks I met there was a Vietnam vet, Dave Long, who happened to be a social worker. At that moment I was totally adrift with no direction at all. I was hearing from a lot of people—‘Hey, this is normal, just get used to it, it’s the way things are.’ Fortunately for me, Dave overheard a couple of these conversations, and he took it upon himself to pull me aside and gave me what I described as a good, swift kick in the pants, and said: ‘You’ve got a couple of choices. I’ve been where you are at and you can listen to what they’re telling you, or you can prove them wrong. Because I see great potential in you.’
“Honestly, outside of my Dad and my Grandma—my Mom was great, too—this was one of the first times that anyone had given me such positive reinforcement for the work I was doing. He went on to say, ‘I’ve seen you working with Juan (the chief nurse), and it’s clear you have a talent for communicating with people, for connecting with them with respect and compassion. That’s a rare gift that most people don’t have.’
“At that point, I was just going through the motions: get up, go to work, make it through the day do boring work, go home, then repeat the ritual the next day.
“Because of Dave’s encouragement I began applying for every job the VA had open because I realized how much I truly missed working with and engaging with people. And pushing papers was not cutting it! I applied for 6 or 8 jobs, but nothing was a fit. Then two weeks later, out of the blue I got a call from the chief of mental health asking me to join his team, in a position called a Health Tech, which evolved into the role of Peer Support. The role was all about helping other veterans through your own personal experiences—making yourself vulnerable by sharing your own recovery journey.
“The last 17 years that I have served as a Supervisory Peer Specialist with the Peer Support Outreach Center and Veterans Crisis Line has been the most gratifying and fulfilling work of my entire career.
“I’d also like to acknowledge the VA’s updated version of its mission statement:
On March 16, 2023, the VA announced an updated version of its 1959 mission statement. The new motto will still be based on President Abraham Lincoln’s original words but instead reads: ‘To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.’”
The new mission statement acknowledges all who have served in our nation’s military, as well as Veteran families, caregivers, and survivors. VA serves more than 50,000 Veteran caregivers and more than 600,000 Veteran survivors. Additionally, VA serves more than 600,000 women Veterans, the fastest growing cohort of Veterans. Millions of Veterans who did not serve in combat are also served by VA and provided benefits earned through honorable military service. There is no greater calling than to care for those who ensured our freedom.
Jason A. Zimmerman is a native of Appalachia and a US Army Combat Veteran, serving as a Combat Medic with the 1st /505th Parachute Brigade. He has served for the last seventeen years plus as a Peer in the VA Healthcare System, working currently as a Supervisory Peer Specialist with the Peer Support Outreach Center (PSOC)/Veterans Crisis Line (VCL). He is a married father of two daughters, avid golfer, and a history and philosophy enthusiast.
Jay is a nationally respected speaker regarding improving the understanding of Veteran’s experiences and care needs. Over the years, Jay has had the opportunity to serve in various roles assisting in the evolution of Peer Services and serving on numerous VA national work groups and committees. He is a nationally published subject matter expert in the delivery of peer services.
He has served on several details to the VA Central Office–Suicide Prevention Office, filling the role of the Lethal Means Reduction Veteran SME. Most recently Jay served as a member of the Presidential PREVENTS workgroup as a SME on both Lethal Means as well as community engagement and partnerships.
Connecting With Jason A. Zimmerman
To reach the Veterans Crisis Line
If you’re a veteran in crisis or concerned about someone who is, you can contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive 24/7 confidential support.
You don’t have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect.
To reach responders:
- Dial 988, then press 1
- Chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/chat
- Text 838255
A Day in the Life, Finding Your Purpose, Mental Health for Veterans, Peer Support for Veterans, Suicide Prevention
EMS, Military, Paramedic, Peer Support, U.S. Army, VA Supervisory Peer Specialist
November 2023:
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1148:
Bipolar General — My Forever War with Mental Illness - Gregg F. Martin
“It was seven years ago that I began my road to recovery. Once I started taking lithium as a medication, it stabilized my brain. We moved to Florida, and I’ve essentially been rebuilding my career and creating a whole new life. I discovered my purpose about three years ago: It is sharing my bipolar story to help stop the stigma around mental illness, promote recovery and save lives. I’m accomplishing my purpose through speaking, writing, and conferring. It is very rewarding. I’ve gotten great feedback from all kinds of people: military, veterans, medical professionals, and the general population. And that’s really the sweet spot for me, given my talents and natural inclinations. The response to the 20 plus articles that I’ve had published has been phenomenal. There’s probably 60 or 70 interviews and podcasts on my website with overwhelmingly positive response. So I want to keep sharing my story and I’m basically increasing my reach. For example, more medical professionals are interested in my story. They call a person like me an expert because of my lived experience. Some of the leading psychiatrists and researchers in the mental health field in the world are calling on me, asking me to be a part of their research teams. Would I come and speak at their medical school? And so I’m hoping that the combination of speaking engagements and the promotion of the book will continue to propel the story forward with the hope of saving lives.”
Gregg F. Martin, PhD, Major General, US Army (Retired), served on active duty for 36 years, until May 2015. He is a combat veteran, Bipolar Survivor, Airborne-Ranger-Engineer qualified soldier, and Army Strategist. He holds a Ph.D. and two master’s degrees from MIT, master’s degrees in national security strategy from both the Army and Naval war colleges, and a bachelor’s degree from West Point. He commanded an engineer company, battalion, the 130th Engineer Brigade in combat during the first year of the Iraq War, commanded the Corps of Engineers Northwest Division, was Commandant of the Army Engineer School, commanded Fort Leonard Wood, and was Deputy Commanding General of Third Army/US Army Central, Commandant of the Army War College, and President of National Defense University.
Connecting With Gregg F. Martin
Website: generalgreggmartin.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gregg-f-martin-222735aa
Military Service for 36 years, Undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder
Author, Speaker, U.S. Army Officer
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1147:
Helping His Brothers Discover the Road Less Traveled - Yaron Engler
It was really, really powerful to get into a project like the one the tap dancer and I did in schools, because I love using music as a tool. Until then music for me was kind of the goal, to go and perform and play music. From that point on, music for me became a tool to connect people, to connect on a human level. In the past I was really scared to go out on a stage and the drum kit was like a wall between me and the audience. This show with the students taught me to be brave and to go out and speak to people, and to see the impact and the natural wisdom that we have as human beings.”
Yaron Engler delivers one-on-one and group coaching programs that are based on his CROP method. The focus is on men who are entrepreneurs or those who work in leadership roles. Yaron has a vast experience working with large groups of people from different countries and cultures. His direct, playful and honest approach inspires and motivates his clients and audience to create simple positive changes that lead to growth and well-being. He is also a professional drummer who has performed in front of over 500,000 people all around the world and he is a Summa Cum Laude graduate from Berklee College of Music.
Connecting With Yaron Engler
Website: www.yaronengler.com
Facebook: facebook.com/yaronengler
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yaron-engler/
Instagram: yaron_engler
Music as Tool, Music career, World travel through music talent
Drummer, Entrepreneurial Coach, Leadership Coach, Musician
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1146:
When I Should Have Been Reading Textbooks, I Was Reading Novels. - Ian A. O’Connor
“From the time I was six or seven years of age, I always enjoyed reading. When I should have been reading textbooks, I was reading novels. When I was 13 or 14, a watershed moment was when I picked up a book in my dad’s home library. It was a book called Casino Royale. This is in 1958, and the author’s name was Ian Fleming.
“It changed my life entirely. I knew that this was the kind of work that I could see myself getting steeped in. And that kind of led me, in many respects, to what I did in the Air Force. And then when it was time to start writing, I just had a natural bent towards the thriller aspect of novels.
“I joined the Air Force after college and during the Vietnam war I was stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. I was attached to 13th Air Force Headquarters and part of the 13th Air Force headquarters. They were responsible for all of the reconnaissance work being done in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. So my duties brought me into Vietnam and Thailand on a recurring basis for that year and a half that I was over there.
“After that, I moved to Miami and joined an Air Force Reserve Squadron. My favorite part of that work, although I enjoyed all of it, was being involved in national security management. Sometimes it was like living inside a novel, but it was a very real life novel. It was all stuff that you couldn’t really talk about to other people, but fascinating. When the first Gulf War came around, I was given command of an active-duty squadron at Homestead Air Force Base. It turned out that I was the only reserve officer at the time to be given command of an active-duty Air Force squadron during wartime.”
Ian O’Connor is a retired US Air Force Colonel and a recognized expert in the field of national security management. This background serves him well as the foundation for his novels. He’s the author of “The Seventh Seal” and “The Barbarossa Covenant,” both Justin Scott Thrillers. Copies of these books are in the US Naval Academy and US Air Force Academy Libraries. He co-authored “ Scrappy, Memoir of a Fighter Pilot in Korea and Vietnam.” And his thriller, “The Twilight of the Day,” was awarded a bronze medal by the Military Writers Society of America. Ian’s newest novel, “The Pegasus Directive,” focuses on who really killed President John F. Kennedy and all the fiendish machinations behind the assassination.
On His Bookshelf
NOVELS, by Ian O’Connor
New in Summer 2023: The Pegasus Directive: The Top Secret Kennedy Assassination File (A Justin Scott Thriller, Book 3)
The Seventh Seal (A Justin Scott Thriller, Book 2)
The Barbarossa Covenant, a Justin Scott Thriller, Book 1)
Other Ian A. O’Connor books available on most online book stores.
Connecting With Ian A. O’Connor
Website: https://ianaoconnor.com/
Serving in the US Air Force, Writing a Novel
Author, Insurance, Military, Novelist, U.S. Air Force, Veteran
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1145:
A Passion for Disease Prevention Ignited - Daniel E. Kennedy – Encore
“For the first time in many years, I felt as if my life had value and a purpose. And then my friend, who had taken me into his parents’ home, also got me a job. That really inspired me to see how a person could literally respond to a need and just share his entire life. That was a huge turning point in my life and started giving me an idea that even in tough circumstance something good could be waiting around the corner. That was completely 180 degrees from when I was always waiting for something bad to happen.”
Daniel E. Kennedy is a healthcare executive, counselor, author, and filmmaker. His passion for disease prevention was ignited professionally while working with thousands of cancer patients at Oasis of Hope Hospital, and personally, by witnessing cancer and heart disease-related deaths of his grandmother, uncle, aunt, and father. His philosophy is simple: its not good enough to live a long sick life when there’s the opportunity to live a healthy long life. Through the process of writing and ghostwriting 12 books on cancer and heart health, Daniel honed the skills necessary to create, write, and direct the 8-episode Healthy Long Life documentary series. His relationships with researchers and clinicians, developed over the last three decades, has given him access to the world’s top experts on healthy life expectancy.
On His Bookshelf
The Art & Science of Undermining Cancer: Strategies to Slow, Control, Reverse, by Francisco Contreras and Daniel E. Kennedy
Connecting With Daniel E. Kennedy – Encore
Website: www.HealthyLongLife.com
Facebook: facebook.com/HealthyLongLifeFilm
Twitter: twitter.com/HLLFilm
Instagram: Instagram.com/HealthyLongLifeFilm
Cancer, Combining Talents, Healthcare, Passion, Patient Care
Author, Counselor, Filmmaker, Healthcare Executive
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1144:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Human Resources Consultant? - Chuck Cooper
“My dad was brought up on a farm that raised Angus cattle. When my brother and I were around 11 years old he decided that we needed to have a similar experience that would keep us busy and engaged and because he had learned so many valuable lessons during his early years. Because cattle farming was so intense and arduous every day, he wanted to find a better option for us. Over the holidays one year we went to Oklahoma where he shopped around and finally decided to buy four English Pointer dogs that would be the starting point for what became the Cooper Brothers’ Kennel. Taking care of this growing family of purebred dogs became the focal point of my life during the next ten years. We started each day at 5:00 a.m., worked until 7:30, then went to school. We returned home around 4:30 p.m. and worked with the dogs until dark. Our kennel raised around 250 puppies every year. In the summer months I spent my days training the dogs to hunt so that we could sell them in the fall. From those myriad experiences with our kennel, we learned so many powerful lessons that were foundational in my life and career going forward: of course, the results of hard work, as well as how to be resilient and consistent, how to deal with all types of people, how to run a small business and finally the basics of how to market and sell. I thank my father for having the insight of giving us this atypical and powerful experience along with our solid traditional education.”
Chuck Cooper is the Founder & Managing Member at WhiteWater Consulting. He sets the Mission, Vision and Values for the company. Over the past twenty-five years, he has had the experience of starting, acquiring, building, and selling businesses in multiple industries. During this time, he’s experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. His passion for founding WhiteWater Consulting is to help enable employers and HR practitioners to drive their organization to realize: An improved company culture; enhance employee engagement; grow revenues; control expenses; maximize profits and all the while taking care of the greatest asset: their people. Chuck subscribes to the belief that our client’s success is our success.
Connecting With Chuck Cooper
Website: http://whitewaterconsulting.net
Email: chuck@whitewaterconsulting.net
Phone: 704-236-3131
Facebook: facebook.com/WhiteWaterConsultingLLC
Twitter: twitter.com/whitewater2019
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chuck-cooper1
Instagram: instagram.com/whitewaterconsulting2019/
A Day in the Life of a Human Resources Consultant
Business Manager, Business Owner, Human Resourses/HR
September 2023:
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1143:
Recognizing Opportunities Before Other People Do - Brian Collins
“After university I had three jobs offered to me. I decided that I should get some experience in the tax department of Canada. It is there that I became a business auditor. I knew I was only going to be there about a year, but I learned an awful lot about how the tax department functions. And I actually was able to help some businesses that were being audited get on the right path, shall we say.
“After one year I went to work for Century 21 Canada, which was part of the biggest real estate global franchise organization at the time. I was put in charge of auditing all of their 550 franchises and keeping them on the straight and narrow. I became adept at auditing things and lining things up, and it was a good background for me, but it wasn’t something I wanted to do forever. Balancing Numbers all day long so that somebody else benefits greatly from it is not very exciting, shall we say.
“What I learned about myself, when I decided to step over the line and become a risk taker, is that I like stuff that scares me and where I don’t know what I’m doing. And that’s not auditing!”
Brian Collins, B.Comm accountant, has been an entrepreneur since the age of 31, when he quit his job with a large American customs and trucking company where he was C.F.O for the Canadian region. Brian got the fever to be his own boss and has not looked back. He started four businesses, all in very different business sectors, with zero experience in any of those fields. Today, Brian spends his time growing his gold mine business in Nevada, CA, he is at the gym three times a week, and he is always on the hunt for the next challenge in an arena he has not tackled before.
On His Bookshelf
Step Off the Porch and Start Your Own Business, by Brian Collins
Brian Collins wrote this book to highlight the ways and means he undertook to create, shape, incorporate, fund, market, start sales, and handle all issues from law suits, tax problems to staff concerns and to include the unexpected hurdles, and to discuss his 6 rules for success he coined for himself. His book covers his 31 years and 4 projects. Each business project and its solution are examples for the reader to learn some ways to structure their own dream business start, and what they may encounter along the way to their success.
Connecting With Brian Collins
Multiple Careers, Risk-taker
Author, Business Auditor, Business Owner, C-Level Executive, Entrepreneur, Gold Mining
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1142:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Human Development Leader? - Joe Hart
“I was really always trying to do the best I could both for my clients and for the partners that I was reporting to. But one of the things I don’t think I really had until I took the Dale Carnegie course was empathy. It really helped me with human relations more than anything I had experienced in the past–understanding and feeling real empathy. When you’re in the practice of law, in many ways you are a solo performer, right? You’re going to court, you’re working on a legal brief, you’re doing research, you’re doing different things. Yes, there are other lawyers you work with, but it’s very independent and somewhat isolated.
“I went from that environment to a corporate environment, which was very team-based. So as a developer I was working and sitting around a table with people who were in charge of leasing and marketing and construction, and a whole range of other fields. There might be 10 people representing 10 different disciplines there at any one time.
“So now, all of a sudden, I had to really work with and engage people much differently. And that’s where the Dale Carnegie course was so important for me, because it really gave me the skills of listening intently, asking better questions, caring about other people and their feelings, maybe more than I did as an arrogant twenty-something lawyer who thought he knew it all. And I realized in taking the Dale Carnegie course that I didn’t know it all–far from it! And I really had a lot to learn from other people. The lessons I learned changed the course of my life.”
Joe Hart began his career as a practicing attorney. After taking a Dale Carnegie Course, he reassessed his career path and future, ultimately leaving the practice of law, going to work for a top real estate company, and then founding an innovative e-learning company called InfoAlly. After selling that business five years later, Joe became the president of Asset Health, a U.S.-based health and wellness company—all before becoming the President and CEO of Dale Carnegie in 2015. Founded in 1912, Dale Carnegie is a workplace training organization with operations in 75+ countries and delivers solutions in 29 languages.
On His Bookshelf
Joe Hart co-authored a book, TAKE COMMAND, which was just named to the Wall Street Journal’s best seller list. Visit takecommand.com for more information.
Connecting With Joe Hart
Website: dalecarnegie.com and takecommand.com
Facebook: facebook.com/JoeHartCEO
Twitter: twitter.com/josephkhart
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/josephkhart
Instagram: instagram.com/joseph_k_hart
Dale Carnegie Courses, Professional Developent Training
Business Executive, Business Owner, C-Level Executive, Education / E-learning, Lawyer, Podcaster, Real Estate
August 2023:
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1141:
How She Bridged the Gap Between Poverty and Prosperity - Lisa Phillips
“I wasn’t alone. This was during the 2009 meltdown where everyone was going through foreclosure, when everyone was losing their job. But, because of knowing it wasn’t just me, I was able to release the guilt and the shame around it.”
Lisa Phillips helps African American Professionals build profitable rental property portfolios by investing in minority neighborhoods. After her own foreclosure in the 2009’s bloated real estate market and her second job layoff, she was left with a 35k condo and only enough money to renovate the place doing the work herself to stretch her unemployment check. This led her to learning the hard and the easy ways of real estate investing in rural, inner-city, and mid-sized city properties. She is now focused on doing what she loves: showing how anyone with a little ingenuity can affordably start real estate investing for high profits and cash flow.
On Her Bookshelf
Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert T. Kiyosaki
Investing in Rental Properties for Beginners: Buy Low, Rent High, by Lisa Phillips
Connecting With Lisa Phillips
Website: www.affordablerealestateinvestments.com
Facebook: facebook.com/affordablerei
Twitter: twitter.com/affordablerei
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/affordablerei
Instagram: instagram.com/affordablerei
Free Gift
Get the tricks and tips Lisa used to secure her first rental property in this free training bundle that contains 5 courses.
Inexpensive Rental Properties, Passive Income, Poverty, Real Estate
Author, Real Estate Investor, Trainer in real estate investing
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1140:
Music Is His Way of Turning His Pain from Living the Street Life into Power - James Harris a.k.a. Dewey Da Don
“Man, the biggest thing for me was just being exposed to a brand new world. I think that is one of the biggest hardships with people growing up in the inner city areas like I did: a lack of exposure to opportunities to develop yourself in a positive way. You know, for me it was exposure all the way down to the level of me traveling to Atlanta to attend the camp for Usher’s New Look. It was my first time actually being on an airplane…my first time being outside of the perimeter of my community in Kansas City. Once I came down here and I became involved in the culture of Atlanta, I was exposed to prominent African American people doing business in different capacities, in ways that I’d never seen.
“Most of the successful Black people I knew were doing every day working-class jobs. I had never met Black doctors, lawyers, music executives, and other professionals. So, that experience just dramatically broadened my perspective on what another level of success could look like. Also, it dramatically changed my perspective on what was available for people like me. I’m one of those people who takes advantage of an opportunity once I see the value in it. I put my whole being into the opportunity with Usher’s New Look on every level and it altered the course of my entire life in countless positive ways. I am forever grateful.”
James Harris, a.k.a, Dewey Da Don, coming from Kansas City, Kansas, is the answer to the streets right now. Delivering gangsta rap with a west coast vibe, he’s often compared to the late, great Nipsey Hussle, not only physically but because his influence has always been the streets and he has always been one to give back, even as he establishes himself as a hip hop star. The moment Dewey Da Don knew he wanted to pursue music, was when his father was incarcerated for ten years in a federal penitentiary. At that point, he knew he had to find a different way out of the streets. He chose music. When hip hop fans hear his music, he wants them to feel his struggle but also understand that the street has many sides to it. Not everyone raised on the streets is one-dimensional. Like Dewey, many are hustlers, parents and game tellers. Music is his way of turning his pain from living the street life into power.
Connecting With James Harris a.k.a. Dewey Da Don
Website: www.deweydadonmusic.com (NSFW)
Facebook: Dewey Da Don
Twitter: Iamthadon
Instagram: Dewey da don
Giving Back, Music as a Passion, Opportunities for Inner City Youth
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Musician, Speaker, Youth Development
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1139:
A Lifetime of Turning Words into Wealth - Aurora Winter
“You asked me how I chose what to study. I wanted to study writing, but my father said, ‘Nobody makes a living as a writer. Do something sensible.’ So, I studied economics instead. But now I hope my most recent book, Turn Words into Wealth: Blueprint for Your Business, Brand and Book, helps people think: ‘Actually there are a bunch of ways to make money as an author, or as a speaker, or as a YouTuber. There are different ways to monetize my message.’ If you really want to be an author, read the book, or some other books to help you think about what the best ways are to do it. How can you add the most value? Yes, it is true that it is quite difficult to make money just from royalties on a book. But on the other hand, there are many stories (and a lot of them are in this book) that show the success people have found.”
Aurora Winter believes that if you determine how you can bring the most value to others, you can make money. And she demonstrates it in her own life story. She is a bestselling author, TV-producer, media coach, ghostwriter, and successful serial entrepreneur. She uses her film-making expertise and neuroscience training to help people communicate and get results, whether it’s raising seven figures for a startup, negotiating for a raise, or enrolling a new client. If you have ever wanted to write a book, become an in-demand speaker or communicate more effectively, Aurora has the expertise and insights to help you achieve your goals.
On Her Bookshelf
Turn Words into Wealth: Blueprint for Your Business, Brand and Book, by Aurora Winter
Thought Leader Launch: 7 Ways to Make 7 Figures with Your Million-Dollar Message, by Aurora Winter
Connecting With Aurora Winter
Website: aurorawinter.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MarketingFastrack
Twitter: twitter.com/AuroraWinterMBA
LinkedIn: llinkedin.com/in/aurorawinter
Author, Entrepreneur, Ghostwriter, Media Coach, TV Producer
July 2023:
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1138:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Airline Pilot for 44 Years? - Kam Majd
“I was born in Iran and lived there until I was 13 years old. I was told that this is the best system in the world. Islam is the best religion in the world. Then I went to India and they said, no, our system is the best, and Hinduism is the best religion in the world. In 1974 I went to England and of course their system was the best. This was when the whole Irish Republican Army conflict was happening. Then I came to America when I was 17 or so and began to reflect on the obvious question: how many best religions, best systems of government, et. al. are there? What is best and what works? It then became obvious to me that each individual must trust his own judgment and make up your own mind.”
Kam Majd is an Edgar® Award-nominated author of edge-of-your-seat suspense novels. Kam was an airline pilot for 44 years, most recently as a Boeing 777 captain for American Airlines. Born in Iran and educated around the world in India, Great Britain and the United States, he graduated high school in Arlington, Texas, and attended the University of Texas.
His new book, “High Wire,” has just been released worldwide. This riveting, 286-page novel, which has achieved Amazon Bestseller status as the #1 New Release and #2 Bestseller in the “Terrorism” category, follows Captain Kate Gallagher, an airline pilot who finds herself under vicious scrutiny in the aftermath of a plane crash.
On His Bookshelf
High Wire, by Kam Majd
Connecting With Kam Majd
Website: www.kammajd.com
Facebook: facebook.com/KamMajdBooks
Twitter: twitter.com/KamMajdBooks
Instagram: instagram.com/KamMajdBooks
A Day in the Life of an Airline Pilot
Airline Pilot, Author
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1137:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Video Strategy Storyteller Expert? - Orlando J. Gomez
“I come from a video filmmaker background. In the beginning it was just a lot of short films sketch comedy bits that I was doing with friends and family. And really that’s where it started for me–that creative storytelling entertainment aspect of video. Eventually that turned into more corporate type videos, lots of interviews–people explaining about their business and their promotions or whatever they have going on. Eventually we started moving into producing more broadcast TV commercials with actors and things like that. Really that’s where my heart is. That’s the stuff that I really enjoy doing for businesses, creating that story-driven scripted content. We still do tons and tons of every other type of video and explainer videos, tutorial videos and training videos. Anything a business needs video related, we do it. But really I feel like our bread and butter, where we excel, is storytelling. Creating content that is engaging and connects deeply with people and ultimately drives them to the businesses that we are trying to market.
“I’m really excited that currently we’re into post-production on the first feature film that I’ve produced. So I’ve worked on a number of feature films, been involved in a number of different capacities from production and post-production, but this is the first one that is my project. I didn’t direct it, but I was part of the production staff. That’s the big one that we’re doing right now.”
Orlando J. Gomez is the founder of the video production company Stellar Lense Productions, a video strategy expert specializing in visual storytelling for business, and the online video marketplace COOPT. Orlando has worked with companies like Uber, Dove, and Samsung, as well as small businesses across America to create video campaigns as engaging as your favorite Netflix shows. He is known for a storytelling approach that has successfully established local and national brands, ultimately leading to a higher ROI, brand awareness, and overall success.
Connecting With Orlando J. Gomez
Website: stellarlenseproductions.com
Facebook: facebook.com/stellarlenseproductions
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/orlandojgomez
Instagram: instagram.com/stellarlenseproductions
Free Gift
Orlando has created a special offer for our audience. A FREE “Video Marketing Strategy Session’‘ (30-minutes) along with the PDF: “Winning With Video: How to pick the right video for your business growth goals, “ a $1,200 value.
Should you choose to hire Orlando to implement your video marketing strategy, you will receive $!,000 off your first service from him. Please mention Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love Podcast.
A Day in the Life, Video Production for Businesses
Business Owner, Storytelling through Videos for Businesses, Video Production
June 2023:
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1136:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Breast Cancer Conqueror? - Dr. Veronique Desaulniers
“I’m really excited about the new program that we launched recently: Conquering Breast Cancer with Conventional Treatments and Natural Remedies. The reason I added this aspect of healing breast cancer and supporting women is because we realized, after many years of working with women around the world along with medical and integrative doctors, that there comes a time in a woman’s journey that she may need some support with traditional medicine or perhaps she chooses that as her first option. Regardless of her choice, she still needs to get to the root cause of what allowed the cancer to develop in the first place. Plus, she needs support to get through the side effects of the treatment and build her immune system back up.”
Dr. Véronique Desaulniers, better known as Dr. V, is the founder of BreastCancer Conqueror® and the 7 Essentials System®. Her signature process has empowered thousands of women in over 60 countries around the world. Her mission is to “change lives, one breast at a time.” Dr. V has personally conquered breast cancer twice, which gives her an empathetic perspective to understand other women facing a healing journey. Her signature book, Heal Breast Cancer Naturally, is a #1 Amazon Best Seller in 10 categories and in 5 countries. Dr. V has been featured in the world-renowned Truth About Cancer Docu-series and TTAC LIVE stages, as well as many other stages, summits, and podcasts including JJ Virgin, Wendy Meyers, Wellness Mama, NBCNews affiliate shows Tampa, etc. She has been a guest contributor to Natural News, Green Med Info, Natural Health 365, Mind Body Green, Wellness.com, and many other sites.
On Her Bookshelf
Heal Breast Cancer Naturally, by Veronique Desaulniers
Connecting With Dr. Veronique Desaulniers
Website: www.breastcancerconqueror.com
Facebook: facebook.com/breastcancerconqueror
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/breast-cancer-conqueror/about
Instagram: instagram.com/breast_cancer_conqueror
A Day in the Life, Cancer, Conquering Breast Cancer, Conventional Treatments and Natural Remedies.
Author, Breast Cancer Program, Business Owner, Chiropractor, Holistic Health, Speaker
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1135:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an International Lawyer, Realtor and Cross Border Expert - Lauren Cohen
“My most desired client is a high-end real estate investor from another country who is coming to the U.S. to invest in real estate, build a business and potentially get a visa as a result of these investments. They could buy a franchise, bring their existing business from another country, start a new business or they could buy an existing business here. That’s what my typical client looks like.”
Serial entrepreneur Lauren Cohen is an International Lawyer, Realtor and Cross-Border Expert. Originally from Toronto and now in south Florida, Lauren is also a best-selling author and sought-after speaker, and she launched her podcast, INVESTING ACROSS BORDERS, in late 2020. After her then-husband’s deportation on the return trip from their honeymoon, Lauren was devastated. She felt compelled to find solutions for herself and others, and knew that she could make a difference, so she turned to the ever-changing world of immigration and international law and has served as a concierge quarterback in the field ever since. Today, Lauren and her turnkey team believe in overcoming obstacles.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Lauren Cohen
Website: www.investingacrossborders.net
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/iabfbgroup
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laurenesq
Instagram: instagram.com/investing_across_borders
Podcast: Investing Across Borders
Day in the Life, Investing Across Borders
Author, Cross Border Expert, International Lawyer, Podcaster, Real Estate Investment, Speaker
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1134:
My Purpose in Life: To Ensure That No Child Has to Go Through What I Did - Mark Sloan
“When I was 12 years old my mother died of cancer. I didn’t realize it until years later, but the tragedy of losing my mother was actually my greatest gift: My mother gave me a story that could inspire others and a mind that could find the answers the world was literally dying to know. My purpose in life is to ensure that no child has to go through what I did, ever again.”
Mark Sloan has published a number of books including the six time number one international bestseller Red Light Therapy: Miracle Medicine and two monumental works on cancer called The Cancer Industry, and Cancer: The Metabolic Disease Unravelled, both of which include a combined total of over 2400 scientific and clinical references. Never before has the root cause of cancer been so well documented and easy to understand. Mark has been researching health for over 15 years and has many unique evidence-based insights to share with the world. His website is EndAllDisease.com. He believes the goal of ending all diseases is not only possible, but it’s only a matter of time before his message becomes universally known throughout the world.
On His Bookshelf
Red Light Therapy: Miracle Medicine, by Mark Sloan
The Cancer Industry: Crimes, Conspiracy and The Death of My Mother, by Mark Sloan
Cancer: The Metabolic Disease Unravelled, by Mark Sloan
Connecting With Mark Sloan
Website: EndAllDisease.com
Free Gift
Sign up for Mark Sloan’s newsletter and get a free ebook to help you get started on your journey towards supercharged metabolic health: https://endalldisease.com/6273540-2/
Cancer, Cancer Industry, Metabolic Disease
Author, FIreman, Researcher
May 2023:
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1133:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Real Estate Agent and Brooker? - Kimberly Falker
“It all began in 2004. I took the real estate licensing classes, then the exam, got my license and started. I’d never done sales, never done anything like it. I’ve approached the industry and my career in multiple different ways and creatively had a lot of fun with it along the way. There’s no ceiling, you can be as big as you want to be, you can be as small as you want to be, and I’ve done it all. I love the marketing piece of it, and I love the people part of it.”
Kimberly Falker is the founder of The Falker Group Real Estate company in Safety Harbor, Florida. With a background as a prosecuting attorney in Boston, an elementary school teacher in Florida, and a mother of two, she brings a unique level of professionalism and service to the real estate industry, which she has been actively working in since 2004. Kimberly graduated from Florida State University in Elementary Education and the Cumberland School of Law in Trial Advocacy. During college, she performed in FSU’s Flying High Circus in acts including high wire and trapeze. Today, Kimberly lives in her hometown and is enjoying an “almost” empty nest as her two children STUDY AT her Alma Mater, FSU, Her Real Estate business is thriving.
Connecting With Kimberly Falker
Website: thefalkergroup.com
Facebook: facebook.com/TheFalkerGroup
Twitter: twitter.com/KimberlyFalker
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kimberly-falker-a342a166
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberly_falker
Multi Careers, Real Estate Agent: A Day in the Life
Attorney, Podcaster, Real Estate Agent and Broker, Teacher
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1132:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Demographic and Longevity Expert? - Bradley Schurman
“My thesis, my view of the world and what it was going to become, really came into being at AARP and I am forever grateful to them for that. My fundamental belief is that because we are on average extending human life, because we are extending our healthy years much longer, we can live and be active in the community for a longer time. These are the more reality-driven outcomes than what our systems had been designed to do. Also, because there is a shift in demographics in the labor market such as lower birth rates. Our systems are pushing too many people out of work and into retirement and we have too few people coming in. Older workers have become an essential part of our economic harmony. That people retire at 65 seems crazy to me. We need to keep people engaged for longer periods of time as income earners and also consumers if we want our economy to flourish. If we are unable to do that, which is my big fear, the economy slows down and we begin to lose some things we’ve built over the past hundred or so years such as the social welfare programs that are the bedrock of Western civilization. And this is coming in just a few years without some pretty significant change. This is the biggest issue outside of climate change that we are going to have to focus on.”
Bradley Schurman is an expert on demographic change and how it disrupts social, cultural, political, and economic norms. His deep understanding of population shifts, coupled with his grasp of emerging trends, makes him an authoritative voice on the future of our world. He’s the author of THE SUPER AGE: DECODING OUR DEMOGRAPHIC DESTINY and the founder and CEO of the global research and advisory firm, The Super Age. He’s written for Newsweek, been quoted by The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today. He’s appeared on CBS News and NBC’s TODAY Show and as a guest on podcasts, radio, and television shows in the U.S. and around the world.
On His Bookshelf
The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny, by Bradley Schurman
Connecting With Bradley Schurman
Website: thesuperage.com
Facebook: facebook.com/bradleyschurman
Twitter: bradleyschurman
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bradleyschurman
A Day in the Life, Age 85+ fastest growing deomgraphic group
AARP, Author, Business Owner, Nonprofit: Leading Age, Speaker
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1131:
“The Joy and Privilege of Leading Others Inspired Me Throughout My 37-Year Military Career.” - General David H. Petraeus (U.S. Army, Retired)
“We lived in Cornwall, New York, which is only about 7 miles from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. I delivered newspapers in the neighborhood for two and a half years as a kid. It was a really good experience. I had to get out there and interact with the customers, about half of which were either active service members at West Point, graduates of West Point or retired military officers. Over time you want to be like people that you admire, or as the classic TV commercial intoned: ‘I want to be like Mike.’ In my case, my ‘Mike’ were those West Point graduates and cadets and their influence and example is what ultimately led me to attend the United States Military Academy. I enrolled at West Point July 1st of 1970, and studied and trained there for the next four years.
“West Point is where I immediately began to realize that life is a very competitive endeavor and that you really need to strive to be the absolute best that you can be as well as the best team player. I realized that I did have the aptitudes and talents for academics, athletics and leadership. In our class of about 850 cadets there were only two of us who were: varsity lettermen, so-called ‘Star men’ who were in the top 5% of the class academically and captains in the Corps of Cadets leadership structure.
“There are three core components of military life: physical capabilities, mental acuity and finally the joy and privilege of leading others that inspired me throughout my 37-year military career.”
General David H. Petraeus (U.S. Army, Retired) is a Partner in the global investment firm KKR and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, which he established in mid-2013. He is also a personal venture investor, engaged in various academic endeavors, and co-author with Andrew Roberts of the forthcoming book titled Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine.
Prior to joining KKR, General Petraeus served over 37 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career with six consecutive commands as a general officer, five of which were in combat. Following retirement from the military, and after confirmation by the Senate in a vote of 94-0, he served as the Director of the CIA during a period of significant achievements in the war on terror.
General Petraeus graduated with distinction from the U.S. Military Academy and later earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University. He is the only individual to have been the top graduate of both the year-long Command and General Staff College Course and the demanding U.S. Army Ranger School.
Over the past 15 years, General Petraeus has been named one of America’s 25 Best Leaders by U.S. News and World Report, a runner-up for Time magazine’s Person of the Year, the Daily Telegraph Man of the Year, twice a Time 100 selectee, Princeton University’s Madison Medalist, Prospect Magazine’s Public Intellectual of the Year, three times one of Foreign Policy magazine’s top 100 public intellectuals, and a LinkedIn Top Voice.
On His Bookshelf
To be published in 2023:
Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine, co-authored by General David H. Petraeus and Andrew Roberts
Connecting With General David H. Petraeus (U.S. Army, Retired)
Website: KKR Global Institute
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidpetraeus
Serving in the Military / General Officer in Combat, West Point
Executive, Global Investments, Military, U.S. Army, Veteran
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1130:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Trauma Psychologist? - Ernie L. Vecchio
“I walked into the classroom and learned that someone had just published a book on creative counseling techniques. He was using three dimensional models to teach theory. Later, I brought in a bag of three dimensional tools that I had created over the previous 15 years of my work with clients. The instructor was blown away and told me I needed to come and teach my approach to others, which I did. Really, all I did was–when some approach was not working–I figured out another approach that did work to access what individuals were experiencing. I have taught this model to people with low IQ’s, to blind people, to deaf people, to people with every imaginable mind and body trauma–the concept is that teachable. I stumbled upon it because I was driven to solve this proverbial puzzle.”
Ernie L. Vecchio is a mentor, spiritual teacher, and trauma psychologist. During his 30+ years career, he has treated over 10,000+ patients who suffered severe trauma that ranged from amputation, head injury, sexual assault, and paralysis. Vecchio is a Licensed Clinical & Rehabilitation Psychologist who has written four books including his latest release, Feelings & Reason: Activating Your Heart as Compass Despite the Ego’s Interference, an international best-seller in four self-help categories.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Ernie L. Vecchio
Website: https://ernievecchio.com
Email: ernievecchio@outlook.com
Facebook: facebook.com/FeelingsAndReason
Twitter: twitter.com/ErnieVecchio
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ernie-vecchio-7639b225/
A Day in the Life of a Trauma Psychologist, Trauma
Author, Clinical & Rehabilitation Psychologist, Trauma Psychologist
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1129:
Creativity Is the Key to Self-Discovery - Leigh McCloskey
When Leigh asked his father if he should go to art school, his father, the artist, said no. “What I really want you to do is go to the museums, and start
spending time with the paintings that you are attracted to. Let the paintings become your teacher. Look at how a Vermeer created the colors or the transitions or the sense of texture─not with the distraction of the painting but to use it as a way of teaching.”Leigh McCloskey is a modern Renaissance man, an artist, author, well-known actor and visual philosopher. His highly creative life has been devoted to exploring the symbolic, archetypal and hidden aspects of the psyche and inner self through his art, scholarship, books and experiences as a professional actor for many years. He has hosted weekly discussion groups in his home, Olandar, for over 38 years. His deep knowledge ranges from arcane wisdom, religion, depth psychology and quantum physics to the mythic imagination and the creation of art. He is the founder of Olandar Foundation for Emerging Renaissance, and gives regular tours of his home and art.
Connecting With Leigh McCloskey
Website: leighmccloskey.com
Facebook: Leigh J McCloskey and Olandar Foundation for Emerging Renaissance
YouTube: Leigh McCloskey Food for Thought
Art, Being an Actor, Creativity, Philosophy
Actor, Artist, Author
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1128:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Contemporary Photographer? - Jason Matias
“The business of being an artist dominates all artists’ lives. I probably spend less than 5% of my time actually creating art. Most of my time I’m doing all the many aspects of marketing, selling, promoting, positioning my work to the various niches that I want to appeal to. For that reason I created a program I call, ‘The Art of Selling Art.’ It is based on the fundamental principles of marketing that I have learned by intense research and study and especially on the ground, hands-on experience over that last couple of decades. The program includes free webinars as well as access to proven, real-world, actionable tools and resources because, the greater number of my fellow artists that have a better foundation in the business of art, the better we all do. In the near future I want to grow this into a small enterprise of six or so people that can serve specific segments of the artist population.”
Jason Matias is a contemporary photographer and the author of “NakedThoughts,” who lives and works in the Greater Seattle Area. His work focuses on the ideas of isolation and introspection, with photographs of nature from locations around the globe. Jason began exploring photography as a medium of expression during his service in the United States Air Force. His artwork has been shown in exhibitions in the US including Art BaselWeek and Art Expo New York and has been featured in National Geographic, Weather Channel, and TED.
On His Bookshelf
NakedThoughts, by Jason Matias
Connecting With Jason Matias
Website: jasonmatias.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/JasonMatiasPhotography
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonmatias
Instagram: instagram.com/realjasonmatias
A Day in the Life, Business of Being an Artist, Business Ownership, Photography
Air Force, Author, Business Owner, Contemporary Photographer, Military, Photographer, Veteran
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1127:
How He Unleashed His Inner Lion - Darren Reinke
“I just wasn’t happy in my role. I felt like I kept trying and failing in terms of finding something I was really passionate about, something I was naturally strong at. I started doing some sales and marketing consulting again to put a paycheck in my pocket. Throughout my consulting work, I saw so many projects go into the ditch because of either under-developed leaders or leadership teams, or team dynamics. So that created a spark in the back of my head. I also have a mentor who was going through a coach training program. I thought that sounded interesting. I didn’t think I wanted to be a full-time executive consultant, but I could see how the coaching would be complementary to the consulting. I found the coaching program to probably be the most exciting and profound days in my professional career because it started to tap into things that really did get me excited.”
Darren Reinke founded Group Sixty, an executive coaching and training company based in San Diego, to bring his purpose to life and to transform leaders, their teams, and their organizations. Group Sixty works with leaders and teams at Fortune 500’s, mid-market companies, fast-growing startups, visionary non-profits, and transitioning military special forces. Darren fundamentally believes there is greatness within each one of us. His mission is to unleash the inner lion within leaders so that they can lead more authentic and joyful lives while creating stronger and more resilient teams, organizations, and communities.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Darren Reinke
Website: groupsixty.com
Facebook: facebook.com/groupsixty
Twitter: twitter.com/darrenreinke
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/darrenreinke
Instagram: instagram.com/groupsixty
Know Yourself, Leadership
Author, Business Owner, Executive Coach, Leadership Trainer
April 2023:
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1126:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Business Litigator? - Thomas Tierney
“Other than my uncle who was a lawyer, and watching lawyers perform on TV series, I had no experience with the profession at all. Once I began my law studies at the University of California’s Hastings College of Law in San Francisco, I gravitated to the practice of litigation because I found it very energizing and demanding. The idea of being challenged every day by a lawyer on the other side of a case who was using the best of his talents and experience to present his client’s position, and knowing that I always had to be my very best, I could not imagine a more gratifying career. I’m happy to report that my career as a business litigator has proven to be everything I hoped it would be and more.”
Thomas Tierney attended the University of Notre Dame and graduated with high honors in 1987. He moved to San Francisco and taught middle school for two years. He soon was accepted in law school, also in in San Francisco, at the University of California, Hastings College of Law and graduated cum laude in 1992. Once out of school he worked at litigation boutique law firms in San Diego for eight years before moving to Vero Beach, Florida where he began working at the Rossway Swan firm. Tom continues to work there today and is now a Member and the Chair of the Civil Litigation Department. He is married to Lisa Kahle and has two children, Ella and Gavin.
A Day in the Life of a Business Litigator
Lawyer, Litigator
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1125:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Cosmetic Dermatologist? - Dr. Allen Lycka
“It was easy to become a great dermatologist because I stood on the shoulders of giants in the profession and these giants were there to lead and guide me. Doctor Martin Victor Dal, one of the greatest dermatologists ever, along with Doctor Peter Lynch, another equally renowned doctor, were chairmen of my department. They looked at me and said, ‘Allen, all you have to do is be who you are and you will become a great dermatologist.’”
Dr. Allen Lycka has been acknowledged as one of the leading cosmetic dermatologists globally for three decades. A pioneer in cosmetic surgery, he helped develop laser-assisted tumescent liposuction, an advanced body sculpture technique, and Mohs Micrographic Surgery, an advanced means of removing skin cancer with 99% success. He has lived and practiced in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada since 1989. He’s written 17 books, 30+ academic papers and hosted the number one internet radio show in the world on cosmetic surgery: Inside Cosmetic Surgery Today. He is a co-founder of Doctors for the Practice of Safe and Ethical Aesthetic Medicine and founder of The Canadian Skin Cancer Association. He has won the prestigious Consumers Choice Award for Cosmetic Surgery for 16 consecutive years.
On His Bookshelf
The Secrets to Living a Fantastic Life: Two Survivors Reveal the 13 Golden Pearls They Have Discovered, by Allen Lycka and Harriet Tinka
Connecting With Dr. Allen Lycka
Website: https://drallenlycka.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DrAllenLycka
Twitter: twitter.com/DrAllenLycka
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/barrylycka
Instagram: instagram.com/dr_allen_lycka
A Day in the Life of a Cosmetic Dermatologist, Dermatology
Cosmetic Dermatologist, Dermatologist
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1124:
My Path to Becoming a Horse Listener - Mark M. Hanna
“I am out there with my young colt that I had raised from a kid and loved dearly, and I am using the same kinds of harsh training techniques from the successful trainers I was emulating in the industry. As I was using my whip to move my colt from side to side, he saw an opening, reached out and clamped his jaws on my shoulder, lifted me like a rag doll and threw me to the ground. My first thought was to discipline him harshly. All of a sudden I heard that innate voice in my mind that I wasn’t being true to myself or true to my dear horse. I stood there with my frightened and shivering colt I loved so much, who was just following his instincts trying to survive. I hugged him and cried while apologizing to both my colt and God for not following that innate voice that God gave me. That epiphany changed everything. From that moment on I walked the path of being a horse listener: horses whisper in our ears and we become listeners.”
Mark M. Hanna grew up in Inglewood, California adjacent to the Hollywood Park horse track. This is where his love of horses began and he pursued his passion to become an Arabian horse breeder and imported horses from Europe. His compassion and spiritual bond with horses led him to become “The Horse Listener.” Hanna can help people with the fundamental and proper way to be with your horse, a lifetime partnership. Hanna shares his life story in his book “The Horse Listener.”
On His Bookshelf
The Horse Listener: Inspired by True Life Events, by Mark M. Hanna
Connecting With Mark M. Hanna
Website: https://markmhanna.com
Facebook: facebook.com/TheHorseListener
Horses / Arabians, Lifetime Partnership with Your Horse
Author, Horse Listener, Horse Owner/Trainer of Arabian Horses
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1123:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Inventor in the Fields of Medicine, Chemistry and Sports? - David W. Smith, MD
“Dr. Bales told us that the university would give us some ‘seed money’ only if we were able to deconstruct more than what had ever been recognized in previous traumatic brain injury circles. There had never been a mechanism to reduce brain injury by more than 1%. So, if we blocked 2% on this particular study he would open the doors to future development with contacts, seed money and more….Well, we blocked a whopping 83% of brain injury on that first landmark study. I had expected a 30% to 40% reduction and was as blown away by these results as Dr. Bales. Our journey from that point forward has been exciting and life-saving for countless individuals, from athletes to members of our military.”
David W. Smith MD, ACP, BS, is a visiting scientist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital/North Shore Division of Neurosurgery. Over his 30-year medical career, he served as Chief of Medicine at Reid Hospital. He founded commercial companies–Xennovate Medical LLC, TBI Innovations LLC, and Delta Chase LLC. He was a consultant to GENTEX Corp. (manufacturer of USAF helmets) and Materials Modification Inc., nano–materials and coating pioneer to the military complex.
David has 40+ patents and 20+ peer-reviewed publications. He presented several novel battlefield dressings to the Department of the Army Research Lab. He discovered “SLOSH Theory,” which represents the basis of the first and only FDA-cleared device for claims against Traumatic Brain Injury, The Q-Collar, which is the basis of his new book “When Heads Come Together.”
On His Bookshelf
When Heads Come Together, by David W. Smith MD, with Mike Towle
Connecting With David W. Smith, MD
Website: davidsmithmd.com/ and https://q30.com/
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1122:
Encore: Life After 27 Years in the Military - Laura Noel
“I want to be of service to more military veterans. I do speaking engagements and things of that nature, but I want to do more of this on a larger scale. This information I have now really helped me transition from being a military service person of almost 28 years to an entrepreneur. And that’s not an easy transition. No matter what career you are in, if you’re in something for that long, it becomes a part of you. It becomes a part of your self-identity. To shift your identity to something completely different is a process in and of itself. I want to help people transition…much more smoothly.”
Laura Noel, as a Certified Proctor Gallagher Coach and 27-year military leader, helps high-performers live empowered, fulfilling lives all while achieving their highest potential. Knowing that leaders are being pulled in multiple directions with zero time left for themselves, she helps them focus on what really matters so they can stop feeling out-of-control, become more effective with their time, and spend more time discovering what they love doing.
Connecting With Laura Noel
Website: www.stretchintosuccess.com
Facebook: facebook.com/StretchIntoSuccess
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laura-noel
Instagram: instagram.com/stretchintosuccess
Free Gift
Free resources such as those mentioned during the interview:
Entrepreneurism, Military Leadership, Singing, Transitioning
Business Owner, Counselor, Entrepreneur, Military, Singer, Speaker
March 2023:
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1121:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to be a Career and Technical Education Director? - Rachael Mann
“The Milton Hershey School is unlike any other school in the world, and I have been exposed to many other schools in the course of my career. To be here at this critical point when we are redesigning our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and adding new offerings, revamping…looking to create a ‘gold standard’ for CTE and a model for other educators to look to for guidance–this is a very inspiring and exciting time!”
Rachael Mann is the new Director of Career and Technical Education at Milton Hershey School, a cost-free, private residential school for boys and girls from low-income families. Rachael is well-known in the education community as a speaker, author, and thought leader—with expertise in STEM, classroom innovation, and CTE professional learning. She is a founding member of the Council on the Future of Education. Rachael will lead the CTE program at MHS, which combines tailor-made instruction and hands-on learning with the ability to gain certifications and real-life experience through internships, co-ops, and pre-apprenticeships. Rachael holds an MA in educational leadership and has 14 years of classroom teaching experience in a range of subjects, including child development, science, technology, and culinary arts. Her experience includes work as the Network to Transform Teaching State Director, the Professional Learning Director of STEM, and the Arizona State Director for Educators Rising.
On Her Bookshelf
The Martians in Your Classroom: STEM in Every Learning Space, by Rachael Mann and Stephen Sandford
The Spaces You’ll Go: Out of This World Careers for Little Big Dreamers, a children’s book by Rachael Mann
The Things You’ll Grow: Agriculture Careers for Little Big Dreamsers, a children’s book by Rachael Mann
The Stuff You’ll Code is coming out in December 2023.
Connecting With Rachael Mann
Website: www.mhskids.org
Twitter: twitter.com/RachaelEdu
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rachaeledu
A Day in the Life, Artificial Intelligence in Education, CTE: Career and Technical Education, Education for secondary school, Milton Hersey School, STEM
Administrator, Author, Education Thought Leader, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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1120:
The Power of Storytelling in Expressing Your True Self - Kate Stone
“What we learned from the Harvard admissions scandal a few years back–I looked through all the transcripts out of curiosity–was top schools really value a personal development journey. Elite colleges cannot rely on grades and test scores only. They really want to understand a student’s character, drive, engagement, impact and their dreams. As you know, with artificial intelligence, Chat GBT allows a student to plug in some prompts and it delivers a college essay that’s pretty good, maybe even better than what they could write themselves. The schools and the admissions people are talking about making their essays much more creative and much more personal. That’s where storytelling is going to be even more important. Students have to identify their own focusing lens or thread to hang their content hat on, getting really creative to the degree that AI can’t generate an application essay. That’s where personal storytelling is going to be even more important. Students will need to ask themselves if they are skilled enough as a writer to best express their values, what’s important to them, obstacles that get in their way around those values, are they allowing their true self to emerge, etc. If not, they will need to find support on how to express and differentiate themselves. I don’t do the work for my students. I usually spend two to four months helping them dig into themselves and craft their own college entry essays.”
An experienced, accredited college admissions consultant and essay coach, Kate Stone received her B.S. in Communications and a minor in Creative Writing at New York University. She continued as a Princeton University teaching fellow in Asia shortly before starting University Gurus. She transformed her passion for creative writing and storytelling into actionable strategies for the college admissions process, essays, and the application as a whole. Through her program she coaches students to develop and strategize their most powerful narratives based on their individual ideas and achievements.
Connecting With Kate Stone
Website: universitygurus.com
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=833846
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katherinestone1
Instagram: linkedin.com/in/katherinestone1
AI Used in College Admissions, College Essays, Transitions, Travel
Actor, College Admissions Consultant, College Admissions Essay Coach, Teaching/Teacher
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1119:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Educational Administrator? - Dr. Troy Podell
“The most important part of being an educator, and it’s really crucial, is ‘Doing right by kids.’ You cannot do right by them if you don’t form strong, appropriate relationships with them. Kids need to know that you truly care about them and are genuinely invested in their success. The most important thing I can do as a classroom teacher is to ask my students questions about themselves that have nothing to do with our productive time together. Intrinsically they feel and understand that I have a vested interest in their growth and development as a person. The work I do is not about me, it’s about how I can better serve people, how helpful I can be to other people.”
Dr. Troy Podell, Supervisor of ELA and Humanities for the Downingtown Area School District and with responsibility to also coordinate Career Readiness Initiatives, is a disruptor and thought-leader in the education space. He has created innovative programs for career exploration and soft-skills education for the District and is also an Adjunct Professor for Secondary Social Studies Education at Relay Graduate School of Education in the Philadelphia area. Dr. Podell is recognized as a leader in curriculum, instruction, and the application of people analytics to education.
A Day in the Life, Career Exploration for Students, Soft Skills, Teaching: Doing right by the students
Educational Administrator, Educator
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1118:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be an Intelligence and National Security Expert? - Brian J. Morra
“I had never thought of myself as an author really. The ‘bug’ to start writing definitely began after I retired, and in 2015 books began to be published right after our government finally began to declassify files about the 1983 nuclear war crisis. Two well-regarded authors, one American, one British, wrote books about the crisis in early 2018. Later that year I was talking with a good friend about the books, who was himself a very successful writer, and I said to him that even though I had first-hand experience on the topic, in my view the world did not need another non-fiction book describing what really happened. He quickly replied, ‘Well, why don’t you write a novel then? You have deep personal insight and can humanize the story while making it both educational and entertaining. Why not take a shot at it? Your book will probably stink, but maybe it won’t.’ I took his comment as a dare and in October of 2018 I began writing the first draft of “The Able Archers.” While writing came fairly easily to me, I want to say here that my wife deserves a great deal of credit on so many levels–from character development, to story arc, editing and much more. I’m happy to report that a major motion picture company has optioned the rights to this book and the other six that I plan to write. One possibility would be a TV series.”
Brian Morra has spent his career in intelligence and national security beginning with his time as a decorated Air Force Intelligence officer and through his many years as a senior executive in the aerospace and defense industry. He was encouraged to write the story of “The Able Archers” by many friends who convinced him that his unique, personal insight could bring the story to life of how humanity narrowly avoided extinction in the fall of 1983. His writing is based on first-hand experience. When Brian isn’t writing, he is a corporate board member, enjoys cycling, playing guitar and piano, and visiting with his two grandchildren.
On His Bookshelf
The Able Archers, Kindle Edition, by Brian J. Morra
The Able Archers, Hardback & Paperback, by Brian J. Morra
Connecting With Brian J. Morra
Website: https://brianjmorra.com
1983 Nuclear War Crisis, A Day in the Life of an Intelligence and National Security Expert
Aerospace and Defense Industry, Air Force Intelligence Officer, Author, Executive, Intelligence and National Security, Military, National Security
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1117:
Making a Good Living with Creative Ideas - Jeffrey Madoff
“The main thing about creativity is being open and curious. Curiosity is a huge factor because it makes you want to learn. And I think learning should be a lifelong pursuit. If you are going to make that change or do something different, there are also ways you have to approach it to make sure there is a market for what it is you want to do. And, everybody’s personal situation is different. So, it’s not simple, but it is a process like everything else is in terms of that ‘hero’s journey.’ It’s going inside before you even make those decisions.”
B. Jeffrey Madoff’s first career was as a fashion designer. He was chosen one of the top 10 designers in the U.S. Switching careers to film production, he has directed award winning commercials, documentaries and web content around the world for clients such as Ralph Lauren, Victoria’s Secret, and Tiffany. His book, “Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas,” is an Amazon Bestseller based on the class he teaches at Parsons School of Design in NYC. Madoff’s play, “Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical,” about the life of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend Lloyd Price, had its world premiere in 2022.
On His Bookshelf
Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas, by B. Jeffrey Madoff
Connecting With Jeffrey Madoff
Websites: www.acreativecareer.com and www.madoffproductions.com
Facebook: facebook.com/madoffproductions
Twitter: @acreativecareer.com
LinkedIn: B. Jeffrey Madoff
Instagram: @acreativecareer
Creative Career Path, Creativity
Author, Business Owner, Film Production/Director, Playwright, Professor
February 2023:
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1116:
She Learned It the Hard Way and Now Is Making It Easier for Others - Jess Stuart
“One of the key things I did at a critical point in my business growth was to bring in an advisory board. They ended up staying with me for seven years. These were not paid positions. These were friends or mentors that I had met through life, although some were also strangers. For example, if I met somebody at a conference and hit it off with them, and they were intelligent and had succeeded, and I felt that they could bring value to the company, I asked them onto my advisory board. I didn’t give them money or stock or anything. They just helped me! They help me become sophisticated in my business approach. You know, the hand-to-hand combat that I had done up to this point needed to be processed, educated and sophisticated. The Advisory Board is a big reason that I was able to sell the company profitably when I was ready and for what I am able to do now.”
Raised by a Marine Corps pilot on a cattle operation in the mountains, Jess learned the keys to running an entrepreneurial company from the ground up. Grit, hard work and getting things done the right way were infused in her. She started a software-based company from her kitchen table and through tough times she learned how to assemble a company and leadership team that operated on world-class systems. Fifteen years, two national locations, and one international division later, Jess sold that company at an exceptional price point. Today, Jess is devoted to sharing what she’s learned. She brings world-class tools and long-term resources to help leadership teams run better businesses and live better lives.
Connecting With Jess Stuart
Website: https://www.jess-stewart.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessstewartllc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jess-stewart-llc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jess_stewartllc/
Building a business, Business Ownership
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Success Coach
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1115:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Analytical Psychologist? - Cara Lee Barker, PhD
“After I completed my PhD in clinical psychology, I began working in the so called ‘human potential movement.’ People wanted to dig deeper into who they really are on every level: spiritual, emotional, intellectual, physical and social. I loved doing that work and would have done it for free! I did my post-doctoral work in Zurich as an International Diplomat and Jungian Analyst. After reading Carl Jung’s book–The Symbolic Life–I quickly realized the vital importance of dreams in helping people discover their inborn talents. I continue to work with clients, which uses my best talents, while I devote an increasing amount of time writing. My favorite life lesson from my very supportive parents: ‘Lean into the thing you are trying to resist. Always lean in.’”
Dr. Cara Lee Barker is an international keynote speaker and visionary artist. She served as an Army nurse during the Vietnam era at Walter Reed Hospital. She has a Master’s degree in nursing from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Union Institute and University in Ohio. Her post-doctoral work was completed in Zurich as an International Diplomat and a Jungian Analyst. She was a columnist for HuffPost for five years and is the author of three books: World Weary Woman; The Love Project; and her latest release, Nightlight: My Soul Calling, Body Listening, Heart Speaking.
On Her Bookshelf
World Weary Woman (Studies in Jungian Psychology), by Cara Barker
Nightlight: My Soul Calling, Body Listening, Heart Speaking, by Cara Lee Barker, PhD
Connecting With Cara Lee Barker, PhD
Email: Dr.CaraBarker@gmail.com
Website: www.carabarker.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Dr-Cara-Barker-285954037553
Twitter: @DrCaraBarker
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cara-barker-2ab68a27
Analytical Psychologist, Human Potential Movement, Parents' Influence on Decisions
Author, Inspirational Speaker, Jungian Analyst
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1114:
A Pause in His Career Sent Him in the Right Direction - Jimmy Jenkins
“I was working in New York City for over 6 years as a criminal prosecutor when my father got ill. My wife and I decided to move our family to Florida temporarily to take care of him. Having that time with him allowed us to reconnect in very meaningful ways. I came to realize that there was a lot of life that I had missed while chasing the brass ring in NYC. I had missed being with my parents, with my extended family. And I actually realized that, even with my own wife and children, there was a lot of time that I missed because I had such a concern to ‘bring home the bacon.’ I knew I needed to change what I had been doing, but once you start chasing that brass ring spinning around on the carousel, it becomes the only thing you know. Taking care of my father allowed me to slow that cycle. I knew I wanted to use my skillset but not chase that hot-shot trial lawyer lifestyle. I found a really great position as lawyer-editor with a small publishing company in Florida. The business was involved in publishing the laws of local government, which included ordinances, resolutions, charters, and things of that nature. In that publication system, it was not adversarial like when you are a trial attorney and you have to prepare for a fight and make sure you cover your nose so it doesn’t get broken. When you’re not in an adversarial position but in more of a consultant position, you’re working with a friend, you are working with and assisting them in what they’re trying to do. And that’s what we did: We assisted the local governments in positioning their local law and making sure that it was up to snuff and met up with statutes in federal law.”
Jimmy Jenkins, before writing stories and books, earned his law degree from the University of Maryland. After graduating law school, Jimmy undertook a commitment to public service by becoming a criminal prosecutor for several years. Jimmy wrote Green Rush Fever because he felt a need to tell the story about how his family’s small farming operation entered the nascent Florida hemp industry in 2019. Aside from his analysis about growing hemp, in Green Rush Fever Jimmy also writes about his family’s tradition of having a strong conviction in their faith and a tenacious belief in the power of having the robust loving support of one’s family members.
On His Bookshelf
Green Rush Fever, by Jimmy Jenkins is available as a bound softcover or an eBook at Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million, and on Amazon, Rakutenkobo, Booktopia, and Wook.
Connecting With Jimmy Jenkins
Website: www.jimmy-jenkins.com Twitter: twitter.com/Henry_Farms_Co
Caregiving for Parent, Choosing a Different Path Within the Same Career, Hemp Farming
Attorney, Author, Farming
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1113:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Medical Legal Illustrator? - Elizabeth Shick
“I had been working as a medical illustrator in my first job at a company called MLI: Medical Legal Illustration, recreating illustrations of injuries usually from car accidents or so called slip and fall accidents so that a jury can understand what physically happened to people in those accidents. Because of my educational background and long-standing passion for the work, I was thriving. After three years we had a big shake up in the company that led to a contract dispute. I decided that it was time to go out on my own at the age of 28 and have been running Medical Visions Inc. for over 30 years creating over 15,000 custom medical legal illustrations for clients across the country. You can’t just have a degree in art to be a medical illustrator. You have to have half art and half science. And that’s difficult because a lot of artists don’t like math or science. We don’t like the technical aspect of things. And a lot of scientists have problems with visual communication. So we’re kind of a rare breed because we’ve got to be good at both.”
Elizabeth Shick graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia with a degree in Scientific Illustration, then went on to study Medical Illustration at the Medical College of Georgia. She was the senior medical illustrator at MLI before opening her own company, Medical Visions, Inc., in 1991. She is one of the top medical legal illustrators in the country with extensive experience, personally producing over 15,000 exhibits. Elizabeth’s motto is “Do what you love and delegate everything else.”
Connecting With Elizabeth Shick
Websites: www.medicalvisions.com and www.elizabethshickart.com
Email: eshick@medicalvisionsinc.com
Phone: 800-869-8160
A Day in the Life of a Medical Legal Illustrator
Artist, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Medical Legal Illustrator
January 2023:
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1112:
Investing in His Career Sweet Spot - Kevin N. Lawrence
“Entering community college was a life changing experience. It was all group work, and I thrived. It was magic! I ended up starting a business to help pay for tuition. I became class president, worked for the school newspaper, ran the marketing club, planned the school graduation…. I found that working in teams in a collaborative environment under high pressure was the absolute best thing for me. I didn’t even realize how impactful it was at the time, but in hindsight, it was absolutely life changing.”
Kevin Lawrence is a strategic advisor and coach to CEOs and executive teams across North America and internationally. Driven by a relentless passion to help business leaders get what they really want, in business and life, Kevin has coached clients across a wide range of industries during the past 20 years. His unique perspective working with hundreds of leaders inspired him to write “Your Oxygen Mask First.” The book deals with the dark side of the leadership dichotomy and offers 17 practical steps to triumph in business, without being trampled in life. Kevin lives in Vancouver, Canada.
On His Bookshelf
Your Oxygen Mask First: 17 Habits to Help High Achievers Survive & Thrive in Leadership & Life, by Kevin Lawrence
Your Oxygen Mask First Workbook, by Kevin Lawrence
Connecting With Kevin N. Lawrence
Website: lawrenceandco.com
Facebook: facebook.com/LawrenceAndCo1
Twitter: twitter.com/lawrenceandco1
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence
Free Gift
Free Self-Assessment: https://lawrenceandco.com/yomf-assessment
Finding Your Sweet Spot, Multi Careers
Author, Business Owner, Executive Coach, Sales
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1111:
A Beacon of Hope, Inspiration and Trust - Unni Turrettini
“Norway is a country that is very conforming. I think it’s part of our culture from way back because of living in a place where it was important to stay in a group to survive, because it is cold and dark in the winter and not much grows. It’s really a harsh environment. So, people needed to stay within the group and to be accepted by the group. You have to play by the rules.”
Norwegian-born Unni Turrettini is the author of The Mystery of the Lone Wolf Killer. She is also the author of Betraying the Nobel which focuses on the lack of leadership in the world and on the Nobel Peace Prize’s importance as a beacon of hope and inspiration. Through writing and speaking, Unni is on a mission to restore trust in leadership by encouraging women to fully step up and into their true feminine power. She also works as a coach for high-achieving women. She has law degrees from Norway, France, and the United States, and is a member of the New York Bar. She worked numerous years in law and finance before she began writing.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I didn’t want to go back to law or the banking world. I just wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. Then in 2011 we had this awful, awful, awful incident in Norway where a young man, who seemed to be a normal, regular, intelligent person, killed seventy-seven people in one day. I started to study him, and I realized that the reason why I was so fascinated by this case was because I understood the loneliness and the lack of belonging and the isolation that he felt growing up. I really felt an urge to do more research, to understand him and similar mass killers, to figure out if I could somehow find if there were warning signs and if there was something about our societies and our culture that facilitated their evolution into becoming these monsters. I started working with a former FBI agent who has a PhD in lone wolf mass killers–that’s the name of these types of killers–and she helped me a lot. I wrote the book, The Mystery of the Lone Wolf Killer, about the phenomenon to provide insight into what happens in the evolution of one person and how we as a society are contributing to their evolution, and what we can do to prevent this from happening again.”
On Her Bookshelf
The Mystery of the Lone Wolf Killer, by Unni Turrettini
Betraying the Nobel: The Secrets and Corruption Behind the Nobel Peace Prize, by Unni Turrettini
Connecting With Unni Turrettini
Website: www.unniturrettini.com
Facebook: facebook.com/unni.turrettini
Instagram: instagram.com/unnitur/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/unniturrettini/
Empowering Women, Law School, Leadership, Nobel Peace Prize
Attorney, Author, Lawyer, Speaker
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1110:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Cyber Security and Technology Expert? - Patrick Greenwood
“My father was by far the greatest influence on my education and career choices. He was in technology and worked for a defense contractor, so he would bring all sorts of technical things home with him that I found fascinating from a very early age. We had the very first terminal in our house and he plugged in the phone so that we got to play games on the pentagon computers for the first time. I was the type of person who would not read the textbooks but would go to the library and check out all the books on a topic that would be relevant and inspirational to me. One day in the early 1990s I picked up a book on the new Microsoft technology and read it over the weekend and by Monday I felt I was ready to do contracting work. From early on, real world, feeling, touching technology stayed with me all of my adult life.”
Patrick Greenwood is an avid cyclist, author, coffee brand creator, veteran and advocate for kids in Vietnam. After a career in the military, Patrick embarked on a 25-year career in information technology. Many of his inspirations for writing came from his business travels to Asian countries. A true believer in listening to one’s passion, Patrick began writing in early 2020 based on several trips he made while cycling in various countries. In his first novel, Sunrise in Saigon, Patrick draws upon several non-fictional events that happened in Vietnam.
On His Bookshelf
Sunrise in Saigon, by Patrick Greenwood
Connecting With Patrick Greenwood
Websites: sunriseinsaigonnovel.net and cyclewriterllc.com and cyclewriter3espresso.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/sunriseinsaigon
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/patrick-greenwood-4876a01b8/
Instagram: instagram.com/cyclewriter3espresso/
Podcast: Writers on Writers Over a Triple Espresso – airs on Saturdays at 10:00 am
A Day in the Life, Cyber Security, Writing
Author, Cyber Security, Information Technology, Marine Corps (USMC), Writer
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1109:
She Now Knows She Can Do Whatever She Wants - Kathy Goughenour
“I hadn’t gotten promoted for a couple of years. So I asked my boss why. In an irritated voice he said, ‘Do you really want to know why? I’ll tell you if you really want to know. You laugh and smile too much, And until you change that, you’re never going anywhere else in this company.’ Guess what? I quit. I honestly do not know how I had the confidence to do this, because I was 40 by then, and now I know that is when ageism really kicks in. But I was determined that I was not going to stay somewhere that wanted me to change my entire personality for a company.”
Kathy Goughenour, after finding the courage to say “bye-bye” to her corporate marketing career, built a 6-figure virtual assistant business from her tiny house in the middle of a forest. Today, she teaches professional women how to create their own work-at-home VA businesses so they can enjoy the freedom, flexibility, and financial security they desire and deserve. Kathy also offers VA Matchmaking sessions to business owners interested in working with Expert VAs® and Virtual Experts®. Kathy and her Expert VA® and Virtual Expert® Training program have been featured in Forbes, The Huffington Post, Good Housekeeping, All You, and The Wealthy Freelancer.
Connecting With Kathy Goughenour
Website: https://expertvatraining.com
Facebook: facebook.com/kathygoughenour
Twitter: twitter.com/expertVAmentor
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kathygoughenour
Instagram: instagram.com/expertvatrainingandcoaching
Corporate Career, Entrepreneurism, Prejudice Towards Women in the Work Place, Promotion
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Marketing, Secretary, Trainer, Virtual Assistants
December 2022:
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1108:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Insurance Sales Agent - Mickey Batsell
“My father gave me a gift that I treasure. He had the ability to take a complicated subject or intricate process and explain it to people in terms that they could understand. To this day I have that talent. I can take a very complex issue and break it down into words that the average person can understand without digging into the weeds, without getting too technical. And then they understand it. Then they know the importance of taking some action to fix the problem they didn’t even realize they had. That gives me tremendous satisfaction in the work I do every day.”
Mickey Batsell is an experienced industry professional, specializing in long-term care, retirement planning and surrounding issues. With over 40 years of professional, and personal family experiences, Mickey has an in-depth understanding of the challenges his clients face. As a protector of people’s independence and dignity, he currently represents industry-leading, financially sound companies and assists families, groups, and associations throughout the United States. He is a retired USAFR Lt. Colonel, served in the USAF Special Operations on active duty and as a Deputy Commander of Resources in the USAFR. Mickey and Nancy have four children, eleven grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. If he isn’t with family, you can find him in his garden in the spring.
Connecting With Mickey Batsell
Email: mickeybatsell@mickeybatsell.com
Facebook: facebook.com/mickey.batsell
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mickey-batsell-2163448/
Insurance, Long-term Care, Retirement Planning, U.S. Air Force
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1107:
20 Years Helping Students Get into the Schools of Their Dreams - Kelly S. Frindell, PhD
“I do ‘practice tests’ with my high school students when they first come to me. Typically, I give them both the SAT and the ACT. These are official tests in that the materials are official, but we don’t report the results. Taking one of each test is useful because, based on which one you get a higher score on, you can pursue just that one. If your scores are kind of equal, then you can choose one. (The schools that accept test scores will accept either the SAT or the ACT.) Once we have those test scores, there are certain lessons that I do with all students which are the basics of test prep strategy that everybody needs to know. Once we get past those basic strategies, then I am free to customize their program however we need to do it. And along the way, I have them take more practice tests that give us a sense of where they are improving, where they are not improving and what we still need to work on.”
For over 20 years, Dr. Kelly S. Frindell has made a career she is passionate about, helping students exceed their expectations and achieve testing success and providing students with tools to get into the schools of their dreams. She is an expert in test preparation styles, techniques and study material, specializing in SAT, ACT, SSAT, PSAT, GRE, TAKS and ISEE. She helps high school students prepare for college entrance tests and younger students prepare for boarding and private school entrance exams. Dr. Kelly graduated with honors from Trinity University with a BA in psychology, then obtained her Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Texas. After gaining invaluable experience at various institutions, she started InHouse Test Prep in 2007.
Connecting With Kelly S. Frindell, PhD
Website: www.inhousetestprep.com
Facebook: facebook.com/kellyfrindell
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kellyfrindell
Instagram: instagram.com/kellyfrindell
This expert guest was booked via The Expert Bookers, www.expertbookers.com.
Prepping for College Entrance Exams
Teaching students to take school entrance exams
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1106:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Registered Nurse? - Robin Cogan
“I think I would recommend that a young person who is interested in nursing today find a nursing mentor who can really help guide them through their decisions. Because nursing is such a wonderful profession and there are so many opportunities, and nursing education has changed dramatically over the years. I think it’s being set up in a way that there’s more support for the students and that the students have the ability to form stronger bonds with their faculty. I would suggest talking to as many nurses as you can, looking at the different areas of nursing based on what your interests are. Today there are so many areas to explore in the profession. I feel like you need a guide and mentor.”
Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN is a Nationally Certified School Nurse (NCSN), currently entering her 20th year as a school nurse in Camden, NJ. She serves on several national boards and is the Legislative Co-Chair for the New Jersey State School Nurses Association (NJSSNA). Robin is the honored recipient of multiple awards for her work in school nursing. She serves as faculty in the School Nurse Certificate Program at Rutgers University-Camden School of Nursing, where she teaches the next generation of school nurses. Robin writes a blog called The Relentless Nurse.
Connecting With Robin Cogan
Website: relentlessschoolnurse.com
Facebook: facebook.com/SchoolNurseRobin
Twitter: twitter.com/RobinCogan
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robin-cogan-med-rn-ncsn-0b046b53
Instagram: instagram.com/relentless_schoolnurse
A Day in the Life of a Registered Nurse
Registered Nurse, School Nurse
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1105:
A 20-Year Journey Working Against the Critical Voice in Her Mind - Joanna Kleinman
“It took many, many years–my twenties, my thirties and even some of my forties–where I had all of these goals and dreams that I wanted to accomplish. And I accomplished most of them. And still, no matter how many accomplishments I had and how many successes I had in my life, there was this underlying feeling that I just wasn’t good enough. That’s exactly what my work is based on because I think that is a cultural phenomenon. I think we live in a culture that breeds people to feel unfulfilled and dissatisfied. It breeds people to look at what we want and where we want to get to instead of looking at who we already are, what we’ve already created, and the magnificent lives we are already living.”
Joanna Kleinman is a licensed psychotherapist, life and corporate coach, author, podcaster, motivational speaker, and the founder of Dethroning Your Inner Critic. She is an unconventional therapist and is driven by the conviction that the most powerful life you can live is when you know the difference between YOU and your Inner Critic. She developed the M.I.N.D Method, a time tested, proven system that brings together practical psychology, neuroscience and the power of intention to discover who you are separate from the critical voice in your mind. With over 25 years of experience, she has worked with corporations such as Campowerment, Cigna, Nestle, and TD Bank, and has transformed the lives of thousands of people.
Connecting With Joanna Kleinman
Website: www.dethroningyourinnercritic.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DethroningYourInnerCritic/
Twitter: twitter.com/innercriticfix
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/dethroning-your-inner-critic/
Instagram: instagram.com/dethroningyourinnercritic/
Self-sabatoge, Self-understanding, Self-worth
Author, Business Owner, Corporate Coach, Life Coach, Motivational Speaker, Podcaster, Psychotherapist
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1104:
Yes We Can If We Find Common Ground - Chris Cathcart
“The thing I’m so proud of in my career within the industry trade groups–from manufacturing to chemical distribution to the formulation of end-use products–is I served with people who were saying, ‘You know, we’ve got to find out where the common ground is with the lead environmental groups, the thought leaders. Let’s see if we can find the way forward.’ And we were able to do that together by asking those groups across a table ‘What’s on your mind? What is it you are trying to get done?’ Having that frame of mind to say ‘Yes, we can do it’ has carried through for years on so many issues that we worked on. We didn’t always have a successful resolution because sometimes the issues were far too complex. But for the vast majority of issues, we were able to do that. I’m grateful for those people who say, ‘Yes we can’ and that even in today’s environment, things don’t have to be that derisive if someone wants to find common ground.”
Chris Cathcart joined the Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA) as its president in January of 2000. He retired from the association in January 2017. During his tenure at the association, Cathcart initiated the formation of Product Care®, the industry’s product stewardship program; and the founding of the Alliance for Consumer Education, the association’s non-profit educational foundation. Prior to joining CSPA, from 1992 to 1999, Cathcart worked for the National Association of Chemical Distributors, as President and Chief Operating Officer. From 1990 to 1992, he served as President, Hazardous Materials Advisory Council, and from 1981 to 1990 he served in various management positions with the Chemical Manufacturers Association, now known as the American Chemistry Council. From 1974 to 1981 he served in both military and civilian government positions. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point, a Master’s of Arts from Central Michigan University, and completed other postgraduate work at George Washington University. Cathcart enjoys sailing, and motorcycling. Additionally, he is a pilot and holds a commercial certificate with multi-engine, instrument, and glider ratings. Chris and his family live in Potomac, Maryland.
Finding Common Ground, Trade Associations, West Point
Business Executive, Military, Trade Associations
November 2022:
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1103:
Your Age Does Not Matter: Go for It! - Marina Barayeva
“The worst thing that can happen to you is if you regret that there was a time when you have really wanted to do this and you did not. Go for it. Yes. Try as many things as you can and then you can decide. And it does not matter what age you are, as long as you realize your dreams. There is no better day to start than today.”
Marina Barayeva is an international photographer, speaker and a host of the popular podcast: Marketing for Creatives. Marina is a known authority in helping entrepreneurs become influencers in their niche. She is a TEDx speaker, has presented to audiences in Asia and North America, and has been featured in such media as ArtPeople, CCTV, China Radio International, and others. Born in Russia, she now lives in China.
Connecting With Marina Barayeva
Website: marinabarayeva.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/marinabarayeva
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marinabarayeva
Twitter: twitter.com/MarinaBarayeva
Instagram: instagram.com/marinabarayeva
Free Gift
Visit marinabarayeva.com/podcastguest and sign up for a PDF on How to Get Featured on Podcasts Every Week.
Ambition, Choices
Photographer, Podcaster, Speaker
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1102:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Speech Language Pathologist? - Susie Harder
“One of the many wonderful things about working in this profession is that you can structure the work that you do based on your circumstances at any turning point of your life. The setting you work in, the kinds of clients you work with, the specific modalities that you offer, can all be created by you. When my son was born I wanted to be home every evening and on weekends, so I structured my private practice to make that happen. Earlier in my career my schedule and client base was quite different, which was ideal for that time in my life. But whatever the structure of my work, the thing that I really love about practicing speech language pathology is my one-on-one time with kids–there’s something beautiful that happens in those moments when I am able to use my passion and expertise to help kids that stutter become happy, healthy, effective communicators and help families better understand how to best support their loved one who stutters.”
Susie Harder, M.A., CCC-SLP is an experienced clinician who devotes much of her passion to working with children who stutter. She works in private practice and the school setting to help support children and provides workshops and consulting-based support to school districts. She recently created the Junior Authors Program, a revolutionary literacy-based platform. This community project engages students around the world in collaboratively writing a children’s book.
Connecting With Susie Harder
Website: juniorauthorsprogram.com/dyt and centralvalleystutteringcenter.com
Facebook: facebook.com/juniorauthorsprogram
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/susie-harder-b6416929/
Speech Language Pathologist
Speech Language Pathologist
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1101:
Tacking Through Life to Save the Dolphins - Penn Clarke
“I had a life-changing event when I had a close encounter with three dolphins off the coast of Bimini. I was hanging off the bow of a 65-foot terra cement boat. This was before GPS, so I was being dragged in the water with a snorkel on, looking for The Blockade Runner, the last sailboat that was sunk while trying to get stuff to the South during the Civil War. A dolphin came up within 18 inches of my face mask and looked at me. I thought it was trying to communicate to me. And then there was a second dolphin, maybe about five to eight feet off, and then a third dolphin 20 feet off. A guy on the boat thought they was sharks, and he did a cannon ball off the other side of the boat to scare them away. I know today that what happened was, the one that came closest to me was a female because she had the huge bulge of a baby dolphin in her belly. The second dolphin would have been an aunty who would be there when the dolphin is born. If there are any problems, she would take the baby up to the surface to breathe. The third dolphin would be either a male or female who would be watching for shark attacks. By the way, to know the difference between a shark and a dolphin, if it comes up to the surface and the fin goes back down, that’s a dolphin breathing. If the fin keeps on the surface of the water, that’s a shark, and you should get out of the water as quickly as you can without splashing on the surface because that’s an indication to a shark of a sick or dying thing, and it might come at you. Anyway, I wanted to get to know dolphins more after that, and the next big step for me was to sell some tracks of land I had invested in during my earlier years in real estate. I bought a 51-foot sailboat up above Detroit, sailed it down to the Virgin Islands, got a captain’s license, and tried to make a living by chartering my sailboat for the next four and a half years. I couldn’t really make a living at it, but it was a lot of fun doing it! I could work with scientists some and observe dolphins a lot during that time period. But then I had to come back and work another 10 years in real estate to make enough money to retire at the age of fifty-four, when I sailed off for 11 years on a 38-foot sailboat.”
Penn Clarke, the author of “Dolphins & Penn: Tacking Through Life,” is passionate about dolphins, sailing, and travel. He has studied dolphins since a close encounter with three of them in the Bahamas in 1976. Penn is the founder of the non-profit Dolphin Relief and Research. His volunteer efforts include work with scientists studying the health of dolphins in the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts. Tacking through life with its joys and trials is made better by the dolphins Penn encounters while living aboard his sailboats for 15 years, traveling around the world four times, and his numerous side trips.
On His Bookshelf
All book profits go to saving dolphins.
Dolphins & Penn: Tacking Through Life, by Penn Clarke
- Kindle Ebook: Amazon
- Soft Cover Book: Puslisher, Book Baby
Dolphins, Sailing, Travel
Author, Non-profit, Real Estate, Sales
October 2022:
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1100:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Voice Coach? - Tracy Goodwin
“Is there a big demand for voice coaching? Because of the prevalence of video, podcasting, Facebook Live, YouTube and the ways that this pandemic has forced most everyone to do their business on Zoom or Skype, we’re having to use our voices in different ways more than ever before. So yes the demand for voice coaches has increased dramatically. To learn more, study the masters–Lesak, Skinner and Rodenburg–their concepts, methodologies and frameworks. Today it’s easier than ever to access their books and videos, and find out if this field is one you want to learn more about and pursue.”
Tracy Goodwin has taught thousands of celebrities, professionals, and entrepreneurs, how to transform their lives and the lives of their listeners with their voice by stepping into the power of their natural voice so they amplify their authority and captivate the room. Tracy’s unique approach, Psychology of the Voice gets to the core of limiting voice habits and transforms voices from the inside out. People all over the world seek her out for her expertise to free voice barriers and get them to the next level in their business and life. Her game-changing voice training teaches you how to captivate the room, no matter the message, the venue, or the size of the audience.
Who Are the Masters in the Field?
Arthur Lessac
https://www.lessacinstitute.org/arthur-lessacEdith Skinner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_SkinnerFeldenkrais
https://feldenkrais.com/Connecting With Tracy Goodwin
Website: captivatetheroom.com
Facebook: facebook.com/captivatetheroom
Twitter: twitter.com/TracyAGoodwin
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tracyagoodwin/
Instagram: .instagram.com/captivatetheroom/
A Day in the Life of a Voice Coach, Finding Your Voice
Actor, Director, Voice Coach
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1099:
Using His Talents to Impact the Lives of Others - Sal Hanna
“When I was working at a large kids’ camp in Michigan, I learned about Milton Hershey School and the houseparent role from some relatives who had done this, and I was instantly sold on the idea. I looked at the requirements on their website and my wife and I made the decision to postpone applying for family reasons, but I knew it was a job of a lifetime. I took a position at the Michigan camp to oversee a team of people who were in charge of guest relations. It was a promotion, but my interactions and relationships with students was lessened. I did that for about five years and was then offered another promotion which would include moving into a beautiful lake house with my wife and two daughters. But that promotion would take me even further away from working directly with children, which is where my talents and my passion really lie. I told my wife I wanted to say no to the promotion and the house on the lake to pursue the houseparent position at Milton Hershey School. We ended up going through the hiring process and were selected to be houseparents. In 2013, we moved everything to Hershey, Pennsylvania and began our life at the school. There are roughly 2,100 students now across three schools–an elementary school, a middle school and a high school all spread out over 10,000 acres. In total, we have 180 student homes and 180 houseparent couples that live in residence on our campus. My wife and I can see doing this until we retire because when you use your talents in a way that impacts the lives of others, it is really a beautiful thing.”
Sal Hanna is a houseparent at Milton Hershey School, a cost-free residential school for children from low-income backgrounds. At the school, students are given everything they need to remove barriers to education, including meals, clothing and health services. Students live in small groups of 10-12 in on-campus houses, and each house is overseen by a houseparent couple. After working as a camp director, Sal began his career at Milton Hershey School as a houseparent before working to recruit new houseparents. He and his wife, Melissa, loved and missed houseparenting so much that they returned to the role in the summer of 2022.
Connecting With Sal Hanna
Website: www.mhskids.org
Facebook: facebook.com/MiltonHersheySchool
Twitter: twitter.com/miltonhershey
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/school/milton-hershey-school
Instagram: instagram.com/miltonhersheyschool
Impacting Others, Milton Hershey School, School for children from low-income backgrounds, Working for Camps for Children
Camp counselor, Camp Director, Recruiter, School Houseparent
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1098:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Franchise Consultant? - Kim Daly
“I’ve spent my entire life studying personal development–I work on it every single day. I believe the desire to own a business comes from a voice somewhere deep inside of us that says: ‘I want more–more freedom, more control, more growth, more challenges….’ I think it’s bringing out those feelings and desires in people to help them create a vision for their future that has allowed me to become one of the most successful franchise consultants in franchise history. It is the most gratifying work I could ever imagine.”
As America’s top franchise consultant, Kim Daly (“The Daly Coach”) has inspired thousands of people to realize and follow their dreams of business ownership over the past two decades. Kim coaches her candidates to take control of their future and finances by strategically investing in a franchise brand that aligns with their unique goals. She commonly works with entrepreneurs, veterans, investors, and those in career transition. An avid marketer, Kim’s YouTube channel features franchising advice, FAQs, mistakes to avoid, and enlightening interviews with powerful business leaders.
Connecting With Kim Daly
Website: www.thedalycoach.com/dyt
Facebook: facebook.com/createwealththrufranchising
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dalykim
YouTube: http://kimdaly.tv
Free Gift
Kim’s growing YouTube channel features franchising advice, FAQs, mistakes to avoid, and enlightening interviews with
powerful business leaders. Please subscribe for new franchising content shared multiple times a week at http://kimdaly.tv
Franchise Consultant
Franchise Consultant, Franchisee
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1097:
A Unique Perspective on Merging Business and Mindfulness - Eric Holsapple
“People are starting to segment. I think that is a really slippery slope for businesses. I don’t believe most of the political stuff belongs in business. I think there is a role for mindfulness on a couple of levels. One is that it is primarily focused. Teaching people to focus makes their stress levels go down and improves their performance. At least that is my experience. And when someone learns it at work, they take it home and share it with their family, they take it to the school board, to the teams they coach, their kids get it, and it filters throughout the community. My idea is that mindfulness is not something you need to do just 10 minutes a day. It is something you can really incorporate in your workday. And I also think there is room for leaders to be more mindful, less political and less derisive. I think business is the greatest catalyst for change.”
Eric Holsapple has a PhD in Economics, has been a real estate CEO and developer for nearly 40 years, lectured real estate at Colorado State University for 20 years, and practiced yoga and meditation for 30 years. Eric was awarded The Colorado State University Real Estate Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010; and Bizwest Bravo Entrepreneur of the year award for Loveland, CO in 2015. He has a unique perspective on how merging business and mindfulness can be a catalyst in changing lives. Eric is the Founder of Living In The Gap. His popular workshops teach CEOs and professionals a different way to operate mindfully while improving the bottom line. Eric has written numerous published articles in real estate and economics, and a book entitled Profit with Presence that will be published in early 2023. Eric is a regular speaker at public and private events, and a popular guest on business podcasts.
On His Bookshelf
Profit with Presence, by Eric Holsapple (to be published in early 2023)
Connecting With Eric Holsapple
Website: www.livinginthegap.org
Facebook: facebook.com/livinginthegap
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/living-in-the-gap-501c3
Instagram: instagram.com/livinginthegap501c3 or Instagram handle: @livinginthegap501c3
Meditation, Mindfulness
Author, Business Owner, Professor, Real Estate CEO and Developer, Teaching/Teacher
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1096:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Stage Actor? - Carine Montbertrand
“From the time I was a young girl, I never wanted to do anything else. That doesn’t mean I didn’t meet any skepticism in my family about it. I didn’t necessarily say it out loud at first, but I was determined to do it. By the time I moved to New York in 1988, pursuing a career in acting was what I was planning on doing. Okay, it seemed like a mountain to climb and sometimes it still feels like a mountain to climb, but there weren’t other things I wanted to do. I think most actors do other things to help support themselves when they’re not acting. And I think different actors have different paths with that kind of thing. I personally wanted to do something that was a little more fulfilling and so I have always taught as well, which I truly love.”
Carine Montbertrand is a professional actor, teacher, and audiobook narrator based in New York City. She was born in France but grew up in the US with an American mother and French father. As a theatre actor, she has performed off-Broadway and throughout most of the United States, including Alaska! Recently, she also made a brief appearance on THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL. She’s the award winning narrator of more than 80 audiobooks for companies such as Recorded Books, Penguin Random House, and Audible. As a teacher she specializes in physical theatre and mask work, as well as Voice and Speech.
Connecting With Carine Montbertrand
Website: carinemontbertrand@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/carine.montbertrand
Instagram: instagram.com/cmontbertrand/
Actor: A Day in the Life
Actor, Narrator of Audiobooks, Teacher
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1095:
Putting More Money into the Hands of More Women - Jennifer Spivak
“What has been most gratifying in starting and growing my own company has changed over time, but it always comes back to the mission of putting more money into the hands of more women and being able to do that in so many different directions. Number one, we have our clients. Literally we have generated tens of millions of dollars for women-owned businesses. That is really cool, especially when every once in a while we have clients who come to us at a low to mid 6-figures and we are able to scale them to seven figures for the first time and create women millionaires. That is major! But beyond that, something that developed over time is that all the women on my team who are fully remote and work from all over the world have the quality of life that they have because of something that I built. That is still hard for me to wrap my mind around. And lastly, tied back to my mission and my story, we have a partnership with a really amazing organization called “Free From.” They actually are one of the only organizations that I know of that specifically deals with the financial abuse element of domestic violence. We have donated about $40,000-$50,000 to them over the last couple of years. Just hearing some of the individual stories of their clients, knowing that some of our revenue went toward that, is hard to even put into words. And to think it all started with my really unfortunate experience in Harlem, NY, and now look at what has come of this.”
Jennifer Spivak is the CEO of The AdGirls Agency, an all-female Facebook Ads agency. She has helped hundreds of businesses generate millions of dollars on Facebook & Instagram, with many seeing a 1000%+ return on their ad campaigns. Her all-female team enjoys crunching data, helping women-owned businesses make tons of money, and breaking the rules when it comes to Facebook ads. Jennifer has been featured in Forbes & The New York Times, listed as a Top Facebook Ads Manager to Watch in 2019, and is an adjunct professor of digital marketing at The City College of New York.
Connecting With Jennifer Spivak
Website: https://theadgirls.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jennspivak
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-ad-girls
Instagram: instagram.com/jennspivak
Free Gift
A special gift from Jennifer Spivak: A list of 100 creative ad ideas that make competition irrelevant, available at:
Facebook Advertising
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Social Media
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1094:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist? - Dr. Stanley M. Berry
“At the end of medical school I still did not know what I wanted to specialize in. My last rotation was in obstetrics. I told a friend that I hoped that I would find this area more interesting than the others I had been studying because if I didn’t, I didn’t know what I was going to do. Thankfully, obstetrics was a perfect balance of my skills and interests, and I fell in love with it. Obstetrics is a ‘happy specialty’ for the most part and it offers you a little bit of everything: internal medicine, radiology, a lot of surgery and I was interested in all of those areas. I was fortunate to be accepted to a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at St. Louis University. From pretty early on I realized that I wanted to be a high-risk obstetrical specialist because it was a way to help women who were truly in need.
“The three things I teach my students are: hypertension disorder, diabetes disorder and pre-term birth. All of those can critically affect a pregnancy. In order to pursue this specialty, described as maternal-fetal medicine, I had to pursue two more years of training, which I did at Wayne State on a fellowship. I was also super fortunate that one of the top researchers on perinatal issues in the world, Dr. Roberto Romero, came to our university and he recruited me to work with him. We did some studies together that will probably never be repeated due to their breakthrough results. My educational foundation has been gratifying on so many levels and prepared me to maximize my talents so that I can serve my clients to the best of my ability. For that I am eternally grateful.”
Dr. Stanley Berry has been a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist and provided care to women with high-risk pregnancies for 37 years. Although Dr. Berry has authored or co-authored a large number of medical publications, “A Fight For Full Disclosure” is his debut novel. His professional musician father & social worker mother, passed to him a love of music, reading, and a respect for hard work. Although he refers to himself as a “failed English major,” Dr. Berry never lost his passion for creative writing or his goal of communicating his ideas about the world of medicine and medical research through the medium of fiction.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Dr. Stanley M. Berry
Website: https://stanleymberry.com/
A Day in the Life
Author, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist, Physician, Teaching/Teacher
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1093:
Tragedy Turned Into Purpose - Cammie Wolf Rice
“Unfortunately, it was tragedy turned into purpose. In high school, my son was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, which is a colon disease. He was an overachiever and held everything in his gut. His senior year in high school, the doctor informed me that his colon needed to come out. Christopher was an AP student. He had goals to be a Navy seal. A really disciplined kid. He ended up having complications in the surgery and we went home from the hospital with 90 Oxycontins. Purdue Pharma had released the wonder drug Oxycontin to relieve all pain. I was told to give them to him every four hours, which I did. I didn’t even think about questioning what the doctor told me to do. Then my son had to keep having different surgeries, which put him back on the Oxycontin each time. And ultimately, he fought addiction the second half of his life. We had every resource to help him, but I still could not save my son’s life. We lost him February 26th, 2016, at 32-years-old. That is the whole reason I do what I do today to save other mothers and fathers. What’s staggering is, since my son’s passing, there have been over 300,000 people who have died in this country due to Oxycontin. Right now we should be screaming to the rooftops to bring awareness and education to parents and to youth. Saying no to drugs didn’t work. And that’s really what the Christopher Wolf Crusade is all about. I launched the charity in 2018. When you lose a child, there are no words for it because it is out of the natural order of life. They say the sixth stage of grief is finding purpose. I think I went straight to stage six. The only way I know how to describe it is there was a fire inside of me. I had to save other mothers and fathers from going through what I’m going through. If I looked at it deep enough, I felt like there’s a missing position in our healthcare system. It’s something that Christopher didn’t have and that I did not have as his caretaker. We have coaches for everything else in our lives, But when you’re in a health crisis, in a hospital, where’s your coach? There’s no coach. So, I’ve had a clinical trial for the past 2 years going on at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, the third largest trauma hospital in the country. We developed a Life Care Specialist as the position is to educate the patient and the parents on the dangers of those medications and how fast you need to taper off. And we provide non-pharmaceutical solutions to pain. In addition, we provide mental wellness techniques. My team and I are all certified instructors with the Trauma Resource Institute, and we teach skills at the patient bedside on how to address and manage your pain.”
Cammie Wolf Rice is a mother, an advocate, an author and an agent for change. She has personal experience dealing with the dangers of opioid misuse through her own son’s battle from childhood through his passing at 32. Cammie has transferred her pain into purpose. She has made it her mission to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic and alternative pain management strategies.
On Her Bookshelf
The Flight, by Cammie Wolf Rice
The Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, by Patrick Radden Keefe
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America, by Beth Macy
*Dopesick is also a miniseries on HULA TV, starring Michael Keaton
Connecting With Cammie Wolf Rice
Website: cammiewolfrice.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/ChristopherWolfCrusade
Twitter: twitter.com/CWC_world
Instagram: instagram.com/christopherwolfcrusade
Healthcare, Oxycontin / Opiods, Pain / Alternate Pain Management
Author, Executive, Non-profit
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1092:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Energy and Environmental Expert? - Tom Mullikin
“To me, the biggest breakthroughs in this country are our broad and sweeping environmental standards that are enforceable. Many countries around the world have just passed in total our environmental standards, and they’ll say that. The question is not what your standards are. The question is how are you prepared to enforce those standards. And that’s where you see Bobby Kennedy and others roll in behind you to insist on enforcement. I tend to involve myself in what some people would call counseling attorney and counselor-at-law. It’s the counseling side of helping not only big business, but also governments, like the government of Fiji and others, where I go in and try to find that higher ground, where we can have the highest level of environmental protection while also ensuring that we’re not destroying the economy at the same time. People often ask, why do you care about that? The reason is that the places I’ve been around the world that have the most robust economies also have the highest level of environmental protection.”
Major General Tom Mullikin, who chairs the South Carolina Floodwater Commission, was once referred to by the South Carolina Governor as “the most interesting man in the world.” An energy-environmental attorney and a university professor, Tom is a former U.S. Army officer and retired commanding general of the South Carolina State Guard who has spent the last four decades leading expeditions to many of the most remote regions in the world, traversing every continent on earth, climbing mountain ranges of the world’s seven tallest peaks—including reaching the summits of more than 20 mountains across the globe—and logging scuba dives in all the world’s oceans.
On His Bookshelf
Global Solutions: Demanding Total Accountability for Climate Change, by Tom S. Mullikin
Sportsman Environmentalist, by Tom Mullikin
A Day in the Life, Environmental and Energy Expert: A Day in the Life
Author, Environmental & Energy Expert, Lawyer, Professor, Self-defense Instructor, U.S. Army
September 2022:
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1091:
The Best Investment You Can Make Is in Yourself - Ryan Cote
“While I have always been entrepreneurial, I had no intention at all of going into the family business and there was no pressure to do so. After graduating from the University of Scranton with a degree in marketing, I worked for two different companies in New York City for a couple of years as a list management broker. When my middle brother graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology and joined the family business and I saw how he enjoyed working with my dad and uncle, I began to realize that joining Ballantine might be a smart path for me. They’d never had a marketing person in house and both agreed my expertise could take the company to the next level. That was in 2003 and it’s been an amazing journey.”
Ryan Cote is the Director of Digital Services and Partner at The Ballantine Corporation, a third-generation family-owned direct mail and digital marketing company based out of Fairfield, NJ. With them since 2003, Ryan manages the digital marketing division, including account management, sales and strategy, and founded The Morning Upgrade Podcast.
Connecting With Ryan Cote
Website: www.ballantine.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ballantinecorp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ballantine-corporation
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ballantinecorp/
Entrepreneurism, Family Business
Digital Marketing
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1090:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Nutrition and Wellness Doctor? - Dr. Ann Kulze
“While I had always included diet and nutrition as a vital part of my clinical practice, along with the more traditional medical procedures, as I continued to research and study the science that increasingly reported that the majority of the chronic conditions people in modern Western cultures face are induced predominately by diet and lifestyle choices, I began to question whether I was making my greatest contribution to my patients. The catalyst that gave me the courage to walk away from my successful clinical practice was reading Doctor Walter Willett’s groundbreaking book: Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating, which was rooted in studies that tracked the health of dieters over twenty years. The work I do is fascinating and gratifying in every way.”
Dr. Ann Kulze has distinguished herself as a one-of-a-kind, “real world” nutrition and wellness expert. She received her undergraduate degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition from Clemson University and her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina where she graduated as valedictorian. She’s the Founder and CEO of the wellness education firm Just Wellness LLC. She’s also the author of six books, including her bestselling Eat Right for Life series. She’s been featured in many national media outlets, including the Dr. Oz Show, Oprah, Time Magazine, and many others.
On Her Bookshelf
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating, by Walter Willett, M.D
Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome, by Will Bulsiewicz
How to Eat: All Your Food and Diet Questions Answered, by Mark Bittman and David Katz
Eat Right for Life: Your Common Sense Guide to Eating Right and Living Well, by Ann G. Kulze
Connecting With Dr. Ann Kulze
Website: www.drannwellness.com
Facebook: facebook.com/drannwellness/
Twitter: @drannwellness
Instagram: drannwellness
Free Gift
Dr. Ann Kulze’s tells our listeners that “you could come to my website and literally spend days educating yourself for free.” Education resources are offered in forms of a newsletter, a blog, video tips, recipes and more.
A Day in the Life of a Nutrition & Wellness Expert, Microbiome
Author, Doctor, Nutritionist, Physician, Wellness Consultant
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1089:
A Wealth Advisor Who Believes Life Should Be Lived by Design - Ken Kladouris
“About a year after I graduated with an MBA, I joined Morgan Stanley and went into their Financial Advisor Training System. When you are first starting out, you are trying to do a combination of learning everything you have to learn, building your own confidence, and you have to work in the operational side and the client development side of the business. That was a little different than what I was expecting, but it was fun. I was at Morgan Stanley for about two years, but I knew I wanted to go independent, which is a different type of advisory. I became an independent advisor with a large firm, and then I joined a team of about 30 independent advisors as well. That was great because you get more independence when you work for a firm that’s also independent. Through time, I realized that the specific niche that I wanted to focus on is the alternative investment space, specifically 1031 Exchange, Syndicated Real Estate. My business partner and I offer financial solutions to individuals who own multiple pieces of real estate but are tired of managing it and dealing with the headache that comes with that. They are looking for the next chapter of their life, to have the freedom to really live with design– to travel, to spend time with their grandkids, or whatever they want to do with the rest of their lives. We help them to a 1031 Exchange, which is a process of selling real estate and buying other real estate and, when done correctly, getting to defer the tax on profits.”
Ken Kladouris is an esteemed wealth advisor and author of “Get There! Chart Your Course to Financial Abundance and Live the Life You Desire.” He believes life should be lived, by design. Charting his own course in the wealth management industry, he earned the respect of his peers and the trust of his clientele. Most recently, he developed an online course entitled “Stillness to Success” which provides a valuable resource for individuals who are ready to create real change in their lives.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Ken Kladouris
Website: www.kenkladouris.com
Facebook: facebook.com/kenkladouris
Instagram: instagram.com/kenkladouris
Meditation, Wealth Management
Author, Financial Advisor, Wealth Advisor
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1088:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Firefighter? - Jonathan Salmond
“The kind of person that succeeds as a firefighter is typically a Type A personality: motivated, competitive, achievement oriented. You obviously have to make on-the-spot decisions—you can’t be wishy-washy. It’s far better to deploy a poor plan well than have a perfect plan executed poorly. Often people’s lives are on the line. The training that each individual receives at the intensive, four-month long Firefighting Academy covers all the basics: building construction, fire science, how the different apparatuses work, how to use tools and raise ladders, how to deal with motor vehicle accidents and much more. There is also a thorough Emergency Medical Services (EMS) component. The typical schedule for a firefighter is one 24-hour day followed by three days off. It is a very challenging occupation to say the least, but it is equally gratifying on so many levels. I am proud to have served the Paterson New Jersey Fire Department for the last 9 years and honored to now be a Captain.”
Jonathan Salmond offers two decades of extraordinary success in a series of high-level roles as an Inspirational Speaker and as a Fire Captain. Jonathan’s invaluable expertise and broad business range have powered a history of developing successful process improvements that drive productivity, reliability, and client satisfaction. Upon beginning his career as an Inspirational Speaker, Jonathan has the innate ability to inspire people to do their best with their most valuable asset: action. He has dedicated himself and his vision as a leader who engages in projects with an “All-In” attitude. Jonathan is able to help other people due to his adeptness in Leadership, Team Building, Teamwork, Customer Service, and Overcoming Adversity.
Connecting With Jonathan Salmond
Website: www.jonathansalmond.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/jonathan.salmond.1
Twitter: twitter.com/jonathansalmond
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathanesalmond
Instagram: instagram.com/salmond365
A Day in the Life of a Firefighter, Multiple Careers
Firefighter, Inspirational Speaker
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1087:
Finding Her Talents One Job at a Time - Audrey Eger Thompson, MS
“My sister was a psychologist, my mother was a budding psychologist, and I figured that is just what I am going to do. So, my bachelor’s degree is in psychology. I liked it from the start. I am interested in how humans behave. I loved the different methodologies. I loved everything about it, and I learned I did not want to become a therapist. I watched my sister and my mother and their clients and knew that I wanted to do something that affects more people, but I also had a liking for–this makes no sense at all but–renewable energy. My first career was working for an electric utility’s energy conservation program in Austin, Texas.”
Audrey Eger Thompson, MS, is a Certified Leadership Coach with Just Mind Counseling. Her lessons in coaching go back as far as the age of 10 when she was a competitive swimmer and was specifically coached to compete against herself. Today, that simple, yet powerful philosophy is at the core of her coaching practice. Audrey’s goal in coaching is to help you be your best–not in a way that glorifies perfection, but by giving you the tools, insights, and clarity to grow. Whether your goal is to advance in your career or discover what you are born to do, Audrey works with you to envision your long-term priorities, and then helps you create a path to reach them.
Connecting With Audrey Eger Thompson, MS
Website: http://thompson-and-neumann.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-thompson-0222325/
Email: audreythomp@gmail.com
Leadership, Multi Careers, Talents
Energy Conservation, Leadership Coach, Organizational Development
August 2022:
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1086:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Alternative Education Innovator? - Steve Robertson
“I think that where we are right now we are seeing that the generation that’s coming of age truly doesn’t know what it is they want to do. And there are many reasons for that. I can totally understand that, but if they position themselves in a way that they can test drive a number of different things, just to see how it fits, just to see how that makes them feel, then I think it is really a powerful way to begin the journey for them. So obviously we specialize a lot in that process. And I really believe that so much of that happens outside of school.”
At the time of this interview, Steve Robertson was the CEO of Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs (JKCP), an organization specializing in youth-to-adult programming that turns curiosity into passion and skill. Steve was with the company for 20 years. In this role, his primary responsibility was to cultivate a culture that results in memories lasting a lifetime. Steve is an expert on youth development and education as well as understanding and adapting to youth. He is now, 2022, the CEO of Bold-Education.
On His Bookshelf
Aliens Among Us: The Disconnected Generation, by Steve Robertson (launching in summer 2022)
The 4-Hour Work Week, by Timothy Ferris
Connecting With Steve Robertson
Website: stevenjrobertson.com/about/
Facebook: facebook.com/Lordstevenrobertson
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stevenjrobertson/
A Day in the Life, Alternative Education
Author, CEO, Educator, Speaker
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1085:
A College Internship Lights Her Passion for a Career in Television - Robbin Steed
“I do think anything you can do in college to experience as many work environments as you can is very helpful, even if it is finding a connection or reaching out through LinkedIn and asking if you can shadow someone for a day or finding an internship that many of the stations, ad agencies and marketing firms offer. The internships I had completely influenced my passion to work in television.”
Robbin Steed is the owner of Robbin Steed and Associates, while continuing to serve as Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Networks of 11Alive/ NBC Atlanta/TEGNA Media. She is responsible for providing business, civic and philanthropic leadership for TEGNA Media’s Atlanta broadcast and digital properties. Additionally, she manages the TEGNA Foundation for the Atlanta market. She is a purpose-driven marketing, sales and communications leader and a cum laude graduate of the Henry Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia.
Connecting With Robbin Steed
Website: robbinsteed.com
Facebook: facebook.com/robbin.steed
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robbin-steed-b6688911/
Twitter: @rcsteed
Instagram: instagram.com/rcsteed/
Education, Foundation Work, Internships, Television career
Business Owner, Foundation Work, Television
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1084:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Executive Search Consultant? - Caroline Stokes
“I remember starting at Sony in Soho, London and I was in the situation where there was no onboarding, there was no Human Resources. We had just started the PlayStation division. It was like this mini startup. We were young, scrappy, and hungry and trying to make it work, trying to generate revenue and to get the license for the PlayStation. I felt like I was this odd person that had just been added to a team without any formal integration on what the goals are, what the challenges are, how we need to work together. Instead of there being a cohesive collaborative culture being formed, we were all just shooting off in our particular areas. And that’s where I think the first “100 Days Concept” came about and which repeated itself time and time again. Every time I moved to a new country, every time I changed jobs, I thought: ‘Okay, I’ve had enough. I’ve REALLY got to change this model.’”
Caroline Stokes leads an executive search and emotional intelligence coaching company for successful leaders and global technology organizations to move forward together. Her entire approach to executive search, the employer brand, the candidate and employee experience is included in her business book “Elephants Before Unicorns: Emotionally Intelligent HR Strategies To Save Your Company,” published by Entrepreneur Press (2019).
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Caroline Stokes
Website: www.theforward.co
Twitter: twitter.com/oCarolineStokes
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ocarolinestokes
A Day in the Life, Emotional Intelligence, Recruiting Executives
Author, Business Owner, Emotional Intelligence Coach, Leadership Coach
July 2022:
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1083:
Drawn to the Study of Humankind - Tony Wall
“I was in the security systems business for 20 years. One day I found myself in the number one position in national sales and I couldn’t go any further than that. There was a glass ceiling. So I left my job with ADT and I became a financial advisor. Now this is an interesting thing: It was the worst mistake I ever made. I went into the financial services business and found I wasn’t wired for the relationships that could ebb and flow with the markets. It’s all fun and games when we’re all doing great, but when everything goes down, people get fuzzy memories. Although I just said this job move was the worst mistake of my life, it really wasn’t–because if I hadn’t done that, I would not be at a place where I can do what I do now that is so exhilarating for me.”
Tony Wall is the founder and president of Noesis, a non-profit that’s dedicated to human education and the elimination of perpetual conflict. Wall spent most of his career in the financial services industry but continually found himself drawn back to the study of humankind. In 2019, he established Noesis and created a series of educational videos to explain his concept of the human injury and how primitive instincts drive today’s human interactions.
Connecting With Tony Wall
Website: noesisproject.com
Facebook: facebook.com/NoesisProject1
Twitter: @noesisproject_
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/no%C4%93sis-project/
Instagram: instagram.com/noesis_project/
Hmankind
Business Owner, Financial, Sales, Security Sytems
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1082:
A Voracious Learner, Sharing Knowledge - Sean Sessel
“I got to a really dark place because I felt like I had to make that choice: That I could either be financially successful but I could only do so if I sell my soul, sell my values─or, I could be broke. Neither one of those options was acceptable to me.”
Sean Sessel is a voracious learner with a fervent belief in the ability of the individual to better himself or herself. After an epiphany that he derived intrinsic enjoyment from, continual learning and the sharing of knowledge with others, he decided to make a career of it and started the Oculus Institute. Sean developed a unique system called psychohacking and helps individuals escape burnout jobs and craft careers that truly inspire AND pay well. He works with people to prevent self-sabotage, dissolve stress, and discover their personal power and value.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Sean Sessel
Website: https://www.oculusinstitute.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oculusinstitute/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-oculus-institute/
Email: Sean@oculusinstitute.com
Free Gift
Free presentation called The 7-Step Strategy to Conquer Burnout and Build a Truly Fulfilling Career Without Risking Your Financial Security, available at oculusinstitute.com/workshop
Learning, Self-discovery, Self-understanding, Values
Author, Business Owner, Career Coach, Entrepreneur, Strategic Consultant
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1081:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Neurosurgeon? - Stephen Kalhorn, MD
“You really delay a lot of life for this profession. Neurosurgery in particular is always calling you back, and you’re always thinking about these high risk patients and how to do better and what you can innovate to make things better for them. But you do pay for it. I can’t emphasize that enough because it does come at a cost, but I can’t imagine doing anything different. Neurosurgery is a very atypical medical career with one of the smallest number of doctors nationally, but my older brother’s example as a neurosurgeon inspired me to pursue the path I chose. I am forever grateful to him because the work that I do every day is gratifying on so many levels.”
Stephen Kalhorn is a husband, father of three, inventor and a professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of South Carolina. He deals with adult patients with conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord and vertebral column including brain and spinal tumors, degenerative conditions and traumatic injuries. He has a particular interest in minimally invasive, complex and adult spinal deformity surgery.
Connecting With Stephen Kalhorn, MD
Email: Kalhorn@musc.edu
Website: muschealth.org/providerdirectory/Kalhorn-Stephen
Facebook: facebook.com/Neurosurg
A Day in the Life of a Neurosurgeon
Neurosurgeon
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1080:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Celebrity Makeup Artist? - Encore - Rhonda Barrymore
“I was about seven years old when I saw the movie Cleopatra, and I was just enthralled with the hair and makeup that movie portrayed. That was a long time ago with the original Cleopatra being Elizabeth Taylor. I went home and was so inspired, I got my crayons out and drew a picture for my Aunt Flo, and my Aunt Flo kept that picture that I drew with crayons, and I still have it today. That drawing that I did was the inspiration for hair and makeup and nails.”
Rhonda Barrymore is the founder and president of Help Me Rhonda®, Inc., a worldwide provider of physical appearance products and services. Rhonda has worked locally and globally to make up and style some of the most well-known and prestigious people in the world. Some of her services include beauty and special effects makeup, as well as skincare, hair styling, wardrobe styling, prop styling and her extensive skin care and makeup product line for all branches of the media and personal use, including but not limited to film production, high definition television production, print photography and live performance.
Connecting With Rhonda Barrymore
Website: www.HelpMeRhonda.com
Facebook: facebook.com/helpmerhondainc
Twitter: twitter.com/HelpMeRhondaINC
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/helpmerhondainc/
Instagram: instagram.com/RhondaBarrymore
A Day in the Life, Celebrities as Clients, Makeup for celebraties, Skincare
Makeup Artist, Skincare and Makeup Product Line, Wardrobe Styling
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1079:
Risk One Step Out of Your Comfort Zone - Encore - Robert Mallon
“Many people are afraid to try something outside of their comfort zone. I truly believe most people—after the age of 18 or maybe 22—get sucked into the status quo. Then they’re very afraid to try anything new. I found that if I could get one foot out of that comfort zone and leave the other foot in, the comfort zone got bigger. The more risk I took and started heading toward my talent area, the more fun life became, and the more joy I got in my life by doing that. But, it took a lot of courage to break out.”
For the first 25 years of his business life, Robert Mallon was a successful executive in the restaurant and software industries. In 2002, he became a professional speaker and business coach and has conducted nearly 2,000 full-day seminars and inspired thousands with a focus on leadership, business and life. In 2013 he and a partner began working with businessmen and key leaders, between the ages of 30 and 49, who hadn’t yet realized their full potential and who felt as if they’d lost their freedom to their work lives. Note: Since the recording of this interview, Robert has started Elite Coaching Solutions and consults with individuals and companies to open them to their full potential.
On His Bookshelf
The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
Business Coach, Business Owner, Executive, Speaker
June 2022:
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1078:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Skincare and Wellness Innovator - Karen Ballou
“When I was very young, my grandmother would take me into Boston for lunch and shopping. She took me to the cosmetic counters or jewelry counters of top retail stores–some days it was about the diamonds and some days it was about the beauty. Around 8 or 9 years of age my mother gave me a kit to make my own perfume, which I also enjoyed a lot, and friends and family liked the fragrances I came up with! I guess you could say I was indoctrinated into the field, purely by accident, but these childhood experiences greatly influenced my later decisions. After graduating from college I joined my brother who had just started a skateboarding company in California—Powerflex—which is still going strong today. While I enjoyed working with my brother and loved skateboarding, I realized that this industry was not where my passions were. I knew that the beauty industry, which was very much in its formative growth stages, was where I wanted to focus. I did a great deal of research and homework into the entire industry worldwide and then sat down and over a period of weeks outlined what I call a ‘Career Pie’ that summarized, with the many product and service segments inside of a large circle (‘pie’), the many facets of the field and where my interests and passions lay. Over my entire career, that Career Pie, which is always evolving, has been my compass, if you will, whenever I face important decisions at any turning point of my life and career. I believe that every one of us should follow their passions in our career, and having a vision and plan of action, in my experience, are vital to success.”
Karen Ballou has been a leader and innovator in the skincare and wellness space her entire career. Most recently, she is the founder and CEO of Immunocologie, an all-natural skincare brand focused on skin health and immune protection as well as co-founder of LB Equity, a growth equity fund investing in emerging brands in beauty, wellness and personal care. During her career, Karen has helped formulate, position, and launch more than 75 brands. In addition, she is a licensed esthetician, has founded and owned day spas in Atlanta, Chicago and Connecticut and authored curriculum for the American Esthetician Association.
Connecting With Karen Ballou
Website: immunocologie.com
Facebook: facebook.com/karenballou4
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/karen-ballou-5485a4a/
Instagram: karen.ballou
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1077:
A Love for American Freedom Inspires Her Life - Lily Tang Williams
“I love this country. Our people and especially our youth do not know how lucky they are to be born in this country as an American. They take their freedom for granted. And that’s why I am running for U.S. Congress now. Besides my regular speaker-educator role, I am a Congressional Candidate in New Hampshire. People are interested in my background. I am the first Chinese woman in the history of the U.S. to run for Congress as a Republican. There is one Chinese person also running as a Democrat in N.Y. With all my rich personal stories, I wanted to tell people as Americans how we move forward. We should not go down the path of socialism and communism or globalism. It was the rights and liberty as a concept in our Declaration of Independence which brought me to this great county. I am very blessed. I am living my dreams–even if just by running for U.S. Congress¡ But I don’t take my freedom for granted. I tell people that the reason I’m running is because I fear that this great country I love is becoming increasingly like the country I left. I want to keep the American Dream alive for my children.”
Lily Tang Williams was a law school assistant professor in Fudan University, Shanghai, China who became an American entrepreneur, an educator and a motivational speaker. She is now running for Congress in New Hampshire. Born to illiterate working-class parents in China’s western Sichuan province just before Mao’s Cultural Revolution, Lily Tang Williams grew up experiencing extremely poor living conditions, food rationing, social chaos and Communist indoctrination. She came to America in 1988 to study in a graduate school. Today, she has her own businesses, and relishes the freedom, independence, and prosperity she found in America. She loves her new country and travels frequently throughout the states to share the story of her American Dream and to educate people about horrors of Communism. Lily is on the Speakers Bureau of Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. She has been speaking to students in middle schools, high schools and colleges across the country for the past five years.
Connecting With Lily Tang Williams
Website: www.lilytangwilliams.com
Facebook: facebook.com/lilytangwilliams and facebook.com/lily4congress (temporary 2022)
Twitter: @Lily4Liberty
Instagram: Lily Tang Williams
YouTube: Lily Tang Williams
American Dream, Childhood in China, Communism in China, Current U.S. policies (Spring 2022)
Associate Professor at Shangai law school, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker
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1076:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Film and TV Industry Executive? - Tim Tortora
“After graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in advertising, I worked as a media planner at McCann Erickson figuring out the best media and advertising strategies for the movies that Columbia and TriStar released from 1989 to 1992. I figured out a more effective way to complete the reach and frequency efficiency of our campaigns across 200+ markets–my analytical skills at play–which cut the planning time of most planners from over 2+ hours to 20 minutes or less. After questioning me about my method for solving the problem so efficiently, the New York office asked me if I’d like to transfer there as supervisor and a pay raise that was literally three times greater than what I was earning at the time as a 25-year-old ‘newbie’ in the world of advertising. My immediate response was: ‘No thank you, I want to make movies.’ Soon thereafter I accepted a job as a production assistant on a TV show called Dream On which was featured on HBO, for a tiny fraction of the salary I was offered in the ad business. My gut told me that if I took that high-paying job I would be shackled by the proverbial ‘golden handcuffs’ and never be able to pursue my passion for the film and TV industry. My gut was spot on and I have been creating a career that I love every day ever since.”
Tim Tortora has spent his impressive career in the entertainment industry garnering extensive financial and producing experience before releasing his second book “An Effective Guide To Build Your Path In The Film And TV Industry.” His latest book and companion community guides aspiring filmmakers through the black box that is building a durable network in film and TV production.
Connecting With Tim Tortora
Websites: timtortora.com and career.timtortora.com
Facebook: fb.me/timtortora.blog
Twitter: twitter.com/timtortora
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tim-tortora-5386ba3/
Film and TV Production, Film Line Producer
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1075:
Making the Leap to What She Loves - Sonja Price
“I started doing career counseling on the side of a full-time job, mostly for fun with friends and family members. Then I was getting referrals, and referrals from referrals. Before I knew it, I had this part-time budding business. I did this very successfully for a number of years. Then I came to a crossroad in my career. I thought long and hard about what it is that I really enjoy doing: what gives me that sense of satisfaction and fulfillment, and the meaning I want to have in life. It really is through coaching, consulting and advisement. So, I decided to take the leap and focus on my career coaching business full-time.”
Sonja “Dynamo” Price is a Top Career Strategist, Salary Advisor, and Leadership Coach. Her mission in life is to support professionals have greater meaning in their lives, better work-life balance, and significantly higher pay. She is the distinguished author of 2 books: The Pivot Point System and The Infinite Leader. She has worked directly with Tony Robbins, trained with Al Gore to become a Climate Reality Leader, and won an Honorable Award from the Women’s Economic Forum. She has helped many clients land their dream job with prestigious organizations such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Starbucks, AT&T, Nordstrom, and many other large and small organizations. In her downtime, she enjoys skiing, playing piano, and geeking out over strategy board games.
Connecting With Sonja Price
Website: www.DynamoCareers.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DynamoCareers
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sonjaprice
Instagram: instagram.com/dynamocareers
Free Gift
‘Increase Your Income’ Masterclass
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by $20,000 to $100,000 or MORE Per YEAR!…
By Making ONE Simple Change to Your Career!
Watch this short 14-minute FREE Masterclass to learn more.Dynamo Careers Resources
Explore free articles, tools, and guides
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how to find meaningful work and earn more money.
Learn how to advance your career now!Dynamo Careers Resources
Explore free articles, tools, and guides that can help professionals understand how to find meaningful work and earn more money.
Learn how to advance your career now!
www.DynamoCareers.com/Resources -
1074:
Helping Grads to Grown-ups Get on Their Path to Success - Gene Rice
“When we sold our executive search firm, for a couple of years we had non-competes. My partner and I decided to develop training programs for the recruiting industry, and one of them became one of the biggest training programs of its time. We would go to different cities around the world for a week at a time and would share the Rice Cohen Training model with a hundred recruiters and 50 recruiting firm owners. We ended up with over 2,000 recruiting firms buying our training model. But after 2 years, I was just bored out of my mind! Once a month we were doing the exact same 5-day training. I missed doing the searches myself. That’s just what my passion was, that’s what I loved doing and where my talent was. So, we ended up re-acquiring our old company. I think one of the goals every human should have is to find something they sincerely love doing, and then doing it well enough that they can make a living from it. I found that! I found that in the executive search business.”
Gene Rice’s business career includes working for a Fortune 100 firm–where he was promoted 5 times in 7 years–to co-founding Rice Cohen International, a successful executive search firm. He has placed over 1,000 C level executives while mentoring many young professionals. In 2008, Gene and his wife started a nonprofit charity, The Plant a Seed Inspire a Dream Foundation, which has enabled over 800 children from low-income households to pursue their passions. Gene and his daughter, a teacher, have recently co-authored the book “Grad to Grown-Up.” His greatest successes are his marriage, his children and grandchildren.
On His Bookshelf
Grad to Grown-Up, 68 Tips to Excel in Your Personal and Professional Life, by Gene Rice and Courtney Bejgrowicz
Connecting With Gene Rice
Websites: www.gradtogrownup.com and www.plantaseedfoundation.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/grice11
Do What You Love
May 2022:
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1073:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Pain Management Physician? - Michael “Gabe” Hillegass, M.D.
“I like being part of a team. I work alongside great physicians and nurses and others, and it’s fun to do that. It’s highly rewarding to care for others–to see somebody who is struggling with a painful condition and help them to make that more manageable. I enjoy working with my hands. I enjoy problem-solving. I enjoy the marathon of building a practice. I’m starting a pain fellowship here at MUSC, which we’ve not had for a couple of decades. Just being a part of something new and always growing and improving on every level–professionally and personally–makes me grateful every day that I wake up.”
Dr. Michael “Gabe” Hillegass is a board-certified interventional pain management physician and anesthesiologist. He is medical director of the Chronic Pain Clinic and an associate professor within the College of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, SC. Dr. Hillegass completed his anesthesiology residency at MUSC, where he was a chief resident, before moving on to Harvard Medical School’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital for his pain medicine fellowship training. He subsequently served four years on active duty with the navy at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia. He has won research and teaching awards and has published research articles in peer-reviewed medical journals as well as numerous chapters in pain medicine textbooks. He is dedicated to educating his patients and their loved ones as well as rotating medical students and residents on safe and effective comprehensive pain management strategies.
Connecting With Michael “Gabe” Hillegass, M.D.
Website: https://muschealth.org/MUSCApps/providerdirectory/Hillegass-Michael
Email: hillegas@musc.edu
A Day in the Life of a Pain Management Physician, Pain Management
anesthesiologist, Doctor, Pain Management Physician, Physician
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1072:
Defining Success on His Own Terms - Mort Fertel
“This is when the story really gets interesting because at this point, in some ways you might have described me as a typical Ivy League yuppie living in New York at the time. And I had done the Wall Street thing, I had my own business, and I was succeeding in much the way that culture and society expects one to succeed. I felt though that something significant was missing from my life. I wasn’t really satisfied. I was finding my success to be empty in many ways and I didn’t know why. And so, I bought a one-way ticket to Bangkok….”
Mort Fertel is the creator of Marriage Fitness, a relationship renewal system that’s been used by millions of people in marital crisis. People from all over the world schedule private tele-sessions with him by joining the Marriage Fitness tele-bootcamp. Over 3 million people have subscribed to his free report, Seven Secrets to Fixing Your Marriage. He’s the subject of Back from the Brink, a documentary written and directed by Torres Thomas, which chronicles people in marriage crises. Mort graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1987 and was the CEO of an international nonprofit organization. He lives with his wife and five children, including triplets, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Connecting With Mort Fertel
Website: https://marriagemax.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/MortFertelMarriageFitness/
Twitter: twitter.com/mortfertel
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mortfertel
Instagram: instagram.com/mortfertel/
Free Gift
The free report “7 Secrets to Fixing Your Marriage” is available at https://marriagemax.com/.
Over 3 million people have subscribed to this report.
Marital Crisis, Marriage, Money, Purpose, Travel
Author, Business Owner, Direct Marketer, Entrepreneur, Marriage Fitness, Sales, Wall Street
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1071:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Home Security Expert? - David Selinger
“After six months doing a deep dive into AI [Artificial Intelligence] from every perspective I could imagine, I wanted to figure out an application of the technology that would make the world a better place. The more I learned about the security industry, I quickly realized that what was being offered by companies in this market was utterly ineffective–mostly smoke and mirrors frankly. The net result is that security cameras alone cannot stop crime at all, yet they promote their cameras and alarm systems as if they can. I am a family man who believes that everyone deserves to feel safe, especially in these stressful times. My team and I created a security system that is empirically light years ahead of every competitor in the industry. Our system does not merely monitor perpetrators of home security, trespassing, package theft, auto tampering and even loitering on your property. Once our surveillance system detects these perpetrators on camera, within a few short seconds, literally seconds, our security guards–actual human beings who are wired into the system–immediately verbally confront the individual to ascertain if they are friends or not. If they are not friends, the security guard tells them to leave the property immediately, which of course they do because they have been ‘caught red-handed’ so to speak. If the perpetrator(s) persist, the security guard calls the Police who can be on the premise in just a few short minutes to apprehend the criminal. While over 95% of calls to the Police from other systems are false alarms, none of ours are because of the personal engagement of our security guards. My team and I are utterly proud of the effectiveness of our system, and our client satisfaction rate is unmatched. We continue to learn more every day about how to become even more effective at keeping our customers safe.”
David Selinger was an early employee at Amazon, working directly under Jeff Bezos. He led the R&D arm of Amazon’s data-mining and personalization team. He co-founded Redfin (now a multi-billion-dollar real estate company) and founded Rich Relevance, a company that offers personalized shopping experiences for large retail brands, including Macy’s, Barneys New York, Office Depot and others. He is now inventing the next BIG thing in home security.
Connecting With David Selinger
Website: deepsentinel.com
Facebook: facebook.com/deepsentinel
Twitter: twitter.com/deep_sentinel
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/selly
A Day in the Life, Amazon, Business Security, Home Security, Safety, Surveilance
April 2022:
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1070:
The Power of Love Where There Was None - Lora DeVore
“I’m also interested in disclosing the dark history of psychiatry and other systems. I couldn’t have written this book without doing a whole lot of research. I learned about our country’s historical work and found out that not only mental patients, but prisoners, institutionalized children, newborns, African Americans, Native Americans, our own military and cities at large were all used as unsuspecting research subjects. As I reviewed declassified records, what I discovered is that they were used in that way, myself included, because we were described as less desirables. I believe that my history is a reflection of a much larger story, and that history reveals what needs to be known. We need to learn from those grievous errors of the past and begin to change things. And I also believe that we’re in a time in which everything that has been hidden is coming up to be looked at. Unless we look at this, nothing can change. Awareness is the first step of change. And so I want people to be aware of our collective history…and I hope to see a shift in consciousness.”
Lora DeVore is a writer and catalyst for change for individuals and systems. Her wisdom comes from the field of psychology, transpersonal development and spiritual psychology. Most importantly, it comes from facing the darkest aspects of human experience. She is a respected professional – and has experienced trauma that once lay secreted in a dark inner world. Lora is a survivor of abuse, sex trafficking, illegal pharmaceutical drug research, and institutional abuse. Lora can show those who’ve experienced trauma the way through the dark.
On Her Bookshelf
Darkness Was My Candle: A Memoir of Survival and Grace, by Lora DeVore
Psychology
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1069:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Women's Professional Soccer Player? - Abby Smith
“If you want to be a professional women’s soccer player, you have to know that there are going to be a lot of unknowns, a lot of ups and downs. We love the game and we’re trying to help the game grow. Hopefully later down the line we will be able to say that whoever is joining our league, they’re going to be well off, they’re going to be well taken care of, and eventually the financial side of things will catch up. We are doing this for the future generations that want to be professional soccer players.”
Abby Smith is a Professional Soccer Player in the National Women’s Soccer League based in the U.S. She is in her 5th overall season and her third with the Utah Royals FC located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Abby grew up in Dallas, Texas, playing for the Dallas Texans Soccer Club. In her youth and into her professional career, Abby has been able to participate in the United States National Team at all levels, including U15, U23 and most recently with the Senior National team.
Since this podcast was recorded, Abby has played for several other teams and now (March 2022) is the Goalkeeper for Kansas City (NWSL).
Connecting With Abby Smith
Instagram: instagram.com/abbyys44/ Website: abbysmithofficial.com Facebook: facebook.com/abbyys44/
Twitter: twitter.com/abbyys44
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/abbyys44/
A Day in the Life of a Professional Soccer Player
Soccer Player, Sports–Soccer Player
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1068:
A Winding Path from Accountant to Wellness Clinician - Laurie Warren
“I realized that if I really wanted to help people with their physical problems, we also had to start talking about things like belief systems and how they talk to themselves and how they’re managing stress. Are they using their emotions as a tool or something that they get all wrapped up in? That really started to expand how I work with people.”
Laurie Warren, a Master of Science in Nutrition, is a change agent for empowered well-being in body, mind, and spirit. She works as a corporate consultant, wellness clinician, sought-after speaker and is author of the new book, “Wild World, Joyful Heart: Unlock Your Power to Create Health and Joy.” A regularly featured expert in the media, her approach to health, healing and joy is grounded in three foundational beliefs:
1. The body is a self-organizing organism that is hardwired for healing.
2. Our mind can be used as either a bridge or a barrier in our quest for well-being.
3. What matters most is who we are as we move through this world.On Her Bookshelf
Wild World, Joyful Heart: Unlock Your Power to Create Health and Joy, by Laurie Warren
Connecting With Laurie Warren
Website: www.LaurieWarren.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/LaurieWarren
Twitter.com: twitter.com/LaurieWarren12/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lauriewarren/
Instagram: instagram.com/lauriewarren12/
Do What You Love, Health, Influencial Relationships, Wellness
Accountant, Author, Health Coach, Nutritionist, Speaker, Wellness Advocate, Wellness Consultant
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1067:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Theoretical Physicist? - Tom Banks
“The students I’ve enjoyed most are the ones who are clearly smarter than I am. Every once in a while you get these amazing students, sometimes a group of amazing students, who just blow you away and say ‘No, professor, that’s not right.’ And they’re right. And you’re wrong. That’s the biggest pleasure in the world.”
Professor Tom Banks grew up in Brooklyn NY and has lived in OR, MA, CA, NJ, GA and Israel. He was determined to be a theoretical physicist since high school and is a founding member of the New High Energy Theory Center at Rutgers, a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He works in particle physics, cosmology, condensed matter physics and the attempt to quantize Einstein’s theory of gravity. He’s still active in research at the age of 71.
On His Bookshelf
Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics: The 1986 Dirac Memorial Lectures, by Richard P. Feynman and Steven Weinberg
Connecting With Tom Banks
Email: tibanks@ucsc.edu
A Day in the Life of a Theoretical Physicist, Education
Professor, Researcher, Teaching/University, Theoretical Physicist
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1066:
The "MacGyver" for CEOs - Gary Frey
“NationsBank was 80,000 people when I started there and 160,000 two and a half years later. So, it was just this whirlwind. That’s where I learned so much about core values. I got to experience working with the best boss I’ve ever had–she’s still one of the female execs at that bank. And that’s actually where I started forming my opinions on cultural compatibility in the mergers and acquisitions world, because what I saw was the deal guys were not addressing that at all. They were just slamming the deals together. Then, before the ink was even dry, the cultural compatibility issues and the differences between corporate cultures really could become problematic. And that was also part of what I uncovered in my MacGyver role with the acquisition of the 11-state Boatmen’s Bancshares Inc., the biggest acquisition in history at that time.”
Gary Frey is a connector, “MacGyver,” and confidant for CEOs as well as the co-host of the Anything but Typical Podcast featuring vulnerable, behind-the-scenes stories of ripple-making entrepreneurs to encourage others. He has served as president of four successful companies, including Bizjournals.com, a business news portal which he helped transform from a three-person organization to a $100 million company. He has done two turnarounds and held executive positions in two Fortune 100 companies. He leads business growth coaching and business development efforts for a regional CPA firm that serves privately held businesses and their owners. He does a Murph every Monday (Google it!), is a triathlete, drummer, father of two grown sons, “Papa” to four grandkids, and married to the wife of his dreams.
Connecting With Gary Frey
Website: www.trustbgw.com
Facebook: facebook.com/BGWCPA
Twitter: twitter.com/bgwcpa
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/garydfrey
Instagram: instagram.com/bgw_cpa
Advertising Agencies, Coaching CEOs and Business Ownnerss
Business Coach, Business Development, Business Leader, Creative Director/Ad Agency, Graphic Designer
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1065:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a University President? - Martha Saunders, PhD
“One of the most important turning points in my life happened when I was serving as dean of my university. Our president always took a sincere interest in the growth and development of his leadership staff. One day, after the other staff members had left the lunch room, he and I were having a final cup of coffee, and he said to me, ‘You know, Martha, we have been working together for quite a while now, and I want you to know that I believe you would make an excellent university president.’ I was quite taken aback as I’m sure he realized by the surprised look on my face. He went on to say. ‘Yes, you absolutely would, but you need to learn more of the skills you’ll need for that role and to do that you need to experience other university settings. I hate to lose you but I only want the best for you and your career.’ That was the most generous and timely advice anyone had ever given me. Six months later I accepted a position as provost at Columbus State University, and from there I continued on my journey to many more positions as president of several fine educational institutions.”
Martha Saunders is the sixth president of the University of West Florida. In her 30-plus years in higher education, Dr. Saunders has served in academic and leadership roles at universities in Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin and Mississippi. Her area of academic expertise is in public relations and crisis communication for which she has won numerous awards.
Connecting With Martha Saunders, PhD
Website: uwf.edu/president
Facebook: facebook.com/drmdsaunders
Twitter: @drmdsaunders
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drmdsaunders
Instagram: @drmdsaunders
A Day in the Life of a University President, College / University, Education
Dean, Educator, Provost, University President
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1064:
From Internship to Ownership - Matthew K. Stewart
When asked what the best part of his job is, without hesitation Matthew Stewart responds, “The sparkle in the students’ eyes! We have other companies in my partnership that don’t work with college students, but I’ve consistently stayed with the students because I see them when they don’t think they can do our internship program. And then at the end of the program, they think they can do anything. Their whole attitude changes, their confidence changes, and the ceiling they put on themselves is lifted. It’s just miraculous to be part of that.”
In today’s episode, Matthew discusses his roles from internship to ownership of College Works Painting, now a proven training platform for future business professionals. This internship program strives to provide highly motivated college and university students with a premier, hands-on leadership development experience. It provides an extraordinary opportunity to build an impressive resume and gain marketable skills–which can be applied to any profession–by teaching them how to build and manage their own residential painting business.
Matthew Stewart is co-founder and CEO of National Service Group (NSG), which operates College Works Painting, Empire Community Construction, Home Genius Exteriors, and SMJJ Investments. NSG has grown from a small California-based business into an international company over 28 years. Matt serves on the board of directors for multiple organizations. He is past chairman of the global board for the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO), a worldwide-business network comprising over 15,600 leading entrepreneurs in 60 countries. He has traveled extensively across the world speaking on the topics of entrepreneurship, strategic planning, and business development. Matt hosts “The Edge of Excellence” podcast.
Connecting With Matthew K. Stewart
Website: www.collegeworks.com
Podcast: The Edge of Excellence
Facebook: facebook.com/matthewkstewart
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matthew-stewart-5257314
Business Travel, Entrepreneurism, Internship for University Students
Business Owner, CEO, Entrepreneur, Podcaster, Speaker
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1063:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Professional Songwriter and Country Artist? - Drew Smith
“I remember my first ‘AHA moment’ regarding my love of music. I was only five years old and my mother was playing an episode of Austin City Lights. One of my favorite bands–Nitty Gritty Dirt Band–was playing one of their biggest country hits: ‘Fishin’ in the Dark’ and band member Jimmy Ibbotson was center stage. He had this energy about him, like a radiant light that surrounded him. I thought: Man, whatever it is that’s making him feel that way–it was utterly infectious–I want to do that! I watched that video hundreds of times and it wasn’t until many years later I realized this was the moment in my life when music made me deeply feel something–emotional energy and excitement that I passionately wanted to be around. My love of every aspect of music continued to grow and expand from then on.”
Drew Smith is an RIAA-Gold award-winning professional songwriter and country artist based in Nashville, TN. He is the owner of Gray Sound Recording LLC, working as a producer and senior mixing engineer and the creator of “The Before You Record Course,” for new artists. Drew’s work has been recorded in many countries by legends like Merle Haggard, Nashville powerhouse Randy Houser, Rob Snyder, Jason Charles Miller, Kevin Denny and Australian-Canadian country singer, Gord Bamford. Drew has toured coast to coast and shared the stage with Merle Haggard, Don Williams, Big & Rich, Lee Brice, Lady A and many others.
Connecting With Drew Smith
Website: drewsmithlive.com
Facebook: facebook.com/drewsmithlive
Twitter: twitter.com/drewsmithlive
Instagram: instagram.com/drewsmithlive
Free Gift
FREE PRE-STUDIO CHECK LIST, from Drew Smith
You’ll find this free check list when you click through to information on “The Before You Record Course,” presented by Gray Sound Recording Services and Drew Smith. And while you are there, check out all the content that is included in the course and the amazingly low price by clicking “Enroll.” You don’t have to enroll, of course, but you are going to want this information if you are thinking about using a professional recording studio for the first time or are frustrated with your first experiences using a studio.
MUSIC OF DREW SMITH: Listen to some of his original music now.
Being a Professional Songwriter and Country Artist, Country Music, Nashville
Business Owner, Country Artist, Music Recording Studio Owner, Songwriter/Singer
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1062:
Finding Her Talents One Job at a Time - Audrey Eger Thompson
“When I went to college I was planning to be a psychologist. That’s what my sister was, and my mother was a budding psychologist. I just figured that’s what I was going to do, too, and I got my bachelor’s in psychology. I am very interested in how humans behave and I love the different methodologies. I loved everything about it … but I did not want to be a therapist. I watched my sister and my mother and their clients and decided I wanted to do something that affects more people. I had an interest in renewable energy, and my first job was working for the electric utility in Austin, Texas. I implemented a very new program–an energy conservation program–and found I’m pretty good at doing that. I also learned about a small department in the company called Organizational Development. What they did was help groups be more efficient and work better together–teamwork, that sort of thing. I told the people who worked there that this is what I want do when I grow up. They said they would love to have me, but I would need a master’s degree. And so that’s what I did: I went back to school. I worked my fulltime job, I had my two small children, and I went to school at night–for four years. It was very part-time but I got my masters in Leadership Development. And then, I got recruited by Del Computer.”
Audrey Eger Thompson, MS, is a Certified Leadership Coach with Just Mind Counseling. Her lessons in coaching go back as far as the age of 10 when she was a competitive swimmer and was specifically coached to compete against herself. Today, that simple, yet powerful philosophy is at the core of her coaching practice. Audrey’s goal in coaching is to help you be your best–not in a way that glorifies perfection, but by giving you the tools, insights, and clarity to grow. Whether your goal is to advance in your career or discover what you are born to do, Audrey works with you to envision your long-term priorities, and then helps you create a path to reach them.
Connecting With Audrey Eger Thompson
Website: justmind.org/executive-coaching
Email: audrey.thompson@justmind.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/audrey-thompson-0222325
Multiple Careers, Talents
Leadership Coach
March 2022:
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1061:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Health and Mindset Coach? - Hilde Larsen
Hilde Larsen passed away the week of February 13, 2022. In memory of her, we are replaying her last interview on our podcast from February 2021.
“Eight years ago, I decided I was done being sick and I was done struggling. I was so filled up on medications, hospital visits, anxiety and pain that I decided to just stop. I had been diagnosed with severe Rheumatoid Arthritis several years before, and was heavily medicated for a ‘severe’ case. The medical society tells you… you will be sick the rest of your life and that medications will help you live as ‘normal’ as possible. What they don’t tell you, is that it is not our only option. From being a mother, a sister, a wife, a business owner, an athlete, and a friend, I just became sick. My world changed overnight. I was alone, and I did not know what to do to save myself. As soon as I stopped all of the medications that were keeping me in my poor state of health, I got even worse. Now, my body was showing me how sick I really was. Something inside me told me that health was there if I could just let it come forth. I studied all day, every day and slowly changed my way of thinking and connection to spirit. Along this journey, I have seen stones turn into diamonds. I have seen life become magical and I have seen my body transforming before my very eyes. How amazing is that? I had finally made a choice to follow my inner guidance.”
Hilde Larsen is the owner and founder of Inspired by Hilde. She is a certified Health and Mindset Coach, an author, and a certified Detox Specialist. She is also an inspirational keynote speaker, a blogger, and has her own YouTube channel. She is the author of three published books: From HELL to Inspired, Know The Truth and Get Healthy, and No More Bullshit. She also creates online video programs and has her own membership site Inspired Members. Hilde works with those who are ready to heal their health and life. She is highly intuitive and has a strong connection to Mother Earth and the spiritual world. Called by nature and spirit, she is inspiring many to take back their power. Her glowing enthusiasm for health and vitality has the leading role in her work.
On Her Bookshelf
From Hell to Inspired, by Hilde Larsen
Know the Truth and Get Healthy, by Hilde Larsen
No More Bullshit, by Hilde Larsen
Connecting With Hilde Larsen
Website: inspiredbyhilde.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/hilde.larsen.50/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hilde-larsen-%E2%98%85-47170264/
Instagram: instagram.com/inspiredbyhilde/
A Day in the Life of a Health & Mindset Coach
Author, Health Coach, Mindset Coach
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1060:
From the Projects to President - Steve White
“I started leading frontline employees at Pepsi. These are men and women who are driving trucks to make deliveries at grocery stores, these are merchandisers who are in the stores merchandising the products and services. I really had to focus on what was important to them. I’ll share a story with you. As I started leading frontline employees– and you know we all make mistakes–I remember one of my employees saying, ‘Look, young man, I think you have great talent and great potential, but there are two things you need to understand: Number One–Never disrespect your employees, and Number Two–You make sure my W-2 grows every year!’ Because when you are dealing with frontline employees, a lot of them are living paycheck-to-paycheck. They are saving money, but they’ve got aspirations about sending their kids to college or helping a parent retire, and every dollar matters. As a leader your job is to make sure you are making decisions so that your teammates can grow their W-2. Isn’t that an interesting point? ‘Help me grow my W-2 every year.’ That brought me great clarity about what my role was as a leader and it changed my focus and helped me evolve even more as a leader. You have to listen more to them, figure out what they need to be successful, and decide how you put them in a position to win–because in some cases it makes a significant difference in whether a kid went to college or not. So I take that as a great responsibility. You know, we talk a lot about what makes a good leader–and it’s something that you never stop learning– but here’s something I can tell you: Listening is a critical part of leadership. It is not talking, it is listening!”
As president of Comcast’s West Division for 11 years, Steve White created a culture defined by the philosophy of Working Together to Win Together. Driven by continuous learning, radical responsibility, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Steve was responsible for all Comcast Cable operations in the Western U.S., leading nearly 30,000 employees, serving over 11 million customers, and driving annual revenue of nearly $18 billion. Today, Steve applies the same winning philosophy to his new post as president and special counsel to the CEO of Comcast Cable. Steve is the author of “Uncompromising: How an Unwavering Commitment to Your Why Leads to an Impactful Life and Lasting Legacy.”
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Steve White
Website: stevewhitespeaks.com/about
Facebook: facebook.com/SteveWhiteInc
Twitter: twitter.com/SteveWhiteInc
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stevewhiteinc
Instagram: instagram.com/stevewhiteinc
Leadership Roles
Author, Business Executive, Business Leader
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1059:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Wealth Management Advisor? - Carol Fromhagen
“For eight years after college I worked for two highly-regarded Atlanta advertising agencies in account management. In that role I collaborated with every department of the agency–the marketing team that developed the communications strategy, the creative team, the media team, and the production team. I especially enjoyed interacting with our clients about their ongoing research and refinement of their company’s vision, mission and strategy. I felt like I had earned the equivalent of a PhD in business after those years. A friend who worked at Smith Barney, a national wealth management firm at the time, suggested over and over that I consider entering his field. I told him that I could not imagine a more divergent field from my work in advertising than the world of stocks and bonds and investment strategies. Plus, I had zero experience in this field. What I did like about the idea was that it is highly entrepreneurial and I would have an opportunity to have my own business, be my own boss, and I really was attracted to that since my father had instilled the values of an entrepreneur in me! After more indepth research into the field and how my talents and abilities could be deployed there, I took an entry level role with Merrill Lynch, one of the top investment management firms in the country. My nearly 10 years there, coupled with my earlier business experiences, proved to be an excellent fit. After taking a year off to welcome my dear daughter into the world, I decided to take on a few freelance clients. To my great joy, the word spread like wildfire and the firm of CLF Financial, LLC, took shape. It’s been a gratifying journey on every level and I feel very blessed.”
Carol Fromhagen is a Wealth Management Advisor and Founding Partner of CLF Financial, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia. She focuses on helping high net worth individuals and retirees manage all aspects of their financial lives. She begins planning-based discussions around a client’s financial needs, their short and long-term objectives, their time horizons, and their risk tolerance. Recommendations can include investing in stocks and bonds, while also addressing wills, taxes, education funding, and business continuation.
Connecting With Carol Fromhagen
Website: www.clffinancial.com
Email: carolfromhagen@clffinancial.com
LinkedIn: Carol Fromhagen
Free Gift
Carol will talk personally with anyone seriously interested in exploring Wealth Management as a career. i
Wealth Management
Advertising, Wealth Management Advisor
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1058:
How Coaching Impacts Leaders - Sarah Wirth
“Some of the really interesting work that we’re doing right now that I’m finding a passion for and enjoyment in is understanding The Great Resignation going on right now. We’ve been looking into the research a lot around what causes people to think about leaving a job and what causes people to want to stay, so that we can share those insights with employers who can create a work environment where talented people really want to be and do their best work. We have found some interesting insights. For example, employees that feel they’re on a career trajectory at their current company are much more likely to stay if they have good communication with their leader and are kept well informed. Also, people who feel they are valued by the company, who know that what they do makes a difference and they have an important role to play are also more likely to stay.”
Sarah Wirth has over 20 years of experience in leadership development and executive coaching, as well as a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. Sarah joined EcSell Institute in 2011 as VP of Client Service. In late 2019, she was promoted to President, and now leads the company in all aspects of its operations. Sarah is co-author of the Amazon best-seller, The Coaching Effect: What great leaders do to increase sales, enhance performance, and sustain growth. She is also a sought-after presenter, sharing her common-sense insights with executives from organizations such as Mercedes Benz, Estee Lauder, and Ritz-Carlton.
On Her Bookshelf
The Coaching Effect: What great leaders do to increase sales, enhance performance, and sustain growth, co-authored by Sarah Wirth, President, and Bill Eckstrom, CEO of EcSell Institude.
Connecting With Sarah Wirth
Website: www.ecsellinstitute.com
Twitter : sarahkwirth
Coaching Leaders, Great Resignation, Why Employees Stay Loyal
Author, Business Executive, Executive Coach, Leadership Consultant, Leadership Development
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1057:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Landscape Architect? - Shawn T. Kelly
“I had a vision of making a difference in the world and helping people who were less advantaged, and I really wanted to work overseas. Soon after I graduated from the University of Arizona, a professor of mine told me about an opportunity in West Africa with the USAID, The United States Agency for International Development. The country is called Burkina Faso today and the project involved doing a baseline data inventory of the South Saharan Desert, which was in the midst of a seven year drought. The work was fascinating and engaging, but after one year our project was suddenly terminated. On reflection this was a major turning point in my life, because I began reflecting on all the feedback I had gotten from my professors and my significant other about how my lifelong passion for drawing and design were ideally suited for the profession of landscape architecture. When I came back to the United States, my significant other and I got married and I enrolled in graduate school at the University of Arizona and after three years launched my career as a landscape architect. The work I do every day continues to inspire me.”
Shawn T. Kelly is a licensed, practicing Landscape Architect, Principal of Kelly Design Group, LLC, a design build firm in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. He opened his firm 25 years ago after moving his practice from San Diego, California. He is also a full time faculty member and Distinguished Faculty Associate in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has taught for 24 years. He is a Fellow and past president of the American Society of Landscape Architect, having completed his Presidency in 2019.
Connecting With Shawn T. Kelly
Website: https://kdgllc.com/
Email: stkelly@kdgllc.com or stkelly1@wisc.edu
Twitter: @stkellyfasla
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shawn-kelly-fasla-pla-89a0a426/
Website for American Society of Landscape Architects: asla.org
A Day in the Life of a Landscape Architect, Teaching Future Landscape Architects
Business Owner, Landscape Architect, Teaching/University
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1056:
Paths to Progress and Success - Jinny Uppal
“Writing a book was never on my list of things to do–ever! It was always a very foreign thing that other, very literary types do. In early 2020 I found myself without a conventional job and I could tell this was not the time to jump into a job just for the sake of it–except I don’t like long periods of time when I don’t have a lot to do. I consider myself to be action-oriented. I’ll take risks and I’ll make decisions, but sitting back and waiting is hard. I was reflecting on my career in this downtime in 2020, and I started wondering why my story until then was always creating a correlation between the actions I took and the successes I had. Even in my telling you the story today, I kept pointing out the decision to come to the U.S., the decision to take the job, as if that was what lead to success. What I didn’t notice until I was doing this thinking is that before every period of big, bold action, there was a period where I was very deep in reflection. I might have even called it an unproductive stage, a thoughtful stage when I wasn’t doing anything. My book started as a question: What really drives major progress? Not the incremental, everyday progress, but big jumps forward. Is it the big action or is it the reflection that came before a big, bold move?”
Jinny Uppal is no stranger to driving contrary and innovative thinking. Her 20+ years of experience driving transformational growth by challenging existing norms in business is key to her success working with Fortune 500 telecom, ecommerce and retail companies. As a business and tech growth strategist, board advisor and thought leader, she continues to pave innovative paths to progress and success. Most recently, she was Vice President of Strategy at a $12B North American retailer. Jinny grew up in Mumbai and is a graduate of Florida International University and Harvard Business School. She has been a practitioner of Vedic and Buddhist meditation and breath work since 2008. Her other interests include hiking and horseback riding.
On Her Bookshelf
IN/ACTION: Rethinking the Path to Results, by Jinny Uppal
Connecting With Jinny Uppal
Website: www.jinnyuppal.com
Twitter: twitter.com/jinnyuppal
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jinnyuppal
Instagram: jinnyuppal
Challenging Business Norms, Fortune 500 Companies–Careers
Author, Business Strategist, E-commerce, Executive, Retail, Speaker, Tech Strategist, Telecom
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1055:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Business Process Engineer? - Steve H. Lawton
“As a business process engineer with Dell Computers, my main focus is transforming the way that the organization I work in is getting the work done–specifically making their business processes more efficient and effective. Of course the key to that is making the people within my business unit more effective at delivering the outcome that they want. This involves a number of different approaches and modalities, which help each individual work in the job roles that use their strongest talents and abilities thereby adding the greatest value they can and giving them the most satisfaction and highest levels of performance. As their individual effectiveness increases, so does their team’s and the company’s. They are happier and committed, as are our clients. Everyone wins.”
Steve H. Lawton holds a BS and MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University, and an MBA from St. Edward’s University. He holds two US Patents, ans is an author and TEDx speaker. He has 30+ years of business experience in roles ranging from an engineer in the Astronaut office at NASA to an executive at Dell. Steve has been with Dell for 23 years and served in a variety of leadership roles across the company. In addition to his full professional life, Steve’s inspirational story about how his attitude literally saved his life from a near fatal skiing accident in 2014 became the acclaimed book “Head First! A Crash Course in Positivity.” Intertwined in the story is the science behind the power of mindset along with practical takeaways that will improve your attitude.
On His Bookshelf
Head First! A Crash Course in Positivity, by Steve H. Lawton
Connecting With Steve H. Lawton
Website: stevehlawton.com
Email: steve@stevehlawton.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/steve-h-lawton
Author, Business Process Engineer, stop bullying/mental health advocate
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1054:
She Did Not Choose Her Surgical Specialty … It Chose Her - Dr. Rachel B. Wellner
“In my fourth year of med school at the University of Connecticut, I applied for residency. I got into Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. That was a 5-year training process where they have you rotate on many, many different surgical sub-specialties, and then you choose one. I did my breast cancer surgery in my second year. I never thought I wanted to do breast cancer surgery. It wasn’t even on my radar. I had done all my research on cardiothoracic surgery! I walked into breast cancer surgery and it was something very special. I sat down and the patients starting talking to me. And I started to talk to them. They confided in me. Breast cancer surgery sort of chose me, you know? And that was it. It was a done deal.”
Dr. Rachel Wellner was drawn to medicine at a young age, inspired by her father’s work in the medical field. In college, she pursued international mission trips, and this passion for service and health care is reflected throughout her illustrious career. From founding several international medical programs, to providing free breast cancer screenings and services to the underserved and uninsured, Dr. Wellner truly embodies the values of her oath. She is also the acclaimed author of the Dr. Roo children’s series, where Dr. Roo the Kangaroo and her group of friends teach children the importance of staying healthy.
On Her Bookshelf
Doctor Marsha Roo (Doctoroo) is a children’s book series created to entertain children at the preschool through the grade school level, relying on educational content. The main character, Doctoroo, will introduce kids to exciting challenges in basic health as she explores the world vanquishing health problems. “It is my hope that the characters will stimulate young minds by introducing them to a positive, professional figure who embodies the spirit of cultural competence, creativity, and adventure,” Dr. Wellner says of her books.
Book 1: Dr. Marsha and the Case of the Missing Hot Dogs and Marshmellows
Book 2: Doctoroo! & the Case of the Hacking Hippo
Book 3: Doctoroo! & the Case of the Red Hot Hawaiian (Coming Soon: to check if available, check this page)
Connecting With Dr. Rachel B. Wellner
Websites: drrachelwellner.com and www.doctoroo.health
Children's Books, Underserved Communities
Author, Breast Cancer, Surgeon, Surgeon
February 2022:
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1053:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Neuroscientist? - Nicole Tetreault, PhD
“In the very early stages of my mother’s Parkinson’s condition, when I was 18, I went with her to a doctor’s appointment to get a thorough diagnosis. After he shared his thoughts with us, I asked him if there was something we could do, anything we could do, to improve her symptoms and the way she was living, such as some kind of exercise or dietary options. He quickly replied that there were none: ‘It’s just how the disease manifests and there is absolutely nothing you can do.’ My instincts, even at that young age, with modest knowledge of health and nutrition, told me that could not be true. That doctor’s visit was one of the earliest catalysts that propelled me into doing a deep dive at UCLA, where I got my PhD, into neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative disorders because I wanted to empower patients, their families and physicians with knowledge that would profoundly improve the quality of their lives on every level.”
Dr. Nicole Tetreault is a neuroscientist, writer, meditation teacher, and speaker. She specializes in neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative disorders and translates the promise of neuroscience and positive psychology for individuals to live the best quality of life. She is dedicated to enhancing lives through a holistic approach that integrates development of positive thought processes, cultivation of self-compassion and awareness of bodily sensations with our environment. She is the author of “Insight Into a Bright Mind,” which explores groundbreaking research examining experiences of unique, creative, and intense brains through interviews, storytelling, and literary science.
On Her Bookshelf
Insight into a Bright Mind: A Neuroscientist’s Unique Stories of Personal Thinking, by Nicole Tetreault
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, by Daniel Goleman
Recommended Reading for those interested in learning more about Neuroscience
Textbook:
Foundations in Social Neuroscience, by John Cioppo
Journals:
Stanford Medicine: The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Eduction
UC Berkley Greater Good Science Center
Connecting With Nicole Tetreault, PhD
Website: nicoletetreault.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/awesomeneuro
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicole-tetreault-ph-d
Instagram: instagram.com/awesome_neuro
A Day in the Life, Holistic Medical Approach, Meditation, Neuroscience
Meditation Teacher, Speaker, Writer
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1052:
Using Her Talents as Author, Journalist and Philanthropic Executive - Penelope McPhee
“I was working at the Miami affiliate for PBS as the producer for Arts and Culture with a lot of hands-on work, and I loved every minute of it. But I had an experience while working there that was life changing. Just before getting this job, I was doing some freelance work and did a project with Burger King headquarters. They reached out to me, after I started my producer job, to see if I wanted to come and do in-house communications for them––at 4 times the salary of what I was making at the TV studio. I am not exaggerating! Four times my current salary made a big difference to our young family, so I took the job. I went to Burger King on the first day and they took me into a screening room, sat me down with a projector and a lot of “films” about Burger King, and that was how I was supposed to spend my day: learning what they had already done with their in-house communications and what their messaging was. At about four o’clock that afternoon, I called my husband Ray and said ‘I can’t do this. This is just not ever going to be where my heart is. I can’t write about hamburgers every day.’ And I quit that job at the end of my first day. Fortunately. the TV station took me back. But I learned a life lesson: you have to do what you love. You have to be able to get up every day and be excited about what you are doing, or you can’t be your best. That was a major turning point for me.”
Penelope McPhee is an author, journalist and philanthropic executive. She is President Emeritus of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in Atlanta, GA, where she served as president from 2004 until her retirement in February 2021. From 1996 to 2004, she served as vice president and chief program officer of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in Miami, FL. A national leader in the arts, she joined Knight Foundation in 1990 to launch its Arts and Culture Program.
Penny has also had a distinguished career as an author and television producer. She co-authored “Martin Luther King Jr., A Documentary: Montgomery to Memphis,” which was recognized in 1980 as one of the “Best Books of the Decade” by the American Library Association. Her 1986 book, “King Remembered,” received the New York State Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Freedom. Her PBS documentaries and performance programs won five Emmys, as well as prestigious awards from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Association of Television Program Executives.
Penny has a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University and graduated with honors from Wellesley College.
Martin Luther King Jr., PBS TV Production, Philanthropy
Author, Journalist, Philanthropic Executive, TV Producer
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1051:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Executive Leadership Consultant? - Dr. Tavantzis and Dr. Wilson
“During this pandemic people have been forced to slow down and get out of the so-called ‘rat race’ of working brutally long hours in too many cases, with very little time for reflection on seminal issues such as the work they do every day and how they feel about the work that they do. In our several decades of experience working with people of all ages in Fortune 500 companies in global industries, one key reason for the increasingly high rates of worker dissatisfaction and turnover is that individuals typically do not take the time to slow down and reflect on how their careers have a profound impact on their lives on many more dimensions of themselves than the skills they ostensibly get paid for. As the famous organizational consultant Chester Barnard said many decades ago, ‘We hire people for their skills, but the whole person shows up for work.’ Whether working with individual employees, the teams they are a part of, or the leadership of those teams, our priority is to ensure that as many people as possible are able to deploy not only their skills, but the many other dimensions of themselves that have for many decades been proven to directly impact their performance, collaboration and personal satisfaction. The positive impact on the company’s culture, employee and client satisfaction and profitability is profound and enduring.”
Dr. Thomas Tavantzis is an organizational and leadership psychologist who uses psychometric tools, like the Highland Ability Battery (HAB), to develop teams, leaders, and career options for individuals. For the past 35 years, Tom has worked with leaders and teams in the global pharmaceutical, energy, communication, and manufacturing industries. Tom has done extensive research in psychometric tools. Since 1993, he has specialized in the Highlands Ability Battery and is now one of the worldwide experts in the HAB. Tom has served as Professor and Director of Organizational Psychology and Leadership Program at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He currently teaches in the Organizational Development and Leadership Graduate Program in Haub School of Management, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA. Dr Tavantzis is the author of HardWired: Taking the Road to Delphi and Uncovering Your Talents, and co-editor of Don’t Waste Your Talent (3ed). He and his wife Martha are the Founders(1986) of Innovative Management Development (IMD), P.C.
Dr. John H. Wilson is an entrepreneur, intrapreneur (corporate entrepreneur), and scholar with more than twenty-five years of experience as a business leader in the software & services industries. He brings a multi-dimensional perspective on market dynamics and a lean, iterative approach to building thriving, profitable businesses. Currently, Dr. Wilson is a teaching professor on the faculty of Drexel University’s Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship. He has done extensive research and has published numerous studies, articles, and books on the topics of entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, organization design/leadership, employee empowerment, and emerging educational technologies. He is in demand as a public speaker, executive coach/trainer, and board advisor for companies actively seeking to infuse entrepreneurial practices into their organizations in order to be more agile and adaptive in an increasingly complex business environment. Prior to joining the Drexel faculty, Dr. Wilson served as Director, Global at Vertex, Inc. He is also the Founder of Strategic Collisions International, LLC.
Books on The Topic
Hardwired to Be a Great Leader ebook, by Dr. John H. Wilson and Dr. Thomas Tavantzis
Hardwired: Taking the Road to Delphi and Uncovering Your Talents, by Dr. Thomas Tavantzis
Don’t Waste Your Talent: The 8 Critical Steps to Discovering What You Do Best, by Robert D. McDonald, Don Hutcheson and Tom Tavantzis
Connecting With Dr. Tavantzis and Dr. Wilson
Websites
Dr. Tavantzis: www.imdleadership.com
Dr. Wilson: www.strategiccollisions.com
Email:
A Day in the Life, Entrepreneurial Practices in Organizations, Executive Leadership Consultants, Innate Abilities
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Executive Coach/Trainer, Professor
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1050:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Non-Traditional Learning Advisor? - Sravan Ankaraju
“What we try to do with our students in Divergence Academy is focus on the question of what are the important factors for getting your first job, your second job? The key is getting a job! We focus more on actually getting a job because once you are in the job, and gaining experience, then your world changes. With a little bit of income in your hand and an opportunity to change the way you think about the world of work, you start exploring new areas and new facets of the economy: do you want to buy a new car, a new house, go on vacation? People’s perspectives change very fast. So that is what we are preparing them for. Once you are able to navigate on your own, the world is your oyster. Once individuals make that transition, it’s amazing how rapidly their career moves forward.”
Sravan Ankaraju started his career as a developer of large-scale transactional systems applying various tree-based algorithms. His twenty-five years in the field of data science and innovation provided him with a robust understanding of the intersections between technology and the economy. From 2001 to 2014, Sravan worked at Microsoft as a strategy and innovation leader. In 2015, Sravan co-founded Divergence Academy, where he is responsible for the vision and business development for industry-focused technology education. Divergence Academy offers immersive programs in data science, cybersecurity, and cloud computing and was ranked one of Inc.com’s fastest-growing privately-held companies in America in 2021.
Connecting With Sravan Ankaraju
Website: https://sravanankaraju.com
Facebook: facebook.com/sravan.ankaraju
Twitter: twitter.com/sravanankaraju
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sravanankaraju
Instagram: instagram.com/sravanankaraju
A Day in the Life of a Non-Traditional Learning Advisor, Divergence Academy, Technology and the Economy, Technology Education
Business Development, Data Science, Educator, Innovation Leader, Strategist, Technology
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1049:
The Power of Video Games to Bring Remote Workers Together - Scott Novis
“One of the things that bothered me about Motorola was, no matter what we worked on, we never felt like it made any difference to anybody. But when I moved to a video game company, the distance between an engineer’s effort and a customer’s happiness was immediate. Everyone on the team could do something that mattered to a client. They could do something to make the game more fun. They could make it less irritating. It was like everybody understood the connection between their personal effort and the outcome for a consumer. Recruiting employees there was easy because people want to make a difference–and it’s a cool job! We ended up making some phenomenally successful games because our people really cared about getting it right for our customers.”
Scott Novis is the founder of Bravous, a company that is helping businesses with remote teams increase retention by hosting fun workshops that improve culture and team-health. Scott comes from an eclectic background of professional influences: he has two engineering degrees, spent decades as a video game executive, and worked as a Disney executive before leaving to found GameTruck, the leading national franchise company best known for its video game birthday parties.
Connecting With Scott Novis
Website: https://scottnovis.com
Twitter: @scottnovis
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/scottnovis
Instagram: @scottnovis
Free Gift
Sign up for a free Funinar with Scott Novis. Experience these creative, fun game activities online to better understand for yourself the connections that can be made between team members through video gaming.
Franchise for Video Parties, Making a Difference, Video Games
Business Owner, Engineer, Franchise/ National Company Owner, Video Game Executive
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1048:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Editor and Publisher? - Rob Kosberg
When the financial crisis hit in 2007, I owned a real estate and mortgage company and we were doing close to $100 million a year in transactions. Within a year our transactions fell to zero. I decided to pivot into financial services because with my experience I could help a lot of people in need. I asked a couple of experienced friends of mine what they would do if they were in my position of trying to reposition yourself in a brand new field. They each said the same thing: Write a book. I had zero experience and made a ton of mistakes, but I finished the book and it became number one on Amazon. That notoriety got me radio and TV interviews and speaking engagements and was the primary catalyst for relaunching my career. Nothing gives you credibility like a book does.”
Rob Kosberg is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling author and the founder of Best Seller Publishing. Through his trademarked Publish. Promote. Profit. program, Rob helps his clients to create their own professional, best-selling book (guaranteed) and then teaches them how to use that book to grow their income and impact via speaking engagements, free PR and media, and cutting-edge lead generation strategies. Rob’s latest book, Publish. Promote. Profit., was not only the number one business book on Amazon but also became a Best Seller on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Best Sellers Lists. Rob has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and scores of other publications, podcasts and media.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Rob Kosberg
Website: www.bestsellerpublishing.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestsellerpub/
Twitter: /robkosberg
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robkosberg/
Instagram: /robkosberg
Free Gift
Free copy of his book “Publish. Promote. Profit.” from his website www.bestsellerpublishing.org.
A Day in the Life of a Book Publisher, Publishing a Book, Real Estate
Author, Book Publisher, Real Estate
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1047:
LinkedIn: The Key to Forging Relationships - Donna Serdula
“I was in a sales position in a new territory for my company. I was trying my hardest, making close to 80 cold calls every morning, but that wasn’t really working. I had been Googling the people I had been cold calling, wanting to see who they are. I realized those people would also want to know me if they were going to work with me. They were most likely Googling me, too, and the only thing they were finding was my out-of-date LinkedIn profile. That’s when I had an epiphany: Your LinkedIn profile isn’t your resume. It’s your digital introduction, the first impression you make. And people want to be moved; they want to be impressed. You have the control on LinkedIn to actually tell them your story and really let them understand who you are and why you do what you do. When I optimized my profile, I started using storytelling and I started to use LinkedIn as another way of getting past the gatekeeper and forging relationships. There are certain touch points that you need to have with a person before they’re willing to purchase anything from you. I began using LinkedIn for those touch points, as a way of connecting and messaging. LinkedIn turned out to be quite useful in my success at growing my territory.”
Donna Serdula pioneered the concept of LinkedIn profile optimization, realizing that the LinkedIn profile was so much more than just an online resume. A job change in 2006 led her back to LinkedIn as Donna looked for tools to help her build a sales territory. In 2009, she walked away from her successful sales career and founded Vision Board Media and LinkedIn-Makeover.com. Donna and her team of over 40 writers have helped thousands of executives, entrepreneurs, business leaders worldwide create professionally branded LinkedIn profiles. She is the author of the book “LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Dummies,” published by Wiley.
On Her Bookshelf
LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Dummies, by Donna Serdula
Connecting With Donna Serdula
Website: linkedin-makeover.com
Facebook: facebook.com/LinkedInMakeover
Twitter: twitter.com/donnaserdula
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/todonna
Instagram: instagram.com/donnaserdula
LinkedIn
Author, Business Owner, LinkedIn, Sales
January 2022:
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1046:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Presentation Skills Trainer? - Elizabeth Bachman
“Having been one of the earliest female stage directors as an opera director, I have a wealth of knowledge to share. I now work with corporate women to help them break through the glass ceiling. What I’m really excited about is that I lead groups of women called ‘Visible and Valued Masterminds.’ We spend three to six months together, online and in-person, talking and discussing the issue–how do you be seen as the person that you want to be seen as? How do you present yourself in a manner that you are taken seriously if you happen to be in a position where you are not taken seriously? It is some of the most deeply satisfying work I have ever done and I’ve always been blessed to use my talents to make the world a better place.”
Elizabeth Bachman is the go-to person for advanced level training in Speaking, Presentation Skills, Sales, and Leadership. With a lifetime spent perfecting the art of presenting, she helps high-level clients master a message that brings:
- the Funding they need
- the Allies they want and
- the Recognition they deserve.
A sought-after speaker and strategist in Silicon Valley, nationally and internationally, Elizabeth works with leaders and influencers who need to become concise and compelling presenters. She helps them present as smart, down-to-earth, loose, friendly even funny and still be taken seriously. Elizabeth has directed such luminaries as Luciano Pavarotti & Placido Domingo in more than 50 operas around the world, giving her a wealth of tools to help business professionals become respected presenters. Fluent in 5 languages, she is adept at working with presenters from many countries, bringing her global experience to her clients.
Strategic Speaking for Results * When you want to make a difference, not just a point!Connecting With Elizabeth Bachman
Website: elizabethbachman.com
Facebook: facebook.com/StrategicSpeakingForResults
Twitter: twitter.com/StrategicSpkg4
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/elizabethbachman
Instagram: instagram.com/ebachmansf
A Day in the Life of a Presentation Skills Trainer, Glass Ceiling for Women
Opera Stage Manager to Assistant Director to Guest Stage Director, Presentation Skills Trainer
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1045:
How to Wake Up to Unconscious Biases - Aundrea DeMille
“I have always been very vocal about sharing my black experience with my friends and family members, and as I’ve mentioned, I have been a natural leader in bringing people together. So, I decided to go public with my own video about what it’s like raising black boys in this country, and what some of the experiences are that we go through, as well as the talks I have to have with my boys to keep them safe. That video ended up with 20,000 views within two days on Facebook–all organic. It was just off the cuff: I set up my phone and started speaking. Lieutenant Governor Cox, who was then running for governor of Utah, got wind of the video. His campaign reached out and said he and his running mate for Lieutenant Governor, Henderson, had seen my video and wanted to come chat. They came over, along with now First Lady Cox, and I was very frank with them. I said, ‘I know you are a politician and I’m sure that you have an angle–I’m not here to play that game. However, if you are going to help get the message out in a good way, that I can get behind. I began sharing some of the stories and experiences of my family and we ended up with this deep connection and became very good friends. Once they won the election, they commissioned me to serve on Project Gateway: Equity and Opportunity Commission for Utah.”
Aundrea DeMille is the author of “Is It Racism? How to Heal the Human Divide.” She’s an International Keynote Speaker, Trainer, and Podcast Host of The Wake Up Stories. She is a business owner with years of study in diversity and inclusion and has a degree in community health and human services. She has been appointed to serve on Project Gateway: Equity and Opportunity Commission for Utah. Aundrea is a maker of men (she has 5 boys), lover of peanut butter and hater of chocolate. She feels most like herself when she is barefoot and connected to nature.
Connecting With Aundrea DeMille
Website: thewakeupstories.com
Facebook: facebook.com/wakeupstories
Twitter: twitter.com/StoriesWake
Instagram: instagram.com/wakeup.stories
Bias, Business Ownership, Diversity, Mentors, Racism, Starting Business
Author, Business Owner, Keynote Speaker, Photographer, Podcaster
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1044:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Behavioral Scientist? - Kurt Nelson, PhD
“What’s really fascinating about behavioral science is that it’s a combination of a number of specific fields. Behavioral science takes psychology, sociology, economics, behavioral economics and anthropology and brings all the insights around anything that has to deal with why people think or do or act the way they do. It’s a concept of trying to understand what are those underpinnings of human thought and human behavior.”
Kurt Nelson is a sought-after consultant, speaker and recognized leader in human motivation and behavior change. For over 20 years, he has worked with global companies to apply behavioral science principles to drive change in their organizations. He is founder and president of The Lantern Group, a behavioral design and communication agency. He also is the co-founder, with Tim Houlihan, of the Behavioral Grooves podcast, where they interview leading academic and business executives from around the world and explore how they apply behavioral science to their work and lives. All his work focuses on understanding ways to positively influence how people behave. Kurt has his MBA from the University of Iowa and his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Capella University.
On His Bookshelf
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, by Dan Ariely
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
Connecting With Kurt Nelson, PhD
Website: www.lanterngroup.com
Facebook: facebook.com/WhatMotivates/
Twitter: @whatmotivates
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kurtwnelson
A Day in the Life of a Behavioral Scientist
Behavioral Scientist, Consultant, Podcaster, Speaker
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1043:
Stripped Down to the Bare Minimum, She Found the Answers - Becca Ribbing
“Everyone hits those moments in their lives where they just have to strip down to the bare minimum. They’re just “getting through”; they’re just surviving. But a funny thing happens when things start getting better in your life. A lot of times we have so much angst we’ve already built up, a lot of fear or uncertainty or frustration, that we hit a crisis point of trying to figure out what comes next. I was at one of those crisis points myself, although I would not have been able to explain what was going on at the time. A dear, dear friend of mine was listening to me go back and forth about how I should I go forward, what marketing I should be doing, how that should look. She finally stopped me by saying, ‘Becca, you’re a coach. You help people with this every day!’ That hit me like a ton of bricks. I went into my office and wrote out every prompt I could think of that I used with clients–every single question I’d ever asked to help inspire them to think deeper about their own problems. I had an epiphany when I started to respond to those questions. I realized that just having the questions in front of me, not approaching the questions from my own head, my own thoughts, but rather having those questions to pull me outside of myself was so helpful. It is important to be able to ask questions of yourself that bring you out of being stuck or that naturally draw you out of the way you’ve looked at a problem and can help you think about it in a new way. It was from this kind of thinking that I ultimately developed my first book, The Clarity Journal.”
Becca Ribbing is the author of The Clarity Journal and has been a coach for over a decade. She’s on a mission to help people break out of the cycles of uncertainty and struggle that hold them back. She helps women going back and forth with the seemingly endless question of what to do next—so they can finally figure out what they truly want and create the clarity and momentum they crave. Using journaling prompts and helping people become more honest with themselves, she moves her readers forward and empowers them to embrace their strengths while letting go of any negative self-talk that has held them.
Connecting With Becca Ribbing
Website: beccaribbing.com
Facebook: facebook.com/beccajoyribbing
Twitter: twitter.com/beccaribbing
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/beccaribbing
Instagram: instagram.com/beccaribbing
Careers Over a Lifetime, Empower Yourself, Journeling, Mindfulness, Re-evaluating Yourself
Author, Coach
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1042:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Medical School Admissions Expert? - Shirag Shemmassian, PhD
“Getting my PhD in clinical psychology from UCLA was a huge shift for me. Answering some of the most difficult questions about mental health, human functioning and behavior was particularly influential because it trained me to understand how people might be thinking, why they behave the way they do, how to motivate people, how to understand their struggles more deeply. At the time I didn’t recognize what a powerful impact those insights would have in the world of business. Over time, however, through direct experience in the roles that I had in in the world of work, I soon realized their profound impact in marketing, team building and leadership. Then in our work creating and growing Shemmassian Academic Consulting, we quickly saw the huge value of this knowledge relative to our students’ motivation and commitment to creating a vision and strategy for achieving their personal and professional goals in their lives and careers.”
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world’s foremost experts on medical school admissions, college admissions, and graduate school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school and top colleges using his systematic and proprietary approach. His admissions expertise has been featured in various media outlets, including The Washington Post and Business Insider. Moreover, he has been invited to speak at Yale, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and other prestigious institutions about various aspects of the admissions process.
Connecting With Shirag Shemmassian, PhD
Website: shemmassianconsulting.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shemmassian
Admissions / Grad School, Medical Education
Business Owner, Medical School Admissions
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1041:
Weighing the Options Until They Are Forced - Sam Sorbo
“In that year off from Duke University to alleviate my anxiety at school, modeling in Europe was simply a means to an end. I just wanted the money. It was fun. I was very good at it and I was very successful. But I had a previously planned path in front of me to go into medicine. I wasn’t about to veer from that path because an alternative had popped up.
“When I returned to college, I had all this life experience. I had supported myself and traveled the world. I felt the pressure was off at Duke. I took upper-level courses in biomedical engineering that were considered to be very difficult–I aced them. They were easy because I had cleared my head of the anxiety that school had provoked in me previously. That experience made me realize that I had now accomplished my academic goals to the point where I knew that I could succeed! This gave me the first real ‘binary choice’ that I had in my life. I could do one thing I love by going into medicine, or I could do literally everything else that I wanted including travel the world and learn new languages as a model, and have an acting career and financial freedom. The ‘everything else’ just weighed more and it made the choice. I’m so grateful that I had the faculties to be able to recognize and distill it down to two clear choices.”
Sam Sorbo is an accomplished actress, author, radio host, and international model. Her acting career spans films such as Bonfire of the Vanities and Twenty Bucks, as well as television, with recurring roles in Chicago Hope, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Gene Rodenberry’s Andromeda. In 2015 Sam won “Best Supporting Actress” from the Utah Film Awards for her performance in the feature, Just Let Go. Sam wrote “They’re YOUR Kids: An Inspirational Journey from Self-Doubter to Home School Advocate” to inspire parents to home educate and “Teach from Love: A School Year Devotional for Families” to encourage Christ-like characteristics in youth. The Sorbos home school their three children. Sam co-wrote, produced, and co-starred in the feature, Let There Be Light (Christmas, 2017; Executive producer, Sean Hannity; director, Kevin Sorbo.) She and husband Kevin published its accompanying devotional, Share the Light. and they are currently in post-production on Miracle in East Texas, due out in 2022.
On Her Bookshelf
They’re YOUR Kids: An Inspirational Journey from Self-Doubter to Home School Advocate, by Sam Sorbo
Teach from Love: A School Year Devotional for Families, by Sam Sorbo
Other books by Sam and Kevin Sorbo are available on her website.
Connecting With Sam Sorbo
Website: samsorbo.com and sorbostudios.com
Facebook: fr-fr.facebook.com/samsorbo
Twitter: @thesamsorbo
Instagram: instagram.com/sam_sorbo
Acting, Home Schooling, Modeling
Actor, Author, Film Producer, Model
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1040:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Emotional Intelligence Executive Coach? - Dawn Cook Causey
“Empathy, which is the key dimension of EQ–emotional intelligence–has been until quite recently so dramatically underutilized in our day-to-day communications, in spite of the fact that it is the root cause of so many communications issues. With almost every client I have worked with over the many years I have been coaching, I find that I spend a large amount of time helping them understand and then improve their capacity for empathy. A while back I even coined the idea, ‘Empathy is the difference between compliance and commitment.’ I truly believe that. If you are unable to meet somebody half-way during a discussion or debate, you will find it exceptionally difficult to influence them.”
Dawn Cook Causey is an ICF certified professional executive coach with six certifications in emotional intelligence. Her mission in life is to raise the bar on emotional intelligence in leaders around the world. She likes to say she is in the polishing business, helping leaders and teams shine their brightest by making the best choices every moment of every day. Her personal motto is, it’s your choice, so make it count.
Connecting With Dawn Cook Causey
Website: www.daybreakeq.com
Email: Dawn@daybreakeq.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DayBreakEQ
Twitter: twitter.com/DayBreakEQ
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dawncookexecutivecoacheq
Instagram: instagram.com/dawncookcausey
Free Gift
Take a Free EQ Assessment by clicking on the button at the upper right of her website screen.
A Day in the Life of an Emotional Intelligence Executive Coach, EQ / Emotional Intelligence
Executive Coach
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1039:
How One Book Turned Into a Whole Publishing Company - Jeremy Brown
“I used my first book to just get me through doors. I would send my book with a handwritten note and say, ‘Hey, I think I can help your people. Give me a shot.’ Or I would say, ‘If you’ve got a sales meeting, let me come and I’ll give you a free sales presentation. And if your people get fired up, maybe we’ll talk about doing more.’ I gave the books away to get an opportunity. And I believed that people were going to want what I offered. It’s going to be self-evident. I just need to show up and be my best. And if nothing else, I’ll give people a great show for a day. And that’s been my philosophy the entire time.”
Beginning his entrepreneurial journey as a single dad at age 19. Jeremy Brown’s motivation was to spend as much time with his son as possible. As his business development and sales expertise grew, he decided to write his first book in order to establish authority, generate leads, and increase his credibility. The result? His business exploded and Jeremy knew he had found his calling: empowering leaders to share their stories. Almost two decades later, Jeremy firmly believes that writing a book is one of the best ways to leave a legacy for your children and loves to discuss how his faith and family keep motivating him to educate purpose-driven leaders to grow their business, share their stories, and put their family first.
Connecting With Jeremy Brown
Website: www.thronepg.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeremy-d-brown-7a0b263/
Believe in Yourself, Selling, Writing a Book
Author, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Marketing, Publisher
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1038:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Mergers and Acquisitions Expert? - Philip Taub
“After getting my undergraduate degree from Boston University in business administration, I moved to the Los Angeles area where my parents had relocated. I had a really hard time finding a job. Not being from the United States, we had virtually no contacts, but I finally got a job with a large national financial services firm in what I thought was a management training position. It turned out that the job was in entry-level sales–selling loans and collecting the loans. I hated it and couldn’t wait until 5:00 for the day to end. (It turns out that those sales skills have come in very handy as a lawyer!).
“I highly recommend that everyone experience at least one boring job. It will always be a reminder that you have to search for a job and career that you are truly passionate about. There are aspects of every job that are a grind, but if you are passionate about the work and you are using your talents and skills most of the time, then it doesn’t feel like a grind at all.
“After 18 months, I realized that I had to dig down into myself and make a decision about a career that would inspire and guide my own personal growth and satisfaction as well as provide a financial foundation for my family. I was always fascinated by the profession of law on many levels–from human rights issues to the myriad business applications. I applied and was accepted at the George Washington University in D.C. and it has been one of the best decisions of my life. I love the work, the people on our team, and our clients, and there are opportunities for personal and professional growth every single day.”
Since joining Nixon Peabody more than 27 years ago, Phil Taub has been advising investors, middle-market private companies, large public companies, entrepreneurs, and C-level executives in many different kinds of corporate transactions all over North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Phil was born in Southern Africa and finished his secondary education in the United States. His love of family, travel, outdoor adventure, and community permeates everything he does. He is a frequent lecturer and presenter on the latest trends in mergers and acquisitions, business strategies, and issues most important to PE funds, independent sponsors, family offices, CEOs and general counsel.
Connecting With Philip Taub
Website: www.nixonpeabody.com
A Day in the Life of a Mergers and Acquisitions Expert, South Africa
Lawyer/Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions, Speaker
December 2021:
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1037:
Not Making a Decision Is the Worst Thing You Can Do - Barbara Turley
“Not making a decision is the worst thing you can do. You never know whether you’re going to make a right or wrong decision, but making no decision is worse. You make a decision and then it triggers the next decision. And as long as you keep moving forward and you keep deciding and making decisions, then you’re in flow, you’re moving and eventually you get a feel for where you’re going and whether you need to change tack. But staying in indecision and doing nothing is terrible. You’re sitting on the fence of life and you’re not playing the game.”
Barbara Turley is an investor, entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of The Virtual Hub, a business she started by accident that exploded in the space of 12 months. It has become one of the leading companies that recruits, trains and manages virtual assistants in the digital marketing and social media space for businesses who need to free up time and energy so they can go to the next level. Barbara is also Mum to her gorgeous daughter Ruby, wife to her best friend Eti and an adventure lover with a passion for horses, skiing, tennis and time out in nature.
Connecting With Barbara Turley
Website: www.TheVirtualHub.com
Facebook: facebook.com/TheVirtualHubLtd
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/barbara-turley-b6a981a/
Instagram: instagram.com/thevirtualhubltd
Free Gift
For those interested in virtual assistants or scalable business models, go to www.TheVirtualHub.com/dyt where there is a short course by Barbara Turley and a cheat sheet on how to get the most from virtual assistants.
Australia, Education, Financial Career, Intravert-Extravert, Ireland, Virtual Assistants / VAs
Business Owner, CEO, Entrepreneur, Investor
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1036:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Real Estate Entrepreneur? - Edna Keep
“My absolute favorite class was creative financing and that’s where I learned about buying real estate with other people’s money that people would invest with you. It turned out to be a really good fit with my background as a financial advisor, and so I transitioned over the next few years into advising people on real estate investments instead of mutual funds. And then it transferred over into coaching people through the whole purchase cycle. We mostly buy for the long-term and hold. My all-time favorite part of the real estate business was that the tenants pay off our mortgage.”
Edna Keep is a real estate entrepreneur and real estate investment advisor, coach and trainer. With $60 million in real estate assets built since 2007, primarily with “Other People’s Money,” she feels like she is exactly where she is meant to be: coaching and training people in all the skills that she has acquired throughout her life.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
I was a successful certified financial planner and advisor in the mutual funds industry for 15 years, when in 2007 I was introduced to the real estate market by way of the Robert Kiyosaki course on real estate investing. It was an extensive course: every quarter we’d spend long weekends in several different cities throughout Canada and the U.S., and I just loved it. My absolute favorite class was creative financing and that’s where I learned about buying real estate with other people’s money that people would invest with you. It turned out to be a really good fit with my background as a financial advisor, and so I transitioned over the next few years into advising people on real estate investments instead of mutual funds. And then it transferred over into coaching people through the whole purchase cycle. So we have sold very little real estate. We mostly buy for the long-term and hold. My all-time favorite part of the real estate business was that the tenants pay off our mortgage. And when I really wrapped my head around that idea, I couldn’t sell mutual funds anymore.
Connecting With Edna Keep
Email: edna@ednakeep.com
Website: www.ednakeep.com
Twitter: @ednakeep
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ednakeep
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ednakeep
Free Gift
Edna offers some free training, videos, a webinar, and articles on how to become a real estate entrepreneur on her website at: https://ednakeep.com/free-training-resources/
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of a Real Estate Entrepreneur, Investing in Real Estate
Financial Advisor, Real Estate Entrepreneur, Real Estate Investment
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1035:
Making the Transition from Business to Entertainment Full Time - David Towner
“You know I love my businesses, but I’m transitioning now toward entertainment full-time. I love writing screenplays. I love directing. I did my first feature film last year–a real low budget, quirky comedy with a lot of my friends and it did really well. I would like to continue that as we move forward. I don’t see Aztec Warrior God, my graphic novel series, ever going away either. I currently have 24 separate chapters written and each chapter is a novel. That’s six years of material from that one idea alone and we’re just getting ready to print number three. I don’t see a time in my future where that project doesn’t exist. And ultimately I’d like to transition that either to the small screen or a feature film franchise as well.”
David Towner is an American Entrepreneur, Comedian, Writer and Filmmaker. Prior to pursuing his business and entertainment ventures, he served as a US Army Paratrooper with missions in Somalia, Haiti and Cuba. He is most known for his feature film, Our Scripted Life, which was downloaded half a million times in the first three months. David is also the Creator and Head Writer for the graphic novel series, “Aztec Warrior God,” which has gained millions of fans around the world. He is married to model Brandi Mendoza. The couple has triplet girls and reside in Palm Beach County, Florida.
On His Bookshelf
Graphic novel series: Aztec Warrior God, by David Towner
– Aztec Warrior God: Chapter One, Emergence
– Aztec Warrior God: Chapter Two, Redemption
– More coming soon
Connecting With David Towner
Website: aztecwarriorgod.com
Facebook: facebook.com/aztecwarriorgod
Instagram: instagram.com/aztecwarriorgodofficial
Building a business, Entertainment Through Multiple Genre, Multiple Careers, Side Gig to Full Time Career
Army, Author, Business Owner, Business Strategist, Comedian, Entrepreneur, Filmmaker, Writer
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1034:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Middle School Teacher? - John Donegan
“Two things every teacher should do–both to make themselves more employable and to make more money in teaching–is to, first, add a master’s degree, and then a specialist degree. These put a teacher on a different scale and have more than paid for themselves since I obtained them.”
In the spring of 1978, John Donegan received the news that he had sufficient credits to graduate from the university of Florida with a BA in history and move on to the next phase of his life. While many would be thrilled to graduate in three years, he was terrified. The job market was wretched, inflation was rampant, and the energy crisis had Americans turning out lights and waiting in long lines for a tank of gas. Partly to avoid graduation, and partly due to some sage advice from a trusted professor, John applied to the College of Education for their one-year teacher certification program. Four decades later, it is clear that advice paid off, as John has enjoyed his career as a social studies teacher for 40 years.
A Day in the Life of a Middle School Teacher, Teaching as a career
Teaching/Teacher
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1033:
Wisdom from Wandering: The Career Pivot - Marc Miller
From an early age, Marc was good at math and chess. It was no wonder everyone told him he should be an engineer. After getting a degree in computer science, what he learned about himself on the job was he is a “geek who can speak”–an unusual combination that for 22 years let him change jobs every few year, all within the walls of his first employer.
Marc Miller’s career journey included 22 years at IBM, several thriving tech startups, a stint as a high school math teacher, a gig raising funds and a near fatal bicycle accident that changed his perspective forever. Thirty years of wandering the proverbial career desert, often repeating the same mistakes over and over, taught him his most crucial lesson: Most people don’t really know what makes them happy at their core, what fulfills them. Marc’s latest endeavor “Career Pivot” uses his extensive training experience to help others—especially Baby Boomers—find careers they can grow into for the decades that lie ahead.
On His Bookshelf
Repurpose Your Career, the 2nd Edition of A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey
Knowing Your Value: Women, Money and Getting What You’re Worth, by Mika Brzezinski
Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS, by Shirzad Chamine
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain
Connecting With Marc Miller
Website: careerpivot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/careerpivot/
Facebook: facebook.com/CareerPivot
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mrmillerFear, Following Passion, Multiple Careers
Career Coach, Computer Science, Engineer, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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1032:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Professional Fundraising Consultant? - Benjamin R. Case
“Two years after I graduated from Catawba College in Salisbury, NC, I was contacted by the admissions director, who offered me a job as the number two person in admissions. I was very interested because, while I grew up in Washington, DC, I missed the small town environment of Salisbury. The next day I got a call from the fellow who ran development who wanted me to be his number two man and start something called a ‘planned giving program.’ I had no idea what that was, but the development job paid $1,000 more a year than the admissions job did. So for a meager $1,000 a year, $83 a month, I picked fundraising over admissions and I have built my entire career in the fundraising space from that day forward!”
Benjamin R. Case is a professional fundraising consultant, who has served in the nonprofit sector for 41 years. He has personally been involved in the successful solicitation of over $1.1 billion in gifts and worked for and been engaged by organizations that have raised $4.8 billion. His fundraising experience includes working with The Metropolitan Opera in NY, Duke University and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, among others. He recently launched an online learning webinar “The Daily Dozen: Habits of Highly Successful Fundraisers.” He is the CEO of Focused on Fundraising, Inc. and the author of 21 Tips for Highly Successful Fundraisers, an international best-seller.
On His Bookshelf
Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
21 Tips for Highly Successful Fundraising, by Benjamin R. Case
Connecting With Benjamin R. Case
Website: https://www.focusedonfundraising.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Focused-on-Fundraising-1136932446442325/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-case-2707141/
Twitter: twitter.com/MajorGiftTips
A Day in the Life of a Professional Fundraiser Consultant
Fundraiser, Professional Fundraiser Consultant
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1031:
From International Model to Method Actor to Professional Coach - Gay Thomas Wilson
“Most people do not honor their life experience, especially the negative, or what I call unpreferred experiences hidden within your life experience that help makes you who you are. If you connect the dots, you find out who you are, what you’re good at, what you love and what you want to do. The other part of that is understanding how absolutely valuable you are. When you begin to honor your life experience, converge that with your skill set, your gifts and talents, you begin to realize who you are and what you’re capable of, how valuable you are—uniquely and wonderfully made.”
Gay Thomas Wilson is a keynote speaker, personal development & business strategist. She coaches and mentors business professionals, entrepreneurs and creative talent. Gay launched two successful international careers as a trained method actor, model and cover girl. Motivated by her sister’s diagnosis of schizophrenia, she has been an advocate for changing the stigma of mental health. Gay’s journey has given her the skill set to create powerful tools and techniques that facilitate the ability to break through to success by converging life experiences, gifts, talents and skills, which accelerates one’s ability to produce sustainable success in both life and business.
Connecting With Gay Thomas Wilson
Website: www.gaythomaswilson.com
Facebook: m.facebook.com/WakeupYourPurpose2018/
Twitter: twitter.com/gaythomaswilson?lang=en
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gay-thomas-wilson-2037837
Instagram: instagram.com/gaythomaswilson/
Free Gift
Free Ebook:
Easy Life/Work E-Planner: Jump Start Your Success Plan
Free 45-Minute Intro Session with Gay Thomas Wilson:
Discovering Yourself, Multiple Careers, Self-understanding, Self-worth
Actor, Business Coach, Keynote Speaker, Model, Speaker
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1030:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Nurse Practitioner? - April Kapu, DNP
“As a nurse practitioner in a leadership role, one of the most meaningful assignments I’ve had has been when I was working with and developing teams of nurse practitioners. I understood that it’s a unique role and that not everybody understands it. A lot of times people will say, ‘Are you a nurse? Are you a physician? What are you?’ Quite frankly, we have a foot in both worlds. We’re very strongly rooted in the nursing world, and we’re very strongly rooted in the medicine world and the practice world. Being a nurse practitioner, I was able to understand that unique position. Because of that, I was able to give back to our growing Nurse Practitioner team and really understand what priorities were meaningful for them … and what would be supportive to their practice so when they come to work, they could have joy and job satisfaction and really live what they were seeking when they decided to be a Nurse Practitioner in the first place.”
Dr. April Kapu is president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners®. She is a certified acute care nurse practitioner who holds both a master’s and doctoral degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. She has served as associate chief nursing officer for advanced practice nursing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. As a nursing executive for the health system, Dr. Kapu worked to establish innovative, high-quality health care services and provide resources and professional practice support for more than 1,400 advanced practice nurses. She is a professor of clinical nursing and recently was appointed Associate Dean for Community and Clinical Partnerships for Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.
Connecting With April Kapu, DNP
Website: aanp.org
Facebook: facebook.com/AmericanAssociationofNPs
Twitter: @aanp_news
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/american-association-of-nurse-practitioners
Instagram: instagram.com/aanp_news/?hl=en
Free Gift
Access to information you’ll want to know to explore more about a career as a Nurse Practitioner: the profession, education requirements, jobs, etc.:
Also check out the social media links above and follow the latest from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
A Day in the Life, Leadership Roles, Nurse Practitioner, Top Growth Career
Medical Field, Nurse Educator, Nurse Practitioner, Nursing Executive, Professor
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1029:
Extreme Challenges Help Him Overcome His Fears - Erik Seversen
“Almost every day I had to get over that fear of approaching people I don’t know. And asking them where I can sleep, asking them where I can find food, and building that nervousness up to a point where I realized the more vulnerable I was, the more willing people were to help me. And I still find that today, if I am sometimes in a business negotiation and I realize that we have both dug in deep, I somehow allow a vulnerability to creep in where I need their help somehow.”
Recommended Steps to Success:
1. If you hit a barrier to using your talents, do not be deterred or discouraged, but find new ways to use them.
2. Find ways to combine your knowledge, skills and talents and create something new. Keep growing and challenging yourself. Make your own niche.
3. Help others. It is the best way to create both success and fulfillment in life.
4. Write down your goals and work on achieving them each day.
Erik Seversen has lived an amazing life, from hitchhiking from London to Central Africa to living with a remote Indian tribe in the Amazon to building and selling businesses. He has forged a path filled with extreme adventure and success. He published 2 books, “Ordinary to Extraordinary,” that reveals his personal search for meaning and highlights how anyone can create a life of purpose and success, and “. His focus is business development and English language training. He lives by the idea that helping others is the best way to create both success and fulfillment in life.
On His Bookshelf
Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe
Ordinary to Extraordinary: Stories of Exotic Places and Remarkable People & How Belonging and Purpose Can Transform Your Life, by Erik Seversen
Explore: Extraordinary Adventures of Vulnerability and Strength, by Erik Seversen
Winning Mindset: Elite Strategies for Peak Performance, by Erik Seversen, et al.
Successful Mind, Body and Spirit (3 books), by Erik Seversen, et al.
Connecting With Erik Seversen
Websites: https://www.erikseversen.com and https://www.languagelinq.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erik.seversen
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErikSeversen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikseversen/?hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-seversen-56ab9b10/
Email: erik@erikseversen.com
Fear, Linquistics, Travel
Author, Business Development, International Business Development, Linquistics, Podcaster, Teaching/Teacher
November 2021:
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1028:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Cartographer? - Hans van der Maarel
“After graduating with my degree in cartography, I was hired by a former colleague as the first employee of his cartography business, where I literally learned everything about running a business from the ground up. After 5 years I opened my own business and was fortunate that a client from my past business committed to buying my services for at least a year—which financed the whole enterprise. My work is now a nice balance between using my talents as a cartographer and as a businessman who markets top-of-the-line software products and training courses for the cartographic market.”
Hans van der Maarel is a professional cartographer from The Netherlands. He runs his own business, Red Geographics and is a partner in another company, One Stop Map. Red Geographics focuses on map production for a wide range of international clients as well as reselling and supporting software products for the cartographic market. This also involves developing production workflows for clients and offering consultancy and training courses. One Stop Map is a website selling stock digital maps but also takes on custom map production projects, again for a wide range of clients. In his spare time he enjoys cycling and photography (sometimes together).
Connecting With Hans van der Maarel
Website: www.redgeographics.com and www.onestopmap.com
Facebook: facebook.com/redgeographics and facebook.com/onestopmap
Twitter: @redgeographics and @onestopmap
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansvandermaarel/
Instagram: @redgeographics and @onestopmap
A Day in the Life of a Cartographer, Maps
Business Owner, Cartographer, Reselling and Supporting Software for the Cartographic Market
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1027:
His EdTech Company Gives Teachers a Greater Ability to Focus on Student Learning - Chris Hull
“As a seventh and eight grade social studies teacher, I really enjoyed the ability to connect with kids at such a transformative age. When I started my first job, I thought it would be all about the teaching. I thought the hard part was going to be the ability to connect with the kids and create lesson plans and scope and sequence. But what I quickly realized was, of all the things that are asked of teachers, it’s the administrative tasks that really began to weigh on me. I had 150 kids. I was trying to do all of these things to help them. I really wanted to be able to have an understanding of who every kid was. I wanted to know: What are their passions? What are their interests? What is their current level of reading and writing? What is their ability to think critically and independently? And I would make these cheat sheets so I could remember things such as, I had this student last year, I had this person’s brother as a student, this person is into soccer, this person likes …, etc. I would try to know these things so that I could connect with the kids. But it turned out the connection part was actually not as difficult–for me at least. It was all of the administrative tasks. They wanted so much information, like you have to track this, you have to submit that to the secretary, and so forth. There had to be a way to become more efficient in all of this. And that’s actually the story that brings us to the start of “Otus” and my work with a colleague to use technology as a tool to help us and other teachers do the job at hand better than we could do by ourselves.”
Chris Hull is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Otus, a Chicago-based edtech company. After 13 years as an educator, Chris wanted to minimize the chaos of disconnected edtech tools for K-12 administrators, educators, students, and their families. Otus is one system to teach, grade, analyze, and plan. With Otus, school leaders can focus on student learning, not technology.
Connecting With Chris Hull
Website: www.otus.com
Facebook: facebook.com/OtusK12/about/
Twitter: twitter.com/otushull?lang=en
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chull9/
Administrative Tasks Burden on Teachers, How Teachers Are Connecting with Students, Turning a Problem into a Business Opportunity
Business Owner, EdTech, Teacher
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1026:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Supermodel? - Susan Miner
“You know there were times that I would work in New York City during the day. And then a driver would come pick me up, bring me to the airport, I’d fly overnight to Paris, go straight to the studio, take a quick shower and work all day there. I’d only do that if both jobs were great, but the travel was pretty tricky.”
Susan Miner is the founder of Beauty From the Inside Out. As a supermodel, Susan graced the covers of Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Self, Bazaar, and more. Some of her beauty campaigns were L’Oreal, Maybelline, Revlon, and Nivea. She followed this up by becoming a Professor of Psychology and therapist. Susan’s expertise as a therapist is anxiety reduction and eliminating panic attacks. Her company now combines both of her careers as a model and a therapist. Collaboration with other models is a fun part of her work as she lends her face and intelligence to projects.
On Her Bookshelf
Peace Inside Beauty Outside, by Susan Miner, Anti-Anxiety Thought Leader
Connecting With Susan Miner
Website: susanminerbeauty.com
Facebook: facebook.com/SusanMinerBeauty/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/susanminerbeauty/
Instagram: instagram.com/susanminerbeauty/
YouTube: youtube.com/user/SusanMinerBeauty
Free Gift
Subscribe to her YouTube Channel for exercises to build confidence and reduce anxiety. Some of her videos are designed for models but can be used for anyone wanting a model life.
A Day In the Life of a Super Model, Modeling, Second Career as Therapist
Anti-anxiety Therapy, Model, Professor, Therapist
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1025:
Proving a Point with the Written Word - James Fell
“You have to keep evolving. After a while I got a little tired of focusing strictly on health and fitness and came to the realization that if I had been so successful in motivating people to lose weight, and that’s one of the hardest things people will ever do, then I can be successful in motivating them to do other things as well. That led to my new book contract and rapid expansion of my speaking career.”
James S. Fell, MA, MBA, has bylines in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, the Guardian, TIME Magazine, and many other publications. His blog, BodyForWife.com, has millions of readers and he is the author of two books: “The Holy Sh*t Moment: How Lasting Change Can Happen in an Instant” (St. Martin’s Press, 2019), and “Lose it Right: A Brutally Honest 3-Stage Program to Help You Get Fit and Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind.” (Random House Canada, 2014).
Books on The Topic
Connecting With James Fell
Website: www.bodyforwife.com
Facebook: facebook.com/bodyforwife
Twitter: twitter.com/bodyforwife
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/james-fell-1052561/
Writer, Writer's Life, Writing
Author, Business, Educator, Speaker, Writer
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1024:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Film Producer and Writer? - Bob Yari
“For those students interested in exploring the many possibilities in this fast-growing occupation, there are many fine film schools. But here’s what I’d say to those students: If you have the fascination, if you have the interest: Start doing it!”
“For the first time in history really, the opportunity is there for anyone to pick up either an iPhone or a camera with its broadcast quality potential and get started: See what you have, explore what your talent is.”
“Never give up! Just keep doing it with your friends and family and others who are in your tribe!”
“Of course, there are dozens of books and YouTube videos on screenwriting, camera work, directing and so much more.”
“You’ll be amazed at what you learn and how fast you learn it, which will open up doors you may not have even considered before!”
Bob Yari is the producer of over 40 motion pictures. Some of these include Best Picture Oscar winner Crash, The Illusionist, the action-thriller Hostage, starring Bruce Willis, Matador, starring Pierce Brosnan, and Painted Veil, starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. Yari also recently completed his second directorial effort with Papa: Hemingway in Cuba. He is currently executive producing the hit cable series “Yellowstone,” starring Kevin Costner, which is shooting its 5th season. Other TV projects currently in production include the series, “1886: Y” and “Mayor of Kingstown,” starring Jeremy Renner.
Bob is CEO of the production company Yari Film Group and is a major shareholder, founder and board member of 101 Studios based in Los Angeles. 101 recently released War with Grandpa, starring Robert Deniro, and Current War, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, among many others. Drawing on life lessons and his experience in the film and business world, he has published his first book, The Human Condition: A Pathway to Peace and Fulfillment. Here he offers a pathway to happiness based on a balanced lifestyle, a positive attitude and gratitude for the world’s abundance. His next book, On Creation and the Origins of Life, An Exploration of Intelligent Design, is being be published shortly after the original airing of this podcast in October 2021.
On His Bookshelf
The Human Condition: A Pathway to Peace and Fulfillment, by Bob Yari
Coming Soon in 2021: On Creation and the Origins of Life, An Exploration of Intelligent Design, by Bob Yari
A Day in the Life, Starting a Career in Film
Author, Business Owner, CEO, Film Producer, Real Estate Developer
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1023:
Imagining the Possibilities in Stories - Angela Ferrari
“A family friend, an author, reached out to me and asked if I would illustrate a book he was working on. I fell in love with the process of creating stories and learned all the ins and outs on what it really takes, including the not-so-glamorous side of writing a children’s book. That gave me a lot of direction. Even though it was really a very challenging path, I decided I wanted to go down that path.”
Angela Ferrari is a painter, children’s book author/illustrator and podcaster based in Portland Maine. Her picture book titles include: “Digger’s Daily Routine,” “An Extraordinary Book,” “The Shape Escape,” “What Do You See?” and “Lawrence the Lighthouse.” Most recently Angela has launched “Story Spectacular,” a children’s story podcast. The show features original stories and classic retellings.
Connecting With Angela Ferrari
Your website: http://storyspectacular.com/
Your Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StorySpectacular/
Your Twitter: https://twitter.com/storytacular
Your LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-ferrari-13690a132/
Your Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storytacular/
Difficulty of selecting career, Self-publishing
Artist, Author, Illustrator, Podcaster, Storyteller
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1022:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Clean Energy Consultant? - Ron Kamen
“I majored in management and accounting at Binghamton University thinking I’d become an accountant for my career. In my senior year I was lucky enough to take a graduate course in Systems Science. Systems Science is an interdisciplinary field that studies the complexity of systems in nature, social or any other scientific field. At the end of that fascinating course, which was far outside the courses I had been taking, I came to believe that we all have a purpose and mission in our lives. When we feel good about what we are doing, are in the flow, that’s when we know we are doing what we are supposed to be doing with our talents. For me, that became working with people and doing something positive for humanity and the world. I became a community organizer on energy issues.”
Ron Kamen is CEO of EarthKind Energy Consulting and host of The AWESome EarthKind Podcast. His life mission is to empower everyday people to make clean energy transitions to reduce their carbon footprint and save them money. For more than three decades, Ron has energized communities, governments, non-profits, and businesses to take their next step to increase energy efficiency and use renewable energy. He’s now building an online community of AWESome EarthKind people ready to “Go Clean and $ave Green.”
Connecting With Ron Kamen
Website: awesomeearthkind.com/dyt
Facebook: facebook.com/awesomeearthkind
Twitter: twitter.com/awesomearthkind
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronkamen/
Instagram: instagram.com/awesomeearthkind/
A Day in the Life of a Clean Energy Consultant
Clean Energy Consultant
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1021:
Yes We Can, If We Find Common Ground - Chris Cathcart
“The thing I’m so proud of in my career within the industry trade groups–from manufacturing to chemical distribution to the formulation of end-use products–is I served with people who were saying, ‘You know, we’ve got to find out where the common ground is with the lead environmental groups, the thought leaders. Let’s see if we can find the way forward.’ And we were able to do that together by asking those groups across a table ‘What’s on your mind? What is it you are trying to get done?’ Having that frame of mind to say ‘Yes, we can do it’ has carried through for years on so many issues that we worked on. We didn’t always have a successful resolution because sometimes the issues were far too complex. But for the vast majority of issues, we were able to do that. I’m grateful for those people who say, ‘Yes we can’ and that even in today’s environment, things don’t have to be that derisive if someone wants to find common ground.”
Chris Cathcart joined the Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA) as its president in January of 2000. He retired from the association in January 2017. During his tenure at the association, Cathcart initiated the formation of Product Care®, the industry’s product stewardship program; and the founding of the Alliance for Consumer Education, the association’s non-profit educational foundation. Prior to joining CSPA, from 1992 to 1999, Cathcart worked for the National Association of Chemical Distributors, as President and Chief Operating Officer. From 1990 to 1992, he served as President, Hazardous Materials Advisory Council, and from 1981 to 1990 he served in various management positions with the Chemical Manufacturers Association, now known as the American Chemistry Council. From 1974 to 1981 he served in both military and civilian government positions. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point, a Master’s of Arts from Central Michigan University, and completed other postgraduate work at George Washington University. Cathcart enjoys sailing, and motorcycling. Additionally, he is a pilot and holds a commercial certificate with multi-engine, instrument, and glider ratings. Chris and his family live in Potomac, Maryland.
Connecting With Chris Cathcart
To connect with Chris Cathcart, email a request to jan@dytpodcast.com and put Chris’ name in the subject line.
Finding Common Ground, Trade Associations, West Point
Business Executive, Military, Trade Associations
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1020:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Public Relations Professional? - Alexis Davis Smith
“There are a lot of young people that are entering the field of public relations that still do not have a clue what it is that we really do. It’s really important to understand that public relations is a field that offers a lot of variety because there are so many industries that you can go into: from fashion to the film business and countless others. If you’re interested in business, you can join a company as a part of their corporate communications department. If you like giving back to the world, you can join a nonprofit and be their public relations director. I think it’s important for young people to study what the field is, and to recognize that there’s a big difference between the publicist you see on TV versus real public relations professionals.”
Alexis Davis Smith is the president and CEO of PRecise Communications, an award-winning marketing communications firm. With more than 20 years of experience and a reputation as a trusted communications strategist, Alexis is a leader in Atlanta’s public relations industry and a national voice for multicultural marketing. She is responsible for creating breakthrough, strategic communications programs for major consumer brands, including Coca-Cola, Toyota and Pfizer. A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native and proud graduate of Florida A&M University, Alexis has a passion for women and giving back to the next generation of public relations professionals and entrepreneurs.
Connecting With Alexis Davis Smith
Website: precisecomm.net
Facebook: facebook.com/PReciseCommunications
Twitter: @PreciseComm
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexis-davis-smith-112a325
Instagram: @precisecommatl and @preciselyalexis
A Day in the Life of a Public Relations Professional, Internships
Public Relations
October 2021:
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1018:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Clinical Psychologist? - Lara Fielding, PsyD
“Because I was frugal with my money, I bought real estate and other solid investments which allowed me to go back to school for 10 years, support myself during that time, then set up a private practice that allowed me to focus on what mattered to me most. My passion is how we can make ourselves more resilient: the relationship between health, behavior and stress. I want to help individuals understand these vital influences so that they can thrive, not merely survive.”
Dr. Lara Fielding is a Los Angeles based clinical psychologist and author of “Mastering Adulthood: Go Beyond Adulting to Become an Emotional Grownup.” She specializes in teaching science-based mindfulness skills to young adults, who are working through the challenges of the transitioning roles of adulthood. She studied psycho-physiology of stress and emotions at UCLA and Harvard, before getting her doctorate at Pepperdine, Graduate School of Education and Psychology, where she is a regular guest lecturer and former Adjunct Professor. She frequently offers training to clinicians and students in the community in the service of her value of therapy for all.
On Her Bookshelf
Mastering Adulthood: Go Beyond Adulting to Become an Emotional Grown-Up, by Lara E. Fielding, PsyD
Connecting With Lara Fielding, PsyD
Website: mindful-mastery.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MindfulMastery/
Twitter: twitter.com/Mindful_Mastery
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lara-fielding-psy-d-ed-m-b66a1013/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindful_mastery/
A Day in the Life of a Clinical Psychologist
Adjunct Professor, Author, Clinical Psychologist, Model
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1017:
Trying to Figure Out Where She Belonged - Habiba Jessica Zaman
“I never could have imagined if someone asked me five years ago, ‘Did you know that you’re going to be an author?’ I would have just laughed and said something like, ‘That’s cute. Thanks’. No, I never thought that I would be doing the things that I am doing. I’ve always needed to know where I am going next and having a viewpoint and vision. Now I want to leave the door open for whatever comes my way. I don’t want to limit myself by saying no. I won’t know what is next until I try it, like working on my eighth book. I want to just see what the universe throws at me.”
Habiba Jessica Zaman has over 15 years of experience working in the counseling field, including advocacy, guidance and education. She believes that as a person becomes more aware of their fears, perception, desires and strengths, they can make successful life changes. She is author of 13 publications and seven books, including the new release, Beautifully Bare, Undeniably You. She has also been featured in Forbes Magazine.
On Her Bookshelf
Beautifully Bare, Undeniably You, by Habiba Zaman
But I’m Just Playing! by Habiba Zaman
Loving but Ever Changing Childhood, Successful Life Changes
Author, Business Owner, Counselor
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1016:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Pharmacist? - Steven Simenson
“There are so many more opportunities today for pharmacists that we haven’t even dreamed of. In the future, pharmacists are going to provide more direct patient care, like pharmacogenomics, such as point of care testing for influenza and strep throat, and collaborative practice agreements that allow us, through a physician sign-off or medical practice sign-off, to manage and monitor medications.”
Steven Simenson, BPharm, FAPhA, FACA, DPNAP is the CEO and Managing Partner of Goodrich Pharmacy, Inc., with five community pharmacies in Minnesota. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy along with his wife, Wendy, also a Pharmacist. Steve was the 2013-2014 President of the American Pharmacist’s Association and is on the Board of Directors of Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Companies and the Community Pharmacy Foundation. He is actively advocating for the pursuit of Patient Access to and Coverage for Pharmacist Patient Care Services. Steven is at his best taking care of patients.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. If you are not a continuous lifelong learner, you probably don’t want to be a pharmacist because you have to do ongoing research on so many aspects of the profession.
2. An innate proclivity for relating to and helping other people is vital: finding solutions to their problems, locating other healthcare providers, and staying connected to them and their families, too, often for a lifetime.
3. Selecting and grooming your staff, while building a culture that allows people to use their best talents and grow both personally and professionally, is one of my key focuses as CEO, and it gives me great satisfaction.
4. To maintain your overall health and wellness in this high stress profession, you have to be able to not take your work home with you, which is easier said than done, but key to your overall performance and satisfaction.
5. Another gratifying aspect of my work is the internships we have with the University of Minnesota, where we can introduce them to both sides of the work we do—direct relationships with customers and interprofessional work with physicians.
6. Enthusiastically embrace opportunities that arise to further your education and get experience in a career you are interested in. And network every chance you get. You never know when someone will step forward to help you.
Connecting With Steven Simenson
Email: SSimenson@goodrichpharmacy.com
Website: www.goodrichpharmacy.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/GoodrichPharmacy/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/steve-simenson-8327b410/
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Pharmacist
Business Manager, C-Level Executive, Pharmacist
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1015:
Using His Talent of Adaptability to Succeed in an Ever-Changing Job Market - Jon Ostenson
“I love to go out there speaking and educating–on top of the franchising. It’s a great time to be exploring franchising. Our placements year-to-date are up over 50%, which was up 50% over the previous year. Whether you are thinking of switching careers or getting a side hustle going or looking at expanding your investment portfolio, I just think the time is ripe. A lot of people coming out of Covid have said, ‘Now’s the time to have a little more control of my life. I’ve always thought about business ownership, but it is risky.’ The fact is, working for somebody may be even riskier. There has definitely been a large shake-up out there. I often give talks to investors about franchising as an asset. There are tax benefits and all kinds of benefits that come from business ownership. I love being able to help others and later hear them tell their success stories.”
Jon Ostenson is a consultant, investor, author, and international speaker specializing in the area of non-food franchising. He draws on his experience as both the President of an Inc. 500 franchise system and as a multi-brand franchisee in serving clients across these capacities. He serves as CEO of FranBridge Consulting where he helps clients understand all aspects of non-food franchising in the process of introducing them to opportunities from the over 300 high growth brands that he represents. Additionally, Jon oversees FranBridge Capital where he and his partners own 17 territories across 5 property service franchises.
Connecting With Jon Ostenson
Website: franbridgeconsulting.com
Facebook: facebook.com/JonOstenson
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonostenson/
Being Adaptable, Franchising as a Career or Investment, Non-food Franchising
Author, C-Level Executive, Franchise Consultant, Franchise Consultant, Franchisee, Investor
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1014:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an lnternational Photographer? - Parish Kohanim
“I came to the United States when I was 18 and planned to continue my education at San Francisco State University in geology, which I had been fascinated with during my boyhood in Iran where we lived so close to nature. Early on I realized that geology did not interest me any longer. So, I took photography as a last resort, as my final elective. My photography professor was highly supportive, encouraged me and was a great guide and muse. Basically I abandoned what I came here for and thanks to him set off on a career that has been my life’s work and passion ever since.”
Parish Kohanim is a self-taught photographer with a degree in film, who started his career by photographing hundreds of advertising campaigns for major clients both domestic and international. His paradigm and commitment for his personal life and career is “to stay original, diverse, timeless and unique while capturing beauty. I feel privileged and fortunate to be able to spend time capturing the infinite and sublime beauty of creation. A gift that humbles and centers me, letting me escape from the excessive noise in our world.” Recipient of many prestigious awards, Parish has been committed to focus on his true calling to stay fresh and inventive to photograph a broad range of fine art photos.
On His Bookshelf
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere, by Pico Iyer
Connecting With Parish Kohanim
Website: https://parishkohanim.com/
Twitter: @ParishKohanim
Facebook: facebook.com/ParishKohanimPhotography/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/parish-kohanim-397a9118
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of a Photographer
Commercial Photographer, Fine Art Photographer, Photographer
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1013:
Life as a Chameleon, A Story of Addiction & Recovery - Blake E. Cohen
“The thing that excites me the most about what I’m doing (as a Certified Addiction Professional) is I get to travel the country, talk to people from all walks of life, and educate them on the disease of addiction. And not just educate them on how it’s affecting the country, but educate them on what we can do to help prevent it for future generations─prevent it in the workplace, prevent it at home. And to really foster an environment that is warm and connecting, to combat people’s needs to use substances.”
Blake Cohen began his career in the field of substance abuse treatment in his home state of Florida, fueled by passion and gratitude for having overcome his own battles with addiction. His two-fold goal is to combat the stigma surrounding the disease of addiction and educate those who are in the dark about it. He is the proud co-founder of Next Level Recovery Association, is the author of “I Love You More, Short Stories of Addiction, Recovery and Loss from the Family’s Perspective,” and the host of The Overcoming Adversity podcast. He completed his bachelor’s degree in psychology at Florida Atlantic University and earned a state certification as an Addictions Professional to better assist those struggling with substance use disorders. Blake is currently earning his Master’s degree.
Books on The Topic
Connecting With Blake E. Cohen
Website: BlakeEvanCohen.com
Twitter: twitter.com/BlakeCohenAutho/
Instagram: @BlakeEvanC
Addict's Family Perspective, Addiction and Recovery
Author, Certified Addiction Professional, Motivational Speaker
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1012:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Customer Acquisition Expert? - Todd Brown
“A few years into my job at one of the top health clubs in New Jersey, I got a package in the mail–a direct response, long-copy marketing letter if you will, that was offering a home-study program for fitness professionals to teach them the basics of marketing. I knew absolutely nothing about advertising and marketing, but this approach intrigued me. I immediately ordered it and a few days later received this massive home study kit–a bunch of binders, folders and diskettes. I started reading through it all and was absolutely blown away! I became instantly enamored of the idea of being able to create a single marketing message that generates hundreds or even thousands of sales without having to generate brand new sales presentations. I began using everything that I was learning about these marketing techniques in the health club where I was employed and over 12 to 18 months, I became the poster child for breakthrough marketing in the entire club. Soon after, on my own time, I took these powerful marketing principles and created a marketing program for massage therapists. That was my first step into the world of being an entrepreneur. A couple of years later, after I had more thoroughly developed my skills and expertise in both my day-job and my side gig, I realized that my true dream wasn’t built around merely making a comfortable income, but mainly it was about autonomy. So, I set out on my own.”
Todd Brown is considered the #1 authority on engineering profitable customer acquisition campaigns, and the creator of the renowned E5 Method. He is one of the most sought-after marketing experts other experts go to when they need help with their own business. With clients in over 64 different countries, operating in over 71 different mass and niche markets, Todd has helped his students engineer more six and seven-figure marketing campaigns than any other expert online today. His list of coaching students, consulting clients, and subscribers reads like a Who’s Who of A-List Entrepreneurs. His Agency has created the promotions behind some of the biggest direct response marketers and companies online today.
Connecting With Todd Brown
Website: https://toddbrown.me/
Facebook: facebook.com/ToddBrownMarketing/
A Day in the Life
Business Owner, Customer Aquisition Expert, Entrepreneur, Online Marketing
September 2021:
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1011:
Star of Stage and Screen, Pain Be Damned - Cindy Ashton
Cindy learned as a little girl that the cards were stacked against her. The casts on her legs, the scars and pain drove home the point. But somewhere inside, she knew one day the world would hear her roar.
By age 3 Cindy Ashton was already wearing sequins, singing classics and dancing around her living room to her growing audience of fans. Since then she has worked with countless others, gracing thousands of stages. After over 20 years as a singer and entertainer, she is now the TV host of Cindy Uncorked on e360tv, syndicated worldwide on 186 million screens. Bringing her flare for stage craft to the speaking world, Cindy is also a professional speaker, presentation strategist and CEO of Speaker Stardom Booking Agency. She has received awards from former president Obama and Queen Elizabeth II for her lifetime of volunteerism, and has appeared in multiple media, including Investment News and Inc. Magazine.
On Her Bookshelf
Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons in Theory and Practice, by Howard E. Gardner
Connecting With Cindy Ashton
Website: www.cindyashton.com
Facebook: facebook.com/cindyuncorked
Twitter: twitter.com/cindyashton
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cindyashton/
e360TV: e360tv.com/
Bullying, Chronic Disease, Living with Pain, Overcoming Obstacles
Actor, Dancer, Entertainer, Presentation Trainer, Singer, Speaker, TV Host
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1010:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Forensic Neuropsychologist? - Richard Lettieri, PhD
“I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so like so many of us, I followed in my older brother’s footsteps. He’s an exceptionally talented engineer so I took an engineering class in high school. I liked the math and science part of it but was awful at the practical side–nearly electrocuted myself on one occasion! Nevertheless I enrolled at the City College of New York in their 5-year engineering program, which included a number of classes in the humanities. My sophomore year I was introduced to Sigmund Freud via his landmark book: Civilization and Its Discontents. It frankly blew my mind and I realized that psychology was the direction that I wanted to take my career. Nevertheless I didn’t have the confidence or honestly the courage to make the change. By the end of my third year I had successfully completed all of the most difficult and demanding courses in the engineering curriculum–electromagnetic theory, differential equations, et al. Once I had completed these courses, I knew that I had what it took to go forward in engineering–that I was not simply ‘copping out.’ I instantly knew that I had the freedom to choose the direction of my career path. While I knew not one person in the psychology program, I went to my advisor, told him I wanted to switch majors, and the course of my life and career was profoundly changed for the better. My career as a forensic psychologist has been professionally and personally satisfying on so many levels.”
Richard Lettieri, PhD, is a forensic neuropsychologist and psychoanalyst with over 25 years of experience. Whether privately retained or appointed by the court, he is frequently called upon to assess individuals for a number of reasons, including competency to stand trial and insanity, and to evaluate individuals accused of sex crimes and violent offenses. Dr. Lettieri received his PhD from the University of Southern California and is a member of the Expert Witness Panels of Orange County and San Bernardino County Superior Courts. He has taught at Chapman University in Orange County, California, at the New Center for Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles, and at Pepperdine University in the master’s and Doctorate programs. He lives in Santa Ana, California.
On His Bookshelf
Decoding Madness: A Forensic Psychologist Explores the Criminal Mind, by Richard Lettieri
Civilization and Its Discontents, by Sigmund Freud
Connecting With Richard Lettieri, PhD
Website: https://crimepsychologist.com/
A Day in the Life, Choosing a Career
Author, Business Owner, Forensic Neuropsychologist, Psychoanalyst
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1009:
Decorated Combat Photographer–“I Strive to Live My Life to the Fullest for Those Who Can’t” - Stacy Pearsall
“No one in our lives knows us and what we want to do in our deepest selves. They are concerned about our financial security and survival, which is fine, but listen to yourself and follow what actually interests you, because you know what that is, even at a very young age. The military turned out to be the best decision I could make because it married both security along with giving me a platform from which to grow and expand my artistic talents and deep love of photography. After I retired, this foundation was the springboard I needed to launch my life forward as an entrepreneur and business owner.”
“I left behind so many wonderful people that didn’t make it home from the Iraq war and every single day I strive to live in their honor and to live my life to the fullest for those who can’t.”
Stacy L. Pearsall got her start as an Air Force photographer at the age of 17. During her time in service she traveled to over 41 countries. During three combat tours, she earned the Bronze Star and Air Force Commendation with Valor for combat actions in Iraq. Though disabled and retired from military service she continues to work worldwide as an independent photographer and founder of the Veterans Portrait Project. Her work has been exhibited at The Pentagon and Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
Connecting With Stacy Pearsall
Website: www.veteransportraitproject.com and www.stacypearsall.com
Facebook: facebook.com/veteransportraitproject
Twitter: twitter.com/VetPortraits/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stacypearsall/
Instagram: instagram.com/veterans_portrait_project/
Creative Career in the Military, Military Career
Photographer, Veteran
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1008:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Native American Diversity and Inclusion Innovator? - Donna Brown, PhD
“I was in a new faculty position, which I loved at Minnesota State University Moorhead, when out of the blue I received several emails from individuals in Belcourt, North Dakota, telling me that the president’s position at Turtle Mountain Community College was open. They encouraged me to apply. I told them that I’d look at the opportunity but immediately thought–why would I leave this position that was ideal for me, that was the best position of my career so far? Then I reflected on the last twenty years when I had won the Bush Fellowship and told the board members my long-term goal was that one day, I want to be a tribal college president because that’s where I got my start, and my life will come full circle when I do that. After much soul-searching and discussions with my family, I decided to apply. As I went through the application process, learned more about the history of the college and its community involvement, I realized that this was my true calling and that I really wanted this position. When I looked at the description of the president’s role and considered my long experience working with American Indians, and as a faculty member and administrator on a university president’s cabinet, it looked like it was written for me. I was deeply honored to be chosen as Turtle Mountain Community College’s new president and could not be more excited about our future here.”
Dr. Donna Brown (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) grew up on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota. Her professional life has been devoted to education, diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. She is currently the President of Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC), a tribal college located in Belcourt, North Dakota. Dr. Brown is committed to service to Indian Country and Education on a local, regional and national level. She served as a member of the National Advisory Council on Indian Education, the Cass-Clay YWCA Board of Directors, and as Chair of the YWCA Racial Justice Committee.
Connecting With Donna Brown, PhD
Facebook: facebook.com/Turtle-Mountain-Community-College-275291029154060
and facebook.com/donna.brown.167180
Twitter: @DBChippewa
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donna-brown-97474155
Education, Native American Diversity and Inclusion, Native American Life
Associate Professor, Associate V.P. of Diversity, Chief Diversity Officer, Community College President
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1007:
The Intersection of Mental Health and Entrepreneurship - Scout Sobel
“All of a sudden the girl who couldn’t function or hold responsibilities or find fulfillment in what other people did, was over functioning. There were things I was starting to realize, and one was that my bi-polar disorder has high highs and low lows; entrepreneurship has high highs and low lows. So, in many ways it worked beautifully within my mind. Another thing was, for me to really show up, it has to be all on my shoulders. I can have no out: I can’t have the psychologist’s note, I can’t have the ‘Hey, can you cover my shift.’ I have to be the one to show up. By adding to my shoulders more burden and responsibility that only I could bear, it allowed me to show up significantly. I found a dance and a power and a grove within me that was untapped. That’s really when I started my entrepreneurial journey. It became very clear to me that the only way I’m going to succeed is if I create my own thing. I suddenly found the path forward that works with my bipolar disorder, that helps my bipolar actually calm down within the confines of entrepreneurship.”
Scout Sobel is the founder of Scout’s Agency, co-host of the popular Okay Sis Podcast, and the host of SCOUT Podcast. She is a trailblazer in the media industry for utilizing podcasts as a powerful form of PR. After starting Okay Sis, which focuses on female guests, Scout fell in love with spreading women’s stories and identified the rising popularity and influence of podcasting. She started Scout’s Agency with an emphasis in podcast PR for women entrepreneurs, podcasters, and brands. Scout has also lived with bipolar disorder for the last 15 years. She was once unable to function in society but after finding entrepreneurship and taking radical responsibility over her emotions, she is now able to live a life of purpose. Her debut book, The Emotional Entrepreneur, provides the mindset and emotional tools she learned from managing her mental illness and that have helped her succeed in business.
On Her Bookshelf
The Emotional Entrepreneur, by Scout Sobel
Connecting With Scout Sobel
Website: scoutsagency.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thescoutagency
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scoutsobel and linkedin.com/company/19123953/admin
Instagram: instagram.com/emotionalentrepreneurnstagram.com/scoutsobel
Bipolar disorder, Entrepreneurship
Business Owner
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1006:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to be an Architect? - Jane Frederick
“In 1988 we visited Beaufort, fell in love with the area, and soon after moved here and opened our firm. When we first started we were doing whatever work we could do—churches and schools and buildings of all kinds. But after we had been in business about 10 years, we realized the projects we really enjoyed doing were the customer residential ones. So that’s when we started focusing exclusively on custom residential work. We do everything from a small bathroom remodeling to designing a brand new house—creating a house from the ground up for a particular client. You know, when you move into an existing house, you make the house work for you. You might turn the dining room into a study, or you might make the space work for whatever needs you have. But when you start from scratch or when you’re doing a major remodel, you can really make the house work for the particular needs of the people that are living there.”
Jane Frederick, FAIA, was the 96th President of The American Institute of Architects. She is a principal at Frederick + Frederick Architects, which received AIA South Carolina’s 2017 Firm Award and Southern Living magazine’s Best Renovation of 2009. The Beaufort, SC firm specializes in custom residences and has earned over 20 design awards. Jane has served AIA in many roles, at-large director on the national Board of Directors, as chair of the AIA Small Firm Round Table, president of AIA South Carolina. She has also chaired numerous local planning boards and is a fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Connecting With Jane Frederick
Website: www.f-farchitects.com
Facebook: facebook.com/F.F.Architects/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: twitter.com/JaneFredArch
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/janefrederickaia
Instagram: instagram.com/frederick_frederick_architects
A Day in the Life of an Architect, Architecture
Architect, Business Owner
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1005:
Childhood Trauma Took Everything from Him, But He Took Everything Back - Michael Unbroken
“At 18 I said to myself that by the time I’m 21, I want to make a hundred thousand dollars a year. Legally! This was important because my uncle was in prison for life, my family members and friends were getting arrested, and by 26, three of my best friends had been murdered. I said to myself, money is the solution–the solution for abuse, for poverty, for the water getting turned off when I was a boy. So I made that declaration to myself to do it legally. At eighteen and a half I became a general manager in training for a Wendy’s restaurant. By 19, I had a leadership role with 52 people under me. By the time I was 21, I was making six figures, working in sales for a Fortune 10 company. But I would call age 20 to 26 the most chaotic period of my life. You know, you hear all the time that money brings more problems. That’s true if you haven’t done the work, if you haven’t stepped into the place of creating massive change in your life. And I hadn’t! So I found myself in the day-to-day throes of working for a corporation, making all this money, and not even understanding how to manage it. I was making six figures and living paycheck to paycheck. I was going out for $500 dinners, buying $300 shoes, spending five grand in the mall…I’m driving a $95,000 car! It was chaotic because I thought money was the solution. I didn’t understand that money is only a tool. I thought that money was going to fix everything, but it did not. By the time I was 25, I’m 300-plus pounds, I’m smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, and I’m drinking myself to sleep. It was way past time for a change!”
From homeless to hero, Michael Unbroken is the founder of Think Unbroken, best-selling author, award-winning speaker, podcast host, coach, and advocate for adult survivors of childhood trauma. Since 2016, Michael has empowered over 100,000 trauma survivors to get out of The Vortex, learn to love themselves, and become the hero of their own story. Michael has spoken in over 80 countries, won investments from Undercover Billionaire Grant Cardone, and is on a mission to end Generational Trauma in his lifetime.
Books on The Topic
Think Unbroken: Understanding and Overcoming Childhood Trauma, by Michael Anthony
December 2019Think Unbroken: 8 Steps to Healing Your Inner Child, by Michael Anthony
April 2021Connecting With Michael Unbroken
Website: www.ThinkUnbroken.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MichaelUnbroken
Twitter: twitter.com/michaelunbroken
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/traumasurvivormentorandcoach
Instagram: instagram.com/michaelunbroken/
Adult Survivors of Childhood Trauma, Childhood Trauma
Author, Business Owner, Podcaster, Restaurant Manager, Sales, Speaker, Trauma Coach
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1004:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Veterinarian? - John Robb, DVM
“When I’ve had a tough case, and the dog or cat or lizard or whatever I’m treating is really in a life-threatening type situation, and I’m able to apply my skills, pull that pet through, and then when that pet’s coming up to the front to meet the client to go home…you know, that’s IT, right there. That moment where you see the people and the emotions and the tears, and knowing that I was able to be a part of that, you know? That’s it.”
Dr. John Robb is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Connecticut. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis in 1981 and his DVM from that same institution in 1985. Dr. Robb started the Protect The Pets movement in 2006 to bring morals back into veterinary medicine. This has helped clients by establishing pet safe hospitals and veterinarians by giving them the opportunity to live their oath. He currently owns and operates a small animal veterinary hospital in Newtown, Ct called Dr. Robb’s Protect The Pets – 98 South Main Street, Newtown, Ct. He practices the new standard of titering first before routinely over vaccinating pets who already have immunity. He plans on putting Protect the Pets Hospitals all over the world.
Connecting With John Robb, DVM
Website: protectthepets.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/DRRobbPTP/
Twitter: John Robb@JohnRobb17
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/john-robb-639a317/
Instagram: drrobbsprotectthepets
Phone: 203-690-2866
Office: Dr. Robb’s Protect The Pets, 98 South Main Street, Newtown, Ct
A Day in the Life of a Veterinarian, Pets
Veterinarian
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1003:
A Meager Christmas Bonus Sets Him on the Path to Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur - Jim Kukral
In the early 1990’s and early in his career, Jim Kukral joined a “new media agency,” the first name used for companies that built websites. Very few people knew anything about the internet, so the people being hired were learning on the job. For Jim, that meant getting a first day assignment to read a book on how to use HTML to build websites. “It was a great job in many ways. Two of the first websites I ever built were for Ernst & Young and Sherwin Williams. These were their first websites, too. But, the day I decided I was going to become an entrepreneur, was at an office Christmas party. “I had just spent three to four months sleeping in the office, busting my butt to help the company make a lot of money for their biggest client. Christmas party time came and I thought, ‘Boy, I’m going to get a huge bonus!’ And that day the two owners of the company went to a furniture store and spent $50,000. And I thought, ‘Wow, this is going to be great.’ Well, they spent $50,000 on furniture for their offices upstairs. And then I thought they were going to give us money as a bonus. So, I went to the Christmas party and they gave me a check for $250. That was the moment I knew I was never going to work for anybody ever again, because I did not like not being in control of my own income, my own finances. I was gone within three months to start my first company.”
For 25-years Jim Kukral has been writing books (10), keynote speaking (150+), and building successful lifestyle businesses as a marketing entrepreneur. But the pandemic and a near-death diagnosis of colon cancer changed everything for Jim in 2020, so he threw away all his past success to start something completely different, a new brand called Life Apocalypse. As an almost fifty-year-old successful businessman, husband, and father of two, Jim realized that he needed to spend his remaining days on this planet helping people figure out how to live a life of significance, impact, and purpose.
Books on The Topic
Two of Jim F. Kukral’s 10 current books on marketing, entrepreneurship, motivation and publishing:
Unskippable, Your Journey to Becoming Unskippable
Attention! This Book Will Make You Money
Coming in 2022:
Your Very Own Life Apocalypse: A Post Pandemic Roadmap to Living Well Before You Die! by Jim F. Kukral
Other books are on his website.
Cancer, Entrepreneurship, Turning Points
Author, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, SEO & Affilite Marketing, Speaker, Web Developer
August 2021:
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1002:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Lawyer? - Arnie Herz
“My advice to anyone contemplating entering the profession of law is to get to know themselves—what makes you tick? The more you can explore yourself from every dimension—not merely intellectually, but emotionally, spiritually and more—the better you will be able to research and evaluate the possibilities to use your talents and skills and work with your values and goals towards a meaningful life and career.”
Arnie Herz is a lawyer, mediator and speaker. He has delivered over 100 programs and keynotes on topics related to the attorney-client relationship, negotiation, conflict resolution and work-life balance. His work has been covered in numerous publications and he has received a host of acknowledgements and awards from his colleagues.
On His Bookshelf
The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values, by Robert M. Pirsig
Connecting With Arnie Herz
Website: http://arnieherz.com
Email: Arnie@arnieherz.com
Facebook: facebook.com/arnieherz
Twitter: twitter.com/arnieherz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/arnieherz/
A Day in the Life of a Lawyer, Know Yourself, Lawyers
Attorney, Lawyer, Mediator
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1001:
A Neurosurgeon Dedicated to His Craft and the Bravery of His Patients - Paul Kaloostian, MD
“To say ‘intense’ is underestimating a medical education. If you can imagine putting 130 of the most obsessive, dedicated, brilliant people in one room, in one class, and you are with them for 10 hours a day for 7 years, just imagine that process. Imagine the competition. Everyone wants to get that A+. Everyone wants to outdo the other. That’s how it is. Competition is good for the most part. I think it is helpful in any field. It pushes the boundaries and makes you better. But there are a lot of people that took it too far and I think they burned out, and some dropped out, and some couldn’t do it. And I don’t blame them. There’s a lot of stress involved. But at the end of the day, surviving that experience made me a better person, taught me a lot about what is important and valuable in life and made me a better doctor.”
Dr. Paul Kaloostian is a Los Angeles neurosurgeon who, aside from saving lives every day, is an avid writer. He wishes to improve the importance of building compassionate relationships between doctors and patients, something he feels is too often lost nowadays. His main goal is to break the stigma that doctors are rigid, book smart people who lack a creative and artistic side. He wrote a poetry book with case studies to share with people in order to show that doctors are not all about science. He has some insights to share on how to improve the doctor/patient relationship, especially in trying times like these. He feels that once this barrier is lifted, the doctor/patient relationship will improve tremendously.
On His Bookshelf
The Young Neurosurgeon: Lessons from My Patients, by Paul Edward Kaloostian
From the Eyes of a Doctor (poetry), by Paul Kaloostian MD
My Surgical Cases Told in Poems, Paul Kaloostian MD
Visit his website that lists the many publications for which he has written: https://paulkaloostianmd.com/ and a list of all his books in one place on: https://www.drpaulwriting.com/writing.
Connecting With Paul Kaloostian, MD
Websites: https://www.drpaulwriting.com/ and https://www.paulkaloostian.com/
Doctor/Patient Relationships, Rewards of Being a Surgeon, Stress of Med School, Why Choose Neurosurgery
Author, Neurosurgeon, Writer
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1000:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Mathematician or Statistician? - Edray Goins
“What I would love to do in the next 10 years or so is focus very much on getting underrepresented minorities in general and African Americans in particular, more interested in mathematics. I personally love math and I want as many people as I can to take as many math classes as they can. I know that there are a lot of underrepresented minorities that are very nervous about questions such as: What kind of career could I have in math? Might I make more money being an engineer or a doctor? What are some of the specific career opportunities I might have? And I definitely want to spend time explaining what those opportunities are and much more.”
Edray Herber Goins is Professor of Mathematics at Pomona College. He has worked as a researcher at both Harvard and the National Security Agency, and has taught at both Caltech and Purdue. Professor Goins has published over 20 journal articles in areas such as applied mathematics, graph theory, number theory, and representation theory and on topics such as Diophantine equations, elliptic curves, and African Americans in mathematics. He has acted as a referee for 20 different journals in mathematics, served on dozens of panels for the National Science Foundation, and has given more than 150 invited addresses on his research.
Connecting With Edray Goins
Website: pomona.edu/directory/people/edray-goins
Facebook: facebook.com/ehgoins
Twitter: twitter.com/edraygoins
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/edray-goins-88b0882/
Mathematician, Professor, Statistician
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999:
How She Makes the Impossible Probable - Victoria Song
“One thing that is unique about my background is that my clients, who are tech entrepreneurs and CEOs, value that I came from a business background, a finance background, and a tech investing background. So they know that not only can I provide a tactical strategy, but I can also address the underlying issues that are behind those challenges for them.”
Victoria Song is a leadership advisor to visionary founders and CEOs of the fastest growing technology companies in Silicon Valley, and celebrities with power, platform and influence. A Forbes 30 Under 30 investor, Yale College and Harvard Business School alumna, Victoria has helped her clients achieve multi-billion dollar exits, write patents in 24 hours, and more. She is the author of the new book, “Bending Reality: How to Make the Impossible Probable.” The book is designed to help readers tap into their hidden potential, so they can access extraordinary (seemingly supernatural) abilities they didn’t even know they had.
On Her Bookshelf
Bending Reality: How to Make the Impossible Probable, by Victoria Song
Connecting With Victoria Song
Website: www.victoriasong.me
Facebook: facebook.com/victoria.song1
Twitter: victoriaesong
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/victoriasong/
Instagram: victoriaesong
Becoming a Leadership Advisor, Investing in Technology
Author, Investor in Technology, Leadership Advisor
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998:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Speech Coach and Communication Consultant? - Dr. Bill Lampton
“As a history student in college I quickly noticed that behind every significant historical movement or trend, there has always been a powerful communicator–Churchill and Roosevelt during World War II, and Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement are a few examples. The more I learned about the profound impact of communication skills at every level of our society, I realized that I wanted to not only learn those skills myself, but I also decided to dedicate my career to teaching them to others.”
After earning his Ph.D. in communication, Bill Lampton taught at the University of Georgia and then spent two decades in management at the vice-presidential level. Since 1997–through his company Championship Communication–he has served as a speaker/consultant/coach for top-tier clients, such as Gillette, Procter and Gamble, Oceania Cruises, Missouri Bar and the Ritz-Carlton Cancun. Bill has written two books and hundreds of articles. He produces instructional videos about business communication. Weekly he hosts a video podcast and a radio show. Obviously he fits his tagline: “The Biz Communication Guy.” Based in Gainesville, Georgia, he serves clients without boundaries.
Connecting With Dr. Bill Lampton
Websites:
Facebook: facebook.com/billlampton
Twitter: twitter.com/doclampton
LinkedIn: linkedin/in/billlampton
Instagram: instagram/drbill70
A Day in the Life of a Speech Coach and Communication Consultant
Author, Business Owner, Coach, Communication Consultant, Podcaster, Radio Host, Speaker
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997:
His Journey to Becoming a Writer - James V. Irving
“I like to write. In fact, I’ve always found time throughout my adult life and in my legal career to put aside time to do it. I used to do it because I wanted to be a published author, even just out of college. I kept writing, realizing the reason I’m doing it is because I like it. It’s very satisfying and enjoyable for me to write fiction. Then I got to a point where I said to myself, ‘I ought to just make a go of it.’ So about four or five years ago, I developed a main character, and series of interrelated characters, and a concept for a series of stories. I wrote the first one, which is Friends Like These, and then wrote the second, which is called Friend of a Friend. All of a sudden I realized that these characters are interesting because they will continue to have tension and conflict between them, and I think that will work. All of a sudden, I’ve got a series of books.”
James Irving spent two years employed as a private detective pursuing wayward spouses, locating skips, and handling criminal investigations. Then, after getting his law degree, he started his career practicing criminal law. With his investigative experience and trial work, and becoming a member of the bars of Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts, he finally decided he was ready to write a fiction book series.
On His Bookshelf
Friends Like These, by James V. Irving
Friend of a Friend, by James V. Irving
Third book in the series is coming out before the end of 2021.
Connecting With James V. Irving
Website: jamesvirving.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Jamesvirving
Twitter: twitter.com/James_V_Irving
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/james-v-irving
Instagram: instagram.com/jamesirvingauthor
Criminal Law vs. Business Law, English as College Major, Fiction Writer, Job of a Private Investigator
Author, Business Lawyer, Criminal Lawyer, Private Investigator / P.I.
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996:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Professional Voice Actor? - J. Michael Collins
“Because my dad was friends with the owner of a radio station in Dallas, Texas, at not-quite 15 years of age I got an internship as a ‘gofer’ on a popular show–Texas Money in the Afternoon. My voice had already dropped so the owner graciously let me do a few on-air segments. I had developed a passion for radio and voice work for several years by that time, so I was very excited by the opportunity to learn more. After a while, working part-time at the station, I began to get hired by sponsors to do their commercials. I was paid a reasonable amount of money even at that age and began to wonder if perhaps voice over work might even be more lucrative than being a radio show host. By the time I graduated from college at the University of North Texas, I was already making a modest but decent living doing part time voice over work. After graduating with a degree in political science, I moved back to my hometown of Washington, D.C., got an agent and began working full-time as a voice over talent.”
J. Michael Collins, with over twenty years as a professional voice actor, has worked with some of the biggest companies, brands, sports leagues, and organizations on the planet. In addition to his work in the classic, agency-based world of voice over, J. Michael has established himself as a leading authority in the online casting marketplace and has become recognized as an industry leading voice talent coach and demo producer as well. J. Michael is a 38-time Voice Arts Award winner as a voice actor, demo producer, script writer, and casting director.
Connecting With J. Michael Collins
Website: jmcvoiceover.com
Facebook: facebook.com/j.michael.collins1
Twitter: @jmcvoiceover
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jmichaelcollins/
Instagram: @jmcdemos
Free Gift
10% off all coaching and demos booked before August 1, 2021 with J. Michael Collins
A Day in the Life of a Professional Voice Actor.
Casting Director, Script Writer, Voice Actor, Voice Talent Coach
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995:
Cancer Survivor and Lifelong Learner Always Plays Her Own Game - Nicola Grace
“My dad said that people who are always educating themselves have a better quality of life and can contribute more to society. So, I have always been on a learning path. And a wonderful sprinting coach told me early on, ‘Don’t turn around to see what everybody else is doing. Play your own game, stay in your own lane, because every time you turn around to look and see who’s coming behind you, you lose a little bit of speed.’ So that’s what I’ve done. Yes, there’s competition out there and yes, I’ve got to notice it, but I must play my own game to the best of my ability.”
From surviving cancer to making history by saving a billion-dollar industry from ruin, award winning strategist and best-selling author Nicola Grace—the mission mentor—helps entrepreneurs and visionaries clarify and monetize their life’s big mission so they can make a bigger impact, transform the world and build their legacy. Nicola’s intuitive, visionary strategy skills have made her the secret weapon of politicians, business owners, social entrepreneurs and innovators and thought leaders around the world.
Books on The Topic
Kindle editions:
Discover What You Are Here to Do: Find the Clues, Follow Your Path, by Nicola Grace
A Changemaker’s Guide to Winning Over Saboteurs: How to access your personal power to move past blocks and make forward progress, by Nicola Grace
Connecting With Nicola Grace
Website: nicolagrace.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/NicolaGracePage/
Twitter: @NicolaGrace
Free Gift
FREE EBOOK:
Mission Mojo: 5 Steps to Clarify and Monetize Your Mission for World Change, by Nicola GraceChanging Legislation, Mission, Multiple Careers, Social Entrepreneurship
Author, Business Owner, Keynote Speaker, Strategist
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994:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Chemical Engineer and Nutritionist? - Barton Scott
“Even individuals who eat what I would call an optimum diet–no junk food and a balance of organic fruits, vegetables, and some organic seafood or meat–even these folks have significant deficiencies in magnesium, potassium and iodine. To focus on iodine for a minute, it is a vital mineral that helps you in smog congested cities or when you are around second-hand smoke. Remember too that our world is 900 times more toxic than it has ever been! Even super-healthy people are iodine deficient. Japan is overall the healthiest country in the world and per capita they consume the most iodine per day–up to 12 milligrams of iodine via the seafood they eat along with the brown algae seaweed such as kelp, kombu and wakame. I recommend that Americans consume on average 3 to 5 milligrams of iodine a day by way of organic supplements or fish, seafood, seaweed and eggs.”
Barton Scott is a chemical engineer, nutritionist, and the founder of Upgraded Formulas. Barton is passionate about helping people combat the stressors of daily life, the toxicity of the modern world, the utter lack of nutrients, and the mineral absorption issues that we all face, and he has made it his mission to reduce suffering by increasing the public’s understanding of the human body’s interrelationships.
Connecting With Barton Scott
Website: upgradedformulas.com
YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCoDVisg4DiGmNXMEvE6xsVg
Facebook: facebook.com/upgradedformulas
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/1bartonscott
Instagram: instagram.com/upgradedformulas
Free Gift
15% Discount on any product from Upgraded Formulas. When you order, you will be asked if you have a promo code. The code for Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love listeners is: talentupgraded
Visit the website here: upgradedformulas.com
A Day in the Life of a Chemical Engineer and Nutritionist, Minerals, Nutrition
Business Owner, Chemical Engineer, Nutritionist
July 2021:
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993:
A Lifetime of Relentless Pursuit - Stephen Nalley
“I went to law school at age 49 at Washington University School of Law, which is an Ivy League-level law school. I graduated with a 4.0, the highest GPA in my class. When people ask me how I did that while doing all this other stuff at the same time, I like to joke and say ‘I cheated.’ At Orientation they told us we should spend four hours per class per, week preparing for lectures. I spent eight hours preparing. Most people say, that’s not cheating. Yes, but nobody does it. If you want to be the smartest person in the room, you have to be the most prepared person in the room. See, there’s nothing extra-ordinary about me. I was a below average student in high school. I just start with the conviction that failure is not an option and I cannot be outworked. Then I move on to: ‘I’m going to out prepare everyone.’ You see, the harder you work, the luckier you get.”
Stephen Nalley is the owner and Managing Partner of Black Briar Advisors, which is a Small Business Administration and Veteran’s Affairs Certified-Disabled Service-Connected Veteran-Owned Company. He has owned and operated over 200 hotels across the United States and has managed over $2 billion in Hotel & Resort Assets. He is the author of “Relentless Pursuit,” where he describes the secret to success as knowing what you want and having a compelling reason why and the discipline to sacrifice what we want right now for what we really want later.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Stephen Nalley
Website: stephennalley.com
Twitter: twitter.com/StephenNalley3
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stephennalley
Failure, Finding Your Passion, Lifelong Learning, Success
Author, Business Owner, Hospital Management, Hotel Management, Military, Sales
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992:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Community Builder? - Mark Deutschmann
“There was actually a specific month and year that was the turning point for my entire career. It was October of 1985. Quite coincidentally my father had just passed away at the same time that a friend of mine’s father had also passed. I had just gotten my master’s degree in international business and had been offered jobs in England and Southeast Asia. I knew I didn’t want to stay in Maryland, and I had travelled around the world as a young man, so I was inclined toward these opportunities. But my dad’s death threw me off track. So, when my friend, Joel Solomon, invited me to come visit in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, I took him up on his offer. I didn’t have a job other than my juggling gigs, which I had been into since I was a young man. Joel’s family had been in the real estate development business his entire life, so I decided to get my real estate license to help out any way I could. Joel was part of a streetscape committee that was trying to develop the rather hollowed out center of the city, which had been abandoned to urban flight. I was working in Hillsboro Village there, and when people asked me what I did, I answered: ‘I sell houses within a one-mile radius of Hillsboro Village. Houses are coming on the market, Vanderbilt University across the street wants the area developed, along with the musicians who have their studios in the area, and of course the merchants.’ With that pithy unique selling proposition, I started selling in-town properties at a rapid clip–27 houses turned into 43 turned into 62 and the neighborhood began to thrive and so did my real estate business. I never left.”
Mark Deutschmann is an entrepreneur and community builder who has worked with neighbors, city leaders and social profits for 30+ years to help shape Nashville development, revitalizing its most sought-after neighborhoods. He is founder/chair emeritus of Village Real Estate Services and president of Core Development Services, which activates Nashville’s urban center with adaptive reuse and mixed-use infill development. His Village Fund and CoreFund nonprofits have granted millions to organizations helping to enrich and strengthen Nashville. Deutschmann is the author of One-Mile Radius–Building Community from the Core. He holds degrees in zoology and Spanish and an MBA in international management.
On His Bookshelf
One-Mile Radius–Building Community from the Core, by Mark Deutschmann
Connecting With Mark Deutschmann
Website: onemileradius.com & nashvillecityliving.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nashvillecityliving/
Twitter: @MarkDeutschmann
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mark-deutschmann-b999a027/
Instagram: @mark_deutschmann
A Day in the Life of a Community Builder, Nashville TN Development, Real Estate
Author, Entrepreneur, Real estate development / Builder, Urban Development
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991:
Helping Veterans Live Their Dream - Philip J. Randazzo
“I asked a general officer that I’d known for a while what we could do to help transitioning veterans. He said, ‘You know, Phil, for some veterans, the transition can be more than a little difficult.’ And that’s when the portion of American Dream U. in 2013 came alive. I did a little research and found the transitioning of all veterans was run by the Department of Labor and the Veterans Administration. At that time, the goal of the curriculum was two resumes: a civilian resume and a government one. I thought ‘Wow. I think there’s a lot more to it!’ So, I called some entrepreneurs that I knew, and we did our first event at Fort Lewis. All the soldiers thought that we were going to have dozens of PowerPoint slides: the military lives off of PowerPoint presentations. But that day, all of a sudden there were no PowerPoints. There were only entrepreneurs there sharing their stories. The soldiers started leaning forward, paying close attention, and taking notes. The general officer of this team said, ‘You’ve really got something here.’ That’s when I discovered that bringing other successful people, both veterans and non-veterans, to share what’s possible, really was a powerful idea. Since then, we’ve done over 170 events, in front of 17,000 or more live attendees. And then, of course, with Covid we had to pivot to be online. I’m proud to say we’ve helped a lot of military people and their families since 2013 and will continue to do so going forward.”
Philip J. Randazzo is an MBA professional, leveraging multiple sustainability disciplines within health care, financial planning and education industries of civilians, veterans, and current military individuals. He was given the key to the city of Las Vegas in March of 2003, testified in front of the U.S. Congress, was invited to the White House, and is actively involved in the Las Vegas community serving on the Advisory Board of the YMCA of Southern Nevada and served on the Veterans Services Commission. He’s the founder of American Dream U. and Clarity Council. His organizations bring the world’s top entrepreneurs together to help those making potentially difficult transitions.
Building a business, Veterans transitioning
Business Owner, Founder of American Dream U., Insurance
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990:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Human Resources Consultant? - Chuck Cooper
“My dad was brought up on a farm that raised Angus cattle. When my brother and I were around 11 years old he decided that we needed to have a similar experience that would keep us busy and engaged and because he had learned so many valuable lessons during his early years. Because cattle farming was so intense and arduous every day, he wanted to find a better option for us. Over the holidays one year we went to Oklahoma where he shopped around and finally decided to buy four English Pointer dogs that would be the starting point for what became the Cooper Brothers’ Kennel. Taking care of this growing family of purebred dogs became the focal point of my life during the next ten years. We started each day at 5:00 a.m., worked until 7:30, then went to school. We returned home around 4:30 p.m. and worked with the dogs until dark. Our kennel raised around 250 puppies every year. In the summer months I spent my days training the dogs to hunt so that we could sell them in the fall. From those myriad experiences with our kennel, we learned so many powerful lessons that were foundational in my life and career going forward: of course, the results of hard work, as well as how to be resilient and consistent, how to deal with all types of people, how to run a small business and finally the basics of how to market and sell. I thank my father for having the insight of giving us this atypical and powerful experience along with our solid traditional education.”
Chuck Cooper is the Founder & Managing Member at WhiteWater Consulting. He sets the Mission, Vision and Values for the company. Over the past twenty-five years, he has had the experience of starting, acquiring, building, and selling businesses in multiple industries. During this time, he’s experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. His passion for founding WhiteWater Consulting is to help enable employers and HR practitioners to drive their organization to realize: An improved company culture; enhance employee engagement; grow revenues; control expenses; maximize profits and all the while taking care of the greatest asset: their people. Chuck subscribes to the belief that our client’s success is our success.
Connecting With Chuck Cooper
Website: http://whitewaterconsulting.net
Email: chuck@whitewaterconsulting.net
Phone: 704-236-3131
Facebook: facebook.com/WhiteWaterConsultingLLC
Twitter: twitter.com/whitewater2019
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chuck-cooper1
Instagram: instagram.com/whitewaterconsulting2019/
A Day in the Life of a Human Resources Consultant
Human Resourses/HR
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989:
"Now That's an Interesting Story!" - Kevin Newell
“I went to the University of Kansas, majored in advertising and graduated with a 2.8 GPA, which is not anything to write home about. I’m sitting at home one Saturday night watching the TV show ‘Common Ground.’ A guy by the name of Warner Sanders was interviewing a woman named Barbara Proctor. Barbara Proctor was the first African-American woman to start an ad agency in the U.S. Now, I don’t have a job, I don’t have any prospects, I have nothing going, but that Monday morning I put on the one suit that I had, made a few copies of my not-that-strong resume, and went to Barbara Proctor’s office at nine o’clock. I just walked in with no appointment. The receptionist was very nice to me, and said, ‘Have a seat. I’ll find out if anybody can see you.’ After about an hour I met with a guy named Tony Moore who ran their media department. He liked me, but he had no jobs. He said, ‘You seem to be a good kid. I’m going to help you with something.’ He picked up the phone and called another gentleman who worked for Vince Cullers Advertising. He told him, ‘I’ve got this young man sitting in front of me who is fresh out of school and wants to get into advertising. I think you ought to take a look at him.’ So, I walked down the street to Vince Cullers offices. Now Vince Cullers was a genius, and a pioneer. I say that because he was the very first African-American in the U.S. to start an agency to target, primarily, the needs of the Black consumer. I met with the media director there. We talked for about a half an hour. Then he introduces me to Vince. We talk another half an hour. I was back home by noon, and I had a job.”
Kevin Newell is a retired C-Suite executive of a Fortune 500 and Dow 30 Company. He began his career in the advertising industry in Chicago before joining McDonald’s Corporation where he spent 27 years, rising to the position of Division President and Global Chief Brand Officer. Upon retirement in 2016 he became the Executive Advisor for tech company HubKonnect. He also serves on the boards of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, the Off The Street Club and Louis Carr Internship Foundation.
Connecting With Kevin Newell
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kevin-newell-3b243a100/
Finding Your Sweet Spot, How to Rise in a Corporate Environment
Advertising, Board of Directors for Non-profits, C-Level Executive, McDonald's Corporation, Tech Company Executive Advisor
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988:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be an Animal Rights Activist? - Nina Jackel
“I was into animals at a very early age. When I was growing up my dog, Peggy, was absolutely my best friend. She inspired me in so many ways. I remember sitting on the stairs one day when I was 12 looking at her and thinking how much feeling and wisdom I could see in her eyes. I realized then that all animals are sentient beings–they feel deeply and care deeply. I could no longer eat animals after that. My belief in animals and their rights continued to grow from that day on.”
Nina Jackel is an activist and journalist affecting change for animals through her non-profit media organization, Lady Freethinker, dedicated to exposing and stopping the suffering of animals, humans, and the planet. Nina believes that humans can evolve for the better through reason and compassion and feels that the issue of animal rights is among the most important social justice issues of our time: one that is centuries behind and overdue for advancement. She seeks to achieve this social evolution by exposing injustice, educating the public, and working to change the laws and policies that allow abuse and neglect of all species to go on.
Connecting With Nina Jackel
Website: ladyfreethinker.org
Facebook: facebook.com/LadyFreethinker
Twitter: @LadyFreethinker
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ninajackel/
A Day in the Life of an Animal Rights Activist, Animal Rights
Animal Rights Activist, Journalist
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987:
How to Turn Your Worst Moment Into Your Greatest - Scott Sunderland
“School really wasn’t my jam. I did okay in it, but I’m not a math person at all; I couldn’t really think that way. I was good at English, good at writing, that kind of stuff. My favorite classes in high school included wood shop and metal shop where I excelled. We had a class that was called World of Construction. It was in a bus garage attached to the school and was taught by an ex-Marine I liked a lot. He really shaped who I was. He saw the genius in me as far as being a builder. I picked it up really fast. Anything I did was right on target, and he loved working with our group of guys. We would build a part of a house in the bus garage: the walls, the floor, the drywall, the roof, the shingles. I could not wait to get to that class every day. That’s really what drove me. I fit there, you know what I mean? Like you have a place where you fit. I didn’t fit in algebra. For the year in algebra, I got a grade of five out of a hundred because I just didn’t get it. I would always say to the teacher, ‘Please tell me where I’m going to use this in my life, and then I’ll really try to understand it. But right now, I have no idea where I’m going to use this. My mind just doesn’t think this way.’ Part of my work now is helping people to understand where they fit. Just because some people are fantastic at calculus doesn’t mean that you need to be. We need to find our own way. We need to find where we fit and excel in those areas.”
Scott Sunderland found himself going from a 35-year-old athletic father, husband, and business owner to lying in a hospital bed unable to move in 2001. Using visualization techniques over the course of a year, Scott was able to heal himself. However, limiting beliefs, past traumas, and disempowering mental habits came back to haunt him when, in 2012, he watched his best friend drown in front of his eyes. Blaming himself, he was broken once again. Standing in a room on fire, Scott was faced with running through those flames to end up at the empowered life that he lives now.
On His Bookshelf
Finding Ugly: Transform Your Worst Moment into Your Greatest Gift, by Scott Sunderland
Connecting With Scott Sunderland
Website: www.thefreedomproject222.com
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/345896626059197
Instagram: instagram.com/freedomproject222
Early Childhood, Fear, Mental Habits, Past Traumas
Builder, Business Owner, Self-employed
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986:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a TV and Media Sales Expert? - Louis Carr
“At the height of my senior year at Lane Tech College Prep High School I had received scholarship offers to run track at most of the top colleges and universities in the country: my future path was clear and quite promising. The day after our team had set the record for the fastest indoor mile relay in the country of 3:19:05, at the Chicago City Indoor Championship, I was competing in a 60-yard dash event and tore my hamstring in half. The doctors told me I would never be able to run competitively again and would likely walk with a limp from here on out. Every scholarship offer disappeared, and my dream of higher education was broken. I resigned myself to getting a job at the U.S. Post Office or UPS. Out of the blue a high school friend of mine–Phil Ferguson–who was playing football for Drake University, recommended that their Relays Team Director, Bob Ehrhart, take a look at my stellar record of multiple high school championships via newspaper articles that had been written about me and my team. Coach Ehrhart had never heard of me, but he agreed to check me out. Once he read my record of high achievement in every area of track and field, he reached out to me and my mother and offered me a full scholarship to Drake University. The course of my life and career was forever changed thanks to Phil Ferguson’s kind gesture and coach Ehrhart’s decision to give me a try. I am forever grateful to each of them.”
Louis Carr has been with BET Networks for 35 years, serving as the President of Media Sales for the last 19 years. During his tenure with the company, he has transformed the multicultural space for some of the world’s biggest brands. He also founded the Louis Carr Internship Foundation (LCIF) 18 years ago to help improve diversity in corporate America through paid internships. The foundation has provided 188 paid internships, in which 50 alumni now have full-time jobs within the industry. Staying true to his commitment of giving back, Carr launched his latest brand–WayMaker–to help provide direction, wisdom and inspiration to people wanting to grow their life and change the world.
Connecting With Louis Carr
Website: www.waymakerjournal.com
Facebook: facebook.com/IamLouisCarr
Twitter: twitter.com/iamlouiscarr
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/louiscarrtv
Instagram: @iamlouiscarr
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A Day in the Life of a TV and Media Sales Expert, BET Networks, Diversity, Internships
BET Networks, Business Executive, Sales, Television
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985:
Disseminating Spiritual Wisdom for Over 36 Years - Tami Simon
“At night, I would edit audio recordings of live workshops with a big reel-to-reel machine, a razor blade and tape, and then my associate would develop the packaging and the catalog copy, which we would mail or hand out. That’s how we started growing the mail order business. But some of our customers brought the catalog to bookstores in their local towns and asked them if they would carry the recordings in the bookstore. Before you knew it, we were getting orders from bookstores. Then the bookstores said to us that the customers love the audio workshops, but the packaging is not really meant for bookstore display. So, we developed bookstore packaging, and then we expanded to Amazon, which far outgrew our direct mail business. We developed a world healing music division of the company, followed by offering instructional videos of spiritual practices. In 2001 we started publishing books and became a book publisher. Our other programs went from CD to downloadable media and all of them became available at Audible. We also developed online learning courses, and now we offer full certification programs that are combinations of in-person events with online learning. There’s been a very organic flowering or unfolding through all these different media over the years. And, it’s been 36 years now!”
Tami Simon is the founder of Sounds True, one of the world’s leading wisdom-based multimedia companies whose mission is to wake up the world. Sounds True publishes groundbreaking authors and teachers with topics ranging from mindfulness, neuroscience, psychology, trauma therapy and more. Tami also founded The Inner MBA, a collaborative effort between Sounds True, LinkedIn, Wisdom 2.0 and MindfulNYU to train the next generation of conscious business leaders by teaching them the inner skills required for success in today’s environment.
Connecting With Tami Simon
Websites: innermba.soundstrue.com and soundstrue.com
Facebook: facebook.com/soundstrue
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tami-simon-1061224/
Growing a Business, Meditation, Spiritual Growth
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Publisher / Multimedia
June 2021:
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984:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Contractor and Real Estate Developer? - Eli Marcus Smith
“We were having trouble early on finding the right employees who would help our business scale. I read a book by Steve Jobs about a program he used at Apple called ‘community hiring.’ Here’s how it works. Every employee we are considering joining our company, at whatever level, must be interviewed by four different members of our team. Once all four interviews are completed, all four team members get together and compare notes about our direct experience with the employee being considered from every possible perspective. Using this hiring model our retention rate has more than doubled over the last few years to 85%, because we empirically track it. The ‘community hiring’ model has been outstanding for us and equally as positive is that when a candidate is actually hired and joins our team from the first day they feel like they are already a part of our culture because they have each gotten to know our key leaders and learned from each of us something unique about our goals, values, vision and mission. This is a true win-win: for the employee, our company and the clients we serve.”
Eli Marcus Smith founded and runs successful businesses in construction and real estate development with offices in Washington, DC, and Syracuse, NY. A committed and energetic entrepreneur, he is following in the footsteps of his parents who were successful business owners for over 40 years. Eli has been recognized by Governor Cuomo for his entrepreneurial spirit and achievement in contracting. He continues to give back to his community by mentoring students at area high schools and colleges including Syracuse University and Onondaga Community College. He also hosts a yearly event to recognize, honor and empower established and rising minority and women-owned businesses.
Connecting With Eli Marcus Smith
Website: esmithcontractors.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/eli-smith-ba616285
A Day in the Life of a Contractor and Real Estate Developer, Employee Retention, Hiring Practices, Team Work
Business Owner, Construction, Contractor, Real Estate Developer
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983:
A Lifetime of Turning Words into Wealth - Aurora Winter
“You asked me how I chose what to study. I wanted to study writing, but my father said, ‘Nobody makes a living as a writer. Do something sensible.’ So, I studied economics instead. But now I hope my most recent book, Turn Words into Wealth: Blueprint for Your Business, Brand and Book, helps people think: ‘Actually there are a bunch of ways to make money as an author, or as a speaker, or as a YouTuber. There are different ways to monetize my message.’ If you really want to be an author, read the book, or some other books to help you think about what the best ways are to do it. How can you add the most value? Yes, it is true that it is quite difficult to make money just from royalties on a book. But on the other hand, there are many stories (and a lot of them are in this book) that show the success people have found.”
Aurora Winter believes that if you determine how you can bring the most value to others, you can make money. And she demonstrates it in her own life story. She is a bestselling author, TV-producer, media coach, ghostwriter, and successful serial entrepreneur. She uses her film-making expertise and neuroscience training to help people communicate and get results, whether it’s raising seven figures for a startup, negotiating for a raise, or enrolling a new client. If you have ever wanted to write a book, become an in-demand speaker or communicate more effectively, Aurora has the expertise and insights to help you achieve your goals.
On Her Bookshelf
Turn Words into Wealth: Blueprint for Your Business, Brand and Book, by Aurora Winter
Thought Leader Launch: 7 Ways to Make 7 Figures with Your Million-Dollar Message, by Aurora Winter
Connecting With Aurora Winter
Website: aurorawinter.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MarketingFastrack
Twitter: twitter.com/AuroraWinterMBA
LinkedIn: llinkedin.com/in/aurorawinter
Author, Entrepreneur, Ghostwriter, Media Coach, TV Producer
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982:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Professor of Entrepreneurship? - John H. Wilson, PhD
“I had the good fortune of working for a company, Paychex, my second job after college, which provided payroll, benefits, and insurance services to CPAs whose clients were mostly small entrepreneurs. This proved to be a seminal learning experience for my career because over the course of a couple of years working with hundreds of these clients, I quickly saw a couple of key patterns that gave me early insights into the work that I am doing today. These highly motivated individuals typically had a keen interest in a business niche or had an idea they had come up with that they wanted to test out in the marketplace. Too often, however, when they moved past the start-up or launch phase of their business and into the vital next step of recruiting, training, and developing their workforce, these talented individuals did not possess the experience or knowledge essential for moving their organization to the next level. Over the next decade working with Vertex in sales and ultimately high-level management roles serving their much larger companies, I added a broad and deep perspective regarding the cultural and leadership dimensions of a business. These experiences were the foundation for my own company, Strategic Collisions, International, LLC, where we work with start-ups and established businesses to help them produce profitable growth through consulting, learning and executive coaching services.”
John H. Wilson (PhD, MBA), also known as The-Entre-Professor, is an entrepreneur, intrapreneur (corporate entrepreneur), scholar, and public speaker with more than twenty years of experience in the technology industry. Recently, Dr. Wilson left Corporate America to pursue a full-time faculty position at Drexel University as a teaching professor in the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship and to launch Strategic Collisions International LLC, a development consultancy dedicated to helping entrepreneurs to launch, grow, and thrive. Dr. Wilson provides unique expertise and inspiration to start-up and scale-up businesses seeking to produce profitable growth through consulting, learning, and executive coaching services.
Connecting With John H. Wilson, PhD
Website: www.strategiccollisions.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Entre_Professor-112820980907052
Twitter: @jhwilsonphd
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhwilsonphd/
Instagram: @johnhwilsonphd
YouTube: The_Entre_Professor: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClo7T0qolr8fYJz9nyY3Q7g
A Day in the Life of a Professor of Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurism
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Executive Coach, Intrapreneur, Professor, Speaker
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981:
Today She Is Living Her Life-Long Passion for Baking - Katherine Frankstone
“When my oldest was heading off to college, I thought, well now maybe my time is here to do that business or that creative thing that I’ve always wanted to do but never allowed myself to do. So that is when we started looking into the food business for Grey Ghost Bakery.”
Katherine Frankstone never got that Easy-Bake Oven she wanted when she was 6. Instead, her father taught her to bake in the real thing—and she got a life-long passion instead. After working as a banker, becoming a mother to three sons, cofounding EdVenture Children’s Museum in Columbia, South Carolina, and going back to law school at 40, she decided to turn her passion into a business, and Grey Ghost Bakery was born. Grey Ghost Bakery produces made-from-scratch cookies in ten delicious flavors using Southern family recipes and are found in over 300 stores in 32 states.
Connecting With Katherine Frankstone
Website: www.greyghostbakery.com
Facebook: facebook.com/GreyGhostBakery
Twitter: twitter.com/greyghostbakery
LinkedIn: linked/in/katherinefranstone-0100624/
Instagram: instagram.com/greyghostbakery/
Comparing Yourself to Others, Multi Careers
Baker, Banking, Business Owner, Non-profit
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980:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Arbitrator, Mediator and Special Master? - Keegan Federal
“I was raised in a loving Catholic family, the oldest of eight other siblings, in Columbus, Georgia. By the time I was in the 9th grade I decided that I wanted to be a priest. With the guidance of our bishop, I spent over two years studying in a cloistered monastery in Little Rock, Arkansas–St. John’s Seminary. While the experience was meaningful to me on many levels, I decided that the priesthood was not the best use of my talents. I later came to understand that there are many common themes between my studies in religion and later in history and the classics, that influenced my final decision to enter the profession of law. So, the foundation was quite helpful. From the beginning of my interest in law, all I ever wanted to do was litigation. I was drawn to the courtroom–enthralled by the intellectual and interpersonal interactions, and of course by the profound impact every final verdict had on the lives of each participant in the case at hand.”
Keegan Federal became a lawyer at 22, a judge at 33, and, after 55 years, he is still practicing law, specializing in high-dollar catastrophic injury cases throughout the Southeast. He also mediates and arbitrates cases for other lawyers and assists other judges by serving as a Special Master presiding over their more complicated and time-consuming cases. Judge Federal is an honors graduate of Emory University, a Vietnam veteran with a Bronze Star, and a member of the Board of Councilors at The Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. He and his wife Rebecca also own and operate an historic inn in St. Mary’s, Georgia, known as “The Federal Quarters.”
Connecting With Keegan Federal
Website: www.thefederalquarters.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StMarysVacations
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/keeganfederal/
Video: https://bit.ly/3hukvEm
Free Gift
Keegan and Rebecca Federal are offering a 5% discount to Guests who call them directly at 912-319-5505 to schedule a stay at The Federal Quarters, an historic inn in St. Mary’s, GA.
Enjoy this video of The Federal Quarters: https://bit.ly/3hukvEm
A Day in the Life of an Arbitrator, Litigation / Litigator, Mediator and Special Master
Arbitrator, Lawyer, Special Master
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979:
Most Thought I Would Not Make It, But Guess What? - Maxwell Adekoje
“Nigeria is such a closed culture place. Everyone knows what you are doing. When you tell people with excitement that you are going to apply for an American visa, and you come back and say you didn’t get it, everybody laughs. And when you do that 13 times … then people start saying, ‘He is never going to make it out.’ The whole process took a minimum of 5 years, but I kept going back. I was not giving up on my dreams. When I got it, I wanted to go to the radio station and just scream, ‘You told me I wasn’t going to make it, but guess what? I made it!’”
Maxwell Adekoje is a native of war-torn Nigeria. A survivor of numerous adversities and crises, he moved to the United States to get a better life. A 20-year veteran in the airline industry, he moved up the corporate ladder and became airport supervisor at Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. He is the CEO and Founder of Higher is Calling. and is a motivational speaker, online marketing training coach, and author of three books. His current release “Just Eat The Worm: Six Strategies That Will Help You Earn More Money and Never Waste a Crisis” is an international best-seller.
On His Bookshelf
Just Eat The Worm: Six Great Strategies That Will Help You Earn More And Never Waste A Crisis, by Maxwell Adekoje
Higher Is Calling: How to Overcome Challenges and Achieve Your Dreams, by Maxwell Adekoje
Success Unlimited with Maxwell Adekoje, by Maxwell Adekoje
Connecting With Maxwell Adekoje
Website: www.higheriscalling.com and justeattheworm.teachable.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maxwell-adekoje-34425197/
Facebook: facebook.com/higheriscalling
Twitter: twitter.com/maxwell_adekoje
Instagram: instagram.com/maxwelladekoje
Free Gift
Max Adekoje offers a free 30-minute consultation. You may reach him through several contact points on his website higheriscalling.com
Determination, Making a Difference, Nigeria, Passion
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978:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Chief Technology Officer? - Steve Orrin
“My high school mathematics teacher, Mr. Miller, had a unique way of making mathematics look interesting and exciting. I thrived in math under him, took advanced placement calculus and other courses, which helped me in my later life and career much more than it did in college. My appetite for mathematics and the idea that you didn’t have to rigidly stick to the textbooks, that math was much more than memorizing multiplication tables or cosigns, but that you could research and investigate the many other facets and the broader applications of math–what it was really about and how it permeates all dimensions of our world–was a powerful and positive influence on my life and career from that point forward.”
Steve Orrin offers three decades of extraordinary success in a series of high-level roles at top-tier companies that include Intel Corporation, Sarvega, Watchfire Inc., Sanctum Inc., First Genetic Trust Inc., Lockstar Inc., and SynData Technologies Inc. He has developed a reputation as an industry leader, leveraging a history of delivering results in Innovation, Intrapreneurship, and Entrepreneurship. He is a Tech-enabled business professional who has launched and scaled companies and brought innovative industry-leading products to market. As Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Senior PE for Intel Corporation, Steve orchestrates and executes customer engagements in the federal space, overseeing the development of federal solution architectures to address challenges in government enterprise, national security, and other federal areas of focus. Mr. Orrin has dedicated himself and his vision as a leader who engages in projects with an “All-In” attitude.
Connecting With Steve Orrin
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sorrin/
Twitter: cyphersteve
A Day in the Life of a Chief Technology Oficer, CTO, Innovation
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
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977:
Never Let Others Dictate What Is Possible For You - Melissa Dobbins
“As you might guess, I was very big into math and science. And as an added little bonus, I’m dyslexic. So my least favorite topics were anything that was heavy with reading. I could do around seventh grade math in third grade, but I couldn’t read yet. I was ridiculed quite a bit and I was struggling to find my place and where I could belong. I had a teacher in sixth grade who pulled me aside and she said, ‘Melissa, you are too smart for this. You have to stop letting what people tell you your limitations are dictate what you can do. You are much better than this.’ Everything shifted because it went from ‘I can’t do it’ to ‘No, I’m going to show you.’ You can have these moments in life that just shift your entire path. I became a straight A student from there because it was all about not letting other people dictate what’s possible.”
Removing bias from talent evaluation is more than just opening the door to a wider candidate pool in today’s fierce competition for talent. It drives diversity, efficiency, and compliance. That’s why Melissa Dobbins formed Career.Place, an anonymous candidate evaluation solution that removes bias from the screening process. Career.Place removes bias-laden resumes and time consuming screening calls from the hiring process and replaces them with a systemic solution that equips the hiring team with the ability to easily and objectively identify those best qualified for the job.
Connecting With Melissa Dobbins
Website: www.career.place/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melissadobbins/
D&I Program, Diversity and Inclusion in Hiring Practices, Screening Job Candidatss Without Bias
Business Owner, Platform for Screening Job Candidates, Product Management
May 2021:
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976:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Marketing Expert? - Jamie Turner
“Two comments my father made to me when I was in middle school had a powerful and lasting impact on my life. He served in World War II in the United States Navy as an enlisted man. One day he said: ‘When I looked up at the Captain of the ship there in the crow’s nest, I’d ask myself, what would I be doing if I were running this ship?’ That comment opened my young mind to the notion that at whatever level in an organization you are, you have the opportunity to always be thinking at a higher level, to imagine what you would do in that role, not merely what your current tasks at hand required of you. The second comment happened when I was creating a poster for a friend of mine who was running for student body president. Dad saw me working diligently on this poster for my friend and he asked me why wasn’t I creating a poster for myself and why wasn’t I running for student body president? I had always been struggling in school with ADHD, had a hard time concentrating and studying, but when he made those two comments, a light bulb went off in my head, the seeds of ambition were ignited and I said to myself–OK, I’m going to give this a shot, I’m going to always do my very best at whatever I set out to do and never sell myself short.”
