Kathryn Bennett is becoming a really cool friend, and in getting to know her I realized I needed to get her on the show and pick her brain ABOUT brains. She shares how she got her start in the proposal writing industry at first, and has a pretty funny story about how she got into journalism in college. Her hot take is about how so many people wait until they feel good to move ahead, and how that can actually slow you down. You don't have to have an overly positive attitude to succeed in life, and as a champion strongwoman of Utah, she knows the mental fortitude it takes to just get in and get stuff done. You'll find you hold yourself back if you wait for all conditions to be perfect, and feel awesome, instead of just acting. We talk specifically about toxic positivity and embracing the suck in this episode. After listening, check out her nice side on LinkedIn by searching for 'kathrynbennettwrites', and then head to Instagram @kaybeelifts to see her Viking side.
An experienced marriage and family counselor, Abby Brooks shares how she got started in business. In 2015 she had her 'a-ha' moment after being hospitalized for depression and an eating disorder. Later she earned the nickname 'Mama Abby' because of the impact that her own therapist on her was so strong that it just spilled out onto the people around her. As is often the case, going through trauma is what it takes to get someone to be able to help many other people, and Abby's definitely gone through a lot. And she's got some deep experience that she brings to bear when helping others. Reach out to her anytime via email at abrooks@family-strategy.com for quick questions, resources and links.
Kim Kristensen told me after the show that this was his first podcast, and I was like, 'No way.' This guy is super composed and knowledgeable about his craft when it comes to conflict resolution. On today's episode, we talk about the idea that there really is no such thing as a 'difficult person'. What we think of as difficult is really someone not feeling like they're being heard. And yeah it's heckin' frustrating if you've been in those shoes. Kim's strategy plays on helping calm the nervous system and letting people get to a place where they no longer perceive a threat and can finally feel like they're being heard. And once they do, corporate interactions move smoothly. Check out warriormediator.com for more tips about conflict deescalation, and much more. For now, let's jump into the episode.
This is the first guest that I've ever almost made coffee shoot out his nose lol. An experienced leadership coach, Michael Levitt helps people prevent burnout, and these days in particular: the kind of burnout that's resulted from the pandemic. From watching what info you consume, listening to your body, setting clear expectations and controlling where you work, you absolutely have the tools at your disposal to prevent your own burnout. But if it's way out of control? Michael can help. After listening, head over to www.breakfastleadership.com to find out more.
Today's guest is STL native and friend Svetlana Kogan, and where today's episode differs is that she let me pick the topic! Before our talk we had discussed the topic of meditation, and in today's episode we got into some other fringe areas of the mind state between asleep and awake, and self-hypnosis. It's a variety episode full of neat tips that will help you learn some new ways your mind can work. If you'd like to chat with her, text her at 314-397-5561 or email her at svetlana.s.kogan@gmail.com.
Scott Mason has figured out his calling in life. Learning that he 'had to go down to go up', and ultimately to live life to the fullest, he's realized the best way to do that is to inspire others to do the same. Inspiritional speaker, fellow podcast host, and all around awesome guy, Scott's got purpose nailed down. And he can help you find yours too. Head over to purposehighway.com to find out more, and listen to this podcast to learn how he's determined not to wallow in self pity.
Austin Bollinger and I first met on another podcast, The Hot Mic @ Arch DevOps, more than a year ago. And since then he's had a huge pivot himself. He's realized that he's quite risk averse and that there were some definite spooky times during the pandemic. Aspiring to be a coach, he hired a coach himself to get the best personal performance, while fighting anxiety and fear of failure. We talk about how journaling is a powerful way to get control of your own mind. Check out his blog at dailynewyears.com and find out more about his podcast, contact info and his book 'Crush Your Goals'.
With 23 years of IT experience, he had a great foundation for starting a coaching business. 10 years ago he got into management in IT, and that's when he decided to get more into personal deveopment. With so many people in leadership positions not really knowing HOW to lead, it takes someone like Vamsi to believe in their ability. That's what he does with his clients, is believe in them, and give them the tools to do what deep down they know they're capable of. Listen in for a tip about removing limiting beliefs. Then, after the show, reach out to him by searching for Vamsi Polimetla on LinkedIn, or going to vamsi.coach to find out more.