Jamie Turner is an internationally recognized author, university professor, and management consultant who speaks about leadership, persuasion, and marketing at events and conferences around the globe. You may have seen Jamie in Inc., Entrepreneur, Business Insider, or Forbes. He’s also a regular guest on CNN and HLN, where he delivers segments on marketing, persuasion, and leadership. Jamie is the co-author of several essential business books, including How to Make Money with Social Media, Go Mobile, and An Audience of One (to be published by McGraw-Hill in September of 2021). Jamie’s YouTube channel was designated one of the “Top 10 Business YouTube Channels” in the nation by Wishpond.com.
On His Bookshelf
How to Make Money with Social Media: An Insider’s Guide to Using New and Emerging Media to Grow Your Business (2nd Edition), by Jamie Turner and Reshma Shah
Go Mobile: Location-Based Marketing, Apps, Mobile Optimized Ad Campaigns, 2D Codes and Other Mobile Strategies to Grow Your Business, by Jeanne Hopkins and Jamie Turner
An Audience of One (to be published by McGraw-Hill in September of 2021)
Connecting With Jamie Turner
Website: https://JamieTurner.Live
Facebook: facebook.com/jamie.turner1
Twitter: Twitter.com/AskJamieTurner
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/askjamieturner/
Instagram: instagram.com/askjamieturner/
Free Gift
Download Jamie’s action-oriented e-book, The Unspoken Rules of Leadership, which provides tools, tips, and techniques you need to become everything you aspire to.
A Day in the Life of a Marketing Expert, Marketing
Art Director/Advertising, Author, Educator, Management Consultant, Marketing, Professor
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975:
Living Bold: Serial Intrapreneurship - Marco Ambrosio
“After seven years as a consultant, I landed at LivePerson. Rob, the CEO and founder of LivePerson, is a really visionary guy. As part of discovering your talent–I think this is really important for anyone–you need to be discerning and know who you are working for and why you are working for them. It’s super important if you are in your 20’s or 30’s to learn how they lead, too. One of the things I value at LivePerson is that Rob is not afraid to bring in people who are high potential people that may not fit perfectly into a square, but he gives them the room to be entrepreneurial and creative. Two pillars of what we felt would make people successful at LivePerson were curiosity and seeing failure as a learning opportunity. You can’t fear failure. It is just a natural part of life that you learn from and you continuously use to improve.”
Marco Ambrosio is a transformation expert, a serial intrapreneur, and the VP of Expert Engineering at LivePerson (Nasdaq: LPSN), the leading Conversational AI company in the world. In this custom role, Marco focuses on Growth Mindset, Strategy, and Innovation helping reimagine the company for its future.
Education, Mindset, Personal Transformation
Innovator, Intrapreneur, Strategist
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974:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Leadership Innovator? - Major General Robert W. Mixon, Jr.
“Serving in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment-Blackhorse I was fortunate to know leaders who were truly outstanding. They were points of light during all the challenges that we faced and demonstrated a level of tactical patience, coaching and mentoring that inspired us. An analogy to the Band of Brothers (and Sisters) comes readily to mind. I was continually interacting with individuals who were role models. I’m proud to have served as deputy executive assistant to General Colin L. Powell when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as well as working with General Crosbie E. Saint and a host of other senior military leaders who personified the guiding values of Duty, Honor and Country and Service Above Self. I am proud to have served my country for 33 years and to command soldiers at a number of different levels. Leadership is a privilege not a right.”
Major General Robert W. Mixon, Jr. has achieved over three decades of extraordinary leadership success in diverse organizations, including the United States Army where he commanded the 7th Infantry Division in Fort Carson, Colorado prior to his retirement in 2007. Subsequently, he served in executive leadership positions in both for-profit and not-for-profit companies prior to starting his own leadership company, Level Five Associates, in 2014. He is a published author in several key aspects of business excellence: Co-author of “Cows in the Living Room: Developing an Effective Strategic Plan and Sustaining It.” Author of “We’re All In: The Journey to a World-Class Culture.” Author of “Who Saw This Coming? Now What Do We Do?” He also publishes a bi-weekly blog with over 2,000 subscribers.
On His Bookshelf
We’re All In: The Journey to a World-Class Culture, by Robert W. Mixon, Jr.
Cows in the Living Room: Developing an Effective Strategic Plan and Sustaining It, by John Batiste and Robert Mixon
Who Saw This Coming? Now What Do We Do? (ebook), by Robert W. Mixon, Jr.
Connecting With Major General Robert W. Mixon, Jr.
Website: www.levelfiveassociates.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/LevelFiveAssociates
Twitter: twitter.com/levelfiveassoc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertmixon/
A Day in the Life of a Leadership Innovator, Leadership
Army Officer, Author, Business Executive, Business Owner, Military Leadership
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973:
Army Officer Turned Entrepreneur - Donny Hamilton
“If you don’t get comfortable with being uncomfortable, you’re just never going to grow. There’s so much we have to offer just as a human race in this world. There’s so much more that we are capable of. There’s so many amazing things that we can come up with as a people, but we have to let go of our fears and our comforts first.”
Donny Hamilton is a husband, father and former army captain who was deployed to the Middle East and currently as a deputy sheriff. He’s lived a rollercoaster life that included growing up in a broken home to joining the army at 19 years of age in search of a better life. His story of perseverance to conquer his childhood fears led him to become a better man, successful entrepreneur and COO of Vigilant Tiger Security, a veteran-founded security business. He’s also the author of “A Tiger’s Fury: How to Start Overcoming Your Fears Right Now,” an international bestselling book in four categories, including motivational and self-help, in eight countries.
Connecting With Donny Hamilton
Website: vigilanttiger.com/
Instagram: @donnyivh
Twitter: @Vigilant-Tiger
Entrepreneurism, Fear, Overcoming Fear
Army, Business Owner, Deputy Sheriff, Security, Veteran
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972:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Trauma Psychologist? - Ernie L. Vecchio
“I walked into the classroom and learned that someone had just published a book on creative counseling techniques. He was using three dimensional models to teach theory. Later, I brought in a bag of three dimensional tools that I had created over the previous 15 years of my work with clients. The instructor was blown away and told me I needed to come and teach my approach to others, which I did. Really, all I did was–when some approach was not working–I figured out another approach that did work to access what individuals were experiencing. I have taught this model to people with low IQ’s, to blind people, to deaf people, to people with every imaginable mind and body trauma–the concept is that teachable. I stumbled upon it because I was driven to solve this proverbial puzzle.”
Ernie L. Vecchio is a mentor, spiritual teacher, and trauma psychologist. During his 30+ years career, he has treated over 10,000+ patients who suffered severe trauma that ranged from amputation, head injury, sexual assault, and paralysis. Vecchio is a Licensed Clinical & Rehabilitation Psychologist who has written four books including his latest release, Feelings & Reason: Activating Your Heart as Compass Despite the Ego’s Interference, an international best-seller in four self-help categories.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Ernie L. Vecchio
Website: https://ernievecchio.com
Email: ernievecchio@outlook.com
Facebook: facebook.com/FeelingsAndReason
Twitter: twitter.com/ErnieVecchio
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ernie-vecchio-7639b225/
A Day in the Life of a Trauma Psychologist, Trauma
Author, Clinical & Rehabilitation Psychologist, Trauma Psychologist
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971:
A Vision for a Worldwide Classroom - Julie Young
Julie was implementing a half-million-dollar educational technology program in her school, and loving it. Then, her husband got an attractive promotion and transfer. Starting over in a bare-bones country school, where none of the furniture even matched, she knew she would have to ask for a computer. It was a request she never regretted. “I got a call one day from the Orange County office, asking me to come speak to them about a grant. About 15 minutes into the conversation, I asked, ‘Is this an interview?’ He said, ‘Yes. We are looking for a principal to lead a web high school.’ I accepted.” She had stepped onto the front lines of the emerging, web-based learning, expanding her horizons from the local school to students all over Florida.
Julie Young is Vice-President, Education Outreach and Student Services for Arizona State University and Managing Director of ASU Prep Academy and ASU Prep Digital. She is a leading voice for revolutionizing K-12 online education on the global stage. As the founding president and CEO of Florida Virtual School (FLVS), she and her team grew the organization from a handful of students in 1996 to a highly acclaimed online school using personalized, next generation learning solutions. Young and her team grew FLVS into a diversified, worldwide organization creatively serving over two million students in 50 states and 68 countries worldwide.
Connecting With Julie Young
Email: Julie.Young.1@asu.edu
Website: http://asuprepdigital.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/julieyoungedu/
Arizona State University Prep Digitial Education, Education, Online Education, Opportunities, Vision
Digital Learning, Teaching/Teacher
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970:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Human Resources Consultant? - AJ Mizes
“The most influential person in my life growing up was the choir director at the San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, California–Ken Abrams. Ken saw a lot of leadership capability in me along with the grit and determination to achieve whatever I set out to do. I was president of our choir of over 250 people for two years. I also was invited to join an elite choir of chamber singers when I was just a sophomore, which had only happened two times before in the 80-year history of the school. Ken taught me the fundamentals of leadership: the power of hard work, showing up on time, sharing tough lessons, setting good boundaries in all my relationships and more. His insights and experience inspired me to be a leader in every aspect of my life. Ken’s wisdom continues to guide me today and he remains a dear friend and ally.”
A.J. Mizes is a talent and human potential aficionado with over a decade of experience in Career Coaching and Human Resources. He has been featured in NBC, CBS, FOX, The International Business Times, and Yahoo! News. Most recently, he left Facebook as a Global HR Leader where he supported an international team, and launched many innovative leadership programs under his guidance that are still in full swing at Facebook today. Currently, A.J. serves as the CEO of The Human Reach, a human potential institute guiding high-achieving professionals to land their dream careers in record time, and coaching Silicon Valley leaders to be thoughtful, effective leaders.
Connecting With AJ Mizes
Website: www.thehumanreach.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ajmizes
Twitter: twitter.com/ajmizes
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ajmizes
Instagram: instagram.com/ajmizes
Free Gift
For career strategy help, AJ offers a free, live webinar every Thursday, alternating between morning and evening from week to week. To register for the webinar, go to FindMyDreamCareer.com
A Day in the Life of a Human Resources Consultant, Human Resources, Leadership
Business Leader, Business Owner, Career Coach, Counselor, Entrepreneur, Human Resourses/HR
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969:
How He Unleashed His Inner Lion - Darren Reinke
“I just wasn’t happy in my role. I felt like I kept trying and failing in terms of finding something I was really passionate about, something I was naturally strong at. I started doing some sales and marketing consulting again to put a paycheck in my pocket. Throughout my consulting work, I saw so many projects go into the ditch because of either under-developed leaders or leadership teams, or team dynamics. So that created a spark in the back of my head. I also have a mentor who was going through a coach training program. I thought that sounded interesting. I didn’t think I wanted to be a full-time executive consultant, but I could see how the coaching would be complementary to the consulting. I found the coaching program to probably be the most exciting and profound days in my professional career because it started to tap into things that really did get me excited.”
Darren Reinke founded Group Sixty, an executive coaching and training company based in San Diego, to bring his purpose to life and to transform leaders, their teams, and their organizations. Group Sixty works with leaders and teams at Fortune 500’s, mid-market companies, fast-growing startups, visionary non-profits, and transitioning military special forces. Darren fundamentally believes there is greatness within each one of us. His mission is to unleash the inner lion within leaders so that they can lead more authentic and joyful lives while creating stronger and more resilient teams, organizations, and communities.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Darren Reinke
Website: groupsixty.com
Facebook: facebook.com/groupsixty
Twitter: twitter.com/darrenreinke
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/darrenreinke
Instagram: instagram.com/groupsixty
Know Yourself, Leadership
Author, Business Owner, Executive Coach, Leadership Trainer
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968:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Business Litigator? - Tom Tierney
“Other than my uncle who was a lawyer, and watching lawyers perform on TV series, I had no experience with the profession at all. Once I began my law studies at the University of California’s Hastings College of Law in San Francisco, I gravitated to the practice of litigation because I found it very energizing and demanding. The idea of being challenged every day by a lawyer on the other side of a case who was using the best of his talents and experience to present his client’s position and knowing that I always had to be my very best, I could not imagine a more gratifying career. I’m happy to report that my career as a business litigator has proven to be everything I hoped it would be and more.”
Thomas Tierney grew up in Minneapolis. He is the oldest of four children. He attended the University of Notre Dame and graduated with high honors in 1987. He moved to San Francisco and taught middle school for two years. He attended law school in San Francisco at the University of California, Hastings College of Law and graduated cum laude in 1992. He worked at litigation boutique law firms in San Diego from 1992 to 2000. In 2000, he moved to Vero Beach, Florida and began working at the Rossway Swan firm, became a partner in 2003, and continues to work there today. He is married to Lisa Kahle and has two children, Ella and Gavin.
A Day in the Life of a Business Litigator
Lawyer, Litigator
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967:
Now She Does Whatever She Wants - Kathy Goughenour
“I hadn’t gotten promoted for a couple of years. So I asked my boss why. In an irritated voice he said, ‘Do you really want to know why? I’ll tell you if you really want to know. You laugh and smile too much, And until you change that, you’re never going anywhere else in this company.’ Guess what? I quit. I honestly do not know how I had the confidence to do this, because I was 40 by then, and now I know that is when ageism really kicks in. But I was determined that I was not going to stay somewhere that wanted me to change my entire personality for a company.”
Kathy Goughenour, after finding the courage to say “bye-bye” to her corporate marketing career, built a 6-figure virtual assistant business from her tiny house in the middle of a forest. Today, she teaches professional women how to create their own work-at-home VA businesses so they can enjoy the freedom, flexibility, and financial security they desire and deserve. Kathy also offers VA Matchmaking sessions to business owners interested in working with Expert VAs® and Virtual Experts®. Kathy and her Expert VA® and Virtual Expert® Training program have been featured in Forbes, The Huffington Post, Good Housekeeping, All You, and The Wealthy Freelancer.
Connecting With Kathy Goughenour
Website: https://expertvatraining.com
Facebook: facebook.com/kathygoughenour
Twitter: twitter.com/expertVAmentor
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kathygoughenour
Instagram: instagram.com/expertvatrainingandcoaching
Corporate Career, Entrepreneurism, Prejudice Towards Women in the Work Place, Promotion
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Marketing, Secretary, Trainer, Virtual Assistants
April 2021:
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966:
A Day in the Life–What’s It Really Like to Be a University President? - Martha Saunders, PhD
“One of the most important turning points in my life happened when I was serving as dean of my university. Our president always took a sincere interest in the growth and development of his leadership staff. One day, after the other staff members had left the lunch room, he and I were having a final cup of coffee, and he said to me, ‘You know, Martha, we have been working together for quite a while now, and I want you to know that I believe you would make an excellent university president.’ I was quite taken aback as I’m sure he realized by the surprised look on my face. He went on to say. ‘Yes, you absolutely would, but you need to learn more of the skills you’ll need for that role and to do that you need to experience other university settings. I hate to lose you but I only want the best for you and your career.’ That was the most generous and timely advice anyone had ever given me. Six months later I accepted a position as provost at Columbus State University, and from there I continued on my journey to many more positions as president of several fine educational institutions.”
Martha Saunders is the sixth president of the University of West Florida. In her 30-plus years in higher education, Dr. Saunders has served in academic and leadership roles at universities in Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin and Mississippi. Her area of academic expertise is in public relations and crisis communication for which she has won numerous awards.
Connecting With Martha Saunders, PhD
Website: uwf.edu/president
Facebook: facebook.com/drmdsaunders
Twitter: @drmdsaunders
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drmdsaunders
Instagram: @drmdsaunders
A Day in the Life of a University President, College / University, Education
Educator, University President
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965:
From 25 Years of Junk Food to Healing Through Nutrition - Cindy Klement, MS, CNS, MCHES
“I had always wanted to become a doctor, even as a child. So in high school, when the teachers were talking about our careers or going to college, I told my mom I wanted to go to college and become a doctor. And what she said to me was, ‘Honey, you haven’t got the brains to be a doctor. You need to stay home, get married and have children.’ So it wasn’t until I was 53 years old that I finally attended college and ultimately got my masters in nutrition. I graduated summa cum laude in the honors college, and then I became an adjunct lecturer at the university.”
Since the late 1970s, Cindy has shared her nutrition and herbal medicine expertise with thousands of people both at home in Ann Arbor and in 95 cities across North America. Cindy is a board-certified nutritionist and a certified Master Health Educator by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Eastern Michigan University teaching the graduate-level course, “Functional and Integrative Medicine.” A long-time health program writer and presenter, Cindy is a sought-after speaker and author of “Your Body’s Environmental Chemical Burden.”
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Cindy Klement, MS, CNS, MCHES
Website: https://cindyklement.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/cindyklement.ms
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cindyklement
Instagram: instagram.com/cindyklement
Following Passion, Nutrition, Nutritionist
Author, Educator, Nutritionist, Speaker
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964:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Personal Financial Coach and Educator? - Ray Giese
“High school was the first big turning point in my life. I attended Lane Tech College Prep High School–a 4-year public magnet high school on the north side of Chicago with 4,500 students. While I came from a fairly large neighborhood in the city, the first day I walked into Lane Tech as a freshman I was scared stiff. It was my first time being immersed in such a large demographic of people and it opened up my eyes to a wide range of ethnicities, and backgrounds with strikingly different beliefs, and opinions and values. I quickly realized that for all the seeming dissimilarities that every one of us is basically the same. We each want the same things: an opportunity to work hard, earn our place in this world and create a meaningful life and career for ourselves and those we love. I also learned right off the bat that everyone has their own very unique talents across a huge spectrum of abilities. My four years there were, and still are, some of the most cherished memories of my entire life. I’m happy to say that there is a very active alumni association of over 20 thousand individuals, and I often go back and visit for various alumni events.”
Raymond Giese helps people align their purpose, their passions, and their paycheck to achieve financial freedom. After a corporate career of 30+ years, he has devoted his “encore career” to pass on what he has learned to help people realize their dreams. Ray earned a Master of Science Degree in Personal Finance from Kansas State University and provides coaching and education services to individuals and families as a Certified Financial Planner Professional, Certified Career Services Provider, and a Highlands Certified Consultant. Ray enjoys spending time with family, golf, traveling in his RV, and leading people to “best fit” careers and improved personal finances.
Connecting With Ray Giese
Website: cfpathways.com
Phone: 847-915-0695
Facebook: @cfpathwaysllc
Twitter: @cfpathways
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/ray-giese
A Day in the Life of a Personal Financial Coach and Educator, Combining Past Careers, Finance and Careers
Career Coach, Educator, Financial Planner
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963:
In Her Fifties, Her Life Is Just Beginning - Laura Noel
“I want to be of service to more military veterans. I do speaking engagements and things of that nature, but I want to do more of this on a larger scale. This information I have now really helped me transition from being a military service person of almost 28 years to an entrepreneur. And that’s not an easy transition. No matter what career you are in, if you’re in something for that long, it becomes a part of you. It becomes a part of your self-identity. To shift your identity to something completely different is a process in and of itself. I want to help people transition…much more smoothly.”
Laura Noel, as a Certified Proctor Gallagher Coach and 27-year military leader, helps high-performers live empowered, fulfilling lives all while achieving their highest potential. Knowing that leaders are being pulled in multiple directions with zero time left for themselves, she helps them focus on what really matters so they can stop feeling out-of-control, become more effective with their time, and spend more time discovering what they love doing.
Connecting With Laura Noel
Website: www.stretchintosuccess.com
Facebook: facebook.com/StretchIntoSuccess
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laura-noel
Instagram: instagram.com/stretchintosuccess
Entrepreneurism, Military Leadership, Singing, Transitioning
Business Owner, Counselor, Entrepreneur, Military, Singer, Speaker
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962:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Productivity Expert? - Kevin Stacey
“I was working at the managed care company, Aetna, and began to resonate with my role as a leader charged with the task of motivating my staff. I read the book, ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and It’s All Small Stuff’ by Richard Carlson, which inspired me to share the book in team meetings followed by discussion groups. Slowly the lessons in the book became more important than the day-to-day work I was doing at the for-profit HMO. I began to ask myself the question, ‘Could I actually build a career around what I truly love doing’–sharing this kind of personal growth content by way of speaking engagements, and trainings that make a real difference in people’s lives? And I spread my wings from there.”
Kevin Stacey, MBA, is a productivity and effectiveness expert, author, and former brain imaging specialist who removes barriers to performance, boosts resiliency, and accelerates results, no matter what. He combines his military background, management training, experience as a healthcare clinician, and successful manager at the nation’s largest managed care company to be a catalyst for workplace improvement. After starting his medical career at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Kevin now brings the principals of neuroscience into the modern business world to effect change from the inside-out. He works with organizations and leaders to help them become more effective, productive and profitable. His programs provide concrete information and practical solutions for business problems.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Kevin Stacey
Website: www.KevinStacey.com
Twitter: @kevinspeaker
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kevin-stacey1/
A Day in the Life of a Productivity Expert, Efficiency, Leadership, Productivity
Author, Business Owner, Health Care, Productivity and Effectiveness Expert, U.S. Army Reserves, Workplace Performance Enhancement
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961:
My Path to Becoming a Horse Listener - Mark M. Hanna
“I am out there with my young colt that I had raised from a kid and loved dearly, and I am using the same kinds of harsh training techniques from the successful trainers I was emulating in the industry. As I was using my whip to move my colt from side to side, he saw an opening, reached out and clamped his jaws on my shoulder, lifted me like a rag doll and threw me to the ground. My first thought was to discipline him harshly. All of a sudden I heard that innate voice in my mind that I wasn’t being true to myself or true to my dear horse. I stood there with my frightened and shivering colt I loved so much, who was just following his instincts trying to survive. I hugged him and cried while apologizing to both my colt and God for not following that innate voice that God gave me. That epiphany changed everything. From that moment on I walked the path of being a horse listener: horses whisper in our ears and we become listeners.”
Mark M. Hanna grew up in Inglewood, California adjacent to the Hollywood Park horse track. This is where his love of horses began and he pursued his passion to become an Arabian horse breeder and imported horses from Europe. His compassion and spiritual bond with horses led him to become “The Horse Listener.” Hanna can help people with the fundamental and proper way to be with your horse, a lifetime partnership. Hanna shares his life story in “The Horse Listener,” the first book of an anticipated trilogy.
On His Bookshelf
The Horse Listener: Inspired by True Life Events, by Mark M. Hanna
Connecting With Mark M. Hanna
Website: https://markmhanna.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/TheHorseListener
Horses / Arabians
Author, Horse Listener
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960:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Cosmetic Dermatologist? - Dr. Allen Lycka
“It was easy to become a great dermatologist because I stood on the shoulders of giants in the profession and these giants were there to lead and guide me. Doctor Martin Victor Dal, one of the greatest dermatologists ever, along with Doctor Peter Lynch, another equally renowned doctor, were chairmen of my department. They looked at me and said, ‘Allen, all you have to do is be who you are and you will become a great dermatologist.’”
Dr. Allen Lycka has been acknowledged as one of the leading cosmetic dermatologists globally for three decades. A pioneer in cosmetic surgery, he helped develop laser-assisted tumescent liposuction, an advanced body sculpture technique, and Mohs Micrographic Surgery, an advanced means of removing skin cancer with 99% success. He has lived and practiced in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada since 1989. He’s written 17 books, 30+ academic papers and hosted the number one internet radio show in the world on cosmetic surgery: Inside Cosmetic Surgery Today. He is a co-founder of Doctors for the Practice of Safe and Ethical Aesthetic Medicine and founder of The Canadian Skin Cancer Association. He has won the prestigious Consumers Choice Award for Cosmetic Surgery for 16 consecutive years.
On His Bookshelf
The Secrets to Living a Fantastic Life: Two Survivors Reveal the 13 Golden Pearls They Have Discovered, by Allen Lycka and Harriet Tinka
Connecting With Dr. Allen Lycka
Website: https://drallenlycka.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DrAllenLycka
Twitter: twitter.com/DrAllenLycka
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/barrylycka
Instagram: instagram.com/dr_allen_lycka
A Day in the Life of a Cosmetic Dermatologist, Dermatology
Cosmetic Dermatologist, Dermatologist
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959:
A 20-Year Journey Working Against the Critical Voice in Her Mind - Joanna Kleinman
“It took many, many years–my twenties, my thirties and even some of my forties–where I had all of these goals and dreams that I wanted to accomplish. And I accomplished most of them. And still, no matter how many accomplishments I had and how many successes I had in my life, there was this underlying feeling that I just wasn’t good enough. That’s exactly what my work is based on because I think that is a cultural phenomenon. I think we live in a culture that breeds people to feel unfulfilled and dissatisfied. It breeds people to look at what we want and where we want to get to instead of looking at who we already are, what we’ve already created, and the magnificent lives we are already living.”
Joanna Kleinman is a licensed psychotherapist, life and corporate coach, author, podcaster, motivational speaker, and the founder of Dethroning Your Inner Critic. She is an unconventional therapist and is driven by the conviction that the most powerful life you can live is when you know the difference between YOU and your Inner Critic. She developed the M.I.N.D Method, a time tested, proven system that brings together practical psychology, neuroscience and the power of intention to discover who you are separate from the critical voice in your mind. With over 25 years of experience, she has worked with corporations such as Campowerment, Cigna, Nestle, and TD Bank, and has transformed the lives of thousands of people.
Connecting With Joanna Kleinman
Website: www.dethroningyourinnercritic.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DethroningYourInnerCritic/
Twitter: twitter.com/innercriticfix
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/dethroning-your-inner-critic/
Instagram: instagram.com/dethroningyourinnercritic/
Self-sabatoge, Self-understanding, Self-worth
Author, Business Owner, Corporate Coach, Life Coach, Motivational Speaker, Podcaster, Psychotherapist
March 2021:
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958:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Educational Administrator? - Dr. Troy Podell
“The most important part of being an educator, and it’s really crucial, is ‘Doing right by kids.’ You cannot do right by them if you don’t form strong, appropriate relationships with them. Kids need to know that you truly care about them and are genuinely invested in their success. The most important thing I can do as a classroom teacher is to ask my students questions about themselves that have nothing to do with our productive time together. Intrinsically they feel and understand that I have a vested interest in their growth and development as a person. The work I do is not about me, it’s about how I can better serve people, how helpful I can be to other people.”
Dr. Troy Podell, Coordinator of Career Readiness of the Downingtown Area School District, is a disruptor and thought-leader in the education space. He creates innovative programs for career exploration and soft-skills education for the Downingtown Area School District, is the Academic Director of two rigorous pre-college summer programs, and serves on multiple non-profit boards. Dr. Podell is recognized as a leader in curriculum, instruction, and the application of people analytics to education.
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957:
From “How Long Will This Take?” to “How Far Can I Go?” - Cory Lee
“I lacked a lot of confidence until…I had a teacher come up to me one day, and she challenged me to do something I’d never done before. It wasn’t anything major. It was to run a 5K. I went and ran that 5K, and at the end of that 5K, that’s a 3-mile race, a thought crossed my mind that, I just ran 3 miles without stopping. I wonder what else I can do. I wonder how much further I can go. And that three turned into six, six turned into 13, 13 turned into 26, 26 turned into 31. I ran a 31-mile race on the beach in Destin, Florida. Won the thing with first place overall. And another thought crossed my mind, that was I ran further than I even thought possible. I wondered what other areas of my life might I be holding back in. And it was because of that teacher. You know her title was teacher, but she’s really a leader, because a leader sees talent and potential in other people and they extract that talent and potential.”
Cory Lee is an entrepreneur, business builder, and leader developer. He was trained and mentored by the world-renowned leadership expert John Maxwell and is now an executive director with The John Maxwell Team. In 2012 Cory and his wife opened their first business, a physical therapy clinic located in a town of only 1,100 people. Within 5 years they were billing over $2 million per year from that one location and had opened and successfully sold 2 physical therapy clinics and 4 gyms. He is an accomplished speaker and is often invited to speak and train employees at companies looking to develop a culture of leadership. He also provides individual leaders with opportunities to maximize their own growth through one-on-one coaching and mastermind groups. Cory is most passionate about helping entrepreneurs navigate business growth but not at the expense of their faith, family, and fitness.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Cory Lee
Website: www.coryleeleadership.com/DYT
Facebook: facebook.com/cory.lee.311
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cory-lee-727ba0b2
Instagram: instagram.com/cory_lee_leadership/
Free Gift
Two free downloads at www.coryleeleadership.com/dyt
* A Personal Assessment: How Balanced Is Your Life?
* A Spousal Survey, which will promote good communication between you and your spouseAttitude, Leadership, Work/Life Balance
Entrepreneur, Leadership Trainer, Speaker
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956:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Health and Mindset Coach? - Hilde Larsen
“Eight years ago, I decided I was done being sick and I was done struggling. I was so filled up on medications, hospital visits, anxiety and pain that I decided to just stop. I had been diagnosed with severe Rheumatoid Arthritis several years before, and was heavily medicated for a ‘severe’ case. The medical society tells you… you will be sick the rest of your life and that medications will help you live as ‘normal’ as possible. What they don’t tell you, is that it is not our only option. From being a mother, a sister, a wife, a business owner, an athlete, and a friend, I just became sick. My world changed overnight. I was alone, and I did not know what to do to save myself. As soon as I stopped all of the medications that were keeping me in my poor state of health, I got even worse. Now, my body was showing me how sick I really was. Something inside me told me that health was there if I could just let it come forth. I studied all day, every day and slowly changed my way of thinking and connection to spirit. Along this journey, I have seen stones turn into diamonds. I have seen life become magical and I have seen my body transforming before my very eyes. How amazing is that? I had finally made a choice to follow my inner guidance.”
Hilde Larsen is the owner and founder of Inspired by Hilde. She is a certified Health and Mindset Coach, an author, and a certified Detox Specialist. She is also an inspirational keynote speaker, a blogger, and has her own YouTube channel. She is the author of three published books: From HELL to Inspired, Know The Truth and Get Healthy, and No More Bullshit. She also creates online video programs and has her own membership site Inspired Members. Hilde works with those who are ready to heal their health and life. She is highly intuitive and has a strong connection to Mother Earth and the spiritual world. Called by nature and spirit, she is inspiring many to take back their power. Her glowing enthusiasm for health and vitality has the leading role in her work.
On Her Bookshelf
From Hell to Inspired, by Hilde Larsen
Know the Truth and Get Healthy, by Hilde Larsen
No More Bullshit, by Hilde Larsen
Connecting With Hilde Larsen
Website: inspiredbyhilde.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/hilde.larsen.50/
Twitter: @inspiredbyhilde
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hilde-larsen-%E2%98%85-47170264/
Instagram: instagram.com/inspiredbyhilde/
A Day in the Life of a Health & Mindset Coach
Health Coach, Mindset Coach
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955:
Building a Toolkit to Further His Career - David Pereira
“What gives me the most gratification is seeing the change within people. Most clients who come in to the Beyond Fitness program, have a goal in mind, an understanding of where they want to be. They are focused on that one thing. But I also have to help them turn into that person that they need to be to achieve their goal. What really gets to me is when they are able to reflect and say “Wow! I achieved my goal, but I actually changed as a person.”
David Pereira, a Navy Combat Veteran and Purple Heart Recipient, is the owner of FENIX, a high-end personal training facility located in New Jersey, and the creator of the Beyond Fitness program. As a well-trained fitness professional, he is passionate about helping successful people develop a mental toughness mindset that allows them to shift their perspectives and excel in more aspects of their lives. He enjoys helping his clients excel in fitness and in business and knows that high achievers sometimes need help translating what they do in their careers over to their health goals. In short, David helps people become the CEO of their lives.
On His Bookshelf
The Dip, Seth Godin
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success, by Jeff Olson
Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to A Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success, by Shawn Stevenson
Connecting With David Pereira
Website: www.fenixenglewood.com
Facebook: facebook.com/davidpereirafitness
Twitter: twitter.com/d__pereira
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/david-pereira-05816b145
Instagram: @d_pereira
Building a Career, Navy Career, Sleep / Health
Business Owner, Navy, Personal Coach
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954:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Speech Language Pathologist? - Susie Harder
“One of the many wonderful things about working in this profession is that you can structure the work that you do based on your circumstances at any turning point of your life. The setting you work in, the kinds of clients you work with, the specific modalities that you offer, can all be created by you. When my son was born I wanted to be home every evening and on weekends, so I structured my private practice to make that happen. Earlier in my career my schedule and client base was quite different, which was ideal for that time in my life. But whatever the structure of my work, the thing that I really love about practicing speech language pathology is my one-on-one time with kids–there’s something beautiful that happens in those moments when I am able to use my passion and expertise to help kids that stutter become happy, healthy, effective communicators and help families better understand how to best support their loved one who stutters.”
Susie Harder, M.A., CCC-SLP is an experienced clinician who devotes much of her passion to working with children who stutter. She works in private practice and the school setting to help support children and provides workshops and consulting-based support to school districts. She recently created the Junior Authors Program, a revolutionary literacy-based platform. This community project engages students around the world in collaboratively writing a children’s book to raise funds for families who lost their home in the Central California Creek Fire in the fall of 2020.
Connecting With Susie Harder
Website: juniorauthorsprogram.com/dyt and centralvalleystutteringcenter.com
Facebook: facebook.com/juniorauthorsprogram
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/susie-harder-b6416929/
Free Gift
Classroom and parent materials related to the children’s book:
A link for children to submit a question directly to the author
Behind-the-scenes footage of publishing a book
A Day in the Life of a Speech Language Pathologist
Speech Language Pathologist
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953:
West Point Veteran Captures the Power of Stories - Samuel P.N. Cook
When his business as a tour guide in NYC began to take off, he realized, “This is what I loved about the Army and leadership and the chaotic and uncertain nature of Iraq. I was finding the risk was there again in entrepreneurship. And it was only financial risk, which can be quite stressful, but it is not life and death.”
Samuel. P. N. Cook is the founder and creative director of James Cook media, a documentary filmmaking marketing agency. He is also the creator of the story funnel software, which helps business owners tell their story online.
Connecting With Samuel P.N. Cook
Website: http://jamescookmedia.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/StoryMattersWorkshop
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SamuelPN
LinkedIn: https://pl.linkedin.com/in/samuel-p-n-cook-67a5b814
Storytelling, West Point
Army Officer, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Film Maker, Marketing
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952:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Franchise Consultant? - Kim Daly
“I’ve spent my entire life studying personal development–I work on it every single day. I believe the desire to own a business comes from a voice somewhere deep inside of us that says: ‘I want more–more freedom, more control, more growth, more challenges….’ I think it’s bringing out those feelings and desires in people to help them create a vision for their future that has allowed me to become one of the most successful franchise consultants in franchise history. It is the most gratifying work I could ever imagine.”
As America’s top franchise consultant, Kim Daly (“The Daly Coach”) has inspired thousands of people to realize and follow their dreams of business ownership over the past two decades. Kim coaches her candidates to take control of their future and finances by strategically investing in a franchise brand that aligns with their unique goals. She commonly works with entrepreneurs, veterans, investors, and those in career transition. An avid marketer, Kim’s growing YouTube channel features franchising advice, FAQs, mistakes to avoid, and enlightening interviews with powerful business leaders. Please subscribe for new franchising content shared multiple times a week at http://kimdaly.tv
Connecting With Kim Daly
Website: www.thedalycoach.com/dyt
Facebook: facebook.com/createwealththrufranchising
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dalykim
YouTube: http://kimdaly.tv
Free Gift
Kim’s growing YouTube channel features franchising advice, FAQs, mistakes to avoid, and enlightening interviews with powerful business leaders. Please subscribe for new franchising content shared multiple times a week at http://kimdaly.tv
A Day in the Life of a Franchise Consultant
Franchise Consultant, Franchisee
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951:
Our Biggest Problems Become Our Biggest Opportunities - Jack Stafford
“We’re in lockdown in Italy, so I’m quite limited. I was a traveling musician before, but the coronavirus put a stop to everything. I decided to promote my most recent album, “Deeper,” by going on podcasts. I enjoyed these podcasts so much that I decided to use my own talents by doing a podcast called “Podsongs,” where I interview people and then write a song about them that is included at the end of the recorded interview. I have to write one song for every person, so that is 12 songs a month or 156 songs in a year. I’ve been interviewing really famous people. I’ve been able to talk to some of the top minds in the world, and I’ve learned so much. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the quarantine. My biggest problem became my biggest opportunity.”
Jack Stafford is a singer-songwriter on a mission to serve others and help people overcome the materialistic message that is distorting modern society. His new album,“Deeper” is a series of self-help songs that will help people get perspective on the current crises plaguing our world. The songs are inspired by his own life experiences and mental struggles. Jack lives in southern Italy, and when he is not making music, he is practicing yoga, teaching meditation, gardening, cycling, or studying metaphysics.
Connecting With Jack Stafford
Website: https://podsongs.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thejackstaffordfoundation
Twitter: twitter.com/jacktroubadour
Free Gift
A free album download of songs written and performed by Jack Stafford
Creativity, Multiple Careers, Serving Others, Talents
Musician, Singer/Song Writer
February 2021:
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950:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Investor, Advisor and Convener? - Joel Solomon
“In my early twenties I was diagnosed with a genetic kidney disease. I was told it would kill me unless I had a transplant or I went on regular dialysis treatments for the rest of my life. That was the story that was my wake-up call: I realized that life might really be limited and I’d better figure out what I really wanted to do with it and not just be swept along like flotsam and jetsam. I also realized that I needed to experience living in my body instead of just in my head. Because if I had a healthier body I would feel better day-to-day and I would probably live much longer. I spent a couple of years exploring and adventuring, which led me to Canada for the first time, where I became interested in the natural world, started gardening and learning how to grow food, which I’m still fascinated with today and far healthier for it!”
Joel Solomon is a Founding Partner of Renewal Funds, Canada’s largest mission venture capital firm, at $240 million assets under management. Investing in organic food and climate tech in Canada and the USA, Renewal Funds is GIIRS-rated, a founding Canadian B Corp (5x “Best for the World”), a “1% for the Planet” member, recognized as Impact Assets “Top 50 impact fund managers.” Joel is a frequent public speaker, board member of the University of British Columbia, co-producer of the Integrated Capital Institute with RSF Social Finance, and co-author of “The Clean Money Revolution: Re-Inventing Power, Purpose & Capitalism.”
On His Bookshelf
The Clean Money Revolution: Re-Inventing Power, Purpose & Capitalism, by Joel Solomon and Tyee Bridge
Connecting With Joel Solomon
Websites: https://joelsolomon.org and renewalfunds.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joel-solomon-a5a4b5
Facebook: facebook.com/JoelSolomon.org
Twitter: twitter.com/joelsolomon
A Day in the Life of an Investor, Advisor and Convener
Advisor, Investor, Venture Capitalist
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949:
Sometimes You Just Have To Go For It - Allegra Huston
“At major turning points in our lives, the circumstances are rarely perfect for us to make the next move or decision about what to do next. The obstacles may be vast, but it’s at this point that you may need to ‘throw your hat over the fence’ or, in other words, ‘just go for it!’ I was in the publishing field as an editor and while I was very good at it, I felt I should be doing my own work. My brother was quite unhappy with his work at an architectural engineering firm. We went out to dinner together and made a pact that, instead of continually complaining about our circumstances, we would go into work the next day and hand in our notices by noon. I was almost 30 and he was almost 35. We each did just that with no plan whatsoever about what we were going to do next. Our main goal was to simply quit whining about our lives and do something about it. Jason become a successful freelance architect and designer, and I landed a job working for a film distribution and production company. And our stories evolved quickly from there!”
Allegra Huston is the author of “Love Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found” (audiobook 2019), the novel “A Stolen Summer” (paperback 2019), and many screenplays including the award-winning short film “Good Luck, Mr. Gorski,” which she also produced. In 2019 she co-founded Twice 5 Miles, to publish how-to books on “the stuff nobody teaches you.” The first two titles are “How to Read for an Audience” by Allegra and “How to Edit and Be Edited” by Allegra and James Nave – both are the only books available on these subjects.
On Her Bookshelf
Love Child: A Memoir Of Family Lost And Found, by Allegra Huston
A Stolen Summer, by Allegra Huston
How to Edit and Be Edited: A Guide for Writers and Editors (The Stuff Nobody Teaches You, Book 1) by Allegra Huston
How to Read for an Audience: A Writer’s Guide (Twice 5 Miles Guides), by James Nave and Allegra Huston
Connecting With Allegra Huston
Websites: allegrahuston.com and twice5miles.com
Facebook: facebook.com/allegrahustonofficial/
Twitter: @allegrahuston
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/allegra-huston-76b30619/
Instagram: allegrahuston
Not Belonging
Author, Editor, Film Production, Film Writer, Freelancer
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948:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Voice Coach? - Tracy Goodwin
“Is there a big demand for voice coaching? Because of the prevalence of video, podcasting, Facebook Live, YouTube and the ways that this pandemic has forced most everyone to do their business on Zoom or Skype, we’re having to use our voices in different ways more than ever before. So yes the demand for voice coaches has increased dramatically. To learn more, study the masters–Lesak, Skinner and Rodenburg–their concepts, methodologies and frameworks. Today it’s easier than ever to access their books and videos, and find out if this field is one you want to learn more about and pursue.”
Tracy Goodwin has taught thousands of celebrities, professionals, and entrepreneurs, how to transform their lives and the lives of their listeners with their voice by stepping into the power of their natural voice so they amplify their authority and captivate the room. Tracy’s unique approach, Psychology of the Voice gets to the core of limiting voice habits and transforms voices from the inside out. People all over the world seek her out for her expertise to free voice barriers and get them to the next level in their business and life. Her game-changing voice training teaches you how to captivate the room, no matter the message, the venue, or the size of the audience.
Who Are the Masters in the Field?
Arthur Lessac
https://www.lessacinstitute.org/arthur-lessacEdith Skinner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_SkinnerFeldenkrais
https://feldenkrais.com/Connecting With Tracy Goodwin
Website: captivatetheroom.com
Facebook: facebook.com/captivatetheroom
Twitter: twitter.com/TracyAGoodwin
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tracyagoodwin/
Instagram: .instagram.com/captivatetheroom/
Free Gift
Sign up for a free 3-video series called The Voice Formula, found at the bottom of the home page of Tracy Goodwin’s website.
A Day in the Life of a Voice Coach, Finding Your Voice
Actor, Director, Voice Coach
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947:
Making a Good Living with His Own Creative Ideas - B. Jeffrey Madoff
“The main thing about creativity is being open and curious. Curiosity is a huge factor because it makes you want to learn. And I think learning should be a lifelong pursuit. If you are going to make that change or do something different, there are also ways you have to approach it to make sure there is a market for what it is you want to do. And, everybody’s personal situation is different. So, it’s not simple, but it is a process like everything else is in terms of that ‘hero’s journey.’ It’s going inside before you even make those decisions.”
B. Jeffrey Madoff’s first career was as a fashion designer. He was chosen one of the top 10 designers in the U.S. Switching careers to film production, he has directed award winning commercials, documentaries and web content around the world for clients such as Ralph Lauren, Victoria’s Secret, and Tiffany. His book, “Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas,” is an Amazon Bestseller based on the class he teaches at Parsons School of Design in NYC. Madoff’s play, “Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical,” about the life of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend Lloyd Price, will have its world premiere in February of 2022.
On His Bookshelf
Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas, by B. Jeffrey Madoff
Connecting With B. Jeffrey Madoff
Websites: www.acreativecareer.com and www.madoffproductions.com
Facebook: facebook.com/madoffproductions
Twitter: @acreativecareer.com
LinkedIn: B. Jeffrey Madoff
Instagram: @acreativecareer
Creative Career Path, Creativity
Author, Business Owner, Film Production/Director, Playwright, Professor
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946:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Clean Energy Consultant? - Ron Kamen
“I majored in management and accounting at Binghamton University thinking I’d become an accountant for my career. In my senior year I was lucky enough to take a graduate course in Systems Science. Systems Science is an interdisciplinary field that studies the complexity of systems in nature, social or any other scientific field. At the end of that fascinating course, which was far outside the courses I had been taking, I came to believe that we all have a purpose and mission in our lives. When we feel good about what we are doing, are in the flow, that’s when we know we are doing what we are supposed to be doing with our talents. For me, that became working with people and doing something positive for humanity and the world. I became a community organizer on energy issues.”
Ron Kamen is CEO of EarthKind Energy Consulting and host of The AWESome EarthKind Podcast. His life mission is to empower everyday people to make clean energy transitions to reduce their carbon footprint and save them money. For more than three decades, Ron has energized communities, governments, non-profits, and businesses to take their next step to increase energy efficiency and use renewable energy. He’s now building an online community of AWESome EarthKind people ready to “Go Clean and $ave Green.”
Connecting With Ron Kamen
Website: awesomeearthkind.com/dyt
Facebook: facebook.com/awesomeearthkind
Twitter: twitter.com/awesomearthkind
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronkamen/
Instagram: instagram.com/awesomeearthkind/
A Day in the Life of a Clean Energy Consultant
Clean Energy Consultant
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945:
Saying No to Limitations - Otakara Klettke
“I discovered that we truly have our own self-healing mechanism–something within us that is there to work for us. When I finally decided to write my first book, this was the subject that I chose because people need to know that they have so much more power than they think. If they go to a traditional medical doctor or someone who knows Eastern medicine, they are asking someone else to help them with their body. Don’t take me wrong. Those practices have their place. But I think the very best place to start is always within themselves. If they learn how to check in with themselves and they learn how to engage their own body, they can have the power to start healing. I really want people to know the power they have and what can happen when they awaken it.”
Otakara Klettke is a coach and international bestselling author of Hear Your Body Whisper; How to Unlock Your Self-Healing Mechanism, and newly released Hear Your Brain Whisper, How to Unlock Your Mind’s Potential. Her passion for the human body and the self-healing mechanism we all possess has earned her the nickname Body Whisperer. Besides our brains and bodies, she is enthusiastic about anything from nature. She is an avid supporter of eco-friendly life and education, fascinated by scientific studies, and an incurable traveler.
On Her Bookshelf
Hear Your Body Whisper, How to Unlock Your Self-Healing Mechanism, by Otakara Klettke
Hear Your Brain Whisper, How to Unlock Your Mind’s Potential, by Otakara Klettke
Connecting With Otakara Klettke
Facebook: facebook.com/otakara.klettke
Becoming an Author, Overcoming Illnesses, Self-healing
Author, Coach, Investigative Reporter, TV Reporter
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944:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Speech Coach and Communication Consultant? - Dr. Bill Lampton
“As a history student in college I quickly noticed that behind every significant historical movement or trend, there has always been a powerful communicator–Churchill and Roosevelt during World War II, and Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement are a few examples. The more I learned about the profound impact of communication skills at every level of our society, I realized that I wanted to not only learn those skills myself, but I also decided to dedicate my career to teaching them to others.”
After earning his Ph.D. in communication, Bill Lampton taught at the University of Georgia and then spent two decades in management at the vice-presidential level. Since 1997–through his company Championship Communication–he has served as a speaker/consultant/coach for top-tier clients, such as Gillette, Procter and Gamble, Oceania Cruises, Missouri Bar and the Ritz-Carlton Cancun. Bill has written two books and hundreds of articles. He produces instructional videos about business communication. Weekly he hosts a video podcast and a radio show. Obviously he fits his tagline: “The Biz Communication Guy.” Based in Gainesville, Georgia, he serves clients without boundaries.
Connecting With Dr. Bill Lampton
Websites:
Facebook: facebook.com/billlampton
Twitter: twitter.com/doclampton
LinkedIn: linkedin/in/billlampton
Instagram: instagram/drbill70
Free Gift
FREE Tips & Strategies
Subscribe to Bill’s weekly online newsletter now to get frequent tips and strategies that will jet-propel your business.A Day in the Life of a Speech Coach and Communication Consultant
Author, Business Owner, Communication Consultant, Podcaster, Radio Host
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943:
A College Internship Lights Her Passion for a Career in Television - Robbin Steed
“I do think anything you can do in college to experience as many work environments as you can is very helpful, even if it is finding a connection or reaching out through LinkedIn and asking if you can shadow someone for a day or finding an internship that many of the stations, ad agencies and marketing firms offer. The internships I had completely influenced my passion to work in television.”
Robbin Steed is the Director of Strategic Partnerships responsible for providing business, sales and marketing and philanthropic leadership for TEGNA Media, Atlanta’s broadcast and digital properties which include WXIA-TV (Eleven Alive/NBC), WATL-TV, and TEGNA Marketing Services. Additionally, she manages the TEGNA Foundation for the Atlanta market. She is a purpose-driven marketing, sales and communications leader and a cum laude graduate of the Henry Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia.
Connecting With Robbin Steed
Website: robbinsteed.com
Facebook: facebook.com/robbin.steed
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robbin-steed-b6688911/
Twitter: @rcsteed
Instagram: instagram.com/rcsteed/
Education, Foundation Work, Internships, Television career
Foundation Work, Television
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942:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Lawyer? - Arnie Herz
“Whatever profession they’re going to explore, I think the most important thing is for them to explore themselves and know themselves. Meaning, what makes me tick, what excites me, what interests me? How do I do in groups? Do I like to take the lead in a group? Do I not like to take the lead in the group? What things that I’ve done have been most exciting to me? And then why. Then when you could really start understanding templates and your sensitivities and your sensibilities, then you start getting to know yourself. And then also to learn about psychology, emotional intelligence, personal growth to develop oneself, because that’s the most important thing. And that also includes developing not just your emotional capacity, but your mental capacity.”
Arnie Herz is a lawyer, mediator and speaker. He has delivered over 100 programs and keynotes on topics related to the attorney-client relationship, negotiation, conflict resolution and work-life balance. His work has been covered in numerous publications and he has received a host of acknowledgements and awards from his colleagues.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Playing in an intramural basketball game during my junior year as an undergrad, I had congestive heart failure. Through sports I found tremendous solace and energy. I had channeled my restlessness for seeing the world through sports. In the hospital, they told me I would not be able to play competitive sports anymore. That turned my life upside down. It made me realize how precious life is, how at any moment everything can change. In that moment, I realized I needed to live my life for myself and not just go through the motions to please my parents, my friends or society. I had an obligation to go search for what I needed to find.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. After graduating from college, I did something that made no sense to anyone I knew. I bought a backpack and a one-way ticket to London. For much of the next four years I traveled around the world. Experiencing the profound differences in lifestyles in places like Bombay where people would walk miles for drinking water dramatically altered my perspective and world view.
2. In India I studied meditation and yoga and learned how to manage my mind and my emotions. Each gave me tremendous insight into myself and human nature and have been essential to my effectiveness as a lawyer.
3. As my career evolved, I transitioned out of all forms of litigation and into dispute resolution where the success or failure of the issue depends on the individuals to work things out themselves. It’s not in the hands of a third party.
4. My advice to anyone contemplating entering the profession of law is to get to know themselves—what makes you tick? The more you can explore yourself from every dimension—not merely intellectually, but emotionally, spiritually and more—the better you will be able to research and evaluate the possibilities to use your talents and skills and work with your values and goals towards a meaningful life and career.
On His Bookshelf
The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values, by Robert M. Pirsig
Connecting With Arnie Herz
Website: http://arnieherz.com
Email: Arnie@arnieherz.com
Facebook: facebook.com/arnieherz
Twitter: twitter.com/arnieherz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/arnieherz/
A Day in the Life of a Lawyer, Know Yourself, Lawyers
Attorney, Lawyer, Mediator, Speaker
January 2021:
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941:
We Were Never Meant to Live Small Stories - Encore: Jessica J.R. Owen
“One of the reasons I’m here today is that I didn’t get to do a lot of traveling prior to this accident of mine, but afterwards I had some opportunities to do so, and I found a huge passion for it and a way to open up my life. Unless we are challenged to grow and shift our perspectives, we will forever live small stories. And as humans, we were never meant to live small stories.”
Jessie Owen is an adventurous, spirited, silly person whose path was traumatically interrupted in 2012 when a tree fell on her family car while on a family vacation. As a result, she lost both of her parents and became a quadriplegic. After the accident, Jessie began the long journey to figure out how to do life and where she fit in again. For the first two years she focused solely on her body and regaining as much function as she could. But Jessie wanted more than simply being alive; she wanted to be more than just a broken vessel in constant need of maintenance. She wanted a life, and set out to create one.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My path was rudely disrupted in 2012 on a December weekend as I was traveling across the Cascade mountains. Heavy snowfall combined with dry weather during the summer, made for perfect conditions for trees to fall, seemingly at random. And on that day, one of those trees fell on our car. And when I woke up in the hospital, I was given some life altering news: My parents were both killed instantly by the tree and I was paralyzed. In that instant, I lost both my parents and became a quadriplegic at the C3 and C4 level. Here’s the thing: Maybe your story isn’t as intense or as tragic as a tree falling on you and killing your parents, but we all know what it means to have your story stopped unexpectedly and completely change your perspective on the future and what we perceive is possible.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. I’ve been blessed to have great coaches every step of the way. My soccer coach taught me patience and kindness. My softball coach pushed me to do my best and set the highest standards.
2. My 16+ month-daily-recovery regimen of physical exercise and occupational therapy was grueling, but I had the most incredible support network of friends and family who stayed with me around the clock. I am still speechless at how selfless and loving they were and how vital that community was to my recovery.
3. After a couple of years I made the decision that my life going forward could not be focused solely on trying to fix and heal my broken body. I wanted to move beyond this turning point in my life and move forward.
4. I hired an experienced life coach who methodically worked with me over 18 months to reengage my life from every perspective in order to help me recreate a vision for where I wanted to go from here.
5. My life is very full and satisfying. I teach part time, I write a small travel blog and I’ve started a small business—a bar that allows people to bring their dogs inside while they enjoy a beer or watch a sports event. It’s great fun.
Connecting With Encore: Jessica J.R. Owen
Website: travelingonwheels.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessie.owen
Twitter: @wheelstraveling
Living Your Best Life, Physical Challenge, Travel
Business Owner, Teacher
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940:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Major Airline Pilot? - Encore: Vince Kramer
“People in the aviation world love their jobs. It’s a part of them. It’s in their blood. If you are interested in any specific occupation in the aviation world, my recommendation is to reach out to somebody who’s doing the job that you want to do. Everybody is so excited about sharing what it takes to get there and what their job is all about. United Airlines and the other major airlines have opportunities all the time for you to go to the training center and see the simulators, or go to the operation centers and see what the dispatchers do─just to give people an opportunity to see what happens on the ramp and how everybody goes through the processes that they need to move into those positions.”
Vince Kramer is a thirty-seven-year airline and military pilot with over 20,000 hours in aircraft and flight simulators. He flew seven different models of the Boeing-135 aircraft, as well as the T-37 and T-38 aircraft as an Air Force pilot, instructor and evaluator. He is a combat veteran with over one hundred combat hours during Desert Storm. Vince has flown for United Airlines and American Airlines as an airline transport pilot. He type rated in the Airbus 319/320 aircraft and the Boeing 737. Vince held positions in management and as an instructor/evaluator at United Airlines. He is currently an active pilot at United Airlines.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
I enlisted in the U.S. Airforce at 22. I knew I wanted to be a pilot and ended up
being trained on the EEC 135 aircraft. There were often generals on board who
were pilots themselves that needed instructor pilots to help them keep their
qualifications and experience up. This was such a blessing for me because I was
able to fly with a very experienced pilot, which gave me an opportunity to do
things in an airplane a young lieutenant doesn’t normally get to do. Promotions
came quickly and it was clear that future opportunities would take me out of
the cockpit. So, at 31, I made the decision to leave the military and was hired
soon after by a major commercial airline in early 1992. I’ve been a pilot for
United Airlines since 1995 and have loved every minute of it.The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Opportunities open up for us all the time. You simply must be ready to take
action when they appear.2. The power of mentors who can help you along your journey cannot be over
emphasized. I had several that were key to my continued growth in all
areas of my life and career.3. People in the aviation world love their jobs, so if you are interested in
exploring any aspect of the occupation, reach out to someone who is doing
the job you are interested in.4. United Airlines and other major airlines have programs that let you visit
their training center and see the simulators or go to the operations center
and see what the dispatchers do.5. Today there are many schools and programs to explore:
• Lufthansa Aviation Training, in Northern Arizona
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• The University of North Dakota
• Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• Metropolitan State University of Denver6. I’m a firm believer that the U.S. military is the best training ground. It’s
special in so many ways and an opportunity to serve your country, which in
my opinion puts even more value on it. The Army, Air Force, Navy and
Marines each offer flight training.Connecting With Encore: Vince Kramer
Website: imaginenationmiracles.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ImaginenationMiracles
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vkramer
Instagram: imaginemiraclesinsta
Twitter: @vincekramer
A Day in the Life of a Major Airline Pilot
Airline Pilot, Business Owner, Commercial Pilot, Pilot
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939:
A Passion for Disease Prevention Ignited - Daniel E. Kennedy
“For the first time in many years, I felt as if my life had value and a purpose. And then my friend, who had taken me into his parents’ home, also got me a job. That really inspired me to see how a person could literally respond to a need and just share his entire life. That was a huge turning point in my life and started giving me an idea that even in tough circumstance something good could be waiting around the corner. That was completely 180 degrees from when I was always waiting for something bad to happen.”
Daniel E. Kennedy is a healthcare executive, counselor, author, and filmmaker. His passion for disease prevention was ignited professionally while working with thousands of cancer patients at Oasis of Hope Hospital, and personally, by witnessing cancer and heart disease-related deaths of his grandmother, uncle, aunt, and father. His philosophy is simple: its not good enough to live a long sick life when there’s the opportunity to live a healthy long life. Through the process of writing and ghostwriting 12 books on cancer and heart health, Daniel honed the skills necessary to create, write, and direct the 8-episode Healthy Long Life documentary series. His relationships with researchers and clinicians, developed over the last three decades, has given him access to the world’s top experts on healthy life expectancy.
On His Bookshelf
The Art & Science of Undermining Cancer: Strategies to Slow, Control, Reverse, by Francisco Contreras and Daniel E. Kennedy
(In paperback and Kindle)Also available as a free pdf.
(Be patient with the download time. It takes up to 30 minutes for this 13MB book pdf.)Connecting With Daniel E. Kennedy
Website: www.HealthyLongLife.com
Facebook: facebook.com/HealthyLongLifeFilm
Twitter: twitter.com/HLLFilm
Instagram: Instagram.com/HealthyLongLifeFilm
Cancer, Combining Talents, Healthcare, Passion, Patient Care
Author, Counselor, Filmmaker, Healthcare Executive
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938:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Serial Direct Marketer? - Encore: Brian Kurtz
“I went to Marty Edelston, who was the owner and the founder. And I said, ‘That job just opened up in editorial and I’d like to take it.’ And Marty looked at me and he said, ‘You know, I think you have a nose for marketing.’ And when you’re 23 years old and the president of the company says you have a nose for marketing, who am I to argue? So I didn’t take the editorial job. I stayed in list management. And I’d say that was a pivot point in my career because then I just went whole hog on direct marketing lists. For my first 10 years I am in list management. The next 24 years I’m running the marketing department.”
Brian Kurtz has been a serial direct marketer for the past 40+ years. He’s never met a medium he didn’t like, and he spent the first 34 years of his career helping Boardroom, Inc., become a state-of-the-art direct marketing and publishing company. As founder of Titans Marketing, he now advises many of the most admired direct marketers in the world and writes and speaks regularly on direct marketing.
On His Bookshelf
Overdeliver: Build a Business for a Lifetime Playing the Long Game in Direct Response Marketing, by Brian Kurtz
Breakthrough Advertising, by Eugene Schwartz
Ogilvy on Advertising, by David Ogilvy
Scientific Advertising, by Claude Hopkins
Connecting With Encore: Brian Kurtz
Websites: www.briankurtz.net and www.TheLegendsBook.com
Facebook: facebook.com/brian.kurtz.121
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brian-kurtz-a1934/
Day in the Life of a Serial Direct Marketer, Direct Response
Direct Marketer
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937:
How to Dream, Plan and Create Your Best Life - Tim Rhode
“I’ve created an amazing life for myself. I overcame a divorce early on that was crippling, and I’ve had both parents pass. When you’ve lived a little and you’ve been humbled, it makes you realize what’s important. What’s most important is that while you’re young, you need to figure out: who am I, what’s my dream, what’s my plan, how will I fund it, and how will I be healthy in my mind, body and spirit to pull off this magnificent life? You want to get to your ‘golden years’ and be healthy and wealthy. And the choices you make in your twenties, thirties, and forties? You are either going to hug yourself or curse yourself when you reach your sixties, seventies and eighties.”
Tim Rhode has done all they teach in 1Life Fully Lived and Gobundance about creating one’s best life. He has come from a humble beginning and crafted a life few could dream of. He is living in the mountains skiing, hiking and biking pretty much daily, all of his family nearby, financially free by forty, and now helping thousands of others strive to create their own 1Life Fully Lived.
1Life Fully Lived, GoBundance, Living Your Best Life
Business Owner, Real Estate
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936:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Dentist? - Dr. Jeanette Kern
“I would like to continue to beat the drum for entrepreneurship in dentistry. I would love to still see solo practitioners or associate and doctor businesses stay open. I love the mom and pop idea of a dental office. I think most people have a good relationship with their dentist. I hope they do. Because that’s what we go into the profession for, to help people. We want them to appreciate us and what we do. And so that’s what I want to do. I want to continue to help my fellow dentist be happy in what they’re doing and be profitable and fulfilled.”
Dr. Jeanette Kern is a nationally recognized expert in the fields of cosmetic and restorative dentistry. She taught at both the UCLA and the USC Schools of Dentistry. In her business community, Dr. Kern received the Monterey Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Award for Health Care in 2009 and 2016 and the Professional Women’s Network Woman of the Year Award in 2007. In 2018 Dr. Kern sold her successful dental practice in Monterey. She created the Profitable Dental Academy. Armed with over 40 years in the dental industry experienced as a dental hygienist, associate dentist and as a practice owner, she shares her knowledge by consulting with other dentists as a Dental Success Coach. She is very happy and honored to continue being an active dental professional.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After 9 years as a dental hygienist and teaching dental hygiene, both of which I loved, I knew I needed to explore other career options. I took a career aptitude test and the counselor at Cal State Northridge told me I had the abilities to be a dentist. At that time I was 26, married, and we had just purchased a house. The idea of taking the required physics, organic and inorganic chemistry courses before I could even apply to dental school was daunting. Additionally, I was working four days a week while chiseling out time to take those classes—a pretty heavy load. As Nietzsche said, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” so I got the work done, was accepted to dental school at both USC and UCLA and got my degree from UCLA in four years.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
The journey to figuring out a life and career for every one of us is infinitely complex. There are some fundamental principles that I have learned over the years, which may sound obvious to some, but in my experience they are too often not practiced.
1. Trust yourself. No one knows you a fraction as much as you do.
2. Be curious. There are countless possibilities that are available to you, if you will keep an open mind and heart to them.
3. Explore. Constantly explore the world around you—the world familiar to you and other environments and ideas that are not.
4. Experience. Nothing beats hands-on experience, so find internships in occupations or professions you are curious about and learn from the masters.
5. Maintain high standards. The profession of dentistry has been endlessly satisfying to me because of my life-long belief in using my talents and gifts to try and improve the lives of as many of my fellow men and women as I can.
Dentist / Day in the Life
Dental Hygenist, Dentist
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935:
Joining Up with Her Sisters to Create Worldwide Change - Kaia Hollan Alexander
“I’m going to join up with my sisters here and we’re going to create new policy changes that are going to drive bottom line change in the world…the big changes we want to see, like the green movement and taking care of the environment and making sure children have their needs met. These are the things women have always cared about throughout history, and now we have realizing we are actually capable of leading these movements. And more and more women are running for office as well, which is another fantastic reflection of seeing this change.”
Kaia Alexander is an award-winning author and filmmaker. Her novel, “Written in the Ashes,” is the untold story about the burning of the Great Library of Alexandria, Egypt, and the life of Hypatia, the world’s first female mathematician/philosopher. Kaia’s new documentary feature film “Chalice: Women Leaders Rise,” explores how and why women were written out of history, how this has influenced the treatment of women globally, and the exciting rise of women leaders today. Her mentors are American novelist/humorist, Tom Robbins, and the late comedian, Garry Shandling. A mystic misfit and pagan surfer, she is proud to be the “B” in LGBTQ.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“While I was re-establishing myself in Hawaii, I was taking care of a friend’s children and working part-time in a coffee shop. In what little free time I had, I began putting my creative side to work doing some drawings and writing poetry and taking a stab at writing my first novel. Those early attempts at writing, which I have in my original journals somewhere, would actually become the early drafts of my novel, “Written in the Ashes,” which took me many years to complete because it’s an historical novel that required a huge amount of original research.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I was 17 my father and mother were going through a divorce, and my father had what could be called a “psychotic breakdown” and became highly abusive and threatening to my mother and me. It was utterly terrifying. My mother chose to get a restraining order against him, to stay and hunker down. I decided to emancipate myself. I put what I needed into a backpack, scraped together what money I had and hopped on a plane for Hawaii. I did not know a soul there, arrived with only a couple of hundred bucks in my pocket and a pup tent, and started over.”
Steps to Success from Kaia Hollan Alexander
“First of all, you must build the courage to do the discovery work on yourself and your talents, to find out what they are and how you can use them to build a life on your own terms. It’s brutally hard because most people around us are doing what is expected of them, whether in their education or occupation, and do not think outside the box at all. Next, you must reframe rejection and failure and do your best to depersonalize them. I probably got 100 rejections to my first novel on three continents. And each time I took the rejection so personally and felt sick for two days. Now, I see each turn down as one step closer to a positive result.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Several key lessons have guided me throughout my life: the power of stamina, relationships, collaboration and the vital need to stay aware of your environment and the factors that impact you. Early on I learned that writing demands utter persistence and focus, or in other words stamina. With my first book, I experienced the vital need for close collaboration and trusting relationships with my editor, agent and publicist. My friend, Gary Shandling, really educated me on the value of an artist particularly staying keenly aware of the many factors—business and others—that impact one’s success.”
On Her Bookshelf
Written in the Ashes, by K. Hollan Van Zandt
Connecting With Kaia Hollan Alexander
Website: www.thisiskaia.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/thisiskaia
Instagram: www.instagram.com/Thisisiakaia
Women
Author, Film Maker
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934:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Sheriff? - Sheriff Leon Lott
“If you’re really interested in law enforcement, just contact your local law enforcement agency and go by and visit them. Do ride-alongs. I did a ride-along when I was in college and we do ride-alongs with students now all the time. It kind of gives you a view of what real police work is all about. And Live PD, the TV show. That will also give you an idea of what we do. You can see the danger and you can see the excitement. You can see some of the stuff that we have to deal with now. Do your research, but there’s not a more rewarding career than being in law enforcement because you really can change people’s lives. And you can save lives.”
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott leads one of the largest sheriff’s departments (1,000 employees) in the Southeastern U.S., and is one of the regularly featured law-enforcement agencies on A&E’s television series LIVE PD. In 2010, Lott traveled to Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government to help that country establish its first-ever female police academy. RCSD continues an officer exchange program with Iraq and other foreign LE agencies. Under Lott’s leadership, RCSD was the first LE agency in the nation to establish a pre-PTSD conditioning program for deputies. Lott is also commander of the S.C. State Guard.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I was 16 years old, I was hanging out with some friends and one of them suggested that we go throw eggs at a police car—a silly prank boys sometimes did back then. Typical teenager that I was, I went along with them. So, we did and, of course, we got arrested. That really was a defining moment in my life that helped open my eyes up and realize the consequences of my actions in life. I had to wash a lot of police cars and do other chores under the watchful guidance of several police officers. When I was a senior at the University of South Carolina, I realized my dream of being a major league baseball player was not going to happen, and I reflected back to that experience and the powerful, positive impact those police officers had on me at an important turning point in my life. I knew I wanted to do the same for other people. I graduated from USC in May of 1975 and joined the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in June.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. “I always hated math, but in the 6th grade my math teacher pushed me to work hard, never give up and excel at anything you set your mind to do. I never forgot those basic lessons. And today I’m pretty good at math, too!”
2. “When I joined RCSD in 1975, there was little to no training like we have today—you rode with a few seasoned officers for about a month and then they turned you loose. I learned from the ground up and the feedback and support from those officers was vital to my growth and performance. I stay in touch with many of them today.”
3. “The importance of constantly learning and researching cannot be over stated—I read incessantly. My deep dive in 1999 into the DNA work being done in England led to the formation of our own DNA Lab in 2004, which has put RCSD at the forefront of forensic work and helped us solve innumerable cold cases because of this capacity.”
4. “In the “old days” of law enforcement, our work was often focused on “catching bad guys.” Today we focus on building solid relationships within the communities we serve, building bonds that aid in preventing crime.”
5. “Few things are more satisfying to me than watching young deputies grow in their careers and being a part of their success. Equally gratifying is being a positive influence in the lives of the young people in our communities who may be going through tough times, but with our help and guidance are able to get their lives back on track and remain there.”
Connecting With Sheriff Leon Lott
Website: http://rcsd.net
Facebook: facebook.com/RichlandCountySheriffsDepartment/
Twitter: @RCSD
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of a Sheriff, Law Enforcement, PTSD
Peace Officer, Police Enforcement Officer, Sheriff, State Guard
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933:
A Veteran Investigative Journalist Living Her Truth - Carey Gillam
“When people say, why do you care about this? Why is this important? I say, we all eat, right? We all have to have food to survive. And when our food has become poisoned for profit, we deserve to have the truth about that. We deserve to know as much as we can so we can protect ourselves. And that is the motivation for everything I do.”
Carey Gillam is a veteran investigative journalist with more than 25 years of experience covering corporate news, including 17 years as a senior correspondent for Reuters international news service. She is the author of “Whitewash—The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science,” an exposé of corporate corruption in agriculture. The book won the coveted Rachel Carson Book Award from the Society of Environmental Journalists. Gillam works now as Research Director for the non-profit U.S. Right to Know.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Since high school I knew I was a writer and wanted to be a journalist. After I got my print journalism degree at the University of Kansas, I got a job at the Kansas City Business Journal, which was part of a chain of newspapers around the country, where I covered the business community. That is where I learned to do investigative work on local Kansas City banks. I wrote several powerful stories that really launched my career.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“During my last year of employment at the Atlanta Business Chronicle, I conducted an investigation of a national company based in Atlanta that had for years covered up and misrepresented the disturbing numbers of injuries and deaths that were occurring in their company. That story was awarded a Gerald Loeb Award, one of the highest honors in the industry. Because of this honor, I received several job offers from other top news organizations around the country, which forced me to take a hard look at my career journey and what my true goals were.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My father encouraged me and my two younger brothers to think outside the box and create our own views and perspectives on complex and controversial issues. He honored open debate on any issue as long as we did our own research and had the facts and statistics to back up our point of view. My mother taught me to stand up for myself and the importance of doing something good in the world. She believed that you needed to do as much good as you can, for as many people as you can, as many ways as you can. These lessons from each parent have been key to my life and career.”
Steps to Success from Carey Gillam
- Reach inside and learn about yourself: what makes you happy; what are you curious about; what motivates you?
- Be true to your core values as you create your career and life vision, and never compromise them.
- Build a strong work ethic from a very early age. You have to take care of yourself and be responsible for meeting your own needs.
- Develop the tenacity and courage to make things happen. If you want to achieve something and it is honorable and right, then work tirelessly towards that goal to make it happen.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Carey Gillam
Website: http://careygillam.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareyGillamAuthor/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/careygillam
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/carey-gillam-584a1913/
Investigative Reporting, Parental Influence
Investigative Reporter
December 2020:
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932:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be an Environmental Economist? - Pamela Peeters
“As I say, I plant seeds, I manage my garden, and that includes planting new seeds. So, at a certain moment when I started working with schools and children, and then fast forward to this year where I heard on NPR that 50% of teachers don’t teach about sustainability because either they don’t have the tools, they don’t have the knowledge, or they deem it too political. Well, that means that 50% of kids are not aware of the reality they’re living in and are probably not aware of the opportunities as well. Crisis equals opportunity. So, if we’re dealing with the crisis–which in my opinion is a human development crisis by the way–there is a chance that we equally have as many opportunities to turn this Titanic around. So, I am more and more and more invested in education for youth.”
Pamela Peeters is an environmental economist and sustainability strategist. She consults with companies globally and develops educational programs for youth with her “Eco Hero” program now established in nine countries. An author, filmmaker, and educator, she was on the marketing team of the U. S. Partnerships for the UNESCO Decade for Sustainable Education and received an honorary fellowship from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels in 2015 for her contributions to the field of Sustainable Development. She’s also a former Research Fellow in Economics from Columbia University and current Fellow of the Explorers Club. She just launched a wisdom card deck called “ELEMENTS” that features her photography and poetry.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
My second job out of college I was retained by the Belgium Foreign Trade Office. As hard as this was for me to imagine at the time, in my early 20’s I had my own office in the Belgium Embassy in New Delhi, India, where I established a framework of what the industry would look like in the environmental technology sector. It was amazing work, and I loved integrating myself into the Indian community. I received a couple of accolades for my work there and returned from that assignment a transformed woman, determined to continue an international lifestyle.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Many lessons that cover my lifetime:
1. Growing up in Keir Berrigan in the countryside near Belgium my daily life was spent in nature, whether bicycling to school or simply playing outside. This was the starting point for my lifelong dedication to mother earth.
2. When I attended the Academy of Arts at 12 to study ballet, I loved connecting with other creative kids, which opened me up to the simple joy of exploring myself and the act of creating on my own terms.
3. I began journaling at the age of 8 and continue to do so today, which I find a very important part of ongoing self-discovery.
4. At 12 I was already researching and gathering information about all things related to nature and the environment. With three friends we started a magazine—Grab the Green—which attracted a good following of not only family and friends, but students and teachers in our community.
5. In secondary school biology was one of my favorite subjects that allowed me to dig deeper into plant life and the mystery of our planet. I have 23 different plants in my home today.
6. There are three vital pillars in our society: people, the economy and the planet.
7. Every individual has their own unique set of talents and it is up to them to do whatever it takes to explore, find and use them for themselves and the rest of us.
8. Stamina is a prerequisite. Some people find their gifts and create their personal visions early in life; others do not. What matters is that they find them and use them.
9. Surrounding yourself with supportive people who support and encourage you is seminal.
On Her Bookshelf
Powering the Dream, by Alex Matridou
Carbon Shock: A Tale of Risk and Calculus on the Front Lines of the Disrupted Global Economy, by Marc Schapiro
The Secret Life of Plants, by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird
Strategy for Sustainability, by Adam Werbach
Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser
Connecting With Pamela Peeters
Websites: pamelapeeters.com and myecohero.com and sustainable-planet.net
Facebook: facebook.com/pamela.peeters
Twitter: @pamelapeeters
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pamelapeeters/
A Day in the Life of an Environmental Economist.
Author, Educator, Environmental Economist, Filmmaker, Sustainability Strategist
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931:
A Beacon of Hope, Inspiration and Trust - Unni Turrettini
“Norway is a country that is very conforming. I think it’s part of our culture from way back because of living in a place where it was important to stay in a group to survive, because it is cold and dark in the winter and not much grows. It’s really a harsh environment. So, people needed to stay within the group and to be accepted by the group. You have to play by the rules.”
Norwegian-born Unni Turrettini is the author of The Mystery of the Lone Wolf Killer. She is also the author of Betraying the Nobel which focuses on the lack of leadership in the world and on the Nobel Peace Prize’s importance as a beacon of hope and inspiration. Through writing and speaking, Unni is on a mission to restore trust in leadership by encouraging women to fully step up and into their true feminine power. She also works as a coach for high-achieving women. She has law degrees from Norway, France, and the United States, and is a member of the New York Bar. She worked numerous years in law and finance before she began writing.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I didn’t want to go back to law or the banking world. I just wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. Then in 2011 we had this awful, awful, awful incident in Norway where a young man, who seemed to be a normal, regular, intelligent person, killed seventy-seven people in one day. I started to study him, and I realized that the reason why I was so fascinated by this case was because I understood the loneliness and the lack of belonging and the isolation that he felt growing up. I really felt an urge to do more research, to understand him and similar mass killers, to figure out if I could somehow find if there were warning signs and if there was something about our societies and our culture that facilitated their evolution into becoming these monsters. I started working with a former FBI agent who has a PhD in lone wolf mass killers–that’s the name of these types of killers–and she helped me a lot. I wrote the book, The Mystery of the Lone Wolf Killer, about the phenomenon to provide insight into what happens in the evolution of one person and how we as a society are contributing to their evolution, and what we can do to prevent this from happening again.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “The year I spent in Kansas City as a high school exchange student from Norway was amazing. I really loved it. There I was encouraged to be good; I was good at sports and I was also fortunate to be quite good at academics. I found it was okay to stand out. It was okay to be myself, and I felt much freer than I ever had.”
2. “I ‘somewhat’ enjoyed studying law, and I did enjoy when I started law studies in the U.S. and studying for the bar exam. I got to learn a lot about society, how it works and how the justice system works with lawsuits and your rights and obligations as well. I have always been interested in how society functions and works.”
3. “Also a part of law that I really enjoyed studying was international human rights. I think that is why I wanted to study law in the first place, because I’ve always been very concerned with justice and injustice and how we can get more social justice for everyone. When I finished my law studies, I had to get a job and start paying off my student loans. It was more important at that time for me to have a job and have a good income. I sort of forgot about where my passion really was, which is with people.”
4. “When I wrote the book, The Mystery of the Lone Wolf Killer, it was published in the U. S. All of a sudden I was asked to come speak about the phenomenon at universities, at schools, at private clubs and associations, especially in relation to the school shootings in the U.S. And that brought me into this new job that I have today, which is basically writing and speaking, which is really wonderful because I get to do what I’m passionate about. I get to write about and speak about really difficult things that are hard conversations to have but conversations that we must have in order to be able to create a better world.”
5. “Now what I am deeply concerned about is our world, our societies and leadership in the world. So I wrote my latest book, which is being launched right now (November, 2020) in the U.S. about the Nobel Peace Prize, which of course is given out by Norway. I did a lot of digging and research into the history of the Nobel Peace Prize and what Alfred Nobel wanted with his prize and what the prize has become. The book is not out in Norway yet, so it’s really not on the radar of any news outlets there. What I am thinking is that if people outside Norway start talking about the Nobel Peace Prize and the things that I write about, then hopefully there will be enough pressure so that the Nobel Committee feels that they have to actually do something different.”
6. “Referring back to my childhood, about not feeling that I was valued or worth anything as a girl and as a young woman growing up, in the corporate world I had to almost become like a man, at least in my energy and approach to be credible.. That is what I would love to change. With the lack of leadership globally, I would love to see more women stepping out and up into leadership, but not just to get more women in there, but for women to bring in their feminine aspects, the feminine power that is ours. That can bring a balance and a different leadership style that is not power but empowering, lifting up people and co-creating and collaborating.”
On Her Bookshelf
The Mystery of the Lone Wolf Killer, by Unni Turrettini
Betraying the Nobel: The Secrets and Corruption Behind the Nobel Peace Prize, by Unni Turrettini
Connecting With Unni Turrettini
Website: www.unniturrettini.com
Facebook: facebook.com/unni.turrettini
Instagram: instagram.com/unnitur/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/unniturrettini/
Free Gift
A free, guided meditation: https://unniturrettini.simplero.com/page/183887-free-meditation
Empowering Women, Law School, Leadership, Nobel Peace Prize
Author, Lawyer, Speaker
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930:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Pain Management Physician? - Michael “Gabe” Hillegass, M.D.
“I like being part of a team. I work alongside great physicians and nurses, and others and it’s fun to do that. It’s highly rewarding to care for others–to see somebody who is struggling with a painful condition and help them to make that more manageable. I enjoy working with my hands. I enjoy problem-solving. I enjoy the marathon of building a practice. I’m starting a pain fellowship here at MUSC, which we’ve not had for a couple of decades. Just being a part of something new and always growing and improving on every level–professionally and personally. I’m grateful every day that I wake up.”
Dr. Michael “Gabe” Hillegass is a board-certified interventional pain management physician and anesthesiologist. He is medical director of the Chronic Pain Clinic and an associate professor within the College of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, SC. Dr. Hillegass completed his anesthesiology residency at MUSC, where he was a chief resident, before moving on to Harvard Medical School’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital for his pain medicine fellowship training. He subsequently served four years on active duty with the navy at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia. He has won research and teaching awards and has published research articles in peer-reviewed medical journals as well as numerous chapters in pain medicine textbooks. He is dedicated to educating his patients and their loved ones as well as rotating medical students and residents on safe and effective comprehensive pain management strategies.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I knew I wanted to practice anesthesia by my third year of medical school. I really enjoyed cardiovascular physiology, pulmonary physiology and related aspects of the core curriculum. While someone is having surgery, you are responding to changes in their heart rate and blood pressure and oxygen levels. From the evaluation to putting someone safely under general anesthesia to maintaining their vital signs to waking them up, there are many steps along the way–there is instant gratification performing a successful anesthetic even though the patients don’t even know your name. After awhile I realized that I missed the patient bond and establishing relationships with each one of them, which was one of the main reasons I was attracted to family medicine and becoming a physician in the first place. At that point I started looking around for fellowship training opportunities in pain management, where I could have both a clinic and office-based practice. I would engage with patients regularly and still practice anesthesia in the operating room.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “My father is a jack of all trades, from designing and building decks to having his own roofing company. My stepfather is also a blue collar worker who works in Newport News in the shipbuilding business. Seeing them both put in long, hard hours and not having high job security inspired me to work hard in school from an early age and aim for professions like medicine, which would be more financially secure and use more of my talents. My father admonished me to work with my head, not with my hands.”
2. “There was always a great deal of support and encouragement to do my best at whatever I decided to do. They also taught me early on that it was essential to hold up my commitments and see things through to the end. I am grateful for these lessons.”
3. “While I was an avid baseball player and like most youngsters dreamed of playing professionally, I was fortunate that I followed my interest in science and early in high school began taking courses in anatomy and biology and other related courses, which paved the way to ultimately attending medical school.”
4. “I was valedictorian of my high school class and that opened up doors for me from a scholarship standpoint, which was great because we did not have money for college. I was accepted at the University of Richmond, an excellent private school and, because of grants and financial aid, had all my college expenses covered. During my years there I had the opportunity to shadow physicians and get an up-close and personal look at the work they did.”
5. “I was fortunate to get an armed forces, health professional scholarship that paid for my medical school training at Wake Forest University. When I finished my fellowship training I began my 4-year tour of duty as a physician in the United States Navy at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Hospital, and was able to continue to be an educator and train fellows who rotated through when I was there. I’m proud of the work I did and the people I cared for.”
6. “My current job description at Medical University of South Carolina involves clinical education–teaching resident physicians, teaching interns, teaching medical students, physician assistant students, nursing students, whoever may come through the clinic. If I was in private practice I would just be primarily focused on the clinical aspect of things and not so much on providing education. There’s opportunity for me to perform research as well. So my day-to-day work demands being well-rounded and not being good at just one thing.”
Connecting With Michael “Gabe” Hillegass, M.D.
Website: https://muschealth.org/MUSCApps/providerdirectory/Hillegass-Michael
Email: hillegas@musc.edu
A Day in the Life of a Pain Management Physician, Pain Management
anesthesiologist, Doctor, Pain Management Physician, Physician
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929:
Helping His Brothers Discover the Road Less Traveled - Yaron Engler
“I did want to continue to be a musician, but to just go and do gigs and do weddings was really not my thing. I love to work in theater. I love the whole creation and the craziness and the lights and the whole madness of that. Playing music, as I said, became a tool for expression for me. It was no longer the goal.”
Yaron Engler delivers one-on-one and group coaching programs that are based on his CROP method. The focus is on men who are entrepreneurs or those who work in leadership roles. Yaron has a vast experience working with large groups of people from different countries and cultures. His direct, playful and honest approach inspires and motivates his clients and audience to create simple positive changes that lead to growth and well-being. He is also a professional drummer who has performed in front of over 500,000 people all around the world and he is a Summa Cum Laude graduate from Berklee College of Music.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“It was clear to me that if I want to pursue my career, I need to move to Tel Aviv. That is when I started to get gigs and I started to become more independent with my music. I played with a lot of different projects and bands. One of the biggest projects was a children’s show that I did with a tap dancer. I played drums and acted. We did the shows in schools and it was super successful. That show actually is a big part of my story because, what we did was to show people how, by listening to the rhythm of another person, we can really connect much more on a human level. It was beautiful to see six-year-old, eight-year-old, 10-year-old kids coming on stage. A lot of it was improvised so we didn’t really know what would happen on stage with the kids, but they showed the audtiences, teachers or parents how wise they are on a human level. And that part has stuck with me forever. I made a big, big career after that as a musician, but it’s these shows that were a massive milestone, for sure.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “Around age 15 or 16, I was all about drumming. I started to perform in a band. And when I was about to leave high school, the biggest band in my city of Haifa did an audition for a drummer. I decided to go for the audition and they took me on board. That was amazing because, just when I started to run with this band, cable TV in Israel started a big competition of young rock bands. And we went as a band and won the competition, which was live on TV. It was really exciting. And then we got a record deal and so on!”
2. “For me, it was really, really powerful to get into a project like the one I did in schools, because I love using music as a tool. Until then music for me was kind of the goal, to go and perform and play music. From that point on, music for me became a tool to connect people, to connect on a human level. And I loved that. I loved going on stage for the first time. Before this the drum for me was like a war between me and the audience. That show taught me to be brave and go out and speak to people. And see the impact of art, the power of reason and the natural wisdom we have as human beings.”
3. ”I probably had done about 200 shows when I got offered a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. I had to make a big decision, being already quite successful as a musician in Tel Aviv and having connections and being established. Do I accept that scholarship and go to Berklee? Or am I staying here in Tel Aviv? I made the decision to go. For me, going to Berklee after being a really horrible student in high school, was a massive big deal. I was scared. Berklee is considered to be one of the best. Am I good enough?’ But in the end, it was quite good.” (Yaron graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2003 and still has the photo of Steven Tyler from Aerosmith handing him his diploma.)
4. “I started to tour like crazy. There was no point in paying rent; we were just constantly on plane flights. It was to the point where I would come to an airport and give my passport and they asked me, where are you going? I had no idea. I had to look for the tour manager to ask him. There were months of touring everywhere, literally everywhere, and it was amazing and really beautiful, but we were also really tired. You know, when you have to be on stage in front of 2,000 people and your body is at 4:00 AM and wants to sleep? But yeah, I’m very grateful I had the chance to be literally all over the world and in places where I had not thought I would be performing, like Sydney Opera House, the Barbicon in London, and performing in Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, wherever…. And it has been a lot of fun.”
5. “I have seen, through my work, a lot of good men who in their core are good, but they’re confused. They didn’t have the right role models. They’re coming from all these systems. If I can provide, to the best of my ability, a space for these men to open up, to connect and to discover who they are so that they can be more in this world in a very different and more beautiful way, then this is my goal. So I’m doing it with my one-to-one clients. I’m doing it with my groups. But I have a much bigger vision to deliver the method that I’ve created, which I call CROP. I want to reach as many people and boys as I can–if it’s in schools, if it’s in prisons, if it’s wherever. I wouldn’t have a lot of support from people at first, but it will happen gradually. And that’s my biggest vision.”
Connecting With Yaron Engler
Website: www.yaronengler.com
Facebook: facebook.com/yaronengler
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yaron-engler/
Instagram: yaron_engler
Music career, World travel through music talent
Drummer, Entrepreneurial Coach, Leadership Coach, Musician
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928:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Theoretical Physicist? - Tom Banks
“The students I’ve enjoyed most are the ones who are clearly smarter than I am. Every once in a while you get these amazing students, sometimes a group of amazing students, who just blow you away and say ‘No, professor, that’s not right.’ And they’re right. And you’re wrong. That’s the biggest pleasure in the world.”
Professor Tom Banks grew up in Brooklyn NY and has lived in OR, MA, CA, NJ, GA and Israel. He was determined to be a theoretical physicist since high school and is a founding member of the New High Energy Theory Center at Rutgers, a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He works in particle physics, cosmology, condensed matter physics and the attempt to quantize Einstein’s theory of gravity. He’s still active in research at the age of 71.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“An important event in my life was that in my junior year of high school my father went on sabbatical to Israel. I went to high school in Israel for a year and their math curriculum was much more advanced than ours. So I learned a lot of math in high school that I would not have learned, even though I was going to one of the best high schools in New York City. I would not have learned that if I had just stayed at home.
“And the other thing that I did at that point in time turned out to be significant in the long run. There was a famous series of books on elementary college physics written by Richard Feynman, a famous, theoretical physicist from Caltech. These books were used at Caltech and then everybody got a hold of them. I got a hold of them as a high school student and started trying to read them on my own. I learned a lot from that, even though it was quite difficult doing it by yourself. It was not the easiest way to learn things, but it worked out well in the long term.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “My father was a professor of chemistry, my mother a biology major who became a teacher. We were always talking about science around the house and it was clear early on that I was going to become a scientist of some kind.”
2. “While Reed College in Portland, Oregon, is a small liberal arts college and not especially prestigious, there were a few talented physics professors that took me to another level of understanding and experience. My four years at Reed as an undergraduate, coupled with the strong influence my dad had on me as a professor, solidified my vision to follow that same career path.”
3. “I had an equally positive experience doing my graduate work at MIT. Steven Weinberg, who later won the Nobel Prize, was one of many professors who had a strong, positive influence on my path to obtaining my doctorate in physics where my main interest was the study of particle physics.”
4. “As a full-time professor I spent half my time or more than that doing research. There’s teaching when you’re in front of the class and then, for every hour you’re in front of the class, you need to prepare for two or three hours. Research is a full-time job and full-time means I can wake up in the middle of the night and start scribbling on a piece of paper. I think I’ve had an idea that doesn’t always work out. Oftentimes my mind doesn’t really shut off. You have to consciously say to yourself, okay, I’m going to eat dinner and watch TV now. I’m NOT going to think about this problem any more. So, as I said, I spend a lot of time on research!”
5. “If you have an interest in the field of physics, the first thing you have to know is that you have to be really good in mathematics. So many of my friends in college were brilliant, but they just couldn’t do math to save their lives. They were social science majors or literature or psychology majors, that kind of thing. It was amazing to me that they were so smart, but they just couldn’t do math. And if you’re not good at that, don’t think about going into physics, particularly theoretical physics. That’s the first thing. And then what you should do is look around, as you said, there are all sorts of resources now on the internet. You can see lectures by people you know, public lectures and also more technical lectures are now broadcast regularly.”
On His Bookshelf
Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics: The 1986 Dirac Memorial Lectures, by Richard P. Feynman and Steven Weinberg
Connecting With Tom Banks
Email: tibanks@ucsc.edu
A Day in the Life of a Theoretical Physicist, Education
Professor, Researcher, Teaching/University, Theoretical Physicist
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927:
How a CFO Became a Ghostwriter - Shelley Moench-Kelly
“Once my parents were both gone, as I’m an only child, I had no other family than my husband and our dog. He posed to me at the time, ‘Honey, what do you want to do now?’ I’d never been asked that question before in such a balanced way. I’d been asked it in terms of what-do-you-want-to-do-now? I-hope-you-give-me-the-right-answer, but his question was just pure innocence and love: What do you want to do now? And I said I wanted to get out of California. And we did so. We literally took a dart and threw it at a map. And we ended up in Vermont.”
S.M. Kelly is a New York-based writer from Tokyo via Los Angeles with 20 years’ experience. She has written five ghostwritten books and more than 3,500 articles for numerous industries, including entertainment, finance, beauty, education, advertising, lifestyle, parenting, food and cooking, and travel/hospitality. Her freelance clients include Google, L’Oréal Paris, Paramount Studios, Marvel Comics, Warner Bros., TheWeek.com, Prevention.com, LendingUSA.com, and Mamapedia.com. Kelly lives with her husband, Mike, and their rescue bulldog, Sherman. “Here’s Your Pill, Kitten!“ is her first non-ghostwritten book.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I’m used to writing books as a ghostwriter for clients. But due to a pretty catastrophic accident where I broke my femur, I had to make the proverbial pitcher of lemonade out of lemons. I was in the hospital for about two weeks following a complex procedure to fix my leg. As a result, I had to spend 90 days in two nursing homes, where I relearned how to walk and become mobile again. I thought to myself at the time, ‘While I am in the nursing home, if I write three pages a day about my experience, then by the end of it, by the time I go home, I will have a book.’ It’s been a two-year process, struggle or journey, whatever you want to call it. And it has catapulted me from one career, if you will, to yet another. I’ve made a career transition four times now.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1.“Moving to Vermont to be a writer was literally the first time in my life when I threw caution to the wind and Mike threw caution to the wind, and we just said, ‘You know what? Let’s pack up our suitcases, take the dog and just go’. And we did.”
2.”I’ve realized that many clients don’t take me quite as seriously when they realize I live in Vermont. The assumption is that I’m some wealthy B&B owner who writes just on a whim for my own enjoyment. We had planned to move to New York earlier in 2020, but then COVID hit. But that is still the plan.”
3.“The first couple of writing jobs I had were content writing for content mills and writing listicles. If you see a topic in a Google search like, ‘10 ways to find travel hacks’ that takes you to an article that’s maybe a thousand words long, opening with a description of your dilemma, followed by a list of 10 ways to get around that dilemma, and ending with a summary paragraph, that’s what I did for several months.”
4.”One thing I have found being a freelancer is that unless you say you’re looking for work, everyone you know just assumes that you’re happy with what you are doing and have enough work. I learned a lot from Facebook groups and Google searches and networking. I started letting my colleagues–even the ones back in Los Angeles–know that, if they know of any gigs, I really would appreciate a referral. Send me in the right direction and I’ll take it from there. You’ve got to spell it out for people, who have their own lives and their own schedules and kids and work. Unless you say, ‘Yeah, I’m fine, but I’m looking for work,’ people generally are not going to be on the lookout for you.”
5.”I foresee myself doing more writing for myself, but in terms of always having a PSA (public service announcement) for my readers. For example, with my current book, Here’s Your Pill, Kitten!, it is my story, but ultimately not a lot of people care about the fact I spent 90 days in a nursing home. I’m there to promote reader education. In this case, it is for patient advocacy, learning about the state of nursing homes and healthcare in the United States, the opioid crisis, and all the facts and factions and factors that I had to live through. It’s a push toward the greater good. My life isn’t perfect, but you know, if I can pass forward some of my experience and that helps somebody else, even one person, then I’m good…I’m good.”
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Shelley Moench-Kelly
Website: smkwriter.com and heresyourpillkitten.com
Facebook: facebook.com/heresyourpillkitten
Twitter: twitter.com/HerePill
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shelley-moench-kelly-20513212/
Instagram: instagram.com/heresyourpillkitten/
Ghostwriter, Multiple Careers, Transitions
Accountant, Auditor, Author, CFO, Editor of Text Books, Ghostwriter
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926:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Home Builder and Renovator? - Josh Steed
“I was trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do next and I’d heard about this career assessment and course called The Highlands Program. I really enjoyed it and it led me down paths of what experience I already had, which dealt with sales management and dealing with customers. And then it also showed me ability combinations I wasn’t aware of regarding what I was naturally good at. This new self-knowledge pushed me more into an independent type of job or career that I could pursue and enjoy and use my innate abilities in.”
Josh Steed is the founder of Steed Properties Construction and Renovation, LTD. He has been in the home building, renovation, historic preservation and real estate development business for more than 35 years and has built, renovated and restored more than 300 homes and buildings all across Atlanta and North Georgia. Josh is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and is married to Robbin. They have three adult children and live in Sharpsburg, Georgia.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After graduating from Vanderbilt University, with no clear career direction, I took a job in commercial real estate. For roughly 7 years I learned the ropes in various roles moving up the ranks at Branch Associates, a well-respected company. I finally realized that this was not the occupation for me and began exploring other fields. A friend told me about a new career planning company–The Highlands Program–and after reviewing their materials I decided to take their course, which consisted of an extensive test of several hours of my innate talents and abilities followed by a weekly 2-hour class for 10 weeks that delved into the other vital factors that impact every person’s life and career plans. This experience was a game changer because I gained a perspective on myself that made clear to me the direction that would satisfy not only my innate talents, but also my goals and values for the balance of my life. Not long after this experience I moved into the home builder and renovation niche and have over the last 30 years built a very successful company. I am grateful that I stopped and took the time to learn more about myself early on in my career.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
- “My dad was a bond lawyer and writer with a great sense of humor. My mother was an artist who did commissioned paintings and portraits. I was always fascinated by their independence and self-confidence, in the best sense of the word.”
- “Both parents were avid readers and gave me a reading list of all the Pulitzer Prize winner biographies when I was very young, which I have been working my way through over the years. This piqued my interest in history, which I majored in at Vanderbilt. I think it’s a great benefit in one’s life to have a broad perspective of the world, not just the one you live in.”
- “I worked overseas as an assistant in a foreign stock exchange in London one summer, which opened my eyes to an altogether different culture and gave me greater confidence to be on my own.”
- “The direction of my life changed in 1992, when I discovered my innate talents and abilities via an innovative assessment and then dug even deeper into the other vital areas that directly impact my performance and satisfaction with the work that I do every day.”
- “When I realized I wanted to move from commercial real estate into home building and renovation I was lucky to get a job with a visionary named Jim Coward who developed most of north Atlanta from Perimeter mall to Alpharetta, Georgia. He became my mentor and helped me get the financing and other vital aspects of my launch of my own business Josh Steed Homes. He was a fine man and an excellent mentor.”
Connecting With Josh Steed
Website: jsteedproperties.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/josh-steed-a41b3557/
Email: steed1234@gmail.com
Home Builder & Renovator: A Day in the Life with Josh Steed
Real Estate Agent
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925:
Deciding Not to Settle for Second Best - Deepa Natarajan
“There are so many ways to explore different aspects of yourself while you’re still gainfully employed and providing for your family or yourself. I think a part of that is just the discipline and the commitment that you aren’t going to settle anymore. That you’re not going to settle for second best.”
Deepa Natarajan, founder of Meet My Potential, is a leader in the field of personal and professional change. She has a wealth of knowledge about leadership and brings humanity to the center of the workplace in organizations. She communicates with her soul, putting your mind, heart and gut at peace. She is Indian and today lives in Toulouse in southern France and brings with her a mix of eastern and western philosophy.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“At 32, I found a job in France to work for a company that was merging with an Indian company. What happened was difficult. I was hired for my skills and I came here thinking that I’m going to work for a very international company. I didn’t speak French. I just spoke English. I had a kind of loss of identity, feeling lost both personally and professionally. Professionally, I had challenges in terms of diversity. I felt I was not included in the very important meetings, even though I was doing a lot of the work. I saw that the work that I was doing was finally taken by somebody else to the client. One, because of my color and two, because I’m a woman. And so, these diversity issues really got me frustrated. And that’s when I started to question why am I doing the work that I’m doing. I started searching the internet for help and I saw a post by a woman for a program that looked interesting. She was actually a coach. I checked the company that trained her, and decided to try this coaching program. And so in 2011, at the age of 35, I got into coaching. And that’s it. From then on it has been no turning back.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “I was a typical middle class, Indian girl, and so formed by societal norms that when you’re in that middle class and the revolution is happening, it’s a no brainer that you finish your education. You go for an engineering degree and you get into a software company and you earn good money and you have a good family and you’re comfortable. And that was the traditional path that I followed. You could be an engineer, a doctor, or a lawyer to get out of the lower middle class income and status level. So, the only option was one of these three.”
2. “I started looking at engineering colleges and got into one. I liked it because everything was logical and I enjoyed it. I actually wanted to pursue a career in that direction. I did have a summer job once where I was working with a very famous Indian actress during a fashion show. I enjoyed that. It was more about communicating between people, and I liked talking and working with people. It got me out of my mode of programming and being a software engineer. I really liked it, but it never went further because at that point of time, I was so biased that this wasn’t good for me in the long term, I just wouldn’t even look in this direction.”
3. “After a couple jobs where I quickly rose from software engineer to a management position to a team leader to a project manager to a program manager, I actually got a divorce. There was a moment when I suddenly thought ‘Wow, something is not working in the place where I am working, in the life that I’m leading.’ And that divorce actually made me want to move out of my country. I applied for jobs in the U.S., the U.K. and in France. And, that is when I landed the job in France and moved here.”
4. “I was still working for the French company when I began training to become a coach. in the last learning module, they asked us, what’s your commitment? And I stood up there and I made a commitment to quit my job and to start my own coaching business. I remember that gush of feelings, like you’re jumping off a cliff. Sometimes it felt like there’s no safety net out there. But the beauty of jumping off that cliff by quitting my job and walking into the unknown was that it was the best gift that I could ever give myself–because that’s when you realize that when you fall off, you can actually take flight again.”
5. “I was extremely optimistic because I quit my job with only one client. So it was a very tough next one and half years. And then I realized I need to listen to the market. I need to listen to what people need and not just go and push what I would like to give them. And that’s when the magic happened. And that’s when I started to build packages and programs, and what people needed from my skills of coaching. And that’s when the uplift started to happen.”
6. “You can prepare, prepare, prepare as much as you can, but when you go out there and you sit with your client, the most important thing is really listen to them and come from the bottom of your heart to serve them. Because when you come from that place of listening to other people and come from this place of serving, then you always make things happen.”
Connecting With Deepa Natarajan
Website: www.MeetMyPotential.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deepanatarajan/
Facebook: facebook.com/MeetMyPotential-999867066851062
Instagram: instagram.com/deepa_meetmypotential
Diversity, Indian Societal Norms for Middle Class, Listening, Starting Business
Coach, Engineer, Entrepreneur, Software Engineer
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924:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be an Advertising Agency Executive? - Tom Shepansky
“My greatest source of satisfaction? I’d say it’s seeing people succeed. To see our team do the best work. Now my role is the most rewarding role ever–to be in a coaching and mentorship role and to celebrate others’ success. It’s one thing to be in the room and be doing it, and that was exciting. But it’s actually even more rewarding and exciting to see the team succeed. I’d say that for sure.”
Tom Shepansky is one of the three founders of Rethink, a creative agency in Canada. Rethink has just celebrated its 20th anniversary and was named Agency of the Year. Tom is transitioning to a governance role with the company allowing the business to remain independent. He’s also active in the community on two non-profit boards. Tom loves cycling, hiking and skiing and has recently taken up bass guitar. He plays in a band called “Never Too Late.” Tom lives with his wife Roxanne on the North Shore of Vancouver.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My two future partners, Chris Staples and Ian Grais, and I, under Frank Palmer’s leadership, helped transform his agency—Palmer Jarvis—into one of the best, creative-driven agency’s in Canada, which was also honored a number of times as Agency of the Year and the top ranked creative agency. Frank sold the agency to Omnicom in 1998, and we continued to work there as senior executives another 18 months or so. Serendipitously we read a book about a couple of agencies in the UK that were involved in a similar merger with a multi-national agency. But instead of joining in the acquisition, one of the agencies broke away and decided to keep their independence—they grew quite nicely from that point on. We read the book, were inspired and said to ourselves: ‘Well, why can’t we do that?’ That was 20 years ago and our agency, Rethink Canada, has been thriving ever since.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
I’ve learned many vital lessons over my lifetime. Here are just a few:
1. Strong Family Values. My dad had a very successful career in the radio business and was very community-minded. My mother was a stay-at-home mom who supported us and my dad in his career. Those strong family values laid a rock-solid foundation for my personal and professional lives.
2. Internships and Hands-on Experience. While still in college I did a research paper for the president of an ad agency. By nurturing that relationship, I was able to land a job when an opening came up, which began my lifelong career in the advertising business.
3. Learning the Business from the Ground Up. It’s vital to learn all aspects of the business you are in. I started as an entry-level account coordinator and worked my way up, absorbing every dimension of the advertising world I possibly could along the way.
4. Coaching and Mentorship. Both are crucial for your personal and professional development. I cannot fully describe the powerful, positive influence a couple of my mentors had on my life.
5. The Power of a Creative Idea. I learned early on that one creative idea that embodies the best aspects of a product or service, solves a want or need of the customer, and is presented in an imaginative and compelling story line produces remarkable, measurable results for the brand.
6. Finding Clients You Can Stand Behind. We have always sought out good people who are collaborative and always striving for excellence in the work they do and that we do together.
7. People. Product. Profit. Creating the conditions for a positive culture, that develops and nurtures people and their talents and skills, results in the most impactful end product and the best return on investment.
On His Bookshelf
Open Minded: Working Out the Logic of the Soul, Jonathan Lear
Connecting With Tom Shepansky
Email: Tom@rethinkcanada.com
Website: rethinkcanada.com
Facebook: facebook.com/tom.shepansky
Twitter: @tomshepansky
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tom-shepansky-08b1728/
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of an Ad Agency Executive, Advertising career
Advertising, Business Owner
November 2020:
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923:
An Amazing Journey That Is Paying Off - Ben Ivey
“There are too many people who are waiting to get to a certain place in order to live life. I feel that is such a shame that they are missing out on the 99% of life which is the journey.”
Ben Ivey is CEO and founder of The Entrepreneur Lifestyle, an international speaker, mentor and most recently, podcaster. He specializes in helping successful entrepreneurs reduce stress and overwhelm to improve their efficiency in business whilst living a lifestyle they enjoy. Ben is also the founder of the Lifestyle Coach Academy, training lifestyle coaches the coaching skills, knowledge and business strategies to build a six-figure coaching practice online.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After my father died, I became much stronger for those around me and my family. I wanted to be able to be there for other people. I started to go to self-development courses and read books to understand what happened to my dad and figure out what I wanted to do. I realized I wanted to build a successful business and have a multimillion dollar company in order to inspire other people to do the same and to have an impact on the world. And then I realized maybe there’s an opportunity for me to do that without having that prerequisite of a multimillion dollar business. Instead, maybe I can just start impacting people right now.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “I did economics and Mandarin at Exeter University, and I joined the Entrepreneur Society and the Business and Economic Society. I started to run a business importing sports bags and sold them around campus. I choose Mandarin because I saw the Chinese economy expanding very rapidly. Little did I know what would unfold in my life.”
2. “After university, a friend of mine introduced me to something called The Startup Bus. I thought it was quite an intriguing concept. You basically build a business on a bus that travels through Europe with a bunch of different entrepreneurs. I ended up going along and that birthed my next business, which was helping people learn Chinese through virtual reality, using the same memory techniques people use to memorize cards, but to help them learn Chinese. We won an opportunity to go to China and meet with investors to sell the idea.”
3. “After school, I got an opportunity to go to China again. I wanted an opportunity to find myself, get some space and to connect with some new people. I decided to so to Shanghai where I stayed in an Airbnb for a few months with a guy who was a neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) master practitioner. With regards to my journey, I thought he could be a fantastic mentor to learn from. We ended up being incredibly close. We ran seminars together. I started coaching him. He coached me. And that was a fantastic opportunity to immerse myself in something very different that allowed me to gain skills in a very short period of time.”
4. “I started to expand my network in China. I made trips back and forth to Hong Kong. I started to inspire people in China and help anyone that I could. I started helping people with productivity, with public speaking, even people who had suicide ideation. I started to gain a plethora of skills to help people in different circumstances in life. It was incredibly gratifying.”
5. “The truth is you can pretty much create a business doing anything if you’re creative and smart enough about it. It’s very important to find a market for what you’re doing. And that’s what I started to explore in China: how I would get people to also pay me for helping them.”
6. “One of the things that I speak about is identity capital. What I mean by this is thinking about the skills that you need in order to live the life that you want. When I speak to people about what they want to do, they say they want to be an entrepreneur/a professional actor/a speaker/a coach. They want to build an online business. And I ask them, ‘What are the skills you would need if you were already successful in that role?’ Suddenly they start thinking about what is the gap between where they are and where they want to be. I find the exercise of identifying 10 major skills that you need to develop allows you to exponentially move forward compared to other people because you are primed and ready to expand in that direction.”
On His Bookshelf
How to Dominate Any Exam, for university students, self-published on Amazon by Ben Ivey
Connecting With Ben Ivey
Website: www.ben-ivey.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/entrepreneurlifestyleoffical
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/benivey92
Instagram: instagram.com/ben_ivey
Podcast: “Entrepreneur Lifestyle With Ben Ivey” on Apple Podcast
Free Gift
Overcome Procrastination Worksheet from Ben Ivey
China Opportunities for Business, Entrepreneur Programs
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Lifestyle Coach, Podcaster, Speaker
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922:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Medical Legal Illustrator? - Elizabeth Shick
“Well, you can’t just have a degree in art. You have to have half art and half science. And that’s difficult because a lot of artists, you know, we don’t like math. We don’t like science. We don’t like the technical aspect of things. And a lot of scientists have problems with visual communication. So we’re kind of a rare breed. You can’t be just a good artist. You have to be good at science, too. You have to be good at both!”
Elizabeth Shick is originally from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, but has lived in Atlanta, Georgia since 1988. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia with a degree in Scientific Illustration, then went on to study Medical Illustration at the Medical College of Georgia. She was the senior medical illustrator at MLI before opening her own company, Medical Visions, Inc., in 1991. She is one of the top medical legal illustrators in the country with extensive experience, personally producing over 15,000 exhibits. Elizabeth’s motto is “Do what you love & delegate everything else.” She also creates original Sci-Fi paintings.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had been working as a medical illustrator in my first job at a company called MLI: Medical Legal Illustration, recreating illustrations of injuries usually from car accidents or so called slip and fall accidents so that a jury can understand what physically happened to people in those accidents. Because of my educational background and long-standing passion for the work, I was thriving. After three years we had a big shake up in the company that led to a contract dispute. I decided that it was time to go out on my own at the age of 28 and have been running Medical Visions Inc. for over 30 years creating over 15,000 custom medical legal illustrations for clients across the country.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “My mother was the art teacher at a very small private school in Palm Beach, Florida. My dad was an aeronautical engineer for Pratt and Whitney designing jet engines. One of my sisters is a nurse and the other one is a hospital pharmacist. Most of my aunts and uncles are all into the medical field.”
2. “Art is a talent you’re born with. And then if you become obsessed with it, you do it all the time, doodling, drawing all the time.”
3. “After graduating from the Medical College of Georgia, I went to work
for a company called MLI–one of the first companies to do medical legal illustration. We visually recreated injuries so that a jury could understand what happened to people that were in car accidents. So when the doctors were testifying on the stand they used our artwork to illustrate the injuries and surgeries that happened in those accidents.”4. “I have to translate complicated medical facts into illustrations that are at an eighth grade level of understanding for your typical jury. My illustrations have to show the reality of the injuries and surgeries in graphic detail while still being educational charts. It’s fascinating and I love doing it. And I have a lot of variety because I specialize in injuries, which means that I could have an eye injury one day and an ankle injury the next day.”
5. “A lot of entrepreneurs try and do every aspect of the business and they lose sight of what they’re good at and the business suffers. You need to hire experts: you need to hire a bookkeeper, a marketing person, and other competent people to do everything else. And you stick to what you are good at.”
Connecting With Elizabeth Shick
Websites: www.medicalvisions.com and www.elizabethshickart.com
Email: eshick@medicalvisionsinc.com
Phone: 800-869-8160
A Day in the Life of a Medical Legal Illustrator
Artist, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Medical Legal Illustrator
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921:
Connecting His Tech Side with His Business Side for Success - Sean Harper
“There are a lot of talented people that would be very interested in the domain of insurance because it is actually fascinating, but it’s just sort of closed off to you unless you have certain credentials or unless you work for the right company. That’s actually a big problem. There’s a big disconnect between the work that needs to be done and young people, who increasingly aren’t getting exposure to these jobs or to these crafts from their schooling.”
Sean Harper is the co-founder and CEO of Kin, an insurance company built from scratch on modern tech to make it easier and more affordable to insure a home, especially in areas prone to extreme weather. A self-proclaimed tech geek, Sean has spent his career developing apps to revolutionize antiquated industries. When he realized that the homeowners insurance industry was still being managed unlike any other consumer financial products today, he co-founded Kin as a tech-based insurance agency in 2016 and has grown it to a fully licensed home insurance carrier supported by a team of over 100 employees. With a focus on world class customer service, insurance literacy, and smart coverage, Sean and his team are changing the way insurance is done.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had an economics teacher in high school who was hugely influential. He just really made it interesting. I think that economics is one of the most useful lenses for understanding how the world works. And I learned that from him. He was great at applying economic principles to stuff that was relevant to us, and it made him a really great teacher. I ultimately ended up majoring in economics in college. That was an important turning point to me. Economics is still sort of my default lens. When I am trying to solve a problem, I view it through that lens.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1.“In the summers between years in college, I got a lot of really good work experience. My first year I worked for the FDIC, the government agency that insures the banks. My second year I worked for a hedge fund, and then my next two internships were both at big investment banks, which was really interesting. Those are intense and grueling jobs, but they sure do teach you a lot about that domain.”
2. “I finished university in three and a half years. At that time, I really wanted to get out and get more business experience because I had really enjoyed those summer work experiences. I’m always attracted to practical things. I didn’t ever want to go to grad school. I eventually did, but I just wanted to get out and work and solve problems.”
3. “I did a couple of years at Boston Consulting Group, which was amazing. And then I looked at myself and realized I had always seen myself as a tech guy. And here I was making spreadsheets for banks. What’s going on here? So I left. I joined a little venture capital firm in Boston. That was a cool job because I had never really connected the tech side of me to the business side of me and this VC gig really allowed me that connection.”
4. “A friend of mine, a super entrepreneurial guy that I grew up with, had this idea of a business that he wanted to start. And in my spare time, I helped him start that. We built that without outside capital and knowing basically nothing about that business, which was electronics. We built it up from scratch and it became a real business that, at its peak, was on the Inc. 500.”
5. “One of the things I’m most proud of at Kin, my current company, is we have a lot of really young, talented people who might have started as customer service people straight out of college. Maybe they didn’t go to college. Maybe they were waiting tables, but they happen to be smart and ambitious, and they worked their way up into very heavy positions at the company. And we’ve been able to help them do that by giving them an opportunity and the materials and the information that they need.”
Connecting With Sean Harper
Website: www.kin.com
Facebook: facebook.com/kinsured/
Twitter: twitter.com/kinsured/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/harpersean/
Instagram: instagram.com/kinsured/
Economics, Finance, Insurance, Multiple Careers
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Finance, Insurance
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920:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Physician? - Dr. Erika Blank
“I realized that I was seeing patient after patient and they were on 10 medicines, maybe more. They couldn’t keep them straight. I couldn’t keep them straight. And all had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. They may have had a heart attack in the past. And what I realized was that it didn’t have to be that way. They didn’t have to have type two diabetes; they didn’t have to have those heart attacks—those illnesses could have been prevented if they had been leading more healthy lives beforehand. And I realized after practicing medicine for 18 years that all I had ever been taught in medical school and in residency was how to treat diseases. We never learned how to keep people healthy.”
Dr. Erica Blank graduated from medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx in 1996. She then completed a residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. Her first job was at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York where she worked as a primary care physician. She moved to New Hampshire in 2012 where she worked at Exeter Hospital and developed an interest in Lifestyle Medicine, which focuses on treating the root causes of disease. She realized that all of her training in medicine up to that point was about treating disease and she never learned how to promote health. Erika became board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine in 2017, and moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where she now practices Lifestyle Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I did a medical education course in 2016 through Harvard on Lifestyle Medicine. This was all about treating the root cause of diseases to try to prevent diseases by having healthy lifestyle behaviors through a healthy diet, physical activity, stress management, getting healthy sleep, and obviously not smoking or drinking or doing drugs. This made sense to me and I realized that I was seeing patient after patient and they were on 10 medicines, maybe more. They couldn’t keep them straight. I couldn’t keep them straight. And all had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. They may have had a heart attack in the past. And what I realized was that it didn’t have to be that way. They didn’t have to have type two diabetes; they didn’t have to have those heart attacks—those illnesses could have been prevented if they had been leading more healthy lives beforehand. And I realized after practicing medicine for 18 years that all I had ever been taught in medical school and in residency was how to treat diseases. We never learned how to keep people healthy.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Get guidance as soon as you are able, beginning in high school. There are myriad assessments and programs that help you understand who you are from every perspective so that your decisions about college, areas of study and possible career options are based on reflection and experience, not merely whim.
2. Instead of entering medical school directly from college, I’d suggest getting more life experience—travel, get a job in a field that interests you—anything to broaden your perspective.
3. Explore. Talk to family and friends and ask them to introduce you to doctors they know—ask them if you can visit their offices to interview them, get a feel for what they do all day and how they feel about what they do—the ins and outs.
4. Push your boundaries. I’m an introvert, so once I began meeting with patients during my residency, I had to create the mindset and develop the skills to manage my energy and present my best self to the patient.
5. Trust your instincts. I was interested in surgery early on but realized that a career standing on my feet all day long would be stressful and enervating. So, I focused on internal medicine and that has been my love throughout my entire career.
Connecting With Dr. Erika Blank
Email: erikasblank@gmail.com
Website: muschealth.org/providerdirectory/Blank-Erika
Facebook: facebook.com/Dr.ErikaBlank/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erika-blank-ab5b1256
A Day in the Life of a Physician, Internist, Lifestyle Medicine, Medical Education, Medicine
Doctor, Lifestyle Medicine Physician, Physician, Primary Care Physician
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919:
Harness Uncertainty as an Energizer to Reach Your Goal - Natasha McCreesh
“I think the key is just getting really comfortable with a high degree of uncertainty and using it as an energizer. My biggest thing is that I do not want to go back to a nine-to-five, so I will do whatever it takes.”
Natasha McCreesh is a joy bringer, cultural explorer, and humanitarian. She walked away from a 20-year-long corporate career with no plan other than to only do work that brings her joy. Four years later, her life is unrecognizable and more satisfying than she could ever have imagined. On this path, Natasha has collaborated on projects with people of passion and purpose. She coaches and mentors organizational leaders and their teams so they get the most out of their life and work. With a strong focus on putting passion into perspective each year, she also takes groups of leaders to Liberia in west Africa to demonstrate the undeniable connection between powerful service and transformational leaders.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My dad was in the military, so from a very young age I was moving from country to country, starting new schools and learning to make new friends and to adapt quickly to different environments. I think that was a building block, a foundation, for where I am now. I never knew anything other than that. Learning to adapt was all I knew.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I didn’t want to go to university. It was obvious that’s what my parents really wanted from me because no one else in the family had been to university. When I said I had no interest in going, it was very upsetting for them. So, I knew that I couldn’t ask my parents for anything. I knew I had made the decision to drop out. So, I had to change my mindset to ‘you’re taking care of yourself now.’”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve been so lucky to have really good mentors. I know that even the bosses who challenged me and made me feel uncomfortable saw my potential and wanted to see me grow. I have felt so much gratitude for that. So, when I was finding a new direction, my approach was to give, give, give.”
Steps to Success from Natasha McCreesh
1. Learn to live with a high level of uncertainty by using it as your motivator.
2. Become willing to do whatever it takes to reach your goal.
3. Give, give, give. Use your unique talents to help others be what they truly want to be. Giving will help open your own path to you.
Connecting With Natasha McCreesh
Website:
http://piptogrowstrong.co.ukFacebook:
https://www.facebook.com/natasha.mccreesh
Corporate to Entrepreneur, Humanitarism
Entrepreneur, Fashion, Leadership Coach, Retail
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918:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Certified Meditation and Yoga Instructor? - Natalie Creeden
“The nice thing about my work is that I’m able to customize it to the client. If I have a corporate client who’s more conservative, we focus on how to help minimize stress and manage workload while also becoming more creative and experiencing more joy. On an individual basis, it’s very much what that individual needs. I’ve had pharmacists come to me because they’re reading the research and know that there is scientific proof of the value of meditation on mental health, physical health and our spiritual wellbeing. Other clients come to me who are on the opposite end of the spectrum, and want to meditate so they can become more intuitive or feel more spiritually connected. It really runs the gamut, which I enjoy.”
Natalie Creeden is a Certified Meditation Instructor who studied with Deepak Chopra at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing. She is also a Kundalini and Khalsa Way PreNatal Yoga Teacher and Reiki Master who integrates all her training to support people on their wellness journey. Natalie teaches in a way that both honors tradition and encompasses today’s need for mind, body, and spirit integration by sharing the power of ancient traditions in a modern, accessible and empowering format. Natalie believes meditation, mindfulness and yoga are our greatest tools for reducing stress and living our brightest, happiest, healthiest life.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had been working in the family business in a client-facing marketing role for a number of years. I enjoyed working with my family members and the work I was doing was gratifying on many levels; however, I travelled an awful lot and over time the stress began to take its toll on me. So a good friend of mine, someone who I actually used to dance with during my years of dancing competitions, took me to my first yoga class. Just based on alignment, movement of the body, breath work, transitions, and overall physical movement, I saw some real synergies between dance and yoga. And so I very quickly fell in love with yoga. The type of yoga we were practicing was silent. There was no music. Because it was silent, it was a very meditative practice. I noticed that I started to get better and better at managing the stress that I was experiencing in my life and my career. And I became more curious about all of that. That’s how I ended up getting into meditation, too, because I was looking for more ways to create calm so that I would not shift from calm and relaxed into stressed and anxious in the blink of an eye.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “I danced competitively from the time I was 3 years old until I graduated high school. Dance put me so much in touch with my body on every level, which had a big influence on my later passion for yoga and meditation.”
2. “After earning my degree in finance and economics at UNC, Charlotte, I was accepted into a training program at Wachovia Bank, which gave me unparalleled exposure to every facet of the world of corporate America. The experience was extremely valuable and provided me with tools that have helped me throughout my career. After a couple of years, I realized that the corporate world was not for me.”
3. “While I was looking for my next job, a position opened up in my family’s successful 60-year-old paving business. I began running the accounting side of the business and then moved into a client-facing marketing role responsible for tens of millions of dollars in business. The work was challenging and I excelled at it, and it was good working with my family and extended family members for about 8 years. Ultimately the extensive travel wore me down, and after my husband and I married and wanted to start a family, I began exploring other options.”
4. “I had been practicing yoga and meditation for several years, so it was a natural progression for me to take the leap and become a meditation teacher. I went out to California to study with Deepak Chopra and his team at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing and there became a certified meditation instructor. I also became a certified yoga teacher and Reiki master and have been trained in pre-natal yoga.”
5. “My individual client base is 80% female ages 25 to 65. I also have several male clients–professional people who experience stress and anxiety in their life, and want to help improve their overall wellness with meditation. I also work with companies that have in their core values a wellness or work life balance initiative. They’ll bring me in to lead workshops or lead courses. It might be me coming in once a week for 12 weeks, once a month for 12 months or to give a 30-minute or hour-long talk at their conference.”
On Her Bookshelf
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, by Michael Singer
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-to Book, by Dan Harris
Total Meditation: Practices in Living the Awakened Life, by Deepak Chopra
Stress Less, Accomplish More: Meditation for Extraordinary Performance, by Emily Fletcher
Connecting With Natalie Creeden
Website: www.SolRituals.com
Facebook: facebook.com/SolRituals
Instagram: @nataliecreeden
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nataliecreeden/
A Day in the Life of a Certified Meditation and Yoga Instructor, Wellness
Accounting, Banker, Marketing, Meditation Instructor, Reiki Master, Wellness Advocate, Yoga Instructor
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917:
You Can't Do It If You Don't Know It - Robert S. Glazer
“In strategy consulting, you parachute into a situation where you have to learn fast and think on your feet. And those are the things I am good at. I realized I really loved the strategy and growth and marketing parts of business.”
Robert Glazer is the founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, a global partner marketing agency and the recipient of numerous industry and company culture awards, including Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards two years in a row. He is the author of the inspirational newsletter Friday Forward, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, “Elevate,” and of the international bestselling book, “Performance Partnerships”. He is a sought-after speaker by companies and organizations around the world and is the host of The Elevate Podcast.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I realized that, while I loved working with high growth companies and the challenges that came with it, they were inherently unstable, they didn’t have great cultures, and there were a lot of things that weren’t attractive to me. So, I built a company that worked with those companies, but built that company in a very different way that was more aligned with my kind of vision and values and with the type of flexibility and diversity that I wanted.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. ”I went abroad to Prague for six months between my sophomore and junior year in college. I had an internship there in a consulting firm and something really clicked. I realized I loved learning, but what I had been learning in school up to that point wasn’t what was interesting to me. When I came back from Prague I sort of created my own major and I almost got straight A’s junior and senior year. It didn’t matter how hard the course was. I was taking stuff that I was engaged in and interested in. I had more opportunity to really focus on things like business and marketing where I felt my acumen and my passions lined up.”
2. ”What I’ve learned, and actually what that teacher said when I was five, is I need to personally get my hands dirty, do things, play with cause and effect. So I ended up continuing with consulting after school and I just loved it. It’s a great career as a framework for learning. You’re just thrown into situations in which you have to understand all the variables, and you have got to get up to speed and quickly understand an industry. Those were all things that I really enjoyed doing.”
3. ”Now I’m the CEO and also founder of a great company called Acceleration Partners, which we are busy growing, and we are helping people build their businesses through partner and performance marketing. But a big focus for us is how we build our company, getting that kind of consistent growth as an organization by building a culture and doing things in different ways with unique programs that we’ve tested and run, and that have helped our company.”
4. ”I spend a lot of time speaking and writing and sharing a lot of best practices–that I have learned in our organization–with other organizations, particularly to get people to focus on what they can do better and how they can help lift up and elevate others. I see a lot of time being spent doing the opposite–focusing on the negative, what they don’t control, trashing others, bringing them down. It really takes the same or less energy to do the opposite.”
On His Bookshelf
How to Make Virtual Teams Work, by Robert S. Glazer
Elevate, by Robert S. Glazer
Performance Partnerships, by Robert S. Glazer
Connecting With Robert S. Glazer
Websites: www.accelerationpartners.com and www.robertglazer.com
Facebook: facebook.com/RobertSGlazer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/robert_glazer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glazer/
Free Gift
Subscribe to Friday Forward, Robert Glazer’s inspirational newsletter that is read by over 100,000 people worldwide each week. https://www.robertglazer.com/fridayfwd/
Business Ownership, Entrepreneurism
Author, Business Owner, CEO, Motivational Speaker, Podcaster
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916:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Film Producer and Director? - Micah Knapp
“I think it’s great to get inspiration from other people, but it’s important to have a unique voice, too. First of all, listening to your client, whoever you’re working with, and trying to give them what they’re looking for: having them trust you as the filmmaker or visionary to come up with an idea that’s going to achieve the goals of the project. I’m trying to tell human stories, something that’s more cinematic and compelling, and trying to stand out by having your own fresh voice, and also utilizing the technology; standing out above just being technically good, but having that human, emotional element.”
Micah Knapp, at age 8, saved up $500 and bought his first video camera, making home movies with his brothers. This evolved over time into a company that produced commercials, music videos, and documentaries, expanding into the Seattle film market. Micah has worked as a Producer and Director on commercials, Indie films, MTV’s The Real World, IMAX documentaries, and more. His latest work is his first directorial feature, called “11:11”, currently in Post-Production. Micah has won awards for his films around the globe, with films in festivals playing at South By Southwest, Seattle International Film Festival, Oaxaca FilmFest, and more.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My brothers and I were always into doing magic tricks–sleight of hand, the illusion of it. I felt like movies were kind of like expansive magic tricks. I watched Steven Spielberg’s movie, Jurassic Park, in 1993 when I was 8 years old and was totally captivated by it. Most kids love dinosaurs, so to see them depicted on the big screen that way, so real you could almost touch them, and so frightening I thought to myself–how do they do that?! I went to the library and read everything I could about Spielberg, his background, how he got into the movies in the first place and said to myself–I want to do that! I want to be a moviemaker.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “After seeing Jurassic Park, I began saving up money and when I had $500 I bought my first video camera, which my dad helped me research and find. My two brothers got involved with me in learning how the camera worked–how to go from a wide shot to a medium shot to a close up. We had to edit in-camera. So if we had to go back and get a shot, we had to go back and rewind the tape to the exact moment. It taught us a lot about what kind of coverage to get and things like that.”
2. “While I was still in grammar school I remember making a short video, an anti-drug video for my classmates. My teachers took the video and shared it not only with the entire school, but with the mayor, the police force and other leaders. It felt good to get that feedback even at that young age.”
3. “After high school I debated whether to go to film school or not. I looked at the careers of the film makers I admired: Spielberg, Tarantino and several others–none of them went to film school. They each said go out there and create stuff. Find your voice, your vision and craft it. So while I think that film school is great for some people, for others like me, it was not.”
4. My first big break happened right after high school when I got an offer from a friend of my dad to move up to Alaska and film a documentary. My brother Jake and I both moved up there and worked with this fellow who was shooting footage of the beauty of Alaska–its wildlife and natural surroundings as well as the people and personalities that lived up there. The tone of the film was reflective and introspective, which kindled my interest in the whole genre of documentaries going forward.yinformation provided bMicah-Knapp
5.? Another important turning point was working with Microsoft, in Seattle, on their “life series” videos, the more human side of the company–who they hire and why. We did mini-documentaries on Black history month, LGBTQ+ stories and many more. This work led to work on IMAX documentaries as well as MTV’s reality series, “The Real World.”
6. Next up I worked on many documentaries as well as a few music videos. There are a lot of musicians and artists in the Seattle area, so that was a fun time. We did a fascinating documentary on STEM cell research because there is a real innovative doctor in the area doing work in that area to help people with serious back issues.
7. A couple of years ago I began work on my first feature film production. It took a while to actually figure out the concept, plan it and to get the funds. It’s a passion project, a story about family relationships, religion and the overcoming and resolving of past issues. It’s called “11:11.” It’s being edited right now and then we have to do the score. I have a couple of distributors who are interested in the film already. We were hoping to premier it at the Seattle International Film Festival, but now with Covid it will probably be spring before it is out.
Connecting With Micah Knapp
Website: www.micahknapp.com
Facebook: facebook.com/TheMicahKnapp
Twitter: twitter.com/micahknapp/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/micah-knapp-8b3b8b61/
Instagram: instagram.com/micahknapp/
A Day in the Life of a Film Producer & Director
Film Maker, Film Producer and Director
October 2020:
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915:
Scaling Up to the Next Level - Sharon Cully
“There was quite a big push at that point, particularly for women, to study math and sciences. So I knew that there would be some good job opportunities coming out of university if I stuck with math. In my last year, I did a master’s in math, and there was a project where you work with a business in the area. I got an opportunity there to get a sense of what sort of jobs I could get. As soon as I started reaching out to recruitment agents and newspaper ads for jobs, I picked a couple of different options that were looking for the type of degree that I’d gotten. I went for interviews with two companies, got accepted into both, and had a tough decision to work out which one to go with. In the end, I decided to go for the job at Coca-Cola.”
Sharon Cully is the owner and founder of Simply Processes where she helps entrepreneurs find the time they need to grow their business, make more money and create more freedom. With over 15 years of experience working with leading global brands like Coca Cola, Diageo and GlaxoSmithKline, she has successfully helped companies around the world increase performance and minimize costs, while meeting customer objectives. She founded Simply Processes as a way to utilize her experience, to help entrepreneurs who have been successful, but have reached a plateau, scale up to the next level by gaining control of their business processes.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I met my partner at a wedding in Cape Town in South Africa. I was living in London at that point, but he lived in Cape Town. After a while, when we discovered that we wanted to spend more time together, I needed to work out a way I could spend more time in Cape Town. He wasn’t as mobile and that meant that I needed to get a bit creative with my career. I was working with a coach who had helped me with many things and she suggested I set myself up as a coach consultant, working with small businesses to help them put processes in place, help them work through their business frustrations, and move them in the direction that they want to grow their business. It was a great fit for the experience that I had and working with smaller businesses meant that I could work virtually with them. It was a great opportunity to be able to work anywhere in the world, have that flexibility that I needed, and still work with businesses who need that kind of help.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1.Be prepared to be wrong. “Then I moved into a sales forecasting role at Coca-Cola. It was a promotion into a different part of the supply chain, in this case, working out how much we were likely to sell for the next year so that the production sites could plan accordingly. That was quite a change. It was between an art and a science doing sales forecasting. You need to pull a lot of different sources to work out the best approach and also, get used to being wrong!”
2. Improve presentation skills if it is important to your job. “I always found doing presentations a challenge. And although it was not something that I enjoy doing, it was important to my role. I kept working at it to get the practice. What got me through it was preparation. What helped me was:
• Preparing a running list of key points to work from.
• Making sure I had point people in the room to provide support if necessary; prepping them to help get things moving if I was not getting enough interaction with the room.
• Find opportunities to practice, if not through doing business presentations, through other opportunities to practice speaking. I became a volunteer one day a week as tour guide at the science museum in London. That really helped me to get more practice speaking in front of people.”3. Skills you learn on the job are often more transferrable than you think. “I knew I had a pretty good CV, but because I hadn’t been for an interview for 11 years, it was quite nerve wracking. I think it’s safe to say that once you’ve been in a job or a business for a long time, it just becomes that much harder to imagine yourself being able to work somewhere else and having the skills that are needed. But it turned out that my skills were needed when I looked for a new job after taking months off to travel.”
4. Contract work can have some advantages over being employed full-time. “I took a contract role for four months that gave me the opportunity to take a position like I had before to work on processes, where I was conduit between departments to try and get everyone working toward one forecast. I loved that job. And because it was a contract role, it meant that I had the freedom to be disconnected from all the corporate politics that can happen. And I really noticed how much that was a relief to not have to deal with. It’s funny, I hadn’t really noticed it necessarily before, but it was a big eye opener for me. I continued to take contract work for a few years before starting my own business.”
Connecting With Sharon Cully
Website: www.simplyprocesses.com/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sharon-cully
Career Development, Corporate to Entrepreneur, Travel
Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Coach, Supply Chain Process Improvements
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914:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Trichologist? - Shann Christen
“I think we need more trichologists so people can start to understand that hair loss is not as frightening as what everybody thinks. It can be frightening as I personally experienced, but you have to understand that hair is really tied to our being. I remind women all the time that hair is instinctual. A good, beautiful head of hair signifies our nature–good genes. It’s tied to how we feel about ourselves and our self-esteem. And that’s why I really challenge people to not look at hair care as a vanity. That highlight that you’re getting is not just to look pretty, it’s not about being beautiful, it’s about how you see yourself, the level of confidence that you’re going to have.”
Shann Christen is a Beverly Hills-based celebrity stylist with 20+ years of hair care experience. He’s certified in Trichology from CTB, which is Scuola di Comunicazione e Tecnica in Torino, Italy, where he conducted 12 years of trichological research and study. He’s also the developer and creator of the revolutionary BioMethod line of hair care products. Trichology is the paramedical science that studies the structure, function and diseases of the human hair and scalp, including hair loss.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I got lucky that I accidentally discovered I had a talent for doing hair. A friend of mine was a hairdresser and the salon where she worked was having an event at Christmas time where they were doing makeovers for homeless women. She called and asked me to come down and help her out. I had only dabbled in hair, but I showed up. She gave me a pair of scissors and a comb and I began cutting this woman’s hair. I started chopping away, hair was flying everywhere and everyone began paying attention. After a few minutes I stopped, held a mirror up to this woman so she could check out her hair and she burst into tears. She had long forgotten how beautiful she was or that her hair could look so good. That memory is indelibly etched in my mind and to this day I cherish that experience. When you truly help someone, help them transform their life by helping change their perception of themselves, by looking in the mirror and feeling beautiful, there are no words to describe that feeling. I was a hairdresser from that moment on.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “I pretty much grew up a dancer. From the time I was a young boy I was passionate about classical ballet. My older brother was a dancer and that certainly influenced me. So I put everything I had into dance. Then when I was around 21 I sustained an injury that ended any hope I had of pursuing a career in dance. That was a big blow and I got lost for a while trying to find my passion again. I eventually found my way out to California where my two brothers were living and started rebuilding my life.”
2. “After my experience realizing I had a talent doing hair, I networked my way around Hollywood telling folks I’d apprentice to break into the industry. Pretty soon I got a call from a make-up artist who said she needed an assistant hairdresser for a movie she was working on. This was in 1999 on the movie Dreamers. For another 10 years I continued to hone my skills and talents as hairdresser and make-up artist. I learned so much and had a great time.”
3. “After my work in the movie business, I started working with a friend making hair pieces and clip-on extensions, which turned out to be very successful. During this time I had an utterly traumatic experience—I lost all my hair in one night! A combination of stress and a proclivity to male pattern baldness. I went to dermatologist after dermatologist and tried every ‘treatment’ imaginable—hormone injections, creams etc. Nothing worked. I finally realized that dermatologists don’t know trichology, don’t really understand the science that underlies our hair, which is the essence of trichology. This traumatic experience turned out to be a powerful experience for my career on many levels.”
4. “I found a trichologist in Orange County who had a clinic there. I began apprenticing in her clinic, where I was introduced to a product line and treatments helping people with hair loss, which she sourced from an Italian manufacturing company. I learned a great deal from this professional and then decided to branch out on my own.”
5. “I reached out to the Italian manufacturing company that specializes in trichology-based hair care products and asked for their assistance in doing my own thing. They were incredibly generous and not only agreed to continue to sell me their product line, but invited me to their headquarters to meet with them. I was surprised to learn that they had been following my career in the movies via IMDb so they knew much of my backstory already.”
6. “Over the course of 4 years I went to Italy for 30 days every 4 months for intensive training, learning, everything there was to know about trichology—the health and vitality of hair, and finally earned my degree.”
7. “After getting my degree, I kept researching and learning everything I could because every client I had was bringing me something new. People’s scalp conditions can be as unique as their fingerprint. And when you are looking at things that are controlled by hormones and stress, there are just so many degrees of intensity of problems. Some things are fixed very easily and some things are just highly complex, you know, really trying to even reset the body and knowing and understanding how to even grow hair can be so complicated based on why somebody has lost their hair.”
Connecting With Shann Christen
Websites: Shannchristen.com and Biomethod.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ShannChristenBioMethod
Twitter: twitter.com/thebiomethod
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shann-christen-99880820/
Instagram: instagram.com/biomethod
A Day in the Life of a Trichologist, Hair Loss, Hair Stylist
Hair Dare Product Line Creator, Hair Stylist, Make-up Artist, Trichologist
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913:
His Greatest Talent Is Getting Things Done - David Greer
“I was kind of my own person. My parents would get so frustrated because at three or four years old I would open the door to the basement, go downstairs, climb up on dad’s bench and get a screw driver. Then I would come upstairs and I take off all the face plates on the wall plugs. When I was five, my parents had friends over and they didn’t notice that I had gotten behind the TV, taken off the back of the TV and was pulling out the tubes, which cost them about half the price of the TV to get repaired. And I could have electrocuted myself.”
David J. Greer is an entrepreneurial coach, author, and professional speaker. He is the catalyst who gets you to fully live your dreams now. Spend one hour reading his book “Wind In Your Sails,” attend a one hour talk with him, or get one hour of 1-to-1 coaching and you will have 3 concrete action items that will shift and accelerate your business within 90 days. David and his wife Karalee are committed to each other and their three children, spending time supporting them in the many and varied activities in which they are involved in Vancouver, Canada.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Through a series of introductions, I met and worked with Bob Green, a management information systems person whom I soon went to work for as his and his wife’s first employee in their software company. Bob had a strategy of thought leadership in this brand new area of computers, something that HP had just started making and selling a couple of years before. The big picture summary is that I liked the place and stayed 20 years, and I helped build it into a global powerhouse.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “My first role models were my mom and dad. My dad was a second-generation entrepreneur. My grandfather started a hardware business in downtown Edmonton in 1923, and he then changed it into a wholesale sanitary supply business. My father took that over after the Second World War. And my brother runs it today. If he makes it three more years (to 2023), which I’m confident he will, they’ll be in business a hundred years.”
2. “I got a vision for what I wanted to do with my life and my career in grade eight or nine. We had a field trip to the government buildings in Edmonton. I remember looking through glass windows at a computer room and seeing computer equipment spread out in front of me and the tape drives spinning in the background. I thought that was the coolest thing in the world.”
3. “About the same time, I learned Octal arithmetic with blow-my-mind-away kind of concepts. And literally at that point, I had a vision to take business and computers and combine them.”
4. “I was one of the few in Edmonton that had a data processing teacher. We had a way we could use key punches and do programs and then send them to the Edmonton School Board where it was run through their IBM computer. I was writing computer programs by grade 10 or 11. I got my student account at the University of Alberta in grade 11, and I’d go over there and create programs, too.”
5. “I met a woman through networking, who specializes in helping really senior executives who were laid off, transition to what’s next. That was her business. When we went out to lunch, she asked, ‘David, do you need to work right away?” And I said,” Nope, I got a pretty good sized check. I’m not done for life, but I don’t have to work right away. She told me that in one of her career transitions, she’d gone to Australia, bought a VW van and just drove around for a year. You see in the cartoons the literal light bulb moment. Well, that was mine! My wife and I hatched a plan to commission a sailboat in the South of France, rent our house in Vancouver and to go sail the Mediterranean while we homeschooled our three kids. We did that for two years. People pointed out to me that in those two years we spent more time with our children than most parents spend with their children in their lifetime.”
6. “When we returned, I ended up like a lot of entrepreneurs who exit out of something. I ended up becoming what’s called an angel investor. I looked at an average of a hundred deals a year. I invested in four and one angel fund. And I did a lot of work, like on a Board of Directors working for stock options.”
7. “My belief is you’ll learn more from your failures than you do from your wins. And every challenge you’ve had in your life has set you up perfectly for wherever you are right now.”
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With David Greer
Website: coachdjgreer.com
Facebook: facebook.com/coachdjgreer
Twitter: twitter.com/djgreer
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidgreer
Instagram: instagram.com/coachdjgreer
Career Change, Entrepreneurship, Travel
Angel Investor, Coach, Computer Sofrward, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Coach, Speaker
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912:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Energy and Environmental Expert? - Tom Mullikin
“To me, the biggest breakthroughs in this country are our broad and sweeping environmental standards that are enforceable. Many countries around the world have just passed in total our environmental standards, and they’ll say that. The question is not what your standards are. The question is how are you prepared to enforce those standards. And that’s where you see Bobby Kennedy and others roll in behind you to insist on enforcement. I tend to involve myself in what some people would call counseling attorney and counselor-at-law. It’s the counseling side of helping not only big business, but also governments, like the government of Fiji and others, where I go in and try to find that higher ground, where we can have the highest level of environmental protection while also ensuring that we’re not destroying the economy at the same time. People often ask, why do you care about that? The reason is that the places I’ve been around the world that have the most robust economies also have the highest level of environmental protection.”
Major General Tom Mullikin, who chairs the South Carolina Floodwater Commission, was once referred to by the South Carolina Governor as “the most interesting man in the world.” An energy-environmental attorney and a university professor, Tom is a former U.S. Army officer and retired commanding general of the South Carolina State Guard who has spent the last four decades leading expeditions to many of the most remote regions in the world, traversing every continent on earth, climbing mountain ranges of the world’s seven tallest peaks—including reaching the summits of more than 20 mountains across the globe—and logging scuba dives in all the world’s oceans.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Early in my career I was fortunate to be involved with a number of projects that evolved into climate change issues: clean air, clean water issues and more…. It was really the developmental stage of the laws and regulations that we operate under now, that I had a small hand in developing, that shaped the trajectory of my career.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “When I’m asked how I got started in this field, I answer that I was president of the ecology club in the 4th grade. Funny but true! I’ve always enjoyed science and have always loved being outdoors.”
2. “After college at the University of South Carolina, my wife and I went to D.C. where I worked on a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) subcommittee headed by Deb Sterling, a brilliant environmental attorney. She’s back in Columbia now and is a big part of our South Carolina Floodwater Commission.”
3. “In 1980 I was on my way to Quantico and during my final medical inspection a Navy doctor medically disqualified me because of my foot condition—bilateral club feet. It wasn’t until 10 years later that I got a medical waiver and a direct commission in the U.S. Army JAG Corps (Judge Advocate General’s Corps).”
4. “In all of our major bodies and environmental law, citizens can act as private attorney generals if the government has failed to. So if you go into an area in this country where the government, because of the things that we just referred to, failed to diligently prosecute, then citizens can stand in the shoes of a private attorney general and bring these cases against polluters. These are remarkably important provisions that a lot of people don’t know about. And it’s fairly easy to do this. You send a 60-day letter to the government saying, if you don’t cure this—this defect and failure to diligently prosecute—we’re going to bring an action.”
A Day in the Life, Environmental and Energy Expert: A Day in the Life
Environmental & Energy Expert, Lawyer, U.S. Army
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911:
Authenticity–What You See Is What You Get - Todd Palmer
“The hardest thing I’ve found people have answering is ‘what do you really want?’ I had to answer that for myself because what I thought I wanted, what I thought would fill the emptiness of that five-year-old who had lost everybody important to him, was things–was money, was toys, was houses, was whatever. What I really found, what I really get to with my clients, is helping them define success related to something that matters to them. And more often than not, it does not have to do with material items. For me, success is doing what I want, when I want, with whom I want to do it, as often as possible.”
Todd Palmer is an executive coach, keynote speaker, renowned thought leader, author, and CEO who is committed to helping business owners tackle their obstacles and clear their path to success. As an entrepreneur and active CEO, Todd knows the struggles business owners face regarding people, cash, strategy & execution. He took his company from being $600,000 in debt, to making the INC 5,000 as one of America’s fastest-growing companies (an astounding 6 times).
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had a young son to raise so I left a teaching position I loved and joined Olsten, the staffing company, where I thought I’d have more opportunities. While there I saw a need in the marketplace that wasn’t being filled by Olsten or the smaller entrepreneurial staffing company I joined after a year at Olsten. These staffing firms focused mainly on clerical work, and I saw a large need from companies that needed skilled trade professionals: welders, high-end machinists and other similar roles that the more traditional staffing firms were not interested in serving. I was 27 at the time, in 1997, and was so fascinated with this opportunity that I wrote a business plan that a friend who was 15 years older agreed to invest in—once I got realistic about the start-up budget I needed! Because I would pick people up at their home or drive them to the suburbs from the city because many people didn’t have vehicles, I met a huge need in the marketplace and was profitable within 90 days.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Teach yourself how to be self-reliant (without completely pushing away help). When I was around 5 my father unexpectedly died at the age of 45. My mother went from being a stay-at-home mom to having to return to the workforce. At the same time my brother left home for college and my sister married and moved away too. My feelings of abandonment were profound, but I learned at this very young age some basic lessons of self-reliance. It was very much creating my own world, like entrepreneurs will do in their businesses. I created that in my own personal life and became my own visionary of what I wanted to accomplish.
2. Open yourself to mentors and their advice.
We moved from Detroit to a farm in mid-Michigan because my mother remarried. The much smaller school environment allowed me to know my teachers very well, and they encouraged me to focus on my writing skills, which led to a scholarship at the local community college to write on the newspaper.
* After 2 years at the community college I enrolled at Eastern Michigan University. While there my interest in writing faded, as my fascination with teaching increased as I took more communications classes. My advisor encouraged me to teach at the university level and helped me to obtain a coveted teaching position at my former community college while I was still an undergraduate—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.3. Learn and accept what you do not know. After 9 years running my company in 2006 with the 2008 recession in the offing, we hit some major rough patches that placed my company in jeopardy. I hired an experienced coach, with deep and broad financial experience, who helped me make a series of extremely hard decisions that essentially saved my company from bankruptcy.
4. Define what you really want and your definition of success—for yourself. The hardest question that my clients have answering is: “What do you really want?” More often than not it has little to do with the outer manifestations of success—money and things—as I’ve learned over my entire life and career. Success for me is doing what I want, when I want, with whom I want, as often as possible. I help my clients figure that out.
Connecting With Todd Palmer
Website: extraordinaryadvisors.com
Facebook: facebook.com/search/top/?q=extraordinary%20advisors
Twitter: twitter.com/toddpalmer
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/toddpalmer1/
Authenticity, Defining Success, Overcoming Business Debt, Todd-Palmer
Author, CEO, Coach, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Staffing
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910:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Women's Professional Soccer Player? - Abby Smith
“If you want to be a professional women’s soccer player, you have to know that there are going to be a lot of unknowns, a lot of ups and downs. We love the game and we’re trying to help the game grow. Hopefully later down the line we will be able to say that whoever is joining our league, they’re going to be well off, they’re going to be well taken care of, and eventually the financial side of things will catch up. We are doing this for the future generations that want to be professional soccer players.”
Abby Smith is a Professional Soccer Player in the National Women’s Soccer League based in the U.S. She is in her 5th overall season and her third with the Utah Royals FC located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Abby grew up in Dallas, Texas, playing for the Dallas Texans Soccer Club. In her youth and into her professional career, Abby has been able to participate in the United States National Team at all levels, including U15, U23 and most recently with the Senior National team.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was so fortunate that one of my coaches on the soccer team at the University of Texas was Kristine Lilly. She is one of the most legendary and accomplished athletes in women’s soccer history and the only person that has played for the United States over four different decades. She competed in three Olympic Games and won three Olympic medals. Because she played professionally for many years for the Boston Breakers, she was able to connect me with their coaches and that’s how I ended up getting drafted in my senior year by their team.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “My mother and father were my best friends growing up. As an only child these two caring and loving people focused their energies making sure that I had every opportunity to be exposed to as many chances to grow and learn about myself as humanly possible, which included letting me at the age of six join my first soccer team.”
2. “I was fortunate to be a member of the U.S. Youth Soccer Association so because of my participation I was able to attend many different camps—as many as 10—and play in front of dozens of coaches from across the country. Starting in the 8th grade I began to get a bit of recognition and ultimately picked the University of Texas because of the quality of their program, and importantly because it was only a three-hour or so drive from my home.”
3. “I gravitated towards being a goalkeeper because I liked that I could catch the ball with my hands and play it with my feet. And at a young age it’s hard to tell a kid that diving around on the ground isn’t fun! While the goalkeeper is the last line of defense and we can sometimes save the day—to keep a tie or secure a win—the position is just one part of a total team effort of eleven players on your team.”
4. “Officially signing a contract with the Boston Breakers in April 2016, was certainly one of the most exciting moments in my career in professional women’s soccer.”
Connecting With Abby Smith
Instagram: instagram.com/abbyys44/
Website: abbysmithofficial.com Facebook: facebook.com/abbyys44/
Twitter: twitter.com/abbyys44
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/abbyys44/
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Professional Woman Soccer Player
Soccer Player, Sports–Soccer Player
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909:
The Evolution of His Best Self - David Hassell
“Because my mom had a vision of what was possible for a better life, she gave me a clipping from the New York Times when I was in about seventh grade. It was something to the effect of “Even a great idea is only an idea until you make it real.” I took that clipping and put it on the mirror in my bedroom. There was something in that quote that really sparked the idea that I could actually go out and create things.”
David Hassell is a business columnist, speaker and entrepreneur who believes that when leaders institute practices that support each person in becoming their best self, high performance and uncommon loyalty naturally result. He is co-founder and CEO of 15Five, whose team has developed industry leading performance management software that includes weekly check-ins, OKR tracking, one-on-ones, and peer appreciation. David also co-created the science-inspired Best-Self Management methodology that helps leaders address hidden factors that stimulate sustainable growth and development–like intrinsic motivation, strengths and psychological safety. 15Five practices Best-Self Management and uses their 15Five software internally, which they credit with their near zero attrition, rapid growth, and awards like Inc.’s Best Places to Work.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I joke that in my first business I was chasing the money, but there was no passion. In my second business, the kite surfing business, I was chasing the passion, but there was no money. And there wasn’t any element of passion and fulfillment around using my gifts and talents to really make a positive impact in people’s lives. It was an evolution of coming to the realization that I wanted more…that I could bring those things together. And that was the catalyst for the business I am in today.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “I definitely had an entrepreneurial orientation. I remember even in second grade, starting a mock business with one of my best friends and by eighth grade we were producing chocolate in my basement and selling it to the kids at school.”
2. “There was a math teacher in high school who saw something in me, and supported me, and ended up writing a glowing recommendation for college that I think played a strong role in me getting accepted to Tufts and going on to study computer engineering”
3. “I joined an organization called EO, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, which is a global network of CEOs and founders who have businesses of a certain size. Prior to that, I really did not know much about leading a business. So, I got to learn a lot of the fundamentals about actually running a business, not just being entrepreneurial and having an idea and going to start something.”
4. “The book “Unique Ability” from Strategic Coach® was really, really big for me. It talked about the idea that we all have a certain set of things we are really passionate about and another set of things that we are naturally good at. And when you find that intersection, they call that your unique ability®. That, combined with meeting Simon Sinek and learning about the concept of purpose from him, was a huge turning point for me because I realized that to be fulfilled I would need to be doing something that was innately purposeful for me.”
On His Bookshelf
Unique Ability 2.0 Discovery, by Catherine Nomura, Julia Walter, Shannon Walter
Connecting With David Hassell
Website: www.15five.com
Facebook: facebook.com/dhassell
Twitter: twitter.com/dhassell
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidhassell/
Podcast: Best-Self Management 15five.com/podcast/
Entrepreneurism, Following Passion, Purpose
Business Owner, Columnist, Entrepreneur, Speaker
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908:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be an Artist? - Jennifer J. L. Jones
“The biggest gift in it for me is to see how it helps people. It either is making them happy or it’s helping to heal them. I have paintings in different hospitals and I’ve heard from numerous people that have seen the work and eventually contacted me, telling me that was the only thing that made them feel better. And in fact, it’s actually, it’s 9/11 today. So the fact that when 9/11 actually happened, I had people that I had never met before emailing me, telling me that looking at my art, even on the web, was the only thing that made them feel better during that time.”
Jennifer J L Jones is an American artist known for her elegant multi-layered glazed abstract paintings inspired by nature. Her work is exhibited and sought after worldwide by private and public collectors. Jones was born in 1971 in Alexandria, Virginia, and received her BFA from the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She works full time as an exhibiting artist going on 21 years. After living in cities growing her career, Jones now resides in Port Royal, S.C. She is working on her second coffee table book, memoir and preparing for several upcoming shows.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was 28 and living back in Chicago. To pay the bills, while I painted on the side, I worked in the HR department of a national company. After a long day I’d go home and paint into the wee hours of the morning. I realized that I couldn’t continue to do this, so I called my parents and asked them for a little money. My parents are generous people and had even dipped into their pension to help me pay for school at The Art Institute of Chicago a few years earlier. At this point, however, they were simply not able to help me, not even a little bit.
“That was my wake up call. I realized I did not have a back up plan. There’s nobody else, just me. So I decided that if I didn’t put 110% into my work as an artist, it’s not going to happen. I quit my job in Chicago, moved to Atlanta and lived with my brother while I put together a small body of my work. I sold it all, and ever since then the work flow has been consistently growing—for 21 straight years.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Listen to your instincts, your heart.
By the time I was in the 9th grade, I knew I wanted to be an artist.
It’s the one thing in my life I’ve never doubted about myself.2. Seek out mentors. They are always there.
There were so many teachers along my journey who spent time encouraging my talent and also sharing resources and introducing me to opportunities such as art competitions that I would never have found on my own.3. Get as much formal training as you can.
My time at The Art Institute of Chicago gave me a broad and deep foundation in all the arts. I experienced sculpture, ceramics, fiber, drawing, collage, paper making and even film. I’ve incorporated all of these modalities into my painting.4. Your career never follows a straight line.
The journey to being a professional artist always follows a winding path. After art school I took several kinds of jobs to pay the bills while I continued to hone my painting skills. I always kept my eye on my ultimate goal because I knew that it would happen when the time was right. And it did.5. Learn practical skills in addition to artistic ones.
Working in other jobs gave me an invaluable foundation in how to be more organized, manage money, work with all kinds of people and manage my schedule. These real-world skills have been invaluable in growing my business and allow me more time to focus on my art.6. Be open to unexpected opportunities to grow your audience.
When the Olympics came to Atlanta in July of 1996, a photographer friend of mine was offered a space to curate her own show. She asked me and a few other artists to exhibit as well. I created 13 new works in the span of a month after my day job in a frame shop. I sold all my paintings and that launched my art career in Atlanta.7. Always remember the impact your work can have on the lives of others.
The biggest gift for me of being an artist is how it helps people—to bring joy to their lives or even help them heal. After 9/11, I had scores of people from around the country reach out to say that looking at and experiencing my art was a great relief during those trying days.Connecting With Jennifer J. L. Jones
Website: www.jenniferjljones.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jenniferjljones
Instagram: @jenniferjljonesstudios
A Day in the Life, Art
Artist
September 2020:
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907:
How to Be a Yogi on the Green - Victor Stringer
“Everything we do in our life is a matter of choice. I know at one point in my life I was having some difficulty trying to focus on what I wanted to do. My life has been scattered all over and I literally sometimes sit down and go, ‘How did I get to where I am?‘ I look at 78 years of my life and I’ve done a lot of things. I’ve had incredible experiences. I’ve done things that I would have never imagined that I could do, but I’ve tried. I made choices in my life, not all have been great, but at least I have learned from them.”
Victor Stringer is 78-years-old and started playing golf 30 years ago, and at one point had a 3 handicap. When Stringer incorporated yoga into his life, this brought him joy and helped him emotionally, mentally and physically on and off the golf course. He is a certified Kundalini yoga instructor, as well as a member of the Kundalini 3Ho Foundation International and a member of the Southern California Golf Association. He is also the author of “Yogi on the Green,” a #1 international best-selling book. Victor has a B.S. in Criminal Justice, a Masters in Public Administration, and a Juris Doctorate. A U.S. Customs broker and freight forwarder, Stringer is the owner and president of the global company, VR Camelot, Inc.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was 11 units short of my doctorate when it was time to deal with my dissertation, and I wanted to do my dissertation on the Constitution. The same professor who encouraged me to get my master’s suggested that I go to law school just long enough to get constitutional law under my belt. I got to law school, got hooked on studying the law, and graduated from Western State in three years. I did work with an attorney for a couple of years after I got out of law school. It’s just that I never really felt comfortable with the practice, so I decided not to practice. I began working with a private investigation company, and I ended up owning that company. That’s where I got started.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “One night I sat down and I just ‘visualized’ hanging a graduation robe from law school in the closet. I just put it there. And 14 years later I was a lawyer. I know I worked to get there, but coming from my background and having the life as a child that I had, I could never have imagined that would be possible. So I think it’s just steps of building your life and looking at your life and visualizing what you want.”
2. “I tell my staff sometimes when things get really rough, ‘When you get up in the morning, go look in the mirror and say I want to be the very best that I can be today. And then if you do that and you go home at night and before you go to bed, go look in that same mirror and say, ‘Was I everything that I could be today? If not, what do I need to work on?’ “
3. “I think you have to take chances in your life, and sometimes they work out, sometimes they don’t. But you cannot be destroying yourself because of the things that you really want to do. You know, vice admiral, U.S. Navy James Stockdale said once about his time as a prisoner in Vietnam, ‘You are going to have to beat me. I’m not going to give in. I’m not going to surrender who I am.’ Well, he survived that prison time, and he came out as a better person for it. There are a lot of great people in history that you can look to.”
4. “I think it’s important to journal, write something every single day, or read something that’s inspirational every single day. It kind of keeps you grounded, keeps you in a space where you can take on the dark times of your life and make them become light. You know, it doesn’t matter how bad things are and how it can tear you up. If you can find something positive in it, then you are one step closer to where you want to be.”
5. “I went through a personal crisis in my life, and a friend of mine suggested that perhaps I should take up yoga. I said, ‘What the hell is yoga?’ He invited me to go to a yoga class with him up in Los Angeles. What yoga has done for me over my lifetime is stabilize me, bring me to a place of awareness of who I am–although I’m constantly working on who I am, hopefully. Psychologically it’s good. Mentally it’s good. Physically it is terrific. When I started practicing yoga, I weighed 260 pounds. I now weigh between 190 and 200. That’s been over 20 years. It’s not something I’ve done deliberately. It’s just something that has happened.”
On His Bookshelf
Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor
Yogi on the Green, by Victor Stringer
Connecting With Victor Stringer
Website: http://yogionthegreen.com/
Golf, Meditation, Multi Careers, Yoga
Author, Business Owner, Freight, Investigator, U.S. Marine Corps
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906:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Contract and Negotiation Expert? - Eldonna Fernandez
Eldonna Fernandez is a retired Air Force Veteran with 23 years of honorable military service. She is a contracts management, leadership and negotiation expert who teaches people how to think like a negotiator and leader. Eldonna also works with women in a slum in Kitale, Kenya. She created Baskets and Beads to market their beautiful hand-crafted products. She is author of Think Like A Negotiator and the GoPINK Rules of Engagement, co-author of the award winning Heart of a Military Woman and contributing author in eight books.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
I joined the U. S. Air Force when I was 19 years old. My childhood was pretty rocky—both parents were alcoholics and my mother died with I was 12, so I did not have much guidance or inspiration throughout my childhood years. I dropped out of high school with no real idea of what I was going to do with my life. By pure chance I saw an advertisement promoting the Air Force as a way to advance your education and your career so I signed up. I studied for and passed the GED—the General Educational Development Test—and over the course of my 23 years in the Air Force I also got two associate and bachelor degrees.
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. The most vital part of my Air Force experience of 23 years was the technical training and hands-on experience I got in purchasing, negotiating and doing contracts and buying—the foundation of my entire career.
2. In April 2003, I decided to leave active duty. While there are many assistance programs designed to help you transition to civilian life it is a difficult process. You are accustomed to the tight structure and procedures of the military system and the real world isn’t like that. It was quite tough. I was fortunate to land a defense job with Raytheon in El Segundo, California, shortly after I retired.
3. After a number of years with a company called Sparta that did systems engineering contracts with the Los Angeles air force base—I was a senior sub contracts administrator—I kept getting very positive feedback on my negotiations skills. I decided to test the waters and began giving speeches on the topic, which were equally well received. That led to the writing of my book, Think Like a Negotiator and to the creation of programs that teach the principles and strategies of negotiations.
4. In addition to my work as a negotiator I have another project that I am passionate about and committed to. In early 2018 I joined a group that had been travelling to Kenya, East Africa, for 20 years to offer aid to the indigenous people there. I created Baskets and Beads. I sell the handcrafted work the talented ladies of these underprivileged villages create, and those sales are able to fund vital necessities for them. We began working with 4 women and are up to 34 now, helping them become entrepreneurs and raise their lifestyle and standard of living.
On Her Bookshelf
Think Like a Negotiator, by Eldonna Fernandez
Heart of a Military Woman, by Sheryl L. Roush and Eldonna Fernandez
Connecting With Eldonna Fernandez
Website: https://basketsandbeadskenya.com
Facebook: facebook.com/basketsandbeads
Twitter: twitter.com/EldonnaF
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eldonna/
Instagram: instagram.com/basketsandbeads
A Day in the Life, Contract and Negotiation Expert
Author, Contracts Management, Negotiation Expert
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905:
Taking His Creativity All the Way - Blake Brandes, PhD
Blake loved the topic of his PhD dissertation, but he was stuck when faced with writing the ending. His advisor suggested he create a rap album as part of his dissertation, and he did. A review committee member wrote on his paper that he had never before had the pleasure of reviewing a dissertation that you could dance to.
Blake Brandes is co-founder of the personal development company, Motivational Millennial. He also runs a hip-hop motivational speaking business to help students, through assemblies and workshops, to “Remix Your Reality.” Blake was the recipient of the Marshall Scholarship, one of the most competitive postgraduate awards in the world, which he used to complete his Master’s and Ph.D. on hip-hop and global youth cultures at the University of Kent in England.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I got into hip-hop at a very early age. My father was into reggae and always had a little bit of Hip Hop playing around the house. I started listening to what most people would call gangsta rap, artists like DMX and Wu-Tang Clan. I loved the beat and the intensity of the delivery and the lyricism. I started getting into more socially conscious hip-hop and began to think I would love to create this. So, I started DJ-ing at 14. I borrowed speakers from my parents’ bedroom and hooked them up to my portable CD player to make a rudimentary DJ rig. Soon I was DJ-ing school dances and church events. It was so much fun because I was playing music I loved and also helping people have a good time.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Although he was passionate about his area of study, hip-hop and global youth cultures, Blake was stuck in writing his dissertation. He would stare at his computer’s blank screen and nothing would come. Sharing his frustration with his PhD advisor, she told him, “I believe in you, Blake, and I believe this process can be fun for you. Instead of doing this last chapter that you are so stuck on, I want you to make a rap album as part of your doctoral dissertation.” Blake recalls, “Sure enough, I submitted my dissertation with a rap album called Scholar, which is available for free download on my website.” One comment from a dissertation committee member stands out: “In all my years of reviewing dissertations, I have never once had the pleasure of being able to say a dissertation was danceable!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve just seen so many people who have so much greatness inside of them, and they either don’t believe it or they don’t feel they can manifest it. I just know this world would be an immensely better place if those people who are holding themselves back could truly step out of their own way and unlock that greatness within themselves. My vision for the future is helping people see that inner greatness.”
Steps to Success from Blake Brandes, PhD
1. Listen to your inner voice to hear what you truly want. This is a powerful message when you feel stuck.
2. Determine what small, practical action you can take today to take a step in the direction you want for your life.
3. We all have an inner critic, the monkey mind, the saboteur, whatever you may call it. Silence this voice by practicing meditation regularly.
On His Bookshelf
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle
How to Be Here: A Guide to Creating a Life Worth Living, by Rob Bell
Connecting With Blake Brandes, PhD
Website URL: www.motivationalmillennial.com
Twitter: twitter.com/blakebrandes
Facebook: facebook.com/MotivationalMillennial
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/blakebrandes
Free Gift
Motivating Your Millennial Mind, a motivational personal transformation guide where you’ll learn 8 Motivational Tools and discover the 4 Limiting Mindsets common to Millennials that can keep you from achieving your dreams. It’s complete with Reflection Questions and Action Steps! Free at: http://www.motivationalmillennial.com/freegift
Millennials
Disc Jockey (DJ), Entrepreneur, Musician, Speaker
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904:
A Day in the Life of a Chiropractor_Encore - Dr. Karen Tedeschi
“I think it’s really seeing someone get their life back. They think that they are never going to be pain free. And all of a sudden they are. I had a woman who had migraines every day or every other day, and we just worked on her slowly but steadily because she could only come in once a month. We changed her diet and, of course, all of this was slow. We got her on supplements and we just worked at her speed. Then over time her headaches went to only three a month. And then recently we’ve gotten them to completely go away. And even as her headaches were going down, she started traveling the world and she started actually doing more things that she wanted to do. I think that is really kind of awesome.”
Dr. Karen Tedeschi is a healer, chiropractor and teacher. She is the owner of Advanced Wellness of Atlanta, an interdisciplinary healing clinic, which brings together like-minded practitioners. She has studied Reiki, Chiropractic, Applied Kinesiology, Brimhall technique, TBM, Cranial-Sacral Therapy, Nutrition, Blood work, and Pranic Healing. Karen is dedicated to reducing the pain and suffering in the world and teaching people at all levels about health and healing. She believes in the power of individual choice and that education is key.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
I became interested in health at around 19 when I learned about juicing and massage, and I decided to become a vegetarian. I had always loved music and studied classical flute, which led me to enter the Boston Conservatory of Music preparing to become a professional musician. After a couple of years studying in Boston and awhile at the North Carolina School of the Arts, I could not see a clear career path for me in music, so I dropped out. After working several odd jobs while trying to figure out my next career move, out of the blue I decided to go to massage school. After graduating I was invited to become a teacher, so I started building my private practice while teaching. I became acquainted with many practicing chiropractors, and the more I learned about the profession, it was an easy step to decide to get my D.C. degree or Doctor of Chiropractic.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
What advice or counsel would you give young people who are considering entering the profession?
1. Go to see a chiropractor to get an up-close and personal view of what the practice of chiropractic medicine actually is—how it works and what it can do for you.
2. Be certain you are avidly interested in the sciences because the practice is heavily science-based—chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, anatomy, neurology and more.
3. Understand that when you are working with clients you are up-close-and-personal with them, in their personal space. So, you need to know yourself and whether you will like that aspect of your work or not.
4. An important step is to find a chiropractor who will let you come in and shadow them during a typical day, to get a feel for the tasks, protocols and interactions that comprise a practice’s work flow.
5. There are a couple of books that I highly recommend that are listed in the section below titled: On Her Bookshelf.
On Her Bookshelf
Dr. Fulford’s Touch of Life: The Healing Power of the Natural Life Force, by Robert Fulford and Gene Stone
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One, by Joe Dispenza
Connecting With Dr. Karen Tedeschi
Phone: 404-320-0204
Email: tedeschiwellness@gmail.com
Website: www.advancedwellnessatl.com
Facebook: facebook.com/AdvancedWellnessAtlanta/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drkarentedeschi/
Other: https://wellevate.me/karen-tedeschi or https://www.giawellness.com/drt
A Day in the Life, Chiropractic
Chiropractor, Teaching/Teacher
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903:
Never Settle When Pursuing Your Dreams - Erica Duran
“The one thing that really lights a fire under me is that I’ve also experienced a lot of deaths in my family. A lot of deaths that make me think that I’m not going to wait until I retire to do this, and I’m not going to wait for anything really because I’ve had to experience all those unfinished dreams through seeing my family members pass away.”
Erica Duran is an international Business Coach and Lifestyle Mentor for entrepreneurs and influencers on the rise, who are meant to impact millions, earn millions, and never settle. She also launched a new business in early 2020 called Enchanted Tiki Travel where she wants people to “Collect Magical Moments, Not Things!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was a hotel executive for a good 15 years. I absolutely loved the industry. I loved being at luxury resorts every day for work. I wanted to move up the management chain. I loved every minute of it, but I got very disenchanted with all of the politics. That was something that you don’t really learn in school and kind of slaps you in the face. When you get in the real world, it’s politics, backstabbing people setting you up to fail, and things like that. I got really disenchanted with not just hotels, but anything corporate-related, and I started exploring other options.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “I wanted to go to a hotel-restaurant management program and I did at Cal Poly – Pomona. It was almost like getting two degrees because we took a ton of classes in the business school and then went to the hospitality campus. We had a fine dining restaurant that all the students ran and a little hotel that the students ran. We got hands-on learning through that and learning in the classroom for all the accounting and business things.”
2. “I went to a job fair that the school put on and really clicked with a team that was there from a particular hotel. So I see it as a kind of a networking play: I went to the fair and talked to everyone and just kind of naturally clicked with this one team.” They became her first employer.
3. “When I got disenchanted with the corporate world, I started seeking how to get out of it and how to start my own business. I tried all kinds of things–moonlighting and starting little side businesses and getting my real estate license, getting my securities and investment licenses and life insurance. I just licensed up on everything. I was pretty much earning money, too, with all of these things. I began to merge them all together so, when it came down to it, I was a financial planner because I would get them a better mortgage, and then take the excess and get them better life insurance, and then take that excess and get them in the right retirement plan. So I kind of made a one-stop-shop financial company out of it.”
4. “During the housing crisis, which started in America in 2008, I negotiated with the banks to keep families in their homes or I would also find investors to buy out the homeowner for cash and present that offer to the bank. I was kind of the middle man between the investor and the homeowner and the homeowner and the bank.”
5. “I really try to get down to the root of what people desire their lifestyle to look like if they could do anything and be anywhere. And what would it look like down to: What are you going to have for breakfast? What time do you get up? Who are you with? What do you do each day? How is a weekend different from a weekday? Why would you go on vacation? Like Just paint the picture of that ideal lifestyle that you want to have. And then a lot of times they see that it’s not that big a stretch from what they’re doing now. It’s just small little shifts sometime.”
Connecting With Erica Duran
Website: ericaduran.co
Facebook: facebook.com/ericaduranintl/
Twitter: twitter.com/EricaDuranIntl
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ericaduran/
Instagram: instagram.com/ericaduranintl/
Career Change, Hotel Management, Politics in the Workplace
Business Coach, Hospitality, Hotel Management, Lifestyle Mentor
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902:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Insurance Sales Agent - Mickey Batsell
“My father gave me a gift that I treasure. He had the ability to take a complicated subject or intricate process and explain it to people in terms that they could understand. To this day I have that talent. I can take a very complex issue and break it down into words that the average person can understand without digging into the weeds, without getting too technical. And then they understand it. Then they know the importance of taking some action to fix the problem they didn’t even realize they had. That gives me tremendous satisfaction in the work I do every day.”
Mickey Batsell is an experienced industry professional, specializing in long-term care, retirement planning and surrounding issues. With over 40 years of professional, and personal family experiences, Mickey has an in-depth understanding of the challenges his clients face. As a protector of people’s independence and dignity, he currently represents industry-leading, financially sound companies and assists families, groups, and associations throughout the United States. He is a retired USAFR Lt. Colonel, served in the USAF Special Operations on active duty and as a Deputy Commander of Resources in the USAFR. Mickey and Nancy have four children, eleven grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. If he isn’t with family, you can find him in his garden in the spring.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After completing my MBA in marketing and statistics in 1968, I joined the U.S. Air Force where I served for five and a half years—a very gratifying experience on every level. In 1974 I was stationed at Bergstrom air force base here in Austin, Texas. We had three children at the time and I’d been here for nine months when I got word that I had been selected for a special assignment to go to Japan. I said I don’t want to go. I’ve got kids here and we’re doing fine. So I left the military and was recruited by several companies. I decided to go join Aetna Life and Casualty and have been thriving in the industry since that time. I continued to serve in the U.S. Air Force Reserves for over 29 years, another fulfilling journey.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “My dad was the epitome of determination and commitment. He always told me that whatever occupation I picked, I should enjoy it and do it to the very best of my abilities.”
2. “I was majoring in chemical engineering at Texas A&M, and my sophomore year I got an internship at a firm in Houston in this field. I quickly realized that I didn’t like the engineering aspect of the job at all, but immediately enjoyed engaging with the customers—how to figure out what they needed and how we could serve those needs.”
3. “One of my most influential mentors was General Leroy J. Manor. When he was promoted to general I was working in his command and he asked me to join him as his aide. He taught me how to evaluate and make decisions, the factors that directly impact leadership and so much more. He remains a friend today at the age of 99.”
4. “Life insurance is where I began my career in this industry. I was really successful in a niche market, which was talking to small businesses about putting in a group health insurance program. That was the door opener for me.”
5. “The opportunities for people today in financial services is tremendous because the number one problem that we have as an industry is succession planning. There are all kinds of practices out there from those that focus on long term care to those that focus on retirement planning or on health insurance. I mean, there are so many pockets that people can fit into.”
Connecting With Mickey Batsell
Email: mickeybatsell@mickeybatsell.com
Facebook: facebook.com/mickey.batsell
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mickey-batsell-2163448/
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of an Insurance Sales Agent
Insurance, Long-term Care, U.S. Air Force
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901:
A Transformative Approach to Health - Angelo Poli
“I started working when I was 17. My family didn’t have a lot, so I got a job and had to chip in and help support us and just really live the simple life. But I was always passionate about fitness, about nutrition and really about transformation. I started furthering my education in that field, both with formal education certifications and courses, and other things like that. But I always believed, for me, the best way to really learn was to find the top one or two in the industry and actually go and live the lifestyle and be hands on. So I did. I did a bit of traveling and spending time with individuals in the field that I really felt were the best at their craft.”
Angelo Poli is a transformation specialist and founder of MetPro, the advanced methodology that analyzes an individual’s specific response to diet and activity, and adjusts based on their personal needs and goals. Through MetPro’s tactful and personalized approach to health, Angelo and his highly-respected team have the ability to strategically redirect each of their clients toward achieving their greatest results. With a high-profile client list that includes Olympic Athletes, NFL MVPs, physique models, and business leaders, Angelo has become one of the most celebrated body transformation experts in the world.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Angelo’s first client was 60 years old and lost about 55 pounds in 9-12 months. She asked Angelo to take on her younger friend who had a few more pounds to lose than she did. Her friend was a person that was, by and large, eating what I asked her to eat, exercising when I asked her to exercise, and doing everything that all of the education of the day, all the books I’d read then, and what all the gurus tell you to do. She was doing exactly those things her friend did, but she lost only five pounds. Yet her older friend was able to lose 55 pounds. That’s what inspired me. I had to know why two people doing the exact same thing, got two polar opposite outcomes? And that’s what basically started my passion. Or, if we’re being honest, obsession. Remember, since I was a little kid I liked to know how things worked. I had to know how changing your body worked.
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “I was always entrepreneurial. When I was 17 or 18, I actually started a business. I was a window cleaner. But if I was going to do windows, I figured I might as well expand. I had a few trucks that were going out with a crew and we would do windows all up and down Northern California. It was a good little business and I got it to a point where I was able to sell it off and get just enough seed money to buy my first gym set-up from one of the chiropractors for the 49ers. This was years and years ago. So, I had a little home gym, nice professional set ups, small but professional. And I started working with clients because I was always passionate about nutrition and the science to transform.”
2. “I was washing the windows on a Curves that was very, very popular back in the early 2000. A woman came out and said, ‘Hey, you look fit. You look like you know what you’re doing. I’ve been wanting to actually do some free weights. Have you ever thought about teaching someone? Would you be willing to take me on?’ I set an appointment to meet her the following week a gym, and we started working. I never thought of really being a personal trainer or a nutritionist or any of those things before this. I was just interested in it personally.”
3. “This woman, my first client, was about 60 years old. And about 9 months later she had lost just over 55 pounds. She quit smoking. She completely transformed. She ended up marrying her high school sweetheart. It was literally the fairy tale story. But that’s not what inspired me.” (See “The Most Impactful Turning Point” above.)
4. “I had a few clients I started training out of my house. But there was a problem. My lack of experience, and I injured myself thinking I was young and immortal. I had to have multiple back-to-back surgeries and multiple bouts of pain management.”
5. “That’s how I ended up on this current journey. I realized that I was going to be stuck with this cane and stuck with this lot in my life. And I didn’t want to change professions. I didn’t want to leave the career path and the industry that I was so passionate about. So, I decided to learn as much as I could about every technique imaginable and neuromuscular reeducation. That’s a fancy way of saying posture and alignment. Getting your nervous system, your muscular system to all work together, the way it was designed before injury changes your symmetry and your joint position, before atrophy or disuse. That also led to my study of nutrition and my study of the biochemistry of how our bodies work and real life application.”
Connecting With Angelo Poli
Website: www.metpro.co/
Facebook: facebook.com/MetabolicProfiling/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angelo-poli
Instagram: instagram.com/metproco
Free Gift
Get a complimentary consultation with one of the Metpro experts who will take the time to get to know you and chat. If you are feeling stuck, or if you feel like there is still a little left in you where you haven’t fully reached your potential, they love talking with people and sharing with them what they have learned from others in similar circumstances. Go to www.Metpro.co/DYT to get a free session with one of their experts.
Back Pain, Health, Nutrition, Transformation, Weight
Body Transformation Expert, Business Owner, Podcaster
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900:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Law Enforcement Officer? - Captain Maria Yturria
“I think that, number one, we are in a customer service role. Over 95% of our interaction with people requires the highest possible communications skills. That’s what you’re there for. You’re there to communicate and find out what they’re scared of, what they need, what their wants are, what their likes are, how you can help them. But without being able to communicate, how do you connect with people? This is foundational to our occupation.”
Captain Maria Yturria is an FBI National Academy graduate. She has been in law enforcement since 2003, before that serving in the U.S. Army. Her assignments have included uniform patrol deputy, investigator, victim services and now Public Information Officer for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD). She serves on the Deputy Advisory Council and is team leader of the Crisis Management Team. Maria works with federal, state, and local agencies on illegal immigration, drug prevention and human trafficking. Her certifications include Hostage/Crisis Negotiator, Statewide Peer Support Team Leader, Self Defense Instructor and board member for the AUSA SC Palmetto Chapter. She’s received numerous awards throughout her career.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In the year 2000, after 8 years serving in the U.S. Army, and enjoying my career as a Military Police Officer, my then-husband and I decided that being a military couple was just too difficult. It was very hard to be stationed together and the constant traveling by each of us put too much stress on our lives. At that point, I made the decision to leave the service. Soon after we moved to Columbia, South Carolina. I was attending a meeting of the Association of the United States Army, where I met Sheriff Leon Lott, the head of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. We had a long chat and I told him about my military background, which included receiving my degree in criminal justice from the University of Maryland. To my delight he said, “Why don’t you join our department?” After a few days of meeting members of his team and learning more about his department and the kind of work I would be doing, I joined his department and have been honored to be a part of RCSD ever since.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “I joined the U.S. Army in 1992 right after high school. I grew up in the inner city of L.A., was a latchkey kid because both my parents worked overtime to provide for me and my three siblings, so the transition into a highly structured environment where discipline is paramount was quite a challenge. Frankly it was just what I needed, and I am grateful I made that decision.”
2. “Soon after I entered the Army I joined the Military Police and enjoyed the work from the start. I ended up getting my degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland, which gave me an even broader and deeper understanding of law enforcement from many important perspectives.”
3. “A vital part of my training with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department was attending the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. During this intensive 8-week course I learned the essential tools required to become a Class I Certified Law Enforcement Officer: driving, shooting, handcuffing techniques, self-defense and what they called verbal judo: how to communicate with different people in different situations.”
4. “Far and away the most stressful part of the job of a law enforcement officer is the unknown. You have to be able to quickly assess what’s going on in every situation you engage in with an individual or individuals using all your senses—what you see, hear, smell and much more to quickly determine how to position yourself, how you are going to respond. And you must do all of this on a moment’s notice.”
5. “This work is gratifying in so many ways. Every person who calls us has a problem of some kind that is important or even urgently vital to them. To give that individual a sense of relief that you are there to do whatever you are able to do to help them solve their problem is essential and gives this job so much meaning to me and my fellow officers.”
6. “I think in this profession, it is vitally important to have a balance in life. You know, you can’t just be about your job. You have to have a family side, you have to have a social side, a spiritual side or something like that, which guides you, so that you don’t get caught in tunnel vision.”
Connecting With Captain Maria Yturria
Website: Richland County Sheriff’s Department: https://www.rcsd.net/
Email: myturria@rcsd.net
A Day in the Life of a Law Enforcement Officer, A Day in the Life of a Law Enforcement Officer
Law Enforcement Officer, U.S. Army
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899:
Lessons for Escaping the Rabbit Hole - Tracey Maxfield
“I want people to understand what depression is so they can help others. But really the purpose of the book was to let all those out in the world who were living with depression know that they’re not alone, know what they’re going through. All these signs and symptoms and thoughts and feelings are actually inverted commas, normal for depression. They’re not crazy. They’re not abnormal. They’re not weird. This is part of the depression process and I was moving forward and healing all on my own because I had nobody. And they can do it, too. I wanted it to be, you know, that beacon of hope and encouragement.”
Tracy Maxfield is a nurse, stop bullying/mental health advocate, and educator. In 2015, she experienced an acute depressive episode due to work place bullying and plummeted down the rabbit hole. Her book, “Escaping the Rabbit Hole: My Journey Through Depression,” documents her journey. She has appeared on podcast, radio/ TV shows globally, and has a YouTube channel and an online course, Mental Illness in Children and Teenagers: What You Need to Know. Her philosophy is to Engage children and teenagers to Educate them about mental illness/bullying, and to Empower them to develop confidence and skills to continue to move ahead in their own journey.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My psychologist said that I should write down every day what I am grateful for. So that’s what I did, but I think I went on automatic pilot and just started writing down lines of words. And I thought, there’s got to be more to this. I am missing something. I decided to go back to talk to him. The very next day I went outside and the snow had started to melt and there was a purple crocus peeking through the snow. The first thing that struck me was the vibrancy of the color, this deep, deep, deep purple against the white of the snow. And I thought, ‘Oh my, what a beautiful color!’ And then I started thinking spring is coming, new growth. And the flower has fought its way through the harshness of winter to show its head for spring. All of a sudden it was like that light bulb moment! I suddenly understood what gratitude was. It was embracing and expressed in moments of joy amongst everything that’s going on in your life. Life continues, but you still see new life, new growth, happiness, the sun reflecting off the lake. And for that moment, I had complete peace. I was not consumed in the rabbit hole. I was smiling, looking at this beautiful crocus. That was the pivotal moment.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “I look upon everything good or bad as a learning experience. And you have to take from it what you do.”
2. “We all know that ‘sticks and stones can break my bones. Words will never hurt me.’ That is so not true! Hurtful, horrible words are like acid into your brain. And it is etched their forever.”
3. “My parents wanted me to go to university. I wanted to be a nurse. They were completely against it. I was adamant, so I secretly applied to nursing schools and actually was accepted. When I explained to them what I was going to do, they wanted me to prove that I could be not just a nurse, but the best nurse. I took a year off and I worked with people with dementia: teenagers, children with special needs, babies with special needs. I went the whole gamut to prove that I could actually care for any population group. And of course, it was natural to me. It was something that I’d always wanted to do. Some people are born caregivers and born nurturers, and I received such good reports and comments from everyone that, when the time came for me to move to the nursing school, there was no problem.”
4. “I went to nursing school in Swansea which is a city in Wales about 45 minutes away from my home. And I loved it. Absolutely loved it. It was my passion, you know. It awakened everything in me that I always wanted to do and become.”
5. “In 1992 I had my first episode of depression and that was related to my family situation back in Wales. I was still in touch with them, but I had decided after an incident in 1991 to sever all ties with my father. Then I received a call at 3:00 AM from my family telling me that I needed to speak with my father because he was trying to attempt suicide and that I needed to talk him out of it. After all that I’d gone through with him and the history that we’d had, what I really wanted to say was—’just do it.’ But as a nurse and as a human being, I couldn’t, and I had to talk him out of it. It took a toll on me and led into my first episode of depression.”
On Her Bookshelf
Escaping the Rabbit Hole: My Journey Through Depression, by Tracey Maxfield
Connecting With Tracey Maxfield
Website & Blog: traceymaxfield.com
Facebook: facebook.com/tracey.maxfield.90
Twitter: twitter.com/TraceyMaxfield
YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/y6p9y2t8
Free Gift
Sign up for a free monthly newsletter on mental health and receive Tracey’s special report on “Why Our Kids Are Suffering (and What We Can Do to Help)”
Free audio version of her book: Escaping the Rabbit Hole: My Journey Through Depression
Bullying, Depression
Author, Educator, Nurse, stop bullying/mental health advocate
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898:
A Day in the Life–What’s It Really Like to Be a Real Estate Agent? - Kimberly Falker
“It all began in 2004. I took the real estate licensing classes, then the exam, got my license and started. I’d never done sales, never done anything like it. I’ve approached the industry and my career in multiple different ways and creatively had a lot of fun with it along the way. There’s no ceiling, you can be as big as you want to be, you can be as small as you want to be, and I’ve done it all. I love the marketing piece of it, and I love the people part of it.”
Kimberly Falker is the founder of The Falker Group Real Estate company in Safety Harbor, Florida. With a background as a prosecuting attorney in Boston, an elementary school teacher in Florida, and a mother of two, she brings a unique level of professionalism and service to the real estate industry, which she has been actively working in since 2004. Kimberly graduated from Florida State University in Elementary Education and the Cumberland School of Law in Trial Advocacy. During college, she performed in FSU’s Flying High Circus in acts including high wire and trapeze. Today, Kimberly lives in her hometown and is enjoying an “almost” empty nest as her two children head off to her Alma Mater, FSU, in the Fall of 2020. Her Real Estate business is thriving.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My son was born under the shadow of 9/11, just a month after the tragedy in 2001. These were obviously highly turbulent and stressful times especially in the financial world, which is where my husband was working as a partner in his dad’s firm in Southwest Minneapolis, Minnesota. We had moved back there from Boston, where I was enjoying practicing law but had taken some time off to begin raising our family. I wanted to take some of the financial burden off of him and start practicing law in my new state. But rather than retaking the bar exam, which I had zero interest in doing, I decided to explore the occupation of real estate since my mother had been successful in the field and my younger brother had recently moved from Atlanta to Florida to join her business. I decided to study for the real estate licensing exam, which I passed, and began working in the field I have now been enjoying for the past 15+ years.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “Both my parents are very active and adventuresome. I have two brothers I have always been very close to. We did a lot of camping and took fun family trips together. This solid family foundation was and continues to be a powerful, positive influence on my life from every perspective.”
2. “With no background in running, my aerobics instructor recruited me to run track my first two years in college. I was only OK at running but I took it as a personal challenge and a benchmark of discipline. My goal in running was that I just never, ever wanted to be last, and I reached that goal.”
3. “During my undergraduate years at FSU, I performed in the Flying High Circus in acts including high wire and trapeze. I tried out for high wire because I was scared of doing it and I wanted to overcome that fear. I was scared every single time I did it, but I did a lot of hard tricks on there, such as stand on a guy’s shoulder who rode a bike across the high wire. There were 24 of us and the experience of collaborating with those creative folks remains one of the fondest memories of my life.”
4. “My mom is probably one of the largest influences for me professionally because she had multiple careers. I always thought that was so cool that she just kept reinventing herself. One of my mom’s majors was elementary ed, so she taught school, then she also was a dental hygienist and then, long story short, she wound up in real estate.”
5. “In all truth, I got some really nice listings because of my legal background. I was able to compete at listing appointments against some of the bigger names because I had that background. Not to be sexist, but it was usually to win over the husband who is a little bit more conservative or numbers focused. It’s obviously an attribute in negotiations to have that history and it is very beneficial to work with contracts and not overlook some of the details. So that’s definitely come into play to help me in many ways.”
6. “It is all in how you want to work your business. That is what is really nice: you can actually work to the degree that you want to in your own comfort zone. Or, if you want to be a discount broker, you can be, but I think that it’s like anything: how you behave and how you present is what you get. And results, too, you know. I think that if you behave as an expert and are not willing to short change your skills, then you can do quite well–because you know you’re worth it.”
Connecting With Kimberly Falker
Website: thefalkergroup.com
Facebook: facebook.com/TheFalkerGroup
Twitter: twitter.com/KimberlyFalker
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kimberly-falker-a342a166
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberly_falker
Multi Careers, Real Estate Agent: A Day in the Life
Attorney, Podcaster, Real Estate Agent, Teacher
August 2020:
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897:
The Accidental Entrepreneur - Lenka Lutonska
“What helped me the most and made me happy was when I was helping others. I was involved in a mentoring program for troubled kids, believe it or not, as a teenager. I must have been around 15. I was helping other kids through art, stories and the Bible. That was the initial mentoring experience which gave me so very much. It was incredible. I loved the change in those kids and I loved the community. Perhaps this was naive, but very soulful: I started to say that I want to change the world. I want to help people one by one.”
Born in Slovakia, Lenka Lutonska moved to the UK at the age of 19 with a dream to “change the world.” From humble beginnings working for McDonald’s, she is now an international business and mindset strategist for women entrepreneurs, an international trainer of NLP, a professional speaker and a passionate believer in every woman’s right to have the life and business she truly loves. Author of “Energetic Selling and Marketing,” Lenka has also been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur and other international business publications and has been described by many as deeply knowledgeable and an inspirational trainer and coach.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
When Lenka was 19 she was supposed to start university to study economics, banking and finance. Instead, this is the year she “ran away.” She heard of an opportunity in England to become an au pair and decided to do that. She admits she was a terrible au pair and only lasted three weeks, but that got her to England. The reason she did this was because she knew that she would never find fulfillment in banking, finance, or anything remotely related. That was what her family wanted for her, not what she wanted, and she simply refused to go down the academic path that she did not want.
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “When I finished my studies on NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), I resigned from my job and just dove into teaching people on NLP, running accreditation courses, my life coaching practice, and I became like an accidental entrepreneur. My business took off. I was running plenty of courses, whether it was accreditation courses or courses in corporate environments. And the life coaching practice was thriving, too, to the point where I couldn’t physically take any more clients. And then roughly six years into it, guess what? I managed to run my business into the ground because I trusted a psychopath and I let him take advantage of me.”
2. “I’ll always tell my clients, and this is a little bit philosophical, but ‘trust the calling’ And what I mean by that is we all have snippets of who we could become, who we could be, what we could do. People call it our potential. The thing is that when we think about it as a potential, as it might be or might not be, we don’t trust it. I think the first step is to go beyond the mind, go beyond what is, what we consider possible or not. Go beyond that and ask ourselves: if I could create anything, what I would want to create, who would I want to be in this world? You can tap into what we call potential, but then you should trust the potential as if it is something real.”
3. “It’s just not easy to find what we love, let alone do what we love and being financially rewarded for that. It does require a ton of courage. It takes us out of our safety zone. A job is giving us the most basic need on the hierarchy of needs, which is to feel safe, to survive. For a successful entrepreneurship or doing what we truly love, we just have to get okay with uncertainty and going out of that safety zone. Our brain is not designed to do that. The change is not easy.”
4. “I have this saying that if I truly feel something is calling me, then this is how life wants to express itself through me at that time, and I’ve got to honor it. I’ve got to trust that even though it will make me uncomfortable to go after it, I will be supported along the way.”
5. “It gives me a very, very good feeling to be touching many people’s lives. I’m always looking to how I can grow my impact, how can I serve more people. That’s what switches me on. And I see there are lots of unknowns, but I’m fine with that.”
On Her Bookshelf
Energetic Selling and Marketing, by Lenka Lutonska
Connecting With Lenka Lutonska
Website: www.lenkalutonska.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Lutonska
Twitter: twitter.com/Lenka_Lutonska
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lenkalutonska
Instagram: instagram.com/lenkalutonska
Free Gift
Lenka’s book “Energetic Selling and Marketing” is available on Amazon, but if you order the book through her website’s Amazon link, you can also get fabulous, free bonuses, including a course to get full control of your money and finances. Go to EnergeticSelling.com for all the details.
You can also join her Facebook Group with over 9,000 women. Lenka delivers complementary trainings and resources to help her Group Members scale their impact and learn how to create extraordinary growth in their businesses.
Education, Entrepreneurship, Listening to Inner Voice
Author, Business Owner, Business Strategist, Entrepreneur, Speaker
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896:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Registered Nurse? - Robin Cogan
“I think I would recommend that a young person who is interested in nursing today find a nursing mentor who can really help guide them through their decisions. Because nursing is such a wonderful profession and there are so many opportunities, and nursing education has changed dramatically over the years. I think it’s being set up in a way that there’s more support for the students and that the students have the ability to form stronger bonds with their faculty. I would suggest talking to as many nurses as you can, looking at the different areas of nursing based on what your interests are. Today there are so many areas to explore in the profession. I feel like you need a guide and mentor.”
Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN is a Nationally Certified School Nurse (NCSN), currently entering her 20th year as a school nurse in Camden, NJ. She serves on several national boards and is the Legislative Co-Chair for the New Jersey State School Nurses Association (NJSSNA). Robin is the honored recipient of multiple awards for her work in school nursing. She serves as faculty in the School Nurse Certificate Program at Rutgers University-Camden School of Nursing, where she teaches the next generation of school nurses. Robin writes a blog called The Relentless Nurse.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“At The College of New Jersey I got a double major in psychology and art therapy and was trying to decide whether to move forward and get my master’s degree in art therapy or social work. My final semester I was doing my art therapy practicum at a general hospital in South Philadelphia in a psychiatric unit where a number of nursing students were doing their psych rotation. Working with them made me begin to realize that I needed to look more deeply at the whole person and the science behind what was happening in an individual patient’s life. So based on that direct experience I decided to go to nursing school. Luckily I found out about a three-year associate degree scholarship program at the Helene Fuld College of Nursing. I applied and was accepted, so my nursing program was paid for and I set off on my career in this deeply gratifying profession.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
- “I was blessed to have some innovative teachers in my early years. In middle school, my social studies teacher, Mr. Murphy, inspired us to go deeper into clarifying our values. He connected me to what was happening in the world around us on the political, social and historic levels.”
- “I had a terrific ceramics teacher, was involved in theater, did a lot of writing and considered myself an artist, which is why I chose art therapy as my major when I entered college.”
- “After four engaging years getting my undergraduate degree in art therapy, and planning to go on to graduate school in the field, an experience with a group of nurses I was doing an internship with caused me to reevaluate my entire career path. Thankfully I trusted my instincts and made the right decision to enter nursing.”
- “After honing my nursing skills for 15 years in several different organizations, I decided to take classes to become a school nurse. The very first night, of the very first class the instructor said the city of Camden, New Jersey, was hiring and that I could apply with a special certificate. I interviewed a few days later and got hired on the spot and started a few weeks later. That was early 2001 and I’ve been here ever since.”
Connecting With Robin Cogan
Website: relentlessschoolnurse.com
Facebook: facebook.com/SchoolNurseRobin
Twitter: twitter.com/RobinCogan
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robin-cogan-med-rn-ncsn-0b046b53
Instagram: instagram.com/relentless_schoolnurse
A Day in the Life of a Registered Nurse
Registered Nurse, School Nurse
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895:
Always Open to Opportunities - Jack Gibson
“When I look back on it, college was a great experience, but overall the real world—being in a business and being inside the marketplace—is where I learned the bulk of the lessons. How does the marketplace really work? You don’t really get to learn it and understand it until you actually get into it and take action.”
Jack Gibson knew from an early age that punching time clocks and working for someone else wasn’t enough for him, which is what drove him into building businesses himself and being his own boss. Living a healthy and active lifestyle was always important to him. That’s why at the ripe old age of 21, he built his first company that coached clients on effective nutrition and fitness strategies. He began to grow his team, and recruited and hired an epic sales team to keep things running smoothly. He ran a successful multi-million-dollar company before he was old enough to rent a car. Today, he dedicates his time to mentoring other entrepreneurs, building his real estate investment portfolio, and helping other investors to build a brighter future through the power of passive real estate income.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“That caused my stock to drop. I realized if I’m going to do this for the rest of my life and just be all in stocks, then I don’t have control. At any time somebody could do the same thing. Or whatever happens—market forces or whatever—I’m going to lose. And I don’t want to play this roller coaster ride the rest of my life. So that’s moment when I realized I have got to learn the real estate game. I need to study it, I need to immerse myself in it, and I need to understand it so that I can be what Robert Kiyosaki and his books call a ‘sophisticated investor.’ And that’s how I got into real estate.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “I really didn’t like school much. The only thing I liked is when we had some type of competition that I could be a part of. So it was gym. Or in math class when we would see who can do their math facts the fastest. That was what kept me going overall. I needed something that I could really sink my teeth into. I knew that all the energy I have needed to be put into something that’s my own. And that is why I got into business while I was in college and was 19 years old.”
2. “I stumbled across the business opportunity of multilevel marketing While I was in college, I still have that business today, 22 years later; it’s a $10 to $12 million annual sales revenue business. It’s booming. And you know, I found that through happenstance from another college student who was handing out flyers in the dorms.”
3. “It’s just crazy how things happen, where something comes disguised as something that you really didn’t expect at all. An entrepreneur needs to be open to opportunity when it presents itself and not having a closed mind, because so many people have a closed mind and they miss out on opportunities that are incredible, that just pass them by.”
4. “I was not looking to run a real estate operation or make a company out of it. So, what happened? I’m an entrepreneur, right? I think built into any entrepreneur is the ability to see and sense an opportunity, and an entrepreneur wants to capitalize on it if they have the bandwidth and feel like they could make it happen.”
5. “You have to reinvent yourself as you continue to grow a business. Over the course of years, the market changes and things that were working don’t always continue to work. You have to be able to pivot or you’re going to get disrupted by the next company that comes in and has a better marketing strategy and does it better, faster, more effectively than you do.”
Connecting With Jack Gibson
Website: highreturnrealestate.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/JackrGibson
Twitter: twitter.com/jackhighreturn
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jackrgibson
Entrepreneurism, Multi Level Marketing, Real Estate Investing
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894:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Actor? - Carine Montbertrand
“A lot of people think about acting from the glamor and high profile perspective of the occupation. But there’s actually a far grittier side of it that you need to be really strong to be able to deal with. I mean, I’ve known actors who are super talented, but they just didn’t want to deal with the insecurity of not knowing what their next job was. Even if they were successful, they still would have periods of… you don’t know what your next job is, or you’re always striving for another job, you’re always networking. It’s profoundly different than when you have one job your entire career. I love acting and I don’t want to do anything else, but it’s certainly not for everyone!”
Carine Montbertrand is a professional actor, teacher, and audiobook narrator based in New York City. She was born in France but grew up in the US with an American mother and French father. As a theatre actor, she has performed off-Broadway and throughout most of the United States, including Alaska! Recently, she also made a brief appearance on THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL. She’s the award winning narrator of more than 80 audiobooks for companies such as Recorded Books, Penguin Random House, and Audible. As a teacher she specializes in physical theatre and mask work, as well as Voice and Speech.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“From the time I was a young girl, I never wanted to do anything else. That doesn’t mean I didn’t meet any skepticism in my family about it. I didn’t necessarily say it out loud at first, but I was determined to do it. By the time I moved to New York in 1988, pursuing a career in acting was what I was planning on doing. Okay, it seemed like a mountain to climb and sometimes it still feels like a mountain to climb, but there weren’t other things I wanted to do. I think most actors do other things to help support themselves when they’re not acting. And I think different actors have different paths with that kind of thing. I personally wanted to do something that was a little more fulfilling and so I have always taught as well, which I truly love.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “My father was French, my mother American. My father was a professor with a specialty in 17th century French literature, with a particular interest in the French playwright Moliere. From an early age they took me to the theater.”
2. “Both parents had many and varied interests and were very curious individuals, which influenced me greatly and is a characteristic very important to actors because you have to put yourself in the shoes of myriad characters, to help create interest in and empathy for them.”
3. “In my mid-teens we lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, home of the Fulton Opera House. I got parts in a couple of plays, like A Christmas Carol, and began to learn what it was really like to work in a professional theater—a very meaningful experience at such a young age.”
4. “After my third year at Tufts University where I was a drama major, I went to France and studied acting at the Cours Florent drama school in Paris and art history at the Louvre Museum, which laid the foundation for my second passion: teaching.”
5. “In 1988 I moved to New York with no idea how to really break into the acting profession, but was lucky to get a role in a play that was presented by a travelling group of actors who travelled around the country in a van and a U-Haul putting on morning performances for students in various high schools. I was 22 years old and was paid $200 a week, which I thought was amazing.”
6.”After that experience I got a part in an off-Broadway show in New York, then did an internship at a major regional theater—Milwaukee Repertory Theater—which is tantamount to an apprenticeship to become a professional actor. You understudy, play small roles and learn vital lessons by being around professional actors. It was a very important experience for me, and I remain friends with some of the actors 30 years later.”
Connecting With Carine Montbertrand
Website: carinemontbertrand@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/carine.montbertrand
Instagram: instagram.com/cmontbertrand/
Actor: A Day in the Life
Actor, Narrator of Audiobooks, Teacher
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893:
It Really Comes Down to Just Listening - Andrea Adler
“For me, it was about not having the courage to step into my heart’s desire, which I finally did when I realized nobody was listening. And meditation is key because when you’re in that state, no one else is talking to you, but you, so you listen, and you listen deeper. This really is the most powerful lesson I’ve learned in my life. I have learned to say no when I mean no, and to say yes when, I mean yes. I have begun to respect myself and honor myself without anybody’s feedback, whether they like me or not. That takes a long time to understand about oneself, but it really comes down to just listening.”
Andrea Adler is referred to as the Metaphysical Marketer. She pioneered holistic marketing in the early 80’s and has written award-winning books on marketing, as well as her novel—Pushing Upward. She has assisted entrepreneurs to step into their magnificent futures via her consultation, her coaching and intuitive support helping people dive into their soul’s destiny to share their stories via their websites, Tedx Talks, and one-person shows.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In 1978 when I was on Broadway auditioning for the soap opera, The Edge of Night, in the middle of the audition, I heard the words, ‘No more repeating other people’s words.’ Well, I dropped the script and the casting director asked: What does that mean? You want the part? I said, I think I’m going to India. She said, I don’t think we can hold the part. I said, I don’t think you should. I was having dreams of my teacher in India and I felt like I was being called and I didn’t know why. I left the audition and four weeks to the day I was on a jumbo jet leaving for India to the meditation center there. And my life changed forever. I was there for six months and learned that I don’t have to be anybody else. I learned about myself by meditating, by listening to my desires and my wants and my dislikes and just learning about who I was because nobody was listening at home when I was growing up. I didn’t know who I was, nothing was reflected back at me. But when I started to meditate, I got real clarity about myself. I didn’t need to be acting, and I wasn’t really happy acting. I was doing it because I was good at it and I was making money. But it wasn’t really my soul’s desire or my soul’s satisfaction until I started teaching. That is when I started the Off Main Street Children’s Theater Company.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “Growing up I did everything possible to use my creative energy: dancing, singing, writing…but I got little to no support from my parents. It wasn’t until high school that my drama teacher gave me carte blanche to use those talents both in the classroom and in several school productions. Her support was the only reason I stayed in school, and it had a lasting influence on my life and career.”
2. “I left Eastern Michigan University in Ann Arbor and moved to California where I studied the methods of some of the amazing teachers like Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg. I joined Café La MaMa Experimental Theater Club and was invited to The Groundlings Theatre School. I finally went to Broadway and was the lead understudy in Neil Simon’s play, Chapter Two.”
3. “While I love improvisational theater, I was not a great actor, but I love the written word. So I love finding those plays that are transformational, which is why I created the one act play around the life of Emily Dickinson.”
4. “Three suicides had occurred at a local high school in Upstate New York. I heard about this grant because the need for some cultural creative activities going on in upstate New York was huge. So I got $60,000 from Senator Koch and started the Off Main Street Children’s Theater Company with two kids. And ended up with 150.”
5. “I stopped the acting thing and I moved into the creativity of business: I started businesses and sold businesses. And then all of a sudden the holistic therapeutic community was coming to me in droves, with questions like: how do I start this business? They were so gifted and yet so clueless about marketing. That became my whole other profession that I’ve been doing for 30 years, helping this population understand the magic and magnificence of marketing.”
On Her Bookshelf
Pushing Upward, by Andrea Adler
The Science of Spiritual Marketing: Initiation Into Magnetism, by Andrea Adler
The I Ching or Book of Changes: A Guide to Life’s Turning Points by Brian Browne Walker
Connecting With Andrea Adler
Websites: www.HolisticPR.com, www.andreaadler.com, www.PushingUpward.com
Facebook: facebook.com/AndreaAdlerAuthorSpeaker
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/holisticpr/
Email: andrea@holisticpr.com
Free Gift
The first five people to email Andrea Adler after listening to this podcast interview will receive a PDF of The Scientist: Spiritual Marketing.
If you would like to know about her two-hour consultation, email her to set up a 20-munutes discovery call.
Being an Actor, Listening to Inner Voice, Meditation, Multi Careers
Actor, Author, Business Owner, Marketing Coach, Speaker
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892:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Dog Trainer and Author? - Laura De La Cruz
“I started with a couple of friends, and as their dogs responded and got better, people started to hear about it. I have in an average week anywhere from 12 to 15 dogs come out and train with their people. Also people are sending me dogs from all over the country to train. I have dogs that fly in and stay from six months to a year for training. I can take them to competitions and then they go home. So, you know, it has evolved over the last five or ten years to where people feel confident in sending their dogs because they know that I’ll take really good care of them and teach them new skills.”
Laura De La Cruz is a teacher, a dog trainer and judge, and an international best-selling author of over 400 herding and dog training books and journals. Laura has been herding for 15 years and has trained, trialed and/or titled a variety of dogs. She also trains and competes in Trick Dog, Rally/Obedience, Scentwork and Barn Hunt. She is a CGC Evaluator and Trick Dog Evaluator for AKC. She is also a Certified Trick Dog Instructor and Evaluator for Do More With Your Dog, as well as a Stunt Dog Judge. She is both an AKC Herding Judge and an AHBA Herding Judge and founded the International Herding Dog Association in 2018 for virtual herding trials. She loves dark dogs, dark books and dark beer.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When my girls were a little older and I had a bit more free time, I started learning about the various ways you could train and work with dogs—since dogs had been my favorite animal since childhood. I heard about dog agility training and took an introductory course. I was told that if I really wanted to pursue this work and compete, I needed to get a Border Collie. A lady who sold Border Collie puppies said she’d be happy to sell me one but only under the condition that I took classes on how to work with these highly intelligent animals. I agreed and that little dog and I took classes on agility, obedience, and puppy manners for several weeks. It was during this training with my new Border Collie that I realized that there are so many ways to train and interact with these amazing dogs that were exciting and fun—both for me and the dog. That’s how I got hooked on becoming a dog trainer.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “My mother had always been a housewife raising me, my sister and two brothers. After my father died in Vietnam she went back to school and got her bachelor’s and master’s degrees to provide for the family. She taught for many years in Albuquerque.”
2. “I was quite fortunate as a student that Albuquerque was one of the few places in the Southwest that offered accelerated high school courses in subjects like microbiology and epidemiology and many others that expanded my horizons beyond the typical curriculum.”
3. “As I learned more about the methods that were used with herding dogs like Border Collies and Australian Shepherds, it was obvious that the training techniques were quite draconian—dogs were punished vs. nurtured. I set about to do the opposite and used praise and support to reinforce and nurture the dogs as they learned new skills.”
4. “Dog training is a highly gratifying occupation on so many levels, but it’s not particularly lucrative. For this reason I cultivated my writing skills and have been fortunate to publish over 400 herding and dog training books and journals.”
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Laura De La Cruz
Website: leashupdogtraining.com
Email: leashupdogtraining@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/leashup
Twitter: twitter.com/leashupurdog
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/lauradelacruz
Instagram: instagram.com/leashupdogtraining
Free Gift
Lost Dog Article/Worksheet: http://leashupdogtraining.com/index.html
A Day in the Life of a Dog Trainer and Author, Dogs
Author, Dog Trainer and Herding Judge
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891:
Success Through Failure - Jim Harshaw, Jr.
“My podcast is called Success Through Failure. The seed for that was planted when I gave a TEDx talk titled Why I Teach My Children to Fail, which was in large part a story about my wrestling career at the University of Virginia, which was mostly failure. But thankfully that failure led to success. Ultimately it got me on the podium at the National Championships.”
Jim Harshaw Jr. is an NCAA Division I All American athlete, former NCAA head coach, internationally recognized TEDx speaker, and personal performance coach. He has impacted thousands of lives across the world by helping clients and audiences increase resilience, maximize potential, and build high performing teams. His clients include CEOs, entrepreneurs, and leaders from global companies as well as current and former athletes from the NFL, UFC, NCAA, and the Olympics.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“To become a Division I All American in wrestling you have to qualify for the National Championships to have a shot, and you have to place in the top eight. I qualified my freshman year at the University of Virginia, but I failed to achieve my end goal because I needed to win four matches at the National Championships. My freshman year I didn’t win any, my sophomore year I won two matches, and my junior year I only won one. I went through that entire off-season before my final year at UVA trying to find what it was that I was missing. I could never quite figure it out. Literally the night before my very first competition my senior season, I gave up trying to become an All American. I was going to do whatever I could possibly do to be my best and sleep at night knowing that I did my best. The next day I went five and 0 at a tournament. I had never had so much fun in my life. And I kept having fun the rest of the season and became an All American. The transformation was this: I realized I needed to let go of the outcome, focus on the process, and enjoy the process. I tell young wrestlers this all the time, and my coaching clients: you cannot control the outcome, but you can control the process.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1) “My home when I was growing up was full of lots of love and also lots of work. Mom and Dad were very, very hard workers. No college degrees or anything like that. Just work. They’re the hardest working people that I know still to this day. I’m thankful, lucky, and blessed to have those lessons instilled in me at a young age.”
2) “When you step into the center of the wrestling mat and face off with another boy, who’s trying to do to you what you’re trying to do to him, and then you get your hand raised [as the winner], it’s a thrilling, addictive feeling. When you lose, it is more personally humbling than any other sport, because not only is it one hundred percent on you for the loss, it is physically humiliating. You got dominated by another human being and that’s a hard thing to endure. You have to become resilient at a young age. Thankfully, wrestling taught me that resilience.”
3) “It is statistically harder for a high school wrestler to become a Division I All American than it is for a high school football player to make it to the pros. From the outside looking in, I am an All American, a successful wrestler, but my goodness, the failure and struggle and setback and self-doubt I had to go through to get there was phenomenal. The more I interview amazing people on my podcast, the more I realize that self-doubt, failure, and adversity are not unique to me. It is an underlying theme for everybody and anybody who’s ever reached any level of success.”
4) “My first thought after graduation was to get right into coaching. I had some opportunities to become a college coach and a Division I assistant coach, but I turned those down. I’d been competing and dedicating my life to my craft for 17 years. I decided to step away and travel for a year. I went home, painted houses for about three months, and saved up money living at Mom and Dad’s house. I then packed up a backpack, flew to Texas, and took a bus across the border into Mexico. It was an amazing, amazing adventure.”
5) “I put my head down and worked. I worked with everything I had for two years, but when I lifted my head, I realized everything that I was trying to build in my life was actually doing the opposite. We had debt up to our eyeballs, I had a failing business and a failing marriage, and I was in the worst physical shape of my life. It was as close to rock bottom as I ever want to go. One night I was staring at the ceiling in the dark thinking to myself, ‘When I was competing, there were certain things in my life that I apparently don’t have in my life now. They gave me clarity and confidence and allowed me to succeed despite, or oftentimes because of failure and setback and adversity. How do I replicate that in my life now?’ And it was like a camera lens coming into focus. I realized there were four things in my life in the past that I did not have in place now:
– I knew what I valued, what was important to me.
– I had goals that were in perfect harmony or perfect alignment with those values.
– I had a coach in my life who either kicked me in the rear end when I needed a kick, or he lifted me up when I needed it, or helped me course correct by helping me see my blind spots. I also was responsible to my teammates.
– There were things in my life that always propelled me to follow through, but out in the real world, we don’t have that built in. There’s no framework or structure, so I had to create and implement my own system in my life, and it changed everything.6) I know I knew logically, but I now know deep, deep down in my heart and soul, that failure and struggle and adversity are not an indicator of your future potential for success.
Connecting With Jim Harshaw, Jr.
Website: www.JimHarshawJr.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jimharshawjr
Twitter: twitter.com/jimharshaw
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jimharshaw/
Instagram: instagram.com/jimharshawjr
Free Gift
Access to action plans from podcast interviews with Navy SEALs, NYT Bestselling authors, elite athletes and others.
Schedule a free Clarity Call with Jim Harshaw.
TedX Talk: Why I Teach My Children to Fail
Failure, Insecurity, Success, Wrestling/All American
NCAA Head Coach (former), Personal Performance Coach, Podcaster, Speaker
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890:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Middle School Teacher? - John Donegan
“Two things every teacher should do–both to make themselves more employable and to make more money in teaching–is to, first, add a master’s degree, and then a specialist degree. These put a teacher on a different scale and have more than paid for themselves since I obtained them.”
In the spring of 1978, John Donegan received the news that he had sufficient credits to graduate from the university of Florida with a BA in history and move on to the next phase of his life. While many would be thrilled to graduate in three years, he was terrified. The job market was wretched, inflation was rampant, and the energy crisis had Americans turning out lights and waiting in long lines for a tank of gas. Partly to avoid graduation, and partly due to some sage advice from a trusted professor, John applied to the College of Education for their one-year teacher certification program. Four decades later that advice seems to have paid off as John continues to enjoy a career as a social studies teacher.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Back in the 1980s not many teachers were certified to teach gifted students. I was teaching at Columbia High School in DeKalb County at the time and decided to sponsor a team to participate in the academic competitions. I’d always been fascinated with quiz competitions like Jeopardy and the College Bowl. We began competing and did pretty well in the tournaments. The teacher of the gifted program at the time decided to move on to another job. He saw that I related to and enjoyed working with the gifted students. He called me up and suggested that I get my certification, too. It was a very insightful piece of advice and is the main reason I am still teaching today after 40+ years.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. “I enjoyed history and social studies from an early age and in fact subscribed to American History Illustrated magazine when I was in grammar school. When I’d go to the library, I grabbed biographies and histories. I don’t think I read a book of fiction until eighth grade. When I went into a one-year certification program after university to become a teacher, it was obvious to me what I would teach.”
2. “The one-year program for teaching allowed me to get certified in a broad field: social studies, grade six through 12, any social studies subject from sociology and economics to world history, you name it. I also earned other certifications during my career, including gifted certification, which was one of the smartest things I did. If I talk to a kid who’s interested in pursuing education as a career, I always tell them to get as many different certifications as you possibly can. It makes you so much more employable. It can also put you at a higher pay scale.”
3. “I tell my students to take advantage of everything you can do at the university level. If there is a guest speaker, a musical performer…go to see them. Get out there and experience what is being offered. When I was at university we saw people as varied as the author Hunter S. Thompson, Dan Rather, Dick Cavett and so many others. It was a fascinating experience. I think it helped me to become a better instructor and I strongly encourage students to take advantage of the resources of the university and don’t try and do the whole thing online if they can avoid it.”
4. “I took a class designed to help teachers be better informed about teaching the history of Asia. Because of a program called The Five Colleges Center for East Asian Studies, I was able to get a grant, along with 20 other teachers, to travel to China for three weeks and directly experience the country’s history and culture. That experience so enhanced my ability to teach about the country and led to other educational adventures in Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Africa and other countries.”
5. “One of the great advantages of teaching, more than many other professions, is that the job can move with you. Every place you go, there are children and there are schools.”
6. “My career as a teacher has been gratifying on so many levels: first, it has allowed me to focus on and dive deeply into a subject I have been fascinated with my entire life, and, even more importantly, it is gigantically rewarding to work with high achieving and gifted students.”
A Day in the Life of a Middle School Teacher, Teaching as a career
Teaching/Teacher
July 2020:
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Turning Limiting Beliefs into Limitless Beliefs - Adri Kyser
“At an early age I wanted to become a lawyer. I went to law school because I was determined to make the wrongs right. I wanted to fight for the underdog and to speak for those like me who found themselves voiceless or afraid.”
Adri Kyser is an international wellness expert who has spent the past 15 years helping highly-driven women stop feeling stressed and overwhelmed and start living a happier, healthier and more fulfilling life. She’s helped thousands of women worldwide achieve everything from reduced pain and stress to increased confidence and productivity. When she’s not busy hosting retreats around the globe in exotic locations like Bali, Greece, and Peru, she’s being featured on iHeart Radio, Amazon Prime’s “The Focus,” and Authority Magazine. She is a co-author of the book “Overcoming Adversity in Entrepreneurship.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I remember clearly the most pivotal point in my life. I don’t remember exactly how long the abuse had been going on because I was under the impression as a child that it was my fault, that I was the one that did something wrong. Around age 8 or 9, I heard my aunt walking towards me and she was in a bad mood. I knew exactly what that meant. She asked me a question but didn’t like my answer. She instantly slapped my face, pulled my hair, and asked, ‘Who do you think you are, you stupid little girl?’ At that specific moment, I finally fought back because I knew if I didn’t stand up for myself, this would be my only time to stop the beating. Nobody else in my family knew what was going on. It was this moment when I realized that I had control over what I had been allowing myself to experience. And once I was able to stand up to my aunt, I also realized that I wanted to do the same for others.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1) Oftentimes people have a limiting belief. One of the most popular or common ones is: I’m not good enough. I’m not good enough to fill-in-the-blank. So oftentimes they give up doing something before they even try because they feel they’re not good enough. And the more you think negative thoughts, the more those limiting beliefs get reinforced.
2) What people don’t realize is that when you move to a different country and different culture, you don’t have your friends anymore. You don’t have your family. You can be very isolated in many ways and feel inadequate, when all you want to do is feel like you belong. However, the most painful moments in my life also were the moments where I drew the most amount of strength and determination to really move forward in life and become who I was meant to be.
3) I mentioned that I always wanted to make a difference in people’s lives and thought law school was the way for me. I’m making a difference in people’s lives, but how I’m doing it is different. It was from my own need to heal myself from chronic pain. Years of suppressed memories and emotions eventually manifested or led to chronic back pain. And after trying conventional treatments, to get better results I realized I needed to address the mental and emotional aspects of myself and not just the physical pain. I was determined to heal myself in a natural way, because I didn’t want to take medications. And that’s how my journey started on the holistic path. That led me to yoga and yoga led me to something I never intended–to speak or teach publicly–because I was still so self-conscious about my accent. But before I even finished Tai Chi training, I was offered a job teaching yoga. And from that moment on, I have been travelling internationally, teaching holistic wellness and yoga, and doing training, workshops, and so forth.
4) I believe that when the teacher is ready, the student will appear. When you’re following your passion, when you’re doing what you’re meant to be doing, doors open effortlessly. You’re not struggling anymore. You’re going with the flow. That is how I knew I was doing what I was meant to be doing. I don’t want to say that everything dropped on my lap because I also had to do my work, but just living my life with purpose made doors open.
5) In order to be successful, we have to be consistent, put our heart into it, and just keep moving even when obstacles arise.
On Her Bookshelf
Overcoming Adversity in Entrepreneurship: We Did It, and So Can You!, co-author Adri Kyser
Kindle available now. Paperback available through Amazon starting July 3, 2020.
Connecting With Adri Kyser
Website: https://adrikyser.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/adrikyserwellness/
Twitter: @adrikyseryoga
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adriana-kyser/
Instagram: instagram.com/adrikyser/
Free Gift
Claim your FREE “From Limited To Limitless” Workbook + Assessment for a happier, healthier, more confident you.
Beliefs, Wellness
Author, Wellness Instructor, Yoga Instructor
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A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Behavioral Scientist? - Kurt Nelson, PhD
“What’s really fascinating about behavioral science is that it’s a combination of a number of specific fields. Behavioral science takes psychology, sociology, economics, behavioral economics and anthropology and brings all the insights around anything that has to deal with why people think or do or act the way they do. It’s a concept of trying to understand what are those underpinnings of human thought and human behavior.”
Kurt Nelson is a sought-after consultant, speaker and recognized leader in human motivation and behavior change. For over 20 years, he has worked with global companies to apply behavioral science principles to drive change in their organizations. He is founder and president of The Lantern Group, a behavioral design and communication agency. He also is the co-founder, with Tim Houlihan, of the Behavioral Grooves podcast, where they interview leading academic and business executives from around the world and explore how they apply behavioral science to their work and lives. All his work focuses on understanding ways to positively influence how people behave. Kurt has his MBA from the University of Iowa and his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Capella University.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After I received my MBA I got my first job as a marketing coordinator for a highly regarded company in Minnesota: BI Worldwide, which builds incentive and recognition programs for employees to motivate them and keep them engaged. I realized that this role was not my cup of tea and after 18 months I was ready to move on. Then I happened upon an opportunity with this small group of IO psychologists and other professionals within the company who were focused on leadership, employee and team development and experiential learning. I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to work with this team, first part-time and then full time. Because I’ve always been fascinated in understanding why people do what they do, I was now in a position to work with top professionals and learn the ropes working with C-level executives on strategy, how to facilitate sessions and much more. That experience was the foundation from which I launched my own company in 1997.
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. I worked part-time as a soda-jerk at a family-owned business called Whitey’s Ice Cream while I was at the University of Iowa. The owners were always there and were open to conversations about various aspects of running a business—I learned a lot of worthwhile business basics from those good people.
2. One important serendipitous event in my life was the inheritance my grandfather left me when he passed away—$10,000—which allowed me to return to the University of Iowa and get my MBA. This was an important catalyst for my career.
3. Other than my grandfather, who owned his own farm, no members of my family were entrepreneurs. They all worked for somebody else, so I had no modeling, if you will. That all changed when I became engaged to my wife—her parents, other family members and many friends were entrepreneurs. Their examples inspired me and gave me the courage to step out on my own when the time was right.
4. Not only were my four years at BI Worldwide the starting point for my fascination and passion for personal development in all its parts, but one week after I left to start my own company—The Lantern Group—they hired my new firm to work on a project. To this day BI Worldwide is one of our biggest and best clients. I’m quite proud of that.
5. I finally got my Ph.D. in 2010 in organizational development. For as long as I can remember I have been utterly fascinated with understanding why people do what they do, starting with my work at BI Worldwide and continuing with the work that my firm does today.
On His Bookshelf
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, by Dan Ariely
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
Connecting With Kurt Nelson, PhD
Website: www.lanterngroup.com
Facebook: facebook.com/WhatMotivates/
Twitter: @whatmotivates
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kurtwnelson
A Day in the Life of a Behavioral Scientist
Behavioral Scientist, Consultant, Podcaster, Speaker
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Networking His Way Through the Music Business - D.L. Byron
“At 18 I started saving up money to move to New York because I had no plans on going to college. On Valentine’s Day, 1971, I moved to New York City with 200 and some odd dollars, a week’s worth of clothing, and a guitar. I figured I had two weeks to find a job. Nothing really panned out, so a friend of mine from back home had a cousin who lived in New York who apparently said it was okay if I used his name to get a job at a store called Colony Records. It was the biggest retail record store in New York City. I just caved in and walked into Colony one morning and said, I’m a friend of so-and-so. I could use a job, and they hired me. And all of a sudden I was working with vinyl every day, which was great for me.”
Raised by adoptive parents in New Jersey, D.L. Byron became enamored with music at an early age. When he wasn’t busy getting thrown out of exclusive prep schools, he formed several teenage garage bands and won a number of poetry competitions. Deciding to pursue his music career, he moved to NYC in 1971. In 1979, Clive Davis and Arista discovered Byron and signed him, hoping to find success with this American version of Elvis Costello or Graham Parker. In 1980, he released “This Day and Age,” which became an instant power pop classic. He recently released his first book, “Shadows of the Night,” which chronicles his adventures in the music business and the reunion with his birth mother and 7 sisters.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I started writing songs for my second record, which I didn’t know when that was going to come out. At that point, I was kind of disillusioned. And one of those songs was Shadows of the Night. I shopped it around to various artists, including an American artist, Helen Schneider, who was very popular in Germany. She took it to five times platinum in Germany. I then thought Pat Benatar might be good for this song and this song good for her. So I took a meeting with Chrysalis Records and pitched it, and then forgot about that meeting until about nine months later when I got a phone call from her A&R guy saying she’s doing it and it’s going to be out shortly. The next thing I knew my song was all over the radio, being sung by Benatar, and it was top five. And then all of a sudden she won a Grammy with it.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1) Sometimes you will face some no’s before you succeed. Don’t give up if you believe in yourself and your work. “When I wrote the song Shadows of the Night, I submitted it to Arista Records but was told by Clive Davis that it wasn’t commercial enough.” This is the same song that Pat Benatar recorded later, took it into the top 5 on the charts and then won a Grammy singing it.
2) Networking with others in your industry can give you surprising opportunities. You never know when meeting the right person can give you an opportunity for growth and greater success. Get out there and network.
3) Everyone comes here with a gift. “Some people are dissuaded from realizing that they have a gift to give or from giving it in some way. It may be a well-meaning parent or friends who say to you, don’t go there, be safe. Don’t take a risk, don’t shoot for the moon because you may be disappointed. I think that it is incumbent upon everyone to give their gift.”
On His Bookshelf
Shadows of the Night, by D.L. Byron
Music Business, Networking
Author, Guitarist, Musician, Singer/Song Writer
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My Purpose in Life Is to Ensure That No Child Has to Go Through What I Did - Mark Sloan
“When I was 12 years old my mother died of cancer. I didn’t realize it until years later, but the tragedy of losing my mother was actually my greatest gift: My mother gave me a story that could inspire others and a mind that could find the answers the world was literally dying to know. My purpose in life is to ensure that no child has to go through what I did, ever again.”
Mark Sloan has published a number of books including the six time number one international bestseller Red Light Therapy: Miracle Medicine and two monumental works on cancer called The Cancer Industry, and Cancer: The Metabolic Disease Unravelled, both of which include a combined total of over 2400 scientific and clinical references. Never before has the root cause of cancer been so well documented and easy to understand. Mark has been researching health for over 15 years and has many unique evidence-based insights to share with the world. His website is EndAllDisease.com. He believes the goal of ending all diseases is not only possible, but it’s only a matter of time before his message becomes universally known throughout the world.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I trained as a firefighter and worked in the field for a handful of years when an opportunity with a work-exchange program in Costa Rica came up. While I enjoyed many aspects of the occupation of firefighting, I knew there was something better for me. The two months in that program gave me some time to reflect on how to best use my talents for myself and the world at large. I had a website for a long time and shared my knowledge by writing articles, but the more I reflected on my life, I realized that my mother’s death was the catalyst that gave my life purpose. Her tragic death from cancer when I was only 12 years old gave me a story to tell that would inspire others. She also gave me a mind that could find the answers to questions about this disease that I had been researching for several years that the world was literally dying to know. I began writing my first book on cancer.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. My dad had a good job as manager of a sporting goods store, but he realized he wanted something better. So he risked everything and started his own shoe distribution company from scratch. He put in endless hours working on his own at first until he gradually built a base of clients, added staff, and fast forward to today and his business is thriving.
2. School bored me until in grade school the teacher assigned projects that you could work on outside of the classroom that were outside of the typical curriculum—more creative if you will. I created a project on poison dart frogs that was so outside the box of what my fellow students did—according to my teacher—that I realized I had a talent that was unique, even at that young age.
3. My mother’s cancer had been treated with radiation therapy and later with chemotherapy when the radiation was not effective. When I began my deep dive into the science behind cancer, referencing over 2,500 scientific and clinical studies for my books, it finally became clear to me that cancer is not genetic, it is metabolic and can be reversed.
4. A German scientist, Otto Warburg, who won two Nobel prizes for the research he did in the late 1920’s found that cancer was a cell with damaged mitochondria and just by knocking out one of the enzymes critical for energy production within that cell, that can cause the damage and turn the cell “cancerous.”
5. It takes courage to do what you were put here to do. In my experience the key to opening yourself up, the finding that purpose, is giving your mind and soul the time and, honestly, silence to listen to the answers that have been inside of you all along.
On His Bookshelf
Red Light Therapy: Miracle Medicine, by Mark Sloan
The Cancer Industry: Crimes, Conspiracy and The Death of My Mother, by Mark Sloan
Cancer: The Metabolic Disease Unravelled, by Mark Sloan
Connecting With Mark Sloan
Website: EndAllDisease.com
Free Gift
Sign up for Mark Sloan’s newsletter and get 3 free ebooks to help you get started on your journey towards supercharged metabolic health: https://endalldisease.com/6273540-2/
Cancer, Cancer Industry, Metabolic Disease
Author, FIreman, Researcher
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Building a Career on Her Innate Talents and the Skills She Learned Along the Way - Andrea Fryrear
“From early on I really liked to write and read a ton. That’s been something that’s been part of my DNA from the start, but I also have never been the starving artist type either. I’m not the person who is compelled to write the great American novel or to have a need to have a creative outlet, so it’s an interesting sort of place in which I find myself. I enjoy writing and I enjoy communicating, but I’m not an artist per se in the way that you would think of a poet as an artist.”
Andrea Fryrear is the world’s leading authority on Agile marketing and a co-founder of AgileSherpas. She is co-author of the ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Marketing curriculum, author of “Death of a Marketer,” and an internationally sought-after speaker and trainer. She holds numerous Agile certifications, including Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner (A-CSPO), ICAgile Certified Instructor, Certified Professional in Agile Marketing (ICP-MKG), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Certified Agile Leader (CAL-1), Certified Scrum@Scale Practitioner, and Certified Professional in Agile Coaching (ICP-ACC). Nothing makes her happier than seeing a marketing team move from high stress to high performance.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Background: Andrea went to work for SurveyGizmo, where the software development team was using Agile software to build their service. Andrea talked her boss into allowing her team to trial the Agile marketing software as well.
“Because I am a writer, I was put in charge of the blog for our company. I was writing about what we did and what was working and what wasn’t working for our teams. And eventually people started to reach out to me and say, ‘Hey, this is really great. Could you help us do the same thing with our marketing team?’ Over the course of a couple of years, I realized there were enough of those people who wanted help that I could turn it into a job. So I left the company and started being an Agile coach and consultant. I then joined forces with a man who had a lot of experience in training and facilitation course work and, as business partners for AgileSherpas, we married our two different backgrounds and now train and coach marketing teams all over.”The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. I have very strong role models in my family that showed me the power of consistency, of showing up day in and day out, and committing to something. And then really following through.
2. I still remember an English teacher that I had in junior high. We had an assignment to write an alternate ending to one of the novels that we had read. She wrote on that paper something like, “You could be a novelist. This is really strong writing.” And that was the first time I had really thought that not everybody can do this. You kind of assume when you are young that everyone has equivalent skills to yours. And then you start to realize that there are things that you’re particularly good at. And that was a cool, “aha” sort of moment for me, and a thing that I still remember and refer back to today.
3. I started playing volleyball when I was 12 in junior high and I cannot say enough about how big an impact it has had on my whole life. I think it’s amazing for young women to be involved in sports of any kind, because it makes us so much more comfortable and confident in our bodies. It was great to be an athlete as I grew through the awkward junior high and high school years. I still play today, and it has been a great way to meet people. I played in grad school at Oxford in the United Kingdom, and it was amazing to be able to immediately connect with people who have a similar interest. When my husband and I moved to Colorado, playing volleyball is how I met a lot of the friends that I still have 13 years later.
4. It was really the first time I did something I had no idea how to do. And so a lot of it was just learning and trying to figure it out. A problem would present itself that I had literally no idea what to do about. I had to learn what to do and how to experiment and solve it, which turned out to be kind of addictive. That was a great experience for me, because I think a lot of us have a tendency to gravitate towards what we’re already good at and what’s easy for you. But here was a good, forced scenario where I couldn’t do that. I had to really tackle things that were new and kind of scary.
5. Something that as a business owner I had to realize is I can’t do everything, and I’m not good at everything–for example, like working on videos. I can record the video. I have tapped into experts who have given me advice about what camera and the lighting and all of those little things, but when it comes to the editing part, I am not good. I’ve tried it. It’s not my skillset, so I pass that part along to someone else.
On Her Bookshelf
Death of a Marketer: Modern Marketing Troubled Past and a New Approach to Change the Future, by Andrea Fryrear
(Preorder now for release scheduled on July 21, 2020)
Mastering Marketing Agility: Transform Your Marketing Teams and Evolve Your Organization, by Andrea FryrearConnecting With Andrea Fryrear
Website: agilesherpas.com
Twitter: @andreafryrear
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/afryrear/ l
Instagram: instagram.com/andreafryrear
Free Gift
Free Quick Start Guide to Agile Marketing: https://resources.agilesherpas.com/start-your-agile-marketing-ascent
Learning Skills, Talents
Author, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Trainer
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A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Financial Advisor? - Court Creeden
“I realized that most people don’t really start taking the financial aspect of their lives seriously until they find out they’re pregnant. Then they realize they need to make changes and get focused. So I thought that if I can be in a position to create a model and actually help all these parents even before they are parents—when they were expecting—then really help them transition to that second or third child saving for college, retirement investments—then we’re going to create a significantly more meaningful financial planning experience. One that has never been done before. I called it, for obvious reasons, Parent Financial.”
Court Creeden is a business owner, entrepreneur and author. He runs Parent Financial, Connection Coin, and Blue Goat Life. He was recently named one of the “Top 40 under 40 Business Leaders” by the Charlotte Business Journal and has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, MSN Money, Dow Jones, and countless magazines and blogs. Court has been featured on numerous podcasts, is a contributor for “Thrive Global” and was featured for over a year on Fox News Charlotte segment called “Money Mondays.” When not working he is an avid paddleboarder, surfer, meditator and loves competing in Spartan Races.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In 2009 one of my close college friends died in a car accident and another was diagnosed with cancer. These two unexpected events were heartbreaking and got me thinking about the impact these sudden tragedies would have on their families—their wives and children. In addition to the profound emotional loss of a loved one, how would the families be able to take care of themselves financially going forward? Over a number of weeks I asked several friends what they would do in a similar circumstance—would their insurance programs or company benefits provide for them; did they have savings that would soften the blow? Everyone I asked was highly educated, was working in an excellent company and cared deeply for their families, but not one of them had answers to any of the basic questions I posed to them. It was then I realized that my true calling was using my skills and talents to take on this issue head on. I’ve been in the financial planning space ever since.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. From a young age I have always had an insatiable curiosity and questioned the way things are—always looking for how to do things differently and better. I never accepted anything at face value.
2. My degree from the University of Pennsylvania was in economics, politics and philosophy—an odd-sounding mix perhaps, but each of those disciplines has given me a wide and deep perspective on the vital aspects of how the world works and why.
3. My parents encouraged me to explore and expose myself to things I might be interested in. Every summer I had internships in many different businesses from a local TV station, a financial services company, to working on a cruise ship in Alaska, and others that each helped me learn about myself.
4. My intuition or gut instinct has guided me into and out of myriad opportunities. That wee small voice inside each of us is always there to guide us, if we choose to listen.
On His Bookshelf
Blue Goat: The Life-Changing Power of Being Yourself, by Court Creeden
The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, by Scott Galloway
Connecting With Court Creeden
Website: www.parent-financial.com
Facebook: facebook.com/court.creeden
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/courtcreeden/
Instagram: instagram.com/court_creeden
A Day in the Life of a Financial Advisor, New Parents
Financial Advisor, Financial Planner
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From 25 Years of Junk Food to Healing Through Nutrition - Cindy Klement, MS, CNS, MCHES
“I had always wanted to become a doctor, even as a child. So in high school, when the teachers were talking about our careers or going to college, I told my mom I wanted to go to college and become a doctor. And what she said to me was, ‘Honey, you haven’t got the brains to be a doctor. You need to stay home, get married and have children.’ So it wasn’t until I was 53 years old that I finally attended college and ultimately got my masters in nutrition. I graduated summa cum laude. I was in the honors college, and then I became an adjunct lecturer at the university.” Since the late 1970s, Cindy has shared her nutrition and herbal medicine expertise with thousands of people both at home in Ann Arbor and in 95 cities across North America. Cindy is a board-certified nutritionist and a certified Master Health Educator by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Eastern Michigan University teaching the graduate-level course, “Functional and Integrative Medicine.” A long-time health program writer and presenter, Cindy is a sought-after speaker and author of “Your Body’s Environmental Chemical Burden.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was very sickly as a child. I had tremendous health concerns. I had asthma, tremendous allergies, eczema problems, recurrent kidney infections, hospitalization for an impacted colon until I was 25 years old. And back then, in the 1950s, they really didn’t have the knowledge that they have today about how to treat people. At 25 I was depressed. I was married and had children, but I was depressed because I couldn’t do anything. I wheezed…I would sleep…I would get sick. I would have chronic respiratory infections. I met a woman who told me to go and see this naturopathic doctor who had studied in Germany. He took me by the hand, literally and figuratively, and led me down the path of who the healers were at the time, who I should be reading, what I should be doing with my body. In nine months after meeting this gentleman and taking to heart everything he told me to do, I was able to completely heal my body. I have never been on medication since. I have more health and vitality at 67 than I did at 25. So it really works.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1) I fed my children organic foods. Sometimes I had to drive an hour to find a co-op for something that would have organic foods, but they had a lot of fruits and vegetables. And they enjoyed them because, as I always say, we educate our taste buds as to what tastes good and what doesn’t. Even with my four-year-old granddaughter right now, one of her favorite foods is cucumbers. She will ask for a cucumber. If you are with a small child and you’re giving them real food, they’re not asking for peanut butter cups. Do you know what I mean? She loves melon. She loves fruits. In fact, she always says, ‘Grandma, I need fruits and vegetables to be healthy.’ So I’m having an effect on her somehow.”
2) I moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, because it was full of hippies that loved plant medicine. I thought, “Boy, I could really succeed there.” After several months of hearing about me, a holistic medical doctor asked me to move my practice to his building. And that’s really when things got exciting because he’s a magnificent human being. He sent his patients to me for education on how to heal their bodies. He is just an amazing physician and he really did not want his patients on medication. He wanted them to be healthy and to really be responsible for their own health. So, even though I did not become a doctor, I found one that I was blessed to work with side-by-side.
3) Keep Learning. When I’m talking to my clients, I always urge them to keep learning about what interests them, whatever it is that they love most, whether it’s knitting or gardening or fascination with children or reading a topic. Because honestly, I never would have believed that I would someday be doing what I loved to earn a living. It really starts out with being passionate about something. And in my case, in every spare minute I had, I was reading and learning and practicing what I had learned. And if anybody had told me when I was 25 years old and so ill, that I would have been an adjunct professor at a university, I never would have believed it. I had been programmed to believe I wasn’t smart enough.
4) A career does not happen overnight. And if you want to follow your passion, you have to want to walk that path. For some people that may happen overnight, but it sure didn’t for me. But you can’t be afraid to take that leap.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Cindy Klement, MS, CNS, MCHES
Website: https://cindyklement.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/cindyklement.ms
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cindyklement
Instagram: instagram.com/cindyklement
Following Passion, Nutrition, Nutritionist
Author, Educator, Nutritionist, Speaker
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A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Mathematician or Statistician? - Edray Herber Goins
“What I would love to do in the next 10 years or so is focus very much on getting underrepresented minorities in general and African Americans in particular, more interested in mathematics. I personally love math and I want as many people as I can to take as many math classes as they can. I know that there are a lot of underrepresented minorities that are very nervous about questions such as: What kind of career could I have in math? Might I make more money being an engineer or a doctor? What are some of the specific career opportunities I might have? And I definitely want to spend time explaining what those opportunities are and much more.”
Edray Herber Goins is Professor of Mathematics at Pomona College. He has worked as a researcher at both Harvard and the National Security Agency, and has taught at both Caltech and Purdue. Professor Goins has published over 20 journal articles in areas such as applied mathematics, graph theory, number theory, and representation theory and on topics such as Diophantine equations, elliptic curves, and African Americans in mathematics. He has acted as a referee for 20 different journals in mathematics, served on dozens of panels for the National Science Foundation, and has given more than 150 invited addresses on his research.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was never interested in mathematics as a young boy. At one point my mom had to get me a tutor because I was having a really difficult time. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I actually had a teacher that could see that I was really good at math. I was feeling bad because in high school I was behind most of my friends—they were taking calculus in their 11th grade year and I was still taking algebra and trigonometry. But my teacher for that class could see that I was really good, and he’s actually the one that encouraged me to place into the second year calculus class. So I skipped all of the first year of calculus and went straight into the second year. That’s when I realized that I really liked doing mathematics and had a talent for it. I mean, I realized that it comes down to the stereotypical story that it’s the one teacher that convinces you that you are really good at math. For me that was definitely the case.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. Going to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) my whole world completely opened up to ideas that I had never thought of before. We weren’t just reading books about black holes and about what was happening in string theory and other fancy topics you might see on PBS documentaries. The people who had invented those ideas were there—they were teaching your classes.
2. My physics professor at Caltech knew that I was unsure about whether I wanted to get my Phd in physics or mathematics. He had his degree from Stanford and knew a Nobel Prize winning professor there who had also majored in physics at Caltech and could be an excellent advisor for me. Stanford’s math department was rated one of the top 5 Phd programs in the country. Picking Stanford was one of the best decisions I ever made.
3. I was fortunate that in graduate school I had a fellowship that was partially funded by NASA (The National Security Agency). For the first two summers in grad school I worked there, and learned what a mathematician really does. I got to work with brilliant mathematicians who were creating patents and figuring out how the endless combinations of algorithms work. It was fascinating and great fun and made me realize I really wanted to be a professor.
4. Interestingly one of the best places to learn more about this field is via YouTube. There are countless experts there sharing their experiences and insights about this field from perspectives that are often not taught in the classroom. My friend, Dr. Dave Kung, from the St. Marys College is one of those.
5. Students can also learn about other applications in many other fields by talking to their professors outside of the classroom and there are many clubs or groups that offer venues for that to easily happen.
Trade Association
The National Association of Mathematicians
https://www.nam-math.org/Connecting With Edray Herber Goins
Website: pomona.edu/directory/people/edray-goins
Facebook: facebook.com/ehgoins
Twitter: twitter.com/edraygoins
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/edray-goins-88b0882/
A Day in the Life of a Mathematician Statistician, Statistician
Mathematician, Professor, Statistician
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881:
Investing in His Career Sweet Spot - Kevin Lawrence
“I feel like I’m a child on the playground every day. I love my work. I have unbelievable clients that I get to work with every day and 97% of the time I’m having a great time. It’s awesome. I know it’s rare, but I can’t imagine not doing work that you love.”
Kevin Lawrence is a strategic advisor and coach to CEOs and executive teams across North America and internationally. Driven by a relentless passion to help business leaders get what they really want, in business and life, Kevin has coached clients across a wide range of industries during the past 20 years. His unique perspective working with hundreds of leaders inspired him to write “Your Oxygen Mask First.” The book deals with the dark side of the leadership dichotomy and offers 17 practical steps to triumph in business, without being trampled in life. Kevin lives in Vancouver, Canada.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Entering community college was a life changing experience. It was all group work, and I thrived. It was magic and I ended up starting a business to help pay for tuition. I became class president, worked for the school newspaper, ran the marketing club, planned the school graduation and won almost every scholarship there was in the business program. I found that working in teams in a collaborative environment under high pressure was the absolute best thing for me. I didn’t even realize how impactful it was at the time, but in hindsight, it was absolutely life changing.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1) Picking a college: “I ended up calling a bunch of executives in the advertising industry, asking them what schooling they recommended to get into the business, which is what helped me to start finding my way. We have a school here called British Columbia Institute of Technology and they have an advertising and marketing program. The executives recommended that was the best program and it was where they preferred to hire students from. So that’s where I went.”
2) A lesson from Elvis Presley’s life: “My family didn’t just love Elvis, we worshiped him. We actually had in our dining room the old 1970’s velvet wallpaper and a picture of Elvis Presley. That’s the only art in our dining room. He was a big influence in my life. He was so talented, and he had achieved what we would call the American Dream. He had it all. But apparently, all those material things don’t add up to much because it caused him to basically implode and self-destruct.”
3) Invest in your sweet spot to really get clear on what your sweet spot is: “It starts with knowing where it is that you absolutely feel great and do your best work, starting by getting clear on what it is with a clean slate. Anything’s possible. Snap your fingers and imagine what kind of work you would enjoy doing every day? There are a few exercises in my books, Your Oxygen Mask First and Your Oxygen Mask First Workbook.”
4) How to do a taste test on being in your sweet spot: “Talk to someone who is already there: learn about it, touch it, feel it and see it. Connect with your own emotions. Because the blocks are emotional, they’re not real. Then maybe you take on a volunteer project at work or do a volunteer project outside of work to somehow start to be in the energy of whatever it is you truly want to do.”
On His Bookshelf
Your Oxygen Mask First: 17 Habits to Help High Achievers Survive & Thrive in Leadership & Life, by Kevin Lawrence
Your Oxygen Mask First Workbook, by Kevin Lawrence
Connecting With Kevin Lawrence
Website: lawrenceandco.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LawrenceAndCo1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lawrenceandco1
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/coachkevinlawrence
Free Gift
Free Self-Assessment: https://lawrenceandco.com/yomf-assessment
Finding Your Sweet Spot, Multi Careers
Author, Business Owner, Executive Coach, Sales
June 2020:
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880:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Architect? - Jane Frederick
“In 1988 we visited Beaufort, fell in love with the area, and soon after moved here and opened our firm. When we first started we were doing whatever work we could do—churches and schools and buildings of all kinds. But after we had been in business about 10 years, we realized the projects we really enjoy doing were the customer residential ones. So that’s when we started focusing exclusively on custom residential work. We do everything from a small bathroom remodeling to designing a brand new house—creating a house from the ground up for a particular client. You know, when you move into an existing house, you make the house work for you. You might turn the dining room into a study, or you might make the space work for whatever needs you have. But when you start from scratch or when you’re doing a major remodel, you can really make the house work for the particular needs of the people that are living there.”
Jane Frederick, FAIA, is the 96th President of The American Institute of Architects. She is a principal at Frederick + Frederick Architects, which received AIA South Carolina’s 2017 Firm Award and Southern Living magazine’s Best Renovation of 2009. The Beaufort, SC firm specializes in custom residences and has earned over 20 design awards. Jane has served AIA in many roles, at-large director on the national Board of Directors, as chair of the AIA Small Firm Round Table, president of AIA South Carolina. She has also chaired numerous local planning boards and is a fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My dad got his degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn and spent most of his career in aerospace engineering at the Arnold U.S. Air Force base near the small town of Tullahoma, Tennessee, where we lived. My mother was an interior decorator, so my early influences were from two people whose combined talents were an ideal mix of what it takes to be an architect. Then, my art teacher in high school, my first mentor, is the one who was the biggest catalyst to motivate me to research and explore the possibilities of architecture as my university and career focus. So, I headed off to Auburn and did just that.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. If you are thinking about where you want to go to school to be an architect, you should visit the NAAB (National Architectural Accrediting Board) website. It’s NAAB.org. Their teams visit the colleges and universities to accredit them. They write a detailed report after the campus visit that talks about what are the strengths of that program. This is really helpful because it’s a third party independent viewpoint as opposed to what the school is saying their strengths are.
2. I benefited from a few internships while in college: at the center where my dad worked one summer, and other design projects that were available around the campus, which were very small but comprehensive because we designed them and priced them out, and they would be built pretty quickly. I also illustrated a book for one of my professors, a fun project.
3. After graduating I moved to Washington, D.C., and after a 9-month stint at a local firm I was fortunate to be hired by a custom residential design firm and immediately enjoyed the work, which I did for about 6 years. I think that is what really got me into defining custom residential work as my niche.
4. When we opened our own firm in 1988 we took on projects of all kinds—from churches to schools and various types of businesses. After about 10 years we decided that the projects that gave us the greatest satisfaction and used the best of our talents were custom residential ones.
5. Getting to know your clients and what their real needs and wants are regarding the house you will be designing for them is a truly fascinating process. We’ve developed a very comprehensive way to do that over our many years in business and continue to refine and learn from our experiences with people from around the country who move here, usually to retire.
6. Creating a home for clients that they love and cherish for many years to come is very gratifying. So many clients have told us, “I honestly didn’t know the finished house was going to be this great or give us this much joy living here every day.”
Connecting With Jane Frederick
Website: www.f-farchitects.com
Facebook: facebook.com/F.F.Architects/
Twitter: twitter.com/JaneFredArch
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/janefrederickaia/
A Day in the Life of an Architect, Auburn, Education for Architect
Architect, Business Owner, Residential Architect
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879:
Never Let Others Dictate What Is Possible For You - Melissa Dobbins
“Some people probably do not do what they love because they can’t, they’re trapped. They are never given that chance to get onto the ladder, to start climbing it or to get to the place they want to be. And that’s what Career.Place is trying to solve. It is to open up those doors and give those opportunities to people who have that talent and have that ability and just haven’t been given that shot, that equal opportunity.”
Removing bias from talent evaluation is more than just opening the door to a wider candidate pool in today’s fierce competition for talent. It drives diversity, efficiency, and compliance. That’s why Melissa Dobbins formed Career.Place, an anonymous candidate evaluation solution that removes bias from the screening process. Career.Place removes bias-laden resumes and time consuming screening calls from the hiring process and replaces them with a systemic solution that equips the hiring team with the ability to easily and objectively identify those best qualified for the job.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“As you might have guessed, I was very big into math and science. And as an added little bonus, I’m dyslexic. So my least favorite topics were anything that was heavy with reading. I could do around seventh grade math in third grade, but I couldn’t read yet. I was ridiculed quite a bit and I was struggling to find my place and where I could belong. I had a teacher in sixth grade who pulled me aside and she said, “Melissa, you are too smart for this. You have to stop letting what people tell you your limitations are dictate what you can do. You are much better than this.” Everything shifted because it went from “I can’t do it” to “No, I’m going to show you.” You can have these moments in life that just shift your entire path. I became a straight A student from there because it was all about not letting other people dictate what’s possible.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1) Never let others dictate what is possible for you to achieve.
2) One of the mottos that I live by is always be part of the solution.
“I’d be interviewing for high level product management positions, and product management is not an easy role. But rather than being interviewed to see that I could rise to the challenges, that I could do difficult tasks like tell customers no and argue for funding future programs, [they asked irrelevant questions.] It got so bad in some of these interviews that I would interrupt them and I would tell them what they should be asking me. They were so distracted by what they saw, what they were assuming when they looked at me, that they forgot to evaluate what I’m actually capable of and what value I could bring to their organization. And eventually I was so frustrated by these situations, it was either I had to figure out a way to help solve this or I had to put up with the problem. So I left my job and started Career.Place.”3) Keep an open mind. I have never once guessed my next step correctly and I’ve never once regretted it. So look at what is in front of you, what the opportunities are, and evaluate each one as they come.
4) Always seek opportunities. Don’t just wait for opportunities to come to you. Always take that risk and go for that step. Because if you don’t try, if you don’t ask, the answer will definitely be no.
5) Be self-reflective. Ask yourself what is it that makes you happy? I think there are a lot of people who don’t take a moment to stop and reflect on that.
Connecting With Melissa Dobbins
Website: www.career.place/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melissadobbins/
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A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Nutrition and Wellness Expert? - Dr. Ann Kulze
“The microbiome is the name for the vast ecosystem of microorganisms that resides in and on the body, but mostly in our GI tract in the large colon—our gut. I like to call it the command and control center for the human body. We wouldn’t have our immune system if it wasn’t for the microbiome. We’ve now linked pretty consistently based on the data 30 different autoimmune conditions: Parkinson’s, autism, mental health disorders, heart disease, obesity and more to alterations in the microbiome. We’re seeing that dementia is a form of a metabolic disease. So innovative scientists and doctors around the world are devoting their professional lives to researching and studying this highly complex and vital ecosystem.”
Dr. Ann Kulze has distinguished herself as a one-of-a-kind, “real world” nutrition and wellness expert. She received her undergraduate degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition from Clemson University and her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina where she graduated as valedictorian. She’s the Founder and CEO of the wellness education firm, Just Wellness LLC. She’s also the author of six books, including her bestselling “Eat Right for Life” series. She’s been featured in many national media outlets, including the Dr. Oz Show, Oprah, Time Magazine, and many others. When she’s not writing, Dr. Ann lives her wellness message by swimming, running, cooking and gardening, and spending time with her family in her native Charleston, South Carolina.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“While I had always included diet and nutrition as a vital part of my clinical practice, along with the more traditional medical procedures, as I continued to research and study the science that increasingly reported that the majority of the chronic conditions people in modern Western cultures face are induced predominately by diet and lifestyle choices, I began to question whether I was making my greatest contribution to my patients. The catalyst that gave me the courage to walk away from my successful clinical practice was reading Doctor Walter Willett’s groundbreaking book: “Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating,” which was rooted in studies that tracked the health of dieters over twenty years. The work I do is fascinating and gratifying in every way.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. The field of medicine has been a driving force in my life since the beginning. My father was an amazing surgeon and on both sides of my family 27 individuals have chosen medicine as their profession. I guess it’s in our genes!
2. After 15 years building a successful private practice in the primary care field, I watched a body of new science growing at a thunderous rate telling us that the majority of all chronic conditions in the modern Western culture are induced by diet and lifestyle choices.
3. I left my clinical practice in 2002 to devote myself strictly to wellness education—today lifestyle medicine is the fastest growing area of medical specialty and the most sorely needed in my experience.
4. The microbiome is the vast ecosystem of microorganisms that reside in our gastrointestinal tract (GI), mostly in the large colon. It is what I call the “command and control system” of our entire body that is running our entire immune system.
5. Over 30 different autoimmune conditions—Parkinson’s, autism, mental health disorders, heart disease, and even obesity–are directly related to problems in our GI with the microbiome.
6. Fiber from plant-based foods is the most essential way to nurture a healthy microbiome. Long term studies show the overwhelming majority of the healthiest, longest living people around the world consume 80% to 90% of their calories from plants. What’s good is that if you do this, you can literally eat as much as you want, because plant-based foods are not highly caloric.
On Her Bookshelf
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating, by Walter Willett, M.D
Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome, by Will Bulsiewicz
How to Eat: All Your Food and Diet Questions Answered, by Mark Bittman and David Katz
Eat Right for Life : Your Common Sense Guide to Eating Right and Living Well, by Ann G. Kulze
Connecting With Dr. Ann Kulze
Website: www.drannwellness.com
Facebook: facebook.com/drannwellness/
Twitter: @drannwellness
Instagram: drannwellness
Free Gift
Dr. Ann Kulze’s tells our listeners that “you could come to my website and literally spend days educating yourself for free.” Education resources are offered in forms of a newsletter, a blog, video tips, recipes and more.
A Day in the Life of a Nutrition & Wellness Expert, Microbiome
Doctor, Nutritionist, Physician, Wellness Consultant
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Pivoting From Politics to Broadcasting - Ken Coleman
“There had been a real change in the nation’s politics. I began to question everything about it. Is that the space that I want to be in? Because when you have this expectation and idealistic expectation–as I certainly did–and then it doesn’t pan out that way, it can really make you question everything.”
Ken Coleman is a number one national bestselling author, career expert, and a nationally syndicated radio host of the Ken Coleman Show. Pulling from his own personal struggles, missed opportunities and career successes, he helps people discover what they were born to do and provides practical steps to make their dream job a reality. His second book, “The Proximity Principle: The Proven Strategy That Will Lead to the Career You Love,” was released in 2019.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had a public call all my life. I wanted to communicate for a living, to communicate to help people. But instead of through the political spectrum in the political arena, I changed to broadcasting. It obviously was not as political, and you can really influence a lot of people and not get hung up in the politics of what you’re saying. You are able to say what you want to say. So that began the pivot, if you will, from politics to broadcasting.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. There’s a scourge of seven figure earners in the United States that are miserable. So success truly isn’t it. It’s significance. Significance is in our sweet spot at the intersection of what we do best and what we love to do most. Human beings, in my belief, were created to work. And I don’t mean to be a workaholic. I mean to make a contribution. That is what everybody longs for. Do I matter and am I making a difference in this world?2. What do you do best? What has always come easy for you in your life? What do people compliment you on? We know this inherently. Just make the list. Let your heart inform your brain. You know these things. If you’re stuck, go talk to people who know you best, who can speak to these things.
3. Get clarity on the answers to these three questions
– Who do you most want to help?
– What problem do you most want to solve?
– What solution do you most want to provide?
If you ask yourself those questions on a daily basis in quiet time with no one
distracting you, your brain will do what it was designed to do, which is begin to find
the answers once you’re focused on the right questions.4. Then ask yourself: What do I think my primary role is in work? Am I a fixer? Am I a conductor? Am I a leader? Am I an organizer? Am I a cheerleader? Am I a counselor? Come up with a word. It doesn’t have to be the perfect word, but it is a
word that really describes that role. When you get this answer done, then it’s okay. “I know what my sweet spot is, I know what my role is.”5. Once you know your role, you will need to explore many different ways you can do that. What you’ll find is there are multiple career paths, certainly 10 times the
number of jobs, if you will, that would allow you to live that life of tremendous
meaning in your work.On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Ken Coleman
Website: kencoleman.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/KenColemanShow/
Twitter: twitter.com/kencoleman
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kencoleman-
Instagram: instagram.com/kencoleman/
Free Gift
“How to Write the Perfect Resume” and other resources and articles. kencoleman.com/resources
Careers, Do What You Love, Political Career
Author, Political Career, Radio Host
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A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be an Executive Search Consultant? - Caroline Stokes
“You’ve got to have patience and respect for the trials and tribulations that the economy and organizations and human desire have. That’s a really hard lesson to learn because I’m a let’s get stuff done now kind of person. I had to learn to be patient and to develop all of the emotional intelligence skills to be able to really think for the client, to think for the candidate and to not put undue pressure on any of those different parties when people just aren’t ready yet or the organization isn’t ready yet, or the systems aren’t ready yet, or the budget isn’t available. All of those different things you must be able to demonstrate.”
Caroline Stokes leads an executive search and emotional intelligence coaching company for successful leaders and global technology organizations to move forward together. Her entire approach to executive search, the employer brand, the candidate and employee experience is included in her business book “Elephants Before Unicorns: Emotionally Intelligent HR Strategies to Save Your Company,” published by Entrepreneur Press (2019).
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I remember starting at Sony in Soho, London and I was in the situation where there was no onboarding, there was no Human Resources. We had just started the PlayStation division. It was like this mini startup. We were young, scrappy, and hungry and trying to make it work, trying to generate revenue and to get the license for the PlayStation. So it was a lot of hard work, long hours and intense pressure to make that happen—the beginning of a very important role. I felt like I was this odd person that had just been added to a team without any formal integration on what the goals are, what the challenges are, how we need to work together. Instead of there being a cohesive collaborative culture being formed, we were all just shooting off in our particular areas. And that’s where I think the first “100 Days Concept” came about and it just repeated itself time and time again. Every time I moved to a new country, every time I changed jobs, I thought: ‘Okay, I’ve had enough, I’ve REALLY got to change this model.’”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
- My father was a banker and we moved quite a lot during my early years—from the UK to Singapore and back and to Thailand, Australia, New Zealand before I was 8 years old. These travel experiences were utterly transformative because I learned about different cultures, politics, geography that few people typically experience.
- In my teens and into college I had a lot of different internships: I loved working, it’s all I really wanted to do. I wanted to learn a trade, to earn a dollar. I simply had that drive and I needed to have a different challenge every day.
- So after I graduated college I went straight into the workforce and back then it was a completely different market to how it is now. I had an entry level job and I worked for Virgin, and then I worked for Sony launching the PlayStation. It was just a wild time and it was exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to go to a male-dominated environment because that’s where I felt comfortable along with working with technology people and that’s what I moved into.
- It’s quite phenomenal when you think of it, just how much that has happened in the last 10 years. What I have noticed is that thanks to HR departments, thanks to CEOs, leaders, entrepreneurs, everyone in business now knows that they need to have leadership development training. They need to treat their people well. They need to think strategically and culturally about what types of people will actually perform well and if they’re not performing well, how can you help them? It’s a very exciting time to see so many people thrive and help organizations adapt and grow.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Caroline Stokes
Website: www.theforward.co
Twitter: twitter.com/oCarolineStokes
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ocarolinestokes/
Free Gift
Read Caroline’s book for free for 30 days. Elephants Before Unicorns: Emotionally Intelligent HR Strategies to Save Your Company
A Day in the Life of an Executive Search Consultant
Executive Search Consultant
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875:
A Talent for Building Relationships - Benjamin R. Case
“I got a phone call from the Dean of Students at Catawba College [Ben’s alma mater] who was being invited to take over the Admissions office. He asked if I would be his number two in Admissions. I said, sure, what do I need to do? He said, ‘Just come here, we’ll interview, and we’ll make sure that you take the job.’ The very next day I got a call from a guy who was in something called Development [at Catawba College] and he said, ‘Ben, I need a number two in my Development shop. Would you consider doing this? And I can pay you a thousand dollars more a year then Admissions.’ So for a thousand dollars more, I took the job in Development with someone that I didn’t know anywhere near as well as I knew the Dean of Students, and I knew nothing about Development. Matter of fact, my first question was ‘What’s development?’ I took that job, and 41 years later I’m still in fundraising.”
Benjamin R. Case is a professional fundraising consultant, who has served in the nonprofit sector for 41 years as an advancement professional, senior manager and leader. He has personally been involved in the successful solicitation of over $1.1 billion in gifts and worked for and been engaged by organizations that have raised $4.8 billion. His fundraising experience includes working with The Metropolitan Opera in New York, Duke University and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, among others. He recently launched an online learning 12-series webinar, “The Daily Dozen: Habits of Highly Successful Fundraisers.” He is also the author of 21 Tips for Highly Successful Fundraisers, an international best-seller in nine business categories in six countries.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was a Catawba College for four years when there was a change in leadership, and my boss, the Director of Development, left and started his own consulting company. I thought I was hot enough and good enough and strong enough to become the number one in the fundraising operation. The new president made it clear that he didn’t think that was the right way to go. I started interviewing to find what was next and got a call right away…from Roanoke College. They needed someone to start their planned giving program. I loved Catawba College. I told my wife when we got married, don’t ever ask me to leave Catawba College. That’s how much I cared for this place. But leaving Catawba has enabled me to travel the world, make more money than I could ever imagine and have a career that I never imagined. If I had stayed there, I may have never developed into the person that I am now.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1) When Ben’s boss, the man who had hired him at Catawba College, left the university, Ben thought he was good enough and strong enough to become the number one in the fundraising operation. The new president disagreed. “I think there was immaturity on my part of thinking that I was probably better than I was at the time, that I knew more than I knew. I really think it’s important to own any experience like that and to really look at what you need to learn from it.
2) At 31 I became vice president for Development of Operations, which was an honor and a great opportunity. I worked for wonderful people, had a wonderful team that worked for me. I had a great mentor, Jack Hills. I went into him one day–and I think this is an important lesson for people–and told him…I’m interested in managing other people. And he said to me, “Ben, before you can manage others, you have to manage yourself.” I thought I was a pretty good manager myself. I probably was. But what he was doing was giving me both a challenge and a great lesson. He is somebody who really helped me grow in my career.
3) September 4, 2001 I opened my own consulting business. That’s one week before the Twin Towers came down. I mean one week before the world comes to an end, I opened my own business and I thought, man, this was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. But we paid the bills from the first day. Within three months, I had a full book of business. One of the great lessons here was the relationships that I had through all of that work experience enabled me to visit with people and tell them what I was doing. They said, yep, here’s where I need help. Luckily I’m very good at building relationships with people and they then gave me the opportunity to work for them and work with them to help them be highly successful fundraisers, managers and leaders. And that’s what I’ve been doing in my own business ever since.
4) I think it’s a difficult thing for all of us to match our skillset to the opportunity, to know ourselves well enough to know what our skills are, to know what we like to do and define and match that to a really good opportunity. I counsel a lot of people in their careers and I always tell them to find a fast-moving stream and hold on. There are a lot of different analogies you can make around that, but the idea is finding something that is moving fast, that’s challenging for you, and that’s using your skillset. Do the best you can at that work and that will take you somewhere good. That’s what has happened to me.
On His Bookshelf
21 Tips for Highly Successful Fundraisers, by Ben R. Case
Connecting With Benjamin R. Case
Website: www.focusedonfundraising.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/Focused-on-Fundraising-1136932446442325/
Twitter: twitter.com/MajorGiftTips
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/benjamin-case-2707141/
Free Gift
Ben Case’s book 21 Tips for Highly Successful Fundraisers is available free on his website.
Fund Raising, Relationships in Business
Fund Raising
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874:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Public Relations Professional? - Alexis Davis Smith
“I love solving problems and finding solutions to challenges. That is what excites me the most, and I think that’s what clients appreciate the most about us. They know that we’re not going to do anything that doesn’t make strategic sense and they also know that we’re going to be clear with them on when it doesn’t, and we make it more strategic. What is the best solution? We don’t believe in doing gimmicky things for the sake of being gimmicky and creative….unless the client wants that. If the client wants that, and that’s their objective, okay. We want to make sure that it is really supporting and driving both their business objectives as well as their communications objectives.”
Alexis Davis Smith is the president and CEO of PRecise Communications, an award-winning marketing communications firm. With more than 20 years of experience and a reputation as a trusted communications strategist, Alexis is a leader in Atlanta’s public relations industry and a national voice for multicultural marketing. She is responsible for creating breakthrough, strategic communications programs for major consumer brands, including Coca-Cola, Toyota and Pfizer. A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native and proud graduate of Florida A&M University, Alexis has a passion for women and giving back to the next generation of public relations professionals and entrepreneurs.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“It’s funny because I thought I wanted to study to be a child psychologist, but my mom said, ‘Alexis, you can’t do that, you’ll cry every day. You’ll want to take these kids home.’ I realized she was right. When it came time to declare my major, I went to the journalism school and I spoke with the Dean and he asked me why I wanted to change majors. I said I realized that I really love writing. I wanted the opportunity to express that, to continue growing those skills. I also wanted to marry journalism with business because I had always been fascinated by the business world from a young age. Additionally, entrepreneurism runs in my family, so I thought that would be a good marriage between the two. I changed my choice of a major that day and got into the school of journalism with a focus on public relations.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. My mother is a former journalist who transitioned into a public relations professional in the second half of her career. As a little girl, I sat in on interviews when I really didn’t even understand what was happening. But I saw her asking celebrities and business people questions and then going back home and sitting at a typewriter to actually write those stories. Later as I got older and fell in love with the English language and writing and communicating verbally, she recognized that I had inherited that talent from her.
2. While I was a student at Florida A&M I interned every single summer break. I did an internship at a newspaper and TV station in Philadelphia, and a boutique public relations firm also in Philadelphia and then in Tallahassee with the United Way, then the phone company. My big break came when I got an internship with Ketchum Public Relations here in Atlanta, one of the top 10 PR firms in the world. I believe I got that internship because I had the previous ones under my belt. They felt that I was more prepared than the other applicants. And I was one of two people out of dozens that applied that was selected.
3. Working at a PR agency is like the bootcamp for PR. If you work at a PR agency and survive and thrive, you can do anything in the PR industry because you learn to juggle a lot of balls at once: having two to three supervisors, two to three different teams that you’re on, and six to 10 clients. You must deliver on time, manage your time well, manage budgets wisely and be absolutely attentive to each client’s unique needs and wants.
4. Being at a global agency like a Ketchum I got to learn about different industries: the airline industry via Delta, the educational system with Sylvan Learning, then Simmons Beauty Rest mattresses and other top brands. You quickly learn a lot getting on the phone and pitching media and understanding that they’re not going to like every story you present to them. You learn about rejection and not taking things personally and to develop a thick skin. It was all such a great training ground for me.
5. There’s a lot of young people that are entering the field of public relations that still do not have a clue what it is that we really do. It’s really important to understand that public relations is a field that offers a lot of variety because there are so many industries that you can go into: from fashion to the film business and countless others. If you’re interested in business, you can join a company as a part of their corporate communications department. If you like giving back to the world, you can join a nonprofit and be their public relations director. I think it’s important for young people to study what the field is, and to recognize that there’s a big difference between the publicist you see on TV versus real public relations professionals.
Connecting With Alexis Davis Smith
Website: precisecomm.net
Facebook: facebook.com/PReciseCommunications
Twitter: @PreciseComm
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexis-davis-smith-112a325
Instagram: @precisecommatl and @preciselyalexis
A Day in the Life of a Public Relations Professional, Internships
Public Relations
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873:
How She Bridged the Gap Between Poverty and Prosperity - Lisa Phillips
“I wasn’t alone. This was during the 2009 meltdown where everyone was going through foreclosure, where everyone was losing their job. But, because of knowing it wasn’t just me, I was able to release the guilt and the shame around it.”
In the recession of 2009, Lisa Phillips lost her job and then her home to foreclosure. She was left with a $35,000 condo and only enough money to renovate the place doing the work herself to stretch her unemployment check. She clearly had reached the bottom, an electrical engineer with no job, coping with her new reality. She came upon a strategy of owning inexpensive rental properties for cash flow that was possible, even when a traditional mortgage was not obtainable. As her strategy started to show consistent results she started teaching others about it on her platform, Affordable Real Estate Investments.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In 2006 Lisa bought her first house at the top of the Las Vegas market. By 2008 it was worth less than half of its value because of the real estate crash, and the year after that she got laid off. After many tries she got a job in Ohio. She rented out her house and bought a condo in her new city, with a mortgage payment of about $350 a month plus the cost of repairs. A year later she got laid off again, and the house in Las Vegas went into foreclosure. At that point, she really appreciated and loved the safety that the low-cost condo was providing her in a pinch and she decided to try to create a system and find more properties like this. When she got her next job, she bought a house in Baltimore to fix up. Then she did the same in Virginia and started telling other people about these properties, which richer investors were passing over. And that’s how her real estate platform got started.
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1) I got an electrical engineering degree just because I was fascinated with the creation and the experimentation side of being an electrical engineer. I actually ended up not going into the field because it just didn’t have the excitement and fun I wanted. I jumped into a consulting job with IBM. They appreciated the engineering degree and I was made a technical consultant.
2) The engineering background does give you an analytical mindset that helps in other endeavors or careers other than electrical engineering.
3) Right before 2009, which was a very scary recession, I had a rude awakening. I’m sending out applications and no one is responding back. The engineering degree that I worked so hard for did not assure me of a job during these hard times.
4) Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert T. Kiyosaki, had a very profound effect on me by letting people know that you may be thinking a certain way because you’re born into poverty. This book is how you start breaking down those thoughts and go for what you want.
5) Having passive income from the real estate investing and the online business gave me the opportunity for the last three years to go internal, go spiritual, find out who I am and what my purpose is. I found that what I did in real estate investing was definitely phase one of my purpose, to help bridge the gap between poverty and prosperity for people who come to my real estate investing channel. Phase two I have found is that I am a healer. So I do healings with people. It’s very deep, very powerful. That’s my gift and that’s what I’m here to do.
On Her Bookshelf
Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert T. Kiyosaki
Investing in Rental Properties for Beginners: Buy Low, Rent High, by Lisa Phillips
Connecting With Lisa Phillips
Website: www.affordablerealestateinvestments.com
Facebook: facebook.com/affordablerei
Twitter: twitter.com/affordablerei
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/affordablerei
Instagram: instagram.com/affordablerei
Free Gift
Get Started in Real Estate Investing: Free Training, 5 Courses
Free copy of her book, Investing in Rental Properties for Beginners: Buy Low, Rent High. Read the details of how to qualify.
Inexpensive Rental Properties, Passive Income, Poverty, Real Estate
Author, Healer, Real Estate Investor, Trainer in real estate investing
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872:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Landscape Architect? - Shawn T. Kelly
“As a teacher, one of the things I enjoy is seeing people embrace the reality that they can make a difference—can turn this boat around. I tell my students that they are our hope not just for the profession, but for our civilization because they’re thinking about all these different vital issues. Like relieving stress and anxiety, which are higher than they’ve ever been. We know the exposure to greenspace is the greatest antidote to that. And so when my students go out and create these green spaces that are also high performing landscapes, they’re harvesting the water, pulling out the pollution, and then reintroducing that water to do other things storm water can do, putting less of a demand on our decreasing potable water supplies.”
Shawn T. Kelly is a licensed, practicing Landscape Architect, Principal of Kelly Design Group, LLC, a design build firm in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. He opened his firm 25 years ago after moving his practice from San Diego, California. He is also a full time faculty member and Distinguished Faculty Associate in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has taught for 24 years. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and is currently the Immediate Past President, having completed his Presidency in 2019.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had a vision of making a difference in the world and helping people who were less advantaged, and I really wanted to work overseas. Soon after I graduated from the University of Arizona, a professor of mine told me about an opportunity in West Africa with the USAID, The United States Agency for International Development. The country is called Burkina Faso today and the project involved doing a baseline data inventory of the South Saharan Desert, which was in the midst of a seven year drought. The work was fascinating and engaging, but after one year our project was suddenly terminated. On reflection this was a major turning point in my life, because I began reflecting on all the feedback I had gotten from my professors and my significant other about how my lifelong passion for drawing and design were ideally suited for the profession of landscape architecture. When I came back to the United States, my significant other and I got married and I enrolled in graduate school at the U of A and after three years launched my career as a landscape architect. The work I do every day continues to inspire me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. My Dad had probably the greatest work ethic of anybody I ever met. I grew up working on the docks of his freight company with some pretty rough people. I started to develop my leadership skills at a young age because I realized I had to carry my weight in order to be looked at as equal to other people.
2. My time at West Point shaped my life. The concept there is that they break you down from being a strong person into a follower and from there you build yourself back up and learn how to lead.
3. My experience in Africa with range management—helping people grow crops, improve their grazing facilities—making a better planet for people, was a perfect background to be a landscape architect and led me back to the University of Arizona and the School of Renewable Natural Resources.
4. To anyone considering this profession I would suggest looking inside yourself, which is something that most people don’t do. You know, there are a lot of older people I know who’ve never done this. What is it that puts a grin on your face? What makes you feel good? I like to think that every one of my students isn’t one of those people who finds themselves dreading work on Sunday night and thinking, “Oh no, not tomorrow again.” It starts with you.
Connecting With Shawn T. Kelly
Website: kdglic.com
Email: stkelly@kdgllc.com or stkelly1@wisc.edu
Twitter: @stkellyfasla
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shawn-kelly-fasla-pla-89a0a426/
Website for American Society of Landscape Architects: asla.org
A Day in the Life of a Landscape Architect
Landscape Architect, Teaching/University
May 2020:
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871:
On-the-Job Training as a SWAT Team Member - Kevin Van Eekeren
“I’m severely dyslexic. So I was spending way too many hours with tutors just being able to barely keep up. As I grew older, I started to understand that while dyslexia is a pain to overcome, it also gave me this amazing ability to solve problems. Think about the letter ‘K.’ It could be backwards, it could be upside down, it could be missing a piece of it. And so your brain is going to have to memorize two or three versions of the English language. I had to do it so much that it just became innate in me that I had to solve problems better than most.”
Kevin Van Eekeren is currently the CEO of Fulcrum Investing, but he started off his career training SWAT teams nationwide. Recognizing a gap in the market in 2008, Kevin started Fulcrum Tactical, a realistic, tactical training charity available to law enforcement only. When the time was right he took it for-profit and grew it to a national organization. In 2014 he sold the company to get into investing. Fulcrum Investing was born. The process Fulcrum Investing uses to vet startups is very entrepreneur focused, with over 50 investments nationwide.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
For two years in college, Kevin was very focused on criminal justice. One of his fellow students had an aunt who was a private investigator and was looking for a part time assistant, so he took the job, serving subpoenas and “following people.” He soon realized his boss was serving the subpoenas that were easy to serve. He was the one that had to go in and get chased by Rottweilers and talk to some very scary people to be able to serve them papers. “So I quickly had to learn how to think on my feet and how to deal with dogs and with very angry people. It was actually a very good life lesson─though there were a few times I was pretty sure I was going to die.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1) When you are asked to do a task on a new job, don’t assume you know everything about how that company wants the job done. Ask for training, even demand training.
2) Do not put too much emphasis on immediate gratification. “I worked for years for free simply to get the information I needed so I could do what I wanted to do. And I think a lot of people forego that because they’re trying to achieve what they want to achieve now, today or yesterday.”
3) Try to make yourself better one day at a time. If you get 1% better a day, that means in four months you are going to be a whole heck of a lot better than you were. But that takes a tremendous amount of courage, effort, and consistency.
4) It is important to learn from failures and know your own deficits. Kevin was still on the SWAT team 30 hours a week, was running a company, and had an investment on the side in a tech company. The “kids” running the tech company just weren’t doing well. Kevin jumped in as an interim CEO until they could find the correct leadership, but he just couldn’t make everything work, and that company failed. “That was horrible,” in his words, but it was also the most important experience in the business world because it made him realize: he was fallible; he needed to be far more humble: and he needed to learn an odd dozen different things and never let those things happen again.
Connecting With Kevin Van Eekeren
Website: www.fulcruminvesting.com
Facebook: facebook.com/FulcrumInvesting/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/fulcrum-investing/
Instagram: instagram.com/fulcruminvesting/
Research on the Job, Training on the Job
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Investing Company, Tactial Training of Police Forces
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870:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Web Developer? - Keith Freund
Keith Freund is a self-taught coder and freelance web developer based in New York City. His work receives over 70 million hits a year and includes projects for American Express, Switzerland’s Department of Tourism, IMG Talent, and Harvard University. He focuses on the WordPress platform, which powers 35% of the web.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“The economic collapse and housing crisis of 2008. At that point I guess my inclination was never to have a quote-unquote ‘real job’ or a desk job or something like that. There are a million think-pieces about how millennials don’t view some of the things that the generations before us viewed as stability, as being something that can be relied upon. So: buying a home. Millennials are more likely to rent. I’m totally in that boat. I have no desire to ever own anything. I don’t want to own a car or a house. Even having an employer… it’s the kind of thing where it’s stable until it’s not, you know? It can go away like that and then you lose your health insurance and then you have to explain to your next employer why you left your last job. So it creates a weird dynamic. I think that made me definitely double-down on being independent, being freelance.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. My favorite thing to recommend for people wanting to test what it is like to be a web developer: think of something that you want or that you would enjoy and then try to build it online. Something as simple as possible. Come up with a personal project for yourself. Because one of the biggest things that happens to people is they take an online course on coding and they don’t have any projects lined up and that knowledge all goes away. You need to be regularly working on something in your free time. And that could just be your portfolio website.
2. Another thing you can do to explore this work is offer to build something for free for someone that you know, who has a business of some kind. Somebody who does nails or has a restaurant or is a freelance copywriter…. It could literally be the Chinese restaurant down the street. Say, “Hey, let me build you a website.” And then just go from there.
3. I was naturally curious, and my first inclination was to take things apart—whether it was a circuit board or a chemistry set. But what I quickly learned is I’m not good at that for some reason—taking things apart physically with my hands. It just didn’t click for me. That all changed when I got my first computer when I was 14 or 15. That was when the internet was starting to come into its own. Then I was off to the races. I was like, okay, I can work with this.
4. My work is kind of a mysterious, dark art to people—they don’t really know what I do. But usually when I send people something I’ve done, what they’re noticing is the design. They’re saying, “It’s so beautiful.” But the one thing that (non-developers) do notice about my work is when something loads really fast. I love it when (an app) just does what I tell it to do right away. So yeah, that’s really gratifying.
5. Something I’m really excited about right now is making the web more accessible to differently-abled people—people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, have cognitive disabilities…. Doing that, especially as I’m working on bigger and bigger websites that are reaching more and more people, gives my work a bit more meaning.
On His Bookshelf
The Four Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferris
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, by David D. Burns
Connecting With Keith Freund
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/keithfreund/
A Day in the Life of a Web Developer, Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneur, Freelancer, Web Developer
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869:
Food Allergies Turned Her Kitchen into a Science Experiment - Frances Castelli
“Along the way, we had to figure out what it is that (our three children) could and couldn’t eat. And it was trial and error because each of my children was different. They had a lot of similar food allergies, but they also had a lot of different food allergies. It was very challenging, very scary. And I just look back now and go, ‘We made it. We’re here.’”
Born and raised in Australia, Frances Castelli always desired to work with children and travel, while dreaming of being a teacher, an artist and an author. While traveling, she met her husband and they eventually became parents of three beautiful children. She fulfilled her dream of becoming a teacher by homeschooling her children. Cooking became her art form, and she gained confidence and creativity as she prepared multiple safe and flavorful meals for her three children with anaphylactic food allergies. She taught them how to manage their food allergies, live life to the fullest, and thrive in every sense–and they have.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Back then─we’re talking about two decades─food allergies were such an unfamiliar, unknown health issue. We ended up finding a pediatrician who felt that our son was experiencing food allergies, and he put us onto an allergist. That doctor just changed our world because he ran some food allergy tests, and we discovered my son was reacting to food his body wasn’t tolerating.” Although the diagnosis was scary and challenging, at least they knew they had to begin to ascertain what food allergies he had. When his sister and brother were born two and four years later, also with food allergies, it was like a huge science experiment to figure out what each child could safely eat.
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1) Family and Mentors: “The people who impacted my life in more ways than one were my parents, my husband, my children, and my mentors. My husband taught me to laugh at myself. My children reminded me about courage. My parents taught me responsibility and you know, my mom taught me how to cook. My neighbor Luanne introduced me to home schooling and I had many mentors who taught me how to stretch and be curious and follow what was exciting for me.”
2) Travel: I traveled 18 months and lived in several countries before I got married. It was a great adventure. I think everyone should try it. Do be prepared to finance your travels, without running out of money, so you don’t have to start all over afterwards.
3) Food: Regardless of your dietary requirements or anything like that, you can still make any meal fun, delicious, and beautiful.
4) Raising Children: She taught them how to manage their food allergies, live life to the fullest, and thrive in every sense─and they have! “We have instilled in our children to do what they want to do. They can earn money and be successful without having to go to college, without having to do what someone else tells them to do, but to follow their heart. And I think because both my husband and I have always done what we felt in our hearts was good for us as far as jobs, taking positions which made us feel good and followed our passions, we taught our kids to do that. My three children are now all entrepreneurs and doing things they love.”
On Her Bookshelf
The Kitchen Alchemist, by Frances Castelli
Connecting With Frances Castelli
Website: www.francescastelliauthor.com
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2ozMlWo
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2oEaQSa
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2n0KyZF
Free Gift
Free E-book on her website, with 5 of her favorite, easy recipes
Food Allergies, Travel
Author, Teaching/Teacher
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868:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Book Publisher? - Rob Kosberg
“I love handing the finished book over to somebody you know, I mean, it’s been their dream, maybe all their life, to write a book. Most of our clients are not writing a book on a whim. They’ve been thinking about writing a book for 5 years, 10 years, even 20 years. You’re really helping to make a dream come true for them.”
Rob Kosberg is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling author and the founder of Best Seller Publishing. Through his trademarked Publish. Promote. Profit. program, Rob helps his clients to create their own professional, best-selling book (guaranteed) and then teaches them how to use that book to grow their income and impact via speaking engagements, free PR and media, and cutting-edge lead generation strategies. Rob’s latest book, Publish. Promote. Profit., was not only the number one business book on Amazon but also became a Best Seller on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Best Sellers Lists. Rob has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and scores of other publications, podcasts and media.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
I got my real estate license when I was 18 and my broker’s license at 19 in 1983. It came easily to me and I was in the Top 100 Agents in Florida while still in college. When the financial crisis hit in 2007 I owned a real estate and mortgage company and we were doing close to $100 million a year in transactions. Within a year our transactions fell to zero. I decided to pivot into financial services because with my experience I could help a lot of people in need. I asked a couple of experienced friends of mine what they would do if they were in my position of trying to reposition yourself in a brand new field. They each said the same thing: Write a book. I had zero experience and made a ton of mistakes, but I finished the book and it became number one on Amazon. That notoriety got me radio and TV interviews and speaking engagements and was the primary catalyst for relaunching my career. Nothing gives you credibility like a book does.
Ideas and Insights When Considering This Career Path
- Getting into the real estate field at the age of 18 taught me volumes about the basics of business from the ground up—obviously the financial and marketing sides, but of equal importance, the basics of how to listen to and connect with potential clients to understand their true needs and wants so that I could serve them better.
- When the financial crisis hit in 2007 I, like millions of other Americans, had to dig deeply within myself to discover the next best decision for me to relaunch my business and my life. Thankfully, I had the wise counsel of a couple of experienced business friends, who opened my eyes to the powerful impact that writing a book can have on your career.
- I advise anyone who is considering writing their first book to carefully examine their own personal motivation first. They must be honest about the serious investment that it’s going to demand both financially and personally. Yes, writing a book can change your business and your life—but you have to be serious about it.
- It gives me huge satisfaction to help turn a writer’s dream into reality by handing them their finished book. Then, I want them to be successful with their book, to make money with their book, so helping them create the strategy and plan to do that is equally gratifying.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Rob Kosberg
Website: www.bestsellerpublishing.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bestsellerpub/
Twitter: /robkosberg
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robkosberg/
Instagram: /robkosberg
Free Gift
Free copy of his book “Publish. Promote. Profit.” from his website www.bestsellerpublishing.org.
A Day in the Life of a Book Publisher, Real Estate
Author, Book Publisher, Real Estate
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867:
Creativity Is the Key to Self-Discovery - Leigh McCloskey
“I feel very fortunate I grew up in circumstance where imagination was honored, and even where both of my parents essentially were black sheep in their own families. I saw the expense or the aloneness that a creative life brings, but also the deep satisfaction that is unlike anything else.”
Leigh McCloskey is a modern Renaissance man, an artist, author, well-known actor and visual philosopher. His highly creative life has been devoted to exploring the symbolic, archetypal and hidden aspects of the psyche and inner self through his art, scholarship, books and experiences as a professional actor for many years. He has hosted weekly discussion groups in his home, Olandar, for over 38 years. His deep knowledge ranges from arcane wisdom, religion, depth psychology and quantum physics to the mythic imagination and the creation of art. He is the founder of Olandar Foundation for Emerging Renaissance, and gives regular tours of his home and art.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In 1980 I was asked to join the cast of the TV show Dallas to play Mitch Cooper, which was on one level a great opportunity, but was going to be the beginning separation of the actor and the artist. Because in a way when I did Dallas, there was this global acclaim. So there was this sense of, you know, you’ve succeeded. And I thought, this doesn’t feel like success. In other words, it felt good…. I didn’t want to bite the hand that fed me, but I started to realize that maybe an acting career in film, unless one is very lucky, was going to be more like a business and that you had to see the limitations.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
Lessons from his father:
– Know yourself
– Be true to yourself
– Never laugh at another person’s dreams
“That third point really stuck with me and has stuck with me all my life because
there’s a type of honoring that I learned from my family structure that allows a
willingness to see people in what they are possible of being rather than looking
at them as everything they are not.”– When Leigh asked his father if he should go to art school, his father, the artist,
said no. “What I really want you to do is go to the museums, and start
spending time with the paintings that you are attracted to. Let the paintings
become your teacher. Look at how a Vermeer created the colors or the
transitions or the sense of texture─not with the distraction of the painting but
to use it as a way of teaching.”Lessons from his own life:
1. Turn off technology. Allow yourself to sit in silence, to listen, really listen to your own breath, listen and begin to look and begin to quiet down. Because one of the things we have to understand is if we’re panicking, we’re not trusting. We’re in a state of constant anxiety. So the first key is to begin to give yourself permission to calm down.2. One of the mistakes I think we’ve made is everyone talks about the inner child. It’s not an inner child, it’s not an age; it’s human innocence and human innocence needs our protection in the same way that love must be protected. It’s not something given to be squandered, but really something to be cherished and found meaningful.
3. I really want to inspire people to think, not to simply react, but to understand that their creativity is really not something they need to prove anything with. It’s their intimate key for self-discovery and a way of asking questions that can’t be asked with words or discovered with a program or an app, and to trust their hands to understand that they are the technology, that we’re the outcome of an amazing journey.
Connecting With Leigh McCloskey
Website: leighmccloskey.com
Facebook: Leigh J McCloskey and Olandar Foundation for Emerging Renaissance
YouTube: Leigh McCloskey Food for Thought
Art, Being an Actor, Creativity, Philosophy
Actor, Artist, Author
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866:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Craniosacral Therapist? - Tami Goldstein
Tami Goldstein is Diplomate certified in Upledger Craniosacral Therapy (U-CST), Board Certified and an approved continuing education provider through The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork. She is a Wisconsin licensed massage therapist. In 2004 she opened A Therapeutic Touch by Tami, LLC. She offers services as a therapist, advocate, international speaker and educator of bodywork specializing in individuals on the autism spectrum and other neurodevelopment disorders. She’s the international award-winning author of “Coming Through the Fog,” an autism recovery journey, a contributing author in a Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism, and other books & publications. Ms. Goldstein is a 2018 World Massage Festival Hall of Fame inductee, 2019 Teacher of the Year recipient at World Massage Festival, the founder of Wisconsin for Vaccine Choice and the parent of an individual with functioning recovery from autism.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My daughter was required to be vaccinated at the end of her fifth grade school year at the age of 11 before she could move on to middle school. For the following couple of years, she deteriorated medically, physically, and emotionally at a very frightening level. And in the end, the diagnosis included autism, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, and obsessive compulsive disorder. She had systemic rashes, and severe environmental and food allergies. The sensory processing disorder would make her shut down for up to five days, unable to walk or talk. The list could go on and on, but in the journey to get her to recovery I learned through an occupational therapist about craniosacral therapy and I had never heard of it before. It’s a light touch therapy that improves brain and nervous system functioning. And through that therapy and sensory integration therapy and biomedical supports, my daughter–against all odds–got to a degree of functioning recovery that was literally unheard of.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. I was in my early forties when I knew I wanted to practice craniosacral therapy. I was told I was too old, so the research showed me that the fastest way I could be licensed to do that work was to first be licensed as a massage therapist. So that’s what I did.
2. There’s so much diversity in this field, which is nice. Most people go through their basic training and they’re only certified in Swedish massage—one type of massage technique. You can then go on, which is what I highly recommend, into medical, sports, geriatric, or infant massage and many other specialties.
3. I specialize in autism sensory processing disorders. About 65% of my clients are on the autism spectrum, but I work with other people with post-stroke or post-surgery recovery and nervous system disorders. My oldest client is 99. I work with her to help increase her range of motion to reduce her pain and discomfort.
4. Some of the characteristics and skills that are important to have in this occupation include:
– A sense of touch, for obvious reasons
– Compassion and a desire to help others
– Ability to set boundaries because you work at an extremely interpersonal level
– Interest in continuous learning because new discoveries happen regularly
– Communication skills because there is so much information to share and often
it’s quite complex and always personal5. The first thing anyone interested in exploring this occupation should do is to directly experience a wide variety of body work. When you find the area that interests you, keep exploring and learning as the options are many and diverse.
Connecting With Tami Goldstein
Email: Tami.cst1@gmail.com
Website: comingthroughthefog.com
Facebook: facebook.com/comingthroughthefog
A Day in the Life of a Craniosacral Therapist, Autism, Craniosacral Therapy
Author, Autism Advocate, Craniosacral Therapist, Educator
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865:
Re-evaluating Her Zone of Genius to Build Her Ultimate Business - Jennifer Allwood
“About three months into running my own business full time, I landed one of my first jobs in a $1 million home that literally had a secret room behind a bookcase. And what’s fascinating is now in my own home I have a secret room behind a bookcase. It’s funny how things work out.”
Jennifer Allwood, a passionate cheerleader of women, adds biblical truth to the modern day “dream big” mantra. Her no-nonsense approach to doing things you are scared to do and saying yes to God is helping women everywhere build the life and business of their dreams. When she’s not coaching her nearly 3,000 clients each month, she’s living the dream in Kansas City with Mr. Magic (her husband, Jason) and their four wild kiddos—Noah, Easton, Ava Grace, and their new bonus kiddo, Ariana. Oh, and their Goldendoodles, Stella and Lola, the best dogs on earth.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I got laid off from that job. And I boohooed for a couple of days because I couldn’t believe that they would let me go. But in retrospect, it was one of the best, pivotal moments of my life because I remember thinking, ‘Okay, now the logical, responsible thing to do–and I’ve always been very responsible–is to go out and apply for other jobs,’ But then there was this tiny part of me that said, ‘I wonder if this would be an opportunity for me to really try my hand at this painting company?’”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. You can have the greatest business or product or service or course on the planet, but if you don’t know how to position it on the internet for people to find it, you’re not going to make any sales. I know so many creative women in particular who are artists or makers or designers or DIYers, and they are so stinking talented. But they don’t know how to show people what they do and therefore they end up, a lot of times, sitting in a cubicle like I did, going back to a day job like I did, because they just can’t figure out how to get what they offer in front of the world.
2. The challenge for most people is figuring out where is the intersection of 1) what they love to do, 2) what they are also really good at doing, and 3) what will people legitimately pay for.
3. Most people are passionate about more than one thing. This means you can look at your different passions to figure out which one or ones also meet the criteria of something that you are good at and that people will pay for.
4. A lot of times people just don’t know how to monetize what they love to do. There is no sense in starting a business unless you learn how to market it or pay experts to do it for you. Plan for this upfront.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Jennifer Allwood
Website: JenniferAllwood.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/themagicbrushinc
Twitter: twitter.com/JenAllwood
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennifer-allwood-5b871417/
Instagram: instagram.com/jenniferallwood
Free Gift
A free quiz to determine which of the 7 revenue streams Jennifer teaches make sense to add to your business based on your personality.
Building a business
Author, Business Owner, Social Media, Teaching entrepreneurs
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864:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Clinical Psychologist? - Lara Fielding, PsyD
Dr. Lara Fielding is a Los Angeles based clinical psychologist and author of “Mastering Adulthood: Go Beyond Adulting to Become an Emotional Grownup.” She specializes in teaching science-based mindfulness skills to young adults, who are working through the challenges of the transitioning roles of adulthood. She studied psycho-physiology of stress and emotions at UCLA and Harvard, before getting her doctorate at Pepperdine, Graduate School of Education and Psychology, where she is a regular guest lecturer and former Adjunct Professor. She frequently offers training to clinicians and students in the community in the service of her value of therapy for all.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I dropped out of high school at 15 and embarked on what turned out to be a successful modeling career for 18 years. I was always an avid reader and fantasized about returning back to school one day and furthering my education but didn’t think I was smart enough. I had gone on a book buying binge and spent several days during a three-day rainstorm reading from dawn to bedtime. I mentioned to a friend that I wished I could do that all day long—read and study. That friend suggested I check out Santa Monica City College, which was in my neighborhood at the time. On a whim I got in my car the next day and drove to the college and it happened to be the last day to register for the next semester. When the woman at the registration table asked me if I wanted to apply, I said I couldn’t because I was a high school dropout. She replied that I could indeed apply and get my high school diploma while being enrolled at the college. I was 33 at the time and over the course of the next 10 years I graduated from UCLA and Harvard and finished my Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree at Pepperdine.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. My mother made us read 20 minutes every single day, school work or no school work, which led me to read scores of self-help and other books while I traveled around the world for my modeling career.
2. My super power is diligence: work hard, save your money, always do your best and learn what you can along the way.
3. While I built a successful career as a model for 18 years, it was highly stressful and quite lonely. You don’t feel a sense of safety and trust. I learned self-reliance at an early age.
4. Because I was frugal with my money, I bought real estate and other solid investments which allowed me to go back to school for 10 years, support myself during that time, then set up a private practice that allowed me to focus on what mattered to me most.
5. My passion is how we can make ourselves more resilient: the relationship between health, behavior and stress. I want to help individuals understand these vital influences so that they can thrive, not merely survive.
On Her Bookshelf
Mastering Adulthood: Go Beyond Adulting to Become an Emotional Grown-Up, by Lara E. Fielding, PsyD
Connecting With Lara Fielding, PsyD
Website: mindful-mastery.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MindfulMastery/
Twitter: twitter.com/Mindful_Mastery
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lara-fielding-psy-d-ed-m-b66a1013/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindful_mastery/
A Day in the Life of a Clinical Psychologist
Adjunct Professor, Author, Clinical Psychologist, Model
April 2020:
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863:
A Winding Path from Accountant to Wellness Clinician - Laurie Warren
“I realized that if I really wanted to help people with their physical problems, we also had to start talking about things like belief systems and how they talk to themselves and how they’re managing stress. Are they using their emotions as a tool or something that they get all wrapped up in? That really started to expand how I work with people.”
Laurie Warren, a Master of Science in Nutrition, is a change agent for empowered well-being in body, mind, and spirit. She works as a corporate consultant, wellness clinician, sought-after speaker and is author of the new book, “Wild World, Joyful Heart: Unlock Your Power to Create Health and Joy.” A regularly featured expert in the media, her approach to health, healing and joy is grounded in three foundational beliefs:
1. The body is a self-organizing organism that is hardwired for healing.
2. Our mind can be used as either a bridge or a barrier in our quest for well-being.
3. What matters most is who we are as we move through this world.The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My young boys had some health issues that really started leading me down the path of how the food we eat can actually affect your health. So fast forward to when I was around 41. I entered graduate school for clinical and integrative nutrition. Me, the person who did not want to go to college. My first case out of grad school quickly taught me that, as much as I love the human body, our mind, spirit, and our emotions also affect the state of our well-being. And that realization started to expand how I work with people.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. Try it (whatever “it” is.) You might like it. I actually did not want to go to college. I’ve always been a bit of a rebel. I decided that I just wasn’t going to go to college because that’s what was expected of me. My parents left it with me to just go to one semester, just try college. So I went to college and absolutely loved it for two reasons: 1) It’s the only time in life where you get to sort of make your own decisions, but you’re in a really safe environment surrounded by people your own age, which is really fun. 2) Now all of a sudden I could take classes that challenged me. I was in absolute heaven, because I am now a complete learning junkie to this day.
2. What I learned in that first job, that led partially to my second choice, was that I needed a lot of autonomy in my job. And the ability to be creative. I’m also not well suited for micro management or for do-what-you’ve-been-told-to-do kind of work. I do better in more of a creative atmosphere. You can see that there’s a little bit of a disparity: I want to work in finance, but I want to be creative.
3. Sometimes our best “teachers” are bad circumstances. I moved on to another technology company where I was absolutely miserable and it was a terrible cultural fit for me. Again, the signs were everywhere, even during the interview process, and I just didn’t catch it. It was a very coveted company to work for. They had amazing software and amazing returns and I was very excited to get a job there in a management position… but I became very unhappy and left there after nine months. Sometimes our best teachers are not good circumstances.
4. You could have a lot of power and gifts inside of you that you just are not recognizing. There was a boy in her senior high school class who was absolutely brilliant, extraordinarily handsome and had a very unfortunate family life. He was addicted to drugs and was going down a very unfortunate path. One day he fell asleep in calculus while sitting at the front of the room. “Mr. McFeeley launched into this thing about how gifted this boy was, how intelligent he was, and how he was getting basically ninety-fives in the class without doing anything, and about all the power that he had in him. It was such a lesson for me, that you could have a lot of power and gifts inside of you that you just weren’t recognizing. And that affected me. Literally, it still affects me to this day.”
On Her Bookshelf
Wild World, Joyful Heart: Unlock Your Power to Create Health and Joy, by Laurie Warren
Connecting With Laurie Warren
Website: www.LaurieWarren.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/LaurieWarren
Twitter.com: twitter.com/LaurieWarren12/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lauriewarren/
Instagram: instagram.com/lauriewarren12/
Do What You Love, Influencial Relationships, Wellness
Accountant, Author, Health Coach, Nutritionist, Speaker, Wellness Advocate, Wellness Consultant
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862:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Cartographer? - Hans van der Maarel
Hans van der Maarel is a professional cartographer from The Netherlands. He runs his own business, Red Geographics and is a partner in another company, One Stop Map. Red Geographics focuses on map production for a wide range of international clients as well as reselling and supporting software products for the cartographic market. This also involves developing production workflows for clients and offering consultancy and training courses. One Stop Map is a website selling stock digital maps but also takes on custom map production projects, again for a wide range of clients. In his spare time he enjoys cycling and photography (sometimes together).
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was 14 and I didn’t really have any ideas about what I wanted to become regarding my career, but I was going to have to make that decision about which subjects to pick for the next three years. So my school offered a job fair, which included a job aptitude test and also a conversation with a job guidance counselor during which they talked about what are your interests? What do you like to do? What are you good at, etc.? And I happened to mention just randomly, ‘Oh yeah, I like maps.’ And then the guy I was talking to said, you know what, I think you can study that. And so he looked something up and he gave me contact details of a college, which offered a four-year course in cartographer leading up to a bachelor’s in science degree. So I went to one of their open houses. I remember walking into this big classroom and there’s a number of large tables all full of maps. My initial thought was, I’m home.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. Practice, practice, practice. Don’t be discouraged if something doesn’t work out straight away. Just keep going at it. Don’t feel like you’re not good enough. Anybody can learn this practice.
2. There are a couple of colleges and universities that offer courses online. Penn State, in the U.S., has been offering a massive online, open course. So that might be a very good step to start with. ESRI is a commercial organization out of Redlands, California, and they’re pretty much the market leader in this field of work.
3. After graduating with my degree in cartography I was hired by a former colleague as the first employee of his cartography business, where I literally learned everything about running a business from the ground up.
4. After 5 years I opened my own business and was fortunate that a client from my past business committed to buying my services for at least a year—which financed the whole enterprise.
5. My work is a nice balance between using my talents as a cartographer and as a businessman who markets top-of-the-line software products and training courses for the cartographic market.
Connecting With Hans van der Maarel
Website: www.redgeographics.com and www.onestopmap.com
Facebook: facebook.com/redgeographics and facebook.com/onestopmap
Twitter: @redgeographics and @onestopmap
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansvandermaarel/
Instagram: @redgeographics and @onestopmap
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of a Cartographer, Maps
Business Owner, Cartographer, Reselling and Supporting Software for the Cartographic Market
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861:
Defining Success on His Own Terms - Mort Fertel
“This is when the story really gets interesting because at this point, in some ways you might have described me as a typical Ivy League yuppie living in New York at the time. And I had done the Wall Street thing, I had my own business, and I was succeeding in much the way that culture and society expects one to succeed. I felt though that something significant was missing from my life. I wasn’t really satisfied. I was finding my success to be empty in many ways and I didn’t know why. And so, I bought a one-way ticket to Bangkok….”
Mort Fertel is the creator of Marriage Fitness, a relationship renewal system that’s been used by millions of people in marital crisis. People from all over the world schedule private tele-sessions with him by joining the Marriage Fitness tele-bootcamp. Over 3 million people have subscribed to his free report, Seven Secrets to Fixing Your Marriage. He’s the subject of Back from the Brink, a documentary written and directed by Torres Thomas, which chronicles people in marriage crises. Mort graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1987 and was the CEO of an international nonprofit organization. He lives with his wife and five children, including triplets, in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“We had a son who died and then we had twin daughters who died. It was really a horrible time and it threw our marriage into a crisis. And that’s how I got into this work. It really comes from a very personal place because when Ari and I reached out for help at a time when we needed it, we were horrified with the quality and the type of help that was being offered to us. … The traditional standard process of improving communication skills and learning conflict resolution strategies we just found to be silly and completely ineffective. And to make a long story short, at some point we decided, you know, this is ridiculous. I’m going to now express something that’s going to sound clear, but at the time it was not at all clear. I’m only now in retrospect able to express it clearly. But what we did was we put aside all the problems and issues and we just started to focus on behaving in ways and interacting in ways that built goodwill in our relationship. But it worked so well that when we got to the end and we were like, ‘wow, you know, we really feel deeply connected now that we got through this very difficult time,’ we felt we had a responsibility to try to figure out what we did right and see if maybe we could share it with others.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
1. I learned something very valuable (from working on the Wall Street trading floor). I really didn’t like it. It was really all about money. That was it. There was no meaning, there was no purpose. I couldn’t even really figure out what service we were providing that was of any value to anybody. I learned very quickly that as much as I wanted to be successful, I did not want my life and my career to be about money.
2. Materialistically speaking, lead very, very simple lives. Do not get caught up in chasing the acquisition of things because the more things you feel you need, then the more money you need to make and the more trapped you are in a job. One of the benefits is that you don’t have as much financial pressure in your life, and that gives you something much more powerful and much more valuable than money. It gives you freedom: the freedom to explore your interests and passions, to do work that you love to do, and to make a contribution in the way that you’re supposed to be contributing.
3. The real riches of life come in two places and in two places only. They come in our relationships, which don’t take money, and they come in the way we use our life to contribute to the progression of the world.
Connecting With Mort Fertel
Website: https://marriagemax.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/MortFertelMarriageFitness/
Twitter: twitter.com/mortfertel
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mortfertel
Instagram: instagram.com/mortfertel/
Free Gift
The report “7 Secrets to Fixing Your Marriage” is available at https://marriagemax.com/. Over 3 million people have subscribed to his free report.
Marital Crisis, Marriage, Money, Purpose, Travel
Author, Business Owner, Direct Marketer, Entrepreneur, Marriage Fitness, Sales, Wall Street
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860:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Neurosurgeon? - Stephen Kalhorn, MD
“You really delay a lot of life for this profession. Neurosurgery in particular is always calling you back, and you’re always thinking about these high risk patients and how to do better and what you can innovate to make things better for them. But you do pay for it. I can’t emphasize that enough because it does come at a cost, but I can’t imagine doing anything different. If I could do it again, I would do it the same way.”
Stephen Kalhorn is a husband, father of three, inventor and a professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of South Carolina. He deals with conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord and vertebral column including brain and spinal tumors, degenerative conditions and traumatic injuries. He has a particular interest in minimally invasive, complex and adult spinal deformity surgery.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“As I progressed through school, I always really enjoyed all the science classes—chemistry, biology, physics. The most profound influence on my entire career, however, was my brother, who is 10 years older than me. He’s also a neurosurgeon and works at Georgetown University. Neurosurgery is a very atypical medical career with one of the smallest number of doctors nationally, but my brother’s example inspired me to pursue the path I finally chose. I am forever grateful to him for that because the work that I do every day is gratifying on so many levels.”
The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?
Over the many years I have been in this profession, there are several lessons and experiences that I believe are worth sharing:
1. During my time at Stritch School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, the emphasis went beyond the basic science you have to master to a strong emphasis on how you interact with patients and the powerful role that plays in their recovery, as well as your own personal satisfaction and performance.
2. When I got into my clinical rotations, I liked general surgery and its subspecialties, and felt like I could have a significant, positive impact to improve patients’ lives by combining the neurology behind things, so I chose neurosurgery.
3. I was fortunate to be accepted to the NYU Langone Medical Center for my seven-year residency. The program was clinically heavy and the residents there were some of the most skilled and compassionate neurosurgeons that I have every encountered. I remain connected with many of them today.
4. Because this profession is so intense and demanding emotionally, physically and financially, I would highly recommend that any student contemplating entering the medical field, reach out in their community and find the hospitals that allow you to “shadow” doctors to get an up close and personal look at what we do every day. We do that here in Charleston and get excellent feedback from students and parents, too.
Connecting With Stephen Kalhorn, MD
Email: Kalhorn@musc.edu
Website: muschealth.org/providerdirectory/Kalhorn-Stephen
Facebook: facebook.com/Neurosurg
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of a Neurosurgeon
Neurosurgeon
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859:
Like Nature, Liz Abhors a Vacuum - Liz Kislik
“Every six months I was promoted into a new job because I would do the job before I was promoted into it. I, like nature, abhor a vacuum. There were always other things that needed to be done, so I would just start doing whatever wasn’t working right. And then the management would promote me.”
Liz Kislik is a management consultant and executive coach, and a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and Forbes. She helps family-run businesses, national nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies like American Express, Girl Scouts, Staples, Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Highlights for Children solve their thorniest problems while strengthening their top and bottom lines in the process. She has delivered a TEDx on “Why There’s So Much Conflict at Work and What You Can Do to Fix It” and has served as adjunct faculty at New York University and Hofstra University.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Right after graduation from college, Liz was hired full time by the telemarketing firm where she had had a college internship. It wasn’t long until every six months she was getting a promotion of some sort. By 29 she was an executive vice president, when the owner of the company died of an illness without a good succession plan in place. She quickly saw that the new ownership and new leadership of the company were not going to uphold the vision of the previous owner, and she felt the company was not going in a good direction. “So I quit. I was pregnant at the time and it seemed like it would be a challenge to find a new job. I didn’t know what kind of new job I wanted because, in fact, I did not want to be a vice president of customer service someplace. But in less than a week’s time, other consultants in the industry and related areas started subcontracting to me because I already had a reputation in the industry. (I was very active in our trade association, etc.) So, I was working within just a few days and I just kept on going from there.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
- The first thing to think about if you are not happy in your current work is how you can make things better where you are─for yourself and for others. Because if you are curious and look around, you can often find something you can fix or improve. Just doing that, whether it’s for yourself but certainly for others, makes you feel better about being where you are. And that can then help you either stand out, get a promotion, better pay, et cetera. Or the company will see you have more capability than they were taking advantage of, and they may think about a better job position you could go to.
- There are a lot of false expectations done on both sides of the employment equation. Employment, businesses, organizations are only very rarely set up for the people who work there. There are all kinds of processes and procedures and systems that are not set up for the humans who use them. Then on the other side, we have what people bring (from their life outside, good or bad) to the job, and there’s a lot of false expectation in that regard as well.
- Sometimes I could talk to a more senior year manager about what am I supposed to do. But in general, I was not trained at all and really wasn’t helped all that much. We were expected to just figure it out and have the right instincts. That’s one thing that’s still happening to too great an extent today.
Connecting With Liz Kislik
Website: www.lizkislik.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizkislik/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LizKislik
Free Gift
Free field guide and checklist, “How to Resolve Interpersonal Conflicts in the Workplace,” along with a weekly blog
College Job / Internship, Taking Initiative
Business Coach, Business Owner, Telemarketing, Writer
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858:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Pharmacist? - Steven Simenson
“There are so many more opportunities today for pharmacists that we haven’t ever dreamed of. Physicians and other healthcare providers who work with a pharmacist quickly say, ‘I don’t want to work without them anymore and, they make many more opportunities for us.’”
Steven Simenson, BPharm, FAPhA, FACA, DPNAP is the CEO and Managing Partner of Goodrich Pharmacy, Inc., with five community pharmacies in Minnesota. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy along with his wife, Wendy, also a Pharmacist. Steve was the 2013-2014 President of the American Pharmacist’s Association and is on the Board of Directors of Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Companies and the Community Pharmacy Foundation. He is actively advocating for the pursuit of Patient Access to and Coverage for Pharmacist Patient Care Services. Steven is at his best taking care of patients.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I graduated from pharmacy school there was a shortage of jobs for pharmacists. I’d worked in both hospital and in community pharmacies while in college, and I really enjoyed hospital pharmacy work. But at the time I graduated you were happy to get any job you could. When I graduated I put my name out on the job board and a gentleman from the NOCCA called me and said, ‘I’ve got a job opening. Come out and take an interview.’ And I did. I’m still with the same organization decades later. It’s changed a lot, but I’m still living out in this area in Minnesota and practicing community pharmacy and I’ve never looked back to hospital pharmacy. I greatly enjoy being a community pharmacist.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. If you are not a continuous lifelong learner, you probably don’t want to be a pharmacist because you have to do ongoing research on so many aspects of the profession.
2. An innate proclivity for relating to and helping other people is vital: finding solutions to their problems, locating other healthcare providers, and staying connected to them and their families, too, often for a lifetime.
3. Selecting and grooming your staff, while building a culture that allows people to use their best talents and grow both personally and professionally, is one of my key focuses as CEO, and it gives me great satisfaction.
4. To maintain your overall health and wellness in this high stress profession, you have to be able to not take your work home with you, which is easier said than done, but key to your overall performance and satisfaction.
5. In the future, pharmacists are going to provide more direct patient care like pharmacogenomics such as point of care testing for influenza and strep throat and collaborative practice agreements that allow us, through a physician sign-off or medical practice sign-off, to manage and monitor medications.
6. Another gratifying aspect of my work is the internships we have with the University of Minnesota, where we can introduce them to both sides of the work we do—direct relationships with customers and interprofessional work with physicians.
7. There are so many more opportunities for pharmacists today than we ever dreamed of. Physicians and other healthcare providers who work with pharmacists quickly say: “I don’t want to work without them anymore; they create more opportunities for us.”
8. Enthusiastically embrace opportunities that arise to further your education and get experience in a career you are interested in. And network every chance you get. You never know when someone will step forward to help you.
Connecting With Steven Simenson
Email: SSimenson@goodrichpharmacy.com
Website: www.goodrichpharmacy.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/GoodrichPharmacy/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/steve-simenson-8327b410/
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Pharmacist
Business Manager, C-Level Executive, Pharmacist
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857:
A Voracious Learner, Sharing Knowledge - Sean Sessel
“I got to a really dark place because I felt like I had to make that choice: That I could either be financially successful but I could only do so if I sell my soul, sell my values─or, I could be broke. Neither one of those options was acceptable to me.”
Sean Sessel is a voracious learner with a fervent belief in the ability of the individual to better himself or herself. After an epiphany that he derived intrinsic enjoyment from, continual learning and the sharing of knowledge with others, he decided to make a career of it and started the Oculus Institute. Sean developed a unique system called psychohacking and helps individuals escape burnout jobs and craft careers that truly inspire AND pay well. He works with people to prevent self-sabotage, dissolve stress, and discover their personal power and value.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had started the entrepreneurship club with some other undergraduate students. When I was trying to re-evaluate what I was going to do, one of the cofounders of that club said, ‘Hey Sean, why don’t you look into strategy consulting? That makes sense given your talent.’ So, I looked into it and it was something that was really appealing to me: it’s heavy on analysis, it’s heavy on insight, it’s heavy on learning and transmitting information. I put out some applications and ended up getting an offer from Boston Consulting Group, which is one of the world’s leading consulting firms.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
1. Take advantage of any opportunity that can teach you more about yourself.
2. Find and be open to mentors who can give you the tools you need to take your natural functions [abilities] into the reality you want.
3. Respect yourself. Honor your values. And if a job asks you to give up either, give up the job.
4. Sometimes the universe, or your inner voice, tells you to go do something. Trust your instincts and do it. You never know what new doors will open for you.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Sean Sessel
Website: https://www.oculusinstitute.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oculusinstitute/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-oculus-institute/
Email: Sean@oculusinstitute.com
Free Gift
Free presentation called The 7-Step Strategy to Conquer Burnout and Build a Truly Fulfilling Career
Without Risking Your Financial Security, available at oculusinstitute.com/workshopFor more comprehensive information beyond his free presentation, his book “Soulfire” is available as
a Kindle for only $7 on Amazon.Learning, Self-discovery, Self-understanding, Values
Author, Career Coach, Entrepreneur, Strategic Consultant
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A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Professional Fundraising Consultant? - Benjamin Case
Benjamin R. Case is a professional fundraising consultant, who has served in the nonprofit sector for 41 years. He has personally been involved in the successful solicitation of over $1.1 billion in gifts and worked for and been engaged by organizations that have raised $4.8 billion. His fundraising experience includes working with The Metropolitan Opera in NY, Duke University and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, among others. He recently launched an online learning webinar “The Daily Dozen: Habits of Highly Successful Fundraisers.” He is the CEO of Focused on Fundraising, Inc. and the author of 21 Tips for Highly Successful Fundraisers, an international best-seller.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“There are two major turning points for me, and they both occurred when I was 24—one is personal and the other more professional. Two years after I graduated from Catawba College in Salisbury, NC, I was contacted by the admissions director, who offered me a job as the number two person in admissions. I was very interested because, while I grew up in Washington, DC, I missed the small town environment of Salisbury. The next day I got a call from the fellow who ran development who wanted me to be his number two man and start something called a ‘planned giving program.’ I had no idea what that was, but the development job paid $1,000 more a year than the admissions job did. So for a meager $1,000 a year, $83 a month, I picked fundraising over admissions and I have built my entire career in the fundraising space from that day forward!
“The next transformative turning point happened six months later when I was diagnosed with acute myeloblastic leukemia and told I had only a few months to live. With that devastating news, I got very serious about my life, my relationships with my family and my faith in God. About a year later I married the best woman in the world. That whole experience brought a humility to my life that I had not had before and helped me in my service to others and certainly to God.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
There are a few basic thoughts I’ll share with people who are interested in entering this occupation:
- The basic skill sets vital to success in this field are people, communication and organizational skills.
- Emotional intelligence is the lynchpin to people skills, and the good news is that it can be learned via study and training if it is not innate.
- Having a leadership background is a plus because those roles demand that you have to be decisive in your decision making and then take action on those decisions.
- Having an entrepreneurial bent is also an advantage because in many ways when you are fundraising you are running your own business, finding solutions to complex issues and making things happen.
- You have to manage yourself well—all dimensions of yourself—spiritual, emotional, intellectual, physical and social.
- To be your best self, you’ve got to be healthy. It took me a long while to learn this, but now I understand how essential it is for your work and your personal life to eat right, even on the road, get plenty of rest and do some kind of regular exercise, as simple as walking regularly.
On His Bookshelf
Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
21 Tips for Highly Successful Fundraising, by Benjamin R. Case
Connecting With Benjamin Case
Website: https://www.focusedonfundraising.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Focused-on-Fundraising-1136932446442325/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-case-2707141/
Twitter: twitter.com/MajorGiftTips
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of a Professional Fundraiser Consultant
Fundraiser, Professional Fundraiser Consultant
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Life as a Chameleon–A Story of Addiction & Recovery - Blake E. Cohen
“The thing that excites me the most about what I’m doing (as a Certified Addiction Professional) is I get to travel the country, talk to people from all walks of life, and educate them on the disease of addiction. And not just educate them on how it’s affecting the country, but educate them on what we can do to help prevent it for future generations─prevent it in the workplace, prevent it at home. And to really foster an environment that is warm and connecting, to combat people’s needs to use substances.”
Having overcome years of addiction and finding recovery at the age of 25 (he’s now 32), Blake Cohen found a life beyond his wildest dreams. Throughout recovery, he had to learn how to have fun, live life, and make an impact all without the use of substances in his life. He has a career in the substance abuse field at a treatment center named Recovery Unplugged, has hosted radio shows, speaks to children in schools on a regular basis about his story of addiction and teaches them how being cool is being yourself. He is also a bestselling author with the new publication, “I Love You More, Short Stories of Addiction, Recovery and Loss from the Family’s Perspective.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My second treatment program was 90 days. We did a lot of really intensive, hard work, and it was there that a group of my peers sat me down in what they called ‘the hot seat’ and told me that ‘You are a chameleon. You change your personality, your voice, the way you speak, everything that you do changes depending on who you’re talking to. Do you even realize you do that? Who are you?’ And it destroyed me. It was one of those things I knew in the back of my head, that I never really knew who I was, but I never thought anybody else ever noticed. But it was a group of my peers calling me out and telling me things that were hard for me to hear that saved my life. It was sort of a shock to the system. I mean, the drugs and alcohol are taken away from me, so I can’t use that to cope with how I feel anymore. And I can’t use people-pleasing or mask-wearing anymore, so my other coping mechanisms to deal with the world are taken away. So, I’m sort of stripped down with nothing. And that’s when I became teachable, became willing to listen to suggestions and to start rebuilding my life a day at a time.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. “I think a big part of being in recovery–or just being successful in life in general–is always remaining teachable and never thinking we have all the answers.”
“I turned my life around, with the significant help of a group of my fellow addicts, when I decided to start listening to other people and seeking out people who’ve done it before me. I really started seeking mentorship and insight from other people who could help me grow. One of my incredible mentors, the CEO of a private substance abuse treatment center in Fort Lauderdale where I was employed, really took me down the path of showing me what good, ethical treatment looks like and how to talk to people and how to really make a difference in this field. He was great at constantly teaching me new avenues. And, of course, other people I met along the way. It just really inspired me to keep trying new things and keep putting myself out there.”2. “Shame is a normal part of the disease of addiction.”
“But that should not stop anyone from getting help. The goal is to know that there are recoveries out there and that it is possible to find what will work.”3. “In the field I thought I knew everything, what could they possibly teach me? You know, you think that because you went through it yourself. But there was so much more out there than I realized.”
“ ‘If you want a higher position in this company, you’re going to go back to school,’ my boss said. So, I signed up to become a Certified Addictions Professional (CAP), which in Florida, in a sense, equates to a Masters in Addiction. It’s a 14-month course. You have to work in the substance abuse field for 6,000 hours, which is three years, get 300 supervision hours of you doing groups and individual therapy sessions, and take a state board exam. I learned, among other things, that the way I got sober isn’t necessarily the way that everybody else gets sober. And there’s so many different, beautiful modalities and ways that people find recovery that is not just the way that I did it. There are tons of ways that people can find recovery and a better life. And it changed the way that I even looked at recovery. It made me realize that recovery is not only being abstinent from substances. It is asking yourself two questions: Are you happy? And are you making progress in your life?”4. Why are the majority of people not doing work that uses the best of who they are?
“I believe that it is based in fear. I think people are afraid of taking a chance with their life. And often the thing that they want to do seems so out of reach because they tell themselves that it is out of reach. So they play it safe as opposed to doing what they could potentially love. … As much as I’d like to say, just rip the Band-Aid off and dive right in, that’s not always the most practical thing to do. Start doing it on the side. Start dabbling. Dip your toe in the water and see if it’s something that you can enjoy, and slowly make your way to it. And once you find out that it is, dip your foot and dip your calf and your knee, your thigh, your hip. Keep going and eventually, you’ll be fully immersed in something you love.”Books on The Topic
Connecting With Blake E. Cohen
Website: BlakeEvanCohen.com
Facebook: facebook.com/BlakeCohenAuthor/
Twitter: twitter.com/BlakeCohenAutho/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/blake-cohen-b4454697/
Instagram: @BlakeEvanC
Addiction
Certified Addiction Professional
March 2020:
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A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Real Estate Entrepreneur? - Edna Keep
“I’m the worst person to send shopping because I do not bargain hunt. If I like something, I buy it. And that is not the best business practice. So you learn that as time goes on, and to be okay with it. My brother, who is just older than me, was so thrifty he could squeeze a quarter for forever. And if I got a quarter, I’d spend it. It’s so funny how later on in life, how something that could be construed as a negative can actually turn into a positive and your strength.”
Edna Keep is a real estate entrepreneur and real estate investment advisor, coach and trainer. With $60 million in real estate assets built since 2007, primarily with “Other People’s Money,” she feels like she is exactly where she is meant to be: coaching and training people in all the skills that she has acquired throughout her life.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
I was a successful certified financial planner and advisor in the mutual funds industry for 15 years, when in 2007 I was introduced to the real estate market by way of the Robert Kiyosaki course on real estate investing. It was an extensive course: every quarter we’d spend long weekends in several different cities throughout Canada and the U.S., and I just loved it. My absolute favorite class was creative financing and that’s where I learned about buying real estate with other people’s money that people would invest with you. It turned out to be a really good fit with my background as a financial advisor, and so I transitioned over the next few years into advising people on real estate investments instead of mutual funds. And then it transferred over into coaching people through the whole purchase cycle. So we have sold very little real estate. We mostly buy for the long-term and hold. My all-time favorite part of the real estate business was that the tenants pay off our mortgage. And when I really wrapped my head around that idea, I couldn’t sell mutual funds anymore.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
To those individuals who think they might like to work in the real estate industry I have a few thoughts I’d like to share:
1. My main advice is to get around people who are doing what you think you might like to do because you might be surprised after you follow somebody around for a day, you might say, “Now that doesn’t interest me at all, or you might say, wow, I had no idea. I would love to do that all day!”
2. I find that people who thrive in the real estate business have a real passion for it—all aspects of it—from a fascination with the properties themselves, to the process of working with clients to find their dream home, to the various aspects of the financial side.
3. Research the company you want to join as much as humanly possible! The educational components of becoming a realtor are pretty straightforward: you learn the basics of the business, take the licensing exam and you are good to go. In my experience, the first major key decision is deciding which real estate company you want to join that will invest the time and resources into training you.
4. Be clear on the difference between selling real estate as a realtor and owning real estate as an investor: Instead of selling one property to one person, you could potentially sell many properties to one person!
5. Understanding the cap rate, the value of property, the tenant profiles in different areas are aspects of the commercial side of the business. This side of the industry involves more training, but today there are ample courses out there online and in person that are readily available.
Connecting With Edna Keep
Email: edna@ednakeep.com
Website: www.ednakeep.com
Twitter: @ednakeep
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ednakeep
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ednakeep
Free Gift
Edna offers some free training, videos, a webinar, and articles on how to become a real estate entrepreneur on her website at: https://ednakeep.com/free-training-resources/
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of a Real Estate Entrepreneur
Financial Advisor, Real Estate Entrepreneur, Real Estate Investment
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From Precocious Child to Precocious Adult - Jeannette Bessinger
It all goes back to her precocious nature. She set her sights on going to a particular prep school in Newport, R.I., because she heard people say it was a special place that would get you into a good college. And she wanted to go to a good college so she could make money─even though her mother said, “Absolutely not! We can’t afford it.” Jeannette says, “When I decided as a kid that this was something I wanted to do, I just did it. I didn’t have a sense that I wouldn’t be able to do it. I had a strong sense that, if I decided to do what I could, I’d get it.” She got a ride to the school interview, got accepted as a student, and got a big scholarship to make it all possible. And to this day she still believes she can achieve anything she sets her mind to.
Jeannette Bessinger, interfaith minister and board certified health coach, is an award-winning educator and author of multiple books featuring healthy eating. Her recipes and healthy lifestyle perspectives have been showcased in hundreds of speaking venues and media outlets, including Consumer Reports, The Washington Post, NPR and NBC News. Designer of a long running and successful hospital-based lifestyle change program and countless transformational workshops, Jeannette has helped thousands of people make lasting changes to deeply entrenched habits that no longer serve them.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Jeannette went into teaching right after college, as she had planned, and developed a theater curriculum in her first year. But she knew by her second week of teaching that she wasn’t going to stay. She found herself gravitating toward the kids in her classes that had special challenges at home and came to realize, “I’m supposed to be working directly with these kids.” With her usual precociousness, she approached a private social service agency that specialized in teenage kids in high risk situations, convinced them she could provide a program based on psychodrama and playback theater, and funded the program through a grant. “It was incredible! It stretched me in ways that I hadn’t expected and it gave me a deep level of satisfaction. But then I had a very specific reason to shift gears. My son was diagnosed pretty early on with what at the time was “Asperger’s, but now we consider it ‘on the spectrum.’ I realized that I was spending a huge amount of time with these kids who, for all kinds of different reasons, hadn’t had the parenting that they really needed…but at the expense of my own son’s parenting. And it was a big ‘aha.’” She and her husband made some job shifts and figured out a way to allow her to stay home for a little while. “What we ended up doing was we changed our entire lives to support our son in a completely different way than what we had planned. And as a result of that, he actually made really good, rapid progress, I think. And, because of the kid that he is, he did the work, but we tried to support him as much as we possibly could.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. There often is a big disconnect between the things that we think we want and will make us happy, and the things that actually do. At the root of it is a lack of self-awareness. As a result, many people fall into work of convenience or cultural or familial legacy, or they have an idea of something, but then when they get into that job, it’s not what they thought it would be.
2. Be prepared to recognize that you may make some wrong career choices along the way, but learn from them and take what you can from the experience to map out the next steps. Too often people get an education, start a job and then find out, “‘Oh my goodness, I hate this and that and that.’ That’s exactly what happened to me as a teacher. I had the whole thing mapped out, and then I started teaching.”
3. There are circumstances you can’t control that may affect your career choices. Take a step back and think through your decisions based on your whole self, your whole life. At times, it may be more important to make new career decisions when other priorities take precedence.
4. Find the money. If there is something you really believe in and are completely excited about, the money can often be found. Do your research and put all your enthusiasm into your pitch. Be that person with the idea that’s hard to resist.
5. Take the time to learn more about how your diet can affect many aspects of your health.
Connecting With Jeannette Bessinger
Website (coaching): www.jeannettebessinger.com
Facebook: The Clean Food Coach
Flower Fire, a Fresh Vision for Over-40 Women (private group, request to join)
Instagram: @jeannettebessinger
Pinterest: JeannetteBessinger – life & food in Flow
Free Gift
Go to jeannettebessinger.com/DYT for:
The Over-40 Equalizer, a 4-day jumpstart program to quickly rebalance your fitness, food & mood
A Video and Short Quiz: The surprising truth about why you DON’T actually want to lose weight – and what you’re truly looking for!
Children with Special Challenges, Lifestyle Change, Theatre as Healer
Author, Educator, Health Coach, Lifestyle Change, Minister / Rabbi, Starting programs for kids with special challenges at home
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A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be an lnternational Photographer? - Parish Kohanim
Parish Kohanim is a self-taught photographer with a degree in film, who started his career by photographing hundreds of advertising campaigns for major clients both domestic and international. His paradigm and commitment for his personal life and career is “to stay original, diverse, timeless and unique while capturing beauty. I feel privileged and fortunate to be able to spend time capturing the infinite and sublime beauty of creation. A gift that humbles and centers me, letting me escape from the excessive noise in our world.” Recipient of many prestigious awards, Parish has been committed to focus on his true calling to stay fresh and inventive to photograph a broad range of fine art photos.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I came to the United States when I was 18 and planned to continue my education at San Francisco State University in geology, which I had been fascinated with during my boyhood in Iran where we lived so close to nature. Early on I realized that geology did not interest me any longer. So, I took photography as a last resort, as my final elective. My photography professor was highly supportive, encouraged me and was a great guide and muse. Basically I abandoned what I came here for and thanks to him set off on a career that has been my life’s work and passion ever since.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
- I was born in Shiraz, Iran, a beautiful city much like Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was called “the city of nightingales and flowers.” My parents constantly took us out and connected us with nature, which has informed every aspect of my life.
- My father had a darkroom for his photography and I would watch him work even though I wasn’t into photography as a young man. That experience elevated my appreciation of beauty and trained my eye to be a visual person.
- After building a successful career in commercial photography working with large agencies representing international clients, I came to realize that I had to listen to my own voice and execute my own ideas. That’s when I got into doing fine art photography.
- After 7 years in San Francisco and a short stint in New York with one of the top fashion photographers, I wanted more nature in my life. I came to Atlanta for a visit in the springtime of 1979, when Atlanta is in full bloom with its dogwood trees and myriad flowers, and I have been here ever since.
On His Bookshelf
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere, by Pico Iyer
Connecting With Parish Kohanim
Website: www.ParishKohanim.com
Twitter: @ParishKohanim
Facebook: facebook.com/ParishKohanimPhotography/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/parish-kohanim-397a9118
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of a Photographer
Commercial Photographer, Fine Art Photographer, Photographer
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851:
Authenticity–What You See Is What You Get - Todd Palmer
“The hardest thing I’ve found people have answering is ‘what do you really want?’ I had to answer that for myself because what I thought I wanted, what I thought would fill the emptiness of that five-year-old who had lost everybody important to him, was things–was money, was toys, was houses, was whatever. What I really found, what I really get to with my clients, is helping them define success related to something that matters to them. And more often than not, it does not have to do with material items. For me, success is doing what I want, when I want, with whom I want to do it, as often as possible.”
Todd Palmer is an executive coach, keynote speaker, renowned thought leader, author, and CEO who is committed to helping business owners tackle their obstacles and clear their path to success. As an entrepreneur and active CEO, Todd knows the struggles business owners face regarding people, cash, strategy & execution. He took his company from being $600,000 in debt, to making the INC 5,000 as one of America’s fastest-growing companies (an astounding 6 times)!
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had a young son to raise so I left a teaching position I loved and joined Olsten, the staffing company, where I thought I’d have more opportunities. While there I saw a need in the marketplace that wasn’t being filled by Olsten or the smaller entrepreneurial staffing company I joined after a year at Olsten. These staffing firms focused mainly on clerical work, and I saw a large need from companies that needed skilled trade professionals: welders, high-end machinists and other similar roles that the more traditional staffing firms were not interested in serving. I was 27 at the time, in 1997, and was so fascinated with this opportunity that I wrote a business plan that a friend who was 15 years older agreed to invest in—once I got realistic about the start-up budget I needed! Because I would pick people up at their home or drive them to the suburbs from the city because many people didn’t have vehicles, I met a huge need in the marketplace and was profitable within 90 days.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Teach yourself how to be self-reliant (without completely pushing away help). When I was around 5 my father unexpectedly died at the age of 45. My mother went from being a stay-at-home mom to having to return to the workforce. At the same time my brother left home for college and my sister married and moved away too. My feelings of abandonment were profound, but I learned at this very young age some basic lessons of self-reliance. It was very much creating my own world, like entrepreneurs will do in their businesses. I created that in my own personal life and became my own visionary of what I wanted to accomplish.
2. Open yourself to mentors and their advice.
* We moved from Detroit to a farm in mid-Michigan because my mother remarried. The much smaller school environment allowed me to know my teachers very well, and they encouraged me to focus on my writing skills, which led to a scholarship at the local community college to write on the newspaper.
* After 2 years at the community college I enrolled at Eastern Michigan University. While there my interest in writing faded, as my fascination with teaching increased as I took more communications classes. My advisor encouraged me to teach at the university level and helped me to obtain a coveted teaching position at my former community college while I was still an undergraduate—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.3. Learn and accept what you do not know. After 9 years running my company in 2006 with the 2008 recession in the offing, we hit some major rough patches that placed my company in jeopardy. I hired an experienced coach, with deep and broad financial experience, who helped me make a series of extremely hard decisions that essentially saved my company from bankruptcy.
4. Define what you really want and your definition of success—for yourself. The hardest question that my clients have answering is: “What do you really want?” More often than not it has little to do with the outer manifestations of success—money and things—as I’ve learned over my entire life and career. Success for me is doing what I want, when I want, with whom I want, as often as possible. I help my clients figure that out.
Connecting With Todd Palmer
Website: extraordinaryadvisors.com
Facebook: facebook.com/search/top/?q=extraordinary%20advisors
Twitter: twitter.com/toddpalmer
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/toddpalmer1/
Free Gift
“To honor all the mentors and the coaches that I’ve had, if anybody who’s been interested in my story or anybody who thinks I can be of service or a value to them, contact me on my website. Extraordinary Advisors.com. Go to the Contact Us section, fill it out, and send me a request. I’m happy to give anybody who listens to this interview, 30 minutes on my calendar for free to hear their story. And maybe help them plant a couple of seeds so they can create their life by design.”
Authenticity, Defining Success, Overcoming Business Debt, Todd-Palmer
Author, CEO, Coach, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Staffing
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A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Veterinarian - John Robb, DVM
“When I’ve had a tough case, and the dog or cat or lizard or whatever I’m treating is really in a life-threatening type situation, and I’m able to apply my skills, pull that pet through, and then when that pet’s coming up to the front to meet the client to go home…you know, that’s IT, right there. That moment where you see the people and the emotions and the tears, and knowing that I was able to be a part of that, you know? That’s it.”
Dr. John Robb is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Connecticut. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis in 1981 and his DVM from that same institution in 1985. Dr. Robb started the Protect The Pets movement in 2006 to bring morals back into veterinary medicine. This has helped clients by establishing pet safe hospitals and veterinarians by giving them the opportunity to live their oath. He currently owns and operates a small animal veterinary hospital in Newtown, Ct called Dr. Robb’s Protect The Pets – 98 South Main Street, Newtown, Ct. He practices the new standard of titering first before routinely over vaccinating pets who already have immunity. He plans on putting Protect The Pets Hospitals all over the world.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I finally decided I wanted to be a veterinarian I met with the pre-vet counselor. He looked at my grades and recent academic history and told me that I should consider other options because only one in one thousand applicants were accepted to veterinary school and my chances were slim to none. While I was studying for an agriculture degree at U.C. Davis, where the state veterinary school is located, I started asking the veterinary students how they got in with the competition being so intense. While many were super smart and accomplished, many others were simply persistent. They worked hard, kept applying and got more experience. I realized if I really wanted it bad enough I could make it. My aha moment was realizing who I was at my core and being willing to tackle any obstacle to get accepted. And so I did, I got in.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. From a very young age I loved animals—snakes, lizards, opossums, raccoons—my room was full of them. I just had an affinity for observing their nature and habits. I had no clue then that I would become a veterinarian one day, but my heart was always open to animals.
2. I had a superb mentor, Dr. Bruce Max Feldman, who dedicated himself to making sure the pets and the clients came first. Sometimes it is difficult because there are many pressures to put the bottom line above the quality of care. He never compromised and I don’t either.
3. In veterinary school you have to take in a vast amount of knowledge over a wide range of subjects in a very short time. It is frankly brutal, and the pressure is immense. If you want it, you must be highly disciplined and have the desire to put in the hours, the energy and the time.
4. This is a demanding profession because you are dealing with life and death constantly. Often it is hard for me to turn my mind off and get to bed at night without reviewing the day’s cases: what could I have done better? What should I do next? That’s why it is vital for each professional to find their own balance—something that feeds your spirit.
Connecting With John Robb, DVM
Website: protectthepets.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/DRRobbPTP/
Twitter: John Robb@JohnRobb17
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/john-robb-639a317/
Instagram: drrobbsprotectthepets
Phone: 203-690-2866
Office: Dr. Robb’s Protect The Pets, 98 South Main Street, Newtown, Ct
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of a Veterinarian, Pets, Pets Health Care
Veterinarian
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849:
Sometimes You Just Have to Throw Your Hat Over the Fence - Allegra Huston
“Most people don’t know what they’re good at, don’t have a natural talent. Like me. So sometimes you have to find one or kind of create one for yourself. You have got to put food on the table and send your kid to school. So, there are those reasons. I think if we are good girls or boys, we try to fulfill the expectations that are inevitably held for us. If we’re bad girls and bad boys, we’re fighting against those expectations. But in either case, we’re still being driven by other people’s expectations. I think it just takes some time and maturity and mistakes and unhappiness to start to find what is it that makes you excited in the morning, that makes you want to be doing whatever it is that you want to do.”
Allegra Huston is the author of “Love Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found” (audiobook 2019), the novel “A Stolen Summer” (paperback 2019), and many screenplays including the award-winning short film “Good Luck, Mr. Gorski,” which she also produced. In 2019 she co-founded Twice 5 Miles, to publish how-to books on “the stuff nobody teaches you.” The first two titles are “How to Read for an Audience” by Allegra and “How to Edit and Be Edited” by Allegra and James Nave – both are the only books available on these subjects.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My brother, Jason, from my biological father’s side, was quite unhappy with the work he was doing for an architectural engineering firm. I was in the publishing field as an editor and while I was very good at it, I felt like I should be doing my own work. We went out to dinner together and made a pact that instead of continually complaining about our circumstances we would go into work the next day and hand in our notices by noon. This was 5 weeks before my 30th birthday and Jason was almost 35. We each did just that with no plan whatsoever about what we were going to do next. Our main goal was to simply quit whining about our lives and do something about it. We each began to freelance—Jason become a successful freelance architect and designer and I landed a job working for a film distribution and production company. And our stories evolved quickly from there!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. What I fervently believe and what I stand for is that you can make a family of whoever you have in your life, regardless of the chain of DNA. That’s exactly what I did and that is what my memoir is about.
2. My favorite thing to do as a child was to read. I went to Oxford University and read English because it came easily to me. A friend introduced me to a job at his publishing company because of my skills, which was my start at becoming an editor. You never know where or when the next opportunity comes from, so always be open to the possibilities.
3. In my experience, most people don’t know what they are good at—what they are naturally good at. It often takes time, maturity, mistakes and even unhappiness to lead you to what you really want to do. Interestingly that may not be where your greatest talents are, but it may be what fulfills you on a deeper level.
4. At major turning points in our lives, the circumstances are rarely perfect for us to make the next move or decision about what to do next. The obstacles may be vast, but it’s at this point that you “throw your hat over the fence,” or in other words, “just go for it!”
On Her Bookshelf
Love Child: A Memoir Of Family Lost And Found, by Allegra Huston
A Stolen Summer, by Allegra Huston
How to Edit and Be Edited: A Guide for Writers and Editors (The Stuff Nobody Teaches You, Book 1) by Allegra Huston
How to Read for an Audience: A Writer’s Guide (Twice 5 Miles Guides), by James Nave’ and Allegra Huston
Connecting With Allegra Huston
Websites: allegrahuston.com and twice5miles.com
Facebook: facebook.com/allegrahustonofficial/
Twitter: @allegrahuston
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/allegra-huston-76b30619/
Instagram: allegrahuston
Not Belonging
Author, Editor, Film Production, Film Writer, Freelancer
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848:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Celebrity Makeup Artist? - Rhonda Barrymore
“I was about seven years old when I saw the movie Cleopatra, and I was just enthralled with the hair and makeup that movie portrayed. That was a long time ago with the original Cleopatra being Elizabeth Taylor. I went home and was so inspired, I got my crayons out and drew a picture for my Aunt Flo, and my Aunt Flo kept that picture that I drew with crayons, and I still have it today. That drawing that I did was the inspiration for hair and makeup and nails.”
Rhonda Barrymore is the founder and President of Help Me Rhonda®, Inc., a worldwide provider of physical appearance products and services. Rhonda has worked locally and globally to make up and style some of the most well-known and prestigious people in the world. Some of her services include beauty and special effects makeup, as well as skincare, hair styling, wardrobe styling, prop styling and her extensive skin care and makeup product line for all branches of the media and personal use, including but not limited to film production, high definition television production, print photography and live performance.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Rhonda was married, with two children at a young age. “Then I got a divorce, so I had to go to work!” She started working as a makeup representative at a large department store and one of her first clients was Diane von Furstenberg, who had recently introduced a cosmetic line of her own. “I got to work with her personally. I still have an autographed book from her from that time period. From then on, I became known as a celebrity makeup artist.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Horses were my first inspiration. My mother told me that I could draw perfect horses in the sand when I was very young. I was in love with horses and I painted them and drew them. My second inspiration was seeing the film, Cleopatra, with Elizabeth Taylor. I was about 10 years old and drew a picture of Cleopatra for my aunt that replicated one of the scenes. My aunt kept it and presented it to me about two years ago. You know, I’m still impressed with my own work from that time!
2. When I was in middle school and throughout high school, I was the “art director” who did everything from the murals on the walls of the school to the magazines and newspapers we published.
3. My first job as a makeup artist in the real world was behind a counter at the J.C. Penney department store in Atlanta. I moved to Macy’s and Diane von Furstenberg had her product line there and chose me to be her makeup artist.
4. Always an avid reader, I followed the top cosmetic brands in the industry and decided that there was a place for more products with natural ingredients vs. the plethora of synthetic ones with unpronounceable names—so I created my own line of products, which is thriving today.
5. Clients book me because I bring a level of comfortableness to the situation. We’re real with each other. I treat everybody the same. I’ve worked with four American presidents and their wives in the White House. President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter still book me all the time and treat me like family. You have to be real in order to communicate effectively with each other, to find out what people want or what the executives want, or the directors want when they book you to work with somebody.
Connecting With Rhonda Barrymore
Website: www.HelpMeRhonda.com
Facebook: facebook.com/helpmerhondainc
Twitter: twitter.com/HelpMeRhondaINC
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/helpmerhondainc/
Instagram: instagram.com/RhondaBarrymore
A Day in the Life
Makeup Artist, Skincare and Makeup Product Line, Wardrobe Styling
February 2020:
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847:
Internet Guru, Now Introduces People to Themselves - David Conley
“My world had always been one where I was rewarded for my work and my vocation. I was good at it and I was rewarded for it. I had money and power and capabilities that everybody says is the dream. You know: the house, the cars, the pool, whatever it is, right? The stuff of life. But when it got down to it, when the chips were on the table, and when I was at my lowest after my wife had passed, none of that mattered. Not one bit of it. And it still doesn’t matter. That’s my secret. And it’s not a secret, but the more time that you spend on yourself, the more time that you spend and learn and explore that mind, that heart and that soul, that spirit, the more that you can bring to all of the other parts of your life.”
When Dave Conley worked for AOL, he introduced 32 million people to the internet for the first time. Now, he introduces people to themselves. Dave specializes in coaching, programs and talks for life changing journeys in weight loss, self-care and bereavement. Formerly weighing in at 330 pounds, he now weighs in to help people architect their health, wellness and future.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In 2011 I lost my wife of 13 years very unexpectedly. Within 40 hours of a cold developing, a series of bad events happened that led to having to turn off life support for her. I now know what it means to die from a broken heart because you are just so flooded with grief that every human dimension of you shuts off. This was such a profound shock to my system that I knew I had to choose whether or not to live or die. I couldn’t eat or sleep or take care of myself that much. Slowly but surely I was able to crawl back to humanity and begin to rebuild.”
“Two lessons emerged from this experience that guide my life today. One: I did not have to suffer this profound tragedy—the loss of my beloved Carol—to change my life. Two: I learned how to love myself as much or maybe more than my wife, which is quite different from how I had lived most of my life to that point.”
“In the course of four years after Carol’s passing I had lost 150 pounds, gotten into shape and decided I wanted to share my time, talents and what I had learned about the mind, body, heart and spirit with my vocation, my community and my legacy.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
- I knew from a very early age that my home environment wasn’t optimal for me for many reasons. In the first grade I made friends with another boy named Joe. My relationship with him and his family had a profound influence on my life and even my career and was a grounding cornerstone for me.
- As luck would have it, Joe’s father was an engineer and ran a technology company. He owned the first versions of the Apple Two and Two Plus home computers. So I got very comfortable with computers at an early age.
- My family setting taught me that I had to rely solely on myself. In college a professor encouraged me to understand that there are safe places for me to actually ask for help.
- When I joined AOL in 1996 as a project manager, it was a growing startup with only a few hundred people. In the course of the next decade the company grew exponentially and blazed many trails in this new world of the internet. I grew my skills at organizing and bringing people together in order to accomplish complex projects.
- While I worked with some amazing people at the USPTO, after a few years I finally hit the breaking point. A friend asked me the simple question: “Why was I so happy in my time at AOL?” I realized that the reason I thrived there was that while I was a key player in this international company, creating innovations on a regular basis, what I was truly motivated by was that I was making a difference in the lives of individual people—one person at a time.
Connecting With David Conley
Website: https://limitl.es/
Facebook: facebook.com/DavidCConley/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidconley/
Instagram: instagram.com/davidcconley/
AOL through the Time-Warner Merger, Bereavement, Self-care
Bereavement Coach, Business Manager, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Internet Guru, Self-care Coach, Weight Loss Coach
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846:
A Day in the Life: What's It Really Like to Be a Supermodel? - Susan Miner
“You know there were times that I would work in New York City during the day. And then a driver would come pick me up, bring me to the airport, I’d fly overnight to Paris, go straight to the studio, take a quick shower and work all day there. I’d only do that if both jobs were great, but the travel was pretty tricky.”
Susan Miner is the founder of Beauty From the Inside Out. As a supermodel, Susan graced the covers of Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Self, Bazaar, and more. Some of her beauty campaigns were L’Oreal, Maybelline, Revlon, and Nivea. She followed this up by becoming a Professor of Psychology and therapist. Susan’s expertise as a therapist is anxiety reduction and eliminating panic attacks. Her company now combines both of her careers as a model and a therapist. Collaboration with other models is a fun part of her work as she lends her face and intelligence to projects.
On Her Bookshelf
Peace Inside Beauty Outside, by Susan Miner, Anti-Anxiety Thought Leader
Connecting With Susan Miner
Website: susanminerbeauty.com
Facebook: facebook.com/SusanMinerBeauty/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/susanminerbeauty/
Instagram: instagram.com/susanminerbeauty/
YouTube: youtube.com/user/SusanMinerBeauty
Free Gift
Subscribe to her YouTube Channel for exercises to build confidence and reduce anxiety. Some of her videos are designed for models but can be used for anyone wanting a model life.
A Day In the Life of a Super Model, Modeling
expertise in anxiety & panic attacks, Model, Professor, Therapist
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845:
From International Model to Method Actor to Professional Coach - Gay Thomas Wilson
“…most people do not honor this. Their life experience, especially the negative, or what I call unpreferred experiences hidden within your life experience is who you are. If you connect the dots, you find out who you are, what you’re good at, what you love and what you want to do. The other part of that is understanding how absolutely valuable you are. When you begin to honor your life experience, converge that with your skill set, your gifts and talents, you begin to realize who you are and what you’re capable of, how valuable you are—uniquely and wonderfully made.”
Gay Thomas Wilson is a keynote speaker, personal development & business strategist. She coaches and mentors business professionals, entrepreneurs and creative talent. Gay launched two successful international careers as a trained method actor, model and cover girl. Motivated by her sister’s diagnosis of schizophrenia, she has been an advocate for changing the stigma of mental health. Gay’s journey has given her the skill set to create powerful tools and techniques that facilitate the ability to break through to success by converging life experiences, gifts, talents and skills, which accelerates one’s ability to produce sustainable success in both life and business.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I dropped out of college around 20, after three and a half years studying theater at California State University, with no clear plan of what to do next. I was on a crowded elevator when the woman next to me asked, ‘Did you ever think about becoming a model?’ She was a talent agent and began immediately representing me. She was a fine person who believed in me and encouraged me, had me take classes, and booked my first commercial on my first audition—a national commercial at that.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. As a theater major at California State University I was fortunate to be mentored by a long-time professional makeup artist. I learned how to create characters, how to age a 20-year-old to look 70 and much more that helped me when I became an actor.
2. After modeling in Los Angeles for a couple of years, a friend suggested I move to New York. There I worked with Elite Model Management for a couple of years and Wilhelmina Models for another eight. I was comfortable as a model because I loved fashion, had the background in makeup, along with theater training.
3. My next career move was into acting, which had always fascinated me. I studied method acting at the Actors Conservatory for 6 years with luminaries such as Warren Robertson and Lily Lodge. Acting gave me the opportunity to explore my inner world. My acting career included guest star roles on TV series such as the Sopranos, Law & Order, Homicide and several movies.
4. As a coach I’ve learned that most people do not honor their life experience. If you connect the dots you find out who you are, what you are good at, what you love to do and what you truly want to do. It’s called discovery and is a four step process.
Connecting With Gay Thomas Wilson
Website: www.gaythomaswilson.com
Facebook: m.facebook.com/WakeupYourPurpose2018/Twitter: twitter.com/gaythomaswilson?lang=en
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gay-thomas-wilson-2037837
Instagram: instagram.com/gaythomaswilson/
Free Gift
Free Ebooks:
Unleash Your Hidden Super Powers, an e-workbook to identify your Super Powers and Saboteurs, to break through to the next level of success
Start an Online Business on Your Terms, for Lady Boomers
Multi Careers, Self-understanding, Self-worth
Actor, Business Coach, Keynote Speaker, Model, Speaker
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844:
A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be an Investigative Journalist? - Carey Gillam
“You start out just sort of covering your beat and writing about deals and you start to get to know people. And people start telling you things and you want to push more and more. I think I’m the kind of person, and most investigative journalists are the kind of people, that when somebody pushes back and tells you to stop and go away, that means you know you’re going to push harder, and you’re not going to go away. You’ve got to have tenacity.”
Carey Gillam is a veteran investigative journalist with more than 25 years of experience covering corporate news, including 17 years as a senior correspondent for Reuters international news service. She is the author of “Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science,” an exposé of corporate corruption in agriculture. The book won the coveted Rachel Carson Book Award from the Society of Environmental Journalists. Gillam works now as Research Director for the non-profit U.S. Right to Know and a columnist for The Guardian. She also is contracted as a consultant for a documentary film in the works, freelances and is working on her second book.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“The catalyst for me doing more investigative versus traditional reporting happened while I was covering the banking industry. I discovered that there was a group of real estate investors and banking executives who were collaborating on some fraudulent deals and swindling investment groups, including pension funds, out of millions of dollars. The deeper I dug into the facts of the story the stronger the pushback I got. I’m the kind of person that when somebody tells me to stop, to go away, I just dig in my heels and push harder to find out the truth. After months and months of gathering the hard facts about the case from an inside source, I knew we had an ironclad case. The Department of Justice got involved and people went to jail for their criminal acts. It became a very big story and was extremely gratifying work.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. My father loved to have spirited debates around the dinner table over public policy and cultural issues, so I was raised with social justice top of mind, along with the belief that information was the pathway to all good things.
2. Investigative journalists are the kind of people that when somebody pushes back and tells you to stop and go away, that means you are going to push harder and you’re not going to go away.
3. Successful investigative journalists must possess these characteristics:
* An innate curiosity about the world around you.
* A love of continuous exploration and learning because every story is an intricate new matrix of information on many levels that you have to figure out.
* If you aren’t utterly tenacious, this is not the occupation for you because it’s always difficult to delve into each topic, to find the “detail that matters.”
* You have to know yourself. It’s hard to connect with people from all backgrounds and occupations if you aren’t self-aware about your strengths and weakness.
* You must be able to compartmentalize between work time and personal or family time. Otherwise work will eat you alive.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Carey Gillam
Website: www.careygillam.com
Facebook: facebook.com/CareyGillamAuthor/
Twitter: twitter.com/careygillam
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/carey-gillam-584a1913/
Instagram: instagram.com/truthaboutpesticides/?hl=en
A Day in the Life of an Investigative Reporter
Author, Journalist
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843:
Always Blazing His Own Trail - Stanley Funches, Sr.
“I want to continue to grow what I’m doing. I want to continue to touch people that I may not ever meet. And I think one of the reasons why I went into the book arena is that I’m hoping that someone can read ‘The Quest for Financial Independence’ and get a few nuggets of the experiences I’ve had with my clients. It could help them whether I ever meet them or not. And they can say, ‘gosh, I didn’t think about that this way. Or maybe I should look at implementing this.’ If I can touch them in a positive way, then that would be my vision for the future. To continue to use my years of experience to help more people in different ways.”
Stanley T. Funches, Sr., is a Certified Financial Planner practitioner, who specializes in assisting business owners, professionals, and retirees with their retirement goals and savings. He is the owner and president of INTELUS Wealth Management. He has over 20 years of financial planning experience and is committed to assisting his clients create, build, and protect their legacy. He has just completed a career dream by publishing his first book, the Amazon Best-Seller, “The Quest for Financial Independence: 10 Areas of Your Planning You Should Not Ignore.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I finished my degree in Finance from Tulane in 1993 I expected to become a stockbroker. I was turned down by Dean Witter because of no experience and felt quite disappointed after all the work I’d invested earning my degree. Seven months after I had sent out a passel of resumes, I got a call from a little company—Enterprise Rent-A-Car. They offered me an entry level position, which was hardly my dream job. Little did I know that the fundamentals of business that I learned there would turn out to be seminal to my entire career in financial planning. I learned: how to make branches profitable, how to work in a team environment, how to build relationships via networking, how to put employees first to create a positive and productive culture, and so much more. Working there for 6 years was my ‘real-world MBA’ and I made lifetime friends in the process.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. My mother and dad instilled in me the importance of discipline and hard work in everything you do. They were especially insistent that my primary focus growing up was my education, as the foundation for building a successful and meaningful life.
2. I was encouraged from an early age by many teachers and coaches in my school and church environment who were exemplary role models.
3. It’s important to learn early that what may appear as a set-back
or even defeat in any aspect of your life may turn out to be the exact opposite and lead to opportunities of unimagined possibilities.4. In tackling any career challenge, it’s important to have a support system, both financial and emotional, to help you manage your way through difficult times.
5. We only get one chance at this life, so always, always pour your best talents and passions into whatever you have set out to achieve.
On His Bookshelf
Financial Planner
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842:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Lawyer? - Arnie Herz
“Whatever profession they’re going to explore, I think the most important thing is for them to explore themselves and know themselves. Meaning, what makes me tick, what excites me, what interests me? How do I do in groups? Do I like to take the lead in a group? Do I not like to take the lead in the group? What things that I’ve done have been most exciting to me? And then why. Then when you could really start understanding templates and your sensitivities and your sensibilities, then you start getting to know yourself. And then also to learn about psychology, emotional intelligence, personal growth to develop oneself, because that’s the most important thing. And that also includes developing not just your emotional capacity, but your mental capacity.”
Arnie Herz is a lawyer, mediator and speaker. He has delivered over 100 programs and keynotes on topics related to the attorney-client relationship, negotiation, conflict resolution and work-life balance. His work has been covered in numerous publications and he has received a host of acknowledgements and awards from his colleagues.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Playing in an intramural basketball game during my junior year as an undergrad, I had congestive heart failure. Through sports I found tremendous solace and energy. I had channeled my restlessness for seeing the world through sports. In the hospital, they told me I would not be able to play competitive sports anymore. That turned my life upside down. It made me realize how precious life is, how at any moment everything can change. In that moment, I realized I needed to live my life for myself and not just go through the motions to please my parents, my friends or society. I had an obligation to go search for what I needed to find.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. After graduating from college, I did something that made no sense to anyone I knew. I bought a backpack and a one-way ticket to London. For much of the next four years I traveled around the world. Experiencing the profound differences in lifestyles in places like Bombay where people would walk miles for drinking water dramatically altered my perspective and world view.
2. In India I studied meditation and yoga and learned how to manage my mind and my emotions. Each gave me tremendous insight into myself and human nature and have been essential to my effectiveness as a lawyer.
3. As my career evolved, I transitioned out of all forms of litigation and into dispute resolution where the success or failure of the issue depends on the individuals to work things out themselves. It’s not in the hands of a third party.
4. My advice to anyone contemplating entering the profession of law is to get to know themselves—what makes you tick? The more you can explore yourself from every dimension—not merely intellectually, but emotionally, spiritually and more—the better you will be able to research and evaluate the possibilities to use your talents and skills and work with your values and goals towards a meaningful life and career.
On His Bookshelf
The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values, by Robert M. Pirsig
Connecting With Arnie Herz
Website: http://arnieherz.com
Email: Arnie@arnieherz.com
Facebook: facebook.com/arnieherz
Twitter: twitter.com/arnieherz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/arnieherz/
A Day in the Life of a Lawyer, Know Yourself, Lawyers
Attorney, Lawyer, Mediator
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841:
We Were Never Meant to Live Small Stories - Jessica J.R. Owen
“One of the reasons I’m here today is that I didn’t get to do a lot of traveling prior to this accident of mine, but afterwards I had some opportunities to do so, and I found a huge passion for it and a way to open up my life. Unless we are challenged to grow and shift our perspectives, we will forever live small stories. And as humans, we were never meant to live small stories.”
Jessie Owen is an adventurous, spirited, silly person whose path was traumatically interrupted in 2012 when a tree fell on her family car while on a family vacation. As a result, she lost both of her parents and became a quadriplegic. After the accident, Jessie began the long journey to figure out how to do life and where she fit in again. For the first two years she focused solely on her body and regaining as much function as she could. But Jessie wanted more than simply being alive; she wanted to be more than just a broken vessel in constant need of maintenance. She wanted a life, and set out to create one.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My path was rudely disrupted in 2012 on a December weekend as I was traveling across the Cascade mountains. Heavy snowfall combined with dry weather during the summer, made for perfect conditions for trees to fall, seemingly at random. And on that day, one of those trees fell on our car. And when I woke up in the hospital, I was given some life altering news: My parents were both killed instantly by the tree and I was paralyzed. In that instant, I lost both my parents and became a quadriplegic at the C3 and C4 level. Here’s the thing: Maybe your story isn’t as intense or as tragic as a tree falling on you and killing your parents, but we all know what it means to have your story stopped unexpectedly and completely change your perspective on the future and what we perceive is possible.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. I’ve been blessed to have great coaches every step of the way. My soccer coach taught me patience and kindness. My softball coach pushed me to do my best and set the highest standards.
2. My 16+ month-daily-recovery regimen of physical exercise and occupational therapy was grueling, but I had the most incredible support network of friends and family who stayed with me around the clock. I am still speechless at how selfless and loving they were and how vital that community was to my recovery.
3. After a couple of years I made the decision that my life going forward could not be focused solely on trying to fix and heal my broken body. I wanted to move beyond this turning point in my life and move forward.
4. I hired an experienced life coach who methodically worked with me over 18 months to reengage my life from every perspective in order to help me recreate a vision for where I wanted to go from here.
5. My life is very full and satisfying. I teach part time, I write a small travel blog and I’ve started a small business—a bar that allows people to bring their dogs inside while they enjoy a beer or watch a sports event. It’s great fun.
Connecting With Jessica J.R. Owen
Website: http://travelingonwheels.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessie.owen
Twitter: @wheelstraveling
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840:
Expert Interview: Your Life, Your Way - Vince Kramer
“I’ve learned through a lot of research, a lot of coaching, a lot of leadership in several different areas that each and every one of us has a unique set of gifts and talents that we’re meant to bring to the world in a certain way. And what I noticed was that we all kind of have a process that we bring those gifts and talents to the world. And in doing that, we’re actually living what our mission is. We like to call it your divine intent and really bringing themselves to the world in the way that they’re meant to.”
Vince Kramer is a transformation and human potential expert who has seen personal growth training take many different forms over three decades. No matter the form, people want results and support. It is Vince’s passion to partner with individuals, parents and groups in finding lasting empowerment, purpose and passion in creating businesses, relationships and lives by their design. He brings a unique combination of experience, education and research in presenting workshops and online training in finding happiness and success in living life by your design. Through extensive research and study in leading-edge science, he has developed specific methodologies and results-oriented activities to produce breakthrough results.
Your Life, Your Way
“We’re living in a very chaotic world right now. There are so many things happening here and there and major crises in the United States. About 84% of people say they’re disconnected at work and there’s another 60% plus that say they’re disconnected in their family lives, or their relationships. And not all of us, but a lot of us, are walking right on that fence—the thin line of burnout. What I realized was that everybody is experiencing their life in a way that they think is their mental limit. And it’s not.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Over an 8+ year period, with the help of my wife Mary, I did a lot of research and attended many workshops by experts like Joe Dispenza, John Maxwell, Jack Canfield and Debbie Ford on various modalities that help us gain greater understanding about ourselves from every dimension so that we can find lasting empowerment, purpose and passion in creating businesses, relationships and lives by our own design.
The Unique Purpose Formula is one of the programs that we created. It addresses these 5 seminal questions which help us not only find our unique purpose, but know how to live it.”
#1. Where am I?
Where are you in this moment? What is your belief system?#2. Who am I?
What is your quintessence? We use hypnosis and guided meditation to help people really find the answers.#3. What do I have to offer?
What are your unique gifts and talents? Every single thing that has happened in our lives has brought a gift to us. And it has helped us to develop one of those gifts or talents.#4. Why am I here?
This is your divine intent. You’re here to share your gifts and talents with the world in a way that others can share theirs.#5. What type of people do I want in my life?
It’s those people who are going to support you in living your divine intent.
They are probably on a similar path and are able to come together with you to help you take monumental steps.Connecting With Vince Kramer
Website: imaginemiracles.com
Membership Website: imaginenationmiracles.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ImagineMiracles/
Twitter: @vincekramer
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vkramer
Instagram: imaginemiraclesinsta
Free Gift
Free Miracle Life Blueprint
https://imaginemiracles.com/miracle-life-blueprint/Free Level of Membership Group:
imaginenationmiracles.comLiving Life Your Way, Passion, Purpose
Commercial Pilot, Personal Growth Trainer
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839:
Encore: Extreme Challenges Help Him Overcome His Fears - Erik Seversen
“Almost every day I had to get over that fear of approaching people I don’t know. And asking them where I can sleep, asking them where I can find food, and building that nervousness up to a point where I realized the more vulnerable I was, the more willing people were to help me. And I still find that today, if I am sometimes in a business negotiation and I realize that we have both dug in deep, I somehow allow a vulnerability to creep in where I need their help somehow.”
Erik Seversen has lived an amazing life, from hitchhiking from London to Central Africa to living with a remote Indian tribe in the Amazon to building and selling businesses. He has forged a path filled with extreme adventure and success. He recently published a book, “Ordinary to Extraordinary,” that reveals his personal search for meaning and highlights how anyone can create a life of purpose and success. His focus is business development and English language training. He lives by the idea that helping others is the best way to create both success and fulfillment in life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“At first, I was not a great student. But, I remember my parents never insulted or put us down. Something clicked in for me playing sports. I had played football as early as fourth grade, and I decided I wanted to play ice hockey when I was about 15. That changed my life. Most people who play ice hockey start when they are six or eight years old. Starting so late, everybody told me I could never get on a junior league. I had to teach myself how to skate, good enough to get onto a team. I made the team! Two years into it, I was a pretty good player. I learned a lot of life lessons playing ice hockey.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Not everything in life goes exactly how we want it. My wife and I moved back to Los Angeles because I like the west coast. I had already proven myself at UCLA, and I was teaching English as a second language there and created a hobby company. There I was in 2007, teaching and loving it. I loved my students, loved my colleagues. I had found that my talent is teaching, and life was just great! But then came the hard wake-up call: I could not support a family in Los Angeles on my teaching salary. So, begrudgingly, I had to put my talent aside for a while and go into business. I joined a company called Eagle Rider, a motorcycle rental company that I still work with.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“As I was hitching into Africa, through Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso, it gradually became clear to me that the poorest of the poor were not the least happy. Sometimes I would walk into a small village with mud huts, and maybe there would be a very old woman with missing teeth sitting outside with an old cassette tape player that sounded warped because it was so old. People would be smiling and laughing, excited to see me. When I met more middle-class people, I clearly recognized that the least happy people were not the poorest. All they could talk about was what they wanted to get next.”
On His Bookshelf
Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe
Ordinary to Extraordinary: Stories of Exotic Places and Remarkable People & How Belonging and Purpose Can Transform Your Life, by Erik Seversen
Steps to Success from Erik Seversen
1. If you hit a barrier to using your talents, do not be deterred or discouraged, but find new ways to use them.
2. Find ways to combine your knowledge, skills and talents and create something new. Keep growing and challenging yourself. Make your own niche.
3. Help others. It is the best way to create both success and fulfillment in life.
4. Write down your goals and work on achieving them each day.
Connecting With Erik Seversen
Websites: https://www.erikseversen.com and https://www.languagelinq.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErikSeversen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikseversen/?hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-seversen-56ab9b10/
Email: erik@erikseversen.com
Facing Fear, Fear, Travel
Author, Business Development, International Business Development, Podcaster, Teaching/Teacher
January 2020:
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838:
Encore: Kick Fear to the Curb and Assume Your Power - Judy Robinett
Judy Robinett has led both public and private companies as CEO and served in management positions at Fortune 500 companies. She’s on the advisory boards of Illuminate VC, Parig VC and Springboard Enterprises. Her book, How to be a Power Connector: The 5+50+150 Rule, was named the number one business book of 2014 by Inc. magazine. And her newest book is Cracking the Funding Code.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I began seeing other people were getting further ahead, making more money. I observed how critical it was to build a strategic network. So I started doing that. Then I read an article on five ways to become financially independent: Become a doctor, a lawyer, inherit or marry. Number 5 was start a business, and I said ‘How hard could it be?’ I got a $1.3 million S.B.A. loan and opened a franchise restaurant.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was asked to vet the early investors into Skullcandy. They went public two years later, so this launched me into my perfect situation. I sit on venture capital boards. I’m an advisor to Springboard. We’ve raised over $6 billion, have had 11 IPO’s, 145 strategic sells. People can do a whole lot more in life with money. And the number one way you create value and wealth is in the startup world.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My basic formula is quality relationships, plus strategy to a specific goal. And you start with that specific goal. Also use my Three Golden Questions: 1. How can I help? 2. What other ideas do you have for me? 3. Who else do you know I should talk to? A young woman called me recently and used those questions to get her first round of funding for her company. Those questions are profound. You change your mindset, and kick fear to the curb.”
On Her Bookshelf
Feel the Fear And Do It Anyway, by Susan Jeffers, PhDConnecting With Judy Robinett
www.JudyRobinett.comFacebook: facebook.com/thejudyrobinett/Twitter: @JudyRobinettLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/judyrobinettRelationships in Business, Venture Capital
Author, CEO, Speaker, Venture Capital
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837:
Expert Interview: Encore–The Smoldering Embers of a Fiery Youth–Aging with the Right Attitude - Larry Minnix
Larry Minnix has been a leader in the non-profit aging services field since 1973. He was associated with the Wesley Woods Center of Emory University for 28 years, the last decade as CEO. He then became CEO of LeadingAge for 15 years. LeadingAge has been the “trusted voice for aging in America” since 1961, representing over 6,000 non-profit organizations.
Larry has received numerous national awards for leadership by the National Council of Aging and others, and LeadingAge named their Leadership Academy after him to honor his retirement in 2015.
He has three degrees from Emory University, is an ordained United Methodist clergy, the author of numerous articles and speaks and consults on long-term care issues around the country. He has recently published his first book, “Hallowed Ground: Stories of Successful Aging.”
Aging with the Right Attitude
“A word about ‘the smoldering embers.’ I was walking through a crowded airport concourse. Suddenly, the concourse traffic is dividing. It must be somebody in a wheelchair, I thought. But it wasn’t. As I get up close, I see a wiry-looking guy. He’s every bit of 80-something—tan, leathery skin, a white flat-top haircut—and he’s wearing ‘anatomically correct’ athletic pants. He’s wearing white shoes and black socks. There’s a determined look on his face, like he’s heading to a bar fight, ready to whip someone’s butt. And the message on his T-shirt said, ‘The smoldering embers of a fiery youth.’ And I thought, now that’s the attitude!”
Why Is This Important?
“There are four basic approaches to aging.
1) You can be a victim and essentially become a disease. People taking this approach will introduce themselves as their illness. ‘Hello, I’m an arthritic.’ Or, ‘I’m a cancer patient.’ People who are victims and become a disease tend to isolate themselves.
2) Take on aging like it is a peak and decline situation. ‘Lordy, Lordy, Don is 40.’ It’s a view that somehow life is on the upswing until a certain age, and then it’s all downhill. These people create a self-fulfilling prophecy for themselves.
3) View aging as a second childhood, or they deny aging altogether. They may get Botox treatments, a trophy spouse, buy a car they should not be driving, or dye their hair. They want to go back to the way they came into this world. Everybody knows they are getting older. It’s not as if people aren’t snickering behind their backs about their vain attempts to look young.
4) Or, they can choose to see aging as a process of ages and stages—gains and losses, new opportunities—‘I can no longer play center field, but I might be a heck of a good coach!’”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Some secrets to growing old gracefully:
- Learn to laugh and cry.
- Keep some semblance of mischief about you.
- Maintain an interest in other people.
- Practice your spirituality, and stay active in your church, synagogue or mosque.
- Make sure everyone you care about knows that you love them–sooner rather than later.
Connecting With Larry Minnix
Email: LarryMinnix@gmail.com
Aging, Aging with the Right Attitude
Author, Leadership, Long-term Care, Non-profit, Speaker
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836:
Encore: Writing a Script That Lets You Dream the Impossible Dream - Dr. Steve Taubman
Steve Taubman’s mom was a lover of Broadway musicals, amassing a collection of recordings. In his early teens, he knew he wasn’t one of the cool kids, but one vinyl album in particular awakened his sense of wonder and possibility.
Dr. Steve Taubman is a bestselling author, physician, magician, hypnotist, and mindfulness coach who brings deep wisdom, entertaining insights and a unique perspective to sales professionals, entrepreneurs and small business owners. He’s produced dozens of programs, including his bestselling book, UnHypnosis, and his reprogramming-your-mind-for-success audio, UnHypnosis for Entrepreneurs, voted one of the Top 25 Must-Have Products for his industry. Steve has performed for and coached top celebrities and movie stars, and has shared the stage with legendary motivational speakers like the late Zig Ziglar.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was 13 years old, I wasn’t much of a cool kid. I wasn’t really athletic or confident. But one thing that really fascinated me was theatre. My mom was really big on Broadway plays and all these vinyl record albums. And one of them was Man of La Mancha, the story of Don Quixote, the mad knight who transforms the lives of others around him through the power of wonder. I memorized the play. My dad brought me to see it on Broadway for my 14th birthday. By seeing people through the eyes of fascination, Quixote would inadvertently cause people to see themselves in a more positive way. Most people probably know the song, The Impossible Dream. And I bet you I could probably still recite a good portion of the play.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After 14 years as a chiropractor in Vermont—which Steve loved because of its philosophical basis in health and well-being—he sold his practice, took a year off to travel, and began studying hypnosis. “I became a stage hypnotist. Later, I wrote the book on hypnosis, which is about removing mental barriers to success, and about waking up from the trance that I think we all live in. We’re all a little bit stuck behind our own invisible walls, and our minds are habituated, thinking the same thoughts over and over again, until they seem real. It’s at the mental level. I think we’re all capable of great things, but we’re blocked by what a chiropractor might call mental subluxation.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“As soon as we wake up from our hypnotic trance, all of our hypnotic programming ceases—and often very suddenly! We have a bias that tells us the longer a problem has been there the longer it’s going to take to get rid of it. That’s the thing that’s fascinating. For somebody who’s been blocked in a particular way for a long period of time, the moment you wake up, and see that you are not your thoughts, then they lose their power.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Steve Taubman
1. Recognize the ways that you’re living in a hypnotic trance.
2. Identify and isolate the thoughts about yourself and about life that are no longer true, thoughts that are holding you back.
3. Commit yourself to using techniques that will help you release faulty beliefs and replace them with beliefs you choose.
Connecting With Dr. Steve Taubman
Website: www.stevetaubman.com
Twitter: @DrSteveT
Facebook: facebook.com/steve.taubman
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/stevetaubman
Hypnosis, Success
Author, Hypnotist, Magician, Physician
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835:
Encore: Getting Unstuck and Finding Consonance - Laura Gassner Otting
“So I think the one most important strategy I would give to people is to ‘stop giving votes in your life to people who shouldn’t even have voices.’”
Laura Gassner Otting is a professional motivational keynote speaker and the founder of Limitless Possibility, where she empowers innovators, idealists, and iconoclasts to get “unstuck” in their thinking, push past their limiting beliefs, and achieve extraordinary results. She is turned on by the audacity of The Big Idea and that larger-than-life goal you just can’t seem to shake. She is an instigator, a motivator, and a provocateur, and she has never met a revolution she didn’t like. Laura’s new book “Limitless” is like a high-energy master class and brainstorming session all in one─with actionable tips to transform your vision for your career and do work with purpose.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was working for a large executive search firm where the definition of success was efficiency and a fat bottom line. When I looked across the table at my clients who were feeding the poor, curing cancer and saving the whales I realized THAT was my definition of success and that I wanted to do that. And that’s when I started my own firm.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Learn the Rules of the Game.
Until you learn the ins and outs of how the game is played, you can’t create your own vision and game plan.2. Create Your Own Scorecard.
Define success on your own terms, not somebody else’s, just because that’s how you have been “programmed.”3. Strive for Consonance.
Stop striving for work-life balance. Find consonance so that your values are in sync in both your personal and professional lives.On Her Bookshelf
“Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life,” by Laura Gassner Otting
Connecting With Laura Gassner Otting
Website: lauragassnerotting.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/heylgo/
Twitter: twitter.com/heylgo
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lauragassnerotting/
Instagram: instagram.com/heylgo
Defining Success for Yourself, Limitless Possibility
Author, Business Owner, Motivational Speaker
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834:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be an Environmental Economist? - Pamela Peeters
“As I say, I plant seeds, I manage my garden, and that includes planting new seeds. So, at a certain moment when I started working with schools and children, and then fast forward to this year where I heard on NPR that 50% of teachers don’t teach about sustainability because either they don’t have the tools, they don’t have the knowledge, or they deem it too political. Well, that means that 50% of kids are not aware of the reality they’re living in and are probably not aware of the opportunities as well. Crisis equals opportunity. So, if we’re dealing with the crisis–which in my opinion is a human development crisis by the way–there is a chance that we equally have as many opportunities to turn this Titanic around. So, I am more and more and more invested in education for youth.”
Pamela Peeters is an environmental economist and sustainability strategist. She consults with companies globally and develops educational programs for youth with her “Eco Hero” program now established in nine countries. An author, filmmaker, and educator, she was on the marketing team of the U. S. Partnerships for the UNESCO Decade for Sustainable Education and received an honorary fellowship from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels in 2015 for her contributions to the field of Sustainable Development. She’s also a former Research Fellow in Economics from Columbia University and current Fellow of the Explorers Club. She just launched a wisdom card deck called “ELEMENTS” that features her photography and poetry.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
My second job out of college I was retained by the Belgium Foreign Trade Office. As hard as this was for me to imagine at the time, in my early 20’s I had my own office in the Belgium Embassy in New Delhi, India, where I established a framework of what the industry would look like in the environmental technology sector. It was amazing work, and I loved integrating myself into the Indian community. I received a couple of accolades for my work there and returned from that assignment a transformed woman, determined to continue an international lifestyle.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Many lessons that cover my lifetime:
1. Growing up in Keir Berrigan in the countryside near Belgium my daily life was spent in nature, whether bicycling to school or simply playing outside. This was the starting point for my lifelong dedication to mother earth.
2. When I attended the Academy of Arts at 12 to study ballet, I loved connecting with other creative kids, which opened me up to the simple joy of exploring myself and the act of creating on my own terms.
3. I began journaling at the age of 8 and continue to do so today, which I find a very important part of ongoing self-discovery.
4. At 12 I was already researching and gathering information about all things related to nature and the environment. With three friends we started a magazine—Grab the Green—which attracted a good following of not only family and friends, but students and teachers in our community.
5. In secondary school biology was one of my favorite subjects that allowed me to dig deeper into plant life and the mystery of our planet. I have 23 different plants in my home today.
6. There are three vital pillars in our society: people, the economy and the planet.
7. Every individual has their own unique set of talents and it is up to them to do whatever it takes to explore, find and use them for themselves and the rest of us.
8. Stamina is a prerequisite. Some people find their gifts and create their personal visions early in life; others do not. What matters is that they find them and use them.
9. Surrounding yourself with supportive people who support and encourage you is seminal.
On Her Bookshelf
Powering the Dream, by Alex Matridou
Carbon Shock: A Tale of Risk and Calculus on the Front Lines of the Disrupted Global Economy, by Marc Schapiro
The Secret Life of Plants, by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird
Strategy for Sustainability, by Adam Werbach
Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser
Connecting With Pamela Peeters
Websites: pamelapeeters.com
myecohero.com
sustainable-planet.netFacebook: facebook.com/pamela.peeters
Twitter: @pamelapeeters
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pamelapeeters/
Free Gift
Pamela will give away one “ELEMENTS” wisdom card deck to the first person who can tell her what the 5 themes are of her “Eco Hero Challenge.” See more on www.myecohero.com and www.sustainable-planet.net. Respond on her contact form on either of these websites.
A Day in the Life of an Environmental Economist.
Author, Educator, Environmental Economist, Filmmaker, Sustainability Strategist
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833:
Happiness: There's a Science to It - Scott Wilhite
Scott was in a corporate job he hated, with a mindset he called “grumpaholic.” Feeling miserable, he ran a fantasy jackpot scenario in his head, and he asked himself, “If I win the Powerball and $32 million, what will I do?” After quickly imagining his first several days as a millionaire, he began to suspect lack of money was not his problem. He knew he had to discover what was missing.
Scott Wilhite is an award-winning commercial filmmaker turned social entrepreneur. As a writer, producer, and director he was enjoying a promising creative career without actually…enjoying it. This all changed when he was introduced to the world of positive psychology and discovered what happens when you deliberately, consciously choose what you mentally focus on. He has since created the Feed Your Happy app, authored a book and several courses, and founded nCOURAGE.LIFE.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Fed up with corporate life, Scott had given his notice. On his last day on the job he encountered a co-worker who was talking excitedly about a book he was reading about happiness. (See “On His Bookshelf” below.) “I knew I had to have that book! That was the beginning of my understanding that happiness is a skill. To learn that there are actual skills I could learn, to experience happiness, totally floored me. That’s when life started to open up for me. I was no longer looking outside myself for something to change.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Remember that you get what you expect. So, change your limiting belief system. It’s not circumstances that are limiting you. By changing your thought patterns, you can change your experiences. You’ll be able to be in control and dictate some good things in your life.”
1.Learn about the science of happiness. Happiness is a skill that can be learned.Use repetition to get better at using these skills for happiness.
2. Look for the lessons life is offering and learn from them.
3. Focus on your bigger picture vision instead of living in the past; but DO let yourself learn from the past.
4.Cultivate gratitude. You can’t be grateful and unhappy at the same time.
On His Bookshelf
Top Tools on His Browser
TEDxBloomington – Shawn Achor – “The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance”
Connecting With Scott Wilhite
Website: www.nCOURAGE.LIFE
Twitter: ncouragetv
Happiness
Author, Film Maker, Social Entrepreneur
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832:
Learning Family Values from Dogs - Laura De La Cruz
Laura was learning about dogs—especially obedience and agility. A colleague said, “To learn about agility, get a Border Collie.” But when Laura approached a breeder, she was told, “There’s no way I am going to sell you a border collie. You have no idea how to handle this dog!”
Laura De La Cruz, Ph.D., is an author, teacher, dog trainer and herding judge. She started Leash Up Dog Training as an alternative to the “pack” mentality, focusing on people who consider their dogs to be part of the family. Best-selling author of more than 80 books and journals, Laura teaches business and marketing at New Mexico State University. Laura has trained herding dogs and their people for over ten years. She is also a herding judge for American Kennel Club (AKC) and the American Herding Breed Association (AHBA).
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Learning how to learn from dogs, and how to explain what she learns about our relationships with them, has been life-changing for Laura. She describes her work with highly intelligent Border Collies as more of a partnership than a domination of an animal by a human. Her approach resembles mentoring, inspiring, motivating and even encouraging. It is not at all about terrorizing a fellow creature.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Go out and try something you want to do. Whether it works or doesn’t, it is not a bad thing to fail.
2. Failure tells you it is not the right path, so just say, “Let me find another path.”
3. Look at your life as a road. Even if you are meandering, but have some sort of general purpose, there is nothing wrong with a detour now and then. Some of those detours might be where you find your passions.
4. Don’t delay doing the things that you are passionate about. Don’t overload your bucket list.
Connecting With Laura De La Cruz
Website: www.leashupdogtraining.com
Twitter: @LeashUpUrDog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leashup
dogs/families, Passion
Author, Dog Trainer and Herding Judge, Professor
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831:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be an Alternative Education Innovator? - Steve Robertson
“I think that where we are right now we are seeing that the generation that’s coming of age truly doesn’t know what it is they want to do. And there are many reasons for that. I can totally understand that, but if they position themselves in a way that they can test drive a number of different things, just to see how it fits, just to see how that makes them feel, then I think it is really a powerful way to begin the journey for them. So obviously we specialize a lot in that process. And I really believe that so much of that happens outside of school.”
Steve Robertson is the CEO of Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs (JKCP), an organization specializing in youth-to-adult programming that turns curiosity into passion and skill. Steve has been with the company for 20 years. In this role, his primary responsibility is to cultivate a culture that results in memories lasting a lifetime. Steve is an expert on youth development and education as well as understanding and adapting to youth.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Twenty years ago, I came to the United States from South Africa on a tennis trip with some of our more talented youth and we toured around playing tournaments. In Philadelphia, I met Julian Krinsky. We had some amazing conversations and after more time together, he said, “Why don’t you and your family come and join us?” Here was an organization that was doing tennis and golf camps, a program called Enrichment, where students could sample anything from robotics to coding, public speaking, fashion, cooking, even college credit classes. I looked at this and thought, ‘They have taken something they were passionate about—tennis—and they have grown it far beyond that!’ When I got home from that trip, I said to my wife, ‘If we’re ever going to do something like pick up and move, now would be a good time to do it.’ She pondered that for a month or so, and we decided to leave South Africa and come to the U.S. It was unquestionably the best decision of our lives, for me and my entire family.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. I try very hard to have an attitude of gratitude, which helps me find satisfaction in every aspect of my work.
2. Culture is the foundation of who we are as a business, so I focus on what culture looks like and feels like throughout our organization.
3. Research is a passion of mine. I do an immense amount of reading and study about generations—their needs and wants and the driving trends of each.
4. While I have the utmost respect for educators, I strongly believe that our education system needs updating on so many levels.
5. Today there are myriad ways for a student to learn and grow outside of the traditional classroom setting—whether via internships or classes on YouTube and many more modalities.
Connecting With Steve Robertson
Website: www.jkcp.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Lordstevenrobertson
Twitter: twitter.com/HouseofGlencoe
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stevenrobertsonjkcp/
CEO, Educator
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830:
A Profitable Business Good for Schools - Jeremy Barnhardt
Jeremy Barnhart experienced a very successful corporate career in finance, becoming a partner at Deloitte. But it had him working long hours and traveling, taking him away from his wife and three young children. He simply wasn’t having fun with his work and he wanted to live a more active and present life.
Now Jeremy has time to coach his three sons’ basketball, football and baseball teams. He is a co-owner and vice president of franchise development at Apex Foundation Co., originally Apex Fun Run, a healthy and safe alternative to school fundraising. The company partners with schools to raise funds for campus needs. The concept incorporates a two-week character building and leadership program that culminates with a student “run” to raise donations for schools. His company has also opened the door for 80 franchisees in 21 states.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Jeremy grew up in a home that valued education and athletics. His father was a teacher, and both parents played and taught tennis. He participated in college athletics and took his studies seriously. Eventually, he earned an MBA from the competitive Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and became a partner in 10 years in the top-ranked accounting and consulting firm now known as Deloitte. Today, he combines his passions for education and athletics in the firm he created.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After serving as a Deloitte partner for six years, Jeremy retired from the firm. “I decided to prioritize my family over my career and the almighty dollar. Finance and accounting was a field I thought I could go into and have very quick success, get quick promotions and make a lot of money. Once I was in the firm, I realized that was true, but I didn’t really enjoy what I was doing. I never had a true passion for accounting or finance. The piece that I enjoyed most was helping my clients add value.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“What drove me was being able to see a lot of entrepreneurs who had their own businesses. I realized that none of them had any skills or attributes that I didn’t have. So, I thought, why want to continue on a path that I wasn’t enjoying when I could create a business on my own that could be successful, where I would care much more about what I was doing?”
Steps to Success from Jeremy Barnhardt
- Identify your talents and strengths.
- Determine how those strengths and skills can tie into your passions.
- Start researching opportunities. Get good advisors, counselors and information about the many opportunities out there.
- Consider a franchising opportunity. “I guarantee you, there’s something out there that aligns with your skills and passions.”
Connecting With Jeremy Barnhardt
Website: http://apexfunrun.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/apexfunrun
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apexfunrun
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-barnhart-4b2929b5
Financial, Fund Raising, Non-profit
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829:
The Hardest Decision to Make—Just Do It - Gini Dietrich
Gini had her sights set on law school and becoming a sports agent. Then her mother needed her help to overcome a life-threatening illness, so she took an entry level position at a public relations agency. Passing out samples of cranberry juice at PR events was an unexpected detour on her career path.
Gini Dietrich is the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, an integrated marketing communications firm. She’s the author of “Spin Sucks,” co-author of “Marketing in the Round,” and co-host of Inside PR. She also is the lead blogger at Spin Sucks and is the founder of Spin Sucks Pro.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Caring for her mother through a life-threatening illness derailed Gini’s plans for law school and a career as a sports agent. So, she took a job for a public relations firm, giving out Ocean Spray cranberry juice at events. “I loved, loved, loved that job! I was 25, traveling around the country to cool places and events and staying in fancy hotels. At that age, it was amazing!” She ended up staying 10 years and was on track to be a partner, with equity and “a partner BMW.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Exuberant after getting her client on page one of the Wall Street Journal—a major coup for the firm she had created—and having watched the Google analytics count of new site visitors soar, she found a FedEx package awaiting her at home from her client. Instead of a “thank you,” he had enclosed a copy of the New York Times, with a post-it note, “When is this coming?” The non-thank you note was a big letdown. But instead of becoming dis-illusioned, she sharpened her vision for her firm. “I focused on changing the perception people have of the PR industry.” What felt at first like a rebuff brought her much needed clarity and direction.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“You have to really think about what is important to you. Only one person is going to look out for what’s best for you, and that’s you. The hardest decision you are going to make is when to make a change. Whether it is to quit your job, go out on your own, go for a job you may not be qualified for yet—whatever it happens to be—the hardest decision you will make is to do it. If it is the right decision for you, everything else falls into place.”
On Her Bookshelf
Groundswell, Expanded and Revised Edition: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
What Would Google Do?: Reverse-Engineering the Fastest Growing Company in the History of the World, by Jeff Jarvis.
Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You, by John Warriow
Virtual Freedom: How to Work with Virtual Staff to Buy More Time, Become More Productive, and Build Your Dream Business, by Chris C Ducker
Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era, by Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston
Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age, by Gini Dietrich
Steps to Success from Gini Dietrich
1. Decide what is most important to you. Get clarity on your personal values and priorities.
2. Change is hard for everyone, but the prospect of getting stuck doing something unrewarding can sharpen your focus and commitment.
3. Focus your creativity on envisioning the future, both your own personal future and the future of your profession.
4. Find and harness your creativity to propel you toward the life you truly want.
Connecting With Gini Dietrich
Website: www.spinsucks.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmentDietrich/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/armentdietrich
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ginidietrich
Change
Business Owner, Email Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media
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828:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Major Airline Pilot? - Vince Kramer
“People in the aviation world love their jobs. It’s a part of them. It’s in their blood. If you are interested in any specific occupation in the aviation world, my recommendation is to reach out to somebody who’s doing the job that you want to do. Everybody is so excited about sharing what it takes to get there and what their job is all about. United Airlines and the other major airlines have opportunities all the time for you to go to the training center and see the simulators, or go to the operation centers and see what the dispatchers do─just to give people an opportunity to see what happens on the ramp and how everybody goes through the processes that they need to move into those positions.”
Vince Kramer is a thirty-seven-year airline and military pilot with over 20,000 hours in aircraft and flight simulators. He flew seven different models of the Boeing-135 aircraft, as well as the T-37 and T-38 aircraft as an Air Force pilot, instructor and evaluator. He is a combat veteran with over one hundred combat hours during Desert Storm. Vince has flown for United Airlines and American Airlines as an airline transport pilot. He type rated in the Airbus 319/320 aircraft and the Boeing 737. Vince held positions in management and as an instructor/evaluator at United Airlines. He is currently an active pilot at United Airlines.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
I enlisted in the U.S. Airforce at 22. I knew I wanted to be a pilot and ended up
being trained on the EEC 135 aircraft. There were often generals on board who
were pilots themselves that needed instructor pilots to help them keep their
qualifications and experience up. This was such a blessing for me because I was
able to fly with a very experienced pilot, which gave me an opportunity to do
things in an airplane a young lieutenant doesn’t normally get to do. Promotions
came quickly and it was clear that future opportunities would take me out of
the cockpit. So, at 31, I made the decision to leave the military and was hired
soon after by a major commercial airline in early 1992. I’ve been a pilot for
United Airlines since 1995 and have loved every minute of it.The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Opportunities open up for us all the time. You simply must be ready to take
action when they appear.2. The power of mentors who can help you along your journey cannot be over
emphasized. I had several that were key to my continued growth in all
areas of my life and career.3. People in the aviation world love their jobs, so if you are interested in
exploring any aspect of the occupation, reach out to someone who is doing
the job you are interested in.4. United Airlines and other major airlines have programs that let you visit
their training center and see the simulators or go to the operations center
and see what the dispatchers do.5. Today there are many schools and programs to explore:
• Lufthansa Aviation Training, in Northern Arizona
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• The University of North Dakota
• Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• Metropolitan State University of Denver6. I’m a firm believer that the U.S. military is the best training ground. It’s
special in so many ways and an opportunity to serve your country, which in
my opinion puts even more value on it. The Army, Air Force, Navy and
Marines each offer flight training.Connecting With Vince Kramer
Website: imaginenationmiracles.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ImaginenationMiracles
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vkramer
Instagram: imaginemiraclesinsta
Twitter: @vincekramer
Free Gift
“Your Life Your Way” Breakthrough Session and Free Membership through his
website: imaginenationmiracles.comA Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of a Major Airline Pilot
Business Owner, Commercial Pilot, Pilot
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827:
Using Music to Make a Difference - Jake Ballentine
By the end of his first college semester, Jake was already on academic suspension. He was tempted to say, “I didn’t really care about college anyway!” Self-consciousness about his dyslexia, he believed he was only good at sports and music. Then, on a mission to the Pacific Northwest, his outlook brightened, and he said to himself, “Hey, I can really DO this!” His life was about to be transformed.
Jake Ballentine is a national award-winning motivational speaker and musician. He is the author of “Your Number One Goal” and “How to Be a Rock Star Student Leader,” a contributing author in Jack Canfield’s “Living the Success Principles” and the host of “Focus on the Good” podcast. Over the last several years he has presented and performed at hundreds of events inspiring more than 250,000 people with his unique brand of motivation, music and positivity.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
School work was difficult for Jake. Because of dyslexia, he especially dreaded being called on to read in class, fearing ridicule. But he loved music and sports and bonded with coaches and music teachers in high school. Despite his learning disability, he was known as a “nice guy,” and recalls easily making and keeping lots of friends. He learned the value of mentors and coaches early in life.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After failing in his first semester at college, Jake, a Mormon, took the path of many other young men and women of his faith. He embarked on a two-year missionary journey. “Those guys in the white shirts, riding bikes and knocking on doors – that was me.” The adult leader of the mission quickly spotted Jake’s potential and brought him into a leadership role. “That was a totally transformational experience in my life! I found something I was actually good at that wasn’t sports or music. It involved talking and communicating with people. I finally saw that, hey, I can do something. I am great at helping people see their own potential. That experience completely changed my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It doesn’t matter what you’ve been given; what matters is what you choose to do with what you’ve been given. You can get around the things that hold you back, so figure it out and do everything you can to get better and better. If you quit when things get hard, you will set a lifelong pattern to quit at the first sign of challenge or difficulty. Believe in yourself and surround yourself with the right people, people who believe in you and lift you up. Build that right team around you and forget about the people who put you down. Go full steam ahead and do everything that you can!”
Steps to Success from Jake Ballentine
1. Figure out what you want, then start taking small steps every day toward getting there.
2. Find coaches and a mentor, implement their recommendations, and you’ll get where you want much faster.
3. Stop believing the negative voices that hold you back. Stop listening.
4. Don’t quit when things get hard. Establish a pattern of finding ways to get around the obstacles.
On His Bookshelf
The Success Principles(TM) – 10th Anniversary Edition: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, by Jack Canfield, Janet Switzer
How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life, by Pat Williams and Jim Denney
Your Number One Goal, by Jake Ballentine
How to Be a Rock Star Student Leader, by Jake Ballentine
Connecting With Jake Ballentine
Web Page: www.jakeballentine.com
Twitter: twitter.com/jakeballentine
Free Gift
Free copy of Jake’s book, “Your Number One Goal.” Pay shipping and handling only.
Adversity, Leadership, Overcoming Obstacles
Author, Musician, Podcaster, Speaker
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826:
Nobody Got Her Goat - PJ Jonas
Like many educated women, PJ faced criticism when she left an engineering job to be a stay-at-home mom. Soon her problem-solving skills and creativity were going to be put to the test. After all, she was planning to homeschool her eight children, and–oh yes–raise goats.
PJ Jonas is a business owner, goat-wrangler, entrepreneur, and mother. After getting goats to provide healthy milk for her eight children, she decided to put some excess milk into a batch of handmade soap. That decision was the beginning of Goat Milk Stuff, a growing goat milk products business that has been featured on The Today Show, The Doctors, The Huckabee Show, and in “O”, the Oprah Magazine. What started with an initial small batch of soap has expanded into a host of goat milk items such as goat milk soaps, cheeses, candies, fudge, gelato and more.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Deciding to leave the workforce to be a stay-at-home mom was the first step of a life-changing process. A practical decision to lower their cost of living by moving to Indiana set PJ and her family on a pioneering path of holistic health. Getting some goats to provide raw milk for the family morphed into a full line of healthy products created by their new venture, Goat Milk Stuff. JP, her husband and all eight children are intimately involved in the entire endeavor.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I had been praying for years for a family business, but I never really thought about making soap! We started making and using the soap ourselves, and my husband’s fingers stopped cracking and splitting, and I realized we have a really good product that helps people. When we started selling it, feedback flooded in from the moms of children with eczema, telling us the soap helped their kids when nothing else had worked. The feedback was so tremendous we realized, “We can do this!”
Steps to Success from PJ Jonas
1. To pursue what you love, first free-up your resources by living well below your means.
2. Begin your journey toward your goal—toward healthy living, for example—by taking baby steps. Just start somewhere now.
3. Help others understand that what they do matters, beginning with your own children.
On Her Bookshelf
Lady on the Hill: How Biltmore Estate Became an American Icon, by Howard E. Covington
Connecting With PJ Jonas
Website: http://goatmilkstuff.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/goatmilkstuff
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goatmilkstuff
Entrepreneurship
Business Owner, Farmer, Farming
December 2019:
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825:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Serial Direct Marketer? - Brian Kurtz
I went to Marty Edelston, who was the owner and the founder. And I said, ‘That job just opened up in editorial and I’d like to take it.’ And Marty looked at me and he said, ‘You know, I think you have a nose for marketing.’ And when you’re 23 years old and the president of the company says you have a nose for marketing, who am I to argue? So I didn’t take the editorial job. I stayed in list management. And I’d say that was a pivot point in my career because then I just went whole hog on direct marketing lists. I got involved with copy and you know? 10 years into the business, my first 10 years I’m doing list management. The next 24 years I’m running the marketing department.”
Brian Kurtz has been a serial direct marketer for the past 40+ years. He’s never met a medium he didn’t like, and he spent the first 34 years of his career helping Boardroom, Inc., become a state-of-the-art direct marketing and publishing company. As founder of Titans Marketing, he now advises many of the most admired direct marketers in the world and writes and speaks regularly on direct marketing.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Six months after graduating from Rutgers University with an English degree, I was hired by Boardroom Reports, a newsletter company which was doing about $5 million in sales. My job was in-house list manager. A year into the job I went in to founder Marty Edelston’s office and told him I’d like to apply for an editorial role that had opened up. I thought I ‘should’ be on the editorial side since it was closer to what I had studied. Marty took a hard look at me and said, ‘I think you have a nose for marketing and that you should stay on the list side of the business and learn everything you can about direct marketing.’ Because of his sage advice, I grew and thrived in that role for the next 33 years, becoming EVP and partner at Boardroom and helping it grow exponentially into a state-of-the art direct marketing and publishing company.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. I was an above-average student, played on the varsity tennis team, but was certainly not a standout in any particular area. What I did have was a lot of curiosity—about life and the world around me, and that curiosity has been a great asset all my life.
2. When I graduated from Rutgers, I thought I wanted to be a writer or editor but had zero prospects. What I lacked in smarts I made up for in resourcefulness, so I came up with a plan for canvassing as many publishing companies as I could, walking the streets of New York City, and handing off my resume to each of them. After several weeks pounding the pavement, I got my first entry-level position.
3. My love of learning, particularly in the field of direct marketing where I’ve spent my entire career, has been vital. From the day I began in this field almost 40 years ago, the ability to not only stay abreast of the fast-breaking trends and innovations but also to decipher and act on the best opportunities, has been key.
4. Boardroom founder and visionary, Marty Edelston, was my first mentor who literally shaped the path of my entire career, but I have been fortunate to learn and grow inspired by countless other innovative writers, marketing experts and entrepreneurs. At this stage of my career I am striving to pay it forward to members of my tribe, too.
On His Bookshelf
Overdeliver: Build a Business for a Lifetime Playing the Long Game in Direct Response Marketing, by Brian Kurtz
Breakthrough Advertising, by Eugene Schwartz
Ogilvy on Advertising, by David Ogilvy
Scientific Advertising, by Claude Hopkins
Connecting With Brian Kurtz
Websites: www.briankurtz.me and www.TheLegendsBook.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brian.kurtz.121
Day in the Life of a Serial Direct Marketer
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824:
If You Don't Ask, You Don't Get - Erica Reiner
“I was always completely obsessed with the idea of self-expression and communication—that psychology of how your surroundings make you feel and how your surroundings make others feel and act and behave. And I just thought, ‘I’m going to do something with this decorating work I’ve done….and I’m going to marry it to my very important values and my identity as an environmentalist and an environmental worker.’”
Erica Reiner is a former environmental science professor using her expertise in sustainability and green living to transform spaces and the interior design field using her cleaner, greener Eco Method. Four years ago she started Eco Method Interiors to help people feel happier, healthier, less stressed and more confident at home or work. When she’s not working, she’s planning her next trip down under with her Australian husband or at the dog park with Hank, her mutt.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Santa Monica City College, which I attended for two years, works with a non-profit called Sustainable Works, which helps educate students, residents and businesses about sustainable living practices. I enrolled and attended their courses where I learned the foundations of this field—water, energy, waste, chemicals and much more. What I learned tied directly into my lifelong love of nature and animals and showed me the profound and too often negative impact we as human beings have on our environment and our fellow inhabitants.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After graduating from Santa Monica City College I was accepted at UC Santa Barbara, where I built on the knowledge I learned at the Sustainable Works program and majored in Environmental Studies. The depth and breadth of the program was a vital turning point for me and crystalized my personal vision and direction about what I was going to do with my career and why it mattered so much to me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“One important lesson I’ve learned when I lecture and teach on the topic of environmental science is that a person may not be interested in the topics of water purity or climate change or pesticides in general, but when you tie those issues together and directly relate them to the topic of specifically how they directly influence and impact our living and working environments, and hence our personal mental, physical and emotional well-being, then the majority of people can quickly get on board and want to learn more.”
Steps to Success from Erica Reiner
1. Get outside the box of your own system—whether family or education or organization—so that you can listen to your own voice, make your own choices.
2. Pay attention to what holds your interests and keeps you curious, and explore those areas every way you can—via research or direct experience.
3. Seek out a role model, or mentor—someone who can share their own experiences in the area you are drawn to. Learn from them.
4. If you don’t experiment and try new things, you will never know what aspect of the occupation or profession could possibly use your talents and skills.
5. It is okay to feel uncomfortable during your exploratory phases. Hang in there until you learn what you set out to learn.
6. If you do not do these things [above], you risk always regretting that you did not fully honor your own journey to create a life and career on your own terms.
Connecting With Erica Reiner
Website: https://www.ecofriendlyinteriordesigner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecomethodinteriordesign/?ref=hl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin/ericareiner.com
Instagram: eco_friendly.interior.designer
Free Gift
A free phone consultation to answer a specific question you have about a space in your home or workplace. Email Erica@ecofriendlyinteriordesign.com to request a time to talk and mention you “met” her on Discover Your Talent Podcast.
Environment, Green Living, Health at Home and Office, Interior Design, Passion, Power to Choose
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Green Living, Interior Design, Professor
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823:
Not Job Hunting. Job CAMPAIGNING. - Jay Block
Jay’s credentials include not knowing what he wanted to be when he grew up and being fired by his best friend at age 39. Soon after this humiliating event, he began working harder on himself than anything else. And it was this single transformation that would forever change his life and his career.
Today, Jay Block is recognized as America’s #1 motivational career and rapid employment expert. He is a best-selling McGraw-Hill author of 12 titles, and most importantly, has helped tens of thousands of people achieve workplace success and fulfillment over the past 26 years.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Sports, sports, sports were what engaged me from an early age. In fact, I think sports saved my life, kept me busy and out of trouble.” Growing up in a town in Massachusetts that hadn’t had a winning basketball team since 1959, Jay recalls, “This is where dreams come true! My friend and I decided back in seventh grade that we would be co-captains of the high school basketball team and make it to the state championships for the first time in 14 years. We had winning seasons our sophomore and junior years, and made it to the state tournament our senior year. That’s what really taught me that dreams can come true if you’re willing to believe in them and commit. That was my first introduction to the possibility of fulfilling dreams.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I relocated to South Florida in 1986 to live life like Don Johnson of the top-rated TV series of the 1980s, Miami Vice. For a while I was sporting a white suit, tee-shirt and sandals, and operating a Scarab powerboat. Today, some 30 years older, I have no boat or white suit, but I do write motivational career and employment books and online programs. When I’m not working hard on my career, I enjoy yoga, snow skiing, off-road Jeeping, family time, and living the Florida lifestyle, hoping my son doesn’t make fun of his dad when he performs his comedy routines at the Palm Beach Improv.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Landing the job you want—at the pay you deserve—is about campaigning for that right job, not searching or hunting. To do that, you must believe in yourself. You must love the product you’re selling, namely yourself. For most people, selling themselves with passion, pride and confidence is not natural or comfortable. When you make a shift in thinking and proactively control what you can control—and campaign for your next best job using the 5 Steps to Rapid Employment system—rapid employment is virtually guaranteed!”
Steps to Success from Jay Block
1. Learn to believe in yourself and take responsibility for your life.
2. Work harder on yourself than on anything else.
3. Remind yourself, “If it is to be, it is up to me.”
4. Turn the drudgery of job-hunting into a dynamic, energized campaign
On His Bookshelf
5 Steps to Rapid Employment: The Job You Want at the Pay You Deserve, by Jay A. Block
Great Answers, Great Questions For Your Job Interview, by Jay A. Block and Michael Betrus
2500 Keywords to Get You Hired, by Jay A. Block and Michael Betrus
Connecting With Jay Block
Website: www.jayblock.com
Facebook: facebook.com/JayBlockCareers
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jayblock
Believe in Yourself, Personal Transformation, Positive Attitude
Author, Career Coach, Coach's Coach, Motivational Speaker
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822:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Sheriff? - Sheriff Leon Lott
“If you’re really interested in law enforcement, just contact your local law enforcement agency and go by and visit them. Do ride-alongs. I did a ride-along when I was in college and we do ride-alongs with students now all the time. It kind of gives you a view of what real police work is all about. And Live PD, the TV show. That will also give you an idea of what we do. You can see the danger and you can see the excitement. You can see some of the stuff that we have to deal with now. Do your research, but there’s not a more rewarding career than being in law enforcement because you really can change people’s lives. And you can save lives.”
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott leads one of the largest sheriff’s departments (1,000 employees) in the Southeastern U.S., and is one of the regularly featured law-enforcement agencies on A&E’s television series LIVE PD. In 2010, Lott traveled to Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government to help that country establish its first-ever female police academy. RCSD continues an officer exchange program with Iraq and other foreign LE agencies. Under Lott’s leadership, RCSD was the first LE agency in the nation to establish a pre-PTSD conditioning program for deputies. Lott is also commander of the S.C. State Guard.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I was 16 years old, I was hanging out with some friends and one of them suggested that we go throw eggs at a police car—a silly prank boys sometimes did back then. Typical teenager that I was, I went along with them. So, we did and, of course, we got arrested. That really was a defining moment in my life that helped open my eyes up and realize the consequences of my actions in life. I had to wash a lot of police cars and do other chores under the watchful guidance of several police officers. When I was a senior at the University of South Carolina, I realized my dream of being a major league baseball player was not going to happen, and I reflected back to that experience and the powerful, positive impact those police officers had on me at an important turning point in my life. I knew I wanted to do the same for other people. I graduated from USC in May of 1975 and joined the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in June.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. I always hated math, but in the 6th grade my math teacher pushed me to work hard, never give up and excel at anything you set your mind to do. I never forgot those basic lessons. And today I’m pretty good at math, too!
2. When I joined RCSD in 1975, there was little to no training like we have today—you rode with a few seasoned officers for about a month and then they turned you loose. I learned from the ground up and the feedback and support from those officers was vital to my growth and performance. I stay in touch with many of them today.
3. The importance of constantly learning and researching cannot be over stated—I read incessantly. My deep dive in 1999 into the DNA work being done in England led to the formation of our own DNA Lab in 2004, which has put RCSD at the forefront of forensic work and helped us solve innumerable cold cases because of this capacity.
4. In the “old days” of law enforcement, our work was often focused on “catching bad guys.” Today we focus on building solid relationships within the communities we serve, building bonds that aid in preventing crime.
5. Few things are more satisfying to me than watching young deputies grow in their careers and being a part of their success. Equally gratifying is being a positive influence in the lives of the young people in our communities who may be going through tough times, but with our help and guidance are able to get their lives back on track and remain there.
Connecting With Sheriff Leon Lott
Website: http://rcsd.net
Facebook: facebook.com/RichlandCountySheriffsDepartment/
Twitter: @RCSD
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of a Sheriff, Law Enforcement, PTSD
Peace Officer, Police Enforcement Officer, Sheriff
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821:
Joining Up with Her Sisters to Create Worldwide Change - Kaia Hollan Alexander
“I’m going to join up with my sisters here and we’re going to create new policy changes that are going to drive bottom line change in the world…the big changes we want to see, like the green movement and taking care of the environment and making sure children have their needs met. These are the things women have always cared about throughout history, and now we have realizing we are actually capable of leading these movements. And more and more women are running for office as well, which is another fantastic reflection of seeing this change.”
Kaia Alexander is an award-winning author and filmmaker. Her novel, “Written in the Ashes,” is the untold story about the burning of the Great Library of Alexandria, Egypt, and the life of Hypatia, the world’s first female mathematician/philosopher. Kaia’s new documentary feature film “Chalice: Women Leaders Rise,” explores how and why women were written out of history, how this has influenced the treatment of women globally, and the exciting rise of women leaders today. Her mentors are American novelist/humorist, Tom Robbins, and the late comedian, Garry Shandling. A mystic misfit and pagan surfer, she is proud to be the “B” in LGBTQ.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“While I was re-establishing myself in Hawaii, I was taking care of a friend’s children and working part-time in a coffee shop. In what little free time I had, I began putting my creative side to work doing some drawings and writing poetry and taking a stab at writing my first novel. Those early attempts at writing, which I have in my original journals somewhere, would actually become the early drafts of my novel, “Written in the Ashes,” which took me many years to complete because it’s an historical novel that required a huge amount of original research.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I was 17 my father and mother were going through a divorce, and my father had what could be called a “psychotic breakdown” and became highly abusive and threatening to my mother and me. It was utterly terrifying. My mother chose to get a restraining order against him, to stay and hunker down. I decided to emancipate myself. I put what I needed into a backpack, scraped together what money I had and hopped on a plane for Hawaii. I did not know a soul there, arrived with only a couple of hundred bucks in my pocket and a pup tent, and started over.”
Steps to Success from Kaia Hollan Alexander
First of all, you must build the courage to do the discovery work on yourself and your talents, to find out what they are and how you can use them to build a life on your own terms. It’s brutally hard because most people around us are doing what is expected of them, whether in their education or occupation, and do not think outside the box at all. Next, you must reframe rejection and failure and do your best to depersonalize them. I probably got 100 rejections to my first novel on three continents. And each time I took the rejection so personally and felt sick for two days. Now, I see each turn down as one step closer to a positive result.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Several key lessons have guided me throughout my life: the power of stamina, relationships, collaboration and the vital need to stay aware of your environment and the factors that impact you. Early on I learned that writing demands utter persistence and focus, or in other words stamina. With my first book, I experienced the vital need for close collaboration and trusting relationships with my editor, agent and publicist. My friend, Gary Shandling, really educated me on the value of an artist particularly staying keenly aware of the many factors—business and others—that impact one’s success.”
On Her Bookshelf
Written in the Ashes, by K. Hollan Van Zandt
Connecting With Kaia Hollan Alexander
Website: www.thisiskaia.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/thisiskaia
Instagram: www.instagram.com/Thisisiakaia
Women
Author, Film Maker
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820:
Feeling Most Alive Through Curiosity and Lifelong Learning - Tommy Baker
“I think the biggest thing has been just a deep-rooted commitment to being the humble student and always learning. That’s when I feel most alive. Through putting myself in experiences and situations, and programs and books, and immersing myself as the best possible student, then that’s when you can become the best possible teacher at the same time. That commitment has been very intense for me, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
Tommy Baker helps dreamers, visionaries, and entrepreneurs bring those dreams to life and create a life they cannot wait to wake up for. As the author of “UnResolution,” “The One Percent Rule,” and “Leap of Your Life”, Tommy believes living up to your potential is what we are here for.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was blessed to grow up in two completely different places. One was in South America, in Bogota, Columbia, and one was in New York and Connecticut on the East Coast of the United States. These two places could not be more different. One was a small suburban town and one was a capital city in South America. But the gift that it gave me─even though it was challenging and hard growing up in a Third World country─was the power of perspective. When I came back to the U.S., I had a deeper perspective and gratitude for life because I knew that a lot of the world is in a state of poverty and lack.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“It was 2008, right around the time of the financial crisis. I’m interning for a financial services company, and I’m on the train. Almost everyone on that train was part of the financial services industry in some capacity. I noticed the look on people’s faces and said, I can’t be on this literal and metaphorical train any longer. That was one of those insights. And I thought, okay, now is the time to create a shift in my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Curiosity is so important for me. If we follow our curiosity, great things will happen. And I noticed my curiosity was not in the physical surface side of things. It was all about what was happening in between our ears. What was the neuroscience? What was the human behavior? Why do some people change and some don’t? I went on a quest to discover what creates human behavior change. My vehicle was fitness at the time, but I knew that my mission was much bigger than that. And I knew I had to get honest with myself. I had another inflection point and I asked myself, do I want to continue on this path?”
On His Bookshelf
The Leap of Your Life: How to Redefine Risk, Quit Waiting For ‘Someday,’ and Live Boldly, by Tommy Baker
The 1% Rule: How to Fall in Love with the Process and Achieve Your Wildest Dreams, by Tommy Baker
UnResolution: How to Ditch Resolutions Forever, Live Life by Design, and Achieve Your Dreams, by Tommy Baker
Steps to Success from Tommy Baker
1. Get to know who you are and what you want, what you value, and then integrate your life around those principles.
2. Start by following what you are most curious about, then watch what happens.
3. Every single day, step into one thing that creates fear in you. On the other side of fear is magic.
4. Develop a personal toolbox of introspection and growth, with tools like journaling, meditation, spending time in nature, and doing something you love to do, just to disconnect from all the noise around you.
Connecting With Tommy Baker
Website: resistaverageacademy.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ResistAverageAcademy
Podcast: resistaverageacademy.com/podcast/
Twitter: @ResistAverage
Instagram: instagram.com/tommy_resistaverage/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ThomasbAker85
Free Gift
Visit Tommy’s website for The Integration Experience audio training.
Curiousity, Multi-national, Who Are You
Author, Coach, Entrepreneur, Podcaster, Speaker
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819:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be an Advertising Agency Executive? - Tom Shepansky
“My greatest source of satisfaction? I’d say it’s seeing people succeed. To see our team do the best work. Now my role is the most rewarding role ever–to be in a coaching and mentorship role and to celebrate others’ success. It’s one thing to be in the room and be doing it, and that was exciting. But it’s actually even more rewarding and exciting to see the team succeed. I’d say that for sure.”
Tom Shepansky is one of the three founders of Rethink, a creative agency in Canada. Rethink has just celebrated its 20th anniversary and was named Agency of the Year. Tom is transitioning to a governance role with the company allowing the business to remain independent. He’s also active in the community on two non-profit boards. Tom loves cycling, hiking and skiing and has recently taken up bass guitar. He plays in a band called “Never Too Late.” Tom lives with his wife Roxanne on the North Shore of Vancouver.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My two future partners, Chris Staples and Ian Grais, and I, under Frank Palmer’s leadership, helped transform his agency—Palmer Jarvis—into one of the best, creative-driven agency’s in Canada, which was also honored a number of times as Agency of the Year and the top ranked creative agency. Frank sold the agency to Omnicom in 1998, and we continued to work there as senior executives another 18 months or so. Serendipitously we read a book about a couple of agencies in the UK that were involved in a similar merger with a multi-national agency. But instead of joining in the acquisition, one of the agencies broke away and decided to keep their independence—they grew quite nicely from that point on. We read the book, were inspired and said to ourselves: ‘Well, why can’t we do that?’ That was 20 years ago and our agency, Rethink Canada, has been thriving ever since.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
I’ve learned many vital lessons over my lifetime. Here are just a few:
1. Strong Family Values. My dad had a very successful career in the radio business and was very community-minded. My mother was a stay-at-home mom who supported us and my dad in his career. Those strong family values laid a rock-solid foundation for my personal and professional lives.
2. Internships and Hands-on Experience. While still in college I did a research paper for the president of an ad agency. By nurturing that relationship, I was able to land a job when an opening came up, which began my lifelong career in the advertising business.
3. Learning the Business from the Ground Up. It’s vital to learn all aspects of the business you are in. I started as an entry-level account coordinator and worked my way up, absorbing every dimension of the advertising world I possibly could along the way.
4. Coaching and Mentorship. Both are crucial for your personal and professional development. I cannot fully describe the powerful, positive influence a couple of my mentors had on my life.
5. The Power of a Creative Idea. I learned early on that one creative idea that embodies the best aspects of a product or service, solves a want or need of the customer, and is presented in an imaginative and compelling story line produces remarkable, measurable results for the brand.
6. Finding Clients You Can Stand Behind. We have always sought out good people who are collaborative and always striving for excellence in the work they do and that we do together.
7. People. Product. Profit. Creating the conditions for a positive culture, that develops and nurtures people and their talents and skills, results in the most impactful end product and the best return on investment.
On His Bookshelf
Open Minded: Working Out the Logic of the Soul, Jonathan Lear
Connecting With Tom Shepansky
Email: Tom@rethinkcanada.com
Website: rethinkcanada.com
Facebook: facebook.com/tom.shepansky
Twitter: @tomshepansky
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tom-shepansky-08b1728/
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of an Ad Agency Executive, Advertising career
Advertising, Business Owner
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818:
A Veteran Investigative Journalist Living Her Truth - Carey Gillam
“When people say, why do you care about this? Why is this important? I say, we all eat, right? We all have to have food to survive. And when our food has become poisoned for profit, we deserve to have the truth about that. We deserve to know as much as we can so we can protect ourselves. And that is the motivation for everything I do.”
Carey Gillam is a veteran investigative journalist with more than 25 years of experience covering corporate news, including 17 years as a senior correspondent for Reuters international news service. She is the author of “Whitewash—The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science,” an exposé of corporate corruption in agriculture. The book won the coveted Rachel Carson Book Award from the Society of Environmental Journalists. Gillam works now as Research Director for the non-profit U.S. Right to Know.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Since high school I knew I was a writer and wanted to be a journalist. After I got my print journalism degree at the University of Kansas, I got a job at the Kansas City Business Journal, which was part of a chain of newspapers around the country, where I covered the business community. That is where I learned to do investigative work on local Kansas City banks. I wrote several powerful stories that really launched my career.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“During my last year of employment at the Atlanta Business Chronicle, I conducted an investigation of a national company based in Atlanta that had for years covered up and misrepresented the disturbing numbers of injuries and deaths that were occurring in their company. That story was awarded a Gerald Loeb Award, one of the highest honors in the industry. Because of this honor, I received several job offers from other top news organizations around the country, which forced me to take a hard look at my career journey and what my true goals were.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My father encouraged me and my two younger brothers to think outside the box and create our own views and perspectives on complex and controversial issues. He honored open debate on any issue as long as we did our own research and had the facts and statistics to back up our point of view. My mother taught me to stand up for myself and the importance of doing something good in the world. She believed that you needed to do as much good as you can, for as many people as you can, as many ways as you can. These lessons from each parent have been key to my life and career.”
Steps to Success from Carey Gillam
- Reach inside and learn about yourself: what makes you happy; what are you curious about; what motivates you?
- Be true to your core values as you create your career and life vision, and never compromise them.
- Build a strong work ethic from a very early age. You have to take care of yourself and be responsible for meeting your own needs.
- Develop the tenacity and courage to make things happen. If you want to achieve something and it is honorable and right, then work tirelessly towards that goal to make it happen.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Carey Gillam
Website: http://careygillam.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareyGillamAuthor/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/careygillam
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/carey-gillam-584a1913/
Investigative Reporting, Parental Influence
Investigative Reporter
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817:
Passion for Writing Stories Let Him Create His Life Script - Kirk Deis
“I think it’s because traditionally all of us are taught: go to school, get good grades, get that nine to five life. Here in the U.S. we are conditioned to find that stability and consistency, myself included. And then when you go out and you do these things on your own…, well, it took me a long time to think of myself as an entrepreneur.”
Kirk Deis has been featured on Forbes and podcasts and radio shows throughout the United States. He is CEO and founder of two companies, Treehouse 51, a digital agency based in Newport Beach, California, and The Bug Squasher, a universal web app that helps you diagnose site issues.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Growing up, I’d make up stories. That was my thing. I was super creative, with a wild imagination and have always loved telling stories. Later on, I channeled my writing by studying screenwriting. I just loved it. Whether it was writing or listening to all kinds of music, or learning about advertising or marketing, I knew I had to be creative.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Struggling at an insurance job that wasn’t satisfying, Kirk applied to some advertising agencies. One of them offered him a job that checked all the boxes: good pay, working with creative people. As he was about to accept it, a clear thought came to him. “Maybe I could create something like this for myself, bringing together other creative people from marketing and film.” His then-girlfriend, now his wife, was on-board. “She said I should just run with it, so I did!” That became his obsession, and he created Treehouse 51.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Even when you follow your passion, there will be failure and hard work. Not everything will work out, so you’ve really got to want it. But when you find that spot, it’s not just a job. Treehouse 51 and The Bug Squasher are much more than jobs to me, they’re my babies. We’re fighting for a bigger cause. I don’t mind if it’s Saturday at 3 a.m. and I’m working, because it’s mine.”
Steps to Success from Kirk Deis
1. Feed your creativity by opening yourself to a variety of people, places and activities that stimulate you.
2. Pursue your passion first as a side gig as you accumulate resources to sustain you when you take it full-time.
3. Don’t be mindlessly lulled into following a path that is not for you. Stay clear about your goals throughout the temporary setbacks and delays.
Connecting With Kirk Deis
Website: https://thebugsquasher.com/
Website: http://treehouse51.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreeHouse51inc/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirkdeis
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Treehouse51Inc
YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC7sKQtwj1Dp6b0HxxLzTRyw – funny rap video about the Bug Squasher. Shows company’s marketing range.
Creativity, Entrepreneurship, Side Hustle
App Inventor, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Film Maker, Online Marketing, Storyteller
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816:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Doctor? - Dr. Erika Blank
“I realized that I was seeing patient after patient and they were on 10 medicines, maybe more. They couldn’t keep them straight. I couldn’t keep them straight. And all had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. They may have had a heart attack in the past. And what I realized was that it didn’t have to be that way. They didn’t have to have type two diabetes; they didn’t have to have those heart attacks—those illnesses could have been prevented if they had been leading more healthy lives beforehand. And I realized after practicing medicine for 18 years that all I had ever been taught in medical school and in residency was how to treat diseases. We never learned how to keep people healthy.”
Dr. Erica Blank graduated from medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx in 1996. She then completed a residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. Her first job was at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York where she worked as a primary care physician. She moved to New Hampshire in 2012 where she worked at Exeter Hospital and developed an interest in Lifestyle Medicine, which focuses on treating the root causes of disease. She realized that all of her training in medicine up to that point was about treating disease and she never learned how to promote health. Erika became board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine in 2017, and moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where she now practices Lifestyle Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I did a medical education course in 2016 through Harvard on Lifestyle Medicine. This was all about treating the root cause of diseases to try to prevent diseases by having healthy lifestyle behaviors through a healthy diet, physical activity, stress management, getting healthy sleep, and obviously not smoking or drinking or doing drugs. This made sense to me and I realized that I was seeing patient after patient and they were on 10 medicines, maybe more. They couldn’t keep them straight. I couldn’t keep them straight. And all had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. They may have had a heart attack in the past. And what I realized was that it didn’t have to be that way. They didn’t have to have type two diabetes; they didn’t have to have those heart attacks—those illnesses could have been prevented if they had been leading more healthy lives beforehand. And I realized after practicing medicine for 18 years that all I had ever been taught in medical school and in residency was how to treat diseases. We never learned how to keep people healthy.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Get guidance as soon as you are able, beginning in high school. There are myriad assessments and programs that help you understand who you are from every perspective so that your decisions about college, areas of study and possible career options are based on reflection and experience not merely whim.
2. Instead of entering medical school directly from college, I’d suggest getting more life experience—travel, get a job in a field that interests you—anything to broaden your perspective.
3. Explore. Talk to family and friends and ask them to introduce you to doctors they know—ask them if you can visit their offices to interview them, get a feel for what they do all day and how they feel about what they do—the ins and outs.
4. Push your boundaries. I’m an introvert, so once I began meeting with patients during my residency, I had to create the mindset and develop the skills to manage my energy and present my best self to the patient.
5. Trust your instincts. I was interested in surgery early on but realized that a career standing on my feet all day long would be stressful and enervating. So, I focused on internal medicine and that has been my love throughout my entire career.
Connecting With Dr. Erika Blank
Email: erikasblank@gmail.com
Website: muschealth.org/providerdirectory/Blank-Erika
Facebook: facebook.com/Dr.ErikaBlank/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erika-blank-ab5b1256
A Day in the Life, A Day in the Life of a Doctor, Lifestyle Medicine, Medical Education
Doctor, Physician, Primary Care Physician
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815:
Making the Most of Whatever Life Throws Your Way - Robin Gordon
“Most of the jobs are boring if you just think of them as a job. But if you think of what you can do to learn while you’re doing the job, who you can meet, what you can do to advance…. In other words, if you’re merely reacting, then it’s more difficult to be satisfied. But if you take it as a challenge and a step along your way, you can do great things.”
Robin Gordon is a Certified Public Accountant and a Personal Financial Specialist whose passion is educating and empowering her clients in all things financial. She helps people achieve financial goals by working with them to minimize taxes, protect and grow assets, and transfer wealth responsibly. She has an Amazon best seller book: Living the Best Life You Can with the Money You Have: Create a Financial Plan that Works for You. Robin was born in San Francisco and now lives in Richmond VA. She has two adult children and spends her free time doing active traveling including hiking and biking trips.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
I had a successful career for many years working in various roles for Arthur Anderson and KPMG. I lost all of the hearing in my left ear and needed a cochlear implant—a very expensive procedure. Because KPMG’s insurance program would not cover my procedure, I went to another firm where I was in the process of creating a whole new division to run accounting systems for clients—to flex my entrepreneurial muscles. As it happened, I realized a principal in this new firm was involved in some unethical practices, so I immediately quit. While I had never really thought of working on my own, especially with the hearing loss, this situation forced me to marshal all of my resources, figure out how to make it all work and execute the plan. It was the turning point of my career and made me who I am today—very happy with my life.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
- I grew up very poor and learned early on about the power of money in every person’s survival.
- Our society does a bad job of teaching us how to manage our money leaving many people feeling powerless over our finances and poorer for it.
- My mom and dad each had strong work ethics and taught me to take what life throws at you and turn it to your advantage.
- My hearing loss from measles and mumps at 3 years old sharpened my capacity to really listen to people by not merely their words but their facial expressions and body language.
- Make your job much more than a job. Make it a challenge—a step-by-step path to understanding who you truly are and what you truly want from your life and career.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Robin Gordon
Website: rgordon@gordonandcocpas.com
Facebook: facebook.com/robin.gordon.52
Twitter: twitter.com/cpatalks
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robin-gordon-cpa-pfs/
Instagram: instagram.com/gordonrcpa
Hearing Loss, Job in Demand Anyway
Certified Public Accountant, Financial Advisor
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814:
Helping Business Owners "Shatterproof " Their Businesses - Scott Reib
“We have this really proactive relationship where we can help them avoid what I call the potholes of business practice and show other lawyers how they can move away from the billable hour, create the clientele that likes them and that they’re really providing value to, and give them much more of their time back so that they can spend it with the people they love doing other things that they love. Let’s find a better way to practice that gives you more time and freedom to find what it is that really lights you up in your spare time.”
Scott Reib is known as America’s Legal Coach. He’s the official Zig Ziglar Small Business Lawyer, a Ziglar Legacy Certified Trainer, and he has over 20 years of experience as an attorney. For the last two decades, Scott has been helping business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches, and service providers “shatterproof” their businesses and succeed in the professional world. Scott is a firm believer that seeking legal advice doesn’t have to be intimidating or expensive if we treat lawyers like primary care doctors instead of ER doctors. Through his subscription-based Access Plan legal service, Scott is making great strides in shifting that perspective.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After 6 months with AT&T in sales, I discovered that I could be what they called an independent authorized agent, which was pretty much the same as having my own business—the first step in my entrepreneurial journey just a year out of college. I would sell AT&T’s products but also products from other quality companies like Canon copiers. The business was growing at a good clip and I liked the work. My success caught the attention of AT&T management and they took me out of that position and put me in a minimum wage position. It was their legal right and it made financial sense from their perspective. I was disappointed at the time, but that situation was the direct catalyst for me taking the LSAT and to get accepted to the University of Oklahoma Law School. My career has taken off since that important turning point.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Like each one of us, I have learned many lessons along my life’s journey.
Here are a few:1. My dad worked in sales selling huge installations of office equipment. He worked long hours, did very well and his work ethic had a profound effect on every aspect of my life.
2. My sophomore year in high school I had a language arts teacher who challenged me individually to be more. Plus, she taught me the importance of always communicating clearly.
3. I learned the power of the old adage that we learn more from our failures than our successes during my first job with Mass Mutual selling insurance. However diligently I worked, and I worked very hard, I could not get into the flow of the sales cycle. It was the first time in my life I had to quit something I started but it was the right decision.
4. I finished my first semester of law school with suboptimal grades even though I had put in countless hours studying. I sought the counsel of a law school advisor who explained a system of study that shaved 15 hours off my work week. Working smarter not harder was the takeaway.
Connecting With Scott Reib
Website: https://reiblaw.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottReibAccess/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thescottreib
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescottreib/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thescottreib/
Learning from Failure, Work Smarter
Attorney, Business Coach, Business Owner, Lawyer
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813:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a School Counselor? - Dr. Carolyn Jerdan
“I’m able to work with a child, in any of the levels [Kindergarten through 12th grade], who is having an issue with something, and then help them work through it—and maybe include the parent, the teacher. Once they can work it out on their own, they feel so much better, and it’s just very rewarding. It’s a very rewarding career.”
Carolyn Jerdan has been in the educational field for over 20 years serving as a teacher, counselor and school administrator. She has worked in private and public schools, ranging from preschool to adults. She is presently the School Counselor at the Atlanta Classical Academy, an Atlanta Public Charter School. As a school counselor she works with students K-12 and helps with academic, social and emotional issues. Carolyn also works with the College Counselor and guides high school students through the college search and application process. Counseling students ranging from Kindergarten to 12th grade can be challenging but Carolyn enjoys working with all the grade levels and watching the students mature and develop. Carolyn’s passion is to help students realize their “uniqueness” and God-given talents so they can be actively involved in their own learning and strategically plan for their future.
After completing a B.A. and M.A. at Northwestern University, she earned a Ph.D. in School Psychology at the University of Maryland.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After I graduated from Northwestern with a degree in health education, I got a position at a wonderful school in Glenview, Illinois, teaching health and PE to students in the 9th through 12th grades. I loved the engagement with the students, and the sports. They also had me teaching a class called Peer Leadership, where I got to work with the students in a different dimension of their lives. This was my turning point into counseling because I realized I could really help these youngsters get through some of the most difficult times in their lives.”
Ideas and Insights When Considering This Career Path
1. Number one is to plan your college experience and career with who you are in mind.
- I have found that when the kids are applying to college—often in their senior year—they have not really thought about what they want to do with their life. They are just picking a college. Maybe their parents went there, and their friends are there. But they have not even considered what majors are offered at the college they choose, or what they are really interested in. So, I have been trying to work with them to help them learn more about themselves first.
- Self-knowledge is immensely valuable when choosing a career. You would do well to take one or more assessments to discover more about yourself. One of the programs I have experience with is the Highland’s Ability Battery that’s a really good tool to sharpen your understanding of what you are naturally good at. My school is using a program for students going to college called Naviance that has a lot of career inventories that kids can take to figure out what it is they are interested in.
2. Then choose the schools to apply to based on what you want out of your education.
- The college choice part is challenging, and I really encourage you to get to know what it is you are looking for. For example, if you are interested in three things and you might change your major while in school, make sure that the college you pick has those three possibilities, or you are going to have to transfer schools.
3. Once you identify one or more career fields you think you would be interested in, get to know all about those careers.
- There are usually multiple types of jobs within a field. If you think you are interested in school counseling, for example, there’s a psychology part, the social work part. There’s the research part. You really have to sit down with someone in the field or a school or career counselor and really go through all the different areas that you would want to explore.
- I suggest that you shadow somebody in the field so you can see what job you like the best. One of my students decided she was going to be an orthopedic surgeon, but when she shadowed the orthopedic surgeon, the minute the blood came, she fainted. So, she decided that wasn’t going to be her choice. And I’ve had friends go through education as a major and then get in a classroom and decide that they can’t stand it. It is so important that you know all about the career you think you want.
4. Personal natural abilities that are very helpful in being successful and fulfilled as a school counselor include:
- Make sure you really like to help people. This is essential. If you don’t like people, you should not get into this field.
- Be a good listener.
- Be a patient person.
Facts and Figures About the Occupation
Student Counselor
1. #63 of 100 Occupations and Professions
2. 36,700 Projected Jobs
3. Unemployment Rate 2.2%
4. Median Salary $55,400
Employment for School Counselors is expected to grow 8% from 2018 to 2028, which is faster than average for all other occupations.
Source: 100 Best Jobs of 2019. U.S. News and World Report. http://bit.ly/2qcBh2f
Connecting With Dr. Carolyn Jerdan
Atlanta Classical Academy Website: atlantaclassical.org/
Email: cjerdan@atlantaacademy.org
College Selection, Education, High School Juniors and Seniors, Student Counselor, Student Guidance Counselor, Students
Counselor, Student Counselor, Student Guidance Counselor, Teaching/Teacher
November 2019:
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812:
Igniting the Spark in an Entrepreneur's Eye - Cédric Bollag
“There is a very vibrant community of startups and innovation going on in Israel. And I was just fascinated, and every other friend had their own startup. So I felt like maybe it will be a good time to just start something on my own. But I didn’t really have this idea or like your eureka moment. So I said, okay, you know what, let’s just start with something I’m passionate about, which is startups. So together with my wife, we came up with a name, which is still today, GlobalTechBox.com.”
Cédric Bollag is an aspiring venture capitalist. He just graduated with his Master’s degree in Accounting and Finance at the prestigious University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The motivation for starting GlobalTechBox.com came from a deep passion for Startups & Venture Capital. Cédric is frequently invited as a keynote speaker related to topics around Startups and Venture Capital.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After I had completed internships with a bank in Zurich and another in Israel, I realized that the rather bureaucratic world of banking did not suit my talents or interests. I happened upon an internship in Jerusalem with the Eastern Research Group, where I was able to interface with myriad different entrepreneurs and vibrant start-ups who were blazing trails of innovation across many different business niches. That experience was the catalyst for me to realize I wanted to start something on my own that I am truly passionate about. My wife and I came up with the name Global Tech Box and that was our beginning.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. My family’s Jewish roots go back over 500 years in Switzerland. That long heritage is a powerful and positive influence on each of us as we forge our lives and careers.
2. At around 10 years of age I had some discipline problems in school, so my parents enrolled me in karate classes. I practiced regularly for 10 years and it taught me how to focus and re-channel my energy in positive ways.
3. As a teenager I was bullied for a few years for not experimenting with drugs with some of my friends. It was a very tough time but taught me the importance of following your own instincts about doing what you think is right vs. following the crowd.
4. After finishing high school, I went to Israel to pursue Talmudic studies to discover what my goals were from a religious perspective in my life, not just from the point of view of my education and career plans.
5. With my bachelor’s degree in business administration I did a couple of internships with a bank in Zurich and in Israel. The hands-on experience made me realize that I did not have the temperament nor the interest to pursue the rather bureaucratic world of banking. So, I decided to start a company of my own.
Connecting With Cédric Bollag
Email: cedric@globaltechbox.com
What’s Up: api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=41798828802
Website: www.GlobalTechBox.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cedric.bollag/
Twitter: twitter.com/cedi2611
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/cedricbollag/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cedric.bollag/
Family Heritage, Starting a business
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Finance, Speaker, Venture Capital
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811:
Police2Peace: Translating Between Two Worlds - Lisa Broderick
“For me to be able to be a cohesive force for these small companies and helping them grow was very satisfying. One thing I did notice, and that is, when companies were able to employ new people and give them jobs, it made me teary-eyed because small businesses are the engine of this country. You hear about the big businesses, but that’s not true. It’s all of the small businesses employing their neighbors and their friends and their family, and starting from nothing and turning it into something that is the real backbone of this country. To be able to contribute to that has been enormously fulfilling.”
Lisa Broderick is an accomplished senior executive whose career has been defined by how communication impacts society and changes behavior. From her early days at Apple Computer 30 years ago, to helping launch some of the first e-commerce companies on the Internet, Lisa has been at the forefront of using communication to transform people and social behavior. Today, Lisa works on socially impactful initiatives like Police2Peace. Lisa earned a BA in Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from Duke University. She is an experienced speaker and presenter, having appeared on numerous television broadcasts including CNN and ABC News.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
When I graduated from Stanford with a degree in economics, I was fortunate to join a management team which received one million dollars of venture capital. The only condition was that I move to New York. My parents were from New York and my grandparents and other relatives lived there, but I had only visited. So, in my early twenties I moved there and spent the next 30 years living right in Manhattan, doing all the things New Yorkers do and getting a very complete view of the world.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. My father was in the early computer business in the 1980’s with Honeywell and my mother was an economist getting her Ph.D. My siblings and I learned the power of critical thinking and keeping an open mind so that we could make sense of the world around us. We also learned the value of hard work and focus in achieving any goal you set your mind to achieving.
2. I was a bit of a studious nerd growing up, but I realized early on that one of my superpowers was that I could communicate with the popular kids, too, and translate between worlds so that each side could understand one another. I have used that skill throughout my life.
3. Because of my dad’s experience in the budding technology field with Honeywell and Apple, I quickly learned how technology was profoundly changing behavior, which has been the focus of my life ever since.
4. I have been a meditator for over 30 years, which has honed my ability to focus, so that instead of immediately reacting with emotion, I’m able to consider what has happened in the broader scheme of things and be much more perceptive.
Connecting With Lisa Broderick
Website: police2peace.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/Police2Peace
Twitter: twitter.com/Police2Peace
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisa-a-broderick/
Free Gift
Police2Peace will provide these programs to your community if you want them. There is need to “qualify” if you would like to have these messages of peace and the opportunity to see whether “peace officer” on police cars and other programs actually bring about greater consciousness and greater compassion. Contact Lisa Broderick through police2peace.com
Communicatons Impact on Society, Purpose, Small Business
CEO
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810:
A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Judge? - Judge Anne Elizabeth Barnes
“I like to try to be able to predict the way the law is going, should go and not to get in the way of helping the rule of law to work as it should work. Because that’s what it’s about. It’s not about any particular result in any case or set of cases. It’s about our wonderful American legal system and making sure that it works properly so that the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, are all treated fairly and equally under our system.”
Judge Anne Elizabeth Barnes won election in 1998 to the Georgia Court of Appeals and took office January 1, 1999. She was re-elected without opposition to a second term in 2004. In 2010, she was elected to a third term by getting more votes than any other candidate in the state of Georgia. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia in 1983, and her Master of Laws in the Judicial Process from the University of Virginia in 2004.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I wasn’t encouraged to run for judge on the Court of Appeals by the powers that be in 1996. I went out to dinner with some friends and the husband of my friend said, ‘Why don’t you go ahead and run anyway.’ And so I did it! Without the backing of anyone in my social group, I qualified and almost won a statewide race with 48.2% of the vote. When there was another open seat available for the Court of Appeals two years later, I ran and I was elected. One thing I always say in my talks to women’s groups, ‘If you don’t run, you definitely will not win.’”
Ideas and Insights When Considering This Career Path
Here are a few basic principles that revolve around training, education and experience that I’d share with anyone considering entering any facet of the law profession.
1. It’s essential that you are a fast reader and that your comprehension skills are equally excellent. The volume of information that a lawyer or judge must deal with every day is immense.
2. Like any profession, the field of law is comprised of myriad roles across many disciplines. Explore as much as possible any aspect of the law that captures your imagination─via internships or by volunteering in organizations or firms that can give you a real-world taste of what it’s really like to do what they do.
3. Research the profession from any and every perspective that you feel drawn to. Read books, watch movies or videos, keep digging and learning. The movies, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Paper Chase are two I highly recommend.
4. Travel, in my experience, is one of the most powerful ways to expand your horizons about the world and about yourself.
On Her Bookshelf
Judging Statutes, by Robert A. Katzmann
Images of Justice: Women in Law, by Trevor Goring
The Law of Judicial Precedent, by Garner et al.
Statutes in Court: The History and Theory of Statutory Interpretation, by William D. Popkin
Connecting With Judge Anne Elizabeth Barnes
Email: judgebarnes@gmail.com
Websites: Georgia Court of Appeals: www.gaappeals.us/biography/indes.php
Campaign Site: www.judgebarnes.comTwitter: @judgeannebarnes
Facebook: facebook.com/judgebarnes
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/judgeanneelizabethbarnes
Instagram: abcaeb123
A Day in the Life, Judge, Lawyers
Judge, Lawyer
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809:
Lessons from 2,200 Miles on the Appalachian Trail - Kirk Mote
“I believe everyone is born with certain gifts and purpose to fulfill. And on the whole, people choose comfort over change. And that is why we follow the outline of life passed down for generations. We are told, ‘you graduate high school, go to college, get a job, buy a house, get married, have kids, a 401k and so forth and so on. But what does that get you! And now you are working nine to five with an hour lunch break. You probably had two to three hours of productivity in the day. Now what kind of life is that? You are either fulfilling your purpose or you are a slave to someone else’s purpose.”
Kirk Mote is founder of Rescue Site Services, where he specializes in developing Automated External Defibrillator (AED) programs for businesses, homes, and community groups. Kirk uses the only AED on the market with Real CPR Help® technology, the world’s #1 AED program management solution, and scenario-based CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care training and education. Kirk’s life mission is #TargetZero, which is a vision of the world where no one dies from sudden cardiac arrest.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Five years ago at a presentation about the Holocaust an older gentleman got up from his chair, shuffled to the door and suddenly collapsed, like he was having a heart attack. I had been trained in CPR so I began barking orders to call 911, and to get the AED immediately. An off-duty nurse and I were able within a couple of minutes to get the first shock on him. All of his children and grandchildren were at this event utterly frightened and confused by what was happening. Thankfully we saved his life.
I was so moved by this experience that I did some research and found out that in one year 475,000 people in this country die from sudden cardiac arrest and it is the number one killer worldwide. I made the decision to become an American Heart Association instructor and dedicated the next 4 years of my life to teaching people how to save their loved ones.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
My 3 younger siblings and I were homeschooled by our mother from the 1st through the 7th grades. That experience allowed each of us to explore our interests and talents to a far greater degree than if we had stayed in the traditional school system. It contributed greatly to me being an outside the box thinker.
Between high school and college, I participated in a program by an organization called Global Year. I wanted to learn Spanish and for two semesters we went to El Salvador and were able to get an up-close and personal look at an altogether different culture by teaching English via a local church that had partnered with an orphanage and a homeless ministry.
I believe as human beings we are here to find our purpose and be as productive as we can using our talents and gifts. In my view, too many individuals choose comfort over change and settle for far less than they are capable of.
Connecting With Kirk Mote
Website: www.rescuesiteservices.com
Facebook: facebook.com/rescuesiteservices
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/rescuesiteservices
Instagram: instagram.com/rescuesiteservices
Emergency Cardiovascular Care, Purpose, Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Business Owner, Medical Sales, Trainer
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Relating to and Understanding People - Cameron Cegala
“And where I really thrive is in establishing and building strategic relationships. That’s what I really love. I love people. I love relating to people, understanding people, really understanding differences between people and getting people to work well together. Both internally and externally–internally managing my team and also managing the relationships with other functions within the company, both in the U S and in Germany, but then externally managing all those high level relationships with our clients was just really a dream for me at the time. I absolutely loved it.”
Cameron Cegala is co-founder of AdKaddy, a mobile app that helps you manage all the brands you love by giving you a new email address and platform to use for all your consumer needs. AdKaddy creates a personalized and hyper-organized inbox for you, where you can direct email communications from your favorite brands. The app automatically sorts your incoming emails, helping you keep promo emails, receipts, and shipping notifications separate and organized. Prior to AdKaddy, Cameron spent her corporate career working in sales and client management at Procter & Gamble and two smaller CPG companies.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My dream was to work for The Coca Cola Company, but I discovered that I had to have a master’s degree and two years of experience to apply for the role I wanted. They suggested I apply to Procter and Gamble because it was the main company from which they recruited. The interview process was arduous—over 9 months of phone interviews, online tests and in-person interviews. I was one of 30 to be selected from many thousands of applicants. I did my internship between my junior and senior years at the University of South Carolina and loved it. At the end of the internship I gave a presentation to an executive board on what I had learned and what my vision was going forward. To my delight I was offered a full-time position. So I returned to college for my senior year with a job already lined up with one of the most respected and successful companies in the country.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. A strong role model can be instrumental, if you are as lucky as I was: My father was a CPA for Ernst & Young for 38 years, loved the work he did and was instrumental in keeping me focused on excelling in school from the get-go.
2. Be on the lookout for mentors in your life: I had myriad mentors at different stages of my life—people who cared about me, saw my potential and encouraged me to exercise that potential.
3. Learn self-discipline: I jumped around in sports a lot but did a lot of karate when I was quite young and was influenced by a great coach, who taught me much about self-discipline, setting my own personal goals and of course physical discipline.
4. By broadening your experiences, unexpected opportunities can present themselves: My experiences working for the Student Success Center while at USC were very helpful. I was a certified tutor teaching entry level Spanish, which one of my degrees is in. One summer I studied abroad in Argentina and in the final summer I interned at Procter and Gamble.
Connecting With Cameron Cegala
Website: www.adkaddy.com
Facebook: facebook.com/adkaddy
Twitter: twitter.com/AdKaddy
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cameroncegala/
Instagram: instagram.com/AdKaddy
Corporate to Entrepreneur, Education
Client Management, Co-founder of App, Sales
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A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be a Chiropractor? - Dr. Karen Tedeschi
“I think it’s really seeing someone get their life back. They think that they are never going to be pain free. And all of a sudden they are. I had a woman who had migraines every day or every other day, and we just worked on her slowly but steadily because she could only come in once a month. We changed her diet and, of course, all of this was slow. We got her on supplements and we just worked at her speed. Then over time her headaches went to only three a month. And then recently we’ve gotten them to completely go away. And even as her headaches were going down, she started traveling the world and she started actually doing more things that she wanted to do. I think that is really kind of awesome.”
Dr. Karen Tedeschi is a healer, chiropractor and teacher. She is the owner of Advanced Wellness of Atlanta, an interdisciplinary healing clinic, which brings together like-minded practitioners. She has studied Reiki, Chiropractic, Applied Kinesiology, Brimhall technique, TBM, Cranial-Sacral Therapy, Nutrition, Blood work, and Pranic Healing. Karen is dedicated to reducing the pain and suffering in the world and teaching people at all levels about health and healing. She believes in the power of individual choice and that education is key.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
I became interested in health at around 19 when I learned about juicing and massage, and I decided to become a vegetarian. I had always loved music and studied classical flute, which led me to enter the Boston Conservatory of Music preparing to become a professional musician. After a couple of years studying in Boston and awhile at the North Carolina School of the Arts, I could not see a clear career path for me in music, so I dropped out. After working several odd jobs while trying to figure out my next career move, out of the blue I decided to go to massage school. After graduating I was invited to become a teacher, so I started building my private practice while teaching. I became acquainted with many practicing chiropractors, and the more I learned about the profession, it was an easy step to decide to get my D.C. degree or Doctor of Chiropractic.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
What advice or counsel would you give young people who are considering entering the profession?
1. Go to see a chiropractor to get an up-close and personal view of what the practice of chiropractic medicine actually is—how it works and what it can do for you.
2. Be certain you are avidly interested in the sciences because the practice is heavily science-based—chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, anatomy, neurology and more.
3. Understand that when you are working with clients you are up-close-and-personal with them, in their personal space. So, you need to know yourself and whether you will like that aspect of your work or not.
4. An important step is to find a chiropractor who will let you come in and shadow them during a typical day, to get a feel for the tasks, protocols and interactions that comprise a practice’s work flow.
5. There are a couple of books that I highly recommend that are listed in the section below titled: On Her Bookshelf.
On Her Bookshelf
Dr. Fulford’s Touch of Life: The Healing Power of the Natural Life Force, by Robert Fulford and Gene Stone
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One, by Joe Dispenza
Connecting With Dr. Karen Tedeschi
Phone: 404-320-0204
Email: tedeschiwellness@gmail.com
Website: www.advancedwellnessatl.com
Facebook: facebook.com/AdvancedWellnessAtlanta/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drkarentedeschi/
Other: https://wellevate.me/karen-tedeschi or https://www.giawellness.com/drt
A Day in the Life, Chiropractic
Chiropractor, Teaching/Teacher
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Energy and Persistence - Ryan Cote
“The issue was that they never had a marketing person in house. They were just straight outbound sales. My dad would make sales calls, cold calls, and they would get referrals. They never actually marketed themselves. And so when I presented the idea of working here, they said, ‘You know what? We do need a marketing person that’s the next level for us. So let’s have you come in and focus solely on marketing–trade shows, the website, all of that.’ And that’s how I got started at Ballantine.”
Ryan Cote is the Director of Digital Services and Partner at Ballantine, a third-generation family-owned direct mail and digital marketing company based out of Fairfield, NJ. With Ballantine since 2003, a family-owned business started in 1966 by his great-uncle, Ryan now manages the growing digital marketing division.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“While I have always been entrepreneurial, I had no intention at all of going
into the family business and there was no pressure to do so. After graduating from the University of Scranton with a degree in marketing, I worked for two different companies in New York City for a couple of years as a list management broker. When my middle brother graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology and joined the family business I saw how he enjoyed working with my dad and uncle I began to realize that joining Ballantine might be a smart path for me. They’d never had a marketing person in house and both agreed my expertise could take the company to the next level. That was in 2003 and it’s been an amazing journey.”The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. I think too many people simply don’t know what’s possible for themselves—how many opportunities are out there if they will simply investigate. They come home and watch the news or Netflix when a modest amount of time spent researching could open new worlds.
2. These same individuals don’t invest in themselves, in their ongoing education or in improving their skillsets, when the best investment you can make is in yourself.
3. There are countless books and resources on every facet of any topic that captures your imagination, just waiting for a motivated and inquiring mind.
4. If I could do one thing differently in my life and career I would have sought out a strong mentor—someone with broad and deep experience who could share insights and experiences from years of trial and error work on the front lines that could have propelled me forward even faster.v
Connecting With Ryan Cote
Website: www.ballantine.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ballantinecorp
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ballantinecorp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ballantine-corporation
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ballantinecorp/
Free Gift
A free video analysis of your website by Ryan Cote at ballantine.com/ DYT.
Once you are on the page, connect with Ryan on his LinkedIn link. Then message him that you would like to have a free video analysis of your website as he offered on Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love podcast. Ryan will go through your website via screen share, pointing out areas for improvement in SEO by your site’s structure, your social media, and other topics worth sharing.
Entrepreneurism, Family Business
Digital Marketing
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The 10-Month Scholarship Has Lasted 20 Years - Diana Wu David
“But it really is: what is it that you need to know? What aspects of your life are going to allow you to be really resilient and to give you the resources to have that experiment-trial-and-error mentality─so that you can take small bets and see how it goes? And then double down on what’s working and build a community of people who will support you to do that and hold you accountable.”
Diana Wu David is the author of “Future Proof: Reinventing Work in the Age of Acceleration,” a book about how to adopt more agile mindsets and practices to prepare yourself for success in a fast-changing world, across a 100-year life. Diana is an adjunct professor of leadership at Columbia Business School’s EMBA Global Asia and for the Financial Times Non-Executive Director Diploma for independent board directors. Her company, Sarana Labs, helps companies and senior leaders build competitive, future forward organizations.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In 1999 after working in a consulting job at Price Waterhouse Cooper for a couple of years in their tech-media and telecom practice, I decided it was time for a break and planned to go abroad. On a lark I applied for and won The Luce Foundation Scholarship. After an internship in Hong Kong where I worked with artists, journalists, doctors and many other fascinating people, I was supposed to return to the United States and work in consulting again. I felt like I had only scratched the surface, so I decided to stay and got a job at a startup media company. My cross-cultural fellowship of 10 months has now lasted 20 years.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. We are conditioned to pursue what’s important to other people, not necessarily ourselves.
2. So much of our education conditions us for obedience, not to try new things or to break the mold.
3. The training we receive in high school or even four years of college is almost obsolete by the time we graduate because the marketplace is changing at an exponential rate.
4. By understanding your values, what really motivates you, and crafting a story about what you truly love, while you develop a strategic network of supportive people, you can indeed carve out a life on your own terms.
Connecting With Diana Wu David
Website: dianawudavid.com
Facebook: facebook.com/dianawudavidpage/
Twitter: twitter.com/dianawudavid
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dianadavid/
Instagram: instagram.com/dianawudavid/
Free Gift
Eleven Steps to Future Proof Yourself
Change, Networking, On Your Own Terms
Adjunct Professor, Author, Business Owner, Consultant, Digital Media
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A Day in the Life–What's It Really Like to Be an Artist? - Jennifer J L Jones
“But the biggest gift in it for me is to see how it helps people. It either is making them happy or it’s helping to heal them. I have paintings in different hospitals and I’ve heard from numerous people that have seen the work and eventually contacted me, telling me that was the only thing that made them feel better. And in fact, it’s actually, it’s 9/11 today. So the fact that when 9/11 actually happened, I had people that I had never met before emailing me, telling me that looking at my art, even on the web, was the only thing that made them feel better during that time.”
Jennifer J L Jones is an American artist known for her elegant multi-layered glazed abstract paintings inspired by nature. Her work is exhibited and sought after worldwide by private and public collectors. Jones was born in 1971 in Alexandria, Virginia, and received her BFA from the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She works full time as an exhibiting artist going on 21 years. After living in cities growing her career, Jones now resides in Port Royal, S.C. She is working on her second coffee table book, memoir and preparing for several upcoming shows.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was 28 and living back in Chicago. To pay the bills, while I painted on the side, I worked in the HR department of a national company. After a long day I’d go home and paint into the wee hours of the morning. I realized that I couldn’t continue to do this, so I called my parents and asked them for a little money. My parents are generous people and had even dipped into their pension to help me pay for school at The Art Institute of Chicago a few years earlier. At this point, however, they were simply not able to help me, not even a little bit.
“That was my wake up call. I realized I did not have a back up plan. There’s nobody else, just me. So I decided that if I didn’t put 110% into my work as an artist, it’s not going to happen. I quit my job in Chicago, moved to Atlanta and lived with my brother while I put together a small body of my work. I sold it all, and ever since then the work flow has been consistently growing—for 21 straight years.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Listen to your instincts, your heart.
By the time I was in the 9th grade, I knew I wanted to be an artist.
It’s the one thing in my life I’ve never doubted about myself.2. Seek out mentors. They are always there.
There were so many teachers along my journey who spent time encouraging my talent and also sharing resources and introducing me to opportunities such as art competitions that I would never have found on my own.3. Get as much formal training as you can.
My time at The Art Institute of Chicago gave me a broad and deep foundation in all the arts. I experienced sculpture, ceramics, fiber, drawing, collage, paper making and even film. I’ve incorporated all of these modalities into my painting.4. Your career never follows a straight line.
The journey to being a professional artist always follows a winding path. After art school I took several kinds of jobs to pay the bills while I continued to hone my painting skills. I always kept my eye on my ultimate goal because I knew that it would happen when the time was right. And it did.5. Learn practical skills in addition to artistic ones.
Working in other jobs gave me an invaluable foundation in how to be more organized, manage money, work with all kinds of people and manage my schedule. These real-world skills have been invaluable in growing my business and allow me more time to focus on my art.6. Be open to unexpected opportunities to grow your audience.
When the Olympics came to Atlanta in July of 1996, a photographer friend of mine was offered a space to curate her own show. She asked me and a few other artists to exhibit as well. I created 13 new works in the span of a month after my day job in a frame shop. I sold all my paintings and that launched my art career in Atlanta.7. Always remember the impact your work can have on the lives of others.
The biggest gift for me of being an artist is how it helps people—to bring joy to their lives or even help them heal. After 9/11, I had scores of people from around the country reach out to say that looking at and experiencing my art was a great relief during those trying days.Connecting With Jennifer J L Jones
Website: www.jenniferjljones.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jenniferjljones
Instagram: @jenniferjljonesstudios
A Day in the Life
Artist
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You Can’t Put a Price Tag on Experience - Thane Marcus Ringler
“We usually learn what not to do before we learn what to do. And so the first year was really brutal: a lot of poor results and a lot of questioning, a lot of doubts, a lot of trying to find the right answer, the right solution to the problem. And it took me about a year to realize that there is no right answer. You have to figure out what’s best for you.”
Thane Marcus Ringler is a former pro golfer turned speaker, author, coach, and entrepreneur living in Los Angeles, California. After competing for nearly four years as a professional, he transitioned out of the world of golf into his current endeavors. Thane’s mission is to help others live and work better. He is passionate about speaking to the journey from the journey, and is striving to empower this generation to take ownership of their lives and never settle for less than they are capable of.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was captain of our golf team at The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, California. We had qualified for the nationals my junior year but, because our team had broken a couple of school rules, the administration decided that we would not be allowed to compete in the nationals that year or my senior year. As team captain, it was my responsibility to lead our team and I had failed to do that. It was an extremely tough time for me and a powerful lesson to learn. It showed me that if I say I believe in something I have to be living it, with my faith.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
There are many principles and lessons I have been blessed to learn over the course of my lifetime that I like to share::
1. Self-discipline and a strong work ethic.
My dad was an excellent athlete, so from an early age—6 or 7—I got involved with many sports. The competition taught me about the importance of self-discipline and a strong work ethic.2. Honing your own skills and talents.
Team sports were gratifying on many levels and I learned much by playing them, but playing golf taught me to rely on myself, along with the importance of building and honing my own individual skills and talents.3. The power of community.
Throughout my life, in good times and hard times, I have been supported and inspired by members of my tribe—my family, my friends and allies. You cannot live your life alone and hope to thrive without their love and trust.4. Mental strength and resilience.
My 3+ years on the golf tour taught me quickly that competing at the highest levels in anything is 95% your mindset—your mental strength and resilience.5. There is no substitute for experience.
We must walk down several paths for as long as it takes to get the experience needed to inform our choices and decisions about our lives and careers.6. It’s not what we do, but who we are.
If we can keep our identity on who we are as human beings, then what we do can be an expression of, but not a defining part of that reality.Connecting With Thane Marcus Ringler
From Here to There: A Quarter-Life Perspective On The Path To Mastery, by Thane Marcus Ringler
Website: thanemarcus.com and theupandcomersshow.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thanemarcus
Twitter: twitter.com/thanemarcus
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thaneringler/
Instagram: instagram.com/thanemarcus
Author, Coach, Entrepreneur, Pro Golfer, Speaker
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Helping People Come to LIFE at Work - Tracy Timm
“This was the first time I’d ever seen this happen. He went from a pale gray version of himself, just kind of like miserable and mumbly about his job and whatever. His eyes wide open, brightened up his shoulders, went back a little bit. And he just gushed about how he had studied engineering and how much he loved construction. And then he launched into basically telling me what they were doing on the bridge down to the detail, like everything about cement. And that was my wake-up call because I had known him for a year and I had never once seen him gush about anything. And then I thought when was the last time I gushed about anything that I do professionally?”
Tracy Timm is a career strategy expert. She has dedicated her career to helping people come to LIFE at work. Tracy and her team work with high-potential professionals through her proven career clarity program, The Nth Degree®. She also advises businesses on how to attract, engage, and retain top talent. Tracy leverages her psychology degree from Yale and time spent traveling the world to provide effective career solutions for companies and employees alike.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had various on-campus jobs at Yale during the school year and was planning on being a waitress during the summer, which I’d done since I was 15. On a lark I went to a presentation by Cutco, the company that sells knives. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but my very first summer working for them I was the number 34 salesperson in the country out of over 30 thousand! I sold over 40 thousand dollars of knives in one summer. That was when my “sales career” really kicked off. I realized then that I had a real knack for relating to people, understanding their needs and getting them to trust me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. So many of us simply settle for the career we find ourselves in. We do the work because it’s familiar. We don’t explore other worlds and the many options that are out there, and there are many.
2. You know you love something when you cannot not talk about it—whether it’s the work you are doing, a hobby or a new friend. Pay attention to those feelings and listen to your instincts.
3. Finding capable mentors is vital to your career growth. I did a four-month Semester at Sea program and worked with mentors who literally helped me find myself again by mirroring back to me parts of myself that I had forgotten about.
Connecting With Tracy Timm
Website: https://tracytimm.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/thetracytimm
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tracytimm/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thetracytimm
Free Gift
Free Resource Guide: The Top 4 Places to Look for Your Dream Job
Career Development
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A Day in the Life—What’s It Really Like to Be a Dentist? - Dr. Jeanette Kern
“I would like to continue to beat the drum for entrepreneurship in dentistry. I would love to still see solo practitioners or associate and doctor businesses stay open. I love the mom and pop idea of a dental office. I think most people have a good relationship with their dentist. I hope they do. Because that’s what we go into the profession for, to help people. We want them to appreciate us and what we do. And so that’s what I want to do. I want to continue to help my fellow dentist be happy in what they’re doing and be profitable and fulfilled.”
Dr. Jeanette Kern is a nationally recognized expert in the fields of cosmetic and restorative dentistry. She taught at both the UCLA and the USC Schools of Dentistry. In her business community, Dr. Kern received the Monterey Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Award for Health Care in 2009 and 2016 and the Professional Women’s Network Woman of the Year Award in 2007. In 2018 Dr. Kern sold her successful dental practice in Monterey. She created the Profitable Dental Academy. Armed with over 40 years in the dental industry experienced as a dental hygienist, associate dentist and as a practice owner, she shares her knowledge by consulting with other dentists as a Dental Success Coach. She is very happy and honored to continue being an active dental professional.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After 9 years as a dental hygienist and teaching dental hygiene, both of which I loved, I knew I needed to explore other career options. I took a career aptitude test and the counselor at Cal State Northridge told me I had the abilities to be a dentist. At that time I was 26, married, and we had just purchased a house. The idea of taking the required physics, organic and inorganic chemistry courses before I could even apply to dental school was daunting. Additionally, I was working four days a week while chiseling out time to take those classes—a pretty heavy load. As Nietzsche said, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” so I got the work done, was accepted to dental school at both USC and UCLA and got my degree from UCLA in four years.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
The journey to figuring out a life and career for every one of us is infinitely complex. There are some fundamental principles that I have learned over the years, which may sound obvious to some, but in my experience they are too often not practiced.
1. Trust yourself. No one knows you a fraction as much as you do.
2. Be curious. There are countless possibilities that are available to you, if you will keep an open mind and heart to them.
3. Explore. Constantly explore the world around you—the world familiar to you and other environments and ideas that are not.
4. Experience. Nothing beats hands-on experience, so find internships in occupations or professions you are curious about and learn from the masters.
5. Maintain high standards. The profession of dentistry has been endlessly satisfying to me because of my life-long belief in using my talents and gifts to try and improve the lives of as many of my fellow men and women as I can.
Dentist / Day in the Life
Dental Hygenist, Dentist
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Helping Veterans Transition Through Self-Discovery - Matthew J. Louis
“Especially for veterans, if they can find an optimal career field that’s best suited for them, they will double their career earnings, their job satisfaction and their rates of retention. So it’s incredibly important coming out of the service that they do that self discovery, that introspection, so they can realize those happy endings for themselves, their families, and their employers.“
Matthew J. Louis is one of the nation’s leading experts in career transition for veterans and public service professionals. He coaches individuals on their transition efforts and advises employers on hiring programs designed to successfully assimilate these valuable talent pools. He is the author of the forthcoming HarperCollins book “Mission Transition: a practical guide for veterans in transition and their employers.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After graduating from West Point with a degree in mechanical engineering, I served for 5 years as an officer in the U.S. Army. Then I spent 6 years honing my skills in various operations and management roles at Procter & Gamble and General Electric—each very gratifying experiences on many levels. In 2004 I happened upon an opportunity at Deloitte, the largest professional services network in the world. I have been thriving there for the past 15 years.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
From my middle class upbringing in Cincinnati, Ohio—my father was a firefighter, my mom was a homemaker—I learned a few critical lessons that have informed my life:
1. Hard work will get you everywhere, or as St. Jerome said: “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. ‘Til your good is better and your better is best.”
2. We go through this world together and we’ve got to help one another out. My mother was all about self-sacrifice and service to others before self.
3. Education was a priority. In spite of my dad’s lack of accomplishment in his own education, he was a stickler for making sure his kids got good grades.
Books on The Topic
“Mission Transition: Navigating the Opportunities and Obstacles to Your Post-Military Career,” by Matthew J. Louis
Connecting With Matthew J. Louis
Website: www.matthewjlouis.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Matthew-J-Louis
Twitter: @MatthewJLouis1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlouis/
Free Gift
25,000 words of his original manuscript available for free on his website
Careers, Transitioning, Veterans
Author, Business Manager, Operations, U.S. Army
October 2019:
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799:
Your Age Does Not Matter: Go for It! - Marina Barayeva
“The worst thing that can happen to you is if you regret that there was a time when you have really wanted to do this and you did not. Go for it. Yes. Try as many things as you can and then you can decide. And it does not matter what age you are, as long as you realize your dreams. There is no better day to start than today.”
Marina Barayeva is an international photographer, speaker and a host of the popular podcast: Marketing for Creatives. Marina is a known authority in helping entrepreneurs become influencers in their niche. She is a TEDx speaker, has presented to audiences in Asia and North America, and has been featured in such media as ArtPeople, CCTV, China Radio International, and others. Born in Russia, she now lives in China.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After a brief visit to the United States in 2008, I returned to Russia and needed to find work as soon as possible. Because of my degree in engineering and computer science I searched for opportunities on the Internet that might fit my very early experience with web design. I applied for a project and a company from Canada offered me an assignment. The client gave me a good review and I enjoyed the work very much. I continued to apply to the many postings for work on the Internet and built my portfolio and experience.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Understand that the expectations from our families, education systems and society at large more often than not, are not reflective of what we want for our lives and careers.
2. Follow your inborn curiosity and talents. Explore all the aspects of your interests and passions. Write them down, research them, and track your progress so that they become an integral part of your life journey.
3. Start today! It doesn’t matter what age you are, if you want to realize your dreams there is no better time than now to begin.
Connecting With Marina Barayeva
Website: marinabarayeva.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/marinabarayeva
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marinabarayeva
Twitter: twitter.com/MarinaBarayeva
Instagram: instagram.com/marinabarayeva
Free Gift
Visit marinabarayeva.com/podcastguest and sign up for a PDF on How to Get Featured on Podcasts Every Week.
Ambition, Choices
Photographer, Podcaster, Speaker
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798:
Expert Interview: What Can Women Do in a Gender-Biased Workplace? - Andie Kramer and Al Harris
Andrea S. Kramer (Andie) and Alton B. Harris (Al) are distinguished attorneys, married to each other, and nationally recognized for their work in helping women advance in their careers. They are the authors of “Breaking Through Bias: Communication Techniques for Women to Succeed at Work” (2016), and “It’s Not You, It’s the Workplace: Women’s Conflict at Work and the Bias that Built It” (2019). They speak frequently about promoting gender diversity, inclusion, and overcoming stereotypes and biases. Andie and Al have appeared in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Huffington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Fast Company, Crain’s, and many other publications.
What Can Women Do in a Gender-Biased Workplace?
“When I got out of law school and started practicing law, I was at a tiny little law firm where they could not have cared if you wore purple polka dotted dresses. But when I joined a big firm where people don’t know you and they rely on the stereotypes that they have about people and the biases that flow from them, I found that women were at a significant disadvantage. And when I was on my firm’s management committee and then compensation committee, what I found was that the women, when writing their self-evaluations, would talk about their teams and basically would deflect ownership of their successes. It became clear that men did not do that, and women were obviously being evaluated as if they were less valuable. That was really what got me started on the issue of overcoming gender bias in the workplace.”
Why Is This Important?
“Keep in mind that for the last several years we are graduating from law school almost an equal number of women as men. So we’ve got a pretty even pipeline coming into the profession. The problem really is one of preparing people coming out of law school for what they’re going to be up against and how to deal with it, but also educating the law firms regarding how they are evaluating, promoting and training the women and the men who join their firms because we’re watching women fall off the advancement ladder in the legal profession at a steady clip.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
There are three tracks that need to be worked on simultaneously:
- Women can do a great deal on their own. They can learn how to manage the impressions that they’re making in order to avoid or overcome biases.
- Organizations can change the way in which they are doing evaluations. They can change the way that they are making assignments. They can in effect strip as much subjectivity out of their processes as possible.
- But the third train is what men can do. And that’s unfortunately the trickiest because it turns out that convincing men that their organizations or they themselves are not absolutely biased-free is very difficult.
If you do surveys as to whether men think that it is harder for women to advance in business, in the professions or in academia, about 30% of men will say yes, but 70% of men will say no—it’s just as easy for women to advance as it is for men. If you ask women that same question, over 80% of women will say that it’s harder for them to advance than it is for men. And so there’s a real disconnect between the genders as to a recognition of the seriousness of this problem.
So when we focus on men, our first job is a real salesmanship job. We need to convince the male leaders of our businesses, of our professions that, in fact, there is a problem and that they need to be part of the solution.
Books on The Topic
It’s Not You It’s the Workplace: Women’s Conflict at Work and the Bias that Built It, by Andrea S. Kramer and Alton B. Harris
Breaking Through Bias: Communication Techniques for Women to Succeed at Work, by Andrea S. Kramer and Alton B. Harris
Connecting With Andie Kramer and Al Harris
Website: www.andieandal.com
Facebook: facebook.com/breakingthroughbias/
Twitter: twitter.com/AndieandAl
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andreaskramer/
Gender-biased Workplace, Women, Workplace Culture
Author, Lawyer, Speaker
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797:
From Delivering Cookies to Drop Shipping Around the World - Anton Kraly
“So I think the biggest thing that I would tell people is that if they do feel stuck, if that’s a situation they’re in, then prepare for this to be one of the hardest things they’ve ever taken on. Because this is something that you’ll have to really be able to commit to almost as a second job. And if you’re going to try to condense that into an hour at night or two hours a night, or giving up your weekends to make this work, you’re going to need to find a reason to do that and to break the mold and the norm.”
Anton Kraly is the founder and CEO of Drop Ship Lifestyle & eCommerce Lifestyle. He focuses on empowering people through eCommerce and better marketing. Right after attending college, Anton explored physical businesses like franchised gyms but decided to build a business that delivered cookies in New York. He expanded his cookie business but grew tired of all the problems with a physical business. He decided to go into eCommerce and discovered drop shipping. From there he built his first 7-figure eCommerce store. With his success in eCommerce, he was asked by friends and family how he did it. This gave him the idea to start Drop Ship Lifestyle. After 4 years, he has taught over 5,000 students how to build their own drop shipping stores. Allowing them to live their ideal lifestyles through eCommerce.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A few months after I started my first company, a cookie delivery business, I read a chapter in Tim Ferris’ book, ‘The Four Hour Workweek,’ that explained you didn’t have to be an expert or have a lot of money to build your own website. I’m not technical and didn’t have much money but I decided to try the new service—Yahoo Stores. So, I set up my website NewYorkCookieShop.com, listed the cookies in my inventory, figured out Google ads and made the transition from selling store-to-store to selling online.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. If you do feel “stuck” in your life right now, then prepare yourself for this transition to being “unstuck”. It will be one of the hardest things you have ever undertaken.
2. To truly make this transition work, you need to dig deep and figure out why you want to make a change. There are many reasons—you need to discover the most important motivator for you.
3. Next, utterly immerse yourself into whatever it is you’re trying to get into. Read every relevant blog post, listen to pertinent podcasts, check out any book that relates and dig deeply into this new world you are interested in because that will make you stick with it.
Connecting With Anton Kraly
Website: dropshiplifestyle.com
Facebook: facebook.com/dropshiplifestyle
Twitter: twitter.com/ecomlifestyle
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anton-kraly
Instagram: instagram.com/dropshiplifestyle
Entrepreneurism
Entrepreneur
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796:
Getting Unstuck and Finding Consonance - Laura Gassner Otting
“So I think the one most important strategy I would give to people is to ‘stop giving votes in your life to people who shouldn’t even have voices.’”
Laura Gassner Otting is a professional motivational keynote speaker and the founder of Limitless Possibility, where she empowers innovators, idealists, and iconoclasts to get “unstuck” in their thinking, push past their limiting beliefs, and achieve extraordinary results. She is turned on by the audacity of The Big Idea and that larger-than-life goal you just can’t seem to shake. She is an instigator, a motivator, and a provocateur, and she has never met a revolution she didn’t like. Laura’s new book “Limitless” is like a high-energy master class and brainstorming session all in one─with actionable tips to transform your vision for your career and do work with purpose.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was working for a large executive search firm where the definition of success was efficiency and a fat bottom line. When I looked across the table at my clients who were feeding the poor, curing cancer and saving the whales I realized THAT was my definition of success and that I wanted to do that. And that’s when I started my own firm.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Learn the Rules of the Game.
Until you learn the ins and outs of how the game is played, you can’t create your own vision and game plan.2. Create Your Own Scorecard.
Define success on your own terms, not somebody else’s, just because that’s how you have been “programmed.”3. Strive for Consonance.
Stop striving for work-life balance. Find consonance so that your values are in sync in both your personal and professional lives.On Her Bookshelf
“Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life,” by Laura Gassner Otting
Connecting With Laura Gassner Otting
Website: lauragassnerotting.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/heylgo/
Twitter: twitter.com/heylgo
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lauragassnerotting/
Instagram: instagram.com/heylgo
Free Gift
Free Assessment: https://limitlessassessments.com/
Measures the full spectrum of an individual:
7 Motivating Factors/Drivers
15 Behavioral Factors Both Natural and Adapted Behaviors
36 Soft Skills
Defining Success for Yourself, Limitless Possibility
Author, Business Owner, Motivational Speaker
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795:
Expert Interview: The Hidden Laws of Leadership - Blaine Bartlett
Blaine Bartlett is CEO and President of Avatar Resources, a global leadership development and consulting firm he founded in 1987. He has personally delivered training programs to more than a quarter of a million individuals and has directly impacted more than one million people worldwide. He is the author of four books – the #1 internationally best-seller “Compassionate Capitalism: A Journey to the Soul of Business, Discover Your Inner Strength,” co-authored with Stephen Covey, Ken Blanchard and Brian Tracy, and “Three-Dimensional Coaching: Moving Passion into Performance.” His latest book is “Tapping Into the Soul of Business: Key to Employee Engagement.”
The Hidden Laws of Leadership
“It occurred to me that we weren’t doing anybody a great service in the way that we were approaching the activity of training people to be leaders in their organizations because we were missing what I consider to be some of the hidden laws of leadership that are actually buried because they aren’t so objectively organized. Leadership for most people is an objective process. My experience is those that are particularly successful in the role of a leader, executing a leadership activity, is that there is far more subjectivity that comes into play. So I got real curious about what are the subjective dynamics that seem to be working here. And that’s where the notion of “the hidden laws of leadership” started to emerge.”
Why Is This Important?
“What gets to be really interesting is that on an annual basis organizations spend approximately $43 billion on leadership development with the intent of improving employee engagement—a very large number that doesn’t seem to be producing a whole lot of results. I think what’s missing is people’s ability to recognize, number one, that there’s something hidden from view. McKinsey and Company did a survey in 2016 with about 13,000 managers and leaders in organizations. Roughly 83% of them reported themselves as being “an inspirational leader.” Gallup, at the same time, came out with a poll that assessed leadership in organizations and 81% of people said that their leaders were fundamentally “uninspiring”—a huge disconnect. So the work that we’re doing today is essentially on the hidden law leadership and how we make them visible.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“How businesses are managed and led literally determines the wealth, health and well-being of everything on our planet. With this in mind it becomes incumbent on the leaders of businesses to ensure that the activities of their organizations are structured in ways that follow the admonishment of Hippocrates to ‘first do no harm.’ The fact that this is not the focus of most organizations poses a considerable challenge to leaders who aspire to inspire others and to do good works. It is also a major reason for what is essentially a pandemic of employee disengagement. Our approach presents a fundamental shift in the focus of the activities of both leadership and management in order to intentionally access the ‘soul’ of the business as a means to create sustainable employee engagement.”
Books on The Topic
Tapping Into the Soul of Business: Key to Employee Engagement, by Blaine Bartlett
Connecting With Blaine Bartlett
Websites: blainebartlett.com and avatar-resources.com
Facebook: officialblainebartlett
Twitter: blainebartlett
LinkedIn: blainebartlett
Leadership
Author, Business Owner
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794:
When a Door Opens, Jump! - Kerry Anderson
“I have to say the same thing that I said to myself, which is ‘Jump!’ You know, see where it goes. It can be calculated, it can be strategic, but don’t let things hold you back. If you had some sort of inclination that you’re not where you’re supposed to be, um, keep your eyes and your ears peeled and start looking for another opportunity. And when the door opens, jump.”
Kerry Anderson is Chief Family Officer at Whole Life Entrepreneurship. Kerry left her career as a pediatric nurse to be a stay-at-home mom when her husband Adam (a serial entrepreneur) began spending more time traveling for work. This lifestyle quickly took its toll on their relationship. Under the stress of their crumbling marriage, Kerry and Adam sought counseling, meanwhile developing their own business-based methods for rebuilding their relationship. Today they’re on a mission to share what they’ve learned, supporting other entrepreneurial couples as they navigate the chaotic world of marriage and entrepreneurship.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“We had really young children, I was working as a nurse and Adam was traveling all over the world with his business, gone for sometimes three weeks at a time. For all intents and purposes I was a single parent. The stress started to take its toll on my self-esteem and our relationship. I wasn’t sure what my future looked like with him and I considered the possibility of divorce. It was a big mess. So, we went to counseling.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Our families want the best for us, but we spend a large part of our early years trying to live up to their expectations—and they simply do not know what our deepest talents and interests truly are. For many years I never believed that you could do work that you loved. I believed that work was simply about making money and providing for the needs of your family.
2. Pay attention to the things that motivate and inspire you in your life and in the work you do every day. Be open to the endless possibilities and they are endless. Explore the options that you have on a regular basis and keep the door open for the ones that you believe might work for you.
3. After you have explored and thoroughly researched your choices, then believe in yourself, muster your courage and……Jump!
4. You only have this one life to live and you deserve the best life you can create for yourself and those you love.
On Her Bookshelf
In Bed With The Business: An Entrepreneurial Spouse’s Survival Guide, by Kerry Anderson
Connecting With Kerry Anderson
Website: http://wlemission.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/wlemission
Twitter: twitter.com/AdamAndersonCEO
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamandersonceo/
Instagram: linkedin.com/in/adamandersonceo/
Entrepreneurship, Marriage
Entrepreneur, Nurse
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793:
Helping Every Day to Reduce the Alzheimer's Pandemic - Ralph Sanchez
“This is the first time I had heard of it, and I was very immersed in the functional medicine community by then and people weren’t talking about these risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease back then, like they are now. And so I started to dig into the research and I was just enthralled. I could not learn enough. And I was looking at the time for an area like this that I could excel in and develop an expertise in because I knew I had some books in me. That was part of the thing that I wanted to do. And a light went on during all of this time in my research. I said, “This is it. Wow. I’m going to specialize in Alzheimer’s disease and help people eventually with this knowledge base that I’m accumulating.”
Ralph Sanchez is the author of “The Diabetic Brain in Alzheimer’s Disease,” and The “Improved MIND Diet” Inspired by his own risk for dementia, Ralph has spent the last two decades in research on the prime risk factors and related causes of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, and the complex, genetic, biochemical and metabolic underpinnings that are linked to these disorders. Ralph’s passion is to share his insights on the Alzheimer’s pandemic that is drawn from his in-depth review of the research, and how that body of science can be transformed into actionable steps for risk reduction and prevention.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In 1999 I discovered I had a risk of dementia because of some issues in my health history. During my many years working in landscaping I had exposed myself to pesticides. Like so many people at that time I was unaware that these exposures can be highly toxic. I sought out some healthcare professionals who were able to help me feel better but were unable to get to the root causes of the problem. Because of my recent degree and experience in Chinese medicine, I began my journey into researching the many underlying factors, which has taken me on my current 20-year quest.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Spirituality, in whatever form it takes for you, is vitally important. Find a connection to a higher cause within yourself that really helps you get grounded into something you can always fall back on as a way to guide you.
2. Meditation has been quite important to my spiritual journey. I love Buddhism because it is not discriminatory at all. You can be Catholic, Protestant or whatever religious persuasion and the principles of meditation and mindfulness can still benefit you in profound ways.
On His Bookshelf
The Improved MIND Diet, by Ralph Sanchez.
Connecting With Ralph Sanchez
Website: TheAlzheimersSolution.com and TheDiabeticBrain.com
Facebook: facebook.com/TheAlzheimersSolution
Twitter: twitter.com/RalphSanchez
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ralph-sanchez
Free Gift
Visit TheAlzheimersSolution.com/dyt for a free Brain Defend self-assessment, and get your free discovery session with Ralph Sanchez.
Alzheimzer's
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792:
Expert Interview: Don't Work Longer, Work Stronger - Pete Leibman
Pete Leibman is a consultant, speaker, and bestselling author who has been featured on Fox News, CBS Radio, and CNNMoney.com. He’s the creator of StrongerHabits.com and his latest book is an Amazon bestseller. It’s called “Work Stronger; Habits for More Energy, Less Stress, and Higher Performance at Work.” Before writing “Work Stronger,” Pete worked as an executive recruiter at Heidrick & Struggles, one of the world’s premier executive search firms. In his free time, he teaches one of the largest group exercise classes in the Washington, DC area.
Don't Work Longer, Work Stronger
“I worked at Heidrick and Struggles, which is one of the top global executive recruiting firms. In that role I interviewed hundreds of leaders for various executive positions and really got to see up close just how much pressure that leaders face in today’s world. And it’s not just leaders, it can be people at any level. There’s a lot of pressure to work longer hours, to be on call 24/7 and a lot of people buy into this myth that the longer you work the more productive you’ll be. One of my key messages is that it’s stronger hours, not longer hours. That’s the key to being your best at work and outside of work.”
Why Is This Important?
“A lot of people don’t stop to realize that when they try to work longer they need to cut out some time somewhere else. And where do most people choose to cut? They cut out sleep, they cut out exercise, they cut out time with friends and family, they cut out personal interests—all of the activities that are going to give you juice and energy and help you show up at work refreshed and at your best. So the message ‘work stronger’ is more about what you do with your time as opposed to how many hours that you actually work. And you know, by forming stronger habits in a few key areas, you’re going to achieve far more, in less time and with less stress.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“There’s a framework that I talk about that I call The Stronger Cycle. It’s all about forming stronger habits in four key areas that impact how each one of us feels and performs each day: Focus, Renew, Fuel, Sweat.
1. Focus
So how do you actually structure and go through your day? Largely due to technology, we’re becoming more and more distracted. There are more and more interruptions throughout the day and it’s becoming harder and harder to actually focus on the task at hand.2. Renew
Renew is really about sleep and mindfulness and disconnecting from technology and from work and renewing your energy outside of work—so that when you show up at work, you’re refreshed and you’re at your best.3. Fuel
Fuel is all about nutrition. What we eat has a big impact on us physically, but a lot of people don’t recognize that your eating habits also impact the way your brain performs. Poor eating habits actually cause your brain to age faster and to get smaller.4. Sweat
We all know the impact of how active or sedentary you are impacts us physically, but there are also tremendous mental and emotional benefits to a more active lifestyle. Certain types of exercise can even help you grow new brain cells.“These four areas have a huge impact on how you’re going to feel and perform at work and outside of work, too.”
Books on The Topic
Free Gift
Free assessment and a 3-part video series available at https://strongerhabits.com/start
Work/Life Balance
Author, Consultant, Exercise Instructor, Recruiter
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791:
Professional Skydiver Jumps into a New Career - Melanie J. Curtis
“I do not want to do this. I do not want to do that. I do not want to live in a trailer. I don’t want to eat ramen noodles. I don’t want to make no money. I had all of these excuses, all of these preconceived ideas in my mind about why I could not do what I really wanted to do.”
Melanie Curtis is the life coach for people who don’t like life coaches. She went from investment banking to professional skydiving to life coaching. She now helps people overcome fear and employ courage while actually making the torture of personal growth fun and funny. Working with Melanie is not for the faint of heart, but the skills you learn can change everything.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My Dad is a pilot. My dad met a friend of his who was a skydiver and they decided to open a skydiving drop zone at my dad’s house. He lived on a dead-end road with a grass strip in the back yard. I would sit in on the first jump course and really learn about skydiving. I could have done it [sky diving] when I was 16, but I was too scared. But after I graduated high school it just hit me ‘Okay, I’m ready tomorrow. I’m doing it.’ And I did. The rest is history. That really is a pivotal experience in my life.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was unhappy with my job in Los Angeles and very stressed. That sent me into some personal reflection, which led me to picking up the book, ‘What Color Is Your Parachute?.’ Obviously I picked it up because it had parachute in the title. But one of the questions in that book altered my direction forever. The question was, ‘What would you do if money were no object?’ Obviously it would be skydiving, but I had all of these excuses, all of these preconceived ideas in my mind, about why I could not do what I really wanted to do. But with further reflection, I realized other people were doing it. So I proposed to my first official Drop Zone that I run their events and marketing and be their lead on the social and experiential side of their business, which is exactly what I did—while also honing my skydiving skills, eventually becoming a world-renowned professional skydiver.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Trust your journey.
“The skydiving discipline that I was a part of and passionate about is called four-way formation skydiving. I competed in this and taught it. Through formation skydiving I learned how to:
– Set goals
– Plan
– Communicate
– Navigate conflict
– Mentally be strong in the face of challenge.You will learn so many skills over your career that will prepare you for your next steps. You may not see it while you are learning, but the pattern will come clearer as you look back.”
Steps to Success from Melanie J. Curtis
1. Do not let your mindset block you. Skills are skills and they can be transported to a different career any time in your life.
2. Go back to the very beginning of what is now occurring in your life right now. From there, start to identify actionable ways to move forward and grow.
Ask yourself, “What would you do if money were no object?Connecting With Melanie J. Curtis
Website: http://melaniecurtis.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/melanie.curtis.37/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/11melaniecurtis/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melanie-curtis-74ab3540/
Your Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniecurtis11/
Facing Fear, Fear
Banking, Life Coach, Podcaster, Skydiving
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790:
Stop Smoking with the Cigarette Whisperer - Rocky Rosen
“I spent 12 and a half years of my life truly wishing I didn’t smoke and buying everything there was, and I kept on smoking. Now I have devoted the rest of my life to help people. I’m not anti-smoking, I don’t care if somebody smokes or not, but I care deeply if somebody wishes they didn’t. All I’m trying to do is help people who wish they could be smoke free, bait free, nicotine free. That’s my passion in life and I’ve been lucky enough to turn it into a career that’s been daunting and exciting and fulfilling.”
Rocky Rosen, known as The Cigarette Whisperer, is considered by many to be America’s foremost expert on getting people free from nicotine. Rocky was a 30+ cigarettes a day smoker for over 20 years, and had tried numerous ways to stop smoking including: nicotine replacement therapy, acupuncture, hypnosis, injections, aversion therapy, nicotine support groups. Although he was able to get some time off from cigarettes, eventually the urge to smoke would reappear, and Rocky would find that he was right back smoking as much as ever. It’s when he learned how to overcome feelings of deprivation and how to use his urges rather than always trying to repress his urges that he got free. Rocky’s innovative teaching will quickly show you how to confront and address your urges to smoke, rather than always trying to deny, ignore, fight, or fear your urges.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I started smoking on a daily basis when I was 13. My mother was a smoker and she used to let me light up her cigarettes for her when I was 5 because it was considered to be “cute” to see a little kid light up a cigarette. By the age of 22 I had developed a horrible cough. Over 20 years later on June 17th, 1987 I finally made the move and smoked my last cigarette.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Fear stops us from going out and following our dreams. I love the idea that the word fear is an acronym for “false evidence appearing real.” I agree.
2. In his classic book, Napoleon Hill says that growing rich is not just about financial wealth, but inner wealth: Come up with your own declaration, your own plan. Take advantage of every opportunity without taking advantage of anyone.
3. Move forward and never give up. It took Thomas Edison and his team over three thousand attempts before they could invent the light bulb around 1879. People have no idea how close they are to success and too often give up while they are right on the brink of a breakthrough.
4. Open yourself up to the influence of gifted people. When I was 29 I happened on a piano teacher many years older than me who taught me not only about the basics of the piano but about the spiritual aspects of life overall. I would be lost without being able to play my piano today and I owe it all to her.
On His Bookshelf
Smoking? Wish You Didn’t?, Kindle, by Rocky Rosen
Connecting With Rocky Rosen
Website: thecigarettewhisperer.com
Rocky Rosen’s Phone: 818-961-6978 (will take calls any time)
Facebook: facebook.com/thecigarettewhisperer1/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rocky-rosen-b4a35b17/
Overcoming Smoking
Author, Retail, Smoke Cessaton
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789:
Expert Interview: How to Silence Your Inner Critic - Susan Peppercorn
Susan Peppercorn is a thought leader in career management. She is the author of the bestselling, Ditch Your Inner Critic at Work: Evidence-Based Strategies to Thrive in Your Career, and is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and Fast Company. Her coaching and talks are based on the principles of positive psychology—how the resilient, creative and fulfilling aspects of living can be learned and applied. Before becoming a coach, Susan spent 20 years in business development and marketing in high technology and higher education. She is accredited by the International Coaching Federation and is an executive mentor for the Healthcare Business Women’s Association.
How to Silence Your Inner Critic
“What I have found, having coached hundreds of executives is that no matter how successful they are, by all measures and standards, almost all of them I would say of those that I’ve met, do suffer from an inner critic. And it really started me thinking on why is this the case? Because again, no matter how successful someone is, you know oftentimes that that inner critic speaks much more loudly than it should given the person’s success.”
Why Is This Important?
“One of the things that people don’t realize is that our brains biologically remember negative occurrences more than we remember positive occurrences. And I think that’s one of the reasons why we tend to be hard on ourselves.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
1. We are all self-critical at different times in our lives, it’s just a part of who we are as human beings. But there is a fine line where it can become self-defeating.
2. Reframe what’s happening and really start to question the assumptions you are making about yourself.
3. Ask a few people who know you well to reflect on the times they saw you at your best—what the situation was, what strengths did they notice you used to handle the situation well.
4. There is a distinct difference between excellence and perfectionism. Perfectionism causes people to not be able to move forward because they are always trying to achieve a goal that is unachievable.
5. If you are afraid of doing something, take a few minutes to create a “fear list.” Write down all the things that could go wrong so that you can plan for how to overcome those things.
6. Next, write down what is the cost of not doing what you fear? If you don’t even take the first step to find out, what might you lose?
On Her Bookshelf
Ditch Your Inner Critic At Work: Evidence-Based Strategies To Thrive In Your Career, by Susan Peppercorn
Connecting With Susan Peppercorn
Website: www.positiveworkplacepartners.com
Facebook: facebook.com/PositiveWorkplace/
Twitter: @susanpeppercorn
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/susanpeppercorn/
Your Instagram: instagram.com/speppercorn/
Free Gift
- Free Career Fit Self-Assessment: Are You In the Right Job?
- 25 Tips For Making a Successful Career Transition
Free Coaching Consultation
Fear
Author, Business Development, Executive Coach
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788:
More Choices Than You Realize - Bea Wray
“When I went to a business school reunion, they asked us for a line of advice for all of our classmates. The advice I submitted was, ‘Write your ticket.’ What I find is, no one writes their own ticket!”
Bea Wray has dazzled audiences for 20 years speaking about entrepreneurship, leadership, and women in business. At age 27, she had the title CEO of a 5-million-dollar Silicon Valley company. She has launched several companies. One exit afforded Bea six years off on a bridgeless island resort, where she dedicated her time to raising her three children. She serves as a founder, mentor, investor, and board member to several companies. She’s also served as the executive director of the entrepreneurial non-profit, The Creative Coast, and was the Chair of the ForbesBooks Entrepreneurship Practice Group. She holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and graduated summa cum laude from Emory University.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I grew up in a Ford Motor Company family. Ford offered my father a position in management. That afforded me what turned out to be a very lovely upbringing. But it had a cost: we had to move often. I grew up in 13 different homes, in New Jersey, Ohio, California, St. Louis and Virginia. But I learned how to make friends, and how to use whatever skills I had to make friends.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After years in a high-energy career, Bea decided to take six years off the career track to raise her children. As she planned her return to the business world, she asked herself, “Do I still have any business skills? Can I get back into work? I thought, how did I learn how to do what was helpful to clients? The answer was not that I had attended Harvard Business School. Instead, the answers were from what I’d learned through motherhood. That’s the main purpose of my book, to bring out those stories of entrepreneurial advice and to parallel that, not only from what Harvard teaches but from my personal business career. My ‘Aha!’ moments often came from watching my child play basketball, or cooking a meal, or solving the how-do-we-get-dinner done challenge.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
At a business school reunion, a speaker asked Bea’s participants to offer one line of advice for fellow classmates. “The advice I submitted was, ‘Write your own ticket.’ Sadly, what I often find is that few people actually do write their own ticket. We lock ourselves into something that someone tells us we should value—like a big car or a big house, a mortgage and a title—and it’s really hard to walk away from that and go after what our heart is telling us we want.”
Steps to Success from Bea Wray
1. Realize that you have far more choices than you realize.
2. Discover how you learn best, then use that self-knowledge.
3. Think through the likely outcomes of your path, and make changes if you don’t like what you see ahead.
4. Look for ways to make someone happy by providing a solution.
Connecting With Bea Wray
Website: www.beawray.com
E-Mail: bea@beawray.com
Facebook: facebook.com/bea.wray
Instagram: instagram.com/beawray/instagram.com/beawray/
Twitter: twitter.com/BeaSWray
Free Gift
Choices, Self-confidence
Author, CEO, Speaker
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787:
Risking It All for What Really Matters - Nigel Bennett
“I’m a connector. I just love connecting people. I love connecting people that are doing really cool stuff. And even if it doesn’t have anything to do with me, I think if this person that I happen to know and this other person that I happen to know, if they met they could do something amazing. I don’t want anything out of it. I just want to create this amazing energy. And that’s kinda the way my life has been.”
At a young age, Nigel Bennett was shocked to witness first-hand the real impact of oil spills on our natural world. After almost being shot down by FARC guerrillas on the Venezuela-Colombia border and being forced to escape Egypt while working for his father’s oil spill contingency planning company, he decided to break away and start Aqua-Guard Spill Response. Aqua-Guard now provides equipment and services that protect water, the planet’s most precious resource, in 104 countries. His new book “Take That Leap – Risking It All For What Really Matters” recounts Nigel’s unanticipated adventures as an entrepreneur, emerging philanthropist and always-avid outdoorsman.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I have ADHD so school and studying have always been painfully difficult for me. By taking summer school classes I was able to get into the British Columbia Institute of Technology to study mechanical engineering because my father had gone down that path in his own career. I failed out of the school within the first term. So I went to see the dean and pleaded with him to give me another chance. He said the only way was for me to retake at night school all the classes I’d failed, while at the same time taking a full load of classes during the day. I told him to sign me up! While it was quite difficult, I had many good friends and allies who helped me through the whole journey and I did indeed graduate.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Surround Yourself with Good People.
Because of my ADHD, school was extremely difficult from the beginning, but my many friends really helped me get through it.2. Persistence. Persistence. Persistence.
Persistence has been the other driving force in my life. I never give up.3. Share Your Energy with Others.
I love connecting people that are doing good things, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with me. I just want to help create amazing, positive energy.4. Find Your Passion, then Follow It with All You’ve Got.
Once my son began taking acting classes he knew that’s what he wanted to do. Now he’s a working TV actor— TV movies and shows and he loves it. My daughter has always loved animals and now is enrolled in veterinary school. My oldest son just graduated from the environmental science program at university.5. Don’t Wait.
Too many of us get caught in the rat race, plug away and watch as five, ten, twenty years go by until it becomes too late.On His Bookshelf
Take That Leap: Risking It All for What Really Matters, by Nigel Bennett
Now available for Kindle, as an audiobook, and in paperback.
Connecting With Nigel Bennett
Website: www.nigeljbennett.com
Facebook: facebook.com/takethatleap/
Twitter: twitter.com/nigeljbennett
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nigel-bennett/
Instagram: instagram.com/njbtakethatleap/
Do What You Love, Giving Back, Influencial Relationships
Author, Entrepreneur, Oil Spill Response, Philanthropist
September 2019:
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786:
Expert Interview: The Power of Redefining Success - C.J. McClanahan
C.J. McClanahan is a sought-after speaker, author and executive coach. Since 2003, he’s spent more than 10,000 hours in front of entrepreneurs, executives and their teams helping them to achieve record sales and profits. A few years after starting his coaching firm, C.J. noticed that no matter how much success his clients achieved, very few ever seemed to truly enjoy the journey. It didn’t matter if they doubled their income or became CEO─it never seemed to be enough. His latest book, “The Overachiever’s Dilemma,” lays out a proven strategy to help overachievers get more satisfaction and joy in their lives while still achieving all their professional goals.
The Power of Redefining Success
After I had been coaching for a while, I noticed that while most of my clients were financially successful and were achieving most of the business goals they had set for themselves, their overall level of satisfaction with their lives as a whole was sub-optimal. They continued to compare themselves to other friends and acquaintances. It just never seemed to be enough.
Then I recognized in a moment of reflection that I was doing exactly the same thing. No matter how much I achieved it never seemed to be enough. So I began to study and research the issue with the goal of redefining the way I look at success.
Why Is This Important?
I redefined success in a way that means a lot to me and that I have been using for five years now. Success for me is the extent to which I utilize my unique abilities, build and strengthen meaningful relationships and enjoy the journey.
What makes me unique and different—my own special version of me? Am I building relationships with the people that are the most important to me? Finally, am I truly enjoying the journey?
What I have found is that once a person’s paradigm of success changes—because no matter what people tell you, everyone’s paradigm of success is about acquisition—when I tweaked the paradigm and pointed them in a different direction, they were able to take a deep breath and begin looking at their lives quite differently. And they were able to achieve far greater satisfaction and peace of mind.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
1. Every human being is endowed with a set of very unique characteristics and until we find out what those are and attach our lives in a meaningful way to them, we are going to struggle to really feel good about ourselves.
2. Life is only about relationships. As long as you have strong, healthy relationships with the people in your life that matter the most to you, you can weather virtually any storm that comes your way. If you don’t have those relationships, success is virtually irrelevant.
3. The next lesson answers the question: How do you enjoy the journey? There are three aspects to this. The first is to live in the moment, which in today’s world is increasingly difficult. The second is to live in gratitude. The third is to give generously.
Books on The Topic
The Overachiever’s Dilemma, by C.J. McClanahan
Connecting With C.J. McClanahan
Website: http://www.cjmcclanahan.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/cj.mcclanahan
Twitter: twitter.com/cjmccoach
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cjmcclanahan/
Free Gift
For the first 5 people who contact C.J. and mention the Discover Your Talent Podcast, he will send you a signed copy of his newest book to you at no charge.
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785:
A Real-World Doctor of Nutrition and Wellness - Dr. Ann Kulze
“I didn’t turn over a new leaf. I grew a new leaf. And this was like an overnight decision. I said, ‘Okay, I’ve never applied myself academically my entire life. I’m not exactly sure how to do it, but I think this is going to be how I’ll do it….’”
Dr. Ann Kulze has distinguished herself as a one-of-a-kind real-world nutrition and wellness expert. She received her undergraduate degree in food science and human nutrition from Clemson University, and her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), where she graduated as valedictorian. She is the founder and CEO of the wellness and education firm, Just Wellness, LLC. She is also the author of six books, including her best-selling “Eat Right for Life” series. She has been featured in many national media outlets including the Dr. Oz Show, Oprah, Time Magazine and many others. When she is not writing, Dr. Ann lives her wellness message by swimming, running, cooking, and gardening, and spending time with her family in her native Charleston, South Carolina.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I knew as far back as I can remember that I wanted to be a physician. Science just lit my fire. My father saw that passion in me and cultivated it. He was a highly esteemed, accomplished and gifted general surgeon. He had an enormous impact on my career path. His recognizing my passion and his role-modeling had an enormous impact on me. What I’ve done with my career is extremely out-of-the-box in terms of the typical path of others who go into medicine and become a medical doctor.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
On the intensely competitive track to become a dermatologist, Ann’s path took a dramatic turn when her husband, also a physician, was called to fulfill his obligation to the military. “Imagine the setback! I was devastated. After about two days I thought, ‘Ann, what is more important, your marriage or your career?’ And I knew that my marriage was. And I thought, ‘We might as well make the best of it.’ What opened up for me in Germany was better than anything I could have imagined!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Learn to be bold. Do whatever it takes to cultivate courage. With courage you can develop the self-confidence to act boldly, with unwavering belief in what you can accomplish. Without that belief, there is little you can accomplish.”
On Her Bookshelf
“Eat Right for Life: Your Common Sense Guide to Eating Right and Living Well,” by Ann G. Kulze
Steps to Success from Dr. Ann Kulze
1. Taking care of your health must be your number one priority.
2. Find and follow a daily mindfulness-based practice.
3. Master your time management skills. Drop everything that distracts you from your goals.
4. Focus, focus, focus.
Connecting With Dr. Ann Kulze
Website: www.drannwellness.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/drannwellness
Twitter: twitter.com/drannwellnesss
Free Gift
Free list of Dr. Ann’s favorite superstar foods for your refrigerator. Click the sign-up button at drannwellness.com/
Courage, Family Influence
Nutritionist, Physician, Wellness Consultant
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784:
Proving a Point Via the Written Word - James Fell
“One of the things that I’d always been very intently focused on in my writing about health and fitness was the motivational aspect of it. I was more focused on getting people off the couch and finding something they could be inspired about. I came to the realization, if I’ve been successful in motivating people to lose weight and that is one of the hardest things people will ever do, then I can be successful in motivating them to do other things.”
James S. Fell, MA, MBA, has bylines in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, the Guardian, TIME Magazine, and many other publications. His blog, BodyForWife.com, has millions of readers and he is the author of two books: “The Holy Sh*t Moment: How Lasting Change Can Happen in an Instant” (St. Martin’s Press, 2019), and “Lose it Right: A Brutally Honest 3-Stage Program to Help You Get Fit and Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind.” (Random House Canada, 2014).
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After a two-year break from high school I barely squeaked my way into the University of Calgary, where I immediately struggled and was flunking out. And then a happy accident occurred and I took a history course with a very entertaining and engaging professor who sparked my interest about military history and writing. I became deeply engaged in the studying and writing of history—the ability to be able to prove a point via the written word. I ended up getting both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. There is so much risk associated with following your dream and using your talents in today’s world of work. Most roles in organizations are about getting paid for getting a particular job done, not about how you can contribute to the higher good of the organization using the best of who you are, whether you like it or not. Bottom line: Here’s your paycheck for doing this thing you’d rather not do. And we become addicted to those paychecks.
2. My belief and experience is that while you certainly must start by finding your purpose in life, what you are truly passionate about, you must not charge off into the wilderness willy nilly without a strategic plan.
3. You really need to put a lot of thought and rational planning into this vital second step of your career vision. This aspect of your career must be incredibly practical, financially-oriented and more.
4. The other thing is to keep evolving. After a while I got a little tired of focusing strictly on health and fitness and came to the realization that if I had been so successful in motivating people to lose weight, and that’s one of the hardest things people will ever do, then I can be successful in motivating them to do other things as well. That led to my new book contract and rapid expansion of my speaking career.
Books on The Topic
Connecting With James Fell
Website: www.bodyforwife.com
Facebook: facebook.com/bodyforwife
Twitter: twitter.com/bodyforwife
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/james-fell-1052561/
Writer, Writer's Life, Writing
Author, Business, Educator, Speaker, Writer
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783:
Expert Interview: How Networks Actually Work - David Burkus
David Burkus is a best-selling author, a sought-after speaker, and associate professor of leadership and innovation at Oral Roberts University. His newest book, “Friend of a Friend,” offers readers a new perspective on how to grow their networks and build key connections—one based on the science of human behavior, not rote networking advice. He’s delivered keynotes to the leaders of Fortune 500 companies and the future leaders of the United States Naval Academy. His TED talk has been viewed over 1.9 million times and he is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review.
How Networks Actually Work
We know that networking is good for us, but it makes many of us feel so weird. Why is that? What I arrived at is that I think for most of us, when we think about networking, most of us are trying to apply the advice from one of a plethora of useful, but what I call “networking advice books.” And the challenge with advice books is that often they are autobiographical—“This is what I did and it worked for me. So you should do it for you.” And if you think about most, and it’s not to insult them, most of the really popular networking books out there are fascinating. But they are usually about just one person’s story or perspective.
Why Is This Important?
What I tried to do was write, not the anti-networking book, but a book that would be devoid of personal advice. So, I went deep into the world of networking science for the past 50 or 60 years and studied the top mathematicians, sociologists, psychologists and even physicists because of the way that networks interact with so many different fields of study. I wanted to answer the question: What are the principles that are universally true about all networks? This subject has now gotten to the point where it is its own independent discipline. There are journals of network science; there are programs where you can get PhDs in network science.
Books on The Topic
Connecting With David Burkus
Website: https://davidburkus.com
Facebook: facebook.com/drdavidburkus
Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidburkus
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidburkus/
Instagram: instagram.com/davidburkus/
Networking
Associate Professor, Author, Keynote Speaker, Professor
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782:
Not Making a Decision Is the Worst Thing You Can Do - Barbara Turley
“Not making a decision is the worst thing you can do. You never know whether you’re going to make a right or wrong decision, but making no decision is worse. You make a decision and then it triggers the next decision. And as long as you keep moving forward and you keep deciding and making decisions, then you’re in flow, you’re moving and eventually you get a feel for where you’re going and whether you need to change tack. But staying in indecision and doing nothing is terrible. You’re sitting on the fence of life and you’re not playing the game.”
Barbara is an investor, entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of The Virtual Hub – a business she started by accident that exploded in the space of 12 months to become one of the leading companies that recruits, trains and manages virtual assistants in the digital marketing and social media space for businesses who need to free up time and energy so they can go to the next level. Barbara is also Mum to her gorgeous daughter Ruby, wife to her best friend Eti and an adventure lover with a passion for horses, skiing, tennis and time out in nature.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I thought I really wanted to be a doctor, and was very keen on chemistry, physics and biology. While I worked extremely hard my final year to get the points needed to be accepted to medical school, I fell just short of the requirement. So I made the decision to go to university to study something completely different for a year. I thought, I’ll go for a year and see how it goes and where it takes me. I ended up studying economics, which I had never studied before.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
1. Not making a decision is the worst thing you can do. You never know whether you’re going to make a right or wrong decision, but making no decision is worse because you are merely sitting on the fence of life and not playing the game.
2. Always remember that you can be anything you want to be in life, but you have to figure that out on your own.
3. Nobody knows you like you—not your family, your friends, your school, the organizations you work for. Listen to yourself.
4. It’s not always easy, but dig deep to find the strength and courage to follow your intuition.
5. Just because you have a talent for something doesn’t mean you need to do it.
6. Your life and career path is never linear. Don’t expect it to be.
7. Stay open to the ideas and input from the people around you. You never know where that off-the-cuff recommendation may lead.
Connecting With Barbara Turley
Website: www.TheVirtualHub.com
Facebook: facebook.com/TheVirtualHubLtd
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/barbara-turley-b6a981a/
Instagram: instagram.com/thevirtualhubltd
Free Gift
For those interested in virtual assistants or scalable business models, go to www.TheVirtualHub.com/dyt where there is a short course by Barbara Turley and a cheat sheet on how to get the most from virtual assistants.
Education, Financial Career, Intravert-Extravert, Ireland/Australia
Business Owner, CEO, Entrepreneur, Investor
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781:
Helping Others Destroy Back Pain - Jay Resio
After the first two surgeries, I realized looking back on the whole process that back pain care is extremely fragmented. There’s a lot of things that don’t connect the dots. There’s a lot of misinformation and mistrust going on. And I really didn’t want to have to deal with nerve pain anymore. You know, I would wake up and would be online into the wee hours of the morning, trolling forums and listening to other people’s stories.
Jay Resio is the founder and CEO of BackerNation, a digital health and wellness platform developing innovative products and services to empower people with information, tools, and resources to overcome their back pain and spine conditions. Jay started BackerNation due to his own back pain journey. He has herniated his one disc four times, which led to four surgeries with the last being an artificial disc replacement. He feels amazing now and his mission is to help others destroy back pain.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
My back problems started in my late 20’s. I would always play basketball, flag football, golf and softball, and my back would get tight from time to time. I went to see an expert, got some X-rays and MRIs and was told I had degenerative discs at two levels. The doctor told me not to worry about it, that I could do whatever I wanted. I wish he had not told me that, because I really did do whatever I wanted, which led to greatly worsening my back condition and herniating my disc. Seven or so years later I went on to have four different surgeries.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
I think everyone has, at some point in their lives, high expectations of doing something great or becoming someone great. But I think the challenge is that at a certain point either they didn’t put themselves in the right position or they faced too much adversity and reset their expectations. Now their reset expectations are their new normal. I think people need to surround themselves with experts, connections and knowledge to inspire and guide you. They need to clearly define what they are looking to achieve regardless of whether they are 10 years old or 90.
Connecting With Jay Resio
Website: www.backernation.com
Facebook: facebook.com/backernation
Twitter: twitter.com/backernation
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jayresio/
Instagram: instagram.com/backernation_
Back Pain/Back Injury
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780:
Expert Interview: Why Do You Want What You Want? - Malcolm and Simone Collins
Founders of the Pragmatist Foundation and co-CEOs of Travelmax, an international corporate travel management company, Malcolm and Simone Collins authored the bestselling Pragmatist’s Guide to Life, a book intended to encourage critical thought and intentional living.
Why Do You Want What You Want?
As humans, we get to choose what we believe and who we want to be. These are the most important decisions we will ever make. The vast majority of people never exercise their freedom to choose their identity and beliefs. Instead, they allow others to tell them who they are, choosing only a few trivial differentiating traits for themselves. When they react angrily or generously, they ascribe the personality that lead them to that behavior as being something outside their control.
Why Is This Important?
We live life as a sticky ball rolling down a sidewalk, picking up a hodgepodge of stuff that just happens to be in our path. It is natural to try to convince ourselves that this hodgepodge is “who we really are.” We are served a smorgasbord of prefabricated worldviews and told we have the option to choose among them. Worse, we live in a society in which there is no profession or organization we can turn to for help answering life’s big questions that will not pressure us to adopt beliefs closer to their own. There is no institution designed from the ground up to help people come up with their own conclusions.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
As humans, we get to choose what we believe and who we want to be. There are four seminal questions you must ask yourself and relentlessly work through in order to achieve a life that represents the best of who you are on your own terms, not society’s:
1) What is the purpose of my life?
2) How can I best realize the purpose of my life?
3) Who do I want to be?
4) How do I want other people to think of me?Books on The Topic
The Pragmatist’s Guide to Life: A Guide to Creating Your Own Answers to Life’s Biggest Questions, Malcolm and Simone Collins
Connecting With Malcolm and Simone Collins
Website: http://pragmatist.guide
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimoneandMalcom
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TravelmaxUSAc
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simonehcollins/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonehcollins/
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779:
Tackling the IRONMAN World Championship at 44 - Karen Brown
“It was supposed to be the best of the best from across the world to come and compete. And you know, mostly reserved for professional athletes. I mean…I had never run a marathon, I had never ridden a road bike, I was a terrible swimmer and I had never done a triathlon. And yet, I had this big, gargantuan, hairy, scary, outrageous, personal dream.”
Karen is an unconscious mind, subject-matter expert in the field of leadership and professional performance. Her second book on the subject was recently published, Unlimiting Your Beliefs, 7 Keys to Greater Success in Your Personal & Professional Life, where she reveals scientifically proven keys to greater success. The book has received wide, critical acclaim with a 5-star review from Brian Tracy and named Amazon #1 Hot New Release. Her mission is to eradicate limiting beliefs and transform the world.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“After working in a retail store for two years I ran across an advertisement for a job in commercial real estate. They wanted someone who understood the business side of the retail business. Even though I didn’t truly understand what the job entailed I interviewed for it on a lark. Luckily I had the skills they were looking for and I beat out nearly 200 other applicants.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After being in that industry 20 years, I had this deep feeling that I was capable of so much more. In 2010 I was taking a business class and we were discussing the idea of limiting beliefs—how to conquer and transform them. I’d had this dream of competing in the IRONMAN World Championship for 28 years and I realized that whole time I had held myself back because of my limiting beliefs. I did not realize it until that very moment! I decided that nothing was going to hold me back from my dream from that point on.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Tapping into the power of the unconscious mind is exponentially more powerful than our conscious mind. When you unlock it, when you tap into it, you can literally achieve anything. I was 44 when I started on this journey, not 20! Plenty of people laughed at me, said I couldn’t do it, including my husband at the time. I faced many tough challenges where I was tempted to give up. But, when we tap into the power of our unconscious mind, and become aware of what’s really going on behind our actions and behaviors, then we can make different choices.”
Steps to Success from Karen Brown
- First, identify your limiting beliefs because we hold ourselves back primarily because of them and those limiting beliefs are precipitated with a limiting decision.
- The next step is to be proactive—do something you have not done before. Carl Jung, one of my favorite scientists, said that what you resist persists. What you continue to push away just keeps coming back until you deal with it.
Connecting With Karen Brown
Website: velocityleadershipconsulting.com
Facebook: facebook.com/VelocityLeaders/
Twitter: twitter.com/velocityleaders
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/karenbrown/#oc-background-section
Instagram: instagram.com/velocityleaders/
Free Gift
Free tools that can be used to conquer limiting beliefs:
- Videos of techniques to use
- A worksheet to transform your limiting believes into unlimiting beliefs
VelocityLeadershipConsulting.com/dyt
Athletics, IRONMAN World Championship, Limiting oneself subconsciously, Transformation
Leadership Consultant, Real Estate
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778:
Flying High: From Childhood Dream to Reality - Vince Kramer
“But in that moment, I realized what was missing in my life. And it was me. I had lived by everyone else’s rules. Up to that point, I had done everything that I was told would make me happy, would make me successful, would make me abundant. But none of it was me. That’s when I figured out what was missing.”
Vince helps you uncover and share your authentic self, what you uniquely bring to the world, and live your mission on purpose. He has brought spirituality and science together in a way that opens you to discovering your own path to living the life you are meant to live. Vince is the co-founder of Imagine Miracles and the host of The Miracle U podcast. He developed the C.R.E.A.T.E Model and the Your Unique Purpose Formula and uses them and his uncanny ability to coach you in producing breakthrough results in unlocking the hidden parts of you to Discover, Create and Live Your Miracle Life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I ended up being trained on the EEC 135 aircraft. There were often generals on board who were pilots themselves that needed instructor pilots to help them keep their qualifications and experience up. This was such a blessing for me because I was able to fly with a very experienced pilot, which gave me an opportunity to do things in an airplane a young lieutenant doesn’t normally get to do. My skills developed rapidly and because I enjoyed the chain of command so much and the process, I was also developing myself militarily at the same time. Next I had the rare chance to serve as executive officer to a wing commander where I learned a lot about command and working effectively with people of all ranks and positions.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“At the urging of a boss of mine, who had served in the Marine Corps, I joined the U.S. Air Force at 23. He told me I would make an excellent officer and it would also give me an opportunity to complete my college education. While joining the military was never really a part of my game plan, I took to it like a duck to water. It was definitely where I was meant to be and my career path was right there in front of me. That decision opened so many doors for me and gave me so many opportunities that I most certainly would not have had. It also returned me to my dream as a young boy of wanting to fly.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We are too often taught from an early age that everyone on the outside of us knows what’s best for us, and for this reason we look for answers to some of life’s most complicated questions there instead of inside ourselves. Two other commonly held beliefs we hold as a collective is that we are not good enough and we are not worthy. Those two beliefs impact so many of the key decisions we face in our lives. So because we don’t know ourselves, we don’t really understand the gifts and talents that we have been using our entire lives, and we get lost and are not doing the things we enjoy and are good at. If we did know ourselves we would find that we can use our talents in a position that aligns with who we truly are.”
Steps to Success from Vince Kramer
“Find a coach or mentor to help you discover the answers to your questions. Inside you there is so much untapped knowledge and wisdom. As early as high school if a student is willing to open up and ask themselves the hard questions about themselves, they can begin to envision their unique purpose and set goals toward achieving that purpose. It’s a guided process in most cases and has to be learned, because we are never taught how to do it.”
Connecting With Vince Kramer
Website: http://www.imaginenationmiracles.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImaginenationMiracles
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vkramer/
Instagram: imaginemiraclesinsta
Twitter: @/vincekramer/
Free Gift
“Your Life Your Way” Breakthrough Session and Free Membership through his website:
http://www.imaginenationmiracles.com
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Expert Interview: How to Maximize the Talents of the World's Most Unique Generation - Chris Butsch
Chris Butsch is a best-selling author, speaker, consultant, and globally-recognized authority on the Millennial generation. Known for his storytelling ability, high-energy stage presence, and immediately-actionable advice, he helps business leaders understand his generation and maximize the world’s most unique generation.
How to Maximize the Talents of the World's Most Unique Generation
“Millennials today are ages 18 to 35. I’m 27, right in the middle of the millennial range. My cohort grew up in a tumultuous time of technology and social connectedness, with the advent of Facebook in high school, then Twitter, and now Instagram. Those hard waves of cultural change shaped who we are and our motivations. They laid the groundwork for a tremendous disconnect between the Millennials and their parents’ generation. Baby Boomers grew up under very different circumstances.”
Why Is This Important?
“I’m all about arming the generations with the tools and the information they need to solve their biggest problems. For Millennials, that’s battling unfulfillment, confusion and the depression they experienced in their teens and twenties. For Baby Boomers, their problem largely has become dealing with Millennials, dealing with the fallout of this demanding generation, growing up in such radically different circumstances.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“What I found, obsessively researching this phenomenon, is that Millennials are different, but their demands are the same as Baby Boomers. In the workplace, Millennials want exactly the same things their parents’ generation wanted 30 or 40 years ago. The only difference is that we Millennials just want it more. And we will fight tooth and nail for it.”
Free Gift
Free guide to how to boost Millennial recruitment forever in just 30 minutes, available on the front page at www.chrisbutsch.com.
Millennials
Author, Consultant, Speaker
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A Teacher with a Vision for a Worldwide Classroom - Julie Young
Julie was implementing a half-million-dollar educational technology program in her school, and loving it. Then, her husband got an attractive promotion and transfer. Starting over in a bare-bones country school, where none of the furniture even matched, she knew she would have to ask for a computer. It was a request she never regretted.
Julie Young is the deputy vice-president of education outreach and student services for Arizona State University, and the CEO of ASU Prep Digital High School. She is a leading voice for revolutionizing K-12 online education on the global stage. As the founding president and CEO of Florida Virtual School (FLVS), she and her team grew the organization from a handful of students in 1996 to a highly acclaimed online school using personalized, next generation learning solutions. Young and her team grew FLVS into a diversified, worldwide organization creatively serving over two million students in 50 states and 68 countries worldwide.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I always liked school. I played school from my first day of kindergarten probably until my last day of 8th grade. I would come home from my school day and would play school at home. I was one of those girls who was perfect for my elementary classrooms teachers—a classic student who would stay after school, clap the erasers and help grade the papers. Then, I grew up and became an educator.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Julie was engaged in implementing a half-million-dollar technology grant in her school system in Fort Myers, Florida, when her husband got a promotion and a transfer to Orlando. Tearing herself away from her closely-knit extended family—all of whom had moved from Kentucky—she started over in a little country school, with no matching furniture. She even had to ask for a computer. “I got a call one day from the Orange County office, asking me to come speak to them about a grant. About 15 minutes into the conversation, I asked, ‘Is this an interview?’ He said, ‘Yes. We are looking for a principal to lead a web high school.’ I accepted.” She had stepped onto the front lines of the emerging, web-based learning, expanding her horizons from the local school to students all over Florida.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My best advice is to identify your talents. Be very deliberate about identifying what you enjoy and what you don’t enjoy. Then, match your talents to your different career opportunities. Don’t let fear of failure hold you back, and don’t settle and become complacent in an okay job when you know you can find one that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning.”
Steps to Success from Julie Young
1. Try a variety of jobs before settling on one as your career. Be intentional about this process, staying long enough to see if you might like it, then moving on to test another one.
2. Whether you’re midway through your career or approaching retirement, it is never too late to learn something new and make a change.
3. Find a boss who takes an interest in you, who champions your strengths and wants to invest in you and help you grow. If you don’t have that kind of environment, consider looking elsewhere.
Connecting With Julie Young
Website: http://asuprepdigital.org
Facebook: facebook.com/julie.young.129142
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/julieyoungedu/
Education, Opportunities, Vision
Digital Learning, Teaching/Teacher
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The Internet Company He Birthed at Age 15 Is Thriving 24 Years Later - Jeff Hall
“So fast forward to when I was 15. I said, you know, I’m good at this and why don’t I just do this since I’m good at it. I, by the way, didn’t have a computer. It was like December of 1995, I was finally able to afford my own computer. I got a nice used computer and then the company really took off because I had access to the right tools….my first customer was a Kung Fu school.”
Jeff Hall started working at age 7 doing door-to-door candy sales to help support his family. The company he founded in 1995 at age 15—Overflow Café—to help companies grow their websites, is thriving 23 years later. He has supported over 200 successful Kickstarter projects and has helped build 14 orphanages around the world. In his spare time, he loves watching Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and having a good cup of tea. You’ll find him working hard, and sometimes goofing around, in Toronto, Canada.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My teacher, Mr. Morris, overheard me talking to my friend, Tony, about his new computer. Now, I’m 13 years old, in the 8th grade, and this is 1993. Nobody had a computer back then! Mr. Morris thought I knew a lot about computers, which was not true at all, but he asked if I could take a look at one of the school’s new computers, which was having problems. He said he’d let me off of an upcoming assignment if I’d help. Of course, I said I’d give it a shot. By trial and error, and following the next logical steps I was able to fix the computer in a few minutes. After that, the teachers would call on me instead of calling for outside technicians to take care of any problems that came up—which back then was quite often. As it happens it was easy for me, and I really enjoyed it.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After building my skills with computers and this new thing called the Internet for a couple of years, I started my first company, Overflow Café, to help people set up their websites. The catalyst for me doing this was that we were about to be evicted from our house and had only a few months to come up with a large sum of money to avoid being homeless. I dropped out of school, bought a nice, used computer and because I finally had access to the right tools the company really took off. My first customer was a Kung Fu school. The company is thriving 23 years later, I’m proud to say.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Stay open to new opportunities. When I was 7 years old I began to pick up the loose change that the more affluent kids in my school would carelessly drop on the playground. Then I’d go to a local store, buy candy and resell it to my classmates at a profit. Odd as it sounds I did very well with that. A few years later the opportunity to repair the new computers our school had bought—this was in 1993 so computers were quite new—morphed into my first business at the ripe age of 15. I had zero idea I was good at the techie side of things, until I was given a chance to try and found it came really easy for me and was great fun.”
Steps to Success from Jeff Hall
1. Don’t count on the educational system to prepare you for the world of work. In most cases it does not.
2. Know where you stand. What is your financial situation? When you truly know that, you can reach your goals a whole lot faster.
3. Make learning a top priority. When something interests you and uses your talents and skills, dig more deeply into it. It may turn into a hobby or even a career.
4. Be open to the wisdom and experiences of the people around you. They each are individual storehouses of knowledge.
5. Opportunities abound in the world, if you are paying attention.Connecting With Jeff Hall
Website: https://www.overflowcafe.com
Twitter: twitter.com/overflow_cafe
Instagram: instagram.com/overflowcafe
Entrepreneur in Youth, Talents, Working Out of Necessity
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Website Building
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Expert Interview: Unconventional Strategies to Land the Job You Love - Austin Belcak
Austin Belcak is the founder of Cultivated Culture where he helps people leverage unconventional strategies to land jobs they love without connections, without “traditional” experience, and without applying online. His strategies have been featured in places like Forbes, Business Insider and Fast Company and he has helped people get hired at Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and many more.
Unconventional Strategies to Land the Job You Love
Many job-seekers are accustomed to submitting their resumes and applications online. Success with this method is astoundingly low, because the competition is very high and many job openings never even appear on company websites. A tested system, using the best of digital marketing wisdom and an up-to-date approach to networking, can dramatically improve your chances of finding and landing the job you love.
Why Is This Important?
If you do nothing more than submit online applications, you’re playing a numbers game you’re virtually certain to lose. A recent Wall Street Journal survey of major employers revealed that only 20 percent of their job openings are listed online. On top of that, 75 percent of current job-seeks are applying primarily online for that small portion of published openings. So, finding creative ways of reaching the people who know about the jobs and enlisting their help is central to your success.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Starting with some sage advice: Only take advice from the people who already have what you want. Austin Belcak developed ways of targeting those people, and cultivating relationships with them. More importantly, his system takes back control of the career search from the technology that condemns most applications to the virtual trash basket. But it is not simply about gaming the system. Landing the job you want also entails getting smart about cultivating the skills you will need and creating the on-the-job experience employers want through building your own track record.
Free Gift
“Resume Revamp.” Free 4-part video course with tested and proven resume tweaks that work. And other surprises. www.CultivatedCulture.com/discover
Resume Writing, Resume Writing in Today's World
August 2019:
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Focusing on What You Can't Control Is Time Lost - Cindra Kamphoff
Cindra had just reached a personal best in the 2013 Boston Marathon. Exhausted, but feeling on top of the world, she walked slowly to her hotel. Then the bomb went off. Physically unharmed, she began asking herself core questions about her life focus.
Dr. Cindra Kamphoff is a certified mental performance consultant, keynote speaker, and author who works with professional athletes, executives and championship teams around the nation. She is the author of “Beyond Grit: Ten Powerful Practices to Gain the High Performance Edge.” Her clients range from Verizon Wireless, Mayo Clinic Health System to the Minnesota Vikings. Her work has been featured in Sports Illustrated, New York Times, ESPN the Magazine, USA Today, and Runner’s World Magazine. Her Ph.D. is in sport and performance psychology, and she speaks on how to gain the high-performance edge while providing practical strategies that work. In her spare time, she runs and trains for marathons. She has run 15 marathons including the Boston Marathon 5 times and in 2012 she won the Omaha Marathon.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Growing up in the small town of Sheldon in northwest Iowa, I got to follow my passion: run and participate in lots of sports. Even as a middle schooler, I was always interested in running. Vividly, I remember there were two boys down the street from me, Andy and Ben, who I loved racing in the summertime. And I loved participating in sports. I played softball and basketball, and ran cross-country and track.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After crossing the finish line at the 2013 Boston Marathon—having accomplished a personal best—Cindra was limping back to her hotel with her husband and running buddies. “Suddenly, we heard a loud blast, and saw chaos. I was right there in the middle of the Boston Marathon bombing. Our hotel was a block from Boylston Street. One minute I was on top of the world. Then, 45 minutes later, I was wondering if I was going to get home to see my two boys. It was heartbreaking! Sitting in the hotel room, I was asking myself, ‘What am I about? Why am I still here? Am I using my gifts like I’m supposed to use them?’ I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t. I knew I had something more to offer and that I really wasn’t following everything I wanted to do.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“From working in the NFL and with high-level executives and the world’s best athletes, what I see is that every minute you are focusing on something you can’t control is one less minutes you are living in the present. Or, it’s one less dollar you are earning. You are just wasting your energy. It leads to frustration, blame and anger. That’s how essential it is to live in and own your present moment.”
Steps to Success from Cindra Kamphoff
1. Know what you want, stick with it and stay passionate about it.
2. Set goals that scare you. If you don’t, you are not dreaming big enough.
3. Find people who will challenge and encourage you.
4. Only focus on what you can control, let go of your worries about the uncontrollable things.
Connecting With Cindra Kamphoff
Website: cindra kamphoff.com and beyondgrit.com
Facebook: drcindrakamphoff.com
Twitter: @Mentally_Strong
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cindra-kamphoff/
Free Gift
Free PDF of the “10 Practices”: https://www.beyondgrit.com/bonus/
Use code, “FREE SHIPPING” at this site to order the book, Beyond Grit, and the workbook, for free shipping.
Athletes, Marathons
Author, Mental Performance Consultant, Speaker
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Be Yourself. There Is Only One You - Jay Lucas
“I remember being 8 years old and going across the lawn to the town library. They had a particular reading room there for kids and in that room were a number of biographies of people like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson. That reading room was a very formative place for me. I got to see what these great leaders had done in their lifetimes and it created an imprint on me and the kinds of things that can be achieved.”
Jay Lucas—accomplished businessman, author, leader and philanthropist—believes in the power of positivity, patriotism, and community engagement. Jay is actively spreading his message through his bestselling book “American Sunshine: Rays of Hope and Opportunity.” He served as an elected State Representative while still in college at Yale. He then earned his MBA from Harvard Business School, and his Law degree from Harvard Law School. He is now the Chairman and Managing Partner of The Lucas Group, focusing on the specialized needs of private equity investors and their portfolio companies.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I jumped full force into politics in the spring of my sophomore year at Yale, at the age of 19, when there was an opportunity to run for office as a delegate in the New Hampshire legislature. I wrote over a thousand hand-written letters and knocked on hundreds of doors. I won and went to the constitutional convention that was held once every ten years in the state. I was on the bill of rights committee and got to meet state senators, members of the House of Representatives and judges. This experience gave me the confidence to believe that I can do more of this!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“St. Paul’s School is one of the very elite prep schools on the East Coast. Every summer they host an Advanced Studies Program for six weeks, to which they invite roughly 180 public school students from around New Hampshire who are at the top of their class. I was fortunate to be selected. The program is run by teachers and interns from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth and other top schools. I decided to put my heart and soul into those six weeks and ended up at the top of my class. It was easily the most decisive moment in my entire academic career. The intern who had the greatest influence on me had studied at Oxford and Yale and, as a result of that relationship, I ended up at Yale.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Before starting law school my brother and I got entrepreneurial. We started a small business where we sold electronic equipment: wide-screened TVs, videos, et cetera. This brief experience piqued my interest in the world of business. Where before I had been going straight down the narrow path to law school, I opened myself up to the entrepreneurial side of the world. I decided to pursue a joint MBA and law degree. Harvard structures it as a joint 4-year program broken up between law school and business school courses. I took the business school year first and worked that first summer at Bain and Company. After graduating I joined Bain full time and stayed on for 9 years, becoming partner during their most dramatic period of growth.”
Steps to Success from Jay Lucas
1. Work in some sort of a structured environment where you can learn the basic principles and practices of the occupation or profession from the masters.
2. Be yourself because there is really only one you. Each of us is blessed with unique talents and qualities and it’s our responsibility to work with them to our full potential.
3. I also follow an idea I call Modern Patriotism:
- Believe in the basic fundamental human values that created America such as fairness and freedom of speech and religion.
- Achieve to your fullest potential based on your talents and these core values.
- Share the wisdom and experiences from your life with others. And in the process you will experience what I call earned success.
Connecting With Jay Lucas
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jay.lucas.9484
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin/in/jay-lucas-7423975/
Book: https://www.amazon.com/American-Sunshine-Rays-Hope-Opportunity-ebook/dp/B07BZYPKC7
Author, Business Leader, Philanthropist
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Expert Interview: Complementing Beats Competing–Women Supporting Women in the Workplace - Paula Brown Stafford and Lisa T. Grimes
Achieve Success. Create Balance. Experience Fulfillment.
It’s the elusive trifecta every working woman desperately seeks. Do you find yourself trying to be everything to everyone? Do you run yourself ragged but still feel something is missing? The struggle is real and all too common. Paula Brown Stafford and Lisa T. Grimes are two award-winning, C-suite executives and authors who together have accumulated more than 60 years of work experience at the highest levels, 60 years of marriage, and raised four children. Paula and Lisa have collectively managed over 25,000 employees globally. Although fierce competitors 20 years ago, they eventually formed a friendship and now, as a team, speak to corporations and women’s groups on a number of topics including Complementing Beats Competing and The Juggling Act.
Complementing Beats Competing—Women Supporting Women in the Workplace
“Too often, we have seen and experienced that even women who aren’t in competing companies often wind up competing with other women within their organizations. Ultimately our message is: Let’s support other women. There is plenty of room for all of us to work our way up the career ladder, and it is certainly a lot more fun and a lot more fulfilling. It starts by learning about yourself, your strengths and how you like to work, by learning WHO you are. Then, you can begin to see how you can complement and complete others instead of compete with them.”
Why Is This Important?
By knowing yourself and your strengths, you can begin to identify people whose skills, strengths and personalities naturally complement your own. This self-knowledge makes it possible to resist unnecessary competition in situations where cooperation will work better for you. Women, in particular, can fall into the GATT trap: feeling Guilty All The Time. By setting clear priorities and remaining true to them, it’s easier to distinguish between legitimate reasons for guilt and the abundant pressures for taking on false guilt. By committing to meet and exceed expectations, and communicating clearly as your conditions change, it becomes possible to enlist the support you need from family members, business partners and customers.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Find people that you can complement, then explore specific ways where you can complement one another and not compete. Start by getting clear about who you are and what your priorities are so you can be the best that you can be. Secondly, remember there is always something you can give back, something you can do to brighten someone else’s day. At different stages of our life, what we have to offer will change. At one stage, we can volunteer time or give money to a charitable organization, or at another stage we may be in a season when we don’t have an extra dollar or an extra minute, but we can smile at someone who needs a smile in the grocery store, or we can spend one or two minutes helping someone who is newer at the company where we might be working, to help them get a bit further ahead. Or, we may be able to mentor others.
Connecting With Paula Brown Stafford and Lisa T. Grimes
Website: www.habergeon.com
Facebook: facebook.com/HabergeonLLC
Twitter: twitter.com/HabergeonLLC and twitter.com/HabergeonLLC
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/paula-brown-stafford-6957926 and LinkedIn.com/in/lis-t-grimes-a22276a
Relationships in Business, Women, Women Supporting Women
Author, Business Leader, Keynote Speaker, Speaker
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A Lifetime Student without a School - Brannon Beliso
Brannon rebelled against his father by intentionally losing 17 martial arts matches in a row. He wanted to pursue his creativity. A hard punch in the face was his turning point. Playing the hand life dealt him, he became a champion in martials arts and in creating a life he wanted.
Brannon Beliso is dedicated to helping people live their best lives. His passion is to help people and businesses reach their full potential through defining their values, developing their culture, building their brand, creating leadership by example and fulfilling their purpose. He defines his purpose as, “Always being a student and never a master.” He devotes his life to being a better martial artist, motivator and innovator of personal development, life skills education and martial arts-based programs.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I think the greatest gift my father gave me was martial arts at the age of five. I was a state champion. We could not afford to travel all over the world, but I was the best as far as our car could take us! I was number one in the state for many years. I fought for 20 years. Martial arts gave me inner resilience, determination, and perseverance that comes with any type of athletic sports. But, I think, for the martial arts there’s a much deeper meaning, because the martial arts are really taught as a mind-body relationship.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
As a child, Brannon hated martial arts and preferred artistic pursuits. But his father insisted he practice, compete and win in martial arts. Brannon rebelled by intentionally losing 17 matches in a row. “It came down to one tournament when I got punched in the face really hard. That was an ‘Aha!’ moment. I realized, either I’m going to do this and be successful, or I am going to get hit and hurt every time I fight! That was a real turning point. I can say that in a positive way today—and I want to share it—because I recognized that sometimes the hand we are dealt is not the one we want. If you can take the hand that you are dealt and make the best out of it, that is the mastery of life for me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We have all heard the saying, ‘The grass is greener on the other side.’ Well, the grass is not greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water it. So, water your grass. Take ownership and full accountability for your own life. Ask yourself, if this was my last day, how would I want it to be? Would I want to be living someone else’s life, a life that is not my own?”
Steps to Success from Brannon Beliso
1. Learn to play the hand that is dealt you, but do not lose sight of the changes that are in your control.
2. Peel away the beliefs and ideas that are not your own—which I call “unauthorized thought patterns”—and get down to your truer self. From that truer self is where you can do your best service.
3. Find a way that allows you to determine your own wealth. That might mean becoming an entrepreneur. Just find a way that lets you do what you truly love.
On His Bookshelf
Live Learn Grow: Lessons of a Reluctant Tiger, by Brannon Beliso (https://amzn.to/2JJ08mp)
The Adventures of Bray & Tey: Focus, by Brannon Beliso (https://amzn.to/2sKil9l)
One, The Next Level in Cardio Kickboxing (VHS), Brannon Beliso (https://amzn.to/2y1LbY2)
Connecting With Brannon Beliso
Website: www.BrannonBeliso.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Brannon.Beliso
Twitter: twitter.com/BrannonBeliso
Courage, Martial Arts
Author, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Martial Arts, Musician, Song Writer/Singer, Teaching/Teacher
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Food Beginning with Passion, Gratitude & Love—Hecho Con Amor - Delani Gianna
Delani Gianna is a young entrepreneur residing in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She comes from a long history of chefs, cooks, and restaurateurs. For the last four years, she has dedicated her energy to creating Hecho Con Amor, a catering and private chef service that provides beautiful food and quality personalized service. She offers services in San Miguel de Allende and Sayulita, Mexico. Hecho Con Amor translates to “Made With Love”. She takes tremendous pride in her work. Every dish begins with passion, gratitude, and love.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I come from a restaurant family. Earliest memories were in the kitchen. My grandmother worked in restaurants, catering and as a personal chef since before I was born. My father was a chef and mother was a server. I grew up between the U.S. and Mexico. We moved to Mexico the first time when I was 14 and went to a public school outside Tijuana in Baja California. At that point, I had a job during the day working at a health clinic. That’s when I really began cooking. In my teenage years, I dedicated myself to learning how to cook well because I felt like it would be a positive asset in my life. That has certainly turned out to be true.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“If I’d had any idea what I was getting myself into I probably would have been much more hesitant about starting my business. But I didn’t have any idea. In fact, I really didn’t know that ‘personal chef’ was a job until I did my first job as a personal chef. These things started coming into my awareness and I saw this was a real thing, something I could be really good at.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“You have to be OK with people thinking you’re a little nuts. When I did tell people I was moving to Mexico to do this, their responses were like, ‘OK, crazy person, go ahead!’ You have to be outlandish enough to believe that another world is possible. I think you also have to get out of your cycle of accepting when people disrespect you, as if it’s a necessary part of your life. You have to be a dreamer and use your imagination, and take a path that’s probably not paved, and find your own way. It takes a tremendous amount of courage and conviction to really know and trust yourself to make your dream happen.”
Steps to Success from Delani Gianna
1. Believe that another world, another way, is possible.
2. Be prepared to have some people think you’re a little bit nuts.
3. Stop accepting disrespect. It’s not a necessary part of life.
4. Use your imagination to find your own way.
On Her Bookshelf
Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing, by Caroline Myss
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, by Michael Pollan
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation, by Michael Pollan
Connecting With Delani Gianna
Email: HechoConAmorServices@gmail.com
Website: SayulitaLife.com/hecho-con-amor
Facebook: facebook.com/delani.gianna
Caterer, Chef
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Expert Interview: What Makes You Jump Out of Bed in the Morning? - Charles Carroll
Chef Charles Carroll is an award-winning author, inspirational speaker, and recipient of more than 80 national and international awards. He has served his country on eight U.S. Culinary Olympic Teams. For the past few years he has traveled around the United States and the world mentoring, sharing and presenting his messages to culinary students, chefs, industry professionals and executives as well as to U.S. military personnel. As founder and producer of Operation HOT 2011 and 2013, he produced seven Vegas style shows for troops in Afghanistan. Currently, he serves as the immediate past-president of World Association of Chef Societies. Chef Charles recently published his third book, a culinary parable entitled, “The Recipe: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Ingredients of Greatness,” which he co-authored with John David Mann.
What Makes You Jump Out of Bed in the Morning?
“We are all put on this earth to find that thing inside of us that makes us jump out of bed in the morning. It is sad when people never dare themselves to dig down and find it. Or, maybe they have found it but have tucked it away, thinking they just cannot do it, or that it is a big dream and they just do not have time to pursue it. For some, family and other obligations, or their job, get in the way. I can tell you hundreds of stories of people who say if they had not taken that initial jump, they would not be sitting where they are today. There is nothing better than waking up feeling you just can’t wait to get started doing that one thing you have discovered inside yourself.”
Why Is This Important?
“As soon as you’ve discovered that special thing inside that makes you want to jump out of bed, you have to do it. Start somewhere. Like a writer at the keyboard, facing a blank screen, start punching the keys. Open a new document, give it a working title and a date, and write whatever information you have, just to get started. The next thing you know, you’ve started! One step leads to the next. An email leads to a call. A call leads to a meeting, and that leads to another. Momentum builds. But first, you have to start!”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Once you start the process, Chef Charles promises, you will find what you need. The ideas, connections, resources and introductions will come to you through the process. “What did I know about writing and publishing a book? Nothing! Absolutely nothing. For that matter, I knew nothing about podcasting when we started one a couple of months ago. I just knew I was being interviewed as a guest on a lot of them. My partner and I just started researching podcasts, and the next thing we knew, we had one. The point is to keep digging and digging and digging until it happens. When you’re pursuing your passion, persistence is the key. Nothing worthwhile comes easily.”
Connecting With Charles Carroll
Website: www.chefcharlescarroll.com
Facebook: facebook.com/charles.carroll.566
Twitter: twitter.com/chefcarroll
Networking, Perseverance
Author, Chef, Speaker
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Cyber Security Pro Goes With His Strengths - Adam Anderson
Adam felt right at home on computers at age six. He wanted to make them talk to each other so he could play games with friends. “Without knowing it, I was teaching myself the fundamentals of computer science and information technology. They just didn’t call it that at the time.”
Adam Anderson is a serial entrepreneur, author and founder of Palmetto Security Group (PSG), an IBM Premier Cyber Security Business Partner. He recently launched Element Security Group. With 20 years in cyber security, and 13 as a small business owner, Adam is positioned to understand both sides of the cyber security equation in a way most aren’t. He got tired of answering all his business owner friends’ questions about cyber security, so he co-authored a book and created some tools for them. The book is called “Small Business Cyber Security: Your Customers Can Trust You…Right?” Adam is on a mission to help fellow business owners find the answer to the question, “Should I even care about cyber security?”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Starting at around age six, I was always on computers. I became very comfortable with them at an early age. I really wanted to play games. And I wanted to make computers talk to each other so I could play games with my friends. Without knowing it, I was teaching myself the fundamentals of computer science and information technology. They just didn’t call it that at the time.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
College was not working out for Adam. It did not give him the space to try lots of things before committing to them. So, he drew on his lifelong fascination with computers. “If I ever wanted to get a job, I knew I had to get professional certifications. So, I got a bunch of certifications from Microsoft. My first gig was working on the Y2K crisis back in 1999. The financial industry, and a lot of other industries, spent an awful lot of money on protecting themselves from ruin when the year 2000 arrived, which is why I was allowed to touch multi-billion-dollar infrastructure when I was a 19-year-old kid.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I have ADHD and dyslexia, so school was very difficult for me. But, because of them, I learned to build coping mechanisms that gave me shortcuts. You realize where your strengths are and go there, and what your weaknesses are and don’t worry about them. So, for example, today I don’t worry about my spelling and grammar. I have somebody else check my work. If it’s going to be published, I have editors. The secret is not to focus on why you can’t and on what the barriers are, and focus instead on how to do it differently next time.”
On His Bookshelf
Small Business Cyber Security: Your Customers Can Trust You…Right?, by Adam Anderson and Tom Gilkeson
Built to Survive: A Business Owner’s Guide on How to Prepare for a Cyber Attack, by Adam Anderson
Steps to Success from Adam Anderson
1. Build on your strengths and adapt to your weaknesses by finding workarounds, support and alternative approaches.
2. Operating out of fear leads to poor decisions. Focus on planning to survive and thrive.
3. Do not buy into the myth of absolute security. It does not exist. Accept that crises will come and prepare for them.
Connecting With Adam Anderson
Website: www.elementsecuritygroup.com
Facebook: facebook.com/adamandersonCEO
Twitter: twitter.com/adamandersonceo
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adam-anderson-28a97811/
Cyber Security, Working with Special Challenges
Author, Business Owner, Cyber Security, Entrepreneur
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Writer's Rebound from Ballot Box Loss - Lori B. Duff
Lori thought she would be the voters’ obvious choice for probate court judge. She had a decade’s experience with a major metropolitan court, and her opponent wasn’t even a lawyer. Her unexpected loss was a stiff rebuke. At 42, she brushed herself off and put pen to paper.
Lori B. Duff is a recovering lawyer who has found renewed life as a writer. She is an in-demand ghost writer and editor, and an international best-selling author of 3 memoirs. Her latest, “You Know I Love You Because You’re Still Alive” recently won a gold medal in the 2017 eLit awards. She has a series of memoir writing classes designed to give people a head start on writing their own stories.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I have always written, as long as I can remember. As a child in the single digits I remember announcing that I wanted to be a writer. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, my parents are very practical minded and did not want to see me starve to death. It had been drilled into me by my parents that if you did well in school you had to have a career that went along with it, and that the creative arts were not something you should do. They believed you should go to law school or med school, make money and be a professional. It really didn’t occur to me to question that. But I was fortunate enough to be in a public school system that valued creativity. We had a strong creative writing program that you had to be accepted into. It was a four-year program in high school, and I was involved in that the whole time. It was really phenomenal.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In 2012, Lori decided to run for public office as a judge in the probate court of a metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, county. A peculiarity in Georgia law permitted a non-attorney to serve in the position if the population was below 100,000. Lori had extensive legal experience and felt she was a shoo-in against her opponent, who was not a lawyer. “But apparently the electorate had a different opinion. Overwhelmingly so! I was stunned by the whole thing.” Soon after the electoral debacle, she found herself writing again, first as a blogger, then as a ghost writer using her skills in clearly expressing complex research in written language easily understood by non-experts. “Looking back, I’m glad I lost the election. I’d much rather be doing what I’m doing than be a probate court judge.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The first step is to just do it. So many people are afraid of what they haven’t done. They fear rejection. If you look at my books, they are well reviewed, mostly. But there are some reviewers who are mean, even with all the five star reviews. So, I get it that it’s scary to jump into something new. It really is. But you have to do it. You have to try. You’ll never know what you can do if you don’t try to do it.”
On Her Bookshelf
You Know I Love You Because You’re Still Alive: Confessions of a Middle Aged Working Mom, by Lori B. Duff
Telling Your Story: 7 Writing Prompts to Get You Started, by Lori B. Duff
Mismatched Shoes and Upside Down Pizza, by Lori B. Duff
The Armadillo, the Pickaxe, and the Laundry Basket, by Lori B. Duff
Steps to Success from Lori B. Duff
1. You can do more than one thing at a time. Explore your passions and options while you hold onto a job that gives you stability.
2. It takes time to build anything worthwhile—a new pursuit, a new business, a legal practice, anything. Work strategically so you can allow your new projects time and space to grow.
3. Don’t expect perfection your first time out. Every piece of good writing starts with a lousy first draft.
Connecting With Lori B. Duff
Website: www.LoriDuffWrites.com
Facebook: facebook.com/loribduffauthor
Twitter: twitter.com/LoriBDuff
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/loriduffwrites/
Free Gift
For listeners of this podcast, Lori has set up a special link to get a free copy of her ebook, “Six Elements of Writing a Powerful and Publishable Memoir.” Go to: loriduffwrites.com/don
Parents' Advice, Passion, Writing
Author, Editor, Judge, Lawyer, Writer
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Expert Interview: How to Think More Like an Entrepreneur - Dorie Clark
Dorie Clark is the author of “Entrepreneurial You,” “Reinventing You” and “Stand Out,” which was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. Magazine. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, she teaches at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and is a consultant and speaker for clients such as Google, Morgan Stanley, and the World Bank.
How to Think More Like an Entrepreneur
For “Entrepreneurial You,” Dorie interviewed 50-plus very successful entrepreneurs. She was especially interested in understanding folks who created very lucrative 6-, 7- and even 8-figure businesses, either on their own or with a very small team. “In many ways, that begins to pave the pathway for a lot of people.”
Why Is This Important?
“Even if you work inside a company, or are just toying with the idea of entrepreneurship, it might seem like it’s this big undertaking that means quitting your job, getting venture capital, and starting a huge enterprise. But I’m especially fascinated with people who were able to start in small ways, starting something on the side, to create portfolio careers for themselves, and side income streams can grow to become something exceptionally lucrative. I tell their stories in my book.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“The caricature of business is people who are taking huge, risky bets.People often think that’s the definition of entrepreneurship, being willing to take a big risk. In actuality, it is very much the opposite. It is about mitigating risk. Instead of having a big bet, where you can potentially lose everything, I discovered again and again that it’s about taking small risks. Only later, when you see momentum, do you double down. It’s about being able to be encouraged by seeing small victories that tell you that you are making progress on the entrepreneurial path.”
Connecting With Dorie Clark
Website: www.dorieclark.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dorieclark
Twitter: @dorieclark
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/doriec
Free Gift
Free Resource: “Entrepreneurial You” Self-Assessment, 88 questions to help you think about how to become more entrepreneurial in your own life and create multiple revenue streams.
Entrepreneurism
Adjunct Professor, Author, Consultant, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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Persistence Pays–Experiment, Measure & Repeat - Justin Shelby
Justin felt his campus interview with a Fortune 500 company had gone well. When he didn’t get a call from them, he made a friend inside the company and kept calling back–for 30 days. His persistence paid off.
Justin Shelby is the CEO and founder of Artichoke, a complete business solution for the rapidly growing community of freelancers, independent practitioners, and moonlighters operating in the U.S. He has extensive product development, marketing, leadership, and startup experience. He has held leadership positions in Fortune 500 growth-stage companies and startup companies in addition to having launched more than 100 products in 16 countries. Justin also previously founded three other businesses.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My brother and I got involved in music at an early age. He was in high school when I was in sixth grade. We formed a band and played more than 500 gigs over several years. We worked every weekend and practiced every day. It gave us a chance to wear multiple hats–to be musicians, managers, make sure things were working. It exposed me to a lot of that stuff early, with the autonomy to see where I could take it and the responsibility to make sure that it happened. We were being paid to provide a service and it could not be half-baked.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Justin’s college, Salisbury State College in Maryland, was not on the recruiting tour of many Fortune 500 companies, but an alum who worked for Black & Decker decided to give his alma mater a shot. “I thought I had good rapport with the interviewer, but I called several times and received no reply. Taking a page from my band era—where we often had to be persistent to get things done—I started to form a relationship with the interviewer’s administrative assistant. I called every day for 30 days. Finally, she went into his office and said, ‘Look, if you don’t bring this guy in for an interview I’m going to do it.’ By the time I showed up for the interview, he was already on board with me. He loved my persistence.” Justin spent the first nine years of his career there.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“In my experience, more people are successful as a result of their persistence, creativity and problem-solving skills than people who are just living off raw intelligence. Sure, it is important to be informed, and intelligence is not to be underestimated, but that alone is not your ticket, in my opinion.”
Steps to Success from Justin Shelby
1. Be honest with yourself about your strengths and your weaknesses.
2. Ask people you trust for their honest assessments of your strengths and weaknesses.
3. Find challenges you enjoy, that keep you fresh and sharp.
4. Be realistic: experiment, measure, repeat. Learn and improve.
5. Build on your strengths.
Connecting With Justin Shelby
Website: getartichoke.com
Facebook: bit.ly/2j0kOrm
Twitter: @getartichoke
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/2997242/ and linkedin.com/in/justinshelby/
Free Gift
20% discount off Artichoke Client Management Application. Visit the video to learn more.
Entrepreneurism, Persistence
Business Owner, Leadership, Marketing, Product Development
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Taking the Time to Define Her Bullseye - Helene Segura
Helene had a clear plan as she left L.A.—to be a dual athlete playing soccer and softball for Texas A&M. “My plan got shot to heck when I was cut from the softball team.” If she wasn’t going to be Helene, The Athlete anymore, she had to figure out who else she could be.
Helene Segura, author of two Amazon best-selling books, has been the featured organizational expert in more than 150 media interviews. In her time management keynotes and workshops, she shares her mind-bending framework for decreasing interruptions, distractions and procrastination so that companies can spend more time generating revenue. On weekends, she can be found sneaking adult beverages onto the lawn bowling court. Helene’s newest book is “The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In high school, I had this odd mix of friends. I had my nerd friends from the Honors and advanced placement classes, and my jock friends from all of my sports. I also had several gang friends. I grew up in Los Angeles and it is kind of hard to avoid knowing a gang member or two. I got to deal with so many different kinds of folks from different walks of life. They helped shape how I work with people.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Getting cut from the softball team at Texas A&M University was the biggest turning point in my life as I was coming into adulthood. I moved from Los Angeles to Texas, planning to play soccer and softball for A&M. I got to play soccer, but when I tried out for softball, I was cut. My plan got shot to heck! I’d always been used to getting what I wanted. I had to rethink my life. Sports had been a huge part of my life for the previous decade. I didn’t know a life without sports. My identity had been as Helene, the athlete. So, if I wasn’t going to be Helene the athlete anymore, I thought, who am I going to be?”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“One of the first things I do with my clients is have them create definitions of their personal priorities and their work priorities, and their definition of happiness. If we don’t know what the bullseye is that we are trying to hit, how do we know how far we are or how close we are to hitting it? So many people are dissatisfied with their jobs because they are in a rut. They are spinning. The way out of it is to create clarity about what happiness is. But most of us don’t want to take the time to think about that.”
On Her Bookshelf
Starting a Business All-In-One For Dummies, by Consumer Dummies
Small Business For Dummies, by Eric Tyson and Jim Schell
The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer, by Helene Segura
Steps to Success from Helene Segura
1. A simple lack of organizational skills can keep you from meeting your goals. Those skills can be learned.
2. The way out of your rut is to gain clarity. Focus on clarity about what makes you happy.
3. Define your bullseye clearly. How can you know if you hit it if you don’t clearly know what and where it is?
Connecting With Helene Segura
Website: TimeManagementRevolution.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/LivingOrderSA
Twitter: twitter.com/LivingOrderSA
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/helenesegura/
Free Gift
Visit her website and go to her Books and Tools section for a complimentary Productivity Kickstarter Kit as well as some video series.
Defining Happiness, Focus, Happiness
Author, Entrepreneur, Keynote Speaker, Organizational Expert
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Expert Interview: Don't Buy a Duck–5 Crisis Points of Marketing - Derek Champagne
Derek Champagne is the founder & CEO of The Artist Evolution, a full-service agency building successful brands, marketing tools, and campaigns. He is also the author of the bestselling book “Don’t Buy A Duck,” endorsed by Seth Godin, and co-founder of champagnemarketingcourses.com. Derek is also a published musician with music contributions on soundtracks on shows on ABC, MTV, E! channel, Bravo, and Oxygen network.
Don't Buy a Duck–Five Crisis Points of Marketing
Derek’s duck story illustrates his buyer’s remorse when, as an eight-year-old, his patient mom gave into his impulse to buy something he did not need. Quackers lived a long, happy life—at someone else’s home—and taught Derek lessons that save his clients money on their media and marketing plans. He shares what he has learned in his book, with his full-service agency’s clients and now on this podcast.
Why Is This Important?
“In the past decade I reviewed more than 1,000 brand audits and have had the opportunity to see five commonalities. In startups and even in household brands, we kept finding five things that happen. Any one of them can lead to bad business decisions like ‘buying a duck.’ When we solve these five marketing crisis points, we see meaningful traction and growth. The good news is, these are easy to fix. They just take commitment, dedication and consistency.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
The first question to ask yourself, in life and in business, is, “Who am I?” Many companies suffer from an identity crisis when they fail to ask this fundamental question. Next comes learning who your customers are, not just superficially. Derek lays out key lessons tied to choosing the right tools, striking a balance between aggressively pursuing goals and being realistic. And, vital to success is having a written plan and executing it consistently, without fail.
Connecting With Derek Champagne
Website: www.theartistevolution.com and www.ChampagneMarketingCourses.com
Facebook: facebook.com/theartistevolution
Twitter: @ArtistEvolution
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theartistevolution/
Free Gift
Free Guide to Improving Communication and Conversion with Target Customers. Visit the website: www.ChampagneMarketingCourses.com.
Branding, Marketing
Author, Branding, Business Owner, Marketing, Musician
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The Power in Seeing People Right Where They Are - Kristen Ivy
Kristen had always been a good student, but when her grades began to drop dramatically, a teacher pulled her aside, looked her in the eye and asked, “Are you okay?” She felt it was the first time someone was really seeing her. That teacher’s concern instilled in her the need to see the whole person at any given moment in time.
Kristen Ivy is the executive director of messaging at The reThink Group, commonly referred to as Orange, and the director of The Phase Project. By using child development research, she educates parents and equips them with immediately applicable, easy ways to connect with their kids, based on their age and developmental phase. Before beginning her career at Orange in 2006, she worked in the public school system as a high school Biology and English teacher where she learned firsthand the joy and importance of influencing the next generation.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In school, teachers tended to lean into me to suggest that I was a leader. They put me in leadership positions, whether it was leading the classroom or a club, or taking initiative to drive something. I don’t know that I would have sought out those opportunities on my own until they were handed to me. I began to ask myself why I was getting these opportunities and how could I be responsible with the opportunities I was given.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“What stands out as most formative was when I was in 8th grade. I was in the midst of an upheaval in my family life, with all the emotions, and wasn’t doing well in school. In fact, I was tanking. A language arts teacher took me aside. I expected a reprimand, but she looked me straight in the face and asked, ‘Are you OK?’ She looked at a low performance issue and knew it was actually a heart thing. There was something going on in my heart and life, and she could see it was spilling out into these other areas. It felt like the first time somebody was really seeing me and seeing what was going on. Since then, I’ve always wanted to be that person who can see the people who aren’t being seen.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“If I could say one thing to any college student or any young adult, it would be: Go in the area of your passion, because that is where you have something unique. Following what you’re interested in is one of the best things you can do, because that’s what enables you to make a distinctive contribution. So often, we undervalue our own talents and strengths, because they come naturally to us. We don’t realize they are not natural to everybody else around us.”
On Her Bookshelf
Phase Guides, by Kristen Ivy and Reggie Joiner – an 18-part series of guides to help parents, for every phase from birth through 18
Parenting Your New Baby: A Guide to Making the Most of the “I Need You Now” Phase, by Kristen Ivy and Reggie Joiner – Part of Phase Guides series
Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done, by Jon Acuff
Do Over: Make Today the First Day of Your New Career, by Jon Acuff
Steps to Success from Kristen Ivy
1. Pay attention to your passions. They are your best guide to the path that’s right for you.
2. Recognize your unique talents. No one else has them in precisely the way you do. They’re what will enable you to make a distinctive contribution.
3. See each individual as a whole person and relate to them where they are on their life’s journey.
Connecting With Kristen Ivy
Website: www.PhaseGuides.com
Facebook: facebook.com/kristen.ivy
Twitter: twitter.com/kristen_ivy
Instagram: instagram.com/_kristen_ivy/
In the moment, Passion, Whole person
Child Development, Teaching/Teacher
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A Mindset That Overcomes Physical Limits - Michael McDonnell
Michael surprised everyone with his love of sports and active life, despite a disabling condition. “My parents saw that I was going to try everything.” At 16, a coach offered him an opportunity to coach tennis that made perfect sense. “It was an easy choice for me to take that road.”
Michael McDonnell has gone from managing cystic fibrosis and diabetes to using the lessons learned to run several businesses. He now helps people with their mindset and strategies to leave their job and run their own businesses full-time.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was younger, I think my health challenges impacted my parents more than me. I didn’t really know any different. They saw that I was going to try everything. When I was diagnosed, cystic fibrosis was not something everybody knew about, and there was not a lot of research going on. My doctors said exercise helps. So, I started doing martial arts in primary school, playing football and racing a lot during recess and breaks. I had a very active childhood. Because of my condition, I do not think people realized I would actually enjoy being so active, and I actually did do a lot, even with my condition.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I started coaching when I was 16. I had been playing different sports since I was six or seven. I moved toward basketball, then tennis. Eventually, my coach asked me, ‘Do you want to be a coach? You’re reasonably good. You’re not old enough yet to have enough experience to be a really good tennis coach. But that’s something you can learn, something you can get better at.’ It was an opportunity that matched up with what I had been doing all my life. It also benefited me in terms of my health—playing tennis three or four times a week, keeping myself fit, mobile and agile.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I am able to see that people have complex problems and I can be empathetic to people and understand their situations. Then I’m able to help them come up with a solution that’s potentially simpler than they thought. My ability to do that has come from the clarity of my thinking and the way that I think. I realize that I can see things from a different perspective than most people. Because I am different in some ways, it allows me to be different in ways that actually benefit other people.”
Steps to Success from Michael McDonnell
1. Find people who like and accept you for who you are.
2. Before taking a big leap, plan a way you can pull yourself back if it’s not working out. Mentally, give yourself a rope.
3. See how the things that make you different can give you a unique point of view. Your differences can work to your advantage.
4. Make plans that are viable, realistic and doable through the clarity of your thinking.
5. If a challenge seems impossible, let yourself see your way through the challenge first, then find ways to experiment with a variety of approaches.
Connecting With Michael McDonnell
Facebook: The Lion’s Den with Mike
Twitter: twitter.com/M_McDonnell2
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelmcdonnell10
Chronic Disease, Overcoming Obstacles, Positive Attitude, Working with Special Challenges
Mindfulness Coach, Sports Coach
July 2019:
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Expert Interview: Leadership Lessons from Mom - Mark Villareal
Mark Villareal is a two-time international best-selling author, keynote and motivational speaker, coach and consultant. He speaks and is an expert on leadership, culture, business development and strategy. He coaches, consults and mentors leaders, aspiring leaders, managers in development, and management and business teams. Mark Villareal has more than 35-years of experience in building teams and achieving C-Level status within the organizations he has been associated within the last 20-years. He also hosts and teaches webinars and seminars on organizational culture and leadership. He believes establishing the right culture and leadership is the foundation for long term success.