Dr. Denise started off wanting to major in computer science, but ended up discovering a passion for psychology. Now she combines psychology and marketing automation to become a powerful coach for executives, helping them to get a handle on their marketing. Dr. Denise has been a serial guest on multiple shows, and I'm glad to get the chance to learn a little more about her on this show. When you're ready to learn more about her and what she can possibly do for you, find her on social media at @drdenisedennis, or at her online community at joindrdenise.com
This easy going chat with today's guest was a show covering 3 out of 12 possible topics. Karl de Leeuw reached out on Matchmaker reached out recently and outlined some really interesting concepts, and I wish we'd had more time to dig into more of them! We talked about mutltiple books that he's been authoring and researching for, talking about how dyslexia can be a superpower, how certain civilizations know things about health that we've totally forgotten about or ignored, and the last topic being about the universe, where we barely scratched the surface on. Karl's got a lot of wisdom and experience that he's more than happy to share. If you'd like to get in touch with him, find him at lightsurfers.me. Let's get into the episode now.
Today's guest Riana Milne was a guest on another show awhile back, and we used this as a good excuse to catch up and see what we've been up to in the year since then. She's a certified Life and Love Recovery Coach, author of 7 books, and shares her story about how love trauma shaped her life in some ways that, while negative at first, helped her understand how much she can help the world at large. As is often the case, the people who have the biggest scars have the biggest hearts, and know best about specific types of pain because they've gone through it 100 times worse than anyone else. After listening, head over to https://fritz.krtra.com/t/RrvXhPAp1HCp to learn more, take some free quizzes, download her e-book, and determine if you have love trauma and don't realize it--and then heal from it.
Moritz Farbstein is a colleague of mine--we used to work together here in St. Louis at CenturyLink years ago. He was one of the most influential guys in my career since he was the only one that sat me down to explain how pivot tables work in Excel! But he's also deeply involved in the area of psychiatric abuse. Starting off his career as a teacher, then as a COBOL programmer, his career took him through many companies (including the one we worked at together), and into management consulting, The Church of Scientology and many more. But when he ran across instances of psychiatric abuse with some of his friends and family, he found his mission. Now as a semi-retired professional, he spends a lot of his time volunteering for CCHR, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, fighting psychatric abuse wherever it's found. Whether it's baked into a state's laws, fraudulently charging insurance for services or being used as a weapon against people, it's something that needs to be investigated. Fast. Listen in for the distinction between psychology and psychiatry, what really is considered psychiatric abuse and what really constitutes a mental disorder. After listening, if you're feeling like you might fit a particular category or feel like psychiatric abuse has happened to you, there's help. Head over to cchr.org for the International CCHR website, or cchrstl.org if you're right here in Missouri with us. Both sites have decades of research and information.
Don Finley and I have been crossing paths for a little over a year, and business wise have become strategic partners. During that time, I found out that he's really deep into some mindset things and I felt led to invite him onto the show. Don not only runs a software development agency called FinDustries, but also a men's group that helps guys find their identities, and what that means in today's world. So when he's not busy creating cool software, he's busy cultivating cool people. In our talk, we examine how the mind is an amazing tool. How abstract thinking isn't the only way we can use our brain's full potential. How turning off the mind and engaging your heart, body and soul can get you unstuck faster. And although you can't see it on this podcast, he managed to fend off a really friendly cat who made a cameo appearance. It's a talk about mindfulness, fighting depression, stoicism and a lot of other things. If you'd like to meet Don, email him at don@fin.dustries.com or find his smiley face on LinkedIn. Let's join in now.
Today's episode is a nice, easy going chat about how to structure learning and get people to pick up new skills and do way more than they thought they were capable of. Patrick O'Malley has figured out that giving students audacious goals gets their minds into a place where they learn faster. And he applies that principle to teaching guitar. Starting off with finding what their dream song is, he sets to work on helping them learn to play it within a certain amount of time. But instead of teaching chords and scales, he jumps right into more complex stuff. It's an approach to learning that's harder overall, but much more rewarding and more effective. Big areas of the education sector as a whole can benefit from this approach. You can find out more about Patrick at learnfingerpicking.com/podcast where he's got a discount over there, or reach out to him directly at patrick@learnfingerpicking.com. Keep listening at the end for a bonus clip of his guitar playing.
It's been awhile since I talked with Charlene Norman on a podcast. Last time we got together was... about a year ago. Actually it was right in the thick of when then pandemic got started. She and I both had made some big pivots in our businesses. Now as we look back and reminisce for part of this episode, we can see how our minds have changed, and been tuned to notice opportunity around us. Right away she asks about how I'm monetizing the podcast, and we brainstorm about that, but I quickly realize: this is a great example of what she does for people every day. People everywhere who struggle with their business and anxiety often need to have their energy uplifted and realize more of what they're capable of. And really just have some ideas to bouncea around. One big thing Charlene shares is how to give back to the world, while taking back control of it--which might sound counterintuitive, but when you listen to this episode, it'll make sense. Got some big things to share with you today. After listening, reach out to Charlene by emailing her at char@bulletproofconsulting.ca. She answers every email. You can also find her at bulletproofconsulting.ca or badwolfcommunity.com and learn more about her mission. Let's listen in now.