Leadership Lessons from Mom
“Our mothers make the first impact on us. My Mom was the best leadership coach, who chose to be a housewife. Whenever I shared a childhood lesson I learned from her, people said, ‘You need to write that story!’ So, I took 40 lessons from childhood until her death and shared them in my book. I tie each lesson to how I lead and how I teach others to lead.”
Why Is This Important?
These leadership lessons from Mom apply well to business, Mark teaches. Organizations concerned about character will develop stronger reputations. Like individuals with integrity, strong organizations are clear about their mission, vision, values and principles, and they will often list them on their websites. They want to be challenged by their employees and customers. “That’s self-accountability, and it says this is what we’re going to stand on.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Some key lessons Mark teaches about building an organization relate to core values, character, integrity and reputation, all of which were central to his mother’s lessons. “I need to teach you that shortcuts will get you lost,” she told him. “The danger of a shortcut is that, when you get lost, you have to go back where you started and you’ve cost yourself more time.” As Mark explains, “There’s a bigger danger of a shortcut: You might have what you perceive as success, but that’s when bad habits are formed. That’s true in business, where organizations cut corners and get lost.”
Connecting With Mark Villareal
Website: www.markvillareal.com
Facebook: facebook.com/sho
Twitter: twitter.com/markvillareal
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markavillareal/
Leadership
Author, Business Coach, Consultant, Leadership Coach, Speaker
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She Brings Good Things to Life - Katie Cline
Katie never saw herself as an entrepreneur. But when the real estate bubble burst, right after she finished her MBA, she learned from personal experience how to spot a need and fill it. And she learned how to live out her values with each new successful venture.
Katie Cline began her career at Lockheed Martin Aerospace, where she worked in both communications and business development before moving to project management. She oversaw the development of projects with budgets of $15 million and more. Later, she worked with Scott Turner to create Green Building Education Services, the first online training and exam prep for the LEED exam (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). More recently, Katie worked with a friend to create the National Registry for Adoption (NRFA) and is an embryo donor herself.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“The blessing of living in a small town is that you can do whatever you want in high school, because there is not that many other people trying out. So, I did band, show choir, drama and was on the cross-country team.” Growing up, she also tried her hand at lots of jobs. “I was a waitress, because I loved to make cash. I sold newspaper advertising at the college. I definitely think these different types of work were great!” She recommends to others to take the time to try all different kinds of things and learn what you like and what you do not.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Returning to school to earn an MBA in commercial real estate construction, Katie re-entered the job market–just as the real estate bubble burst. Never having thought of herself as an entrepreneur—although she married one—she soon saw a need she could fill. Fearful of losing their jobs, many people in her field were rushing to earn certifications to add to their resumes. At $500 a pop, the exams were expensive, and when Katie took one and failed, she and her husband created a $49.95 online practice course to help others pass the exam. They sold three on their website the first day. In seven years, the service grew to the point where she decided to sell it. But she learned how to spot a need and fill it. She drew on her own experiences with fertility treatments and unused embryos to create a service to match adoptive parents with parents like herself, who had embryos. “We like to call ourselves the Match.com of the embryo donation and adoption field.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My husband and I learned how to be entrepreneurs, working together from home doing a LEED exam prep business for green building certification. Then, we turned those talents into something we see as a greater good, drawing from our own life experiences. Now we’re helping people start families, helping babies be born. Becoming an entrepreneur and working hard on something you value can give you financial freedom to do what you really want.”
Steps to Success from Katie Cline
1. Look for a need you can fill and fill it.
2. Find ways to simplify things, to make challenges easier for people.
3. Find or create work and services that honor and express your values.
4. Cut your living costs and simplify your life so you can be free to start something new.
Connecting With Katie Cline
Website: www.nrfa.org and www.prebornkids.com
Facebook: facebook.com/NRFA.org/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katie-cline-8314bb32/
Adoption of Embryos, FIll a Need
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Real Estate, Trainer
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Creating a Path of Her Own in Medicine - Dr. Emma Nichols
Emma bought a medical dictionary with her own money as a teenager in London. “I don’t know where that idea came from. There were no doctors in my family. Back then, I didn’t even know medical writing was a career.”
Dr. Emma Nichols has worked in medical writing and communications for 16 years since graduating with a Ph.D. in Nutrition and Health Sciences from Emory University. Her company, Nascent Medical, was founded in 2000, and serves the continuing medical education and medical content publishing industries. They have more than 100 MD-/PhD-level writers on hand and are available to write about any medical topic, any time. Her six-week course, Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Freelance Medical Writing Business, helps MDs and PhDs get into medical writing.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Growing up in London, England, Emma recalls, “I was a bit of a wild child in my teenage years, not somebody you could tell what to do. That trait has stuck with me, but I think that’s to my advantage. I don’t know where it comes from, because I don’t have medicine in my background, but I remember being drawn to medical stuff. I bought a medical dictionary with my own spending money when I was a teenager. I enjoyed reading about Florence Nightingale, who was probably one of the first women epidemiologists back then, during the Crimean War.” But when she arrived in the U.S. after high school, she wasn’t sure what to do. So, she managed a Wendy’s restaurant.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
”Earning a generous scholarship in the doctoral program in nutrition and health sciences at Emory University, Emma was looking into the possible effects of various nutrients on preventing cancer. “I loved science and research, but I didn’t really want to go into that. But I also realized I did like writing. So, right in the middle of graduate school I started wondering if there was a career where I could just write about science and medicine. I researched it and discovered ‘it’s a thing,’ a career that people do. From that point on, I was very definite about what I wanted to do.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There is no such thing as job security. I hate to be dismal about it, but as a business owner myself, I am always looking for ways to cut costs. The biggest cost is your employees. My advice is to find what you truly love to do, believing it is possible, then go in that direction. Find out everything about it you can. These days, it’s easy to find the information you need. The key is believing it’s possible for you, then pursuing it.”
On Her Bookshelf
Steps to Success from Dr. Emma Nichols
1. Figure out what you love doing and pursue it.
2. Keep pursuing your interest because there is always a solution. You don’t have to stay in a situation that is not going to work out for you.
3. Look for the Venn diagram overlap of three things: 1) what you love doing; 2) what you’re good at doing, and 3) what someone is willing to pay you to do.
4. Whatever you do, look for ways to add value and to help people. If you keep putting that out, it all comes back.
Connecting With Dr. Emma Nichols
Website: 6weekcourse.com and nascentmc.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/emmahittnichols/ and nascentmc.com
Facebook: facebook.com/EmmaHitt
Newest Program: BestShape50.com
Free Gift
FREE Webinar: Freelance Medical Writing–A Lucrative Work-From-Home Career Choice
Building a business, Entrepreneurism, Writing
Business Owner, Communications, Educator, Medical Writer, Nutritionist, Weight Loss
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Expert Interview: Teaching People to Step Outside Their Personal and Cultural Comfort Zones - Andy Molinsky
Andy Molinsky is a professor of international management and psychology at Brandeis University in Boston. He is the author of two popular business books–“Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior Across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process,” and “Reach: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge, and Build Confidence,” which was published in 2017 by Penguin Random House.
Helping People Step Outside Their Personal and Cultural Comfort Zones
“Stepping outside your comfort zone, both personally and culturally, is one of the hardest things people have to do. But, you’re probably going to have to step outside your comfort zone if you want to grow, learn, develop—to achieve your goals.” That’s what his work is about: helping people understand the challenges, what holds them back, how they might be avoiding it, and what they can do to be more successful.
Why Is This Important?
“As you listen to the interview, think about a specific situation that might be outside your comfort zone. Maybe it’s something you avoid like public speaking. Or having a difficult conversation, delivering bad news. It could involve networking, pitching and promoting yourself. For some people, it’s making small talk with people you don’t know. These situations often happen at key inflection points and stages in your life. Maybe when you’re moving from home to college, or taking your first professional job, becoming a manager, or starting a company, becoming a leader. To be able to thrive at any of these inflection points, you’re going to have to step outside your comfort zone to achieve your goals.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“First, understand what your pain points are. They boil down to five different pain points. I call them psychological roadblocks. They are the reasons why it’s hard to step outside your comfort zone. They are: authenticity, likability, competence, resentment, morality.” Andy explains each one—and strategies that help you surmount them—in today’s interview.
Connecting With Andy Molinsky
Website: www.andymolinsky.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MolinskyAndy
Twitter: twitter.com/andymolinsky
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andymolinsky/
Free Gift
Free guide download of 10 Powerful Questions for Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone.
Comfort Zone
Author, Coach, Consultant, Professor
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If I Could Only Remember...There's an App for That! - Thomas Dixon
Who among us would not wish to have a superhuman memory. But for Thomas, whose brain injury caused him to lose the ability to remember his life, the need was critical. His solution? To develop a digital memory app. “ME.mory” now provides him and an increasing number of users with rapidly-searchable, artificial memories.
Thomas Dixon nearly died on November 22, 2010, when a car hit him and sent him to an emergency room. He lost most of his abilities to remember his own life. Keenly aware of his overwhelming inability to recollect his own post-injury experiences, others initially reacted to Thomas as if his life was over, even as he was still living it. “I’m sorry” is all he heard at first. But he realized that he did not have to suffer because of his now severely-compromised episodic memory. Instead, he decided, why not invent a solution? His life with a digital memory has led to him now often hearing the words: “That’s awesome!”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Right after graduation, although I looked and looked, I could not find the work I wanted in Philadelphia. I chose to work and live abroad. I struck out on my own to teach in Seoul, South Korea. I spoke no Korean and had no contacts in Seoul. It was there, as a middle school teacher, that I was most fully on my own. The experiences I had in Seoul have helped me in many ways.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Sometime after my accident, I was passing through the student center on the Temple University campus. I came across an idea incubator called Blackstone LaunchPad, a campus based entrepreneurship program, designed to support and mentor students and alumni. I asked what they did there and shared with them my idea for an artificial memory mobile app. The rest flowed from there. They connected me with people who had technological skills and together we created ME.mory.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“To continue to challenge what I believe about myself and about people overall. This means I’d better continue to travel and meet all manner of folks. Earlier this month, I was with my girlfriend in Thailand. I was surprised to learn that some people pay to have fish nibble the dead skin off their feet, to smooth the soles of their feet. I did it. It tickles initially. But it was amazing! And my feet ARE a bit smoother now.”
Steps to Success from Thomas Dixon
1. Define your passion clearly, yet manifest that passion in a variety of forms. That way, it will be easier to switch between them if needed.
2. Actively define what you may be wrong about and let yourself feel uncomfortable as you discover what you can learn as a result.
3. When you give something your best and discover it’s not sustainable, just move on.
On His Bookshelf
Top Tools on His Browser
PODCASTS:
Savage Lovecast, with Dan Savage
Planet Money
GrooveElectric
The Bugle: Audio Newspaper for a Visual World Since 2007
The Moth: True Stories Told Live
Blabbermouth Podcast
This American Life
Connecting With Thomas Dixon
Website: www.yourdigitalmemory.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thomasanthonydixonjr/
Memory Loss, Mentors
App Inventor, Author, Teaching/Teacher
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A Book Fell Off a Shelf and Changed Her Path - Pamela Gold
Pamela Gold is a Yale University graduate, so she knows her way around books and learning. And it was a book that literally fell at her feet off a store shelf that set her on a different path in life, a Path with Heart.
Pamela Gold grew up on her family’s apple farm in upstate New York, graduated from Yale University, and then entered the business world in New York City where she was the point person on an IPO at the age of 24. Leaving the workforce to start a family, she co-founded West Village Parents and went on to pursue her passion for fitness and wellness. It was through this pursuit that she discovered yoga, which connected her love of philosophy, science, psychology, and wellness and eventually led her to discover her life’s work: teaching inner peace as the key to our greatest evolution and ultimately, world peace. She founded Gold Evolution and released her first book in 2017, “Find More Strength: 5 Pillars to Unlock Unlimited Power and Happiness.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was a kid, I always felt there was this ‘artistic-ness’ that I aspired to. I did not think I was particularly naturally talented in that area, but I enjoyed it and played with it. I taught myself to play piano. I never took a lesson, but I had played clarinet, so I could read music. I would just sit down at the piano for hours and practice. I certainly never became a great piano player—and definitely didn’t teach myself properly—but it was something I loved. I always loved how music made me feel.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A major thing happened when I went to a bookstore. Literally, a book fell off the shelf and landed at my feet. It was ‘A Path with Heart,’ by Jack Kornfield. People tell stories like this all the time, but this really happened! Kornfield is an amazing Buddhist teacher. I had not had any exposure to Buddhism or mantras, meditation or mindful breathing or loving kindness. But that book resonated so deeply with me that I knew I wanted more of it. Then I discovered Deepak Chopra. The seed that was dormant within me finally got some water, and it propelled me forward.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Don’t forget to breathe! Every breath you take in and let out creates space around whatever your problems are. Too often we get stuck because we feel we don’t have room to move. Remembering to breathe, we realize there is more spaciousness. When you feel you are between a rock and a hard place—that there is nowhere to go—just stop, sit still, and take five slow, deep breaths. Then, notice how you feel. Next time, try taking a few more slow, deep breaths. Notice how much better you feel.”
Steps to Success from Pamela Gold
1. Remember to breathe! Even the U.S. Navy SEALs use the calming practice called “box breathing.”
2. Be conscious of what you feed your body and your mind. Avoid “edible, food-like substance” and eat real food instead.
3. Open yourself to yoga, meditation or another path that helps you calm down and center yourself. Start simply and find what works for you.
On Her Bookshelf
A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life, by Jack Kornfield
Find More Strength: 5 Pillars to Unlock Unlimited Power and Happiness, by Pamela Paladino Gold
Connecting With Pamela Gold
Website: www.goldevolution.com
Facebook: facebook.com/pamelagold
Twitter: twitter.com/pamgold
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pamela-gold-ba525413/
Free Gift
Free “Four Keys to Peace Power Parenting” ebook, a 7-minute Morning Meditation, and the first chapter to her book:
Fitness, Inner Peace, Wellness
Author, Entrepreneur, Mind/Body/Spirit Strength Expert, Speaker, Wellness Advocate, Yoga Instructor
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Expert Interview: Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Fitness for the Happy Life You Deserve - JJ Flizanes
JJ Flizanes is an empowerment strategist and the host of The Fit 2 Love Podcast Show. She is the director of Invisible Fitness, an Amazon best-selling author of “Fit 2 Love: How to Get Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually Fit to Attract the Love of Your Life,” and author of “Knack Absolute Abs: Routines for a Fit and Firm Core.” She was named Best Personal Trainer in Los Angeles for 2007 by Elite Traveler magazine. She has been featured in many national magazines as well as appeared on NBC, CBS, Fox 11 and KTLA.
Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Fitness for the Happy Life You Deserve.
“We are complex human beings and we tend to get specific about one track in our life, whatever it may be. It could be anything from religion to personal development to education and physical health. Early on, when I started learning about personal training, I saw that the questions I would ask in training were the same questions that could be asked in any aspect of life. You can take that same structure and apply it to your spiritual life or to your emotional life. The more I learn and try new things, the more I see the many inter-connections. I see there is a big web of all those connections. One of my strengths is the ability to take a lot of different information and weave it together to find the right path—or a more appropriate path—for the individual. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a cookie-cutter way of thinking; it’s very specific to the individual.”
Why Is This Important?
“Throughout my time and education as a personal trainer, I’ve always been digging to answer questions like, ‘Why do we care about improving ourselves? Why are we doing this? Why is this important?’ From the scientific level to the psychological level, I ask why one approach works and why another one doesn’t work, and from the spiritual level, I’m asking, ‘What’s the point?’ So, that’s how I come at my clients, because everything is connected in life. That’s why my company is called Invisible Fitness, because the most important things that create the visible are invisible.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Until you get to that place where you are open to consider that maybe it’s not a question of ‘what’s wrong with me that I can’t keep the weight off?’ or, ‘I can’t seem to stay healthy, or stay on the wagon when I’ve tried diet after diet, program after program, year after year.’ That’s the point at which you say, ‘OK, maybe I’m missing something. Maybe there’s a larger question.’ Not everyone is conscious or ready to become conscious of the thoughts they think, moment by moment, and take responsibility for them and the feelings that flow from them. You have to be ready to look at your behaviors and admit when you have addictive patterns that take you out of your soul’s journey.”
Connecting With JJ Flizanes
Website: www.invisiblefitness.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jflizanes/
Twitter: twitter.com/jjflizanes
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jj-flizanes-empowerment-strategist-2a42b31/
Food/Eating/Health, Happiness, Holistic Health & Wellness
Author, Business Owner, Empowerment Strategist, Personal Trainer, Podcaster
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Rewired to Succeed - Regan Hillyer
Regan had invested thousands of dollars in personal growth seminars, diligently applying what she learned. But change wasn’t happening. When her mentor asked her, “What are you doing to rewire yourself to succeed,” she found herself staring back at him blankly.
Regan Hillyer is the founder of Regan Hillyer International, a company dedicated to providing personal development and business training to men and women who have a big message they want to share with the world. She specializes in helping experts uncover their true message and launch powerful personal brands, helping them make a major impact and build a legacy. Regan is a certified Master of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), Master of Hypnosis, a Time Dynamics Specialist and a Success Strategist, and she has completed many other certifications and training.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I loved music, art, visual arts and anything in that realm. But, music was really my thing. I’ve played the piano since I was 4 years old. I went on to play the oboe, then the drums. I started Jazz drumming when I was a teenager. When I was 17 I moved to London, England, to teach kids to play the drums. That was my first venture out into the world. I was an inspired 17-year-old that wanted to get out of New Zealand and see what the rest of the world was really like. With my parents blessing, I went to London. I would teach music and save all my money and spend it all on travel.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“One of the most profound moments for me was when I was studying to be an architect, of all things. A university lecturer led us through a guided meditation or visualization, visualizing our lives as an architect 20 or 25 years from that moment. Most people got really inspired and excited. But I had this sinking feeling in my stomach, and I thought, ‘Is this the life I really want to create? Is this really my truth? I can do this and I’m really good at this, but is this something I really want to do?’ Everything in my body said no. I listened to that. I got up and ran out of that lecture theatre.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“So much of the work I do with people is not about teaching them anything. It’s all about helping them remember what they already are. That’s why when people tap into their power, and they start to realize their manifestation ability and all the other good things that are available, it’s not like wow, this is so crazy, I’ve got to get my head around it. Instead, it’s like, Oh! This feels familiar. This feels natural.”
Steps to Success from Regan Hillyer
1. Recognize that you already have your answers inside of you.
2. Become hyper-aware of what is showing up in your field of awareness and in your environment. Chances are, the Universe is trying to pull you and nudge you in the right direction.
On Her Bookshelf
Be Your Brand: From Unknown to Unforgettable in 60 Days, by Regan Hillyer
Make Your Passion Your Paycheck: Your 3 Phase Approach to Success, by Regan Hillyer
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth, by T. Harv Eker
The 4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss
Connecting With Regan Hillyer
Website: www.reganhillyer.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ReganAnneHillyer
Twitter: twitter.com/ReganHillyer
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/reganhillyer
Focus on Self, Personal Brand, Personal Development, Success/Programing Self for Success
Author, Business Owner, Hypnotist, Neurolinguistic Programming, Success Strategist
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Mentors at the Moments That Matter Most - London Porter
London’s stutter, lisp and habit of talking too fast did not help his acceptance as a street kid in Yonkers, NY. But his speech therapist did not give up on him. “Your voice is a gift.” She became the first of many mentors who helped him see his own potential.
London Porter says, “When I say I’m at church, you know I’m at the gym.” This former Microsoft consultant teaches entrepreneurs how to earn a better income, create a better career and, in doing so, live a better life. London’s a three-time author, former professional athlete, and year-2023-and-beyond career researcher.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My father died when I was nine. I was mad at God, at my mom, at myself. I cursed out everybody I could because I had lost so much. When I got to high school, I still had that anger and rage. That’s when I discovered athletics, weightlifting, Bruce Lee, and a bit of self-discipline through martial arts.” He also met a track coach who knew how to deal with angry young men. In one season, London had won two medals in regional competition and continued on to compete in college.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Growing up on the streets of Yonkers, NY, London Porter stuttered, lisped and talked too fast. The street bravado he’d developed to help him survive as an urban kid mostly resulted in his being misunderstood and laughed at. But he also had a grandmother who believed in him and a mother who did not like his prospects in Yonkers. She put in for a transfer to Dallas, TX, when he was in fourth grade. There, a speech therapist changed his life by refusing to give up. “Your voice is a gift, young man. Sound created the universe. We’ve got to get these r’s and these s’s under control, so people stop laughing at you. And we’ve got to change your attitude.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It takes a mentor to help you through things in the moment. And then that mentor has to understand you and have the timing to deliver just the right message. It’s often said, ‘So much depends on the people that surround you. Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.’”
Steps to Success from London Porter
1. Do not neglect your inner growth, your spirit and your heart-brain connection. Traditional education will not do this for you.
2. Find a mentor you can trust and learn to value what he or she can teach you. The greater your trust, the greater the benefit.
3. Recognize that conflict can be healthy at times if you are curious about what it is developing in you and the situation or relationship where it is present.
Connecting With London Porter
Twitter: twitter.com/londonporter
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/londonporter
Anger, Mentors
Author, Consultant for Microsoft, Entrepreneur, Human Resourses/HR, Professional athlete, Teaching entrepreneurs
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Expert Interview: How to Overcome Overwhelm - Terry Brock
Terry Brock works with organizations to connect with customers, build relationships using practical technology, and increase profitability. He’s a member of the professional speakers Hall of Fame and is an expert on making technology practical for business.
How to Overcome Overwhelm
“There is so much NEW all the time that we begin to think, ‘I can’t handle it!’ We need to learn to be able to overcome that feeling of being overwhelmed, and learn principles that will work—and that won’t work—to help us overcome the sense of being overwhelmed. Often, we are overwhelmed with technology and information. Using a few key principles, we can regain control of our lives and be able to do what we need to do.”
Why Is This Important?
“Our world keeps evolving and changing, so we need to be able to adapt. But using the basic principles of managing your life really helps overcome the sense of overwhelm. To begin, define what is important to you. This will help you determine where can you focus your attention. Realize that you can’t grasp everything that’s out there, so don’t even try. Instead, focus on the A+ and A. The real problem comes with a B+ and the B activities. They’re nice, they are good, but doing them can really pull you back from what you need to do to maintain your focus.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
In the face of overwhelm, be willing to make a commitment to decide what you are going to learn that is important to you. That’s important because today there is so much to be learned. Particularly if you are an entrepreneur, invest your time, money and energy into areas that are going to help you gain knowledge that is valuable in the market.
Connecting With Terry Brock
Website: TerryBrock.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/MarketerTerryBrock
Twitter: twitter.com/TerryBrock
LinkedIn: https://lenbrook-atlanta.com
Overwhelmed, Prioritization, Technology
Business Coach, Speaker
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The Coach's Coach for Business and Health - Carolin Soldo
Carolin knew she had hit a tipping point. “I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself! I didn’t feel like a woman anymore and just wanted to have myself back again. As with everything else in my life, I knew I had to do this all or nothing.”
Carolin Soldo is the founder of Brand Your Passions®, From Passion to Profits®, and The Powerhouse Coach®. She specializes in helping passion-driven women bring their skills to the world and launch thriving online coaching businesses with international reach, make an impact, and create free and abundant lives.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Carolin was a rebel early in life. With problems at home, she learned to be independent and creative and to take risks. In high school in Germany she met Boris, a refugee from Bosnia. They maintained a long-distance romance after his family emigrated to the U.S. “I knew what I wanted to do after finishing school, and I made it happen. It wasn’t easy. It took a lot of planning and resourcefulness, but I did it, and of course, Boris helped me. In 2001, I moved to the United States and have been with Boris ever since. Between the two of us, we have started several companies.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A few years ago, I hit a tipping point. I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself! I didn’t feel like a woman anymore and I just wanted to have myself back again. As with everything else in my life, I knew I had to do this all or nothing, so I hired a trainer and nutritionist and began to learn about a whole new world. I had a desire to change from the inside out. I learned about health and fitness in order to help myself and become the expert on my own body. So, after I lost 75 pounds with the help of a coach, I realized I’d built up enough knowledge to start helping people who wanted to change their lives, too.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I always advise my clients to examine their life and work experiences and ask themselves, what have you learned? What is your experience? What are your real skills? Look for something in your experience you can potentially monetize, package and build a business on. Or, look closely at your personal life to see what your passions are. What obstacles have you overcome? What accomplishments bring you joy? The answers to these questions might show you the way to a business. As you review your passions and skills ask if there a market for that? Can you solve a problem in the market that people will potentially pay big prices for? If that’s the case, if there’s a market and you have the skill, then you have a way to create your own thriving business and your own lifestyle.”
Steps to Success from Carolin Soldo
1. Identify a skill, passion or talent you have that might meet a need in the marketplace. Look closely at all your life experiences for clues.
2. Go all in when you find a direction, an idea, that meets a market need.
3. Learn to seek and accept guidance from people who can teach you what you need to know.
On Her Bookshelf
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, by Byron Katie
Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires (Law of Attraction Book 7), by Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks
Leveraging the Universe: 7 Steps to Engaging Life’s Magic, by Mike Dooley
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Connecting With Carolin Soldo
Website: www.carolinsoldo.com
Cultural Changes, Empowering Women, Weight
Business Coach, Business Owner, Entrepreneur
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"I Do It Because I Love It!" - Gary Kinder
Gary knows the numbers about the tiny percentage of writers and artists who succeed. Some say it’s as low as 1%. But he’s up at 5 a.m. every day writing his screenplay, before plunging into the editing software he’s creating. Asked why he does it, he says, “I’m doing what I love!”
Gary Kinder writes narrative nonfiction, and is the author of three books. When not writing, he has taught over 1,000 writing programs to law firms, corporations, universities, and writers conferences. He has appeared on the Today Show and Good Morning America. He is also creator and founder of WordRake, editing software, which is used widely in law firms, government agencies, corporations and universities.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
It wasn’t until Gary was around 25 that he recognized his drive—he calls it his obsession—for writing. He studied journalism in college, then taught a writing course, both at his journalism school and then at the law school from which he graduated. He credits the values his parents taught him, especially about treating everyone with respect and paying attention, for his ability to connect quickly with people, which is helpful in interviewing people for his writing.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Two authors in particular, Truman Capote and Tom Wolfe, made strong impressions on Gary, which encouraged him along his path of writing narrative nonfiction. He combines his listening skills as an interviewer with his journalism-inspired crisp writing. He writes in a style that resembles fiction, but his stories and dialog are deeply rooted in his research. It’s no accident that the editing software he is developing, WordRaker, is designed to take out unnecessary words from a variety of documents his clients handle. He is constantly tweaking the program’s algorithm to spot and remove the words that do not add meaning.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
As a writer, or as any other person creating something, Gary advises, “You have to practice every single day. For instance, I work on WordRake almost all day long. I’ll work on the weekends, sometimes at night, developing new edits to put into algorithms to inform the software. I’ve been writing my screenplay for years and I’m still working on it! But I love to get up at 5:00 a.m., work on the play for an hour or two before I jump into WordRake, my main passion. It’s something you have to do.”
Steps to Success from Gary Kinder
1. You have to love what you’re doing, enough to wake you up at dawn, to do it every day, even if success doesn’t come right away.
2. Be willing to work on your dream until you get it right.
3. Take a break occasionally and let the well fill up. Do some other things, then come back to the big project.
4. For inspiration, read stories about people who never give up.
On His Bookshelf
Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea: The History and Discovery of the World’s Richest Shipwreck, by Gary Kinder
Victim: The Other Side of Murder, by Gary Kinder
Connecting With Gary Kinder
Website: http://www.wordrake.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wordrake
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WordRake
Free Gift
Free 7-day WordRake trial with an option to buy WordRake editing software. Click the gold button at wordrake.com.
Also sign up for the free weekly writing tips that hundreds of thousands now receive. Visit wordrake.com at the bottom of the page.
Love what you do, Writing
Author, Software development, Teaching/Teacher
June 2019:
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Expert Interview: Turning a Paycheck into Purpose - Jeff McManus
Jeff McManus grows things. As the Director of Landscape Services at the University of Mississippi, he grows plants, people and ideas. Faced with a multimillion-dollar landscape beautification project, a demand for excellence, high productivity and a stagnant budget, Jeff knew that growing the people was critical to growing the plants. Understanding that all humans either have or strive for the innate elements of greatness, resiliency, opportunity and wisdom, Jeff has developed his GROW Theory into an impactful management and professional development leadership program.
Turning a Paycheck into Purpose
“As a director of landscape services, I used to focus on the growing of plants. I spent a tremendous amount of time teaching staff members how to do things the proper way. Looking back, I was just dealing with teaching people what to do with their hands. Then, I would teach time management and how to be extremely productive and organized. That part was more engaged with the head, and getting their heads and their hands working together. But it wasn’t until I engaged their hearts or core values that our focus on purpose came about. This helped them reach the point where they were driven and had a reason, a WHY for being here.”
Why Is This Important?
“As a leader, you need your people to get things done. You need them to be productive, you need them to be efficient. You’re not always going to be able to micro-manage or watch a project. So you need people fully engaged, who are excited about what they are doing. That’s where a purpose comes in. They have to be driven from within, not just the external reward of a paycheck. What truly drives the passion, what drives the excellence is that purpose of why we are here, what are we doing. Is it bigger than who I am? Does it really matter.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“It’s crucial to recognize every person is valuable and should have a voice and a seat at the table. Engaging the heart and deeply held values of each person is the basis for building a team that works with a purpose. Giving people a voice, giving them some ownership of what’s happening, makes a tremendous amount of difference!”
Connecting With Jeff McManus
Website: www.jeffmcmanusspeaking.com
Twitter: jeffmcmanus
Facebook: jeffmcmanus
LinkedIn: Jeff McManus
Leadership, Purpose, Values
Author, Landscape Services, Leadership Trainer
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Cream Soda, Costco and a Knack for Business - Danny Iny
He compares the crash of his dream start-up to the painful breakup of a relationship. “As an entrepreneur, your identity is deeply invested in your work.” In hindsight, Danny can say, “Sometimes the rebound turns out to be the one.”
Danny Iny is the founder of Mirasee, host of the Business Reimagined podcast, best-selling author of multiple books–“including Engagement from Scratch!,” “The Audience Revolution,” and “Teach and Grow Rich”–and creator of the acclaimed Audience Business Masterclass and Course Builder’s Laboratory training programs, which have together graduated more than 5,000 value-driven online entrepreneurs.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Entrepreneurs don’t set out to “be entrepreneurs.” They just see a problem and look for a creative solution, Danny Iny explains. In seventh grade, his problem was how to earn an extra $1.00 to buy a soda with his lunch. The cafeteria sold Coca-Cola. Sprite and others, but his good friend wanted cream soda. Danny bought a case of 40 for $10 from Costco. Each day he sold his friend a cream soda at the cafeteria price, enabling Danny to buy the drink of his own choice. Only in hindsight did he realize he was a budding entrepreneur.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
At 15, Danny was mugged. “I was the least athletic kid you can imagine. It was just a bigger boy being a bully, but at the time, it was terrifying. I knew I had to learn to defend myself, even though I might hate it.” He found a nearby Jujitsu dojo and signed up. “I fell in love with it! I spent the next nearly 10 years of my life training in martial arts.” Soon, he was an instructor, offering lessons one-on-one and in classes. He noticed the students didn’t like to go shopping for Jujitsu gear, so he took the initiative to talk to a local merchant. “I became the equipment supplier for my dojo.” Not long after, he began working with several other equipment merchants and tailors.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
After one of his start-ups collapsed, Danny briefly considered “getting a real job.” As a high school dropout carrying a quarter-million-dollar debt, he couldn’t see how a $40,000-a-year job could ever get him out of debt. “At 25, I was not ready to say life was over. I knew I would have to try something new. Counter-intuitively, all this debt kept me an entrepreneur. I was like, ‘what can I do?’” He started a consulting practice working with other entrepreneurs and quickly spotted another problem to solve: many of his clients were doing well, but many others needed help but couldn’t afford his one-on-one services. He created what he calls his rebound company, an online platform to provide affordable business education to entrepreneurs. “Sometimes the rebound turns out to be the one.”
Steps to Success from Danny Iny
- If you have a drive to be an entrepreneur, focus on getting clarity about what you want to do, but…
- …you’ll never have perfect clarity, so get out there and do it anyway. Clarity and confidence will come as you gain real world experiences.
- Learn something, produce something, and sell something. Get into action.
On His Bookshelf
Engagement from Scratch! by Danny Iny
The Audience Revolution, by Danny Iny
Teach and Grow Rich, by Danny Iny
Leveraged, by Danny Iny
Free Gift
Read Danny’s most recent book free online, Leveraged.
Entrepreneurism
Author, Business Owner, Coach, Entrepreneur, Martial Arts, Podcaster
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Hire This Woman or Else! - Katherine Denton
At 25, Katherine had accomplished her career goal of working as an account executive at an advertising agency. She was a respected team member with all the perks of success—an office with windows, bonuses, free parking. But she was so miserable that she quit. She turned to a temp agency and was given a one-day assignment that opened the door to her current 22-year career.
Katherine Denton owns My Friend, Katherine, a service devoted to helping people meet their personal, professional, financial and relationship goals. Through organizing, coaching and counseling, Katherine has helped hundreds fulfill their goals and transform their lives. This year marks her 22nd anniversary of using her talents to do work that she loves.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In my first ‘real job’, I started out as an account coordinator at an agency in Atlanta. I moved up quickly to become an account executive. It’s a very competitive field to get into. So, to stand out, I had designed my resume as a ransom note. I took the Want Ads for sales and marketing, and I picked out letters saying, ‘Hire this woman or she’s dead by midnight.’”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“The turning point came when I quit the job where I was miserable and started doing some intensive career counseling, taking all the various aptitude and personality tests, getting in touch with myself. If I hadn’t quit that job, and let myself try to be on my own—including my freelance writing business that failed—this never would have happened! Accepting what I thought would be a one-day temp assignment set me on a 22-year career. It’s been such a great career. I love what I do!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“If you are stuck in a job you don’t like, remember that you can get out there and go find something different. Do not be held back by thinking you are a victim of your circumstances. You have the opportunity to rescue yourself when things aren’t going your way. But you cannot just sit there and not do anything. You have to get into action.”
Steps to Success from Katherine Denton
1. Trust your intuition. Only you know how to make you happy.
2. Self-reflection is crucial. It’s your guide to your happiness.
3. Focus more attention on what makes you happy than on money alone.
4. Get into action!
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Katherine Denton
Website: myfriendkatherine.com
Free Gift
Feel free to contact Katherine Denton for advice on starting your own business or meeting your life goals. “I live to help!” Click the “+” sign on the nav bar for contact information on myfriendkatherine.com.
Opportunities, Quitting
Advertising, Business Owner, Coach, Entrepreneur
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Expert Interview: How Your Personality Can Be a Clue to a Job That Will Make You Happy - Sarah E. Brown, PhD
Sarah E. Brown has had several careers, all of which she says took her full circle to what she originally set out to do right out of college: teaching, writing, and researching. Along the way, she has learned what she believes makes for a happy, successful work experience. She is married and lives in Wilmington, Delaware. When she is not working, she can be found rowing on the Christina River or romping through the woods with her standard poodle, Maharani.
How Your Personality Can Be a Clue to a Job That Will Make You Happy
“When I was managing director for Accenture, one of the things I really loved was working with my clients. Many of them were not happy in their jobs. When I would ask them what they wanted in their jobs, many of then couldn’t answer the question. That got me thinking, what is it that makes it so hard for people to get clear about what they want in a job? I discovered that some of these unhappy clients who were working with coaches were actually making either small changes in their current jobs or big changes in terms of finding new jobs that were really right for them. I asked myself what are these coaches doing and how can we make that available to everybody else?”
Why Is This Important?
“The coaches were helping each individual get in touch with what was unique about them. Then, the coaches were supporting them and making changes to take advantage of that. I did some research and discovered that if we can get very clear about things in our personality that are significant contributors to our happiness and success at work, that would go a long way in helping people understand and know what kind of job will make them happy. So, that’s what I’ve been doing for the past five years or so. I’ve been focusing on helping people understand their unique personality components and how they can translate that into job success.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“With an understanding of three components of personality —interests, behavioral strengths and motivational needs—we can then see what people will likely do when things aren’t going their way, when their expectations are not met. We can go a long way toward jump-starting the process of finding jobs that are right for individuals. Of those three components, finding a person’s motivational needs can be the hardest. It’s here that a personality assessment tool can often be most helpful, especially when its findings are applied
Connecting With Sarah E. Brown, PhD
Website: www.bookofyou.com and www.sarahebrown.com
Twitter: @knowGuides
Facebook: bookofyou.com
LinkedIn: Sarah E. Brown, Ph. D.
Free Gift
A chapter from “Road to Success,” co-written with Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame, is available free for download at sarahebrown.com.
Coach, Personality as Clue to Happiness on Job
Author, Career Coach, Teaching/Teacher, Writer
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A Career of Constant Learning - Lauren McLaughlin
She was delighted to take six years off to be a full-time mom. But as soon as her son went to school, Lauren plunged back into a career. So far, it spans television, public relations for the Red Cross, newspaper publishing, politics, and now a ministry.
Lauren McLaughlin has a long and varied career, every step of which led her to love and learn about people and what makes them do what they do. At the age of 59 her path has led her to become an ordained Unity minister. She’s a writer, speaker, teacher, retreat coordinator, keynote speaker, counselor and professional student. Lauren is always seeking to learn new ideas. Certified in several modes of energy management, she gets great satisfaction helping people who are feeling anxious or are suffering physical or emotional distress by introducing them to the many blessings of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and Psych-K, a probing technique designed by psychologist Rob Williams to help identify the deepest desires of the heart. She lives in Palm Harbor, Florida, with her husband and professional partner John.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After minoring in television at Marjorie Webster Junior College near Washington, D.C., Lauren took her first job at a television station in New Haven, Connecticut, where she wore many hats. That gave her the experience she needed to work for KRON-TV in California. “They hired me to go find out what people liked and didn’t like about their television station. Newton Minow, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had called television ‘a vast wasteland,’ and we set out to prove him wrong.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I took six years off from the working world to raise our son, Bill, up to first grade. I’m delighted I did that. I was an only child, so I didn’t know anything about children, it was a mystery to me. It was a great experience, but the minute he started first grade, I couldn’t wait to get back into the work world again!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Many people would do what they love to do if they could figure out a way to do it. It is crucial to decide what is the real desire of your heart, and what’s keeping you from reaching it. I don’t suggest you quit your day job, but I do encourage you to take systematic steps to move in the direction you want to go. That may be taking a course, doing research, exploring whatever avenues are available. It may be talking to your peers or people in your sphere of influence. it may be a lot of things. In my experience, once you begin to think about making the change, new opportunities will appear.”
Steps to Success from Lauren McLaughlin
1. Go To ELF. “ELF” is an acronym for “Eternal Life Force.” So, I’m telling you to turn inward to your spiritual guidance.
2. Find out what is holding you back from seeking your heart’s desire. Don’t be afraid to ask for help in this search.
3. If you take one step toward God, God will take ten steps toward you.
On Her Bookshelf
Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires, by Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks
Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life, by Gregg Michael Levoy
Top Tools on Her Browser
UnityNow.com
Connecting With Lauren McLaughlin
Website: www.unitynow.com and www.GoToELF.com
Your Twitter: revlauren
Your Facebook: Lauren McLaughlin
Free Gift
12x12x12 – Transformative Affirmations for anyone feeling “Not Good Enough.” Contact Lauren at www.unitynow.com.
Anxiety, Multi Careers
Author, Counselor, Keynote Speaker, Minister / Rabbi, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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A Vision and a Podcast for Veterans - Jeremy Paris
His teenage rebellion might have led Jeremy into a surly adulthood, as just another guy with a chip on his shoulder. But a high school teacher saw beyond his “in-your-face” art project and praised his originality and courage. That changed Jeremy from that point forward.
Jeremy Paris spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as a personnel sergeant followed by 16 years supporting the Department of Defense (DOD) as a senior systems engineer. In 2010 Jeremy found the Veteran Artist Program (VAP) and quickly became a staff member as a senior producer. Through VAP, Jeremy learned that there were thousands of veteran nonprofit organizations. He started the Veteran Resource Podcast to inform veterans about these organizations and the programs and opportunities that offer veterans and their family members.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Early in his military career, doing mostly unchallenging tasks as a personnel administrative specialist, Jeremy discovered he had a knack for networking and communicating. Unlike most of his co-workers, he was unafraid of talking to senior officers, even to tell them when they had completed a form incorrectly. “That allowed me to move up into different positions throughout my career, because I was comfortable talking and communicating and connecting other people on a regular basis.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In the midst of his “in-your-face” rebellious teens, when most teachers seemed to have written Jeremy off as a screw-up, an art teacher caught him off guard. Other students in the class were creating similarly bright, colorful paintings. Jeremy opted for a darker approach: to recreate the black-on-black album cover of the band AC/DC. Instead of criticizing his work for not being like everyone else’s, she praised his originality. “He’s using his imagination to find something different. I love what he’s doing here,” she said. Jeremy recalls, “That changed me from that point forward. She made me start thinking that maybe I had a creative side and could find different kinds of creative outlets.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Once you figure out what your path is, there is a ton of different organizations and groups you can connect with that can help you along your way. There are Meetup groups, Facebook and LinkedIn groups, and thousands of non-profit organizations.”
Steps to Success from Jeremy Paris
1. Notice when your desire for safety and a regular paycheck is keeping you in misery. (How do you feel about that cubicle you’re in?)
2. Devote time to finding and understanding what you truly want to do with your life.
3. “Orient your map,” as the military says about land navigation. Find yourself on the terrain of your life and orient yourself toward your passions.
On His Bookshelf
Be Obsessed or Be Average, by Grant Cardone
Top Tools on His Browser
Trello.com, a free site for organizing and working on various projects and for collaboration with teams
Connecting With Jeremy Paris
Website: http://veteranresourcepodcast.com
Following Passion, Passion
Army, Communications, Podcaster, Senior Systems Engineer
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Expert Interview: Why People Get Stuck at Career Crossroads - Alison Cardy
Alison Cardy, author of “Career Grease: How to Get Unstuck and Pivot Your Career,” is a career coach who has guided hundreds of people to innovative and functional career solutions. She is a practical advocate for achieving your heart’s desires, improving your work week, and making a difference, all while keeping an eye on your financial success. Alison’s work has been featured on Monster, Forbes, LearnVest, the Huffington Post, and the Chicago Tribune. She is a certified coach and a graduate of the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business.
Why People Get Stuck at Career Crossroads
“Many people who are stuck at a career crossroads are hesitant to ask for help. I think this is just a function of being an adult, with Google. In most areas of your life, you can successfully get through the day just by doing the things you already know as an adult, or by Googling it. It’s almost a lost skill to be able to reach out and ask for help. Another reason you might stay stuck is that you are only reaching out to people who have an agenda of their own, which is often quite different from yours.”
Why Is This Important?
“People at a crossroads need a safe, objective, nonjudgmental space where they can talk things through. As a coach, I always say we care about our clients, but we don’t really care what they do, which is very different from how a spouse or parent or a friend might approach the situation. Often, without realizing it, a person in your life has some other agenda for you. So, the first thing we do is create a safe space.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
With such an abundance of online self-assessment tools, it’s easy to fall into analysis paralysis. “I see that quite a bit, where people are thinking a lot, taking a lot of assessments. Self-analysis is a great thing. But sometimes people get lost in those questions. They think the answer will be found by digging deeply within themselves. In actuality, the answer is found both by digging into yourself to get a starter idea, then taking that idea into the real world and actually testing it, and getting more clarity by taking action. That action could be talking to somebody about what you are thinking, trying out something on the side, volunteering, or learning a little bit more about your idea. But it’s really that interaction between yourself and the real world where the magic happens.”
Connecting With Alison Cardy
Website: cardycareercoaching.com
Twitter: @cardycareers
Your Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cardycareercoaching/
Your LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisoncardy
Free Gift
Step-by-Step Career Change E-Course: cardycareercoaching.com/ecourse/
Career Crossroads, Crossroads, Feeling Stuck
Author, Career Coach
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Being Debt-Free Opens Creative Doors - Claudia Pennington
Claudia and her husband were reflecting on their past 10 years together and realized they had been living the daily grind without goals, a budget or a plan, and a vague desire to help people. They decided to tackle some massive changes in their lives, starting with eliminating their debt.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My high school French teacher encouraged me to go to college, even in the most challenging times. Without her, I wouldn’t have this career or many of the successes I’ve had. Growing up in a home where our financial situation was either feast or famine, I focused on stability. For getting out of the cycle of poverty, college was the ticket out.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Working in the admissions office at her alma mater, Penn State University, Claudia realized she was learning a lot about marketing in general and social media in particular. “At the time, Facebook and Twitter were really new. My campus job helped me gain experience in digital marketing, search engine optimization, creating websites, social media and so on. I was at the forefront of learning how these technologies could be used in marketing and communications. I took that experience and parlayed it into another position.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Financial insecurity and the fear of it can make you timid about taking risks, speaking up or stepping out. Debt keeps that fear alive and active and makes you cling to a sense of stability and safety. Taking control of your finances and eliminating your debt can liberate your creativity and give you courage to take a chance on the life you desire. So many things flow from the feeling of having your debt burden lifted off your shoulders.”
Steps to Success from Claudia Pennington
1. Free yourself from debt so you can focus on living the life you want.
2. Figure out specifically what it’s going to take to address your financial situation: create a budget, track your spending, increase your income.
3. Don’t limit your options by automatically assuming you can only help people by working for a nonprofit. For-profit organizations help people in many ways. Find one that fits your values.
On Her Bookshelf
The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness, by Jeff Olson and John David Mann
Top Tools on Her Browser
Mr. Money Moustache, a blog that challenges attitudes about money.
Connecting With Claudia Pennington
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/claudiapennington/
Debt, Digital Marketing, Education
Digital Training
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His New Vision: A Day Without Barriers - Tanner Gers
Tanner thought his life was over when he lost his eyesight at 21. Then, he discovered a game changer─where there were no disadvantages, where everybody was on an even playing field.
Tanner Gers has reinvented himself over and over throughout his life. The biggest reinvention was moving forward after waking up in the hospital totally blind. Since that day in 2004, Tanner has influenced the world as host of the podcast, “The Creative Success Show,” and on his health and fitness blog, ABSolutelyLean.com, and as a professional speaker, author, and Paralympian.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As he was growing up, Tanner’s family moved quite often. He and his brother used sports to connect with each of their new communities as a way of overcoming being “the new kids.” After a tragic automobile accident took away his eyesight at age 21, he gradually found a way to use athletics to rekindle his zest for life. In 2008, he discovered blind baseball. “It was as if my pilot light got a gallon of gasoline dumped on it!” To be able to express myself physically again—where there was no disadvantage, where everybody was on an even playing field—was a game changer for me!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I lost my sight in 2004, I really thought my life was over. I thought, ‘Oh, my God! What am I going to do?’ Then, I started becoming aware of resources. Awareness is so crucial! I was blind for four years before I even knew there were sports for the blind or thought of others people living with disabilities. Sports opportunities changed my life in ways that are hard to put into words. Today I am an advocate for myself and am serving as an advocate for others with disabilities.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I can envision a day when barriers to disabled people will disappear, where the word ‘accessibility’ isn’t even necessary. It will be a world where the ability to access information, gainful employment and everything else is on the same footing, to the point where there is no question about gaining access because everything is just accessible to everyone.”
Steps to Success from Tanner Gers
1. Don’t accept barriers in your way. Use your creativity and courage to remove them or overcome them.
2. Reach out to connect with other people in situations like yours.
3. Learn how to be an advocate for yourself, then help others find their own power to speak up and act.
Connecting With Tanner Gers
Website: CreativeSuccessShow.com
Twitter: @TannerGers
Facebook: Facebook.com/CreativeSuccessShow
Email: Tanner@LinkagesExperience.com
Adversity, Athletics, Disabled
Advocate for Disabled, Author, Health and Fitness, Paralympion, Podcaster, Speaker
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Expert Interview: The Underdog Curse - Don McDonald, PhD
Dr. Don McDonald has spent 17 years in the health and wellness industry as a chiropractor. It was from his position at the adjusting table that he noticed a common frustration developing into a major stressor in the lives of many patients. He identified it as ‘the Underdog Curse,’ and his chiropractic patients seemed unable to break out of it. It stopped people from living their best lives, and often stripped them of true happiness. Dr. Don is now a life coach and motivational speaker who dedicates his time to empowering people with the new, inspiring information regarding success, health, and his first love, neurology.
The Underdog Curse
“Many people, including myself, love underdog stories–whether they’re in the movies, or in the story of the World Series and the Chicago Cubs, or any story about someone who is not expected to win but who still wins. These stories are quite inspiring for people. That’s the promise—the upside—of the underdog story. If you’re not happy with where you are in your life, you can use those stories as an inspiration. But there is also a downside to over-identifying with the underdog.”
Why Is This Important?
“The challenge is, if you truly love underdog stories and you finally succeed at something, suddenly you are not an underdog anymore. You might notice that you are subconsciously sabotaging your success to get back into that underdog state. When you’re an underdog, you have no expectations, you have lots of support from your external environment. You can try something new and fail, yet not feel badly about yourself because you are still the underdog. If you happen to win, it’s like winning the lottery. This is the downside of the Underdog Curse.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Self-awareness is the key. The first thing is to ‘know thyself.’ Go on a journey to learn what your values are and what you enjoy doing. This is especially important for underdogs who are also people-pleasers. Often, they have lost sight of their own true desires. They’ve been doing things out of habit for so many years, based on what other people want or what they think other people want. For many of them, their ‘what-do-I-love’ muscle is atrophied. Spend some time with yourself. Some solitude and quiet time will give you insights into what you would really love to do. You might find that you are surrounding yourself with people who are trying to get you to do other things, not necessarily helping you do what you love or to use your talents. Surround yourself with people who will support you in that.”
Connecting With Don McDonald, PhD
Website: http://www.drdonmacdonald.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/southsidechiro/photos/
Self-confidence
Chiropractor, Life Coach, Speaker
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A Career Coach for Millennial Success - Ivy LaClair
She always thought of herself as a shy person, but when Ivy joined her college Student Activities Council, she quickly had to learn how to put herself “out there.” A couple of years later she became president of the Council and had “a goosebump moment” when she realized who she had become.
Ivy LaClair is a personal transformation coach trained in the co-active model at the prestigious Coaches Training Institute. She is co-host of the Motivational Millennial Podcast, a seasoned facilitator, and author of the upcoming personal transformation guide, “Motivating Your Millennial Mind.” As co-founder of the personal development company, Motivational Millennial, Ivy is an expert on change, transformation and millennial success.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“As the only child of a single mother with alcoholism, I was around some interesting characters throughout my life. I had a very close relationship with my grandparents, who also helped raise me, and I learned about creating the kind of life I wanted. When I was young, I learned independence, perseverance and a high tolerance for challenge, which has definitely helped me as an entrepreneur! I learned what it means to have hope and faith in the future, and in what you can create, despite your circumstances at the moment.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
There was a moment in college at Wichita State University in Kansas, when Ivy, who previously thought of herself as shy, clearly saw herself as a leader for the first time. It happened at an event connected with the Student Activities Council. “It was a goosebumps moment,” she recalls, and she shed some tears at the realization. She began to learn about inner transformations and outward changes. “Initially, it was the experience of being part of a team.” Ultimately, she was elected president of the influential campus organization.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Something that comes very naturally to me is the ability to help people feel calm, safe, heard and loved. I have noticed it—and so have friends—from throughout my whole life. Even absolute strangers will open up to me instantly. So, I love the fact that my work gives me the opportunity to bring that gift to others.”
Steps to Success from Ivy LaClair
1. Understanding what your values are and living in alignment with them—no matter what the external circumstances look like—will be more fulfilling to you than having all the money in the world.
2. Give yourself permission to learn how to love yourself and be deliberate and intentional about it.
3. Join a community of people who also value looking within, who value self-love and can help you see it’s OK. “They can also help you get out of your own way!”
On Her Bookshelf
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey
The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream, by Paulo Coelho
Top Tools on Her Browser
Dharmaseed.org
EverydayFeminism.com
Connecting With Ivy LaClair
Website:
www.motivationalmillennial.comFacebook:
http://facebook.com/motivationalmillennialLinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivylaclairFree Gift
“Motivate Your Millennial Mind” Personal Transformation Guide (e-book) – available at: www.motivationalmillennial.com/freegift
Community or Mentors, Millennials, Personal Transformation
Entrepreneur, Personal Transformaton, Podcaster
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Channeling Outrage, She Empowers Women - Ellen Antonelli
At ten years old Ellen was at a ballet with her parents and witnessed a dance that portrayed inexplicable violence against women that angered and puzzled her. Her mother could not answer her questions about what she felt. In hindsight, she realizes how this moment has driven her career and passion for more than a quarter of a century.
Ellen Antonelli has taught Women’s Studies for 25 years, marched for women’s and human rights—she participated in the Million Women’s March at the inauguration in January—and is the author of “Dancing on Our Fathers’ Feet: Why Our Deepest Beliefs Are Rooted in Myth and How It Makes Us All Crazy.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I am interested in so many things, it was very difficult for me to settle on one career. It felt stifling to have to choose just one. Some of the other things I was interested in—being a pilot or a veterinarian—I was told I couldn’t do, because I was a woman. So, I became a teacher. Although I never really thought of myself as a teacher, it was a good platform for me because I had a level of autonomy within the classroom, and I needed that. I needed to feel that I could do what I wanted, and teach the things I wanted to teach.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I was 10 years old, my parents took me to a ballet. In the middle of the ballet, for whatever reason, there was a modern dance, featuring a female dancer and six male dancers. The male dancers performed a dance in which they raped the woman. I didn’t know anything about sex, but I knew instinctively what was happening. I remember asking my mother, ‘Why did the men do that?’ She looked at me and said, ‘I don’t know, honey. I don’t know.’ I felt such anger! I have spent my life dedicated to empowering women, and speaking up for them. Ultimately, that’s why I ended up teaching women’s studies, and that’s why I ended up writing my book, ‘Dancing on Our Fathers’ Feet.’”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever had to do anything to keep the fire going. It’s just a part of who I am. As a teacher, you have to constantly be learning, so I’ve always read everything I could get my hands on, always with a focus towards the spiritual journey and empowering women. But it’s not only about reading. I marched in lots of protests for human rights and for women’s rights. I teach my students about questioning authority and not just accepting at face value the things people have told them. Those are the important lessons I taught.”
Steps to Success from Ellen Antonelli
1. Learn to trust yourself—your intuition—by experimenting and testing.
2. The more you practice trusting your intuition, the more you can rely on it to guide your life.
3. Get out into nature often. My daily meditation is my jog.
4. Treat yourself to reading and reflecting on the writings of William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the transcendentalists.
Connecting With Ellen Antonelli
Website: www.ellenantonelli.com
Facebook: FB page for book: https://www.facebook.com/dancingonourfathersfeet/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Abuse, Empowering Women, Intuition
Teaching/Teacher
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Expert Interview: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life - Craig Ballantyne
Craig Ballantyne has overcome crippling anxiety using his 5 Pillars of Transformation, which you can use to lose weight, get a raise, make more money, and overcome any obstacle in your way of success. He is the author of “The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life.” Craig is also the co-owner of EarlyToRise.com, the creator of the home workout system, Turbulence Training, and a contributor to Men’s Health magazine.
The Perfect Day Formula - How to Own the Day and Control Your Life
A guiding principle of Craig’s teaching is helping people learn how to get more done, make more money, and still get home on time for dinner. He offers five templates for creating rules of life. These can be personalized by each individual. They act like the operating system for life. His formula for a perfect day is built on these five personalized rules, on a foundation of Five Pillars of Success. “You can change your life in many ways when you have these pillars in place.”
Why Is This Important?
“People may bristle at the idea of having more rules, but I guarantee you if you have more structure in your life you’re going to have more success. When you think about it, we all follow rules of the road every day—we stop at red lights and stop signs—because having that structure gives us freedom to get where we want, safely and effectively. What most people don’t like is rules imposed on them by others. When we impose our own rules on ourselves, we become more successful.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Craig developed his Five Pillars of Success from his experiences with clients in his weight-loss transformation program. “In the competitions we conducted, I realized that all the winners had five pillars of success in place. The people who dropped out after two weeks were missing them. These pillars work for almost anything in life,” he asserts. They are:
1) Better planning and preparation
2) Professional accountability
3) Positive social support
4) A meaningful incentive
5) A “Big Deadline”
Connecting With Craig Ballantyne
Twitter: www.twitter.com/craigballantyne
Free Gift
Get your own copy of “Perfect Life Beginner Plan,” free from Craig Ballantyne at
www.craigballantyne.com/freegiftSuccess, Work/Life Balance
Author, Business Owner, Health and Fitness, Men's Health
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Rebuilding on Gratitude and Humility - Seth Buechley
From his towering success building a cellular network, Seth saw the upside, then the downside, of ambition. His Golden Touch became a reverse Midas Touch for a while. Gratitude and humility turned him around.
Seth Buechley is a serial entrepreneur and business founder who has led several multimillion-dollar exits. He is CEO of Priority RF, a firm that helps major venues solve their wireless coverage and safety radio challenges. He has helped bring cellular and public safety radio coverage to some of the most recognized venues in the United States, including the Empire State Building, the New York subway and Daytona International Speedway. Seth has served and negotiated contracts with leading global organizations such as Nike, Amazon, AT&T and Sprint. in his recent book, “Ambition: Leading with Gratitude,” Seth tackles the plaguing question of why ambitious people struggle to find satisfaction, and what they can do about it. His perspective, which began in a commune in the woods and led him to financial success, shines through his insights into the advantages and disadvantages of ambition. He illustrates the essential value of gratitude in leadership with lasting impact.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Higher education didn’t resonate with Seth. He went into business with his father in the emerging field of cellular communications. “In the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was all new. Eventually I made my way from ditch digger to estimator. Somewhere along the line I discovered that I actually liked sales, and I liked people, so I ended up on the front of the company. Fast-forward about a decade, we had offices up and down the West Coast and in Hawaii. We had a chance to sell our business to a public company. I negotiated to land on the board of that public company, so I had one third of the business and my dad had 2/3, at that point. When I was 27 years old, we sold the business.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After selling the cellular company, I was on the board of the public company that bought us out, and I thought, of course, I could do no wrong. I had more money than brains. I convinced myself that I was brilliant and should become a venture capitalist. Some of my investments did well, some didn’t. That marked another turning point. If I’d had the Golden Touch up to that point, I discovered that had the reverse Midas Touch, both personally and in my business and my marriage. There were all sorts of struggles and challenges that came after this successful moment. It was a tough, challenging time. I had always been the young, wealthy guy, and now I was becoming just the young guy, as my wealth was suddenly dissipating.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Having come off of these failures, I was in a more humbled frame of mind. I think gratitude really did play a role in how I approached the business. I felt like it was a privilege to lead the company, a privilege to recruit the team, a privilege to be out representing the company. So, I took a different tack, because I was in a different frame of mind. Gratitude helps me get a realistic assessment of myself. When I’m grateful for the people who had been entrusted to me in my life, I’m more willing to spend time over coffee, just listening to them and talking to them, and investing time and attention in them. For me, that’s part of my purpose.”
Steps to Success from Seth Buechley
1. Find your purpose and live a purpose-driven life.
2. Right-size yourself through gratitude and humility. There’s a world of difference between choosing humility and being humiliated. Choose humility.
3. You can learn through consequences, or you can learn through the wisdom of others. Learn from the wisdom of others.
4. Be the mentor you wish you had.
5. Develop a strong work ethic.
On His Bookshelf
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business, by Patrick M. Lencioni
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield and Shawn Coyne
Connecting With Seth Buechley
Website: www.sethbuechley.com
Twitter: twitter.com/sethbuechley
Facebook: facebook.com/ambitionbook
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/seth-buechley-Ambition
Free Gift
Enjoy Chapter 4 of Seth’s book, “Ambition: Leading with Gratitude.” Go to www.sethbuechley.com and click on: YES! DOWNLOAD NOW.
Ambition, Entrepreneurism, Gratitude
Author, Business Owner, Cellular/ Mobile, Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist
May 2019:
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Helping Expat Partners Become Tandem Nomads - Amel Derragui
Amel headed to a meeting on her university campus in Lyon, France, to start brushing up on her English-speaking skills. She soon realized she had stumbled into a meeting for recruiting students to sell encyclopedias in the U.S. Was this the “something exciting” she had been looking for?
Amel Derragui is a business and marketing coach, a speaker and the founder of Tandem Nomads, a podcast show and entrepreneurship platform designed to empower expat partners and help global nomads turn their career challenges into successful portable businesses. After a career in sales and then advertising, she quit her job to join her husband abroad and launched a marketing consulting business that she ran living across three continents. Six years later, discovering a real need for expat spouses to find their own source of fulfillment and financial freedom, she launched Tandem Nomads.
Tandem Nomads has been featured in the cover stories of Forbes Magazine, Global Living Magazine and other media. Amel has spoken at various major events such as the Forbes’ Diversity and Women’s Empowerment conference of the World Bank and IMF family network conference.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Amel’s interest in people living the expat life has its roots in early childhood. The daughter of Algerian diplomats, she was born in India, lived in Yugoslavia, Uganda, Algeria, then moved back to the former Yugoslavia, which had become Serbia. By the time she was in primary school she had attended school in three countries, learning in three languages. At age 14 in Uganda, she started her first entrepreneurial venture and never lost the bug for business. In France for high school and university, she learned about life as an outsider and was soon organizing a partnership at her university, bringing business students together with local entrepreneurs and companies.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Just short of earning her undergraduate degree in business from the University of Lyons in France, the multilingual Amel noticed her English was slipping. Intending to enroll in an English-language summer session, she inadvertently went to the wrong room. English was being spoken, so she stayed. She had stumbled into a recruitment meeting for a U.S. company. Asked why she stayed, Amel explains, “I was looking for something new, something exciting. I needed to be challenged.” She ended up taking the job in the U.S. The company paid for her to complete her undergrad degree and earn her MBA. “Something happened there! I think the biggest highlight of my life. When I came back from that, everybody would tell me I was not the same person. I think I was revealed. I knew that something was underneath me, that had not been expressed all these years.” Looking back on the life-changing decision, she recalls, “I didn’t over-think it. What had I got to lose? Go for it!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Sometimes people are unhappy and they don’t even realize it. They do not know how to listen to what their gut or their body is telling them. I think the first step is becoming aware of it. Once you are aware, it is very important to find a way to create the space for that. It starts by setting aside time for yourself, to listen, to play, to learn. And to do something totally unrelated to your career or work. This time has to be non-negotiable.”
Steps to Success from Amel Derragui
1. Set aside time to listen to yourself, your gut, your body. Make this time non-negotiable.
2. Realize human beings are not meant just for work, food and sleep. We all need time to play, to know ourselves as more than careers and achievement.
3. Be open to situations that will reveal yourself to you, that will let you see deep desires and passions that may be buried underneath the stress and busyness.
On Her Bookshelf
The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho
Connecting With Amel Derragui
Website: www.tandemnomads.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tandemnomads/
Twitter: twitter.com/tandemnomads
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amel-derragui-3a11384/
Free Gift
Free guidebook: “Six Steps to Build a Successful Portable Business.” Download at: www.tandemnomads.com
Expats
Advertising, Business Coach, Business Owner, Marketing Coach, Podcaster, Speaker
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Expert Interview: Why Telling Your Own Story Is So Vital in Today's Marketplace - Debby Stone
Debby Stone is an executive coach and keynote speaker. She is the author of “The Art of Self-Promotion: Tell Your Story, Transform Your Career,” and the founder of Novateur Partners, an executive coaching company serving lawyers, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and the organizations in which they work. Prior to 2002, Debby practiced law for 16 years and worked at Bain & Company. Debby holds undergraduate and law degrees from Duke University.
Why Telling Your Own Story Is So Vital in Today's Marketplace
“Regardless of where we are in our career paths—whether we’re just starting out or have reached the pinnacle, or are somewhere in between—we all need other people to get where we want to go. If others don’t know who we are and what we contribute, they are not going to be able to help us reach our career goals. Telling your story and doing it in a confident, authentic and graceful way is the key difference between the people who make it to where they want to be and those who struggle to move forward.”
Why Is This Important?
“We live in a Twitter, soundbite world. That’s about how long people have as an attention span. In today’s workplace—where people are incredibly busy, where change is the only constant—it’s not possible to believe that simply keeping your head down and doing a good job is going to get you where you want to go. We all need to be thinking about how we are telling our stories. Competence is always a piece of the puzzle, but the other crucial piece is how well you present yourself, the brand that is you.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“You have about 20 seconds to immediately capture someone’s attention. There are two things you need to be able to do in 20 seconds: 1) establish or re-establish your credibility; and 2) create curiosity so the other person wants the conversation to continue.” You need to be ready to tell your story anytime, anywhere, in a variety of contexts and audiences. The way that you speak about who you are and what you do varies with the setting. If you meet somebody at the gym, your approach will be different from the one you might use at a formal networking event. A canned, memorized, all-purpose ‘elevator pitch’ is not enough.”
Books on The Topic
Connecting With Debby Stone
Website: www.novateurpartners.com
Phone: 404-975-3000
Email: dstone@novaeurpartners.com
Twitter: @NovateurCoach
Free Gift
Free sample chapter of Debby Stone’s book, The Art of Self-Promotion” www.artofselfpromotionbook.com
Storytelling
Author, Business Owner, Executive Coach, Keynote Speaker, Lawyer
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A Career Vision in a Split-Second Flash - Dr. Swati Lodha
Born to loving—and enlightened—parents in a traditional culture in Rajasthan, India, she realized how fortunate she was to be encouraged to think for herself. As a college student, she heard a speaker talk about paradigm shifts, and in a split-second she knew what her career would be.
Dr. Swati Lodha is the founder of Life Lemonade, a training organization for life transformation, women empowerment, leadership and parenting. With a doctorate in Women Entrepreneurship, she is an Amazon No. 1 bestselling author of Don’t Raise Your Children, Raise Yourself and many other bestselling books. At the age of 21, she founded her first Company, SWASH Pvt. Ltd. (Skills, Wit and Attitude are Shaped Here) to groom Indian Youth. She has been Dean of several Indian business schools.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was born in India to amazing Indian parents who loved me and gave me the freedom to think and decide. That was mostly unheard of in Rajasthan, which is a traditional state in India. My mom always wanted, no matter what, that we should have enough education and be self-reliant. At the age of 21, while I was pursuing my post-grad program in management, I started an organization called SWASH, where I worked with thousands of children, adolescents and professionals, helping them gain confidence and become effective speakers. When all my other friends were sending out resumes and looking for jobs, I decided to work on my own with the organization I had started. I believe that if I change one person, I change one world.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In college, I attended a small leadership program conducted by an organization in my city. I was there as an observer. One of the speakers was talking about paradigm shifts. As I was listening to him, I decided in a split-second what I wanted to do all my life. I realized that my career was to become a motivational speaker or a life coach, though I was not familiar with these terms at that time. From then on, I started talking to people, to learn from them, to help them find their purpose, to make them confident.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It’s very important to be failure-friendly, and to be positively accepting when we fail. So, let’s learn to fail better, because we learn more when we fail. There’s no better teacher in life than failure. Then, it’s perfectly fine to learn the lesson and move on.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Swati Lodha
1. Know what will keep you alive, what will keep you passionate in the long run.
2. Don’t let yourself be overly affected by what others are doing. The comparison-bug kills most of us.
3. Welcome failure with open arms, and success with a nod. It makes us courageous when we fail, and grounded when we achieve.
On Her Bookshelf
How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth and Karen Dillon
Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson, by Mitch Albom
Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading, by Martin Linsky and Ronald A. Heifetz
Elon Musk: Biography of a Self-Made Visionary, Entrepreneur and Billionaire, by B Storm
Why Women Are What They Are, by Swati Lodha
Don’t Raise Your Children, Raise Yourself, by Swati Lodha
Come On, Get Set, Go, by Sailesh Lodha and Swati Lodha
Connecting With Dr. Swati Lodha
Website: drswatilodha.com
Twitter: @Dr_Swati_Lodha
Facebook: facebook.com/Dr.SwatiLodha/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drswatilodha
Free Gift
Don’t Grow Cold, As You Grow Old – A Free E-Book to Learn Important Lessons from Our Children. Visit drswatilodha.com
Education, Empowering Women, Entrepreneurship, Failure
Author, Entrepreneur, Leadership Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Trainer
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He Took "No" to Mean "Maybe Next Time" - Paul Lamar Hunter
Paul had a good job at Chrysler, then he heard the plant was closing. At age 40, he wondered where he would go next. His union rep gave him some great news that totally changed the outlook for him and his entire extended family.
Paul Lamar Hunter beat the odds against poor kids being less likely to obtain a college education. He is the 19th child out of 21 natural children, who in 2012 became the first in his family to graduate from college with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. His new book, “No Love, No Charity: The Success of the 19th Child,” is an autobiographical account describing how he made it, despite overwhelming odds. Paul has been profiled in many national newspapers and magazines, including Ebony, Austin Fit, the Chicago Defender, the National Examiner and others.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My first real job was working at a Detention Center as a correctional officer. I loved that job. I saw so many young men and women being abused mentally, spiritually and physically. They were hurting, and they needed some guidance. I realized I could offer guidance and caring to them. The juvenile corrections system in America needs to change. The system needs to be so that we can positively impact young people’s lives. We can Inspire them to take their game—academically, socially, mentally—to the next level. If not, we are going to fail them.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“One of the biggest turning points in my life was when I turned 40 years old. I was working for an excellent company, the Chrysler Engine Plant. When I learned that plant was to be closed in 2010, I asked myself what I was going to do. Speaking with some of the union reps, I discovered that, when a plant totally closes, the company must pay for educational training, including college. So, at the age of 40, I decided to go back to college. I was the first member of my extended family to attend and complete college.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Many people are overworked and underpaid. Many of them should not be in their current position because they were born for greater things. Once they have this transformation in their life, once they realize they were born to be a job creator, a CEO, something more, they will be able to change their own lives and impact other people’s lives.”
Steps to Success from Paul Lamar Hunter
1. Do some focused soul searching about your niche in life.
2. Learn to hear a “no” as meaning, “maybe next time.” Then go back again to give them a next time.
3. Understand that failures and obstacles are pushing us in a direction where we need to be in life to be successful.
4. Practice being a caring person with a can-do attitude.
On His Bookshelf
No Love, No Charity: The Success of the 19th Child, by Paul Lamar Hunter
Connecting With Paul Lamar Hunter
Website: www.PaulLamarHunter.com
Twitter: PaulLamarHunter
Facebook: Paul Lamar Hunter
Instagram: Paul Lamar Hunter
Skype: APLH19
Adversity, Family, Inspiring Others, Layoff, Multi Careers
Author, Automotive, Correctional Officer, Public Relations
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Expert Interview: The Power of Knowing Your Talent Early in Life - Dr. Thomas Tavantzis
Following the dictum, “Know thyself,”—inscribed by his distant Greek ancestors over the entry to Delphi in Athens—Dr. Tom Tavantzis has been helping people know themselves. From the early 1970s through his work today, he has worked with people from ages 15 to 60, to help them discover their talents, develop and maximize them, while increasing their satisfaction in life and career and being useful to others.
The Power of Knowing Your Talent Early in Life –Through High School, College and Beyond, with Dr. Tom Tavantzis
One thing to understand about talents is that we all have them. We need to figure out what they are. Talents are going to evolve, but they are not going to change significantly over time. A recent study from New Zealand of 1,000 children, who were followed over a 23-year period—and that’s a good longitudinal study! Researchers observed that a child’s personality at age three was remarkably consistent with the personality traits observed when the child reached age 26.
Why Is This Important?
“You want to understand how you think, how you make decisions. What role in life should you seek out? As a high school or college student, knowing your talent can help you find your best way of learning. Or, even more importantly, it will help you make an informed decision about the best place for you to go to college and what kind of environment should you seek out. Having a knowledge of your abilities and values, and building on that understanding can start early in life. Over time, you can discover what your family of origin communicated to you about the world. Having some sort of structured program—such as the Highlands Ability Battery—helps you think through who you are. Knowing who you are will help you look clearly at your best options.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“There is an illusion that there’s an ‘expert answer’ that will come from some testing instrument. But that’s not the case. What is the case is that there are at least eight factors, that we know pretty reliably, that help us explore our options in a structured way so we can better navigate the world we live in, a world which is very complex and rapidly changing. It’s important to know your interests and your passions, but the idea that you should just follow your passion is not sufficient. It’s a good thing to know, but it’s not enough just to be excited.”
Connecting With Dr. Thomas Tavantzis
Email: thomas.tavantzis@imdleadership.com
Website: www.imdleadership.com and www.exploreyourtalents.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IMDLeadership
Free Gift
Email: thomas.tavantzis@imdleadership.com
For a better understanding of the Ability Battery for students, visit exploreyourtalents.com.
Careers, Talents
Author, psychologist, Talent
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Ambassador’s Memoir: “It All Begins with Self” - Delano Lewis
Delano Lewis, a former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, rose from segregation-era Kansas to prominence in government, business, and the not-for-profit world. His bestselling memoir, “It All Begins with Self,” affirms his belief in the value of family, education, hard work, perseverance, mentors and supporters. His trailblazing career includes top positions at National Public Radio and the Peace Corps.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As a full time law student, working 44 hours a week at the renowned Menninger Clinic to support his family, Delano was tapped for the new Honors Program at Robert F. Kennedy’s Department of Justice. His whirlwind initiation exposed him to espionage and criminal cases, and whetted his appetite for government service.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
While serving in the recently created Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, he was tapped by the Peace Corps to serve as a top staffer in Nigeria until civil war shut down operations. Then, with his wife and three small boys, he moved to Uganda and managed 160 volunteers and staff.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Self-discovery—learning your strengths and weaknesses—is foundational, followed by a strong education. Be open and ready for opportunities and be willing to take risks. Don’t be afraid to dream because dreams do come true. Ask yourself, “What can I do that will be productive for me in this society?”
On His Bookshelf
Long Walk to Freedom, by Nelson Mandela
Biographies of people successful in all walks of life
Connecting With Delano Lewis
Website: delanolewisspeaks.com/
Twitter: @DelanoLewis1
Facebook: ambassadordelanolewis1
Education, Government service, Self-discovery
Ambassador, Government service, Lawyer
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Turning a Physical Challenge into a Source of Strength - Kristina Rhoades
Kristina learned early in life that her wheelchair did not have to hold her back. Instead, the spinal cord injury sustained in her infancy challenged her to discover her gifts and share them as coach, mom, leader and advocate. And, she is proud to say she can pop a mean wheelie!
Kristina Rhoades is a motivational speaker, writer and life coach, as well as a wife and proud mom of a five-year-old daughter. After sustaining a spinal cord injury as a baby, Kristina has grown up in a wheelchair and, at 21 years old, served her home state as Ms. Wheelchair California. She’s fiercely passionate about human rights, happiness, meditation and helping others shift their perspectives to live their best and most rewarding lives.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I grew up surrounded by people who were doing creative things, living their passion. Many family members have jobs that are creativity based. Some are in the film industry, film production, photographers. So, I was lucky to be exposed to people who had jobs that they loved and were able to blend their careers with their personal lives by doing things that were their passions. That helped me understand it was possible to have a life and a career that wasn’t so 9-to-5.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Moving from northern California to northern Georgia, Kristina says she “found herself” at Brenau University in Gainesville, especially in communications and in radio. Earlier, while traveling as Ms. Wheelchair California, she had done plenty of radio interviews and some TV, so she felt right at home in broadcasting. “I was surrounded by all sorts of mentors, teachers and community leaders, and even other students there at Brenau. They taught me so much about myself, my own capabilities, and the world.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think we aren’t told enough, by people we believe, that we can follow our passions, that we can have a career that blends with life, and we can do things that we love. It’s so important, and it’s something we need to model for our children, so they have the confidence to go after what they believe in. One of my favorite quotes summarizes this. It’s from John Lennon. ‘When I was 5 years old, my mother told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down, ‘happy.’ They told me I didn’t understand the assignment. I told them they didn’t understand life.”
Steps to Success from Kristina Rhoades
1. Believe that you can do what you love, and model that belief for your children and other loved ones.
2. Be an advocate for people who need some encouragement and help them recognize their own inner strengths.
3. Be quick to learn from mentors, leaders and people you admire, and be generous in sharing what you learn.
4. Learn from your setbacks or apparent limitations. They may lead you to deep sources of strength.
On Her Bookshelf
The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion, by Elle Luna
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Three other authors and thought leaders, Kristina enjoys:
Danielle LaPorte
Gabrielle Bernstein
Bob ProctorTop Tools on Her Browser
CreativeLive podcast with Chase Jarvis. Interviews with creative people.
Connecting With Kristina Rhoades
Website: www.kristinarhoades.com
Twitter: twitter.com/kristinarhoades
Facebook: facebook.com/kristinarhoadespage/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristinarhoades
Creativity, Do What You Love, Positive Attitude
Author, Life Coach, Motivational Speaker
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Expert Interview: Finding the Meaning of Your Life - Simon Crowe
“You know, you’re going to work and you keep responding to the things you are asked to do….you keep your head down and you’re doing well and paying the mortgage….bringing up a young child and keeping the marriage together and you think that’s what it’s all about─‘That’s what I’m here to do.’ But there was something eating away inside of me, which told me absolutely it wasn’t all I was here to do…so I started to make some different choices.”
Simon is an artist, adventurer and master in the field of personal growth, who specializes in connecting the successful with their deepest purpose. As a qualified coach for over 12 years, he has guided hundreds of courageous individuals in achieving greater self-expression and fulfillment and experiencing deeper meaning in their lives. He works exclusively with high-performing, self-starters who have mastered conventional success and who are hungry to reappraise their life in honor of their unique gifts. Simon helps them achieve absolute clarity around their true life purpose and create an extraordinary life for themselves and the greatest possible good for others.
Finding the Meaning of Your Life
“There is a part of us deep inside, I call a guiding light, and when we ignore it, it can be quite painful. Yet when we connect with it, it can create some remarkably beautiful things—we can start to build more fulfilled lives and have a greater sense of purpose and enjoyment. In my view it is the essence of life.”
Why Is This Important?
“When you start to say, if anything was possible, what’s the life I would like to be leading, what would be possible then? It takes much courage because it requires people to step off the path, their well-trodden path, onto a different path—the path of the unknown.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Over more than a decade I have developed a process to help individuals create lives of more meaning and fulfillment. Here is a brief outline:
1. The Activation Stage
We start by getting crystal clear on creating your personal vision—how you want to be living on every level of your life.2. The Integration Stage
You cannot change anything if you are not self-aware. What are your values, your fears, and your limiting beliefs? What gives you energy and inspiration?3. The Transformational Stage
This is about developing a more self-empowered mindset: trying new things out and taking some risks. This requires a combination of courage, curiosity and playfulness.4. The Excellence Stage
Maintaining the momentum during this process is about the practices and people you surround yourself with which really support you on your journey.”Books on The Topic
Connecting With Simon Crowe
Website: https://www.simoncrowe.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simoncrowecoaching/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simoncrowe/
Free Gift
A free copy of My Purpose Tracker, available on his website.
Life's Meaning, Meaning of Life, Purpose
Author, Coach, Personal Development, Personal Growth
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Blindness Is No Barrier to Life's Peaks - Erik Weihenmayer
Erik was shattered when at 14 a genetic illness left him totally blind. Soon he connected with an organization that gave him new opportunities, like rock climbing. He recalls running his hand along his bedroom wall thinking, “Who would be crazy enough to take a blind kid rock climbing?”
In 2001 Erik Weihenmayer became the first blind person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Since then he completed the Seven Summits. Erik’s latest book, “No Barriers,” is an inspirational story about kayaking the entire 277 miles of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Erik’s triumphs fueled his aspiration to help others shatter barriers in their lives. His motto is “What’s within you is stronger than what’s in your way.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
In childhood, Erik describes himself as a “full-on kid” who loved to climb trees and jump out of them, over rocks and into leaves. He loved wrestling, as well as reading literature and writing. Coaching wrestling and sharing his love of reading led him into teaching middle school, where he could have envisioned himself staying until now. Instead, he teaches others about living a life with no barriers.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Erik lost his eyesight to a genetic disease at 14. Although his doctors told him it would happen, he just couldn’t believe it. He asked himself, “What does blindness mean, anyway? Does that mean the end of everything I know?” When it actually happened, Erik was shattered. Soon, he connected with a group that helped people deal with blindness. “They taught us to do activities like canoeing, sailing, riding tandem bikes. One weekend they said they were taking us rock climbing. As I ran my hand up the wall in my room, I thought, “Who would be crazy enough to take a blind kid rock climbing? I was 16 when I first went rock climbing. Sixteen years later, I was standing on top of Mount Everest.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Most people do not have physical handicaps or challenges, their struggles are invisible and internal. I’m not going to say my blindness was a great gift. But when tough things happen to you, you have a choice. Within adversity, there is a hidden energy. If you can tap into that energy, you can harness it and ride it forward like a storm. Adversity becomes a catalyst that can propel you to new places, often places that you couldn’t have gotten to in any other way. We call this process ‘alchemy.’”
On His Bookshelf
No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon,
by Erik Wehenmayer and Buddy LevyTouch the Top of the World: A Blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See: My Story, by Erik Wehenmayer
Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities, Paul G. Stoltz
The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles into Everyday Greatness, by Erik Wehenmayer and Paul Stoltz
Steps to Success from Erik Weihenmayer
1. When life comes crashing in, stop and reboot.
2. Don’t let yourself stay stuck in isolation. Reach out.
3. Find others who can help build a “rope team” around you, who can support one another.
4. Learn about the hidden inner power of adversity.
5. Remember what is within you is stronger than what is in your way.
Connecting With Erik Weihenmayer
Website: TouchTheTop.com and NoBarriersUSA.com
Facebook: facebook.com/erik.weihenmayer
Twitter: twitter.com/Erik.Weihenmayer
Adversity, Courage, Kayaking, Mountain Climbing
Adventurer, Author, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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Frame of Mind Changes Everything - Kim Ades
Kim was 15 years into building a family and a business with her husband. When her marriage dissolved, so did her shares in the company. A tool she used to deal with her loss—“it was like my oxygen”—is now the core of her thriving business.
Kim Ades is the president and founder of Frame of Mind Coaching and JournalEngine™ Software. Author, speaker, entrepreneur, coach, and mother of five, Kim is recognized as one of North America’s foremost experts on performance through thought mastery. Using her unique philosophy and quirky coaching style, Kim helps her clients shift their thinking in order to yield extraordinary results and personal transformation.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was an OK student, slightly above average but nothing too brilliant. But I was fascinated with leadership from when I was 14 or 15, and I even used to go to leadership conferences. I was involved with student council and was always engaged in planning events. In high school, they put me in charge of the Students Against Drunk Driving committee, the first of its kind in Montreal, Quebec in Canada.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Kim had been married 15 years, with two kids and a business she had built with her husband. When her marriage came to an end, things radically changed for her. “Life gave me a major jolt! Because we worked and ran this business together, something had to give. I ended up selling my shares of the company. I was really disoriented, without knowing what my career path was going to be. I experienced all kinds of emotions. One of the ways I dealt with that was to journal a lot—morning, noon, and night. It was my source of oxygen. Journaling allowed me to get those emotions out. It allowed me to start to figure out where I was headed in life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We know that the one thing getting in your way is you. Your thinking, values, beliefs, experiences and perspectives all come together to form your current results. By honing in on your thinking, epic transformation takes place in a very short period of time. The results ripple across every aspect of your life, creating colossal changes from relationships to health to revenue.”
On Her Bookshelf
The Art of Possibility, by Rosamunde Zander and Benjamin Zander
Steps to Success from Kim Ades
1. “Don’t give up on looking for your opening. Get creative, there’s an opening somewhere.” – Wisdom from Kim’s father.
2. Cultivate a strong personal drive and commitment to hard work.
3. Practice journaling to develop an awareness of how you habitually think. Use this awareness to change your frame of mind. That’s how you change your life.
Connecting With Kim Ades
Website: frameofmindcoaching.com/ and journalengine.com
Facebook: facebook.com/FOMcoaching
Twitter: twitter.com/KimAdes
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kimades/
Free Gift
Complimentary coaching call for leaders and entrepreneurs.
A free trial of Journal Engine.
Entrepreneurism, Personal Transformation, Positive Attitude
Author, Entrepreneur, Mindfulness Coach, Speaker
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Expert Interview: Marketing Isn't Everything. It's the Only Thing. - Brian Kurtz
Brian Kurtz has been a serial direct marketer for the past 35+ years. He never met a medium he didn’t like…and spent the first 34 years of his career helping Boardroom Inc. become a state-of-the-art direct marketing and publishing company and is now sharing and teaching all he learned doing that.
Marketing Isn't Everything. It's the Only Thing.
Without effective marketing, you’re not going to be able to share your mission or vision with the people who want to hear what you have to say. Whether online or off, classic marketing principles still work. “After all, Facebook didn’t invent everything. Facebook has taken some core direct marketing principles and put them on steroids.” Younger marketers can benefit from learning these principles from the legendary figures in direct response marketing and advertising. Brian explains, “Knowing the fundamentals is only going to make you better at what you’re doing today.” Older, seasoned marketers, who may be intimidated by the staggering pace of change, can learn from younger colleagues who naturally take to the emerging technologies
Why Is This Important?
“When you think about it, the internet is the ultimate direct response medium. It’s all about direct marketing,” Brian points out. In the 1980s and ‘90s, to derive the best marketing data, such as list segmentation, it was all done through big, mainframe computers. That same market data, and much more, is virtually instantaneous today, if you understand the technology. “I guarantee you that if you really understand things like regression analysis, you would be able to go to the Facebook expert you buy your advertising from and ask some very different questions about the data selection criteria when they start selecting the Facebook look-alike models.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Drawing on his knowledge of the six legendary experts featured in Craig Simpson’s book, The Advertising Solution, to which Brian contributed, here are the top 10 lessons from the book:
1) Know your product;
2) Know your audience;
3) Get started right;
4) Get every part of the package right, whether it’s online or offline;
5) Remember: it’s all about the prospect;
6) Be passionate about what you’re selling;
7) Showmanship;
8) Be clear and consistent;
9) Know your media;
10) Testing trumps all.Connecting With Brian Kurtz
Website: www.briankurtz.me and www.TheLegendsBook.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brian.kurtz.121
Direct Response, Marketing
Direct Marketer
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U.S. Army Major General Linda L. Singh: Facing Adversity, Conquering Fear - Linda L. Singh
Thrown out of her home through no fault of her own, Linda was a high school dropout, working at a pretzel shop to survive. A display table in the mall for the U.S. Army caught her attention and led to a conversation that changed the trajectory of her life.
Major General Linda L. Singh made a choice to do things differently and to stand out. No matter what obstacles she faced, she would not let fear control her destiny. Never content with mediocrity or being too comfortable, she is always in the process of transforming herself into the best self she can be. Her book, Moments of Choice: My Path to Leadership, is a true story of how a girl from humble beginnings, who experienced abuse and homelessness, rose to become a Major General in the U.S. Army and an executive with a leading global professional services company.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Simply surviving on the streets as a homeless teenager challenged all of Linda’s instincts and natural abilities. Through no fault of her own, she was “asked to leave” her home after she reported being sexually abused by a sibling. She turned a potentially devastating life event into a search for a way out. Facing her situation frankly— “It is what it is”—she never completely lost her belief that life could and would get better. She became adept at facing adversity head on, without losing hope.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After dropping out of high school to support herself, Linda, recalls, “I was working at a mall pretzel shop and met up with an Army National Guard recruiter. I was interested in what they were displaying at their table. He started a conversation with me. That conversation led to a whole new door opening for me. Soon I joined the Army National Guard. Basic training allowed me to test my limits and find something new in me that I didn’t realize existed. I had leadership skills within me, but they were very raw. The Army brought out those skills.” Through that connection, she met her future husband, earned her high school diploma and a college degree, and completed Officer Candidate School (OCS), setting her on the path that led to becoming a Major General.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“When you are doing things that allow you to leverage your strengths and you get into that rhythm, things work really well. I think we have to pay attention to what our hearts and minds are telling us in terms of what we enjoy doing. Until you get to that, you’re not going to be happy in any work environment. I know that I’ve had to deal with challenges just because I’m female. Yes, those things do happen. But I would have to say that at every new opportunity, I found just as many supporters as there were naysayers.”
Steps to Success from Linda L. Singh
1. Pay attention to what your heart and your mind are telling you about what you enjoy doing.
2. Intentionally set aside time for personal reflection focused on finding what you gravitate toward that makes you happy.
3. Consider working with a coach. A coach can often see things you can’t see for yourself.
On Her Bookshelf
Own the Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership Presence, by Amy Jen Su and Muriel Maignan Wilkins
StrengthsFinder 2.0, by Tom Rath
Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation–and Positive Strategies for Change, by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever
Putting Your Talent to Work: Rediscovering the Real You in You, by Ode A. Idoko
Moments of Choice: My Path to Leadership, by Linda L. Singh
Connecting With Linda L. Singh
Website: www.kaleidoscopeaffect.com
Twitter: Kaleidoscope987
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaleidoscope-Affect-LLC/1566051626958268
Free Gift
Free “Leadership Folio,” by signing up for it on her website.
Transformation
Army Officer
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A Life-Saving Attitude - Steve H. Lawton
After careening headlong into a tree at 45 miles per hour and suffering a major brain injury and many broken bones, Steve believes every interaction with another person is a bonus that might never have happened. “It’s a powerful way to live and get through whatever comes up in your daily life.”
Steve H. Lawton holds a BS and MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University, as well as an MBA from St. Edward’s University. He has 27 years of business experience in roles from an engineer in the Astronaut office at NASA to an executive at Dell. He is the author of “Head First! A Crash Course in Positivity,” a story about how his attitude literally saved his life from a near fatal skiing accident. Steve enjoys helping others by sharing his story and practical advice on how to create a positive mindset, lead with positivity, and achieve better outcomes for individuals and organizations. He has given a TEDx talk and spoken to employees at Dell, Accenture, EMC, VMware, and others, and has also been a guest lecturer at Texas A&M University and the University of Texas. Steve and his wife of 26 years, Deanna have two teenage children and they have grown quite fond of them.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As a pre-schooler, Steve was an avid fan of the space program. On the morning of a Saturn V launch he would be up and in front of the TV as early as 5:00 or 6:00, eagerly awaiting another launch. Years later, after earning his degree in engineering, his first job at NASA had him working directly with astronauts and was a dream come true. He helped design the various scientific experiments the astronauts would perform in space, making sure their movements with the hardware would be as efficient as possible.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had a near-death experience when I skied into a tree at 45 miles per hour, head first, on Amen Run at Breckenridge, Colorado. I’m lucky to be alive at all, it really should have killed me! I think I was brought back for a reason. A big part of it is to share my story and help people improve their own attitudes. Three years after the accident, I still maintain the attitude that I’m living on bonus time, and that every interaction with another person is a bonus that might never have happened. It’s a powerful way to live.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Steve’s leadership role in the huge annual Student Bonfire Project taught him that his success as an engineer was not only about science and math. “That bonfire project was as formative to me as my engineering classes. I recognized how important interacting with and leading people was to me. To this day, the hardest role I’ve had was in leading that large student construction project. It helped me recognize that I need interactions with people. Those interactions give me energy. It was a super formative experience in my life.”
On His Bookshelf
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey
Head First! A Crash Course in Positivity, by Steve H. Lawton
Steps to Success from Steve H. Lawton
1. Recognize life is short and how fortunate we are to be here.
2. Recite your intentions each morning as a way of living more intentionally.
3. Cultivate life-affirming attitudes: your attitudes can save your life!
4. Commit that everyone who comes in contact with you will be better off as a resul
Connecting With Steve H. Lawton
Website: http://stevehlawton.com and http://amzn.to/2sbohFK
Facebook: facebook.com/stevehlawton/
Twitter: @stevehlawton
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/steve-h-lawton/
Positive Attitude
Author, Mechanical Engineer
April 2019:
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Expert Interview: The Beauty of Failure - John David Mann
John David Mann and some friends started their own high school when in their teens. It was quite successful for a number of years. He is now an award-winning author whose books have sold more than two million copies, including the bestselling classic “The Go-Giver.” His book “Take the Lead” was named by Tom Peters and the Washington Post “Best Leadership Book of 2011.” His latest book, a culinary parable, is called, “THE RECIPE.”
The Beauty of Failure
“Failure is our companion because we’re not very good at controlling the universe. We do try–we just aren’t very good at it. The Universe, a greater power, will toss things, strew things in our path that may seem like obstacles at first, but they often turn out to be opportunities.”
Why Is This Important?
“Most of my books have been business flops, even the ones that I am very proud of. ‘The Go-Giver’ has not been a flop; it’s been a business success. Yet it was rejected 22 times by publishers in New York. Not until our 23rd submission was the book published. A lot of my books that I love the most have never found large audiences. Even on this path of writing–that has worked out so well for me–I keep thinking I’m finished with failure. But failure is apparently not finished with me because it keeps happening.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Despite the twists, turns and walking into walls, I love the way it is. I don’t mean it in a Pollyannaish way. In our world, that is where growth comes from. Growth comes from untenable situations, impossible circumstances, ideas that have no chance of succeeding. Seeds arise out of impossibility. That is where the generation of growth springs up.”
Connecting With John David Mann
Website: www.johndavidmann.com
Facebook: facebook.com/johndavidmann
Twitter: @johndavidmann
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johndavidmann
Failure
Author, Business, Editor, Educator, Entrepreneur, Sales
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A Portable Career - Marcelle Yeager
When Marcelle and her husband decided he should accept a job as a foreign service officer, starting in Uzbekistan, she knew she’d have to give up the job she loved. Looking at the bright side, she saw this as an opportunity to start her own business. What she needed now was a “Portable Career” that could travel wherever her husband was posted.
After 10 years of strategic communications consulting, Marcelle Yeager changed course to enable people to get to the next level of their careers. Her company, Career Valet, helps mid- to senior-level professionals secure new roles. She recently co-founded ServingTalent, the first recruiting agency for military and foreign service spouses. Marcelle holds an MBA from the University of Maryland. She is a regular contributor to U.S. News and World Report’s On Careers blog and ClearanceJobs.com.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
At a very early age, Marcelle created her own small business called “Just Things,” selling goodie bags and trinkets to her friends. To this day, some of her friends still have the business cards she created for that childhood business. She also learned the value of communicating and learning other languages, and expanded her view of the world through a Bosnian friend who lived with her family after escaping her war-torn country.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
When Marcelle’s husband accepted a job with the Foreign Service, she was able to adapt her concepts based on her experiences, helping her clients benefit from her own real-world challenges. Much of this would only be possible because of the worldwide reach of the internet.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It’s not always going to be perfect and one hundred percent, but I can meet my own needs, career-wise and personally, and the needs of my family. I would like to continue with my companies to see where they can go. I believe I can help many more people find rewarding careers.”
On Her Bookshelf
Passion Capital: The World’s Most Valuable Asset, by Paul Alofs
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
Steps to Success from Marcelle Yeager
1. Recognize that you have always been building your network, as far back as pre-school. Don’t be afraid to reach out to those people, tell them what you’re doing and ask them questions.
2. Most people love to give advice. Feel free to ask for it. You don’t have to take all the advice, but you learn from being open to considering the ideas of others.
3. Remember, too, that nothing is set in stone. You can always change. You can’t know everything when you start.
4. Choosing your own path and shifting plans when you need to helps better control stress.
Connecting With Marcelle Yeager
Website: www.careervalet.com and www.servingtalent.com
Twitter: @careervalet and @ServingTalent
Facebook: facebook.com/careervalet and facebook.com/servingtalent
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marcelleyeager/
Free Gift
Receive a FREE copy of Marcelle’s guide, 4 Ways to Boost Your Job Search Success, at www.careervalet.com
Careers, Communication, Travel
Career Development, Communications, Entrepreneur, Public Relations
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Finding the Courage and Design to Quit - Lynn Marie Morski
Lynn Marie had recently co-founded a health tech startup on medical tourism. “All of my cylinders were firing at the same time. But the sinking feeling in my stomach told me something wasn’t right.” She faced the hardest “quit” of her life.
Lynn Marie Morski, MD, Esq. is a physician, attorney and lifelong quitter. Through her “Quitting by Design” website, she helps people carve out successful lives through strategic quitting. Her goal is to de-stigmatize quitting and illustrate what a useful tool it can be in creating a fulfilling life. When not helping people to and through their quits, she is a physician at the Veterans Administration and an adjunct professor of health law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. Outside of medicine and law, Lynn Marie trains people in the Brazilian martial art of capoeira, plays the guitar and bass, and does work in election reform.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Lynn credits her parents, who instilled a love of learning and encouraged her to explore her interests, for much of the courage she needed, not only to explore new things, but to know when to quit. Her concept of “strategic quitting” is nothing like the unthinking quitting out of anger and frustration. Instead, she has learned to trust her own sense of when it is time to quit and to do the preparation and research for her next step.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
She was a co-founder of a health tech startup, a platform to provide information about medical tourism worldwide, and held the titles chief medical officer and in-house legal counsel. “The startup had a lot of things that were on my desired attributes list: working from home or a coffee shop; making my own hours; and getting to use my medical and law education and a little bit of my multimedia background. All cylinders of my brain were firing at the same time. I loved all that. But there were a lot of aspects I didn’t like. Namely the uncertainty, the lack of any kind of income, and the fact that there was no free time. No time off. She began having physical symptoms and knew she had to quit. It was easily the hardest quit of my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“You need to plan for a successful quit. There are many types of quits and some of them are terribly unsuccessful. For example, if you have a fight with your boss, storm out and quit, you are not prepared for that. You are burning bridges right and left. To quit successfully, you need a lot of methodical thinking ahead of time. What will be my next step? What financial preparations should I make? It may involve downsizing part of your life temporarily, getting new skills, taking on some side jobs. Logistically, a lot of those things can be tackled before quitting.”
Steps to Success from Lynn Marie Morski
If your body is constantly giving you signals that something dreadful is about to happen, something is wrong. You need to re-evaluate what you’re doing.
Don’t sacrifice your health or sanity out of fear that you will be labeled a quitter.
Don’t hold yourself back by letting the things you imagine people would say about you if you quit. These are imaginary concerns inside your head.
Connecting With Lynn Marie Morski
Website: quittingbydesign.com
Twitter: lmorski
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quittingbydesign/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-marie-morski-md-esq/
Quitting
Doctor, Lawyer, Martial Arts, Physician, Voting Reform
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Expert Interview: How to Send Your Student to College Without Losing Your Mind or Your Money - Shellee Howard
Shellee Howard is the owner and president of College Ready and a Certified Educational Planner. She has a son who graduated from Harvard in 2016–debt free! She has traveled around the world helping students plan for their “perfect match” college. She knows what it takes to compete for entry into Ivy League schools to small town colleges. She believes that no two students are the same, and that each has a gift/talent and a passion that will set him or her apart from their competition.
How to Send Your Student to College Without Losing Your Mind or Your Money
“It makes me a little crazy that people assume the sticker price for college is non-negotiable. For reasons I don’t understand, people who would never think of paying full sticker price for a new automobile or a home are willing to pay full price for college. I share knowledge gleaned from my years of work with students and parents. My recent book tells step-by-step what to do to make yourself a good candidate for any college, and how to do it and graduate debt free, with a job. My goal is never simply to get a student into college, it’s to get them to graduate with a major that will pay them a great salary, so they can start life without the burden of crushing debt.”
Why Is This Important?
“With knowledgeable guidance, if you plan and strategize so that your student stands out, there will be so many opportunities, including the very real prospect of getting a college education for free! The best stage to start preparing is now, at whatever stage of life they’re in now. Talk about how wonderful college is, and about how the opportunities they will receive there are unlimited. Talking about it when they’re young makes it a lot less scary to talk about it when they are in high school. Visiting college campuses can help your student understand why you’re asking them to work hard in high school.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“There are four main pillars of a plan for getting into college: grade point average (GPA), tests, community service and leadership. If balanced properly, students have every opportunity of getting a free education. There are so many colleges that are willing to meet their needs. You just have to know where to find them. My book can help.”
Connecting With Shellee Howard
Website: www.collegereadyplan.com
Facebook: College Ready
Twitter: @CollegeReadyPan (no “L” in “Pan”)
LinkedIn: Shellee Howard
Free Gift
Copy of Shellee’s ebook: 15 Ways to Get a Reduced or Free College Education
Planning for College Education
Author, Business Owner, Education Planner
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Discover the Power of Your "Guiding Words" - Amy Smalarz, PhD
Amy had been in a consulting position she enjoyed for 10 years. One day the staff was called together and told that their division president had just been fired. It was the nudge she needed to step out on her own. She quickly discovered she had a lot to learn.
Amy Smalarz, PhD, is a women’s empowerment coach and author of Living Intentionally: How to Bring Balance to You and Your Family. She hosts the podcast, Living Intentionally, and is a speaker, teacher and contributor to the Huffington Post. All of these things are the building blocks for her core values and driving ambition: helping people discover how to live intentionally, and empower themselves in their personal lives and business. The information and experience she provides helps women uncover and rediscover their truest, best selves and bring that to everything they do in life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Amy’s grandmother and parents taught her about empathy and activism at an early age, through their own advocacy for people who were voiceless or shut out of the system. She also learned how to listen and connect the dots in what people were saying. Her first job out of college was in customer service at Blue Cross Blue Shield in Massachusetts. “In that job I learned a lot of the challenges with the system because all I heard every day was complaints, and how the system wasn’t working for the folks who had insurance coverage. That, in and of itself, was a huge learning experience. It was like drinking from the firehose!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After working for years in corporate consulting, the staff was called together one day and informed that the president of the U.S. division would no longer be working there. His replacement was someone Amy did not respect. This gave her the nudge to line up some clients, leave the firm and start a practice of her own. Now in her fourth year, she has continued to earn credentials, including becoming a high-performance coach.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We get so stuck in the monotony, with the blinders on. There is too little time for getting back to who you are as an individual—not as a collection of labels like parent, student, office worker—but as the words that guide our daily lives. I learned my own guiding words are Present, Passionate, and Bold. One of the joys I get from working with people, especially in workshops, is to ask them to write down their own guiding words. At first, they just sit there. Then all of a sudden they kind of smile, as they realize, “Yeah! That’s who I am!” Then, we work on turning those words into actions. When you do that, even if you’re not in a job you love, you can bring YOU into that job and love doing and being YOU.”
On His Bookshelf
Steps to Success from Amy Smalarz, PhD
1. We all have that voice inside of us that tells us our potential. Learn to recognize that voice – not the voice that only gives negative chatter. Following that positive voice’s guidance brings amazing results.
2. Give yourself the gift of time and space. Even if you start out with a minute or less, that’s probably more time than you’re currently giving yourself.
3. Find the words that describe you, your guiding words. They are not labels or categories, they are the words guiding your actions on a daily basis. They help remind you who you are and what drives you.
Connecting With Amy Smalarz, PhD
Your website URL: http://amysmalarz.com/
Twitter: @ASmalarz
Facebook: facebook.com/LivingIntentionallywithAmySmalarz/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amysmalarz/
Free Gift
Amy’s “Living Intentionally” Workbook at amysmalarz.com/
Entrepreneurism, Positive Attitude, Women
Author, Empowerment Coach, Podcaster, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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Leaving Cushy Comforts for Sweet Success - Lindsay Kinder
Lindsay returned from France filled with a knowledge of cuisine from farm to table. But she also knew she didn’t yet know how she would use it. She needed time. Would she be lulled back into the clarity and comfort of a 9-to-5 job?
Lindsay Kinder left her stable career in life insurance sales to pursue her lifelong dream of learning to cook in France. She spent six months backpacking solo on a quest to discover where great food comes from, and what to do with it. She harvested fruits and vegetables, then sold them in Norman markets, worked on a foie gras farm, participated in the French wine harvest, attended pastry school, and earned a certificate from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She now lives in San Francisco, teaching sold out French macaroon workshops, private cheffing for special events and dreaming up new recipes for her blog Food La La.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Lindsay was one of two women selected for a management training program at the major insurance company where she had worked for four years, her first job after college graduation. “I realized that I was climbing the corporate ladder. Learning what management looked like, what my boss did every day, and the problems that she was trying to solve. I also realized that I had no interest in doing that. I call that my Eat, Pray, Love moment, when I just knew that there was more out there if I was willing to chase it down and find out what it was. But it was very difficult to walk away from that job because it wasn’t terrible. I didn’t dread going to work. I was paid really well and it was fine. There was no major problem, and I think that almost makes it worse when you were trying to make a transition.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Returning from her quest in France, Lindsay moved back in with her family for about a year. “I gave myself permission to just stay in motion. I knew I was not going to have the answer when I got home. And I knew that I needed to be patient with myself and not be afraid and run back to insurance or another stable nine-to-five job. My mantra for that first year of living with my family again was just stay in motion, throw things up on the wall and see what stuck, and get out there and see what I liked and what I didn’t like.” She began adapting French recipes to American ingredients and weights and measures and trying them out on friends and family at the kitchen counter. Soon she developed a course and began offering it to an expanding circle of would-be chefs. The classes quickly took off.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I realized there are so many recipes out there that aren’t well written or that don’t even work. And there are people trying to cook using those recipes, which may not ever turn out right, so they give up trying. I realized I could create really good recipes that would explain why each thing was so important. And I could write them with those people in mind who are not pastry chefs, who might not even know what almond flour is. I wanted them to have that same feeling that I do, the fun that comes when I make something really delicious and share it with other people and say, ‘yes, I made this!’”
Steps to Success from Lindsay Kinder
1. Don’t let yourself be lulled into complacency with benefits and good pay if you know you have another calling to pursue.
2. Pay attention to your Eat, Pray, Love moment, when you just know there is more out there if you are willing to chase it down and find out what it is.
3. Look for your unique place, the niche where you can fill a specific need and love doing it.
4. Consider ways you can teach what you know to a larger audience online.
Connecting With Lindsay Kinder
Website: www.food-la-la.com
Instagram: @food.la.la
Facebook: facebook.com/foodlala1/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lindsay-kinder-210b4910/
Free Gift
Download a free video with Lindsay’s top three tips for instantly upping your kitchen game at: www.food-la-la.com
Love what you do, Travel
Chef, Insurance
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Expert Interview: Gen Z – Everything You Need to Know and Why - Steve Robertson
Steve Robertson is the CEO of Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs, an organization specializing in youth-to-adult programming that turns curiosity into passion and skill. He’s been with the company for 18 years. In this role, his primary responsibility is to cultivate a culture that results in memories lasting a lifetime. He’s an expert on youth development and education, as well as understanding and adapting to youth.
Everything You Need to Know About Gen Zs and Why
Although not all sources agree on the exact years that make up Gen Z, Steve includes all those born between 1996 to 2010 in this generation. He is a fan of the Gen Zs because they are innovative, thoughtful, collaborative and motivated. “So what’s not to love about them?” he says. “It doesn’t matter where you are in terms of business or parenting. It is imperative that you understand this is the first generation that has been influenced more by their peers around the world than by their parents, and that’s a significant statement.”
Why Is This Important?
Generation Z is already impacting every facet of life: the workplace, how businesses present and sell products, and even what products businesses present and sell. “We are just starting to get a sense of what the workplace is going to look like and what companies and their products need to look and feel like. For example, I read a statistic that 90% expected to spend less than three years in a position.” The general trend for them in terms of thinking about work life is that they want balance in their lives and to pursue things that aren’t necessarily material or financial, even more than the Millennials. They are more likely to pursue fitness, health and the environment, for example. In Steve’s opinion, “It is probably going be the greatest generation we’ve seen.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
- Partially due to technology allowing people to connect and partially due to travel having become available to more people, this will probably be the most cross-cultural generation of our time. When Julian Krinski Camps and Programs brings students from 47 countries together, they look at each other as peers.
- Those in Generation Z want to work for companies that have the same sets of passions and desires and cares that they do. However, this generation is more likely to gravitate toward self-started businesses than any before it.
Connecting With Steve Robertson
Website: www.jkcp.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/Lordstevenrobertson
Twitter: twitter.com/HouseofGlencoe
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stevenrobertsonjkcp/
Free Gift
Visit info.jkcp.com/dyt (“dyt” is for Discover Your Talent) to read articles that Steve Robertson has written about Gen Z. There is also a discount for any Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love listeners who want to take advantage of sending your child to Julian Krinksy Camps. “I really believe it’s an investment in your child and, when you look at everything that we offer, you probably would struggle to find something that is as exciting and fun for them to do.”
Gen Z
Educator, Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs
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From the Mekong River to Sesame Street, She Soars - Mali Phonpadith
Mali’s father escaped a re-education camp, and her family fled war-torn Laos. Arriving in the U.S. at age five, she learned English from watching the TV show Sesame Street. Later, her teacher said Mali’s journal showed she was a poet even though she didn’t know what poetry was.
Mali Phonpadith is the founder and CEO of the SOAR Community Network, as well as an author, speaker and podcaster. SOAR stands for See, Own, Articulate and Release. It’s based on that process of uncovering your greatest gifts and talents. A consortium of community networks supporting small and mid-size businesses, it helps them to amplify their clients’ messages through marketing, strategies, technology consultation and educational forums. She’s the founder and host of the SOAR podcast.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Fleeing with her family at age four from war-torn Laos, Mali arrived in the United States. No one in the family spoke English, so she learned the language from the TV show Sesame Street. Later, as she learned to write, she kept a journal of the challenges they all faced. In ninth grade, when she submitted a journal entry for a writing assignment, her teacher pointed out that she had been writing in poetry, not prose. Until then, Mali had no idea her style was unique. “I wrote more, and studied other poets. I started sharing more deeply from the heart. It didn’t have to rhyme, it just had a rhythm and a flow. So, I honed in on that craft and my writing formed the nucleus of my desire to express the deep emotions people are afraid to express. Today, that desire to help people express themselves is the foundation for our business and for my company, and for everything that I do.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Deeply in love and engaged to marry, Mali’s 35-year-old fiancé and 11-year-old nephew drowned in an accident. “It totally shifted the way that I saw my life and my world. I saw that I was basing my decisions on the fear of being in poverty. As a child refugee of war, you have those innate defaults. That painful experience of loss brought me more to life. It helped me understand what we are here for, and to look for ways to be driven by the idea of legacy. I realized that everything we do matters.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’m always working on myself and helping other leaders to see how to move toward developing into great leaders, moving ahead and transcending into becoming legacy-driven leaders. It’s about being intentional in every decision you make, knowing that your decisions are going to outlast you.”
Steps to Success from Mali Phonpadith
1. Surround yourself with like-minded people who will help you find and nurture your unique gift, but…
2. …Be open to others who think and process things differently, because it expands your own mind.
3. Focus on authenticity by coming from your own soul and heart versus borrowing from others who might be similar.
4. Find ways to balance being heart-centered and pragmatic.
On Her Bookshelf
Seen and Sustained: Best Practices in Communication That Increase the Visibility of Small and Diverse Businesses, (a workbook), by Akia T Garnett, Mali Phonpadith, Jane Lovas
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, by Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, by Jim Collins
E-Myth Mastery: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company, by Michael E. Gerber
A Million Fireflies, by Mali Phonpadith
Connecting With Mali Phonpadith
Website: soarcommunitynetwork.com
Twitter: Twitter.com/maliphonpadith
Facebook: facebook.com/maliphonpadithpage
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maliphonpadith
Free Gift
Free visions and mission mapping questionaire at her website.
Careers, Heart-Centered, Leadership
Author, Business Owner, Podcaster, Speaker, TV Host
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Turns Out Mortgage Lending Was Plan B - Stephanie Weeks
Stephanie was so dead-set on a career in law, she had no Plan B. Everything she had done in college and work had pointed her toward that goal. Then, after graduation, she received the news that totally changed her path. It turned out, there was a better option.
Stephanie Weeks has been a mortgage lender for more than 13 years. Little did she know that this would become her passion. She has closed thousands of loans totaling hundreds of millions of dollars in volume, but the real joy in her career comes from the smile that she sees from buyers and sellers during a smooth and on time closing. Her mission is to change the world one loan at a time, which inspired her to write the book, “Mortgage Peace: A Proven Formula for a Smooth On-Time Closing.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was 15 years old my parents bought me my first car, a $4,000 Honda. About 10 days into car ownership, I managed to total that car. My parents said, ‘Well, we spent our money. Now it is time for you to spend yours.’ I had to get a 40 percent interest loan to buy a car from a junk yard and put it back together. So, instead of driving a nice, one-color Honda, I drove a Dodge Lancer that was 75 percent silver and 25 percent brown. It was so awesome! I learned to take care of it, put gas in it and pay the insurance. To this day, I know a lot about car engines. I always managed to put holes in the oil pan. I could not afford to constantly replace things, so I had to learn how to be resourceful and fix them. I learned all about brake and power steering fluid, and keeping water in the radiator. You name it, I learned it!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Throughout college, Stephanie was dead-set to go into law. She had no Plan B. She studied pre-law, became a notary public, and earned certification as a legal secretary. But after graduation, her career path changed unexpectedly. “My husband and I had married at age 20. We had bought and sold several properties and built a house. On the day before the closing to sell our house, I found out I was pregnant with our daughter. I thought: ‘I have had three jobs, gone to school and worked full time, so now I cannot imagine I can go to law school full time, hold down a job, start a family and build a house. Even for me, that’s a little crazy!’ So, I went into panic mode. Looking back, I would not change what happened for all the world.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We need coaches and mentors in our lives. A lot of people think, ‘I don’t want to spend money on a coach,’ but I think you need coaches that help you with physical fitness, health, your business, and a spiritual coach. I’ve been fortunate to have those in my life because nothing that I am doing has been freshly created by me. I am not super smart, creative or super intelligent. I just take things I have learned from other people and either implement them or at least use them as a base.”
On Her Bookshelf
Tony Robbins and Wayne Dyer, books and CDs; books in business and self-help, health and personal development
Mortgage Peace: A Proven Formula for a Smooth On-Time Closing, by Stephanie Weeks
Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!, by Robert T. Kiyosaki
The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann
The Positive Dog: A Story About the Power of Positivity, by Jon Gordon
The Carpenter: A Story About the Greatest Success Strategies of All Daring Greatly, by Job Gordon
Just Do It: The Nike Spirit in the Corporate World, by Donald Katz
The Top 2%: How to Become the Highest-Paid, Highest-Profile Person in Your Industry, from The Nightingale Learning System
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg
Change Your Habits, Change Your Life: Strategies that Transformed 177 Average People into Self-Made Millionaires, by Tom Corley
Steps to Success from Stephanie Weeks
1. Find ways to serve people on a higher level through whatever you specialize in doing. “Help make things not so scary, not so painful.”
2. Change the world by affecting as many people as you can in positive ways, one interaction at a time.
3. You may not be super talented, but you can accomplish great things through determination and resourcefulness.
Mentors, Self-confidence, Serving Others
Author, Mortgage Lender
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Expert Interview: How to Prepare Your Student to Apply to College - Carolyn Jerdan
“I’ve tried to convince them that we should be spending more time on figuring out what their child’s talents are and go that way instead of spending that amount of time trying to get your SAT or ACT scores better. Because that is only going to be a onetime shot.”
Dr. Carolyn Jerdan has been in the educational field for over 20 years, serving as a teacher, counselor and schools administrator. She’s worked in private and public school ranging from preschool to adults. After completing a BA and MBA at Northwestern University, she earned a Ph.D. in school psychology at the University of Maryland. She’s presently teaching Latin and Bible classes at Johnson Ferry Christian Academy, and also serves as the college counselor and guides the students through the college search and application process. She’s excited to be working with students as they mature and develop intellectually and spiritually. Her passion is to help students realize their uniqueness and God-given talents so they can better plan for their future.
How to Prepare Your Student to Apply to College
“I have found that when the kids are applying to college—often in their senior year—they have not really thought about what they want to do with their life. They are just picking a college. Maybe their parents went there and their friends are there, or something on that order. But they have not even considered what majors are offered at the college they choose, or what they are really interested in. So, I have been trying to work with them to help them learn more about themselves first.”
Why Is This Important?
”Often, when students are in high school, they just start thinking about a job: how much money it is going to pay, what their working hours are going to be. And that is about as far as they go. At this point, on their own, they just are not connecting the dots. They have not thought about how they would fit into the job or the college or whatever. Without guidance, there are just a lot of pieces missing. They do not even know where to go to discover themselves.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“There are a lot of self-inventories student can take. In particular, I’m familiar with the Highlands Program—which includes a battery of self-discovery tests—that has really helped a lot of kids. This tool actually sharpens their understanding of what they are naturally good at. The problem is, when they come out of school, they have only done academic work, so they do not really know some of their hidden talents, and may not have explored their interests and innate abilities. While it is true there are a lot of assessments available, the key is getting students to be willing to try an assessment and then to talk about it. This kind of self-knowledge is immensely valuable at this point in their lives.”
Connecting With Carolyn Jerdan
Website: Johnson Ferry Christian Academy https://www.jfca.org
Email: carolyn.jerdan@jfca.org
Difficulty of selecting career, Guidance for apply to colleges, Preparing for College, Self-knowledge, Self-understanding, Teens
College Counselor, Johnson Ferry Christian Academy, School Administrator, Teaching/Teacher
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If You Don't Ask, You Don't Get - Erica Reiner
“I was always completely obsessed with the idea of self-expression and communication—that psychology of how your surroundings make you feel and how your surroundings make others feel and act and behave. And I just thought, ‘I’m going to do something with this decorating work I’ve done….and I’m going to marry it to my very important values and my identity as an environmentalist and an environmental worker.’”
Erica Reiner is a former environmental science professor using her expertise in sustainability and green living to transform spaces and the interior design field using her cleaner, greener Eco Method. Four years ago she started Eco Method Interiors to help people feel happier, healthier, less stressed and more confident at home or work. When she’s not working, she’s planning her next trip down under with her Australian husband or at the dog park with Hank, her mutt.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Santa Monica City College, which I attended for two years, works with a non-profit called Sustainable Works, which helps educate students, residents and businesses about sustainable living practices. I enrolled and attended their courses where I learned the foundations of this field—water, energy, waste, chemicals and much more. What I learned tied directly into my lifelong love of nature and animals and showed me the profound and too often negative impact we as human beings have on our environment and our fellow inhabitants.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After graduating from Santa Monica City College I was accepted at UC Santa Barbara, where I built on the knowledge I learned at the Sustainable Works program and majored in Environmental Studies. The depth and breadth of the program was a vital turning point for me and crystalized my personal vision and direction about what I was going to do with my career and why it mattered so much to me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“One important lesson I’ve learned when I lecture and teach on the topic of environmental science is that a person may not be interested in the topics of water purity or climate change or pesticides in general, but when you tie those issues together and directly relate them to the topic of specifically how they directly influence and impact our living and working environments, and hence our personal mental, physical and emotional well-being, then the majority of people can quickly get on board and want to learn more.”
Steps to Success from Erica Reiner
1. Get outside the box of your own system—whether family or education or organization—so that you can listen to your own voice, make your own choices.
2. Pay attention to what holds your interests and keeps you curious, and explore those areas every way you can—via research or direct experience.
3. Seek out a role model, or mentor—someone who can share their own experiences in the area you are drawn to. Learn from them.
4. If you don’t experiment and try new things, you will never know what aspect of the occupation or profession could possibly use your talents and skills.
5. It is okay to feel uncomfortable during your exploratory phases. Hang in there until you learn what you set out to learn.
6. If you do not do these things [above], you risk always regretting that you did not fully honor your own journey to create a life and career on your own terms.
Connecting With Erica Reiner
Website: https://www.ecofriendlyinteriordesigner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecomethodinteriordesign/?ref=hl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin/ericareiner.com
Instagram: eco_friendly.interior.designer
Free Gift
A free phone consultation to answer a specific question you have about a space in your home or workplace. Email Erica@ecofriendlyinteriordesign.com to request a time to talk and mention you “met” her on Discover Your Talent Podcast.
Environment, Green Living, Health at Home and Office, Interior Design, Passion, Power to Choose
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Green Living, Interior Design, Professor
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An Entrepreneur Since Boyhood - Sayan Sarkar
“I think you put yourself in that environment where you normalize success and normalize being an entrepreneur. And that makes it that much easier to say I can and will do it and here is how. I have the guidance to do it and I’m going to move forward with it.”
Sayan Sarkar is the founder of InvigorateNOW Health Sciences, an innovative health supplement brand. He is also the creator of Sark Media Direct, a marketing consultancy that specializes in the health and e-commerce industries. He has worked with Martha Stewart, Organifi, Zenith Labs, and more. Through his consulting, he has helped entrepreneurs scale from zero to six and seven figures. Also an investor, Sayan has stakes in three health supplement brands in addition to businesses he started from nothing.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Since I was a young boy I have had this fascination with business and the financial side of things. In the 9th grade I was accepted into a program—the Academy of Finance—and until I graduated I was roughly fifty percent involved in traditional classes and the rest of the time involved in this curriculum. I went to Penn State and received my degree in Economics. While I was not a particularly engaged student, this aspect of my education from an early age laid a solid foundation for the work that followed for my role in corporations and when I went out on my own as an entrepreneur.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Growing up I was painfully shy. Talking with others was definitely not my strong suit. In the third year of my corporate job working in high-level finance, I was thrust into a role where I had much more direct interaction with fellow employees and with our clients, many of whom had billion dollar portfolios. I was advising them on what to do, and what not to do, with their huge assets. I developed this whole new level of confidence and even comfort level in these pressure-packed situations. These people skills have been vital to my career success and enjoyment.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“From early in my career I paid attention to the kind of work that truly engaged me, and the tasks that didn’t. While I was quite good at various dimensions of the financial side of business, I realized I wanted more outside-the-box thinking in my work. So early on I began experimenting with various possible entrepreneurial ideas. I was disciplined in my approach to investigating these possibilities, made them a priority in my life, and at the right time I was able to make the move into my own ventures full time.”
Steps to Success from Sayan Sarkar
1. Realize you are the only one who knows what makes you satisfied and fulfilled in your career.
2. Pay close attention to the work roles and environments that keep you motivated and energized.
3. Until you are in the position or company of your choice, be relentless in exploring, researching and experimenting with other possibilities.
4. Once you have an idea that you think the marketplace needs and wants, then figure out how to test it out.
5. Be disciplined in your pursuit of the best career for you and do what it takes to make it happen. You only have one life, so make it the best it can be for you!
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Sayan Sarkar
Website: https://sarkmediadirect.com/8-figures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sayan.sarkar
Network Marketing
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Expert Interview: Finding the Meaning of Your Life - Simon Crowe
“You know, you’re going to work and you keep responding to the things you are asked to do….you keep your head down and you’re doing well and paying the mortgage….bringing up a young child and keeping the marriage together and you think that’s what it’s all about─‘That’s what I’m here to do.’ But there was something eating away inside of me, which told me absolutely it wasn’t all I was here to do…so I started to make some different choices.”
Simon is an artist, adventurer and master in the field of personal growth, who specializes in connecting the successful with their deepest purpose. As a qualified coach for over 12 years, he has guided hundreds of courageous individuals in achieving greater self-expression and fulfillment and experiencing deeper meaning in their lives. He works exclusively with high-performing, self-starters who have mastered conventional success and who are hungry to reappraise their life in honor of their unique gifts. Simon helps them achieve absolute clarity around their true life purpose and create an extraordinary life for themselves and the greatest possible good for others.
Finding the Meaning of Your Life
“There is a part of us deep inside, I call a guiding light, and when we ignore it, it can be quite painful. Yet when we connect with it, it can create some remarkably beautiful things—we can start to build more fulfilled lives and have a greater sense of purpose and enjoyment. In my view it is the essence of life.”
Why Is This Important?
“When you start to say, if anything was possible, what’s the life I would like to be leading, what would be possible then? It takes much courage because it requires people to step off the path, their well-trodden path, onto a different path—the path of the unknown.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Over more than a decade I have developed a process to help individuals create lives of more meaning and fulfillment. Here is a brief outline:
1. The Activation Stage
We start by getting crystal clear on creating your personal vision—how you want to be living on every level of your life.2. The Integration Stage
You cannot change anything if you are not self-aware. What are your values, your fears, and your limiting beliefs? What gives you energy and inspiration?3. The Transformational Stage
This is about developing a more self-empowered mindset: trying new things out and taking some risks. This requires a combination of courage, curiosity and playfulness.4. The Excellence Stage
Maintaining the momentum during this process is about the practices and people you surround yourself with which really support you on your journey.”Books on The Topic
Connecting With Simon Crowe
Website: https://www.simoncrowe.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simoncrowecoaching/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simoncrowe/
Free Gift
A free copy of My Purpose Tracker, available on his website.
Purpose
Author, Coach, Personal Development, Personal Growth
March 2019:
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Creating a Corporate Thriller By Escaping Monotony of His Jobs - Devarajan Venkat
“One of the important catalysts probably could be that I was a CFO for so many organizations, and I did so many good things. But unfortunately, I could not become a CFO to my own house. So that’s the time I realized that whatever expertise, whatever knowledge that I’m carrying, I could not actually pass on to my family. That was one of the reasons I thought, ‘let me take a break and start something on my own.’ And when I left Reliance, I didn’t have anything in mind.”
Devarajan Venkat is the CEO of Archis Management Advisors, LLP, a private equity and strategic advisory firm headquartered in Mumbai, India. He’s also the author of the fast-selling corporate thriller, “Entruppted.” He’s a mentor to many entrepreneurs around the globe and investor in select companies. His past experience includes being CFO at two of the leading media companies of India, Reliance Group and Balaji Telefilm.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In my case, I think I should call myself an accidental Chartered Accountant (CA), because through college and afterward, everything happened more or less by accident. Like many people, I followed my father’s steps, without giving it much thought. It was only later, after becoming dissatisfied with a job at a leading company, that I began to look for positions where I could be challenged and feel I was using my mind and my talents. I began to flourish when I got into positions where I was involved in many aspects of the company, not just the accounting and financial side.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After working two years at a leading apparel and textile company in India, I left for greener pastures in a smaller company. The work had become too mundane and monotonous. In a larger organization, there’s too much structure. I felt there was no innovation or opportunities to apply my mind. You just need to do whatever has been said or done in the past. I chose to consider that as something that was not good for me. That is the reason why I left a secure and sound job in one of the biggest companies in the country.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I realized that life is not only about finance and accounts. I saw that I have the vision, the need and the hunger to grow in an organization. I got into multiple areas of the business and had the opportunity to do multiple things. Eventually, I saw that the sky is the limit.”
On His Bookshelf
Entruppted: Where Entrepreneurship is Interrupted, by Devarajan Venkat
Steps to Success from Devarajan Venkat
1. Seek contentment first within yourself.
2. Look for ways to be innovative in the work you currently do. You may find you do not need to change jobs.
3. Find ways to reinvent yourself, day in and day out, wherever you may be working.
4. Understand your strengths and weakness, accept who you are, and then build on that.
Connecting With Devarajan Venkat
Website: http://www.devarajanvenkat.com and https://www.archismanagement.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Entruppted-1847077958931221
Twitter: @VenkatDevarajan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devarajan-venkat-38505a24
Corporate to Entrepreneur
Accountant, Author, Business Owner, CEO, CFO
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Coaching Women of Faith to Live Into Their Calling - Kendra Dahlstrom
“Whether or not you’re a Christian or you just are connected to something spiritually, regardless of which religion, it is so critical to have some form of faith. You have to have some form of guiding light or beacon, in my personal experience and opinion, to keep you moving, to know that there is a purpose, to know that things are going to always work out okay, and that someone’s got your back.”
Kendra Dahlstrom is a Christian business strategy and life coach, trainer, and speaker who helps women of faith discover, fully, how to live into their God-given calling and transform it into a profitable legacy. She decided to start her own faith-based coaching business so she could slowly transition from the corporate world to live a life that she loves, sharing her passion for Jesus Christ with others by serving them to discover and fulfill their callings. She uses life coaching techniques through the lens of the Bible to help her clients live their calling to Him the way He envisioned.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My grandmother was a woman of faith. Materially, we really didn’t have anything in the household. I think that plays into my lifelong story of how I was always a seeker. I was always driven by searching. I studied a lot of different religions because I thought, ‘There’s got to be a meaning behind all this. Why would I be here on earth if there isn’t some purpose or meaning for all that’s going on here?” In Kendra’s adult life, her search led her to success in the corporate world but, “Looking back, I realize I was looking for something more. I yearned to be more than just content, more than happy. I felt like the happiness I experienced was superficial.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“We went on a family vacation to Hawaii about two years ago. Back at home, with school the next day, my five-year-old was saying he did not like bedtime. He’d had so much fun on vacation and staying up late. When I told him, ‘Going to bed is my favorite time of day,’ my husband raised an eyebrow and looked at me, as if to say, ‘Really?’ And it was then I heard my intuition say, ‘Kendra, something’s wrong! Waking up and seizing the day should be your favorite time of day—to get to spend another precious day with your husband and children, doing something you love. Life should not just be about going to bed to get away from everything. That’s when I realized that I needed to make a change in my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“As I journey with my clients, helping them tap into their own personal power—who they are, and what self-acceptance means, how that plays into accepting yourself and your power—I realized that the ‘dirty little secrets,’ the things you least want to talk about, are exactly what you need to be sharing.”
Steps to Success from Kendra Dahlstrom
1. Find and cultivate a spiritual connection and community that work for you.
2. Aim higher than just being content and superficially happy.
3. Be courageous enough to seek self-acceptance. You’re more than a problem to be solved.
4. There is a vast difference between wanting something and being willing to do the work. Be willing to work for what you deeply desire.
Connecting With Kendra Dahlstrom
Website: https://www.kendradahlstrom.com and https://www.liveintoyourcalling.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kendraLIYC
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kendradahlstro1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/kendradahlstrom
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kendra_your_calling
Email: kendra@kendradahlstrom.com
Free Gift
Email kendra@kendradahlstrom.com within 2 weeks of this podcast to get in the running for one of two free memberships for the year.
$100 off annual subscription to Kendra’s membership community on Facebook. Special price of $247 for podcast listeners who email Kendra and mention DiscoverYourTalentPodcast.com. Membership includes: access to Kendra’s Live Into Your Calling course, with four different courses bundled together; monthly videos; Q and A calls with Kendra; access to all her tools to help you discover your life purpose and transform it into something profitable, not just a hobby or side hustle.
Faith Based, Spirituality
Author, Coach, Speaker
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Expert Interview: How to Navigate Complex Life Transitions - Jon DeWaal
“Really the question that everyone is wrestling with is, ‘Now what?’ It is the question that leads us to the choices that will make us move forward. But all too often we get stuck in the why. Like, why did this happen? Why did I get here? Why, why, why? And what we’re really wrestling with is what does it mean for us to move forward from here?”
Jon DeWaal is the executive director, life transition guide and learning facilitator at Liminal Space, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping others find the courage and means to navigate major life transitions. He spends his days guiding one-on-one transition sessions, leading transition groups, and facilitating learning workshops that teach transition skills at The PIER Learning Center at Liminal Space. Jon is the host of a weekly podcast called Life Through Transitions, where each episode aims to help listeners navigate life’s biggest changes.
How to Navigate Complex Life Transitions
“Most of the time when people are going through significant change, they are asking profoundly challenging questions, and those questions have significant implications for the choices they make. I found myself drawn into those questions, wanting to listen but also wanting to help them find a way forward.”
Why Is This Important?
“I believe it is one of the most fundamental things that we all have in common—we are all constantly going through changes in life. Seasons of planning and investing and growth. We also go through seasons that hold loss and letting go and times that look quite barren.
“It is asking the hard questions that lead us to the choices that will allow us to move forward. All too often we get stuck in the why questions: Why did this happen? Why did I get here? Why did they do this to me? Why? Why? Why?
“What we’re really wresting with is what does it really mean for us to move forward from here? When you can truly address the ‘now what’ question, you can begin to start a meaningful transition.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“There is an approach that has proven to be highly effective helping individuals navigate through seasons of transition. It’s called The Liminal Strengths Assessment, and it looks at the seven different attributes that have the most profound impact on how effectively one can handle the often-difficult aspects of these turning points.
“Those factors are: resilience, planning, community, self-care, self-honesty, action and faith. Honestly addressing and answering these factors can help you dig deeper into the underpinnings of your true story and arrive at an understanding of the best options available to you to navigate into the life that you most desire.”
Connecting With Jon DeWaal
Website: https://www.inaliminalspace.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inaliminalspace/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/inaliminalspace
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondewaal/
Making a Difference, Transitions
Learning facilitator, Life Transition Guide, Management, Non-profit, Podcaster
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770:
Extreme Challenges Help Him Overcome His Fears - Erik Seversen
“Almost every day I had to get over that fear of approaching people I don’t know. And asking them where I can sleep, asking them where I can find food, and building that nervousness up to a point where I realized the more vulnerable I was, the more willing people were to help me. And I still find that today, if I am sometimes in a business negotiation and I realize that we have both dug in deep, I somehow allow a vulnerability to creep in where I need their help somehow.”
Erik Seversen has lived an amazing life, from hitchhiking from London to Central Africa to living with a remote Indian tribe in the Amazon to building and selling businesses. He has forged a path filled with extreme adventure and success. He recently published a book, “Ordinary to Extraordinary,” that reveals his personal search for meaning and highlights how anyone can create a life of purpose and success. His focus is business development and English language training. He lives by the idea that helping others is the best way to create both success and fulfillment in life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“At first, I was not a great student. But, I remember my parents never insulted or put us down. Something clicked in for me playing sports. I had played football as early as fourth grade, and I decided I wanted to play ice hockey when I was about 15. That changed my life. Most people who play ice hockey start when they are six or eight years old. Starting so late, everybody told me I could never get on a junior league. I had to teach myself how to skate, good enough to get onto a team. I made the team! Two years into it, I was a pretty good player. I learned a lot of life lessons playing ice hockey.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Not everything in life goes exactly how we want it. My wife and I moved back to Los Angeles because I like the west coast. I had already proven myself at UCLA, and I was teaching English as a second language there and created a hobby company. There I was in 2007, teaching and loving it. I loved my students, loved my colleagues. I had found that my talent is teaching, and life was just great! But then came the hard wake-up call: I could not support a family in Los Angeles on my teaching salary. So, begrudgingly, I had to put my talent aside for a while and go into business. I joined a company called Eagle Rider, a motorcycle rental company that I still work with.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“As I was hitching into Africa, through Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso, it gradually became clear to me that the poorest of the poor were not the least happy. Sometimes I would walk into a small village with mud huts, and maybe there would be a very old woman with missing teeth sitting outside with an old cassette tape player that sounded warped because it was so old. People would be smiling and laughing, excited to see me. When I met more middle-class people, I clearly recognized that the least happy people were not the poorest. All they could talk about was what they wanted to get next.”
On His Bookshelf
Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe
Ordinary to Extraordinary: Stories of Exotic Places and Remarkable People & How Belonging and Purpose Can Transform Your Life, by Erik Seversen
Steps to Success from Erik Seversen
1. If you hit a barrier to using your talents, do not be deterred or discouraged, but find new ways to use them.
2. Find ways to combine your knowledge, skills and talents and create something new. Keep growing and challenging yourself. Make your own niche.
3. Help others. It is the best way to create both success and fulfillment in life.
4. Write down your goals and work on achieving them each day.
Connecting With Erik Seversen
Websites: https://www.erikseversen.com and https://www.languagelinq.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erik.seversen
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErikSeversen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikseversen/?hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-seversen-56ab9b10/
Email: erik@erikseversen.com
Free Gift
Visit Erik’s website to download Extraordinary Habits Challenge.
Or for other resources and more about Erik, visit: https://erikseversen.com/DYT/
Fitting Your Fears, Travel
Author, Business Development, International Business Development, Podcaster, Teaching/Teacher
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769:
She Wanted to Make Money and Have Fun - Monika Jansen
“I decided I just really couldn’t be a mostly stay-at-home mom and only a little bit of an editor. I needed to swap those roles. I am not a naive 24-year-old anymore. I am a married mom with two little kids, but I just decided, ‘Hey, I’m going to start my own business.’ I hung out my shingle as a copywriter in 2009, and just by hook and by crook, I grew it into a small marketing agency. When I started, I just wanted to do work I loved and use my talents.
Monika Jansen is head copywriter and strategist at Jansen Communications, a boutique marketing agency that specializes in copywriting and social media marketing. Most clients are small to midsize companies you’ve never heard of, but past clients have included Groupon and web.com. She was named marketing influencer on Twitter by Libris last summer and she’s an Amazon bestselling author for a book she co-authored with a client. When she is not working, she hangs out with her husband and kids, travels, snowboards and laughs as much as possible.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
A summer job at a Christmas shop turned out to be one of Monika’s favorite jobs. Although she did not think of the co-owners as mentors at the time, in hindsight she sees how they taught her about managing people by giving her a clear idea of the job and the freedom to use her creativity and develop her writing, management and people skills. These are the skills she still enjoys and develops today. “My career has not been a straight line. It has been circuitous, but I often think about them today, especially when I’m managing people.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was working for a fantastic company, but had a horrible, dragon lady boss. She did not know how to manage people or provide direction or encouragement. At 22, I was fresh out of college, excited to use my talents and make a big impact and have fun doing it. She kept yelling at me and I felt like a bug that kept getting stepped on. I was in tears. My younger brother said, ‘Monica, why don’t you just quit?’ Somehow it had not occurred to me I could do that! A couple of days later, I did. It was a huge relief! It was like I had been carrying Mount Everest on my shoulders. It was a turning point─something very big that has stayed with me my entire life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“A lot of people just don’t know where to start or even what options they have. These days you can Google anything and get the information you need. If you take your main passion, which in my case is writing, there are so many different ways to use writing in a career. The important thing is to take that first step, no matter how small. Just get started. And, if you feel you are not using your talents, quit what you are doing and find some way to use them. Find a way to have fun!”
Steps to Success from Monika Jansen
1. Take action, no matter how small. That first step is the crucial hardest part.
2. Do not be afraid to quit a job if it is not the right fit. Do not stay where you feel you are wasting your talents.
3. Trust yourself and your creative impulses. It is important to have fun.
4. To build a business, you really cannot give yourself an out. You have to use the network you already have, build a new one, or some combination.
On Her Bookshelf
Know Your Options: How to Build Wealth Using Proven Options Trading Strategies and Technical Analysis, by Bob Lang and Monika Jansen.
Connecting With Monika Jansen
Website: https://www.jansencomm.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JansenComm
Twitter: https://twitter.com/monikacjansen
Free Gift
Visit Monika’s website to download “The Small Business Guide to Blogging” or “The Small Business Guide to Social Media Marketing.”
Know Yourself, Love what you do, Starting a business, Talents, Turning Points
Author, Business Owner, Copywriter, Marketing Strategist, Social Media
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768:
Expert Interview: How to Speak Your Client’s Language - Cynthia Trevino
“Number one in marketing is not about you, not about your skills, your experience. Marketing is about the wishes, hopes and dreams of your ideal client. You are not selling yourself, you are not talking about yourself. You are talking about what’s possible for the ideal client. Marketing is educating…and just making that shift in your marketing mindset.”
Cynthia Trevino works with purpose-driven entrepreneurs who urgently want to speak their ideal clients’ language, earn more income, and have more impact. She created The Client Clarity to Cash Flow Signature Program and is the author of the #1 bestselling book, “She Markets, A Guide for Women Entrepreneurs: 5 Simple Steps to Attract More Clients, Make More Money and Have More Impact.” Cynthia has helped companies big and small reach clients, fulfill visions, and make income goals for over 30 years.
How to Speak Your Client’s Language
“In my experience a large percentage of women entrepreneurs, speakers, coaches and consultants are frustrated because they are not attracting the kinds of clients they most enjoy working with. They often say that marketing or ‘selling themselves’ makes them feel uncomfortable—they don’t like to ‘toot their own horn.’”
Why Is This Important?
“By deploying just a few key, proven marketing principles, it is possible for these same individuals to attract the kinds of clients that will benefit in a myriad of ways from their experience and insights—a win/win for everyone.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
There are 5 basic steps to understand, which will help you attract your ideal client:
1. Change Your Mindset
Marketing is not about you. It is about the wishes, hopes and dreams of your ideal client.2. Really Get to Know Your Ideal Client
Learn everything about them.3. Get a Handle on Their Key Pain Points
What is their individual struggle? What have they already tried?4. Learn to Speak Their Language
Learn what sets them apart from everyone else in their niche.5. Create a Content Plan
A simple way to organize your thoughts and strategies.Books on The Topic
Connecting With Cynthia Trevino
Website: https://shemarketsmentor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CynthiaTrevinoMentor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConnectUrGenius
Free Gift
Free lessons, tools and check lists at cynthia@shemarketsmentor.com/join
Marketing, Mindset
Author, Consultant, Marketing
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767:
Feeling Most Alive Through Curiosity and Lifelong Learning - Tommy Baker
“I think the biggest thing has been just a deep-rooted commitment to being the humble student and always learning. That’s when I feel most alive. Through putting myself in experiences and situations, and programs and books, and immersing myself as the best possible student, then that’s when you can become the best possible teacher at the same time. That commitment has been very intense for me, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
Tommy Baker helps dreamers, visionaries, and entrepreneurs bring those dreams to life and create a life they cannot wait to wake up for. As the author of “UnResolution,” “The One Percent Rule,” and “Leap of Your Life”, Tommy believes living up to your potential is what we are here for.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was blessed to grow up in two completely different places. One was in South America, in Bogota, Columbia, and one was in New York and Connecticut on the East Coast of the United States. These two places could not be more different. One was a small suburban town and one was a capital city in South America. But the gift that it gave me─even though it was challenging and hard growing up in a Third World country─was the power of perspective. When I came back to the U.S., I had a deeper perspective and gratitude for life because I knew that a lot of the world is in a state of poverty and lack.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“It was 2008, right around the time of the financial crisis. I’m interning for a financial services company, and I’m on the train. Almost everyone on that train was part of the financial services industry in some capacity. I noticed the look on people’s faces and said, I can’t be on this literal and metaphorical train any longer. That was one of those insights. And I thought, okay, now is the time to create a shift in my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Curiosity is so important for me. If we follow our curiosity, great things will happen. And I noticed my curiosity was not in the physical surface side of things. It was all about what was happening in between our ears. What was the neuroscience? What was the human behavior? Why do some people change and some don’t? I went on a quest to discover what creates human behavior change. My vehicle was fitness at the time, but I knew that my mission was much bigger than that. And I knew I had to get honest with myself. I had another inflection point and I asked myself, do I want to continue on this path?”
On His Bookshelf
The Leap of Your Life: How to Redefine Risk, Quit Waiting For ‘Someday,’ and Live Boldly, by Tommy Baker
The 1% Rule: How to Fall in Love with the Process and Achieve Your Wildest Dreams, by Tommy Baker
UnResolution: How to Ditch Resolutions Forever, Live Life by Design, and Achieve Your Dreams, by Tommy Baker
Steps to Success from Tommy Baker
1. Get to know who you are and what you want, what you value, and then integrate your life around those principles.
2. Start by following what you are most curious about, then watch what happens.
3. Every single day, step into one thing that creates fear in you. On the other side of fear is magic.
4. Develop a personal toolbox of introspection and growth, with tools like journaling, meditation, spending time in nature, and doing something you love to do, just to disconnect from all the noise around you.
Connecting With Tommy Baker
Website: http://www.resistaverageacademy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResistAverageAcademy
Podcast: https://resistaverageacademy.com/podcast/
Twitter: @ResistAverage
Free Gift
Visit Tommy’s website for The Integration Experience audio training.
Curiousity, Multi-national, Who Are You
Author, Coach, Entrepreneur, Podcaster, Speaker
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766:
From Sales to ER Nurse to Her Own Business - Cayla Craft
“It was just making that decision. I decided I wanted to work from home. So, I said, okay, I’m going to learn all of the skills necessary in order to make that happen. And I already knew I was a good salesperson, so now I just needed to learn how to sell online. And so, I would watch YouTube shows. I took classes just to figure it out.”
Cayla Craft is an emergency room nurse turned network marketing millionaire. After building multiple businesses, including the Mommy Millionaire brand, she is passionate about seeing women be ambitious about pursuing their dreams. She serves entrepreneurs with the Mommy Millionaire podcast three times a week, coaches women to build sustainable businesses and teaches brand growth within her online community. She recently released her best-selling book, “The Habit of Leading Yourself.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I’m the type of person that whenever I decide to do something I just find a way to make it happen. I was able to go through college and I actually went to two different colleges at the same time, just to hurry up and get all of my units done. I worked jobs at the same time, so I would not have to take out any loans. I was just very dedicated.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“At 23, I was working shifts in the ER. I had a one-year-old at home and I was not fond of shift work anymore. It was exciting at first, but then I just could not see myself doing it for the rest of my life. Twelve-hour shifts turned into 16 hours because I’m such an overachiever. Finally, I realized, this is not going to be good if I ever want to have a family. So, I got into network marketing and a home-based business where I could sell products or services all over the world. I sold health and wellness supplements and soon replaced my nursing income. I became a millionaire in that company by the time I was 26.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I realized that you can make as much money as you want to make, that you can work from anywhere in the world, and that you can do that with products and services that actually help people feel amazing and live better lives.”
Steps to Success from Cayla Craft
1. Once you decide what you want to do, learn everything you can about it: take classes, read, find resources on YouTube.
2. Believe in yourself and shamelessly pursue your goal.
3. Share what you learn with others and empower them to reach for their best.
4. Know that something good will come from your commitment.
Connecting With Cayla Craft
Website: https://www.mommymillionaire.co
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cayla.craft.7
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caylacraft
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cayla.craft/
Free Gift
Head to mommymillionaire.co/courses for free resources and courses to help build a business you will love. Also, on her podcast Mommy Millionaire, Cayla regularly offers business strategies.
Entrepreneurism, Perseverance, Positive Approach, Self-confidence
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Network Marketing, Nurse, Sales
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765:
Expert Interview: How to Create Your Portfolio Career - Dev Aujla
“I had put myself in this job that makes money and does good, but it wasn’t making me happy. And I left it. One of the things I said I wanted to do is go for lunch with friends. And so I made a list of every way that I could go for lunch with friends, and get paid. And one of them was recruiting.”
Dev Aujla is the CEO of Catalog, a recruiting firm that has provided talent and strategy to some of the world’s most innovative companies including BMW, GOOD Magazine, Change.org, and Planned Parenthood. His writing and work have been featured in dozens of media outlets including the New York Times, Glamour, MSNBC, CBC and The Globe and Mail. He is the author of “50 Ways to Get a Job: An Unconventional Guide to Finding Work on Your Terms.”
How to Create Your Portfolio Career
“There is a shift happening from pursuing stability and making basic career decisions to ones that are based on learning. People are now asking, what am I learning now? Have I learned everything I could in this job? What can I learn next? And that is the foundation for building a ‘portfolio career.’ Instead of joining a company for 40 years, you are in a state of continuous learning about you and your skills in order to put you in a position to move forward to the next opportunity, wherever that may take you.”
Why Is This Important?
“By asking what you can learn now in your current job about every facet of your work that fascinates you, you begin to orient your career around your curiosity. Your career becomes a way for you to actually answer these seminal questions that we are constantly experiencing, and this gives you a true sense of purpose that doesn’t need to be tied to deciding all of a sudden that your whole life is about just one thing, just one role in one career. It can be a million things and the jobs and assignments you will get as a result of this will provide far greater meaning.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
What I do is encourage people to ask different kinds of questions. Begin by creating a list of 10 things of everything you want to learn, whether it’s related to your career or is a personal interest or even a hobby. This list ends up being a different way of orienting yourself to the kinds of companies you approach, the kinds of opportunities you pursue, the kinds of job descriptions you would have never thought would fit you, but actually just might be the perfect job or job description to help you learn based on some of those 10 things on your list.
We typically use one metric—what’s this job going to pay? But if you start by asking yourself if this opportunity, working in an industry that I never would have imagined, actually teaches me many of the things on my top 10 list?
And in this way, you are always improving your self-knowledge and awareness and moving further along the path to a more purposeful and engaging career.
Books on The Topic
Connecting With Dev Aujla
Website: https://www.50waystogetajob.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dev.aujla
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/devaujla
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devaujla
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devaujla/
Author, CEO, Management, Motivational Speaker, Non-profit, Recruiter, Select job based on what you will learn
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764:
Passion for Writing Stories Let Him Create His Life Script - Kirk Deis
“I think it’s because traditionally all of us are taught: go to school, get good grades, get that nine to five life. Here in the U.S. we are conditioned to find that stability and consistency, myself included. And then when you go out and you do these things on your own…, well, it took me a long time to think of myself as an entrepreneur.”
Kirk Deis has been featured on Forbes and podcasts and radio shows throughout the United States. He is CEO and founder of two companies, Treehouse 51, a digital agency based in Newport Beach, California, and The Bug Squasher, a universal web app that helps you diagnose site issues.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Growing up, I’d make up stories. That was my thing. I was super creative, with a wild imagination and have always loved telling stories. Later on, I channeled my writing by studying screenwriting. I just loved it. Whether it was writing or listening to all kinds of music, or learning about advertising or marketing, I knew I had to be creative.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Struggling at an insurance job that wasn’t satisfying, Kirk applied to some advertising agencies. One of them offered him a job that checked all the boxes: good pay, working with creative people. As he was about to accept it, a clear thought came to him. “Maybe I could create something like this for myself, bringing together other creative people from marketing and film.” His then-girlfriend, now his wife, was on-board. “She said I should just run with it, so I did!” That became his obsession, and he created Treehouse 51.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Even when you follow your passion, there will be failure and hard work. Not everything will work out, so you’ve really got to want it. But when you find that spot, it’s not just a job. Treehouse 51 and The Bug Squasher are much more than jobs to me, they’re my babies. We’re fighting for a bigger cause. I don’t mind if it’s Saturday at 3 a.m. and I’m working, because it’s mine.”
Steps to Success from Kirk Deis
1. Feed your creativity by opening yourself to a variety of people, places and activities that stimulate you.
2. Pursue your passion first as a side gig as you accumulate resources to sustain you when you take it full-time.
3. Don’t be mindlessly lulled into following a path that is not for you. Stay clear about your goals throughout the temporary setbacks and delays.
Connecting With Kirk Deis
Website: https://thebugsquasher.com/
Website: http://treehouse51.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreeHouse51inc/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirkdeis
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Treehouse51Inc
YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC7sKQtwj1Dp6b0HxxLzTRyw – funny rap video about the Bug Squasher. Shows company’s marketing range.
Creativity, Entrepreneurship, Side Hustle
App Inventor, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Film Maker, Online Marketing, Storyteller
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763:
Why Can’t I Stick to My Diet? - Erin Wathen
“All we have done is starve ourselves for a short period of time. We put a bandaid over it. So what I do or my approach is we actually sew the sucker up. We have to take the bandaid off, look at it, assess it, and then figure out what we are going to do.”
Erin Wathen is a holistic health coach, food abuse counselor and author of “Why Can’t I Stick To My Diet? How To End The Food Drama.” As a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a food addiction counselor, she understands the science behind health. As a certified spinning instructor, Vinyasa Yoga instructor, and classical Pilates instructor, she understands the mechanics of health as well. She also knows how to break it down into everyday talk for clients. Her philosophy is simple: health isn’t a number on a scale or how often we exercise, but our lives as a whole. She partners with her clients to work on solutions that fit their lifestyle, empowering them to live their healthiest life in our crazy world.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was an early reader and was always curious about why people did what they did–their motivations. I was in the library a lot. But I also really liked recess and sports. For awhile I wanted to become a chef because I liked creating things. But I remember I really liked to be outside, especially in California where we could ride our bikes. Years later, after I had a baby, there was a gym where I used to work out because they had babysitting. I discovered they were offering a spinning certification program and I thought, I could do what I love to do and get paid to work out!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After being a full-time mom awhile, staying at home, I began thinking I would love to just be a person again, not someone’s mom or someone’s wife, to just be a human being again and be with adults. I wasn’t really thinking about formatting a class or learning anatomy. That is what got me started─teaching a spinning class first, then I added yoga. Each thing I added gave me more and more knowledge. I had been trying to find that magic exercise, the kind that lets you eat whatever want. Well, that was not working. So, I thought, maybe I should look into nutrition. When I got serious about nutrition, that is when everything came together.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Focus on what you can influence versus what you can’t. Then you can figure out a way of eating that you want to stick to, and the weight will come off. And you’ll keep it off, and you won’t be on a diet. So often, when you go on a diet, you are just living with a diet just so you can get off the diet. But it is really about living. That way, you can finally be at peace, not like hell on earth the way it can be if you are always dieting.”
Steps to Success from Erin Wathen
1. Make a decision to change the way you live, not just start a diet. That’s like slapping a bandaid on a bullet hole.
2. Start by identifying the things you can control and incorporating those changes first. Find the changes you will want to live with.
3. Every day you stay in a miserable situation, you are choosing to stay. Choose a different way, a way that you want.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Erin Wathen
Website: http://erinwathenwellness.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/erinwathenwellness/about/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-boardman-wathen-4075a9149/
Free Gift
Visit Erin’s Welcome Page for free offers: https://ErinWathenWellness.com/DYT
Dieting, Health, Holistic Health & Wellness
Author, Food Addiction Counselor, Pilates Instructor, Spinning Instructor, Vinyasa Yoga instructor, Yoga Instructor
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762:
Expert Interview: How to Write a New Story for Your Life and Career - Kelly Resendez
“First, somebody has to really gauge where they are right now. So many people are overwhelmed at the thought of even making changes in their life and so the first thing you have to do is just really look in the mirror and ask yourself….am I experiencing life at the level I want? Because we can have a really big debate between our highest self and our ego.”
Kelly Resendez is a mom, business executive, best selling author and influencer. She loves helping others with strategies to overcome self-sabotage and find more joy. Author of the new book “Big Voices,” Kelly is also founder of the movement Big Voices, a women empowered network. She is passionate about helping people increase joy, reduce suffering, and learn to think differently. Her own journey has helped her create the strategies and tools that she shares throughout her books.
How to Write a New Story for Your Life and Career
“There are those people who really do not want to make a lot of life changes, but they do want to change how they are experiencing life. So maybe they have success—good career, financial security, healthy family—but they feel they are out of balance and just want to make some tweaks to their existing story right now.
“The other categories of people are those who want to throw the whole thing away and start a new life. That could be beginning a brand new career or ending a relationship that isn’t working for them. It’s really about starting completely over and making serious, major changes in their lives.”
Why Is This Important?
“There are three major blocks that I find people normally encounter while trying to create a new vision for their life. The first is the difficulty of replacing the ‘old story’ with a new one. It is just our unwillingness on a daily basis to trust that everything is going to work out well for us. We are held back by the trauma and wounds that have accumulated since birth.
“The second block is isolation. Nearly half of Americans sometimes or always feel alone, and one in four never feel there are people who truly understand them.
“The last one is the deep belief that when you are clear on your purpose and vision that there is a higher power, whether you believe it is spiritual or religious, that is going to orchestrate around you moving forward. Too few have this belief.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“You have got to create a vision for yourself—how you want to experience life. How do I want to feel in business, with my spouse, with my children, in my friendships, with my health, and so on. Then break the vision down into specific goals—weekly, quarterly, and annually. Then adopt some strategies to help you. Here are three I suggest:
* Thought Management Strategy—when you start to separate your thoughts from your emotions, you realize that a lot of them are not serving you.
* Sabotage Management Plan—helps you identify your preferred method of self-sabotage and create a plan around it.
* Trigger Management Plan—having a plan that helps you choose how you respond to life rather than too often being just reactive.”
Connecting With Kelly Resendez
Your website: http://www.bigvoicesrise.com
Your Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.resendez
Your Twitter: @KellyResendez
Your LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyresendezmortgagelending/
Your Instagram: kelly_resendez
Free Gift
Visit http://bigvoicesrise.com/DYT to find her Essentials Tool Kit, free chapter of her newest book and many helpful templates to help you write your story.
Self-sabatoge
Author, Business, Entrepreneur
February 2019:
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761:
West Point Veteran Captures the Power of Stories - Samuel P.N. Cook
When his business as a tour guide in NYC began to take off, he realized, “This is what I loved about the Army and leadership and the chaotic and uncertain nature of Iraq. I was finding the risk was there again in entrepreneurship. And it was only financial risk, which can be quite stressful, but it is not life and death.”
Samuel. P. N. Cook is the founder and creative director of James Cook media, a documentary filmmaking marketing agency. He is also the creator of the story funnel software, which helps business owners tell their story online.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My childhood was framed by an intensive experience as a very competitive personality type. Once I got into playing trumpet, I wanted to be the best. I remember practicing trumpet hours upon hours and creating quite an expertise. It was a very physical instrument. I found it incredibly gratifying just going through lessons with a teacher and mastering it with discipline. And I continued that all the way up until my senior year in high school. Then I became a singer. “
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“As high school was ending, I was searching for what to do next, what I could do best. My brother asked me if I had ever heard of West Point. I said, ‘Of course! I’ve read all the Civil War histories and even been to some of the battlefields.’ He asked, ‘Did you know it still exists?’ And I said no. He said it is where the best young men and women in the country go to school. And I just got it, right then. I said, okay, that’s going to be my mission. I’m going to get into West Point. And I did.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Every setback or massive disappointment in life creates a chance to do one of two things: to wallow in your misery or to look and see what life is telling you. Whether you have a belief in some higher power or not, you do need to take everything in life as feedback to learn who you are, where you are going, and what you need to do.”
Steps to Success from Samuel P.N. Cook
1. Develop and practice self-discipline.
2. Learn about yourself, your strengths, your personality and where you can do best.
3. Read history and biographies, and learn to appreciate the tremendous power of stories to shape the lives of individuals and civilizations.
Connecting With Samuel P.N. Cook
Website: http://jamescookmedia.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/StoryMattersWorkshop
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SamuelPN
LinkedIn: https://pl.linkedin.com/in/samuel-p-n-cook-67a5b814
Free Gift
Visit website to opt in for free tools: http://jamescookmedia.com/storytelling/optin/dyt
Storytelling, U.S. Army, West Point
Army Officer, Entrepreneur, Film Maker, Marketing
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760:
Fashion Career Fuels Her EQ Mental Health App - Silja Litvin
“I think one of the problems is that you have to make life choices while you are still developing and you have no idea who you are and what you really like. You know, I took more or less 12 years off to travel the world, to dip my toes in different cultures, in different jobs, practicing and trying out whatever. You don’t really have that connection to your true self until it is often too late, and by then your true self is half dead….”
Silja Litvin was born in Germany, but moved to southern California early in her life. Exposed to many diverse cultures, she developed an insatiable curiosity for the human condition, leading to her pursuing a degree in psychology. During her 17 years of international modeling, she began work on her master’s degree at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany, graduating in clinical psychology and systemic family therapy in 2013. In 2015, she began work on her Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She’s now venturing into the world of artificial intelligence, gamification, and chatbots to find a way to be able to help people help themselves launching her app, EQ: The Emotional Fitness game.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“As a child, I was a bit of a late bloomer. I was all over the place, not very interested in school or anything in particular. I learned to read very late. The big change came when I was 13. I started focusing on a certain dream. It was when my sister got a book for her birthday about body language. It completely blew my mind to learn that there was actually a science that could help people understand the behavior of other people, as well as understand my own emotions and behavior. Ever since that date, I have wanted to be a psychologist.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Silja was well into a successful modeling career, working closely with a photographer for five years, lining up photo shoots around the world that often paid her thousands of Euros a day. “I was at the Cannes film festival around 2006 or 2007, sitting on a yacht. I was wearing an extremely expensive dress for a party afterwards, drinking champagne. The sun was shining and famous people were milling about. I looked around, and I thought, I’m not happy. I don’t feel fulfilled. I bet these other people aren’t happy either, everyone chasing the next gig, the next party or next girlfriend. It felt hollow, unsatisfying and unhealthy. So, I thought to myself, ‘I need to make a decision. I need to get out of this and do something else with my life!’”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Two important lessons. One, work on your personal development. If you can afford it, go to therapy, even if you haven’t had trauma in your life. It helps you develop a sense of yourself and grow your agency, and just become. It’s like vitamins for your psyche. Number two, you need wide exposure to life. Go out there and see as much as you can. Go to conventions that have nothing to do with your business. Speak to people, do internships, go to work fairs. Do all these kinds of things, because the more you’re exposed to, the more that little spark can happen.”
Steps to Success from Silja Litvin
1. Always keep friends and loved ones in your life who can give you perspective. Often, these will be people outside your field of work.
2. Follow the interests and passions that help you make sense of your life, that let you see how life fits together. In my case, it’s psychology. Yours will be uniquely yours.
3. Look for opportunities to learn from others, both through internships and collaborations you discover within your own world.
4. Create space in your life to learn to listen to your true self. Most people are swept along by the expectations of others, without pausing to learn who they uniquely are.
On Her Bookshelf
The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self, by Alice Miller.
Connecting With Silja Litvin
Website: https://equoogame.app.link/SiljaEQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silja.litvin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/siljalitvin
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/silja-litvin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siljalitvin/
Travel, Understanding Yourself
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759:
Expert Interview: The Biggest Bottleneck to Your Success - Kim Ades
“…but what they don’t know is that by and large, how they think and how it influences them is pretty much invisible to them, so they’re not aware of this very important relationship between their thinking and their outcomes. And that’s why we call it the biggest bottleneck.”
Kim Ades is the President and Founder of Frame of Mind Coaching™ and JournalEngine™ Software. Author, speaker, entrepreneur, coach, and mother of five, she is recognized as one of North America’s foremost experts on performance through thought mastery. Using her unique philosophy and quirky coaching style, Kim helps her clients shift their thinking in order to yield extraordinary results and personal transformation.
The Biggest Bottleneck to Your Success
“How we think about our lives is how we experience our lives. Our biggest blind spot or bottleneck is that most of us, including me earlier in my life, are not aware of how our minds actually process events and information in our daily lives or the many pitfalls that occur because of this misunderstanding—which often prevents us from reaching our goals. The good news is that there are proven ways to help anyone understand and dramatically improve their thinking to break out of this bottleneck.”
Why Is This Important?
“Some people interpret events in a way that serves them and some people interpret events in ways that leave them as victims. The way you view the world and your experiences, the way you view yourself, and the way you view others all come together to form who you are. Some of your views create problems for you, slow you down, while some of your views help you soar.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“The following is a journaling exercise that we use to help individuals achieve more clarity faster. Answer the following three questions:
1. What do you really want?
Oftentimes people have the hardest time answering this question—they have no idea. Begin by thinking deeply about what your heart wants, what you truly deeply desire, not what is expected of you or what somebody else wants.
Write that down.2. Why do you want it?
Why is it important to you? What would your life be like if you never had what you really, really want?3. What’s stopping you from achieving what you really want?
Dig deeply on this one.This is just one exercise designed to help you begin to break out of the ‘old way’ of thinking that’s the biggest bottleneck to achieving your goals, try new things and live life on your own terms.”
Connecting With Kim Ades
Website: https://www.frameofmindcoaching.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FOMcoaching
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KimAdes
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimades/
Instagram: @kimades
Success/Programing Self for Success
Author, Business Owner, Coach, Entrepreneur, Speaker
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758:
Army Officer Turned Entrepreneur - Donny Hamilton
“If you don’t get comfortable with being uncomfortable, you’re just never going to grow. There’s so much we have to offer just as a human race in this world. There’s so much more that we are capable of. There’s so many amazing things that we can come up with as a people, but we have to let go of our fears and our comforts first.”
Donny Hamilton is a husband, father and former army captain who was deployed to the Middle East, and currently is a deputy sheriff. He’s lived a rollercoaster life that included growing up in a broken home to joining the army at 19 years of age in search of a better life. His story of perseverance to conquer his childhood fears led him to become a better man, successful entrepreneur and COO of Vigilant Tiger Security, a veteran-founded security business. He’s also the author of “A Tiger’s Fury: How to Start Overcoming Your Fears Right Now,” an international bestselling book in four categories, including motivational and self-help, in eight countries.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
When a broken ankle sidelined Donny’s dream of an NFL football career, he was looking for a way to pay for college. “In July 2000, I saw the U.S. Army commercial, with the slogan, ‘Be all that you can be.’ I went to the nearest recruiter’s office. My ankle had healed and I was still in good overall physical condition. They looked at me like I was crazy and asked, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ This was in the pre-9/11 days and they’d probably already met their recruitment goals. There was nothing wrong with me. I had just decided I needed money for college. The Army offered a way, so I went for it.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Donny was serving in the historic 82nd Airborne Division in January 2001, working toward his goal of getting money for college, taking night classes. “I knew I had my college money when I was done with this first four-year commitment, I was just trying to get as much done as I could. Then, the attacks of 9/11 happened and definitely changed my focus. I focused more on how I could be an asset to my team. I focused on what I needed to do to make sure that not only I survived but my whole team.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve learned to focus on the areas where I have control. I may not excel in some areas, but I know where I’m going to be better than everybody else and what I can control. I can be the most disciplined, the most fit, and I can definitely learn to be the best leader. I learned leadership, learned about the good leaders, the bad leaders, and how not to be toxic. I learned empathy and kindness, and that has served me well. And this has given me the confidence to go after my goals.”
Steps to Success from Donny Hamilton
1. Recognize comfort and fear are two major blocks to reaching your goals. You need to make yourself uncomfortable sometimes to be successful.
2. Approach each day with organized discipline. You’ll discover there actually are enough hours in the day.
3. Make your decisions based on how they will move you toward your goals.
4. Compete with yourself rather than allowing yourself to be distracted and controlled by forces outside yourself.
5. Be willing to work with large organizations and institutions if they can help you build skills and qualities that will help you grow. But stay clear about your own personal goals.
Books on The Topic
A Tiger’s Fury: How to Start Overcoming Your Fears Right Now, by Donny Hamilton
Connecting With Donny Hamilton
Website: http://vigilanttiger.com/
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/vigilanttiger/
Instagram: @donnyivh
Twitter: @Vigilant-Tiger
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vigilanttigersecurity/about/
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757:
Harness Uncertainty as an Energizer to Reach Your Goal - Natasha McCreesh
“I think the key is just getting really comfortable with a high degree of uncertainty and using it as an energizer. My biggest thing is that I do not want to go back to a nine-to-five, so I will do whatever it takes.”
Natasha McCreesh is a joy bringer, cultural explorer, and humanitarian. She walked away from a 20-year-long corporate career with no plan other than to only do work that brings her joy. Four years later, her life is unrecognizable and more satisfying than she could ever have imagined. On this path, Natasha has collaborated on projects with people of passion and purpose. She coaches and mentors organizational leaders and their teams so they get the most out of their life and work. With a strong focus on putting passion into perspective each year, she also takes groups of leaders to Liberia in west Africa to demonstrate the undeniable connection between powerful service and transformational leaders.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My dad was in the military, so from a very young age I was moving from country to country, starting new schools and learning to make new friends and to adapt quickly to different environments. I think that was a building block, a foundation, for where I am now. I never knew anything other than that. Learning to adapt was all I knew.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I didn’t want to go to university. It was obvious that’s what my parents really wanted from me because no one else in the family had been to university. When I said I had no interest in going, it was very upsetting for them. So, I knew that I couldn’t ask my parents for anything. I knew I had made the decision to drop out. So, I had to change my mindset to ‘you’re taking care of yourself now.’”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve been so lucky to have really good mentors. I know that even the bosses who challenged me and made me feel uncomfortable saw my potential and wanted to see me grow. I have felt so much gratitude for that. So, when I was finding a new direction, my approach was to give, give, give.”
Steps to Success from Natasha McCreesh
1. Learn to live with a high level of uncertainty by using it as your motivator.
2. Become willing to do whatever it takes to reach your goal.
3. Give, give, give. Use your unique talents to help others be what they truly want to be. Giving will help open your own path to you.
Connecting With Natasha McCreesh
Website:
http://piptogrowstrong.co.ukFacebook:
https://www.facebook.com/natasha.mccreesh
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/piptogrowstrong?lang=enLinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/natashamccreesh/Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/natashamccreesh/Corporate to Entrepreneur, Disappointing parents, Humanitarism
Entrepreneur, Fashion, Leadership Coach, Retail
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756:
Expert Interview: Neurodiversity–The Art of Being Different - Bernie Taylor
“I realized that there is a spectrum of what people can see and that we are wired for the spectrum because it is not something you can learn in school. That eventually brought me to the concept of neurodiversity. We have to accept people for who they are. You cannot put a square peg in a round hole. Let that square peg do what square pegs do best.”
Bernie Taylor is an independent naturalist, thought leader and author whose research explores the mythological connections and biological knowledge among prehistoric, indigenous and ancient peoples. His works in these areas include “Biological Time” (2004) and “Before Orion: Finding the Face of the Hero” (2017). Taylor proposes that select cave paintings are fundamental pieces in the human journey to self-realization, the foundation of written language, and a record of biological knowledge that irrevocably impacted some of the artistic styles, religious practices, and stories that are still with us.
Neurodiversity: The Art of Being Different
“Can you imagine waking up one morning and realizing that you see the world differently, that you have actually always seen the world differently? That happened to me in my mid thirties when I realized that I was dyslexic and that I was a picture thinker versus a verbal thinker. Then years later I worked on a project that was the foundation for the current book—’Before Orion: Finding the Face of the Hero.’ When I began researching cave art from 34,000 years ago, I saw something in the rocks, in the images, that no one else in the world had seen. I realized the cave art was a test, a test of seeing differently.”
Why Is This Important?
“So how does an organization go forward in this world and optimize the employees who comprise its greatest resource? What they have to realize is that we are wired differently and because of the differences in our wiring, we have to source people differently. Just because everyone does not have the same psychology or mannerisms sitting around the conference table does not mean they should not be sitting around the table.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“We are in a whole new world now—we’re in a world created by people on the other end of the spectrum. Einstein was dyslexic, so was Picasso and Steven Spielberg. You can go down the line and find the visual innovators who either created visual images or saw the world in textures, such as Einstein did. The question for corporate America and corporations across the world is not about discovering your talent but finding the talent that is out there to make your organization more fulfilling, accessible and interesting to those individuals that drive your vision and mission.”
Books on The Topic
Before Orion: Finding the Face of the Hero, by Bernie Taylor
Connecting With Bernie Taylor
Website: https://www.beforeorion.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeforeOrion/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beforeorion?lang=en
Instagram: https://instagram.com/beforeorion/
Being Different, indigenous and ancient peoples, Neurodiversity, Storytelling
Author, Naturalist
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755:
From Convicted Felon to Community Activist and Mentor - Will Little
“We have become products of our environment and our culture and are not really living up to our expectations of who we are supposed to be. A lot of us do not dig deep enough to understand what value we hold, you know, innately. And that is some of the things I found out about myself when I was in prison, just trying to meditate and focus on who did I become and what potential I may have to become even better….”
Will Little grew up in the inner city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a broken home with a mother and four sisters. Growing up poor and fatherless he ventured out onto the streets as a teenager—robbing, stealing, selling drugs and carrying guns until he killed a young man in a shootout. At 19 years of age Will was charged and sentenced to 20 years in prison. During his incarceration, he made a conscious choice to change his life around after his son was born nine months after he was arrested. After 10 years, Will was released to the same community where he grew up and became a community activist, mentor and life coach.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My son was born while I was in the state prison waiting for my trial. I had always wanted a son, and was grateful for his birth while burdened by my circumstances facing possible life imprisonment for my crime. I knew I needed to change my thinking, needed to educate myself so that I could help him avoid the pitfalls that had plagued my early life and led me into a life of crime. So, I focused on taking courses to get my GED and started a process of introspection on my life, began healing myself and finding a place of forgiveness for my father, my mother and myself.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I was 19 my friend was brutally murdered in a gang fight and I was crushed by that because I had known him since I was a kid, and he was a funny and kind guy, not involved in some of the heavy drug dealing and stealing that the rest of us were. It was a big loss. Shortly after he died, my buddies and I were attacked by a rival gang who opened fire on us. I responded with gunfire and one of my bullets hit a young man and killed him. That tragic event led to my conviction and 10 years of confinement in a federal prison.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Growing up, even though I opted into a life of crime because I could find no other choices at the time, I was guided by basic values—treating people with respect, helping out the older neighbors on the block with their trash. I also had to learn tenacity and courage due to the conditions in my family with no father to guide me, dropping out of high school, then learning how to fend for myself in a very rough and dangerous environment on the streets in my neighborhood.”
Steps to Success from Will Little
1. Don’t react to your life, be proactive: figure out what your talents are, what your higher purpose is.
2. Be reflective, learn to meditate and listen to those feelings and thoughts that are at the core of who you really are.
3. Know that you can always reinvent yourself, as you grow and learn and are exposed to opportunities and choices that come your way.
4. Make forgiveness—first of yourself, then those closest to you—a driving value.
On His Bookshelf
ICY—Inner City Youth: The Life and Times of Will Little, by Will Little
Connecting With Will Little
Your website: www.willvlittle.com
Your Facebook: Will latif little
Your LinkedIn: Will little
Your Instagram: Mrpoetrynmotion
Author, Community Activist, Life Coach, Mentor, Motivational Speaker, Poet
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754:
Dyslexic 70-Year-Old Pens Bestselling Novel - Paulette Gaines Wood
“Yes, it was scary, but I will tell you this: we self-published through Amazon’s Create Space, and the day UPS showed up with that package and I opened that little envelope and here was a book with my name on the front cover, that was a super exciting and wonderful moment! I actually did it!”
Paulette Gaines Wood has been known as a teller of stories all her life. She was seventy when she had her “now or never” moment and, despite being dyslexic, decided to write and publish her first book. “The Noble Anthony and His Lady Cleopatra” became a #1 International Best Seller on Amazon. With the completion of her second book, “The Noble Anthony and His Lady Cleopatra Return Home,” she reminds people that it is never too late to follow your dreams and experience the joy and excitement that comes from it.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I had a wonderful high school English teacher, Marion Ross, whose career had been in the publishing industry. Besides making editing suggestions for the stories I wrote, she often commented on the ideas and characters I created. One day she said, “You know, I can’t make any promises, but I think you might have a true talent for writing.” So, at the ripe age of 17, I was blessed by the encouragement of a gifted teacher. In my yearbook quote in answer to the question: What do you want to do with your life? I answered: Win a Nobel Prize for literature!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“As I’ve shared, I had had good feedback and encouragement about my writing skills from the time I was 17. Throughout my career as a teacher and in various roles in the business world, the ideas for stories and characters were always smoldering inside of me—yet I never acted on them. Then literally on my 70th birthday something told me that this was my ‘now or never moment.’ I realized I did not have the slightest idea how much time I had left. I could step in front of a bus tomorrow. But regardless, I am going to take a chance on myself, believe I actually have something interesting to say to more than family and friends, and so, I did it!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
- Have confidence in your own talents.
My stepmother, a teacher, was highly critical of my earliest writings, but I persisted. - Be open to mentors.
At 17 years old, my English teacher saw my budding talent as a storyteller and writer and encouraged me to continue honing my nascent skills. - Realize you have many talents.
During the many decades I did not focus on my writing talents, I capitalized on my innate organization and people skills to land good jobs at companies like McDonald’s, where I did very well as a manager. - Know that you can overcome adversity.
I am dyslexic, and have had to work especially hard all my life to learn to compensate for this condition, especially as a writer. - Understand that it’s never too late to use your talents.
My story is living proof, and I have only just begun.
Steps to Success from Paulette Gaines Wood
“Just start doing it! If you are a quilter, start making quilts—maybe you can sell them at craft fairs, maybe you have the talent to teach other people how to do it. I worked with a young lady once who was a wonderful seamstress. She made all the clothes for her baby and sweaters for her husband. Then she went on to write a sewing book that did very well. We are not all going to be Tom Cruise, or Stephen King making millions of dollars, but there is still great joy to be found in the experience of doing what you love and sharing that with others.”
On Her Bookshelf
The Noble Anthony and His Lady Cleopatra, by Paulette Gaines Wood
The Noble Anthony and His Lady Cleopatra Return Home, by Paulette Gaines Wood
Connecting With Paulette Gaines Wood
Website: https://www.paulettegaineswood.com
Facebook: Paulette Gaines Wood, and also The Noble Anthony and His Lady Cleopatra
Being an author
Author, Business Manager
- Have confidence in your own talents.
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753:
Expert Interview: Tapping Your Way through Adversity - Terri Mays
“With our smart devices, …how many of us have a moment without that?… we are constantly checking things. Every time. It may give us a notification of something─a text or email. We get that signal and it dumps cortisol just like that in our body and now we have that flush feeling. That is why you will notice more and more people are walking around in a heightened anxiety level. It is very hard to find the calm.”
Terri Mays is an Advanced Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) practitioner, certified Jack Canfield Methodology Success Trainer, and Radical Forgiveness Life Coach. She loves teaching students and educators how to raise their emotional tone—mind state—utilizing EFT tapping. She has been a healer and intuitive for over 30 years and is the founder and CEO of the HOPEnUp Foundation, helping students in all areas of life challenges realize their full potential, self-acceptance and self-esteem with EFT tapping.
Tapping Your Way through Adversity
EFT, or tapping as it is referred to, was discovered by a psychologist, Gary Craig, in 1980. It draws on various theories of alternative medicine including acupuncture, neurolinguistic programming and energy medicine. “I love teaching students and educators how to raise their emotional tone—mind state—utilizing EFT tapping. It allows you to master your fears and experience new freedom and possibilities.
Why Is This Important?
“As we each have experienced, the stress level in our society today is at an all-time high and continues to increase as technology gives us access to more tools and applications to help us be more effective and work even faster. Nowhere is this more evident than with our students. And that is the population I have chosen to focus on because the EFT technique can be taught to students directly and to their teachers or coaches with only a modest investment of time and energy on their part. The results have proven to be highly beneficial and lasting on so many levels of a student’s life: relationships, studying, athletics, sleep and overall physical and mental health.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“The feedback I am receiving from teachers about their students’ results from practicing EFT is very gratifying. A few examples: in one school, teachers reported that the test results of the students improved from 10% to 20% as their anxiety about test taking diminished; an underperforming volleyball team went to the playoffs for the first time in years, and in one school the students who performed in the orchestra and in the school plays were far more relaxed and able to perform at their best. As little as 5 minutes a day yields very positive outcomes.”
Connecting With Terri Mays
Website: https://tappingwithterri.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/tappingwithterri/
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/terri-mays-a40865158/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/tappingwithterri/
Tapping/Emotional Freedom Technique
EFT Practitioner, Life Coach, Success Trainer
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752:
Joining Up with Her Sisters to Create Worldwide Change - Kaia Hollan Alexander
“I’m going to join up with my sisters here and we’re going to create new policy changes that are going to drive bottom line change in the world…the big changes we want to see, like the green movement and taking care of the environment and making sure children have their needs met. These are the things women have always cared about throughout history, and now we have realizing we are actually capable of leading these movements. And more and more women are running for office as well, which is another fantastic reflection of seeing this change.”
Kaia Alexander is an award-winning author and filmmaker. Her novel, “Written in the Ashes,” is the untold story about the burning of the Great Library of Alexandria, Egypt, and the life of Hypatia, the world’s first female mathematician/philosopher. Kaia’s new documentary feature film “Chalice: Women Leaders Rise,” explores how and why women were written out of history, how this has influenced the treatment of women globally, and the exciting rise of women leaders today. Her mentors are American novelist/humorist, Tom Robbins, and the late comedian, Garry Shandling. A mystic misfit and pagan surfer, she is proud to be the “B” in LGBTQ.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“While I was re-establishing myself in Hawaii, I was taking care of a friend’s children and working part-time in a coffee shop. In what little free time I had, I began putting my creative side to work doing some drawings and writing poetry and taking a stab at writing my first novel. Those early attempts at writing, which I have in my original journals somewhere, would actually become the early drafts of my novel, “Written in the Ashes,” which took me many years to complete because it’s an historical novel that required a huge amount of original research.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I was 17 my father and mother were going through a divorce, and my father had what could be called a “psychotic breakdown” and became highly abusive and threatening to my mother and me. It was utterly terrifying. My mother chose to get a restraining order against him, to stay and hunker down. I decided to emancipate myself. I put what I needed into a backpack, scraped together what money I had and hopped on a plane for Hawaii. I did not know a soul there, arrived with only a couple of hundred bucks in my pocket and a pup tent, and started over.”
Steps to Success from Kaia Hollan Alexander
First of all, you must build the courage to do the discovery work on yourself and your talents, to find out what they are and how you can use them to build a life on your own terms. It’s brutally hard because most people around us are doing what is expected of them, whether in their education or occupation, and do not think outside the box at all. Next, you must reframe rejection and failure and do your best to depersonalize them. I probably got 100 rejections to my first novel on three continents. And each time I took the rejection so personally and felt sick for two days. Now, I see each turn down as one step closer to a positive result.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Several key lessons have guided me throughout my life: the power of stamina, relationships, collaboration and the vital need to stay aware of your environment and the factors that impact you. Early on I learned that writing demands utter persistence and focus, or in other words stamina. With my first book, I experienced the vital need for close collaboration and trusting relationships with my editor, agent and publicist. My friend, Gary Shandling, really educated me on the value of an artist particularly staying keenly aware of the many factors—business and others—that impact one’s success.”
On Her Bookshelf
Written in the Ashes, by K. Hollan Van Zandt
Connecting With Kaia Hollan Alexander
Website: www.thisiskaia.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/thisiskaia
Instagram: www.instagram.com/Thisisiakaia
Women
Author, Film Maker
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751:
A Veteran Investigative Journalist Living Her Truth - Carey Gillam
“When people say, why do you care about this? Why is this important? I say, we all eat, right? We all have to have food to survive. And when our food has become poisoned for profit, we deserve to have the truth about that. We deserve to know as much as we can so we can protect ourselves. And that is the motivation for everything I do.”
Carey Gillam is a veteran investigative journalist with more than 25 years of experience covering corporate news, including 17 years as a senior correspondent for Reuters international news service. She is the author of “Whitewash—The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science,” an exposé of corporate corruption in agriculture. The book won the coveted Rachel Carson Book Award from the Society of Environmental Journalists. Gillam works now as Research Director for the non-profit U.S. Right to Know.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Since high school I knew I was a writer and wanted to be a journalist. After I got my print journalism degree at the University of Kansas, I got a job at the Kansas City Business Journal, which was part of a chain of newspapers around the country, where I covered the business community. That is where I learned to do investigative work on local Kansas City banks. I wrote several powerful stories that really launched my career.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“During my last year of employment at the Atlanta Business Chronicle, I conducted an investigation of a national company based in Atlanta that had for years covered up and misrepresented the disturbing numbers of injuries and deaths that were occurring in their company. That story was awarded a Gerald Loeb Award, one of the highest honors in the industry. Because of this honor, I received several job offers from other top news organizations around the country, which forced me to take a hard look at my career journey and what my true goals were.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My father encouraged me and my two younger brothers to think outside the box and create our own views and perspectives on complex and controversial issues. He honored open debate on any issue as long as we did our own research and had the facts and statistics to back up our point of view. My mother taught me to stand up for myself and the importance of doing something good in the world. She believed that you needed to do as much good as you can, for as many people as you can, as many ways as you can. These lessons from each parent have been key to my life and career.”
Steps to Success from Carey Gillam
- Reach inside and learn about yourself: what makes you happy; what are you curious about; what motivates you?
- Be true to your core values as you create your career and life vision, and never compromise them.
- Build a strong work ethic from a very early age. You have to take care of yourself and be responsible for meeting your own needs.
- Develop the tenacity and courage to make things happen. If you want to achieve something and it is honorable and right, then work tirelessly towards that goal to make it happen.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Carey Gillam
Website: http://careygillam.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareyGillamAuthor/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/careygillam
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/carey-gillam-584a1913/
Investigative Reporting, Parental Influence
Investigative Reporter
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750:
Expert Interview: How to Take Ownership of Your Career - Ross Wehner
“I still felt like I was at a company that I really didn’t align with. It is an enormous company with more than 300 thousand employees and it is easy to be a cog in the machine rather than a key influencer. You are always on the clock and there’s a lot I am willing to contribute to my life and career, but I did not want to give it all for just this company. I knew I needed to find a different fit for me, for the work/life balance I was looking for.”
Ross Wehner is an internationally featured career performance coach and speaker who changed careers to live his purpose, pursue greatness, and improve his own well-being. He is a former engineer and Fortune 100 recruiter who now fulfills his purpose by empowering individuals to accelerate their career growth, magnify their impact, and discover meaningful work that they love. Ross brings out the best in his clients by relighting their fires, aligning their work with their values, and equipping each of them to reach their full potential.
How to Take Ownership of Your Career
“I was enrolled in a co-op program at Purdue University—one semester I would take classes full-time towards my mechanical engineering degree and the next I would be working full time at General Electric while taking a few online courses. When I started my career at GE I worked as an engineer and also a recruiter bringing in new talent for leadership programs that GE offered. I worked with countless students through this process and was able to quickly see the patterns of behaviors that make some candidates successful and others not.”
Why Is This Important?
“Technology is wonderful in so many ways, but it is so ingrained in our lives that we are constantly battling to stay connected to ourselves, for our own headspace. There are few places in our schooling or in the organizations we work in where we are given the resources or are encouraged to look within ourselves to ask some of the deeper questions about who you are, what your skills are, what motivates you, what your dreams are…and more.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“It is obvious but key that you need to know your destination. Define what your career goals are, in detail and across the key dimensions of your career and your life as a whole, whether it is relationships, health and fitness, financial, retirement or myriad other aspects of you. As you grow and change, unless you have a continual finger on the pulse of your goals, they may not be right for you once you have achieved them.”
Books on The Topic
What Color Is Your Parachute, by Richard N. Bolles
Connecting With Ross Wehner
Website: https://WehnerEd.com
Email: ross@wehnered.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/WehnerEd
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wehner_Ed
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosswehner2
Instagram: https://instagram.com/rosswehner
Free Gift
50% off WehnerEd online course, 7 Simple Steps to Earn a Promotion at Work: https://www.wehnered.com/DYT
Career Development
Career Coach, Engineer, Speaker
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Encore: From Combat to Diplomacy to Leadership Innovator - Colonel Christopher D. Kolenda, Ph.D.
“My father, David, and mom, Joanne, had me and three other siblings—Dan, Laura and Mark—and one of the great things all of them taught me was the importance of perseverance and determination, the will to succeed at whatever you put your mind to, and we would always challenge one another to be the best that we could be.”
Christopher D. Kolenda is the founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy, which helps nonprofits and small businesses to grow sustainability by working with them to get the big things right—leadership, culture and strategy. An internationally renowned combat leader, strategist, author, scholar and entrepreneur, Chris spent a career in the military before launching his consulting business. In Afghanistan his unit was the only one to motivate a large insurgent group to stop fighting and eventually join the government. He is the only American to have fought the Taliban as a commander in combat and engage them in high-level diplomacy. With these experiences plus his Ph.D. in strategy, Chris helps organizations that have inspirational missions to grow sustainability.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was a skinny and awkward kid, and by the time I got to high school I was bullied relentlessly. West Point was a place where I really felt I thrived and found I was naturally good at a lot of things. Plus, I was exposed to a lot of different opportunities to explore with a positive attitude and a sense of humor—things like boxing and close quarters combat. I decided I was going to do the toughest and most difficult things I could possibly do because I am never going to go through what I had to go through in high school. And that led to Airborne School and Assault Ranger School—some of the toughest schooling and assignments that the Army had.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Some of the best role models and mentors I had were from the history department at West Point and were either infantry or armor officers. Because of their personal example—the way they taught and led and cared for the students in their classes—they truly inspired me to want to be like them when I became an officer in the Army. I decided that I wanted to come back to West Point and teach one day because I aspired to do the same thing for other cadets that these fine men did for me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I learned several essential lessons from my parents and siblings: the importance of perseverance and determination along with the will to succeed at whatever you put your mind to. We would always challenge each other to be the best we could be. Another key lesson from a great teacher I had in high school was the value of honoring each person, including myself, and the vital importance of empathy.”
Steps to Success from Colonel Christopher D. Kolenda, Ph.D.
- Use perseverance and determination, along with the will to succeed, to achieve whatever you put your mind to.
- Find a group of people where you can challenge each other to be the best you can be.”
- Honor each person, including yourself.
- Learn to be empathetic; it is vitally important.”
Connecting With Colonel Christopher D. Kolenda, Ph.D.
Website: StrategicLeadersAcademy.com
Facebook: facebook.com/StrategicLeadersAcademy/
Twitter: twitter.com/Chris_Kolenda
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chriskolenda/
Book: “Leadership: The Warrior’s Art,” by Christopher D. Kolenda
Bullying, Community or Mentors, Leadership, Perseverance, Self-confidence, Self-esteem, Veterans
Author, Business Owner, Business Strategist, Combat Leader, Professor at West Point
January 2019:
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Encore: Two Words to Turn Education Upside Down - Laura Sandefer
Laura Sandefer had no plans to start a school, much less to turn education on its head. But as she looks back over the path to her calling, she has vivid memories of a predawn chat with her father on the morning she left for college. His advice, “Be curious,” has become a consistent thread in her heroine’s journey.
Laura Sandefer is a wife, mom, and co-founder of Acton Academy, a school that has sparked a worldwide awakening around education. Her newest book, “Courage to Grow – How Acton Academy Turns Learning Upside Down,” documents the journey her family took to pursue the big questions around learning and how to unleash human potential. She lives in Austin, Texas.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My parents did a great job by teaching me to ask big questions. I was great in academics at school and was also a tennis player, but what I really loved—and this may sound strange—is that I was always the organizer, the party planner, the person who was always gathering friends together to do something. I never knew that was a talent, I just always found myself naturally in leadership positions, organizing people to get things done.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“About a year into the latest step in my corporate career in a specialized niche of aviation insurance, I was sitting in my cubicle in New York City on a dark night thinking, ‘I could wake up 10 years from now and still be sitting here in the dark doing this!’ My heart was not in it. As much as I liked the security of a corporate job—and there was some prestige, frankly, being in a cool little niche other people didn’t know about—I started to realize, this is not me. I was raised to find a calling, not have a career.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“When it was time to go to college, my car was packed and I was sitting in my driveway saying goodbye to my sisters and my mom, a very poignant moment. My dad came out to say goodbye. I thought, this is the opportunity to ask this brilliant, wonderful man what advice he would give me that would carry me through. So, I did. I expected a 20-minute sermonette, but he looked at me and said, ‘Laura, that’s easy. Two words: be curious.’ Those two words launched me into a great life. Those two words are on the back of our t-shirts at Acton Academy. They became the fundamental mantra of our school, and it came from my dad in my driveway in 1982.”
Steps to Success from Laura Sandefer
1. Be curious. Ask questions. Follow your curiosity.
2. When an urgent need is in front of you, step forward and use what you have within you to solve that problem. That’s the experience of finding your calling.
3. Find at least one person in your life who gives you honest feedback, keeps you going, keeps you in the game even when you want to quit.
4. Little changes can make a big difference in your world. You don’t have to solve world hunger to make a gigantic difference in your neck of the woods.
5. Learn to view your life as a Hero’s Journey. Read Joseph Campbell to learn about this.
Connecting With Laura Sandefer
Website: www.actonacademy.org/
Facebook: facebook.com/laura.sandefer
Twitter: twitter.com/LauraSandefer
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laura-sandefer-522261b9/
Free Gift
To receive a free copy of “Courage to Grow – How Acton Academy Turns Learning Upside Down,” mention this podcast in an email to Laura at lsandefer@actonmail.org
Education, Life's Calling, Parents' Advice
Co-founder of Acton Academy, Head of School in Austin, Insurance, Teaching/Teacher
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Expert Interview: Encore–The Single Most Important Thing Entrepreneurs Can Do for Future Success - Joel Solomon
Joel Solomon is the author of the book “The Clean Money Revolution: Reinventing Power, Purpose, and Capitalism.” He is the Chairman of Renewal Funds, a $98 million mission venture capital firm. He has invested in over 100 early growth-stage companies in North America, delivering above market returns while catalyzing positive social and environmental change.
What Is the Most Important Thing Entrepreneurs Can Do for Future Success?
“You can know all the mechanics and the necessities of business, but if you skip learning how to handle conflict, how to understand your own feelings, and how to be in relationships, you will likely wreak havoc. You might succeed financially, but you may die unhappy and leave a tainted legacy. Financial success and power can have big value, but there is much more to life than that. We must be successful as human beings.”
Why Is This Important?
“Money, finance and business so dominate the world that we need to be able to look at the bigger picture and understand that each of our actions—that we’re doing either consciously or unconsciously—creates our world. You’ve got to find inside yourself how to make choices with a clear heart and mind, choices that are actually making the world the way that you think is right and best. That is your contribution and reason for being alive on the planet.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Consciousness is a big word, but to me it just means paying attention and making choices. I am just a guy struggling to figure it out. We are choosing constantly, whether it is what words to say next, what products to buy, what to do with our life or how to deal with conflict. Life is a practice, and it actually needs to be practiced. These things we’re talking about, like learning inner skills, being a good human being, can and must be intentionally practiced in all we do.”
Connecting With Joel Solomon
Website: www.joelsolomon.org
Facebook: facebook.com/JoelSolomon.org/
Twitter: twitter.com/joelsolomon
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joel-solomon-a5a4b5/
Consciousness, Success
Advisor, Author, Investor
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Encore: A Book Fell Off a Shelf and Changed Her Path - Pamela Gold
Pamela Gold is a Yale University graduate, so she knows her way around books and learning. And it was a book that literally fell at her feet off a store shelf that set her on a different path in life, a Path with Heart.
Pamela Gold grew up on her family’s apple farm in upstate New York, graduated from Yale University, and then entered the business world in New York City where she was the point person on an IPO at the age of 24. Leaving the workforce to start a family, she co-founded West Village Parents and went on to pursue her passion for fitness and wellness. It was through this pursuit that she discovered yoga, which connected her love of philosophy, science, psychology, and wellness and eventually led her to discover her life’s work: teaching inner peace as the key to our greatest evolution and ultimately, world peace. She founded Gold Evolution and released her first book in 2017, “Find More Strength: 5 Pillars to Unlock Unlimited Power and Happiness.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was a kid, I always felt there was this ‘artistic-ness’ that I aspired to. I did not think I was particularly naturally talented in that area, but I enjoyed it and played with it. I taught myself to play piano. I never took a lesson, but I had played clarinet, so I could read music. I would just sit down at the piano for hours and practice. I certainly never became a great piano player—and definitely didn’t teach myself properly—but it was something I loved. I always loved how music made me feel.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A major thing happened when I went to a bookstore. Literally, a book fell off the shelf and landed at my feet. It was ‘A Path with Heart,’ by Jack Kornfield. People tell stories like this all the time, but this really happened! Kornfield is an amazing Buddhist teacher. I had not had any exposure to Buddhism or mantras, meditation or mindful breathing or loving kindness. But that book resonated so deeply with me that I knew I wanted more of it. Then I discovered Deepak Chopra. The seed that was dormant within me finally got some water, and it propelled me forward.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Don’t forget to breathe! Every breath you take in and let out creates space around whatever your problems are. Too often we get stuck because we feel we don’t have room to move. Remembering to breathe, we realize there is more spaciousness. When you feel you are between a rock and a hard place—that there is nowhere to go—just stop, sit still, and take five slow, deep breaths. Then, notice how you feel. Next time, try taking a few more slow, deep breaths. Notice how much better you feel.”
Steps to Success from Pamela Gold
1. Remember to breathe! Even the U.S. Navy SEALs use the calming practice called “box breathing.”
2. Be conscious of what you feed your body and your mind. Avoid “edible, food-like substance” and eat real food instead.
3. Open yourself to yoga, meditation or another path that helps you calm down and center yourself. Start simply and find what works for you.
On Her Bookshelf
A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life, by Jack Kornfield
Find More Strength: 5 Pillars to Unlock Unlimited Power and Happiness, by Pamela Paladino Gold
Connecting With Pamela Gold
Website: www.goldevolution.com
Facebook: facebook.com/pamelagold
Twitter: twitter.com/pamgold
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pamela-gold-ba525413/
Free Gift
Free morning meditation and free Four Keys to Peach Power Parenting Ebook.
Find them at: www.goldevolution.com
Fitness, Inner Peace, Wellness
Author, Teaching/Teacher, Wellness Advocate, Yoga Instructor
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Encore: From College to India, a Mindful Path to Law - Arnie Herz
Arnie knew he was heading to law school, but he took an indirect path that surprised everyone. A brush with his own mortality in college turned his life upside down and sent him on a global search for meaning that changed everything.
Arnie Herz is a lawyer, mediator and speaker. He has delivered over 100 programs and keynotes on topics related to the attorney-client relationship, negotiation, conflict resolution and work-life balance. His work has been covered in numerous publications and he has received a host of acknowledgements and awards from his colleagues.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“After graduating from college, I did something that made no sense to anyone I knew, something totally contrary to convention at the time. I bought a backpack and a one-way ticket to London. For much of the next four years I traveled around the world. I got involved in yoga and meditation, and made my way to India, where I eventually spent two-and-a-half years.” The experience dramatically affected his response to the intensity of law school.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Playing in an intramural basketball game during my junior year as an undergrad, I had congestive heart failure. Through sports I found tremendous solace and energy. I had channeled my restlessness for seeing the world through sports. In the hospital, they told me I would not be able to play competitive sports anymore. That turned my life upside down. It made me realize how precious life is, how at any moment everything can change. In that moment, I realized I needed to live my life for myself and not just go through the motions to please my parents, my friends or society. I had an obligation to go search for what I needed to find.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“For most people, their mind runs their lives. In meditation, you are able to have some control over your mind. When I went through law school I was four years older than most of the other students. With my experience with meditation and yoga, and my world experience, I felt virtually no anxiety. I could see everyone else was so anxious and worried about the tests, studying like crazy. I studied hard—I’ve always worked hard—but there was a certain perspective and calmness that I had, and I could see the benefits.”
Steps to Success from Arnie Herz
1. Be honest with yourself.
2. Start asking some bigger questions: Why am I here on this planet? What impact do I want to make? What is my purpose? What legacy do I want to leave?
3. As you begin your self-examination, start journaling, or working with a therapist or a friend.
4. Notice how you spend your time. Are you spending too much time on social media or watching TV?
5. Develop a daily practice of meditation, even if you only start with five minutes.
On His Bookshelf
The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values, by Robert M. Pirsig
The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield
Connecting With Arnie Herz
Website: http://arnieherz.com
Email: Arnie@arnieherz.com
Facebook: facebook.com/arnieherz
Twitter: twitter.com/arnieherz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/arnieherz/
Instincts, Mindfulness, Travel
Business Lawyer, Mediator, Speaker
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749:
Expert Interview: Forget About Keeping Up with the Joneses - Court Creeden
“We work so hard to make money, but then we allow all these outside forces and media and entertainment and society and friends to dictate what we’re going to do with it as opposed to just saying no. This is what I want to do with this dollar that I earned and I’m going to do something that is truly in line with the life I am saying I want to live and not worrying about anything else.”
Court Creeden has seen the impact of social media, societal pressures, and the need to keep up with “The Joneses” in working in finance for over a decade. This led him to write his book Blue Goat: The Life Changing Power of Being Yourself. Court now uses his background in finance, and love of personal connection to help people design a life they want to be living. He was recognized as one of the top 40 under 40 Business Leaders in Charlotte. He has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, MSN Money, Dow Jones, and has been a regular guest on Fox News for the segment “Money Mondays.”
Forget Keeping Up with the Joneses
“I’ve spent over 10 years sitting down with individuals and couples every single day and helping them with their finances. I saw a pattern early on that these talented, well-educated, and good people didn’t know what they didn’t know about planning for their futures. Most of us never take the time to figure out who we want to be in life and how we want our lives to go. We’re conditioned from a very young age to work really hard to get into a good college, to get a good job, get married, start a family, climb the corporate ladder and then retire in comfort at some point. Obviously it’s far, far more complicated than that idealized model.”
Why Is This Important?
“My goal in helping people create fulfilling and meaningful lives has always been through the lens of financial planning, and that begins with figuring out the end goal by answering three questions: What do we want to do? What do we want to have? What do we want to be? The key elements involve helping people get clarity on their budget, making sure they have a will in place, getting their legal documents done, have comprehensive insurance coverage, create a plan for college savings, and of course, a retirement asset allocation—these are the very basics that must be considered and handled thoroughly and evaluated on a regular basis.”
On His Bookshelf
Blue Goat: The Life Changing Power of Being Yourself, by Court Creeden
Connecting With Court Creeden
Website: www.bluegoatlife.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bluegoatlife
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/court-creeden
Instagram: court_creeden
Family Financial Planning, Financial Planning
Financial Advisor, Financial Planner
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748:
Musician and Composer Opens the Door to Entrepreneurship - Marie Incontrera
“What I thought would make me happy is quite different from what actually does make me happy in my career and life. In college, I thought I’ll never be happy unless I am a composer and a musician and that’s how I make my living full time. And I sacrificed a lot for many years to achieve that: living in a tiny New York studio apartment, with no space and only a bed, piano and stove. But as my life evolved I learned that I could be happy in ways I never imagined.”
Marie Incontrera is a speaker, marketing consultant, author, avant-garde musician and fitness enthusiast. Her consulting services include: social media and online branding services for individuals and small businesses, media bookings, and book launch services. Her speaker clients have booked TEDx conferences across the country. Her media clients have been booked on popular podcasts and radio stations such as The World’s Most Amazing People, Entrepreneur On Fire, and more. She is the author of the Amazon best seller, “Social Your Book Launch,” and is a two-time TEDx speaker. When she’s not working, she can be found playing the piano, or on the roller derby track.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“At Brooklyn College I learned how to compose music and wrote a lot of opera, chamber music and orchestral music. Then I got involved in the New York Youth Symphony composition program. One of my early mentors, Derek Bermel, a highly regarded composer in New York, helped me foster my talent and open the door to performance opportunities outside of academia, while I was still very young.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“While I had some great experiences, worked with some remarkable people and achieved a lot of success at a young age, professional music does not always pay the bills! To make ends meet I took on all kinds of odd jobs—grant writing, teaching private lessons, and doing social media and public relations for our band. One day a friend of mine who was in business said, ‘You are really good doing all these various roles for your own band. Why don’t you try being a virtual assistant for other organizations?’ So, I did. Pretty quickly clients began coming to me for these services I was doing for myself, and my virtual assistant business became a thriving consulting business.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“What I thought would make me happy is quite different from what actually does make me happy in my career and life. In college, I thought I’ll never be happy unless I’m a composer and a musician and that’s how I make my living full time. And I sacrificed a lot for many years to achieve that: living in a tiny New York studio apartment, with no space and only a bed, piano and stove. But as my life evolved I learned that I could be happy in ways I never imagined.”
Steps to Success from Marie Incontrera
- Be open to all of life’s possibilities because you never know what other dimensions of your talents and skills might find expression in the world.
- You never know who can help you next, who’s going to open another door for you.
- Be willing to give it a try, whatever the opportunity, you can always back out of it later!
On Her Bookshelf
Social Your Book Launch, by Marie Incontrera
https://www.amazon.com/Social-Your-Launch-Marie-Incontrera-ebook/dp/B07BQP46J2
Connecting With Marie Incontrera
Website: https://www.incontrera.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marie.incontrera
Twitter: @avanteverything
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/marie-incontrera-0b84219/
Instagram: avantharde7530
Addiction
Author, Speaker
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747:
An Immigrant “Dreamer” Is Living His American Dream - Diego Corzo
“One of the things I’m working on now is teaching millennials. I feel that once people hear my story, I’ve gotten a lot of American friends and also dreamers like myself who tell me, ‘Hey Diego, I want to learn what you are doing because if you can do it as an undocumented immigrant, I can also do that as an American.’ So I’m working on those projects where I can help other people achieve their own version of the American dream.”
Diego Corzo is a 28-year-old entrepreneur, born in Peru and now living in Austin, TX. He started working in corporate America and soon discovered that he was destined for more. After realizing that corporate life was not for him, he pursued a career in real estate. Now, he is a realtor for Keller Williams alongside an incredible team, and currently owns 12 rental properties. Diego is on a path to financial freedom and aspires to help others, especially millennials, become financially free and reach their full potential.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Having moved to the U.S. with his parents when he was nine, “I found out at 16 that I could not get my driver’s license because I was an undocumented immigrant. I decided that if my lack of documents was going to be an obstacle to accomplishing my life and career goals, I would put all of my efforts into my education in the hope that I would get recognized enough to have a good life and achieve the American Dream. So, I graduated number three in my class with an International High School Diploma and went on to graduate in the top 1% of my class at Florida State University.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In 2012 President Obama passed an executive order called DACA: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This program allows so called ‘dreamers’ like me, who came to the United States with their parents, to apply for a work permit, get a driver’s license and have social security. Undocumented immigrants can create a company, so this is how I was able to pay my way through college as a contractor doing websites for other small businesses or nonprofits. I was fortunate to graduate in the top 1% of my class at Florida State University, with two bachelor degrees, in less than 4 years, without any financial debt.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I learned the power of hard work at a very young age from both my parents and my grandparents. My mother worked her way up to being a branch manager of a bank and my father had the tenacity to start a couple of businesses. Both of my grandfathers had started their own businesses as well. This powerful work ethic served me well throughout my education from high school, where my mathematic skills helped me to excel, through university at FSU where I earned two degrees in 4 years, and into my entrepreneurial career now as real estate broker and investor.”
Steps to Success from Diego Corzo
1. First, master your personal finances. You have to absolutely know your financial status so that you can make vital decisions based on a solid financial base.
2. Invest in your personal growth and development from an early age from the myriad sources available today: books, seminars, podcasts, etc.
3. Find mentors or influential people in the occupations or professions you are interested in, and pick their brains to learn from their insights and experiences.
4. Never hesitate to step outside of your comfort zone, to explore the endless opportunities and options available to you.
On His Bookshelf
Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki
Connecting With Diego Corzo
Website: https://www.diegocorzo.com and https://www.HouseHackingClub.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diego.corzo
Twitter: @diegocorzo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diegocorzo/
Instagram: @corzo.diego
Free Gift
Diego’s free e-book is available now at https://www.HouseHackingClub.com.
Hard Work, Immigration, Passive Income
Real Estate Investment
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746:
Expert Interview: Overcoming Fear and Employing Courage - Melanie Curtis
“I really believe everything has positive value. So even when I cannot see it in a painful time, there is a faith and a belief that I know there is some benefits and positivity there for me. It is just up to me to keep looking and find the nugget that’s going to help me grow forward. So, everything for me is be brave, rest, repeat, which implies we don’t always have to be out there slugging it out with courage.”
Melanie Curtis is the life coach for people who don’t like life coaches. She went from investment banking to professional skydiving to life coaching. Now she helps people overcome fear while actually making the torture of that growth fun and funny. Working with Melanie is not for the faint of heart, but the skills you learn change everything.
Overcoming Fear and Employing Courage
“This topic helps people who have an overdeveloped skill set of externally achieving. So the overachievers of the world, the perfectionists—and I was one myself—we are typically without the emotional skill set to help us with the feelings we feel when we come face to face with life’s many challenges. Without those emotional skills to deal with our feelings, we are stopped in terms of how much we can create, how much we can connect, how much we can lead.”
Why Is This Important?
“There are myriad fears that individuals are facing in today’s increasingly stressed and complex world. One of those is the fear of not being good enough. And that’s where the overachieving and perfectionism come from—to compensate for the lack of self-acceptance. Another one that I see more and more these days with social media and our digital lives is disconnection. As human beings, we are wired to connect, to love, and share love and to build really deep, rich and meaningful relationships. If we are not doing that, not making the effort to truly connect with others, we tend to sink into a state of being unfulfilled and believe we will be forever alone.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“I would invite people to start looking at their mindsets and the feelings that underlie them. Our feelings are our cues for what we are thinking. Even the emotions that we often describe as negative—fear, anxiety, sadness—are useful and valuable in guiding us to what we are thinking. Then from there we can decide and determine our actions, whether we make a change in our lives, do something differently or just lean into self-acceptance or whatever it is we might need.”
Connecting With Melanie Curtis
Your website: http://melaniecurtis.com/
Your Facebook: facebook.com/melanie.curtis.37/
Your Twitter: twitter.com/11melaniecurtis/
Your LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melanie-curtis-74ab3540/
Your Instagram: instagram.com/melaniecurtis11/
Free Gift
Save $50 off a Life Coaching Sample Session for Discover Your Talent Podcast listeners.
If you’ve tried everything you normally do, and it’s still not working… let’s talk.
* One 1-hour phone or Zoom video session with Mel.
* A full week of unlimited email and text conversation with Mel.
* A surge of clarity and motivation from one conversation.
* Insight into what’s holding YOU back, so you can actually move forward with confidence.
* Support and accountability to get you through the challenging start of making real change.
* Experience coaching with Mel first-hand, get all your questions answered, and see if this work is right for you.
* Leave this call with achievable goals for the week and a plan for accountability to get you really going in your new direction.
Fear, Overachievers
Investment Banker, Life Coach, Skydiving
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745:
Living Her Best Life, Honors Her Lost Daughter - Virginia Brown
“I don’t want to lose my life just because Kirby lost hers…so I say to people all the time, ‘We cannot bury ourselves with our children. We have to live the best we can.’ And I feel that I want to live with her passion for life, my sense of purpose and her ability to experience incredible joy. That is what I’m supposed to be doing, living with this purpose, passion and joy and trying to help others see that it is possible even though it’s hard.”
Virginia Brown, LCSW, is a therapist in private practice serving individuals and families addressing healthy family dynamics. She has written and delivered psycho-educational programs for various agencies in the New York tri-state area. Following the death of her daughter at a self-help retreat in 2009, she founded SEEK SAFELY Inc., a 501©3 charity to educate the public about self-help and promote safe and ethical practices in the self-help industry. As a result of this tragedy that created international coverage, she has been involved in numerous interviews and media productions in the US and UK. She gives seminars and workshops teaching self-empowerment.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I have been blessed to experience a lot of ‘sweet spots’ in the course of my life where I could use my talents. I felt that way when I was home with young kids, trying to juggle family and money and figure out what worked and what didn’t work; also during my work with the Archdiocese of New York, where I set up a dispute resolution center and then in Orange County where I created a curriculum for parents whose children had been removed because of neglect and then a program for adolescents on probation.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My daughter, Kirby, was highly creative and a life-long adventurer, always trying to improve her life and grow. She lived in Baja, Mexico, where she had a decorative painting business, surfed the big waves, hiked mountains and rode horses. In October of 2009 she went to a self-help retreat run by James Arthur Ray, and at the culminating event of that retreat—a sweat lodge activity—three people, including Kirby died. I founded Seek Safely, Inc., to help educate the public about the self-help industry and to promote safe and ethical practices.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My dear mother-in-law said to me early on—whatever happens today you need to learn from it, because you are going to need that knowledge for tomorrow. And that is so true. We also need to be quiet and pay attention to our inner voice whether it is through meditation or what I do, which is connecting to nature: pay attention to the sunrises and sunsets, give yourself a chance to look at the beauty in the world and let it resonate within you so that you can develop the gratitude that whatever is going wrong, and no matter how difficult things may be, there is endless good and beauty to empower us.”
Steps to Success from Virginia Brown
1. Own your best self. We spend far too much of our time and energy looking outside of ourselves searching for recognition or money or power.
2. When you understand who you are, then reflect on what you have to offer that can make the world a better place.
3. Continuously learn and listen to those that have knowledge and wisdom to share with you.
4. Understand that change doesn’t happen immediately. Much self-awareness must take place for people to make changes they can sustain throughout their life.
Connecting With Virginia Brown
Your website: http://www.seeksafely.org/
Your Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SEEKSafely/
Your Twitter: https://twitter.com/seeksafely
Dealing with Death of a Child
Developmental
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744:
From Natural Bodybuilding Champion to Natural Nutrition Pioneer - Wade Lightheart
“When I went on my own into the vegetarian world, I had enough background that I wanted to experiment and do something that had not been done. So that is when I took my knowledge and said, ‘You know what? I’m going to try something.’ I think the other thing is the willingness to fail. To be okay to try something and if it doesn’t work out the way you anticipate, you can almost always extract information from that.”
Three-Time Canadian Natural Bodybuilding Champion, Wade Lightheart, is one of the world’s premier authorities on Natural Nutrition and Training Methods. Having majored in Sports Science at the University of New Brunswick, he has authored numerous books on health, nutrition and exercise, which have sold in over 80 countries. Wade is sought out by athletes and high-performance oriented individuals worldwide for his advice on how to optimize their health and fitness levels.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I lost a New Brunswick bodybuilding championship in a very close decision. I was very frustrated, and I committed to double down and do whatever it took to win the show the next year, no matter what. I trained relentlessly, while working three part-time jobs because I needed the money to support my training and my nutrition requirements. I also started coaching people. I worked harder, longer, stayed focused and at the end of the year I won the contest. A year later I went to my first national championship, got a sponsorship from a nutrition company, and it was up and up after that.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Three major events happened in my life when I was 15 years old. First, my family moved to an extremely rural location, five miles from our nearest neighbor, and I was separated from my friends and community. Then, my older sister was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Next, out of the blue, my sister gave me a magazine on bodybuilding. These events led me to start exploring natural health modalities for my sister’s health, which is the field I am thriving in many years later, and I built a gym in our barn and set out on a path of becoming a bodybuilder, which has also been an essential part of my life journey.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve always been highly curious and a voracious reader and those traits have allowed me to view the world through the lenses of the great thinkers and philosophers throughout history. The educational system was always a disappointment to me so, starting in the 3rd grade, I got into Greek mythology. And as I progressed, I got into science and sociology and psychology—all on my own. This innate curiosity and frankly, confidence to trust my own instincts that was instilled in me by my parents, has had a powerful impact on my life and career in every way.”
Steps to Success from Wade Lightheart
1. Broaden your perspective early on. Read the writings and biographies of the world’s great thinkers and philosophers to see your world through different lenses.
2. Seek out the 3 to 5 experts in the field you are fascinated by and learn from them. Meet them when you are able. Most are happy to share their wisdom.
3. Be prepared to work tirelessly to achieve your goals with determination, resilience and courage.
4. Don’t be afraid of failing. Be willing to experiment, explore and try something new. If it doesn’t work out the way you anticipate, you can always extract useful information from the experience.
Connecting With Wade Lightheart
Website: https://bioptimizers.com/wade/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wade.lightheart
Free Gift
If you want better health, go to https://bioptimizers.com/DYT and you will be able to access Wade Lightheart’s course. It has a value of $6,000, although he usually charges $300. You will get the course, on a series of videos, for free. After taking the course, you can contact Wade through biOptimizers.com.
Bodybuilder, Bodybuilding and Nutrition, Natural health
Bodybuilder, Coach, Trainer
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743:
Expert Interview: Train the Brain for an Exceptional Life - John Mitchell
“It makes sense that if you are feeding to yourself every day, with immense clarity and intention, exactly the person you want to be, exactly what you want to accomplish, and precisely how you’re going to achieve your clearly-defined goals and you’re feeding that to yourself every day….of course it is going to impact your daily thoughts and actions.”
John Mitchell’s 12-minute a-day technique is recognized today as the “Top Practical Application in the World” of the legendary book “Think & Grow Rich.” Applying the central concept to his own life caused his annual income to go up from the low six figures to over $5 million a year. Today the differentiator between the mega-successful and the moderately successful is control of self and focus. John’s technique gives that to you. He currently teaches his 12-minutes-a-day technique at the University of Texas at Austin, with one of the top rated business schools in the country, and works with entrepreneurs tired of making 6 figures a year, who want to make over $1 million a year.
Train the Brain for an Exceptional Life
Today, the differentiator between the moderately successful and the mega successful is control of oneself and focus.
Why Is This Important?
“If you ask the question, what does it take to create a successful life, the majority of people would answer hard work. Well, hard work just does not work. The reason that less than one-third of one percent of people in this country make over a million dollars a year is that they do not understand a few basic, science-based principles that drive our performance and success.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
1. At the end of the day what determines your success and achievement in life is your daily thoughts and actions, not just about your career but about your health, your relationships, and your spirituality.
2. If you are feeding to yourself every day, with immense clarity and intention, exactly the person you want to be, exactly what you want to accomplish, and precisely how you are going to achieve your clearly defined goals, it is going to profoundly impact your life and career.
Connecting With John Mitchell
Website: https://www.thinkitbeit.net
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mitchell-76483654/
Focus, Success
Entrepreneur, Professor
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742:
After Addiction and Recovery, Writing Saved His Life - Thomas M. Hewlett
“In rehab my head counselor asked, ‘Well, you have a second chance at life. You’ve chosen to stick around. What’s the one thing that you’ve always wanted to do and never did and now that you have a chance to do it, what is it?’ I didn’t even hesitate, I said, ‘Write a book. I want to write and finish a book.’ So he just gave me a level stare and he’s like ‘Okay, when we are done here, you’re going to go to the cafeteria and you can start writing.’ I had a blank notebook and I did exactly what he told me to do.”
Thomas M. Hewlett grew up in Los Angeles reading science fiction, fantasy, and all things paranormal. His plan was always to be a writer, but he strayed from the path and into drugs and alcohol addiction. In 2011, he hit rock bottom and ended up in rehab. At his lowest point, he rediscovered the power of writing and started his first novel, “One Death at a Time,” a combination of his experiences of addiction/recovery with his love of modern fantasy and noir mystery. Writing saved Thomas’s life and became his way of telling a new story about himself.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Inspired by my middle school teacher, I started writing short stories. I had all these ideas floating around and I just decided to start putting them down with no idea where I was headed. Some were just a few pages, but it was just me exploring the world of writing from a very naïve and free standpoint. My teacher gave me some really good feedback and encouragement and he was very honest, too. When my writing wasn’t clear, he would ask me to clarify—this is good, this is not. This was very helpful to my development as a writer.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In middle school I had a teacher who opened me up to a bigger world. He was very unconventional and did not teach like traditional teachers. He opened every class with free form writing. He would say, “You are going to write for five minutes.” When I asked what do we write about, he replied, ‘I don’t know, I don’t care, just write.’ This was completely new—and the feedback and encouragement to be as creative and intuitive as I wanted to be laid the groundwork for my own intellectual growth.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The good news about getting my English degree from Columbia University is that it is an old and traditional school with a long standing core curriculum. They take you from the writings of the ancient Greeks through post-war literature and beyond. What I found is that I was being trained how to learn for the first time in my life, which was extremely helpful to me and probably the single most important lesson I took away from my time there.”
Steps to Success from Thomas M. Hewlett
1. Take responsibility for your own education and career choices early on. Don’t get locked into other people’s systems and ideas about you.
2. Seek out people who are already a few steps ahead of you on their journey. Learn from them.
3. Tune into yourself and try to figure out what it is you have to contribute that is satisfying to you.
4. Start looking at work as a spiritual journey. I’m not talking about religion, but about how to connect yourself to the universe, to get close to who you are and how you can grow as a person.
On His Bookshelf
One Death at a Time, by Thomas M. Hewlett
Darkness of the Spirit, by Thomas M. Hewlett
A Devil of Your Own, by Thomas M. Hewlett
Connecting With Thomas M. Hewlett
Website: https://www.twelvestakes.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006001963478
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twelvestakes/
Addiction, Writer's Life
Author
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741:
Imagining the Possibilities in Stories - Angela Ferrari
“One agent was asked why on a particular story she passed on a story. She said sometimes she’ll pass if she doesn’t like a character’s first name. I was just blown away, just couldn’t believe it. I knew that traditional publishing at this time of my life was not going to be the way to get my stories out in the world. I knew I had to find another way, and that is what I did.”
Angela Ferrari is a painter, children’s book author/illustrator and podcaster based in Portland Maine. Her picture book titles include: “Digger’s Daily Routine,” “An Extraordinary Book,” “The Shape Escape,” “What Do You See?” and “Lawrence the Lighthouse.” Most recently Angela has launched “Story Spectacular,” a children’s story podcast. The show features original stories and classic retellings.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“A family friend, an author, reached out to me and asked if I would illustrate a book he was working on. I fell in love with the process of creating stories and learned all the ins and outs on what it really takes, including the not-so-glamorous side of writing a children’s book. That gave me a lot of direction. Even though it was really a very challenging path, I decided I wanted to go down that path.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I got into a program called Assets for Artists. They would teach artists personal finance in business. It was basically a bootcamp to help artists make a living with their art. They also did a match savings program, so we had savings goals in a custodial account and they would match our savings so we could invest that into our business. In conjunction with working with a local author, the Assets for Artists Program helped me focus and start thinking more as an entrepreneur.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I learned from my dad how to combine work and play. He worked 5 days a week as a carpenter on very labor-intensive building and construction jobs. When he came home he still had a ton of chores and projects to do, and he’d always include me and my two younger brothers. We would spend hours stacking the wood that he had split with his big axe and we’d groove out to classic rock music. Now I look back and realize how we got into that feeling of flow, that meditative state of contentment where you shut off your thinking mind and simply are in the now doing the task at hand. I use those same principles today and can find contentment doing any hard task or long grueling project.”
Steps to Success from Angela Ferrari
1. We’ve been conditioned to think you must choose between success or happiness. That’s a myth and a mindset you can break out of.
2. To find your true passion or calling, revisit your childhood. Look through your old toys or photo albums. Reflect on the things you did that gave you the most pleasure.
3. There are countless tools and resources around you today. Whether it’s the counselors at your college or university or friends and acquaintances that can share their experiences and insights with you, stay open to those opportunities.
4. Every profession or occupation has principles and practices that separate the top performing individuals from everyone else. Learn those things through courses, such as I did through the Assets for Artists course I took after college. That was a pivotal experience for me.
Connecting With Angela Ferrari
Your website: http://storyspectacular.com/
Your Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StorySpectacular/
Your Twitter: https://twitter.com/storytacular
Your LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-ferrari-13690a132/
Your Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storytacular/Free Gift
Free newsletter and ebook of Angela Ferrari’s book “Diggers Daily Routine.”
Go to https://www.storyspectacular.com/shop and a pop-up message will allow you to take advantage of this offer.Blog resource for aspiring children’s authors that is everything Angela wished she had known when she got started. https://ChildrensBookWritersGuide.com
Difficulty of selecting career, Self-publishing
Artist, Author, Illustrator, Podcaster, Storyteller
December 2018:
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740:
Expert Interview: Five Ways to Find Clarity, Confidence and Satisfaction in Your Career - Eric B. Horn
“On November 24, 2008, the Monday before Thanksgiving, I got let go. Initially I thought it was a curse, but it was a blessing because during that time I looked at the overall reason I got downsized….not just to reflect and say it wasn’t ‘quote’ my fault ‘unquote,’ and I can pick myself back up. I gained a lot more clarity, not only of what I was doing in my career but what I wanted to do in the future.”
Eric B. Horn is the Founder of Eric B. Horn Career & Business Solutions, LLC, which is a career and business development firm that provides coaching, consulting, and training for ambitious professionals to equip them with marketplace savvy to accomplish their goals and dreams. He is a four-time author, speaker, trainer, and business strategist with a unique passion for helping entrepreneurs create a signature product or experience to gain more visibility, influence, and income for their business.
Five Ways to Find Clarity, Confidence and Satisfaction in Your Career
There is a time in everyone’s career, maybe several times, when you want to get to the next level, you want to change jobs, you may question whether you should stay on the same career path or not, or even just want to be able to say you get something in return for your work besides a paycheck. Eric Horn shares with Don Hutcheson his initial principles in ways to find clarity, confidence and satisfaction in your career.
Why Is This Important?
“At a particular point this is something that everyone–whether you are an entry level professional, in your mid-career or even an executive–can relate to because there is always some sort of additional clarity you need to get to your next level or just to say ‘I enjoy my career.’”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“In my experience these are the five ways to find clarity, confidence and satisfaction in your career.”
1. Peel back the layers:
What was the core event or events that started you to drift in your career? A job loss, being overlooked for a promotion?2. Identify your core principles:
The things that are important to you will be your drivers throughout your career.3. What are the building blocks to your success?
Refining certain skills or relationships are often key.4. Identify new habits, behaviors and disciplines:
What are the key things that will help push you to clarity?5. Execute your new normal:
You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable before you can get to the next level of your life and career.Books on The Topic
Connecting With Eric B. Horn
Website: https://www.ericbhorn.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericbrandonhorn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EricBHorn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericbhorn
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EricBHornCareer Development, Self-confidence
Author, Business Owner, Speaker, Strategist, Trainer
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739:
Be Yourself. There Is Only One You - Jay Lucas
“I remember being 8 years old and going across the lawn to the town library. They had a particular reading room there for kids and in that room were a number of biographies of people like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson. That reading room was a very formative place for me. I got to see what these great leaders had done in their lifetimes and it created an imprint on me and the kinds of things that can be achieved.”
Jay Lucas—accomplished businessman, author, leader and philanthropist—believes in the power of positivity, patriotism, and community engagement. Jay is actively spreading his message through his bestselling book “American Sunshine: Rays of Hope and Opportunity.” He served as an elected State Representative while still in college at Yale. He then earned his MBA from Harvard Business School, and his Law degree from Harvard Law School. He is now the Chairman and Managing Partner of The Lucas Group, focusing on the specialized needs of private equity investors and their portfolio companies.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I jumped full force into politics in the spring of my sophomore year at Yale, at the age of 19, when there was an opportunity to run for office as a delegate in the New Hampshire legislature. I wrote over a thousand hand-written letters and knocked on hundreds of doors. I won and went to the constitutional convention that was held once every ten years in the state. I was on the bill of rights committee and got to meet state senators, members of the House of Representatives and judges. This experience gave me the confidence to believe that I can do more of this!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“St. Paul’s School is one of the very elite prep schools on the East Coast. Every summer they host an Advanced Studies Program for six weeks, to which they invite roughly 180 public school students from around New Hampshire who are at the top of their class. I was fortunate to be selected. The program is run by teachers and interns from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth and other top schools. I decided to put my heart and soul into those six weeks and ended up at the top of my class. It was easily the most decisive moment in my entire academic career. The intern who had the greatest influence on me had studied at Oxford and Yale and, as a result of that relationship, I ended up at Yale.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Before starting law school my brother and I got entrepreneurial. We started a small business where we sold electronic equipment: wide-screened TVs, videos, et cetera. This brief experience piqued my interest in the world of business. Where before I had been going straight down the narrow path to law school, I opened myself up to the entrepreneurial side of the world. I decided to pursue a joint MBA and law degree. Harvard structures it as a joint 4-year program broken up between law school and business school courses. I took the business school year first and worked that first summer at Bain and Company. After graduating I joined Bain full time and stayed on for 9 years, becoming partner during their most dramatic period of growth.”
Steps to Success from Jay Lucas
1. Work in some sort of a structured environment where you can learn the basic principles and practices of the occupation or profession from the masters.
2. Be yourself because there is really only one you. Each of us is blessed with unique talents and qualities and it’s our responsibility to work with them to our full potential.
3. I also follow an idea I call Modern Patriotism:
- Believe in the basic fundamental human values that created America such as fairness and freedom of speech and religion.
- Achieve to your fullest potential based on your talents and these core values.
- Share the wisdom and experiences from your life with others. And in the process you will experience what I call earned success.
Connecting With Jay Lucas
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jay.lucas.9484
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin/in/jay-lucas-7423975/
Book: https://www.amazon.com/American-Sunshine-Rays-Hope-Opportunity-ebook/dp/B07BZYPKC7
Author, Business Leader, Philanthropist
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738:
Buy Homes, Not Shoes—Empowering, Educating and Supporting Women - Tamara Celeste
“Because when I left Wall Street that day, my mantra, after I talked with my friend, David, on the trading floor was…. I never want to live with regrets. I have to do this. No matter what happens I never want to look back and say, gosh, I wonder what would’ve happened if I did that.”
Tamara Celeste is a lawyer, real estate broker, entrepreneur, author, speaker and coach. She wrote her book, “Buy Homes Not Shoes (or other stuff), A First-Time Homebuyer’s Guide for Women,” to empower, educate, and support women in their quest to purchase real estate, thus enabling them to build wealth and increase their net worth so that it has a positive financial impact on their lives. Tamara considers herself both mentor and mentee. She believes that you should always give of yourself and at the same time continue to push yourself and never stop learning.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I’m six feet tall and wear a size 12 shoe, so it was always hard for me to find shoes that fit. When I realized that Wall Street was no longer where I wanted to spend the rest of my career, I came up with the idea of launching a footwear line for women like me who had larger than average feet. I researched the niche extensively, wrote a business plan, financed most of it myself and got a small business loan. Then I found a talented designer, and found an agent in New York who worked with Brazilian factories. I traveled all over the country taking our brand to the different shoe shows. I loved it!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I finally came to terms with the fact that Wall Street was not what I was meant to do. I took all kinds of tests and talked to several coaches and just kept searching for the answer. Then one day I was talking to my friend, David, and I asked if he had always wanted to work on Wall Street. He said, no, he’d always had his heart set on being a musician, but he had kids and a family and decided that this was it for him. At that moment I realized that I did not want this to be it for me!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I was blessed to have a childhood where there was always family around—grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It was amazing because there was so much love and so much connection. When I look back on my life, my confidence and everything I am today I can attribute to my family who were always there for me, always supportive, and continue to be.”
Steps to Success from Tamara Celeste
1. Family and friends want the best for you, but they are only one source of feedback. Reach out to others in industries or professions that interest you—pick their brains about their experiences in their field. People love to share.
2. Do not be afraid to change course if you find yourself mired in work that is not fulfilling. Do your homework regarding other opportunities.
3. You never want to look back on your life and say to yourself: “I wonder what would have happened if I had done that instead.” Do it!
Connecting With Tamara Celeste
Website: https://www.tamaraceleste.com
Free Gift
Free ebook download of “Buy Homes, Not Shoes” for our podcast listeners, written by Tamara Celeste. Check out Buy Homes DYT: https://tamaraceleste.com/dyt
Family Influence, Multi Careers, Power to Choose, Women
Author, Coach, Entrepreneur, Lawyer, Real Estate, Speaker
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737:
Expert Interview: How to Change Our Mindset - Ana Melikian, PhD
“Another way we like to see mindsets is like the glasses we look at the world through. We are not aware that we are wearing the glasses. We are not aware of the frames because….they become like a part of us and we forget we are wearing them.”
Ana Melikian has a PhD in psychology and is CEO of AMAZE Coaching. She is host of the Mindset Zone podcast and has an active YouTube Channel. She specializes in helping business owners implement their big vision.
How to Change Our Mindset
“Our mindset is the collection of thoughts and beliefs that shape the way we see the world. It’s like a pair of glasses, if you will, that we see the world through. We are not aware that we are wearing the glasses because we are so used to them, because they have become an integral part of us and, importantly, how we interpret our day-to-day world.”
Why Is This Important?
“To continue the glasses metaphor, most of the time we are wearing either a growth mindset type of glasses or we are wearing a fixed mindset type of glasses. Some people have a very rigid way of seeing the world and sometimes that can serve them well. But when faced with change and obstacles they often find it quite difficult to adapt. People with the growth mindset believe that when things change and new obstacles come their way, they can change and adapt.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“It’s not easy, but it’s totally possible to change how we see the world and the way we act in the world. By doing that, we create more of a growth mindset that is more flexible and resilient to life’s many challenges. We know from neuropsychology that certain pathways in our brain fire a certain way, and that is our tendency. If we want to change, that requires a conscious effort of thinking, acting and implementing. When we get distracted and go back to our old ways, we have to learn to be forgiving, to be gentle with ourselves. This is just part of the process and by persisting, having support, we can actually create a new habit. It takes time, but the end result is worth it.”
Connecting With Ana Melikian, PhD
Website: https://anamelikian.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AnaMelikian
Twitter: twitter.com/AnaMelikian
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/AnaMelikian
Instagram: instagram.com/AnaMelikian/
Mindset
Entrepreneur, Executive Coach
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736:
From the Bottom of the Corporate Ladder to the Top of the Mountain - Michael Giannulis
“One of the things I tell people is look at your hobbies, look at your interests, because passion is nothing more than a hobby set on fire. Gravitate towards that, either with a job or, if that doesn’t exist, start your own…. It just depends on where you are at in your life and what your skill sets are.”
Michael Giannulis’ story began in an average family where he had to work for everything he had. He dropped out of high school, went back to get his diploma and finally went to college. As a guy who started his working life stocking shelves at Walmart, he has seen the spectrum. Now Mike grows and scales companies using real-world experience to make this happen. In 2012 he appeared on the ABC television show, Extreme Weight Loss, and lost 255 pounds over one year. He has gone from the bottom of the corporate ladder to the top of the mountain and loves helping others do the same.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In the spare time I had managing the retail store, I began to learn more about the Internet—how people were selling products and services online, how to write ads, and I decided to build my first blog, called Mike.com, where I began posting. A friend’s mother was doing direct response work online. She read my work, liked it a lot and offered me a chance to do copywriting and customer service for a course she had just launched to help people start their own Internet business. She mentored me and I learned all the basics of how to build a marketing funnel, how to write the best ads, how to address the unique needs and wants of various market segments—the foundation of the work I do today.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had a series of odd jobs during my early twenties as I tried to figure out my path, and was working an overnight job at Walmart, stocking the shelves, just making ends meet. Out of the blue, my mom took out a loan against her house and decided to purchase a new cell phone franchise that became available in our area. This was January, 2006. That was when it all kind of started for me, going from ground zero to managing this new retail store, learning the basics of how to deal with a small staff and managing the operation.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My grandparents bought extra property around their house in Tarpon Springs, Florida, so that their children could build their own houses right there. So I grew up with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters and cousins all pretty much on one street. This close proximity to most of my relatives prepared me for learning how to communicate and deal with different types of people, which has been a great gift on so many levels of my life.”
Steps to Success from Michael Giannulis
1. Life is short and you really need to take advantage of the time you have.
2. Passion is a hobby set on fire. Look at your hobbies, how you spend your free time, what fascinates you. Then ask yourself, is there some service or product that focuses on this passion that doesn’t exist that I might create or if it does exist, that I can get behind and work in.
3. Of course, depending on your age and stage of life and responsibilities, you have got to make a plan and set realistic goals.
On His Bookshelf
The Brilliance Breakthrough, by Eugene Schwartz
12 Rules for Life, Jordan Peterson
Scaling Up, by Verne Harnish
Connecting With Michael Giannulis
Website: https://OnlyOneMike.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/mikegiannulis
Twitter: Twitter.com/mikegiannulis
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/mikegiannulis/
Instagram: instagram.com/mikegiannulis
Free Gift
Download your free copy of “How To Obliterate The Blank Page” from Mike Giannulis.
Passion
Business Coach, Digital Marketing, Entrepreneur, Retail
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735:
Navigating Your Next Step from the Inside Out - Emily Marquis
“A job is not necessarily forever. If you think you want to do something and you have an opportunity in front of you, go try it. And if in one year down the road you realize it is negatively impacting how you feel or who you are or some other opportunity comes your way, go ahead and try that or find fulfillment outside of work. I just want people to be able to connect to themselves.”
Emily Marquis is a Career & Life Coach, Celebrant and Yoga Instructor. She has been coaching clients since 2011 and has a previous background in Human Resources and recruitment. Emily works with each client uniquely by helping them identify their core values and celebrate strengths to use as a compass for their career path. She also helps clients find balance and time management skills with a mindfulness philosophy.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“As soon as I moved to Lake Tahoe I was hired for a human resources position at a ski resort. For 4 years I thrived in various roles finally becoming HR director at a local hotel. I was fortunate to be given the authority to shape culture, create different programs and policies to make things better. I became an agent of change and was given the support to create environments that made people want to come work there. I loved the work!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was in business school at the University of Vermont and applied for an internship at Burton Snowboards, a highly regarded company. I had switched my focus from accounting, which was not my thing at all, to human resources and social psychology, which fascinated me. With absolutely zero experience on my part, the HR manager decided I would be a good fit for an internship in HR working directly with him. It was an amazing opportunity and a huge catalyst for my professional career.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“During our entire childhood we are shaped and influenced by our family of origin, our friends, our schools, even the local community with their own expectations, values and beliefs. All of it is well-meaning, of course, but it distances you from who you really are, who you have been since you were born. And it often makes the decisions you are faced with during your teenage years that much more difficult. You have known who you are since birth but trying to get back to that place, back to yourself, takes a massive amount of work.”
Steps to Success from Emily Marquis
1. Realize that finding your ideal career is often a lifetime project.
2. If you are just starting out, take the pressure off yourself and do not think you have to figure it all out right now.
3. You do not have to take the first job that comes your way right after you graduate college or university however prestigious or lucrative it is.
4. Do whatever you can to connect with yourself: volunteer, start journaling, travel, or cultivate a hobby or passion in your free time.
5. Be open to opportunities that present themselves to you, even from the most unexpected places.
Connecting With Emily Marquis
Website: www.emilymarquis.com
Facebook: facebook.com/officialemilymarquis/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilymarquisCO
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/emilymarquisco/
Instagram: instagram.com/emily_marquis_celebrates/
Finding Self, Values
Career Coach, Human Resourses/HR, Life Coach, Time Management, Yoga Instructor
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734:
Expert Interview: How to Create Connection in the Age of Isolation - Dan Schawbel
“Attention is such a vital thing in our society and in the workplace. Giving people attention, recognizing them, being fully present in the moment…is so critical to establishing relationships, to be taken seriously, to have people reciprocate.”
Dan Schawbel is a New York Times bestselling author, Partner and Research Director at Future Workplace, and the Founder of both Millennial Branding and WorkplaceTrends.com. He is the bestselling author of two career books: “Promote Yourself” and “Me 2.0.” Dan’s third book, “Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation,” was published by Hachette on November 13, 2018. He has been recognized on several lists including Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30,” Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30,” Business Insider’s “40 Under 40,” BusinessWeek’s “20 Entrepreneurs You Should Follow,” and as one of Workforce Magazine’s “Game Changers.”
How to Create Connection in the Age of Isolation
“Excellent technology has made it easier to connect than ever before. Yet, at the same time we feel more isolated from each other and lonely from the overuse and misuse of it. What happens in the workplace is that when people feel isolated they are far less engaged and more likely to quit their jobs.”
Why Is This Important?
“What’s happening is that people have technology fatigue and are burned out. People are working longer hours than ever before without additional pay. Burnout is connected to almost 50% of all employee turnover. There is a huge cost and burden of trying to replace those employees. It’s costing the global economy trillions of dollars.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
1. If you are a leader, giving attention to your employees is one of the most valuable assets now because it shows that you truly care.
2. Realize how you are spending your time and what tools you are using and overusing.
3. Collecting feedback is key: have one-on-one team discussions where you discuss what’s working, and what’s not working when it comes to communications.
4. Create a safe space where people can freely share their ideas.
5. Four key employment engagement factors are: belonging, trust, purpose and happiness.
6. Practice shared learning. When you learn something new and helpful, be sure the other members of the team benefit as well.
Books on The Topic
Connecting With Dan Schawbel
Website: http://danschawbel.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/danschawbel
Twitter: http://twitter.com/danschawbel
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/danschawbel
Connections, Isolation
Author, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Research
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733:
His Vision: Helping Make the Non-profit and Philanthropic Sectors Stronger - Forrest Alton
“The second ‘aha’ for me was recognizing the power that exists in the non-profit sector. It gives me life and it gives me energy. The non-profit sector and the organizations that are in it aren’t just nice to have. We need to have them in order to come up with real solutions to the problems we face. I wanted to get more involved in those larger conversations, and that’s another reason I was motivated to make this move.”
Forrest Alton has been in the non-profit sector for more than 15 years. Most recently he served as CEO of the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, where his leadership resulted in significant growth for the agency, which is now recognized as a national leader on issues related to adolescent health. After 10 years in the C-Suite, Forrest stepped down in 2016 to focus his energy on his new enterprise—1000 Feathers. His goal: to help make the non-profit, social and philanthropic sectors stronger by training and developing leaders, helping organizations think and act more strategically, posing difficult questions organizations are typically afraid to ask and encouraging big, bold courageous conversations.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In late 2002, after I had moved to Columbia, South Carolina, I was introduced to Susan Boyd, the CEO of the South Carolina campaign to prevent teen pregnancy. She offered me a graduate assistantship at the University of South Carolina, because she had heard about the work I had done in Georgetown with the small nonprofit there. Between 2002 and 2007 I had a half dozen different positions in the organizations and by 2007 was promoted to CEO.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After graduating from Coastal Carolina with a degree in Health Promotion, I emailed one of my professors and said I was moving back to New York because I was unable to find meaningful work. She emailed back that she had just helped a small nonprofit in Georgetown, South Carolina, obtain a grant to work on teen pregnancy prevention. She didn’t know if I’d be interested at all but she knew they were hiring and she’d love to make an introduction. That was in March, 2000, and for the next 17 years of my life I was committed, dedicated and focused on the issue of teen pregnancy prevention in South Carolina.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I grew up in a tiny town in upstate New York—La Fargeville, which had fewer than 700 people. My mother was the school principal, my father was the banker and I had two older sisters. I often say my upbringing was as close to the “Leave It to Beaver” family as you can get—close knit, loving and considerate. My high school graduating class had 30 kids. The basic lessons I learned from this upbringing laid the foundation for my life.”
Steps to Success from Forrest Alton
- Realize that you are not alone on your journey.
- Continually be open to new relationships that are mutually beneficial and grow your Rolodex early on!
- Reach out to people who are in areas of work you are interested in—pick their brains. Most people love to share their experience.
- Always be open to the possibilities and never be afraid to take a chance on an opportunity that feels right to you.
Connecting With Forrest Alton
Website: www.1000feathers.com
Facebook: facebook.com/1000feathers
Twitter: @forrestalton
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732:
Decorated Combat Photographer–“I Strive to Live My Life to the Fullest for Those Who Can’t” - Stacy Pearsall
“I left behind so many wonderful people that didn’t make it home from the Iraq war and every single day I strive to live in their honor and to live my life to the fullest for those who can’t.”
Stacy L. Pearsall got her start as an Air Force photographer at the age of 17. During her time in service she traveled to over 41 countries. During three combat tours, she earned the Bronze Star and Air Force Commendation with Valor for combat actions in Iraq. Though disabled and retired from military service she continues to work worldwide as an independent photographer and founder of the Veterans Portrait Project. Her work has been exhibited at The Pentagon and Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I enrolled in the Air Force at 17 and before I signed my contract I asked for a guaranteed job in photography thanks to the advice of my uncle who was in the Air Force then. I spent six months at the Defense Information School taking a still photography course where I also learned picture taking and storytelling and then more on how to develop special infrared film and more. The whole experience was actually very good because being basically creative I had to engage the technical part of photography.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was hit by a roadside bomb back in 2004, and was just managing the symptoms when I was hit by another bomb in 2007, which aggravated and worsened my symptoms to a point that was almost debilitating. I was in medical recovery in 2008 on temporary retirement leave trying to get better and in a really dark place. I met Mickey Dorsey, a fellow veteran, and that relationship was the catalyst for me starting the Veteran’s Portrait Project from August of 2008 until the fall of the next year. And I’m proud to say it continues today.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Within my family we consider the military a family business on both sides. My great grandfather was a WWI veteran in the Marine Corps, my father served in the Navy, my grandfather was in the Navy, too, and my other grandfather was in the Army along with most of my other aunts and uncles. So, the military was clearly where I looked for my own future career plans.”
Steps to Success from Stacy Pearsall
“No one in our lives knows us and what we want to do in our deepest selves. They are concerned about our financial security and survival, which is fine, but listen to yourself and follow what actually interests you, because you know what that is, even at a very young age. The military turned out to be the best decision I could make because it married both security along with giving me a platform from which to grow and expand my artistic talents and deep love of photography. After I retired, this foundation was the springboard I needed to launch my life forward as an entrepreneur and business owner.”
Connecting With Stacy Pearsall
Website: www.veteransportraitproject.com and www.stacypearsall.com
Facebook: facebook.com/veteransportraitproject
Twitter: twitter.com/VetPortraits/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stacypearsall/
Instagram: instagram.com/veterans_portrait_project/
Creative Career in the Military, Military Career
Photographer, Veteran
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731:
Expert Interview: Your Microbiome: What It Is and Why It's So Vital to Your Health - Dr. Ann Kulze
“So at the bedrock, the hallmark of nurturing your microbiome…the number one thing anyone can do is eat an abundance and broad variety of plant based foods….the good news is 60% of influence we have as individuals over our microbiome, which are running our body, is through diet….”
Dr. Ann Kulze is a best-selling author, physician, and highly sought motivational speaker in the areas of nutrition, healthy living and disease prevention. With formal training in both nutrition and medicine, along with extensive “hands-on” experience as a wife, mother of 4, and trusted family physician, Dr. Ann has distinguished herself as a one-of-a-kind “real world” nutrition and wellness expert. She is the Founder and CEO of the wellness education firm, Just Wellness LLC. She is also the author of six books including her best-selling “Eat Right for Life” series (WELCOA). She has been featured in many national media outlets including the Dr. Oz show, Oprah and Friends Radio, and Time Magazine among many others. Dr. Ann lives her wellness message enjoying swimming, running, kayaking, cooking, gardening, and spending time with her family in her native Charleston, S.C.
Your Microbiome: What It Is, Why It’s So Vital to Your Health
“The huge ecosystem of microorganisms that reside in your gastrointestinal tract—your microbiome—we now know largely define your health and wellness. Think of them, if you will, as your most valuable partner in health and healing. The microbiome is integral to immunity, modulating inflammation, digestive function, mood, metabolism, stress resiliency and much, much more. While we’ve been very aware of this for several decades, there has been an exponential increase in the studies and the science related to this topic in the last few years.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Here are some key strategies for establishing and maintaining a healthy microbiome:
1. Eat an abundance and variety of plant-based foods: whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits. The more “real food fiber” you eat, the more good bacteria you will have in your gut. This is the most powerful and effective of all these strategies.
2. Foods that offer the most of these fibers, also known as prebiotics are: garlic, onions, asparagus, artichokes, lentils, oats, carrots, beans, okra, radishes and tomatoes.
3. Consume foods high in polyphenols regularly: dark chocolate, green and black tea, berries, cherries, currants, artichoke hearts, citrus, filtered coffee, apples, plums and red wine (one glass a day) boost the growth of good bacteria.
4. Limit consumption of processed, industrial foods, especially fast foods, junk foods and those lacking fiber.
5. Include probiotic foods (fermented foods) containing live beneficial bacteria regularly in your diet such as plain yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchee and others. Note: I never go a day without them!
6. Do not take antibiotics unless medically required.
7. Avoid conventionally raised beef, pork, lamb and chicken. Most contain traces of antibiotics that studies show kill the good bacteria in your gut.
Choose organic varieties of these animal foods to be safe.8. Get out in nature and get dirty.The soil contains an entire ecosystem of good bacteria. Gardening is highly recommended.
9. Get regular physical activity. Exercise favorably modulates the microbiome.
10. Avoid consumer products that are labeled as “antibacterial.” There is no evidence they are beneficial and growing evidence indicates that they kill good bacteria and may come with risks.
Books on The Topic
Eat Right for Life Series, Dr. Ann Kulze
Connecting With Dr. Ann Kulze
Website: www.drannwellness.com
Facebook: www.drannwellness.com
Twitter: @drannwellness
Instgram: drannwellness
Health, Natural Health
Author, Physician
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730:
His Dad’s “We’ll Figure It Out” Mindset Guides Him Today - Scott Anthony Barlow
“I remember sitting stopped at a traffic light in Portland…it was a long commute, like almost 3 hours a day. And I remember looking around at everybody else’s faces …is this what everybody goes through when they get a real job?….and just thinking, there’s got to be a better way.”
Scott Anthony Barlow is the founder and CEO of Happen to Your Career. He has been featured on CNBC, Yahoo, Career Builder, Fast Company, Huffington Post and various colleges and universities as an expert on career happiness. He and his team run two of the top career change podcasts on iTunes. He lives with his wife and three kids in Moses Lake, Washington and sometimes Paris or London. He gets excited about careers, coffee, and parkour, not necessarily in that order.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was still an undergraduate at Eastern Washington University I was required to have an internship to graduate. The typical internships sounded so boring and menial that I looked around for other opportunities, something that would give me real-world experience. I was very fortunate to find a franchise opportunity in exterior house painting that was affordable even for college students. Over three years I built a crew of about 25 other college students and we painted over 200 homes and I learned volumes about how to run a business from the ground up—it was an amazing experience.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After I graduated I sold the franchise and right away was offered a key role in a regional manager position at the parent company. My new wife and I were super excited about our new life together and about this opportunity. We moved down to Portland, Oregon, and I immersed myself into this new role. Early on I realized that the role was a terrible fit, because I did not have the autonomy or free reign that I had in my own company. I was working 80 hours a week and on weekends with a three-hour commute. I remember sitting at a traffic light on the way home one day thinking, ‘There has to be a better way, this is just not working for me.’ I told my boss about my concerns and three weeks later he fired me. While I didn’t feel that way at the time, this was one of the bests gifts he could have given me, because it changed the course of my life!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There are so many powerful lessons I have taken from my dad. No matter what the project or situation, he’s the kind of guy that says, ‘We’ll figure it out.’ He was my den leader in Cub Scouts and involved in many of the sports I was actively involved in. He worked nights at the mill and he always found time to be around for the activities that I was involved in. The older I get the more I have come to understand that this attitude and core value of his has played a vital role in every aspect of my life and career.”
Steps to Success from Scott Anthony Barlow
“Most people do not open themselves up to the many and varied choices that are available to them in their lives and careers. This ‘exposure problem’ inhibits them from taking the vital first step toward a career opportunity or other life goal that is very important to them. They believe it’s just not possible for them. Once you invest the time and energy in knowing who you are, what you want and what you need, your chances to succeed expand exponentially from that point on.”
Connecting With Scott Anthony Barlow
Website: happentoyourcareer.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/scottabarlow
Twitter: twitter.com/scottbarlow/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scottanthonybarlow/
Instagram: instagram.com/scottanthonybarlow/
Advisor, Career Counselor, Career Development, Podcaster
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729:
A Wild Ride With Detours and Bumps Along the Way - Courtney Blair
“Walk through the fire….just do whatever it is….if what you want to do is start your own company….do what you have to do to make that happen….it might feel like a step backwards at first, but it’s like 10 steps forward really…”
Courtney Blair, Founder and Owner of Zippy Content, started her business out of necessity and willingness by the universe. When she was pregnant, desperate for work and unable to find it (people don’t like to hire pregnant women when they know they’ll soon need a couple of paid months off for maternity leave), she began contacting anyone and everyone she knew for work she could do from home. Lo-and-behold, someone had something for her to do. It was her dad. He had his own online business in the psychology realm, and he wanted to be featured on podcasts. Fast forward three years, and Zippy Content was born. She now represents almost 100 entrepreneurs, authors, coaches, and consultants from across the globe, and finds them interviews with the coolest podcasters on earth.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was pregnant and desperate for a job my dad, a psychologist, offered me work getting him featured on podcasts, which I did for a year and a half. Then my dad and I talked and I realized I was sitting on a service that all kinds of people would pay me for. I learned how to offer booking services, track interviews with all their details and started building up a network by asking podcasters I had already worked with if they would be open to receiving guest suggestions. From there it grew like crazy.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I was 17 my parents sent me to a wilderness program called the Anasazi Foundation in the Arizona desert. It’s for troubled teens—kids who are having a hard time—which I certainly was. We were in the wilderness for 42 days, many hours from civilization. Of course we were guided by a group of highly trained professionals the entire time. It was a tough experience but so powerful because there were no distractions to clutter your mind. You would have these ‘moments of awakening’ where you would learn these incredible life lessons. I realized that I am a leader, and while it’s been 11 years since that experience, I reflect on what I learned regularly.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Most of us have not had the opportunity to figure out what exactly our special talents are. We have been conditioned for such a long time to feel negative and fear-based. Our subconscious is attached to past experiences that keep us leaning a certain way. You have to walk through the fire a little bit and take steps that others in your life might not like or understand and that may be painful. Walk through the fire. Just do it. Do whatever it is. There is a step that needs to be taken and it might feel like a step backwards at first, but it is really like 10 steps forward.”
Steps to Success from Courtney Blair
1. Start by breaking-out of the old pattern of self-limiting beliefs in your subconscious that have been holding you back.
2. Take the first step to use your talents and do what you want to do, however hard it is. Just do it.
3. Continue to believe that what you are doing is possible.
4. Know that any short-term unhappiness for you right now will mean long-term happiness for you and everyone.
On Her Bookshelf
Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon, by Dr. Joe Dispenza
Connecting With Courtney Blair
Website: zippycontent.com
Facebook: facebook.com/zippycontentpodcasts/ and
Free Gift
Allow Zippy Content to orchestrate your podcast tour and Courtney will give you your 1st interview free when you mention this show!
Addiction, Working from Home
Podcaster, Public Relations, Speaker Booking Agency
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728:
Expert Interview: Is Your Greatest Act of Service Doing What You Love? - Erica Ormsby
“It took me about a year of waking up feeling extremely burned out, but confused, too. I made a very big decision and I decided to sell that company and I moved forward. And my decision was that, as I move forward, I will make sure that whatever I do following, and for the rest of my life, will be something that I am absolutely in love with.”
Erica Ormsby is a wellness and business entrepreneur. Her book, “I AM Happy. Healthy. Free” is an international best-seller in seven countries in four self-help categories. She combines ancient wisdom, leading-edge science and life experience to elevate joy in humanity and inspire possibility and personal empowerment. She challenges readers to reach their highest potential, in mind, body — and in business. Erica has created and sold several successful companies. She’s the founder and CEO of Erica Ormsby International as well as Soaring Mastermind. Her flagship course, Powerful YOU Master Program, empowers people to awaken their power within and live their purpose while having fun and not losing themselves along the way.
Is Your Greatest Act of Service Doing What You Love?
“This idea of doing what you love can end up being your greatest act of service. It pulls doing what you love from this place of ‘it would just be really fun if I got to do that’ or ‘it could be a hobby’ to actually being the strongest stance you could possibly take in your life, and enabling you to be and do your greatest work.”
Why Is This Important?
“One of the number one causes of burnout in the workplace has been discovered to be cognitive dissonance. Simply put, what we’re saying and doing on the outside isn’t matching how we’re truly feeling and what we’re truly thinking on the inside. If we’re thinking and saying and doing a lot of things we actually aren’t in alignment with ourselves internally, our stress levels increase, and as our stress increases, our body starts breaking down. That’s where you’ll see a decrease in health and an increase in anxiety and depression. Plus, it limits our ability to connect with other people on a level that feels fulfilling and satisfying. It affects every area. It has a huge impact.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“What if doing what we love is our greatest act of service to the world — to our families, to humanity and to ourselves? When we give our self the opportunity to take a breath and honor what and who we are on a different level, our ability to create goes through the roof. And when we do this, our happiness goes up, our bodies literally start working better, things start shifting when our stress goes down. When we look at it like that, all of a sudden we start realizing that, ‘Wow. Then it is my responsibility, and it is a great act of service if I make sure that I align with my truest nature and do something that I love. It is not being selfish. And it can be self-less.’”
Books on The Topic
Connecting With Erica Ormsby
Website: https://ericainspired.com/
Instagram: @EricaOrmsbyInspired
Facebook: facebook.com/Ericaormsbyinspiredlife
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erica-ormsby-46b45b168/
Do What You Love
Author, Business Leader, Business Owner, Entrepreneur
November 2018:
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727:
From Financial Executive to Personal Empowerment Coach - Raana Zia
“There was something pulling at my heart….it was just this strong, strong feeling saying, ‘Look Raana, if you can create this in your life, what else could you create? Could you create something that is even that much more fulfilling for you that could look completely different than what you were doing for the last 20 years?’”
Raana Zia is a corporate finance executive turned spiritual, self-help author. She has spent her career holding executive level leadership roles in large Fortune 500 retail companies including the position of Chief Financial Officer. Her passion for personal and leadership development and an intense desire to discover her own purpose and potential led her down an unexpected path of self-realization and spirituality. Her realizations and personal experiences compelled her to write the book “Your Hidden Light: A Personal Guide to Creating Your Desired Life” in order to share with others what she believes is the most direct and efficient path to achieving your desires and living a life of happiness, continued growth, and fulfillment.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“After two years in banking I ended up going into the entertainment industry in their finance division, which led me into corporate finance which I enjoyed very much because that is the background that I had. I was able to work on the deal structures to help secure movie deals with Hollywood studios: how they negotiated the best prices to lock in a slate of films for x number of years. I was quite happy because I was working in an industry that was really interesting to me.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I wanted to move back to the East coast and was recruited to be the CFO of an apparel retailer in the New Jersey/New York area. It was a very large promotion, everything I wanted, but at the same time there was something pulling at my heart—this strong feeling saying, ‘Look, Raana, if you can create this kind of opportunity in your life, what else could you create?’ So I began my own personal growth journey—reading self-help books, working with my personal coach, attending retreats, trying to listen to what my heart was telling me I needed to be doing. For over 4 years I was on a parallel journey of me loving my job and at the same time trying to discern what was next for me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I am Indian by origin. My parents immigrated to the United States in the mid nineteen sixties. My brother and I were born here. We have been really fortunate to have parents that have always been very supportive, loving and open-minded and who always felt it was important to assimilate into this culture as well as honoring our heritage. So I think my multi-cultural upbringing, and the open-mindedness of my parents has played a large positive role in my life.”
On Her Bookshelf
Conversations with God, by Neale Donald Walsch
The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham, by Esther and Jerry Hicks
Wishes Fulfilled: Mastering the Art of Manifesting, by Wayne Dyer
Steps to Success from Raana Zia
“It took me many years before I realized that I had the power inside of me all along to create the life I truly wanted. Never stop exploring the things that fascinate and inspire you, even if they are outside the conditioned expectations that are naturally programmed into us, however well meaning. Give your curiosity full reign. Read and research via books and other resources from experts whose work you like and admire.”
Connecting With Raana Zia
Website: yourhiddenlight.com
Facebook: facebook.com/yourhiddenlight
Twitter: @raanaz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/raanazia/
Instagram: @raana zia
Financial Career, self-help
Author, Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Finance Executive, Executive
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726:
Corporate Superstar Turned DJ, Wants to Help You Unleash Your Creativity, Too - Amani Roberts
“I just want to help people unlock their creativity in a massive way, whether it’s teaching them how to DJ or guiding them along so they can learn from the path that I take.”
Amani Roberts is a Washington, D.C. born-and-bred creative who has been a DJ since 2008. Amani’s hospitality career has spanned over 25 years. He is the Chief Musical Curator for his company, The Amani Experience, which specializes in providing music for events, creating original music for commercials or videos, team building activities, creating remixes and teaching students of all ages how to DJ. Amani also hosts a weekly podcast called “The Amani Experience Podcast” where he interviews creative professionals from all over the world about why they took the leap from corporate life to the creative life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“The key thing I learned about working with people when I began a part-time job with Marriott Hotels is that the quickest and easiest way to break down the typical barriers that exist between us is to ask them where they are from: what town, where did you grow up, how long have you lived there? Typically people become more comfortable, less stressed and easier to engage with. This lesson has stayed with me my entire career of building solid relationships.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I was still in college at Howard University in 1995 I went to see a DJ named Biz Markie, who was also a highly talented rapper, beatboxer, actor and more. He set the crowd on fire that night—we were all singing along and totally caught up in the energy of the experience. At that moment I knew I wanted to be a DJ. So while I was focused at the time on getting a ‘traditional job,’ and did, in every city that I lived I would seek out the performing DJ’s, get exposed to different kinds of music and different DJ styles.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My career had been thriving with Marriott for 15 or so years in various roles in management and marketing and I was fortunate to win the highly coveted Chairman’s Circle award for the top 2% of performers on several occasions. When I got to Los Angeles I found the entrepreneurial spirit to be much higher than on the East coast. People encouraged you to pursue different ideas and passions. So about one year after I moved here I got up the courage to start my DJ business.”
Steps to Success from Amani Roberts
1. Journaling is a powerful way to get in touch with what is truly lighting your fire every day, even if you spend only 5 or 10 minutes a day jotting down the experiences that worked well for you or not well for you and why.
2. Take the first step once you begin to connect with that inner passion for something however small that step may be. Start exploring!
3. Share your ideas with someone you trust who can give you honest feedback based on their experience of knowing you as a family member, friend or coworker.
On His Bookshelf
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Artist’s Way A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, by Julian Cameron
Connecting With Amani Roberts
Website: www.amaniexperience.com
Email: Amani@amaniexperience.com
Facebook: facebook.com/amaniexperience
Twitter: twitter.com/amaniexperience
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanir1/
Instagram: @amaniexperience
Creativity, Hospitality as a Career
Disc Jockey (DJ), Hospitality, Management, Marketing, Sales
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725:
Expert Interview: Working Smarter–How to Reset the Chaos - Marisa Murray
“One of the things that I really encourage my clients to do is to take nothing for granted when we work together. We really want to question everything. The reality is a lot of us have developed a bunch of habits and routines…. And so the first step is really creating just this deep curiosity around why we’re doing what we’re doing, what we’re doing habitually.”
Marisa Murray is a Certified Executive Coach, Author and Speaker focused on unlocking executives’ leadership potential to yield superior business results. A former Partner with Accenture and Vice President at Bell, Marisa brings her over 20 years of first-hand experience to her research and consulting on the best practices that support her clients in achieving the outcomes to which they aspire. Marisa’s book,“Work Smart: Your Formula for Unprecedented Professional Success,” reveals 50 techniques to accelerate your success as a leader while creating more ease and enjoyment in your work, rejecting the notion that working harder is the answer.
Working Smarter: How to Reset the Chaos
“Most people can relate to the fact that we are experiencing mounting quantities of work. If you have been in the workforce for awhile, you know this constant thinning of resources of people, a lot of automation, and then thinning of the middle management and spreading responsibility. All of that amounts to a sheer kind of volume increase in terms of the amount that we’re all expected to get through. But probably more significant is a lot more uncertainty, which creates strain in a number of different ways.”
Why Is This Important?
”[Uncertainty] strains the ability to develop trust. We’re uncertain of how our opinions will be received, what are the challenges or conflicts between different colleagues that we may have, etc. …And [many people] really have a hard time connecting to the feelings behind the words of other people. They understood what they are saying, but they do not really connect to the feeling behind the words. And it often makes them give a response that is unsatisfactory to the other person and creates a real sense of insecurity.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“The type of problems that we are solving are increasingly complex and increasingly cross functional. So it is really impossible for any one person to have the expertise to solve any given problem. And so we’re no longer solving for individual intelligence. We have to solve for the collective intelligence of the team. I feel leaders who are able to build those connections skills–the ability to not just understand the words of the person they are listening to, but also understand the feelings behind the words, and to align their intentions with their impact on others–are the ones who can actually harness the collective intelligence of their teams.”
Connecting With Marisa Murray
Website: www.marisamurray.com
Email: marisa.murray@leaderly.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ExecutiveCoachMarisa/
Twitter: twitter.com/murraymarisa
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/murraymarisa/
Book: “Work Smart: Your Formula for Unprecedented Professional Success,” by Marisa Murray
Free Gift
If you would like an audio version of her book, email her at marisa.murray@leaderly.com and she will send you a link from which to download it.
Leadership, Listening
Author, Career Coach, Executive Coach, Speaker
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724:
Living Her Own Story, in the Moment - Natalie Creeden
“Granted, you’re probably not going to go from being an analyst to being an astronaut overnight, but I do think there are possibilities and that the real change can be created when we change our mindset about things.”
Natalie Creeden has been practicing and studying the art of mindfulness, meditation and yoga since 2002. These modalities improved her life so much that she decided to study for over 18 months to share the power of these practices with others. Natalie trained as a Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor with Deepak Chopra at the Chopra Center for Well-Being in Southern California. She is also a certified Kundalini Yoga and Meditation teacher and says she will forever be a student of the mind and the mind-body connection.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“After a couple of years in Wachovia Bank’s world-class associate program where I got to work in different business units and with all kinds of people with different roles and responsibilities—all the things they don’t teach you in school—I decided I didn’t want to climb the corporate ladder. As luck would have it, the operations manager in our family business retired after almost 30 years in the business. I thought long and hard about it and realized there wouldn’t be another position like this opening up for a long time. I accepted the job, and put so much of what I had learned in my college studies and in my internships and other training programs at Wachovia to immediate use.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“The summer before my senior year of college at UNC, Charlotte, I had a splendid opportunity to intern at Wachovia Bank. My supervisor encouraged me to go around and talk to as many people as I could in the department to ask if they had any career advice that might help me along my journey. I learned that a lot of people were not at all sure what they wanted to be when they grew up. They were still trying to figure it out. That feedback was very interesting to me and helped take a lot of pressure off that I was putting on myself at the time to figure it out, that I could take a breath, relax and know that the first job I took was not going to necessarily be the end all, be all.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Some friends took a transcendental meditation training where they learned how to meditate on their own, and they loved it. I took the course and it was the most wonderful thing I had done for myself because it gave me the power to sit and quiet my mind, in essence to cleanse my mind. After reading “The Power of Now,” by Eckhart Tolle, the idea began to take shape in my mind of what a wonderful job it would be to actually teach meditation. A year or so went by, and then in 2016 I decide to embark on teacher meditation training.”
Steps to Success from Natalie Creeden
1. Realize that you have your own story inside of you. You do not have to follow someone else’s.
2. We live in an increasingly stressful and complex world, so do what you can to find the time to breathe, to relax and to be.
3. Journaling is one positive way to pay attention to the patterns in your life that are important to you.
4. Meditation and yoga have helped individuals for thousands of years. There are many modalities that might work for you.
Connecting With Natalie Creeden
Website: www.solrituals.com
Facebook: facebook.com/SolRituals/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/natalie-creeden-447736167/
Instagram: @solrituals
Mindfulness, Mindset
Meditation Instructor, Yoga Instructor
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723:
The Internet Company He Birthed at Age 15 Is Thriving 24 Years Later - Jeff Hall
“So fast forward to when I was 15. I said, you know, I’m good at this and why don’t I just do this since I’m good at it. I, by the way, didn’t have a computer. It was like December of 1995, I was finally able to afford my own computer. I got a nice used computer and then the company really took off because I had access to the right tools….my first customer was a Kung Fu school.”
Jeff Hall started working at age 7 doing door-to-door candy sales to help support his family. The company he founded in 1995 at age 15—Overflow Café—to help companies grow their websites, is thriving 23 years later. He has supported over 200 successful Kickstarter projects and has helped build 14 orphanages around the world. In his spare time, he loves watching Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and having a good cup of tea. You’ll find him working hard, and sometimes goofing around, in Toronto, Canada.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My teacher, Mr. Morris, overheard me talking to my friend, Tony, about his new computer. Now, I’m 13 years old, in the 8th grade, and this is 1993. Nobody had a computer back then! Mr. Morris thought I knew a lot about computers, which was not true at all, but he asked if I could take a look at one of the school’s new computers, which was having problems. He said he’d let me off of an upcoming assignment if I’d help. Of course, I said I’d give it a shot. By trial and error, and following the next logical steps I was able to fix the computer in a few minutes. After that, the teachers would call on me instead of calling for outside technicians to take care of any problems that came up—which back then was quite often. As it happens it was easy for me, and I really enjoyed it.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After building my skills with computers and this new thing called the Internet for a couple of years, I started my first company, Overflow Café, to help people set up their websites. The catalyst for me doing this was that we were about to be evicted from our house and had only a few months to come up with a large sum of money to avoid being homeless. I dropped out of school, bought a nice, used computer and because I finally had access to the right tools the company really took off. My first customer was a Kung Fu school. The company is thriving 23 years later, I’m proud to say.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Stay open to new opportunities. When I was 7 years old I began to pick up the loose change that the more affluent kids in my school would carelessly drop on the playground. Then I’d go to a local store, buy candy and resell it to my classmates at a profit. Odd as it sounds I did very well with that. A few years later the opportunity to repair the new computers our school had bought—this was in 1993 so computers were quite new—morphed into my first business at the ripe age of 15. I had zero idea I was good at the techie side of things, until I was given a chance to try and found it came really easy for me and was great fun.”
Steps to Success from Jeff Hall
1. Don’t count on the educational system to prepare you for the world of work. In most cases it does not.
2. Know where you stand. What is your financial situation? When you truly know that, you can reach your goals a whole lot faster.
3. Make learning a top priority. When something interests you and uses your talents and skills, dig more deeply into it. It may turn into a hobby or even a career.
4. Be open to the wisdom and experiences of the people around you. They each are individual storehouses of knowledge.
5. Opportunities abound in the world, if you are paying attention.Connecting With Jeff Hall
Website: https://www.overflowcafe.com
Twitter: twitter.com/overflow_cafe
Instagram: instagram.com/overflowcafe
Entrepreneur in Youth, Talents, Working Out of Necessity
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Website Building
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722:
Expert Interview: Self-Awareness–Where Leadership Begins - Christopher D. Kolenda, Ph.D.
“Personally, as a maverick—more of a vision-oriented person—I can do a detail-oriented job, but it is going to be really painful. I am going to spend much more energy doing it than I would be spending energy doing things that are more in tune with my natural inclinations.“
Christopher D. Kolenda, Ph.D., is the founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy, which helps non-profits and small businesses to grow sustainably by working with them to get the big things right: leadership, culture and strategy. An internationally renowned combat leader, strategist, author, scholar, and entrepreneur, Chris spent a career in the military before launching his consulting business. His unit in Afghanistan was the only one to have motivated a large insurgent group to stop fighting and eventually join the government. He’s the only American to have fought the Taliban as a commander in combat and engaged them with high level diplomacy. With these experiences, plus his Ph.D. in Strategy, Chris helps organizations that have inspirational missions to grow sustainably. He is the author of the book “Leadership: the Warrior’s Art.”
Self-Awareness–Where Leadership Begins
“‘Know thyself.’ The ancient Greeks were telling themselves, and can tell us today, that by knowing ourselves, we get to know our natural inclinations and our natural strengths so that we can put ourselves in a position to succeed. And at the same time have the humility to recognize that others have different inclinations and strengths. By putting together the right combinations of people, that are tied together by common purpose, that is what leads to the best results.”
Why Is This Important?
“When you know yourself, there are a number of things that awareness empowers you to do. First of all, it empowers you to put the right people around you. I, for instance, need detail people around me, and those are the first people that I seek out. With the right people, you can amplify your strengths or natural inclinations, and you can also cover your blind spots.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
1. Through self-awareness you get to know your natural inclinations and natural strengths so that you can put yourself in a position to succeed.
2. Put your top talent in positions that best suit their inclinations and they are going to make the biggest impact for the business.
3. Surround yourself with the right people and you can amplify your strengths, your natural inclinations, and you can also cover your blind spots.
4. When hiring someone, more important than their skills are how they fit within the company culture. You can teach people skills, but what you can’t train is culture.
On His Bookshelf
Leadership: The Warrior’s Art, by Christopher D. Kolenda
Connecting With Christopher D. Kolenda, Ph.D.
Website: www.StrategicLeadersAcademy.com
Facebook:business:iness.facebook.com/StrategicLeadersAcademy/
Twitter: @chris_kolenda
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chriskolenda/
Culture, Leadership, Self-awareness
Author, Entrepreneur, Scholar
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721:
A Part-time Job at Macy’s Opened Her Up to Her Passion for Fashion - Natalia Castillo
“Whenever I get stuck in a place, and I can’t move forward, I love to travel to a new place and be in a completely different environment to get a totally fresh perspective. Seeing a problem or situation from a different point of view, I feel like I’m always able to get unstuck from that particular position.”
Natalia Castillo’s passion for fashion began at Macy’s department store, where she worked for 10 years before leaving to start her own business. Realizing that it was important to control her own destiny, she decided to launch an apparel brand, where she could further pursue her love of fashion, travel and business. In 2009 she created Escapada Living’s first collection of vibrant, effortless apparel. Her mission is to inspire happiness in women of all ages through building a timeless, global lifestyle brand.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“After I graduated from Emory University I took the summer off and travelled to Europe to take a break and spend some time reflecting on what I could do now that medical school was not an option. Macy’s department store had an opening for their training program in Atlanta. I got the job and figured I’d work there for a short time until I had a plan for what I wanted to do with my life. I never anticipated loving it as much as I did. I was a sales manager in a junior department and they gave you a huge amount of freedom and responsibility to run your own business. I also learned so much about working with people—buyers, other managers or employees—what it takes to be successful on every level. That first year at Macy’s was such an important foundation for the rest of my career.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My father was a cardiologist and incredibly passionate about practicing medicine. He told me I’d be a doctor when I grew up. It seemed like a good career to pursue because I’d always enjoyed science and loved helping people. My junior year in college I was studying for my organic chemistry final exams and found one of the problems incredibly difficult. I called my dad and he quickly and eloquently explained the solution to me. I realized then that I did not begin to understand organic chemistry anywhere close to the level that he did and that I simply did not have what it was going to take to be a doctor. I liked science but did not have a modicum of the level of understanding and passion that my dad had. It was at this point that I began to truly reflect and think about what I really wanted to do with my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It is so easy to get trapped in the box of thinking you have to follow the career paths laid down by others. My dear dad wanted me to be a doctor like him, because he loved the profession dearly, loved me and thought I would, too. Well I did love science and helping people, but my talents and passions were in an entirely different field: Fashion. Once I decided medical school was not for me, I lucked into a position in the world of retail fashion and never looked back. The main factor during these early days of my education and career journey was that I listened to myself, and how I responded to the opportunities that presented themselves to me, and always, always trusted my instincts!”
Steps to Success from Natalia Castillo
1. Recognize that no one knows you even a fraction as well as you do.
2. Stay curious about the possibilities and never stop exploring your options.
3. Travel when you can to gain another perspective on yourself and your view of the world.
4. Be around people you can learn from—family, bosses, clients, co-workers—their different perspective might open doors you had not considered.
5. Create your own vision for the kind of life you want and keep refining it as you move along your journey.
6. Trust your instincts, always trust your instincts!Connecting With Natalia Castillo
Website: www.escapadaliving.com
Facebook: facebook.com/escapadaliving/
Listening to Inner Voice, Mentors, Starting a business
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Fashion, Retail
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720:
17 Years Ago He Left the U.S. for a Sabbatical to Europe, and Never Returned - Billy Keels
“We were working in Botswana and the Okavango Delta with top producers from Ford Motor Company at the time. It was a really amazing opportunity and it helped shape the way I see the world today.”
In the last 17 years Billy Keels has had the opportunity to work in 86 countries and learn to speak 5 languages fluently. With myriad personal growth experiences, he has also developed professionally by leading multi-disciplined teams and managing businesses in the application software sector. Billy has earned his stripes as a true problem-solver, a skill he has carried into his new entrepreneurial life. He is also a long-distance real estate entrepreneur, author, coach, public speaker and mentor.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I ended up falling in love with languages early on. In the 5th grade I had an opportunity to take an 18-week course: 6 weeks of Spanish, followed by 6 weeks of Italian, then 6 weeks of German. Languages continued to play a powerful role in my life and career as I received my second degree in Spanish via a program from the University of Virginia, which took me to Valencia, Spain. My business career led me abroad in 2001, where I have now worked in 86 different countries and can fluently speak 5 languages.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Everything in my life really started with my closeness to my family. When I was seven years old my parents separated, then got a divorce. The pain I felt was profound, but I began to realize that their divorce was not about me or my brother or sister, but about a relationship that just didn’t work any longer. And in spite of their rift, we continued to receive so much love from each of them. They always let us know how important we each were to them, their top priorities. This truly was a defining turning point in my life and shaped my relationships going forward.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Great opportunities can come from nowhere, when you least expect them. When I returned from my semester abroad I began thinking about my first real job opportunity: Did I want to go work at brand giant, Proctor & Gamble, 45 minutes down the road or another Fortune 500 company? I was clueless about next steps, then out of the blue an amazing friend of mine told me about an opportunity with a company that had pioneered employee recognition and rewards programs, working with the top companies in the country like American Express and the Ford Motor Company. I was one of the few selected from a large list of candidates, and for the next 5 years I travelled 25 days a month around the country, working with top CEOs and their executives, providing the highest possible value, staying in 5-star hotels and honing my business skills.”
Steps to Success from Billy Keels
Every day presents an amazing opportunity to make a positive impact on your own life, those you love and the world at large, by simply following a few basic principles:
1. Do whatever it is you can do every day to learn to improve.
2. Truly connect with people—with your staff, your clients, and of course with your family.
3. Be a force for positive change on every level of your life.
Connecting With Billy Keels
Website: www.keeponcashflow.com
Facebook: facebook.com/keeponcashflow
Twitter: twitter.com/keeponcashflow
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/billykeels/
Instagram: instagram.com/keeponcashflow
Free Gift
FreeDownload of his e-Book:Grow Your Money the Smart Way, by Billy Keels
Expats, Taking Chances, Travel
Author, Coach, Entrepreneur, Management, Mentor, Software
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719:
Boredom Drove Him to Test His Limits - Jordan Harbinger
“Basically, all of this hacking the system to avoid what I thought were dumb, arbitrary, unnecessarily difficult classes that are graded on a curve and designed to make you fail so that you quit…? Well, my law school valued the fact that I didn’t bother with any of that. And that changes the way that I look at everything now.”
Jordan Harbinger has always had an affinity for Social Influence, Interpersonal Dynamics and Social Engineering, helping private companies test the security of their communications systems and working with law enforcement agencies before he was even old enough to drive. He has spent several years abroad in Europe and the developing world and speaks several languages. He has traveled through war zones and has been kidnapped—twice. And he’ll tell you the only reason he’s still alive and kicking is because of his ability to talk his way into (and out of) just about any situation.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Jordan was an only child and pretty much bored all the time. As he says, “What happens when you get bored is you get in trouble.” His version of that was he figured out how to tap phone calls and clone cell phones. This was just the beginning of the technical skills he would build.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Jordan did everything possible to avoid following a normal educational path, including not liking how any of the college majors offered were taught. His academic advisor said, “Well, you can make your own concentration, but nobody does it. It’s a huge pain.” And Jordan responded, “It is not going to be any bigger pain than taking Calculus V.” He picked Business, German, Advanced German Business, Spanish Medical, Russian, Economics, Political Science, Theater classes…and skipped all the pre-requisites. Then he applied to law school where he didn’t think he would have a chance. But it turned out they are always looking for some mavericks. “They wanted and valued the fact that I didn’t [do what everyone else did]. That changed the way I looked at everything. If a rigorous academic institution that prides itself on the amount of hoops you’ve got to jump through is down with this, then the working world is my oyster. I’m not going to do anything by the book.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Jordan knew he wasn’t going to be able to outwork everyone else forever. He knew he wasn’t going to make himself smarter than all the Wall Street kids he worked with, so he decided to learn about networking and relationship development. “I had already thought the people that are really ahead know everyone. So I worked on body language, nonverbal communication, and that’s what I teach on my podcast, the Jordan Harbinger Show—Advanced Human Dynamics.”
Steps to Success from Jordan Harbinger
1. There is something to be said for a side hustle. Start slow, build it slowly, keep your current job, and then you do not have to put pressure on yourself.
2. Explore what it is that really switches you on, but do not think you have to make a career out of it. Sometimes when you turn a hobby into a job, you are likely to ruin the one thing you love to do.
Connecting With Jordan Harbinger
Website: www.jordanharbinger.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jordanharbinger
Twitter: twitter.com/jordanharbinger
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jordanharbinger
Free Gift
Free Podcast: https://www.jordanharbinger.com/podcast/
Free Course: Advanced Human Dynamics, Level One — Videos about how he reaches out to people and maintains his network, creates relationships and keeps those going for years. To help you create connections with people that will help you achieve what you want to achieve.
Education, The System, Travel
Government, Podcaster, Security/Technology
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718:
How a World Champion Athlete Turned Tragedy into Triumph - Ryan Boyle
“….for Christmas 2003, that was the first Christmas after my accident and my mom fought tooth and nail to have me go on a home visit and thank goodness she did because that was when I really found out that this was real because I saw the house I grew up in, my dog, a bunch of get well cards….so that’s when it really hit me when I knew I had to make a choice to put everything I can into this to try to get that life I had before….back.”
Ryan Boyle is a silver medal winner of the U.S. Paralympics Cycling Team and the author of the book, “When the Lights Go Out: A Boy Given a Second Chance.” After suffering a traumatic brain injury as a child, and given almost no hope of recovery by his doctors, Ryan woke up after two months in a coma and began his hard battle to recovery. His goal is to become a public speaker one day, in order to help people overcome life’s obstacles.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“While participating on the swim team of the Shepherd Spinal Center, in Atlanta, I was awarded a hand cycle for being the most motivated patient. I took to cycling and began training exclusively on that. The sense of freedom, of being in control of your own destiny, the wind whipping through your hair—it was a blast! After one race I was approached by a coach who specialized in paracycling, and he said he would be more than happy to train me.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After the accident I had been in a coma for two months and in intensive rehabilitation for seven months. My mother fought tooth and nail to get me home for Christmas, and thank goodness she did because that was when I finally realized that what had happened to me was real. I saw the house I grew up in, my dear dog, a slew of get well cards and so much more. It was then I had to make a choice to put everything I had into my recovery and try to get that life I had before…back.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Traumatic brain injury is one of the leading causes of disability among children, yet because of the complexity of the brain, experts still have much to learn about how to treat TBI. In my book, ‘When the Lights Go Out,’ I describe my therapies—what has worked, what hasn’t, and why—and share how I learned to cope with the emotional and psychological challenges. In the process, I have discovered the critical roles that faith in God, love of family, the healing power of friends, and the inherent goodness of people all played in my ability to triumph over overwhelming odds. I have also learned that a horrific accident has given me an amazing gift.”
Steps to Success from Ryan Boyle
“I’ve been blessed to turn tragedy into triumph. While it has not been easy, there are a few principles that have guided me:”
1. Have faith in God.
2. Love your family and dear friends.
3. Believe in the inherent goodness of people.
4. Put trust in, and continuously learn from, gifted mentors.
Connecting With Ryan Boyle
Website: http://ryanboyle.me/
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Ryan-Boyle
Twitter: twitter.com/RyanBoyle/TBI
Book: When the Lights Go Out: A Boy Given a Second Chance, by Ryan Boyle
Adversity, Brain Injury, Courage, Paralympics
Author, Paralympic Competitor and Champion
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717:
Master Your Fears and Experience New Freedom and Possibilities - Terri Mays
“I really, really have found my love. I always wanted to be a teacher and now here it is. I’m actually getting to teach teachers in a classroom so I’m following my heart by following my heart.”
Terri Mays is an Advanced Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) practitioner, certified Jack Canfield Methodology Success Trainer, and Radical Forgiveness Life Coach. She loves teaching students and educators how to raise their emotional tone—mind state—utilizing EFT tapping. It allows you to master your fears and experience new freedom and possibilities. She has been a healer and intuitive for over 30 years and is the founder and CEO of the HOPEnUp Foundation, helping students in all areas of life challenges realize their full potential, self-acceptance and self-esteem with EFT tapping.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I met my current husband, Mitchell, an accomplished chiropractor, and we moved to Lake Tahoe. It was there that I was exposed to so many new healing modalities including the EFT (emotional freedom technique) or ‘tapping’ as it is referred to. I’d been practicing massage therapy for years and I actually started teaching ‘tapping’ while I was beginning to learn it myself. When my massage clients would come in for a massage I would show them this new technique I was learning. They loved it as much as I did! Within a year’s time we had developed the second largest clinic on the lake, and I loved what I was doing so much.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My mother joined this very controlling religion and I kind of just got involved with that religion and ended up marrying into that faith. But I always had that part of me that wanted a career and wanted to be a teacher. Then I read Wayne Dyer’s book about pulling your own strings and that idea told me I was no longer going to be a victim. I have a talent I love—teaching—so I decided to leave the faith and the marriage even though it meant being shunned by everyone I knew. It was a brutal time to say the least. But I always had it in my heart that there was more. I’m supposed to be teaching the world and following my heart.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“When you are young you want approval from those you love that care about you. (My father loved me but told me that teaching was not for me.) We actually forget that there is a part of us from the earliest age that is invincible—the little kid that thinks she can do anything, but we get taught that we are just not good enough somehow. And our school systems don’t help—they reinforce the message of conformity. Take the classes, learn the lessons, do the next step in the process. As I learned from Jack Canfield, when the student is empowered to take responsibility for their lives vs. the parents over-managing them, then there is much more growth and independence.”
Steps to Success from Terri Mays
1. Trust yourself. The answers you seek are inside of you and always have been.
2. You alone are responsible for the decisions that impact your life on every level.
3. Stay insatiably curious and keep learning every day.
Connecting With Terri Mays
Website: https://tappingwithterri.com
Facebook: facebook.com/tappingwithterri/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/terri-mays-a40865158/
Instagram: instagram.com/tappingwithterri/
Change, Facing Fear, Tapping/Emotional Freedom Technique
Life Coach, Massage, Success Trainer, Tapping/EFT, Teaching/Teacher
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716:
Expert Interview: How to Sidestep Your Fear and Do What You Love - Gladys Ato, Ph.D.
“Fear is actually going to get triggered for you anytime you step into a higher level of success. So rather than be afraid of it, how do you prepare for it? How do you welcome it in and how do you start to work with it in a way where you are able to see it as an ally?”
Dr. Gladys Ato is a former university president and clinical psychologist, speaker, and author of “The Good Goodbye: How to Navigate Change and Loss in Life, Love, and Work.” She mentors expert coaches & service providers to elevate their authority and become true industry leaders and teaches executive leaders how to thrive through organizational change using The Good Goodbye® approach. Recognized as a Latina leader by Hispanic Executive magazine and winner of the Women Worth Watching in Education award, Dr. Ato has been featured in Forbes, TEDx Lincoln Square, NPR, NBC News, The Unmistakable Creative and other top publications and podcasts.
How to Sidestep Your Fear and Do What You Love
“If you look at everything that’s advancing in technology, it’s obviously very clear that we as human beings are constantly evolving, but when it comes to fear, we still function at that very primal level of ‘is this a threat to my livelihood and I need to either fight it or run away from the situation.’ How we cope with it is really where the issue is. It is not fear that we need to be afraid of, but rather it is our response to the fear that gets triggered within ourselves.”
Why Is This Important?
“Fear is something that we all know we have to grapple with, but a lot of the messages that we get out in the world talk about being fearless or just pushing fear to the side and going for it anyway. The messages that we get really tell us that fear is something that we need to abolish. The problem with that is we do not get a chance to understand that fear is actually a great ally for us, and if we keep trying to get rid of something that is actually very necessary for our survival, we keep on finding this frustrating pattern of fear coming up.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
1. if you are on a trajectory to achieve more in your life, to be able to create a life of your dreams, then you need to really take that time to look at your past, see what stories have been filed away, and plan a pathway forward–through introspection and determination–that honors the fears that you had but allows you to move through those fears so that they do not paralyze you.
2. “If you have been in an environment where experiences or people have reinforced that you can’t, or you don’t deserve, or you’re not worthy, then being able to find an incredible community of supporters to mentor you is important. You can also learn from mentoring others. Both can get you to see that you actually are capable. And it helps you deal with your fear in a brand new way.”
3. If you take that step in a different direction to be curious, to see what happens, and you discover that you were able to move past your fear in a positive direction, reward yourself for that so you are creating a story about that experience that actually reinforces more of the behavior that you want to create in the future. And when you keep repeating that right reinforcement, you start to create that positive feedback loop that will make it easier for you to start to make changes in your life that will lead you through your fears to the other side.
Connecting With Gladys Ato, Ph.D.
Website: drgladysato.com
Facebook: facebook.com/gladys.ato.9
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gladysato/
Instagram: instagram.com/dr.gladys.ato/
Free Gift
Free video training called the Visibility Matrix, How to Sidestep Your Fears and Elevate Your Authority, is available for those who want to dive deeper into some of the principles that were talked about in this interview.
Fear
Author, Former University President, Mentor, Professor, Psychologist/Clinical, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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715:
Lifelong Learner and Cancer Survivor Always Played Her Own Game - Nicola Grace
“Focus on the best that you can be because every time you turn around to look and see who’s coming behind you, you lose a little bit of speed. Yes, there’s competition out there and yes, I’ve got to notice it—but just let me play my own game to the best of my ability.”
From surviving cancer to making history by saving a billion-dollar industry from ruin, award winning strategist and best-selling author Nicola Grace—the mission mentor—helps entrepreneurs and visionaries clarify and monetize their life’s big mission so they can make a bigger impact, transform the world and build their legacy. Nicola’s intuitive, visionary strategy skills have made her the secret weapon of politicians, business owners, social entrepreneurs and innovators and thought leaders around the world.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was always interested in helping people less fortunate than me so I did quite a lot of volunteer work. I was also creative and athletic. In fact, I was a championship gymnast for a while and then I was a champion sprinter as well, so I had this nice balance between being an athlete and being a creative person and then giving back and being a member of the community.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I attended Auckland University in New Zealand and majored in history and social studies. In my last internship I was focusing on the period of time in our country’s history when the British Crown and the indigenous Maori people of our country had entered into an agreement, after years of fighting, called the Treaty of Waitangi on February 6, 1840 that outlined how these two peoples could live in peace. But the treaty was not honored. So I was teaching my students all the ways the treaty was broken by the British. The administration reprimanded me and told me I could not teach that perspective but must stick to the “politically correct” perspective of the story. In that moment I realized that this wasn’t the right place for me and that within the educational system I wasn’t going to get to be who I truly was.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My dad said that people who are always educating themselves have a better quality of life and can contribute more to society so I have always been on this learning path. A wonderful sprinting coach told me early on, ‘Don’t turn around to see what everybody else is doing, play your own game, stay in your own lane because every time you turn around to look and see who’s coming behind you, you lose a little bit of speed. So that’s what I’ve done. Yes, there’s competition out there and yes I’ve got to notice it, but I must play my own game to the best of my ability.”
Steps to Success from Nicola Grace
“We inherit generational thinking: we have been taught to get a job, to make a living, to survive, and not to wake up and ask ourselves: ‘What am I here to do? How can I contribute? What are my unique gifts and talents that would make me feel passionate?’”
“Today it’s possible to not only get involved in entrepreneurial activities, but also to give back, to make a difference in the world and get paid for it, to get really well paid. So all you need to do is say: ‘Yes, I’m going to discover what I’m really here to do and I’m going to believe that I’m going to be able to make a really decent living by living my passion.’”
Connecting With Nicola Grace
Website: nicolagrace.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/NicolaGracePage/
Twitter: @NicolaGrace
Free Gift
Visit nicolagrace.com and sign up for one of her free courses to learn the pathway for defining what it is you are here to do, how you are here to contribute, and how to monetize it.
Cancer, Creative Career Path, Entrepreneurship, Fighting to change legislation, Finding Self, Making a Difference, Mission, Multi Careers, Natural health, Purpose, Social Entrepreneurship
Author, Business Owner, Choreographer, Dancer, Entrepreneur, Keynote Speaker, Mentor, Social Entrepreneur, Strategist, Visionary
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714:
The Origin of the Universe and the Quest for the Nobel Prize - Dr. Brian Keating
“I get paid to satisfy childhood curiosities, which is really the notion of understanding and building upon the knowledge that we have about where our universe came from, what it will be headed towards and what it is made of. And we do so along with a very large team of students and collaborators and professors around the world on all seven continents.”
Dr. Brian Keating is a professor of physics at the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences in the Department of Physics at the University of California, San Diego. He is a public speaker, inventor, and an expert in the study of the universe’s oldest light, the cosmic microwave background (CMB), using it to learn about the origin and evolution of the universe after the Big Bang. His book—”Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition and the Perils of Science’s Highest Honor,” was selected as one of Amazon’s Ten Best Nonfiction Books of the Month.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“After I got my first telescope around age 13, I became aware of the fact that in order to understand the stars, the heavens and their dimensions and properties, I would need to know more about mathematics than I was on track to learn. It was only because I had a special math teacher that I was allowed to take pre-calculus and trigonometry simultaneously during my junior year. That got me into the advanced placement class, and I’m proud to say I ended up getting the highest grade on the AP exam my senior year. So my late-blooming scholasticism was brought about because of my love of astronomy.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In 1993 when I started at Brown I was blown away by the fact that the Nobel Prize was awarded that year to a man named Russell Hulse, who was 45 at the time. But the work that resulted in his Nobel Prize was done when he was only 21, and it was in the field of astronomy. The fact that somebody my age accomplished this was profound to me because to a scientist, the Nobel Prize is as close to immortality as you can come, if you are not a spiritual person, as many scientists are not. So my work became a quest I embarked on to win a gold medallion someday in Stockholm.”
What Is Your Personal Vision Going Forward?
“I want to spread the knowledge of cosmology, astronomy and the kind of wonder that I feel to an enormous number of people around the world. So, I actually spend a lot of time with young people, not just my college students but even younger high school students. I have two daughters now and I know how important it is to reach children when they are young and to engage their minds and hearts into the pursuit of science.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Brian Keating
“I think the mind is the greatest gift that people have and I think the unwillingness to use it is oftentimes seated in fear: Fear of not only missing out, but the fear of success and of what happens after the success takes place. It’s much more comfortable to stay in your pajamas all day than really venture out and do something creative and take risks. But I firmly believe that a life worth living involves taking those risks.”
Connecting With Dr. Brian Keating
Website: http://BrianKeating.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DrBrianKeating
Twitter: @DrBrianKeating
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/drbriankeating
Book: briankeating.com/book
Evolution of the Universe, Nobel Prize, South Pole
Astronomy, Author, Physics, Professor, Speaker
October 2018:
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713:
Expert Interview: Teaching People to Step Outside Their Personal and Cultural Comfort Zones (Encore) - Andy Molinsky
Andy Molinsky is a professor of international management and psychology at Brandeis University in Boston. He is the author of two popular business books–“Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior Across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process,” and “Reach: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge, and Build Confidence,” which was published in 2017 by Penguin Random House.
Helping People Step Outside Their Personal and Cultural Comfort Zones
“Stepping outside your comfort zone, both personally and culturally, is one of the hardest things people have to do. But, you’re probably going to have to step outside your comfort zone if you want to grow, learn, develop—to achieve your goals.” That’s what his work is about: helping people understand the challenges, what holds them back, how they might be avoiding it, and what they can do to be more successful.
Why Is This Important?
“As you listen to the interview, think about a specific situation that might be outside your comfort zone. Maybe it’s something you avoid like public speaking. Or having a difficult conversation, delivering bad news. It could involve networking, pitching and promoting yourself. For some people, it’s making small talk with people you don’t know. These situations often happen at key inflection points and stages in your life. Maybe when you’re moving from home to college, or taking your first professional job, becoming a manager, or starting a company, becoming a leader. To be able to thrive at any of these inflection points, you’re going to have to step outside your comfort zone to achieve your goals.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“First, understand what your pain points are. They boil down to five different pain points. I call them psychological roadblocks. They are the reasons why it’s hard to step outside your comfort zone. They are: authenticity, likability, competence, resentment, morality.” Andy explains each one—and strategies that help you surmount them—in today’s interview.
Connecting With Andy Molinsky
Website: www.andymolinsky.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MolinskyAndy
Twitter: twitter.com/andymolinsky
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andymolinsky/
Free Gift
Free guide download of 10 Powerful Questions for Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone.
Comfort Zone
Author, Coach, Consultant, Professor
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712:
From Combat to Diplomacy to Leadership Innovator - Christopher D. Kolenda, Ph.D.
“My father, David, and mom, Joanne, had me and three other siblings—Dan, Laura and Mark—and one of the great things all of them taught me was the importance of perseverance and determination, the will to succeed at whatever you put your mind to, and we would always challenge one another to be the best that we could be.”
Christopher D. Kolenda is the founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy, which helps nonprofits and small businesses to grow sustainability by working with them to get the big things right—leadership, culture and strategy. An internationally renowned combat leader, strategist, author, scholar and entrepreneur, Chris spent a career in the military before launching his consulting business. In Afghanistan his unit was the only one to motivate a large insurgent group to stop fighting and eventually join the government. He is the only American to have fought the Taliban as a commander in combat and engage them in high-level diplomacy. With these experiences plus his Ph.D. in strategy, Chris helps organizations that have inspirational missions to grow sustainability.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was a skinny and awkward kid, and by the time I got to high school I was bullied relentlessly. West Point was a place where I really felt I thrived and found I was naturally good at a lot of things. Plus, I was exposed to a lot of different opportunities to explore with a positive attitude and a sense of humor—things like boxing and close quarters combat. I decided I was going to do the toughest and most difficult things I could possibly do because I am never going to go through what I had to go through in high school. And that led to Airborne School and Assault Ranger School—some of the toughest schooling and assignments that the Army had.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Some of the best role models and mentors I had were from the history department at West Point and were either infantry or armor officers. Because of their personal example—the way they taught and led and cared for the students in their classes—they truly inspired me to want to be like them when I became an officer in the Army. I decided that I wanted to come back to West Point and teach one day because I aspired to do the same thing for other cadets that these fine men did for me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I learned several essential lessons from my parents and siblings: the importance of perseverance and determination along with the will to succeed at whatever you put your mind to. We would always challenge each other to be the best we could be. Another key lesson from a great teacher I had in high school was the value of honoring each person, including myself, and the vital importance of empathy.”
Steps to Success from Christopher D. Kolenda, Ph.D.
- Use perseverance and determination, along with the will to succeed, to achieve whatever you put your mind to.
- Find a group of people where you can challenge each other to be the best you can be.”
- Honor each person, including yourself.
- Learn to be empathetic; it is vitally important.”
Connecting With Christopher D. Kolenda, Ph.D.
Website: StrategicLeadersAcademy.com
Facebook: facebook.com/StrategicLeadersAcademy/
Twitter: twitter.com/Chris_Kolenda
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chriskolenda/
Book: “Leadership: The Warrior’s Art,” by Christopher D. Kolenda
Bullying, Community or Mentors, Leadership, Perseverance, Self-confidence, Self-esteem, Veterans
Army Officer, Author, Business Owner, Business Strategist, Combat Leader, Professor at West Point
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711:
Today She Is Living Her Life-Long Passion for Baking - Katherine Frankstone
“When my oldest was heading off to college, I thought, well now maybe my time is here to do that business or that creative thing that I’ve always wanted to do but never allowed myself to do. So that is when we started looking into the food business for Grey Ghost bakery.”
Katherine Frankstone never got that Easy-Bake Oven she wanted when she was 6. Instead, her father taught her to bake in the real thing—and she got a life-long passion instead. After working as a banker, becoming a mother to three sons, cofounding EdVenture Children’s Museum in Columbia, South Carolina, and going back to law school at 40, she decided to turn her passion into a business, and Grey Ghost Bakery was born. Grey Ghost Bakery produces made-from-scratch cookies in ten delicious flavors using Southern family recipes and are found in over 300 stores in 32 states.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“After working as a banker and raising three sons, I became the cofounder of a group that created a very innovative children’s museum in Columbia, South Carolina, called EdVenture Children’s Museum. We grew it from an original plan of a 1,200 square foot facility when we began creating it in 1993 to 45,000 square feet of exhibit space when we finally opened in 2003. Fifteen years later it is the largest children’s museum in the Southeast and now, with several locations, their total exhibit is around 90,000 square feet. It has certainly turned into an amazing cultural institution.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When my oldest was heading off to college, I thought, well maybe it is my time now to do that creative thing I have always wanted to do but had not allowed myself to do. That’s when we started looking into the food business and researched what would turn out to be Grey Ghost Bakery.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I would have loved to have had a bakery café someplace my whole life, but I compared myself to other people’s expectations. For a long time I felt like my creative ideas were a little too flaky because everybody I knew was extremely professional and driven on whatever their respective paths were. So I parked the creative food idea, and put that aside for a long, long while.”
Steps to Success from Katherine Frankstone
“Today we’ve got social media inundating our world where everybody only puts up the pretty pictures and stories. So it is even more difficult to carve out what kind of life you want to lead. If you do not live like someone’s preconceived notion, you are not successful. My thoughts are these:
1. Quit looking at or comparing yourself to what other people are doing. Look inside of you. The answers are there.
2. Do deep research into your fascinations via myriad available resources. Your life is well worth the extra time and effort.
3. Seek out groups or individuals who are doing what you think you want to do. Ask them questions about every aspect of the work they do—what is fulfilling, what is not and why.
4. It is hard, yes, but you are more than worth it!Connecting With Katherine Frankstone
Website: www.greyghostbakery.com
Facebook: facebook.com/GreyGhostBakery
Twitter: twitter.com/greyghostbakery
LinkedIn: linked/in/katherinefranstone-0100624/
Instagram: instagram.com/greyghostbakery/
Free Gift
10% off on all online cookie orders at www.greyghostbakery.com when you use the coupon code DYT2018.
Comparing Yourself to Others, Multi Careers
Baker, Banking, Business Owner, Non-profit
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710:
Expert Interview: Uncovering the Myths and Sharing the Realities of Entrepreneurship - Tim Fulton
“I believe in a one page business plan, very simple, not complicated. If it can’t fit on one page, it shouldn’t be on their strategic intent of business core values, mission, vision, three year goals, one year goals, key strategies, action items—all on one page.”
Tim Fulton is a successful, serial entrepreneur, small business consultant, executive coach, nationally recognized advocate for small business and Vistage Master Chair for the past 15 years. He has trained over 2,000 small business owners in four states, created an award-winning book and newsletter, and hosted one of Atlanta’s most popular events for small business owners.
Uncovering the Myths and Sharing the Realities of Entrepreneurship
For over 15 years Tim Fulton has worked with hundreds of small business owners and has coached and trained several thousand. One of the things that he has found most interesting is the shared misbeliefs or the myths that many small business owners have about not only starting their enterprise but also growing it. In this interview, he shares a good number of relevant myths and how understanding the truth can set you on the path to success in your business.
Why Is This Important?
Behind the myth that most small businesses are started by entrepreneurs, builders or visionaries is the fact that over 90% of small businesses are started by what author Brad Gerber of “E-Myth” calls “technicians.” Technicians, in this case, means someone who has a particular skill or particular expertise and then decides to start a business around that particular expertise. They believe that an educated, experienced technician should be able to run a business in their field.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Although Tim shares a good number of relevant, interesting myths, one that disturbs him is many small business owners have a written business plan when they first get started, and then for whatever reason, they are determined that moving forward, they do not need a business plan. “This myth is very unfortunate because I find, if they are not regularly creating an annual business plan for their business, that it’s easy–very easy–to get lost “
Connecting With Tim Fulton
Website: www.smallbusinessmattersonline.com
Facebook: Small Business Matters
Twitter: Small Business Matters
LinkedIn: Tim Fulton
Instagram:
Author, Entrepreneur, Executive Coach, Retail, Small Business
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709:
Striving to Be Better via Vision, Action and Belief - Mikael Dia
“Coming from the depths of Africa to actually becoming the first black senior vice president of any major banking company in the country, is pretty impressive. So I grew up idolizing my Dad. And the fact that he was able to allow his kids to reach this top level, that meant for me that I had a chance to start at the top level.”
Mikael Dia is a digital marketing expert and founder of Funnelytics, a software company helping entrepreneurs and marketers convert traffic into profit. A serial entrepreneur who scaled several businesses to seven figures and beyond, he is passionate about helping entrepreneurs understand their numbers so that they can get better results from their marketing efforts.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Mikael and a few friends started a tee-shirt company, and out of necessity, he had to learn how to build an actual website. “We did not end up making much money—it was more like a hobby. But that website and that experience was a tipping point within my journey. Now I had even more belief and I started taking even more action. Now I was all in with this!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I graduated with a civil engineering degree, and in my first job I’d sit behind my computer the entire day creating architectural drawings of roads and where the sewer systems are—mapping it all out. I hated it so much that after 6 months I realized there was no way I was doing this for another 20 years! My two buddies and I decided that we were going to start a t-shirt company. So I went and Googled how to sell online, and that took me through a big rabbit hole of everything related to online marketing and building websites.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My dad was a massive influence in my life. He told me that I can accomplish absolutely anything I want as long as I have three core things: (1) Absolute clarity of my vision of what I want—in full detail, (2) Take daily action toward those goals, and (3) Have full belief in myself that it will happen. Now it may not happen the exact way I want it to, or planned, but if I have that vision and take action daily, then no matter what obstacles come my way, I’ll overcome them and there’s nothing that can stop me from achieving them. I have lived my life with this mindset and it has served me well.”
Steps to Success from Mikael Dia
Look at all of your different opportunities that arise and start weighing them across the following 4 boxes. If you can answer “yes” to three or more, then you will know how to make your decision.
1. Learn: If you can learn something new every day, you’ll have a certain sense of fulfillment.
2. Build: Turn something on a piece of paper into an actual physical thing that you can see, along with understanding the steps required, in order, for it to get to that stage.
3. Advise: Be able to chat with someone on a deeper level about business, life, philosophy, whatever, and to see them have that epiphany moment can get you really pumped up.
4. Freedom: Live your life the way you want. Choose your own path, instead of just listening to what you are told to do.
Connecting With Mikael Dia
Website: www.funnelytics.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/funnelytics/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaeldia/
Instagram: @thediaproject
Entrepreneurism
Business Owner, Software development
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708:
Using Her Talents to Grow Young African Entrepreneurship - Victoria Crandall
“I’m a firm believer that once you finish your university studies, those following years are just so important to shaping who you are as a person and figuring out what you want to do and who’s my tribe.”
Victoria Crandall is the host and founder of Young African Entrepreneur podcast where she chats with successful entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa about their entrepreneurial journeys. She recently joined Insider, a PR company that helps global entrepreneurs connect with investors, media and influencers in the US and Europe, as director of media relations. Before discovering her passion for Africa entrepreneurship, Victoria worked in Africa’s agricultural commodity sector. She now lives in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was a very good student and loved languages, but did not feel challenged at all in high school. I was always driven by my motivation and curiosity to be exposed to new things. At the University of Virginia I became a dedicated student activist and dug deeply into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which got me into the study of the Middle East, the Arabic language, and changed the course of my academic life and my career.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I came to the Ivory Coast in 2013 on a research project and fell in love with the country. I gained exposure to agriculture and agricultural commodities. Because journalism is so hard to make a career of, particularly the last 10 years, I took a position as a soft commodities analyst with a Pan-African bank, and have been happily living here ever since.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I am a firm believer that, once you finish your university studies, those following years are so vitally important in shaping who you are as a person and figuring out what kind of life and lifestyle you want. I have simply kept an open mind and continued to explore myself and my options.”
Steps to Success from Victoria Crandall
1. You need time and that can be a luxury depending on what your circumstances are. It also demands taking risks, which is difficult for most of us.
2. Go find your tribe—a community of like-minded individuals in your community or online. Find people who stimulate you and introduce you to new ideas and new activities, who have a different way of approaching problems, and who ultimately push you to be better.
3. Keep an open mind and continue to explore yourself and your options.
Connecting With Victoria Crandall
Website: https://www.yaepodcast.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/vmcrandall
Twitter: yaepodcast
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/victoriacrandall
Instagram: yaepodcast
Podcast: https://yaepodcast.com/podcast1/
Entrepreneurism, Multi Careers, Travel
Commodities Market, Journalist, Podcaster, Public Relations
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707:
Expert Interview: Decades of Career Advice from 100 Young Professionals - Paul Murphy
“It’s crazy. If you are buying a house or buying a car, you would research it for weeks, months. Your career is such a big part of your life, such a big decision. We spend so much time at work, and a lot of people don’t do any research whatsoever into possible career paths.”
Paul Murphy is a Qualified Accountant and Project and Program Manager with over 10 years of experience in financial roles for multinational companies. He is author of the number one Amazon bestseller, “A Thousand Years of Career Advice,” which is interviews of 100 graduates–10 years after university–about their career paths and advice for a younger generation.
Decades of Career Advice from 100 Young Professionals
Paul Murphy began interviewing people 10 years into their careers to see if their experiences mirrored his own. Like him, most got into the career they chose as students, and too many of them found the jobs in their field were not what they had expected. Some are miserable but remain on their linear track. Others have found the courage to face their fears and use their innate talents to get into careers that provide them more satisfaction and success.
Why Is This Important?
No matter the fields of study Paul Murphy’s 100 graduates chose or which careers they pursued, “No one has had a laser focus. It was very much the result of a series of decisions.” By listening to the advice of those who have recently lived through the early years of career decisions, a younger generation has the opportunity to change or add new strategies to get them where they want to go in their careers faster and with less trial and error.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Although there are many recurring themes from these interviews, including don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, the most pragmatic advice given by all 100 interviewees is to talk to people who are already in fields in which you are interested. Talk to people just a few years ahead of you and see what the reality of their jobs and life are. Talk with successful people willing to share what it takes to be successful in their field. Intern or volunteer in the environment where you would be working. Arm yourself with as much information as you can, preferably before you are out of school. Do not start a job without some fact-finding about different careers and about yourself.
Connecting With Paul Murphy
Website: www.1000yearsofcareeradvice.com
Facebook: facebook.com/1000YearsofCareerAdvice
Twitter: twitter.com/100CareerPaths
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/paulkevinmurphy/
Instagram: instagram.com/1000yearsofcareeradvice
Careers
Accountant, Author
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706:
Veterinarian Fights for What He Believes In: Your Pets - Dr. John Robb
“Obviously to be a veterinarian in the true sense of the word, you have to have a love for animals. That’s got to be the basis. And love means an action to want to preserve life and to sustain life and to cure disease.”
Dr. John Robb is transforming veterinary medicine, making the pets’ well-being the goal, by bringing morality back into the profession. His organization, Protect-the-Pets (PTP), has become the leading organization that the pet-owning public recognizes as their source for trustworthy information on pet care. He lives his oath to do no harm, and other vets are standing up as well by educating the pet-owning public. The PTP movement is driving the change to amend the rabies law. In addition, Dr. Robb is organizing the PTP veterinary hospitals all over the world. Together and united with the public, like-minded veterinarians, and elected officials, Dr. Robb’s vision for veterinary medicine is unfolding and sweeping the world to bring the needed changes for morality to once again become the foundation of this important profession to protect the pets.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I just was intrigued by animal life since I was a kid. If you came in my room when I was a kid, a frog might be jumping out of a drawer. Baby possums might be crawling out of a box. I mean, snakes could be.… You never knew what was in my room because I just wanted every animal around me to look at them, because I was so intrigued by them. It’s an innate thing I was born with.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“What I started to notice was these vaccines that were touted as so important to prevent disease were making pets sick, especially the small pets. And yet, I could not find anything in any of the journals about these reactions that I was seeing. This was when I started to get outside the box and I started extending the time period between my vaccines. This is crucial because while we are on this program, five or six pets are going to die from a rabies shot they did not need.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I realized that I am not just going to get out of school and be a veterinarian, but I have to constantly be the veterinarian that I want to be, and that is not necessarily the standard around me. I had to own my own hospital. I could not work for anybody. I had to be able to make the decisions that I wanted to make.”
Steps to Success from Dr. John Robb
1. If you want to accomplish something in this world, you are going to have to stand up against evil. You are going to have to stand up against those who would take advantage of others in order to get ahead.
2. To be what you are supposed to be, to live your calling and have passion for it, you cannot even begin to do things that go against what you know inside are wrong. You have to do the right thing regardless of your fears.
Connecting With Dr. John Robb
Website: www.protectthepets.com
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/DRRobbPTP/
Twitter: John Robb@JohnRobb17
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/john-robb-639a317/
Instagram: drrobbsprotectthepets
Fighting the Bureaucracy, Pet Care, Vaccinations for Pets
Veterinary
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705:
Professional Skydiver Jumps into a New Career - Melanie J. Curtis
“I do not want to do this. I do not want to do that. I do not want to live in a trailer. I don’t want to eat ramen noodles. I don’t want to make no money. I had all of these excuses, all of these preconceived ideas in my mind about why I could not do what I really wanted to do.”
Melanie Curtis is the life coach for people who don’t like life coaches. She went from investment banking to professional skydiving to life coaching. She now helps people overcome fear and employ courage while actually making the torture of personal growth fun and funny. Working with Melanie is not for the faint of heart, but the skills you learn can change everything.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My Dad is a pilot. My dad met a friend of his who was a skydiver and they decided to open a skydiving drop zone at my dad’s house. He lived on a dead-end road with a grass strip in the back yard. I would sit in on the first jump course and really learn about skydiving. I could have done it [sky diving] when I was 16, but I was too scared. But after I graduated high school it just hit me ‘Okay, I’m ready tomorrow. I’m doing it.’ And I did. The rest is history. That really is a pivotal experience in my life.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was unhappy with my job in Los Angeles and very stressed. That sent me into some personal reflection, which led me to picking up the book, ‘What Color Is Your Parachute?.’ Obviously I picked it up because it had parachute in the title. But one of the questions in that book altered my direction forever. The question was, ‘What would you do if money were no object?’ Obviously it would be skydiving, but I had all of these excuses, all of these preconceived ideas in my mind, about why I could not do what I really wanted to do. But with further reflection, I realized other people were doing it. So I proposed to my first official Drop Zone that I run their events and marketing and be their lead on the social and experiential side of their business, which is exactly what I did—while also honing my skydiving skills, eventually becoming a world-renowned professional skydiver.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Trust your journey.
“The skydiving discipline that I was a part of and passionate about is called four-way formation skydiving. I competed in this and taught it. Through formation skydiving I learned how to:
– Set goals
– Plan
– Communicate
– Navigate conflict
– Mentally be strong in the face of challenge.You will learn so many skills over your career that will prepare you for your next steps. You may not see it while you are learning, but the pattern will come clearer as you look back.”
Steps to Success from Melanie J. Curtis
1. Do not let your mindset block you. Skills are skills and they can be transported to a different career any time in your life.
2. Go back to the very beginning of what is now occurring in your life right now. From there, start to identify actionable ways to move forward and grow.
Ask yourself, “What would you do if money were no object?Connecting With Melanie J. Curtis
Website: http://melaniecurtis.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/melanie.curtis.37/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/11melaniecurtis/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melanie-curtis-74ab3540/
Your Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniecurtis11/
Free Gift
If you are interested in doing a one-on-one life coaching session with Melanie, visit http://melaniecurtis.com/discoveryourtalent/ for a version of her “sample session,” a full week of coaching with Melanie at 20% off.
Banking, Life Coach, Podcaster, Skydiving
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704:
Expert Interview: The Happiness Advantage - Andy Proctor
“When your brain is surging with positive emotions, your peripheral vision expands, your brain works better, you’re more creative. All these things really help to expand your capacity, both mentally and physically.”
Andy Proctor is the founder of the More Happy Life online school and podcast. Since 2015, he has used social media to teach positive psychology to tens of thousands. He was the #1 positive psychology broadcaster on the Periscope platform and is a featured Anchor podcaster and he has over 100,000 followers across his happiness social media channels. He helps people discover their unique life mission and then empowers them with social media and internet marketing skills to share their mission with the world.
The Happiness Advantage
“Aristotle said that happiness is the end and aim of our existence. The majority of people across all continents and cultures say that happiness is one of their most important goals in life, and it doesn’t just reward the person who finds it, but it also is rewarding for their family, for the workplace, for the community, nation, and even their whole society.”
Why Is This Important?
“A lot of research is coming out around the science of happiness, and it shows that happiness does not just make you feel better, but it also boosts your energy, your creativity, your immune system. It improves your relationships, it makes you more productive at work and it even leads to a longer life.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Finding ways to be happy and emphasize the good in one’s life has physical, mental and emotional benefits beyond the obvious, including life longevity.
Connecting With Andy Proctor
Website: www.morehappylife.co
Facebook: facebook.com/morehappynow
Twitter: twitter.com/MoreHappyLifeco
Instagram: instagram.com/morehappylife/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andy-proctor-94b96a13
Podcast: More Happy Life
Happiness, Social Media
Online Marketing, Podcaster, Social Media, Teaching/Teacher
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703:
Transformation Through Travel - Rob Harsh
“Life is extremely short and if we are given just one, then every moment truly counts. And so why not go out and live life on your terms? So I decided that’s what I was going to do, and I quit my job and sold my house and moved to South America.”
Rob Harsh has traveled extensively throughout the world on climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, and multi-sport expeditions along the way. He’s climbed mountains on five continents and participated in over 50 of the world’s toughest adventure racing and ultra running endurance events. He’s a professional coach and expert in supporting people making positive shifts in their lives. Two years ago he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer with a four percent chance of survival. Within a year he was cured and now gives back to others through inspiration and adventure.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As a young boy, Paul would always be in the woods in his neighborhood, playing in the dirt. That translated in college to a degree in environmental science, and starting his career in big corporations doing environmental and sustainability programs. “But I was really more interested in the process of being in the outdoors and engaging people. Looking back at it, I might have been more well suited to go into a program around forestry or something like that.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
A couple of years into his corporate environmental job, he devised a plan to develop the skills and physical endurance he needed to fulfill his childhood dream of climbing the tallest mountains in the world. In a year and a half he felt he was ready to climb in the Himalayas. “At the moment I reached the summit of my first Himalayan peak—a mountain literally across the valley from Mount Everest—it was like a peace that came over me, and I decided that I really wanted to purse a life of adventure.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
I had now worked in the corporate world for over 20 years. I had a very successful career. I made good money, owned a house, I had the American dream really in many ways, but I wasn’t happy. And that was the thing I kept coming back to. Every moment truly counts and so why not go out and live life on your terms? So shortly after that I decided that’s what I was going to do, and I quit my job and sold my house and moved to South America.
Steps to Success from Rob Harsh
1. Think of everyone you meet in life as either one of your greatest students or one of your greatest teachers, and live your life accordingly.
2. Get out of your comfort zone, step off the trail that you’re following in life and explore what’s beyond that.
3. Explore different aspects of yourself. Don’t get locked in.
4. Value other people’s opinions. Nobody’s truly wrong or right. There are valuable opinions on both sides.
Connecting With Rob Harsh
Website: www.awakenedadventures.com
Facebook: facebook.com/awakenedadventurestravel/
Twitter: twitter.com/rob_harsh
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robharsh/
Instagram: instagram.com/awakenedadventures/
Adventurer, Travel
Adventure Tour Guide, Adventurer, Fund Raising, Sustainability, Transformational Life Coach
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702:
Autism Advocate Learns by Doing the Research - Ula Tinsley
“I always say that family and love should come first, and no matter what, set your priorities straight because it’s not all about the money. We have to decide our priorities as soon as possible to avoid any regrets later on in life.”
Ula Tinsley is a passionate autism advocate, featured writer at www.icare4autism.org and a talk show host on Autism Mama Bear Talk. She’s been raising autism awareness on a local and national level since 2010, when her son was diagnosed with a regressive form of autism. After gaining more experience and knowledge about different ways of treating ASD, she’s been supporting and consulting other families living with autism. Her latest project, Autism Mama Bear Talk, is a fast-paced interview show bringing informative and everyday inspiring stories from leading autism advocates, self-advocates, parents and medical experts.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“The first real work that I had was during my university years and that was thanks to my brother who is a lawyer. He was working at the Polish Parliament as a journalist and he said, ‘I have too much work. Would you like to help me? You just go there and record everything and then come home and write it in a proper Polish language so they sound very smart and eloquent.’ Hey, I can do that! And so I went.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Ula’s first child was perfectly normal until just before his 2nd birthday when he went from a smiling and thriving child who loved to be picked up to not wanting any contact, not even eye contact, not responding to his name and no longer speaking. Because of her studies at university, she recognized these as possible characteristics of autism.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
There were no autism awareness groups when her son was young because it was not so prevalent as it is now. She had to do her own research and recognize that the doctors didn’t know much either. One even told her that because they were raising their son in a bilingual home, her son was getting “confused,” and they should speak only one language.
Steps to Success from Ula Tinsley
1. Do not commit to anything just to win the approval of others. Do it because you believe in it and desire to be a part of it.
2. Focus on your strong points. Make a list of your absolute strongest skills. Make a list of all the things that you love doing. And a third list of your goals. Then see how you can cross match all those skills, desires and goals together.
3. Don’t just trust your doctors blindly. Educate yourself.
Connecting With Ula Tinsley
Facebook: facebook.com/URSA.Autism.Mama.Bear/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/urszulaholubtinsley
Instagram: @ursaautismmamabear
YouTube: Autism Mama Bear Talk
Autism, Parental Influence, Poland, Vaccines
Autism Advocate, Band, Journalist
September 2018:
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701:
Expert Interview: How to Reverse Engineer Your Success - Tommy Baker
Tommy Baker is a writer, speaker, author, and coach and host of the Resist Average Academy. After starting and running Tommy Baker Fitness, he has continued to follow his passion for learning, teaching, sharing, and experiencing. Tommy wrote “The 1% Rule” in which he outlines the process of integrating breakthroughs in our lives to allow consistent growth to achieve our dreams.
How to Reverse Engineer Your Success
“There’s never been more information and knowledge around on how to create success. Yet, so many people feel stuck, frustrated, or like they’re spinning their wheels. That was me at one point. I would go to all the seminars, webinars and listen to all this material; but I had little to no results to show for it. That’s when I created ‘The 1% Rule.’”
Why Is This Important?
“The 1% Rule is a system where you create a bold vision for your life, but we don’t just stop there. We reverse engineer it all the way to what we do today. In all my years of coaching, consulting and working with clients, the biggest thing is giving them a daily process so they can get one percent better and move toward their vision. It’s only a matter of time until all of those big dreams start to come to life.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“It’s easy to get lost in the details. The biggest tragedy is when someone creates a vision but then never moves toward it because there are so many distractions and opportunity costs, not only in terms of potential achievement, but also in terms of fulfillment and impact they’re able to create.”
Connecting With Tommy Baker
Website: www.resistaverageacademy.com
Facebook: facebook.com/BAKER72 and facebook.com/resistaverageacademy
Twitter: twitter.com/ResistAverage
Instagram: instagram.com/tommy_resistaverage
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thomasbaker85/
Author, Coach, Trainer, Writer
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700:
Revealing Her Magnificence - Cloris Kylie
“I’ve seen so many times that people make a decision and think, ‘This is it, for the rest of my life. I’m stuck.’ But it’s not true. You can always pivot, you can always make a change, and you never know what life will bring.”
Cloris Kylie has a marketing MBA, helps coaches, authors and skilled practitioners to build authority and attract the right clients so they can create a business that fosters a positive impact and a growing revenue. A sought-after speaker, trainer and author, Cloris has been featured on various television and radio shows and the podcast Entrepreneur on Fire. Her motto is, “Reveal your magnificence,” because she wants you to remember that your talent and ideas must be shared with the world.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I wasn’t always doing something that I loved. I grew up in a family where there were no entrepreneurs, and it was expected that you would just go to college, get a corporate job, go up the ladder, and succeed. That was the definition of success. So, that’s what I thought I had to do. I never even thought about becoming an entrepreneur.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Dissatisfied after four years of waiting in her corporate job to be able to do what she loved—marketing, Cloris gave her notice without another job lined up. Months went by, and she began to think, “I made a big mistake, I shouldn’t have left.” But that was one of the best things that ever happened to me. To kept myself busy while I looked for a job. I started to coach and tutor students who were going to college or graduate school, helping them prepare for SAT, ACT and other standardized tests. I loved it so much that I said, “Maybe I could start a business.” That was the first time I ever thought maybe I can do my own thing and start my own business.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There’s something about all of us humans: we always want to expand, always want to go to the next step. At one tough point in my life, when my marriage had ended, I published a self-development book, ‘Magnificent, Married or Not.’ That became my new thing. I really wanted to empower people. It was still about doing the same thing—seeing a change in people and helping people—but I wanted to do it through this book.”
Steps to Success from Cloris Kylie
1. Discover the false beliefs about yourself that are holding you back. Often, you’ve had them since childhood and they are not true.
2. Face your fears and follow your passion. Take the plunge.
3. Find ways to add value to people’s lives in ways that are meaningful to them. Become a go-giver.
On Her Bookshelf
The Go-Giver, Expanded Edition: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea, by Bob Berg
Wishes Fulfilled: Mastering the Art of Manifesting, by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer (https://amzn.to/2PdSYFW)
The Essential Wayne Dyer Collection, by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Beyond Influencer Marketing: Create Connections with Influential People to Build Authority, Grow Your List, and Boost Revenue, by Cloris Kylie
Magnificent…Married or Not: Reaching Your Highest Self Before, During, and After Divorce, by Cloris Kylie
Connecting With Cloris Kylie
Website: www.cloriskylie.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/cloriskylie
Twitter: www.twitter.com/cloriskylie
LinkedIn: linkedin/in/cloriskylie
Free Gift
Quick Action Guide for Lead Magnets and Opt-In Pages.
Download at: http://myplatform.info/action-guide-lead-magnet
Author, Speaker, Trainer
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699:
From Green Sneakers and Green Dress Pants to Professional Speaker - Corey Poirier
“I went in for the first interview wearing a makeshift suit that I bought at Value Village. It was horrible. I had green sneakers that I tried to pass off as dress shoes because I could only find green dress pants. I came back for the second interview and I wore purple dress shoes and purple slacks. They still hired me.”
Corey Poirier is a multiple-time TEDx, MoMondays and PMx, speaker. He is also the host of the top-rated “Conversations with PASSION” Radio Show and founder of The Speaking Program. A columnist with Entrepreneur and Forbes magazine, he has also been featured in/on CBS, CTV, NBC, ABC, and is a Forbes Coaches Council member. He has also interviewed over 4,000 of the world’s top leaders. One of his most recent talks took him to New York City where he spoke to at-risk youth at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Boys & Girls Club.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My early career vision was unique for my background. The combined vision with several friends was that we were going to work on the oil rigs and make enough money in eight months to never have to work again in our lives. That’s what we thought at age 19 and 20. We were going to move back home and retire as millionaires.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Corey spent about 10 years working his way up in management and marketing at Konica Minolta. “Ten years in that business is like a full career in any other business! I joke, that is when I finally retired, at 30 years old. For about four of those years, I had been speaking on the side, using vacation days, days off, evenings, weekends doing after-dinner talks. That became my first real entrepreneurial journey, launching a training and speaking business. And I still do that today.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We’re taught skills that would help you become a good teacher or if you go into a trade related to those skills, but we’re not taught life skills that would get you started realizing and finding your calling and realizing your potential earlier. We have to find it by happy accident. How great would it be if every school taught you how to find your purpose and passion? I would invest as a sponsor of a school to teach people about finding your calling.”
Steps to Success from Corey Poirier
1. Pay attention to the things that interested you as a child, and connect the dots between then and now, as Steve Jobs has described.
2. Start following your interests by doing a side hustle. Use your evenings, weekends and vacations to explore and test them out.
On His Bookshelf
The Book of WHY (and HOW), by Corey Poirier
The Book of Public Speaking: Learning to Speak for Purpose, Impact and Profit, by Corey Poirier
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age, by Dale Carnegie
Success for Teens Book & Audio CD: Real Teens Talk About Using the Slight Edge®, by the Slight Edge Team and Success Books
Connecting With Corey Poirier
Website: www.thatspeakerguy.com/ and www.LetsDoInfluencing.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/corey.poirier.1
Twitter: twitter.com/thatspeakerguyv
LinkedIn: linkedin/in/speakercoreypoirier/
Free Gift
Free copy of Corey’s book, “Enlightened,” at www.LetsDoInfluencing.com.
Passion
Author, Sales, Speaker
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698:
Expert Interview: Finding the Gold in the Dark Side - Craig Filek
With over 20 years of experience facilitating deep inner work, Craig Filek developed Purpose Mapping® to bring his own life into alignment, after walking away from a 7-figure business, and from what he thought would be his ideal life. Now, he guides high-achievers around the world to realize their full potential by clarifying their purpose, aligning with their flow state, and making a meaningful contribution every day. Executives, entrepreneurs, investors and professionals around the world seek Craig’s guidance when making life-changing decisions.
Finding the Gold in the Dark Side
“The dark side is what Carl Jung would have called the Shadow. It’s everything that we hide, repress and deny about ourselves. It’s tricky and enigmatic because we don’t really talk about it. We don’t know what the shadow is because we’ve pushed it out of our mind, out of our awareness. We use half of our power just pushing that negative trait away.”
Why Is This Important?
“The idea of finding and embracing the gold in your dark side is that when we bring all of ourselves to bear, including our dark side, on the things that we want to create in our lives—the families, the communities, businesses, clients and projects we want to create—we’re able to bring all of our energy, attention and power to these projects. Then, things start to hit what we call a flow state.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“What we want to do is simply put our dark side on our map. You know it’s there, it hasn’t gone away. It’s just that you’re not hanging out in that part of your map right now. We’re not trying to eradicate the ego, push it down, or get rid of the shadow. Instead, we’re putting it on the map so that you can use it to navigate. The way we go is through purpose, which is the very reason you exist. That’s how you get to your essence, strength, downfall and shadow, and it’s how you get the gold out of your shadow. Connect that gold to your strength, and that is your axis of purpose.”
Connecting With Craig Filek
Website: www.PurposeMapping.com/DiscoverYourTalent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PurposeMapping
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697:
Insane Chaos Brought Everything Into Focus - Alison Smith
“Coming out of my psych degree, I put out my resume, and did the interviews, and ended up stocking shelves early morning shift at a hardware store.”
Alison Smith is a parenting coach and consultant from the Atlantic coast of Canada. In a world filled with seemingly endless rules for parents, she is a voice of solid reason and support for parents who question if they are doing the right thing for their child. She’s the founder of the on-line Parent Learning Community, co-founder of both the Thought Leaders in Parenting and Positive Parenting Movement groups, and is author of the “Gentle Parenting Manifesto.” She combines her background in education, psychology, and personal development to support parents in developing themselves while discovering strategies that fit for their family.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
With an early interest in sociology and a degree in psychology, Alison’s career path did not start out as she had planned. She worked for a hardware store chain. So, she went back to college to become a teacher. “I loved the active teaching, and was drawn to developing relationships with students and working with them on what they needed. But I found the system difficult to work within emotionally. I love flexibility and freedom.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
With her education degree in hand, life took a dramatic, unimaginable turn. Her husband suddenly was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Surgery went well, and they recently celebrated his 10th anniversary with a clean bill of health. “That started us on a journey of seizing the day, being grateful in the moment.” They wasted no time in starting a family. Later, as she dealt with parenthood, isolation and expectations, Alison found a way to create a new life, which is driving her forward today.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve developed a manifesto for gentle parents and gentle parenting, built on solid tenets. They start with connection, focusing on the relationship as the most important thing. It’s vital to develop empathy, compassion and grace for the perspectives of others, and respect. Respect is one of my core values, as well as freedom.”
Steps to Success from Alison Smith
1. Overcome perfectionist tendencies by developing flexibility. Learn to expect things might not turn out as you planned.
2. If the status quo isn’t making you happy, find the action you can take to move yourself closer to what you want.
3. Focus on relationships as the most important thing. Foster them, nurture them. Finding connection is the first thing.
4. Find creative ways of building communities of support. Then get busy building them.
On Her Bookshelf
Reframe Your Blame, How to Be Personally Accountable, by Jay Fiset
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are, by Brené Brown
The Conscious Parent, by Dr. Shefaly Tsabary
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, by Gay Hendricks, Ph.D.
The Gentle Parenting Manifesto, by Alison Smith
Connecting With Alison Smith
Website: www.alisonsmithcoaching.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/alisonsmithcoaching
Twitter: twitter.com/smith_coaching
Instagram: instagram.com/theparentcoach
LinkedIn: linkedin/in/alisonsmith
Free Gift
Free 15-minute inquiry call. You share your issue. Alison tells you your options. Schedule your call here: http://bit.ly/alisonsinquirycall
Downloadable free copy of “The Gentle Parenting Manifesto” at: https://ky242-7a9f00.pages.infusionsoft.net/
Parenting
Author, Parenting Coach, Teaching/Teacher
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696:
Let's Not Go That Way. Let's Go This Way. - Court Creeden
“There’s always been a piece of me that’s paid attention to that inner voice telling me, ‘This isn’t where we’re supposed to be,’ or, ‘No, let’s not go that way, let’s go this way.’”
From years of experience as the founder of a financial firm, Court Creeden’s life was forever changed after seeing the truth of the lives people are really living. This led him to write his book, “Blue Goat.” Now he uses his coaching skills, background in finance, and love of personal connections to help people design a life they actually want to be living. He has been featured on The Wall Street Journal, MSN Money, Dow Jones, Time, and numerous parenting sites and other podcasts.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“While I was in college, I didn’t find or figure out the next step, so I relied on my friends. A lot of guys from Penn were going to New York into investment banking. I went through a round of interviews with Morgan Stanley, looking at becoming a bond trader. I don’t think I even knew what a bond was! But, instead of taking that job, my sister, an artist in New York City, and a group of artists and designers were starting a magazine but didn’t have anybody who knew finance. So, instead of Morgan Stanley, I went to the start-up magazine in Soho with a bunch of actors, models, and artists.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“The job offer at Morgan Stanley was on the 65th floor of World Trade Center, Tower 2. Had I taken that job, I would have been a few floors from where one of the planes hit. Who knows what that would have looked like or where I would have been that day? That was a powerful lesson early on about trusting my gut and not listening to everyone telling me what I needed to do.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There’s always been a piece of me that’s paid attention to that inner voice telling me, ‘This isn’t where we’re supposed to be,’ or, ‘No, let’s not go that way, let’s go this way,’ or, ‘This doesn’t match up with what we say we want to do.” It’s always been a loud voice, and once you start to listen, the louder it gets. Listening to it for a long time has made it easy to pay attention to the voice in my head versus all those voices from the world around me.”
Steps to Success from Court Creeden
1. Do not let your life be dictated by things around you—society, media, parents, friends and family that are telling us who we need to be and what we need to have.
2. Spend time with yourself, asking the big questions, journaling and developing a conscious life.
3. Find your inner voice and learn to listen to it. With time, you will learn to trust it.
On His Bookshelf
Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives, by Dan Millman (https://amzn.to/2MmQPuK)
The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, by Scott Callaway
Blue Goat: The Life Changing Power of Being Yourself, by Court Creeden
Connecting With Court Creeden
Website: www.BlueGoatLife.com
Facebook: facebook.com/court.creeden and facebook.com/bluegoatlife
Instagram: www.instagram.com/court_creeden
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/court-creeden-32a94814b/
Listening to Inner Voice, Mindfulness
Author, Business Owner, Financial Planner
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695:
Expert Interview: Shine the Spotlight on Your Struggles and Thrive - Lauren Robertson
Lauren Robertson is a Hay House author of the bestselling book, “The Medium in Manolos: A Life-Affirming Guide to Modern Mediumship,” which helps readers overcome the fear of death in all its forms, and brings Spirit communication into the 21st century for millennial spiritual seekers. She calls herself one of those weirdos who loves public speaking, and has toured the world speaking in her capacity as medium and coach. Lauren educates female entrepreneurs and coaches on how to become amazing public speakers, and how to elegantly sell their products and services from the stage, while traveling the world and changing lives in the process.
Shine the Spotlight on Your Struggles and Thrive
“In my capacity as a speaker, I’ve discovered that people respond best to stories. For a long time, I was very reluctant to share my story and my struggles, for fear of judgment, or of making myself appear weak in the eyes of people I wanted to respect me and see me as a leader. So, both in my capacity as a medium—where I had to become an expert at telling other people’s stories—and also in the process of owning my own life story as a speaker, I have been fortunate to thrive on the journey toward owning my own story. It’s deeply gratifying to see others experience similar successes as they gain unique perspective on their own stories and begin to thrive.”
Why Is This Important?
“If a client comes with an open mind and open heart—and they are really ready to do the work—astonishing things can be accomplished in a very short period of time! But most people need time to build rapport and trust to be able to tell their story, and I work with them in that process. Then, they can learn to reframe their story and gain a definite perspective on it, and become able to package it as something truly valuable to share with the world.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“It is really wonderful to hear how clients become able to take new and different perspectives on their past. You look around the audience while they are speaking, and see that each and every heart and mind is being touched in a slightly different way. It is in that moment where my client truly understands how far they have come, and that their story can now serve a new and powerful purpose in their life. It is really a special moment for them, for me and, I’m sure, for the audience as well.”
Books on The Topic
The Medium in Manolos: A Life-Affirming Guide to Modern Mediumship, by Lauren Robertson. Also available as audiobook on audible.com
Connecting With Lauren Robertson
Website: www.LaurenRobertson.co.uk
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/writerlauren
facebook.com/supernovaspeaker (speaker coaching)
Facebook Group: Become a Speaker Superstar, with Lauren Robertson: facebook.com/supernovaspeaker (speaker coaching)Philosophy, Spirituality, Storytelling, Turn Obstacle into Asset
Author, Coach, Speaker
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694:
From Existential Crisis to a Life of Purpose - Mary Shores
“I literally had this ‘Aha!’ moment one day when I looked at the phone and literally said, out loud, ‘I want the next person who calls to be happier at the end of the call than they were at the beginning of the call.’ ”
Mary Shores is a best-selling Hay House personal development author, and a businesswoman who discovered a roadmap for how to get in control of your own life. As the owner and CEO of what has been called one of the most unique collection agencies in the country, her philosophy of maintaining a positive approach to life and to debt collection has re-framed her entire organization and the lives of those she has trained.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I started my own business when I was 24. It was very small in the beginning, of course. When my parents lost their collections business, I approached several of their former clients and asked them to give me a chance. Several of them did. I just did what I needed to do each day, built it, and over time it has become a very successful business.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I went through my own crisis of meaning, or existential crisis, several years ago. I decided I wanted to take a more spiritual path in life that was more focused on my personal growth. I realized that just by exercising my natural-born skills, gifts and talents I was able to live a life of purpose.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The idea of having a purpose has become this thing. It is as if it is this big P-word, hiding behind a curtain. That you are supposed to have to go through some sort of scary journey to live on this path. But, the truth is, your purpose is not hidden from you at all. Whatever you were good at as a kid—like when I was that little kid playing banker in my garage—shows us what that is. Whenever you feed your natural skills, gifts and talents, they will grow. And they will become more powerful in the neural networks of your subconscious. Then, synchronistically, you start to find more opportunities to use them.”
Steps to Success from Mary Shores
1. Make a list of what you do that is unique to you, something you are good at that brings you joy.
2. Look right where you are for opportunities to do those things. They may be in a new volunteer involvement, or as close as helping a co-worker.
3. As you start using your unique gifts, watch for new resources and opportunities that will come to you.
4. Notice and acknowledge how you feel better as you use your unique gifts. That feeling will grow as you continue to use them.
Connecting With Mary Shores
Website: www.maryshores.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shoresmary
Group: Fearless AmbitionTwitter: www.twitter.com/mary_shores
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mary_shores
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoresmary
Free Gift
Free Daily Desires Diary bundle which includes the Daily Desires Diary, a new daily practice to help you reflect, set goals, and take action, as well as a bonus excerpt of Conscious Communications to jumpstart your motivation. The link for listeners is: http://maryshores.com/desiresdiary-bundle
Positive Approach, Purpose, Talents
Author, Business Owner, Debt Collections
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693:
A French Chef's Recipe for Emotional Control - Cedric Bertelli
“When you look at the state of the world, the way I see it, all the problems we see — the racism, the wars — it’s only a big mirror of what’s going on inside each one of us, inside of every single human being.”
Cedric Bertelli is an expert in emotional regulation and the first and only person certified to teach the revolutionary emotional healing technique — Tipi — in the United States. Tipi uses the body’s sensory memory to permanently heal deeply rooted traumas and emotional conditions such as depression, PTSD, anxiety, anger, and grief. As Director of Tipi U.S.A, Cedric has been instrumental in its growth as an emotional healing technique in the United States and Canada. In addition to the hundreds of individual sessions he has conducted, he has trained over 100 therapists, educators, and psychologists to use Tipi in their work.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I come from a tiny little village of 80 people in the south of France, between the woods and the vineyards. The first turning point for me was very early on. I was very attached to my mom and my grandmother, and I developed very quickly a passion for cooking and being in the kitchen. That was really something that made me happy very early on. Later, when my first year in high school did not go well, that’s when I decided to change completely and go to culinary school. I loved it! It was finally tapping into what I loved. It was life-changing.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I started looking into psychotherapy and other avenues, trying to feel better in my own skin. I found a program called Tipi, founded in France by Luc Nicon, who told me that anybody could completely resolve any kind of emotional pattern in 30 minutes using the technique. Of course, I was very skeptical, but curious. I contacted Luc and did a session with him on the phone. After only one session, an issue that had been coming into my life on a daily basis did not come back anymore! I quit my job with Ritz-Carlton in 2009, and went back to France to study the Tipi program.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Forget about what may have happened within the last few years and realize that, once you decide you really want to do something, you can do it. Today can be a new beginning if you just put your mind to it.”
Steps to Success from Cedric Bertelli
1. Forget about your past and start today anew.
2. Find your true passion. Devote the time you need to get really clear about it.
3. Set a goal that is linked to your passion. You’ll find the will, energy and resources.
4. If you’re facing a key passage in your life, such as retirement, find a new, inspired goal and put your energy into it.
Connecting With Cedric Bertelli
Website: www.CedricBertelli.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/thetipieffect
Twitter: twitter.com/thetipieffect
LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/cedric-bertelli-%E2%97%87-expert-in-emotional-regulation-68286224/
Tipi
Chef, Hospitality, Tipi Trainer & Executive
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692:
Expert Interview: Unconventional Strategies to Land the Job You Love - Austin Belcak
Austin Belcak is the founder of Cultivated Culture where he helps people leverage unconventional strategies to land jobs they love without connections, without “traditional” experience, and without applying online. His strategies have been featured in places like Forbes, Business Insider and Fast Company and he has helped people get hired at Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and many more.
Unconventional Strategies to Land the Job You Love
Many job-seekers are accustomed to submitting their resumes and applications online. Success with this method is astoundingly low, because the competition is very high and many job openings never even appear on company websites. A tested system, using the best of digital marketing wisdom and an up-to-date approach to networking, can dramatically improve your chances of finding and landing the job you love.
Why Is This Important?
If you do nothing more than submit online applications, you’re playing a numbers game you’re virtually certain to lose. A recent Wall Street Journal survey of major employers revealed that only 20 percent of their job openings are listed online. On top of that, 75 percent of current job-seeks are applying primarily online for that small portion of published openings. So, finding creative ways of reaching the people who know about the jobs and enlisting their help is central to your success.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Starting with some sage advice: Only take advice from the people who already have what you want. Austin Belcak developed ways of targeting those people, and cultivating relationships with them. More importantly, his system takes back control of the career search from the technology that condemns most applications to the virtual trash basket. But it is not simply about gaming the system. Landing the job you want also entails getting smart about cultivating the skills you will need and creating the on-the-job experience employers want through building your own track record.
Connecting With Austin Belcak
Website: www.CultivatedCulture.com
Twitter: twitter.com/abelcak
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/abelcak/
Free Gift
“Resume Revamp.” Free 4-part video course with tested and proven resume tweaks that work. www.CultivatedCulture.com/discover
Resume Writing, Resume Writing in Today's World
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691:
A Real-World Doctor of Nutrition and Wellness - Dr. Ann Kulze
“I didn’t turn over a new leaf. I grew a new leaf. And this was like an overnight decision. I said, ‘Okay, I’ve never applied myself academically my entire life. I’m not exactly sure how to do it, but I think this is going to be how I’ll do it….’”
Dr. Ann Kulze has distinguished herself as a one-of-a-kind real-world nutrition and wellness expert. She received her undergraduate degree in food science and human nutrition from Clemson University, and her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), where she graduated as valedictorian. She is the founder and CEO of the wellness and education firm, Just Wellness, LLC. She is also the author of six books, including her best-selling “Eat Right for Life” series. She has been featured in many national media outlets including the Dr. Oz Show, Oprah, Time Magazine and many others. When she is not writing, Dr. Ann lives her wellness message by swimming, running, cooking, and gardening, and spending time with her family in her native Charleston, South Carolina.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I knew as far back as I can remember that I wanted to be a physician. Science just lit my fire. My father saw that passion in me and cultivated it. He was a highly esteemed, accomplished, gifted general surgeon. He had an enormous impact on my career path. His recognizing my passion and his role-modeling had an enormous impact on me. What I’ve done with my career is extremely out-of-the-box in terms of the typical path of others who go into medicine and become a medical doctor.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
On the intensely competitive track to become a dermatologist, Ann’s path took a dramatic turn when her husband, also a physician, was called to fulfill his obligation to the military. “Imagine the setback! I was devastated. After about two days I thought, ‘Ann, what is more important, your marriage or your career?’ And I knew that my marriage was. And I thought, ‘We might as well make the best of it.’ What opened up for me in Germany was better than anything I could have imagined!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Learn to be bold. Do whatever it takes to cultivate courage. With courage you can develop the self-confidence to act boldly, with unwavering belief in what you can accomplish. Without that belief, there is little you can accomplish.”
On Her Bookshelf
“Eat Right for Life: Your Common Sense Guide to Eating Right and Living Well,” by Ann G. Kulze
Steps to Success from Dr. Ann Kulze
1. Taking care of your health must be your number one priority.
2. Find and follow a daily mindfulness-based practice.
3. Master your time management skills. Drop everything that distracts you from your goals.
4. Focus, focus, focus.
Connecting With Dr. Ann Kulze
Website: www.drannwellness.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/drannwellness
Twitter: twitter.com/drannwellnesss
Free Gift
Free list of Dr. Ann’s favorite superstar foods for your refrigerator. Click the sign-up button at drannwellness.com/
Courage, Family Influence
Nutritionist, Wellness Consultant
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690:
From Loving Convertibles to Helping Groups Arrive Alive - Craig Speck
“When I answered that Enterprise Rent-A-Car ad for a job in 1988, I was fascinated with the fact that I could drive all of these new cars and discover what it was like to be behind the wheel of everything from a compact up to a convertible.”
Craig Speck’s first two books, the “How To Learn Not To Crash and Burn” series, teach travel group decision makers how to travel safer exponentially, how to avoid scams, crashes and lawsuits, and how to gain absolute confidence in one of the most dangerous activities they will ever engage in. That would be defined as arranging, negotiating, and hiring ground transportation for their traveling group and then getting in those vehicles and driving down the road. He’s a featured author in Conversations With Elite Business Leaders, and was selected along with six other authors who are considered educators and advocates for their clients. He is employed as a regional rental manager by a nationwide rental company that provides executive loaded 12-35 passenger mini coaches that you can rent and provide your own drivers.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Even in college, I worked in retail. I discovered I was really good at sales. At all of the stores where I worked, I was the top salesman. At The Gap, I broke both the record for sales per hour and the amount sold in one day. I wasn’t really sure where I was headed, but I had a feeling that I was going into some type of sales or consulting. Of course, that’s where I ended up!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was working for a van rental company in Dallas, Texas. The owner had started doing some things—lying to customers, cheating on his wife—and I knew God would no longer bless the business. But, God gave me a dream on January 1, 2001, to work for myself. I quit my job that day and began representing multiple carriers in different categories as a broker and consultant and representing multiple suppliers. I walked out on a Friday and started my new company the following Monday. I never looked back.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Especially in dealing with the public, you need to be externally focused. You need to fall in love with your clients. Many people in sales who want to move their career to the next level are only focused internally. You can’t make the mistake of falling in love with your product or service, or getting distracted by just trying to advance your financial status—the trips, the rewards, the cash, the cars, and those kinds of things. Instead, you need to fall in love with your client. That’s what I’ve done.”
Steps to Success from Craig Speck
1. Draw your road map, sooner rather than later. Set goals, and find others who set and pursue their goals.
2. Do not jump at the first offer or opportunity that comes along. Think it through, with your goals in mind.
3. Build your resource library and spend at least 20 minutes a day using it. Do not rule out the wisdom of the Bible.
4. Think about the other person first. You have got to give first. Givers gain and takers lose, big time.
On His Bookshelf
Secrets of Closing the Sale, by Zig Ziglar
Sales Prospecting for Dummies, by Tom Hopkins
The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource, by Jeffrey Gitomer
Connecting With Craig Speck
Website: www.vanrentalman.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spectacularspeck
Twitter: vanrentalman
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/spectacularspeck/
YouTube Channel: Van Rental Man
Free Gift
Contact Craig to receive his 3 ebooks free:
The Ultimate Common Sense Group Transportation Guide for Churches, How to Learn Not to Crash and Burn;
The Ultimate Common Sense Ground Transportation Guide for Groups: How to Learn Not to Crash and Burn, #2.
Conversations With Elite Business Leaders
Safety, Success in Sales, Travel Group Transportation
Author, Sales
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689:
Expert Interview: How to Use Your Health to Build a Better Life - Dr. Terry McCoskey and Lisa McCoskey
Dr. Terry McCoskey has been an upper cervical chiropractor for twenty-eight years in the Dayton, Ohio area, dedicating his life and career to promoting the health of his patients. He is becoming widely known as an authority for health and wellness information and for life-style tips. He also serves as a guest lecturer at chiropractic colleges, community organizations and corporations, as well as appearing on local TV and radio.
Lisa McCoskey, CECP, is a nutritional consultant, toxin-free lifestyle coach, and Certified Emotion Code Practitioner. Her blog, a Living Well Life, and private Facebook group provide exclusive hints, tips, and tricks. Lisa and Terry love spending time with their daughters and their families and Lisa’s white dove, Oliver.
How to Use Your Health to Build a Better Life
“Many people have been led to believe that their body is not very smart, and that they need something from the outside to trick it or fool it into doing better. The biggest part of our practice is helping people learn how to care for a system that was engineered and designed for success. In other words, your body heals itself.”
Why Is This Important?
“It is essential to start by assessing where the patient is starting from. Here’s what normal is, and how far away from it are you? Then, we work with the patient to create a care plan that’s designed to restore normal. When you take away the structural stress from the spine you take away the neurological imbalance from the system. You get the motor running well. Then, you focus on the fuel, the food, by getting rid of the garbage in the diet and replacing it with real, healthy food, the kind that comes from the earth instead of from a box, a bag or a pouch.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Start from where you are. Our mantra is, “Good, better, best,” but if you just start from where you are, that’s a good start. Begin by taking personal responsibility for your own body, asking good questions, and doing some homework, and then having a thorough evaluation.
Connecting With Dr. Terry McCoskey and Lisa McCoskey
Website: www.livingwellspinecenter.com
Amazon Storefront: Amazon.com/shop/ALivingWellLife/
(All items are toxin-free.)Facebook: facebook.com/dr.terrymccoskey and facebook.com/groups/1401991699852489/
Twitter: twitter.com/lisamccoskey
LinkedIn: hlinkedin.com/in/lisa-mccoskey-405291161/
Instagram: @livingwellspinecenter and @alivingwelllife
Free Gift
A Guided Imagery Video of the Living Well Code at www.thelivingwellcode.com
Health
Chiropractor, Nutritionist
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688:
India to Germany, a Gamble That Animates His Life - Rohan Kale
“I believe that people should believe more in themselves. We have been born and brought up in a society where social conditioning takes a huge toll on any individual. Everyone wants us to follow the safe route, let it be in terms of job, or finding your partner, or whatever it is. We as humans have stopped thinking on our own and we are just blindly accepting what society is telling us.”
Rohan Kale is a video specialist originally from India. After having an IT job and being frustrated with life, he landed into the world of gambling where he lost all his savings. Then he took his last gamble, which was an education loan, and went to Germany to pursue his MBA and eventually landed a job in one of the world’s best automotive companies. He paid his debt within two years. His love for storytelling and cartoons inspired him to start an animation company. Now he helps businesses all over the world with his Behavioral Lead Journey system and a team of 15 people.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was growing up in India, the custom was that your parents would say what you should do. Now, it is getting better, but it is not the kind of open society of the West. I was the guy who always wanted to be free and not follow the rules, do something crazy, and figure out my own way. From age eight to fifteen, I just wanted to explore the world, make mistakes. That is how I learned a lot of things.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had two options: keep going to the I.T. job I hated, or figure out what I really wanted to do. So, I took a step back and said to myself, ‘OK, Rohan, go into your past memory and find out what it is that you always wanted to do.’ That was one thing. And the other thing was, ‘how am I going to pay all this debt I have put myself in now?’ I took a good two months off. I wanted to figure out the most practical way to get out of the situation. That is what I did.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We as humans have stopped thinking on our own and we are just blindly accepting what society is telling us. When you see a small light at the end of the tunnel, where you realize there is much more to ‘me’ than what is going on in your life, and when you start exploring, you start discovering things about yourself that you would never ever have discovered if you hadn’t taken a new route. That is where the real growth and success happens.”
Steps to Success from Rohan Kale
1. Learn to sit quietly, without all the electronic distractions, and listen deeply to yourself.
2. Think back to childhood and remember the things you always wanted to do. Let that guide you toward your deepest desires.
3. Recognize that you are always much more than your current situation. Be alert to that small light at the end of the tunnel.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Rohan Kale
Website: www.rkale.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rohankale1985
Instagram: instagram.com/beawray/
Twitter: twitter.com/RKaleOfficial
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rohankale1985/
Free Gift
Free video marketing guide. Go to: https://rkale.com/video-marketing-guide/
Business Owner, Cryptocurrency, Entrepreneur
August 2018:
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687:
More Choices Than You Realize - Bea Wray
“When I went to a business school reunion, they asked us for a line of advice for all of our classmates. The advice I submitted was, ‘Write your ticket.’ What I find is, no one writes their own ticket!”
Bea Wray has dazzled audiences for 20 years speaking about entrepreneurship, leadership, and women in business. At age 27, she had the title CEO of a 5-million-dollar Silicon Valley company. She has launched several companies. One exit afforded Bea six years off on a bridgeless island resort, where she dedicated her time to raising her three children. She serves as a founder, mentor, investor, and board member to several companies. She’s also served as the executive director of the entrepreneurial non-profit, The Creative Coast, and was the Chair of the ForbesBooks Entrepreneurship Practice Group. She holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and graduated summa cum laude from Emory University.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I grew up in a Ford Motor Company family. Ford offered my father a position in management. That afforded me what turned out to be a very lovely upbringing. But it had a cost: we had to move often. I grew up in 13 different homes, in New Jersey, Ohio, California, St. Louis and Virginia. But I learned how to make friends, and how to use whatever skills I had to make friends.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After years in a high-energy career, Bea decided to take six years off the career track to raise her children. As she planned her return to the business world, she asked herself, “Do I still have any business skills? Can I get back into work? I thought, how did I learn how to do what was helpful to clients? The answer was not that I had attended Harvard Business School. Instead, the answers were from what I’d learned through motherhood. That’s the main purpose of my book, to bring out those stories of entrepreneurial advice and to parallel that, not only from what Harvard teaches but from my personal business career. My ‘Aha!’ moments often came from watching my child play basketball, or cooking a meal, or solving the how-do-we-get-dinner done challenge.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
At a business school reunion, a speaker asked Bea’s participants to offer one line of advice for fellow classmates. “The advice I submitted was, ‘Write your own ticket.’ Sadly, what I often find is that few people actually do write their own ticket. We lock ourselves into something that someone tells us we should value—like a big car or a big house, a mortgage and a title—and it’s really hard to walk away from that and go after what our heart is telling us we want.”
Steps to Success from Bea Wray
1. Realize that you have far more choices than you realize.
2. Discover how you learn best, then use that self-knowledge.
3. Think through the likely outcomes of your path, and make changes if you don’t like what you see ahead.
4. Look for ways to make someone happy by providing a solution.
Connecting With Bea Wray
Website: www.beawray.com
E-Mail: bea@beawray.com
Facebook: facebook.com/bea.wray
Instagram: instagram.com/beawray/instagram.com/beawray/
Twitter: twitter.com/BeaSWray
Free Gift
Sign up for Bea’s newsletter to get alerts about her most recent blogs, great entrepreneur advice and the on her pre-sale list for her book. Go to https://www.beawray.com/take-action/
Choices, Self-confidence
Author, CEO, Speaker
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686:
Expert Interview: Building Wealth and Independence with Peace of Mind - Chad Free
Chad Free is an entrepreneur who took two companies to a seven-figure market. A graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, with an emphasis in business, sales and marketing, he’s the owner of The Free Group, LLC, and best-selling author of “Wake Up Your Retirement: A Guide to Make Your Financial Dreams a Reality.” As a wealth strategist, his company provides strategies that focus on the client’s needs and addresses their concerns about increasing taxes, market volatility and out living their money. He understands the burden and pressure that come from handling finances. So, he wrote the book, “Wake Up Your Retirement,” to give individuals hope and confidence that they can increase their wealth.
Building Wealth and Independence with Peace of Mind
“The old way of retiring is like a three-legged stool. You had company pensions, Social Security, and personal savings. People realize that company pensions don’t exist anymore. That used to be your guaranteed lifetime income. Added to that, we are living a lot longer. A lot of Americans are more scared of outliving their money than they are of dying. That’s one of the challenges I address in my approach to building wealth and independence with peace of mind.”
Why Is This Important?
You don’t have to be rich, but if you understand how money works, there is an obvious correlation to happiness. “Two recent polls, one by Gallup and one by USA Today, were taken completely independently of one another. The Gallup poll said that the United States is ranked 14th in financial literacy and in understanding how money works. The USA Today poll measured the happiest countries in the world. Would you believe that the United States of America was also 14th? A similar correlation between financial literacy and happiness was found among most of the other countries surveyed. Financial literacy is a key component of peace of mind and happiness.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“The number one priority is that everybody needs to start out by assessing where they are. An assessment will show you what is your retirement gap. We look at your expectations to see how they line up with where you are right now. Through questions and conversations, we figure out how to find the money to bridge the gap in your retirement. Even more important, we help you develop a plan so that you will have a flow of money that you can’t outlive.”
Connecting With Chad Free
Websites: TheFreeGroup.net
Phone: 864-559-8100
Facebook: facebook.com/thefreegroup/
Twitter: twitter.com/thefreegroup
Financial Planning for Retirement
Author, Entrepreneur, Wealth Strategist
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685:
Encore: What Made Me Who I Am - Bernie Swain
Bernie had started his dream job as athletic director at a major university. An article in Fortune magazine got him and his wife to consider an entirely new field–which they knew nothing about. So he quit the university and they set up their headquarters in a friend’s large office closet.
Bernie Swain had a teacher in high school who encouraged him to be the first in his family to attend college. By the time he was 36, he’d been offered his dream job as athletic director at a major university. Around the same time, a friend sent him a copy of Fortune Magazine with an article about what was then the largest lecture agency in the world. Bernie’s wife Paula convinced him to quit his dream job and start a lecture agency together. With no experience, no plan and no money, they launched the agency in a friend’s stationery closet. Nine years later, their lecture agency became the largest in the world, The Washington Speakers Bureau. Bernie’s recent book, “What Made Me Who I Am,” chronicles the turning points of 34 of the speakers and friends he has represented.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Listening to and learning from his first mentor, Bernie began to understand to recognize the value and power in life’s turning points, and to recognize that they present themselves to us in the people in our lives and in the present moment. “I see in retrospect, I was sincere in my desire to listen and learn from as many people as I possibly could. You don’t turn away from people who are above you or below you in life. When you’re working in a company, you don’t know where you’re going to learn something from. Being open to people above and below you is a great advantage in learning new things.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Just starting a new lecture agency, Bernie instinctively “signed” a new client, Steve Bell of ABC-TV’s Good Morning America on a handshake only. Although he later second-guessed his decision, he strengthened his resolve when he noticed three questions at the bottom of another client’s stationery:
1) Can I trust you?
2) Are you committed to excellence?
3) Do you care about me?The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There are no shortcuts to long-term success. Slow down. Be reflective. Take life a moment at a time and think through everything. Too often, we just react and don’t give thought to what we do. But success and accomplishment are just the opposite. The key is to look at the moments in your life, make instinctive decisions or use your best judgment. Then commit yourself and see if it works.”
Steps to Success from Bernie Swain
1. Passion is more important than talent. Passion can keep you going when you are tempted to give up.
2. Learn to recognize turning points and make good and wise decisions. Rely on good judgement or on instinct. “There’s that feeling you have that this path is the right one.”
3. Don’t be afraid of change. Most people say they believe in change, except when it comes to changing themselves.
4. Paying attention at these turning points can give you the courage to make the most of them.
On His Bookshelf
What Made Me Who I Am, by Bernie Swain
Connecting With Bernie Swain
Website: www.bernieswain.com
Facebook: facebook.com/BernieSwainAuthor/
Twitter: @Swain_Bernie
LinkedIn: linkedin/in/bernie-swain-0a704b4
Starting a business
Athletic Director, Author, Business Owner, Speakers Bureau
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684:
Knowledge to Help Build Your Parenting Mojo - Jen Lumanlan
“We are so invested in our children. It’s as if our children are a reflection of ourselves. If our children don’t succeed then we haven’t succeeded as parents. But we can’t think of our children that way. They have to have their own lives, their own paths, and be able to figure things out for themselves. So the number one principle is ‘just back off a little bit.’”
Jen Lumanlan never thought she’d be a parent, but she is one now – by choice, and not by accident. When she realized she had no parenting intuition but great research skills she decided to get a Master’s in Psychology focused on Child Development to help her figure out how to be the kind of parent she wanted to be – and when she realized others were hungry for this information she started the Your Parenting Mojo podcast to share it with others. She has since obtained a Master’s in Education and is developing a suite of online courses to help parents support their child’s learning.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“After my mother died when I was 10, and a stepmother entered the scene, I started studying in earnest, because it was something I could do by myself. I realized I was good at it, and I was also good at working the system. So, I began by learning how to read a syllabus and seeing what is required, and meeting the teacher’s expectations. I was successful in school because of that. I feel fortunate to have come out with the love of learning. It wasn’t necessarily something that was fostered in me. Much later, while enrolled at a community college, I had my first epiphany, the idea that you really can do something you love to do.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I had my daughter, it was one of the most profound shifts of my life. I’d assumed I would have my baby, take maternity leave, then just go back to work, and everything would be pretty much how it was before. Instead, I found that it really shifted what I care about. I realized I have no parenting intuition whatsoever, but I have awesome research skills, and that I can close the gap with using my research skills. So, I started work on a master’s degree in psychology, just to put a framework around the whole thing and make sure I wasn’t missing anything that was really critical.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve learned that my greatest talent is learning, and then translating that learning into a format people can understand. My daughter is almost four now. Because I had done some reading and learned about raising a baby, I had become fairly good at parenting a baby. But once they turn into toddlers it’s a whole different animal. I quickly realized that but I had absolutely no idea how to parent a toddler, and it required a whole different set of skills I didn’t have and didn’t know how to get. All of a sudden, now she can talk, and what I say is really important. So, that’s why I started the master’s degree, as a way of making sure I didn’t miss anything important. While I was doing that, I realized that this is really silly, that I’m doing all this learning and not sharing it with anybody. So, that’s why I started the podcast.”
Steps to Success from Jen Lumanlan
1. As a parent, back off a little bit. Let your child learn to fail and get back up again.
2. “Don’t be the sage on the stage, be the guide on the side.”
3. Don’t feel you have to know everything to support your child’s interests. Just be the person who connects them with resources.
4. Understand what your child is interested in and follow those interests where they lead.
Connecting With Jen Lumanlan
Website: www.yourparentingmojo.com
Podcast: Your Parenting Mojo – on iTunes, Stitcher, Podbay.fm and yourparentingmojo.com
Twitter: twitter.com/ParentsOnDemand or @akidisforlife
Free Gift
Short quiz that returns personalized information on your readiness for homeschooling.
Visit: www.yourhomeschoolingmojo.com
Infographic that parents can download and pin to the fridge for supporting your preschooler in learning mathematics. Download:
https://yourhomeschoolingmojo.teachable.com/p/how-to-support-a-child-s-learning-in-a-school-based-environmentEnvironment, Multi Careers, Parenting
Environment, Parenting/Online Classes
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683:
Expert Interview: The Autoimmune Epidemic - Dr. Rosanne Lindsay
Dr. Rosanne Lindsay is an N.D, a naturopathic doctor, writer, health freedom activist and author of the book, “The Nature of Healing: Heal the Body, Heal the Planet.” She came to healing through her own journey of reversing profound hypothyroidism naturally, from which she discovered her gifts as a healer. Her mission is to guide others on their journey to heal themselves. She has a new book, “Free Your Voice, Heal Your Thyroid: Reverse Thyroid Disease Naturally.”
The Autoimmune Epidemic
Autoimmunity happens when the body decides that our healthy cells are suddenly foreign invaders, and mounts an attack against itself. In military terms, we might call it an unfortunate case of friendly fire, where our bodies become victims of our environment and our choices.
Why Is This Important?
Approximately 50 million Americans, or 20% of the population, suffer from one or more autoimmune diseases. We call something an epidemic when it affects 1 in 10 people. So, by that standard, we are beyond epidemic. We’re in the epi-epidemic stage. Women are more likely than men to be affected by autoimmune diseases: 75% of those affected are female. Children in the United States have the highest rates of asthma, allergies, SIDS, leukemia, Type 1 diabetes, and thyroid cancer. That’s just to name a few. A lot of this is related to obesity and not eating right.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“When a crisis comes up, we have a choice to see it either as a breakdown or an opportunity for a breakthrough. There are a lot of ways to take control of your health. It is not out of reach to do that, to reverse disease and to heal. It is all related to the food we are eating, to our exposures. One way to take control of your health is by knowing what you are buying. Or, by supporting farmers locally that are growing organic food. Or, by growing your own food. That’s another way to keep the dollars local and not support the big conglomerate system that is pushing the glyphosate. We need to be knowledgeable about what’s out there so we can control our exposures.”
Connecting With Dr. Rosanne Lindsay
Website: www.natureofhealing.org
Facebook: facebook.com/rosanne.lindsay/
Twitter: twitter.com/RosanneMLindsay
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rosannelindsay/
Autoimmune Epidemic, Healing, Health, Natural Health, Naturopathy
Healer, Naturopathic Doctor
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682:
What It Means to Have the Heart and Soul of an Artist - Gordon Huether
“I just fell in love with the color and the light, and the idea that something came from my mind, through my heart and out my fingertips, and crafted something.”
Gordon Huether is a public artist who has created public art installations for universities, hospitals, recreation centers, civic buildings, libraries, museums, airports, transportation centers, parking garages, and private corporations throughout the world. He has completed more than 250 art commissions over the course of his 30-plus-year career. In addition, his work has been exhibited at museums and galleries, and is represented in private collections throughout the United States and Europe. A team of administrators, highly skilled fabricators and technicians support the process from initial design development through final installation. Gordon Huether Studio is located in a 15,000 square foot facility in Napa, CA.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Although he felt he had the heart of an artist from an early age, it was during an unsettled time in his teens when his talents became tangible. “My father gave me a box of colored glass and a pattern of a parrot. With ten thumbs, I made my first stained glass window on his kitchen table.” After that, he made a second and a third, and was off on an artistic path, working with glass. “I just fell in love with the color and the light, and the idea that something came from my mind, through my heart and out my fingertips, and crafted something.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In his mid-20s, Gordon discovered, “It was just too cumbersome to launch a career as an artist in Germany. So, I came home to California and continued my work in glass, working for some studios. Then, finally, I just quit my job and started my own studio in my garage. I put a work table in there, a few sheets of glass and a sandblasting booth, and started hustling, looking for commissions.” His first big break came with a $50,000 project for Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, working in collaboration with a design team.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Looking back on my decision to quit my job and open my own studio, I can see there’s some naiveté in doing that, and quite a bit of courage. In hindsight, I can’t believe I did it! Honestly, at that time, I didn’t think I was very talented at all. I was more ambitious than talented, more clever than talented, more of a hustler than talented. I just was determined that was what I was going to do. I now know, from my own personal story, that the early years of pain and struggle turned out to be a benefit, not a hindrance.”
Steps to Success from Gordon Huether
1. Reading and thinking are two good places to start. There is so much wisdom and guidance available in books.
2, Focus on what you can add to society with your talents. Then believe that the money will follow.
3. Build your support system that allows you to totally embrace the creativity that’s called for, if you want to take on enormous projects.
4. Accept the responsibility for doing what you know you are supposed to do. Recognize your responsibility to express your talents and move forward.
On His Bookshelf
The Road Less Traveled and Beyond: Spiritual Growth in an Age of Anxiety, by M. Scott Peck
The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
Aztec, by Gary Jennings
Connecting With Gordon Huether
Website: www.gordonhuether.com
Facebook: facebook.com/gordonhuetherstudio/
Twitter: twitter.com/GordonHuether
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gordonhuether/
Instagram: instagram.com/gordonhuether/
Art, Believe in Yourself
Artist
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681:
She Chose to Grow Up Happy and Free - Maura Sweeney
“This is one of those turns in life where something bad turned out to be something good. I can remember thinking, ‘I can’t believe I was fired. I’m on unemployment. What do I do now?’ But losing my job became a gift in disguise.”
Despite being called “Waterworks” as a child for crying at the drop of a hat and being groomed for a law career she never desired, Maura made a private choice to grow up happy and free. Exiting law school mid-stream, she pioneered her own path, pulling together her earliest desires to publish ideas, focus on inclusive leadership, and travel the world to make new friends. Following a corporate management career, time as a home schooling mom and plenty of eclectic life experiences, she launched her ultimate vocation in life. Today, Maura is the trademarked Ambassador of Happiness. Author, podcaster, international speaker, she purveys paradigm-shifting ideas about influence, leadership and how to live happy. At the time of this interview, she is working on her next book, “Living Happy Inside Out.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“From the age of five, I was captivated by the idea of putting ideas on paper that other people would read, think and talk about, and consider. I would go to my grandfather’s law office. I wasn’t as interested in what he was doing as I was fascinated by his legal secretary’s typewriter. Even though I couldn’t read yet, I would sit next to her as she typed, mesmerized by printed words that would be in duplicate and triplicate and sent for others to read and consider as thought. Even back then, I was thinking like a change agent.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“At the mid-point of law school—I had just finished my third of six semesters—my eyes were vacuous, my body looked like it was a skeleton. And I felt like one too, a very tired one! Sometimes we find things in our path we can connect with, and that’s what I found briefly at my husband’s firm. I loved that environment because I could interview people, find talented people and discover how they developed. It was something I was doing in tandem while I was a law student, and I went into it fully when I left law school. It was a lucky thing there was an opportunity and I was able to step into it.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Being on a path where everything is planned is one thing. But when you get off the path, when you have not trained yourself for anything beyond, it is frightening. You ask yourself, who do I think I am? I’m going against my family. I was always a kid who was an overachiever, not a slacker. So, I had to confront fear of failure and the unknown. The first thing I did was take a course, just to learn something new.”
Steps to Success from Maura Sweeney
1. Be willing to break free from external expectations and outside pressure.
2. Be open to those turns in life where something bad can turn out to be something good.
3. When faced with fear of limitations, take affirmative steps to learn something new.
4. Explore ways to step into your own natural talents. Pay attention to how you actually feel, not how you’ve been told to feel.
On Her Bookshelf
The Art of Happiness, Volume 1 – Exiting the Comfort Zone, by Maura Sweeney
Living Happy Inside Out, by Maura Sweeney (in progress as of July 2018, coming soon)
Connecting With Maura Sweeney
Website: www.Maura4u.com
Facebook: facebook.com/maura4u/
Twitter: twitter.com/maura4u/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maura4u/
Self Study eCourse “Foundations of Happiness”:Happiness
Author, Management, Podcaster, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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680:
Expert Interview: How to Hire for Optimal Engagement - Minal Joshi Jaeckli
Minal Joshi Jaeckli is the founder and CEO of Open Elevator, the data-driven platform for hiring for engagement to increase profitability and growth for companies and deliver job satisfaction and a sense of contribution for employees. She has worked on multiple continents in various industries and functions over the last decades. Her rich background has given her a deep understanding of the value of engagement from when she was most passionate about her work and when she desperately wanted out from a soul-crushing environment. Knowing there is already a lot written on the subject, Minal’s mission is to arm companies with an easy tool for hiring for engagement, so they benefit from the powerful impact of engagement on their company’s results and employee’s quality of life.
How to Hire for Optimal Engagement
“The average company with high employee engagement has nearly 150 percent higher earnings per share. So, as a business owner, we know this is bottom-line relevant. It is a competitive advantage if you get it right. Also, on a personal level, think about the moment when you have not felt engaged, when you did not like your job and didn’t know when the situation would change. This is not a unique experience. So, this topic is also very important for all of us as individuals. It is a quality-of-life issue.”
Why Is This Important?
This is important for large and small companies. The Gallup studies over decades have been telling us global engagement is in a level of crisis. For companies, this means low engagement, high employee turnover, no customer loyalty, low growth, lower profitability. Only 15 percent of people globally are engaged at work. That means that for every 10 people you know, 8 to 9 are walking around with this feeling. This has tremendous implications for quality of life.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Employees are more engaged when their basic human needs are met. What are those needs? There is a red thread connecting four building blocks that are consistent across many studies. The first is the need for safety and certainty. Second is the need for growth and significance. Third is the need for connection. Fourth is the need for contribution and purpose.”
Connecting With Minal Joshi Jaeckli
Website: https://www.OpenElevator.com:
Facebook: facebook.com/OpenElevator/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OpenElevator
Free Gift
Watch Minal’s Master Class. Go to OpenElevator.com and look for the green button.
Relationships with Employees
Business Owner, Chemist, Entrepreneur
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679:
Write the Script of Your Life: No Limitations - Doberman Dan
“It’s not easy finding your niche, finding your way, finding something that just clicks and you can make a living at it. But it sure beats the alternative which, to quote Henry David Thoreau, is a life of quiet desperation.”
Dan Gallapoo, known as Doberman Dan, is a 30-year serial entrepreneur and direct response copywriter. He has worked in a variety of niches but his specialty has been the health, fitness and bodybuilding markets. He has started four of his own nutritional supplement businesses and sold three of them, enjoying two different bouts of mini-retirement. Dan has been publishing The Doberman Dan Letter since 2011 and has many of the most successful marketers in the world as subscribers. He’s written hundreds of successful ads, direct mail packages, websites, e-mail marketing campaigns, feature articles, and newsletters.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was 7 years old, eating pizza in front of the TV. For the first time in my life, I saw the show, The Partridge Family. I saw Keith Partridge with those wild 1970s clothes and long hair, playing the guitar. I immediately knew, this is what I am going to do with the rest of my life! I begged my parents for a guitar. They eventually bought me one. My dad bought me a book, and I taught myself guitar. All through school, that was it for me. I started my own band, promoted my own concert. I was in the 6th grade.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“The breakthrough for me was, I stumbled upon Dan Kennedy’s Magnetic Marketing System and Toolkit. I just used his model to sell a self-published bodybuilding course I wrote. After nine years of serial failure, that was the first business that made me any money. Twelve months later, on a part-time basis, it was making me enough that I was able to leave my job at the Dayton, Ohio police department.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“None of us were taught—at least nobody I grew up with—how to figure out what you want to do, make a plan, and follow the plan. Nobody ever taught me that. I was taught that if your family was poor, then you’re poor and you’re going to be poor. Eventually, I realized that you can write the script of your life. There are no limitations. The only limitations are in your head.”
Steps to Success from Doberman Dan
1. Let yourself think back to what excited you and fired your imagination as a child. Let that feeling guide you on your search.
2. Take stock of where you are right now. Is this what you want to be doing for the rest of your life?
3. Learn to see setbacks as part of the journey toward your passion, not as ultimate and defining failures.
4. Always be on the lookout for people who inspire you. Learn from them and test what you learn in your own journey.
On His Bookshelf
Top Tools on His Browser
Dan’s Podcast: Off the Chain with Doberman Dan – iTunes or Dan’s website.
Connecting With Doberman Dan
Website: www.DobermanDan.com
Facebook: facebook.com/TheDobermanDan/
Twitter: twitter.com/dobermandan/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/doberman-dan-7a7ba520/
Free Gift
Dan’s book, “Just Sell The Damn Thing,” is available for 1 cent through his website.
Attitude, Multi Careers, Music
Author, Entrepreneur, Musician, Podcaster, Policeman, Writer
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678:
Out of Africa, She Learned Change Starts Within - Dr. Hayley R. Adams
“I believe we can change our relationship to the planet. But we have to do the inner work first. I’m willing to take that step.”
Dr. Hayley R. Adams has over 20 years of experience in wildlife veterinary medicine, conservation, and issues related to One Health in Africa, and has worked with a variety of domestic and wild animals over the years. In 2010, she created a charitable organization, Silent Heroes Foundation, as a way to contribute to conservation in Africa. A veterinarian with a Ph.D. in wildlife epidemiology and virology, she currently teaches conservation medicine and related courses at the University of Florida. She’s a Certified Meditation Instructor and is also certified as a Compassion Fatigue Therapist. Her first book, “Conscious Conservation: Less Doing, More Being,” is available now.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Our community was a very small town, so I was working with animals from a young age. We always had pets when I was growing up. That was just where I felt most at home. I’ve done all the jobs through the years working with animals, volunteering. It wasn’t ever about money. I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian from the time I was a child.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I have to give a lot of credit to my lifelong mentor and heroine, Dr. Jane Goodall. As a very young child, I picked up a National Geographic magazine and she was on the cover. The rest is history. She truly has been a mentor for me in so many ways. Looking at her and seeing that a woman could go out into the field was very inspiring. Obviously, during those times, being in unfamiliar territory, breaking down barriers, putting herself in vulnerable positions, and asking questions that needed to be asked. It was fascinating to me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“A lot of people who work in conservation like myself are being pulled down by a lot of negativity. We tend to place a heavy focus on doom and gloom. But how do you bring about positive change if you are focusing on what you don’t want? So, I wrote a book to inspire and transform the way we’re doing conservation. I believe we can do it differently. There is still hope, but we are going to have to radically change our approach. That requires us to do a lot of inner work. I still believe that one person can make a difference. But, change really does start from within.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Hayley R. Adams
1. Life is about continual learning. Always pushing your own limits and continue to explore and stretch.
2. To be able to give back in a big way, you have got to take care of yourself first. You can’t draw from an empty well.
3. Don’t become overly invested in your own identity and the externals of your life. Be willing to let go of an identity if it is holding you back.
4. Foster the spirit of listening. Cultivate the critical ability to be still and listen.
On Her Bookshelf
Conscious Conservation: Less Doing, More Being, by Dr. Hayley Adams
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
The Law of Divine Compensation: On Work, Money, and Miracles, by Marianne Williamson
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, by Gay Hendricks, Ph.D.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown (https://amzn.to/2J5seUp)
Connecting With Dr. Hayley R. Adams
Email: hayley@drhayleyadams.com
Website: www.drhayleyadams.com
Facebook: facebook.com/drhayleyadams/
Twitter: twitter.com/DrHayleyAdams
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hayley-adams-dvm-phd-dacvpm-dacvm-80a74a28/
Instagram: instagram.com/drhayleyadams/
Conservation, Wild Animals
Conservation, Professor, Veterinary
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677:
Expert Interview: How to Be a People Catalyst - Karla Nelson
Karla Nelson has built several businesses since her early 20s and learned that in business and in life, relationships are everything. Now, she’s put it all in a form that’s easy to learn and apply. Karla and her team have trained the Who-Do Method to 20-plus of the Fortune 100, and hundreds of mid-market companies and startups. Typically, companies cut 50 to 80 percent off cycle time and produce better results, with happier people. The Who-Do Method’s client list includes Disney, Comcast, Amazon, Coca-Cola, IBM and many other market leaders.
How to Be a People Catalyst
“There are three key relationships that are critical to being successful in business. The first is your team. The second is your clients. The third is your promoters. Those are three very different contexts of relationships. It’s critical to understand the three different key relationships and how you interact, based on what’s important to each one.”
Why Is This Important?
“The Who-Do method is based on the law of diffusion of innovations. Within each organization, there are movers, shakers, provers and makers. These describe individual core strengths. What we do with people in each of these roles is identify what each one is brilliant at doing. Typically, what often happens instead, both in Corporate America and in small businesses, is to focus on what people are not, instead of on what they are. Our method focuses on core strengths.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“What’s great is we need everybody! We need people with each of the four core strengths, but we just don’t need them all at the same time. In business and in life, there’s a tendency to chuck everybody into a meeting and say, ‘Good luck!’. We engage individuals in the work they can do brilliantly and within their own strengths. So, in an average day, the things that you are great at doing—the things that energize you and make you love what you do—take about 10 percent of your day. The other 90% is soul-wrenching.”
Connecting With Karla Nelson
Website: www.ThePeopleCatalysts.com
www.KarlaNelson.comFacebook: facebook.com/peoplecatalysts/
Twitter: twitter.com/KarlaLNelson
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/karlalnelson/
Relationships in Business
Business Owner, Entrepreneur
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676:
Solving Problems Bigger Than Himself - Nigel Green
“I was aware enough to know that if I did what everybody from my humble beginnings told me to do—go get a good job—that I would get the same results they had, which was a job lacking a sense of independence and autonomy, not really having a sense of fulfillment.”
Nigel Green builds businesses. He’s built a career in sales and marketing. From 2012 to 2015 he served as Vice President of Sales at Foundations Recovery Network, where he helped grow the business from $94 million to $350 million before selling it to Universal Health Services. In 2016, he was the CEO at StoryBrand, helping teach businesses how to communicate with clarity. He’s now on the executive team of Relode, an aggressively growing healthcare staffing platform.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Since childhood in New Hope, Alabama, athletics have been central to who I am as a person. I often say that staying hungry is something that has been really important to my career thus far. That was instilled in me earlier in my childhood, and it comes from athletics, where you have to compete. You are only as good as your last game, your last practice. It is hard to get comfortable in athletics. I carry a lot of that willingness to compete, and that humility that comes from getting beat.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Academic subjects were not really engaging Nigel, even as he approached his final semester at University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. “I started auditing classes outside my major, asking professors in economics and finance for permission to sit in on their classes. And I started reading books like “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” and “The Essential Buffet,” and other books on Warren Buffett. I got introduced to titles about thinking big, books like “The Millionaire Next Door,” by Thomas J. Stanley, and “Think and Grow Rich,” by Napoleon Hill. I put together my own education in my early to mid-twenties to learn about how the business world works. I decided, I’m not just going to have a job. I’m going to build businesses. That’s what I want to do.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“People who stay in their strength have a sense of hunger that does not really go away. When you see people lose that hunger, it is because of a lack of engagement, a lack of fulfillment. I have found a niche of building teams, helping entrepreneurs who have a big, scary, audacious vision, and serving them as a set of guide rails. I am not an entrepreneur, but I serve entrepreneurs by asking: What is your idea? What is your framework? How do we execute it? How do we make little bitty improvements, incremental progress over time?”
Steps to Success from Nigel Green
1. Figure out who you are and what you stand for. Set aside quiet moments with just a pen and paper. Ask yourself, “Who am I? What do I stand for?” Start writing the thoughts that come to you.
2. Study the habits of top performers, especially the ways they develop clarity about themselves.
3. Surround yourself with people who can challenge, mentor and coach you.
On His Bookshelf
“The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph,” by Ryan Holiday
“Ego Is the Enemy,” by Ryan Holiday (https://amzn.to/2lPqXHZ)
“Principles: Life and Work,” by Ray Dalio
Connecting With Nigel Green
Website: www.relode.com and www.findevergreen.com
Email: nigel@findevergreen.com
Twitter: twitter.com/1NigelGreen
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/findevergreen
Mentors, Sports, Understanding Yourself
C-Level Executive, Sales, Storytelling
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675:
Inspiring Families to Heal and Thrive - Dr. Cilla Whatcott
“I’m the kind of person that can’t do something I don’t want to do. Call that headstrong or that I have strong intuition. I have a huge activator gene, so I get things done. I just can’t do something if it doesn’t feel right”
Dr. Cilla Whatcott is a board-certified classical homeopath. She’s the author of “There is a Choice: Homeoprophylaxis,” and co-author of “The Solution: Homeoprophylaxis.” As executive director of Worldwide Choice, she’s undertaking evidence-based research with homeoprophylactics and training medically licensed providers to administer it. Recipient of a 2016 public service award from the Weston A. Price Foundation for her work with homeoprophylactics, she is the producer and director of Real Immunity, a film about the intelligence of life and how we can overcome fear and access the resources we need to build real immunity.
As a mother to children adopted from Russia, Taiwan and China, and one biological child, her deepest desire is to see families everywhere heal and thrive.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“From a very young age, I created a class newspaper, I put on plays, and I was constantly creating something to communicate with others. School came easily to me, but my love was dance. I studied dance growing up and my undergraduate degree is in Fine Arts and dance. I danced professionally for a Chinese company for a while. I had my own company and did a lot of choreography. I had a studio, worked with schools doing musicals. I loved performing and especially teaching.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Just seeing the parents whose kids are enrolled in my homeopraxis program. They love it! It puts the power in their hands. I have hundreds of families enrolled and they are happy with it. If their kids do contract a disease—because no method is 100% effective—their children are much more able to mount an immune response and get past it easily. The parents see much more robust, long-term health. Their kids have fewer ear infections, sore throats, colds and allergies than the kid next door. It’s effective and it’s safe. That’s why parents love it.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“You can’t suppress the truth. You can for a while, but eventually the truth floats to the top. Because of social media and the internet, Big Pharma can’t keep up the ruse as the only option because parents are educated. Ten years ago, when I would teach classes in homeopathy and homeoprophylaxis, it was all news to parents. Now, they can teach the classes. I mean, these parents are up to speed with facts!”
Steps to Success from Dr. Cilla Whatcott
1. Find the tools to discover your gifts. Many people are frustrated in their lives because they don’t know what their gifts are.
2. Let go of fear. Fear is a motivator to take us away from what we want.
3. Learn to trust the intelligence of your body and its ability to heal itself.
4. Find resources to educate yourself about the wisdom of your immune system.
On Her Bookshelf
There is a Choice: Homeoprophylaxis, by Cilla Whatcott
The Solution: Homeoprophylaxis—The Vaccine Alternative, by Kate Birch and Cilla Whatcott
Connecting With Dr. Cilla Whatcott
Website: https://worldwidechoice.org
Website for Her Video “Real Immunity”: https://realimmunity.org
Facebook: facebook.com/realimmunitymovie/
Homeoprophylaxis
Author, Executive, Film Producer and Director
July 2018:
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674:
Expert Interview: The Top 10 Practices of the World's Best - Cindra Kamphoff, PhD
Cindra Kamphoff, PhD, is a certified mental performance consultant, keynote speaker and author who works with professional athletes, executives and championship teams around the United States. She is the author of “Beyond Grit: 10 Powerful Practices to Gain the High-Performance Edge.” Her clients range from Verizon Wireless and Mayo Clinic Health Systems to the Minnesota Vikings. Her work has been featured in Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, USA Today and Runner’s World. In her spare time, she runs and trains for marathons. She has run 15 of them, including the Boston Marathon five times. in 2012, she won the Omaha Marathon.
The Top 10 Practices of the World's Best
Those who are familiar with positive psychology know about the concept of “grit.” It is about how, in the face of adversity and setbacks, you go after your goals with a deep commitment, so you can stick with them. That is the first quality to develop as we begin thinking about where we are going and why we are going there. The way the world’s best develop grit and go far beyond is by daily, intentional focus and practice.
Why Is This Important?
The world’s best have cultivated grit and are continuously thinking about where they are going and why they are going after it. They know what their purpose is and understand their multiple WHYs for their various goals. People who are gritty tend to stick with things longer. They are more likely to graduate, more likely to complete projects and excel in their chosen path.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“I have found that the top performers know exactly why they do what they do, and are very specific about it. Instead of making a general statement such as, ‘I want to make the world a better place,’ they would ask, ‘What is it about the world that I want to impact, and how do I want to impact it?’ They follow basic principles by making them a daily practice. They are clear about what they can control, and do not waste time or energy on the things they cannot.
Connecting With Cindra Kamphoff, PhD
Websites: www.cindrakamphoff.com and www.drcindra.com and
www.BeyondGrit.com/BonusTwitter: twitter.com/Mentally_Strong
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cindra-kamphoff/
Grit
Author, Consultant, Speaker
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673:
So Good at Her Job That She Quit - Tanya Conner-Green
Tanya was in her mid-20s, already bringing her company more business than any other employee. One day, just before she was to give a big presentation, the CEO called her into his office and told her she had brought in too much business–and was making her senior co-workers look bad. That was the final straw.
Tanya Conner-Green has been coaching female entrepreneurs who are struggling to make money in their business since 2015. As a former “corporate prisoner” who was often referred to as “the little pit-bull” in the insurance firm where she worked, she is keenly aware of how important it is for her clients to succeed in their business and not go back to a soul-sucking 9-5 job. She has a unique approach to her business coaching because of her strong focus on human connection and vulnerability. She focuses on helping women move beyond the fears and self-doubts that keep them hidden behind their computer screens so that they can get visible, get vulnerable, and stand out from the crowd online in order to make 6-figures-plus in their online businesses.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I got a job right out of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, working at an insurance company. Because I am quite rebellious, I was really good at negotiating, and had a really incredible boss who believed in developing our minds to make our own decisions. He taught me to have my own opinion and make my own decisions. Obviously, I didn’t know very much at the time, and at first I would say, ‘I don’t know the answer! What should I do? Help me, tell me!’ But my boss would say, ‘No, if I tell you, then you’re just going to have the same opinions as I have.’ I learned early that group-think is not good. We don’t all have the same ideas, the same mind. We all think differently.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“The turning point was the day I found out that I had made the company the most money of anyone else in the company. I got called into the CEO’s office, sat me down and said, ‘You’ve been producing too much business. You’re making the senior people look bad, and feel bad, and they don’t like it.’ I asked myself, ‘How do I work for a company that just asked me to make them less money? What kind of company says that to someone?’ I was in my twenties and making senior people feel insecure about themselves. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“No matter how busy you are, you have 15 minutes a day to change your life. One small, 15-minute thing, whether it is reading about some other things or trying something new or different, being creative, taking a bath or meditating. Do whatever it takes to get your mind out of your daily routine and start thinking about other things. It is about exposing yourself to other possibilities. A lot of people simply are not getting exposed to what is possible.”
Steps to Success from Tanya Conner-Green
1. Give yourself permission to explore what else you could do in your career if you really want to do it.
2. Take at least one 15-minute action per day to move in the direction you want. Do that regularly, consistently, daily and you will make a lot of changes.
3. Find good mentors and coaches who will help you think for yourself and develop self-confidence.
On Her Bookshelf
You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth, by Jen Sincero
Connecting With Tanya Conner-Green
Website: www.wholeheartedbusinesscoach.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wholeheartedbusinesscoach/
Twitter: twitter.com/wholehearted_co
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-conner-green-03239238/
Mentors, Success, Women
Business Coach, Insurance
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672:
Fine-Tuning the Art of Storytelling - Tony Gnau
Tony knew his passion for storytelling early on. Journalism school, and probably sports writing, would be his path. Along the way, he learned the importance of life experience in focusing and fine-tuning his passion.
Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist with a career spanning 20 years. He’s also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions, a video production company. T60 has won 13 Telly Awards for its work. He also is proud to say he was a 4-year walk-on football player for the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Growing up in suburban Chicago, Tony loved sports, and he loved writing. He knew early on that he wanted to be a journalist, probably a sports writer. In journalism school at USC, he wrote for a local newspaper, then landed a TV news job right after college. There, he learned to shoot and edit video, how to cover hard and breaking news. Like most local TV reporters, he learned to be a one-man band. He also carved out time to pursue his growing interest in feature stories, especially about interesting people.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Along his TV news career path, weathering a series of local news directors and their changing demands, he was mulling over a move to yet another TV market. He asked himself, “Is this what my life is going to be? Jumping from market to market whenever there is a change in news management and they want me to do something different?” What he really wanted was to return to his hometown of Chicago and produce feature stories about interesting people. But he knew Chicago is a hard news town. It was also the early days of internet popularity, and Tony knew there would be a way to tell stories via online video. He bet on that potential.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think you learn along the way as you pursue your passion. You might have an idea of what your passion is now, but once you get started in it and start working on small projects, you might fine-tune it a little. You might think your passion is one thing now, but then you will discover, once you get into it, that it is a little different than you suspected. That can be an exciting thing!”
Steps to Success from Tony Gnau
1. Start doing the thing you truly want to do by beginning gradually. Don’t tackle it all at once. But start!
2. Learn your skill or your craft by doing the work. Pour yourself into mastering it.
3. Pay attention along the way and make small tweaks or even big changes as you learn from your actual experience. Feel free to fine-tune your approach.
4. Recognize the fear factor, but do not let it hold you back and slow you down.
Connecting With Tony Gnau
Website: www.T60Productions.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/t60productions/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/T60Productions
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonygnau
Facing Fear, Passion
Business Owner, Journalist, TV News Anchor, Video Production, Writer
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671:
Expert Interview: How to Develop the Relational Leader in You - Colby B. Jubenville, PhD
Colby Jubenville, PhD, is an accomplished author, international speaker, professor, business advisor, entrepreneur and inventor. He holds an academic appointment at Middle Tennessee State University as Special Assistant to the Dean for Student Success and Strategic Partnerships in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences.
He regularly speaks on his books, “Me: How To Sell Who You Are”, “What You Do & Why You Matter to the World” and “Zebras & Cheetahs: Look Different and Stay Agile to Survive the Business Jungle,” which teaches how to compete on unique value, resulting in getting paid for the value you deliver.
How to Develop the Relational Leader in You
You have to be very intentional about building relationships. It does not happen on its own. Ask yourself: How do we build relationships inside of our organization? You do that by creating what I call a container of trust. It is about mutual respect and accountability, based on getting to know each other and what matters to the other person. It involves vulnerability.
Why Is This Important?
“The key to business is personal relationships. If I look over my career, my body of work, the things I have been able to accomplish, the key to almost any of them is personal relationships. But we do not teach people how to become relational leaders. We teach them how to do tasks. That’s why this topic is so important.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“A relational leader begins with understanding that the foundation of trust is safety. Safety, in business relationships, looks like this: Am I known? Am I heard? Am I valued? Am I important? Does my opinion matter?”
Relationships in Business
Author, Business Advisor, Entrepreneur, Inventor, Professor, Speaker
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670:
Escaping a Soul-Crushing Environment - Minal Joshi Jaeckli
As the third generation in a row to be a first-generation immigrant, Minal brings her life experiences to her passion for engagement and finding just the right fit. She sees careers—and all of life—from myriad perspectives.
Minal Joshi Jaeckli is the founder and CEO of OpenElevator, the data-driven platform for hiring for engagement to increase profitability and growth for companies and deliver job satisfaction and a sense of contribution for employees. She’s worked on multiple continents, in various industries and functions over the last decade. Her rich background has given her a deep understanding of the value of engagement, both from when she was most passionate about her work and when she desperately wanted out from a soul-crushing environment.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Minal discovered in childhood she had two distinct sides to her personality: as a social butterfly, she made friends wherever she went, but she also had a highly technical, analytical mind. Working on her chemistry degree in college, she enjoyed tutoring her classmates, a trait one of her professors noticed and encouraged.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In her first job after college, Minal was combining her technical acumen with her people skills at a high-tech firm in Silicon Valley, CA. “On any given day, I might be negotiating a special feature with engineering. Or, talking to manufacturing to make sure a part we agreed to would also show up in it when it left the manufacturing facility. Or, I might be talking to technical support to make sure we had the right engineer on the ground to ensure we got sign-ups for revenue. It was so fantastic, so dynamic, and it used these two sides of me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“People are not necessarily being motivated by paychecks alone. Companies that want to have the best talent, who are engaged for the long-term, need to step up. Offer growth. Don’t call every job an opportunity—an opportunity leading where? Offer connection, a real sense of contribution. Companies are looking for employees to deliver innovation, creativity and customer service. For that, we need more than a warm body. You need the whole person to show up: personality, motivation and commitment. If you demand more, you need to deliver more.”
Steps to Success from Minal Joshi Jaeckli
1. The best way to find a strong current of good luck is to swim with great people. Find a mentor, partner, teammate or leader.
2. Build deep and enduring relationships with people for whom you would risk your life and who would risk their lives for you.
3. Listen to yourself and trust yourself to figure out what you need.
4. Design the life that would satisfy you, then develop a game plan to get there.
5. Big decisions can happen in an instant, but realization usually takes time and consistent efforts.
On Her Bookshelf
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t, by Jim Collins
Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck–Why Some Thrive Despite Them All, by Jim Collins
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Harper Business Essentials), by Jim Collins and Jerry J. Porras
Connecting With Minal Joshi Jaeckli
Website: www.OpenElevator.com
Facebook: facebook.com/OpenElevator/
Twitter: twitter.com/OpenElevator
Engagement in career and company
Chemist, Entrepreneur
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669:
A Born Fighter - Tom Rubens
As the shortest kid in school, Tom was fearless, constantly getting into fights with classmates and always fighting authority. That’s why a job on the Options Exchange in Chicago appealed to him: tons of action; screaming; and jumping up and down. What he really needed, however, was to be his own boss.
Like other entrepreneurs and business owners, Tom Rubens has lost sleep over meeting or missing payroll and experienced the extreme highs and lows for 40 years that come with the territory. In his coaching practice, The Accountability Factor, he helps businesses increase revenue and productivity, and manage relationships and collaborations, while living harmonious lives. He also leads MasterCoach Forum, a mastermind for elite coaches committed to accountability, collaboration, community, and business growth. His first book, “Lifeness: Harmonize an Entrepreneurial Life,” was released in April, 2017.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I think I came out of the womb as a fighter. As a little kid, I was constantly getting into fights. I was small, but that never stopped me from being very aggressive. I had such a strong reaction to authority, almost any form of it, and I would want to fight it. Which is why I’ve spent the majority of my life working for myself. I just never figured I’d be a good employee.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“One of my contemporaries mentioned to me that a minor-league football team was for sale. He said, why don’t you check on it? I didn’t even like football, but I thought, well, I’ll call and see what comes of it. Fortunately, the football team had already sold, but it instantly ignited in me this fully formed plan to buy a minor-league basketball team! I still don’t know how this happened, but it led me into being a sports team owner, both in basketball and baseball.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
As Tom was preparing to buy a minor-league team, he went to every owner in the league, asking them to tell him the biggest mistakes they had ever made. To his surprise, they were all willing to share them with him. “I submit, on that information alone, you could start a successful business in that industry. I did not know it at the time, but that’s exactly what I was doing. I was finding every pothole I was likely to encounter when I bought the team.”
Steps to Success from Tom Rubens
1. Discover your limiting beliefs that are keeping you from being happy.
2. Recognize that your life, joy and passion are in your own hands.
3. Do your research and do not be reluctant about asking others about the downsides and the potholes. By doing this, you’re gathering vital intelligence.
4. Use a coach and/or a peer group to keep yourself accountable for your actions and inaction.
On His Bookshelf
The Power of TED (*The Empowerment Dynamic), by David Emerald
The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield, with Shawn Coyne, editor
The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Connecting With Tom Rubens
Website: www.TomRubens.com
Email: tom@tomrubens.com
Facebook: facebook.com/tom.rubens
Twitter: twitter.com/Accountable731
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tom-rubens-36a1b842/
Fighting Authority, Minor League Sports, Multi Careers
Author, Business Coach, Commodity Trading, Minor League Owner–Basketball and Baseball, Real Estate
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668:
Expert Interview: Finding the Genius in You - Jeff Sandefer
Jeff Sandefer is an entrepreneur and a socratic teacher. As an entrepreneur, he started his first company at 16. His latest venture grew to several billion dollars in assets. As a socratic teacher, The Economist magazine named him one of the top 15 business school professors in the world. Now, he’s a full-time middle school teacher at Acton Academy, a cutting-edge K-12 school whose one-room school house for the 21st-century model is spreading across the globe, with over 80 affiliates and over 8,000 applications from parent entrepreneurs who want to launch a school.
A graduate of the Harvard Business School, he served over 20 years on the school’s governing committees. He is one of the youngest members ever elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
Finding the Genius in You
As his two sons were finishing Montessori, Jeff asked his middle school daughter’s best teacher how soon he should enroll his boys in a classroom. The teacher’s response startled him. “Enroll them as soon as possible. After they’ve had that kind of freedom in Montessori, they won’t like being chained to a desk and being lectured for eight hours a day.” He and his wife, Laura, immediately knew they needed to find a different way that would nurture each of their children’s inner genius and help them on their own individual hero’s journeys. For Laura and Jeff, education was the key, and they set out to create what became Acton Academy.
Why Is This Important?
“We’ve tapped into this wave of people who are saying traditional school is not enough. The model that worked in the 18th and 19th century and some in the 20th century is not the model we need to prepare young people for the 21st century.”
“We developed an approach that helps students on their hero’s journey. Our program helps students answer four key questions:
1) Who am I? That’s where the hero’s journey is critical.
2) What skills do I need to learn, and which skill must I master, something I’m gifted at doing? I need to read, write, do simple math; but there’s something I’m gifted in that I need to master.
3) Who will affirm me and hold me accountable? Great teachers affirm you and tell you that you’re one of the special ones.
4) How can I prove what I can do? How can I show you evidence? Can you engage me to solve a difficult problem?”What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“We don’t serve helicopter parents, and we don’t serve parents who rescue their children from struggles. You have to be willing to let your child suffer and struggle and fail, because part of the hero’s journey is getting up when you fall down, dusting yourself off, and trying again. Heroes do not always win, but heroes always get back up, so we can’t help a parent who won’t allow their child to be knocked down and hurt.”
Connecting With Jeff Sandefer
Website: www.actonacademy.org
Education
Acton Academy, Entrepreneur, Teaching/Teacher
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667:
Her Horses Bring Her Full Circle - Mindy Tatz Chernoff
Mindy was in her early 30s. Her children were in school all day, and she realized something important was missing in her life. She loved her children dearly, but she needed more.
Mindy Tatz Chernoff is an equine specialist with over 55 years loving, showing, and partnering with horses. From her horse farm outside of Philadelphia, she facilitates workshops, retreats, one-on-one sessions, and the ever-popular horse circles. She partners with horses to bring clarity, freedom, and aliveness to her clients. She has a dual masters’ in holistic spirituality and spiritual direction, has received advanced training in E3A certification as well as being an eponaquest apprentice. She has offered one TED X talk to the world and is currently working on her second in September 2018. She is the author of the new Amazon release, “From Muck to Magnificence: How Cleaning Horse Stalls Can Lead to an Astonishing Life.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I’m from the suburbs of Chicago. I grew up in a wonderful home with an older sister. From an early age, horses were in our lives. My grandmother got us involved in riding. I grew up in a privileged family, but I am very grateful I never had a sense of entitlement. I had my pony, and I loved what I did. I did not know at that young age that, when I was brushing my pony at eight years old, I was actually stimulating neural connections in my brain. I just knew I loved my pony. I cannot thank my parents enough for giving me the freedom to explore what I love.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Throughout her childhood, Mindy had loved horses and cherished the time she could spend with them. Then, after college, she got married. “The first year of marriage, I did not ride at all. Then, when I got pregnant, my focus was entirely on my children. Once the children got older, I realized there was an ache and lack in my life. I was starting to ask questions. I was in my early 30s, and the kids were in school all day. I was still their mom, but this ache of wanting to make a difference, wanting something more, brought me back to my first love.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“If you want to live a full life where you are touching the lives of others with what you have gone through, maybe you need to touch your own life first. I believe heaven and earth can move to make that happen. It might not be fast. It might be one limping foot in front of the other, but there is a way to live a life filled with freedom and joy and gratitude and laughter.”
Steps to Success from Mindy Tatz Chernoff
1. Say YES to life. Live with openness, curiosity, and non-judgment. This is a lesson we can learn through our connection to other creatures and living things. Become aware of the synchronicity and the beautiful unfolding of things you have no control over. These things that get dropped in your lap are gifts.
2. Allow God, the Universe or your Higher Self to transform your suffering and give it meaning.
3. Have the courage to dig deep to discover your own authenticity and genuineness.
4. Practice giving away the wisdom you learn. Walk with others to help them notice and find the greatness in their life so they, too, can be free.
On Her Bookshelf
The Naked Now: Learning To See As the Mystics See, by Richard Rohr
The Gift of the Red Bird: The Story of a Divine Encounter, by Paula D’Arcy
Letters to Sam: A Grandfather’s Lessons on Love, Loss, and the Gifts of Life, by Daniel Gottlieb
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, by Brené Brown
The Way to Love: Meditations for Life, by Anthony De Mello
From Muck to Magnificence: How Cleaning Horse Stalls Can Lead to an Astonishing Life, by Mindy Tatz Chernoff
Connecting With Mindy Tatz Chernoff
Website: TheResonantHorse.com
Email: TheResonantHorse@gmail.com
Facebook: The Resonant Horse
LinkedIn: The Resonant Horse
Abuse
Author, Equine Specialist
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666:
A Lifetime Student without a School - Brannon Beliso
Brannon rebelled against his father by intentionally losing 17 martial arts matches in a row. He wanted to pursue his creativity. A hard punch in the face was his turning point. Playing the hand life dealt him, he became a champion in martials arts and in creating a life he wanted.
Brannon Beliso is dedicated to helping people live their best lives. His passion is to help people and businesses reach their full potential through defining their values, developing their culture, building their brand, creating leadership by example and fulfilling their purpose. He defines his purpose as, “Always being a student and never a master.” He devotes his life to being a better martial artist, motivator and innovator of personal development, life skills education and martial arts-based programs.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I think the greatest gift my father gave me was martial arts at the age of five. I was a state champion. We could not afford to travel all over the world, but I was the best as far as our car could take us! I was number one in the state for many years. I fought for 20 years. Martial arts gave me inner resilience, determination, and perseverance that comes with any type of athletic sports. But, I think, for the martial arts there’s a much deeper meaning, because the martial arts are really taught as a mind-body relationship.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
As a child, Brannon hated martial arts and preferred artistic pursuits. But his father insisted he practice, compete and win in martial arts. Brannon rebelled by intentionally losing 17 matches in a row. “It came down to one tournament when I got punched in the face really hard. That was an ‘Aha!’ moment. I realized, either I’m going to do this and be successful, or I am going to get hit and hurt every time I fight! That was a real turning point. I can say that in a positive way today—and I want to share it—because I recognized that sometimes the hand we are dealt is not the one we want. If you can take the hand that you are dealt and make the best out of it, that is the mastery of life for me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We have all heard the saying, ‘The grass is greener on the other side.’ Well, the grass is not greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water it. So, water your grass. Take ownership and full accountability for your own life. Ask yourself, if this was my last day, how would I want it to be? Would I want to be living someone else’s life, a life that is not my own?”
Steps to Success from Brannon Beliso
1. Learn to play the hand that is dealt you, but do not lose sight of the changes that are in your control.
2. Peel away the beliefs and ideas that are not your own—which I call “unauthorized thought patterns”—and get down to your truer self. From that truer self is where you can do your best service.
3. Find a way that allows you to determine your own wealth. That might mean becoming an entrepreneur. Just find a way that lets you do what you truly love.
On His Bookshelf
Live Learn Grow: Lessons of a Reluctant Tiger, by Brannon Beliso (https://amzn.to/2JJ08mp)
The Adventures of Bray & Tey: Focus, by Brannon Beliso (https://amzn.to/2sKil9l)
One, The Next Level in Cardio Kickboxing (VHS), Brannon Beliso (https://amzn.to/2y1LbY2)
Connecting With Brannon Beliso
Website: www.BrannonBeliso.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Brannon.Beliso
Twitter: twitter.com/BrannonBeliso
Courage, Martial Arts
Author, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Martial Arts, Musician, Song Writer/Singer, Teaching/Teacher
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665:
Expert Interview: Using the Myers-Briggs to Help Find More Satisfaction in Your Career - Catherine Rains
Catherine Rains is an MBTI certification trainer—the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator—and master practitioner, with more than 25 years of organizational development experience using the personality tool to support individuals and raise their self-awareness about what comes easy and natural to them. She holds a master’s degree in counseling from Long Island University and was an organizational development trainer for Consulting Psychologists Press (CPP), the publisher of the MBTI. She currently works as a private consultant, certifying individuals on the Myers-Briggs and the Strong Interest Inventory across the United States, while also pursuing her passion for art and managing a thriving art business.
Using the Myers-Briggs to Help Find More Satisfaction in Your Career
Around the world, millions of people take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, often at work, or with a career counselor or coach. In the U.S. alone, two million people a year wait to learn their four-letter profile. Am I an ISFJ, an ENFP or something else? Without guidance, the letters mean little. But, with a trained counselor, they can open your eyes—and doors—to actionable steps in your life and career.
Why Is This Important?
Since the Myers-Briggs became widely available in the 1970s, researchers have continuously tweaked the test to improve its real-world usefulness. During her quarter-century passion for MBTI, Catherine Rains has developed keen insights into what it reveals. In particular, she explains why the two middle letters of the four-letter profiles are the key to a wealth of useful self-knowledge and guidance.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Some people think the Myers-Briggs boxes people in. Actually, the intention is to open people up to all the possibilities of who they can be, with the self-awareness that if you could consciously choose to do your four-letter profile more often, life would just get much easier. You won’t end up putting so much energy out.”
Personality as Clue to Happiness on Job, Personality Assessments
Coach, MBTI certification trainer, Organizational development trainer
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664:
70 Years a Ballerina, Still On Pointe - Suzelle Poole
Suzelle returned to London from Texas at 26. She had turned down a position teaching dance because she thought she was getting old and needed to focus on her own dance career. Little did she know, one day she’d still be dancing at 77 years young.
Madame Suzelle Poole is a professional ballet soloist of classical ballet. As a child, she achieved Cecchetti Grades under English Ballet teachers Betty Oliphant and Celia Franca. She performed professionally in Opera Ballet and on radio in an award-winning film and pantomimes. She also danced as a soloist in the Houston Ballet for nine years under the direction of Madame Tatiana Semenova, pupil of Mathilda Kschessinska. She lectured on music pedagogy at the University of Cape Town, as well as the largest teachers’ training college in Africa and the University Of Dallas. Since 2003 she has taught and performed for the Royale Ballet Dance Academy in Dallas, and recently taught for 9 years the advanced children Divertissements for the Moscow Ballet Nutcracker. Her students received Gold, Silver and Touch of Class awards at competitions. She continues to teach, choreograph and perform in the Dallas area. She narrated their Ballet dictionary “Ballet is Fun.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I began studying ballet at age seven with a good teacher in Canada. When my teacher realized I was serious, she passed me on to Betty Oliphant. Betty Oliphant did some professional performances which I was in, and she taught me the Cecchetti syllabus. I did “The Marriage of Figaro” with Celia Franca, who became director of the National Ballet of Canada. She examined me for the Cecchetti grades, and I achieved four of those.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“All the places I’ve lived have been wonderful experiences! I had the satisfaction of living in each place for several years, long enough to get to know them. When other dancers were going to New York, I went back to London, where I became head mistress of the Montessori School, but I quit to go back to my dance performance training. I met my husband, who helped me learn to do choreography. We went to Germany after England because my husband wanted to pursue opera. Then, we lived in South Africa for six years, a most beautiful place! Wherever I’ve been, I have always danced.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Whatever you want to do as a dream, whether it is to paint, play the piano, or do anything that you really want to do, you have to find a good teacher. You have to learn the fundamentals, the technique. Pursue it, and do the work with discipline. At age 77, I still do, because I have to keep up my technique. Once you have a teacher, you must give the teacher respect and do what the teacher says. I think all of this adds up to doing what you want to do.”
Steps to Success from Suzelle Poole
1. When you know what you want to pursue, find yourself an excellent teacher.
2. Learn the fundamentals, the technique, of your art or your craft.
3. Develop discipline to keep up your technique and skill.
4. Do the work!
Ballet, Find a Teacher, Inspiring Others, Life of a Dancer, Love of Dance
Author, Ballerina, Ballet teacher, Choreography, Montesseuri Administrator
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663:
From Overweight and Anxious to Athletically Fit - Bryan Falchuk
Bryan was recruited for a challenging job where he solved problems all day. Suddenly, he had to solve one at home that he could not face. After a few attempts at false bravado and denial, he saw the fear in his little boy’s face. That is when he realized he had a crucial decision to make.
Bryan Falchuk is a life and executive coach, public speaker, C-level executive, and the best-selling author of “Do A Day,” in which he teaches how to overcome challenges and achieve goals. He spent most of his life obese and overcome by anxiety until he discovered the approach to change all that, Do A Day. He was able to break from this pattern to live a life of consistent, unending health and wellness and work to share what he has learned with others who are seeking a happier, more complete existence. His work has appeared in major publications like the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Inc. Magazine and more. He’s been featured as a guest on more than 100 podcasts and radio shows and shared his message across many stages, including multiple TED-X events.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My attempt to avoid the sports requirement in high school led me to lose the weight that had been holding me back. The only way out was by doing PE. At most schools, PE is a cop out, but at mine the guy who runs it is this incredibly passionate, caring guy. He took a totally different approach. He says that I’m the one who did the work. I agree with him, because other people can’t change you, you have to change yourself. But sometimes we need help and tools to realize we can change ourselves.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Recruited for a challenging job where he solved problems all day, Bryan suddenly had to solve one he couldn’t face. His wife was dying and no one could explain why. She was wasting away. After a few attempts at false bravado and denial, he saw the fear in his little boy’s face. “That’s when it hit me, and I asked myself, ‘What are you doing with your life? Your wife is dying and you’re not supporting her. You are miserable. You’ve put on all this weight, and you’re this anxious, unhappy wreck. This is not OK.’ I took some very serious steps that morning, and nothing has been the same since.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Being stuck and unhappy is often driven by a lack of self-understanding. “You have to be willing to do the work, to face what’s going on inside of you. That scares a lot of people. It may be a subconscious fear of what you think you’re going to find. But the alternative is to go through life mindlessly. I guarantee you will wake up one day, asking yourself, how the heck did I ever get here? So, the choice is yours as to when you want to face what’s going on inside you.”
Steps to Success from Bryan Falchuk
1. Realize you are worthy of love. Let yourself accept that, and stop deflecting compliments and affirmations out of habit.
2. Explore your true, underlying WHY. You can get there, but you have got to be willing to do the introspection.
3. Take a look at your first answers to your exploratory questions, reflect on them. There’s probably something underneath the surface of that answer that will tell you even more about what is really brewing within you.
On His Bookshelf
Do a Day: How to Live a Better Life Every Day, by Bryan Falchuk.
Connecting With Bryan Falchuk
Website: www.doadaybook.com
Facebook: facebook.com/doadaybook
Twitter: @bryanfalchuk
Free Gift
The Big Goal Exercise. www.doadaybook.com/theexercise.
Anxiety, Overcoming Issues, Weight
Author, C-Level Executive, Executive Coach, Speaker
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662:
Expert Interview: Cultivating Your Maximum Strength in Mind, Body and Spirit - Pamela Gold
Pamela Gold grew up on her family’s apple farm in upstate New York, graduated from Yale University, and then entered the business world in New York City, where she was the point person on an IPO at the age of 24. Leaving the workforce to start a family, she co-founded West Village Parents and went on to pursue her passion for fitness and wellness. It was through this pursuit that she discovered yoga, which connected her love of philosophy, science, psychology and wellness and eventually led her to discover her life’s work: teaching inner peace as the key to our greatest evolution and, ultimately, World Peace. She founded Gold Evolution and released her first book, Find More Strength: 5 Pillars to Unlock Unlimited Power and Happiness, in 2017.
Cultivating Your Maximum Strength in Mind, Body and Spirit
“From the time I was little I had an overachiever mentality. I always wanted to figure everything out and be as strong as possible in all ways. Once I became a young adult, I realized that was not really solving all my life issues. When I started diving deep into that inner strength territory, everything started getting really good. I realized that inner strength was the key to accelerating our outward achievements, even more so than I had done while just kind of bulldozing my way through, without having that inner strength piece.”
Why Is This Important?
“Most people don’t appreciate or spend much time thinking about our inner strength or spiritual health. I describe spiritual health as our ability to love and trust. Do you love yourself? Do you trust and respect yourself? Do you love life, all of life? Do you trust and respect all of life? That, to me, is spiritual health and spiritual strength.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Practicing inner, spiritual strength is practicing compassion, gratitude, openness and surrender, which feels like being in the flow of life. The more we can be in that flow with love, with joy and with surrender, that is inner strength. That is spiritual strength. That is what I have been focusing on the last number of years, because the returns on that investment are big. Really big!”
Connecting With Pamela Gold
Website: www.goldevolution.com
Facebook: facebook.com/pamelagold
Twitter: twitter.com/pamgold
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pamela-gold-ba525413/
Gratitude, Growth, Meditation, Stress
Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker
June 2018:
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661:
A Plane Ticket, a Eurail Pass and a Backpack - Joe Fingerhut
Joe knew that connecting with an audience got his juices going. Just as strongly, he knew life can end at any time, and that the 9-to-5 was not in his DNA. He craved work that would be fun and exciting but didn’t know just what that magic combination would look like.
Joe Fingerhut is an author and international speaker at schools and conferences on student leadership and success. In the eight years after college, Joe went to thirty countries on six continents, then came home to St. Louis, Missouri and started a career in speaking and entertainment from scratch. He regularly rocks audiences at leadership events and high schools in America and overseas, sharing lessons from his adventures in travel, language, and magic and music stage skills.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Growing up in a supportive but competitive family, where sports were a passion, Joe knew he wanted life to be fun. Earning his college degree in math, he also learned his natural aptitude would not be enough. He would also have to work at achieving his goals. He plunged head-first into travel and experiencing other cultures, starting with a plane ticket, a Eurail Pass, a backpack and Europe. Then, he headed to Japan to teach English and met his future wife. “I knew I wanted my life to be exciting and fun.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Joe’s gigs as a DJ and magician were coalescing. Each gig was bringing him new venues, and he was having fun. “Then, about six or seven years in I asked myself, what am I dancing around? I am having fun, but I think I could do more. A motivational speaker I remembered from my college days came to mind, and I started thinking seriously about a career in public speaking. If I cannot be an NBA All-Star—which was not in the cards—public speaking is the career I would throw away everything to do. I began asking myself, how can I be a professional speaker?” He did his research and quickly was ready to take a first step.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“A best friend I had met on the first day of kindergarten died in a car accident at age 14 when we were in eighth grade. His death just hit me with the realization: life could end at any moment. Why not pursue things that are actually fun and can make you happy? Time is going to pass anyway. You might as well enjoy it, and try, and make your dreams come true.”
Steps to Success from Joe Fingerhut
1. Get clarity. What is the dream? If you do not have a target, you are not going to hit anything.
2. Speak it. Write it down and share it. Dreams are like babies. They have to be born, they have to breathe. If your dream stays inside of you it does not go anywhere. You have got to share it.
3. Take a step. Use the headlights principle: on a dark road at night, you do not have to see the whole road, just what the headlight illuminates in front of you.
On His Bookshelf
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari
Permission To Play: How Teens Can Build A Life That is Fun, Fulfilling, and Promising, by Joe Fingerhut
Connecting With Joe Fingerhut
Website: http://joefingerhut.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/joefingerhut
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joefingerhut/
Enjoy your career, Love what you do, Travel
Author, Disc Jockey (DJ), Entertainer, Magician, Speaker
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660:
Scaling Up By Putting Heart Behind Her Hustle - Kamila Gornia
As a young girl in Poland, Kamila was into Japanese comics and art classes. But when she discovered the internet at age 12, she knew she wanted to put her creativity there. Exactly how she would do that, make money, and enjoy her work was the challenge.
Kamila Gornia, founder of the Heart Behind Hustle® brand, is a business and marketing strategist for coaches and experts who want to amplify their income and impact with scalable offers, while having fun in the process. She is on a mission to help other passionate, driven entrepreneurs spread their unique message to a broader audience with online marketing. Or, as she calls it, blow up and scale up. Recently she’s packaged her tried-and-true strategies with coaching services and e-courses to help small businesses grow their fans, followers and funds.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As a child growing up in a small town in Poland, Kamila expressed her creativity through the Japanese comic form of Manga and Anime. With her first exposure to the online world, via dial-up access, she became interested in online marketing. “I saw marketing as a creative endeavor for me.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After working in digital media several years, I really dug into marketing. I realized it came easily to me because of the way I was thinking of it…from a creative approach.” For a while, she doubted anyone would pay her to coach them in marketing, but changing that mindset opened doors into her current career.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think it is important to find a way you can make money doing something you enjoy, even if it is just starting a venture on the side and then slowly moving in that direction. That is what I did. I did not just quit my job. I started my business on the side. But I always pursued things that would excite me and let me love what I am doing.”
Steps to Success from Kamila Gornia
1. Allow yourself to really think and feel your way into what you truly want to do.
2. Try on the ideas that interest you by having side hustles and gigs. It’s a lower-risk way of testing your ideas before plunging in and working without a net.
3. Find something that will support you financially as you move toward your true desires. Failures do happen, so have a Plan B.
4. Be open to using coaches and mentors.
5. Don’t let fear of failure hold you in a job you hate. Make practical plans to give you a base for success or setbacks.
Connecting With Kamila Gornia
Website: www.heartbehindhustle.com
YouTube Channel: Heart Behind Hustle TV
Free Gift
Quiz for entrepreneurs about what makes you different and memorable as an authority online. Go to: heartbehindhustle.com/discoveryourtalent
Enjoy your career, Side Hustle
Business Coach, Entrepreneur, Marketing Strategist, Online Marketing, Social Media
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659:
Expert Interview: How to Discover What You Were Really Born to Do - Ron Carucci
Ron Carucci is co-founder and managing partner at Navalent, working with CEOs and executives pursuing transformational change for their organizations. He has a 30-year track record helping some of the world’s most influential executives tackle challenges of strategy, organization and leadership.
He’s is a regular contributor to HBR and Forbes, and has been featured in Fortune, CEO Magazine, BusinessInsider, and many others. He led a 10-year longitudinal study on executive transition to find out why over 50% of leaders fail within their first 18 months of appointment, and uncovering the four differentiating capabilities that set successful leaders apart. Those findings are highlighted in his Groundbreaking Amazon #1 best-selling book, Rising To Power, co-authored with Eric Hansen.
How to Discover What You Were Really Born to Do
“So often, people early in their career struggle with what Millennials call FOMO, the fear of missing out. They don’t want to choose because they think they have so many options available to them. Yet, I’m always astounded by people in their mid-career, who’ve been in the workplace for 10-plus years, yet they’re every bit as stuck. Often, they lack an understanding about what they really are gifted to do, what will bring them the most passion. They’re bored. They’re about to turn 40. They’re at a defining moment when they perceive, seemingly all of a sudden, they have kids, a mortgage and a car payment, and feel like they’re barely coasting, that nothing provides them meaning and purpose anymore.”
Why Is This Important?
“People so often don’t know their own story. They don’t know who they have become on the journey they’ve been on. They don’t know what they have to offer the world. We developed techniques to help people find and shape their own story.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“The one place where we can’t hide from our own talent is in our desires. I think there’s a dream beating in each of our hearts that we can’t stop. If you can unearth it, and listen to what it’s telling you, I do believe that there are optimal places for you to contribute.”
Connecting With Ron Carucci
Website: www.navalent.com
Facebook: Ron Carucci
Twitter: @RonCarucci
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/navalent/
Free Gift
Free e-book, Leading Transformation. Go to: www.navalent.com/transformation
for Free executive summary of Ron’s book, Rising to Power. Download at website.Careers
Business Owner, Career Development, Transformational Life Coach
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658:
His Practice of Laughter Brings Healing Smiles - Dr. Jeffrey L. Gurian
Jeffrey knew at age 12 he wanted to be a healer, probably a dentist. But, at the same time, he already loved writing comedy. He was confused. He asked himself, how could he possibly do both? Who ever heard of a comic dentist?
Dr. Jeffrey L. Gurian, a former cosmetic dentist and clinical professor at NYU, is also a practitioner of spiritual healing and energy work and has been on the board of the Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy since 1999. He is also a nationally known comedy writer, comic, and author who has written for stars like Rodney Dangerfield, Joan Rivers, and Jerry Lewis. In his new book “Healing Your Heart, By Changing Your Mind–A Spiritual and Humorous Approach To Achieving Happiness,” he has combined all of his fields to teach people how to be happy by changing their thoughts, as he has done himself to overcome many obstacles in his own life, including curing himself of a severe stutter.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Most 12-year-old boys want to be something exciting like a firefighter. I had already decided by then that I wanted to do something where I could help people. I wanted to be a doctor, but I knew I was too sensitive and couldn’t handle life and death situations. So, I decided I wanted to be an orthodontist, because I had braces. I liked the idea of making people look better. So, I decided I wanted to be that. But I was already writing comedy. It was confusing for me. I thought, “I want to be a dentist, and I want to be in show business, but who ever heard of such a thing?”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After developing a stutter at around age six or seven, Jeffrey went through speech therapy, special classes and a range of treatments that did not help. Some made things worse. He began learning about himself, his fears, and the reasons he felt he needed to stutter. Gradually, he applied his healing abilities and his own insights to find a way to cure his stuttering. Then, he began working with other stutterers to help them overcome their own challenges.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We all collect what I call heart wounds. From the time we are children, every time somebody breaks a promise to you, or hurts your feelings, or makes a derogatory remark about you, it stays with us. They stay with us in our heart chakra. They affect every thought we have, every decision we make. It is so important to work on identifying them and letting them go, then creating healthy thoughts about ourselves.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Jeffrey L. Gurian
1. If you’re holding negative thoughts about yourself, analyze them to see where they are coming from.
2. Make a “good and bad” list. Write down every good thing that you know about yourself, and every bad thing that you know about yourself. Be 100% honest with yourself. You don’t have to share it with anyone else, but you do need to write it down.
3. Use your list and insights to change your thoughts. Every negative thought can be replaced with a new, positive thought.
4. Find things that make you laugh. There is great healing power in laughter.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Dr. Jeffrey L. Gurian
Website: www.comedymatterstv.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jeffreygurian
Twitter: @jeffreygurian
YouTube: youtube.com/guriannewsnetwork
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeffreyguriancomedy/
Free Gift
Free 10-minute phone call from Jeffrey to people who order his book and subscribe to his Comedy Matters TV YouTube channel at youtube.com/guriannewsnetwork. Must contact Jeffrey with proof of purchase and subscription at jeffrey@jeffreygurian.com
Alternative Medicine, Bullying, Comedy, Facing Fear, Self Image, Stutter
Author, Comedy Writer, Comic, Dentist, Professor, Spiritual Healer
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657:
Valuing Strengths by Keeping Them in Balance - Christie Garcia
Christie had a great career, but she noticed how many of her clients put all their eggs in the career basket. She saw the same tendency in herself. She decided to find ways to create a life of balance, both for herself and her clients.
Christie Garcia is a leadership coach and founder of Mindful Choice Coaching. She helps fast growing companies maximize the impact of their leadership and management teams through self-awareness, ownership, communication and alignment. Some of the companies she has worked with include Airbnb, Twitter, Sunrun and Oakley. Christie’s latest project is focused on building programs, masterminds and adventure retreats for men to help them step up their leadership, maximize their career, improve their relationships and live a more successful life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I grew up thinking I was going to be a kindergarten teacher. In my junior year in college, both my grandfathers passed away and my parents got divorced. So, I watched how life unfolded for three women who’d had men in their life, who were stable and grounded. It really dawned on me: what do I want my life to look like? I had always wanted to travel, but it just wasn’t an option in the small California town where I grew up. So, I decided to do a semester abroad and it changed everything! After I earned my credentials and did my student teaching, I thought, this just feels a little claustrophobic, and I realized the classroom is not where I am supposed to be.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had a good career, but I was on a path toward waking up one day, without the things that I wanted most, which is a family, not just a great career. Over the years, working with a lot of men who were my clients, I had seen how they put all their eggs in one basket—their careers. They may have a family at home, but how much are they investing in them? So, both for them and for my own life, I wanted to find a way to be truly investing for the long term to be able to say at the end of the day, ‘I am fulfilled.’ For them, and for me, to be able to look back and say, ‘That was a great life!’ and to say that the career, the family, the friends, the personal side of life—all are healthy and good. With no regrets.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“As I build out my business, I want to keep practicing what I preach, keeping a balanced life. I’m looking to start my own family in the next year or two, so keeping that balance in my own life will be crucial as I also help my clients. I want to make sure that I, and everyone I come into contact with, will know how to be able to create a life where they can wake up and say, “My life is good! I don’t need to do it over.”
Steps to Success from Christie Garcia
1. Learn to cultivate self-awareness to be present and living in the moment, not just going through the motions.
2. Focusing too much on your strengths, in an unbalanced way, can become your weakness.
3. Learn to identify when your strength turns into ego and holds you back, as a leader, a partner, as a parent.
4. Recognize that feelings and emotions are not a weakness, and that vulnerability can open you up to growth.
On Her Bookshelf
Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t, by Simon Sinek
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Dr. Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
Connecting With Christie Garcia
Website: mindfulchoicecoaching.com
Facebook: facebook.com/mindfulchoice
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christiegarcia/
Leadership, Work/Life Balance
Leadership Coach, Success Coach
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656:
Expert Interview: How to Maximize the Talents of the World's Most Unique Generation - Chris Butsch
Chris Butsch is a best-selling author, speaker, consultant, and globally-recognized authority on the Millennial generation. Known for his storytelling ability, high-energy stage presence, and immediately-actionable advice, he helps business leaders understand his generation and maximize the world’s most unique generation.
How to Maximize the Talents of the World's Most Unique Generation
“Millennials today are ages 18 to 35. I’m 27, right in the middle of the millennial range. My cohort grew up in a tumultuous time of technology and social connectedness, with the advent of Facebook in high school, then Twitter, and now Instagram. Those hard waves of cultural change shaped who we are and our motivations. They laid the groundwork for a tremendous disconnect between the Millennials and their parents’ generation. Baby Boomers grew up under very different circumstances.”
Why Is This Important?
“I’m all about arming the generations with the tools and the information they need to solve their biggest problems. For Millennials, that’s battling unfulfillment, confusion and the depression they experienced in their teens and twenties. For Baby Boomers, their problem largely has become dealing with Millennials, dealing with the fallout of this demanding generation, growing up in such radically different circumstances.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“What I found, obsessively researching this phenomenon, is that Millennials are different, but their demands are the same as Baby Boomers. In the workplace, Millennials want exactly the same things their parents’ generation wanted 30 or 40 years ago. The only difference is that we Millennials just want it more. And we will fight tooth and nail for it.”
Free Gift
Free guide to how to boost Millennial recruitment forever in just 30 minutes, available on the front page at www.chrisbutsch.com.
Millennials
Author, Consultant, Speaker
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655:
Drop the Distractions and Change Your Life - John Lee Dumas
John was succeeding in real estate in southern California, hustling and creating a profitable system. Spending so much time in his car, he quickly got tired of listening to talk radio. That’s when he switched on iTunes and discovered the opportunity of a lifetime.
John Lee Dumas is the founder and host of Entrepreneurs On Fire, an award-winning podcast featuring over 2000 interviews, 1.3 million monthly listeners and annual revenues of over seven figures. He says he is just getting started on his entrepreneurial journey.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I saw the benefits of running your own show and being your own boss from early on. My father was a lawyer, and one thing that was great about running his own practice was that he would leave work early many days, come home, and hit baseballs with me or play basketball with me and do all those fun kinds of things. It was a very nice experience to have growing up.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My next big ‘Aha!’ moment was when I was in real estate in southern California. I was always in my car driving around. I remember saying to myself, ‘Man, I’m sick of Talk Radio! Let’s find something else to listen to.’ That led me to podcasts. I started listening and I fell in love with the medium of podcasting.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Many people are unsatisfied and not engaged because they’re distracted by the wrong things. They spend their time doing things like commuting to a job they don’t like, watching television as escapism. They’re just distracted. The people who win—that other, smaller percentage—are focused. Their focus is on things that are moving the needle forward. That’s where I think the winners are made.”
Steps to Success from John Lee Dumas
1. Focus on things that matter, that move the needle forward.
2. Cut out the distractions, the escapist TV, and pay attention instead to where you want to be.
3. Join communities of like-minded people who can keep you energized, motivated and on fire.
4. Listen to podcasts that inspire and ignite you to sharpen your goals and move forward.
Connecting With John Lee Dumas
Website and Podcast: www.EOFire.com
Free Gift
Visit EOFire.com for free courses on learning how to podcast, doing webinars and creating sales funnels. Listeners say these courses help them to be more productive and accomplish their goals. They’re quick, easy and free.
Ambition, Focus
Entrepreneur, Podcaster, Teaching/Teacher
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654:
Focusing on What You Can't Control Is Time Lost - Cindra Kamphoff
Cindra had just reached a personal best in the 2013 Boston Marathon. Exhausted, but feeling on top of the world, she walked slowly to her hotel. Then the bomb went off. Physically unharmed, she began asking herself core questions about her life focus.
Dr. Cindra Kamphoff is a certified mental performance consultant, keynote speaker, and author who works with professional athletes, executives and championship teams around the nation. She is the author of “Beyond Grit: Ten Powerful Practices to Gain the High Performance Edge.” Her clients range from Verizon Wireless, Mayo Clinic Health System to the Minnesota Vikings. Her work has been featured in Sports Illustrated, New York Times, ESPN the Magazine, USA Today, and Runner’s World Magazine. Her Ph.D. is in sport and performance psychology, and she speaks on how to gain the high-performance edge while providing practical strategies that work. In her spare time, she runs and trains for marathons. She has run 15 marathons including the Boston Marathon 5 times and in 2012 she won the Omaha Marathon.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Growing up in the small town of Sheldon in northwest Iowa, I got to follow my passion: run and participate in lots of sports. Even as a middle schooler, I was always interested in running. Vividly, I remember there were two boys down the street from me, Andy and Ben, who I loved racing in the summertime. And I loved participating in sports. I played softball and basketball, and ran cross-country and track.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After crossing the finish line at the 2013 Boston Marathon—having accomplished a personal best—Cindra was limping back to her hotel with her husband and running buddies. “Suddenly, we heard a loud blast, and saw chaos. I was right there in the middle of the Boston Marathon bombing. Our hotel was a block from Boylston Street. One minute I was on top of the world. Then, 45 minutes later, I was wondering if I was going to get home to see my two boys. It was heartbreaking! Sitting in the hotel room, I was asking myself, ‘What am I about? Why am I still here? Am I using my gifts like I’m supposed to use them?’ I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t. I knew I had something more to offer and that I really wasn’t following everything I wanted to do.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“From working in the NFL and with high-level executives and the world’s best athletes, what I see is that every minute you are focusing on something you can’t control is one less minutes you are living in the present. Or, it’s one less dollar you are earning. You are just wasting your energy. It leads to frustration, blame and anger. That’s how essential it is to live in and own your present moment.”
Steps to Success from Cindra Kamphoff
1. Know what you want, stick with it and stay passionate about it.
2. Set goals that scare you. If you don’t, you are not dreaming big enough.
3. Find people who will challenge and encourage you.
4. Only focus on what you can control, let go of your worries about the uncontrollable things.
Connecting With Cindra Kamphoff
Website: cindra kamphoff.com and beyondgrit.com
Facebook: drcindrakamphoff.com
Twitter: @Mentally_Strong
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cindra-kamphoff/
Free Gift
Free PDF of the “10 Practices”: https://www.beyondgrit.com/bonus/
Use code, “FREE SHIPPING” at this site to order the book, Beyond Grit, and the workbook, for free shipping.
Athletes, Marathons
Author, Mental Performance Consultant, Speaker
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653:
Expert Interview: Complementing Beats Competing–Women Supporting Women in the Workplace - Paula Brown Stafford and Lisa T. Grimes
Achieve Success. Create Balance. Experience Fulfillment.
It’s the elusive trifecta every working woman desperately seeks. Do you find yourself trying to be everything to everyone? Do you run yourself ragged but still feel something is missing? The struggle is real and all too common. Paula Brown Stafford and Lisa T. Grimes and are two award-winning, C-suite executives and authors who together have accumulated more than 60 years of work experience at the highest levels, 60 years of marriage, and raised four children. Paula and Lisa have collectively managed over 25,000 employees globally. Although fierce competitors 20 years ago, they eventually formed a friendship and now, as a team, speak to corporations and women’s groups on a number of topics including Complementing Beats Competing and The Juggling Act.
Complementing Beats Competing—Women Supporting Women in the Workplace
“Too often, we have seen and experienced that even women who aren’t in competing companies often wind up competing with other women within their organizations. Ultimately our message is: Let’s support other women. There is plenty of room for all of us to work our way up the career ladder, and it is certainly a lot more fun and a lot more fulfilling. It starts by learning about yourself, your strengths and how you like to work, by learning WHO you are. Then, you can begin to see how you can complement and complete others instead of compete with them.”
Why Is This Important?
By knowing yourself and your strengths, you can begin to identify people whose skills, strengths and personalities naturally complement your own. This self-knowledge makes it possible to resist unnecessary competition in situations where cooperation will work better for you. Women, in particular, can fall into the GATT trap: feeling Guilty All The Time. By setting clear priorities and remaining true to them, it’s easier to distinguish between legitimate reasons for guilt and the abundant pressures for taking on false guilt. By committing to meet and exceed expectations, and communicating clearly as your conditions change, it becomes possible to enlist the support you need from family members, business partners and customers.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Find people that you can complement, then explore specific ways where you can complement one another and not compete. Start by getting clear about who you are and what your priorities are so you can be the best that you can be. Secondly, remember there is always something you can give back, something you can do to brighten someone else’s day. At different stages of our life, what we have to offer will change. At one stage, we can volunteer time or give money to a charitable organization, or at another stage we may be in a season when we don’t have an extra dollar or an extra minute, but we can smile at someone who needs a smile in the grocery store, or we can spend one or two minutes helping someone who is newer at the company where we might be working, to help them get a bit further ahead. Or, we may be able to mentor others.
Connecting With Paula Brown Stafford and Lisa T. Grimes
Website: www.habergeon.com
Facebook: facebook.com/HabergeonLLC
Twitter: twitter.com/HabergeonLLC and twitter.com/HabergeonLLC
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/paula-brown-stafford-6957926 and LinkedIn.com/in/lis-t-grimes-a22276a
Relationships in Business, Women
Author, Business Leader
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652:
Leaving #1 for Something Even Better - Clayton Morris
When Clayton left Fox and Friends Weekend, everyone thought he was nuts. Leaving one of the best broadcast jobs in the industry, when he had the number one cable news show? But he realized it was mostly fear and ego that was keeping him there.
Clayton Morris is a former FOX News Anchor who left the number one cable news show in the world after achieving financial freedom through his real estate company, Morris Invest. He now devotes himself to helping others buy their first rental property, build passive income and achieve financial freedom. After some epic failures, he has learned how to build a meaningful life, and he shares these lessons on his podcast, Investing in Real Estate.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Even as Clayton was drawn to TV broadcasting, he was also sneaking down to Philadelphia and doing stand-up comedy at 15 and 16 years old. “I was fascinated by the mechanism of telling jokes and stories, studying Jerry Seinfeld, David Letterman and other great comedians. I put together my own routine and went to amateur nights. One of the crowning achievements of my young life was winning an amateur night with 12 other comedians, with a purse of around $200. I found out later that I had beaten two professional comedians. Other kids have sports trophies; I won an amateur comedy night when I was 15 years old.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Early in his broadcasting career when he was anchoring the news at a local TV station, Clayton recalls asking himself, “What am I doing here? Am I a fake version of myself?” On a Christmas break, reading a book on broadcasting, a passage jumped out at him about being yourself. It said to communicate through the camera as if you are talking to your grandmother, connecting with her through a script. “Something in me switched. When I got back after Christmas, I started being myself on the air. That is when everything changed in my career. I eventually went to the network news because I made that shift to just being myself, not being a fake version of myself.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I want to live a more intentional life. It’s not about making X-amount of dollars. There’s got to be a reason, a why. Most people are focused on the Do, the mechanics of everything, and they do not even know why they are doing what they are doing. My Why is that I want to spend more time with my kids, travel, read science fiction in the middle of the afternoon, or listen to a record and not be answerable to anybody else. I want my little girl to be able to climb up my leg, sit there so I can feed her little snacks and laugh and run around, and not have to answer to anybody.”
Steps to Success from Clayton Morris
1. Ask yourself, why are you continuing to do something that is not bringing you joy and happiness? Face your fear.
2. Do not hide out. Put yourself into the action and do more than is expected of you.
3. Be authentic. Do not try to create a fake version of yourself. Find your own hook.
4. Look for ways to control your own financial and professional destiny.
5. Find ways to make your life and work fun, but avoid “golden handcuffs.”
Connecting With Clayton Morris
Website: www.claytonmorris.com
Podcasts: claytonmorris.com/podcast/ and soundcloud.com/empowerpodcast
Facebook: facebook.com/claytonbmorris
Twitter: twitter.com/ClaytonMorris
Instagram: instagram.com/claytonmorris/
Be Genuine, Facing Fear, Financial Independence, Freedom, Happiness
Business Owner, Podcaster, Real Estate Investment, TV News Anchor
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651:
Always the One to Ask Questions - Stephynie Malik
Stephynie has been 100 percent self-reliant since she was in her mid-teens when she became legally emancipated. Looking back at her dynamic career accomplishments and life choices, she finds her teenage decisions explain a lot.
From an entry-level sales person fresh out of college to one of the youngest directors in Silicon Valley at a company now publicly held, to the CEO of a 500+ person software integrator at the age of 28, to founding a global information technology (IT) consulting firm at the age of 32, Stephynie Malik has amassed tremendous experience and a track record of success. She’s spearheaded and orchestrated multi-million-dollar acquisitions, closed global deals and strategic partnerships valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, and single-handedly grew her consulting firm into a global leader. As the founder and driving force behind MalikCo, Stephynie brings over two decades of dynamic IT consulting experience to her role as president and chief executive officer. Now, as the founder of ChiqueSpeak, she is making it happen again.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“After college, I didn’t make any intentional decisions, except that I was done with school. I had some friends in Hawaii, so I jumped on a plane thinking I’d figure it out when I got there. Two days later I got a job working selling dinner cruises, sunset or music cruises. The average salesperson was making $150 to $250 a week. My first month and a half, I was making $800 to $1,200 a week. It’s because I was honest. Prospects would ask questions like, ‘The promo says the cruise offers unlimited drinks. Are they really unlimited?’ And I would say, ‘Yeah, they’re unlimited, until about 9 o’clock. Then you have two hours on the boat with no more drinks.’ I didn’t make a lot of friends internally, but I had a high success rate for attaining new clients.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After steadily expanding opportunities for career growth and challenges, “I don’t think anything dramatic happened next except I started to become more thoughtful in my decisions. I started to be more selective. I had grown as an individual and had surrounded myself with some of the most amazingly well-intentioned mentors. I didn’t feel like I was isolated on an island and was able to balance a lot of ideas off these amazing people who had given me so much of their time and resources. So my decisions became more thoughtful, intentional, reasonable, and selective.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“In hindsight, I see that I structured my life accidentally at the beginning, then intentionally after age 25. I was 100 percent self-reliant from the age of 15-and-a-half, when I successfully became emancipated from my mother and moved out on my own. Later in life, that’s the reason why I decided intentionally to take a little bit of down time to find out what I was deeply passionate about and where my biggest impact would be. That’s what made me move over to human consulting.”
Steps to Success from Stephynie Malik
1. Don’t just state what you love. Dig deeper, do your research, and ask yourself follow-up questions. This thing you love, what do you love about it? How do you prefer to work or pursue your passion? Go beneath the surface.
2. Be intentional and specific about your skills, your income goals, the practical aspects of doing what you love.
3. Train yourself to listen deeply, follow up and follow through. This is crucial to building relationships.
Connecting With Stephynie Malik
Website: www.chiquespeak.com
Facebook: facebook.com/chiquespeak/
Twitter: twitter.com/chiquespeak
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stephynie-malik/
Honesty, Listening, Relationships in Business
Consultant, Sales
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650:
Expert Interview: A "Low-Energy Approach" to Personal Development - John Vespasian
John Vespasian is the author of nine books about rational living. He has turned his international background and his personal interest in history into a breed of personal-development books that emphasize rationality, resilience, and learning from real-life examples. His latest books are “On Becoming Unbreakable,” “Thriving in Difficult Times,” and “Sequentiality: The Amazing Power of Finding the Right Sequence of Steps,” which came out in 2017.
A "Low-Energy Approach" to Personal Development
“I became very dissatisfied with the kind of self-development books on the market. I find most of them very fluffy, superficial, and impractical because people tell anecdotes and do not give you any practical advice. So, I started to write the kind of books I could not find–books based on history, facts and real people trying to draw lessons from history that we can apply in our lives today.”
Why Is This Important?
“I call this a low-energy approach to personal development because I am not a super extrovert. I have a lot of commercial activities but always from a different perspective of looking for efficiency, shortcuts, the right sequence of steps. In my books, I research hundreds of stories of real people, how they achieve success without being super motivated, super positive, and super talented.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“I discard the approach of goal setting because, nowadays, personal development is almost the same as goal setting. My research and experience shows that most people who become successful and healthy go through personal problems and solve them, not by being super oriented to a goal but by having a strong sense of direction. To have a sense of direction doesn’t mean you know exactly where you’re trying to get. You don’t know exactly your destination, but you have a clear sense of what you want to do, what you like, and the areas where you’re strong. You follow this direction and eventually figure it out.”
Connecting With John Vespasian
Amazon web page for John’s books: amazon.com/-/e/B00IP34FJQ
Facebook: facebook.com/john.vespasian
Twitter: twitter.com/JohnVespasian
Free Gift
Free subscription to John’s newsletter. Go to: https://sites.google.com/site/thejohnvespasianletter/
Personal Development
Author
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649:
Overcoming Blocks to Being Your Own Best Friend - Dr. Amber Baker
Amber saw the early signs of what she would like to do with her future through experience in a peer counseling leadership group in high school. But when she found herself writing a fan email to the author of her college neuroscience textbook, that was it! She knew she was in love with psychology.
Dr. Amber Baker is a clinical psychologist in private practice and the creator and host of the Go Friend Your Self podcast. She specializes in anxiety, perfectionism, trauma and relationship issues, and works with individuals, couples, first-responders and veterans. She created the Go Friend Your Self podcast to provide information and inspiration to help people overcome self-doubt, effectively handle stress, increase confidence, and own who they are so they can thrive. Her goal is to help people improve their relationship with themselves, investing energy in being their own best friend instead of worst critic.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
During an active, well-rounded high school and college career—which included studying two summers abroad at the Sorbonne, singing and cheerleading—Amber found a strong connection with Peer-Systems Leadership, a peer-to-peer counseling program. “I could see the early signs of what I would love to do, connecting one-on-one with people, helping them, and inspiring them. Eventually, I took my first abnormal psych class as an undergrad. That was it! I was in love with psychology. When I found myself sending a fan email to my neuroscience textbook author, I knew I had it bad. I was so excited to learn about this. I remember feeling like every day was Christmas. I could not wait to read these books about psychology.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I’ve had great mentors in my life. They shaped where I am today. My mom became an entrepreneur after her divorce, and I saw her pushing through barriers, creating her own business after working for others and realizing she could do things better. But a big part of it was our journey of moving over 20 times by the time I was 13. I had lived in England for a year, Long Beach and San Francisco, California for a couple of months, then moved to England for another year. I lived in Oregon, then back to Huntington Beach. I adapted to living all over the place.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Sometimes our anxiety and discomfort rise to a level where we feel, ‘This is dangerous, bad, unsafe, I can’t go there.’ But it might just be anxiety or fear tricking us. Either way, our body will react the same with stress hormones and physiological responses. Those can be powerful, intense and tell us, ‘Don’t go there.’ But sometimes it is just an anxiety response that can block us. So, it is important to look out for red flags and trust your gut. If it is something that would stretch you—even though it might be scary not to know what is next—that can be the foundation for pushing yourself.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Amber Baker
1. Take ownership of the expertise you already have. Ask yourself, “How did I get through this far? How have I gotten through other difficult situations like this?”
2. Take time to write down what you have learned after a difficult situation and review how you adapted and applied current knowledge and how you improvised new skills.
3. As you face a new trial or challenge, review what you wrote from your previous position of strength and newly acquired mastery. Use it as a source of strength to feel supported and encouraged.
On Her Bookshelf
Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment—and Your Life, by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Meditation Is Not What You Think: Mindfulness and Why It Is So Important, by Jon Kabat-Zinn
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are, by Brené Brown
I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t): Making the Journey from “What Will People Think?” to “I Am Enough,” by Brené Brown
Connecting With Dr. Amber Baker
Website: www.GoFriendYourSelfDoc.com
Facebook: facebook.com/GoFriendYourSelf/
Twitter: @DrBakerPhD
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dramberbaker/
Podcast: Go Friend Your Self with Dr. Baker, on iTunes, Stitcher and other podcast distributors
Anxiety, Perfectionism, Psychology, Self-esteem
Podcaster, psychologist
May 2018:
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648:
Retiring Early While His Brain Was Still Inspired - Richard D. Maddox
Richard was working 16-hour days—often seven days a week—marketing Silicon Valley start-ups. But through it all he did one thing consistently every day since 1975, which gave him a story to tell hard-charging Westerners about finding enlightenment.
Richard Dietrich Maddox grew up in the Midwestern United States and graduated with honors from Princeton University. After graduation, he spent five years in Europe studying literature and preparing to teach meditation. He taught meditation for two years, before serving as the Vice President of Sales for seven successful high-tech startup companies. In 2005, he retired from the business world to concentrate on writing. He is the author of the double international Amazon bestselling enlightenment novels, “Remembering Eternity” and “The Whisper of a Saint.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
His younger sister initiated him into meditation during his years at Princeton, and later he practiced and taught meditation for two years in Europe, working with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. “It paid only $150 a month, plus room and board, so it was not any kind of a career. But, in terms of satisfaction, it was immense.” He left to work with several high-tech start-ups in Silicon Valley. For 20 years, despite long work hours, “I always meditated twice a day. I have never missed a day since 1975. I just said to myself, this is the thing that is going to get me there, and no matter how tired I am, I am going to continue to do it.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had always had my plan to retire early enough that my brain would still be creative, and that I would have enough money, frankly, to live a simpler life but at least be able to survive comfortably. That point came when I was 52. I went down to Santa Cruz, California and got a place on the beach. Then, for five years, seven days a week—with an occasional day with my kids—I wrote “Remembering Eternity.” It is the seventh longest novel ever written, broken into nine books. It is a story of the journey to enlightenment, from the perspective of someone living in the western world.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“If you’re sitting in traffic, having problems with the kids, with lots of bills to pay, and you try to read the enlightened Eastern Masters saying to you, ‘Life is bliss, just realize it,’ it just seems too good to be true. Using fiction, I decided to tell a story that would entertain readers but also inspire them to turn inside, to really go for it and begin to meditate to find enlightenment. That is what “Remembering Eternity” is all about. When you begin to meditate, you naturally get in touch with what you are supposed to be doing. You become more like a surfer riding the wave than someone fighting against the tide.”
Steps to Success from Richard D. Maddox
1. Meditate every day, twice a day if possible. Just set aside the time and do it, no matter what. Meditation is the jet fuel of spiritual traditions.
2. Take a break from the wildness of your mind—that is flitting here and there like a crazy monkey—and allow yourself to settle down. Peace is what happens.
3. Recognize that you are not your ego. Underneath all your identities is pure consciousness, accessible to you through meditation.
Connecting With Richard D. Maddox
Website: http://richardmaddox.com
Facebook: facebook.com/rememberingeternity/
Twitter: @richarddmaddox
Enlightenment, Meditation
Author, Sales
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647:
Expert Interview: Nobody Cares About Your Dreams, But You Can't Do It Without Others - Greg Centineo
Over the last three decades of Greg Centineo’s life, he has followed the path of entrepreneurism, leading him to a variety of industries and business start-ups. Through his achievements, he has mastered the art and the psychology of what moves people to believe in an idea, invest in an idea and commit their time and energy to help create the idea. Greg’s ground breaking project, “Legends of Oz, Dorothy Returns,” illustrated his skills, by raising $122 million through 1,300 investors and engaging thousands of people to believe in his idea, invest in his idea and commit their time and energy to help birth the idea.
Nobody Cares About Your Dreams, But You Can't Do It Without Others
“Nobody cares about your dreams but you. It’s your dream. No one’s going to care about them the way you do. So, really, it ain’t gonna happen unless you go out and make it happen. But the flip side is, you really cannot make anything happen without others engaging with you. The challenge is, how do you get others to adopt your dream as their dream? How do you get people to care about your dream? More importantly, how do you get them to apply their skill sets, their energy and even invest their resources to make your dream a reality?”
Why Is This Important?
“It all starts with you. If you’re going to convince somebody to do something, you need to be convinced about it first. I basically break this down to four words: belief, conviction, confidence and passion. Just as important as this, it is also crucial to learn to see failure as a part of success, to learn to redefine failure. When you fail, you get back up and try again. Follow that formula and guess what: you succeed! And what was the major ingredient? Failure!”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“When your dream is enriched with belief, confidence, conviction and passion, it’s no longer just a dream or an idea. It’s infused with an energy that people are drawn to. Even if it is an improbable dream, like our Legends of Oz project, there can be so much belief and passion, conviction and confidence in just trying—not necessarily making it happen, but trying—that people are drawn to it. I have found that people are drawn to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Those four principles create a beautiful mosaic, a powerful picture of what people want, and they are drawn to it.”
Connecting With Greg Centineo
Website: www.gregcentineo.com
Facebook: facebook.com/greg.centineo.5
Twitter: twitter.com/gregcentineo
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gregcentineo/
Free Gift
2 videos from Greg’s Video Series, “The Art and Psychology of Fund Raising (The Power of Moving People to a Common Goal).” Email Greg at greg@gregcentineo.com and mention this podcast.
Getting People to Invest in Your Dreams, Investors/Investments
Entrepreneur
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646:
Two Words to Turn Education Upside Down - Laura Sandefer
Laura Sandefer had no plans to start a school, much less to turn education on its head. But as she looks back over the path to her calling, she has vivid memories of a predawn chat with her father on the morning she left for college. His advice, “Be curious,” has become a consistent thread in her heroine’s journey.
Laura Sandefer is a wife, mom, and co-founder of Acton Academy, a school that has sparked a worldwide awakening around education. Her newest book, “Courage to Grow – How Acton Academy Turns Learning Upside Down,” documents the journey her family took to pursue the big questions around learning and how to unleash human potential. She lives in Austin, Texas.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My parents did a great job by teaching me to ask big questions. I was great in academics at school and was also a tennis player, but what I really loved—and this may sound strange—is that I was always the organizer, the party planner, the person who was always gathering friends together to do something. I never knew that was a talent, I just always found myself naturally in leadership positions, organizing people to get things done.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“About a year into the latest step in my corporate career in a specialized niche of aviation insurance, I was sitting in my cubicle in New York City on a dark night thinking, ‘I could wake up 10 years from now and still be sitting here in the dark doing this!’ My heart was not in it. As much as I liked the security of a corporate job—and there was some prestige, frankly, being in a cool little niche other people didn’t know about—I started to realize, this is not me. I was raised to find a calling, not have a career.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“When it was time to go to college, my car was packed and I was sitting in my driveway saying goodbye to my sisters and my mom, a very poignant moment. My dad came out to say goodbye. I thought, this is the opportunity to ask this brilliant, wonderful man what advice he would give me that would carry me through. So, I did. I expected a 20-minute sermonette, but he looked at me and said, ‘Laura, that’s easy. Two words: be curious.’ Those two words launched me into a great life. Those two words are on the back of our t-shirts at Acton Academy. They became the fundamental mantra of our school, and it came from my dad in my driveway in 1982.”
Steps to Success from Laura Sandefer
1. Be curious. Ask questions. Follow your curiosity.
2. When an urgent need is in front of you, step forward and use what you have within you to solve that problem. That’s the experience of finding your calling.
3. Find at least one person in your life who gives you honest feedback, keeps you going, keeps you in the game even when you want to quit.
4. Little changes can make a big difference in your world. You don’t have to solve world hunger to make a gigantic difference in your neck of the woods.
5. Learn to view your life as a Hero’s Journey. Read Joseph Campbell to learn about this.
Connecting With Laura Sandefer
Website: www.actonacademy.org/
Facebook: facebook.com/laura.sandefer
Twitter: twitter.com/LauraSandefer
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laura-sandefer-522261b9/
Free Gift
To receive a free copy of “Courage to Grow – How Acton Academy Turns Learning Upside Down,” mention this podcast in an email to Laura at lsandefer@actonmail.org
Education, FIll a Need, Life's Calling, Parents' Advice, Passing Along What You Know
Co-founder of Acton Academy, Head of School in Austin, Insurance, Teaching/Teacher
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645:
Growing Elite Leaders by Choosing "Different" - Jake Carlson
Jake was in a career that was mostly satisfying. When his tightly scheduled life made him miss most of his daughter’s gymnastic performance, he realized he and his career were just not in sync anymore. A simple question from his wife was all it took to launch a dream they had both put off too long.
Jake Carlson is a business leader, inspirational speaker, and 9-to-5 dropout. After 11 years as a tax attorney, he chose “different.” Taking his three kids out of school for the adventure of a lifetime, they spent a year living in 12 countries from Bagan, Myanmar to Paris, France, overcoming robbery, redeye flights and eating haggis, while learning to love the rich cultures of the world. All of which he expected. What he didn’t expect was the journey of leadership this decision would create. From the high-rises of London to the nipa huts of Malaysia, the need for strong leadership is everywhere. But where are the leaders? Jake is on a mission to help elite achievers become leaders by mastering the CIA of Influence: Conviction, Irresistibility and Accountability.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was at the formative age of eight, I remember sitting in the car next to my dad, listening to a cassette tape of the great Zig Ziglar. Here was a guy who gives you the idea that you can do anything if you really focus on what you believe in and what you want to change in the world. He said you can have an impact. As I look back, that is where it all began for me, this journey of personal development and leadership.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My daughter was competing in a gymnastics tournament. I had planned my day and had told everyone. I scheduled everything and did it all perfectly, but then I went five minutes over on my timing. I had scheduled myself too tight and got there just as she had finished and everyone was clapping. I had missed seeing it. That’s the part of an otherwise satisfying career that wasn’t working for me. I wanted to spend time with my kids—while they were still young—and get to know their personalities. I had always told my wife, ‘Someday we’re going to try international traveling as a family.’ Around that time, my wife asked me, ‘What if we try living overseas for a while?’ Right away, I was at the computer typing in different travel schedules. All I needed was for her to open that door a little bit and I was sticking my foot in.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think people arrive in your life right when they’re supposed to. If you’re out there looking, putting yourself into positions where people can guide you, and if you’re open to advice, there are people out there who are willing to help you, to guide you. If you are honestly asking which doors you should go through, life kind of puts you on a path.”
Steps to Success from Jake Carlson
1. Take a deep dive internally to find out what makes you tick. What is it that excites you? When your talent is aligned with what the world needs, there is no stopping you.
2. Find a mentor or coach who can help you see the best options for you.
3. Avoid analysis paralysis by carefully distilling your career choices to a manageable number that lets you make wise decisions. Too many choices can be overwhelming.
4. Do not be deluded by the superficial images on social media that make you think everyone else’s life is better than yours. If you are “keeping up with the Joneses,” recognize you’re only seeing a mirage.
Connecting With Jake Carlson
Website: https://jakeacarlson.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeakerJake/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jakeacarlson
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeacarlson/
Free Gift
Leadership Superpower Assessment, a free assessment to find out what platform of leadership you lead from, whether its inspiration, accountability, adaptability, problem solving, or confidence. Download at: https://jakeacarlson.com/DYT
Family, Leadership, Travel, Work/Life Balance
Business Leader, Informational Speaker, Lawyer, Tax Attorney
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644:
Expert Interview: The Single Most Important Thing Entrepreneurs Can Do for Future Success - Joel Solomon
Joel Solomon is the author of the book “The Clean Money Revolution: Reinventing Power, Purpose, and Capitalism.” He is the Chairman of Renewal Funds, a $98 million mission venture capital firm. He has invested in over 100 early growth-stage companies in North America, delivering above market returns while catalyzing positive social and environmental change.
What Is the Most Important Thing Entrepreneurs Can Do for Future Success?
“You can know all the mechanics and the necessities of business, but if you skip learning how to handle conflict, how to understand your own feelings, and how to be in relationships, you will likely wreak havoc. You might succeed financially, but you may die unhappy and leave a tainted legacy. Financial success and power can have big value, but there is much more to life than that. We must be successful as human beings.”
Why Is This Important?
“Money, finance and business so dominate the world that we need to be able to look at the bigger picture and understand that each of our actions—that we’re doing either consciously or unconsciously—creates our world. You’ve got to find inside yourself how to make choices with a clear heart and mind, choices that are actually making the world the way that you think is right and best. That is your contribution and reason for being alive on the planet.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Consciousness is a big word, but to me it just means paying attention and making choices. I am just a guy struggling to figure it out. We are choosing constantly, whether it is what words to say next, what products to buy, what to do with our life or how to deal with conflict. Life is a practice, and it actually needs to be practiced. These things we’re talking about, like learning inner skills, being a good human being, can and must be intentionally practiced in all we do.”
Connecting With Joel Solomon
Website: www.joelsolomon.org
Facebook: facebook.com/JoelSolomon.org/
Twitter: twitter.com/joelsolomon
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joel-solomon-a5a4b5/
Consciousness, Success
Advisor, Author, Investor
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643:
Radical Responsibility: Her Key to Relative Freedom - Emily Pereira
Emily had played by the rules, giving 110% to her highly competitive job. She had proven to others that she could excel in whatever she put her mind to. But when a personal crisis began to crush her, she needed a more radical way to be responsible for herself.
Emily Pereira was entrenched in the corporate world, caught in an endless cycle of never feeling like it was enough. Then, she had a much-needed spiritual awakening that allowed her to recover her dormant creativity. She began writing, painting, singing, playing guitar and performing her original songs after 32 years of believing she did not have a creative bone in her body. A women’s love coach, yoga teacher and international retreat leader, she lives at the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica with her beloved, and baby girl. Together they are building the Spirit Nature Retreat and Wellness Center. Emily is the author of the forthcoming book, “What Money Can’t Buy: From the Hollywood Hills to the Amazon Jungle—One Woman’s Search for Enough.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Emily’s 15-year career selling pharmaceuticals started out as sort of an experiment. “I had a little talk with myself and decided I was really going to go for it and give it everything I had. I don’t know if I had ever genuinely put 110% into something, period. I thought, I want to see if I can be really good at something. I found that when I put my mind to something I can be quite good at it. Year after year, I was number one in the nation. They were flying me on trips to Hawaii, the Bahamas, Switzerland, different places. Even when I say it now, it sounds pretty good. But deep in my heart, I knew I wasn’t living my truth. I had no clue what that truth was, or how to find it.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In the midst of a life that looked great from the outside, Emily’s world fell apart when she discovered the man she had been sharing her life with for six years had been cheating on her. She was devastated. Then, “the forces of the Universe swirled around, converged and connected me with a powerful spiritual teacher, clairvoyant energy healer. He told me, ‘Your pain has much less to do with this man and this life you’ve lost, and a lot more to do with the fact that you have bought into illusions about yourself and the way the world works. They are simply not true.’ He was right. I discovered my own perfectionism and how it was keeping me from my inner creativity.” She started a process that radically shifted her sense of responsibility for her own life.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“You do not need to be perfect to create, to participate fully in life. You simply need to give yourself permission to be a beginner. A beginner isn’t supposed to know anything, so the beginner can never fail. One of the biggest game-changers for me was taking radical, personal responsibility for every single thing in my life. Whether it’s the good, the bad, the ugly, the striped, the paisley, I accept that I created that. This radically shifts the energy vibration, away from ‘poor me’ and toward abundance and freedom.”
Steps to Success from Emily Pereira
1. Give yourself permission to be the beginner, to let go of perfectionism that holds you back.
2. Accept radical responsibility for your own life. Instead of blaming others, ask yourself, “Why did I create this?” Then, take responsibility for changing.
3. The Universe has one answer, “Yes!” So, be careful and intentional about what you affirm about yourself and your life.
On Her Bookshelf
Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts: Using the Power of Pleasure to Have Your Way with the World (How to Use the Power of Pleasure), by Regena Thomashauer
Connecting With Emily Pereira
Website: http://emilypereira.com
Facebook: facebook.com/bethebeginnerInstagram: instagram.com/emilybegins/
Free Gift
Unstoppable Woman: The Radical 5-Step Process for Overcoming Fear to Create a Life of Extraordinary Magic (e-book). Go to: emilypereira.com/gift
Ambition, Overcoming Obstacles, Responsibility for Yourself, Success Without Happiness
Love Coach, Musician, Sales, Singer/Song Writer, Yoga Instructor
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642:
From College to India, a Mindful Path to Law - Arnie Herz
Arnie knew he was heading to law school, but he took an indirect path that surprised everyone. A brush with his own mortality in college turned his life upside down and sent him on a global search for meaning that changed everything.
Arnie Herz is a lawyer, mediator and speaker. He has delivered over 100 programs and keynotes on topics related to the attorney-client relationship, negotiation, conflict resolution and work-life balance. His work has been covered in numerous publications and he has received a host of acknowledgements and awards from his colleagues.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“After graduating from college, I did something that made no sense to anyone I knew, something totally contrary to convention at the time. I bought a backpack and a one-way ticket to London. For much of the next four years I traveled around the world. I got involved in yoga and meditation, and made my way to India, where I eventually spent two-and-a-half years.” The experience dramatically affected his response to the intensity of law school.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Playing in an intramural basketball game during my junior year as an undergrad, I had congestive heart failure. Through sports I found tremendous solace and energy. I had channeled my restlessness for seeing the world through sports. In the hospital, they told me I would not be able to play competitive sports anymore. That turned my life upside down. It made me realize how precious life is, how at any moment everything can change. In that moment, I realized I needed to live my life for myself and not just go through the motions to please my parents, my friends or society. I had an obligation to go search for what I needed to find.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“For most people, their mind runs their lives. In meditation, you are able to have some control over your mind. When I went through law school I was four years older than most of the other students. With my experience with meditation and yoga, and my world experience, I felt virtually no anxiety. I could see everyone else was so anxious and worried about the tests, studying like crazy. I studied hard—I’ve always worked hard—but there was a certain perspective and calmness that I had, and I could see the benefits.”
Steps to Success from Arnie Herz
1. Be honest with yourself.
2. Start asking some bigger questions: Why am I here on this planet? What impact do I want to make? What is my purpose? What legacy do I want to leave?
3. As you begin your self-examination, start journaling, or working with a therapist or a friend.
4. Notice how you spend your time. Are you spending too much time on social media or watching TV?
5. Develop a daily practice of meditation, even if you only start with five minutes.
On His Bookshelf
The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho
Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values, by Robert M. Pirsig
The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield
Connecting With Arnie Herz
Website: http://arnieherz.com
Email: Arnie@arnieherz.com
Facebook: facebook.com/arnieherz
Twitter: twitter.com/arnieherz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/arnieherz/
Instincts, Mindfulness, Travel
Business Lawyer, Mediator, Speaker
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641:
Expert Interview: Choose Your Career from the Inside Out, Not from the Outside In - Dustin Peterson
Dustin Peterson is the author of “RESET: How to Get Paid and Love What You Do,” founder and CEO at Proof Leadership Group, and a career coach. After working an unfulfilling job in public relations, he set out to find his passion and live it, learning along the way the steps to identify purpose and articulate talents. He now dedicates his time to helping others discover their best-fit career. Dustin has taught and trained leaders at Rice University, Indiana University, and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and has trained, coached, and consulted for numerous organizations in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.
Choosing Your Career from the Inside Out, Not from the Outside In, with Dustin Peterson
“Most of us are naturally drawn toward making career decisions based on extrinsic factors first. The pressure from the outside world is strong—from money, parents, friends and siblings—but the key is to never put those outside factors in the first position in your career decision making. And the shelf life of a decision based entirely on an extrinsic motivation like geographical factors, such as a desire to work in San Diego, ends soon after you’ve reached the destination.”
Why Is This Important?
“Whenever you’re using your natural, intrinsic talents you’re releasing energy and endorphins. This tells you what you are doing is natural and fluid. It’s saying, ‘You should do more of this!’ If you will stop and pay attention to the moments that give you energy, you can backtrack that energy and trace it to one of your natural talents.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Always put intrinsic factors first in making your career decision. To get at these internal factors, ask yourself these questions: What is your life purpose? What do you value? What are your natural talents? Where do you do your best work? If you can find a job that aligns with who you are, and then consider extrinsic factors, you are more likely to be satisfied and happy in your career. Research has shown that people who love what they do end up making more money over time—maybe not in the short-term—than those who pursue extrinsic motivation.”
Connecting With Dustin Peterson
Website: www.proofleadership.com and https://reset.teachable.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/proofleadership/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dustinbpeterson/
Free Gift
Although Dustin’s “36 Days to a Career You Love” e-course isn’t free, he is offering our podcast listeners a 15% discount by entering the code DYTDISCOUNT when you enroll. Check it out at https://reset.teachable.com.
Entrepreneurism, Following Passion, Leadership
Author, Career Coach, CEO
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640:
A Teacher with a Vision for a Worldwide Classroom - Julie Young
Julie was implementing a half-million-dollar educational technology program in her school, and loving it. Then, her husband got an attractive promotion and transfer. Starting over in a bare-bones country school, where none of the furniture even matched, she knew she would have to ask for a computer. It was a request she never regretted.
Julie Young is the deputy vice-president of education outreach and student services for Arizona State University, and the CEO of ASU Prep Digital High School. She is a leading voice for revolutionizing K-12 online education on the global stage. As the founding president and CEO of Florida Virtual School (FLVS), she and her team grew the organization from a handful of students in 1996 to a highly acclaimed online school using personalized, next generation learning solutions. Young and her team grew FLVS into a diversified, worldwide organization creatively serving over two million students in 50 states and 68 countries worldwide.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I always liked school. I played school from my first day of kindergarten probably until my last day of 8th grade. I would come home from my school day and would play school at home. I was one of those girls who was perfect for my elementary classrooms teachers—a classic student who would stay after school, clap the erasers and help grade the papers. Then, I grew up and became an educator.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Julie was engaged in implementing a half-million-dollar technology grant in her school system in Fort Myers, Florida, when her husband got a promotion and a transfer to Orlando. Tearing herself away from her closely-knit extended family—all of whom had moved from Kentucky—she started over in a little country school, with no matching furniture. She even had to ask for a computer. “I got a call one day from the Orange County office, asking me to come speak to them about a grant. About 15 minutes into the conversation, I asked, ‘Is this an interview?’ He said, ‘Yes. We are looking for a principal to lead a web high school.’ I accepted.” She had stepped onto the front lines of the emerging, web-based learning, expanding her horizons from the local school to students all over Florida.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My best advice is to identify your talents. Be very deliberate about identifying what you enjoy and what you don’t enjoy. Then, match your talents to your different career opportunities. Don’t let fear of failure hold you back, and don’t settle and become complacent in an okay job when you know you can find one that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning.”
Steps to Success from Julie Young
1. Try a variety of jobs before settling on one as your career. Be intentional about this process, staying long enough to see if you might like it, then moving on to test another one.
2. Whether you’re midway through your career or approaching retirement, it is never too late to learn something new and make a change.
3. Find a boss who takes an interest in you, who champions your strengths and wants to invest in you and help you grow. If you don’t have that kind of environment, consider looking elsewhere.
Connecting With Julie Young
Website: http://asuprepdigital.org
Facebook: facebook.com/julie.young.129142
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/julieyoungedu/
Opportunities, Vision
Digital Learning, Teaching/Teacher
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639:
Selling People on Themselves - David J.P. Fisher
David demonstrated his talent again and again in challenging sales and sales management jobs. But as much as he loved sales, he finally admitted to himself he was not very good at working for others. So, he quit–with no plan whatsoever on what to do next.
David J.P. Fisher is a speaker, coach, and author of seven books, including the best-selling “Hyper-Connected Selling and Networking in the 21st Century: Why Your Network Sucks and What to Do About It.” Building on 20 years of experience as a sales professional and entrepreneur, he combines nuanced strategy and real-world tactics to help professionals become more effective, efficient, and happy. He lives in Illinois next to a huge cemetery–which he says helps him appreciate the value of every day of his life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“As the oldest of five kids, my parents realized that I was independent. As long as I wasn’t burning down the house or getting into big trouble, I could kind of do what I wanted. That allowed me to be very independent at a very young age. I got my first job when I was eleven, delivering newspapers, on my own. I think that was a key influencer of how I have lived my life since then. I have always been very independent-minded. I also think a lot of that comes from growing up in a big family.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“One of my other very fortunate turning points was in my junior year at Northwestern University. I started a direct sales job working with a company called Cutco, selling kitchen cutlery. I would go and sit down in Mr. and Mrs. Jones’ kitchen and sell them some really awesome knives. I started working there on June 6th, 1997 and it was absolutely a turning point in my life. I did that job for the rest of my junior and senior year and became one of their top sales people. Then, when I graduated, I actually did not even look for another job. They offered me an opportunity to become a manager and run the Chicago office. So, that is what I did. I was 22 years old running a sales company with anywhere from 50 to 100 sales people. It was a real-world MBA.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“One of the biggest challenges people run into around this idea of finding a ‘perfect’ job that satisfies them is that we expect the externals to support our internal. But there is no such thing as the perfect job. Don’t expect your job to be the thing that satisfies you. If it can, that is fantastic. But, if not, find other ways to actualize yourself as a human being. Then, go and do work that, hopefully, you enjoy most of the time.”
Steps to Success from David J.P. Fisher
1. Look for ways to reach out to others, be of service, and learn to listen to them.
2. Become involved and engaged in your community.
3. Do not expect your job to provide you with ultimate satisfaction. Find your own fulfilling path first, then go and do work you enjoy doing most of the time.
On His Bookshelf
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills
The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander
How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age, by Dale Carnegie
Hyper-Connected Selling: Winning More Business by Leveraging Digital Influence and Creating Human Connection, by David J.P. Fisher
Networking in the 21st Century: Why Your Network Sucks And What To Do About It, by David J.P. Fisher
Connecting With David J.P. Fisher
Website: http://davidjpfisher.com
Twitter: twitter.com/dfishrockstar
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/iamdfish
Family Influence, Learning by Doing
Author, Coach, Management, Sales, Speaker
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638:
Expert Interview: Does Your Body Language Turn Clients Off? - Cindy Ashton
Cindy Ashton is the CEO of Speaker Stardom Booking Agency, an elite-level presentation strategist, professional speaker, singer, and national TV host of Cindy Uncorked! With twenty years of experience, she is an authority on presentation skills, speaking voice, body language, content delivery, and leadership presence. Canadian-born, Cindy lives in the United States under a green card for a person of “extraordinary ability” and is considered to be in the top one percent in her field of training, speaking, and performing. She has received awards from former President Obama and Queen Elizabeth II for her lifetime of volunteerism, and has appeared in multiple media including Investment News and Inc. Magazine.
Does Your Body Language Turn Clients Off?
“We all have stress and stressors. How we handle the stress that is always present in our bodies impacts our body posture and our voice, though we are often unaware of its presence. To make sure you are in the zone, presenting your authentic self—whether in a sales conversation, networking, on stage or in any part of your business—there are several specific physical things you can do.”
Why Is This Important?
“Sometimes even the best coaching in public speaking and self-confidence is unwittingly counterproductive. Focusing only on posture and delivery—without addressing our internal stress or unconscious tension—can cause us to come across as aggressive and unengaging, even emotionally unavailable. Several simple and specific breathing techniques and yoga exercises, practiced consistently, can help you communicate from a deeper, more authentic place. One of them can even release a hormone—your own ‘love drug’—that will increase your magnetism without your listeners even realizing it.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Through years of living with constant pain, today’s expert guest has distilled techniques that work in changing your body language, voice quality and even your physical presence. They are changes that come from the inside out, and they’re based on something we do every minute of every day: breathing.
Connecting With Cindy Ashton
Website: www.yourpersuasivevoice.com and www.speakerstardom.com
Facebook: facebook.com/cindy.ashton3
Twitter: twittter.com/cindyashton
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cindyashton/
Living with Pain, Presentation Skills, Relaxation Techniques, Stress
Business Owner, Presentation Strategist, Singer, Speaker, TV Host
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637:
Setting Up an Art Studio Wherever Her Job Took Her - Catherine Rains
On a particularly overwhelming work day, Catherine realized she must find some new way to relieve stress. She was convinced she did not have an artistic bone in her body, but she decided to try collage. After all, “Who can’t rip up paper and put it back together!”
Catherine Rains discovered her calling by creating her first collage to relieve stress. Later she took a one-week art class which led to quitting her day gig to manage a thriving art business. Her journey took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, leading her back to a day job. For the next 10 years, she traveled on her job with Myers-Briggs, creating almost no art. In 2015, she decided to integrate her job with her art by setting up an art studio for herself in every hotel she visited and created a ton of art as she traveled. On January 1, 2018, she returned full time to her greatest passion—ART.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Before she even became aware of her artistic side, Catherine learned how to choose to be happy as she navigated her childhood with her mother, who suffered with schizophrenia. “Although she was not the mother I would have chosen, she was absolutely the mother I needed to become the person I became, because she motivated me to become the healthiest person I could be. There were some very hard times as I was growing up, but I am over-the-top grateful for having gone through it.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Even as she accepted a position she loved at a major corporation, Catherine continued creating her collages, waiting for the right time to become a full-time artist. “I took a one-week art class, and it upped my game immediately. Suddenly, I was creating good-looking, polished collages. I sent a photocopy of a collage to a friend, who framed it and hung it on her office wall. Soon, one of her clients came into her office and offered to buy it. I sold her an archival print. I thought to myself, ‘Oh, my! Could I actually make a living selling my collages? Is that possible?’ That was a big turning point!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“When I stop resisting where I am—even though where I am doesn’t look so good—that’s when everything opens up. A lot of people live in resistance all the time, because it seems logical to be resistant. Who wouldn’t resist certain jobs? They’re awful! But when we resist them, we’re basically telling our higher selves, ‘I actually like this. I want this.’ But if we keep saying, ‘I hate this,’ we’re setting it in stone and we stay stuck where we are. For me, everything has always shifted in a major way when I stop resisting, when I stop saying I hate my situation. Instead, I stop listening to that inner voice that says, ‘I hate this,’ and I just become present to where I am.”
Steps to Success from Catherine Rains
1. Clearly and consistently affirm what you want, every day.
2. Stop fighting your situation. What you resist persists.
3. Learn to identify and silence your “lizard brain” and its counterproductive messages.
On Her Bookshelf
The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection, by Michael A. Singer
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, by Michael A. Singer
Out on a Limb, by Shirley MacLaine
Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life, by Shakti Gawain
What Color Is Your Parachute? 2018: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers, by Richard N. Bolles
Connecting With Catherine Rains
Website: https://www.catherinerains.com/
Instagram: thehotelartist
Free Gift
By joining Catherine’s community on her website or Instagram, receive a free download of her collage, “What Is Now” about nonresistence.
Attitude, In the moment, Positive Attitude
Artist, Business Manager, Myers-Briggs Trainer
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636:
Understanding Your Past Is the Rx for a Happy Today - Dr. Tony Guerra
Tony struggled to pay attention in school. Although his test scores were high, his grades lagged behind. He felt misunderstood. Coming to understand those feelings from his youth was the prescription for the work he does today.
Tony Guerra is a pharmacist, author and entrepreneur, father of triplet 6-year-old girls, and host of the Pharmacy Leaders Podcast. His book, “Memorizing Pharmacology: A Relaxed Approach,” has sold over 10,000 copies on Audible. His day job is as a pharmacology and chemistry professor at a community college.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I really struggled in the classroom to pay attention. I was always daydreaming. I was a B student, but had extremely high test scores, better than some of the better performing students in the school. You get misunderstood and considered lazy if you have Bs and a couple of Cs but have great test scores. But those test scores saved me. They got me into a good college. I am happy in the job I am in now working with community college students.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My pivot point actually happened at something called a Turning Point retreat. The retreat was offered by Brian Buffini and his real estate coaching company in the early 2000s, just as the real estate boom was beginning. It was phenomenal to go to this retreat. What I remember most is when he sat us down for 18 minutes, played some classical music, and had us write down our goals, both for the long-term and the short-term. I had never written down my goals before. That was one of the biggest turning points I’ve ever had.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“If you are unhappy where you are and feel stuck, stop worrying about finding a job where you will make as much money as you are now. Instead, go back in your imagination to when you were in college and think, if I would have done something different, what would I have done? It is not going to be easy, but I think it will be very satisfying when you do figure it out.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Tony Guerra
1. Reach out for a tutor, mentor, counselor or coach sooner rather than later. Save yourself years of pain.
3. Find (and be) an accountability partner to help you both stay on track.
3. Take small steps in the direction you want to go. If you want to be a teacher, start by teaching something.
4. Find ways to share your knowledge and life experience with others who can benefit.
On His Bookshelf
The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better, Too), by Gretchen Rubin
So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love, by Cal Newport
Memorizing Pharmacology: A Relaxed Approach, by Tony Guerra
Connecting With Dr. Tony Guerra
Website: www.memorizingpharmacology.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com//tonypharmd1
Podcast: Pharmacy Leaders Podcast,
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Tony_PharmD
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tonypharmd/
Multi Careers, Teaching, Understanding Your Past
Author, Pharmacist, Podcaster, Professor
April 2018:
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635:
Expert Interview: It's Not You, It's Your Personality - Dr. Diane Hamilton
Dr. Diane Hamilton is an award-winning speaker, nationally-syndicated radio host, author, and educator. She is the author of several books including “It’s Not You, It’s Your Personality.” She is a certified emotional intelligence and Myers Briggs instructor, the former MBA Program Chair at the Forbes School of Business, and has taught more than 1,000 business courses. Top companies, including Forbes, have hired her to speak to improve employee relationships, increase engagement, improve productivity, and reduce conflict.
Emotional Intelligence. It's Not You, It's Your Personality
“People are hired for their hard skills or their knowledge, but they are fired because of their soft skills, or for their lack of proper behavior and interpersonal skills. Many people simply do not know the value of empathy or have the skills to put themselves in the other person’s shoes. Today’s topic is based on the title of the book I co-wrote with my college-aged daughter. We wrote it with younger readers in mind. We wanted them to have fun, yet still learn the importance of how you get along with other people, understanding yourself and understanding others, which is a big part of emotional intelligence.”
Why Is This Important?
“The stress caused by faulty interpersonal skills at work costs American companies $360 billion a year. A lot of leaders—especially the younger, post Baby Boomer generation—are very concerned about making a better world, making things more cohesive and interactive. They are very interested in having happy, content and engaging workplaces. But, engagement isn’t how happy you are, it’s how emotionally committed you are to what you do.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“A lot of people who are discontent at work fear having conversations about this with their bosses. It’s just easier to leave, to go on to the next thing. We’ve all had bosses who had absolutely no clue they were difficult, or that they had any personality issues at all, while everyone else thought they were a nightmare. On the other hand, if on every team you’re on, you find someone who is a problem, it’s worth considering if the problem might be you!”
Connecting With Dr. Diane Hamilton
Website: drdianehamilton.com
Facebook: facebook.com/drdianehamilton/
Twitter: twitter.com/DrDianeHamilton
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drdianehamilton/
Emotional Intelligence, EQ, Personality Assessments
Author, Educator, Emotional Intelligence Instructor, Myers Briggs Instructor, Radio, Speaker
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634:
See a Problem, Solve It with Creativity - Josh Haynam
While still in school, Josh was creating websites with a friend, an easy way to make some money. His clients often came up with random requests like, could you make a quiz about what kind of salesperson you are? There was nothing he liked better than an interesting problem.
Josh Haynam is the co-founder of Interact, a quiz software used by 40,000 brands including The American Red Cross, Forbes, and Home Depot. He started Interact while still in college and self-funded the company using innovative content marketing and SEO tactics to become one of the fastest-growing marketing software companies in the world.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was growing up in Turlock, California—a small farming community in the Central Valley—we were not big on technology. I would go outside and invent my own entertainment, building all sorts of stuff in my backyard. I dug a series of tunnels all through our quarter-acre backyard. I think that was a formative factor in how I got to where I am, as the creator and inventor of software: that background of always creating stuff, always building something, always trying to think about what I can do that’s different. When I had an idea I would just do it. I do the same thing now.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Several turning points in Josh’s life involved quickly learning to adapt to changing situations. Going from the flexibility of home schooling to the structure of public high school brought major changes. As a college freshman, he found himself on academic probation one quarter. Adapting, he rose to Dean’s list next quarter and developed strategies that took him into the top three of his graduating class. As he created and ran his own businesses in high school and college, Josh faced new challenges and adapted by developing new approaches. He learned to see a problem and create a solution.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think it is about the practices you develop. The big practices I like to follow, especially when I am talking to people who tell me they have all these ideas and want to start something, I say just make a start at doing it. Be in communication with people who have already done what you are interested in doing. Go have coffee with them and ask them what their experiences were like. Start conversations and relationships with them and learn from them.”
Steps to Success from Josh Haynam
1. Get plenty of sleep and take care of yourself mentally, physically and spiritually.
2. If you have a persistent idea you would like to try, just start. Begin by setting aside time each day to focus on it, and do not let anything interfere with that daily time.
3. Do not rule out the value of a routine. Instead of killing your creativity, a routine can help you accomplish more of what you want to do.
4. Learn to do something very well, then teach it to someone else.
Connecting With Josh Haynam
Website: www.tryinteract.com
Facebook: facebook.com/tryinteract/
Twitter: twitter.com/jhaynam
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jhaynam
Creativity, Mentors, Starting Business
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Software development
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633:
Setting Sail to New Horizons - Aimee Teesdale
Aimee was pursuing her long-term interest in psychology after getting her university degree when she began to feel trapped by the expectations of others. She needed to experience life on her own terms. She needed to break free!
Aimee C. Teesdale is a transformational life and mindset coach with over 10 years of experience in the field of psychology and personal development. Having grown up in a low-income family and spending most of her early adulthood suffering with a negative mindset of low confidence and self-doubt, she began a transformational journey of personal growth that has brought her where she is today: working with people who are committed to changing their life, or a part of it, in a significant way to live a life they love.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I started to develop an interest in psychology at quite an early age. At 16, I remember asking for a book for Christmas called ‘The Female Brain,’ a psychology book about how women think and how their brains work.” She pursued her interest in psychology at university but adds, “To be honest, the experience of going to University is far more than just the course itself. It’s also the experience of leaving home, meeting people from all different walks of life, which wasn’t something I had had much opportunity to do before. That was definitely a useful experience, outside of my studies.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Her education in psychology, practicum and early work experiences engaged Aimee’s people skills, but it was pursuing her hobby in photography that led her to a total mindset change. She joined an ocean cruise line and became an onboard photographer for two years. “I really wanted to experience living life a different way from what society expects. I felt that I was getting trapped into typical norms and expectations, and really wanted to break free of that. It was all really eye-opening and amazing!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Even before I joined the cruise ship, I had realized I wanted to be a life coach. I wanted to work with people who were already doing well in life and just wanted to do better. But before the cruise ship experience, I thought I was probably too young. So, I used the cruise ship as an opportunity to grow as a person and to become the person I wanted to be, to become better at being myself. And, I used the experience to develop the confidence in myself to be able to start my own business and become a coach.”
Steps to Success from Aimee Teesdale
1. Start by taking small steps. Just let yourself think about what you would like to try, Google it and learn.
2. Don’t pressure yourself to know your direction at first. Give yourself time.
3. Find people and groups that interest you and may share your interests.
4. Consider pursuing a hobby. It may well lead you to your next step.
5. If you like many parts of your current job, look for ways to enjoy it more and make it more satisfying. You may already be in your dream job.
On Her Bookshelf
Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anyway, by Susan Jeffers
Connecting With Aimee Teesdale
Website: www.aimeecteesdale.com
Facebook: facebook.com/aimeecteesdale
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aimeecteesdale
Free Gift
Love Life Plan – free downloadable template to help you design and create a life you love.
Mindset
Mindset Coach, Photographer, Transformational Life Coach
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632:
Expert Interview: How to Navigate the Complexities of a Fractured Future with Emotional Intelligence - Caroline Stokes
Caroline Stokes is an executive headhunter, certified executive coach, and certified EQ.2.0 trainer, for leaders in global technology and entertainment innovation. Her clients have included Microsoft, Disney, Amazon and Google. She has written more than 70 articles for Forbes, VentureBeat and Undercover Recruiter, and regularly blogs in The Huffington Post, Thrive Global, LinkedIn and Medium.
In 2013, she founded FORWARD, the first executive search and coaching firm to incorporate executive coaching into her work with talent seeking new work or leadership development, along with coaching for the first 100 days to all talent placements, as a means of expediting success, both for the new employee and the organization.
In 2017, Caroline founded The Emotionally Intelligent Recruiter training platform and hosts the podcast to help recruiters, leaders who hire and HR evolve their human strategies to the new age of artificial intelligence (AI).
How to Navigate the Complexities of a Fractured Future with Emotional Intelligence
“The good news is that emotional intelligence, also known as EQ, is now in the mainstream. The World Economic Forum says that emotional intelligence is one of the top 10 skills needed in the workforce by the year 2020. It’s clear that the world is changing, that you need to have emotional intelligence in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Knowing how to work and play with others well is going to be particularly important.”
Why Is This Important?
“There is a growing understanding that huge chunks of the workforce will see their jobs taken away and their work repackaged so it can be handled by robots, by artificial intelligence. That is why humans need to develop their emotional intelligence, so they can excel when it comes to working with others, leading teams and understanding what new opportunities are there. This will enable them to navigate a fractured future rather than dwell in the past and resent the changes. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There is much deeper work to be done.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“It’s no longer just a case of saying, ‘I want to get this job. I’ve got the skills.’ You need to have a culture fit, and demonstrate on a regular basis that you are a student of emotional intelligence. EQ has five composites: self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal, decision making, and stress management. Then there are 15 subscales related to them, and they are all interconnected. The workplace will require more than technical skills, it will require people with strong emotional intelligence.”
Connecting With Caroline Stokes
Websites: www.the EIRecruiter.com and www.theForward.co
Facebook: facebook.com/caroline.stokes.399 and
facebook.com/theforwardco/Twitter: twitter.com/oCarolineStokes
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ocarolinestokes/
Emotional Intelligence
Certified EQ 2.0 Trainer, Executive Coach, Executive Headhunter
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631:
Building a Career Around the Lifestyle He Wanted - Justin Devonshire
Justin was full of confidence as he left Wales to begin a new life in Cyprus. He thought, “I’m such an experienced marshal arts trainer, people will just throw their credit cards at me.” But that is not how things turned out at all.
Justin Devonshire helps coaches, consultants and professionals to create a business that provides freedom and scalability. He has consulted with some of the biggest names in coaching on how to attract consistent leads, widen profits and scale a business quickly. He has partnered and shared the stage with experts including Gary Vaynerchuk, Bill Walsh, Mark Victor Hansen and Dave Dee.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I began practicing Tang Soo Do in my mid-teens, the martial art made popular by Chuck Norris. By the time I reached University I’d achieved my black belt and started teaching others, mostly because my instructor encouraged me. I thought of it more as a favor to my instructor, until he said I could keep the money generated from the students in those classes. That was my first entrepreneurial venture, although I didn’t think of it as such at the time.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I took the plunge to go work for myself in Cyprus. I got a bit too overconfident. When the pressure was all on me, with nothing to fall back on, fears came up and stopped me from doing as well as I could have done. My first few months were pretty bumpy because I made the mistake of feeling almost entitled to get clients. It was an important life lesson for me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There are so many benefits of going out on my own. Along with financial security, building a business gives me the time and freedom to live how I want. The number one benefit is the level of self-awareness, the consciousness, from overcoming trials and challenges. I can be grateful for everything I do and have, even as I know there is so much more to learn. It’s all part of the journey, not an outcome that we have to get to in order to feel successful.”
Steps to Success from Justin Devonshire
1. Use your commute time to learn, listening to podcasts and audiobooks that interest you.
2. Look for ways to practice what you’re learning, to test it in the real world and build confidence.
3. Live the lifestyle you want now, build your career around it. Don’t postpone it until you retire.
4. You have expertise and experience in something. Now is the time to refine and monetize it.
Connecting With Justin Devonshire
Website: www.justindevonshire.com
Facebook: facebook.com/expertauthority/
Free Gift
5 Critical Steps For Low 6-Figure Earners to Scale to 7-Figures!
Entrepreneurism, Freedom, Lifestyle, Martial Arts
Business Coach, Entrepreneur, Martial Arts, Physical Trainer
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630:
Gleaning Wisdom from Many Worlds - Milana Perepyolkina
When Milana arrived in the U.S. to go to grad school, she was instantly delighted with her new life. She decided to become 100 percent Western, leaving behind her Romani culture and spirituality. For years, it worked very well–until an accident thrust her onto a different path.
Four-time international bestselling author, healer, psychic, and spiritual guide, Milana Perepyolkina became a writer in order to share the ancient wisdom and magic of her Romani ancestry that she uses every day to make a difference in the lives of others. Having suffered through her life from countless physical and emotional ailments, Milana found that reconnecting with the energetic world allowed her to completely heal, transcend her troubles, and live a happy and more fulfilled life. In sharing that wisdom, she saw the powerful impact that the simplest techniques could make in transforming the lives of others. She wrote Gypsy Energy Secrets with the hope that her valuable knowledge could be spread to all those she could not personally reach.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“From the time I learned how to write, I was writing fairy tales. Even in first grade, I would write fairy tale after fairy tale, and I would read them during the class hour. Everyone loved them and would catch me before school and say, ‘Hey! Did you write another one? Can you read it to us before class?’ I absolutely enjoy writing. It gives me so much joy and satisfaction. It allows me to feel that glow state, of being in the zone.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Winning a writing contest after earning a journalism degree from St. Petersburg University in Russia, Milana won a trip to the United States and scholarship to the acclaimed University of Missouri School of Journalism. At first, she was absolutely amazed and delighted by life in the U.S. She decided to become “100 percent Western,” abandoning her Romani culture and spirituality. She racked up many accomplishments in journalism, and even excelled in a new pursuit as an Olympic-level ice-skating coach. But one day the blade of her skate slashed her other foot, and for months she could not walk. Her life began to change forever.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I started writing my book about 10 years ago. I wrote it very slowly because I didn’t want it to be a dry manual of here’s what you do, do this and that. Instead, I wanted it to be filled with what I love most: fairy tales. So, my book tells about easy tools to use to heal physically, emotionally, spiritually. But, every chapter has a folk story or a fairytale, a legend or a myth, so, the reading is light and exciting. Some people told me that they didn’t even use the tools or do the exercises, but somehow got better just from reading the book!”
Steps to Success from Milana Perepyolkina
1. Stop expecting your job or your relationships to make you happy. Learn to bring joy and happiness to your job, your relationships and all of life.
2. Live more from your heart and less from your head. Open yourself up to the beauty and joy all around you, at every moment.
3. Practice living in the present to increase your capacity for joy. But understand that this practice is like the steady, incremental training of an athlete.
On Her Bookshelf
Gypsy Energy Secrets: Turning a Bad Day into a Good Day No Matter What Life Throws at You, by Milana Perepyolkina
Connecting With Milana Perepyolkina
Website: www.gypsyenergysecrets.com
Facebook: facebook.com/GypsyEnergySecrets/
Twitter: twitter.com/gypsyenergysec
Being an author, Healing, Spirituality
Author, Healer, Spiritual Guide
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629:
Expert Interview: The Mindset You Need to Discover and Pursue Your Talents - Holly Worton
Holly Worton helps women entrepreneurs dissolve their visibility blocks and limiting beliefs around money and success so that they can take easy, inspired action and grow their business to new heights. Using a unique process called Heart-Centered Energy Work® and drawing on her 18+ years of business experience, Holly is able to quickly cut through the noise and straight to the heart of any overwhelming feelings of stuckness, frustration, doubt and whatever else comes up when business is not going as well as you would like.
The Mindset You Need to Discover and Pursue Your Talents
“Mindset is my thing. That’s because I’ve experienced so many challenges with mindset in my life and seen how not having the right mindset kept me playing small, kept hindering my progress. It kept me where I could not set big goals or see what I was good at. I just did not have the confidence and self-esteem to get the vision I needed to really know what I was good at, and to pursue that. Mindset is key to pursuing your true talents.”
Why Is This Important?
“I have always been interested in personal development, but I just did not have the tools to make big changes. Then, by using a simple yet powerful technique on myself every day for about an hour at the end of my work day, I quickly started seeing results. I realized how powerful our beliefs are, how powerful our mindset is, and how quickly I could create change in my own life! It was not by taking lots of actions or doing more things. It was just by changing how I thought. The more changes I saw in my business and my life, the deeper I got to the core of the mindset issues that were holding me back.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“A really important part of changing your mindset is being able to flip the negative on its head and think, what do you really want? What would you rather have instead of being stressed and burned out? What do you want in terms of using your talent in the world? I think that is one of the most important starting points: getting clear about what you DO want rather than what you DON’T want.”
Connecting With Holly Worton
Website: http://hollyworton.com
Facebook: facebook.com/HollyWortonPage/
Twitter: twitter.com/hollyworton
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hollyworton
Mindfulness, Talents
Coach, Entrepreneur, Mindfulness Coach
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628:
Going All in for the Power of Story - Patrick Ney
Patrick knew his hard work mastering Polish had paid off. He was sitting on a bus, listening to a woman who survived a concentration camp. He realized she was telling him her story in her own language, and he understood. He felt the power of story.
Patrick Ney is a British film maker and storyteller living in Warsaw, Poland. His provocative and inspiring social media movies drew more than 25 million views in the past year alone. Driven by a passion for his adopted land, Patrick is on a one-man mission to bring the tragic, heroic story of Poland’s history to the wider world through viral online videos. His life changed overnight when he was attacked and severely injured, requiring major surgery. He says, “We only have one life. I almost lost mine already, so I feel the clock is ticking so fast and there is so much more I have to achieve.” In his day job, he’s director at the digital marketing agency, James Cook Media, building end-to-end digital sales and marketing systems for global clients.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Growing up in Ipswich, England, Patrick (“Paddy”) delighted in writing “cheeky scurrilous, surreptitious things” and poking fun at authority. But his writing took a serious turn at 14. “I was lying face down on my bed. Suddenly I felt compelled to write something. My body was pushing me toward the pen and paper. I started to write, and I wrote a 17-line poem about rape, a terrible subject. I have no idea why I did it. I gave a copy to my English teacher, and it blew her away.” Recently, that same feeling—of being compelled to write, as if by an outside force—returned strongly. “It came back to me in November of 2014 when I wrote a piece that would go on to become my first viral video. I had read about that kind of epiphany-like experience from other writers.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Rising quickly on the staff of a charismatic woman in the British Parliament, Patrick’s political career put him at the center of the storm when the global banking crisis struck. “It was crazy—with 120-hour weeks. It was exhausting and pretty much broke me. In another six months, I probably would have had a nervous breakdown. That’s when my life changed significantly. My girlfriend at the time was living in Poland. We had one of those conversations about what are we going to do in our relationship? I said, ‘I’m 27, haven’t got kids, I’m a little bit tired of London. Maybe now would be a good time to go live in Poland.’ That was obviously a big sea change in my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I very quickly realized that if I was going to live here in Poland—and I did so very much want to stay here—I had to go all-in. I didn’t want to be living on the surface, on the top of the iceberg.” As he went deep, learning the language well, a whole new world opened to him, and he learned the immense power of story. Hearing the hero stories of survival, resistance, sacrifice and courage, raised questions like: What are you prepared to do for someone you don’t know? What are you prepared to do for someone you do know? What choices do we make in life about who we want to be?”
Steps to Success from Patrick Ney
1. Be proud of what you’re good at. Own it all. Never be shy about saying you are good at the things you do.
2. Understand that your horizon is far greater and wider than you think, so take a single-minded approach, with clarity about what really matters to you.
3. Make sure your work is a labor of love, and remember, we all do things for love which are irrational.
4. When you find the passion that drives you, go all in. Don’t be content just to stay at the surface, immerse yourself deeply.
Connecting With Patrick Ney
Website: www.patrick-ney.com and https://JamesCookMedia.com
Facebook: facebook.com/PaddislawWedrowniczek
Twitter: twitter.com/paddyney
LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/paddyney
Free Gift
Four(4) free video master classes on storytelling in the digital age. Learn about marketing and how to connect with your customers in a different way. jamescookmedia.com/masterclass
Following Passion, Polish People & History, Storytelling
Digital Marketing, Film Maker, Storyteller, Video Production
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627:
Her Inner Dominatrix Unleashes Authentic Power - Dana Pharant
Dana was at a low point, facing bankruptcy. She announced a fire sale: “Who wants to buy a million-dollar company for $15,000?” Two buyers came forward, then bailed at the last minute. The third offer made her angry. But it opened her eyes, unexpectedly, to the perfect way out.
Dana Pharant is a master healer, life strategist, former dominatrix, massage therapist and past CEO of a 7-figure business. She helps people get out of their own way and live—with no excuses, no apologies—their most powerful, connected and fun-filled lives. Having grown up in a cult, and survived just about every form of abuse, she has made it her life’s work to heal herself first, and then help others to truly step out of the role of victim into authentic power, utilizing 25 years of working with clients and refining her process to what works.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I did massage therapy for 24 years, a good, long career. My hands-on skills have always been good, but it was the coaching aspect that I loved. I loved being able to change someone’s whole life, not just their body. The transition for me was realizing that the majority of my work was actually coaching. That’s what was really creating the shifts for people.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had been doing coaching with my clients pretty much all through my massage career. In 2013 and 2014, I realized there is a great play, a great way of using the dominatrix archetype to invite people into the space of being a leader in whatever they are doing. There’s great power and healing in being willing to stand firm—and it doesn’t have to be done in a harsh way—just to stand firm and immovable, and to stop judging yourself. And this archetype can work in your life, your relationships and your business.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I have taken all of these different things I’ve learned and am taking people on a journey of empowerment and consciousness. One of my soul missions right now is a project called the Trauma Release Project. It uses distance energy work to untangle and unravel the sexual trauma from people’s bodies, whether they had physical trauma, emotional trauma or just the trauma of being bombarded by society. In doing that, the world is going to transition because, when we release the sexual trauma, it allows us to open up to each other and engage with each other, and to open up to money, abundance and so much more.”
Steps to Success from Dana Pharant
1. Reconnect with who you are on the inside. Take a deep breath and start to feel that there is something greater than what is right in front of you, greater than the physical.
2. Expand your energy field outwardly to start connecting with the greater consciousness that is everywhere.
3. Disconnect from other people’s thoughts, emotions, negativity.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Dana Pharant
Website: https://danapharant.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/Powernatrix
Twitter: @danapharant
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/danapharant
Free Gift
If you’re ready to let go of what is weighing you down, keeping you from living the life you want, sign up for Dana’s totally free Trauma Release Program: https://innerdominatrix.kartra.com/page/dPc19
- Easy to use tools for deep lasting change
- Follow-along audio and video training and clearing recordings to make it easier for you to clear our trauma from your body
- Energetic clearing guided meditation
Abuse, Healing, Trama
Executive, Healer, Life Strategist, Massage Therapy
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626:
Expert Interview: Mastering the Art of Mindfulness for Sustainable Success - Chris Salem
Chris Salem has a special passion for empowering people to take their business and life to another level by operating in the solution rather than the problem. He shares from experience what has worked successfully for him through understanding the root cause behind the effects of limiting patterns in our business and personal lives. He is the originator of the term Prosperneur™—an individual whose health and wealth are in alignment in a way that leads to true prosperity. His book, “Master Your Inner Critic / Resolve the Root Cause – Create Prosperity,” addresses this. It became an international best seller in November 2016. He also co-authored the recent edition to “Mastering the Art of Success” with Jack Canfield. His weekly radio show, Sustainable Success, is part of the VoiceAmerica Influencers Channel.
Mastering the Art of Mindfulness for Sustainable Success
“The impact of mindfulness practiced daily—which includes meditation and journaling, among other things—will be profound in its effects on your life and business. You’ll be able to see things more clearly, be more decisive, and be able to follow through with action. These are some of the really important areas of learning how to master the art of mindfulness.”
Why Is This Important?
“Getting into the daily practice of meditation and journaling, and adding some other daily habits and disciplines, allows you to connect with who you really are, to know that you are not limited by your beliefs, but that you are limitless.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“As you learn how to master the art of mindfulness, you learn how to strive for excellence in finding balance. Doing that, you’re not just focused on your work and on becoming successful while everything else in your life is falling apart. This is where mindfulness has changed the quality of my life and the lives of many of the clients I have consulted with over the years. You have the power to change, but you have to be the one to do it. No one on the outside can solve your problem for you. You’ve got to take responsibility.”
Connecting With Chris Salem
Website: www.christophersalem.com
Facebook: facebook.com/chris.salem.773
Twitter: twitter.com/whealthteam
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christophersalem/
Free Gift
Friendship Pod Membership: http://christophersalem.com/#fp
Master Your Inner Critic by registering as a member of the Friendship Pod Network, and receive Chris Salem’s PDF “Blueprint of a Legend” accompanied by a 31-day session delivered to your email.
Mindfulness, Success
Author, Business Strategist, Life Strategist, Radio, Speaker
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625:
A Normal Working Family Finds Freedom - Shane Sams
Shane and his wife thought they had grasped how to sell digital products online, but the first months went by and nothing was selling. Then, it hit them: start with what you know, and match it with what you know people need. And be prepared to work hard.
Shane and Jocelyn Sams were school teachers, on teachers’ salaries. “We were just a normal working family with a mortgage, two cars, and two small kids.” Like many regular American families, they were stressed, working too many hours, spending too little time together, and struggling with debt. In the summer of 2012, after some rough times at work, they decided to start an online business and take control of their destiny. They went on to replace their income, quit their full-time jobs, make millions online and build the life of their dreams. Now, they’re helping others control their own destiny with faith and hard work.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Shane took his father’s advice and prepared for a career in teaching. He discovered he could teach, and that he especially loved coaching. But he also had an early taste of entrepreneurship at his father’s insurance agency and longed for the freedom of controlling his own destiny.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
While holding down a high school teaching job, Shane discovered his young son was being psychologically abused at day care. Urgently concerned for his child’s safety, he was sure his boss would understand. But when she told him to get back to work and take care of his family matters on his personal time, he knew he had to make a dramatic change. His family had to come first. He went all-in to find a way to make that possible. Step by step, he and his wife created a way to step out of the security of their school jobs, create an abundant income, then show others how to do the same.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“One of the best lessons we’ve learned is you have to have a good WHY. Everyone has a Why. If you are reading this or listening now, you have a why that you could latch onto, that is worthy of pursuing for a better life. You just have to find it and then really latch onto it. Then, take action.”
Steps to Success from Shane Sams
1. Doing nothing is worse than doing the wrong thing. Get into action and go all-in. You can change your course along the way.
2. Do not sell your freedom and potential for a steady paycheck and health insurance.
3. Freedom to control your time is even more important than financial freedom.
4. There are two ways to start your own business: open your wallet or roll up your sleeves.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Shane Sams
Website: www.flippedlifestyle.com
Facebook: facebook.com/flippedlifestyle
Twitter: twitter.com/flippedls
Financial Independence, Freedom
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Podcaster, Teaching/Teacher
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624:
Star of Stage and Screen, Pain Be Damned - Cindy Ashton
Cindy learned as a little girl that the cards were stacked against her. The casts on her legs, the scars and pain drove home the point. But somewhere inside, she knew one day the world would hear her roar.
By age 3 Cindy Ashton was already wearing sequins, singing classics and dancing around her living room to her growing audience of fans. Since then she has worked with countless others, gracing thousands of stages. After over 20 years as a singer and entertainer, she is now the TV host of Cindy Uncorked on e360tv, syndicated worldwide on 186 million screens. Bringing her flare for stage craft to the speaking world, Cindy is also a professional speaker, presentation strategist and CEO of Speaker Stardom Booking Agency. She has received awards from former president Obama and Queen Elizabeth II for her lifetime of volunteerism, and has appeared in multiple media, including Investment News and Inc. Magazine.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I would say, when it comes to dancing and performing, it wasn’t a choice! I’ve known since I was a fetus that I was meant to perform. My earliest memory is jumping on the table, wearing a little shimmer dress with sequins, singing, “I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar.” I’ve always been a natural performer. It’s always been the gift I’m supposed to express on this planet.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was born with heart failure and a 20% chance of living. I had my first heart surgery at 11 days old. But I knew very early on that my destiny was to be a performer. After one surgery, the doctors told me not to do anything beyond walking. I didn’t just walk. I started dance lessons and went on to perform multiple shows eight times a week as a singer, dancer and actor. I’ve pretty much defied all odds. And, it’s been a lifetime of living with horrendous, chronic pain. Though it’s not horrendous anymore, it’s been a life-long journey of living with illness. It’s been a huge blessing, extraordinarily difficult and beautiful at the same time.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Many people are comfortable living lives that are just OK, until their discomfort becomes extreme. I’ve thought about this because I was born ready to die. Because I’ve lived with illness my whole life, and when you spend your entire life not being well, then you fight a lot harder. I think a lot of people haven’t been pushed onto the ledge where they are forced to sink or swim. Part of the reason I am so grateful is because I’ve been pushed that way from the day I was born. That makes me fight hard to find my truth. There is nothing more important than finding your authentic self and expressing it in the way that is uniquely yours.”
Steps to Success from Cindy Ashton
1. Stop several times a day just to be quiet and breathe deeply for five minutes. Set aside the distractions and be with yourself.
2. Learn to distinguish your own inner voice from all the competing voices and pressures around you. Then, learn to listen to that voice.
3. Many people are not even present in their own bodies. Childhood trauma may be preventing them from returning to themselves. Find help to work through those hidden wounds.
4. Find your authentic self and express it in the way that is uniquely yours.
On Her Bookshelf
Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons in Theory and Practice, by Howard E. Gardner
Connecting With Cindy Ashton
Website: www.cindyashton.com
Facebook: facebook.com/cindyuncorked
Twitter: twitter.com/cindyashton
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cindyashton/
e360TV: e360tv.com/
Bullying, Chronic Disease, Living with Pain, Overcoming Obstacles
Actor, Dancer, Entertainer, Presentation Trainer, Singer, Speaker, TV Host
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623:
Expert Interview: Maximizing Your Time So You Can Do What You Do Best - Maddy Niebauer
Maddy Niebauer, founder and CEO of vChief, helps overwhelmed leaders get on top of their to-do list and spend time where they can have the most impact. The virtual chief of staff service supports leaders from all sectors and domains who are looking for high-level strategic support on a part-time basis. Maddy became an expert in the chief of staff role in her five years as a chief of staff at Teach for America, and has used this expertise to build a network of talented chiefs of staff who work with vChief clients. She has a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, an MBA from Columbia Business School, and lives with her family in Madison, Wisconsin.
Maximizing Your Time So You Can Do What You Do Best
“We’re all pulled in a million directions. There are always things competing for our attention, whether it’s our inbox or calls from people, or social media. All of those things are important—you want to stay connected with people—but they can also be a real time suck. It is important for leaders to be able to block out time on their calendar where they’re not doing those things, where they can focus on setting strategy for their organization and spending some time thinking, not just doing, every moment of the day.”
Why Is This Important?
“A McKinsey Quarterly management time study a few years ago revealed only nine percent of CEOs were very satisfied with the way they were spending their time. If you think about it, as leaders of companies, that’s a scary metric. Given that time is our most valuable and limited resource, a lot of executives spend their time in ways they feel are not always the most efficient—aren’t the best use of their time. We work with CEOs to help ensure that they are spending their time wisely. We help take things off their plate so they can focus on their priorities.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“It’s important to think strategically, not only about what your company or organization’s goals are, but also what is the unique value you bring? What are the things only you can do that will spell out success? Set personal, strategic priorities—we recommend no more than five, because it’s hard to focus on more than that—and then, from those priorities, look at your time and say, ‘These are the five things I need to be doing. How much time do I actually spend on those things, and how much do I spend on other things that I don’t personally need to be doing? What could I delegate to an assistant or chief of staff, or someone else on my team, so that I can free up my time to work on my priorities?’ Then, look for resources to help you do that.”
Connecting With Maddy Niebauer
Your website URL: www.virtualchiefofstaff.com
Your Facebook: facebook.com/virtualchiefofstaff
Your Twitter: twitter.com/VirtualChief
Your LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/10438876/
Free Gift
Free download, “Learn More About the Chief of Staff Role,” or schedule a free consultation. Sign up for the free newsletter, too…www.virtualchiefofstaff.com/dyt
Leadership, Time Management
CEO, Chief of Staff, Leadership Coach
March 2018:
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622:
Finding a Fierceness to Transform Loss - Christine McAlister
Christine had been living a life of joy, success and service. Just when her first child was due to be born, she suffered a devastating blow, the kind psychiatrists rank as one of the worst. Putting the pieces back together, she found and harnessed a fierceness she had never known.
Christine McAlister is a business and success coach for high-achieving, motivated women. Her company, Life With Passion, helps women start and grow online businesses out of their passions, so they can do the work they were created to do, replace their incomes and quit or stay out of the 9-to-5 for good. A former professor, career counselor, and online marketing expert, Christine has been featured in Inc., The Huffington Post, and Entrepreneur on Fire.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
From childhood, Christine loved animals—even training two service dogs to help people in need—and wanted to become a veterinarian. Fortunately, she took a battery of aptitude tests and, with the guidance of a wise counselor, found a path that better fit her innate gifts. Cultivating her people skills and gifts in communication, she flourishes in media, education and career guidance, while still making room for her love of animals.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In early 2015, I lost my first daughter to a full-term stillbirth.” Christine worked through the devastating loss. Eventually, she turned her anguish into triumph. “As I began to put the pieces back together, I developed a fierceness that said if I can survive that, which psychiatrists say is one of the worst of all losses, I can figure out this business thing. Talk about perspective! I wanted very much to create a legacy that mattered for my daughter—using my unique talents and gifts—because she wasn’t here to do it. That, for me, was a huge turning point.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“What I find with my clients is that everyone has come through something very difficult. It doesn’t have to be something as dramatic as losing a child. It can be that you were bullied, or that you survived your parents splitting up, or a big move when you lost all of your friends. But, when you really look at your life, both what you’ve accomplished and the fact that you have survived, you can create what I call a confidence resume. You can find a depth in yourself that enables you to say, ‘Look at what I’ve come through! Look at what I’ve done!’ From there, you can take the first step to move forward with your dream, the one you’ve been too scared to try.”
Steps to Success from Christine McAlister
1. Use tools that help you find your greatest natural strengths and gifts.
2. Call on mentors, coaches, counselors and advisors to help you sharpen your self-understanding and make your dream real.
3. Frame your losses and setbacks in a way that lets you see how you’ve survived, how you’ve triumphed.
On Her Bookshelf
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, by Gay Hendricks
Connecting With Christine McAlister
Website: www.lifewithpassion.com
Facebook: facebook.com/lifewpassion
Twitter: twitter.com/lifewpassion
Free Gift
If you are looking to quit your job or stay out of the 9-to-5, download this detailed PDF workbook at: lifewithpassion.com/discover
Believe in Yourself, Know Yourself, Perseverance, Side Hustle
Author, Business Coach, Career Counselor, Entrepreneur, Online Marketing, Professor, Success Coach
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621:
His Coaching Is a Game Changer for Dads - Ray Matz
As a street kid in Philly, Ray learned to be quick on his feet. When the 2008 real estate collapse began, he knew how to change his playing field and follow his passion. Instead of running from challenges, he figured out how to skate right through.
Ray Matz is dedicated to motivating and encouraging husbands and fathers to lead, love, and live. He is pursuing his passion of coaching and developing mastermind groups, and he has published his first book, “Game Changing Dads: Get Off The Bench and Into The Game!.” He also has a podcast, “Game Changing Dads.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
To borrow an old sports line, Ray went to a fight and a hockey game broke out. Not immediately, of course, but he recalls, “Hockey is probably the only reason I graduated from high school.” As a pre-teen growing up in a tough Philadelphia, Pennsylvania neighborhood, he often got beaten up. “I guess, from getting beaten up and running away from bullies back in the 1970s, I came to love hockey where, yes, there’s a little violence, but there is also the camaraderie of a team sport.” Learning to rise to a challenge, he and a friend from down the block in Philly started a landscaping business. At 16, he also started learning his father’s grocery business. His mom, always in his corner, also had a sharp eye for business opportunities that would capture his imagination.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Looking back on his growing love of coaching, Ray tells how his high school ice hockey friends convinced him in his twenties to join them in the emerging extreme sport of rollerblade hockey. Playing on Team USA, his team won three consecutive World Championships in 1995, ’96 and ’97. After that, Ray began coaching through Team USA clinics, traveling around for several years. “I discovered I really enjoyed working with kids, and just working with people!” Then, two years ago, he met Dan Miller and his Coaching With Excellence concept of coaching and mastermind groups. “Dan laid it all out for me. He showed me how to make a new start. He helped me figure out a niche where my passion would be. That’s where Game Changing Dads came about.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I don’t want fathers and husbands to miss out on their big opportunities—number one, with their spouses, and number two, with their kids. To find your soulmate is a blessing, but to have kids and nurture them from birth onward is incredible. I love being a stay-at-home dad, spending time with my kids. A lot of guys miss out on that. Of course, I understand making money is important, but your kids and your spouse are way more important. That’s where my passion comes from.”
Steps to Success from Ray Matz
1. Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future. Make sure the people you seek out in life are the ones who will challenge, support and love you.
2. If you’re searching for your passion and what life is all about, find someone who has that same passion and learn from them.
3. Have some faith in yourself. Go out and make it happen.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Ray Matz
Website: www.gamechangingdads.com
Facebook: facebook.com/raymond.matz
Twitter: twitter.com/raymatz
Fatherhood, Following Passion, Mentors
Author, Coach, Entrepreneur, Kids' Sports Coach, Podcaster, Speaker
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620:
Expert Interview: We Bring About What We Talk About - Thomas Blackwell
Thomas Blackwell travels the world as a high demand speaker and inspires people to become their best. He has given more than 1,000 talks and presentations to corporations, executives, entrepreneurs, sales teams, athletes, and students. He has owned and operated a successful seven-figure insurance agency with over 100 agents and 3 different locations. Above all Thomas Blackwell is a husband and a father of four beautiful girls. In this interview, he shares from his recent book, “The Liberty of Our Language Revealed: We Bring About What We Talk About.”
We Bring About What We Talk About
“We create our own reality by the words we use and the thoughts behind them. Too often, those thoughts are unconscious, largely picked up from our environment and our past. You can make an immediate shift in your life just by recognizing what you’re unconsciously saying. It’s a basic principle of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), and you can easily use it and quickly see results.”
Why Is This Important?
“Think of your mind and speech as the captain of your life, and your body and environment as your crew. Your crew only knows to obey what the captain says; it is not the critical thinker or decision-maker. So, if the captain says, ‘OK, let’s sail toward the Promised Land,’ the crew goes straight to work on that. On the other hand, if the captain says, ‘Sink this ship,’ the crew only knows to sink the ship, and goes to work on that. There is no filter. So, as the captain, you’d better only be saying the things you actually want to happen. Be conscious of what’s coming out of your mouth.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Be conscious of what comes out of your mouth. Think about all the things you say in a day, often without thinking. If you become conscious and start saying only the things you actually want to happen, your results will begin to change immediately and will continue to improve as you consistently practice. Start by noticing your first thoughts in the morning. Do they reflect the kind of day you want to create? Chances are, they don’t. Begin by becoming conscious of your thoughts as you start your day. Intentionally change them to what you want, then choose words that are congruent with the thoughts you have chosen.”
Connecting With Thomas Blackwell
Website: www.instructmotivateinspire.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thomasblackwellspeak
Twitter: twitter.com/ThomasBlackwell
Free Gift
Sign up to receive free weekly Inspirational Language Tips at SayDoHave.com
Attitude, Limiting Beliefs
Author, Business Owner, Insurance, Speaker
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619:
Rewired to Succeed - Regan Hillyer
Regan had invested thousands of dollars in personal growth seminars, diligently applying what she learned. But change wasn’t happening. When her mentor asked her, “What are you doing to rewire yourself to succeed,” she found herself staring back at him blankly.
Regan Hillyer is the founder of Regan Hillyer International, a company dedicated to providing personal development and business training to men and women who have a big message they want to share with the world. She specializes in helping experts uncover their true message and launch powerful personal brands, helping them make a major impact and build a legacy. Regan is a certified Master of Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), Master of Hypnosis, a Time Dynamics Specialist and a Success Strategist, and she has completed many other certifications and training.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I loved music, art, visual arts and anything in that realm. But, music was really my thing. I’ve played the piano since I was 4 years old. I went on to play the oboe, then the drums. I started Jazz drumming when I was a teenager. When I was 17 I moved to London, England, to teach kids to play the drums. That was my first venture out into the world. I was an inspired 17-year-old that wanted to get out of New Zealand and see what the rest of the world was really like. With my parents blessing, I went to London. I would teach music and save all my money and spend it all on travel.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“One of the most profound moments for me was when I was studying to be an architect, of all things. A university lecturer led us through a guided meditation or visualization, visualizing our lives as an architect 20 or 25 years from that moment. Most people got really inspired and excited. But I had this sinking feeling in my stomach, and I thought, ‘Is this the life I really want to create? Is this really my truth? I can do this and I’m really good at this, but is this something I really want to do?’ Everything in my body said no. I listened to that. I got up and ran out of that lecture theatre.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“So much of the work I do with people is not about teaching them anything. It’s all about helping them remember what they already are. That’s why when people tap into their power, and they start to realize their manifestation ability and all the other good things that are available, it’s not like wow, this is so crazy, I’ve got to get my head around it. Instead, it’s like, Oh! This feels familiar. This feels natural.”
Steps to Success from Regan Hillyer
1. Recognize that you already have your answers inside of you.
2. Become hyper-aware of what is showing up in your field of awareness and in your environment. Chances are, the Universe is trying to pull you and nudge you in the right direction.
On Her Bookshelf
Be Your Brand: From Unknown to Unforgettable in 60 Days, by Regan Hillyer
Make Your Passion Your Paycheck: Your 3 Phase Approach to Success, by Regan Hillyer
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth, by T. Harv Eker
The 4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss
Connecting With Regan Hillyer
Website: www.reganhillyer.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ReganAnneHillyer
Twitter: twitter.com/ReganHillyer
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/reganhillyer
Focus on Self, Personal Brand, Personal Development, Success/Programing Self for Success
Author, Business Owner, Hypnotist, Neurolinguistic Programming, Success Strategist
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618:
Being Unique in Marketing Tactics and Life - Jesse Cole
Jesse brought a brand-new college summer baseball franchise to Savannah, Georgia, with high hopes. But people stayed away in droves. In a city grown accustomed to professional baseball, he knew he had to do something very different—something really bananas.
Known as the P.T. Barnum of Baseball, Cole has been a performer and showman for the past decade as the founder of Fans First Entertainment that owns and operates the Gastonia Grizzlies and Savannah Bananas. He and his teams have welcomed more than a million fans to their ballparks and have been featured on MSNBC, CNN, and multiple times on ESPN. The Savannah Bananas have sold out almost every game in their existence and have a waitlist in the thousands for tickets. Cole has been a keynote speaker all over the country and he is the author of “Find Your Yellow Tux – How to be Successful by Standing Out.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“There are pictures of me throwing baseballs as a three-year-old. Every single day I would play baseball. It was my life. Until it ended.” Jesse tore his rotator cuff playing ball in college, which ended his days as a player. He stayed in college and created his own major in leadership. He learned about leadership throughout history, in government and in coaching. He developed a love for reading and then he developed a full-length documentary film. “That’s where I started getting a passion for creating my own path, and really discovering what I was best at.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Just two years ago, when we went into Savannah, we were this brand-new team in a city where they had had professional baseball for 90 years. We showed up as this lower-level college summer baseball team, and the whole community could not have cared less. We went for three months with no sales, no revenue. It got to a point in 2016 when my wife and I had to sell our house, empty our savings, and put it all in to save the team. But, because we believed so much in this entertainment idea and the way we were doing things, we knew we were going to convince this community that it was something different. Fortunately, it worked! We now sell out every time.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I look at everything and, whatever is normal, do the exact opposite. I wrote a whole book about how to find that unique thing that makes you stand out. People need to have a hard look in the mirror and ask themselves, ‘Do I love what I’m doing every day? Or am I just doing what people expect of me, just living the nine-to-five? Am I stuck?’ After my mirror moment, I knew I wanted to create something different and unique. That’s what I’ve done.”
Steps to Success from Jesse Cole
1. Don’t see the world in black and white. See your world in vivid colors.
2. Combine how you see the world with your passionate beliefs and energy. You’ll be unstoppable.
3. Don’t focus too much on outcomes and goals. Instead, look for ways to have an impact on your world.
4. Live your life as a journey to be enjoyed.
On His Bookshelf
Worth Doing Wrong: The Quest to Build a Culture That Rocks, by Arnie Malham
The Carpenter: A Story About the Greatest Success Strategies of All, by Jon Gordon
The Seed: Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work, by Jon Gordon
The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy, by Jon Gordon
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek
Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t, by Simon Sinek
Connecting With Jesse Cole
Website: www.findyouryellowtux.com and www.thesavannahbananas.com
Facebook: facebook.com/YellowTuxJesse/
Twitter: twitter.com/YellowTuxJesse
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jessecolebaseball/
Free Gift
“6 Secrets to Stand Out,” from Jesse’s book, Find Your Yellow Tux. Download it at: www.findyouryellowtux.com/dyt
Believe in Yourself, Entrepreneurism, Following Passion
Author, Baseball Team Owner and Operator, Entertainer
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617:
Expert Interview: Teaching People to Step Outside Their Personal and Cultural Comfort Zones - Andy Molinsky
Andy Molinsky is a professor of international management and psychology at Brandeis University in Boston. He is the author of two popular business books–“Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior Across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process,” and “Reach: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge, and Build Confidence,” which was published in 2017 by Penguin Random House.
Helping People Step Outside Their Personal and Cultural Comfort Zones
“Stepping outside your comfort zone, both personally and culturally, is one of the hardest things people have to do. But, you’re probably going to have to step outside your comfort zone if you want to grow, learn, develop—to achieve your goals.” That’s what his work is about: helping people understand the challenges, what holds them back, how they might be avoiding it, and what they can do to be more successful.
Why Is This Important?
“As you listen to the interview, think about a specific situation that might be outside your comfort zone. Maybe it’s something you avoid like public speaking. Or having a difficult conversation, delivering bad news. It could involve networking, pitching and promoting yourself. For some people, it’s making small talk with people you don’t know. These situations often happen at key inflection points and stages in your life. Maybe when you’re moving from home to college, or taking your first professional job, becoming a manager, or starting a company, becoming a leader. To be able to thrive at any of these inflection points, you’re going to have to step outside your comfort zone to achieve your goals.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“First, understand what your pain points are. They boil down to five different pain points. I call them psychological roadblocks. They are the reasons why it’s hard to step outside your comfort zone. They are: authenticity, likability, competence, resentment, morality.” Andy explains each one—and strategies that help you surmount them—in today’s interview.
Connecting With Andy Molinsky
Website: www.andymolinsky.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MolinskyAndy
Twitter: twitter.com/andymolinsky
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andymolinsky/
Free Gift
Free guide download of 10 Powerful Questions for Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone.
Comfort Zone
Author, Coach, Consultant, Professor
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616:
Helping Expat Partners Become Tandem Nomads - Amel Derragui
Amel headed to a meeting on her university campus in Lyon, France, to start brushing up on her English-speaking skills. She soon realized she had stumbled into a meeting for recruiting students to sell encyclopedias in the U.S. Was this the “something exciting” she had been looking for?
Amel Derragui is a business and marketing coach, a speaker and the founder of Tandem Nomads, a podcast show and entrepreneurship platform designed to empower expat partners and help global nomads turn their career challenges into successful portable businesses. After a career in sales and then advertising, she quit her job to join her husband abroad and launched a marketing consulting business that she ran living across three continents. Six years later, discovering a real need for expat spouses to find their own source of fulfillment and financial freedom, she launched Tandem Nomads.
Tandem Nomads has been featured in the cover stories of Forbes Magazine, Global Living Magazine and other media. Amel has spoken at various major events such as the Forbes’ Diversity and Women’s Empowerment conference of the World Bank and IMF family network conference.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Amel’s interest in people living the expat life has its roots in early childhood. The daughter of Algerian diplomats, she was born in India, lived in Yugoslavia, Uganda, Algeria, then moved back to the former Yugoslavia, which had become Serbia. By the time she was in primary school she had attended school in three countries, learning in three languages. At age 14 in Uganda, she started her first entrepreneurial venture and never lost the bug for business. In France for high school and university, she learned about life as an outsider and was soon organizing a partnership at her university, bringing business students together with local entrepreneurs and companies.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Just short of earning her undergraduate degree in business from the University of Lyons in France, the multilingual Amel noticed her English was slipping. Intending to enroll in an English-language summer session, she inadvertently went to the wrong room. English was being spoken, so she stayed. She had stumbled into a recruitment meeting for a U.S. company. Asked why she stayed, Amel explains, “I was looking for something new, something exciting. I needed to be challenged.” She ended up taking the job in the U.S. The company paid for her to complete her undergrad degree and earn her MBA. “Something happened there! I think the biggest highlight of my life. When I came back from that, everybody would tell me I was not the same person. I think I was revealed. I knew that something was underneath me, that had not been expressed all these years.” Looking back on the life-changing decision, she recalls, “I didn’t over-think it. What had I got to lose? Go for it!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Sometimes people are unhappy and they don’t even realize it. They do not know how to listen to what their gut or their body is telling them. I think the first step is becoming aware of it. Once you are aware, it is very important to find a way to create the space for that. It starts by setting aside time for yourself, to listen, to play, to learn. And to do something totally unrelated to your career or work. This time has to be non-negotiable.”
Steps to Success from Amel Derragui
1. Set aside time to listen to yourself, your gut, your body. Make this time non-negotiable.
2. Realize human beings are not meant just for work, food and sleep. We all need time to play, to know ourselves as more than careers and achievement.
3. Be open to situations that will reveal yourself to you, that will let you see deep desires and passions that may be buried underneath the stress and busyness.
On Her Bookshelf
The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho
Connecting With Amel Derragui
Website: www.tandemnomads.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tandemnomads/
Twitter: twitter.com/tandemnomads
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amel-derragui-3a11384/
Free Gift
Free guidebook: “Six Steps to Build a Successful Portable Business.” Download at: www.tandemnomads.com
Expats
Advertising, Business Coach, Business Owner, Marketing Coach, Podcaster, Speaker
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615:
If I Could Only Remember...There's an App for That! - Thomas Dixon
Who among us would not wish to have a superhuman memory. But for Thomas, whose brain injury caused him to lose the ability to remember his life, the need was critical. His solution? To develop a digital memory app. “ME.mory” now provides him and an increasing number of users with rapidly-searchable, artificial memories.
Thomas Dixon nearly died on November 22, 2010, when a car hit him and sent him to an emergency room. He lost most of his abilities to remember his own life. Keenly aware of his overwhelming inability to recollect his own post-injury experiences, others initially reacted to Thomas as if his life was over, even as he was still living it. “I’m sorry” is all he heard at first. But he realized that he did not have to suffer because of his now severely-compromised episodic memory. Instead, he decided, why not invent a solution? His life with a digital memory has led to him now often hearing the words: “That’s awesome!”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Right after graduation, although I looked and looked, I could not find the work I wanted in Philadelphia. I chose to work and live abroad, so I struck out on my own to teach in Seoul, South Korea. I spoke no Korean and had no contacts in Seoul. It was there, as a middle school teacher, that I was most fully on my own. The experiences I had in Seoul have helped me in many ways.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Sometime after my accident, I was passing through the student center on the Temple University campus. I came across an idea incubator called Blackstone LaunchPad, a campus based entrepreneurship program, designed to support and mentor students and alumni. I asked what they did there, shared with them my idea for an artificial memory mobile app. The rest flowed from there. They connected me with people who had technological skills and together we created ME.mory.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“To continue to challenge what I believe about myself and about people overall. This means I’d better continue to travel and meet all manner of folks. Earlier this month, I was with my girlfriend in Thailand. I was surprised to learn that some people pay to have fish nibble the dead skin off their feet, to smooth the soles of their feet. I did it. It tickles initially. But it was amazing! And my feet ARE a bit smoother now.”
Steps to Success from Thomas Dixon
1. Define your passion clearly, yet manifest that passion in a variety of forms. That way, it will be easier to switch between them if needed.
2. Actively define what you may be wrong about and let yourself feel uncomfortable as you discover what you can learn as a result.
3. When you give something your best and discover it’s not sustainable, just move on.
On His Bookshelf
Top Tools on His Browser
PODCASTS:
Savage Lovecast, with Dan Savage
Planet Money
GrooveElectric
The Bugle: Audio Newspaper for a Visual World Since 2007
The Moth: True Stories Told Live
Blabbermouth Podcast
This American Life
Connecting With Thomas Dixon
Website: www.yourdigitalmemory.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thomasanthonydixonjr/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thomasadixonjr/
Memory Loss, Mentors
App Inventor, Author, Teaching/Teacher
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614:
Expert Interview: From Money Moron to Self-Made Millionaire–Making the Leap to a Job You Love - Scott Alan Turner
Scott Alan Turner went from being a money moron at age 22 to a self-made millionaire 13 years later. He’s an early retiree and has been debt-free since 2009. He now spends his time helping others become financial rock stars through his best-selling book, talk radio show and podcast. He’s been quoted in Forbes, Business Insider, Money Magazine, CNBC and US News & World Report. He’s been married to his wife, Katie, for 11 years, and has twin three-year-olds. In his free time he plays guitar in a rock & roll band. His books are “99-Minute Millionaire” and “Money A to Z for Children.”
Making the Leap to a Job You Love
“Getting out of debt is the first step toward financial independence. Automate your savings so you don’t have to make a decision every payday to save money. Use it to start an emergency fund, first for unforeseen expenses, then to reach specific goals. Without a financial cushion, you don’t have the freedom to leave a job you hate or make the leap to a job or opportunity you love. Next, take an honest look at your expenses and your possessions and decide which ones you can let go.”
Why Is This Important?
“The average person coming out of college has about $30,000 in student loan debt. The average person in their mid-40s does not have enough money to cover a $500 emergency. If the water heater goes out or there’s a leak in the roof, or if the transmission goes out on the car, they can’t pay for it in cash. They’ve got to charge it, and rack up more debt.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Growing up, we don’t learn about savings, compound interest, and proper investing techniques that will build wealth over the long haul. Investing in stocks and bonds is made out to be a scary thing, and Wall Street makes it more complex than it really is. The good news is, with some simple changes, you can get out of debt and start building wealth. No matter where you are in life, you can start making changes.”
Connecting With Scott Alan Turner
Website: scottalanturner.com
Facebook: facebook.com/scottalanturner23
Twitter: twitter.com/scottalanturner
Free Gift
Free audio version of Scott’s book “99-Minute Millionaire.” Visit www.scottalanturner.com and mention Discover Your Talent Podcast.
Financial, Financial Independence, Investing
Information Technology, Investing, Software Coding
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613:
A Book Fell Off a Shelf and Changed Her Path - Pamela Gold
Pamela Gold is a Yale University graduate, so she knows her way around books and learning. And it was a book that literally fell at her feet off a store shelf that set her on a different path in life, a Path with Heart.
Pamela Gold grew up on her family’s apple farm in upstate New York, graduated from Yale University, and then entered the business world in New York City where she was the point person on an IPO at the age of 24. Leaving the workforce to start a family, she co-founded West Village Parents and went on to pursue her passion for fitness and wellness. It was through this pursuit that she discovered yoga, which connected her love of philosophy, science, psychology, and wellness and eventually led her to discover her life’s work: teaching inner peace as the key to our greatest evolution and ultimately, world peace. She founded Gold Evolution and released her first book in 2017, “Find More Strength: 5 Pillars to Unlock Unlimited Power and Happiness.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was a kid, I always felt there was this ‘artistic-ness’ that I aspired to. I did not think I was particularly naturally talented in that area, but I enjoyed it and played with it. I taught myself to play piano. I never took a lesson, but I had played clarinet, so I could read music. I would just sit down at the piano for hours and practice. I certainly never became a great piano player—and definitely didn’t teach myself properly—but it was something I loved. I always loved how music made me feel.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A major thing happened when I went to a bookstore. Literally, a book fell off the shelf and landed at my feet. It was ‘A Path with Heart,’ by Jack Kornfield. People tell stories like this all the time, but this really happened! Kornfield is an amazing Buddhist teacher. I had not had any exposure to Buddhism or mantras, meditation or mindful breathing or loving kindness. But that book resonated so deeply with me that I knew I wanted more of it. Then I discovered Deepak Chopra. The seed that was dormant within me finally got some water, and it propelled me forward.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Don’t forget to breathe! Every breath you take in and let out creates space around whatever your problems are. Too often we get stuck because we feel we don’t have room to move. Remembering to breathe, we realize there is more spaciousness. When you feel you are between a rock and a hard place—that there is nowhere to go—just stop, sit still, and take five slow, deep breaths. Then, notice how you feel. Next time, try taking a few more slow, deep breaths. Notice how much better you feel.”
Steps to Success from Pamela Gold
1. Remember to breathe! Even the U.S. Navy SEALs use the calming practice called “box breathing.”
2. Be conscious of what you feed your body and your mind. Avoid “edible, food-like substance” and eat real food instead.
3. Open yourself to yoga, meditation or another path that helps you calm down and center yourself. Start simply and find what works for you.
On Her Bookshelf
A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life, by Jack Kornfield
Find More Strength: 5 Pillars to Unlock Unlimited Power and Happiness, by Pamela Paladino Gold
Connecting With Pamela Gold
Website: www.goldevolution.com
Facebook: facebook.com/pamelagold
Twitter: twitter.com/pamgold
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pamela-gold-ba525413/
Free Gift
Free morning meditation, free chapter of Pamela’s book, and free offers in her parenting program.
Find them at: www.goldevolution.com
Fitness, Inner Peace, Wellness
Author, Teaching/Teacher, Wellness Advocate, Yoga Instructor
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A Living Example of Transformational Leadership - Henare Hona O’Brien
Henare was at a turning point and decided to attend a personal growth seminar. The speaker was dynamic, caring, inspirational… and happy. It was clear he had achieved success, yet he was still there helping other people. Henare said to himself, “OK, that’s my next step!”
Henare Hona O’Brien is a gifted, intuitive coach, spiritual teacher and a breakthrough trainer. Together with his wife, Kate, they are known as Australia’s number one transformational leadership couple and produce the world’s biggest personal development summit, collaborating annually with more than 100 of the greatest thought leaders of our generation, including Jack Canfield, Gregg Braden, Brendon Burchard and many more.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
In his childhood and teens, Henare found refuge, and excellence, in athletics, ultimately playing basketball in New Zealand’s top professional league. The son of a Maori mother and Irish father, he says he recognizes many elements of his dysfunctional and socioeconomically disadvantaged family life in the 1994 movie, Once Were Warriors. As imdb.com describes the film, “A family descended from Maori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.” But Henare also fondly recalls many bright spots. “Coaches and teachers were beautiful balances and guides for me, considering that the other part of my life was quite unbalanced. Sports not only gave me an opportunity to express that type of energy that was coming through me, but it also gave me wonderful mentors and guides as to what a person could be when truly dedicated to something.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In the midst of a successful career in professional basketball, Henare recalls, “At 26, I had an epiphany sitting on a beach in silence. And in that silence, I realized that if I did not have everything I had accumulated in professional basketball in New Zealand, with more women than I could sleep with, more money than I could spend, all the things you would see in a Hollywood movie around luxury I would not know who I was.” In the painful three years that followed, he made amends to people he had wronged in his life, and he found a new path as a transformational teacher and coach.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“In the Maori culture, which is part of my heritage, we have a saying, ‘He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.’ It is said in answer to the question, ‘What is the most important thing in the world?’ And the answer means, ‘It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.’ So, most of the time, Kate and I keep our focus directed outside of the difficulties people are going through, to create things for people that are really generative to their learning. Everything we present is designed to be exciting, inspirational and new. Instead of focusing on what is not working in people’s lives, we concentrate on what IS working in their lives. That might not be as big as what’s not working, but it gives them, and us, a sense of being alive, of being wonderful human beings with purpose.”
Steps to Success from Henare Hona O’Brien
1. Focus on what is going right, going well, in your life. Let that generate the energy to drive you forward.
2. Do not let your culture suppress or dominate the fundamental fact that all people, physically and spiritually, are created equal. Celebrate being alive!
3. Let yourself have a big vision and let others play their part in bringing it into being.
Connecting With Henare Hona O’Brien
Website: henareandkate.com
Facebook: facebook.com/henarehonaobrien/ and facebook.com/katemareeobrien/
Twitter: twitter.com/henareobrien
Personal Development, Personal Transformation
Basketball Player, Coach, Teaching/Teacher, Trainer
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611:
Expert Interview: How to Speak the Secret Language of Your Ideal Customer - Jeffrey Shaw
Jeffrey Shaw says having a keen eye is not just for what one sees, but also for what one senses. Having been one of the most sought after portrait photographers in the U.S. for more than three decades, Jeffrey Shaw, the Lingo Guy, uses his honed intuition to teach entrepreneurs how to attract their ideal customers by speaking their Secret Language. Jeffrey is host of the popular business podcast Creative Warriors, a business coach for entrepreneurs, and author of the book, “LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer’s Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible.”
How to Speak the Secret Language of Your Ideal Customer
“I believe what markets and consumers are going to require of us in the future is that we have a deep sense of who they are. Over the last 10 years, I’ve observed that people no longer hire us because we’re the best at what we do. They are far more inclined to hire us when they feel like we ‘get’ who they are. That gets to the heart of what it means to speak someone’s secret language. It’s to really get into their heart, more than their head. That’s what creates that bond and brand loyalty we are all looking for in business.”
Why Is This Important?
“Most entrepreneurs build the business they want and then try to fit customers into it. They’re building their businesses backward. Knowing how hard it is to get customers—and how hard it is to make your business stand out—I try to ‘bust the Pareto Principle,’ the idea that 80 percent of our revenue comes from just 20 percent of our customers. I don’t have time to waste on the 8 out of 10 who aren’t my customers. So, instead, I’ve developed five steps to speak the secret language of my ideal customer. Through these five steps, once you are speaking the language of your ideal customer, they should be the only ones showing up. And if they’re not, then your branding is not good enough. It means you need to go further in understanding who your customers are and what is their secret language.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Ideally, every entrepreneur would know these steps at their start-up phase. But we’re always tweaking our approach and can start using them at any time. When you learn who your real customer is and you speak their secret language, you wind up with a business where nearly 100% of your income is coming from 100% of your customers. And you have an awesome time making more money. And it’s profitable and easier than it’s ever been.”
Connecting With Jeffrey Shaw
Website: http://jeffreyshaw.com
Facebook: facebook.com/JeffreyShawPhoto/
Twitter: twitter.com/jeffreyshaw1
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeffreyshaw1/
Free Gift
Free LINGO Media Kit with a visual infographic of the Five Steps of the Secret Language, a free chapter of Jeffrey’s book, and an audio version of the free chapter with additional content.
Understanding your best customers
Author, Business Coach, Photographer, Podcaster
February 2018:
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610:
She Brings Good Things to Life - Katie Cline
Katie never saw herself as an entrepreneur. But when the real estate bubble burst, right after she finished her MBA, she learned from personal experience how to spot a need and fill it. And she learned how to live out her values with each new successful venture.
Katie Cline began her career at Lockheed Martin Aerospace, where she worked in both communications and business development before moving to project management. She oversaw the development of projects with budgets of $15 million and more. Later, she worked with Scott Turner to create Green Building Education Services, the first online training and exam prep for the LEED exam (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). More recently, Katie worked with a friend to create the National Registry for Adoption (NRFA) and is an embryo donor herself.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“The blessing of living in a small town is that you can do whatever you want in high school, because there is not that many other people trying out. So, I did band, show choir, drama and was on the cross-country team.” Growing up, she also tried her hand at lots of jobs. “I was a waitress, because I loved to make cash. I sold newspaper advertising at the college. I definitely think these different types of work were great!” She recommends to others to take the time to try all different kinds of things and learn what you like and what you do not.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Returning to school to earn an MBA in commercial real estate construction, Katie re-entered the job market–just as the real estate bubble burst. Never having thought of herself as an entrepreneur—although she married one—she soon saw a need she could fill. Fearful of losing their jobs, many people in her field were rushing to earn certifications to add to their resumes. At $500 a pop, the exams were expensive, and when Katie took one and failed, she and her husband created a $49.95 online practice course to help others pass the exam. They sold three on their website the first day. In seven years, the service grew to the point where she decided to sell it. But she learned how to spot a need and fill it. She drew on her own experiences with fertility treatments and unused embryos to create a service to match adoptive parents with parents like herself, who had embryos. “We like to call ourselves the Match.com of the embryo donation and adoption field.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My husband and I learned how to be entrepreneurs, working together from home doing a LEED exam prep business for green building certification. Then, we turned those talents into something we see as a greater good, drawing from our own life experiences. Now we’re helping people start families, helping babies be born. Becoming an entrepreneur and working hard on something you value can give you financial freedom to do what you really want.”
Steps to Success from Katie Cline
1. Look for a need you can fill and fill it.
2. Find ways to simplify things, to make challenges easier for people.
3. Find or create work and services that honor and express your values.
4. Cut your living costs and simplify your life so you can be free to start something new.
Connecting With Katie Cline
Website: www.nrfa.org and www.prebornkids.com
Facebook: facebook.com/NRFA.org/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katie-cline-8314bb32/
Adoption of Embryos, FIll a Need
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Real Estate, Trainer
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Co-Creating "Impossible Visions" That Change the World - Simon Crowe
Simon had an early academic career that was anything but stellar. One Headmaster said he was a bit of a waste of space. But when an admissions counselor saw his potential, it was absolutely fundamental to how his life shaped up after that. Seeing potential in others is the driving force of his life today.
Simon Crowe has been taking leaders on life-changing adventures into their heart and soul for nearly 15 years, helping them connect with their deepest purpose. His passion is co-creating partnerships with entrepreneurs, artists and humanitarians and building seemingly impossible visions that impact the world in positive ways. He has a deep commitment to liberating the energy of the heart in leadership. He believes in the power of service for transformational personal growth. In March 2018 he is leading his 5th leadership adventure to West Africa, taking a team of people who want to grow as leaders and to better understand the link between service and leadership.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After dropping out of school at age 16, “I went for an interview at what was called a further education college quite near where I was brought up in the Midlands in the United Kingdom. Even though I didn’t have the qualifications to get in, the man who interviewed offered me a place on a program. It was absolutely fundamental to how my life shaped up after that. Every summer, from when I was 18, I worked for a holiday company, traveling around Europe. By the age of 19 or 20, I had worked in seven different countries, and I was getting to see a lot of the world.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Simon found a niche teaching English as a foreign language, opening the door to living six years in Italy. Along the way, he found his greatest pleasure in teaching one-on-one, but as he advanced in his career, his hands-on teaching decreased, along with his job satisfaction. He became disillusioned and questioned whether he had anything of value to contribute. Then, he connected with a coach through his workplace. “I worked with a coach for about three months. I went from being in a difficult place to having a new job, in a much more dynamic, small organization, where I could have a bigger impact.” Step by step, he earned coaching credentials and went out on his own.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“People often make the mistake of trying to create a future from the past. To create a new future you have to create a new present. That requires reflection and developing self-awareness. It’s about getting some feedback, and a perspective on how you might be able to do things differently. Start by looking at what’s working and what’s not working. Then have the courage to step forward and embrace your strengths.”
On His Bookshelf
The Art of Living, by Bob Proctor
THRESHOLDS: 75 Stories of how changing your perspective can change your life, by Robin Von Schwarz and Simon Crowe.
Steps to Success from Simon Crowe
1. Accept responsibility that you are the person in charge of creating your life. You are not just a victim of circumstances.
2. Honestly look at what’s working for you and what isn’t. Embrace your strengths.
3. Start to think about a different way you can BE, not just different things you can DO. Think about your energy, your thoughts and emotions to increase your self-awareness.
4. Find ways to be of service to others. There is transformative power in service, both for you and your world.
Connecting With Simon Crowe
Website: Simoncrowe.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Simon.Crowe.372
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simoncrowe/
Free Gift
“Share your biggest, boldest idea with me, the one that really scares you—the one that’s beyond the horizon.” For the first three people who reply with their biggest, boldest idea will receive a free copy of his new book, “Thresholds: 75 Stories of how changing your perspective can change your life, by Robin Von Schwarz and Simon Crowe. Use the contact form at: www.simoncrowe.com. Mention DiscoverYourTalentPodcast.com in your reply.
Coaching, Serving Others
Author, Coach, Holiday Company/Europe, Teaching/Teacher
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Expert Interview: Don't Buy a Duck–5 Crisis Points of Marketing - Derek Champagne
Derek Champagne is the founder & CEO of The Artist Evolution, a full-service agency building successful brands, marketing tools, and campaigns. He is also the author of the bestselling book “Don’t Buy A Duck,” endorsed by Seth Godin, and co-founder of champagnemarketingcourses.com. Derek is also a published musician with music contributions on soundtracks on shows on ABC, MTV, E! channel, Bravo, and Oxygen network.
Don't Buy a Duck–Five Crisis Points of Marketing
Derek’s duck story illustrates his buyer’s remorse when, as an eight-year-old, his patient mom gave into his impulse to buy something he did not need. Quackers lived a long, happy life—at someone else’s home—and taught Derek lessons that save his clients money on their media and marketing plans. He shares what he has learned in his book, with his full-service agency’s clients and now on this podcast.
Why Is This Important?
“In the past decade I reviewed more than 1,000 brand audits and have had the opportunity to see five commonalities. In startups and even in household brands, we kept finding five things that happen. Any one of them can lead to bad business decisions like ‘buying a duck.’ When we solve these five marketing crisis points, we see meaningful traction and growth. The good news is, these are easy to fix. They just take commitment, dedication and consistency.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
The first question to ask yourself, in life and in business, is, “Who am I?” Many companies suffer from an identity crisis when they fail to ask this fundamental question. Next comes learning who your customers are, not just superficially. Derek lays out key lessons tied to choosing the right tools, striking a balance between aggressively pursuing goals and being realistic. And, vital to success is having a written plan and executing it consistently, without fail.
Connecting With Derek Champagne
Website: www.theartistevolution.com and www.ChampagneMarketingCourses.com
Facebook: facebook.com/theartistevolution
Twitter: @ArtistEvolution
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theartistevolution/
Free Gift
Free 5-part video series, a guide to increasing conversion rates and communication with your target customers. Visit the website: www.ChampagneMarketingCourses.com for the free series.
Branding, Marketing
Author, Branding, Business Owner, Marketing
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Creating a Path of Her Own in Medicine. - Dr. Emma Nichols
Emma bought a medical dictionary with her own money as a teenager in London. “I don’t know where that idea came from. There were no doctors in my family. Back then, I didn’t even know medical writing was a career.”
Dr. Emma Nichols has worked in medical writing and communications for 16 years since graduating with a Ph.D. in Nutrition and Health Sciences from Emory University. Her company, Nascent Medical, was founded in 2000, and serves the continuing medical education and medical content publishing industries. They have more than 100 MD-/PhD-level writers on hand and are available to write about any medical topic, any time. Her six-week course, Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Freelance Medical Writing Business, helps MDs and PhDs get into medical writing.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Growing up in London, England, Emma recalls, “I was a bit of a wild child in my teenage years, not somebody you could tell what to do. That trait has stuck with me, but I think that’s to my advantage. I don’t know where it comes from, because I don’t have medicine in my background, but I remember being drawn to medical stuff. I bought a medical dictionary with my own spending money when I was a teenager. I enjoyed reading about Florence Nightingale, who was probably one of the first women epidemiologists back then, during the Crimean War.” But when she arrived in the U.S. after high school, she wasn’t sure what to do. So, she managed a Wendy’s restaurant.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
”Earning a generous scholarship in the doctoral program in nutrition and health sciences at Emory University, Emma was looking into the possible effects of various nutrients on preventing cancer. “I loved science and research, but I didn’t really want to go into that. But I also realized I did like writing. So, right in the middle of graduate school I started wondering if there was a career where I could just write about science and medicine. I researched it and discovered ‘it’s a thing,’ a career that people do. From that point on, I was very definite about what I wanted to do.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There is no such thing as job security. I hate to be dismal about it, but as a business owner myself, I am always looking for ways to cut costs. The biggest cost is your employees. My advice is to find what you truly love to do, believing it is possible, then go in that direction. Find out everything about it you can. These days, it’s easy to find the information you need. The key is believing it’s possible for you, then pursuing it.”
On Her Bookshelf
Steps to Success from Dr. Emma Nichols
1. Figure out what you love doing and pursue it.
2. Keep pursuing your interest because there is always a solution. You don’t have to stay in a situation that is not going to work out for you.
3. Look for the Venn diagram overlap of three things: 1) what you love doing; 2) what you’re good at doing, and 3) what someone is willing to pay you to do.
4. Whatever you do, look for ways to add value and to help people. If you keep putting that out, it all comes back.
Connecting With Dr. Emma Nichols
Website: 6weekcourse.com and nascentmc.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/emmahittnichols/ and nascentmc.com
Facebook: facebook.com/EmmaHitt
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/emmahittnichols/
Building a business, Entrepreneurism
Business Owner, Communications, Medical Writer
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606:
From a Closet to the Largest Lecture Agency in the World - Bernie Swain
Bernie had started his dream job as athletic director at a major university. An article in Fortune magazine got him and his wife to consider an entirely new field—which they knew nothing about. So he quit the university and they set up their headquarters in a friend’s large office closet.
Bernice Swain had a teacher in high school who encouraged him to be the first in his family to attend college. By the time he was 36, he’d been offered his dream job as athletic director at a major university. Around the same time, a friend sent him a copy of Fortune Magazine with an article about what was then the largest lecture agency in the world. Bernie’s wife Paula convinced him to quit his dream job and start a lecture agency together. With no experience, no plan and no money, they launched the agency in a friend’s stationery closet. Nine years later, their lecture agency became the largest in the world, The Washington Speakers Bureau. Bernie’s recent book, “What Made Me Who I Am,” chronicles the turning points of 34 of the speakers and friends he has represented.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Listening to and learning from his first mentor, Bernie began to understand to recognize the value and power in life’s turning points, and to recognize that they present themselves to us in the people in our lives and in the present moment. “I see in retrospect, I was sincere in my desire to listen and learn from as many people as I possibly could. You don’t turn away from people who are above you or below you in life. When you’re working in a company, you don’t know where you’re going to learn something from. Being open to people above and below you is a great advantage in learning new things.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Just starting a new lecture agency, Bernie instinctively “signed” a new client, Steve Bell of ABC-TV’s Good Morning America on a handshake only. Although he later second-guessed his decision, he strengthened his resolve when he noticed three questions at the bottom of another client’s stationery:
1) Can I trust you?
2) Are you committed to excellence?
3) Do you care about me?The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There are no shortcuts to long-term success. Slow down. Be reflective. Take life a moment at a time and think through everything. Too often, we just react and don’t give thought to what we do. But success and accomplishment are just the opposite. The key is to look at the moments in your life, make instinctive decisions or use your best judgment. Then commit yourself and see if it works.”
On His Bookshelf
What Made Me Who I Am, by Bernie Swain
Steps to Success from Bernie Swain
1. Passion is more important than talent. Passion can keep you going when you are tempted to give up.
2. Learn to recognize turning points and make good and wise decisions. Rely on good judgement or on instinct. “There’s that feeling you have that this path is the right one.”
3. Don’t be afraid of change. Most people say they believe in change, except when it comes to changing themselves.
4. Paying attention at these turning points can give you the courage to make the most of them.
Connecting With Bernie Swain
Website: www.bernieswain.com
Facebook: facebook.com/BernieSwainAuthor/
Twitter: @Swain_Bernie
LinkedIn: linkedin/in/bernie-swain-0a704b4
Instincts, Listening, Trust
Author, Speaker, Speakers Bureau, Sports Coach, Teaching/Teacher
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Expert Interview: How to Manage Millennials - Mark Villareal
Mark Villareal is an International best-selling author, public speaker, business coach and expert guest on talk shows. He mentors clients through professional development plans and focused coaching. He’s recently launched Speaker Stardom, which books qualified elite speakers for speaking engagements. Their membership program provides tools and resources to help speakers hone their craft and skills.
How to Manage Millennials
Many Baby Boomer managers are inadvertently trying to put all Millennials into a box, which results in their managing to their own misconceptions. There are plenty of misconceptions about what a millennial is and how he or she is going to do on the job. Believing that all millennials jump from job to job, for example, a manager may invest less leadership and effort in their millennial employees. However, if they will simply do as the best leaders have always done, they will manage millennial team members very well.
Why Is This Important?
Millennials, born between 1981 and 2000, are quickly eclipsing Baby Boomers in the workforce. Many are already managers and others are surging into the job market. The temptation is to view them as a demographic group instead of listening to them, learning from them and showing them how they can best find satisfying careers in the company. Buying into generalizations about them, instead of seeing their unique individuality, prevents relationships of trust and loyalty from forming.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Most people want to work for an organization where they feel they have a purpose. That’s especially true for many millennials. They want to feel that they are making a difference. Several factors enter into making that a reality. It’s important to build and communicate career lattices in an organization to show people that they have an equal opportunity to grow in the company. This is especially important with a diverse workforce. The lattice shows the opportunities and the expectations within the organization. It’s a way to show, yes, we are willing to invest in you if you will do these things. These are key qualities millennials thrive on because they convey the message: here is where you can make a difference.”
Connecting With Mark Villareal
Website: http://markvillareal.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/Shortcutsgetyoulost/
Twitter: twitter.com/markvillareal
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markavillareal/
Free Gift
Free 30-minute consultation with Mark Villareal.
- Go to markvillareal.com and select Contact.
- Write “Consultation” in email subject line and mention this podcast in the message.
- Include the best way for Mark to reach you.
Managing Millennials, Millennials
Author, Business Coach, Speaker
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It Doesn't Have to Be Like That! - Elinor Stutz
Elinor heard all the reasons other girls hear about why they couldn’t do this or why it was dangerous for girls to do that. Early in life, she decided her best reply would be, “It doesn’t have to be like that!”
Elinor Stutz broke through barriers before doing so was popular. She defied the theme, “women can’t sell,” to become the top producer at every company. While on a stretcher with a broken neck predicted to be irreparable, she used mirroring technique, learned through her selling skills, to negotiate 100% healing. The entire medical staff hailed her as “a walking miracle.” Stutz’ motto is, “Believe, Become, Empower.” She created Smooth Sale to teach how to create a returning and referring clientele. Her achievements through ignoring negativity include her international best-selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building that Gets Results.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Like many girls, Elinor heard important people in her life tell her, “It’s a man’s world,” or warn her it was dangerous for a girl to do things like selling Girl Scout cookies door-to-door. At the same time, she often heard her father exuberantly cheering whenever an underdog won, and he urged her to never give up. Even as a child she often responded to limitations by declaring, “It doesn’t have to be that way!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After enduring a string of dreadful corporate jobs and even having a TV network news executive slam a door in her face, Elinor was preparing to re-enter the workforce after raising a family. Her husband came home from work excited one day, telling her, “”I know what you should do! You have the personality of a salesperson.” Elinor stood up, looked him in the face, and asked him very seriously, “Is that a compliment or an insult?” The rest, she says, is history. “I discovered I have the sales gene.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Ignore the naysayers. Don’t accept doors being slammed in your face. Learn from your experiences. Your very worst experiences are also your best lessons. Learn to apply what you learn to the next phase of your life.”
On Her Bookshelf
Nice Girls DO Get The Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results, by Elinor Stutz
Hired!: How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews, by Elinor Stutz
The Wish: A 360 Degree Business Development Process That Fuels Sales, by Elinor Stutz
Steps to Success from Elinor Stutz
1. Prepare yourself for whatever you do, whether it is a job interview or a sales call or a new challenge in life.
2. Do your research. Become familiar with the people and the situations you’ll be facing.
3. Be personable. Learn to listen to other people’s stories and relate your stories to theirs. Find common ground.
4. Share your own story about difficulties and how you overcame them.
Connecting With Elinor Stutz
Website: http://www.smoothsale.net
Facebook: facebook.com/elinorstutz/
Twitter: twitter.com/smoothsale
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/elinorstutz/
Email: elinor@smoothsale.net
Phone: 408-209-0550
Attitude, Believe in Yourself, Overcoming Obstacles, Self-esteem
Author, Entrepreneur, Financial, Sales
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His Hardcore Experiences Help Execs Break Free - Ryan Stewman
Ryan had served his time for a state crime in the 1990s and was succeeding on the straight and narrow. Or so he thought. Unbeknownst to him, a new federal law would ensnare him and pull him off course.
Ryan Stewman is CEO and founder of Hardcore Closer and Break Free Academy. As a best-selling author, motivational speaker, sales coach, podcaster, blogger and entrepreneur, he’s a regular contributor to Forbes, Entrepreneur, Addicted2Success, Good Men Project, Lighter Side of Real Estate and Huffington Post. Ryan consults with alpha personality business owners on rapidly growing their sales through strong marketing and advertising. With his no BS, ‘take action’ approach, Ryan has been able to help high income and high net worth performers make changes that unleash windfall profits for their businesses.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Working at a car wash, trying to prove himself after a stint in state prison, Ryan recalls, “a regular customer recognized my skills. She offered me a job. ‘If you’ll work half as hard for me as you are doing for this car wash, you’ll be a millionaire by the time you’re 30.’ She ran a mortgage brokerage. I didn’t even know what that was. We didn’t have Google back then, so I couldn’t look it up on my phone and see what it meant. She took me under her wing and taught me the game. Within my first month I made $8,000.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
He was the top producer for the largest, privately-held mortgage company in Texas when the federal Dodd-Frank legislation went into effect. His prior felony conviction stripped him of his license. Ryan accepted the consequences of his past. He talked with friends about his next step. “Many people said, hey, you’ve been through some serious stuff. You’ve done the impossible in some of the businesses you were in. Why don’t you start coaching people? There’s a huge industry out there. I thought, it’s not really my thing. But, I do like training people.” He started a website and digital services for some of his former colleagues to help them be hardcore closers. “Most people just want to learn a specialized skill so they can go to work and make money. I want to be the resource that provides that for them.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I believe the things that happened to me were pivot points. The universe was saying, ‘You’re not supposed to go down that road. We are going to have to do something really harsh to correct you, because you are a hard head. So, let’s do this to turn you around.’ I think most people never learn the lessons of who they are. When I made the decision in 2012 just to be Ryan Stewman, my life dramatically changed. I got into alignment with the universe, and that’s really when things started moving on up.”
Steps to Success from Ryan Stewman
1. Know yourself. If you’re “iOS-compatible,” don’t try to force yourself to be “Windows-compatible.”
2. Alignment takes precedence over assignment. Who you’re with is more important than what you’re doing. Get with the right people; with the wrong people, bad things happen.