Fellow entrepreneur, and also entrepreneur coach Purdeep Sangha joins me today to talk about why it is guys have a hard time opening up. His whole business is focused on helping men perform better, be better dads, husbands, leaders and movers, in a world that constantly tells guys like us that showing emotion is a sign of weakness. Starting at an early age, he had some really key experiences that put him on the path he's on today, and circumstances that almost didn't happen helped him realize what kind of perception he had about the world around him. His whole life has been marked by coaching in some fashion, from managing people at 16, being a personal trainer at 17 and all kinds of other areas. This is an area that I know many men who struggle, myself included, so was really glad to get the chance to talk with him today. We're going deep into the man brain today so get ready to learn some useful stuff. After listening, find him at purdeepsingha.com or anywhere on social media--reach out, set up time to chat and get your questions answered. Also head over to completemanaudio.com where you can get a copy of the audio book 'The Complete Man'. Listeners can get a 75% discount by using the code 'VICTORY75' at the checkout.
Listen, I know this is hard to hear if you're in the US but, the truth is, we are the fattest nation on the planet. No kidding. I've personally struggled with weight loss, members of my family have too, and for most people it seems like it's a neverending cycle of fad diets, big losses and even bigger gains. It's no wonder that obesity and depression seem to go hand in hand. Today's guest, Meaghan McElroen shares with me how her own life took her into a direction in her career to completely disrupt what we've learned about diets in the past decades, and help us re-learn what we seem to have forgotten. Her approach is less on the foods we eat, and more on the whole person. More imporantly: accepting yourself as a work in progress. It means that, yeah, have the snack, but don't beat yourself up about it, because you're still headed in the right direction and you're still making progress. Be strategic about snacking and practice 'intuitive eating' instead of binging due to stress or tiredness. This is an episode that a lot of people need to hear. After listening find her at themeaghanmethod.com, or @themeaghanmethod on Instagram or find her on Facebook to join her community of people who are relearning what good diet and self acceptance look like. Let's jump in now.
Always a pleasure chatting with executive coaches. There's a whole lotta stress in the upper echelons of leadership at many companies. Terry McDougall shares her story with me about bringing everything she's learned from a 30+ year career in marketing, and then aiming those skills at helping executives wrangle their role into something really powerful. Much of the struggle stems from fear--maybe fear of change or fear of giving up control. Whatever it is, she comes alongside and acts like a 'leadership sherpa', helping guide them to their full potential. We get into a lot of topics about what true happiness looks like, and how it's actually possible to have success and happiness at work be totally divorced from each other. I was today years old when I learned that was even possible--I'd always figured there would always be at least a little sliver of happiness even at a job you mostly hate. But I guess not! And she helps get more of that to overlap however she can, for whoever is willing to learn. She's all over social media, and can be found at terrybmcdougall.com, where you can also find out about her book called 'Winning the Game of Work', also available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you're an executive who's got a case of the 'ugh', Terry can help you out. Keep listening to find more about the mindset of true leadership.
Local St. Louisan Tom Check helps people become more awesome. And it's awesomeness that's already in them. Had the pleasure of meeting Tom at a weekly meetup in town and we really hit it off. Over the past year we've had conversations about mindset and self awareness, and I felt like I had to get him on the show. His story: he had the American dream, six figures, lots of cars, but still found himself unhappy with life. After a huge purge and living on his own in a minimalist lifestyle, he decided to try and find his calling. Writing down a list of jobs that sounded fun, he tried them all but none of them really rang true. Until he got the chance to help teens realize their true potential. The rest is history. He's still on his path and is open to change, but deep down the goal of helping people is sown throughout. Tom's incredibly knowledgeable about how people can unlock the awesomeness that they already have, and has been a huge encouragement to me personally. It takes a little bit to see that you're unhappy, but once you do, there's a clear way to change that. Find Tom at choicecoaching.us where you can check out a lot of resources to help you realize your potential, and where he hosts twice a month group calls. Let's take the parking brake off and start listening in now.
Devon Phillips got his start as a software developer who got together with a few buddies to kick off a new company. But some 'things' happened, yadda yadda, and now he's in Colorado. (I promise it's legit I'm just trying to be funny here, he's one of the good guys.) Now he's deep into the psychedelic space and super knowledgeable about psilocybin and the effects it has on the human mind. Today's episode is a mind-opening story of how he got to where he is, what he's learned about mushrooms and how he's helping people help themselves. Lots of cool projects in the pipe. Check him out on Instagram under the handle @dphil21, and look up the All One book project as well. Let's join in now.