3. Use your obstacles and barriers as pivot points. Learn lessons from setbacks and pivot in a new direction.
Connecting With Ryan Stewman
Website: hardcorecloser.com and breakfreeacademy.com
Facebook: facebook.com/realryanstewman
Twitter: twitter.com/hardcorecloser
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanstewman
Free Gift
Free book: Elevator to the Top, at www.Elevatortothetop.com
Community or Mentors, Know Yourself
Author, Business Coach, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Leadership Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Podcaster, Sales
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602:
Expert Interview: Stop Being Productive and Do What Matters - Teresa McCloy
Teresa McCloy, a REALIFE™ speaker and coach, partners with clients to stop being productive and start to do what matters most to them. A recovering workaholic who was addicted to all the latest apps, software, and bestselling books on productivity, she’s now passionate about helping business leaders and entrepreneurs assess their habits and execute a REALIFE™ process to take their everyday, ordinary life to something extraordinary.
Stop Being Productive and Do What Matters"
“The word productivity has taken on many different meanings in our culture. It seems to be a badge of honor to be busy. My life was a story of how busy could I be, how much could I have on my plate, what could I be doing, and how fast, effectively and efficiently could I get it done. I came to a point where I realized I wasn’t doing the deeper things that mattered to me.”
Why Is This Important?
“Sometimes we need to stop, step back and stop being so productive. Productivity is not a bad thing, but we need to take that deeper look and ask if we are being productive in the things that we really want to do. Where are we wasting energy on things that won’t matter in our lifetime, or in certain seasons of our life?”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Before we reach a crisis, we can stop, practice being quiet and listening to the answers that are already within us. Start by recognizing what really matters to you, what you care most about. As you begin to connect with those values and re-order your life, it’s vital to have an accountability partner or a support group to help you keep your new focus. Listening deeply to yourself needs to become a daily practice. Then, start with small changes and build from there.”
Connecting With Teresa McCloy
Website: www.teresamccloy.com
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/TMACTRIBEFREE/
Twitter: twitter.com/teresamccloy
Free Gift
“Five things I can stop doing in my day that will open up space for what matters.” Download at www.teresamccloy.com/dyt
Productivity, Workaholic
Leadership Coach, Speaker
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601:
Creating Community for Expats - Naomi Hattaway
Naomi knew about being an outsider. As a home-schooled child of a bi-racial couple—before it was socially acceptable—she had to learn how to make connections, form communities and discover the unique gifts and talents she could offer.
Naomi Hattaway is the founder of I Am a Triangle, an online community with thousands of globally located members with one thing in common: they’ve lived around the world away from their passport countries. Offering in-person gatherings in over 80 cities around the globe, I Am a Triangle also exists as a one-stop-shop for resources, whether you are pondering a move abroad, currently are living the expat adventure, or are repatriating back home. She also owns 8th & Home Real Estate and Relocation, a nationwide referral network matching families on the move with real estate professionals who chase communities and not commissions.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As a child of a white mother and African-American father in the corn fields of Nebraska, Naomi learned the value of finding and creating community wherever she went. With an adopted African-American brother, the children learned to navigate through stares, questioning looks and bullying. Home schooled throughout her youth, she immersed herself in books and learning, becoming adept at teaching herself whatever she needed to know. Early on, she learned the value of finding others who were in the same boat, connecting, and creating communities of support.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“While living overseas in Singapore and India for four years, I had an opportunity to look back at the traits and talents I had been taught, mostly by my grandfather. He taught me about kindness, patience and listening. I translated that into volunteer work. I found that I love collaborating and connecting with people, and growing networks of relationships. When we came back to the United States, I complained often about the relocation industry, that they don’t seem to care about the families they are moving. My husband kept saying to me, why don’t you do something about it?” So, she did. She formed a new kind of relocation service, chasing communities, not commissions.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There is tremendous power in designing your own life and taking ownership of your choices. You can be in charge of the greatness you offer to the rest of the world. Then, live your life as a role model so that others can come behind or alongside you, mirror you or take from your example what they can benefit from themselves.”
Steps to Success from Naomi Hattaway
1. Get active in community volunteerism and service. You learn about yourself when you are in the service of others.
2. What you give freely of yourself comes back to you tenfold.
3. Find and work with a mentor.
4. Ask five friends you trust to tell you the strengths and talents they see in you.
Connecting With Naomi Hattaway
Website: http://iamatriangle.com and http://8thandhome.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/IAmATriangleInc/
Instagram: @therelocationexpert
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/naomihattaway
Expats
Author, Business Owner, Real Estate, Teaching/Teacher
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600:
A Mindset That Overcomes Physical Limits - Michael McDonnell
Michael surprised everyone with his love of sports and active life, despite a disabling condition. “My parents saw that I was going to try everything.” At 16, a coach offered him an opportunity to coach tennis that made perfect sense. “It was an easy choice for me to take that road.”
Michael McDonnell has gone from managing cystic fibrosis and diabetes to using the lessons learned to run several businesses. He now helps people with their mindset and strategies to leave their job and run their own businesses full-time.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was younger, I think my health challenges impacted my parents more than me. I didn’t really know any different. They saw that I was going to try everything. When I was diagnosed, cystic fibrosis was not something everybody knew about, and there was not a lot of research going on. My doctors said exercise helps. So, I started doing martial arts in primary school, playing football and racing a lot during recess and breaks. I had a very active childhood. Because of my condition, I do not think people realized I would actually enjoy being so active, and I actually did do a lot, even with my condition.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I started coaching when I was 16. I had been playing different sports since I was six or seven. I moved toward basketball, then tennis. Eventually, my coach asked me, ‘Do you want to be a coach? You’re reasonably good. You’re not old enough yet to have enough experience to be a really good tennis coach. But that’s something you can learn, something you can get better at.’ It was an opportunity that matched up with what I had been doing all my life. It also benefited me in terms of my health—playing tennis three or four times a week, keeping myself fit, mobile and agile.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I am able to see that people have complex problems and I can be empathetic to people and understand their situations. Then I’m able to help them come up with a solution that’s potentially simpler than they thought. My ability to do that has come from the clarity of my thinking and the way that I think. I realize that I can see things from a different perspective than most people. Because I am different in some ways, it allows me to be different in ways that actually benefit other people.”
Steps to Success from Michael McDonnell
1. Find people who like and accept you for who you are.
2. Before taking a big leap, plan a way you can pull yourself back if it’s not working out. Mentally, give yourself a rope.
3. See how the things that make you different can give you a unique point of view. Your differences can work to your advantage.
4. Make plans that are viable, realistic and doable through the clarity of your thinking.
5. If a challenge seems impossible, let yourself see your way through the challenge first, then find ways to experiment with a variety of approaches.
Connecting With Michael McDonnell
Facebook: The Lion’s Den with Mike
facebook.com/groups/1715717692029337/Twitter: twitter.com/M_McDonnell2
Podcast: www.theROARShow.podbean.com
YouTube: Michael McDonnell – Your Performance Mindset Coach
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelmcdonnell10
Overcoming Obstacles, Positive Attitude, Working with Special Challenges
Mindfulness Coach, Podcaster, Sports Coach
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599:
Expert Interview: Leadership Lessons from Mom - Mark Villareal
Mark Villareal is a two-time international best-selling author, keynote and motivational speaker, coach and consultant. He speaks and is an expert on leadership, culture, business development and strategy. He coaches, consults and mentors leaders, aspiring leaders, managers in development, and management and business teams. Mark Villareal has more than 35-years of experience in building teams and achieving C-Level status within the organizations he has been associated within the last 20-years. He also hosts and teaches webinars and seminars on organizational culture and leadership. He believes establishing the right culture and leadership is the foundation for long term success.
Leadership Lessons from Mom
“Our mothers make the first impact on us. My Mom was the best leadership coach, who chose to be a housewife. Whenever I shared a childhood lesson I learned from her, people said, ‘You need to write that story!’ So, I took 40 lessons from childhood until her death and shared them in my book. I tie each lesson to how I lead and how I teach others to lead.”
Why Is This Important?
These leadership lessons from Mom apply well to business, Mark teaches. Organizations concerned about character will develop stronger reputations. Like individuals with integrity, strong organizations are clear about their mission, vision, values and principles, and they will often list them on their websites. They want to be challenged by their employees and customers. “That’s self-accountability, and it says this is what we’re going to stand on.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Some key lessons Mark teaches about building an organization relate to core values, character, integrity and reputation, all of which were central to his mother’s lessons. “I need to teach you that shortcuts will get you lost,” she told him. “The danger of a shortcut is that, when you get lost, you have to go back where you started and you’ve cost yourself more time.” As Mark explains, “There’s a bigger danger of a shortcut: You might have what you perceive as success, but that’s when bad habits are formed. That’s true in business, where organizations cut corners and get lost.”
Connecting With Mark Villareal
Website: www.markvillareal.com
Facebook: facebook.com/sho
Twitter: twitter.com/markvillareal
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markavillareal/
Leadership
Author, Business Coach, Consultant, Leadership Coach, Speaker
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598:
Invest in Your Values and Do Just Fine - Joel Solomon
Joel grew up in a family devoted to making the world better, but it was at his dying father’s side that Joel made the crucial first step onto his own pathway toward a life that matters to future generations.
Joel Solomon is the author of “The Clean Money Revolution: Reinventing Power, Purpose, and Capitalism.” He’s the chairman of Renewal Funds, a $98-million mission venture capital firm. He has invested in over 100 early growth-stage companies in North America, delivering above market returns while catalyzing positive social and environmental change.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I’ve been involved in the investing business for more than 30 years. First, it was personal, with a bit of family money I inherited, but gradually, over time, it became professionalized as I realized that there was a huge opportunity to advance the field of investing to be more aligned with values, mission and purpose.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A woman who inherited an amount of money much larger than I invited me to join her in the visioning, strategizing, and implementation of putting out tens of millions of dollars toward creating models which prove you could invest in alignment with your values. And that you can do fine financially. We wanted to show there are ways to be creative with philanthropy. With relatively small amounts of money—spread among good entrepreneurs and organizations—you can have a positive influence on the values that matter to you.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Live to be the very best ancestor you can be. I’m not talking bloodline ancestry. I’m talking about being alive at this time in the history of the planet, doing the very best you can to see that people who come after you will have it even better.”
On His Bookshelf
The Clean Money Revolution: Reinventing Power, Purpose, and Capitalism, by Joel Solomon and Tyee Bridge
Steps to Success from Joel Solomon
1. Take time to understand who you are, what makes you tick, what you care about.
2. Do your best to think backward from your deathbed about the legacy you would like to leave. What contribution best represents what you want your life to accomplish.
3. Figure out your emotional, psychological and spiritual self to start to understand your meaning, purpose and direction.
Connecting With Joel Solomon
Website: www.joelsolomon.org
www.Renewalfunds.comFacebook:facebook.com/JoelSolomon.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joelsolomon
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joel-solomon-a5a4b5
Benefitting Others, Take care of yourself
Author, Venture Capital
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597:
The Power in Seeing People Right Where They Are - Kristen Ivy
Kristen had always been a good student, but when her grades began to drop dramatically, a teacher pulled her aside, looked her in the eye and asked, “Are you okay?” She felt it was the first time someone was really seeing her. That teacher’s concern instilled in her the need to see the whole person at any given moment in time.
Kristen Ivy is the executive director of messaging at The reThink Group, commonly referred to as Orange, and the director of The Phase Project. By using child development research, she educates parents and equips them with immediately applicable, easy ways to connect with their kids, based on their age and developmental phase. Before beginning her career at Orange in 2006, she worked in the public school system as a high school Biology and English teacher where she learned firsthand the joy and importance of influencing the next generation.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In school, teachers tended to lean into me to suggest that I was a leader. They put me in leadership positions, whether it was leading the classroom or a club, or taking initiative to drive something. I don’t know that I would have sought out those opportunities on my own until they were handed to me. I began to ask myself why I was getting these opportunities and how could I be responsible with the opportunities I was given.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“What stands out as most formative was when I was in 8th grade. I was in the midst of an upheaval in my family life, with all the emotions, and wasn’t doing well in school. In fact, I was tanking. A language arts teacher took me aside. I expected a reprimand, but she looked me straight in the face and asked, ‘Are you OK?’ She looked at a low performance issue and knew it was actually a heart thing. There was something going on in my heart and life, and she could see it was spilling out into these other areas. It felt like the first time somebody was really seeing me and seeing what was going on. Since then, I’ve always wanted to be that person who can see the people who aren’t being seen.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“If I could say one thing to any college student or any young adult, it would be: Go in the area of your passion, because that is where you have something unique. Following what you’re interested in is one of the best things you can do, because that’s what enables you to make a distinctive contribution. So often, we undervalue our own talents and strengths, because they come naturally to us. We don’t realize they are not natural to everybody else around us.”
On Her Bookshelf
Phase Guides, by Kristen Ivy and Reggie Joiner – an 18-part series of guides to help parents, for every phase from birth through 18
Parenting Your New Baby: A Guide to Making the Most of the “I Need You Now” Phase, by Kristen Ivy and Reggie Joiner – Part of Phase Guides series
Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done, by Jon Acuff
Do Over: Make Today the First Day of Your New Career, by Jon Acuff
Steps to Success from Kristen Ivy
1. Pay attention to your passions. They are your best guide to the path that’s right for you.
2. Recognize your unique talents. No one else has them in precisely the way you do. They’re what will enable you to make a distinctive contribution.
3. See each individual as a whole person and relate to them where they are on their life’s journey.
Connecting With Kristen Ivy
Website: www.PhaseGuides.com
Facebook: facebook.com/kristen.ivy
Twitter: twitter.com/kristen_ivy
Instagram: instagram.com/_kristen_ivy/
In the moment, Passion, Whole person
Child Development, Teaching/Teacher
January 2018:
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Encore: From the Mekong River to Sesame Street, She Soars - Mali Phonpadith
Mali’s father escaped a re-education camp, and her family fled war-torn Laos. Arriving in the U.S. at age five, she learned English from watching the TV show Sesame Street. Later, her teacher said Mali’s journal showed she was a poet even though she didn’t know what poetry was.
Mali Phonpadith is the founder and CEO of the SOAR Community Network, as well as an author, speaker and podcaster. SOAR stands for See, Own, Articulate and Release. It’s based on that process of uncovering your greatest gifts and talents. A consortium of community networks supporting small and mid-size businesses, it helps them to amplify their clients’ messages through marketing, strategies, technology consultation and educational forums. She’s the founder and host of the SOAR podcast.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Fleeing with her family at age four from war-torn Laos, Mali arrived in the United States. No one in the family spoke English, so she learned the language from the TV show Sesame Street. Later, as she learned to write, she kept a journal of the challenges they all faced. In ninth grade, when she submitted a journal entry for a writing assignment, her teacher pointed out that she had been writing in poetry, not prose. Until then, Mali had no idea her style was unique. “I wrote more, and studied other poets. I started sharing more deeply from the heart. It didn’t have to rhyme, it just had a rhythm and a flow. So, I honed in on that craft and my writing formed the nucleus of my desire to express the deep emotions people are afraid to express. Today, that desire to help people express themselves is the foundation for our business and for my company, and for everything that I do.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Deeply in love and engaged to marry, Mali’s 35-year-old fiancé and 11-year-old nephew drowned in an accident. “It totally shifted the way that I saw my life and my world. I saw that I was basing my decisions on the fear of being in poverty. As a child refugee of war, you have those innate defaults. That painful experience of loss brought me more to life. It helped me understand what we are here for, and to look for ways to be driven by the idea of legacy. I realized that everything we do matters.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’m always working on myself and helping other leaders to see how to move toward developing into great leaders, moving ahead and transcending into becoming legacy-driven leaders. It’s about being intentional in every decision you make, knowing that your decisions are going to outlast you.”
Steps to Success from Mali Phonpadith
1. Surround yourself with like-minded people who will help you find and nurture your unique gift, but…
2. …Be open to others who think and process things differently, because it expands your own mind.
3. Focus on authenticity by coming from your own soul and heart versus borrowing from others who might be similar.
4. Find ways to balance being heart-centered and pragmatic.
On Her Bookshelf
Seen and Sustained: Best Practices in Communication That Increase the Visibility of Small and Diverse Businesses, (a workbook), by Akia T Garnett, Mali Phonpadith, Jane Lovas
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, by Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, by Jim Collins
E-Myth Mastery: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company, by Michael E. Gerber
A Million Fireflies, by Mali Phonpadith
Connecting With Mali Phonpadith
Website: soarcommunitynetwork.com
Twitter: Twitter.com/maliphonpadith
Facebook: facebook.com/maliphonpadithpage
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maliphonpadith
Free Gift
Free visions and mission mapping questionaire at her website.
Careers, Heart-Centered, Leadership, Talents
Author, Business Owner, Podcaster, Speaker, TV Host
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Encore: A Passion for Helping Veterans Reach Greatness - Phil Randazzo
Phil applied for a commission-only job selling fire extinguishers. The interviewer startled him by asking the last personal development book he’d read. When he couldn’t think of one, the man threw a Jim Rohn cassette at him and said, “Get out of my office and don’t come back until you learn to work on yourself!”
Phil Randazzo is a serial entrepreneur and veteran supporter. He owns Text Safe Teens, a patented app to prevent people from using cell phones while driving. He runs and operates American Dream U, a nonprofit that helps transitioning military find their dream job or start a business. The organization has reached over 20,000 veterans. He was invited to the White House and to testify in front of Congress, given the key to the city of Las Vegas, and more.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
From childhood, Phil knew he wanted to be a teacher and a coach. Ironically, he was not an especially serious student, and his happy-go-lucky ways led to a wake-up call in his junior year of college: he got his girlfriend pregnant. “You wake up pretty quick when that test strip turns pink!” His girlfriend has been his wife going on 25 years. In hindsight, he sees how his life has brought him around to teaching and coaching thousands of veterans and their families as they re-enter civilian life.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
When asked on an interview what was the last personal development book he had read, Phil did not know what the man was talking about. He responded, “I have a college degree.” The interviewer shot back, “A college degree doesn’t mean anything. When was the last time you worked on yourself?” As Phil remembers, the man “threw a Jim Rohn cassette at me and said, ‘Get out of my office and don’t come back until you learn to work on yourself!’ So, I went to the library and started learning about personal development. I was hooked! It was just great! To this day, I spend at least an hour to 90 minutes a day learning about personal development, working on myself.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Learning to give back to the community, to be generous, even before I feel I can afford it. Psychologically, it is hard to think about being charitable when you’re focusing on meeting your own obligations. But all the masters teach this, and it really is true that generosity pays off. What you give away comes back. To anyone listening, that is a game-changer.” But Phil explains there is a paradox. “As Les Brown teaches, you have to fill your own cup first, and share the overflow. As vital as generosity is, there’s an important self-care component to generosity.”
On His Bookshelf
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
Steps to Success from Phil Randazzo
1. Start by taking small steps: volunteer in an area that you care about. Try doing it like “A Day in the Life” of whatever appeals to you.
2. Practice generosity and giving back, even before you have a lot to give. What you give always comes back to you, but…
2. …learn to fill your own cup first. Whatever overflows, give it back to the community.
Connecting With Phil Randazzo
Website: www.PhilRandazzo.com and www.AmericanDreamU.org
Twitter: phil_randazzo
Facebook: facebook.com/phil.randazzo
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phil-randazzo-6279179/
Giving Back, Multi Careers
Coach, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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Encore: A Life-Saving Attitude - Steve Lawton
After careening headlong into a tree at 45 miles per hour and suffering a major brain injury and many broken bones, Steve believes every interaction with another person is a bonus that might never have happened. “It’s a powerful way to live and get through whatever comes up in your daily life.”
Steve H. Lawton holds a BS and MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University, as well as an MBA from St. Edward’s University. He has 27 years of business experience in roles from an engineer in the Astronaut office at NASA to an executive at Dell. He is the author of “Head First! A Crash Course in Positivity,” a story about how his attitude literally saved his life from a near fatal skiing accident. Steve enjoys helping others by sharing his story and practical advice on how to create a positive mindset, lead with positivity, and achieve better outcomes for individuals and organizations. He has given a TEDx talk and spoken to employees at Dell, Accenture, EMC, VMware, and others, and has also been a guest lecturer at Texas A&M University and the University of Texas. Steve and his wife of 26 years, Deanna have two teenage children and they have grown quite fond of them.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As a pre-schooler, Steve was an avid fan of the space program. On the morning of a Saturn V launch he would be up and in front of the TV as early as 5:00 or 6:00, eagerly awaiting another launch. Years later, after earning his degree in engineering, his first job at NASA had him working directly with astronauts and was a dream come true. He helped design the various scientific experiments the astronauts would perform in sp
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had a near-death experience when I skied into a tree at 45 miles per hour, head first, on Amen Run at Breckenridge, Colorado. I’m lucky to be alive at all, it really should have killed me! I think I was brought back for a reason. A big part of it is to share my story and help people improve their own attitudes. Three years after the accident, I still maintain the attitude that I’m living on bonus time, and that every interaction with another person is a bonus that might never have happened. It’s a powerful way to live.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Steve’s leadership role in the huge annual Student Bonfire Project taught him that his success as an engineer was not only about science and math. “That bonfire project was as formative to me as my engineering classes. I recognized how important interacting with and leading people was to me. To this day, the hardest role I’ve had was in leading that large student construction project. It helped me recognize that I need interactions with people. Those interactions give me energy. It was a super formative experience in my life.”
On His Bookshelf
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey
Head First! A Crash Course in Positivity, by Steve H. Lawton
Steps to Success from Steve Lawton
1. Recognize life is short and how fortunate we are to be here.
2. Recite your intentions each morning as a way of living more intentionally.
3. Cultivate life-affirming attitudes: your attitudes can save your life!
4. Commit that everyone who comes in contact with you will be better off as a result.
Connecting With Steve Lawton
Website: http://stevehlawton.com and http://amzn.to/2sbohFK
Facebook: facebook.com/stevehlawton/
Twitter: @stevehlawton
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/steve-h-lawton/
Attitude, Positive Attitude
Author, Engineer, Executive, Mechanical Engineer
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Encore: Too Many Graduate Students, Not Enough Jobs - Anna Cragin
Halfway to her Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience, Anna saw herself becoming a tenured-track professor, following her two great loves: teaching and figuring things out. Then, reality set in: Far too many graduate students were chasing far too few jobs. “Figuring things out” took on a new meaning as she faced a pivot point in her life.
Anna Cragin is the Productivity Advisor at Freeficiency. She teaches online entrepreneurs how to improve mindset, reduce anxiety, and design their ideal life through effective time management. Anna has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience. She applies brain and behavior research to design ways to work with and around our brains to reach our goals in business and in life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was born in Russia, where there wasn’t an entrepreneurial spirit. But there was a belief that if you want to change your life—if you want to do something—you have to do it yourself. That’s something my mom started telling me at a very early age: ‘No one else is going to hand you anything. You have to go out and get it.’ I think these ideas came together for me when we moved to the U.S. when I was in high school.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Graduate school was the pivot point for me. In my academic program in psychology, we had a wonderful course called ‘professional issues.’ In it, we talked about what it really takes to make a career as a tenure-track professor. They told us there were far too many PhDs and not enough jobs for them. They told us, if you want to become a tenure-track professor you have to really want it and put in the work and the hours. You have to be better than everybody, because you’re all going to be competing with each other for a few jobs. That class was an eye-opener for me. Up until then, I just assumed I was going to be a professor.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Everything in my life seems to come down to teaching. I absolutely love it! The key for me is to realize that there are role models, and then to go out and find them. Connect with them. See what they’ve done. Model their success. Know that it is possible. Always keep your eyes open because opportunities will come when you are able to see them.”
On Her Bookshelf
Leaving the Ivory Tower: The Causes and Consequences of Departure from Doctoral Study, by Barbara E. Lovitts
Create or Hate: Successful People Make Things, by Dan Norris
Steps to Success from Anna Cragin
1. Look for a role model, mentor or coach who is doing what you are trying to do. Reduce your learning curve.
2. Instead of setting deadlines for completing projects and achieving goals, set a specific time when you will consistently work on them. This is unusual advice, coming from an efficiency consultant, but I believe this works better.
3. Join a business community. “Doing this has skyrocketed my education!”
4. Keep your eyes open. Opportunities come when you are open to seeing them.
Connecting With Anna Cragin
Website: www.freeficiency.com
Facebook: facebook.com/freeficiency
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aicragin/
Free Gift
Free checklist on how to overcome being stuck in analysis. Visit: www.freeficiency.com/unstuck Aimed at entrepreneurs, but can definitely be used for personal life goals too.
Entrepreneurism, Mentors
Entrepreneur, Neuroscientist, Teaching entrepreneurs, Time Management
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Encore: Taking His Creativity All the Way - Blake Brandes, Ph.D.
Blake loved the topic of his Ph.D. dissertation, but he was stuck when faced with writing the last chapter. His advisor suggested he create a rap album, so he did. A review committee member wrote on his paper that he had never before had the pleasure of reviewing a dissertation that you could dance to.
Blake Brandes is co-founder of the personal development company, Motivational Millennial, and co-host of the Motivational Millennial Podcast. He also runs a hip-hop motivational speaking business to help students “Remix Your Reality” through assemblies and workshops. Blake was the recipient of the Marshall Scholarship, one of the most competitive postgraduate awards in the world, which he used to complete his Master’s and Ph.D. on hip-hop and global youth cultures at the University of Kent in England.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I got into hip-hop at a very early age. My father was into reggae and always had a little bit of Hip Hop playing around the house. I started listening to what most people would call gangsta rap, artists like DMX and Wu-Tang Clan. I loved the beat and the intensity of the delivery and the lyricism. I started getting into more socially conscious hip-hop and began to think I would love to create this. So, I started DJ-ing at 14. I borrowed speakers from my parents’ bedroom and hooked them up to my portable CD player to make a rudimentary DJ rig. Soon I was DJ-ing school dances and church events. It was so much fun because I was playing music I loved and also helping people have a good time.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Although he was passionate about his area of study, hip-hop and global youth cultures, Blake was stuck in writing his dissertation. He would stare at his computer’s blank screen and nothing would come. Sharing his frustration with his PhD advisor, she told him, “I believe in you, Blake, and I believe this process can be fun for you. Instead of doing this last chapter that you are so stuck on, I want you to make a rap album as part of your doctoral dissertation.” Blake recalls, “Sure enough, I submitted my dissertation with a rap album called Scholar, which is available for free download on my website.” One comment from a dissertation committee member stands out: “In all my years of reviewing dissertations, I have never once had the pleasure of being able to say a dissertation was danceable!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I have just seen so many people who have so much greatness inside of them, and they either don’t believe it or they don’t feel they can manifest it. I just know this world would be an immensely better place if those people who are holding themselves back could truly step out of their own way and unlock that greatness within themselves. My vision for the future is helping people see that inner greatness.”
On His Bookshelf
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle
How to Be Here: A Guide to Creating a Life Worth Living, by Rob Bell
Steps to Success from Blake Brandes, Ph.D.
1. Listen to your inner voice to hear what you truly want. This is a powerful message when you feel stuck.
2. Determine what small, practical action you can take today to take a step in the direction you want for your life.
3. We all have an inner critic, the monkey mind, the saboteur, whatever you may call it. Silence this voice by practicing meditation regularly.
Connecting With Blake Brandes, Ph.D.
Website: www.motivationalmillennial.com
Twitter: twitter.com/blakebrandes
Facebook: facebook.com/MotivationalMillennial
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/blakebrandes
Free Gift
Personal transformation guide written by Blake’s business partner, Ivy LaClair. Four limiting beliefs that many of us—especially Millennials—tend to face, and eight motivational tools to help overcome these limiting mindsets. Free at: motivationalmillennial.com/freegift
Hip-Hop, Millennials, Motivation
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Personal Development, Podcaster, Speaker
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Encore: Step 1–Be Honest With Yourself - Mary Hyatt
Like millions of Americans, Mary struggled with her weight and juggling prescription medications. Even though she switched to buying organic and locally grown food, that did not solve her health issues. It was time she got brutally honest with herself and find a long-term solution.
Mary Hyatt is on a quest to feel alive and to live a life full of gratitude, joy, authenticity, and abundance in body, mind and soul. Mary believes that every person has the ability to create the life that they love. She lives in the heart of Nashville and her days are spent juggling the roles of holistic lifestyle advocate as a Blue Diamond wellness advocate with doTERRA essential oils, and personal life and business coach. She helps her clients wake up, find their voice and become fully alive. You can join her every Wednesday at 1 PM CST on her Facebook LIVE show where she dives into raw topics and helps her audience fall back in love with themselves and believe in their potential.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
One of five daughters of a striving serial entrepreneur father, Mary absorbed a work ethic and a love for starting businesses. “I was always finding ways to start little businesses. I worked three jobs when I was in high school. I was a nanny, and I also worked in an eye doctor’s office. Then I was a personal assistant. I was all over the place all of the time! Working wasn’t something we talked about, it was just sort of a given. I’m grateful for that now.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Dealing with issues of health and being overweight, Mary gravitated toward learning about locally grown food. Gradually, she dropped processed foods from her life, replacing them with organic whole foods. The documentary “Food, Inc.,” and the book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” strengthened her resolve. Then, at 23, her entrepreneurial side led her to start a farmers market in Nashville, TN. “I created the farmers market in just a couple of months. It was incredibly successful. I sold it to a wonderful lady, and it is still running. It’s so cool to see how far it has come since I opened it around eight years ago.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Wake up and be brutally honest with yourself about where you are and how you feel about it. Give voice to those feelings. From that place of honesty, you can then birth the change you want in your life. But you have to get honest and tell it like it is. That, to me, is the first step.”
Steps to Success from Mary Hyatt
1. Find and create a sense of purpose in whatever you do.
2. If you can’t find a sense of purpose—or if you’re just doing the “shoulds”—stop and get clear on what you truly love to do.
3. Take responsibility for your life and recognize you always have a choice.
4. Fake it ‘til you make it…just make it! Just keep trying things out, and don’t give up on yourself.
On Her Bookshelf
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey of Self-Discovery, by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
Top Tools on Her Browser
Zoom.com – totally free videoconferencing site, groups and one-on-one.
Connecting With Mary Hyatt
Website: maryhyatt.com
Twitter: @marygracehyatt
Facebook: facebook.com/MaryGraceHyatt/
Instagram: @maryghyatt
Food/Eating/Health, Starting a business, Weight
Business Coach, Business Owner, Life Coach, Wellness Advocate
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596:
Expert Interview: A Creative Workplace for a Creative Career - Frank Cottle
Frank Cottle is CEO of Alliance Virtual Offices and chairman of the Alliance Business Centers Network. He is a recognized expert on flexible working, the virtual office movement, and third-place working. Prior to creating the Alliance brand, Frank successfully operated his own portfolio of business centers in multiple locations across North America. He spent almost the past 30 years delivering business services that are finely tuned to the workplace needs of startups, entrepreneurs, and growing small and midsize businesses. Over the years, he has worked with tens of thousands of business owners and, coupled with his unique global perspective, has become the go-to authority on flexible and remote work.
A Creative Workplace for a Creative Career
“I can’t imagine anybody who is shaping their career who does not want to work in a creative work environment. That has different definitions for different people. To some, it will mean physically creative. To others, it will be intellectually creative, and the physical won’t matter. To some it will mean having an inspired community with which to interact. The key to the creative workplace is being able to create it daily based on the needs around you. There are creative ways of using technology to make that happen.”
Why Is This Important?
“Today’s worker is not like the workers of the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s or even early 2000. We’re totally connected globally. It doesn’t matter where somebody is located geographically. It just matters that they are the best person for the job. You can be a global business operator without necessarily having to physically go global.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“A creative career used to mean having to relocate my family to corporate headquarters to get the really good job. There was a lot of disruption, pain, and expense to get the good creative career job. Today, that is not necessary. We have people who work for us all over the world, and we just find the right person. We don’t disrupt their life, make them move, or tear their family apart. The kids do not even have to leave their school. People are happier that way, and we create a career path through the use of technology.”
Connecting With Frank Cottle
Website: www.alliancevirtualoffices.com
Facebook: facebook.com/alliancevirtual
Twitter: twitter.com/alliancevirtual
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/frankcottle
Creative Workplace
Flexible and Remote Work Space, Management
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Cyber Security Pro Goes With His Strengths - Adam Anderson
Adam felt right at home on computers at age six. He wanted to make them talk to each other so he could play games with friends. “Without knowing it, I was teaching myself the fundamentals of computer science and information technology. They just didn’t call it that at the time.”
Adam Anderson is a serial entrepreneur, author and founder of Palmetto Security Group (PSG), an IBM Premier Cyber Security Business Partner. He recently launched Element Security Group. With 20 years in cyber security, and 13 as a small business owner, Adam is positioned to understand both sides of the cyber security equation in a way most aren’t. He got tired of answering all his business owner friends’ questions about cyber security, so he co-authored a book and created some tools for them. The book is called “Small Business Cyber Security: Your Customers Can Trust You…Right?” Adam is on a mission to help fellow business owners find the answer to the question, “Should I even care about cyber security?”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Starting at around age six, I was always on computers. I became very comfortable with them at an early age. I really wanted to play games. And I wanted to make computers talk to each other so I could play games with my friends. Without knowing it, I was teaching myself the fundamentals of computer science and information technology. They just didn’t call it that at the time.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
College was not working out for Adam. It did not give him the space to try lots of things before committing to them. So, he drew on his lifelong fascination with computers. “If I ever wanted to get a job, I knew I had to get professional certifications. So, I got a bunch of certifications from Microsoft. My first gig was working on the Y2K crisis back in 1999. The financial industry, and a lot of other industries, spent an awful lot of money on protecting themselves from ruin when the year 2000 arrived, which is why I was allowed to touch multi-billion-dollar infrastructure when I was a 19-year-old kid.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I have ADHD and dyslexia, so school was very difficult for me. But, because of them, I learned to build coping mechanisms that gave me shortcuts. You realize where your strengths are and go there, and what your weaknesses are and don’t worry about them. So, for example, today I don’t worry about my spelling and grammar. I have somebody else check my work. If it’s going to be published, I have editors. The secret is not to focus on why you can’t and on what the barriers are, and focus instead on how to do it differently next time.”
On His Bookshelf
Small Business Cyber Security: Your Customers Can Trust You…Right?, by Adam Anderson and Tom Gilkeson
Built to Survive: A Business Owner’s Guide on How to Prepare for a Cyber Attack, by Adam Anderson
Steps to Success from Adam Anderson
1. Build on your strengths and adapt to your weaknesses by finding workarounds, support and alternative approaches.
2. Operating out of fear leads to poor decisions. Focus on planning to survive and thrive.
3. Do not buy into the myth of absolute security. It does not exist. Accept that crises will come and prepare for them.
Connecting With Adam Anderson
Website: www.elementsecuritygroup.com
Facebook: facebook.com/adamandersonCEO
Twitter: twitter.com/adamandersonceo
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adam-anderson-28a97811/
Cyber Security, Working with Special Challenges
Author, Business Owner, Cyber Security, Entrepreneur
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594:
Post-Transplant, She Has a Heart for Service - Ava Kaufman
While trying to recuperate from a heart transplant, Ava became acutely aware of the need for information and support for heart transplant patients and families. Knowing nothing about fundraising or foundations, she decided, “Sometimes you just have to jump in and do it your own way.”
Ava Kaufman is a 67-year-old woman with a transplanted heart from a 17-year-old boy. Just a few years ago, she was living the great life in Los Angeles. She was not only a successful business woman, but she was in excellent health, having been a professional dancer for Gloria Gaynor. But a rare auto-immune disease would change her life’s journey. After her own transplant, she founded Ava’s Heart Foundation, helping hundreds of families through the transplant process with resources and case management.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I danced from the time I was three and that’s what I wanted to do. Back then, it was not something Jewish families encouraged their children to do. We were a typical, upwardly-moving Jewish family. I was supposed to go to college, become a teacher, marry a doctor, that kind of thing, but I never fit into that. I tried to, because I wanted to please my parents. I danced for 32 years. I still do!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Just prior to my transplant, I was probably one of the sickest people they’ve ever transplanted. I had a rare autoimmune disease that went misdiagnosed for three months. It came on so quickly! It devastated my muscles, including my heart. I went from weighing 105 pounds to 200, then down to 80 in four months. After my transplant, what changed most is that I have so much faith and belief in what I am doing. And I have tremendous energy. I cannot tell you that the last eight years have been easy, because they have not, but you learn so much more about yourself in the struggle to get where you want to be.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
As Ava was recuperating from her transplant, actively helping others dealing with transplantation, she drew on her lifelong strength. “I can be put in any situation and I find my way. It is one of my gifts. It starts with knowing who you are. Early in life, I knew who I was but didn’t have the resources to do it. So, I said, okay, I’m just going to do my usual Ava thing and just jump in and see what happens. And it’s happening!”
Steps to Success from Ava Kaufman
1. Make service to others a big part of your life.
2. Know yourself. Start by asking, “Who am I?”
3. Find ways to feed your soul. If your soul is not fed, it is hard to be happy.
4. Be willing to fail. Failure is a part of growth.
5. Free yourself up to take chances and try things. You never know what is going to happen until you try.
Connecting With Ava Kaufman
Email: ava@avasheart.org
Website: www.avasheart.org
Facebook: facebook.com/AvasHeart/
Twitter: twitter.com/avasheart
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ava-kaufman-a91261ab/
NOTE: If you want to make a donation to the Ava’s Heart Foundation, you can do so on the website or by texting the word HEART to 41444.
Life's Calling, Love of Dance, Transplant Patients
Business Owner, Dancer (professional), Non-profit
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593:
Expert Interview: The Power of Turning Points - Bernie Swain
Bernie Swain had a teacher in high school who encouraged him to be the first in his family to attend college. By the time he was 36 he had been offered his dream job as athletic director of a major university. Around the same time, a friend sent him a copy of Fortune magazine with an article about what was then the largest lecture agency in the world.
Bernie’s wife, Paula, convinced him to quit his job and start a lecture agency together. With no experience, no plan, and no money they launched the agency in a friend’s stationery closet. Nine years later, their lecture agency, The Washington Speakers Bureau, became the largest in the world. His recent book, “What Made Me Who I Am,” chronicles the turning points of 34 of the speakers and friends he has represented.
The Power of Turning Points
“Through the successful and accomplished people I met and represented, I came to understand what turning points are all about. They are the opportunities life gives us to fulfill our full potential, forks in the road where we can choose to go in one direction or another. Often, these forks in the road are illuminated for us by the people we let into our lives, who can see what we can’t see. They are moments in time that are different from others, if we are paying attention. Our success and accomplishment depend on our ability to recognize these turning points, make good and wise decisions, then commit ourselves fully.”
Why Is This Important?
“Many people said to me over the years, ‘Those people you represent had opportunities and chances the rest of us don’t have.’ Quite frankly, I found it to be just the opposite. I proved it in my book, ‘What Made Me Who I Am,’ through 34 stories, which were just a small portion of the stories I could have written.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“At turning points, the problem is most of us are resistant to change. A friend, spouse or teacher may suggest another path for us, but we resist, thinking, ‘I know better than anybody else.’ Success and accomplishment come from opening ourselves to new ideas and other voices that may save you from having to look back and say, ‘I missed that opportunity.’ Unless you commit yourself fully at these turning points, unless you’re willing not to give up, no matter what adversity you face, the turning points don’t really work in your favor.”
Connecting With Bernie Swain
Website: www.bernieswain.com
Facebook: facebook.com/BernieSwainAuthor
Twitter: twitter.com/Swain_Bernie
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bernie-swain-0a704b4/
Turning Points
Author, Business Owner, Speakers Bureau
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592:
Mentors at the Moments That Matter Most - London Porter
London’s stutter, lisp and habit of talking too fast did not help his acceptance as a street kid in Yonkers, NY. But his speech therapist did not give up on him. “Your voice is a gift.” She became the first of many mentors who helped him see his own potential.
London Porter says, “When I say I’m at church, you know I’m at the gym.” This former Microsoft consultant teaches entrepreneurs how to earn a better income, create a better career and, in doing so, live a better life. He hosts the popular podcast, Interview Better Live Better. London’s a three-time author, former professional athlete, and year-2023-and-beyond career researcher.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My father died when I was nine. I was mad at God, at my mom, at myself. I cursed out everybody I could because I had lost so much. When I got to high school, I still had that anger and rage. That’s when I discovered athletics, weightlifting, Bruce Lee, and a bit of self-discipline through martial arts.” He also met a track coach who knew how to deal with angry young men. In one season, London had won two medals in regional competition and continued on to compete in college.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Growing up on the streets of Yonkers, NY, London Porter stuttered, lisped and talked too fast. The street bravado he’d developed to help him survive as an urban kid mostly resulted in his being misunderstood and laughed at. But he also had a grandmother who believed in him and a mother who did not like his prospects in Yonkers. She put in for a transfer to Dallas, TX, when he was in fourth grade. There, a speech therapist changed his life by refusing to give up. “Your voice is a gift, young man. Sound created the universe. We’ve got to get these r’s and these s’s under control, so people stop laughing at you. And we’ve got to change your attitude.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It takes a mentor to help you through things in the moment. And then that mentor has to understand you and have the timing to deliver just the right message. It’s often said, ‘So much depends on the people that surround you. Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.’”
Steps to Success from London Porter
1. Do not neglect your inner growth, your spirit and your heart-brain connection. Traditional education will not do this for you.
2. Find a mentor you can trust and learn to value what he or she can teach you. The greater your trust, the greater the benefit.
3. Recognize that conflict can be healthy at times if you are curious about what it is developing in you and the situation or relationship where it is present.
Connecting With London Porter
Website: www.iblb23.com
Facebook: facebook.com/london.r.porter
Twitter: twitter.com/londonporter
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/londonporter
Free Gift
For a Free Audio Book: Live Better Dads Live Better Daughters, email London at London@iblb23.com and ask for the link.
Anger, Mentors
Author, Consultant for Microsoft, Entrepreneur, Podcaster, Professional athlete, Teaching entrepreneurs
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591:
Taking Her Life's Passion Seriously - Tamara Thompson
Tamara Thompson was still reeling from a hit-and-run accident and the loss of her first love. She’d slipped into depression. She also gained 85 pounds, not a plus for her career in fitness. Then, she discovered YouTube. What started out as a hobby changed her life’s direction.
Tamara Thompson, CEO of Serious Take Productions, is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and director who has found her niche with inspiring storytelling through high quality video production. She’s produced for corporate clients such as Microsoft and Starbucks. At Serious Take Productions they work hard to connect, create and inspire through branding, speaker trailers and high-end event production.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Tamara discovered her inner entrepreneur around age eight at the Victorian crafts and décor bazaars her mother organized. Her mother asked, “Do you want to be a part of this? What ideas do you have?” Tamara recalls, “I thought it would be great, and I had an idea creating an elegant-looking Victorian gift with Hershey Kisses, ribbons and Victorian wrapping paper. I would produce a thousand of these for a show. Charging $1.50 apiece, I could have a $3,000 week. How many eight or nine-year-olds are making that kind of money?”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
YouTube came along at just the right time for Tamara in 2005. Still reeling from an auto accident and the loss of her first love, she’d slipped into depression. She also gained 85 pounds, not a plus for her career in fitness. Then, she discovered YouTube and rediscovered the fun she’d had with a clunky VHS camcorder growing up. “There I was, 25 years old, shooting and uploading silly videos. My family kept saying, why don’t you pursue this as a career? After four years of calling it a hobby, I finally said, ‘You know what? You’re right! I’m not happy in my job and I love doing this.’ So, I went back to school to learn filmmaking.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve spoken with a lot of people who never refer to their passion as something they could turn into a career. Or, they see it as a hobby, like I did for about four years with YouTube. A lot of people need to switch their mindset if they don’t think they can do something. Change your vocabulary from saying, ‘IF I try this’ to saying, ‘WHEN I try this.’”
Steps to Success from Tamara Thompson
1. Take your passion seriously. If you’re passionate about a hobby, turn it into a side gig or give it center stage.
2. Learn the delicate balance between giving a project enough time to flourish and knowing when it is time to move on. The same applies to your commitment to a job.
3. Find a mentor, or several mentors. Be willing and eager to learn from others who can teach you.
Connecting With Tamara Thompson
Website: www.serioustakeproductions.com
Facebook: facebook.com/serioustakeproductions/
Twitter: twitter.com/SeriousTakePro
Free Gift
Free video quality guide, a newbie-friendly guide to create better quality videos for your business online–without wasting your time and money and looking like an amateur.
Following Passion, Love what you do
Business Owner, Speaker, Video Director, Video Production
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590:
Expert Interview: What Makes You Jump Out of Bed in the Morning? - Charles Carroll
Chef Charles Carroll is an award-winning author, inspirational speaker, and recipient of more than 80 national and international awards. He has served his country on eight U.S. Culinary Olympic Teams. For the past few years he has traveled around the United States and the world mentoring, sharing and presenting his messages to culinary students, chefs, industry professionals and executives as well as to U.S. military personnel. As founder and producer of Operation HOT 2011 and 2013, he produced seven Vegas style shows for troops in Afghanistan. Currently, he serves as the immediate past-president of World Association of Chef Societies. Chef Charles recently published his third book, a culinary parable entitled, “The Recipe: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Ingredients of Greatness,” which he co-authored with John David Mann.
What Makes You Jump Out of Bed in the Morning?
“We are all put on this earth to find that thing inside of us that makes us jump out of bed in the morning. It is sad when people never dare themselves to dig down and find it. Or, maybe they have found it but have tucked it away, thinking they just cannot do it, or that it is a big dream and they just do not have time to pursue it. For some, family and other obligations, or their job, get in the way. I can tell you hundreds of stories of people who say if they had not taken that initial jump, they would not be sitting where they are today. There is nothing better than waking up feeling you just can’t wait to get started doing that one thing you have discovered inside yourself.”
Why Is This Important?
“As soon as you’ve discovered that special thing inside that makes you want to jump out of bed, you have to do it. Start somewhere. Like a writer at the keyboard, facing a blank screen, start punching the keys. Open a new document, give it a working title and a date, and write whatever information you have, just to get started. The next thing you know, you’ve started! One step leads to the next. An email leads to a call. A call leads to a meeting, and that leads to another. Momentum builds. But first, you have to start!”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Once you start the process, Chef Charles promises, you will find what you need. The ideas, connections, resources and introductions will come to you through the process. “What did I know about writing and publishing a book? Nothing! Absolutely nothing. For that matter, I knew nothing about podcasting when we started one a couple of months ago. I just knew I was being interviewed as a guest on a lot of them. My partner and I just started researching podcasts, and the next thing we knew, we had one. The point is to keep digging and digging and digging until it happens. When you’re pursuing your passion, persistence is the key. Nothing worthwhile comes easily.”
Connecting With Charles Carroll
Website: www.chefcharlescarroll.com
Facebook: facebook.com/charles.carroll.566
Twitter: twitter.com/chefcarroll
Networking, Perseverance
Author, Chef, Speaker
December 2017:
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589:
Experiment, Measure & Repeat–Persistence Pays - Justin Shelby
Justin felt his campus interview with a Fortune 500 company had gone well. When he didn’t get a call from them, he made a friend inside the company and kept calling back–for 30 days. His persistence paid off.
Justin Shelby is the CEO and founder of Artichoke, a complete business solution for the rapidly growing community of freelancers, independent practitioners, and moonlighters operating in the U.S. He has extensive product development, marketing, leadership, and startup experience. He has held leadership positions in Fortune 500 growth-stage, and startup companies in addition to having launched more than 100 products in 16 countries. Justin also previously founded three other businesses.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My brother and I got involved in music at an early age. He was in high school when I was in sixth grade. We formed a band and played more than 500 gigs over several years. We worked every weekend and practiced every day. It gave us a chance to wear multiple hats–to be musicians, managers, make sure things were working. It exposed me to a lot of that stuff early, with the autonomy to see where I could take it and the responsibility to make sure that it happened. We were being paid to provide a service and it could not be half-baked.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Justin’s college, Salisbury State College in Maryland, was not on the recruiting tour of many Fortune 500 companies, but an alum who worked for Black & Decker decided to give his alma mater a shot. “I thought I had good rapport with the interviewer, but I called several times and received no reply. Taking a page from my band era—where we often had to be persistent to get things done—I started to form a relationship with the interviewer’s administrative assistant. I called every day for 30 days. Finally, she went into his office and said, ‘Look, if you don’t bring this guy in for an interview I’m going to do it.’ By the time I showed up for the interview, he was already on board with me. He loved my persistence.” Justin spent the first nine years of his career there.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“In my experience, more people are successful as a result of their persistence, creativity and problem-solving skills than people who are just living off raw intelligence. Sure, it is important to be informed, and intelligence is not to be underestimated, but that alone is not your ticket, in my opinion.”
Steps to Success from Justin Shelby
1. Be honest with yourself about your strengths and your weaknesses.
2. Ask people you trust for their honest assessments of your strengths and weaknesses.
3. Find challenges you enjoy, that keep you fresh and sharp.
4. Be realistic: experiment, measure, repeat. Learn and improve.
5. Build on your strengths.
Connecting With Justin Shelby
Website: getartichoke.com
Facebook: bit.ly/2j0kOrm
Twitter: @getartichoke
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/2997242/ and linkedin.com/in/justinshelby/
Entrepreneurism, Persistence
Business Owner, Leadership, Marketing, Product Development
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588:
Writer's Rebound from Ballot Box Loss - Lori B. Duff
Lori thought she would be the voters’ obvious choice for probate court judge. She had a decade’s experience with a major metropolitan court, and her opponent wasn’t even a lawyer. Her unexpected loss was a stiff rebuke. At 42, she brushed herself off and put pen to paper.
Lori B. Duff is a recovering lawyer who has found renewed life as a writer. She is an in-demand ghost writer and editor, and an international best-selling author of 3 memoirs. Her latest, “You Know I Love You Because You’re Still Alive” recently won a gold medal in the 2017 eLit awards. She has a series of memoir writing classes designed to give people a head start on writing their own stories.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I have always written, as long as I can remember. As a child in the single digits I remember announcing that I wanted to be a writer. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, my parents are very practical minded and did not want to see me starve to death. It had been drilled into me by my parents that if you did well in school you had to have a career that went along with it, and that the creative arts were not something you should do. They believed you should go to law school or med school, make money and be a professional. It really didn’t occur to me to question that. But I was fortunate enough to be in a public school system that valued creativity. We had a strong creative writing program that you had to be accepted into. It was a four-year program in high school, and I was involved in that the whole time. It was really phenomenal.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In 2012, Lori decided to run for public office as a judge in the probate court of a metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, county. A peculiarity in Georgia law permitted a non-attorney to serve in the position if the population was below 100,000. Lori had extensive legal experience and felt she was a shoo-in against her opponent, who was not a lawyer. “But apparently the electorate had a different opinion. Overwhelmingly so! I was stunned by the whole thing.” Soon after the electoral debacle, she found herself writing again, first as a blogger, then as a ghost writer using her skills in clearly expressing complex research in written language easily understood by non-experts. “Looking back, I’m glad I lost the election. I’d much rather be doing what I’m doing than be a probate court judge.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The first step is to just do it. So many people are afraid of what they haven’t done. They fear rejection. If you look at my books, they are well reviewed, mostly. But there are some reviewers who are mean, even with all the five star reviews. So, I get it that it’s scary to jump into something new. It really is. But you have to do it. You have to try. You’ll never know what you can do if you don’t try to do it.”
On Her Bookshelf
You Know I Love You Because You’re Still Alive: Confessions of a Middle Aged Working Mom, by Lori B. Duff
Telling Your Story: 7 Writing Prompts to Get You Started, by Lori B. Duff
Mismatched Shoes and Upside Down Pizza, by Lori B. Duff
The Armadillo, the Pickaxe, and the Laundry Basket, by Lori B. Duff
Steps to Success from Lori B. Duff
1. You can do more than one thing at a time. Explore your passions and options while you hold onto a job that gives you stability.
2. It takes time to build anything worthwhile—a new pursuit, a new business, a legal practice, anything. Work strategically so you can allow your new projects time and space to grow.
3. Don’t expect perfection your first time out. Every piece of good writing starts with a lousy first draft.
Connecting With Lori B. Duff
Website: www.LoriDuffWrites.com
Facebook: facebook.com/loribduffauthor
Twitter: twitter.com/LoriBDuff
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/loriduffwrites/
Parents' Advice, Passion, Writing
Author, Editor, Lawyer, Writer
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587:
Expert Interview: How to Turn Fear, Stress and Anxiety into Allies - Akshay Nanavati
Akshay Nanavati is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, author, speaker and entrepreneur. Through his new book, “Fearvana,” and his coaching programs, he draws on his expertise around understanding fear. He has dedicated his life to helping people reframe fear so they can accomplish their goals and live limitless lifestyles.
How to Turn Fear, Stress and Anxiety into Allies
“Fear is often perceived as a negative emotion. When you hear the word, people do not think of it as something positive. Inevitably, fear is the number one barrier that stops people from getting where they want to be in life. But fear is the brain’s natural response to risk. Anytime you enter the unknown, your brain responds with fear.”
Why Is This Important?
“Through my research to heal my own brain from post-traumatic stress disorder, I’ve come to learn that fear can be our greatest ally when we learn how to harness it because it is the most primal emotion and the number one thing to address to be successful in our lives. My studies led me to an understanding of fear, stress and anxiety, because neurologically all three are pretty much the same.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“The starting point, the foundation, is recognizing that we do not control what first shows up in our brain. If I am standing on the edge of a cliff and my brain feels fear, it is a very natural response that is keeping me alive. The problem is that we judge our fears and then label ourselves negatively for having them, instead of learning how to harness them for our own good.”
Connecting With Akshay Nanavati
Website: www.fearvana.com
Anxiety, Fear
Adventurer, Author, Coach, Entrepreneur, Speaker, U.S. Marine Corps
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586:
Blindness Is No Barrier to Life's Peaks - Erik Weihenmayer
Erik was shattered when at 14 a genetic illness left him totally blind. Soon he connected with an organization that gave him new opportunities, like rock climbing. He recalls running his hand along his bedroom wall thinking, “Who would be crazy enough to take a blind kid rock climbing?”
In 2001 Erik Weihenmayer became the first blind person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Since then he completed the Seven Summits. Erik’s latest book, “No Barriers,” is an inspirational story about kayaking the entire 277 miles of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Erik’s triumphs fueled his aspiration to help others shatter barriers in their lives. His motto is “What’s within you is stronger than what’s in your way.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
In childhood, Erik describes himself as a “full-on kid” who loved to climb trees and jump out of them, over rocks and into leaves. He loved wrestling, as well as reading literature and writing. Coaching wrestling and sharing his love of reading led him into teaching middle school, where he could have envisioned himself staying until now. Instead, he teaches others about living a life with no barriers.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Erik lost his eyesight to a genetic disease at 14. Although his doctors told him it would happen, he just couldn’t believe it. He asked himself, “What does blindness mean, anyway? Does that mean the end of everything I know?” When it actually happened, Erik was shattered. Soon, he connected with a group that helped people deal with blindness. “They taught us to do activities like canoeing, sailing, riding tandem bikes. One weekend they said they were taking us rock climbing. As I ran my hand up the wall in my room, I thought, “Who would be crazy enough to take a blind kid rock climbing? I was 16 when I first went rock climbing. Sixteen years later, I was standing on top of Mount Everest.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Most people do not have physical handicaps or challenges, their struggles are invisible and internal. I’m not going to say my blindness was a great gift. But when tough things happen to you, you have a choice. Within adversity, there is a hidden energy. If you can tap into that energy, you can harness it and ride it forward like a storm. Adversity becomes a catalyst that can propel you to new places, often places that you couldn’t have gotten to in any other way. We call this process ‘alchemy.’”
On His Bookshelf
No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon,
by Erik Wehenmayer and Buddy LevyTouch the Top of the World: A Blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See: My Story, by Erik Wehenmayer
Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities, Paul G. Stoltz
The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles into Everyday Greatness, by Erik Wehenmayer and Paul Stoltz
Steps to Success from Erik Weihenmayer
1. When life comes crashing in, stop and reboot.
2. Don’t let yourself stay stuck in isolation. Reach out.
3. Find others who can help build a “rope team” around you, who can support one another.
4. Learn about the hidden inner power of adversity.
5. Remember what is within you is stronger than what is in your way.
Connecting With Erik Weihenmayer
Website: TouchTheTop.com and NoBarriersUSA.com
Facebook: facebook.com/erik.weihenmayer
Twitter: twitter.com/Erik.Weihenmayer
Adventurer, Adversity, Kayaking, Mountain Climbing
Author, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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585:
From Western to Chinese Medicine to Biogenetics - Sarah Mastriani-Levi
Sarah was only 15 when she started college in the U.S., with her sights set on dual study in pre-med and international business. But while in Israel on a special study program, she started to shift towards holistic medicine and moved to Beijing to study Chinese medicine. This was the beginning of defining a career on her own terms.
Sarah Mastriani-Levi, creator of Mannafest Living, serves as an International Holistic Health and Lifestyle Coach. She is referred to as a boldly authentic spiritual pioneer, creative visionary and inspirational catalyst. She lectures internationally, offering workshops and holistic health coaching for the health-curious to the avidly health-conscious. Sarah hosts the podcast Simple Change—Creating IMPACT One Conversation at a Time. Her guests discuss simple changes they have implemented that shifted the trajectory of their lives.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I finished high school at the age of 15 and went to college early with some very ambitious goals in pre-med and international business. About three years into it, I had an opportunity to go live abroad and study Hebrew in Israel. I ended up shifting away from the conventional medicine mentality to looking at things a lot more holistically. I was seeing people who were going into the conventional medical system falling into this cycle where they went in with one illness and came out with four.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“From Israel I went on to Beijing to study Chinese medicine and become an accredited practitioner. I worked for the World Health Organization and got a lot of training in a hospital there. I was looking for the spiritual aspects, and I went up to the border of Mongolia to study village medicine, and to connect with how people were healing, and learn what were the influences on healing. Was it shamanic practices, or Western practices that had leaked in, or was it what I came to refer to as “grandmother medicine?”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
By the time I was married and had kids, my practice became primarily consulting, which later came to be called lifestyle coaching. I was working in gardens with people growing things to help them heal naturally. It was a self-made clinic and then a coaching practice. Gradually I focused on integration of the entire lifestyle in working with people so that they could do the same. Recently, I’ve incorporated biogenetics as I’ve learned to read raw DNA. I created a unique lifestyle protocol to help my clients. It is definitely a signature program that will help people who want to step things up to another level.”
On Her Bookshelf
Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives, by Michael Newton
A Separate Reality: Conversations With Don Juan, by Carlos Castaneda
Journey To Ixtlan, by Carlos Castaneda
How to Live a Good Life, by Jonathan Fields
Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance, by Jonathan Fields
Steps to Success from Sarah Mastriani-Levi
1. Find out what excites you enough to keep you awake at night.
2. Ask yourself, “Am I willing to scale back my life to create something else, something I truly want, to allow it to grow?”
3. Your legacy is not so much what you leave behind but what you give while you are here.
4. Take advantage of what biogenetics can tell you about living in alignment with your DNA.
Connecting With Sarah Mastriani-Levi
Website: www.MannafestLiving.com and www.SimpleChangePodcast.com
Facebook: facebook.com/organic.veggie.girl and https://www.facebook.com/MannafestLiving/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mannafestliving
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mannafestliving/
Free Gift
Free 30-minute strategy session to address one issue in your life where you are challenged or struggling, so Sarah can start to see how to create a level of mastery for your life. Sign up at www.MannafestLiving.com.
Biogenetics, Holistic Health & Wellness
Holistic Health, Life Coach
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584:
Expert Interview: How to Think More Like an Entrepreneur - Dorie Clark
Dorie Clark is the author of “Entrepreneurial You,” “Reinventing You” and “Stand Out,” which was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. Magazine. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, she teaches at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and is a consultant and speaker for clients such as Google, Morgan Stanley, and the World Bank.
How to Think More Like an Entrepreneur
For “Entrepreneurial You,” Dorie interviewed 50-plus very successful entrepreneurs. She was especially interested in understanding folks who created very lucrative 6-, 7- and even 8-figure businesses, either on their own or with a very small team. “In many ways, that begins to pave the pathway for a lot of people.”
Why Is This Important?
“Even if you work inside a company, or are just toying with the idea of entrepreneurship, it might seem like it’s this big undertaking that means quitting your job, getting venture capital, and starting a huge enterprise. But I’m especially fascinated with people who were able to start in small ways, starting something on the side, to create portfolio careers for themselves, and side income streams can grow to become something exceptionally lucrative. I tell their stories in my book.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“The caricature of business is people who are taking huge, risky bets. People often think that’s the definition of entrepreneurship, being willing to take a big risk. In actuality, it is very much the opposite. It’s about mitigating risk. Instead of having a big bet, where you can potentially lose everything, I discovered again and again that it’s about taking small risks. Only later, when you see momentum, do you double down. It’s about being able to be encouraged by seeing small victories that tell you that you’re making progress on the entrepreneurial path.”
Connecting With Dorie Clark
Website: www.dorieclark.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dorieclark
Twitter: @dorieclark
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/doriec
Free Gift
Free Resource: “Entrepreneurial You” Self-Assessment, 88 questions to help you think about how to become more entrepreneurial in your own life and create multiple revenue streams. DorieClark.com/entrepreneur
Entrepreneurism
Author, Consultant, Speaker
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583:
Creating Change, Transforming People - Damion Lupo
Damion created several businesses from his college dorm room. When one of his startups was putting the campus bookstore out of business, the college invited him to leave. Soon it dawned on him, “Hey, I’m supposed to be creating my own career path here.”
Damion Lupo is an entrepreneur at heart. He started his first business at age 11 and has created 30 more since. He founded his own martial art, Yokido™, and holds three other black belts. Damion paid for his first rental house with a VISA, bought 150 houses in seven states over the next five years, then went through a $20-million meltdown in 2008. Today, he runs an Austin, Texas-based financial technology company dedicated to disrupting Wall Street by getting people off the Wall Street roller coaster and in control of their money and financial future. He has written five books, with two more being released near the end of 2017.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In college, I started businesses in my dorm room. I kept doing this until I was invited to leave school or get thrown out, because I was putting the bookstore out of business. At that point, I realized that I really wasn’t supposed to be an engineer or a math guy, I was supposed to be out there creating things and transforming things.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
A late-night infomercial launched Damion into building a real estate empire, ultimately valued at $20 million. He vividly recalls the moment in his early 20’s when his thinking broke out of scarcity mode and into abundance overdrive. He was selling his third house, offering a low down-payment when the buyer gave him a check for $25,000. “That was the equivalent of what my parents had netted in almost an entire year. There was no more trading my time for money. It was really about my ideas. I realized it’s how I think that will create wealth, not showing up for a rigid corporate job as an industrial cog.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There was this little inner voice saying ‘you’ve got to do something that’s more impactful, more meaningful, that’s about transformation for other people. If you want to truly be wealthy—not just millions in your bank account but truly wealthy—you’ve got to teach people, inspire them and give them the ability to also be truly wealthy.’”
On His Bookshelf
Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment, by George Leonard
The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure, by Grant Cardone
The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage, by Daymond John and Daniel Paisner
Thinking for a Change: 11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life and Work, by John C. Maxwell
Reinvented Life, by Damion Lupo and Christofer Ashby
Total Control Guide to the QRP: How to get Checkbook Control of your 401K Rollover Money Now!, by Damion Lupo
Steps to Success from Damion Lupo
1. Reduce the noise and chatter to a level of quiet that lets you hear your inner guidance. Turn off your phone and log off everything occasionally.
2. Value your time. Money can be replaced, but time cannot.
3. Take action. Action is where the growth and magic are. When you know your direction, take action.
4. Surround yourself with people who will challenge and inspire you, who are further along the path you have chosen.
Connecting With Damion Lupo
Website: www.totalcontrolfinancial.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/damionlupoofficial/
Twitter: twitter.com/damionlupo
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/damionlupo
Martial Arts, Real Estate, Self-confidence, Serving Others
Author, Business Owner, Real Estate Investment
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582:
The Hardest Decision to Make—Just Do It - Gini Dietrich
Gini had her sights set on law school and becoming a sports agent. Then her mother needed her help to overcome a life-threatening illness, so she took an entry level position at a public relations agency. Passing out samples of cranberry juice at PR events was an unexpected detour on her career path.
Gini Dietrich is the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, an integrated marketing communications firm. She’s the author of “Spin Sucks,” co-author of “Marketing in the Round,” and co-host of Inside PR. She also is the lead blogger at Spin Sucks and is the founder of Spin Sucks Pro.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Caring for her mother through a life-threatening illness derailed Gini’s plans for law school and a career as a sports agent. So, she took a job for a public relations firm, giving out Ocean Spray cranberry juice at events. “I loved, loved, loved that job! I was 25, traveling around the country to cool places and events and staying in fancy hotels. At that age, it was amazing!” She ended up staying 10 years and was on track to be a partner, with equity and “a partner BMW.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Exuberant after getting her client on page one of the Wall Street Journal—a major coup for the firm she had created—and having watched the Google analytics count of new site visitors soar, she found a FedEx package awaiting her at home from her client. Instead of a “thank you,” he had enclosed a copy of the New York Times, with a post-it note, “When is this coming?” The non-thank you note was a big letdown. But instead of becoming dis-illusioned, she sharpened her vision for her firm. “I focused on changing the perception people have of the PR industry.” What felt at first like a rebuff brought her much needed clarity and direction.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“You have to really think about what is important to you. Only one person is going to look out for what’s best for you, and that’s you. The hardest decision you are going to make is when to make a change. Whether it is to quit your job, go out on your own, go for a job you may not be qualified for yet—whatever it happens to be—the hardest decision you will make is to do it. If it is the right decision for you, everything else falls into place.”
On Her Bookshelf
Groundswell, Expanded and Revised Edition: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
What Would Google Do?: Reverse-Engineering the Fastest Growing Company in the History of the World, by Jeff Jarvis.
Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You, by John Warriow
Virtual Freedom: How to Work with Virtual Staff to Buy More Time, Become More Productive, and Build Your Dream Business, by Chris C Ducker
Marketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital Era, by Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston
Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age, by Gini Dietrich
Steps to Success from Gini Dietrich
1. Decide what is most important to you. Get clarity on your personal values and priorities.
2. Change is hard for everyone, but the prospect of getting stuck doing something unrewarding can sharpen your focus and commitment.
3. Focus your creativity on envisioning the future, both your own personal future and the future of your profession.
4. Find and harness your creativity to propel you toward the life you truly want.
Connecting With Gini Dietrich
Website: www.spinsucks.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmentDietrich/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/armentdietrich
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ginidietrich
Change
Business Owner, Email Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media
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581:
Expert Interview: Helping Baby Boomers Sell Their Businesses - Emery Ellinger
Emery Ellinger is the CEO of Aberdeen Advisors, a mergers and acquisitions firm he founded after having built and sold his own multi-million-dollar marketing company. Aberdeen Advisors specializes in representing companies with annual revenues in the 5-to-100-million-dollar range, with owners who wish to sell within one to two years. The company is unique in that every member of the team has owned, operated and sold a business, so each advisory brings personal perspective as well as business acumen to every client relationship.
Helping Baby Boomers Sell Their Businesses
Often business owners will reach a point in life where they realize their son or daughter does not want to take over the family business. Or, in many cases, they may simply decide they want to do something else. They’re faced with the decision: what do I want to do with my company? And where do I begin?
Why Is This Important?
When someone creates and builds a business, it becomes very personal, an extension of himself or herself. The decision to sell it demands personal clarity about motivation for selling and a clear idea about what will come next in life. In fact, many sellers experience the classic phases of grief. And the process of selling a company requires many specialized skills which the average person does not possess. It’s very difficult to view one’s own company and its value in the objective, detached way the market demands.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Because the challenge of selling your own business is often beyond your experience, it is helpful to work with professionals who not only have the specialized “hard skills”—accurate valuation, analysis of strengths and weaknesses, sales potential—but who also understand the “soft side”, the human side, because they have personally experienced selling businesses of their own. Baby Boomers who sell their companies still have many years to live. Planning ahead to what comes after the sale can be just as important as the sale itself, yet this is often left unaddressed by the typical consulting firm. Emery tackles this and other challenges in his book, “Turn Your Blood, Sweat and Tears into Cash: A Guide to Sell Your Business”
Connecting With Emery Ellinger
Website: www.aberdeenadvisors.com
Email: emery@aberdeenadvisors.com
Phone: 727-639-4716
Selling Business
Business Owner, Mergers & Acquisitions
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580:
From Criminal Mind to Consciousness Champion - Antar the Navigator
Antar was convicted at age 20 for bank robbery and sent to federal prison. Although he continued to think with “a criminal mind,” he did accept a book from a prison counselor. “I was totally transformed in one night. I can’t remember his name, but that counselor was an angel in my life!”
Antar Jannah, also known as Antar the Navigator, is a #1 International Best Selling Author, success trainer, entrepreneur, life coach, mentor and founder of Stay In The Miracle Institute. Before that, he had troubles that landed him in prison and was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Against the odds, he turned his life around in prison. He went from being socially illiterate to a published author. Over the last 35 years he has travelled all over the United States, enlightening and uplifting his audiences with his insightful message and formula for not just material success, but success in every aspect of life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I always had a gift: an ability to meet people. Anybody I wanted to meet, I could actually meet them. I would try to help them reach their desired goals.” Unfortunately, his gift took a dark turn. “I met a prominent criminal, a heroin dealer, and joined his family. I mean, literally, he had daughters and sons working with him, and I was friends with them. I thought that was the way I was going to be successful in life. He was like a mentor and another father figure for me. I ended up in a really dark place, and in prison.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Convicted at age 20, a federal prisoner in Lompoc, California, Antar says his “criminal mind” continued for a year and a half or two years. “Then, a counselor gave me a book called, ‘As A Man Thinketh,’ by James Allen, and asked me to read it. Luckily, I was literate, so I could read. I devoured it and it blew my mind! I was totally transformed in one night. I’d never read anything like it before. It was small, so I copied the whole book in long hand in a tablet, because I wanted to keep it. When I gave the book back, he gave me ‘Think and Grow Rich,’ by Napoleon Hill, and said, now read this one, and I did. I can’t remember this man’s name, his face, or anything else, but he was like an angel in my life. He opened up a whole new world for me!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It’s all about understanding Consciousness. Consciousness is a by-product of being alive. Your eyes are blinking, your lungs are working, your heart is beating, and your brain is electrically animated and motivated. The switch is already on! You’re aware. You can realize that there’s something more than your lower consciousness—there is a Higher Consciousness. When you tap into that, you can realize there are other dimensions that you have access to. This is for everybody. I’m not talking about a special group of people, I’m talking about everybody!”
On His Bookshelf
As A Man Thinketh, by James Allen
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
The Secret of the Ages: The Master Code to Abundance and Achievement, by Robert Collier
The Master Key System: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Law of Attraction, by F. Haanel
The Secret of the Infinite Intelligence, by Antar
Dr. Shepherd’s Universe Extraterrestrials on Earth 2022 (1st of 10-part series), by Antar
Steps to Success from Antar the Navigator
1. Everybody on Earth was born to do something special. Everybody. You’ve got to find out your unique purpose and pursue it. There’s something nobody else on Earth can do but you.
2. Nobody can motivate you better than you, but first you need to get in contact with your higher consciousness.
3. There’s nothing more important than you being self-reliant, self-motivated, self-determined. Become your own coach, your own trainer.
Connecting With Antar the Navigator
Website: stayinthemiracleinstitute.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Antar-The-Navigator-409342322601093/
Twitter: twitter.com/antar_navigator
Addiction, Entrepreneurism
Author, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Mentor, Success Coach
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579:
Taking the Time to Define Her Bull's Eye - Helene Segura
Helene had a clear plan as she left L.A.—to be a dual athlete playing soccer and softball for Texas A&M. “My plan got shot to heck when I was cut from the softball team.” If she wasn’t going to be Helene, the athlete anymore, she had to figure out who else she could be.
Helene Segura, author of two Amazon best-selling books, has been the featured organizational expert in more than 150 media interviews. In her time management keynotes and workshops, she shares her mind-bending framework for decreasing interruptions, distractions and procrastination so that companies can spend more time generating revenue. On weekends, she can be found sneaking adult beverages onto the lawn bowling court. Helene’s newest book is “The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In high school, I had this odd mix of friends. I had my nerd friends from the Honors and advanced placement classes, and my jock friends from all of my sports. I also had several gang friends. I grew up in Los Angeles and it is kind of hard to avoid knowing a gang member or two. I got to deal with so many different kinds of folks from different walks of life. They helped shape how I work with people.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Getting cut from the softball team at Texas A&M University was the biggest turning point in my life as I was coming into adulthood. I moved from Los Angeles to Texas, planning to play soccer and softball for A&M. I got to play soccer, but when I tried out for softball, I was cut. My plan got shot to heck! I’d always been used to getting what I wanted. I had to rethink my life. Sports had been a huge part of my life for the previous decade. I didn’t know a life without sports. My identity had been as Helene, the athlete. So, if I wasn’t going to be Helene the athlete anymore, I thought, who am I going to be?”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“One of the first things I do with my clients is have them create definitions of their personal priorities and their work priorities, and their definition of happiness. If we don’t know what the bull’s eye is that we are trying to hit, how do we know how far we are or how close we are to hitting it? So many people are dissatisfied with their jobs because they are in a rut. They are spinning. The way out of it is to create clarity about what happiness is. But most of us don’t want to take the time to think about that.”
On Her Bookshelf
Starting a Business All-In-One For Dummies, by Consumer Dummies
Small Business For Dummies, by Eric Tyson and Jim Schell
The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer, by Helene Segura
Steps to Success from Helene Segura
1. A simple lack of organizational skills can keep you from meeting your goals. Those skills can be learned.
2. The way out of your rut is to gain clarity. Focus on clarity about what makes you happy.
3. Define your bull’s eye clearly. How can you know if you hit it if you don’t clearly know what and where it is?
Connecting With Helene Segura
Website: www.HeleneSegura.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/LivingOrderSA
Twitter: twitter.com/LivingOrderSA
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/helenesegura/
Defining Happiness, Focus, Happiness
Author, Entrepreneur, Organizational Expert
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578:
Expert Interview: Loving Me Is the Key–Finding Happiness Is an Inside Job - Sandy Slovack
Sandy Slovack, M.A., has been working as a clinical counselor since 1995 and has been in the helping profession for more than 35 years as a trainer and speaker. Working with people dealing with the effects of trauma has been her specialty within the mental health and addictions fields. In June, 2016, after publishing her first book, “Hello, You’re Fabulous!: Build Your Self-Esteem for Life,” and seeing it rise to a #1 international bestseller, she learned she had to have a second brain tumor surgery.
Loving Me Is the Key–Finding Happiness Is an Inside Job
“Most people who have ever come into my office have this deep-rooted belief: ‘There’s something wrong with ME.’ Once people can clear this idea, not just in a therapy couch kind of way, but genuinely believe instead, ‘I’m really worthy,’ the world is a different place. I know this from the ground up for myself, having come from a suicidal place at one point in my life. If I can change my beliefs, so can you!”
Why Is This Important?
Clinical psychologists tell us our beliefs are solidified in us by the time we’re eight years old. Our beliefs about men, women, money, relationships, the idea that we have to work hard, our religion—everything in the world—is formed by that early time in our lives. I help people, from the ground up, deconstruct those beliefs and attitudes. Even though most of those beliefs are unconscious, they control our lives.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Scientific research affirms that what we think about ourselves is what creates our world—biologically, physiologically, chemically. Our thoughts and beliefs create health and everything about us. If you are struggling with low self-esteem, start by bringing to mind a sentence about yourself you would like to believe, even if you can’t believe it right now. Find a statement that you can resonate with and believe in wholeheartedly, something like, ‘I’m OK the way I am right now.’ Get your head around that, and vibrate with that at an energetic level where you start to feel good. That’s a great place to start!”
Connecting With Sandy Slovack
Website: www.selfesteemsolutions.com
Believe in Yourself, Self-esteem
Author, Clinical Counselor, Speaker
November 2017:
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577:
If She Can Do It, So Can You - Carissa Hill
Carissa had built a chain of beauty salons on her own. Their growth was fast and steady. Then in her mid-twenties, she had a breakdown moment. She questioned what she was doing and why. One day a customer asked her a couple of questions that would change her life.
Carissa Hill is an entrepreneur, author, speaker and business coach specializing in helping women business owners scale their businesses to six figures and beyond. Her unique approach to focusing on growth allowed Carissa to build a chain of hair salons and run a successful wholesale business by her mid-20s.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Carissa’s father talks about the can-do attitude she had even before she could pronounce her own name. “I pronounced it as ‘Didda’, and I was always saying, ‘Didda do it!’ whenever I saw something I wanted to do. Later, in primary school, I would buy lollipops for the full class at a local shop and sell them to my classmates for twice as much as I paid for them. I was always having ideas and looking for ways to monetize them.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In her mid-twenties, as her beauty salon chain was steadily growing, the challenges became overwhelming. “I had a breakdown moment. I asked myself, what am I doing this for? I thought, maybe I need to start all over again. A business coach came into my shop one day. I never even knew what a business coach was! I had just done it all naturally, on my own. He opened my eyes to spirituality, self-development, and how proper business growth is focused on people and leadership, not just on owning a business and making money. It absolutely changed my life!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“One of the reasons people put up with things that don’t make them happy is that they don’t know any differently, or they don’t believe they can be happy. They don’t know it’s even possible for them. I have a Facebook group with almost 10,000 people in it. One of the most common things holding people back is that they just don’t think certain things are possible for them. Start to believe that if someone else can do something, so can you! They’re just another person, after all.”
On Her Bookshelf
The Go-Giver, by Bob Berg
Steps to Success from Carissa Hill
1. Discover your self-limiting beliefs, face them and let them go.
2. Trust your intuition and inner sense of what feels right.
3. Never stop learning. Many people stop learning when they finish school, which leads to lack of growth or lack of inspiration.
4. Find mentors or coaches. You don’t have to do everything on your own.
Connecting With Carissa Hill
Website: www.CarissaHill.com.au
Attitude, How to Run Successful Business, Limiting Beliefs
Author, Business Coach, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Speaker
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576:
Why Pick One Path? Diversify! - Amir Baluch
Amir was a shoo-in for medical school, or so he thought. He would follow his father’s path and become a doctor. But when the rejection letter came, he asked himself, “Is this what I should be doing? Maybe this is a sign that I should look into something else.”
Dr. Amir Baluch founded FundingNest with the specific purpose of providing turnkey investment opportunities to sophisticated investors and his physician colleagues from around the globe. Amir and his team have closed more than $450 million in real estate transactions over the past five years. In addition to being a successful real estate investor, he is also a realtor, business owner, holds a securities license and is a board-certified Anesthesiologist.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Even when I was 15 years old, I looked forward to every Saturday when I could go to work at a burger restaurant in the mall. I looked forward to it every Saturday. I always had a challenge—how fast can I cook this burger, or how fast can I work the cash register, or how well can I predict when the customers are going to come? By creating these challenges for myself, I could see myself progressing.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Probably the most important event that happened to me was back in 2000. I got a rejection letter from medical school. My whole life I had thought I would go straight through medical school, become a doctor like my father in internal medicine. When I got that rejection letter I had to rethink what I was going to do with my life. I started asking myself, ‘Can I do anything else? Is this really what I should be doing? Maybe this is a sign that I should look into something else.’”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I was so rattled by not getting into medical school, I began thinking there is nothing sure in life. I decided to create multiple streams of income and explore all my talents. That way, if one door closes, another one might open. Even through medical school and residency, my brother and I created side businesses. We would repair salvage cars with some of our friends. We would get watches wholesale and sell them. I put together study materials from sources all over the United States and sold them on eBay for a while. I was always entrepreneurial, even while I was going to med school. Instead of giving up on med school and becoming an entrepreneur, I decided to do both.”
On His Bookshelf
What Color Is Your Parachute? 2018: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers, by Richard N. Bolles
Make It, Keep It: The New Rules of Wealth Preservation for Doctors, by Amir Baluch
Steps to Success from Amir Baluch
1. Talk to people in the field you’re considering. Instead of working in a field three years to see if you like it, why not learn from others who have already been doing it awhile?
2. Find mentors who can help you find what you are good at, what is your sweet spot—something that combines what you are good at and what you love to do.
3. Making progress toward a worthwhile goal is the key to happiness. It’s never just achieving the goal itself. As soon as you achieve it, set another goal.
4. Put together a team of like-minded, motivated people who work well together. Success is more than one person’s accomplishment.
Multi Careers, Real Estate
anesthesiologist, Author, Doctor, Real Estate, Real Estate Investment
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575:
Expert Interview: The Smoldering Embers of a Fiery Youth–Aging with the Right Attitude - Larry Minnix
Larry Minnix has been a leader in the non-profit aging services field since 1973. He was associated with the Wesley Woods Center of Emory University for 28 years, the last decade as CEO. He then became CEO of LeadingAge for 15 years. LeadingAge has been the “trusted voice for aging in America” since 1961, representing over 6,000 non-profit organizations.
Larry has received numerous national awards for leadership by the National Council of Aging and others, and LeadingAge named their Leadership Academy after him to honor his retirement in 2015.
He has three degrees from Emory University, is an ordained United Methodist clergy, the author of numerous articles and speaks and consults on long-term care issues around the country.
Aging with the Right Attitude
“A word about ‘the smoldering embers.’ I was walking through a crowded airport concourse. Suddenly, the concourse traffic is dividing. It must be somebody in a wheelchair, I thought. But it wasn’t. As I get up close, I see a wiry-looking guy. He’s every bit of 80-something—tan, leathery skin, a white flat-top haircut—and he’s wearing ‘anatomically correct’ athletic pants. He’s wearing white shoes and black socks. There’s a determined look on his face, like he’s heading to a bar fight, ready to whip someone’s butt. And the message on his T-shirt said, ‘The smoldering embers of a fiery youth.’ And I thought, now that’s the attitude!”
Why Is This Important?
“There are four basic approaches to aging.
1) You can be a victim and essentially become a disease. People taking this approach will introduce themselves as their illness. ‘Hello, I’m an arthritic.’ Or, ‘I’m a cancer patient.’ People who are victims and become a disease tend to isolate themselves.
2) Take on aging like it is a peak and decline situation. ‘Lordy, Lordy, Don is 40.’ It’s a view that somehow life is on the upswing until a certain age, and then it’s all downhill. These people create a self-fulfilling prophecy for themselves.
3) View aging as a second childhood, or they deny aging altogether. They may get Botox treatments, a trophy spouse, buy a car they should not be driving, or dye their hair. They want to go back to the way they came into this world. Everybody knows they are getting older. It’s not as if people aren’t snickering behind their backs about their vain attempts to look young.
4) Or, they can choose to see aging as a process of ages and stages—gains and losses, new opportunities—‘I can no longer play center field, but I might be a heck of a good coach!’”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Some secrets to growing old gracefully:
- Learn to laugh and cry.
- Keep some semblance of mischief about you.
- Maintain an interest in other people.
- Practice your spirituality, and stay active in your church, synagogue or mosque.
- Make sure everyone you care about knows that you love them–sooner rather than later.
Connecting With Larry Minnix
Email: LarryMinnix@gmail.com
Aging with the Right Attitude
Author, Leadership, Long-term Care, Non-profit, Speaker
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574:
Frame of Mind Changes Everything - Kim Ades
Kim was 15 years into building a family and a business with her husband. When her marriage dissolved, so did her shares in the company. A tool she used to deal with her loss—“it was like my oxygen”—is now the core of her thriving business.
Kim Ades is the president and founder of Frame of Mind Coaching and JournalEngine™ Software. Author, speaker, entrepreneur, coach, and mother of five, Kim is recognized as one of North America’s foremost experts on performance through thought mastery. Using her unique philosophy and quirky coaching style, Kim helps her clients shift their thinking in order to yield extraordinary results and personal transformation.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was an OK student, slightly above average but nothing too brilliant. But I was fascinated with leadership from when I was 14 or 15, and I even used to go to leadership conferences. I was involved with student council and was always engaged in planning events. In high school, they put me in charge of the Students Against Drunk Driving committee, the first of its kind in Montreal, Quebec in Canada.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Kim had been married 15 years, with two kids and a business she had built with her husband. When her marriage came to an end, things radically changed for her. “Life gave me a major jolt! Because we worked and ran this business together, something had to give. I ended up selling my shares of the company. I was really disoriented, without knowing what my career path was going to be. I experienced all kinds of emotions. One of the ways I dealt with that was to journal a lot—morning, noon, and night. It was my source of oxygen. Journaling allowed me to get those emotions out. It allowed me to start to figure out where I was headed in life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We know that the one thing getting in your way is you. Your thinking, values, beliefs, experiences and perspectives all come together to form your current results. By honing in on your thinking, epic transformation takes place in a very short period of time. The results ripple across every aspect of your life, creating colossal changes from relationships to health to revenue.”
On Her Bookshelf
The Art of Possibility, by Rosamunde Zander and Benjamin Zander
Steps to Success from Kim Ades
1. “Don’t give up on looking for your opening. Get creative, there’s an opening somewhere.” – Wisdom from Kim’s father.
2. Cultivate a strong personal drive and commitment to hard work.
3. Practice journaling to develop an awareness of how you habitually think. Use this awareness to change your frame of mind. That’s how you change your life.
Connecting With Kim Ades
Website: frameofmindcoaching.com/ and journalengine.com
Facebook: facebook.com/FOMcoaching
Twitter: twitter.com/KimAdes
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kimades/
Free Gift
Complimentary coaching call for leaders and entrepreneurs.
A free trial of Journal Engine.
Entrepreneurism, Personal Transformation, Positive Attitude
Author, Entrepreneur, Mindfulness Coach, Speaker
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573:
Life Is Not Just Unicorns and Frisbees - Pat McDaniel
Pat’s 10-year success in building a faith-based community for single people led him to take his family and his commitment to help others to the West Coast. Nothing he tried there worked. For a time, he felt angry at God. He faced some hard choices.
Pat McDaniel is the founder of WiseInsights.net, a site dedicated to helping motivated but weary achievers keep making progress toward their goals and dreams. He uses a unique blend of research-backed insights and time-tested wisdom to provide his readers with smart, sure paths toward greater success. His most popular book is “The Research Backed 5-Step Process to Making Better Decisions.” In it, he reveals how to overcome the hidden influences and processes that corrupt our decision-making.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After becoming a CPA and hiring on at Ernst & Young for what he calls “all the wrong reasons,” Pat knew he had to get out or end up going insane. “While I was working there, I was also getting involved in theology and Bible study, developing a strong sense that God was calling me to ministry. Ultimately, that sense of calling proved to be true because I found myself feeling as fulfilled as I ever had felt, doing the things in pastoral ministry that I loved—teaching and communications and working with people and helping them. I am a builder by nature, so it was great to be able to build organizations, structures and systems, and work with volunteers.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After a major disappointment, I started to understand that I was not powerless. Friends helped me understand that I had choices, and my main choice was in how I perceive my circumstances and made decisions. I had taken a victim approach, thinking life is so hard and so unfair, and I was stuck in that way of thinking for a while. Then I realized there are just a lot more options and opportunities out there to make the decision to approach a day or a situation with the right mindset and the right attitude. Realizing that has made a huge difference in my life!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I am entrepreneurial and have been for a long time. One of the things I learned through successes and failures is that sometimes you can be successful for a lot of good reasons, and sometimes you can be unsuccessful, even though there is every reason to believe you should be able to be successful. There are intangibles, things that are beyond your control. It can be a humbling experience when you do not know why you cannot make some particular undertaking work. It is crucial to be willing to learn all you can from these experiences, and not be trapped by self-pity.”
Steps to Success from Pat McDaniel
1. Notice your energy level. It is a clear sign of whether you are living your purpose or settling.
2. Do not indulge in self-pity but focus instead on what you can learn from apparent failures.
3. Do not settle. Know that there is always more to the fullness of life.
4. Take advantage of personality tests, vocational coaches, your faith and any other resources to help you understand who you are.
5. Recognize that “life is not unicorns and frisbees all the time. There are also some thorns and thistles,” and a dimension of grind to life.
Adversity, Multi Careers, Power to Choose, Rewiring Brain
Associate Pastor, CPA/Financial, Digital, Podcaster, Sales
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572:
Expert Interview: Build a Meaningful Life from the Inside Out - Ilan Ferdman
Ilan Ferdman is the co-founder of Satori Prime. He is a life coach, entrepreneur and motivational speaker who is fiercely dedicated to your success. He is helping thousands of people all over the world to connect with their inner passion and transform their lives. His training shows how you can have it all—the ideal job, relationship, and abundant bank account. Your greatest life is just on the other side of your greatest fear. He shows you how to reprogram your brain’s fear response to see the challenges as growth experiences.
Building a Meaningful Life from the Inside Out
“As human beings, we have been programmed how to think about what a meaningful life is. The people I work with have followed that programmed path for some time and have gotten to that place where other people had told them, ‘When you get this, when you have the six-figure job, or sell your business, etc., you’ll be fulfilled and have an incredible life.’ They get to the ‘mountaintop’ and feel empty. In fact, in trying to fill that void, they have often sacrificed their relationships and their health. They have not seen their kids in a decade and have no relationship with them. They thought that somehow when they reached this level, it would all work out. It does not. At that point, people start the journey inward because they realize there is no amount of money or success that is ever going to fill the void or live up to whatever internal conversation they have had about themselves.”
Why Is This Important?
“The stories we tell ourselves, about our lives and our relationships, create very distinct realities. We lose sight of the fact that these are just stories. True, they are often based on a real, but very limited experience. Yet we continue to build on the story long after it ceases to reflect our reality. When we drop our stories about our key relationships, we open a space that allows people to be who they really are. Your experience of that person will be vastly different from what it has been. Something miraculous will show up in that interaction because you have created a space for it that was not there just a second before.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“When you are doing things that are true to you, without needing to find acceptance, love or anything else that must come from anyone other than you, it just feels right for you. If it is true to you—to your deepest desires and who you truly are as a human being—you do not need any external factors to tell you something is right or wrong, bad or good. Your heart is your truest guidance system.”
Connecting With Ilan Ferdman
Website: satoriprime.com
Your Facebook: Facebook.com/SatoriPrime
Twitter: @SatoriPrime
LinkedIn: Ilan Ferdman
Authenticity, Facing Fear, Finding Your Passion
Entrepreneur, Life Coach, Motivational Speaker
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571:
Healthy Heart — Follow It and Be Brave - Dr. Shirley Piccarreto
Shirley was working at Eastman Kodak—in its heyday, the place to be in Rochester, New York. “But I was horribly bored! I needed a do-over! I sold my fancy Camaro, got an old Toyota pickup truck, and my girlfriend and I took off for Texas.”
Dr. Shirley Piccarreto has been teaching, practicing, and speaking in health, fitness, wellness and the alternative medicine field for over 30 years. She is a Doctor of Naturopathy and certified herbalist and instructor. She was also a corporate fitness director for Bally’s Fitness in upstate New York and Toronto and hosted her own radio show.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After a series of unsatisfying, boring gigs, Shirley answered an ad to do PR work for a local Bally International health club. “After about 2 months I got promoted to be in sales and loved it. Then, I became an exercise instructor and started teaching classes.” Soon, she was an area manager. By age 27, she rose to Corporate Wellness Director over Upstate New York and Toronto. “That’s what started me into the whole heath arena in fitness and nutrition. It has been a part of my life ever since.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Rising to Corporate Wellness Director for Upstate New York and Toronto, Shirley was feeling restless again, wanting to do something else. Pursuing her interest in herbal healing, she was in a devastating car crash. “I broke five ribs, shattered my spleen, and broke my back, with lots of lacerations, you name it.” Bedridden for five months, she thought, “I guess I wasn’t supposed to be doing that herbal thing.” But while she was recuperating, she heard about a woman who was teaching herbal classes. As soon as I could, I went to her class. The hair on my arms stood right up! I came home and said, “This is my calling! I just know it.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
As a young woman, when she left the stability and benefits of Eastman Kodak—ignoring social and family pressures—and hit the road to Texas, “I was really proud of myself for trusting my instincts. I did not know exactly what was motivating me, but I know what it was now: that I was following my heart, and that I was brave. Since then, I have never been afraid to make shifts. They may not always be pretty, but I have never been afraid of them. We have to learn to listen to our heart and dream again.”
On Her Bookshelf
The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul, by Danielle LaPorte
The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way, by Wayne W. Dyer
Thank & Grow Rich: A 30-Day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy, by Pam Grout
Healthy, Lean & Sexy…At Any Age!: Transform Your Life With The Secrets of Natural Healing, by Shirley Piccarreto
Steps to Success from Dr. Shirley Piccarreto
1. Set aside time for yourself, through meditation or whatever works for you, to allow your inner desires to bubble up into your awareness.
2. Ask yourself, “What would I love to do if money was not an issue?”
3. Learn how to visualize, and let yourself start dreaming again.
Connecting With Dr. Shirley Piccarreto
Website: Getwellnaturallynow.com and DrShirleySays.com
Facebook: facebook.com/shirley.piccarreto
Email: DrShirleySays@gmail.com
Free Gift
Free Natural Health Classes at getwellnaturallynow.com/free-natural-health-classes/
You can find her teachings and advice at www.drshirleysays.com
Instincts, Natural Health
Author, Herbalist, Natural Health, Physical Trainer, Radio, Wellness Advocate
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570:
Turning Youthful Curiosity into Passion and Skill - Steve Robertson
Steve was a solid athlete in school, but no scholar, especially at math. Then in the tenth grade, an inspiring teacher changed all that. More importantly, he came to understand that reshaping an attitude can change a person’s life dramatically.
Steve Robertson is the CEO of Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs (JKCP), an organization specializing in youth-to-adult programming that turns curiosity into passion and skill. He has been with the company for 18 years. In this role, his primary responsibility is to cultivate a culture that results in memories lasting a lifetime. Steve is an expert on youth development and education as well as on understanding and adapting to youth.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was an athlete in school, playing in many sports. I did enough in the classroom to get by, but didn’t really care whether I was there or not. At an early point, I figured out I wasn’t particularly good at math. Fast forward to 10th grade and a math teacher who had a different perspective and approach: he didn’t allow me not to be good at math. He didn’t let me slip under the radar. I realized through that process that, not only did I love math, but that I could be good at it! That’s important to me where I am today because so many times in life we are in a situation we don’t think is where we want to be or doing what we want to do. Shaping an attitude can really change a person’s life dramatically.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I came to the United States on a tennis trip with some of our more talented youth and we toured around playing tournaments. In Philadelphia, I met Julian Krinsky. He said, “Why don’t you and your family come and join us?” He was prepared to take a risk to give me an opportunity. Here was an organization that was doing tennis and golf camps, a program called Enrichment, where students could sample anything from robotics to coding, public speaking, fashion, cooking, even college credit classes. I looked at this and thought, they have taken something they were passionate about—tennis—and they have grown it far beyond that! When I got home from that trip, I said to my wife, ‘If we’re ever going to do something like pick up and move, now would be a good time to do it.’ She pondered that for a month or so, and we decided to leave South Africa and come to the U.S. Yes, it was scary. We had very little in common with Americans. Culturally, it was a bigger shock than we anticipated. But the transition was successful. My children have grown up wonderfully here. This is our home.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“As I look back on almost 20 years here, the result has been spectacular. The choices you make and the growth you enjoy almost always happen out of difficult times. We don’t necessarily revel in difficult times, but we do embrace them and use them as real opportunities to grow. I feel we’ve done that on a number of different occasions. I started as a tennis coach and now I’m in the role of CEO. Those growth steps and opportunities would never have come about had we decided to stay in South Africa. I’m sure I would have been successful there in other ways, but I see all the things that have happened as a result of our being willing to take a chance.”
On His Bookshelf
The 4-Hour Work Week, by Timothy Ferris
Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us, by Seth Godin
Fish!: A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results, by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, John Christensen
Steps to Success from Steve Robertson
1. Consider this: how often do your fears actually come to fruition?
2. Fear keeps people in a place where they are not using their talents, so they are not happy. Whether you are 30, 40 or 60, it is never too late to make a compelling and impactful change in your life.
3. We’re a generation that wants instant results and convenience. It’s inconvenient to change. To make a real change, you have to be stretched and inconvenienced.
Connecting With Steve Robertson
Website: www.jkcp.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/Lordstevenrobertson/
Twitter: @HouseofGlencoe
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stevenrobertsonjkcp/
Facing Fear, Youth Development
Executive, Sports - Tennis Coach, Youth Development
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569:
Expert Interview: How to Slash Wasted Time at Work - Pete Mockaitis
Pete Mockaitis is an award-winning trainer who helps brilliant professionals perform optimally at work. He’s delivered 1-on-1 coaching to more than 700 clients hailing from world-class organizations such as Google, McKinsey & Company, the United Nations, Goldman Sachs, and Apple, in 50 countries, and at every Ivy League school. He began his career at Bain & Company and currently hosts the podcast, How to be Awesome at your Job.
How to Slash Wasted Time at Work
“All of us can relate to not having enough hours in the day to accomplish what we want to accomplish, and feeling frenzied. There are a few key best practices that, if you apply them on a regular basis at work, you will find yourself with extra hours available.” Pete shares four best practices to make sure you are using your time efficiently and effectively.
Why Is This Important?
“So often, what happens is that someone will say, ‘Hey, could you handle this?’ You may automatically say, ‘Oh, yes, sure.’ Maybe it is because you do not want to be a pest or seem annoying or dumb. You hold back on asking some of the key questions that would make a world of difference in ensuring that you fully understand what was being asked, and expected, of you. Or, if you are not an executive or the director or manager of the project, you think you have to do whatever is asked of you. That is kind of true, but what’s also true is that you have the capability, with your own wisdom, knowledge and perspective, to push back or clarify what you’re agreeing to do in advance, which is a crucial way of slashing wasted time.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“The number one way to slash wasted time at work is to practice push-back. That’s the diplomatic art of saying, ‘No, I’m not going to do that.’ Or, it is the skill of renegotiating a request instead of automatically saying yes to please the person making the request. The second tool is simply to clarify the task, assignment and objectives up-front, so you get a clear assessment from the start and can reduce rework that comes from failure to establish clarity upfront.”
Connecting With Pete Mockaitis
Website: AwesomeAtYourJob.com
Twitter: twitter.com/PeteAw
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/petemockaitis/
Time Management
Leadership Coach, Podcaster
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568:
A Bigger Vision - Chelsea Fournier
Chelsea was only 28 years old, but she was waking up with anxiety attacks so severe she could not breathe. It was not that her law career was so awful, but somehow she had lost her connection to the creative person inside her. Finally she decided this just was not acceptable.
Chelsea Fournier started her career as a business and trademark attorney, but two years into it she was struggling with stress and anxiety and knew she was meant to do more than just sit at a desk and bill her time. She now helps entrepreneurs thrive in the digital economy, and helps people launch home-based businesses. She lives a life of geographic freedom and loves traveling the world, meeting and helping new people.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As Chelsea intensively focused on learning how to be a career and life coach, she recalls, “I began to hear that I have a natural ability to help people break out of their typical thinking, develop a bigger vision, and to be able to fall in love with their plan. I’m good at helping people work backward from a vision to create steps that move them forward every day and get results. Part of that comes from practicing law and being able to take complex issues and work backwards. What that looks like on the ground is helping people become clear about what they want and just take one step. Then, if it’s not too scary and they get results, take that next step. I have a talent for clarifying vision and planning action.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“There was a time in my life when a family member was very ill and ended up passing away. Because I work for myself, I was able to be there. So many of my family members could not be there because they had to go clock-in and show up for a job. I decided, for myself, that will never happen. If my family needs me, I want to be able to be there for them. I focus on being where I want to be, able to support the people I want to support, whether they be clients, entrepreneurs, followers—or, most importantly, my family.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I feel like I have a completely different life. I’m still the same person–but a whole different version of myself. When I see someone I haven’t seen in four or five years, it is a very jarring reconnection, because so many aspects of my life have changed. Self-care is on my calendar on a weekly basis, and I’m being very intentional about making sure that I never fall into the trap of being overworked and over stressed again.”
On Her Bookshelf
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Stephen Pressfield
The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness, by Jeff Olson and John David Mann
Steps to Success from Chelsea Fournier
1. How you do anything is how you do everything. You cannot just show up for life, doing the minimum, then expect to bounce into the life you want to create.
2. If you really want to create a vibrant life, you have to be intentional and consistent about it all the time.
3. You may need to venture out in a side hustle to see if your vision has real potential before you take the leap of faith financially. After all, we live in a gig economy, so test out your vision first as a gig.
Connecting With Chelsea Fournier
Website: www.Chelseafournier.com
Twitter: @ChelseaFOnline
Facebook: facebook.com/chelseafournieronline
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chelseafournier10/
Free Gift
Clarify Your Vision: A simple fill-in-the-blanks worksheet for writing a vision statement and affirmations that will get you excited about your day. Go to: https://chelseafournier.com/clarify-vision-worksheet/
Freedom, Take care of yourself, Vision
Digital Coach, Entrepreneur, Lawyer
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567:
Admitting a Gap, His Opportunities Explode - Michael Sacca
Michael created an online product to help clients manage their brand assets. “Customer feedback was great,” he said, “but we quickly realized we had no idea what we were doing!” So he started a podcast to open doors to the experts whose brains he needed to pick. It led to a whole new gig.
Michael Sacca is the president of Crew and host of Rocketship.fm. He started his career by moving to Los Angeles, California, and pursuing a career in music. After three years of waiting tables, with little success, he decided to teach himself to write code. He used these skills to launch Tiny Factory, a web development agency that won clients like General Electric, Scholastic and Kobe Bryant. While running Tiny Factory, he started the Rocketship.fm podcast and built many other applications and products. He joined Crew two years ago as Head of Partnerships and has now taken over as president. Companies have trusted Crew to source freelancers for more than $30 million in design and development products.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I started playing piano at the age of 5. In high school, I picked up the guitar and played in several noisy punk bands.” He knew how slim the odds were of making a career as a professional musician, but he found a degree program in music business at a state college in Oneonta, New York. “I figured, worst case scenario, I would work at a record label. They were still a thing back then. They still mattered.” He arrived in Los Angeles as the recording industry was imploding, and he had to dig deeply into his creativity to plot a new course.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Temporary work at a restaurant in L.A. ended up lasting three years. I was getting burned out. I had gone to college and graduated. I thought, “There’s got to be something better than this! I moved in with a new roommate in Santa Monica. He would come home at 4:00 a.m., wake up at noon, and make three times the money I did! He had taught himself how to code PHP and he liked what he was doing. So, I leaned on him to teach me the ropes of coding to get my first clients.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
His clear realization of how much he did not know about bringing a new product to market led him to find a creative way of getting experts to talk to him for free—through a podcast. His willingness to acknowledge his limitations and look for reasons to convince experts to open up to him eventually connected him to a totally new opportunity. Within months he was president of Crew and quickly forming new productive partnerships.
On His Bookshelf
The Social History of the Machine Gun, by John Ellis
[Michael explains, “I like this because it takes you through what happens when we create things, and the implications of our decisions.”]
Steps to Success from Michael Sacca
1. Cultivate enough self-awareness to know what you’re good at and what you’re not.
2. Be conscious of your own limits.
3. Develop empathy and use it with your team or your co-workers.
4. Think through the implications of the things you create and their impact on the world.
Connecting With Michael Sacca
Website: https://crew.co and www.thisneweconomy.com
Twitter: @michaelsacca
Facebook: facebook.com/michael.sacca
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelsacca/
Business, Digital coder/designer, Entrepreneur
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566:
Expert Interview: How to Tell Your Time What to Do - Helene Segura
Helene Segura, author of two Amazon best-selling books, has been the featured organizational expert in more than 150 media interviews. In her time management keynotes and workshops, she shares her mind-bending framework for decreasing interruptions, distractions and procrastination so that companies can spend more time generating revenue. On weekends, she can be found sneaking adult beverages onto the lawn bowling court. Helene Segura’s newest book is “The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.”
How To Tell Your Time What To Do
If you know anybody who has ever uttered the words, “I wish I could do that but I don’t have time,” that is who this interview is for. It might be an entrepreneur who is just starting out, or maybe someone who has owned their own company for 10 years and is super successful, but doesn’t have enough time. Or, maybe you’re a person who feels like a chicken running around with its head cut off. Or, maybe you work for a company and you feel like the work is never-ending, that there is never enough time in the day to finish everything. That’s who this program is for today.
Why Is This Important?
Using the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a framing acronym, and the examples of secret agent 007 James Bond, and even the Watergate plumbers, today’s expert zeroes in on time leaks and plots that prevent us from successfully managing time to our benefit. In her CIA example, “C” stands for create clarity. “I” means to implement structure and flow, and “A” reminds you to assemble your team rather than try to do it all alone.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Before you go out and buy anything related to time management for getting organized, it is absolutely critical that you sit down and write down your priorities, then make sure you post them where you will see them every day. They can be in your phone, displayed on your tablet, or on a sticky note posted to your bathroom mirror. This is absolutely critical as a first step in telling time what to do instead of letting time plot against you.”
Connecting With Helene Segura
Website: http://www.HeleneSegura.com www.TimeManagementRevolution.com
Facebook: facebook.com/LivingOrderSA
Twitter: twitter.com/LivingOrderSA
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/helenesegura/
Free Gift
Time Management
Author, Speaker
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565:
Learning Family Values from Dogs - Laura De La Cruz
Laura was learning about dogs—especially obedience and agility. A colleague said, “To learn about agility, get a Border Collie.” But when Laura approached a breeder, she was told, “There’s no way I am going to sell you a border collie. You have no idea how to handle this dog!”
Laura De La Cruz, Ph.D, is an author, teacher, dog trainer and herding judge. She started Leash Up Dog Training as an alternative to the “pack” mentality, focusing on people who consider their dogs to be part of the family. Best-selling author of more than 80 books and journals, Laura teaches business and marketing at New Mexico State University. Laura has trained herding dogs and their people for over ten years. She is also a herding judge for American Kennel Club (AKC) and the American Herding Breed Association (AHBA).
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“As a child we had dogs, but they were never really part of the family. There was a dog in the backyard. We fed them, petted them, waved at them, and then moved on. As I got older, that seemed to be the standard way in which everything was done. I did not realize there was a whole other world of dog life that was out there until I got my first Border Collie. He has since passed on, but he taught me everything I know about this new world of dogs. In many ways, that’s what led me into the world of seeing dogs as members of the human family.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Learning how to learn from dogs, and how to explain what she learns about our relationships with them, has been life-changing for Laura. She describes her work with highly intelligent Border Collies as more of a partnership than a domination of an animal by a human. Her approach resembles mentoring, inspiring, motivating and even encouraging. It is not at all about terrorizing a fellow creature.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“For me, finding my way has always been about a sort of meandering through life. Occasionally I will say, ‘Hey, look! There’s a road or a branch I could take. Let me wander down that one for a while!’ Often, I’ve found my life is going along two tracks simultaneously, and the two feed into each other. My academic life track complements and enriches my life track of learning and teaching about dogs. Finding opportunities to go explore something that might turn out to be a passion is so much easier now than when we were younger, back when 8-track tapes were the big way to get information.”
Steps to Success from Laura De La Cruz
1. Go out and try something you want to do. Whether it works or doesn’t, it is not a bad thing to fail.
2. Failure tells you it is not the right path, so just say, “Let me find another path.”
3. Look at your life as a road. Even if you are meandering, but have some sort of general purpose, there is nothing wrong with a detour now and then. Some of those detours might be where you find your passions.
4. Don’t delay doing the things that you are passionate about. Don’t overload your bucket list.
Connecting With Laura De La Cruz
Website: www.leashupdogtraining.com
Twitter: @LeashUpUrDog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leashup
Free Gift
Passion
Author, Dog Trainer and Herding Judge, Professor
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564:
Science and Sci-Fi Bring Adventure to His Life - Dr. Robert G. Williscroft
Robert built a telescope and looked to the stars as a teenager, dreaming of becoming an astronaut. When that couldn’t happen, he swapped his telescope for a submariner’s periscope, and began the life of an adventurer.
Robert Williscroft, Ph.D., is a retired submariner, diver, scientist, businessman, author and adventurer. He spent 22 months underwater, a year in the equatorial Pacific, three years in the Arctic, and a year at the Geographic South Pole conducting atmospheric research which measures human impact on climate change. He appeared on dozens of radio talk shows, and nationally on the Michael Medved show, CNBC, and FOX News. Current books: The Chicken Little Agenda, A Relativity Birthday Present, Operation Ivy Bells, Slingshot, and The Starchild Compact.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Robert’s passion for science led him to build his own telescope in his teens. “In Darmstadt, Germany, I discovered an institution called the America House. It had a library filled with books in English and German. I stumbled onto some science fiction by Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov and several other classic science fiction writers. I got into science and found myself utterly fascinated with the universe. In high school I built my own eight-inch telescope. I ground the lens. I even won 1st prize in physics for Europe in science fairs.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Early in life, Robert dreamed of becoming an astronaut. That required that he become not only a fighter pilot but also a test pilot. He was able to qualify through the U.S. Navy to become a fighter pilot, but an issue with his vision closed the door to becoming an astronaut. So, he reached back to a childhood memory in Bath, England, where he had become fascinated with the life of a submariner. He shifted focus and became involved in deep sea missions in the U.S. Navy.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“That’s almost impossible to answer. Whatever I’m doing at the moment captures me almost completely. Then, when I shift into the next cell, then that captures me completely, and so on. At the moment, I’m flipping a bedraggled broken down house. It will go on market in a couple of days, and it’s beautiful now. Taking care of details and supervising workers captured me completely at that time. Now, this conversation is fascinating me! Later today I’ll spend a couple of hours writing, and that will capture me. Being conscious and present doesn’t seem to have been difficult for me.”
On His Bookshelf
The Chicken Little Agenda, by Robert G. Williscroft
Relativity Birthday Present, by Robert G. Williscroft
Operation Ivy Bells, by Robert G. Williscroft
Slingshot, by Robert G. Williscroft
The Starchild Compact, by Robert G. Williscroft
All books by Robert G. Williscroft: http://robertwilliscroft.com
Steps to Success from Dr. Robert G. Williscroft
1. Find what truly captures your interest, and then don’t let anything deter you from pursuing it.
2. Learn how to interpret what you’re doing in ways others can understand, even if they see the world very differently than you do.
3. Sometimes barriers will appear. Don’t waste much time on a barrier that seems insurmountable. Use your creativity and intelligence to move on to the next fascination.
Connecting With Dr. Robert G. Williscroft
Website: http://robertwilliscroft.com
Twitter: @rgwilliscroft
Facebook: facebook.com/robert.williscroft
LinkedIn: Robert Williscroft PhD
Free Gift
Free coupons for the Audible versions of “Operation Ivy Bells,” “Slingshot,” “The Starchild Compact,” and “The Chicken Little Agenda” in exchange for a bona fide review of the book(s). Email Robert Williscroft at rgw@agree.net.
Following Passion
Author, Diver, Scientist, Submariner, U.S. Navy
October 2017:
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563:
Expert Interview: Allow Your Talents to Evolve - Sheila Cash
Sheila Cash is an international teacher, author, and speaker in the fields of human potential and conscious evolution. Using an integrated blend of modalities from science, psychology and philosophy, she helps people answer the big questions: why are we here? what is our purpose? what is life really all about? She’s also the bestselling author of “Evolve Your Life.”
Allow Your Talents to Evolve
“Movement traditionally has been taboo in our society. People in their 60s were brought up believing that we should find a place and more or less stay in it. Millennials are naturally evolving into movement and adaptation. Many of us began accepting our movement as being limited, as early as when we were 18 and were expected to know what we wanted to do in school. We ended up spending a frightening amount of money and time trying to meet expectations. But that was just about making everyone comfortable that we were stable and steady. It was not really about authenticity. Sure, there are those rare individuals who have been sole-purpose-driven since childhood, but it’s far more rare to know early on what you want to do for a lifetime.”
Why Is This Important?
“It’s all about authenticity. It’s a deep journey to understand the importance of authenticity in society today. We are seeing it through some advertising and branding, and it’s starting to happen very naturally. We used to be very standardized in society. We were rather closed off. When you think back to tribal times, taking a snapshot of evolution in human society, we can see that we needed to be standardized at one point in time. It was very useful and even critical to our survival. Then, we had the cultural revolution of the 1960s, where everybody kind of went wild. We were breaking out of the corral, trying to discover what life was all about. So, at this point in time, I really believe it is about discovering your own authenticity and making choices around that.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“I believe that from the cellular perspective, within our species, our DNA is actually distributed in a balanced way by the grand design, the bigger picture, for a very specific forward trajectory. Again, this forward movement is organized by the bigger picture. That means each of us has a unique set of characteristics driven by our DNA, but that it really is fitting into a bigger picture. So, your talents and desires, your creativities and capacities are part of the bigger picture, quite literally. It’s both unique to you, and it also fulfills the grand design. The closer we get to our own authenticity, the greater our own life is going to flow. And we are truly fulfilling the bigger picture at the same time we are fulfilling our own authentic design.”
Free Gift
Sheila offers a free book chapter, as well as a free lecture recording to podcast listeners at her website: sheilacash.com/podcast-gift/
Authenticity
Author, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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562:
Accepting and Growing Through Change and Uncertainty - Janét Aizenstros
Janét watched her father abuse her mother until she reached 15. Then she’d had enough and called the police, who told him he had to leave. By observing how her mother turned her life around, she learned she could choose for herself what she wanted out of life and could go and get it.
Janét Aizenstros is the founder and chief executive officer of Ahava Media Group. She founded these companies to give brand creators an opportunity to share their stories globally through different media channels. She has been selected as one of the Top 100 Inspiring Women in Canada ranked as one of the Top 50 women in social media in 2012. In 2016, she was awarded by the City of Guelph as one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
In her teens, Janét loved writing, reading and singing. “I have always believed it is important to document your life, to write down what you are experiencing so you can look back later to see where you came from and where you have been.” Her first book was a poetic autobiography in which she shared her brokenness and pain. “It was very melancholic. I published it at age 34, which gave me the occasion to look back to see how much I had grown and changed.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My parents separated when I was 15. My father was very abusive toward my mother, although he was kind to me. Eventually, I called the police on him because I could not stand the toxic environment any more, and he had to leave. At that time, my mother went back to school, and started her own business cleaning the homes of wealthy people. She did this while she was raising three children, holding down two jobs, and going to school. I think she is the one who instilled in me the belief that you can create what you want to experience and can go out and get what you want.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There’s a belief ingrained in us that we are going to achieve success and then everything is going to be perfect. We live our lives through the prism of perfection, through the illusion that as soon as we accomplish this certain thing everything is going to be perfect. But that’s not true. There are two very real things in life we need to accept: change and uncertainty. The moment you start accepting change and uncertainty, you will find a multitude of things will shift, especially around your expectations. We cannot allow ourselves to be easily swayed by other people and what they are doing in their lives. That is their journey. Our journey is truly meant for us to walk.”
On Her Bookshelf
Jump…And Your Life Will Appear: An Inch-by-Inch Guide to Making a Major Change, by Nancy Levin
The Dream Giver, by Bruce Wilkinson and David Kopp
The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, by Bruce Wilkinson
Tapping Into Wealth: How Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Can Help You Clear the Path to Making More Money, by Margaret Lynch and Daylle Deanna Schwartz M.S.
Steps to Success from Janét Aizenstros
1. Accept the reality of change and uncertainty.
2. Focus on your own journey, not the journeys of other people.
3. Stay in your own lane and pay attention to where you are going. Do not be distracted by other lanes and end up crashing your life.
Connecting With Janét Aizenstros
Website: www.janet-aizenstros.com
Twitter: @jaizenstros
Facebook: @Jae.Aizenstros
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jan%C3%A9t-aizenstros-msc-d-67510433/
Free Gift
Get your free downloadable guide to self-publishing your book today at: https://www.lovelifestylepublishing.com/free-publishing-guide
Change, Uncertainty
Author, Business Owner, Entrepreneur
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561:
TV Hit from the '70s Fires His Life's Passion - Mark Goblowsky
Mark’s immigrant family had a hard, sometimes violent edge. Like countless other pre-teens, he was mesmerized every week by the TV show, Kung Fu. Years later, he would begin to understand and live out the values stirred by that 1970’s hit.
Mark Goblowsky is a career martial arts professional, entrepreneur, podcaster and author of “Strength Through Your Struggle.” He experienced his biggest challenge in life when his young son was involved in a hit-and-run collision with two semi-trucks, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury. Mark believes the capacity of the human spirit is powerful enough to overcome any challenge in life. He’s here to help others discover not just how, but that they too have what it takes to overcome adversity.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
A 12-year-old’s fascination with martial arts survived his teens, despite a lack of encouragement and financial resources. “I joined the U.S. Air Force and at that point I had both time and resources while serving overseas. I crossed paths with a Kung Fu school, which is what I really wanted to study. But with all the insecurities I had, I found that I was scared to death to cross the threshold of that school. I stood at the door and almost turned and walked away, as I had previously done maybe half a dozen times. I was afraid everybody would know more than I knew and would mop the floor with me. But I realized that the fear of walking through the door was nothing compared with the pain I would feel if I did not take action. I did not want to go through life being scared every day. So, I walked through that door, became a martial arts student, then an instructor. Eventually, when I decided to exit the Air Force, I became a martial arts school owner.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Practicing martial arts was everything I wanted and more. It gave me everything I was looking for. In my heart, I knew I wanted to help people, and that I loved martial arts. But I didn’t really understand how they were the perfect fit. I had bought a Tony Robbins personal development course. In it, he asked what would you do if you did not have to work. I said, I would do martial arts. Another question was: what do you want to do with your life? I said I want to help people be more powerful, focused, determined, compassionate, kind. Then it dawned on me that I had the perfect formula to deliver that through the martial arts. I decided martial arts would be my career, and I made a conscious choice to become professional and very good at it, and help as many people as I could.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I learned that it is vital to connect with as many people as I can and help them understand the truth, that life’s not always easy, that we are all confronted with challenges, but we are not alone. You do have what it takes. No matter what falls in front of you on your path, you have exactly what it takes to overcome that challenge and achieve your goal.”
On His Bookshelf
It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be, by Paul Arden
Books and CDs by Tony Robbins
Steps to Success from Mark Goblowsky
1. Finding your passion and then executing it is challenging. But when you’re pursuing it, you know you are in the right place.
2. We are all created for a purpose. There is something unique and special inside every single one of us that we must share with the world.
3. Life is hard, and there are struggles, bumps and hills. But since it is going to be challenging anyhow, why not go with that thing in your gut you have always wanted to do? Ultimately, that’s your most likely path, not just to happiness and joy, but to financial success as well.
4. Your passion imbues the very cells of your body. It’s in your DNA. Know it, feel it and express it.
Connecting With Mark Goblowsky
Website: http://markgoblowsky.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/MarkGoblowsky
Facebook: facebook.com/strengththroughthestruggle/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markgoblowsky/
Adversity, Martial Arts/Kung Fu
Author, Entrepreneur, Martial Arts Professional, Podcaster, U.S. Air Force
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560:
Expert Interview: Eight Steps to Achieving Anything You Want - Thor Conklin
Thor Conklin is an entrepreneur, profitability consultant and host of Peak Performers Podcast. 2017 marks his 18th year as an entrepreneur. Through his consulting firm, Peak Performance Group, he trains business leaders around the world to be peak performers.
Ninety-six percent of businesses fail within 10 years. Thor contends the only reason they fail is lack of profits. Of the four percent that do survive, many only produce enough profits to break even, pay the owner a meager wage or provide shareholders returns below market average. Thor’s extensive background and expertise allow him to not only identify the specific profitability killers that are siphoning off profits but work with the business to fix them. He’s known as the accountability and execution guy.Eight Steps to Achieving Anything You Want
“I wish it could be less than eight steps. I hear so often, can’t you just give me three steps? I think of Napoleon Hill. He wrote the amazing book, ‘Think and Grow Rich.’ If it was that easy, I think all the monks in the world would be billionaires. But we know it takes a bit more than just thinking about it, right? We’ve got to know what we’re after, have a plan, and go after it.”
Why Is This Important?
“The first step in accomplishing anything is to figure out what you want. So often I see entrepreneurs come up with a great idea of what they want to do in a business, and then just start running towards that without giving any consideration to what it means to the other parts of their lives: their health, fitness, family and finances. So, before you pull the trigger on a new idea, make sure you understand what you want in a broad-spectrum, not just in a little niche, but across all areas of your life. Then, once we figure out what we want, we’ve got to come up with an efficient and effective plan.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“If our belief system supports what we’re doing, our actions will transform into routines. Our routines slowly form habits. We’re getting into a groove and things are easier. Our habits can develop into healthy obsessions. Our obsessions can lead to addictions. The word addiction can have a negative connotation, but imagine if you were addicted to supporting your team at work? Of if you were addicted to taking care of yourself? Or to being the best husband or wife possible? Those addictions turn into an identity. This is where things get really cool. This is where, when you just wake up in the morning, all you need to do is take a deep breath, and those actions become automatic. It’s just who you are.”
Connecting With Thor Conklin
Website: ThorConklin.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ThorConklin/
Twitter: twitter.com/ThorConklin
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thor-conklin-9b2b087/
Free Gift
As a listener to Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love, if you email Thor a
50-word or less email describing the biggest issue facing you in business, he will personally respond with a 4-step process to improve or fix this issue. Email: thor@thorconklin.comEntrepreneurism, Starting a business
Entrepreneur, Podcaster, Profitability Consultant
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559:
Turns Out Mortgage Lending Was Plan B - Stephanie Weeks
Stephanie was so dead-set on a career in law, she had no Plan B. Everything she had done in college and work had pointed her toward that goal. Then, after graduation, she received the news that totally changed her path. It turned out, there was a better option.
Stephanie Weeks has been a mortgage lender for more than 13 years. Little did she know that this would become her passion. She has closed thousands of loans totaling hundreds of millions of dollars in volume, but the real joy in her career comes from the smile that she sees from buyers and sellers during a smooth and on time closing. Her mission is to change the world one loan at a time, which inspired her to write the book, “Mortgage Peace: A Proven Formula for a Smooth On-Time Closing.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was 15 years old my parents bought me my first car, a $4,000 Honda. About 10 days into car ownership, I managed to total that car. My parents said, ‘Well, we spent our money. Now it is time for you to spend yours.’ I had to get a 40 percent interest loan to buy a car from a junk yard and put it back together. So, instead of driving a nice, one-color Honda, I drove a Dodge Lancer that was 75 percent silver and 25 percent brown. It was so awesome! I learned to take care of it, put gas in it and pay the insurance. To this day, I know a lot about car engines. I always managed to put holes in the oil pan. I could not afford to constantly replace things, so I had to learn how to be resourceful and fix them. I learned all about brake and power steering fluid, and keeping water in the radiator. You name it, I learned it!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Throughout college, Stephanie was dead-set to go into law. She had no Plan B. She studied pre-law, became a notary public, and earned certification as a legal secretary. But after graduation, her career path changed unexpectedly. “My husband and I had married at age 20. We had bought and sold several properties and built a house. On the day before the closing to sell our house, I found out I was pregnant with our daughter. I thought: ‘I have had three jobs, gone to school and worked full time, so now I cannot imagine I can go to law school full time, hold down a job, start a family and build a house. Even for me, that’s a little crazy!’ So, I went into panic mode. Looking back, I would not change what happened for all the world.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We need coaches and mentors in our lives. A lot of people think, ‘I don’t want to spend money on a coach,’ but I think you need coaches that help you with physical fitness, health, your business, and a spiritual coach. I’ve been fortunate to have those in my life because nothing that I am doing has been freshly created by me. I am not super smart, creative or super intelligent. I just take things I have learned from other people and either implement them or at least use them as a base.”
On Her Bookshelf
Tony Robbins and Wayne Dyer, books and CDs; books in business and self-help, health and personal development
Mortgage Peace: A Proven Formula for a Smooth On-Time Closing, by Stephanie Weeks
Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!, by Robert T. Kiyosaki
The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann
The Positive Dog: A Story About the Power of Positivity, by Jon Gordon
The Carpenter: A Story About the Greatest Success Strategies of All Daring Greatly, by Job Gordon
Just Do It: The Nike Spirit in the Corporate World, by Donald Katz
The Top 2%: How to Become the Highest-Paid, Highest-Profile Person in Your Industry, from The Nightingale Learning System
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg
Change Your Habits, Change Your Life: Strategies that Transformed 177 Average People into Self-Made Millionaires, by Tom Corley
Steps to Success from Stephanie Weeks
1. Find ways to serve people on a higher level through whatever you specialize in doing. “Help make things not so scary, not so painful.”
2. Change the world by affecting as many people as you can in positive ways, one interaction at a time.
3. You may not be super talented, but you can accomplish great things through determination and resourcefulness.
Mentors, Self-confidence, Serving Others
Author, Mortgage Lender
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558:
Finally Calm, Patient, Growing and Learning - Michael Cooper
After finishing his tour of duty in the U.S. Navy at 21 Michael joined his father’s business. “I loved providing service to people, because I genuinely love people.” But he didn’t like how some of the customers were being treated, even by his own father. His challenge was how to learn from the many positive traits he admired in his dad, while distancing himself from the negative qualities he did not want to emulate.
A dynamic life performance coach and consultant, who specializes in mental training for leaders and athletes, Michael Cooper teaches individuals and organizations how to enhance their personal development and create behavioral change to drastically improve results in every aspect of their lives. His company, Human Performance Mentors, helps individuals evolve from what they think they are to what they are truly capable of becoming.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“We had this idea about a new kind of real estate magazine with all color pages instead of the traditional black and white. I was doing it out of my sister’s kitchen and the first publication we developed, we sold 16 pages of ads, at 500 bucks a page. We were short like $3,000 for printing and so I just got on the phone and called a friend of mine, a girl who I had only known for a few weeks and said, “We need $3,000 because this magazine has to go out because I know once it goes out, it’s gonna take off. We have to get this first one out.” She lent it to us and the magazine got printed, we put it out and the next thing you know, we went from a 16-page publication to a 112-page publication in a few months, generating $50,000 to $70,000 a month right away. For a couple of young guys to start something like that and start to make that type of revenue, it was exciting.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After my tour of duty in the Navy I was only 21. My father suggested I join him in the family laptop computer business. Well, I loved dealing with customers and providing service to people. That’s why I do what I do today as a life coach. I just genuinely love people. But what I didn’t like was how some of the customers were being treated and served even by my own father. There’s a lot of ways that I am like him, of course, but I took those positive things that I wanted to take from him. The negative things I wanted to disassociate myself from and stay focused on being the positive person that I am today. So that was a challenge because when you’re talking about getting that from your own parent, someone that’s so close to you, some people don’t detach from the negative qualities. So I was able to establish that from an early age that I did not want to have those qualities and I made the changes.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think most people don’t know the starting point of all achievement, which is a burning desire, a definiteness of purpose. And society is teaching us that you go to school, you get your degree, you get a job, you shut your mouth, and you get a 401K. And that’s success. That’s not so. So a lot of people are stuck in this bubble, they’re stuck in this prison, and there’s no walls or bars to this prison. It’s just all in their head. And so, most people are afraid to step out and live their dream. That’s a lot of the part of the work I do today with working with individuals. I’ll find people all the time, they’ll be like, “I can’t leave my job. I have to make money. I have bills. It’s not responsible for me to not work and pay my bills.” I say to them, “I’m not telling you not to pay your bills, I’m not telling you to not work, but you’re working on someone else’s dream, when you could be working on your dream.”
On His Bookshelf
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
The Commonsense MBA: The Seven Practices of Enduring Businesses for the Entrepreneur by Richard M. Astle
Steps to Success from Michael Cooper
1. The starting point of all achievement is a burning desire, a definiteness of purpose. Most people are not definite about what they want.
2. Work on your own dream, not someone else’s.
3. I learned from a young age that it’s through the adversity, it’s through the challenges and the obstacles, where your greatest rewards are.
Connecting With Michael Cooper
Website: www.humanperformancementors.com
Instagram: @humanperformancementors and @mcempowers and @missingplaybook
Facebook: Michael Cooper
Multi Careers, Personal Development, Transformation
Computer Business, Life Coach, Magazine Publisher, Mentor, U.S. Navy
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557:
Expert Interview: Gen Z – Everything You Need to Know and Why - Steve Robertson
Steve Robertson is the CEO of Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs, an organization specializing in youth-to-adult programming that turns curiosity into passion and skill. He’s been with the company for 18 years. In this role, his primary responsibility is to cultivate a culture that results in memories lasting a lifetime. He’s an expert on youth development and education, as well as understanding and adapting to youth.
Everything You Need to Know About Gen Zs and Why
Although not all sources agree on the exact years that make up Gen Z, Steve includes all those born between 1996 to 2010 in this generation. He is a fan of the Gen Zs because they are innovative, thoughtful, collaborative and motivated. “So what’s not to love about them?” he says. “It doesn’t matter where you are in terms of business or parenting. It is imperative that you understand this is the first generation that has been influenced more by their peers around the world than by their parents, and that’s a significant statement.”
Why Is This Important?
Generation Z is already impacting every facet of life: the workplace, how businesses present and sell products, and even what products businesses present and sell. “We are just starting to get a sense of what the workplace is going to look like and what companies and their products need to look and feel like. For example, I read a statistic that 90% expected to spend less than three years in a position.” The general trend for them in terms of thinking about work life is that they want balance in their lives and to pursue things that aren’t necessarily material or financial, even more than the Millennials. They are more likely to pursue fitness, health and the environment, for example. In Steve’s opinion, “It is probably going be the greatest generation we’ve seen.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
- Partially due to technology allowing people to connect and partially due to travel having become available to more people, this will probably be the most cross-cultural generation of our time. When Julian Krinski Camps and Programs brings students from 47 countries together, they look at each other as peers.
- Those in Generation Z want to work for companies that have the same sets of passions and desires and cares that they do. However, this generation is more likely to gravitate toward self-started businesses than any before it.
Connecting With Steve Robertson
Website: www.jkcp.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/Lordstevenrobertson
Twitter: twitter.com/HouseofGlencoe
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stevenrobertsonjkcp/
Free Gift
Visit info.jkcp.com/dyt (“dyt” is for Discover Your Talent) to read articles that Steve Robertson has written about Gen Z. There is also a discount for any Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love listeners who want to take advantage of sending your child to Julian Krinksy Camps. “I really believe it’s an investment in your child and, when you look at everything that we offer, you probably would struggle to find something that is as exciting and fun for them to do.”
Gen Z
Educator
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556:
Veteran Regains His Passion Through Endurance Racing - Aaron Hunnel
Just before the Boston Marathon, Aaron worked hard on his speech he had been asked to give on what running meant to him. But the man who spoke before him started his speech with the same story he was going to tell. Now he was even more nervous. He knew he had two choices: he could let the fear overcome him or he could find courage.
Aaron Hunnel is a US Army veteran, award-winning wellness consultant, author and national speaker. After returning home from two deployments, he hit rock bottom by failing in his personal and professional life. But he began moving upwards again once he realized and harnessed his personal power through endurance racing. He met a young woman with cerebral palsy, and together they challenged their physical and mental limits as he pushed and pulled her in races such as the 140.6-mile Ironman Triathlon and 100-mile run. He challenges the status quo by empowering people, organizations, and communities to move upwards together through a life filled with positivity, passion, and purpose.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I loved athletics and I loved being part of a team. So I did a lot of different sports growing up. I was in baseball, football, wrestling. I loved the challenge, but I loved experiencing the challenge with other people. And that was a great sense of value and worth in my life, and it probably contributed greatly to who I am today and the things that I do with endurance racing.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After joining the Army in 2004, Aaron was deployed to Iraq. Out on a claims mission one day, a child pointed to the bottle of Gatorade protruding from his pocket. He handed it to the boy and all the other children started to run after him to get the Gatorade. “You would have thought there was gold in that Gatorade, they valued it so much. And here I am, I have access to Gatorade all the time. That taught me about perspective and gratitude, appreciating what I have. It made me feel I get to live in an amazing country. I can never take for granted the things and access to different things that I’ve got. I’ve got to appreciate that.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“In the Army you have to wear patches with the US Army and your name. So that soldiers can remember where to put that patch, they tell you it goes just below your left shoulder and just above your heart. Some will often say, ‘My heart is in the Army.’ And that, to me, speaks just how powerful being in the military is and how much purpose the military gave me. I was part of something bigger than myself. I was part of a team.”
On His Bookshelf
Upwards: Maximize Life with Positivity, Passion and Purpose, by Aaron Hunnel
Steps to Success from Aaron Hunnel
1. Intentionally go out and do things for other people and serve them because there are lots of people that benefit: the person doing the act of kindness, the person receiving the act of kindness and any bystanders.
2. Live with purpose. Purpose is like the guiding light that allows us to see, to have vision.
3. Come up with your purpose statement. Memorize it. When you have certain thoughts, certain beliefs, certain actions, you should be able to ask yourself, “Is this aligning with my purpose?”
4. Test new things and see what works for you and what you like, and then set aside time to do them.
Connecting With Aaron Hunnel
Website: www.aaronhunnel.com
Twitter: twitter.com/aaronhunnel
Facebook: facebook.com/aaron.hunnel
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aaron-hunnel-87986631
Endurance Racing, Passion, Positive Attitude, Veterans
Army, Author, Speaker, Vet, Wellness Consultant
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555:
Freeing Your Imagination in Creative Play - Trudi Pavlovsky
Trudi’s teacher told her, “You’re just like the rest of your family–useless–never going to amount to anything.” Today, Trudi says, “Sometimes I think I’m living a fairy tale. It’s not a traditional fairy tale, but I wouldn’t change a thing! I feel lucky, but I know it isn’t luck.”
Trudi “Sparkles” Pavlovsky is a quirky, creative woman on a mission to support everyday people share their message. Her many years of training across numerous healing, creative and coaching modalities (NLP, Reiki Master, performance coaching, and others) have given her the ability to connect with people across all spectrums of business ownership. She specializes in mentoring coaches and creating courses and events.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“If anyone watched me as a child, they probably thought there was something wrong with me. I wanted to be able to learn dancing as a little girl, but the financial reality of having a single mom, who was raising three kids on her own, meant there was no money for lessons. So, I lived in my imagination. I would pretend to be a ballerina in the backyard. Or I would imagine I was an Olympic horse rider and do imaginary jumps. Or, I would be a fairy in a tree. It’s true, I was a little isolated for awhile there. But today I see it was all part of developing the creativity I use now in my business, especially in the creative game space and training that I am doing.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I began volunteering in a school program. This was, in part, the opportunity to heal my wounded child, create change and make a difference. Then, at 35, I had a part-time job to fund the volunteer work I was doing, and I stepped into a teacher role. In a very nontraditional way, I became a teacher and an educator! I was teaching through games, stories and play. That’s when my life started to feel complete. All the pain, sadness and unhappiness had built me up to be the person I am now. That’s where all the creative stuff came back.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“So many people don’t realize they have the power to choose, the power to change their mindset. I began to look back at things I enjoyed doing as a child, in a nontraditional way. Look beyond the traditional ways to make those things happen. You will see there are so many possibilities. But when we think only of necessity, of the shoulds and the have-tos, we block ourselves from seeing the coulds and the maybes, and the what-would-happen-if flow of things. You don’t have to figure it out on your own. Get somebody to help you!”
On Her Bookshelf
Six Thinking Hats, by Edward de Bono
Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step, by Edward De Bono
The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure, by James Redfield
Steps to Success from Trudi Pavlovsky
1. Don’t be afraid to cultivate your imagination and your creative thinking.
2. Volunteer doing something you love. You’ll be able to see and experience what you have to give.
3. Look back to your childhood to recall what activities gave you joy, then look around for ways to reconnect with that joy in your life today.
4. Stay away from situations that crush your spirit and make you feel unworthy.
Connecting With Trudi Pavlovsky
Website: www.trudipavlovsky.com
Twitter: twitter.com/TrudiPavlovsky
Facebook: facebook.com/TrudiPavlovskyOfficial/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/trudisparklespavlovsky/
Creativity, Power to Choose
Coach's Coach, Holistic Health Coach, Mentor
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554:
Expert Interview: How to Send Your Student to College Without Losing Your Mind or Your Money - Shellee Howard
Shellee Howard is the owner and president of College Ready and a Certified Educational Planner. She has a son who graduated from Harvard in 2016–debt free! She has traveled around the world helping students plan for their “perfect match” college. She knows what it takes to compete for entry into Ivy League schools to small town colleges. She believes that no two students are the same, and that each has a gift/talent and a passion that will set him or her apart from their competition.
How to Send Your Student to College Without Losing Your Mind or Your Money
“It makes me a little crazy that people assume the sticker price for college is non-negotiable. For reasons I don’t understand, people who would never think of paying full sticker price for a new automobile or a home are willing to pay full price for college. I share knowledge gleaned from my years of work with students and parents. My recent book tells step-by-step what to do to make yourself a good candidate for any college, and how to do it and graduate debt free, with a job. My goal is never simply to get a student into college, it’s to get them to graduate with a major that will pay them a great salary, so they can start life without the burden of crushing debt.”
Why Is This Important?
“With knowledgeable guidance, if you plan and strategize so that your student stands out, there will be so many opportunities, including the very real prospect of getting a college education for free! The best stage to start preparing is now, at whatever stage of life they’re in now. Talk about how wonderful college is, and about how the opportunities they will receive there are unlimited. Talking about it when they’re young makes it a lot less scary to talk about it when they are in high school. Visiting college campuses can help your student understand why you’re asking them to work hard in high school.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“There are four main pillars of a plan for getting into college: grade point average (GPA), tests, community service and leadership. If balanced properly, students have every opportunity of getting a free education. There are so many colleges that are willing to meet their needs. You just have to know where to find them. My book can help.”
Connecting With Shellee Howard
Website: www.collegereadyplan.com
Facebook: College Ready
Twitter: @CollegeReadyPan (no “L” in “Pan”)
LinkedIn: Shellee Howard
Free Gift
Copy of Shellee’s ebook: 15 Ways to Get a Reduced or Free College Education
Planning for College Education
Author, Business Owner, Education Planner
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553:
Rising from Failure with His Entrepreneurial Gene - Aaron Hendon
Aaron never got his photography studio off the ground. He was waiting tables in New Mexico because, “That’s what you do with a fine arts degree.” Then, his entrepreneurial gene kicked in and he was up to his elbows in bagel dough.
Aaron Hendon is a Seattle Realtor, real estate investor, author, educator and speaker. He is managing partner of Christine & Company, and a Five Star Real Estate Agent as awarded by Seattle Magazine–winning team for the past 5 years and this year’s winner of the individual Rising Star in Seattle Real Estate. He lives on a small island off the coast of Seattle with his brilliant wife, Kael, his two brilliant children, Leela (13) and Jonah (10) and his adoring, if not exactly brilliant Golden Doodle, Rozy.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My Dad sort of paved the way for me to do whatever I wanted. In the 1970s, he quit his corporate job as a vice president of sales and created a very successful photography business. My parents’ vision for us was, “Do whatever you want. Whatever your heart calls you to do, you can be. There’s no limit.” So, we’ve always been entrepreneurial in my family. We’ve always been sort of a traditional Jewish family, with significance placed on education and learning, and nothing was more important than reading. The other thing about family of origin that most strikes me is the importance comedy plays in our lives.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in fine arts, Aaron headed for New Mexico with his girlfriend to launch his own photography. “The relationship fell apart, and I didn’t have the wherewithal to keep something alive in the face of my own resistance to it, at that age and at that time. I just lost the passion for it.” But it was when he was waiting tables that his entrepreneurial spirit re-emerged. The baker had quit and Aaron asked the owners if he could try his hand at it. Soon he had started a wholesale bread operation and was on his way to his own business making “real bagels,” New York style.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It takes a certain amount of courage to have the self-reflection and introspection to look at your passion, and have the wherewithal to say, ‘I’m going to turn this into something.’ You’ve got to be in a learning mindset to discover your passion and have it work as a job. A learning mindset means you’ve got to be in the game to fail. Learning is all about failing. There’s nothing else to learning except failing until you stop failing. Then, you’re at the bottom of the next thing there is to learn. Inspiration follows perspiration, not the other way around.”
On His Bookshelf
Don’t Get Fooled Again: An Insider’s Guide to the 7 Questions You MUST Ask to Avoid Hiring the Wrong Real Estate Agent (Again), by Aaron Hendon
All Realtors Are Not Created Equal: 7 Questions to Ask to Make Sure You Get a Good One, by Aaron Hendon
Real Estate Blind Spots, by Aaron Hendon (Coming soon)
Steps to Success from Aaron Hendon
1. Listen, listen, listen to learn from Audiobooks and podcasts. Never stop learning.
2. Know when it’s time to act. Without action, nothing changes.
3. Face your fears and use them to generate courage. If you’re facing your fears you are at a place where you can generate courage.
4. Persist, even in the face of failure. You can achieve at anything you persist in doing.
Connecting With Aaron Hendon
Website: www.christine-and-company.com and DontGetFooledAgainBook.com
Facebook: Aaron Hendon
Twitter: @christineandco
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hendonhomes
Free Gift
Avoid hiring the wrong real estate agent, and get yourself ready to sell your home for the most money in the least time. Get your free book at DontGetFooledAgainBook.com.
Failure, Learning
Author, Educator, Real Estate, Speaker
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552:
"Let Me Out of the Box!" - J.J. Flizanes
J.J. passed the test and was a certified physical trainer. But she knew how much she didn’t know, like how to use the exercise equipment. She looked at other trainers and said, “I want to know what that feels like, not just what it looks like!” That’s how her career as a trainer began.
J.J. Flizanes is an empowerment strategist and the host of The Fit 2 Love Podcast Show. She is the director of Invisible Fitness and Amazon best-selling author of “Fit 2 Love: How to Get Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually Fit to Attract the Love of Your Life.” She was named Best Personal Trainer in Los Angeles for 2007 by Elite Traveler Magazine. JJ has been featured in many national magazines as well as has appeared on NBC, CBS, Fox 11 and KTLA.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I grew up with really supportive parents. They were my biggest cheerleaders and still are today. I’m the only entrepreneur in my immediate family, and I’m pretty sure I’m the only one in my extended family who has built something completely from scratch. For sure, I’m the most ambitious. I moved 3,000 miles away from home in Pennsylvania, going to school in New York City because I was always more of a city kind of girl, and eventually moving to California.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Getting out early is a theme of my life. I was born a month early. I couldn’t wait to get out of high school. I got out of college a year early. I was just ready to live my life! Let me out of the box!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We don’t have to endure anything we don’t want to, because we have options. The problem is, we have not been taught how to do one of the most important things in life, which is to process and be comfortable with emotions and thoughts. We will sit on the internet for five days in a row, nonstop, before we go inside our own bodies. We get masters degrees and Ph.D.s, but we don’t become masters of ourselves.”
On Her Bookshelf
If Love Is a Game, These Are the Rules: 10 Rules for Finding Love and Creating Long-Lasting, Authentic Relationships, by Cherie Carter-Scott
If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules: 10 Rules for Being Human as Introduced in Chicken Soup for the Soul, by Cherie Carter-Scott
If Success is a Game, These are the Rules, by Cherie Carter-Scott
Astrology for the Soul, by Jan Spiller
The Invisible Fitness Formula: 5 Secrets to Release Weight & End Body Shame, by JJ Flizanes
Steps to Success from J.J. Flizanes
1. Remember that you have options and choices. You don’t have to endure anything.
2. Learn to know and be comfortable with your emotions and thoughts.
3. Determine if you are acting out of fear or out of love.
4. Be willing to go inside rather than try to control outside circumstances.
Connecting With J.J. Flizanes
Website: www.invisiblefitness.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jflizanes/
Twitter: twitter.com/jjflizanes
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jj-flizanes-empowerment-strategist-2a42b31/
Free Gift
Free ebook: Fit2Love
Author, Empowerment Strategist, Entrepreneur, Physical Trainer, Podcaster, Speaker
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551:
Expert Interview: The Beauty of Failure - John David Mann
John David Mann and some friends started their own high school when in their teens. It was quite successful for a number of years. He is now an award-winning author whose books have sold more than two million copies, including the bestselling classic “The Go-Giver.” His book “Take the Lead” was named by Tom Peters and the Washington Post “Best Leadership Book of 2011.” His latest book, a culinary parable, is called, “THE RECIPE.”
The Beauty of Failure
“Failure is our companion because we’re not very good at controlling the universe. We do try–we just aren’t very good at it. The Universe, a greater power, will toss things, strew things in our path that may seem like obstacles at first, but they often turn out to be opportunities.”
Why Is This Important?
“Most of my books have been business flops, even the ones that I am very proud of. ‘The Go-Giver’ has not been a flop; it’s been a business success. Yet it was rejected 22 times by publishers in New York. Not until our 23rd submission was the book published. A lot of my books that I love the most have never found large audiences. Even on this path of writing–that has worked out so well for me–I keep thinking I’m finished with failure. But failure is apparently not finished with me because it keeps happening.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Despite the twists, turns and walking into walls, I love the way it is. I don’t mean it in a Pollyannaish way. In our world, that is where growth comes from. Growth comes from untenable situations, impossible circumstances, ideas that have no chance of succeeding. Seeds arise out of impossibility. That is where the generation of growth springs up.”
Connecting With John David Mann
Website: www.johndavidmann.com
Facebook: facebook.com/johndavidmann
Twitter: @johndavidmann
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johndavidmann
Failure
Author, Business, Editor, Educator, Entrepreneur, Sales
September 2017:
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550:
An Optometrist's Vision Corrects His Career Path - Phil Potts
Phil worked with people’s vision for more than 20 years as an optometrist. Although the medical side of his life never harnessed his passion, he had an eye and heart for relationships that changed the path of his career.
Phil Potts is a nationally certified marriage coach, the director of Renegade Gentlemen Men’s Ministry, and the author of “Habits of Heroic Husbands.” A decade ago, he found himself at a marriage retreat, ranking his marriage on a 1-10 scale. The surprise came when he compared his number with his wife’s. They were miles apart, and the news hit him like a bombshell. That’s when he decided that he would begin fighting for his relationship with his wife. His book, Habits of Heroic Husbands, is a summary of what he did. Along the journey, he left his unfulfilling career as an optometrist to help other men who found themselves in a similar situation.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In high school and college people came to me to talk about their relationships, to ask me what they should do in this situation or that. Those were my favorite conversations, and they have been for my entire life. They’re the most meaningful to me. I decided, if I could make a living helping people with relationships, that’s what I’d do. But it took many years to see how I could put legs on that dream.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had spent more than 20 years in optometry before I realized I was very much NOT fulfilled. I was not anywhere in my passion. I became very unhappy and unsettled about my career. I was restless and started looking for more. I’ve only been doing relationship counseling for two years and I love it! The deeper I get into it, the more I love it. That was the flip. When I was in optometry, the deeper I got the more I did not like it. That is such a comforting feeling and a very good sign to me that I’ve truly found my sweet spot.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Every step I have taken in the direction of pursuing what I believe God created me to do, my joy has increased, fulfillment and impact on my world has increased. I believe if we operate within what we were created to do—within our sweet spot, which is the only way to operate—we can have the highest levels of joy, personal fulfillment and satisfaction, and the greatest positive impact on the world around us.”
Steps to Success from Phil Potts
1. Focus first on discovering WHO you are, your passions and your loves. Then focus on caring for your family and serving others.
2. Recognize that you don’t have to starve for the rest of your life to do what you love.
3. Look for books, videos, webinars that will light a fire under you, the kind that can give you hope that you can make a living doing what you love. Hope is a powerful thing
Connecting With Phil Potts
Website: RenegadeGentlemen.com
Free Gift
For podcast listeners, a Free, 3-part teaching video series at renegadegentlemen.com/DYT.
Following Passion
Author, Marriage Coach, Optometrist
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549:
Leaving Cushy Comforts for Sweet Success - Lindsay Kinder
Lindsay returned from France filled with a knowledge of cuisine from farm to table. But she also knew she didn’t yet know how she would use it. She needed time. Would she be lulled back into the clarity and comfort of a 9-to-5 job?
Lindsay Kinder left her stable career in life insurance sales to pursue her lifelong dream of learning to cook in France. She spent six months backpacking solo on a quest to discover where great food comes from, and what to do with it. She harvested fruits and vegetables, then sold them in Norman markets, worked on a foie gras farm, participated in the French wine harvest, attended pastry school, and earned a certificate from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She now lives in San Francisco, teaching sold out French macaroon workshops, private cheffing for special events and dreaming up new recipes for her blog Food La La.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Lindsay was one of two women selected for a management training program at the major insurance company where she had worked for four years, her first job after college graduation. “I realized that I was climbing the corporate ladder. Learning what management looked like, what my boss did every day, and the problems that she was trying to solve. I also realized that I had no interest in doing that. I call that my Eat, Pray, Love moment, when I just knew that there was more out there if I was willing to chase it down and find out what it was. But it was very difficult to walk away from that job because it wasn’t terrible. I didn’t dread going to work. I was paid really well and it was fine. There was no major problem, and I think that almost makes it worse when you were trying to make a transition.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Returning from her quest in France, Lindsay moved back in with her family for about a year. “I gave myself permission to just stay in motion. I knew I was not going to have the answer when I got home. And I knew that I needed to be patient with myself and not be afraid and run back to insurance or another stable nine-to-five job. My mantra for that first year of living with my family again was just stay in motion, throw things up on the wall and see what stuck, and get out there and see what I liked and what I didn’t like.” She began adapting French recipes to American ingredients and weights and measures and trying them out on friends and family at the kitchen counter. Soon she developed a course and began offering it to an expanding circle of would-be chefs. The classes quickly took off.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I realized there are so many recipes out there that aren’t well written or that don’t even work. And there are people trying to cook using those recipes, which may not ever turn out right, so they give up trying. I realized I could create really good recipes that would explain why each thing was so important. And I could write them with those people in mind who are not pastry chefs, who might not even know what almond flour is. I wanted them to have that same feeling that I do, the fun that comes when I make something really delicious and share it with other people and say, ‘yes, I made this!’”
Steps to Success from Lindsay Kinder
1. Don’t let yourself be lulled into complacency with benefits and good pay if you know you have another calling to pursue.
2. Pay attention to your Eat, Pray, Love moment, when you just know there is more out there if you are willing to chase it down and find out what it is.
3. Look for your unique place, the niche where you can fill a specific need and love doing it.
4. Consider ways you can teach what you know to a larger audience online.
Connecting With Lindsay Kinder
Website: www.food-la-la.com
Instagram: @food.la.la
Facebook: facebook.com/foodlala1/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lindsay-kinder-210b4910/
Free Gift
Download a free video with Lindsay’s top three tips for instantly upping your kitchen game at: www.food-la-la.com
Love what you do
Chef, Insurance
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548:
Expert Interview: Hero Habits—How to Unleash the Hero in You - Michael Hahn
Michael Hahn is a culture expert, leadership speaker, and author of his new book – Hero Habits: The Guide to Thriving in Corporate America and in Life. Recently featured in Inc. Magazine, Chicago Business Journal and Startup Magazine, Michael has led the culture movement for Allstate Insurance and also won the PRSA award for Brand Management and Reputation in 2015. He’s a master storyteller, multiple degree black belt and Superdaddy, who loves to unleash the hero in individuals, teams and organizations.
Hero Habits—How to Unleash the Hero in You
“There is a polarity inside each person, with the hero on one end and the villain on the other,” Michael explains. “And, here is a tipping point, where a hero trait flips over to the villain, in a dynamic that fits well into a story, a fable.” He explores several personality types and names them—not using psychological categories but characters—such as Captain Courageous and the villain, The Storm. Using almost mythological language and the power of story, he helps individuals discover where their personality is benefiting them and where it is creating a blind spot.
Why Is This Important?
“We can either be a hero or we can listen to that voice in our minds, which is the villain voice. Through conversations with many people, I found that everybody has this same kind of feeling: how do we unleash that hero in ourselves? We’ve all felt moments of greatness, but how do we make those moments sustainable? So, I decided to figure that out, which led me to discover specific hero habits.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
1. Design a winnable game instead of defaulting to failure.
2. Assume positive intent and don’t reject good input simply because you mistrust someone’s intent.
3. Choose happiness. You can either choose happiness or you can default to misery.
Connecting With Michael Hahn
Website: www.Michaelhahnspeaker.com and www.HeroHabits.org
Facebook: facebook.com/michaelhahnspeaker/
Twitter: @BeyondGoodTeams
LinkedIn: michaelhenryhahn/
Corporate Culture
Author, Speaker, Storytelling
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547:
Lessons Learned in a Brooklyn Jewelry Store - Lou Diamond
Lou was doing well on Wall Street, working in the fixed income area to bring stability back to the market. But something was missing that he couldn’t put a finger on. Could his teenage memories of a jewelry store in Brooklyn point to an answer?
Lou Diamond, who’s been a top producer at every firm where he’s ever worked, has led sales teams at Accenture, Deloitte, Omnicom, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America to achieve record revenues year after year. Lou is the CEO and Founder of THRIVE, a leading consulting and coaching company focused on making the most incredible leaders and top performers even more amazing. He is also the author of “Master the Art of Connection.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Lou discovered and developed his skills in connecting with people in his father’s jewelry store. “It was only nine feet wide and 60 feet in length, but that little store on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, New York, provided a living for my dad and eventually, with the other stores he later owned, put me through college. Everything I needed to learn about business started in that particular store. It was there that I realized it all came down to connecting with people. I don’t think I was ever taught that. It was just something I picked up while I were there. But it is a really important skill to have in everyday business interactions.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
At Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Lou was a business major. But he says a class outside his major, a business communications class, was the most important one he ever took. “It was really helpful for learning how to be able to speak in public, how to reach your audience, how to make a persuasive argument. It gave me the foundation in how to communicate and connect with your colleagues at work. It probably changed my whole perspective of what I wanted to do.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I did great on Wall Street, but the thing I did best was help the people around me do better. That’s what I love doing. As far back as the jewelry store, I was learning to figure out what those people needed and how we could help them individually. That brought me to recognize that’s where I need to be, working with amazing people and helping them become more amazing. And that is how I eventually became a coach, while I was still on Wall Street, and then I got into the world at THRIVE, helping people grow themselves, and figure out how they can improve how they do things and how they can better connect.”
On His Bookshelf
Life is Not a Game of Perfect: Finding Your Real Talent and Making It Work for You, by Bob Rotella, with Bob Cullen, Contributor
How Champions Think: In Sports and in Life, by Bob Rotella, with Bob Cullen, Contributor
Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet, by Jesse Itzler
Master the Art of Connecting, by Lou Diamond
Steps to Success from Lou Diamond
1. Build a great support system around you.
2. Seek out the right person to help you. There are great people who want to help bring that amazingness out of you.
3. Know your purpose and focus. Keep your eye on the ball, and follow through.
4. Embrace your failures and learn from them.
Connecting With Lou Diamond
Websites: loudiamond.net and thrivepartners.net
Twitter: @ThriveLouD
Facebook: facebook.com/ThriveLouD/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lou-diamond-thrive/
Careers, Coach
Author, Executive Coach, Financial, Sales, Speaker
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546:
Finding the Courage and Design to Quit - Lynn Marie Morski
Lynn Marie had recently co-founded a health tech startup on medical tourism. “All of my cylinders were firing at the same time. But the sinking feeling in my stomach told me something wasn’t right.” She faced the hardest “quit” of her life.
Lynn Marie Morski, MD, Esq. is a physician, attorney and lifelong quitter. Through her “Quitting by Design” website, she helps people carve out successful lives through strategic quitting. Her goal is to de-stigmatize quitting and illustrate what a useful tool it can be in creating a fulfilling life. When not helping people to and through their quits, she is a physician at the Veterans Administration and an adjunct professor of health law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. Outside of medicine and law, Lynn Marie trains people in the Brazilian martial art of capoeira, plays the guitar and bass, and does work in election reform.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Lynn credits her parents, who instilled a love of learning and encouraged her to explore her interests, for much of the courage she needed, not only to explore new things, but to know when to quit. Her concept of “strategic quitting” is nothing like the unthinking quitting out of anger and frustration. Instead, she has learned to trust her own sense of when it is time to quit and to do the preparation and research for her next step.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
She was a co-founder of a health tech startup, a platform to provide information about medical tourism worldwide, and held the titles chief medical officer and in-house legal counsel. “The startup had a lot of things that were on my desired attributes list: working from home or a coffee shop; making my own hours; and getting to use my medical and law education and a little bit of my multimedia background. All cylinders of my brain were firing at the same time. I loved all that. But there were a lot of aspects I didn’t like. Namely the uncertainty, the lack of any kind of income, and the fact that there was no free time. No time off. She began having physical symptoms and knew she had to quit. It was easily the hardest quit of my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“You need to plan for a successful quit. There are many types of quits and some of them are terribly unsuccessful. For example, if you have a fight with your boss, storm out and quit, you are not prepared for that. You are burning bridges right and left. To quit successfully, you need a lot of methodical thinking ahead of time. What will be my next step? What financial preparations should I make? It may involve downsizing part of your life temporarily, getting new skills, taking on some side jobs. Logistically, a lot of those things can be tackled before quitting.”
Steps to Success from Lynn Marie Morski
If your body is constantly giving you signals that something dreadful is about to happen, something is wrong. You need to re-evaluate what you’re doing.
Don’t sacrifice your health or sanity out of fear that you will be labeled a quitter.
Don’t hold yourself back by letting the things you imagine people would say about you if you quit. These are imaginary concerns inside your head.
Connecting With Lynn Marie Morski
Website: quittingbydesign.com
Twitter: lmorski
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quittingbydesign/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-marie-morski-md-esq/
Quitting
Doctor, Lawyer, Martial Arts, Physician, Voting Reform
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545:
Expert Interview: Leadership Lessons from Mom - Mark Villareal
Mark Villareal is a two-time international best-selling author, keynote and motivational speaker, coach and consultant. He speaks and is an expert on leadership, culture, business development and strategy. He coaches, consults and mentors leaders and aspiring leaders, and managers in development, management and business teams. Mark has over 35-years of experience in building teams and achieving C-Level status, the top positions within organizations he has been associated with in the last 20-years. He also hosts and teaches webinars and seminars on organizational culture and leadership. Establishing the right culture and leadership is the foundation for long term success.
Leadership Lessons from Mom
“Mothers often have the first impact and make the strongest impressions on us. Of course, my father made an impact, too. My mom was a housewife, but I often say she was the best leadership coach who chose to be a housewife. I took 40 lesson from my childhood all the way up to my mom’s death. In my book, “Leadership Lessons from Mom,” I correlate the lessons I learned from my mother, how I lead and how I teach others to lead in business and in life.”
Why Is This Important?
“I have a passion for leadership, which was instilled by my mother, beginning with values and principles. The lessons I learned that relate to business start from a foundation of values and principles.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Values are what you live by daily, and if you live by them daily, then they become principles, which become automatic. On top of your values, your character is built. Every decision you make should flow back to that. When I speak, coach or consult with organizations—whether we’re doing strategic planning or building their vision, mission and values—the values are the first thing we build. They are the foundation of what the organization will become. Every strategy and decision is built upon that and designates who you and your organization are daily.”
Connecting With Mark Villareal
Website: http://markvillareal.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/Shortcutsgetyoulost/
Twitter: twitter.com/markvillareal
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markavillareal/
Company Culture, Leadership
Author, Leadership Coach, Speaker
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544:
A Zest for Life, Networking and Superfoods - David Itkow, aka Sunwolf
David faced a crossroads at age 50. His trusting nature turned to gullibility, costing him his investment of $350,000. His choice: stay stuck and shut down, or use it as an opportunity to catapult himself forward. Some difficult days lay ahead.
David Itkow, aka Sunwolf, is a health and wellness advocate, educator and entrepreneur, who has been in the holistic health arena for over 40 years. With a natural ability to connect people, David embraced network marketing to showcase cutting edge products such as Healthy Socks and Superior Non-GMO Superfoods. His playful attitude, zest for life and youthful looks are a testament to his lifestyle and a metaphor for his signature tagline ‘Squeezing the Juice’ (out of Life). Fueled by his passion to teach both the younger and older generations, ”Squeezing the Juice” is David’s new Mantra. It’s how living simply, with purpose, being in the moment and eating plenty of fresh plant foods, will bring the joy and bliss that is there for us all to claim.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was very young, my mom used to say to me, ‘why can’t I have a normal Jewish boy?’ She used to call me the health nut of the family. Although I have two brothers and a sister, she would come to me and say, ‘I want you to meet my friends!’ She did that because she saw a unique quality in me. That is, I’m a philosopher. I guess I’m an old soul. I was very much alone, but I was not lonely. Early on, I just learned to observe and watch people.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“At age 50, I faced a really big challenge. I made some investments. Because of my nature of just loving everyone, I was very gullible. I got financially filleted. I gave everything away. That totaled more than $350,000. It was very difficult for a time but, thankfully because of my spiritual teachings, I didn’t let it get the best of me. I realized there was a lesson to be learned, a silver lining. I learned that we can either be stuck and shut ourselves down to all other opportunities, or use it as an opportunity to catapult ourselves above it. I’ve learned to ‘feel forward’ on my way to success. I realized, they can take all my material belongings, but they can’t take me! That was a welcome back lash, in a sense.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Do something that really has meaning and significance for you, something that you can even take home with you and be proud of it, not something that you have to separate yourself from and create a distance between your life and your work. It’s all about integration. My work, is a reflection of who I am, my mirror. That’s what I want to instill in others: it’s never too late! If you’re in a job that doesn’t make sense, look at what brings you joy. Sadly, some people have no idea what that is. Delve into your past to discover what really got you excited earlier in life.”
On His Bookshelf
What You Feel, You Can Heal: A Guide for Enriching Relationships, by John Gray Ph.D.
Rise of the Entrepreneur – The Search for A Better Way, (DVD), with Eric Worre, Jordan Adler and Joe Kenemore (Director).
Food Healing for Man, Vol. 1 (Man Series), by Dr. Bernard Jensen
Foods That Heal: A Guide to Understanding and Using the Healing Powers of Natural Foods, by Dr. Bernard Jensen
Darren Daily – Daily Mentoring with Darren Hardy, (Youtube.com)
Seasons of Life, by Jim Rohn, Ronald L. Reynolds
Steps to Success from David Itkow, aka Sunwolf
1. Stay open. You never know. What if there is something there for you?
2. Ask questions. There are no dumb questions. Just keep asking questions.
3. Whatever you do, do what most people don’t do.
4. The road to success is always under construction, but just beginning is winning.
Connecting With David Itkow, aka Sunwolf
Email: sunwolf@frontier.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sun-wolf-31628a1
Mobile: 509-668-3988
Benefitting Others, Following Passion, Food/Eating/Health, Freedom, Love what you do, Travel
Entrepreneur, Holistic Health, Network Marketing, Wellness Advocate
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543:
From the Mekong River to Sesame Street, She Soars - Mali Phonpadith
Mali’s father escaped a re-education camp, and her family fled war-torn Laos. Arriving in the U.S. at age five, she learned English from watching the TV show Sesame Street. Later, her teacher said Mali’s journal showed she was a poet even though she didn’t know what poetry was.
Mali Phonpadith is the founder and CEO of the SOAR Community Network, as well as an author, speaker and podcaster. SOAR stands for See, Own, Articulate and Release. It’s based on that process of uncovering your greatest gifts and talents. A consortium of community networks supporting small and mid-size businesses, it helps them to amplify their clients’ messages through marketing, strategies, technology consultation and educational forums. She’s the founder and host of the SOAR podcast.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Fleeing with her family at age four from war-torn Laos, Mali arrived in the United States. No one in the family spoke English, so she learned the language from the TV show Sesame Street. Later, as she learned to write, she kept a journal of the challenges they all faced. In ninth grade, when she submitted a journal entry for a writing assignment, her teacher pointed out that she had been writing in poetry, not prose. Until then, Mali had no idea her style was unique. “I wrote more, and studied other poets. I started sharing more deeply from the heart. It didn’t have to rhyme, it just had a rhythm and a flow. So, I honed in on that craft and my writing formed the nucleus of my desire to express the deep emotions people are afraid to express. Today, that desire to help people express themselves is the foundation for our business and for my company, and for everything that I do.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Deeply in love and engaged to marry, Mali’s 35-year-old fiancé and 11-year-old nephew drowned in an accident. “It totally shifted the way that I saw my life and my world. I saw that I was basing my decisions on the fear of being in poverty. As a child refugee of war, you have those innate defaults. That painful experience of loss brought me more to life. It helped me understand what we are here for, and to look for ways to be driven by the idea of legacy. I realized that everything we do matters.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’m always working on myself and helping other leaders to see how to move toward developing into great leaders, moving ahead and transcending into becoming legacy-driven leaders. It’s about being intentional in every decision you make, knowing that your decisions are going to outlast you.”
Steps to Success from Mali Phonpadith
1. Surround yourself with like-minded people who will help you find and nurture your unique gift, but…
2. …Be open to others who think and process things differently, because it expands your own mind.
3. Focus on authenticity by coming from your own soul and heart versus borrowing from others who might be similar.
4. Find ways to balance being heart-centered and pragmatic.
On Her Bookshelf
Seen and Sustained: Best Practices in Communication That Increase the Visibility of Small and Diverse Businesses, (a workbook), by Akia T Garnett, Mali Phonpadith, Jane Lovas
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, by Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, by Jim Collins
E-Myth Mastery: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company, by Michael E. Gerber
A Million Fireflies, by Mali Phonpadith
Connecting With Mali Phonpadith
Website: soarcommunitynetwork.com
Twitter: Twitter.com/maliphonpadith
Facebook: facebook.com/maliphonpadithpage
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maliphonpadith
Free Gift
Free visions and mission mapping questionaire at her website.
Careers, Heart-Centered, Leadership
Author, Business Owner, Podcaster, Speaker, TV Host
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542:
Expert Interview: Refreshing Your Marriage - Zev Halpern
Zev Halpern is a licensed psychotherapist and marriage coach practicing from his office in Brookeville, Maryland, as well as coaching couples online across the country and world. He’s a TV show and podcast host, author and speaker with more than 25 years of experience. With the divorce rate climbing, Zev has turned his attention to helping couples find mutual paths to marital fulfillment and family stability. His laid back yet straight shooting approach is the perfect combination to help couples deal with the issues that have been driving them apart.
Refreshing Your Marriage–How Couples Can Learn to Explore, Experiment and Play Again
Marriage gets raw, and people find themselves in places where they just can’t get out of their rut. Or they are just tired of being with each other. There are many reasons for that. One of the biggest reasons is that they haven’t figured out a way to resolve some of the conflicts they have.
Why Is This Important?
“They don’t teach us in school about conflict resolution in marriage. It’s important. If you want things to change in your marriage—if you’re living in a marriage and you crave attention and caring but are not getting it—you have to speak up! Speaking up is the first step toward letting your partner know things are just not going well. If you don’t say something, it can go on forever and ever, and it often does.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“There are myriad things you can do to refresh your marriage. If you do one of them, just one, you’ll already be on your way to doing what your partner desperately craves from you. To begin, speak up, listen, respond, and be willing to try new things, to experiment, explore and play. Don’t stay locked in an unsatisfying status quo.”
Connecting With Zev Halpern
Website: RechargeYourMarriageNow.com
Facebook: facebook.com/RechargeYourMarriage/
Twitter: @Zev_Halpern
LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/Zev Halpern
Free Gift
FREE Marriage and Couples Guides available on website rechargeyourmarriagenow.com
Author, Marriage Counselor, Podcaster, Psychotherapist, Speaker, TV Host
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541:
Learning Leadership That Values People - Bobby Albert
Bobby had just graduated from college at age 20 when his father died suddenly, leaving him the family business and $70,000 of debt. But advice his father had given him in junior high taught him lessons that paid off sooner than he had expected.
Bobby Albert is president of Values-Driven Leadership, LLC. His passion is to help other leaders build inspiring workplace cultures through values-driven leadership. He is a trusted advisor to small and medium-sized organizations and their leaders. Grounded in values and powered by the twin engine of enhancing relationships and driving for results, Bobby helps leaders chart a proven path to extraordinary results.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“As a little boy, I was fortunate to hang out with my dad a lot. He started a reupholstering business in late 1930s, which evolved into a moving business. In junior high school, my dad let me go out on my first moving job. He said something to me that really stuck with me: ‘I don’t want you to act like the boss’ son.’ I would do the dirty jobs that nobody else wanted to do. I didn’t realize how valuable that was when I was working with the crews on these moving jobs. But it taught me lessons that paid off sooner than I expected.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Within one month after I graduated college, at age 20, my father died of a heart attack. During high school and college, I had continued to work in the business, and when I was in college I would also go in on Saturday mornings and help my dad with bookkeeping and paperwork. So, fortunately, I was familiar with that part of the business when Dad died. Then the payoff of following his advice came when I had to have a fierce conversation with our five employees. We were $70,000 in debt I had to ask them to take a pay cut. All of them accepted a pay cut. A lot of it had to do with the fact that they had respect for my dad. But I think what also helped was all those years working side-by-side with them. They had taught me everything I knew. I was able to build respect from them as well.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Working alongside his father’s employees taught Bobby to see the value in each person, to learn what was important to them. “Later, I began to see my work as a ministry, not just a job that I went to every day. Even though thinking about the people side of the business was always in the back of my mind, at some point, it’s like I put a stake in the ground and decided to create a people-first company culture. In fact, our value statement was called ‘People, People, People.’ I found that if I really focus on the needs of the people, they’re going to help me accomplish our goals: with the customers being delighted, and with profits that would soar.”
On His Bookshelf
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You, by John C. Maxwell and Steven R. Covey (Foreword)
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, by Jim Collins
NEW in JULY 2017: Principled Profits: Outward Success Is an Inside Job, by Bobby Albert
Steps to Success from Bobby Albert
1. Understand who you are and discover your core values. This is a life-long process of growing self-awareness.
2. Ask yourself questions like: What do I stand for? What am I all about? Why do I do what I do?
3. Use that self-awareness to guide your search for meaning in life and work. Look for people and companies that share your core values.
Connecting With Bobby Albert
Website: bobbyalbert.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/bobbyalbert
Facebook: facebook.com/Values.Driven.Leadership
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bobbyalbert/
Leadership, Valuing Employees, Workplace Culture
Business Owner, Leadership Coach
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540:
Time to Be a Leader, Not Just a Performer - Carrie Wilkerson
Daughter of a pastor, Carrie sang in her father’s church almost every week. When she was ten, her dad told her, “It’s time for you to introduce your own song and tell a story, not just sing and sit down.” She protested. “I’m a singer, not a talker on stage!” Even at her young age, her father saw potential in her that she did not yet understand.
Carrie Wilkerson is a best-selling author and international speaker. From her experience as a former corporate clock-puncher, high school teacher, sales representative and business coach, she loves showing people how to transform their lives, relationships and bank accounts through core values and goal-setting. She has published a best-selling book, “The Barefoot Executive,” and has two others soon to go to press. A proud parent of four children, and a CEO, Carrie believes you can create a life you love with the people who matter most.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was little I was always told I had too many words. I often heard, ‘Carrie, hush!’ or ” ‘Carrie, don’t talk so much!’ Teachers were always moving me around in the classroom at school so I didn’t talk to my neighbors. Now, I get paid to use those words. I’m a word person. I’m leveraging those talents.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Early in life, Carrie thought she would grow up to be a musical performer. My dad was a pastor, and I sang in his church almost every week. I always knew I would be on stage, but I really thought I’d be a singer or a performer. One week when I was about 10, my father said to me, ‘Carrie, it’s time for you to introduce your song and tell a story to make it relevant to everyone. You are no longer just going to walk up here, sing, and go sit down.’ I said, “Dad, no. I’m a singer, not a talker on stage.” And he replied, “Well, then you’re not going to be able to come on stage anymore. It’s time for you to stop performing and time for you to start leading.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Some of us need to take some risks and say, ‘I know this is not a part of my job, but I really see an opportunity. Would you mind if I took a stab at it on my own time? One of my gifts is X, Y, Z.’ We want the raises and the promotions, but we don’t want to raise our employer’s expectations of us until we are compensated for it. Maybe that’s the difference between that approach and being an entrepreneur: I’m willing to go above and beyond, even when I’m not paid for it, because I know eventually there will be a payday. I think employees can do the same thing. Sometimes when we are unsatisfied at work, it’s our own fault. We’re just not branching out and using our gifts.”
On Her Bookshelf
Steps to Success from Carrie Wilkerson
1. Pay attention to what excites you and keeps you awake, what nurtures your soul. Let that guide you.
2. Look for ways, right where you are, to let your gifts and talents “show up.”
3. Don’t just be a time-clock puncher. Be willing to go the extra distance, especially when you can use your gifts. Don’t be limited by your job description.
4. Bring your talents along, not as an add-on but as a work-in.
Connecting With Carrie Wilkerson
Website: http://carriewilkerson.com
Facebook: facebook.com/barefootexecutive
Twitter: twitter.com/carriewilkerson
Talents
Author, Business Coach, Entrepreneur
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539:
Expert Interview: Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Fitness for the Happy Life You Deserve - JJ Flizanes
JJ Flizanes is an empowerment strategist and the host of The Fit 2 Love Podcast Show. She is the director of Invisible Fitness, an Amazon best-selling author of “Fit 2 Love: How to Get Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually Fit to Attract the Love of Your Life,” and author of “Knack Absolute Abs: Routines for a Fit and Firm Core.” She was named Best Personal Trainer in Los Angeles for 2007 by Elite Traveler magazine. She has been featured in many national magazines as well as appeared on NBC, CBS, Fox 11 and KTLA.
Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Fitness for the Happy Life You Deserve.
“We are complex human beings and we tend to get specific about one track in our life, whatever it may be. It could be anything from religion to personal development to education and physical health. Early on, when I started learning about personal training, I saw that the questions I would ask in training were the same questions that could be asked in any aspect of life. You can take that same structure and apply it to your spiritual life or to your emotional life. The more I learn and try new things, the more I see the many inter-connections. I see there is a big web of all those connections. One of my strengths is the ability to take a lot of different information and weave it together to find the right path—or a more appropriate path—for the individual. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a cookie-cutter way of thinking; it’s very specific to the individual.”
Why Is This Important?
“Throughout my time and education as a personal trainer, I’ve always been digging to answer questions like, ‘Why do we care about improving ourselves? Why are we doing this? Why is this important?’ From the scientific level to the psychological level, I ask why one approach works and why another one doesn’t work, and from the spiritual level, I’m asking, ‘What’s the point?’ So, that’s how I come at my clients, because everything is connected in life. That’s why my company is called Invisible Fitness, because the most important things that create the visible are invisible.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Until you get to that place where you are open to consider that maybe it’s not a question of ‘what’s wrong with me that I can’t keep the weight off?’ or, ‘I can’t seem to stay healthy, or stay on the wagon when I’ve tried diet after diet, program after program, year after year.’ That’s the point at which you say, ‘OK, maybe I’m missing something. Maybe there’s a larger question.’ Not everyone is conscious or ready to become conscious of the thoughts they think, moment by moment, and take responsibility for them and the feelings that flow from them. You have to be ready to look at your behaviors and admit when you have addictive patterns that take you out of your soul’s journey.”
Connecting With JJ Flizanes
Website: www.invisiblefitness.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jflizanes/
Twitter: twitter.com/jjflizanes
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jj-flizanes-empowerment-strategist-2a42b31/
Free Gift
Free ebook: http://fit2love.tv/ebook
Food/Eating/Health, Happiness, Holistic Health & Wellness
Author, Empowerment Strategist, Podcaster, Trainer
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538:
The Courage of an Entrepreneur - Adam Hudson
Adam was on top of the world when he took his company public at age 30. But the economic slide hit and as hard as he tried, he eventually found himself selling text services to small businesses door-to-door. He wondered if he would ever have the courage to be an entrepreneur again.
Adam Hudson is a serial entrepreneur who has built several multi-million dollar companies in both Australia and the United States. He currently owns an Amazon marketing service firm, a homewares brand that sells its products exclusively through Amazon into more than 30 countries, and Reliable Education, an online education company which teaches students across the globe how to build profitable Amazon businesses which generate reliable income streams. Adam is considered an Amazon thought leader and has been featured in: Sky Business News, the Brian Tracy show, Eventual Millionaire, ABC News, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, WebRetailer.com, Inc.com, and Newsweek.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Adam was creating companies by his early 20s. “At 30, I had a company which I took public. I was on top of the world. This was in the years leading up to 2008. The company had a nice valuation, and I had eight figures worth of stock in escrow. Then 2008 happened. Overnight, I lost millions of dollars in net worth and real estate all over the place, which I had to fire sale and pump the money into the company to save it.” He managed to save the company, but had to fire more than 70 percent of the employees and work for free for a year-and-a-half.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After the 2008 crash, I had been completely broken. “It came down to digging really deeply to realize I was much stronger than I knew. I went door-to-door selling a text messaging marketing service, signing up small businesses to send text messages out to their customers. Walking down a shop-lined street, I would look into a shop and convince myself that the owner was too busy and go to the next one. Within 20 minutes I had basically made an excuse for every business on the street! I got back in my car and was about to turn the key when I had an overwhelming sense that time, fate and circumstance were watching me to see whether I had what it takes to be an entrepreneur. If I turned the key in the ignition, I probably would never go back to owning a business again. I said, ‘Adam, this is it. This is where you are at. You have to overcome your fears. Get out of the car, go in and actually ask for the order!’ Within an hour, I had signed up two coffee shops at $300 a month retainer. I was on a new course.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Adam was going out for a cup of coffee a couple of years ago, when suddenly he knew something was wrong. “The street started to fall away from me. I got dizzy, and I said, ‘I’ve got to go back to the office.’ But I collapsed and was taken to the hospital, where they diagnosed me with acute anxiety and panic attacks.” He’d never experienced anything like it in his life. Afterwards, at a yoga meditation retreat, he was asked to write down things that bring him joy, moments of authentic happiness. And then he was told to write how he spends his day. What he learned was what he was doing every day, and what brought him joy, were completely different things.
On His Bookshelf
The Shift (Kindle Edition with Audio/Video), by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer or on YouTube
Evolved Enterprise – How to Re-think, Re-imagine, and Re-invent Your Business, by Yanik SilverBuilt to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You, by John Warrillow
Steps to Success from Adam Hudson
1. Create space in your life to listen to your inner voice. Most of the mistakes we make happen when we ignore that inner voice.
2. Make sure that all of your enterprises have a social component. Focus on giving back and contributing, not just making money.
3. Develop empathy for people and the ability to teach them what you know.
Connecting With Adam Hudson
Website: www.reliable.education
Facebook: facebook.com/ReliableEducationAcademy/
Anxiety, Entrepreneurism, Panic Attacks
Amazon Marketing, Entrepreneur, Teaching entrepreneurs
August 2017:
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537:
Spiritual Insights Guide Her Career Coaching - Evangelia Leclaire
Evangelia was only 13 when her parents separated, each one struggling with mental disabilities. She faced a choice: act out some typical teenage foolishness or chart a course toward her own health and wellness. She chose wisely.
Evangelia Leclaire is an expert career coach at The Muse and founder of Career Ready Set Rock, an independent consultancy for millennial women and moms who want more meaning in their lives and careers. She has gone from campus to a career at a Fortune 100 company, to a start-up called Dream Career, where she spent nearly 15 years helping people pursue their career dreams. Evangelia is a career strategist who swears by the power of strengths assessments and action plans, and believes that the greatest life blessings and lessons come from being present, surrendering and having faith.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Evangelia’s parents separated when she was 13. She witnessed both parents struggle with mental disabilities. “By seeing both my parents’ struggles, I was able to make choices for myself in my teens. I could either fall down a path and do typical, crazy teenage stuff, or choose to take care of my own health and wellbeing. I chose the path of advocating for overall wellness in many areas of my life.” She became active in student activities, including building AIDS awareness and promoting sex education. “I began studying psychology, personal development and self-help from people such as Anthony Robbins, and reading about neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and anything that would help me understand how I can shift my thoughts, achieve success and promote positivity.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After participating in the University of Dreams program on an internship in college—helping to write the mission statement, shadowing the founder to learn all I could—I became awakened to the concept of discovering and pursuing my dream. Before then, I didn’t even know what that was or what it meant! As a result of the internship, I gained a framework and a context for understanding the direction of my life’s work. I spent the rest of my college years figuring out what other internships would help me define what I wanted to do. I became focused on maximizing the opportunity that college gave me to travel and learn about myself.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I explored several internships, hoping one of them would turn into a full-time job. None of them did. What I learned was this: it’s important to accept a responsibility for what it is. I learned to do a job well, no matter what it is, even if the activity is monotonous. In an internship with the United Nations Associations, my job was to find pictures of people who had lost arms and legs to landmines, and then write effective captions for each one. Doing that day in and day out was very humbling. While I was thinking to myself how tedious the work was, I also experienced a sense of gratitude and love. I would pour that into this activity, because I knew so many people really needed my work to be successful. So, there I was—with all my limbs intact—making this mission known through this one mundane task.”
On Her Bookshelf
The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer
Steps to Success from Evangelia Leclaire
1. Pour a sense of gratitude and love into whatever task you are doing, even the mundane or tedious.
2. Keep an eye on the larger good that you are doing as a way of expressing your best self in whatever you are doing.
3. Accept a responsibility for what it is, and don’t let your resistance distract you from your greater vision.
4. You can shift your thoughts, achieve success and promote positivity.
Connecting With Evangelia Leclaire
Website: www.evangelialeclaire.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/evangelialeclaire/
Internships, Personal Development
Career Coach
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536:
Expert Interview: Collaboration–What It Is and How It Works - Tim Sanders
Tim Sanders spent most of his early career on the cutting edge of innovation and change. He was an early-stage member of Mark Cuban’s Broadcast.com, which had the largest opening day initial public offering (IPO) in history. After Yahoo acquired the company, Tim was tapped to lead their ValueLab, and by 2001, he rose to Chief Solutions Officer. In 2005, he founded Deeper Media, which provides consulting services for leading brands. Today, he is one of the top-rated speakers on the lecture circuit. Tim is the author of four books, including the New York Times bestseller Love Is the Killer App: How To Win Business & Influence Friends. It has been translated into more than a dozen languages and featured in Fast Company, USA Today, the New York Times, The Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor and on CNN. A master storyteller, he offers listeners actionable takeaways that produce results right away.
Collaboration–What It Is and How It Works
“We studied the effectiveness of collaborative meetings in more than 186 situations, in companies from five employees up to 50,000. We wanted to see how often participants left the meeting with the solution in hand. So much depended on the variety of perspectives included in the room. When you add a second perspective—for example, when sales brings in marketing you increase by 50% the chance you walk out of the meeting with a solution. On the average, we walk out of the room 15% of the time with a solution. The other 85% of the time, it was just another stupid meeting. When you bring in that second perspective, it goes up to 30%. But watch this: When you bring in a third perspective—let’s say, sales, marketing, customer service—your chance of finding a solution goes up 100%. Now, here’s the magic of the Beatles, the power of four: When you include a fourth perspective—it could be a millennial generation employee, who sees the world completely differently—you increase your chance of finding a solution by 300%. more than 70% of the time, when there were four perspectives in the room, participants walked out with their next play. That’s remarkable! I think that’s a good take away for in hand. It’s not about how many bodies are in the room, it’s about how many perspectives.”
Why Is This Important?
“Collaboration is not in our DNA as much as we think. Most organizations see collaboration as a last resort, not a first response. If you Google the word collaborate, one of the definitions is ‘to confer with the enemy. Collaboration used to be when the dissidents and the Insurgent would compare notes to overthrow the kingdom. so, it’s no surprise that in an organization sales doesn’t want to collaborate with marketing, and marketing doesn’t want to collaborate with customer service. With that in mind—when we’re thinking about collaboration as a first response, not a last resort—there is a proven process, with definite steps to increase the chances of success.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
1. Share your knowledge, your network and your compassion to multiply the value of everyone you interact with.
2. Success is a team sport.
3. Collaboration gives small business a competitive advantage over big companies.
Your ability to collaborate is only limited by your ability to make friends in unusual places.Connecting With Tim Sanders
Website: http://timsanders.com/dyt
Facebook: facebook.com/timsanders
Twitter: twitter.com/sanderssays
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sanderssays/
Free Gift
Download a free mini-ebook: Genius Is a Team Sport, and watch a video on how to organize your team. http://timsanders.com/dyt
Collaberation
Author, Business Coach, Speaker
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535:
Her Healing Reshaped Her Work and Her Life - Jayne Warrilow
Jayne’s company was succeeding, but she wasn’t happy. Then, a health crisis nearly killed her. “I’d reached the limit of medical knowledge, but it didn’t have to be the end of my story.” Her healing would reshape her approach to work and life.
Jayne Warrilow is founder of JW International, a global coaching and development company with a focus on resonance as the key driver of individual and organizational success. She is one of the world’s most exclusive business coaches and her clients are by invitation and referral only. Jayne has worked with CEOs and senior executive teams around the world, best-selling authors, trailblazing coaches, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, celebrities and people who simply want to make a difference.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My parents were both working people in a small coastal town in England. Mom was the ‘tea lady’ who pushed a tea cart in offices. She started her own business when I was 12 or 13, a really small cafe. Although she didn’t know anything about business, she took it step-by-step and was successful. She ended up with two cafes and one restaurant in our hometown. At 16, I found myself running three of her businesses when she decided to go to the east on holiday with my dad. So, I got a very practical business education early on in life!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Misdiagnosed and improperly treated for 11 months after a child birth-related accident, she became bedridden and bound to a wheelchair. “When I was told I was going to die, I knew I had to turn my back on mainstream medicine! Just because I’d reached the limit of their knowledge didn’t mean I had to be the end of my story. I went on my own spiritual healing journey to come back to life.” Along the way, she became much more intentional about reshaping her way of living and working. Today she brings an entirely new approach to her work with clients.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“When I went back to work after healing, it was like walking into the Living Dead. I realized there was no energy in corporate life, which I hadn’t noticed before. I realized I had to bring these worlds together—fusing a purpose-driven consciousness of healing energy and spirituality with the more left brain, logical, data-driven, strategic model of business growth. It felt like a calling to me.”
On Her Bookshelf
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond, by Michael A. Singer
Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life, by Gregg Michael Levoy
The 10 Day Coaches MBA: The Small Business Book For Coaches Who Want To Play Bigger, by Jayne Warrilow
An Energy Awakening: How the Power of Energy Can Change Your Life, by Jayne Warrilow
Steps to Success from Jayne Warrilow
1. Decide what you want to create in life. You have the ability to create the life you want.
2. Recognize that you don’t discover your purpose in life, you create it.
3. Align your life with what matters most to you, and find ways to make positive contributions.
Connecting With Jayne Warrilow
Website: resonantcoaching.com
Twitter: twitter.com/JayneWarrilow
Facebook: facebook.com/ResonantCoaching/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jaynewarrilow/
Benefitting Others, Holistic Health & Wellness, Medical Treatment, Overcoming Obstacles, Rewiring Brain, Spirituality
Author, Business Coach, Speaker
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534:
A Passion for Helping Vets Reach Greatness - Phil Randazzo
Phil applied for a commission-only job selling fire extinguishers. The interviewer startled him by asking the last personal development book he’d read. When he couldn’t think of one, the man threw a Jim Rohn cassette at him and said, “Get out of my office and don’t come back until you learn to work on yourself!”
Phil Randazzo is a serial entrepreneur and veteran supporter. He owns Text Safe Teens, a patented app to prevent people from using cell phones while driving. He runs and operates American Dream U, a nonprofit that helps transitioning military find their dream job or start a business. The organization has reached over 20,000 veterans. He was invited to the White House and to testify in front of Congress, given the key to the city of Las Vegas, and more.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
From childhood, Phil knew he wanted to be a teacher and a coach. Ironically, he was not an especially serious student, and his happy-go-lucky ways led to a wake-up call in his junior year of college: he got his girlfriend pregnant. “You wake up pretty quick when that test strip turns pink!” His girlfriend has been his wife going on 25 years. In hindsight, he sees how his life has brought him around to teaching and coaching thousands of veterans and their families as they re-enter civilian life.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
When asked on an interview what was the last personal development book he had read, Phil did not know what the man was talking about. He responded, “I have a college degree.” The interviewer shot back, “A college degree doesn’t mean anything. When was the last time you worked on yourself?” As Phil remembers, the man “threw a Jim Rohn cassette at me and said, ‘Get out of my office and don’t come back until you learn to work on yourself!’ So, I went to the library and started learning about personal development. I was hooked! It was just great! To this day, I spend at least an hour to 90 minutes a day learning about personal development, working on myself.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Learning to give back to the community, to be generous, even before I feel I can afford it. Psychologically, it is hard to think about being charitable when you’re focusing on meeting your own obligations. But all the masters teach this, and it really is true that generosity pays off. What you give away comes back. To anyone listening, that is a game-changer.” But Phil explains there is a paradox. “As Les Brown teaches, you have to fill your own cup first, and share the overflow. As vital as generosity is, there’s an important self-care component to generosity.”
On His Bookshelf
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
Steps to Success from Phil Randazzo
1. Start by taking small steps: volunteer in an area that you care about. Try doing it like “A Day in the Life” of whatever appeals to you.
2. Practice generosity and giving back, even before you have a lot to give. What you give always comes back to you, but…
2. …learn to fill your own cup first. Whatever overflows, give it back to the community.
Connecting With Phil Randazzo
Website: www.PhilRandazzo.com and www.AmericanDreamU.org
Twitter: phil_randazzo
Facebook: facebook.com/phil.randazzo
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phil-randazzo-6279179/
Giving Back, Multi Careers
Coach, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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533:
Expert Interview: How Good People Do Great Things - Terra Winston
Terra Winston, Ringleader of inTerractions, has dedicated her life to helping clients navigate successful careers that drive fulfilling lives. She’s a leadership consultant and executive coach with more than 20 years of consulting experience. She creates results for companies and individuals, from boardrooms to plant floors. As a coach, she helps leaders make meaningful impact on their organizations. A sought-after speaker, Terra delivers presentations that do more than entertain; they give attendees the tools to change behavior.
How Good People Do Great Things
“There’s an interesting myth that nice guys finish last. I want to debunk this. I think good people are positioned to do great things in this world. The world has a dire need for good people. We need them so desperately. When I say ‘good people’, I mean people who are good at what they do, who fundamentally want this world to be better. That doesn’t mean you have to sell all your possessions or dedicate yourself only to nonprofits—although that’s a great thing to do—but you just want the work you do to contribute to a greater good, as opposed to working only for personal gain and power.”
Why Is This Important?
“When someone knows that they want to do good, who is willing to invest in being their best self in whatever lane they choose, and they take an outward view, constantly asking themselves how their best good can contribute to an even greater good, that’s when great things happen. Good people doing great things is really about applying your best self to a greater good.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Good people do great things. Get out of your own way. Stop thinking that you’ll do it later, or that it’s not for you, or you can’t make an impact. Start today, in the world you live in, and in the lane you are already running in, and ask, “How can I do my most good?” That may mean finding your soft skills and to grow yourself to be a leader who is in position to make more decisions. Don’t take yourself off the table for that. Don’t feel like you have no power. You can make your team as strong, as reliant, resilient and supportive as it can be, and people will notice a difference!”
Connecting With Terra Winston
Website: www.interractions.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Interractions-103136373230914/
Twitter: twitter.com/terrawinston?lang=en
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/terra-winston-91415/
Executive Coach, Leadership Consultant
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532:
Opening Up to Happiness Through Left-Right Balance - Betty Rae
Betty had musical talent and a voice like Julie Andrews, but her true passion was teaching. She also knew early on she had a special spiritual gift, but it couldn’t flourish until a strong negative force was out of her life.
Betty Rae is a multi-talented woman. She is an artist, best-selling author, speaker, teacher, and mystic with an ability to communicate with angels. She taught vocal music and English for nearly 30 years. After retirement, she became more involved in her work with angels. She has written several inspirational books. She now lives in Florida, working on the second in the series of “Soul Mates & Angels.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Betty Rae had begun doing psychic and spiritual readings for people after her divorce from an abusive husband. “I would hold their rings and get visions. For example, sometimes I would see their house, although I had never been there. I would describe it to them. Everybody would say, ‘Here, hold my ring!’ So, I began opening up to that. At that time, I was with my second husband, so I wasn’t being ridiculed or put down or laughed at for my beliefs. I found out that I had a gift, that I could see energy patterns. I could sense things about people, know things about perfect strangers.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I think I was always very spiritual, though not so religious. I began exploring world religions with a professor at Michigan State University and found it absolutely fascinating! I decided to become an ordained minister, and halfway through the course my first husband came back into my life in 1989. He introduced me to my second husband. I think the angels were at work there. He was a wonderful man. We were married until 2004 when he passed away. It was a major turning point in my life. To find a man who accepted me for who I was and loved me unconditionally. That’s just a wonderful thing.” Through his acceptance and support, Betty Rae was able to use her spiritual gifts with confidence.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I have learned to use both hemispheres of my brain. The right hemisphere is used for visions, pictures and ideas, the abstract. The left hemisphere takes that abstract idea and finds words and ways of explaining it in the physical world. When I learned to balance both hemispheres of the brain, I called it ‘the genius mind.’ This has provided a way to do so many unique and different things, in my artwork and in my creativity.”
On Her Bookshelf
Soul Mates & Angels, by Betty Rae
30 Days to Happiness, by Betty Rae (coming soon; watch her website)
Steps to Success from Betty Rae
1. Find ways to create silence to enable you to listen to your angels. Turn off the electronic chatter.
2. Let go of the critical thinking that judges you through “could, should and would.”
3. Get in touch with your playful imagination. Welcome happiness.
4. Look for ways to balance the hemispheres of your brain and contact your “genius brain.”
Connecting With Betty Rae
Website: www.angelbettyraeandraphael.com
Twitter: @BettyRaeandRaph
Facebook: facebook.com/betty.rae.58
Free Gift
A free 15-minute communication with your angel. Sign up at www.angelbettyraeandraphael.com
Angels, Spirituality
Artist, Author, Mystic, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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531:
Power of a Vow - James Miller
James had earned a psychology degree and signed up for a temporary assignment in a psychiatric hospital. While there, he found himself standing in exactly the place where, as a 17-year-old, he had made a vow to help teenagers get the best care possible. It was a prophetic dream coming true!
James Miller is a licensed psychotherapist and piano composer who has been in the mental health field for 20 years. He recently began pursuing the next chapter of his life by creating James Miller Lifeology, where he helps people simplify and transform their spirit, mind, and body. He also uses his international radio show to help people learn valuable life lessons and overcome any obstacle they may face.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
At age 17, James was having a hard time connecting with people. He was briefly admitted to a psychiatric hospital for an evaluation. The staff explained he was feeling teenage angst and a type of situational depression. “While I was in there I thought, if I have the ability to help people, I’m going to help teenagers get the best care possible. Clearly, I didn’t know what that was, but for me, that was my vow.” Four years later, after earning a degree in psychology, he signed up with a temp agency for a job as a psychiatric technician. “All of a sudden, I find myself in the same unit, in the same room where I was four years earlier when I made my vow! I remember it was such a powerful moment for me. When you make a vow, you don’t know where it’s going to take you.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
On the day James was celebrating the joy of opening his private practice, he returned home to find his house empty. The person with whom he’d been in a meaningful relationship had packed up and left. At first, he thought he had been robbed. After three or four months of grieving and struggling to understand, he would come to see this devastating blow as, “A gift of goodbye. Sometimes, to reach for the next stage in our lives, we have to be pushed.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It was a real spiritual awakening and realization, that I don’t want to go through life without having a strong spiritual connection and a sense that the creative force of the universe is here with me. Whether you believe in God or the Universe or whatever else, at some point in life you will find yourself on your knees, just because life happens. And when you find yourself on your knees, you look for something to give you strength.”
On His Bookshelf
Hero (The Secret Book 4), by Rhonda Byrne
The Power of Positive Living, by Norman Vincent Peale
Steps to Success from James Miller
1. We are all self-made people. The choices we make determine who we become.
2. Always ask yourself, especially in times of pain, “What am I learning about myself right now?”
3. Focus on finding a source of strength that will carry you through life’s challenges. That source may be God, the Universe, a philosophy or spiritual practice. The choice is yours.
Connecting With James Miller
Website: www.JamesMillerLifeology.com
Twitter: JamesMLifeology
Facebook: facebook.com/jamesmillerlifeology
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/jamesmillerlifeology
Free Gift
Special offer to Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love podcast listeners: 20% discount on Lifeology Academy, courses to simplify and transform your life. Use the discount code: talent.
Music, Overcoming Obstacles, Spirituality
Psychotherapist
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530:
Expert Interview: How to Prepare for a Successful Quit - Lynn Marie Morski
Dr. Lynn Marie Morski is a physician, attorney and lifelong quitter. Through her “Quitting by Design” website she helps people carve out successful lives through strategic quitting. Her goal is to destigmatize quitting and illustrate what a useful tool it can be in creating a fulfilling life. When not helping people to and through their quits, she’s a physician at the Veterans Administration, an adjunct professor of health law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. Outside of medicine and law, Lynn Marie trains the Brazilian martial art of capoeira, plays the guitar and bass, and does volunteer work in election reform.
How to Prepare for a Successful Quit
“We all hear the self-help mantra, ‘live your best life.’ A lot of people skip right over the part about having to quit whatever is making your current life NOT your best life, so that you can add things that will make it your best life. A lot of times, that’s the pain point, the sticking point. It raises questions like, ‘Will I have to quit the situation I’m in? Or this relationship, this job, this academic pursuit? The live your best life books may jump straight to asking, ‘What would you like to do instead?’ But if you can’t get past the quitting portion, you’re never going to get to step two.”
Why Is This Important?
“Using strategic quitting as a tool, you should happily claim the label of a quitter, because that means that you aren’t stuck in fear, that you are not spinning your wheels doing something that doesn’t work for you. Instead, you take the reins and say, ‘I’m quitting this thing that doesn’t work and am moving on to something better!’ That’s why I love to destigmatize the word. A friend pointed out something interesting to me: We have all lost something in life, but we don’t walk around labeling ourselves as losers. So, why should you think if you quit something unproductive that you will be permanently labeled a quitter? These are just words—semantics—and mere words should not keep you stuck!”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Pay attention to those things in your life that give you that sinking feeling in your gut. It might come in relation to a part of your job you just don’t like. It may relate to a particular friend. Sometimes we have friendships we need to quit so we can move on to greener pastures. Or, if you are in school and certain classes fill you with dread, step one is to check in with yourself to see what makes you feel that way. Your gut is not going to lie to you. When you get that sinking feeling, or anxiety, or just not sleeping well, check in with things like that. They may be areas where you should contemplate a strategic quit.”
Connecting With Lynn Marie Morski
Website: quittingbydesign.com
Twitter: lmorski
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quittingbydesign/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-marie-morski-md-esq/
Quitting
Lawyer, Physician
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529:
A Portable Career - Marcelle Yeager
When Marcelle and her husband decided he should accept a job as a foreign service officer, starting in Uzbekistan, she knew she’d have to give up the job she loved. Looking at the bright side, she saw this as an opportunity to start her own business. What she needed now was a “Portable Career” that could travel wherever her husband was posted.
After 10 years of strategic communications consulting, Marcelle Yeager changed course to enable people to get to the next level of their careers. Her company, Career Valet, helps mid- to senior-level professionals secure new roles. She recently co-founded ServingTalent, the first recruiting agency for military and foreign service spouses. Marcelle holds an MBA from the University of Maryland. She is a regular contributor to U.S. News and World Report’s On Careers blog and ClearanceJobs.com.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
At a very early age, Marcelle created her own small business called “Just Things,” selling goodie bags and trinkets to her friends. To this day, some of her friends still have the business cards she created for that childhood business. She also learned the value of communicating and learning other languages, and expanded her view of the world through a Bosnian friend who lived with her family after escaping her war-torn country.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
When Marcelle’s husband accepted a job with the Foreign Service, she was able to adapt her concepts based on her experiences, helping her clients benefit from her own real-world challenges. Much of this would only be possible because of the worldwide reach of the internet.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It’s not always going to be perfect and one hundred percent, but I can meet my own needs, career-wise and personally, and the needs of my family. I would like to continue with my companies to see where they can go. I believe I can help many more people find rewarding careers.”
On Her Bookshelf
Passion Capital: The World’s Most Valuable Asset, by Paul Alofs
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
Steps to Success from Marcelle Yeager
1. Recognize that you have always been building your network, as far back as pre-school. Don’t be afraid to reach out to those people, tell them what you’re doing and ask them questions.
2. Most people love to give advice. Feel free to ask for it. You don’t have to take all the advice, but you learn from being open to considering the ideas of others.
3. Remember, too, that nothing is set in stone. You can always change. You can’t know everything when you start.
4. Choosing your own path and shifting plans when you need to helps better control stress.
Connecting With Marcelle Yeager
Website: www.careervalet.com and www.servingtalent.com
Twitter: @careervalet and @ServingTalent
Facebook: facebook.com/careervalet and facebook.com/servingtalent
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marcelleyeager/
Free Gift
Receive a FREE copy of Marcelle’s guide, 4 Ways to Boost Your Job Search Success, at www.careervalet.com
Careers, Communication, Travel
Career Development, Communications, Entrepreneur, Public Relations
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528:
Living from His Creative Side - David Ralph
David Ralph was a successful financial trainer in London for 20 years. He delivered big results for his clients and life was good. However, the inside story was very different. He hadn’t been present in his family’s life. He was living under the belief that he was delivering what they wanted—nice holidays, a nice home and nice cars—when actually they had never asked for any of that. But they did ask, “Could you take me to dance classes tonight?” or, “Will you come see me in the school play?”–which he never did. He made the decision to start everything again, this time putting his family at the forefront of all his decisions. With his podcast, Join Up Dots, he is thriving internationally. His life has never been better.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was one of those people who could have been a very good student, but I was more interested in making people laugh and entertaining them. I was always receiving the classic report, ‘David could do better if…’ Mostly I was focused on the creative arts. On my podcast, we often say, ‘If you can go back to your childhood days and see what you loved doing, just because it was what you loved to do, those are the things you should take with you into your adult life.’ That’s what I’ve done. I’ve transitioned from the creative side of art, speech and communication into my business now. But it took me a long journey to get there. My school career was mostly me floating through, with limited ambition. I just didn’t know what I wanted, even with all the clues floating around me.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
For David, the turning point was slow in coming. For 13 years, he struggled to find ways to tap into his creative side in the banking industry. Then, after a couple of aimless years, he made a similar effort in the insurance industry for another 12 years. “Fortunately, for me, when I stumbled onto podcasting—which was another 10 years down the line—that’s when it all came together!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My focus wasn’t in the wrong direction. It was in the wrong environment. I had gone into banking without a clue, so I thought the natural next step would be to go into insurance. I should have gone totally away from that! Now, I say that to my listeners: if you don’t like doing a job, it’s more likely that you don’t like the environment. You don’t like being suppressed in an office, or you don’t like being held back. You’ve really got to think about what you want to do.”
On His Bookshelf
The 4-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferris
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth, by T. Harv Eker
Top Tools on His Browser
Google Drive for global access to all his documents.
Steps to Success from David Ralph
1.Take the blinders off and become aware of possibilities all around you.
2. Let go of the idea that work must be hard and onerous. If you’re doing what you love, you will work hard, but it won’t seem like hard work.
3. Surround yourself with people who are doing what they love and learn from them.
Connecting With David Ralph
Website: www.joinupdots.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/joinupdots/
Twitter: joinupdotsdaily
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/david-ralph-5a5b4680
Creativity, Family, Feeling Stuck
Banking, Financial, Podcaster
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527:
Expert Interview: Creativity–A Gift and a Craft - Bob Stromberg
From his home in St. Paul, Minnesota, Bob Stromberg travels continually, performing his unique blend of original story, stand up and “shtick.” His work has left lasting impressions on Fortune 500 companies, raised multiple millions for non-profits, garnered literary and theater awards and broken box-office records in the United States and Europe. The London Times said, “He’s a genuinely funny man.” The Chicago Sun-Times called him, “… a mesmerizing physical comedian.” Most impressively, Bob has joined a very small group of elite artists who have stayed prolific and profitably busy for more than 40 years. He’s done it by “Mastering the Craft of Creativity.” In his online class, Bob shares three profound, transforming disciplines that lead to creating a rich, personal reservoir of original ideas.
Creativity–A Gift and a Craft
“Gift and craft are two good words to help us understand what creativity is and how it works. Creativity is a gift in as much as something of creativity is woven into our genes. It’s hardwired into us. But we are not born creative. What we are born with is a capacity and a desire to experience creativity. We begin using it almost immediately as we move from early infancy into Early Childhood.”
Why Is This Important?
“You may say you are not creative. But here’s the deal: you used to be! As a baby, one day you rolled from your front to your back and couldn’t wait to try it again. You got up on your knees and rocked back and forth for a week. It was just thrilling. All of this was experiencing the joy of creativity. We can experience that as adults when we are doing something we really love.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Our creativity often gets beaten down and suppressed through the pressures of life. But the gift is still there! it gets harder and harder to experience our gift of creativity as we adapt to life and gradually forget we have it. But creativity does not work the way the world does. Creativity is not about finding the one correct answer, or about mindlessly complying. It’s about playfully trying many possible answers and options.”
Connecting With Bob Stromberg
Website: bobstromberg.com
Your Facebook: facebook.com/StrombergCreativity/
Twitter: twitter.com/BobStromberg
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bobstromberg/
Creativity
Comedian, Storytelling
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526:
Discover the Power of Your "Guiding Words" - Amy Smalarz, PhD
Amy had been in a consulting position she enjoyed for 10 years. One day the staff was called together and told that their division president had just been fired. It was the nudge she needed to step out on her own. She quickly discovered she had a lot to learn.
Amy Smalarz, PhD, is a women’s empowerment coach and author of Living Intentionally: How to Bring Balance to You and Your Family. She hosts the podcast, Living Intentionally, and is a speaker, teacher and contributor to the Huffington Post. All of these things are the building blocks for her core values and driving ambition: helping people discover how to live intentionally, and empower themselves in their personal lives and business. The information and experience she provides helps women uncover and rediscover their truest, best selves and bring that to everything they do in life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Amy’s grandmother and parents taught her about empathy and activism at an early age, through their own advocacy for people who were voiceless or shut out of the system. She also learned how to listen and connect the dots in what people were saying. Her first job out of college was in customer service at Blue Cross Blue Shield in Massachusetts. “In that job I learned a lot of the challenges with the system because all I heard every day was complaints, and how the system wasn’t working for the folks who had insurance coverage. That, in and of itself, was a huge learning experience. It was like drinking from the firehose!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After working for years in corporate consulting, the staff was called together one day and informed that the president of the U.S. division would no longer be working there. His replacement was someone Amy did not respect. This gave her the nudge to line up some clients, leave the firm and start a practice of her own. Now in her fourth year, she has continued to earn credentials, including becoming a high-performance coach.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We get so stuck in the monotony, with the blinders on. There is too little time for getting back to who you are as an individual—not as a collection of labels like parent, student, office worker—but as the words that guide our daily lives. I learned my own guiding words are Present, Passionate, and Bold. One of the joys I get from working with people, especially in workshops, is to ask them to write down their own guiding words. At first, they just sit there. Then all of a sudden they kind of smile, as they realize, “Yeah! That’s who I am!” Then, we work on turning those words into actions. When you do that, even if you’re not in a job you love, you can bring YOU into that job and love doing and being YOU.”
On His Bookshelf
Steps to Success from Amy Smalarz, PhD
1. We all have that voice inside of us that tells us our potential. Learn to recognize that voice – not the voice that only gives negative chatter. Following that positive voice’s guidance brings amazing results.
2. Give yourself the gift of time and space. Even if you start out with a minute or less, that’s probably more time than you’re currently giving yourself.
3. Find the words that describe you, your guiding words. They are not labels or categories, they are the words guiding your actions on a daily basis. They help remind you who you are and what drives you.
Connecting With Amy Smalarz, PhD
Your website URL: http://amysmalarz.com/
Twitter: @ASmalarz
Facebook: facebook.com/LivingIntentionallywithAmySmalarz/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amysmalarz/
Free Gift
Amy’s “Living Intentionally” Workbook at amysmalarz.com/
Entrepreneurism, Positive Attitude, Women
Author, Empowerment Coach, Podcaster, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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525:
A Life-Saving Attitude - Steve Lawton
After careening headlong into a tree at 45 miles per hour and suffering a major brain injury and many broken bones, Steve believes every interaction with another person is a bonus that might never have happened. “It’s a powerful way to live and get through whatever comes up in your daily life.”
Steve H. Lawton holds a BS and MS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University, as well as an MBA from St. Edward’s University. He has 27 years of business experience in roles from an engineer in the Astronaut office at NASA to an executive at Dell. He is the author of “Head First! A Crash Course in Positivity,” a story about how his attitude literally saved his life from a near fatal skiing accident. Steve enjoys helping others by sharing his story and practical advice on how to create a positive mindset, lead with positivity, and achieve better outcomes for individuals and organizations. He has given a TEDx talk and spoken to employees at Dell, Accenture, EMC, VMware, and others, and has also been a guest lecturer at Texas A&M University and the University of Texas. Steve and his wife of 26 years, Deanna have two teenage children and they have grown quite fond of them.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As a pre-schooler, Steve was an avid fan of the space program. On the morning of a Saturn V launch he would be up and in front of the TV as early as 5:00 or 6:00, eagerly awaiting another launch. Years later, after earning his degree in engineering, his first job at NASA had him working directly with astronauts and was a dream come true. He helped design the various scientific experiments the astronauts would perform in space, making sure their movements with the hardware would be as efficient as possible.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had a near-death experience when I skied into a tree at 45 miles per hour, head first, on Amen Run at Breckenridge, Colorado. I’m lucky to be alive at all, it really should have killed me! I think I was brought back for a reason. A big part of it is to share my story and help people improve their own attitudes. Three years after the accident, I still maintain the attitude that I’m living on bonus time, and that every interaction with another person is a bonus that might never have happened. It’s a powerful way to live.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Steve’s leadership role in the huge annual Student Bonfire Project taught him that his success as an engineer was not only about science and math. “That bonfire project was as formative to me as my engineering classes. I recognized how important interacting with and leading people was to me. To this day, the hardest role I’ve had was in leading that large student construction project. It helped me recognize that I need interactions with people. Those interactions give me energy. It was a super formative experience in my life.”
On His Bookshelf
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey
Head First! A Crash Course in Positivity, by Steve H. Lawton
Steps to Success from Steve Lawton
1. Recognize life is short and how fortunate we are to be here.
2. Recite your intentions each morning as a way of living more intentionally.
3. Cultivate life-affirming attitudes: your attitudes can save your life!
4. Commit that everyone who comes in contact with you will be better off as a resul
Connecting With Steve Lawton
Website: http://stevehlawton.com and http://amzn.to/2sbohFK
Facebook: facebook.com/stevehlawton/
Twitter: @stevehlawton
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/steve-h-lawton/
Positive Attitude
Author, Mechanical Engineer
July 2017:
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524:
Expert Interview: What If Your Wife Ranks Your Marriage a 10 Out of 10? - Phil Potts
Phil Potts is a nationally certified marriage coach, the director of Renegade Gentlemen Men’s Ministry, and the author of “Habits of Heroic Husbands.” A decade ago, he found himself at a marriage retreat, ranking his marriage on a 1-10 scale. The surprise came when he compared his number with his wife’s. They were miles apart, and the news hit him like a bombshell.
That’s when Phil decided that he would begin fighting for his relationship with his wife. Phil’s book is a summary of what he did. Along the journey, he left his unfulfilling career as an optometrist to help other men who found themselves in a similar boat.
What If Your Wife Ranks Your Marriage a 10 Out of 10?
“One of those simple things I just didn’t tend to do is sit down on the couch and ask my wife one or two questions about our relationship and about me as a husband. I would ask, ‘How am I doing and how can I do better? If you envision a marriage that is absolutely wonderful and beautiful, what would that look like and what do I need to change?’ She started to share some of those things, and they were very hard to hear at the beginning. But her answers showed me exactly where we stood and what I needed to do to cover the ground between where we were and where we wanted to be.”
Why Is This Important?
“Research shows that on a 1-to-10 scale, wives will rank the marriage an average of 3 points lower than husbands will, almost always. That’s pretty sobering! Getting clear about how we each evaluate the relationship—sooner rather than later—and committing to improve it can stop partners from drifting too far apart. Motivation, the WHY behind the effort, is the critical factor.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“It’s important to come up with reasons that are bigger than yourself. It can be for God or just for your wife, or for some other reason, just so long as it’s bigger than yourself. If your motivation is strong, that is what will keep you present and in the moment. It will never come from just trying harder. You have to have a motivation that’s bigger than yourself.”
Connecting With Phil Potts
Website: www.RenegadeGentlemen.com
Free Gift
“Untapped” – a video mini-course about how one question transformed Phil Potts’ marriage and can do the same for you. The first 25 “Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love” listeners who sign up to receive this free course will also be emailed 2 additional bonuses. Click this link: RenegadeGentlemen.com/dyt
Importance of Communication
Author, Marriage Counselor
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523:
A Nudge Toward Her Vision - Megan Peterson
Megan, an addiction counselor, long had a vision for a better, more client-friendly way of matching chemically dependent people with appropriate caregivers, but she had resisted taking it to the marketplace. Finally her husband gave her the nudge she needed to put her concept—and herself—to the test.
After working in the addiction field for more than 15 years as a counselor and pharmaceutical representative, Megan Peterson knew there was a better way for patients to get help. So, she took action and started 2nd Chance Counseling Service. Her passion is to help patients who need that second, third and tenth chance. “As long as you are willing to put in the work, we will be there to help.” The telemedicine platform she developed breaks barriers such as schedules, work and family, making it easier for clients to get the help they need.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Megan’s love of sports—softball in particular—carried her through her university years. She says sports harnessed her competitiveness and kept her focused and out of trouble. Partly influenced by the TV series, Profiler, she felt drawn to a job at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) but sensed a government job would control too much of her life. As an undergraduate, she did focus on criminal justice, but with a minor in addiction studies.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After years of working and loving her job as an addiction counselor—often with the most challenging, relapsing clients—Megan’s perspective dramatically changed when she became a mother. Living with the discrepancy between the way she was trying to parent her own children and the damage caused by inadequate parenting she saw in her clients, she was becoming disillusioned about the effectiveness of her work. A solution arrived in the form of a pharmaceutical company representative, who saw Megan’s potential for educating physicians about treating opiate addiction.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
As seductive and easy as her high-paying pharmaceutical company job was, Megan found she was unfulfilled. She’d long had a vision for an improved way of matching chemically dependent clients with appropriate caregivers but had resisted putting her concept to the test in the marketplace. Finally her husband got through to here: “I will support you in whatever you decide, but I don’t want to hear any more about your idea until you put it into action.” It was the nudge she needed to launch her innovative idea.
Steps to Success from Megan Peterson
1. No matter how trapped you may feel in your situation, know that there are always other options that will become clear to you as you take action.
2. Even if you can’t immediately walk away from your situation, you can use your time off to explore the things that spark your passion.
3. Look for new ways to improve the work you are doing by seeing it through fresh eyes.
4. Learn a new skill, sign up for a course, join a support group. Find ways to be around others who share your values and enthusiasm.
Connecting With Megan Peterson
Website: 2ndchancecounselingservice.com/dyt
Twitter: twitter.com/2ndChanceCS
Facebook: facebook.com/2ndchancecounselingservice
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/megan-peterson-97628b75
Addiction, Benefitting Others
Entrepreneur, Pharmaceutical Rep
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522:
Crisis of Meaning Reveals His Passion - Moustafa Hamwi
Moustafa knew his fast-lane, materially successful life was leaving him empty. He went to India searching for passion in his life. When a swami asked him what he was thirsty for, he realized he did not have a clue.
Moustafa Hamwi is an award-winning author and speaker, and is one of the world’s leading experts on the topic of passion. He’s achieved in one year what took others in his industry 20 years, to such an extent that he got nicknamed globally as “the Passion Guy,” due to his amazing success empowering people to discovering their passion. He’s been selected by the world’s number one executive coach, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, as one of the top 100 coaches worldwide, from a pool of more than 12,000 applicants.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Syrian by birth, Moustafa lived in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and basically, all around the Middle East. “When I graduated university with a degree in marketing, I came to Dubai, just looking for a job like everybody else. Marketing took me into handling public relations for Nokia in the Middle East, back when Nokia was the key provider of mobile phones.” He discovered he was very good at throwing parties. “So I thought, ‘I can do something like this for myself.’ I quit my job and opened an event agency, which went flying! Within a few years, I went from four people to 45 people, multimillion-dollars turnover, with an event agency, modeling agency, communication agency.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Hard-driving in business and life, partying on a grand scale, Moustafa began to feel emptier and emptier as his success grew. He made a dramatic shift in lifestyle–stopped smoking, drinking and partying, and focused on yoga, meditation and the pursuit of spirituality. “I had spent many years of attending courses and reading about personal development, but I was still kind of a hobbyist. I consumed a lot, but it was all surface-level, entertainment-type knowledge.” His quest led him to India, where he met a swami. “He asked me, ‘Do you know what you are thirsty for? Because if you do not what you are thirsty for, you cannot quench your thirst.’ It was a wake-up call for me. I realized I was on a search, but not actually sure what I was searching for.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The swami in India asked me the key question, then a near-crisis in my health gave me the wake-up call I needed to answer it. Did I live a life that was truly meaningful? Did I do my best with everything I’ve had in my life? Did I leave any positive impact on this planet? The answer to all these questions was a big NO! And it was then that I realized, this is not good! With my health restored, I’d been given a second chance, and I knew I had to make sure I’m finding my passion, finding my purpose.”
Steps to Success from Moustafa Hamwi
1. Find out what you’re thirsting for. If you don’t know, you can never quench your thirst.
2. Ask yourself if you are building a life with meaning. This means finding out what is meaningful to you.
3. Make the story of your life something worth sharing.
On His Bookshelf
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Connecting With Moustafa Hamwi
Website: moustafa.com
Twitter: twitter.com/MoustafaHamwi
Facebook: facebook.com/moustafa.hamwi/
LinkedIn: https://ae.linkedin.com/in/moustafahamwi
Finding Your Passion
Author, Coach, Speaker
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521:
Expert Interview: Countering that Lowball Salary Offer - Victoria Pynchon
After laboring for 25 years in the field of high-stakes business litigation, Victoria Pynchon took a mediation course that changed her business and her life. Nearly a decade after receiving her degree in conflict resolution from the world-famous Straus Institute, Victoria has built a prosperous business called She Negotiates, through which she provides consulting and training. More importantly, she is helping individual women close their own personal gender wage gap.
How to Counter That Lowball Salary Offer
“I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have some fear about making a counter offer when they’ve been offered a job or even when they’re negotiating the purchase of a house. In any kind of negotiation, people are fearful that their negotiation partner is going to walk away and withdraw the offer, and they often leave a lot of money on the table because of that.”
Why Is This Important?
“Everyone is being underpaid. If you haven’t negotiated an increase that’s more than 2% or 3%, then you’re being underpaid. Corporate America is sitting on piles of cash—piles and piles. I mean, they don’t know what to do with it. Let them sprinkle a little on you. A lot of companies still think their employees are lucky to be employed. If you are a high-performing employee and you are being undercompensated, then do something about it.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“In negotiation, we’re having a conversation whose purpose is to reach an agreement that is beneficial to both parties. Each individual negotiation calls for some individual response, but there are general principles that come into play and are tailored to fit each particular need. You want to know why your employer’s filling this particular job, what disappointments they’ve had with former employees, and where you can be the most valuable. You want to frame yourself as serving the interest of the business or individual with whom you’re negotiating.”
Top Tools on Her Browser
Connecting With Victoria Pynchon
Website: www.shenegotiates.com
Free Gift
Visit Victoria’s website for resources, checklists, and step-by-step negotiation instructions.
Negotiating Salary, Salary Negotiations
Lawyer
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520:
Beating Paralysis–A True Transformation - Maryam Webster
At 28, Maryam was coming into her own. Grad school was behind her and a promising career in psychology and marketing lay ahead. Then in an instant a drunk driver on a London street turned her into a paraplegic. Doctors told her she would never walk again. What did she know that they didn’t?
Personal transformation expert Maryam Webster is a popular San Francisco Bay Area inspirational speaker and multiple-published author whose books include the Amazon best seller, “Everyday Bliss for Busy Women.” She regained her mobility after years as a paraplegic, and turned a thirty-year psychology and marketing career into a joyous new business. “Every Woman Changes” empowers mission-driven women entrepreneurs with a healing and helping focus to “Be the Change” they want to see in the world by permanently transforming inner limitations and creating profitable movements for social good.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
In her quest to overcome paralysis, Maryam began learning, using, and earning certification in many energy healing methods. “Using all the techniques I had learned, I put together both the energy therapies and my coaching skills in a program called the Certified Energy Coaching Program. I also retrained as a coach in 2000. I ran that program for nine years at the Energy Coach Institute and for one year at The Graduate School of Coaching. During that time, I trained almost 1,000 people in those techniques.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In 2008, Maryam introduced the ETHOS Method, which stands for Energy Transformation and Healing Open Source. ETHOS draws on Maryam’s experience as a psychologist, coach and energy therapist, as well as her extensive research, to determine what works. “ETHOS is predicated on how people worldwide encode what happens to us–good and bad, trauma and ecstasy. Wherever on that spectrum you are having an issue, you can use three simple cues—what we see, hear, and feel—to get rid of it. The method takes the sting out of the memory. You still have the memory of the pain or trauma, but the sting is gone. It helps you see that all the resources you’ll ever need to solve any problem are still inside you. This ETHOS work gets you back to that. It plugs you into the universe of solutions for whatever may be going on inside you.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It took me nine years to get my mobility back. I went from crawling on my elbows to crutches, to canes, to a walker, and then to no supports at all. Doctors said I would never walk again, but I walk today. If someone tells you that ‘you will never’ or ‘you can’t’ do something you really want to do, don’t believe them! Tell them where to go! They have no idea what you can do!”
Steps to Success from Maryam Webster
1. Don’t believe it when people say you can’t do something, especially if it is something you really want to do.
2. Recognize and believe that all the resources you’ll ever need to solve any problem are still inside you, despite any negative messages you may have accepted as true.
3. Train yourself to swing toward the positive. You can notice the negative and thank the Universe for showing it to you, then swing toward the positive.
On Her Bookshelf
Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion, by Pema Chödrön
There is Nothing Wrong with You: Going Beyond Self-Hate, A Compassionate Process for Learning to Accept Yourself Exactly as You Are, by Cheri Huber
(http://amzn.to/2rk3wtP)Everyday Bliss for Busy Women: Energy Balancing Secrets for Complete Health and Vitality, Kindle Edition, by Maryam Webster
Connecting With Maryam Webster
Website: http://everywomanchanges.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/maryamwebster
Facebook: http://facebook.com/EveryWomanChanges
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/maryamwebster
Free Gift
Download Maryam’s “Sacred Power Archetype” Branding Guide at: http://everywomanchanges.com. Maryam’s guidance helps uniquely brand you to stand far above the crowd using your own personal signature magic.
Get the ETHOS Method—the healing and consciousness-raising technique Maryam developed and describes in the podcast—at her website: everywomanchanges.com.
Adversity, Believe in Yourself, Overcoming Obstacles, Personal Brand, Personal Transformation, Women
Author, Coach, Motivational Speaker, psychologist
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519:
Not Job Hunting. Job CAMPAIGNING. - Jay Block
Jay’s credentials include not knowing what he wanted to be when he grew up and being fired by his best friend at age 39. Soon after this humiliating event, he began working harder on himself than anything else. And it was this single transformation that would forever change his life and his career.
Today, Jay Block is recognized as America’s #1 motivational career and rapid employment expert. He is a best-selling McGraw-Hill author of 12 titles, and most importantly, has helped tens of thousands of people achieve workplace success and fulfillment over the past 26 years.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Sports, sports, sports were what engaged me from an early age. In fact, I think sports saved my life, kept me busy and out of trouble.” Growing up in a town in Massachusetts that hadn’t had a winning basketball team since 1959, Jay recalls, “This is where dreams come true! My friend and I decided back in seventh grade that we would be co-captains of the high school basketball team and make it to the state championships for the first time in 14 years. We had winning seasons our sophomore and junior years, and made it to the state tournament our senior year. That’s what really taught me that dreams can come true if you’re willing to believe in them and commit. That was my first introduction to the possibility of fulfilling dreams.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I relocated to South Florida in 1986 to live life like Don Johnson of the top-rated TV series of the 1980s, Miami Vice. For a while I was sporting a white suit, tee-shirt and sandals, and operating a Scarab powerboat. Today, some 30 years older, I have no boat or white suit, but I do write motivational career and employment books and online programs. When I’m not working hard on my career, I enjoy yoga, snow skiing, off-road Jeeping, family time, and living the Florida lifestyle, hoping my son doesn’t make fun of his dad when he performs his comedy routines at the Palm Beach Improv.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Landing the job you want—at the pay you deserve—is about campaigning for that right job, not searching or hunting. To do that, you must believe in yourself. You must love the product you’re selling, namely yourself. For most people, selling themselves with passion, pride and confidence is not natural or comfortable. When you make a shift in thinking and proactively control what you can control—and campaign for your next best job using the 5 Steps to Rapid Employment system—rapid employment is virtually guaranteed!”
Steps to Success from Jay Block
1. Learn to believe in yourself and take responsibility for your life.
2. Work harder on yourself than on anything else.
3. Remind yourself, “If it is to be, it is up to me.”
4. Turn the drudgery of job-hunting into a dynamic, energized campaign
On His Bookshelf
5 Steps to Rapid Employment: The Job You Want at the Pay You Deserve, by Jay A. Block
Great Answers, Great Questions For Your Job Interview, by Jay A. Block and Michael Betrus
2500 Keywords to Get You Hired, by Jay A. Block and Michael Betrus
Connecting With Jay Block
Website: www.jayblock.com
Facebook: facebook.com/JayBlockCareers
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jayblock
Believe in Yourself, Personal Transformation, Positive Attitude
Author, Career Coach, Coach's Coach, Motivational Speaker
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518:
Expert Interview: Are You Ready to Woman-Up When It Comes to Starting Your Online Business? - Lin Eleoff
Many women are turning to coaching as a second career but our next guest says the problem is, coach training doesn’t prepare them for the business of being a coach. Lin Eleoff is an internet business lawyer who shows women how to turn a coaching practice into a business that not only makes them money but makes them happy. And it starts when they finally woman-up. She is the author of “How to Turn Your Life Coaching Practice into a Soulful, Money-Making Business.”
Are You Ready to Woman-Up When It Comes to Starting Your Online Business?
“I call starting your own business an ‘AFGO’ – another freaking growth opportunity, because it throws everything at us. The question is, are we up for that challenge? This is what I tell my coaching clients: this isn’t just a plaything. If you are serious about this, you are going to have to ‘woman up.’ That means becoming a businesswoman as well as being a coach.”
Why Is This Important?
“Many of my clients have said to me, ‘I put up my website and thought that was all I needed to do, and that the clients would come.’ Of course, it doesn’t work that say. That’s where it becomes an eye-opener. They’ll say, ‘Whoa, I had no idea I was in for all this!’ I created a checklist of 46 crucial items, which I use with my clients. It’s available free of charge at my website, gutsycoach.com. Anyone who says you can launch your own business in ten steps is not telling the truth. First of all, though, you have to decide the endgame. Is this a real business, or just a hobby?”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Starting a business is a serious commitment. A benchmark starting point is understanding what it means to select a target market, or a niche. Often, people say to me, ‘I already have my niche.’ I ask them what their business does and whom does it serve? When they stumble and stammer, I see they not clear about their niche. Going through this first step is fundamental. Amazon.com is an excellent place for research. Find your subject area, search for books about it, then read the customer reviews, especially the negative ones. You’ll quickly see gaps in the landscape. Google.com is also a rich source for researching your niche and seeing the parts of the market that are not being served.”
Connecting With Lin Eleoff
Website:
lineleoff.com
gutsycoach.com
coveryourassetsonline.comFacebook: facebook.com/lin.eleoff/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lineleoff
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lineleoff
Starting Business
Coach's Coach, Entertainer, Lawyer
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517:
The Coach's Coach for Business and Health - Carolin Soldo
Carolin knew she had hit a tipping point. “I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself! I didn’t feel like a woman anymore and just wanted to have myself back again. As with everything else in my life, I knew I had to do this all or nothing.”
Carolin Soldo is the founder of Brand Your Passions®, From Passion to Profits®, and The Powerhouse Coach®. She specializes in helping passion-driven women bring their skills to the world and launch thriving online coaching businesses with international reach, make an impact, and create free and abundant lives.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Carolin was a rebel early in life. With problems at home, she learned to be independent and creative and to take risks. In high school in Germany she met Boris, a refugee from Bosnia. They maintained a long-distance romance after his family emigrated to the U.S. “I knew what I wanted to do after finishing school, and I made it happen. It wasn’t easy. It took a lot of planning and resourcefulness, but I did it, and of course, Boris helped me. In 2001, I moved to the United States and have been with Boris ever since. Between the two of us, we have started several companies.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A few years ago, I hit a tipping point. I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself! I didn’t feel like a woman anymore and I just wanted to have myself back again. As with everything else in my life, I knew I had to do this all or nothing, so I hired a trainer and nutritionist and began to learn about a whole new world. I had a desire to change from the inside out. I learned about health and fitness in order to help myself and become the expert on my own body. So, after I lost 75 pounds with the help of a coach, I realized I’d built up enough knowledge to start helping people who wanted to change their lives, too.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I always advise my clients to examine their life and work experiences and ask themselves, what have you learned? What is your experience? What are your real skills? Look for something in your experience you can potentially monetize, package and build a business on. Or, look closely at your personal life to see what your passions are. What obstacles have you overcome? What accomplishments bring you joy? The answers to these questions might show you the way to a business. As you review your passions and skills ask if there a market for that? Can you solve a problem in the market that people will potentially pay big prices for? If that’s the case, if there’s a market and you have the skill, then you have a way to create your own thriving business and your own lifestyle.”
Steps to Success from Carolin Soldo
1. Identify a skill, passion or talent you have that might meet a need in the marketplace. Look closely at all your life experiences for clues.
2. Go all in when you find a direction, an idea, that meets a market need.
3. Learn to seek and accept guidance from people who can teach you what you need to know.
On Her Bookshelf
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, by Byron Katie
Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires (Law of Attraction Book 7), by Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks
Leveraging the Universe: 7 Steps to Engaging Life’s Magic, by Mike Dooley
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Connecting With Carolin Soldo
Website: www.carolinsoldo.com
Cultural Changes, Weight
Business Coach, Entrepreneur
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516:
A Profitable Venture into New Land - Mark J Podolsky
Mark ventured out of his native Midwest and took a chance on a new landscape he loved: Scottsdale, Arizona. His new investment banking job paid him well, but he hated everything else about it. In fact, he says, “It was hurting my soul.” So, now that he knew what he didn’t want, what would he do next?
Mark J. Podolsky (AKA The Land Geek) is considered the country’s most trusted and foremost authority on buying and selling raw, undeveloped land within the United States. He has been actively investing in real estate and raw land since 2001 and has completed over 5,000 unique transactions. His company, Frontier Equity Properties, LLC, is an A+ rated BBB real estate company. He has achieved this level of success due to his core business philosophy – “Happy Customers Guaranteed.” Mark is the host of some of the top-rated podcasts in the Investing Category on iTunes aptly titled The Best Passive Income Model and The Art of Passive Income. He also hosts the Land Geek Podcast- Work Smart. Earn More. Learn How.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I thought I would get a really high-paying job. At that time in the early 1990s, I decided to be a stockbroker. I started cold calling all the stockbrokers, doing interviewing, and I thought, ‘I don’t know if this really is for me. But I knew I liked transactions. An Indian gentleman named Raj hired and mentored me. Raj had an MBA and was a chemical engineer. He said, ‘If you can sell, I’m going to teach you how to buy and sell dental practices.’ So, I became a broker of dental practices! I would help young dentists buy into an older dentist’s well-established practice, thus helping the established dentist sell the practice and the buyer would also have an instant cash flow, while his dental school classmates were starting new practices from scratch. It was a really cool first job and I learned a ton!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
A lifelong Midwesterner, Mark and his new wife visited Scottsdale, Arizona. “I thought it was just beautiful out here. I convinced my wife to move, telling her I would get a job and try it for 5 years, and I got a job as an investment banker. It was the most similar thing I could find to what I had been doing, except we were working with bigger numbers. I absolutely hated the work! Even though the money was good, I knew it wasn’t for me. It was hurting my soul. I hated the lack of control, the 45-minute commute each way, and the high pressure. I worked in a cubicle and my time was not my own. There was no freedom or flexibility.” The job clarified Mark’s future choices by showing him everything he didn’t want.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Mark offers a contrarian view of what he calls the romantic notion of following your passion. “When you’re 20 or 30 years old, you could have tons of passions, you just don’t know. I would say get really good at something, or at a few things. Then you’ll learn to love it. Because we love what we’re really good at, really competent at, and it just keeps growing and growing and growing. But until you get really good at something, you’re not going to know what that something is.”
Steps to Success from Mark J Podolsky
1. Look for ways to automate processes to save time. You can always make more money, but you can’t make more time.
2. Leverage your time to enjoy life. Create your business to enjoy a lifestyle.
3. If your job or business is hurting your soul, get out!
4. Become competent and confident in one or more areas. As you learn, one or more of them might
On His Bookshelf
The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller (Author), Jay Papasan
The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months, by Brian P. Moran (Author), Michael Lennington
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport
Virtual Freedom: How to Work with Virtual Staff to Buy More Time, Become More Productive, and Build Your Dream Business, by Chris C. Ducker
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
Top Tools on His Browser
Headspace App – (Free) – Meditation & Mindfulness
Connecting With Mark J Podolsky
Website: http://thelandgeek.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheLandGeek
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandgeek
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thelandgeek
Ambition, Entrepreneurism, Real Estate
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Land Investment, Podcaster
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515:
Expert Interview: How to Learn and Grow from a Setback or Crisis - Steve Lawton
Steve H. Lawton has 27 years of business experience in roles ranging from being an engineer in the astronaut office at NASA to an executive at Dell. He holds two U.S. patents. He’s the author of “Head First: A Crash Course in Positivity,” a story about how his attitude literally saved his life from a near-fatal skiing accident, along with eight positivity principles that help readers build a positive mindset and improve their lives and work. In his spare time, Steve volunteers for youth lacrosse, has been a coach and served as president of the Westwood High School Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Clubs in Austin, Texas. Steve and Deanna, his wife of 27 years, have two teenage children, and have grown quite fond of them.
How to Learn from Setback or Crisis
Through Steve Lawton’s powerful story of survival and recovery—and eight proven and practical tools—he shares how you can improve the fitness of your own attitude and overcome the rough patches in your life to achieve the success and happiness you deserve.
After a life-threatening ski accident in Colorado, in which Steve slammed into a tree at 45 miles per hour, doctors weren’t sure he would survive his near-death experience, but because of his attitude, his helmet, and a rubber chicken named Henrietta, he lives to share the wonders of positivity. He says you don’t have to slam into a tree to benefit from the tools he shares.Why Is This Important?
“We all want happiness and success, but it often eludes us when we find ourselves struggling with unresolved problems. We’ve all had them. They may spring from a frightening diagnosis, depression, problems at work, a disagreement with a loved one, or difficulties with a child. Although we may be miserable during the struggle, the good news is that our past challenges lead to our future successes. Our attitude plays a crucial part.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Allowing crises and other negative experiences to teach us something will actually set us up for successes, victories, and laughter that will come in the future. A setback is painful when it happens, but when we overcome it, we can become a better version of ourselves than we were before. Steve sees his survival from his skiing accident “a bonus year,” and uses every day to help others learn to live intentionally, with a purpose.
Connecting With Steve Lawton
Website: http://stevehlawton.com/
http://amzn.to/2sbohFKFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/stevehlawton/
Twitter: @stevehlawton
Positive Attitude, Rewiring Brain
Speaker
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514:
Too Many Graduate Students, Too Few Jobs - Anna Cragin
Halfway to her Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience, Anna saw herself becoming a tenured-track professor, following her two great loves: teaching and figuring things out. Then, reality set in: Far too many graduate students were chasing far too few jobs. “Figuring things out” took on a new meaning as she faced a pivot point in her life.
Anna Cragin is the Productivity Advisor at Freeficiency. She teaches online entrepreneurs how to improve mindset, reduce anxiety, and design their ideal life through effective time management. Anna has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience. She applies brain and behavior research to design ways to work with and around our brains to reach our goals in business and in life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was born in Russia, where there wasn’t an entrepreneurial spirit. But there was a belief that if you want to change your life—if you want to do something—you have to do it yourself. That’s something my mom started telling me at a very early age: ‘No one else is going to hand you anything. You have to go out and get it.’ I think these ideas came together for me when we moved to the U.S. when I was in high school.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Graduate school was the pivot point for me. In my academic program in psychology, we had a wonderful course called ‘professional issues.’ In it, we talked about what it really takes to make a career as a tenure-track professor. They told us there were far too many PhDs and not enough jobs for them. They told us, if you want to become a tenure-track professor you have to really want it and put in the work and the hours. You have to be better than everybody, because you’re all going to be competing with each other for a few jobs. That class was an eye-opener for me. Up until then, I just assumed I was going to be a professor.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Everything in my life seems to come down to teaching. I absolutely love it! The key for me is to realize that there are role models, and then to go out and find them. Connect with them. See what they’ve done. Model their success. Know that it is possible. Always keep your eyes open because opportunities will come when you are able to see them.”
Steps to Success from Anna Cragin
1. Look for a role model, mentor or coach who is doing what you are trying to do. Reduce your learning curve.
2. Instead of setting deadlines for completing projects and achieving goals, set a specific time when you will consistently work on them. This is unusual advice, coming from an efficiency consultant, but I believe this works better.
3. Join a business community. “Doing this has skyrocketed my education!”
4. Keep your eyes open. Opportunities come when you are open to seeing them.
On Her Bookshelf
Leaving the Ivory Tower: The Causes and Consequences of Departure from Doctoral Study, by Barbara E. Lovitts
Create or Hate: Successful People Make Things, by Dan Norris
Connecting With Anna Cragin
Website: www.freeficiency.com
Facebook: facebook.com/freeficiency
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aicragin/
Free Gift
Free checklist on how to overcome being stuck in analysis. Visit: www.freeficiency.com/unstuck. Aimed at entrepreneurs, but can definitely be used for personal life goals, too.
Anxiety, Mentors
Cognitive Neuroscientist, Productivity Advisor, Research, Teaching entrepreneurs
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513:
Never Quit When Things Get Tough - Jake Ballentine
By the end of his first college semester, Jake was already on academic suspension. He was tempted to say, “I didn’t really care about college anyway!” Self-consciousness about his dyslexia, he believed he was only good at sports and music. Then, on a mission to the Pacific Northwest, his outlook brightened, and he said to himself, “Hey, I can really DO this!” His life was about to be transformed.
Jake Ballentine is a national award-winning motivational speaker and musician. He is the author of “Your Number One Goal,” a contributing author in Jack Canfield’s “Living the Success Principles” and the host of “Focus on the Good” podcast. Over the last five years he has presented and performed at hundreds of events inspiring more than 250,000 people with his unique brand of motivation, music and positivity.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
School work was difficult for Jake. Because of dyslexia, he especially dreaded being called on to read in class, fearing ridicule. But he loved music and sports and bonded with coaches and music teachers in high school. Despite his learning disability, he was known as a “nice guy,” and recalls easily making and keeping lots of friends. He learned the value of mentors and coaches early in life.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After failing in his first semester at college, Jake, a Mormon, took the path of many other young men and women of his faith. He embarked on a two-year missionary journey. “Those guys in the white shirts, riding bikes and knocking on doors – that was me.” The adult leader of the mission quickly spotted Jake’s potential and brought him into a leadership role. “That was a totally transformational experience in my life! I found something I was actually good at that wasn’t sports or music. It involved talking and communicating with people. I finally saw that, hey, I can do something. I am great at helping people see their own potential. That experience completely changed my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It doesn’t matter what you’ve been given; what matters is what you choose to do with what you’ve been given. You can get around the things that hold you back, so figure it out and do everything you can to get better and better. If you quit when things get hard, you will set a lifelong pattern to quit at the first sign of challenge or difficulty. Believe in yourself and surround yourself with the right people, people who believe in you and lift you up. Build that right team around you and forget about the people who put you down. Go full steam ahead and do everything that you can!”
Steps to Success from Jake Ballentine
1. Figure out what you want, then start taking small steps every day toward getting there.
2. Find coaches and a mentor, implement their recommendations, and you’ll get where you want much faster.
3. Stop believing the negative voices that hold you back. Stop listening.
4. Don’t quit when things get hard. Establish a pattern of finding ways to get around the obstacles.
On His Bookshelf
The Success Principles(TM) – 10th Anniversary Edition: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, by Jack Canfield, Janet Switzer
How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life, by Pat Williams and Jim Denney
Your Number One Goal, by Jake Ballentine
Connecting With Jake Ballentine
Web Page: www.jakeballentine.com
Twitter: twitter.com/jakeballentine
Free Gift
Free copy of Jake’s book, “Your Number One Goal.” Pay shipping and handling only.
Adversity, Leadership, Overcoming Obstacles
Author, Musician, Podcaster, Speaker
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512:
Expert Interview: More Effective Decision Making - Dr. David Almeida
David Almeida completed an Honors Bachelor of Science, specializing in Toxicology, at the University of Toronto. After undergraduate studies, he completed a PhD in Pharmaceutical Drug Research at the University of Szeged in Hungary. He went on to complete medical school and an ophthalmology residency at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada.
As an entrepreneur, David is co-founder of Citrus Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company with an innovative approach to drug design and development, aimed to benefit individuals suffering from vision loss. His best-selling book, “Decision Diagnosis: Seven Antidotes to Decision Procrastination,” blends the spheres of medicine, science, business and leadership to present new concepts and strategies for successful decision making.
More Effective Decision Making
“I noticed friends, family, and other people I worked with like coworkers and colleagues from around the world, all had issues with decision making, especially with procrastination, or delaying decisions. I started putting together a different framework for approaching decisions because I have a unique blend of backgrounds. It’s a hybridization of medical, surgical and business techniques in a framework you can apply both to professional and personal decision making.”
Why Is This Important?
David distilled four core principles—drawn primarily from medical school—which you can use for decision-making in any context. “I call it PACT, because to be an effective decision maker, you have to make a pact with yourself to face up to problems and make decisions about them. PACT stands for Practicing, Assessing, Collecting information, and Triage.”
“Triage is the most useful one and the one I get the most feedback from. In medicine, triage is the process used to sort out what is life-threatening and what conditions can wait. Triaging your decisions into what you can deal with right now, and what you can put off for tomorrow, is really an important way to prioritize your decisions.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Going back to triage, today there is such a rush to reach this Inbox Zero phenomenon. It pressures us to deal with all our messages right now. You end up getting bombarded with lots of things that really do not need your time right now. The ability to push something off, to say what should be done now and what can wait, is really key. Doing that gets you into a flow with your priorities. Some things can wait and some things you really don’t need to deal with. You don’t have to respond to everyone on every topic at every hour.”
Connecting With Dr. David Almeida
Website: davidalmeidamd.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidalmeidamd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidalmeidamd
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-rp-almeida-md-mba-phd-275609119/
Decision Making
Author, Business Owner, Pharmaceutical, Professor
June 2017:
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511:
Turning Her A.D.D. into an Asset - Alma Abreu
Learning in a rigid classroom system did not suit Alma. On top of that, her attention-deficit disorder complicated her learning. But following her creativity and love of language and communication, she found a way to make her attention deficit disorder (A.D.D.) an asset.
Alma Abeu, through her company 360 Agile Pro, is teaching business owners how to use Agile project management software to launch new products and services in a 90-day period. She is also the founder of 360 Content Pro which is a content marketing service that specializes in Spanish language advertising, blogging and social media management. She helps business owners expand their customer base to Latin America and around the world.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“One subject I really liked was English. I loved to write. When I was a little girl, I wrote plays and would have my friends act in them. I would direct them. When I was a senior in high school, I had an English class that I loved. Our teacher taught me how to write essays. Based on that experience, in college I majored in communications and English. Today, I write blog posts and articles and the newsletter for my business. It comes naturally to me because I enjoy storytelling.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“From elementary school up until high school, I did not do well academically. A lot of it had to do with the fact that I have attention deficit disorder, A.D.D. If I am not interested in something, I can’t focus on it. Because of A.D.D., I found consulting on a contract basis most rewarding. I like working with a company for 6 months, completing the project, and moving on to a different company. Working in the information technology (I.T.) field gives me a lot of flexibility, too. I can be a contractor or a consultant. I can work in different cities throughout the United States, or around the world if I really want to. I like the flexibility of change because I like to change.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Make sure you are in a career that gives you the type of lifestyle you want to live. If you want flexibility, or want to travel, find an industry or a company that allows you to do that. When you are choosing what you want to do in life, ask if the career you have chosen is in line with your personal values, goals and life. If it’s not, you need to figure out a way to make it all fit together.”
Steps to Success from Alma Abreu
1. Never stop learning. Sign up for training, get certified, constantly learn. There are many ways to learn, so it needn’t be complicated to do.
2. Make sure your career is in sync with your values, goals and the life you desire.
3. Learn how to collaborate and work on a team. Start by finding online groups where you can give and receive information.
On Her Bookshelf
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, by Seth Godin
Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time, by Jeff Sutherland and JJ Sutherland
Connecting With Alma Abreu
Website: 360AgilePro.com and 360ContentPro.com
Twitter: @360AgilePro
Facebook: 360AgilePro
LinkedIn: Alma Abreu
Match Career to Values & Goals, Turn Obstacle into Asset
Business Coach, Consultant, Content Marketing, Entrepreneur, Marketing/Latin America
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510:
"I Do It Because I Love It!" - Gary Kinder
Gary knows the numbers about the tiny percentage of writers and artists who succeed. Some say it’s as low as 1%. But he’s up at 5 a.m. every day writing his screenplay, before plunging into the editing software he’s creating. Asked why he does it, he says, “I’m doing what I love!”
Gary Kinder writes narrative nonfiction, and is the author of three books. When not writing, he has taught over 1,000 writing programs to law firms, corporations, universities, and writers conferences. He has appeared on the Today Show and Good Morning America. He is also creator and founder of WordRake, editing software, which is used widely in law firms, government agencies, corporations and universities.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
It wasn’t until Gary was around 25 that he recognized his drive—he calls it his obsession—for writing. He studied journalism in college, then taught a writing course, both at his journalism school and then at the law school from which he graduated. He credits the values his parents taught him, especially about treating everyone with respect and paying attention, for his ability to connect quickly with people, which is helpful in interviewing people for his writing.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Two authors in particular, Truman Capote and Tom Wolfe, made strong impressions on Gary, which encouraged him along his path of writing narrative nonfiction. He combines his listening skills as an interviewer with his journalism-inspired crisp writing. He writes in a style that resembles fiction, but his stories and dialog are deeply rooted in his research. It’s no accident that the editing software he is developing, WordRaker, is designed to take out unnecessary words from a variety of documents his clients handle. He is constantly tweaking the program’s algorithm to spot and remove the words that do not add meaning.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
As a writer, or as any other person creating something, Gary advises, “You have to practice every single day. For instance, I work on WordRake almost all day long. I’ll work on the weekends, sometimes at night, developing new edits to put into algorithms to inform the software. I’ve been writing my screenplay for years and I’m still working on it! But I love to get up at 5:00 a.m., work on the play for an hour or two before I jump into WordRake, my main passion. It’s something you have to do.”
Steps to Success from Gary Kinder
1. You have to love what you’re doing, enough to wake you up at dawn, to do it every day, even if success doesn’t come right away.
2. Be willing to work on your dream until you get it right.
3. Take a break occasionally and let the well fill up. Do some other things, then come back to the big project.
4. For inspiration, read stories about people who never give up.
On His Bookshelf
Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea: The History and Discovery of the World’s Richest Shipwreck, by Gary Kinder
Victim: The Other Side of Murder, by Gary Kinder
Connecting With Gary Kinder
Website: http://www.wordrake.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wordrake
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WordRake
Free Gift
Free 7-day WordRake trial with an option to buy WordRake editing software. Click the gold button at wordrake.com.
Also sign up for the free weekly writing tips that hundreds of thousands now receive. Visit wordrake.com at the bottom of the page.
Love what you do, Writing
Author, Software development, Teaching/Teacher
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509:
Expert Interview: How to Overcome Overwhelm - Terry Brock
Terry Brock works with organizations to connect with customers, build relationships using practical technology, and increase profitability. He’s a member of the professional speakers Hall of Fame and is an expert on making technology practical for business.
How to Overcome Overwhelm
“There is so much NEW all the time that we begin to think, ‘I can’t handle it!’ We need to learn to be able to overcome that feeling of being overwhelmed, and learn principles that will work—and that won’t work—to help us overcome the sense of being overwhelmed. Often, we are overwhelmed with technology and information. Using a few key principles, we can regain control of our lives and be able to do what we need to do.”
Why Is This Important?
“Our world keeps evolving and changing, so we need to be able to adapt. But using the basic principles of managing your life really helps overcome the sense of overwhelm. To begin, define what is important to you. This will help you determine where can you focus your attention. Realize that you can’t grasp everything that’s out there, so don’t even try. Instead, focus on the A+ and A. The real problem comes with a B+ and the B activities. They’re nice, they are good, but doing them can really pull you back from what you need to do to maintain your focus.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
In the face of overwhelm, be willing to make a commitment to decide what you are going to learn that is important to you. That’s important because today there is so much to be learned. Particularly if you are an entrepreneur, invest your time, money and energy into areas that are going to help you gain knowledge that is valuable in the market.
Connecting With Terry Brock
Website: TerryBrock.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/MarketerTerryBrock
Twitter: twitter.com/TerryBrock
LinkedIn: https://lenbrook-atlanta.com
Overwhelmed, Prioritization, Technology
Business Coach, Speaker
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508:
Turning His Obsessions into Professions - Julian Mather
Julian could not stay interested in school, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t willing to learn. When he got out of school, without prodding from anyone, he took himself to the library and began a lifelong commitment to self-education in the fields he was most interested in. Along the way he has had, and continues to have, highly interesting careers.
Julian Mather was not at school the day they taught conventional career planning. A chronic truant, he educated himself and read between the lines to find the secrets to turning his obsession into his profession. From high school failure to Army sniper to globe-trotting TV cameraman to kids’ magician and entertainer to online entrepreneur, he really hasn’t felt he has worked a day in his life. And at 55 he says he’s just beginning to hit his straps.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I did really well at school—if you don’t count learning! I had a terrible time in school and had to repeat my final year. So, I took myself out of the system and took myself to the State Library, where I began my lifelong commitment to self-educating. I knew that I wanted to be a photojournalist, so I got every book on photography that I could. I pored over the pages, and I looked at all the grainy black and white photos. I read between the lines and it taught me a couple of things. One was that if I wanted to be a photojournalist I’d have to have a camera in my hand at all times. The other was that I had to go where the action was, and it wasn’t happening in my hometown of Brisbane, Australia!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I got out of the army after three years and started to hunt for any photography jobs I could find. I ended up printing photos in photo labs. But then an opportunity came up to do a training internship with ABC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC focuses more on documentaries, which is what I wanted. I got into a ‘trainingship’ for three years and, Bang!, I was doing what I wanted to do. They essentially gave me money in one hand and a plane ticket in the other, and said, ‘Go and document people’s stories.’” And he did. For 25 year.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“If opportunity comes, just grab it! So many successful people are just ordinary people who are willing to do things that other people are not ready to do. We let so many opportunities pass because we do not think we are qualified for it, or for many other reasons. If you do not grab it, someone much less qualified than you will grab it!”
Steps to Success from Julian Mather
1. Learn everything you can about the interests that drive you. There are plenty of resources out there, many of them free.
2. Just keep going, and if there’s something you don’t know, find someone who can tell you.
3. When opportunity comes, grab it!
Connecting With Julian Mather
Website: tailormadecareer.com
Twitter: @julianmather
Facebook: facebook.com/julianmather1
Free Gift
A free 10-part video course to introduce over-50-year-olds to podcasting. It promotes setting up a podcast and how to record your family history as a way to master the techniques required and do something wonderful for your family at the same time. Available at near the bottom of the home page on Julian’s website.
Multi Careers, Opportunities, Travel
Entertainer, Photojournalist, Podcaster, TV cameraman, Vet
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507:
Hire This Woman or Else! - Katherine Denton
At 25, Katherine had accomplished her career goal of working as an account executive at an advertising agency. She was a respected team member with all the perks of success—an office with windows, bonuses, free parking. But she was so miserable that she quit. She turned to a temp agency and was given a one-day assignment that opened the door to her current 22-year career.
Katherine Denton owns My Friend, Katherine, a service devoted to helping people meet their personal, professional, financial and relationship goals. Through organizing, coaching and counseling, Katherine has helped hundreds fulfill their goals and transform their lives. This year marks her 22nd anniversary of using her talents to do work that she loves.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In my first ‘real job’, I started out as an account coordinator at an agency in Atlanta. I moved up quickly to become an account executive. It’s a very competitive field to get into. So, to stand out, I had designed my resume as a ransom note. I took the Want Ads for sales and marketing, and I picked out letters saying, ‘Hire this woman or she’s dead by midnight.’”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“The turning point came when I quit the job where I was miserable and started doing some intensive career counseling, taking all the various aptitude and personality tests, getting in touch with myself. If I hadn’t quit that job, and let myself try to be on my own—including my freelance writing business that failed—this never would have happened! Accepting what I thought would be a one-day temp assignment set me on a 22-year career. It’s been such a great career. I love what I do!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“If you are stuck in a job you don’t like, remember that you can get out there and go find something different. Do not be held back by thinking you are a victim of your circumstances. You have the opportunity to rescue yourself when things aren’t going your way. But you cannot just sit there and not do anything. You have to get into action.”
Steps to Success from Katherine Denton
1. Trust your intuition. Only you know how to make you happy.
2. Self-reflection is crucial. It’s your guide to your happiness.
3. Focus more attention on what makes you happy than on money alone.
4. Get into action!
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Katherine Denton
Website: myfriendkatherine.com
Free Gift
Feel free to contact Katherine Denton for advice on starting your own business or meeting your life goals. “I live to help!”
Opportunities
Business Owner, Coach, Entrepreneur
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506:
Expert Interview: Employee Loyalty Isn't Dead–It Just Looks Different, with Lee Caraher - Lee Caraher
Lee Caraher is the author of “Millennials & Management,” a book based on her experience with failing, and then succeeding, at retaining Millennials. Lee Caraher is the CEO of Double Forte PR & Digital Marketing and is known for her practical solutions to big problems. Her most recent book, “The Boomerang Principle,” was published in April 2017.
Employee Loyalty Isn't Dead–It Just Looks Different
After the release of her book, “Millennials and Management,” many Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers would ask Lee Caraher, “”Why are millennials so not loyal? These people are dead to me after they leave. Why should I spend any time on them?” I knew I had to disabuse them of that thought! I would tell them employee loyalty is not dead, it just looks different. We need to think differently about branding: how we brand our companies and how millennials are branding themselves, developing their own personal brand.
Why Is This Important?
“We’re at the cusp of a big change in terms of the employer brand, a focus on being a great place to work—with ping pong tables and perks. We are finding more and more that the more you stuff into that package of perks, the less people actually want them. The more important thing is to become a talent brand, not an employer brand. It’s a bit of a nuance. When you are a talent brand, you’re a place where great people work.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“We need to be thinking about employee loyalty, not only during tenure when you’re paying them. Is that really loyalty when they are getting paid for it? If we focus on lifetime employee loyalty—regardless of whether or not we are paying them—then we are building companies that have tremendous sustainability, that have a much easier time in the workforce. if you are a talent brand, where only the greatest people work, it’s much easier to recruit. What you’re doing is getting the people, and particularly the millennials, who know they have to create their own personal brand today in order to have a career over a full lifetime.”
Connecting With Lee Caraher
Website: leecaraher.com
Facebook: facebook.com/LeeCaraher1/
Twitter: @leecaraher
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/leecaraher/
Careers, Company Branding, Loyalty, Millennials
Author, Digital, Public Relations
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505:
Remote Hiring Key to His Success - Nathan Hirsch
When Nathan and his business partner, Connor, took a long overdue vacation, they left their business in good hands. On Day 1, they learned they had lost a major vendor. The same day, his CPA called to tell him his identity had been stolen and a false tax return had been filed in his name. But putting his life and business back together was not going to stand in his way.
Nathan Hirsch is a serial entrepreneur and expert in remote hiring and e-commerce. He is the founder and CEO of FreeeUp.com and the co-founder and COO of Portlight. Nathan started his e-commerce career on the Amazon Marketplace and successfully built a $7 million business within 4 years. After seeing the potential of using remote workers within his first business, he founded FreeeUp to make the remote hiring experience simpler for all e-commerce business owners. FreeeUp now provides reliable e-commerce workers to hundreds of clients around the world. Nathan is an expert at building efficient systems and processes, sales strategies, and business management. He currently lives in Orlando, Florida.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I started an Amazon business when I was in college. I hired my first employee before I could legally drink, and I grew a multimillion-dollar business out of my college dorm room, hiring lots of remote workers. I’ve been hiring for more than seven years, and now I’m in the business of helping entrepreneurs and other employers find high quality remote workers.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I’ve had some really great hires—people who still work with me today—and, like any entrepreneur, I’ve made some really bad hires, too. It has been frustrating at times. Some of the lowest points in my life as an entrepreneur came when I was seeing all the time and energy wasted, terminating people after only a week. So, I created FreeeUp.com based on my hiring experience, and on what I wished had been out there when I was hiring people for the first time.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The business was growing really well, and that led me to take my first vacation in quite a while. My partner Connor and I, and a few other people who worked for us, went away to the beach. We left the business in good hands. On day one, I got a call from one of our good vendors, telling us they had decided they would no longer work with us. A few hours later, my accountant called, telling me he just got word from the IRS. Someone had filed a $40,000 false return in my name and my identity has been stolen. My company had to start over! It really taught me a lesson in diversifying revenue streams and employees and having different processes and back-up systems in place. It changed my whole business model from being too reliant on one person to being very diversified.”
Steps to Success from Nathan Hirsch
1. Prioritize what you truly want, then make the commitment needed to get you there.
2. Learn to take calculated risks. Being able to do that goes a long way toward success.
3. Problem-solving is everything. Learn the fundamentals of problem solving.
4. Ask a lot of questions to make sure that you have every piece of information you need. Do this to determine your options based on solid knowledge.
On His Bookshelf
The Zappos Experience: 5 Principles to Inspire, Engage, and WOW, by Joseph Michelli
Free Up Your Business: 50 Secrets to Bootstrap Million Dollar Companies, by Connor Gillivan
Top Tools on His Browser
Chris Drucker podcasts: http://www.chrisducker.com/podcast/
Connecting With Nathan Hirsch
Website: freeeup.com
YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=SNMpkgwyc_I&feature=youtu.be
Twitter: twitter.com/freeeup
Facebook: facebook.com/freeeupmarketplace
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nathanhirsch
Free Gift
Contact FreeeUp, mention the name of this podcast, Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love, and get 10% off your first remote worker.
Adversity, E-Commerce
Entrepreneur, Remote Hiring
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504:
Being Debt-Free Opens Creative Doors - Claudia Pennington
Claudia and her husband were reflecting on their past 10 years together and realized they had been living the daily grind without goals, a budget or a plan, and a vague desire to help people. They decided to tackle some massive changes in their lives, starting with eliminating their debt.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My high school French teacher encouraged me to go to college, even in the most challenging times. Without her, I wouldn’t have this career or many of the successes I’ve had. Growing up in a home where our financial situation was either feast or famine, I focused on stability. For getting out of the cycle of poverty, college was the ticket out.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Working in the admissions office at her alma mater, Penn State University, Claudia realized she was learning a lot about marketing in general and social media in particular. “At the time, Facebook and Twitter were really new. My campus job helped me gain experience in digital marketing, search engine optimization, creating websites, social media and so on. I was at the forefront of learning how these technologies could be used in marketing and communications. I took that experience and parlayed it into another position.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Financial insecurity and the fear of it can make you timid about taking risks, speaking up or stepping out. Debt keeps that fear alive and active and makes you cling to a sense of stability and safety. Taking control of your finances and eliminating your debt can liberate your creativity and give you courage to take a chance on the life you desire. So many things flow from the feeling of having your debt burden lifted off your shoulders.”
Steps to Success from Claudia Pennington
1. Free yourself from debt so you can focus on living the life you want.
2. Figure out specifically what it’s going to take to address your financial situation: create a budget, track your spending, increase your income.
3. Don’t limit your options by automatically assuming you can only help people by working for a nonprofit. For-profit organizations help people in many ways. Find one that fits your values.
On Her Bookshelf
The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness, by Jeff Olson and John David Mann
Top Tools on Her Browser
Mr. Money Moustache, a blog that challenges attitudes about money.
Connecting With Claudia Pennington
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/claudiapennington/
Debt, Digital Marketing
Digital Training
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503:
Expert Interview: Living a Life of Significance - Aaron Walker
Aaron Walker is, without question, a veteran entrepreneur. Starting his first business at 18 and selling it to a Fortune 500 company nine years later demonstrates his passion for succeeding. He started, bought and sold 12 other successful companies over the past 37 years. A strong desire for personal development has kept him in a weekly mastermind group for nearly two decades, with Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller, Ken Abraham and 7 other notable Nashvillians. He has enjoyed a 36-year marriage with his wife, Robin. Today, as president and founder of View from the Top, a premier life and business coaching resource, he spends the majority of his time helping men grow in success and significance.
Living a Life of Significance
After creating successful businesses since he was 18, Aaron’s life came to a tragic and screeching halt on the morning of August 1, 2001. “I was headed to the office when a gentleman named Enrique was crossing a four-lane highway to catch a local bus. He didn’t look my way and, unfortunately, stepped out in front of me. Enrique died three days later. If it had been me who was killed that day, my legacy would have sounded like this: “A poor kid from Nashville, Tennessee, makes some money. retires at 27.” Enrique’s tragic death led Aaron to an intense self-examination. He decided he wanted to live a life of significance.
Why Is This Important?
“I don’t want it to take a tragic accident for people to wake up and take stock of their lives. The accident led me to start living a life of significance. I began thinking about how to look outward and to help people. Today, I teach people how to be an inch wide and a mile deep, rather than an inch deep and a mile wide. That’s the way I want people to live their lives. Yes, I want them to make money and be successful, but at the same time, I want them to reach out and help people. We need to niche down, to focus. We have to be sure our priorities focus on things that truly matter.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Surround yourself by people who challenge you and share your values. If you’re always the smartest person in the room, you need to find another room! Be intentional about forming your friendships, and find people who will hold you accountable. Joining a mastermind group and committing to it can make a tremendous difference in your life. “I’ve been in mastermind groups now for two decades. I have 10 people around me at all times who are non-biased. I get an honest answer that way.”
Connecting With Aaron Walker
Website: viewfromthetop.com
Twitter: @VFTCoach
Facebook: facebook.com/AaronWalkerVFTT
LinkedIn: aaronwalkerviewfromthetop
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502:
Wisdom from Wandering: The Career Pivot - Marc Miller
From an early age, Marc was good at math and chess. It was no wonder everyone told him he should be an engineer. After getting a degree in computer science, what he learned about himself on the job was he is a “geek who can speak”–an unusual combination that for 22 years let him change jobs every few year, all within the walls of his first employer.
Marc Miller’s career journey included 22 years at IBM, several thriving tech startups, a stint as a high school math teacher, a gig raising funds and a near fatal bicycle accident that changed his perspective forever. Thirty years of wandering the proverbial career desert, often repeating the same mistakes over and over, taught him his most crucial lesson: Most people don’t really know what makes them happy at their core, what fulfills them. Marc’s latest endeavor “Career Pivot” uses his extensive training experience to help others—especially Baby Boomers—find careers they can grow into for the decades that lie ahead.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was in the Bobby Fischer generation in the early 1970s. So, I played chess and I did math. That’s why I was told to go forth and be an engineer.” Despite a learning disability that plagued him in school, Marc got into Northwestern University, earning a computer science degree. Computer science programs were fairly unusual at the time. You probably could say I have ADHD, which I don’t believe in. It just means I don’t have a long attention span. So, in my career, I found other ways to use my analytical skills.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Marc uses humor to describe himself as a young man. “I eventually became a geek that could speak, an articulate techno weenie. I could stand up in front of a crowd and explain stuff! Could I sit for hours writing code or designing a circuit? Heck no! But I sure could explain it. So, all of those skills eventually evolved.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Don’t let your limitations or disabilities keep you stuck. Learn to find ways that work for you. I’m a closet introvert. I’m actually very shy, but I’ve learned to be a phenomenally good public speaker. I can work a networking event with the best of them. Even though I am not an extrovert, I’ve learned to do that because I make more money doing that!”
Steps to Success from Marc Miller
1. Understand who you are. You probably won’t figure it out just inside your own head. So, get help.
2. Turn your apparent limitations to your advantage. Short attention span? Learn about lots of things, try new experiences, mix stuff up.
3. Notice when things have worked for you and when they haven’t, and look for the reasons why. Learn from that self-observation.
On His Bookshelf
Knowing Your Value: Women, Money and Getting What You’re Worth, by Mika Brzezinski
Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS, by Shirzad Chamine
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain
Connecting With Marc Miller
Website: careerpivot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/careerpivot/
Facebook: facebook.com/CareerPivot
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mrmillerFear, Following Passion, Multi Careers
Career Coach, Computer Science, Engineer, Speaker, Teaching/Teacher
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501:
She Knows What Transformation Looks Like - Kate Maree O’Brien
When Kate saw the hospital job posting for a project manager, she admitted to herself it was a long shot. With a confidence she had developed during hard times—and search results from Google—she convinced the hospital to give her a try. It would be a year before she learned why she had been chosen for the job.
Kate Maree O’Brien is a visionary and global voice for boldness and truth. She has fought for her life twice and knows firsthand what a personal transformation looks like. She has taken a total stand for what is possible in humanity and collaborates with top leaders such as Jack Canfield, Brendon Burchard and many more.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Kate transformed a difficult childhood—where her father was an active, often violent alcoholic—into a career path of helping people. “My favorite was working in the emergency department, which I did for a number of years, then Intensive care, and coronary care. I loved environments that were very emergency-heavy. Interestingly, I found that through the experiences I had as a child, I was really good at handling emergency situations!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Sure, I had insecurities from growing up, but I also had another part of me that started to blossom. I got to be really unstoppable and learned how to talk my way into things I wanted.” While working in nursing at a local hospital in New Zealand, she saw a job posting and decided to apply, even though she knew she was less qualified than the other applicants. She Googled the topic of project management and absorbed all she could. She got the job. “About a year into the job, they told me they could tell I was the least experienced, but they saw a passion, an energy and an attitude that the others didn’t have. They thought I would take hold of the job with both hands.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
When Kate and her husband decided to open their own company, they knew they would have to learn about business from the ground up. They made a strategic decision, “to take things at our own pace and not oversell ourselves before we were ready. I see a lot of people doing the opposite. They jump straight from one role and into coaching. They over-sell themselves beyond what they are actually capable of offering.”
Steps to Success from Kate Maree O’Brien
1. Focus on getting mental clarity. Once you’ve sorted things in your mind, you can actually see the doors opening for you. The doors look a little different to everyone.
2. Really get it that you are here with a unique skill set, genius and point of view. I believe that is half the battle.
3. Don’t try to make your genius fit into somebody else’s sense of genius. If you do that you are watering down your own uniqueness.
4. Trust your journey.
Connecting With Kate Maree O’Brien
Website: henareandkate.com
Twitter: twitter.com/katemareeobrien
Facebook: facebook.com/katemareeobrien
Instagram: Kate MareeO’Brien
YouTube: Kate MareeO’Brien
Anorexia, Childhood, Personal Transformation, Transformation
Health Care, Nurse, Nurse Educator, Personal Transformaton
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500:
Expert Interview: What Stands Between You and Your Greatness? - Lolly Daskal
Based on a mixture of modern philosophy, science and nearly thirty years coaching top executives, Lolly Daskal’s proprietary leadership program, Lead from Within, is engineered to be a catalyst for leaders who want to enhance performance and make a meaningful difference in their companies, their lives, and the world. Lolly was designated a top 50 leadership and management expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored her with the title “the most inspiring woman in the world.”
What Stands Between You and Your Greatness?
“More than 30 years ago I started working with leaders around the world. I noticed a pattern within every single person I was coaching: most of them were very successful and had many strengths, but for each one of their strengths, there was something within them that was causing a polarity, which was creating a gap that was sometimes keeping them from their greatness.”
Why Is This Important?
“As I started to take notes on these patterns, seven archetypes emerged that all people have within them, along with seven polarities that come with each of those archetypes. If I was going to effectively coach my clients—to keep them in their greatness at a very high level, to keep them moving forward and taking themselves to one level after the next—we would have to be mindful of these gaps and what they were doing to their lives, leadership and businesses.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Each of us has an ’inner impostor.’ It’s the voice that tells us we don’t deserve recognition, that we don’t really know what we’re talking about. If we allow this impostor to take over, it ends up costing us our greatness. We have to learn to leverage the imposter, the parts of us that keep us back, in order to become a whole person and stand in our greatness. I came up with an approach that I call a “Re-Think System.” It clearly articulates the seven archetypes and the polarities within them that hold us back. I also teach how to leverage these gaps that come from the polarities.”
Connecting With Lolly Daskal
Website: www.lollydaskal.com
Twitter: twitter.com/lollydaskal
Facebook: facebook.com/lolly.daskal
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lollydaskal
Free Gift
Pre-order a copy of Lolly Daskal’s book, “The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness,” and get a free assessment (worth $97) at theleadershipgapbook.com.
Leadership
Business Strategist, Speaker
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499:
Understanding the Customer Experience - Matt Ruedlinger
Matt wanted to be his own boss from the day he started trading baseball cards in his make-believe, backyard store. But it was the 10 years working in sales for someone else that first taught him how to succeed by walking in his customers’ shoes.
Matt Ruedlinger is a serial entrepreneur. He’s the founder and CEO of the marketing firm, Triple R Marketing, and president of a caramel baking Company, Jones Caramels. He is the founding partner and president of the app, FanVius, which allows fans to order food and merchandise from their seats at sports and event venues. With more than 20 years of experience in marketing, Matt has been described as, “Highly-creative, with an unparalleled understanding of the customer experience.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I always thought it was so cool to have your own business. Since I was young, it was always in my mind to start my own company. When I was a kid I collected baseball cards. I remember when my friends would come over to trade cards, I would take blankets and placed them over tables to make things look like I had my own baseball card shop.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After learning computer-assisted design (Auto-CAD) for a mechanical contractor, and then mastering a 10-year sales job, he found himself unemployed. Matt used the buyout of his employer as the kick-start he needed to move forward on his lifelong entrepreneurial dream. “I decided it was time to do it. There’s probably never going to be that perfect time. You just have to take that leap.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Empathy is the key to your success, in business and in life. It means putting yourself in the other person’s shoes, and caring about the people you are dealing and working with, all the time. Especially today, when we are so fast-paced. We need to slow down and listen to what people are saying. There’s a reason why people feel the way they do, and you may not know exactly why. Just listen and learn to respect it, and embrace it as much as you can.”
1. Learn to slow down and listen—really listen—to people, in all areas of your life.
2. Look beyond the career opportunity itself and consider the work environment and the many elements that go into making us happy.
3. Stop talking, start walking. Take action.
4. Start writing it down. Write a plan, a timeline and deadlines. Measure and track your progress.
5. Don’t get complacent and think you must stay where you are. You can always make a change.
On His Bookshelf
Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book of Sales Answers: 99.5 real world answers that make sense, make sales, and MAKE MONEY, by Jeffrey Gitomer, Jessica McDougall, and Rachel Russotto
Connecting With Matt Ruedlinger
Twitter: twitter.com/TripleRmkt
Facebook: facebook.com/triplermkt
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/triplermarketing
Entrepreneurism, Layoff, Multi Careers
Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Marketing, Sales
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498:
Feeling Comfortable in Her Own Skin - Lisa Tarves
As a child, Lisa could see angels. Not until years later did she learn generations of her family members shared similar gifts. In fact, her father had learned to harness his own gifts to rise through the ranks of a major corporation. Could she accept and use her gifts in adulthood and the workplace?
Lisa Tarves is a metaphysician, author and co-founder of Writestream Radio and Writestream Publishing. She holds a Master’s degree in Metaphysical Science and is Board Certified as an Expert Holistic Health Practitioner. Some of her other certifications are in aromatherapy, color therapy, chakra therapy, reflexology, hypnosis and crystal therapy. She is a bestselling author of a book about her life, “Just Believe: Commonsense Spirituality for the 21st Century.” Through her work with Writestream Publishing, she helps other people realize their dream of becoming a published author and telling their own stories. She is a wife and mother of three adult children.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As a child, Lisa’s supportive parents allowed her to accept and explore her special abilities—which included seeing and talking to angels—without making her feel like an outsider. “They didn’t say don’t tell anybody you can do this, or don’t talk about it. I think that opened the door for me to be able to go wherever I wanted to go with that dimension of myself. My parents were very good about helping me feel comfortable in my own skin.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
As her friends would come to her for advice and help with their problems, Lisa didn’t consider this unusual. To her, it just felt like she was sharing her common sense. “When I grew up and found that everybody didn’t see and experience the same things, I felt even better about it. I thought, why am I so lucky? Why am I the one that gets to see and feel this way?” Later, she would see her special sensitivities as “a sense of knowing.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Writing and gaining the confidence to speak in front of groups helped Lisa learn to trust her opinions and view of life. “It taught me to keep writing and expressing myself in my conversations with people, and how not to be afraid to have an opinion that is different from everybody else. I didn’t feel I had to go with the flow. I could have my own opinion and that would be okay.”
Steps to Success from Lisa Tarves
1. Don’t just dip your toe into your new venture. Find a way to go all-in.
2. Sometimes your next big idea will find YOU, if you are open to it.
3. Believe that there is no ceiling on your possibilities and accomplishments.
4. Writing a book can be the start of your new information business. A book is
today’s calling card.
On Her Bookshelf
You Can Heal Your Life, by Louise L. Hay
Connecting With Lisa Tarves
Website: www.lisatarves.com
Twitter: @lisatarves
Facebook: facebook.com/lisatarves/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisatarves/
Holistic Health & Wellness, Resourcefulness, Self-confidence, Self-Healing, Spirituality
Author, Entrepreneur, Holistic Health, Podcaster, Psychic
May 2017:
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497:
Expert Interview: Turning a Paycheck into Purpose, with Jeff McManus - Jeff McManus
Jeff McManus grows things. As the Director of Landscape Services at the University of Mississippi, he grows plants, people and ideas. Faced with a multimillion-dollar landscape beautification project, a demand for excellence, high productivity and a stagnant budget, Jeff knew that growing the people was critical to growing the plants. Understanding that all humans either have or strive for the innate elements of greatness, resiliency, opportunity and wisdom, Jeff has developed his GROW Theory into an impactful management and professional development leadership program.
Turning a Paycheck into Purpose
“As a director of landscape services, I used to focus on the growing of plants. I spent a tremendous amount of time teaching staff members how to do things the proper way. Looking back, I was just dealing with teaching people what to do with their hands. Then, I would teach time management and how to be extremely productive and organized. That part was more engaged with the head, and getting their heads and their hands working together. But it wasn’t until I engaged their hearts or core values that our focus on purpose came about. This helped them reach the point where they were driven and had a reason, a WHY for being here.”
Why Is This Important?
“As a leader, you need your people to get things done. You need them to be productive, you need them to be efficient. You’re not always going to be able to micro-manage or watch a project. So you need people fully engaged, who are excited about what they are doing. That’s where a purpose comes in. They have to be driven from within, not just the external reward of a paycheck. What truly drives the passion, what drives the excellence is that purpose of why we are here, what are we doing. Is it bigger than who I am? Does it really matter.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“It’s crucial to recognize every person is valuable and should have a voice and a seat at the table. Engaging the heart and deeply held values of each person is the basis for building a team that works with a purpose. Giving people a voice, giving them some ownership of what’s happening, makes a tremendous amount of difference!”
Connecting With Jeff McManus
Website: www.jeffmcmanusspeaking.com
Twitter: jeffmcmanus
Facebook: jeffmcmanus
LinkedIn: Jeff McManus
Free Gift
Free copy of “10 Ways to Grow Your Team’s Passion,” by Jeff McManus
Leadership, Values
Author, Landscape Services, Leadership Trainer
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496:
Cream Soda, Costco and a Knack for Business - Danny Iny
He compares the crash of his dream start-up to the painful breakup of a relationship. “As an entrepreneur, your identity is deeply invested in your work.” In hindsight, Danny can say, “Sometimes the rebound turns out to be the one.”
Danny Iny is the founder of Mirasee, host of the Business Reimagined podcast, best-selling author of multiple books–“including Engagement from Scratch!,” “The Audience Revolution,” and “Teach and Grow Rich”–and creator of the acclaimed Audience Business Masterclass and Course Builder’s Laboratory training programs, which have together graduated more than 5,000 value-driven online entrepreneurs.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Entrepreneurs don’t set out to “be entrepreneurs.” They just see a problem and look for a creative solution, Danny Iny explains. In seventh grade, his problem was how to earn an extra $1.00 to buy a soda with his lunch. The cafeteria sold Coca-Cola. Sprite and others, but his good friend wanted cream soda. Danny bought a case of 40 for $10 from Costco. Each day he sold his friend a cream soda at the cafeteria price, enabling Danny to buy the drink of his own choice. Only in hindsight did he realize he was a budding entrepreneur.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
At 15, Danny was mugged. “I was the least athletic kid you can imagine. It was just a bigger boy being a bully, but at the time, it was terrifying. I knew I had to learn to defend myself, even though I might hate it.” He found a nearby Jujitsu dojo and signed up. “I fell in love with it! I spent the next nearly 10 years of my life training in martial arts.” Soon, he was an instructor, offering lessons one-on-one and in classes. He noticed the students didn’t like to go shopping for Jujitsu gear, so he took the initiative to talk to a local merchant. “I became the equipment supplier for my dojo.” Not long after, he began working with several other equipment merchants and tailors.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
After one of his start-ups collapsed, Danny briefly considered “getting a real job.” As a high school dropout carrying a quarter-million-dollar debt, he couldn’t see how a $40,000-a-year job could ever get him out of debt. “At 25, I was not ready to say life was over. I knew I would have to try something new. Counter-intuitively, all this debt kept me an entrepreneur. I was like, ‘what can I do?’” He started a consulting practice working with other entrepreneurs and quickly spotted another problem to solve: many of his clients were doing well, but many others needed help but couldn’t afford his one-on-one services. He created what he calls his rebound company, an online platform to provide affordable business education to entrepreneurs. “Sometimes the rebound turns out to be the one.”
Steps to Success from Danny Iny
- If you have a drive to be an entrepreneur, focus on getting clarity about what you want to do, but…
- …you’ll never have perfect clarity, so get out there and do it anyway. Clarity and confidence will come as you gain real world experiences.
- Learn something, produce something, and sell something. Get into action.
On His Bookshelf
Engagement from Scratch! by Danny Iny
The Audience Revolution, by Danny Iny
Teach and Grow Rich, by Danny Iny
Entrepreneurism
Author, Business Owner, Coach, Entrepreneur, Martial Arts, Podcaster
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495:
Counseling to Heal the Whole Person - Meghan Toups
Her life as a professional counselor was mostly gratifying and rewarding, but Meghan could sense burnout approaching. By starting to care for herself first, doors opened to a whole new life of service and joy. Holistic self-healing led the way.
Meghan Toups is a licensed professional counselor and certified holistic health coach. She embraces the belief that people feel better, faster when they begin to heal utilizing a whole person approach. This has led her to focus her practice on teaching others how to balance mood, stress, anxiety, energy and overall health with food, mindfulness and other positive self-care practices. She has a holistic health and wellness business in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and brother.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Perhaps an early clue of Meghan’s future in holistic health was her childhood love of nature and the outdoors. “I had a lot of those hippie child qualities. I wanted to be a geologist, and I was often out in the woods picking up rocks and looking at them, making pretend perfumes and potions out of leaves and flowers. And I love the arts. I think I got that from our father. I love to create art. I used to sell my artwork and my potions along the side of the road for a dollar.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After several years of counseling mostly women and teens, “I got very tired, and I was not taking the best care of myself. When you help other people, you have to take good care of yourself., I found my clients were talking to me about what they were eating, about their relationships, and so many other things outside of the brain, which is what counselors are trained to treat. I just knew that there was more to the puzzle. I began to heal my own stress by eating the proper foods, taking good care of myself, making sure I was exercising, meditating and getting into nature. I did it for myself first. That led me into getting my certification in holistic health coaching, and I was able to bridge mental health and holistic wellness. That was a huge turning point in my ability to help and reach people.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My mission is to inspire people to create a life that they desire by using the science of psychology, by teaching them about total holistic wellness, and awakening their intuition. When those things are in place, we feel empowered. When we feel empowered, we feel joyful. And when we feel joyful, we can change the world! I want to teach the message of natural health worldwide, so people can make a change in consciousness.”
Steps to Success from Meghan Toups
1. Be truly interested in other people and how you can serve them.
2. Make connections and network with other people in your field and think about how you can collaborate with them.
3. Build a network of people who care about you and support you in fulfilling your dreams.
On Her Bookshelf
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills
The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today, by Joel Osteen
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo
Top Tools on Her Browser
KrisCarr.com – Ideas about wellness and recipes.
MarieForleo.com – Business coach who offers free videos and articles about moving into what you want to do and how to do that in a positive way.
Connecting With Meghan Toups
Website: www.MeghanToups.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeghanToups
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Meghanktoups/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghanktoups
Free Gift
Free initial 45-minute health coaching session via Skype or phone. Reach out to Meghan through any of the links above and mention that you heard her on “Discover Your Talent – Do What You Love” podcast.
Holistic Health & Wellness, Self-Healing
Holistic Health, Life Coach
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494:
Expert Interview: Discover the One Amazing Thing You Were Born to Do - Steve Olsher
A 25-year entrepreneur, Steve Olsher is the chairman and founder of liquor.com. He’s also a New York Times bestselling author of “What is Your What? Discover the One Amazing Thing You Were Born To Do.” Steve is the author of the business technology book of the year, “Internet Profits: The World’s Leading Experts Reveal How to Profit Online. Host of the number one rated radio show, Podcast Reinvention Radio, he is an international keynote speaker who has appeared on CNN, The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur-on-Fire, and other media outlets.
Discover the One Thing You Were Born to Do
“People often get pigeonholed and think they have to do just this one thing. It’s important to recognize that just because you are on a path that no longer fulfills you doesn’t mean you have to stay on that path. There is something else you can do that still leverages your talents but applies them in a different way. In reality, I don’t believe there is one talent or one WHAT. I believe it’s a more organic, more fluid process that evolves over time. I think we really do have one core gift or one core talent that we can lean on. Ultimately, it’s about finding a vehicle we will use to share our gift. The specific people we can serve will change over time.”
Why Is This Important?
“The subtitle of my book probably should be, 1The one amazing thing you were born to do NOW,’ because it changes over time. We all have a core gift, singular gift that reflects how we are naturally wired to excel. There are about 30 different gifts we have identified. It’s really about how you apply your gift and who you share it with that makes all the difference. It helps to start specifically by determining who are the people you feel most compelled to serve. Once you can answer that question, you can then back into how you leverage your gift in a way that lets you serve those people. Those people change, over time, based on life experiences. Our life experiences dictate the people we are most compelled to serve.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Steve explains the four categories all people fall into as they seek to discover what they were born to do. They are: 1) the re-inventors, those who make 180-degree turns; 2) the shifters, who know their gifts and make subtle shifts to use their gifts better; 3) the birthers, those who’ve known their gifts essentially since birth; and, 4) the wanderers, who may not discover their gift until later in life, or until crisis or an enlightening moment comes upon them.
Connecting With Steve Olsher
Website: www.SteveOlsher.com
Twitter: twitter.com/steveolsher
Facebook: facebook.com/SteveOlsherReinventionExpert/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveolsher/
Free Gift
Steve’s NY Times bestseller, “What Is Your WHAT? Discover The ONE Amazing Thing You Were Born to Do.” Go now to www.WhatIsYourWHAT.com/free
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493:
Helping Women Thrive in Their Post-Divorce Lives - Vanessa Gaboleiro
Sitting on her couch in Lisbon, Portugal, Vanessa looked at her life. “It seemed amazing, from the outside. I had everything I needed, but I had nothing.” Later, she would see that moment as the second major turning point in her life.
Vanessa Gaboleiro, a professional in human resources (PHR), is a transformation mentor who works with positive and empowered women in their 20s and 30s in recreating their lives after divorce. After her own divorce almost six years ago, and with her own transformation and learnings, she now helps women thrive in their own post-divorce lives. Vanessa specializes in confidence building, career advancement, smart dating and goal planning. She writes for the Huffington Post and has been featured in Prevention Magazine.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Born to entrepreneurial Portuguese parents in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Vanessa grew up in a bilingual home. “I didn’t know much about myself, especially at 15 or 16, but I knew that I loved psychology and people and understanding their behaviors.” At 18, her parents decided to move the family to Portugal. “I struggled, but it taught me so much about myself. It taught me that I was stronger than I thought I was, and that I could make my own decisions. I realized it was always up to me to take control of my own destiny. I started discovering what was in me and who I was as a person when I was faced with the challenges living abroad.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
There were two major turning points. The first one was living abroad and getting my undergraduate degree in Lisbon, Portugal. The second one was my divorce at 25. In both of those moments, I learned so much about myself.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“At a crucial moment in my 20s, I looked at my life. It seemed amazing, from the outside. I had everything I needed, but I had nothing. I didn’t understand how destructive the relationship with my then husband was, or how unhappy I was. I began to see that I was using my career moves to try to put a lid on what was happening in my personal life, without really digging in deep to see what was happening to me. I was trying to mask it with changes in my career, so I didn’t have to change myself. Fortunately, I also came to realize I was in a situation that I could control. I could help myself.”
Steps to Success from Vanessa Gaboleiro
- Honestly ask yourself, “Am I really happy?”
- Focus on discovering what your passion really is.
- Imagine what will change and how you will feel when you discover what you are meant to do.
On Her Bookshelf
Eat Pray Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia, by Elizabeth Gilbert
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, by Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell
Connecting With Vanessa Gaboleiro
Website: www.vanessag.me
Twitter: @vmgaboleiro
Facebook: @divorce.transformation
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vmgaboleiro
Free Gift
Ultimate Guide to Starting Over after Divorce at www.vanessag.me
Inspiring Others, Personal Transformation, Self-confidence, Women
Human Resourses/HR, Personal Transformaton, Writer
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492:
The Year from Hell and Back - Steve Ozanich
Chronic and acute pain can take over a sufferer’s life and leave him demoralized. Steve hit rock bottom with back pain and multiple symptoms that kept returning. Bedridden, he read a book that helped him banish his pain and profoundly changed the direction of his entire career.
Steve Ozanich, a mind-body health consultant, life coach and author, penned his first two books—”The Great Pain Deception,” and “Dr. John Sarno’s Top 10 Healing Discoveries”—based on his own experiences, the work of John E. Sarno, MD, and 10 years of research. Over the past 16 years, Steve has helped teach thousands of people how to heal themselves through his lectures, books, articles and interviews.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Steve discovered and started using his talents after years of physical and emotional suffering from back pain. The year 1985 was what he calls his “year from hell,” as he experienced the loss of several loved ones and his daughter’s paralysis through a medical complication. He learned to listen to his body and understand what symptoms were telling him. As he experienced dramatic relief, he says, “My mission from that point on was to give the gift away. I didn’t think it was right for me to hold on to this beautiful gift.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was lying on my back, reading Dr. John Sarno’s book, “Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection.” I began to learn that back pain is an emotional and thought process, not about the structure of the spine. I threw the book across the room and continued to suffer awhile longer. Then the pain made me willing to reconsider Dr. Sarno’s ideas.” As Steve began to accept Sarno’s ideas, his symptoms went away. “That was it, my life was saved from reading that book! I rejected the ideas out right and thought the doctor was insane. Now, I teach his work around the world!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There is a big difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is something that can be transferred to people. It can be sold, and can be passed on to people. But you can’t do that with wisdom, it’s not possible. Wisdom is that little light of consciousness within the person, that they understand and see very clearly. But it can’t be transferred to them. Each person needs to find that light and wisdom within them. I offer up the knowledge repeatedly from my own wisdom, hoping it will spark something in them. It’s working!”
Steps to Success from Steve Ozanich
1. Do what you love, first, and the money will come.
2. Love what you are doing and you will get really good at it.
3. Do what you love to do and your health is going to be fantastic.
4. If you are seeking recovery, see and feel your recovery as being already here, not far off into the future.
On His Bookshelf
The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle
Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection, by John E. Sarno
Dr. John Sarno’s Top 10 Healing Discoveries, by Steven Ozanich
Back Pain Permanent Healing: Understanding the Myths, Lies, and Confusion, by Steve Ozanich
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind: Unlock the Secrets Within, by Joseph Murphy, Ph.D., D.D.
Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames, by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Great Pain Deception: Faulty Medical Advice Is Making Us Worse, by Steven Ozanich
Connecting With Steve Ozanich
Website: www.SteveOzanich.com
Facebook: facebook.com/srozanich
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/steven-ray-ozanich-47549343/ -
491:
Expert Interview: Reinventing Retirement - Damion Lupo
An entrepreneur at heart, Damion Lupo started his first business at age 11, and has started 30 more since. Founder of his own martial art, Yokido ™, and holder of three other black belts, Damion paid for his first rental house with a VISA, bought 150 houses in seven states over the next five years, and then went through a $20,000,000 meltdown in 2008. Today he runs an Austin based FinTech dedicated to disrupting Wall Street by getting people off the Wall Street roller coaster and in control of their money and financial future. Damion has written five books with two more being released in 2017.
Reinventing Retirement
“Drawing from some of the painful experiences I see in my work with others, I started rethinking retirement and reinventing the whole idea. I ended up throwing the old ideas out the window. What was applicable 20 or 40 years ago just are not applicable today. It’s important to start early in your career to focus on how you want to contribute to life and how you can always add value to everything you do, long before you retire.”
Why Is This Important?
In many ways, the idea of retirement treats human beings like worn out factory equipment or farm animals past their prime, Damion explains. “At some point, when people weren’t able to continue working, the system said, ‘OK, you’re done.’ We started to buy into the idea that, at a certain age, we would retire and our productive days would be done. But people don’t stop contributing to life just because they retire. If we look at retirement as creating a space that gives us options, we can start to create those options earlier in life.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“We have to ask ourselves what it would look like to really feel secure. This has to do with two things: the ongoing ability to sustain our lifestyle — which has more to do with cash flow than with cash — and with confidence. The confidence is something you build up, so the amount of money in the bank doesn’t matter so much. It’s more about your ability and belief in yourself to create and contribute as long as you are breathing.”
Connecting With Damion Lupo
Website: www.DamionLupo.com and www.totalcontrolfinancial.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/damionlupo
Facebook: facebook.com/damionlupoofficial/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/damionlupo
Financial, FinTech, Real Estate, Retirement
Author, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Financial, FinTech, Real Estate Investment
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490:
Financial Freedom Through a Side Hustle - Tracey Minutolo
Like many young people, Tracey’s credit card debt and relocations around the country got added to her college debt. Then when her employer reduced everyone’s salary by 20%, she took charge and entered a debt management program. Three years later, finally coming out of debt, she vowed not to slide backwards.
Tracey Minutolo is a side hustle coach and financial freedom fighter. She helps motivated nine-to-fivers to choose, launch, and grow side businesses that they love. When she’s not coaching, she’s probably playing with microorganisms at her day job, out enjoying the San Diego sunshine, or checking out the latest craft beer release.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Growing up in northern New Jersey, she was often out helping her mom weed her garden or helping her dad mow the lawn. “I was always the kid with her face in the grass, looking for bugs and other moving things. My favorite insects were ladybugs and lightning bugs. Biology was always my favorite subject in school. I was fascinated with what was out there and, more specifically, but my I couldn’t see. A friend and I would collect samples of water from a stagnant stream behind our house. We’d take them to school and our teacher would let us stay after to look through the microscope and would explain what we were looking at. It opened up a whole world of possibility that stuck with me into Rutgers University, where I got a biology degree.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A big turning point was when I decided to quit my job in New Jersey. It was my first job out of college and I had been there for about four years. I decided to move out to Spokane, Washington, and try new places and different work.” From there, her wanderlust kicked in. “I’d always had a fascination with San Diego, California. As I was driving down Interstate 5 with my moving truck, looking at the palm trees, I felt like I was home. It was an awesome feeling. It was everything I had wanted it to be.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Many people use a side hustle as a bridge to leave their full-time career, and maybe turn their side hustle into something full time. For me, I think there is value in keeping something on the side. I think it is possible to have a side business and a full-time job. My big vision for the side hustle community is to create some awesome resources to connect side hustlers and make it easier for nine-to-fivers to get their feet wet, so they don’t have to spend so much time on the sidelines wondering how to get started.”
Steps to Success from Tracey Minutolo
1. Be conscious of what makes you happy and focus on how you get more of that into your life.
2. Look at all areas of your life, even into your childhood, to discover something that makes you happy. It might be a hobby or a part of the work you’re doing. You might find it in your volunteer work.
3. Free yourself from debt. Use a debt counseling service to help you work a plan. There’s freedom in being debt free.
On Her Bookshelf
Strengths Finder 2.0 assessment tool, developed by Gallup and focused on tapping into a person’s strengths.
Connecting With Tracey Minutolo
Website: traceyminutolo.com
Twitter: @TraceyMinutolo
Facebook: facebook.com/traceyminutolo
Free Gift
Free Side Hustler’s Toolkit at traceyminutolo.com
Debt, Lab Supervisor, Microbiology, Side Hustle
Career Coach, Lab supervisor, Microbiology
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489:
He Took "No" to Mean "Maybe Next Time" - Paul Lamar Hunter
Paul had a good job at Chrysler, then he heard the plant was closing. At age 40, he wondered where he would go next. His union rep gave him some great news that totally changed the outlook for him and his entire extended family.
Paul Lamar Hunter beat the odds against poor kids being less likely to obtain a college education. He is the 19th child out of 21 natural children, who in 2012 became the first in his family to graduate from college with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. His new book, “No Love, No Charity: The Success of the 19th Child,” is an autobiographical account describing how he made it, despite overwhelming odds. Paul has been profiled in many national newspapers and magazines, including Ebony, Austin Fit, the Chicago Defender, the National Examiner and others.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My first real job was working at a Detention Center as a correctional officer. I loved that job. I saw so many young men and women being abused mentally, spiritually and physically. They were hurting, and they needed some guidance. I realized I could offer guidance and caring to them. The juvenile corrections system in America needs to change. The system needs to be so that we can positively impact young people’s lives. We can Inspire them to take their game—academically, socially, mentally—to the next level. If not, we are going to fail them.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“One of the biggest turning points in my life was when I turned 40 years old. I was working for an excellent company, the Chrysler Engine Plant. When I learned that plant was to be closed in 2010, I asked myself what I was going to do. Speaking with some of the union reps, I discovered that, when a plant totally closes, the company must pay for educational training, including college. So, at the age of 40, I decided to go back to college. I was the first member of my extended family to attend and complete college.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Many people are overworked and underpaid. Many of them should not be in their current position because they were born for greater things. Once they have this transformation in their life, once they realize they were born to be a job creator, a CEO, something more, they will be able to change their own lives and impact other people’s lives.”
Steps to Success from Paul Lamar Hunter
1. Do some focused soul searching about your niche in life.
2. Learn to hear a “no” as meaning, “maybe next time.” Then go back again to give them a next time.
3. Understand that failures and obstacles are pushing us in a direction where we need to be in life to be successful.
4. Practice being a caring person with a can-do attitude.
On His Bookshelf
No Love, No Charity: The Success of the 19th Child, by Paul Lamar Hunter
Connecting With Paul Lamar Hunter
Website: www.PaulLamarHunter.com
Twitter: PaulLamarHunter
Facebook: Paul Lamar Hunter
Instagram: Paul Lamar Hunter
Skype: APLH19
Adversity, Family, Inspiring Others, Layoff, Multi Careers
Author, Automotive, Correctional Officer, Public Relations
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488:
Expert Interview: How to Design Your Perfect Day for Maximum Productivity - Anna Cragin, Ph.D.
Ann Cragin is the Productivity Advisor at Freeficiency. She teaches online entrepreneurs how to improve their mindset, reduce anxiety, and design their ideal life through effective time management. Anna has a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience, and she applies brain & behavior research to design ways to work with and around our brains to reach our goals in business and in life.
How to Design Your Perfect Day for Maximum Productivity
“So many people have things they want to do SOME day—hobbies that they want to develop, new skills they want to learn, or even get more work done in their business, or spend more time with their families—but time is finite. At the end of the day, they find that they haven’t done everything they wanted to do. This compound’s over each and every day and they feel they don’t have enough time to do what they truly want to do. I believe that there IS enough time to do what you really want, and I offer some steps to do that.”
Why Is This Important?
“People don’t really know how to be proactive about how best to spend their time because they’ve never been taught. In school, we are taught skills, but not a single course focuses on how to be proactive about our time. In fact, I would argue the opposite is taught. We are taught how to be employees, to bend to other people’s agendas, to spend our time according to how other people wants us to spend it. That’s really the default setting of education. I want to flip that upside down. I want everybody to be proactive with their time and do the things they truly want to do every single day. My goal is to empower people to be more proactive about how they spend their time. It is completely possible with just a few tweaks of mindset and strategy.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“The place to start with is your mindset. We are often in a mindset of running around, putting out fires, responding to emails, all that stuff. That is our default setting. The first crucial mindset switch to make is to go from “I have to do everything, it’s all urgent!” to asking yourself, “What do I REALLY have to do during my day, and what do I want to do?
“Start that mindset shift by tracking your time. Just by becoming aware of where your time goes, you will start to direct what you are doing to be more in line with how you feel you should be spending your time. You’ll begin doing this almost subconsciously.”
Connecting With Anna Cragin, Ph.D.
Website: http://www.freeficiency.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/freeficiency
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aicragin/Free Gift
A Free checklist on how to overcome being stuck in analysis paralysis. Although it was written for entrepreneurs, this definitely can be used for personal life goals, too.
Productivity
Teaching/Teacher
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487:
Learning How Natural Talents Set Her Apart - Edna Keep
Edna never thought just talking to people was a natural talent. “I thought, since it was so easy for me, everybody must be good at it.” Learning how her natural talents distinguished her has been the key to success after success.
As a real estate entrepreneur and investment advisor, coach, and trainer, Edna Keep helps people create passive income through investing in real estate. With $47MM in real estate assets—built in eight years primarily with “other people’s money”—she finally feels like she is exactly where she is meant to be: coaching and training people in all the skills she has acquired throughout her life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I started taking correspondence courses on my own time in the evening. All I could afford was $25 a month. Whenever there were two courses I wanted to take, I had to finish one before I could take the other. But I learned I could study only what I wanted to study. I didn’t have to take classes that seemed useless to me. I got to expand on what I wanted to learn. I think that really helped.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Learning that my forte was talking to people, and that my natural talents distinguished me from other people. I’m a natural conversationalist. It’s easy to me. I didn’t realize it was a strength. I thought, since it was so easy for me, everybody must be good at it. I remember meeting with a teacher, after I became successful. I asked him if he had ever thought I would be successful, and he replied, “Edna, I always figured if you could find something where you could capitalize on your social skills you would do well.” I had never even thought of my social skills something great! Later, when I became a financial advisor, those skills were what endeared me to people.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think I was born an entrepreneur because I never liked being told what to do. I didn’t go to university, and I had to start working right out of high school. As I look back, it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me because, fortunately, I didn’t get stuck in a career that I had spent thousands and thousands of dollars on. So, I didn’t have that need just to continue in something I didn’t like. I’ve been able to build things I like to do.”
Steps to Success from Edna Keep
1. Find your natural strengths and build on them.
2. Regularly invite someone to coffee you want to be like.
3. Live a life you love while you are building it.
4. Surround yourself with people who complement your strengths.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Edna Keep
Website: www.ednakeep.com
Twitter: @ednakeep
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ednakeep
Multi Careers
Coach, Financial Planner, Real Estate Investment, Trainer
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486:
Taking His Creativity All the Way - Blake Brandes, Ph.D.
Blake loved the topic of his Ph.D. dissertation, but he was stuck when faced with writing the last chapter. His advisor suggested he create a rap album, so he did. A review committee member wrote on his paper that he had never before had the pleasure of reviewing a dissertation that you could dance to.
Blake Brandes is co-founder of the personal development company, Motivational Millennial, and co-host of the Motivational Millennial Podcast. He also runs a hip-hop motivational speaking business to help students “Remix Your Reality” through assemblies and workshops. Blake was the recipient of the Marshall Scholarship, one of the most competitive postgraduate awards in the world, which he used to complete his Master’s and Ph.D. on hip-hop and global youth cultures at the University of Kent in England.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I got into hip-hop at a very early age. My father was into reggae and always had a little bit of Hip Hop played around the house. I started listening to what most people would call gangsta rap, artists like DMX and Wu-Tang Clan. I loved the beat and the intensity of the delivery and the lyricism. I started getting into more socially conscious hip-hop and began to think I would love to create this. So, I started DJ-ing at 14. I borrowed speakers from my parents’ bedroom and hooked them up to my portable CD player to make a rudimentary DJ rig. Soon I was DJ-ing school dances and church events. It was so much fun because I was playing music I loved and also helping people have a good time.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Although he was passionate about his area of study, hip-hop and global youth cultures, Blake was stuck in writing his dissertation. He would stare at his computer’s blank screen and nothing would come. Sharing his frustration with his PhD advisor, she told him, “I believe in you, Blake, and I believe this process can be fun for you. Instead of doing this last chapter that you are so stuck on, I want you to make a rap album as part of your doctoral dissertation.” Blake recalls, “Sure enough, I submitted my dissertation with a rap album called Scholar, which is available for free download on my website.” One comment from a dissertation committee member stands out: “In all my years of reviewing dissertations, I have never once had the pleasure of being able to say a dissertation was danceable!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
I’ve just seen so many people who have so much greatness inside of them, and they either don’t believe it or they don’t feel they can manifest it. I just know this world would be an immensely better place if those people who are holding themselves back could truly step out of their own way and unlock that greatness within themselves. My vision for the future is helping people see that inner greatness.
Steps to Success from Blake Brandes, Ph.D.
1. Listen to your inner voice to hear what you truly want. This is a powerful message when you feel stuck.
2. Determine what small, practical action you can take today to take a step in the direction you want for your life.
3. We all have an inner critic, the monkey mind, the saboteur, whatever you may call it. Silence this voice by practicing meditation regularly.
On His Bookshelf
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle
How to Be Here: A Guide to Creating a Life Worth Living, by Rob Bell
Connecting With Blake Brandes, Ph.D.
Website URL: www.motivationalmillennial.com
Twitter: twitter.com/blakebrandes
Facebook: facebook.com/MotivationalMillennial
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/blakebrandes
Free Gift
Personal Transformation Guide written by Blake’s business partner, Ivy LaClair. Four limiting beliefs that many of us—especially Millennials—tend to face, and eight motivational tools to help overcome these limiting mindsets. Free at: http://www.motivationalmillennial.com/freegift
Millennials, Music
Entrepreneur, Musician, Speaker
April 2017:
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Expert Interview: How to Connect with Influential People - Cloris Kylie
Cloris Kylie, Marketing MBA, helps coaches, speakers, consultants, authors, and skilled practitioners to build authority and attract the right clients so that they create a magnificent business that produces positive impact and growing revenue. A sought-after speaker, trainer, and author, she has been featured on television and radio shows, including the #1 podcast for entrepreneurs, “Entrepreneur on Fire.” Her articles have been published on websites with millions of followers, such as TinyBuddha and Addicted2Success. Her motto is “Reveal your magnificence!” because she wants you to remember that your talent and ideas must be shared with the world.
How to Connect with Influential People to Grow Your Career and Business
“Whether you have a business or a career in the corporate world, you are in the business of building relationships, this applies to all areas of your life. Even if you want to find someone to date, what do you do? You ask your friends to introduce you to somebody. The same thing happens in business and your career. You get that job you want when you have a connection within that company. You can get connected to other people’s audiences when you have that connection with an influencer who already has a platform of his or her own. So, in a world in which everybody seems to be trying to share their message, there is so much noise out there. The only way to really stand out quickly is to create those relationships with influencers.”
Why Is This Important?
“It’s hard to get to the momentum where you can make things happen if you try to do it on your own. You need the support of other people, especially influencers. When I talk about ‘influencers’, it doesn’t mean you have to connect with Oprah to sell your book! It means that you connect with people who have access to an audience or a resource that will benefit your business or your career.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“First, you have to be clear about your passions, talents and goals. People will sense when you lack that clarity. Next, you need to carefully select the influencers you’d like to reach—a number small enough to be able to give them personal attention—and look for ways to give value to them, to support them. The relationships you build must be based on reciprocity. Start, for example, by sharing their blog posts with your followers, retweeting their messages that would appeal to your followers. If they have Facebook groups that match your goals, join them and participate actively in them. Focus building quality relationships, not unmanageable quantities.”
Connecting With Cloris Kylie
Website: www.cloriskylie.com
Twitter: twitter.com/cloriskylie
Facebook: facebook.com/cloriskylie
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cloriskylie
Free Gift
Free guide to connect with influencers: https://myplatform.info/how-to-be-noticed-by-influencers
Influencial Relationships, Speaker
Author, Business Coach, Speaker
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Brain Science + Heart Knowledge = Sustainable Change - Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D.
A former straight-A student who wanted to go to Harvard, Susan found herself in a crack house, where she’d been for four days. “I had a moment of clarity when I saw who and where I was. I knew if I didn’t get out of there—right then—that’s all I was ever going to be.”
Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D., is a psychology professor, a brain and cognitive scientist, and an expert in the psychology of eating. She is President of the Institute for Sustainable Weight Loss and CEO of Bright Line Eating Solutions, a company dedicated to helping people achieve long-term, sustainable weight loss. Her program utilizes cutting-edge research to explain how the brain blocks weight loss and every day she teaches people how to undo that damage so they can live happy, thin, and free.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
I had no idea what I wanted to major in. Leafing through a college catalog—Architecture, Biology—I got to the C’s and saw Cognitive Science. It was a brand new major, an interdisciplinary major involving psychology, philosophy of mind, a computer science course sequence leading up to artificial intelligence. There was a course in neuroscience to learn how the brain works, and in education dealing with how to train the mind, and anthropology. I said, Oh, sign me up for this!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“It was on a Tuesday, August 9, 1994. The day started in a very seedy hotel room. I had been there smoking crack four days continuously. I had a blonde wig because I had a shaved head, and piercings in all kinds of places. A couple kicking heroin, shaking and quivering, was at my side, and a few other people were in the room. There was still crack rock on the table and a bottle of Jack Daniels on the counter. In a moment of clarity, I saw who and where I was. I knew if I didn’t get out of there—right then—that’s all I was ever going to be. I picked up my jacket and walked out the door.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It is goose-pimply, bone-chillingly outrageous how much the universe has conspired to prepare me for this mission. When I look back on my life, all the little things that didn’t make any sense when they were happening in terms of any consistent pattern or mosaic, all make sense now.”
Steps to Success from Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D.
1. Set a definite time for regular meditation. Ideas and inspiration often come as a result of this practice.
2. Have the courage to listen consistently to your inner voice and learn how to trust it.
3. Real change involves a commitment to doing the inner work.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D.
Website: www.brightlineeating.com and http://happythinandfree.com/
Twitter: @DRSPThompson and @brightlinelife
Facebook: Bright Line Eating
Free Gift
Free PDF: “The Three Huge Mistakes That Almost Everyone Makes When They Try To Lose Weight” on http://happythinandfree.com/
Addiction, Weight
psychologist, Weight loss
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Finding His Tribe of World-Changers - Alex Charfen
He felt like an outsider as far back as he could remember. There was no shortage of diagnoses to add to Alex’s feelings of not fitting in. But one of his traits led him to dig deeply into the history and biographies of other outsiders. Not only was he not alone, he discovered he was uniquely gifted to change the world, starting with his own.
Alex Charfen has spent his life seeking to understand how to make businesses grow, which evolved into the question, “How do you help people grow?” Through his research and years as a top consultant to the Fortune 500 and Global 100, this question led Alex to discover the long-misunderstood Entrepreneurial Personality Type (EPT). Best-selling author Robin Sharma recently described Alex as, “the most progressive entrepreneurial mind on the planet.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
At a young age, Alex was aware of feeling different from most people. He felt like an outsider. Partly to learn how to fit in, how to be, he says, “I got obsessed with people. As a kid, I didn’t just read the biographies that were available, I found copies of journals, notes and the actual writing done by people like Leonardo DaVinci, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. It’s amazing what’s available through certain schools and online resources. If you really start looking at human beings and how success has been created, there are clear patterns to success. The stories of successful people are almost identical. Their paths to success have more similarities than differences among them.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“For a lot of entrepreneurs, the prototype for success was the TV show, Miami Vice, and the movie, Wall Street. The driving force was to go make as much money as you can. Then, at some point in my 20s, someone gave me the book, ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari.’ I remember the book because it raised a quandary for me: I was about to buy a Ferrari and was deciding which one to buy. I didn’t read the book at first. It sat on a night stand for about six months. Then, I remember I finally picked it up and started reading it. That book, and meeting the woman I later married, led me to look closely at my life—working in a high stress, cut-throat industry, constantly traveling—and very quickly, I walked away from it.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Alex’s lifelong study of high achievers led him to an understanding of the Entrepreneurial Personality Type (EPT), which helped him make sense of the many ways he had felt different from most people most of his life. Looking through history at the biographies of people who had made a major difference, he gained valuable self-knowledge of his own personality which enables him to help other entrepreneurs.
Steps to Success from Alex Charfen
1. If you are listening to this podcast, chances are you are not like everybody else. Admit those differences and learn how they can propel you to greater success.
2. Recognize that we need all types of personalities in the human tribe and that your personality type is vital to the whole.
3. If you have always felt different from others, consider that you very likely have an Entrepreneurial Personality Type, and that you are not alone.
On His Bookshelf
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, by Robin Sharma
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Connecting With Alex Charfen
Website: www.charfen.com
Twitter: twitter.com/AlexCharfen
Facebook: facebook.com/charfen
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexcharfen/
YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCm7h9ePRONYnfrPmLWAq2Lw
Instagram: instagram.com/alexcharfen/
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Expert Interview: The Power of Knowing Your Talent Early in Life - Dr. Thomas Tavantzis
Following the dictum, “Know thyself,”—inscribed by his distant Greek ancestors over the entry to Delphi in Athens—Dr. Tom Tavantzis has been helping people know themselves. From the early 1970s through his work today, he has worked with people from ages 15 to 60, to help them discover their talents, develop and maximize them, while increasing their satisfaction in life and career and being useful to others.
The Power of Knowing Your Talent Early in Life –Through High School, College and Beyond, with Dr. Tom Tavantzis
One thing to understand about talents is that we all have them. We need to figure out what they are. Talents are going to evolve, but they are not going to change significantly over time. A recent study from New Zealand of 1,000 children, who were followed over a 23-year period—and that’s a good longitudinal study! Researchers observed that a child’s personality at age three was remarkably consistent with the personality traits observed when the child reached age 26.
Why Is This Important?
“You want to understand how you think, how you make decisions. What role in life should you seek out? As a high school or college student, knowing your talent can help you find your best way of learning. Or, even more importantly, it will help you make an informed decision about the best place for you to go to college and what kind of environment should you seek out. Having a knowledge of your abilities and values, and building on that understanding can start early in life. Over time, you can discover what your family of origin communicated to you about the world. Having some sort of structured program—such as the Highlands Ability Battery—helps you think through who you are. Knowing who you are will help you look clearly at your best options.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“There is an illusion that there’s an ‘expert answer’ that will come from some testing instrument. But that’s not the case. What is the case is that there are at least eight factors, that we know pretty reliably, that help us explore our options in a structured way so we can better navigate the world we live in, a world which is very complex and rapidly changing. It’s important to know your interests and your passions, but the idea that you should just follow your passion is not sufficient. It’s a good thing to know, but it’s not enough just to be excited.”
Connecting With Dr. Thomas Tavantzis
Website: www.imdleadership.com and www.exploreyourtalents.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IMDLeadership
Free Gift
$200 off the Ability Battery Assessment and a free Kindle copy of Dr. Tavantzis’ book “Hardwired,” if you email Dr. Thomas Tavantzis and mention this podcast. Ability Battery Assessment includes a three-hour online assessment, a two-hour debrief with Dr. Tavantzis to help you apply your results to your career and life, an audio recording of the debrief, and multiple written reports.
Email: thomas.tavantzis@imdleadership.com
For a better understanding of the Ability Battery for students, visit exploreyourtalents.com.
Careers, Talents
Author, psychologist, Talent
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Step 1: Be Honest with Yourself - Mary Hyatt
Like millions of Americans, Mary struggled with her weight and juggling prescription medications. Even though she switched to buying organic and locally grown food, that did not solve her health issues. It was time she got brutally honest with herself and find a long-term solution.
Mary Hyatt is on a quest to feel alive and to live a life full of gratitude, joy, authenticity, and abundance in body, mind and soul. Mary believes that every person has the ability to create the life that they love. She lives in the heart of Nashville and her days are spent juggling the roles of holistic lifestyle advocate as a Blue Diamond wellness advocate with doTERRA essential oils, and personal life and business coach. She helps her clients wake up, find their voice and become fully alive. You can join her every Wednesday at 1 PM CST on her Facebook LIVE show where she dives into raw topics and helps her audience fall back in love with themselves and believe in their potential.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
One of five daughters of a striving serial entrepreneur father, Mary absorbed a work ethic and a love for starting businesses. “I was always finding ways to start little businesses. I worked three jobs when I was in high school. I was a nanny, and I also worked in an eye doctor’s office. Then I was a personal assistant. I was all over the place all of the time! Working wasn’t something we talked about, it was just sort of a given. I’m grateful for that now.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Dealing with issues of health and being overweight, Mary gravitated toward learning about locally grown food. Gradually, she dropped processed foods from her life, replacing them with organic whole foods. The documentary “Food, Inc.,”and the book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” strengthened her resolve. Then, at 23, her entrepreneurial side led her to start a farmers’ market in Nashville, TN. “I created the farmers market in just a couple of months. It was incredibly successful. I sold it to a wonderful lady, and it is still running. It’s so cool to see how far it has come since I opened it around eight years ago.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Wake up and be brutally honest with yourself about where you are and how you feel about it. Give voice to those feelings. From that place of honesty, you can then birth the change you want in your life. But you have to get honest and tell it like it is. That, to me, is the first step.”
Steps to Success from Mary Hyatt
1. Find and create a sense of purpose in whatever you do.
2. If you can’t find a sense of purpose—or if you’re just doing the “shoulds”—stop and get clear on what you truly love to do.
3. Take responsibility for your life and recognize you always have a choice.
4. Fake it ‘til you make it…just make it! Just keep trying things out, and don’t give up on yourself.
On Her Bookshelf
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
Top Tools on Her Browser
Zoom.com – totally free videoconferencing site, groups and one-on-one.
Connecting With Mary Hyatt
Website: maryhyatt.com
Twitter: @marygracehyatt
Facebook: facebook.com/MaryGraceHyatt/
Instagram: @maryghyatt
Food/Eating/Health, Starting a business, Weight
Business Coach, Business Owner, Life Coach, Wellness Advocate
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Keep Them Coming Back! - Rob Skrob
In his early twenties, life as a CPA offered job security, but Rob quickly saw it was not for him. Still, he had to support himself, so he took a job as a bookkeeper. Little did he imagine that this job would open up a whole new world that he didn’t even know existed.
For more than two decades Robert Skrob has helped hundreds of membership programs launch and grow from start-up to some of the largest membership and subscription companies in the world. After beginning his career as the leading membership growth expert for non-profits and political organizations, Robert pioneered monthly continuity subscriptions with for-profit membership and subscription. His profound understanding of what members want from their membership relationships enables him to help you build connections with members that last for years. He is also the author of five books on marketing published by Entrepreneur Press.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After trying out a job as a CPA for a couple of months, Rob quickly decided accounting was not for him. He took a job as a bookkeeper for a company that worked with membership associations. His connection with a man named Bob Harris, the company’s founder and owner, helped him totally change his outlook. “As a twenty-year-old, my insight ended at the end of my nose. I was primarily focused on me and what I wanted. Bob helped me see things from the other person’s perspective, the client’s perspective and the client’s members’ perspective. That’s one of the things that still helps me today.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Eventually Rob bought the company created by Bob Harris. Looking for ways to grow, he discovered that the Pareto Principle—that 20 percent of your customers account for 80 percent of your revenue—was true for his company. He dropped all clients but his crucial 20 percent. Then, he focused on scaling up, multiplying the impact of his work. That’s when he discovered the emergence of the Subscription Economy, a growing consumer preference for monthly subscriptions instead of large, one-time purchases. “We were on the cusp of that transformation, where folks wanted to pay monthly. In fact, offers that had a monthly payment plan began to outperform those that had an annual subscription. Recent studies report that sales of subscription-based companies are growing at a rate 12 times the pace of the sales of companies on the S&P 500.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Focus on who you’re going to serve and what you can do to help solve their problems, and put the critics out of your mind. Folks are going to say what they are going to say. You can’t control them, so there’s no reason even to listen or bother with them. Put out your art and focus on the ones you are trying to serve, because they are going to be there.”
Steps to Success from Rob Skrob
1. Focus on how you can help your clients solve their problems. You will succeed if you help them meet the needs of their own customers.
2. Don’t be slowed down by worrying about criticism. Just put your art out there. People will come.
3. Act out of a clear understanding of what you want, and say no to everything that isn’t a right fit. You will attract those that are a right fit.
4. Let go of the clients that aren’t a good match. Make space in your life for the people and opportunities that are a good match.
Connecting With Rob Skrob
Website: RobertSkrob.com
Twitter: RobertSkrob
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.skrob
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertskrob
Client Retention, Mentors
Author, Business Owner, Membership/Subscription Groups
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Expert Interview: Why Facing Your Fears Will Propel Your Business to the Next Level - Jessica Olmon
Jessica Olmon is a business attorney who founded her own law firm, Vero Law Group, and built it from a garage home business to an ocean-view, Santa Monica operation, servicing over 400 clients since inception in 2011. Her passion is to help entrepreneurs find success and freedom through their business and she does this through her law firm, as a mentor and through her entrepreneur success program, Course Corrected.
Why Facing Your Fears Will Propel Your Business to the Next Level
Anytime you are growing a business—and we could even expand that topic out to wanting something new in your life—by definition you are stepping into doing things that are unfamiliar and new. This can be anything from scary to complete terror. What we’re really talking about is why those things are so scary, and also why this fear is actually part of the growth and change that most of us really want.
Why Is This Important?
“The first step is becoming aware of the fear. You may have a little idea in the back of your mind that you are afraid of something, but fear can show up as procrastination, or in having a thousand things on your to-do list, busily working on all of them, so that it seems like the opposite of procrastination. But you may not be focusing on the things that will give you the change that you want. So, the first step is to become aware of it, recognize it as fear, and face it.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“After you recognize your fear, the next step is to disarm it. It’s easy to have many worst-case scenarios floating around in your mind. Put your thoughts down in writing. In one column, write down the worst that could happen. In the next column, write what you can do to minimize each of those scenarios. In the last column, assume that those dreaded scenarios happened and write down how you could get back to where you are now. By putting all these scenarios down on paper, they are not owning your mind anymore. You see things clearly and can ask yourself if this is something you still want to pursue. Make a decision about it.”
Connecting With Jessica Olmon
Website: www.coursecorrected.com
Twitter: @jessicatolmon
Facebook: @JessicaTOlmon
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jessica-t-olmon-b5a1195Fear
Lawyer
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Turning a Physical Challenge into a Source of Strength - Kristina Rhoades
Kristina learned early in life that her wheelchair did not have to hold her back. Instead, the spinal cord injury sustained in her infancy challenged her to discover her gifts and share them as coach, mom, leader and advocate. And, she is proud to say she can pop a mean wheelie!
Kristina Rhoades is a motivational speaker, writer and life coach, as well as a wife and proud mom of a five-year-old daughter. After sustaining a spinal cord injury as a baby, Kristina has grown up in a wheelchair and at 21 years old, served her home state as Ms. Wheelchair California. She’s fiercely passionate about human rights, happiness, meditation and helping others shift their perspectives to live their best and most rewarding lives.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I grew up surrounded by people who were doing creative things, living their passion. Many family members have jobs that are creativity based. Some are in the film industry, film production, photographers. So, I was lucky to be exposed to people who had jobs that they loved and were able to blend their careers with their personal lives by doing things that were their passions. That helped me understand it was possible to have a life and a career that wasn’t so 9-to-5.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Moving from northern California to northern Georgia, Kristina says she “found herself” at Brenau University in Gainesville, especially in communications and in radio. Earlier, while traveling as Ms. Wheelchair California, she had done plenty of radio interviews and some TV, so she felt right at home in broadcasting. “I was surrounded by all sorts of mentors, teachers and community leaders, and even other students there at Brenau. They taught me so much about myself, my own capabilities, and the world.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think we aren’t told enough, by people we believe, that we can follow our passions, that we can have a career that blends with life, and we can do things that we love. It’s so important, and it’s something we need to model for our children, so they have the confidence to go after what they believe in. One of my favorite quotes summarizes this. It’s from John Lennon. ‘When I was 5 years old, my mother told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down, ‘happy.’ They told me I didn’t understand the assignment. I told them they didn’t understand life.”
Steps to Success from Kristina Rhoades
1. Believe that you can do what you love, and model that belief for your children and other loved ones.
2. Be an advocate for people who need some encouragement and help them recognize their own inner strengths.
3. Be quick to learn from mentors, leaders and people you admire, and be generous in sharing what you learn.
4. Learn from your setbacks or apparent limitations. They may lead you to deep sources of strength.
On Her Bookshelf
The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion, by Elle Luna
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Three other authors and thought leaders, Kristina enjoys:
Danielle LaPorte
Gabrielle Bernstein
Bob ProctorTop Tools on Her Browser
CreativeLive podcast with Chase Jarvis. Interviews with creative people.
Connecting With Kristina Rhoades
Website: www.kristinarhoades.com
Twitter: twitter.com/kristinarhoades
Facebook: facebook.com/kristinarhoadespage/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristinarhoades
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Awakening Your Strong, Caring Warrior - Timothy “TJ” Jones
With tears in her eyes, TJ’s wife took his face in her hands and said. ” You aren’t yourself anymore. You are so unhappy!” Then she said the four words that knocked him for a loop and changed his life forever. “Be who you are.”
TJ is an author, speaker, and leadership crusader. He developed his expertise in the trenches hiring, training and coaching hundreds of leaders and working professionals. TJ recently published “The Caring Warrior: Awaken your Power to Lead, Influence, and Inspire.” He believes that each of us can awaken an inner, caring and strong warrior who brings our best self to life and to work. He engages with individuals, emerging leaders, teams and organizations seeking fulfillment and greater performance. He is a husband, father of four, and someone who woke up to do what he loves.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Growing up in a small town in Upstate New York, “I was actively involved in virtually everything the school offered: sports, music, performing and acting. I think I learned my social skills there at a young age. it was a wonderful place to grow up. I knew my desire was to be connected to people and to be talking about things that were in the developmental area. I gravitated toward the idea of teaching and coaching because those were some of the more influential people in my life.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After a successful, largely rewarding 20-year corporate career, the frequent acquisitions and mergers began to take their toll. The last merger was especially mean-spirited, and TJ noticed he was becoming cynical, losing the positive, caring and idealistic side of his character. A dramatic moment came when his wife took his face in her hands, tears in her eyes, and said, “You are so unhappy! You aren’t yourself anymore. Come back to me”. Then she said the four words that knocked him for a loop: “Be who you are!” TJ recalls, “Frankly, that led me to jumping off the high dive and changing my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My metaphor is to take up the sword, but to take it up in a caring way, caring for yourself. To me, that means taking a really good hard look in the mirror. Often, that comes at a time of disillusionment, from a realization that ‘what I’m doing right now is not working for me. And it’s impacting every aspect of my life.’ It ultimately comes down to understanding the negative pressures, but not blaming them. Instead, it means saying, ‘I Own It,’ and taking ownership of your life.”
Steps to Success from Timothy “TJ” Jones
1. Read good literature and learn about your Hero’s Journey. This can give a greater sense of meaning to your life.
2. Cultivate a caring sensitivity for yourself and others. Take pleasure in helping others grow.
3. Be careful not to lose the best of yourself at these crucial turning points in life.
4. You can often find small tweaks to make in your life to move you toward your desired goals. It’s not always necessary to jump from the high dive.
On His Bookshelf
Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness, by Sharon Lebell, based on the writings of Epictetus
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens
The Caring Warrior: Awaken Your Power To Lead, Influence, and Inspire, by T. J. Jones
Connecting With Timothy “TJ” Jones
Website: http://tjjonesleadership.com/
Twitter: @CaringWarriorTJ
Facebook: facebook.com/TJJonesLeadership/#
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timothyjjones1
Free Gift
Free pdf of first 60 pages of TJ’s book. Includes exercises, worksheets, and resources.
Go to http://tjjonesleadership.com/ and take the Positive Influence Assessment. Sign onto list. A pdf will be sent to you within 24 hours.
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Expert Interview: How to Balance Being CEO and Parent - Kim Lim
Kim Lim is a bio-medical CEO, mother of two and best-selling author. Kim knows firsthand the struggle of balancing the role of boss and mom. But what she didn’t expect is that the same skills she uses in the boardroom can also be used to wrangle her two boys at home.
Kim says you can find a balance between work and home life. Being a working parent—especially doing it solo—means double the responsibilities, but you can achieve harmony and success. Kim shares how the skills you use at the office can translate to the skills needed at home. She shares five BRAVE steps to creating a successful work and home balance. By taking these steps at home with your family, you will feel less torn between home and work.
How to Balance Being CEO and Parent
“Being both a mom or a dad and a business owner, it’s important to remember that you are still the same person. You are a human being in both of those roles. There is a misconception about having to be a hardline boss at work, then going home and trying to be a loving, caring parent. I’ve seen so many male CEOs do that kind of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dual personality, and they miss out on a lot of things in their lives. They often feel torn between work and home.”
Why Is This Important?
“In a general sense, there is a misconception that in child rearing as well as in being a CEO and a boss, you use a stick and a carrot. You get rewards, or you get punishments. That’s a very black and white approach. I think, both as a parent and as a CEO, my role is to be a compass for people instead. My role is to guide them in the direction they need to go. As a parent, I don’t need to be constantly fixing things for my children, and as a boss, I don’t need to micromanage my employees.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
I want to encourage people not to be afraid to try new things. Among the many misconceptions I’ve faced has been the myth that, because I’m a mom, I’m not going to have time to run a business, start something new, or change my career. Then, on the other side, I’ve faced the misconception that having a career and being driven means I can’t be an engaged parent. I think you can have the best of both worlds if you keep your priorities in check. Above all, make sure that YOU are happy! If you are not happy, your kids won’t be happy, and your employees won’t be happy either.”
Books on The Topic
Connecting With Kim Lim
Website: ultimatelabsinc.com/
Twitter: @UltimateLabsInc
Facebook: facebook.com/ultimatelabsinc/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kimberlyylim
Family, Leadership
Author, Business Owner
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475:
Trusting Her Own Resourcefulness - Anna Balkan
Tediously unraveling an old sweater and reusing the yarn to knit a new one, Anna learned resourcefulness and how to express her creativity. Leaving the Ukraine behind and moving to the United States, she eventually built a thriving career at Accenture. But she also held on to her artistic side. Now, she’s well into a new frontier.
Anna Balkan grew up in the Chernobyl area of the Ukraine when the culture was gray and resourcefulness was a necessity. At age 20 she emigrated to the United States as a political refugee– alone, unable to speak the language, with a hundred dollars in her pocket. “It was an unexpected opportunity, but I knew from within it was the right thing to do. I had to let myself be vulnerable and trust, then keep trusting, no matter how difficult things were at times.” Delivering the unexpected is still part of Anna’s journey. After 14 years building a thriving career at Accenture, she returned to her true passion–her love for color–and started Anna Balkan Jewelry. In 2010, she opened Anna Balkan Design Jewelry Gallery. She is personally committed to hiring locally, making all her jewelry locally, and giving back to her local community.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
In the waning days of the Soviet Union, scarcity brought out the resourcefulness in Anna and her family. Westernized now, she calls herself MacGyver, the TV character constantly improvising a solution in the nick of time. “We weren’t starving but we weren’t wealthy. If I wanted a new sweater, we patiently unraveled an older one and knitted a new one with the same yarn. Creativity was just part of daily life. I learned that you can figure anything out. We didn’t grow up seeing commercials so I didn’t know I was restricted.” When Anna had the opportunity to emigrate to the United States, she even made her own suitcase.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Without a lick of English, I totally immersed myself in the language. I didn’t speak a word of Russian for the first year and a half or two years in the U.S.” Her crash course in language and culture enabled her to enroll in City College of New York (CCNY) in Manhattan, then transfer on scholarships and grants to Michigan State University. With her degree in economics, she accepted a job offer from Anderson Consulting, now Accenture, and ascended through a 14-year career. “I enjoyed being thrown into new projects, sink or swim, and figuring out the project I was on, proving my expertise to the client. That was very exhilarating.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Be open to life. I truly feel when you are open, you see and hear what you need. It’s not listening to the voice in your head that would have you doubting everything. Some people say it’s naive. I feel it’s not so much being naive as it is just being open. And being kind. Kind to yourself, kind to the people around you. Trust that the world around you is for your good. I knew from the moment the opportunity to come to the U.S. presented itself that the minute my feet touched America’s ground, I would figure out what to do.”
Steps to Success from Anna Balkan
1. Learn to depend on yourself and trust your instincts.
2. Face your fears honestly. Don’t see them as one big obstacle. Break them down into bite-size pieces.
3. Ask the Universe for guidance. Lay it all out and listen for answers.
4. Practice kindness and patience, both with yourself and the people in your life.
On Her Bookshelf
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek
Now, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton
Connecting With Anna Balkan
Website: AnnaBalkan.com
Instagram: annabalkanjewelry
Facebook: Anna Balkan Designer Jewelry Gallery
Creativity, Resourcefulness
Business Owner, Global Services, Jewelry, Retail
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474:
Transformed by a Moment's Decision - Terry Gremaux
Terry learned a strong work ethic from his parents, as he demonstrated in his years working as an underground gold miner. But a life changing event and the guidance of mentors, set him on a path no one in his family even understood.
Terry Gremaux started out working as an underground gold miner 80-plus hours a week. The economy tanked and so did his job. He found himself in unfamiliar territory and knew it was time to make extreme changes and rewrite his future. Terry found a mentor who spoke with him about the principles, habits, and strategies he so direly needed. Today Terry is an entrepreneurial leader who trains business owners worldwide how to use free social media strategies to grow their businesses.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Years before he even heard about social media, when he still thought of people in business as “those OTHER people,” Terry learned a strong work ethic from his parents. He often helped his hard-working father, who was a rancher, a farmer and an occasional gold miner. Terry held onto the work ethic but eventually left the physical labor behind.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Terry had a grand mal epileptic seizure one day when he was working in the gold mine. “They had to call an ambulance, take me to the hospital, the whole nine yards.” He had been diagnosed when he was 17 with a type of epilepsy that can be managed with medication and a few lifestyle changes. “I wasn’t very good about doing what the doctor told me. I wasn’t supposed to be working night shifts, but I didn’t know anything else to do to make a lot of money, and I was stubborn, so I didn’t do what the doctor said. After the seizure, I took it as God’s way of waking me up and telling me I am here to do something different. From that moment forward, everything changed.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Starting an entrepreneurial life, it’s sometimes necessary to put some distance between yourself and anyone who is unable to encourage and support you on your independent path, Terry observes. That often includes parents and other family members and good friends. “Doing this makes room for mentors and teachers who can help you understand your desire to do something different and reach your goals. When you’ve built your self-confidence, it’s possible to renew the ties with loved ones and friends whose paths are not like yours.”
Steps to Success from Terry Gremaux
1. Make space in your life for mentors and teachers, even if that means temporarily putting some distance between yourself and some of your family and friends.
2. Cultivate a strong work ethic and practice it in pursuit of your heart’s desire.
3. Immerse yourself in learning about what interests you. Often, after investing in yourself for a while, a life change will come, and it will seem like a sudden awakening, a moment of transformation.
On His Bookshelf
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Top Tools on His Browser
Headspace: A tool for guided meditation. 10-day free trial with free downloadable app. www.headspace.com/Headspace/FreeTrial
Connecting With Terry Gremaux
Website: http://thehashtaghunter.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Terryjgremaux
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terry.gremaux
Entrepreneurism, Family, Mentors, Personal Transformation
Entrepreneur, Mining, Social Media
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473:
Expert Interview: It's Not Letting Go That Hurts. It's Holding On That Hurts - Lauren McLaughlin
Lauren McLaughlin has had a long and varied career, every step of which led her to love and learn about people and what makes them do what they do. At the age of 59, that path led her to become an ordained Unity minister. She’s a writer, speaker, teacher, retreat coordinator, keynote speaker, counselor and professional student. Lauren is always seeking to learn about people and new ideas. Certified in several modes of energy management, she enjoys helping people who are feeling anxious or are suffering physical or emotional distress by introducing them to the many blessings of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and Psych-K, a probing technique designed by psychologist Rob Williams to help identify the deepest desires of the heart. She lives in Florida with her husband and professional partner John.
It's not letting go that hurts. It's holding on that hurts.
Letting go of the way you’ve always done things to move into a new way to do things is difficult for men, women, children…for everyone. It isn’t letting go that causes the hurting, it’s holding on and sticking in places where you don’t want to be that really hurts.
Why Is This Important?
There are key turning points in life when it’s time to let go of the past and move ahead. “Many people who have invested their life in their family come to a stage of life where their children are grown, the husband is very successful, they’ve done all the social thing, all the volunteer work and all kinds of things. They’ve created beautiful homes, but they have lost themselves in taking care of other people and never have probed to see who they are. They’ll come to me and say, ‘I feel so unfulfilled. I don’t have any reason to complain. I’m well taken care of, everybody loves me, but I’m not happy.’ Not being happy is the signal that you are not living your personal life potential.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Often around age 40, people recognize they are not happy and decide to take responsibility for their dissatisfaction. They decide to let go of their excuses and to stop blaming others for limiting their choices or causing them to feel stuck. I often ask them to recall the games they enjoyed playing as children. It’s a way of helping them start to get back in touch with what brings them joy. Another great tool for getting unstuck is gratitude.”
Connecting With Lauren McLaughlin
Website: www.gotoelf.com and www.unitynow.com
Twitter: revlauren
Facebook: Lauren McLaughlin
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472:
Taking a Risk to Be a Great Dad - Joshua Latimer
When none of the side gigs he tried just after school were working for him, Josh threw in the towel and took a job in banking. He was very driven and focused, and so he succeeded. But he was far from happy building someone else’s dream.
Joshua left his job as a banker for JP Morgan Chase to start a cleaning business in Michigan, which he eventually grew and sold to a California-based cleaning conglomerate in 2015. Now he is living in Costa Rica with his four kids and wife where he helps small business owners from all over the world understand the power of business systems and automation, and the freedom they can bring.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was between 16 or 17 years old, I understood for the first time that being an entrepreneur or an investor or having businesses was even ‘a thing.’ I had never even considered it before then. It started when I came across the book ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad.’ It blew my mind. I’m not sure why I gravitated to it, but even when I was in high school, I started reading books on real estate, finance, economics, strategy…anything. I had an insatiable appetite to learn that stuff.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Early in his marriage, Josh tried his hand at side projects and delivered pizzas, but he ended up feeling he was banging his head against a wall. “I finally caved in to the pressure and went down the traditional career path. I got into finance and mortgages and ended up working for a bank. I read a lot of books, I had the momentum and was very driven and focused, so I succeeded at it. I wasn’t happy doing it. It wasn’t difficult for me to meet and exceed my goals, get little awards and do sales training with other people, but I was building someone else’s dream that whole time. Eventually, I reached a breaking point or a crossroads. I finally went into business for myself.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Now that I’m in business for myself, I want my children to see their father take intelligent risks, shoot for the stars and dream big, so I can influence them in their lives. It’s not about the success, money, or whatever for its own sake. I want them to see that if you attempt to do things, it’s going to be okay. If you try to influence the world and live a better life than average, you can do it. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist. A lot of the self-limiting beliefs we have are in our own brains. They are not real. That is, by far, my number one driving motivation.”
Steps to Success from Joshua Latimer
1.Get clear on what you want.
2. Start! Make a beginning. Take an intelligent risk, but start!
3. Know you are outstanding at something. Begin to move in that direction.
On His Bookshelf
Holy Bible, especially Proverbs Ecclesiastes
Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!, by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
Connecting With Joshua Latimer
Website: sendjim.io
Twitter: @automatejosh
Facebook: @automatejosh
LinkedIn: @automatejosh
Banking, Relationship Marketing, Starting a business
Banking, Business Coach, Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Podcaster
March 2017:
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471:
Every Person Has a Story to Tell - Lisa Bloom
As the daughter of an Irish storyteller, Lisa had the gift of gab, but she knew the taboo topics in Ireland: money, religion and sex. Then, she settled in Israel, and that was all they talked about! But it was in a U.S. government job that she learned the true power of storytelling and how people are so motivated by their inner stories, by what they believe to be true.
Lisa Bloom works with organizations developing transformational story leaders, creative yet resilient cultures, and leading powerful change processes with the power of storytelling. She also works with entrepreneurs and business owners to help them find confidence, attract ideal clients and find their success story. Lisa is a professional Storyteller, accredited coach, author, mentor and leadership expert. She is also the author of “Cinderella and the Coach-the Power of Storytelling for Coaching Success!” and the creator of the “Stories That Sell and Certified Story Coach Programs.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My father was a great storyteller. He loved more than anything to hear and listen to stories. Growing up in Ireland, there was a tradition of story and of being able to have that turn of phrase, that gift of conversation. I grew up in an environment that was very traditional, and a family that was small and close. Life was very much around the conversation. That was an important starting point for me in terms of where I ended up.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I think my first turning point was when I left Ireland and discovered a whole world out there. In Ireland we talk about our having the Gift of Gab, the gift of conversation, but when I was growing up I always sensed that there were certain things you didn’t talk about. Money, religion and sex were taboo, so you talked about everything else. But in Israel, that’s all people did talk about — money, religion and sex, that’s it! The people in the Middle East tell you to your face exactly what they think. It was actually quite refreshing, really interesting. The culture I was born into was very much about conversation and creating a community, but I was just bowled over and also attracted by a place where people have an almost brutal honesty — but also would open their homes to you, to give you anything you needed.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“As my clients find their own core story, and learn how to use that story in their work to ground them in their business and be fully present in that business, they work in closer touch with their true selves, which is to say, in touch with the essence of what they are doing. When we discover that, everything seems to simply fall into place.”
Steps to Success from Lisa Bloom
1. Become aware of your own core story and how it shapes your life.
2. Remember: you can’t be a storyteller without being a listener first.
3. Notice your own inner stories and outer stories. Do they differ, and why?
4. Learn to listen deeply to how other people describe their own lives in stories.
On Her Bookshelf
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, by Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell
I Need Your Love – Is That True?: How to Stop Seeking Love, Approval, and Appreciation and Start Finding Them Instead, by Byron Katie and Michael Katz
A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are, by Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell
Connecting With Lisa Bloom
Website: http://story-coach.com
Twitter: storycoach
Facebook: storycoachinc
LinkedIn: https://il.linkedin.com/in/storycoachinc
Free Gift
More on this topic in Lisa Bloom’s eBook, “Using Stories to Get Great Clients” and a free consultation to begin to explore your own story. http://story-coach.com/gift
Leadership, the power of
Author, Leadership Coach, Mentor, Storytelling professionally
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470:
Expert Interview: How to Speak with Confidence, Credibility and Conviction - Cynthia Zhai
Cynthia Zhai is a voice coach, speaker, trainer, and author of the book “Influence through Voice,” published by McGraw-Hill. She has helped senior executives from multinational corporations and government bodies with their voice and speeches to speak with impact and conviction. She engages and inspires people to embrace change and take action. Her experience, professionalism, and effectiveness have brought tangible results for clients, not only in the way they project their influential and convincing voice, but in leading teams and negotiating with customers. She’s worked with clients from 36 countries over five continents including the Singapore Tourism Board, Barclay’s Bank, and Google.
How to Speak with Confidence, Credibility and Conviction
Many executives spend most of their days talking to clients around the world. Not long ago, most of their communication would have taken place over the phone. Today, an increasing number of corporations are using Skype, YouTube and other media that combine video with audio. You only have a few seconds to establish initial credibility. Learning to convey confidence and conviction, which leads to credibility, is crucial. Coaching in voice and overall visual presentation can pay off handsomely, both for the individual executive and the company.
Why Is This Important?
Cynthia Zhai works with clients on their “DQ.” “That doesn’t stand for drama queen,” she jokes. “It stands for dynamics and quality. In addressing dynamics, the purpose is, for many people, to remove their monotone and use modulation of pitch and volume effectively. Addressing the quality of the voice includes several factors such as mumbling, which may be an unconscious habit, or a high pitch or nasal sound, either of which may be grating or irritating to the listener. It does not sound credible.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Each individual has his or her own habits of speech and unconscious ways of communicating. A coach who specializes in voice, facial expression and even nonverbal communication can help anyone who relies heavily on interpersonal communication by developing a personalized, tailored approach. The result can be an improved ability to speak with confidence, credibility, and conviction.
Connecting With Cynthia Zhai
YouTube: youtube.com/user/cynthiazhai
Twitter: @YourVoiceCoach
Facebook: facebook.com/cynthia.zhai
LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/cynthiazhai
Credibililty through Voice
Author, Speaker, Trainer, Voice Coach
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469:
Rebuilding on Gratitude and Humility - Seth Buechley
From his towering success building a cellular network, Seth saw the upside, then the downside, of ambition. His Golden Touch became a reverse Midas Touch for a while. Gratitude and humility turned him around.
Seth Buechley is a serial entrepreneur and business founder who has led several multimillion-dollar exits. He is CEO of Priority RF, a firm that helps major venues solve their wireless coverage and safety radio challenges. He has helped bring cellular and public safety radio coverage to some of the most recognized venues in the United States, including the Empire State Building, the New York subway and Daytona International Speedway. Seth has served and negotiated contracts with leading global organizations such as Nike, Amazon, AT&T and Sprint. in his recent book, “Ambition: Leading with Gratitude,” Seth tackles the plaguing question of why ambitious people struggle to find satisfaction, and what they can do about it. His perspective, which began in a commune in the woods and led him to financial success, shines through his insights into the advantages and disadvantages of ambition. He illustrates the essential value of gratitude in leadership with lasting impact.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Higher education didn’t resonate with Seth. He went into business with his father in the emerging field of cellular communications. “In the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was all new. Eventually I made my way from ditch digger to estimator. Somewhere along the line I discovered that I actually liked sales, and I liked people, so I ended up on the front of the company. Fast-forward about a decade, we had offices up and down the West Coast and in Hawaii. We had a chance to sell our business to a public company. I negotiated to land on the board of that public company, so I had one third of the business and my dad had 2/3, at that point. When I was 27 years old, we sold the business.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After selling the cellular company, I was on the board of the public company that bought us out, and I thought, of course, I could do no wrong. I had more money than brains. I convinced myself that I was brilliant and should become a venture capitalist. Some of my investments did well, some didn’t. That marked another turning point. If I’d had the Golden Touch up to that point, I discovered that had the reverse Midas Touch, both personally and in my business and my marriage. There were all sorts of struggles and challenges that came after this successful moment. It was a tough, challenging time. I had always been the young, wealthy guy, and now I was becoming just the young guy, as my wealth was suddenly dissipating.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Having come off of these failures, I was in a more humbled frame of mind. I think gratitude really did play a role in how I approached the business. I felt like it was a privilege to lead the company, a privilege to recruit the team, a privilege to be out representing the company. So, I took a different tack, because I was in a different frame of mind. Gratitude helps me get a realistic assessment of myself. When I’m grateful for the people who had been entrusted to me in my life, I’m more willing to spend time over coffee, just listening to them and talking to them, and investing time and attention in them. For me, that’s part of my purpose.”
Steps to Success from Seth Buechley
1. Find your purpose and live a purpose-driven life.
2. Right-size yourself through gratitude and humility. There’s a world of difference between choosing humility and being humiliated. Choose humility.
3. You can learn through consequences, or you can learn through the wisdom of others. Learn from the wisdom of others.
4. Be the mentor you wish you had.
5. Develop a strong work ethic.
On His Bookshelf
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business, by Patrick M. Lencioni
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield and Shawn Coyne
Connecting With Seth Buechley
Website: www.sethbuechley.com
Twitter: twitter.com/sethbuechley
Facebook: facebook.com/ambitionbook
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/seth-buechley-Ambition
Free Gift
Enjoy Chapter 4 of Seth’s book, “Ambition: Leading with Gratitude.” Go to www.sethbuechley.com and click on: YES! DOWNLOAD NOW.
Ambition, Entrepreneurism, Gratitude
Author, Business Owner, Cellular/ Mobile, Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist
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468:
A Psychic Gift to Help Other Women - Diana Dorell
Sometimes while growing up, Diana would blurt out a premonition or vision when she was with friends. They looked at her as if she had three heads. She soon learned to keep her premonitions to herself and finally came to understand that she had to start listening to herself and not worry what others thought.
Diana Dorell is third-generation medicine woman, healer and coach who helps her clients release negative self-talk, trust their intuition and find love and confidence again, starting within themselves. She is the co-author of “The Dating Mirror: Trust Again, Love Again” on Amazon.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My grandmother definitely was one of the most influential people in my life. Growing up, at times I was terrified of her, because she was very psychic—clairvoyant—and would have dreams that would come true! I remember being wrapped up into the world of imagination—that I was already doing, in my own room, with my own imaginary friends—but it was great to have my grandmother validate that. I remember worrying about it until she told me, ‘Well, you have a gift too. You just haven’t discovered it yet.’ I believe some of my healing gifts and psychic ability came from her. Our background as a family? I’m Colombian and Venezuelan. And on the Colombian side, we have a lot of tribal energy from the Chibcha Indians of Colombia.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Between the age of 14 and 16, under the tutelage of a very demanding dance teacher, Diana developed an eating disorder. She had been learning ballet since age three or four—it was a constant in her life. “Anorexia was all around the world of dance, and I was always thinking I needed to be skinnier, to look a certain way.” After starving herself for days, she gave in and ate five waffles. “I blacked out on the kitchen floor and I remember feeling this energy—a presence—that I had shut down from my childhood. A voice that said, “You’re killing yourself. If you keep going down this path, you’re never going to dance the way you were meant to dance. You need to make a choice right now: do you want to live, or do you want to die?”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“When we start taking on the beliefs and expectations of society or our parents or the media, we start to feel at the mercy of those things. There definitely are moments in our lives where we stop listening to ourselves. That’s how you lose yourself. But you can get yourself back. You can remember the things that bring you joy, and notice when things lift your energy up, rather than depress you or bring you down, or it feels heavy in your body.”
Steps to Success from Diana Dorell
1.When you listen for your inner voice, make sure it’s your own voice you are listening to, not the voice of someone else in your life.
2. Learn to pay attention to your body’s inner wisdom, and follow it.
3. There is great power in intentionally being present for people and really listening to them and appreciating them. It benefits the listener as well as the speaker.
4.When you have a focus and a passion, synchronicity will come into play.
On Her Bookshelf
The Fire Starter Sessions: A Soulful + Practical Guide to Creating Success on Your Own Terms, by Danielle LaPorte
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams & Reaching Your Destiny, by Robin Sharma
Creating Money: Attracting Abundance by Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer
Connecting With Diana Dorell
Website: www.dianadorell.com
Your Twitter: dancinggoddess
Facebook: facebook.com/dianadorell
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dianadorell
Free Gift
Participate in the 5-day e-course, “Trust and Love Yourself”–Go to www.dianadorell.com, select Contact and mention DiscoverYourTalentPodcast when you request the e-course.
Psychic, Women
Author, Coach, Psychic, Radio
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467:
Losing Everything Means Nothing - Erik Newton
As a teenager, Erik delighted in mischief, surfing through his days and constantly feeling alive. Then life and responsibility happened. Remembering a teacher who had urged him to reach out and create what he wanted in life, Erik found himself at a major turning point.
Erik Newton is a former family law attorney who describes himself as someone who has been through a thousand divorces and still believes in love. Erik has a unique, real-world comprehension of what makes one marriage thrive and another fall apart. Ultimately, his calling to help couples build healthy relationships superseded his legal career, and he is now podcasting and publishing an online magazine about relationships.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In high school, I wasn’t paying attention to academics. I was surfing. I had one teacher who was a surfer himself, a great guy, who recognized the value of the mischievousness my good friend and I had. He didn’t push us too hard to fit the academic mold, but he instilled in us this sense of responsibility for what we were creating. He often said, ‘If you don’t ask the question, the answer is an automatic no.’ He encouraged us to reach out and create or cause something, even if it’s not what we’re ‘supposed’ to be doing. His humor and appreciation for mischievousness gave me freedom to explore what I want out of life, as opposed to feeling like I had to be stuck in a box.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After a dramatic reversal in his law practice—when he lost everything and endured a deep depression—Erik experienced a life-changing “sense of peace.” “One of the realizations that occurred to me in that very peaceful period was that everything is, in some sense, whole and complete. Everything is perfect exactly as it is, including my anger, fear, desires, happiness—everything. I really felt that in my body. I still do. I’ve never gone back to the old way of experiencing the world.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve learned not to take myself so seriously. Coming out of the depression, I began to be able to laugh at the process I had been in, even though it was simultaneously very painful and I had a lot of anger. Eventually it passed, and I felt an immense freedom and peace. I think this resulted from realizing that I had ‘lost everything,’ but none of it really mattered. Because of that, I was totally and utterly free. I could do anything! Which is true for all of us all the time. That’s the great joke of it: it’s true every single second. We are free, yet it’s impossible to see because of the Universe we build up around ourselves.”
Steps to Success from Erik Newton
1. If you’re feeling very stuck in life, that “stuckness” appears real, but it is not. You can break through it and emerge on the other side and experience a freedom you never thought possible.
2. Ask yourself what you are afraid of. Explore what’s holding you back.
3. With a trusted guide—therapist, counselor, coach—go below the fears, see what’s underneath, and face them.
On His Bookshelf
René Descartes’ writings about the nature of Being
Spiritual Enlightenment, the Damnedest Thing: Book One of The Enlightenment Trilogy, by Jed McKenna
Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples, by Harville Hendrix, Ph.D.
Your Brain on Sex: How Smarter Sex Can Change Your Life, by Stanley Siegel
Connecting With Erik Newton
Website: www.together.guide
Twitter: @newtonlaw and @together_show
Facebook: facebook.com/togethershow
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erikwnewton
Depression, Feeling Stuck, Marriage
Lawyer, Podcaster, Writer
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466:
Discovering Her Superpower - Lori Saitz
Year after year, her teachers would write on her report cards, “Lori is a very bright student but she needs to learn to speak up more in class.” She finally took those words to heart and faced her shyness head-on. In the process, she discovered her superpower.
Lori Saitz is a serial entrepreneur. “That’s serial, as in consecutive. Not cereal, as in Cheerios or Capt’n Crunch!” In 2003, she launched Zen Rabbit Baking Company and introduced the world to The Gratitude Cookie. Through Zen Rabbit, she helped busy professionals say thank you to their clients, strengthen relationships and increase their lifetime value. Most currently, she’s The Quiet Girls’ Guide, helping women who are terrified to walk into a room full of people they don’t know, become comfortable starting conversations with strangers.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I come from a family of writers, teachers and creative thinkers. Even if that wasn’t part of their formal profession, those talents were used and encouraged. My brother and I started making up and writing stories when we were very young. My parents read to us, probably from the day we were born. So, I was really into books and reading. I remember writing really crazy stories and drawing the illustrations to go with them in the living room of my grandparents’ house. They encouraged us to use those creative talents.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Growing up, I was super shy, but something changed when I went to college at American University in Washington, D.C. I remember clearly my parents driving away from campus after dropping me off that very first time, and it’s almost like I was a different person. I was still apprehensive and intimidated to walk into situations where I didn’t know people, but I remember going straight down to the campus television station to see what was going on there. Because that’s where I was drawn. But they weren’t putting any freshmen on the air, so I put my efforts into the radio station. They were willing to give me a show right away, In fact, I was on the radio all four of my undergrad years.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Just this past year, when I was looking for what to do next, I finally became aware of what my superpower is. I asked myself what am I great at that comes so naturally and easily to me that I wouldn’t have guessed other people would pay me to do. I heard that question asked in a podcast, and it sparked a thought that I’d never had before. My superpower is in creating relationships and connections.”
Steps to Success from Lori Saitz
1. Discover your own Superpower. Ask yourself what you are great at doing, what comes naturally.
2. If you are shy, finding what you truly love to do will help you overcome your fears.
3. Be on the lookout for mentors, and be open to what they can teach you.
4. Learn how to network and cultivate lasting connections.
5. Get moving and keep moving. Take baby steps. Personal development isn’t something you can do for just a short time, it’s a lifelong process.
On Her Bookshelf
Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams, by Mike Dooley
The Complete Conversations with God, by Neale Donald Walsch
Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty: The Only Networking Book You’ll Ever Need, by Harvey Mackay
The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies, by Chet Holmes and Jay Conrad Levinson
Connecting With Lori Saitz
Website: www.TheQuietGirls.com
Twitter: @ZenRabbit
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ZenRabbit
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorisaitz
Free Gift
Read the “The Five Mistakes That Quiet Entrepreneurs Make, And What To Do Instead.”
Available at thequietgirls.comMentors, Multi Careers, Self-confidence, Women
Entrepreneur, Radio
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465:
Expert Interview: The Underdog Curse - Don McDonald, PhD
Dr. Don McDonald has spent 17 years in the health and wellness industry as a chiropractor. It was from his position at the adjusting table that he noticed a common frustration developing into a major stressor in the lives of many patients. He identified it as ‘the Underdog Curse,’ and is chiropractic patients seemed unable to break out of it. It stopped people from living their best lives, and often stripped them of true happiness. Dr. Don is now a life coach and motivational speaker who dedicates his time to empowering people with the new, inspiring information regarding success, health, and his first love, neurology.
The Underdog Curse
“Many people, including myself, love underdog stories–whether they’re in the movies, or in the story of the World Series and the Chicago Cubs, or any story about someone who is not expected to win but who still wins. These stories are quite inspiring for people. That’s the promise—the upside—of the underdog story. If you’re not happy with where you are in your life, you can use those stories as an inspiration. But there is also a downside to over-identifying with the underdog.”
Why Is This Important?
“The challenge is, if you truly love underdog stories and you finally succeed at something, suddenly you are not an underdog anymore. You might notice that you are subconsciously sabotaging your success to get back into that underdog state. When you’re an underdog, you have no expectations, you have lots of support from your external environment. You can try something new and fail, yet not feel badly about yourself because you are still the underdog. If you happen to win, it’s like winning the lottery. This is the downside of the Underdog Curse.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Self-awareness is the key. The first thing is to ‘know thyself.’ Go on a journey to learn what your values are and what you enjoy doing. This is especially important for underdogs who are also people-pleasers. Often, they have lost sight of their own true desires. They’ve been doing things out of habit for so many years, based on what other people want or what they think other people want. For many of them, their ‘what-do-I-love’ muscle is atrophied. Spend some time with yourself. Some solitude and quiet time will give you insights into what you would really love to do. You might find that you are surrounding yourself with people who are trying to get you to do other things, not necessarily helping you do what you love or to use your talents. Surround yourself with people who will support you in that.”
Connecting With Don McDonald, PhD
Website: http://www.drdonmacdonald.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/southsidechiro/photos/
Self-confidence
Chiropractor, Life Coach, Speaker
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464:
Adopting the Dream and Giving Back - Connor Cranston
As an orphaned twin in Vietnam, Connor didn’t fully understand what it meant when he learned he and his brother were being adopted. “OK, whatever,” was his first reaction. “We’d heard of the American Dream, but little did we know we were in for a wild ride!”
A miracle child, Connor Cranston was adopted–twice–with his twin brother in Vietnam. He started out his entrepreneur journey at age 12 by selling things in his school, at garage sales and online. At 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps to get girls. Now he owns and operates three businesses and speaks and trains business people and individuals all over the globe.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As an orphaned child in Vietnam, Connor learned how to fend for himself and fight—including fist-fighting—at an early age. He learned how to buy and sell things, and he realized early on that he wanted to have his own business and not work for somebody else. Later, in the military, he offered to do the laundry for his fellow Marines, earning as much as $1,000 a month. Then, at 22, he made a full dive into an entrepreneurial career.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
It was the day in his childhood when he and his twin brother were adopted in Vietnam by a military family. “Like all kids, we often thought our parents were always wrong. But, when I got out of the military and started my career and entrepreneurial journey, I realized that my parents knew how to set me up for exactly where I wanted to be. Not many parents do that, and I’m so grateful that they chose me and my twin brother out of all the others. I’m truly blessed to be where I am right now.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We live in a time when access to education and making money are unprecedented because of technology and the internet. Even a teenager with internet access can access college-level courses, at no cost, on Google and YouTube. Major universities like Harvard and Stanford are offering free courses online.”
Steps to Success from Connor Cranston
1. Where you are right now is not the whole picture. Expand your vision, use your imagination, and learn about the many choices and opportunities open to you.
2. Find a mentor as soon as possible. If you can’t afford a coach, studying the right book can be worth millions of dollars as you apply the knowledge it contains.
3. Work with a team–don’t do it alone. Create one or join one. The right team can bring out the best in you.
4. Always find ways to give back. Usually this can be done best by using your talents and ideals.
5. Don’t waste your talents.
On His Bookshelf
How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable, by Tim S. Grover and Shari Wenk
Top Tools on His Browser
YouTube
Google
Connecting With Connor Cranston
Website: connorcranston.com
Twitter: @connorcranston
Facebook: facebook.com/connorhcranston
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/connorhcranston
Free Gift
1-hour coaching session.
Contact Connor at his website and mention this podcast when requesting your first coaching session.
Adversity, Cultural Changes, Entrepreneurism, Fighting, Teamwork, Veterans
Business Owner, Coach, Entrepreneur, Speaker
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463:
Bringing Humor to Health Care - Maia Aziz
As the other kids were off doing kids’ things during vacation, Maia’s parents were asking her, “Where do you want to volunteer this summer?” “It was just what they expected of me,” she recalls. “I didn’t know how to exist without that core value of the importance of helping others.”
Maia Aziz is a Social Worker and healthcare administrator who currently acts as Assistant Administrative Chief of Allied Health Services at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. A Certified Humor Professional (CHP) and contributing writer to The Positive Psychology People, Maia hosts a weekly talk radio show Morning Moments with Maia…Conversations of Love and Laughter where she shares heartfelt and often hilarious conversations about love, laughter, leadership and well, life!
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
I came from a family where service to others was always something we were encouraged to do. It was a value of my parents, and I remember as a young child, my friends were joining soccer teams and various other things, and I was being asked, “Where do you want to volunteer this summer?” So, as a kid, I was a candy striper, I took piano lessons, and then I was encouraged to play piano for Alzheimer’s patients in seniors’ residences. It was just a way of being. I didn’t know how to exist without that sense of the importance of helping others, from a very young age.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
While on her second maternity leave from a job where she worked with child protective services for 12 years, Maia took time to reflect and decide it if might be time for a course correction. Caring for her firstborn daughter, who was born with a genetic syndrome and had some special needs—and recalling how working with disabled children in her job in child protective services had tugged at her heartstrings—she did some research about opportunities in pediatric physical rehabilitation. She took a leap of faith—and even a slight demotion—to accept a job with a center in Montreal, Quebec. “If you’re truly interested and motivated, sometimes you take a risk. I was willing to do that, and it worked out very well. I worked there for almost 10 years. It was a wonderful experience.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“When it comes to choosing our life path, society leads us to ask the wrong question: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ We should be asking ourselves, ‘Who am I? What are my values? What do I care about? What are those activities I love so much that I lose track of time?’ Until we ask those questions, we’re not really looking at what fuels us. If you are not finding a career in line with what fuels you, you’re going to be searching for a long time for this so-called happiness everybody is looking for. No matter how many promotions or raises you get, you’re still going to be looking.”
Steps to Success from Maia Aziz
1. Stop and ask yourself who you are, what are your values, what do you care most about. These are the fundamental questions.
2. Recognize that deep down, you know who you are and what you love. Your instincts and intuition are so in tune, if you’ll stop and listen.
3. Find ways to live a life of service to others.
On Her Bookshelf
Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow, by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie
Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being, by Martin E. P. Seligman
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Harper Perennial Modern Classics), by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Top Tools on Her Browser
Assessment: StrengthsFinder 2.0
Connecting With Maia Aziz
Website: withloveandlaughter.ca Twitter: @MaiaAziz1
Facebook: facebook.com/maia.aziz.9
Your LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maia-aziz-95087685
Volunteering
Healthcare Administrator, Radio, Social Work, Writer
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462:
Marine Finds Deep Strength in Adversity - Justin Constantine
Justin survived a gunshot wound to the head while serving as a Marine in Iraq. For his entire life he had been a focused and highly motivated individual. Returning home, he developed an even deeper understanding of adversity. How he is dealing with these new challenges is impacting thousands of his fellow veterans and the companies that want to help them.
Justin Constantine is a former Marine and attorney and is now an inspirational speaker and leadership consultant. He recently completed his first book, “My Battlefield, Your Office: Leadership Lessons From the Front Lines.” His writing on military and leadership issues has been featured in such outlets as CNN, Time, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, Forbes magazine, and USA Today. Justin is a Presidential Leadership Scholar and a Fellow with the Truman National Security Project. He is also an expert in leadership, overcoming adversity, and Veteran employment.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I did pretty well in school. I was the class president and had an active social life. I was involved in a lot of sports and activities. Starting in seventh grade—I guess I had an entrepreneurial bug—I had a newspaper route. My mom encouraged me to do that to earn money to help pay for college. Then I had a lawn mowing business in the summer and a snow shoveling business in the winter. I started working at a restaurant while I was still in high school, busing tables to earn money for college.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After Justin was injured in Iraq, he went back to work as a lawyer for the U.S. Department of Justice on Capitol Hill, and also with the FBI on a counter-terrorism team. He became increasingly aware of the challenges many of his fellow veterans face as they transition back into civilian life. “Even though I enjoyed my jobs as a lawyer, I didn’t have nearly the same level of fulfillment as I do now. During the last three years as an entrepreneur and business owner, I’ve been on a much different trajectory, where I can see that I am helping people on a daily basis, whether it’s through inspirational speaking, or helping veterans with employment, or through a non-profit I started.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Something I learned from the U.S. Marine Corps is that taking care of your people has to be your number one priority. While I use that as a leadership principle, it really applies on a very personal level as well. Whether you are in high school thinking about your family, or you are a manager at work, wherever you are in life, life is about relationships. It’s about making a difference in your sphere of influence. I think the best way to do that is to take care of those around you. If we would all do that, I think the world would be a better place.”
Steps to Success from Justin Constantine
1. Recognize that you are stronger than you think. Often you will learn this as you face adversity, but you needn’t wait for that.
2. Dig deep within yourself to find resources you may not even know you have.
3. Carve out space in your day to do things that are important to you.
4. Find ways to have a positive impact on your sphere of influence.
5. Do something every day that will make you feel good about that particular day.
On His Bookshelf
Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport
12 Years a Slave, by Solomon Northup
Top Tools on His Browser
calm.com: a simple mindfulness meditation app
Connecting With Justin Constantine
Website: justinconstantine.com
Twitter: twitter.com/constantine_jus
Facebook: facebook.com/justinconstantine
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/justinconstantine1
Adversity, Leadership, Veterans
Author, Business Owner, Consultant, Entrepreneur, Lawyer, Marine, Speaker
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461:
A Lawyer's Dramatic Mindshift Change - Jessica Olmon
After five years in a prestigious law firm, which she had methodically pursued after law school, Jessica felt trapped. From the outside, it looked like the perfect situation—great pay, brilliant colleagues, an office with a beautiful view—but something was missing. She knew she needed a dramatic breakthrough.
Jessica Olmon is a business attorney who founded her own law firm, Vero Law Group, and built it from a garage home business to an ocean-view, Santa Monica, California, operation, servicing more than 400 clients since its inception in 2011. Her passion is to help entrepreneurs find success and freedom through their business, and she does this through her law firm as a mentor, and through her entrepreneur success program, Course Corrected.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I had an amazing mentor in college, one of my business professors, who was hugely influential in my life. I looked up to him as a mentor probably more than I had looked up to anyone up to that point. He always used to encourage me to go to law school. We continue talking even after I graduated. He pointed out that I didn’t have to become a lawyer, I could just go to law school and learn how to think like a lawyer. He said it was such an amazing way of thinking and I could do anything I wanted there. He was absolutely right.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Ignoring the naysayers, Jessica landed a position with a prestigious law firm. “I got amazing training from people I believe are some of the best lawyers on the planet. But I spent a long time feeling trapped in my situation. Truthfully, I was not happy doing that work. I was earning a lot of money, had an office with a beautiful view. From the outside, it looked like I had a perfect situation. Finally, I went to an event called the Hoffman Institute outside of Napa, California. It’s a non-profit, and you go there for 7 days with no phone, no email, you don’t tell anyone your last name. It was such a life changing experience. It was the first time I became aware that I had the power to change myself and my situation. It feels a little crazy to say that out loud! I started to become aware that I was going to have to be the one to make a change.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I remember in the past year waking up with an overwhelming realization that I was living the life that I wanted, the life I had been dreaming of and envisioning. I had decided to invest in online courses to help me reach my goal. It was a huge turning point. I was becoming a completely different human being! Today, I’m a completely different person than I was five years ago. I’m leading a very different life, in a very different business, a life and a business that I created.”
Steps to Success from Jessica Olmon
1. Pay attention to your desires, begin with a little one, and make it happen.
2. As you gain confidence in following your desires more and more, you will see changes in how you feel. Your life is beginning to change.
3. Recognize that most successful and self-actualized people follow their desires to the max. They have something inside that they want, and they acknowledge it and follow it. Learn to emulate them.
4. Take advantage of online courses, coaches and mentors.
On Her Bookshelf
Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It, by Kamal Ravikant
Practicing the Power of Now: Essential Teachings, Meditations, and Exercises From The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle
Connecting With Jessica Olmon
Website: www.coursecorrected.com
Twitter: @jessicatolmon
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jessica-t-olmon-b5a1195
Facebook: facebook.com/JessicaTOlmon/
Facebook group: The Effortless Entrepreneur. Log on and ask to join.
“Great conversation, information, and helping people on their journey.”
Lawyers, Mentors
Lawyer, Mentor
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460:
Expert Interview: How Your Personality Can Be a Clue to a Job That Will Make You Happy - Sarah E. Brown, Ph.D.
Sarah E. Brown has had several careers, all of which she says took her full circle to what she originally set out to do right out of college: teaching, writing, and researching. Along the way, she has learned what she believes makes for a happy, successful work experience. She is married and lives in Wilmington, Delaware. When she is not working, she can be found rowing on the Christina River or romping through the woods with her standard poodle, Maharani.
How Your Personality Can Be a Clue to a Job That Will Make You Happy
“When I was managing director for Accenture, one of the things I really loved was working with my clients. Many of them were not happy in their jobs. When I would ask them what they wanted in their jobs, many of then couldn’t answer the question. That got me thinking, what is it that makes it so hard for people to get clear about what they want in a job? I discovered that some of these unhappy clients who were working with coaches were actually making either small changes in their current jobs or big changes in terms of finding new jobs that were really right for them. I asked myself what are these coaches doing and how can we make that available to everybody else?”
Why Is This Important?
“The coaches were helping each individual get in touch with what was unique about them. Then, the coaches were supporting them and making changes to take advantage of that. I did some research and discovered that if we can get very clear about things in our personality that are significant contributors to our happiness and success at work, that would go a long way in helping people understand and know what kind of job will make them happy. So, that’s what I’ve been doing for the past five years or so. I’ve been focusing on helping people understand their unique personality components and how they can translate that into job success.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“With an understanding of three components of personality —interests, behavioral strengths and motivational needs—we can then see what people will likely do when things aren’t going their way, when their expectations are not met. We can go a long way toward jump-starting the process of finding jobs that are right for individuals. Of those three components, finding a person’s motivational needs can be the hardest. It’s here that a personality assessment tool can often be most helpful, especially when its findings are applied
Connecting With Sarah E. Brown, Ph.D.
Website: www.bookofyou.com and www.sarahebrown.com
Twitter: @knowGuides
Facebook: bookofyou.com
LinkedIn: Sarah E. Brown, Ph. D.
Free Gift
First three chapters from “Road to Success,” co-written with Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame, is available free for download at sarahebrown.com.
Coach, Personality as Clue to Happiness on Job
Career Coach, Teaching/Teacher, Writer
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459:
Loving Life by Loving Our Food - Malcolm Saunders
His idealistic teenage flirtation with vegetarianism only involved dropping the meat from his meat, potatoes and junk food diet. Today Malcolm has a whole new relationship with food—and with all of life.
Malcolm Saunders’ mission is to deeply connect people to their food. He has worked in the field of food and nutrition for close to 20 years and is the owner of The Light Cellar. He is a public speaker and intuitive chef who specializes in sharing the alchemy of superfoods and super herbs. He has an expertise and passion for creating and teaching others how to make energizing and healing foods, including raw chocolate, elixirs and ferments. Malcolm’s desire is to inspire others to live and eat from a space that honors the sacredness of all life, illuminating the power of influence our food choices have on ourselves, other beings, and the planet we live on.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Malcolm learned about following his passion when he discovered his love for jazz. He played in a succession of bands and enrolled in a two-year jazz program in a community college, where he learned about his drive to immerse himself entirely in whatever he pursued. He set out on a hero’s journey, which included “busking”—playing music for money on the streets—learning and practicing yoga, living on the road and practicing deep meditation at numerous retreats. “My experiment with being homeless, shall I say, lasted until I was about 23 or 24. At that time, I met my life partner. We were both traveling, coming back to our home town for a few months.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Having a baby and settling in for a while with his in-laws, Malcolm recognized clearly that he wanted to be an entrepreneur. Not only did his mother-in-law share his lifelong interest in food and holistic health—she owned a practice as a colon hydrotherapist—she also introduced him to the business side of his dream. “She introduced me to the world of personal development, success and entrepreneurial training. Since then, it’s been a path of reading books, going to seminars and constant learning. Their home was a landing place for us to figure out what we were going to do. We launched our first venture, The Light Cellar, in my [in-laws’] basement.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“As amazing as my extended period of yoga and meditation was, I remembered a saying: ‘There’s yoga on the mat and yoga off the mat.’ You can be all nice and peaceful, doing your poses, but how are you walking down the street in real life? Intuitively, I felt a shift coming. I knew I needed to take what I had been nurturing internally and bring it out into the world, and apply it to my life. Meeting my life partner and having a child was definitely the impetus. I remember thinking, if I’m going to be the provider, how am I going to provide?”
Steps to Success from Malcolm Saunders
1. Learn to balance your inner journey with your outer life.
2. Take back your control of the food that sustains your life from the food and pharmaceutical industry.
3. Re-think and recreate your relationship with food.
4. Find and maintain your own balance between your personal life and your business. Find a separation that works for you.
On His Bookshelf
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, by Seth Godin
Connecting With Malcolm Saunders
Website: thelightcellar.ca, malcolmsaunders.com Twitter: @lightcellar Facebook: TheLightCellar LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/malcolm-saunders Free Gift
Two free video e-courses
1. Get to Know Your Superfoods through thelightcellar.ca/ecourse
2. Recreate Your Relationship to Food at malcolmsaunders.comFood/Eating/Health, Super Foods
Chef, Entrepreneur, Speaker
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458:
A Career of Constant Learning - Lauren McLaughlin
She was delighted to take six years off to be a full-time mom. But as soon as her son went to school, Lauren plunged back into a career. So far, it spans television, public relations for the Red Cross, newspaper publishing, politics, and now a ministry.
Lauren McLaughlin has a long and varied career, every step of which led her to love and learn about people and what makes them do what they do. At the age of 59 her path has led her to become an ordained Unity minister. She’s a writer, speaker, teacher, retreat coordinator, keynote speaker, counselor and professional student. Lauren is always seeking to learn new ideas. Certified in several modes of energy management, she gets great satisfaction helping people who are feeling anxious or are suffering physical or emotional distress by introducing them to the many blessings of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and Psych-K, a probing technique designed by psychologist Rob Williams to help identify the deepest desires of the heart. She lives in Palm Harbor, Florida, with her husband and professional partner John.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After minoring in television at Marjorie Webster Junior College near Washington, D.C., Lauren took her first job at a television station in New Haven, Connecticut, where she wore many hats. That gave her the experience she needed to work for KRON-TV in California. “They hired me to go find out what people liked and didn’t like about their television station. Newton Minow, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had called television ‘a vast wasteland,’ and we set out to prove him wrong.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I took six years off from the working world to raise our son, Bill, up to first grade. I’m delighted I did that. I was an only child, so I didn’t know anything about children, it was a mystery to me. It was a great experience, but the minute he started first grade, I couldn’t wait to get back into the work world again!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Many people would do what they love to do if they could figure out a way to do it. It is crucial to decide what is the real desire of your heart, and what’s keeping you from reaching it. I don’t suggest you quit your day job, but I do encourage you to take systematic steps to move in the direction you want to go. That may be taking a course, doing research, exploring whatever avenues are available. It may be talking to your peers or people in your sphere of influence. it may be a lot of things. In my experience, once you begin to think about making the change, new opportunities will appear.”
Steps to Success from Lauren McLaughlin
1. Go To ELF. “ELF” is an acronym for “Eternal Life Force.” So, I’m telling you to turn inward to your spiritual guidance.
2. Find out what is holding you back from seeking your heart’s desire. Don’t be afraid to ask for help in this search.
3. If you take one step toward God, God will take ten steps toward you.
On Her Bookshelf
Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires, by Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks
Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life, by Gregg Michael Levoy
Top Tools on Her Browser
UnityNow.com
Connecting With Lauren McLaughlin
Website: www.unitynow.com and www.GoToELF.com
Your Twitter: revlauren
Your Facebook: Lauren McLaughlin
Free Gift
12x12x12 – Transformative Affirmations for anyone feeling “Not Good Enough.” Contact Lauren at www.unitynow.com.
Anxiety, Multi Careers
Minister / Rabbi, Speaker
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457:
Valuing Mentors and Coaches - Justin Deese
When it came to academics, Justin did just well enough to be able to participate in the sports he loved. But one coach in particular opened the door to personal growth and development. Years later, it was no surprise when he stepped into a coaching role in other people’s lives.
Justin Deese is a highly sought-after business strategist, visionary and lifelong entrepreneur. He simultaneously built three flourishing in-home service companies in multiple states. and is an expert at helping fellow business owners structure and manage their companies for maximum profitability.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Just being involved with sports, having coaches around, being accountable to a coach, as well as to my team members, was a big part of helping me grow into what I am doing now. Later on, with this background, I really dialed into educating myself, once sports were not as big a part of my life.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I first went to college, I was not there very long. It just wasn’t a good fit. I jumped out of college and went right into the working world. That’s when I got introduced to personal development. I started to understand about being an adult. I learned how thinking about my goals and practicing what I was learning would affect me as a person.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“People allow fear to dictate what they’re going to do next. Fear of the unknown causes them to allow outside influences to scatter their vision. Too many people don’t have clarity of vision of what they want to be. You have to sit down and give yourself the space to decide what you want your life to look like. When you look at successful people, their success didn’t happen by accident. They didn’t wake up one day as billionaires. It takes having a design for your life to get to your end goal.”
Steps to Success from Justin Deese
1. Give yourself the space to decide what you want your life to look like.
2. Find an accountability partner.
3. Get a coach or a mentor. You don’t know what you don’t know. A coach or mentor can help you get where you want to go. They can answer questions, guide you and help build your road map for you to be successful.
On His Bookshelf
How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Top Tools on His Browser
Todoist.com, a Gmail plugin. A simple task manager and to do list.
Boomerang, a Gmail plugin. Schedule emails for future delivery. Helps with time management.
Inboxpause.coma, email inbox pause button for Gmail and Firefox. Let’s you manage your time by pausing your inbound messages until you’re ready for them
Connecting With Justin Deese
Website: justindeese.com
Twitter: @jpdeese
Facebook: facebook.com/justin.deese.14
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/justin-deese-02213712
Free Gift
Free coaching session.
Coach, Fear, Freedom, Layoff, Mentors
Business Coach, Coach, Entrepreneur
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456:
Harvesting Her Napa Valley Roots - Ann Reynolds
With her new teaching credentials in hand, she endured fruitless interview after interview, never getting a job offer. A native of California’s Napa Valley, Ann gave her surroundings a second look. Little did she know what a temporary harvest season job at a winery would bring.
Ann Reynolds has more than 20 years in the Napa Valley wine industry. Her background runs the gamut from wine retail through wine making. Since 1989 she has poured wine in tasting rooms, run a winery laboratory, worked in winery cellars, and assembled entire winery compliance systems at several Napa wineries. Beginning in 2006 she began offering courses in winery compliance.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
With a newly-earned Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, Ann took her advisor’s suggestion and earned her teaching certificate. “It was not a light bulb moment,” she recalls. “Teaching made sense, more or less, but it didn’t resonate with me. But, again, my work ethic said ‘here’s what you do next,’ so I did it. I went on many excruciating interviews and nothing took, so I took a pounding right out of the gate after finishing school. Essentially, that’s what led me to the wine industry.” She took a temporary winery job in the grape harvest season, intending to continue hunting for a teaching job when her temp job ended. “From there, the wine industry continued to offer me opportunity after opportunity after opportunity.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Ann took on new responsibilities in 1998, using a new computer database that wineries were just starting to use in tracking their wines. “Essentially, that’s the work of compliance with federal standards. I looked around for training and couldn’t find any. There were no formal classes. Little by little I started piecing together a training program, reading the federal regulations.” Rising to the challenge, Ann created a compliance training program to benefit wineries across the United States.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My independent nature and my get-things-done attitude served me well across my entire working life. I would be given opportunities and training in whatever work I was doing and I would pick it up very easily. From there, management would see my ability level and give me more opportunities. They would see a person who would take stuff on, get it done, follow through, and they would offer me additional responsibilities.”
Steps to Success from Ann Reynolds
1. A get-things-done attitude in any job will serve you well in whatever work you do. It is often the gateway to other opportunities and training within a company.
2. Take advantage of any training opportunities, formal or informal.
3. We are taught to keep going, going, going. But just a little stopping, thinking and reflecting can be huge.
4. Look for the Gap and develop a solution. Opportunities often lie in the gap–within a company, within an industry. Even a small gap could propel your career forward or be the start of a new business.
Connecting With Ann Reynolds
Website: winecompliancealliance.com/
Twitter: @vinocompliance
Facebook: facebook.com/WineComplianceAlliance/
Free Gift
Free “5 Simple Steps to Wine Compliance.” Scroll down the Home page of her website to the sign-in on the right column of the page.
Opportunities
Entrepreneur, Wine Industry
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455:
Expert Interview: Why People Get Stuck at Career Crossroads - Alison Cardy
Alison Cardy, author of “Career Grease: How to Get Unstuck and Pivot Your Career,” is a career coach who has guided hundreds of people to innovative and functional career solutions. She is a practical advocate for achieving your heart’s desires, improving your work week, and making a difference, all while keeping an eye on your financial success. Alison’s work has been featured on Monster, Forbes, LearnVest, the Huffington Post, and the Chicago Tribune. She is a certified coach and a graduate of the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business.
Why People Get Stuck at Career Crossroads
“Many people who are stuck at a career crossroads are hesitant to ask for help. I think this is just a function of being an adult, with Google. In most areas of your life, you can successfully get through the day just by doing the things you already know as an adult, or by Googling it. It’s almost a lost skill to be able to reach out and ask for help. Another reason you might stay stuck is that you are only reaching out to people who have an agenda of their own, which is often quite different from yours.”
Why Is This Important?
“People at a crossroads need a safe, objective, nonjudgmental space where they can talk things through. As a coach, I always say we care about our clients, but we don’t really care what they do, which is very different from how a spouse or parent or a friend might approach the situation. Often, without realizing it, a person in your life has some other agenda for you. So, the first thing we do is create a safe space.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
With such an abundance of online self-assessment tools, it’s easy to fall into analysis paralysis. “I see that quite a bit, where people are thinking a lot, taking a lot of assessments. Self-analysis is a great thing. But sometimes people get lost in those questions. They think the answer will be found by digging deeply within themselves. In actuality, the answer is found both by digging into yourself to get a starter idea, then taking that idea into the real world and actually testing it, and getting more clarity by taking action. That action could be talking to somebody about what you are thinking, trying out something on the side, volunteering, or learning a little bit more about your idea. But it’s really that interaction between yourself and the real world where the magic happens.”
Connecting With Alison Cardy
Website: cardycareercoaching.com
Twitter: @cardycareers
Your Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cardycareercoaching/
Your LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisoncardy
Free Gift
Step-by-Step Career Change E-Course: cardycareercoaching.com/ecourse/
Feeling Stuck
Author, Career Coach
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454:
Attitude Change: From Underdog to Top Dog - Dr. Don McDonald
Don had grown so accustomed to being an underdog on his basketball team that he didn’t know how to cope when a transfer to a new team made him a top dog. The idea that people expected him to always succeed was more stress than he could handle. He began to sabotage his own sports career.
Dr. Don McDonald has spent 17 years in the health and wellness industry as a chiropractor. It was from his position at the adjusting table that he noticed a common frustration developing into a major stressor in the lives of many patients. He identified it as “the underdog,” a condition his patients could not seem to break out of it. It stopped people from living their best lives and often stripped them of true happiness. Dr. Don is now a life coach and motivational speaker who dedicates his time to empowering people with the new, inspiring information regarding success, health, and his first love, neurology. He is also the author of “The Underdog Curse.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
A sports-related injury led Don to his career path as “Dr. Don” McDonald. Growing up in a small town in Canada in the Rocky Mountains, he played hockey. But he switched to basketball at his mother’s insistence after several injuries. In 8th grade, his coach saw potential in him and urged him to sign up for basketball camp in the summer. “The things I learned during that week at camp to develop my skills changed the trajectory of the rest of my life. Playing basketball became the number one thing I loved to do. That was my first experience of thinking, “Hey, I can learn from other people how to be better!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Don loved basketball and envisioned himself playing through college, but he also developed a condition called patellar tendonitis. “The tendons below my patella would be so sore that in the morning, when I got up and flexed my quads, it felt like knives were being shoved into my knees. At that point, I got really interested in how the human body works, because of my own frustrations.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
One of the things Don had to learn was how to be by himself. Even when he first got married, if his wife was out of town, he had to book time with friends and have every single moment planned so he didn’t just hang around by himself. “Once I learned how to spend more time with myself, and being cool with that, I got a lot clearer on my purpose and my talents. People need to commit to solitude.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Don McDonald
1. Learn to be comfortable with solitude. It’s how you can get in touch with your true talents and desires.
2. Work with a coach or mentor.
3. Take advantage of the wealth of resources for self-education, especially online at sites like YouTube.com .
4. Adopt a holistic approach to health and wellness.
On Her Bookshelf
The Underdog Curse, by Don McDonald
Don’t Eat the Marshmallow Yet! The Secret to Sweet Success in Work and Life, by Joachim de Posada and Ellen Singer
Top Tools on His Browser
Self-education courses online, especially on YouTube.com
Connecting With Dr. Don McDonald
Website: http://www.drdonmacdonald.com and http://www.theunderdogcurse.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/southsidechiro/photos/
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453:
A Career Coach for Millennial Success - Ivy LaClair
She always thought of herself as a shy person, but when Ivy joined her college Student Activities Council, she quickly had to learn how to put herself “out there.” A couple of years later she became president of the Council and had “a goosebump moment” when she realized who she had become.
Ivy LaClair is a personal transformation coach trained in the co-active model at the prestigious Coaches Training Institute. She is co-host of the Motivational Millennial Podcast, a seasoned facilitator, and author of the upcoming personal transformation guide, “Motivating Your Millennial Mind.” As co-founder of the personal development company, Motivational Millennial, Ivy is an expert on change, transformation and millennial success.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“As the only child of a single mother with alcoholism, I was around some interesting characters throughout my life. I had a very close relationship with my grandparents, who also helped raise me, and I learned about creating the kind of life I wanted. When I was young, I learned independence, perseverance and a high tolerance for challenge, which has definitely helped me as an entrepreneur! I learned what it means to have hope and faith in the future, and in what you can create, despite your circumstances at the moment.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
There was a moment in college at Wichita State University in Kansas, when Ivy, who previously thought of herself as shy, clearly saw herself as a leader for the first time. It happened at an event connected with the Student Activities Council. “It was a goosebumps moment,” she recalls, and she shed some tears at the realization. She began to learn about inner transformations and outward changes. “Initially, it was the experience of being part of a team.” Ultimately, she was elected president of the influential campus organization.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Something that comes very naturally to me is the ability to help people feel calm, safe, heard and loved. I have noticed it—and so have friends—from throughout my whole life. Even absolute strangers will open up to me instantly. So, I love the fact that my work gives me the opportunity to bring that gift to others.”
Steps to Success from Ivy LaClair
1. Understanding what your values are and living in alignment with them—no matter what the external circumstances look like—will be more fulfilling to you than having all the money in the world.
2. Give yourself permission to learn how to love yourself and be deliberate and intentional about it.
3. Join a community of people who also value looking within, who value self-love and can help you see it’s OK. “They can also help you get out of your own way!”
On Her Bookshelf
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey
The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream, by Paulo Coelho
Top Tools on Her Browser
Dharmaseed.org
EverydayFeminism.com
Connecting With Ivy LaClair
Website:
www.motivationalmillennial.comFacebook:
http://facebook.com/motivationalmillennialLinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivylaclairFree Gift
“Motivate Your Millennial Mind” Personal Transformation Guide (e-book) – available at: www.motivationalmillennial.com/freegift
Community or Mentors, Millennials, Personal Transformation
Entrepreneur, Personal Transformaton, Podcaster
February 2017:
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452:
A Vision and a Podcast for Veterans - Jeremy Paris
His teenage rebellion might have led Jeremy into a surly adulthood, as just another guy with a chip on his shoulder. But a high school teacher saw beyond his “in-your-face” art project and praised his originality and courage. That changed Jeremy from that point forward.
Jeremy Paris spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as a personnel sergeant followed by 16 years supporting the Department of Defense (DOD) as a senior systems engineer. In 2010 Jeremy found the Veteran Artist Program (VAP) and quickly became a staff member as a senior producer. Through VAP, Jeremy learned that there were thousands of veteran nonprofit organizations. He started the Veteran Resource Podcast to inform veterans about these organizations and the programs and opportunities that offer veterans and their family members.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Early in his military career, doing mostly unchallenging tasks as a personnel administrative specialist, Jeremy discovered he had a knack for networking and communicating. Unlike most of his co-workers, he was unafraid of talking to senior officers, even to tell them when they had completed a form incorrectly. “That allowed me to move up into different positions throughout my career, because I was comfortable talking and communicating and connecting other people on a regular basis.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In the midst of his “in-your-face” rebellious teens, when most teachers seemed to have written Jeremy off as a screw-up, an art teacher caught him off guard. Other students in the class were creating similarly bright, colorful paintings. Jeremy opted for a darker approach: to recreate the black-on-black album cover of the band AC/DC. Instead of criticizing his work for not being like everyone else’s, she praised his originality. “He’s using his imagination to find something different. I love what he’s doing here,” she said. Jeremy recalls, “That changed me from that point forward. She made me start thinking that maybe I had a creative side and could find different kinds of creative outlets.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Once you figure out what your path is, there is a ton of different organizations and groups you can connect with that can help you along your way. There are Meetup groups, Facebook and LinkedIn groups, and thousands of non-profit organizations.”
Steps to Success from Jeremy Paris
1. Notice when your desire for safety and a regular paycheck is keeping you in misery. (How do you feel about that cubicle you’re in?)
2. Devote time to finding and understanding what you truly want to do with your life.
3. “Orient your map,” as the military says about land navigation. Find yourself on the terrain of your life and orient yourself toward your passions.
On His Bookshelf
Be Obsessed or Be Average, by Grant Cardone
Top Tools on His Browser
Trello.com, a free site for organizing and working on various projects and for collaboration with teams
Connecting With Jeremy Paris
Website: http://veteranresourcepodcast.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyparis
Following Passion, Passion
Communications
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451:
Channeling Outrage, She Empowers Women - Ellen Antonelli
At ten-years-old Ellen was at a ballet with her parents and witnessed a dance that portrayed inexplicable violence against women that angered and puzzled her. Her mother could not answer her questions about what she felt. In hindsight, she realizes how this moment has driven her career and passion for more than a quarter of a century.
Ellen Antonelli has taught Women’s Studies for 25 years, marched for women’s and human rights—she participated in the Million Women’s March at the inauguration in January—and is the author of “Dancing on Our Fathers’ Feet: Why Our Deepest Beliefs Are Rooted in Myth and How It Makes Us All Crazy.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I am interested in so many things, it was very difficult for me to settle on one career. It felt stifling to have to choose just one. Some of the other things I was interested in—being a pilot or a veterinarian—I was told I couldn’t do, because I was a woman. So, I became a teacher. Although I never really thought of myself as a teacher, it was a good platform for me because I had a level of autonomy within the classroom, and I needed that. I needed to feel that I could do what I wanted, and teach the things I wanted to teach.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I was 10 years old, my parents took me to a ballet. In the middle of the ballet, for whatever reason, there was a modern dance, featuring a female dancer and six male dancers. The male dancers performed a dance in which they raped the woman. I didn’t know anything about sex, but I knew instinctively what was happening. I remember asking my mother, ‘Why did the men do that?’ She looked at me and said, ‘I don’t know, honey. I don’t know.’ I felt such anger! I have spent my life dedicated to empowering women, and speaking up for them. Ultimately, that’s why I ended up teaching women’s studies, and that’s why I ended up writing my book, ‘Dancing on Our Fathers’ Feet.’”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever had to do anything to keep the fire going. It’s just a part of who I am. As a teacher, you have to constantly be learning, so I’ve always read everything I could get my hands on, always with a focus towards the spiritual journey and empowering women. But it’s not only about reading. I marched in lots of protests for human rights and for women’s rights. I teach my students about questioning authority and not just accepting at face value the things people have told them. Those are the important lessons I taught.”
Steps to Success from Ellen Antonelli
1. Learn to trust yourself—your intuition—by experimenting and testing.
2. The more you practice trusting your intuition, the more you can rely on it to guide your life.
3. Get out into nature often. My daily meditation is my jog.
4. Treat yourself to reading and reflecting on the writings of William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the transcendentalists.
Connecting With Ellen Antonelli
Website: www.ellenantonelli.com
Facebook: FB page for book: https://www.facebook.com/dancingonourfathersfeet/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Abuse, Empowering Women, Intuition
Teaching/Teacher
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450:
Expert Interview: Marketing Isn't Everything. It's the Only Thing. - Brian Kurtz
Brian Kurtz has been a serial direct marketer for the past 35+ years. He never met a medium he didn’t like…and spent the first 34 years of his career helping Boardroom Inc. become a state-of-the-art direct marketing and publishing company and is now sharing and teaching all he learned doing that.
Marketing Isn't Everything. It's the Only Thing.
Without effective marketing, you’re not going to be able to share your mission or vision with the people who want to hear what you have to say. Whether online or off, classic marketing principles still work. “After all, Facebook didn’t invent everything. Facebook has taken some core direct marketing principles and put them on steroids.” Younger marketers can benefit from learning these principles from the legendary figures in direct response marketing and advertising. Brian explains, “Knowing the fundamentals is only going to make you better at what you’re doing today.” Older, seasoned marketers, who may be intimidated by the staggering pace of change, can learn from younger colleagues who naturally take to the emerging technologies
Why Is This Important?
“When you think about it, the internet is the ultimate direct response medium. It’s all about direct marketing,” Brian points out. In the 1980s and ‘90s, to derive the best marketing data, such as list segmentation, it was all done through big, mainframe computers. That same market data, and much more, is virtually instantaneous today, if you understand the technology. “I guarantee you that if you really understand things like regression analysis, you would be able to go to the Facebook expert you buy your advertising from and ask some very different questions about the data selection criteria when they start selecting the Facebook look-alike models.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Drawing on his knowledge of the six legendary experts featured in Craig Simpson’s book, The Advertising Solution, to which Brian contributed, here are the top 10 lessons from the book:
1) Know your product;
2) Know your audience;
3) Get started right;
4) Get every part of the package right, whether it’s online or offline;
5) Remember: it’s all about the prospect;
6) Be passionate about what you’re selling;
7) Showmanship;
8) Be clear and consistent;
9) Know your media;
10) Testing trumps all.Connecting With Brian Kurtz
Website: www.briankurtz.me and www.TheLegendsBook.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brian.kurtz.121
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449:
His New Vision: A Day Without Barriers - Tanner Gers
Tanner thought his life was over when he lost his eyesight at 21. Then, he discovered a game changer–where there were no disadvantages, where everybody was on an even playing field.
Tanner Gers has reinvented himself over and over throughout his life. The biggest reinvention was moving forward after waking up in the hospital totally blind. Since that day in 2004, Tanner has influenced the world as host of the podcast, “The Creative Success Show,” and on his health and fitness blog, ABSolutelyLean.com, and as a professional speaker, author, and Paralympian.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As he was growing up, Tanner’s family moved quite often. He and his brother used sports to connect with each of their new communities as a way of overcoming being “the new kids.” After a tragic automobile accident took away his eyesight at age 21, he gradually found a way to use athletics to rekindle his zest for life. In 2008, he discovered blind baseball. “It was as if my pilot light got a gallon of gasoline dumped on it!” To be able to express myself physically again—where there was no disadvantage, where everybody was on an even playing field—was a game changer for me!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I lost my sight in 2004, I really thought my life was over. I thought, ‘Oh, my God! What am I going to do?’ Then, I started becoming aware of resources. Awareness is so crucial! I was blind for four years before I even knew there were sports for the blind or thought of others people living with disabilities. Sports opportunities changed my life in ways that are hard to put into words. Today I am an advocate for myself and am serving as an advocate for others with disabilities.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I can envision a day when barriers to disabled people will disappear, where the word ‘accessibility’ isn’t even necessary. It will be a world where the ability to access information, gainful employment and everything else is on the same footing, to the point where there is no question about gaining access because everything is just accessible to everyone.”
Steps to Success from Tanner Gers
1. Don’t accept barriers in your way. Use your creativity and courage to remove them or overcome them.
2. Reach out to connect with other people in situations like yours.
3. Learn how to be an advocate for yourself, then help others find their own power to speak up and act.
Connecting With Tanner Gers
Website: CreativeSuccessShow.com
Twitter: @TannerGers
Facebook: Facebook.com/CreativeSuccessShow
Email: Tanner@LinkagesExperience.com
Free Gift
3-part video course on Telling Better Stories. Email Tanner at Tanner@LinkagesExperience.com to request it. Mention DiscoverYourTalentPodcast.com
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448:
A Better Way: A Brand with a Cause - Katie Allen
Delighted to be a broadcast journalist, with visions of co-hosting Good Morning America one day, Katie noticed her health was suffering. At 25, her hair started to fall out. “I couldn’t sacrifice my health for a job, even though I loved it.”
Katie Allen is vice president of viaONEHOPE, a merit-based marketing platform that empowers entrepreneurs to make an impact while making an income. Katie leads the business and the community of more than 1,200 cause entrepreneurs. ViaONEHOPE was founded by ONEHOPE, a brand with a mission to celebrate and serve the world through thoughtfully crafted products that make a measurable impact for specific charitable causes. Katie graduated from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She and her husband John are proud parents of two daughters, Harper and Margeaux.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I’ve always been interested in being where the action is, and in being social. In high school I got involved with debate, drama and music. I had a ton of fun being in plays, musicals, and working on set design. I started college as a theater major. Halfway through freshman year, I realized that I’d probably want to make a little bit of money someday. So, I took a step back and re-examined my life to see what I was passionate about. I changed majors and studied broadcast journalism. It was a perfect fit for me. I’m a naturally inquisitive person. I’m outgoing and like to hear people’s stories and I was also very interested in current events.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Working as a broadcast journalist, loving the work, Katie began experiencing burnout. At age 25, her hair was falling out and her health was affected. “I realized even though I loved what I was doing, I couldn’t sacrifice my health. There had to be another, better way. After a lot of soul-searching, and a vacation to California, I decided to move 3,000 miles away from home to see what else was out there for me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The path to success, happiness and fulfillment does not follow a straight line, it might take you on some interesting dog legs. It’s OK to take some side trips along the way to finding who you are. When opportunity presents itself, go with It. Be smart about it, but don’t be afraid because you never know where you’re going to wind up.”
Steps to Success from Katie Allen
1. Find your purpose, your WHY, your Zone of Genius, through self-examination and soul searching.
2. If you don’t know what your WHY is, ask the people around you: “When you think of me, what word comes to your mind that describes me? What do you see as my strongest talent?”
3. When you figure that out and put it together, go find that opportunity that is right for you, to match your career with your passion and purpose.
4. Don’t be afraid to take calculated risks to find you Zone of Genius.
On Her Bookshelf
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg
Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek
Connecting With Katie Allen
Website: viaONEHOPE.com
Twitter: @viaONEHOPE
Facebook: @viaONEHOPEcommunity
LinkedIn: katie-allen-832b181a
Free Gift
10% discount on starter kits available at viaONEHOPE.com
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447:
A Career-Ender Becomes a Door-Opener - Tim “JP” Collins
The London audience was eagerly awaiting Tim’s presentation. His new hire was in the audience to learn from his example. Suddenly, Tim was shaking uncontrollably, sweating profusely. He couldn’t go on. Was he having a heart attack?
Tim “JP” Collins helps people overcome anxiety and stress to consider what is possible in their lives. Tim’s approach is not just about coping, it is about moving past anxiety and fear to help people live the life they are destined for.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Tim left school at age 16, deciding to differentiate himself from his sister and brother. “I just wanted to get into work and to control my own destiny a little bit more. I found it fairly easy to use my initiative. As a training manager at a number of sports facilities, my employers thought it was great that I could just figure things out on my own without a lot of direction. Maybe it is no surprise now that I am an entrepreneur, because that is what I do. I look for the best use of my time and put my efforts toward that.” In the 1990s Tim’s competitiveness came out strongly in a commission-based sales position at a dot.com technology company.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Ignoring his perceptions that he was not on the right career path, the internal pressures mounted until he had his first full-blown panic attack on stage delivering a presentation in front of a group. “At the time, I thought I was having a heart attack. I started to sweat and shake. I had to stop the presentation and leave the room. That was the beginning of the end of that period of my life career-wise. It still took me another year or so to leave that job, but I knew from that point forward that something had to change. Until that point, the concept of anxiety wasn’t even on my radar. I realized I couldn’t go on.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“This is where a mentor came in for me. I wanted to fix my anxiety but change nothing in my life. Based on what I now know, that idea was absolutely ridiculous. At the time, I just thought I needed the panic and anxiety to go away so I could keep working and keep this machine humming. Most people just go to the doctor, get medication, and try to carry on. I tried that but I just did not feel well on the medication, so I stopped taking it. Over time, I realized I had to focus on the root causes, and to share what I learned with other people if I wanted to recover.”
Steps to Success from Tim “JP” Collins
1. Pay attention to the signs your life is out of alignment with your core values and sense of self.
2. Reach out for help in finding where your life is out of alignment. Don’t accept chemical solutions alone, without looking for root causes.
3. If you experience panic or anxiety, recognize that you are not alone. You are not broken or damaged.
4. With help, you can learn to overcome anxiety’s power to dictate the way you live their life. You can recover.
On His Bookshelf
The 4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss
Rich On Paper Poor On Life, by Philip McKernan
Connecting With Tim “JP” Collins
Website: timjpcollins.com
Twitter: timjpcollins
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timjpcollins
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-jp-collins-5453061
Free Gift
Tim’s free Tool Kit to help overcome anxiety: timjpcollins.com/free
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446:
A Career in Problem Solving - Kim Lim
Her parents wanted the best for Kim. They were sure that meant becoming a doctor. Kim chose another path that uses her talent for science, and also saves lives.
Kim Lim holds a degree in Bio-Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and is the creator and owner of Ultimate Labs Inc., a quality control laboratory that “helps save lives through testing.” She founded her company in San Diego, California, to ensure that excellent medicines, medical devices, therapeutics and other medical products would get on the market. Kim is the best-selling author of ”Inoculate Your Biotech: Protecting and Boosting Your Product-to-Market Process.” She also helps parents create a successful work-life balance based on her own experience of running a company while raising two children.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As the granddaughter of immigrants from China, Kim says there were clear expectations about her career. “Since I had a propensity for science, my parents really pushed me to be a doctor. Within my family, we still joke that my father was actually disappointed when I became an engineer instead of a doctor. My career choice was about solving problems. It wasn’t enough for me to understand science, I wanted to apply the science and come up with new concepts, solutions and applications. My degree in bio-engineering encompasses many of the same subjects as in pre-med. This is just a more fun way for me to apply the knowledge and the talent that I have. At my company, we save lives every day through testing and quality control.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After college, I decided to do some consulting work. I got to travel all over the United States, doing things that I love: solving problems for companies; and developing processes for medical devices and the products they were making to help people and improve medicine.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Putting together teams and solving problems as a team is perhaps my greatest talent. I don’t think anyone can work well isolated in a silo. I truly believe that I’m only as good as the team members I have around me. Making them successful makes me and the projects we do together successful.”
Steps to Success from Kim Lim
1. Be brave. Try everything. Don’t leave any stone unturned to figure out what you really want to do, what you really love.
2. You have to do the work and do it well. There may be days of trudging through mundane tasks you do not want to do. But you have got to do it.
3. Work with a coach or mentor.
4. Avoid working in a silo. You can find great satisfaction in working with a team, succeeding together.
On Her Bookshelf
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey
War Room: The Legacy of Bill Belichick and the Art of Building the Perfect Team, by Michael Holley
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Joffe Numeroff, with Felicia Bond, Illustrator. (Her kids’ favorite book.)
Inoculate Your Biotech: Protecting and Boosting Your Product-to-Market Process, by Kim Lim
Connecting With Kim Lim
Website: ultimatelabsinc.com/
Twitter: @UltimateLabsInc
Facebook: facebook.com/ultimatelabsinc/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kimberlyylim
Cultural Changes, Parents' Advice, Problem Solving
BioTech, Business Owner, Consultant, Engineer, Medical Field, Sales
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445:
Expert Interview: Success by Third Grade - Mark Halpert
Mark Halpert and his wife Mira are committed to helping children achieve success in reading and learning by third grade, or sooner. Mark has worked at the district, state and national levels to focus policy priorities to emphasize student success by third grade. He believes parents must be informed, empowered and proactive, and he focuses on specific strategies parents can use to help their child achieve success by third grade—or sooner.
Success by Third Grade
“There is a theory, which is true, that up until third grade, students are learning to read, then from fourth grade on, they are reading to learn. So, it’s crucial for a student to be reading at grade level by the third grade. In fact, this is now the law in 16 states, adopted to end the practice of social promotion, moving kids to the next level, even though they may not have mastered the skills taught at their current grade level. Unfortunately, the interventions being used to address this situation are not meeting the needs of the kids who are struggling. Through 3dlearner.com, we work with “GOLD students: Gifted, Operating with a Learning Difference. That’s a totally different concept than the label dyslexic or learning disabled.”
Why Is This Important?
A crucial issue Mark and Mira are tackling is the fact that the dominant way of teaching, often called left-brain learning, is not the way 65 percent of students learn. There are 40 million kids who learn differently than the left-brain teaching model which dominates education. There is no socioeconomic bias in this learning difference. Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Charles Schwab and Sir Richard Branson all have or had these same kinds of differences in their way of learning. “Here’s a classic example from our 19 years of experience: two kids came to us nine years ago who had been told they would be in a learning disability school for the rest of their school years. Now, one is at Harvard and the other is at MIT.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“We look at things from a very different perspective. Sometimes people think a kid with learning disabilities or dyslexia is a 60-watt bulb with a problem. We often see kids that are smart and gifted, who are 300-watt bulbs, but they are not being taught the way they learn. They may have a problem with attention, vision or anxiety, and they don’t see themselves as being successful. Those kids are the kinds of rocket ships where you can see dramatic change in one to four months.”
Connecting With Mark Halpert
Website: www.3dlearner.com/success-by-3rd-grade
Twitter: @3dlearner
Facebook: www.facebook.com/3dlearner
LinkedIn: 3D Learner
Free Gift
At Mark’s website www.3dlearner.com/success-by-3rd-grade:
1) Free downloadable copy of Mark and Mira Halpert’s book, “Success by 3rd Grade.”
2) A success assessment parents can do with their child that provides feedback on whether their child learns differently and/or has an attention, eye-teaming or related challenge. (Type “talent” in comment area or sign in.)
3) A no-cost debriefing following the assessment.
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444:
Sharing Wisdom and Success from Two Cultures - Ron Malhotra
Ron immigrated from India to Australia as a 13-year-old. He quickly identified with the local Western culture more than with his own. He was fascinated by money, and his first job was at a local bank. He realized he was more interested in people than selling financial services. This launched him on a journey of self-discovery.
Ron Malhotra is the founder of ‘The Successful Male,’ a global movement specializing in the holistic development of men and focusing on areas traditionally neglected by the educational system and the workplace. These include developing confidence and character, identifying one’s purpose, success and wealth principles, leadership and influence, and even dating, styling and grooming. Ron is a thought leader, entrepreneur, speaker and certified success coach. He’s an award-winning wealth planner, leadership trainer, radio host and a #1 best-selling author.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Ron’s talent for helping people find their life purpose springs from his own challenges as a thirteen-year-old immigrant to Australia from India. His parents’ Indian culture, which highly values academic achievement, never appealed to him. “It was too structured, too rigid. Everyone was just complying and going through the motions. I had a rebellious streak in me, so I struggled with that system and refused to embrace it. I didn’t want to be just another nerd who went to school, did years of education, then went into the corporate world and worked 30 years for a boss.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Coming from a country with a lot of poverty, Ron took to the more affluent lifestyle of Australia. He was fascinated by money and the reasons behind the gap between the haves and have-nots. He took a job at a bank, because the money was there, and soon discovered he wasn’t good at counting cash, but he did have the gift of gab and an interest in people. After a short time as a financial planner, he realized he was just selling products, not offering wise counsel. He became disillusioned. This launched him on a journey of self-discovery. “I started to define myself based on my strengths, values and vision. I discovered my passions and purpose. Once I became clear on exactly who I was, I started to make really smart decisions about my life and career.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Ultimately all human beings just want to feel valued. If we don’t know how to get to a point where we feel that we matter, we are at risk of making all the wrong decisions. We go for all the things we think are going to make us matter. Soon enough, I realized living from the outside-in instead of from the inside-out was never going to make me feel happy.”
Steps to Success from Ron Malhotra
1. Learn to use your heart’s intelligence, not just your head’s.
2. Make it your top priority to discover who you truly are.
3. Recognize that all wisdom comes from connecting with your true self.
4. The best way to make money is to add value to other people.
Connecting With Ron Malhotra
Website: www.ronmalhotra.com and www.thesuccessfulmale.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ron_malhotra
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ronmalhotrainternational/
Free Gift
Join Ron’s exclusive group “We Are Successful Male” to gain instant access to your FREE Welcome Pack which includes a copy of “10 Steps to Becoming The Successful Male” and “The Successful Male Manifesto.” To join, go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wearesuccessfulmen/
Entrepreneurism, Following Passion, Men
Author, Coach, Entrepreneur, Financial, Leadership Trainer, Radio, Speaker, Success Coach, Wealth Advisor
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443:
Conquering Language, Culture and Fear - Ariane Tavakol
The Iraqi bombs falling near her childhood home in Tehran, Iran, made a sound Ariane will never forget. Moving to Paris with her mother at age seven, Ariane happily adapted to the French culture. Later, at 19, she decided to face another migration, alone this time.
Ariane Tavakol started an online magazine in 2015 to conquer her fears of the unknown and help her adapt to her new country. Never in her wildest dreams would she have ever imagined this idea would turn into a full-time business and bring her so much joy, fulfillment and learning. In her magazine, she aspires to inspire through stories and visuals. She taught herself how to film, edit and interview. She believes the sky is the limit and anything is possible as long as the drive, faith and work are put into action.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
With Ariane’s home in Tehran, Iran shaken by revolution, and then war with Iraq, she and her mother moved to Paris, France. Ariane, at seven-years-old, happily plunged into a new country, culture, and language. Fortunately, she had a facility for language and had studied French since pre-school.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“At 19, I moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue my college education and to be close to my extended family, with whom I hadn’t spent that much time. I left my mom behind because she loved Paris and wanted to stay. I moved into a whole different culture again.” This time she used the British English she learned in Paris and encountered some humorous challenges in southern California, speaking British English with a French accent.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It’s really up to us to adapt to the mysteries of life by diving into each new day and turning its twists and turns into an unforgettable experience. Things may not always go exactly the way we want it to go, but it will always go somewhere and will always teach us something. Time is precious and goes by so fast! All of a sudden, you’re running out of time. The Universe has a plan for you, so trust intuition, your gut.”
Steps to Success from Ariane Tavakol
1. Set some money aside to give yourself greater freedom.
2. Take action. Your dream will remain an idea until you act on it.
3. Push yourself beyond your boundaries and comfort zone every day.
4. Build a network of friends and family around you that you can rely upon.
5. Start something on the side, without expectation of making money from it. As long as you are in action, ideas and opportunities will come.
Connecting With Ariane Tavakol
Website: http://www.discoveroutloud.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/discoveroutloud/
LinkedIn: https://ch.linkedin.com/in/arianetavakol
Cultural Changes, Inspiring Others
Entrepreneur, Online Magazine, Storytelling
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442:
Passions Lift Him Through Life - Dr. Frank Gibson
Jazz music was Frank’s first and lifelong passion. He played it through high school, a college music scholarship and after. “I love music, but not the business of music.” How would he navigate the business world and still follow his dream?
Dr. Frank Gibson founded the largest integrative medicine clinic of its kind, then sold it to turn his focus to launching an alcohol abuse recovery program. In a lifetime that has encompassed four careers, he has appeared on more than 50 TV and radio programs, been featured in dozens of magazines, and has presented over 100 seminars throughout the U.S. and Europe.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Playing jazz music was Frank’s first passion. “Jazz still captures my imagination. I was extremely self-disciplined as a child, because I loved playing jazz so much. I realize now that early in my life discipline was what enabled me to follow through and be successful, in whatever career choice—and I’ve had four successful careers so far!” Growing up in the early years of the space program, when other kids his age were dreaming of being astronauts and NASA engineers, Frank had little encouragement in jazz, other than the musicians who were family friends and his former opera singer mom. He learned early on to use self-discipline and focus to pursue his passion.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Frank loved music, but not the business of music. He saw firsthand how competitive it was. So, he earned a business degree and in nine years co-created a thriving chain of eight luxury steakhouses with the co-founder of Burger King.
“My next move was three years of not working, probably the most memorable move I’ve ever made in my life. It wasn’t about ‘finding myself.’ It was a critical time to understand how I could develop a career that expressed my strong compassion and my desire—my need—to do something useful for others.” He adds with a laugh, “Basically I had crammed wine, beer, liquor and steaks into people through the first stage of my career. I was comfortable and I wanted to do something that was useful.” These years of reflection set him on a path of integrative medicine and holistic health.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I don’t have to ask myself this question. I climbed the fifth highest mountain in the world and I don’t remember looking at the view, which is funny to me now. But I do remember sitting there and thinking, ‘Okay, what’s next if I get off this mountain alive?’ I don’t have to ask myself questions about my future because this is it. I have never done anything better in my life than what I’m doing right now. As I’m wrapping this lifetime, the plan is there: playing great jazz in my final career. Mellow clubs and happy jazz, and then, there’s no encore.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Frank Gibson
1. Identify what you want, and what you need to get there. Know the difference between what you want and what you need.
2. Be totally selfish. Others around you—your spouse, family, associates and friends—will benefit from your commitment, experience, power and the end results.
3. Develop self-discipline. Commitment moves us into action, but discipline makes us winners.
4. Just because you are following your passion doesn’t mean it can’t fail. So, be open to and fearless of all possibilities.
Connecting With Dr. Frank Gibson
Website: lastcallprogram.com
Twitter: @lastcallprogram
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Last-Call-Program-893299870768426
Free Gift
Dr. Frank Gibson’s Free Guide, “Why You Drink & How to Stop.”
https://lastcallprogram.com/pages/free-ebook-why-you-drink-how-to-stop
Following Passion, Medical Treatment, Music
Alcohol Abuse Treatment, Doctor, Musician, Physician, Restaurant Owner/Manager
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440:
Expert Interview: LinkedIn and Personal Branding - Gregg Burkhalter
Gregg Burkhalter is a recognized authority on LinkedIn and personal branding. He has trained countless professionals across the United States and Canada to effectively brand themselves and market their businesses on LinkedIn. He spent the first part of his professional career behind the microphone at radio stations across the South. Following his radio years, Gregg worked in national music marketing and distribution.
Today, he is known as “The LinkedIn Guy.” He provides LinkedIn training, strategy, and branding coaching via one-on-one and group training sessions, corporate presentations and webinars.
LinkedIn and Personal Branding
“When you do business in the professional world, it’s very important to have a solid personal brand. Your personal brand is something you have to work on, maintain and build, because your brand has to be transferable. LinkedIn.com is the ecosystem for your personal and professional brand, and it will be from now until the end of your career.” In this interview, Gregg describes his “3-D” approach to building your brand on LinkedIn: define, develop and deliver.
Why Is This Important?
“Whether we know it or not we all have a personal brand. There are two ways you can develop your personal brand. One way is to do nothing, and it develops by default. You end up with what you end up with. I prefer the second way, which is to develop your personal brand with a clear strategy. On LinkedIn, there is a thin line between being ever-present and being obnoxious.” Gregg shares tips for not crossing that line, and explains what a newcomer to LinkedIn should do daily on the influential site.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“LinkedIn is a totally different animal. It’s all about relationships. When I talk to groups about social media, they tend to cluster LinkedIn with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In fact, when it comes to social media other than LinkedIn, I think in terms of ROI, return on investment. But when it comes to LinkedIn, I use another term. I call it ROR, return on relationships.”
Connecting With Gregg Burkhalter
Website: www.GreggBurkhalter.com
LinkedIn, Personal Branding
LinkedIn, Personal Branding
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439:
A Profitable Business Good for Schools - Jeremy Barnhardt
Jeremy Barnhart experienced a very successful corporate career in finance, becoming a partner at Deloitte. But it had him working long hours and traveling, taking him away from his wife and three young children. He simply wasn’t having fun with his work and he wanted to live a more active and present life.
Now Jeremy has time to coach his three sons’ basketball, football and baseball teams. He is a co-owner and vice president of franchise development at Apex Fun Run, a healthy and safe alternative to school fundraising. The company partners with schools to raise funds for campus needs. The concept incorporates a two-week character building and leadership program that culminates with a student “run” to raise donations for schools. His company has also opened the door for 80 franchisees in 21 states.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Jeremy grew up in a home that valued education and athletics. His father was a teacher, and both parents played and taught tennis. He participated in college athletics and took his studies seriously. Eventually, he earned an MBA from the competitive Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and became a partner in 10 years in the top-ranked accounting and consulting firm now known as Deloitte. Today, he combines his passions for education and athletics in the firm he created.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After serving as a Deloitte partner for six years, Jeremy retired from the firm. “I decided to prioritize my family over my career and the almighty dollar. Finance and accounting was a field I thought I could go into and have very quick success, get quick promotions and make a lot of money. Once I was in the firm, I realized that was true, but I didn’t really enjoy what I was doing. I never had a true passion for accounting or finance. The piece that I enjoyed most was helping my clients add value.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“What drove me was being able to see a lot of entrepreneurs who had their own businesses. I realized that none of them had any skills or attributes that I didn’t have. So, I thought, why want to continue on a path that I wasn’t enjoying when I could create a business on my own that could be successful, where I would care much more about what I was doing?”
Steps to Success from Jeremy Barnhardt
- Identify your talents and strengths.
- Determine how those strengths and skills can tie into your passions.
- Start researching opportunities. Get good advisors, counselors and information about the many opportunities out there.
- Consider a franchising opportunity. “I guarantee you, there’s something out there that aligns with your skills and passions.”
Connecting With Jeremy Barnhardt
Website: http://apexfunrun.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/apexfunrun
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apexfunrun
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-barnhart-4b2929b5
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438:
Career Wisdom, with a Dose of Dr. Seuss - Sarah E. Brown
During her 40-year career at AT&T, Dupont and Accenture, Sarah learned how to help teams navigate changes brought about by massive reorganization. Today she is putting that expertise to work helping individuals navigate change in both their careers and relationships.
Sarah E. Brown has had several careers, all of which she says took her full circle to what she originally set out to do right out of college: teaching, writing, and researching. Along the way, she has learned what she believes makes for a happy, successful work experience. When she is not working, she can be found rowing or romping through the woods with her standard poodle, Maharani.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
In college Sarah planned to earn a doctorate in theoretical mathematics and pursue a career in academia, but just before starting her PhD., she learned that many math PhDs. were waiting tables, waiting for jobs to open at universities. She opted for an engineering job at AT&T. “I discovered that I needed to find a niche in which I could excel. I chose to get really good at a very specific piece of software, which allowed me to think and to work things out in my head but didn’t require me to troubleshoot things with my hands.” This brought her closer to her “sweet spot,” where she could use her natural talents.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I love working on things that are big and haven’t been done before.” Through her work with giant corporations—AT&T, DuPont and Accenture—Sarah became fascinated with the management of large-scale change. She navigated the changes at AT&T when a judge ordered the break-up of the behemoth corporation. Then, she was at DuPont, where she helped engineer the largest outsourcing project ever done up to that time. “I went back to school at night. Over a six-year period, while working full-time, I earned a PhD in a field called psycho-educational processes, a blend of group psychology and adult learning. These are two of the essential things you need to target in a large-scale change project.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Navigating her way through massive corporate changes, Sarah paid attention to her natural talents and finding her own niche. Upon her retirement from the corporate world, she found a way to share “what it took me 40 years to figure out.” Combining the world-renowned personality assessment, The Birkman Method, with her own self-knowledge and creativity, she creates completely personalized self-help books that help people understand what they can do to be happy, successful and understood, both in their careers and in key relationships, by understanding their own unique personality.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
- Start by getting clarity about your own unique talents, skills and preferences.
- Spend time learning to describe your ideal job. Many people are unable to do this.
- Don’t overlook the importance of the kind of environment you prefer. If the environment is wrong, you won’t be able to fully apply your talents and skills.
On Her Bookshelf
Any books by Dr. Seuss. “All of them have really salient messages, and memorable phrases that will help you read it.” Two examples”
Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories, by Dr. Seuss
Connecting With Sarah E. Brown
Website: www.bookofyou.com; www.sarahebrown.com
Twitter: @knowGuides
Facebook: bookofyou.com
LinkedIn: Sarah E. Brown, Ph. D.
Free Gift
For a free chapter from her book “Road to Success,” co-written with Jack Canfield of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” fame, go to Sarahebrown.com.
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437:
Maxing Out His "Immigrant Edge" - Bedros Keuilian
As the son of a political refugee, Bedros had a huge chip on his shoulder and was filled with anger and rage. One day his high school teacher, exasperated with his disruptive behavior, grabbed him by the collar, slammed him against the wall, and shouted something at him that turned his life around.
Bedros Keuilian has created popular brands and businesses throughout the fitness industry. He is the founder and CEO of the fastest growing fitness franchise worldwide: Fit Body Boot Camp. He’s also the fitness industry’s leading consultant for marketing, branding, business systems and development. His blogs, products, books, and live events help tens of thousands of fitness professionals and business owners around the world build more robust and profitable businesses.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As the six-year-old youngest son of a former Armenian Communist Party member, Bedros learned how to survive in the face of adversity when his family escaped Armenia under the guise of a vacation in Italy. For years, his father dreamed of coming to the United States. “I was the guy who put the bread on the table, literally,” he recalls. We would go to the dumpsters behind the grocery stores. My dad would give me a boost. I would dive in and he would teach me what to get. Grocery stores throw away tons of food—milk, cheese, meats and bread—that has passed its expiration date but has not necessarily gone bad. To me, it was a fun little trip. It sounds crazy, but remember we were a family who was broke, who knew no one, who didn’t speak English. We were truly in survival state. In hindsight, I realize that the adversities I grew up with were the greatest advantage I could have had.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I grew up with anger, rage, and a chip on my shoulder. Hearing people tell my father, over and over again, “Hey, go back to your own country, you foreigner!” Bedros credits one of teachers in high school with turning him around. Exasperated with his behavior one day, “She grabbed me by my collar and started banging me against the wall, shouting, ‘you are never going to make it in life unless you go into the military. They’re the only ones that can save you!’ I thought to myself, OK, I’ll go apply.” The military wouldn’t take him, but he set about to prove her wrong. He did.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
When the military wouldn’t take him, “I knew I had no other path, so I took the path of physical fitness. Becoming a fitness trainer was the thing that changed my life and gave me confidence. Today, my life revolves around re-framing adversities, taking negativity and turning it into positive. I think of adversities as being like dumbbells in a gym. Like a dumbbell, I can keep curling it and pressing it, and the more I do it, the bigger and stronger my muscles get. I use this image to strengthen my mental and emotional muscles.
Steps to Success from Bedros Keuilian
- Now is the time to start making the changes you want. There is no perfect time.
2. With a strong work ethic, you can outwork anyone who has talent but is not willing to work.
3. Stop over-estimating what you can do in one year and start realizing what you can do in five. Give yourself five years of consistent hard work and see how much you will accomplish.
Connecting With Bedros Keuilian
Website: http://bedroskeuilian.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bedroskeuilian
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436:
U.S. Army Major General Linda L. Singh: Facing Adversity, Conquering Fear - Linda L. Singh
Thrown out of her home through no fault of her own, Linda was a high school dropout, working at a pretzel shop to survive. A display table in the mall for the U.S. Army caught her attention and led to a conversation that changed the trajectory of her life.
Major General Linda L. Singh made a choice to do things differently and to stand out. No matter what obstacles she faced, she would not let fear control her destiny. Never content with mediocrity or being too comfortable, she is always in the process of transforming herself into the best self she can be. Her book, Moments of Choice: My Path to Leadership, is a true story of how a girl from humble beginnings, who experienced abuse and homelessness, rose to become a Major General in the U.S. Army and an executive with a leading global professional services company.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Simply surviving on the streets as a homeless teenager challenged all of Linda’s instincts and natural abilities. Through no fault of her own, she was “asked to leave” her home after she reported being sexually abused by a sibling. She turned a potentially devastating life event into a search for a way out. Facing her situation frankly— “It is what it is”—she never completely lost her belief that life could and would get better. She became adept at facing adversity head on, without losing hope.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After dropping out of high school to support herself, Linda, recalls, “I was working at a mall pretzel shop and met up with an Army National Guard recruiter. I was interested in what they were displaying at their table. He started a conversation with me. That conversation led to a whole new door opening for me. Soon I joined the Army National Guard. Basic training allowed me to test my limits and find something new in me that I didn’t realize existed. I had leadership skills within me, but they were very raw. The Army brought out those skills.” Through that connection, she met her future husband, earned her high school diploma and a college degree, and completed Officer Candidate School (OCS), setting her on the path that led to becoming a Major General.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“When you are doing things that allow you to leverage your strengths and you get into that rhythm, things work really well. I think we have to pay attention to what our hearts and minds are telling us in terms of what we enjoy doing. Until you get to that, you’re not going to be happy in any work environment. I know that I’ve had to deal with challenges just because I’m female. Yes, those things do happen. But I would have to say that at every new opportunity, I found just as many supporters as there were naysayers.”
Steps to Success from Linda L. Singh
1. Pay attention to what your heart and your mind are telling you about what you enjoy doing.
2. Intentionally set aside time for personal reflection focused on finding what you gravitate toward that makes you happy.
3. Consider working with a coach. A coach can often see things you can’t see for yourself.
On Her Bookshelf
Own the Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership Presence, by Amy Jen Su and Muriel Maignan Wilkins
StrengthsFinder 2.0, by Tom Rath
Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation–and Positive Strategies for Change, by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever
Putting Your Talent to Work: Rediscovering the Real You in You, by Ode A. Idoko
Moments of Choice: My Path to Leadership, by Linda L. Singh
Connecting With Linda L. Singh
Website: www.kaleidoscopeaffect.com
Twitter: Kaleidoscope987
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaleidoscope-Affect-LLC/1566051626958268
Free Gift
Free “Leadership Folio,” by signing up for it on her website.
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435:
Expert Interview: Why Telling Your Own Story Is So Vital in Today's Marketplace - Debby Stone
Debby Stone is an executive coach and keynote speaker. She is the author of “The Art of Self-Promotion: Tell Your Story, Transform Your Career,” and the founder of Novateur Partners, an executive coaching company serving lawyers, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and the organizations in which they work. Prior to 2002, Debby practiced law for 16 years and worked at Bain & Company. Debby holds undergraduate and law degrees from Duke University.
Why Telling Your Own Story Is So Vital in Today's Marketplace
“Regardless of where we are in our career paths—whether we’re just starting out or have reached the pinnacle, or are somewhere in between—we all need other people to get where we want to go. If others don’t know who we are and what we contribute, they are not going to be able to help us reach our career goals. Telling your story and doing it in a confident, authentic and graceful way is the key difference between the people who make it to where they want to be and those who struggle to move forward.”
Why Is This Important?
“We live in a Twitter, soundbite world. That’s about how long people have as an attention span. In today’s workplace—where people are incredibly busy, where change is the only constant—it’s not possible to believe that simply keeping your head down and doing a good job is going to get you where you want to go. We all need to be thinking about how we are telling our stories. Competence is always a piece of the puzzle, but the other crucial piece is how well you present yourself, the brand that is you.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“You have about 20 seconds to immediately capture someone’s attention. There are two things you need to be able to do in 20 seconds: 1) establish or re-establish your credibility; and 2) create curiosity so the other person wants the conversation to continue.” You need to be ready to tell your story anytime, anywhere, in a variety of contexts and audiences. The way that you speak about who you are and what you do varies with the setting. If you meet somebody at the gym, your approach will be different from the one you might use at a formal networking event. A canned, memorized, all-purpose ‘elevator pitch’ is not enough.”
Books on The Topic
Connecting With Debby Stone
Website: www.novateurpartners.com
Twitter: @NovateurCoach
Free Gift
Free sample chapter of Debby Stone’s book, The Art of Self-Promotion” www.artofselfpromotionbook.com
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434:
A Quest to Share the Way Out… and Up - Justin Stenstrom
Years later, Justin can still feel the panic attack that seized him in high school. His determined quest since then for wholeness and success has prepared him to help others find a way out…and up.
Justin Stenstrom is a nationally-acclaimed life coach, author, entrepreneur, and speaker. He is the founder of EliteManMagazine.com and the host of the Elite Man Podcast on iTunes. Once anxious, insecure, depressed, and unhappy, Justin has overcome many of life’s greatest obstacles and loves nothing more than helping others do the same!
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
When Justin was 17 or 18, he had what he later learned was a panic attack. “It was the worst feeling in the world, and I didn’t know what was happening. I thought I was going crazy. I went to a hospital.” The hospital referred him to a therapist who helped him through the immediate crisis. Soon, he embarked on a search of his own. His determination to understand what had happened and why led him on the path to where he is today.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“The turning point came when I made a decision to get out of the incredible rut I was in. I discovered the whole self-help world, people like Tony Robbins, Paul McKenna, Eckhart Tolle, the self-help legends who have an impact on thousands and thousands of people’s lives. I decided I wasn’t going to be depressed or give up entirely, that I was going to overcome these things. That’s really where it all began.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My first couple of years as an entrepreneur, I think I wasted a lot of time trying to figure things out for myself instead of reaching out to build a community of people. The community I have now—the network of people, colleagues and friends—is incredible. That’s how you get to be a successful entrepreneur. You have to build that community, almost like a team of people who have your back and you have their back all the time. You grow together.
Steps to Success from Justin Stenstrom
1. For business and for life, reach out and build a community of support. You don’t have to do it alone.
2. Explore the resources of social media, especially Facebook and its many groups, and Facebook Live. Learn how to use it to build your community.
3. Focus on the things that light a fire within you, that cause you to wake up excited. Look for ways to make money from doing one of these things.
On His Bookshelf
How to Win Friends & Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, by Timothy Ferriss
Ask: The Counterintuitive Online Method to Discover Exactly What Your Customers Want to Buy…Create a Mass of Raving Fans…and Take Any Business to the Next Level, by Ryan Levesque
Top Tools on His Browser
Facebook Live
Open and closed Facebook groups
Online communities.
Connecting With Justin Stenstrom
Website: http://elitemanmagazine.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JustinEStenstrom/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustinStenstrom
Entrepreneurism, Panic Attacks
Author, Entrepreneur, Life Coach, Speaker
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433:
Dropped Out of High School to Start a Business - Cassie Howard
Cassie Howard was never a fan of school, so she convinced her mom to let her drop out in 10th grade to start her own business. But she also knew she loved to teach. How could a drop-out make that dream come true?
Cassie Howard is a serial entrepreneur and business coach who dedicated her life to helping women entrepreneurs take their business to the next level. She built her business from scratch to multiple six figures in under a year and through her coaching, she helps other women accomplish the same
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“As a kid, through my business efforts like garage sales, I learned how to do things myself, and that I actually worked better when I was in charge and was the only one holding myself accountable. Before that, I believed that if I just asked for something I would get it, as opposed to working hard for it. I learned that the amount of work that goes into doing it yourself is astronomical, so you really have to love what you’re doing so it doesn’t feel like work. Through those experiences, and from family, mentors and others who influenced me, I learned that there is nothing better than hard work for getting great results.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was never a fan of school, or of having anyone tell me what to do, which is what school felt like to me. So, I left high school in the middle of grade 10 to start my own business. My mom had to sign a paper saying she was taking me out of school, which she really did not want to do. I guess she had that belief in me that I could make it work. Now she’s glad she did it.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The biggest message I want to share is that women—or anyone, for that matter—can be, do, and have anything they want in life. You really can have it all as soon as you accept the fact that you can. Don’t be afraid, but even if you are afraid, take action anyway.”
Steps to Success from Cassie Howard
1.Look inside yourself to see what’s holding you back, and why. Then flip it around from a negative to a positive.
2. Try journaling every day as a tool for developing a mindset for success.
3. Ignore the people who tell you it can’t be done, and get used to having to do this often. Don’t let the doubters inside your head.
4. Don’t be afraid, but even if you are afraid, take action anyway.
On Her Bookshelf
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, by Gay Hendricks, PhD
Overcoming Underearning: A Five-Step Plan to a Richer Life, by Barbara Stanny
The Science of Getting Rich, by Wallace D. WattlesConnecting With Cassie Howard
Website: cassiehoward.com
Twitter: twitter.com/cassiehowardbiz
Facebook: facebook.com/cassiehowardbiz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cassie-howard-144a2838
Free Gift
Free Guide: 20 Ways to Find Clients in Facebook Groups
Entrepreneurism, Women
Business Coach
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432:
His Instincts Led Him to a Bad Rhino - Marty McDonald
The man who is now his business partner came into Marty McDonald’s office a few years ago and said, “I’m tired of doing this. I have an idea and want to start a new business.” Marty was intrigued and told him, “If you come up with a really cool name, I’m in.”
Marty McDonald is the co-founder and CEO of Bad Rhino, Inc., a full service social media and digital marketing agency based in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Marty has used social media strategies and internet marketing strategies to actively build online marketing businesses for more than 13 years. Bad Rhino has won the top agency award in 2016 by the research firm, Clutch. The agency has clients in specialty food, craft beer, restaurant, golf, insurance, staffing
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
By the time he was 12, Marty was working with his uncle’s landscaping business. He liked earning money and credits the experience with teaching a strong work ethic. More importantly, perhaps, was his early realization that he wanted to be like many family members and create his own business. “I always noticed that my father and my uncles always had free time. The common thing was that they were either self-employed or they owned their own business. That definitely shaped my mindset early on. Relatives were always dropping in. They adjusted their work schedule because they could. They always had time freedom.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was a headhunter and I woke up one day and realized I needed to find better people, better job candidates, better opportunities. I started relying on what had made me a successful recruiter: relying on my instincts to put together marketing plans to find better candidates. Learning to trust my instinct led me on this path to creating Bad Rhino. Over the years, I learned to trust that instinct, and to trust what I was good at, and then hone in on those things.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Especially if you are just starting out—but actually at any age—travel as much as possible. It changes your point of view and gives you a view of the world where there are so many different problems that you don’t even realize are going on. The first thing I would say is get the heck out of town and go see different parts of the country and the world.”
Steps to Success from Marty McDonald
1.Learn to trust your instincts.
2. Find your natural talents and hone your skills.
3. Travel. “Get the heck out of town, it changes your worldview.”
4. Find a hobby you can monetize, something you enjoy and can make money doing, even if you have another full time job.
On His Bookshelf
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand
Connecting With Marty McDonald
Website: badrhinoinc.com
Twitter: @BadRhinoinc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadRhinoInc
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martinmcdonald
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431:
Confessions of a Boss-Mom - Dana Malstaff
At 10-years-old Dana was constantly frustrated when her stepdad wouldn’t give her the meaning of words in her homework assignment. He always sent her to the dictionary to look it up and then wanted to talk about the meaning of the word. Who needs all this, she wondered. She just wanted to be an actor and sing in the choir.
Now Dana is “The Boss Mom.” Dana Malstaff is a mother, author, business and content strategist, coach, podcaster, and a “blind spot” reducer. She is the author of “Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Business & Nurturing Your Family Like a Pro” and, releasing Valentine’s Day 2017, “Confessions of a Boss Mom: A Guide to Knowing You Are Not Alone.” She serves the women she calls “Boss Moms” who yearn for more time and less guilt when it comes to building their business and raising their family, by providing the tools they need to get more out of their content and business, without sacrificing their family goals.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Dana’s focus on helping moms springs from three parents: her mother, father and step-father. She credits her step-father and mother with her creativity and love of words. Although she didn’t live with her father growing up, she spent summers with him, helping him run his business restoring classic cars. From all three she learned skills she now uses in her own business in “the mom space.” “I can’t be good in my business if I’m not happy at home. I think a lot of people run into those same challenges.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I’ve always been a very extroverted person who wanted to be on stage. I got a broadcast journalism degree at Indiana University. When I was young, I was an actor and a choir geek.” Although she creates written content today, she recalls, “I was never much of a writer, and would much rather speak with people. I get my energy from people. But I started to see how I could utilize writing in ways to help me engage with other people. Writing could help me talk with somebody and then formulate my thoughts and structure them.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Largely through a dynamic, 80-year old college professor, Dr. Katz, learning came alive for Dana. “I got the idea that when you go to school the stuff you learn is just stuff, but the people you meet and the connections you have, that’s what makes it vibrant and beautiful. A lot of people don’t tap into that resource when they go to school. I’ve carried that idea forward in my business. I’ve spent much more time building a movement and a brand through the connections I have with people. I think that has gotten me a lot farther than just riding on the skills I have or the content I create.”
Steps to Success from Dana Malstaff
1.Use tools to help you see how you’re dividing your time among the important tasks, the urgent ones and the ones you really love.
2. Identify which tasks you do well and you love, and which tasks you should delegate to others.
3. Ask yourself, “Do I need to go a completely different direction? Or do I just need to switch or tweak my role, or who I’m working with, or how I’m doing it?
4. Find your own work-life balance and actively work to maintain it.
On Her Bookshelf
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts, by Gary Chapman
Top Tools on Her Browser
https://www.youtube.com/user/marieforleo Marie TV: Create a Business and Life Your Love
amyporterfield.com/category/podcast/ Amy Porterfield: Online Marketing Made Easy.
smartpassiveincome.com/podcasts/ Smart Passive Income, Pat Flynn
marvelousmomsclub.com/podcast/ Marvelous Moms
mikerowe.com/podcast/ The Way I Heard It, Mike Rowe (Dana recommends this “just for fun.”)
Connecting With Dana Malstaff
Website: http://boss-mom.com
Twitter: @DanaMalstaff
Facebook: BossMomDana
LinkedIn: danamalstaff
Working Mothers
Author, Life Coach, Podcaster
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Encore: 7-Year-Old’s Love of Animals Thrives Today as Her Gentle Barn Foundation - Ellie Laks
Sitting still for the service at her family’s Orthodox Jewish temple felt like torture to her as a five-year-old. Faking a trip to the restroom, she slipped out the temple door. Suddenly, she was covered head to toe in Monarch butterflies.
Ellie Laks is the founder of the Gentle Barn Foundation, a celebrated animal-welfare advocate, humane educator, and author of My Gentle Barn: Creating a Sanctuary where Animals Heal and Children Learn to Hope. The gentle barn was Ellie’s dream since she was seven years old. In 1999, a few years after majoring in psychology and special education, her dream became reality. The Gentle Barn Foundation was established as a sanctuary to severely abused and neglected animals that no one else wants.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Early in childhood, Ellie loved animals and rescued them often, often to her family’s chagrin. She recalls, “I would say to my parents, ‘You’ll see! When I grow up I’ll have a huge place full of animals! And I’ll show the world how beautiful they are!’ That came out of my mouth at the age of seven—and trust me, I do not know where this came from—but out of my mouth it came. That turned into a mantra, which turned into my life’s purpose. I would sit at school and doodle what the Gentle Barn would look like. I’d go to sleep each night and fantasize about all the animals I would love.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“To put myself through school, I became a dog-walker, trainer, boarder and groomer. I speak better dog than human, so I love being around them and training them. I’ve trained dogs professionally since I was eleven, for my neighborhood. My business got big enough and I got a real, substantial paycheck. I drove down to the high-kill shelter near our house thinking, this is going to be easy. I’m just going to pick a dog and bring him home. We’re going to sail out to the sunset. But when I got there, I got a rude awakening. There were 300 dogs, screaming to be the one I picked. I realized, how in the world do I pick one out of all those needy faces?”
Ellie was in for a heartbreaker. Selecting seven pups that were to be euthanized that day, she brought them all home, only to lose them one by one to distemper. It was a harsh reality test of her childhood dream. After the pups all died, she insisted on taking China, the mother, back home with her. Against all odds, she nursed her back to health, and China lived for 10 years.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
After some very dark days when she nearly lost her dream, Ellie reports, “I just held on to who I am with everything that I had, and it got me through. Now I have a thriving organization. After years of working as a volunteer, I finally get paid a salary that pays my bills. The universe rushed in to support me, and I think that’s what I would tell people: when we embrace who we are, our life’s work and purpose and the gift inside that we’ve shared with the world, life rushes in to support us.”
Steps to Success from Ellie Laks
1. As you find your purpose, learn everything related to it, as best you can. None of the knowledge will be wasted.
2. Don’t let yourself give up on your dream, despite apparent evidence to the contrary.
3. Share your gift generously and freely, and welcome the support the Universe sends through whatever channels it chooses.
On Her Bookshelf
My Gentle Barn: Creating a Sanctuary Where Animals Heal and Children Learn to Hope, by Ellie Laks and Nomi Isak
Connecting With Ellie Laks
Email: michelle@gentlebarn.org
Website: gentlebarn.org/
Twitter: twitter.com/GentleBarn
Facebook: facebook.com/TheGentleBarn/
YouTube Channel: youtube.com/user/gentlebarn
Animals Needing Care
Veterinary
January 2017:
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Expert Interview: Encore–Facing Your Dragon, Facing Your Fears - Brad Axelrad
Brad Axelrad is a consultant, speaker and spiritual adventure tour facilitator. He supports coaches and consultants to leverage their fear, freeing them to create the lifestyle they desire. Having produced more than 100 live events with top thought leaders and best-selling authors, he’s transformed the lives of thousands with his Face Your Dragon message.
Brad is a founding member of the Association of Transformational Leaders and has been featured on NBC Nightly News, PBS Television, The LA Times and many other media outlets. He currently resides in Costa Rica, catalyzing leaders, leading them on spiritual adventure tours.
Facing Your Dragon, Facing Your Fears
“Facing your dragon is understanding how to find, face and ride your dragon; very simply, how to train your dragon. The entire Face Your Dragon platform is based on the quote, ‘The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.’ Our greatest fear is possibly our greatest gift and our money-maker. I challenge folks to look at what they’re most afraid of.”
Why Is This Important?
“The more we can admit and get in touch with our greatest fear—and actually face it—the more we can learn to use all those biochemicals from that amazing pharmacy in our head, without letting them force us into fight, flight or freeze. This really creates an opportunity for us to understand and use the adrenaline, dopamine, oxytocin and all these naturally occurring neurochemicals to our benefit. When we do have those moments of fight, flight or freeze, we can learn how to be courageous enough to surrender to this field of energy around us. We can trust that it’s going to work out, instead of letting our intellect get in the way and create a push-and-pull, tugging effect. It’s about that gap—that split-second of time—between choice and action, when you can make a different choice.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“In all of my years in the transformational leadership space—almost 10 years—I’ve found that we all have these five core blocks, or dragons, or fears that keep us stuck. They keep us from taking action and move forward. They’re the fear that:
1) You’ll be found out as an imposter or fraud (whatever that is to you).
2) People won’t want what you offer.
3) You’ll never have the courage to charge what you’re worth, so you’ll undercut yourself.
4) People won’t understand the difference you can make for them. Whatever you’ve created for them just won’t fly.
5) If you achieve the dream, you’ll be criticized, or your personal life will suffer. The fear of success.
Connecting With Brad Axelrad
Email: bradmaxelrad@gmail.com
Website: faceyourdragon.com
Twitter: twitter.com/bradaxelrad
Facebook: facebook.com/bradaxelrad
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bradaxelrad
Fear
Adventure Tour Guide, Author, Business Coach
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Encore: Journey from Musician to Lawyer to a Coach for Lawyers - Nora Riva Bergman
Nora Riva Bergman’s career journey takes her from musician to lawyer to bar association executive director to a coach for lawyers. “Ampersands” is her term for life passages and turning points. Death of the “Auntie Mame” figure in her life jolted her to rethink her relationship to the law profession. As a business coach and practice advisor at Atticus, Nora founded Real Life Practice and works with attorneys on work-life balance and how to gain self-knowledge, to help lawyers become better lawyers. And she works with law firms across the country coaching them on all aspects of law firm management and leadership.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
It was a circuitous route, which may have begun when her love of music—and The Beatles— led her to a 20-year music career after high school. Returning to the college track in her late 20s, a journalism school law class on the First Amendment piqued her interest in law. Law school and a brief stint practicing law helped her see she wanted a different direction. It was at a job as executive director of a Bar Association where she discovered her love: helping other lawyers gain self-knowledge and become better lawyers, and better people.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
The sudden death of a beloved aunt, an “Auntie Mame” figure in her life, created what Nora calls “an ampersand moment.” She realized, “I did not enjoy what felt like putting on armor every day, going to work and fighting with people all day long.” She explains her ampersand concept to podcast host Don Hutcheson.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“You’ve got to know yourself. It’s not necessarily easy for anybody, but acting on what you know forces you to live outside your comfort zone. Be willing to “feel the fear and do it anyway,” as Susan Jeffers says. A sign on my desk reminds me, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Then, use what you’ve learned to change your life in ways that are meaningful to you…not to anybody else…but to you.”
On Her Bookshelf
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, by Susan Jeffers
Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments, by Ken Keith
The Power of Now, Eckhart TolleTop Tools on Her Browser
EverNote Web Clipper, a place to collect information and organize your life. Clip photos, videos, web clips audio files, on desktop, handheld mobile, always synced and backed up.
Connecting With Nora Riva Bergman
Website: reallifepractice.com
Phone: 866-662-0993Facebook: facebook.com/reallifepractice
Fear, Lawyers
Business Coach, Lawyer, Musician
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Encore: A 10-Year International Basketball Career Leads to Youth Training Camps - Eric Dailey
Eric Dailey, founder and creator of Dailey Training, was a professional basketball player, a stand-out on major teams in Europe, Asia and South America. Without an agent he successfully negotiated contracts, managed travel arrangements and conducted try-outs. Building relationships with general managers globally, he learned the intricacies of corporate business.
Eric is now president of two international companies, Dailey Training International (basketball) and Global Cup World Championships (youth basketball).
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Undeterred when his college basketball career did not net him an NBA contract, Eric created a career on courts worldwide, beginning in Portugal and becoming a stand-out player globally. Basketball was the vehicle that carried him to corporate boardrooms, the United Nations and to a contract with The Walt Disney Company and the AAU.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After his first year playing for Real Madrid in Spain—a top tier team in Europe—Eric learned he could negotiate better for his own best interests than an agent in the U.S. Acquiring negotiating skills along the way, he continued a globe-trotting pro basketball career spanning a decade.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Only you can grasp your personal vision and believe that you can achieve it. You should never listen to the naysayers who may not want you to succeed. And the people who love you don’t want you to fail, so they may caution you to not take chances.
Top Tools on His Browser
Eric has used the web to boost his knowledge about business, contracts, and for all aspects of his ongoing personal self-education. He clearly remembers the difficulties during years in his career when this worldwide resource was not available.
Connecting With Eric Dailey
Website:
www.daileytraining.orgEmail:
Edailey@daileytraining.comPhone:
803-240-1054Facebook:
Dailey Training InternationalTwitter:
@DaileyTrainingNegotiating, Negotiations, Professional Basketball, Sports, Youth Basketball
Basketball Player, Negotiator, Sports Coach
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Encore 2016: From Knowing Her Dream to Making It Her Own - Melissa Cohen
ENCORE OF ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR INTERVIEWS.
Melissa Cohen, LCSW, is dedicated to helping individuals find their own identity while managing their need for independence. Whether it is anxiety, conflict resolution, communication, self-esteem or managing expectations, Melissa tailors her approach to each unique situation. She wrote the bestselling ParentKnowledgy, A (Simple) Guide to Surviving Your Teen.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As early as high school, Melissa worked in a summer college prep enrichment program for students—providing a mid-point between high school and college—which she continued through college and graduate school. “It was, for me, a way to work with a population that I later realized I really enjoyed working with.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In a radical shift from social work, she became a pharmaceutical sales representative. Overnight, her salary doubled. She enjoyed generous corporate perks for years. An economic downturn and a couple of layoffs caused her to re-examine her life and go back to building her private therapy practice, “giving it 100%.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think it takes a long time to build up the courage to move forward with what we want. I had found what I loved to do earlier in life, I just hadn’t found a way to make it my own. It took all these years to do that.”
On Her Bookshelf
ParentKnowledgy: A (Simple) Guide to Surviving Your Teen, by Melissa A. Cohen, LCSW
Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, by Daniel Goleman
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, by Marshall Goldsmith
The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin
Connecting With Melissa Cohen
Website:
www.ARedefinedYou.comTwitter:
@parentknowledgyFacebook:
A Redefined YouFree Gift
Free e-book: “10 Questions That Could Change Your Life, ” available on her website.
Author, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Pharmaceutical Rep, Social Work
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Encore 2016: To Find Our Purpose, We Must Get Out of Our Own Way - Ashley Cooper
ENCORE OF ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR INTERVIEWS IN 2016.
Intense bullying, and the depression that followed, left Ashley virtually hopeless at age eight. At age 25, halfway around the world in Thailand, she questioned her own sanity as she began a 21-day vow of silence.
Ashley Cooper is on a mission to help people everywhere uncover and unlock their greatest potential. She overcame years of bullying and depression as a child with the “soul mission” of helping others see their divine nature. She has a gift for helping people see that anything is possible, if you just believe. She is a yoga instructor, mindfulness coach and the founder of The 6A Method from Pain to Power™. She is also the co-founder of ABC Charity™- a global art project based on kids helping kids. One hundred percent of the proceeds raised through ABC Charity are donated to different children’s charities around the world.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Ashley began finding practical ways to use her experiences and talents after having traveled halfway around the world to Australia, then to Cambodia and Thailand. She intentionally committed to a 21-day vow of silence. At first, she thought she might be losing her mind or having a psychotic break, but then, “I realized that everything I’d been running away from my whole life, I should have been running towards. It wasn’t about traveling to the other side of the world, it was about being with my experience, and honoring who I truly was. All those moments of pain and suffering were really my greatest gift. I just had to be with it long enough for it to unfold the way it was meant to unfold.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Ashley’s life turns on two formative experiences, beginning with her seriously contemplating suicide at age eight, and later committing to a 21-day vow of silence while living in Thailand as a young woman of 25. Her childhood contemplation of suicide was the result of being severely bullied to the point of hopelessness and depression. “Looking back on that moment now as a 36-year-old woman, I’m blown away that I had the presence of mind to see that if I could just make it out alive, maybe I could help other people going through similar struggles. I chose not to take my life because I thought my life’s purpose could be about helping others. Every moment since then has been about honoring that promise and getting out of my own way, so that I can be of service to others.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’m realizing that so many of us have a dream, a purpose, a mission in life. It’s one thing to hear that call, and quite another to answer it. So many of us feel unworthy of the things we truly want to do. Although we have dreams, ambitions and a sense that we were born for something, we get in our own way. So much of what I’ve been doing is to look back and see that for my whole life I knew that this was what I was meant to do. It was just about getting out of my own way, realizing I’m worthy of living my dream of helping people.”
Steps to Success from Ashley Cooper
1. Understand that failure is an integral part of success.
2. Learn to fail your way forward. It’s actually a sign that you’re doing the right thing, and that you’re in good company.
3. Understand it’s OK and normal to feel afraid and not worthy. It’s only when you believe those feelings that they become a problem.
4. Recognize that following your life’s purpose is its own reward. But that doesn’t mean that it’s an “easy journey.”
On Her Bookshelf
Pain to Power: The 6A Method, by Ashley Cooper
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coehlo
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams and Reaching Your Destiny, by Robin Sharma
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Books and videos by Wayne Dyer, Oprah Winfrey and Tony Robbins.
Connecting With Ashley Cooper
Website: www.ashley-cooper.com
Twitter: @ashleycooperxo
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ashleycooperxo
Bullying, Meditation, Mindfulness, Spirituality
Mindfulness Coach, Yoga Instructor
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430:
Expert Interview: How to Unlock Your Body's Self-Healing Mechanism - Otakara Klettke
Otakara Klettke was a very sickly child who couldn’t even carry her books to school. She managed to escape special diets, constant visits to a doctor, surgeries and hospital stays and become a personal fitness trainer, adventurer and TV reporter while keeping her body in top shape since growing up. She talks to and listens to her body. In her book, “Hear Your Body Whisper,” she shares how she said no to the limitations of her health problems, left doctors in the dust, and started living life to the fullest. Currently, she lives on a ranch with her husband and daughter by the beautiful Cascade mountain range in Oregon, raising too many pets and taking every chance to go on road trips with her home-schooled daughter.
How to Unlock Your Body’s Self-Healing Mechanism
“With all the knowledge we have about health these days—including the mapping of the entire human genome and the discovery of the billions of organisms that make their home in and on us—it’s unfortunate that we apply it in such a non-productive way. More than ever, it’s crucial we learn how to bring our human consciousness and awareness to the task of keeping ourselves healthy. The body has its own, natural self-healing mechanism and we can listen to it and even learn to guide it.”
Why Is This Important?
“If we reside inside a healthy body, we can be more productive, healthier people. It’s important to every person at any point in their life. Outside our awareness, invisible to our eyes, we have ten times as many organisms that live inside and outside our bodies. I visualize our bodies as a kind of farm, where these billions of micro-organisms live, along with our bodies’ own cells. These cells are far more responsible for our own survival than our own cells are. Our bodies depend on them. They teach our body to heal by turning on our self-healing mechanisms. They attack invaders and fight for us. We go through life without ever acknowledge their existence or noticing them. This amazing capability that every person’s body has is slowly being disengaged by various outside influences, such as ill-advised medical information, the food supply, our own bad habits, the way we live, and the way we are told to live.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“We can choose to bring our conscious awareness into our bodies—even down to the cellular level—and learn to listen and communicate. A meditation practice plays a vital role, but it can begin by simply doing a mental scan of our body upon awakening each morning, right after hitting the snooze button on the alarm. As our ability to listen grows, we can even ask our bodies to tell us when we are at risk, or give us a heads-up if a cold is on the way.”
Connecting With Otakara Klettke
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/otakara.klettke
Twitter: @OtakaraKlettke
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/otakara-klettke-ba699512a
Health, Self-Healing
Author
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Surviving and Thriving After ’08 Crash - Stephen Christopher
Short of living on the streets and going without food, Stephen’s fortunes after the crash of 2008 were lower than he’d ever imagined. So, when he urges aspiring entrepreneurs to set aside fear—and asks, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?”—they know he is speaking from experience.
Stephen Christopher is the founder of Seequs Digital Marketing, a web marketing firm designed to help business owners achieve results they never thought possible. Before starting Seequs, Stephen started and ran several other award winning businesses, one of which was a mortgage company from 2004 – 2008. With the crash of the mortgage industry in 2008, he learned what it’s like to go from profitable to over $100,000 in debt overnight. From this failure, he learned more about business than any school or program could ever have taught him. Since then, he has become an avid student of personal and business development
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was 14 I started a mobile car detailing business,” Stephen recalls, but it was only mobile in the sense that his customers had to drive their cars to him, since he was too young to drive. “I think being 14 had something to do with my success. I was kind of a cute kid and people were willing to do that. I have a feeling if I tried to do that today at age 36, I would probably fail miserably. I made good money. I would spend four or five hours to detail a car. It was a better job than they could get anywhere else. My rates were $100 to $150.” He credits his “mobile” business with earning him enough money to buy a car at age 16.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“With my finance degree, I went to work for a large brokerage company. I discovered I absolutely hated being tied to a desk, being told when to come in, when to leave. I wanted to set my own pace and earn the results.” Finally, it was the daily headaches that got his attention. “After a year I decided this just can’t be right!” Parents and family advised him to get through the first couple of years and get a promotion, but Christopher thought, “Right, stay 30 years and retire. I knew I would die before 30 years. The headaches alone would have killed me!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Even going through the crash of 2008, I learned that it wasn’t that bad. When I look back on it, it is a great lesson to have experienced and survived the loss of so much of what I thought I had to have to live. Things like money, for example. Short of sleeping outside on the street or not having food, I went about as low as most people will ever go. That lesson has stuck with me as I’ve been starting and growing businesses.”
Steps to Success from Stephen Christopher
- Know that you can survive and be OK. You’re going to be all right.
- Enjoy your life NOW. Don’t say, “I’ll be happy when…” Today is the day that matters.
- Make your work fun and let it help you grow. You will get more joy out of it.
- Invest in yourself and your career. Take responsibility for working on yourself first.
Connecting With Stephen Christopher
Website: https://www.seequs.com/
Podcast: bizrevolution.com
Twitter: @StephenMChris
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephen.christopher1?fref=ts
Or, Facebook group at: www.bizrevolution.com/FacebookFree Gift
Digital marketing evaluation tool at www.seequs.com
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428:
Google Search Starts a Writing Career - Laura Pennington
Laura is only half joking that her new career started with the Google search, “How to become a freelance writer.” Professors in college had nurtured her writing, even though writing was not her major. As she queried Google, she thought, “Well, at least I’m not a BAD writer.”
Laura Pennington left her job after burning out as a middle school teacher in Baltimore City, Maryland. Since 2013, she has worked full-time for herself as a freelance writer, serving clients all over the world, including some of the biggest personal injury law firms in the U.S., Truecar, and Microsoft. Now she teaches others how to build a fulfilling and freeing lifestyle business from home.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In college, I had every intention of becoming a lawyer. I worked for lawyers, took the LSAT, and was ready to apply to law school. Then, I worked for a personal injury lawyer who was a solo practitioner.” She was burned out and never able to spend time with her family. “That caused me to rethink my plans and shift gears. I went to graduate school to study political science, intending to become a professor.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was teaching 7th grade in Baltimore and hit a point where I just could not do one more day. Medically, the job caught up with me. I realized how much hyper-anxiety and exhaustion my body was cycling through to do that job. And I knew I could not be a traditional educator. I would need to find some other way to use my talents and do something that I love. I googled, ‘How to become a freelance writer,’ not expecting anything to come of it.” My freelance writing career took off! Doing it part-time, I was fully booked within about two months. I started to realize I could actually do this as my career.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We are told that a traditional 9-to-5 kind of job is stability, that it’s how you save for retirement. it’s what you do, what you go to school for. I’m living proof—and there are many other people like me—who have discovered that you don’t have to do that anymore. A great thing about following your purpose is that you can start by doing it just a few hours a week. I found that my freelancing quickly grew, and I was carving out extra hours whenever I could, because I liked doing it so much. I was getting up at 5 in the morning and doing work for my clients before going to my job.”
Steps to Success from Laura Pennington
1. Discover the power of doing work that is aligned with your values.2. If a passion or interest is calling you, start by doing it part-time, just a few hours a week.3. As you transition into a new career path, recognize there will be growing pains. They are worth it.4. Increase your freedom by developing multiple income streams and sources of passive income.On Her Bookshelf
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, by Timothy Ferriss
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, by Gay Hendricks, PhD
Top Tools on Her Browser
Upwork.com – Freelancer marketplace.
http://www.eofire.com/podcast/ – Entrepreneur on Fire podcast.
betterbizacademy.com – Laura’s advice for entrepreneurship, time management, keeping your sanity.
Connecting With Laura Pennington
Website: www.sixfigurewritingsecrets.com and www.betterbizacademy.com
Twitter: @sixfigurewriter
Facebook: www.facebook.com/laurapenningtoninternational
LinkedIn: Laura Pennington
Free Gift
Content library with tips and guides to start your freelance career at: www.sixfigurewritingsecrets.com
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A Career of Finding Common Ground - Kwame Christian
Kwame was offering free seminars on negotiation strategies to get clients for his law firm, and he was loving it more than anything he was getting paid to do. Then it hit him: “I could be doing this for a living.”
Kwame is a business lawyer and founder of the American Negotiation Institute. He is passionate about teaching entrepreneurs and business professionals the art of negotiation so they can get better deals and advance their careers. He is regularly invited to give negotiation seminars and consults with individuals and companies to create and implement powerful negotiation strategies. He also hosts a podcast called Negotiation for Entrepreneurs where he interviews successful entrepreneurs and shares powerful persuasion techniques.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“After passing the Bar exam and earning a degree in public policy, I was doing important social justice work. But I felt kind of obligated, like it was work that I ‘should’ be doing. I was serving the community well, but I felt guilty I wasn’t passionate about it like my colleagues. One way you can tell you’re operating in your passion is through your energy. My colleagues would see injustice and get energized, but it just drained me. Today, I’m podcasting and teaching people about negotiation.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“From childhood, I was always trying my hand at business. Growing up as a minority—a young black boy with a thick Caribbean accent in a mostly white town in the Ohio heartland—I was curious about the psychology of how people related to each other, and how I could fit in. Learning negotiation was a perfect combination. It blended my interests in business and psychology, Negotiation is all about relationships with people, finding common ground, and finding a way to make that relationship push you forward.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“For me, the fear of regret is greater than the fear of failure. I don’t want to live my life with regrets. As the statistics say, many people are essentially sleepwalking through their lives. I don’t want to wake up in a decade and say, ‘I have not enjoyed my job.’ The most time we spend at any one thing is at work.”
Steps to Success from Kwame Christian
1. Discover your curiosity. It’s a good key to finding your passion.
2. Don’t run away from your talent. Embrace it and start using it.
3. Don’t live a life you’ll regret. Risk failure rather than sleepwalk through life.
On His Bookshelf
The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Chess.com
Top Tools on His Browser
Negotiation for Entrepreneurs, Podcast:
www.stitcher.com/podcast/american-negotiation-institute/negotiation-skills-academy
Chess.comConnecting With Kwame Christian
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwamechristian
Website: www.americannegotiationinstitute.com
Free Gift
Partnership Success Guide: https://americannegotiationinstitute.com/partnership/
How to Develop Your Personal Negotiation Style: https://americannegotiationinstitute.com/style/
List of Negotiable Business Expenses: https://americannegotiationinstitute.com/list/
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Her Mother's Struggles Shaped Her Career - Lori Shemek
As a psychologist, Lori spent years counseling clients struggling with health and lifestyle issues, and she saw how simple changes could positively alter the dynamics of a whole family. In her late 30s, she began to imagine: How powerful would it be to marry psychological insights with nutritional wisdom?
Dr. Lori Shemek is a leading fat cell researcher and recognized authority on inflammation and its role in weight loss, preventing disease and optimizing health. Both a psychologist and certified nutritional consultant, she is the best-selling author of “How To Fight FATflammation!” and “Fire-Up Your Fat Burn!” Lori has made it her mission to help clients lose weight and educate the public on the toxic effects of certain foods and lifestyle choices and how they create inflammation in the body resulting in weight gain. The Huffington Post has recognized Dr. Shemek twice as one of the top 16 health and nutrition experts alongside such names as Dr. Oz.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
In childhood, Lori witnessed her mother struggle with poor health and unhealthy lifestyle choices, which was the cause of her death at 36. “At my mother’s memorial service, I realized what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to help other people—I had always wanted to help other people, it was just a part of my nature—and I wanted to let them know they can make healthy choices. That became my main mission, and still is to this day.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After offering psychological counseling to clients for years, Lori returned to school to earn certification as a nutritionist. “Because I was so interested in health and nutrition, and because I saw what happened with my mother—who was the catalyst for what I do now—I decided in my late thirties to marry the disciplines of psychology and nutrition to create my own company and carry out my mission to help people make healthy choices.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I never thought I was a good writer. I liked to write, but not a lot. One of the things I’ve learned about myself is that, yes, I can write! So, I often encourage people who want to create their own business or do something different with their lives, don’t disregard the things that you think you won’t like or the things you think you don’t want to do. Very often, you may find you are great at it. You may even fall in love with it.”
Steps to Success from Lori Shemek
1. Just begin by acknowledging you want to make a change. It might be a scary thought, but do it.
2. Believe you never have to settle for less than what you can be.
3. If you face your fear you absolutely willbe able to take those steps toward your dream.
4. Value yourself. You deserve to be happy!
On Her Bookshelf
Psycho-Cybernetics: Updated and Expanded, by Maxwell Maltz
Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! by Tony Robbins
10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace, by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
How To Fight FATflammation! by Lori Shemek
Fire-Up Your Fat Burn! by Lori Shemek
Top Tools on Her Browser
Degreed.com – A lifelong learning app, available for download at app stores.
Connecting With Lori Shemek
Website: http://drlorishemek.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lorishemek
Facebook: http://facebook.com/drlorishemek
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorishemek?trk=hp-identity-name
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Expert Interview: Two Main Reasons People Fail to Influence Others - Dirk Van Loon
Dirk Van Loon is a passionate entrepreneur, coach, and transformation expert based in Belgium. His expertise lies in multiple fields, including conflict resolution and transition management. His consulting company has helped others achieve their business goals for more than a decade. With stable growth as the primary goal, Dirk and his team have guided and supported countless individuals and organizations through the challenges of ever-growing competition and the increasing pressure to perform. Dirk has held leadership positions at Nike, Atlas Copco, Bare International and many other companies.
Two Reasons People Fail to Influence Others
“I’m convinced influence is teachable. Many people think it’s a gift from nature, like charisma. But if you can master some skill sets, you will be able to master the ability to influence people. There are two main reasons we fail to influence others:
- Many people hold the false belief that influence comes automatically, that it goes with the territory of an office or position.
- Many think influence is only contextual and only needed at certain times and in certain settings. The reality of influence, however, is that it is more holistic and springs from character.”
Why Is This Important?
“We tend to think influence is about getting what we want. That’s a classic way people often think about influence. The negative word for this is manipulation. Manipulation generates the idea, the fear of scarcity. When scarcity becomes part of the situation, people fear they will lose something, and they start protecting their interests. They become less willing to work with you because they feel threatened.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
The two erroneous beliefs cited above about influence explain why we are often unable to exert influence on others, Dirk explains. “My experience tells me there are six factors that are crucial to gaining influence and exercising it effectively:
1) Awareness of others, their needs, wants and the realities they face. This includes, whenever possible, an awareness of factors that are ‘under the radar’ and may not have surfaced.
2) Presence: the ability to be present to others, in the moment. There is power in the gift of being fully present to others.
3) Generosity: a perfect antidote to defensiveness and feelings of scarcity, that there is not enough power and influence to go around. To be effective, generosity cannot be offered only when you want something. That’s called manipulation.
4) Value: expressed as a recognition of the value of others and of what they value in the specific situation and in life.
5) Character: living out of a core set of values that elicits respect from others.
6) Consistency in words and deeds. This inspires confidence in your trustworthiness and an openness to be influenced by you.”
Connecting With Dirk Van Loon
Website: dirkvanloon.com
Twitter: vanloondirk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanloondirk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaadconsulting?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic
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424:
A Crash Course in Career Change - Dan Sheedy
Twenty years ago, Dan died twice. The first time was when his vehicle was hit from the side; the second was in the hospital E.R. Resuscitated twice in one day, recovering miraculously, he went back to his fund manager job. He was grateful to be there, but he also began to consider some dramatic changes.
Dan Sheedy is a senior executive coach with Novateur Partners. He coaches high-performing, high potential clients—including senior executives, lawyers and managers—across geographies and industries. He is both a skilled executive coach and an expert in helping individuals perform at the highest levels. Prior to his transition into coaching in 2011, he held senior management roles in the investment management and hedge fund industries. He also served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He received his coach training through the Coaches Training Institute, and is credentialed through the International Coach Federation. Dan has an MBA in management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California, and a BS in finance from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I had always thought of myself as not being quite up to doing math and academics. I was absolutely horrendous in math until a high school math teacher introduced me to the HP 12C financial calculator. For the first time in my life, I saw that I could actually do well academically, I just have to explore different ways of doing things, rather the follow the sequential logic most people use. I decided I needed more discipline to learn this way—and I’ve always been competitive—so I went for the most disciplined thing you could possibly do: I joined the Naval ROTC and became an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. I figured that was about as extreme as you get.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Dan died in a car crash on January 1, 1997. “My vehicle was hit from the side, ‘T-Boned,’ flipped three times and hit a telephone pole. I died and was revived on the scene, then revived again in the ER, and was in a coma. In an experimental type surgery, 24 platinum coils were implanted in my brain. My skull was fractured, and they had to rebuild the top of my head and my shoulders. I broke every rib in my chest, punctured my lungs. The doctors said I would be hospitalized three to four months, but I walked out in 31 days.” Although Dan returned to work as a fund manager, he recalls, “Coming out of the accident as I did, I was always asking myself, ‘Is this all there is? How do I really contribute and make a difference?’ That’s when I was introduced to the idea of executive coaching and coach training.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“A coach not only provides accountability but also helps motivate, cajole and drive others to succeed. That’s where I get my greatest joy. When I hear someone has gotten a promotion or a new job and know things we worked on together have really changed their mindset and perspective, and now they are achieving the life that they want. To be a part of that is pretty rewarding. Now, I am much more engaged with people on a personal level. That is something I find absolutely gratifying. It has come from having a focus on others instead of on myself.”
Steps to Success from Dan Sheedy
1. Don’t be afraid to do it, whatever change you’re considering.
2. Have the courage to step out of a role or perception you’re locked into.
3. Ask yourself, “Is this decision wise?”
4. Get physical. Find the release physical activity can bring.
On His Bookshelf
The Payoff Principle: Discover the 3 Secrets for Getting What You Want Out of Life and Work, by Dr. Alan Zimmerman
The Art of Self-Promotion: Tell Your Story, Transform Your Career, by Debby Stone
The Best Question Ever, by Andy StanleyConnecting With Dan Sheedy
Website: www.novateurpartners.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-sheedy-acc-ba49543b
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She Talks to the Bees and People Listen - Aimée Lissantheia
“We had this lovely conversation,” Aimée recalls, talking about a chat with a honey bee who nestled between her fingers at a café. An odd story—and an unlikely relationship, perhaps—but one that led to an award-winning children’s book and a bee’s-eye view of the natural world.
Aimée Lissantheia is a creator, dancer, gardener, ceremonialist, and guide for women’s sacred journeys. Her early creative passion for dance led to decades of training, performing, teaching and choreographing with children and adults in New York and at Mount Holyoke College, where she received a BA. Aimée travels around the globe, as she brings forth her gifts of intuitive, elemental and sacred geometric dance while weaving a nourishing tapestry for the earth, much like the honey bees. She holds a vision for all children under the sun to harmoniously co-create in partnership with nature and to celebrate the preciousness of all life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I think I was dancing from when I was first walking, but I was five when I started taking lessons. Because of its strong dance program, I chose to go to Mount Holyoke in South Hadley, Massachusetts. I did continue to dance there but also got very involved in theatre and art history, and expanded my world in creative ways. But it still comes back to my body and communicating through my body, and the power of how I am in my body and how that wants to express.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After working 11 years as the U.S. representative of an overseas interior design firm, Aimée had a baby boy. Soon after that came what she calls “a perfect storm,” and she faced a serious health crisis. Motherhood had helped her “remember the power of my body to create and nurture life. My health challenge completely transformed my world, the way I operate in it, and it inspired me to look deeply at who I am, to heal myself. I went on a journey to get to know myself, to know how I could heal myself.” Although she credits Western medicine with saving her life, she quickly pivoted to a wide range of natural healing modalities, including energy and body work, meditation and nutrition. In opening up to the lessons of nature, she made a mystical connection with honey bees—learning from them, even conversing with them—and was inspired to write an award-winning children’s book, “The Amazing Adventures of Melissa Bee.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I believe strongly in trusting the power of our intuition. I started asking what was true for me, and began a practice of being true to myself. I watched for the signs outside of me that supported me as I stepped into my true self. And I began noticing what brought me the greatest feeling of reward, excitement and pleasure. I believe we’re here to live a life of joy and pleasure. It all comes down to living a life of paradise right here on Earth.”
Steps to Success from Aimée Lissantheia
- Learn to take care of yourself first, and give to others from your energy overflow.
- Allow yourself to truly get to know yourself and your gifts, and allow others to do the same for themselves.
- Pay attention to what brings youthe greatest feeling of reward, excitement and pleasure.
- Cultivate the practice of listening to your intuition and honoring its guidance.
On Her Bookshelf
The Optimized Woman: Using Your Menstrual Cycle to Achieve Success and Fulfillment, by Miranda Gray
Trust Your Vibes: Secret Tools for Six-Sensory Living, by Sonia Choquette
Gene Keys: Unlocking the Higher Purpose Hidden in Your DNA, by Richard Rudd
The Amazing Adventures of Melissa Bee, by Aimée Lissantheia
Top Tools on Her Browser
Google Scholar, https://scholar.Google.com – Look up scholarly articles as you browse the web. A browser button is available as a Google Chrome extension. Click the button from any website to link to scholarly resources.
Connecting With Aimée Lissantheia
Website: www.amazingmelissabee.com, www.spiralradiance.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amazingmelissabee/
LinkedIn: Aimee LissantheiaFree Gift
Free 30-minute consultation to individual women who are remembering their potency as women. Visit www.spiralradiance.com, select “Contact,” and mention DiscoverYourTalentPodcast as you request your free consultation.
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Happiness: There's a Science to It - Scott Wilhite
Scott was in a corporate job he hated, with a mindset he called “grumpaholic.” Feeling miserable, he ran a fantasy jackpot scenario in his head, and he asked himself, “If I win the Powerball and $32 million, what will I do?” After quickly imagining his first several days as a millionaire, he began to suspect lack of money was not his problem. He knew he had to discover what was missing.
Scott Wilhite is an award-winning commercial filmmaker turned social entrepreneur. As a writer, producer, and director he was enjoying a promising creative career without actually…enjoying it. This all changed when he was introduced to the world of positive psychology and discovered what happens when you deliberately, consciously choose what you mentally focus on. He has since created the Feed Your Happy app, authored a mindset course on the 7 Core Skills of Everyday Happiness, and founded nCOURAGE.LIFE.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I started out in advertising writing copy for websites. I love the creative field. Then, I got into radio, then TV and, from there, into the producer/director seat. I developed a talent for visualizing stories in my head and scripting them out. Writing, producing and directing commercials, short films and documentaries really made me come alive, to be able to use my talents in that way.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Fed up with corporate life, Scott had given his notice. On his last day on the job he encountered a co-worker who was talking excitedly about a book he was reading about happiness. (See “On His Bookshelf” below.) “I knew I had to have that book! That was the beginning of my understanding that happiness is a skill. To learn that there are actual skills I could learn, to experience happiness, totally floored me. That’s when life started to open up for me. I was no longer looking outside myself for something to change.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Remember that you get what you expect. So, change your limiting belief system. It’s not circumstances that are limiting you. By changing your thought patterns, you can change your experiences. You’ll be able to be in control and dictate some good things in your life.”
Steps to Success from Scott Wilhite
1.Learn about the science of happiness. Happiness is a skill that can be learned.Use repetition to get better at using these skills for happiness.
2. Look for the lessons life is offering and learn from them.
3. Focus on your bigger picture vision instead of living in the past; but DO let yourself learn from the past.
4.Cultivate gratitude. You can’t be grateful and unhappy at the same time.
On His Bookshelf
Top Tools on His Browser
TEDxBloomington – Shawn Achor – “The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance”
Connecting With Scott Wilhite
Website: www.nCOURAGE.LIFE
Twitter: ncouragetv
Free Gift
FREE: The first chapter of Scott’s new book, “The 7 Core Skills of Everyday Happiness: Scientifically Proven Skills for a Happier, More Meaningful Life.” Visit his website www.nCourage.life. Use “Contact Us” to request your free chapter.
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Embrace Your Unique Learning Style - Mira Halpert
At a young age, her daughter’s passion for becoming a teacher was clear to Mira. When the school said her daughter was not college material, Mira was heartbroken. But it also turned her into a “mom on a mission.”
Mira Halpert and her husband, Mark, have 4 kids, two of whom learn differently. When told their daughter was not college material, Mira became a “mom on a mission.” Mira and Mark have now helped more than 2,000 students. Their passion is to help the 65 percent of the students who learn differently to go from stress to outrageous success, initially by helping their parents be informed, empowered and proactive.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Mira was already leaning toward becoming an educator because of the influence of her father, a college professor beloved by his students. “He was an amazing role model for me as he was always counseling and helping students. He did it with humor in a way that didn’t highlight a student ‘s mistakes. I always liked working with kids. Having my father’s model of seeing what is right about people versus what is wrong was pretty amazing.” After her father died during her junior year in college, she saw an outpouring of affection and respect from the many students whose lives he had affected. She committed to becoming an educator, with a special focus on childhood development.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Our daughter was eager to set the world on fire by becoming a teacher. So, to hear from her daughter’s school that she was not college material was heartbreaking. “I saw that passion in her, and that struck something in me. My husband and I decided we were going to work this out. We told her, ‘We are going to figure out a way to be able to help you realize your success.’” Today her daughter teaches highly gifted students. The experience of dealing with the negative assessment of their daughter led Mira to become a “Mom on a Mission” to help other families as well. Her husband left his corporate job to join her in the work.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“If you recognize that you do things in your own particular way that isn’t the same as everybody else, that is OK, especially if you are happy and feel great doing it. If you know this about yourself, go ahead and own it. As adults in our work, we think we are supposed to be working hard versus working at something we love to do. But when people are doing something they love, they lose track of time. I’m reminded of this whenever I see the spontaneous ‘Aha!’ smile on a kid’s face—and see their anxiety go away—when they’ve suddenly discovered they can do something they’ve been struggling with. Then, it becomes fun and they love it.”
Steps to Success from Mira Halpert
1. Don’t let a negative assessment stop you in your tracks or defeat you. Learn about your uniqueness and own it.
2. Recognize that one size doesn’t fit all, and that there is no single, exclusive way of learning and living life.
3. Find and learn from inspirational role models and mentors.
4. Don’t be afraid of swimming against the tide if you know you can offer another, perhaps better way.
On Her Bookshelf
Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner, by Linda Kreger Silverman
Success By 3rd Grade: How Parents Can Make the Difference. by Mira Stulberg Halpert and Mark Halpert
The 3D Learner: Transform Stress to Outrageous Success for Your Child, by Mira Halpert and Mark HalpertConnecting With Mira Halpert
Website: www.3dlearner.com
Twitter: @3dlearner
Facebook: www.facebook.com/3dlearner
LinkedIn: 3D Learner
Free Gift
Free Success Assessment and Stress to Success Strategy Session. Contact Mira at www.3dlearner.com and mention DiscoverYourTalentPodcast.com.
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420:
Expert Interview: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life - Craig Ballantyne
Craig Ballantyne has overcome crippling anxiety using his 5 Pillars of Transformation, which you can use to lose weight, get a raise, make more money, and overcome any obstacle in your way of success. He is the author of “The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life.” Craig is also the co-owner of EarlyToRise.com, the creator of the home workout system, Turbulence Training, and a contributor to Men’s Health magazine.
The Perfect Day Formula - How to Own the Day and Control Your Life
A guiding principle of Craig’s teaching is helping people learn how to get more done, make more money, and still get home on time for dinner. He offers five templates for creating rules of life. These can be personalized by each individual. They act like the operating system for life. His formula for a perfect day is built on these five personalized rules, on a foundation of Five Pillars of Success. “You can change your life in many ways when you have these pillars in place.”
Why Is This Important?
“People may bristle at the idea of having more rules, but I guarantee you if you have more structure in your life you’re going to have more success. When you think about it, we all follow rules of the road every day—we stop at red lights and stop signs—because having that structure gives us freedom to get where we want, safely and effectively. What most people don’t like is rules imposed on them by others. When we impose our own rules on ourselves, we become more successful.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Craig developed his Five Pillars of Success from his experiences with clients in his weight-loss transformation program. “In the competitions we conducted, I realized that all the winners had five pillars of success in place. The people who dropped out after two weeks were missing them. These pillars work for almost anything in life,” he asserts. They are:
1) Better planning and preparation
2) Professional accountability
3) Positive social support
4) A meaningful incentive
5) A “Big Deadline”
Connecting With Craig Ballantyne
Twitter: www.twitter.com/craigballantyne
Free Gift
Get your own copy of “Perfect Life Beginner Plan,” free from Craig Ballantyne at
www.craigballantyne.com/freegift -
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Finding Authentic Self-Confidence - Brad Finkeldei
Brad was a smart guy who figured out early in life how to use his intelligence to get things done. But when he thought he should be enjoying his accomplishments, he realized he just wasn’t happy. Could he learn to slow down and understand the meaning of “be present?”
Brad Finkeldei, The Self Confidence Coach, best-selling author and speaker, left a lucrative $90,000 a year job in the tech industry to pursue his passion of helping others. Brad helps his clients create confident lives by taking massive action toward their goals and having fun along the way. Brad wasn’t a self-confident person so now he takes his experience to help others. Brad’s book, “The Mindset Shift,” is available on Amazon.com.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I’ve always been a geek. I love gadgets, Star Wars, Star Trek and all of that. I got into technology really young and had my first computer by 1992 or ’93 in my teens. I was into the bulletin board systems back then, before the internet was out on a large scale. That led me into a career in information technology (I.T.), where my bosses spotted natural leadership abilities in me that I didn’t even know I had. Soon, I was in management.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“As a kid, I figured out ways to get things done, using my intelligence. But I didn’t know until this past year just how hard I would push, push, push to get things done. I could definitely make things happen, and that’s great. But that came at the huge cost of not really being present to the people around me, or to myself. I came to the realization well into my career that I had pushed really hard throughout my career, but that it just wasn’t enjoyable.” After that epiphany, events unfolded that led Brad into his new career of helping others through life coaching.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Living in a custom-built home in Austin, Texas, driving a BMW and owning lots of gadgets and things, Brad admitted to himself he was not happy. He reached out to a life coach. “We had a good two-hour conversation. She looked me in the eyes and said, ‘You’ve been buying your confidence with things and experiences, but that’s not where confidence comes from.’ That was my epiphany. It was as if she had given me a gut punch with the reality that I was just buying things to mask my lack of confidence.”
Steps to Success from Brad Finkeldei
1. Slow down and learn how to “be present” to your life and loved ones.
2. Be open to what the Universe is trying to tell you. Pay attention to your restlessness.
3. Getting into the service of others helps you get out of yourself.
4. Invest in your own personal development.
5. Cultivate a sense of humor and bring laughter to your world.
On His Bookshelf
The Mindset Shift: Stop the Corporate Rat Race, Make a Difference and Achieve Personal Freedom!, by Bradley Thomas Finkeldei
Top Tools on His Browser
YouTube: https://youtu.be/vjwK814EhOg – Kyle Cease, a comedian turned motivational speaker, talks about “Transformative Standup Comedy: The Power of Being Unlimited.”
Connecting With Brad Finkeldei
Website: http://selfconfidencecoach.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/selfconfidencecoach.co
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradfinkeldei
Free Gift
FREE: The Confidence Building Course to Overcoming Self Doubt in 6 Steps. Go to the Self-Confidence Coach website and get started.
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418:
You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Be Happy - Otakara Klettke
Born in the Czech Republic and very sickly from an early age, Otakara spent more time reading great literature in her mother’s library and visiting doctors than playing with her friends. Now she lives on a ranch in the mountains of Oregon and travels every chance she gets. But it wasn’t the doctors who turned her life around. What did she know that they did not?
Otakara Klettke was a sickly child who couldn’t even carry her school books. She managed to escape special diets, constant visits to doctors, surgeries and hospital stays, and become a personal fitness trainer, adventurer and TV reporter while keeping her body in shape. Through her illness and recovery, she learned to talk—and listen—to her body. In her book. “Hear Your Body Whisper,” she shares how she said no to the limitations of her health problems, left doctors in the dust and started living life to the fullest. Currently she lives on the ranch with her husband and daughter by the beautiful Cascade Range in Oregon, raising too many pets and taking every chance to go on road trips with her home schooled daughter.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I grew up in the Czech Republic during the communist era. Confined to my bed for much of my childhood, there wasn’t much to watch on TV, especially for kids, so I became a huge reader. I was addicted to the written word and would read everything everywhere. Thankfully, I came from a family with a collection of the most beautiful and amazing literature from around the world. I was blessed to read works of many authors. I knew at an early age I wanted to be a writer.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Growing up in a family that valued education, it was expected that Otakara would follow the well-worn path of preparatory schools and college, but she had an independent streak. “Anything expected of me—especially as a young person who didn’t want to do it—so, naturally, I ditched college and decided to educate myself through travel and experience. You don’t have to get all your knowledge from school. You can gain what you want from the practical aspects of life. I love reading, so I love learning. Traveling was hugely important to me at that stage of development.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I always thought I have a talent for language but I gave up on it when I moved to the US. I didn’t want to write in Czech because I hadn’t been using it much. But my skills did not seem strong enough in English. I became depressed because I felt I lost the one true Talent I always had, a facility for language. But I got to the point where I knew I could not be happy if I let my talent slowly decay. A huge milestone for me came when I gave myself permission last year to write a book that was less than perfect. Things were going so badly that it just had to come out! It did, and I am super happy.”
Steps to Success from Otakara Klettke
- Give yourself permission not to be perfect.
- Surround yourself with people who will encourage you on your path.
- Recognize the ways we are brainwashed by society and wash away the beliefs you don’t want.
- Don’t allow your children to be brainwashed by the system.
On Her Bookshelf
The Little Prince, by Anthony de Saint-Exupery
The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
Connecting With Otakara Klettke
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/otakara.klettke
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417:
Finding Meaningful, Creative Careers - Mac Prichard
Disillusioned with college and with a mediocre grade point average, Mac was about to drop out after his sophomore year. Although he barely knew his academic advisor, he decided to have a talk with him. “He was a nice enough guy,” Mac recalls. “He probably doesn’t remember that conversation, but for me it was life changing.”
Mac Prichard is the publisher of Mac’s List, an online community for people looking for rewarding, creative, and meaningful work. More than 80,000 people a month visit the site, which includes a job board, as well as a blog and a book about the nuts and bolts of job hunting and career management. Mac also hosts a weekly podcast, “Find Your Dream Job.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My dad signed me up for a newspaper route when I was nine years old. I was a carrier for the Des Moines Register in Iowa when I was in fifth grade. It was a great first job because I had to get up every day, rain or shine, snow or ice, and get the papers delivered by a certain time. Then, I went to school. Once a week, I had to collect the money from my subscribers, so, every Thursday and Friday night I went out knocking on doors, asking people for money. That is a great preparation for any career! The habits I learned, both in that job and from my parents, were fundamental to my successes later in life.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Facing his liabilities head-on and enlisting help in presenting his strengths, Mac got into the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. On paper, his less-than-stellar grade point average, and a lingering Incomplete course that caused a six-year delay in earning his bachelor’s degree could well have screened him out of the elite school. Mac mounted a campaign, contacting a dozen or so graduates of the Kennedy School—some of whom he knew, others who were referred by others—to enlist support and advice to win over the admissions committee. He emphasized his job experiences, which included work with human rights advocacy groups, organizing fact-finding trips to Latin America for members of Congress, and working on U.S. Senate campaigns. “Those same principles I used to get into Harvard have served me well throughout my career.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“When I was in college, I knew I wanted to do three things: 1) write; 2) work on election campaigns; and 3) advocate for human rights. In my career, I’ve been able to do all those things. When I’ve gotten the jobs I loved the best, it’s been because they entailed two or three of the areas that interested me. I went out and explored those opportunities, talked to people who were doing that kind of work, and found out whether it was a good fit for me, or not. Simply answering job postings alone rarely led me to a job I got excited about.”
Steps to Success from Mac Prichard
1. Use every opportunity to build your lasting network. Build relationships, not just contacts.
2. Recognize it’s natural to investigate your various career and personal interests. You’ll be richer for it.
3. There is not just one passion or interest that defines us. Each of us has many.
4. Your career—and your life—does not flow in a 45-degree angle. You will have peaks and valleys. Recognize none of them will last forever.
On His Bookshelf
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, by Robert A. Caro
It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy, by D. Michael Abrashoff
Connecting With Mac Prichard
Website: www.macslist.org
Twitter: mac_prichard
Facebook : www.facebook.com/macprichard
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416:
Break the Challenge into Small Bites - Debbie Lazinsky
When the doctor asked Debbie if she realized she weighed 318 pounds, her brain froze. How was she going to lose 200 pounds? “Well, I can’t wrap my mind around losing 200 pounds, but I think I can lose five.”
Certified Weight Coach, Health Coach, Personal Trainer and Bestselling Author Debbie Lazinsky is dedicated to helping busy women create realistic, healthy lifestyles. Debbie lost 185 pounds and maintains her weight-loss naturally. Her book, “No Time to Lose,” is the busy woman’s practical guide for learning to eat real food and lose weight permanently. Debbie’s before and after photos were featured in the January 2014 issue of People magazine.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“From an early age, I’ve been in love with learning, and I’ve always been imaginative and a risk-taker. I didn’t realize it at the time, and got into a lot of trouble along the way. Writing my book put me in touch with what makes me tick. Now, I realize it was all for a purpose, and that was to take me to the point where I am now in my life.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
On September 11, 2001, Debbie watched from her Manhattan office on the ninth floor at 34th Street as swarms of people surged into the Holland Tunnel, only to be turned away en masse. “All I could think about was, at my weight of 320 pounds, if I were down there I would be trampled or dead. It scared the living daylights out of me. That was a big turning point in my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’m a sponge for knowledge, facts and information. I wanted to do my own research and process the facts myself. I did not want to be persuaded by marketing—been there, done that, know the tricks. I just wanted the truth. I cobbled together a plan that works for me. Six months into it, I realized I had lost 60 pounds! It’s a simple concept, although it sounds extraordinarily difficult to apply to your life on a daily basis. It found it was not as hard as some people would like you to believe. It became a calling for me. I knew I needed to teach people how to do this. If I figured it out from the state I was in, I could teach people how to do it for themselves.”
Steps to Success from Debbie Lazinsky
1. Don’t let fear keep you in a place where you do not want to be.
2. Choose to be brave.
3. If you work hard and have a little success every day, you can meet a challenge that might have seemed insurmountable at first.
4. Be conscious and aware of your “whys.” With food, for example, what you are eating is less important than why.
5. Whatever state of health you are in, you can improve it today with just a little bit of thought and change.
On Her Bookshelf
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills
Connecting With Debbie Lazinsky
Website: www.debbielazinsky.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbie.bonasera
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/debbie.bonasera
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415:
Expert Interview: Why Live Events Matter - Cole Hatter
Cole Hatter is an entrepreneur, investor, author and award-winning speaker. He invests in real estate, start-ups, and several funds exceeding $100 million. Cole is the founder of Thrive: Make Money Matter, an annual conference designed to teach entrepreneurs how to dominate in business and in life, while making the world a better place. Cole is a husband, father and philanthropist that strives to give back. Cole’s greatest passion is providing a platform to educate and empower entrepreneurs to live their lives and run their companies in a way that makes a measurable difference in the world.
Why Live Events Matter
There’s just something special about bringing together an amazing group of people with similar interests or goals. When you bring in amazing educators to teach them, the magic happens! When many people think of live events, they think of Tony Robbins. For awhile, many entrepreneurs were hosting virtual summits online, and we saw a big spike in them around 2010 and 2011. I don’t see as many of them anymore. The idea was to take events out of the classroom and onto the internet. From a conceptual standpoint, that makes sense. it lowers the event organizer’s overhead costs to virtually nothing. But now the live, in-person events are picking up again as those virtual conferences taper off.
Why Is This Important?
“I’ve never finished a single online summit I’ve ever enrolled in, because I press the pause button, go and do something else, and forget to return. I think that’s a major drawback of an event being online and pre-recorded, where I can come and go as I please. On the other hand, when I show up in person at a conference, even when I don’t have to fly there or even stay in a hotel, when I walk into the event, I’m there. They have my undivided attention and I’m there in my seat for the duration. So, I learn more, personally, and I can make the kind of personal relationships in person that I can’t make in a virtual Summit.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
There are many advantages to hosting and attending in-person conferences. You don’t have to be a Tony Robbins to produce a worthwhile summit. Well-focused content that is clearly aimed at your target audience is key. For hosts and participants alike, the opportunity to form new relationships, face-to-face, is often superior to forming virtual friendships. Producing a live event is a business, with upfront costs, advertising and marketing expenses, and careful planning, but a live event executed well can boost the organizer’s credibility tremendously. Cole believes one other factor has boosted his success: “We don’t teach people how to get rich quick. We teach them that their business can be their vehicle to make a positive impact. Their business can be ‘for purpose’ as well as for profit.”
Connecting With Cole Hatter
Websites: colehatter.com and attendthrive.com
Twitter: @colehatter
Facebook: facebook.com/colehatter
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colehatterFree Gift
FREE GIFT: Cole’s framework on building a thriving business that makes an impact, The Four Quadrants video presentation. Request free access at: http://attendthrive.com/friends
December 2016:
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414:
Corporate Refugee Knew It Was Time to Go - Doug Heikkinen
He was in the hyper-driven financial world of the 1980s, in its heyday, with a powerful mentor who demanded his best. He loved it. But the day came when Doug knew it was time to go. An uncertain world of high risk and potentially great reward lay before him.
Doug Heikkinen is the co-founder and publisher of IRIS.xyz. He has more than 25 years of experience as a marketing and communications professional serving the financial sector and others. He is a defector from the corporate world, taking with him a thorough understanding of the mindset of capital business. He co-led two successful start-ups in 2004 and 2008—M Financial Wealth Management and Filigree Advisors — and in 2009 he successfully ran a Northwest brand/design agency. Prior to that he spent 13 years at Schwab Advisor Services, where he was instrumental in all aspects of the area’s growth and maturity.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Born in the small city of Adrian, Michigan, to the son of the superintendent of schools, Doug views his growing up years as a time of “planting the seeds of what I would later become.” In high school, he didn’t have a clear idea of his career direction, so he focused on gaining experiences. His years at the University of Michigan were, “A period of release and the freedom to grow, and figure out who I wanted to become. I took courses in things like communication, writing and psychology. I was also an athlete who participated year-round in track and cross-country. My education was more well-rounded than it was specific.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After years of diverse and adventurous corporate work—which included tending and training Alaskan Malamutes with a dogsled racer across Upstate New York, northern Minnesota and Canada—Doug savored the intensity of the financial world in the 1980s with a high-powered, demanding mentor at Schwab Advisor Services. “It was the equivalent of earning an on-the-job MBA,” he recalls. But after 13 years, changes in the firm, and in himself, he knew the time had come for him to move on. “That became my entrée into entrepreneurship.”
“As you decide if entrepreneurship is for you, ask yourself: ‘Are you really in?’ Once you decide you’re in, the entrepreneurial world sucks you in. Then, when you look back at people who are still in the corporate world, and you visit them, you just don’t think you can go back! Because of the freedom, the excitement of doing what you want to do, doing what you love, you realize it would be really hard to go back into the corporate world.”
Steps to Success from Doug Heikkinen
- Decide what is important to you in your life. Do you want “stuff,” or do you want experiences?
- Set realistic goals and count the costs.
- Develop a strong support system, especially if you are an entrepreneur.
- Decide what you are willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals.
Connecting With Doug Heikkinen
Website: iris.xyz
Twitter: @iris_xyz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/irisdotxyz/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-heikkinen-9270317
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413:
Being an Interested Listener Opens Doors - Dr. Sharon Livingston
It was like hundreds of focus groups that are used for research every day. Sharon was leading a dozen moms in a discussion about a healthier alternative to a popular, sugary kids’ drink. Then, the women began crying and expressing guilt about what they fed their children. It was not your average focus group, and not your typical moderator.
Sharon Livingston, “Dr. Sharon”, has a PhD in psychology and has consulted on brand marketing for more than a third of the Fortune 100. She has developed proprietary methods to perform qualitative analysis with business and personal applications. She has coached hundreds of people in a variety of niches to build their own coaching businesses and to live and work in alignment with their passion. Sharon is president of The Livingston Group for Emotional Marketing as well as co-founder of the International Coach Certification Alliance (ICCA).
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was three or four years old and would ask my mother questions about myself, I would usually get one-word answers. But then, I figured out if I said, ” Mommy, what were you like when you were a baby?”, then I would get stories. So, at a very young age, I learned how to invite people to give me attention by asking them about themselves. Across my career in marketing research, I’ve interviewed 62,000-plus people, since I was 19 years old! And that was the turning point: that little interaction with my mommy when I was a child.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Very recently, I went through a ‘surprise divorce’—did not expect that to happen! You know how sometimes things are a blessing in disguise? I hadn’t realized it, but even though I was doing things I love to do, I had been holding back my voice and my growth to be present for another person. I decided it was time to let myself Roar and to really be out there with what I do. So, I created a program called Roar, which is intended to help you find your voice, your passion, and let it out. It’s so relevant to what you talk about on this podcast, because all of us get into jobs where we make money. Then, there we are. We’re stable and financially secure, but it’s like we have one foot in quicksand and a broken heart because we’re not really living our passion.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
While moderating a focus group of mothers, talking about a popular, sugary kids’ drink and a fizzy, vitamin-enriched drink, they started crying! They felt so badly about loading up their children with sugar. I thought to myself, ‘Wow! Look what just happened here!’ I came to discover that I have a way of connecting with people that can make a difference in their lives. I’ve learned that a warm, embracing demeanor says, ‘I’m really interested in you.’ After years of learning, I don’t have to do a technique now because I live it. It comes naturally.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Sharon Livingston
- Have a conversation with yourself and ask, “Self, what do you want to do, what do you want to be?” Then do it.
- Be careful not to give up your voice, not even for a person or a job you love. Don’t lose the ability to Roar!
- Learn about yourself, your personality and temperament. Use tools such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, mentors and coaches.
- Practice the art of listening, of really hearing what is being said.
On Her Bookshelf
Get Lost, Girlfriend!: How I Found Myself When My Best Friend Dumped Me, by Sharon Livingston, PhD
Connecting With Dr. Sharon Livingston
Website: http://tlgonline.com http://getlostgirlfriend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SharonLivingstn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrSharonLivingston
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonlivingston
Mobile Phone: 603-505-5000
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412:
From Career Crash to "The LinkedIn Guy" - Gregg Burkhalter
Suddenly Gregg’s career in radio broadcasting and music marketing came to an end. There he was, no job, no brand, no network, not even on social media. Could he possibly build new relationships on LinkedIn, the way he’d made friends in person? He had to try.
Gregg Burkhalter is a recognized authority on LinkedIn and personal branding and is known as “The LinkedIn Guy.” He has trained countless professionals across the U.S. and Canada to effectively brand themselves and market their businesses on LinkedIn. Gregg spent the first part of his professional career behind the microphone at radio stations in 4 southeast U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Georgia, and in national music marketing and distribution.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I grew up working on a farm in South Georgia. I got my first professional job, believe it or not, at 16 years old. My father was a school teacher and my mother was a homemaker. My mother went to the business closest to my father’s school to try to find me a job, so that I could ride home with him from work. That job happened to be at a radio station. So, I was either going to be a radio DJ or, if there had been a garage there, I might have been a mechanic. But I became a radio DJ at 16. My earliest memory about that job was the day Elvis Presley died. I remember the teletype’s bells were going ding-ding-ding. I just walked in, read the news wire and learned that Elvis was dead. I went back into the studio, lifted the needle off a vinyl record that was playing— “remember vinyl records?”—and I announced, ‘Elvis Presley is dead.’”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After a career of successes in radio broadcasting and music marketing and distribution, Gregg suddenly found himself jobless. “Here I am, no job, no brand, no network, and I’m not even on social media! A friend, feeling very sorry for me, said, ‘You’ve got to do two things to get a job nowadays: get a business card printed up, which makes it look like you have a job, and get on Linkedin.com. I didn’t have a strategy so I came up with one: to build relationships online like I do in person.” As requests started coming in for him to speak about LinkedIn.com, he realized, “I am becoming a LinkedIn authority, and I could I become the LinkedIn Guy! In June of last year, I started my own company. It has been absolutely amazing!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Life is about helping others, about having a bigger purpose in life. In fact, I believe that you are really getting close to your sweet spot when your career and your calling merge. That is the sweet spot for me.”
Steps to Success from Gregg Burkhalter
1. Relationships matter. Put them first and cultivate them, online and off.
2. It takes a lot longer to rebuild a personal brand than it does to build it correctly the first time.
3. Unless you own the company, don’t build your personal brand around it. Build it around yourself.
4. If you are growing your personal brand, or creating a vehicle that is transferable, then your brand will always grow.
On His Bookshelf
“I’m sort of an inspirational quote guy. I have a couple of quotes that come to mind. One is from Maya Angelou: ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ Another one is from Dr. Seuss: ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’ To throw a little rock and roll philosophy into this, the lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Johnny VanZant, wrote in one of his songs, “If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.”
Top Tools on His Browser
LinkedIn.com
Connecting With Gregg Burkhalter
Website URL: www.GreggBurkhalter.com
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411:
Finding Off-the-Charts Love in Midlife - Sandy Weiner
Coaching was totally suited to Sandy’s nature, but the exhilaration she felt in much of her life did not extend to her own dating relationships. To her surprise, helping her divorced friends polish their profiles for dating apps and websites led her to use her talents in a brand new way.
Sandy Weiner, founder of Last First Date, is devoted to helping women over 40 achieve healthy, off-the-charts love. An internationally known TEDx speaker, dating coach, and online course creator, Sandy specializes in helping women communicate effectively, set clear boundaries in relationships, and truly value themselves.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Born to parents who fought a lot, Sandy learned early about mismatched marriage partners. This kind of environment didn’t help her learn about creating healthy relationships of her own, so she married her own mismatch on a rebound from a failed relationship. After her divorce, she immersed herself in learning all she could about dating and relationships. She also connected with the Coaches Training Institute (CTI). “I loved the training. It totally transformed me.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Through the coaching, I started tapping into doing what I love, but things still weren’t working in terms of dating and relationships. I began helping my friends–who were in the dating world before I was–after their own divorces. I saw that I had a natural ability to understand men, and that I could help my female friends write their online profiles, because they were doing such a bad job of it. I love working with women over 40, helping them understand themselves and recognize what makes a good relationship and what doesn’t, and how to walk away quickly from the wrong ones, and how to move more quickly to the ones that are right for them.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It’s really about valuing yourself and knowing how you want to be treated by men, and really by everybody in your life. Often, when you’re not treated well by a man you are also not treated well by your child, your parents, your co-workers, your friends. It’s really about knowing those standards and knowing how to firmly set boundaries, without being mean.”
Steps to Success from Sandy Weiner
1. Value yourself and know how you want to be treated.
2. Learn how to firmly set boundaries in relationships.
3. Don’t pursue relationships using a check-all-the-boxes approach. Bring your heart into the process.
4. Especially for people in mid-life and older seeking relationships, online dating services like Match.com are essential, but primarily for making connections, not necessarily for dating.
On Her Bookshelf
The Success Principles – 10th Anniversary Edition: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert B. Cialdini
How to Spot a Dangerous Man Before You Get Involved, by M.A. Sandra L. BrownTop Tools on Her Browser
Marriage and couples, research-based approach to strengthening relationships, Robert Levinson and John Gottman
Match.com – Valuable, especially for making connections, not necessarily for dating
Connecting With Sandy Weiner
Website URL: lastfirstdate.com
Twitter: @lastfirstdate1
Facebook: facebook.com/lastfirstdate/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sandyweiner1
Free Gift
FREE GUIDE: Discover the 3 most common dating mistakes midlife daters make (and how to easily turn them around to attract a LOVING partner)
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410:
Expert Interview: Good Parents Worry, Great Parents Plan - Laura Meier, Esq.
Laura K. Meier, Esq. is a family trust attorney, best-selling author, and the mom of four children. Her mission is to help every mom and dad in America protect their children through a proper family estate plan. Laura is the author of the #1 best-seller “Good Parents Worry, Great Parents Plan,” a guide for parents that helps them understand the legal and practical steps they must take to protect their children. Her work has been featured by NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, the Fiscal Times, Worth, Investopedia, Wall Street Select and more. She frequently speaks at universities and children’s organizations on the importance of having a proper estate plan.
Good Parents Worry, Great Parents Plan
While it’s great to have a will, it tends to be so focused on the legal and financial, that it neglects some of the more important things, like the physical care of your kids and your legacy. Before my husband and I transitioned into being estate planning attorneys, we had a lot of questions, such as: What happens if we don’t come home one day? What happens to the kids? Who knows how and where to find our will? We realized we really didn’t have the planning in place that we would need for an emergency situation for our kids. With traditional estate planning, not a lot of thought goes into things such as the care of minor children or, the kind of personal legacy you want to leave behind. The goal of the work we’re doing is to help parents step back from their busy, day-to-day lives and think about what would happen to their kids if something happens to them?
Why Is This Important?
“The four areas we always want to look at are: 1) the physical care of the kids; 2) transferring your assets without the government getting involved; 3) your medical decisions and advanced directives; and, 4) leaving behind your legacy for your family. If you haven’t set up a plan to address these scenarios, the state is going to have to get involved in several ways.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
At a minimum, parents should find the information they need to begin the planning process. The book, “Good Parents Worry, Great Parents Plan,” is a guide to help parents understand the legal and practical steps they must take to protect their children. Finding someone local, whom you trust, is crucial to developing a plan. This is not a task that can be safely postponed or neglected.
Connecting With Laura Meier, Esq.
Email: lmeier@meierfirm.com
Website: www.meierfirm.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/meierfirm
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LKMeier
LinkedIn.com: www.linkedin.com/in/lmeier
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409:
A Rabbi’s Spirituality: Beginning Within - Aryeh Weinstein
Aryeh had trained to be a rabbi to lead people through his gift of speaking, but often on the way to synagogue, his childhood shyness would return, and he would pray for a miracle that would keep him from having to speak. His miracle eventually came, but not in the way he’d envisioned it.
Aryeh Weinstein is a recognized expert in the science of Jewish spirituality. He is the host and creator of the Beginning Within podcast and beginningwithin.com. He has served as the Rabbi of The Shul at Newtown in Newtown, Pennsylvania and as the director of the Jay Michael Swartz Jewish Learning Academy for the past 16 years. His style of teaching, which is a blend of psychology, spirituality, clarity and conviction, draws hundreds to his courses. He is a past member of the editorial board of the Jewish Learning Institute and has been a featured lecturer at the National Jewish Retreat. He is currently a second-term member of the Newtown Borough Human Relations Commission.How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“There was a certain passion I had sitting deeply within me, which I knew had been in me since a very young age. I consider that to be an enormous blessing. I wasn’t able to actually define it for many years, but it was a passion to make a difference in some way. The values that I was raised with led me towards having a positive influence on anyone I meet, and to always be the one who is creating the environment, as opposed to being the result of the environment, to be the thermostat rather than the thermometer.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I went to rabbinical college and I just knew that this was something I wanted to do. I enrolled right after high school and spent three years in rabbinical study. In the system I was in, our class of 60 guys was split into groups, and we would go out, on sort of like a mission to schools throughout the world. My group went to Miami Beach, Florida. I was there for two years. I would study our own course work for most of the day. Then, in the evenings, we would study with the community members, which was a tremendous opportunity for me to be teaching.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“So many people today are trying to achieve certain things, instead of trying to actualize who they are. We are trying to create a life for ourselves instead of trying to discover the life that was given to us. When we have a value system that guides us in the purpose of life and in accepting and owning who we areas an individual, instead of trying to be something else, then I think we find far more happiness. It’s a really important part of what we emphasize through Beginning Within. We don’t begin by saying, ‘I want to be this, that, or the other,’ but we ask, ‘Who am I and how can I actualize this?’ Those who do that are the happy people, the people who are as true to themselves as they can possibly be.”
Steps to Success from Aryeh Weinstein
1. Discover who you were created to be by going within yourself.
2. Seek guidance to find and understand your value system and connect it to the life you live.
3. Live a life that is true to yourself and don’t be distracted by all the “shiny objects.”
4. Find a community of like-minded people who are seeking personal and spiritual growth.
On His Bookshelf
Top Tools on His Browser
Movavi.com – Makes it very easy for someone who is not into movie editing to do something creative and to get a message out there via video.
Connecting With Aryeh Weinstein
Email: info@beginningwithin.com
Website: http://beginningwithin.com/
Twitter: @RabbiAWeinstein
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiWeinstein/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aryeh-weinstein-9a044a14
Free Gift
FREE GIFT: “Toward a Meaningful Life” audio course, which consists of six recordings of about 90 minutes each from Rabbi Weinstein’s live course. The first lesson is “Discovering Your Personal Compass,” which discusses finding one’s mission.
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A Career-Life Balance of Her Own Design - Abhrekha Jain
She was well into a career in software engineering for a multinational company when her first child was born. Most women in India would have given up their careers, but Abhrekha valued both her motherhood and her job. Her decision would have far-reaching consequences.
Born in Rajasthan, India, Abhrekah Jain has been a software engineer for over a decade at one of the top multinational corporations in India. Abhrekah made the decision to be both an engineer and the mother of two young boys, while must women in her culture will stop working to raise their children. She was determined to find a work-life balance that was good for herself and her sons. Now she speaks with other women to help them find a work-life balance that is right for them.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was born in Rajasthan, India to two wonderful parents. My mother was a teacher and my father was a colonel in the Indian army. Since childhood, even being a girl child in a traditional society, they gave me every possible opportunity to explore and let me choose whatever I wanted to be in life. They exposed me to sports like swimming, skating, horseback riding, basketball and to other extra-curricular activities such as classical music and painting.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Five years into a career track in software engineering for a top multinational corporation, Abhrekha had her first child. Rather than drop her career, as most women in her culture would do, she chose to stay on the job but accept a less demanding position. She was determined to find a way to value her motherhood, give her child a good upbringing, and find a work-life balance. Now, she often speaks with other mothers, both inside and outside of her company, encouraging them to find a similar balance that will allow them to continue in their careers while also valuing their parenthood.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My success mantra is, ‘Never say No.’ I believe in taking life as it comes because life is all about learning. We stand to lose nothing by trying.”
Steps to Success from Abhrekha Jain
1. Understand yourself and your potential.2. Find things you can excel in doing.3. Each task, each mistake, each day teaches you something if you are willing to learn.4. Find a hobby. It will help you keep a work-life balance.On Her Bookshelf
Gandhi: An Autobiography – The Story of My Experiments With Truth, by Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi, with Mahadev H. Desai, Translator.
Top Tools on Her Browser
YouTube.com: Abhrekha often recommends tutorials and how-to videos to help women explore a hobby, develop a skill or further their education.
Connecting With Abhrekha Jain
Email: abhrekha.jain@gmail.com
Twitter: @Abhrekha_J_S
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abhrekha
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Life Crisis Stokes His Drive for Greatness - Rob Dial
Even as a pizza delivery man and a minimum wage worker at PetSmart, Rob knew he had greatness inside. In his teens, he just didn’t know how or where to let it out. Then while working in the grueling job of selling Cutco knives door-to-door, it dawned on him where his inborn talents really were.
Rob Dial started in sales at 19. Promoted to run a franchise with the company at 21, he grew it to a multi-million-dollar business. He broke almost every record for a new office in the company’s 60-year history. He started his second seven-figure business at 23. Rob now runs an e-commerce business, coaches and owns and hosts the MWF Motivation Podcast. The podcast hit number one in six categories on iTunes New & Noteworthy, including self-help and business. He is now focusing on growing the podcast to impact as many people as possible and help them find their purpose in life and live to their true potential.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
At age 19, something clicked when Rob signed on with Cutco Cutlery Corporation selling knives door-to-door. “It’s one of the hardest jobs you could possibly have, but the people who succeed at it end up being extremely successful. You have to work really hard for your paycheck! Cutco is very big on personal growth, so for six years while I was with the company I was in a bubble of personal growth, pushing myself to get better and better. When I left, at 22 or 23, I had personally trained over 2,000 sales reps in the company. It was a fast-track to growing up and learning skills for life.” It was there he learned about his passion for teaching and coaching.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
When Rob was 15, his father died. It was the first time someone close to him had died, and it drove home his own immortality. “I have a very deep feeling—no fear at all—a kind of drive because of that. My father’s death was the worst thing that ever happened to me, but it was also the best thing. For the past 15 years, I’ve been driven to make something of my life. There was no money for a psychologist, so I focused on fixing whatever problems were already there, figuring out how to get past them. That’s why I’m so passionate about helping other people, so they don’t have to take 10 or 15 years like I did.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Even in his teens, working at PetSmart or delivering pizza, Ron knew he had a greatness inside. He just didn’t know how to bring it out. “Today, when my alarm goes off at 6 a.m., and I want to go back to sleep, I repeat to myself, with every step to the bathroom to turn off the alarm, ‘Demand greatness! Demand greatness!’ You don’t have to know what you’re going to be passionate about at some future point. You just have to know what you are passionate about right now.”
Steps to Success from Rob Dial
1.Never stop learning. Start each day with uplifting messages and persona development.
2. Invest the time to discover what you truly want to do with your life, and reassess it often.
3. Write it down! With pen and paper, not online; journal daily and write your goals.
4. Look for ways to share your knowledge and experience with others.
On His Bookshelf
The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human, by Steven Kotler
Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World, by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler
Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller – Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century, by Napoleon Hill, with Arthur R. Pell
Top Tools on His Browser
YouTube.com – Rob uses this more than Google, often searching for, “how-to” videos and inspiration, self-help and personal growth videos.
Connecting With Rob Dial
Email: rob@MWFMotivation.com
Website: mwfmotivation.com
Podcast: mwfmotivation.com/podcast
Twitter: @mwfmotivation
Facebook: facebook.com/mwfmotivation
Entrepreneurism, Inspiring Others
Franchisee, Podcaster, Sales
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406:
A Career Path Set by Psychic Guidance - Colby Rebel
As a four-year-old, her grandfather visited her as she was dropping off to sleep. He told her to tell her mother she had talked with him. She did. That’s when she learned her grandfather had died a week earlier. Looking back on her life now, she recalls, “There were a lot of experiences like that.”
Colby Rebel is an internationally recognized psychic medium, master teacher, radio host and author. She recently launched her book, “Leap of Faith: How to Build Your Spiritual Business.” Prior to becoming a full-time professional psychic medium, she spent 14 years in accounting and taxation and now shares her experience and knowledge to give the direction, inspiration and tools needed to build a successful spiritual business. She has studied with some of the world’s most renowned psychic mediums, is a spotlight writer for OMTimes magazine and hosts the hit show Psychic Rebel Live on ubnradio.com.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was four years old, I was in bed and my grandfather came and started to talk to me. He told me to get out of bed and go tell my mom what he had said. So, I did. I remember her looking a little surprised. She asked, ‘Who told you that?’ and I told her my grandfather had told me. ‘Where’s grandpa?,’ she asked. ‘He’s in the room, mommy.’ What I didn’t know was that he had passed away a week earlier. My family didn’t believe in telling children about death, so my sister and I didn’t know. It was such a validation from Spirit that I had the gift at an early age. My mom still remembers it. There were a lot of experiences says like that.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In 2007, I was studying for the CPA exam. Suddenly my heart started racing, and I sensed my neighbor was dying.” It turned out to be a false alarm. A couple of weeks later, the sensation returned, once again interrupting her study for the exam. She called 911. Entering through a small bathroom window, Colby found her neighbor dead in his recliner. “Clearly, at that moment. I knew that I was supposed to be doing something else with my life other than this CPA exam!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Whatever your stage in life, expand your awareness! Go on hikes, do some meditation, find out what you truly like. The more you can find ways to reach your inner self, the sooner you can find out what motivates and excites you. But make sure ideas and expectations implanted in you from childhood. That’s what starts to show you where you are supposed to go, what roads you are supposed to take.”
Steps to Success from Colby Rebel
1) Expand your awareness: meditate, take a hike, try new things.
2) Find out what truly motivates you, what you really love.
3) Write in a journal, and reflect on it often.
4) Allow yourself to be vulnerable, open up to life.
On Her Bookshelf
The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
So You Want to be a Medium: A Down to Earth Guide, by Rose Vanden Eynden
Leap of Faith: How to Build Your Spiritual Business, by Colby Rebel
Top Tools on Her Browser
OMTimes Magazine, www.omtimes.com
Psychic Rebel Live on www.ubnradio.com
Connecting With Colby Rebel
Website: psychicrebel.com
Facebook: facebook.com/PsychicRebel/
Twitter: @PsychicRebel
Instagram: @PsychicRebel
Free Gift
Special Discount: 10% off a 55-minute session with Colby. To read more and book a session with psychic medium Colby Rebel, go to psychicrebel.com and click “Book Session” in upper right of screen. Book your session and include the code dyr10 to get 10% off.
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405:
Expert Interview: Hacking the Hidden Job Market - Mac Prichard
Mac Prichard is the publisher of Mac’s List, an online community for people looking for rewarding, creative, and meaningful work. More than 80,000 people a month visit the site, which includes a job board, as well as a blog and information on his newest course, Hack the Hidden Job Market. Mac also hosts a weekly podcast, “Find Your Dream Job.”
Hack the Hidden Job Market
“I run a job board where we post 400 jobs a month and have 80,000 visits each month. But here’s the deal about jobs. Most employers don’t publish every opening on a job board. In fact, there are estimates that up to 80% of all jobs are never listed on job boards. If you’re spending 100% of your time looking for and responding to publicly posted jobs, you may be missing out on as many as eight out of 10 jobs out there. One of them could be your dream job.”
Why Is This Important?
“When I talk about the hidden job market, I’m not suggesting there’s a conspiracy to hide jobs from you. What’s going on is this: people hire people they know, or they hire people recommended to them by people they trust. Our challenge, when we are looking for work, is how do we become a part of the networks of potential employers and get in front of them so they will notice us and invite us in for an interview. I tell job hunters you’ve got to step away from the computer and get out there to meet and talk to people if you want to crack the hidden job market. To do this, you need to develop a networking strategy. The good news is, it can be learned. There are thoughtful, strategic and practical steps you can take to make that happen.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
With so much of our world digitized and Google-able, it’s tempting to think the job listings we find online are part of a comprehensive inventory of all available jobs. That’s simply not true. By all means, visit our job board and any of the 40,000 niche boards. But you should spend 50% to 70% of your time exploring and navigating that hidden job market, and much of that is done face-to-face.”
Connecting With Mac Prichard
Website: www.macslist.org
Twitter: @mac_prichard
Facebook: www.facebook.com/macprichard
Hack the Hidden Market Course: www.macslist.org/talent
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Ex-NYC Cop’s New Financial Beat - Craig Cody
Craig’s steady upward career path at the New York Police Department had stalled. Ready for the next promotion to be offered, he kept waiting, waiting, waiting. Finally, he took a big risk on a career in a totally new line of work.
Craig Cody is a certified tax coach, public accountant, business owner and former New York City police officer with 17 years on the force. In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant for the past 15 years, he is also a Certified Tax Coach. As a Certified Tax Coach, Craig belongs to a select group of tax practitioners throughout the country who undergo extensive training and continued education on various tax planning techniques and strategies to become, as well as remain, certified. With this organization, Craig has co-authored an Amazon best seller book, “Secrets of a Tax-Free Life.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Craig had an early interest in Wall Street. He studied economics in college, and even had a “Wow!” moment when his uncle, whose firm had a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, took him on “the tour.” But another pressure was also very strong. “I grew up as the son of a New York City police officer in a neighborhood of mostly civil servants.” Like many of his neighbors, Craig knew well the career path that led to the police or fire department. “About two or three years into college, taking the civil service test was the thing you do. So, I took the test to become a police officer, never expecting to actually do that.” At home for summer break, he received a phone call saying he should report on Monday morning at 8 a.m. to be sworn in. So began his 17-year career with the NYPD, which included stints in Times Square, California, and Intelligence.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I learned in the police department that you can do the same job and work for one person and feel great, but do the same job working for somebody else and feel terrible. Toward the end of my NYPD career, I worked for somebody who was very unreasonable. I ended up back on patrol on midnight shift in Brooklyn somewhere. I said, you know what, I don’t want anybody to have that type of control over me ever again. So, although I was still waiting for a test for another promotion, I went back to school. I decided I wanted to become an accountant and work on taxes and financial planning.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
When Craig’s daughter, an accounting student, was researching the top six accounting firms, she read that one of the firms, has a Google campus type environment. “She explained to me what that was, and I said, ‘Wait! We have that!’ And we didn’t even realize it. Our employees—I hate to even call them employees, they are team members—have a lot of input. I think giving lots of positive feedback, treating people like adults, giving them ownership of what they are doing, and hiring the right people is crucial. We’ve developed something here that’s wonderful.”
Steps to Success from Craig Cody
1. Everybody is a little different, but ultimately you just have to figure out how to make things work for you. Find your own unique way to achieve your goals.
2. Eliminate the “head trash,” the stuff in the back of your mind that keeps you from taking certain risks.
3. Treat your staff with respect, as individuals and team members. A good boss can make or break a job.
4. Some sacrifice is involved in anything worthwhile.
5. When you continue to be blocked, just find another way and move on.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Craig Cody
Website: www.craigcodyandcompany.com
Twitter: @craigc2742
Facebook: facebook.com/craigcodyandcompany
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigcodycpa
Free Gift
FREE book:Secrets of a Tax-Free Life
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A Self-Help Crash Test Dummy Experiment - Amber Beam
After a slew of early career promotions, Amber became a victim of her own success. She reached the top of the mountain, but she didn’t like the view. A key part of herself wasn’t being fulfilled. It was time to try out a side hustle.
Amber Beam is a career and life coach for women who want to get unstuck and start moving forward in their personal lives and at the office. She created the “7 Habits to Increase Resilience Guide” for women who want to live a life with purpose and peace, not perfection. As the voice behind The Art of Personal Growth Podcast, she tests self-help techniques in real life to find what truly works to improve your health, happiness, and connections to others.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As a child, seeing her father struggle with a physically demanding job, random shifts, Amber recalls thinking, “My dad needs somebody to stand up for him.” Enduring frequent shift changes and lay-offs, his treatment as a blue-collar worker convinced her she didn’t ever want to be in a position where she felt she was not making a difference or being fulfilled in her job. For awhile in middle school, she thought she would become an employment lawyer, but she realized in college that a legal career was not for her. Instead, she chose the path of industrial organizational psychologist.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Having reached a pinnacle in her career, Amber began feeling something was missing. Rather than give up her job–which she still liked–she decided to try “a side hustle.” In January, 2016, she launched The Art of Personal Growth Podcast. “We’ve all had the experience of listening to an inspirational talk, thinking, ‘I should try that! I wonder if it works,’ I began what I called my Self-Help Crash Test Dummy experiment – testing these inspiring ideas in MY real life. Initially, I thought, we could make an entire show out of that idea. Then, it dawned on me that we could make an entire podcast out of that!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“For a long time, as I became aware of feeling I wanted something more, I thought maybe if I just move to another agency, or work for another boss, or just communicate more clearly that I’m still interested in my work but am also interested in something different. That’s where the ‘side hustle’ podcast came from. I had no idea what I was in for. It’s an amazing experience. I remind myself every day, I want to feel challenged, and a little off-balance, but in a good way.”
Steps to Success from Amber Beam
1)Let yourself acknowledge when you are not happy, and when you are no longer OK with that.
2) Don’t let your desire for the perfect career hold you back from a situation that is “good enough.” Be willing to take imperfect action, then be ready to adapt.
3) Notice the ways that you, “numb yourself out” and stay stuck. Notice how frequently you do it.
4) Identify the “time sucks” and the people who suck away your energy, and move away from them.
5) Envision your ideal day scenario and move toward it.
On Her Bookshelf
Top Tools on Her Browser
Connecting With Amber Beam
Website: http://www.amberbeam.com/
Podcast: http://www.amberbeam.com/podcast
Twitter: @taopgpodcast
Facebook: TheArtofPersonalGrowthPodcast
Free Gift
FREE copy of Amber’s Habits Guide, available at:
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Why Not! Let's Give That a Shot. - John “JD” Dwyer
A successful business owner on the brink of bankruptcy, John was desperately pursuing a new client, calling every day to close the deal. The bank was within 24 hours of closing his business. His phone finally rang. The caller started the conversation with “We have made a decision,” and ended with “Never ring me again for the rest of your life!”
When it comes to creating MORE sales for businesses, John Dwyer’s thinking is refreshingly unconventional. He preaches, “In a sea of sameness in your industry, you need to stand out like a beacon – and the best way to do this is by using wow factor marketing techniques.” His clients & business partners include the “who’s who” of business: News Limited, 7-Eleven, KFC, McDonald’s, Disney, Warner Bros. and Blockbuster Video. He’s also the guy who comedian Jerry Seinfeld trusted for his latest advertising campaign.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was always 1st level Art at school. So I was pretty good at sketching and art work. But I realized, even back all those years ago, that artists were going to be a dying breed in the sense that computers were starting to come in. And I thought to myself, I better start using these skills in an area whereby it won’t just be turning into The Flint Stones tomorrow. An artist might be starving if he didn’t use those creative skills for a bigger platform. So I got my marketing degree at ‘uni’ [university] which lead to getting a job in the advertising department of a big retailer. I ended up climbing up the ladder there to become a marketing manager of some high level.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
While John worked with the large department store, they were running a number of sweepstakes, contests, scratch games, coupons for gift promotions. “I could see that there were a lot of these ‘artificial sales stimulants’ working very, very well, and I thought, ‘Even a big brand like this retailer is not just relaxing and sitting on their brand. They’re actually doing direct response things that are stimulating artificial responses from people to get them into their shops. I’ve got a bit of a creative flair in that department. Why don’t I leave and set up my own sales promotion agency and then deliver those sales promotion techniques, not just to retailers, but to all sorts of businesses.’ And that’s what I did.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
I’ve probably fallen into that category of people not always doing what they love. We all want to follow our dreams, but sometimes we are in circumstances where we have to just suck it up and do what we have to do. Having six children and my wife’s parents, who were quite poor, there were many years where I was trudging along doing stuff that I really didn’t enjoy, but I was feeding 10 people. From time to time people would say, ‘Do you enjoy what you’re doing?’ And I would say, ‘Not particularly.’ It wasn’t much ‘fun’ printing trading cards, but I had to do what I had to do.”
Steps to Success from John “JD” Dwyer
1) For young people just out of school, the retail sector is a fantastic training ground for learning all the tricks of the trade–not just in terms of general marketing online and offline, but also customer service.
2) No matter your age, hang around the right people. You are who you hang with.
3) Be open to the possibilities of new ideas and new ways of thinking. Be a person who says, “Why not? Let’s give that a shot,” rather than a person who just says “Why?”
Connecting With John “JD” Dwyer
Website: theinstituteofwow.com
Twitter: @InstituteOfWow
Facebook: InstituteOfWow
LinkedIn: instituteofwow
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401:
Controlling Her Own Destiny - WendyY Bailey
Called a “Force of Nature” and trendsetter in coaching because of her fearless approach to innovation, Wendy Y. Bailey has been supporting coaches, speakers, trainers and consultants for fourteen years. She is a sought-after sales coach for her fierce and dynamic dedication to inspiring individuals, groups and organizations to create extraordinary results. Affectionately called “WendyY,” she is an internationally known thought leader and has made a global impact as an innovative CEO and mentor coach across the US and in countries like the UK and Italy.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
At 17, WendyY got recruited to sell Amway. What she learned about herself was she had a talent for connecting with people and forming relationships that would be an important part of her career, especially in the couching she does today.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“The big breakthrough for me was I could work and get paid for it, so I had role in my own success. I learned, through the Amway recruitment process and what I was able to accomplish, that I could really control my own destiny, just based on sales, just based on how I showed up in connections and relationships with people. And I loved knowing that. Work really defined that for me in a major way.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
After jobs in administrative positions, WendyY got her first “professional career job,” as she calls it, as a process manager in a telecommunications company. The job meant the world to her, and she felt liked and respected by her co-workers. But the V.P. of her division, with whom she had had a good relationship, brought in one of his friends and told her to train him. It was clear to her that he boss was going to replace her with his friend. Before that could happen, she found a job at a higher level and higher pay at another Fortune 500 company. Her career progressed well, with several promotions, including becoming the Senior Manager of her own department. As the only Black female Senior Manager in the division, she soon realized she was not being supported. “In fact, I was not being supported …right out the door. And that’s when I decided I am NEVER going to be in a position again where I’m relying on a company or corporation to really meet their end of the bargain, so to speak, in my employment!”
On Her Bookshelf
Co-dependent No More, Melanie Beattie
Fearless Living: Live Without Excuses and Love Without Regret, by Rhonda Britten
Connecting With WendyY Bailey
Website: http://businessbeyondlimits.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/wendyybaileybiz
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wendyYbailey
Free Gift
Build Powerful Partnerships and Cash in Your Connections starting with WendyY’s FREE masterclass at http://buildpowerfulpartnerships.com
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Expert Interview: The Do's and Don'ts of Using Social Media in Your Career Plan - Marty McDonald
Marty McDonald is the co-founder and CEO of Bad Rhino Inc. Bad Rhino is a full service social media and digital marketing agency based in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Marty used social media first as a recruiter, and for more than 13 years he has used social media strategies and internet marketing strategies for more than 13 years to actively build online marketing businesses. Bad Rhino has won the top agency award in 2016 by the research firm, Clutch. Bad Rhino has clients in specialty food, craft beer, restaurants, golf, insurance, staffing, apparel, fitness, nonprofits, Fortune 500 companies, and Major League Baseball players.
The Do's and Don'ts of Using Social Media in Your Career Plan
Job hunting and career moves in 2016 are no longer about a simple resume and references. Prospective employers and headhunters are looking for a well-rounded picture of their prospects, including how they interact and network with people. Today, career strategies must include your online footprint. “There are a lot of things you can do on social media to make yourself known in your industry. And there are a lot of things you want to avoid, as well,” explains social media/marketing expert and experienced headhunter, Marty McDonald.
Why Is This Important?
Although career networking on social media is like face-to-face networking in many ways, some things are distinctive and vitally important online. Especially on LinkedIn.com, a person’s profile is crucial. Using keywords best suited to your strategy will spell the difference between your name at the top of search results or buried amid hundreds of other search hits. “Investing a couple hundred dollars to optimize your LinkedIn profile could be worth its weight in gold.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
A wise strategy for using social media can vastly improve your likelihood for success in your career planning, but it’s crucial to be alert to potential pitfalls. Just as there is an etiquette for in-person networking, there are community norms and expectations on social media as well, which you ignore at your own peril.
Connecting With Marty McDonald
Website: badrhinoinc.com
Email: marty@BadRhinoInc.com
Twitter: @BadRhinoinc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BadRhinoInc
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martinmcdonald
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A Formula for a Perfect Day - Craig Ballantyne
“If you had told me when I was 18 what I’d be doing at 40, I would have looked at you as if you had two heads!” Reflecting on his own life, Craig quotes Steve Jobs: “You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking back.”
Craig Ballantyne is the author of The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day and Control Your Life. He is the co-owner of EarlyToRise.com, the creator of the home workout system, Turbulence Training, and a contributor to Men’s Health magazine. Craig has also overcome crippling anxiety using his 5 Pillars of Transformation, which you can use to lose weight, get a raise, make more money, and overcome any obstacle in your way of success.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
While Craig was a graduate student in exercise science in 1999, he noticed the articles about personal training on a website that interested him. He thought, “I’m a personal trainer, I could do this, too! So, I started my first email newsletter.” A year later, while looking for a job, he sent one of his email newsletters to Lou Schuler, the fitness editor of Men’s Health magazine. “The next thing I knew it was published in the magazine! I’ve been working with them for more than 15 years now. That connection really boosted my credibility, and I started selling my information products and fitness programs online in 2001.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Growing up in Canada, Craig loved playing soccer and hockey. “I played soccer at the highest level, and I had a coach who was with us for many years, who was nice, steady and consistent.” In college, he didn’t try out for any teams. Instead, he recalls, “I was excited about exercise science, learning about fatigue, strength and power, and not just about the exercises themselves, but about what goes on in the body at the muscular and cellular level. It was fascinating to learn the science behind what happens in your muscles when you are running a marathon versus when you are running sprints. I learned various types of training would accelerate people’s results–getting stronger, building muscle, losing fat.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I know it is tough for people to make dramatic pivots in their careers to move into the work they love, but there is so much opportunity these days with online learning, YouTube videos and podcasts. I have been fortunate to study things that are so interesting to me and so directly applicable to my career. Added to that, I’m fortunate that my own interests converged with the emergence of the internet, and with the cresting wave of worldwide interest in health and fitness. I think it’s just a matter of showing people the options that are available to them as they make changes in their lives and careers.”
Steps to Success from Craig Ballantyne
1. Spend time in introspection and figure out what really matters to you, in whatever season of life you may be living.
2. Study the people you admire and learn everything you can from the path they have blazed.
3. Organize your day so you can complete your work in the daytime and have freedom to be with your loved ones at night.
4. Use the abundant resources available online to continue your own personal development.
On His Bookshelf
Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness, by Sharon Lebell
The Perfect Day Formula, by Craig Ballantyne
Turbulence Training for Fat Loss, by Craig Ballantyne
Top Tools on His Browser
Luciano del Monte, “Cross-Training for Life”
Connecting With Craig Ballantyne
Websites: EarlyToRise.com and CraigBallantyne.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/craigballantyne
Facebook: Craig Ballantyne
Free Gift
Free tools for making the most of your time each day: www.CraigBallantyne.com/freegift.
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Nursing a Faith in Healing - Sadie Mitchell
In nursing school on clinical rotations in a hospital, Sadie was assigned a patient with skin like leather who could neither talk nor swallow. She asked his permission to pray with him and he nodded O.K. The next day, the attending physician called her before his medical students and asked, “What are you doing with this patient?”
Sadie Mitchell has spent most of her life studying and sharing the Word of God. She is an ordained Christian minister and a registered nurse, with a Ph.D. specializing in geriatrics. She lives near Philadelphia, PA, with her husband and daughter. Dancing, writing, reading, and watching crime dramas are her favorites hobbies.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As a girl of 12, Sadie witnessed her mother answer a call to come pray for a boy diagnosed with a hole in his heart. Sadie went with her. “When the boy went for his next check-up, the doctor said the hole in his heart had been healed.” Years later, on clinical rotation in nursing, Sadie was assigned to care for an older man with scleroderma, a disease that tightens the skin, making it look like leather. “He couldn’t swallow or talk, but he let me pray for him. The next day, I started feeding him ice chips. By the third day, he was eating grits!” The attending physician asked Sadie what she had done. The patient had already told the doctor she had prayed for him. “From that day on, that doctor would ask for me. He’d say, ‘I want that healing nurse to be assigned to my patients.’”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Mentors played essential roles at several stages of Sadie’s life and career. “At the beginning of my third year in a very difficult nursing program, I had earned C’s in my clinical classes, but I needed B’s to stay in the program. I remember meeting with my upcoming instructor, a lady formerly called Sister Margaret Ann. She was considered the toughest, meanest and most feared of all the instructors in the whole program. I sheepishly told her about my failing grades. She said, ‘I don’t care about your past. I don’t judge students on their past. Are you willing to do your best work for me?’ I sat up straight and said, “Yes!” She said, “Is that a promise?’ When I answered yes, she said, O.K., you do that and we’ll move on from here. You know what? I made A’s under that lady!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I have found many times that I’ve been able to provide more healing for people by attending to those spiritual needs than by giving them the right pill. I’ve used it covertly many times, and healed people, but it just wasn’t well accepted earlier in my nursing career. Now there is a lot of research that shows spirituality is a part of who a person is, and we need to address a person’s spiritual needs if we’re going to be effective in healing them.” Sadie believes spiritual care and prayer can bring dramatic results, both for the caregiver and the recipient of care. This fact is gradually being acknowledged by more of the mainstream as the research rolls in.
Steps to Success from Sadie Mitchell
1. Understand that spirituality is a vital dimension of every person, crucial to health and healing.
2. Learn to love people and see that everybody has something positive to contribute.
3. Realize that your happiness is important, it really does matter.
4. Find mentors to help you reach your goals.On Her Bookshelf
Power of Positive Thinking, by Norman Vincent Peale
How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
Miracles on Demand: Transform your Ordinary Struggles into Extraordinary Blessings, by Sadie MitchellConnecting With Sadie Mitchell
Website: http://www.thehappyhealthychristian.com/
Twitter: @revdrsadie14
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sadiemm1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sadie-mitchell-31163220Free Gift
Free daily devotional message, seven days a week, seven weeks.
Sign up by entering your email address at www.TheHappyHealthyChristian.com to receive devotional messages and Sadie’s blog posts.
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A New Life Purpose - Barry Demp
After 12 years of rewarding job assignments with a large pharmaceutical company, Barry unexpectedly found himself no longing looking forward to his future, or even wanting to go to work the next day. He kept at the job, but enrolled in adult education courses, too. It was there that he found what he was meant to do… for the rest of his professional life.
Barry Demp is a forward-thinking, business and executive coach based in Troy, Michigan. He has coached more than 1,000 individuals over the last 25 years, and earned the distinction of Master Certified Coach (MCC) from the International Coach Federation (ICF). He works with executives, business owners, and high-potential professionals to significantly increase their productivity, profitability, and life balance.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After a two-year stint as a sixth-grade science teacher, Barry jokes that he started a career as “a legal drug dealer” at the pharmaceutical giant, Upjohn. His first job was in sales, but, “I was very fortunate and approximately every two years I was getting promoted.” On his way up, he worked with hospitals and academic research institutions, ending up in corporate headquarters in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he also had a hand in advertising.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After 11 or 12 good years at Upjohn, Barry became disillusioned, not seeing the kind of future he wanted at the company. He began exploring the field of coaching. “I took a variety of courses through an organization called Landmark Education Corporation, which used a supportive coaching model to help individuals produce greater results. I first participated as a student, then volunteered as a coach. I realized that I had found what I was meant to do the rest of my professional life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The fact that somebody would be open and receptive to a partnership with me that will help that individual achieve the personal and professional excellence they want is a great honor. In some ways coaching is like parenting. Not only do you want to pour yourself into them but, perhaps more importantly, to bring out of them their uniqueness as individuals. To be able to support well over a thousand individuals, and to work with about 80 or 90 other coaches as well, has been a great honor.”
Steps to Success from Barry Demp
1.Aim for greatness, not just “good enough.”
2. Strive for purpose, meaning and significance, not just momentary successes.
3. Develop mastery in the area you have chosen.
4. Ask for and accept guidance and coaching to reach your goals.
On His Bookshelf
Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself, by Daniel H. Pink
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink
What to Do When it’s Your Turn (and it’s Always Your Turn), by Seth Godin
Do More Great Work: Stop the Busywork. Start the Work That Matters, by Michael Bungay Stanier
The Quotable Coach: Daily Nuggets of Practical Wisdom, by Barry Demp
Connecting With Barry Demp
Website: dempcoaching.com
Twitter: @BarryDemp
Facebook: www.facebook.com/barrydempcoaching
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/barrydemp
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All In for Humane and Wellness Design - Deborah Rosenberg
Like many children, Deborah’s love of animals began with the family’s pet dog. When she began learning about animal cruelty, she questioned humans’ relationships to the animal world. When she heard about imported leather made from dog skins, that discovery changed not only her home life, but her business, too.
Deborah Rosenberg is the founder of the ultra-luxury interior design firm DiMare Design. She is a leader in cruelty-free and wellness design. Deborah combines specific textures, scents and materials with vegan materials to create wellness environments to meet the sensory needs that are unique to each project. She is passionate about animal rights, has been a featured designer on the TLC cable network and has appeared on The Today Show. Deborah lectures and writes articles on humane and wellness design.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My family and I are avid animal-lovers! Dogs have always been a part of my life, but like many of us who start out by loving our dogs, we were largely ignorant about what goes on the world of animal abuse. About a year ago, as I was slowly becoming involved with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), I started seeing videos and posts in social media, about animal abuse worldwide. For the past year-and-a-half, my family has been 100 percent vegan. Once we heard about the atrocities that go on in the cattle industry, and with chickens, sheep, calves and pigs, we just gave up meat altogether.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I just happened to get a video on social media, perhaps from PETA, about dog leather from China. China is one of the leading exporters of leather, and because they eat dogs there, much of the leather from China is made from dog skin. Once I started doing research, I said, ‘That’s it! I’m done!’ And that was the catalyst for me to commit to becoming vegan and cruelty-free.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It is crucial to educate yourself and become very knowledgeable about whatever you pursue. We live in a wonderful time because without information technology we would never have known what goes on behind the scenes. Social media makes self-education possible. In my cruelty-free and wellness design business, for example, I am self-taught! It just sort of happened and grew. Initially, I knew nothing! Through self-education, I learned, that if we all ate a plant-based diet, world hunger would no longer exist! And, if someone has allergies, cruelty-free design is ideal for them, because there are none of the allergens from down feathers. In cruelty-free products, there’s nothing that smells of animal hides. Even if you have a medical condition, vegan design and sensory design really are a wonderful addition to whatever you’re doing medically.”
Steps to Success from Deborah Rosenberg
1. Recognize that you have to work hard. Anyone who thinks you don’t have to work hard is fooling themselves.
2. Be honest with yourself: Do you really want to use your talents, or are you content to settle for less?
3. Be ready to meet opportunities. Become very knowledgeable about whatever you decide to pursue.
On Her Bookshelf
Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell
The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, by Al Ries and Laura Ries
Articles and books about women who have overcome adversity and still manage to rise to the top, like Tina Turner, Oprah Winfrey or Lucille Ball.
Connecting With Deborah Rosenberg
Website: dimaredesign.com
Twitter: @DimareDesign
Facebook: DiMare Design
LinkedIn: DiMare Design
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Expert Interview: Anxiety–Not What You Think - Susan Miner
Susan Miner went from posing as a model to serving as a psychology professor and counselor. As an international supermodel, she graced the covers of Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Self, Bazaar and many more. Traveling around the world, she struggled with anxiety, insomnia, depression and a poor body image. She learned firsthand, that it’s our internal perspectives, spirituality, bodywork, and coping skills that govern how we feel, not our outer circumstances. Susan dedicated seven years in study and practice to heal herself, and for the past 15 years she has been helping clients and students naturally reduce their anxiety and increase their confidence. Currently, as president of Beauty From the Inside Out, Susan is a workshop facilitator, author, and counselor. Her book, “Beautiful Energy: Exercising to Reveal Your Inner Peace,” is available on her website and Amazon.
Reducing Your Anxiety - The Problem Is Not What You Think It Is.
At the core of all our problems, all our compulsions and all our internal challenges, is anxiety. Relieving anxiety is the core string that needs to be pulled that will affect all areas of our lives in a positive way. It’s anxiety of some sort that trips us up.
Why Is This Important?
Anxiety is a catch-all term for a whole family of negative emotions. I refer to anxiety as “her” because anxiety has her cousin, stress, her brother, fear, or her sister, worry. And there’s another anxiety family member, uncle nervousness. It doesn’t matter what we call these uneasy feelings. They all have the same outcome, which is a feeling of uneasiness. They all can lead us to a range of behaviors—overeating, drinking, using drugs, gambling, and many more—that not only mask the underlying problem, they add problems of their own. They all stem from living inside our heads and not listening to our bodies.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Just as physical exercise increases the fitness of our bodies, there are methods we can practice to reduce anxiety. And just as there are many ways of increasing physical fitness—running, weight-lifting, yoga, swimming—there are many ways to get at the underlying causes of anxiety. The first step is to recognize that the problem you think you have is not the real problem. For example, you’re not hungry or thirsty or sexually aroused. You are looking for a way to relieve the underlying feelings of uneasiness. Youtube.com offers many resources, which may be found by searching for “emotional freedom techniques.”
Connecting With Susan Miner
Website: http://susanminerbeauty.com
Youtube.com: Susan Miner
Twitter: @Susan_MinerFacebook: facebook.com/SusanMinerBeauty/
Instagram: susanminerbeauty
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/susanminerbeauty
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Wisdom and Stories of a Hero’s Journey - Jim Beran
As he reflected on his own life experiences and wrote them down, Jim became convinced that everyone has a story to tell, and everyone’s life has inherent value. Reading a lifetime of letters his father wrote by hand to his mother, he rediscovered a hero’s journey and is finding ways to tell the story.
James Beran is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles. In his younger days, he worked in politics, serving as deputy chief of staff to the Lieutenant Governor of California, and in various positions in the Reagan-Bush administration. He’s a serial entrepreneur involved in a range of businesses and projects. He’s also a cancer survivor. James has now written the book, “The Biggest Short Guy: The Amazing Untold Story of Walter Beran, the CPA Who Changed L.A.,” because not only was his father his hero, he was the greatest man he ever knew. He’s currently finishing a screenplay about Washington, D.C. Frank A. Paul is his pen name.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After a career in politics, both in California and in Washington, DC, Jim reflected on his experiences, both humorous and sometimes poignant, and wrote a screenplay. “In a nutshell, it’s about how Washington is run by twenty-somethings—and I used to be one of those 20-somethings.”
“I’ve also developed a speech about 10 life lessons from the greatest person I ever knew, my Dad. It draws on his letters and touches on how to achieve greatness, lead a happy life and contribute to a great society. Those are universal, timeless life lessons, spelled out through stories and examples.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“At some point, I realized politics either becomes your drug of choice or something you just no longer want. It may have been because President Reagan was such an exceptional human being. I just didn’t have a burning desire to stay in Washington, DC. after he left office. So, when Ronald Reagan’s second term ended, I came back to California. Along the way, I realized that he reminded me of my father; the President was also a prolific letter-writer.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Everyone has a story, and those stories need to be told. Don’t ever think your life experiences don’t have value. Your life has value to those around you. Those stories need to be memorialized.” Jim says this belief was driven home as he reviewed a lifetime of his father’s letters written by hand to Jim’s mother. “Every night he was away from my mother, for 22 years, he would write her a letter by hand. One year, he was away 260 nights. He truly was the greatest man I ever knew. His story was so incredible.”
Steps to Success from Jim Beran
- Recognize that your life and your unique story have inherent value.
- Learn from the surfers: life is like a wave. Learn to ride it.
- Honor and respect the stories of others, and look for stories to tell.
- Set aside time for reflection. Develop your own mental garden of retreat.
- Send a handwritten letter now and then to the people you value in your life. The impact of emails and text messages pales in comparison.
On His Bookshelf
Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, by John Wooden
Earning Serendipity: 4 Skills for Creating and Sustaining Good Fortune in Your Work, by Glenn Llopis
Lee’s Lieutenants (3 volumes), by Douglas Southall Freeman
The Biggest Short Guy: The Amazing Untold Story of Walter Beran, The CPA Who Changed LA, by James Beran
Connecting With Jim Beran
Email: jpberan@yahoo.com
Website: thebiggestshortguy.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jim.beran.73
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Enlisting Mentors & Support for Career Success - Laura Meier
At 24, Laura was finding her way as a young lawyer. She was doing her best but knew she had a lot to learn. Then, in a meeting with her managing partner and the Mayor, she was shocked when the mayor said, “Our city attorney quit. We want Laura to have the job.” She was even more surprised to hear her boss’ reply.
Laura K. Meier, Esq. is a family trust attorney, best-selling author, and the mom of four great kids. Her mission is simple: help every mom and dad in America protect their children through a proper family estate plan. She is the author of the #1 best-seller “Good Parents Worry, Great Parents Plan,” a guide for parents that helps them understand the legal and practical steps they must take to protect their children. Her work has been featured by NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, the Fiscal Times, Worth, Investopedia, Wall Street Select and more. She frequently speaks at universities and children’s organizations on the importance of having a proper estate plan.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was a lawyer at a young age, at 24. I had gone straight through college to law school. I remember at my first law firm I helped the managing partner on litigation for a city. Of course, I tried to do my best job. At our meeting with the mayor, he said, ‘Our city attorney just quit. We want Laura to be our new city attorney.’ I was young enough to know that I did not have that kind of experience. It was way beyond my capabilities. But the managing partner didn’t hesitate. He said, ‘Yes, she would make a fine city attorney. Let’s do that.’ He threw me in there! They brought me some help and mentoring, but I had to learn, with literally no training, how to become a City attorney at that young age. It taught me that when opportunities come your way, say yes, and then do whatever it takes to meet the challenge. Don’t say no. If it’s meant to be, just say yes and go with it.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“At a 4th of July parade in Huntington Beach, California, I saw a young congresswoman, Loretta Sanchez, campaigning. I was in junior high at the time, and I think she was in her late twenties or early thirties. Nobody was cheering for her, but she was still hustling, reaching people and smiling. I asked my father, “Why isn’t anybody cheering for her?” He said, ” She’s a Democrat and most people here are Republicans.” At that moment, I thought two things: one, how courageous she was to go out and face that silence or risk being booed; and, two, that there was a place in Congress for women! I didn’t even know that, and it made a huge impression on me. I thought, I can do that! She’s doing it, I could do it, too. I’m not planning to run for Congress, but it showed me that no matter what the demographics are or what the faces look like, there’s always going to be a place for me, because of people like her who have gone ahead.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Having a mentor and a support network of like-minded people is crucial to career success and to making life transitions. We had a family friend, a prominent attorney. At a young age, I told him, ‘I want to be a lawyer like you.’ He told me, ‘Laura, I think that’s a fine idea. I’m going to start warming up a seat for you at the law firm.’ Every time I saw him he would say that. It encouraged me to stay on that path. Last month, when I was invited to speak at that law firm, I told the attorneys the story, and I said, ‘I can’t believe I’m finally sitting in a seat at this firm!”
Steps to Success from Laura Meier
1. Take time to step back and reflect on where you are in your life.
2. Find people who are further along the path you want to take. Learn from them.
3. Develop a strong support system, especially before you make major transitions.
4. Get your financial house in order.
On Her Bookshelf
Top Tools on Her Browser
Laura recommends “Liking” the Forbes page on Facebook to add to your newsfeed.
Connecting With Laura Meier
Email: lmeier@meierfirm.com
Website: www.meierfirm.com
Facebook: facebook.com/meierfirm
Twitter: twitter.com/LKMeier
LinkedIn.com: linkedin.com/in/lmeier
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Crisis Survivor Empowers Others - Jeff Ryan
Jeff was blessed with a good family, a keen mind, and a successful business. On top of that, he’d just earned his Master’s Degree. Then, while he was on a routine visit to a worksite, a pipe carrying pressurized concrete exploded. For nearly 10 minutes, he appeared to be dead.
Jeff is the founding member and director of MisfitAid.org, a relief organization based in Australia. Misfit Aid empowers communities around the globe impacted by poverty, disaster and humanitarian crises. One such program included training carpenters in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, to rebuild after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Jeff is also a sought-after teacher and inspirational speaker for the international Christian movement, ‘Youth with a Mission’ (YWAM.org). He shares his inspiring story in his new book “Sharks in the Water.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As a teenager, friends of his father, and IBM executive, often gave him tickets to hear inspirational speakers. One speaker, in particular, made a powerful impression on him at age 18. An audience member asked the speaker, “Do you actually DO the things you’re teaching us?” The speaker replied, “Write down everything that I’m telling you, just don’t watch my life real closely.” Jeff recalls thinking,” You have got to be kidding!” He walked out. Later, he told his father, “Dad, I don’t ever want to go to another one of those! I do want to be a speaker, but I want my life to be the thing that speaks, and I want to speak from my real-life experience.” That commitment never left him, but it took a near-death experience for him to put it into action.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As a teenager, friends of his father, and IBM executive, often gave him tickets to hear inspirational speakers. One speaker, in particular, made a powerful impression on him at age 18. An audience member asked the speaker, “Do you actually DO the things you’re teaching us?” The speaker replied, “Write down everything that I’m telling you, just don’t watch my life real closely.” Jeff recalls thinking,” You have got to be kidding!” He walked out. Later, he told his father, “Dad, I don’t ever want to go to another one of those! I do want to be a speaker, but I want my life to be the thing that speaks, and I want to speak from my real-life experience.” That commitment never left him, but it took a near-death experience for him to put it into action.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Jeff faced a near-death experience in 2008 while at work on a construction site. His body lay beside a pool his company was building, covered in shrapnel wounds. Nearly 10 minutes passed before Jeff showed any signs of life. He recalls sensing an overwhelming impulse to return to life. Since the accident, Jeff has been pursuing his goal, helping people around the world reach their full potential, beginning with people facing humanitarian crises.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“There are people all over the world living in situations like the life I was living before crisis struck. They are blessed with a good business, a good brain and good opportunities. Then, suddenly, a tsunami or an earthquake happens, or a life-threatening accident. In my case, it was the tsunami of 2004 that opened my eyes to that reality. It was 100 percent the catalyst for creating Misfit Aid, and for my vision to empower thousands of people to reach their full potential, beyond their wildest dreams.”
Connecting With Jeff Ryan
- Take the next step. It’s a lesson I learned on the road back from traumatic brain injury. Start moving, one step at a time.
- Use the Acronym, POWER:P – Purpose. What are you on this planet to do?
O – Obstacles. There will always be obstacles to overcome.
W – Write: Your personal mission and your top talents.
E – Enjoy! We are allowed to enjoy life.
R – Representatives: choose five key people to be your sounding
board for your ideas and life decisions.
Free Gift
Email: jeff.ryan@misfitaid.org
Website: http://www.teachinspireempower.org/
Facebook: Misfit Aid Australia
Twitter: @MisfitAid
November 2016:
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Globally Connected Through Networking - Jessica Fabrizi
As a child on holidays, Jessica loved meeting new people and always got their addresses. Many people promised to write, but Jessica actually did, first in her native Italian, then in seven other languages. This passion for connecting with people has stayed with her and is now a critical part of her newest business.
Jessica Fabrizi is responsible for PR and marketing for the Swiss branch of a luxury airline, but is so passionate about networking that she founded her own brand called One Degree to Connect. Under this brand, she coaches people and consults with businesses on how to network. Another passion of Jessica’s is bringing people together, which she does by hosting events for the 10-plus online communities she started, as well as through business match-making.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Back in the day there was no internet, no apps or social networks, but there were letters. I remember when I went on holiday, I always came back with addresses of lots of people I had met. I would write letters to them and would be in touch often. Some wouldn’t write back or stopped writing after a few months, but with some of them I stayed in touch for years and years. Every single afternoon I would write at least four or five letters. I started writing in Italian, my mother tongue, but when I began learning English and other languages, then I would stay in touch with people who spoke other languages. I used the letter writing as a tool to practice my languages.” Today, she speaks seven languages.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Two years ago I left my full-time job. I wanted to do something on my own. I started out doing PR and events, which is my background anyway, but then I realized that a lot of people were asking me about networking. It’s such an integral part of public relations. They asked about my strategies and techniques, how to be a good conversationalist and how I communicate with people. Soon, I was coaching individuals as well as companies, especially start-ups, and giving talks at conferences about networking. I worked out of a shared work space, owned by a chain with offices all over the world, including Singapore. I found that I really enjoyed it!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My life, not just my profession but my private life as well, is all about networking. I’ve discovered—and this is what I say to people when I teach them how to network—is that you can’t really separate your professional life from your private life. I meet a lot of people in my private life and then I find that I can often do business with these people that I met originally as friends. I think these kinds of relationships are the ones that work best. If you’re able to develop a relationship with a person on different levels, then the relationship will be more intense, more intimate, more complete.”
Steps to Success from Jessica Fabrizi
1.Be all about networking and building your community.
2. Learn about yourself by seeing yourself mirrored in your network friends.
3. Find a mentor.
4. Be a mentor.
Top Tools on Her Browser
Flip on Medium: Medium.com
Connecting With Jessica Fabrizi
Website: http://onedegreetoconnect.com/
Twitter: @1degree2connect
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Expert Interview: Mastering a New Skill in Your Career or at Home - Meredith Bell
Meredith Bell has been an entrepreneur since 1982. She’s an expert in helping companies develop the people side of their business. Her software company’s programs are used by consultants, coaches and human resources professionals to help managers become more effective leaders. One of Meredith strengths is building strong relationships. She and her business partners have worked together for 25 years, and many of their clients and resellers have used their products for 20 years.
How to Master a New Skill in Your Career or at Home.
“In the world of work—and in relationships at home, as well—it’s important to recognize how many different skills are needed to be effective in working with others. My focus is on those interaction skills that make a difference in people getting along together. A skill is something a person can learn how to do. We like to distinguish between knowing about something—like when you read a book to learn more about a topic—and actually implementing a concept or an idea and practicing it with someone else.”
Why Is This Important?
Learning a new way to do something that you already know how to do can be very challenging. You continue to go back to the familiar way, even though you know the old way is no longer serving you well. Replacing an old, established way of doing things with a “new and improved” way can seem unnatural, uncomfortable and inconvenient. Building a new habit is similar to doing repetitions in a gym. Athletes know the importance of “reps” in building muscle. In creating new mental habits, there is a similar physical component. Your brain’s neurons are building new pathways, and need repetition to learn to use the new pathway by default. Like working with a tennis coach, you’ll need to practice, practice, practice.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Time, commitment and continued effort are required. If you are committed to improving a particular interpersonal skill, be gentle with yourself and recognize that it’s going to take some time. As with a new golf swing or a strong serve in tennis, you won’t do it perfectly at first. The key is to acknowledge that quickly and admit it to yourself and others. It’s also important to ask the people around you for their support in making the change. There’s no need to be defensive or negative in any way. It’s just part of the process of learning and growing.”
Connecting With Meredith Bell
Website: StrongForPerformance.com
Twitter: @MeredithMBell
Facebook: linkedin.com/in/meredithmbell
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithmbell
Free Gift
“How to Be a Support Coach” – 9 free videos + ebook at prostarcoach.com/coachingebookandvideos.asp
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389:
Haiti Trip: A Game-Changer for Life - Brendan Ridings
Brendan floated through college, not too interested in applying himself completely to academics. After graduation, he worked as a trainer in a gym and let life happen, still floating along. But when he was 24, a client he was training at the gym told him about his many trips to Haiti. It sounded interesting, and when the man invited Brendan to join him on his next trip, he said yes. What he would see and experience there would reshape his life forever.
Brendan Ridings graduated from Southern Illinois University–Carbondale with a Bachelor of Science degree focusing on human nutrition and dietetics. Brendan went on to attain his corrective exercise specialty from The National Academy of Sports Medicine. Brendan began to expand beyond the fitness world to help fund the organization named PLAT, a school in Haiti, invented Posture PT back support, and recently partnered with the Make in India initiative to develop and implement advanced wound care for underprivileged populations.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As Brendan began using his corrective exercise specialty with clients at the gym, he noticed many of them returning day after day, even though he had worked with them on their physical issues. “They would come with poor posture related to injuries or chronic pain. So, I created something by hand to help them sit better. I took a foam roller that I used to roll up my legs to loosen them up. I cut it in half lengthwise and stuck it behind my back. It was perfect! That became the basis for my product, Posture PT (for “personal trainer”). Originally, I had no intention of turning it into a consumer product. It was just developed for the clients that I was working with every single day.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“At age 24, I started to realize how much I didn’t know about living, and I began looking for a mentor. I was training a guy one day, and he was talking about his experiences on his multiple trips to Haiti. I was intrigued by what he was saying, and I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’d really love to experience that.’ He came up to me soon after that conversation and said, ‘Would you like to go with us? We’ll pay for your trip.’ That trip changed my empathy and my ability to have compassion for others. It also made me look deep inside and ask myself what I had been doing with my life. That was definitely the biggest game-changer for me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I came home from Haiti and quit my job. It was an easy, salaried job and I had become very comfortable. I quit, because it was causing complacency, and I started pursuing something that would challenge me every single day. That eventually led me to this entrepreneurial path. For me, it’s not just about making money or working for myself. It’s also about the constant challenge to be my best, to face difficult situations, because that’s the only way to grow. And ultimately that’s what I wanted after seeing all those things in Haiti. I realized I had a lot of growing to do.
Steps to Success from Brendan Ridings
1. Work hard every day to improve who you are. Become the best person you can be.
2. If you see something in your world that troubles or inspires you, find a way to do something about it. Take action. You can bring change.
3. Learn how to maintain balance in your life and how to step away from your work.
On His Bookshelf
The Southwest Airlines Way, by Jody Hoffer Gittell
The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph, by Ryan Holiday
Top Tools on His Browser
Meetup: When you go to a new city where you don’t know anyone, use your smart phone or computer to go to MeetUp.com and go to a Meetup location to make connections with like-minded people.
Connecting With Brendan Ridings
Website: confidentposture.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/PostureME
Podcast: PreventionPodcast.com
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A Science of Happiness Changed Her Life - Michelle McQuaid
At a high point in her career, having moved a few months earlier to New York, the city of her dreams, Michelle suddenly felt she was living a life of “grays and blahs.” She found herself asking, “How did I wind up here? Why am I not enjoying it? Is this just what being a grown-up looks like?”
Michelle McQuaid is a best-selling author, workplace wellbeing teacher and change activator. With more than a decade of senior leadership experience in large organizations around the world, she’s passionate about translating cutting-edge research from positive psychology and neuroscience, into practical strategies for health, happiness, and business success. An honorary fellow at Melbourne University’s Graduate School of Education in Australia, she blogs for Psychology Today, Huffington Post and Live Happy and her work has been featured in Forbes, the Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, Boss Magazine, The Age and many more.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“As a kid, I really enjoyed making my younger sister play hours and hours of school. I was always the teacher and she was always the student. This was a really clear passion for me early on. But because I came from a long line of teachers—my great-grandmother was a teacher, my grandmother was a teacher, and my mother was a teacher—of course, I was determined I was not going to be a teacher!” Decades later, she’s most alive in front of people eager to learn.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was living in New York City, the city of my dreams. My husband and I loved living there. I had an amazing job that was more than I had ever dreamed my career would be. But about six months in, I suddenly found myself really struggling to get out of bed every day. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Then, I was watching the The Daily Show with Jon Stewart where Harvard professor Tel Ben-Shahar was being interviewed about his book, Happier. It reignited my simple childhood fantasy of living a happy life. His course had become the most popular class on campus. He was describing the science of positive psychology, this idea that we can measure human flourishing and create interventions to improve human flourishing. He said we can actually teach people to be happier. All the light bulbs in my brain were flashing on that night. I rushed out to Barnes & Noble the next morning, waiting for them to open, so I could get the book. I bought it, sat down and read it. It opened up this whole new field to me about the science of human flourishing, and what we can do to be happier.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think we have to continually ask ourselves if we are on the right path for us. Once we get into the workplace, we are often put on paths that are designed for the benefit of the workplaces but not necessarily for us. We think we have to stay on that path, and keep climbing up to the next thing and the next thing. We stop asking whether this is the right path for us until we eventually come to some point not dissimilar to what I did in New York, where we ask, ‘What am I doing? How did I wind up here? Why am I not enjoying it? Is this just what being a grown up looks like?’ We assume we’re stuck and don’t have choice in it.”
Steps to Success from Michelle McQuaid
- Discover your strengths and passions. Find tools and people to help you do that.
2. Ask for what you want at work. You might be surprised at the response.
3. Explore the many small ways you can change your work day without permission. This can make your days much more pleasurable.
On Her Bookshelf
Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment, by Tal Ben-Shahar
Your Strengths Blueprint: How to be Engaged, Energized, and Happy at Work, by Michelle L. McQuaid MAPP and Erin Lawn
Top Tools on Her Browser
Connecting With Michelle McQuaid
Websites:
www.michellemcquaid.com
StrengthsChallenge.com
permahsurvey.comTwitter: @chellemcquaid
Facebook: facebook.com/chellemcquaid
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chellemcquaid
Free Gift
Free ebook “6 Steps to Move from Functioning to Flourishing” offered at michellemcquaid.com, as well as other free resources.
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From Walk-on Player to Fitness Pro - Drew Taddia
Drew was captain of winning high school teams in three different sports in in Canada, but his countless letters to U.S. college coaches were coming back, “Not interested.” So, he packed his bags and just showed up at a California college. The coach looked at him like he was crazy when this unknown Canadian said, “I’m going to play for you.”
Drew Taddia is now a full time entrepreneur, after traveling the world as a professional athlete. He hosts a syndicated health radio talk show (and podcast) called Exploring Mind and Body, is the author of “Detoxify Yourself,” has designed his own protein supplement and runs an online nutrition and fitness membership site.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Drew loved sports and was captain of his high school football and baseball teams, leading both teams to city championships in Calgary in Alberta, Canada. It was tougher to win over the basketball coach, who initially told him, “You’re not good enough to start for us.” After butting heads awhile, and learning more about leadership, the coach asked him to lead that team, too. For the first time in 15 years, his team made it into the city-wide playoffs. A high point was receiving a jubilant mid-court hug from his formerly skeptical coach.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Despite receiving countless “not interested” replies to his letters to college coaches in the United States, Drew was determined to play baseball in the U.S. “So I looked at places with a warmer climate, like California, Florida, and Texas. I started in California because it was closest to home, and I just showed up. In baseball, that’s called a ‘walk-on.’ I told the coach I was going to play for him. He looked at me like I was a little bit crazy, but I made it through tryouts, and I made the team. That was the beginning of my collegiate baseball career.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“To be perfectly honest with you, I wasn’t good enough to be there. In Canada, we played 16 games a season. I was competing against guys who played 30. It’s an eye-opening experience to understand you’re not the best player around and don’t have the best tools. I knew I needed to work on it, and that’s what I did! It just wasn’t good enough for me to go home and not play. So, I started to teach myself nutrition and fitness. I was always in the gym or the kitchen. Soon I became the go-to guy of how to design a fitness program. I learned what foods are going to help me field, run faster and hit the ball further. That was my edge. That’s how I learned how to be a better athlete, and a better person.”
Steps to Success from Drew Taddia
- Put yourself out there a little bit.
- Try some new things. You might be surprised at what you like, and what you discover you can do.
- Believe in yourself.
- Give yourself more options. Don’t limit yourself.
- Get moving. People and opportunities don’t just magically appear.
On His Bookshelf
The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Connecting With Drew Taddia
Website: www.trueformlife.com
Twitter: twitter.com/trueformlife
Facebook: facebook.com/trueformlife
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drewtaddia
Email: drewtaddia@gmail.com
Free Gift
Free month on our membership site (www.trueformlife.com), a $99 value. Weekly meal plans, recipes, grocery-shopping lists, fitness routines, at-home workouts and group support. To request your free month, mention “Discover Talent Podcast” in an email to: drewtaddia@gmail.com.
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44-Year Marriage Leads to Couples Coaching - Regina Partain
During her 44-year marriage, Regina and her husband created a successful staffing agency, a four-million-dollar enterprise with six offices in two states. Then came the great recession. “So, there I was—no spring chicken! —reinventing myself, learning coaching and internet marketing.”
Regina Partain was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1952. At the age of 18, she married her high school sweetheart, Kent. A wife, mother, and grandmother, her lifelong passion is helping others to live their dreams and achieve their potential. In 2015 she became a business and life coach as a way of fulfilling that passion. Regina is helping couples navigate the waters of marriage. Her own marriage lasted 44 years before her husband passed away. She brings all of her own marriage and life experiences to her coaching, writing and teaching. Regina has recently re-married. She and her new husband, Rendel, apply these teachings to their marriage.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
When Regina’s husband was stationed in southern Utah, she volunteered in a school on the Navajo Indian Reservation. She discovered there was no formal program for organizing volunteers and, although she had never done it before, she set about creating one. She helped secure grant money to create and fund a year-round school program to replace the previous nine-month term and three-month summer break. After students had been on the long summer vacation, they fell behind, and teachers were spending the first half of the new year bringing students back to where they had been at the close of the previous year. Then, they had to cram the entire year’s curriculum into the second half of the term. Under the new year-round program, the summer break was three weeks instead of three months, and students needed much less review time when they returned for the new term. “I developed a volunteer program, which was a first runner-up in a national school volunteer program competition. I learned a lot in the process of creating the program. It was exciting work.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After my husband passed away in 2014, I began a reinvention process. I decided to pursue another way of helping people, which has been my lifelong passion.” That new way is coaching. “I took some training to learn about coaching, and I also began to learn about internet marketing. In 2009, at my staffing company, people were just starting to use Facebook for business. I couldn’t fathom how that would work in 2009. So, there I was in 2014—not a spring chicken!—learning how to build a business online and how to coach. I’ve been on a huge learning curve. Now, I’m still learning new things as they come my way.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think there’s a confidence that comes from doing what you are passionate about. I have the sense that I can do anything. The world is not going to stop me. What I set out to do, I can achieve. There’s a joy that comes with knowing that and knowing I am not constrained by the world’s limitations. I march to the beat of my own drummer. I don’t want to be constrained by the box that the world would put me in. I don’t like boxes!
Steps to Success from Regina Partain
1. See your goals; visualize them clearly.
2. Understand the obstacles.
3. Create a positive mental picture.
4. Clear your mind of self-doubt
5. Embrace the challenge.
6. Stay on track.
7. Show the world you can do it.
On Her Bookshelf
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Mary Kay: You Can Have It All: Lifetime Wisdom from America’s Foremost Woman Entrepreneur, by Mary Kay Ash
Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence, by David Keirsey
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex, by John Gray
Connecting With Regina Partain
Website: bridgeportcoaching.com/optin
Twitter: twitter.com/BridgeportStrgy
Facebook: facebook.com/bridgeportcoaching
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Expert Interview: Know the Truth and Get Healthy - Hilde Larsen
Hilde Larsen is a certified health and wellness coach and detox specialist with a burning passion for life and the power we all hold within. She has overcome severe illness, pain and suffering through natural healing methods, and is now helping others find their true health and passion, to go from surviving to thriving. She has spent the last 10 years studying health and healing on all levels. Her strength is her firsthand experience of the subject. She is currently writing a series of five books, which will include her own journey from “Hell to Inspired,” detoxification, nature’s ability to heal, and raw food living.
Know the Truth and Get Healthy.
“When people ask me what they can do to feel better, most often there are old programming and old beliefs holding them back. There are belief systems that we have been imprinted with in us since our childhood. Those patterns make us easy targets for believing that we are not the powerful beings that we truly are. But, we actually are our own authority and can make our own decisions. We can believe in the ability of our bodies to heal. By giving away our authority to people and institutions outside us, we are giving away our sense of feeling strong and sovereign.”
Why Is This Important?
“Many people don’t know where to start, they don’t know what to do exactly. They might say, ‘What do you mean, take charge of my life? I’m already my own person and nobody is ruling me or taking charge of me!’ But the truth is, we often don’t even recognize the influences all around us. Whenever we watch TV, open a newspaper or even speak to someone who has an opinion, something is pointing us in one direction or another. We are used to looking outside of ourselves, looking to others for answers. We have to make a conscious decision to take back our authority over our own lives.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“I have developed seven powerful steps to taking charge of your own life. I believe when you take charge you really will call out the BS. Things that are not true in your life will start to fall away. I elaborate on these steps in the interview. Here are some highlights: 1) Always make conscious choices; 2) Step up and BE the authority in your life; 3) Get educated; 4) Take action; 5) Be your own cheerleader; 6) Let go of the past; and 7) Start today! Don’t procrastinate.”
Connecting With Hilde Larsen
Websites: http://inspiredbyhilde.com/
http://inspiredbyhilde.com/from-hell-to-inspired/
http://inspiredbyhilde.com/know-the-truth-and-get-healthy/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspiredbyhilde/
LinkedIn: https://no.linkedin.com/in/hilde-larsen-47170264/en
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Rebounding, He's Making Wiser Choices - Dan Kuschell
As a serial entrepreneur, Dan was building five companies simultaneously when his son was born. Two weeks later, after morning chest pains, he was lying in a hospital bed looking at a frightening prognosis and writing his will. He did go home in four days, but his life would never be the same.
Dan Kuschell has started and built 11 companies. He got his start in direct mail, working with and consulting for health clubs. After selling two of his companies in the late 2000’s following a health scare, he now spends his time working with fun projects, including helping Joe Polish and GeniusNetwork.com grow. Dan leads by coaching, driving execution and teamwork. What that means to his clients is they can generate more sales, improve profits and are able to make a greater impact and contribution.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Dan felt truly at his best when he was playing baseball, basketball and football. He was high on the baseball draft list, but injuries knocked him out of the running. Nevertheless, he played baseball through his college years and coached a college summer All-Star team at Wayne State University.
Then, direct marketing came along. “My sister got me a job in a direct marketing company when I was 16 or 17. I went into this company just to make some extra money to help with college expenses. But I fell in love with how you could print something on a piece of paper, put it in the mail and people would respond to it–like right now! And they would even pay you for it.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Two weeks after Dan’s son was born in the late 2000s, he recalls, “I woke up with chest pains and ended up in the hospital for four days.” He suddenly saw everything in a different light. “At that time, I was building five companies at once, with more than 175 employees. We were bringing in quite a bit of revenue, and I really thought we were transforming the industries we were in.” But he was getting by on two to four hours of sleep each night. “Instead of feeling like the victim, I decided, when I come out of this I’m going to make some changes. And, for me, those changes were not easy!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Today, Dan filters all his decisions through three questions: 1) What do I want? 2) Who am I, as a human being, not as a job title? and 3) What do I stand for?
And instead of only having a To-Do list, he now also has a Not-To-Do list. Before his chest pain wake-up call, Dan says, “I was able to choose what I wanted to work on, but what I truly needed was a way to decide what I really wanted to work on, and not just go after it for money.”
Steps to Success from Dan Kuschell
- Find a community of like-minded peers who will stretch, challenge and coach you.
2. Develop a willingness to face the things that frighten you and hold you back. (See Step 1.)
3. Practice the skill of being truly present to the people you love. Do more than just show up.
4. Always look for ways to contribute to life, to add value and have a positive impact.
Connecting With Dan Kuschell
Website:
GeniusNetwork.com
GeniusNetworkEvents.com
Growthtofreedom.comTwitter: twitter.com/GeniusNetwork
Facebook: facebook.com/GeniusNetwork/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dankuschell
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383:
When Life Threw Her a Curve - Kim Martin
Knowing she had some management skills but was a total newbie in health and fitness, Kim interviewed to be the manager of a local fitness club. On top of that, she had struggled with weight issues all her life. But something dawned on her, and she knew there was nothing random about her being there.
Kim Martin, at age 24, opened her first franchise, Curves Fitness. That was 20 years ago. In August of 2014 she took her passion of motivating people and marketing and founded I’ve Decided, Inc. Her goal with this business is to motivate the people within a given community to make a positive lifestyle choice to fulfill their dream, and provide the resources, via the business members of her organization, to help them achieve success. Kim is a motivational speaker and teacher of the “DECIDE” method, which she created to teach people the steps they need to take in order to achieve their goals.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I fell into Curves Fitness, almost by chance. It just seemed like divine appointment, like it was just where I was supposed to be at that particular time. I applied for a job as a manager at a new Curves opening near where I lived. I’d had some experience in management, but I had no experience in health and wellness. My whole life, I had struggled with being overweight. At the interview, it dawned on me, this could be the opportunity for me to take control of my life, get healthy, and use it as a motivator. I thought, if this works for me, I really believe I can inspire a lot of women and prove that this system works. They bought into that and hired me!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“My most important turning point was the day that I woke up and said, ‘If I can do this for the owners of this franchise, I could do this for myself!’ So, I pretty much stuck a stake in the ground, using the phrase I use all the time, ‘I decided.’ In that moment, I decided I would figure out a way to open my own franchise and do it myself. And that’s what I did! With God’s provision and a truck that we owned, I put up the truck as collateral for a small business loan. With some help from Gary Haven, the founder of Curves, I was able to get it financed. The rest is history. Within a couple of years, we had 1,500 members.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve learned that my greatest talent is my passion for people and my belief that I was born with a purpose, and by grand design, I was created. It’s a grace God has put on me to be able to inspire people.” To make that happen, Kim uses the power to decide. She created an acronym, which forms the word “decide,” made up of six steps she teaches others to achieve their goals.
Steps to Success from Kim Martin
Declare what you truly want.
Envision it, picture it, believe it, dream about it.
Cultivate a mindset that emotion follows the action.
Influences: Pay attention to who you are hanging around, who you admire? Who is influencing you?
Discipline, the hardest step: You’ll never achieve success by living an undisciplined life.
Excel at what you do.
Connecting With Kim Martin
Website: www.ivedecided.org/
Twitter: @ivedecided309
Facebook: facebook.com/ivedecidedpeoria/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kim-martin-speaker-motivator-fitness
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Natural Beauty as Fine Art Photography - Parish Kohanim
Surrounded by the lush, natural beauty of the wine country of Iran, growing up in a loving family that savored their times together absorbing it, why at 17 would Parish leave this all behind, and with $300 in his pocket, move to the U.S. by himself?
Consistently original, diverse, inventive and timeless are the hallmarks of Parish Kohanim’s photography. During his career, he has worked commercially for many Fortune 500 companies—IBM, Coca-Cola, DeBeers, to name a few—and his work has appeared on the pages of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Forbes, Time and Newsweek. “Photography has given me an expanded vision of the world, elevating my passion and profound appreciation for the majestic beauty of nature and all life. There’s no substitute for such profound pleasure, joy and fulfillment documenting such splendid beauty.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Parish believes his lifelong love of visual beauty was recorded in his subconscious during his childhood with his parents and siblings in Iran. “On moonlit nights, we would go to a place that had a stream and we would just sit there and listen to the sound of water, without much conversation, and look at the moon, feel the breeze, just be present with what nature has given us. That’s one of the reasons why a large body of my work is floral photography. When I ground myself in that incredible universe, I realize the impact of its beauty, its design, it’s colors and its fragrant smells. It sends my spirit to a whole different kingdom.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Parish was born in the small southern Iranian city, Shiraz. “It’s an absolutely stunning place, very much like Santa Fe, New Mexico; it’s very mountainous, with beautiful blue skies and lots of nature.” He cherished his closely-knit family, but he also had a love for the United States and all things American. “When I was 17, I decided to leave it all and come to the U.S., with $300 in my pocket, hardly speaking English, hardly knowing anybody here. Fear never came into the equation. I didn’t have an analytical mind as I grew up. When you are younger you don’t think of obstacles or dangers, you just focus on your destination. You think, this is what I want to do, and you just go for it without any fears.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“If you submit to the idea that you have arrived—thinking, “I’m there!”—you are cheating yourself out of going to the next level. So, I’m always challenging myself, giving myself new assignments. This keeps me alive and fresh to do something that I’ve never done before. Most importantly, I try to share something that I hope will resonate or inspire somebody who looks at the imagery to see the message behind my photos.”
Steps to Success from Parish Kohanim
1. Simplify your life and enjoy the beauty all around you, especially the beauty in nature.
2. Don’t let fear hold you back from pursuing your passion.
3. Never stop giving yourself “new assignments” that challenge you to expand your vision and see more.
4. Share the beauty you find. It enables us to take better care of the planet and each other.
On His Bookshelf
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere, by Pico Iyer
Connecting With Parish Kohanim
Website: www.ParishKohanim.com
Twitter: @ParishKohanim
Facebook: facebook.com/ParishKohanimPhotography/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/parish-kohanim-397a9118
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A Balanced Path of Holistic Healing - Deborah Maragopoulos
As a toddler, her grandmother saw her intuitive powers and gift for healing. For years, Deborah felt she had to suppress her gift. “I knew I had to justify my healing abilities by getting a university degree.” Reaching the perfect balance between the science of medicine and the art of healing has been her life-long challenge.
Deborah Maragopoulos MN FNP, The Hormone Queen®, blends the science of medicine with the art of healing. Upon graduating from UCLA with a Masters in Nursing, Deborah studied nutritional science, functional medicine, quantum physics, genetics, neuro-immune-endocrinology, and metaphysical healing. Through clinical research and two decades of collecting empirical data, Deborah developed a unique holistic healthcare model blending naturopathic and allopathic therapies, as well as a promising nutraceutical product–Genesis Gold®.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Although Deborah had known she had powerful intuitive abilities all her life and often used them to help her friends and family, “I knew I had to justify my healing abilities by getting a degree.” While studying nursing at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), she volunteered as a candy striper at a hospital. “I decided to become a nurse practitioner. That way I could do what the doctors were doing, but still get through school quickly and have the more wellness-oriented education I found in nursing education, rather than a disease-oriented education more typical of medical schools.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
A major early childhood event that continues to shape Deborah’s life came, literally, at her grandmother’s feet. “She was what might have been called ‘the village witch’ back in the day. Although no one called her that, they just knew she was special. People would come to her to interpret their dreams.” Deborah clearly remembers playing on the linoleum kitchen floor under a table where several women were seated. She saw drops of blood coming from one of the women. “I stood up – I was little enough that I could stand up under the table. I placed my hand on her belly, and told her, ‘Not this one.’ Unbeknownst to me, the woman had experienced multiple miscarriages. I later confirmed this memory with my mother, who told me that was the moment my grandmother knew I had the gift, and started to mentor me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I really believe if you’re doing what your calling is—and you’re not fighting it but you’re really going with the flow—it all just opens up. Everything just laid itself out for me at UCLA. Everything was ease and joy, and there was no stress with it. It was this amazing experience at a huge college, especially for someone from a small town.”
Steps to Success from Deborah Maragopoulos
1. Your inner voice doesn’t always talk. Often it’s a feeling most people feel in their gut. Learn to listen to it, in whatever way it comes to you.
2. When your intuition is talking to you, it’s often telling you to take action.
3. Pay attention to your perceptions and beliefs. “If I believe I’m never going to climb the mountain, I’m never going to climb the mountain.”
On Her Bookshelf
Love Dance, Awakening of the Divine Daughter, by Deborah Maragopoulos
Hormones in Harmony: Heal Your Hypothalamus for Optimal Health, Graceful Aging, and Joyous Energy, by Deborah Maragopoulos
Connecting With Deborah Maragopoulos
Website: http://thehormonequeen.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/thehormonequeen
Facebook: facebook.com/Hormone-Queen
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deborah-maragopoulos
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Expert Interview: Go-Giver Leadership - Bob Burg
Bob Burg is an advocate, supporter and vendor of the free-enterprise system, believing that the amount of money one makes is directly proportional to how many people you serve. Today he shares how his popular Go-Giver principles can be used to build principled leadership.
A sought-after speaker at company leadership and sales conferences across the country, Bob is the author of several books on sales, marketing, and influence, with total book sales well over a million copies. He was named by the American Management Association as one of the Top 30 Most Influential Thought Leaders in Business for 2014. He is also an unapologetic animal fanatic and serves on the board of trustees of Furry Friends Adoption and Clinic in his town of Jupiter, Florida.
Go-Giver Leadership
In his first book, The Go Giver, Bob Burg and co-author John David Mann, the key premise is shifting your focus from getting to giving. Always looking to add value. Moving from an I-focus or a me-focus to an other-focus. Exactly the same core message applies to the Go-Giver Leader: you shift your focus from me to other, and you create a more powerful, lasting leadership. A Go-Giver leader operates day-to-day and moment-to-moment, from the perspective that leaderships is simply a way to help build, promote and enhance the enterprise and its people first.
Why Is This Important?
“As John Maxwell, the famous leadership speaker and author says, ‘Leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less.’ Bob Burg saw a growing need to apply his Go-Giver principles specifically to the challenge of leadership. His approach is an antidote to popular practices that undervalue people and sacrifice ethics to the bottom line. He tackles difficult questions such as when should you compromise and when should you hold firm to your vision and values. At its core, his message is about adding value to relationships.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Leadership is vital in all spheres of our lives, and principled leadership can be learned. Focusing on giving instead of getting, valuing all relationships, and adding value whenever possible will strengthen your own leadership skills while building your organization at the same time. “Building widgets, building a portfolio, building equity – they’re all important. But none of those is as central to the health of an enterprise as building up its people.”
Connecting With Bob Burg
Website: www.TheGoGiver.com
Twitter: @bobburg
Facebook: facebook.com/bobburg
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bobburg
Free Gift
Read a free sample chapter from three of Bob Burg’s books: The Go Giver, Go Givers Sell More, and The Go Giver Leader available at www.TheGoGiver.com in the Books section.
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Teaching Lean Strategic Decision-Making - Steve Garchow
He was tasked with completing a half-billion-dollar project, but members of his multi-disciplinary team might just as well have been speaking different languages. Poor group dynamics made matters worse. He knew he had to find a way to make all the parts work together. Could he create a process that would work?
Steve Garchow spent 35 years helping his employers improve company strategy. He learned that, without a strategic decision process as a guide, companies are not very good at formulating strategy. His recently published book, Stratification: How Strategic Decision Processes Will Create Sustainable Competitive Advantage, makes companies more effective. Steve’s passion is working with companies to improve their strategic decision-making.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I went to college, my dad told me, “Go into a major where you’re going to get a job.” So that’s what I did. Then, it took me awhile to find something that I’m passionate about. It was through the outplacement department of a large corporation where he worked that Steve found the tools to help him discover his talents and the things he cared about. He followed the guidance in a book. “The author advised that before you even think about jobs or take any other steps, figure out what are you passionate about.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Six months into his marriage, Steve lost his job. “My wife was a Ph.D. student, so we knew if we were going to live together I needed to find a job in the local area.” Two job opportunities came along, one nearby, the other in Chicago. He decided to wait for the local job, so he turned down the Chicago offer. Then, he waited and waited for the local offer to materialize, but it never did. Steve summoned his courage, called the Chicago company and explained what had happened. They offered the job again, on the same terms as the first offer. “I learned so much about business, so much about strategies, things I never would have learned at the local company. That was a real passage for me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Returning from a six-year assignment in Australia, Steve was tasked with leading a multi-disciplinary group to select a next-generation portfolio for a half-billion-dollar franchise. Beset by communication problems and poor group dynamics, the project was faltering. Steve set out to bring the task force members together, get them speaking the same language, and create a process that succeeded. “Creating this process led to what I am doing today, teaching companies to use this lean strategic decision model.”
Steps to Success from Steve Garchow
1. Believe in yourself.
2. Before you even think about jobs, figure out what are you passionate about.
3. Be willing to take risks. Risks can add flavor to your life.
4. Hope is not a strategy. Make course corrections, adjust your sails, and move on.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Steve Garchow
Website: http://foresight-consultinginc.com/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stevegarchow
Free Gift
Poem mentioned in interview, Good Enough, by Edgar Guest. Email: Steve@foresight-consultinginc.com to request free PDF.
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378:
A Glimpse of Joy at an Unlikely Time - Caroline Greene
Caroline Greene is a recovering lawyer, chronic overachiever, and two-time Amazon best-selling author of MATTER: How to Find Meaningful Work That’s Right for You and Your Family and NEXT: How to Start a Successful Business That’s Right for You and Your Family. As a life and business coach, Caroline helps determined moms build businesses and whole lives that truly matter to them.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I grew up moving all the time. I was an urban gypsy of sorts Every three or four years my family would relocate. My father was an attorney who got bored quickly, so he would change jobs and we would uproot and move. I got used to a very fast-paced life, always starting over again. It led me down a path of extraversion and flexibility about defining who I was and what would help me transition most easily.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Accustomed to competitive schools like Philips Exeter Academy, Yale and the University of Virginia Law School, Caroline was adept at figuring out what was expected of her in many situations, but had never learned how to listen to her own inner voice, much less understand it and act on its guidance. On a maternity leave from her law firm, “I had one of the hardest seasons of my life: early onset depression. I started to experience depression while I was pregnant with my second daughter. I knew about postpartum depression but didn’t realize you could experience its symptoms while you were pregnant.” In the midst of the depression, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, which gave her a vision of how she could have a life of authentic joy. “It laid the foundation for everything that was to come later.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We are not taught in our culture to value our inner voices. In fact, many of us don’t even know we have them! No one had ever told me that my inner self has many parts that manifest in voices—different parts of self that express desires, wishes, fears. When I first experienced this, I wondered if I might be going insane! I learned this is totally normal. Underneath all the clamor and white noise, we actually have a well of deep wisdom, deep knowledge and deep intuition, that truly wants to guide us into joy.”
Steps to Success from Caroline Greene
1. Start by paying attention to the flow of your self-talk. What are you telling yourself about yourself all the time?
2. Allow yourself time to step back from the pressures to achieve, perform and excel and think about what really matters to you.
3. Recognize that you are more than the choices that you make, and more than what you do in the world.
4. Take the time to see that you are a worthy human being just for being you.
Connecting With Caroline Greene
Website: carolinegreenecoaching.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/DeterminedMoms
Facebook: facebook.com/CarolineGreeneCoaching
Free Gift
Free e-book copy of “NEXT: How to Start a Successful Business That’s Right for You and Your Family,” available at http://www.determinedmomsguide.com
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Gaining Wisdom from His Patients’ Vacations - Mitchell Mays, D.C., C.Ht.
Several years into a successful chiropractic practice, Mitchell Mays puzzled over the patients who kept returning with recurring conditions, no matter what he tried. Then, he had an “ah-ha!” moment that took his practice in a whole new direction.
Dr.Mays is the #1 best-selling author of MIND GATE: Demolish Fear, Overcome Anxiety and Create the Life You Want. He’s been a licensed chiropractor since 1978 and is a certified master hypnotist and hypnotherapist employing functional medicine, biofeedback, nutrition, guided imagery and hypnosis for chronic anxiety, stress and pain. He and his wife Terry, also a hypnotherapist and mind/body practitioner, maintain a busy practice in northern California, and together conduct workshops in intensive awake empowered transformational retreats.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Looking back, what fascinated me the most was science and words. I love words, and I love science.” On one hand, he loved hands-on science, like dissecting frogs. “My cousin and I found out that if you sprayed frogs with hairspray, it would paralyze them, and we could actually do a dissection live! I know that sounds horrible, but I was really interested in seeing the inner workings of the body. On the other hand, “Going through high school, I was in speech, and I loved it. I won the Toastmaster’s Award one year.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After building a successful chiropractic practice, Mitchell began noticing the many patients who repeatedly came back with the same symptoms. “They were having terrible recurrences, no matter what I did.” He noticed that the symptoms often went away when the patient went on vacation, then recurred when they returned to their daily routine. “That was a huge ah-ha moment that set me off on a whole new stage in studying the mind, and what I can do to make a difference. So, in 1987 I started studying guided imagery, using it on my patients.” He has continued to expand his practice into deeper understanding of the mind. Today, he is especially interested in how people respond to stress and information overload by falling into a trance state, and he regularly uses hypnosis to “wake them up” from their stress-induced state.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I love giving people the idea of waking up to their full potential as human beings. We are magnificent, divine creatures. We’re pure energy, and we’re an extension of that same energy that runs the planets. I love to help people wake up to that fact, and get on with their lives, and see the many gifts available to them.”
Steps to Success from Mitchell Mays, D.C., C.Ht.
Use the processes represented by the acronym, BEAT:
- B is for breathe, deep belly breathing
- E is for eat. Eat protein every two to three hours to avoid low blood sugar levels, which cause panic and trigger the fight-or-flight response
- A is for assess. Assess how you are feeling and just take a moment to become an observer of the emotion
- T is to remind you to take action. Move your body, change your physiology, get up, move around, walk outside, go for a short walk.
On His Bookshelf
The Science of Getting Rich: Financial Success Through Creative Thought, by Wallace D. Wattles
The MIND GATE Process of Empowerment: Experience the Awesome Power of Your Subconscious Mind, by Dr. Mitchell Mays
Future Shock, by Alvin Toffler
Connecting With Mitchell Mays, D.C., C.Ht.
Website URL: https://drmitchellmays.com/
Twitter: @mayshypnosis
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmitchellmays
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A Career Based on Building Relationships - Meredith Bell
Early in a career she loved as a classroom teacher and administrator, Meredith knew she had a knack for helping people build relationships. When politics and bureaucracy began to bog her down, she decided to start her own company. But there was one problem: she had zero experience in business.
Meredith Bell has been an entrepreneur since 1982. She’s an expert in helping companies develop the people side of their business. Her software company’s programs are used by consultants, coaches and human resources professionals to help managers become more effective leaders. One of Meredith’s strengths is building strong relationships. She and her business partners have worked together for 25 years, and many of their clients and resellers have used their products for 20 years.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Meredith used to play school as a child. “I can remember I always wanted to be a teacher.” In college, she thought she might want to teach English. “I took a career assessment, which showed more of a predisposition toward working with younger children. “I switched over to Elementary education and really enjoyed that. I had always loved kids, so that was a really good fit for me. It’s just that I felt the need for something more.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After working as a classroom teacher, Meredith took a job in the school board office. “I was able to have more influence with the teachers in school. I worked in three different School divisions and the last one was really interesting. In the two years I worked there, I had two very different experiences. The second year’s experience is what launched me into starting my own business. “What’s interesting is that I had zero background in business! I had never taken any classes in sales and marketing, and not a single class in business, and yet some of the skills I had acquired over the years served me well when I decided to jump out and start working with local businesses.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I was always really interested in observing people—watching how they get along—and in helping people. Even in the positions I’d had at the school board office, I was interested in helping people build relationships. In my head, I knew that I had that ability. I began thinking of how I could translate that into some work I could do. I decided I could help people become better communicators at work. That’s such a huge challenge!”
Steps to Success from Meredith Bell
1. Look at what you are doing in a detached way, as if it were the subject of a science experiment. This will give you objective data to work with and will help you avoid harshly judging yourself.
2. Don’t judge yourself as a failure if things don’t work out as you planned. Learn from it and try again.
3. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Humor helps.
4. Recognize that there is no such thing as THE right way. Allow yourself to improvise, adjust course and learn.
On Her Bookshelf
Crazy Good: A Book of CHOICES, by Steve Chandler
Fearless: Creating the Courage to Change the Things You Can, by Steve Chandler
Time Warrior: How to defeat procrastination, people-pleasing, self-doubt, over-commitment, broken promises and chaos, by Steve Chandler
LinkedIn Riches: How To Use LinkedIn For Business, Sales and Marketing! by John Nemo
Connecting With Meredith Bell
Website URL: www.StrongForPerformance.com
Twitter: @MeredithMBell
Facebook: facebook.com/MeredithMBell
LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/meredithmbell
Free Gift
“How to Be a Support Coach” – 9 videos and an e-book
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375:
Expert Interview: How To Do More of What You Do Best - Michelle McQuaid
Michelle McQuaid is a best-selling author, workplace well-being teacher and playful change activator. With more than a decade of senior leadership experience in large organizations around the world, she’s passionate about translating cutting-edge research from positive psychology and neuroscience into practical strategies for health, happiness, and business success. An honorary fellow at Melbourne University’s Graduate School of Education, she blogs for Psychology Today, Huffington Post and Live Happy and her work has been featured in Forbes, the Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, Boss Magazine, The Age and more.
How to Do More of What You Do Best
Most of us don’t feel like we have a chance to do what we do best each day at work. Many of us have had to struggle to truly feel engaged in the jobs that we have. Often, when we’re in that state, we feel helpless, overwhelmed and despairing at times. But recent research has shown that even ten minutes a day of using your character strengths a bit more in your job can impact your well-being, sense of confidence, and performance. No matter what your job description says, you generally have some choice in how you go about your job.”
Why Is This Important?
“The first challenge is figuring out what our strengths are, because we often don’t know them. One reasons for this is that our strengths often come so easily to us that we take them for granted. We think, ‘Everybody can do that, there’s nothing special about it!’ We often don’t realize that, actually, there is something special in it. We can also look at the small changes we can make in a current job without having to leave it. Some of those changes might even be made without needing your boss’s permission. These changes can help you to begin doing more of what you do best each day.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“The first challenge is figuring out what our strengths are, because we often don’t know them. Begin by using a free online tool like VIACharacter.org. In about ten minutes, you’ll receive a listing, in order, of 24 of your unique character strengths. A growing body of evidence shows that having a chance to use our strengths, to do the things we’re good at and actually enjoy doing in our jobs, has important, positive outcomes for our personal well-being and performance. It doesn’t even have to be all day; it could just be part of the day. It has positive outcomes in terms of our teams and our organization’s bottom-line as well.”
Connecting With Michelle McQuaid
Website: michellemcquaid.com
Twitter: @chellemcquaid
Facebook: facebook.com/chellemcquaid
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/chellemcquaid
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The Road to Self-Acceptance - Angus Nelson
He spent his 20s traveling the world, working with young people, doing good. At the nonprofit organization he formed, he began to burn out. “The harder I worked, the more difficult it got,” he recalls. The words of a favorite author spoke to him, and he knew he needed to rethink the direction he was headed.
Angus Nelson works with executives of the world’s largest companies as a speaker, coach and facilitator. He has spoken at corporate headquarters for Walmart, Whole Foods, Coke, BMW and others. He hosts an Inc.com Top 20 business podcast called, “Up In Your Business,” and has been featured on AOL.com, Huffington Post and VentureBeat. Author of “Love’s Compass: How Do You Recover After a Lost Relationship”, his second book, “Empowering Work,” will be released in April, 2017.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Inspired by the transformation in his parents’ lives as the result of a newfound Christian faith, Angus studied youth ministry in college, “because I, too, had come to faith of my own. I love people and love to serve them, specifically young people. I worked with a missions organization and got to go into a number of different cities and countries around the world, and from coast to coast in the U.S., doing great things.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Angus created a nonprofit organization in his 20s and plunged himself into it. “I found myself putting my identity in the institution. I became a workaholic, because I felt I had to do good, get good, be the best. The harder I worked, the more difficult it got. I found myself confronted with my ego and my narcissism in ways that I didn’t understand. Those were very dark days.” Then, he connected with an author who practiced a holistic approach that included faith, psychology and emotional wellbeing. He took a year off to learn and heal, “And it changed my life!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It’s not about what I do, it’s about who I am. We put more value on our performance and our production than we do on the simple fact that just being who we are is enough. Learning to be present, to accept and love yourself as you are, you find a place of gratitude. From gratitude comes happiness, fulfillment, joy, love—all the things other people want to be around. That creates opportunities and momentum. And that creates beautiful and wonderful things.”
Steps to Success from Angus Nelson
1. Surround yourself with people who inspire and challenge you. We become like those with whom we associate.
2. Pay attention to what you’re reading, watching on TV, doing on social media, and make sure it is aligned with your core values.
3. Be intentional about being your unique and different self, instead of trying to “out-do” other people.
4. Recognize that who you are today is not defined by who you were yesterday. Who you are tomorrow is a product of how you invest in today.
On Her Bookshelf
Love’s Compass: How Do You Recover After a Lost Relationship, by Angus Nelson
Connecting With Angus Nelson
Website: http://angusnelson.com/up-in–business/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/angusnelson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angusnelson.fanpage
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angusnelson
Free Gift
Free e-book for Discover Your Talent listeners: Networking with Credibility. Go to: http://angusnelson.com/talent
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Nobody Got Her Goat - P.J. Jonas
Like many educated women, PJ faced criticism when she left an engineering job to be a stay-at-home mom. Soon her problem-solving skills and creativity were going to be put to the test. After all, she was planning to homeschool her eight children, and–oh yes–raise goats.
PJ Jonas is a business owner, goat-wrangler, entrepreneur, and mother. After getting goats to provide healthy milk for her eight children, she decided to put some excess milk into a batch of handmade soap. That decision was the beginning of Goat Milk Stuff, a growing goat milk products business that has been featured on The Today Show, The Doctors, The Huckabee Show, and in “O”, the Oprah Magazine. What started with an initial small batch of soap has expanded into a host of goat milk items such as goat milk soaps, cheeses, candies, fudge, gelato and more.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
PJ Jonas earned a degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia and worked in that profession for several years, but it was when her first child was born that her creativity and problem-solving skills were fully put to use. In addition to full-time parenting, she and her husband took on the homeschooling of their eight children. She found ways of using their newly-created family business to engage the children in hands-on learning, not only academic but also in core life values.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Deciding to leave the workforce to be a stay-at-home mom was the first step of a life-changing process. A practical decision to lower their cost of living by moving to Indiana set PJ and her family on a pioneering path of holistic health. Getting some goats to provide raw milk for the family morphed into a full line of healthy products created by their new venture, Goat Milk Stuff. JP, her husband and all eight children are intimately involved in the entire endeavor.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I had been praying for years for a family business, but I never really thought about making soap! We started making and using the soap ourselves, and my husband’s fingers stopped cracking and splitting, and I realized we have a really good product that helps people. When we started selling it, feedback flooded in from the moms of children with eczema, telling us the soap helped their kids when nothing else had worked. The feedback was so tremendous we realized, “We can do this!”
Steps to Success from P.J. Jonas
1. To pursue what you love, first free-up your resources by living well below your means.
2. Begin your journey toward your goal—toward healthy living, for example—by taking baby steps. Just start somewhere now.
3. Help others understand that what they do matters, beginning with your own children.
On Her Bookshelf
Lady on the Hill: How Biltmore Estate Became an American Icon, by Howard E. Covington
Connecting With P.J. Jonas
Website: http://goatmilkstuff.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/goatmilkstuff
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goatmilkstuff
Free Gift
Free bar of soap for podcast listeners. To request your gift, use the “Contact Us” form on the website goatmilkstuff.com and mention “Discover Your Talent Podcast” in message.
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Path to Freedom: Tennis, Golf & Kids - Paul Maskill
Paul Maskill set out for Chicago and the American dream in 2007, bolstered by his degree in finance from the University of Michigan. Stuck in a cube farm, watching his co-workers being laid off as the worst recession in decades rolled in, he knew he had to change his vision of the right career for him – and NOW!
Sitting in a cubicle for 12 hours a day building someone else’s business was not Paul Maskill’s idea of a living the dream. So, he quit! In 2011 he invested in his first TGA franchise, combining his business experience with passion for sports. TGA—teach, grow, achieve—brings golf and tennis to students through afterschool programs, summer camps and family events. Paul grew his business to four franchises, reaching thousands of kids and earning $420k in annual revenue. In 2015, he sold his franchises for six times his initial investment, netting a profit three times his investment. He was hired by TGA and is in charge of Business Development.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Connecting with the TGA franchise, Paul’s education and passions came together. His father had introduced him to golf at age four or five. His mother had influenced him to learn about finance, and he’d long had a passion for sports. In the after-school sports program of TGA, he owned and managed a business, stayed connected with golf and tennis, and helped others find their way into entrepreneurial lives through the franchise opportunity.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
With his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Michigan, Paul headed to Chicago, Illinois, in 2007 to live the American dream. After working two years in a cubicle during the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, “I knew I had to do something different. Watching many co-workers get laid off, I saw this wasn’t viable for my sanity.” He quit his job, took two months off in South America, and seriously began investigating starting his own business.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Taking stock of his life’s direction as a young man, Paul faced the fears most people face about leaving the security of a job “working for the man.” Ultimately, he asked himself what was the worst that could happen. “I knew I was taking a huge risk challenging conventional thinking. Going out on my own was kind of nerve-racking, but looking back, what’s more secure? Being in 100 percent control of your own destiny, or letting somebody else be in control? That’s what made me decide stick to work hard enough to never have to go back to working for the man again.”
Steps to Success from Paul Maskill
1. Question the direction of your life, sooner rather than later.
2. Following your passion ultimately comes down to “just do it.”
3. If you’re in a job you hate, ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen if I just leave?”
On His Bookshelf
The Go-Giver, Expanded Edition: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea, by Bob Burg and John David Mann
Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You, by John Warrillow
The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry, by John Warrillow
#AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur’s Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness, by Gary Vaynerchuk
Top Tools on His Browser
Slack – app for managing team communications.
Evernote – free note-taking tool you can access from all devices.
Connecting With Paul Maskill
Email: pmaskill@playTGA.com
Website: www.franchisetga.com
Twitter: @paulmaskill
Facebook: TGAJuniorGolf and TGATennis
LinkedIn: paulmaskill
Free Gift
Visit Paul Maskill’s special page for Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love podcast listeners www.franchisetga.com/discover
- A free PDF survey, “Is a Franchise Right for You?”
- And after you take the survey, a free 15-minute discovery phone consultation with Paul.
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Turning a Potential Curse into a Blessing - Vasavi Kumar
She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in college. Instead of taking it as the death knell of her career, she wondered, might there be some similarities between bipolar peaks and valleys and the roller coaster ride most entrepreneurs experience?
Vasavi Kumar is often described as “your kick-in-the-pants guide on route to your desired destination.” She is a licensed social worker, special education teacher and a certified coach. Vasavi holds dual Masters degrees in Special Education from Hofstra University and Social Work from Columbia University. She’s a pro at attracting media and works with her clients to create and go after opportunities that are aligned with their brand values. She has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, was a regular on NBC’s Kansas City Live as the “Keepin’ It Real Guru.” She believes that with impeccable character, a work ethic, and unwavering values, you can do, be and have anything you want.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As Vasavi was graduating from Columbia University with a $200,000 education in social work, base starting yearly salaries were $35,000. “This is why I never professionally went into the field of Social Work. Instead, I went into a coach’s training program, then started my own business in 2010. Now, I use my talents in social work and therapy, and my expertise in marketing, to help social workers, therapists and others in the helping professions get their message out there so they can earn more money. They deserve to be compensated well.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Already acquainted with the feeling of being an outsider, as the daughter of a family from India, growing up in a mostly white neighborhood on Long Island, New York, Vasavi was faced with another label at Boston College at age 20. “I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I think across the board, no matter where you go, mental illness has such a huge stigma. But I have the ability to take a challenge and use it to my advantage. So, I immersed myself in understanding more about bipolar disorder, the ups and downs, and how to harness those ups and downs.” In the peaks and valleys, she began to see similarities to the roller-coaster entrepreneurs often ride. “I did not let that diagnosis stop me from harnessing my full potential. I used what some would call a curse, and I turned it into my blessing.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Vasavi never urges her clients to “quit your day job,” as some gurus advise. “If you choose to stay in your job, you are not a loser, you are not worthless! But what I will say is use all the time you have to pursue those talents. If you need to pay bills and put food on the table, that is your number one responsibility. After all, if you don’t have your basic needs met, your creative flow isn’t going to be jacked up. You get to choose whether you watch Netflix for three hours a night, or start pursuing your passions. You should be harnessing your God given gifts, researching and immersing yourself in finding how you can take your talent and bring it to life.”
Steps to Success from Vasavi Kumar
1. Don’t (necessarily) quit your day job. Cover your basic needs first.
2. Use your free time to immerse yourself in exploring your passion.
3. Never compromise your self-respect.
On Her Bookshelf
Conversations with God Trilogy: 3-book set, by Neale Donald Walsch
Connecting With Vasavi Kumar
Website: Vasavikumar.com
Twitter: @Askvasavi
Facebook: Facebook.com/vasavikumarcoaching
Free Gift
Set a free 20-minute phone consultation with Vasavi after you watch her video on Focused Action: Vasavikumar.com/FocusedAction
October 2016:
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Expert Interview: How to Obtain Rapid Growth in Your Business - Matthew Pollard
Matthew Pollard knows success. With five multimillion-dollar success stories and the prestigious Young Achiever award, he is a true differentiation, niche marketing and sales powerhouse. He is a recurring guest on FOX-7’s Good Day Austin, KXAN and KLBJ News Radio, as well as a featured contributor to CEO, Entrepreneur and Top Sales World magazine. Matt was recently honored with induction into the International Sales Blogger Awards Hall of Fame, and is the 34th most retweeted business coach on Twitter.
How to Obtain Rapid Growth in Your Business.
“When people start talking about how to obtain rapid growth, it feels like it’s unobtainable because we’ve tried so hard. We’ve heard a lot of online programs saying we should use SEO, a podcast or social media. All those things do work, a little bit. But by themselves, they are not the silver bullet, not a holistic strategy to obtain rapid growth. The very first milestone to focus on is what you care passionately about. What is our deepest purpose, what are our goals, and what do we want to achieve?”
Why Is This Important?
If you don’t yet know what gift you want to share with the world, then switch off your phone, your email notifications and your other distractions. Go spend some time really thinking about it. Once you have that down pat, and you know what it is, then you can start to craft goals. Before you can even start with goals, you need to define what your true purpose in life is.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Look for what you have to offer that is unique, that will distinguish you from the crowd. What special touches are you already providing your clients but haven’t recognized as services that differentiate you from the rest? Generally, each of us has a set of competencies that allow us to get clients who sing our praises, who are happy to pay a premium. Otherwise, why would they keep coming back if we are more expensive, and why would they sing our praises if we’re just doing what everyone else is doing? Look for ways to build on those strengths. Follow proven methods of achieving rapid growth.
Connecting With Matthew Pollard
Website: www.matthewpollard.com and http://matthewpollard.com/growth
Twitter: @matthewpollard
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Motivator Tip: First, Believe in Yourself - Brad Burton
Brad was directionless as a young man in Manchester, England, believing the teachers who said he’d never amount to anything might be right. Two bullet holes through his window made him rethink what was really important. Resettled in Somerset, kicking a can alone down a street, he had no idea he’d be where he is today.
Brad Burton views himself as “the U.K.’s #1 Motivational Business Speaker,” taking his cue from “the Greatest”—the late boxing champion, Muhammad Ali. Today, without formal qualifications, he is the highest rated and reviewed business author. His approach to life, business and motivation is unique. Yet it works, firing up people from all walks of life. Brad gives people the permission to do the very thing they know they should be doing. His goal is to change the entire personal development world in the U.K.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Coming from a working class background in northern England, Brad heard the frequent naysaying of teachers, “You’ll never amount to anything.” For a while, it seemed they might be right as he searched unsuccessfully for a place to fit in. The landscape of business networking organizations in the United Kingdom—“the looney left” or the “hard right”—left him cold. So, he created something completely new called 4Networking, where his talent for inspiring others to believe in themselves thrives and changed the way networking is done in the U.K.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Brad experienced a breakdown about four years ago. Rebounding from that crisis, he views the process as a deconstructing of his former life, as a chance to rebuild his life in a different way. It reaffirmed the importance of believing in himself and having a purpose larger than himself. “I want people to be kind to themselves, and not focus so much on money.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Think about the worst day of your life and the best day as two bookends. If it weren’t for the worst day of my life, twenty-odd years ago, I wouldn’t be where I am now. It all happens for a reason. Today I don’t regret my past. Instead of running from it, I run toward it and embrace it. I look to my background to see what I can use positively. Right now, I’m genuinely at a really good place.”
Steps to Success from Brad Burton
1. Believe in yourself, stop comparing yourself unfavorably to others.
2. Find your own level and judge yourself by your own personal growth and progress. Be kind to yourself.
3. Money for its own sake is meaningless. Find a higher purpose that drives you.
4. Don’t lose sight of your destination.
On His Bookshelf
Life. Business: Just Got Easier, by Brad Burton
Off Your Arse, by Brad Burton
Get off Your Arse Too, by Brad Burton
Connecting With Brad Burton
Website: www.bradburton.biz
Twitter: @Bradburton
Facebook: facebook.com/TheBradBurton/
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Finding Her Voice in Foreign Lands - Cynthia Zhai
When she arrived in Singapore from her native China, she didn’t know a soul. In a matter of months, she created a circle of new friends, launched her own business, and found a global market on the internet, helping clients find and use their voice.
Cynthia Zhai, who is based in the Republic of Singapore, the world’s only island city-state, is a voice coach, speaker and author of the book, Influence Through Voice, published by McGraw-Hill. She has helped senior executives and professionals with their speeches, to enable them to speak with impact and conviction. She has been a professional speaker and coach for the past 14 years and her engagement spans Singapore, the United States, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macao, mainland China, India and Brunei. She has appeared on the Singapore radio 938 Live-FM three times, on Hong Kong radio and Malaysia business radio station, BFM, as a guest speaker on the subject of voice.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
In secondary school in her native People’s Republic of China, Cynthia’s extra-curricular activities included playing piano and participating on the singing team, an early sign of her love of the human voice. “I was always the class president. My parents wanted me to be the best in the class, which could be stressful sometimes.” Her father, an engineer, hopes she would follow in his steps, but she preferred to learn about business. “I found that was what I liked. When I was learning about marketing, about managing a company and its people, I liked it. I really enjoyed it. Although she honored her parents’ desires that she finish her bachelor’s degree in economics and earn a master’s degree in business administration, she recalls, “I wanted to get into the real world, to practice what I had learned.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Born in Tianjin, the largest coastal city in northern China, and studying at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Cynthia’s first major turning point was moving to Singapore, and eventually starting her own business. “When I arrived in Singapore I had no friends. I knew no one. But because of Toastmasters, I went to many clubs and also joined one. That’s where I started to get to know people and to understand how the local people think, how they speak. I began to make a lot of friends Also, that’s where I realized that there were so many people running their own businesses. I thought, if they can do it, I can do it, too.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I want to help people develop a holistic appreciation of their voice. Our voice is not just a tool we use to convey information, which is what most people think. The human voice has been used since ancient times, when there were people going from village to village to tell stories, just using their voice. Today, we have lost touch with the power of our voice. We write more but we use our voices less. Once you develop your voice, not only will you sound better, the way you feel about yourself and the way you influence people will also be enhanced.”
Steps to Success from Cynthia Zhai
1.Don’t settle for a “good” job just because it is safe. Venture out to use your full potential.
2. Go out and meet people, without an agenda, just to get to know them.
3. Cultivate a curiosity about what other people are doing and take inspiration from them.
4. Read, read, read. Never stop learning.
On Her Bookshelf
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
How to Win Friends & Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey
Connecting With Cynthia Zhai
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cynthiazhai
Twitter: @YourVoiceCoach
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.zhai
LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/cynthiazhai
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A Passion Inspired by the Stars - Alex Hofeldt
One of his students shared an awe-inspiring image of deep outer space from the Hubble Telescope. Alex displayed it for the class, intending to say just a few words. His passionate talk consumed the entire period, greeted by enthusiastic applause. In that moment, he realized he had a gift, a passion and a message to share.
Alex Hofeldt sees himself first and foremost as, “a high school science teacher who has the privilege of teaching biology and astronomy to the next generation of students.” His passion project centers around his science-motivational podcast called Beautiful Dust Specks. “I am also a registered yoga teacher, personal trainer, and nutritional counselor. My goal is to live a dynamic life and help others do the same.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
The son of two teachers, Alex grew up in a home that valued learning and good teaching. His father, a biology teacher, sparked Alex’s interest in science at an early age, often letting him sit in on his classes. “My goal is to make my classroom a place of lifelong learning, a place where kids can be themselves and learn a lot. My passion is to show people that science is the grandest motivational tool you could possibly imagine. I want to bring a deeper understanding that the ordinary moments in the world are truly extraordinary.” This is part of what animates his passion project, his podcast.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
A simple demonstration about hydrochloric acid and human digestion captured Alex’s imagination as a child. “My dad had let me watch a little bit of the movie, Alien, so I knew the concept of acid. Watching the demonstration, I suddenly realized, ‘Oh my word, this is acid, like in Alien?’ My dad explained how hydrochloric acid could eat through your stomach. I remember asking him, how does it not eat through me? He explained that I have this mucus membrane that lines my stomach and acts as a buffer. It sent me down a rabbit hole, thinking about how the body is so beautifully integrated. Throughout all my science studies, the human body has always been my fascination. That’s probably why I am into health and wellness now. It’s just an expression of my amazement about the human body.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“A student brought me an image from the Hubble telescope’s Deep Field. I put it up for the class to see, intending to give a 15-minute talk about the awesome image. My talk ended up taking the entire class, and the students applauded me at the end. I called it ‘My Big Speech,’ and it’s the foundation of my big hairy audacious goal of one day being a motivational speaker. It showed me that if I get out of my own way, I have talents for speaking, given by the universe, something I can do naturally. I have a message, and it can resonate with people, from kids in high school to whoever. I began to feel in my heart, that’s where I need to go.”
Steps to Success from Alex Hofeldt
1.Don’t squander your gifts. Harness and focus your energy.
2. Share your knowledge in a way that brings it to life for your listeners.
3. Incorporate the practice of mindfulness in all that you do. Keep it simple and show others how to do it.
4. Cultivate a sense of awe for the beauty of the natural world.
On His Bookshelf
Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7), by J. K. Rowling
Top Tools on His Browser
Connecting With Alex Hofeldt
Website: beautifuldustspecks.com
Twitter: @alexhofeldt
Facebook: Facebook.com/yobility (Yoga mobility designed to get you moving)
Free Gift
Free yoga videos that will get your body moving better, feeling better, and recovering better. facebook.com/yobility
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Recondition Your Mind to Expect What You Want - Nicole Holland
After experimenting with a variety of jobs and living in different parts of the world, Nicole decided to focus on helping children that were getting in trouble. “I understand angry kids because I was one, too.” But working in the bureaucracies, which run programs for troubled youth, left her disillusioned and frustrated. She felt she had no choice but to quit her current government job. “I didn’t know where to start next, but I knew I would figure it out.”
Nicole Holland now hosts a podcast, The Business Building Rockstars Show. She loves helping experts and entrepreneurs get seen and heard, and she teaches her clients how to be fabulous featured guests that podcast hosts can’t wait to interview and listeners can’t wait to get to work with.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Like many entrepreneurs and independent people, Nicole experimented and explored a wide range of career options. “I bee-bopped around, doing lots of little jobs, including bars and restaurants. I lived overseas. I taught English, which morphed into corporate training, where I was teaching English for international communication. I worked in a charter school as an administrator, as a coach in my own practice. I did massage therapy. I think some of us are born with a different energy. Many times, we’re called entrepreneurs. Often, we don’t fit well in institutions or large organizations.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After several attempts to work within the justice system in positions working with youth and adults, Nicole finally realized, “It just wasn’t the right fit for me. I asked myself, ‘Why am I here? How did I get so far off my path? I’m not doing anything that feels good, not doing anything that’s contributing to the world or making anything better, it’s only contributing to toxicity.’ I just decided I didn’t want to do it anymore, so I quit my job. I knew I wanted to get back into coaching and building a business again after not having a business for nine years. I didn’t know where to start, but I knew I would figure it out. That’s what I did.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think people expect life to be hard, for there to be a struggle. Unless we recondition our minds to know that’s not true, we just continue to believe it is true. If you are expecting to have problems, you are going to have problems. If you are expecting to have a good day, you’re going to have a good day, even when those natural challenges come up. If you feel like you’re not living your dreams, you can start changing your mind about that immediately, right now, this very second. Start expecting what you want. Stop expecting what you don’t want. The more you practice it, the more you will see that result.”
Steps to Success from Nicole Holland
1.Really know the answer to the question, “What do I really want?”
2. Think back to what you wanted to do and be when you were a child and recall how that made you feel. Tap into that and you will find your sweet spot.
3. Recognize that you are free to do what you love. There is no one to answer to. Yes, there are consequences to your actions, but freedom comes from doing what you love.
4. Look for ways to have a positive impact, to leave the world a better place than you found it.
On Her Bookshelf
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Top Tools on Her Browser
Acuity online appointment scheduling software. Clients schedule their appointments, pay, and complete intake forms online, 24/7. https://acuityscheduling.com/
Connecting With Nicole Holland
Website: http://bbrshow.com
Twitter: @niczthename
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LetNicoleHelp
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Expert Interview: Celebrity As Authority in Today’s World - Rob Kosberg
Rob Kosberg is a #1 best-selling author and founder of Best Seller Publishing. He has guided thousands of others through the process of publishing, promoting and profiting from their own books, launching them into a life of independence, generous income and meaningful impact.
Celebrity As Authority in Today’s World.
Whether we like it or not, celebrity equals authority in today’s world. Whatever criticisms we may have about any given celebrity, it makes no sense to begrudge them for what they are doing, if they have the attention of their audience. What you need to do is stop fighting against that and embrace that idea for yourself and your business. If you don’t, you’re never going to become the kind of authority and attract the kind of clientele that you want.
Why Is This Important?
The possibilities for finding your ideal audience are practically unlimited. We live in a generation no longer limited to TV, radio and print. Today we have all that, along with the vast opportunities of the internet, which includes blogs, video blogs (Vlogs), specialized websites, YouTube, podcasts and online communities. They are all segmented, based on consumer interests. Through strategic targeting and planning, you can become a celebrity in your own segment, and also earn status as an authority within your segment.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Even in a weak economy, it is still possible to attract amazing clients and build a multimillion dollar business through strategic communications. There are lots of ways to build an audience and a following, Rob explains. “I happen to think that writing a book is one of the best ways, especially if you want to gain attention in an intellectual field and want to be a keynote speaker. Authors—especially best-selling authors—are viewed as authorities right out of the gate. I love that, in and of itself. But publishing a best-selling book is not the only way you can become a celebrity in your field and gain credibility and authority.”
Connecting With Rob Kosberg
Website: bestsellerpublishing.org
Twitter: @robkosberg
Facebook: /robkosbergcoaching
LinkedIn: robkosberg
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Thriving After a Crash, Naturally - Phil Carson, DPh.
Phil’s innovative natural pharmacy and health businesses were doing well, offering alternatives to modern medicine’s pill-for-every-ailment. Then the global economic crash hit hard. “I tell people that I thought I locked the door on my dream on that cold December day in 2009, but instead, I found there was an even greater world out there than I had ever known.”
Dr. Phil Carson, president of Carson Natural Health, LLC, is a pharmacist who thinks outside the box of traditional medicine. He believes in helping people find natural alternatives and integrative medicine solutions to their health problems. He is committed to leading people to finding the root cause of their health problems and not just treating their symptoms. Phil is passionate about encouraging and teaching people how to live more balanced, healthier and vibrant lives. Since earning his doctorate in pharmacy, Phil has been certified as a compounding pharmacist, a diabetes care pharmacist, and most recently a consulting pharmacist.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Early in my career as a pharmacist, people started asking me questions about natural products, supplements and herbals. I didn’t know what to tell them, because I hadn’t been taught! I went to pharmacy school in the late 1970s and graduated in 1985. I was taught the history of natural medicine, but not the application of it. I’ve always liked to figure things out and solve problems, and I didn’t like not knowing. So I set out on my own journey to learn. What we call “modern medicine”—the kind that focuses on prescribing pharmaceuticals to control symptoms—was almost the exclusive approach to medicine.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
When the global economic meltdown hit in 2008, Phil’s successful businesses collapsed. “I told people that I locked the door on my dream of having a natural pharmacy on December 31, 2009.” He lost everything but his home. He and his wife have five kids and two of them were in college at that time. Amid those dark days, “I began to learn there is a whole other world out there I hadn’t known existed.” Intuitively, he began affirming— “I am happy, healthy, and whole”—on his long walks late at night, “even though I wasn’t any of these three.” As he persisted, he began to find people who could coach him through his challenges, and he began to reach out to them.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
I realized I didn’t have to be Superman. When I was going through that dark time, I learned there are people out there who coach, consult and help people. It’s not just their job, it’s their passion. In the past I tried to do a lot of things on my own. I learned from my failure that I had thought I could do it all on my own, so I didn’t seek out other people’s help.”
Steps to Success from Phil Carson, DPh.
1. Be quick to reach out for the help of others who might have already “been there, done that.”
2. Be willing to work hard, but remember you don’t have to be Superman.
3. Spend a little money to hire the right person to help you.
4. Don’t ever permanently “lock the door on your passion.” Ride out the rough times.
On His Bookshelf
Fully Alive: Lighten Up and Live – A Journey that Will Change Your Life, by Ken Davis
The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs), translated by Eugene H. Peterson
Connecting With Phil Carson, DPh.
Website: www.carsonnaturalhealth.com
Twitter: @DrPhilCarsonRx
Facebook: facebook.com/carsonnatural/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/carsonphillip
Free Gift
3-page guide based on “The Seven Keys to Living Happy, Healthy and Whole” for Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love podcast listeners at www.CarsonNatural.com/dyt
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Be Ready For What You’re Not Ready For - Denise Brosseau
Ready for a shift in her career, she was considering enrolling in Stanford Business School, but hesitated about the hefty tuition. A friend told her, “If you were a guy, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Guys invest in themselves.” She went straight home and wrote the check to Stanford.
Denise Brosseau is the CEO of the Thought Leadership Lab, a lecturer at the Stanford Business School and the author of “Ready to Be a Thought Leader? How to Increase Your Influence, Impact, and Success.” She loves working with entrepreneurs and executives, particularly women, on their journey from leader to thought leader. She believes that becoming the go-to thought leader in your niche is the very best career insurance around. Denise has been featured in Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and Forbes, and was recognized as a Champion of Change by the White House.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I came out to California just before I turned twenty-five. I remember waking up on my 25th birthday, having one or two panic attacks and self-doubts, asking myself, ‘Am I on the right path? Am I doing the right thing?’ Fast-forward to a year later: I had started my first company, was working in the tech industry and really flourishing. It’s nice to know that in a year you can turn from questioning what you’re doing with your life to finding a new path.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After thriving in male-dominated environments—both in the corporate sector and in business school—Denise surveyed the landscape and discovered there was virtually no venture capital available to female entrepreneurs. “Back in 1993, less than 1% of the venture capital went to women entrepreneurs. We hosted an event and when 80 people came, we realized there was a need for an organization. At that time in Silicon Valley, there was only one organization for entrepreneurs, and it was 90% men.” Partnering with a friend from grad school, they created Silicon Valley Women Entrepreneurs, and set out to brighten the venture capital picture for entrepreneurial women. The organization, under a variety of names, has survived and thrived since then.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“People think of entrepreneurship as being high risk, but I think of corporate America as the bigger risk. Many people think that when you go into a corporate job, have a boss and get a paycheck, that you are not at risk. But what I see, as a coach to executive women, is that you are at high risk. On any day somebody is not going to like something you said or did, or didn’t do, and you are out of a job. Or, the company merges or gets bought, or your boss gets fired, or there is a reorganization. There are a thousand reasons why you could be on the street tomorrow. That, to me, is a much higher risk than being an entrepreneur. I think a lot of people just have it backwards.”
Steps to Success from Denise Brosseau
1. Be ready for what you’re not ready for. Change is the one constant.
2. Establish yourself as a thought leader in areas you are passionate about. It’s great career insurance.
3. Broaden your knowledge and skills so you can use all facets of yourself. It’s a great way to keep yourself engaged in life.
4. Create situations where you get to choose who you spend your time with. Entrepreneurship might just be for you.
5. Don’t work all the time. Two weeks of vacation a year is just not healthy.
On Her Bookshelf
Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career, by Herminia Ibarra
Even Eagles Need a Push: Learning to Soar in a Changing World, by David McNally
Ready to Be a Thought Leader? How to Increase Your Influence, Impact, and Success, by Denise Brosseau
Connecting With Denise Brosseau
Website: www.thoughtleadershiplab.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/thoughtleadrlab
Facebook: facebook.com/thoughtleadershiplab
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/denisebrosseau
Free Gift
Free copy of The Thought Leadership Manifesto to new sign-ups for the Thought Leadership Lab mailing list. This e-book includes 12 strategies to secure the support of influencers and empower them to amplify your message.
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Being There for Those He Loves Most - Chris McCluskey
He had built the largest Christian psychotherapy practice in Tampa Bay, Florida, but when he arrived at home one day and found his wife and kids—“the five people he loved most”— snuggled together and sleeping in the living room, all he could feel was how much of their lives he was missing. He knew he had to make a change.
Chris McCluskey is frequently cited as the “father of Christian coaching.” A visionary thought leader, he transitioned out of ownership of the largest Christian psychotherapy practice in Tampa Bay in 1998 and founded what is now the largest distinctly Christian coach training school in the world, Professional Christian Coaching Institute. A popular keynote speaker, best-selling author, and top-rated podcast host, he lives with his family of nine on their ranch near St Louis, Missouri.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
In his late teens and into his 20s, Chris began to recognize an entrepreneurial side of himself, even though there were no strong influences in that direction from his parents. He also knew he wanted to be in the “people-helping business.” He gravitated toward psychotherapy after first being fascinated by sociology and a macro perspective of why people do what they do. “Psychotherapy looked like a way that I could work on the micro-level to help people get clearer about vision, purpose, mission.” As he opened his private practice, he saw that he actually could create and run a group psychotherapy practice as a business. In his late 20s he created the largest practice of its kind in Tampa Bay, Florida.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Chris recalls coming home from his psychotherapy practice one day to find his wife, Rachel, who was pregnant again, and all four of their kids sleeping on and around Rachel. He thought, “The five people I care about the most in life are right here and I am missing a lot of it by being away at work.” I wasn’t there as much as I wanted to be. Being a father and a husband are the two most important roles in my life. Seeing my wife and kids that day was the catalyst moment for Rachel and me to step up the conversations we had been having about whether there might be a way I could do the work I love, but do it at home.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“One of my favorites scriptures from my faith background is from the Biblical wisdom literature, Proverbs 20:5: ‘The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters; one who has understanding draws them out.’ That has become one of the key mantra verses for the whole Christian coaching movement. We’re seeking to help our clients reach into the purposes of their own hearts and call those things forth. It’s not a step-by-step plan but a challenging and emboldening statement. It’s a way of saying don’t move until and unless you are ready to dare to reach into the deep waters within you.”
Steps to Success from Chris McCluskey
1.Find a coach, counselor or advisor who shares your values, and work together to clarify your vision and plans.
2. Include your partner and loved ones in your life planning.
3. Pray. Whether you believe prayer is just putting the word out to the Universe and that the Universe responds, or that you are specifically praying to a personal God, begin by ‘committing the desires of your heart’ through concerted prayer.
4. Be really sure about the passion, desire, and burning vision that you have for your life.
5. Count the costs as you venture forward, so you are prepared for setbacks, delays, apparent obstacles and sacrifices.
On His Bookshelf
Christian Coaching, Second Edition: Helping Others Turn Potential into Reality, by Gary Collins
Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want, by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy
Top Tools on His Browser
This is Your Life podcast, with Michael Hyatt
Connecting With Chris McCluskey
Website: ProfessionalChristianCoaching.com & ProfessionalChristianCoachingToday.com
Facebook: Professional Christian Coaching Institute
LinkedIn: Christopher McCluskey, PCC
Free Gift
4-page self-inventory called “Align Your Life,” and a free report, “50 Hottest Niches in Coaching” at ProfessionalChristianCoachingToday.com
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From Surviving to Thriving - Marsha Lecour
In her 30-year counseling and teaching career, she helped students create blueprints for living. Then, when Hepatitis-C and brutal therapies knocked her down for four years, she committed herself to creating a new blueprint to get her life back from the often-fatal virus.
Marsha Lecour is the author of the book “The Book of Hepatitis C: 7 Simple Strategies to Shift from Surviving to Thriving After Hepatitis C.” Marsha Lecour writes about her experience with this virus that attacks the liver. After 48 weeks of treatment with side effects like depression and nausea, Marsha was cured. Yet she was merely surviving at this point with fatigue and very little energy. Ultimately, Marsha created a master blueprint with a few simple steps to empower others to shift to thriving in their lives.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
During her 30-year career as a teacher and guidance counselor, Marsha helped students create blueprints for their careers by identifying their gifts, skills and authentic selves. Unlike many guidance counselors who were content simply to hand students bulky print-outs of test results, she invested time and attention in helping them, one at a time, to understand the insights suggested by the test instruments.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Unknowingly carrying the Hepatitis-C virus since an operation at age four, Marsha began experiencing severe fatigue and illness well into her career. She had to take four years off to work on her recovery. “Conventional treatments, including a triple-drug therapy, was a brutal. By the end of it, I was a basket case. I didn’t look good; I didn’t feel good. I thought, ‘I want to get my life back!’ Through a series of trial-and-error steps, I came up with a blueprint outlining a series of seven steps, which cured me of my Hepatitis. If you follow these steps, you can get your life back. And you can shift from merely surviving as a victim to fully thriving with vitality and hope for a new life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The seven steps outlined in my blueprint for recovering from Hepatitis-C are all based on general, proven principles of good health. To begin, you have to know what your starting point is and where you want to be. You turn your attention from living by default to living by design, through commitment and consistency. It’s an inside game, a shift in mindset. It begins and continues in self-care and self-love.”
Steps to Success from Marsha Lecour
1. Candidly take stock of where you are right now, what you’re feeling.
2. Work from a basis of self-care, driven by self-love.
3. Commit to the discipline of following a blueprint for a healthy life, in which you will thrive, not just survive.
4. Find your “zone of genius.” It is the place where you will be fully thriving. Wise counseling, support and personal searching will lead you there.
On Her Bookshelf
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, by Gay Hendricks, PhD
What Color Is Your Parachute? 2017: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers, by Richard N. Bolles
The Success Principles(TM) – 10th Anniversary Edition: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book), by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills
The Book of Hepatitis C: 7 Simple Strategies to Shift from Surviving to Thriving After Hepatitis C, by Marsha Lecour
Connecting With Marsha Lecour
Website: www.marshalecour.com
Twitter: @robyn7000
Facebook: facebook.com/shifttothriving and facebook.com/MarshaLecour
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Expert Interview: Why Should People Be Expanding Their Abilities to Network Through NetWeaving? - Bob Littell
Bob Littell created the NetWeaving concept over 16 years ago as a result of not only building his own career and company through practicing the skill sets and action steps of NetWeaving, but by showcasing many others, in a variety of fields and industries, who have been doing NetWeaving, just without a word for it.
Why Should People Be Expanding Their Abilities to Network Through NetWeaving?
“Over the next five, 10, 15 or 20 years, many millions of jobs are going to be eliminated. This will happen through robotics, artificial intelligence, software bots or a combination of advances in technology. What’s so significant about that trend is that it will make it even more critical for people to spend time working on soft skills, developing their interpersonal relationships and helping others do likewise.”
Why Is This Important?
Anyone who has spent time in traditional networking events has quickly seen the limitations of this method. “Walking into a networking event in a large roomful of strangers is hard enough for an extravert, but can be excruciating for individuals in high-tech jobs. Having a series of superficial conversations with individuals, until you see them nodding and looking for their next Landing, is discouraging and unproductive. NetWeaving is a method, proven over 17 years of practice, that takes the randomness and shallowness out of networking. It offers clear steps for making true connections through empathy, focused listening and insight. NetWeavers learn how to bring value to their interactions by building trusted networks of people who will reciprocate their efforts. Catherine Ryan Hyde, the author of “Pay It Forward,” has described NetWeaving as its equivalent in the business and professional world.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Instead of simply looking for ‘people who can help me,’ NetWeaving helps networkers also focus on the resources and connections they can bring to the people they meet. It expands the field of vision beyond the purely personal to include further understanding of other people’s needs, and offers practical tools to help a NetWeaver utilize that understanding in a mutually beneficial way. It results in creating trusted relationships among people who will offer each other practical support and advancement. As technology increases in importance, people need to learn ways of demonstrating the irreplaceable role of human beings in making things work together.”
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A Marine Veteran with a Story to Tell - Timothy Lawson
As a Marine veteran, he had guarded U.S. embassies around the world. Re-entry to civilian life was rocky, and he floundered, trying to recognize and harness the many skills he had acquired. Then he seized on the idea of a podcast for veterans. With a ten-dollar microphone, a laptop and stories to tell, he launched a podcast before most people even knew what that word meant.
Timothy Lawson is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, cancer survivor, and fellow podcaster. He began podcasting more than three years ago and has created several different programs. Currently, he hosts Fuel for Warriors, Follow Your Spirit, and the 1, 2, Many: Veteran Suicide podcast. Tim is best known for his efforts inside the veteran community as a content creator and advocate for veterans’ issues, and was recently recruited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, based on this extensive work.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After returning from serving around the world protecting U.S. Embassies as a Marine Security Guard, Tim faced a rocky re-entry into civilian life, like many veterans. At first, he was unable to recognize and harness the many skills he had acquired. He struggled awhile. Then, he seized upon the idea of creating a podcast, before most people even knew what a podcast was. “I bought a little ten-dollar auxiliary microphone that I plugged into my laptop and we hit ‘Record.’ It was unedited, had no music or introduction, but we put it on the internet, and people listened! We were one of just a limited number of podcasts that were not only on the internet but were regularly updated.” When he began focusing on his own experiences as a veteran, his podcast quickly connected with a growing audience in the veterans’ community. He invited other vets on and just let them talk. Soon a community formed around the podcasts as listeners heard their own stories being told.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Getting recruited as the content creator for the U.S. Department Veterans Affairs was the culmination of years of work in what I enjoy in podcasting, writing and video. The job is the perfect intersection of what I’m good at and what I enjoy doing. It’s amazing how many positive responses I get from people because they know how seriously I take my job, and how much I enjoy sharing veterans’ stories through whatever platform I have. The VA has given me a higher-profile platform, and I can still use my personal platforms—Fuel for Warriors and the ‘1, 2, Many: Veteran Suicide’ podcast.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“One thing I have over so many other people is that I just take the initiative to do things on my own. I get the opportunity to try things that may succeed or may fail. I’m the only one that has to deal with the consequences. Taking the initiative with podcasting gave me the opportunity to explore each project, get it to where I wanted it to be, and decide when I was ready to end it. It puts me in more control of my time, my decisions and my initiatives.”
Steps to Success from Timothy Lawson
1.When you find something that interests, “Google” it like crazy and learn everything about it you can.
2. Ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?” and be willing to risk taking the initiative.
3. One of the best gifts you can give yourself is forgiveness for occasionally not finishing something. Let yourself be OK with it and move on.
4. Learn to distinguish between what is essential and what is trivial, and focus on what’s most important.
On His Bookshelf
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
Connecting With Timothy Lawson
Email: lawson@lawsonentertainment.com
Website: http://lawsonentertainment.com/ and www.One2ManyProject.com
Twitter: @TimLawson21
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Authentic Leadership, Yin and Yang - Teresa Marinelli
On yet another business flight in a successful but demanding career, she knew something was out of balance. She reached for a magazine with an article about Feng Shui. Could something that sounded like a take-out menu item, plus a little furniture rearrangement, really make a difference in her life?
Teresa Marinelli’s innovative coaching style has landed her clients that include high-profile, corporate clientele, and C-Suite executives—the suites where all the “Chiefs” are—across many industries. Trusted with their most challenging, complex and sensitive situations, Teresa is solution-oriented and results-driven with a special focus on authentic leadership development and business transformation. The author of “Transform Your Relationship to Self,” an eBook, she has been featured on international radio shows and local television stations. As an inspirational educator, she is passionate about teaching individuals and teams how to cultivate the leader within and lead a purpose-driven life, on their terms.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I’m the oldest of five children, and also an identical twin, so I feel like I’m really a teacher at heart. That was a starting point for me to get my training as a teacher. But I also had a passion for fashion and ultimately went on to have a career in the fashion industry. Early in my career I was learning how to run businesses in the fashion industry. I really didn’t teach until many years later.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After many successful and demanding years in the fashion industry Teresa’s health was suffering from her heavy workload. “I recognized that something was clearly out of balance with me.” On a business flight in the early 1990s, she picked up an article about Feng Shui. “The ancient Chinese art is about manipulating your environment to achieve what you want in the world. It’s a means to work your inner game, from the outside-in and learn about yourself through positioning your environment and letting nature be your teacher.” The idea fascinated her and she went home and rearranged some of the furniture. “A week later I got a promotion at work, the second one in a short time. I asked myself, ‘What’ going on here?’ I explored the few books that were available at the time, found a workshop and a certification program in New York.” Soon she opened a school of her own, where she offered a unique blend of Feng Shui and practical business training to help her graduates become entrepreneurs.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I love the business world, especially helping small business owners, entrepreneurs and executives to bring these energy-based concepts—spirituality, if you want to call it that—to the business world. I blend the soft skills, like Feng Shui and a new method called Conversational Intelligence, with the harder business and management skills.
Steps to Success from Teresa Marinelli
1. Have the courage to individuate, to move away from relationships– even very loving ones—in order to develop your own identity and authenticity.
2. Cultivate the leader within you, and develop a new relationship with self.
3. Find ways of blending and balancing the ideal with the practical, toward a spirituality that works for you.
On Her Bookshelf
Networking Karma: How Today’s Cutting Edge Networking Trends Can Help You Connect and Conquer, by Gail Tolstoi-Miller
You 2: A High Velocity Formula for Multiplying Your Personal Effectiveness in Quantum Leaps, by Price Pritchett
The Game of Life and How to Play It, by Florence Scovel Shinn
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield
Conversational Intelligence: How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results, by Judith E. Glaser
Transform Your Relationship to Self, E-Book by Teresa Marinelli
Connecting With Teresa Marinelli
Websites: onyourtermscoaching.com and teresamarinelli.com
Facebook: facebook.com/intuitiveadvisor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/teresamarinelli
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-marinelli 386a674
Free Gift
A 20-minute insight session and / or Teresa’s E-book: Transform Your Relationship to Self at www.teresamarinelli.com
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Networking with Billionaires - Christopher Kai
When Christopher’s parochial school teachers made him write, “I will not talk in class” hundreds of times, neither they nor he imagined that one day he would become an international success talking to fascinated audiences around the world.
Christopher Kai is an entrepreneur, international speaker, and bestselling author who has given over 1,000 presentations to a global audience from 30 countries. He has shared his branding and networking strategies with thousands of entrepreneurs to help them build their businesses one client at a time. His core message is that if you want to build a successful business you have to understand the art and science of relationship building. He just published his third book, “Big Game Hunting: Networking with Billionaires, Executives and Celebrities.” Inc. magazine has referred to him as “the billionaire networker.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“One very hot day, when I was seven and a student at St Mary’s Elementary School in Woodside, Queens, New York, my classmates saw that I had this amazing portable fan and that I was really cool while everyone else was sweating like crazy. They asked me, ‘Hey, Chris, where did you get that fan?’ I bought a bunch of the fans for $2.00 each in Chinatown and sold them at school for $3.00 each. So, in second grade I learned the principle of supply and demand. That really was the genesis of me being an entrepreneur.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Chris had a number of challenges in his Catholic school. He was the shortest kid in class, he was thought to have a reading or learning disability and the teachers thought he talked too much. “They had me write ‘I will not talk in class’ hundreds of times.”
“My uncle Deng, an immigrant from Hong Kong, hired me in his company when I was 12. He paraded me around all his clients saying how amazing I was, how talented and hardworking. That really shifted my idea of what was possible for me and gave me self-confidence. Now, as I give speeches around the world, I credit my Uncle Deng for being that first entrepreneur role model in my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I believe successful entrepreneurship is all about pushing yourself and aiming high. You’ll never get to your dreams if you don’t push yourself. A lot of people don’t succeed in life. They might have the intelligence, the connections, or they might be born in a great country, as we were, but if they don’t have the courage to push themselves, they’re not going to get to do what they want and love to do.”
Steps to Success from Christopher Kai
1. Don’t be afraid to aim high and reach out to successful people you admire.
2. Continuously ask yourself, “What kind of value can I add?”
3. Focus on learning how to find commonality, build relationships of trust.
4. Be a self-starter. Always push yourself to do your best.
Connecting With Christopher Kai
Website: ChristopherKai.com
Facebook: biggamecommunity
MondaysAtThe Mission (Chris’ project for homeless youth)
Twitter: @unleashthekai
Free Gift
“3 Networking Strategies You Can Learn from Billionaire Elon Musk,” a digital report available at ChristopherKai.com.
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An App for Mindfulness in Caregiving - Sierra Campbell
At 16 she had already begun to value her experiences as a volunteer caregiver to senior adults. Two years later, when an auto accident fractured all her cervical vertebrae, she was suddenly on the receiving end of care. As she went through major convalescence and rehabilitation, she wondered how she could possibly repay those who nurtured her back to health.
Sierra Campbell is the founder of NurtureCo, a startup that empowers people who care for senior adults—including family members, friends, healthcare staff and their employers—with a mobile training platform. NurtureCo focuses on compassionate, mindfulness-based caregiving curriculum. “We’re building a mobile-based training platform that includes video content to help people improve their ability to care for seniors, whether it be in the home or in facilities.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I started working at a nursing home at age 16 while I was in high school. I feel like it changed my life. It helped me find my purpose at a very young age.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“The first major turning point for me was at 18. I was in a car accident. I was rear-ended by a dump truck that was loaded with landscaping rocks. He was going at about 55 miles per hour. I walked away from the car accident, but I had fractured all of my cervical vertebrae. For the following two years, during my undergraduate years at Indiana University, I was learning to walk again, rehabilitating my spine. That really put into perspective for me what it’s like to be an aging person. Academically, I took a strong turn from computer science, urban planning and development. I started thinking more critically about my own purpose. I asked myself, how I could serve my community in the best way? The following year, after graduating, I began working in senior care full time.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“At 21 years old I think I really needed the guidance I received from the seniors, especially their ability to listen. I see many young people today constantly on their phones. They’re not really listening to each other. It’s a very different experience connecting with a senior. When you put the two generations together, one-to-one, I think magic can really happen. The opportunity to work with so many beautiful senior women who are full of wisdom makes the process very rewarding.”
Steps to Success from Sierra Campbell
1. Extend yourself to reach across generations.
2. Slow down enough to listen and develop compassion and empathy.
3. Recognize what you and your generation have to give.
4. Cultivate your soft skills. Learn mindfulness practices, breathing and meditation.
Connecting With Sierra Campbell
Email: sierra@nurtureco.co
Website:nurtureco.co
Facebook: facebook.com/nurtureco
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sierrac
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Expert Interview: Adjust Your Communication Style and Watch Your Business Relationships Improve, with Bill Lampton, Ph.D. - Bill Lampton
Bill Lampton, Ph.D., president of Championship Communication, helps leaders speak confidently, clearly, and convincingly. His interview coaching enables applicants to excel in job searches. Bill’s client list includes Gillette, Procter and Gamble, Duracell, British Columbia Legal Management System, Missouri Bar, and the Ritz-Carlton Cancun. Prior to establishing his company, he taught at the University of Georgia, then served as vice president of three colleges and a medical center. He has hosted many radio talk shows.
Adjust Your Communication Style and Watch Your Business Relationships Improve
Dr. Lampton explains a tool he uses with his clients to help them understand their natural, predominant communication styles and the styles they have adapted to fit the particular needs of their lives, including at their workplaces. It is known as the DISC personality profile for the four major styles of communication and orientation toward life and it measures dominance, influencing, steadiness and compliance.
“Even though I had earned my graduate degrees in communication and had taught it at the University of Georgia, I’d never had any familiarity with communication styles. I was skeptical about the different types of instruments that were supposed to indicate what a person’s communication style and personality were like.” His skepticism vanished when he took the DISC himself and saw his own results. “The first thing I thought was, ‘Who has been watching me shave every morning?’ It was so on target, it absolutely opened my eyes to the way I view other people and the way other people view me.” Today, he routinely uses it with his clients, with impressive results.
Why Is This Important?
In addition to the insights DISC can offer individuals and groups about their dominant styles, it also measures the natural, in-born traits along with the traits and styles the individual has adapted to meet the demands of the world in which the individual lives. “When I administer DISC to someone and their natural style and adapted style are practically the same, I tell them, ‘You are an extremely fortunate person!’ In every instance those individuals will say, ‘I do love my job. I do fit in well there.’ This is a great instrument for helping people evaluate that. It’s also a good way of measuring how likely they are to be engaged and happy in their life and work.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Understanding your own communication style and personality can help you overcome so many conflicts. We all deal with personality clashes with difficult people you just can’t ever get along with. Well, if you get over the idea that those other people have to communicate exactly like you do, you really can get along. As you understand that everybody is not the same personality type, you can try to learn to speak their language, approach the situation as they would, understand them and recognize their value.”
Connecting With Bill Lampton
Website: http://www.championshipcommunication.com
Twitter: @doclampton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doclampton
LinkedIn: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/billlampton
Free Gift
Listeners who sign up for Dr. Lampton’s newsletter at www.championshipcommunication.com will receive his free article: “Handle Stage Fright: Make the Right Choice.”
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Slowing Down the Brain to Experience Life - Michael Weinberger
Michael Weinberger is a successful entrepreneur, husband and father of two. He is also bipolar. Michael has learned how to find happiness and manage his illness through mindfulness practices and medication. As a dynamic speaker, he is guaranteed to entertain as he walks you through his experiences. His website, APlanForLiving.com, helps individuals–from all types of backgrounds–achieve happiness through mindfulness, spirituality and gratitude.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Early on in learning to live with bipolar disorder, Michael began to learn mental techniques to interrupt intrusive thoughts, first by becoming aware of them. “Many people have disproportionate responses to the world,” he explains. Because I have a disproportionate response to the world—complemented by a mental illness—I have to work extra hard to be aware.” Gradually he grasped that his thoughts are not who he is, they’re just a function of his brain. “The way I define mindfulness is simply the slowing down of my brain and slowing my thoughts so I can actually experience life and what’s taking place.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was seventeen years old, and it honestly took the better part of my life, until the age of 32, for me to start to overcome some of these demons and work through them. Fortunately for me, I did come out of it. Today, I’m all about hope, optimism and recovery.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“One of the biggest issues I have—in dealing with my disorder or with life in general—is that I think a particular situation is going to last forever; thinking that it’s only happening to me, and that if I don’t fix it, there is something wrong with me. What I have learned is this: it will pass, whatever it is. I am not required to fix it, and it’s absolutely okay that I’m not feeling well. It doesn’t mean I can’t be happy. I can be happy during this episode. I can focus on gratitude, spirituality and mindfulness.”
Steps to Success from Michael Weinberger
1. Cultivate the habit of being grateful.
2. Recognize that you are not your thoughts. If you were, you wouldn’t be able to notice them and step back from them.
3. Develop a practical spirituality that works for you, and use it.
4. Understand that you can be happy even when you do not feel well mentally or physically.
Connecting With Michael Weinberger
Email: mweinberger@aplanforliving.com
Website: http://www.aplanforliving.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APlanForLiving/
Twitter: @aplanforliving
Free Gift
Michael is offering a 50% discount for those who upgrade from the free version of A Plan For Living.
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Changing the World One Mind at a Time - AnneMarie Rossi
Having epileptic seizures was not the pathway to popularity in school. But the side-effects of the powerful anti-seizure drugs made AnneMarie feel she had no life at all. She was ready to take a risk–almost any risk–to get her life back.
AnneMarie Rossi founded her company, Be Mindful, in 2011. Her “buy-one/give one” business model provides customized programs to the business world, which in turn support a mindfulness program for non-profits. AnneMarie completed qualified research on the impacts of mindfulness instruction on 4th grade students and runaway homeless youth, and has been approved for programs for first responders. She believes we change the world one mind at a time, that an internal evolution is required for a collective revolution.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Being diagnosed with epilepsy early in adolescence was one of the pieces that helped define who I have become. I’ve had a seizure disorder for more than 30 years. It took a long time to even be diagnosed, largely because I had what are called ‘absence seizures.’ With absence seizures, it looks like you are awake and just not paying attention, sort of like you’re staring off into space but you are actually unconscious and having a seizure. My family didn’t believe me when I said I was having seizures, until they saw me have a grand mal seizure on an airplane. You can’t deny that when it happens!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A turning point came when I began to learn biofeedback as a way of managing my seizure disorder. In addition to giving me greater control over my seizures, it is a way of managing the stress, anxiety and depression that comes with having something that significant in early adolescence.” Years later, as she began learning about mindfulness, she was undergoing an intensive treatment called Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). As she learned the process, it dawned on her, “Wow! This is mindfulness practice! Mindfulness is what I had been doing since I was a little girl, but I had compartmentalized it as a therapeutic intervention for my seizure disorder. I began to recognize that I could use it at any moment of any hour of any day to help regroup. I could use it to have some focused attention and emotional regulation that I had lost. I was regaining my power in the process.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I would say that every human being in the world needs to practice mindfulness, a practice which we know is scientifically validated. You have to be able to understand your own emotions, your own thoughts, how your brain works, how it is navigating you. Without mindfulness, you are like Pinocchio and your amygdala, your primitive brain, is like Geppetto, pulling the strings. With mindfulness, you learn how to disconnect those strings to regain some control over your focused attention and emotional regulation. Understanding self first is the path to discovering your own true happiness.”
Steps to Success from AnneMarie Rossi
1. Learn to be introspective. There’s no other place to start but inside of yourself. You can’t ever find your passion, nor can you ever truly connect to humanity, if you don’t know self.
2. Google “mindfulness classes near me” and find a mindfulness class you can join. Although there are resources online, finding an in-person group is crucial.
3. Recognize that life is not only about happiness. Happiness is great, but it is fleeting, just like pain. To be authentic, you need to be able to feel all of the things that you feel, and learn to be okay with all of that.
Connecting With AnneMarie Rossi
Website: www.BeMindful.us.org
Twitter: @BeMindfulCo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bemindful.us.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemarie-rossi-5128a512
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Propelled by a Vision - Clem Harrod
When Clem’s mom, a single parent, relocated their family from Maryland to Miami, he experienced culture shock in his new middle school. He felt like an alien. But something about his mother’s courage to leave a secure job that she hated to pursue her passion gave him a vision of his own possibilities.
Clem Harrod has been freelancing in the industry of Sports Broadcasting & Corporate Events & Convention Services since February, 2002. After graduating from Florida State University in 2001, Clem began his internship with the Orlando Magic. There, he established himself as a talented sports videographer and continued shooting Magic games for 15 seasons. Clem now works with many well-known companies and clients as a widescreen projectionist. He has experience with blends, curved screens, projection mapping and 4K projectors. He has established himself as an individual unafraid to do what’s necessary to ensure a positive outcome of a show.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In middle school, around 13 or 14, I applied for—and got into—a special High School in Miami, the William H. Turner Technical Arts High School. Two of six classes that I took every year were in television production. That continued to spark my interest in being creative and using the camera, telling little video stories, and editing. I applied to the film school at Florida State University. I didn’t make it into the film school, but I was accepted into the College of Communication.” From there, Clem says it was a case of being in the right place at the right time and being persistent. “FSU had won the national championship in football, so there was a lot of money for the broadcast and promotion of athletics. Watching and shooting players run, move and cut, I was involved in all that action and excitement. I learned how to take my understanding of TV production and bring it into sports. From there, I got an internship with the Orlando Magic professional basketball team in 2002.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Even though Clem didn’t get accepted into the film school at FSU, he did not give up. “I made my presence known. I would often go into the Communications office to see how my application was going. I pursued what I wanted to achieve and worked hard. I played chess with my life to put myself in the right places, but I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing. I was just trying to achieve what I wanted. Overall, I’ve got to say it was a blessing from God that allowed me to be in the right place at the right time.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“One thing I learned while I was in college, being active in my fraternity: we worked. We believed it was our responsibility to do right by our community. I was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, we used to chant this rhyme together: ‘We party hard, we stay up late, but most of all we graduate! We are scholars making dollars.’ After every party or community event, I’d still go and work. I kept up my grades and just learned how to multitask, how to do it all.”
Steps to Success from Clem Harrod
1. Take whatever time is necessary to understand your purpose, get in touch with yourself, your soul, your Creator, and get clear on what you believe in.
2. Visualize your goal and know that struggles and tribulations are part of the pathway to their attainment. They make the victory sweeter.
3. Be willing to do the work.
4. When you know what you are meant to do, fight to make it through. Don’t be discouraged or distracted.
Connecting With Clem Harrod
Twitter: @ CLEMCO_AV
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clem.harrod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clemharrod
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Born to Be Great, Never Just Average - Allyson Byrd
A high school drop-out in her mid-teens, feeling disengaged from life, Allyson could see herself becoming little more than a statistic, an average. But even in the midst of mediocrity, flipping burgers, somewhere inside her was the audacity to be amazing.
Allyson Byrd is known as the profit accelerator. She has coached her clients to win contracts with Fortune 100 companies including Walmart, Ford, Mercedes, Bank of America, Delta and Best Buy. Her work has supported emerging entrepreneurs to generate more than $16.9 million dollars in the past 18-months. She is a sales and conversion expert who teaches high-performance leaders how to get their message out and enjoy massive results with strategic sales planning and implementation.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“At 15 years old I dropped out of high school and started working at McDonald’s. But I knew I was born to be amazing because immediately they started promoting me. They wanted me to learn how to cook, which was rare because they didn’t often put women in the back to learn to cook. It’s a high-speed, high pressure role. You have to master time management and be ready for the rush. Actually, there’s a lot of business thinking for McDonald’s workers. Soon after they started me as a cook, they began teaching me to be a manager. Here I was, 15 or 16 years old, and they were ready to send me to McDonald’s University, talking to me about owning a store of my own.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Even though Allyson was moving forward at McDonald’s, her cousin saw greater things for her. At around age 19, her cousin called and said, “Come live with us. Come change your life.” Allyson did. She went back to finish high school and got a scholarship to college. “In the midst of what was mediocrity for me, my greatness was still there. The greatest theme I’ve seen in my life is that regardless of how many times I’ve tried to de-select goodness, greatness, graciousness and extraordinary possibility, and almost surrendered to just being average, everything inside me has caused me to break through my fears, step beyond uncertainty and embrace the next level.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Sometimes when we’re on our path, and it’s going wayward, it really does take someone to come get us, to hold our hand and lead us out of the underbrush. You get stuck. You want to get out, but you don’t know how. Had my cousin not come to get me—she and her husband made an agreement to come and get me—my life would not be what it is today.”
Steps to Success from Allyson Byrd
1. Aim for greatness and don’t settle for being average.
2. Carefully choose your mentors and the other people you follow.
3. Recognize that choosing greatness will often put you in conflict with blind followers committed to being average.
4. Be careful of the lessons you choose to learn from others–especially if they’re drawing from a purely survivalist approach to life.
Connecting With Allyson Byrd
Website: www.LiveRich2016.com
Twitter: @allysonbyrd
Facebook: www.MoneyMovementLive.com
Instagram: #allysonbyrd
Free Gift
Download Allyson Byrd’s FREE Ultimate Success Kit.
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Expert Interview: Demolish Fear, Overcome Anxiety and Create the Life You Want, with Dr. Mitchell Mays - Dr. Mitchell Mays
Dr. Mitchell Mays is the best-selling author of Mind Gate: Demolish Fear, Overcome Anxiety and Create the Life You Want. He’s been a licensed chiropractor since 1978 and is a certified master hypnotist and hypnotherapist, employing functional medicine, biofeedback, nutrition, guided imagery and hypnosis for chronic anxiety, stress and pain. He and his wife Terri, also a hypnotherapist and mind-body practitioner, maintain a busy practice in Northern California. Together, they conduct workshops and intensive Awake Empowered transformational retreats.
Demolish Fear, Overcome Anxiety and Create the Life You Want
Dr. Mays describes how to remove fear and anxiety so you can make the best decisions and get on with the rest of your life. It is possible—and crucial—that we learn how to be fully present, and teach our brain how to escape fear. “Changes are happening so fast in our society, that we’ve developed a condition called information overload, which is going on constantly. As early as 1970, futurist Alvin Toffler described in his bestselling book, Future Shock, how this was becoming all-pervasive. Entire societies, he said, are going into fight or flight mode. He called this phenomenon a trance, a form of waking, walking hypnosis. At its core, this is a fear response.”
Why Is This Important?
“Most of our fears and phobias actually originate from our subconscious mind, what we call the conditioned subconscious mind, or the programmed subconscious mind. Those programs get put into our subconscious mind from age zero to eight years old, and they really do act like programs. To understand that is tremendously relieving to people, to understand that they can have some control over their fear if they understand what’s creating it and where it comes from.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“We have to ‘get present with’ what actually is happening instead of what may happen. Fear of the unknown is the greatest fear we experience as humans. Our brain escapes into fear when it becomes overloaded. This undermines our health, our happiness and our ability to lead a fulfilled life. As a result, we often navigate in a state that doesn’t allow us to think clearly. It’s crucial that we learn ways of detaching from our ‘monkey mind’ and its constant chatter, and to recognize we are not our thoughts. We are pure consciousness. We can learn how to step back and observe our thought stream and stop being driven by the fight or flight response it induces in us.”
Connecting With Dr. Mitchell Mays
Website: https://drmitchellmays.com/
Twitter: @mayshypnosis
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmitchellmays
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Soho to Peru to California: An Artist’s Heart Journey - Jared Rosen
Jared was living in a rundown railroad flat in New York City, with a bathtub in his kitchen. In his sink in the morning there were dishes, toothpaste and paint brushes. What began as a romance with the world of Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol came to feel like a world without a soul.
I.J. (“Jared”) Rosen is an award winning author, founder of DreamSculpt Media and publisher of more than 30 media e-books. He began his career as an artist in Soho in New York City in the late 1970s, then left the art world to pursue his quest for spiritual knowledge. From shamanic initiations in Peru, to leading groups in psychiatric hospitals, to training McKinsey consultants in Australia, to presenting at TED X in Malibu, California–his experience is diverse, to say the least.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was young and couldn’t focus in class, I did a lot of doodling. And daydreaming. Which, by the way, my company today is called DreamSculpt Media, and it involves a lot of doodling and playing with concepts. I still love it. What happened was, I became very clear that I didn’t fit in. When I heard the metaphor of the square peg in a round hole, I knew it applied to me. As I wrote my book, I realized my mom had inspired me through the artwork she did as a hobby. I began to go deeper into art and the path of self-discovery very early, questioning the nature of reality. This was an odd thing to do, especially for a kid in grade school, sitting there and wondering about the nature of reality. I knew that I wanted to be part of a community of artists that would change the way we look at things.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Jared plunged into the Soho art scene of Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol in the late 1970s and early ‘80s. “I romanticized that life. I rented a place and was sleeping on a mattress on the floor, in a railroad flat apartment. There was a bathtub in the kitchen where I cooked, washed my dishes, my hands and, for me, my paint brushes. In the morning there would be dishes, toothpaste and paint brushes. I went as deeply as I could in the art world, but I burned out on all of it. I began to do yoga in 1980—before it became a multi-billion dollar industry—and got onto the spiritual path that led me away from my focus on the material world.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Learning to follow his heart and to make life shifts, Jared says, “I went from being an artist to following my heart. I had come to feel like the New York art world was soul-less. I had been all excited and on fire about that world, but it burned me, and I needed to recreate my life. So I shifted, then shifted again. I have kept making these shifts, because they seem to be very organic. All of them seem to carry two threads: one is creativity, as in producing art; the other is serving people’s highest needs.
Steps to Success from Jared Rosen
1. Shift your primary focus from the outer world to your inner world.
2. Pay attention to how your life is changing and learn to “shift your major.” Today’s major can become tomorrow’s minor.
3. Trust the process as you are led by your inner work.
On His Bookshelf
On the Road, by Jack Kerouac
The Secret of Light, by Walter Russell
(Also, great poetry.)
Drowning in the Light: Memories of the New Age, by I.J. Rosen
Connecting With Jared Rosen
Website: www.dreamsculpt.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jared.rosen1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaredrosen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-rosen-04229b6
Free Gift
Free media e-book: Inspirations from Drowning in The Light: Memories of the New Age, by I.J. Rosen. Sign up to reserve the audiobook version from EndHungerRecords.com. Each download will generate 37 meals to end hunger. You can track total donated meals via a downloadable app also at EndHungerRecords.com.
September 2016:
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A Gift for Drawing Out Uniqueness - Emily Eldredge
Results of an aptitude test were a blessing and a curse for Emily. They revealed natural talents in an exceptionally high number of areas. For years, she swung like a pendulum across competing gifts and interests. Her father told her, “Find the principle that will integrate all your gifts and talents.” That was much easier said than done.
Emily Eldredge is the inventor of The Drawing Out Process®, the discoverer of emPowers and exPowers, and an advisor to CEOs. Her program is designed to permanently remove inner blocks, triggers, and blind spots so that they may lead with exceptional productivity, purpose, and pleasure. Her work has been dubbed “genius,” “exhilarating,” “brilliant,” and “up there with pet rocks and sliced bread.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was a child, I remember being so acutely aware that I felt so much love and joy in my heart, yet it felt like the people around me—not necessarily my immediate family, but just people in general—seemed so unhappy, critical and depressed. I desperately wanted to give them the feeling of joy that I had in my own heart. I just wanted to grab it out of my chest and put it in their chest. My mother is a psychotherapist. For years she saw how people were drawn to me and how I would counsel and guide them and help them access their powers. She said, “You really should do this. You should go to school to be a therapist.” Emily didn’t feel drawn to that precise path, but she developed methods based on her own experiences and personal growth through life challenges.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
As a college student, Emily took the Johnson O’Connor Aptitude Test, which measures innate abilities. Explaining her test results to her, the counselor said the average person scores high on four to six of the measures used. Emily scored high on 10 of them. The counselor’s words were prophetic: “What often happens is that you end up struggling to find a way that integrates all of your various gifts and talents.” Having struggled many years since then before succeeding, Emily looks back on the journey with gratitude, largely because along the way she developed the tools and methods she now shares with clients in their own struggles.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“From where I am today, I’m so grateful I went through that circuitous route to find my purpose,” Emily says. “My father, who spent his career recruiting and placing top talent at the heads of nonprofit organizations, once told me, ‘You need to find the principle that will integrate all of your various gifts and talents. See if you can find that.’ His advice was helpful, along with a comment I read from the actress Meg Ryan, who said, ‘Sometimes you don’t find your life, your life finds you.’”
Steps to Success from Emily Eldredge
1. Face your own inner demons rather than fight them.
2. Embrace all the parts of you without judgment or rejection. They will lead you to your true self.
3. Don’t believe the old programming that who you are isn’t enough, that you aren’t right or good, that there’s something wrong with you that needs to be fixed.
4. Listen deeply to yourself and follow the unique path that is right for you.
Connecting With Emily Eldredge
Website: www.emilyinternational.com
Twitter: @EmilyInternatl
Free Gift
Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love podcast listeners can get 25% off Emily’s online program, emPowers & exPowers, that introduces her work. Use the code TALENT25 at EmilyInternational.com
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Growing a Business by Growing People - Meny Hoffman
Meny’s business was growing. He was doing everything, and doing it well, and hiring people who did likewise. Yet he knew he had to change when he found himself blaming employees because the company’s growth was not meeting his expectations. He realized he had to look to himself to find a better way to run the company.
Meny Hoffman is the CEO of Ptex Group, an award-winning marketing agency headquartered in Brooklyn, N.Y. A lifelong entrepreneur, Meny is passionate about collaborating with growing businesses to create winning strategies that yield results. He is a published business author; founder of the Let’s Talk Business™ email series; initiator of the LTB Business Summit; and featured keynote speaker at conferences across the USA.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When kids my age started using the computer to play games, I used it to create stuff. I started creating design work for my friends and family. When friends started a lemonade stand, I was the kid they asked to do their advertising. I started doing freebies, then I moved into being a volunteer for nonprofits doing fundraisers…and so it grew from there.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
My first ‘ah-ha!’ moment in business was when I said to myself, ‘Look: whatever I’m doing now, I’m doing everything!’ And I’m trying to bring in people that are trying to do everything as well. If I want to grow and create something, I need to pull myself out and work on the business, and create people and procedures and processes and operational structure where those people can work more effectively in the business. I realized that, if I want to create the foundation of growth for my company, there is something out there that I need to do differently than I did yesterday.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“A light bulb went on when I realized that passion alone is not enough. Without clear goals, you can live your life with passion, but without financial success. Passion is the number one driving force for every successful entrepreneur, but clear goals and a plan for financial success are crucial.”
Steps to Success from Meny Hoffman
1. Figure out who you want to be
2. If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing or how you’re doing it, you must take action.
3. Take responsibility. If you work for a company, ask for a conversation with your boss about the company’s growth potential and ways to better use your talent.
4. If you cannot find a suitable fit in your current company, take your talents elsewhere.
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No Starving Artist Life for This Freelance Writer - Jennifer Bradley Franklin
With a byline in a new national magazine already under her belt at age 19 as a journalism undergrad, and visions of a career as a professional writer, Jennifer watched as the planes hit the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. The economic downturn that followed did not bode well for her magazine career–journalism jobs were nowhere to be found. Yet her passion for writing would not go away!
Jennifer Bradley Franklin is an Atlanta, Georgia-based multi-media journalist, storyteller, editor and author. She has ridden a camel in Morocco, dug ditches in a remote Kenyan village, been taught to make gnocchi by a master chef in Florence, Italy, and learned to surf in Australia. However, one of her greatest joys has been immersing herself in some of the biggest concerns facing America’s young people—issues like poverty, hunger and human trafficking—through the research and writing of “Make It Zero,” which was released earlier in 2016.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I’m really fortunate to have a mom who has a degree in early childhood education who read to me before I could even form words. That really instilled in me a love of words and stories. I remember locking myself in my room when I was a tiny child and throwing myself into reading a book, not wanting to come out until I had finished it. When I was in fourth grade, I came home and announced, ‘I’m going to be a writer.’”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
As a broadcasting student at the University of Georgia School of Journalism, Jennifer successfully competed in 1999 with three or four thousand applicants to become a news team member for People Magazine’s new publication, Teen People. By age 19, she had earned her first byline in the national publication.
Months before she was to graduate, she was in the J-school’s broadcast newsroom and saw the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. With the economic downturn that followed, Teen People folded and journalism jobs dried up. She did find a job, however, that blended her loves for writing and cuisine as the marketing coordinator for one of the biggest independent restaurant companies in Atlanta. Even though the marketing job allowed her to use her writing skills, she continued her freelance writing under the radar, becoming clearer and clearer that her true passion was to be a full-time professional writer.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
When her marketing job suddenly ended, Jennifer discovered that her ongoing freelancing work would pay off. Previously she had associated freelancing with the life of a starving artist. “By freelancing for about three years on the side, at night or on weekends, steadily taking on story assignments, I had built a pretty extensive portfolio of work and made some good contacts.” She found that the writing she had done primarily for love could actually provide her an excellent income.
Steps to Success from Jennifer Bradley Franklin
- Clarifying your vision can change the direction of your life, and can also affect people’s willingness to follow you.
- Pursue whatever you are passionate about and see if you can monetize it.
- Even if you have no hope of making a single dime from your passion, doing it can change your perspective and might even make you more satisfied with the work you are doing professionally.
- Use your fear. “If you don’t let it paralyze you, it can propel you forward and make you so goal-oriented that you can’t imagine not living your dream.”
On Her Bookshelf
Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money, by Kelly James-Enger
Taming Your Gremlin: A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way, by Rick Carson
Make it Zero: The Movement to Safeguard Every Child, by Mary Frances Bowley, Jennifer Bradley Franklin
Connecting With Jennifer Bradley Franklin
Website: www.jenniferbradleyfranklin.com
Twitter: @JennBFranklin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennbfranklin
Instagram: @jennbfrankl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferbradleyfranklin?trk=hp-identity-photo
Free Gift
Free download to assist in discussions in book clubs, church clubs or workplaces of the biggest concerns facing young people—poverty, hunger and human trafficking at MakeItZero.net.
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345:
Expert Interview: Are You Ready to be a Thought Leader? - Denise Brosseau
Denise Brosseau is the CEO of the Thought Leadership Lab, a lecturer at the Stanford Business School and the author of Ready to Be a Thought Leader? She loves working with entrepreneurs and executives, particularly women, on their journey from leader to thought leader as she believes that becoming the go-to thought leader in your niche is the very best career insurance around. Denise has been featured in Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and Forbes and was recognized as a Champion of Change by the White House.
Are You Ready to be a Thought Leader?
“Everybody is beginning at a somewhat different space, but there are some specific steps that are critical. Ask yourself: What am I passionate about? What gets me up in the morning? What do I read about when no one is looking? What is something I could argue for an hour about? That, to me, is where to start to establish yourself as a brand and become a thought leader. Answering these questions, you will be able to say, “That’s my niche, that’s where I belong.”
Why Is This Important?
“Becoming a thought leader serves as way to differentiate yourself, to stand out from the crowd. It provides a kind of career insurance. If we keep putting our head down, just doing our to-do list, then no one recognizes the skills, expertise, or the accomplishments we bring to the table, or the knowledge and ideas that distinguish us. We are a cog in the wheel, just one of many. On the other hand, when we can stand out and be a change agent in a particular niche, then we make known the successes we’ve had. That’s when we become someone others want to work for, work with and hire.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“The difference between leaders and thought leaders is that thought leaders have developed a set of steps, best practices, or a how-to guide for explaining what they know is the best way to do things. It could be as simple as a checklist or as complex as a book. But somewhere in the thought leader is that ability to codify and communicate, often visually, something that you can give to someone so they can then build on what you have learned.”
Connecting With Denise Brosseau
Website: thoughtleadershiplab.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/thoughtleadrlab
Facebook: facebook.com/thoughtleadershiplab
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/denisebrosseau
Free Gift
Free copy of The Thought Leadership Manifesto to new signups on Denise’s mailing list at thoughtleadershiplab.com. E-book includes 12 strategies to secure the support of influencers and empower them to amplify your message.
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He Asked, “Are You Happy?” The Answers Changed His Life’s Direction. - Jason Treu
With law school almost behind him, the interviews with prospective law firms were beginning. At the interview’s end, when asked, “Do you have any questions for us,” Jason tossed out what he thought would be a softball question, “Are you happy?” One by one, the responses threw him a curve.
Jason Treu is a top business and executive coach and sales leadership trainer. He helps his clients get unstuck and find their purpose, to take their business and career to the highest levels. He has worked with well-known CEOs such as Steve Jobs and Mark Hurd at Hewlett-Packard. He’s helped his clients meet influencers such as Tim Cook, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and others.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
In his undergraduate years in college, Jason ran for office in student government on a ticket considered to be the underdogs. With his fellow candidates at the top of the ticket, they assembled a slate of nearly 60 candidates who were running for offices at all levels across the campus. They won, but the outcome was challenged and a second election had to be held. “We had to motivate our candidates to make sure our voters turned out. I remember giving a motivational speech in front of all these people. Something off the cuff that I said really got them motivated. We ended up winning by a bigger margin than the first time. It showed me that you’ve got to find leadership within yourself.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
As Jason was completing law school and interviewing with prospective firms, he posed what he thought would be a softball question to each of 30 interviewers: “Are you happy?” It elicited some of the longest responses, and Jason quickly saw that, to a person, they were not happy. “I had spent two years in law school at that point, and the profession I wanted to enter was a profession that everyone I interviewed did not like. I did a lot of soul-searching. Ultimately, it led me to choose not to practice law and to go into technology doing marketing.” He headed west to Silicon Valley.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think it’s to value determination and tenacity. I look at life to see what could be possible and how I can make it happen. Instead of looking at roadblocks, I’ve learned from watching really successful people to take a leap of faith, not for the landing or the outcome, but for the experience. I know now that most of the times when I make the landing it won’t be what I thought it would be. I’m going to have to learn a lesson or pivot off of it. That’s something that has really helped me.”
Steps to Success from Jason Treu
1. Look inside to find your own leadership. To lead others, you must be able to lead yourself.
2. Step up. If you wait for other people to lead, you’ll be waiting for a long time.
3. Learn how to put other people before yourself.
Connecting With Jason Treu
Website: BeExtraordinary.tv
Twitter: twitter.com/jasontreu
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasontreu
Free Gift
Stand out, differentiate, be unforgettable. And, be yourself.
Get your complete Guide to Building an Irresistible Personal Brand FREE.
beextraordinary.leadpages.net/completepersonalbrandingguide/
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343:
Ignoring the Odds, Her Movie Opens Soon - Alyssa Addison
After veering away from her first love—drama—to pay the bills, she’d been easing back into theater with several churches’ drama programs, and was nursing hopes of going back to her native California, where her love of theater had blossomed. Then, her husband’s job took them to Knoxville, Tennessee. She remembers saying, “How will I find any acting opportunities here?”
Alyssa Addison is a screenplay writer, director and actress. She’s the writer, director, and one of the executive producers for the movie, “Laughing at the Moon,” coming out in theaters in Knoxville, Tennessee, and in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 9, and in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Riverside, California, on September 16, 2016. Her passion is to continue to make films that go beyond entertainment and transform people’s lives, thereby doing what she loves and making a difference at the same time. Sharing God’s love through film, she wants people to know that they are significant, have purpose, and are valuable. Her favorite role in life is being with her family. Her motto is, “jump, breathe, and make a dent in the world.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was born in Southern California and started acting around the age of 4. I started composing music, writing songs and playing the guitar around age 12. I had a Drama teacher freshman year in high school who was very instrumental in inspiring me, helping me build self-confidence. She was just amazing. She taught us the ropes, and even had us out on the street getting businesses to advertise in the program for our play. We spent the year with her, learning how to do plays and productions. Then, the next year, I won Best Actress award for my school, which really encouraged me.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
An impactful but gradual turning point has been the seven-year-long process of bringing “Laughing at the Moon” from Alyssa’s imagination to the theater stage, and then to cinematic release. She heard about a unique group in South Georgia that had produced several independent, faith-based films, including “Facing the Giants” and the 2008 surprise box-office hit, “Fireproof.” The films had been produced using an unconventional collaboration of professionals and volunteers drawn largely from local churches. “They were working along the same lines as I was,” Alyssa recalls, and she began forming connections with them. “Fireproof” had debuted at Number 4, becoming the highest-grossing independent film of 2008 at over $33 million. Several members of the cast and production crew of “Fireproof” are involved in Alyssa’s project, including cinematographer Bob Scott and actress Erin Bethea (“Facing the Giants”).
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It’s hard to continually have dreams that you don’t see fulfilled. Impatience plays a big part. We live in a society that’s so convenience-oriented—fast food, fast everything—and everybody wants it now. Often, people don’t realize how long it takes to see something worthwhile come into fruition—the number of hours, the effort, and the time just spent waiting. Most of us don’t like to wait. Unfortunately, a lot of people give up right before they might have had a breakthrough!”
Steps to Success from Alyssa Addison
1. Believe in your vision, act as if it’s going to happen, and keep moving forward.
2. Ignore the naysayers. Nothing reduces the odds against you like ignoring them.
3. Cultivate patience and the tenacity to hang in there through the battle.”
Connecting With Alyssa Addison
Website: www.laughingatthemoonthemovie.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/laughingmovie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laughingatthemoon
Theater Showings: Laughing at the Moon September 9 – Knoxville, Tennessee, and in Atlanta, Georgia. September 16 – Los Angeles, Orange County, and Riverside, California.
Visit website: LaughingAtTheMoonTheMovie.com to pre-order tickets. Click on TICKET button to be notified when tickets are available at theaters. Website also includes the movie trailer and videos about the making of the movie. Also find info about bringing the movie to your city.
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A Survivor Thrives on Borrowed Time - Cole Hatter
At 19 he had landed his dream job as a firefighter and EMT. He looked ahead with confidence to a 30-year career of serving others. Two years into the job, a car crash threw him onto the freeway at 80 miles an hour. He was not expected to live.
Cole Hatter is an entrepreneur, investor, author and award-winning speaker. He invests in real estate, start-ups, and several funds exceeding $100 million. He is the founder of Thrive: Make Money Matter, an annual conference designed to teach entrepreneurs how to dominate in business and in life, while making the world a better place. Cole is a husband, father and philanthropist who strives to give back. His greatest passion is providing a platform to educate and empower entrepreneurs to live their lives and run their companies in a way that makes a measurable difference in the world.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“About the time I reached junior high school, I started thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up someday. God put it on my heart to want to help people. I grew up in the church, being dragged along on trips to Mexico or wherever to give back. I knew that was something I wanted to do. I considered careers where I would get paid to make a difference.” He considered medicine, the military and policing. “Where I finally landed was firefighting. I said, if I can get paid to save lives and play with fire, I’m in!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
With firefighting as his goal, Cole enrolled in courses at junior college while still in high school. “I was able to graduate and start working immediately with the fire department at 19 years old.” Two years into his dream job, everything changed. “I was involved in a car accident, ejected out of the car onto the freeway, going around 80 miles an hour.” He survived but, at 21, he faced a daunting rehabilitation. Recovering at his parents’ home, he met their neighbors, a real estate team. “They were making a lot of money, and I had lots of bills, so I decided to do real estate until I figured out what I want to do.” He found his post-crash footing as an entrepreneur.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“A lot of people look to money as an immediate solution to a long-term problem. For example, they need to pay their rent and bills causes them to take a job because they see it is an immediate solution. I think they need to look at it in exactly the opposite way instead. They should pump the brakes for a minute and be patient long enough to evaluate how they got where they are, then get clear about where they want to be.”
Steps to Success from Cole Hatter
1. Create a list of your own “absolute truths” and let them guide your decisions.
2. Make sure what you’re doing is something your children can be proud of.
3. Value time. Consider that you’re living on borrowed time and make the most of it to live out your absolute truths.
4. Build your business around your life instead of building your life around your business.
On His Bookshelf
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E. Gerber
Top Tools on His Browser
Stephen Spielberg’s advice to his children, mentioned in the podcast – or YouTube video.
Connecting With Cole Hatter
Websites: colehatter.com
Twitter: @colehatter
Facebook: facebook.com/colehatter
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colehatter
Snapchat: Cole Hatter
Instagram: ColeHatter
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Big Ten Tennis Changed Her Life - Molly Fletcher
She was a Big Ten tennis player with a Communications degree from Michigan State University. She knew she wanted a job in the business end of sports, but wasn’t sure what that would look like. She hit the job market and quickly discovered, “When you ask for a job, you get advice.”
Molly Fletcher is a trailblazer in every sense of the word. She is a rare talent of business wisdom, relationship brilliance and unwavering optimism. As a CEO, she shares her unconventional and unique techniques that made her one of the first female sports agents in the high stakes, big ego world of professional sports and now a successful entrepreneur.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I always loved the dynamic of making connection, both interpersonal and in groups, so I studied Communications at Michigan State University. I found it was what I really loved. I was so intrigued with connection, how it works, what allows it to happen, and each person’s role in it. After I graduated, I wanted to be in the business end of sports but I didn’t know what that would look like. I knew it needed to be something that allowed for my communications degree to come into play, obviously, and my ability to try to connect with people to make their worlds better. That’s what I was passionate about.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“One of the first turning points was playing tennis for Michigan State University. I grew up in East Lansing and was a good tennis player, but not a great tennis player. The coach at Michigan State gave me a shot at being what we called a recruited walk-on. I love the game and I found that I got better and better every year, and was a real contributor to the team. I can say confidently that tennis and being a Big Ten Conference athlete absolutely changed the trajectory of my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Sometimes when you ask for advice you get a job, and when you ask for a job, you get advice. So I met with people and asked for advice. My goal was to get them to like and respect me enough to either hire me or help me. I found that after each of those meetings, I would have the names of three or four people to contact who would either hire me or give me an opportunity or offer, or they would give me names of several more people who could help me. When we are afraid of ‘no,’ we don’t lean into our challenges, but when we are not afraid of ‘no,’ we’re not afraid to ask. When we ask, we push ourselves and create some pretty awesome opportunities for ourselves.”
Steps to Success from Molly Fletcher
1. Look for opportunities to reach out and make meaningful connections with people. If you can connect, really powerful things can happen.
2. Don’t be held back by your fear of getting a “no.”
3. Develop authentic relationships.
4. Look for opportunities to support other people on their journeys.
5. Do the right thing consistently with everyone, whether you are making money or benefiting directly or not.On Her Bookshelf
The Business of Being the Best: Inside the World of Go-Getters and Game Changers (MP3 CD – Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged), by Molly Fletcher
A Winner’s Guide to Negotiating: How Conversation Gets Deals Done, by Molly Fletcher
The 5 Best Tools to Find Your Dream Career, by Molly Fletcher
Your Dream Job Game Plan: Five Tools for Becoming Your Own Career Agent by Molly Fletcher, Steve Kincaid
Connecting With Molly Fletcher
Websites: www.mollyfletcher.com
Twitter: @MollyFletcher
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FletcherMolly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/0_2AbU836PUjOOGGqdvy34ac?trk=prof-sm
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Expert Interview: Out-of-the-Box Advice for Writing Your Resume - Dr. Susan Bernstein
For more than 20 years, Dr. Susan Bernstein has delivered career and executive coaching for smart, high-performing professionals seeking to boost their career satisfaction. She guides her clients to create work that fits them on their terms. Susan’s deep understanding of the workplace and career transformation comes from her own pioneering research, as well as her own radical career reinvention, which led her from management consulting to executive coaching. A veteran of leadership roles at Franklin Covey, Intel and Accenture, she earned an MBA at the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and a Ph.D. in somatic psychology at Santa Barbara Graduate Institute.
Out-of-the-Box Advice for Writing Your Resume
Dr. Bernstein delves into three key principles to make your resume really stand out:
1) Start with a strategy;
2) Think of your resume as your own promotional story; and
3) Don’t plan to use just your resume; plan to connect with real people.
Why Is This Important?
Dr. Susan asks: “Do you want to be out of the box? Do you want to be different?” She encourages listeners to create a tool she calls a Resume Planning Matrix. “It’s super simple but it does take some time to do.” She describes a three-step process, starting with the job description of the position you’re seeking, methodically breaking it down to see how your own record of accomplishments can be transformed into mini-stories that set you apart from the crowd. As a bonus, it will also help you see if the job you’re seeking just isn’t a good fit.
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
With tools like LinkedIn.com and online job hunting, many people have lost the art of conversation. They’re intimidated by the thought of meeting people face-to-face. LinkedIn can be a tremendously powerful tool in a job search, but without a personalized strategy and a plan for making human connections, a resume just gets lost in the black hole of cyberspace. Dr. Bernstein gives practical tips for adding the human element back into the process of networking to find the ideal position.
Connecting With Dr. Susan Bernstein
Website: sensationalshift.com
Twitter: DrSBernstein
Facebook: facebook.com/sensationalshift
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drsusanbernstein
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A Vocal Artist Who Draws on Silence - Marshall Titus
As a child, he loved to draw. In school he was the one they asked to paint murals. Family and friends fully expected him to be a painter, sketch artist or an illustrator. Then, he had an epiphany. For reasons he couldn’t explain, he could never bring himself to pick up a pencil to sketch again.
Singer, songwriter, producer and actor, Marshall Titus describes himself as a renaissance man whose music, style and attitude redefine what soul music is and can be. “My music is a true reflection of who I am,” he declares. “I’m an artist who cannot be influenced by current trends or traditions, guided by my inner longing and urge to create.” As reviewer Howard Dukes wrote on Soultracks.com, “Titus possesses more than a little Johnny Taylor with the gravel in the voice that loses none of its power and emotion when the vocalist moves from the gravel road to the tree tops.” The Chicago native currently lives in Hamburg, Germany. He is performing at festivals and concerts in Hamburg and throughout Germany.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I grew up going to church and was in the Children’s Choir. The choir director, tried to give me lessons, but I was never a good student. I always played by ear and everybody was trying to teach me how to read music. I mean, I can read it, but I was very resistant to trying to read the notes. His third grade teacher introduced him to classical music and he loved Tchaikovsky. When his sister chided him for listening to a classical music station, he began listening to R&B, soul, Motown, and all the hits of the time. I made a complete turn from classical to the more popular sounds. I became a big fan of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and I think it was really Smokey Robinson who gave me my first inspiration to become a singer and songwriter.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I mark 1979 as the year I made my first turn to becoming a professional musician. I was 21. I met a song writer and his wife, Keith and Alice Echols, and started writing with them and another friend, Calvin Bridges, a gospel artist. Keith Echols introduced me to Paul Wilson, one of very few black producers in Chicago at that time. He was producing radio and television jingles. So, in 1979, I did my very first national jingle for Coca- Cola’s ‘Have a Coke and a Smile’ campaign. It was huge! From there, I did tons of jingles and commercials for just about everybody: Coca-Cola, Schlitz Brewing Company, Kentucky Fried Chicken, you name it. Also, I started doing theater with a company called Free Street Theater in Chicago.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve come to the clarity of knowing that the most important thing for me is to be at peace within myself, and to always stay within my center. I have the freedom to do whatever I want without being confined to someone else’s vision of me. I love that I am having this experience, living and performing in Hamburg, and it’s because I gave myself permission to have it. If I had followed what logic alone told me, I wouldn’t be here. I’m thankful that I’m a risk-taker. I don’t believe in failure; the only time I fail is when I don’t trust myself.”
Steps to Success from Marshall Titus
1. Take at least 15 minutes each day to unplug and be silent and still.
2. Never allow yourself to be confined to someone else’s vision of yourself.
3. Don’t live by logic alone. Be willing to take risks even when it seems illogical.
4. Recognize that you have the freedom to be and do exactly what you want.
Connecting With Marshall Titus
Website: marshalltitus.com
Twitter: twitter.com/marshallTitus
Facebook: facebook.com/marshall.titus1
YouTube: “Marshall Titus” – Subscribe to channel CDBaby: cdbaby.com/cd/marshalltitus7
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Finding Her Way Forward: Rediscovering Gifts and Talents - Winnie Anderson
Since childhood she had always valued her intelligence and ability to solve mysteries. A severe brain injury showed Winnie just how much of her self-identity was tied to her belief that she was smart. How could she ever be herself again?
Winnie Anderson went from being a human resources (HR) executive to traumatic brain injury survivor to award-winning brand strategist. After being laid off in 2008 from an HR and training job she loved in retail, she struggled to create sustained success on her own. After seven years spent trying to fix what was “wrong” with her, she reinvented herself again by embracing her gifts, her true self, creating a joyful life and thriving business. She says she lost her mind but found herself.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was 19, in the second semester of college, I enrolled in an Intro to Marketing course. It was one of the first business courses I took in college. I was answering a professor’s question and he stopped in the middle of the discussion and said, ‘You have the personality and skills to be perfect in human resources.’ I said, ‘I’ve never heard of human resources. Can you explain what HR people do?’ He explained it and I thought, that really sounds interesting, and it would make such a difference to people’s lives. “Even then I knew I wanted a career of service. I started researching the field the rest of the semester, and I changed my major to human resources. The rest, as they say, is history. It’s been my entire life.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“While driving, I had stopped to make a turn and I was plowed into from behind by a guy in a very large pickup truck. With the injury I sustained, there is no good reason why I survived. The EMTs on the scene were so sure I was dead that they didn’t even bother to take my pulse. There are people who have less severe head injuries who do not make it. But I did.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Until the brain injury, I didn’t realize how much my self-identity was tied to the belief that I was smart. To suddenly think that I was not going to be smart anymore, that I would never be what I had always thought I was going to be, was devastating.” After much rehab and endless trips to gurus and specialists, Winnie says, “I finally realized that there really isn’t anything ‘wrong’ with me. I have to look again at my gifts, my strengths, and my talents, and stop worrying about what I don’t have.” When people would tell her she could never get any better than she was, Ginny declares that the little determined person inside of her would say, “Just watch!”
Steps to Success from Winnie Anderson
1. Welcome opportunities to start all over again.
2. Use setbacks and doubts as opportunities to rediscover your core talents and unique gifts.
3. Don’t allow outside forces to overpower what you deeply know about yourself.
4. Always look for ways to serve. Each one of us has been put on the planet to serve.
Connecting With Winnie Anderson
Websites: TheLetsTalkTechShow.com
Twitter: @winnie_anderson
Facebook: Facebook.com/Winnie.Anderson1
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/winnieanderson
Podcast: www.TheLetsTalkTechShow.com
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Risk One Step Out of the Comfort Zone - Robert Mallon
He had climbed to a significant position over a 20-plus-year career in a leading restaurant chain. One typical Friday, his boss called to schedule a Saturday meeting at precisely the same time as his son’s basketball game. He hung up the phone, turned to his wife and said, “Today was my last day working with them.”
For the first 25 years of his business life, Robert was a successful executive in the restaurant and software industries. In 2002, he became a professional speaker and business coach and has conducted nearly 2,000 full-day seminars and inspired thousands with a focus on leadership, business and life. In 2013, he and business partner Bill Watkins created the Rusty Lion Academy. They work with businessmen and key leaders, between the ages of 30 and 49, who haven’t yet realized their full potential and who feel as if they’ve lost their freedom to their work lives.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Perhaps before he even knew what his talents were, Robert was shaped by a mentor who took him under his wing. His parents divorced when he was eight, forcing his mother to find a job. Her boss, the head of a petroleum engineering company, stepped into Robert’s life and made a lifelong impression. “Whenever I did something bad, which was pretty often, I would have to go talk to him. But he always hired me, so I always had summer jobs, and I traveled all over the country doing petroleum pipelines. He showed me what a successful man would do, and how he would act. I think this is why I think I pour a lot of myself into the men I work with today; I feel a debt to him for what he did in my life.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After college, Robert worked for a leading restaurant chain, Steak and Ale. “Very quickly they found that I had a knack for training new managers. They’d put them with me for six months or so and I could get them promoted very quickly. But I didn’t understand that I was really good at it. I just thought that was what everybody did. They started moving me up, from area trainer, then a regional trainer. Training and helping people grow was the most natural thing in the world for me. That’s where a lot of the background comes from that I still use to this day.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Many people are afraid to try something outside of their comfort zone. I truly believe most people—after the age of 18 or maybe 22—get sucked into the status quo. Then they’re very afraid to try anything new. I found that if I could get one foot out of that comfort zone and leave the other foot in, the comfort zone got bigger. The more risk I took and started heading toward my talent area, the more fun life became, and the more joy I got in my life by doing that. But, it took a lot of courage to break out.”
Steps to Success from Robert Mallon
1. Be open to the people who can be your mentors.
2. Be willing to take the first, small steps out of your comfort zone.
3. If you’re not doing what you love, ask yourself, “Why not?”
4. Consider being a mentor to someone in your life.
On His Bookshelf
The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
Connecting With Robert Mallon
Email: Robert@RustyLionAcademy.com
Websites: rustylionacademy.com
Twitter: twitter.com/rustylionacad
Facebook: facebook.com/rustylionacademy
LinkedIn: rusty-lion-academy
Podcast: The Lion’s Den for Business Men
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Getting Serious at 14 - Gail Tolstoi-Miller
A Friday in February started out like any other day, as Gail’s father dropped her off at her suburban New Jersey school. “I love you. Have a good day.” Hours later there was a chasm in her life’s road–“my life before, my life after.”
Gail Tolstoi-Miller is the award winning CEO of ConsultNetworx, a consulting and staffing firm, and of its two divisions: Careernetworx, an online job searching course; and Speednetworx, a B2B speed networking event company. Gail’s latest book, “Networking Karma” was published in February and was recently awarded best business book by IndieReader. She is featured in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., and Fox News.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
A crisis in her teenage years led Gail to ask basic questions about life, such as, “Why are things the way they are?” “I started looking into philosophy and questioning life. As I decided where to go to college I knew I needed to go to a school that would allow me to do that.” She chose New York University (NYU) in New York City. “I knew I didn’t belong in a rah-rah campus school. So, I majored in sociology and philosophy, which totally fit what I was looking for. It was a wonderful experience, and a great time for me to try to get some answers.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A day I’ll never forget was when I was 14 years old. On a Friday morning my dad, as usual, dropped me off at school, said, ‘I love you, see you later.’ Later that day, a friend of her mother’s unexpectedly came to pick her up from school. Gail learned that her father had a heart attack while doing legal work in southern New Jersey. Hours later, he died. “That was probably the most defining moment in my life. As I see it, I had one life before that day and then another life after that: a ‘Gail before, Gail after.’ What I learned from that was that life is short—a cliché, but true. Life is fleeting, you don’t know what the next day brings.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“When I feel shackled, like I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing, I start feeling anxiety. I think most people are just the opposite—they don’t live their passion and they’re fine being content, feeling like it’s safer. But for me that gives me anguish. One day, we’re all not going to be here, so I know I’ve got nothing to lose by taking a risk. For me, living with regret is the worst thing. Living the way people think I should live, and not living the way I want to, just drives me crazy.”
Steps to Success from Gail Tolstoi-Miller
1. Find what’s truly important to you and don’t be dissuaded by what other people want for you.
2. No matter what kind of experience you have, whether good or bad, always try to get something great out of it.
3. If you play the victim, and if you can’t see the silver lining, you’re going to have a life of misery. Something positive always comes out of every experience.
On Her Bookshelf
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck
Connecting With Gail Tolstoi-Miller
Websites: www.careernetworx.com
consultnetworx.com/speednetworx/
networkingkarmabook.com/nkpromo
Twitter: @gailtolstoimill
Facebook: facebook.com/careernetworx
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/gailtolstoimiller
Free Gift
Special price on her book, Networking Karma, plus Networking Karma motivational audio, all for $11.99.
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Expert Interview: Congratulations, you’ve landed your first job! Now what? - Kathleen Brady
Kathleen Brady is a certified career/life management coach, author and educator with 25-plus years of experience helping students and professionals identify and integrate their personal and professional goals. Kathleen inspires individuals to embrace their dreams and develop a comprehensive strategy to achieve career success and live happy, joyful lives. She is on the adjunct faculty and serves as Executive Director of Career Services at Georgian Court University while maintaining a private practice through CareerPlanners, LLC. Her latest book GET A JOB! 10 Steps to Career Success and her weekly blog, The Art of Success, provide tactical strategies as well as inspiration.
You’ve landed your first job! Now what?
“Each year at graduation, students are leaving one world, which they are incredibly familiar with, and they’re heading into a new world that’s already functioning. And so, the thing they need to begin to understand is, the rules and the behaviors that were completely acceptable in college may not be so acceptable in this new job. Little things, like, you know, you used to wake up in the morning and decide not to go to class that day. And you don’t go the class! Right? Even the way you dress, and the email protocols, all of those things – you’ve got to learn all these new behaviors when you come into the world of work.”
Why Is This Important?
“Even for those of us who are older and starting new jobs, there are new norms. You’ve got to be mindful of the norms in this organization that are new to you. And you don’t want to be that person who constantly says, ‘Well, at my last organization, this is how we did it.’ You’ve got to learn what the new norms are, if you want to fit in. You also have to know the difference between what the written policy is and what the actual practice is.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“You want to think in terms of starting off on the right foot, and making a good first impression. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. So you want to think about everything—all of your behaviors—before you walk in the door. Ask yourself, ‘How do I want to be perceived at this new place? What would I like these people to be saying about me behind my back?’ Then, make sure every action and interaction you have with everybody, from the guy who cleans the toilets all the way up to the CEO, reflects that behavior. Oftentimes people don’t think about those things.”
Connecting With Kathleen Brady
Website: careerplanners.net
Twitter: @KBCareerPlanner
Facebook: facebook.com/KBCareerplanners
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A Path of Co-Creation and Self-Realization - Mohamed Omar
There was plenty of family pressure for Mohamed to go to college, but his passion was his music and his rock band. As a performer in Egypt, he played in front of audiences numbering in the thousands and co-created a revolution with his heavy metal band. Then, through no fault of his own, his music career ended abruptly.
Mohamed Omar currently is a CPA in the U.S., with his own accounting firm, where he created an employee time tracking system for payroll use by other companies. He has created a podcast called Intentional Beings and the Seven Simple Steps: The Natural Path to Co-Creation and Self-Realization. He’s also in the process (2016) of publishing a book with the same title.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Despite strong family pressure to earn a bachelor’s degree, Mohamed formed a heavy metal band. “My passion was in my music at that time, and in my rock band.” But like many musicians 20 years ago, using drugs was a part of Mohamed’s life at that time. Though he was not a heavy user, he investigated Narcotics Anonymous and was introduced to an NA sponsor, who introduced him to a spiritual pathway and the practice of living in the now, one day at a time.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“When I was 20 years old, my dad gave me a book called Yoga Philosophy, by Yogi Ramacharaka. I would say that this book influenced me more than anything since a very early age. It introduced me to the concept of spiritual awakening, and I had my very first spiritual experience a few years after that, a very profound one. I felt that I am one with everything. It continued for about three weeks. I experienced absolute joy. I knew at that point I’m going to have to be going that direction.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The two main topics for me today are (1) co-creating—basically doing your higher intentions, discovering your talents, and following inner guidance toward self-realization. And (2) self-realization is the real prize: to know who we really are. I believe we all have guidance within us and that we can tune in and listen to it. It tells us everything we need to know. This comes to us by doing daily meditations, yoga, and continuing to seek how to be happy in life.”
Steps to Success from Mohamed Omar
1. Practice being in the present moment rather than worrying about the future.
2. Start writing in a journal daily and finding a spiritual discipline that works for you. “Spend 10 to 15 minutes a day in your ‘man cave’ or ‘woman cave’ before you start your day.”
3. Focus on finding the real you and learning who you are. “This is when the miracles start to happen.”
On His Bookshelf
Hatha Yoga – The Yogi Philosophy of Physical Wellbeing, by Yogi Ramacharaka
The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Connecting With Mohamed Omar
Website: intentionalbeings.com
Twitter: @Intentbeings
Facebook: facebook.com/intentionalbeing/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/intentional-beings
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Motivation to Cross the Finish Line - Gabrielle Baumeyer
Gabrielle had been good at math since childhood and was practical and analytical. Civil engineering looked like a logical pathway to certain employment. Then she realized a career in engineering was not for her. She had to find a way to make the numbers work, for herself…and for others.
Gabrielle Baumeyer is president and co-founder of Reason2Race. She supports companies, organizations and individuals to reach big goals while making a profound difference in the community. As an athlete herself, she knows what it takes to strive for and turn dreams into reality. She loves to support others in realizing their goals and making their contribution in the world.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Back in 2007, I was invited to do a small triathlon in the Houston, Texas, area, and to do it for a cause. My friend said, ‘Look, if you do it for these kids you’ll actually be motivated to do the training, and you’ll do what it takes to cross the finish line.’ She was right! At that time, I raised $2,400, finished my first triathlon, and said, ‘This is the best feeling in the world!’ I just kept going from there.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Gabrielle was always good at math. “I’m a logical kind of person, very practical, so I always leaned toward the activities that were practical and mathematical. It’s just what I did. Fast-forward, I ended up in college getting a degree in civil engineering. I was also clearly focused on earning a degree that would get me a job.” Although she did land a job in engineering, she recalls, “By the time I was a junior in college I already knew it wasn’t going to be something I’d do long term. After working in construction management for awhile, a gentleman on-site introduced me to a leadership program called The Landmark Forum. It’s all about discovering who you are, your talents and what you are passionate about. So, at 24, I enrolled in the class. It solidified even more for me that engineering and construction weren’t for me. I realized that I wanted to use my talents, abilities and my love for people, in different ways.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Through her husband, Bill, who is co-founder of Reason2Race, Gabrielle met an executive in a capital management company. “The company gives away 50 percent of their profits every year to charity. It’s written in the company’s by-laws! I was amazed he was able to build a company effective and successful enough to be able to funnel millions of dollars to the charitable world. I set a goal for myself: create a million dollars for charity. I fell in love with this whole concept of cause-related charitable giving through athletics. At that moment, the life-long question of what I’m here for and what I’m here to achieve just made complete sense to me.”
Steps to Success from Gabrielle Baumeyer
1. If there’s something you passionately want to do, hang out with people who do it. “Before I completed the Iron Man Triathlon, guess who I was hanging out with?”
2. Learn from other people’s experiences. They’ve already made the mistakes and walked the path. Why recreate the wheel?
3. Believe in yourself and in what you have. Believe in your product and do what you love to do. Eventually, it will turn out for you, if you put in the work.
On Her Bookshelf
The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea, by Bob Burg and John David Mann
Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential, by Dan Pallotta
Connecting With Gabrielle Baumeyer
Website: reason2race.com
Twitter: twitter.com/reason2race
Facebook: facebook.com/Reason2Race
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/reason2race
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A Gift of Healing - Dr. Daniel Houtman
As a young child, he discovered he could sense people’s feelings, especially their pain and sadness. An adult might say to him, ‘I’m feeling good,’ but he somehow knew they were not. Often, he could make family members’ headaches go away through touching or rubbing the pain’s site. What does a child do with that kind of gift?
Dr. Daniel Houtman has been helping people worldwide for over 40 years deal with their health and personal problems. In his book Spiritual Evolution: Examining Blocks, Expand Your Vision and Navigating Your Way to Happiness, Dr. Houtman shares what he believes are the keys to happiness and living your best life. Daniel is leading a global project he calls Just Five Minutes, at noon on October 18, 2016. He invites everyone to pause for just five minutes to think about light and love. “By doing that, we will raise the vibrational frequency of our world.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“As a child, I always wanted to help people. I would say I had the ability or the gift to actually feel pain or sadness in others. If someone said to me, ‘I’m feeling good,’ I could often know they weren’t, because I could feel sadness coming from them. If someone in my family had a headache or pain, I would simply touch or rub the area where the pain was, and the pain would go away.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had to go through a kind of personal, spiritual awakening to understand the gift I’d been given. Right from the beginning I knew that I could help people, and my family members knew it too. I just didn’t know what form it was going to take or how to use it as a kid. As I was able to get clearer about the information that was coming from my inner voice, I wanted to find out everything I could about the physical and spiritual world around me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The answer to what makes you happy doesn’t lie outside, it lies within yourself. One way to go inside is through meditation. If you consistently go inside, you find the true meaning of your life and why you are here. There is such a happiness and joy that exists—like nothing else in your life—when you find and do what you love. When you find it, it’s what you will follow for the rest of your life.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Daniel Houtman
1. Learn how to slow your life down so you can listen inside yourself and find the answers you’re looking for.
2. Find something that you’re deeply interested in. Don’t stop, keep searching and what you are seeking will come to you.
3. Keep moving and doing things in life. Don’t stop and say, “OK, that’s all there is.” All life experiences bring lessons for us to learn.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Dr. Daniel Houtman
Website: thespiritdoctor.com
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A Career Vision in a Split-Second Flash - Dr. Swati Lodha
Born to loving—and enlightened—parents in a traditional culture in Rajasthan, India, she realized how fortunate she was to be encouraged to think for herself. As a college student, she heard a speaker talk about paradigm shifts, and in a split-second she knew what her career would be.
Dr. Swati Lodha is the founder of Life Lemonade, a training organization for life transformation, women empowerment, leadership and parenting. With a doctorate in Women Entrepreneurship, she is an Amazon No. 1 bestselling author of Don’t Raise Your Children, Raise Yourself and many other bestselling books. At the age of 21, she founded her first Company, SWASH Pvt. Ltd. (Skills, Wit and Attitude are Shaped Here) to groom Indian Youth. She has been Dean of several Indian business schools.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was born in India to amazing Indian parents who loved me and gave me the freedom to think and decide. That was mostly unheard of in Rajasthan, which is a traditional state in India. My mom always wanted, no matter what, that we should have enough education and be self-reliant. At the age of 21, while I was pursuing my post-grad program in management, I started an organization called SWASH, where I worked with thousands of children, adolescents and professionals, helping them gain confidence and become effective speakers. When all my other friends were sending out resumes and looking for jobs, I decided to work on my own with the organization I had started. I believe that if I change one person, I change one world.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In college, I attended a small leadership program conducted by an organization in my city. I was there as an observer. One of the speakers was talking about paradigm shifts. As I was listening to him, I decided in a split-second what I wanted to do all my life. I realized that my career was to become a motivational speaker or a life coach, though I was not familiar with these terms at that time. From then on, I started talking to people, to learn from them, to help them find their purpose, to make them confident.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It’s very important to be failure-friendly, and to be positively accepting when we fail. So, let’s learn to fail better, because we learn more when we fail. There’s no better teacher in life than failure. Then, it’s perfectly fine to learn the lesson and move on.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Swati Lodha
1. Know what will keep you alive, what will keep you passionate in the long run.
2. Don’t let yourself be overly affected by what others are doing. The comparison-bug kills most of us.
3. Welcome failure with open arms, and success with a nod. It makes us courageous when we fail, and grounded when we achieve.
On Her Bookshelf
How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth and Karen Dillon
Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson, by Mitch Albom
Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading, by Martin Linsky and Ronald A. Heifetz
Elon Musk: Biography of a Self-Made Visionary, Entrepreneur and Billionaire, by B Storm
Why Women Are What They Are, by Swati Lodha
Don’t Raise Your Children, Raise Yourself, by Swati Lodha
Come On, Get Set, Go, by Sailesh Lodha and Swati Lodha
Connecting With Dr. Swati Lodha
Website: drswatilodha.com
Twitter: @Dr_Swati_Lodha
Facebook: facebook.com/Dr.SwatiLodha/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drswatilodha
Free Gift
Don’t Grow Cold, As You Grow Old – A Free E-Book to Learn Important Lessons from Our Children. Visit drswatilodha.com
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Expert Interview: How to Fire Yourself from Your Own Business - Frank Bria
Frank Bria helps entrepreneurs “fire themselves” from the daily operations of their businesses and, by productizing their expertise, avoid getting trapped in just another job . His experience includes helping some of the largest corporations on four continents grow their businesses by making a real impact on their customers. He now turns that experience to the small business sector. He is author of the book Scale: How to Grow Your Business by Working Less.
How to Fire Yourself from Your Own Business
“As entrepreneurs, we didn’t go into business for ourselves just to be our own employer. We wanted to create a growing concern, a business we could hand down to our children or sell at some point. If we don’t structure our business appropriately, what ends up happening is that we just create a job for ourselves, not a business. We need a plan to take ourselves out of the day-to-day operations and fire ourselves from our own business.”
Why Is This Important?
“Even in a situation where you are your company’s product, there are ways of creating a product from what you do. Think of the Blue Man Group, a classic example. If they had not turned what they do into a product, created a brand, and created a repeatable, scalable performance product, it still would be the same four guys traveling all over the country. But it isn’t. They created a product, and now they have other people who can step in and be the Blue Man Group simultaneously in multiple locations.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“When an owner tries to step away from hands-on operation of the business, the thing they’re worried about most is the cash. Where’s the cash coming from? When cash flow goes up and down, with seasonal spikes, feast or famine, it’s really difficult for the owner to step away. This makes day-to-day cash flow management very important. So, what we need to do is to create diverse, recurring, stable revenue.”
Connecting With Frank Bria
Websites: frankbria.com
Twitter: @frankbria
Facebook: facebook.com/7figuresexpert
Free Gift
Road Map to guide service business owners through the three crucial steps: 1) launch, 2) grow, 3) scale.
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Holding The Powerful Accountable - Dr. Chris Quigley
He had earned a degree in chemistry, with a minor in business, and was waiting tables at a local restaurant. One day he asked a regular customer, “So, Dr. Bill, tell me about being a chiropractor.” The passion in his answer got Chris exploring new career directions.
Dr. Chris Quigley is a chiropractic doctor and injury specialist who has helped countless people who have suffered the effects of car accidents over the last 26 years. He draws on that experience in his new book, “After the Crash: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims and Attorneys to Recover Your Health and Protect Your Rights.” He has made it his mission to educate people who suffer needlessly, both physically and financially, due to their lack of education in this area.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
A high school conflict between Chris’ love for playing jazz saxophone and a teacher, who demanded he play in the marching band instead, brought out Chris’ sense of determination. Despite the teacher’s strong objections, Chris stood up for himself and chose jazz. He discovered a streak in his character that he later used to stand up for his patients. “I don’t tolerate people’s BS. If somebody is BS-ing me, I’m going to figure it out. I think that’s probably my best skill.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After graduating from Villanova University with a degree in Chemistry and a minor in business, Chris was waiting tables at a local restaurant. “Up to that point I hadn’t really met anyone who had a real passion for the work they did. A chiropractor was one of my regular customers. So, one day I asked him, “Dr. Bill, tell me about being a chiropractor.” He said the same thing as the first chiropractor I’d met, and that intrigued me. He was very passionate about what he did, and that really impressed me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
When the insurance industry dramatically changed its practices in the 1980s, Chris saw his patients suffering financially as well as physically. “I’m someone who really takes offense when people in power don’t do the right thing. It’s my passion to hold people accountable. I do it through helping my patients heal, some of whom have severe health challenges and haven’t been able to find answers elsewhere. I do it through my work with people injured in car accidents, with predatory insurance companies trying to make a buck off their policyholders. I’m always trying to help people counteract those forces which could hurt them.”
Steps to Success from Dr. Chris Quigley
1. “Keep It Simple, Sweetheart.” It’s important to be educated and informed, but don’t complicate your life by over-thinking.
2. What you are doing is less important than whether you love what you’re doing.
3. If you dread starting your day, find something that makes you eager to get up in the morning.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Dr. Chris Quigley
Website: DrQuigley.com
Boston Office: 102 Charles Street in Boston, Beacon Hill
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Her Inner Voice Said, “Give it All Away.” She Did. - Joan Sotkin
Forty years ago, life wasn’t making much sense to her. She decided to give away everything she owned and just start listening to her inner voice. Even though she had no visible means of support, it was the beginning of a deep, lifelong spiritual journey.
Joan Sotkin has been guiding entrepreneurs and practitioners to build successful businesses and resolve money issues for over 30 years. She is the founder of the popular website www.ProsperityPlace.com, host of The Prosperity Show Podcast, and author of the award-winning book “Build Your Money Muscles.” Joan is known for her insightful understanding of the connection between money and emotions and how family-of-origin experiences affect a person’s ability to succeed in business and financially.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After a long period of learning yoga and meditation to find her inner voice, “One day in early 1980, I heard, ‘Go buy a pound of tumbled stones.’ I had no idea what that meant. After I got the stones, I got instructions on what to do with them: I started doing energy healings. People would come for the healings, and I would sell the stones. So, I started a crystal business. I was the first one to market crystals and minerals for healing and meditation nationwide. I had a line of stones called Joan’s Stones (originally named Cosmic Rocks), that were sold in 600 stores. I loved that business and it grew very quickly to the point where I was making $50,000 a month in today’s money.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A major turning point was 40 years ago. I had reached a point in 1976 where life wasn’t making much sense to me. I had just left a marriage and had no visible means of support. As soon as the money ran out I wound up giving away everything I owned and just listening to my inner voice, and traveling for quite a long time. I did this so I could learn ways of healing my body that weren’t yet popular on the planet. It was the beginning of a deep, lifelong spiritual journey.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Trust your inner voice, don’t worry about the future, just be where you are today, accept it and make the most of it. It’s not what’s happening to you that matters, it’s how you deal with what’s happening. There were times when I wouldn’t know what I was supposed to do from day to day, and I would just listen. I had some of the most amazing experiences where the instruction I was getting was other-worldly at times. I would follow my inner voice and these amazing things would happen!”
Steps to Success from Joan Sotkin
1. Learn to listen to your inner voice and trust it.
2. Practice acceptance of where you are today and make the most of it.
3. Worrying is a waste of time. When you’re worrying you’re just making up stories.
4. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, keep going inside and listening, and then apply what you learn. If you do that, everything will work out fine.
On Her Bookshelf
Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal, by Donna Jackson Nakazawa
Build Your Money Muscles, by Joan Sotkin
Top Tools on Her Browser
Financial Freedom Formula: A Holistic Blueprint for Success (Joan’s online course)
Connecting With Joan Sotkin
Website: ProsperityPlace.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/joansotkin
Facebook: facebook.com/sotkin
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joansotkin
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He’s Kicking His Blue Genes in the Butt - Josh Rivedal
Despite his personal and family turmoil in the wake of his father’s suicide, Josh found some release in writing and performing a one-man play that explored the family dynamics of depression. On the other hand, if heredity really was a factor, was he destined to follow in his father’s footsteps?
Josh Rivedal, founder and CEO of The i’Mpossible Project, is an author, actor, playwright, and international public speaker. He has spoken about suicide prevention, mental health awareness, and diversity in more than one hundred locations throughout the world. He wrote and developed the one-man play, Kicking My Blue Genes in The Butt, which has toured extensively throughout the world. He has three books in print, and a new release on the way in 2017.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Around age 19, Joshua moved to New York City. “I was working as a professional actor—sometimes I was flipping burgers, but most of the time I was acting—doing some voice-over work and getting into writing and playwriting.” He tried to sign up for a playwriting class, but it was filled, so he opted for a class in creating one-man shows. His play, Kicking my Blue Genes in the Butt, explored the hereditary elements and family dynamics of depression.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Joshua’s father committed suicide in March 2009 when Josh was 25 and had been living and working in New York for six years. Despite his personal and family turmoil in the wake of his father’s death, Josh managed to harness some of that pain in 2010 by creating and mounting his one-man show, Kicking my Blue Genes in the Butt. In it, he explored the hereditary elements and family dynamics of depression. It opened to great reviews and good audience responses. But as his professional life was coming together, his personal life was falling apart. His girlfriend of six years left him, and his mother took him and his siblings to court over his father’s estate. “Something inside my head told me to go ask for help.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
As he sought help with his depression, he said, “I started reaching out to the good people in my life and ditched the negative ones. I started throwing myself into service of others, trying to help people wherever I could. And I had an epiphany. People would come up to me after my show and share their stories about family and friends who had killed themselves. They would say, ‘Thanks for being so open and honest,’ and I saw how healing the show had been for them. I saw that I could take the show, pair it with some education around how and where to get help. If I could do this, I’d be doing them a service and myself as well.”
Steps to Success from Josh Rivedal
1. Be willing to play, to fail, and then re-frame failure as a lesson learned on the way to success.
2. Live your life in service to others.
3. Commit yourself to the endless pursuit of knowledge.
4. Value your time by using it well.
On His Bookshelf
Blog: I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Rohit Sethi
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, by Timothy Ferriss
Influence: Science and Practice, by Robert B. Cialdini
Never Eat Alone And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time, by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz
Connecting With Josh Rivedal
Website: www.joshuarivedal.com
Twitter: twitter.com/JoshuaRivedal
Facebook: linkedin.com/in/joshuarivedal
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshuarivedal
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From a Best-Kept Secret to a Sold-Out Success - Michelle Evans
She reached the top four percent of executives in Microsoft in just a few years. Viewing her as one of its high potential employees, the company assigned her a coach to help chart her path. So, what made her quit one day and start her own business that very night?
Michelle L. Evans walked away from Microsoft in 2012 after a successful 16-year career spanning many industries. Now she shows experts and entrepreneurs how to stand out. Her clients’ biggest challenge is that they’re really good at what they do but feel like they’re the best-kept secret around. Michelle shows her clients how to go from being best-kept secrets to a sold-out success, with a customized visibility strategy to attract clients to grow their business.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I think I fell in love with marketing when I was 14 or 15 years old when I was in high school in the Junior Achievement program. We created and marketed products, ran a student store, and shared our ideas.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Although Michelle had studied business in high school and college, and knew she wanted to run her own business. It was a career coach for high potential executives at Microsoft who helped her crystallize her entrepreneurial dream. The global giant provides coaching to elite executives ranked in the top four percent. “This coach was amazing. She started putting me through assessments, asking me questions I had been avoiding in my own life for a long time. It really helped me reawaken the desire to have my own gig,” Michelle recalls.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Once I started reflecting on the pieces of my life that I loved—and the pieces I was tolerating but didn’t love—things really snowballed. I started seeing that I was not a victim of my circumstances. Nobody was forcing me to work 15 hours a day, that was my own choice. My coach led me through an exercise that forced me to say what it would take to get me to a 10. I quickly saw it might take me losing my job! Staying there could have been so easy! Yes, the job was stressful and the work was hard, but it is so easy to stay stuck in that mode. I really needed a kick in the butt to get out of it.” When that kick came, she recalls, “I went home that night and opened my own business.”
Steps to Success from Michelle Evans
1. Learn what your best abilities are and really own them.
2. Find the tools you need to identify your strengths and dreams: a coach, a book or test like Strength Finder 2.0.
3. Practice accepting yourself and getting comfortable in your own skin.
4. Don’t depend on external sources for your own validation and self-worth.
On Her Bookshelf
The Fire Starter Sessions: A Soulful + Practical Guide to Creating Success on Your Own Terms, by Danielle LaPorte
The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul, by Danielle LaPorte
Fascinate, Revised and Updated: How to Make Your Brand Impossible to Resist, by Sally Hogshead
Abraham’s Processes of Creation (DVD) DVD-ROM, by Abraham Hicks
Connecting With Michelle Evans
Website: MichelleLEvans.com
Twitter: @michellelevans
Facebook: www.facebook.com/michellelevansofficial www.facebook.com/groups/tamethemarketingmonster (Private Facebook group)
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michellelevans425
Free Gift
Discover where to quickly find new clients with the powerful From Secret to Sold-Out strategy guide
August 2016:
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325:
Expert Interview: How to Negotiate Your Salary Like a Pro - Josh Doody
Josh Doody didn’t negotiate his salary at his first few jobs, but quickly realized he had left a lot of money on the table. He began negotiating and doubled his salary in three years. He took everything he learned, began helping others. An author and consultant, he wrote Fearless Salary Negotiation, a number one bestseller on Amazon. Since then, he’s helped many more people negotiate tens of thousands more dollars.
How to Negotiate Your Salary Like a Pro
“A lot of people are very intimidated by the negotiation process and can be scared of it. That’s why my book is called, Fearless Salary Negotiation. I’m trying to help you overcome that fear and actually negotiate. The phrase ‘gird yourself’ pops into my head here. You’re not really going to battle, but you do need to prepare yourself for feeling a little bit uncomfortable and stepping outside your comfort zone and negotiating. It requires some mental preparation along with your prior research about the company and the value you can bring to the company.”
Why Is This Important?
“The whole point of interviewing well is to get the best job offer possible. There are two factors there. One is to get an offer, but also to get the best offer possible, which is why you shouldn’t disclose your desired salary early on and why you continue to demonstrate that you’ll be a valuable asset to the company. Knowing what kinds of questions might come your way can be really helpful in terms of preparing for the interviews.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
During the interview process, you’ll usually be given an opportunity to ask questions by each interviewer, often the last five or ten minutes of the interview. They’ll realize they’ve been asking you a lot of questions and they’ll say, ‘OK, we’ve got about five minutes left. Do you have any questions for me?’ This is not the time to say, ‘No, I’m good.’ They’re lobbing you a softball to not only ask questions that demonstrate even more that you’ll add value to the company, but also to allow you to gather information you can use to do better in your next round of interviews with the company.
Connecting With Josh Doody
Websites: fearlesssalarynegotiation.com
Twitter: twitter.com/JoshDoody
Facebook: facebook.com/JoshDoodyAuthor/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshdoody
Free Gift
A free guide for Discover Your Talent (DYT) listeners: Everything you need to ace your next interview. A free guide and email templates you can use to follow up and communicate clearly throughout the interview process. Go to: FearlessSalaryNegotiation.com/dyt2
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A Sore Elbow Brings a 180-Degree Turn - Dr. Chad Edwards
Equipped with a traditional medical education, he returned to the Army as an active duty physician. A commander came in complaining of elbow pain and requested prolotherapy, a procedure he’d never heard of. He began digging into the literature. What he found totally transformed his medical practice from that day forward.
Dr. Chad Edwards is an osteopathic physician practicing in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His primary interest is functional medicine using a holistic approach. His primary goal is to optimize health through all available means, including nutrition, exercise, rest, medications, acupuncture, chiropractic, and any other means available as appropriate.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I always wanted to be a physician. Some people would say, ‘How did you know you wanted to be a doctor?” I would say, ‘As far back as probably 5 or 6 years old, I always wanted to be a doctor.’ As Chad progressed along a path of traditional medical training, be began to have questions. “I feel that our approach to health for individual patients has completely gone awry. We need to turn it around 180 degrees. We need to focus on health and not on illness and disease, which is the way that our mainstream medicine seems to have gone. It’s been a process getting to this point, but we continue to drive in that direction. So, the mission of my clinic is simply to revolutionize health care.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“After I graduated from my medical residency, I went back into the Army as an active duty physician. A commander came to me with elbow pain and said, ‘I need prolotherapy. I had no idea what that was. I found a guy who used *prolotherapy to show us what it was. It shocked me when he said, ‘Don’t use ice or anti-inflammatories.’ That really rocked my foundation! As an athletic trainer and a medic, those are the things that you use: ice and Motrin. It forced me to look into other things. Then I saw the literature that supports prolotherapy. Now, in my practice, I see a greater than 85% success rate with my patients, even though much of the literature says that it doesn’t work.”
*Prolotherapy, also called proliferation therapy or regenerative injection therapy, is a treatment using injection of an irritant solution into ligaments or tendon to relieve pain.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“It’s just a matter of getting out the word that functional medicine is available and here’s how it can help you. That’s really the only competition that I have is letting people know it’s out there. From my colleagues, I often hear, ‘What’s the proof that it works?’ and all I have to say is that the patient got better. I don’t need a study to prove something works if my patient gets better. What more proof do you need?”
Steps to Success from Dr. Chad Edwards
1. Find work that lets you feel you’re making a difference.
2. Set clear goals and commit to reaching them.
3. Don’t give in to distractions: they will always crop up.
4. Don’t quit! Complete the race, cross the finish line.
Connecting With Dr. Chad Edwards
Websites: revolutionhealth.org
Podcast: Against the Grain: againstthegrainpodcast.com
Twitter: twitter.com/drchadedwards
Facebook: facebook.com/RevolutionHealthWellness
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Adapt, Risk & Learn— Never a Regret or “What-if?” - Elizabeth Dodson
It was the early ‘90s. Corporate layoffs and turmoil were all around her. She saw the writing on the wall at her own employer. Rather than wring her hands, she decided to act as if her own layoff was a fait accompli. Looking back, she concludes, “Sometimes when one door closes, three doors open, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
Elizabeth Dodson is a co-founder of HomeZada, a consumer internet portal to manage all the details about a home, enabling home owners the ability to manage their largest asset. Elizabeth’s career reflects the adaption to change from a corporate job to joining an early stage startup that grew to a successful acquisition, to recently starting her own company.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was raised by a single mom who always reminded my sisters and me that if you work really hard, you can do anything. She always reminded us, her girls, ‘Do not let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.’ I was the first in the family to go to college on all the different sides of families. When you have divorced parents, remarried parents, they have multiple family members. So, among all sides, I was the first to go to college, and to graduate. This helped the rest of my cousins to think about college as an opportunity. I love the fact that my success was a way of paying it forward.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In the early 1990s, when there was a lot of turmoil and layoffs in some industries, I predicted that some of these layoffs would come to the company where I worked, and that I was probably going to be one of those people laid off. I could have easily stopped, sulked and gone into the depths of despair. Instead, I chose to prepare as if I was going to get laid off. I decided to get my master’s in business administration, with a focus on marketing. At the same time, I was earning my master’s, I found a new job. The job helped me understand my master’s program, and the work toward getting my master’s degree helped me with my job. There was a direct correlation between having a job and getting my master’s at the same time, which was amazing.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Often, when you take on new opportunities, if you have the basic talents, you can teach yourself everything else, or surround yourself with really great people who already have these experiences and skills. One of the things that we pride ourselves on at HomeZada is that we surround ourselves with really good, smart people. Often, they are even smarter than we are in specific subjects. If you’re confident in your abilities, then you embrace and bring in those individuals to help you succeed. I think a lot of people forget they don’t have to know it all.”
Steps to Success from Elizabeth Dodson
1. Trust your instincts and believe in your abilities.
2. If you shy away from new opportunities out of fear, you will always wonder “what if I had taken a chance?”
3. You don’t have to know everything. Surround yourself with competent, skilled people who can complement your own skills and talents.
On Her Bookshelf
Profitable Growth Is Everyone’s Business: 10 Tools You Can Use Monday Morning, by Ram Charan
Rework, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (
A New Brand World: Eight Principles for Achieving Brand Leadership in the Twenty-First Century, by Scott Bedbury and Stephen Fenichell
Nuts!: Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success, by Jackie Freiberg and Kevin Freiberg
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World, by Eric Weiner
Connecting With Elizabeth Dodson
Website: homezada.com
Twitter: @frankiezada and @HomeZada
Facebook: facebook.com/HomeZada
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/edodson
Free Gift
We offer a free version of our solution HomeZada which is our Essentials package and allows homeowners to track home inventory, contacts and property information to all clients.
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Building Relationships, Helping Men Grow in Community - Aaron Walker
At 27 he had already amassed a fortune, selling his pawn shops for a price he was sure the buyer would consider outrageous. Headed to the office one day years later, an elderly man stepped onto the four-lane highway right in front of his car, forever changing Aaron’s life.
Aaron Walker is a veteran entrepreneur as well as a life and business coach in Nashville, Tennessee. He started his first business at 18 and sold it to a Fortune 500 company nine short years later. Unwilling to rest on past successes alone, he started, bought and sold eight successful companies over the past 36 years. Having a strong desire for personal development has kept Aaron in a weekly mastermind group with other notable Nashvillians for more than a decade. Today, as president and founder of View from the Top, a premier life and business coaching resource, he spends the majority of his time helping men grow in success and significance.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I started working at a pawn shop when I was 13. When I was 15 years old, I decided that’s what I wanted to do for a living. So I worked there each and every day. Then, I met two guys that owned the 21st largest insurance agency in the country, and partnered with them. They took a chance on a young 18-year-old, and we opened a pawn shop.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Aaron’s life changed forever at age 40. He had already amassed a fortune, opening several pawn shops and eventually selling them at a figure he was sure the buyer would have considered outrageous. “I was headed to my office early, and a pedestrian was crossing a four-lane highway. He didn’t look my way, and I ran over and killed him. His name was Enrique. He was 77 years old, from the Philippines. We later found out he couldn’t see well. He just didn’t see me coming, and he stepped out right in front of me.” The trauma of the tragic death made Aaron see his life in an entirely new light. He asked himself what kind of legacy would he have left behind if he had been the one whose life was suddenly ended. “My legacy would have been, ‘He had nothing…he sold a business at 27…he didn’t have to work anymore…he had a few toys.’ That’s all I would have been remembered for. There was no significance in my life whatsoever.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think the most important key ingredient, hands down, is building relationships. I’ll take that any day over any other tactical maneuver in business. My dad taught me a lot about relationships. He didn’t know how to make money. But when he died, every single person at the funeral said, ‘My life has been better as a result of having known your dad.’ They didn’t say he had a nice boat or car. They said knowing my dad made their life better.”
Steps to Success from Aaron Walker
1. Choose your friends wisely and surround yourself with positive people.
2. Be very intentional, strategic and methodical, and establish a disciplined daily routine.
3. Spend 10 to 20 percent of your day intentionally building relationships. It will pay off both professionally and personally.
On His Bookshelf
48 Days to the Work You Love: Preparing for the New Normal, by Dan Miller and Dave Ramsey
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by by Carol Dweck (http://amzn.to/29RBhXT)
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown
How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age, by Dale Carnegie & Associates
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, by Chip Heath, Dan Heath
Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time, by Rory Vaden
Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, by Adam M. Grant
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World, by Gary Vaynerchuk
Connecting With Aaron Walker
Website: viewfromthetop.com
Twitter: @VFTCoach
Facebook: facebook.com/AaronWalkerVFTT
Free Gift
Three documents written by Aaron Walker have been made free to Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love podcast listeners, to help you live more successful and more significant.
- A Personal Assessment: 30 thought-provoking questions
- “25 Questions to Get the Life You Want” will help you understand more about what you can do to live life more intentionally
- Steps to a Productive Day: A To Do List on steriods to help you be very productive every day
Go to viewfromthetop.com/talent and download all three documents.
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A Swift Kick From a Friend Changed Her Life’s Direction - Debby Stone
She loved working alongside brilliant consultants from top-notch schools, but poring over numbers was just not her thing. Crafting legal documents, dotting I’s and crossing T’s wasn’t doing it for her either. But it wasn’t until a friend said, “Get off your you-know-what and DO it!” that, within one week, she started training for her new career.
Debby Stone is an executive coach and keynote speaker. She’s the author of “The Art of Self-Promotion: Tell Your Story, Transform Your Career,” and the founder of Novateur Partners, an executive coaching company serving lawyers, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and the organizations in which they work. Prior to 2002, Debby practiced law for 16 years and worked at Bain & Company. Debby holds undergraduate and law degrees from Duke University.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After a two-year stint at top-ranked Bain and Company, law school and a career with a big law firm, Debby says she became “an accidental entrepreneur.” It began with her solo law practice, where she loved the autonomy and flexibility of running her own show, but she began to feel something was missing. “In my head, I had a direct connection and I knew I was helping, but I didn’t feel that heart connection that I was really craving. That’s what precipitated my move from law into coaching. I really wanted to know—in both my head and in my heart—that the work I was doing was making a difference.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had met some coaches when I was networking to build my law practice, and I was struck by the fact that it sounded like they were doing all the things that I enjoyed doing and none of the things that I didn’t enjoy doing. I spent time one-on-one with several coaches asking them what the practice really was like, what they actually did, and then began to research programs to get trained and certified. The story is great because I cogitated on it, so to speak, for quite a while. I remember one of my friends at the time finally looked at me and said, “Just get off your you-know-what and DO this!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’m a big believer in being able to honor my values, those things that define you at the core. You suffer when they are being compromised. If you really want to live a successful life—and I’ll use air quotes around successful—what I really mean is that you can answer yes to questions like: Does it feel good? Do you feel fulfilled? Are you feeling balanced? Do you feel that you’re making a contribution and living on purpose? Today, I am healthier. I have so many moments of enjoyment, and the side benefit is I’ve met some amazing people through networking and even through my client base. Some of my very best friends now are former clients of mine.”
Steps to Success from Debby Stone
1. Look deeply at who you really are. “Excavate your core values, natural talents, those things that motivate and define you.
2. Define what you want your life to look like, what you want your relationships to look like.
3. Don’t be afraid to define—and follow—your own path.
On Her Bookshelf
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
Taming Your Gremlin: A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way, by Rick Carson
Connecting With Debby Stone
E-mail: DStone@novateurpartners.com
Website: novateurpartners.com
Twitter: @NovateurCoach
Facebook: facebook.com/NovateurPartners/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/debbystonenovateur
Free Gift
Free sample chapter of Debby’s book – The Art of Self-Promotion – artofselfpromotionbook.com
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320:
Expert Interview: Flying Without a Helicopter, with Joanie Connell, Ph.D. - Joanie Connell, Ph.D.
Joanie B. Connell, Ph.D. is the founder of Flexible Work Solutions, a consulting firm that specializes in leadership assessment, development and retention for all levels. She teaches at the University of California at San Diego and is the author of Flying Without a Helicopter: How to Prepare Young People for Work and Life. She received her doctorate in psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and her bachelor’s degree in engineering from Harvard University.
Flying Without a Helicopter
“Helicopter Parenting”—hovering over and doing too many things for your kids, protecting them, and not letting them learn those skills themselves—is leading to problems when they get older and enter the workplace. Corporate executives often complain about younger people coming into the workplace lacking some of the basic life skills that are necessary to succeed, like being independent, resilient, having good communication skills, and creativity.
Why Is This Important?
“Of course, there are pluses and minuses to every style of parenting. On the one hand, when we’re protecting our kids, we’re keeping them safe. But, on the other hand, when we’re overly protective we’re dis-empowering them, unintentionally depriving them of the opportunities they need to do for themselves. We have a lot of anxiety in our society right now, and it’s causing parents to want to protect their children from bad things they see happening like kidnapping, terrorism and violence. After dealing with attacks of 9/11 and terrorism, the media has taken on this new agenda, using fear to get us to watch TV, buy the newspaper and click on online newscasts.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“I’ve developed a model—a real life model—which helps people be resilient, empowered, authentic, and limber. Those are the basic life skills that people need to succeed at work, in addition to having some expertise in a field of interest. It’s about being resilient, being able to make mistakes, pick yourself back up, and deal with barriers in a way that empowers you to take care of yourself, to be self-directed and not wait for someone else to helicopter in and do it for you. It’s also about being authentic, able to communicate, being true to yourself, not trying to be perfect all the time and pretending to be somebody else.”
Connecting With Joanie Connell, Ph.D.
Email: jconnell@flexibleworksolutions.com
Websites: flexibleworksolutions.com/ FlyingWithout.com (her book’s website)
Twitter: @ConnellLessons
Facebook: facebook.com/LessonsfromtheWorkplace
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joanieconnell
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319:
Go Where You’re Awesome - Michael Roderick
He was a freshman in college, a nobody, studying drama and education. But when he became assistant director of a play his friend was directing at her high school, he recalls, “I quickly went from nobody to awesome.” Little did he know that Broadway beckoned.
Michael Roderick is a founder, speaker and connector. His company, Small Pond Enterprises, specializes in relationship design for individuals interested in playing a bigger game. He works with thought leaders to curate, extend and leverage their existing networks. He developed his methodology from his own journey of high school English teacher to Broadway producer in less than two years. Michael is also the founder of ConnectorCon, a conference for connectors.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was always very taken with theater and I was also with the idea of creating and developing things, always writing. In high school we had a Dead Poets Society that I sort of headed up, and I sang in an ironically-named band that I put together called Morbid Cappuccino. Classic 90s.” The English department barely had money for books. Using his entrepreneurial side, Michael put together a battle of the bands fundraiser.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In college, Michael had a dual major in drama and education, intending to become a kindergarten teacher. But a friend who was directing a show at the high school where she taught asked him to be her assistant director. “I was a freshman in college, a nobody. But when I went to this high school, and I was the one teaching and helping them, I was that kid who is in college already. It came down to this idea: go where you’re awesome!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think it’s so easy to get stuck in our silos and stay in that same place. I’ve always been more of an anthropologist, I want to learn as much as possible about as many different worlds as possible because that’s what creates the opportunity and the possibility to be a really great connector.”
Steps to Success from Michael Roderick
1. If there’s something you think you want to do, first do a deep dive for a short time. Try it on for size.
2. Meet people who are doing what you would like to do and learn from their experiences.
3. Build your safety net before you leap.
4. Learn to be a connector of people: learn as much as you can about a variety of worlds and people. Don’t get stuck in your silo.
On His Bookshelf
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin
Connecting With Michael Roderick
Website: smallpondenterprises.com
Twitter: @michaelroderick
Facebook: Michael Roderick
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michael-roderick-1161571
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To Get Unstuck, Try the Wild Blue Yonder - Margaret Gearing
Fresh out of Florida State University with a degree in Mass Communications, Margaret was driving to Miami with her boyfriend, who was heading there to go to medical school. Margaret recalls, “I said, ‘God, I’ve got to think about what I’m going to do!’ and he said, ‘Well, why don’t you go into advertising?’ I said, ‘Hmm, that’s interesting.’”
Margaret Gearing has been in the advertising and marketing industry for 25 years, working as a senior executive at a top Atlanta advertising agency, then founding and running her own successful marketing consulting firm for many years. Recently, under the working title of Wild Blue Yonder, she helped organize the Mobil X Conference at Georgia Tech’s Schuller College of Business.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Fresh out of Florida State University with a degree in Mass Communications, Margaret was driving to Miami with her boyfriend, who was heading there to go to medical school. Margaret recalls, “I said, ‘God, I’ve got to think about what I’m going to do!’ and he said, ‘Well, why don’t you go into advertising?’ I said, ‘Hmm, that’s interesting. Maybe I’ll do that.’” Soon she had interviewed in Atlanta with ad agency Tucker Wayne. “They hired me to work on new business and to work in the studio which I thought was really an odd thing.” Her advertising career had begun.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Going into business was the best thing I ever did. Selling my business may be the worst thing I ever did. But no, I was never happier than when I finally got out on my own and started doing my own thing. At first, I had a hesitation because I’d always worked for big companies, big agencies, and there were so many people running interference at the top level. I had never done that until I got out on my own and I went ‘Holy mackerel!’ With so many people asking me what do I think, I knew I’d better come up with very good answers!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think if you want to become un-stuck, challenge yourself to do something that you’ve never done before. That usually creates some ability to see things in a different perspective. Get off that track you’ve been on and look for a new track that presents interesting challenges, something that might engage you in a way you never thought you could be engaged.”
Steps to Success from Margaret Gearing
1. Everyone gets stuck occasionally. Find yourself a thought partner you can trust, and give each other feedback.
2. Periodically write down a life assessment—what you’re doing well and what needs improvement—and do a gap analysis.
3. Take a dispassionate view of yourself and see yourself objectively.
4. Explore the many ways available to learn, such as the Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs), frequently offered at a fraction of the cost of on-campus learning.
On Her Bookshelf
Northwestern Launches MOOC Specialization: How to be profitable in social media
Connecting With Margaret Gearing
Email: margaretgearing@gmail.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/margaret-gearing-6a7b462
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Success Over Rejection & Introversion - John Bodrozic
His two top college picks, both in his native California, had turned him down…twice. Notre Dame in Indiana was a fine school, too, but it felt like a consolation prize. He could not have imagined the horizons that would open to him in the wake of those two rejections.
John Bodrozic is a co-founder of HomeZada, a startup which is a digital home management internet platform that empowers consumers to manage their largest financial asset, their home. Previously he had a successful startup by first boot-strapping a software company, getting it to profitability, raising venture capital, globally growing the business and eventually having a successful multi-million dollar sale to a public company. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in mechanical engineering.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“The business world was a foreign concept to me because my parents were not in the business world. They were blue collar workers.” Through John’s project management work at major commercial construction companies, he started educating himself about the business side of the industry. When the opportunity arose to launch a startup to serve the construction industry, he had already begun to create the knowledge base he would need to take a big risk.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Born to parents who fled Communist Yugoslavia in 1960, John benefited from their commitment to hard work and giving their children a good education. John experienced rejection along the way, unable to get into the two colleges he wanted, so he learned to make practical choices to keep moving forward, starting with earning his degree as a mechanical engineer A crucial turning point came when he chose to leave a career at a large national construction company and take a chance on a tech startup, creating and marketing software for that industry. He carefully considered the downside risks, then opted to bet on the upside potential. His decision paid off.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Starting out as in introvert, John found that his start-ups forced him to get outside of himself and be a life-long learner. He’s proud of the courage and accomplishments. In his first business, “We saved millions of dollars for our customers managing construction projects. We created 250 direct jobs and probably 10,000 indirect jobs because we had people learning our software and becoming consultants. Twenty new businesses were created based on our platform. To create a product that creates value for your customers, creates jobs and businesses, and make an impact in your little niche of the world is probably one of the things I’m proudest of.”
Steps to Success from John Bodrozic
1. Learn to deal with rejection and maintain forward momentum.
2. Be a life-long learner, taking advantage of books, online classes and opportunities to learn.
3. Think strategically about the risks you take. Whenever possible, start learning about your next step while you have the security of a job.
4. Find ways to help other entrepreneurs avoid the pitfalls you have experienced. Give back.
On His Bookshelf
Crossing The Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers, by Geoffrey A. Moore
Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant, by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
Connecting With John Bodrozic
Email: jbodrozic@homezada.com
Website: homezada.com
Twitter: twitter.com/jbodrozic
Facebook: facebook.com/HomeZada/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnbodrozic
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A Philosophy to Lighten Your Life - Laura Coe
Laura Coe helped her father, a gifted professor who had developed a method for preventing the recurrence of kidney stones, build a successful healthcare company, learning the field from the ground up. “I did love the entrepreneurship piece,” she recalls, “I just didn’t like the subject matter.” She knew she needed to find something she truly loved to do.
Laura Coe is an entrepreneur, author, and certified life coach working to help you find fulfillment one day at a time through daily emotional workout routines, emotional nutrition, and other tools and insights. She co-founded Litholink Corporation, a healthcare company serving over 350,000 patients per month nationally. When it sold to a Fortune 500 company, she left corporate America to pursue lifelong passions. Now she helps break down monumental life-changing philosophy and ancient wisdom in a way that everyone can apply to their own lives. Her first book, “Emotional Obesity” is available for purchase.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After studying philosophy and teaching it in college, Laura realized how cut-throat academia could be. Looking at the professors around her, she thought, “That will be me in 10 years, and I don’t want that!” Her father, a gifted professor and creator of a method to prevent the recurrence of kidney stones, enlisted Laura in creating a healthcare company. “I did love the entrepreneurship piece. I just didn’t like the subject matter. A dear friend from college told me, ‘You should be coaching.’ I didn’t even know what coaching was,” Laura recalls, “but I started learning for myself. When I started applying the entrepreneurial piece to work that I loved, everything just fell into lockstep.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Well into her exploration of her next step in life, Laura discovered, “It was the little steps, little things, that were making me happy instead of the big plays. I’d had writer’s block for awhile. I sat down, put on a nice playlist of music, and started to think about writing. I made a commitment: every day I’m going to come back, and try to get through it for an hour a day. All of sudden, a tremendous amount of information flew out of me! Within an hour, I’d written several pages. I had that same feeling I’d had in high school, like goosebumps. I called my partner, read it back, and I started crying. I thought, ‘Oh, my God. I love this!’ It was a real ‘Aha!’ turning point for me.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“First of all, there’s no reason to go through anything close to what I did. There’s so much great information out there. My life shifted when I got a coach, and I just had somebody walk me through basic steps to connect back to that authentic self. Outside of that, it’s about connecting back to the part of yourself that knows what you want and what matters to you. I always say the process is upside-down. Stop looking out into the world and thinking, maybe I should do this or that. You become completely overwhelmed by the external world.”
Steps to Success from Laura Coe
1. Find a coach, or someone to guide you to your authentic self.
2. Write down a list of all the stuff you love, try doing a few of them, and use that as a feedback loop.
3. Pay attention to what makes you most excited, what turns you on the most, where you feel most alive. Simply being good at something does not mean it’s what you love.
4. Think through—and FEEL through—your experiences of exploring your options.
On Her Bookshelf
Emotional Obesity: A Philosophical Guide to Lighten Your Life, by Laura Coe
The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children, by Dr. Shefali Tsabary
The 2016 New Year Guide, by Jullien Gordon (download PDF at http://julliengordon.com/nyg)
Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears, by Pema Chodron and other books by this author.
The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety, by Alan W. Watts
Connecting With Laura Coe
Website: www.lauracoe.com and www.emotionalworkouts.com
Twitter: @laurascoe
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin/in/laurascoe
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315:
Expert Interview: The Method for Healing Your Emotions, Relationships and Your Life - Bob Lancer
Bob Lancer has been on the path of his talents for all of his adult life. He made the decision in his 20s that he was going to rely on his gifts, talents and inspiration to make his living and live life to the fullest. He has kept that commitment for four decades. Through thick and thin, Bob has persevered in connecting with and sharing the inspiration that lights up his life with businesses, schools and individuals worldwide.
The Method for Healing Your Emotions, Relationships and Your Life
“What we experience every day is not our lives but our attitude toward our lives. I practiced mindfulness for four decades, and through that practice, I recognized that people are not really experiencing their lives. They’re experiencing their attitudes. I understood the value and power of living in a positive attitude, but never had the H-O-W. It’s great to have a positive attitude, but what we really need is a method for healing our emotions, relationships and lives.”
Why Is This Important?
“By persevering through the darkness, I found what I call ‘The Method.’ It is a simple method that I guide people through. In 10 minutes, it takes an individual from unhappiness to happiness, from depression, anxiety and frustration into inner peace, faith and joy, and from resentment into love. It provides an experience of healed emotions within 10 minutes. As a person lives in those harmonious feeling states more and more consistently, life, business and relationships just automatically line up with that, and life and self become a harmonious fit. It is a method for making the changes in your life that you really want to make.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Whenever you’re experiencing any kind of unhappiness, frustration or insecurity, it has nothing to do with your situation. It is a programmed emotional belief system that’s being triggered in you. The reality is that everything is actually perfect, and that your life is all lined up. The Universe is really an aligned system that is always working things out for you, in line with your expanding fulfillment. Nothing is ever going wrong, and you are always in a state of total love, fulfillment and joy. That’s your natural state. But we get these programmed emotional states, based on beliefs about our circumstances. Those beliefs come from our early childhood experiences.”
Connecting With Bob Lancer
Email: bob@boblancer.com
Websites: www.LoveTheMethod.com www.greatteambuildingspeaker.com or www.boblancer.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/boblancer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blancer
Free Gift
Free 20-minute phone coaching session to the first 10 people who mention this podcast and make their request via email: bob@boblancer.com.
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314:
His Sage Advice to Leaders: Look in the Mirror - Bob Whipple
He retired from a 30-year corporate career, where he honed his understanding of what makes leaders great. Today he shares his body of knowledge with top executives. When he tells them they might well be creating a culture where trust and cooperation are low, some of them point him straight to the exit.
Bob Whipple is CEO of Leadergrow, Inc., a company dedicated to improving leadership in organizations. Known as the “Trust Ambassador,” he is a professional speaker and a member of the National Speakers Association. He’s won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Trust Across America group. He has four published books on the topic of trust and over 500 published articles and videos on various leadership topics.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Even when I was a young child, I was fascinated by the topic of leadership. I really wanted to find out what makes leaders great. I wondered why some people don’t function quite as well in leadership as others. I read and studied through my early years in my career all the great authors and leadership experts, and got a pretty good education that way.” In Bob’s 30-year-plus corporate career at Eastman Kodak, he recalls, “Basically, it was all about leadership. I knew that’s what I wanted to be. I created what I called a Leadership Laboratory. That’s where I really got serious about trying to understand the finer points of leadership. I surrounded myself with the best leaders I could find and we learned from each other what it takes to lead.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I studied engineering to get a solid technical background, but I was also always aiming at a business career. I got a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, then a Master’s in chemical engineering.” Still with his eye on business, he earned an MBA at the Simon School at the University of Rochester. Making his way into Eastman Kodak, he turned his focus back to his lifelong passion to learn all he could about leadership.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I think there are lots of reasons why people find themselves trapped in jobs that are not in their sweet spot. One of the painfully obvious ones is that the pressure of a globalized economy makes it such that short-term goals become king. People forget that in order to accomplish great things you have to have people on your side, and that means, taking a longer-term view of what you’re doing, rather than just going after today’s deliverables. Certainly you have to have a track record of being able to deliver year after year and long-term. But you have to be able to set aside some things that appear to be urgent and make sure you’re not compromising your values, integrity and beliefs. Unfortunately, that’s what so many leaders do. They shoot themselves in the foot that way.”
Steps to Success from Bob Whipple
1. Be awake! Live your life in a conscious way, otherwise you’re just living mechanically.
2. Know what is really important to you—know it in detail—and make sure you are connected to it.
3. Create a strategic plan for your life, ideally once a year.
4. With a clear vision, be willing to take the longer term view.
On His Bookshelf
Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations, by Bob and Greg Vanourek
Leadership Wisdom: Lessons from Poetry, Prose and Curious Verse, by Bob Vanourek
Managing People is Like Herding Cats, by Warren Bennis
Connecting With Bob Whipple
Website: leadergrow.com
Blog: TheTrustAmbassador.com (weekly posts)
Twitter: rwhipple
Facebook: Leadergrow
LinkedIn: bob-whipple-7806573
Free Gift
Free demo of Avanoo Trust Program
Two video program discounts on Leadergrow.com
- Surviving the Corporate Jungle Leadership Assessment. (Click on blue arrow on Home page)
- Building Trust (Products tab)
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Ten Years into Her Career, Two Talents Surfaced and Collided - Lana Marconi
For more than 10 years she’d enjoyed being a therapist, counseling individual clients and couples. Then, she hit her own ceiling. She knew she needed to grow, when two talents from her childhood surfaced and collided.
Dr. Lana Marconi is a Canadian documentary filmmaker. Her three consciousness raising feature films are: The Wellness Story, The Resonance, and New Human, New Earth, New Humanity. She has written and produced more than 50 healthy living television shows on Rogers TV in Canada, and conducted many independent interviews. Her writing has been a published in Canada’s Vitality magazine. One of her inspiring stories was published in the Wake Up and Live the Life You Love book series, which included Deepak Chopra, Dr. Wayne Dyer and others, and became a Barnes & Noble bestseller.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“Two talents I’ve been developing over the course of my life have been storytelling and creativity. Those two have collided and, as a result, I am making documentary films. It’s very exciting because I get to meet conscious people who are doing extraordinary things on the planet and are making a difference in the world.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I’m trained as a therapist, working in the health field. I was never a documentary filmmaker, and never went to school to become one. After counseling clients for over 10 years, I got to a point in my career—we all do—where we hit our own ceilings and need to grow. I wanted to reach more people. I was doing one-on-one counseling or couples counseling, and that’s great, but I wanted to make a bigger difference. For me, media was that answer.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“One of the things about being a documentary filmmaker is that I’ve learned to stay very open to hearing what people have to say. I try to suspend my judgment. I like to think of myself as making films by and for the people, and presenting people’s perspectives, letting the audience judge. I’m constantly learning, constantly going back to school to learn other things. I don’t think we should ever stop learning, because there’s so much out there that we just don’t know.”
Steps to Success from Lana Marconi
1. Develop a spiritual practice that works for you.
2. Let the Universe, God, Spirit or Higher Power (or the term of your choice) lead you to your way, your path.
3. Seek spiritual guidance in finding your higher purpose.
4. Be true to yourself.
Recommended Movie
“New Human, New Earth, New Humanity”–Vimeo Movies on Demand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/newhuman
“Star Children,” about extraordinary children who have accessed their higher human perceptual systems such as telepathy and clairvoyance, for example. Help co-create this project through a financial contribution. Your name will appear in the credits. Click on “Films in Development” tab at www.drlana.com.
To screen any of Dr. Lana’s films for an audience, see screening licenses available on her website, www.drlana.com.
Connecting With Lana Marconi
Email: drlana@drlana.com
Website: www.DrLana.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LanaMarconi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lana.marconi
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Change Leadership and Change the World - Bob Vanourek
He was a young turk, an MBA from the top of his class at Harvard Business School, flying all over the U.S., firing people for a living. “Frankly, it was turning my stomach,” he recalls. He was dashing to meet his wife and two young children for Christmas in Chicago when he couldn’t ignore his inner voice any longer.
Bob Vanourek is a leadership expert, an award-winning author, and a popular speaker on ethical leadership. He is the former CEO of five companies. His latest book is “Leadership Wisdom: Lessons from Poetry, Prose, and Curious Verse,” a compilation of poems and prose passages with timeless leadership messages, as well as commentary and practical applications from Bob. He is also the co-author of the award-winning book, “Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After graduating at the top of his class at Harvard Business School, and a stint as an officer the Army, Bob recalls, “I joined a very hot IPO that was acquiring companies. We were a bunch of young turks, MBAs, getting on airplanes every Sunday, flying out to these acquired companies, flying back on Friday, going into our office all day Saturday, then flying out again on Sunday. What we were doing, basically, was consolidating the companies we had acquired. That meant closing the plants, laying off the work force and, in some cases, terminating the founders of those companies. And, I must tell you, it was turning my stomach. I knew all the spreadsheet and accounting stuff, and the marketing and strategic planning stuff. But something in me was saying, “This is not right!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After four years on that first job as a Harvard MBA, Bob recounts, “I was flying from Cleveland to Chicago, our hometown at the time. My wife was on a plane from Los Angeles to Chicago with our two young sons, because I didn’t have time to go back to L.A. to meet her. She and the kids were flying to meet me for a family visit for Christmas. And I’m asking myself, “What am I doing?” So, we had a long conversation in Chicago, and I said, “This is not right. I’m going to quit this job and find a better way to be a leader.” Bob’s career-long pursuit of excellence in leadership had begun.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“You can’t just rely on what you learned in college or graduate school, you have to leave yourself open to continual learning. Learning new ways of leadership is a life-long process. Reading Robert K. Greenleaf’s essay, The Servant as Leader, was a mind- flip for me. The leader serves. The only people who can determine whether you are a leader are followers who are following you willingly, not those who are begrudgingly complying with your edicts; that’s not following, it’s just obeying.”
Steps to Success from Bob Vanourek
1. Clearly and intentionally define your personal values and ethics. This will keep you off many slippery slopes.
2. Learn how to lead yourself first, before attempting to lead anyone else.
3. Commit yourself to being a life-long learner, applying what you learn.
4. Learn the “three E’s” of effective leadership: excellent, ethical, enduring.
On His Bookshelf
“What is Servant Leadership?” by Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, Atlanta, GA.
Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations, by Bob and Greg Vanourek
Leadership Wisdom: Lessons from Poetry, Prose and Curious Verse, by Bob Vanourek
Connecting With Bob Vanourek
Email: bob@triplecrownleadership.com
Website: www.bobvanourek.com
Twitter: @bobvanourek
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadershipwisdom123/
LinkedIn: Bob Vanourek
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When Corporate Life Soured, Life Coaching Brought Her Full-Circle - Jodi Flynn
She was loving her job, building quality by inspiring the company’s staff to do their best, by making them feel like they were working with friends and family. Then, after a second acquisition, the culture totally changed. A one-on-one consultation morphed into being an employee number on a faceless hotline call.
Jodi Flynn left a successful career in mutual fund operations as the assistant vice president of corporate quality, to embark on a new adventure: a coaching business of her own. She specializes in partnering with women who experience self-doubt to help them overcome stress, get organized, and start creating the business and the lifestyle they’ve dreamed of having. Her podcast, Women Taking the Lead, inspires women from humble beginnings to overcome self-doubt and lead with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Jodi was enjoying her senior executive work with a mutual fund, inspiring the staff to maintain high standards of corporate quality. “A large part of the strategy that I adopted with my team was to make the work environment feel like working with your family and friends, so everyone wanted to do their best to make life easier and support each other.” But after her firm was acquired twice, each time by larger corporations, the corporate culture changed. The emphasis on quality and family feeling decreased, and Jodi sensed the time had come to move on.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
As her job at the mutual fund became less gratifying, she began hearing about life coaching, sensing its connection to an earlier calling in life. As a college student she had earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and almost completed work on a master’s degree in counseling psychology. The main options for that pathway were in social work, “So, that’s when I pivoted into an entry level position in corporate, that actually worked out great for me.” When the corporate world began to lose its appeal, “I started meeting coaches and talking to them about it. Coaching was everything that I loved about psychology. Everything started to come together. The coaching certification program I wanted to do started in two weeks, so the timing was absolutely perfect.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Though it sounds kind of corny, ‘Follow your bliss’ is an expression that makes perfect sense. Follow what interests you, what gets you excited, where you want to make a difference in the world, doing work that lends itself to your strengths, talents, and interests. That’s where you’re going to hit your sweet spot.”
Steps to Success from Jodi Flynn
1. Find communities of like-minded people and consider joining a formalized networking organization like Business Networking International.
2. Pay attention when life is spiraling you around full-circle. It’s an opportunity for self-discovery.
3. Make sure that you’re doing work that makes a difference for yourself and is in alignment with your values.
On Her Bookshelf
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle
The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness, by Jeff Olsen
Connecting With Jodi Flynn
Website: https://womentakingthelead.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jodimflynn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/womentakingthelead
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodiflynn
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Expert Interview: Maximizing Networking Opportunities with Strategic Dining - Deborah Goldstein
Deborah Goldstein founded two companies to help professionals maximize their careers. Goldie’s Table Matters (GTM) enables professionals to maximize networking opportunities and business development. DRIVEN Professionals (DRIVEN): provides businesses the opportunity to increase employee retention and productivity in the modern workplace environment. DRIVEN addresses professionals holistically by offering a three-part development cycle: professional, business and personal development. Deborah is DRIVEN’s own best student, constantly learning and sharing life’s best practices and integrating work and personal life.
Maximizing Networking Opportunities with Strategic Dining
Strategic dining has been summed up as Peter Drucker meets celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain meets Miss Manners. Of course, there are many people who teach dining etiquette—and dining etiquette is incredibly important. But, some of it, with all due respect to Miss Manners and Emily Post, is a little outdated, according to Deborah Goldstein. When they speak about dining etiquette, they don’t address what’s happening in the restaurant. If you can acclimate to the restaurant’s environment, you can be more present, and you can exude your executive presence more readily. In addition to knowing basic “tabletop navigation” and restaurant logistics, follow-up after the meal is also vitally important.
Why Is This Important?
“Many corporate executives are expected to go out for business meals from the time they interview for a job until the time they retire, yet because of my lens of being “in the back of the house”—that’s a restaurant term—I realized the people weren’t maximizing a business meal. People often fail to plan appropriately for the business meal. If you had a meeting with me you would certainly do a little bit of research about me, and you’d give some thought to the purpose of the meeting and what you wanted to get out of it. Yet people fail to do that with a business meal. Hence, strategic dining was born.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“If you can mitigate your second-guessing at the table, you can fully focus on the business at hand, which is listening. That means listening with your ears, and eyes, and becoming mindfully involved with the conversation so you’re really understanding what makes the other people tick. You can successfully communicate what you want them to know about you.”
Connecting With Deborah Goldstein
Email: deb@DrivenPros.com
Website: http://drivenpros.com
Twitter: @DRIVENpros
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DRIVENProfessionals/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/deborahgoldstein18
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Surviving the 2008 Recession and Thriving: Person-by-Person, Day-By-Day - Chris Haddon
He and his future business partner, both in their 20s, had soaked up all they could learn about finance and real estate at their banking jobs. They took the plunge in late 2007 and opened a commercial lending company. In 2008, the real estate bubble burst. Day-by-day they toughed out the recession.
Chris Haddon is an entrepreneur based in Washington, D.C., operating internet and real estate businesses. Hard Money Bankers is a commercial lending company he co-founded in 2007 and that grew to 25-million in loan volume and seven-figure revenues. In his 20’s he became an expert in web marketing to disrupt a market previously dominated by old school “Mom and Pop” shops. He is also the co-author of “The Whiteboard,” an Amazon #1 bestseller.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After college, Chris did the requisite year of surfing and partying in California. Back east, he landed a job in banking in the Washington, DC, area. “I was working for a bank doing sales, bringing loans and business into the bank. It turned out to be a really good base of knowledge to move forward into other things.” At the bank, he followed a daily discipline, and watched how other people operated, both the ones who were top performers as well as the ones who were not-so-much top performers. All the while he was learning how real estate and personal and company finance works, how sales and marketing works–getting sharper at all these things.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
In late 2007, Chris and his friend, Jason, became business partners, along with a somewhat older, wiser “silent partner.” He and Jason left their banking jobs and took the plunge, opening their own commercial lending company. Much of their financing involved real estate, so in 2008, “Real estate was down the tubes. Jason and I, both in our twenties, had to raise millions of dollars in investor capital for real estate investment deals. It was a great time to start because everything was at the bottom.” Through sleepless nights and lots of stress, Chris says they focused on the business “person-by-person, day by day,” and toughed out the recession.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Americans are obsessed with the notion of ‘hard work.’ I say that term in quotation marks because I don’t even know what it means. A lot of what we talk about in “The Whiteboard,” is the focus on results, on actually getting where you need to be. The point is to focus on real, productive results every day, and not on the ideal of ‘hard work’ as some kind of badge of honor.”
Steps to Success from Chris Haddon
1. Cultivate emotional intelligence (EQ).
2. Emulate the people who are doing what you want to do.
3. Use the roadmaps and blueprints that are out there—books, podcasts and people. It has all been done before.
4. Pass along what you are learning, especially through your own actions, to family and friends. Your actions, attitudes and achievements speak louder than words.
5. Take the leap, work your plan.
On His Bookshelf
Seth Godin: 12 books Seth Godin thinks you should read.
Yanik Silver: 66 Must-read books for Impactful Entrepreneurs.
Tim Ferriss: Tremendous reading list of Tim Ferriss.
Connecting With Chris Haddon
Website: www.thewhiteboardbook.com
Twitter: @hardmoneybanker
Facebook : www.facebook.com/hardmoneybankers
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrishaddon
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A Change in Body, Mind and Spirit Has to Start With a New Mindset - Kathryn Samuels
She was doing fine in her career in financial planning and banking, approaching middle age. But when her family moved to Florida, she realized she was at a crossroads. “I just was not happy with what I was doing.” She asked herself, “What am I doing now for free that I could turn into a viable career?”
Kathryn K. Samuels is a 47-year-old fitness professional who believes in total wellness – a balanced life addressing mind, body and spirit. She believes that total wellness is achieved through healthy eating, exercise, stress reduction, meditation and reflection. Her method creates a positive attitude towards life and produces faith and confidence in oneself. Her new book is entitled, “Think and Grow Healthy.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I was close to middle-age before I found out what I wanted to do! It’s a blessing, though, that I did find it and that I found the courage myself to do that. I was at a crossroads in my life when we moved to Florida. My husband was in the military. At that time, I was a financial planner and in banking. I just was not happy with what I was doing. I thought to myself, what is it that I would do for free—that I have done for free—that could produce an income? As I thought about it, I realized that I was always dragging friends and family members to the gym, talking to people about eating right, trying to teach them how to breathe when they ran. I responded to my own question, thinking, ‘Being a personal trainer and teaching people how to be healthy would be perfect.’ So then I just started studying for my certification to become a personal trainer. That’s where it all started.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
For Kathryn, the sure sign that she had made the right career choice came from her clients. “The most gratifying thing to me is when my clients come to me and tell me they have gotten off their cholesterol medication because of changing their mindset, exercising and eating right; or, that they’re not diabetic anymore, because if you’re a Type II diabetic you can reverse that condition as well. When they tell me they’re able to get off their heart medication, or they’re stronger and feel they have more energy. When those who first came to me with low self-esteem tell me that they have healthy self-esteem, and that they feel good about themselves, inside and out, that is the greatest feeling, to be able to help people to feel good about themselves in all aspects of their lives.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“You have to be able to change your mindset in order to meet your goals. It starts with positive thinking. For instance, in weight loss, a lot of people have the habit of saying, ‘I can’t lose weight,’ or phrases like that. You’re going to get what you focus on. So, if you’re focusing on the belief that you can’t lose weight, then you’re not gonna lose it. But if you start focusing on how you’re GOING to do it and HOW you’re going to go about it, then you will lose it, because of the way you’re thinking and the words you’re speaking.”
Steps to Success from Kathryn Samuels
1. Start paying attention to what you’re saying to yourself about making changes in your life. You may be sabotaging yourself.
2. Begin by working on your mindset, to develop ideas and beliefs that support you in reaching your goals.
3. Approach your health holistically, addressing mind, body and spirit.
4. Find people who will guide and support you in reaching your goals.
On Her Bookshelf
Think and Grow Healthy: The Key to Healthy Nutrition and Exercise Is Your Faith, by Kathryn Samuels
Beyond Positive Thinking: A No-Nonsense Formula for Getting the Results You Want, by Robert Anthony.
What Your Body Knows About God: How We Are Designed to Connect, Serve and Thrive, by Rob Moll
Spirit Driven Success: Learn Time Tested Biblical Secrets to Create Wealth While Serving Others! by Dani Johnson
Connecting With Kathryn Samuels
Websites: www.ksamuels.com and Thinkandgrowhealthy.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathryn.k.samuels and search in Facebook for
A New U- Total Wellness and Think N Grow Healthy- Total Wellness, Inc.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-samuels-a2a35316
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Keep on Learning, Never Give Up, and Nurture a Childlike Love of Life - Jason Shurgot
Jason had two key ingredients for success: a passion to be an entrepreneur and 30 of his grandmother’s wildly popular bakery recipes. But he had no collateral for a bank loan to capitalize his new venture. One year out of college, he thought, “Maybe my hopes and dreams just have to go away.”
Jason Shurgot is a modern day jack of all trades. He has started and deployed several businesses. He is a published author. Jason has lead the creation of over 40 mobile apps. And Jason routinely works with Fortune 500 companies to redesign struggling departments. However, Jason’s greatest passion is coaching both men and women to living their dream life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Right out of college, Jason began using 30-plus tried and true recipes for baked goods his grandmother had perfected through the years. “She was my first investor. She didn’t invest money, she invested recipes.” Jason scaled up the operation from her flea market sales to an expanded baking and sales operation. In a year, sales had reached $60,000, of which $20,000 was profit.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
The first turning point came when Jason was a sophomore in high school. Up to that point, he’d been envisioning his future as Dr. Shurgot, pediatrician. Both his parents were in the medical field and he saw himself following in that tradition. “But a turning point came when I went from seeing myself as Dr. Shurgot to Jason Shurgot, international businessman. The world was changing and I saw everything was going to become a global marketplace.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“The journey is the best part. You’re going to start feeling more alive, going toward your own version of success. You’ll be all about loving life, much more. That’s what I teach. It keeps me more child-like. A child is a beautiful soul, and everything is a new experience and a new adventure to them. They rarely say they can’t do something. Following the road less traveled, even when I scrape my knee, it’s going to heal and I’m going to learn from that. I’m not gonna put my hand on the hot stove again. I think that’s what I’ve learned. You just have to be willing to try again and again.”
1. Visualize: What do you really want out of life?
2. Plan: Clarify what you are doing to reach your goal. Eliminate whatever is not congruent.
3. Execute: Just do it. Start making daily progress. Forgive yourself whenever you slip up, and start again.
4. Allow yourself to be child-like and joyful on your journey.
On His Bookshelf
The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch or on YouTube
The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne
The Alchemist, Paolo Coelho
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, by Gay Hendricks, Ph.D.
Connecting With Jason Shurgot
Website: www.jasonshurgot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jasonshurgot
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jasonshurgot
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonshurgot
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To Find Our Purpose, We Must Get Out of Our Own Way - Ashley Cooper
Intense bullying, and the depression that followed, left Ashley virtually hopeless at age eight. At age 25, halfway around the world in Thailand, she questioned her own sanity as she began a 21-day vow of silence.
Ashley Cooper is on a mission to help people everywhere uncover and unlock their greatest potential. She overcame years of bullying and depression as a child with the “soul mission” of helping others see their divine nature. She has a gift for helping people see that anything is possible, if you just believe. She is a yoga instructor, mindfulness coach and the founder of The 6A Method from Pain to Power™. She is also the co-founder of ABC Charity™- a global art project based on kids helping kids. One hundred percent of the proceeds raised through ABC Charity are donated to different children’s charities around the world.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Ashley began finding practical ways to use her experiences and talents after having traveled halfway around the world to Australia, then to Cambodia and Thailand. She intentionally committed to a 21-day vow of silence. At first, she thought she might be losing her mind or having a psychotic break, but then, “I realized that everything I’d been running away from my whole life, I should have been running towards. It wasn’t about traveling to the other side of the world, it was about being with my experience, and honoring who I truly was. All those moments of pain and suffering were really my greatest gift. I just had to be with it long enough for it to unfold the way it was meant to unfold.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Ashley’s life turns on two formative experiences, beginning with her seriously contemplating suicide at age eight, and later committing to a 21-day vow of silence while living in Thailand as a young woman of 25. Her childhood contemplation of suicide was the result of being severely bullied to the point of hopelessness and depression. “Looking back on that moment now as a 36-year-old woman, I’m blown away that I had the presence of mind to see that if I could just make it out alive, maybe I could help other people going through similar struggles. I chose not to take my life because I thought my life’s purpose could be about helping others. Every moment since then has been about honoring that promise and getting out of my own way, so that I can be of service to others.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’m realizing that so many of us have a dream, a purpose, a mission in life. It’s one thing to hear that call, and quite another to answer it. So many of us feel unworthy of the things we truly want to do. Although we have dreams, ambitions and a sense that we were born for something, we get in our own way. So much of what I’ve been doing is to look back and see that for my whole life I knew that this was what I was meant to do. It was just about getting out of my own way, realizing I’m worthy of living my dream of helping people.”
Steps to Success from Ashley Cooper
1. Understand that failure is an integral part of success.
2. Learn to fail your way forward. It’s actually a sign that you’re doing the right thing, and that you’re in good company.
3. Understand it’s OK and normal to feel afraid and not worthy. It’s only when you believe those feelings that they become a problem.
4. Recognize that following your life’s purpose is its own reward. But that doesn’t mean that it’s an “easy journey.”
On Her Bookshelf
Pain to Power: The 6A Method, by Ashley Cooper
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coehlo
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams and Reaching Your Destiny, by Robin Sharma
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Books and videos by Wayne Dyer, Oprah Winfrey and Tony Robbins.
Connecting With Ashley Cooper
Website: www.ashley-cooper.com
Twitter: @ashleycooperxo
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ashleycooperxo
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Expert Interview: Breaking Through the Drama Cycle - Rob B. Lowe
Rob B. Lowe found himself at a wealth creation event while making his best effort to better position his financial portfolio. After the event Rob met Scott Harris—millionaire coach and regular stage speaker with Tony Robbins. Without even knowing it, he was introduced to his first coaching conversation. Rob recalls “a whole city of light bulbs turning on in [my] mind and so began the path of coaching.” He uses his new found energy to continue to reach up and out to give people an opportunity to build their own best version of themselves.
Breaking Through the Drama Cycle
Rob uses the acronym DRAMA to mean, “Doing Repetitive and Meaningless Actions. The drama cycle term has come from social observation over many years, and also from my own personal experience about when you find yourself in a place in your life where it very much feels and looks like the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, you come out doing the same thing each day, not progressing or moving forward in any part of your life, despite your best efforts. You are doing repetitive and meaningless actions.”
Why Is This Important?
“People get caught in the Drama Cycle and because we’ve lost a lot of skills in relation to how we get out of the cycle, we find ourselves not just in a cycle but in a downward spiral. We creep further and further into being very habitual with the way we do things. We get very comfortable with the life that we lead, and we see others around us in the same drama cycle. Then we see that drama cycle repeated in social media, in television—particularly in reality TV—and we get confirmed and validated that the drama cycle is OK; that it’s the life normal people lead.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“So, as a coach in personal development, I know we’ve got some skills, tools and knowledge that we can use to partner with people and help make this drama cycle resourceful and meaningful for them. We’re not saying you can live your life without drama. Drama’s actually good, it’s productive, it’s challenging. It’s just that the drama you’re in every day is doing repetitive and meaningless actions, things that are just not serving you. We want to shift that negative drama, that non-serving drama, into resourceful drama (Doing Resourceful and Meaningful Actions) to move your life forward.”
Connecting With Rob B. Lowe
Email: coach@maximumlifeclub.com
Website: www.maximumlifeclub.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yesmancoaching/
LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/roblowesafety
Free Gift
30 Minute Session: Your 4 Steps to Maximum Life. Email Rob to discuss setting up a free session. coach@maximumlifeclub.com Tell him you heard his interview on Discover Your Talent–Do What You Love podcast.
July 2016:
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Using the Creativity He Was Born With, After a Few Detours - David Taylor II
David Taylor II loved and admired his father, a successful African American small business owner, but knew his father’s dream was not his own. Then, at age 12 or so, his father succumbed to several strokes. A business he didn’t love fell squarely on David’s shoulders.
David M. Taylor II has been called a prophet. An internationally best-selling author, award winning playwright, Top Ten music producer and songwriter, he writes science fiction, fantasy and children’s literature. David is the founder of the musical groups Parkland Gospel Ensemble and Shades of the Cross. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Music, is a Certified Record Producer as well as being a Certified Music Business Instructor. He is currently pursuing his Masters in Theological Studies.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I have always been leaning toward the creative arts, and I was writing music since I was seven. I drew a lot of comic books—which I’m actually going to release a little bit later on—from way back in the day. So, my creative talents were there, but when I went to college and moved into my adult years, I wasn’t really pursuing them full time. It took me some time to come back around to realize where my strength and my desire really was, and what I was born to do.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A major turning point came when I was 12 or 13. My father got sick. He had a series of strokes. He had opened a retail beauty and barber supply business, so I ended up dedicating half of my junior high school years and all of my high school years to helping him. I didn’t really get to do a lot of what I wanted to do besides sing in the choir. Even when I first went to college it was with the idea of taking over his business. That wasn’t really my full desire in life. But I had to sacrifice quite a few years for that.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“You are already YOU when you come out of the womb. The problem is never that you don’t know what you want to do. If you want to dance, you know that. If you want to be a gymnast, you know that at an early age, and if you want to sing, you KNOW that before you’ve been on this planet for 10 years. That’s not the problem. Parental and familial support is crucial so that you can get comfortable in your own skin. The problem is when you don’t have the support system to tell you that it’s OK to be what you want to be.”
Steps to Success from David Taylor II
1. Learn to listen to your inner voice. It can bring you divine guidance.
2. Acknowledge, accept and cultivate your gifts, even if no one else has recognized them yet.
3. Create something new, something uniquely your own, and share it with the world.
4. Nurture the gifts of the children in your life. Don’t be afraid to be the adult.
On His Bookshelf
Lucifer: Soldiers, Serpents, and Sin: Book 1: A Clash of Lightning & Thunder, by David Taylor II
Wayward Pines: Survival EDITION 2 (The Rebellion Series Book 1), by David Taylor II
Connecting With David Taylor II
Website: www.dt2author.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DT2Author
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DT2-Author-1585426131735558/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-taylor-2-03788491
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From Personal Experience She Encourages Women: Never Give Up! - Astrid Mueller
Astrid’s path toward her passion was circuitous and round-about, but her desire to follow her heart remained strong. She combined some formal education with internships and a variety of entrepreneurial attempts, learning with each step. “I found a different strategy.”
Astrid Mueller is a creative serial solopreneur with a background in branding and design, who loves helping women business owners discover their super powers, ignite their brands and shoot for the stars. She does this through a range of women-empowering passion projects and an online training program called the Astrid Mueller Brand Academy. Originally from Switzerland, Astrid now lives a laptop life on beautiful Kodiak Island, Alaska, from where she connects and empowers women around the world.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I started on an unconventional path. My passion was drawing, but I did not live for my career at first. In school I always loved drawing and being creative and was really good at it, but when I tried to get into art school in Switzerland right after high school, they didn’t accept me. I decided I needed to take a normal job, so I did an additional office education just so I could get a nine to five job. I landed at an insurance company and stayed there for four and a half years, doing something that I pretty much did not like. I think it’s a good story for people to not give up on their dream, even if you get rejected at first. Don’t bury your dream!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Along with desire to work in a creative field, Astrid had known she wanted to live in the United States ever since her first visit on vacation. Finding a way to make that happen was serendipitous. At home in Switzerland, she went to meet her mother for lunch. Arriving an hour early—which in itself was unusual—she landed in a book store. “I was staring at a wall of books. In the middle a book was beaming at me like the Holy Grail. Its title was something like, ‘Get a Summer Job in the USA.’ So, I bought the book and found out about the J-1 student visa, which would allow me to work in the U.S. That’s what I did! I enrolled in university to start on that path and then ended up working one summer on Hidden Creek Ranch in Idaho as a housekeeper and waitress, just for the adventure. That was a first step, following my heart, leaving everything behind and just going for it.”
Steps to Success from Astrid Mueller
Astrid’s path toward her passion was circuitous, but her desire to follow her heart remained strong. She combined some formal education with internships and a variety of entrepreneurial attempts, learning with each step. “I found a different strategy. In January 2015, I discovered a book by Jeff Walker, Product Launch Formula, about growing a business online by doing trainings online, then offering online training to more and more students as you grow your email list. I thought, ‘this is awesome! I have to do this!’”
Steps to Success from Astrid Mueller
1. Take a moment for yourself first thing in the morning to do mindset work: breathing, sitting and noticing how you’re feeling, meditating a little bit.
2. Create a vision board of your ideal future, including images of things you would love to have.
3. Write a gratitude journal.
4. Write down your goals and review them regularly.
5. Do something every day, no matter how small, toward accomplishing your goals.
On Her Bookshelf
Product Launch Formula (kit), Jeff Walker
Launch: An Internet Millionaire’s Secret Formula to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build A Business You Love, And Live the Life of Your Dreams, by Jeff Walker
The Fire Starter Sessions: A Soulful + Practical Guide to Creating Success on Your Own Terms, by Danielle LaPorte
Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters, by Jon Acuff
Connecting With Astrid Mueller
Website: www.AstridMueller.com
Twitter: @Astrid_Mueller
Free Gift
Text the word “POSSIBILITY” to the number 44222, to receive a free download of “The 5 Techniques I Use In My Business Every Day, To Be Super Energized, Positive & Focused!”
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Writing a Script That Lets You Dream the Impossible Dream - Steve Taubman
Steve Taubman’s mom was a lover of Broadway musicals, amassing a collection of recordings. In his early teens, he knew he wasn’t one of the cool kids, but one vinyl album in particular awakened his sense of wonder and possibility.
Dr. Steve Taubman is a bestselling author, physician, magician, hypnotist, and mindfulness coach who brings deep wisdom, entertaining insights and a unique perspective to sales professionals, entrepreneurs and small business owners. He’s produced dozens of programs, including his bestselling book, UnHypnosis, and his reprogramming-your-mind-for-success audio, UnHypnosis for Entrepreneurs, voted one of the Top 25 Must-Have Products for his industry. Steve has performed for and coached top celebrities and movie stars, and has shared the stage with legendary motivational speakers like the late Zig Ziglar.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“When I was 13 years old, I wasn’t much of a cool kid. I wasn’t really athletic or confident. But one thing that really fascinated me was theatre. My mom was really big on Broadway plays and all these vinyl record albums. And one of them was Man of La Mancha, the story of Don Quixote, the mad knight who transforms the lives of others around him through the power of wonder. I memorized the play. My dad brought me to see it on Broadway for my 14th birthday. By seeing people through the eyes of fascination, Quixote would inadvertently cause people to see themselves in a more positive way. Most people probably know the song, The Impossible Dream. And I bet you I could probably still recite a good portion of the play.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
After 14 years as a chiropractor in Vermont—which Steve loved because of its philosophical basis in health and well-being—he sold his practice, took a year off to travel, and began studying hypnosis. “I became a stage hypnotist. Later, I wrote the book on hypnosis, which is about removing mental barriers to success, and about waking up from the trance that I think we all live in. We’re all a little bit stuck behind our own invisible walls, and our minds are habituated, thinking the same thoughts over and over again, until they seem real. It’s at the mental level. I think we’re all capable of great things, but we’re blocked by what a chiropractor might call mental subluxation.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“As soon as we wake up from our hypnotic trance, all of our hypnotic programming ceases—and often very suddenly! We have a bias that tells us the longer a problem has been there the longer it’s going to take to get rid of it. That’s the thing that’s fascinating. For somebody who’s been blocked in a particular way for a long period of time, the moment you wake up, and see that you are not your thoughts, then they lose their power.”
Steps to Success from Steve Taubman
1. Recognize the ways that you’re living in a hypnotic trance.
2. Identify and isolate the thoughts about yourself and about life that are no longer true, thoughts that are holding you back.
3. Commit yourself to using techniques that will help you release faulty beliefs and replace them with beliefs you choose.
Connecting With Steve Taubman
Website: www.stevetaubman.com
Twitter: @DrSteveT
Facebook: /steve.taubman
LinkedIn: /stevetaubman
Free Gift
Get the first 40 pages of his book, Unhypnosis, and sign up for Dr. Steve Taubman’s newsletter, at www.stevetaubman.com. Scroll to bottom of his home page.
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Finding the Genius Inside Us All - Stacey J. Hentschel
Stacey was acting on her childhood yearning to contribute to the world by reaching out and touching people in ways that would bring them joy. Imperceptibly she was seized by a fatigue so intense she barely remembered her high-energy self.
Stacey J. Hentschel is the founder of Quantum Integrations / Inner Wisdom. She is a consultant, coach, leader and speaker, who has worked with thousands of people for over 25 years, training and coaching in the areas of developing visionary businesses and leaders and creating empowering relationships. She facilitates the building of consciousness and sustainable organizations.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“One of my memories from childhood is of having a vision that I wanted to be able to touch people in such a way that they would be happy. I’ve always had a deep, deep yearning and a calling to contribute to the world. It’s my nature, I think I was just born this way. From age 13, I was involved in youth organizations and I was president of an organization.” She was active throughout high school, planning the first of its kind health fair.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I’ve had patterns of working really hard, and also periods of getting sick. I developed mononucleosis and chronic fatigue syndrome because I overworked myself. Then I would bounce back and another opportunity would arise for me to do other work. After nearly a decade of dealing with extreme chronic fatigue, Stacey learned how to ask for and receive help, instead of always being the one who served. She calls this an experience of surrender. She learned firsthand about the courage it takes to reach out for help. This hard-won wisdom deepened her capacity for compassion and empathy as she regained her strength and resumed her life of service.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Her experience of intense ebbs and flows of her energy shaped the nature and direction of her work. “My work is about presence and the heart. The more we connect to the essence of our heart and soul, we really connect with what I want to call the Divine in all of us. We are able to feel that gift that everyone has. Everybody has a genius. I do a lot of work where I say, ‘Smile on the face, love in the eyes,’ as a way to connect back to the sweetness of love. After all, that’s what we all come from—love.”
Steps to Success from Stacey J. Hentschel
1. Slow down, breathe, and consciously become aware of your heartbeat and your breathing.
2. Have the courage to reach out for help and strength whenever you need it.
3. Surround yourself by loving people with whom you can build heart-to-heart, authentic relationships.
4. Send love and joy outward through your eyes. The love you send out returns to you.
Connecting With Stacey J. Hentschel
Email: infoqi@quantumintegrations.com
Websites: www.awakeninnerwisdom.com
Free Gift
For first five listeners who call 949-495-9689, Stacey will offer a 20-minute free consultation to determine if you’d like to connect on business, vision or relationship.
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300:
Expert Interview: Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places - Barry Selby
Barry Selby is a passionate champion for the divine feminine. He helps strong, successful, single women stop short-changing their love-life. When women get manipulated and hurt it really ignites his passion to help them become wise and smart in their dating choices. He is passionate about women being honored and respected in love.
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places
“In the area of relationships, we tend to be attracted to what we see externally. Maybe it’s the car they drive or the house they have or the way they dress, or the way they seem to approach you. But I’ve worked with enough clients to realize how that is so misleading, because it’s incomplete. Who we are, really, is often well below the surface, like the iceberg. Those difficulties we have in relationships are hidden away until the relationship progresses. So, as people look for relationships—especially nowadays with everything changing—they’re faced with online dating sites, smartphone apps, as well as the traditional matchmakers. They’ll be presented with a list of self-described qualities and pictures that will tell, maybe, five percent of the story. So that’s the trap.”
Why Is This Important?
“One of the big pieces of advice I would offer is: don’t get seduced by what you think the other person is about. Be willing to take the time to explore and learn about the person in real interaction. So much of modern relationships are based upon texting each other back and forth, versus even a simple phone call. So, to spend time in real inclusive communication—not just a quick text, but talking by phone, Skype, or better yet, in person—gives you a chance to explore what the other person is about. It’s about being clear about the other person, and being willing to take care of yourself, and not just jump in blindly.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
Relationships are based on clear communication, at depth. It’s important to recognize that we are driven by our past. It’s the automatic pilot, and if we aren’t aware of that, it’s like giving your own inner five-year-old the keys to the car and hoping it will drive you where you want to go. What we learn from the outer image is only five percent of the totality of the person. It takes time and commitment to get to know someone on a deeper level. Even with the abundance of new technologies and services available to us, they’re only giving us a tiny percentage of what we need to build a relationship.
Connecting With Barry Selby
Email: barry@barryselby.com
Website: http://BarrySelby.com
Twitter: http://Twitter.com/barryselby
Facebook: http://Facebook.com/barryselby.author
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/barryselby
Free Gift
Free 30-minute consultation session for those who are interested in going more deeply into discovering their love patterns. Go to: http://BarrySelby.com/consult
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A Life-Long Curiosity About Everything and a Love of Learning Drives His Career - Joe Calloway
In his early twenties, two roads diverged for Joe Calloway: working for the President of the United States or leaving politics altogether, moving to the Pacific Northwest to help his brother-in-law start a real estate business.
Joe is a leading performance expert with a client list that reads like a Who’s Who in business, including companies from Coca Cola and Verizon to Cadillac and American Express. He is the Executive in Residence for Belmont University’s Center for Entrepreneurship, and is the author of six books on business success including “Becoming A Category of One,” which received rave reviews from The New York Times, Retailing Today, Publishers Weekly, and many others. He is an investor in and advisor to start-ups ranging from a concert promotion company to a snowboard manufacturer.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“In my 20s, I knew I was interested in politics. I was a political science major and actually worked in a political job for two or three years for the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the state of Tennessee. I loved doing that. And, I reached the realization that, I didn’t want to pursue this as a career. What I liked was the day-to-day interaction with the people involved in government, the creative aspect of the work itself.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“A turning point was when I had two options at the same time. One was to go to Washington, DC, and be on the staff of a Congressional liaison for then-President Carter, or, I could move to the northwest and help my brother-in-law, who was starting a little real estate company. I just looked at the two and thought, you know, I think I want to try something different. I want to see what business is all about.” Moving back to his home in Nashville, Tennessee after a few years, he landed a job as marketing director for a real estate company. “Through that, the training of the agents came under my responsibility. I designed and did a lot of the sales and business training. That’s what clicked. I really, got a charge out of coming up with ideas that I can pass on to people, that help them be more successful and be happier with their work.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“We spend too much time looking ‘over there’ and saying, ‘if only I were over there, my life would be better,’ instead of saying, ‘let me look at what I’ve got, where I am, and maximize my opportunity, my enjoyment and my engagement right here’. I include myself when I say that I think we all can open up our thinking to opportunities more than we do.”
Steps to Success from Joe Calloway
1. Cultivate a lively curiosity and never stop learning.
2. Distinguish yourself to become a category of one.
3. Stay at the cutting edge of knowledge in your field.
4. Look for ways to create value in whatever you do.
On His Bookshelf
Books written by Joe Calloway, available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. See descriptions at JoeCalloway.com.
Magnetic: The Art of Attracting Business (Fall 2016 release.)
Be the Best at What Matters Most: The Only Strategy You Will Ever Need
Becoming a Category of One: How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison
Never by Chance: Aligning People and Strategy Through Intentional Leadership Indispensable: How to Become the Company That Your Customers Can’t Live Without
Work Like You`re Showing Off: The Joy, Jazz, and Kick of Being Better Tomorrow Than You Were Today
Email: joe@joecalloway.com
Websites: joecalloway.com
Facebook: Joe Calloway Business Success
LinkedIn: Joe Calloway
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Just by “Staying REAL,” She Works with Celebrities, Presidents & Olympians - Rhonda Barrymore
Divorced, with two kids at a young age, Rhonda had to get a job. She started working as a make-up artist and one of her first clients was Diane von Furstenberg, who had recently introduced a cosmetic line. From then on, she says, “I became known as a celebrity make-up artist.”
Rhonda Barrymore, founder and president of Help Me Rhonda, Inc., is a professional makeup artist and stylist to the celebrities of television, high-definition television, film, still photography and live performance. Her resume includes work with all of the major television networks, including CNN, CBS/TBS Olympics and eight NBC Olympics. Born with a desire to help others and the gift of passion for the creative arts, Rhonda continues to share her brilliant talent worldwide.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My mother told me that I could draw perfect horses in the sand when I was two or three years old. I was in love with horses and I painted them and drew them. I even painted them on the clothes I made for my children and for myself. Horses were my first inspiration. My second inspiration was seeing the film, Cleopatra, with Elizabeth Taylor. I was about 10 years old and drew a picture of Cleopatra for my aunt that replicated one of the scenes. My aunt kept it and presented it to me about two years ago. You know, I’m still impressed with my own work from that time!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Rhonda was married, with two children at a young age. “Then, I got a divorce, so I had to go to work!” She started working as a make-up representative and one of her first clients was Diane von Furstenberg, who had recently introduced a cosmetic line of her own. “I got to work with her. I still have an autographed book from her from that time period. From then on, I became known as a celebrity make-up artist.” CNN recruited her. “I was with them for seven years through the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. NBC kept asking me to go to the Olympics with them, but I was still under contract with CNN.” Rhonda continued to work for clients at the Olympics and will be going to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Clients book me because I bring a level of comfortableness to the situation. We’re REAL with each other. I treat everybody the same. I’ve worked with four American presidents and their wives in the White House. President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter still book me all the time and treat me like family. You have to be real in order to communicate effectively with each other, to find out what people want or what the executives want, or the directors want when they book me to work with somebody.”
Steps to Success from Rhonda Barrymore
1. Recognize and embrace your talents.
2. Be yourself. Be authentic and “real” with everyone.
3. As much as possible, live fully in the present.
4. Cherish the loved ones in your life.
5. Be a “no regrets” person. Everyone makes mistakes.
On Her Bookshelf
An avid reader all her life, today Rhonda gravitates toward books about spirituality, regardless of any religious origins or none. “All religions have some words of wisdom we can benefit from.”
Connecting With Rhonda Barrymore
Email: rhonda@helpmerhonda.com
Website: www.HelpMeRhonda.com
Twitter: @HelpMeRhondaInc and @RhondaBarrymore
Facebook: HelpMeRhondaInc and RhondaBarrymore
LinkedIn: HelpMeRhondaInc and RhondaBarrymore
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Creating Change that Lasts Through Genuine Transformation - Steve Cockram
You won’t find many people who’ve been a teacher, a pastor, a night club owner, a consultant, coach, and entrepreneur, but Steve is that guy. All those different streams of his life now appear to be flowing into one river.
Steve Cockram runs a global transformational consultancy that works with leaders, teams and organizations across the world. He is a charismatic public speaker and recognized expert in the fields of personality, communication, apprenticeship and driving team performance. He is fiercely practical and committed to “Applied Leadership Learning,” and his greatest desire is that others would be able to make different mistakes from the ones he has made.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“No one would ever create a resume like mine. I’ll give you some of the highlights. You won’t find many people who’ve been a teacher, a pastor, a night club owner, a consultant, coach, entrepreneur and is now running something which all those pieces were created for. All those different streams of my life now appear to be flowing in one river. It just feels a lot easier than it used to, because I think I’ve found a place where I fit.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Three and a half years ago, Steve’s family (his wife, Helen, and their three daughters) and his business partner Jeremie Kubicek and family lived together in a 10-bedroom country priory, “a bit like Downton Abbey, just outside London,” Steve recalls. “Jeremie and I sat down and said, if God gave us another 20 years each, what would we most love to do, and who would we most love to do it with. We had the privilege, through three failures and some successes in the past, to have learned what we didn’t want to do in the future.” The two men, both of whom have been coaches for many years, focused on creating change that lasts. “We asked ourselves, could we create transformation that lasts in the lives of the leaders, the teams that we worked with?”
They express their answer in the vision they created for GiantWorldwide.com, stated on their website: We believe that if we commit to becoming and building leaders worth following, then we will see a massive shift in the cultures of organizations, families, cities, and countries across the world.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Part of what we’re doing is helping people understand how are you at your very best? How do you get to play using the things that you are naturally gifted to do? That’s really one of what I call my Jedi mind tricks. It’s taken me 13 years of learning how do people behave and why? How do we liberate people to understand, ‘It’s OK to be me. I’m going to live the very best me, in the way that I was made.’ The more what you do is along the lines of your nature, the greater the sense of purpose, joy and energy you bring to the world with which you’re engaging.”
Steps to Success from Steve Cockram
1. Understand that you define your own world.
2. Stop focusing on external prohibitions and notice how many of them are actually inhibitions that you’ve put on yourself.
3. Aim for spending 70 percent of your time doing the things you’re naturally gifted to do.
4. Learn how to lead yourself before you attempt to lead others.
On His Bookshelf
5 Leadership Voices: How to Communicate Effectively with Everyone You Lead, by Steve Cockram
5 Gears: How to Be Present and Productive When There is Never Enough Time, by Steve Cockram
Connecting With Steve Cockram
Email: steve@giantworldwide.com
Websites: http://www.giantworldwide.com/
Twitter: @stevecockram
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.cockram.14
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/stevejcockram
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Shifting Her Career to Follow Her Passion Gives Sense of Authenticity - Joanie Connell
Joanie always liked making things and solving problems and was fascinated by the math and science behind how things work. With her electrical engineering degree from Harvard, Silicon Valley seemed like the perfect place to launch her career. After watching her colleagues stay up into the wee hours of the morning debugging circuitry, for days on end, however, she had to face the hard truth….
Joanie B, Connell, Ph.D., is the founder of Flexible Work Solutions, a consulting firm that specializes in leadership assessment, development and retention for all levels. She teaches at top universities in the nation, including the University of California at San Diego. She is also the author of “Flying Without a Helicopter: How to Prepare Young People for Work and Life.” She received her doctorate in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley, and her Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Harvard University.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I like making things and solving problems, the kind of thinking that goes into the engineering, of trying to figure out how to make things work. I’ve always been interested in those kinds of things in science, physics, and especially math and logic. But once I started doing it (professionally), I realized that it really wasn’t my passion. I had gone in to engineering to be financially independent, but I saw my colleagues get so wrapped up in things, they would stay until the wee hours of the morning debugging circuitry, and I would rather leave and go on to something else!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Early in her career, Joanie discovered, “One of my passions was observing the engineers that I worked with. Talk about different situations and people! It was observing my manager and the people I worked with that got me thinking about a new career path in psychology.” At a job with Tandem Computer, where staff meetings were held only once a month, Joanie noticed, “You could see that everybody didn’t want to be in that room. It was like going into the principal’s office for something. It was so curious to me to see how people didn’t like to get together and have these interactions. I saw that I was really interested in ‘the people stuff’ and management and always thought that I wanted to go into management eventually. So I tried to get more people-oriented work.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Change is frightening, stressful and is not always easy. But that shouldn’t stop you from going there, just because it makes you feel uncomfortable at first. This is what happens to people all the time. It’s OK for it to be a little scary, or to create anxiety. You just have to expect that and get through it. Even good change can be anxiety-provoking. Getting married is one of the highest stressors for people in all of life. Buying a house is also very stressful. These are usually positive things, but we still get stressed out. Just understand that you’re probably going to feel that way. Understand that it will get easier as you go through it. It’s part of the process.”
Steps to Success from Joanie Connell
1. It’s hard to always get exactly what you want. It’s a matter of prioritizing and trade-offs, too.
2. Change can be frightening. Don’t let that stop you.
3. It gets easier as you go through the fear. It’s part of the process.
4. Aim toward having a truly authentic life.
On Her Bookshelf
Flying Without a Helicopter: How to Prepare Young People for Work and Life, by Joanie B. Connell, Ph.D.
What Color Is Your Parachute? 2016: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers, by Richard N. Bolles
Discover Your True North, by Bill George
Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life, by Gail Sheehy
Top Tools on Her Browser
https://www.onetonline.org/ – A full-access, online version of the occupational network database published by the U.S. Department of Labor
Connecting With Joanie Connell
Websites: flexibleworksolutions.com
FlyingWithout.com (her book’s website)
Twitter: @ConnellLessons
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Expert Interview: Be Bold, Awaken and Claim Your Authority - T. Allen Hanes
T. Allen Hanes is the CEO of T. Allen Hanes and Associates. A retired U.S. Navy photographer and video producer and bestselling author, he loves teaching entrepreneurs around the globe how they can awaken and claim their authority through publishing and media. He’s been featured on CNN, CBS, NBC, Fox and ABC. He has a passion for helping entrepreneurs, business owners, authors, speakers and coaches to position themselves as the go-to person in their niche. He and his team have created over 600 bestselling authors to date.
Be Bold, Awaken and Claim Your Authority
Leaving his military career and becoming an entrepreneur, T. Allen Hanes immediately saw the need to help entrepreneurs gain recognition in the marketplace. Naturally, he drew on his military experience. “The military is set up on the basis of recognition: in getting advanced, being recognized for your talents, being brought into public light for the things you do well. So, I decided to take that and put it into the entrepreneurial world, or into the business world, to see what that would look like.”
Why Is This Important?
These days, there are many corporate refugees in the workplace. They have areas of expertise, but often are reluctant to see themselves as experts. It’s crucial to wake up to those strengths and be bold—and smart—about establishing your identity as a go-to authority. The first place to do that in 2016 is online, Hanes explains. “I always ask my clients the million-dollar question: when I type your name into a search engine, what am I going to find?”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Attraction marketing is the key now. Nobody wants to be sold anymore,” Hanes explains. “If you can be that person who educates and advocates within a particular niche, you’ll win every time. You become a celebrity in your own circle of expertise. By taking care of the online basics—a profile and photo on LinkedIn.com, a social media presence, contributing articles and blog posts, appearing on podcasts—you begin to establish yourself as an authority.” One thing an authority often does is to write a book. Hanes and his team have created over 600 bestselling authors to date.
Connecting With T. Allen Hanes
Website: www.theauthoritycodebook.com
Twitter: @tallenhanes
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/tracy.hanes1
LinkedIn: www.tallenhanes.com
Free Gift
Reserve a digital copy of The Authority Code and as a bonus receive a FREE 5-Day Video Course on The Authority Mindset. www.theauthoritycodebook.com
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A Business of Packing Adventure and Passion Into Your Life Story - Rye Taylor
Sitting on a porch swing, listening to complaints about Aunt Eunice’s bunions, Rye’s childhood adventures in the bush of Africa’s Zambesi River Valley were a distant memory. He realized he’d made a terrible mistake in the trajectory toward his life’s passion. Something had to change.
Rye Taylor is a story architect and podcast launch strategist for many of today’s New York Times bestselling authors, influencers, and businesses. He is a contributing writer for the Huffington Post among other publications. His motto is: “Build a Better Business by Telling a Better Story.” When he isn’t helping others craft amazing stories, you can find Rye speaking about “storytelling in business” and creating his own unforgettable audio over at www.ryetaylor.com. He lives in Kansas City, MO with his wife, Mandy and sons, Blaze and Teak.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As the son of a long line of ministers, Rye first experienced adventures with his family as a child, when his family was deployed to the mission field in Zimbabwe, Africa. “We went out into the middle of nowhere. We weren’t living in a city but near the bush of the Zambesi River Valley. That was a pivotal moment in my life, and it changed my perception of culture, thinking, of worldview…in everything. It gave me a sense of adventure. Let’s face it, everything I’d known in America was comfortable, and safe. But in Zimbabwe I was forced into a situation as a boy that the only thing I could do was discover the adventure and live it.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
As a young pastor of a local church, Rye recalls, “I was sitting on someone’s porch, swinging back and forth as they were complaining about Aunt Eunice’s bunions. I realized I had made a terrible, horrible mistake on the trajectory toward my life’s passion. I know it sounds silly—and I’ve changed the name of Aunt Eunice to protect the innocent—but I realized at that point that what I was doing, and the way that I was serving, was not what I was called to do. I knew I was called to live an adventurous life and help others tell their own adventure stories, to inspire them to action. I wasn’t doing that on a daily basis. I knew at that point that something had to change.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Sometimes things just take time. One of Rye’s favorite authors, J.R.R. Tolkien, wrote, “Not all those who wander are lost.” That resonated with Rye. “I realized I couldn’t just up and quit everything. I had a wife and a little baby. I didn’t know how I could explore my talents and passions. It was a matter of researching and stumbling through some things, and at times, that’s what I felt like I was doing. But I wasn’t lost. I knew my goal. I wanted to be a storyteller, and I wanted to help others craft their stories and share them. I just needed to find a way to get there. It just took a little while.”
Steps to Success from Rye Taylor
1. Find ways to serve others, but learn how to value yourself.
2. Life and work can be woven together into one life. Work to make that happen.
3. Reconnect with your sense of adventure and love of discovery. Children can help you do this.
4. Make it safe for others to share their intimate stories with you. Too many stories go untold.
On His Bookshelf
The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
Connecting With Rye Taylor
Email: rye@ryetaylor.com
Website: www.ryetaylor.com
Twitter: @ryetaylor
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ryetaylor
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ryetaylor
Free Gift
40% off Rye’s next storytelling mastermind. Go to www.storypopstudios.com. Use the code: discoveryourtalent for your discount.
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From Her English Seaside Home She “Helps Entrepreneurs Get Stuff Done” - Susan Weeks
Susan Weeks competed with 2,000 applicants for a coveted programming job at a new Nissan factory in Sunderland, UK. She won one of only two positions offered. The work was challenging but she felt like a square peg in a round hole. When a new start-up hit town, new vistas suddenly emerged.
Susan Weeks is a busy online implementation specialist and podcast producer who “helps entrepreneurs get stuff done.” With a focus on podcasting and video marketing, she has enabled her clients to create clarity, simplify strategy and tame technology. Happily settled in a small seaside town on the East Yorkshire Coast of England, Susan has developed her getting-stuff-done skills to support her busy life. A single mum with long-term clients and a regular schedule of work to accomplish, she has a lot to fit into her day. Add in a love of the outdoors, running, being a scout leader and an enthusiastic textile artist, people ask how she finds the time to smile and enjoy life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Early in childhood, Susan realized she was a born organizer. She successfully competed against 2,000 applicants for one of two jobs programming mainframe computers at the newly opened Nissan Motor Manufacturing factory in Sunderland, UK. Although the work was challenging, “I just felt as if I were a square peg in a round hole. I became very frustrated and unhappy.” Rather than leave the job right away, she looked around for other opportunities to learn. “This gave me a fantastic selection of skills, which stood me in good stead even today. Things like general technology skills, testing, project management, planning, being able to communicate, work to the distance, all that kind of good stuff, which I still use today. It wasn’t wasted time, not at all.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“What really changed things was when a fast-growing start-up came to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which encouraged a group of us to leave Nissan. It was an outsourcing company working with a big American global bank.” Soon, Susan was managing a virtual office, with staffers working remotely in four locations across the north of England. The experience opened her eyes to opportunities for using the internet to free herself from the rigidity of a fixed office setting. New vistas emerged.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“From the time I was a small child, I’ve always challenged myself to (make) progress. I am more mindful of taking advantage of opportunities than I ever really thought I was. Clearly, I’ve made several drastic changes in my life. My attitude has always been, there’s got to be a better way. If you just start to look around, these days there’s so much opportunity to do something different. When I was a child at school, computers had hardly been invented. Now you can do just anything. And I’m just so happy to have been born when I was, and for being able to find the thing that I do like. You know, I’m good with technology and communicating, and I’ve really found my space. I’m really happy about that.”
Steps to Success from Susan Weeks
1. Keep your mind open to the fact that there are opportunities all around you.
2. Look for ways to convert what you’re doing now into something with more freedom built into it.
3. If you think about it long enough and look for it, there will be an answer. There will be a way.
4. Be a life-long learner. Take opportunities to learn new skills, even if you don’t know if you’ll ever use them.
On Her Bookshelf
How To Give It So They Get It: A Flight Plan for Teaching Anyone Anything and Making It Stick, by Sharon L.Bowman
The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months, by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington
Connecting With Susan Weeks
Website: http://www.podcastprogress.com
Twitter: @sueweeks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Susan.L.Weeks
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/susanweeks
Free Gift
Susan loves using Trello to plan her life and manage projects. She also loves The 12 Week Year book (see On Her Bookshelf above.) Trello is very flexible and you can set it up as suits you. However, a blank screen can be overwhelming, so to help you get started, Susan has created two Trello boards for you, each with an explanatory video and infographic. One goes through the steps needed to launch a podcast. The other shows how you can set up and use Trello to capture and work your 12 Week Year plans and activities. Get started at http://podcastprogress.com/trelloexamples/
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His Life Makes Most Sense to Him in the Rearview Mirror - Tom Schwab
Tom Schwab had completed four years at the U.S. Naval Academy, an outstanding education paid for in full by Uncle Sam. Then, in his senior year he was surprised to find out that he wasn’t physically qualified to be in the military at all.
Tom Schwab helps clients break through the noisy digital world to get more web traffic, leads and customer fans. As an inbound marketing engineer, his refreshingly different approach focuses on supercharging strategies that have been proven over time. An author, speaker, and teacher, he demonstrates the power of being interviewed on podcasts.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“My path only makes sense to me in the rear view mirror, looking back. But it’s amazing how it’s brought me to where I am right now. I feel like, for the first time in my life, I am using my talents to the ultimate and to the fullest. Every little bit of experience that I had is helping me now to work with people to amplify their messages, to get their marketing message out there, to connect with people that could be ideal customers with them.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I had the opportunity to go to the United States Naval Academy. As a Midwestern kid growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, my world went from the Mississippi River in the west to Indiana in the east. For the first time in my life, I got to be exposed to so many different people, so many different cultures and ideas. I went from being 17 years old and never having been more than 200 miles from my house, to coming back a year later having been around the world.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Don’t focus on what somebody else is doing. Don’t try to copy what Bill Gates is doing. You’ll never be able to do it. Figure out who you are, and what you individually have to do and to offer the world. And who you want to work with. And who you want to work for. Because that’s where you’re going to make people happy, and they will make you happy.”
Steps to Success from Tom Schwab
1. Look at where you’ve been the happiest, where you’ve pleased people the most.
2. Look at yourself as an independent contractor, even if you work for a company.
3. Use your talents to add value to what you do.
4. Focus more on the service you provide and less on any particular job title.
On His Bookshelf
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, by Gay Hendricks, PhD
Connecting With Tom Schwab
Email: tom@InboundForEcommerce.com
Website: InterviewValet.com
Twitter: @TMSchwab
Facebook: facebook.com/InterviewValet/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thomasmschwab
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Fears Behind Her, She’s Sold on Helping Women Make it Big - Melinda Chen
Melinda Chen loved the world of international sales, dealing with different cultures, wearing elegant business suits into corporate offices. Then she got an opportunity to leave the corporate world and venture out on her own. Decisions, decisions…
Melinda is a sales coach helping female entrepreneurs sell to big clients. Her company, Women Making Big Sales, allows female entrepreneurs to start connecting and sell to big clients. She spent years studying books on sales and selling, made over 5,000 cold calls, and worked with agents, representatives, and corporate clients around the world. Since then she has mastered the art of selling to big companies and made sales in the Americas, Europe and Asia, covering a wide range of industries.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“The first event that really shaped where I am right now was when I was 12 or 13, when I was waitressing for my father’s restaurant. It was a small restaurant, and I was young, but I still distinctly remember I had a strong sense of fulfillment and satisfaction when I was helping the clients, asking them what they wanted and serving them the dishes they liked. I always thought about that, even when I was at university, trying to decide what I wanted to do. I remembered that sense of satisfaction I felt when I was 12 and 13.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In my first job, I was international sales manager at Berlitz Canada, one of the largest education institutions in the world. I was speaking with the president, complaining about how expensive our program was and what I thought we needed to add. He said, ‘Melinda, to be good in sales, you need to believe in your product and yourself.’ Honestly, at that point, I had no idea what he was talking about! I thought to myself, I’m just talking about the price of the program. That’s got nothing to do with believing!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I was always looking for ways to combine my need to serve and to satisfy my intellectual ability. So I got into investment, and was a broker for a while, which was a great combination for me. But then I was offered an opportunity to represent an Asian company and help them sell to their corporate clients in North America. I had to make a decision, whether to quit the corporate world—wearing suits and going to fancy offices, meeting with the clients—or to be an entrepreneur, where I would be on my own. I decided that I would make a switch. I loved it! And I love being an entrepreneur. I love the ability to have the freedom to work wherever I want, and whenever I want.”
Steps to Success from Melinda Chen
1. Don’t be afraid to think and dream big.
2. Remember life is a marathon, not a sprint.
3. Embrace your enthusiasm, but be patient with yourself. You will get there.
4. Pay 100 percent of attention to the person you are speaking with.
On Her Bookshelf
How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
Connecting With Melinda Chen
Email: melinda@womenmakingbigsales.com
Website: womenmakingbigsales.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chen_melinda
Free Gift
Free Report: Learn 5 Objections to Overcome When Selling to Clients
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Expert Interview: Why Don't CFOs Get the Power of Branding? - Jim R. Gregory
Jim Gregory, marketing expert, explains how marketers are caught in a Catch 22 situation: they know the tremendous value of branding, but they face a gap created by generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP) that simply don’t take this into consideration.
James R. Gregory is the chairman of Tenet Partners, a global brand strategy and marketing firm based in New York City. Jim is a leading expert on measuring the power of corporate brands and their impact on financial performance. He serves on the Board of Directors of Tervis Corporation and is also a member of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB). Jim has written five books on branding including his most recent one, “Powerhouse – The Secrets of Corporate Branding.”
Why Don't CFOs Get the Power of Branding, with Jim Gregory
As frustrating as it may be, “it’s really not the CFO’s fault,” Jim explains from his 26+ years of struggling with the issue. “It’s an issue relating to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) that goes deep within the structure of standards that measure and value all assets of a company, including the intangibles. Brands are part of the intangible assets.”
Why Is This Important?
Marketers are caught in a frustrating Catch 22 situation. They know the tremendous value of branding, but when it’s time to submit a budget to help them build both corporate reputation and brands, they’re held back by accounting practices that simply don’t take this into consideration. “They can’t do it because generally accepted accounting principles do not allow them to even consider it. And it’s a very frustrating thing for all marketers, because they can’t go in there and talk to their CEO about the value they’re creating because the CEO and CFO see no value being created, simply because it’s not reportable.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
The concepts and the methods of valuation have dramatically changed since 1975, but generally accepted accounting procedures (GAAP) have not kept up. “If you go back to 1975, 17 percent of a company’s value related to intangible assets, and only a very small portion of that was something that could be accountable. Brands were an even smaller portion of that, at only 17 percent. But that’s all changed.
Now, 84 percent of a company’s value relates to the intangibles—including customer lists, R&D in the pipeline, and proprietary techniques—and also the corporate brand and the product brands underneath these intangibles. We know from our empirical studies that the value of these intangible assets has grown tremendously. To close this glaring gap in the generally accepted accounting procedures, Jim has been working closely with the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (“Masby”), building a solid, data-based case for change.
Connecting With Jim R. Gregory
Email: jgregory@tenetpartners.com
Website: jgregory@tenetpartners.com
Twitter: @jamesrgregory
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Financial Success at 21 Brought Him Little Satisfaction - Ryan Magdziarz
He’d won a scholarship and made it into the private high school of his dreams. At 13, he was nervous and shy but hardworking, and he was settling in. Then one morning he awakened to hear his father shouting into the phone, “What do you mean you’re not coming back?”
Ryan Magdziarz is an entrepreneur, speaker, author, and founder of Winning International, which he scaled to seven figures at the age of 21. Ryan’s company helps coaches take their business to seven figures and beyond, creating an amazing impact on many people’s lives. He’s on a personal mission to donate over one billion dollars to a charitable organization within his lifetime and aims to inspire others towards the act of giving back.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
After struggling with his parents’ divorce in his early high school days—disillusioned and even losing his self-image as an achiever—he experienced a dramatic turn-around. He explored affiliate marketing, testing products and services that addressed teenage angst, including fitness, dating and acne. “But I was mainly the one helping other people market their products. It was less about the passion behind the product and more about trying to figure out if there was an opportunity to do something in life other than the normal pathway. Obviously, I identified myself as quite different and I wanted to do something more and find something unique.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
As his high school years were winding down, Ryan became passionate about golf, playing it before and after school, “Basically all the time.” At the club he met Dave, a man who became a mentor to him. “Dave was into personal development, which I didn’t know much about at this point. One day, he turned around to me and said, “Ryan, if you shoot this target score today, I’m gonna buy you an iPod for your birthday.” To Ryan, this was huge. “Bring it on, Dave. I’m gonna smash this!” He hit the target. “But the really cool thing was, Dave had loaded the iPod up with Tony Robbins recordings. I had no idea who Tony Robbins was, but every day on the way to golf in the mornings and at night, I would listen to Tony and be inspired. I was even listening to his health messages. I started taking carrots and cucumbers to school, as opposed to eating unhealthy. I had a complete turn-around, which was really cool.” He was firmly set on a path of personal development.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“At 21, I had a team of eight in a digital agency, which we’d built up to be really cranking it. I was thinking, I’m not feeling any fulfillment at all. I know that I’m growing and hitting my growth need. But I’m not hitting my contribution need. I know I’m not on the right path. Usually what I would do when I hit a barrier or road block is I’d pause and reverse-engineer the outcome that I wanted. So, in this stage I wanted a fulfilled life, so I thought, what better way to get there than to go to the end of my life. I went right to the end and wrote out my own eulogy with everything I wanted to be remembered for. The success just did not matter at all. It was purely about the impact that I’d made on other people’s lives.”
Steps to Success from Ryan Magdziarz
1. Do the things you fear the most.
2. Commit yourself to lifelong personal development.
3. Emotions can help you explore your passion, but logic enables you to break goals into manageable pieces and achieve them.
4. Be willing to do the work to reach your goals.
On His Bookshelf
Secrets of the 7-Figure Coach, by Ryan Magdziarz (See free gift offer below.)
Connecting With Ryan Magdziarz
Email: ryan@winninginternational.com
Website: http://winninginternational.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryan_magdziarz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryanmagdziarz/
Free Gift
For a free copy of Ryan’s book “Secrets of the 7-Figure Coach, visit https://secrets.winninginternational.com/free-book
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A 7-Year-Old’s Love of Animals Thrives Today as Her Gentle Barn Foundation - Ellie Laks
Sitting still for the service at her family’s Orthodox Jewish temple felt like torture to her as a five-year-old. Faking a trip to the restroom, she slipped out the temple door. Suddenly, she was covered head to toe in Monarch butterflies.
Ellie Laks is the founder of the Gentle Barn Foundation, a celebrated animal-welfare advocate, humane educator, and author of My Gentle Barn: Creating a Sanctuary where Animals Heal and Children Learn to Hope. The gentle barn was Ellie’s dream since she was seven years old. In 1999, a few years after majoring in psychology and special education, her dream became reality. The Gentle Barn Foundation was established as a sanctuary to severely abused and neglected animals that no one else wants.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Early in childhood, Ellie loved animals and rescued them often, often to her family’s chagrin. She recalls, “I would say to my parents, ‘You’ll see! When I grow up I’ll have a huge place full of animals! And I’ll show the world how beautiful they are!’ That came out of my mouth at the age of seven—and trust me, I do not know where this came from—but out of my mouth it came. That turned into a mantra, which turned into my life’s purpose. I would sit at school and doodle what the Gentle Barn would look like. I’d go to sleep each night and fantasize about all the animals I would love.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“To put myself through school, I became a dog-walker, trainer, boarder and groomer. I speak better dog than human, so I love being around them and training them. I’ve trained dogs professionally since I was eleven, for my neighborhood. My business got big enough and I got a real, substantial paycheck. I drove down to the high-kill shelter near our house thinking, this is going to be easy. I’m just going to pick a dog and bring him home. We’re going to sail out to the sunset. But when I got there, I got a rude awakening. There were 300 dogs, screaming to be the one I picked. I realized, how in the world do I pick one out of all those needy faces?”
Ellie was in for a heartbreaker. Selecting seven pups that were to be euthanized that day, she brought them all home, only to lose them one by one to distemper. It was a harsh reality test of her childhood dream. After the pups all died, she insisted on taking China, the mother, back home with her. Against all odds, she nursed her back to health, and China lived for 10 years.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
After some very dark days when she nearly lost her dream, Ellie reports, “I just held on to who I am with everything that I had, and it got me through. Now I have a thriving organization. After years of working as a volunteer, I finally get paid a salary that pays my bills. The universe rushed in to support me, and I think that’s what I would tell people: when we embrace who we are, our life’s work and purpose and the gift inside that we’ve shared with the world, life rushes in to support us.”
Steps to Success from Ellie Laks
1. As you find your purpose, learn everything related to it, as best you can. None of the knowledge will be wasted.
2. Don’t let yourself give up on your dream, despite apparent evidence to the contrary.
3. Share your gift generously and freely, and welcome the support the Universe sends through whatever channels it chooses.
On Her Bookshelf
My Gentle Barn: Creating a Sanctuary Where Animals Heal and Children Learn to Hope, by Ellie Laks and Nomi Isak
Connecting With Ellie Laks
Email: michelle@gentlebarn.org
Website: gentlebarn.org/
Twitter: twitter.com/GentleBarn
Facebook: facebook.com/TheGentleBarn/
YouTube Channel: youtube.com/user/gentlebarn
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His Childhood Up for Grabs, He Juggles His Way into a Creative Career - Barry Friedman
Barry was five when his parents divorced. Suddenly he and his brothers went from living in a nice place in Los Angeles to facing uncertainty. When his grandmother sent him to summer camp, he faced two choices, and one involved a “hot, smelly box of a room” in San Fernando Valley.
Barry Friedman is a four-time World Juggling Champion, six-time TED Speaker, and a bestselling author. Through his book “I Love Me More Than Sugar,” and companion website at 30DaysSugarFree.com, he has supported thousands of people in kicking the addiction to added sugar and living a life with more energy, better health, and less belly fat. He’s been married 28 years and has a 14-year old son who will unicycle up, over, or off of anything.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Barry was five or six when his parents divorced. “I went from living in a nice place in Los Angeles to suddenly trying to figure out where things were going to come from next.” As the middle son among three brothers, “We ended up in some bad situations, abusive situations, not supported, not knowing what to do.” At age 15, his grandmother sent him to summer camp, where he was offered a choice of arts and crafts—which was in a hot, smelly box of a room in San Fernando Valley—or juggling by the pool. “I figured we’d be done with the juggling in 10 minutes, then be in the pool.” He took to the juggling immediately. “I was the last one to leave that class. I never put those balls down at the end of that summer camp!” He and another camper did a little show together, just using the basic skills they had learned, and people were laughing and applauding. “I knew in my heart of hearts that life would never be the same again.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was really one of the last guys in the juggling class to learn it. I remember there were about 10 or 12 of us, and everyone else had gotten it. All I know was that something inside of me had clicked. And I knew I would never be physically abused again, never steal again, and that I would never wonder what I was going to do with my life. It was like the touch on the forehead. I was 15 at that point, and I think it was six years later in 1984 when I won my first world championship.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
Juggling has been a metaphor for life for Barry. As in life, “When you drop, you pick up. You learn to drop less, and when you win world championships, you learn to not drop at all. For millennia, when people have gotten nervous their hands have shaken, and that’s not a great thing for jugglers. So one of the first big lessons in juggling is when you get nervous, everything channels down into the ground and out the feet.”
At age 26, he had a major test of this principle: a command performance for President Ronald Reagan at Ford’s Theater. “Nervous? I mean, I was in a show with huge names. But my hands never shook. I learned how to get nervous energy going out my feet. That was a huge gift for a juggler!”
Steps to Success from Barry Friedman
1. Find ways to earn your living by following your passion.
2. Learn about your prospective markets and meet a need.
3. Opportunities will emerge as you seek ways of living your passion in your work.
4. Whenever possible, cultivate long-term relationships that reinforce your abilities to serve a market.
5. Pay attention to new interests that might reveal more about your passion. (In my case, it was my interest in living sugar-free.)
On His Bookshelf
I Love Me More Than Sugar: The Why and How of 30 Days Sugar Free, by Barry Friedman
Connecting With Barry Friedman
Email: raspyni@gmail.com
Website: 30DaysSugarFree.com
Twitter: @30DaysSugarFree
Facebook: facebook.com/30DaysSugarFree
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/raspyni
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Looking Deeper, She Finds Hidden Meaning and Purpose in Names, Numbers - Rachel Flower
Going through university, Rachel was always trying to perform well, hoping somehow to make the world right. She was putting out a lot of effort, getting straight A’s, but inside she struggled.
Rachel Flower coaches artists and entrepreneurs and uses a precise system of spiritual numerology called soul contract reading to help people get to the core of their purpose and passion. Rachel believes that the blueprint of your life is coded into your birth name, a map to show your unique gifts, talents and life lessons. She has worked for more than 20 years as a coach and mentor to executives and Fortune 500 companies, as well as hundreds of coaches, entrepreneurs and change agents around the world.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Disillusioned by the mechanical side of Newtonian physics, Rachel left academia and made a 180-degree turn. “I wanted something totally off the wall and different. So I volunteered at a children’s home. I noticed how some kids in horrible situations seemed to thrive, while other kids, without much wrong in their family life, seemed to be struggling. It got me curious about the human condition.” This led her onto a spiritual path—in some ways reconnecting her with the transcendent aspects of the quantum physics she’d studied at university—which included meditation and a move to Hong Kong. There, she began practicing, studying and then teaching meditation. Her work even included teaching children at a camp run by the United Nations for Burmese refugees.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“Growing up, I had a lot of spiritual experiences, but my family wasn’t religious or spiritual, so I didn’t have a context for understanding them. I was very sensitive, and I had this feeling that there was something very real at work in the universe that I couldn’t see. I also got very confused about my emotions, picking up other people’s emotions, thinking they were my own. Going through university, studying physics, I was always trying to perform really well, to somehow make the world right. I was getting straight A’s, putting out a lot of effort, but internally there was a lot of struggle. Then, in my second year I got really depressed. I didn’t understand then what I understand now, which was: I wasn’t living my passion. That internal struggle ultimately launched me on my life’s journey.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I’ve learned to look for where the spark is in somebody, where they come alive; that little flicker of light. You can hear it in a tone of voice or see it in a facial expression. I start by asking, ‘When do you come alive? What are you doing when you come alive?’ I encourage people to notice when they feel like they’re enjoying themselves, whether they’re having a conversation with a friend, taking a hike in nature, or running up a mountain. If you want to create a life you enjoy more, then the more enjoyable things you bring into your life, the better.”
Steps to Success from Rachel Flower
1. Notice what you’re doing when you feel most alive.
2. Notice the insights that come when you’re doing what you love.
3. As you create space for more joy in your life, you will be better able to recognize the opportunities life is offering you.
4. Let go of nagging self-doubt. Doubt is just a thought form–it’s not true.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Rachel Flower
Website: www.nameintegration.net
Twitter: @senssoma
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rachel.flower1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-flower-5933344
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Expert Interview: Rethinking Retirement—Prospering after 50 - Thomas O’Grady, Ph.D.
Dr. Thomas O’Grady’s successes in a range of fields have sprung from his ability to help a wide range of businesses and people, including Lee Iacocca, Alan Greenspan and Japanese and European companies. With a Ph.D. in mathematical and statistical economics from Berkeley, and fluency in three languages, he has appeared in all major media. His current book, The Mechanics for Breakthrough Success, shares that path for others.
Rethinking Retirement—Prospering after 50
“Let’s assume a person is approaching 50 years of age. They start thinking about what they’ll do when they retire. In the past we’ve thought of retirement age as around 65. But quite frankly, the world has changed. Economists used to call the age range of 45 to 64 the “net savings years.” Your kids are out of the house, your bills are paid, and you no longer feel you have to buy things to impress anybody. That’s been thrown in the trash. People are being laid off and replaced by younger, cheaper workers. The economy is in such turmoil. People and companies are trying to make ends meet.”
Why Is This Important?
People are living longer, Thomas explains, and it’s not out of the question to expect to live up to and beyond 90. “It used to be that you would die around 73, 74 years of age, if you were a guy. That meant you’d need enough money to carry you from age 65 to your early 70s. Part of what we address on my LifeUnsettled podcast is the idea that you should stop thinking about your life as being nearly over as you face retirement at 50 years of age, and start thinking of what you’re going to do. With increased life expectancy, you’ve got more time ahead of you than your entire adult life so far! Think of it, from 18 to 50 is 32 years, but from 50 to age 90-plus is greater. Rather than thinking, ‘OK, I guess it’s over,’ start thinking of an active lifetime in your future.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Approach the new reality from an optimistic standpoint. Learn to redirect yourself. Think of the kinds of careers that will be available in the future. Almost all of us have several careers in our lifetimes. You can learn and do new things. You may be doing something full-time now and decide on some new or other work you will do on the side. Or, you may decide to start your own business.”
Connecting With Thomas O’Grady, Ph.D.
Email: LifeSuccess123@msn.com
Website: LifeUnsettled.com
Twitter: @Thomas_OGrady
Facebook: Facebook.com/ThomasOGradyPhD
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thomasogradyphd
Free Gift
You want change in your life but are sure you think you have no time? Download a free guide, “Find Time to Succeed in Life,” from Dr. Thomas O’Grady, available on LifeUnsettled.com.
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Untraditional Upbringing Shapes Unique Perspective on Work and Life - Jason Thelen
As a top corporate sales guy, he was making what he called “an embarrassing amount of money,” and he had all the trappings that went with it—the watches, cars, suits, and the things. But the more money he made, the more money he needed. And he needed it faster than he was bringing it in.
Jason Thelen is founder and chief adventure officer of Argo Adventure Labs. He has devoted the last 20 years of his life to pursuing adventure, while continuously striving to learn ways to support the integration of mind, body and spirit, which is vital to sustaining high performance. He spent 19 years in sales and business development in the technology space. Jason has first-hand experience of the pressure and stress that the average corporate employee is subjected to, and created Argo Adventure Labs specifically to create a platform to provide active recharge and promote wellness for today’s business professional.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Jason quickly rose from being the new kid on the block at a technology company to being the number one salesperson out of 300 across the country. “While I was working these high pressure corporate situations, I was taking retreats around once each quarter, just to keep myself sane. I would go out into the world someplace, like a favorite, for example, would be Tulum, Mexico, where I would sit and be very close to nature, separated from the modern world, without access to technology in the way that we’re used to at home.” He was familiar with holistic health and wellness from childhood. His mother and several of her friends opened the first holistic health center in the city of Berkeley, California, in the late ’70s. “This is where my foundation in wellness and nontraditional medicine—and what I like to call ‘pre-hab,’ as opposed to rehabbing an illness—came from.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Rather than a single dramatic moment, Jason’s untraditional upbringing gives him a unique perspective on work and life. Growing up in a commune in Berkeley, California, “I guess you could call it a chaotic environment. It was a very loving and caring environment, but there was a lot of transition and a lot of chaos. Very early on in life, I learned how to get along with a lot of different kinds of people. I seemed to be the perpetual new kid, always starting at a new school throughout my childhood. So that gave me a unique footing that really paid dividends throughout the rest of my life.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“When I was a corporate sales guy, I was making an embarrassing amount of money for what I was doing. I had the trappings that went with it, the watches, cars, suits, and things. What I found is that the more money I made, the more money I needed to make, because my lifestyle would expand to fit that new money faster than I was bringing it in. I think that’s what happens to people. We get caught up in these ideas of what we need to do to look successful, and we forget that what’s success is to feel good.”
Steps to Success from Jason Thelen
1. Slow down, breathe, and reconnect to who you are most authentically.
2. Imagine what it is that would make you really happy in this moment. Don’t judge what that thing is.
3. Make room for that thing, whatever it is. Start to create more space for yourself every day.
4. Face your fears. Find what makes you feel afraid and step towards it.
On His Bookshelf
Dune, (entire series), by Frank Herbert
Psycho-Cybernetics, A New Way to Get More Living Out of Life, by Maxwell Maltz
The School of Greatness: A Real-World Guide to Living Bigger, Loving Deeper, and Leaving a Legacy, by Lewis Howes
Connecting With Jason Thelen
Email: jason@argoadventurelabs.com
Website: argoadventurelabs.com
Twitter: twitter.com/ArgoAdventurer
Facebook: facebook.com/Argo-Adventure-Labs-525366347514604
LinkedIn: linkedin/company/argo-adventure-labs
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Her Early Decision to "Go For It!" Launched a Life of Perseverance - Jo Hausman
As a single mom in her early 20s, she knew she wanted more. For starters, she wanted to see some places other than her native South Dakota. But with a toddler two and a half years old, there was no shortage of people telling her she was crazy.
Jo Hausman holds an MBA in Business with Entrepreneurship from the University of Sioux Falls. She is a self-starter with tenacity and proven leadership skills. Her selfless acts of kindness for family, community and church are telltale signs of her true character. She owns several small businesses and is a real estate investor and city council alderwoman. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and is the proud mother of her son Cody and her two fur babies Dakota and Ellie.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Jo knew she wanted to have a positive impact on people’s lives, and her college degree in human services helped her land a job helping people determine their eligibility for disability benefits. “It was a gratifying position, but very frustrating, too, because you saw people, unfortunately, at their worst. I really had to learn patience, empathy—more empathy than what I already had—and it was a fantastic job for me.” A benefit of the job was the job board, where openings from all over the United States were posted. Jo kept an eye on that board.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
As a single mom in her early 20s, Jo made a decision that set the tone and the direction of her life. She listened to friends who told her, “Go for it!” She decided to move away from South Dakota when her son was two and a half. A lot of people thought she was crazy, but other people said, “Go for it! You’re young. Your son’s not even in school yet. Just do it. Have fun, enjoy it. Go see the United States!” Jo said, “And so I did!” Years later, with an MBA behind her and a track record as an entrepreneur, she published her first book: Go For It! A Woman’s Guide to Perseverance.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“As the old adage says, write down what you want in your life. Write down where you want to be in six months to a year. Write down how you’re going to get there. If I don’t do that, I don’t get to where I want to be as fast as I want to go. But once I write it down, my mind is focused on it. I read it every day and make daily steps I have to do to get there.”
Steps to Success from Jo Hausman
1. Keep your eyes and ears open to new people and experiences.
2. When you’re clear on your goals, write them down and review them often.
3. Wake up every day committed to living and learning.
4. Never lose your positive attitude.
5. Don’t be afraid to Go For It!
On Her Bookshelf
Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge, by Mark Batterson
Connecting With Jo Hausman
Website: johausman.com
Twitter: twitter.com/jojova
Facebook: facebook.com/jo.hausman
June 2016:
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Despite Upward Career Trajectory, Nothing Sparked His Imagination - Josh Doody
Josh was in a job he liked, doing work he enjoyed. But as he sized up the company and the prospects it offered, the 30-year upward trajectory, ending with a retirement party, didn’t spark his imagination. Instead, he just felt antsy.
Josh Doody is an author and consultant. He didn’t negotiate his salary at his first few jobs, but quickly realized he had left a lot of money on the table. He began negotiating and doubled his salary in three years. Josh took everything he learned, began helping others, and wrote “Fearless Salary Negotiation,” a number one Best Seller on Amazon.com. Since then, he has helped many more people earn tens of thousands more dollars.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Both of Josh’s parents are entrepreneurs who took non-traditional approaches to their work lives. So, Josh went the other way, at first, taking a conventional path: high school, college (earning a dual degree in computer science and electrical engineering), then employment at a company. One of his employers was acquired by other companies multiple times, and Josh noticed that he was learning many different areas of responsibility. He sized up his prospects for a long haul at the same company and, “That made me a little bit antsy. Sure, my pay trajectory would more or less follow a line that went up and to the right, but I wouldn’t control my career very much. Because of having watched my parents do their own thing and have control over their own fate, I just wasn’t that interested in doing that for 30 years.” He started considering other options.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“In 2009, things started to calm down (at work), so I went back and did a part-time professional MBA program at the University of Florida. I was thinking, OK, what’s the next move for me here? How do I get up to speed on business? It felt like the right thing to do was to take the shortcut and get the crash course of an MBA program. You don’t usually go too deeply into any one topic in an MBA program. You get a really good survey of all the different components that a business might entail. It took me from zero to pretty competent in business in two years.” Josh began to see many options, including an entrepreneurial path. He considered the job activities he had enjoyed the most and the interactions that had given him the greatest satisfaction. It became clear to him that he wanted to venture out on his own and find ways of helping others make the most of their careers.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“People ask me why I wrote the book on salary negotiation. My answer is, a lot of people were asking me about this stuff,” Josh explains. His interest in salary negotiation started out a lot like a hobby. “Most people have something they love to do on the side that they may not even tell people about. Maybe they tinker on the guitar, or mess around with home audio recording, or they draw or do digital design. Finding the next step can come from looking at those hobbies and asking, ‘Is there some way this hobby could benefit other people?’ Or, you might ask yourself, ‘Have other people already told me they’re interested in a benefit that my hobby could offer them?’ Looking for those clues is a really good first step to finding new opportunities.”
Steps to Success from Josh Doody
1. Accept new responsibilities as opportunities to learn.
2. Even on a traditional career path, you can find ways to expand your knowledge and skills.
3. Pay attention to your hobbies, interests and avocations. They are clues to your passions.
4. Listen when friends and co-workers remark on your talents, skills and abilities to see if their comments resonate with your ideas about yourself.
On His Bookshelf
Connecting With Josh Doody
Website: fearlesssalarynegotiation.com
Twitter: twitter.com/JoshDoody
Facebook: facebook.com/JoshDoodyAuthor/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshdoody
Free Gift
A special gift to Discover Your Talent (DYT) listeners: Everything you need to get your next raise. Two free guides on how to estimate your market value and how to get your next raise, plus an email template you can use to send your written raise request to your manager.
The two guides are available to you at: FearlessSalaryNegotiation.com/dyt
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Her Network Saves Her: Career Happiness, Nothing Less! - Christie Mims
Christie Mims looked at the people around her on the Metro. They looked like they had died years before but their bodies were still doing the daily commute. A voice inside her said, “This can NOT be my life!”
Christie Mims is the founder and CEO of The Revolutionary Club, the number one destination for smart women who are unwilling to settle for anything less than career happiness. Compassionate, caring and, as she says, “a little kick-ass,” Christie is here to make sure that you love what you do. A certified professional coach and recovering consultant with a background working for Fortune 500 companies, Christie has been there, done that, and worn those uncomfortable shoes.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
For years, Christie was gaining skills, experiences and knowledge, but never quite feeling she had found her sweet spot. She studied history, taught at a “private, ritzy school” in England, where she also coached lacrosse. She learned about peacemaking and mediation in Brussels (where the chocolate was wonderful – “It was a big factor in my decision”). Then she worked at NATO, picking up graduate degrees and certifications along the way. Among the many things she learned was what she did not want to do. Years later, when she discovered coaching (“I didn’t even know it was a career for a long time!”), she couldn’t get enough of it. “I couldn’t stop myself from reading about coaching, playing with my materials, talking with people about it, even practicing it. I was so interested in it. And that was amazing to me because I hadn’t thought I’d be that interested, but I was.”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“There were a couple of memorable events for me on my journey from miserable consultant to entrepreneur and someone who really believes in the power of work. I ran a multi-million-dollar portfolio, and managed a team of 30. I worked with amazing clients. And I felt so guilty that I wasn’t happier! I remember being on my way to the office one day on the Metro in Washington, DC. I was looking at the people around me. Everyone looked like they had died a few years ago and their bodies were still going to work. I thought, ‘Am I gonna wake up years from now on the Metro, wondering what happened to my life? This can NOT be my life. I can’t keep doing this anymore!”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“My network saved me. Today, my mission is about connection and networking. I have the firm belief that everything good in your career comes from your network, and that it’s a life skill—we should learn it in college but we don’t. If you can increase your networking skill and your connection to people, you never have to be unemployed unless you want to be. So much opportunity will come your way.”
Steps to Success from Christie Mims
1. Accept that it’s really OK to want to do the work you love.
2. Believe that it’s OK to not always stay on the prescribed path.
3. Build your network. The economy and the world are changing and the only safety net you have is your network.
4. Get out there, take risks, and do things that are a little bit different. You deserve it.
Connecting With Christie Mims
Email: christie@therevolutionaryclub.com
Website: therevolutionaryclub.com
Twitter: @revolutionsclub
Facebook: facebook.com/therevolutionaryclub
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christiemims
Free Gift
6 Simple Steps to Work You Love, a free workbook to get you started.
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Expert Interview: How to Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind for Success - Dr. Steve Taubman
Dr. Steve Taubman has an eclectic and unusual background. As a bestselling author, physician, magician, hypnotist and mindfulness coach, he brings a unique perspective to sales professionals, entrepreneurs and small business owners. He’s produced dozens of programs, including his bestselling book, UnHypnosis, and his reprogram-your-mind-for-success audio, UnHypnosis for Entrepreneurs, voted one of the Top 25 Must-Have Products. Dr. Steve has performed for and coached top celebrities and movie stars, and has shared the stage with legendary motivational speakers like the late Zig Ziglar.
How to Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind for Success
“The topic grew out of my passion for personal development and growth, and that grew from growing up in a dysfunctional family. Those of us who decide we want to be more than we started out as—or what we thought we started out as—are somewhat forced into the uncomfortable role of having to face ourselves, and look at what’s in our hearts and souls and at what stops us.”
Why Is This Important?
“I strongly believe that we’re all hypnotized at some point in our lives, acting unconsciously. So, the challenge is, how do we wake up? What’s the mechanism? I explore this metaphor in my book, Unhypnosis: How to Wake Up, Start Over, and Create the Life You’re Meant to Live. This compelling metaphor helps us see how life is about waking up from a hypnotic trance. We start from a supposition that we all have inner greatness; we’ve all got something to contribute to the world. There’s a reason we’re here. But we’re also endowed with invisible walls which we have absorbed and unconsciously accepted. They are our limiting beliefs, difficult emotions, habitual judgments, negative self-image—what we are saying to ourselves about ourselves when nobody else is looking.”
What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?
“Step one has to be our recognition that we are hypnotized. As the philosopher George Gurdjieff said, ‘The first step for escaping from prison is realizing you’re in prison.’ Most of us don’t. We’re living our lives day to day without questioning or thinking about the rationality of some of the things that limit us. We’re lacking critical thinking. We’re not really at a higher order of thinking or consciousness where we can differentiate between beliefs that are empowering and those that are self-limiting. As we ‘un-hypnotize’ and wake up, we can start creating a life based on a healthy inner climate.”
Connecting With Dr. Steve Taubman
Email: steve@stevetaubman.com
Website: stevetaubman.com
Twitter: @DrSteveT
Facebook: /steve.taubman
LinkedIn: /stevetaubman
Free Gift
Enjoy the first 40 pages of Dr. Steve Taubman’s book, Unhypnosis: How to Wake Up, Start Over, and Create the Life You’re Meant to Live, available at stevetaubman.com. At the bottom of the home page, sign up for his newsletter and get your free download of the first 40 pages.
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A Young Man’s Career Crash Helps Him Teach About Success on the Inside - Corey Gladwell
At 23, Corey Gladwell already owned a restaurant and a nightclub. For a high school drop-out, this was success. Two years into the business, standing on the balcony of his nightclub late at night, he felt empty and unfulfilled. Everything started to crumble.
Corey Gladwell became successful at the age of 23, after a tough childhood, growing up on welfare. He started out by owning a restaurant and nightclub. He says he ultimately sabotaged himself because he was unsuccessful internally. Becoming addicted to drugs, he lost everything. He was jobless, penniless and nearly homeless. Corey went into a practice of deep meditation for almost four years and wrote the insights and realizations that came to him during that time. Rebuilding his life from the inside out, he is now in the top seven percent in his industry. He got back ten times the material things he had lost, but more importantly he is enjoying deep, loving relationships in his life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was a kid. I think my first product was a toy my mom bought me. I upsold it to a neighbor for a higher price. But I had regular jobs at places like Sears and the movie theater. I started an energy drink company, a clothing line, a water bottle company, you name it. I just kind of dived into every business you could think of until one took off.
When he was 19 or 20, hanging out with friends at restaurants, he thought, “How could I get paid to do this? How could I make a living doing what I’m already doing?” So, when he turned 21, he made his foray into owning a restaurant and nightclub.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was out on our nightclub’s balcony one night, after two years of staying up until 5:00 in the morning, five nights a week, partying every night. I could feel the sense that I was empty, that my soul was not fulfilled, that I was not fulfilled. There was no meaning or purpose to what I was doing. I knew it at that moment, but I ignored it. My heart was trying to talk to me and I ignored it. After that, things began to crumble and fall apart around me.
I began to turn inward in January of 2012. I started meditating and asking myself a series of questions, and I had a Oneness experience, like Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie and others describe: the oneness and interconnectedness of all things. That lasted for about three weeks. After that, I slowly realized I was coming back to life, and that everything about my life had to change. So, I began to rebuild everything from the ground up.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“A lot of us get distracted by the demands of life, and the sense that, ‘I have to take care of this,’ or ‘I need money for that,’ or ‘My family needs me to take care of that.’ I’m not saying don’t be there for anyone, and I’m not saying just completely uproot your life and leave everyone. I’m just saying, let this thought sink in: If you didn’t have to do anything for anyone, what would your heart really want? What would make you feel full? If you can really answer that question, it will take you in a new direction, to live up to your own life. That, in turn, is going to free your family, friends and everyone in your life to live up to their own light as well.”
Steps to Success from Corey Gladwell
1. Commit yourself to a daily meditative practice.
2. Clear away the distractions that keep you from listening to your heart.
3. Find the beliefs that are holding you back and let go of them.
4. Leave everyone you meet a little better than they were when you met them.
On His Bookshelf
The Human Experience: A Guide to Personal Fulfillment, Meaningful Worth and Ultimate Awareness, by Corey Gladwell
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One, by Dr. Joe DiSpenza
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle
I Need Your Love – Is That True?: How to Stop Seeking Love, Approval, and Appreciation and Start Finding Them Instead, by Byron Katie and Michael Katz
Any works by Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Byron Katie or Eckhart Tolle
Connecting With Corey Gladwell
Website: coreygladwell.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Thehumanexperiencebook
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Hospitality and Self-Compassion: Key Ingredients in Her Success Recipe - Deborah Goldstein
At age 32, she owned a thriving and critically acclaimed restaurant, fulfilling a dream she’d nurtured since she was 10. But she realized her life was one-dimensional. To find the balance her heart cried out for, she made a bold decision.
Deborah Goldstein founded two companies to help professionals maximize their careers. Goldie’s Table Matters (GTM) enables professionals to maximize networking opportunities and business development. DRIVEN Professionals helps businesses increase employee retention and productivity, using a holistic approach in a three-part development cycle: professional, business and personal. Deborah is DRIVEN’s own best student, constantly learning and sharing life’s best practices, and integrating work and personal life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
At age 10, Deborah had her eye on New York Mets right-fielder Rusty Staub. She wanted to be a ballplayer, but when she heard that there are no girls in baseball, she set her sights on owning a restaurant.
Rusty Staub also owned some restaurants. She started learning about business on the day she got her driver’s license. At age 16, she went to work as a short order cook “in a charming restaurant called Lickity Split, an ice cream parlor that served great food. From the first moment of my first day of training, I knew I had serendipitously found the perfect career for me.” Later she enrolled in Cornell University’s prestigious School of Hotel Administration, ranked number one in the world by the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
The decision to leave the career of her childhood dreams, after successful years as a restaurateur, was monumental. “I realized that I couldn’t have a restaurant and hope for love in my life. In effect, the restaurant was my husband. The only time I could accept a date was on Monday evening, unless somebody called in sick. I was living a very full and incredibly satisfying life—but it was one-dimensional. I wanted to find balance in life. So, I decided at age 32, if I wanted to move on with my life, perhaps the best thing to do would be to just lock the door, and start the life that I wanted to explore. So, I locked the door, and that was my exit strategy.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“Realize that if we’re not living to make ourselves happy, if we’re doing things just for the approval of others, then we’re missing out on a lot of life. Develop a growth mindset, as opposed to a fixed mindset. In other words, ask yourself, ‘What can I learn? How can I be better? How can I learn from this?’ Start leaning into the fear instead of running away from challenges. I think that’s a big part of a growth mindset.”
Steps to Success from Deborah Goldstein
1. Stop living for the approval of others and focus on your own happiness.
2. Develop a growth mindset, not a static, fixed mindset.
3. Celebrate your daily successes, large and small.
4. Practice self-compassion and don’t take yourself too seriously.
On Her Bookshelf
Positively Outrageous Service, by T. Scott Gross
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, by Brené Brown
The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity by Kory Kogon, Adam Merrill, and Leena Rinne
Connecting With Deborah Goldstein
Email: deb@drivenpros.com
Website: drivenpros.com
Twitter: @DRIVENpros
Facebook: facebook.com/DRIVENProfessionals/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deborahgoldstein18
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His Family Lost to HIV, He Helps Others Grieve and Live Life After Loss - Benjamin Allen
Benjamin saw the oncoming car hurtling straight toward him at a deadly speed. As his head crashed into the windshield, for a split-second he felt indescribable peace. He was 20 years old. Decades later he’s still learning from the experience….
Benjamin Allen’s life was devastated by the death of his wife and two children through an HIV infection. It became the watershed experience that reshaped his life. Lydia was infected in 1982 at the birth of their first son, Matt, through a transfusion of blood platelets. After the deaths of his 2 sons and wife, he went to Thailand to teach English, where he met his second wife, Rachel Flower, a British national. When they decided to move to the U.S. in 2006, Benjamin began his grief work, which he refers to as “living with loss.”
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
Benjamin had a near-death experience at age 20, when a drunk driver hit his car head-on at a high rate of speed. As he attempted to understand his out-of-body experience and his miraculous recovery, he opened himself up to spirituality. Decades later, dealing with the tragic HIV-related losses in his family, he draws on spiritual resources as he helps other people who are living with loss.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Benjamin’s is a life filled with dramatic turning points, which gives him a unique understanding of life passages and passions. “The thing that’s interesting about finding one’s passion, from my experience, is that every moment is a turning point. Every moment is a choice, every moment in consciousness we follow a path or we create a path. There